Classifications

• • 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
  • B65B25/00—Packaging other articles presenting special problems
  • B65B25/24—Packaging annular articles, e.g. tyres
• • 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
  • B65B53/00—Shrinking wrappers, containers, or container covers during or after packaging
  • B65B53/02—Shrinking wrappers, containers, or container covers during or after packaging by heat
  • B65B53/06—Shrinking wrappers, containers, or container covers during or after packaging by heat supplied by gases, e.g. hot-air jets
• • 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
  • B65B9/00—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, e.g. liquids or semiliquids, in flat, folded, or tubular webs of flexible sheet material; Subdividing filled flexible tubes to form packages
  • B65B9/02—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material between opposed webs

Definitions

• the invention concerns packaging machines generally, for packing a number of rolls, using sheets of heat-shrinkable plastic.
• the machine cuts the cylinder between one roll and the next and then closes the wrapping round each roll by a heat shrinking process.
• This system permits quick packaging but it generally happens that the heat-shrunk seal along the sides of rolls is discontinuous because of unevenly overlapped edges of the plastic material that must converge all round the hole through the roll.
• the packaging machine here descrbed eliminates the above drawbacks ensuring an accurate and even seal on the sides of each roll with optimum effects both as regards appearance and seal, as well as offering other considerable advantages as will be explained below.
• Subject of the invention is a packaging machine using a heat-shrink film for rolls generally, comprising: - a group for intermittent closed-circuit translation of a set of parallel mandrels carrying a number of rolls placed side by side on each mandrel;
• the second heat-shrinking operation takes place almost simultaneously with the cut through the wrapping between rolls so that the hole created by the cut is further restricted and the wrapping round each roll is sealed on both sides without overlapping of edges and formation of wrinkles.
• the two heat-shrinking operations are preferably effected at almost the same time on two adjecent mandrels in the translating group when they reach the two stations in the heat-shrinking group that determines simultaneous rotation of said two mandrels.
• Each station comprises hot-air blowers for this specific purpose.
• the second station also comprises the cutter for cutting the wrapping between rolls.
• the second heat-shrinking operation on the first mandrel is carried out at the second station.
• a first heat-shrinking operation is being done on another mandrel that reaches the first heat-shrinking station.
• An outwardly projecting roller is fixed at one free end of all mandrels in the mandrel-translating group. Simultaneous rotation of the two mandrels is obtained by a V-belt supported by a driving pulley served by an electric ratio-motor, at the apex of a triangle, and by two lower snub pulleys one at each end of its base. Said base is situated close to and parallel with the trajectory followed by the rollers at the ends of the mandrels that carry the rolls.
• the belt When lowered, the belt makes contact with the rollers of the mandrels causing them to rotate, and therefore causing rotation, in the direction opposite to that of the advancing mandrels, of the rolls they carry as well.
• the hot-air blowers By means of an upper articulation operated by a hydraulic and pneumatic cylinder, the hot-air blowers, translating on a geometrical plane parallel to that of advancement of the mandrels, can pass from a working position with air outlet facing onto the mandrel that reaches the heat-shrinking stations, to an idle position with air outlets at the apertures of fans facing away from said air outlets.
• the hot-air blowers at the first heat-shrinking station move along a working trajectory comprised between the first heat-shrinking station and an area between the two stations.
• the hot-air blowers at the second heat-shrinking station move along a trajectory comprised between the second heat-shrinking station and an area outside that between the two stations.
• the welding group is situated immediately downstream of the film of heat-shrinkable material which remains substantially vertical after each wrapping operation and comprises a welding bar parallel to the mandrels, heated by an electric element and fixed to an upper vertical cylinder.
• a welding bar parallel to the mandrels, heated by an electric element and fixed to an upper vertical cylinder.
• On said welding bar is a longitudinal blade between two parallel strips.
• a reaction bar In opposition to said welding bar, lower down there is a reaction bar extending practically as long as the welding bar and fixed to a lower vertical hydraulic and pneumatic cylinder.
• On the upper face of said reaction bar in opposition to the welding bar, there is a channel between two strips of rubber corresponding to the longitudinal blade on the welding bar.
• edge of the hole in the wrapping is thus welded round the hole through the roll without overlapping of edges and without wrinkles, with the great advantage not only of fast production but also that of securing full protection and a good appearance round the edges of the hole.
• Fig. 1 Side view of the packaging machine with a group for feeding in a series of rolls to be packaged aligned on parallel mandrels translating transversally, a group feeding in a film of plastic material formed by welding a pair of bands of said material run off reels, a welding and cutting group, a group for heat shrinking comprising a device for rotation of the mandrels comprising a first station for the initial heat shrinking process and a second station for the second heat shrinking process with a cutting group and two hot-air blowers, at the moment of expulsion of a first set of packaged rolls, at the moment of the second heat shrinking process and then of cutting the wrapping between one roll and another, of a second set of rolls already given the first heat shrinking, at the moment of the first heat shrinking on a third set of rolls, at the moment of welding the plastic wrapping round a fourth set of rolls, at the moment of bringing up a fifth set of rolls to the film of plastic material.
• a group for heat shrinking comprising a device for rotation
• Fig. 2 As above, with the first set of packaged rolls expelled, the second set of rolls after the second heat shrinking process and after cutting, the third set of rolls after the first heat shrinking process, the fourth set of rolls after welding the wrapping, the fifth set of rolls to be packaged close to the film of plastic material.
• FIG. 3 Detail of the welding group and open cut, with one set of rolls at the start of wrapping with the plastic film, side view.
• Fig. 4 As above, at the end of wrapping the set of rolls and of welding the wrapping, side view.
• Fig. 5 Detail of the device for rotating the set of rolls when heat shrinking is being done under the hot-air blowers with a posterior articulation for passing, in an alternating motion, from the working position on a set of rolls to the idle position with the outflow apertures placed against the fans to divert the jet of hot air, side view.
• Fig. 6 Detail of the cutter that cuts the cylinder of plastic material, after the second heat shrinking process, between one roll and another.
• Fig. 7 A series of rolls threaded onto a supporting mandrel while being wrapped with the film of plastic, front view (from the left of Fig. 1).
• Fig. 8 As above, on completion of wrapping and after welding, front view.
• Fig.11 Diagram showing the first and second heat shrinking processes on the plastic wrapping round the rolls to be packaged.
• FigJ 2 Roll after the first heat shrinking process and after the cut in the wrapping between rolls, perspective.
• the packaging machine 10, of a metal structure 1 1 comprises: a group 30 for translating mandrels 32 pulled by a set of chains 31 moved by a ratiomotor 37; said mandrels sustained (Fig. 7), on bearings 80 and 81 , by the support
• the welding group 40 (Figs. 3 and 4) comprises the transversal welding bar 43 with a longitudinal blade 45 between two longitudinal seats 46, 47.
• Said welding bar is joined to the opposite bar 50 by bolts 48.
• the electric element 51 for heating the bar to 120/150°C is placed between the welding bar and its opposite one.
• the opposite bar 50 is fixed by means of the body 68 to the rod 69 of the upper vertical hydraulic and pneumatic cylinder 52.
• the reaction bar 54 comprising longitudinal rubber strips 60, 61 placed close to each other forming an intermediate channel 55 at the position of the blade 45 on the welding bar 43.
• Said reaction bar 54 is fixed to the body 63 joined by the rod 58 to the lower vertical hydraulic and pneumatic cylinder 59.
• FIG. 5 illustrates the group 70 with two heat-shrinking stations and device for anticlockwise rotation of the mandrels carrying the rolls, during the heat-shrinking process.
• the rotating device consists of the ratiomotor 71 for moving the drive pulley 72 that pulls the V-belt 73 guided by two lower pulleys 74 and 78 forming a triangle with base 79.
• FIG. 5 shows, at the first heat-shrinking station there is a first group 90 of hot-air blowers 92 whose upper end is supported by a device 85 for movement comprising the hydraulic and pneumatic cylinder 93. Forming a pair with said blower 92 is the fan 94 whose lower mouth 94' faces the trajectory of the mouth of said blower 92. At the second heat-shrinking station there is a second group 95 of hot-air blowers 96 whose upper end is supported * by a device 87 for movement served by the hydraulic and pneummatic cylinder 97. Forming a pair with said blower 96 is the fan 98 whose mouth 98' faces the trajectory of the mouth of said blower 96.
• the hot air from the blower 92 carries out a first heat-shrink on the wrapping 1 T as seen in Figure 9.
• the blower 92 On completion of this heat-shrinking the blower 92 is moved to position 92' marked by a dotted line in Figure 5, the position of its mouth then corresponding to that of the mouth of the fan 94'.
• the mandrel 32", then upstream of the pulley 78 receives hot air at about 130/140°C from the blower 96 and at the same time the wrapping is cut between rolls as seen in Figures 5, 6, 10.
• the "concertina" shaped wrapping is cut by the group 100 ( Figures 6 and 10) comprising a set of blades 101 supported by an angle bar 102 and by a pin 103 passing through them.
• the two rods 104 held to the support 105 on which the angle bar 102 carrying the blades 101 is fixed by grub screws 106, are themselves fixed to the lower end of the angle bar. Said rods 104 slide in guides 107 to adjust the cut by means of the handwheel with a threaded bar 108.
• the first heat-shrink operation (Fig. 9) produces a concertina-type wrapping 17 forming a series of chambers, one for each roll in the series, said chambers being joined by a section of wrapping of a lesser diameter.
• the cut and simultaneous second heat-shrink operation making a hole in each side of the wrapping round each roll, cause the sides of the chambers to adhere to the roll while said hole shrinks to practically the size of the hole through the roll which will then be wrapped by a protective film without any wrinkles or other imperfections.
• Fig, 12 illustrates the roll 36 with wrapping 17 shown with a cut at the end of the first heat-shrinkg process.
• the diameter of the hole 18 in the wrapping is substantially equal to that of the hole 19 through the roll 36.
• Fig 13 shows a series of rolls 110 when wrapping 17" is completed. It is clear that the diameter of the hole 18' in the wrapping is substantially equal to the diameter of the hole 19 through the roll, and the sides 111 appear smooth and continuous without wrinkles and overlapping of edges at the position of the hole.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Containers And Plastic Fillers For Packaging (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=11377396

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (4)

Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (6)

• 1997
  • 1997-06-19 IT IT97MI001439A patent/IT1292376B1/it active IP Right Grant
  • 1997-07-25 AU AU38633/97A patent/AU3863397A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1997-07-25 WO PCT/IT1997/000188 patent/WO1998057855A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (6)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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