Disclosed is a method for inspecting containers provided with container closures, wherein the container closure has a closure cap screwed onto a mouth of the container, a securing device arranged on the container below the mouth in a longitudinal direction of the container, a connecting strand that connects the securing device to the closure cap, a first fastening section where the connecting strand is fastened to the closure cap, and a second fastening section with which the connecting strand is arranged on the securing device, wherein the containers are transported by a transport device and inspected by an inspection unit, wherein a first marking located on the container is recorded in order to determine the rotational position of the container closure from a position of the connecting strand and/or a position of at least one fastening section.

A method and apparatus for applying a cap to a container may include arranging a first cap in relation to the neck portion of a first container, such that a threaded portion of the first cap faces a complementary threaded neck portion of the first container. Further, a symmetry axis of the first cap and a symmetry axis of the neck portion of the first container may be aligned. The first cap may be rotated around its symmetry axis to a pre-recorded initial angular position. The first cap may be applied to the neck portion by moving the cap towards the threaded neck portion or vice versa along their symmetry axes and by rotating the first cap in a direction of engagement with the threaded neck part. A path length of the first cap may be recorded in relation to its initial angular position after which it has completely engaged the complementary threaded neck portion and reached a bottom part of the neck portion. If the recorded path length for the first cap deviates from a predefined value, the initial angular position of a second cap may be adjusted to a new initial angular position.

Machine for applying threaded caps to containers, comprising: gripping means configured to hold the respective containers, at least one screwing head including a respective gripping member configured to hold a respective cap; at least one electric motor associated with said screwing head and configured to control a rotational movement of said gripping member about a longitudinal axis and a translational movement of said gripping member along said longitudinal axis, the translational movement and the rotational movement being synchronized with each other so as to move said gripping member along a screwing path.

A closing apparatus for closing a container with a container closure, for example for closing a container with a screw cap in a beverage filling plant, includes a gripping mechanism for gripping the container closure with at least one gripping arm pivotable about a bearing, an actuating unit for actuating the gripping mechanism, and a detection unit for detecting a stroke of a stroke element of the actuating unit acting on the gripping mechanism. A corresponding method is also described.

A sensorized connector for connecting a capping head, includes at least one main body and a body movable relative to the main body, to a spindle of an actuator, the connector including at least a first portion and a second portion, the first portion including a first coupling device configured to connect the first portion to the main body of the capping head, the second portion including a second coupling device configured to connect the second portion to the spindle of the actuator. The sensorized connector also includes: a position sensor for measuring a position value; a force sensor for measuring a force value; a transmission module, connected to the position sensor and to the force sensor for receiving the position and force values measured by them, and for transmitting said values.

Methods and apparatus for rotating a container delivered to a container manipulation system on a conveyor are described. In some embodiments, first and second carriages are positioned on opposite sides of the conveyor, each carrying respective forward and rear clamp arms. Each clamp arm is selectively independently moveable and carries at least first and second vertically spaced-apart wheels. All of the wheels are engageable with the container on the conveyor. At least two wheels on the first carriage are power-driven and selectively rotatable. The remaining wheels are free-spinning. Additional methods, systems and apparatus are also disclosed.

Containers housed with random angular orientation of their thread in a first plurality of seats present circumferentially in a first rotatable carousel, caps are housed with random angular orientation of their thread in a second plurality of scats present circumferentially in a second rotatable carousel, ae current image is acquired of the thread of the container in transit through a first framing field and a current image of the thread of the cap in transit through a second framing field, a current value is calculated of the angular position of the thread of the cap in transit through the second framing field and a current value of the angular position of the thread of the container in transit through the first framing field by comparing their current image with an optical reconstruction thereof preliminarily learned, and the screwing operation is programmed with the calculated value of the current angular position.

The invention relates to, among other things, a method for operating an apparatus for closing containers. An electric drive device of the apparatus is operated in order to move a closing element of the apparatus to a container received in a container receptacle of the apparatus in order to apply a closure to the container. A following error of the electric drive device during operation of the electric drive device for moving the closing element to the container is monitored via a processing device of the apparatus. If the monitored following error reaches or exceeds a prespecified limit value, the electric drive device is operated to abort the movement of the closing element to the container and to move the closing element away from the container.

Systems, methods, and apparatus are disclosed herein for assembling a container cap to a container, which utilizes one or more independently operated torque limiter assemblies for securing a container top to a container. A packaging system for assembling a container can include chuck assemblies, torque limiter assemblies, and a controller. The controller can be configured to command each chuck assembly and/or torque limiter assembly independently from other assemblies within the packaging system. Threads of the container top and the corresponding attachment component can be properly orientated and aligned independently of other container tops and corresponding attachment components prior to securing action, such as to preclude each attachment component from being over-tightened or under-tightened relative to the respective container.

A control device performs a method for configuring a capping machine, which is operable to engage a threaded cap with a threaded neck of a container. In the method, angular positions, APs, are sequentially selected from a predefined set of APs of the cap, where each AP corresponds to an orientation of the cap relative to the neck. For each AP, a cap mounting test is performed, in which the capping machine is operated to engage a plurality of caps, arranged in the selected AP, with the neck on a respective container. The capping operations are evaluated for consistent capping performance. The method is performed until consistent capping performance is detected for a sequence of adjacent APs corresponding to a sequence of spatially adjacent cap orientations. The capping machine is then configured by setting its operational AP in relation to the sequence of adjacent APs.