Ejection head for an ejection device of a sealing machine for sealing a container

Abstract

An ejection head for an ejection device of a sealing machine for sealing a container includes a supporting element with a supporting axis and a sliding end, and a sliding element for sliding the supporting element along a sliding profile of the sealing machine. The sliding element is arranged at the sliding end and a force acting essentially in the direction of the supporting axis is capable of being transmitted via the sliding element to the supporting element. So that the sliding element and the sliding profile are subject to reduced wear, the sliding element is a rotatable rolling element, so that in the operating state the supporting element is capable of being unrolled over the rotatable rolling element along the sliding profile.

Claims

1. An ejection head for an ejection device of a sealing machine for sealing a container, comprising: a supporting element having a supporting axis and a sliding end; and a sliding element configured to slide the supporting element along a sliding profile of the sealing machine, the sliding element being arranged at the sliding end and configured such that a force acting essentially in a direction of the supporting axis is capable of being transmitted via the sliding element to the supporting element, the sliding element being a rotatable rolling element, so that in an operating state the supporting element is capable of being rotated relative to the rotatable rolling element along the sliding profile, the rolling element freely rotatable around the supporting axis and around an axis perpendicular to a direction of movement and which varies according to the direction of movement.

2. The ejection head according to claim 1, wherein the ejection head comprises a bearing element configured to mount the rotatable rolling element on the supporting element.

3. The ejection head according to claim 2, wherein the bearing element is detachably connected to the supporting element.

4. The ejection head according to claim 2, wherein the bearing element or the rotatable rolling element has a hardened surface.

5. The ejection head according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the bearing element and the rotatable rolling element is made of at least one of metal, plastic, a ceramic material, and a composite material.

6. The ejection head according to claim 2, wherein the ejection head comprises a holding element configured to hold the rotatable rolling element in the bearing element.

7. The ejection head according to claim 2, wherein the bearing element or the rotatable rolling element has a hard coating.

8. The ejection head according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable rolling element is a ball or an ellipsoid.

9. The ejection head according to claim 1, wherein the ejection head further comprises a first spring element configured to press the rotatable rolling element against the sliding profile in the operating state.

10. The ejection head according to claim 9, wherein the first spring element is a spiral spring.

11. An ejection device for a sealing machine for sealing a container, comprising: an ejection rod; and an ejection head including: a supporting element having a supporting axis and a sliding end, and a sliding element configured to slide the supporting element along a sliding profile of the sealing machine, the sliding element being arranged at the sliding end and configured such that a force acting essentially in a direction of the supporting axis is capable of being transmitted via the sliding element to the supporting element, the sliding element being a rotatable rolling element, so that in an operating state the supporting element is capable of being rotated relative to the rotatable rolling element along the sliding profile, the rolling element freely rotatable around the supporting axis and around an axis perpendicular to a direction of movement and which varies according to the direction of movement.

12. A sealing machine for sealing a container, comprising: an ejection device including: an ejection rod; and an ejection head including: a supporting element having a supporting axis and a sliding end, and a sliding element configured to slide the supporting element along a sliding profile of the sealing machine, the sliding element being arranged at the sliding end and configured such that a force acting essentially in a direction of the supporting axis is capable of being transmitted via the sliding element to the supporting element, the sliding element being a rotatable rolling element, so that in an operating state the supporting element is capable of being rotated relative to the rotatable rolling element along the sliding profile, the rolling element freely rotatable around the supporting axis and around an axis perpendicular to a direction of movement and which varies according to the direction of movement; and a sliding profile, the sliding element being a rotatable rolling element configured to unroll the ejection head along the sliding profile in the operating state.

13. The sealing machine according to claim 12, wherein the sliding profile has a groove configured to receive or guide the rotatable rolling element.

14. The sealing machine according to claim 12, wherein the sliding profile has a hardened surface.

15. The sealing machine according to claim 12, wherein the sliding profile is made of at least one of metal, plastic, a ceramic material, and a composite material.

16. The sealing machine according to claim 12, further comprising a sliding profile support, and the sliding profile being detachably connected to the sliding profile support.

17. The sealing machine according to claim 12, wherein the sliding profile has a hard coating.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will be explained in more detail hereinafter with reference to the drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 is a known ejection head from the prior art,

(3) FIG. 2 is the known ejection head from FIG. 1 at a sliding profile in the operating state,

(4) FIG. 3 is an embodiment of an ejection head according to the invention,

(5) FIG. 4 is an embodiment of an ejection device according to the invention with an ejection rod and an ejection head according to FIG. 3,

(6) FIG. 5 is the ejection head according to the invention according to FIG. 3 at a sliding profile in the operating state, and

(7) FIG. 6 is a detailed view X according to FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

(8) As already mentioned, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show the prior art and have already been explained in detail at the beginning, so that there is no need for further discussion.

(9) FIG. 3 shows a first embodiment of an ejection head according to the invention, which is referred to as a whole with the reference sign 1 in the following. The reference signs used in FIG. 3 to FIG. 6 do not have an inverted comma, since these figures relate to embodiments of the present invention. As already mentioned above, only the reference signs of FIGS. 1 and 2 have an inverted comma, since these relate to the known prior art.

(10) According to FIG. 3, the ejection head 1 comprises a supporting element 2 with a supporting axis 3 and a sliding end 4 and a sliding element 5 for sliding the supporting element 2 along a sliding profile of the sealing machine. Thereby, the sliding element 5 is arranged at the sliding end 4 and can transmit a force acting essentially in the direction of the supporting axis 3 to the supporting element 2. The sliding element 5 is designed as a rotating rolling element in the form of a ball. The ejection head 1 additionally comprises a bearing element 7 and a holding element 8, via which the rotatable rolling element 5 is mounted or held at the supporting element 2.

(11) FIG. 4 shows the ejection head 1 from FIG. 3 and an ejection rod 9, to which the ejection head 1 is detachably connected. Thereby, the ejection head 1 and the ejection rod 9 form a part of an ejection device 10 of a sealing machine, not shown, for sealing containers. A force can be transmitted to the ejection rod 9 via the ejection head 1 in the operating state. The ejection device 10 is movably mounted along its longitudinal axis 12 and rotatably mounted around the longitudinal axis 12 in a receiving device 11 of the sealing machine. The receiving device 11, in turn, is rotatably mounted in a holding device (not shown) of the sealing machine by receiving bearings (not shown).

(12) A first gear ring 14 is disposed at the upper end of the receiving device 11, which gear ring interacts with a second gear ring (not shown) of the sealing machine in the operating state. The receiving device 11 and the ejection device can be set to intrinsic rotation via the first gear ring 14. The movement of the receiving device 11 and the ejection device 10 along the sliding profile 6, however, is generated via the holding device of the sealing machine.

(13) FIG. 5 shows the ejection device 10 with the ejection head 1 according to FIG. 3 in the operating mode. In doing so, the ejection head 1 slides with the rotating rolling element 5 along the sliding profile 6 of the sealing machine, which sliding profile is connected to a sliding profile support 15 of the sealing machine. In order to achieve the two functions of holding down the container and of ejecting the container, the sliding profile 6 has two sections with an elevated level. Thereby, the one section with an elevated level of the sliding profile 6 corresponds to the function of holding down the container, in which the container to be sealed is held for the sealing operation by the ejection device and is centered for the lid sealing, and the other section with an elevated level of the sliding profile 6 corresponds to the function of ejecting the container, in which the sealed container is ejected from the sealing machine by the ejection device. During the procedure of holding down the container and of ejecting the container, the ejection head 1 is moved along the sliding profile 6 and can also rotate around the longitudinal axis 12 of the ejection device 10.

(14) The rotating rolling element 5 performs a rolling movement at the sliding profile 6. The sliding element 5 can rotate freely relative to the supporting element 2 in order to perform the rolling movement and thereby rotate essentially around two different axes. On the one hand around the supporting axis 3. On the other hand, also around an axis which is perpendicular to the direction of movement and which varies according to the direction of movement during the movement of the rotating rolling element 5 at the sliding profile 6. This, in contrast to the prior art, where the sliding element 5 is rigidly connected to the supporting element 2 and performs a pure sliding movement at the sliding profile.

(15) FIG. 6 shows a detailed view X according to FIG. 5. As can be seen, the sliding profile 6 has a suitable groove or a notch 16 for receiving and/or guiding the rotatable rolling element 5. Due to the groove or notch 16, the Hertzian stress between the rotating rolling element 5 and the sliding profile 6 can be reduced.

(16) Furthermore, the rolling movement and guidance of the rotating rolling element 5 at the sliding profile 6 can be improved.