Container Dividing Star Wheel for Stable 90° Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for dividing plastic containers, particularly PET containers filled with product, suffer from uncontrolled collisions and instabilities at the inlet to the sorting star wheel, leading to potential damage and instability during transfer to subsequent machinery.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a rotating star wheel that picks up containers by their neck and/or closure areas, changing the transport direction by at least 90°, and using guide rails and rollers to stabilize the containers' position, ensuring gentle handling and continuous stabilization before transfer to the infeed star wheel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a sorting star wheel is used to divide containers onto a machine division, then the containers can be separated and directed onto the machine division, but uncontrolled collisions and instabilities occur at the inlet
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by implementing a pre-sorting mechanism that organizes containers into stable groups of two or more before they enter the main sorting star wheel. This preliminary organization prevents uncontrolled collisions at the inlet by ensuring containers are already properly spaced and oriented, thereby maintaining operational stability while achieving effective separation and direction.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If containers are picked up by their necks and closures, then gentle handling is achieved, but instabilities persist during transfer to subsequent inlet star wheel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary stabilization zone between the picking mechanism and the subsequent inlet star wheel. In this zone, containers are temporarily held in a stabilized configuration where their position and orientation are controlled. This intermediary region allows the transition from gentle pickup by necks and closures to stable transfer, preventing instabilities while maintaining gentle handling throughout the process.
3Device complexity
If the transport direction changes by at least 90° from the infeed direction, then spatial separation of allocation and transfer steps is achieved, but complex star wheel design is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes dimensional change by implementing a 90° or greater directional change in the transport path. This spatial reconfiguration separates the container allocation function from the transfer function into distinct zones. The star wheel is designed with transport pockets that guide containers through this angular transition, achieving process decoupling while managing the geometric complexity through careful pocket design and positioning.
Data Source
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AI summary
This document describes a method for dividing plastic containers onto a machine division of a processing machine and a correspondingly designed processing machine. A rotating dividing star (3) picks up the containers, which are transported vertically in an infeed direction, at their neck and/or closure areas (2a) at the distance corresponding to the machine division and transports the containers until they are transferred to an infeed star (5). Because the transport direction of the containers changes by at least 90° from the infeed direction until the transfer point, the transport position of the containers can be stabilized during dividing onto the machine division and subsequently until the transfer to the infeed star (5), ensuring both reliable and gentle processing of the containers.