SYSTEM FOR PLUGGING PAINT CANS
The invention relates to a system for plugging paint cans, which system is arranged to press a hollow, cuplike, elastic plug (3) provided with a protruding circumferential rim (5) into a hole (2) made in a paint can lid (1) in a sealed manner by means of the plug's (3) shape, whereby the circumferential rim (5) of the plug (3) mounted in place is supported to the surface of the paint can lid (1), the system comprising a storage container (6) for plugs (3); a picker (7) for picking one plug (3) at a time from the storage container (6); a gripper (8) for gripping the plug (3) picked from the storage container (6) and for carrying it above a container lid (1) to be closed; and means for performing a mutual vertical movement of the gripper (8) and the paint can in order for thereby pressing the plug (3) into place in a sealed manner in the lid (1) of the paint can.
The invention relates to a system for plugging paint cans, which system is arranged to press a hollow, cuplike, elastic plug provided with protruding circumferential rim into a hole made in a paint can lid in a sealed manner by means of the plug's shape, whereby the circumferential rim of the plug mounted in place is supported to the surface of the paint can lid, wherein the system comprises a storage container for plugs; a picker for picking one plug at a time from the storage container; a gripper for gripping the plug picked from the storage container and for carrying it above a container lid to be closed; and means for performing a mutual vertical movement of the gripper and the paint can in order for thereby pressing the plug in place in a sealed manner in the lid of the paint can.
In connection with paint toning machines several partial tasks associated with paint toning and paint can handling are performed manually, and a paint can must also be transferred manually from one processing step to another. A typical manual operation is the closing of a paint can when toning is completed. In that case the closing involves, more precisely, closing a hole made in the paint can lid before the toning.
Conventionally, opening and closing of a lid required by an automatic toning system has been very difficult to implement. Automatic opening of a can lid has only been possible in special, purpose-made lids, which have not become widely used because of wide product ranges (tens), various cans (tens), cans of different sizes (typically 5 to 15 sizes) and a plurality of suppliers. Various combinations involve huge investments in toning outlets and paint factories.
On automatic production lines the cans have often been open, and consequently it has been possible to fill them with basic paint or toning pastes, whereafter a lid is pressed thereon by machine. These lines are remarkably large in size and they occupy an entire hall or a large room space. It is natural that the price of a line like this is completely out of proportion for paint stores.
Attempts have been made to produce smaller lines, where lids have been penetrated and plugging is carried out by large and expensive mechanisms based on vibrating classifiers. The price of these plug processing devices often doubles the starting price in relation to the rest of the actual automation.
In fully manual toning, the lid has been opened by detaching the lid from the can manually or with a tool and by closing it again manually.
Any manual operation takes the sales personnel that operates the paint toning machine a lot of time, and they could put the time consumed in waiting and manual work to a better use, for instance, to actual customer service.
From automation industry are known several solutions to close various other containers, but none of them can be applied as such in connection with actual paint toning machines.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe object of the invention is thus to eliminate the above drawback and provide a fully automatic plugging system for paint cans, which is well applicable, as a partial configuration, to substantially fully automated paint toning machines and systems. This is achieved by a system for plugging paint cans in accordance with the invention, which is characterized in that the picker is arranged to move vertically through the storage container and the upper part thereof is shaped to receive a cuplike part of the plug such that the circumferential rim of the plug rests against the upper surface of the upper part of the picker.
By picking a plug with a vertical movement through a storage container containing plugs a gripper on a picking line may receive the plug and transfers it to the location of a paint can to be closed for inserting the plug into place in the lid of the paint can.
The plugging system of the invention may be erected in a considerably small space, which enables extremely economical implementation. This opens up an opportunity to provide an automated toning line in paint store premises in an economical manner.
In the following, the invention will be described in greater detail in connection with preferred embodiments, with reference to the attached simplified schematic drawings, in which
When a paint can to be toned is processed, its lid 1 is first provided with a hole 2. After the hole 2 is made, the paint can is transferred under paste nozzles for toning. After the toning is completed, the paint can is transferred to a plugging station for being processed with a paint can plugging system, which the present invention only concerns.
With reference to
The plugging system of the invention in
In accordance with
In accordance with
In order to remove a plug 3 that is in a wrong position in the picker 7 or that is in a correct position in the picker 7, but on top of which extra plugs 3 have possibly accumulated, there is additionally arranged a dragging member, a jolter or the like (not shown herein) to cover the travel of the picker 7.
A preferred embodiment of the gripper 8 shown in
In order to detect the can lid 2 when fitting the plug 3, there is arranged a spring system 16 between the lower part of the frame 12 of the gripper 8 and the annular part 13 arranged therein for providing vertical elasticity between the lower part of the frame 12 and the annular part 13. This spring system appears only in
In the described example, in the lower part of the frame 12 of the gripper 8 there are arranged means 17 for detecting the plug 3 and its location at any particular time. These detecting means comprise a probe 17 arranged in the lower part of the frame 12 and moving in a vertical direction into and out of said frame, the end of the probe being provided with a detecting sensor (not shown). For instance, an optical sensor, a capacitive sensor, a distance-measuring laser or compressed air may also be used as the detecting means.
The means for implementing the mutual vertical movement of the gripper 8 and the paint can and thereby pressing the plug 3 into place in the paint can lid 1 are here simply comprised by a vertically movable base (not shown) of the paint can. Alternatively, a vertically movable gripper 8 could also be considered.
The above-described system for plugging paint cans in accordance with the invention operates as follows:
First, in accordance with
Next, in accordance with
Then the gripper 8, or the paint can in relation thereto, is transferred (either with an integrated or separate transfer device, not shown) to the location of the hole 2 in the paint can lid 1 waiting for plugging (
After plugging the paint can is transferred to a mixer and after mixing the can is handed over to the customer.
The above description of the invention is only intended to illustrate the basic idea of the invention. Thus, a person skilled in the art may implement the details of the invention in a variety of ways within the scope of the attached claims.
Claims
1-12. (canceled)
13. A system for plugging paint cans, which system is arranged to press a hollow, cuplike, elastic plug provided with protruding circumferential rim into a hole made in a paint can lid in a sealed manner by means of the plug's shape, whereby the circumferential rim of the plug mounted in place is supported to the surface of the paint can lid, wherein the system comprises:
- a storage container for plugs;
- a picker for picking one plug at a time from the storage container;
- a gripper for gripping the plug picked from the storage container and for carrying it above a container lid to be closed; and
- means for performing a mutual vertical movement of the gripper and the paint can in order for thereby pressing the plug in place in a sealed manner in the lid of the paint can;
- wherein: the picker is arranged to move vertically through the storage container and the upper part thereof is shaped to receive a cuplike part of the plug such that the circumferential rim of the plug rests against the upper surface of the upper part of the picker; and at least the upper part of the picker is tubular.
14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a vertical spring system arranged in the picker.
15. The system of claim 13, wherein the storage container has a substantially flat bottom.
16. The system of claim 13, wherein the storage container comprises a conical lower part, the picker being arranged to move through a lowest extending area of the conical lower part.
17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a downwardly pointing tubular extension which protrudes from the conical part, through which downwardly pointing tubular extension the picker is arranged to move.
18. The system of claim 13, wherein the gripper comprises a vertical structure that is movable in a lateral direction and which in turn comprises a frame and a sleeve-type annular part arranged in a lower part of the frame, an inner side of a downwardly-pointing end of which ends in a downwardly-widening, conical inner rim, whose smallest inner diameter is inferior to an outer diameter of the circumferential rim of the plug, the inner diameter of the annular part thereabove being at least equal to the outer diameter of the circumferential rim of the plug for the height of the circumferential rim of the plug, the lower part of the frame, whose lower surface substantially corresponds in shape to that of the upper surface of the plug, extending inside the annular part for mutual vertical movement of the annular part and the lower part of the frame in order for pressing the plug into the paint can lid.
19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a spring system located between the lower part of the frame of the gripper and the annular part arranged thereto, the spring system being configured for vertical elasticity between the lower part of the frame and the annular part.
20. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for detecting the plug and its location arranged in the lower part of the frame of the gripper.
21. The system of claim 20, wherein the detecting means comprise a detecting probe arranged in the lower part of the frame and moving in the vertical direction into and out of the frame, the head of the detecting probe being provided with a sensor.
22. The system of claim 20, wherein the detecting means comprises one of an optical sensor, a capacitive sensor, a distance-measuring laser, and compressed air.
23. The system of claim 18, wherein the sleeve is provided with a sensor for detecting the can lid.
24. The system of claim 13, wherein the means for performing the mutual vertical movement of the gripper and the paint can comprise a vertically movable base of the paint can.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 19, 2010
Publication Date: Nov 15, 2012
Inventor: Pentii Airaksinen (Oulu)
Application Number: 13/510,574
International Classification: B65B 7/28 (20060101);