GB441065A - Improvements in or relating to filling and/or capping apparatus for bottles and like containers - Google Patents

Abstract

441,065. Filling and capping bottles &c. U. D. ENGINEERING CO., Ltd., Cumberland Avenue, Abbey Road, and TAYLOR, H. C., 281, Lonsdale Road, Barnes, both in London. July 9, 1934, No. 20127. [Class 125 (ii)] In a machine for filling and capping bottles &c. in which the bottles &c. are fed onto pedestals arranged around a rotatable carrier and are raised by piston and cylinder devices' for the filling or capping operation, and valve means control the flow of fluid to each cylinder, the carrier is rotatable about a fixed hollow shaft and comprises passage ways cooperating with passage ways in the shaft for feeding fluid to and from the piston devices, the valve means comprising a part carried by the hollow shaft. Bottles &c. are fed in on a conveyer 14, Fig. 2, and are transferred to the pedestals 12 on the rotating table of the filling machine 10. When full they are removed by a star wheel 18 back onto the conveyer and carried to the capping machine 22. The bottles are carried round this machine on pedestals 21 and are finally discharged by a star wheel 24 and guide 20. A cap forming machine 26 is provided to feed the caps to the apparatus 22. The filling apparatus comprises a fixed tubular bearing member 31 supporting a rotatable pillar 32 on which is mounted a plate 33 carrying the double acting piston and cylinder devices associated with the pedestals 12. The cylinders have ports 38, 43 communicating through passage ways 39, 44 with distributing valves 42. These valves are arranged radially in a member 46 secured to the plate 33. A stationary vertical tube 48 carries a stationary cam 50 which operates the valve 42. Within the tube 48 is a tube 51 carrying the supply of operating fluid for the pistons 35. The fluid after use flows down between the tubes 51, 48 into a reservoir 62 housing the operating gear 67. The pedestals 12 are thus raised and lowered with the pistons 35 by the operation of the valves 42 by the cam 50 as the plate 33 is rotated. A reservoir is carried above the rotating plate 33 to be rotatable with it and liquid flows into the bottles from the reservoir through spring controlled delivery valves operated by the raising of the bottles. The capping machine comprises an arrangement similar to the above for supporting the bottles on pedestals and for raising and lowering them during their travel round a central axis. The caps formed of thin metal foil have a circular part with a depending flange and are applied to the bottles when raised by their pedestals by capping heads carried by the main central standard of the capping machines. As the bottle rises the applied cap is engaged by a spring-controlled plunger 150, Fig. 6<a>. The bottle rises until the rim of the bottle is within a deformable rubber ring 143, which is then deformed by a pressure member 145. This member is controlled by a piston and cylinder device 148 operated by fluid controlled by valve members rotatable with the carrier on a principle similar to that described for the filling machine. The caps are formed and fed automatically to the mouths of the bottles by a device comprising a reciprocating press tool 203, Fig. 17, which cuts the caps from the strip of foil 207 which is fed forward step by step. The cap when formed is moved onto a conveyer 214 and passed to an inclined shoot 215 where it is held in the path of the filled bottles by spring fingers 216. The bottles engage the caps in their passage and carry away a cap, which is smoothed in position by a flap 217. Means are provided to control the cap forming mechanism by means of the bottles actually fed to the capping mechanism. The various units are assembled on one housing and driven from one source of power, so that the whole operation of filling and capping may be automatic.