Device for forming packaging units

Abstract

Device for producing containers (2), wherein containers (3) are converted from a wide container flow into a plurality of single-lane container flows (4.1 to 4.8) by means of lane division, and partial containers (5.1 to 5.4) are formed with at least one dividing and / or compacting unit for dividing and compacting a predetermined number of containers (3) and are subsequently combined to form the subsequent container (2), wherein application elements are provided so that at least one of the containers (3) of the container (2; 5.1 to 5.4) has an adhesive or bonding agent and / or an adhesive or bonding agent application at least on one contact or touching surface, characterized by a linear conveyor (6) which has at least one transport element (12) which has a controllable drive (15) and can be moved back and forth in an alternating linear manner along a guide element (13), wherein the transport element (12) has a number of head guides (14) corresponding to the number of containers (3) of the subsequent package (2; 5.1 to 5.4), which head guides are axially movable and / or rotatable relative to the transport element (12).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device for producing containers according to the preamble of patent claim 1, wherein containers are converted from a wide container stream into a plurality of single-lane container streams by means of lane division, and are combined with at least one dividing and / or compacting unit for dividing and compacting a predetermined number of containers each to form the subsequent container, wherein application elements are provided so that at least one of the containers of the container has an adhesive or bonding agent and / or an adhesive or bonding agent application at least on one contact or touch surface.

[0002] Containers within the meaning of the invention are, for example, bottles, cans, tubes, pouches, each made of metal, glass and / or plastic, i.e. also PET bottles, but also other packaging materials, in particular those suitable for filling liquid or viscous products, but also containers already combined in groups (multi-packs). Such containers, e.g. PET bottles, have a contact area which is spherically curved so that the containers can roll against each other around a circumferential track, i.e. on a "roll-off ring". In the case of glass bottles, this is recognizable after repeated use of the bottle, for example by means of the wear ring which is usually highlighted in light. Such "roll-off rings" can be arranged not only in the head area but also in the foot area of ​​PET bottles.

[0003] In detail, the containers are manufactured, for example, in such a way that they are conveyed upright on a conveyor level with their axis oriented vertically or essentially vertically in a mass transport or in a wide container stream in which the containers have a random orientation with regard to distinctive containers and / or equipment features. This wide container stream is then converted into several single-lane container streams by aisle division. In further process steps, the containers are separated into the later containers orthe containers forming the container groups from the single-track container streams, the merging of the necessary number of containers into a compacted container group in which the containers lie against one another with several shell or circumferential surfaces, i.e. with the contact or touch surfaces, and the connecting of the containers of each container group to form the compact and solid or stable container.

[0004] It is known to combine or form several items into an article group and to use shrink film (e.g., US Pat. No. 7,726,464 A1) to produce solid or transportable storage and transport units or containers from these article groups. One of the disadvantages of this approach is that the films used, and in particular the shrinking of the films, incur considerable costs due to the application of heat or energy.

[0005] It has also already been proposed to produce transportable containers by packing the containers formed into a container group using strapping that loops around the container group (DE 10 2009 025 824 A1, DE 10 2009 044 271 A1, DE 41 26 212 A1), i.e. by joining them together to form a container. This represents a particularly cost-effective and simple option for producing containers or transport and storage units. The strapping can also be glued to the containers. A disadvantage of strapping, however, is that when a container is first removed from such a container, the containers remaining in the container are no longer held together by the strapping. This applies not only if the strapping is separated or cut, but also when it is possible to remove a container from the container without cutting the strapping.

[0006] Furthermore, when transporting such packages on a belt conveyor, there is always the risk that cylindrical or largely cylindrical items, such as cans, bottles, or containers, will assume a nesting position due to vibration, impact, etc., i.e., slip into the gap of the adjacent row. To prevent this, very high tension must be applied to the strapping for known packages.

[0007] DE 10 2006 037 105 A1, on the other hand, deals with a method for assembling bottle packs. A rotating star is provided on both sides of a conveyor, which presses bottle necks into clamps on flat supports. The bottle pack is then wrapped with a band or a wrap (film).

[0008] According to DE 23 31 193, an adhesive is applied to containers in narrow areas or rows, with adjacent areas not provided with adhesive intended to allow the package to be gripped for carrying. The containers are glued together at the glued points. EP 2 096 039 A1 also discloses providing containers with an adhesive, but additionally applying a shrink film around the bottle pack.

[0009] The object of the invention is to provide a device for producing packages of the type mentioned at the outset, in which, despite the omission of a surrounding film and / or despite the omission of strapping, it is always easily avoided that the articles end up in a nesting position during transport, wherein even after the removal of one or more articles from a package, the cohesion of the remaining articles in the package is maintained or can be restored.

[0010] To achieve this object, a device for producing containers according to patent claim 1 is provided, wherein a linear conveyor is provided which has at least one transport element which has a controllable drive and can be moved back and forth linearly in an alternating manner along a guide element, wherein the transport element has a number of head guides corresponding to the number of containers of the subsequent container, which head guides are axially movable and / or rotatable relative to the transport element.

[0011] Containers within the meaning of the invention include, for example, PET bottles, dhua bottles, cans, tubes, and pouches, each made of metal, glass, and / or plastic, as well as other packaging materials, particularly those suitable for filling liquid or viscous products, as well as containers already grouped together (multi-packs). The containers of the package are arranged in a non-nesting position.

[0012] “Adhesives or adhesives” within the meaning of the invention include, among other things, all materials or masses with which an adhesive bond is possible between containers, in particular compounds, materials or masses which, when applied in a liquid or viscous state, form a self-adhesive layer and / or bring about an adhesive bond under the application of pressure and / or by input of energy and / or after curing or crosslinking (also by input of energy). “Adhesives or adhesives” within the meaning of the invention also include, among other things, multi-layer materials, e.g. those consisting of at least one carrier material coated with a material with which an adhesive bond between containers is possible, i.e. which are adhesive and / or adhesively active on at least two sides. Such adhesives or adhesives can be referred to as pads. An “adhesive” container within the meaning of the invention has an adhesive or adhesive, or is provided with an adhesive and adhesive layer.The adhesive or bonding agent is preferably selected such that the containers can be manually and non-destructively removed from the container or separated from one another. It is conceivable that liquid adhesive is applied by the application elements. A low-viscosity UV-curing adhesive is also possible. A hot melt adhesive would also be suitable, but it cools very quickly and could thus potentially lose its adhesive properties before the containers in the container are sufficiently bonded together. A UV-curing adhesive is also advantageous in terms of the particularly easy adjustment of its desired properties. A corresponding curing station or curing section is ideally provided downstream of the application elements, either stationary or along the linear conveyor above or, if necessary, below them. A curing station could, for example, be a tunnel with UV illumination.

[0013] It is advantageous if the transport element is designed as a carriage, which can also be referred to as a support frame. The transport element or carriage has a controllable drive, which can be controlled by a corresponding control unit. This is advantageous within the meaning of the invention, since the transport element can thus have a transport speed adapted to the respective requirements.

[0014] The transport element is in contact with the guide element via the controllable drive. The guide element can also be referred to as a guide rail, along which the transport element is moved by the controllable drive. It is expedient within the meaning of the invention if the transport element or the carriage is held on a guide element on each of its long sides arranged along the transport direction. The transverse sides arranged perpendicular to the long sides extend transversely to the transport direction between the guide elements, so that the support frame or the carriage is guided safely and stably. The controllable drive can be arranged on just one of the two long sides, whereby a corresponding roller element driven by the opposite drive can then be arranged on the other long side.Of course, controllable drives can also be installed on both long sides, which should, of course, be synchronized. The controllable drive can be implemented as a servo motor, for example.

[0015] Another possible design would be one in which the transport element is designed as a double head carriage, with the respective head guides being controllable separately. With such a design, performance can be increased, as a larger number of subsequent containers can be processed with respect to a single carriage. Another advantage is the return travel time of the transport element. Since more subsequent containers can be processed on the "outward travel," the transport element can be given more time for the "return travel." Furthermore, the drive is controllable, so that the transport element can be significantly faster on the "return travel" than on the "outward travel."

[0016] The head guides hold the containers on the transport element and transport them from the input side past the application elements to the output side. On the input side, the containers are taken over by an input conveyor. On the output side, the containers, coated with adhesive and glue, are transferred to an output conveyor. The input or output conveyor can each be designed as a belt conveyor.

[0017] It is expedient for the transport element to have a controllable drive that can be controlled separately by the control unit. This allows the transport element to have different speeds along its transport path, i.e., along the "outward path" and also along the "return path." The outward path, within the meaning of the invention, is the path during which the transport element transports the containers held on it in the transport direction from the input side toward the output side. On the return path, however, the transport element is transported empty, i.e., without any containers held on it, against the transport direction from the output side to the input side.

[0018] The transport element allows the containers to be transported freely along the outward path, as the containers can be held by the head guides. The head guides can have packing or centering tulips to hold the containers at the mouth. It is advantageous if the head guides are movable relative to the transport element, i.e. relative to the support frame or carriage. This allows, for example, the containers to be specifically aligned according to design features, existing labels or similar features, so that the containers are aligned identically to one another within the subsequent pack. For this purpose, only the head guides need to be controlled accordingly, whereby it is also useful if each head guide can be controlled separately, i.e. independently of the others. The control signals or control movements can be initiated by a corresponding control unit, but of course also by the central control unit.In this case, a corresponding inspection device could simply be provided, which detects the actual position of the containers based on the characteristics to be examined, for example the label position, and compares them with stored target positions and then generates corresponding signals. A beneficial feature here is that the head guides are rotatable about their axis, but can also be moved axially, whereby the containers can be transported in a freely suspended manner. Due to the existing degrees of freedom, various required position changes can be superimposed so that each container can be aligned in the desired target position in harmony with the other containers. Free-floating transport eliminates any frictional resistance acting on the floor. Of course, the containers can also be held by the head guides and rest on conveyor belts at the bottom.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the application elements or application stations are arranged before the transfer of the containers onto or to the output conveyor, as seen in the transport direction. The application elements apply the adhesive or bonding agent to the container(s). The containers can be moved toward each other in an optionally aligned manner using the axial movement of the containers via the head guides, thus generating a certain contact pressure, which benefits the adhesive bond between the containers.

[0020] In a favorable embodiment, several application elements or application stations can be provided in succession in the transport direction, which also accommodates the optional rotation of the container held by the respective packing or centering bell. By rotating the containers along the transport direction, contact and touch surfaces offset in the circumferential direction of the containers can be coated with adhesive or glue, which promotes an adhesive bond, since virtually every container can form an adhesive bond with the directly adjacent container at at least two contact and touch surfaces.

[0021] The package can, for example, be made up of six containers. As already mentioned above, the head guides can exert a force transversely and longitudinally to the transport direction, so that the containers in a package are pressed or compressed against each other under the influence of force, which positively influences the adhesive bond. For this purpose, the head guides could be brought closer together to increase the effective compressive force.

[0022] It is advantageous that a single transport element can be used to process multiple containers, for example, eight containers with six containers each, as described above. This allows eight separate incoming gas streams to be received on the inlet side, while four separate outgoing gas streams can be discharged on the outlet side.

[0023] The output conveyor can have belts that allow the containers to rotate in any direction. For example, acceleration belts can also be provided.

[0024] The input conveyor can also have a conveyor for each container stream, with two conveyors being arranged in pairs and running parallel to each other if the bundle has two adjacent containers viewed transversely in the transport direction.

[0025] If UV-curing adhesive is applied, a curing station or section can be provided. The curing station can be located above or below the transport surfaces; a tunnel with UV illumination is also conceivable. To support the transport of the entire container toward the discharge side, carrier elements could be provided on the output conveyor.

[0026] The respective container can be designed in multiple rows in the transport direction, for example, two or three rows. It is possible to arrange the application elements or application stations not only rigidly on the linear conveyor, but also move them so that the application elements can be carried along at least part of the way along the respective container stream or with the transport element.

[0027] It is possible to provide the container, i.e. the entire container, with a carrying element, for example, a handle. Suitable devices can be provided for this purpose, which are arranged downstream of the output side or at a suitable location on the linear conveyor. Of course, the carrying element can be attached to the container using the aforementioned adhesive or bonding agent.

[0028] The invention thus provides a device for producing a pack which, despite dispensing with a surrounding film and / or strapping, easily prevents the containers from ending up in a nesting position during transport, whereby even after one or more containers have been removed from a pack, the cohesion of the remaining containers in the pack is maintained or can be restored. By dispensing with a film or strapping band (film-free bottle pack), the environment is relieved by avoiding waste, while also conserving resources for the production of the films or strapping, which are usually made of plastic. The containers of a pack are glued directly to one another during transport, i.e. during continuous operation of the device for producing packs or the packaging machine.In addition, a film-free bottle pack can be achieved with minimal adhesive application, which ensures sufficient bonding of the individual containers to each other.

[0029] Extremely high performances can be achieved with the invention, which is due, among other things, to the freely controllable speed of the transport element, which can be adjusted with regard to acceleration or deceleration.

[0030] Further developments, advantages, and possible applications of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments and from the figures. All described and / or illustrated features, individually or in any combination, are fundamentally part of the invention, regardless of their summary in the claims or their reference back to them. The content of the claims is also incorporated into the description.

[0031] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment of the figures. They show: Fig. 1 a partial section of a device for producing several packages with six articles or containers in a side view, Fig. 2 the section from Fig. 1 in a supervision and Fig. 3 the section from Fig. 1 in a frontal view.

[0032] In the different figures, identical parts are always provided with the same reference symbols, which is why they are usually only described once.

[0033] Fig. 1 shows a section of a device 1 for producing packages 2 from containers 3, or a packaging machine 1, wherein containers 3 are converted in advance from a wide container stream into several, as shown, eight single-track container streams 4. 1 to 4.8 (only Fig. 2), in which the containers 3 have an arbitrary orientation, for example with regard to their container and / or equipment features, by separating and merging a predetermined number of containers 3, for example six containers 3 each, compacted or formed container groups 5.1 to 5.4 or partial containers 5.1 to 5.4 (only Fig. 2) and subsequently combined to form the container 2, wherein at least one of the containers 3 of the container 2, preferably each container 3, has an adhesive or bonding agent and / or an adhesive or bonding agent application at least on one contact or touch surface.

[0034] Fig. Figure 1 shows that a linear conveyor 6 is provided, which transports the containers 3 from an input side 7 toward an output side 8. The transport direction from the input side 7 to the discharge side 8 is indicated by arrow 9. On the input side, an input conveyor 10 is provided for each container stream 4.1 to 4.8, whereby the input conveyor 10 can also be referred to as a switch or distribution line. Output conveyors 11 are provided on the output side. Railings are arranged between the output conveyors 11, on which moving carrier elements can be arranged.

[0035] The linear conveyor 6 has, for example, only a single transport element 12, which has a controllable drive 15 and is linearly movable back and forth along a guide element 13, wherein the transport element 12 has a number of head guides 14 corresponding to the number of containers 3 of the subsequent package 2, which are axially movable and / or rotatable relative to the transport element 12.

[0036] The transport element 12 is designed, for example, as a carriage or a support frame and has the controllable drive 15. The drive 15 can be designed as a servo motor.

[0037] With the controllable drive 15, the transport element 12 is in contact with the guide element 13 or with the guide rail 13, along which the transport element 12 is moved by the controllable drive 15. As Fig. 2, each side of the linear conveyor 6 has a guide element 13 or guide rail 13, between which the transport element 12 is movably mounted.

[0038] The head guides 14 hold the containers 3 on the transport element 12 and transport them from the input side past application elements (not shown) for applying adhesive or glue to the output side. On the input side, the containers 3 are picked up by the input conveyor 10. On the output side, the containers 3 are transferred to the output conveyor 11. The input or output conveyor can each be designed as a belt conveyor.

[0039] The transport element 12 or the carriage is held on its longitudinal side 17 arranged longitudinally to the transport direction (arrow 9) on a guide element 13.

[0040] The controllable drive 15 can be controlled separately by a control unit. Thus, the transport element 12 can have different speeds along its transport path. In particular, the transport element 12 can have a higher speed along the return path than along the outward path. As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the transport element 12 has, for example, six container receptacles 16, on which the head guides 14 are arranged, so that eight subsequent containers 2 can be transported with one transport element 12. Due to the respective selected view, in Fig. 2 shows, for example, two container holders 16 following one another in the transport direction, wherein Fig. 3 transversely to the transport direction, three container holders 16 can be seen, for example, whereby the middle container holder 16 is designed for two later containers 2.

[0041] The longitudinal and transverse sides of the carriage 12 are aligned horizontally, with rollers arranged at least at the corners for rolling along the guide element. The container receptacles 16 are spaced from the carriage 12 by webs extending essentially vertically.

[0042] It is possible for the containers 3 to be transported freely suspended along the outward path, since the containers are held on the head guides 14.

[0043] The head guides 14 can have packing or centering tulips 18 for holding the containers 3 at the mouth. For example, the head guides 14 are movable relative to the transport element 12, i.e., relative to the support frame or carriage. This allows, for example, a targeted alignment of the containers 3 according to design features, existing labels, or similar features, so that the containers 3 are aligned identically to one another within the subsequent package 2. For this purpose, only the head guides 14 need to be controlled accordingly, whereby it is also expedient if each head guide 14 can be controlled separately, i.e., independently of the others. The control signals or control movements can be initiated by a corresponding control unit, but of course also by the central control unit.For this purpose, a corresponding inspection device could simply be provided, which detects the actual position of the containers, performs corresponding comparisons with stored target positions, and then generates corresponding signals. It is advantageous that the head guides 14 are rotatable around their vertical axis, but are also axially movable along transverse and longitudinal axes, allowing the containers 3 to be transported in a freely suspended manner.

[0044] In a preferred embodiment, the application elements are arranged before the transfer of the containers 3 onto or onto the output conveyor 11 and after the optional alignment of the containers. The application elements apply the adhesive or bonding agent to the container(s). The containers 3 can be moved toward each other in an optionally aligned manner using the axial movement of the containers via the head guides 14, so that a certain contact pressure can already be generated, which benefits the adhesive bond between the containers 3.

[0045] Of course, several order elements or order stations can be provided one after the other in the transport direction (arrow 9). List of reference symbols: 1 Device for the production of containers / packaging machine 2 containers 3 containers 4 Container lane (4.1 to 4.8) 5 partial containers (5.1 to 5.4) 6 linear conveyor 7 Entrance page 8 Output page 9 Transport direction 10 input conveyors 11 Output conveyors 12 transport elements 13 guide elements 14 head guides 15 controllable drive 16 container holders 17 Long side 18 Packing or centering tulip

Claims

[1] Device for producing containers (2), wherein containers (3) are converted from a wide container stream into several single-lane container streams (4.1 to 4.8) by means of lane division, and partial containers (5.1 to 5.4) are formed with at least one dividing and / or compacting unit for dividing and compacting a predetermined number of containers (3) and subsequently combined to form the subsequent container (2), wherein application elements are provided so that at least one of the containers (3) of the container (2; 5.1 to 5.4) has an adhesive or adhesive agent and / or an adhesive or adhesive agent application at least on one contact or touch surface, characterized bya linear conveyor (6) which has at least one transport element (12) which has a controllable drive (15) and can be moved back and forth in an alternating linear manner along a guide element (13), wherein the transport element (12) has a number of head guides (14) corresponding to the number of containers (3) of the subsequent package (2; 5.1 to 5.4), which head guides (14) can be moved axially and / or rotated relative to the transport element (12). [2] Device according to claim 1, characterized by that the transport element (12) is designed as a carriage which has the controllable drive (15). [3] Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the transport element (12) is guided on its longitudinal side (17) on a guide element (13). [4] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the containers (3) are transported freely suspended at least along a partial section by means of the transport element (12). [5] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the containers (3) are guided in the transport element (12) at the head end and stand on controllable conveyor belts at the bottom. [6] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the head guides (14) can be controlled independently of each other. [7] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the transport element (12) can be designed in such a way that several subsequent containers (2) can be transported with it. [8] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the application elements accompany the containers (3) along a partial route.

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