US20210323707A1 - Rotary Filling Machine - Google Patents
Rotary Filling Machine Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20210323707A1 US20210323707A1 US17/306,115 US202117306115A US2021323707A1 US 20210323707 A1 US20210323707 A1 US 20210323707A1 US 202117306115 A US202117306115 A US 202117306115A US 2021323707 A1 US2021323707 A1 US 2021323707A1
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- Prior art keywords
- funnel
- slide plate
- drop
- filling machine
- rotary filling
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Images
Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B1/00—Packaging fluent solid material, e.g. powders, granular or loose fibrous material, loose masses of small articles, in individual containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, or jars
- B65B1/04—Methods of, or means for, filling the material into the containers or receptacles
- B65B1/06—Methods of, or means for, filling the material into the containers or receptacles by gravity flow
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B43/00—Forming, feeding, opening or setting-up containers or receptacles in association with packaging
- B65B43/42—Feeding or positioning bags, boxes, or cartons in the distended, opened, or set-up state; Feeding preformed rigid containers, e.g. tins, capsules, glass tubes, glasses, to the packaging position; Locating containers or receptacles at the filling position; Supporting containers or receptacles during the filling operation
- B65B43/50—Feeding or positioning bags, boxes, or cartons in the distended, opened, or set-up state; Feeding preformed rigid containers, e.g. tins, capsules, glass tubes, glasses, to the packaging position; Locating containers or receptacles at the filling position; Supporting containers or receptacles during the filling operation using rotary tables or turrets
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B1/00—Packaging fluent solid material, e.g. powders, granular or loose fibrous material, loose masses of small articles, in individual containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, or jars
- B65B1/04—Methods of, or means for, filling the material into the containers or receptacles
- B65B1/10—Methods of, or means for, filling the material into the containers or receptacles by rotary feeders
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B1/00—Packaging fluent solid material, e.g. powders, granular or loose fibrous material, loose masses of small articles, in individual containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, or jars
- B65B1/30—Devices or methods for controlling or determining the quantity or quality or the material fed or filled
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B29/00—Packaging of materials presenting special problems
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B39/00—Nozzles, funnels or guides for introducing articles or materials into containers or wrappers
- B65B39/007—Guides or funnels for introducing articles into containers or wrappers
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B39/00—Nozzles, funnels or guides for introducing articles or materials into containers or wrappers
- B65B39/14—Nozzles, funnels or guides for introducing articles or materials into containers or wrappers movable with a moving container or wrapper during filling or depositing
- B65B39/145—Nozzles, funnels or guides for introducing articles or materials into containers or wrappers movable with a moving container or wrapper during filling or depositing in an endless path
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B43/00—Forming, feeding, opening or setting-up containers or receptacles in association with packaging
- B65B43/42—Feeding or positioning bags, boxes, or cartons in the distended, opened, or set-up state; Feeding preformed rigid containers, e.g. tins, capsules, glass tubes, glasses, to the packaging position; Locating containers or receptacles at the filling position; Supporting containers or receptacles during the filling operation
- B65B43/54—Means for supporting containers or receptacles during the filling operation
- B65B43/60—Means for supporting containers or receptacles during the filling operation rotatable
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B55/00—Preserving, protecting or purifying packages or package contents in association with packaging
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
- B67C—CLEANING, FILLING WITH LIQUIDS OR SEMILIQUIDS, OR EMPTYING, OF BOTTLES, JARS, CANS, CASKS, BARRELS, OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; FUNNELS
- B67C11/00—Funnels, e.g. for liquids
- B67C11/02—Funnels, e.g. for liquids without discharge valves
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B39/00—Nozzles, funnels or guides for introducing articles or materials into containers or wrappers
- B65B2039/009—Multiple outlets
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B2210/00—Specific aspects of the packaging machine
- B65B2210/06—Sterilising or cleaning machinery or conduits
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B2210/00—Specific aspects of the packaging machine
- B65B2210/10—Means for removing bridges formed by the material or article, e.g. anti-clogging devices
Definitions
- the invention generally relates to the field of rotary machines for dispensing controlled volumes of dry materials into containers and, more particularly, relates to a rotary filling machine for dispensing bridgeable dry materials that are prone to clumping and/or sticking and to a method of operating such a machine.
- Rotary filling machines are routinely used for dispensing dry materials into containers from above.
- Such machines typically include a rotating turret located underneath a rotary combination scale or other device delivering materials to be dispensed.
- the turret supports a plurality of circumferentially-spaced drop buckets or bins having lower openings.
- the opening of each drop bucket or bin cooperates with an underlying funnel.
- each drop bucket receives a designated quantity of materials as it rotates under the delivering device and discharges the materials into the associated funnel. The materials then flow through the funnel and are dispensed into an underlying container that is spaced circumferentially from the delivery device.
- Dispensing of some materials can be problematic due to their propensity to “bridge” or span gaps and material pathways in the fill equipment and clog the equipment.
- Some such materials are relatively tacky or have high adhesive properties, which cause the materials to clump or stick to one another and/or to stick to the drop bucket or funnel.
- Typical of such materials are “gummies,” which are relative soft, chewable sweet foods. Gummies are typically, but not always, gelatin based. They are most often used in candy, but also are used in other materials such as chewable vitamins and medicines. They vary in size and shape, though most are “bite size”, i.e., having a maximum diameter of less than 5 cm. Some take the appearance of fanciful or stylized animals such as bears or fish.
- Others are in the form of a generally elliptical tablet. They may or may not be sugar coated. The propensity of these materials to clump together and to stick to surfaces of the filling machine creates a tendency to bridge or clog flow path portions such as the bottom opening of a drop bucket or the throat of a funnel. Bridging is of particular concern when filling a container having a relatively small-diameter fill-opening with a material formed relatively large-diameter particles because the particles must be directed through relatively small fill openings, sometimes having a diameter of only 2-3 times that of the maximum particle diameter.
- the materials may nevertheless stick to the a surface such as the bottom of the drop bucket adjacent the bottom opening or to the side surface of the funnel sufficiently long to delay or prevent dispensing into an underlying container, or to at least fall into the container in clumps rather than one at a time.
- the resultant delay/blockage can cause reduced fill accuracy including partial fill and no-fill conditions.
- Bridgeable materials thus means any discrete dry particles that have a relatively high propensity to clump by adhesion and/or entanglement with one another and/or to stick to other surfaces.
- Bridgeable materials include, for example, gummies, which are tacky or have high adhesive characteristics, and some nuts such as cashews, which are prone to entanglement.
- the need additionally has arisen to provide a rotary filling machine that meters the dispensing of bridgeable materials in a manner that reduces or prevents clumping and/or bridging.
- the need additionally has arisen to provide a rotary filling machine that “singulates” dispensed bridgeable materials so that they are dispensed into the container, more often than not, one at a time as opposed to in clumps or batches.
- a rotary filling machine in accordance with a first aspect of the invention, includes a central rotatable hub an opening extending vertically therethrough, a plurality of circumferentially spaced drop buckets located over the opening, and a plurality of funnel assemblies mounted on the hub beneath the opening.
- Each drop bucket has an open top, an open bottom in alignment with the opening in the wear plate, and a perimeter wall.
- Each funnel assembly has an upper inlet positioned beneath the bottom opening of a corresponding drop bucket, and a lower dispensing outlet.
- a stationary slide plate is located vertically between the funnel assemblies and the drop buckets. When viewed in a direction of turret rotation, the slide plate has an upstream end, a downstream end, upper and lower surfaces, and inner and outer edges.
- the slide plate includes a tapered portion that tapers progressively in diameter toward the downstream end thereof such that flow paths from the bottoms of the drop buckets to the inlet openings of the funnel assemblies increase progressively in diameter with the taper of the slide plate.
- the inner edge of the tapered portion of the slide plate may be tapered continuously and uniformly throughout at least a majority of the tapered portion.
- Each drop bucket may have first and second opposed (upstream and downstream) end walls and inner and outer walls, each of which abuts an associated end of both end walls.
- each drop bucket may have at least one partition that extends at least generally vertically between the inner and outer walls to define discrete compartments within the drop bucket.
- Each funnel assembly may have an inner dilation chamber that is dimensioned and configured to progressively dilate materials falling therethrough.
- the dilation chamber of each funnel assembly is bordered by first and second opposed upper walls and first and second lower walls. The walls are located and configured such that materials impinging on the first upper wall are directed to the second lower wall and thence out of the dilation chamber.
- the dilation chamber is positioned in the upper funnel, and the lower funnel presents a flow path that has a lower portion that is inclined at an acute angle relative to an upper portion thereof.
- the rotary filling machine may further include funnel knockers that are positioned so as to resiliently impact against the funnel assemblies during rotation of the rotary filling machine.
- a funnel assembly for dispensing materials into a container.
- the funnel assembly includes upper and lower funnels.
- the upper funnel has an inner dilation chamber that is dimensioned and configured to progressively dilate the dry bridgeable materials falling therethrough.
- the dilation chamber of the upper funnel may be bordered by first and second opposed upper walls and first and second lower walls. In this case, the walls are located and configured such that materials impinging on the first upper wall are directed to the second lower wall and thence out of the dilation chamber.
- a plurality of fingers may project into each funnel assembly between the inlet and the outlet proximal to an axial centerline of the funnel assembly.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rotary dispensing machine constructed in accordance with the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the rotary dispensing machine of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the rotary filling machine of FIGS. 1 and 2 ;
- FIG. 4 is fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the rotary filling machine of FIGS. 1-3 ;
- FIG. 5 is a sectional fragmentary radial elevation view of an upper portion of the rotary filling machine of FIGS. 1-3 ;
- FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the rotary filling machine of FIGS. 1-3 , showing the drop buckets removed;
- FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a slide plate of the rotary dispensing machine of FIGS. 1-3 ;
- FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a funnel assembly of the rotary dispensing machine of FIGS. 1-3 ;
- FIG. 9 is a sectional front elevation view of the funnel assembly of FIG. 8 ;
- FIG. 10 is a sectional side elevation view of the funnel assembly of FIGS. 8 and 9 ;
- FIG. 11 is an isometric view of a funnel knocker assembly of the rotary filling machine of FIGS. 1-3 ;
- FIG. 12 is an isometric view of a funnel assembly constricted in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 1-3 a rotary filling machine 20 that is constructed in accordance with the invention is illustrated.
- the machine 20 is configured to receive bridgeable dry materials (as that term is defined above) from a delivery system and to dispense the materials in a controlled manner into underlying containers.
- the “controlled” manner may be a designated number of particles per receptacle, a designated weight of particles per receptacle, or a designated volume of particles per receptacle.
- the delivery system comprises a rotary combination scale 22 that receives materials from a conveyor (not shown) and that dispenses a given weight of materials per batch.
- the rotary combination scale 22 thus dispenses a given number of particles per batch.
- the illustrated rotary filling machine is optimized to fill bottles with gummies having a maximum dimension of about 2.25 cm and to dispense those gummies into a bottle having a fill opening diameter of 4.25 to 4.50 cm.
- the machine configuration, and most notably the configuration of the funnel assemblies described below, could vary considerably depending upon the size and characteristics of the particles being handled and the fill opening diameter of the container being filled.
- the rotary filling machine 20 includes a rotating turret 30 supporting a plurality ( 18 ) of circumferentially spaced drop buckets 32 and an equal number of funnel assemblies 34 , one of which is associated with each drop bucket 32 .
- a like plurality of containers holders 36 are mounted on the bottom of the hub 30 beneath the funnel assemblies 34 for receiving containers to be filled.
- a stationary slide plate 100 (first seen in FIG. 4 ) is mounted on the turret 30 vertically between the drop buckets 32 and the funnel assemblies 34 for dilating or singulating the flow of materials from the drop buckets 32 to the funnel assemblies 34 .
- the containers 37 ( FIGS. 9 and 10 ) of this particular embodiment are bottles, and the container holders 36 can be thought of as bottle holders.
- Each bottle holder 36 has a notch 38 configured for a specific bottle shape and size to receive a bottle 37 , thus holding a bottle in place beneath the associated funnel assembly 34 during the filling operation.
- Bottles are delivered to and received from the container holders 36 by way of a conveyor (not shown) that delivers empty bottles to an upstream transferring device 40 and receives empty bottles from a down-stream-most bottle holder 36 via a downstream transferring device 42 .
- Each transferring device 40 , 42 has a plurality of circumferentially spaced peripheral notches 44 , each of which rotates into and out of cooperative engagement with the notch 38 of the associated bottle holder 36 to transfer bottles between the bottle holders 36 and the conveyor.
- the conveyor and transfer devices 40 and 42 are configured to operate in synchronism with the turret 30 . Different supply and handling systems could be utilized for containers other than bottles.
- the turret 30 includes a central shaft 50 and upper and lower disk arrangements 52 and 54 .
- the shaft 50 is driven by an electric motor (not shown).
- the upper disk arrangement or “fill plate” 52 is fixed to the shaft 50 and has a segmented circular opening near its outer perimeter, each segment of which forms a fill opening 56 that is in alignment with a drop bucket 32 from above and with a funnel assembly 34 from below.
- Each fill opening 56 of this exemplary embodiment is about 15 cm long by about 10 cm wide.
- the drop buckets 32 are mounted on the fill plate 52 inboard of the fill openings 56 . Mounts also are formed on or in the fill plate 52 for receiving funnel assemblies 34 .
- each mount may take the form of openings configured to cooperate with a magnetic quick-mount arrangement of the type described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 8,991,442, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirely.
- each mount may comprise spaced holes for receiving spaced bolts that mount the funnel assemblies 34 on the bottom of the fill plate 52 .
- the fill plate 52 is formed from stainless steel or a comparable durable, easily cleanable material.
- An annular rotating wear plate formed by inner and outer annular rings 60 and 62 , is mounted on top of the stainless-steel fill plate 52 , with the annular rings 60 and 62 being located radially inboard and outboard of the fill openings 56 , respectively.
- the rings 60 and 62 are formed of a material that is relatively hard and wear resistance but that has a relatively low coefficient of sliding friction. HDPE, Delrin® (an acetal homopolymer), and UHMW are examples of suitable materials but other materials may be utilized with similar characteristics based on availability and product interaction.
- An annular opening is formed between the inner and outer rings 60 and 62 over the fill openings 56 .
- the drop buckets 32 are supported on the upper surface of the wear plate rings 60 and 62 and are attached to the hub 30 as discussed below.
- each drop bucket 32 is formed of a material that is durable and is easy to clean and that has a relatively low coefficient of sliding friction. Any of a variety of grades of stainless steel and materials with similar characteristics based on product interaction and environment would suffice. This material may be dimpled or otherwise modified in order to inhibit adhesion of tacky particles thereto.
- each drop bucket 32 is generally trapezoidal in shape, having first and second or upstream and down opposed end walls 64 and 66 of the counterclockwise-rotating and inner and outer radial walls 68 and 70 , each of which abuts an associated end of both end walls 64 and 66 .
- each drop bucket 32 is longer than the inner wall 68 , and the end walls 64 and 66 are inclined relative to a radial bisector of the turret assembly, providing a trapezoidal shape that permits the drop buckets 32 to cover the entire circular area containing the drop buckets 32 without intervening gaps.
- the upper ends of the inner and outer end walls 64 and 66 are flared outwardly to serve as chutes that direct materials that may otherwise miss the drop bucket 32 into the interior of the drop bucket 32 .
- a number, such as six, drop buckets could be provided in a semi-circular subassembly.
- a semi-circular flange 72 extends rearwardly from the drop buckets 32 . As best seen in FIG.
- each subassembly is held in place by a plurality of spring-loaded plungers 74 that extend through openings 76 in the flange 72 and that selectively engage corresponding recesses 78 in the inner wear plate ring 60 to lock the subassembly in place.
- each drop bucket 32 may have at least one partition that extends at least generally vertically between the inner and outer walls 68 and 70 from the bottom of the drop bucket 32 .
- Two equally-spaced partitions 80 are provided in the illustrated embodiment, each of which extends at least generally parallel with one another and with the front end wall 64 of the drop bucket 32 .
- Three discrete chambers thus are formed within the drop bucket 32 .
- the slide plate or “drop plate” 100 is mounted in an upper recess between the inner and outer wear plate rings 60 and 62 so as to remain in place while the rings 60 and 62 rotate beneath it.
- the slide plate 100 may be formed of Delrin® or a similar material to facilitate this sliding contact while still providing the desired hardness and wear-resistance. It may, however, be formed of a separate material than that of the wear plate rings 60 and 62 to facilitate sliding movement of the two components relative to one another.
- Delrin is particularly well-suited for the slide plate 100 if HDPE is used as the rings 60 and 62 of the wear plate.
- the slide plate 100 is held stationary by a pin or similar device 114 ( FIGS. 1, 3, and 6 ) that extends downwardly from a stationary mount into an opening formed in or through the slide plate 100 .
- Accurate relative positioning of the slide plate 100 relative to the wear plate rings 60 and 62 can be provided by forming this opening in the form of a slot or by providing two or more spaced circular openings 116 as shown in FIG. 7 .
- the radial diameter of the slide plate 100 is tapered over at least a portion of its length to cause the effective sizes of the fill openings 56 encountered by materials in the rotating drop buckets 32 to increase progressively downstream of the rotary combination scale dispenser 22 .
- the tapered portion 122 thus effectively acts as a sliding trap door that causes the rotating drop buckets 32 to push particles into the fill openings 56 one at a time or in small groups rather than in a single clump.
- the upstream-most fill opening encountered by a filled drop bucket 32 is nearly fully covered, and the downstream fill openings 6 that thereafter are encountered are progressively exposed until the fill openings 56 downstream of the slide plate 100 are entirely exposed.
- the slide plate 100 when viewed in a direction of turret rotation, includes an upstream portion 120 of uninform diameter and a downstream portion 122 that tapers progressively in diameter toward the downstream end thereof.
- the tapered portion 122 extends through the downstream-most 170-250 degrees of the slide plate 100 .
- This taper may be continuous and uniform along part or all the tapered portion 122 .
- the tapered portion has an arc length of about 235 degrees.
- the tapered inner edge 124 has a radius of about 17 degrees over about the upstream-most 60 degrees of the tapered portion and of about 18.5 degrees over the remaining 175 degrees.
- a notch 128 is formed in the inner edge 124 of the upstream end of the tapered portion 122 so that the leading end of the taper is located over the associated fill opening 56 rather than being disposed inboard of the fill opening.
- the “effective width” of the fill openings 56 as defined by the portions of the fill openings 56 that are not covered by the slide plate 100 , increase in diameter from about 12 mm at the upstream-most end of the tapered portion 122 to the full 100 mm at the downstream-most end of the slide plate 100 , where the slide plate is no-wider than the lip 112 on the outer wear plate ring 62 .
- the upstream end portion 120 of the slide plate 100 completely covers the underlying fill opening(s) 56 to provide a gapless “receiving surface” for receiving dispensed batches of particle received from the rotary combination scale 22 and for staging them for subsequent dispensing into the fill openings as they become exposed.
- the upstream portion has an arc-length of about 55-60 degrees. This arc length could be considerably longer, if desired.
- the ring 102 of FIG. 7 is not essential for support or operation of the slide plate 100 .
- the slide plate 100 or a similarly-constructed slide plate could be provided in the form of a crescent or half-moon shaped element lacking a ring.
- the slide plate 100 is illustrated without a ring in FIG. 6 .
- each funnel assembly 34 is configured to dispense materials falling through the associated fill opening 56 while further dilating those materials so that the materials are dispensed from a bottom dispensing outlet 160 of the funnel assembly 34 in or near a single file rather than in clumps.
- Outlet 160 typically has a diameter that is no greater than that of the inlet opening of the underlying container or, in the present non-limiting example, on the order of 20-40 mm and more typically of about 30 mm.
- the interior geometry of each funnel assembly 34 may be customized to accommodate the flow characteristics of the materials being dispensed.
- the product flow path should be relatively simple for materials, like soft gummies, that are relatively sticky or tacky but that are not particularly prone to entanglement, and relatively complex for materials, such as cashews or hard gummies, that are not tacky or sticky but that are highly prone to entanglement or at least self-adhesion.
- the funnel assemblies 34 shown in FIG. 8-10 are well-suited to dispense materials of the latter type.
- the illustrated funnel assembly 34 comprises upper and lower funnels 130 and 132 coupled to one another by a flexible bellows 134 .
- the bellows 134 is retained in place by snap-fitting over a lower annular flange 136 on the upper funnel 130 and an upper annular flange 138 on the lower funnel 132 .
- the upper funnel 130 may be universal to all dispensed materials or to broad classes of materials.
- the lower funnel 132 may be customized for a particular product, most notably including particle diameters, and thus may be thought of as a container adapter.
- each funnel assembly 34 may be of a non-linear and non-uniform volumetric taper so as to cause materials falling therethrough to zig-zag or bounce from side to side, breaking up clumps of entangled particles and further dilating or singulating the stream of flowing particles.
- a variety of geometries could achieve this effect, some more effectively for certain particles than others.
- the interior of the upper funnel 130 defines an inner dilation camber bordered by an upper set of opposed first and second walls 140 and 142 and a lower set of first and second lower walls 144 and 146 .
- Each set of walls may be provided on the interior surface of a removable insert 148 (or two or more stacked inserts) that is droppable into an outer shell 150 of the upper funnel 130 from above to permit customization for a particular application.
- the inserts 148 , and the lower funnel 132 may be made from a durable wear resistant, low friction material such as urethane.
- the first wall 140 of the upper set is inclined downwardly and inwardly to a bottom edge located proximate the axial center of the upper funnel 130 .
- the second wall 146 of the lower set is inclined downwardly and inwardly to a bottom edge that directs particles to the inlet of the lower funnel 132 .
- the second wall 142 of the upper set and the first wall 144 of the lower set act mainly as stops and see little or no product flow.
- the bottom funnel 132 is kinked or “doglegged” at a central portion 151 thereof to define upper and lower portions that extend at an acute angle relative to one another.
- the interior of the lower funnel 132 has first and second upper walls 152 and 154 and first and second lower walls 156 and 158 .
- the first wall 152 of the upper set is inclined downwardly and inwardly to a bottom edge.
- the second wall 158 of the second set is inclined downwardly and inwardly to the bottom outlet 160 of the funnel assembly 34 . Particles bouncing off the first wall 152 of the upper set impinge on the second wall 158 of the lower set, where they are further singulated as they flow toward the lower outlet 160 .
- the second wall 142 of the upper set and the first wall 152 of the second set act mainly as stops and see little or no product flow.
- a funnel assembly 234 may be fitted with inwardly-projecting fingers 380 that serve to be impacted by and break up any clumps that may survive the fall through the upper funnel 330 .
- the funnel assembly 234 of this embodiment otherwise is similar to that of the first embodiment in that it has upper and lower funnels 330 and 332 coupled by a flexible bellows 334 .
- the fingers 380 project inwardly into the baffle 334 from the outer perimeter thereof. Three such fingers (two of which are shown in FIG. 12 ) are provided in the illustrated embodiment, spaced equidistantly around the funnel assembly 234 .
- Each finger has an inner, product engaging end that may have a tab thereon, and an outer end clamped between the upper surface of the bellows 334 and the lower surface of the mounting flange 336 of the upper funnel 330 .
- the fingers 380 may be inclined relative to the horizontal at any desired angle to achieve the desired disrupting effect, and their angles of inclination may vary relative to one another.
- the fingers 380 may be formed, for example, of stainless steel or spring steel.
- the material flow path in the funnel assembly 234 of FIG. 12 also is more direct or linear than in the funnel assembly 34 of FIGS. 8-10 in order to accommodate tackier or sticker materials that tend to adhere to any surface they contact.
- both the upper and lower funnels 330 and 332 are at least primarily frustoconical in shape.
- the dogleg in the lower funnel 132 is eliminated.
- the first and second sets of walls of different relative inclinations are replaced by a single peripheral wall 340 of relatively uniform inclination.
- the fingers 380 of FIG. 12 as well as other fingers or other elements protruding into the funnel assembly to help break up clumps, also could be provided in the funnel assembly of FIGS. 8-10 .
- additional measures may be provided to impart shocks or vibrations to the funnel assemblies 34 to dislodge particles tending to bridge the funnels or stick to their inner wall.
- these measures take the form of “funnel knockers” 400 that are impacted by the rotating funnel assemblies 34 .
- funnel knockers 400 could be spaced around the filling machine 20 in cooperation with some or all of the funnel assemblies that are actually dispensing product at any given time.
- Six such funnel knockers 400 are provided in this embodiment, spaced circumferentially around the filling machine 20 between the upstream end of the tapered portion 122 of the slide plate 100 where particles first fall into the underlying funnel assemblies 34 to a location disposed downstream of the downstream end of the slide plate 100 .
- Each funnel knocker 400 comprises a rigid mounting arm 402 , a spring arm 404 , and an impact block 406 .
- Each mounting arm 402 has a base 408 bolted to a stationary support surface of the filling machine 20 .
- Each spring arm 404 is relatively flexible and may, for instance, be formed of spring steel.
- Each spring arm 404 has a first end affixed to the mounting arm 402 and a second, free end, positioned in the path of funnel assembly rotation.
- the radial position of the spring arm 404 relative to the mounting arm 402 may be adjustable, for example, by providing a slot 410 in the spring arm 402 for mating with spaced holes 412 in the mounting arm 02 .
- the impact block 406 is mounted on the free end of the spring arm 404 by bolts 414 that extend through the impact block 406 , through the spring arm 404 and into a mounting block 416 located behind the spring arm 404 .
- This mounting block 416 provides additional mass to the structure being deflected by the rotating funnel assemblies 34 .
- the impact block 406 is formed from a durable, wear resistant material such as Delrin. In operation, engagement of the impact block 406 with the revolving funnel assemblies resiliently deflects the free end of the spring arm 404 out of the path of funnel assembly rotation while imparting a shock to the funnel assemblies 34 .
- the turret 30 of the rotary filling machine 20 is driven to rotate while particles of bridgeable materials are deposited into the drop buckets 32 from the rotary combination scale dispenser 22 .
- the particles in each drop bucket 32 initially fall onto the slide plate 100 , and are swept into the fill openings 56 one at a time or in small groups as the drop bucket 32 rotates over the progressively-narrowing tapered portion 122 of the slide plate 100 , thus tending to singulate the particles or, viewed another way, dilate the particle stream into individual particles or small clumps of particles.
- the partitions hinder the “snow-plowing of particles” along the edge of the opening adjacent the slide plate 100 rather than the sweeping of those particles into the fill opening 56 .
- the funnel assembly 34 is of the serpentine type shown in FIGS. 1-10 , materials fulling into the funnel assembly 34 will further singulate or dilate as they bounce back and forth from the upper funnel 130 and the lower funnel 132 before falling out of the discharge outlet 160 and into the container 37 .
- the falling particles are further singulated or dilated during this process, resulting of the dispensing of materials into the underlying container 37 in a stream of mostly-single particles. Impacts of the funnel knockers 400 against the funnel assembles 34 during this process will inhibit or prevent the adhesion of particles to any particular surface of the funnel assembly with attendant decreased risk of bridging.
- the funnel assembly 234 is of the more traditional orientation as shown in FIG. 12 , the materials simply drop through the funnels 330 and 332 and out of the discharge opening. Any clumps of materials will impact one or more the fingers 380 , tending to singulate the particles falling past the fingers. Such fingers also could be provided in the funnel assemblies 34 .
Abstract
A rotary filling machine for filling containers with bridgeable dry materials includes a turret supporting a plurality of circumferentially spaced drop buckets and a plurality of funnel assemblies located under the drop buckets. A stationary slide plate is located vertically between the funnel assemblies and the drop buckets. When viewed in a direction of turret rotation, the slide plate has an upstream end, a downstream end, and inner and outer edges. A portion of the slide plate is tapered progressively in diameter toward its downstream end such that flow paths from the bottoms of the drop buckets to the inlet openings of the funnel assemblies increase progressively in diameter with the taper of the slide plate. Also provided is a funnel assembly and drop buckets provided with one more partitions that hinder the “snow-plowing of particles” along the edge of the associated fill opening in machine's fill plate rather than the sweeping of those particles into the fill opening.
Description
- The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/577,776, Filed Sep. 20, 2019 and assigned to Applicant, the subject matter of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
- The invention generally relates to the field of rotary machines for dispensing controlled volumes of dry materials into containers and, more particularly, relates to a rotary filling machine for dispensing bridgeable dry materials that are prone to clumping and/or sticking and to a method of operating such a machine.
- Rotary filling machines are routinely used for dispensing dry materials into containers from above. Such machines typically include a rotating turret located underneath a rotary combination scale or other device delivering materials to be dispensed. The turret supports a plurality of circumferentially-spaced drop buckets or bins having lower openings. The opening of each drop bucket or bin cooperates with an underlying funnel. In operation, each drop bucket receives a designated quantity of materials as it rotates under the delivering device and discharges the materials into the associated funnel. The materials then flow through the funnel and are dispensed into an underlying container that is spaced circumferentially from the delivery device.
- Dispensing of some materials can be problematic due to their propensity to “bridge” or span gaps and material pathways in the fill equipment and clog the equipment. Some such materials are relatively tacky or have high adhesive properties, which cause the materials to clump or stick to one another and/or to stick to the drop bucket or funnel. Typical of such materials are “gummies,” which are relative soft, chewable sweet foods. Gummies are typically, but not always, gelatin based. They are most often used in candy, but also are used in other materials such as chewable vitamins and medicines. They vary in size and shape, though most are “bite size”, i.e., having a maximum diameter of less than 5 cm. Some take the appearance of fanciful or stylized animals such as bears or fish. Others are in the form of a generally elliptical tablet. They may or may not be sugar coated. The propensity of these materials to clump together and to stick to surfaces of the filling machine creates a tendency to bridge or clog flow path portions such as the bottom opening of a drop bucket or the throat of a funnel. Bridging is of particular concern when filling a container having a relatively small-diameter fill-opening with a material formed relatively large-diameter particles because the particles must be directed through relatively small fill openings, sometimes having a diameter of only 2-3 times that of the maximum particle diameter. Even if they do not bridge sufficiently to clog a flow path, the materials may nevertheless stick to the a surface such as the bottom of the drop bucket adjacent the bottom opening or to the side surface of the funnel sufficiently long to delay or prevent dispensing into an underlying container, or to at least fall into the container in clumps rather than one at a time. The resultant delay/blockage can cause reduced fill accuracy including partial fill and no-fill conditions.
- Other materials are not as sticky as traditional gummies, but are still subject to entanglement with one another such that they bridge openings or spaces. Some nuts, such as cashews, exhibit this characteristic.
- “Bridgeable materials,” as used herein, thus means any discrete dry particles that have a relatively high propensity to clump by adhesion and/or entanglement with one another and/or to stick to other surfaces. Bridgeable materials include, for example, gummies, which are tacky or have high adhesive characteristics, and some nuts such as cashews, which are prone to entanglement.
- The need therefore has arisen to provide a rotary filling machine that is capable of reliably dispensing bridgeable dry materials in a controlled, predictable manner.
- The need additionally has arisen to provide a rotary filling machine that meters the dispensing of bridgeable materials in a manner that reduces or prevents clumping and/or bridging.
- The need additionally has arisen to provide a rotary filling machine that “singulates” dispensed bridgeable materials so that they are dispensed into the container, more often than not, one at a time as opposed to in clumps or batches.
- In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, a rotary filling machine includes a central rotatable hub an opening extending vertically therethrough, a plurality of circumferentially spaced drop buckets located over the opening, and a plurality of funnel assemblies mounted on the hub beneath the opening. Each drop bucket has an open top, an open bottom in alignment with the opening in the wear plate, and a perimeter wall. Each funnel assembly has an upper inlet positioned beneath the bottom opening of a corresponding drop bucket, and a lower dispensing outlet. A stationary slide plate is located vertically between the funnel assemblies and the drop buckets. When viewed in a direction of turret rotation, the slide plate has an upstream end, a downstream end, upper and lower surfaces, and inner and outer edges. The slide plate includes a tapered portion that tapers progressively in diameter toward the downstream end thereof such that flow paths from the bottoms of the drop buckets to the inlet openings of the funnel assemblies increase progressively in diameter with the taper of the slide plate.
- The inner edge of the tapered portion of the slide plate may be tapered continuously and uniformly throughout at least a majority of the tapered portion.
- Each drop bucket may have first and second opposed (upstream and downstream) end walls and inner and outer walls, each of which abuts an associated end of both end walls. In this case, each drop bucket may have at least one partition that extends at least generally vertically between the inner and outer walls to define discrete compartments within the drop bucket.
- Each funnel assembly may have an inner dilation chamber that is dimensioned and configured to progressively dilate materials falling therethrough. The dilation chamber of each funnel assembly is bordered by first and second opposed upper walls and first and second lower walls. The walls are located and configured such that materials impinging on the first upper wall are directed to the second lower wall and thence out of the dilation chamber.
- In one configuration, the dilation chamber is positioned in the upper funnel, and the lower funnel presents a flow path that has a lower portion that is inclined at an acute angle relative to an upper portion thereof.
- The rotary filling machine may further include funnel knockers that are positioned so as to resiliently impact against the funnel assemblies during rotation of the rotary filling machine.
- In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a funnel assembly for dispensing materials into a container is provided. The funnel assembly includes upper and lower funnels. The upper funnel has an inner dilation chamber that is dimensioned and configured to progressively dilate the dry bridgeable materials falling therethrough. The dilation chamber of the upper funnel may be bordered by first and second opposed upper walls and first and second lower walls. In this case, the walls are located and configured such that materials impinging on the first upper wall are directed to the second lower wall and thence out of the dilation chamber.
- A plurality of fingers may project into each funnel assembly between the inlet and the outlet proximal to an axial centerline of the funnel assembly.
- These and other features and aspects of the present invention will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following description, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, is given by way of illustration and not of limitation.
- Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout, and in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rotary dispensing machine constructed in accordance with the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the rotary dispensing machine ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the rotary filling machine ofFIGS. 1 and 2 ; -
FIG. 4 is fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the rotary filling machine ofFIGS. 1-3 ; -
FIG. 5 is a sectional fragmentary radial elevation view of an upper portion of the rotary filling machine ofFIGS. 1-3 ; -
FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the rotary filling machine ofFIGS. 1-3 , showing the drop buckets removed; -
FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a slide plate of the rotary dispensing machine ofFIGS. 1-3 ; -
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a funnel assembly of the rotary dispensing machine ofFIGS. 1-3 ; -
FIG. 9 is a sectional front elevation view of the funnel assembly ofFIG. 8 ; -
FIG. 10 is a sectional side elevation view of the funnel assembly ofFIGS. 8 and 9 ; -
FIG. 11 is an isometric view of a funnel knocker assembly of the rotary filling machine ofFIGS. 1-3 ; and -
FIG. 12 is an isometric view of a funnel assembly constricted in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. - Turning initially to
FIGS. 1-3 , arotary filling machine 20 that is constructed in accordance with the invention is illustrated. Themachine 20 is configured to receive bridgeable dry materials (as that term is defined above) from a delivery system and to dispense the materials in a controlled manner into underlying containers. The “controlled” manner may be a designated number of particles per receptacle, a designated weight of particles per receptacle, or a designated volume of particles per receptacle. In the illustrated embodiment, the delivery system comprises arotary combination scale 22 that receives materials from a conveyor (not shown) and that dispenses a given weight of materials per batch. If, as is typically the case, the average number of particles per a given weight is known, therotary combination scale 22 thus dispenses a given number of particles per batch. Once such rotary combination scale is available through Yamoto, but can be supplied by any number of vendors. The illustrated rotary filling machine is optimized to fill bottles with gummies having a maximum dimension of about 2.25 cm and to dispense those gummies into a bottle having a fill opening diameter of 4.25 to 4.50 cm. The machine configuration, and most notably the configuration of the funnel assemblies described below, could vary considerably depending upon the size and characteristics of the particles being handled and the fill opening diameter of the container being filled. - Still referring to
FIGS. 1-3 , therotary filling machine 20 includes arotating turret 30 supporting a plurality (18) of circumferentially spaceddrop buckets 32 and an equal number offunnel assemblies 34, one of which is associated with eachdrop bucket 32. A like plurality of containers holders 36 (it being understood that “container” as used herein means any receptacle configured to receive materials from the funnel assemblies) are mounted on the bottom of thehub 30 beneath thefunnel assemblies 34 for receiving containers to be filled. In addition, and significantly, a stationary slide plate 100 (first seen inFIG. 4 ) is mounted on theturret 30 vertically between thedrop buckets 32 and thefunnel assemblies 34 for dilating or singulating the flow of materials from thedrop buckets 32 to thefunnel assemblies 34. - The containers 37 (
FIGS. 9 and 10 ) of this particular embodiment are bottles, and thecontainer holders 36 can be thought of as bottle holders. Eachbottle holder 36 has anotch 38 configured for a specific bottle shape and size to receive abottle 37, thus holding a bottle in place beneath the associatedfunnel assembly 34 during the filling operation. Bottles are delivered to and received from thecontainer holders 36 by way of a conveyor (not shown) that delivers empty bottles to anupstream transferring device 40 and receives empty bottles from a down-stream-most bottle holder 36 via adownstream transferring device 42. Each transferringdevice peripheral notches 44, each of which rotates into and out of cooperative engagement with thenotch 38 of the associatedbottle holder 36 to transfer bottles between thebottle holders 36 and the conveyor. The conveyor andtransfer devices turret 30. Different supply and handling systems could be utilized for containers other than bottles. - Referring to
FIGS. 1-5 , theturret 30 includes acentral shaft 50 and upper andlower disk arrangements shaft 50 is driven by an electric motor (not shown). The upper disk arrangement or “fill plate” 52 is fixed to theshaft 50 and has a segmented circular opening near its outer perimeter, each segment of which forms afill opening 56 that is in alignment with adrop bucket 32 from above and with afunnel assembly 34 from below. Eachfill opening 56 of this exemplary embodiment is about 15 cm long by about 10 cm wide. Thedrop buckets 32 are mounted on thefill plate 52 inboard of thefill openings 56. Mounts also are formed on or in thefill plate 52 for receivingfunnel assemblies 34. These mounts may take the form of openings configured to cooperate with a magnetic quick-mount arrangement of the type described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 8,991,442, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirely. Alternatively, each mount may comprise spaced holes for receiving spaced bolts that mount thefunnel assemblies 34 on the bottom of thefill plate 52. - In the illustrated embodiment, the
fill plate 52 is formed from stainless steel or a comparable durable, easily cleanable material. An annular rotating wear plate, formed by inner and outerannular rings steel fill plate 52, with theannular rings fill openings 56, respectively. Therings outer rings fill openings 56. Thedrop buckets 32 are supported on the upper surface of the wear plate rings 60 and 62 and are attached to thehub 30 as discussed below. - Still referring to
FIGS. 1-4 , eachdrop bucket 32 is formed of a material that is durable and is easy to clean and that has a relatively low coefficient of sliding friction. Any of a variety of grades of stainless steel and materials with similar characteristics based on product interaction and environment would suffice. This material may be dimpled or otherwise modified in order to inhibit adhesion of tacky particles thereto. In this embodiment, eachdrop bucket 32 is generally trapezoidal in shape, having first and second or upstream and downopposed end walls radial walls end walls outer wall 70 of eachdrop bucket 32 is longer than theinner wall 68, and theend walls drop buckets 32 to cover the entire circular area containing thedrop buckets 32 without intervening gaps. The upper ends of the inner andouter end walls drop bucket 32 into the interior of thedrop bucket 32. A number, such as six, drop buckets could be provided in a semi-circular subassembly. Asemi-circular flange 72 extends rearwardly from thedrop buckets 32. As best seen inFIG. 5 , each subassembly is held in place by a plurality of spring-loadedplungers 74 that extend throughopenings 76 in theflange 72 and that selectively engage correspondingrecesses 78 in the innerwear plate ring 60 to lock the subassembly in place. - Still referring to
FIGS. 1-4 and most particularly toFIG. 4 , in order to prevent materials received from therotary combination scale 22 from simply being pushed in front of theupstream end wall 64 of eachdrop bucket 32, which is of particular concern for relatively small fills, eachdrop bucket 32 may have at least one partition that extends at least generally vertically between the inner andouter walls drop bucket 32. Two equally-spacedpartitions 80 are provided in the illustrated embodiment, each of which extends at least generally parallel with one another and with thefront end wall 64 of thedrop bucket 32. Three discrete chambers thus are formed within thedrop bucket 32. During relatively small fills, most or all particles is a batch are dispensed into the downstream-most chamber. The benefits of this effect are discussed in more detail below. - Referring to
FIGS. 3-7 , the slide plate or “drop plate” 100 is mounted in an upper recess between the inner and outer wear plate rings 60 and 62 so as to remain in place while therings slide plate 100 may be formed of Delrin® or a similar material to facilitate this sliding contact while still providing the desired hardness and wear-resistance. It may, however, be formed of a separate material than that of the wear plate rings 60 and 62 to facilitate sliding movement of the two components relative to one another. For example, Delrin is particularly well-suited for theslide plate 100 if HDPE is used as therings slide plate 100 shown inFIG. 7 is formed integrally with anannular ring 102 that is segmented by a number of circumferentially spacedradial connecting arms 104. Inner andouter edges ring 102 are supported on upwardly facinglips wear plate ring 60 and the inner peripheral surface of the outerwear plate ring 62, respectively, as best seen inFIG. 5 . Thering 102 prevents materials from accumulating on thelips slide plate 100 is held stationary by a pin or similar device 114 (FIGS. 1, 3, and 6 ) that extends downwardly from a stationary mount into an opening formed in or through theslide plate 100. Accurate relative positioning of theslide plate 100 relative to the wear plate rings 60 and 62 can be provided by forming this opening in the form of a slot or by providing two or more spacedcircular openings 116 as shown inFIG. 7 . - Referring especially to
FIG. 7 , the radial diameter of theslide plate 100 is tapered over at least a portion of its length to cause the effective sizes of thefill openings 56 encountered by materials in therotating drop buckets 32 to increase progressively downstream of the rotarycombination scale dispenser 22. The taperedportion 122 thus effectively acts as a sliding trap door that causes therotating drop buckets 32 to push particles into thefill openings 56 one at a time or in small groups rather than in a single clump. Hence, the upstream-most fill opening encountered by a filleddrop bucket 32 is nearly fully covered, and thedownstream fill openings 6 that thereafter are encountered are progressively exposed until thefill openings 56 downstream of theslide plate 100 are entirely exposed. - More specifically, as best seen in
FIGS. 5-7 , when viewed in a direction of turret rotation, theslide plate 100 includes anupstream portion 120 of uninform diameter and adownstream portion 122 that tapers progressively in diameter toward the downstream end thereof. In the illustrated embodiment in which the slide plate extends through an arc of about 290 degrees, the taperedportion 122 extends through the downstream-most 170-250 degrees of theslide plate 100. This taper may be continuous and uniform along part or all thetapered portion 122. In the illustrated embodiment, the tapered portion has an arc length of about 235 degrees. The taperedinner edge 124 has a radius of about 17 degrees over about the upstream-most 60 degrees of the tapered portion and of about 18.5 degrees over the remaining 175 degrees. - A
notch 128 is formed in theinner edge 124 of the upstream end of the taperedportion 122 so that the leading end of the taper is located over the associatedfill opening 56 rather than being disposed inboard of the fill opening. In the illustrated embodiment in which thefill openings 56 are about 100 mm wide, the “effective width” of thefill openings 56, as defined by the portions of thefill openings 56 that are not covered by theslide plate 100, increase in diameter from about 12 mm at the upstream-most end of the taperedportion 122 to the full 100 mm at the downstream-most end of theslide plate 100, where the slide plate is no-wider than thelip 112 on the outerwear plate ring 62. - Still Referring to
FIGS. 5-7 , theupstream end portion 120 of theslide plate 100 completely covers the underlying fill opening(s) 56 to provide a gapless “receiving surface” for receiving dispensed batches of particle received from therotary combination scale 22 and for staging them for subsequent dispensing into the fill openings as they become exposed. In the illustrated embodiment, the upstream portion has an arc-length of about 55-60 degrees. This arc length could be considerably longer, if desired. - It should be noted that the
ring 102 ofFIG. 7 is not essential for support or operation of theslide plate 100. Theslide plate 100 or a similarly-constructed slide plate could be provided in the form of a crescent or half-moon shaped element lacking a ring. Theslide plate 100 is illustrated without a ring inFIG. 6 . - Referring now to
FIGS. 8-10 , eachfunnel assembly 34 is configured to dispense materials falling through the associatedfill opening 56 while further dilating those materials so that the materials are dispensed from abottom dispensing outlet 160 of thefunnel assembly 34 in or near a single file rather than in clumps.Outlet 160 typically has a diameter that is no greater than that of the inlet opening of the underlying container or, in the present non-limiting example, on the order of 20-40 mm and more typically of about 30 mm. The interior geometry of eachfunnel assembly 34 may be customized to accommodate the flow characteristics of the materials being dispensed. As a rule of thumb, the product flow path should be relatively simple for materials, like soft gummies, that are relatively sticky or tacky but that are not particularly prone to entanglement, and relatively complex for materials, such as cashews or hard gummies, that are not tacky or sticky but that are highly prone to entanglement or at least self-adhesion. - The
funnel assemblies 34 shown inFIG. 8-10 are well-suited to dispense materials of the latter type. The illustratedfunnel assembly 34 comprises upper andlower funnels annular flange 136 on theupper funnel 130 and an upperannular flange 138 on thelower funnel 132. Theupper funnel 130 may be universal to all dispensed materials or to broad classes of materials. Thelower funnel 132 may be customized for a particular product, most notably including particle diameters, and thus may be thought of as a container adapter. The interior of eachfunnel assembly 34 may be of a non-linear and non-uniform volumetric taper so as to cause materials falling therethrough to zig-zag or bounce from side to side, breaking up clumps of entangled particles and further dilating or singulating the stream of flowing particles. A variety of geometries could achieve this effect, some more effectively for certain particles than others. - Referring specifically to
FIG. 9 , the interior of theupper funnel 130 defines an inner dilation camber bordered by an upper set of opposed first andsecond walls lower walls outer shell 150 of theupper funnel 130 from above to permit customization for a particular application. Theinserts 148, and thelower funnel 132, may be made from a durable wear resistant, low friction material such as urethane. Thefirst wall 140 of the upper set is inclined downwardly and inwardly to a bottom edge located proximate the axial center of theupper funnel 130. At least most of the particles being swept into thefunnel assembly 34 impinge onwall 140 and are defected to the opposedsecond wall 146 of the lower set. Thesecond wall 146 of the lower set is inclined downwardly and inwardly to a bottom edge that directs particles to the inlet of thelower funnel 132. Thesecond wall 142 of the upper set and thefirst wall 144 of the lower set act mainly as stops and see little or no product flow. - Still referring to
FIG. 9 , thebottom funnel 132 is kinked or “doglegged” at acentral portion 151 thereof to define upper and lower portions that extend at an acute angle relative to one another. As with theupper funnel 130, the interior of thelower funnel 132 has first and secondupper walls lower walls first wall 152 of the upper set is inclined downwardly and inwardly to a bottom edge. Thesecond wall 158 of the second set is inclined downwardly and inwardly to thebottom outlet 160 of thefunnel assembly 34. Particles bouncing off thefirst wall 152 of the upper set impinge on thesecond wall 158 of the lower set, where they are further singulated as they flow toward thelower outlet 160. Thesecond wall 142 of the upper set and thefirst wall 152 of the second set act mainly as stops and see little or no product flow. - Comparing
FIG. 9 toFIG. 10 , it can be seen that at a minimum the lower portion of the opening in thelower funnel 132 progressively narrows in one or “X” direction as shown inFIG. 9 and widens in the other or “Y” direction as shown inFIG. 10 . This geometry helps prevent bridging of particles at thebottom outlet 160 by maintaining a relatively large flow area at the outlet despite presenting a taper in one direction for direction purposes. - Referring now to
FIG. 12 , afunnel assembly 234 may be fitted with inwardly-projectingfingers 380 that serve to be impacted by and break up any clumps that may survive the fall through theupper funnel 330. Thefunnel assembly 234 of this embodiment otherwise is similar to that of the first embodiment in that it has upper andlower funnels fingers 380 project inwardly into thebaffle 334 from the outer perimeter thereof. Three such fingers (two of which are shown inFIG. 12 ) are provided in the illustrated embodiment, spaced equidistantly around thefunnel assembly 234. Each finger has an inner, product engaging end that may have a tab thereon, and an outer end clamped between the upper surface of thebellows 334 and the lower surface of the mounting flange 336 of theupper funnel 330. Thefingers 380 may be inclined relative to the horizontal at any desired angle to achieve the desired disrupting effect, and their angles of inclination may vary relative to one another. Thefingers 380 may be formed, for example, of stainless steel or spring steel. - The material flow path in the
funnel assembly 234 ofFIG. 12 also is more direct or linear than in thefunnel assembly 34 ofFIGS. 8-10 in order to accommodate tackier or sticker materials that tend to adhere to any surface they contact. In this embodiment, both the upper andlower funnels lower funnel 132 is eliminated. In addition, in theupper funnel 330, the first and second sets of walls of different relative inclinations are replaced by a singleperipheral wall 340 of relatively uniform inclination. - Of course, the
fingers 380 ofFIG. 12 , as well as other fingers or other elements protruding into the funnel assembly to help break up clumps, also could be provided in the funnel assembly ofFIGS. 8-10 . - Referring to
FIGS. 3, 5, and 11 , additional measures may be provided to impart shocks or vibrations to thefunnel assemblies 34 to dislodge particles tending to bridge the funnels or stick to their inner wall. In the illustrated embodiment, these measures take the form of “funnel knockers” 400 that are impacted by therotating funnel assemblies 34. Severalsuch funnel knockers 400 could be spaced around the fillingmachine 20 in cooperation with some or all of the funnel assemblies that are actually dispensing product at any given time. Sixsuch funnel knockers 400 are provided in this embodiment, spaced circumferentially around the fillingmachine 20 between the upstream end of the taperedportion 122 of theslide plate 100 where particles first fall into theunderlying funnel assemblies 34 to a location disposed downstream of the downstream end of theslide plate 100. - Each
funnel knocker 400 comprises arigid mounting arm 402, aspring arm 404, and animpact block 406. Each mountingarm 402 has a base 408 bolted to a stationary support surface of the fillingmachine 20. Eachspring arm 404 is relatively flexible and may, for instance, be formed of spring steel. Eachspring arm 404 has a first end affixed to the mountingarm 402 and a second, free end, positioned in the path of funnel assembly rotation. The radial position of thespring arm 404 relative to the mountingarm 402 may be adjustable, for example, by providing a slot 410 in thespring arm 402 for mating with spacedholes 412 in the mounting arm 02. Theimpact block 406 is mounted on the free end of thespring arm 404 bybolts 414 that extend through theimpact block 406, through thespring arm 404 and into amounting block 416 located behind thespring arm 404. This mountingblock 416 provides additional mass to the structure being deflected by therotating funnel assemblies 34. Theimpact block 406 is formed from a durable, wear resistant material such as Delrin. In operation, engagement of theimpact block 406 with the revolving funnel assemblies resiliently deflects the free end of thespring arm 404 out of the path of funnel assembly rotation while imparting a shock to thefunnel assemblies 34. - In operation, the
turret 30 of therotary filling machine 20 is driven to rotate while particles of bridgeable materials are deposited into thedrop buckets 32 from the rotarycombination scale dispenser 22. The particles in eachdrop bucket 32 initially fall onto theslide plate 100, and are swept into thefill openings 56 one at a time or in small groups as thedrop bucket 32 rotates over the progressively-narrowingtapered portion 122 of theslide plate 100, thus tending to singulate the particles or, viewed another way, dilate the particle stream into individual particles or small clumps of particles. If the dispensed batch is relatively small so as not to fill the bottom of thedrop bucket 32, the partitions hinder the “snow-plowing of particles” along the edge of the opening adjacent theslide plate 100 rather than the sweeping of those particles into thefill opening 56. - If the
funnel assembly 34 is of the serpentine type shown inFIGS. 1-10 , materials fulling into thefunnel assembly 34 will further singulate or dilate as they bounce back and forth from theupper funnel 130 and thelower funnel 132 before falling out of thedischarge outlet 160 and into thecontainer 37. The falling particles are further singulated or dilated during this process, resulting of the dispensing of materials into theunderlying container 37 in a stream of mostly-single particles. Impacts of thefunnel knockers 400 against the funnel assembles 34 during this process will inhibit or prevent the adhesion of particles to any particular surface of the funnel assembly with attendant decreased risk of bridging. - If, on the other hand, the
funnel assembly 234 is of the more traditional orientation as shown inFIG. 12 , the materials simply drop through thefunnels fingers 380, tending to singulate the particles falling past the fingers. Such fingers also could be provided in thefunnel assemblies 34. - Variations and modifications of the foregoing are within the scope of the present invention. Some such variations and modifications are discussed above. Others will become apparent from the appended claims. Many changes and modifications could be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof. The scope of these changes and modifications will become apparent from the appended claims.
Claims (18)
1. A rotary filling machine comprising:
a rotatable hub defining an opening extending therethrough, the opening having upper and lower ends;
a plurality of circumferentially spaced drop buckets configured to rotate with the hub, each drop bucket having an open top, an open bottom in alignment with the lower end of the opening the opening, and a perimeter wall;
a plurality of funnel assemblies configured to rotate with the hub, each funnel assembly having an upper inlet positioned beneath the bottom opening of a corresponding drop bucket, and a lower dispensing outlet; and
a stationary slide plate located vertically between the funnel assemblies and the drop buckets, wherein, when viewed in a direction of turret rotation, the slide plate has an upstream end, a downstream end, upper and lower surfaces, and inner and outer edges, and wherein the slide plate includes a tapered portion that tapers progressively in diameter toward the downstream end thereof such that flow paths from the bottoms of the drop buckets, through the opening the hub, and to the inlet openings of the funnel assemblies increase progressively in diameter with the taper of the slide plate.
2. The rotary filling machine of claim 1 , wherein the inner edge of the tapered portion of the slide plate is tapered continuously throughout at least a majority of the tapered portion.
3. The rotary filling machine of claim 1 , wherein the slide plate extends through an arc of 180 degrees to 320 degrees.
4. The rotary filling machine of claim 3 , wherein the tapered portion of the slide plate extends through an arc of at least 150 degrees.
5. The rotary filling machine of claim 4 , wherein an upstream portion of the slide plate is untapered, and the tapered portion of the wear plate extends from the upstream portion of the slide plate to the downstream end of the slide plate.
6. The rotary filling machine of claim 4 , wherein the slide plate is integrated into a ring mounted on the hub over the opening in the hub.
7. The rotary filling machine of claim 1 , wherein each drop bucket has first and second opposed end walls and inner and outer walls, each of which abuts an associated end of both end walls.
8. The rotary filling machine of claim 7 , wherein each drop bucket has at least one partition that extends between the inner and outer walls to define discrete chambers within the drop bucket.
9. The rotary filling machine of claim 8 , wherein each drop bucket has at least two partitions that are spaced generally equally of one another between the first and second end walls.
10. The rotary filling machine of claim 1 , wherein the drop buckets are supported on the hub.
11. The rotary filling machine of claim 1 , wherein the funnel assembly are mounted on the hub.
12. A drop bucket that is configured to be positioned beneath a discharge opening in a hub of a rotary filling machine and to direct materials from a discharge opening to a funnel located beneath the drop bucket, wherein the drop bucket comprises:
a body having an open top that is configured to be in alignment with the opening during a portion of a rotational phase of the rotary filling machine, an open bottom that is configured to discharge materials into the funnel, and a perimeter wall including inner and outer walls and first and second end walls; and
at least one partition that extends between the inner and outer walls and that is positioned between the first and second end walls to define discrete chambers within the drop bucket.
13. The drop bucket of claim 12 , wherein the drop bucket has at least two partitions that are spaced generally equally of one another between the first and second end walls to define three discrete chambers within the drop bucket.
14. The drop bucket of claim 12 , wherein each partition extends at least generally vertically.
15. The drop bucket of claim 12 , wherein the drop bucket is generally trapezoidal in shape, and wherein the outer wall is longer than the inner wall.
16. The drop bucket of claim 15 , wherein upper end portions of each of the walls are flared outwardly to collectively serve as a chute, and wherein the partition has an upper end positioned beneath the upper ends of the walls.
17. A funnel assembly for dispensing materials into a container, the funnel assembly comprising:
an upper funnel having an upper inlet configured to receive dispensed dry bridgeable materials and having a lower outlet; and
a lower funnel having an upper inlet coupled to the outlet of the upper funnel and a lower dispensing outlet configured to dispense the dry bridgeable materials into a container, wherein the upper funnel has an inner dilation chamber that is dimensioned and configured to progressively dilate the dry bridgeable materials falling therethrough.
18. The funnel assembly as recited in claim 17 , further comprising a plurality of fingers that project into each funnel assembly between the inlet and the outlet proximal to an axial centerline of the funnel assembly.
Priority Applications (3)
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US17/306,115 US20210323707A1 (en) | 2019-09-20 | 2021-05-03 | Rotary Filling Machine |
US17/662,708 US20220267041A1 (en) | 2019-09-20 | 2022-05-10 | Rotary Filling Machine |
US18/108,976 US20230192340A1 (en) | 2019-09-20 | 2023-02-13 | Rotary Filling Machine |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
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US16/577,776 US10994879B2 (en) | 2019-09-20 | 2019-09-20 | Rotary filling machine |
US17/306,115 US20210323707A1 (en) | 2019-09-20 | 2021-05-03 | Rotary Filling Machine |
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US16/577,776 Continuation US10994879B2 (en) | 2019-09-20 | 2019-09-20 | Rotary filling machine |
US16/577,776 Continuation-In-Part US10994879B2 (en) | 2019-09-20 | 2019-09-20 | Rotary filling machine |
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US18/108,976 Division US20230192340A1 (en) | 2019-09-20 | 2023-02-13 | Rotary Filling Machine |
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US18/108,976 Pending US20230192340A1 (en) | 2019-09-20 | 2023-02-13 | Rotary Filling Machine |
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EP (1) | EP4031452A4 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2022548321A (en) |
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CA (2) | CA3192197A1 (en) |
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Families Citing this family (9)
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CN113291504B (en) * | 2021-05-24 | 2022-09-06 | 青岛市黄岛区中心医院 | Medicine quantitative filling structure based on medical liquid |
CN113320722B (en) * | 2021-06-18 | 2022-11-15 | 西安大兴医院 | Traditional chinese medicine granule partial shipment apparatus |
CN113928607B (en) * | 2021-10-12 | 2023-03-14 | 安徽采林间食品科技有限公司 | Nut packaging machine with automatic counterweight compensation mechanism |
CN114011312B (en) * | 2021-11-09 | 2024-03-08 | 普瑞凯高分子材料(山东)有限公司 | Quantitative filling machine for water-based epoxy paint |
CN113978825B (en) * | 2021-12-27 | 2022-03-15 | 朗锐包装技术(沧州)有限公司 | Blanking mechanism is followed to bag packing continuous type |
CN114194432B (en) * | 2021-12-31 | 2023-02-28 | 杜国锋 | Particulate matter filling device and filling method |
CN114906419B (en) * | 2022-05-31 | 2024-03-29 | 南昌大学 | Chinese-medicinal material packagine machine |
CN115196059A (en) * | 2022-08-08 | 2022-10-18 | 魏成瑞 | Packing plant is used in tea processing with function of weighing |
CN116986044B (en) * | 2023-09-26 | 2023-12-19 | 河南裕农食品有限公司 | Quantitative split charging device |
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- 2020-09-18 EP EP20864796.6A patent/EP4031452A4/en active Pending
- 2020-09-18 CA CA3192197A patent/CA3192197A1/en active Pending
- 2020-09-18 BR BR112022004960-9A patent/BR112022004960B1/en active IP Right Grant
- 2020-09-18 CA CA3151553A patent/CA3151553C/en active Active
- 2020-09-18 WO PCT/US2020/051389 patent/WO2021055673A1/en unknown
- 2020-09-18 CN CN202310328366.0A patent/CN116238738A/en active Pending
- 2020-09-18 JP JP2022518403A patent/JP2022548321A/en active Pending
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CA3192197A1 (en) | 2021-03-25 |
JP2022548321A (en) | 2022-11-17 |
CN114599588A (en) | 2022-06-07 |
BR112022004960A2 (en) | 2022-06-14 |
AU2020350684B2 (en) | 2022-05-12 |
CA3151553A1 (en) | 2021-03-25 |
EP4031452A1 (en) | 2022-07-27 |
US20230192340A1 (en) | 2023-06-22 |
CN114599588B (en) | 2023-04-18 |
WO2021055673A1 (en) | 2021-03-25 |
MX2022003267A (en) | 2022-06-16 |
BR112022004960B1 (en) | 2023-02-14 |
US10994879B2 (en) | 2021-05-04 |
CA3151553C (en) | 2023-04-11 |
US20210086932A1 (en) | 2021-03-25 |
EP4031452A4 (en) | 2024-01-10 |
AU2020350684A1 (en) | 2022-04-14 |
CN116238738A (en) | 2023-06-09 |
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