Device and method for producing blister covers

Abstract

Device for producing a blister hood (13) from two-dimensional blanks (1) in a packaging machine with a programmable controller and at least one magazine (3) for receiving stacks (2) of blanks (1) as well as a take-off (4) on an arm (5), a second storage (10) and a device for layout adaptation, wherein the device for layout adaptation has a first storage (6) with forming tools (12) aligned for the first layout (15) and receptacles (7) for each blank (1) of a layout (15, 16), characterized in that the device for layout adaptation has at least one regulated, program-controlled adjusting drive (14) for adjusting the horizontal distances of the receptacles (7) from one another according to a first layout (15) and a second layout (16).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device and a method for producing blister covers. State of the art

[0002] Designs of packaging machines are known from the packaging machine market in which, when a layout adjustment is required, when distances between layouts of blanks or blister hood holders have to be changed, curved plates are used in which, starting from a layout with a smaller center distance of the blanks or blister hoods, a layout with a larger center distance of the blanks or blister hoods is to be achieved or vice versa.

[0003] When changing formats, curved plates must be ordered, which requires lead time for development, production, or purchasing. Therefore, both costs and procurement times must be taken into account for a format change, making it time-consuming and expensive.

[0004] DE 41 25 335 A1 discloses a device for producing blister packs in which a blister cap is sealed between two carrier cartons. It should be designed to allow a linear connection to a forming machine for producing the blister caps. This is achieved by a transfer device for the blister caps, which inserts them into the carrier cartons.

[0005] The document CN 2 09 851 570 U discloses a removal device for blisters, which comprises a material removal, placement and transfer device with a removal and placement assembly, wherein the material removal, placement and transfer device is arranged spanning over a blister table and extends to the side part of the blister table.

[0006] The picking and placing assembly is arranged on the material picking, placing and transferring device, and the material picking, placing and transferring device drives the picking and placing assembly to move linearly and transversely across the blister table, and the picking and placing assembly moves up and down so that the product is sucked and fixed after being picked up and then conveyed to a picking mechanism arranged on one side of the blister table, and the product is fed out by the picking mechanism.

[0007] EP 1 167 194 A2 discloses a method for producing blister packs. Blister covers are formed in two rows in the feed direction in a forming device, split longitudinally, separated transversely as a double blister cover, and transferred to a holder with transverse spreading. The double blister covers are guided in the feed direction to a stationary cutting device, where they are cut into individual blister covers. By means of a transfer device, the individual blister covers are placed into sealing pallets – if necessary after previously increasing their spacing in the feed direction. These pallets guide the individual blister covers in cycles for filling, applying a carrier part, sealing, and removing the blister packs from the sealing pallets. Task

[0008] The invention is based on the object of improving a device and a method for producing blister covers.

[0009] This object is achieved according to the invention by the measures specified in claim 1 and the independent claim 9. Further preferred embodiments of the invention emerge from the remaining features mentioned in the respective subclaims. Example

[0010] Packaging machines today require a high degree of flexibility because they have to process small batch sizes and therefore need to be able to be converted in a short time.

[0011] The present invention implements this claim in the area of ​​converting the layouts for the storage of blanks and the transfer of formed blister hoods to storage areas for further processing.

[0012] The core of the invention is a device for layout adjustment which has a horizontal drive and thus moves horizontally in cycles between the location where the blanks are formed into blister covers and the location where the blister covers are further processed. The device also has a vertical axis for adjusting the height differences between the two locations and for immersing the blister covers in forming tools and lifting them out or depositing the blister covers for further processing. When moving between the two locations mentioned above, the distance between holders which also contain formed parts and forming punches is adjusted to the conditions at the two locations. The layout in the magazine or on the associated first storage area has a larger pitch between the blanks because of the portion of the blanks that are still to be bent so that the blanks are turned into blister covers.The layout at the further processing location has a smaller pitch because the walls of the blister hoods are no longer visible in the vertical projection due to the forming process. The required different distances between the receptacles are achieved by at least one adjustment drive. The invention proposes the use of servo drives on the drive side for this purpose, which can be designed as motor, pneumatic or hydraulic servo drives. Furthermore, the invention proposes the use of a scissors drive on the output side, in which the individual receptacles are arranged at pivot points of the scissors drive. Alternatively, one or more threaded spindles with spindle nuts and a torque arm can also be used on the output side, with the receptacles then being arranged on the spindle nuts.The advantage of the invention is that, during format changes, all positions, speeds, accelerations, etc. can be entered into a programmable controller of the packaging machine or called up via an existing recipe. Alternatively, simple drives can be used that are capable of executing simple travel commands up to a stop or limit switch. In this case, the stops or limit switches are adjusted, moved, or replaced. The term "blister hood" encompasses three-dimensional structures formed from blanks.The material of the blanks includes flat materials which are converted into a desired contour from the flat raw materials by means of cutting or punching processes and are brought into a three-dimensional shape by means of insertable creasing, folding or cutting lines through the application of force and the interaction of the forming punch and forming die in a forming tool.

[0013] Further details of the invention are described in more detail below with reference to the schematic drawings. They show: Fig. 1 shows the device for producing a blister cover from blanks 1 in a first process step. Blanks 1 are stored in stacks 2 in magazines 3. A removal device 4 with an arm 5 removes blanks 1 from the stack 2. The device for producing a blister cover is a station in a packaging machine. Fig. 2 shows the device for producing a blister cap in a second process step. The receiving device 4 has placed a blank 1 on the first support 6, which has a forming tool 12. Fig. 3 shows the device for producing a blister cover in a third process step. The layout adjustment unit is moved toward the first support 6 by means of a horizontal axis 11 such that the receptacles 7 are positioned above the blanks 1. A vertical axis 9 lowers the receptacles 7 onto the first support 6 such that the blanks 1 are three-dimensionally deformed into blister covers. Fig. 4 shows the device for producing a blister cap in a fourth process step. The layout adjustment unit is moved back toward the second storage area 10 by means of the horizontal axis 11 so that the holders 7 with the blister caps 13 are positioned above the second storage area 10. Using the vertical axis 9, the holders 7 are lowered onto the second storage area 10 so that the blister caps 13 are placed on the second storage area 10. The holders 7 are returned to their starting position by means of the vertical axis 9, see Fig. 1, retracted. Fig.5 shows, by way of example, a first layout 15 and a second layout 16. Layout 15 shows an exemplary arrangement of blanks, while layout 16 shows an exemplary arrangement of blister covers. In both layouts 15 and 16, the number of blanks or blister covers is identical. The distances between the blanks 1 or blister covers are minimized in each case. The first layout 15 is located in the magazine 3 at the first storage area 6 and at the forming tool 12. The second layout 16 is located at the second storage area 10. The storage area 10 is advantageously designed as a movable pallet of the packaging machine.

[0014] The invention provides for the device for producing a blister hood 13 from two-dimensional blanks 1 in a packaging machine with a programmable controller and at least one magazine 3 for receiving stacks 2 of blanks 1 as well as a removal device 4 on an arm 5, a second storage area 10 and a device for layout adjustment, wherein the device for layout adjustment has a first storage area 6 with forming tools 12 aligned for the first layout 15 and receptacles 7 for each blank 1 of a layout 15, 16, such that the device for layout adjustment has at least one regulated, program-controlled adjustment drive 14 for adjusting the horizontal distances of the receptacles 7 from one another according to a first layout 15 and a second layout 16. The device for layout adjustment should have a displacement drive 8 for the horizontal displacement of the entirety of the receptacles 7.The layout adjustment device advantageously has a horizontal axis 11 for horizontally displacing the entire layout adjustment device. The number of blanks in the first layout 15 should be identical to the number of blister covers 13 in the second layout 16. The distances between the longitudinal axes of the blanks 1 in the first layout 15 should be greater than the distances between the longitudinal axes of the blister covers 13 in the second layout 16. The at least one adjustment drive 14 is preferably designed as a servo drive. The servo drive can be designed as a motor, pneumatic, or hydraulic drive. The adjustment drive 14 in the output is designed as a mechanical scissor drive in one embodiment.

[0015] Furthermore, the invention provides for the method for producing a blister hood 13 from two-dimensional blanks 1, wherein at least one take-off device 4, attached to an arm 5, removes at least one blank 1 from a magazine 3, which has a stack 2 of blanks 1 according to a first layout 15, and processes it further, wherein the at least one take-off device 4 deposits the at least one blank 1 on a first support 6 with a forming tool 12 according to a first layout 15 and then the at least one holder 7 forms the blanks into blister hoods 13, receives them and deposits them on a second support 10 for further processing according to a second layout 16, such that during a layout adjustment, in which the pitch dimensions of the first and / or second layout 15, 16 are changed, the adjustments of the distances of the holders 7 to one another according to the changed pitch dimensions of the layouts 15,16 by creating or calling a program of the programmable controller. A displacement drive 8 is intended to move the entirety of the holders 7 horizontally to a desired position in the pitch of the second layout 16 before depositing them on the second storage unit 10. During a format change in which the desired position of the entirety of the holders 7 on the second storage unit 10 changes, the changed position is to be achieved by creating or calling a program of the programmable controller. During a format change in which the vertical height of the first storage unit 6 and / or the second storage unit 10 and / or the horizontal position of the first storage unit 6 and / or the second storage unit 10 changes, these changes in height and / or position are to be made by creating or calling a program of the programmable controller. List of reference symbols 1 cutting 2 stacks 3 Magazine 4 Acceptance 5 arms 6 First filing 7 Recording 8 Sliding drive 9 Vertical axis 10 Second tray 11 Horizontal axis 12 mold tool 13 Blister pack 14 Adjustment drive 15 First layout 16 Second layout

Claims

[1] Device for producing a blister hood (13) from two-dimensional blanks (1) in a packaging machine with a programmable controller and at least one magazine (3) for receiving stacks (2) of blanks (1) as well as a take-off (4) on an arm (5), a second storage (10) and a device for layout adjustment, wherein the device for layout adjustment has a first storage (6) with forming tools (12) aligned for the first layout (15) and receptacles (7) for each blank (1) of a layout (15, 16), characterized by that the device for layout adaptation has at least one regulated, program-controlled adjustment drive (14) for adjusting the horizontal distances of the receptacles (7) to one another according to a first layout (15) and a second layout (16). [2] Device according to claim 1, characterized bythat the device for layout adjustment has a displacement drive (8) for horizontally displacing the entirety of the receptacles (7). [3] Device according to claim 1, characterized by that the layout adjustment device has a horizontal axis (11) for horizontally displacing the entire layout adjustment device. [4] Device according to claim 1, characterized by that the number of blanks in the first layout (15) is identical to the number of blister covers (13) in the second layout (16). [5] Device according to claim 1, characterized by that the distances between the longitudinal axes of the blanks (1) in the first layout (15) are greater than the distances between the longitudinal axes of the blister hoods (13) in the second layout (16). [6] Device according to claim 1, characterized by that the at least one adjustment drive (14) is designed as a servo drive. [7] Device according to claim 6, characterized bythat the servo drive is designed as a motor, pneumatic or hydraulic drive. [8] Device according to claim 1, characterized by that the adjustment drive (14) in the output is designed as a mechanical scissor drive. [9] Method for producing a blister hood (13) from two-dimensional blanks (1) according to claim 1, wherein at least one take-off device (4), attached to an arm (5), removes at least one blank (1) from a magazine (3) which has a stack (2) of blanks (1) according to a first layout (15) and processes it further, wherein the at least one take-off device (4) deposits the at least one blank (1) on a first support (6) with a forming tool (12) according to a first layout (15) and then the at least one holder (7) forms the blanks into blister hoods (13), receives them and deposits them on a second support (10) for further processing according to a second layout (16). characterized bythat in the case of a layout adjustment in which the pitch dimensions of the first and / or second layout (15, 16) are changed, the adjustments of the distances between the receptacles (7) are carried out in accordance with the changed pitch dimensions of the layouts (15, 16) by creating or calling up a program of the programmable controller. [10] Method for producing a blister from two-dimensional blanks (1) according to claim 9, characterized by that a displacement drive (8) moves the entirety of the holders (7) in the pitch of the second layout (16) horizontally into a desired position before placing them on the second storage (10). [11] Method for producing a blister from two-dimensional blanks (1) according to claim 9, characterized bythat in the case of a format change in which the desired position of the entirety of the holders (7) on the second storage (10) changes, the changed position is achieved by creating or calling up a program of the programmable controller. [12] Method for producing a blister from two-dimensional blanks (1) according to claim 9, characterized by that during a format change in which the vertical height of the first shelf (6) and / or the second shelf (10) and / or the horizontal position of the first shelf (6) and / or the second shelf (10) changes, these changes in heights and / or positions are carried out by creating or calling a program of the programmable controller.

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