WO1998055390A1

WO1998055390A1 - Method for conveying containers in a filling and seaming plant, and device

Info

Publication number: WO1998055390A1
Application number: PCT/IT1998/000137
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lucio Conforti
Original assignee: SASIB SpA Bologna; Sasib Beverage SpA
Current assignee: SASIB SpA Bologna; Sidel SpA
Priority date: 1997-06-06
Filing date: 1998-05-27
Publication date: 1998-12-10
Anticipated expiration: 1999-12-06
Also published as: DE19882452C2; AU7787598A; ITPR970036A1; DE19882452T1; IT1294095B1

Abstract

The invention falls within the sector of filing plants. The steps of conveying the full containers (2) emerging from a rotary filling machine (1) to a rotary seaming machine or closing machine (8) and subsequent conveying of the filled and closed containers (2) towards an exit zone occur in directions which are substantially parallel to one another and substantially perpendicular to the direction of entry of the containers into the filling machine. A chain conveyor (6) provided with dogs (7) which interact with a shaped guide (14, 16) and with a fixed support surface (15, 15a, 15b) is used for conveying the containers (2) between filling machine (1) and seaming machine (8).

Description

METHOD FOR CONVEYING CONTAINERS IN A FILLING AND SEAMING PLANT, AND DEVICE

DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to a method for conveying containers in a filling and seaming plant, in particular for cans, and an associated conveying device. In plants of the known type, the empty containers, for example cans, are fed on an entry conveyor belt and reach a screw which separates them at a predetermined interval prior to entry into a conveyor star wheel which supplies a rotary filling machine.

Once filling has been completed, the full containers emerge from the filling machine on a rectilinear conveyor belt having a direction substantially perpendicular to that of the entry conveyor and intended to feed the containers into a rotary type seaming machine. The seamed containers emerge from the seaming machine by means of an exit star wheel which conveys them on a further rectilinear conveyor having a direction substantially parallel to that of the entry conveyor, but in an opposite sense. A first drawback is due to the particular arrangement of the abovementioned rectilinear conveyors. In fact the exit conveyor from the seaming machine is positioned externally with respect to the internal conveyor for entry into the filling machine and parallel thereto at a distance (more than one metre) such that an operator can only gain access to the internal conveyor by passing underneath the external conveyor or passing over it via a ladder or set of steps. The external conveyor in fact complicates access to the internal zones of the plant. Another drawback is due to the fact that, owing to the particular configuration of the rectilinear conveyors, the plant overall occupies a large area, with vast empty areas which are not used between the individual machines.

EP-B-0544617 discloses a container conveying device for conveying, into a closing machine, the containers emerging full from a filling machine and already with the lid arranged on top of them.

Said conveying device comprises a traditional chain conveyor and two lateral guides between which the containers are guided during their advancing movement. The containers move forwards, sliding on a fixed support surface accompanied by interference means which are associated with the chain conveyor and consist of a plurality of small arms which travel in a slit in the support surface.

According to a variant it is envisaged that the conveyor is a belt conveyor which has the small arms fixed to it and hence does not have the fixed support surface. Both solutions, however, are somewhat complex, owing to the presence of the lid on the containers.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the abovementioned drawbacks and provide a method and a device which allow the containers to be conveyed in the plant in such a way as to leave good access to the internal zones of the plant itself and in particular to the container conveying devices, reducing at the same time the overall dimensions of the plant and the extent of the free areas which are not used.

A further object is that of providing a linear conveyor which is sufficiently simple and reliable, for conveying containers between the filling machine and the seaming machine. These and other objects are fully achieved by the method and by the device which form the subject of the present invention and which are characterized by the contents of the claims below.

The method envisages that the steps of conveying the full containers emerging from the filling machine towards a seaming machine or closing machine of the rotary type and subsequent conveying of the filled and closed containers towards an exit zone are performed in directions which are substantially parallel to one another (with a tolerance, if necessary, of ±20°) and at a distance from one another of less than 0.6-0.7 m. The conveying of the filled and closed containers towards an exit zone is performed in a direction substantially perpendicular to that of entry of the containers into the filling machine (with a tolerance, if necessary, of ±20°). The device conveying the containers from the filling machine to the seaming machine comprises a chain conveyor, the links of which have, fixed to them, carrying elements or dogs which are formed so that, by interacting with a shaped guide, they remove the individual containers from the filling machine, bringing them to the entrance of the seaming machine and at the same time adapting, if necessary, the interval between the containers to the interval of the seaming machine.

These and other characteristic features will emerge more clearly from the following description of a preferred embodiment illustrated, purely by way of a non-limiting example, in the accompanying illustrative plates in which:

- Figure 1 shows a plan view of the plant; - Figure 2 shows a plan view of a detail of the device for conveying the containers from the filling machine to the seaming machine;

- Figure 3 shows a vertical section through a detail of the device according to Figure 2. With reference to the Figures, 1 indicates schematically a rotary filling machine of the known type, which receives at its entry point empty containers 2, for example cans, which are fed by means of a rectilinear conveyor 3 located alongside a screw 4 which separates the containers by an interval corresponding to that of the entry star wheel 5. The filled containers emerge from the filling machine after completing a travel path in the anti-clockwise direction through about 270°-290° and are taken up by an original conveying device 13, which is illustrated more clearly in Figures 2 and 3. The conveying device 13 comprises a closed-chain conveyor 13, the links of which have, fixed to them, a plurality of carrying elements or dogs 7 which are formed in the manner of seats and interact with the containers 2 so as to push them along a travel path towards a seaming or closing machine 8 of the known type.

A cap feeding device 9 and a conveyor star wheel 10 are present respectively upstream and downstream of the seaming or closing machine 8.

The conveyor 6 has, arranged alongside it, a shaped guide 14 and fixed support surfaces 15a and 15b for the containers 2. It is possible for there to be a single support surface 15 instead of two separate support surfaces 15a and 15b.

16 denotes an additional guide which has only safety functions for preventing the containers from falling. In fact, said additional guide, unlike the guide 14, does not interfere with the movement of the containers, guiding them towards the seaming machine.

The carrying elements 7 are provided with a lateral flange 7a which interacts with the containers 2 emerging from the filling machine when the latter rest on the support surface 15 (or 15a) and with a lateral flange 7c which interacts with the containers so as to favour entry thereof into the seaming machine when said containers rest on the support surface

15 (or 15b): the combined action of the carrying elements 7 and the lateral guide 14 cause, during feeding of the containers, simultaneous lateral displacement of the containers themselves which gradually pass from the support surface 15 (or 15a) to a base surface 7b of the carrying elements 7 and are progressively displaced on the latter (which is at the same level as the support surface 15) until they pass onto the surface (15 (or 15b), by means of the action of the lateral flange 7c, so as to assume the interval and the position required at the entry point into the rotary seaming machine or closing machine 8.

The conveying device 13 which connects the filling machine to the seaming machine or closing machine therefore has the dual function of conveying the containers and adapting their distance from the interval of the filling machine to the interval of the seaming machine.

This adaptation is performed gradually so as to reduce to a negligible level the accelerations affecting the full and open containers being conveyed towards the seaming machine and therefore avoid possible spillages of liquid due to the accelerations which are typical of the known art.

The containers 2, after they have been closed, are conveyed towards the exit point by means of an exit conveyor 1 1 having a direction which is substantially parallel (with a tolerance, if necessary, of ±20°) to the conveyor 6 and in the opposite sense with respect thereto. The distance between the conveyors 1 1 and 6 is less than 0.6-0.7 m, with the distance between the axes of said conveyors being equivalent preferably to about 0.2-0.4 m, in such a way that an operator is able to gain access easily and directly to the conveyor 6 (which is innermost in the plant with respect to the exit conveyor 11 ) for any urgent maintenance operations or urgent action required in order to remove defective containers. The exit conveyor 11 is positioned in such a way that it has a direction substantially perpendicular (with a tolerance, if necessary, of ±20°) to the direction of feeding of the containers on the rectilinear conveyor 3 for entry into the filling machine. Entry into and exiting from the seaming or closing machine 8 therefore occurs on travel paths which are substantially parallel. As a result of the particular arrangement of the components of the present filling plant, it is possible to use a travel path between the exit from the filling machine and the entry point into the seaming or closing machine which is less than 2 m, namely is substantially shorter than the paths used in the known art (equal to about 4 metres). In this way the air exposure time of the full and open containers is reduced and possible contamination is therefore limited. EP-B-0544617 reduces the air exposure by applying the lids directly at the exit from the filling machine, but these lids, during the travel path between the filling machine and the seaming machine may be displaced, causing problems during the seaming step. The conveyor 6 is arranged substantially parallel to the conveyor 1 1 and perpendicular to the rectilinear conveyor 3 , with tolerances of about ±20 ° .

Claims

1. Method for conveying containers in a bottling and seaming plant, of the type which envisages:

- feeding empty containers to a rotary filling machine;

- filling the containers;

- conveying the full containers emerging from the filling machine towards a seaming machine or closing machine of the rotary type;

- conveying the filled and closed containers towards an exit zone; characterized in that the steps of conveying the full containers emerging from the filling machine towards a seaming machine or a closing machine of the rotary type and subsequent conveying of the filled and closed containers towards an exit zone occur in directions which are substantially parallel and in any case form between them an angle of less than about 20°.

2. Method according to Claim 1, in which the containers between filling and seaming or closing are not subject to significant accelerations, being manipulated in a stable manner without spillage of liquid.

3. Method according to Claim 1, in which conveying of the filled and closed containers towards an exit zone occurs in a direction which is substantially perpendicular (with a tolerance, if necessary, of ±20°) to the direction of feeding of the empty containers into the filling machine.

4. Device for conveying containers from a filling machine to a seaming machine, in a bottling and seaming plant, comprising:

- a rotary filling machine (1) supplied with empty containers (2) from a rectilinear conveyor (3) and from a conveyor star wheel (5);

- a rotary seaming or closing machine (8) which receives by means of a second conveyor the filled containers (2) so as to close them and convey them towards an exit zone, characterized in that said device (13) comprises:

- a shaped guide (14);

- at least one fixed support surface (15, 15a, 15b);

- a second conveyor (6) of the closed-chain type provided with carrying elements or dogs (7) formed in such a way that, by interacting with the shaped guide (14), they remove the individual containers (2) from the filling machine (1), conveying them to the entry point of the rotary seaming or closing machine (8) and at same time performing adaptation, if necessary, of the interval between said containers (2) to the interval of the rotary seaming machine or closing machine (8).

5. Device according to Claim 4, characterized in that each carrying element or dog (7) is provided with a lateral flange (7a) for interaction with the containers (2) in the zone where they rest on the fixed support surface (15, 15a) located at the same level as the base surface (7b) of each carrying element or dog (7).

6. Device according to Claim 5, in which each carrying element or dog (7) is provided with a further lateral flange (7c) for interaction with the containers (2) in the zone, in the vicinity of the entry point into the rotary seaming machine or closing machine (8), where they rest on the fixed support surface (15, 15b) located at the same level as the base surface (7b) of each carrying element or dog (7).

7. Device according to Claim 4, in which said conveyor (6) is positioned so as to be substantially perpendicular, with a tolerance of ±20°, to the rectilinear conveyor (3) for entry into the filling machine and substantially parallel to an exit conveyor (11) from the rotary seaming machine or closing machine (8), with a tolerance of ±20°.

8. Device according to Claim 7, in which the distance between the conveyors (6) and (11) is less than about 0.6 to 0.7 m.

. Plant for filling and seaming containers, characterized by the implementation of a method according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 or in that it comprises a device according to any one ofClaims 4 to 7.

10. Plant according to Claim 9, in which the travel path of the containers (2) from the exit of the rotary filling machine (1) to the entry point into the seaming machine (8) is less than 2 m.