METHOD AND DEVICE FOR LOADING A FIBRE-BASED CONTAINER WITH A PREFORM AND FOR INSERTING THE CONTAINER INTO A BLOW MOLD

Abstract

The invention relates to a device and a method for loading a fiber-based container (20) with a preform (30), comprising the following steps:

providing a container (20) on a rotary plate (40);

rotating the rotary plate (40) together with the container (20) into a predetermined position;

inserting a preform (30) into the container (20); the invention also relates to a method for inserting a fiber-based container (20), together with a preform (30) arranged therein, into a blow mold (80).

Claims

1. A method for loading a fiber-based container (20) with a preform (30), comprising the steps of: providing a container (20) on a rotary plate (40) rotating the rotary plate (40) together with the container (20) into a predetermined position; inserting a preform (30) into the container (20).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the preform (30) is heated to a higher temperature before being inserted into the container (20).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the container (20) is moved vertically into a transfer position in order to insert the preform (30) into the container (20).

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein a lifting device (50) is provided for moving the container (20), on which lifting device the container (20) is held by its base (23).

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the container (20) is held on the lifting device (50) by means of a negative pressure.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rotary plate (40) is rotated when providing the container (20) until an engagement element (41) of the rotary plate (40) engages in a corresponding shaped element (21) of the container (20).

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the container (20) is only rotated after the engagement element (41) is engaged in the shaped element (21).

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein during the rotational movement of the container (20), said container is held by a guide device (60) at its opening and is clamped in particular between the guide device (60) and the rotary plate (40).

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the preform (30) is placed in a transfer position before being inserted into the container (20).

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein, after the preform (30) has been inserted into the container (20), the container (20) is held, together with the preform (30), by a gripper (70).

11. A method for inserting a fiber-based container (20) together with a preform (30) arranged therein into a blow mold (80), said method comprising the steps of: loading a fiber-based container (20) together with a preform (30) by means of a method according to claim 1, rotating the container (20) into the predetermined position such that a mold parting plane (22) on the container (20), created by the production of the container (20), is rotated into a position defined relative to a mold parting plane (81) of the blow mold (80).

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the container (20) together with the preform (30) is inserted into a cavity (82) of the blow mold (80) by a gripper (70) from a transfer position.

13. A device (100) for loading a fiber-based container (20) together with a preform (30) in a predetermined position, wherein the device (100) has a rotary plate (40) for rotating a container (20) arranged thereon into the predetermined position.

14. The device (100) according to claim 13, wherein at least one engagement element (41) is arranged on the rotary plate (40), said engagement element being suitable for engaging in a substantially corresponding shaped element (21) of the container (20) such that the container (20) can be rotated together with the rotary plate (40).

15. The device (100) according to claim 13, wherein the device (100) has at least one lifting device (50) with which the container (20) can be moved in a vertical direction.

16. The device (100) according to claim 15, wherein the lifting device has a support element (51) on which a base (23) of the container (20) can be placed, the support element (51) in particular being substantially complementary to a design of at least a portion of the base (23) of the container (20).

17. The device (100) according to claim 16, wherein the support element (51) is substantially annular and encloses the rotary plate (40) and, in particular, is vertically displaceable relative to the rotary plate (40).

18. The device (100) according to claim 15, wherein the lifting device (50) has an apparatus (90) for generating a negative pressure such that a container (20) arranged on the lifting device (50) is held on the lifting device (50) by means of negative pressure.

19. The device (100) according to claim 13, wherein the device (100) has a guide device (60) for guiding and supporting the container (20) during rotation.

20. The device (100) according to claim 13, wherein the device (100) has a gripper (70) for inserting the container (20), together with the preform (30), into a blow mold (80) from a transfer position.

21. The device (100) according to claim 13, wherein the device (100) has a first conveyor belt (101) for providing containers (20).

Description

[0076] Various aspects of the invention will be described by way of example with reference to schematic drawings. These show:

[0077] FIG. 1: a schematic view of a device for loading a fiber-based container;

[0078] FIG. 2: a first method step on the basis of a detailed view from FIG. 1;

[0079] FIG. 3: another method step;

[0080] FIG. 4: another method step;

[0081] FIG. 5A, 5B: a view of a lifting device together with an associated base of a container;

[0082] FIG. 6A, 6B: a blow mold; and

[0083] FIG. 7: a container comprising a preform in a gripper.

[0084] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a device 100 for loading a fiber-based container 20. The device 100 has a conveyor belt 101 on which containers 20 are arranged that are supplied. The device 100 also has a lifting device 50 having a support element 51 arranged thereon and a rotary plate 40. The lifting device 50 and, in this case, the support element 51 enclose the rotary plate 40 in the shape of a circular ring. An engagement element 41 is arranged on the rotary plate 40 for engagement in a substantially complementary shaped element 21 which is arranged on the base 23 of a container 20. For the sake of simplicity, a bottom view of the base 23 of the container 20 is shown above the rotary plate 40 in FIG. 1.

[0085] The containers 20 are moved by means of the conveyor belt in the direction of the arrow P1. The rotary plate 40 can be rotated about its axis of rotation X and is accordingly rotatable about its axis of rotation X. This is illustrated by the arrow P2.

[0086] In order to load the lifting device 50, the conveyor belt is moved in the direction of the arrow P1 such that a first container 20 is placed on the rotary plate 40 and accordingly on the support element 51.

[0087] FIG. 2 shows a first method step based on a detailed view from FIG. 1. After placing the container 20 on the support element 51 (see FIG. 5A), a guide device 60 is introduced into the opening 24 in the container 20 and the container 20 is centered in relation to the axis of rotation X. For this purpose, the guide device 60 is moved in the direction of the rotary plate 40 into the opening 24 in the container 20.

[0088] Subsequently, the rotary plate 40 is rotated in the direction of the arrow P2 until the engagement element 41 is operatively connected to the shaped element 21 on the base 23 of the container 20. As soon as this contact is established, the rotary plate 40 is moved further until it assumes a predetermined position. This position corresponds to a relative position in relation to a mold parting plane of the blow mold (see FIG. 6 in this regard), in which the container 20 is later placed. In accordance with the position of the rotary plate 40, the container 20 therefore also has a relative position that is determined in relation to the subsequent blow mold.

[0089] As soon as the container 20 is thus positioned in the predetermined position, an apparatus 90 for generating negative pressure (see FIG. 5 in this regard) is activated, and the container 20 is thereby held on the support element 51.

[0090] Subsequently, the guide device 60 is removed from the opening 24 in the container 20 again so that this opening 24 is freely accessible.

[0091] FIG. 3 shows another method step. Subsequent to the positioning of the container 20, as described in relation to FIG. 2, a preform 30 is moved above the container 20 into the transfer position shown here by a gripping device 35. As can be seen from the view according to FIG. 3, the container 20 and the preform 30 are aligned and arranged one above the other along the axis X so that the preform 30 is arranged centrally with respect to the opening 24. The gripping device 35 only holds the preform 30 above a support ring, which is not described here in greater detail, so that the container 20 can be arranged underneath the support ring on the preform 30.

[0092] FIG. 4 shows another method step after providing the preform 30 in the transfer position. In this step, the lifting device 50 has been moved vertically upward so that the container 20 is likewise located in the transfer position. The container 20 has been moved by sliding vertically over the provided preform 30 so that the preform 30 extends through the opening 24 and into the container 20.

[0093] It can be seen that the lifting device 50 has been moved in the vertical direction independently of the rotary plate 40.

[0094] Subsequently, the gripper 35 is released and moved away, and the preform is held together with the container 20 by another gripper 70 so that the preform 30 can be inserted into a corresponding blow mold 80 together with the container 20. A corresponding gripper is described in relation to FIG. 7.

[0095] FIG. 5A and 5B show a view of a lifting device 50 and a rotary plate 40 (FIG. 5A) together with an associated base 23 of a container 20 (FIG. 5B). The support element 51 is arranged on the lifting device 50. A plurality of openings, which provide part of the apparatus 90 for generating a negative pressure, can be seen on the support element 51. The surface of the support element 51 visible here is substantially complementary to a corresponding surface of the base 23 of the container 20. The base of the container 23 can be seen in FIG. 5B. In the present case, two shaped elements 21 are arranged on the base 23 and lie diametrically opposite one another in relation to a longitudinal axis of the container. The mold parting plane of the container 20 and the associated ridges are not shown in greater detail.

[0096] FIG. 6A and 6B show a blow mold 80 in a plan view (FIG. 6A) and in a sectional view along the mold parting plane 81 so that only one half of the blow mold is visible (FIG. 6B). The blow mold 80 has two blow mold halves, not described in greater detail, which together provide a cavity 82. The mold parting plane 81 extends between the two blow mold halves.

[0097] FIG. 7 shows a container 20 comprising a preform 30 in a gripper 70. By means of the gripper 70, the container 20 is transferred together with the preform 30 into the blow mold 80. The gripper 70 has two legs 71 and 72. Only the leg 71 is described below. However, the statements also apply to the leg 72. The leg 71 has a first gripping jaw 73 and a second gripping jaw 74. A gripping surface 731 is arranged on the first gripping jaw 73 and a gripping surface 741 is arranged on the second gripping jaw 74. The gripping surfaces 741 and 731 each extend along a circular ring through an angle of 30. The first gripping jaw 73 is axially spaced apart from the second gripping jaw 74. In cross section, the first gripping jaw 73 forms a substantially C-shaped cross section together with the second gripping jaw 74. This C-shaped cross section is designed to receive a corresponding support ring. The first gripping jaw 73 is offset radially outwards in relation to the second gripping jaw 74.

[0098] Contours can be formed in particular on the gripping surface 731 of the first gripping jaw 73, which contours improve the friction between this gripping surface 731 and a fiber-based shell 20 to be gripped.