System and method for exchanging vertically segmented rotor segments on a rotary tablet press

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and a method for exchanging vertically segmented rotor segments (16) on a rotary tablet press (34). The system comprises a rotor (10) comprising at least two vertically segmented rotor segments (16), a transfer unit (36) and an assembly carriage (38).

Claims

1. A system for changing vertically segmented rotor segments on a rotary tablet press, comprising: a rotor having a base area that forms a full circle, a transfer unit, and an assembly carriage, wherein the rotor comprises a rotor core and at least two rotor segments, wherein the rotor segments constitute vertical segments of the rotor, and the transfer unit comprises a receiving device for gripping a rotor segment, the receiving device being mounted slidably on sliding and guiding rails and is rotatable, wherein the transfer unit (i) is adapted to be mounted and centered via a centering and mounting device on a carrier plate of the rotary tablet press and (ii) has a connecting device for connecting the transfer unit to the assembly carriage, and the assembly carriage comprises ao a height-adjustable rotary segment carousel which is adapted to accommodate at least one rotor segment, wherein the assembly carriage is adapted to be connected to the transfer unit via the connecting device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the rotor segments are centered from the outside and mounted on the rotor core, and the rotor core comprises, for each rotor segment, at least one guide, at least one centering, at least one supporting surface and/or four threaded boreholes for mounting a vertically segmented rotor segment, wherein the threaded boreholes work together with four mounting screws.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the rotor has two to ten rotor segments.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the rotor has four to eight rotor segments.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein the rotor has six rotor segments.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the vertically segmented rotor segments comprise each at least three parts that are vertically stacked.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the at least three parts which are vertically stacked comprise: a) a guide for the upper punch, b) an intermediate ring accommodating and mounting replaceable die segments and adapted to produce solid tablets or an intermediate ring accommodating and mounting replaceable die segments with a processed flange adapted to mount central mandrel holders which are adapted to produce ring-shaped press bodies, and c) guidance for lower punches.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least two rotor segments comprise at least one rotor segment for mounting on the receiving device that has three boreholes adapted to accommodate mounting screws and two boreholes adapted to accommodate cylinder pins, wherein the boreholes are arranged beneath the guide for lower punches and are adapted to work together with mounting screws and cylinder pins of the receiving device.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the rotor segments are adapted to be mounted on the rotor core as well as on the height-adjustable rotary segment carousel via four mounting screws.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the connecting device connecting the transfer unit with the assembly carriage is a quick-action lock, which is formed by catch hooks on the transfer unit and recesses on the assembly carriage, and wherein the catch hooks work together with the recesses.

11. A method for segment dismantling of a rotary tablet press via the system of claim 1, comprising: a) opening upper and lower punch cams of the rotary tablet press into a removal position, b) positioning the transfer unit on the carrier plate of the rotary tablet press via the centering and mounting device, c) extending the receiving device of the transfer unit, d) mounting one of the vertically segmented rotor segments situated on the rotor core on the receiving device, e) releasing the rotor segment from the rotor core, f) returning the receiving device with the rotor segment thereby removed, g) pivoting and/or shifting the receiving device with the rotor segment thereby removed, h) transferring the rotor segment thereby removed via the receiving device to the height-adjustable rotary segment carousel of the assembly carriage, i) positioning and mounting the rotor segment thereby removed on the segment carousel of the assembly carriage, wherein all the upper and lower punch cams remain in the rotary tablet press during the segment change.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein upper and lower punch curves open automatically or manually to remove and install rotor segments in the area of the rotor segment removal.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein upper and lower punches are automatically threaded into the upper and lower punch cams during dismantling and installation of the rotor segments.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein upper and lower punches are automatically threaded into the upper and lower punch cams during dismantling and installation of the rotor segments.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the removal extension or return of the receiving device is implemented by a linear adjusting movement on the sliding and guiding rails, wherein the adjusting movement is implemented either manually by means of a hand wheel or by automation.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the mounting of the rotor segments on the rotor core and adjustable-height rotary segment carousel takes place using the same mounting means.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein mounting of the transfer unit on the carrier plate of the rotary tablet press is provided between a pressure rolling station and a removal device.

18. A method for segment installation for a rotary tablet press via the system of claim 1, comprising: a) opening upper and lower punch cams in a removal position, b) positioning the transfer unit on the carrier plate of the rotary tablet press via the centering and mounting device, c) mounting one of the vertically segmented rotor segments, which is situated on the-height-adjustable rotary segment carousel onto the assembly carriage, on the receiving device of the transfer unit, d) receiving the rotor segment via the receiving device from the segment carousel of the assembly carriage, e) pivoting and/or shifting the receiving device with the rotor segment, f) extending the receiving device of the transfer unit with the rotor segment, g) positioning and mounting the rotor segment on the rotor core via mounting screws, h) closing the upper and lower punch cams, wherein all the upper and lower punch cams remain in the rotary tablet press during the segments change.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein upper and lower punch curves open automatically or manually to remove and install rotor segments in the area of the rotor segment removal.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein upper and lower punches are automatically threaded into the upper and lower punch cams during dismantling and installation of the rotor segments.

Description

(1) The invention will now be described in greater detail on the basis of the figures as examples. The examples and figures relate to preferred embodiment variants, which do not restrict the invention.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a rotor of a rotary tablet press comprised of vertically segmented rotor segments;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a rotary tablet press with a rotor comprised of vertically segmented rotor segments, a transfer unit and an assembly carriage in a starting position;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a rotary tablet press with a rotor comprised of vertically segmented rotor segments, a transfer unit and assembly carriage during the segment replacement operation.

(5) FIG. 1 shows, in a schematic perspective view, a rotor labeled with reference numeral 10 as a whole as part of rotary tablet press 34. The design and function of rotary tablet presses are sufficiently familiar to those skilled in the art, so they need not be described further here within the context of this description. The rotor 10 can be induced to rotate by means of a drive. In this way, upper punches 50 and lower punches 30 arranged around the circumference of the rotor 10 are brought past various fixedly arranged stations. These stations are filling stations, prepress stations, main press stations, ejection stations and the like. A die into which the material to be pressed is cast is assigned to each pair of an upper punch and a lower punch. The upper punch 50 and the lower punch 30 are guided by guide cams into the dies, so that the material introduced there is pressed. Such rotary tablet presses can be used for production of tablets, for example, but also for production of technical products, for example, pressed rings for manufacturing batteries.

(6) The rotor 10 comprises a rotor core 12, which is connected to a drive device for a rotor 10 by means of connecting elements (not shown in detail). An external rotor, labeled with reference numeral 14 on the whole, is arranged around the rotor 10. The external rotor 14 comprises a plurality of rotor segments 16, each rotor segment 16 spanning a pitch circle. According to the exemplary embodiment shown here, six rotary segments 16 are provided, each bridging a pitch circle of 60. This means that the legs, which delimit a rotor segment, together form a 60 angle. The rotor segments 16 can be connected to the rotor core 12 in a form-fitting and/or force-locking manner. Four mounting screws 54, which work together with boreholes 58 in the rotor core, are therefore provided for each rotor segment. In addition, the rotor segments 16 may also be connected to the front sides 18 running radially in a form-fitting and/or force-locking manner. The rotor segments 16 may also be mounted by means of quick-change elements or the like, for example.

(7) The diagram in FIG. 1 shows a total of five rotor segments 16, wherein the sixth rotor segment 16 has been removed. This illustrates the fact that the rotor segments 16 can each be removed individually from the rotor core 12. The connection between the rotor segments 16 and the rotor core 12 is formed by the mounting screws 54, which work together with the boreholes 58, so that they are also arranged in dimensionally stable and positionally stable positions with respect to the rotor core 12 and the neighboring rotor segments 16 during operation of the rotary tablet press 34.

(8) In the diagram in FIG. 1, it is also clear that the rotor segments 16, which form the external rotor 14 on the whole, include an upper punch guide 20, a lower punch guide 22 and a die region 24. Due to the segmentation of the external rotor 14, the die table is also in the form of die segments 78. The upper punch guide 20 has guides 26 for the upper punches 50 in an essentially known manner. The lower punch guide 22 has guides 28 for the lower punches 30 shown here as an example. The die region 24 has die openings 32. One guide 26 and one guide 28 are flush with a die opening 32, so that the upper punch 50 and the lower punch 30 can be shifted radially toward one another in pairs over guide cams (not shown), so that material to be pressed can be filled into the die opening 32.

(9) Inside the rotor segments 16, it is possible to provide that dies and/or die inserts are present for different press formats, i.e., several different tablet shapes.

(10) As shown in FIG. 1, each rotor segment 16 has a number of guides 26 and 28 and/or die openings 32. According to the example shown here, twelve guides 26, 28 and die openings 32 are provided per segment 16. According to additional exemplary embodiments not shown here, the number of rotor segments 16 as well as the number of guides 26, 28 and die openings 32 per rotor segment 16 can of course also be selected differently. The number of rotor segments 16 may be an even or an odd number. The rotor segments 16 may be divided uniformly or nonuniformly.

(11) The segmentation of at least the external rotor 14 offers a possibility that the rotor segments 16 can be dismantled individually from the rotor core 12. At the same time, the upper punch 50 and the lower punch 30 are removed with the dismantling. The dismantled rotor segment 16 can be replaced by a new rotor segment 16, which then has new or reprocessed upper punches 50 and lower punches 30. By proceeding incrementally, namely in six increments according to FIG. 1, it is thus possible to replace all six rotor segments 16 with the tools arranged therein within a relatively short period of time. The retooling time for the entire rotor 10 can thus be kept relatively short.

(12) FIG. 1 additionally shows the boreholes 66 and 70 for the mounting screws 68 and cylinder pins 72, with which a vertically segmented rotor segment 16 can be mounted on a receiving device 48. According to the invention, these are located in the region of the lower punch guide 22.

(13) In addition, FIG. 1 shows the means with which the vertically segmented rotor segments 16 are centered on the rotor core 12. This is done in a vertical direction by means of a supporting surface 64 on which the rotor segment 16 rests at least partially. Centering in the horizontal direction is accomplished by the centering segment 62, which works together with a recess (not shown) on the inside of the rotor segment 16. This figure also shows centering pins 60, which enable precentering of the rotor segments 16 during installation of the segments 16 on the rotor core 12.

(14) FIG. 2 shows a preferred arrangement of the rotary tablet press 34, the transfer unit 36 and the assembly carriage 38. The transfer unit 36 is in a starting position here. This means that the receiving device 48 of the transfer unit 36 is not extended or pivoted. In this position, the transfer unit 36 is mounted on the carrier plate 40 of the rotary tablet press 34 and on the assembly carriage 38. Then the receiving device 48 can be extended and thereby brought into the vicinity of the rotor segment 16 to be dismantled from the rotary tablet press 34.

(15) It has proven to be advantageous if, for the segment change, the transfer unit 36, which is pivotable, for example, is used as a peripheral module for removal of the rotor segments 16 of the rotary tablet press 34. This device is placed with a lifting mechanism on the carrier plate 40 of the rotary tablet press 34, for example, in a predefined position for the segment removal and is mounted there. To do so, the transfer unit 36 comprises a centering and mounting device 44. Mounting of the transfer unit 36 on the carrier plate 40 of the rotary tablet press 34 is accomplished by means of six mounting screws, for example. The receiving device 48 can be extended manually or by motor drive to receive the rotor segment 16. To do so, the receiving device 48 is supported on sliding and guiding rails 74, on which the receiving device 48 executes a horizontal adjusting and/or resetting movement, which is referred to as extending or returning in the sense of the invention. The vertically segmented rotor segment 16 is therefore mounted on the receiving device 48 by means of three mounting screws 68 and two cylinder pins (not shown), for example. Next, the mounting screws 54, which secure the vertically segmented rotor segment 16 on the rotor core 12, are loosened. The receiving device 48 is returned to a central starting position with a minimal turning radius. This creates space for a pivoting or rotational movement for the first time, and the force to be applied for the rotational or pivoting movement is reduced due to the reduction in the turning radius. Next, the device is pivoted 180 outward, for example. The assembly carriage 38 stands in the outside position of the receiving device 48.

(16) The pivotable top part of the assembly carriage 38 forms a height-adjustable rotational segment carousel 52 and has three segment receptacles, for example, which are arranged at an angle of 120. The distance of the assembly carriage 38 from the rotary tablet press 34 is predefined in particular by the fixed connection of the transfer unit 36 to the assembly carriage 38. The transfer unit 36 is connected in a force-locking and/or form-fitting connection to the assembly carriage 38 and/or to the carrier plate 40 of the rotary tablet press 34 during the segment removal, the segment installation, the segment change and/or the tool change. When the receiving device 48 of the transfer unit 36 is in the 180 rotated position, the receiving device 48 is extended into the final position and the rotor segment 16 is mounted in the first segment position of the height-adjustable rotational segment carousel 52 of the assembly carriage 38 using four mounting screws 54, for example. The four mounting screws 54 are preferably the same screws with which the vertically segmented rotor segment 16 is also mounted on the rotor core 12.

(17) This process can be repeated many times, depending on the number of positions on the assembly carriage 38 and the number of rotor segments 16. To do so, the respective empty acceptance positions of the assembly carriage 38 are pivoted into the receiving position. When the assembly carriage 38 is completely occupied, it can be replaced by an empty assembly carriage 38. For example, six dismantling steps and three assembly carriages 38 are needed for an assembly carriage 38 having room for two rotor segments 16 and one rotor 10 with six rotor segments 16.

(18) When all the rotor segments 16 have been dismantled, of the complete segmented rotor 10, only the rotor core 12 and the upper and lower cams, which are in particular guide curves, filling cams and dosing cams with the corresponding dust suction nozzles are situated in the rotary tablet press 34. It can be seen as a major advantage in a segment change that all the cams remain in the rotary tablet press 34. The upper and lower cams in the removal position are opened automatically, so that the heads of the upper and lower shafts of the upper punches 50 and the lower punches 30 together with the rolls can be removed easily from the cams together with the rotor segments 16. Next, the suction hoses and suction nozzles are dismantled. Then the entire interior of the machine and the upper and lower cams are cleaned thoroughly.

(19) In preparation for installation of six rotor segments 16, for example, in the rotary tablet press 34, two assembly carriages 38 can be made available each with three cleaned rotor segments 16 fitted with clean and functional tools. The six cleaned rotor segments 16 can be installed, for example, one after the other into the rotary tablet press 34 with the transfer unit 36 for segment installation. Next, the suction hoses, suction nozzles, filling devices and material feed are installed. The rotary tablet press 34 is again ready to use. The retooling time from stop to start of the rotary tablet press 34 can be estimated at two hours to at most three hours, which represents a substantial shortening in comparison with retooling times of ten to twelve hours, which have been described in the prior art, and normally two employees are needed to retool a conventional press. Therefore, this method is extremely efficient in particular because the employees need not move any large weights manually.

(20) FIG. 2 also shows that the transfer unit 36 is mounted on the carrier plate in a fixed position on the rotary tablet press 34. This is done by means of the centering and mounting device 44. The established position for mounting the transfer unit on the carrier plate 40 is situated in particular between a pressure roller station 86 and a removal device 88, with which finished pressed bodies are removed from the rotary tablet press 34. Due to the use of the vertically segmented rotor segments 16, these need not be dismantled when the rotor 14 is replaced.

(21) The receiving device 48 can be moved horizontally on sliding or guiding rails 74. This can be implemented either manually with the help of a hand wheel 42 or in an automated process. The radial movement of the hand wheel 42 is converted into linear movement of the receiving device 48 by means of a rack and pinion mechanism.

(22) The transfer unit 36 is connected to the carrier plate 40 of the rotary tablet press 34 as well as to the assembly carriage 38 during the segment change operation. The connection to the assembly carriage 38 is implemented by means of a connecting device 46, which is designed as a quick-action lock, for example. Catch hooks 90 provided on the assembly carriage 38 grip in recesses 92 in the transfer unit 36. The recesses 92 in the transfer unit 36 are in particular designed, so that the connection between the assembly carriage 38 and the transfer unit 36 is not limited to a fixed height but instead, due to the design of the recesses 92, unevenness in the floor in particular can be compensated.

(23) FIG. 2 also shows the centering elements 62, which are present on the rotor core 12 for each rotor segment 16 as well as the supporting surface and/or the supporting flange 64. Due to these components of the rotor core 12, the vertically segmented rotor segments 16 are centered in vertical and horizontal directions during installation.

(24) FIG. 3 shows the inventive system of rotary tablet press 34 with vertically segmented rotor segments 16, transfer unit 36 and assembly carriage 38 during the segment change operation. The rotor segment 16 to be dismantled is then placed on the receiving device 48 of the transfer unit 36 and is rotated to the adjustable-height rotary segment carousel 52 using the pivotable receiving device 48.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(25) 10 Rotor 12 Rotor core 14 External rotor 16 Vertically segmented rotor segments 18 Front side of the vertically segmented rotor segments 16 20 Upper punch guide 22 Lower punch guide 24 Die region 26 Guide 28 Guide 30 Lower punch 32 Die openings 34 Rotary tablet press 36 Transfer unit 38 Assembly carriage 40 Carrier plate 42 Hand wheel 44 Centering and mounting device for transfer unit (36) on carrier plate (40) 46 Connecting device for mounting the transfer unit (36) on the assembly carriage (38), in particular a quick-action lock 48 Receiving device 50 Upper punch 52 Height-adjustable rotary height-adjustable rotary segment carousel 54 Mounting screws for mounting the rotor segments on the rotor core and the height-adjustable rotary adjustable-height rotary segment carousel 56 Axis of rotation of the receiving device 58 Boreholes for mounting screws (54) 60 Guide on the rotor core (12) for guiding the rotor segments (16) 62 Centering on the rotor core (12) for centering the rotor segments (16) 64 Supporting surface or supporting flange 66 Boreholes for mounting screws (68) 68 Mounting screws 72 Cylinder pins 74 Sliding and guiding rails of the receiving device 78 Die segments 80 Intermediate ring for producing ring-shaped press bodies 82 Mounting flange 86 Pressure roller station 88 Removal device 90 Catch hook of the quick-action lock 92 Recesses in the quick-action lock