JPH044210B2 - - Google Patents

Abstract

A machine for the processing of packing containers of the type used for example for milk products. Such packing containers are manufactured from a filled material tube and are first given cushion-shape. With the help of the machine in accordance with the invention they are subsequently converted to a substantially parallelepipedic shape. The machine comprises a means of transport in the form of a wheel (35) having radial holding devices (37) for the cushion-shaped semi-finished products (2). The means of transport can be rotated step-by-step so that each indiviual packing container passes around processing stations (45 - 50) placed around the periphery of the means of transport for the folding of corner lugs, sealing and shaping.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a packaging container processing machine comprising a drivable transfer device for moving packaging containers between various processing stations.

In the manufacture of disposable packaging for liquid dairy products, etc., the material is a flexible but relatively shape-retaining laminated material having a layer of paper, a thermoplastic resin, and perhaps a layer of aluminum foil. web is used. The material web is fed in the form of a roll to a packaging machine, which packaging machine continuously converts the material web into tubes or hoses by sealing the longitudinal edges of the web to each other. This liquid-tight tube is
The material is filled with contents and divided into individual packaging containers in the form of compression by compressing and sealing them together along areas extending transversely across the material tube and located at equal distances. The packaging container obtained in this way is formed into approximately parallelepiped units in conjunction with the compression and the integral seal, which units are interconnected by cutting in the transverse sealing area. Separated. However, the sealing area, which is converted into a protruding sealing fin, and the four three-dimensional structure formed with excess material during the conversion from a cushion-like to a nearly parallelepiped shape due to geometrical reasons.
The parallelepiped shape is interrupted by the square double-walled corner lugs.

Each individual packaging container is then conveyed further to a machine for processing the packaging containers (so-called final shaping or final folding), which is possibly assembled in one piece with the main packaging machine.
In particular, in this processing machine, the sealing fins and the other corner lugs are folded and joined together towards the container body itself, thus producing a packaging container with a more precise parallelepiped shape. .

This processing or final folding of each individual packaging container produced by the packaging machine is carried out continuously in that each packaging container is moved between and processed at various processing stations of the final folding device. However, the time of the entire processing cycle is determined by, among other things, the heat sealing time of the thermoplastic material, which makes it difficult to design final folding equipment that operates at high enough speeds to be useful in rapid packaging machines. do.

Also, the step-by-step movement of the somewhat finished packaging containers requires a high degree of precision if it is necessary to ensure that each packaging container is moved to precisely the correct processing position at each station.

The final folding devices used in the past cannot process packaging containers with sufficient precision and safety at the high operating speeds required by modern packaging machines, and therefore work faster and more precisely. It is generally desirable to configure a final folding device that

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a safe and fast-acting packaging container processing machine that does not have the disadvantages of conventional constructions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a processing machine of the type described above in which packaging containers are safely moved and guided between precisely fixed positions of each processing station.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a processing machine capable of safely and accurately bending and forming sealing fins and corner lugs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a final folding device which has a large overall capacity, although finally making it possible to extend the processing time at each individual processing station. .

These and other objects include a transfer device having an intermittently rotated drum, the drum having a holding device for the individual packaging containers along its periphery; , arranged with an even pitch between each other corresponding to the pitch between processing stations fixed around the transfer device, and configured to be operated between an open position and a closed position upon rotation of the transfer device. This is achieved by the inventor by providing a machine of the type mentioned at the outset.

Preferred embodiments of the machine of the invention are given distinct characteristics by the dependent claims.

This construction of the machine of the invention provides a processing machine or final folding machine for packaging containers, which not only provides a very high operating speed but also increases the processing time available at each station. while ensuring safe movement of partially processed packaging containers between precisely fixed positions of each processing station. The machine of the invention also provides safe guidance of the packaging containers during transfer between processing stations and, finally, ensures that the folding of the corner lugs is carried out steadily in a well-defined and precise manner. .

Preferred embodiments of the machine of the invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of the processing machine according to the invention is shown diagrammatically. The processing machine is arranged in conjunction with a conventional packaging machine, only a limited part 1 of which is illustrated. The processing machine of the present invention is configured to receive and finish packaging containers 2 supplied from a packaging machine 1. driven by

For the diagrammatic representation of the processing machine of the invention, the processing machine has three main units, namely the final folding unit 5 itself, where the continued processing of the received packaging containers takes place, and the final folding unit 5 from the packaging machine 1. Bending unit 5
a transfer unit 6 that transfers the packaging container 2 to the packaging machine 1; and a power transmission and drive unit 7 that drives the final folding unit 5 and the transfer unit 6 in synchronization with the packaging machine 1.
It may be divided into The power transmission and drive unit 7 is located at the lowest position of the processing machine and similarly forms the lower structure of the other units. Transfer unit 6
is located between the packaging machine 1 and the final folding unit 5, a space is provided below the transfer unit 6 for a conveyor 8 mounted on the drive unit 7,
A conveyor 8 extends perpendicularly to the transfer unit 6 and is used for further transfer to a packer that collects several individual packaging containers 2 into large group packages to facilitate further transfer to the consumer. It is configured to remove the finished packaging container 2 from the bending unit 5.

The transfer unit 6 comprises a frame 9 with two parallel elongated side walls, and the packaging containers are transported from the packaging machine 1 to the final fold by an endless main conveyor belt 10 that moves around pulleys arranged at both ends of the transfer unit 6. Transported between the side walls to the unit 5, the pulley is supported for free rotation between two parallel sides of the frame 9. End pulley 11
is coupled to a drive motor (not shown) and simultaneously acts as an end pulley for another conveyor belt 12, which is configured as a conveyor belt for receiving packaging containers supplied from the packaging machine 1. . The receiving conveyor belt 12, like the main conveyor belt 10, comprises a number of parallel belts arranged with sufficient gaps therebetween to pass the common end pulley 11 without interfering with each other. There is.

The main conveyor belt 10 extends substantially horizontally or slightly upwardly towards the final folding unit 5, while the receiving conveyor belt 12 is inclined in the opposite direction and, in particular, wraps at an angle of about 30° to the horizontal plane. It extends upward toward machine 1. As a result, the partially formed packaging containers delivered from the packaging machine 1, after a short free fall, are captured and gently stopped by the inclined conveyor belt 12 and then onto the main conveyor belt 10. It is transported directly and moved in the direction of the final folding unit 5. At the end of the main conveyor belt 10 facing towards the final folding unit 5, an outgoing conveyor belt 13 is provided which is located above the main conveyor belt and which runs in the same main direction as the main conveyor belt 10. , but is located above the main conveyor belt 10 at a distance approximately corresponding to, or slightly greater than, the height of the packaging containers being transported on the main conveyor belt 10. The main conveyor belt 10 and the receiving conveyor belt 12 are driven at a uniform constant speed, while the outgoing conveyor belt 13 is driven at a constant speed twice the speed of the main conveyor belt 10. With the aid of fingers 14 projecting from the conveyor belt 13, the delivery conveyor belt 13 takes over the feeding of packaging containers reaching the main conveyor belt 10,
The packaging is moved from the main conveyor belt 10 over its final length at twice the speed to the final folding unit 5. As a result of this, the packaging containers that are continuously transferred to the final folding unit 5 are "separated" and the spacing between them is therefore reduced between the packaging containers that are fed along the main conveyor belt 10. This is important for the operation of the final folding unit, as will be explained in detail below.

A power transmission or drive unit 7 located below the transfer unit 6 extends from the lower end of the packaging machine 1 below the final folding unit 5 itself. The power transmission unit 7 is shown on the left side of FIG.
The shaft 3 connects the power take-off 4 of the packaging machine to a closed transmission gearbox 15, shown on the right in FIG. 1 and which at the same time constitutes the substructure of the final folding unit 5. The open part of the power transmission unit 7 has two parallel sides and a bottom and already has three functions: firstly, the drive shaft 3
secondly, fixing the final folding unit at the correct distance from the packaging machine 1; thirdly,
For example, it can act as a gutter for collecting liquid contents that may leak from the packaging container. The drive shaft 3 is
The drive motor of the packaging machine is connected to the final folding unit 5 via a suitable coupling and a gearbox (not shown).
The final folding unit is therefore automatically driven synchronously with the packaging machine. It is also possible to drive the final folding unit 5 with a separate drive motor (not shown), which means, for example, that the final folding unit 5 and the transfer unit 6 can be operated after the main packaging machine 1 has been stopped. enables driving.

The actual main part of the processing machine according to the invention, namely the final folding unit 5, has a substructure which fits at its lowest part into the transmission gearbox 15 mentioned at the beginning. Above the lower structure is a second gearbox with an indexing gear 16, and above this gearbox is another gearbox with an upper miter gear 17. A drive shaft 3 extending through the power transmission unit 7 is connected to a shaft 18 (FIG. 3) which enters the transmission gearbox 15 via a coupling. The entering shaft 18 extends horizontally into the transmission gear box and drives a lower miter gear 19 and a rear miter gear 20. The rotation of the incoming shaft 18 is transmitted via a rear miter gear 20 to a lower shaft 21, also located horizontally but at right angles to the incoming shaft 18, which shaft 21 is connected to an operating cam 22 at each end thereof. converts this movement into a reciprocating rocking motion of two operating arms 23, which are swingably mounted on a transmission gearbox, the operation of which will be explained in detail below.

The rotation of the incoming shaft 18 is further transmitted via the lower miter gear 19 mentioned at the outset to a transmission shaft 24 extending vertically through the final folding unit 5. The transmission shaft 24 drives the index gear 16 via the miter gear, and therefore, the rotation of the transmission shaft 24 is
This is converted into a repeated rotational movement or indexing of 1/6 rotation of the intermediate shaft 25 which projects on both sides of the indexing gearbox. The rotation is transmitted from the indexing gearbox via a further cutout by the upper miter gear 17 to a horizontally located upper shaft 26, which shaft 26 has a cam 27 at each end, the action of which is described below. explained.

The entering shaft 18 finally also includes a feed cam plate 28 which drives, via a cam follower 29, a feed assembly 30 which is swingably mounted on the outside of the transmission gearbox. Feeding assembly 30
are two nearly perpendicular arms 3 extending on either side of the drive shaft.
1. The arm 31 is the transmission gear box 1
It is supported by two parallel shafts 32, both of which are rotatably supported on the end wall of 5. However, shaft 32
One end extends into the transmission gear box and supports the cam follower 29 within the box. The feed assembly 30 is operable in a reciprocating rocking motion via this axis. two swinging arms 31
is the infeed device 3 in parallelogram suspension on it.
3 and a delivery device 34 are supported on its upper part. 2
The operation of the two delivery devices 33, 34 will be explained below.

The transmission gear box 15 is configured as an oil tank and is partially filled with oil which is supplied by a pump (not shown) to the different moving parts located in the final folding unit, such as the shaft, miter gear, etc. In order to prevent any oil leakage and contamination of the packaging containers handled by the final folding unit 5,
The drive described above with respect to FIG. 3 is completely closed.

The processing machine will now be described in detail with particular reference to FIG. 2, which shows the final folding unit 5 itself in a perspective view. Transmission gear box 15 and index gear 16
The manner in which the initially mentioned undercarriage consisting of the upper miter gear 17 and the upper miter gear 17 supports two rotatable transfer devices 35 is clear from the figure. Each of the two transfer devices 35 includes a centrally located rotatable drum 36 rigidly attached to the end of the intermediate shaft 25 projecting from the housing 16 of the indexing gearbox.
It is equipped with The two transport devices 35 are mutually identical (therefore only one will be described below) and are located axially in mutual alignment on either side of the indexing gearbox 16. Transfer unit 6 between different processing stations of the final folding unit
It is the task of a transfer device 35 to move the packaging containers supplied via the drum 36 (FIG. 1), which for this purpose consists of several holdings located at equal pitches around the drum 36. A device 37 is provided, each holding device 37 having a fixed jaw 38 and a movable jaw 38 forming a space adapted to the dimensions of the packaging container 2 between relatively flat working surfaces facing towards each other. jaws) 39 (Fig. 4). Each fixed jaw 38 is approximately L-shaped, and the L-shaped
The long legs of form a working surface which extends approximately radially with respect to the drum 36, while the short legs extend at an angle of 90° to the working surface and thus effectively form the bottom of the holding device 37. form 40. The bottom is provided with a cutout to accommodate the sealing fins of the packaging container. A fixed jaw 38 is fixed to the drum 36 with its short legs. The movable jaw 39 is supported so as to be pivotable about a shaft 41 extending parallel to the central axis of the drum. In particular, the pivotably supported jaw 39 constitutes one arm of a lever 42, the other arm of which is permanently engaged in a fixed double cam 44 located in the center of the drum 36. The cam follower 43 is supported. During the rotation of the transfer device 35, the cam 44 moves between the cam follower 43 and the lever 4.
2 and thus the movable jaw 39 is in the closed position, in which the flat working surface of the jaw 39 extends parallel to the working surface (long leg) of the fixed jaw 38, and in the closed position, in which the movable jaw 39 is The stationary jaw 38 is movable between an open position pivoted outwardly through an angle of about 10 DEG, and this will be explained in detail in the following description of the operation of the machine.

Several processing stations are distributed around the transfer device 35, arranged at pitches between each other corresponding to the pitches between the holding devices 37 of the transfer device.
As best seen in FIG. 1, an infeed station 45 appears at the end of the transfer unit 6 and is followed by a pre-folding station 46 located approximately above the central axis of the transfer device 35. After the pre-folding station 46, there is a gluing station 47, a final folding station 48, a waiting station 49 which is currently not in use, and a delivery station 5.
0 continues. The different stations are transfer devices 3
The individual packaging containers moved in step 5 are listed here in the order in which they arrive during operation of the processing machine. Therefore,
During operation, the transfer device 35 is indexed sequentially clockwise in FIG. 1, each movement corresponding to a rotation corresponding to the pitch angle (60°) between different stations.

In addition to the various processing stations, each transfer device 35 has several guide rails (a fourth (Figure). Each transfer device 35 has two different types of guide rails, namely, on the one hand, an outer guide rail 51 extending around the transfer device at approximately the same level as the outer end of the holding device 37 and a bottom surface 40 of the holding device 37; It cooperates with an inner guide rail 52 which extends around the transfer device at approximately the same level. The outer rail and inner rail are dual, located on opposite sides of the transfer device 35, and are best shown in FIG. The guide rails 51 and 52 are connected to the transfer device 35
The frame 53 is attached to the side of the frame 53 located on the outside of the machine, and the frame 53 is fixed to the lower structure of the processing machine. The frame or stand 53 is shown only in phantom lines in FIG. 2 for clarity. Since the guide rails 51, 52 are fixed in this way, during the indexing movement of the transfer device 35, the device 3
Do not follow 5.

The two outer guide rails 51 begin at the same level as the infeed station and extend further around the transfer device, such as from the infeed station through the pre-folding station and end at the delivery station.
The distance between the guide rail 51 of 2 and the central axis of the transfer device 35 is the same as the rest around the transfer device (extension of the guide rail) when the guide rail 51 is at the level at the infeed station 45. The level changes so that it is closer to the central axis of the transfer device than the level at . In more detail, the guide rail 51 and
The distance between the central axis of the transfer device increases successively in the extension between the infeed station and the pre-folding station and then decreases again, so that the guide rail approaches the periphery of the transfer device and The remaining extension of the guide rail to the delivery station extends over an approximately constant distance. As a result, during said first extension of the guide rail, the distance between the guide rail 51 and the bottom surface 40 of the holding device 37 is at the same level as the pre-bending station 46 from a distance less than the height of the holding device 37. It gradually increases to a distance greater than the height of the holding device 37. The guide rail 51 then approaches the level of the holding device again and continues exactly at this level to the delivery station. The mutual distance between the two guide rails also varies. During the first part of the extension of the guide rails, i.e. between the infeed station and the pre-folding station, the distance between the guide rails 51 is equal to the width of the holding device 37, i.e. the transfer device 3
5 is slightly larger than the distance between the sides of the jaws 38 and 39 measured parallel to the central axis of the jaws 38 and 39. When extending from the feeding station to the pre-bending station,
This distance gradually decreases as the guide rails 51 move further and further away from the central axis of the transfer device 35 as described above, and the mutual distance between the guide rails 51 decreases at the level of the pre-folding station 46 and thus
The distance between the surfaces of the guide rails 51 facing each other is
This approximately corresponds to the distance between the sides of the jaws 38 and 39. With continued extension of the guide rail 51 around the transfer device 35, the distance gradually decreases further;
At the level of the adhesive station 47, it is therefore slightly less than the distance between the sides of the jaws 38, 39. This distance is approximately maintained during the continued extension of the guide rail 51 to the delivery station.

The two inner guide rails 52 have a front end at the same level as the feed station 45 or between the station 45 and the pre-folding station, and a rear end located in front of the feed station 50 and are connected to the transfer device 35. The outer guide rail 51 extends around the outer guide rail 51 as well. However, the two inner guide rails 52 are located appreciably closer to the central axis of the transfer device 35 and are therefore located approximately level with the bottom surface 40 of the holding device 37. The guide rail 52 extends along its entire length at a small distance outside the sides of the two jaws 38, 39, i.e. the distance between the faces of the guide rails 52 facing each other is less than the width of the jaws 38, 39. is also slightly larger. jiyo 3
The width of 8,39 is intended here, as well as in the rest of the description and in the claims, to mean the distance between the sides of each jaw facing each other;
The distance corresponds approximately to the width of the packaging container being handled. Furthermore, the height of the holding device is intended to mean the distance from the bottom surface of the holding device facing the packaging container to the outer ends of the jaws 38, 39. In other words, the height of the holding device 37 corresponds approximately to the height of the packaging container to be processed.

The front ends of the two guide rails 52 are located at the feeding station at a distance from the central axis slightly less than the distance between the bottom surface 40 of the holding device and the central axis of the transfer device, i.e. the guide rails 52 is slightly "below" the bottom surface 40 of the retaining device. Next, from the feeding station 45, two guide rails 52,
The distance between the central axis of the transfer device 35 increases gradually, so that the guide rail at the pre-folding station 46 is at a slightly greater distance from the central axis than the bottom surface 40 of the holding device 37. The two guide rails 52 then extend a smaller distance "above" the bottom surface 40 during their remaining extension to the rear end.

The outer guide rail 51, like the inner guide rail 52, is preferably made of a metal tube and contains a cooling medium,
For example, water may be circulated through the tube during operation of the processing machine. As mentioned at the outset, several fixed processing stations are provided around the transfer device 35, at which the packaging containers are processed and shaped intermittently with the aid of the holding devices of the transfer device. It is structured so that it can be moved between During rotation of the transfer device 35, the movable jaw 39 of the holding device
is actuated between the open position and the closed position by the engagement of the cam 44 and the cam follower 43. In the open position, the movable jaw is in a slightly pivoted position relative to the fixed jaw, which results in the removal of the packaging container to or from the respective holding device. In the closed position, the two working surfaces of the jaws are approximately parallel, making it difficult for packaging containers placed in the holding device to be placed in the holding device, even when the holding device is reversed, i.e., now at the bottom of the transfer device 35. They are located at such a distance from each other as to hold between them without gender. To enable such manipulation of the movable jaw 39, the cam 44 has a radius that varies along its periphery. In particular, the cam is
During rotation, it has a relatively small radius, which then increases to a maximum and then decreases again to the initially mentioned small radius. The part of the cam where the radius gradually decreases from the maximum to a region with a small radius is such that the retaining device 37 is in an intermediate position, i.e.
It is positioned so that it is partially open when in pre-folding station 46. "Partially open"
is to be understood to mean that the holding device holds the packaging container securely during the mounting, but allows certain movements or corrections of the position of the packaging container when external forces are applied to the packaging container. The different parts of the cam for the remainder are such that during intermittent rotations of the transfer device, the holding device is open when it is in the infeed station and in the delivery station, and closed when it is in the gluing station and the final folding station. It is positioned as shown. In the partially open state in which the holding device 37 is in the pre-folding station 46, the packaging container located in the holding device is reliably surrounded by the two jaws 38, 39, but under the action of an external force, the packaging container 38 , 39 do not hold the packaging container immovably; the packaging container is movable with a certain resistance.

Infeed station 45 is located at the same level as infeed device 33, which in turn is located at the same level as infeed assembly 30.
and with the aid of said assembly 30, the transfer device 3
a channel (not shown) extending laterally between 5 and 5;
It is movable back and forth between the infeed stations of the two transfer devices 35 to enable the removal of the packaging containers supplied from the transfer unit 6 along the line. Also, a stop 54 attached to the side of the frame 53 is in the form of a plate located at the feeding station and located just in front of the feeding device 33, and acts to limit the movement of the packaging container and prevents the container from opening. Ensures that the packaging container reaches the correct position in the holding device. Feeding device 33
The length of the stroke is determined such that in the swiveling position of the feeding device the distance between the feeding device and the stop 54 corresponds to the width of the packaging container; To ensure correct positioning and fixation of packaging containers.

The pre-folding station 46 comprises a bottom folding plate 55 arranged on the holding device located at the station and two upper folding plates 56 arranged on either side of the holding device (9th figure). The bottom folding plate 55, like the top folding plate 56, is supported by a support arm 57 which is freely rotatable on a transverse support shaft 58 extending parallel to the central axis of the transfer device 35. It is located like this. Bottom bending plate 55
The upper bending plate 56 is movable synchronously between an upper position and a lower position with the aid of a cam 27 mounted on the upper shaft 26, and the cam 27
9 and acts on the roller 59.
is rotatably supported within the bottom folding plate 55 and may be pressed against the surface of the cam 27 by a spring element (not shown). The bottom bent plate 55 is
It has a flat active surface facing towards the holding device, which in its inactive position above the bottom folding plate:
It is located at a small distance above the outer (upper) end of the holding device and is therefore approximately at the same level as the outer edge of the holding device 37 during action of the cam 27 in the working position, i.e. , are on the same level as the upper end surfaces of the two jaws 38 and 39. In other words, the bottom folding plate 55 is movable in the radial direction of the transfer device from its rest position outside the two guide rails 51 to its active position between the guide rails and the center of the transfer device. The bottom bending plate 55 is 2 mm smaller than the free distance between the guide rails 51 at the level of the pre-bending station.
Narrow from to 10mm. This dimension is adapted to the thickness of the material of the packaging container to be processed. The reciprocating movement of the bottom folding plate 55 caused by the cam 27 is caused by the two upper folding plates 56 located on either side of the holding device being connected to the support arm 57 by an intermediate arm 60. also gives the corresponding motion. Therefore, the lower ends of the two upper folding plates 56, i.e. the ends facing towards the central axis of the transfer device 35, are located at a rest position at a predetermined distance above the bottom surface 40 of the holding device 37 and between said bottom surface. It is moved between working positions at almost the same level. The upper folding plate 56 is configured to cooperate with inner guide rails located on either side of the holding device at the prefolding station and at a small distance above the bottom surface 40 and acting as lifting holders. Support arm 57
The guide plate 61 suspended from the feeding station 4
5 and the pre-folding station 46 so as to follow the support arm 57 in its pivoting movement as the cam 27 moves the bottom folding plate 55 between its upper and lower positions. configured. The guide plate 61 is located slightly outside the outer end of the holding device 37 and has a width approximately corresponding to the width of the bottom folding plate 55.

Adhesive station 4 of the embodiment of the processing machine of the present invention
7 comprises a hot air assembly 62 fixed outside the movement path of the transfer device 35. Hot air assembly 62
is of a known type and produces hot air which is supplied via tubes and nozzles to the packaging container located at the gluing station of the transfer device. In particular, hot air
The holding device 3 extends under the partially downwardly bent bottom lug of the packaging container fixed to the holding device.
2 located a short distance outside the outer boundary surface of 7
through two bottom nozzles 63 and two top nozzles 64 located on either side of the inner end of the holding device and extending between the side walls of the packaging container and the partially folded top lugs of the packaging container. . Bottom nozzle 63
Like the upper nozzle 64, it is located outside the movement path of the transfer device 35 and therefore does not impede the rotation of the transfer device.

In a second embodiment of the processing machine according to the invention, the hot air assembly 62 and the hot air nozzles 63, 64 are replaced by a so-called hot melt assembly, ie an assembly for supplying thermoplastic adhesive to packaging containers. In this case, the installation of the hot melt nozzle is difficult since the hot melt has to be applied like hot air between the corner lug of the packaging container and the wall of the packaging container, towards which the corner lug is later folded downwards. This largely corresponds to the installation of nozzles 63 and 64. This type of hot melt assembly is well known and will not be described in any detail.

The final folding station 48 includes a final folding assembly 65 (a fifth
(Fig. 6). The final folding assembly is equipped with two lateral pressure devices 66 for this purpose;
It has a bottom pressurizing device 67, and the devices 66, 67 are
The two jaws 38, 3 of the holding device in their working position
9 and, together with the bottom 40 of the holding device, are configured to form a virtually closed parallelepiped space whose internal dimensions correspond to the desired final dimensions of the packaging container.
The two lateral pressure devices 66 have pressure plates 68 with working surfaces facing each other. These working surfaces are completely planar except for the groove 69 for the inner guide rail 52. Each pressure plate 68 is supported by a front lever arm 70 to which it is coupled and is therefore pivotable on a coupling element 71. The coupling element 71 has a rubber eyelet and is flexible, so that the pressure plate 68 strives to assume a position approximately parallel to the lever 70. However, each pressure plate 68 is pivotable against the flexible action of the coupling element 71 so as to lie flat against the side wall of the packaging container upon contact therewith.

Each of the two front lever arms 70 is connected to a rear lever arm 73 located inside the transmission gearbox 15 via a shaft 72 supported by the machine frame. The rear lever arm 73 is connected via a conventional linkage and toggle joint structure 74 to an operating rod 75 which mounts the bottom pressurizing device 67 at its front end. The bottom pressurizing device 67, like the lateral pressurizing device 66, has a flat working surface facing the packaging container, and is therefore driven by the lower shaft 21 of the processing machine via the operating cam 22 and placed in the transmission gear box 15. The lateral pressure device is configured to be brought into contact with the packaging container synchronously by one of the two operating arms 23 located therein.

To prevent any damage to the final folding assembly 65 or the transfer device 35, for example if the movement is obstructed by a foreign object, the safety clutch 76 locks the operating arm 23 and the final folding assembly 65 itself. Incorporated into the drive device between. The safety clutch 76 is of a known type that automatically releases under certain loads and does not need to be described in detail. Safety clutch 76, like the rest of the drive mechanism of final folding assembly 65, is located within a bearing housing 77 mounted to transmission gearbox 15, as best seen in FIG. Therefore, on the outside of the bearing housing, there is a lateral pressure device as well as a bottom pressure device.
Between these devices there is an open or rest position at such a distance from the transfer device 35 that the holding device 37 can pass freely, and a lateral pressure device and a bottom pressure device are held in the final bending position. Only two lateral pressurizing devices 66 and a bottom pressurizing device 67 appear, which are configured to be moved during operation of the processing machine between the working position where they are pressed towards the packaging container fixed in the device 37. .

The next processing station for the packaging container moved by the transfer device 35 is a waiting station 49;
The station 49 may be used for any other desired further processing of the packaging container, such as applying reinforcing strips or bands, marking the basis weight, etc.

The delivery station 50 is located just in front of the delivery device 34, and the device 34 is configured to be moved synchronously to the delivery device 33 with the aid of the reciprocating arm 31 of the delivery assembly. The delivery device 34, like the delivery device 33, has a pressure plate 78 configured to remove the packaging container from the holding device 37;
With the aid of cam 44 it is moved into the outward pivoting position.
Upon rocking of the feed assembly 30, the pressure plate 78 will now remove one packaging container from the holding device 37 to a chute (not shown) which is placed next to the holding device (outwardly). ) and configured to remove packaging onto the conveyor 8 mentioned at the outset and in an upright position on said chute, the packaging containers are withdrawn from the processing machine of the invention.

The processing machine of the present invention is a parallel six machine for liquid contents.
When used with a packaging machine to form facepiece packaging containers, it is installed as shown in FIG. 1, i.e.
It is connected to the packaging machine via a power transmission and drive unit 7. When the packaging machine itself is started, the processing machine of the invention is driven with the aid of the drive assembly of the packaging machine and is therefore started in the same way. A packaging container or a packaging container blank coming from a packaging machine that is completely filled and closed, leaving the packaging machine after it has been separated from the tube from which it was produced;
They are allowed to fall onto the receiving conveyor belt 12, which, by virtue of its angle with the horizontal plane, gently receives the packaging containers and transfers them to the main conveyor belt 10, on which the packaging containers are The containers are fed with short distances between each other in the direction of the final folding unit 5. As the individual packaging containers approach the rear end of the main conveyor belt 10, the feed is approximately 2 times smaller than the main conveyor belt 10.
This is then taken over by the delivery conveyor belt 13, which is driven at double speed. The fingers 14 of the outfeed conveyor belt 13 engage individual packaging containers and remove the packaging containers from the rear end of the main conveyor belt 10 into a lateral infeed channel along which the infeed device 33 reciprocates. Do exercise. Delivery conveyor belt 13
is synchronized to the movement of the infeed device 33 in such a way that the infeed device 33 is always in one of its swivel devices when a packaging container is fed into the channel. Feeding device 3
3 to its opposite end position, the packaging container to be fed is pressed through the channel into one or the other of the holding devices 37 of the two transfer devices 35 located at the feeding station. , in which the packaging container is held in position by a stop 54 .

The holding device 37 holds the packaging container 2 placed therein.
rests its bottom surface towards the bottom of the retainer while at the same time its protruding top and bottom corner lugs 79,
80 (The packaging container has been overturned in Figure 7)
are dimensioned to rest on two inner guide rails 52 and one outer guide rail 51. The movable jaw 39 is in an open position a short distance from the side wall of the packaging container, and the guide plate 61 is at a predetermined distance from the protruding sealing fin 81 of the packaging container. Just before the transfer device 35 is indexed again, the end of the guide plate 61 shown in FIG. It is descended toward

When the guide plate 61 is moved in the direction of the sealing fin 81, the transfer device 35 is indexed (clockwise in FIG. 2) and the packaging container 2 is thus moved from the infeed station to the pre-folding station. 46 along guide rails 51 and 52. FIG. 8 shows the packaging container and the holding device in an intermediate position between these two stations, ie during movement of the packaging container to the right in the figure. The information board 61 is
By resting against the sealing fin 81, the fin 81 is bent toward the bottom surface 82 of the packaging container. As mentioned at the outset, the packaging container is not immovably fixed in the holding device until it has passed the pre-folding station, and in the position shown in FIG. continuous so that the packaging container is freely movable in the holding device and guided by the guide rails 51, 52.
guided by. Since the latter gradually increases its radius in the region between the infeed station and the pre-folding station, the packaging container is raised by the engagement between the projecting corner lugs and the guide rails and thus the holding device Leave the bottom 40 of 37. At the same time, the sealing fin 81 is bent rearward when viewed in the direction of movement of the packaging container due to contact with the guide plate 61 and the two inner guide rails 52.

When the indexing movement of the transfer device 35 is stopped, the packaging container is in the pre-folding station 46. In this station, the movable jaw 39 comes to rest partially against the side of the packaging container 2, but the packaging container is not completely fixed and remains movable within the holding device 37. Yes (Figure 9). Due to the engagement between the guide rail and the corner lugs of the packaging container, the packaging container is in an upward or outward position;
Its bottom surface 82 is now located directly below the active surface of the bottom folding plate 55 which faces the packaging container in the rest position. Next, when the cam 27 moves the bottom bending plate 55 and the top bending plate 56 in the direction of the central axis of the transfer device 35, the upper shaft 26 moves back again.
It is rotated once by the index gear 17. This movement moves the packaging container so that its bottom surface is at the bottom 40 of the holding device 37.
It moves downwards until it rests against the container, and the packaging container is again in the position in which it was placed in the holding device during the feeding phase. Guide rail 5 of pre-bending station
1,52 is at a greater distance from the central axis of the transfer device 35 than in the case of the infeed station 45;
The corner lugs 79, 80 of the packaging container are bent upwards during this movement, ie away from the central axis of the transfer device 35. The upper lug 79 located on the bottom surface 40 of the holding device is approximately 45° to the side of the packaging container.
is bent around the outer edge of the upper folding plate 56 to form an angle of . 2 bottom corner lugs 80
is bent more strongly and after the movement is completed,
It extends vertically upwards, ie at an angle of 90° with the bottom of the packaging container. The bending of the two bottom corner lugs 80 is as follows:
This must be carried out with simultaneous compression of the material layers of the corner lugs, since the lugs 80 must finally be attached by being bent downwards to the bottom surface 82 of the packaging container over which the sealing fins 81 pass. No. The multiple layers of material that must be folded and pressed together before the corner lug can be properly attached to the bottom surface 82 cause compression of the corner lug, especially during this pre-folding of the corner lug. , it is essential to compress the part of the sealing fin 81 that passes over the corner lug between the side of the bottom folding plate 55 and the two outer guide rails 51. This means that the free distance on both sides of the bottom pressure plate is as small as possible considering the thickness of the material.
Preferably, the theoretical material thickness of the corner lugs (usually 1
mm to 5 mm). A bottom bent plate 55,
After the upper folding plate 56 has returned to its outer rest position, the transfer device 35 is indexed again (1/6 turn clockwise), which moves the packaging container from the pre-folding station to the gluing station. Bring to 47.
During this movement, the holding device 37
is closed by being moved into a position parallel to the fixing jaw 38, so that the packaging container is held immovably in the holding device. two outer guide rails 5
1 is slightly reduced in the area between the pre-folding station and the gluing station,
The two bottom lugs 80 are further bent slightly toward each other, so that the packaging container is attached to the adhesive station 47.
When reached, the lug 80 is at an angle of about 45° with the bottom surface 82.
form an angle.

When the holding device 37 stops at the gluing station, the packaging container 2 is attached to the bottom nozzle 63 of the hot air assembly.
It is located in the space between the bottom corner lug 80, which is partially bent downward, and the bottom surface 82 of the packaging container (FIG. 10). At the same time, the hot air assembly 6
Two upper nozzles 64 are located on either side of the upper end of the packaging container facing the bottom 40 of the holding device, in particular between the partially folded-in upper corner lug 79 and the free side of the packaging container. Then, with the aid of the injection holes of the nozzles 63, 64, the hot air directed to the packaging container wall as well as the corner lugs is directed to the area under the corner lugs, which is used for the attachment of the corner lugs to the underlying packaging container walls. is sprayed onto the surface of the packaging container material. As a result,
The thermoplastic layer of the packaging container is heated to such an extent that it can melt and act as an adhesive for attaching the corner lugs. After heating to the softening temperature of the thermoplastic material, the packaging container is moved in the transfer device 35 until it reaches the final folding station 48. During this move,
The mutual position of the guide rails 51, 52 is again slightly altered so that, when the packaging container approaches the final folding station, the corner lugs form an angle of less than 45 DEG with the underlying surface. In this way, unnecessary cooling of the heated surfaces during the transfer of the packaging container to the final folding station is prevented.

Lateral pressure device 66 of final folding assembly 65 during transfer of the packaging container to final folding station 48
and the bottom pressure device 62 is spaced from the path of movement of the holding device so as not to engage in an obstructive manner the projecting corner lugs 79, 80 of the packaging container. After the packaging container has been placed in the correct position in the final folding station by means of the holding device 37, the lateral pressure device, together with the bottom pressure device, gradually comes to lie against the side walls and the bottom of the packaging container. . Pressure plate 6 of lateral pressure device 66
8 is oriented against the lever arm 70 in such a way that, with its end located towards the bottom of the packaging container, it initially lies against the side wall of the packaging container, and then its During successive pivoting into the working position, the coupling elements 71 are pivoted continuously until they are parallel to each other and rest against the free side wall of the packaging container. Pressure plate 6 in rest position
Due to the "oblique positioning" of 8, the length of the stroke of the lever arm is such that the end of the pressure plate located on the upper lug is given a relatively large distance to the packaging container in the rest position, so that the corner lug 79 Since it can be adapted without difficulty, it can be minimized. two pressure plates 6
8 and the bottom pressurizing device 67 is the first
1, in which the position of the pressure plate 68 at the moment of first contact with the side of the packaging container is indicated by a chain line. Due to this flexible suspension of the working plate 68, the pressure plate 68 automatically assumes the correct position relative to the side of the packaging container, thus any risk of damage or deformation of the packaging container is appreciably reduced. be done. When the lateral pressure devices are brought into position together with the bottom pressure devices, these devices form an almost closed parallelepiped space whose internal dimensions correspond to the desired dimensions of the packaging container to be finished. together with the jaw and bottom of the retaining device. The packaging container is
It is left in this position until the thermoplastic layer solidifies again and the seal is complete.

The packaging container is then transferred to a 1/6 turn transfer device 3 to a waiting station 49, which is not used in this example.
5, said station 49 may be used, for example, to attach reinforcing cardboard discs to one or more free surfaces (FIG. 12) of a packaging container. . The resumed rotation of the transfer device 35 transports the holding device 37 with the packaging container associated with the delivery station 50. During rotation from the standby station 49, the cam follower 43 of the movable jaw 39 gradually enters the part of the cam 44 where the radius is maximum, ie the part of the cam 44 where the holding device is opened. However, despite this, the packaging container is held in its position in the holding device with the aid of two outer guide rails 51, on which the bottom of the packaging container slides, in particular during the transfer to the delivery station.

At the delivery station (FIG. 13), the pressure plate 78 of the reciprocating delivery device 34 is pressed against two of the holding devices.
The transfer device 35
The unfixed packaging container is pushed out laterally from the holding device 37 up to a sliding surface (not shown) arranged on the outside of the container, along which the packaging container slides downwards onto the conveyor 8. The finished packaging containers are therefore transferred to the two transfer devices 35 of the final folding unit 5.
They are sent to a conveyor for transport and removal.

As mentioned above, different embodiments of the processing machine of the present invention include an adhesive deposition assembly in place of the illustrated hot air assembly 62. This different embodiment is
It is also applicable if the processing machine of the invention is used for the final forming of packaging containers made of materials that are not covered with an outer thermoplastic layer. In this case, the attachment of the corner lug to the side wall of the packaging container is achieved with the aid of a thermoplastic adhesive that is applied under the corner lug before it is pressed against the wall of the packaging container. Ru.

Embodiments of the processing machine of the invention with a rotary transfer device for moving packaging containers between different processing stations by means of an indexing movement provide safe movement of packaging containers between precisely fixed positions at each processing station. This completely eliminates the risk of deformation of the packaging container due to incorrect placement of the packaging container on the processing tool. Moreover, all the cooperating moving elements of the processing machine, i.e. the transfer device, the various processing stations, the feed assembly, etc., are driven by a common power source and are mechanically connected to each other via the drive assembly. Because of the coupling, synchronization between the various movements is not lost during normal operation. The processing machine can therefore be operated at high speed without any risk of incorrect processing, which guarantees a large production capacity. Moreover, this is further improved by the use of a dual transfer device that processes the incoming packaging containers alternately.

As mentioned above, in the packaging container processing machine of the present invention,
``radially outer and inner guide rails extending along the path of travel of the holding device and cooperating with the corner lugs of the container to be folded against the wall of the container at least in the pre-folding station; Since they are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other, the packaging container to be folded can be transferred to the pre-folding station while supporting the corner lugs on both sides of the packaging container with the guide rails. In addition, in the processing machine of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned guide rails, in the pre-folding station, a resting position outside the radially outer guide rails is provided in order to apply a radially inward force to the packaging container. A folding plate movable from the corner to an operating position between the outer guide rails is further provided, so that a pre-folding can be performed in which the corner lug is bent approximately 90 degrees by means of the guide rail and the folding plate. . Moreover, in the processing machine of the present invention, since "the pair of jaws are configured to be in a partially open position at the pre-folding station", the corner lugs can be bent by the guide rail and the bending plate. At the same time, the packaging container can be moved relative to the holding device while maintaining its posture.
Corner lugs can be accurately bent at predetermined bending locations. Therefore, post-processing of the packaging container can be carried out easily and accurately.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 is a schematic elevational view of a machine according to the invention arranged in conjunction with a conventional type of packaging machine; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main unit or final folding unit of the machine according to the invention; Figure 3 shows the drive device of the final folding unit and corresponds to Figure 2, Figure 4 is a front view of the transfer device mounted on the final folding unit, and Figure 5 shows the final folding machine. 6 is a perspective view of the final folding station of FIG. 5; FIGS. 7 to 13 show processing and forming of the packaging container as it moves through the machine of the invention; Figure 7 shows the packaging at the infeed station, Figure 8 shows the packaging in transit from the infeed station, Figure 9 shows the packaging at the pre-folding station, and Figure 10 shows the packaging at the gluing station. packaging diagram,
FIG. 11 is a view of the packaging at the final folding station, FIG. 12 is a view of the package in the formed state after the final folding station, and FIG. 13 is the delivery station discharged from the transfer device of the final folding unit. A diagram of the completed packaging container is shown. 2... Packaging container, 16... Index gear, 25...
... intermediate shaft, 30 ... feeding assembly, 31 ... rocking arm, 33 ... feeding device, 34 ... sending device, 35
...Transfer device, 36...Drum, 37...Holding device, 38...Fixed jaw, 39...Movable jaw,
40...Bottom surface (bottom), 41...Jiyo's rotation axis,
42... lever, 44... double cam, 45... feeding station, 46... pre-bending station, 47... gluing station, 48... final bending station, 50... sending station,
51... Outer guide rail, 52... Inner guide rail, 53... Frame, 55... Bottom bending plate, 6
6... Lateral pressure device, 67... Bottom pressure device, 68...
... Pressure plate, 70 ... Front lever arm, 71 ... Flexible coupling element, 73 ... Rear lever arm, 75 ... Operating rod, 79 ... Top corner lug, 80 ... Bottom corner lug, 82 ... ...bottom of the container.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A packaging container processing machine comprising a drivable transfer device 35 for moving a packaging container 2 between different processing stations 45 to 50 including a pre-folding station, the transfer device 35 comprising: Drum 3 rotated intermittently
6 and having on the periphery a holding device 37 for the individual packaging containers 2 with a mutually uniform pitch corresponding to the pitch between the processing stations 45 to 50 fixed around the transfer device 35; Each retaining device 37 is a pair of jaws 38, 39 extending radially with respect to the drum 36, and when the drum 36 is rotating, the pair of jaws 38,
39 and the pair of jaws 38, 39 with an interval corresponding to the size of the packaging container 2 disposed between them.
The pre-folding station 46 is movable between a parallel open position in which the packaging container 2 can be introduced in the radial direction and is configured for a partially open position at the pre-folding station 46. radially outer and inner guide rails 51, 51, 52 extending along the movement path of the holding device 37;
52, which cooperate with the corner lugs 79, 80 of the container 2 to be bent against the wall of the container at least in the pre-folding station, are each provided at a predetermined distance from each other; At the pre-folding station 46, the packaging container 2
A folding plate 55 is further provided which is movable from a rest position outside the radially outer guide rails 51, 51 to an operating position between the outer guide rails 51, 51 to apply a radially inward force to the radially outer guide rails 51, 51. packaging container processing machine. 2 One jaw 3 of the pair of jaws 38 and 39
8 is fixed to the peripheral edge of the drum 36, and the other jaw 39 is configured to be rotatable around a shaft 41 extending parallel to the central axis of the drum 36. processing machine. 3 Said rotatable jaw 39 constitutes one arm of the lever 42, the other arm of the lever forming the radial cam 4.
4. The processing machine according to claim 2, which is engaged with 4. 4. A processing machine according to claim 3, wherein the cam 44 is located in the central portion of the drum 36 and is rigidly connected to the frame of the processing machine. 5. The cam 44 opens the corresponding holding device 37 when it is at the infeed station 45 and the outgoing station 50, and opens the corresponding holding device 37 when it is at the gluing station 47 and the final folding station 48. Claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the holding device 37 is closed and partially opened when the holding device 37 is in the pre-folding station 46. processing machine. 6 The two outer guide rails 51, 51 extend substantially from the infeed station 45 to the pre-bending station 4.
6 and, when viewed along the direction of movement of the holding device 37, the distance between said outer guide rail 51 and the bottom surface of the holding device 37
7 increasing gradually from a distance smaller than the height of the holding device 37 at the pre-folding station 46 to a distance larger than the height of the holding device 37 at the pre-folding station 46 Processing machines described in Section 1. 7. The distance between the side of the bending plate 55 whose bottom part is bent and the side of the outer guide rail 51 is the corner lug 79,
A processing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which substantially corresponds to a theoretical thickness of 80 materials. 8 At the pre-folding station 46, two inner guide rails 52, which serve as lifting mechanisms, are attached to the holding device 3.
7 , located radially inside the outer guide rail 51 and slightly above the bottom surface of the holding device 37 . Processing machine. 9 Folding plate 5 on which the packaging container 2 bends its bottom part
5, the inner and outer guide rails 52, 51 are moved from the upper position to the lower position by
corner lugs 79 at the top and bottom of the packaging container 2, respectively;
9. The processing machine according to claim 8, wherein the processing machine is configured to cooperate with 80 to bend the same. 10 The bending plate 55 that bends the bottom part is attached to the drum 3.
6 supported by a support arm 57 positioned so as to be freely rotatable about a laterally extending support shaft 58 extending parallel to the central axis of the The processing machine described in any one of paragraphs up to paragraph 9. 11 The two top folding plates 56 are attached to the holding device 37.
bending plates 55 arranged on both sides of the
A processing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 10, which is configured to be able to be moved in synchronization with the processing machine. 12 The opposing lateral pressure plates 68, which can rest on mutually opposite lateral surfaces of the packaging container 2, are arranged such that the opposite lateral pressure plates 68 are able to rest against the arm 70 of the lever to which they are connected.
When rotating the lever arm 70 from the passive position to the active position, it is oriented so that the end facing the bottom surface 82 of the packaging container 2 is first rested on the side wall of the packaging container 2. Processing machine according to any one of the claims 1 to 11 to which it is directed. 13 Said lateral pressing plate 68 is in contact with the lateral pressing plate 68 until the pressing plates 68 are parallel to each other and rest against the free side wall of the packaging container 2 when the lever arm 70 is continuously rotated into the actuated position. 13. The processing machine according to claim 12, wherein the processing machine is configured to rotate against the action of a flexible coupling member 71 between the lever arm 70 and the lever arm 70.