EP0645305A1

EP0645305A1 - Universal palletizing machine

Info

Publication number: EP0645305A1
Application number: EP94114723A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Stefano Tosarelli
Original assignee: MAC AUT Srl
Current assignee: MAC AUT Srl
Priority date: 1993-09-24
Filing date: 1994-09-19
Publication date: 1995-03-29
Also published as: ITMO930120A1; IT1262664B; ITMO930120A0

Abstract

Universal palletizing machine comprising a main tower-like frame (1a) which is served by a conveyor (2) for feeding goods (11) to an elevated position at a central loading region of the tower, where there is a corresponding empty pallet (3); a horizontal guide (5) is closed in a loop and runs perimetrically around the frame (1a); a carriage (6) provided with a vertical spindle (7) can run on the guide (5), and a conventional roll of packaging film can be fitted on the spindle (7); a presser element (9) for stabilizing the goods (11) is furthermore provided above the tower.

Description

The present invention relates to a universal palletizing machine.
Systems and machines for palletizing box-like goods have long been known that first stack pre-packaged products onto the pallet (which is a wood base provided with openings for the passage of the forks of fork-lift trucks and on which the goods are stacked for transport), following automatically a placement logic which is suitable to achieve maximum stability.
These known machines are then completed by devices, normally constituted by a movable extension, by means of which it is possible to wrap a film of plastic material which, due to its elastic structure, closes the packaged pallet together with the goods deposited on it.
These devices essentially comprise an automated mechanical tool which moves perimetrically around the pallet, unrolling a film of plastic material which is carried in rolls on the tool itself: this movement normally occurs on the ground, and said mechanical tools are wheeled for this purpose.
In another technical solution, the roll of film is inserted in an appropriately provided support that oscillates vertically on an upright which is rigidly coupled to the palletizing system, while the completed pallet rotates on a platform provided with recesses for the passage of the forks of fork-lift trucks during work.
In any case, in both situations the wrapping devices are additions to a basic system and significantly affect its overall cost.
Furthermore, the wrapping step necessarily comes after the step during which package stacking is completed, and therefore requires substantially long working times.
Finally, the goods must have uniform and square shapes to allow them to be closed in a stable manner with said film, and therefore known systems and machines are unusable with loose goods which have other dimensions and shapes.
A principal aim of the present invention is to solve the above described drawbacks of the known art by providing a universal palletizing machine, characterized in that it comprises a main frame which is shaped like a grid-like tower and has a conveyor for feeding goods to an elevated position at a central loading region of the tower, where there is a corresponding empty pallet supported by a platform that is vertically movable, by virtue of associated means, from a plane that lies below said elevated position and vice versa, at least one horizontal guide for the movement of a carriage being provided perimetrically with respect to said tower, said guide being closed in a loop, said carriage having a spindle which protrudes vertically and on which a roll of packaging film can be fitted, a presser element being furthermore provided above said tower for stabilizing the goods during the vertical movement of the platform, said presser element cooperating with said platform.
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of a universal palletizing machine, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

figure 1 is a schematic side view of the universal palletizing machine according to the present invention;
figure 2 is a partial top view thereof;
figure 3 is another enlarged-scale top view of a perimetric guide which is closed in a loop and of an associated roll supporting carriage that is movable on said guide;
figure 4 is a schematic side view of a step of the operation of the machine according to the invention;
figure 5 is a detail view of a step of the wrapping of goods with a packaging film.

With particular reference to the above figures, the reference numeral 1 designates a universal palletizing machine comprising a main frame 1a which is shaped like a tower and is of the grid-like type.
The frame 1a is served by a conveyor 2 for feeding goods M whose output front is at an elevated level; with the intervention of a conventional actuator 2b, said conveyor allows the goods M to reach a central region of the tower which is assigned to the loading of said goods M, which arrange themselves according to a preset order on a corresponding empty pallet 3 which is taken from a base line B and is raised by a platform 4 which is in turn movable vertically and is pushed at its four sides synchronously and by means which are known and therefore are not shown in detail in the drawings. More precisely, said means for the vertical movement of the platform comprise four chains which are rigidly coupled to the four corners of the platform 4 and are closed in a loop on corresponding pairs of driving and driven sprockets, each one of said pairs being mounted on a corresponding post of the frame 1a, each sprocket being located proximate to the ends of said post.
The frame 1a is perimetrically provided, at a preset level, with a horizontal guide 5 which forms a path that is closed in a loop (with a rectangular plan in the figures); a carriage, schematically designated by the reference numeral 6, runs inside said path, and a spindle 7 rises and protrudes from said carriage; a conventional roll 8 of packaging film, normally made of plastic material, can be inserted on said spindle.
A presser element 9 is located above said central loading region and is suitable to cooperate with the pallet 3 and with the platform 4 during the movement of said platform in order to keep the stack of goods M formed on said pallet 3 stably in position and keep it moving towards a lower removal line.
Said central loading region is delimited with vertical walls 10 which are arranged perimetrically; at least the wall 10a that faces the output front of the conveyor 2 can be raised vertically by means of actuating means 11, to allow, when required, the goods to access the pallet 3 which lies waiting on the platform 4.
Stacking is performed in layers and, every time a layer is completed, the platform 4 lowers by a preset "step" and the carriage 6 performs at least one full circuit of the guide 5, automatically unwinding the film from the roll 8; the film thus surrounds the layer of goods M that has just been formed.
In this manner it is possible to stack goods on transport pallets and package them substantially at the same time, significantly reducing the processing time.
The presser element 9 is constituted by a horizontal plate 12 which is supported by a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder 13; said plate has, on its lower face 12a, protruding lips 14 which transversely compact the goods during the descent of the plate 12 to move into contact with the stack of goods M formed on the pallet 3 in order to ensure the stability and perfect subsequent wrapping of said goods with the plastic film from the roll 8.
The cooperation of the presser element 9 with the platform 4 and the "layer by layer" intervention of said film allows to stack even goods having irregular shapes and dimensions and thus non-flat mutual contact surfaces; in this case said presser element 9 in fact maintains their stability until the wrapping circuit of the carriage 6 is completed.
The universal palletizing machine 1 can be coupled in a modular manner to other similar units in order to optionally constitute a larger working front.
The parking level of the guide 5 is also variable according to the vertical extension of the goods being handled and to be stacked on the pallet 3.
The operation of the universal palletizing machine 1 is implicitly included in the above description.
It has thus been observed that the described invention achieves the intended aim and objects.
The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept.
All the details may furthermore be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.
In the practical embodiment of the invention, the materials, the shape, and the dimensions may be any without thereby abandoning the protective scope of the appended claims.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the scope of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

Universal palletizing machine, characterized in that it comprises a main frame (1a) which is shaped like a grid-like tower and has a conveyor (2) for feeding goods (11) to an elevated position at a central loading region of the tower, where there is a corresponding empty pallet (3) which is supported by a platform (4) that is vertically movable, by virtue of associated means, from a plane (B) that lies below said elevated position and vice versa, at least one horizontal guide (5) for the movement of a carriage (6) being provided perimetrically with respect to said tower, said guide (5) being closed in a loop, said carriage (6) having a spindle (7) which protrudes vertically and on which a roll of packaging film can be fitted, a presser element (9) being furthermore provided above said tower for stabilizing the goods (11) during the vertical movement of the platform (4), said presser element (9) cooperating with said platform (4).
Universal palletizing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said central loading region of the tower is delimited by corresponding vertical walls (10) for containing the goods (11), at least one of said walls (10a) being vertically movable and actuated with related devices (11) for the access of the goods (11) to said central loading region.
Universal palletizing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said means for the vertical movement of the platform comprise four chains which are rigidly coupled to the four corners of the platform (4) and are closed in a loop on corresponding pairs of driving and driven sprockets, each one of said pairs being mounted on a corresponding post of the frame (1a), each sprocket being located proximate to the ends of said post.
Universal palletizing machine according to claims 1 and 3, characterized in that said platform (4) is vertically movable in steps that are suitable to align each layer formed by goods loaded on a pallet (3) so that it is co-planar with respect to said spindle (7) supported by the carriage in the guide (5), the completion of each step being followed by one or more complete circuits of the carriage (6), with the consequent wrapping of the formed layer of goods (11) with the packaging film.
Universal palletizing machine according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said presser element (9) is composed of a horizontal plate (12) which is supported by a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder (13) having such dimensions as to snugly fit between said walls (10), said plate (12) having, on its lower face (12a) directed towards the pallet (3), protruding elastic lips (14) for the transverse compaction of the goods (11) stacked on the pallet.
Universal palletizing machine comprising one or more of the technical features described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and for the specified purposes.