Method and device for producing packs
Patent Information
- Application Number
- EP2023719401
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-05-10
- Filing Date
- 2023-04-19
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-19
AI Technical Summary
Existing methods and devices for producing containers are inadequate for articles with an oval, non-circular cross-section, as they often fail to maintain proper alignment and orientation, leading to unreliable connections during the assembly process.
A method and device that utilize a conveyor system with adhesive application to align and connect articles with oval cross-sections, ensuring precise adhesive application and alignment, followed by rotation and pressure to secure the connection, using screw conveyors for efficient transport and alignment, and a grouping station for forming multi-row containers.
Ensures reliable and efficient production of containers with oval cross-sections by maintaining precise alignment and secure adhesive connections, allowing for effective processing and packaging of article groups.
Smart Images
Figure 1.1
Abstract
Description
[0001] Description
[0002] Method and device for producing containers
[0003] The invention relates to a method and a device for producing packages from articles which have an oval, non-circular cross-section with a main cross-sectional axis perpendicular to their longitudinal axis.
[0004] In general, methods and devices for producing bundles in a wide variety of configurations are known from the prior art and are used to combine individual articles or articles fed sequentially into predefined bundles of at least two articles, for example, to subsequently palletize them. In the prior art devices, this can be achieved by closing gaps between the individual articles, for example, by accumulating the consecutive articles within the device. The accumulated articles are then transported away as needed in bundles of at least two articles and fed to downstream processing devices, for example, a packaging machine.
[0005] To maintain the alignment of the articles in the formed package, it is already known to wrap them, for example, in shrink film, which is then shrink-wrapped to the articles in a subsequent heat treatment process. Additionally or alternatively, it is also already known to apply an adhesive layer between two adjacent articles to at least one of the facing end surfaces and then press the articles together in the area of the adhesive layer.
[0006] The known methods and associated devices of the prior art for producing bundles from at least two articles have proven themselves in the processing of articles which have a circular cross-section parallel to the transport plane. However, these are only suitable to a limited extent for processing articles with an oval, non-circular cross-section perpendicular to their longitudinal axis, since the articles can become entangled with one another due to their shape, with the result that the articles then do not have the same alignment required for the production of bundles. The cross-section of the articles which runs perpendicular to the longitudinal axis forms a cutting plane which is aligned parallel to the transport plane during the bundle production process, in which the articles are generally upright on the transport plane of the device.The main cross-sectional axis is understood to be the axis in the cross-sectional plane that passes through the two most distant points of the cross-section. The object of the invention is to provide a method and a device for the reliable production of packages consisting of at least two articles, in particular containers, which have an oval, non-circular cross-section with a main cross-sectional axis perpendicular to their longitudinal axis.
[0007] The invention solves this problem by a method having the features of claim 1 and by a device having the features of claim 12. Advantageous developments of the method are specified in dependent claims 2 to 11. Further embodiments of the device according to the invention are listed in dependent claims 13 to 19.
[0008] According to the method according to the invention, the articles to be processed, which have an oval, non-circular cross-section with the main cross-sectional axis perpendicular to their longitudinal axis, are fed to an inlet-side end of a conveyor device, which transports them to an outlet-side end of the conveyor device.
[0009] The articles fed into the conveyor are first separated by the conveyor. Then, at least some of the articles are coated with adhesive using an adhesive application device. Then, at least two of the articles are pressed together and bonded together using the adhesive.
[0010] The selection of items to be coated with adhesive depends on the number of items to be grouped together in an item group. For example, when producing groups of two items, it is only necessary to coat every second item with adhesive in order to then bond it to the next item. When producing groups of more than two items, the number of items to be coated with adhesive is adjusted accordingly. For example, when producing groups of three items, adhesive can be omitted from every third item, since the bond to the second item can be achieved using the adhesive applied to it.
[0011] The method according to the invention ensures in a particularly reliable manner that the articles to be joined are reliably aligned with respect to the adhesive application direction during transport by the conveyor device, so that an adhesive can be applied in a predetermined manner. The subsequent connection of the articles via the adhesive then reliably ensures that the articles are fixed to one another and can thus be fed in the predetermined article group size for further processing, for example a packaging device. The articles within the meaning of the invention can be, for example, containers, in particular containers made of PET or other plastics. The articles are particularly preferably containers for liquid products, such as shampoo.
[0012] The orientation of the articles by the conveying device depends on the arrangement of the adhesive application device relative to the conveying device and the resulting direction of the adhesive application. According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, after separation, the articles are aligned with their respective main cross-sectional axis parallel to the transport direction of the conveying device and the adhesive is applied to the articles in this parallel direction. After the adhesive has been applied, the articles are preferably rotated about their respective longitudinal axis so that after rotation, the articles are then aligned with their respective main cross-sectional axis perpendicular to the transport direction of the conveying device and the joining of at least two articles takes place in this perpendicular orientation, wherein particularly preferably the at least two articles are pressed together in the region of the adhesive.The rotation of the articles and their alignment to one another is caused by the conveying device.
[0013] According to this development of the invention, the articles fed to the conveyor device are initially aligned by the conveyor device, after separation, with their respective main cross-sectional axes parallel to the transport direction of the conveyor device. The adhesive is then applied in this parallel orientation. To subsequently join the articles, they are rotated after the adhesive has been applied, so that after rotation, the articles are aligned with their respective main cross-sectional axes perpendicular to the transport direction of the conveyor device, resulting in an arrangement of the articles in which the main cross-sectional axes of the articles are aligned parallel to one another.Subsequently, in this vertical orientation, the at least two articles are joined via the mutually facing sides and the adhesive arranged on at least one of these sides, wherein the articles are pressed together in a particularly advantageous manner for this purpose, so that a particularly reliable connection of the articles to be joined is produced.
[0014] This embodiment of the method according to the invention enables simple and reliable application of the adhesive via a correspondingly aligned adhesive application device due to the initial alignment of the articles such that they are aligned with their main cross-sectional axes parallel to the transport direction. A subsequent rotation of the articles by 90° then enables them to be joined in a particularly reliable manner via the adhesive, in particular by applying suitable pressure between the articles to be joined. The pressure advantageously provided for the connection between the at least two articles can particularly preferably be generated with the aid of the conveying device, which presses the articles together via the adhesive. This can be achieved, for example, by generating a suitable dynamic pressure within the conveying device.
[0015] According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the adhesive application device applies the adhesive to the articles perpendicular to the transport direction of the conveyor device, whereby the adhesive can be applied to the articles in a particularly precise manner.
[0016] The design of the conveyor device is generally freely selectable. However, according to an advantageous development, the conveyor device comprises two parallel and spaced-apart conveyor screws, and the articles are transported between the two conveyor screws from the inlet end of the conveyor device to its outlet end, with the articles being separated by the conveyor screw. The use of conveyor screws is characterized by the fact that they enable both the alignment and transport of the articles in the transport direction in a simple manner, thus eliminating the need for additional devices. By defining the contour of the conveyor screws, the movement sequence of the articles can be determined as required.
[0017] The further processing of the manufactured article groups can, in principle, be carried out in any desired manner. According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, successive article groups consisting of articles bonded together by adhesive are separated after they exit the conveyor device. Separation allows for controlled further processing of the manufactured article groups, for example, their grouping for subsequent processing in a packaging facility.
[0018] According to a further development of the method according to the invention, multi-row bundles are produced by multi-track processing of the articles. A group of articles produced by the conveyor device, consisting of several articles bonded together by adhesive, is bonded to another group of articles produced by a second conveyor device using an adhesive, and the bonded groups of articles form a multi-row bundle. According to this embodiment of the invention, the articles are processed in multiple tracks by at least two conveyor devices, whereby several article groups with a predetermined number of articles can be produced simultaneously from one article stream. The article groups produced in the conveyor devices are combined to form predetermined multi-row bundles.The multi-lane processing makes it particularly easy to combine at least two groups of articles using an adhesive to form a multi-row package that corresponds, for example, to a specified size of a packaging unit.
[0019] Particularly advantageously, the article groups to be joined together can be grouped in a grouping station, wherein the article groups are provided with an adhesive before their grouping using a second adhesive application device and are then joined together via the adhesive during grouping, so that multi-row packages can be produced in which the individual packages are reliably connected via an adhesive application.
[0020] Particularly advantageously, the articles are aligned with their respective cross-sectional main axis perpendicular to the transport direction of the grouping station during the application of the adhesive by means of the second adhesive application device, which allows for particularly precise application of the adhesive. According to a further development, the second adhesive application device applies the adhesive to the articles perpendicular to the transport direction of the grouping station, thereby achieving very precise positioning of the adhesive on the articles, which contributes to a reduction in the total amount of adhesive to be applied.
[0021] It is particularly advantageous that the articles connected in the grouping station are then transported to a curing station in which the connection created by the application of adhesive can cure, so that a particularly reliable bond is created.
[0022] The invention further achieves the object stated at the outset by a device for producing bundles from articles which have an oval, non-circular cross-section with a main cross-sectional axis perpendicular to their longitudinal axis, wherein the device comprises an adhesive application device for applying an adhesive to at least some of the articles and a conveyor device, wherein the conveyor device for transporting the articles has an inlet side and an outlet side end and wherein the conveyor device is designed to first separate the articles when transporting the articles from the inlet side end to the outlet side end, then to guide the articles past the adhesive application device for the purpose of applying the adhesive and to press at least two of the articles together in order to connect them to one another via the adhesive.The device according to the invention also makes it possible, in a particularly reliable manner, to provide articles with an oval cross-section with an adhesive at a predetermined location and then to align them with one another in such a way that they are pressed against one another and a connection between at least two articles is established via the adhesive.
[0023] According to a further development of the invention, the conveyor device is designed to rotate the articles about their respective longitudinal axis during transport from the inlet end to the outlet end in such a way that the articles are transferred from an orientation in which the articles are aligned with their respective cross-sectional main axis parallel to the transport direction of the conveyor device to an orientation in which the articles are aligned with their respective cross-sectional main axis perpendicular to the transport direction of the conveyor device. This further development of the device according to the invention ensures in a particularly reliable manner that the articles to be joined are reliably aligned with respect to the adhesive application device during transport by the conveyor device, so that an adhesive can be applied to the articles in a predetermined manner.
[0024] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the conveyor device comprises two parallel and spaced-apart conveyor screws, between which the articles can be transported. The use of conveyor screws is characterized by the fact that they enable both the alignment and transport of the articles through the conveyor device in a convenient manner, thus eliminating the need for additional devices. The contour of the conveyor screws can be used to determine the movement sequence of the articles during transport through the conveyor device.
[0025] According to a further development of the invention, the device comprises a separating unit located downstream of the outlet end of the conveyor device in the transport direction for separating successive article groups consisting of articles bonded together by adhesive. The article groups emerging from the conveyor device, formed of at least two articles, can be fed via the separating unit in a predetermined manner to a downstream processing station, for example, a packaging station.
[0026] To increase the article throughput, a further embodiment of the invention provides that the device has at least two adjacent conveyor devices for generating at least two lanes of article groups from articles bonded together by adhesive, so that several article groups emerge from the device adjacent to one another, preferably parallel to one another. According to a particularly advantageous development of the invention, these article groups are further processed in a grouping station for grouping and connecting the article groups emerging from the at least two conveyor devices. In the grouping station, the article groups can be assembled in a predetermined manner and then fed, for example, to a packaging device.
[0027] The compilations are, for example, groups of items in the size of 2x2, 2x3 or 2x4 items or similar.
[0028] According to a further embodiment of the invention, it is further provided that the grouping station has a second adhesive application device for applying an adhesive to the article groups to be joined together, and is designed to press the grouped, adhesive-coated article groups together. The second adhesive application device in the region of the grouping station makes it possible to join the article groups to be joined in the grouping station in a particularly reliable manner. For this purpose, the article groups are provided with an adhesive and then joined together, in particular pressed together, so that a particularly reliable cohesion of the article groups is achieved.
[0029] Particularly advantageously, it is further provided that the device has a binding station downstream of the grouping station in the transport direction, in which the adhesive bond is bound and thus a reliable cohesion is ensured.
[0030] An embodiment of the invention is explained below with reference to the figures. They show:
[0031] Fig. 1 a cross-section of an article perpendicular to its longitudinal axis,
[0032] Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a process for producing packages from articles with an oval cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the article.
[0033] Figure 1 shows a cross-section of an article 2 perpendicular to its longitudinal axis, which is oriented perpendicular to a transport plane of the conveyor device 4 during transport by a conveyor device 4. The main cross-sectional axis HA extends in the cross-sectional plane and passes through the most distant points of the cross-section.
[0034] Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of a process sequence for producing article groups 14 from articles 1 fed along a transport plane corresponding to the drawing plane to two conveyor devices 4, which have an oval cross-section perpendicular to their longitudinal axis and aligned parallel to the transport plane.
[0035] The articles 1 are fed to the two conveyor devices 4 at their inlet end 2 without any gap. Within the conveyor devices 4, which have two adjacently arranged screw conveyors 5, the articles 1 are transported from the inlet ends 2 to the outlet ends 3. In a first section, the articles 1 are separated via a corresponding contour of the screw conveyors 5 and aligned with the transport direction 13, so that they are aligned with the application direction of an adhesive from a first adhesive application device 11 and can be provided with an adhesive if required.
[0036] Subsequently, the articles 1 are rotated during their transport in the transport direction 13 by the conveyor devices 4 so that they are aligned with the transport direction 13. Finally, to form article groups 14 from two articles 1, two articles 1 are pressed or compressed together in the area of the outlet-side ends 3 of the conveyor devices 4, thereby creating an adhesive bond.
[0037] In the singling units 8 downstream of the conveyor devices 4, the article groups 14 are spaced apart from one another and then fed to a grouping station 9. In the grouping station 9, for example by a carrier, two article groups 14 are grouped into a bundle 15, wherein the article groups 14 are displaced towards one another transversely to the transport direction 13. To reliably join the article groups 14 to one another, adhesive is applied by a second adhesive application device 12 to at least one of the mutually facing sides of the article groups 14. The bundles are then pressed together and thus adhesively bonded. After the grouping station 9, the bundles 15 reach a setting station 10, where the adhesive can set, thus ensuring a reliable connection of the article groups 14.
[0038] List of reference symbols
[0039] 1 article
[0040] 2 inlet end 3 outlet end
[0041] 4 Conveyor device
[0042] 5 screw conveyor
[0043] 8 Separation unit
[0044] 9 Grouping station 10 Binding station
[0045] 11 first adhesive application device
[0046] 12 second adhesive application device
[0047] 13 Transport direction
[0048] 14 Article group 15 Container
[0049] HA cross-sectional main axis
Claims
Patent claims 1. Method for producing containers (15) from articles (1) which have an oval, non-circular cross-section perpendicular to their longitudinal axis with a main cross-sectional axis (HA), wherein the articles (1) are fed to an inlet-side end (2) of a conveying device (4), wherein during the transport of the articles (1) to an outlet-side end (3) of the conveying device (4) - the articles (1) are first separated, - according to this, at least some of the articles (1) are provided with an adhesive by means of an adhesive application device (11) and - then at least two of the articles (1) are pressed together and joined by the adhesive.
2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the articles (1) are aligned with their respective cross-sectional main axis (HA) parallel to the transport direction (13) of the conveying device (4) after singulation and the application of the adhesive to the articles (1) takes place in this parallel alignment.
3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the articles (1) are rotated about their respective longitudinal axis after the adhesive has been applied, so that after rotation the articles (1) are aligned with their respective main cross-sectional axis (HA) perpendicular to the transport direction (13) of the conveying device (4), and the joining of the at least two articles (1) takes place in this perpendicular orientation.
4. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the adhesive application device (11) applies the adhesive perpendicular to the transport direction (13) of the conveying device (4) to the articles (1).
5. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least two articles (1) are pressed together for connection via the adhesive material using the conveying device (4).
6. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conveying device (4) has two parallel and spaced apart The conveying device (4) comprises a series of augers (5) arranged relative to each other, and the articles (1) are transported between the two augers (5) from the inlet end (2) to the outlet end (3) of the conveying device, with the articles (1) being singulated by means of the augers (5). A method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that successive groups of articles (14) consisting of articles (1) bonded together by adhesive are singulated after exiting the outlet end (3) of the conveying device (4).A method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that, for the production of multi-row containers (15), the articles (1) are processed in multiple lanes, wherein an article group (14) produced by means of the conveying device (4) consisting of several articles (1) bonded together by adhesive is bonded to a further article group (14) produced by means of a second conveying device (4) via an adhesive, and the bonded article groups (14) form a multi-row container (15). A method according to claim 8, characterized in that the article groups (14) to be bonded together are grouped in a grouping station (9), wherein the article groups (14) are provided with an adhesive by means of a second adhesive application device (12) before being grouped and are subsequently bonded together via the adhesive during grouping.A method according to claim 9, characterized in that the articles (1) are aligned with their respective main cross-sectional axis (HA) perpendicular to the transport direction (13) of the grouping station (9) during the application of the adhesive by means of the second adhesive application device (12). A method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the second adhesive application device (12) applies the adhesive to the articles (1) perpendicular to the transport direction (13) of the grouping station (9). Device for producing containers (15) from articles (1) which have an oval, non-circular cross-section perpendicular to their longitudinal axis with a main cross-sectional axis (HA), comprising an adhesive application device (11) for applying an adhesive to at least some of the articles (1) and a conveying device (4) for transporting the articles (1) with an inlet end (2) and an outlet end (3), wherein the conveying device (4) is configured to first separate the articles (1) when transporting them from the inlet end (2) to the outlet end (3), and then to separate the articles (1). (I) for the purpose of applying the adhesive to the adhesive application device (II) guide the articles (1) past the conveyor and press at least two of them together to bond them via the adhesive. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that the conveying device (4) is configured to rotate the articles (1) about their respective longitudinal axes during transport from the inlet end (2) to the outlet end (3) such that the articles (1) are transferred from an orientation in which the articles (1) are aligned with their respective main cross-sectional axis (HA) parallel to the transport direction (13) of the conveying device (4) to an orientation in which the articles (1) are aligned with their respective main cross-sectional axis (HA) perpendicular to the transport direction (13) of the conveying device (4). Device according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the conveying device (4) comprises two parallel and spaced-apart conveying screws (5) between which the articles (1) can be transported.Device according to one or more of claims 12 to 14, characterized by a singulation unit (8) downstream of the discharge end (3) of the conveying device (4) in the transport direction (13) for singulating successive groups of articles (14) made up of articles (1) bonded together by adhesive. Device according to one or more of claims 12 to 15, characterized by at least two conveying devices (4) arranged adjacent to each other for producing at least two tracks of groups of articles (14) made up of articles (1) bonded together by adhesive.
17. Device according to claim 16, characterized by a grouping station (9) for grouping and joining the article groups (14) emerging from the at least two conveying devices (4).
18. Device according to claim 17, characterized in that the grouping station (9) has a second adhesive application device (12) for applying an adhesive to the article groups (14) to be joined together and is configured to press the grouped, adhesive-coated article groups (14) together.
19. Device according to claim 17 or 18, characterized by a binding station (10) downstream of the grouping station (9) in the transport direction (13).