TRANSPORT OF STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS FOR PACKAGINGS

Abstract

A method for transporting structural elements of packagings includes transferring a group of structural elements to a holding device, wherein each structural element of the group of structural elements is received by an associated holding element of the holding device after the transfer, and adjusting the holding elements relative to each other such that the structural elements of the group of structural elements received by the holding elements are disposed before the adjusting in a first format in which the structural elements of the group of structural elements are arranged in a plan view in a first spacing grid relative to each other, and are disposed after the adjusting in a second format in which the structural elements of the group of structural elements are arranged in the plan view in a second spacing grid relative to each other, the second spacing grid being different from the first spacing grid.

Claims

1. A transport arrangement for structural elements for packagings, comprising: a holding device with a group of holding elements, each holding element of the group of holding elements being configured to receive a structural element to be transported for holding; and a lifting arrangement configured to produce a relative movement in a vertical direction between a group of structural elements and the holding device, the group of structural elements being in a transfer position at a beginning of the relative movement and being received by the group of holding elements at an end of the relative movement; wherein the holding elements of the group of holding elements of the holding device are adjustable relative to each other between a receiving configuration and a dispensing configuration; wherein, in the receiving configuration, the holding elements of the group of holding elements are arranged relative to each other such that a group of structural elements received by the group of holding elements is disposed in a first format in which the structural elements of the group of structural elements are arranged in a plan view in a first spacing grid relative to each other; and wherein, in the dispensing configuration, the holding elements of the group of holding elements are arranged relative to each other such that a group of structural elements received by the group of holding elements is disposed in a second format in which the structural elements of the group of structural elements are arranged in the plan view in a second spacing grid relative to each other, the second spacing grid being different from the first spacing grid.

2. The transport arrangement according to claim 1, wherein, in the transfer position, the group of structural elements is disposed in the first format.

3. The transport arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a provisioning device configured to bring the group of structural elements into the transfer position.

4. The transport arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the holding device comprises an adjustment arrangement configured to automatically adjust the holding elements of the group of holding elements relative to each other between the receiving configuration and the dispensing configuration.

5. The transport arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the holding elements of the group of holding elements are displaceable relative to each other in a horizontal plane for adjustment between the receiving configuration and the dispensing configuration.

6. The transport arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a transport drive arrangement configured to move the holding device for transporting a group of structural elements received by the holding elements as a whole.

7. The transport arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the lifting arrangement is configured to deform the structural elements of the group of structural elements during the relative movement between the group of structural elements and the holding device.

8. The transport arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the lifting arrangement is configured to lift the group of structural elements from the transfer position along the vertical direction.

9. A method for transporting structural elements of packagings, comprising: transferring a group of structural elements to a holding device, wherein each structural element of the group of structural elements is received by an associated holding element of the holding device after the transfer; and adjusting the holding elements relative to each other such that the structural elements of the group of structural elements received by the holding elements are disposed before the adjusting in a first format in which the structural elements of the group of structural elements are arranged in a plan view in a first spacing grid relative to each other, and are disposed after the adjusting in a second format in which the structural elements of the group of structural elements are arranged in the plan view in a second spacing grid relative to each other, the second spacing grid being different from the first spacing grid.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the holding device is moved as a whole to transport the structural elements of the group of structural elements received by the holding elements.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the structural elements of the group of structural elements are disposed in the first format when they are transferred to the holding device, and are dispensed from the holding device in the second format.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the structural elements of the group of structural elements are received by the holding elements in a suspended configuration.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein, for transferring the structural elements of the group of structural elements to the holding device, a relative movement along a vertical direction is carried out between the structural elements of the group of structural elements and the holding device, and the structural elements of the group of structural elements are deformed during the relative movement.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein a distance between adjacent structural elements in the plan view of the group of structural elements increases during the deforming.

15. A method for operating a holding device with holding elements movable relative to each other, the method comprising: transporting a group of structural elements for packagings by a translational movement of the holding device as a whole; and changing positions of structural elements of the group of structural elements relative to each other by shifting the holding elements relative to each other.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] In the following, the disclosure is further described with reference to the figures by means of embodiments.

[0038] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a packaging machine according to an embodiment;

[0039] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a packaging machine according to an embodiment;

[0040] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a transport arrangement for structural elements according to an embodiment;

[0041] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of different steps during the transfer of a group of structural elements to the holding device according to an embodiment; and

[0042] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a transfer of a group of structural elements between a first format and a second format by adjusting the holding elements of the holding device of a transport arrangement according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of a packaging machine 1 configured as a deep-drawing packaging machine according to an embodiment. The packaging machine 1 comprises a machine frame 3 on which a forming station 7, a sealing station 9, a transverse cutting station 11 and a longitudinal cutting station 11a are arranged in succession along a production direction 5. A feed device conveys a bottom film web 14 drawn from a supply roll 13 along the production direction 5 successively through the forming station 7 and the sealing station 9 and to the cutting stations 11a.

[0044] A transport arrangement 15 supplies the forming station 7 with structural elements 17 in the form of packaging trays. In particular, the structural elements 17 can be transferred to a bottom tool of the forming station 7 by the transport arrangement 15. By interaction of the bottom tool and a top tool of the forming station 7, the bottom film web 14 is formed from above into the structural elements 17, which are configured as packaging trays, and connected to the structural elements 17. An inner space of the packaging trays is lined with the bottom film web 14 in the forming station 7, so to speak.

[0045] In relation to the production direction 5, products to be packaged are placed in the packaging trays between the forming station 7 and the sealing station 9. In the sealing station 9, the packaging trays are sealed by sealing an top film web 21 pulled from a supply roll 19 to the bottom film web 14. This can be done by sealing interaction of a bottom tool part and a top tool part of the sealing station 9, in particular under the effect of heat and/or pressure. The individual packaging trays are separated from the film composite in the cutting stations 11, 11a.

[0046] To increase the production output of the packaging machine 1, several packaging trays are processed simultaneously in the forming station 7 and the sealing station 9. In the embodiment shown, twelve packaging trays are processed simultaneously, which are disposed in a 4×3 format.

[0047] In the following, the feeding of the structural elements 17 by the transport arrangement 15 is described in more detail.

[0048] FIG. 3 shows a sectional view through the packaging machine 1 in the area of the transport arrangement 15, wherein the sectional plane is perpendicular to the production direction 5. In the embodiment shown, the structural elements 17 are destacked by a destacking device 23 onto a conveyor system 25 of a provisioning device 27. The destacking device 23 is provided laterally offset with respect to the production direction 5.

[0049] In FIG. 2, the destacking device 23 is not shown, so that the conveyor system 25 with structural elements 17 destacked on it is visible in the plan view of the packaging machine 1 shown in FIG. 2. In the embodiment shown, the structural elements 17 are destacked such that they are disposed in a first format on the conveyor system 25, which in the illustrated embodiment is a 4×3 format.

[0050] The structural elements 17 are destacked as flat material blanks made of cardboard or paper. By means of the conveyor system 25 of the provisioning device 27, the destacked structural elements 17 in the first format are conveyed along a feed direction 29, which is perpendicular to the production direction 5 of the packaging machine 1, into an area within the machine frame 3 of the packaging machine 1.

[0051] FIG. 3 shows a group of structural elements 17 in the first format in a transfer position within an area defined by the machine frame 3. In the transfer position, the structural elements 17 are disposed directly under a holding device 31 of the transport arrangement 15. The holding device 31 comprises a group of holding elements 33. The number of holding elements 33 corresponds to the number of structural elements 17 in a format. In the situation shown in FIG. 3, the holding elements 33 are arranged relative to each other in a horizontal plane corresponding to the arrangement of the structural elements 17 in the first format.

[0052] From the transfer position shown in FIG. 3, the structural elements 17 are lifted in a vertical direction by a lifting arrangement 35 not shown in FIG. 3 and transferred to the holding elements 33 of the holding device 31. This is shown schematically in FIG. 4, also in a sectional view with a sectional plane perpendicular to the production direction 5. As shown in FIG. 4, the lifting arrangement 35 comprises lifting elements 37 assigned to the individual structural elements 17 of the format, each of which is provided with a lifting drive. Alternatively, the lifting elements 37 could be interconnected so that only one common lifting drive is required. FIG. 4 shows in parts A), B), C) and D) a time sequence of the lifting of the structural elements 17 by the lifting arrangement 35. The lifting elements 37 each comprise a lifting bed 39, which approaches the corresponding structural element 17 from below and carries it upwards. In the raised state in part B) of FIG. 3, the lifting elements 37 have already lifted the structural elements 17 above the conveyor system 25. The lifting beds 39 each have a forming area 41 which is open at the top and is surrounded by a border area 43. In the forming area 41, suction openings 45 are provided in the lifting beds 39. By applying a vacuum in the forming area 41 through the suction openings 45, the structural elements 17 are sucked into the forming area 41 during further upward movement. The structural elements 17 thereby fold at predetermined folding points 47 corresponding to a boundary area between the forming area 41 and the border area 43 and are thus deformed into packaging trays.

[0053] In part C) in FIG. 4, the structural elements 17 have already been deformed. The structural elements 17 are moved further upwards to finally be transferred to the holding elements 33 as shown in part D). The holding elements 33 comprise suction openings 49 for sucking the structural elements 17 to the holding elements 33 by applying a vacuum through the suction openings 49, thereby holding them in a suspended state on the holding elements 33.

[0054] In the embodiment shown, the holding elements 33 each comprise a circumferential groove 51, which is open downward and in which a peripheral area of the structural elements 17 folded upward engages. This prevents the peripheral areas of the structural elements 17 from folding back. After the transfer of the structural elements 17 to the holding device 31, the lifting elements 39 of the lifting arrangement 35 move down again to be ready to receive the next format of structural elements 17.

[0055] The holding elements 33 of the holding arrangement 31 are provided on a base body 53 of the holding arrangement 31. The base body 53 is movably mounted with respect to the production direction 5 of the packaging machine 1. The transport arrangement 15 comprises a transport drive arrangement 55, shown schematically in FIG. 3, which is configured to move the holding device 31 accordingly. After transfer of the structural elements 17 to the holding elements 33, the holding device 31 is moved as a whole against the production direction 5 into the forming station 7 by the transport drive arrangement 55. Before or during this moving of the holding device 31, the format of the group of structural elements 17 received by the holding elements 33 is changed from the first format to a second format. This is done by moving the receiving elements 33 relative to each other in a horizontal plane. Corresponding adjustment devices 57 are shown schematically in FIG. 4.

[0056] By changing the format in which the structural elements 17 are disposed, the arrangement of the structural elements 17 can be adapted to the requirements of the forming station 7. FIG. 5 shows in the left part in plan view the disposition of the structural elements 17 in the first format after transfer to the holding device 31. From the first format, the structural elements 17 are brought into a second format shown in the right part of FIG. 5, in which the structural elements 17 are closer together, by moving the receiving elements 33 relative to each other. Moving the structural elements 17 together after transfer to the holding device 31 may be particularly advantageous in order to reduce an increased distance between adjacent structural elements 17 after the structural elements 17 have been deformed into packaging trays, so that the structural elements 17 can be transferred to the forming station 7 in a sufficiently compact format. However, it would also be conceivable to move the structural elements 17 further apart during the transition from the first format to the second format or to otherwise change the mutual position of the structural elements 17.

[0057] The structural elements 17 are transferred from the holding device 31 to the forming station 7 in the second format. FIG. 2 shows schematically the structural elements 17 arranged in the second format in the forming station 7. After transferring the structural elements in the second format to the forming station 7, the transport drive arrangement 55 moves the holding device 31 along the production direction 5 to be ready to receive the next group of structural elements 17. In addition, the receiving elements 33 are moved again relative to each other in order to be able to receive the next group of structural elements 17 in the first format.