Packaging system

Abstract

A cyclic packaging system for packaging product groups in folded boxes includes a supply device for supplying the product groups, a store for providing a plurality of folded box blanks, and a packing device for packaging the product groups in associated folded boxes, the packing device being arranged on the side of the supply device facing the store. The packaging system further comprises an additional packing device for packing product groups in folded boxes, the additional packing device being arranged on the side of the supply device facing away from the one packing device. Irrespective of whether the two packing devices are loaded with product groups from the same supply device, the two stores of the packing devices can be arranged on the same side of the packaging systems.

Claims

1. A cyclic packaging system for packaging products in folded boxes, each folded box being formed from a folded box blank and being intended for receiving a product group that is formed by a single product or a plurality of products grouped in a predetermined configuration, the cyclic packaging system comprising: a supply device for supplying the product groups in a main flow direction of the packaging system, a store for providing a plurality of folded box blanks, a packing device for packaging the product groups in associated folded boxes, the packing device being arranged on a side of the supply device facing the store, when viewed in the main flow direction of the packaging system, a blank transfer device for arranging at least one folded box blank taken from the store in an associated starting position of the packing device, a product transfer device for transferring at least one product group from the supply device to the packing device, a discharge device for discharging the product groups packaged in folded boxes out of the cyclic packaging system, and an additional packing device for packing product groups in folded boxes, the additional packing device being arranged on a side of the supply device facing away from the packing device, when viewed in the main flow direction of the packaging system, and the product transfer device is configured to also load the additional packing device with product groups, wherein the product transfer device is designed and intended to push the product group onto a substantially flat and non-erected folded box blank, and that the packing device and the additional packing device are designed and intended to fold the substantially flat and non-erected folded box blank around the product group to form an erected and open box, wherein an additional store for providing folded box blanks for the additional packing device is arranged on the same side of the supply device as the store for providing folded box blanks for the packing device, namely on the side of the packing device facing away from the supply device, when viewed in the main flow direction of the packaging system, and in that the blank transfer device is designed to also load the additional packing device with folded box blanks.

2. The cyclic packaging system according to claim 1, wherein the associated starting position of the packing device and a starting position of the additional packing device are arranged with the starting position of one of the packing device and the additional packing device behind the starting position of the other of the packing device and the additional packing device in the main flow direction.

3. The cyclic packaging system according to claim 2, wherein the packing device or the additional packing device has an intermediate position.

4. The cyclic packaging system according to claim 2, wherein the additional packing device is associated with an additional discharge device separate from the discharge device.

5. The cyclic packaging system according to claim 4, wherein the packing device and the additional packing device each have an intermediate position.

6. The cyclic packaging system according to claim 2, wherein the product transfer device is configured to push the product group onto a substantially flat folded box blank.

7. The cyclic packaging system according to claim 2, wherein each of the packing device and the additional packing device is associated with a plurality of stores, a plurality of blank transfer devices, and a plurality of product transfer devices.

8. The cyclic packaging system according to claim 2, wherein the supply device comprises a waiting position upstream of a transfer position in the main flow direction, in which waiting position a second product group supplied, together with a first product group, towards the transfer position can be positioned while the first product group is being transferred out of the transfer position to the packing device by the product transfer device.

9. The cyclic packaging system according to claim 1, wherein the additional packing device is associated with an additional discharge device separate from the discharge device.

10. The cyclic packaging system according to claim 1, wherein each of the packing device and the additional packing device is associated with a plurality of stores, a plurality of blank transfer devices, and a plurality of product transfer devices.

11. The cyclic packaging system according to claim 1, wherein the supply device comprises a waiting position upstream of a transfer position in the main flow direction, in which waiting position a second product group supplied, together with a first product group, towards the transfer position can be positioned while the first product group is being transferred out of the transfer position to the packing device by the product transfer device.

12. A cyclic packaging system for packaging products in folded boxes, each folded box being formed from a folded box blank and being intended for receiving a product group that is formed by a single product or a plurality of products grouped in a predetermined configuration, the cyclic packaging system comprising two packaging units, each of which comprises a supply device for supplying the product groups in a main flow direction of the packaging system, a store for providing a plurality of folded box blanks, a packing device for packaging each of the product groups in an associated folded box, a blank transfer device for arranging at least one folded box blank taken from the store in an associated starting position of the packing device, a product transfer device for transferring at least one product group from the supply device to the packing device, and a discharge device for discharging the product groups packaged in folded boxes out of the cyclic packaging system, wherein the packing devices of the two packaging units are arranged on opposite sides of the cyclic packaging system, when viewed in a main flow direction of the cyclic packaging system, wherein the stores of the two packaging units are arranged on a same side of the cyclic packaging system, namely on the side of the packing device of one of the two packaging units facing away from the supply device of the one of the two packaging units, and are arranged one behind the other, when viewed in a main flow direction of the cyclic packaging system.

Description

(1) The invention will be explained in greater detail in the following on the basis of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the flow diagram for explaining the mode of operation of a fundamental embodiment of the packaging system according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the flow diagram for explaining the mode of operation of a development of the packaging system according to the invention; and

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the flow diagram for explaining the mode of operation of a further development of the packaging system according to the invention.

(5) Reference sign 100 in FIG. 1 generally denotes a first embodiment of a cyclic packaging system. The packaging system 100 is used to package product groups 102, each of which is formed from a plurality of products 104 arranged in a predetermined configuration, in folded boxes 106 that are each formed from a folded box blank 108.

(6) The packaging system 100 comprises a supply device 110 which is indicated merely by a dashed line in FIG. 1. The supply device 110 is used to supply the product groups 102 in a main flow direction D of the packaging system 100 from a product manipulator (not shown), connected upstream of the supply device 110, to transfer positions TP. Furthermore, the packaging system 102 comprises packing devices 112 and 114, which are also indicated merely by dashed lines in FIG. 1 and, when viewed in the main flow direction D, are arranged to the left and right of the supply device 110, respectively.

(7) On the side of the packing device 112 facing away from the supply device 110, two stores 116 and 118 are arranged in each of which a plurality of folded box blanks 108 are received. One folded box blank 108 can be taken from the store 116 and deposited in a starting position AP of the packing device 112 per working cycle by means of a blank transfer device 120, which is indicated merely by a dashed line in FIG. 1. Similarly, one folded box blank 108 can be taken from the store 118 and deposited in a starting position AP of the packing device 114 in each case by means of the blank transfer device 122.

(8) The product groups 102 are transferred into the transfer positions TP and the folded box blanks 108 are transferred into the starting positions AP in the same working cycle.

(9) In the next working cycle, the folded box blanks 108 are transferred from the starting position AP into a first packing position PP1. At this point, the folded box blanks 108 are still flat and not adhesively bonded. In this way, in the same working cycle the product groups 102 can be transferred, in the transverse direction Q, from the transfer position TP into the first packing position PP1, specifically such that said product groups are pushed onto the folded box blanks 108. Said transferral is carried out by means of product transfer devices 124 and 126, which are shown schematically by arrows in FIG. 1.

(10) In the same working cycle, the folded box blanks 108 are folded by means of folding devices 128 and 130 (also shown schematically by arrows), which act from below in the vertical direction H, so as to form a still open folded box 106′ in which the product group 102 is received.

(11) In the next working cycle, the packing device 112 transports the still open folded box 106′ into a second packing position PP2 in which said box is closed to form the folded box 106 and transferred to a discharge device 132. This is carried out by means of the closure device 136 indicated by an arrow.

(12) The packing device 114 also transports the still open folded box 106′ from the first packing position PP1 into a second packing position PP2; however, the still open folded box 106′ makes an intermediate stop in an intermediate position ZP for one more working cycle before said box is transported to the packing position PP2, where it is closed by means of the closure device 138 and transferred to the discharge device 134.

(13) Since the supply device 110 has sufficient capacity to load two packing devices 112 and 114 with product groups 102, it is possible to double the capacity of the packaging system 100 in comparison with a packaging system from the prior art having only one packing device, without this requiring double the amount of installation space. It is only necessary to provide a second packing device 114.

(14) Furthermore, the two stores 116 and 118 are arranged on the same side of the packaging system 100, and therefore the operator responsible for filling the stores 116 and 118 can stay on one side of the packaging system and does not have to cross the product flow in the main flow direction D in order to fill the two stores.

(15) FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the packaging system according to the invention that substantially corresponds to the embodiment according to FIG. 1. Therefore, in FIG. 2 similar parts are provided with the same reference signs as in FIG. 1, but increased by the number 100. Furthermore, in the following the packaging system 200 according to FIG. 2 will only be described to the extent that it differs from the embodiment according to FIG. 1, with explicit reference thus otherwise being made to the description thereof.

(16) Like the packaging system 100, the packaging system 200 also comprises a supply device 210, packing devices 212, 214, stores 216, 218, blank transfer devices 220, 222, product transfer devices 224, 226, folding devices 228, 230, closure devices 236, 238 and discharge devices 232, 234.

(17) A first difference between the packaging system 100 and the packaging system 200 is that the packaging system 200 is designed as a duplex system, i.e. per unit of time it is possible to process twice as many units as in the case of the packaging system 100.

(18) For example, the blank transfer devices 220 and 222 are each designed to take folded box blanks 208 from two stores 216 and 240, and 218 and 242, respectively, and to deposit said blanks in two starting positions AP of the packing devices 212 and 214, which positions are arranged one behind the other in the main flow direction D. Furthermore, the product transfer devices 224 and 226 are each designed to transfer two product groups 202 simultaneously out of the transfer positions TP to the first packing positions PP1 of the two packing devices 212 and 214. The same also applies to the folding devices 228 and 230, the intermediate positions ZP and the second packing positions PP2.

(19) A second difference between the packaging system 100 and the packaging system 200 is that each transfer position TP of the supply device 210 is associated with a waiting position WP. In this way, in a single transfer it is possible to transfer twice as many product groups 202 as can be further processed in one working cycle from the inlet region 210a of the supply device 210, which is loaded by the product manipulator (not shown), into the transfer positions TP and the waiting positions WP. In a first working cycle, the product groups 202′ arranged in the transfer positions TP are forwarded to the first packing positions PP1, while the product groups 202″ arranged in the waiting positions WP are forwarded to the transfer positions TP in order to be forwarded in turn to the first packing positions PP1 in the next working cycle.

(20) In this way, the product manipulator has a time that is the length of two working cycles to prepare the product groups 202 for processing in the packaging system 200. This may be advantageous, for example, if the predetermined configuration of the product groups 202 requires the products 204 to be stacked on top of one another.

(21) FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the packaging system according to the invention that substantially corresponds to the embodiment according to FIG. 1. Therefore, in FIG. 3 similar parts are provided with the same reference signs as in FIG. 1, but increased by the number 200. Furthermore, in the following the packaging system 300 according to FIG. 1 will only be described to the extent that it differs from the embodiment according to FIG. 1, with explicit reference thus otherwise being made to the description thereof.

(22) The packaging system 300 in FIG. 3 differs from the packaging system 100 in that each packing device 312 and 314 is associated with a separate supply device 310 and 310′, respectively, for supplying product groups 302. However, the stores 316 and 318 for loading the packing devices 312, 314 with folded box blanks 308 are arranged on the same side of the packaging system 300. In this way, the operator loading the stores 316, 318 with folded box blanks 308 can stay on the same side of the packaging system 300 and does not have to move to the other side of the packaging system 300 to load the store 318 associated with the additional packing device 314, which would involve constantly crossing the product flow at the supply or discharge side of the packaging system 300.