Device and method for degassing, gassing and sealing containers

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for degassing, gassing and sealing filled containers, comprising a unit (2) for degassing and gassing, which is designed such that, in a continuous process, it removes air from the filled containers and replaces it with an inert gas, a sealing unit (3) arranged spaced apart from the unit (2) for degassing and gassing, which is designed to seal the respective containers with a lid, and a transport unit (6), and a lid allocation unit (5) spaced apart from the sealing unit (3) and arranged in an outlet (4) of the unit (2) for degassing and gassing, which is designed to allocate a respective lid to the filled containers, wherein the transport unit is designed to direct the containers with the lids to the sealing unit (3). The invention also relates to a method for degassing, gassing and sealing filled containers.

Description

[0001] Device and method for degassing, gassing and closing containers

[0002] FIELD OF APPLICATION AND STATE OF THE ART

[0003] The invention relates to a device and a method for degassing, gassing and closing filled containers in a packaging plant.

[0004] Since the shelf life of many products, especially food products, is affected by oxygen and / or humidity, it is common practice to evacuate packaging and then seal it gas-tight. Gas exchange is also common practice, meaning the containers are first evacuated and then filled with an inert gas.

[0005] US Pat. No. 2,578,815 discloses a device for degassing, gassing, and sealing filled containers. Filled containers are fed to a rotary conveyor for gas exchange in a continuous process and then fed to a closing device for sealing. A lid is placed on the container upstream of the rotary conveyor, and gas exchange occurs as the lid is lifted.

[0006] However, gas exchange with the lid in place can lead to contamination of the lid and / or a rim of the container, which can cause leaks when the container is closed.

[0007] To avoid this, DE 102018200291 A1 discloses a device and a method for degassing, gassing, and subsequently closing containers. Open containers are degassed and gassed without a lid in place in a continuous process in a rotary machine with several chambers, each of which can accommodate an open container for gas exchange. A cover element for each open container is provided in each chamber. The cover element can be placed in a sealing manner on a container rim of the open container in question for degassing and / or gassing, or can be inserted in a sealing manner into an interior of the open container in question, and the cover element has at least one opening for a gas passage. Containers discharged from the rotary machine are fed to a flanging system and closed there. Flanging systems (English:Seamers are known from the prior art, for example, DE4234115 A1. These systems typically comprise a rotary conveyor with several similar positions, in each of which a container is sealed with a lid. The containers and lids are each fed to a position on the rotary conveyor. In this position, the edges of the containers and lids are deformed using flanging rollers, thus sealing the containers.

[0008] The design of conventional flanging systems is extremely complex, and the individual components are difficult to access. Flanging systems are subject to high levels of wear and tear. However, the complexity of the flanging systems means that regular maintenance and / or cleaning work required during operation, especially for packaging sensitive products such as baby milk powder, is time-consuming.

[0009] TASK AND SOLUTION

[0010] It is an object of the invention to provide a device and a method for degassing, gassing and closing containers with reduced maintenance effort.

[0011] This object is achieved by the device according to claim 1 and the method according to claim 10.

[0012] According to a first aspect, a device for degassing, gassing, and closing filled containers is provided, comprising a device for degassing and gassing, which is designed to remove air from the filled containers and replace it with an inert gas in a continuous process, a closing device arranged spatially separate from the device for degassing and gassing, which is designed to close each container with a lid, a lid distribution device arranged spatially separate from the closing device, in an outlet of the device for degassing and gassing, which is designed to distribute a lid to each filled container, and a transport device arranged to feed the containers with the lids to the closing device.

[0013] In the context of the application, an element with which the container is closed after gas exchange is referred to as a lid. Depending on the application, the lid is a container lid arranged at the top of the container during subsequent use, a container base arranged at the bottom during subsequent use, or a container wall arranged at the side during subsequent use. Depending on the design, the lid is made of a material with comparatively high inherent rigidity, for example, metal, or of a comparatively flexible material, for example, a plastic film.

[0014] The functional and spatial separation of the lid feeding device from the closing device can significantly reduce the complexity of the closing device.

[0015] The closing device closes the containers, preferably sealing them airtight. However, in certain embodiments, the lid can be secured to the container during allocation to the container and / or in a transport path between an allocation and the closing device, preventing it from being lost during transport.

[0016] In one embodiment, the closing device is a conventional flanging machine, but without the star wheels, magazines, or similar components for feeding the lids found in conventional flanging machines. Flanging machines are particularly suitable for closing cans and other containers with a metal lid. In some embodiments, the can is also made of metal. However, the closing of so-called cardboard wrap cans using a flanging machine is also known. In another embodiment, the closing device is a sealing device, by means of which plastic or cardboard containers with a plastic or cardboard lid are closed.

[0017] Conventional flanging systems are particularly known for vertical magazines for lid feeding. These must either be changed manually or, in semi-automatic versions, pushed into a position depending on the format. If a rotor of the flanging system requires maintenance, these magazines must be laboriously removed or made movable. The functional and spatial separation of the lid feeding device from the closing device eliminates the need to remove any magazines provided as part of the lid feeding device for maintenance of a rotor of the flanging system. This significantly reduces maintenance time.

[0018] Even converting the lid-feeding device and the closing device, for example during a format change, can be carried out with less time compared to conventional systems. The device for degassing and gassing is, in some embodiments, a device known from DE 102018200291 A1 with a cover element that is temporarily placed on the container for gas exchange. However, the invention is not limited to the combination with this device, and other embodiments of the device are conceivable. In particular, the device for degassing and gassing is designed in one embodiment as a joint structural unit with a filling device, as known, for example, from the subsequently published DE 102022203817.7.

[0019] For sensitive products, such as baby milk powder, the transport device is preferably configured to feed the containers with the lids to the closing device without allowing air to enter the containers. In other embodiments, a minimal amount of air ingress is tolerable.

[0020] In one embodiment, the lid distributing device comprises a distributing wheel with at least one receptacle for a lid. The distributing wheel permits continuous distribution of individual lids to the transfer position. Movement of the distributing wheel is synchronized with movement of the containers at the outlet of the device for degassing and gassing. For transferring the lids at high process speeds, the distributing wheel preferably comprises several receptacles, each for a single lid. In some embodiments, the at least one receptacle comprises suitable holding means so that a received lid is held in the receptacle with a force-fitting and / or positive fit during transport to the container.

[0021] In one embodiment, the outlet comprises a linear conveyor line, wherein the containers are taken over by the device for degassing and gassing by means of the linear conveyor line, as shown for example in EP 0 566 173 A1.

[0022] In another embodiment, the outlet comprises a star wheel, with the movement of the distribution wheel being synchronized with the movement of the star wheel. In one embodiment, the lids are transferred to the containers while the containers are moving by means of the star wheel, with the containers being transported by the star wheel at a defined distance and at a defined speed.

[0023] In one embodiment, the distributing wheel is arranged vertically and can be driven such that it rotates about a horizontal axis of rotation arranged above a transfer position of the lids to the containers. This arrangement enables optimal use of installation space. In one embodiment, the at least one receptacle comprises a piston that can be adjusted in the radial direction of the distributing wheel, wherein the piston can be driven such that in order to distribute a received lid to a container, the piston can be adjusted outwards in the radial direction at the transfer position. This can prevent an unwanted collision between the container and the lid during movement into the transfer position. At the same time, a safe transfer at the transfer position is achieved, wherein a free fall of the lid towards the container is avoided or at least reduced.

[0024] For safe movement without additional active adjusting elements on the metering wheel, a slide track is provided in one embodiment for a slide-controlled movement of the piston.

[0025] In one embodiment, the lid distributing device is connected to a magazine by means of a transport path, wherein lids can be continuously fed to the lid distributing device, for example by means of a conveyor belt. In other embodiments, the lid distributing device has a magazine arranged above the rotational axis of the distributing wheel in a receiving position, wherein the distributing wheel and the magazine are configured such that, at the receiving position, a lid can be received from the magazine by the at least one receptacle of the distributing wheel. In one embodiment, it is provided that the pistons of the receptacles are adjusted radially outwards in the direction of the magazine for receiving a lid.

[0026] In one embodiment, the lid rests on the container after being transferred to the container in such a way that air penetration into the container is prevented or limited to a level tolerable for the product. In other embodiments, the outlet, the lid-feeding device, and the closing device are enclosed in a common housing sealed from the environment, with an inert gas atmosphere prevailing within the housing.

[0027] In other embodiments, the transport device has a gassing system that is designed to apply a low-turbulence displacement flow at least in sections along a transport path. Such gassing systems are also referred to as laminar flow systems. In the gassing system, a preferably vertically directed inert gas flow prevents air from penetrating the containers. In one embodiment, the gassing system comprises a U-shaped wall part that accommodates a head region of the containers. In other embodiments, only a plate-shaped wall part arranged above the transport path is provided. In one embodiment, the transport device is designed to vary a distance of the containers between the outlet and the closing device, wherein the transport device in particular has a conveyor screw.In one embodiment, the screw conveyor also serves as a transport means for the containers. In other embodiments, an additional transport means, such as a conveyor belt, is provided for transport, wherein the screw conveyor merely serves to vary the distance between the containers. In one embodiment, the containers are moved relative to the conveyor belt by means of the screw conveyor to vary the distance during transport by means of the conveyor belt. Since the lids are allocated at the outlet, the allocation is independent of the distance between the containers required by the closing device, also referred to as the pitch. Converting the device to a closing device with a different pitch is therefore possible without changing the lid allocation device. It is also conceivable to provide two closing devices which require different pitches.

[0028] In one embodiment, a lid can be held to the container with sufficient security during transport by means of a displacement flow. In other embodiments, the transport device has a mechanical guide system that is designed to limit and / or prevent movement of the lids relative to the containers during transport. In one embodiment, the guide system is arranged at a distance from the lids resting on the containers, so that an optimally positioned lid does not touch the guide system and only in the event of an offset between the container and the lid does the guide element prevent further relative movement and / or align the lid to the container. In one embodiment, a wall section of the gassing system serves as a mechanical guide system. In other embodiments, a mechanical guide system is arranged in a U-shaped wall section of a gassing system.

[0029] In one embodiment, the degassing and gassing device comprises a linear transport path along which the containers are moved for gas exchange. For efficient use of installation space, the degassing and gassing device, in other embodiments, has a rotary device with a vertical rotation axis and a number N of positions distributed over the circumference of the rotary device. Gas exchange is possible in a continuous process.

[0030] According to a second aspect, a method for degassing, gassing and closing filled containers is provided, wherein by means of a device for degassing and gassing in a continuous process, air is removed from the filled container and replaced by an inert gas, wherein by means of a closing device arranged spatially separately from the device for degassing and gassing, the containers are each closed with a lid, and wherein by means of a lid allocation device arranged in the outlet of the device for degassing and gassing, a lid is each allocated to the filled containers and the containers with the lids are fed to the closing device.

[0031] Transport of the containers with the lids in place is preferably carried out without allowing air to enter the containers.

[0032] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Further advantages and aspects of the invention emerge from the claims and from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention, which are explained below with reference to the figures. These show schematically:

[0034] Fig. 1: a device for degassing, gassing and closing containers comprising a rotary conveyor in a plan view;

[0035] Fig. 2: schematically a lid-feeding device in a partially sectioned

[0036] side view; and

[0037] Fig. 3: a distribution wheel of the lid distribution device according to Fig. 2 in a standalone position.

[0038] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0039] Fig. 1 shows a schematic plan view of a device 1 for degassing, gassing, and sealing containers not visible in Fig. 1. The device 1 is, for example, part of a packaging system for food and / or other products, in particular for milk powder.

[0040] The device 1 comprises a device 2 for degassing and gassing, by means of which air is removed from the already filled containers and replaced by an inert gas in a continuous process.

[0041] The device 1 further comprises a device 2 for degassing and

[0042] A closing device 3 arranged separately for gassing, a lid feeding device 5 arranged in an outlet 4 of the device 2 for degassing and gassing, and a transport device 6.

[0043] By means of the degassing and gassing device 2, air is removed from the filled containers in a continuous process and replaced with an inert gas, in particular N2, or a mixed gas, for example N2 and CO2. The illustrated degassing and gassing device 2 has a rotary machine 21 with a vertical axis of rotation 22 and a plurality of positions 20, 32 in the illustrated embodiment, evenly distributed over the circumference. A rotary machine 22 allows for continuous process implementation, wherein various process steps can be carried out distributed over the circumference of the rotary machine 21. In one embodiment, the containers are fed empty to the rotary machine 21, wherein filling, degassing, and gassing take place in the rotary machine. In other embodiments, the containers are fed filled, wherein only degassing and gassing of the filled containers takes place in the rotary machine 21.

[0044] In the illustrated embodiment, a star wheel 24 is provided for loading the device 2. However, other loading devices are also conceivable.

[0045] In the illustrated embodiment, the outlet 4 also comprises a star wheel 40, which rotates synchronously with the rotary conveyor 2. A gassing system 41 is provided at the outlet 4 to generate a low-turbulence displacement flow along a transport path of the open containers in the outlet 4.

[0046] By means of the lid allocation device 5, a lid is allocated to each container in the outlet 4. The containers with the allocated lids resting on the containers can then be fed to the closing device 3 by means of the transport device 6.

[0047] The transport device 6 has a gassing system 60 configured to apply a low-turbulence displacement flow at least in sections along a transport path of the transport device 6. The gassing system 60 comprises, for example, a U-shaped tunnel covering a head region of the containers, with outlet openings provided on a ceiling surface of the tunnel through which an inert gas is supplied.

[0048] In one embodiment, the tunnel of the gassing system 60 also serves as a mechanical guide system to prevent the lids from shifting relative to the containers or from popping off the containers during transport by the transport device 6. In the illustrated embodiment, the transport device 6 comprises a conveyor belt 61 for transporting the containers and a conveyor screw 62, wherein the conveyor screw 62 can be used to change the distance between the containers and the outlet 4 and the closing device 3.

[0049] The closing device 3 is, for example, a flanging system by means of which the containers with the lids placed on them are sealed airtight by forming.

[0050] The lid applicator 5 is shown in a side view in Fig. 2 together with a container 7 and a lid 70. The container 7 and the lid 70 are shown only schematically, and the figure does not reflect any proportions.

[0051] The lid distributing device 5 comprises a distributing wheel 50 shown in isolation in Fig. 3 with a plurality of receptacles 51, eight in the illustrated embodiment, each for a lid 70, wherein in Fig. 2 only one lid 70 is shown at a transfer position of the lid 70 to the container 7.

[0052] A movement of the distribution wheel 50 is synchronized with a movement of the star wheel 40 of the outlet 4 (see Fig. 1), so that a container 7 and a lid 70 are fed to the takeover position 45 at the same time.

[0053] As can be seen in Fig. 2, the distribution wheel 50 is arranged vertically and rotates about a horizontal rotation axis 500 arranged above the transfer position 45 of the lids 70 to the containers 7.

[0054] To prevent the lid 70 from colliding with the containers 7 when approaching the containers 7, the receptacles 51 in the illustrated embodiment each have a piston 510 that is adjustable in the radial direction of the distribution wheel 50. The pistons 510 can each be driven in such a way that, for distributing the received lid 70 to the container 7, the piston 510 is adjusted radially outwards at the transfer position 45. In the illustrated embodiment, a guide track 52 for a guide-controlled movement of the pistons 510 is provided for this purpose. The illustration of the guide track 52 is merely schematic, and the guide track 52 can be suitably designed by a person skilled in the art depending on the application in order to achieve a desired movement of the pistons 510 for transferring the lid 70 to the container 7, wherein a free fall of the lid 70 during the transfer is avoided or at least reduced.The illustrated lid distributing device 5 further comprises a magazine 56 arranged above the rotational axis 500 of the distributing wheel 50 in a receiving position 55. The distributing wheel 50 and the magazine 56 are configured such that at the receiving position 55, a lid 70 is each received from the magazine 56 by means of the receptacles 51. In the illustrated embodiment, the guide track 52 is designed for this purpose such that the receptacles 51 are each adjustable radially outward for a receiving in the direction of the magazine 56, and a guide-controlled movement of the pistons 510 is provided.

[0055] The magazine 56 shown is arranged vertically and ensures a continuous flow of material from the lids.

[0056] The lid feeding device 5 comprises a housing part 57 covering the feeding wheel 50. An inert gas atmosphere prevails in the housing part 57.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS Device for degassing, gassing, and closing filled containers (7), comprising a device (2) for degassing and gassing, which is designed to remove air from the filled containers (7) in a continuous process and to replace it with an inert gas, a closing device (3) arranged spatially separately from the device (2) for degassing and gassing, which is designed to close each container (7) with a lid (70), and a transport device (6), characterized in that the device (1) comprises a lid distribution device (5) arranged spatially separately from the closing device (3) in an outlet (4) of the device (2) for degassing and gassing, which is designed to distribute a lid (70) to each filled container (7), wherein the transport device is designed to feed the containers (7) with the lids (70) to the closing device (3).Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lid-distributing device (5) has a distributing wheel (50) with at least one receptacle (51) for a lid (70), preferably with several receptacles (51) for each lid (70), wherein the outlet (4) preferably comprises a star wheel (40) and a movement of the distributing wheel (50) is synchronized with a movement of the star wheel (40). Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the distributing wheel (50) is arranged vertically and is drivable so that it rotates about a horizontal rotation axis (500) arranged above a transfer position (45) of the lids (70) to the containers (7).Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the at least one receptacle (51) comprises a piston (510) which is adjustable in the radial direction of the dispensing wheel (50), wherein the piston (510) is drivable in such a way that, for dispensing a received lid to a container, the piston (510) at the transfer position (45) is adjustable outwards in the radial direction, wherein in particular a guide track (52) is provided for a guide-controlled movement of the piston (510). Device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the lid dispensing device (5) has a magazine (56) arranged above the axis of rotation (500) of the dispensing wheel (50) in a take-over position (55), wherein the dispensing wheel (50) and the magazine (56) are configured such that, at the take-over position (55), each a lid (70) can be taken from the magazine (56) by the at least one receptacle (51) of the metering wheel (50). Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the transport device (6) has a gassing system (60) which is designed to apply a low-turbulence displacement flow at least in sections along a transport path. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the transport device (6) is designed to vary a distance of the containers between the outlet and the closing device, wherein the transport device (6) in particular has a conveyor screw. Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the transport device (6) has a mechanical guide system which is designed to limit and / or prevent movement of the lids relative to the containers during transport.Device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the device (2) for degassing and gassing has a rotary device (21) with a vertical axis of rotation (22) and a number N of positions (20) distributed over a circumference of the rotary device (21).Method for degassing, gassing and closing filled containers (7), wherein air is removed from the filled containers (7) and replaced by an inert gas in a continuous process by means of a device (2) for degassing and gassing, and wherein the containers (7) are each closed with a lid (70) by means of a closing device (3) arranged spatially separately from the device (2) for degassing and gassing, characterized in that a lid (70) is each allocated to the filled containers (7) by means of a lid distribution device (5) arranged in the outlet (4) of the device (2) for degassing and gassing, and the containers (7) with the lids (70) are fed to the closing device (3).

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