GB2326149A

GB2326149A - device for transporting and packaging of products with wrapping material

Info

Publication number: GB2326149A
Application number: GB9815903A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Franz Ruegg; Josef Tuns
Original assignee: SIG Pack Systems AG
Current assignee: Syntegon Packaging Systems AG
Priority date: 1996-04-26
Filing date: 1997-04-18
Publication date: 1998-12-16
Anticipated expiration: 2017-04-18
Also published as: AU2501697A; WO1997041033A3; AR003554A1; GB2326149B; GB9815903D0; WO1997041033A2; DE19780369D2; CH690546A5

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (1) in which products (2) are pushed in phases across a plurality of stations (B, C, D, E). A sheet blank is delivered, between the first two stations (B, C), at right angles to the direction (A) of conveyance. The product (2) is pushed to the second station (C) using a slide (27) and a surface (20) moving partially therewith. The blank (7) is supported by being positioned against a face (34) and folded around the top and the bottom of the product (2). The preceding products (2) are simultaneously pushed on into the stations (C, D, E) using fingers (35, 54) of a comb-shaped conveyor (9). A longitudinally sealed seam is formed in the station (C) using sealing jaws (8). The surface closures are formed and sealed in the stations (D, E) which follow. The device has a simple structure and is easy to control.

Description

1 Device for the purpose of transporting and packaging products with

wrappinQ material The invention relates to a device for the purpose of transporting and packaging products with wrapping material in a packaging machine. It is the object of the invention to form a device of this type in such a manner that it is constructed in a straightforward manner and can be controlled in a convenient manner. This object is achieved by virtue of the combination of the features in the claims.

An exemplified embodiment of the invention is explained hereinunder with reference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a schematic lateral view, Figure 2 shows a more detailed lateral view of one part of the device, and Figure 3 shows a plan view of the second station.

The device 1 is used to package products 2, e.g groups of food slices which are arranged edgewise and lie in a planar manner against each other, e.g biscuits. The products 2 are supplied on a first conveyor 3 in phases at regularly spaced intervals to the device 1 in the direction of conveyance A. At the inlet end of the device 1, the product 2 is surrounded by virtue of a wrapping material sheet 4. The sheet 4 is drawn off in phases from a supply roll by virtue of gripper 5 in a transverse manner with respect to the direction of conveyance A and is cut with a blade 6 to an appropriate length. The middle of the cut sheet blank 7 is located in the central plane M. When the next product 2 is conveyed further, the said central plane is surrounded by virtue of this blank 7 and a sealed seam is formed by virtue of two transverse sealing jaws 8. The surrounded products 2 are now moved further in phases through the device 1 by virtue of a comb-like conveyor element 9. They pass initially into an end side folding device 10 which is disposed on both sides. Each device 10 consists of two triangular metal sheets 2 11, which are offset with respect to each other transverse to the direction of conveyance, overlap each other and are disposed in a symmetrical manner with respect to each other and to the central plane M. The metal sheets 11 form, on the end sides of the products 2, sealed seams which are folded in a planar manner on these end sides. When the products 2 are conveyed further they pass into a sealing device 12 which consists of [sic] both sides of a number of sealing jaws 13 which can be moved in a transverse manner with respect to the direction of conveyance A and which are moved against each other by virtue of the stroke element 14 and which seal the end side sealed seams. After the sealing procedure the packages 15 are pushed on to a further conveyor which conveys them away.

Figure 2 illustrates in a more detailed manner the device in the region of the sealing jaws 8. From the conveyor 3 the products 2 are pushed in phases on a support table 20 in a first station B immediately upstream of the plane of the sheet length 4. The table 20 can be displaced on a longitudinal guide device 21 in the direction of conveyance A. It is moved by virtue of an entrainer 22 at the free end of a pivot lever 23 which for its part is controlled by virtue of a eccentric disc 25 which can be rotated about a spindle 24. The table 20 can also comprise lateral guide devices 26 for the purpose of guiding the products 2. From the first station B the product 2 is pushed into the second station C by means of a slide 27. In so doing, the slide 27 and the table 20 initially move in synchronism. The slide 27 is controlled by virtue of a further control curve [not illustrated] on the eccentric disc 25. On the return path it is raised using known means, e.g in a similar manner to the conveyor 9 [described hereinunder]. As soon as the product reaches the sheet 4, said sheet is cut with the blade 6. The product 2 is pushed on further. The lower and the upper sheet parts of the sheet blank 7 are folded around the upper side of the product 2 and the lower side of the table 20. This procedure is assisted by virtue of guide plates 29, whose rear side is approximately in the vertical plane of the sheet 4. The front side of the product 2, Le approximately the middle of the blank 7, passes to a synthetic material bearing surface 34 on the rear side of a rearmost pair of fingers 35. The carrier 3 36 of the fingers 35 is guided in a displaceable manner in a carriage 37 in the direction of conveyance A and is biassed by virtue of a spring 38 into the rear end position, in which a pin 39, which is inserted through a transverse bore in the carrier 36 is located on the rear edge of a longitudinal hole 40 in the carriage 37. When pushed further against the second station C by means of the bearing surface 34, the blank 7 is pressed against the product 2 by virtue of the force of the spring 38, so that it cannot slide away.

The carriage 37 is guided on a guide rod 43 in a displaceable manner in the direction of conveyance A. The guide rod 43 is attached to a holding device 44 which is guided by virtue of a parallelogram linkage 45 so as to be able to move vertically. At least one of the joint rods of the linkage 45 is formed as a twoarmed lever 46. The other arm 47 of the lever is connected by way of a joint rod 48 to a further pivot lever 49, which is controlled by virtue of an additional control curve 50 of the eccentric disc 25. A further pivot lever 52, which cooperates with an additional control curve 51, is connected by way of a joint rod 53 to the carriage 37. The control curve 51 is designed in such a manner that it displaces the carriage 37 in each case in the direction of conveyance A in an approximately synchronous manner with the movement of the slide 27, as soon as the rearmost finger pair 35 is pushed in slightly by virtue of the product 2, which is advanced using the slide 27. The table 20 remains stationary in this position. The product 2, which was located in the second station C, is pushed into the third station D. The products 2 from the third station D and from the fourth station E are pushed into the respective next station by virtue of further fingers 54 which are fixedly mounted on the carriage 37, whereupon the carriage 37 is lowered by virtue of the control curve 50 and is pulled back once again by the curve 51 into the rear end position, where it is raised to the starting position. At the same time the slide 27 and the table 20 move again to the starting position illustrated in Figure 2 and the gripper 5 draws off the next piece of sheet.

In the starting position the product 2 is held in the second station C by virtue of a holding device 59 which can be controlled by virtue of a stroke element 58. The 4 support surface 60 for the products 2 in the stations C, D, E consists of a plurality of mutually spaced support elements 61 (Figure 3). In the second station C, the said support elements have a widened part 62, which supports the tubular package 63, which is formed around the product 2, of the packaging. At the top of the rearmost fingers 35 there is also a widened part 64. Consequently the tubular package 63 is supported over a large surface in the second station C and the first fingers are supported over a large surface for the purpose of further conveyance into the subsequent station D. Since the lateral guidance through the folding device 10 commences in the following stations D, E and the tubular package 63 is already sealed in a longitudinal manner, it is no longer necessary to provide support over a large surface at this site.

The described device can be manufactured in a cost-effective manner and can be monitored in a straightforward and convenient manner. It is also readily possible to provide a format adjustment. The products 2 are treated in a protective manner. The device comprises a high degree of functional reliability. It is self-cleaning owing to the slotted support surface 60.

Claims

1. Device for the purpose of transporting and packaging products (2) with wrapping material (4) in a packaging machine, wherein a wrapping material blank (7) is inserted in a transverse manner with respect to the direction of conveyance (A) by virtue of a first conveyor element (5) and the products (2) are pushed from a first support surface (20) in a first station (B) by means of a slide (27), whilst being surrounded by virtue of the blank (7), to a second support surface (60) in a second station (C), wherein the blank (7) is wrapped around said product by virtue of folding and sealing means (8) in this second station (C) and is sealed to form a tubular package (63), wherein, as seen from the rear side, a second conveyor element (9) grasps the tubular package (63) in the second station (C) in the direction of conveyance and pushes same directly into a third station (D).

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the three stations (13, C, D) are arranged in a straight line one behind the other.

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first support surface (20) is a table which can be displaced in the direction of conveyance (A) by virtue of drive means (25, 23) and during operation supports the products (2) at least partially from the first station to the second station (13, C).

4. Device according to any one of the claims 1 to 3, wherein the second support surface (60) consists of a plurality of laterally spaced support elements (61), and wherein the second conveyor element (9) comprises fingers (35, 34), which during the conveyance of the tubular package (63) from the second station to the third station (Q D) engage through intermediate spaces between the support elements (61).

5. Device according to claim 4, wherein the intermediate spaces between the support elements (61) are smaller in the second station (C) than in the third station (D).

6 6. Device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the second conveyor element (9) comprises in the direction of conveyance (A) at least two fingers (35, 54) which are arranged one behind the other and which by virtue of horizontal and vertical drive means (50, 51) convey the tubular packages (63) into a plurality of stations (D, E) which are arranged one behind the other.

7. Device according to any one of the claims 4 to 6, wherein the fingers (35) which are rearmost in the direction of conveyance (A) comprise on their rear side a bearing surface (34) by means of which the blank (7) stops against the product (2) which is advanced by means of the slide (27).

8. Device according to claim 7, wherein the bearing surface (37) is rearwardiy spring-loaded.

9. Device according to any one of the claims 4 to 8, wherein the fingers (35, 34) which are rearmost in the direction of conveyance (A) are formed by virtue of two adjacent fingers (35), and wherein these fingers (35) are preferably widened in an upper portion, which during conveyance movement is above the second support surface (60).

10. Device according to any one of the claims 1 to 9, wherein in the second station (C) there is disposed a holding device (59) which can be moved in the vertical direction and is controlled by virtue of a stroke element (58).