ROTARY DANCER FOR A PACKAGING MACHINE
The present invention relates to a packaging machine (1), which unrolls a lower film web (8) from a supply roller (52) and transports it intermittently or continuously along the packaging machine and thereby forms packaging recesses (6) in the lower film web (8) in a forming station (2), after which the packaging recesses are filled with a product (16) to be packaged, wherein an upper film web (14) is subsequently sealed onto the lower film web (8) in a sealing station (15), wherein the upper film web (14) is unrolled from a supply roller (22). Provided downstream of the supply roller is a dancer (20), which has at least one, preferably two rollers (23.1, 23.2), which are provided on a linkage (23.4), which, driven by a rotary drive, rotates about an axis of rotation (23.3) and thereby stores a certain length of film web (8, 14) and/or produces a certain tension in the film web (8, 14).
The present invention relates to a packaging machine having a dancer, a sheet-material brake, an adhesive-bonding table and/or a sheet-material roll.
Such packaging machines are known from the prior art. In the case of said packaging machines, a lower sheet-material web is unrolled from a supply roll and transported preferably in an intermittent manner along the packaging machine. In a forming station, in the first, instance a packaging cavity is formed in the lower sheet-material web, said packaging cavity then being filled with a product, in particular a food. Thereafter, the packaging cavity is closed by an upper sheet material, which is sealed onto the lower sheet material, in a sealing station. The sheet-material web here is likewise unrolled from a supply roll. A dancer is provided between the supply roll and the sealing station, and has to be adapted to the forward pull executed by the lower sheet-material web during an advancement operation. For this purpose, it has been necessary in the past to provide a dancer which is designed individually in each case for the packaging machine, and this has been found to involve very high outlay.
It was therefore the object of the present invention to provide a packaging machine which does not have the disadvantages of the prior art.
The object is achieved by a packaging machine which unrolls a lower sheet-material web from a supply roil and transports it in an intermittent or continuous manner along the packaging machine and, in a forming station, forms packaging cavities in the lower sheet-material web, said packaging cavities then being filled with a product, wherein, thereafter, in upper sheet-material web is sealed onto the lower sheet-material web in a sealing station, wherein the upper sheet-material web is unrolled from a supply roll, and a dancer is provided downstream of at least one supply roll, said dancer having one roller, preferably two rollers, which are provided on a linkage which, driven by a rotary drive, rotates about a rotary pin and thus stores a certain length of sheet-material web and/or generates a desired level of tensioning in the sheet-material web.
The present invention relates to a packaging machine in which a lower sheet-material web, in particular a plastics sheet-material web, preferably having a width between 200 mm and 1 m or more, is unrolled from a supply roll and transported preferably in an intermittent manner along the packaging machine. In a forming station, said lower sheet-material web is then first of all heated and a thermoforming tool is used to form packaging cavities in the lower sheet-material web. It is usually the case that a plurality of packaging cavities, arranged in a so-called format, are formed at the same time and, thereafter, are transported along the packaging machine at the same time. Subsequently, each packaging cavity is filled with a product, in particular a food, for example sausage, ham or cheese, and, in a next step, is closed by an upper sheet material in a sealing station, wherein the upper sheet material is usually sealed onto the lower sheet-material web. The pack completed in this way is then separated. The upper sheet-material web is likewise unrolled from a supply roll.
According to the invention, a dancer is provided downstream of the respective supply roll, as seen in relation to the transporting direction of the respective sheet-material web, at least in the region of the upper sheet-material web, but possibly also in the region of the lower sheet-material web, said dancer having preferably two rollers, which are provided on a linkage which, driven by a rotary drive, rotates about a rotary pin and thus stores a certain length of sheet material and/or generates the desired level of tensioning in the sheet material web. The dancer is consequently suitable as a material store, since the operation of unwinding the sheet-material web from the supply roll has a different speed profile from the operation of advancing the sheet-material web.
A linkage within the content of the invention is any desired component which is made up, for example, of rods, tubes, profiles and/or metal sheets and/or plates. However, it is also possible for the linkage to be a primary-formed component that has subsequent work carried out on it if appropriate. At least two rotatable, in particular non-driven, rollers are arranged on said linkage.
The dancer is preferably provided with a means which senses the angular position of the linkage. As result, a control unit to which said means is connected knows the length of the sheet-material web located in the dancer and/or the control unit can calculate, for example, the number of degrees by which the position of the linkage has to be changed in order to achieve a certain level of tensioning in the sheet material.
According to the invention, the dancer, in particular the linkage, is provided with, and/or connected to, a rotary drive, which rotates the linkage, and therefore the two rollers, simultaneously about the rotary pin of the linkage and thus changes the length of the sheet-material web stored in the dancer and/or the level of tensioning of the sheet material. The rotary drive is preferably a pneumatic drive, a servomotor or a stepping motor. For the case where the rotary drive is a pneumatic drive, the pressure is preferably adapted in dependence on the angular position of the linkage. This can take place, for example, by way of a proportional valve. Starting from a zero position, the pressure preferably drops and then increases again up to the end position of the linkage. The pressure profile particularly preferably corresponds to a cosine curve, wherein it should particularly preferably be the case that the pressure is not zero at any point in time.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one roller of the dancer is, preferably all the rollers of the dancer are, mounted by means of bearings at the two opposite ends. This gives rise to a more uniform load distribution along the roller. In particular, the bending of the latter is at least reduced and/or largely symmetrical over the width of the sheet material, which is of critical importance in particular in the case of wide sheet-material webs, preferably >400 mm, in order to achieve a tensioning profile which is as constant as possible, and/or at least symmetrical, over the entire width of the sheet-material web, i.e. in a direction transverse to the transporting direction thereof.
The two bearings of each roller are preferably supported on a wall located on one side of the sheet-material web. This means that the region beneath the dancer is freely accessible and can be seen and, if required, worked on.
The dancer, in particular the linkage, is preferably fully enclosed by a housing. The sheet-material web passes into the housing, and out of the housing, through slots. The dancer is thus protected against splashing, for example during cleaning.
The surrounding machine region in which the dancer is arranged is particularly preferably fully enclosed by a housing. As an alternative, or in addition, the housing is provided such that, once an access door has been opened, the entire dancer, but in particular the linkage, is freely accessible.
The rollers, in particular the rotary bearings thereof, are preferably grounded, and this means that there is no undesired spontaneous discharge on account of electrostatic charging. The rotary bearings are preferably rolling-contact bearings.
According to a further invention-specific or preferred subject matter of the present invention, a sheet-material brake is provided downstream of the dancer, as seen in relation to the transporting direction of the upper and lower sheet-material webs, but in particular the upper sheet-material web, said sheet-material brake being required in particular for the purpose of positioning the upper sheet-material web on the lower sheet-material web, for example for the purpose of positioning printed patterns which are often provided on the upper sheet-material web.
Said sheet-material brake is preferably mounted by means of bearings in a pivotable manner, in particular such that it can be pivoted about a vertical pin and/or a horizontal pin. It is thus possible for the sheet-material brake to be pivoted from its orientation in the production position, i.e. in a direction transverse to the transporting direction of the lower sheet-material web, into a position in which it is, for example, parallel to the transporting direction of the lower sheet-material web, this region therefore being accessible in order to be inspected or worked on. A connecting means, in particular a latching means, is preferably provided opposite the vertical rotary pin, on the other side of the sheet-material web, and can be used to fix the sheet-material brake in its production position in a direction transverse to the transporting direction of the lower sheet-material web. Said connecting means is actuated preferably without any tools being used. Furthermore, the sheet-material brake preferably comprises a first part and a second part, which are connected to one another, wherein the first part and the second part have provided between them a gap, through which the sheet-material web, in particular the upper sheet-material web, runs during production and in the region of which is provided a braking means, for example an inflatable hose, by means of which the transportation of the upper sheet material can be braked, as result of which the sheet-material web is stretched. It is preferable, then, for the second part to be mounted on the first part in a rotatable manner, in particular about a vertical rotary pin, or vice versa. It is thus possible, in particular for the purpose of threading the sheet-material web in, for the second part to be rotated away from the first part, for the sheet-material web to be placed in position, and for the second part then to be rotated back again and arrested in a position parallel to the first part. This preferred embodiment of the present invention makes it considerably easier for the sheet-material web to be threaded into the sheet-material brake.
Yet another invention-specific or preferred subject matter of the present invention is a packaging machine which has a cutting and adhesive-bonding table. Such a cutting and adhesive-bonding table is required, in particular, for changing over a sheet-material roll, in which operation the end of the used-up sheet-material roll is connected to the start of the new sheet-material roll.
The cutting and adhesive-bonding table preferably has at least one aperture, preferably more than one aperture, connected to an, in particular joint, vacuum means. By virtue of said vacuum means, the two sheet-material webs which are to be joined together are fixed on the table and can be worked on accordingly. As an alternative, it is also possible to fix the sheet-material web using adhesive pads or an inflatable hose.
The apertures can preferably be provided, in an optional and reversible manner, with a suction-attachment means or with a dummy plug. The suction-attachment means preferably has a perforated plate. The perforated plate can be used to transfer the vacuum onto the respective sheet-material web. A dummy plug covers the aperture so that, in this region, the sheet-material web is not subjected to any suction-attachment force. The positioning of the apertures and the usage of the suction-attachment means and of the dummy plugs make it possible for the cutting and adhesive-bonding table to be adapted, for example, to the width, but also to the nature, of the respective sheet-material web, without any need for different cutting and/or adhesive-bonding tables having to be provided for the respective sheet-material web. The apertures are preferably arranged along a line, in particular in an equidistant manner. The cutting and adhesive-bonding table particularly preferably has at least two, in particular parallel, rows of apertures. As an alternative, or in addition, to the perforated plate, it is also possible to use a slotted nozzle or a porous, for example sintered, material.
The cutting and adhesive-bonding table is preferably provided in a pivotable and/or easily installable manner on the packaging machine, which improves the accessibility of the latter. The cutting and adhesive-bonding table is preferably arranged upstream of the dancer, as seen in relation to the transporting direction of the sheet-material web, but is particularly preferably arranged directly behind the sheet-material roll.
Yet another invention-specific or preferred subject matter of the present invention is a packaging machine which has rollers in the case of which the bearing seat is connected to the rotary body of the roller by means of a laser weld seam. This invention-specific or preferred embodiment of the invention has the advantage that the rollers exhibit considerably less thermal distortion than rollers according to the prior art. Nevertheless, they are completely water-tight.
It is preferably the case that, upstream of the sealing station, the upper sheet-material web runs, at least in part, parallel to the machine frame and parallel to the transporting direction of the lower sheet-material web. As an alternative, it is also possible for the running direction of the upper sheet-material web to be arranged, in part, at 90 degrees to the machine frame, as a result of which use can be made, for example, of particularly large, and therefore for the most part also heavy, supply rolls, which have a high capacity for storing sheet material.
Yet another preferred subject matter of the present invention is a packaging machine which has at least one labeler and/or a printer, arranged preferably downstream of the supply roll and upstream of the dancer.
Yet another preferred subject matter of the present invention is a packaging machine which has an auxiliary withdrawal means for the upper sheet material, said withdrawal means driving the upper sheet-material web, prior to it entering into the sealing station, preferably synchronously with the intermittent transporting movement of the lower sheet-material web. For example in the case of sensitive, e.g. very thin, sheet materials and/or sheet materials with rubber-like expansion behavior, this therefore minimizes the tensile forces acting on the new sealing seam and thus possible creasing in the region of the sealing seam. The upper sheet-material web here is clamped preferably between two deflecting rollers which are prestressed in relation to one another, and of which at least one deflecting roller is driven. For the purpose of threading the upper sheet-material web in, it is possible to release the prestressing between the two deflecting rollers and to move the latter apart from one another preferably by a reasonable amount.
Yet another subject matter of the present invention is a method of threading a sheet-material web into a dancer, wherein the rollers of the dancer can be transferred into a threading-in position. In this threading-in position, the sheet-material web can be drawn essentially along a straight line, preferably vertically, through the dancer and need not be guided, with high outlay, around the rollers. This is advantageous, in particular, in the case of a dancer which has rollers which are mounted by means of bearings at both ends. As soon as the sheet-material web is threaded into the dancer, the latter assumes its zero position and, subsequently, its storage position.
What has been said in relation to the packaging machines according to the invention applies in equal measure to the method according to the invention, and vice versa.
It is preferably the case, for the purpose of threading the sheet-material web into the sheet-material brake, that one part of the sheet-material brake is moved away, in particular rotated away, and then, as soon as the sheet-material web extends through the sheet-material brake, is rotated back again.
The inventions will be explained hereinbelow with reference to
In the figures:
As can be gathered from
All the other rollers provided in the region of the packaging machine according to the invention preferably produced in this way.
- 1 Packaging machine
- 2 Forming station, thermoforming station
- 3 Upper tool of the thermoforming station
- 4 Lower tool of the thermoforming station
- 5 Lifting table, carrier of a tool of the sealing station, thermoforming station and/or of the cutting device
- 6 Packaging cavity
- 7 First filling station
- 8 Sheet-material web, lower sheet-material web
- 9 Lifting device
- 10 Drive
- 11 Lower tool of the sealing station
- 12 Upper tool of the sealing station
- 13 Heating means
- 14 Upper sheet-material web, cover sheet material
- 15 Sealing station
- 16 Product
- 17 Longitudinal cutter
- 18 Cross cutter
- 19 Entry region
- 20 Dancer
- 21 Supply roll of the upper sheet-material web
- 22 Roller for deflecting sheet-material web
- 23 Rotary part
- 23.1 First roller for deflecting sheet-material web
- 23.2 Second roller for deflecting sheet-material web
- 23.3 Rotary pin
- 23.4 Lever, connection, connecting linkage
- 24 Housing
- 25 Suspension means, pull rods
- 26 Installation means, wall
- 27 Hinge
- 28 Door
- 29 Cover
- 30 Entry roller
- 31 Entry gap
- 32 Sheet-material brake
- 32.1 First part
- 32.2 Second part
- 33 Bearing
- 34 Rotary and/or bearing pin
- 35 Handle
- 36 Closure, quick-action closure
- 37 Closure
- 38 Rotary pin, in particular removable rotary pin
- 39 Cutting and adhesive-bonding table
- 40 First, clamping means
- 41 Second clamping means
- 42 Entry roller
- 43 Exit roller
- 44 Adhering means, suction-attachment box
- 44.1 Covering, perforated plate
- 44.2 Insert
- 45 Dummy plug
- 46 Cutting guide
- 47 Rotary body
- 48 Rotary bearing, rolling-contact bearing
- 49 Rotary spindle
- 50 Bearing seat
- 51 Weld seam, laser weld seam
- 52 Supply roll of the lower sheet-material web
- 53 First end of the roller
- 54 Second end of the roller
- 55 Frame
Claims
1. A packaging machine comprising:
- a forming station; and
- a sealing station;
- wherein the packaging machine unrolls a lower sheet-material web from a supply roll of the lower sheet-material web, the packaging machine transports the lower sheet-material web in an intermittent or continuous manner along the packaging machine;
- wherein packaging cavities are formed in the lower sheet-material web in the forming station, the packaging cavities are then filled with a product,
- wherein after the packaging cavities are filled with the product, an upper sheet-material web is sealed onto the lower sheet-material web in the sealing station;
- wherein the upper sheet-material web is unrolled from a supply roll of the upper-sheet material web;
- wherein the packaging machine comprises a dancer that is provided downstream of at least one of the supply roll, the dancer having two rollers, which are provided on a linkage which, driven by a rotary drive, rotates the dancer about a rotary pin provided between the two rollers; and
- wherein the dancer stores a certain length of the lower sheet-material web and the upper sheet-material web and/or generates a desired level of tensioning in the lower sheet-material web and the upper sheet-material web.
2. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the packaging machine comprises a means that senses an angular position of the linkage.
3. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotary drive is a pneumatic drive, a servomotor or a stepping motor, or the rotary drive is a rotary motor with a transmission.
4. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the two rollers are mounted by means of bearings at two opposite ends.
5. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the bearings are supported on a wall.
6. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rollers are grounded.
7. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a sheet-material brake provided downstream of the dancer.
8. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein the sheet-material brake is mounted by means of bearings in a pivotable manner such that the sheet-material can be pivoted about a vertical pin.
9. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein the sheet-material brake has a first part and a second part, which are provided for movement, in particular rotation, in relation to one another by way of a pin.
10. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the packaging machine comprises a cutting and adhesive-bonding table.
11. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 10, wherein the cutting and adhesive-bonding table has apertures connected to a vacuum means.
12. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 11, wherein the apertures can be provided optionally with a suction-attachment means or a dummy plug.
13. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the packaging machine comprises rollers in a case of which a rotary spindle is connected to a rotary body of a roller by means of a laser weld seam.
14. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 13, wherein at least one of the rollers has a rotary bearing, which is grounded.
15. A method of threading a sheet-material web into a dancer, comprising:
- transferring rollers of the dancer into a threading-in position; and
- drawing the sheet-material web along a straight line through the dancer for the threading-in.
16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein for threading the sheet-material web into a sheet-material brake, one part of the sheet-material brake is moved away, in particular rotated away, from another part the sheet-material brake.
17. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein the wall is located on one side of the lower sheet-material web or the upper sheet-material web.
18. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dancer is fully enclosed by a housing.
19. The packaging machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein at the adhesive-bonding table, an end of a used-up sheet-material roll is connected to a start of a new sheet-material roll.
20. A packaging machine comprising:
- a forming station;
- a sealing station;
- a dancer, the dancer comprising two rollers, the rollers are provided on a linkage which, driven by a rotary drive, rotate the dancer about a rotary pin provided between the two rollers, the dancer is fully enclosed by a housing;
- a means that senses an angular position of the linkage;
- a sheet-material brake provided downstream of the dancer, the sheet-material brake is mounded by means of bearings in a pivotable manner such that the sheet-material brake is pivotable about a vertical pin; and
- a cutting and adhesive-bonding table, the cutting and adhesive table having apertures connected to a vacuum means, at the adhesive-bonding table, an end of a used-up sheet-material roll is connected to a start of a new sheet-material roll;
- wherein at least one of the two rollers of the dancer are mounted by means of bearings at two opposite ends, the bearings are supported on a wall, the wall is located on
- one side of the lower sheet-material web or the sheet-material web;
- wherein the rollers are grounded;
- wherein the packaging machine unrolls a lower sheet-material web from a supply roll of the lower sheet-material web, the packaging machine transports the lower sheet-material web in an intermittent or continuous manner along the packaging machine;
- wherein packaging cavities are formed in the lower sheet-material web in the forming station, the packaging cavities are then filled with a product;
- wherein after the packaging cavities are filled with the product, an upper sheet-material web is sealed onto the lower sheet-material web in the sealing station;
- wherein the upper sheet-material web is unrolled from a supply roll of the upper-sheet material web:
- wherein dancer that provided downstream of at least one of the supply rolls;
- wherein the dancer stores a certain length of the lower sheet-material web and the upper sheet-material web and generates a desired level of tensioning in the lower sheet-material web and the upper sheet-material web.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 10, 2015
Publication Date: Nov 16, 2017
Inventor: Frank Sabato (Biedenkopf)
Application Number: 15/531,813