ITPN20100029A1 - AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR PACKAGING OF PRODUCTS OF VARIOUS GENRE WITH TRANSPARENT OR LESS THERMAL-HAND PLASTIC MATERIAL BAGS - Google Patents

Description

â € œAUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR PACKAGING PRODUCTS OF VARIOUS KIND IN BAGS OF THERMAL SEALABLE TRANSPARENT OR LESS PLASTIC MATERIALâ €

The invention relates to an automatic machine for packaging products of various kinds in bags of transparent or non-heat-sealable plastic material, in which the bags obtained from a continuous belt of this material are first opened and in succession filled with the products and sealed. for the delivery.

Automatic machines are known for packaging products of various kinds in bags of heat-sealable plastic material, obtained from a continuous ribbon of such material formed by two thin sheets superimposed and joined together along their side edges.

This continuous tape is introduced into the machine and wound around a feeding roller which determines the intermittent advancement of the tape towards a cutting and sealing station, where the tape is first stopped and then cut to the desired length and finally sealed to one end of it to form a bag. Subsequently, the two sheets of the bag are spread apart from each other at the other free end, in a station consisting of rollers of adhesive material that are first pushed against the relative sheets of the tape, so as to adhere tightly and temporarily against the sheets themselves in the process. € ™ free end of the bag, and then these rollers are moved away from each other thus spreading the sheets and thus allowing the products introduced into a machine loader, which is associated with this operating station, to be introduced into the inside of the bag. At the end of the filling of the bag, the loading of the products is interrupted and the rollers are detached from the free end of the bag, thus closing the latter, and preparing for a subsequent operation, while this free end is sealed in the said sealing station, with consequent closure of the bag with the products contained therein, for delivery of the same.

The machines made in this way, however, are sometimes not able to function satisfactorily over time, due to the fact that the rollers of adhesive material do not always adhere effectively against the free end of the bag, and therefore can cause incomplete openings or even non-openings of the sheets of the continuous belt, with consequent impossibility to fill all the bags with the required products, and the need to stop the machine to repair or replace these rollers.

The present invention aims to produce an automatic machine of the specified type, with characteristics such as to eliminate the drawback of the machines currently existing on the market and to always ensure that all bags are filled with the required products, thereby ensuring a effective and completely reliable operation of the machine itself. This automatic machine is made with the construction characteristics substantially described, with particular reference to the attached claims of the patent.

The invention will be better understood from the following description, by way of non-limiting example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

- fig. 1 shows a sectional schematic side view of the bag-making machine according to the invention;

- figs. 2-12 show, with the same view of fig. 1, the packaging machine moved to different operating phases;

- figs. 13 and 14 show a schematic sectional front view of a component part of the machine according to the invention, moved to two different operating positions.

In the aforementioned figures, the automatic machine 5 for packaging products of various kinds in bags of transparent or non-transparent heat-sealable plastic material is schematically illustrated, in which the bags are obtained from a continuous ribbon 6 of this material, formed by at least two thin sheets superimposed and joined together along their side edges, or by a single sheet folded so as to form at least two sheets overlapping each other.

The machine is substantially constituted (see fig. 1) by a rigid metal supporting frame 7, equipped with an elongated lower base 8 suitably fixed to the floor and on the upper and rear part of which an idle feeding roller 9 is supported, on the which the continuous belt 6 of the plastic material is wound, which roller rotates and progressively unwinds the belt with a slow and intermittent movement, and the advancement of this belt occurs in the only direction of advancement A towards the various component parts of the machine which will be described in detail, in order to form the bags and fill them with the desired products. Said feeding roller 9, moreover, is associated with various rollers 11, 12, 13 and 14 supported in the supporting frame 7, on which the continuous belt 6 is wound and kept taut as well as operated and guided along its advancement path. , in which said belt is made to advance first from an upper position to a lower position and then in the opposite direction, and finally through motor and tensioning rollers 13 and 14, adapted to drive and keep the belt taut, said belt is made to pass through the operating station that will be described, in which the belt is first cut and opened at one end, and then it is filled with the desired products, which have been preliminarily introduced into a suitable container-loader (not shown) supported in the upper part of the machine, then it is sealed by welding at its head and tail ends, and finally it is detached from this operating station and made available ready for delivery.

This operating station is substantially constituted by at least a first mobile roller 15 (see also fig. 13 and 14), hinged in a crank mechanism 17 supported and fixed laterally in the supporting frame 7 of the machine and consisting of an elongated bar 18 equipped with a ... Elongated central through slot 19, in which a bearing 20 fixed to the end of the mobile roller 15 is housed and slidable with a limited stroke, and is also equipped with two identical cranks 21 hinged with one end of them in the bearing frame 7 and with their other end with a relative end of the elongated bar 18, said bar being in turn operated with an alternating rectilinear movement in the longitudinal direction by a pneumatic, hydraulic or similar cylinder 22 fixed and supported in the supporting frame 7 Furthermore, this first movable roller 15 is mounted in the machine in a fixed position, below and coinciding with that of the aforementioned rollers. tors and tensioners 13 and 14. The operating station also consists of at least one second mobile roller 23 (see again Fig. 13 and 14) identical to the previous roller and fixed and supported in a carriage 24, operated by a relative pneumatic, hydraulic or similar cylinder (not shown) fixed and supported in the supporting frame 7, said carriage being sliding together with the second roller 23 with a short stroke along longitudinal guides 25 of the supporting frame 7. This second roller 23 is fixed at one end with a bearing 26, also housed and sliding with a limited stroke in the central through slot 19 of the bar 18 , next to the previous bearing 20, so that the rollers 15 and 23 are aligned with each other and are moved by the movement of the carriage 24 in the longitudinal direction from a position close to each other (see fig. 3-7, and 9-11) to a position separated from each other (see Figs. 2, 8 and 12), in which a free space is defined between these two rollers for the passage of the continuous belt 6, and vice versa. Furthermore, these movable rollers 15 and 23 are operated by the crank mechanism 17 from a lowered position (see fig. 14) during the suction and cutting phase of the continuous belt, to a raised position (see fig. 13) during the cutting phase. welding of the ends of each bag filled with the desired products.

Finally, the movable rollers 15 and 23 are equipped with relative internal cavities 27 and 28 communicating by means of suitable ducts with a vacuum supply consisting of at least one vacuum pump (not shown) installed in the machine, which is operated for periods of time established during the phases of each operating cycle of the machine in which the mobile rollers are pushed into contact with the two opposite sides of the continuous belt 6, to determine a suction action with such intensity as to make the rollers adhere tightly against these sides of the tape, to perform the function that will be described. One of the movable rollers, in the example the roller 15, is also provided with at least one straight cutting blade 29, located in such a position as to be able to act against the continuous belt 6, and operated by means of a pneumatic, hydraulic or similar cylinder. 30 from a recessed position, in which it does not act against the continuous belt 6, to a position protruding beyond the support roller, in which it acts against the continuous belt 6, cutting it, and vice versa. Finally, said movable rollers are also provided with relative welding means 31 of the traditional type, located in the rollers themselves in a position different from that of the cutting blade 29 and such as to be able to act against the two sides of the continuous belt 6, to weld between them the two ends of each bag formed after cutting a piece of tape, and filled with the desired products, as described below. These welding means 31, in particular, are located in the relative movable rollers in a position spaced from that of the cutting blade 29, so that they can act against the two sides of the continuous belt 6 separately from the action of the cutting blade. cut 29, and only after the latter has cut a piece of tape and then moved away from it. In the example indicated, these sealing means 31 are located in the lower region of the movable roller 15, and are activated after these rollers have been moved to the raised position and pushed simultaneously against the two sides of the continuous strip.

The packaging machine according to the invention also comprises a first fixed gripper holder 32, hinged in the bearing frame 7 in a position corresponding to that of the first movable roller 15 and shaped with an upper flat surface 33 in which it is applied transversely to the machine a short flat gripper 34, equipped with a terminal edge 35 inclined downwards and located above the relative mobile roller 15. Said first gripper holder 32, is operated by a pneumatic, hydraulic or similar 36 with a short stroke in the rotating direction, from a raised to a lowered position, and vice versa, for the reason that will be described.

The machine also comprises a second mobile gripper holder 37, hinged in the carriage 24 in a position corresponding to that of the second mobile roller 23 and shaped with an upper flat surface 38 in which a short flat gripper 39 is applied transversely to the machine. , equipped with a terminal edge 40 inclined downwards and located above the relative movable roller 23 and in a position aligned with that of the previous gripper 34. This gripper holder 37 is also operated by a pneumatic, hydraulic or similar cylinder 41 with a short stroke in the rotating direction, from a raised position to a lowered one, and vice versa, for the reason that will be described.

The machine also comprises at least one loader (not shown) arranged in a position above that of the aforementioned movable rollers 15 and 23, which is preliminarily filled with the desired products to be introduced into the bags, which is associated with traditional control means (not shown) to selectively fill each bag with the desired quantities of these products.

Finally, the present machine comprises a detachment system for each filled bag, formed by a pneumatic, hydraulic or similar cylinder 42 fixed in the carriage 24 in a position underneath the mobile roller 23, and by an opposed sprung pin 43 supported in a position underneath the roller. movable 15, said cylinder and pin being located on the two sides of each bag and being able to act against the sides themselves, to determine and facilitate how the detachment of each bag from the machine will be described.

The various operating phases of each work cycle of the automatic machine according to the invention are now described, in the first of which (see fig. 2) the carriage 24 and the mobile roller 23 as well as the gripper holder 37 are displaced. a position away from the movable roller 15 and from the gripper holder 32, thus defining the free space between these component parts for the passage of the continuous belt 6. In this condition, moreover, the movable rollers 15 and 23 are moved to the lowered position and are not powered by the vacuum of the vacuum pump, and the

cutting blade 29 is retracted into the movable roller 15.

The drive and tensioning rollers 13 and 14 are slowly activated in rotation, so that the continuous belt 6 is also progressively unwound by the roller 9 and made to advance by the various rollers in the direction A, penetrating vertically through the aforementioned free space for a predetermined length, defining thus a piece of tape that forms a bag, and at this point the advancement of the continuous tape is stopped. 6. In this condition, the lower ends of the sheets of the tape segment are closed as they have been sealed together during previous welding phase, which will be described below.

In the subsequent operating phase (see fig. 3), the carriage 24 is moved automatically to the left together with the gripper holder 37 and the mobile roller 23, until the mobile rollers 15 and 23 and the gripper holder supports are arranged close together. 32 and 37, and in this condition the piece of continuous ribbon is tightened at its sides by the movable rollers 15 and 23, which are thus positioned in correspondence with the area in which the piece of ribbon will then be cut to form the bag. Then, the vacuum feeding of the movable rollers 15 and 23 is started, with consequent suction by the latter of the sheets of the strip of tape and adherence of the sheets themselves against the movable rollers. In the subsequent operating phase (see fig. 4), always keeping the movable rollers 15 and 23 pushed against the two sides of the length of continuous belt, first of all a slight rotation of the drive and tensioning rollers 13 and 14 is carried out in the opposite direction to that of Advance A, thus causing a traction of the belt 6 and the cutting blade 29 is then actuated, which therefore cuts the length of continuous belt.

Then, in the following operating phase (see fig. 5), the cutting blade 29 is returned to the retracted position and the carriage 24 together with the roller 23 and the gripper holder 37 is made to move back, slightly detaching itself from the roller 15 and from the support. collet holder 32.

In the following operating phase (see fig. 6), the movable rollers 15 and 23 are moved simultaneously to the raised position, preparing themselves for the sealing of the ends of each bag, and the lifting of these movable rollers determines the spreading of the upper edges of the piece of continuous belt, thanks to the suction produced by the vacuum that keeps the mobile rollers always adhering to the sheets of this piece of belt.

In the subsequent operating phase (see fig. 7), the pincer holder supports 32 and 37 are operated simultaneously, with consequent limited rotation of the same downwards and penetration of the inclined edges 40 and 35 of the pincers 39 and 34 between the upper edges of the pincers. said piece of continuous tape, which are thereby locked in place.

In the following phase (see fig. 8), always keeping the movable rollers 15 and 23 in the same previous positions, the carriage 24 is operated in the opposite direction along the guides 25, for a predetermined distance, such as to detach the two sheets of the piece of continuous tape, then in the space thus defined between these sheets the desired quantities of the desired products are introduced 44.

In the following step (see fig. 9), the carriage 24 is moved again to the same position as fig. 7, whereby the edges of the strip of tape are again brought together, and then sealed by means of the sealing means 31, thus obtaining the bag with the products introduced therein. During this phase, furthermore, additional sealing means 44â € ™ provided in the machine above the sealing means 31 also seal and close the lower end of the next piece of tape, thus forming the closed bottom of the bag following.

In the subsequent operating phase (see fig. 10), the mobile rollers 15 and 23 are always kept in the same position and their vacuum supply is interrupted, while the collet-holder supports 32 and 37 are still raised slightly and at the same time, in order to which the inclined edges 40 and 35 of the pincers 39 and 34 disengage from the sealed edges of the bag thus obtained. In the subsequent operating phase (see fig. 11), compressed air is introduced into the mobile rollers 15 and 23, which is then directed towards the sealed end of the bag, and these rollers are gradually moved into their lowered position, while the detachment 42 is pushed at intervals against one side of the bag, the other side of which is thus pushed against the sprung pin 43, and due to the effect of this pushing action combined with the blowing of compressed air the detachment of the bag is determined from this position .

Finally, in the remaining operating phase (see fig. 12), the movable rollers 15 and 23 moved to the lowered position are moved away from each other, moving the carriage 24 along the guides 25 in the opposite direction, together with the movable gripper holder 37 which therefore moves away from the fixed gripper holder 32. Consequently, the bag falls and is collected in an underlying container (not shown), and the movable rollers are moved to the lowered position, while the continuous belt 6 is again made to advance through the free space , thus preparing the machine for carrying out a subsequent cycle. In this way, the present automatic machine always allows to obtain the opening of each bag, thanks to the suction produced by the vacuum which determines an effective and safe adherence of the mobile rollers against the ends of the sheets of the continuous belt 6.

Claims (6)

â € œAUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR PACKAGING PRODUCTS OF VARIOUS KIND IN BAGS OF THERMAL SEALABLE TRANSPARENT OR LESS PLASTIC MATERIALâ € CLAIMS 1. Automatic machine for packaging products of various kinds in bags of transparent or non-transparent heat-sealable plastic material, in which the bags are obtained from a continuous ribbon of this material formed by two thin sheets overlapped and joined together along their side edges , or formed by a single sheet, which tape is wound around a feeding roller supported in the supporting frame of the machine and made to advance intermittently by means of motor, tensioning and guiding means towards cutting and sealing means, where the belt is first stopped and then cut to the desired length and finally sealed at one end to form a bag, which is spread apart and filled with the desired products contained in a loader and finally closed, sealed and detached and collected for its delivery, characterized by first and second movable means (15, 23) associated with said motor means and by tensioning (13, 14) and communicating with vacuum generation means to determine an intermittent suction, as well as equipped with cutting means (29) and sealing means (31, 44â € ™), and characterized by first and second gripping means (32, 34; 37, 39) and by detachment means (42, 43) acting on the belt of each bag, said first mobile means (15) being mounted in the bearing frame (7) in a fixed position, below and coinciding with that of said motor and tensioning means (13, 14), and said second mobile means (23) being mounted in at least one carriage (24) which can be moved in the machine from a remote position to a position close to said first mobile means (15), and vice versa , said first and second mobile means (15, 23) being able to be operated simultaneously, in their close position, in a first position to determine the suction by the same of the two sheets of the continuous belt (6), and the consequent opening and the cut of the bag thus formed, and in a second position to determine the sealing of the bag with the products introduced, and characterized in that said first and second gripping means (32, 34; 37, 39) are mounted hinged respectively and near said first and second mobile means (15, 23), and can be moved from a position away from the continuous belt (6), when said carriage (24) is moved away from said first mobile means (15), to allow passage of the continuous belt (6) to form and fill the bag, at an adjacent position with respect to the bag to grasp, guide, seal and detach the same, and finally characterized by the fact that said detachment means (42, 43) are suitable for act against the bag after its sealing, with a thrust action combined with a thrust produced by compressed air directed against the bag, in order to determine the detachment and the fall of the bag from the machine. 2. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said first and second movable means respectively comprise a first and a second movable roller (15, 23) hinged in a crank mechanism (17) supported and fixed laterally in the supporting frame (7 ) and consisting of an elongated bar (18) equipped with an elongated central through slot (19), in which a first and a second bearing (20, 26) are slidably housed, fixed to the corresponding first and second mobile rollers (15, 23), said bar (18) being equipped at its ends with two cranks (21) hinged in the supporting frame (7) and activated by control means (pneumatic, hydraulic or similar cylinder 22) with an alternating rectilinear movement in the direction longitudinal. 3. Machine according to claim 2, characterized in that said first and second mobile rollers (15, 23) are equipped with relative internal cavities (27, 28) communicating with said vacuum generation means, to determine a suction action when said first and second movable rollers (15, 23) are close together, in contact with the two sides of the continuous belt (6), and are moved to said first or second position, and are also provided with said sealing means (31 , 44), which are activated when said first and second movable rollers (15, 23) are moved to said second position, so as to simultaneously seal the head of one bag and the bottom of the next bag. 4. Machine according to claim 3, characterized in that said first mobile roller (15) is also provided with said cutting means (cutting blade 29), located in a position spaced from that of said sealing means (31) and acting against the two sides of the continuous tape (6) before the action of the sealing means themselves. 5. Machine according to claim 4, characterized in that said first and second gripping means respectively comprise a first fixed gripper holder support (32), hinged in the bearing frame (7) in a position corresponding to that of said first movable roller (15), and a second mobile gripper holder support (37) hinged in said carriage (24) in a position corresponding to that of said second mobile roller (23), said first and second gripper holder support (32, 37) being shaped respectively with an upper flat surface (33, 38) in which at least one corresponding short flat gripper (34, 39) is applied transversely to the machine, equipped with a relative terminal edge (35, 40) inclined downwards and located at the above the corresponding mobile roller (15, 23), in which said pincers (34, 39) are arranged aligned with each other, said first and second pincer holder support (32, 37) being operated by control means (pneumatic cylinder or, hydraulic or similar 36, 41) in a rotating direction, from said first to said second position, and vice versa. 6. Machine according to claim 4, characterized in that said detachment means comprise at least one thrust cylinder (42) fixed in said carriage (24) in a position below said second mobile roller (23), and at least one spring pin ( 43) supported in a position below said first mobile roller (15) and opposite to said thrust cylinder (42), said thrust cylinder and pin (42, 43) being located on the two sides of each bag and being able to act against the sides themselves after sealing the bag, to determine and facilitate the detachment of the bag itself.