SE543471C2

SE543471C2 - A method for the manufacture of composite cans

Info

Publication number: SE543471C2
Application number: SE1950241A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Lennart Larsson
Original assignee: A & R Carton Lund Ab
Priority date: 2019-02-26
Filing date: 2019-02-26
Publication date: 2021-03-02
Also published as: SE1950241A1; US20220135260A1; WO2020173787A1; CN113490627B; CN113490627A; EP3931111A1

Abstract

A method for manufacturing and filling a composite can (201), the method comprising: - forming a tubular body (203) by bending a body blank (16) and bringing two opposing edges of the body blank (16) together in an end-to-end join;- sealing the join by welding a sealing strip (214) over the join, thereby forming an intermediate can (403; 503);- sealing a top opening (211) by attaching a top sealing member (227) across the top opening (211);- applying a top rim (223) to the intermediate can (403; 503) by welding an inserted part of the top rim (223) to the inner surface of the tubular body (203);- turning the intermediate can (403; 503) upside-down and placing the intermediate can (403; 503) on a conveyor (2a) with the top rim (223) resting on the conveyor (2a);- filling the intermediate can (403; 503) through the bottom opening (213);- creating a protective gas atmosphere which is maintained while transporting the intermediate can to a sealing unit;- sealing the bottom opening (213) of the tubular body (203) by attaching a bottom sealing member (215) across the bottom opening (213) while maintaining the protective gas atmosphere;- turning the intermediate can (403; 503) to bring the top rim (223) in an upward-facing position;- attaching a reclosable lid (221) at the top end of the tubular body (203).

Description

A |\/IETHOD FOR THE |\/IANUFACTURE OF CO|\/IPOSITE CANS TECHNICAL FIELD The disclosure pertains to a method for manufacturing composite cans and packaging ofdry or moist goods in the composite cans. The composite cans as disc|osed hereincomprise a carton body made from a carton based laminate which in addition to a cartoncore layer may include one or more outer po|ymeric layers and a metallic foil layer suchas an aluminum layer. Furthermore the composite cans include additional cancomponents such as a top sealing member, a bottom sealing member, a top rim, a reclosable lid and, optionally, a bottom rim.

BACKGROUND Composite carton based cans for packaging of moisture and air sensitive particulate orgranulated goods such as baby food, coffee, tea, cereals, tobacco, etc. are well known inthe art. ln the area of packaging of consumer goods, and in particular consumer goodswhich is packaged in relatively rigid composite cans which serve as protective transportand storage containers at the retail end and as storage and dispensing containers at theconsumer end, the different functions of the composite cans may result in conflictingdemands on their design. For economic and environmental reasons, the amount ofmaterial required for producing the composite cans should be as small as possible whilestill providing the composite can with sufficient rigidity and shape stability. At the retail endthere is a desire that the composite cans allow efficient and space-saving transport and storage and that they are stackable.

Carton based cans generally suffer from low shape stability in the carton body, which hasproven to be a particular problem during manufacturing and filling of the cans before theyare finally sealed. While providing sufficient shape stability and protection of packagedgoods in a filled and fully assembled composite can, the relatively thin carton bodymaterial may suffer damage when exposed to the forces exerted on the carton bodyduring production and filling of the composite cans. Built-in tensions in the stiff carton material cause the tubular bodies which are formed from rectangular carton blanks to deviate from an intended body shape, making the tubular bodies difficult to process athigh speeds in a manufacturing machine. Tubular bodies Which deviate from an intendedshape are more prone to being damaged by grippers, transporters and other equipment inthe manufacturing line. Such damage may lead to an undesirable high waste ratio, as thedamaged tubular bodies would have to be discarded. By way of example, tubular bodieswhich are transported on a conveyor belt may accumulate on the conveyor into a tightlypacked line of tubular bodies being pressed against each other, causing the tubularbodies to assume a deformed configuration with a shortened extension in the transportdirection and an increased extension perpendicular to the transport direction. Tubularbodies which are deformed in this manner may get stuck in the machine or may bedifficult to grip and reposition with a gripper. Furthermore, it may be difficult to attachelements such as a top sealing member, a bottom sealing member, a plastic rim, etc.without damaging the exposed end edge of the tubular body. ln order to minimize the riskof deforming or damaging the tubular bodies during manufacture, the manufacturingspeed may need to be lowered which leads to a less efficient production of the composite cans than would have been preferred.

Accordingly, there is a need for a low cost, high-speed production process for a compositecan made from commonly available materials which process can be run with minimal waste in the production line.

An object of the present disclosure is to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.

SUMMARY The above object may be achieved with a method in accordance with claim 1. Furtherembodiments are set out in the dependent claims, in the following description and in the drawings.

As set out herein, there is provided a method for manufacturing composite cans andpackaging of dry or moist goods in the composite cans, the method comprising:- picking a body blank from a pile of body blanks and transferring the body blank to a body forming station; - forming a tubular body by bending the body blank and bringing two opposing edges ofthe body blank together in an end-to-end join, thejoin extending in a height direction ofthe tubular body; - sealing the join by welding a sealing strip over the join on an inner surface of the tubularbody, thereby forming an intermediate can; characterized in the further steps of: - transferring the intermediate can to a top sealing station; - sealing a top opening at a top end of the tubular body by welding a periphera| f|ange of atop sealing member to the inner surface of the tubular body at a distance from a top endedge of the tubular body; - transferring the intermediate can to a top rim application station; - applying the top rim to the intermediate can by inserting at least a lower part of the toprim into the top opening, above the top sealing member; - welding the inserted part of the top rim to the inner surface of the tubular body; - transferring the intermediate can to a conveyor and placing the intermediate can on theconveyor with the top rim resting on the conveyor and a bottom opening at a bottom endof the tubular body facing upward in the vertical direction; - transferring the intermediate can to a filling unit; - filling the intermediate can with said dry or moist goods through the bottom opening ofthe tubular body; - creating a protective gas atmosphere either during said filling of the intermediate can orby introducing the filled intermediate can into a vacuum chamber to draw off air,whereafter the can is subjected to a modified gas atmosphere; - transferring the filled intermediate can to a sealing unit, the filled intermediate can beingtransported to the sealing unit in a closed conveying system while maintaining theprotective gas atmosphere; - sealing the bottom opening of the tubular body by welding a periphera| f|ange of abottom sealing member to the inner surface of the tubular body at a distance from abottom end edge of the tubular body, sealing of the bottom opening being carried out in aprotective gas atmosphere; - turning the filled and bottom sealed intermediate can to bring the top rim in an upward-facing position in the vertical direction and transferring the intermediate can to a lidattachment unit; - attaching a reclosable lid at the top end of the tubular body with an inner surface of the reclosable lid in direct contact with an upper surface of the top rim.

As disclosed herein, a longitudinal axis of the intermediate can may be arranged in agenerally vertical direction with the top end of the tubular body directed upwards in thevertical direction during transfer of the intermediate can from the top sealing station to the top rim application station. ln the method as disclosed herein, the top end edge of the tubular body is directedupward in the vertical direction and the bottom end edge of the tubular body is directeddownward in the vertical direction during application and attachment of the top sealingmember and the top rim at the top opening of the tubular body. Thereafter, theintermediate can comprising the tubular body, the top sealing member and the top rim, isturned upside-down so that the top end edge is directed downward in the vertical directionand the bottom end edge is directed upward in the vertical direction. The intermediate canwith the top rim attached may be turned in the rim applicator or in a conventional turning apparatus downstream of the rim applicator.

By attaching the top rim to the tubular body and turning the intermediate can upside-downbefore transporting the intermediate can to the filling unit, the intermediate rests with the durable top rim on the conveyor during transfer to the filling unit.

By attaching the top sealing member before filling the can, the risk of finding residues ofpackaged material outside the top sealing member in the upper end of the can iseliminated as is the risk that particulate material contaminates the weld area and negatively affects the quality of the top sealing member seal.

The top rim is preferably a polymeric component having higher rigidity than the tubularbody. The top rim may suitably be made by injection molding. The top rim contributes toshape and stabilize the flexible paperboard body and constitutes a protection for the topend edge of the tubular body. The top rim brings the container body wall to conform to the contour of the top rim and to be provided with a desired predetermined and stable shape.

The weld seal bet\Neen the top rim and the tubular body may be formed by any suitablemethod such as by high frequency induction welding. ln order to achieve a tight seal, theweld seal is preferably a continuous seal extending around the top opening to produce a moisture proof and preferably gas-tight seal. ln the composite cans produced according to the method as disclosed herein, high frequency induction welding is a preferred methodfor attaching can components such as the body sealing strip, top and bottom rims, and the top and bottom sealing members.

Byjoining the top rim to the inner surface of the tubu|ar body by means of welding, it ispossible to obtain a tighter and s|immer attachment of the top rim to the tubu|ar body thanWhen using an adhesive attachment which was previously common in the art. As set outherein, the welded top rim is preferably a plastic rim and is arranged to extend parallel tothe material in the tubu|ar body, from the inner surface of the tubu|ar body to an innersurface of a lid. The top rim is more rigid than the carton based material in the tubu|arbody and constitutes a shape stable continuation of or supplement to the upper end of thetubu|ar body and provides a first abutment surface which is resistant to deformation whenpressed against a second abutment surface on an inner surface of the reclosable lid.Thereby, the composite can may be repeatedly opened and closed with a high level oftightness even after a first opening of the can by a consumer and after breaking or removal of the top sealing member.

Thus, the top rim constitutes a rigid and shape stable part at the top end of the tubu|arbody Which may form a tight seal against the inner surface of the lid.The top rim is preferably welded to the inner surface of the tubu|ar body, such that an upper part of the top rim extends past the top end edge of the tubu|ar body.

The top rim may be a profiled element comprising a circumferential flange extendingoutwardly from an upper edge of the lower part of the top rim, the top rim being applied tothe intermediate can with the circumferential flange covering an upper end edge of thetubu|ar body. The circumferential flange constitutes a rigid protection of the carton material in the top end edge of the tubu|ar body.

A top rim which is attached to the tubu|ar body With a part of the top rim extending out ofthe top opening in the tubu|ar body in the height direction of the tubu|ar body, forms arigid, wear resistant and shape stable support on which the intermediate can may restafter having been turned 180° to place it upside-down on a conveyor for transfer to a fillingunit. The intermediate cans may form tightly packed queues or slide on the conveyor beltwithout causing deformation of the carton material in the tubu|ar bodies or damage to the top end edge of the tubu|ar body.

The top rim may have any suitable cross-sectional profile as long as it can be fitted with atleast a part of the top rim inside the top opening. The lower part of the top rim may havedifferent thickness in different parts of the top rim. lt may be preferred that no part of thetop rim is arranged to extend downward on the outer surface of the body tube. A top rimhaving a generally l-shaped or L-shaped profile may be preferred as it can be readilyinserted into the top opening and be attached to the inner surface of the tubular body by welding and application of pressure perpendicular to the inner surface of the tubular body.

As set out herein, the carton body is supported and protected by the top rim duringsubsequent process steps without risking damage to an exposed carton edge. The top rimprovides support and protection for the intermediate can during process steps such asfilling and sealing of the bottom opening, de-gassing, etc., which steps may be performed while the intermediate can is resting on the top rim.

The top rim makes it possible to fill the container from the bottom end, after the topsealing member has been applied at the top opening. lf instead applying a top end sealingmember after the composite can has been filled with contents in the form of particles orgranules, the turbulence created when the top sealing member is pushed into thecontainer body may cause some of the particles or granules to escape out of the tubularbody and to end up on the outside of the top sealing member, in the space between thetop sealing member and the top end edge of the tubular body. A user opening acomposite can and finding the exposed top sealing member to be soiled by the packagedmaterial, will generally consider the can to be less hygienic than would have been desired.Furthermore, some of the packaged material may be trapped in the weld seal between thetop sealing member and the inner surface of the tubular body, making the seal less tight than desired and making it difficult to accurately control the strength of the seal.

The method as disclosed herein may further comprise: - applying a bottom rim to the bottom end of the bottom sealed intermediate can; - placing the bottom sealed intermediate can on a conveyor band with the bottom rimresting on the conveyor band during the transfer of the intermediate can to the lid attachment unit.

The bottom rim is applied in the form of a closed loop extending in a bottom loop planeand having an outer contour and an inner contour and a height in a height directionperpendicular to the bottom loop plane. The bottom rim has an upper rim part and a lowerrim part in the height direction of the bottom reinforcing rim. The bottom rim may beapplied by: - inserting the top rim part of the bottom rim and optionally also the lower rim part of thebottom rim into the tubular body at the bottom end edge with a lower end edge of thebottom reinforcing rim being outside of the container body or flush with the bottom endedge of the tubular body; and - attaching the bottom rim to the inner surface of the tubular body, the attachment preferably being made by welding, such as by high frequency induction welding.

The advantages of providing the composite can with a bottom rim are similar to thoseobtained with the top rim. ln the intermediate can which has been filled from the bottomend and sealed with a bottom sealing member the bottom rim enhances shape stability atthe bottom end of the tubular body and protects the bottom end edge of the cartonmaterial in the tubular body from wear when the filled and bottom sealed intermediate canis transported on a conveyor while standing on the bottom rim. ln the completelyassembled composite can, the bottom rim continues to be a support element whichprotects the carton material at bottom end of the composite can from moisture which maybe present on a counter-top or other surface on which the can is placed by a user. Thebottom rim may further form a rigid and shape stable support element cooperating withmating stacking elements at the upper part of another composite can when stacking the composite cans on top of each other.

After application of the bottom sealing member to the filled intermediate can, the sealedand filled intermediate can may be turned 180° in the sealing unit or in a conventional turning apparatus downstream of the sealing unit.

The method as disclosed herein may involve that two or more intermediate cans, such asfour intermediate cans, are processed simultaneously during one or more process stepssuch as: - sealing the top opening; - applying the top rim; - welding the top rim; -turning the intermediate can 180°; - filling the intermediate can; - sealing the bottom opening; - turning the filled and bottom sealed intermediate can 180°; and - attaching the reclosable lid.

Disclosed herein is also an assembly line for manufacturing of composite cans and fillingof dry or moist goods in the composite cans e.g. in accordance with the method asdisclosed herein. The assembly line comprises a plurality of machine units connected byconveyors wherein the machine units comprise: - a body forming unit; - a filling unit; - a sealing unit; and - a lid attachment unit. ln the assembly line as disclosed herein, a gas box may be arranged between the filling unit and the sealing unit.

The body forming unit of the assembly line may include:- a body blank picking station; - a body forming station; - a top sealing station; and - a top rim application station.

The sealing unit of the assembly line may include a can sealing station and optionally a rim application station.

Any machine unit of the assembly line may be at least partly arranged in an externalhousing. Furthermore, any machine unit or part of a machine unit may be arranged tooperate in a modified gas atmosphere also referred to herein as a protective gasatmosphere in the external housing. As disclosed herein, the sealing unit may bearranged in an external housing and may be arranged to operate in a protective gasatmosphere in the external housing. ln addition, any can component applicator asdisclosed herein may be arranged at least partly in an internal housing inside an external housing.

The method as disclosed herein may comprise a degassing step which is performed inconjunction with the filling step. The degassing step may comprise supplying a protectivegas to the product flow in the filling step. The protective gas may be nitrogen, carbondioxide or a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. The protective gas may be blown intothe flow of dry or moist product during filling of the intermediate can, before the product flow reaches the inner compartment in the intermediate can. ln addition thereto, sealing of the bottom opening is carried out in a protective gasatmosphere. When the product flow is treated with protective gas in the filling step, thefilled intermediate cans are conveyed to the closing step in the sealing unit whilemaintaining the protective atmosphere, e.g. by moving the intermediate cans through atunnel filled with protective gas. Alternatively, the filled intermediate cans may beintroduced into a vacuum chamber to draw off air whereafter the filled intermediate cans are subjected to a protected atmosphere and sealed.

Application of can components such as a top sealing member, a bottom sealing member,a top rim and a bottom rim may be performed using an attachment unit comprising awelding unit, such as a high frequency induction welding unit, which is configured tofasten the component to the tubular body during production of the composite can. Thewelding unit may comprise an inductive welding energy generator for softening or meltinga weldable layer that forms part of the tubular body and/or the applied can component.The apparatus may further comprise transporting means configured to transport a flow ofintermediate cans to and from the attachment unit. The transporting means maycomprise, in sequence, a feeding arrangement, a main conveyor member and a movablegripping arrangement. The feeding arrangement may be configured to transferintermediate cans one by one in a continuous manner to the main conveyor member andthe gripping arrangement may be configured to transfer intermediate cans from the mainconveyor member to the welding unit. The apparatus may be arranged such that duringnormal operation of the apparatus, the intermediate cans line up close to each other at anupstream side of the feeding arrangement, the feeding arrangement being configured toseparate adjacent intermediate cans from each other in a feeding direction by increasingthe feeding speed of each individual intermediate can along the feeding arrangement andthereby increasing the distance between adjacent intermediate cans fed along the feeding arrangement. The main conveyor member may be configured to operate at a transport speed that approximately corresponds to, and is uniform in relation to, a discharge speedof the intermediate cans when fed out from the feeding arrangement such thatintermediate cans transferred to and along the main conveyor member remain separated.The movable gripping arrangement may be configured to grip at least two intermediatecans, such as four intermediate cans, and to transfer these intermediate canssimultaneously from the main conveyor member to the attachment unit, the attachmentunit preferably being configured to simultaneously fasten the can component to each of the simultaneously transferred intermediate cans.

The feeding arrangement may comprise a feed screw member provided with anincreasing pitch such that the feeding speed of each individual intermediate can, as wellas the distance between adjacent intermediate cans, increase in correspondence with theincreasing pitch when the intermediate cans are transported by the feed screw member.Such a feed screw member creates defined distances between the intermediate cans, allowing for a controlled positioning and proper gripping of the intermediate cans.

The feed screw member allows for a controlled feeding speed at the inlet of the feedscrew member. By adjusting this inlet speed in relation to the speed at which theintermediate cans are transported towards the feed screw member, for instance by lettingthe inlet speed be only slightly lower than the transport speed of a conveyor belt arrangedto transport the intermediate cans to the feed screw member, it can be prevented thatfilled open intermediate cans collide at high speed with a slow-moving line of intermediatecans, the open intermediate cans will more smoothly approach and join an upstream line of intermediate cans. lt may be preferred that the feed screw arrangement comprises two feed screw membersarranged in parallel along each side of the flow of intermediate cans such that eachintermediate can is transported between the two feed screw members that are arrangedto operate in cooperation with each other. This provides for a secure feeding grip of theintermediate cans and reduces the risk that an intermediate can slips past its space in the feeding screw.

The main conveyor member may comprise slide guides and carrier bars, the slide guidesbeing configured to support the intermediate cans when transferred to the main conveyor member and to allow them to slide in the transport direction and the carrier bars being 11 distributed at defined distances along a moving and conveying part of the main conveyormember such as to push the containers along the slide guides. ln this way, theintermediate cans are prevented from sliding in relation to a regular moving part, such asa conveying band, which would result in randomly varying distances between adjacentintermediate cans, causing problems in the subsequent gripping step. The use of slideguides and carrier bars as set out herein further improves positioning of the intermediatecans prior to gripping as the distance between adjacent transferred intermediate cans delivered to the gripping arrangement is predefined and non-varying.

The transporting means may further comprise an inlet conveyor member configured tofeed containers to the feeding arrangement. The inlet conveyor member may beconfigured to operate at a transport speed that approximately corresponds to, and isuniform in relation to, an initial feeding speed at an inlet side of the feeding arrangement.This provides for a smooth transition for the intermediate cans between the inlet conveyormember and the feeding arrangement. Preferably, the inlet conveyor member also formsa support for the intermediate cans while being fed along the feeding arrangement. Theinlet conveyor member may be configured to allow the intermediate cans to slide whilesupported when their feeding speed increases during feeding along the feedingarrangement. The inlet conveyor member may comprise an endless steel band that transports and supports the intermediate cans.

The attachment unit may comprise at least two subunits, each subunit comprising a cavityadapted to receive at least an end part of the intermediate can where the can component,such a top sealing member, a bottom sealing member or a rim is to be fastened, whereinan inductive welding energy generator, such as a coil, extends around the cavity such asto circumferentially surround an intermediate can placed in the cavity along a distancecorresponding to a peripheral edge of a can component placed in its intended fasteningposition in the intermediate can, each unit further comprising a can component positioning device configured to position a can component in the intended fastening position.

The positioning device may take the form of a press plunger which positions the cancomponent inside the tubular body of the intermediate can and thereafter expands radiallyto exert a radially outwardly directed press force on the inserted can component and to cause a portion of the can component to be pressed against the inner surface of the 12 tubular body. The can component is held under pressure against the inner surface of the tubular body while welding the can component to the tubular body.

The positioning device may comprise two parts which are axially movable in relation toeach other:- a base plate comprising or consisting of a rigid material, and - a resiliently deformable plunger skirt.

Axial movement between the two parts of the positioning device may be accomplished bymeans of a first piston and a second piston, the first and second pistons extending in anaxial direction with the second piston being coaxial with the first piston. The base plate isconnected to an end portion of the first piston, such that the footprint surface of the baseplate is perpendicular to the axial direction. The plunger skirt is connected to an endportion of the second piston. The first piston and second piston are configured to beaxially displaceable in synchrony with each other as well as independently of each other.The end portion of the second piston is configured to be closer to the end portion of thefirst piston when the plunger skirt is in an expanded state as compared to an unexpanded state.

When inserting the can component to the attachment position in the tubular body, the firstpiston and the second piston are axially displaced in synchrony with each other, movingtogether as a single unit. When transforming the plunger skirt to the expanded state, thefirst piston and the second piston are displaced independently of each other, such that thesecond piston is displaced in relation to the first piston in the axial direction. Thereby, theplunger skirt is pressed down on the base plate and is flattened out such that the outercircumference of the plunger skirt is caused to assume the expanded state. The elasticallydeformable plunger skirt will automatically return to the unexpanded state once thepressure exerted on it from the first and second pistons is ceased after application of the container element at the desired location inside the container body.

The base plate has a footprint surface with a circumferential edge, which circumferentialedge comprises a plurality of side edge portions connected by corner portions. The plunger skirt covers a surface of the base plate opposite the footprint surface. 13 As set out herein, the plunger skirt is transformable betvveen the unexpanded state andthe expanded state. The plunger skirt has an outer circumference, which in theunexpanded state is located at the circumferential edge of the footprint surface of thebase plate, and which in the expanded state is located at least partly outside of the circumferential edge of the footprint surface of the base plate.

The outer circumference of the plunger skirt in the unexpanded state preferably has a shape corresponding to a shape of the circumferential edge of the footprint surface.

At least one of the side edge portions of the circumferential edge of the base plate maycomprise a curved segment, which is curved in an inward direction from thecircumferential edge of the footprint surface, and at least one corresponding side portionof the outer circumference of the plunger skirt may comprise a curved segment, which is curved in an inward direction from the outer circumference of the plunger skirt.

The plunger skirt is arranged on top of the base plate, covering an upper surface of thebase plate which is opposite the footprint surface. When the plunger skirt is in theunexpanded state, it will not be in contact with the can component or will at least not exertany force on the can component, during insertion of the can component to the attachmentposition inside the tubular body. When the can component has reached the attachmentposition, the plunger skirt is caused to expand in a radial direction thereby pressing anedge portion of the can component circumferentially against the inner surface of thetubular body. ln this expanded state of the plunger skirt, a cross-sectional area delimitedby the outer circumference of the plunger skirt is larger than in the unexpanded state of the plunger skirt.

By the provision of at least one curved segment of the circumferential edge of the footprintsurface of the base plate and a corresponding at least one curved segment of the outercircumference of the plunger skirt, the risk of the positioning unit impacting on the upperedge of the tubular body and thereby damaging the tubular wall of the tubular body when inserting the can component may be considerably reduced, or eliminated.

During transformation to the expanded state, the plunger skirt Will be flattened out and anyinwardly curved segment or segments will at the same time straighten out, at least to a degree where the outer circumference of the plunger skirt extends beyond the 14 circumferential edge of the footprint surface. Hence, by carefully selecting the shape ofthe plunger skirt in the unexpanded state and/or the material properties, a desired changeof shape during transformation may be obtained. The material used for the plunger skirt,may be any useful elastically deformable wear and heat resistant material as known in theart, such as natural or synthetic rubber materials, e.g. polyamides, polyurethanes, polyesters, etc.

The method as disclosed herein may be at least partly carried out using an apparatushaving components as set out above and may include the steps of: - transferring intermediate cans one by one in a continuous manner from a feedingarrangement to a main conveyor member, - transferring intermediate cans from the main conveyor member to an attachmentunit by means of a movable gripping arrangement, - separating adjacent containers from each other in the direction of transport byincreasing the feeding speed of each individual intermediate can along the feedingarrangement and thereby increasing the distance between adjacent intermediatecans fed along the feeding arrangement, - operating the main conveyor member at a transport speed that approximatelycorresponds to, and is uniform in relation to, a discharge speed of the intermediatecans when fed out from the feeding arrangement such that intermediate canstransferred to and along the main conveyor member remain separated, - gripping, by means of the movable gripping arrangement, at least two intermediatecans and transferring these intermediate cans simultaneously from the mainconveyor member to the attachment unit, and - fastening simultaneously a can component to each of the simultaneously transferred intermediate cans.

The moveable gripping arrangement may comprise a first and a second gripping elementarranged to operate on opposite sides of the flow of intermediate cans, wherein thegripping elements are movable towards and away from each other for gripping andreleasing the intermediate cans, respectively, and wherein the gripping elements, in asynchronized manner, are movable along the flow of intermediate cans between the mainconveyor member and the welding unit for the simultaneous transfer of two or moreintermediate cans, each gripping element being provided with at least two recesses, such as four recesses, for gripping on each side of a corresponding number of simultaneously gripped intermediate cans, wherein the distance between the recesses of the grippingelements corresponds to the distance bet\Neen intermediate cans positioned on the main conveyor member during operation of the apparatus.

The movable gripping arrangement may be configured to grip four containers and transferthese four intermediate cans simultaneously from the main conveyor member to thewelding unit, wherein the welding unit is configured to simultaneously fasten a can component to each of the four intermediate cans.

The feeding arrangement may comprise a second movable gripping arrangement and anout|et conveyor member arranged downstream of the attachment unit, wherein the secondmovable gripping arrangement is configured to grip the at least two intermediate cans andtransfer these intermediate cans simultaneously from the attachment unit to the out|et conveyor member.

A s|iding guide, such as a stationary s|iding plate may be arranged at the end of the out|etconveyor member such that the intermediate cans may slide on the s|iding plate from theout|et conveyor member to a further conveyor member for transporting the intermediatecans to a subsequent machine unit in the production line. Such a s|iding plate decreasesthe feeding speed of the intermediate cans and reduces the distance between them.Thus, the intermediate cans are again lined up close to each other in a continuous row in the same way as at the upstream side of the feeding arrangement.

As set out herein, the attachment unit may be arranged in an external housing and aprotective gas atmosphere may be created inside the external housing. An out|et port forthe intermediate cans may be arranged in the external housing, wherein the size of theopening is adapted to the size of the intermediate cans being processed. The out|et portmay comprise a short tunnel arranged at the end of the out|et conveyor member, whereinthe s|iding plate constitutes a floor in the tunnel. The out|et conveyor pushes theintermediate cans onto the stationary s|iding plate, thereby creating a continuous row ofintermediate cans which pass through the out|et tunnel. As the size of the out|et tunnel isadapted to the size of the intermediate cans, the cans fill out the cross section of theout|et tunnel, whereby the out|et port becomes relatively gas-tight during operation of thedevice without any need for additional equipment. The provision of the stationary s|iding plate in the out|et tunnel, ascertains that there will always be an intermediate can in the 16 outlet tunnel acting as a "plug" and preventing protective gas from escaping and airentering through the outlet from the external housing. ln a corresponding manner, the sizeand shape of an inlet port with an inlet tunnel into the external housing may be adapted tothe size and shape of the intermediate cans produced on the assembly line as disclosedherein. However, as the inlet conveyor may already be arranged in a protective gasatmosphere, it is generally sufficient to arrange a closable hatch at the inlet to the attachment unit, in order to allow the inlet port to be closed off, as needed.

When transporting intermediate cans which have been filled but not yet sealed, aprotective gas atmosphere is maintained intact from its creation up until the bottom of theintermediate can has been closed over the filled contents. A protective gas atmospheremay be created already during the filling stage, e.g. by blowing protective gas into the flowof material before the material reaches the can. Alternatively, filled intermediate cans maybe introduced into a vacuum chamber to draw off air, whereafter the cans are subjected to a modified gas atmosphere and the bottom sealing member is applied. ln all instances, the filled cans are transported to the sealing unit in a closed conveyingsystem while maintaining the protective gas atmosphere. ln order to ascertain that noprotective gas escapes at the interfaces between the conveying system and the cansealing unit, tightly fitted lead-in and outlet tunnels are arranged at the inlet and outlet of the sealing unit, as disclosed herein.

The method as disclosed herein may include application of a scoop in the compartmentformed between the top sealing member and the reclosable lid. The scoop is preferablyapplied to the intermediate can after filling and before attaching the reclosable lid at thetop end of the tubular body. The scoop may be applied directly on the top sealing memberor may be placed in a scoop holder which is arranged above the top sealing member. Ascoop holder may be formed as an integral part of the top rim or may be an added-on partof the top rim. A scoop holder which is arranged on the top rim may include a scraper barfor scraping off excess scooped-up contents from the scoop head. The scoop head andthe scoop holder may have matched shapes such that the scoop may be placed with thescoop head securely fitted in the scoop holder with the scoop handle held above the topsealing member in a generally horizontal position. The scoop head and scoop holder maybe arranged such that the scoop head may snap into engagement with the scoop holder, e.g. by the scoop head being provided with one or more protruding elements such as one 17 or more knobs or ridges, which snap under an edge of the scoop holder when the scoophead is pressed into the scoop holder. A snap-in engagement between the scoop headand the scoop holder ascertains that the scoop remains securely held in a predeterminedposition in the scoop holder, without rattling and without the scoop handle dipping downinto the contents of the composite can once the top sealing member has been removed by a user.

The reclosable lid may have a scoop holder in the form of a clamp arranged on the innersurface of the reclosable lid. A scoop holder on the inner surface of the reclosable lid may be provided as an alternative or in addition to a scoop holder on the top rim.

The scoop may be placed in the can as it is or may be prepacked in a hygienic wrap, such as in a plastic bag.

The barrier properties of the cans as disclosed herein, may be designed to meet differentrequirements of tightness depending on the goods which is packaged in the can. By wayof example, in a can for dried peas a lower barrier level may be acceptable than in a canfor e.g. infant formula which is highly sensitive to oxygen and moisture exposure. Acombination of a gas-tight gasketing seal between an upper edge of the top rim and theinner surface of the reclosable lid, and a gas-tight weld seal between the top rim and theinner surface of the tubular body may offer a can with excellent barrier properties also after the top sealing member has been removed.

The cans produced by the method as disclosed herein may preferably have barrierproperties which remain largely unaltered even after breaking or removal of the topsealing member. ln other words, the contents in a closed can may be equally wellprotected or nearly equally well protected regardless of whether the top sealing memberhas been opened or not. This also means that the seal created between the reclosable lidand the top rim as well as the weld seal between the top rim and the inner surface of thecan preferably have barrier properties offering the same level of protection of the packaged contents as an unbroken top sealing member.

As set out herein, a welding process, in particular a high frequency induction weldingprocess, provides a highly controlled way of creating a join with a predetermined level of tightness between the top rim and a thermoplastic layer of the carton based material in 18 the tubular body. The join is made by supplying energy to heat and locally soften or meltone or more thermoplastic component in the plastic rim and/or on the inner surface of thetubular body and by pressing the plastic rim and the tubular body together in a directionperpendicular to the inner surface of the tubular body. The thermoplastic material used tocreate the weld seal may be provided by the plastic rim, by a thermoplastic film or coatingon the inner surface of the tubular body, or by both the plastic rim and by a thermoplasticfilm or coating on the inner surface of the tubular body. lt may be preferred that the plasticrim is made from thermoplastic material. A thermoplastic rim may be produced by anysuitable melt-forming process known in the art, such as injection molding. By controllingthe supplied amount of energy, the applied pressure, and the weld time, it is possible toadapt the welding process to the welded materials and to obtain a weld seam with arequired level of tightness. Accordingly, the welding process is accurate and predictable and is an efficient way of producing a reliable seal with a predetermined level of tightness.

After filling of the can with the packaged product, the bottom end is closed to seal theproduct in an inner compartment of the can. Closing of the bottom end is performed byattaching the bottom sealing member to the inner surface of the tubular body, as set outherein. The bottom sealing member is preferably attached at a small inward distance fromthe bottom end edge of the tubular body to provide stackability and/or to facilitateapplication of a bottom rim at the bottom end of the tubular body. lnsertion of the bottomsealing member may give rise to a slightly higher than ambient pressure inside the sealedintermediate can. This overpressure has been found to cause a slight outward bulge inthe top sealing member. ln a two layer top sealing member having a partially cut-out tearstrip in an upper outer layer of the sealing member, the slight out\Nard bulge in the topsealing member has been found to promote raising of a grip end of the tear strip from theunderlying layer. ln this manner, the grip end is easier to grasp, whereby pulling away of the top sealing member is facilitated.

The bottom sealing member may be made from any suitable material such as carton,plastic, metal and laminates of such materials, with carton based bottom sealing membersbeing generally preferred. A carton based bottom sealing member may be made from alaminate material comprising a carton layer, a metallic foil layer and a thermoplasticpolymeric layer being arranged at an inner surface of the carton layer facing towards aninterior of the container body, with the metallic foil layer being arranged between the carton layer and the thermoplastic polymeric layer. A further thermoplastic polymeric layer 19 may be arranged at an outer surface of the carton layer. The bottom sealing member maybe attached by welding, such as by high frequency induction welding, to the inner surfaceof the tubu|ar body. The bottom sealing member is shaped before or during insertion intothe bottom opening by bending a peripheral edge portion out of the plane of the bottomsealing member to create a f|ange which is a|igned with the inner surface of the tubu|arbody and which can be welded to the inner surface of the tubu|ar body. The weld sea|between the bottom sealing member and the container body wall is much less sensitive tocontamination by the packaged material than is the weld sea| betvveen the top sealingmember and the inner surface of the tubu|ar body. A carton based bottom sealingmember is generally thicker and more compressible than the top sealing member and it iseasier to form a tight sea| between the bottom sealing member and the tubu|ar body. Theamount of packaged material which may escape out of the intermediate can when thebottom sealing member is inserted into the bottom opening is very small. As the bottomsealing member is only inserted a very small distance into the tubu|ar body, the insertionstep generates only a minimum of turbulence at the surface of the packaged material. Theamount of material which is lost in the closure step is thereby minimal. Any material whichends up on the outside of the bottom sealing member after the intermediate can has beenclosed and sealed can be easily removed and will not cause the fully assembled composite can to look soiled.

Alternatively, the bottom end of the composite can may be closed by any suitable method as known in the art such as by folding and sealing end portions of the container wall.

After sealing the bottom, and optionally attaching a bottom rim to the bottom end of thecomposite can, the composite can may be conveyed in a conventional manner toequipment such as a code marking unit, a weighing unit, a leaflet inserter, a scoop inserter, etc.

The lid application step of the method as disclosed herein may further comprise applyinga frame structure by mechanically attaching the frame structure to the top rim. Amechanical connection between the top rim and the frame structure may be accomplishedby the provision of mating contours on the top rim and on the frame structure. Suchmating contours preferably include snap-fit features such as interengaging ridges and tracks or protrusions and holes/cavities, etc.

A frame structure may be configured to cooperate with a plug-in lid or a hinge-lid to keepthe lid in a closed position with an inner surface of the lid in direct contact with an upper surface of the top rim. The frame structure may be applied together with the lid.

The attachment bet\Neen the frame structure and the top rim may be made by forming a snap-in connection between the frame structure and the top rim.

The mechanical connection between the top rim and the frame structure is preferablyirreversible implying that once established the connection can only be broken by destroying or damaging the connected parts.

The frame structure may form part of a lid component, the lid component furthercomprising a lid part which is connected to the frame structure by a hinge. The lid partmay be a complete lid or may be only part of a lid, which is assembled with one or moreadditional lid parts to form a container lid. By way of example, the lid part may be an outerlid part defining the shape and size of the portion of the lid which is exposed to theexterior of the composite can and which is combined in the container lid with an inner lidpart such as an inner sealing member which provides an abutment surface cooperatingwith a corresponding abutment surface on the top rim to form a gasketing seal betweenthe lid and the top rim. The inner sealing member may take the form of a planar disc andmay be made from carton, plastic, or any suitable laminate and may include resilientlycompressible material such as natural or synthetic foam materials or other resilientlycompressible polymer materials which may contribute to a tight seal between the lid andthe top rim. The inner sealing member may be attached to an outer lid part by adhesive orwelding. However, it may be preferred that the inner sealing member is mechanicallyattached to the outer lid part, such as by being snapped into a groove extending along the edge of the outer lid part, on an inner surface thereof. lt may further be advantageous to attach the inner sealing member to the outer lid partunder tension as a tensioned inner lid part has been found to have enhanced sealing capability.

When the lid part constitutes a complete lid, it is the inner surface of the lid which formsthe seal against the abutment surface of the top rim. The inner surface of the lid may be coated with a resiliently compressible material at least within the area corresponding to 21 the abutment surface of the top rim or may comprise a layer of a resilient material on the inner surface of the lid.

By providing a lid, a frame structure or a lid component as parts which are separate fromthe top rim, these parts may be attached to the top rim after the intermediate can hasbeen filled and the bottom end has been closed. A lid, frame structure, or lid componentmay have a three-dimensional profiled shape, with stacking features, decorative reliefelements, locking elements, and other aberrations and irregularities. Furthermore, a lid orlid part may have a non-planar surface, such as a rounded surface or an irregularlyshaped surface. All such three-dimensional features make an intermediate composite candifficult to handle in a bottom filling process as the intermediate can may not be safelyrested on the non-planar upper surface formed by the lid or lid component. Plasticcomponents having a complicated three-dimensional shape are comparatively expensiveto manufacture, and can easily be damaged in a process when transferring theintermediate can between different process stations, gripping and repositioning the can,attaching can components, filling and closing the can. By applying the frame structure orlid component after filling and closing the can, the number of cans which are damaged inthe process and which have to be discarded can be lowered. An upper closure comprisinga lid and a two-part rim/frame construction as disclosed herein may serve to keep wasteat a lower level than is possible with a conventional single part rim constructions. The toprim as disclosed herein has a simple shape without protruding features that may bedamaged in a production process and may serve as a support and reinforcement elementfor the tubular body during the manufacturing and filling process as set out herein. ln theassembled composite can, the top rim contributes to stabilise and shape the carton based body during transport and storage.

The reclosable lid may be applied to the upper end of the intermediate can after the innerpackaging compartment in the tubular body has been filled with the packaged product and the bottom end of the tubular body has been closed.

The reclosable lid may be a separate part of the composite can which can be completelyremoved when opening the can. Alternatively, the lid may be attached to a frame structureby means of a hinge, as set out herein. The hinge may be a live hinge, i.e. a bendableconnection between the lid and the frame structure. A live hinge may be formed integral with the lid and/or with the frame structure or may be a separately formed element which 22 is attached to the lid and to the frame structure. Alternatively, the hinge may be a two-parthinge, with a first hinge part arranged on the lid and a second hinge part arranged on theframe structure. A two-part hinge construction may alternatively be used to attach the lid directly to the top rim lf the reclosable lid comprises an outer part and an inner sealing disc, the inner sealingdisc is preferably attached to the outer part of the reclosable lid part before attaching thereclosable lid or lid component to the intermediate can. Although less preferred, the innersealing disc may alternatively be attached to the outer part of the reclosable lid after attaching the reclosable lid or lid component to the intermediate can. ln a composite can produced according to the method as disclosed herein, an inner profileof the top rim defines a shape and a size of an access opening, whereby the accessopening is smaller than the top opening of the tubular body. The opening area of theaccess opening is preferably from 85% to 99% of the area of the top opening of thetubular body, such as from 90% to 98% of the area of the top opening of the tubular bodyor from 94% to 97% of the area of the top opening of the tubular body. The top rimpreferably builds as little as possible into the can opening, such that the size of the accessopening is maximized. A slim top rim and a large access opening make the contents inthe can easily accessible and contribute to facilitate scooping or pouring of the contentsout of the can. A slim inner top rim minimizes the risk that particulate material is caught onsurfaces of the rim during scooping or pouring of contents from the can or when a closedcan is moved or shifted between dispensing occasions. A user opening the can andrevealing a soiled top rim, will perceive the can as being messy and less hygienic thandesired. lt is generally desired to keep the packaged product away from the accessopening where it is more exposed to contamination as it may more easily come intocontact with the hands of a person opening the can and removing contents through theaccess opening. Contaminated contents in the can which are caught on the top rim may fall back into the can and may, in turn, contaminate the remaining contents in the can. lf the packaging can is provided with a frame structure which is mechanically connectedwith the top rim, it may be preferred that no part of the frame structure extends into theaccess opening and detracts from the area of the access opening. The frame structuremay then serve to provide features such as a lid hinge, means for retaining the lid in a closed position over the access opening, locking elements, stacking elements, etc. 23 The top rim or a frame structure may further be configured with means for retaining the lidin a closed position with an inner surface of the lid in direct contact with an upper edge ofthe top rim. Such means may be constituted by snap-lock elements including matingridges and grooves on the rim or frame structure and on the lid, female/male lockingelements, etc. as known in the art. ln addition thereto, the closure arrangement on the composite can preferably comprises a locking arrangement.

The locking arrangement may comprise a first locking element arranged on a framestructure if present, on the tubular body or the composite can or on the top rim, and asecond locking element arranged on the can lid. The first and second locking elementsmay be mating locking elements, such as female/male locking elements including hooksand other protrusions which are arranged to interengage with ridges, hooks, tracks, holes, cavities, loops, etc.

The locking arrangement may comprise at least one locking flap being permanently joinedto the top rim or to a frame structure, such as at a front edge portion and/or at a side edgeportion of the access opening of the can. The locking flap has a free end portionextending towards the reclosable lid in a height direction of the composite can. The freeend portion of the locking flap comprises a first locking element which is arranged to matewith a second locking element on the outer surface of the reclosable lid. Preferably, thelocking flap has an extension in the height direction of the composite can which allows thefree end portion to reach a distance in over a top portion of the outer lid surface such thatthe first and second locking elements may be arranged to mate on the top portion of theouter lid surface at the edge of the reclosable lid. When the locking flap is in the closedposition with the first and second locking elements engaging with each other, the lid andthe top rim or frame structure are firmly clamped together and kept under tension. Thelocking flap is preferably hingedly connected to the top rim or the frame structure,preferably by means of a live hinge formed integrally with the top rim or frame structure and the locking flap.

An inset gripping area may be arranged in the outer lid surface of the top portion of the lidpart. The inset gripping area is arranged at the free end portion of the locking flap andserves to provide access to the free end portion of the locking flap in a direction perpendicular to the height direction of the lid component. Thereby, the locking flap can 24 be easily manipulated even if no part of the locking flap in the closed position extends inthe height direction of the lid component beyond the outer lid surface of the top portion ofthe of the lid part.

Alternatively, although generally less preferred, a locking arrangement may be providedby a locking flap or clasp closure extending from an edge on the lid, such as from aforward edge on the lid and comprising at least one locking element which can befastened into or onto a corresponding locking element on the top rim or on a frame stru ctu re.

The locking elements are preferably designed to allow repeated opening and closing ofthe locking arrangement. Manipulation of the locking arrangement may be facilitated by means of gripping devices such as finger grips, friction enhancing elements, pull tabs, etc.

A stacking member or stacking members at the can opening may be arrangedperipherally on the lid and/or on a frame structure connected to the top rim surroundingthe access opening in the packaging can. The lid may be provided with mating stackingmembers arranged on the upper outer surface and on the inner lower surface of each lid ,making the lids separately stackable before being applied to an intermediate can, e.g. in aprocess for producing the packaging cans as disclosed herein. ln a similar fashion, lidcomponents comprising a lid part hingedly connected to a frame structure may be provided with mating stacking members making the lid components separately stackable.

A stacking member at the can opening may take the form of a peripheral ledge on theouter lid surface or on the top rim or on a frame structure connected to the top rim. Whenone can is stacked on top of another can, a bottom edge or bottom rim of the first can is supported on the peripheral ledge.

A lid component for a composite can as disclosed herein has a lateral direction and aheight direction perpendicular to the lateral direction and comprises a lid part and a framestructure, the lid part comprising a top portion and a side wall portion. The top portion hasan outer lid surface and an inner lid surface opposite to the outer lid surface and aperipheral edge surrounding the outer lid surface. The frame structure comprises anupper portion and a lower portion in the height direction and has a lower edge surface.

Stacking members may be arranged on the outer lid surface, the stacking members on the outer lid surface comprising a lid component stacking step and a can stacking step.The can stacking step comprises a first support surface arranged at a first level below anuppermost level of the outer lid surface in the height direction of the lid component andthe lid component stacking step comprises a first support surface arranged at a secondlevel below the uppermost level of the outer lid surface and below the first level in theheight direction of the lid component. The lid component stacking step is arranged at theperipheral edge of the outer lid surface, outboard of the can stacking step in the lateraldirection of the lid component, and the frame structure is adapted to fit on and besupported by the lid component stacking step. The can stacking step is adapted for receiving and supporting a bottom edge of a composite can.

The lid part and the frame structure of a lid component as disclosed herein may be fullyseparable parts, partially separable parts or completely inseparable parts. ln a lidcomponent having fully separable parts, the parts are separably and reclosably connectedto each other in a closed configuration of the lid component. ln a lid component havingpartially separable parts, the parts are connected to each other by a hinge and can bemoved between a closed configuration of the lid component and an open configuration ofthe lid component by pivoting around the hinge. A lid component having inseparable partsis a lid component in which the frame structure forms an integral continuation of the side wall portion of the lid part.

As set out herein, a bottom rim may be attached to the tubular body of the composite canat the bottom end of the tubular body. ln a composite can which is provided with stackingsteps on the reclosable lid or on a lid component comprising the reclosable lid, the bottomrim is adapted for stacking cooperation with a can stacking step on the top portion of thelid or lid part. ln a composite can as disclosed herein, a lower end surface of the bottom rim may beadapted for stacking cooperation with the first support surface of the can stacking stepand an inner wall of the bottom rim may be adapted for stacking cooperation with thesecond support surface of the can stacking step. When stacking a second can asdisclosed herein upon a first can as disclosed herein, the lower end surface of the bottomrim of the second can rests on the first support surface of the can stacking step of the firstcan and the second support surface of the can stacking step restricts lateral movement of the second can in relation to the first can. 26 As set out herein the stacking members are arranged on the outer lid surface of the lidcomponent and comprise a lid component stacking step and a container stacking stepwith the lid component stacking step being arranged laterally outboard and below the canstacking step. By arranging the stacking members at the very edge of the lid part, thestacking members intrude minimally on the top surface of the lid and a large central areaof the lid is left available for display purposes, e.g. for conveying information, logos, and/orfor design purposes. As the stacking steps are arranged at levels below the central areaof the top surface of the lid part, they are inconspicuous and the technical character oftheir function as stacking members may not be immediately apparent to an end user ofthe composite can. The composite can may be perceived as having a more appealing and"designed" appearance and less of a technical character which may be beneficial whenthe can is placed where it can be seen such as on a counter top in the user's home or on a shelf in a shop.

When stacked together, the lid components provided with stacking steps as disclosedherein are nested in each other such that they may be stacked in a space saving yetefficient and stable manner with each lid component adding less to the height of the stackthan a height of the lid component. Thus, a combined height of the stacked lidcomponents is less than the sum of the individual heights of the lid components. A spacesaving stacking configuration is advantageous for transport and storage purposes as wellas during production of composite cans. A space saving stacking renders the supply of lidcomponents in the production process more efficient as magazines for lid components may contain a greater number of lid components and require less frequent refilling.

Accordingly, the two-step configuration of the peripheral portion of the lid part of the lidcomponent offers stable and efficient stacking of individual lid components as well as ofcomposite cans comprising the lid components. The provision of separate stacking stepsfor the lid components and for the composite cans on the outer surface of the lid part ofthe lid component makes it possible to size and configure each stacking step to be optimal for the particular stacking purpose.

The lid part of the lid component is provided with two different and distinct stackingmembers arranged as two generally L-shaped stacking steps at the peripheral edge of the outer lid surface. The lid component stacking step is located outward of the can stacking 27 step as seen in the lateral direction of the lid component and below the can stacking stepas seen in the height direction. When stacking a second lid component on a first lidcomponent, the lid component stacking step of the first lid component receives the lowerportion of the frame structure of the second lid component in a mating fashion such thatthe lower portion of the frame structure fits in a nesting manner on the lid component stacking step.

The lid component stacking step and the can stacking step may each comprise a second support surface.

The second support surface of the lid component stacking step may be arranged tosupport an inner wall of the lower portion of the frame structure, i.e. to support the secondlid component in the lateral direction of the lid components. Accordingly, first and secondsupport surfaces may be arranged to take up forces in two generally perpendiculardirections corresponding to the vertical direction and the horizontal direction when the lid components are stacked on each other on a horizontal surface.

The lid component stacking step and/or the can stacking step may comprise one or moreinterruptions, such as two interruptions, three interruptions or four interruptions. Theinterruptions may be arranged as a pair of interruptions at opposite locations along theperipheral edge of the outer lid surface, e.g. at opposite side portions of the peripheraledge of the outer lid surface. The interruptions may be arranged only in the top portion of the lid part or may be arranged also in the frame structure of the lid component. lnterruptions in one or both stacking steps may serve as separation means for facilitatinggripping and separation of individual lid components from a stack of lid components whenapplying the lid components to an intermediate can in a production process for producinga composite can as disclosed herein. The provision of separation means is particularlyuseful when stacking lid components which fit snugly on each other with very thin splitlines between the stacked lid components. Although such close-fitting lid componentsform compact stacks with a smooth and regular shape, which is beneficial for storage andtransport of the stacked lid components as well as for handling of the stacks of lidcomponents in a packaging machine, it has been found that the lid components tend tostick closely together and to be difficult to separate at the high speed required in a production process. ln addition to facilitating separation of the closely stacked lid 28 components by inserting gripping members into the interruptions, the interruptionscounteract the formation of a sub-atmospheric pressure in the spaces between thestacked lid components as the interruptions act as air channels betvveen the interior of thestack and the exterior of the stack. A lowered air pressure in the interior spaces betweenthe stacked lid components creates a suction force which tends to hold the lidcomponents firmly together. Conversely, a higher pressure in the interior of the stacksthan on their outside may tend to decrease the stability of the stacks by forcing the lid components apart.

The stacking steps may extend over a locking f|ap arranged at the edge of the lid,whereby the locking f|ap in the closed position forms a continuation of the side wall portionof the lid part. At the same time, the parts of the stacking steps which are arranged on thelocking f|ap may contribute to improve grippability of the locking f|ap and facilitate manipulation of the locking f|ap between the open and closed positions.

An inset gripping area may be arranged in the outer lid surface of the top portion of the lidpart. The inset gripping area is arranged at the free end portion of the locking f|ap andserves to protect the free end portion of the locking f|ap from inadvertent opening andwhile providing access to the free end portion of the locking f|ap. Thereby, the locking f|apcan be easily manipulated even if no part of the locking f|ap in the closed position extendsin the height direction of the lid component beyond the outer lid surface of the top portionof the of the lid part.

As an alternative to a continuous or discontinuous ledge or stacking steps which arearranged at the periphery of the outer lid surface, stacking members at the can openingmay be provided as two or more support surfaces cooperating with correspondingstacking members at the bottom of the can. The stacking members at the bottom of thecan may be in the form of a downwardly extending bottom edge as set out above or maybe in the form of knobs or other protrusions providing a desired spacing between a canbottom sealing member and the peripheral ledge or other support surface on which thestacking member or members at the bottom of the can are resting when one can is stacked on top of another.

The tubular body of the composite can as disclosed herein may have four main body wall portions; a front wall portion arranged opposite a rear wall portion and two opposing side 29 wall portions extending between the front wall portion and the rear wall portion. The bodywall portions are connected by curved corner portions providing the packaging can with asoft, slightly rounded appearance. Moreover, the shape of the body wall portions maydeviate from a planar shape, with one or more of the body wall portions having anoutward or inward curvature. When the tubular body has one or more outwardly curvedbody wall portion the curvature of any such body wall portion is always lesser than thecurvature of any curved corner portion, i.e. a radius of curvature of a corner portion in thetubular body of the composite can as disclosed herein is always smaller than any radiusof curvature of a body wall portion. A transition between a corner portion and a body wallportion may be seen as a distinct change in curvature or may be seen as a continuous change in curvature.

Alternatively, the tubular body can be made without distinct body wall portions and may have any suitable foot-print shape, such as circular, oval or elliptic. ln composite cans, there is a conflict between minimizing the amount of carton materialused in the cans and making the cans sufficiently rigid to avoid that the cans are damagedor that they collapse, e.g. during production of when stacked for transport and storage. lthas been found that by making all can walls only slightly outvvardly curved, shape stabilityand rigidity of the composite can may be considerably improved as compared toconventional packaging cans having planar walls. Accordingly, the radii of curvature of thetop and bottom end edges of the tubular body which govern the curvature of the can wallportions are preferably selected such that the can wall portions are provided with a near-planar shape, implying that the can wall portions are perceived by the naked eye as being planar.

The carton based composite cans as disclosed herein serve as protective transport andstorage cans at the retail end and as storage and dispensing cans at the consumer end.ln addition to an openable and closable lid the composite cans are manufactured with atop sealing member which is attached inside the tubular body of the can, at a distancefrom a top end edge of the tubular body. The top sealing member keeps the contentsfresh and protected against contamination up until delivery of the filled and sealed can toa consumer. Once the top sealing member has been broken or removed in order toaccess the contents in the can, the ability of the can to protect the contents from detrimental influence from the environment depends strongly on the ability of the reclosable lid to form a tight closure at the access opening of the can. A composite can forproducts such as baby formula, coffee, tea, cereals, etc., usually contains more of thepackaged product than will be used at each dispensing occasion. Thus, it is desirable thatthe product remaining in the can retains properties such as flavor, scent, scoopability,vitamin content, color, etc. at least for a time period corresponding to the time it is expected it will take for a consumer to use up all the contents in the packaging can.

As set out herein, by joining the top rim to the inner surface of the tubular body by meansof welding, such as high frequency induction welding, it is possible to obtain anattachment with better sealing ability than what is generally achievable with an adhesiveattachment. The welded top rim is preferably a plastic rim and connects the inner surfaceof the tubular body with the inner surface of the lid and contributes to create a continuousbarrier between the tubular body and the lid. The weld seal forms a first seal between thetop rim and the inner surface of the tubular body and the contacting surfaces of the toprim and the lid form a second seal between the top rim and the lid. The first seal is apermanent seal which is present at all times and the second seal is an openable sealwhich is effective only when the lid is closed on the can access opening and the inner surface of the lid is pressed against the top rim.

The lid or a lid component may be applied using a lid attachment unit which is anapparatus for automatic application of lids to intermediate cans. The lid attachment unitmay comprise a rotatable unit comprising lid holding members, a lid feeding unit and a lidapplication unit. The apparatus may further comprise an item application unit configuredto apply an individual additional item into the intermediate can, into a holder arranged onthe top rim or on the inside of the lid. The additional item may be a scoop or otherimplement, a toy, a brochure, etc. Alternatively, an item applicator may be provided as an apparatus separate from the lid attachment unit.

After application of a lid, e.g. in the form of a lid component, the assembled composite canmay be conveyed in a conventional manner to further equipment in a packing line, suchas a box packer, a code marker, a weighing unit, and a palletizer. The packing line is usually concluded by a palletizer. 31 DEFINITIONS The carton based sheet materials used for forming the tubular body and the base sealingmember are predominantly made from cellulose fibres or paper fibres forming a cartonlayer in the paperboard material. The carton layer may be a single ply or multi plymaterial. The sheet materials are laminates which in addition to the carton layer compriseat least one thermoplastic polymeric layer in the form of a film or a coating and a metal foillayer, preferably an aluminum layer. The metal foil layer is covered by the at least onepolymeric layer and is arranged at a surface of the sheet material which will form an innersurface of the composite can, i.e. at a surface which will be facing the interior of thecomposite can. A polymeric layer may also be arranged at a surface of the sheet materialwhich will form an outer surface of the composite container. ln addition to the inner layersof polymer and metal foil, and an optional outer polymer layer, the sheet material may becoated, printed, embossed, etc. and may comprise fillers, pigments, binders and other additives as known in the art.

The term "tubular body" should be understood to mean any hollow tubular shape the bodyblank assumes during manufacturing and filing of the composite cans as disclosed herein,as well as the shape the body has in the finally assembled and filled composite can.Accordingly, a tubular shape as used herein may be a cylindrical shape, or a shape withany other useful cross-section such as a square, rectangular or other polygonal crosssection or modified polygonal cross sectional shapes with rounded corners. A tubularshape also includes any transient shape that the tubular body may assume during themanufacturing process. By way of example, the cross section of the tubular body mayinitially take on a drop-shape appearance with a distinct peak at the end-to-end join between the edges of the body blank and a curved portion opposite the peak.

The term "can component" as used herein refers to the tubular body of the composite canand any component which is intended to be attached to the tubular body in order to forman integral part of the composite can as disclosed herein. Examples of can componentswhich may be part of a composite can as disclosed herein are: a tubular body, a bodysealing strip, a top sealing member, a bottom sealing member, a top rim, a reclosable lidand a frame structure, a lid component, a bottom rim, a scoop holder, and a scoop. Onlythe tubular body, the body sealing strip, the top sealing member, the bottom sealingmember, the top rim and the reclosable lid are mandatory components of a composite can as disclosed herein. 32 Top and bottom sealing members are sheet form components which are applied insidethe tubular body of the composite can such that they cover a cross-sectional area of thetubular body. The bottom sealing member forms a bottom end closure of the compositecan and the top sealing member forms an inner transport sea| of the composite can. Thetop sealing member is usually attached at the access opening of the composite can, at adistance from the opening edge which is at least sufficient to allow for attachment of thetop rim above the top sealing member and which may also allow for a scoop or otheradded item to be accommodated in the space between the top sealing member and the inner surface of the reclosable lid.

The top and bottom sealing members may be made from paper, carton, plastic film,aluminium foil and laminates of such materials. Usually, the bottom sealing member ismade from a laminate comprising a carton base layer and an aluminium foil layer on theside which will be facing towards the interior of the composite can. The bottom sealingmember is generally coated with outer layers of thermoplastic polymeric material. The topsealing member is commonly a flexible component made from a laminate of one or morelayers of aluminium foil and outer layers of thermoplastic polymeric material. However, carton based top sealing members are also known in the art. The top sealing member is commonly arranged to be partly or fully removed at an initial opening of the composite can and may be provided with opening means such as a tear strip, a grip tab, etc. as known inthe art.

Top and bottom rims are commonly made from plastic material, such as thermoformableplastic material and take the form of a closed loop, which is applied to the inner surface ofthe tubular body of the composite can with at least a portion of the rim welded to the innersurface of the tubular body. The plastic rims provide the tubular body with enhancedrigidity at the end edges of the tubular body. Preferably, the plastic rims are sufficientlyresiliently deformable such that they may withstand sideways deformation withoutbreaking or permanent deformation, e.g. when being inserted into the tubular body orwhen exposed to accidental impact during use. A rim may also cover an end edge of the tubular body and may optionally extend onto the outer surface of the tubular body.

An "intermediate can" as referred to herein is a can formed after bending a carton blank into a tubular shape and sealing joined edges of the bent carton blank to form a tubular 33 body. The processed can remains an "intermediate can" until the last component hasbeen applied to complete the composite can. ln general, the composite can is fully assembled when the reclosable lid has been applied as a final component.

The composite cans as disclosed herein are cans for dry or moist goods, often referred toas "bulk solids". Such products are non-liquid, generally particulate materials capable ofbeing poured, scooped or taken by hand out of the cans. The cans are generallydisposable cans, which are intended to be discarded when they have been emptied of their contents.

A "particulate material" or "particulate goods" should be broadly understood to include anymaterial in the form of particles, granules, grinds, plant fragments, short fibres, flakes,seeds, pieces, etc. The particulate goods which are suitable for packaging in thecomposite cans as disclosed herein are generally flowable non-liquid goods, allowing adesired amount of the goods to be poured, scooped or taken by hand out of the composite can.

A composite can as disclosed herein may be a can for alimentary or consumable productssuch as infant formula, coffee, tea, rice, flour, sugar, rice, peas, beans, lentils, cereals,soup powder, custard powder, pasta, snacks, or the like. Alternatively, the packagedgoods may be non-alimentary, such as tobacco, detergent, dishwasher powder, fertilizer, chemicals, or the like.

By an openable or peelable top sealing member is meant a sealing member that may befully or partly removed by a user in order to provide initial access to an interiorcompartment of the composite can either by breaking a seal between the sealing memberand the inner surface of the tubular body of the can, or by tearing or othen/vise breakingthe sealing member itself. Tearable sealing members may be provided with one or morepredefined weakenings, such as perforations or a cut partly through the membrane andmay have a tear strip arranged therein for facilitating removal of the sealing member. Apeelable top sealing member is usually provided with a grip tab for facilitating initiation ofthe separation from the inner surface of the tubular body and subsequent removal of the sealing member. 34 The top sealing member is preferably placed at a distance from the upper end edge of thetubular body of the composite can which allows the top rim to be attached to the innersurface of the tubular body between the top sealing member and the top end edge of thetubular body. Alternatively, an upwardly directed edge part of a breakable sealingmembrane may extend into the weld join between the top rim and the inner surface of thetubular body. The distance betvveen the top sealing member and the top end edge of thetubular body may be in the order of from 10 to 60 mi||imeters. lf the top sealing member isplaced at a distance of from 30 to 60 mi||imeters from the top end edge of the tubularbody, the space above the top sealing member may be used to accommodate a scoop orother item provided together with the packaged product. Examples of other items which may be provided are leaflets, coupons, and/or clips, forks, or other implements.

The weld sea| between the top rim and the inner surface of the tubular body is preferablya sift-proof sea|, more preferably a moisture-proof sea| and most preferably a gas-tightsea|. A can having a volume of approximately 1l may be considered to be gas-tight if itprovides an oxygen barrier of approximately 0.006 cc oxygen/24 h or less at 23 °C and 50% relative humidity.

A higher level of tightness of the composite can and any seals between the elements ofthe can may be desirable when the packaged product is moisture sensitive and/or issensitive to degradation when exposed to ambient air. lt may also be desirable that thecomposite can is aroma-proof in order to preserve flavours and aromas in the packagedgoods and to prevent the packaged product from taking up flavours and aromas fromoutside the composite can. Hence, the composite can may act as a barrier in both an inward and an outward direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be further explained hereinafter by means of non-limiting examples and with reference to the appended drawings wherein: Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of an assembly line for producing and fillinga composite can;Fig. 2a shows an exploded view of a composite can as disclosed herein; Fig. 2b shows a scoop and a stack of scoops; Fig. 3 shows the composite can in Fig. 2a with all components assembled;Fig. 4 shows a can component applicator; Fig. 5 shows an attachment unit which may be part of a can component applicator as shown in Fig. 4 in a first production stage; Fig. 6 shows the attachment unit in Fig. 5 in a second production stage;Fig. 7 shows a transport plate with transfer cavities; and Fig. 8 shows a positioning device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The invention will, in the following, be exemplified by embodiments. The embodiments areincluded in order to explain principles of the invention and not to limit the scope of theinvention, as defined by the appended claims. Details from two or more of the embodiments may be combined with each other.

Fig. 1 illustrates an assembly line 1 which may be used for producing and filling compositecans according to the method as disclosed herein. The assembly line 1 is configured forassembling composite cans by forming a tubular body and attaching can components tothe tubular bodies in a flow of intermediate cans. Figs. 2a and 3 show an exemplary can101, which may be produced on the assembly line 1 in Fig. 1. lt is to be understood thatthe particular shape of the can 101 shown in Fig. 3 should not be considered limiting tothe invention, as the assembly line 1 is suitable for the production and filling of cans ofany useful shape or size and for the production of composite cans without such components which are disclosed herein as being optional.

The illustrated assembly line 1 comprises a number of machine units 3-10 connected by conveyors 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d. ln order from the beginning of the assembly line 1, the machine 36 units are: a body forming unit 3, a filling unit 4, a gas box 5, a sealing unit 6, a cleaningunit 8, a can turning unit 9, a scoop insertion unit 10 and a lid attachment unit 7. A furtherconveyor 2e is arranged at the end of the assembly line 1 and is arranged to convey theproduced composite cans from the lid attachment unit 7 and further e.g. to a packing apparatus (not shown).

Production of composite cans on the assembly line 1 is described below with reference toa single composite can. lt is to be understood that while the assembly line 1 is run,multiple composite cans are continuously produced and are leaving lid attachment unit 7at the end of the assembly line 1. As set out herein, the machine units of the assemblyline 1 such as any can component attachment unit, may be configured to simultaneouslyprocess multiple intermediate cans such as 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 intermediate cans. Exemplary can component attachment units 405, 406 are shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7.

The body forming unit 3 includes: a body blank picking station 11, a body forming station 12, a top sealing station 13 and a top rim application station 14. ln the body blank picking station 11, a body blank 16 is picked from a pile of body blanks16 and transferred to the body forming station 12. ln the body forming station 12 a tubularbody is formed by bending the body blank 16 and bringing two opposing edges of thebody blank together in an end-to-end join, also known as a "buttjoin". The join extends ina height direction H of the tubular body between a top end and a bottom end of the tubularbody, as shown in Fig. 2a. The join is subsequently sealed by means of a sealing stripwhich is welded to the inner surface of the tubular body, whereby an intermediate can isformed. The sealing strip and the inner surface of the tubular body comprise a weldablepolymer layer on the adjoining surfaces. The sealing strip is preferably welded to the innersurface of the tubular body by means of high frequency induction welding, as disclosed herein.

After forming the tubular body and applying the sealing strip, the intermediate can istransferred to the top sealing station 13 and the top opening at the top end of the tubularbody is sealed by attaching a top sealing member across the top opening. The top sealingmember is attached by welding a peripheral flange of the top sealing member to the innersurface of the tubular body. As disclosed herein, the top sealing member is commonly a flexible component made from a laminate of one or more layers of aluminium foil and 37 outer layers of thermoplastic polymeric material and the peripheral flange is created byfolding an edge portion of the top sealing member out of the plane of the top sealingmember and into alignment with the inner surface of the tubular body. The top sealingmember is taken from a magazine which is not visible in Fig. 1 and is applied at adistance from the top opening edge to allow for attachment of a top rim above the topsealing member. lf the composite can comprises a scoop, a leaflet, or othersupplementary item, the top sealing member may be applied at a sufficient distance fromthe top opening edge to allow the item to be accommodated in a space formed between the top sealing member and an inner surface of the reclosable lid.

The intermediate can with the applied top sealing member is then transferred to the toprim application station 14 where the top rim is applied to the intermediate can by insertingat least a lower part of the top rim into the top opening, above the top sealing member.Preferably, the top rim is inserted into the tubular body such that an upper end edge of thetop rim remains outside of the tubular body or is flush with the top end edge of the tubularbody whereby the top rim protects the vulnerable carton edge of the tubular body andforms a rigid resting surface for the intermediate can during the subsequent process steps.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the body forming unit 3 is enclosed in an external housing 20. Acan turning arrangement may further be arranged inside the external housing 20 so thatthe intermediate can with the top rim attached may be turned upside down directly afterrim application. Alternatively, the intermediate can is turned in a conventional turningapparatus placed downstream of the top rim application station 14. An example of aconventional turning apparatus is illustrated by the can turning unit 9, which is locateddownstream of the body forming unit 2. The can turning unit 9 operates by causing the intermediate can to topple over on an inclined conveyor.

After application of the top rim and turning the intermediate can upside down, theintermediate can is transferred to a first conveyor 2a and placed with the top rim restingon the conveyor 2a and a bottom opening at a bottom end of the tubular body facingupward in the vertical direction. The intermediate can is moved by the conveyor 2a to thefilling unit 4 where it is filled with dry or moist goods through the bottom opening of the tubular body. 38 Subsequently, while still resting on the top rim, the filled intermediate can is moved by asecond conveyor 2b to the gas box 5 where the filled intermediate can is subjected totreatment by a protective gas while the intermediate can is moved through the gas box 5.The gas box 5 is an optional part of the process equipment for carrying out the method asdisclosed herein which may be used e.g. when the packaged goods is sensitive to oxygenand/or moisture. Furthermore, creating a protective gas atmosphere for the filled intermediate can may be made by other means, as set out herein. After leaving the gas box 5, the filled intermediate can is transferred to the sealing unit 6 on a third conveyor 2c.

The third conveyor 2c moves through a gas tunnel which is tightly fitted to the wall of thesealing unit 6 at the inlet into the sealing unit 6, in order to maintain the protective atmosphere created in the gas box 5. ln the sealing unit 6, the bottom opening of the tubular body is sealed in a can sealingstation 21 by attaching a bottom sealing member across the bottom opening, theattachment being made by welding a peripheral flange of the bottom sealing member tothe inner surface of the tubular body at a distance from a bottom end edge of the tubularbody. Accordingly, the bottom sealing member is applied in a manner corresponding tothat of the top sealing member by folding a peripheral edge portion of the bottom sealingmember into alignment with the inside wall of the tubular body before welding the facingsurfaces of the bottom sealing member and the tubular body to each other. The sealingunit 6 preferably comprises a rim application station 22 for application of a bottom rimafter the bottom sealing member has been inserted in the tubular body and welded inplace. As disclosed herein, application of a bottom rim is an optional operation which may be performed on the intermediate can.

As is seen in Fig. 1, the sealing unit 6 is enclosed in an external housing 23, similar to theexternal housing 20 which encloses the body forming unit 3. By adapting the size andshape of the inlet and outlet ports 24, 25 of the external housing 23 to the size and shapeof the intermediate cans produced on the assembly line 1, the ports 24, 25 may be keptgenerally sealed by the intermediate cans continuously passing through the ports 24, 25during production. Thereby, it is possible to maintain a protective gas atmosphere inside the external housing 23 during the bottom sealing operation.

After filling, bottom sealing, and optional application of a bottom rim, the intermediate can is again turned to bring the top rim in an upward-facing position in the vertical direction. 39 ln analogy with the first turning operation which is carried out after application of the toprim, the can turning arrangement may be part of the sealing unit 6 so that the intermediatecan is turned directly after bottom sealing and optional bottom rim application. ln theassembly line 1 which is shown in Fig. 1, the intermediate can is instead turned in a conventional turning unit 9 which is arranged downstream of the sealing unit 6. ln the example shown in Fig. 1, a cleaning unit 8 is arranged between the sealing unit 6and the turning unit 9. ln the cleaning unit 8, any product residue which may haveescaped to the outside of the intermediate can during the previous process steps isremoved by means of pressurized air. A cleaning unit 8 is optional to the assembly line asdisclosed herein and may be particularly useful when the packaged goods is a powder ora particulate material with small-size particles or containing fragments which may cause dusting.

As set out herein, a scoop or other item may be placed above the top sealing memberbefore finally closing the composite can by attaching the lid. As shown in Fig. 1, a scoopinsertion unit 10 and/or other item insertion unit may be arranged in the process line,downstream of the location where the composite can has been turned with the top endfacing upward. ln the assembly line shown in Fig. 1, the scoop insertion unit 10 is placed after the turning unit 9.

The filled and sealed intermediate can is thereafter transported to the lid attachment unit 7on the conveyor 2d and a reclosable lid is attached at the top end of the tubular body suchthat an inner surface of the reclosable lid is in direct contact with an upper surface of thetop rim. As set out herein, the reclosable lid may be applied as part of a lid component,the lid component further comprising a frame structure. Preferably, the lid component is mechanically attached to the upper rim by a snap-fit connection.

The assembly line may further comprise quality control equipment and equipment forremoving deficient intermediate composite cans and fully assembled composite cans fromthe flow of composite cans. Such quality control equipment may comprise detectionequipment for detecting flaws in the intermediate cans or machine malfunctioning duringproduction e.g visual detection devices, an X-ray machine which may be placed after the lid attachment unit 7, etc. Furthermore, the quality control equipment may comprise can rejection stations which are commonly placed after one or more of the body forming unit 3, the filling unit 4, the sealing unit 6, the scoop insertion unit 10 and the lid attachment unit 7 to ascertain that any deficient composite cans are removed from the production line.

As disclosed herein, the composite cans are filled with dry or moist goods in the form ofparticles or pieces, granules, flakes, grain, etc. The goods flows into the composite can under the influence of gravity.

The composite can 201 shown in Figs. 2a and 3 may be produced on the assembly line 1in Fig. 1 and comprises a tubular body 203 having a tubular body wall 205. The body wall205 extends in the height direction H of the can 201 from a bottom end edge 207 at abottom end of the tubular body 203 to a top end edge 209 at a top end of the tubular body203. The tubular body 203 has a top opening 211 at the top end and a bottom opening213 at the bottom end.

A bottom sealing member 215 is positioned at the bottom end of the tubular body 203 andcovers the bottom opening 213. The tubular body 203 has been formed by bringingtogether the side edges of a body blank end-to-end and sealing the join with a sealing strip 214, as set out herein.

The bottom end edge 207 is reinforced by a reinforcing bottom rim 217 which is applied tothe inner surface of the body wall 205 and/or to a peripheral flange 216 of the bottomsealing member 215, betvveen the bottom sealing member 215 and the bottom end edge207. ln the illustrated embodiment, the bottom rim 217 has an outwardly directed flange219 which covers the bottom end edge 207 of the tubular body 203 and forms a bottomedge of the can 201. The bottom rim 217 reinforces the bottom end edge 207, stabilizesthe shape of the tubular body 203 and protects the bottom edge 207 from mechanicaldeformation. The bottom rim 217 also serves as a protective barrier against water andother fluids which may be present on a surface on which the can 201 is placed. Thebottom rim 217 delimits a downwardly open space between the bottom sealing member215 and the bottom edge of the can 201, which may be used to accommodate stackingelements arranged at an upper end of another can when stacking two or more cans ontop of each other. The reinforcing bottom rim 217 is an optional component of the composite can as disclosed herein. 41 As an alternative to the illustrated bottom rim 217, the bottom edge of the composite can201 may be formed by a rolled edge of the tubular body 203, or may be provided by a simple, non-rolled join bet\Neen the bottom sealing member 215 and the tubular body 203.

The composite can 201 is provided with a closure arrangement comprising a lid 221 and atop rim 223 extending along the edge of the top opening 211. The lid 221 comprises aplanar inner sealing disc 225 which seals against the top rim 223 when the composite can201 is closed, as shown in Fig. 3. The can 201 is further provided with a fully or partlyremovable top sealing member 227 which is sealed to the body wall 205 along an upwardly folded peripheral flange 218.

The bottom rim 217 and the top rim 223 are made of plastic material, preferably thermoplastic material and form closed loops, as seen in Fig. 2a.

The top rim 223 defines a perimeter of an access opening which is smaller than the uppercontainer body opening 211 as defined by the upper end edge 209 of the tubular body203.

As set out herein, the top rim 223 is attached to an inner surface of the body wall 205 atthe top opening 211. The top rim 223 has an extension in the height direction, H, of thecomposite can 201 and has a lower rim part facing towards the bottom sealing member215 and an upper rim part facing away from the bottom sealing member 215. The top rim223 extends around the full periphery of the top opening 211. The upper part of the toprim 223 protrudes upwards in the height direction, H, above the top end edge 209,whereby a part of the top rim 223 is arranged above the top end edge 209 in the height direction, H, of the composite can 201.

The top rim 223 is joined to the inner surface of the body wall 205 by means of a weldseal extending around the top opening 211. The weld seal preferably extendscontinuously around the top opening 211 and is a sift-proof weld seal and is preferably also a moisture proof weld seal and most preferably a gas-tight weld seal.

As set out herein, the weld seal between the top rim 223 and the body wall 205 is formedby supplying energy to heat and locally soften or melt one or more thermoplastic component in the top rim 223 and/or in a coating or film on the inner surface of the body 42 wall 205 and by pressing the top rim 223 and the body wall 205 together in a directionperpendicular to the body wall 205. The temperature and pressure can be controlled andadjusted to form a strong and tight seal without damaging the welded components. Thethermoplastic material used to create the weld seal may be provided by a fully or partlythermoplastic top rim 223, by a thermoplastic film or coating on the inner surface of thebody wall 205, or by thermoplastic material from both the top rim 223 and the body wall205. The top rim 223 is preferably made from thermoplastic material which allows it to bethermoformed, e.g. by injection molding. An injection molding process may be used toform plastic components having different polymer compositions in different parts of theplastic component. By way of example, the surface of a plastic top or bottom rim which isto be welded to the container body may be formed from a polymer composition having alower softening and melting point than other parts of the rim. Moreover, an abutmentsurface on the top rim 223 may be formed from a resilient thermoplastic polymer. Anysuitable welding technique may be used, such as ultrasonic welding or high frequencyinduction welding, with high frequency induction welding being preferred, as set out herein.

The lid 221 is a profiled part with a three-dimensional shape providing an upper outersurface of the lid 221. The lid may have an inner surface comprising a pattern ofreinforcing ribs. The composite can shown in Fig. 2a comprises a planar sealing disc 225which is applied over the inner surface of the lid 221. The sealing disc 225 is arranged toseal against the upper part of the top rim 223 when the composite can 201 is in the closedposition as shown in Fig. 3. Alternatively, an inner sealing surface of the lid may beformed integral with the lid. Further alternatives for creating a sealing closure between thetop rim 223 and the lid 221 is by arranging a sealing ring on the inner surface of the lid221 or by application of a sealing coating on selected portions of the inner surface of the lid and/or on the top rim 223.

The lid 221 is connected by a hinge 229 to a frame structure 230, the lid 221 and theframe structure 230 together forming a lid component 231. The hinge 229 is a live hinge,formed integrally with the lid 221 and the frame structure 230 as a flexible connectionbetween the lid 221 and the frame structure 230. As set out herein, the illustrated hinge isonly intended as a non-limiting example and it should be understood that any other type of functional hinge may be used for a connection between the frame structure and the lid. 43 Moreover, the lid may be of the removable kind, without any permanent connection to the frame structure.

The frame structure 230 is applied to the composite can 201 at the top end edge 209 andis mechanically attached to the top rim 223 by a snap-on connection. The frame structure230 is attached to the top rim 223 after the top rim 223 has been welded to the innersurface of the body wall 205. The frame structure 230 is applied to the top rim 223 bypressing the frame structure 230 down over the upper edge of the top rim 223 until theframe structure 230 locks in place on the top rim 223 by means of mating snap-in featureson the top rim 223 and the frame structure 230. When the frame structure 230 has beenattached to the top rim 223, it can only be removed again by breaking or damaging the snap-in connection between the top rim 223 and the frame structure 230.

An interior compartment 208 containing the packaged goods is delimited by the topsealing member 227 at the upper end of the tubular body 203 and by the bottom sealingmember 215 at the bottom end of the tubular body 203. ln order to gain a first access to the packaged goods in the interior compartment 208, auser needs to open the lid 221 and expose the packaged goods by fully or partly removingthe top sealing member 227. The top sealing member 227 may be arranged to be peeledaway from the wall 205 of the tubular body 203 or may be arranged with means forbreaking the top sealing member 227 so that it can be at least partly removed through theaccess opening. Such means may be in the form of one or more predefined weakenings,such as perforations or a cut partly through the top sealing member 227. When the topsealing member 227 is of the tear-open type, a narrow edge part of the top sealingmember 227 may be left at the inner surface of the body wall 205. Any such remainingpart of the top sealing member 227 should preferably not be so large so that it extendsinto and restricts the access opening which is defined by the inner perimeter of the top rim223.

Once the top sealing member 227 has been removed, it is sufficient to open the lid 221 inorder to gain access to the packaged goods in the interior compartment 208 through theaccess opening. As is seen in Fig. 2a, which reveals the inside of the top rim 223, thearea of the access opening is defined by an inner perimeter or inner contour of the top rim 223. As the top rim 223 is applied on the inner surface of the body wall 205 and adds 44 thickness to the body wall in an inward direction, the area of the access opening is always smaller than the area of the top opening 211 of the tubular body 203.

When the composite can 201 is open, a desired quantity of the packaged goods may beremoved from the composite can 201 through the access opening either by means of ascoop or by pouring. The scoop may preferably be provided together with the compositecan 201. The scoop may initially be placed on the top sealing member 227, may beremovably attached to the inner surface of the lid 221 which inner surface is constitutedby the sealing disc 225 in the example shown in Fig. 2a. When placed on the top sealingmember 227, the scoop may be packaged in a protective wrap, such as a bag of paper orplastic. A further alternative is to attach a scoop to the top rim 223 e.g. by placing thescoop head in a scoop holder 240 provided on the top rim 223 as shown in Fig. 2a. ln theillustrated embodiment, the scoop holder 240 also serves as a scraper bar for levelling offexcess scooped-up material from the scoop. An example of a scoop 280 is shown in Fig.2b. The scoop 280 has a scoop head 281 and a scoop handle 282. Generally, scoops 280to be inserted into an intermediate can during manufacturing of a composite can asdisclosed herein are arranged in a stack, e.g. as shown in Fig. 2b with the scoop heads281 nesting inside each other. ln order to facilitate stacking of scoops 280 with planarhandles 282 a proximal end of the handle 282 may be provided with a stack stabilizationarrangement 284. The stack stabilization arrangement 284 allows stacking of identicalscoops 280 inside each other and facilitates keeping the stack 283 of scoops together,simplifying storing and handling of the scoops 280 and loading of the scoops into a scoop insertion unit 10, as shown in Fig. 1.

Advantageously the scoop head 281 has a tapering shape to allow she scoops 280 to fit snugly inside each other in an efficient and space saving manner.

As an alternative to stacking the scoops 280 with the scoop heads 281 and the scoophandles 282 arranged in the same direction, the scoops 280 may be stacked in alternating opposite directions as known in the art. lt is to be understood that the scoop 280 which is shown in Fig. 2b constitutes only oneexample of a suitable scoop configuration and that scoops having differently shapedscoop heads, differently shaped handles, different proportions between the scoop head and the scoop handle, etc. may be used in the composite cans as disclosed herein. The scoop may further have provisions for additional stack stabilization and/or for improvingretention of the scoop 280 in a scoop holder. By way of example, the scoop head maycomprise a thin snap-in ridge which serves to releasably lock the scoop head in a desiredposition in the scoop holder. Such additional fastening element for the scoop head mayprevent the scoop head from inadvertently falling out of the scoop holder, and may also serve to prevent the scoop handle from hanging down into the composite can.

The closure arrangement as shown on the composite can 201 in Figs. 1 and 2a with a toprim 223 directly attached to the inner surface of the body wall 205 and a lid component230 comprising a lid 221 and a frame structure 230 provides a tight closure between thelid 221 and the tubular body 203. When the lid 221 is closed on the composite can 201,the upper edge of the top rim 223 abuts against the sealing disc 225 and creates a sealbetween the top rim 223 and the lid 221. ln order to keep the lid 221 secured in the closed position between dispensing occasions,the closure arrangement of the composite can 201 may further comprise a lockingarrangement 245, as seen in Figs. 2a and 3. The locking arrangement 245 may comprisefirst and second mating locking elements, e.g. a female locking element such as a groovearranged on the lid 221 and a male locking element such as a rib arranged on a lockingmember 246 arranged on the frame structure 230. The locking member 246 is hingedlyconnected to the frame structure 230, such as by means of a live hinge 249 formed integrally with the frame structure 230 and the locking member 246.

A locking arrangement 245 of this type is closed by moving the locking member 246upward and inward over the lid 221 to a position where the locking elements come intomating engagement. The locking arrangement 245 is opened by pulling at the lockingmember 246 until the connection between the locking elements is released and turningthe locking member 246 downward at the hinge 249. When the locking member 246 is inthe closed position with the first and second locking elements engaging with each other,the lid 221 and the frame structure 230 are firmly clamped together whereby the top rim223 seals tightly against the sealing disc 225 on the inner surface of the lid 221, or against a sealing ring or sealing surface arranged on the inside of the lid 221. 46 As best shown in Fig. 3, the lid component 231 is provided with a lid component stackingstep 251 and a can stacking step 252. As shown in the figures, the stacking steps 251, 252 may extend across the locking member 246.

The lid component stacking step 251 is arranged to enable stacking lid components 231on top of each other in stacks which can be loaded into a lid attachment unit. The canstacking step 252 is arranged for enabling stacking of composite cans 201 on top of each other.

An inset gripping area 265 may be arranged in the lid 221 at the free end portion of thelocking member 246, opposite the hinge 249. Thereby, the locking member 246 can beeasily accessed and while the locking member 246 when in the closed position is shielded from inadvertent release.

A composite can 201 as shown in Figs. 2a and 3 may be produced and filled on an assembly line such as that shown in Fig. 1.

As set out herein, the composite cans as disclosed herein are produced in the followingorder: forming a tubular body, applying a top sealing member and a top rim to the tubularbody, turning the tubular body upside down, filling the tubular body with dry or moistgoods through the bottom opening of the tubular body, closing the bottom opening of thetubular body, optionally applying a bottom rim to the tubular body, turning the sealed canso that the top sealing member again faces upward and finally applying a lid or a lid component to the top end of the tubular body.

Figs. 4-7 show equipment which may be used for the application of can components in atop sealing station 13, a top rim application station 14, a sealing unit 6 and a bottom rim application station 22 of an assembly line 1 as shown in Fig. 1.

With reference to Figs. 2a and 3, the bottom sealing member 215, the bottom rim 217, thetop rim 223 and the top sealing member 227 are examples of can components for which the equipment in Figs. 4-7 may be used.

With reference to Fig. 4, a can sealing unit 401 which may be the sealing unit 6 in Fig. 1 is shown. 47 Intermediate cans 403 are transported through the can sealing unit 401 in a runningdirection R. Transport means 402 comprising a feeding arrangement 411 in the form oftwo feed screw members arranged at respective opposite sides of the intermediate cans403, whereof only one of the feed screw members is visible in Fig. 4, a main conveyormember 413, a movable gripping arrangement 415, and an outlet conveyor member 419.The outlet conveyor member 419 is arranged downstream of the can sealing unit 401 anda stationary sliding plate 421 is arranged downstream of the outlet conveyor member 419at the outlet of the can sealing unit 401. Further details of a useful transport arrangementare described in WO 2013/009226 A1, to which document reference is made.

A can sealing station 405' is located downstream of the feeding arrangement 411 and abottom rim application station 405" is located downstream of the can sealing station 405".The movable gripping arrangement 415 move the intermediate cans 403 to the sealingstation 405' where bottom sealing members 427 are attached by welding to the inside ofthe tubular body wall of the intermediate cans 403, as illustrated by Fig. 8. Theintermediate cans 403 are then moved to the bottom rim application station 405", wherebottom rims 417 are applied, e.g. as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 As illustrated in Figs. 4-6 aplurality of bottom sealing members and bottom rims 417 may be attached simultaneouslyto a plurality of corresponding intermediate cans 403, in order to increase the runningspeed of the can sealing station 401. ln the shown embodiment, four bottom sealingmembers and four rims are attached at the same time to respective intermediate cans403. Alternatively, the bottom sealing members, rims or other can components asdisclosed herein may be attached in groups of any other number than four, e.g. two, three, six, eight or ten, at the same time, or may be sequentially attached to the cans.

The transport means 402 and the can sealing station 401 may be encased in an externalhousing 20, 23 as shown in Fig. 1. The external housing 20, 23 is adapted to protect thecan sealing station 401and/or to provide and maintain a protective gas atmosphere insidecan sealing station 401. The protective gas may e.g. be nitrogen, carbon dioxide or a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

Degassing of the intermediate can may be performed concurrently with filling theintermediate can in a filling unit 4 as shown in Fig. 1. The degassing may comprisesupplying a protective gas to the flow of material to be contained in the can during filling.

The protective gas may be blown into the flow of material before the material reaches the 48 can. lf the material is treated with protective gas during filling, the intermediate cans 403are conveyed to a can component applicator such as the can sealing station 401arrangeddownstream of the filling unit 4, while maintaining the modified gas atmosphere, e.g. bymoving the cans through a tunnel filled with protective gas as illustrated by the coveredconveyor 2c between the gas box 5 and the sealing unit 6 in Fig. 1. Alternatively, filledintermediate cans 403 may be introduced in a vacuum chamber to draw off air, whereafterthe cans are subjected to a modified gas atmosphere and the bottom sealing member is applied.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate an attachment unit 505 for attaching a can component such as abottom rim 517 to an intermediate can 503. The attachment unit 505 comprises aretaining device 523, a supporting device 525, a positioning device 528 and a transferplate 529.

An example of a transfer plate 529 is illustrated in Figure 7. The transfer plate 529extends in a first direction X, parallel to the running direction R of a can componentapplicator of which the attachment unit 505 forms part, and a second direction yperpendicular to the first direction x. The transfer plate 529 comprises a cavity portion 531with at least one through-going transfer cavity 533 which is adapted to receive and holdthe can component, in this case a bottom rim 517 during transfer of the can componentinto alignment with an end of the intermediate can 503. The transfer cavity 533 has a firstopen area A1 and is sized and configured such that the can component can be fit into the transfer cavity 533 and be retained therein during transfer to the intermediate can 503.

As an alternative, in particular when the can component is a sheet form can componentsuch as a top sealing member or a bottom sealing member, the transfer plate 529 may be omitted such that the can component is placed directly on top of the retaining device 523. ln order to fit and hold the can component in the transfer cavity 533, the shape of the transfer cavity 533 is made to correspond to the shape of the can component. ln case of a can component including an edge portion which is to be folded to create aperipheral flange before or during insertion of the can component in the can, as is thecase in a bottom sealing member or a top sealing member, the first open area A1 of the transfer cavity 533 may be smaller than the surface area of the can component before 49 folding. The area difference corresponds to the area of the portion of the can componentwhich forms the peripheral flange. Such a folded flange is typically band shaped and mayhave a width in the range of from 1 to 10 mm, such as in the range of from 2 to 5 mm. SeeFig. 8. Accordingly, a folded peripheral flange on a sheet form can component such as atop sealing member or a bottom sealing member may be created by pressing the cancomponent down through a transfer cavity 533 having a smaller cross-sectional area thanthe can component, thereby forcing the can component to fold at the edge of the transfer cavity in order to be accommodated within the first open area A1 of the transfer cavity.

A wall of the transfer cavity 533 may comprise holding elements 534 adapted to hold thecan component in the transfer cavity 533. See Fig. 7. Such holding elements 534 areespecially useful for a loop shaped can component such as a top or bottom rim whichdoes not cover the first open area A1 of the transfer cavity 533. When the can component is a sheet form can component, the holding elements 534 may be omitted. ln the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 7, there are four holding elements 534 each adaptedto hold a corresponding side of a loop shaped can component having a substantiallyrectangular or square shape. ln the illustrated embodiment the holding elements 534 arearranged such that they will hold the can component at a centre of each side. lt would befeasible to use one, t\No, three, four or more such holding elements 534. The holdingelements 534 may be resiliently compressible, e.g. due to material properties or by beingbiased by a spring. Alternatively or additionally, the can component such as a rim mayitself be resiliently deformable, e.g. due to material properties. The holding elements 534may be utilized to compensate for tolerances regarding the dimensions of the cancomponent and/or the transfer cavity 533. Furthermore, the holding elements 534 may beused to temporarily press one or more sides of the can component inwards, causing thecan component to assume a reduced cross-section whereby it is easier to insert into theintermediate can 503. Thereby, the risk of damaging the vulnerable carton edges of thetubular body of the intermediate can 503 during insertion of a rim-type can component can be eliminated or at least considerably reduced.

As illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the transfer plate 529 may comprise a cover portion 535which is at least as large as, or substantially as large as, the first open area A1 of thetransfer cavity 533. The cover portion 535 is arranged adjacent to the cavity portion 531 as seen in the second direction y. The cover portion 535 has a minimum extension y1 in the second direction y, which is at least 1.0 times a maximum extension y2 in the seconddirection y of the area A1 of the transfer cavity 533, preferably at least 1.2 times, morepreferably at least 1.4 times. The use of a transfer plate having a cover portion 535 isadvantageous to prevent excessive escape of protective gas from inside a cancomponent applicator while the can component is being placed in the transfer cavity 533and transported into alignment with the intermediate can 503. When the can component isinstead a sheet form component, it may be picked by a suction member and placed inalignment with an opening in the intermediate can 503 in which the sheet form cancomponent is to be inserted. As set out herein, the transfer plate 529 may be omitted andthe sheet form can component may be placed directly on top of the retaining device 523.After application in the intermediate can 503, the sheet form can component covers thecan opening and prevents gas from escaping out through the intermediate can 503. lf thecan component applicator is operated without a protective atmosphere or if some loss ofprotective gas can be tolerated, a transfer plate without a cover portion may be usedwhen applying the can component. Furthermore, the attachment unit 505 may comprisean internal housing 547, as indicated by point-dashed lines in Figs. 5 and 6. The internalhousing 547 is located inside an external housing 20, 23 as shown in Fig. 1 and isarranged to provide enhanced protection against escape of protective gas from the space above the positioning cavity 537 of the retaining device 523. ln order to facilitate placing a can component into the transfer cavity 533 of the transferplate 529, indentations 536 may be provided as illustrated in Fig. 7. The indentations 536allow space for gripping members 544a, 544b, 544c, 544d which are arranged to movethe can component from a magazine 543 into the transfer cavity 533. See Figs. 5 and 6. lfholding elements 534 are provided in the transfer plate 529, the indentations 536 arepreferably located such that they do not interfere with the holding elements 534. Thus, theindentations 536 may be located in the corners of the transfer cavity 533. Such grippingmembers 544a, 544b, 544c, 544d with their corresponding indentations 536 are especiallyuseful when the can component forms a loop, which comprises an inner volume filled by gas, e.g. air, such as a bottom rim or a top rim. lf the can component is a sealing member, or a lid, the can component may instead beplaced into the transfer cavity 533 by gripping means such as one or more suction cups.ln such case, the indentations 536 may be omitted. However, suction cups are not suitable when the can component is of the loop type, such as a top or bottom rim. ln the illustrated embodiment, which may e.g. be a bottom rim application station 22 of anassembly line 1 as shown in Fig. 1, there are four cavity portions 531 arranged in a row asseen in the first direction x. Each cavity portion 531 comprises a respective transfer cavity 533 and is arranged together with a corresponding respective cover portion 535.

The retaining device 523 retains the intermediate can 503 while the can component,illustrated as the bottom rim 517, is being attached to the intermediate can 503. Theretaining device 523 comprises at least one through-going positioning cavity 537 with asecond open area A2 corresponding to the first open area A1 of the transfer cavity 533.The positioning cavity 537 is adapted to receive a portion of the intermediate can 503. lfhaving a cover portion 535, the size and shape of the cover portion 535 of the transferplate 529 is selected, such that the cover portion 535 can be brought to cover, or at least substantially cover, the second open area A2 of the positioning cavity 537.

The supporting device 525 is arranged to support the intermediate can 503 and to position the intermediate can 503 in the retaining device 523.

The positioning device 528 is arranged to position the can component in the intermediatecan 503 as illustrated by Figs. 5 and 6. Hence, the positioning device 528 is aligned withthe positioning cavity 537 as seen in a vertical direction z. The positioning device 528 isvertically adjustable allowing insertion of the can component into the intermediate can 503to a desired preselectable attachment position. As described herein with reference to Fig.8, the positioning device 528 may be caused to expand in a radial direction of thepositioning cavity 537 and to press a vertically extending portion of the can component ina direction towards a wall of the positioning cavity 537, whereby the can component ispressed against an inside of the tubular wall of the intermediate can 503 which is placed in the positioning cavity 537. ln the illustrated embodiment the attachment unit 505 is arranged to simultaneouslyprocess four intermediate cans 503. The transfer plate 529 comprises four cavity portions531 arranged in a row as seen in the first direction X of the attachment unit 505. ln acorresponding way, the retaining device 523 comprises four positioning cavities 537, andthe supporting device 525 is adapted to support four intermediate cans 503 and to position the intermediate cans 503 in the respective positioning cavities 537 of the retaining device 523. ln addition, the attachment unit 505 comprises four positioning devices 528, aligned with the positioning cavities 537, such that each positioning device528 is associated with a respective positioning cavity 537. lt is to be understood that theattachment unit may be arranged for simultaneous processing of any suitable number of intermediate cans, as set out herein.

The transfer plate 529 is movable betvveen a first position shown in Fig. 5 and a secondposition shown in Fig. 6. ln the first position, the transfer plate 529 has been moved in they-direction such that the transfer cavity 533 has been shifted away from the retainingdevice 523. ln this position, the transfer plate 529 is arranged to receive the cancomponent in the transfer cavity 533. lf the transfer plate 529 is provided with a coverportion 535, as shown in Figs. 5-7, the cover portion 535 in the first position covers orsubstantially covers the second open area A2 of the positioning cavity 537, as illustrated inFigure 5 during application of the can component in the transfer cavity 533. Thereby, lossof protective gas through the positioning cavity 537 may be minimized, or preferably eliminated. ln the second position, as shown in Fig. 6, the transfer plate 529 has been moved in the y-direction whereby the transfer cavity 533 has been brought into alignment with thepositioning cavity 537 of the retaining device 523 and the positioning device 528 which isarranged above the positioning cavity 537. When the transfer plate 529 is in the secondposition, the positioning device 528 may push a can component located in the transfercavity into the intermediate can. The can component, such as the bottom rim 517 shownin Figs. 5 and 6, is pushed from the transfer cavity 533 in the transfer plate 529 into theintermediate can 503 by downward movement of the can component in the z directionthrough the transfer cavity 533 and at least partly through the positioning cavity 537 of the retaining device 523.

The retaining device 523 may comprise a welding unit 539 as disclosed herein. Thewelding unit is preferably a high frequency induction welding unit and is arranged aroundthe positioning cavity 537. The welding unit 539 is adapted to weld the can component tothe intermediate can 503, and comprises a coil extending around the positioning cavity537. As the positioning device 528 may be caused to expand in a radial direction of thepositioning cavity 537 as set out herein, the can component can be pressed against the welding unit 539.

As is shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the bottom rim 517 or other can component may be placedin the transfer cavity 533 of the transfer plate 529 by means of an optional can componentsupplier 541 comprising at least one gripping unit 542. A pile of can components, e.g.bottom rims 517, may be stored in a magazine 543. The number of piles in the magazine543 and the number of gripping units 542 correspond to the number of transfer cavities533 in the transfer plate 529. The gripping unit 542 is able to grip a single can component,here the bottom rim 517, move it from an opening 545 in the magazine 543 and place it inthe corresponding transfer cavity 533. As an example, four single can components aregripped at the same time. The gripping unit 542 comprises four gripping members 544a,544b, 544c, 544d, which grip at the corners of the bottom rim 517. The positions of thegripping members 544a, 544b, 544c, 544d correspond to the positions of the indentations536 of the transfer plate 529. As set out herein, such gripping members 544a, 544b, 544c,544d with their corresponding indentations 536 are especially useful when the cancomponent is not a sheet form element such as a bottom sealing member, an internalsealing member, or a top sealing member, but instead forms a loop, such as a top rim or a bottom rim.

Fig. 8 illustrates a positioning device 828 as disclosed herein. The positioning device 828may be used as a positioning device 528 of an attachment unit 505 as illustrated in Figs. 5and 6 or may be used for positioning of a can component in any attachment unit used forattachment of a can component inside a tubular can body. Hence, the positioning devicemay be used for placing can components in a tubular body with or without the concurrent use of a transfer plate.

Fig. 8 illustrates a top sealing member 827 which is in the process of being placed in anintermediate can 803. As can be gleaned from Fig. 8, the top sealing member 827 has alarger cross-sectional area than the inner cross-sectional area of the intermediate can803. When placed in the intermediate can 803, an edge portion 833 of the top sealingmember 827 will be folded upwards, such that it conforms to an inner surface of the canwall 805. The illustrated top sealing member 827 is a foldable member, such as alaminate of plastic film and aluminium foil, a plastic film, a paper sheet, a paper/plasticlaminate, or the like. Can components such as top sealing members and bottom sealing members may alternatively be pre-formed with a sealable edge portion extending perpendicular to a main plane of the of the can component. ln such case, no folding of the edge portion is needed when inserting the can component into the tubular can body.

The positioning device 828 comprises a base plate 849 comprising or being constituted bya rigid material such as metal or a composite material, and a plunger skirt 851 comprisinga resiliently deformable material, e.g. rubber or plastics. The plunger skirt 851 is locatedon top of the base plate 849, such that it at least partly covers an upper surface of thebase plate 849 which upper surface is opposite a lower footprint surface 853 of the baseplate 849.

The footprint surface 853 is configured to face towards the can component, here a topsealing member 827, during application of the can component in the intermediate can803. The footprint surface 853 of the base plate 849 has a circumferential edge 855 whichin the illustrated example has a substantially polygonal shape. However, it is to beunderstood that the footprint surface may have any other suitable shape adapted to thecross-sectional shape of the composite can which is being produced. ln the illustratedexample, the substantially polygonal shape is a substantially square shape whichcomprises four side edge portions which are connected by outwardly rounded cornerportions. ln the illustrated embodiment, each side edge portion is slightly inwardly curved.Thereby, the circumferential edge 855 of the footprint surface 853 of the base plate 849with the inwardly curved side edge portions deviates from the cross-sectional shape orfootprint of the produced composite can. Alternatively, the base plate of the positioningdevice may have the same footprint as that of the intermediate can 803, with straight side edge portions betvveen curved corner portions. lt may be advantageous to arrange a curved side edge portion at least on the side of thebase plate 849 which during insertion of the can component will be facing the sealing strip814 covering the join in the tubular body 805. The sealing strip 814 makes the tubular wall805 of the intermediate can 803 locally thicker and also constitutes a bending line wherethe tubular wall 805 tends to bend causing the tubular wall 805 to deviate from a desiredplanar or near-planar shape. A slightly inwardly curved side edge portion of thecircumferential edge of the footprint surface of the base plate, allows the base plate tomove along the join without damaging the sealing strip or the can body material when the positioning device 828 inserts the can component 827 into the intermediate can 803.

The plunger skirt 851 is transformable between an unexpanded state and an expanded state by relative movement in relation to the base plate 849. ln the unexpanded state of the plunger skirt 851, the shape of the outer contour of theplunger skirt 851 corresponds to that of the base plate 849. Hence, in the unexpandedstate, the plunger skirt 851 has the same or substantially the same footprint as the baseplate 849.

When seen in relation to the base plate 849, the outer circumference 861 of the plungerskirt 851 is located at or on the circumferential edge 855 of the base plate 849. Preferably,the outer circumference 861 of the plunger skirt 851 coincides with the circumferentialedge 855 of the footprint surface 853 of the base plate 849 or is located slightly inside thecircumferential edge 855 of the footprint surface 853 of the base plate 849 when the plunger skirt 851 is in the unexpanded state. ln the expanded state of the plunger skirt 851, the footprint which is delimited by the outercircumference 861 of the plunger skirt 851 is larger than in the unexpanded state of the plunger skirt 851.

During transformation to the expanded state, pressure is applied to the plunger skirt 851from above. Thereby, the side edge portions of the plunger skirt 851 are stretchedbetween the corners and any curved side edge portion is thereby straightened out. Byselecting the shape and material properties of the plunger skirt 851, a desired change of shape during transformation may be obtained. ln the expanded state of the plunger skirt 851, the outer circumference 861 of the plungerskirt 851 is located at least partly outside of the corresponding circumferential edge 855 ofthe base plate 849. By transforming the plunger skirt 851 to the expanded state, it may bebrought into contact with an edge portion 833 of the top sealing member 827 and becaused to press the edge portion 833 of the top sealing member 827 against the inside ofthe body wall 805. lf the can component attachment unit is provided with a transfer plate 529 comprisingholding elements 534 as disclosed herein exerting an inwardly directed force on the can component, the plunger skirt 851 may contribute to press the can component back in a radial direction in case the can component does not spring back sufficiently itself from a deformed configuration imparted on the can component by the holding elements 534.

The positioning unit shown in Fig. 8 comprises a first piston 871 and a second piston 873which is coaxial with the first piston 871. The pistons 871, 873 extend in an axial directionA, coinciding with the vertical direction z of the attachment unit 505, see Figs. 5 and 6.The base plate 849 is attached to an end portion of the first piston 871, such that thefootprint surface 853 is perpendicular to the axial direction A. The plunger skirt 851 isattached to an end portion of the second piston 873. The first and second pistons 871,873 are configured to be moved in the axial direction A both together as a single unit, and as separate elements, independently of each other.

During displacement of the positioning device 828 into the intermediate can 803, theplunger skirt 851 remains in the unexpanded state until the can component 827 has beenmoved to the attachment position. When the can component 827 has reached theattachment position, the plunger skirt 851 is transformed to the expanded state by movingthe end portion of the second piston 873 closer to the end portion of the first piston 871 thereby pressing an edge portion of the plunger skirt 851 radially outward.

The outer circumference 861 of the plunger skirt 851 presses the can component 827against the inside of the body wall 805 of the intermediate can 803 which is placed in thepositioning cavity. The edge portion of the outer circumference of the plunger skirt 851which in the expanded state of the plunger skirt 851 is arranged to be in contact with andexert pressure on the can component, may have a contact surface which in the non-expanded state of the plunger skirt is slightly tilted with respect to the vertical direction of the positioning device. ln order to further improve contact between the can component and the can body materialin the corner portions, thickened corner portions may be arranged on the upper surface ofthe base plate, i.e. on the surface opposite the footprint surface of the base plate. Thethickened corner portions form raised areas on the upper surface of the base plate andserve to force the plunger skirt to move further out, exerting an increased pressure on theapplied can component and improving contact between the can component and thetubular body. Thereby, a join formed between the can component and the corner portions of the tubular can body may be improved. ln particular, an increased pressure in the corner portions of the tubular body may aid in creating a tight seal between the bodymaterial and a sheet form can component. Excess material present at the corner portionsof sheet form can components, such as a bottom sealing member or a top sealingmember, will generally wrinkle at the corners of the can as the can component is foldedand aligned with the tubular body wall. ln such case, an increased pressure created at thecorner portions of the tubular body would compress the wrinkles and would contribute tothe formation of a good functional bond, such as a thermo-weld between the bodymaterial and the sheet material in the can component. When using a thermo-weldingprocess for bonding the can component to the wall of the tubular can body, at least oneand preferably both of the can component and the tubular wall comprise a thermoplastic material in a sufficient amount to create a functional bond.

Claims

CLA||\/IS

1. A method for manufacturing a composite can (201) and filling of dry or moist goods insaid composite can (201), said method comprising: - picking a body blank (16) from a pile of body blanks (16) and transferring said bodyblank (16) to a body forming station (12); - forming a tubular body (203) by bending said body blank (16) and bringing tvvo opposingedges of said body blank (16) together in an end-to-end join, said join extending in aheight direction of said tubular body (203); - sealing said join by welding a sealing strip (214) over said join on an inner surface ofsaid tubular body (203), thereby forming an intermediate can (403; 503); characterized in the further steps of: - transferring said intermediate can (403; 503) to a top sealing station (13); - sealing a top opening (211) at a top end of said tubular body (203) by welding aperipheral flange (218) of a top sealing member (227) to said inner surface of said tubularbody (203) at a distance from a top end edge (209) of said tubular body (203); - transferring said intermediate can (403; 503) to a top rim application station (14); - applying a top rim (223) to said intermediate can (403; 503) by inserting at least a lowerpart of said top rim (223) into said top opening (211), above said top sealing member(227); - welding said inserted part of said top rim (223) to said inner surface of said tubular body(203); - transferring said intermediate can (403; 503) to a conveyor (2a) and placing saidintermediate can (403; 503) on said conveyor (2a) with said top rim (223) resting on saidconveyor (2a) and a bottom opening (213) at a bottom end of said tubular body (203)facing upward in a vertical direction; - transferring said intermediate can (403; 503) to a filling unit (4); - filling said intermediate can (403; 503) with said dry or moist goods through said bottomopening (213) of said tubular body (203); - creating a protective gas atmosphere either during said filling of said intermediate can orby introducing said filled intermediate can into a vacuum chamber to draw off air,whereafter said can is subjected to a modified gas atmosphere; - transferring said filled intermediate can (403; 503) to a sealing unit (6), said filledintermediate can being transported to said sealing unit in a closed conveying system whilemaintaining said protective gas atmosphere; - sealing said bottom opening (213) of said tubular body (203) by welding a peripheral flange (216) of a bottom sealing member (215) to said inner surface of said tubular body (203) at a distance from a bottom end edge(207) of said tubular body (203), sealing of said bottom opening (213) being carried out ina protective gas atmosphere; -turning said filled and bottom sea|ed intermediate can (403; 503) to bring said top rim(223) in an upward-facing position in said vertical direction and transferring saidintermediate can (403; 503) to a |id attachment unit (7); - attaching a reclosable |id (221) at said top end of said tubular body (203) with an inner surface of said reclosable |id (221) in direct contact with an upper surface of said top rim.

2. Method according to c|aim 1, wherein, tightly fitted lead-in and out|et tunnels are arranged at an in|et (24) and at an out|et (25) of said sealing unit (6).

3. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said method comprisessupp|ying a protective gas such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide or a mixture of nitrogen andcarbon dioxide to said dry or moist goods during fi||ing of said intermediate can (403; 503) and/or after fi||ing of said intermediate can (403; 503).

4. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said said sealing unit (6)is arranged in an external housing (23) and is arranged to operate in a protective gas atmosphere in said external housing (23).

5. Method according to c|aim 4, wherein an out|et port for said intermediate can isarranged in said external housing (23) of said sealing unit (6), wherein a size of said out|et port is adapted to a size of said intermediate can being processed.

6. Method according to c|aim 5, wherein said out|et port comprises a short tunnelarranged at an end of an out|et conveyor member, wherein a stationary sliding plate constitutes a floor in said tunnel.

7. Method according to c|aim 5 or 6, wherein an in|et port for said intermediate can isarranged in said external housing (23) of said sealing unit (6) and a closable hatch is arranged at said in|et port.

8. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said method further comprises: - applying a bottom rim (217) to said bottom end of said bottom sealed intermediate can(403; 503); - placing said bottom sealed intermediate can (403; 503) on a conveyor (2d) with saidbottom rim (217) resting on said conveyor (2d) during said transfer of said intermediatecan (403; 503) to said |id attachment unit (7).

9. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a scoop is appliedbetween said top sea|ing member (227) and said reclosable |id (221) before attachingsaid reclosable |id (221) at said top end of said tubular body (203), said scoop beingapplied directly on said top sea|ing member (227) or being placed in a scoop holder (240) which is arranged above said top sea|ing member (227).

10. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein tvvo or moreintermediate cans (403; 503) are processed simultaneously during one or more of:- sea|ing said top opening (211); - applying said top rim (223); - welding said top rim (223); - filling said intermediate can (403; 503); - sea|ing said bottom opening (213); and - attaching said reclosable |id (221).