Deep-drawing packaging machine with vacuum cooling station and method for vacuum cooling hot-packaged products

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a deep-drawing packaging machine with a forming station for deep-drawing trays into a film, a loading stretch for filling products into the trays, and a sealing station for sealing the trays. The deep-drawing packaging machine further comprises at least one vacuum cooling station which is disposed in a direction of transport upstream of the sealing station and which is formed for vacuum cooling the products placed into the trays along the loading stretch. The disclosure furthermore relates to a method for vacuum cooling products.

Claims

1. A deep-drawing packaging machine comprising: a forming station for deep-drawing trays into a film; a loading stretch for filling the trays with products; a sealing station for sealing the trays; a vacuum cooling station which is disposed in a direction of transport upstream of the sealing station and which is configured to vacuum cool the products placed into the trays along the loading stretch; and at least one condenser that is operable to separate moisture from evacuated air of the vacuum cooling station.

2. The deep-drawing packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum cooling station and the sealing station are present in a form of spatially separated work stations on the deep-drawing packaging machine and are each configured to form at least one hermetically sealable evacuation chamber.

3. The deep-drawing packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum cooling station comprises several hermetically sealable evacuation chambers which are arranged consecutively in the direction of transport.

4. The deep-drawing packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum cooling station comprises a separate vacuum pump.

5. The deep-drawing packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum cooling station comprises at least one filter unit for a ventilation process.

6. The deep-drawing packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the sealing station and the vacuum cooling station can be heated to a predetermined temperature level.

7. The deep-drawing packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum cooling station is attachable to a machine frame of the deep-drawing packaging machine upstream of the sealing station at different locations.

8. The deep-drawing packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum cooling station is configured as a rollable carriage unit which is positionable in a stationary manner on the deep-drawing packaging machine.

9. The deep-drawing packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum cooling station comprises a protective gas device which is configured to gas flush vacuum cooled products.

10. The deep-drawing packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein opening and closing the vacuum cooling station is synchronizable with opening and closing the sealing station that is positioned downstream in the direction of transport.

11. The deep-drawing packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the deep-drawing packaging machine comprises a control unit for controlling and monitoring processes running at the vacuum cooling station.

12. The deep-drawing packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein an evacuation pressure and/or an evacuation pressure curve can be activated with regard to a product temperature recorded along the loading stretch.

13. A method for cooling products which are placed into trays along a loading stretch of a deep-drawing packaging machine, wherein the products placed into the trays are cooled down outside a sealing station within a vacuum cooling station of the deep-drawing packaging machine in a direction of transport upstream of the sealing station using a vacuum cooling process controlled thereon, wherein the deep-drawing packaging machine comprises at least one condenser that separates moisture from air evacuated by the vacuum cooling station.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the products placed into the trays each pass through several evacuation chambers arranged consecutively in the direction of transport at the vacuum cooling station with a machine cycle of the deep-drawing packaging machine in order to be cooled down gradually.

15. A method for cooling products which are placed into trays along a loading stretch of a deep-drawing packaging machine, the method comprising: cooling, using a vacuum cooling process in a vacuum cooling station of the deep-drawing packaging machine, the products placed into the trays, wherein the vacuum cooling station is disposed upstream, in a direction of transport, of a sealing station of the deep-drawing packaging machine; and separating moisture from air evacuated by the vacuum cooling station using at least one condenser.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the vacuum cooling station comprises multiple evacuation chambers arranged consecutively in the direction of transport, and the cooling comprises passing the products placed into the trays through the multiple evacuation chambers in order to cool the products gradually.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the vacuum cooling station is configured as a rollable carriage unit, and the method further comprises positioning the rollable carriage unit in a stationary manner on the deep-drawing packaging machine.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising gas flushing of the products that are cooled in the vacuum cooling station.

19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising measuring a product temperature upstream of the vacuum cooling station, and controlling an evacuation process of the vacuum cooling station based on the measured product temperature.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Advantageous embodiments of the disclosure shall be further explained hereafter based on the drawings, where

(2) FIG. 1 shows a deep-drawing packaging machine with a vacuum cooling station;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a deep-drawing packaging machine with a vacuum cooling station in the form of a carriage unit; and

(4) FIG. 3 shows a deep-drawing packaging machine with a multi-chamber vacuum cooling station.

(5) Same components are designated with the same reference numerals throughout the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) FIG. 1 shows an intermittently operating deep-drawing packaging machine 1 according to the disclosure. Deep-drawing packaging machine 1 comprises a forming station 2, a vacuum cooling station 3, a sealing station 4, a transverse cutting device 5 and a longitudinal cutting device 6 which are arranged in this order in a direction of transport R on a machine frame 7.

(7) Disposed on the inlet side on machine frame 6 is a supply roll 8 from which a base film 9 is drawn off. Furthermore, deep-drawing packaging machine 1 comprises a transport chain 10 which grips base film 9 and transports it onward in direction of transport R with every main work cycle.

(8) In the embodiment shown according to FIG. 1, forming station 2 is configured as a deep-drawing station in which trays 11 are formed into base film 9 by deep-drawing, for example, by use of compressed air and/or vacuum. Forming station 2 can be configured such that several trays 11 are formed adjacent to one another in the direction perpendicular to direction of transport R. Provided in direction of transport R downstream of forming station 2 is a loading stretch 12 in which trays 11 having been formed into base film 9 are filled with products 13.

(9) Vacuum cooling station 3 comprises a hermetically sealable chamber 3a in which the atmosphere in trays 11 can be evacuated. Vacuum cooling station 3 comprises a vacuum pump 16 for evacuating chamber 3a.

(10) FIG. 1 further shows that vacuum cooling station 3 comprises a protective gas device 17 which is configured to gas flush vacuum cooled products 13. Products 13 transported into vacuum cooling station 3 can then be both vacuum cooled and gas flushed with an exchange gas or a gas mixture.

(11) Sealing station 4 comprises a hermetically sealable chamber 4a in which the atmosphere in trays 11 is, e.g., evacuated and/or replaced by gas flushing with a replacement gas or with a gas mixture immediately prior to sealing with a top film 15 dispensed from a top film holder 14.

(12) Transverse cutting device 5 can be configured as a punch that severs base film 9 and top film 15 between adjacent trays 11 in a direction transverse to direction of transport R. Transverse cutting device 5 there operates in such a manner that base film 8 is not severed across the entire width so that the film is not severed at least at one edge region. This enables controlled onward transportation by transport chain 10.

(13) Longitudinal cutting device 6 can be configured as a blade assembly with which base film 8 and top film 10 are severed between adjacent trays 11 in direction of transport R and at the side edge of base film 8 so that separated packagings V are present downstream of longitudinal cutting device 6.

(14) Deep-drawing packaging machine 1 also comprises a control unit 18. It serves the purpose of controlling and monitoring the processes running on the work stations in deep-drawing packaging machine 1. A display device 19 with elements 20 is used for visualizing or influencing the processes running in deep-drawing packaging machine 1 to or by an operator, respectively.

(15) According to FIG. 1, vacuum cooling station 3 and sealing station 4 are configured in the form of spatially separated work stations on deep-drawing packaging machine 1. Unlike vacuum cooling station 3, sealing station 4 comprises its own vacuum pump 21 for carrying out an evacuation process within evacuation chamber 4a. Vacuum pump 16 of vacuum cooling station 3 and vacuum pump 21 of sealing station 4 are therefore present as separate vacuum pumps 16, 21 which can be controlled separately from one another by control unit 18.

(16) Furthermore, FIG. 1 shows in dashed lines that vacuum cooling station 3 positioned upstream of sealing station 4 can comprise two or even more evacuation chambers 3a for carrying out successive vacuum cooling processes. Products 13 can be cooled down particularly gently therewith.

(17) Furthermore, FIG. 1 shows schematically that vacuum cooling station 3 comprises a filter unit 22 through which sterile air that is filtered after the vacuum cooling by way of a ventilation process flows into chamber 3a.

(18) FIG. 1 also shows a temperature measuring unit 25 by way of which a product temperature T of products 13 that are transported past underneath can be measured. With the aid of control unit 18 of the deep-drawing packaging machine 1, an evacuation pressure and/or an evacuation pressure curve with regard to recorded product temperature T can be set in an automated manner for the respective evacuation processes within the downstream vacuum cooling station 3.

(19) FIG. 2 shows deep-drawing packaging machine 1 from FIG. 1, where vacuum cooling station 3 is configured in the form of a rollable carriage unit 23 which is located on deep-drawing packaging machine 1 upstream of sealing station 4 for cooling products 13 transported therethrough by way of an evacuation process before they reach downstream sealing station 4. Carriage unit 23 forms a mobile module which is particularly well suited for flexible employment on various types of deep-drawing packaging machines, since its positioning between loading stretch 12 and sealing station 4 can be freely selected.

(20) FIG. 3 shows deep-drawing packaging machine 1 with a vacuum cooling station 3 configured as a multi-chamber vacuum cooling station which is positioned in direction of transport R immediately upstream of sealing station 4. The respective evacuation processes carried out successively within chambers 3a of vacuum cooling station 3 lead to the gradual controlled vacuum cooling of products 13 before they are transported into sealing station 4 for closing trays 11 with top film 15.

(21) According to FIG. 3, vacuum cooling station 3 and sealing station 4 are configured as directly adjacent work stations, where an integrally formed structure is even conceivable for the two. FIG. 3 also shows that deep-drawing packaging machine 1 comprises a condenser 24 which is configured for the selective removal of moisture. Condenser 24 can also be employed in connection with vacuum cooling station 3 from FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

(22) An evacuation line 4b leads from sealing station 4 to condenser 24. Respective evacuation lines 3b also lead from chambers 3a of vacuum cooling station 3 to condenser 24. Evacuation lines 3b, 4b are preferably configured to be heatable so that moisture is separated from the air that is evacuated from chambers 3a, 4a in a selective manner only at condenser 24.

(23) The present disclosure makes it possible by way of vacuum cooling to cool down products 13 hot-inserted along loading stretch 12 of deep-drawing packaging machine 1, possibly in stages using a multi-chamber cooling system, to a desired temperature level before they reach sealing station 4, so that the sealing process can be carried out within sealing station 4 in a more economical manner and at a consistent packaging quality.