APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING LIDS WITH TEAR-OFF FOIL
In the area of manufacturing covers with tear-open foils, the cover blanks, or covers are always secured against an undesired take-off from the transport means during the transport and the processing. This allows a very high manufacturing cadence equally for light covers and particularly for aluminium covers.
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This application claims the priority of Swiss patent application No. 1233/08, filed Aug. 7, 2008, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe invention relates to an apparatus for the manufacturing of container covers or lids, respectively, with a tear-open foil, comprising a linear transport means for the horizontal transport of lid parts and lids along the manufacturing line, wherein the lids are secured against a take-off in a vertical direction along a part of the manufacturing line by means of a guidance, at least a de-stacker arranged at the beginning of the transport means, which delivers blank lid parts from at least one stack to the transport means, a sequence of working stations arranged along the transport means, optionally including a turning station, and a discharge station at the end of the linear transport means. Furthermore the invention relates to a method for the manufacturing of container lids or covers, respectively, with a tear-open foil. Furthermore the invention is related to another apparatus for the manufacturing of covers or lids, respectively with tear-open foils with a transport means providing a linear transport path with successive receptions for blank lid parts formed by reception parts of the transport means. Furthermore the invention relates to another method for the manufacturing of covers or lids, respectively with tear-open foils, the lids having different diameters.
PRIOR ARTIt is known how to manufacture covers or lids, respectively, for can-like or box-like containers as metal covers which are permanently attached on top of the package and which provide an extraction opening which is sealed until the first use of the container contents by means of a foil, particularly a metal foil, applied by heat-sealing and which can be torn-off. An additional plastic cover which is arranged above the metal cover makes the package resealable during the period of consumption of its contents. Manufacturing steps during the manufacturing of such so-called tear-open or tear-off covers or lids will be explained in the following on the basis of the
The mentioned apparatus has proven itself and allows the high production rate manufacturing of ordinary covers or lids made of tinplate or sheet steel, which can amount to for example 200 covers per minute. It is preferable to equally reach such cadences for very light covers made of light metal, particularly aluminium.
This task is accomplished within the aforementioned apparatus in such a way, that securing means for the conveying of the covers from the blank state to the state of finished cover throughout the apparatus, which are permanently effective from the de-stacker to the discharge station, are provided, which securing means always secure the cover parts against an undesired take-off from the transport means.
Also very light covers can be manufactured with high rate by means of the permanent securing along the manufacturing path of the cover parts which are moved intermittently through the apparatus, thus especially a securing in the processing stations as well as in the transfer from the de-stacker to the linear transport means and into the discharge station. In ordinary apparatus there is the risk with such light covers, that the covers jump out of their receptions in the transport means in the area of the processing stations because of the permanent start-up and stop of the transport means or because of small outside influences, which can lead to an interruption of the manufacturing.
Within a preferred apparatus, the securing means are engineered with a combination of fixed securing elements and movable securing elements, and particularly also with securing elements which act using negative pressure or vacuum, respectively. The combination of different securing means and securing elements, respectively, yields a continuous positive guidance of the cover parts and covers, respectively, which is particularly well adapted to the cover manufacturing. At the de-stacker, it is preferably carried out by means of vacuum as well as mechanical down holders, thus allowing the secure and constantly held delivery of the cover blank from the de-stacker to the linear transport means or conveying means, respectively. Then, movable securing elements are preferred as securing means in processing stations, providing an always secure holding of the cover parts despite the motion requirements in the processing stations. Particularly, the movable securing elements are formed by rails, which are arranged in a springy way within the upper part of the tool and extend in transport direction, and are particularly to be found in the cutting station and the punching station, respectively, in which the extraction opening is cut out of the cover blank. Equally, movable securing elements can be provided within a forming station and/or a rolling station and/or in an embossing station.
Within the transport means itself, the positive guidance is particularly formed by fixed covering elements which are located on both sides of the longitudinal transport axis, with safety plates which are bend down with respect to the cover parts, such for example in a oiling station which is located between the cutting station and the forming station, and also along conveying sections for the cover parts in which no processing occurs. Inasmuch as a turning station is provided, fixed infeed elements can for example be provided as securing means for the transfer from the linear transport means to the turning station.
Preferably both fixed and movable securing elements are particularly provided at the foil punching and pre-sealing station as securing means or positive guidance, respectively, which comprise vertically springy relocatable rails as movable securing elements in the area of the upper sealing tool and which comprise down holders as fixed securing elements, whereas a holding or a positive guidance, respectively, which acts by means of low pressure is provided within the lower sealing tool, thus resulting in a high reliability of the constant holding of very light cover parts in this step which is particularly important for the manufacturing. In addition, the springy movable securing elements act as ejectors from the upper tool after the processing of the cover part.
Preferably fixed and movable securing elements, which are preferably provided in the same combination as in the pre-sealing station, are equally provided in the main sealing station.
If an inspection station for checking the sealing joint, particularly for a check by thermal image evaluation, is provided, the securing means respectively the positive guidance are preferably formed by a vacuum guidance, thus not disturbing the view of the sealing area.
In another aspect of the invention which can be combined with the first aspect, which however can also be applied for itself and thus equally for apparatus of prior art, tappets for forming the respective reception for the cover parts, particularly having a shape of entraining lugs arranged at a toothed belt on each side of the longitudinal central axis of the transport means with mutually different distances, are arranged at the linear transport means in a way resulting in receptions for two cover parts of different sizes, alternating along the transport. This allows the use of the apparatus for cover parts of different diameters without refitting the apparatus, by respectively loading only the fitting receptions while the other receptions remain empty. The transport means then carries out transport steps with double length, such that only the receptions of the one size loaded with the cover parts come to be located stationary in the processing station and the other empty receptions of the other size are transported substantially without stopping through the processing stations.
Furthermore it is the object of the invention to improve a method for manufacturing tear-open covers.
This is achieved according to a method for manufacturing covers with a tear-open foil on a linear manufacturing apparatus, on which the cover blanks and the covers are being de-stacked and conveyed and at the same time cut, possibly oiled, formed, rolled and then possibly turned, on which the tear-open foil is applied and pre-sealed, to which a main sealing, possibly an inspection, a cooling, an alignment of the tear-open strap and a check is carried out, characterized in that during these steps a securing against an undesired take-off of the cover blanks respectively of the cover out of their reception at the transport means always takes place by securing means.
Within the method, the holding is preferably carried out by fixed securing elements and by means of movable securing elements, and particularly also by means of securing elements acting with a vacuum.
The securing at the de-stacker takes place particularly by means of a vacuum as well as by means of down holders and movable securing parts are used for the securing in the processing stations. For example the guiding respectively the holding of the cover part takes place by means of securing parts which are springily arranged in the upper tool part, which is particularly advantageous in a cutting station and/or a forming station and/or a rolling station and/or a embossing station. Furthermore, in an oiling station which is located between the cutting station and the forming station, the securing particularly takes place by means of fixed securing elements, particularly by means of covering elements with guide noses which are located on both sides of the longitudinal transport axis.
Preferably fixed and movable securing elements are used for the securing against the take-off during foil stamping and pre-sealing, wherein particularly in the area of the upper sealing tool eject runners or rails which are arranged springily in the tool, are provided as movable securing elements and down holders are provided as fixed securing elements and a holding acting by means of a vacuum is used as positive guidance in the lower sealing tool. The latter can be interrupted by for example a controlled air supply.
Also for the main sealing fixed and movable securing elements are preferably provided for holding, particularly in the area of the upper sealing tool eject runners are provided as movable securing elements and down holders are provided as fixed securing elements and the holding in the lower sealing tool takes place by means of low pressure, which is interruptible particularly by means of a controlled air supply.
If an inspection station for the checking, particularly the optical checking, of the sealing joint is provided, the securing is preferably provided by means of low pressure. In case of a cooling and a strap aligning station it is proceeded in a way, that the adherence of the cover to a lower turntable takes place by means of low pressure.
Within the linear transport means with tappets which are arranged at revolving belts, bands or chains, the positive guidance is carried out particularly by means of cover plates with securing bridges showing downwards, which are arranged on both sides of the longitudinal central axis of the transport means above the transport plane. Thereby the tappets respectively the entraining lugs are preferably arranged on each side of the longitudinal central axis with mutually different distances respectively lug distances.
Furthermore the invention is related to the task of simplifying the manufacturing for cover parts with different diameters within the cover manufacturing of tear-open covers with a linear transport means with tappets arranged at bands, belts or chains, particularly according to the described method, but equally for methods according to the prior art.
This is solved in such a way that the receptions for the tappets forming cover parts, which particularly are entraining lugs, are arranged on each side of the longitudinal central axis with mutually different lug distances, and that, depending on the cover diameter, a loading with the cover parts takes place either into the receptions with the one tappet distance from each other or into the receptions with the other distance from each other. Thereby it is possible to allow the manufacturing for two different cover diameters without time consuming refitting of the transport means.
The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings, wherein:
The prior art for the manufacturing of metal container covers or lids with a tear-open foil will be shortly explained by means of the
The
In this example the apparatus 1 has a transport means 3 with two parallel transport paths, such that two streams of covers can be manufactured at once. Equally, only one transport path or more than two transport paths could be provided. The transport means has, particularly for each transport path, two rotatingly actuated toothed belts which are arranged parallel in a distance from each other, to which lugs are attached, not being shown in
Within the shown preferred arrangement, the transport means has two toothed belts 31 and 32, which are particularly located with their surfaces in the same plane, thus run coplanar, and which are guided via deflection rollers at the beginning and at the end of the conveying device, such that an endless toothed belt actuator with the length required for the number of processing stations results. The stepwise motion of the toothed belt, which is synchronised with the processing stations, is caused by a step motor or servo motor which actuates the toothed belts by means of tooth rollers, as can be seen in
The mutual distances of the entraining lugs on the respective toothed belt are given by the division of the toothed belt and the tappet attachment. This distance can be changed in such a way for an adjustment to the cover size, that the toothed belts are changed with a set of other toothed belts with entraining lugs which are attached in another mutual distance. In this way a large reception size range for covers can be created by mutual distance adjustment of the toothed belts and by changing the toothed belts with differently spaced tappets. In this way, a refitting to different object sizes for all tappets can be carried out simultaneously. However, in the following a further aspect of the invention will be explained, which allows the processing of covers of different sizes in another way which makes the changing of the toothed belts for the manufacturing of covers with two different diameters obsolete.
The tappets 41 to 44 are attached to the toothed belt in a known way, by taking off the respective tooth of the toothed belt and changing it with an attaching element which is screwed to the tappets. This way of attachment is known to the skilled person and will not be further shown here. Surely, all further attachment possibilities of tappets to tooth belts are equally applicable, like for example the adhesive bonding attachment of tappets.
Coming back to
In the position 2e an oiling of the cover blank 20 can be carried out as a processing step, as preparing step for the subsequent forming of the edge (
The forming of the edge of the extraction opening of the tear-open cover (
Thereafter a conveying of the cover blank 20 from the position 2g into the processing station 10 respectively into the position 2h takes place with the next transport step of the transport means, wherein the rolling of the formed edge is carried out. As a difference to
Subsequently a further step of the transport occurs with the transport into the turning station 11 respectively the position 2i. The cover blank, which has previously been processed as a cover ring with formed and rolled edge, is turned by 180° in the turning station, as can be seen in
The generation of vacuum or low pressure, respectively, preferably takes place centrally by means of a vacuum fan and the repartition of the low pressure by means of pipes into the processing stations respectively transport sections. In order to release a cover which is held by low pressure it can be provided that the low pressure area is connected underneath the cover by means of a controlled valve to the ambient pressure or to an air pressure source which generates an over pressure. Thereby the holding respectively the securing by means of low pressure is neutralized fast.
When securing by a vacuum of the cover is mentioned, it is herein encompassed that this vacuum can be generated by a jet of air as well. Taking into account the situation of
Now, a further aspect of the invention is explained by means of
While there are shown and described presently preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied and practised within the scope of the following claims.
Claims
1. Apparatus for the manufacturing of covers with a tear-open foil, comprising
- a linear transport means for the horizontal transport along the manufacturing path, wherein the covers are secured against a take-off in vertical direction along a part of the manufacturing path by a guidance,
- at least a de-stacker arranged at the beginning of the transport means, which de-stacks cover blanks from at least a stack and delivers them to said transport means,
- a sequence of processing stations which is arranged along the transport means, if necessary including a turning station, and
- a discharge station at the end of the transport means; wherein continuously operative securing means for the covers conveyed through the apparatus, from a cover blank to a finished cover, are provided from the de-stacker to the discharge station, which securing means always secure the cover parts against an undesired take-off from the transport means.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said securing means are provided by fixed securing elements and by movable securing elements, and particularly also by securing elements which act by means of vacuum.
3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein vacuum and fixed down holders are provided as securing means at the de-stacker.
4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein movable securing elements are provided as securing means within the processing stations.
5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the movable securing elements are formed by securing elements which are springingly arranged within an upper tool of said processing station or by movable securing elements which are arranged within a lower tool of said processing station.
6. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein movable securing elements are provided within a cutting station and/or a forming station and/or a rolling station and/or an embossing station.
7. Apparatus according to claims 1, wherein the securing in an oiling station arranged between a cutting station and a forming station is carried out by means of fixed securing means, particularly by means of coverings with securing bridges arranged on both sides of the longitudinal transport axis.
8. Apparatus according to claims 1, characterized in that fixed infeed segments and discharge segments are provided as securing means within said turning station.
9. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein fixed and movable securing elements are provided at a foil punching and pre-sealing station.
10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein within the area of the upper sealing tool discharge handles are provided as movable securing elements, and down holders are provided as fixed securing elements.
11. Apparatus according to claims 9, wherein within the lower sealing tool a vacuum is provided as securing means.
12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the securing by vacuum is interruptible by means of a controlled air supply.
13. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein fixed and movable securing elements are provided within a main sealing station.
14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein within the area of the upper sealing tool discharge handles are provided as movable securing elements, and down holders are provided as fixed securing elements.
15. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein within the lower sealing tool a securing acting by vacuum is provided.
16. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the holding is interruptible by means of a controlled air supply.
17. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inspection station for the checking, particularly for the optical checking of the sealing joint is provided, whereby the securing means are formed by a vacuum guidance.
18. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cooling and strap aligning station is provided, whereby the securing at a lower turntable is provided by holding the cover by means of vacuum.
19. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein within the discharge station covering plates with securing bridges above the transport plane, arranged on both sides of the longitudinal central axis of the transport means, and at least a middle runner below the transport plane are provided.
20. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transport means is formed by entraining lugs which are arranged at rotating belts, bands or chains, respectively, and that the securing is formed by covering plates with securing bridges showing downwards, which are arranged on both sides of the longitudinal central axis of the transport means above the transport plane.
21. Apparatus according to claim 20, wherein entraining lugs with mutually different lug distances (a, b) forming a reception, are arranged one after the other on each side of the longitudinal central axis of the transport means.
22. Apparatus for the manufacturing of covers with a tear-open foil, comprising a linear transport means for the horizontal transport along the manufacturing path, which forms receptions for the covers, particularly according to claim 1, wherein entraining lugs with mutually different lug distances (a, b) forming a reception, are arranged one after the other on each side of the longitudinal central axis of the transport means.
23. Method for the manufacturing of covers with a tear-open foil on a linear manufacturing apparatus, on which the cover blanks and covers are de-stacked and conveyed and at the same time cut, oiled, formed, rolled and then turned, on which the tear-open foil is attached and pre-sealed, a main sealing, if necessary an inspection, a cooling, an aligning of the tear-open strap and a checking is carried out, characterized in that during these steps a securing of the cover blanks respectively covers against an undesired take-off from the transport means is carried out.
24. Method according to claim 23 with an apparatus having a linear transport means for the horizontal transport along the manufacturing path, wherein the covers are secured against a take-off in vertical direction along a part of the manufacturing path by a guidance, at least a de-stacker arranged at the beginning of the transport means, which de-stacks cover blanks from at least a stack and delivers them to said transport means, a sequence of processing stations which is arranged along the transport means, if necessary including a turning station, and a discharge station at the end of the transport means; wherein continuously operative securing means for the covers conveyed through the apparatus, from a cover blank to a finished cover, are provided from the de-stacker to the discharge station, which securing means always secure the cover parts against an undesired take-off from the transport means and wherein said securing means are provided by fixed securing elements and by movable securing elements.
25. Method for the manufacturing of covers with a tear-open foil on a linear manufacturing apparatus, on which the cover blanks and covers are conveyed stepwise through a transport means, particularly according to claim 23, characterized in that entraining lugs with mutually different lug distances (a, b) forming a reception, are arranged one after the other on each side of the longitudinal central axis of the transport means, that cover blanks are only brought into the one type of receptions with a larger respectively a smaller distance, and that the transport means is actuated with the double step width of the transport step.
26. Apparatus for the manufacturing of covers with a tear-open foil, comprising
- a linear transport means for the horizontal transport along the manufacturing path, wherein the covers are secured against a take-off in vertical direction along a part of the manufacturing path by a guidance,
- at least one de-stacker arranged at the beginning of the transport means, which de-stacks cover blanks from at least a stack and delivers them to said transport means,
- a sequence of processing stations which is arranged along the transport means, if necessary including a turning station, and
- a discharge station at the end of the transport means;
- wherein continuously operative securing means for the covers conveyed through the apparatus, from a cover blank to a finished cover, are provided from the de-stacker to the discharge station, which securing means always secure the cover parts against an undesired take-off from the transport means; and
- wherein said securing means are provided by fixed securing elements and by movable securing elements, and particularly also by securing elements which act by means of vacuum, and
- wherein vacuum and fixed down holders are provided as securing means at the de-stacker, and
- wherein movable securing elements are provided as securing means within the processing stations, and
- wherein the movable securing elements are formed by securing elements which are springingly arranged within an upper tool of said processing station or by movable securing elements which are arranged within a lower tool of said processing station, and
- wherein movable securing elements are provided within a cutting station and/or a forming station and/or a rolling station and/or an embossing station, and
- wherein the securing in an oiling station arranged between a cutting station and a forming station is carried out by means of fixed securing means, particularly by means of coverings with securing bridges arranged on both sides of the longitudinal transport axis, and
- wherein fixed and movable securing elements are provided at a foil punching and pre-sealing station, and wherein fixed and movable securing elements are provided within a main sealing station.
27. Apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said transport means is provided by entraining lugs arranged on rotating belts and said entraining lugs are arranged one after the other on each side of the longitudinal central axis of said transport means with mutually different lug distances forming a reception for said cover blanks.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 30, 2009
Publication Date: Feb 11, 2010
Applicant: Soudronic AG (Bergdietikon)
Inventors: Peter Gysi (Bellikon), Peter Taiana (Neuenhof), Rene Raas (Fahrweid)
Application Number: 12/512,364
International Classification: B31B 1/00 (20060101);