CN109398818B

CN109398818B - Feeding device

Info

Publication number: CN109398818B
Application number: CN201810928027.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 霍坎·塞特斯特伦
Original assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings and Finance SA
Current assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings and Finance SA
Priority date: 2017-08-15
Filing date: 2018-08-15
Publication date: 2022-10-21
Anticipated expiration: 2038-08-15
Also published as: CN109398818A; CN209506228U; EP3446990A1; WO2019034351A1

Abstract

A feeding device (100) is provided. The feeding device (100) comprises: an entry station (110) configured to provide a succession of consecutive blanks (30); a feed turntable (120) arranged vertically below the inlet station (110), the feed turntable (120) having a plurality of receiving means (130) distributed along a circumference of the feed turntable (120). Each receiving device (130) is configured to receive a blank (30) from the entry station (110) and to transform the blank (30) into an erected body (40), wherein the feeding device (100) further comprises a conveyor (140), the conveyor (140) having a plurality of carriages (142), the carriages (142) being configured to receive the respective erected bodies (40) from the associated receiving device (130), and wherein the conveyor (140) is arranged vertically above the feeding carousel (120).

Description

Feeding device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a feeding device configured to convert flat packaging material into erected sleeves, and a method for performing such conversion.

Background

Feeding devices are provided in various types of manufacturing, for example in the packaging industry. It is known here to use a feeding device as a tool in which a cardboard base blank, i.e. a flat packaging material, is converted into a sleeve, ready to receive a plastic top forming the spout of the final package.

Instead of providing the blanks in magazines from which the feeder receives a series of successive blanks, it has been proposed to feed the flat tubes to a feeder, cut out the blanks from the successive tubes, and immediately thereafter convey the cut out blanks to the feeder. One problem with this solution is that the feeder is transporting the erected sleeve on a horizontal plane when the pipe is running vertically. Therefore, a motion conversion is required, thereby increasing the complexity of the feeding device and making it bulky.

In view of this, it would be advantageous to provide a less complex and less bulky feeding device which is still capable of receiving vertically moving flat blanks, erecting them into sleeves, and transporting the sleeves in a horizontal plane.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present solution to at least partly overcome one or more of the above-mentioned limitations of the prior art. In particular, it is an object to reduce the required height of the feeding device.

To achieve these objects, a feeding device is provided. The feeding device comprises: an entry station configured to provide a series of continuous blanks; a feed turntable arranged vertically below the entry station and having a plurality of receiving means distributed along a circumference of the feed turntable. Each receiving device is configured to receive a blank from the entry station and convert the blank into an erected body. The feeding device further comprises a conveyor having a plurality of carriages configured to receive respective upright bodies from associated receiving devices, and wherein the conveyor is arranged vertically above the feed turntable.

According to another aspect of the present solution, a method for feeding blanks of packaging material is provided, wherein the method comprises:

-moving the blank in a vertical direction to receiving means arranged on a rotary feed turret,

-erecting the blank into a tubular body while conveying the blank by movement of the receiving means, and

-transporting the erected body onto a carrier of a conveyor arranged vertically above the receiving means.

In particular, some aspects of the invention may be set forth as follows:

1. a feeding device (100) comprising:

an entry station (110), the entry station (110) being configured to provide a series of consecutive blanks (30);

a feed turntable (120), the feed turntable (120) being arranged vertically below the entry station (110) and having a plurality of receiving devices (130) distributed along a circumference of the feed turntable (120), each receiving device (130) being configured to receive a blank (30) from the entry station (110) and to transform the blank (30) into an erected body (40),

wherein the feeding device (100) further comprises a conveyor (140), the conveyor (140) having a plurality of carriages configured to receive respective upright bodies (40) from associated receiving devices (130), and wherein the conveyor (140) is arranged vertically above the feeding carousel (120), wherein the inlet station (110) is configured to cut the blanks (30) from flat tubes (10) of packaging material.

2. The feeding device (100) according to clause 1, wherein the inlet station (110) is arranged remote from the conveyor (140).

3. The feeding device (100) according to any one of the preceding clauses, wherein at least a portion of the conveying path of the conveyor (140) is aligned with the rotational conveying path of the feeding carousel (120).

4. The feeding device (100) according to any one of the preceding clauses, wherein each receiving device (130) is provided with a door (132), the door (132) being configured to grip the blank (30).

5. The feeding device (100) according to clause 4, wherein the door (132) is movable and further configured to push the blank 30 into the erected body (40).

6. The feeding device (100) according to clause 5, wherein the feeding dial (120) is provided with a cam mechanism for controlling the position of the door (132) during rotation of the feeding dial (120).

7. The feeding device (100) according to any one of the preceding clauses, wherein each receiving device (130) is provided with a plunger (134), the plunger (134) being configured to move the upright body (40) of a receiving device (130) upwards to a carriage (142) of the conveyor (140).

8. The feeding device (100) according to clause 7, wherein the feeding dial (120) is provided with a cam structure for controlling the position of the plunger (134) during rotation of the feeding dial (120).

9. A method for feeding blanks (30) of packaging material, the method comprising:

moving the blank (30) in a vertical direction to a receiving device (130) arranged on a rotary feed turret (120),

erecting the blank (30) into a tubular body (40) while conveying the blank (30) by movement of the receiving device (130), and

-conveying the erected body (40) onto a carrier (142) of a conveyor (140) arranged vertically above the receiving device (130), the method further comprising providing a blank (30) by cutting the flat tube (10) of packaging material.

10. The method according to clause 9, wherein the receiving device (130) is configured to move in a horizontal plane.

11. The method of clause 10, wherein the conveyor (140) is configured to move within a horizontal plane.

12. The method according to any of clauses 10-11, wherein the speed of the conveyor (140) is synchronized with the speed of the receiving device (130).

13. The method according to any of clauses 10-13, further comprising providing a blank (30) by cutting the flat tube (10) of packaging material.

Still other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of how a blank in the form of a flat tube is converted into a final package;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a transition step performed by a feeding device according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a feeding device according to one embodiment; and

fig. 4 is a schematic illustration of a method according to an embodiment.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1, a process of converting a flat tube 10 of packaging material is shown. The tube 10 initially has a cylindrical shape, represented by the uppermost portion 12 of the tube 10. The flat shape is for example achieved by clamping two opposite sides of the tube 10 to each other. This clamping may be performed using two clamping jaws 20a-20b, the two clamping jaws 20a-20b being arranged such that a gap is formed between them. The tube 10 may be fed continuously through the gap and as the jaws 20a-20b move towards each other, the cylindrical portion 12 will flatten as indicated by the block arrows in figure 1. Downstream of the gap, a cutting device (not shown) may be arranged to cut a series of flattened tube portions 30 from the continuous tube 10. Each tube portion 30 forms a blank for forming the longitudinal body of the package. To produce the final package, a series of steps are performed.

First, the blank 30 is handled by a feeding device, which will be described later with reference to fig. 2 and 3. The purpose of the feeding means is to convert the flat blank 30 into an erected body 40, where the erected body 40 is in the form of a tubular body having two opposite open ends. Once formed into a tubular shape, the erected body 40 is transported to an injection molding station. In the injection moulding station, one end of the erected body 40 is provided with a plastic top 50, thereby closing that end of the erected body 40. Thereafter, a threaded cap 55 is applied to corresponding threads on the neck (not shown) of the plastic top 50.

Once the plastic top 50 is in place, the

blank package

40,50 is ready for sterilization. This may be performed, for example, by inserting a sterilization device 60 (e.g., an electron beam sterilization device) into the open-ended body 40. Other sterilization methods may also be used, such as hydrogen peroxide (H) by sterilization apparatus 60 ₂ O ₂ ) Or hot water vapor is introduced into the open-ended body 40. After sterilization, the filling nozzle 70 is controlled to fill the open-ended

packages

40,50 with the desired contents. As a final step of the manufacture, the still open end of the

semi-finished package

40,50 is folded and sealed, so as to form a closed end 82. This results in a finished package 80.

The working principle of the feeding device 100 is further illustrated in fig. 2, but only schematically. The feeding device 100 comprises, in addition to the inlet station 110, a feeding carousel 120 and a conveyor 140. In contrast to the manufacturing principle described with reference to fig. 1, the inlet station 110 is configured to provide the blank 30, while the feed turntable 120 and the conveyor 140 are configured to receive the blank 30 and to convey the erected body 40 to an injection molding station, in which a plastic top 50 is added to the erected body 40.

As can be seen from fig. 2, the blank 30 is arranged at an entrance station 110 on the left side of the figure. Each blank 30 is fed vertically downward, i.e. in the direction of arrow 35, to a feed turret 120. The feed turntable 120, represented by a linear protrusion in fig. 2, has a plurality of receiving means 130. The receiving device 130 is positioned to receive the blank 30 proximate the feed turret 120 and to convey the blank 30 as the feed turret 120 rotates. During this transport, the door 132 of the receiving device 130 is configured to engage the blank 30 and erect the tubular body 40. Erection may be achieved via, for example: the transverse ends 32a-32b of the blank 30 are pushed towards each other by the door 132, thereby opening the blank 30 to form the erected body 40. The gate 132 may be configured in various ways, for example as two opposing gripping members 132 that are movable toward each other to erect the blank 30, or as jaw-like members that contract to force the blank 30 to erect. The door 130 may preferably be programmed to engage the blank 30 during the vertical movement and continuously reduce the vertical speed of the blank 30 during engagement with the door 130 so that a smooth and almost instantaneous transition between the vertical and horizontal movement is achieved.

When the erected body 40 has attained its desired tubular shape, it is moved vertically upwardly, i.e. in the direction opposite to that of arrow 35. To this end, each receiving device 130 is provided with a plunger 134, or other suitable device configured to urge the upright body 40 to a position where the upright body 40 engages with a bracket 142 of the conveyor 140 (as shown in FIG. 3). The carriage 142 moves along the conveyor 140 at a vertical height above the receiving device 130 of the feed turntable 120. The horizontal movement of the carriage 142 is synchronized with the horizontal movement of the receiving means 130 over a period of time, which means that the door 132 will have time to release the erected body 40 when the erected body 40 is also carried by the carriage 142 of the conveyor 140. The bracket 142 may be, for example, a sleeve-like member, the diameter of which is adjustable. For example, the diameter of the sleeve-like member may have a first value dimensioned such that the erected body 40 can be arranged on the sleeve-like member and a second value larger than the first value and dimensioned to exert a radially outward force on the inner side of the erected body 40 such that the erected body 40 remains on the carrier 142 during transport by means of the conveyor 140.

The feed turntable 120 thus serves as an intermediate transport means for converting the vertical movement of the blank 30 into a horizontal movement of the erected body 40.

Turning now to fig. 3, an example of the feeding device 100 is shown in more detail. As can be seen, the conveyor 140 is arranged to move in a horizontal plane. It may be formed as a belt conveyor. The conveyor 140 passes over a plurality of wheels 150,152, at least one of which may be a driven wheel that is not only configured to drive the conveyor 140, but is also used to control the speed of the conveyor 140 and the position of the carriage 142 relative to the feed turntable 120. The driven wheel (not shown) may be, for example, an injection molding station.

The brackets 142 are attached to holders 144, the holders 144 being clamped to the conveyor 140 and themselves being evenly distributed along the conveyor 140, so that the distance between two adjacent holders 144 remains constant while the conveyor 140 is running. Instead, the carriages 142 attached to the holders 144 are offset relative to each other such that on an outer curve, e.g. an outer curve OC above the feed turntable 120, the distance between two adjacent carriages 142, measured in the arc length between their two centers, is larger than the distance between two adjacent holders 144. On the inner curve, e.g., on the inner curve IC of the turntable 160, the distance between adjacent carriers 142 is reduced to about half the distance on the outer curve. The greater distance on the outer curve ensures that the sleeve passes the conveyor wheel and "hits" the receiving device 130. The greater distance also makes it easier to access the conveyor 140 and its components by tools for readjustment and maintenance. Also, the distance between two adjacent brackets 142 is somewhere between the distance of the adjacent brackets 142 on the outer curve OC and the inner curve IC. To give some exemplary distances for one embodiment of the present solution, the distance between two adjacent holders 144 on the straight part of the conveyor 140 may be chosen to be 190mm, while the distance between two carriages 142 on the outer curve may be 258mm and 135mm on the inner curve IC. During a portion of the horizontal movement of the conveyor 140 (i.e., a portion of the horizontal conveying path of the conveyor 140, which is the outer curve OC), the carriage 142 will be synchronized and aligned with one of the receiving devices 130 of the feed turntable 120.

The feed turntable 120 is a rotating device having a plurality of receiving devices 130 arranged at the periphery thereof. The feed dial 120 is preferably configured to rotate at a constant speed, and the operation of the gate 132 and plunger 134 may be controlled by a cam structure 136a, cam mechanism 136b, or other suitable means for controlling the periodic motion pattern of these

components

132, 134. The receiving means 130 are also arranged at equal distances between them; preferably, the distance between two adjacent receiving devices 130 is the same as the distance between two adjacent carriages 142 of the conveyor 140, which means that the vertical alignment between the carriages 142 and the receiving devices 130 can be maintained as long as the conveyor 140 follows the rotational movement of the feed carousel 120.

The entry station 110 is arranged at a position behind the conveying path of the conveyor 140, so that the tube 10 or the separated blank 30 (not shown in fig. 3) does not interfere with the carriages 142 distributed along the conveyor 140, but can immediately pass to the receiving device 130 arranged vertically below. For this purpose, the inlet station 110 is provided with a cutting device 112 and a drive device 114, the drive device 114 being configured to accelerate the blanks 30 vertically downwards to the receiving device 130 of the feed carousel 120 once the blanks 30 have been cut out of the tube 10. For example, the drive device 114 may be operated by friction.

Turning now to fig. 4, a method 200 for converting vertical movement of the flat tube 10 of packaging material to horizontal movement of the erected body 40 will be described. Thus, the method 200 is configured to feed the blank 30 to a downstream apparatus, such as an injection molding station or the like.

In a first step 202, a blank 30 is provided by cutting the flat tube 10 of packaging material. Preferably, this step 202 is repeated continuously so that a series of successive blanks 30 are provided. The method 200 then continues by moving the blank 30 in a vertical direction downward to a receiving device 130 disposed on the rotary feed turret 120 in step 204.

In a subsequent step 206, the blank 30 is erected into a tubular body 40 while the blank 30 is conveyed by the movement of the receiving device 130, and in a step 208, the erected body 40 is conveyed to the carrier 142 of the conveyor 140 arranged vertically above the receiving device 130. The erected body 40 is ready to be transported from the cradle 142 to downstream equipment.

Although the initial movement of the blank 30 is purely vertical, the feed turret 120 converts this vertical movement into a horizontal movement before the blank 30 is transferred to a horizontal conveyor 140 arranged vertically above the feed turret 120.

In order to smoothly convey the erected body 40 between the feed turntable 120 and the conveyor 140, the speed of the conveyor 140 is preferably synchronized with the speed of the feed turntable 120, that is, with the angular speed of the receiving device 130 of the feed turntable 120.

From the above description it will be evident that, although various embodiments of the present invention have been described and shown, the invention is not restricted thereto but can also be embodied in other ways within the scope of the subject-matter defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A feeding device (100) comprising:

wherein the feeding device (100) further comprises a conveyor (140), the conveyor (140) having a plurality of carriages configured to receive respective upright bodies (40) from respective receiving devices (130), and wherein the conveyor (140) is arranged vertically above the feeding carousel (120), wherein the inlet station (110) is configured to cut the blank (30) from a flat tube (10) of packaging material,

wherein each receiving device (130) is provided with a door (132), the door (132) being configured to grip the blank (30),

wherein the feed dial (120) is provided with a cam mechanism for controlling the position of the door (132) during rotation of the feed dial (120),

wherein each receiving device (130) is provided with a plunger (134), the plunger (134) being configured to move the upright body (40) of a receiving device (130) upwards to a carriage (142) of the conveyor (140).

2. The feeding device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the inlet station (110) is arranged remote from the conveyor (140).

3. The feeding device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least a portion of the conveying path of the conveyor (140) is aligned with the rotational conveying path of the feeding carousel (120).

4. The feeding device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the door (132) is movable and further configured to urge the blank 30 to transform into an erected body (40).

5. The feeding device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the feeding dial (120) is provided with a cam structure for controlling the position of the plunger (134) during rotation of the feeding dial (120).

6. A method for feeding blanks (30) of packaging material, the method comprising:

moving the blanks (30) in a vertical direction to receiving devices (130) arranged on a rotating feed carousel (120), wherein each receiving device (130) is provided with a gate (132), the gate (132) being configured to grip the blank (30), wherein the feed carousel (120) is provided with a cam mechanism for controlling the position of the gate (132) during rotation of the feed carousel (120),

-transferring the erected body (40) by means of a plunger (134) arranged by a receiving device (130) onto a cradle (142) of a conveyor (140) arranged vertically above the receiving device (130), the method further comprising providing a blank (30) by cutting the flat tube (10) of packaging material.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the receiving device (130) is configured to move in a horizontal plane.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the conveyor (140) is configured to move within a horizontal plane.

9. The method according to any of claims 7-8, wherein the speed of the conveyor (140) is synchronized with the speed of the receiving device (130).