METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PORTION PACKAGING OF FLAT PRODUCTS
The disclosure relates to a method and to a device for portion packaging of flat products, such as potato chips, in which the products are conveyed as product portions along a plurality of product conveying sections, which are disposed adjacent to each other, to a product transfer device for transferring the product portions into packaging containers, wherein, between each product conveying section and two transfer conveyors of the product transfer device, which are disposed adjacent next to each other, the product portions delivered via the product conveying section are distributed to the transfer conveyors by means of a redistributing device in such a manner that during occurrence of a conveying gap between two product portions conveyed on the product conveying section, the redistributing device is switched from a first connection configuration for establishing a conveying connection between the product conveying section and the first transfer conveyor and a second connection configuration for establishing a conveying connection between the product conveying section and the second transfer conveyor, the speed of the product portions on conveying sections of different lengths of the transfer conveyors being influenced by means of a synchronizer in such a manner that at the end of a feed cycle of a packaging unit, which comprises packaging containers disposed in columns and rows of a packaging container matrix of the packaging unit and is moved forward in a clocked manner along a packaging conveying section perpendicular to the product conveying sections, the product portions are transferred from a transfer position into the packaging containers.
The present disclosure relates to a method for portion packaging of flat products and to a device for portion packaging of flat products.
For packaging potato chips in packaging units, it is known for the potato chips to be transferred to a plurality of discharge conveying sections in the discharge area of a deep fryer, said discharge conveying sections being disposed adjacent to each other and taking diverging paths in a track spreading portion for enlarging the spacing between the discharge conveyor sections and ending in product conveying sections which are spaced apart from each other, adjacent next to each other and preferably parallel. Along the product conveying sections, product portions are formed out of the continuously conveyed potato chips, said product portions ultimately being transferred into separate packaging containers in a product packaging area, said packaging containers being transported out of the product packaging area along packaging container conveying section assigned to each of the individual product conveying sections.
In particular with small-sized packaging containers, which can hold only a relatively small quantity of potato chips, the output of a packaging installation that can be achieved at maximum in terms of the amount of product per packaging conveying section is relatively low. Overall, small packaging amounts thus require a disproportionate degree of installation complexity due to the large number of packaging conveying sections.
Hence, the object of the present disclosure is to propose a method and a device for portion packaging of flat products in such a manner that the degree of installation complexity in connection with portion packaging of flat products is reduced.
In the method according to the disclosure, between a product conveying section and two transfer conveyors of a product transfer device, which are disposed adjacent next to each other, the product portions delivered via the product conveying section are distributed to the transfer conveyors by means of a redistributing device in such a manner that during occurrence of a conveying gap between two product portions conveyed on the product conveying section, the redistributing device is switched from a first connection configuration for establishing a conveying connection between the product conveying section and the first transfer conveyor and a second connection configuration for establishing a conveying connection between the product conveying section and the second transfer conveyor, a synchronizer influencing the speeds of the product portions on conveying sections of different lengths of the transfer conveyors in such a manner that at the end of a feed cycle of a packaging unit, which comprises packaging containers disposed in columns and rows of a packaging container matrix of the packaging unit and is moved forward in a clocked manner along a packaging conveying section perpendicular to the product conveying sections, the product portions are transferred from a transfer position into the packaging containers.
Hence, as a result of the distribution of product portions conveyed via the product conveying sections onto a plurality of transfer conveyors in combination with the provision of a packaging unit comprising a plurality of packaging containers disposed in a matrix array, the packaging output related to the packaging unit and to the packaging conveying section substantially increases according to the disclosure while there is only one packaging conveying section. Instead of a plurality of packaging conveying sections, which each serve to convey packaging units having little product holding capacity, as little as one packaging conveying section is sufficient when implementing the method according to the disclosure, which means that implementation of the method requires a correspondingly lower degree of installation complexity.
Preferably, the feed motion carried out in the feed cycle along the packaging conveying section corresponds to the product of the column spacing of the packaging container matrix and the number of columns of the packaging container matrix.
Particularly advantageous integration of the packaging container production into the packaging process is possible if packaging units are produced in a packaging container production portion of the packaging conveying section while the product portions are being conveyed on the transfer conveyors.
In the packaging container production portion of the packaging conveying section, packaging units comprising packaging containers disposed in a packaging container matrix are preferably produced out of plastic film in a thermoforming process, and once a packaging container unit has been produced, it is moved forward in a clocked manner into a product transfer area of the product transfer device with a feed motion corresponding to the product of the column spacing and the number of columns.
According to the disclosure, the device has a product transfer device for transferring the product portions into packaging containers, a redistributing device being provided between each product conveying section and two transfer conveyors, which are disposed adjacent next to each other, said redistributing device being switchable between a first connection configuration for establishing a conveying connection between the product conveying section and the first transfer conveyor and a second connection configuration for establishing a conveying connection between the product conveying section and the second transfer conveyor, the transfer conveyors of the product transfer device, which have conveying sections of different lengths, each being provided with a synchronizer for synchronized arrival of the product portions in a transfer position at a transfer end of the transfer conveyors, and a packaging conveyor for clocked conveying of packaging units, which comprise packaging containers disposed in a packaging container matrix, along a packaging conveying section disposed perpendicular to the product conveying sections.
Preferably, a thermoforming unit for producing packaging units which comprise the packaging containers disposed in a packaging container matrix out of plastic film is provided in a packaging container production portion of the packaging conveying section.
If the product transfer device has at least one transfer unit comprising a plurality of transfer conveyors forming conveying sections of different lengths in such a manner that the transfer ends of the transfer conveyors are disposed on a transfer line inclined at a transfer angle relative to the conveying direction of the packaging conveyor, packaging containers of the packaging unit which are located in different rows and columns of the matrix array of the packaging unit can be filled simultaneously.
Preferably, the foremost transfer conveyor of a transfer unit in the conveying direction forms the shortest conveying section of the transfer unit and the rearmost transfer conveyor in the conveying direction forms the longest conveying section of the transfer unit.
Preferably, a number of product conveyors that corresponds to half of the number of transfer conveyors is assigned to each transfer unit.
If the number of transfer units of the product transfer device corresponds to the number of forming stamps of a forming tool of the thermoforming unit comprising forming stamps disposed in the form of a matrix which are disposed in columns oriented perpendicular to the conveying direction and the number of transfer conveyors of transfer units corresponds to the number of rows of forming stamps oriented in the conveying direction, the device can be ideally adapted to the matrix of the packaging unit.
The redistributing device can be realized as a conveying device which can be pivoted in the horizontal plane and which is preferably realized as a conveyor belt device.
The synchronizer of the transfer conveyors of the product transfer device can be realized as a stop device that can be pivoted about a horizontal axis in the conveying direction of the transfer conveyors.
Another advantageous embodiment of the synchronizer is realized as a conveyor belt device which is disposed above the transfer conveyors and which circulates in the conveying direction and which has at least two stop devices whose mutual distance can be changed and which can be moved independently of each other, which means that the synchronizer can selectively accelerate or decelerate the product portions intended for packaging along the conveying section of the transfer conveyors.
Preferably, an introducing element is provided for filling product portions from the transfer end of the transfer conveyors into a packaging container of the packaging unit.
If the introducing element can be pivoted about a horizontal axis, the position of the introducing element can be adapted to the position of the packaging container.
It is particularly advantageous if the introducing element is disposed between a transfer end of the transfer conveyor and a move-along element, which extends the conveying section of the transfer conveyor, in such a manner that the introducing element can be pivoted between a filling position for filling the product portions into the packaging container and a move-along position for moving the product portions along, which means that in the event of errors during production of the packaging units, for example, the product portions conveyed from the transfer conveyors into the product transfer area can be removed from the packaging process.
Hereinafter, a preferred variation of the method and an advantageous embodiment of the device used in said method will be explained in more detail based on the drawing.
In the case at hand, as shown in
Transfer conveyors 41 and 42 are each provided with a synchronizer 50 that has a stop 49 which can be pivoted about a horizontal pivot axis 48 as illustrated in
As further illustrated in
In
In a schematic illustration,
As shown in
As becomes clear from spacing p formed between individual product portions 47, the portion spacing basically increases because of alternating distribution of product portions 47 conveyed on redistributing devices 37 to respectively assigned transfer conveyors 66, 67 and 68, 69 and 70, 71, respectively. Moreover, it can also be seen that the spacing between product portions 47, starting with a spacing p1 on transfer conveyor 66 up to a portion spacing p6 on transfer conveyor 71, becomes gradually larger, the increase in portion spacing p being brought about by means of synchronizer 50 with the aim that product portions 47 conveyed on respective transfer conveyors 66 to 77 arrive at transfer ends 72 of transfer conveyors 66 to 71 at substantially the same time so that product portions 47 disposed at transfer end 72 can be transferred into packaging containers 75 simultaneously.
In
In
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In addition to the embodiments illustrated in
Claims
1. A method for portion packaging of flat products, such as potato chips, in which the products are conveyed as product portions along a plurality of product conveying sections, which are disposed adjacent to each other, to a product transfer device for transferring the product portions into packaging containers, wherein, between each product conveying section and two transfer conveyors of the product transfer device which are disposed adjacent next to each other, the product portions delivered via the product conveying section are distributed to the transfer conveyors with a redistributing device in such a manner that during occurrence of a conveying gap between two product portions conveyed on the product conveying section, the redistributing device is switched from a first connection configuration for establishing a conveying connection between the product conveying section and the first transfer conveyor and a second connection configuration for establishing a conveying connection between the product conveying section and the second transfer conveyor, the speed of the product portions on conveying sections of different lengths of the transfer conveyors being influenced by means of a synchronizer in such a manner that at the end of a feed cycle of a packaging unit, which comprises packaging containers disposed in columns and rows of a packaging container matrix of the packaging unit and is moved forward in a clocked manner along a packaging conveying section perpendicular to the product conveying sections, the product portions are transferred from a transfer position into the packaging containers.
2. The method according to claim 1,
- wherein
- the feed motion carried out along the packaging conveying section in the feed cycle corresponds to the product of the column spacing a of the packaging container matrix and the number of columns of the packaging container matrix.
3. The method according to claim 2,
- wherein
- during conveying of the product portions on the transfer conveyors, packaging units are produced in a packaging container production portion of the packaging conveying section.
4. The method according to claim 3,
- wherein
- in the packaging container production portion of the packaging conveying section, packaging units comprising packaging containers disposed in a packaging container matrix are produced out of plastic film in a thermoforming process, and once a packaging container unit has been produced, it is moved forward in a clocked manner into a product transfer area of the product transfer device by a feed motion corresponding to the product of the column spacing a and the number of columns.
5. A device for portion packaging of flat products, such as potato chips, the device having a plurality of product conveying sections, which are disposed adjacent next to each other and serve to convey product portions, and a product transfer device for transferring the product portions into packaging containers, a redistributing device being provided between each product conveying section and two transfer conveyors, which are disposed adjacent next to each other, said redistributing device being switchable between a first connection configuration for establishing a conveying connection between the product conveying section and the first transfer conveyor and a second connection configuration for establishing a conveying connection between the product conveying section and the second transfer conveyor, the transfer conveyors of the product transfer device, which have conveying sections of different lengths, are each provided with a synchronizer for synchronized arrival of the product portions in a transfer position at a transfer end of the transfer conveyors, and with a packaging conveyor for clocked conveying of packaging units, which comprise packaging containers disposed in a packaging container matrix, along a packaging conveying section disposed perpendicular to the product conveying sections.
6. The device according to claim 5,
- wherein
- a thermoforming device for producing packaging units comprising packaging containers disposed in a packaging container matrix out of plastic film is provided in a packaging container production portion of the packaging conveying section.
7. The device according to claim 5,
- wherein
- the product transfer device has at least one transfer unit comprising a plurality of transfer conveyors forming conveying sections of different lengths in such a manner that the transfer ends of the transfer conveyors are disposed on a transfer line which is inclined at a transfer angle α relative to the conveying direction V of the packaging conveyor.
8. The device according to claim 7,
- wherein
- the foremost transfer conveyor of a transfer unit in the conveying direction forms the shortest conveying section of the transfer unit, and the rearmost transfer conveyor in the conveying direction forms the longest conveying section of the transfer unit.
9. The device according to claim 5,
- wherein
- a number of product conveyors corresponding to half of the number of transfer conveyors is assigned to each transfer unit.
10. The device according to claim 5,
- wherein
- the number of transfer units of the product transfer device corresponds to the number of forming stamps of a forming tool of the thermoforming unit comprising forming stamps disposed in the form of a matrix which are disposed in columns oriented perpendicular to the conveying direction V, and the number of transfer conveyors of the transfer units corresponds to the number of rows of the forming stamps, which are oriented in the conveying direction V.
11. The device according to claim 5,
- wherein
- the redistributing device is realized as a conveying device that can be pivoted in the horizontal plane.
12. The device according to claim 11,
- wherein
- the conveying device is realized as a conveyor belt device.
13. The device according to claim 5,
- wherein
- the synchronizer of the transfer conveyors of the product transfer device is realized as a stop device that can be pivoted about a horizontal axis in the conveying direction of the transfer conveyors.
14. The device according to claim 5,
- wherein
- the synchronizer of the transfer conveyors is realized as a conveyor belt device which is disposed above the transfer conveyors and which circulates in the conveying direction and which has at least two stop devices whose mutual distance can be changed and which can be moved independently of each other.
15. The device according to claim 5,
- wherein
- an introducing element is provided for filling product portions from the transfer end of the transfer conveyors into a packaging container of the packaging unit.
16. The device according to claim 15,
- wherein
- the introducing element can be pivoted about a horizontal axis.
17. The device according to claim 16,
- wherein
- the introducing element is disposed between a transfer end of the transfer conveyor and a move-along element, which extends the conveying section of the transfer conveyor, in such a manner that the introducing element can be pivoted between a filling position for filling the product portions into the packaging container and a move-along position for moving the product portions along.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 6, 2017
Publication Date: Jan 16, 2020
Inventors: PETER LOEKOES (LOLLAR), WITALI FISCHBUCH (Asslar)
Application Number: 16/336,564