Container treatment system for treating containers

Abstract

The invention relates to a container treatment system for producing containers from preforms, said container treatment system comprising a production machine, in particular an injection molding machine, for producing preforms, a blow molding machine for producing containers from the preforms, a transport device for transporting preforms to the blow molding machine, a removal device for removing the preforms from the production machine and supplying the preforms to the transport device, and an inspection device for inspecting preforms in the removal device.

Description

[0001] Container treatment plant for producing containers from preforms

[0002] The present invention relates to a container treatment plant for producing containers from preforms according to claim 1 and to a method for producing containers from preforms using a container treatment plant according to claim 10.

[0003] State of the art

[0004] The production of preforms from starting material, particularly plastic pellets, using an injection molding machine on the one hand, and the molding of preforms using a blow molding machine on the other, are well known in the art. The injection molding machine, as is known, comprises a mold into which liquid starting material is introduced and formed into preforms. These are then removed from the mold and usually transported to the customer (for example, by truck), where they are further processed into containers at the appropriate time.

[0005] In the known prior art, the production of preforms is thus decoupled from the molding of the preforms into containers. While this simplifies the handling of the preforms, further requirements for container production (e.g., the sterility of the manufactured containers) are difficult to ensure.

[0006] Task

[0007] Based on the known state of the art, the technical problem to be solved is therefore to provide a container treatment plant for producing containers from preforms and a method for producing containers from preforms, with which the production of the containers can be made more efficient.

[0008] Solution

[0009] This object is achieved according to the invention by the container treatment system according to independent claim 1 and the method for producing containers from preforms using a container treatment system according to independent claim 10. Advantageous developments of the invention are covered in the subclaims. The container treatment system according to the invention for producing containers from preforms comprises a production machine, in particular an injection molding machine, for producing preforms, a blow molding machine for producing containers from the preforms, a transport device for transporting preforms to the blow molding machine, a removal device for removing the preforms from the production machine and for feeding the preforms to the transport device, and an inspection device for inspecting preforms in the removal device.

[0010] Within the meaning of the invention, the manufacturing machine can be implemented as any machine capable of producing preforms, for example, from a liquid and / or (at least partially solid) material, such as PET. The manufacturing machine can be designed, for example, as an injection molding machine or as comprising such a machine. However, other embodiments are also conceivable. For example, the manufacturing machine can alternatively comprise or be configured as a compression molding machine or an injection compression molding machine.

[0011] For the purposes of the invention, the container treatment plant is to be understood as a block configuration of production machine, transport device, and blow molding machine, so that, in particular, the preforms produced in the production machine can be fed directly to the blow molding machine by means of the transport device, without the preforms being temporarily stored in bulk form for a prolonged period (several hours or several days). In particular, it can be provided that the production machine and the blow molding machine are operated synchronously with one another, i.e., that the throughput of the production machine (number of preforms produced per unit of time) is equal to the throughput of the blow molding machine (containers produced from the preforms per unit of time).

[0012] The inspection device can, in particular, be an optical inspection device, which, for example, comprises a camera with which one or more images of the preform can be taken. Alternatively or additionally, the inspection can also include, for example, an inspection with regard to the transmission behavior of the preform or a portion of the preform material.

[0013] With the container treatment plant according to the invention, the production of the preforms and the molding of the containers from the preforms are integrated in one plant, which allows a more compact and economically advantageous production of containers and at the same time ensures a high quality of the containers by inspecting the preforms in the process, whereby any further requirements, in particular with regard to the sterility of the containers produced, can be met more easily.

[0014] It can be provided that the inspection device comprises a first inspection unit for inspecting a first region of the preform and a second inspection unit for inspecting a second region of the preform.

[0015] The inspection units can be designed either identically (for example, both as cameras) or differently (a camera and a unit for determining a transmission behavior, for example). In any case, they are arranged such that the first region and the second region can be inspected. The first region can, in particular, be a mouth region and / or the mouth of the preform. The second region can, for example, be a side wall of the preform or part of the side wall of the preform or a bottom region of the preform (in particular a gate or a region comprising the gate of the preform). This embodiment ensures a comprehensive inspection of the preform and thus a high level of quality assurance.

[0016] It can be provided that the removal device comprises a first removal unit for removing the preforms from the manufacturing machine and a second removal unit for receiving the preforms from the first removal unit and for feeding the preforms to the transport device.

[0017] The first and / or second removal unit can be configured, in particular, as a robot or other device with one, preferably a plurality of, gripping elements or vacuum holders, with which preforms can be (selectively) gripped and / or held. The respective elements can, in particular, be selectively controllable, so that the picking up or release of the preforms can be controlled selectively (i.e., individually for each preform). Alternatively, the removal device can also comprise a multi-axis robot, which enables both the removal of the preforms from the production machine and the feeding of the preforms to the transport device. The provision of two removal devices, between which the preforms are exchanged, allows the provision of the inspection device in such a way that specific areas of the preform can be reliably inspected.

[0018] In one embodiment, it is provided that the first removal unit and / or the second removal unit can receive preforms in a regular arrangement. The regular arrangement can in particular be a two-dimensional matrix with at least two rows and at least two columns, wherein the regular arrangement can correspond to the arrangement of the preforms in the production machine, in particular a tool of the production machine. For example, it can be provided that the first removal unit and / or the second removal unit has the same number of receptacles as the production machine (for example 50 or 100 or 200), so that all preforms produced in one pass of the production machine can be removed from the removal unit simultaneously or in one removal cycle.This design allows for reliable inspection of the preforms and targeted identification of preforms in the regular arrangement, which improves downstream rejection and thus quality assurance.

[0019] The first removal unit and / or the second removal unit can comprise a cooling device for cooling at least a portion of a preform. This allows the preforms to be tempered for subsequent molding into containers with the least possible delay in the process.

[0020] In one embodiment, it is provided that the container treatment system comprises a control unit which is designed to control the removal device for selectively ejecting a preform based on an inspection result determined by the inspection device.

[0021] The control unit can be configured, in particular, as a computer (e.g., a central control unit of the container processing system or a control unit of the manufacturing machine) comprising a processor and / or associated memory and corresponding programming. This embodiment ensures high quality of the manufactured containers.

[0022] In particular, it can be provided that the control unit is designed to control the removal device in such a way that, based on the inspection result, a first number of preforms can be transferred to the transport device and then a second number of preforms is discharged or the second number of preforms is discharged and then the first number of preforms can be transferred to the transport device.

[0023] The first number and / or the second number can also be zero, depending on the inspection result. The inspection result specifically indicates whether a desired property or quality of the preform is guaranteed or achieved in the inspected area. If this is not the case, the inspection result can indicate that the quality of the preform is insufficient, so it must be rejected. This further ensures the quality of the produced preforms.

[0024] The container treatment system can include a receptacle into which rejected preforms can be fed. This embodiment allows preforms that are, for example, of inadequate quality to be separated from the remaining preforms that are fed to the blow molding machine. At the same time, the rejected preforms can be reused for possible future use.

[0025] It can be provided that the container treatment plant comprises a recycling device in which discharged preforms are processed into preform starting material and from which the preform starting material can be fed to the production machine for producing preforms.

[0026] For example, the resulting preform feedstock can be mixed with pure preform feedstock (preferably consisting of non-recycled preform material) and used to manufacture the preforms. This makes container production more environmentally friendly while maintaining the same quality of the finished containers.

[0027] According to the invention, a method for producing containers from preforms using a container treatment system according to one of the preceding embodiments is further provided, wherein the method comprises producing preforms and subsequently taking over the preforms from the production machine and feeding at least a portion of the preforms to the transport device, wherein the preforms are inspected by the inspection device while the preforms are located in the removal device.

[0028] This process integrates the production of preforms and the molding of containers from the preforms into one process, which is cost-effective while ensuring high quality of the containers produced.

[0029] It can be provided that the container treatment system comprises a control unit which, based on an inspection result determined by the inspection device, controls the removal device for the selective discharge of a preform. This excludes preforms of insufficient quality from further feeding to the blow molding machine, which ensures high quality of the containers produced and reliable operation of the blow molding machine. In one embodiment, it is provided that the control unit controls the removal device such that, based on the inspection result, a first number of preforms is transferred to the transport device and subsequently a second number of preforms is discharged, or the second number of preforms is discharged and subsequently the first number of preforms is transferred to the transport device.These embodiments ensure that defective preforms are not transferred to the transport device, so that only preforms of sufficient quality are fed to the transport device.

[0030] Rejected preforms can be fed into a receptacle. The collected preforms can either be disposed of regularly (for example, when the receptacle reaches its maximum fill level) and / or reused.

[0031] The container treatment plant may include a recycling facility in which rejected preforms are processed into preform feedstock, from which the preform feedstock is fed to the preform manufacturing machine. This makes container production more environmentally friendly.

[0032] In particular, it can be provided that a quantity of preform starting material supplied to the utilization device of the production machine is controlled by the control unit depending on a predetermined proportion of the preform starting material and / or depending on an availability of pure preform starting material.

[0033] For example, it may be provided that the proportion of preform starting material in the mixture of preform starting material and pure preform starting material is at most 20%, at most 40%, or at most 60%, but also up to 100%. This may depend, for example, on how the recycling of the preform material and its reuse for the production of preforms affects the quality of the preforms produced in this way. If, for example, a supply of pure preform starting material fails, the preform starting material obtained from the recycling facility can instead be used to produce preforms in order to reduce downtimes until the supply of preform starting material is operational again. This avoids downtimes of the blow molding machine. Brief description of the figures

[0034] Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a container treatment plant according to an embodiment

[0035] Fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of another embodiment of a container treatment plant

[0036] Fig. 3 shows a schematic view of a removal device comprising two removal units according to an embodiment

[0037] Detailed description

[0038] Fig. 1 shows a container processing system 100 according to one embodiment of the invention. The container processing system 100 comprises a production machine 101 and a blow molding machine 102, which are preferably interlocked with one another. The term "interlocking" refers, in particular, to the partial or complete synchronization of the operation of the production machine and the blow molding machine. The production machine 101 is configured to produce preforms, for example, from existing starting material (such as plastic pellets), and the blow molding machine 102 is configured to mold the thus produced preforms 130 into containers.

[0039] The manufacturing machine 101 can be configured in a known manner and, in particular, comprise a tool in which a plurality of injection molds (when the manufacturing machine is configured as an injection molding machine) are preferably provided in a two-dimensional, regular pattern (matrix), into which liquefied starting material can be injected and formed into a preform. Other embodiments of the manufacturing machine are also conceivable, for example, as a compression molding machine or an injection compression molding machine.

[0040] The blow molding machine 102 can be designed in a generally known manner and, for example, can comprise a heating section (not shown here) that can control the temperature of preforms. It can generally be designed as a rotary machine or comprise one with a plurality of blow molds arranged on its periphery, into which preforms can be introduced for molding the preforms and formed into containers (for example, using air pressure and / or stretching by means of a stretching rod). The invention is not limited with regard to the precise design of the production machine 101 and the blow molding machine 102.

[0041] According to the invention, the container treatment system further comprises a removal device 103 that can remove preforms from the production machine. The removal device 103 can, for example, comprise a first and second removal unit (as will be described with reference to Fig. 2), wherein a first removal unit removes the preforms from the production machine (e.g., the tool). The second removal unit can remove the preforms from the first removal unit and feed them to the transport device 104 further provided according to the invention. In the transport device 104, the preforms 130 are preferably transported in an orderly manner (in particular, in a single row) to the blow molding machine 102.For this purpose, the transport device 104 can be configured, for example, as an air conveyor comprising a pair of parallel rails, between which preforms can be transported with the support ring resting on the rails or suspended by applying air, in particular compressed air, to the preforms in the transport direction. Other embodiments of the transport device are also conceivable, and the invention is not limited in this regard.

[0042] According to the invention, the container treatment system 100 further comprises an inspection device 105 for inspecting preforms in the removal device. The inspection device can comprise one or more cameras or optical sensors (in particular devices for determining a transmission behavior of the preform material) that can inspect at least one preform in the removal device, for example by taking an image of the preform. A control unit 180 (for example, a computer with an associated processor and / or memory) can be provided for evaluating the images, in which the information (for example, images) recorded by the inspection device 105 is evaluated, for example by further processing the information.

[0043] For example, the evaluation may include evaluating the preforms with regard to their degree of transparency and / or transmission behavior and, depending on the result (for example, whether the transmission degree is above / above or below a limit value), determining whether the preforms have a quality sufficient for forming the preform into a container in the blow molding machine 102.

[0044] Optionally, it can be provided that the control unit 180 controls the transport of the preforms 130 at least within the removal device or through the removal device 103 and, for example, either feeds preforms to the transport device 104 or sorts them out based on an inspection result (as will be described in more detail with reference to Fig. 2).

[0045] As an alternative to the two-part design (as already described and will be described with reference to Fig. 2), the removal device 103 can also comprise a multi-axis robot which can both remove the preforms from the production machine and feed them to the transport device 104.

[0046] The removal device 103 can optionally be configured at least partially to cool the preforms produced in the production machine 101, so that the preforms can be cooled during removal from the production machine and until they are fed to the transport device 104, for example, to cool them to a desired temperature before being fed to the transport device. This can be carried out, for example, in cooperation with a heating device provided as part of the blow molding machine 102, so that the preforms reach a desired temperature and / or a desired temperature profile.

[0047] The removal device 103 can, in particular, be provided such that it comprises a number of receptacles that is preferably equal to the number of preforms that can be produced by the manufacturing machine 101 in one production cycle, and wherein the receptacles in the removal device can preferably be arranged in a pattern that can correspond to the pattern of the preforms in the tool of the manufacturing machine 101. Thus, all preforms produced in a production cycle of the manufacturing machine 101 can be removed from the manufacturing machine in one process step by the removal device. For this purpose, the removal device can, for example, comprise gripping elements and / or receptacles that can be subjected to a vacuum in order to remove the preforms from the manufacturing machine 101 and to transfer them to the transport device 104 by releasing the gripping elements and / or reducing the vacuum.

[0048] Fig. 2 shows a further embodiment of a container treatment system 200. In this embodiment, a manufacturing machine 201 and a blow molding machine 202 as well as a transport device 104 are again shown corresponding to the embodiments described in connection with Fig. 1. In addition to Fig. 1, this embodiment also shows a receptacle 261 to which preforms 130 can be fed by the removal device 203. This can occur, for example, if the quality of the preforms (for example, their transmittance) does not meet a certain specification. This receptacle can also be provided in the embodiments described with reference to Fig. 1.

[0049] The control unit 280 can then control the removal device such that preforms that do not meet the required quality are fed to the receptacle 261, and the remaining preforms that meet the required quality are fed to the transport device 204 for further forming into a container. In this case, it can be provided that each preform in the removal device is inspected by the inspection device (such as the inspection device 105), and depending on the inspection result for this preform, the control unit 280 decides whether the preform is fed to the transport device 204 (if its quality meets the requirements) or fed to the receptacle 261 and discharged (if its quality does not meet the requirements).

[0050] The number of preforms that are discharged in each process step or transported further in the transport device 204 thus varies depending on the quality of each individual preform that is transported in the removal device.

[0051] It can optionally be provided that the container treatment plant (not only with respect to the embodiment of Fig. 2, but with respect to each of the described embodiments) further comprises a recycling device 262, to which preforms 130 can be fed from the receptacle 261. The recycling device can be used to recycle the preforms 261 that do not have sufficient quality. For example, the recycling device can crush the preforms from the receptacle 261 and thus reprocess them into preform starting material. This preform starting material can then be selectively fed to the manufacturing machine 201 for producing preforms. In this way, waste is minimized.

[0052] It can be provided that the amount of preform starting material from the recycling facility that is fed to the manufacturing machine for producing preforms in a process step depends on further process parameters. Typically, pure preform material is fed to the manufacturing machine from a supply 263. This material has certain properties (e.g., color or transmission behavior, or the like), which influence the properties of the preform produced with it. If (recycled) preform starting material from the recycling facility 262 is then fed to this (pure) preform starting material, this can influence the preforms produced with this mixture, or their quality or physical properties, due to the already processed (recycled) preform material in the recycling facility.

[0053] The amount of preform starting material supplied from the utilization device 262 can therefore be controlled by the control unit 280 such that the proportion of preform material from the utilization device 262 does not exceed a certain relative proportion measured against the sum of the preform starting material from the utilization device 262 and the pure preform starting material from the supply 263. This proportion can, for example, be less than 50%, less than 40%, or less than 20%, and can, for example, be selected such that the properties of the preforms produced in this way lie within a certain parameter range (for example, the transmittance fluctuates by a maximum of 10% around a desired target value).Alternatively or additionally, it can also be provided that the preform starting material is fed from the utilization device 262 to the production machine 201 if a supply of preform starting material from the supply 263 is not possible (for example due to the supply 263 being empty or a malfunction of a corresponding supply device).

[0054] In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, regardless of any provision of the receiving and recycling device, the removal device 203 comprises a first removal unit 231. This is preferably designed to remove the preforms from the production machine 201 and can be designed analogously to the embodiments of the removal device 103 described in Fig. 1. Furthermore, the removal device 203 comprises a second removal unit 232 arranged downstream of the first removal unit 231. This is designed such that it can remove preforms 130 from the first removal unit 231 and feed them to the transport device 204. One of the removal units 231 and 232 or both can further be designed to discharge preforms whose inspection result indicates, for example, insufficient quality into the receiving unit 261, if this is provided.This can be controlled by the control unit 280.

[0055] In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2, the inspection device further comprises at least two inspection units 251 to 253. In the embodiment illustrated here, the inspection unit 251 is arranged such that it can inspect preforms in at least one first region after they have been removed from the production machine 201 by the first removal unit 231. This can, for example, be a mouth region of the preforms, which is visually accessible during the transport of the preforms in the first removal unit.

[0056] The inspection unit 252 is arranged such that it can inspect preforms between transport by the first removal unit and transport by the second removal unit. This can occur, for example, while the preforms are still arranged in the first inspection unit or during or immediately after they have been transferred to the second removal unit 232. An inspection unit 253 can be arranged such that it can inspect at least one area of ​​the preforms before they are transferred from the second removal unit 232 to the transport device 204. In particular, it is preferred if at least two inspection units (for example, the inspection unit 251 and the inspection unit 252) are provided, which can inspect different areas of the preforms.The first inspection unit 251 can, as already described, inspect, for example, the mouth region of a preform, whereas the second inspection unit 252 can, for example, inspect a side wall and / or a bottom region of the preform, in particular in the region of the gate of the preform.

[0057] It can be provided that the control unit 280 causes the preform to be ejected based on the inspection results of both inspection units or decides whether a preform is to be ejected or not based on only one of the inspection results. In this case, an averaged inspection result can also be taken into account by the control unit 280, which is determined, for example, from an average of the achieved parameter values ​​according to the inspection with the first inspection unit and the inspection with the second inspection unit.

[0058] In this embodiment, at least one of the removal units 231 and 232 may include a cooling device for cooling the preforms or at least a portion of the preforms in order to control their temperature. Such a cooling device may, but need not, be provided for both removal units 231 and 232.

[0059] In principle, the discharge of preforms 130 to the receiver 261 can take place either before the preforms are transferred to the transport device 204 or after the preforms are transferred to the transport device 204. As already described, it can be provided, in particular, that the removal device and / or the removal units are designed to selectively pick up and release preforms. Thus, the control unit 280 can selectively control the transfer of preforms to the transport device 204, for example by reducing the vacuum or releasing preform grippers, in order to transfer preforms whose inspection result indicates sufficient quality to the transport device 204 so that they can be fed to the blow molding machine 202. Preforms that do not meet the required quality based on their inspection result can then be fed to the receiver 261 either before or after.

[0060] Fig. 3 shows a further embodiment of a removal device 303. In this embodiment, the removal device is configured as two removal units 331 and 332. In both the first removal unit 331 and the second removal unit 332, preforms can be arranged in a regular pattern 472 or 471 (in particular a rectangular pattern in the form of a matrix with a number of rows and columns for receiving preforms 381). In the embodiment shown here, the first removal unit 331 is configured to receive the preforms 381 from the production machine in such a way that their mouth region can be preferably optically inspected by an inspection unit 351. The first removal unit 331 can therefore be arranged immediately downstream of the production machine (not shown here) and remove the preforms directly from the production machine.The second removal unit 332 is then designed correspondingly so that it removes the preforms 381 from the first removal unit 331 with its mouth region in such a way that a region of the preforms 381 different from the mouth region (as already described) in the second removal unit 332 can be inspected by the second inspection unit 352.

[0061] The first inspection unit 351 and the second inspection unit 352 can be identical to each other in this embodiment and in all other described embodiments, so that they do not have to be two physically separate inspection units. It must only be ensured that in such embodiments, the inspection of the preforms 381 is possible in different areas (which may, but do not have to, be completely different from each other).

[0062] Fig. 3 further shows that the second removal unit 332 can preferably transfer the preforms 381 to the transport device 304. This can be done, for example, in such a way that all the preforms from the second removal unit 332 are fed to an alignment area which is formed, for example, by two rail elements or transport elements 341 and 342 running at an angle to one another, which are designed such that preforms received by the second removal unit 382 (for example, falling preforms) are aligned during transport in the direction of the arrow shown so that they are all transported hanging between the elements 341 and 342. The elements 341 and 342 can be directly part of the transport device 304 or can be arranged upstream of the transport device and preferably enable single-row transport orto enable a single-row transfer of the preforms to the transport devices so that they can be fed to the blow molding machine in an orderly manner.

Claims

Claims 1. Container treatment plant for producing containers from preforms, the container treatment plant comprising a production machine for producing preforms, in particular an injection molding machine, a blow molding machine for producing containers from the preforms, a transport device for transporting preforms to the blow molding machine, a removal device for removing the preforms from the production machine and for feeding the preforms to the transport device and an inspection device for inspecting preforms in the removal device.

2. Container treatment plant according to claim 1, wherein the inspection device comprises a first inspection unit for inspecting a first region of the preform and a second inspection unit for inspecting a second region of the preform.

3. Container treatment plant according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the removal device comprises a first removal unit for removing the preforms from the manufacturing machine and a second removal unit for receiving the preforms from the first removal unit and for feeding the preforms to the transport device.

4. Container treatment plant according to claim 3, wherein the first removal unit and / or the second removal unit can receive preforms in a regular arrangement.

5. Container treatment plant according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the first removal unit and / or the second removal unit comprises a cooling device for cooling at least a part of a preform.

6. Container treatment plant according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the container treatment plant comprises a control unit which is designed to control the removal device for selectively ejecting a preform based on an inspection result determined by the inspection device.

7. Container treatment plant according to claim 6, wherein the control unit is designed to control the removal device such that, based on the inspection result, a the first number of preforms can be transferred to the transport device and then a second number of preforms is discharged or the second number of preforms is discharged and then the first number of preforms can be transferred to the transport device.

8. Container treatment plant according to one of claims 6 or 7, wherein the container treatment plant comprises a receptacle to which discharged preforms can be fed.

9. Container treatment plant according to one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the container treatment plant comprises a recycling device in which discharged preforms are processed into preform starting material and from which the preform starting material can be fed to the manufacturing machine for producing preforms.

10. A method for producing containers from preforms using a container treatment plant according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the method comprises producing preforms and subsequently taking the preforms from the production machine and feeding at least a portion of the preforms to the transport device, wherein the preforms are inspected by the inspection device while the preforms are in the removal device.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the container treatment plant comprises a control unit which, based on an inspection result determined by the inspection device, controls the removal device for selectively ejecting a preform.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the control unit controls the removal device such that, based on the inspection result, a first number of preforms is transferred to the transport device and then a second number of preforms is discharged, or the second number of preforms is discharged and then the first number of preforms is transferred to the transport device.

13. Method according to one of claims 11 or 12, wherein discharged preforms are fed to a receiver.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the container treatment plant comprises a recycling device in which discharged preforms are processed into preform starting material and from which preform starting material is fed to the manufacturing machine for producing preforms.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein an amount of preform starting material supplied to the utilization device of the manufacturing machine is controlled by the control unit depending on a predetermined proportion of the preform starting material and / or depending on an availability of pure preform starting material.

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