Interchangeable Horizontal Conveyor for Packaging Machine Adaptability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging machines are optimized for specific types and sizes of containers, leading to conveying issues when switching between different product variants, such as individual beverage containers and packaged goods, due to inadequate base support and stability during transport.
Innovation Solution
A packaging machine with a transport device that can switch between two horizontal conveyor modes, using a first conveyor with folding fingers for grouped containers and a second conveyor with a flat support for individual items, allowing for adaptable transport of various packaging types without physical exchange, by positioning the unused conveyor out of the transport path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a packaging machine is optimized for a specific type of container with a fixed conveyor system, then the conveying quality for that specific product is improved, but the adaptability to different product variants deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is designed with movable and interchangeable conveying devices that can be dynamically adjusted or replaced based on the product being conveyed. The conveying device includes a base conveyor and at least one interchangeable conveying element that can be positioned onto or removed from the base conveyor, allowing the system to adapt its configuration to different container types while maintaining reliable conveying performance for each specific product variant
Solution Approach 2:
The base conveyor is designed as a universal platform that can accommodate multiple types of interchangeable conveying elements. This universal base conveyor structure allows the same machine to handle different product variants by simply changing the conveying element, thereby achieving both reliable conveying quality for specific products and adaptability to different container types
2Stability of the object's composition
If the conveyor system uses a fixed configuration designed for packaging units, then the transport stability for packaged goods is improved, but the ability to transport individual items deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows dynamic switching between different conveying element configurations. When transporting packaged goods, a conveying element designed for stability is positioned onto the base conveyor. When transporting individual items, the base conveyor operates without additional elements or with different elements suited for single items, allowing the system to adapt its stability characteristics to the specific transport task
Solution Approach 2:
The conveying system is segmented into a fixed base conveyor and removable interchangeable conveying elements. This segmentation allows the base conveyor to remain as a stable universal platform while the interchangeable elements provide product-specific stability characteristics, enabling the system to maintain transport stability for packaged goods when needed while also being capable of transporting individual items
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a machine (8) for processing and/or packaging articles with a substantially horizontal transport section (10) for conveying articles, containers and/or packaging units, comprising a first horizontal conveying device (14) with at least one transport means (15) for a first operating mode, which is interchangeable for producing at least one further operating mode by a further horizontal conveying device (24) with at least one second transport means (25) different from the first transport means (15).The invention further relates to a method for modifying a transport section (10) of a machine (8) for processing and/or packaging articles, in which articles, containers and/or packaging units are transported essentially horizontally on the transport section (10) by means of a first horizontal conveying device (14) with at least one transport means (15) in a first operating mode, wherein at least one further operating mode is produced by replacing the first horizontal conveying device (14) with a further horizontal conveying device (24) with at least one second transport means (25) different from the first transport means (15).