Abstract
A method for packaging products, wherein packaging material web is transported in direction of an upwardly open pair of folding claws, is cut to length while forming a planar blank of the wrapper, and the blank is positioned above the folding claws, wherein the product is metered, the product portion is pre-shaped, and the blank by placing thereon the pre-shaped product portion is folded into the claws while forming the upwardly open wrapper. Thereafter, the upward-projecting lateral longitudinal peripheries of the wrapper are folded inward onto the product portion, whereupon the transverse peripheries of the wrapper which extend perpendicular thereto are folded inward onto the product portion. The lateral longitudinal peripheries and transverse peripheries of the wrapper are folded inward onto the product portion and are simultaneously connected to one another, while the wrapper provided with product portion is still situated in the pair of folding claws.
Claims
1. A method for packaging portioned products which are liquid or pasty at least in a processing state, the method comprising transporting at least one packaging material web in a direction of at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws, cutting the at least one packaging material web to length while forming a substantially planar blank of a wrapper, positioning the blank above the pair of folding claws, metering the products, pre-shaping a product portion, and folding the blank into the pair of folding claws while forming an upward opening of the wrapper by placing thereon the pre-shaped product portion to form an upwardly open wrapper, whereupon upward-projecting lateral longitudinal peripheries of the upwardly open wrapper are folded inward onto the pre-shaped product portion, and whereupon transverse peripheries of the wrapper which extend so as to be substantially perpendicular to the lateral longitudinal peripheries of said upwardly open wrapper are folded inward onto the pre-shaped product portion, further including folding at least the upward-projecting lateral longitudinal peripheries of the upwardly open wrapper inward onto the pre-shaped product portion and simultaneously connecting to one another, while the wrapper provided with the pre-shaped product portion is still situated in the pair of folding claws.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the upward-projecting lateral longitudinal peripheries of the upwardly open wrapper which are folded inward as well as the transverse peripheries of the wrapper which extend so as to be substantially perpendicular to the lateral longitudinal peripheries of said upwardly open wrapper are in each case folded inward onto the pre-shaped product portion and simultaneously connected to one another, while the wrapper provided with the pre-shaped product portion is still situated in the pair of folding claws.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein in a first folding and connecting station, the upward-projecting lateral longitudinal peripheries of the upwardly open wrapper first are folded inward onto the pre-shaped product portion and simultaneously connected to one another, whereupon the pair of folding claws, conjointly with the wrapper situated therein and provided with the pre-shaped product portion, is transferred to a second folding and connecting station at which the transverse peripheries of the wrapper which extend so as to be substantially perpendicular to the lateral longitudinal peripheries of said upwardly open wrapper are in each case folded inward onto the pre-shaped product portion and simultaneously connected to one another.
4. The method according to claim 2, wherein when folding the transverse peripheries of the wrapper onto the pre-shaped product portion, two opposite peripheral portions of the wrapper that are situated between the transverse peripheries of said wrapper, first are in each case folded inward in a substantially triangular shape onto the product portion, whereupon the transverse peripheries are in each case folded outward onto the peripheral portions of the wrapper that have been folded inward in the substantially triangular shape and the transverse peripheries are connected to one another.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: the longitudinal peripheries of the upwardly open wrapper that are folded inward onto the pre-shaped product portion and/or the transverse peripheries of the wrapper that extend so as to be substantially perpendicular to the lateral longitudinal peripheries of the upwardly open wrapper and are folded inward onto the pre-shaped product portion, on account thereof, when folded inward, are simultaneously connected to one another in that said peripheries are sealed to one another.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the products which are liquid or pasty at least in the processing state is pre-shaped in a product-forming duct or in a forming nozzle.
7. A packaging machine for packaging portioned products which are liquid or pasty at least in a processing state in a wrapper that is cut to length from at least one packaging material web comprising: at least one metering installation which is configured for metering a product portion of the products which are liquid or pasty at least in the processing state; at least one pre-shaping installation which is integrated in the at least one metering installation or disposed downstream thereof, and which is configured for pre-shaping the metered product portion so as to form a pre-shaped product portion; at least one transport installation which is configured for transporting the at least one packaging material web in a direction of the at least one pre-shaping installation; at least one cutting installation which is assigned to the at least one transport installation and in a transporting direction thereof is disposed upstream of the at least one pre-shaping installation and which is configured for cutting to length a substantially planar blank of a wrapper from the at least one packaging material web; at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws which are assigned to the at least one pre-shaping installation and disposed downstream of the at least one cutting installation; at least one guiding installation which is configured for transferring the substantially planar blank of the wrapper that by the at least one cutting installation has been cut to length from the at least one packaging material web to a position above the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws; at least one first folding station which is configured for folding lateral longitudinal peripheries of the wrapper which is upwardly open provided with the pre-shaped product portion inward onto the pre-shaped product portion; and at least one second folding station which is disposed downstream of the at least one first folding station and is configured for folding transverse peripheries of the wrapper which extend so as to be substantially perpendicular to the lateral longitudinal peripheries of said wrapper inward onto the pre-shaped product portion; wherein at least the at least one first folding station is configured as a first folding and connecting station and has two first folding and connecting tools which under a contact pressure are able to be converged and diverged, wherein the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws and the first folding and connecting station are able to be moved relative to one another to a first folding and connecting position in which the first folding and connecting station is situated directly above the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws so as to, by relocating the first folding and connecting tools towards one another in a manner substantially parallel to an open upper side of the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws, under a first contact pressure fold the lateral longitudinal peripheries of the upwardly open wrapper provided with the pre-shaped product portion and situated in the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws inward onto the pre-shaped product portion and simultaneously connect said lateral longitudinal peripheries to one another.
8. The packaging machine according to claim 7, wherein the at least one second folding station is configured as a second folding and connecting station and has in each case two second folding and connecting tools which are disposed on opposite open transverse sides of the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws and under a second contact pressure are able to be converged and diverged, wherein the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws and the second folding and connecting station are able to be moved relative to one another to a second folding and connecting position in which the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws that are open in a direction of two transverse sides of the pre-shaped product portion situated in the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws are situated in an interior of the second folding and connecting station so as to fold in each case the lateral transverse peripheries of the wrapper situated in the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws and provided with the pre-shaped product portion inward onto the pre-shaped product portion and simultaneously connect said lateral transverse peripheries to one another.
9. The packaging Packaging machine according to claim 8, wherein the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws is disposed on an external circumference of a rotatingly driven folding wheel, wherein the first folding and connecting station and the second folding and connecting station are disposed on different circumferential regions of the folding wheel.
10. The packaging machine according to claim 9, wherein the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws comprises a plurality of pairs of folding claws, and the plurality of pairs of folding claws are disposed on different circumferential regions of the folding wheel, wherein circumferential spacing between two neighbouring pairs of folding claws corresponds to circumferential spacing between the first folding and connecting station and the second folding and connecting station.
11. The packaging machine according to claim 10, wherein the at least one pre-shaping installation is disposed on a same circumferential region of the folding wheel as the first folding and connecting station.
12. The packaging machine according to claim 8, wherein the second folding and connecting station furthermore has in each case two third folding tools which are in each case able to be converged and diverged in a direction which is parallel to a respective plane of movement of the second folding and connecting tools but substantially perpendicular to a direction of movement of the latter so as to, when folding the transverse peripheries of the wrapper onto the pre-shaped product portion and connecting these transverse peripheries to one another by the second folding and connecting tools, first fold in each case inward in a substantially triangular shape two opposite peripheral portions of the wrapper that are situated between the transverse peripheries of the latter onto the product portion and thereafter by the second folding and connecting tools fold in each case the transverse peripheries of the wrapper outward onto the peripheral portions of the wrapper that have been folded inward in the substantially triangular shape and simultaneously connect said transverse peripheries to one another.
13. The packaging machine according to claim 8, wherein: the first folding and connecting tools of the first folding and connecting station and/or the second folding and connecting tools of the second folding and connecting station are formed by sealing tools.
14. The packaging machine according to claim 7, wherein the at least one pre-shaping installation: has at least one product-forming duct which is integrated in the at least one metering installation and has a product ejector ram which is configured for ejecting the pre-shaped product portion into the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws, wherein the at least one guiding installation is disposed between the at least one product-forming duct and the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws so as to, when the product portion that has been pre-shaped in the at least one product-forming duct by the product ejector ram is ejected from the at least one product forming duct into the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws, simultaneously fold the blank of the wrapper which by the at least one guiding installation has been introduced into an intermediate space between the at least one product-forming duct and the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws into the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws; or is formed by at least one forming nozzle which is disposed downstream of the at least one metering installation and which is configured for ejecting the pre-shaped product portion into the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws, wherein the at least one guiding installation is disposed between the at least one forming nozzle and the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws so as to, when the product portion that has been pre-shaped in the at least one forming nozzle is ejected into the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws, simultaneously fold the blank of the wrapper which by the at least one guiding installation has been introduced into an intermediate space between the at least one forming nozzle and the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws into the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws.
15. The packaging machine according to claim 7, wherein the at least one guiding installation has at least one first pair of first guides which are disposed so as to be mutually parallel, as well as at least one second pair of second guides which are disposed so as to be mutually parallel; the first pair of the first guides directly adjoins the at least one cutting installation that is disposed downstream of the at least one transport installation so as to receive therebetween the substantially planar blank of the wrapper that by the at least one cutting installation has been cut to length from the at least one packaging material web; the second pair of the second guides adjoins the first pair of the first guides so as to guide onward the substantially planar blank of the wrapper from the first pair of the first guides to the second pair of the second guides; and the first pair of the first guides terminate at a position above the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws, and the second pair of the second guides is able to be moved in a reciprocating manner between a first position, in which the second pair of the second guides adjoins the first pair of the first guides and in this way bridges the at least one upwardly open pair of folding claws, and a second position, in which the second pair of the second guides is disposed at a spacing from the first pair of the first guides that leaves vacant an open cross section of the pair at least one upwardly open of folding claws.
16. The packaging machine according to claim 15, wherein a first one of the first folding and connecting tools of the first folding and connecting station is disposed on the first pair of the first guides of the at least one guiding installation, and in that a second one of the first folding and connecting tools of the first folding and connecting station is disposed on the second pair of the second guides of the at least one guiding installation that are able to be moved in a reciprocating manner, such that said second one of the first folding and connecting tools, conjointly with the second pair of the second guides of the at least one guiding installation, is able to be converged with and diverged from the first one of the first folding and connecting tools.
Description
[0043] Further features and advantages of the invention are derived from the description hereunder of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawings in which:
[0044] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a packaging machine according to the invention for packaging portioned products which are liquid or pasty in the processing state in a wrapper which is cut to length from a packaging material web;
[0045] FIG. 2 shows a schematic lateral view of the packaging machine according to FIG. 1;
[0046] FIGS. 3 to 20 show in each case a schematic detailed view of the packaging machine according to FIGS. 1 and 2 in various operating stages during the packaging of the product into the wrapper, so as to visualize the packaging method carried out herewith; and
[0047] FIG. 21 shows a schematic plan view of a cut-away drawing of a wrapper generated by means of the packaging machine according to FIGS. 1 to 20, so as to visualize the folding and connecting lines of said wrapper.
[0048] An exemplary embodiment of a packaging machine according to the invention, which in its entirety is provided with the reference sign 1, for packaging portioned products which are liquid or pasty in the processing state in a wrapper that is cut to length from a packaging material web is schematically reproduced in FIGS. 1 and 2, whereby the packaged product in the present case can be butter, for example, the packaging machine 1 of course also being suitable for packaging any other products which in the processing state are able to be transformed to a liquid or pasty or viscous state, respectively.
[0049] As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the packaging machine 1 comprises a support axle 2 which serves for receiving a roll 3 of a packaging material web 4 which is unwound from said roll 3 and may be composed of conventional packaging material, for example a film/foil material or a film/foil-composite material. A packaging material buffer comprising a plurality of deflection rollers 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d can adjoin the support axle 2, wherein one or a plurality of these rollers, such as the rollers 5a and/or 5c, for example, are mounted so as to be movable approximately parallel to the packaging material web 4 that is guided about said rollers, so as to ensure the buffering function for the packaging material.
[0050] The packaging machine 1 furthermore comprises a metering installation which is configured for metering a product portion of the product which is pasty in the processing state, and in the exemplary embodiment shown here comprises a pre-shaping installation 10 which is integrated in said metering installation and serves for metering and simultaneously pre-shaping a respective product portion. The pre-shaping installation 10 integrated in the metering installation in the present case has a plurality of presently four product-forming ducts 11 which are in each case equipped with a product ejector ram 12 which is able to be relocated in the axial direction of a respective product-forming duct 11 and which by being relocated from a respective product-forming duct 11 serves for ejecting a product portion that has been metered and pre-shaped in a respective product-forming duct 11, on the one hand, and in the position thereof retracted into a respective product-forming duct 11 may be height-adjustable in particular in relation to the respective product-forming duct so as to be able to predefine the desired metering volume, on the other hand. The product-forming ducts 11 in the present exemplary embodiment are disposed, preferably at equidistant circumferential spacings, on a rotatably mounted plate 13 which is rotatingly driven in cycles so as to transfer in each case one of the product-forming ducts 11 to a product-ejecting position in which the product portion pre-shaped in the product-forming duct 11 is ejected from the product-forming duct 11, while at least one other product-forming duct 11 is situated in a position in which a further product portion can be placed into said product-forming duct 11, so as to meter and simultaneously pre-shape said product portion in the product-forming duct 11.
[0051] The packaging machine 1, in the transporting direction T downstream of the packaging material buffer, comprises a transport installation 20 which is configured for transporting the packaging material web 4 in the direction of the pre-shaping installation 10 and has, for example, one or a plurality of indexing rollers 21, wherein one pair of indexing rollers 21 are provided in the present case, at least one of said indexing rollers 21 being rotatably driven in a continuous or cycled manner, and said indexing rollers 21 being able to be pressed onto one another so as to drive the packaging material web 4 with the desired indexing action by guiding the packaging material web 4 through the pair of indexing rollers 21. As can furthermore be derived from FIG. 1, the transport installation 20 can furthermore have a guide plate 22 so as to direct the packaging material web 4 into the intermediate space between the counter-rotating indexing rollers 21.
[0052] A cutting installation 30 which is configured for cutting to length planar blanks of in each case one wrapper from the packaging material web 4 is disposed in the transporting direction T of the packaging material web 4 downstream of the transport installation 20 and upstream of the pre-shaping installation 10, said cutting installation 30 having, for example, a cutting blade 31 which extends so as to be approximately perpendicular to the transporting direction T of the packaging material web 4 and which is mounted so as to be pivotable in a reciprocating manner about a pivot axis which likewise extends so as to be perpendicular to the transporting direction T of the packaging material web 4, so as to pivot said cutting blade 31 by motorized pivoting between a cutting position, in which said cutting blade 31 severs the packaging material web 4, and a resting position, in which said cutting blade 31 is disposed above or below the packaging material web 4. In the present exemplary embodiment, the pivot axis of the cutting blade 31 of the cutting installation 30 is congruent with the rotation axis of the upper indexing rollers 21 of the transport installation 20, for example, such that both can be mounted on a common support, this resulting in a high degree of compactness.
[0053] The cutting installation 30, again in the transporting direction T of the packaging material web 4, is adjoined by a guiding installation 40 which hereunder is described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 et seq. and is configured for transferring a respective planar blank of the wrapper that by means of the cutting installation 30 has been cut to length from the packaging material web 4 to a position above a pair of folding claws 51, the for example substantially plate-shaped folding claws of said pair of folding claws 51 being upwardly open in the direction of the pre-shaping installation 10 so as to be able to fold the planar blank of the wrapper between the pair of folding claws 51. A base 52 which is expediently able to be relocated in the radial direction of a folding wheel 50, so as to be able to adapt the volumetric capacity formed between the folding claws of the pair of folding claws 51 to the desired volume of a respective pre-shaped product portion and to in particular be able to calibrate the latter (see further below for more details to this end) is situated at the radially inward end of a respective pair of folding claws 51. In the exemplary embodiment shown, a plurality of, presently four, pairs of folding claws 51 are disposed, preferably at equidistant circumferential spacings, on the external circumference of the folding wheel 50, wherein the, for example substantially plate-shaped, folding claws of a respective pair of folding claws 51 extend in the axial direction of the folding wheel 50. The folding wheel 50, which is rotatingly driven in cycles, in the transporting direction T of the packaging material web 4 here is mounted downstream of the cutting installation 30 and below a respective product-forming duct 11 of the product pre-shaping installation 10 that by rotating the plate 13 is transferred to the ejecting position of said product-forming duct 11 so as to be rotatable about an axis which extends so as to be approximately perpendicular to the transporting direction T of the packaging material web 4, wherein the folding wheel 50 in the present case, in the views of FIGS. 1 and 2 as well as of FIGS. 3 to 19, is rotatingly driven in a cycled and counter-clockwise manner.
[0054] A first folding and connecting station 60, on the one hand, and a second folding and connecting station 70, on the other hand, are further disposed on different circumferential regions of the folding wheel 50, wherein the circumferential spacing of the first folding and connecting station 60 from the second folding and connecting station 70 corresponds to the circumferential spacing between two neighbouring pairs of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel 50, in the present case thus 90° and a total of four pairs of folding claws 51. While the first folding and connecting station 60 serves for folding the lateral longitudinal peripheries of a respective upwardly open wrapper that is folded into a respective pair of folding claws 51 and is provided with a pre-shaped product portion inward onto the pre-shaped product portion, and simultaneously for connecting these lateral longitudinal peripheries to one another, the second folding and connecting station 70, which in the direction of rotation of the folding wheel 50 is disposed downstream of the first folding and connecting station 60, serves for folding the transverse peripheries of the wrapper which extend so as to be substantially perpendicular to the lateral longitudinal peripheries of said wrapper inward onto the pre-shaped product portion, and simultaneously for connecting these transverse peripheries to one another, as is explained in detail further below with reference to FIG. 3 et seq. The first folding and connecting station 60 in the exemplary embodiment reproduced in the drawing is disposed on the same circumferential region of the folding wheel 50 as the pre-shaping installation 10, or more specifically like a respective product-forming duct 11 of the pre-shaping installation that is transferred to its ejecting position by rotating the plate 13, so that one pre-shaped product portion is in each case placed on a respective pair of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel 50, and a respective blank by means of the product ejector ram 12 of the product-forming duct 11 can simultaneously be folded into the pair of folding claws 51 while the pre-shaped product portion is ejected from the product-forming duct 11, whereupon the lateral longitudinal peripheries of the inward-folded wrapper by means of the first folding and connecting station 60 are promptly folded inward onto the pre-shaped product portion and connected to one another without having to rotate the folding wheel 50 any further.
[0055] As is furthermore derived from FIGS. 1 and 2, the packaging machine 1 furthermore comprises a calibrating station 80 which is disposed in the circumferential region of the folding wheel 50 and in the direction of rotation of the latter is disposed downstream of the second folding and connecting station 70 (see further below for more details to this end), said calibrating station 80 serving for calibrating a respective completely packaged product portion under pressure, the circumferential spacing of said calibrating station 80 from the second folding and connecting station 70 in turn corresponding to the circumferential spacing of two neighbouring pairs of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel 50, in the present case thus again 90°.
[0056] The packaging machine finally comprises a delivery station 90 which is disposed in the circumferential region of the folding wheel 50 and in the direction of rotation of the latter is disposed downstream of the calibrating station 80 (also see below for further details to this end), said delivery station 90 serving for delivering a respective completely packaged and calibrated product portion from a respective pair of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel 50, the circumferential spacing of said delivery station 90 from the calibrating station as well as from the pre-shaping installation 10 and from the first folding and connecting station 60 again corresponding to the circumferential spacing of two neighbouring pairs of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel 50, in the present case thus again 90°. In the present case, a conveyor belt 100 for transporting away the wrapper packaging that is delivered from the pair of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel 50 and supplying said wrapper packaging to a store (not shown) is disposed downstream of the delivery station 90, for example.
[0057] As can be seen in particular from FIGS. 3 to 10, the guiding installation 40, which is disposed directly downstream of the cutting installation 30 that is situated at the downstream end of the transport installation 20 (the cutting blade 31 of said cutting installation 30 not again being provided with reference signs in FIG. 3 et seq. for reasons of clarity) is disposed between a respective product-forming duct 11 of the product pre-shaping installation 10, said product-forming duct 11 being transferred to the ejecting position thereof by means of the plate 13 which is rotatable in a cycled manner, and a respective pair of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel 50 that has been transferred to the product-forming duct 11 by rotating the folding wheel 50 in a cycled manner, so as to, when a respective product portion that has been pre-shaped in a respective product-forming duct 11 by means of the respective product ejector ram 12 is ejected from the product-forming duct 11 into the respective pair of folding claws 51, be able to simultaneously fold the blank of the wrapper that by means of the guiding installation 40 has been introduced into the intermediate space between the respective product-forming duct 11 and the respective pair of folding claws 51 inward into the respective pair of folding claws 51. The guiding installation 40 in the present case here has a first pair 41 of first guiding means which are disposed so as to be mutually parallel, as well as a second pair 42 of second guiding means which are disposed so as to be mutually parallel, wherein the first and second guiding means in the exemplary embodiment shown are in each case formed by parallel plates in the manner of baffles, a respective blank of a wrapper that by means of the cutting installation 30 has been cut to length from the packaging material web 4 being able to be guided into the intermediate space between said plates. Two pairs 43, 44 of guide rollers which in the present case are expediently mounted so as to be pivotable serve for driving a respective blank that is guided between the pairs 41, 42 of the first and second guiding means, wherein the first pair 43 of guide rollers engage through cut-outs of the upper guiding means of the first pair 41 of the guiding means, and the second pair 44 of guide rollers engage through cut-outs of the lower guiding means of the first pair 41 of the guiding means such that a blank of a wrapper that is situated between the first pair 41 of the guiding means can be guided between a respective product-forming duct 11 of the pre-shaping installation 10 and a respective pair of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel 50 by virtue of the pairs 43, 44 of guide rollers being driven in a counter-rotating manner.
[0058] The first pair 41 of the first guiding means here directly adjoins the cutting installation 30 which in the transporting direction T of the packaging material web 4 is disposed downstream of the transport installation 20, so as to therebetween receive a respective blank of a respective wrapper that by means of the cutting installation 30 has been cut to length from the packaging material web 4, and to transport said blank onward by means of the pairs 43, 44 of guide rollers. The second pair 42 of the second guiding means, again when viewed in the transporting direction of the blank, adjoins the first pair 41 of the first guiding means that terminates in a position directly above a respective pair of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel 50, so as to guide onward the blank of a respective wrapper from the intermediate space between the first pair 41 of the first guiding means to the second pair 42 of the second guiding means. While the first pair 41 of the first guiding means can be disposed so as to be stationary, for example, the second pair 42 of the second guiding means is able to be moved in a reciprocating manner between a first position, in which the second pair 42 of the second guiding means adjoins the first pair 41 of the first guiding means and in this way bridges the pair of folding claws 51 (cf. FIG. 3, for example), and a second position in which the second pair 42 of the second guiding means is disposed at a spacing from the first pair 41 of the first guiding means that leaves vacant the open cross section of the pair of folding claws 51 (cf. FIG. 4, for example). In the first position of the second pair 42 of the second guiding means relative to the first pair 41 of the first guiding means, in which first position the first pair 41 and second pair 42 of the guiding means adjoin one another, the blank by means of the two pairs 43, 44 of guide rollers can consequently be moved through the intermediate space of the guiding means of both pairs 41, 42 up to a position above a respective pair of folding claws 51, while in the second position of the second pair 42 of the guiding means, having a spacing from the first pair 41 of the guiding means, the blank at the periphery thereof that is leading in the transporting direction T, as well as at the rear periphery thereof that is trailing in the transporting direction T, can be positioned directly above a respective pair of folding claws 51 so as to fold the blank inward into the pair of folding claws 51 when the pre-shaped product portion by means of a respective product ejector ram 12 of a respective product-forming duct 11 of the pre-shaping installation 10 is ejected into a respective pair of folding claws 51.
[0059] As is furthermore derived in particular from FIGS. 3 to 10, the first folding and connecting station 60 comprises two first folding and connecting tools 61, 62 which under a contact pressure are able to be converged and diverged, here parallel to the transporting direction T of the blank, said first folding and connecting tools 61, 62 in the illustration according to FIG. 4 having been moved to a first folding and connecting position relative to one of the pairs of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel 50, for example, in which the first folding and connecting tools 61, 62 of the first folding and connecting station 60 are situated directly above the pair of folding claws 51 so as to, by relocating the first folding and connecting tools 61, 62 towards one another (cf. FIGS. 7 to 10) in a manner substantially parallel to the open upper side of the pair of folding claws 51, while pressing together the lateral longitudinal peripheries of the upwardly open wrapper that is situated in the pair of folding claws 51 and provided with a pre-shaped product portion, be able to fold said lateral longitudinal peripheries inward onto the pre-shaped product portion and simultaneously connect said lateral longitudinal peripheries to one another. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the one first folding and connecting tool 61 is disposed on the (presently stationary) first pair 41 of the first guiding means of the guiding installation 40 so as to be able to be relocated in the transporting direction T of the blank, while the other first folding and connecting tool 62 is disposed so as to be stationary on the second pair 42 of the second guiding means of the guiding installation 40, said second pair 42 being able to be moved in a reciprocating manner parallel to the transporting direction T, so as to be able to move said other first folding and connecting tool 62, conjointly with the second pair 42 of the second guiding means of the guiding installation 40, towards the first folding and connecting tool 61 and away from the latter.
[0060] The first folding and connecting tools 61, 62 here can be configured in the form of cold-sealing tools, for example, so as to cold-seal to one another the cold adhesive coatings already applied locally to the wrapper, or to the packaging material web 4, respectively (see further below for details to this end with reference to FIG. 20). The first folding and connecting station 60 moreover preferably has a packaging material barrier 63 which is pivotable into the intermediate space between the first folding and connecting tools 61, 62 and out of the latter (as long as said first folding and connecting tools 61, 62 are situated in the mutually spaced apart position thereof; cf. in particular FIGS. 6 to 8), said packaging material barrier 63 for this purpose being mounted on a pivot axis which is perpendicular to the transporting direction T and serves to prevent any premature contact between the lateral longitudinal peripheries of the wrapper, which have in particular already been provided with a cold adhesive, before said lateral longitudinal peripheries are connected to one another by means of the first folding and connecting tools 61, 62 of the first folding and connecting station.
[0061] In a furthermore advantageous design embodiment, the first folding and connecting station 60 can moreover have a first turn-over unit 64 which serves for turning over the lateral longitudinal peripheries of the wrapper that initially project upward in a substantially perpendicular manner from the pre-shaped product portion and are connected to one another by means of the first folding and connecting tools 61, 62. The first turn-over unit 64 in the exemplary embodiment shown comprises a baffle which extends substantially in the circumferential direction of the folding wheel 50 and, when viewed in the circumferential direction of the latter, is disposed between the first folding and connecting station 60 and the second folding and connecting station 70, the lateral longitudinal peripheries of the wrapper that are connected to one another contacting that end of said baffle that faces the first folding and connecting station 60 such that said lateral longitudinal peripheries are turned over against the upper, radially outward side of the wrapper when the folding wheel 50 is rotated when a wrapper that is provided with the pre-shaped product portion is transferred from the first folding and connecting station 60 to the second folding and connecting station 70.
[0062] As can be derived in particular from FIGS. 11 to 14, the second folding and connecting station 70 comprises in each case two second folding and connecting tools 71a, 71b, 72a, 72b which are disposed on the opposite open transverse sides of a respective pair of folding claws 51 and under a contact pressure are able to be converged and diverged, wherein a respective pair of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel 50 by rotating the latter can be moved to a second folding and connecting position relative to the second folding and connecting tools 71a, 71b, 72a, 72b in which the pair of folding claws 51 which is open in the direction of the two transverse sides of the pre-shaped product portion that is situated in the pair of folding claws 51 is situated in the interior of the second folding and connecting station 70, that is to say having a respective open transverse side between in each case one first folding and connecting tool 71a, 71b and in each case one second folding and connecting tool 72a, 72b, so as to fold the lateral transverse peripheries of the wrapper that is situated in the pair of folding claws 51 and provided with a pre-shaped product portion in each case inward onto the pre-shaped product portion and simultaneously connect said lateral transverse peripheries to one another. In a manner similar to that of the first folding and connecting tools 61, 62, the second folding and connecting tools 71a, 71b, 72a, 72b, can also be configured in the form of cold-sealing tools, for example, so as to cold-seal the cold adhesive coatings already applied locally to the wrapper or to the packaging material web 4, respectively, to one another (see further below for details to this end with reference to FIG. 21). Moreover, the second folding and connecting station 70 has in each case two third folding tools 73a, 73b, 74a, 74b in the manner of so-called “penetrating folding units” which are in each case able to be converged and diverged in a direction of movement which is parallel to the respective plane of movement of the second folding and connecting tools 71a, 71b, 72a, 72b but substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the latter, so as to, when the transverse peripheries of the wrapper are folded onto the pre-shaped product portion and these transverse peripheries are connected to one another by means of the second folding and connecting tools 71a, 71b, 72a, 72b, to first fold the two opposite peripheral portions of the wrapper that are situated between the transverse peripheries of the latter, in each case inward in a substantially triangular shape onto the product portion, and thereafter by means of the second folding and connecting tools 71a, 71b, 72a, 72b fold the transverse peripheries of the wrapper in each case outward onto the peripheral portions of the wrapper that have been folded inward in a substantially triangular shape, and simultaneously connect said transverse peripheries to one another.
[0063] In one advantageous design embodiment, the second folding and connecting station 70 can moreover have second turn-over units 75 which serve for turning over the transverse peripheries of the wrapper that initially project in a substantially perpendicular manner from the pre-shaped product portion to both transverse sides and are connected to one another by means of the second folding and connecting tools 71a, 71b, 72a, 72b. In a manner similar to that of the first turn-over unit 64, a respective second turn-over unit 75 in the exemplary embodiment shown comprises in each case one baffle which extends substantially in the circumferential direction of the folding wheel 50 and, when viewed in the circumferential direction of the latter, is disposed between the second folding and connecting station 70 and the calibrating station 80, the transverse peripheries of the wrapper that are connected to one another in each case contacting that end of said baffle that faces the second folding and connecting station 70 such that said transverse peripheries are turned over against the respective transverse side of the wrapper when the folding wheel 50 is rotated when a wrapper that is provided with the pre-shaped product portion is transferred from the second folding and connecting station 70 to the calibrating station 80.
[0064] As is derived in particular from FIGS. 14 to 16, it can furthermore be provided in an advantageous design embodiment that the second folding and connecting station 70 is assigned a cold adhesive application station 76 which, when viewed in the circumferential direction of the folding wheel 50, is in particular disposed between the second folding and connecting station 70 and the calibrating station 80 and upstream of the second turnover units 75. The cold adhesive application station 76 in the present case is disposed on both sides of the folding wheel 50 and serves for applying, here in an exemplary manner in each case two, cold adhesive spots P.sub.1 (FIGS. 14) and P.sub.2 (FIG. 15) to the transverse sides of the wrapper close to the transverse peripheries that are connected to one another by means of the second folding and connecting tools 71a, 71b, 72a, 72b such that the transverse peripheries of the wrapper that are connected to one another are adhesively bonded to the transverse sides of said wrapper as soon as the wrapper that is situated in a respective pair of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel has passed the second turn-over units 75.
[0065] As can be seen primarily in FIG. 17, the calibrating station 80 can be configured substantially according to the prior art and comprise, for example, a piston/cylinder unit 81 which is effective in the radial direction of the folding wheel 50, a compression plate which cannot be seen in the drawing and is able to be pressed against the open upper side of a respective pair of folding claws 51 that by rotating the folding wheel 50 is transferred to the calibrating station 80 so as to calibrate the product portion that is situated in said pair of folding claws 51 and are enclosed on all sides by the wrapper, being established on the sides of said piston/cylinder unit 81 that face the folding wheel 50, whereby the cold adhesive spots that have previously been applied by means of the cold adhesive application station 76 are preferably also cured and adhesively bonded in a durable manner.
[0066] FIGS. 18 to 20 finally show the delivery station 90 having the conveyor belt 100 which is disposed downstream of said delivery station 90, the delivery station 90 and the conveyor belt 100 potentially being likewise designed substantially according to the prior art. The delivery station 90 in the present exemplary embodiment thus comprises for example a slide 92 which is able to be relocated in a reciprocating manner along a guide rod 91 that extends parallel to the axial direction of the folding wheel 50 and by means of which a respective calibrated product portion that is completely packaged by the wrapper and by rotating the folding wheel 50 has been transferred to the delivery station 90 can be transferred from a respective pair of folding claws 51 to a parcel reverser 93 which is able to be tilted parallel to the axial direction of the folding wheel 50 and which by tilting the completely packaged product portion is able to transfer the latter onto the conveyor belt 100.
[0067] The functional mode of the packaging machine 1 is explained in more detail hereunder by means of a method for packaging portioned products which are liquid or pasty in the processing state, presently butter, in a wrapper that has been cut to length from the packaging material web 4.
[0068] As can be derived from FIGS. 1 and 2, the packaging material roll 3 is unwound in the transporting direction T from the support axle 2 in that the indexing rollers 21 of the transport installation 20 are set in rotation at the desired indexing speed. As can be seen in particular from FIG. 3, a planar blank Z of the wrapper by means of the cutting blade 31 of the cutting installation 30 is in each case cut to length from the packaging material web 4 and by means of the guiding installation 40 positioned above a respective pair of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel 50. This takes place in such a manner that, immediately upon cutting to length the packaging material web 4 so as to form the blank Z, the two pairs 41, 42 of the first and second guiding means of the guiding installation 40 have been moved to the position which is shown in FIG. 3 and in which the second pair 42 of the second guiding means that are able to be relocated in the transporting direction T directly adjoins the stationary first pair 41 of the first guiding means, whereupon the blank Z is positioned above a pair of folding claws 51 by rotating the two pairs 43, 44 of guide rollers in a counter-rotating manner, said pair of folding claws 51 having been positioned directly below a product-forming duct 11 of the pre-shaping installation 10 by rotating the folding wheel 50, said product-forming duct 11 in turn having been positioned above this pair of folding claws 51 as well as above the blank Z by rotating the plate 13. The product-forming duct 11 of the pre-shaping installation 10 integrated in the metering installation by means of a product infeed (not shown) has previously been populated with the pasty product to be packaged so as to meter or portion, respectively, and pre-shape the latter in the product-forming duct 11.
[0069] As can be derived from FIG. 4, the second pair 42 of the second guiding means is thereupon relocated away from the first pair 41 of the first guiding means such that the upwardly open cross section of the pair of folding claws 51 is situated between the first pair 41 and the second pair 42 of the guiding means, and the blank Z is held at the periphery in each case by one of the mutually facing ends of a respective pair 41, 42 of the guiding means. The packaging material barrier 63 of the first folding and connecting station 60 in this stage is still situated in a position that is pivoted away from the open cross section of the pair of folding claws 51 and is above the two pairs 41, 42 of the guiding means of the guiding installation 40; the first folding and connecting tools 61, 62 of the first folding and connecting station 60 are in each case situated on opposite sides above the open cross section of the pair of folding claws 51 and likewise expose said open cross section.
[0070] As is derived from FIG. 5, the product portion that has been pre-shaped in the product-forming duct 11 of the pre-shaping installation 10 is now placed on the pair of folding claws 51 by relocating the product ejector ram 12 which is guided in a height-adjustable manner in the product-forming duct 11 (cf. FIGS. 1 and 2), on account of which the blank Z positioned between the product-forming duct 11 and the pair of folding claws 51 (cf. FIG. 4) is folded inward into the pair of folding claws 51 while forming an upwardly open wrapper E which consequently is now disposed so as to be substantially U-shaped and bears on the base 52, on the one hand, and on the internal side of a respective folding claw of the pair of folding claws 51, on the other hand.
[0071] Once the product ejector ram 12 in the situation reproduced in FIG. 6 has again been relocated into the product-forming duct 11, the packaging material barrier 63 is pivoted inward so as to be between the first folding and connecting tools 61, 62 of the first folding and connecting station 60 still situated on either side of the pair of folding claws 51, so as to prevent that these longitudinal peripheries prematurely contact and adhere to one another at the previously locally applied cold adhesive coating when the lateral longitudinal peripheries of the wrapper E are subsequently connected (in the present case by cold sealing).
[0072] As is shown in FIG. 7, the first folding and connecting tools 61, 62 are thereafter converged so as to fold the lateral longitudinal peripheries of the wrapper E inward onto the upper side of the pre-shaped product portion that has been introduced into the pair of folding claws 51. In the present exemplary embodiment this takes place in that the first folding and connecting tool 62 which is to the right in FIG. 7 and is established so as to be stationary on the second pair 42 of the second guiding means of the guiding installation 40, is moved conjointly with the second pair 42 of the second guiding means towards the left (the second pair 42 of the second guiding means in this way is thus again relocated in the direction of the position shown in FIG. 3, so as to be able to guide a further blank Z to above a further pair of folding claws 51), while the first folding and connecting tool 61 on the left by the stationary first pair 41 of the first guiding means is moved away towards the right. Shortly before the two first folding and connecting tools 61, 62 of the first folding and connecting station 60 contact one another, the packaging material barrier 63 is pivoted upward away from the intermediate space between the two first folding and connecting tools 61, 62, and the first folding and connecting tools 61, 62 are further converged until said first folding and connecting tools 61, 62 in the situation shown in FIG. 9, under a mutual contact pressure, connect the two lateral longitudinal peripheries of the wrapper E to one another (not shown), said wrapper E now surrounding the pre-shaped product portion in a substantially tubular manner.
[0073] As soon as this has taken place, the folding and connecting tool 61 on the left, in the situation according to FIG. 10, is again relocated towards the left, in the direction of the first pair 41 of the first guiding means of the guiding installation 40, whereupon the folding wheel 50 is rotated by 90° in a counter-clockwise manner so as to transfer the pre-shaped product portion, which is now enclosed in an approximately tubular manner by the wrapper E, to the second folding and connecting station 70. The lateral longitudinal peripheries of the wrapper E which are connected to one another and which, immediately upon having been connected to one another by means of the first folding and connecting tools 61, 62, still project in a substantially perpendicular manner from the upper side of the pre-shaped product portion, when passing the first turn-over unit 64 are turned over in an approximately parallel manner onto the upper side of the wrapper E, as can be seen in FIG. 10, while a further blank Z is already moved into position so as to be folded inward into the next pair of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel 50 in the previously described manner.
[0074] As soon as the second folding and connecting station 70 has reached the situation according to FIG. 11 and the folding wheel 50 has been brought to a temporary standstill, the transverse peripheries of the wrapper E that extend so as to be approximately perpendicular to the lateral longitudinal peripheries (already connected to one another) of said wrapper E and extend in each case between the two folding claws of the pair of folding claws 51 are now also folded in each case inward onto the pre-shaped product portion and simultaneously connected to one another.
[0075] As can be seen in FIG. 12, in the exemplary embodiment shown this takes place in that the two opposite peripheral portions of the wrapper E that are situated between the transverse peripheries of said wrapper E (in each case at the top and bottom in FIG. 12) are initially folded in each case inward in a substantially triangular shape onto the product portion in that the third folding tools 73a and 74a, and 73b and 74b, respectively, of the second folding and connecting station 70 that are designed in the manner of so-called “penetrating folding units” are in each case converged, presently pivoted, from a resting position (see FIG. 14) to the folding position thereof according to FIG. 12. As is shown in FIG. 13, the third folding tools 73a and 74a, and 73b and 74b, respectively, are thereafter moved back in the direction of the resting position thereof (see FIG. 14), and the second folding and connecting tools 71a and 72a, and 71b and 72b, respectively, are converged so as to fold the transverse peripheries of the wrapper E in each case onto the peripheral portions of said wrapper E that are now folded inward in a substantially triangular shape, and to connect the transverse peripheries to one another. This takes place in a manner analogous to that explained above in detail with reference to the first folding and connecting tools 61, 62 of the first folding and connecting station 60, whereby a packaging material barrier can be dispensed with in this case, because the transverse peripheries of the wrapper E that are to be connected to one another, by virtue of the substantially triangular-shaped peripheral portions that have previously been folded inward and consequently are situated on the inside of the transverse peripheries to be connected to one another, are preloaded towards the outside and thus are not at risk of contacting one another at an inopportune time.
[0076] Once the second folding and connecting tools 71a and 72a, and 71b and 72b, respectively, have been moved out of the folding and connecting position thereof according to FIG. 13 and back to the resting position thereof according to FIG. 14, the folding wheel 50 is once again rotated by 90° so as to supply the wrapper E, which in the pair of folding claws 51 is now closed on all sides, to the calibrating station 80. As can be derived from FIGS. 14 and 15, the wrapper E that is provided with the pre-shaped product portion and is closed on all sides here first passes the cold adhesive application station 76 where two cold adhesive spots P.sub.1, P.sub.2 are applied to said wrapper E in the proximity of the now connected-together transverse peripheries which at this stage still project in a substantially perpendicular manner from a respective transverse side, for example. While the folding wheel 50 continues to be rotated by 90°, each of the transverse sides of the wrapper E provided with the cold adhesive spots P.sub.1, P.sub.2 comes into contact thereafter with the second turn-over units 75, so as to turn over the two transverse peripheries that are connected to one another and project from a respective transverse side onto a respective transverse side and fasten said transverse peripheries there by means of the cold adhesive spots P.sub.1, P.sub.2 (cf. FIG. 16).
[0077] As is derived from FIG. 17, the wrapper E, which is provided with the pre-shaped product portion and is closed on all sides, upon completion of the rotation of the folding wheel by 90°, reaches the calibrating station 80 where said wrapper E under a contact pressure against the compression plate (not visible) that by means of the piston/cylinder unit 81 is moved in the direction of the pair of folding claws 51 (likewise not visible in FIG. 17) is calibrated in a manner known per se.
[0078] The folding wheel 50 is thereafter yet again rotated by 90° in a counter-clockwise manner so as to transfer the completely calibrated wrapper packaging E to the delivery station 90 where the slide 92 in the situation according to FIG. 18 has just gripped the wrapper packaging E that is still situated in the pair of folding claws 51. The slide 92 is thereafter displaced along the guide rod 91 to the position reproduced in FIG. 19, in which said slide has removed the wrapper packaging E from the pair of folding claws 51 and transferred said wrapper packaging E to the parcel reverser 93. As is shown in FIG. 20, the parcel reverser 93 is thereafter pivoted so as to transfer the wrapper packaging E onto the conveyor belt 100 and to hand over said wrapper packaging E to a store (not shown), for example.
[0079] It goes without saying that the method steps described above with reference to the packaging of a single product portion can be repeated not only at a continuous sequence but that four wrappers can in particular be in each case processed in a synchronous manner, wherein simultaneously [0080] a blank is folded inward into a pair of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel 50 by placing a pre-shaped product portion, whereupon the lateral longitudinal peripheries of the wrapper are connected to one another at the first folding and connecting station 60; [0081] the transverse peripheries of a further wrapper, which has already passed this stage, are connected to one another in the next pair of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel 50 at the second folding and connecting station 70; [0082] a further wrapper, which has already passed this stage, is calibrated in the next pair of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel 50 at the calibrating station 80; and [0083] a further wrapper, which has already passed this stage, is transferred from the next pair of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel 50 to the conveyor belt 100 at the transfer station 90.
[0084] A front elevation or plan view, respectively, of a wrapper E generated by means of the packaging machine 1 according to FIGS. 1 to 19 is schematically reproduced in FIG. 21 for visualizing the folding and connecting lines of said wrapper E. The length of the wrapper packaging is identified by the reference sign L, the width thereof by the reference sign B, and the height thereof by the reference sign H. The peripheries of the wrapper E to the right and the left in FIG. 21 correspond to the cutting lines S.sub.1, S.sub.2 along which a planar blank Z of the wrapper E has been cut to length from the packaging material web 4 by means of the cutting installation (cf. FIGS. 1 to 20 above). The peripheral regions 101 illustrated in dashed lines correspond to the pattern of cold adhesive that has been previously applied locally to the packaging material web 4.
[0085] The central area 102 of the wrapper E illustrated by dots covers the base area of the product portion which, conjointly with the ejection of a product portion from a product-forming duct 11 of the pre-shaping installation 10, has been folded onto the base 52 of a pair of folding claws 51 of the folding wheel. The folding lines 103 adjoin the base area 102 to the right and the left in FIG. 21, said folding lines 103 having likewise been generated when folding a blank Z of the wrapper E into the pair of folding claws 51 between the base 52 and a respective folding claw of the pair of folding claws 51. The folding lines 103 consequently extend between the base area 102 and a respective longitudinal lateral area 104 which, when folding a blank Z of the wrapper E into the pair of folding claws 51 bears on the internal side of a respective folding claw. The folding lines 105 which extend parallel to the folding lines 103 are situated on the side of a respective longitudinal lateral area 104 that is opposite a respective folding line 103, said folding lines 105 having been generated by means of the first folding and connecting tools 61, 62 of the first folding and connecting station 60 when the portions 106 which in each case outwardly adjoin said folding lines 105 and in each case cover approximately half the upper side of the completely packaged product portion, by way of the lateral longitudinal peripheries 107 of said portions 106, have been folded inward onto the product portion, whereby the regions 101 of the lateral longitudinal peripheries 107 that are provided with the cold adhesive coating have simultaneously been cold-sealed to one another.
[0086] Furthermore, the folding lines 108 which extend so as to be perpendicular to the folding lines 103 and 105 adjoin the base area 102 of the wrapper E towards the top and the bottom in FIG. 21, the lower transverse lateral areas 109 of the wrapper packaging in turn adjoining the base area 102 towards the top and the bottom, while in each case approximately half of the upper transverse lateral areas 109a on both sides of the folding lines 108 adjoin in each case the portions 106 towards the top and the bottom, said portions 106 covering in each case approximately half the upper side of the completely packaged product portion. The lower transverse lateral areas 109 as well as in each case two halves of the upper transverse lateral areas 109a by means of the second folding and connecting tools 71a, 71b, 72a, 72b of the second folding and connecting station 70 have been folded inward onto the product portion, whereby the lower transverse peripheries 110 and the upper transverse peripheries 110a have simultaneously been cold-sealed to one another along the regions 101 of the transverse peripheries 110, 110a that are provided with the cold adhesive coating.
[0087] Furthermore to be seen in FIG. 21 are the peripheral portions 111 which by means of the third folding tools 73a, 73b, 74a, 74b of the second folding and connecting station 70 have been folded inward in an approximately triangular shape onto the product portion and which are situated between the transverse peripheries 110, 110a that are connected to one another, and in the completed wrapper packaging are disposed below or within, respectively, said transverse peripheries 110, 110a.
