METHOD FOR MONITORING A CLOSER

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for monitoring the folding tools of a seamer. The invention further relates to a seamer for carrying out the method according to the invention.

[0002] In the filling process for beverage or food cans, the cans, after being filled with the beverage or food, pass through a can sealer. The filled cans enter via one feed path, and can lids enter via another. The can sealer typically has several identical, carousel-like arrangements, in each of which a can is sealed with a lid. The lids are guided onto the cans and held in place by a crimping head. This holding action also prevents the cans from breaking out of their circular path within the sealer due to centrifugal force. Inside the sealer, the can and lid are crimped over a crimping roller, thus sealing the can. The crimping head usually also rotates the can and lid around its own axis of symmetry during this process.For rotation, the folding rollers and folding heads are arranged on a respective folding shaft or folding roller bolt.

[0003] A can sealer of this type is described in DE 749636 and DE 4234115 A1. The can sealer comprises a clamping device for holding a can to be sealed. In the operating state, the can to be sealed is placed in the clamping device and secured by it in the axial and radial directions. A can lid is also positioned centrally over the opening of the can to be sealed. The can has a circumferential can flange in the area of ​​the opening, and the can lid has a circumferential lid flange. To seal the opening with the lid, the can sealer additionally comprises two crimping rollers, each rotatably mounted about an axis, which press the can flange and the lid flange together by means of a substantially radial force. This pressing is achieved by continuous rolling in the circumferential direction along the circumference of the can opening.

[0004] Another can sealer is known from GB 2098899 A. This can sealer comprises a clamping device for holding the can to be sealed and a crimping roller. In operation, the can to be sealed is placed in the clamping device and secured axially and radially by it. A can lid is also positioned centrally over the opening of the can to be sealed. The can has a circumferential can flange in the area of ​​the opening of the can body, and the can lid has a circumferential can lid flange.

[0005] EP 2 217 392 B1 discloses a method for monitoring a capper.

[0006] US Patent 11,007,562 B2 discloses a method for monitoring tools in a can manufacturing process.

[0007] To seal the cans, folding tools are required, including the aforementioned folding rollers and folding heads. These tools deform the metal of the can and lid and are therefore subject to wear caused by pressure and friction. The folding tools must therefore be replaced periodically. An important quality indicator for folding rollers is the number of cans guaranteed by the manufacturer to be sealed with that roller.

[0008] If the data is recorded properly, the number of sealed cans from a folding roll can be roughly determined, and the wear of the folding tools can be roughly monitored. However, this requires manual record-keeping by the user.

[0009] Therefore, there is no reliable method to monitor the wear of folding tools.

[0010] The object of the invention is therefore to provide a method for monitoring the folding tools of a seamer and a seamer itself, which avoid the adverse effects known from the prior art. In particular, it should make it possible to monitor the wear of the folding tools of a seamer accurately and reliably.

[0011] The problem is solved by an inventive method for monitoring folding tools of a seamer and a seamer for carrying out the inventive method.

[0012] The invention proposes a method for monitoring the folding tools of a capper. The method comprises providing a capper with a folding tool (or multiple folding tools) for attaching a lid to a container, and a control device for controlling and monitoring the capper. The folding tool includes an identification element by which the folding tool is uniquely identifiable (i.e., distinguishable from all other folding tools). Furthermore, the method comprises identifying the folding tool by means of the identification element, storing the identification of the folding tool in the control device, and monitoring a number of containers sealed by the folding tool using the identification stored in the control device.

[0013] The inventive method enables the number of containers sealed by each (in particular) folding tool to be assigned to it within the control system. For this purpose, each (in particular) folding tool can be marked in a machine-readable manner by means of an identification element. Before the sealer starts up for production, all folding tools installed during initialization can be identified and stored in the control system, i.e., the control device. Thus, a counter can be stored for each (in particular) folding tool.

[0014] According to the invention, the closure device comprises an identification device which is moved to the identification element and identifies the folding tool by means of the identification element.

[0015] The identification element can be a transponder. In particular, the transponder can be a passive transponder, and the identification device can be designed as a transmitter / receiver unit and supply energy to the passive transponder for identification purposes.

[0016] Alternatively or additionally, the identification element can be an optoelectronically readable identification element. The identification device can be an optoelectronic reader and read the optoelectronically readable identification element for identification purposes. Preferably, the optoelectronically readable identification element can be a barcode or a QR code. A barcode can be understood as an optoelectronically readable code consisting of parallel lines and spaces of varying widths. The term "code" here refers to the representation of data in binary symbols.

[0017] Each folding tool can have the transponder / identification element at the same location on a stator (i.e., a static / immobile part of the folding tool during operation / container sealing). Since increased hygiene requirements must be met in the sealing machine's work area, the identification device can be recessed in the upper part of the sealing machine and only extend into the work area when the folding tools are being identified. The identification device can therefore be positioned on the sealing machine in such a way that it can be inserted into the work area.

[0018] In this embodiment of the invention, a limit value for sealed containers can be stored in the control device, and once this limit value is reached, a wear signal is output via the control device for the folding tool. This wear signal can either inform the user and / or stop the sealing machine, thus enabling timely replacement / inspection of the folding tools.

[0019] The folding tool can comprise a folding shaft rotatable about a folding axis and a folding element arranged at one end of the folding shaft. The folding element can be detachably arranged at one end of the folding shaft. The method according to the invention particularly preferably relates to the folding element; that is, the folding element is uniquely identifiable by the identification element, and this identification is stored in the control device, so that the number of containers sealed by means of the folding element can be monitored by the identification stored in the control device.

[0020] Monitoring the number of containers sealed using the folding tool can be achieved by measuring the rotation of the folding shaft. The identification device can be designed as a rotation sensor, such as a gyrometer, positioned on the folding shaft. Alternatively, the rotations of the rotor can be counted (one container is sealed per station with each rotation of the rotor).

[0021] The folding wave can be a folding head wave and the folding device a folding head for fixing the lid to the container. Alternatively or additionally, the folding wave can be a folding roller wave (also called a folding roller bolt) and the folding device a folding roller for folding the lid to the container.

[0022] Each folding roll can have the transponder at the same location on the stator. Since increased hygiene requirements must be met in the work area, the identification device is preferably movable and recessed in the upper part of the capper in such a way that it can be moved into the product chamber when the folding rolls are identified.

[0023] Preferably, for identification purposes, only the rotor (as the moving part of a carousel-shaped arrangement) of the capper needs to be rotated, so that no containers are wasted on identification (i.e., the remaining parts of the capper remain stationary). The capper's rotor can therefore be moved "empty." After identification is complete, capping can begin while the identification device is still being moved out of / into the upper part of the work area.

[0024] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, monitoring the number of containers sealed by the folding tool can be achieved by counting the lids via a lid destacking mechanism of the sealer. That is, the sealer includes the lid destacking mechanism, which separates the lids from a stack of lids, after which the lids are then guided to the container. The lids are counted during this destacking process.

[0025] The lid stacking feature allows the capper to know precisely how many containers have been capped. When the capper is stopped after a production run, the counters of the individual sealing elements (preferably sealing rolls) can be incremented by the corresponding number of containers, taking into account the total number of sealing elements and the number of capping stations on the capper. For example, if the capper has 14 sealing stations and 1.4 million containers were capped in a production run, each sealing roll will be assigned 100,000 capped containers.

[0026] In principle, the identification of the folding tools can be carried out when the sealer is started, in order to check whether new folding tools have been used. For short stops of less than 10 minutes, caused, for example, by a fault, preferably no new identification is carried out upon restart.

[0027] When the folding tool or folding roller is replaced, the control device preferably records this in a log file. A new counter is automatically started for each replaced folding tool / roll. The data for the old folding tool / roll is preferably retained in the control system. If the replaced folding roller is used again, the control device detects this and reassigns the sealed containers to that folding roller, thus restarting the counter.

[0028] The inventive method makes it possible, in particular, to obtain reliable information on the service life of the folding tools. The data can be analyzed to update the number of sealable containers and, in particular, can also be stored in a cloud and distributed to control devices.

[0029] According to the invention, a closing device is further proposed for closing the containers with the lid, which is used to carry out the method according to the invention.

[0030] The capper can comprise a folding tool for attaching the lid to the container and the control device for controlling and monitoring the capper, wherein the folding tool includes the identification element by which the folding tool can be uniquely identified. Furthermore, the capper can comprise the (carousel-shaped) arrangement in the capper's working area with a plurality of capping stations comprising the folding tool.

[0031] A feeding device can be arranged on the arrangement for supplying the containers to the arrangement. In addition, the capper can include an outlet for containers closed (with the lid) from the arrangement.

[0032] Preferably, the capper also includes a lid feeder that guides the lids from the destacking point of the lid stack to the container. After the destacking process, in which the lids are individually separated from the stack, the lids are thus guided to the container. The lid feeder can be located in the capper's working area below the destacking point.

[0033] The sealing process can include positioning the container on a lifting station of the sealing station and folding the lid onto the container using the folding roller and folding head. Finally, the sealed container can be removed from the sealing machine's working area.

[0034] The working area is the space of the capper in which the container is preferably sealed with the lid, and in particular the space in which a folding process takes place. Preferably, the working area is enclosed by a housing, thus separating the working area of ​​the capper (and thereby enabling the formation of a hygienic zone).

[0035] In particular, the housing can be considered a covering, enclosure, casing, or casing that at least partially surrounds the workspace. The housing can enclose and / or shield the workspace from the outside, thus hygienically separating the workspace atmosphere from the surrounding environment.

[0036] The sealing station can include a sealing head for closing the container with the lid. The sealing head can include the folding means for folding the lid onto the container. The folding means can be the folding roller and the folding head. Each sealing head can therefore include at least one folding roller (especially preferably two folding rollers) and a folding head. The sealing head can include a folding shaft or folding roller pin rotatable about a folding axis, with the folding means arranged at one end of the respective folding shaft / folding roller pin (the folding head and folding roller are thus rotatable about the respective folding shaft / folding roller pin).

[0037] In particular, two folding rollers can be arranged on one folding lever, one folding roller for a first folding operation and one folding roller for a second folding operation. However, the first and second folding rollers can also be arranged on separate folding levers. The closing device or arrangement according to the invention can further comprise the lifting station (or a plurality of lifting stations) for lifting the container. The lifting stations can be arranged opposite the closing heads.

[0038] The sealing device according to the invention is preferably designed as a can sealer. The container can be a can and the lid a can lid, which are folded together by the can sealer. The can sealer typically comprises several identical sealing stations (preferably sealing heads and lifting stations) arranged in a carousel, in each of which a can is sealed with a can lid.

[0039] In the operating state of the can seamer, the seaming rollers, with their respective seaming profiles, are brought into contact with a can lid flange and a can flange of the can. Rotation of the can then causes the seaming roller to rotate circumferentially, seaming the can flange against the can lid flange. For rotation, the can is preferably clamped between the seaming head and the lifting station, with the seaming head rotating around the seaming axis along with the seaming shaft.

[0040] Within the scope of the invention, the term "can" can be understood to mean a rotationally symmetrical container which is closed by means of the can sealer and the associated crimping roller. A can preferably comprise a metal, in particular aluminum or steel.

[0041] In principle, the capper can preferably comprise at least two types of folding rollers with preferably different folding profiles (whereby the corresponding capping head includes folding rollers of both types), so that cans can be capped according to a double-fold principle, in which the cans are generally capped in two stages. Each type of folding roller is responsible for one stage. The first type of folding roller creates a pre-fold (first folding operation), while the second type of folding roller completely caps the can / container (second folding operation).

[0042] When the can is clamped in the sealing station between the lifting station and the folding head, the first folding operation is performed with the first folding roller of the sealing station, but the second operation is preferably performed with the second folding roller of a different (adjacent) sealing station. Therefore, the folding rollers of two sealing stations can always be involved in sealing a can.

[0043] The invention and the prior art are explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments and the drawings. Fig. 1 a top view of a can sealer; Fig. 2 a side view of a sealing station.

[0044] Fig. 1 shows a top view of a can sealer 1000 according to the invention.

[0045] The can sealer 1000 according to Fig. 1 comprises two lid supply devices 11 for supplying a lid 101 to a lid feeder 10, which transports the lids 101 to the can 100.

[0046] The lid feeder 10 includes a lid movement device 4, which is arranged to be movable such that the lid 101 can be moved towards the can 100 by the lid movement device 4. For this purpose, the lid movement device 4 is attached to a shaft and arranged to be rotatable by this shaft, so that the lid 101 can be moved by a rotation of the lid movement device 4.

[0047] Furthermore, the lid feeder 10 includes a lid guide 15A, 15B arranged on the lid movement device 4 for guiding the lid 101 to the can 100. For this purpose, the lid guide 15A, 15B has a first rail 15A and a second rail 15B running parallel to the first rail 15A, wherein the lid 101 is arranged between the rails 15A, 15B such that the lid 101 is guided by the movement of a lid driver 19 of the lid movement device 4 between the rails 15A, 15B in the direction of point Z, where the lid 101 is joined with the can 100 entering along A from a container feeder 12.

[0048] Furthermore, the can sealer 1000 includes a folding process / arrangement 14 with sealing stations in the form of folding stations for sealing the can 100 with the lid 101. The folding process 14 is arranged in a working chamber 2 of the can sealer 1000, which is surrounded by a housing 3.

[0049] The lid 101 is inserted along C through the lid supply device 11 into the working chamber 2 of the can sealer 1000 and guided by the lid guide 15A, 15B to the can 100.

[0050] However, before the lids are placed on the lid guide 15A, 15B, a destacking process takes place in which the lids 101 are individually separated from a stack.

[0051] The cans 100 with lids 101 are then fed to the folding process 14. During feeding to the folding process 14, the can 100 and the lid 101 are gassed by a gassing device 5, which is stationary at the lid feeder 10 and the container feeder 12. Afterwards, the can 100 with the lid 101 is clamped and sealed by the folding process 14. The sealed can is conveyed by a further rotor into a can outlet 18.

[0052] Fig. 2Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a sealing station 1 with the can 100 to be sealed and the can lid 101, in which the control device 21 according to the invention is connected to an identification device 20.

[0053] The sealing station 1 comprises a can support with lifting station 23, a folding head 9, and a folding roller 8 rotatably mounted about a folding shaft, with a folding roller profile 111. The can lid 101 is centered above the opening of the can 100. The can 100 has a circumferential can flange in the area of ​​the can opening, and the can lid 101 has a circumferential can lid flange.

[0054] During the sealing process, the crimping roller 8 is brought into contact with the can flange and the can lid flange via the crimping roller profile 111. The can flange and the can lid flange are then pressed together by means of a substantially radial force applied via the crimping roller 8. This pressing is achieved by the continuous rolling of the crimping roller 8 in the circumferential direction along the circumference of the can opening.

[0055] For folding, the can 100 is rotated by a clamping device consisting of lifting station 23 and folding head 9, by rotating the folding head 9 with the folding shaft around the folding axis X.

[0056] The control device 1 can be used to monitor the folding roller 8 and / or the folding head 9.

[0057] For this purpose, the folding roller 8 includes a first identification element 6 and the folding head 9 a second identification element 7, by which the folding roller 8 and the folding head 9 can be uniquely identified (compared to folding rollers / folding heads of other sealing stations).

[0058] The folding roller 8 and the folding head 9 are identified by the identification device 20, which moves towards the identification elements 6 and 7. For this purpose, the identification elements 6 and 7 are designed as transponders which are read.

[0059] After reading, the identification of the folding roller 8 and the folding head 9 is stored in the control device 21. Subsequently, the number of cans sealed using folding roller 8 and folding head 9 can be monitored.

[0060] For this purpose, a counter is stored in the control device 21 for the folding roller 8 and the folding head 9.

[0061] The stored counter can be increased by counting the can lids (101) during the lid stacking process of the capper, as the number of can lids (101) and thus the number of sealed cans can be determined during the lid stacking process. When the capper is stopped after a production run, the counters of the folding roller (8) and the folding head (9) are increased by the corresponding number of cans, taking into account the number of sealing stations (1).

[0062] The invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variations of the disclosed embodiments can be understood and brought about by those skilled in the art when practicing a claimed invention by studying the drawings, the disclosure, and the dependent claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude any other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are repeated in different dependent claims does not mean that a combination of these measures cannot be used advantageously. Any reference numerals in the claims should not be interpreted as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring seaming tools (8, 9) of a sealer (1000), wherein the method comprises the provision of the sealer (1000) with a seaming tool (8, 9) for attaching a lid (101) to a container (100) and a control device (21) for controlling and monitoring the sealer (1000), wherein the seaming tool (8, 9) comprises an identification element (6, 7) by means of which the seaming tool (8, 9) can be uniquely identified; identifying the seaming tool (8, 9) by means of the identification element (6, 7) and storing the identification of the seaming tool (8, 9) in the control device (21); monitoring a number of containers sealed by means of the seaming tool (8, 9) by means of the identification stored in the control device (21), characterized in that the sealer (1000) comprises an identification device (20) which is moved to the identification element (6, 7) and identifies the seaming tool (8, 9) by means of the identification element (6, 7).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identification element (6, 7) is a transponder.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the transponder is a passive transponder, and the identification device (20) is designed as a transmitting / receiving unit and provides energy to the passive transponder for identification.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identification element (6, 7) is an opto-electronically readable identification element.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the identification device (20) is an opto-electronic reading device and reads the opto-electronically readable identification element for identification.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the opto-electronically readable identification element is a bar code or a QR code.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a limit value for sealed containers is stored in the control device (21) and a wear signal is output via the control device (21) after the limit value for the seaming tool (8, 9) is reached.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the seaming tool (8, 9) comprises a seaming shaft rotatable about a seaming axis (X) and a seaming means (8, 9) arranged at one end of the seaming shaft.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the monitoring the number of containers sealed by means of the seaming tool (8, 9) is carried out by a rotation measurement at the seaming shaft or via a counting of the lids (101) by a lid de-stacking device of the sealer (1000).

10. The method according to any one of the claims 8 or 9, wherein the seaming shaft is a seaming head shaft, and the seaming means (8, 9) is a seaming head (9) for fixing the lid (101) on the container (100).

11. The method according to any one of the claims 9 to 11, wherein the seaming shaft is a seaming roller shaft, and the seaming means (8, 9) is a seaming roller (8) for seaming the lid (101) to the container (100).

12. A sealer with a control device (21) for controlling and monitoring the sealer (1000) for carrying out a method according to any of the preceding claims.

13. The sealer according to claim 12, comprising a seaming tool (8, 9) for attaching a lid (101) to a container (100), wherein the seaming tool (8, 9) comprises an identification element (6, 7), by which identification element (6, 7) the seaming tool (8, 9) can be uniquely identified.

14. The sealer according to claim 13, comprising an arrangement (14) arranged in a working space (2) of the sealer (1000) with a plurality of sealing stations (1) comprising the seaming tool (8, 9).