Rotating Container Treatment Machine With Height-Adjustable Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multi-row container handling machines in beverage filling plants face challenges in achieving high performance while maintaining system flexibility and compatibility with conventional loading and unloading systems.
Innovation Solution
A device with a rotating treatment machine featuring multiple treatment stations arranged in two vertically offset circuits, utilizing height-adjustable gripping elements in a transfer unit to transfer containers between these circuits, allowing for flexible installation and integration with existing systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multi-row container handling machines are used to increase performance, then container throughput is improved, but system flexibility and compatibility with conventional loading and unloading systems deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from horizontal multi-row arrangements to a vertical multi-level configuration with treatment circuits at different heights. The rotor carries treatment circuits on multiple levels, allowing containers to be transferred between different height levels using transfer devices with height-adjustable gripping elements. This vertical dimension enables high throughput while maintaining compatibility with conventional horizontal loading/unloading systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer devices incorporate height-adjustable gripping elements that can dynamically adapt their position. The gripping elements are movable along the transfer device's circumference in the vertical direction, allowing the system to flexibly adjust container transfer heights to match different loading and unloading system requirements, thereby maintaining system flexibility while achieving high productivity.
2Productivity
If multiple treatment circuits are arranged on a rotor, then processing capacity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple treatment circuits are merged into a single rotor structure that rotates about a common vertical axis. The rotor integrates treatment circuits at different heights and positions, allowing simultaneous processing of multiple containers in different treatment stages within one rotating component. This consolidation increases processing capacity while avoiding the complexity of multiple separate machines.
Solution Approach 2:
The treatment circuits are arranged in a vertical multi-level configuration on the rotor rather than spreading them horizontally. This vertical stacking of treatment circuits at different heights allows multiple processing operations to occur simultaneously within a compact footprint, increasing capacity without proportionally increasing horizontal space requirements or structural complexity.
3Volume of moving object
If treatment circuits are arranged at different height levels, then space utilization is improved, but transfer mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer devices incorporate height-adjustable gripping elements that can dynamically change their vertical position during rotation. These gripping elements are movable along the transfer device circumference, allowing the transfer mechanism to adapt container heights dynamically. This dynamic adjustment capability simplifies the transfer mechanism by using a single adjustable component rather than multiple fixed-height transfer devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer devices are designed with universal height-adjustable gripping elements that can transfer containers between any height levels on the rotor. This multi-functional design allows the same transfer device to serve multiple height levels, reducing the number of specialized transfer mechanisms needed and thereby reducing overall complexity while improving space utilization through vertical arrangement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances process performance, increases throughput, and simplifies integration with existing production lines while maintaining system flexibility and compatibility, enabling efficient operation with optimized machine complexity and space requirements.
Implementation Method 1
The container holders of the treatment stations of the first outer treatment circuit are arranged at a first height level, and the container holders of the treatment stations of the second inner treatment circuit are arranged at a second height level, offset in height from this
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device (1) for treating containers (B). The device (1) comprises at least one treatment machine (M) of rotating design with at least one rotor (2) which can be driven to rotate about a vertical machine axis (MA) and which has a plurality of treatment stations (5, 6) arranged in multiple rows on the circumference of the rotor (2) and distributed in several treatment circuits (3, 4). Each of the treatment stations (5, 6) is equipped with a respective associated container holder (11, 12) for receiving the containers in a suspended manner, wherein the rotor (2) has at least a first outer treatment circuit (3) and a second inner treatment circuit (4) arranged coaxially thereto.The container receptacles (11) of the treatment stations (5) of the first outer treatment circuit (3) are arranged at a first height level (h1), and the container receptacles (12) of the treatment stations (6) of the second inner treatment circuit (4) are arranged at a second height level (h2) at a different height. The device (1) has at least one transfer unit (7) with several transfer devices (8, 9, 10, 10') for transferring the containers (B) to the treatment circuits (3, 4).At least one first transfer device (8) of the transfer unit (7) is equipped with a plurality of gripping and/or holding elements (24, 25) for gripping and/or holding the containers (B) in a suspended manner, and at least some of the gripping and/or holding elements (24) of the first transfer device (8) are arranged on the first transfer device (8) in a height-adjustable manner, such that at least some of the containers (B) are height-adjustable during the transfer and can be transferred with a height offset.