WO1993011043A1

WO1993011043A1 - Equipment for the automatic cutting of the wrapping film and subsequent depalletization of empty plastic or glass bottles or phials prior to their filling

Info

Publication number: WO1993011043A1
Application number: PCT/IT1992/000155
Authority: WO
Inventors: Renato Prescendo
Original assignee: Renato Prescendo
Priority date: 1991-12-06
Filing date: 1992-12-04
Publication date: 1993-06-10
Also published as: ITMI913285A0; IT1252643B; ITMI913285A1; AU3094392A

Abstract

An equipment to carry out automatically the complete depalletization of empty glass or plastic bottles or phials from multi-layer packages prior to their filling, providing the previous cutting of the wrapping film level with each layer of bottles. The equipment comprises a first station (A) for the positioning and preparation to cutting on a revolving platform, a station (20) for the multiple cutting with a series of rotating blades arranged on horizontal independent retractable arms positioned one above the other, a device (30) for the removal of the top part of the package, as well as a forklift device (80) capable of lifting successively the subsequent layers of bottles to take them to the level of the top one, so that they can be picked up one at a time by a known-type device for the conveying to a second platform or station of complete depalletization through separation of the plastic film cut strip and of the lower sheet of each layer of bottles, to be conveyed one at a time to the bottling line, and a package materials dumping station with pallet storage level with the bottom layer.

Description

"EQUIPMENT FOR THE ATTTOMATTH PUTTING OF THE WRAPPING FTr.M AND STTRSEOTTENT DEPALLETIZATION OF EMPTY PLASTIC OR CLASS BOTTLES OR PHIALS PRTOR TO THEIR FILLING"

This invention concerns an equipment for the automatic cutting of the plastic material wrapping film of empty plastic or glass bottles or phials, as well as for the subsequent depalletization, automatic as well, of said bottles or phials prior to their filling.

It is known that from a bottles or phials manufacturing plant the items manufactured, both made of plastic and glass, (from now on indicated as "bottles" but including also phials) come out packed on pallets, wrapped by a stretchable or heat-shrinked plastic film. Each pallet carries a large number of bottles arranged in planes or layers one on top of the other, separated by plastic material or thin cardboard sheets.

It is also known that when the bottles thus palletized reach a bottling plant, prior to entering the filling line they have to be freed from the package, that is depalletized, obviously after having provided to cutting the plastic film wrapping. This is a fairly complicated operation which up to now was carried out mainly by hand as far as the real cutting of the film is concerned, while only for the depalletization automatic robots sometimes have been used, the latter resulting particularly complicated and expensive, giving rise to a clear lack of balance with the simple manual means adopted in the previous stage of the operation, that is during cutting.

It is true that attempts have been made to automate also the wrapping cutting stage for example by using a hot wire, but this produces smoke, which must be avoided being relatively toxic, and moreover after each cutting the wire must be cleaned from the rests of the melted plastic material. The use of laser cutting has also been thought of, but besides the notoriously high costs of lasers, it is difficult to keep the exact focus position through an exact orientation of the laser beam. Therefore one of the objects of this invention is to provide an equipment capable of carrying out automatically both the wrapping film cutting and the complete depalletization of the bottles, with removal of the intermediate sheets and of the pallet itself, which is easy to use with a minimum presence of workforce, nearly exclusively with monitoring tasks, and which has limited installation and operating costs.

This is achieved through an equipment comprising a first station for the positioning and preparation to package cutting on a revolving platform, a multiple horizontal cutting station, . with a series of cutters or rotating blades on independent retractable arms one above the other, elastically mounted on a single stand by a side of said platform, being also provided a device for the removal of the top part of the package and, by another side of said platform, a forklift device capable of lifting successively the subsequent layers of bottles to take them to the level of the starting top one, while said layers are picked up one at a time by a known-type device to be subsequently conveyed to a second platform, whose bottom formed by suckers and stopping members is vertically mobile between a raised position of blockage of the bottom sheet of each layer of bottles and a lowered position to receive the pallet level with the bottom layer and put it in contact with the advancing means provided in such position capable of taking away the pallet itself, along each side of said second platform being provided means capable of hooking and lowering the upper edge of the cut film, which surrounds the layer of bottles, pulling members being also provided at each corner of said platform capable of extending outwards said plastic film, including also a last station which may be positioned from above by sliding means on said second platform and provided with suckers to pick up the sheet, as well as pliers to grab the strip of extended film, for the respective simultaneous conveying to a prearranged dumping area, by rising and sliding of said last station. A fundamental characteristic of the equipment according to this invention is that all the operating stages are automatic with no need to use real robots, and leave the bottles depalletized and freed from the wrapping in a position from which it is easy to convey them to the bottling line or even directly on it. Furthermore the waste materials (top cover, plastic film and separating sheets) are put down in different and well identified areas, from which they may be easily taken for destruction or possible reuse. The pallets too may be directly conveyed to a storehouse of their own.

According to a particular aspect of this invention, blocking members of the bottle pile are provided all along its periphery, level with its bottom, when it is positioned on said first platform, said blocking members being a template or check member for a main feeler pin mounted on said stand of the cutting members, below these, and capable of controlling the stopping of the advancing of the stand itself, the latter being provided with independent motors that can be operated by the triggering of said blocking members, which preferably takes place when the pallet, positioning on the platform, comes in contact with a stop fixed on the side opposite to that of entry to the platform from a feeding rollers path thus giving rise to the simultaneous triggering of the blocking members on the other three sides and of the driving motor of the cutting station.

It should also be noted, as important characteristic of this invention, that the cutting takes place for each layer of bottles just below the support sheet or plane, and precisely in the bend included between said sheet and the neck of the underlying bottles obviously without penetrating till cutting the neck itself. In order to do this single feeler pins are provided capable of withdrawing the blade associate thereto, usually pushed forward by spring-like members, according to the cutting distance as the revolving platform revolves.

These and other objects, advantages and characteristics of the equipment according to this invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description of its preferred embodiment, reported as non-limiting example, referring to the annexed drawings wherein :

Fig. 1 shows a schematic top view of the equipment according to this invention;

Fig. 2 shows a partial side view of the equipment shown in fig.l starting from the line II-II in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 shows another partial side view of the same equipment in the direction of arrows III limited to the bottle pile and the forklift, where the pallet blocking member is pointed out;

Fig. 4 shows yet another side view in the direction of arrows II, without cutting device and only with the auxiliary device for the removal of the top part in action;

Fig. 5 shows a schematic side view of the depalletization station, generically indicated by B in fig.l, with a lowering device and a pulling one at the corners of the wrapping strip, in two different positions of the platform, the lowered one being represented with broken lines; and

Fig. 6 shows a top view of said station B, wherein only the four pullers in the corners are shown. Referring to fig.l an equipment according to this invention is schematically shown in a top view, wherein some parts, such as stations B and C are simply indicated by sketched blocks, for ease of drawing, while their actual structure, yet comparatively schematized, will appear more clearly from the following drawings, particularly from figs.4, 5 and 6.

The bottles 1 are fed to the equipment, by causing them to advance on a roller path 10, packaged in multiple layers one on top of the other on a base pallet 2, and wrapped by a plastic film wrapping 4, heat-shrinked for example, each layer being separated from the underlying layer by a plastic or thin cardboard supporting plane or sheet 3. Upon passing through a powered draft roller 11 which prevents the pallet from stopping short, the bottle pile enters the platform A or first positioning station, on whose plane is preferably provided a series of powered rollers 13 for the advancing of the pile up to a front stop 12a (figs.3 and 4) provided on the side of the platform opposite to the roller 11 or entering side from the roller path 10. By means of sensors or similar devices known in the art, the contact between the pallet 2 and the stop 12a triggers the blocking elements 12 on the other three sides of the platform A, which surround from every side the bottom of the pile, that is the pallet 2 , both to keep it in place and for the purposes which will be detailed later on. Simultaneously a pressure member 16 at the end 17 of a rotating arm 18, pivoted in 15 on a post 14 located by a side of the platform A, rotates in a horizontal plane from the position indicated in fig.l by broken lines to the position indicated by continuous lines, best shown in fig.2, thus placing itself on top of the bottle pile. The pressure member 16 is preferably formed by a rigid board with a lower soft or spongy material layer, fit to be pushed down by a pneumatic cylinder coaxial with 15 and by means of a guide tube 17, so as to impart from above a certain stabilizing force to the pile itself, useful during the subsequent cutting operations, thus avoiding a possible overturning of the bottle pile under the lateral push of the cutting members, if the lower blocking only would be present.

At the same time or with a little time lag compared to the operating of the blocking means 12, that is- as a consequence of the contact of the pallet 2 with the stop 12a, starts the operation of a driving motor, not shown, of a cutting station 20 preferably located, as shown in the drawings, on the side of the platform A opposite to the post 14. Said cutting station presents in its lower part, level with the pallet 2 or the blocking device 12, a main feeler pin 21 mounted so that it can slide transversally and usually pushed outwards by a spring 22. Said feeler pin 21 is integral with a stand 23 provided with as many arms 24 as are the layers of bottles 1 in the pile. On each of these arms 24 a vertical axis rotating blade or cutter 26 is mounted with its driving motor (not shown in the figure) and a feeler pin 25 integral with its rotation axis. A spring 27 usually keeps pushed outwards the sliding part of the arm 24 with the rotating blade 26 (as best shown in the enlarged detail of fig.2).

The cutting operation takes place as follows. As soon as the feeler pin 21 comes in contact with the blocking member 12, the advancing of the station 20 is stopped thus determining the most forward position of the blades 26 which at the same time rotate while also the platform A starts revolving around its center. It should be noted that the vertical positioning of the blades 26 is such that each one comes in contact with the wrapping 4 in the bend-shaped area 5 formed by the latter level with the cap of the bottles 1 at each layer, below the overlying separating plane or sheet 3. The arm 24 obviously will be sized so that the blade 26 penetrates in said bend 5 for a limited distance, in order not to cut the neck of the bottles 1. All of this is achieved by having the blade 26 projecting from the underlying feeler pin 25 just as much as is needed for this purpose, therefore for a distance shorter than the size of the recess formed by the neck with the side of the bottle, along which the feeler pin 25 slides. During the revolution of the platform A, which is not circular but substantially has the size of the pallet, the distance of the cutting point from the bearing stand 23 varies successively, but the latter is withdrawn when needed by the push exerted by the main feeler pin 21 which always keeps in contact with the bottom of the pile and precisely sliding peripherically on the blocking members 12 which substantially constitute a template for the feeler pin 21, certainly smoother and more reliable than the pallet 2 only. The feeler pin 21 withdraws in contrast with the pushing action of the spring 22, so that also the bearing stand 23 with the single arms 24 withdraws. Nevertheless each arm is made independent from the others since, as previously said, it slides with a spring 27 which provides to keeping each feeler pin 25 in contact with the bottle 1 on the layer associate thereto , so as to allow each rotating blade 26 the possibility to conform itself to the small attitude variations from a bottle layer to the other, thus avoiding that the assembly results rigid, but rather it is flexible and adaptable to the contour imperfections of the packaged pile. Once that the 360" revolution of the platform A is complete, it stops and, through a limit switch, also controls the stopping of the driving motors of the cutting devices 26 and the rising of the pressure member 16 operating the pneumatic cylinder 17, as well as its return, through rotation around the pivot 15, to the starting position indicated by broken lines in fig.l. Having thus freed the top part of the pile, still surrounded by the plastic film wrapping 4 cut in as many strips or peripheral parts as are the piling layers of the bottles, first of all the top covering part of the wrapping 4 will be removed, separated from the lower part by the cutting carried out level with the caps relative to the bottles of the underlying layer. With reference to fig.4 the device 30 provided for this purpose is preferably mounted on the cutting station 20 itself, pivoted in 31 through an . arm 32 which rotates in a horizontal plane above the foreseen uppermost plane of the pile. It should be noted that for higher piles the rotation plane of the arm 32 may be raised by means of a pneumatic cylinder 33. From the position shown in the top view of fig.l, the device ^"--30 is positioned with a rotation of about 90^β above and in contact with the package. It includes a board 34, having about the size of the pallet 2, on which are mounted downwards facing suckers 35 _. and four lateral hooking devices 36 mechanically articulated and controlled for example pneumatically by cylinders 37. A feeler pin 38 located on the lower side of the board 34, coming in contact with the top surface of the wrapping 4 controls the stopping of the device 30 and the suction operation of the suckers 35, as well as the grasping of the hookings 36. In order to do this, through the arm 32, the feeding of compressed air and the connection to a suction pump are provided. If there is a covering cap or a separating sheet on top like at the layers below, the combined action of the suckers and the hookings causes its grasping, either in presence of a top strip of wrapping 4, or in absence of it; in the latter case the top sheet 3 is removed by the suckers 35 only while the hookings 36 will operate to no purpose. After a 90" rotation the material picked up is conveyed to the prearranged dumping area, which may be the starting one of the device 30, and dropped there by deactivation of the suckers 35 and the hookings 36. Subsequently, by means of a known device, preferably of the type with inflatable rubber membranes insertable betwee the necks of the bottles, the top pack is raised togeti-r with its supporting sheet 3 being laterally retained only by the strip of wrapping 4, since it is free from any cover. In fig.l said device is schematically represented by the rotating arm 39 pivoted for example in 19 on the same post 14 of the pressure device. Furthermore B represents, again in a schematic way, the platform on which are put down said top bottle pack and successively the subsequent lower ones.

Referring to fig.5, the platform B is formed substantially by an assembly of stops 41 and suckers 42, the latter connected to a suction source, vertically mobile between a raised position, indicated by continuous lines in fig.5, and a lowered one, represented with broken lines. Such a motion, whose purpose will be explained later on, may be caused for example by an eccentric cam 43, also represented with broken lines -^'*-^*. a position corresponding to lowered platform B. When ne top pack of bottles 1 is put down on the platform B, the latter is in the raised position. In the lowered position the platform B is at level with a fixed part 44 of its structure on which a one-way chain conveyor is mounted. All around the platform B a certain number of devices 50 is provided, of which only one is shown in fig.5, capable of carrying out the crumpling lowering of the plastic film strip 4 along the surface of the bottles 1. Said devices 50 are preferably three along the longer sides of the platform and two along its shorter sides. By means of pneumatic cylinders 52 and 54 with orthogonal axes, an L-shaped hooking tool 51, mounted on the device 50, may move vertically and horizontally starting from a rest position which is lower than and far from the platform B. While all the suckers 42 tightly retain the supporting sheet 3 on the plane B, all the devices 50 initially reach the position represented in fig.5 and then lower themselves with a motion which first brings the L-shaped plate member 51 in contact with the upper edge of the wrapping strip 4, subsequently causing the lowering of the latter with simultaneous crumpling till it assumes the appearance indicated .by 4* in fig.5. In these conditions the bottles are picked up, in a quite conventional way as for example shown in fig.2 by 56, to be conveyed to_., the filling line. The lowered and crumpled strip 4' can not go upwards after the bottles since it is retained by the members 51 all around the pack of bottles.

Once the bottles have been removed the pulling members 60, preferably located at the corners of the platform B as best shown in the top view of fig.6, come into play. Also said corner members 60 present a terminal hooking member 61 which may be withdrawn by a pneumatic cylinder 62. Operating simultaneously the four pullers said hooking members 61, in diagonally confronting pairs, cause the stretching of the plastic film crumpled strip 4^! widening it enough to release the underlying sheet 3. It should be noted that- also said pullers preferably start from a lower and far position to rise, advance and grasp the strip 4* while lowering and then withdraw again during the stretching action.

At the end of the operating cycle of the corner pullers, while they are still retaining the widened film, the last work station of the equipment according to this invention comes into play, that is the one indicated by 65 in fig.2, which is for example a bridge sliding above the platform B, starting for example from the station C schematically represented in fig.l, all the way to reach the separate dumping areas 66 and 68, of the sheets 3 and the wrapping strip 4. Still referring to fig.2, the station 65 essentially includes a plane 70 sliding transversally at a certain level by any known type of means, and provided with pneumatically operated suckers 71 and mechanical pliers 72 on its lower side. Said plane 70 may be lowered by the platform B by means of a pneumatic cylinder 74 until said suckers 71 and pliers 72 come in contact with the platform itself and precisely with the sheet 3 which remained on it, released from the wrapping 4 which is grasped by the pliers 72. After rising back to the sliding level, the plane 70 starts its travel to the two dumping areas 66 and 68, by which the suckers and the pliers are separately deactivated, thus releasing the sheet 3 and the plastic film strip 4 respectively by their prearranged gathering areas, after which the plane 70 will go back to its usual rest position C.

Thus having depalletized the top layer of bottles, the device 39 may proceed to the picking up of the underlying layer to take it again on the platform B. But it will be previously necessary to lift said second layer to the operating level of the device 39, that is to the level of the top layer. In order to do this on a side of the platform A a forklift 80 is provided whose loading platform formed by the prongs 81 of the liftable fork is controlled to rise successively by a height corresponding to the distance between two subsequent layers of bottles, substantially the height of a bottle. Once the previously described operations have been carried out, the device proceeds to the subsequent layer and so on, with progressive rising of the fork 80, until with the lowermost layer also the pallet 2 is loaded, by this time released by the blocking members 12. Now the platform B will lower itself to receive the pallet 2, reaching the position represented with broken lines in fig.5, through rotation of the cam 43 and the latter may be controlled so as to stay in the upper position during the depalletization of all the layers of bottles but the bottom one. Fig.6 shows a top view of the pullers 60 while operating on the bottom strip of the wrapping 4 in presence of the pallet 2. The apertures present in prearranged points on each pallet, in a standardized way, particularly allow the passage of the suckers 42 which thus can get in contact with the bottom sheet to retain it during the picking up of the bottles, as previously said for the upper layers. It should be noted that in the lowered position of the platform B, the pallet results at level with the lateral fixed part 44 and therefore in contact with the previously mentioned chain conveyor which, properly driven by its motor, gets the pallet out of the way to an area where its gathering storehouse is arranged, for example by piling.

It clearly appears from what comes before that through essentially automated operations, to carry out which it will be' sufficient to provide the necessary synchronisms with timers, feeler pins or touchers, limit microswitches, etc. the whole work cycle can take place . substantially without the use of workforce apart from the monitoring and maintenance personnel. At the same time the waste material will gather in an orderly way in prearranged areas, as previously said, for its destruction or possible reuse as it is certainly the case of the pallets. Furthermore, with a proper spatial arrangement of the different stations and devices which make up the equipment, the room needed by the latter may be reduced indeed, gathered around the starting point of the bottling line, next to the feeding of the palletized packages of the bottles, for example unloaded from a truck. In order to do this, as shown for example in fig.l, the positioning and cutting preparation station presents respectively, on the sides next to the feeding side, the cutting station with the top cover removal device and, on the opposite side, the pivot post of the arms bearing the pressure device and the device for the picking up of the single bottle packs, next to the depalletization platform B, while on the remaining platform side, confronting the feeding one, the forklift 80 may be provided.

Possible additions and/or modifications may be produced by those skilled in the art to the above described and illustrated embodiment of the equipment according to this invention without exceeding the scope of the invention. In particular the various stations and the relative devices, which may be accomplished by means of their mechanical equivalents, may be differently arranged. Furthermore if the number of layers of bottles foreseen for each package is variable, the cutting station 20 will be sized, as far as the number of arms 24 is concerned, so as to assure the cutting for the greatest foreseen number of layers of bottles, with the possibility to deactivate those arms, with the relative cutting blades, corresponding to the nonexistent upper layers. In the same way adjustments of the distance between the cutting blades bearing arms may be provided, if the size in height of the bottles to be treated varies.

Claims

1. An equipment for the automatic cutting of the wrapping film (4) and subsequent depalletization of piles of empty plastic or glass bottles or phials (1) on pallets (2) prior to their filling, comprising a first station (A) for the positioning and preparation to wrapping cutting on a revolving platform, a station for the horizontal multiple cutting (20), with a series of cutters or rotating blades (26) on independent and elastically retractable arms (24) arranged one above the other, mounted on a single stand (23) by the side of said platform (A), being also provided a device (16) for the removal of the top part of the package and, by another side of said platform (A), a forklift device (80) capable of lifting successively the subsequent layers of bottles (1) to take them to the level of the starting top layer, while said layers are picked up one at a time by a known- type device (39) to be subsequently conveyed to a second platform or depalletization station (B) , whose bottom, formed by stopping members (41) and suckers (42), is vertically mobile between a raised position of blockage of the lower sheet (3) of each layer of bottles and a lowered position to receive the pallet (2) level with the bottom layer and put it in contact with the advancing means provided in such position to take away the pallet itself, along each side of said second platform (B) being provided means (50) capable of hooking and lowering the upper edge of the cut film (4) which surrounds the layer of bottles, being also provided at each corner of said platform (B) pulling members (60) capable of extending outwards said plastic film (4), furthermore including a last station (65) positioned from above in a sliding way on said second platform and provided with suckers (71) to pick up said sheet (3), as well as pliers (72) to grasp the strip of enlarged film (4), and to convey them simultaneously to the respective prearranged dumping areas (66,68), by rising and sliding of said station (65) starting from a rest position (C) .

2. An equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes, all along the periphery of said first station or platform (A) members (12) blocking the bottle pile, capable of surrounding said pallet (2) while blocking the same, said blocking member (12) presenting on three sides a part that can be triggered by the activation of sensors located on a part (12a) of said blocking member, already in blocking position on the side of said platform (A) opposite to the entry side from a feeding rollers path (10).

3. An equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that it includes on said cutting station (20) a main feeler pin (21), retractably mounted and usually pushed outwards by a spring (22), level with said blocking members (12), which are intended to serve as check and template for said feeler pin (21) during the revolution of the platform (A) .

4. An equipment according to the preceding claims, characterized in that said cutting station (20) is mobile in the two directions towards a side of the pile of bottles (1), being provided with movers that can be operated, in the approaching direction, by the triggering of said blocking member (12), said feeler pin (21) providing the stopping signal when it comes in contact with the pile-platform (A) assembly, in particular with said blocking member (12).

5. An equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that each of said rotating blades (26) is operated, on the arm (24) associate thereto , and driven by an independent motor operated by the first contact of said feeler pin (21) with the blocking members (12), said contact operating also the 360" revolution of the revolving platform (A) .

6. An equipment according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that each arm (24) of said cutting station (20) presents for each rotating blade (26) a secondary feeler pin (25) fit to keep in contact with the side of the outer bottles of each layer of the pile, the blade (26) projecting outwards farther than said feeler pin by a distance shorter than the size of the recess formed by the neck and the side of each bottle (1), the feeler pin being mounted integral with the axis of the blade associate thereto , at a variable distance from the stand (23), the only one for all arms, under the outwards push of a spring (27), said stand (23) being integral with said main feeler pin (21).

7. An equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that the rotating blade (26) of each arm (24) is adjusted in height so that it cuts said wrapping (4) level with the bend (5) that it forms between each separating sheet (3) of the pile layers and the cap of the bottles (1) of the underlying layer.

8. An equipment according to claim 2 , characterized in that the operating of said blocking member (12) controls the positioning of a pressure member (16) capable of imparting from above a balancing pressure to said bottle pile in order to contrast the side push exerted by said feeler pins and cutting members.

9. An equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that said pressure member (16) is formed by a rigid board, approximately the size of the pallet (2), with a lower spongy layer, pivoted through an arm (18) rotating in a horizontal plane around a pivot (15), pneumatic means coaxial with (15) being provided to push downwards and lift said member (16), as well as vertical guiding means (17) in the connection with the arm (18).

10. An equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that the device (30) for the removal of the package cover includes a rotating arm (32), pivoted at one end and bearing, at the other end, a board (34) below which suckers (35) connected to a suction source and pneumatically operated lateral hooking members (36) are mounted.

11. An equipment according to claim 10, characterized in that said board (34) of the device (30) presents sense members (38) to control the stopping of the rotation of said arm (32) when they come in contact with the top of the bottle pile.

12. An equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that said forklift (80) is automatically operated to lift successively said layers of bottles (1), after the cutting and cover removing operations, to take them each time to the level of the top layer of bottles, once that the latter and the other layers on top of the lifted one have been picked up by said known device (39) and taken to said platform (B) .

13. An equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that said platform (B) is controlled in its vertical motion by a rotating eccentric cam (43), capable of keeping the platform itself in the highest position during the placing on it of all layers of bottles (1) except the bottom one, picked up together with the pallet (2) and put down on the platform (B) in its lowest position, in contact with the fixed means (44) of the platform along which the chain conveyor takes the pallet to its storehouse.

14. An equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that multiple devices for the hooking and lowering of the upper edge of the cut film (4), which surrounds the layer of bottles (1), are provided around said platform (B), each of said devices including an hook or L-shaped member (51) operated by pneumatic means working in two perpendicular directions, capable of hooking the upper edge of said cut film (4) and crumpingly lower it, along said bottles, the bottom or sheet (3) of said layer of bottles being retained on the platform (B) by means of said suckers (42).

15. An equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that at the corners of said platform (B) pulling members (60) with a hooked end (61) are provided and pneumatically operated to widen, withdrawing along opposite diagonal lines, said film (4) already lowered and crumpled by said devices (50).

16. An equipment according to claims 14 and 15, characterized in that a known-type device (56) picks up the single bottles (1) from the layer present on said platform (B) during the operating of said devices (50,60).

17. An equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that said station (65) for the removal of said sheets (3) and of the plastic film strips (4) discharges the two materials separately by the corresponding prearranged areas (66,68) deactivating said suckers (71) and pliers (72) in different times.

18. An equipment for the automatic cutting of the wrapping film and subsequent depalletization of empty plastic or glass bottles or phials prior to their filling substantially as above described and illustrated.