TWI531510B - A device for creating a strip loop, as well as method and an apparatus for fabricating pull-off lids - Google Patents

Description

Device for producing a strip loop and method and apparatus for manufacturing the easy open lid

The present invention relates to a device for creating a belt loop between a driveable spread strip supply roll and a belt feedthrough. This device is particularly useful in a method for making an easy open lid comprising a plurality of parallel rows of seal ring portions formed of metal, wherein the seal cover members are transported to a plurality of processing stations in a stepwise manner, A foil strip is fed into the sealing cover ring portion in a stepwise manner by a belt supply roller, the foil section is perforated, and is applied and heat sealed to the sealing cover ring portion in a stamping and sealing station In this case, a foil strip loop is constructed by the foil strip by means of the device, and the foil strip loop enters the stamping and sealing station to be placed between the foil strip roll and the foil strip feed. Furthermore, the invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing an easy-open lid comprising a device according to the invention.

A well-known method is to implement a method of permanently attaching a sealing cap for a can-pack to a top metal cap of a package, the sealing cap forming a detaching opening that is maintained by an easy-open foil (also referred to as a tear-open The foil, which is also referred to as a tear-open lid, is sealed, in particular by a metal foil that has been applied by heat sealing, until the contents of the package are used for the first time. An additional sealing cover constructed of a plastic disposed over the metal cover allows the contents of the package to be resealed during its useful life. The apparatus for making these forms of metal caps is described in more detail below with reference to Figure 5. 6 to 12 are for explaining the manufacturing steps during the manufacture of these sealing covers. During manufacture, the easy-open foil is unrolled from a strip supply roll in the form of a wide foil web and then introduced into a stamping and sealing station or guided over the sealing cover element. A single or multiple type of so-called dancer roll system is employed to provide a strip supply for feeding the foil strip into the punch and heat seal processing station, however, during the stepwise transport of the foil The use of these dancer rolls systems, especially with the high production rates of thin foil strips, can present problems. Conventional strip loops are produced by controlling the drive mechanism of the deployed strip supply rollers and are adjusted, for example, using a distance sensor that measures the distance of the loop from the fixed sensor. In order to substantially change the feed length at high strip speeds, this approach is complicated/expensive or produces unsatisfactory results in terms of drive mechanism. DE-A 40 02 194 proposes the use of an air flow to create a belt loop.

The object of the present invention is to construct a device that can easily provide a belt loop and that can operate reliably even at high manufacturing speeds, including stepwise transport of strips and the widest possible variation of foil material.

This object is achieved by a device as described in claim 1 of the patent application.

It has been found that even under the conditions cited above, a stable strip loop can be obtained by using a hollow cylinder that is freely movable within the limits, the cylinder thereby intermittently and loosely resting on the strip. And the bottom of the strip loop is reoriented. Therefore, plastic film or laminate film or aluminum foil can also be effectively manipulated at a strip rate of 60 meters per minute and a feed stroke rate of 50 to 150 mm per stroke. The device is employed to create an easy open lid at a high rate of speed.

A horizontally aligned transverse rod maintained at both ends within the sidewall preferably runs through a hollow cylinder that limits the freedom of movement of the hollow cylinder. This provides a particularly simple limitation by the travel of the hollow cylinder. Another preferred embodiment is that the transverse bars are vertically movably disposed in a vertical channel, each channel being located within the side wall to limit the freedom of movement of the hollow cylinder in the vertical direction. Hollow cylinders are available in a variety of diameters and materials. Therefore, a diameter of, for example, 20 cm or more can be selected. In terms of materials, plastics can be considered in particular.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for making an easy-open lid, wherein an advantageous apparatus is used to obtain a belt loop. This is achieved by the method of claim 9 or the apparatus of claim 12 of the patent application.

Here, the foil strips are preferably of a step length which is sometimes different, and when viewed from the top, is horizontally and by its longitudinal axis substantially perpendicular to the transport direction of the sealing cover element. Feed into the stamping and sealing station.

When compared to conventional oblique feeds, the right angle bend of the foil web feeds a foil savings of up to about 20%. However, in the case of two or more sealing caps that are manufactured in parallel, the linear feed has a large variation in the step size for feeding the foil strip. With the stable foil strip loop of this device, large variations in foil or step size can be manipulated even at high feed speeds.

The following discussion sets forth more exemplary embodiments of the invention and the manufacture of the easy open cover on the basis of the drawings.

Figures 1 to 4 show an embodiment of a device 1 according to the invention. This device is arranged and designed to construct a belt loop 7 with a strip 6. The strip 6 is driven by a belt supply roller 2 and unwound from the strip supply roller 2, and then passes through the apparatus 1. Thereafter, the strip is carried by a feed device 4 which is part of the device that is used and processes the strip. An example of such a type of device is described below. The transport of the strip as shown causes the strip to travel in direction D. The unwinding from the strip supply roller is usually accomplished by the drive mechanism 19 at a uniform speed and can be adjusted rather slowly to a rapid speed change by the feed device 4. In particular, the feedthrough 4 can progressively feed one of the strips with varying feed lengths. With regard to the speed and/or the length of the feed step, the purpose of the device 1 is to use the strip ring 7 to balance the feed variations, whereby the ring constructs a strip material that can be easily fed. Essentially this is a known method.

A drive mechanism 19 is provided, for example, in the form of an electric motor (not shown in detail). This type of drive mechanism is familiar to those skilled in the art, and for this reason no additional information is required at this point. The drive mechanism 19 can be implemented by controlling the device including the feed device 4, which can adjust the strip to a strip requirement. A sensor 19', particularly a type of distance sensor, may also be provided by which the drive mechanism 19 will react, particularly to increase or decrease the length of the ring. The sensor signals can be sent to the control unit of the device from which they are processed to control the drive mechanism 19, or they can be sent out to a control unit directly associated with the drive unit to increase the control signal from the device.

The device 1 has two side walls 8 and 9 made of, for example, plastic or metal. A strip running between these side walls forms a loop 7. A hollow cylinder 10 is placed against the strip and reconstructs the reorientation of the strip to assist in constructing the loop to determine the unfolding preservation. Hollow cylinders of various diameters can be selected. The hollow cylinder can be composed, for example, of plastic (especially polymethyl methacrylate (abbreviated PMMA, commonly known as polypropylene glass)). A material having a higher specific weight (e.g., aluminum) can also be selected to achieve a higher initial tension. The hollow cylinder preferably has a circular cross section as shown, however, it may have an elliptical or square cross section. The hollow cylinder is essentially guided in a flush manner by its end faces between the side walls, thereby allowing it to move freely between the side walls without the need to tilt relative to the side walls. In terms of its movement, the hollow cylinder is free to reach a limited extent so that it can be freely moved a predetermined amount in the direction of travel of the strip and perpendicular to the direction of travel of the strip. This amount is dependent on the diameter and depends on the deployment process. The restriction of movement can be limited by any desired mechanism acting on the hollow cylinder. The action for this is preferably done internally from the hollow cylinder, in particular by means of a transverse rod 11 which is arranged horizontally between the side walls and extends through the hollow cylinder. The transverse bars 11 can be configured to be secured in the side walls or, preferably, guided therein, and can be vertically movable. The vertical channels 12, 12' shown are provided for this purpose.

Figures 1 and 3 show the hollow cylinder 10 at its lowest vertical position. Here, the inner wall surface thereof is placed on the transverse rod 11 and traverses the rod 11 so as to be seated at the extreme bottom of the guide groove. When the feedthrough 4 is now pulled out more than the strip that can be driven by the supply roll and unrolled from the supply roll, the strip loop is shortened, with the result that the hollow cylinder is removed from the lowest position shown. In terms of its movement between the side walls, it is free at this point. It has been found that even very thin and light foil strips can be effectively treated as a loop using this type of freely movable hollow cylinder to provide a hollow cylinder within a range of degrees of freedom of movement. It rests on the strip only by its own weight, which is adjustable by the selection of the diameter of the hollow cylinder and/or the selection of the material, which reorients the construction ring and facilitates the preloading of the strip. In the example shown, the degree of freedom of movement in accordance with the strip allowed by the hollow cylinder is still limited to the transverse rod 11. When the path length of each free movement rate is exhausted (as determined by the inner diameter of the hollow cylinder), the hollow cylinder of this example first contacts the transverse rod 11, and as a result, the degree of freedom of its upward movement is Exhausted and also reduced horizontally. This position is shown in Figure 2. If more strips are now fed than being unrolled, the hollow cylinder will then pull up across the rod. This is clearly shown in Figure 4. This shows a position at which more strips that can be conveyed by the strip supply roller have been fed by the feed device 4 for a certain period of time, with the result that the ring 7 has been shortened to reach the hollow cylinder 10 The point that is pressed upwards and traversed the rod 11 in the same manner within the guide grooves 12, 12'. The upper ends of the channels 12, 12' will also limit this movement upward. If the feedthrough then feeds less than the strip being conveyed by the supply roll, or if the drive mechanism of the supply roll is set to be controlled or adjusted so that more strips are unwound per unit time, Then the ring 7 is then lengthened again, while the hollow cylinder resting on the strip moves up to the maximum amount into the position of Figures 1 and 3. Any further lengthening of the ring should be prevented by controlling the drive mechanism of the supply roll 2, since the strip or ring 7 is not intended to penetrate the device 1 without the stabilizing effect of the hollow cylinder.

In the illustrated embodiment, the apparatus includes an upper entry side strip reorientation mechanism 14 and an upper exit side strip reorientation mechanism 15. The strip reorientation mechanism is here disposed on the top side of the side wall. The reorienting mechanism can be a roller that rotates with the strip. However, a non-rotating repositioning mechanism can also be provided. The adjustable lateral limit is preferably used for the strip setting which enables the traverse across the strip reorientation mechanisms 14, 15 within a defined position. In the embodiment shown, axially movable and achievable thrust washers are provided for each purpose on each of the reorienting mechanisms 14 or 15, and the thrust washers 14' and 14" are re-striped in the strip. On the orientation mechanism 14, and the thrust washers 15' and 15" are on the strip reorientation mechanism 15. After releasing their attachment mechanisms, these thrust washers are adjusted to the width of the strip in terms of their spacing and then rejoined to create a lateral limit for the strip.

Alternatively, the strip routing indicated by the inlet side reorientation mechanism 14 of the apparatus 1 may be arranged via a reorientation mechanism 16 (Fig. 3) on the entry side, the result of which is The belt runs from the supply roller 2 below the redirecting roller 16 and reaches the hollow cylinder 10.

The device 1 is preferably attached to the support 5 or 3 for the supply roller 2 by means of an adjustable attachment mechanism 17, 18. The adaptability allows the distance to be adjusted horizontally between the device 1 and the supports 5, 3.

A preferred use of a device will now be described in connection with the manufacture of an easy open lid or a tear open lid, respectively. The strips provided on the strip supply roll 2 here are made of an easy-open foil material, and the easy-opening foil is punched per punch from the easy-open foil material. Based on FIGS. 5 to 12, a description will be given of a processing apparatus for manufacturing a metal cover using an easy-open foil according to the prior art and a short description of the manufacturing steps. FIG. 5 provides a schematic side view of a known device 21 including processing stations 23 to 28 and an additional station 29 on a machine frame 22. A conveying device for a sealing cover member is a linear conveying device of a preferred design, as disclosed in WO2006/042426. This linear transport device is provided with a zigzag belt for transporting the cover-shaped article of the type described below, and enables very fast transport or seal cover manufacture. The opposing receiving mechanism for the sealing cover member is disposed along the zigzag belt that moves in the opposite direction and in synchronization. The function of the transport device is to transport the closure member or closure to the individual processing stations in a stepwise manner, as explained below. The conveying device shown in Fig. 5 conveys the sealing cover member or the finished sealing cover having an easy-opening foil in the conveying direction (indicated by arrow C) from the beginning of the device at the stack 31 to the end of the device, and the sealing cover The slide is moved into the storage section 36 or 37. The sealing cover element is removed from the stack 31 and moved into the transport device in a known manner. The transport device shown is of a design different from the preferred linear transport device indicated in WO 2006/042426 and is only briefly described herein. Two long rails are provided, each arranged side by side with the sealing cover element or the sealing cover, and when the rods are lifted in the direction A by the driving mechanism, the rails are lifted up to the sealing cover placed on the storage section or in the stations 23 to 29. The component or seal, then, in the direction of arrow B (in the same direction as arrow C), utilizes the crank drive and advances them by a certain amount by a forward motion. The rods then move downwards in the direction of arrow A, and the sealing cover elements or sealing caps are again stored on their storage sections. These bars then move backwards in the opposite direction of the arrow C below the storage position (in the direction of the arrow B) to subsequently perform the illustrated operation. The closure cap elements or closures are docked between the storage locations where they are transported or in the processing station where they are processed. After a processing step, the shipment is resumed by all processing stations. FIG. 6 shows an example of stacking metal cover blanks 120 as sealing cover elements such as those disposed in stack 31. These blanks 120 are, for example, circular metal disks having a diameter of 11 cm. Other basic shapes are of course readily possible, such as square or rectangular disks and different diameters. The edges of the blank 120 have been pre-shaped in a processing machine not shown. Only one segment from the entire disc is shown in Figure 6 and later in order to simplify the drawing. In the first processing station 23, a stamping process using an upper mold and a lower mold is used to flush an opening 129 into the tray, as shown in Fig. 7, in which the edge of the opening is indicated by 121, and is hit. The perforated circular disk is indicated at 127. This disc is removed as a scrap. The punch-out processing station 23 is driven by a drive mechanism 115, as is the case with the remaining stations. At processing station 24, edge 121 is pulled down to obtain a pattern 122 of edges as shown in FIG. The annular seal cover blank 120 now passes through the punch-out and processing station 25, in which the easy-open foil 125 is placed over the opening of the sealing cover 120, where it is attached by heat sealing, as shown in Figure 9 and 10 is shown. The easy-open foil 125 is preferably a laminated foil or an aluminum foil, and the bottom of this layer is provided with a plastic coating layer in a well-known manner. The desired foil blank 125 is perforated from a wide foil web and placed over the central opening of the annular disk, and the foil is pressed to the circular shape of the element 120 by heat application by a heat sealing station. As a result of the edge of the opening, the foil 125 forms a tight seal with a metal cover 120 by a process of melting and subsequent cooling. This is a well-known method and will not be described in detail here. Preparation can also be made whereby the easy-open foil is only pre-sealed in the punch-out station 25 and then subsequently sealed in another heat-sealing station. A cooling treatment station 27 can also be provided as needed to achieve cooling. Foil 125 may be provided with an embossment 124 (Fig. 11) in processing station 28, and edges 121 are again joined together to form a completed edge 123. The completed sealing cover is now tested in a test station 29, which typically includes a seal test of the easy-open foil 25 applied to the closure and will be more precisely described below. Once the foil has been adhered to the remaining metal cover with a tight seal, the sealing cover falls into the receiving mechanism for the completed sealing cover. If an improper seal has been detected, the seal slides into the end-of-life container along another movement shown.

The linear transport unit described above is capable of transporting the closure member or closure at a high cycle rate (e.g., 200 per minute) and is capable of transporting these portions using a replicable portion of the steps between the stations. The present invention further produces a resilience concept for a large-area range of items or closures that can extend, for example, from a diameter of from 50 to 200 mm, and can also conform to different rectangular formats, for example, The current standard canned fish. The transport device is again designed as a small module, especially with regard to a multi-track constructive design. The device according to the invention can be used particularly preferably in combination with this method of manufacturing a sealing cap at a high rate to produce a strip loop. However, it can also be used with other devices that must produce a belt loop.

A foil strip loop is created when a foil strip is processed from a supply roll to be unrolled, and the foil strip is gradually fed into a feedthrough. In order to ensure that this can even be carried out at a high manufacturing speed without damage, a device is provided in which a hollow cylinder loosely rests on a strip having a degree of freedom of movement of restriction, and can be constructed A belt loop. Preferably, the device of this type is provided to produce an easy open lid wherein a foil strip is unwound from a strip supply roll and fed to a stamping and sealing station.

A-C. . . Arrow

D. . . Strip running direction

1. . . Device

2. . . Supply roller

3, 5. . . supporting item

4. . . Feeding device

6‧‧‧ strips

7‧‧‧(strip) ring

8, 9‧‧‧ side wall

10‧‧‧ hollow cylinder

11‧‧‧cross bars

12, 12' ‧ ‧ guide slot

14‧‧‧Redirecting mechanism

14', 14" ‧ ‧ push washer

15‧‧‧Redirecting mechanism

15', 15"‧‧‧ thrust washers

16‧‧‧Reorienting mechanism/redirection roller

17, 18‧‧‧ Attachment

19‧‧‧ drive mechanism

19'‧‧‧ Sensor

21‧‧‧ Equipment

22‧‧‧ Machine Frame

23-28‧‧‧(Processing) Station

29‧‧‧(Additional) Station/(Test) Station

31‧‧‧Stacking

36, 37‧‧‧ storage area

115‧‧‧ drive mechanism

120‧‧‧Metal Cover/Metal Cover Blank/Sealing Cover/Sealing Cover Blank/Block/Component

121‧‧‧ edge

122‧‧‧ pattern

123‧‧‧ edge

124‧‧‧ embossing

125‧‧‧ Easy to open foil/foil (blank)

127‧‧‧round disk

129‧‧‧ openings

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a schematic side elevational view of one embodiment of a device when deployed between a belt supply roll and a belt feed in accordance with one aspect of the present invention.

Figure 2 illustrates the apparatus of Figure 1 including a hollow cylinder lifted by a strip.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the apparatus of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the device having a hollow cylinder in a different position.

Figure 5 is a schematic side view of a known apparatus for transporting and manufacturing an easy open lid.

Figures 6 through 12 show sections of a metal cover for the purpose of illustrating the manufacture of the closure.

1. . . Device

2. . . Supply roller

3, 5. . . supporting item

4. . . Feeding device

6. . . Bands

7. . . (strip) ring

8. . . Side wall

10. . . Hollow cylinder

11. . . Transverse bar

12. . . Guide slot

14. . . Reorientation mechanism

15. . . Reorientation mechanism

16. . . Reorienting mechanism / reorienting roller

19. . . Drive mechanism

19'. . . Sensor

Claims (13)

A device (1) arranged and designed to construct a belt loop (7) between a deployed driven strip supply roller (2) and a driven feed device (4) for a strip (6) one stepwise feeding, wherein the device comprises two side walls (8, 9) and a hollow cylinder (10), the strip runs between the side walls, and the hollow cylinder (10) is One of the side walls of the device is guided at each end thereof and is freely movable between the side walls by a predetermined amount, wherein the hollow cylinder is intended to become against the strip (6) and While the device is operating, the strip is redirected to construct a belt loop (7); wherein a horizontally running transverse rod (11) with two ends maintained within the side walls runs through the hollow cylinder, This rod limits the freedom of movement of the hollow cylinder; and wherein the hollow cylinder rests on the strip only by its own weight. The device of claim 1, wherein the transverse bars (11) are vertically movable in a vertical channel (12, 12'), and each channel is on the side walls (8, 9) Medium. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an entry side and an outlet side strip reorientation mechanism (14, 15) are disposed over the side walls. The device of claim 1, wherein a belt repositioning mechanism (16) is disposed on the entry side in front of the side walls, and a belt reorienting mechanism (15) is disposed in the On the outlet side above the side walls. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the lateral limit (14', 14", 15', 15") is provided such that the strip is disposed on the strip reorienting mechanism, The boundary system can be adjusted to the width of the strip. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises an attachment mechanism (17, 18) for attaching it to a support (3, 5) of the strip supply roller, by The attachment mechanism adjusts the distance between the device (1) and the strip supply roller (2) along the direction of transport of the strip. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a non-contact sensor (19') to determine the position of the strip loop, in particular comprising a distance sensor to determine the strip loop The vertical distance from the sensor. A method of manufacturing an easy-open lid using the apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 comprising the steps of: generating a series of sealing sheets of a plurality of parallel rows and made of metal a ring portion, wherein one of the sealing cover members is conveyed to the processing station in a stepwise linear manner; - a foil strip is gradually fed from a strip supply roller to the sealing cover ring portions and punched out of the foil region a segment, and applying and heat sealing the foil segments to the seal ring segments in a stamping and sealing station, wherein the strip is constructed with the foil strip by the device, the strip loop becoming Entering the stamping and sealing station between the strip supply roll and the feed of the foil strip. The method of claim 8, wherein the foil strip is fed into the stamping and sealing station in a step length that is sometimes different from the strip. When viewed in the top of the direction, this is caused horizontally and stands substantially perpendicularly relative to the direction of transport of the sealing cover elements. The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein the stepwise linear transport of the seal cover members is a transport device having a seal cover member receiving mechanism constructed by a zigzag belt and a pusher Was caused. An apparatus for manufacturing an easy-open lid comprising the apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising a conveying device and a foil strip feeding, the conveying device being arranged to cause a seal The stepwise linear transport of the cover element to a plurality of consecutive processing stations, these One of the stations is a stamping and sealing station designed to punch out the foil segments and apply and heat seal the foil segments to the sealing ring segments, and the foil strip feeding system Provided to cause a foil strip to be fed from a strip supply roll to the stamping and sealing station, wherein a foil strip loop can be created by the device, the foil strip loop becoming dependent on the strip The feed-out and heat-sealing treatment station is entered between the supply roll and the feed of the foil web. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the foil transport feed is configured in such a manner as to be relative to the seal cover elements when viewed from the top end in the longitudinal direction of the strip The transport direction is such that the foil strip can be fed horizontally and substantially perpendicularly into the stamping and sealing station. The apparatus of claim 11 or 12, wherein a transport device is provided to cause progressive linear transport of the seal cover members, the transport device comprising a seal cover member receiving mechanism, the seal cover member The receiving mechanism is produced by a zigzag belt and a carrier thereon.