WO2014147422A1

WO2014147422A1 - Apparatus to feed a collation of deformable packets to a form/fill/seal machine

Info

Publication number: WO2014147422A1
Application number: PCT/GB2014/050902
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Alan Francis MANN; Lee Neville WRIGHT
Original assignee: A M Packaging Limited
Priority date: 2013-03-22
Filing date: 2014-03-21
Publication date: 2014-09-25
Also published as: GB2512135A; GB201305273D0; GB2512135B

Abstract

A packaging machine for packaging a collation of deformable packets (12) has two longitudinally-extending endless belts (16, 18) spaced apart by a distance less than the width of any one of the packets, the collation of packets being received between the belts with each packet upright, feed means for guiding and shaping a web material from a web feed over and around an end portion of the belts with the packets therebetween, means for drawing together and sealing the opposed sides of the web to form a tube closely surrounding the collation of packets as it emerges from between the belts, and transverse sealing and cutting means for sealing and separating the tube between each collation of packets.

Description

APPARATUS TO FEED A COLLATION OF DEFORMABLE PACKETS TO A

FORM/FILL/SEAL MACHINE

Field of the Invention

[0001] This invention relates to a packaging machine for use in packaging collations of flexible packets, for example of the type used to contain snack foods such as potato crisps.

Background to the Invention

[0002] It is common for snack foods such as potato crisps and nuts to be packaged in film packets flat-sealed along the upper and lower edges. While these packets are sold singly, they are also often sold in multipack form with, for example, six of the packets contained within a similar, but of course larger, film pack. Conventionally, the multipacks are created by forming the larger film pack around stacked collations of the packets, and these are usually stacked horizontally in collations of two or three. The resulting multipacks therefore have a relatively long narrow shape. For some display purposes, it may be de- sirable to offer other shapes.

[0003] A possible disadvantage with such conventional multipackaging methods is that, because they typically package in multi-layers, they operate most efficiently when all the layers are the same, which means that it is difficult to vary the numbers of packets in the multipack singly; instead they tend to be varied by increments of the number of layers, to avoid creating unnecessary empty space within the multipack.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] Accordingly, the present invention provides a packaging machine for packaging a collation of deformable packets, the machine having two longitudi- nally-extending endless belts spaced apart by a distance less than the width of any one of the packets, the collation of packets being received between the belts with each packet upright, feed means for guiding and shaping a web material from a web feed over and around an end portion of the belts with the packets therebetween, means for drawing together and sealing the opposed sides of the web to form a tube closely surrounding the collation of packets as it emerges from between the belts, and transverse sealing and cutting means for sealing and separating the tube between each collation of packets as it emerges from between the belts. [0005] Other features of the invention are set out in the claims. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] In the drawings, which illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the packaging machine of the invention:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine;

Figure 2 is a section on line A-A in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a section on line B-B in Figure 1 ; and

Figures 4 and 5 are perspective views of the sealing and cutting station of an alternative embodiment of the machine at successive stages of the sealing operation. Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiment

[0007] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the packaging machine comprises a delivery channel 1 consisting of a spaced pair of longitudinal guides 2 and 4, and with a moving bed 6 extending beneath and between the guides. The moving bed 6 is formed by plastics blocks 8 carried by an endless chain (not shown), which also supports pairs of posts 10 spaced at intervals along the bed 6.

[0008] The packets 12 of snack foods, typically containing from 20g to 50g of the snack foods, are located into the delivery channel in collations of, for example, six, each packet 12 being placed upright (generally known in the packaging field as "on edge") into the channel at an oblique angle to the direction of movement (indicated in Figure 1 by the arrow D) and then rotated so that the width of the packet extends transversely of the channel. This will typically be done by a robotic arm device which will pick the packets from a neighbouring conveyor. [0009] Alternatively, the packets may be fed into the channel already correctly oriented from a collating conveyor system as disclosed an claimed in our copending application GB1320685.9.

[0010] The positioning of the packet between the guides in this way causes the packet to be squeezed in to a small degree centrally, creating an indentation in each side of the packet. The indentations help to maintain the correct orientation of the packets, while the posts 10 assist in maintaining the packets upright and in their collations as they pass along the delivery channel. The guides may be arranged such that the width between them gradually decreases over at least an initial part of their length.

[0011] The delivery channel 1 leads into a wrapping section indicated generally at 14, in which the longitudinal guides 2 and 4 are replaced by longitudinally-extending endless belts 16 and 18, as may be seen more clearly in Figure 3, which offer at least a small degree of friction so as to engage the indented sides of the packets to propel them forward and hold them upright. The wrapping section 14 has guides 20 and 22 on opposed sides of the delivery channel to receive a web material 24 delivered from a roll and to guide each side of the web downwardly and around the outsides of the belts 16 and 18 and to the opposed sides of the moving bed 6, to be brought together in a tensioning and crimp sealing station beneath the packets at the point where the moving bed 6 ends. This pulls the web 24 into a tube with a crimped seal being formed as the collation of packets is carried forward free of the ends of the belts 16 and 18, the web tube serving to hold the packets in a stack for delivery to a transverse end sealing and cutting station 26 consisting of conventional rotary heat-sealing and cutting blades 28 and 30, which bring the top and bottom of the tube together forming a transverse seal across the tube between each collation of packets, and severing the sealed portion so that each multipack is separated in turn from the following one. It is desirable to extend the ends of the belts 16 and 18 forward as close to the sealing and cutting station 26 as possible to en- sure that the packets do not move significantly away from the vertical before the closing seal is formed. [0012] The belts are servo-driven at a speed that matches the speed of the web as it is delivered to the wrapping section 14. Because the belts extend within the web as it is formed into a tube, the collation of packets continues to be supported by the belts right up to the point at which the tube is crimped and sealed, support then transferring to the tube. The moving bed 6 runs at a speed slightly faster than that of the web 24 to ensure that the packets are urged towards the closed end of the web tube, thereby ensuring that there are no gaps between them, or unnecessary empty space within the multipack.

[0013] The web material is conveniently a heat-sealable plastics film of the type used for forming conventional multipacks, but other materials could be used, for example paper, suitably a coated paper to facilitate sealing.

[0014] Figures 4 and 5 shown an alternative embodiment of the machine, in which the sealing and cutting station comprises an opposed pair of jaws 40 and 41 slidably mounted on a pair of pillars 42 and 43, the pillars being mounted on a carriage 44 reciprocally slidable on a horizontal rail 45. The upper jaw 40 is provided with a centrally pivoted crank 46, in turn pivotally connected to a lever 47 mounted on the shaft of a motor 48 carried on a fixed mount 49 between the pillars 42 and 43. An opposite end of the lever 47 connects through a second crank 50 to a bar 51 extending between and slidable on the pillars. The bar 51 is linked by adjustable rods 55 to the lower jaw 41 . Rotation of the motor 48 thus causes the jaw 40 to be moved towards or away from the fixed mount 49, and at the same time lifts or lowers the bar 51 , which in turn lifts or lowers the other jaw 41 , in effect closing or opening the jaws. The jaws 40 and 41 are provided with heating elements heating surfaces on either side of a transverse knife blade so that, when the jaws are brought together, they clamp the web between them, forming a pair of transverse seals across the web and cutting the web between the seals.

[0015] Figure 4 shows the position of the sealing and cutting station just before the jaws are brought together to close and seal the web just as the last of the packets 52 in a collation 53 clears the end of the belts 16 and 18, the collations being separated by a small space within the web at this stage. Once the jaws 40 and 41 have closed, they must remain in contact with the web long enough to ensure that the seal is correctly formed, i.e. that the two opposed walls of the web are welded together. In order to achieve this, the carriage 44 is caused to slide along the rail 45 in synchrony with the movement of the collation, i.e. at the same speed and in the same direction as the movement of the collation and its surrounding web. The distance travelled by the carriage 44, and with it the closed jaws 40 and 41 is equal to the length of the collation. This forward movement of the jaws propels the sealed collation on to a conveyor belt 54 so that, at the limit of travel of the carriage, as shown in Figure 5, the jaws can then release the collation and the conveyor carries it forward. The jaws separate by a distance sufficient to enable them to clear the top and bottom of the following collation, whereupon the carriage moves back to the start position as shown in Figure 4 to close and seal the next collation.

[0016] It will be appreciated that, while the invention has been described with reference to the packaging of snack foods and the like, the machine can be used for packaging almost any packets or bags of loose products.

Claims

1 . A packaging machine for packaging a collation of deformable packets, the machine having two longitudinally-extending endless belts spaced apart by a distance less than the width of any one of the packets, the collation of packets being received between the belts with each packet upright, feed means for guiding and shaping a web material from a web feed over and around an end portion of the belts with the packets therebetween, means for drawing together and sealing the opposed sides of the web to form a tube closely surrounding the collation of packets as it emerges from between the belts, and transverse sealing and cutting means for sealing and separating the tube between each collation of packets as it emerges from between the belts.

2. A packaging machine according to Claim 1 , wherein drive motors are provided to drive the endless belts.

3. A packaging machine according to Claim 1 or 2, further compris- ing a moving bed extending below and between the belts to support the packets.

4. A packaging machine according to Claim 3, wherein the moving bed comprises a plurality of blocks carried by an endless chain extending longitudinally of the machine.

5. A packaging machine according to Claim 3 or 4, wherein the moving bed is divided into sections by upright barriers spaced at intervals there- along and movable therewith.

6. A packaging machine according to Claim 5, wherein the upright barriers comprise pairs of posts.

7. A packaging machine according to any of Claims 3 to 6, wherein the endless belts extend horizontally beyond the end of the moving bed.

8. A packaging machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the endless belts are configured to exert a gripping force on the packets.

9. A packaging machine according to any preceding claim, compris- ing a delivery channel to deliver the collations of packets to the belts, the delivery channel comprising a spaced pair of longitudinal guides above and extending along opposed sides of the moving bed.

10. A packaging machine according to any preceding claims, wherein the sealing and cutting means comprise an opposed pair of heated jaws mounted on guides for movement towards and away from each other transversely of the axis of movement of the collations, the guides being mounted for reciprocat- ing movement along the axis of movement of the collations, drive means being provided to move the jaws from a start position, wherein they are brought together to seal and cut the web, in synchrony with the movement of the collation enclosed within the web, by a distance equal to the length of the next successive collation, the jaws then being separated to permit their movement back to the start position with the said next collation therebetween.