ITTO20080896A1 - PLANT FOR THE PACKAGING OF SWEET PRODUCTS IN STERILE PACKAGING - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

of the patent for industrial invention entitled:

â € œPLANT FOR THE PACKAGING OF CONFECTIONERY PRODUCTS IN STERILE PACKAGINGâ €

The present invention relates to a plant for packaging confectionery products in sterile packages.

In the food industry, in general, and in the field of packaging confectionery products in sterile packages, in particular, the need is felt to pack products in packages with different formats. For this purpose, a packaging system â € œdedicatedâ € to the specific package is currently used for each format, i.e. for each type of package.

Each of these plants, commonly known as â € œform fill sealâ €, includes a plurality of stations, which are aligned with each other along a packaging path and are all housed inside a common tunnel that defines an area â € œsterileâ € or rather a controlled area in its degree of bacteriological pollution in order to ensure the sterility of the packaging. Through the aforementioned stations, a first thermoformable tape is advanced step by step, which defines a bottom wall of the tunnel and, after being sterilized, is thermally heated, in a special station, to then pass into a thermoforming station to create one or more housings or compartments designed to accommodate at least one of the aforementioned products each. The compartments with the product to be packaged inside are then sealed with a second tape which is also previously sterilized and which delimits a terminal section of the aforementioned tunnel at the top and is heat-sealed on the first tape before the various compartments are physically separated from each other in a die-cutting station.

Known systems, of the type described above, although used, due to the fact that they are dedicated to a specific package, have a â € œrigidâ € manufacturing configuration and are therefore not drastically modifiable for the production of packages even very different from those originally envisaged. However, it is possible to make partial modifications to known plants which require, in any case, particularly high adaptation times and generate unacceptable losses in terms of plant downtime and, therefore, lack of production.

Furthermore, in the known plants, precisely because they are dedicated, the width of the belts and the advancement pitch of the belts themselves are already in the design phase determined and optimized according to the dimensions, the geometry and, in general, the type of the single format or packaging originally envisaged, for which the change of format inevitably generates an increase in the scrap, that is the quantity of strips not used in the thermoforming and / or in the closure, to the point of making the production less convenient since, as known, the ™ incidence of the cost of the belts on the total cost of the packaged product.

The use of belts of different widths on existing systems is prevented by the fact that the belts delimit the sterile area and for this reason they must be constantly coupled tightly to various mechanical components of the system which would in turn be modified or adapted with insurmountable difficulties. For the reasons set out above, any substantial change in the format of the containers forces the entire packaging plant to be replaced.

The object of the present invention is to provide a plant for packaging confectionery products in sterile packages, whose construction characteristics allow the above problems to be solved in a simple and economical way.

According to the present invention, a plant is provided for packaging confectionery products in sterile packages, the plant comprising, arranged along a packaging path, at least a first sterilization and heating unit of a first thermoformable belt, a forming unit to create on said first belt at least one compartment for housing said confectionery products, a unit for feeding a confectionery product in said compartment, a second unit for sterilizing and for feeding a second closing belt towards said first belt, a unit welding to connect said tapes to each other and close said confectionery product inside said housing compartment, a cutting unit to cut said tapes and make at least one said package, and a sterile duct extending along said path for packaging and able to contain a sterile gas, said duct being common to said groups i and being delimited at least partially by said tapes, characterized in that each said group forms part of a respective operating module independent of the other modules and coupled to the adjacent modules in a releasable manner.

Preferably, in the system defined above, each said module comprises a respective support frame independent of the support frames of the other modules; the frames supporting respective operating means adapted to perform the specific function of said module and part of the frames themselves a respective half-shell enclosure distinct from the other enclosures and connected to the adjacent enclosures by releasable sealing means; each said envelope delimiting a respective portion of said sterile duct.

The invention will now be described with reference to the attached figures, which illustrate a non-limiting example of implementation, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the plant according to the dictates of the present invention;

figure 2 is a figure similar to figure 1 and illustrates the system broken down into some of its constituent elements;

Figure 3 illustrates, on an enlarged scale, a detail of Figures 1 and 2; And

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a component of the system of Figures 1 and 2.

In figure 1, 1 indicates, as a whole, a plant for packaging confectionery products, in sterile packages. Here and in the following the term â € œconfectionery productsâ € means both products in solid or granular form, and products in liquid or cream form.

Plant 1 has a modular composition or units that are independent from each other, ie autonomous from a mechanical, electrical, electronic, pneumatic and management point of view. Specifically, the plant 1 comprises, in succession along a packaging path P, a module 3 for feeding and sterilizing a thermoformable tape 4 unwound from a reel 5 and advanced stepwise along the packaging path P by dragging devices known and not described in detail. The plant 1 then comprises a module 6 for heating the thermoformable tape 4 and a module 7 for thermoforming the thermoformable tape 4 itself. The module 7 forms on the belt 4 a plurality of housings or compartments 8 having relative dimensions and positions determined in the design phase according to the product, the type of package to be made and the width of the belt 4 itself.

Downstream of the module 7, in the direction of advancement of the belt 4, the plant 1 also comprises a dosing module 9 for feeding the product to be packaged in each of the housings or compartments 8 and a further module 10 for feeding and sterilizing a heat-sealable tape 11 which can be unwound from a reel 12 carried by the module 10 itself. Downstream of the module 10, the plant 1 also comprises a welding module 13 for welding the tape 11 on the portion of the tape 4 not affected by the previous thermoforming, sealing each of the housings or compartments 8 in a fluid-tight manner, and a module 14 to separate the different housings or compartments 8 from each other, forming a plurality of sterile packages advanced towards an outlet 15 of the plant 1 from a conveyor belt 16 which forms part of the same die-cutting module 14.

Each of the modules 3,6,7,9,10,13 and 14 comprises a respective operating group, known per se and indicated respectively with 3a, 6a, 7a, 9a, 10a, 13a and 14a. The operating units are connected pneumatically to a pneumatic source by means of their own dedicated valve units (not shown) and electrically to respective electronic control units 3b, 6b, 7b, 9b, 10b, 13b and 14b. The electronic control units 3b, 6b, 7b, 9b, 10b, 13b and 14b are each dedicated only to the relative operating group 3a, 6a, 7a, 9a, 10a, 13a and 14a, are independent from each other and are, in turn , electrically connected and controlled by a general control unit 18 for managing the entire system 1.

Each module 3,6,7,9,10,13 and 14 further comprises a respective structure or frame 3c, 6c, 7c, 9c, 10c, 13c and 14c for supporting the relative operating group 3a, 6a, 7a, 9a , 10a, 13a and 14a and of the various wiring / electrical and pneumatic components; each frame 3c, 6c, 7c, 9c, 10c, 13c and 14c is separate and independent from the other frames and is approached and coupled to the frames adjacent to it in a releasable way, for example through quick connection assemblies, not visible in the figures attached. Each frame 3c, 6c, 7c, 9c, 10c, 13c and 14c is supported by its own guide and slide assembly comprises a slide defined by a plurality of feet or lower supporting portions 20 (Figures 1 and 3) of the respective frame same; in the particular example described, the portions 20 have respective lower end seats 21 shaped like an overturned U and slidably engaged by a relative rectilinear guide 22. The guide 22 forms part of the aforementioned guide and slide assembly and part of a positioning track 23 relative, which is common to all modules 3,6,7,9,10,13 and 14, extends parallel to the path P and is permanently fixed to the floor. In this way, each of the modules 3,6,7,9,10,13 and 14 can be moved along the track 23 and therefore along the aforementioned packaging path P independently of the other modules and, in particular, be decoupled from the track 23 itself and removed by simple vertical lifting, as illustrated for the module 9 in figure 2. Alternatively, according to a variant not illustrated, one or more modules have their respective frames arranged, each one above a respective motorized trolley or other equivalent means movement of the module, able to be controlled in position independently of the other trolleys, to move transversely to the aforementioned packaging path P, between an advanced operating position, in which the relative frame extends along the path P in a predetermined position, and a extracted position, in which the frame is arranged outside the packaging path P and in which the module does not participate a to the packaging process.

Each of the frames supports an intermediate support surface K, which is substantially coplanar with the surfaces K of the other frames, and on which the thermoformable tape 4 rests during its advancement towards the outlet 15. In this way, the various surfaces K define at least part of a sliding guide for the thermoformable belt 4. On leaving the die-cutting unit 14, the packages are moved away by means of the conveyor belt 16.

Each of the frames arranged upstream of the welding unit 13 also supports a respective half-shell 3d, 6d, 7d, 9d and 10d arranged solely above the relative support surface K with concavity facing the relative flat surface K itself and coupled to the half-shells adjacent to it in a releasable manner through the interposition of respective gaskets or sealing labyrinths indicated with 25. In the particular example described, each half-shell 6d, 7d, 9d and 10d comprises a relative upper wall 26 facing and only superimposed on the relative flat support surface K and vertically raised with respect to the relative flat surface K itself and two side walls 27 facing each other extending upwards, always starting from the respective flat supporting surface K. Each of the upper walls 26 has a dimension measured parallel to the relative surface K and orthogonally to the path P which varies according to the width of the thermoformable tape 4 and of the tape 11 and a through opening crossed by a mobile element of the respective operating group 6a, 7a, 9a , 10a. The side walls 27, on the other hand, end towards the relative supporting surface K with respective portions, in the particular case, L-shaped (fig. 2 and 4), to which the opposite longitudinal side portions of the thermoformable tape 4 are coupled in a sliding manner in such a way as to guarantee the maintenance of an overpressure of the sterile environment inside the tunnel. In this way, each half-shell 6d, 7d, 9d and 10d delimits, with a corresponding intermediate portion of the thermoformable tape 4, a respective section of a continuous tunnel 30 (fig. 4), which is closed upstream by the group 3 of feeding and sterilization and downstream from the closing tape 11 which progressively converges towards the underlying thermoformable tape 4 before being welded to the thermoformable tape 4 itself. Sterile air and, in general, a sterile gas containing nitrogen at a pressure varying between 0.01 and 1 bar are fed into the tunnel 30 to define a sterile environment, in which all the packaging operations are carried out.

From the foregoing it is evident that the constructional characteristics of the system 1 described and, in particular, the fact of using a plurality of modules or units which are completely independent and autonomous from each other under the mechanical, electrical, electronic, pneumatic and management aspects. or control, but coupled to each other in a functional way allows, depending on the needs, to transform in an extremely rapid way and therefore with reduced downtime, an existing packaging plant into a new plant for the packaging of a different type of product or the creation of different packages, keeping the efficiency and reliability of the previous system unchanged but, above all, the processing waste is minimal. What has just been explained is essentially due to the fact that each of the modules that make up the system 1 is perfectly interchangeable or replaceable with another functionally equivalent module, that is, fulfilling the same function as the replaced module and can be chosen from a plurality of modules having characteristics different realizations. The term â € œconstruction characteristicsâ € means the characteristics of the module that allow you to vary the type, ie the geometry and / or the dimensions of the packs made.

Moreover, with the same characteristics as other characteristics, the fact of providing, for each of the modules 6,7,9 and 10, a relative adjustable half-shell for forming the sterile environment allows to arbitrarily vary the transversal dimensions of the tunnel 30 and therefore to use thermoformable and sealing tapes of different widths. In the particular example described, in fact, the foreseen half-shells allow the use of thermoformable and sealing tapes of variable widths in a percentage of more than 15% or less 15% with respect to a given width and therefore, to optimize the surface of the thermoformable tape 4, minimizing the scraps following die cutting.

Finally, the fact of using a common guide rail and coupling the different modules to the same rail in an axially sliding manner allows, on the one hand, to always have a certain positioning of the modules along the path P of advancement, and on the other , to replace any one of the modules simply by sliding the others along the track. Furthermore, the sliding along the track makes it possible to replace an existing module with another module having a different longitudinal dimension, ie measured along the packaging path. In other words, the new module can be placed in a space not necessarily identical to that left free by the previous module. Furthermore, this realization allows the insertion of additional modules able to satisfy different processes, for example. processes that include more than one dosing station.

From the foregoing it is evident that modifications and variations may be made to the system 1 described without thereby departing from the protective scope defined by claim 1.

In particular, the system 1 could comprise a number of modules other than that indicated by way of example and the same modules could have frames or shapes different from those indicated by way of example.

Furthermore, the half-shells for creating the sterile environment could be made in a different way from that indicated by way of example, always with a view to facilitating the transformation of the system according to the width of the belts to be used.

Claims (1)

CLAIMS 1.- Plant for the packaging of confectionery products in sterile packages, the plant comprising, arranged along a packaging path, at least a first group for sterilization and heating of a first thermoformable belt, a forming group to make on said first belt at least one compartment for housing said confectionery products, a unit for feeding a confectionery product in said compartment, a second unit for sterilizing and feeding a second closing belt towards said first belt, a sealing unit for connecting between them the said tapes and close the said confectionery product inside the said housing compartment, a cutting unit for cutting the said tapes and making at least one said package, and a sterile duct extending along the said packaging path and adapted to containing a sterile gas, the said conduit being common to the said groups and being at least partially delimited by the de these tapes, characterized in that each said group forms part of a respective operating module independent of the other modules and coupled to the adjacent modules in a releasable manner. 2.- Plant according to claim 1, characterized in that each said module comprises a respective support frame independent of the support frames of the other modules; the frames supporting respective operating means adapted to perform the specific function of the respective said module and part of the frames themselves a respective half-shell enclosure distinct from the other enclosures and connected to the adjacent enclosures by releasable sealing means; each said envelope delimiting a respective portion of said sterile duct. 3. A system according to Claim 2, characterized in that each said half-shell casing comprises at least one side or top wall having adjustable dimensions. 4.- Plant according to claim 3, characterized in that each said side wall is adjustable in a direction orthogonal to the said packaging path. 5.- Plant according to Claim 3 or 4, characterized in that each said frame supports a respective flat supporting surface separated from the supporting surface defined by the other frames; the said supporting surfaces constituting distinct portions of a sliding guide for the said first belt. 6. A system according to Claim 5, characterized in that the said side wall of each said half-shell extends in a facing position and only above the relative said support surface. 7. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises releasable positioning means for arranging and maintaining each of said modules in a respective functional position determined along the said packaging path. 8. A system according to Claim 7, characterized in that the said positioning means comprise, for each said module, a guide and slide assembly for moving each module along the said packaging path independently of the other modules. 9.- Plant according to claim 8, characterized in that said assemblies comprise a fixed guide common to all modules and parallel to said packaging path and, for each said module, a respective slide coupled to said common guide in a sliding manner in opposite senses. 10. Plant according to claim 9, characterized in that each said slide comprises at least one open seat for coupling to said guide; said seat and said guide being decoupled from each other in a vertical decoupling direction orthogonal to said guide to allow the respective module to move away from said packaging path. 11.-System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that each said module comprises its own dedicated electronic control unit and independent from the other electronic units; the said system also includes a general electronic unit for managing the said dedicated electronic control units. 12.- Plant according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each said module comprises its own hydraulic and / or pneumatic members for connection respectively to hydraulic and / or pneumatic networks and independent from the hydraulic / pneumatic members for connection of the other modules. 13.- System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that each said module is interchangeable with one or more other modules, which can be chosen from a plurality of modules having different constructive characteristics and the same functionality.