IT201600078054A1 - MACHINE FOR FILLING BOTTLES, CARTRIDGES, SYRINGES AND THE LIKE. - Google Patents

Description

Title: FILLING MACHINE FOR BOTTLES, CARTRIDGES, SYRINGES AND SIMILAR.

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a machine for filling bottles, cartridges, syringes and the like.

In the pharmaceutical field, the products and substances that come in liquid and / or powder form can be validly packaged in dedicated containers, often suitable for containing a single dose, in order to facilitate the administration of the same to the patient.

These products and substances are then packaged in specific bottles, vials, cartridges (such as for example the carpules used in syringes intended for the administration of local effect anesthetics), syringes (such as ready-to-use syringes used for numerous and heterogeneous applications) and similar.

The procedures of the known type for filling containers such as bottles, cartridges, syringes and the like provide for the delivery of trays (generally referred to as TUBs) which house suitable racks (generally referred to as NEST) within which the individual containers are neatly arranged.

The trays (TUB), the racks (NEST) and the containers are of the standard type, produced by relative suppliers, generally different from those that produce the filling machines, and constitute the first dimensional and structural constraint to which it is necessary to enslave a machine of filling and closing.

The machines of the known type provide for the withdrawal of the rack (NEST), within which a plurality of empty and sterile containers is stored, from the relative tray (TUB) and its transfer to an operating area in correspondence with which at least one single container is to be removed for once, fill it with the specific substances provided, and close its opening to isolate the contents from the external environment.

The handling of the racks (NEST) is normally entrusted to multi-axis handling devices that take them from a respective conveyor belt to transfer them, from time to time, to a specific operating station (at which filling or weighing or closure, etc.): generally these are conveyor belts, trolleys on guides or belts, even if other types of transport are not excluded.

However, this type of equipment is generally not very versatile, while it would be necessary to be able to quickly adapt them to racks (NEST) and containers of different types (for example of another format, other dimensions or conformed according to other standards).

In addition, the continuous picking and delivery of the racks (NEST) from the conveyor belt, performed by the handling equipment, limits the productivity of the machine.

Finally, it should be noted that the multi-axis handling apparatuses have a multiplicity of grooves, seats and undercuts in correspondence with which dust and residues that are difficult to remove can accumulate.

On the other hand, it is essential that all the parts of the machines used in the packaging of drugs can be easily and completely subjected to cleaning and sanitizing operations.

The aim of the present invention is to solve the above problems by proposing a versatile and efficient filling machine for bottles, cartridges, syringes and the like.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to propose a machine for filling bottles, cartridges, syringes and the like which allows quick and simple format change operations to be performed.

Another object of the invention is to propose a machine for filling bottles, cartridges, syringes and the like which can be subjected to cleaning and sanitizing operations in a simple and rapid manner.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a machine for filling bottles, cartridges, syringes and the like of low cost, relatively simple to make in practice and safe to apply.

This task and these purposes are achieved by a machine for filling bottles, cartridges, syringes and the like, generically defined containers, of the type comprising at least one inlet station for housing racks for a plurality of empty containers, at least one operating station for direct intervention on at least one container at a time and at least one outlet station for racks housing a plurality of full containers, characterized in that it comprises at least one manipulator with multiple degrees of freedom, automatically governed, reprogrammable and rigidly fixed to the frame of said machine, said at least one manipulator being provided, at its terminal end, with fastening members for at least one rack, said at least one manipulator being suitable for transferring said at least one rack from said at least one inlet station to said at least one outlet station , crossing the said at least u an operational station.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clearer from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the machine for filling bottles, cartridges, syringes and the like according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example, in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an axonometric view of a machine for filling bottles, cartridges, syringes and the like according to the invention;

Figure 2 is an axonometric view of the machine of Figure 1 from a different angle; Fig. 3 represents, in section according to a transverse vertical plane, the machine of Fig. 1; Figure 4 is a top view of the machine of Figure 1;

Fig. 5 is an axonometric view of a further type of machine for filling bottles, cartridges, syringes and the like according to the invention;

Figure 6 is a top view of the machine of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a top view of the machine of Figure 5 in a different operating phase.

With particular reference to these figures, the reference numeral 1 generally designates a machine for filling bottles, cartridges, syringes and the like.

The various components that will be filled in the machine 1 according to the invention will henceforth be generically called containers A, including with this definition bottles, cartridges, syringes, carpules, vials and other containers for which there is an industrial interest to a calibrated filling in a substantially isolated environment.

The machine 1 according to the invention comprises at least one inlet station 2 for racks 3 intended for housing a plurality of empty containers A, at least one operating station 4 for direct intervention on at least one container A at a time and at least one feeding station outlet 5 for racks 3 housing a plurality of full containers A.

The machine 1 according to the invention comprises at least one manipulator 6 with several degrees of freedom, automatically controlled, reprogrammable and rigidly fixed to the frame 7 of the machine 1. The manipulator 6 will preferably be of the type of an anthropomorphic robot of high precision.

The at least one manipulator 6 can be validly provided, at its terminal end, with fastening members for at least one rack 3: in practice, the end of the manipulator 6 can be removably coupled (and in a controlled and automatically controlled manner) with at least one respective rack 3, thus allowing it to be transported and moved inside the machine 1.

It is specified that the at least one manipulator 6 will therefore be suitable for transferring the at least one rack 3 from the at least one inlet station 2 to the at least one outlet station 5, crossing the at least one operating station 4. According to an embodiment of undoubted practical and applicative interest, the manipulators 6 may be a plurality, mutually arranged according to the direction of advancement of the racks 3 between the at least one inlet station 2 and the at least one outlet station 5. The manipulators 6 may be reciprocally aligned or variously staggered according to specific construction needs.

It is specified that there are different embodiment solutions for machines 1 according to the invention provided with a plurality of distinct manipulators 6.

According to a first embodiment, at least one support unit for the temporary housing of at least one rack 3 can be validly interposed between contiguous manipulators 6.

In practice, the rack 3, during its advancement along the machine 1, corresponding to the execution of the various operations foreseen for the transformation of the containers A into finished products (such as for example filling, weighing, closing, sealing, etc.), will be efficiently arranged on the support unit by the at least one manipulator 6 placed upstream of the same, in order to allow its subsequent easy removal through the at least one manipulator 6 located downstream of the unit.

According to an alternative embodiment, however, the manipulators 6, aligned according to the direction of advancement of the racks 3 between the at least one inlet station 2 and the at least one outlet station 5, could alternatively be opposite each other with respect to a corresponding operating station. 4.

In this case each rack 3 would be delivered by the manipulator 6 upstream to the one opposite it, placed immediately downstream. In practice, a real "handrail" would occur between consecutive manipulators 6, thus ensuring that each rack 3 is always correctly supported by at least one manipulator 6 at a time.

However, constructive solutions are not excluded in which the manipulators 6 are not opposed but arranged in substantial reciprocal alignment, all on the same side with respect to the operating stations 4, and in which a direct delivery of the rack 3 takes place from the manipulator 6 upstream to the one. adjacent to it, located immediately downstream.

"Mixed" solutions are also provided in which there are support units interposed only between some pairs of manipulators 6, while the other manipulators 6 present will perform direct transfer operations of the rack from the one upstream to the one downstream. For the purposes of correctly identifying the characteristics of each manipulator 6 present in the machine 1 according to the invention, it should be pointed out that the restraining members placed at the terminal end of each manipulator 6 will be mobile in space with at least 3 degrees of translation freedom, according to the 3 Cartesian axes.

In general, by adopting anthropomorphic robots, the degrees of freedom provided for the terminal end of each manipulator 6 will be six, in fact also providing three rotational degrees of freedom.

However, it is specified that, referring to the embodiment described up to now, it will in any case be necessary to avoid giving rotations to the rack 3 with respect to horizontal axes: such rotations would in fact involve the fall of the containers A arranged therein.

Each rack 3 is in fact constituted by a planar body provided with a plurality of seats of shape and size conjugated to those of the containers A intended to be housed therein.

It follows that each container A will simply be inserted in its respective seat and kept in this position simply by effect of gravity. In containers A they will not be free to pass through the respective seats as they comprise borders and / or frames at their upper or lower edge which have an overall dimensions greater than the width of the seat.

In order to ensure that each manipulator 6 performs the appropriate alignments to allow the operating stations 4 to carry out the respective operations on the containers A, the machine 1 according to the invention comprises a programmable control and management unit for the controlled and suitably synchronized movement of all manipulators 6.

The presence of specific memory components also allows the programming of a plurality of different operating cycles of the manipulators 6 present (for example providing for the manipulation of racks 3 of different formats).

The adoption of spatial information acquisition components (such as optical sensors, displacement sensors, proximity sensors) for self-learning of the dimensions and movements of each rack 3 by the manipulators 6 is not excluded, depending on the specific format of the itself or the particular operating cycles to which its containers A will have to be subjected.

It is evident from the previous discussion that the movement of the racks 3 (and with it being that of the products A) takes place inside the machine always by means of manipulators 6 which make the presence of conveyor belts and other similar devices superfluous.

This characteristic is fundamental as it allows to reduce to a minimum the parts that are most difficult to clean, ensuring easier sanitation of the machine 1.

It is therefore evident that the manipulators 6 installed in the machine 1 will generate the necessary alignment conditions of the respective rack 3 and / or of the relative containers A at each operating station 4 for the direct intervention thereof on at least one container (A); the operating stations 4 will be of the type preferably selected from a filler, a dispenser of a predefined substance inside at least one container A, a weighing apparatus for at least a single container A at a time, a washing unit for at least a single container A at a time, a closure device of at least a single container A at a time and the like.

The above list has a purely illustrative and non-limiting function, as the presence of operating stations 4 intended for carrying out different functions and processes on containers A is foreseen.

Finally, it should be pointed out that the fastening members placed at the terminal end of the at least one manipulator 6 can be removably coupled to auxiliary equipment, of the type preferably selected from sanitizing steam dispensers, solvent dispensers, tools, components for at least one operating station. and similar .

This guarantees a high versatility of use of the manipulators 6 and, consequently, the possibility of varying the operating modes of the machine 1 and of the type of racks 3 and containers A processed by it in a simple and fast manner.

Advantageously, the present invention solves the above problems by proposing a versatile and efficient machine 1 for filling bottles, cartridges, syringes and the like. In fact, this machine 1 can easily be adapted to different activities to be carried out on the containers A, as well as to containers A and to racks 3 of different shapes and / or sizes.

The machine 1 according to the invention allows to perform quick and simple format change operations. These operations are in fact only subordinate to the selection of a different work cycle, loaded or loadable in the memory of the processor responsible for controlling and managing all the manipulators 6.

Conveniently, the machine 1 according to the invention can be subjected to cleaning and sanitizing operations in a simple and rapid manner.

The characteristics of the machine 1 and of its components (in particular of the manipulators 6) are in fact such as to minimize the inaccessible (or hardly accessible) areas which instead are normally present (even in large numbers) in machines of known type.

Positively, the present invention makes it possible to produce a machine for filling bottles, cartridges, syringes and the like which is relatively simple in practice and low in cost: these characteristics make the machine 1 according to the invention an innovation of safe application.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept; moreover, all the details can be replaced by other technically equivalent elements.

In the illustrated embodiments, individual characteristics, reported in relation to specific examples, may actually be interchanged with other different characteristics, existing in other embodiments.

In practice, the materials used, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and the state of the art.

Claims (8)

R I V E N D I C A Z I O N I 1. Machine for filling bottles, cartridges, syringes and the like, generically defined containers (A), of the type comprising at least one inlet station (2) for racks (3) for housing a plurality of empty containers (A), at least one operating station (4) for direct intervention on at least one container (A) at a time and at least one outlet station (5) for racks (3) housing a plurality of filled containers (A), characterized in that it comprises at least one manipulator (6) with several degrees of freedom, automatically governed, reprogrammable and rigidly fixed to the frame (7) of said machine (1), said at least one manipulator (6) being provided, at its terminal end, with fastening members for at least one rack (3), said at least one manipulator (6) being suitable for transferring said at least one rack (3) from said at least one inlet station (2) to said at least one outlet station (5), through there is said at least one operating station (4). 2. Machine, according to claim 1, characterized in that said manipulators (6) are a plurality, substantially arranged according to a direction of advancement of said racks (3) between at least one inlet station (2) and at least an exit station (5). 3. Machine, according to claim 2, characterized in that at least one support unit is interposed between contiguous manipulators (6) for the temporary housing of at least one rack (3), said at least one rack (3) being arranged on said unit from the at least one manipulator (6) upstream, for its subsequent withdrawal through the at least one manipulator (6) downstream. 4. Machine, according to claim 2, characterized in that said manipulators (6), arranged according to the direction of advancement of said racks (3) between the at least one inlet station (2) and the at least one outlet station (5), are alternatively opposed to a corresponding operating station (4), each rack (3) being delivered by the manipulator (6) upstream to the one opposed to it, placed immediately downstream. 5. Machine, according to claim 1, characterized in that the fastening members placed at said terminal end of said at least one manipulator (6), are movable in space with at least three degrees of translation freedom, according to the three Cartesian axes. 6. Machine, according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a programmable control and management unit for the controlled and suitably synchronized movement of said manipulators (6). 7. Machine, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one operating station (4) for the direct intervention on at least one container (A) is of the type preferably selected from a filler, a dispenser of a predefined substance inside at least one container (A), a weighing apparatus of at least a single container (A) at a time, a washing group for at least a single container (A) at a time, a closing device for at least a single container (A) for time and the like. 8. Machine, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fastening members placed at said terminal end of said at least one manipulator (6) can be removably coupled to auxiliary apparatuses, of the type preferably selected from sanitizing steam dispensers, solvent dispensers, tools, components for at least one operating station and the like.