GB445249A - Improvements in bottle cleaning machines - Google Patents

Abstract

445,249. Bottle cleaning machines. BURGESS, A. F., 10, New Court, Lincoln's Inn, London.-(Meyer Manufacturing Co., G. J. ; Layton Avenue, Cudahy, Wisconsin, U.S.A.) Nov. 1, 1935, No. 30220. [Class 138 (i)] In a bottle-cleaning machine of the type in which the bottles while inverted are carried on a conveyer and subjected to various cleaning operations, the neck of an inverted bottle is engaged at the front and rear by means which is open at the sides to permit the free escape of broken glass or other foreign matter, such means being mounted on a support movable to and away from the inverted bottle and serving in the movement of the support toward the bottle to position the bottle neck in a predetermined position with respect to such support. In the construction shown, inverted bottles 20 are carried in rows of pockets 17 secured to endless chains 16. The bottle necks pass between guide members 29 of inverted trough form, below which is a reciprocating cross-head 40 operable by linkage 43. The cross-head carries frame members 44 each having two rectangular housing portions 47 which are open at the top and have vertical bores 48 at the bottom. A brush tube 49 is slidable in each bore and is screw-threaded at the upper end in a cap member 50 having a portion 51 fitting telescopically over the portion 47. The cap member has two projecting prongs presenting a funnel-like surface adapted to engage a bottle neck and centre it into a bore 54. The upper portion of the cap member is open at the sides to allow free discharge of pieces of glass or other foreign matter. The cap member is urged upwardly by means of springs 56, its upward movement being limited by a nut 60. Rotary brush spindles 24 are movable through the brush tubes 49 being carried on a reciprocatory gear box 25. The spindles are supplied with cleaning fluid under pressure. The cross-head also carries brackets 61 to which are secured pairs of channel bars 63 registering with rows of bottle pockets. Each pair of bars has a number of pairs of opposed funnel-forming prongs 67 adapted to centre bottle necks when the bars are raised vertically. At the right-hand bottle-centring device shown in Fig. 1, the bottle positioned thereby is lifted and rotated by means of a spindle 71 between rotary brushes 72 and against a brush 73 for cleaning the outside and bottom of the bottle, other bottles in this transverse row being similarly lifted. The spindles are carried on a reciprocating cross-head operated by linkage 76. At the next two sets of bottle-centring funnels the bottles are subjected to jets of water or other fluid from horizontal spray pipes 78 connected to a hose. At the two sets of centring devices at the left-hand. side of the bars 61, the bottles are subjected to rinsing jets from tubes 84 which are adapted to enter the bottles and are carried on arms 85 secured to the cross-head 25. In operation, the conveyer moves from right to left and the crosshead 40 in each cycle of operation is raised to bring the centring devices between the guide members 29, the lifter spindles 71, brush spindles 24 and rinser tubes 84 being given further vertical movements. The conveyer may have continuous or intermittent movement.