Cutting device for circular cutting of a sealing film and method for circular cutting of a sealing film
Patent Information
- Application Number
- PCT/EP2025/055978
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2024-03-07
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-05
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-02
AI Technical Summary
Existing cutting devices for sealing films are laborious and error-prone when trimming a sealing film into a circular shape for circular trays, as they are designed for straight cuts and manual trimming is difficult due to the film's tendency to tear and require precise positioning.
A cutting device with an upper and lower part that clamps the sealing film between contacting sections, allowing a circular cutter to move along a groove for clean cuts, ensuring tension and secure holding during the trimming process.
Facilitates easy and precise circular trimming of sealing films on trays with reduced risk of tearing or detachment, ensuring a clean cut and minimizing blade wear.
Smart Images
Figure EP2025055978_02102025_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Cutting device for circular trimming of a sealing film and method for circular trimming of a sealing film
[0002] Description
[0003] The invention relates to a cutting device for circularly trimming a sealing film. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for circularly trimming a sealing film using the cutting device.
[0004] Sealing trays for packaging food that can be sealed with a sealing film or that are sealed with a sealing film are known from the prior art. Sealing trays can be sealed hermetically and leak-proof with the sealing film, for example, by pressing the sealing film onto the edges of the sealing tray under pressure and / or heat to create a bond between the sealing tray and the sealing film.
[0005] Sealed trays are trays that can be connected, in particular welded, to a sealing film at the top, for example using a sealing device, and thus sealed with the sealing film. This type of packaging is predominantly used for food in retail, wholesale, or industrial applications. In the catering industry, sealed trays are used to package ready-to-eat takeaway meals, for example, as food packaging for schools, kindergartens, or meals on wheels, as well as in snack bars for takeaway fast food. Sealing trays with a sealing film is a reliable and practical packaging solution that offers numerous advantages. The most important of these are that the sealing film insulates the products from the environment, keeps them fresher for longer, and extends their shelf life.The food or prepared meals are packaged in a leak-proof manner and are clearly presented to customers through the usually transparent sealing film. This allows consumers to immediately see what's in the container or whether the packaging is damaged.
[0006] Sealing trays can be made from predominantly recyclable materials, making them both sustainable and environmentally friendly. Sealing trays can be made from plastic, cardboard, bagasse, or palm leaf, for example. However, other materials are also conceivable.
[0007] Typically, the sealing film is in the form of a continuous strip or a rectangular section of sealing film. Especially for circular trays, it is considered advantageous for aesthetic reasons and to prevent the sealing film from accidentally detaching from the tray if the edge of the sealing film that protrudes outward from the tray is trimmed to match the circular shape of the tray. While hand-held sealing devices typically have a cutting device for trimming the sealing film, these cutting devices are generally designed for a straight cut and, in particular, only one-sided trimming of the sealing film.Manually trimming the sealing film into a circular shape is laborious and error-prone, as the film can tear during trimming. The film overhangs freely beyond the sealing edge of the tray and is therefore not taut, making trimming difficult and time-consuming. Furthermore, it is difficult to follow the shape of the circular sealing edge of a circular sealing tray when trimming. While it is generally possible to trim the sealing film into a circular shape before application and / or to use a circular sealing film, this poses the problem of precisely positioning the circular sealing film on the circular sealing tray before the sealing process to achieve the desired result.
[0008] Against this background, the object of the present invention is to simplify the circular trimming of a sealing film while the sealing film is sealed onto a tray. This object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent patent claims. The dependent claims each constitute advantageous developments.
[0009] The cutting device according to the invention serves for the circular trimming of a sealing film of a sealing tray closed with the sealing film, wherein the cutting device comprises:
[0010] - an upper part, wherein the upper part has a bearing body, wherein a circular cutter is mounted in the bearing body, wherein the circular cutter has a cutting edge for cutting the sealing film, wherein the cutting edge is movable along a circular path relative to the bearing body for circularly trimming an edge region of the sealing film protruding outwards relative to the sealing shell, wherein the bearing body has a first contacting section, wherein the first contacting section is designed to contact a front side of the sealing film facing away from the sealing shell in the protruding edge region of the sealing film,
[0011] - a lower part, wherein the lower part has a receptacle for arranging and storing the closed sealing shell, wherein the lower part has a second contacting section which surrounds the receptacle and is designed to contact a rear side of the sealing film facing the sealing shell in the protruding edge region, wherein the second contacting section has a circular groove, wherein the course of the groove is adapted to the circular path of the cutting edge, wherein the circular groove surrounds the receptacle all the way around, wherein the upper part can be coupled to the lower part to form a cutting arrangement such that in the cutting arrangement, when the sealing shell is arranged in the receptacle and is closed with a sealing film, the protruding edge region of the sealing film is held clamped between the first contacting section and the second contacting section,the cutting edge is immersed or can be immersed in the groove while passing through the sealing film and the circular path runs along the groove.
[0012] The inventive design facilitates the circular trimming of the sealing film while it is sealed onto the sealing shell. To trim the sealing film, the sealing shell with the sealed-on sealing film is inserted into the lower part, with the protruding edge area of the sealing film resting on the second contact section. Subsequently, the upper part is placed on the lower part and thus coupled to the lower part, so that the protruding edge area is clamped between the first contact section and the second contact section.This ensures that the sealing film is securely held in the cutting device, ensuring sufficient tension in the sealing film, especially at the edge to be trimmed, so that the blade can cut through the sealing film without the risk of the sealing film being pushed open during the cutting process and thus not being cut cleanly. Furthermore, the clamping of the sealing film between the first contact section and the second contact section prevents the sealing film from detaching from the sealing tray during the cutting process.
[0013] It is considered particularly advantageous if the groove in the cutting arrangement is formed between the first contacting section and a sealing edge of the sealing shell. The sealing film is connected to the sealing shell in the region of the sealing edge, so that the sealing film is held in position by this sealing edge. Since the sealing shell as such is arranged in the receptacle of the lower part, the sealing shell is fixed in position in the lower part, so that slipping of the sealing shell during the cutting process is prevented. In addition, the sealing shell is additionally held in position by clamping the sealing film connected to the sealing shell between the first contacting section and the second contacting section.
[0014] The blade's immersion in the groove ensures a clean cut through the sealing film during the cutting process with minimal force, as the blade only comes into contact with the sealing film during its movement. This also has a beneficial effect on blade wear.
[0015] The receptacle can be designed, for example, as a recess, in particular as a circular recess.
[0016] It is considered particularly advantageous if the receptacle is adapted to the sealing shell in such a way that the receptacle receives the sealing shell in a form-fitting manner.
[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the receptacle is designed as a through-opening, in particular as a through-opening with a circular cross-section.
[0018] It is entirely conceivable for the first contacting section and / or the second contacting section to have an anti-slip coating, for example in the form of a rubber coating, on a surface contacting the sealing film in order to prevent the sealing film from slipping. It is also conceivable for the first contacting section and / or the second contacting section to have additional anti-slip elements, for example in the form of retaining lips made of an elastically deformable material. For example, such an element can be designed as an elastically deformable ring that is inserted into a retaining groove provided in the first contacting section and / or the second contacting section. The deformable ring can be an O-ring, for example.It is considered particularly advantageous if the receptacle is adapted to the sealing shell in such a way that the receptacle has a circumferential supporting edge, wherein the sealing shell has a sealing edge, wherein the sealing edge has a sealing surface on its front side, onto which the sealing film is sealed, wherein the sealing edge has a flange section protruding radially outward relative to the rest of the sealing shell, wherein the supporting edge is designed to support the flange section on its rear side opposite the front side. This prevents deformation of the sealing edge during the trimming process using the circular cutter, thereby reducing the risk of damage to the seal between the sealing film and the sealing edge.
[0019] In an advantageous further development, it is provided that the lower part has a bearing structure and the bearing body has a counter-structure complementary to the bearing structure for securing the bearing of the upper part to the lower part against displacement and / or twisting.
[0020] The bearing structure and the counterstructure can, for example, be bearing pins and corresponding bearing pin receptacles. However, it is also entirely conceivable that the bearing structure and the counterstructure are provided by appropriate contouring of the facing surface sections of the upper and lower parts. It is also entirely conceivable that positioning aids, for example in the form of beveled surfaces and / or guide pins, are provided to facilitate precise positioning of the upper part relative to the lower part. For example, a bearing contour and a countercontour can be designed as self-centering surface contours.
[0021] Preferably, the upper and lower parts are designed such that there is a certain amount of play in the cutting arrangement, with the play being adapted to the thickness and / or thickness range of the sealing foils to be cut. This allows the lower part to be placed and coupled to the upper part, and the upper part to be subsequently released from the lower part, with minimal effort, even when the sealing foil is arranged between the lower and upper parts.
[0022] Preferably, the radial clearance between the upper part and the lower part in the cutting arrangement, without a sealing film arranged between them, is at least 2 to 5 times the thickness of the sealing film to be trimmed. The radial clearance is preferably at least 0.5 mm, in particular at least 1 mm.
[0023] Preferably, the radial clearance is smaller than the groove width. This prevents contact of the cutting edge with the walls surrounding the groove.
[0024] In a particularly preferred embodiment, it is provided that the circular cutter has a shaft, wherein the shaft is rotatably mounted in the bearing body, wherein a crossbar is connected to the shaft, wherein the cutting edge is mounted in the crossbar.
[0025] Such a design makes it easy to achieve a circular movement of the cutting edge along a circular path.
[0026] It is considered particularly advantageous if the cutting edge is designed as a replaceable cutting edge so that it can be replaced when the cutting edge becomes worn.
[0027] The cutting edge can be a blade, for example.
[0028] It is considered particularly advantageous if the shaft passes through a cover section of the bearing body, wherein a bearing bush is introduced into the cover section, wherein the shaft is guided in the bearing bush.
[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the shaft is manually driven via a crank connected to the shaft. This design has the advantage that the cutting device according to the invention can be manufactured with little effort and thus cost-effectively. A manually driven crank also has the advantage that the cutting device is particularly easy to operate. Furthermore, a crank has the advantage of enabling a fast yet well-controlled circular movement of the cutting edge along the circular path, which has a beneficial effect on the cutting result and thus on the trimmed edge area of the sealing film.
[0030] However, it is also entirely conceivable for the circular cutter to have an electric drive unit, with the drive unit being operatively connected to the shaft to drive the shaft. This type of design is particularly advantageous when a large number of trays with sealed foil are to be trimmed with the cutting device in a short period of time.
[0031] It is considered particularly advantageous if the first contacting section has a circumferential stop surface for the crossbar on an upper side facing away from the lower part, in order to limit the depth of penetration of the cutting edge into the groove
[0032] Such a design prevents the cutting edge from being immersed too deeply into the groove and thus from coming into contact with the lower part, which could lead to damage to the cutting edge and / or rapid wear of the cutting edge.
[0033] The groove preferably has a groove width that is at least 5 times, in particular at least 10 times, preferably at least 20 times, the thickness of the sealing film. In particular, the groove width is at least 1 mm, in particular at least 2 mm, and particularly preferably from 1 mm to 5 mm.
[0034] It is considered particularly advantageous if the shaft is mounted in the bearing body so as to be displaceable between a starting position and a cutting position along an axial direction which is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the shaft, wherein the cutting edge is spaced apart from a cutting plane defined by the first contacting section in the starting position and penetrates the cutting plane defined by the first contacting section in the cutting position.
[0035] Such a design is considered advantageous with regard to the risk of injury and accidental contact of the cutting edge with other objects. With such a design, the upper part can, for example, be safely placed on a table without the risk of the cutting edge coming into contact with the table surface and being damaged, or damaging the table surface, since in the starting position of the cutting edge, the cutting edge is set back from the cutting plane. When the upper part is placed on the table surface, the first contact section contacts the table plane so that the cutting plane corresponds to the table plane. In the starting position, the cutting edge is then spaced from the cutting plane and thus from the table surface.
[0036] In this context, it is considered particularly advantageous if the upper part has a spring element, wherein the cutting device is supported on the bearing body in the axial direction via the spring element, such that a displacement from the starting position into the cutting position takes place against the spring force of the spring element.
[0037] With such a design, the cutting edge is held in its starting position in a state in which no axial force is exerted on the shaft. To cut or to transfer the cutting edge into the cutting position, it is therefore necessary to actively exert a force on the cutting device, thus ensuring high operational reliability of the cutting device. In particular, such a design also has the advantage that when the upper part is positioned on the lower part for the purpose of forming the cutting arrangement, the sealing film cannot be accidentally protruded by the cutting edge, since the cutting edge is set back from the cutting plane in the starting position. The spring element is preferably a mechanical spring, in particular made of a metallic material. In principle, however, it is also conceivable for the spring to be made of plastic.
[0038] The spring element is, in particular, a helical spring. The helical spring is preferably arranged such that the shaft extends through the helical spring. The helical spring can, for example, be arranged between a crank and a cover section of the upper part, such that the crank is supported on the upper side of the cover section via the helical spring.
[0039] The spring element is in particular a disc spring, a disc spring package or a wave spring.
[0040] It is considered particularly advantageous if the first contacting section is designed such that the first contacting section contacts the front side of the protruding edge region in a region which is offset radially outwardly from the groove.
[0041] This ensures that the sealing film is held in position particularly well, as the sealing film is held in position radially inward to the groove by the tray, so that the protruding edge area of the sealing film is held in both an area radially outer to the groove and an area radially inner to the groove, thus ensuring a particularly good cutting result when carrying out the cutting process.
[0042] In order to ensure particularly good tension retention of the protruding edge region of the sealing film, it is considered advantageous if the first contacting section contacts the front side all the way around and / or the second contacting section contacts the back side all the way around. In this context, it is also considered advantageous if the first contacting section has a circular inner edge, with the inner edge running concentrically with the circular path.
[0043] In order to ensure high operational reliability of the cutting device, in particular to avoid interference with the circular path described by the cutting edge, it is considered advantageous if the bearing body is designed in the shape of a hood with an interior space enclosed by the bearing body, the interior space being open on a lower side facing the lower part.
[0044] This ensures that after the cutting arrangement has been formed, the cutting path of the cutting edge cannot be interfered with from the outside.
[0045] It is considered appropriate for the bearing body to have a viewing window made of a transparent material on its upper side facing away from the lower part. This allows for a visual inspection of the cutting assembly to verify the correct fit of the upper part on the lower part and / or to check the insertion of the cutting edge into the groove and / or to check the cutting result after trimming.
[0046] In particular, with such a design, it is conceivable for the bearing body to have a bearing frame, wherein the bearing frame has the first contacting section, wherein the bearing frame circumferentially encloses the interior, and wherein the interior is closed on an upper side opposite the underside by a cover connected to the bearing frame, wherein the cover is transparent or has one or more transparent regions. The transparent cover enables the user of the cutting device to check the cutting result and also to check whether the components, namely the lower part, upper part, and shell, are correctly arranged relative to one another in order to carry out the cutting process correctly.
[0047] It is considered advantageous if the circular cutter has at least one further cutting edge which is movable along the circular path and offset from the one cutting edge along the circular path, preferably a movement of the one cutting edge and the at least one further cutting edge are coupled to one another. For example, it is conceivable for several cross beams to be connected to the shaft, with a cutting edge being accommodated in each cross beam. Such a design makes it easier to carry out the cutting process since, for example, a complete rotation is not necessary to cut the sealing film in a circle. Furthermore, such an arrangement is also considered advantageous with regard to avoiding tilting moments. Furthermore, such a design has the advantage that the individual cutting edges wear less, so that the number of cutting processes before the cutting edges need to be replaced can be increased.
[0048] The inventive method for circularly trimming a sealing film of a sealing tray sealed with the sealing film is carried out using the cutting device described above. Accordingly, the statements regarding the advantages of the cutting device and its further developments apply to the method, and vice versa. The method comprises the following steps:
[0049] - forming the cutting arrangement, wherein the sealing shell closed with the sealing film is arranged in the receptacle, wherein an edge region of the sealing film projecting outwards relative to the sealing shell is held clamped between the first contacting section and the second contacting section, wherein the groove and the cutting edge are arranged such that the cutting edge is immersed in the groove while penetrating the sealing film,
[0050] Moving the cutting edge along the circular path to cut the sealing film in a circle.
[0051] It is quite conceivable that the lower part, in addition to its function as a lower part for circular trimming of the sealing film, could also be used as a sealing frame during the process of sealing the sealing film onto the sealing tray. In this respect, it is considered particularly advantageous if the process additionally includes the following process step prior to the cutting process:
[0052] - Sealing a sealing film onto the sealing tray to produce the closed sealing tray, wherein the sealing tray is arranged in a sealing frame during sealing, wherein the sealing frame forms or has the lower part.
[0053] This gives the lower part an advantageous dual function: firstly, it acts as a sealing frame for supporting the sealing tray during a sealing process, particularly when sealing using a manually operated sealing device. Secondly, one and the same lower part also serves as the lower part for the cutting device, which makes handling easier. For example, immediately after the sealing film has been sealed, the sealing tray can remain in the lower part or the sealing frame, and in this state the upper part can be coupled to the lower part, for example the upper part can be placed on the lower part, and then the cutting process can be carried out. This enables a particularly efficient sealing and trimming process.
[0054] The sealing shell has a radial dimension of 40 mm to 250 mm, in particular of 80 mm to 250 mm. In particular, the sealing shell has a maximum diameter of less than or equal to 250 mm.
[0055] The sealing film preferably has a thickness of 15 pm to 80 pm, in particular of 15 pm to 40 pm.
[0056] The sealing film is preferably transparent.
[0057] The sealing film may be a sealing film consisting of or consisting essentially of one or a combination of several of the following materials: polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, paper, cardboard, or aluminum. The sealing film may have a coating.
[0058] The sealing film is preferably flexible.
[0059] The sealing tray and / or the sealing foil can additionally be provided with a sealing medium, for example in the form of a sealing wax or an adhesive layer.
[0060] The sealing film is preferably rectangular in shape before circular trimming.
[0061] The following figures illustrate the invention in more detail using exemplary embodiments, without being limited to them. They show:
[0062] Fig. 1 shows an arrangement of a cutting device with an upper part, a lower part and a sealing shell inserted into the cutting device in an exploded view, in a perspective view,
[0063] Fig. 2 the arrangement according to Fig. 1 in a sectional view,
[0064] Fig. 3 the arrangement according to Fig. 1 in a view from above,
[0065] Fig. 4 shows the components according to Fig. 1 in a cutting arrangement for circularly trimming a sealing film sealed onto the sealing tray in a sectional view according to the line IV-IV in Fig. 3,
[0066] Fig. 5 shows a second embodiment of the upper part of a cutting device in a perspective view,
[0067] Fig. 6 the upper part according to Fig. 5 in a sectional view, Fig. 7 a hand-held sealing device with a sealing frame arranged in the hand-held sealing device in a perspective view,
[0068] Fig. 8 the hand-held sealing device with the cutting device arranged in the hand-held sealing device in a perspective view,
[0069] Fig. 9 the lower part 40 with inserted sealing bowl in a perspective view.
[0070] Figs. 1 to 4 show a first embodiment of a cutting device 10 for circularly trimming a sealing film 20. The cutting device 10 enables the trimming of the sealing film 20 in a state in which the sealing film 20 is sealed onto a sealing edge 31 of a sealing tray 30. The sealing tray 30 as such has a circular sealing edge 31. The sealing tray 30 can, for example, be a disposable tray in which ready-to-eat food is held.
[0071] The cutting device 10 has an upper part 50, wherein the upper part 50 has a bearing body 51, wherein a circular cutter 60 is mounted in the bearing body 51. The cutting device 10 further has a lower part 40, wherein the lower part 40 serves to support the sealing shell 30 during the cutting process. For this purpose, the lower part 40 has a receptacle 41 in the form of a circular through-opening, which is adapted to the shape of the sealing shell 30. The receptacle 41 has an inner edge against which the sealing edge 31 of the sealing shell 30 comes to rest, thereby supporting the sealing shell 30 from below and holding it radially in position, as shown, for example, in Fig. 4. The lower part 40 is essentially plate-shaped.
[0072] The bearing body 51 of the upper part is in this case hood-shaped and has an interior space 56 enclosed by the bearing body 51, wherein the interior space 56 is open on an underside facing the lower part 40. The bearing body 51 as such has a bearing frame 57, wherein the bearing frame 57 circumferentially encloses the interior space 56. The interior space 56 is closed on an upper side opposite the underside by a cover 58 connected to the bearing frame 57. The cover 58 is in this case designed as a circular plate and is made of a transparent material. This makes it possible to look through the cover 58, for example, to observe the cutting process with the circular cutter 60 and to check the cutting result. The cover 58 is in this case screwed to the bearing frame 57 by means of four screws.
[0073] In the present case, the circular cutter 60 has a shaft 62 penetrating the cover 58 in a central region. For this purpose, a bearing bush 80 is incorporated in the cover 58, the shaft 62 being guided axially through the bearing bush 80. The shaft 62 is rotatably mounted in the bearing bush 80, and a crossbar 63 is connected to the shaft 62, which in the present case extends radially outward from the shaft 62. A cutting edge 61 is mounted on this crossbar 63, the cutting edge 61 serving to cut the sealing film 20. A crank 64 is connected to the shaft 62, with which the shaft 62 can be driven manually. When the shaft 62 is driven, the cutting edge 61 is moved along a circular path relative to the bearing body 51 for circular trimming of an edge region 23 of the sealing film 20 that projects radially outward relative to the sealing shell 30, namely a sealing edge 31 of the sealing shell 30.
[0074] Fig. 4 shows the cutting device 10 in a cutting arrangement in which a circular trimming of the protruding edge region 23 of the sealing film 20 can take place. The upper part 50 is placed on the lower part 40, insofar as it is coupled thereto, to form a cutting arrangement as shown in Fig. 4. To facilitate the formation of the cutting arrangement, the upper part 50 has guide pins 54. The sealing shell 30 is arranged in the receptacle 41 and is positively supported therein. The sealing shell 30 protrudes downwards relative to the lower part 40. To make this possible, the lower part 40 rests on a support frame 90, which in turn rests on a base surface 100. In order to keep the sealing film 20 under tension during the cutting process, the upper part 50 has a first contacting section 52 on an underside, which is designed to contact a front side 21 of the sealing film 20.The first contacting section 52 has a circular inner edge 54, wherein the inner edge 54 runs concentrically to the circular path. The lower part 40 has a second contacting section 42 adapted to the first contacting section 52 and designed to contact a rear side 22 of the sealing film 20 facing the sealing shell 30. In the cutting arrangement, the sealing film 20 is held clamped between the first contacting section 52 and the second contacting section 42, namely in the region of the edge region 23 of the sealing film 20 that projects radially outward relative to the sealing edge 31. The lower part 40 has a circular groove 43 in the region of the second contacting section 42, wherein the circular groove 43 circumferentially encloses the receptacles 41 for the sealing shell 30, the course of the groove 43 being adapted to the circular path of the cutting edge 61.In the cutting arrangement, the cutting edge 61 is immersed in the groove 43 while passing through the sealing film 20 and runs within the groove 43 when the shaft 62 rotates in order to carry out the circular trimming. In order to avoid contact of the cutting edge 61 with a groove bottom of the groove 43, the first contacting section 52 has, on an upper side facing away from the lower part 40, a circumferential stop surface 59 for the crossbar 63, whereby an immersion depth of the cutting edge 61 into the groove 43 is limited.
[0075] To secure the position of the upper part 50 relative to the lower part 40 in the cutting arrangement, the lower part 40 has a bearing structure 45, and the bearing body 51 has a counter-structure 55 complementary to the bearing structure 45. This prevents the upper part 50 from shifting and / or twisting relative to the lower part 40 during the cutting process. This ensures a good cutting result.
[0076] 5 and 6 show a further embodiment of the upper part 50, which differs from the embodiment of the upper part 50 according to FIGS. 1 to 4 essentially in that the shaft 62 is displaceably mounted in the bearing bush 80 between a starting position and a cutting position along an axial direction Z, which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 62. As a result, the cutting edge 61 can be transferred from a starting position, in which the cutting edge 61 is spaced from a cutting plane SE defined by the first contacting section 52, into a cutting position in which the cutting edge 61 penetrates the cutting plane SE. The cutting position is shown in FIG. 6.
[0077] In addition, the upper part 50 has a spring element 70, which in this case is designed as a helical spring. The shaft 62 passes through the helical spring, and the circular cutter 60, with its crank 64, is supported axially on the bearing bush 80 via the helical spring. The helical spring is designed such that the cutting edge 61 is displaced from the starting position to the cutting position counter to the spring force of the helical spring.
[0078] Figures 7 and 8 show a hand-held sealing device 110, wherein the hand-held sealing device 110 comprises a lower device part 112 and an upper device part 114 with a handle. The upper device part 114 is pivotally mounted in the lower device part 112 about a pivot axis. A heatable sealing plate 118 is arranged in the upper device part 114.
[0079] The device base 112 has a flat support surface 116 for a sealing frame 120, wherein the sealing frame 120 serves to support the sealing tray 30 during the sealing process. This sealing frame 120 is designed such that the sealing frame 120 has the lower part 40 of the cutting device 10, and the lower part 40 serves to support the sealing tray 30 during the sealing process. The sealing frame 120 has a plate-shaped base body 128, wherein the lower part 40 is connected to the plate-shaped base body 128 via connecting bolts 130. The lower part 40 with the connecting bolt 130 fastened to the lower part 40 and the sealing tray 30 inserted into the lower part 40 is shown in Fig. 9. To seal the sealing film 20 onto the sealing tray 30, the sealing tray 30 is inserted into the sealing frame 120 such that the sealing tray 30 is inserted into the receptacle 41 of the lower part 40.Subsequently, the sealing tray 30 is covered from above with the sealing film 20, whereby the sealing film 20 is unrolled from a roll 122 mounted in the sealing device 110. To seal the sealing film 20, the upper part 114 of the device is pivoted down into its sealing position, in which the sealing plate 118 contacts the sealing film 20. The sealing plate 22 can be heated to a preset temperature that is adapted to the material of the sealing tray 30 and the sealing film 20.
[0080] A separating knife 124 for separating the sealing film 20 is arranged in the upper part 114 of the device, wherein the separating knife runs parallel to the pivot axis of the upper part 114 of the device. When the upper part 114 of the device is transferred into its sealing position, the separating knife 124 contacts a cutting bar 126 mounted in the lower part 112 of the device and thereby cuts through the sealing film 20, so that a rectangular sealing film section is sealed onto the sealing tray 20, as shown, for example, in Fig. 1.
[0081] After pivoting the upper part 114 of the device back, the upper part 50 can be placed on the lower part 40 to form the cutting arrangement for circularly trimming the rectangular sealing film section sealed onto the sealing tray 30. The sealing frame 120 and thus the lower part 40 can remain in the sealing device 112. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 8.
[0082] List of reference symbols
[0083] 10 Cutting device
[0084] 20 sealing foil
[0085] 21 Front
[0086] 22 Back
[0087] 23 Marginal area
[0088] 30 Sealing Bowl
[0089] 40 lower part
[0090] 41 recording
[0091] 42 second contact section
[0092] 43 groove
[0093] 45 Warehouse structure
[0094] 50 top
[0095] 51 bearing bodies
[0096] 52 first contact section
[0097] 54 Guide pin
[0098] 55 Counterstructure
[0099] 56 Interior
[0100] 57 bearing frames
[0101] 58 lids
[0102] 59 Stop surface
[0103] 60 circle cutters
[0104] 61 cutting edge
[0105] 62 Wave
[0106] 63 crossbeams
[0107] 64 crank
[0108] 70 spring element
[0109] 80 bearing bush
[0110] 90 support frames
[0111] 100 floor space
[0112] 110 Sealing device 112 Device base
[0113] 114 Upper part of the device
[0114] 116 footprint
[0115] 118 Sealing plate 120 Sealing frame
[0116] 122 roll
[0117] 124 cutting knives
[0118] 126 cutting bar
[0119] 128 basic bodies
[0120] 130 Connecting bolt SE cutting plane axial direction
Claims
Patent claims 1 . Cutting device (10) for circularly trimming a sealing film (20) of a sealing tray (30) closed with the sealing film (20), the cutting device (10) comprising: - an upper part (50), wherein the upper part (50) has a bearing body (51), wherein a circular cutter (60) is mounted in the bearing body (51), wherein the circular cutter (60) has a cutting edge (61) for cutting the sealing film (20), wherein the cutting edge (61) is movable along a circular path relative to the bearing body (51) for circularly trimming an edge region (23) of the sealing film (20) that projects outwards relative to the sealing shell (30), wherein the bearing body (51) has a first contacting section (52), wherein the first contacting section (52) is designed to contact a front side (21) of the sealing film (20) facing away from the sealing shell (30) in the projecting edge region (23) of the sealing film (20), - a lower part (40), wherein the lower part (40) has a receptacle (41) for arranging and supporting the closed sealing shell (30), wherein the lower part (40) has a second contacting section (42) which surrounds the receptacle (41) all the way around and is designed to contact a rear side (22) of the sealing film (20) facing the sealing shell (30) in the protruding edge region (23), wherein the second contacting section (42) has a circular groove (43), wherein the course of the groove (43) is adapted to the circular path of the cutting edge (61), wherein the circular groove (43) surrounds the receptacle (41) all the way around, wherein the upper part (50) can be coupled to the lower part (40) to form a cutting arrangement, such thatthat in the cutting arrangement, with a sealing shell (20) closed with a sealing film (20) arranged in the receptacle (41), the protruding edge region (23) of the sealing film (20) is held clamped between the first contacting section (52) and the second contacting section (42), the cutting edge (61) under, The sealing film (20) is immersed or can be immersed in the groove (43) and the circular path runs along the groove (43).
2. Cutting device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the lower part (40) has a bearing structure (45) and the bearing body (51) has a counter-structure (55) complementary to the bearing structure (45) for securing the bearing of the upper part (50) to the lower part (40) against displacement and / or twisting.
3. Cutting device (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the circular cutter (60) has a shaft (62), wherein the shaft (62) is rotatably mounted in the bearing body (51), wherein a crossbar (63) is connected to the shaft (62), wherein the cutting edge (61) is mounted in the crossbar (63).
4. Cutting device (10) according to claim 3, wherein the shaft (62) can be driven manually via a crank (64) connected to the shaft (62).
5. Cutting device (10) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the first contacting section (52) has, on an upper side facing away from the lower part (40), a circumferential stop surface (59) for the crossbar (63) for limiting an immersion depth of the cutting edge (61) into the groove (43).
6. Cutting device (10) according to one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the shaft (62) is mounted in the bearing body (51) so as to be displaceable between a starting position and a cutting position along an axial direction (Z) which is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the shaft (62), wherein the cutting edge (62) is spaced from a cutting plane (SE) defined by the first contacting section (52) in the starting position and passes through the cutting plane (SE) defined by the first contacting section (52) in the cutting position.
7. Cutting device (10) according to claim 6, wherein the upper part (50) is a spring element (70), wherein the cutting device (50) is supported on the bearing body (51) in the axial direction (Z) via the spring element (70) in such a way that a displacement from the starting position into the cutting position takes place counter to the spring force of the spring element (70).
8. Cutting device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first contacting section (52) is designed such that the first contacting section (52) contacts the front side (21) of the protruding edge region (23) of the sealing film (20) in a region which is offset radially outwardly from the groove (43).
9. Cutting device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first contacting section (52) contacts the front side (21) circumferentially and / or the second contacting section (43) contacts the rear side (22) circumferentially.
10. Cutting device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first contacting section (52) has a circular inner edge (54), wherein the inner edge (54) runs concentrically to the circular path.
11. Cutting device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the bearing body (51) is hood-shaped with an interior space (56) enclosed by the bearing body (51), wherein the interior space (56) is open on a bottom side facing the lower part (40).
12. Cutting device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the bearing body (51) has a bearing frame (57), wherein the bearing frame (57) has the first contacting section (52), wherein the bearing frame (57) encloses the interior (56) all the way around and wherein the interior (56) is closed on an upper side opposite the underside by a cover (58) connected to the bearing frame (57), wherein the cover (58) is transparent or has one or more transparent areas.
13. Cutting device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the circular cutter (60) has at least one further cutting edge which is movable along the circular path and is offset along the circular path relative to the one cutting edge (61), preferably a movement of the one cutting edge (61) and the at least one further cutting edge are coupled to one another.
14. A method for circularly trimming a sealing film (20) of a sealing tray (30) closed with the sealing film (20) using the cutting device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the method comprises the following method steps: - forming the cutting arrangement, wherein the sealing shell (30) closed with the sealing film (20) is arranged in the receptacle (41), wherein an edge region (23) of the sealing film (20) projecting outwards relative to the sealing shell (30) is held clamped between the first contacting section (52) and the second contacting section (42), wherein the groove (43) and the cutting edge (61) are arranged such that the cutting edge (61) is immersed in the groove (43) while penetrating the sealing film (20), - Moving the cutting edge (61) along the circular path to circularly trim the sealing film (30).
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method comprises: - sealing a sealing film (20) onto the sealing tray (30) to produce the closed sealing tray (30), wherein the sealing tray (30) is arranged in a sealing frame during the sealing process, wherein the sealing frame forms or comprises the lower part (40).