Device for producing packaging blanks

Abstract

Described and illustrated is a device (1) for producing packaging blanks (2) or packaging, comprising a feed device (4) for feeding blanks (5) of a nonwoven material, a deep-drawing station (6) for deep-drawing the blanks (5) of the nonwoven material into preforms (7, 50, 60) and a pressing station (20) for pressing the preforms (7, 50, 60) into pressing molds (24, 74, 90), wherein the deep-drawing station (6) comprises at least one die (10, 68) and at least one drawing punch (11, 73) which can be inserted into the at least one die (10, 68) in a drawing direction (Z) over a drawing length, wherein the at least one die (10, 68) comprises a die section (69) extending over the drawing length at least substantially parallel to the drawing direction (Z), wherein the pressing station (20) comprises at least one mold (25,27,81) and at least one corresponding press die (26,28,82) and wherein the mold (25,27,81) and the press die (26,28,82) have corresponding, conical pressing surfaces,

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device for producing packaging blanks or packaging with a feeding device for feeding blanks of a nonwoven material.

[0002] Plastic packaging can be manufactured in a wide variety of shapes depending on the application. Thermoforming machines are often used to transform a flat plastic into a three-dimensional package. However, large quantities of such plastic packaging enter the environment, where they are generally not biodegradable and are thus mechanically shredded into unwanted microplastics over time. To prevent this, increased effort is required to return and recycle plastic packaging.

[0003] Against this backdrop, packaging made from biodegradable, particularly renewable, fibers such as paper or cardboard is increasingly being used. These can be coated if necessary to provide sufficient moisture resistance and suitability for food packaging. However, such packaging is complex to manufacture and can only be produced economically in a few forms, as the fiber materials are less malleable than, in particular, thermoplastics. This applies particularly to packaging made from a nonwoven material, such as a nonwoven made from cellulose fibers, which is therefore particularly environmentally friendly.

[0004] To produce packaging from a flat nonwoven material that is conically shaped so that a large number of packages can be stacked inside each other, it has been proposed to first produce a so-called preform in a forming device by deep-drawing the nonwoven material, which resembles the shape of the desired packaging, and then to press this preform into a mold. This takes place in a single operation using an appropriately shaped drawing and pressing punch and a corresponding die and mold of the press. The drawing and pressing punch, as well as the die and mold, are each designed as a single component. In the device, packaging can be produced directly from the nonwoven material.However, it is also conceivable that a packaging blank is first produced, which is then manufactured into packaging in at least one further operation, such as coating or further forming.

[0005] The packaging or packaging blanks have a base area, an opening, and a side wall provided between the base area and the opening. Since side walls with edges or corners break easily, the side walls have at least one wall section curved around a central longitudinal axis of the mold. The curvature can have a constant radius arranged in a plane around a central longitudinal axis of the mold. In a particularly simple form of packaging, namely a cup with a circular base area, the radius is constant all the way around the central longitudinal axis of the mold. However, molds with an oval base area and molds with a base area that has a straight edge in sections are also conceivable, from which packaging with an approximately rectangular base with rounded edges can be produced.

[0006] However, the known process can only reliably produce packaging that is relatively flat relative to its size. Such packaging therefore does not meet all requirements, which is why there is a need for packaging that has a greater depth, particularly in relation to the base area, and that allows for very different base shapes.

[0007] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to design and develop the device of the type mentioned at the outset and explained in more detail above in such a way that packaging blanks can be manufactured simply and inexpensively in a very large number of different shapes.

[0008] This object is achieved according to claim 1 by a device for producing packaging blanks or packaging with a feed device for feeding blanks of a nonwoven material, a deep-drawing station for deep-drawing the blanks of the nonwoven material into preforms and a pressing station for pressing the preforms into press molds, wherein the deep-drawing station has at least one die and at least one drawing punch that can be moved into the at least one die in a drawing direction over a drawing length, wherein the at least one die has a die section that extends over the drawing length at least substantially parallel to the drawing direction, wherein the pressing station has at least one mold and at least one corresponding pressing punch and wherein the mold and the pressing punch have mutually corresponding, conical pressing surfaces.

[0009] According to the invention, a deep-drawing station and a pressing station are provided one after the other. Individual blanks of a nonwoven material are fed to the deep-drawing station via a feed device. The deep-drawing station serves to produce preforms from the blanks of nonwoven material by deep-drawing. For this purpose, the deep-drawing station has at least one die, to which at least one drawing punch is assigned, which can be moved into the die over a specific drawing length. The drawing punch thereby deep-draws the blanks of nonwoven material in the die. A die section is provided over at least substantially the entire drawing length, the side walls of which extend at least substantially parallel to the drawing direction of the drawing punch. In this way, preforms with outer sides are produced that are aligned at least substantially parallel to the drawing direction of the drawing punch.However, a rounded inlet area can be provided, for example, at the upper edge of the die section to protect the nonwoven material. To increase throughput, it is advisable for the deep-drawing station to have several corresponding dies, each of which is assigned a corresponding drawing punch.

[0010] To produce stackable packaging blanks, the preforms are transferred to a pressing station. The pressing station comprises at least one corresponding pressing pair consisting of a mold and a pressing die, which are designed to correspond to one another in such a way that the mold and the pressing die of the at least one pressing pair have corresponding, conical pressing surfaces. By pressing the preforms in the pressing station, at least partially conical packaging blanks or packages are produced which can be at least partially stacked. To increase throughput, it is advisable for the pressing station to have several corresponding molds and pressing dies with which several preforms can be pressed simultaneously in a common cycle, if required. The several molds and pressing dies then preferably form a plurality of pressing pairs.

[0011] The packaging blanks can then be further processed, for example, cut, coated, or further formed. However, this is not mandatory. Depending on the packaging requirements, further post-processing steps may be omitted, allowing packaging to be produced directly using the device described above.

[0012] For the production of packaging in shapes suitable for many applications, it is advisable for the die in the die section to have an inner contour that is curved at least in sections in a plane perpendicular to the drawing direction. The drawing punch then preferably has a corresponding forming section with an outer contour that is curved at least in sections in a plane perpendicular to the drawing direction and corresponding to the die section, and that tapers at least in sections, preferably continuously, counter to the drawing direction. The nonwoven material is arranged between the die and the drawing punch, and the drawing punch is then moved into the die section in the drawing direction.Between the die section and a forming section of the drawing punch, a preform is formed with at least one curved wall section in a plane perpendicular to the drawing direction and with a wall thickness that increases, preferably continuously, in the at least one curved wall section counter to the drawing direction.

[0013] It is therefore advisable for the drawing punch to have a forming section with an outer contour that is curved at least in sections in a plane parallel to the drawing direction and corresponding to the die section, and that tapers at least in sections against the drawing direction, preferably continuously. During deep drawing, nonwoven material accumulates in the curved area of the die and drawing punch. Due to the partially conical design of the drawing punch there, this material can be accommodated between the drawing punch and die without the surface pressure in this area of the preform becoming excessive.

[0014] The preform produced in this way then has, as required, an opening, a side wall, and a base region, wherein the side wall comprises at least one wall section curved around a central longitudinal axis of the preform, and the nonwoven material in the at least one curved wall section is increasingly folded in the circumferential direction around the central longitudinal axis of the preform from the base region toward the opening of the preform. Consequently, the wall thickness of the at least one curved wall section can increase from the base region toward the opening of the preform, preferably corresponding to the folding of the nonwoven material or at least substantially continuously.

[0015] The nonwoven material can preferably be one produced using the so-called airlaid process. In this process, the fibers are layered on top of each other using an air stream to form a nonwoven web. The nonwoven web forms a loose nonwoven fabric that is made durable using pressure or binding agents. Pressure here simply means a certain degree of compaction so that the resulting nonwoven material is still sufficiently malleable for deep-drawing. Suitable fiber materials include, in particular, cellulose, lignocellulose (which is obtained from lignin-containing wood materials), or other predominantly organic fibers, such as flax or hemp. The fibers do not have to be organic, but renewable materials are generally preferred for ecological reasons. The use of synthetic fibers, such as plastic, is also conceivable; these can also be used together with inorganic or renewable fibers.By adding additives such as alkyl ketene dimers (AKD), which can make cellulose fibers hydrophobic, better moisture resistance of the resulting packaging can be achieved.

[0016] The fiber fleece material to be deep-drawn preferably has a density between 10 kg / m 3 and 200 kg / m 3 . Fiber fleece materials with a density between 20 kg / m 3 and 350 kg / m 3 have proven particularly preferred. The thickness of the fiber materials can preferably be between 1 mm and 20 mm, in particular between 2.5 mm and 6 mm. These fiber fleece materials cannot absorb any significant tensile forces without tearing and cannot yet be used as packaging in the desired manner. During deep-drawing, the preform is exposed to a surface pressure that is as constant as possible, preferably between 6 N / mm 2 and 22 N / mm 2 , in particular between 10 N / mm 2 and 15 N / mm 2 . A constant or homogeneous surface pressure results in a constant or homogeneous material density of the preform, especially in the case of a homogeneous fiber fleece material.To improve stability, the preform is pressed in the pressing station with a surface pressure of between 15 N / mm 2 and 250 N / mm 2 . In this case, a constant or homogeneous surface pressure results in a constant or homogeneous material density of the mold, particularly for a preform with a constant or homogeneous material density.

[0017] During the deep drawing of the nonwoven material, as the drawing punch is increasingly inserted into the die between the at least one curved inner contour of the die section and the at least one curved outer contour of the mold section, more and more nonwoven material is drawn into the die section. The material is only partially compacted, so that a larger volume of nonwoven material accumulates in the corresponding curved wall section of the preform with increasing distance from the preform base. Therefore, the wall thickness of the preform in this area increases with increasing distance from the preform base.

[0018] For example, if a preform is formed with a circular base and a wall section that is uniformly curved all the way around the drawing direction, rings of nonwoven material with a constant width and an (originally) larger diameter are gradually drawn into the die section with a constant diameter. Initially, the circumference of the ring of nonwoven material that is drawn into the die section roughly corresponds to the circumference of the base. Very soon, however, the rings of nonwoven material that originally had an increasingly larger diameter and thus circumference are drawn into the die section. These rings are increasingly drawn together as the drawing punch is moved into the die section, so that their diameter or circumference when drawn into the die section corresponds to the diameter or circumference of the inner contour of the die section.Accordingly, a ring of nonwoven material is increasingly drawn together with increasing distance from the base of the preform, with increasing amounts of fiber material being folded to a constant diameter. Thus, with increasing drawing depth, more and more nonwoven material is drawn into the drawing gap simultaneously, and the corresponding ring of nonwoven material forms an increasingly thicker wall after being drawn into the die section.

[0019] This principle applies to every curved wall section of the preform, in contrast to any straight wall section. In the latter case, the same amount of nonwoven material is always drawn into the die section, which is why the wall thickness in a straight wall section of the preform can remain constant in the drawing direction of the drawing punch.

[0020] The previously discussed accumulation of material in at least one curved wall section of the preform can be used during pressing of the preform to transform the preform into a conical mold or packaging without the preform tearing during pressing. The preform is stretched at least in sections during pressing. However, this does not lead to tearing of the preform or mold, since the material required for the stretching is provided by the increasing wall thickness previously provided by material accumulation in at least one curved wall section. This is all the more true since the preform is increasingly widened during pressing with increasing distance from the base of the preform, and with increasing distance from the base of the preform, more and more material is provided for the corresponding stretching of the preform.During preforming, nonwoven material is initially accumulated in at least one curved wall section so that this wall section can be stretched again during pressing, thus pulling it apart. This reverses the material accumulation, at least partially. Since the nonwoven material of the preform has only been partially pressed, it is still sufficiently malleable, especially stretchable, during pressing.

[0021] In the area of any provided straight wall section of the preform, no tapered mold section is required, since no material accumulation is to be expected here. Nevertheless, the gap width between the die section and the mold section can be selected such that a surface pressure of the nonwoven material of the preform that is at least substantially constant in the drawing direction is achieved, which can therefore have an at least substantially constant material density. This surface pressure is then also preferably between 6 N / mm 2 and 22 N / mm 2 , in particular between 10 N / mm 2 and 15 N / mm 2 .

[0022] During deep drawing between the drawing punch and the die, preferably at least the mold section and / or the die section is heated to a temperature between 40°C and 160°C, in particular between 50°C and 140°C, in order to avoid tearing of the nonwoven material during forming.

[0023] In order to be able to pull the nonwoven material into the drawing gap or between the die section and the forming section of the drawing punch in a material-friendly and reliable manner, the die can have a circumferential radius above the die section at its end opposite the drawing direction in a transition to an edge section of the die that extends at least substantially perpendicular to the drawing direction. For a compact die, a radius between 1 mm and 3 mm may be preferred. This is an outer radius in order to achieve a rounding of the die in sections outwards towards the edge section in the area of the radius. The nonwoven material can thus slide over the rounding from the edge section and / or die section into the drawing gap.

[0024] In a first particularly preferred embodiment of the device, the deep-drawing station comprises at least one hold-down device for pressing the blanks against an outer edge of the at least one die during deep-drawing of the blanks. The hold-down device presses the flat nonwoven material of the blanks lightly against the edge section of the die outside the drawing gap between the drawing punch and the die as it is drawn into the drawing gap. In this way, a defined and reproducible deep-drawing of the blanks can be achieved. The outer edge can preferably be aligned at least substantially perpendicular to the drawing direction. This can be achieved particularly easily if the edge forms at least part of the upper side of the die.If several dies and drawing punches are provided in the deep-drawing station, it is particularly preferred if several hold-down devices are also provided, whereby each drawing punch can be assigned a hold-down device.

[0025] Since nonwoven material accumulates in the area of the curved wall sections of the die and drawing punch during deep drawing, the hold-down device can be coupled to an adjustment device such that the adjustment device leads to at least a partial lifting of the hold-down device relative to the die as the drawing length increases. This allows the surface pressure of the nonwoven material in the area of the curved wall sections of the die and drawing punch to be kept approximately constant during deep drawing, which ensures uniform drawing of the nonwoven material into the drawing gap and defined folding of the nonwoven material in the curved drawing gap between the die and drawing punch. The lifting of the hold-down device preferably corresponds to the material accumulation in the area of the curved wall sections of the die and drawing punch. This principle can be applied regardless of the number of dies and drawing punches.

[0026] It is also advisable if the drawing punch and the hold-down device can be adjusted using the adjustment device from a drawing position close to the die for deep drawing the nonwoven material to a change position spaced from the die. In the change position, the deep-drawn preforms can be removed from the deep-drawing station and new blanks of nonwoven material can be transferred to the deep-drawing station for deep drawing. In order to simplify the process, it is also advisable if the drawing punch and the hold-down device can be adjusted together from a drawing position close to the die for deep drawing the nonwoven material to a change position spaced from the die. The described adjustment of the hold-down device and drawing punch can be provided in the same way for multiple hold-down devices and drawing punches.Irrespective of this, it is particularly simple in terms of construction if at least one die is fixed to a, preferably stationary, sub-table.

[0027] The deep-drawing station can expediently comprise at least one deep-drawing device for deep-drawing the preforms. To simplify deep-drawing, at least one transfer station for transferring blanks to the at least one deep-drawing device can also preferably be provided. Alternatively or additionally, it is advantageous if at least one removal station is provided for removing the deep-drawn preforms from the at least one deep-drawing device. The preforms can then be further processed with other tools.

[0028] To ensure that the preforms are formed in a defined and reproducible manner without unnecessarily limiting the output of packaging blanks, the thermoforming station can also comprise two or more separate thermoforming devices. The multiple thermoforming devices can provide the downstream pressing station with a sufficient number of preforms, even though the cycle times of the pressing molds can be significantly shorter than the cycle times of the thermoforming devices. If necessary, the thermoforming devices can be operated alternately in cycles. This means that preforms can be delivered to the pressing station from one thermoforming device while the next preforms are already being formed in one or another thermoforming device. The cycle times of the thermoforming devices can therefore be twice as long as the cycle times of the pressing station if there are two thermoforming devices.

[0029] In order to coordinate the cycles in the deep-drawing station and the pressing station, it is advisable to provide a transfer station between the deep-drawing devices for alternately transferring blanks to the two deep-drawing devices and / or a removal station for alternately removing the preforms from the deep-drawing devices. This allows the blanks of nonwoven material to be fed in the same way, at least in sections, using the feed device, regardless of which deep-drawing device is used to form the blanks. The same applies to the removal and transfer of the preforms to the pressing station. For example, the blanks and preforms can be transported in the same way in a longitudinal direction of the device. The deep-drawing devices can, for example, be arranged next to one another transversely to the longitudinal direction of the device.Depending on the orientation of the transport devices, these blanks of nonwoven material can be fed in different directions. The preforms can also be removed from the thermoforming devices in different directions. Both directions can be aligned parallel to the longitudinal direction of the device or transversely to it. For example, the blanks can be fed from one side of the thermoforming devices and the preforms removed from the other side of the thermoforming devices. However, it is also conceivable to feed the blanks to the thermoforming devices transversely to the longitudinal direction of the device and in opposite directions and / or to remove preforms from the thermoforming devices transversely to the longitudinal direction of the device and in opposite directions. The transfer station and / or the removal station can then be arranged between at least two adjacent thermoforming devices.

[0030] For efficient and precise transfer of the blanks to the thermoforming station, a transfer station with at least one gripper for transporting the blanks is recommended. For simplicity, the at least one gripper can preferably be designed as a suction gripper. The transfer station can then grasp the supplied blanks by suction and, after transport, place them on the dies.

[0031] Alternatively or additionally, a removal station can be provided with at least one carrier element that is assigned to the at least one preform. However, it is preferred if carrier elements are provided that can be assigned to several preforms. The preforms removed from the deep-drawing station can then be carried by the at least one carrier element. To reduce the space required for the device, it is expedient if several carrier elements can be adjusted between a moved apart removal position and a moved together transfer position. The blanks of nonwoven material require a significantly larger floor space than the preforms. After the blanks have been preformed and when the preforms are removed from the deep-drawing station, the preforms are therefore clearly spaced apart from one another and can initially be placed on the carrier elements with these spacings.The support elements can then be moved from the extended removal position to the retracted transfer position, where the preforms are arranged at a much closer distance from each other. The preforms then require a smaller footprint and can thus be transferred to a pressing device, which also requires a smaller footprint than the associated deep-drawing device.

[0032] To accommodate the fact that the deep-drawing station may comprise two offset deep-drawing stations, the removal station may have two separate groups of support elements, so that each group of support elements is assigned to a different deep-drawing device for removing the preforms from the respective deep-drawing device. The preforms from each deep-drawing device can then be removed using a different group of support elements, which then move the preforms toward each other so that the respective preforms can then be transferred to the pressing station with closer spacing between them.

[0033] In order to transfer the preforms to the pressing station, it is generally advisable to provide a gripper transfer station with a gripper device for gripping the preforms from the at least one carrier element and for transferring them to a transport device, preferably downwards. The preforms can thus be gripped by the gripper device and then lifted upwards from the carrier elements. The preforms can then later be delivered to a transport device, for example from above. Instead, the preforms can also be inserted into a pressing station from above. Alternatively or additionally, it may be advisable to provide a suction transfer station with a suction device for sucking the preforms from the carrier elements and for transferring them downwards to a transport device. The preforms can thus be sucked up by the suction device and then lifted upwards from the carrier elements.The preforms can then be transferred from above to a transport device. Alternatively, the preforms can also be loaded from above into a pressing station. If necessary, suction devices allow for a more gentle transfer of the preforms than gripper devices. Instead of a suction transfer station or a gripper transfer station, another type of transfer station can be provided, which would be without a suction device but instead equipped with a different transfer device for transferring the preforms to the pressing station.

[0034] Particularly preferred packaging blanks can be easily manufactured if the pressing station comprises two separate pressing devices for pressing the preforms one after the other. For example, a first pressing device can then be provided for pressing the base and a lower part of the side wall of the preform. These areas of the preform can then be pressed very precisely and independently of other areas of the preform. Subsequently, an upper part of the side wall and, preferably, the upper edge of the preform can be pressed in a second pressing device. This, too, can then be done very precisely and independently of other areas of the preform.

[0035] Following the pressing station, a punching station can also be provided for punching out the edges of the preforms or previously created compression molds. This allows packaging blanks with precisely defined edges to be produced. Punching can be particularly simple in terms of equipment if the punching station includes a suction device for transporting the punched preforms upwards when the punching station is opened. The packaging blanks can then be easily removed from the punching station to allow for the introduction of new pressed parts.

[0036] The suction device can also be assigned a removal device for receiving and removing the punched preforms transported upwards by the suction device. Removal can be achieved, for example, by means of a conveyor belt. Alternatively or additionally, the packaging blanks can be removed from the removal device in stacked form.

[0037] Independently of this, a transport device can be provided for transporting the preforms to the pressing station, through the pressing station, and / or to the punching station, which holds the preforms or the compression molds by their edges during transport. For this purpose, the transport device provides a clamping gap in which the edges can be clamped during transport. For the sake of efficiency, it is preferred in this context if the transport device has several pairs of rails, each with at least one clamping gap for receiving the edges of the preforms or forming the compression molds. The pairs of rails can then be moved together to clamp the edges and moved apart to release the preforms or the compression molds.

[0038] It has proven particularly practical if the transport device is designed to transport the preforms or molds clamped between the pairs of rails step by step in the transport direction. For this purpose, a step-by-step adjustment of the transport device in the transport direction can be provided, whereby the transport device can be adjusted back again between these steps without the transport device clamping the preforms or molds. For example, the pairs of rails are moved together in order to then move the preforms or molds one step further in the transport direction by moving the pairs of rails. The pairs of rails can then be moved apart if necessary in order to be adjusted back to the starting position. In a next step, the same and / or different preforms or molds can then be moved.Press molds are clamped between the pairs of rails and transported one step further.

[0039] Alternatively or additionally, a transport device can also be provided for step-by-step transport of the preforms or compression molds to the pressing station, through the pressing station and / or to the punching station using suction devices. This is particularly simple and expedient if the number of separate suction devices is one greater than the sum of the pressing devices and punching stations. Then, a suction device can be used to grip a group of new preforms or compression molds and at least one group of preforms or compression molds in a pressing device and / or punching device. In addition, at least one group of preforms or compression molds can then be transported into a pressing device and / or punching device, while another group of already processed compression molds is released.Thus, the transport device can be configured to adjust between a rear position with a suction device for receiving the preforms to be pressed in front of the pressing station and a front position with a suction device for transferring the punched preforms behind the pressing station and / or punching station. The transport device can then be adjusted back and forth between these positions while the transport device gradually picks up, transports, and releases individual groups of preforms.

[0040] Integrating the punching device into the pressing device can help simplify the device's equipment. In the case of multiple pressing devices in the pressing station, it is particularly useful for the purpose of precise cutting if the punching station is integrated into the last pressing device in the transport direction. Alternatively or additionally, for the sake of simplicity, the integration can be arranged such that the preforms are pressed into compression molds at the same time as the compression molds are punched. In this case, the preform or compression mold is held or fixed during the pressing process, simultaneously with the preform punching.

[0041] In terms of equipment and process, it is particularly simple if the deep-drawing station, in particular the deep-drawing devices of the deep-drawing station, the feeding device, the pressing station, in particular the pressing devices of the pressing station, and / or the punching station are arranged one behind the other in a straight transport direction of the device. In other words, any of the aforementioned stations and devices can be arranged along the straight transport direction. For further simplification of equipment and process, the deep-drawing devices can then be arranged opposite one another, transversely to the transport direction of the device, if necessary. The blanks can then be easily fed between the deep-drawing devices, and the preforms can be passed between the deep-drawing devices to the pressing station.It may therefore be expedient if the deep-drawing devices are designed to be loaded with blanks transversely to the transport direction of the device and / or to remove the preforms from the deep-drawing devices transversely to the transport direction of the device.

[0042] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing which merely represents an exemplary embodiment. Fig. 1 a device according to the invention in a schematic side view, Fig. 2A-B the deep drawing station from the Fig. 1 in a side view and sectional views from above, Fig. 3A-Dthe pressing station from the Fig. 1 in a side view and sectional views from above, Fig. 4A-B the punching station from the Fig. 1in a side view, Fig. 5A-B preforms with a round bottom and an approximately rectangular bottom in a perspective view, Fig. 6A-C steps for producing a preform in a schematic sectional view, Fig. 7 a detail of the preform from Fig. 5B in a view from above, Fig. 8 the pressing of a curved wall section of the Fig. 5B in a pressing device in a sectional view according to the section plane VIII-VIII of the Fig. 7 and Fig. 9A-BPress molds made from the preforms according to Fig. 5A-B in perspective views.

[0043] In the Fig. 11 schematically shows a device 1 for producing packaging blanks 2 or packaging. The device 1 comprises a series of processing stations. Among these is a feed station 3 with a feed device 4 for feeding blanks 5 of a nonwoven material. A preform 7 is then deep-drawn from each of these blanks 5 in the deep-drawing station 6. The feed station 3 can be designed in different ways. In the feed station 3 shown and preferred in this respect, a feed device 4 in the form of a conveyor belt is provided, on which blanks 5 of the nonwoven material are fed. A group of blanks 5 is located next to one another and aligned with one another in a predetermined manner. The alignment of the blanks 5 corresponds to the alignment of the blanks 5 in which they are transferred to the deep-drawing station 6 by means of a transfer station 8.If necessary, the blanks 5 can be transferred step by step by a gripper 9 in the form of a suction gripper to the transfer station 8. The feed station 3 and the transfer station 8 are therefore located between the deep-drawing devices 14 of the deep-drawing station 6.

[0044] In the illustrated and in this respect preferred device, two deep-drawing devices 14 are provided in the deep-drawing station 3, of which only one of the deep-drawing devices 14 is shown schematically with only one die 10 and one drawing punch 11. The blanks 5 are deep-drawn by only one of the deep-drawing devices 14, with the deep-drawing devices 4 always alternatingly deep-drawing individual groups of blanks 5 into preforms 7. Between the deep-drawing devices 14 of the deep-drawing station 3 there is also a removal station 13 for removing preforms 7 from the deep-drawing devices 14. In a suction transfer station 15 there is a suction device 16 for sucking the preforms 7 from support elements 12 of the removal station 13 and for passing them on to a transport device 17 downwards.The transport device 17 transports the preforms 7 step by step along the pressing devices 18, 19 of the pressing station 20 and the punching station 21, wherein the preforms 7 are clamped at their edges 22 between pairs of rails 23 for further transport.

[0045] In the pressing station 20, the preforms 7 are pressed into pressing molds 24 in successive pressing devices 18, 19. The first pressing device 18 presses a lower region of the preform 7 between the mold 25 and the press ram 26, while the second pressing station 19 presses an upper region of the preform 7 between the mold 27 and the press ram 28. After the preform 7 has been pressed into a pressing mold 24, which is conical at least in sections, the edges 22 of the pressing mold 24 are trimmed in the punching station 21 by means of a punching device 29. The then finished packaging blanks 2 are subsequently taken over by a removal station 32 by means of a suction device 30 of a removal device 31 and transported away from the device 1. In this context, the packaging blanks 2 can be stacked and, for example, delivered in stacked form to a conveyor belt 33.

[0046] In the illustrated device 1, the feed station 3, the transfer station 8, the removal station 13, the suction transfer station 15, the pressing station 20, and the punching station 21 are arranged along an at least substantially rectilinear transport direction T of the nonwoven material. The feed station 3, the pressing station 20, and the punching station 21 are arranged one behind the other in the transport direction T. The feed station 3, the transfer station 8, the removal station 13, and, if necessary, the suction transfer station 15 are arranged between the deep-drawing devices 14 of the deep-drawing station 6.

[0047] In the Fig. 2A One of two deep-drawing devices 4 is shown in a side view. The two deep-drawing devices 14 of the deep-drawing station 6 on both sides of the feeding station 3, the transfer station 8 and the removal station 13 are shown in a sectional view through the deep-drawing station 3 from above in the Fig. 2Bshown. In the lower area of the deep-drawing devices 14, two rows of dies 10 are provided. Individual blanks 5 of nonwoven material are placed onto the individual dies 10 of a lower table 44 from the feed station 3 by means of the transfer unit in the form of suction grippers 9. The transfer station 8 comprises suction grippers 9, which each grasp individual groups of blanks 5 and place them on the corresponding dies 10. Subsequently, the drawing punches 11 arranged above the dies 10 on an upper table 45 are moved into the dies 10, whereby the blanks 5 are drawn into the drawing gap between the dies 10 and the drawing punches 11 and are deep-drawn there. During this time, hold-down devices 34 are lowered, which press the blanks 5 of the nonwoven material lightly against the upper edges of the dies 10 during the deep-drawing of the blanks 5.The upper edges are, approximately as shown, preferably the upper sides of the dies 10, which extend perpendicular to the drawing direction of the drawing punches 11. The hold-down devices 34 are raised as the deep drawing of the nonwoven material progresses in order to accommodate the accumulation of material that occurs in certain sections during deep drawing. The drawing punches 11 and the hold-down devices 34 can thus be moved downwards and upwards independently but in correspondence with one another by means of an adjusting device 46. For this purpose, the drawing punches 11 engage through recesses in the hold-down devices 34. In addition, different drives, in particular linear drives, are each assigned to the drawing punches 11 and the hold-down devices 34 of an adjusting device 46. The hold-down devices 34 and the drawing punches 11 can thus be adjusted from an upper changeover position spaced from the dies 10 to a drawing position closer to the dies.When the drawing punches 11 and the hold-down devices 34 are moved upward into the change position, the preforms 7 remain suspended on the drawing punches 11 and are stripped downward by the hold-down devices 34. The preforms 7 then fall onto support elements 12 of the removal station 13, which are each arranged below the drawing punches 11. The support elements 12 are then moved toward each other parallel to the transport direction T of the device and transverse to the transport direction T. The preforms 7 are thus reformatted to a smaller footprint.

[0048] The suction grippers 9 of the transfer station 8 are adjustable transversely to the transport direction T of the device 1 from the feed device 4 to at least one deep-drawing device 14. The suction gripper 9 grips a group of blanks 5 from the feed device 4 and places them on the upper sides of the dies 5 before they are deep-drawn, as shown in the lower deep-drawing device 14. The deep-drawn preforms 7 are stripped by the hold-down devices 34 onto the carrier elements 12 of the removal station 13, which at this time are each located vertically below the drawing punches 11. The carrier elements 12 are then moved together in the longitudinal and transverse directions and moved between the deep-drawing devices 14, as shown in the Fig. 2B From there, they are passed on to a transport device 17 by a suction transfer station 15 (not shown in detail).

[0049] If necessary, the deep-drawing devices 14 could also be aligned differently than shown. For example, the deep-drawing devices 14 could be arranged next to one another such that the blanks 5 are transferred from one side of the deep-drawing devices 14 to the deep-drawing devices 14, and the finished preforms 7 are removed from the deep-drawing devices 14 from the opposite side of the deep-drawing devices 14. The direction of transfer of the blanks 5 to the deep-drawing devices 14 and / or the direction of removal of the preforms 7 from the deep-drawing devices 14 is then preferably parallel to the transport direction T.

[0050] The transport device 17 is in the Fig. 3A-D schematically shown, namely in the form of corresponding pairs of rails 23, which form clamping gaps 36 in which the edges 22 of the preforms 7 can be clamped, as shown in the Fig. 3Bthe case. The rail pairs 23 are then moved in the transport direction T of the device 1 and transport the preforms 7 initially into the first pressing device 18 of the pressing station 20. There, the preforms 7 are inserted into the molds 25, the rail pairs 23 then disengage from the edges 22 of the preforms 7, so that the rail pairs 23 can be returned to the starting position, as shown in the Fig. 3Cis shown. In the next cycle, new preforms 7, as well as the molds 24 already provided in the pressing devices 18, 19 and the punching station 22, are then clamped at their edges 22 and transported one step further. The preforms 7 from the first pressing device 18 then move into the second pressing device 19, while the molds 24 from the second pressing device 19 move into the punching station 21, and the packaging blanks 2 from the punching station 24 move to the removal device 31. The rail pairs 23 are therefore always adjusted by one step in the transport direction T in the position clamping the preforms 7 and molds 24, in order to then be adjusted back to the starting position in the corresponding transport position in a position not clamping any preforms 7 or molds 24, opposite to the transport direction T.

[0051] The Fig. 3AThe pressing devices 18, 19 shown each have a lower table 37 with molds 25, 27, into which press punches 26, 28 provided on an upper table 38 can be inserted. In this process, the preforms 7 are formed into sectionally conical pressing molds 24. In the first pressing device 18, according to the Fig. 3B-C a lower region of the preform 7 comprising the bottom 39 is pressed, while in the second pressing device 19 according to the Fig. 3D an upper region of the preform 7 is pressed around the edge 22. In the Fig. 3A For the sake of clarity, the pressing devices 18, 19 are shown in different positions, which are generally not provided simultaneously in the illustrated and, in this respect, preferred device 1. Rather, it is intended that the pressing devices 18, 19 press the preforms 7 simultaneously. The pressing devices 18, 19 are therefore closed and opened again simultaneously.

[0052] Furthermore, the Fig. 3A For the sake of clarity, only one mold 25, 27 and one press punch 26, 28 are shown per pressing device 18, 19. In fact, however, each pressing device 18, 19 has the same number of molds 25, 27 and press punches 26, 28 as the deep-drawing devices 14 have dies 10 and drawing punches 11. In the present case, there are ten dies 10 and ten molds each. Nevertheless, two deep-drawing devices 14 are provided because the deep-drawing takes place with twice as long cycle times as the pressing in each of the pressing devices 18, 19. The molds 25, 27 and press punches 26, 28 of the pressing devices 18, 19 are arranged in two parallel rows, as shown in the Fig. 3B-D is illustrated.

[0053] The pressing molds 24 are transported in the manner described by means of the transport device 17 to the punching station 21, as shown in the Fig. 4ASubsequently, the upper tool 40 and the lower tool 41 are closed and the edges 22 of the dies 24 are trimmed, as shown in the Fig. 4B is shown. In the subsequent punching station 21, the edge 22 is cut by the cutting tool 42 of the punching device 43.

[0054] In the Fig. 5Aa preform 50 is shown which has a circular base 51, a side wall 52 with an at least substantially constant radius around a central longitudinal axis L of the preform 7 and an edge 53 encompassing an opening of the preform 50. The side wall 52 is formed by a completely circumferential, curved wall section 54. The further the base 51 is deep-drawn, the more fiber fleece material must flow into the drawing gap during further deep-drawing. The material accumulation in the curved wall section 54 increases accordingly. The greater the height of the preform 50, the more and / or larger folds 55 are formed in the curved wall section 54 by the flat fiber fleece material of the blank 5 being pulled together accordingly and then entering the drawing gap 56. The wall thickness of the side wall 22 can then increase continuously and with a constant gradient from the bottom 51 to the edge 53 of the preform 50.The resulting folds 55 of the preform 50 are shown by corresponding lines.

[0055] In the Fig. 5B 1 shows a preform 60 comprising an approximately rectangular base 61 with rounded corners, a side wall 62 with curved wall sections 63 and with straight wall sections 64, and an edge 65 encompassing the opening of the preform 60. As previously described, more material is drawn into the drawing gap at the curved wall section 63 with increasing height of the preform 60, which leads to material accumulation and wrinkling.

[0056] At the straight wall sections 64, a single-layer strip of nonwoven material of equal width is always drawn into the drawing gap, so that the material thickness of the side wall 52 in the region of the straight wall sections 64 remains constant over the height of the preform 60. The same applies to the base 61. Folds 66 of the nonwoven material therefore only form in the curved wall sections 63. The folds 66 already form in the adjacent parts of the edge 65.

[0057] In the Fig. 6A-C is the deep drawing of a Preform 60 according to Fig. 5B in a deep-drawing station 61 in a sectional view in the region of at least one curved wall section 63. Thus, the deep-drawing of the preform 50 according to Fig. 5A , in which the side wall 52 forms a curved wall section 54 all around. As shown in the Fig. 6AAs shown, the flat blank 5 of the nonwoven material is first placed on the die 68. Then, a drawing punch 73 with its free end and, on the other side of the blank 5, a counterholder 65 are moved towards the blank 5 in such a way that the blank 5 is slightly compressed at the bottom 66 of the preform 60 between the drawing punch 73 and the counterholder 65. From the side of the drawing punch 73, a hold-down device 67 is also moved towards the blank 5, which presses the nonwoven material slightly against the upper edge of the die 68.

[0058] Then, according to Fig. 6Bthe drawing punch 73, together with the counterholder 65, is moved in the drawing direction Z indicated by the arrow into a die section 69 of the die 68, which, together with a forming section 70 of the drawing punch 73, forms a drawing gap 71, via which the nonwoven material is increasingly drawn into the drawing gap 71 between the die section 69 and the forming section 70. A rounded transition region 72 is provided at the upper end of the drawing gap 71 or of the die 68. In the forming section 70, the drawing punch 73 is provided with an outer contour that tapers at least in sections counter to the drawing direction Z and, in the present case, is provided with a constant inclination α to the drawing direction Z. The inner contour of the die section 69 is aligned parallel to the drawing direction Z.

[0059] According to Fig. 6CThe drawing gap 71 between the mold section 70 and the die section 69 widens increasingly towards the upper edge of the die section 69, and the greater the drawing depth T of the preform 60. During deep drawing, more and more nonwoven material can be picked up and accumulated in the drawing gap 71 and pressed with an at least substantially constant surface pressure.

[0060] In the Fig. 7 is a detail of the Preform 60 from Fig. 5Bshown in a view from above, the detail comprising a curved wall section 63 and a straight wall section 64. The associated edge 65 and the base 61 with rounded corners are shown. In the area of the straight wall section 64, the drawing punch 73 is moved with its forming section 70 in the drawing direction Z into the die section 69. The blank 5 is lightly held between the top side of the die 63 and the hold-down device 67 and between the drawing punch 73 and the counter-holder 65, while the drawing punch 73 is moved further in the drawing direction Z into the die section 69. The die section 69 has an inner contour that extends parallel to the drawing direction Z.The outer contour of the forming section 70 of the drawing punch 73 also extends parallel to the drawing direction Z in the region of the straight wall section 64, so that the drawing gap 71 in the straight wall section 64 of the preform 60 is just as constant in the drawing direction Z as the wall thickness of the preform 60 there, which corresponds to the wall thickness of the base 61. The edge 65 is not compacted in the same way, so that the material thickness there is higher than in the straight wall section 64 and at the base 61.

[0061] In the Fig. 81 shows the pressing of a preform 60 in the region of a curved wall section 63 in a pressing device 80. To press the preform 60, it is placed into a mold 81, into which a press ram 82 is subsequently inserted in the pressing direction P. As the press ram 82 is inserted into the mold 81, the curved wall section 63 of the preform 60 is deformed in such a way that the curved wall section 63 is inclined outwards in order to produce a conical, stackable shape of the pressing mold 74. The curved wall section 63, like the mold 81 and the press ram 82, is curved at least in sections around a central longitudinal axis A of the pressing mold 74. However, the radius increases with increasing distance from the base 61 of the pressing mold 60.

[0062] The bottom 61 of the pressing mold 60 is not widened, but merely pressed further. The outer contour of the pressing ram 82 in the region of the curved wall section 63 of the pressing mold 74 tapers in the pressing direction P. Likewise, the inner contour of the mold 81 tapers in the region of the curved wall section 63 in the pressing direction P. The inclination of the mold 81 in the conical region is greater than the inclination of the pressing ram 82 in the conical region, so that a pressing gap 83 is provided that widens with increasing distance from the bottom 61. As a result, a pressing mold 74 is formed with a wall thickness s2 that increases in the curved wall section 63 from the bottom 61 upwards, wherein the curved wall section 63 is compacted with at least substantially constant surface pressure and is thereby formed with at least substantially constant material density.This takes into account that the nonwoven material of the curved wall section 63 of the compression mold 74 is still partially folded. The folds were formed during the deep drawing of the preform 60 and were only partially pulled apart again during the forming of the preform 60 into the compression mold 74, which leads to an increase in the wall thickness s2 in the curved wall section 63 with increasing distance from the base 61.

[0063] The edge 65 adjacent to the curved wall section 63 is also pressed between the mold 81 and the press die 82 in the pressing direction P. In the area of the edge 65 adjacent to the curved wall section 63, folds are also provided which were formed there during the deep drawing of the preform 60 and were not completely pulled apart again during the forming of the edge 65 during pressing. Consequently, more nonwoven material is accumulated in the edge 65 adjacent to the curved wall section 63 than in the base 61, in which the nonwoven material is provided in a single layer. The edge 65 there is pressed with at least substantially the same surface pressure as the curved wall section 63 and the base 61, so that at the edge 65 adjacent to the curved wall section 63, a material density is obtained which at least substantially corresponds to the material density in the curved wall section 63 and in the base 61.To make this possible, the wall thickness s3 at the edge 65 is greater than the wall thickness s2 in the curved wall section 63, which in turn is greater than the wall thickness s1 at the bottom 61. The above principles also arise when pressing the preform according to . Fig. 5A .

[0064] In contrast, when pressing a straight wall section 64 of the preform 60, a constant press gap is provided in the straight wall section 64, in the adjacent area of the edge 65, and at the bottom 61. Thus, with a constant material density, the same material thicknesses are provided everywhere for the press mold 74. This results from the fact that no wrinkling occurs in the corresponding areas of the press mold 74 and therefore does not need to be taken into account.

[0065] In the Fig. 9Aa mold 90 is shown with a single wall section 91 which is curved uniformly around a central longitudinal axis of the mold 90 and a rim 92 which is curved uniformly around the central longitudinal axis of the mold 90. In the Fig. 9B A mold 74 is shown with two curved wall sections 63 and two straight wall sections 64 provided therebetween. This mold 74 has an edge 65 with a wall thickness that is approximately twice as thick adjacent to the curved wall sections 63 as adjacent to the straight wall sections 64. List of reference symbols 1 device 20 Pressing station 2 Packaging blank 21 Punching station 3 Feed station 22 edge 4 Feeding device 23 Pair of rails 5 Cutting 24 mold 6 Thermoforming station 25 form 7 Preform 26 Press stamp 8 transfer station 27 form 9 gripper 28 Press stamp 10 die 29 Punching device 11 drawing die 30 Suction device 12 Support element 31 removal facility 13 Collection station 32 removal station 14 Deep drawing equipment 33 conveyor belt 15 Suction transfer station 34 hold-down device 16 Suction device 36 clamping gap 17 Transport device 37 Undercounter 18 Pressing device 38 upper table 19 Pressing device 39 Floor 40 Upper tool 41 Lower tool 42 Cutting tool 43 Punching device 44 Undercounter 45 upper table 46 adjustment device 50 Preform 51 Floor 52 side wall 53 edge 54 curved wall section 55 Fold 56 drawing gap 60 Preform 61 Floor 62 side wall 63 curved wall section 64 straight wall section 65 edge 66 Fold 67 hold-down device 68 die 69 Die section 70 mold section 71 drawing gap 72 Transition area 73 drawing die 74 mold 80 Pressing device 81 form 82 Press stamp 83 Press nip 90 mold 91 curved wall section 92 edge α Gradient / Angle A central longitudinal axis L central longitudinal axis P Pressing direction s Wall thickness / thickness T Transport direction Z Pulling direction

Claims

1. Device (1) for producing packaging blanks (2) or packaging, comprising a feed device (4) for feeding blanks (5) of a nonwoven material, a deep-drawing station (6) for deep-drawing the blanks (5) of the nonwoven material into preforms (7, 50, 60), and a pressing station (20) for pressing the preforms (7, 50, 60) into pressing molds (24, 74, 90), wherein the deep-drawing station (6) comprises at least one die (10, 68) and at least one drawing punch (11, 73) which can be inserted into the at least one die (10, 68) in a drawing direction (Z) over a drawing length, wherein the at least one die (10, 68) comprises a die section (69) extending over the drawing length at least substantially parallel to the drawing direction (Z), wherein the pressing station (20) comprises at least one mold (25, 27, 81) and at least one corresponding press die (26,28,82) and wherein the mold (25,27,81) and the press die (26,28,82) have corresponding,have conical pressing surfaces., 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the deep-drawing station (6) has at least one hold-down device (34, 67) for pressing the blanks (5) against an outer edge of the at least one die (10, 68) during the deep-drawing of the blanks (5).

3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that at least the at least one hold-down device (34, 67) is coupled to an adjusting device (46) for lifting the hold-down device (34, 67) at least in regions relative to the at least one edge of the at least one die (10, 68) with increasing drawing length, and that, preferably, the drawing punch (11, 73) and the hold-down device (34, 67) are provided so as to be adjustable by the adjusting device (46), in particular jointly, from a drawing position approximating the die (10, 68) for deep-drawing the nonwoven material into a change position spaced apart from the die (10, 68).

4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the deep-drawing station (6) comprises at least one deep-drawing device (14) and, preferably, at least one transfer station (8) for transferring blanks (5) to the at least one deep-drawing device (14) and / or a removal station (13) for removing the preforms (7, 50, 60) from the at least one deep-drawing device (14) is provided, or that the deep-drawing station (6) comprises two or more separate, in particular alternately operated cyclically, deep-drawing devices (14) and, preferably, between the deep-drawing devices (14) there is provided a transfer station (8) for alternately transferring blanks (5) to the two or more deep-drawing devices (14) and / or a removal station (13) for removing the preforms (7, 50, 60) from the deep-drawing devices (14).

5. Device according to claim 4, characterized in thatthe transfer station (8) has at least one gripper (9), in particular a suction gripper, for transporting the blanks (5) and / or that the removal station (13) has support elements (12) assigned to the preforms (7, 50, 60) and adjustable between a moved-apart removal position and a moved-together transfer position.

6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the removal station (13) has two separate carrier elements (12), in particular two separate groups of carrier elements (12), and that each carrier element (12), in particular each group of carrier elements (12), is assigned to a different deep-drawing device (14) for removing the preforms (7, 50, 60) from the respective deep-drawing device (14).

7. Device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in thata gripper transfer station with a gripper device for gripping the preforms from the at least one carrier element and for passing them on to a transport device, preferably downwards, is provided, or that a suction transfer station (15) with a suction device (16) for sucking the preforms (7, 50, 60) from the at least one carrier element (12) and for passing them on to a transport device (17) downwards is provided.

8. Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the pressing station (20) comprises two separate pressing devices (18, 19) for pressing the preforms (7, 50, 60) one after the other and that, preferably, a first pressing device (18) is designed for pressing the bottom (39, 51, 61) and a lower part of the side wall (52, 62) of the preform (7, 50, 60) and a second pressing device (19) is designed for pressing an upper part of the side wall (52, 62) and, preferably, the upper edge (22, 53, 65, 92) of the preform (7, 50, 60).

9. Device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that following the pressing station (20), a punching station (21) is provided for punching out the edge (22, 53, 65, 92) of the preforms (7, 50, 60) and that, preferably, the punching station comprises a suction device (30) for transporting the punched preforms (7, 50, 60) upwards when the punching station (21) is opened.

10. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that the suction device (30) is assigned a removal device (31) for receiving and removing the punched preforms (7, 50, 60) transported upwards by the suction device (30).

11. Device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in thata transport device (17) for transporting the preforms (7, 50, 60) to the pressing station (20), through the pressing station (20) and / or to the punching station (21) held at the edges (22, 53, 65, 92) of the preforms (7, 50, 60) in the clamping gap (36) is provided and that, preferably, the transport device (17) has a plurality of pairs of rails (23) each forming at least one clamping gap (36) for receiving the edges (22, 53, 65, 92) of the preforms (7, 50, 60).

12. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that the transport device (17) is provided for step-by-step transport of the preforms (7, 50, 60) clamped therein in the transport direction (T) by step-by-step adjustment of the transport device (17) in the transport direction (T) and in each case in between for step-by-step adjustment of the transport device (17) back against the transport device (T) without preforms (7, 50, 60) clamped therein.

13. Device according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in thatthe transport device is provided for the step-by-step transport of the preforms (7, 50, 60) to the pressing station (20), through the pressing station (20) and / or to the punching station (21) by means of suction devices and that, preferably, the number of separate suction devices is one greater than the sum of the pressing devices (20) and punching stations (21) and that, preferably, the transport device is provided between a rear position with a suction device for taking over the preforms (7, 50, 60) to be pressed in front of the pressing station (20) and a front position with a suction device for transferring the punched preforms (7, 50, 60) behind the pressing station (20) and / or punching station (21).

14. Device according to one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in thatthe punching device (29) is integrated into the pressing device (19), in particular into the last pressing device (19), and that, preferably, the integration is provided in such a way that pressing of the preforms (7, 50, 60) takes place simultaneously with punching of the preforms (7, 50, 60).

15. Device according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in thatthe deep-drawing station (6), in particular the deep-drawing devices (14), the feeding device (4), the pressing station (20), in particular the pressing devices (18, 19), and / or the punching station (21) are arranged one behind the other in a rectilinear transport direction (T) of the device (1) and that, preferably, the deep-drawing devices (14) are arranged opposite one another transversely to the transport direction (T) of the device (1) and that, further preferably, the deep-drawing devices (14) are designed to be fed with blanks (5) transversely to the transport direction (T) of the device (1) and / or to remove the preforms (7, 50, 60) transversely to the transport direction (T) of the device (1) from the deep-drawing devices (14).

Images