Device for producing containers from parisons

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for producing containers from parisons, comprising a parison production machine, a blow molding machine for producing containers from parisons, a conveying device for feeding the parisons from the production machine to the blow molding machine, and a storage device, into which the parisons can be fed from the conveying device at a removal point and to the conveying device at a transfer point, the storage device comprises a tempering device for tempering the parisons.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a container using a preform, and a method for manufacturing a container using a preform. Background Art

[0002] Plants for producing containers from preforms are already known in principle. Such plants can be designed as a single-stage process, wherein in the single-stage process the preforms are produced in an injection molding machine and fed to a machine (in particular a blow molding machine) for producing containers from the preforms via a conveyor, which is usually short and which retains the preforms in a defined processing state and which retains most of the heat generated by the injection molding. In the two-stage process the preforms are produced separately and then fed to the plant for producing containers from the preforms via a transport route, for example using trucks. Here, however, the preform production and container production can also be linked directly, but the preforms must be reheated and not merely conditioned.

[0003] When parison production and container manufacturing are blocked, reliable container manufacturing often depends on the parison production machine (such as an injection molding machine) and the blow molding machine being synchronized with each other so that both have essentially the same production capacity. Otherwise, parisons may accumulate on the blow molding machine, or the blow molding machine may run idle. Both situations have a negative impact on operations, especially parison accumulation, which means that the parisons cannot be tempered sufficiently and cannot be reliably formed into containers. Therefore, for both single-stage and two-stage processes, the parisons need to be heated or tempered to a specific target temperature, which is sometimes difficult to achieve with sufficient precision due to the variability of the parison feeding process. Summary of the invention

[0004] Purpose

[0005] According to the known state of the art, the technical problem to be solved is therefore to specify a device for producing containers from preforms and a method for producing containers from preforms, by means of which method reliable operation of the device and at the same time high quality of the produced containers are achieved.

[0006] Solution

[0007] This object is achieved according to the invention by a device for producing containers from preforms and a method for producing containers from preforms using the device.

[0008] The device for manufacturing containers from parisons according to the present invention comprises a parison production machine, a blow molding machine for manufacturing containers from parisons, a conveying device for feeding the parisons from the production machine to the blow molding machine, and a storage device, wherein the parisons can be fed from the conveying device to the storage device at a removal point and transferred to the conveying device at a transfer point, wherein the storage device comprises a tempering device for tempering the parisons.

[0009] The conveying device can be of substantially any configuration. The conveying device can include a linear conveyor (e.g. an air conveyor) and / or some star-shaped rotary device for conveying the parisons from the production machine to the blow molding machine. The conveying device can also include a sorting device which at least partially changes the spatial arrangement of the parisons after they have left the production machine so that they can be conveyed to the blow molding machine.

[0010] At the removal and / or transfer point, a diverter or a controlled star-shaped rotating device can be provided, which feeds the preforms into a storage device as required or moves them further in a conveying device in order to feed them into a blow molding machine for manufacturing containers from the preforms.

[0011] The storage device can store or store or accumulate the parisons in an orderly or disorderly manner. The orderly storage or storage of the parisons includes in particular the storage of the parisons in a specific spatial orientation (e.g. vertical hanging), while the disordered storage of the parisons includes the storage of the parisons without a specified spatial orientation. The latter can be realized in the form of silos, boxes or other parison containers.

[0012] The tempered parisons can be removed from the storage device again and fed to the conveying device at any time, optionally even while the production machine is still running, in particular while the parisons are being produced. For example, depending on the storage capacity of the storage device, this can be done intermittently during the feeding of the parisons from the production machine to the blow molding machine. If the storage device is full or has reached a certain fill level (e.g. 60% or 70% or 80%), the storage device can be at least partially emptied by feeding at least part of the parisons (e.g. a number of parisons sufficient to reduce the fill level of the storage device to a maximum of 50% or a maximum of 30% or any other specified value) from the storage device to the conveying device so that it is not overfilled. Alternatively or additionally, at least part of the parisons can also be fed from the storage device to the conveying device, depending on the temperature of the parisons.

[0013] Alternatively or additionally, for example, the parisons may be partially or completely sent out of the storage device and sent to the conveying device in a specific time interval. For example, this may be done during a specified pause in the process cycle of the production machine, but is not limited thereto.

[0014] The tempering device may include, for example, one or more infrared radiators and / or microwave radiators and / or hot air supply devices to temper the preforms, in particular to keep them at a desired temperature. The tempering device may also include a plurality of heating elements, such as infrared radiators and / or microwave radiators and / or hot air supply devices (or any other suitable heat source), which are arranged in different areas of the storage device, and the preforms pass through the heating elements in sequence or in a stacked manner during the transportation process through the storage device and / or the tempering device. Each heating element can be configured to temper the preforms to a certain temperature, for example, the heating elements can be arranged sequentially from a lower temperature to a higher temperature in the direction of transportation of the preforms through the storage device.

[0015] According to the invention, it is not mandatory to permanently temper the preforms in the storage device. In particular, the tempering device does not have to be continuously activated when the preforms are in the storage device. For example, it can also be arranged that the tempering of the preforms is associated with or depends on specific process parameters. The process parameters include, for example, a predetermined downtime of the production machine (such as a specified maintenance interval or a specified end of operation time). Alternatively or additionally, it can also be arranged that the tempering of the preforms is controlled according to, for example, energy costs. For example, if the device is connected to an external power grid (optionally only renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic power and / or wind power are connected), the tempering device can be turned on when the power provided by the external power grid is in excess or the available power exceeds the demand of other power grid devices and is in excess, or when an excess is likely to occur. In this way, the available renewable energy can be used efficiently. This can also bring advantages in terms of operating costs.

[0016] The production machine can be basically any machine suitable for producing parisons from parison starting material, for example PET granules, by, for example, melting the parison starting material and placing the molten parison starting material in a mold or a mold. The production machine can be designed in particular as an injection molding machine, but other variants known from the prior art, such as compression molding machines, can also be used. The invention is not restricted in this respect.

[0017] Even when the blow molding machine is stopped, the device according to the invention can ensure that the preforms produced by the injection molding machine are not sorted as scrap by storing the preforms and tempering them during storage, but can be returned to the conveyor device for further use. This not only improves the operation of the system and the quality of the produced containers, but also minimizes the scrap rate.

[0018] In the direction of the parison conveying in the conveying device, the take-out point can be arranged upstream or downstream of the delivery point. For example, depending on the existence of a sorting device and / or the disordered or orderly storage of the parisons in the storage device, the delivery point upstream or downstream of the take-out point can be selected to deliver the parisons to ensure that the parisons are reliably delivered to the conveying device.

[0019] In one embodiment, the apparatus is arranged to comprise a control unit for controlling the tempering device according to a target temperature of the preform.

[0020] The target temperature can in particular be the temperature that the parisons must have when they are transferred to the conveying device or must depend on this temperature. Alternatively or additionally, a target temperature for the parisons when they are fed into the blow molding machine can also be selected as the target temperature or the target temperature can depend on the temperature that the parisons must have when they are fed into the blow molding machine, and then the target temperature is determined, for example, taking into account the transport route and the expected cooling of the parisons during transport. The output power or the heat of the tempering device can then be controlled so that the target temperature of the parisons in the storage device is achieved.

[0021] The parisons reaching the target temperature can be arranged to be sent from the storage device to the conveying device. This can be done at fixed time intervals (for example, all the parisons reaching the target temperature in the storage device can be sent from the storage device to the conveying device every 30 minutes), or according to whether one or more parisons have reached the target temperature. This design can be advantageously achieved by orderly storing the parisons in the storage device, but is not limited thereto.

[0022] This can improve the quality of the containers produced from the stored preforms.

[0023] In particular, the device can be configured to include a sensor for determining the temperature of the parisons in the conveying device, wherein the target temperature depends on the determined temperature and / or the requirements of the blow molding machine when manufacturing containers from the parisons. The requirements of the blow molding machine when manufacturing containers from the parisons include, for example, the required parison temperature when the parisons are fed into the blow molding machine and / or the heating device (oven) of the blow molding machine. These requirements can be used in addition to or instead of the determined temperature to determine the target temperature of the parisons. For example, the cooling of the parisons when the parisons are transferred from the transfer point to the blow molding machine can be inferred, so that the target temperature is determined based on the temperature that the parisons need to reach when they are transferred to the blow molding machine.

[0024] The sensor can be in particular a thermal sensor which can determine the temperature of the preforms (for example based on infrared radiation emitted by the preforms and / or the radiation spectrum of the preforms). The temperature of the preforms in the conveyor can be determined essentially at any point in the conveyor, and the target temperature can depend on this determined temperature. It can thereby be ensured that the temperature of the preforms returned to the conveyor corresponds to the temperature of the preforms conveyed in the conveyor, so that the results are as identical as possible when producing the containers.

[0025] The sensor can be arranged to determine the temperature of the parisons in the area of ​​the transfer point. In this embodiment, the target temperature of the parisons can preferably be identical to the temperature of the parisons in the conveyor at the transfer point, so that all parisons have the same temperature at the transfer point, regardless of whether they are fed into the conveyor from a storage device or conveyed in the conveyor. This allows containers of a consistent quality to be manufactured from the parisons.

[0026] The transfer point region is understood here to be a region of the conveyor device that can extend around the transfer point. The sensors are preferably arranged so that the temperature of the parison can be determined directly at the transfer point or in a region that is, for example, no more than 10, 20 or 50 centimeters upstream or downstream of the conveyor device. It can also be provided that a plurality of sensors are arranged one after the other in the conveying direction of the parison, so that not only the temperature of the parison at a certain point can be determined, but also the temperature profile of the parison during the conveying process. This temperature profile can also be used to determine the target temperature instead of the determined temperature, which may result in a higher accuracy.

[0027] The control unit may be configured to control the tempering device so that the preform has a target temperature at the moment of transfer.

[0028] For example, it can be arranged that the parisons are transferred from the storage device to the conveying device at a specific time (transfer time or transfer moment), so that the tempering device can be switched on and / or off and / or its power can be controlled so that the parisons have a target temperature when the transfer moment is reached. Since the parisons are usually fed into the storage device at different times, the tempering device can be controlled in such a way that the average temperature of the parisons reaches the desired target temperature (the average temperature of a large number of parisons that are simultaneously in the storage device but are fed therein at different times), or the tempering device can be designed to temper the parisons fed into the storage device differently at different times, for example by providing a plurality of independently controllable radiant heaters that heat specific areas of the storage device into which the parisons are fed, depending on the time at which the parisons are fed into the storage device. Energy can thereby be saved, since the tempering device is controlled in such a way that only the heat energy required to reach the target temperature is emitted.

[0029] It can be provided that the control unit is designed to control the tempering device as a function of a planned end of operation of the production machine so that the preform has a target temperature at the end of the planned operation.

[0030] For example, the planned end of operation can be the moment of a changeover to a container type, or a maintenance interval or other interruption in the operation of the production machine. In this case, the end of the production machine operation does not equate to the end of the operation of the system, but only means that the production machine will no longer produce parisons. However, since there may still be parisons in the storage device, the blow molding machine can process these parisons further after the end of the production machine operation. This simplifies the transfer of the parisons from the storage device to the conveying device during operation, and at the same time, since the parisons are preferably already completely formed into containers, rejects can be minimized.

[0031] The device may be configured such that the parisons are fed from the storage device into the conveying device when there are no more parisons in the conveying device upstream of the transfer point.

[0032] After the production run of the machine has ended, the parisons from the production machine are still fed into the blow molding machine, but no new parisons are then fed from the production machine. This results in that for a certain period of time after the production machine has ended, there are no more parisons upstream of the transfer point, so that the parisons in the storage device can be fed to the conveyor device without hindrance.

[0033] According to the present invention, a method for manufacturing containers using preforms with the aid of an apparatus is also provided, the apparatus comprising a preform production machine, a blow molding machine for manufacturing containers using preforms, a conveying device for feeding the preforms from the production machine to the blow molding machine, and a storage device, wherein the preforms can be fed from the conveying device to the storage device at a removal point and transferred to the conveying device at a transfer point, wherein the storage device comprises a tempering device for tempering the preforms, and the method comprises feeding the preforms from the storage device to the conveying device when there are no preforms at least temporarily upstream of the transfer point.

[0034] This method makes it possible to reliably produce containers from preforms while reducing the number of rejects.

[0035] In the direction of the parison conveying in the conveying device, the take-out point can be arranged upstream or downstream of the delivery point. The arrangement of the take-out point and the delivery point can be selected according to the purpose to ensure reliable operation of the equipment.

[0036] The device can be configured to include a control unit for controlling the tempering device in accordance with a target temperature of the preforms, thereby ensuring that containers are reliably produced from the preforms in the storage device.

[0037] The device can also be provided to comprise a sensor for determining the temperature of the preforms in the conveying device, wherein the target temperature depends on the determined temperature, wherein the sensor is optionally arranged such that it determines the temperature of the preforms in the region of the transfer point.

[0038] This embodiment ensures that the containers produced from the preforms have a constant quality, regardless of whether the preforms are fed directly from the production machine to the blow-molding machine or are temporarily stored in a storage device.

[0039] In one embodiment, the control unit is configured to control the tempering device so that the preform has a target temperature at the time of transfer, thereby reducing the energy required for tempering the preform.

[0040] It can be arranged that the control unit controls the tempering device according to the planned operation end time of the production machine so that the preform has the target temperature at the end of the planned operation. Thus, the preform stored in the storage device can be smoothly fed into the conveying device.

[0041] The control unit can determine the end time of the operation according to the number of parisons in the storage device and / or according to the number of containers to be manufactured. This embodiment can ensure that a sufficient number of containers are manufactured while minimizing rejects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an apparatus according to one embodiment is shown.

[0043] Figure 2 A flow chart showing a method of controlling a tempering device to achieve a target temperature of a parison is shown.

[0044] Figure 3 A flow chart of a method for controlling a tempering device and for feeding the parisons into a storage device at the end of a production machine run is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] Figure 1 An apparatus for making a container 132 from a parison 130 is shown.

[0046] The device includes a production machine 101 that can be used to produce a preform 130. The production machine 101 can be designed as an injection molding machine, for example, in which a heated preform starting material (e.g. PET) is fed into a mold, in which the preform is formed by injecting the heated preform starting material. The preform is then optionally cooled or removed from the mold. An injection molding machine or a compression molding machine can also be used as a production machine instead of an injection molding machine. The prior art has basically disclosed all of these machines, and their other designs will not be introduced further here. The present invention is basically not limited in terms of the design of the production machine.

[0047] The device 100 also includes a blow molding machine 102 for manufacturing a container 132 from a parison 130. The blow molding machine 102 can be designed, for example, as a stretch blow molding machine, in which the parison is expanded by the action of compressed air and / or a stretch rod inside the parison so that its outer surface is close to the inner wall of a blow mold of the blow molding machine. The prior art has already fully disclosed corresponding blow molding machines, and the blow molding machine 102 can be designed in particular as a rotary machine with a turntable, which is supported in a rotatable manner around a rotation axis and has a number of blow molds arranged around its periphery to accommodate the parison and mold it into a container. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and can be set as any blow molding machine that can manufacture a container from a parison.

[0048] The present invention provides a conveying device 103 for conveying the parison from the production machine 101 to the blow molding machine 102. The conveying device 103 can be basically of any design. The conveying device 103 can especially include an air conveyor, by which the parison is suspended on its support ring and conveyed between the air conveying tracks, and by generating a compressed air flow to convey the parison in the direction of the blow molding machine. Alternatively or additionally, a conveyor can be provided that is tilted downward (in the direction of gravity) in the conveying direction, in which the parison can be conveyed completely or substantially by gravity acting on the parison. Alternatively or additionally, one or more star-shaped rotating devices can be provided, which can accommodate the parison, for example, through individually operable clamps on the circumference of the star-shaped rotating device, and convey it from the production machine 101 in the direction of the blow molding machine. It is also conceivable to use a conveying device that conveys the parison using electromagnetic force. In this regard, a long stator can be provided in particular, on which a movable moving device is arranged, which can convey one or more parisons. Combinations of these or other conveying devices may also be provided, by which the parisons are transferred from the production machine to the blow molding machine 102 .

[0049] Optionally, in the area of ​​the conveyor or as part of the production machine 101, a sorting device 131, shown only schematically here, is arranged, which sorts the parisons from the production machine 101. The sorting of the parisons can be understood as any operation on the arrangement of the parisons, starting from an initial alignment or arrangement (which can be ordered or disordered, in particular can be arbitrary or chaotic), which performs a new alignment or arrangement of the parisons. If the parisons are produced in a regular pattern in the mold in the production machine 101, for example in the form of a two-dimensional matrix, and then switched to a disordered supply, the sorting device 131 can be designed so that after receiving the disordered parisons, the parisons are aligned so that all the parisons are transferred to the conveyor 103, for example in the form of suspension on a conveyor support ring, and the parisons are aligned so that the parison opening area is facing upwards. For this purpose, it can be provided that, for example, the conveyor 103 is designed in two parts, wherein the first part of the conveyor extends from the production machine 101 to the sorting device 131. This part of the conveyor can, for example, convey the parisons from the production machine in a disorderly manner and can be designed as a conveyor belt, for example. These parisons can then be sorted in the sorting device 131 and then fed with a defined alignment into the second part of the conveyor 103, which can be designed, for example, as an air conveyor and / or can be rotated by one or more star-shaped rotating devices.

[0050] In this case, a sorting device may be provided by which the parisons can be transferred to the second part of the conveying device.Sorting devices of this type are generally known from the prior art, including, for example, drum sorters or disc sorters.

[0051] The blow molding machine 102 may also optionally include a heating device, which is arranged upstream of the blow molding area where the parison is formed into a container. The heating device may include one or more radiant heaters, such as infrared radiators or microwave radiators, which can temper the parison to a certain temperature after it is conveyed from the conveying device 103 to the heating device. In this case, it can also be provided that a desired temperature profile is printed in the parison (for example, a temperature profile along the length of the parison).

[0052] According to the invention, the device 100 further comprises a storage device 104 into which the parisons can be fed. Specifically, the parisons are taken out of the conveying device 103 at a removal point 141 and then fed into the storage device 104, for example, by a suitable conveying device 143. The conveying device 143 (i.e., a discharge conveyor) is connected to the conveying device 103 so that the parisons can be preferably selectively taken out of the conveying device 103 at the removal point 141 and then fed into the conveying device 143. This can be achieved, for example, by arranging a flow divider in an air conveyor for conveying the parisons as the conveying device 103 so that the air conveyor can be diverted in the direction of the storage device 104 at the removal point 141. If the position of the flow divider is shifted and / or a locking element is operated to lock the conveying device 103 downstream of the flow divider, the parisons can be diverted into the conveying device 143.

[0053] If the conveying device 103 is constructed as a row of star-shaped rotating devices, it can be arranged so that the star-shaped rotating device can be actuated at the removal point 141 so as to convey the preform along the conveying direction in the direction of the blow molding machine 102 to a subsequent star-shaped rotating device, or to convey the preform to the star-shaped rotating device of the conveying device 143 so that the preform can be delivered to the storage device 104.

[0054] Furthermore, it can be provided that the parisons can be fed again from the storage device 104 to the conveying device 103 at the transfer point 142. For this purpose, similar to the conveying device 143, another conveying device 144 (i.e., a feed conveying device) can be provided, which can take out the parisons from the storage device 104 and feed them into the conveying device 103 at the transfer point 142. Similar to the design of the conveying device 143, this can be realized in the removal point 141. Alternatively, it can be provided that, for example, if the conveying device 103 is arranged upstream of the sorting device 131 as a device for transporting the parisons in a disorderly manner, the other conveying device 144 can also be designed for transporting the parisons in a disorderly manner from the storage device 104, for example, as a slide, on which the parisons can be transported along a ramp from the storage device 104 in the direction of the transfer point 142.

[0055] The storage device 104 can be designed for storing or depositing the parisons in an orderly or disorderly manner. If the storage device 104 is designed for storing the parisons in an orderly manner, the storage device can be designed, for example, as a storage track or a buffer system, in which the parisons are maintained in a specific alignment. If the storage device 104 is designed for storing the parisons in a disorderly supply, the storage device can be arranged to include a holding container, such as a silo or the like, into which the parisons are fed and stored in a disorderly manner or without any imposed order. In this embodiment, it is particularly advantageous if the further conveying device 144 is configured for conveying the parisons in a disorderly manner.

[0056] According to the present invention, the storage device comprises a tempering device 105 for tempering the preforms in the storage device 104. The tempering device 105 may comprise, for example, one or more microwave radiators or infrared radiators, or may also comprise a hot air blower, by which thermal energy can be applied to the preforms.

[0057] If the storage device is designed as a storage device for orderly storing parisons (as described above), it can be arranged that the tempering device 105 includes a plurality of heating elements, such as the microwave radiators and / or infrared radiators, in the storage device 104 along the conveying direction of the parisons. Their temperature and / or the emitted heat power can be controlled, that is, the temperature of the heating element arranged downstream in the parison conveying direction in the storage device is higher than the temperature of the heating element arranged directly upstream. In this case, each heating element can include a single microwave radiator and / or infrared radiator (or similar heat source), or each heating element can also include a plurality of heat sources (microwave radiators and / or infrared radiators or similar heat sources) set to the same temperature and / or heat power in the concept of a group.

[0058] In accordance with Figure 1 In the embodiment described, the take-out point 141 is located downstream of the transfer point 142. However, this is not a mandatory arrangement. From the perspective of the conveying direction of the parisons in the conveying device 103, the take-out point 141 can also be arranged upstream of the transfer point 142. According to the present invention, the distance between the transfer point and the take-out point is not limited, but it is preferred that: if a sorting device 131 is provided, the take-out point is arranged after (downstream of) the sorting device in the conveying device 103, and the transfer point is arranged upstream of the sorting device 131 in the conveying direction of the parisons in the conveying device 103. In this way, the parisons sent from the conveying device 103 to the storage device can be stored in the storage device in an unordered manner. This can simplify the storage of the parisons.

[0059] Optionally, a control unit 180 may be provided as part of the apparatus, for example in the form of a computer with a corresponding memory and a processor, which control unit may be configured to control the tempering device 105 and / or the delivery of the parisons from the conveying device 103 to the storage device 104 and / or the delivery of the parisons from the storage device to the conveying device. This may include, for example, that the control unit controls the tempering device depending on certain other parameters, such as the (target) temperature to be reached when the parisons are transferred from the storage device to the conveying device, or the temperature to which the parisons are tempered at the end of the production machine operation. Figure 2 and Figure 3 This was further explained.

[0060] In order to be able to control the tempering device 105 by means of the control unit 180, it can be provided that one or more sensors 161 to 163 are arranged in the region of the conveyor device 103 for determining the temperature of the parisons in the conveyor device. Optionally, further sensors 164 can also be arranged in the region of the storage device for determining the temperature of the parisons in the storage device 104. In order to be able to measure the temperature of all parisons in the storage device precisely, it is also possible to provide a plurality of sensors 164 in the storage device 104 instead of one sensor 164 in the storage device 104. This is particularly advantageous in the case of unordered storage of the parisons in the storage device.

[0061] In one embodiment, it is particularly advantageous if one or more sensors 161 to 163 for determining the temperature of the parisons in the conveyor device 103 are arranged in the region 160 of the transfer point 142, so that the temperature of the parisons in the conveyor device 103 can be determined in the region 160. This can advantageously be used to determine the temperature of the parisons in the transfer point or in the region 160, and the control unit 180 can be configured to control the tempering device 105 as a function of this temperature, so that the parisons transferred from the storage device to the conveyor device 103 in the transfer point have essentially the same temperature as the parisons 130 in the transfer point.

[0062] The parisons having substantially the same temperature may include: the parisons having the same temperature, or the parisons sent to the storage device 103 are allowed to have a temperature difference of a maximum of + / -0.2K or a maximum of + / -0.5K compared to the parisons in the conveying device 103. The control unit 180 can control the tempering device 105 on this basis so that the parisons have the desired target temperature. The target temperature may already be the same as the parison temperature in the conveying device 103, or slightly higher, for example to compensate for the heat loss when the parisons are transported from the storage device to the transfer point.

[0063] Figure 2 A flow chart of one embodiment of a method for controlling a tempering device based on the transfer of preforms from a storage device to a transfer point of a conveying device is shown. Figure 1 The apparatus described in any one of the embodiments shown performs the method.

[0064] The method first comprises determining the transfer time required for delivering the parison from the storage device to the conveying device. For example, it can be based on the production machine 101 (see Figure 1) or a pause in production, or is determined based on the flow gap of the parison in the conveying device 103. The transfer time can also be set repeatedly at fixed intervals (for example, every 30 minutes, or every one hour or every two hours), or determined on demand according to the material level of the storage device, in order to prevent, for example, overfilling of the storage device. The transfer time can also be set according to the time of day (for example, according to the electricity cost of the external power source that has been negotiated or the expected excess power of these external power sources). In addition, the temperature of the parison in the conveying device can also be determined in step 202, especially at the transfer point (see Figure 1 ) in the temperature.

[0065] Based on the transfer moments determined in steps 201 and 202 and / or the determined temperatures of the parisons in the conveyor, a target temperature of the parisons in the storage device can be determined in step 203, for example by the control unit 180. In this case (especially in the case of orderly storage of the parisons in the storage device, but not limited thereto), the target temperature can be determined for all or indeed part of the parisons in the storage device (for example, those parisons that can be fed to the conveyor during a certain interruption of production of the production machine). The target temperature is usually higher than but at most equal to the temperature of the parisons in the conveyor (for example, in the transfer point), and the control unit can determine the target temperature not only based on the determined transfer time and / or the determined temperature of the parisons in the conveyor, but also based on other information available to the control unit, for example, based on the ambient temperature or the expected heat loss of the parisons after leaving the storage device.

[0066] If the target temperature is determined, the tempering device 205 can then be controlled so that the parison (all or part of the parison) is heated to the target temperature. To this end, the tempering device can be controlled in step 205 so that it can, for example, heat the parison or part of the parison to the target temperature within the remaining time until the transfer moment. This can be ensured by the control unit actuating the tempering device to apply a specified amount of heat per unit time, or it can be influenced by a control loop. The control loop can include: in step 204, the temperature of the parison or part of the parison in the storage device is first determined and optionally compared with the target temperature. Based on the temperature difference between the temperature of the parison in the storage device and the target temperature, and taking into account the remaining time until the transfer moment, the control unit can determine how much heat must be transferred to the parison or part of the parison within this period of time in order to heat it to the target temperature. The tempering device can then be controlled on this basis.

[0067] After a certain time (e.g. a few seconds or minutes), the temperature of the parisons or parts of parisons in the storage device can be determined again and the tempering device can be further adjusted by checking the temperature of the parisons so that the parisons or parts of parisons can be heated faster or slower if necessary. For example, depending on the filling level of the storage device, it may be necessary to increase the heat output of the tempering device so that the parisons or parts of parisons in the storage device are heated to the required temperature within a specified time before the transfer moment is reached. This can be taken into account by the control circuit.

[0068] If the parison or part of the parison reaches the target temperature, it can be transferred to the conveying device at the transfer time (206). Depending on whether all the parisons in the storage device are transferred to the conveying device at the transfer time, or only part of the parisons are transferred to the conveying device, the storage device is emptied after the transfer is completed, or still contains parisons. In the latter case, it can be arranged that when the parison is transferred to the conveying unit again next time, the remaining parisons are first heated by the tempering device, and then the parisons newly fed into the storage device during this period are heated. In this way, the residence time of the parisons in the storage device can be minimized.

[0069] Figure 3 Another embodiment of the method for controlling the tempering device and transferring the preform to the conveying device to manufacture containers with the preform is shown. In this embodiment, the end time of the operation of the production machine is set (see Figure 1 ). A certain number of containers should be manufactured at the same time.

[0070] In this embodiment, the method 300 first determines the number of containers to be manufactured in step 301. The number of containers to be manufactured may be, for example, the remaining number of containers to be manufactured. For example, if an order requires 150,000 containers and 100,000 containers have been manufactured so far, 50,000 containers still need to be manufactured.

[0071] Since not only are parisons fed from the production machine upstream of the blow molding machine, but there may also be parisons in the storage device, the number of parisons in the storage device and the number of parisons in the conveying device can be determined in steps 302 and 303. Based on these numbers, it can be determined whether the production machine must produce more parisons. If, according to steps 302 and 303, the total number of parisons in the storage device and the conveying device is, for example, 25,000, then it is still necessary to produce 25,000 more parisons with the production machine. Although steps 302 and 303 are shown in sequence here, these steps can also be performed simultaneously or in an interchangeable order.

[0072] In step 304, the end time of the production machine is determined based on the number of containers to be produced and / or the number of preforms in the storage device and / or the number of preforms in the conveying device. The end time of the operation defines when the production machine ends the production of preforms. This can be a complete end time of the operation (i.e. the moment when the production machine has produced all the containers to be produced) or an operation pause time (e.g. after a part of the number of containers to be produced has been produced), after which the production machine will continue to produce preforms. Such operation pauses can be set multiple times before the number of containers to be produced is reached.

[0073] The time remaining before such a run ends can be specified as a multiple of an operation cycle, wherein an operation cycle just includes a production cycle of the production machine. The time remaining before the run ends can also be alternatively expressed as a time interval (e.g., minutes or hours).

[0074] In this embodiment, it is provided that when the end of the operation is reached, the production machine no longer produces parisons (in the case of a pause in the operation, at least until the next resumption of operation), and instead the parisons still remaining in the conveying device and / or the storage device are fed to the blow molding machine. For this purpose, it can be particularly advantageously provided that when the end of the operation is reached, in particular when the conveying device before the transfer point is emptied, the parisons are fed from the storage device to the conveying device, because there are no more parisons in the direction of the production machine (in the case of a pause in the operation, at least until the next resumption of operation), and the parisons can therefore be transported unhindered from the storage device to the conveying device.

[0075] Depending on the end time of the run and / or the emptying of the conveyor device before the transfer point, the tempering device can then be controlled in step 306 so that the preforms in the storage device have the desired temperature (target temperature) when the end time of the run is reached. Figure 2 In step 204, in this case, the temperature of the preforms in the storage device can optionally be determined in step 305 in order to control the tempering device on this basis.

[0076] Since the parisons are also conveyed to the storage device during operation, when the blow molding machine accidentally fails, it can be configured to execute steps 302 to 306 again in the form of a control loop, regularly determine the number of parisons in the storage device and the number of remaining parisons in the conveying device, so as to determine the end time of the operation, and control the tempering device based on this and optionally based on the temperature of the parisons in the storage device.

[0077] In step 307, when the end of the operation is reached and / or the conveying device before the transfer point is emptied, the preforms are transferred from the storage device to the conveying device, and the preforms have the required temperature. Figure 2The target temperature of the parison is determined by the method of

Claims

1. An apparatus for manufacturing containers from parisons, the apparatus comprising a parison production machine (101), a blow molding machine (102) for manufacturing containers from parisons, a conveying device for conveying the parisons from the production machine to the blow molding machine, and a storage device (104), wherein the parisons can be conveyed from the conveying device to the storage device at a removal point (141) and transferred to the conveying device at a transfer point (142), wherein: The storage device (105) comprises a tempering device for tempering the preforms.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: In the transport direction of the parisons in the transport device, the removal point is arranged upstream or downstream of the transfer point.

3. The device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: The apparatus comprises a control unit for controlling the tempering device according to a target temperature of the preform.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein: The device comprises a sensor for determining the temperature of the preforms in the conveying device, wherein the target temperature depends on the determined temperature and / or on the requirements of the blow molding machine when producing containers from the preforms.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein: The sensor is arranged to determine the temperature of the preforms in the region of the transfer point.

6. The device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein: The control unit is configured to control the tempering device so that the parison has the target temperature at the time of transfer.

7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The control unit is configured to control the tempering device according to a planned end time of operation of the production machine so that the parison has the target temperature at the end of the planned operation.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein: The device is configured such that the parisons are fed from the storage device into the conveying device when there are no more parisons in the conveying device upstream of the transfer point.

9. A method for producing containers from parisons by means of an apparatus comprising a parison production machine, a blow-molding machine for producing containers from the parisons, a conveying device for conveying the parisons from the production machine to the blow-molding machine, and a storage device, wherein the parisons can be conveyed from the conveying device to the storage device at a removal point and transferred to the conveying device at a transfer point, wherein: The storage device comprises a tempering device for tempering the preforms, and the method comprises transferring the preforms from the storage device to the conveying device when there are at least temporarily no preforms upstream of the transfer point.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: In the transport direction of the parisons in the transport device, the removal point is arranged upstream or downstream of the transfer point.

11. The method according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein: The apparatus comprises a control unit which controls the tempering device according to a target temperature of the parison.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The device comprises a sensor for determining the temperature of the preforms in the conveying device, wherein the target temperature depends on the determined temperature, wherein the sensor is optionally arranged such that it determines the temperature of the preforms in the region of the transfer point.

13. The method according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein: The control unit controls the tempering device so that the parison has the target temperature at the time of transfer.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The control unit controls the tempering device according to a planned end time of operation of the production machine so that the parison has the target temperature at the end of the planned operation.

15. The method according to claim 13 or claim 14, wherein: The control unit can determine the end time of the operation as a function of the number of parisons in the storage device and / or as a function of the number of containers to be manufactured.

Images