Apparatus

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus for producing container products made of plastic material, which can be produced by means of a mould device (1) which has individual mould parts (7) which, moved in pairs towards and away from one another one after the other along a moulding section (24) mould the respective container product, wherein the mould parts (7) of each pair are movably guided along two spatially separate guide paths (22), characterised in that each guide path (22) has at least three different path sections (26, 28, 30) which each run in a straight line over a predefinable length such that a plurality of mould parts (7) of a path section (26, 28, 30) are arranged running one after the other in a common plane (E1, E2, E3) and / or every guide path (22) with all its path sections (26, 28, 30) forms a movement chain (36) in the manner of a closed loop with a total of eighteen mould parts (7) as chain links (32) which are articulatedly (34) interconnected.

Description

[0001] device

[0002] The invention relates to a device for producing container products made of plastic material, which can be produced by means of a molding device having individual molded parts which, in pairs, are moved towards and away from each other in a successive arrangement along a molding path to form the respective container product, wherein the molded parts of each pair are each guided movably along two spatially separated guideways.

[0003] DE 10 2014 001 446 A1 discloses a generic device for producing at least one container product made of plastic material, which is formed by means of a molding device, provided with a predeterminable container content by means of a filling device, and closed by means of a closing device. The respective finished container product is fed to a post-treatment zone in which a temperature-influencing effect is exerted on the respective container product and / or the respective container content. The molding device has individual mold parts which, in pairs, are moved toward and away from each other in a sequential arrangement along a molding zone or molding section, forming the respective container product. The mold parts of each pair are guided in a synchronous, rotating manner along two spatially separated guideways.Each guideway, which forms a kind of movement chain as a chain drive, has a total of fifteen mold parts. Along the molding line, three mold parts of each guideway, arranged one after the other along a straight, vertically running track section, form the production area for the container products to be molded. While one section of the guideway runs straight along the actual molding line, the outer sections of each guideway are essentially curved or curved.

[0004] WO 2023 / 0391236 A1 (Figure 2A) discloses a comparable device for producing container products from plastic material. Here, each of the two guide tracks has a total of fourteen molded parts, and the actual molding section is formed from two pairs of opposing molded parts arranged one behind the other along a rectilinear track section, enabling exclusively container forming. On the opposite side of the molding section of each guide track, a rectilinear track section is realized, along which several molded parts, in particular three molded parts, are arranged one behind the other in a common plane parallel to the plane of the molding section. Otherwise, the respective chain track is moved via two deflection rollers in this area along a circular path, circulating and synchronously with the other chain track.

[0005] Based on this prior art, the invention is based on the object of forming individual container products with a high output rate while retaining the advantages of the known solutions, and of further improving them, in particular by minimizing smooth running and the associated wear. This object is achieved by a device having the features of patent claim 1 in its entirety.

[0006] Because, according to the characterizing part of patent claim 1, each guide track has at least three mutually different track sections, each of which runs in a straight line over a predeterminable length such that several molded parts of a track section are arranged one behind the other in a common plane, this allows, on the one hand, a homogeneously balanced load distribution for each guide track with its rotating molded parts to be achieved, and, on the other hand, several molded parts of a straight track section in a consecutive arrangement support each other. As a result, even with the same rotation or chain speed for each guide track, as demonstrated in the prior art, increased smoothness of operation and reduced wear on essential components of the device, such as molded parts and molded part holders, are achieved.Each straight track section of a guideway, after passing through a deflection, is continuously supported by a preceding and / or subsequent straight track section, which enables the even distribution of load within each guideway.

[0007] The object of the invention is also achieved in its entirety with a device having the features of patent claim 2. Starting from the same generic prior art, it is further provided, essential to the invention, that each guide track, with all its track sections, forms a self-contained movement chain with a total of eighteen molded parts as chain links that are articulated to one another. Despite the large number of eighteen molded parts per guide track and the associated higher mold weight per guide track or per chain drive, a homogeneously balanced load distribution for the rotating molded parts of each guide track is achieved, with six molded parts in the form of half-molds being distributed particularly advantageously on each side along the assigned guide track.Nevertheless, the mutual stiffening of the molded parts along each track section predominates, resulting in a more homogeneous chain movement. Due to the eighteen molds or molded parts, which are paired together and rotate synchronously, the device achieves an increased output rate of container products, even when the device is operated at the same rotation or chain speed as prior art solutions with fifteen or fourteen molded parts per guide track.

[0008] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, at least four molded parts of each guide track are guided in succession along the molding section along a rectilinear track section. A particularly stiffened overall arrangement for the device is achieved if the individual rectilinear track sections of each guide track, in a notional extension, form a right-angled triangle, which is preferably isosceles, thus creating a balanced force triangle.

[0009] In a further preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, the straight track sections of each guide track merge at the end into a curved track section, the curvature of which is selected such that the straightness of the preceding track sections is maintained for as long as possible. Preferably, it is further provided that the curved track sections have a flat curvature that is flatter than the curvature of a fictitious circle of curvature inscribed in each end of the fictitious triangle with the straight track sections. In particular, the curved track sections have a smaller radius of curvature than the circumcircle of the triangle formed by the three ends of the straight track sections.A particular advantage is that the respective guideway, in the area of ​​its deflection with the curved track sections, is supported by support devices following the contour of the respective curve, at least one of which serves as a tensioning device for a drive, in particular a chain drive, with the movably hinged molded parts, which follows the associated guideway. This results in a largely smooth and low-wear circulation for the respective chain drive with the molded parts along the triangularly predefined circulation.

[0010] In a further preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, a portion of the linear track section of the respective guideway, which encompasses the molding section, where the adjacent molded parts come into end-to-end contact with each other in pairs, is guided, in particular supported, on its side facing away from the molding section by a single-piece rail that runs linearly in its central region. Thanks to the continuous rail path, a seamless guide is achieved in the area of ​​the molding section, enabling unobstructed operation.

[0011] In a further preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, the number of molded parts for each guide track is selected such that the distance between adjacently manufactured container products is minimized such that an intermediate connecting web is as small as possible, preferably having a width of less than 0.7 cm when viewed in the direction of the travel path of the container products. For standard ampoules as container products, in particular for holding eye drops, inhalation and injection preparations, with a largely standardized typical height with a difference between different ampoule types of only a few mm, the width of the connecting webs, which are regularly part of a card waste from which the ampoules can be removed, in particular punched out, can thus be minimized.For this purpose, it is advantageous if, in order to reduce the amount of waste, as is now possible according to the invention, the respective connecting web can be formed with a width of less than 0.7 cm, for which the large number of mold parts of eighteen mold parts per guideway proves to be particularly suitable.

[0012] In a further preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, a mold positioning element is arranged between the guideways before the beginning of the molding section on the mold inlet side, particularly to further reduce wear. The mold positioning element arranged between the two guideways on the inlet side allows for precise alignment or positioning of the molds within the molding zone as the pairs of molded parts are moved toward and away from each other.

[0013] In a further preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, in particular to further reduce wear and increase production reliability, a spreading element is arranged between the guideways at the end of the molding section on the mold outlet side. This spreading element ensures reliable opening of pairs of molded parts or half-molds as soon as they have left the molding section in the form of the molding zone on the outlet side. This also allows for safe operation.

[0014] In a further particularly preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, it is provided that due to the equalization of the individual track sections along the straight and curved paths with an equal number of molded parts in each case, a uniform and low-wear chain movement results, with a largely balanced chain path, which cannot usually be achieved with an odd number of molded parts per guide track, and preferably only with eighteen molded parts per guide track as an even number.

[0015] In the following, the device according to the invention is explained in more detail using an exemplary embodiment.

[0016] Figure 1 in frontal view a solution in the state of the art

[0017] (DE 10 2014 001 446 A1 );

[0018] Figure 2 is a view corresponding to Figure 1, now for explaining the device according to the invention;

[0019] Figure 3 parts of the device according to Figure 2 in the form of two closed chains with molded part holders along guideways;

[0020] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a mold positioning element arranged on the mold inlet side according to Figure 2; and

[0021] Figure 5 is a perspective view of an expansion element which is inserted on the mold outlet side in the device according to Figure 2.

[0022] Figure 1 shows a possible embodiment of a known device as part of a non-synchronized rotational molding machine (not shown), in which the actual molding device 1 interacts with a demolding device 3, which supports the demolding process of the containers or container products formed in the molding device 1, such as ampoules. The molding device 1 is a device for carrying out a blow molding process, in particular as part of a known blow molding, filling and closing process (BFS process), which has become known under the trademark of the patent holder as the bottel-pack® system, in the present case in an embodiment in which different molding stages are carried out at different stations, in particular three stations, along a vertical production line 5.In a type of carousel or paternoster arrangement, individual mold parts 7 or mold halves, only a few of which are numbered in Figure 1, are moved toward each other in pairs along closed guide tracks 8 to form a closed manufacturing mold for the respective container product, and are then moved apart again to open the mold. In addition to the molding process, the respective container product is also filled with a fluid and then sealed in a sterile manner. These manufacturing steps are standard within a BFS process, so they will not be discussed in more detail here.

[0023] As can also be seen from Figure 1, a container chain 9 formed by means of the molding device 1 exits the demolding device 3 along the production line 5 at an exit point designated 2 on the mold outlet side. As is usual, the container chain 9 has a broad shape, with a plurality of individual container products, in this case of an ampoule-like shape, lying side by side in the container chain 9. For example, the container chain 9 can have eight adjacent container products, such as ampoules, and in order to assist the detachment of the container chain 9 with the container products from the mold walls of the individual molded parts 7, which move away from one another after the molding process, the demolding device 3 imparts a deflection movement to the container chain 9 in opposite directions, as indicated by a double arrow 13.The individual container rows within the container chain 9 are, as shown, arranged one above the other and are each surrounded by a card-like plastic material 15 which defines a connecting web 18 of a predetermined width between adjacent container rows, wherein, in order to obtain the actual container products, these are finally separated, in particular punched out, from the card-like plastic material 15 and the corresponding plastic material then remains in the usual way as card waste.

[0024] Below the demolding device 3, viewed downwards in the transport direction of the container chain 9, there is a post-treatment zone 20, which can exert a temperature-influencing effect on the respective container product or its contents. Further details can be found in DE 10 2014 001 446 A1.

[0025] The statements made so far regarding the prior art also apply to the device according to the invention shown in Figures 2 and 3, and the same reference numerals from the prior art are used for the same components of the device according to the invention. For the sake of simplicity, however, the molded parts 7 have been omitted from Figures 2 and 3, so that only molded part receptacles 10 are shown, on whose free end faces the molded parts 7 are correspondingly placed and fixed. In this respect, the following statements regarding molded parts 7 also apply to the directly attributable molded part receptacles 10.

[0026] The device according to the invention according to Figure 2 again has a molding device, designated as a whole by 1, which has individual mold parts 7 comparable to the solution according to Figure 1 , wherein for the sake of simplicity only mold part receptacles 10 are shown, which in technical terms are also referred to as mold receptacle shoes. In Figure 2, for the sake of simplicity, not all mold part receptacles are provided with the reference number 10, and a total of eighteen mold part receptacles 10 and thus also eighteen individual mold parts 7 can be moved along a guide track 22 (previously guide section 8). The individual mold parts 7 with their assignable mold part receptacles 10 can be moved towards and away from one another in pairs along the two guide tracks 22, so that the respective container product 10 can be formed in a series arrangement along a common central molding section 24 or forming zone.In this respect, as shown in the prior art according to Figure 1, the mold parts 7 or mold halves are closed to form a container shape along the production line 5, which is shown in a vertical orientation in Figure 2. In this respect, the production line 5 also divides the device into two essentially identically designed mold halves in a symmetrical manner.

[0027] As Figure 3 in particular shows, each guide track 22 similarly has three mutually different track sections 26, 28, 30, which each run in a straight line over a predeterminable length such that a plurality of molded parts 7 or molded part receptacles 10 of a respective track section 26, 28 or 30 are arranged one behind the other in a common plane E1, E2, E3. The molded part receptacles 10 each have a mold chain link 32 on the bottom side, which are each connected to one another in an articulated manner at the ends via articulation points 34. The individual mold chain links 32, which are each connected to one another adjacently via the associated articulation point 34, form as a whole a chain drive 36, with a closed mold chain with the individual molded parts 7, which follow the respective guide track 22 as shown in Figures 2 and 3.In this respect, the representations in Figures 2 and 3 are merely snapshots, and the chain drive 36 ensures that the respective mold chain of a guide track 22 continuously rotates during operation of the molding device, namely, as viewed in the direction of Figures 2 and 3, counterclockwise for the right-hand mold chain and clockwise for the opposite left-hand mold chain. Both chain drives 36 move synchronously and in such a way that opposing mold parts 7 are closed within the molding section 24 and form at least parts of a container shape.

[0028] As can be seen in particular from Figure 3, in the first track section 26, four individual mold chain links 32 abut one another in series, essentially along the common plane E1, and thus also the mold part receptacles 10 and the mold parts 7. In the second track section 28, at least three adjacent mold chain links 32 abut one another in series, along the common plane E2, and in the third track section 30, at least two adjacent mold chain links 32, each with the same structure, abut one another along the plane E3. The first track section 26 delimits one edge of the molding section 24 or molding zone. The corresponding track section structure, including the individual planes E1, E2 and E3, is implemented equally for the left-hand chain drive 36 as viewed in the direction of Figure 3.Since along the straight-line track sections 26, 28 and 30 in the respectively assigned planes E1, E2 and E3 the shaped chain links 32 abut one another flatly without deflection at the joint point 34, a solidly constructed movement chain is realized in sections which allows the transmission of large movement forces without play, so that despite the high number of shaped parts 7 used, a safe movement guide for the respective chain drive 26 along the assigned guide track 22 is achieved.

[0029] It is understood that at each beginning and each end of a track section 26, 28, 30, a molded part 7 is continuously exchanged with a molded part 7 following or preceding it in the series, whereby the overall straight length of the respective track section 26, 28, 30 is maintained. Overall, each guide track 22 with all of its straight track sections 26, 28, 30, including curved or bent track sections 38, which each adjoin a straight track section 26, 28, 30 at the end, forms a self-contained movement chain or mold chain that corresponds to the described chain drive 36. The individual straight track sections 26, 28, 30 of each guide track 22, viewed in a fictitious extension, span a right-angled or essentially right-angled triangle 40 which, as shown in the left half of Figure 3, is isosceles.In this way, a type of rectangular supporting structure is created for the chain drive 36 of each guide track 22 as a whole, and the straight legs of the triangle 40 form the stiffening with the supporting structure along the straight track sections 26, 28, 30 with their respective shaped parts 7 together with the substructure in the form of the respective shaped part holder 10 and the shaped chain link 32 arranged on the foot side.

[0030] As can be further seen from Figures 2 and 3, the straight track sections 26, 28, 30 of each guide track 22 each merge at their ends into the curved or curved track section 38, whose curved path or curvature is selected such that the straightness of the preceding track sections 26, 28, 30 is maintained for as long as possible in order to achieve a high degree of stiffening. In particular, the curved track sections 38 have a flat curvature that is flatter than the curvature of a fictitious circle of curvature inscribed at the ends of the fictitious triangle 40 with the straight track sections 26, 28, 30. Thus, the illustration according to Figure 2 shows for each guide track 22 two opposing guide or drive rollers 42, which guide or drive the respective chain drive 36.can drive and whose circular diameter in any case forms a greater curvature than the shaped parts 7 guided above them with a less curved path along the guide track 22. In particular, the curved path sections 38 have a smaller radius of curvature than the circumcircle of the triangle 40. The respective guide track 22 is supported in the region of its stationary deflection with the curved path sections by support devices 44 following the contour of the respective curvature, which are formed from the individual guide and drive rollers 42 and from a segment-shaped tensioning device 46 for a drive, here in the form of the chain drive 36 with the movably hinged shaped parts 7, which follow the respectively assignable guide track 22.The clamping segment 46 is tensioned by a lever 47 connected to it, which is pivotally mounted at a lower point of a machine frame 60 at a pivot point 49 in the form of a pivot axis and receives its preload from an energy storage device in the form of a tension spring 51 designed as a compression spring. The corresponding tensioning drive is constructed identically for both chain drives 36.

[0031] The linear track section 26 of the respective guide track 22, which encompasses the molding section 24, in which the adjacent molded parts 7 engage in frontal molding contact with one another in pairs, is guided on its side facing away from the molding section 24 for the containers by a one-piece rail 48, which runs linearly in its central region, and is supported, in particular, during the molding process. The rail 48 shown on the left in the direction of view in Figure 2—in contrast to the stationary right-hand rail 48—can be moved back and forth in the direction of the molding section 24 by means of individual hydraulic cylinders 50, thus determining the contact pressure of the molded parts 7 against the intermediate plastic tube (not shown).

[0032] The number of molded parts 7 for each guide track 22 is selected to be so large that, within the molding section 24, the distance between adjacently manufactured container products is minimized in such a way that an intermediate connecting web 18 (Figure 1) is also minimized in size, preferably having a width of less than 0.7 cm in the direction of the travel path of the container products from top to bottom, in order to minimize any card waste when punching out the container products.

[0033] The device shown in Figure 2 has a mold positioning element 54 between the guideways 22 before the beginning of the molding section 24 and thus on the mold inlet side, as shown in more detail in Figure 4. This mold positioning element 54 ensures precise alignment or positioning of the molded parts 7 in the transition area from the curved path section 38 to the rectilinear adjacent path section 26, which also delimits the molding section 24. The mold positioning element 54 shown in Figure 4 has a support plate 56, which has a screw fastening 58 with four individual screw bolts on the rear, via which the support plate 56 and thus the mold positioning element 54 can be secured to the machine frame 60 of the device.Furthermore, a receptacle 59 for a transverse bolt 64 is attached to the front side of the carrier plate 56, which is held at least on one side by a retaining ring 61 and which has two guide or support rollers 63 at its two end regions, which come into supporting contact with the rear region of the adjacent mold parts 7 within the molding section 24.

[0034] A so-called spreading element 62 is arranged between the guide tracks 22 at the end of the forming section 24 and thus on the mold outlet side, as can be seen in more detail in the illustration in Figure 5. Thanks to the spreading element 62, a reliable opening of the two half-molds or molded parts 7 is ensured, which rest with their free end faces against the plastic hose (not shown) in the region of the forming section 24 for the purpose of forming the container, wherein a negative pressure is applied at least partially in the molded parts 7 in order to enable the respective container product to be formed during vacuum forming. If such a vacuum pressure cannot be completely dissipated in an overall mold or if the molded parts 7 stick to the plastic, the spreading element 62 is particularly suitable for ensuring the opening of the half-molds 7.For this purpose, the spreading element 62 has two upwardly projecting spreading brackets 65 which project like tongs towards the exit of the molding section 24 and which define a gap 66 between them through which an energy storage device, in particular in the form of a compression spring 68, passes. The spreading element 62 is in turn connected as a whole to the machine frame 60 of the device by means of a base-side coupling point 70, and furthermore, the two spreading brackets 65 are received approximately centrally in a common connection point 77 in such a way that slight movements of the two spreading brackets 65 towards or away from each other are possible under the action of the compression spring 68 and the respective chain drive 36, in order to thus gently enable the molded parts 7 of the individual molded part pairs (Figure 1) to be spread apart from one another. This has no equivalent in the prior art.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Apparatus for producing container products from plastic material, which can be produced by means of a molding device (1) which has individual molded parts (7) which, when moved in pairs towards and away from each other in a series arrangement along a molding path (24), form the respective container product, wherein the molded parts (7) of each pair are each movably guided along two spatially separated guide tracks (22), characterized in that each guide track (22) has at least three mutually different track sections (22, 28, 30), which each run in a straight line over a predeterminable length in such a way that a plurality of molded parts (7) of a track section (26, 28, 30) are arranged one behind the other in a common plane (E1, E2, E3).

2. Device for producing container products from plastic material, which can be produced by means of a molding device (1) which has individual molded parts (7) which, in pairs, are moved towards and away from one another in a series arrangement along a molding path (24), form the respective container product, the molded parts (7) of each pair being guided such that they can move along two spatially separated guide tracks (22), characterized in that each guide track (22) with all its track sections (26, 28, 30) forms a closed movement chain (36) with a total of eighteen molded parts (7) as chain links (32) which are connected to one another in an articulated manner (34).

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that along a straight path section (26) of the Forming section (24), at least four, preferably five molded parts (7) of each guide track (22) are guided in succession.

4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the individual straight track sections (26, 28, 30) of each guide track (22) form a fictitious extension of a right-angled triangle (40), which is preferably isosceles.

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the straight track sections (26, 28, 30) of each guide track (22) merge at the end into a curved track section (38), the curvature of which is selected such that the straightness of the respective preceding track sections (26, 28, 30)3 is maintained for as long as possible.

6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the curved track sections (38) have a radius of curvature which is smaller than the radius of a fictitious circumcircle which is inscribed in each case in the ends of the fictitious triangle (40) with the straight track sections (26, 28, 30).

7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the respective guide track (22) is supported in the region of its deflection with the curved track sections for the chain drive (36) by support devices (44) following the contour of the respective curvature, at least one of which serves as a tensioning device (46) for a drive, in particular a chain drive (36), with the movably articulated molded parts (7), which follows the assignable guide track (22).

8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rectilinear track section (26) of the respective guide track (22), which comprises the molding section (24), in which the adjacent mold parts (7) come into end-to-end contact with one another in pairs, is guided, in particular supported, on its side facing away from the molding section (24) by a one-piece and at least partially rectilinear rail (48).

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the number of mold parts (7) for each guide track (22) is selected to be so large that, within the molding section (24), the distance between adjacently manufactured container products is minimized in such a way that an intermediate connecting web (18) is likewise minimized in size, preferably having a width of less than 0.7 cm as seen in the direction of the travel path of the container products.

10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a mold positioning element (54) is arranged between the guide tracks (22) before the beginning of the molding section (24) on the mold inlet side.

11. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a spreading element (62) is arranged between the guide tracks (22) at the end of the molding section (24) on the mold outlet side.

12. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the number of shaped parts (7) for each guide track (22) is even, preferably for each straight track section (26, 28, 30) of the guide track (22) and in the region of the curved sections (38) in each case the same or substantially is the same, and that particularly preferably eighteen molded parts (7) are used per guideway (22).

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