FORMING UNIT AND METHOD FOR FORMING A CONTAINER AND PACKING APPARATUS WITH SUCH A FORMING UNIT

Abstract

A forming unit for a container from a blank of the container. The unit includes a conveyor and at least one equipment secured to the conveyor. The equipment includes a forming device moving with continuous movement and forming a container from the blank during a predetermined forming path on the conveyor.

Claims

1.-21. (canceled)

22. A forming unit for forming a container from a blank of said container, comprising: a conveyor, and at least one equipment secured to said conveyor, said equipment comprising at least one forming device configured to move with continuous movement and arranged to form a container from said blank during a predetermined forming path on said conveyor.

23. The forming unit according to claim 22, wherein said conveyor is a rotary carousel having a vertical rotation axis.

24. The forming unit according to claim 22, wherein said at least one forming device comprises a piston configured to engage with said blank and to move said blank along a predefined trajectory inside a seat, the seat being configured to cooperate with said piston to form said container from said blank.

25. The forming unit according to 24, wherein said conveyor is a rotary carousel having a vertical orientation axis and said predefined trajectory has an orientation substantially parallel with said vertical rotation axis of said rotary carousel.

26. The forming unit according to claim 23, wherein said forming path corresponds to a circular arc defined by a rotation of said rotary carousel about said rotation axis through an angle between 120° and 270°.

27. The forming unit according to claim 24, wherein said seat has a hollow box-shaped form and comprises an upper opening for free passage of said piston through said opening.

28. The forming unit according to claim 27, wherein said seat comprises a lower opening for discharge of said blank from said seat.

29. The forming unit according to claim 24, wherein said at least one forming device comprises a belt for moving said piston along said predefined trajectory.

30. The forming unit according to claim 24, wherein said at least one forming device further comprises a motor element for moving said piston along said predefined trajectory and identify at least: an upper position identifying a maximum spacing of said piston from said seat, a forming start position of said blank, wherein said piston engages with said blank at an abutment panel of said blank outside said seat, with a predetermined minimum spacing from said seat, and a forming end position of said blank, wherein said piston is at least partially inserted inside said seat to fold said blank in said seat under pressure of said piston in order to form said container.

31. The forming unit according to claim 30, wherein said motor element is configured to move said piston along said predefined trajectory to further identify: a discharge position for discharging said blank from said seat, wherein said piston moves away from said upper position beyond said forming end position, to fully discharge said blank from said lower opening of said seat.

32. The forming unit according to claim 30, wherein said seat: comprises at least one folding facilitating portion and is formed to induce a folding of said blank when said blank is moved in said seat by said piston in one or more of: a first folding zone between said abutment panel and a front panel connected to the abutment panel, a second folding zone between said abutment panel and a rear panel connected to the abutment panel, and a third folding zone between said front panel and lateral panels connected to the front panel.

33. The forming unit according to claim 30, wherein said motor element is controlled independently with respect to said conveyor so that said motor element moves said piston until said piston completes the forming of said blank even in case of said conveyor stopping.

34. The forming unit according to claim 22, wherein said at least one forming device comprises a plurality of forming devices.

35. The forming unit according to claim 34, wherein said plurality of forming devices are arranged on said rotary carousel with a uniform angular spacing.

36. The forming unit according to claim 24, wherein said piston and said seat are made of polymer-based fibre-reinforced composite material and comprise at least one rapid-disengagement device in order to be disengaged from said forming device.

37. A packing apparatus for packing articles comprising the forming unit of claim 22.

38. The packing apparatus according to claim 37, further comprising an adhesive spot distribution device positioned upstream of said forming unit and configured to apply spots of adhesive to predetermined faces of said blank before said blank is subjected to forming.

39. The packing apparatus according to claim 38, wherein said adhesive spot distribution device is movable into a purging zone.

40. A method for forming a container from a blank, comprising: providing a forming unit comprising a conveyor and at least one equipment secured to the conveyor, the equipment including a forming device to form said container from said blank, moving said conveyor, supplying said blank to said conveyor at said forming device, and continuously forming said container from said blank by said forming device while said conveyor is moving.

41. The method according to claim 40, wherein: said forming device is directed by said conveyor along a substantially circular forming path, said forming step is started and completed over a first 180° rotation of said rotary carousel, and a repositioning step for repositioning in an initial condition corresponding to said upper position of said forming device is completed over a second 180° rotation of said rotary carousel.

Description

[0154] The characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clearer from the detailed description of an embodiment illustrated, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings wherein:

[0155] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of a forming unit made in accordance with the present invention;

[0156] FIG. 2 is a perspective schematic perspective view on an enlarged scale of a detail of FIG. 1;

[0157] FIG. 3 is a further perspective schematic perspective view on an enlarged scale of a further detail of FIG. 1;

[0158] FIG. 4 is a further perspective schematic perspective view on an enlarged scale of a further detail of FIG. 1;

[0159] FIG. 5 is a top view of a packing apparatus for articles comprising the forming unit of FIG. 1.

[0160] With initial reference to FIG. 5, 300 denotes a packing apparatus which is provided to form a container 290 from a blank 200 and, further, to fill the container thus formed with a plurality of loose articles, so as to obtain a finished package intended to be packaged for shipment.

[0161] The exemplary embodiment described below refers to articles to be packed in a container, in particular a box-shaped container in which articles that are different from each other, or the same but in different configurations, are arranged in a sorted manner, for example arranged on superimposed layers.

[0162] In the specific case described herein, the articles with which the containers are filled are capsule elements for the preparation of beverages by infusion, in particular coffee capsules.

[0163] In the present example, each blank 200 is a flat laminar element made of foldable, semi-rigid material, for example cardboard, suitably cut and provided with folding lines, preferably formed by creased portions.

[0164] As better visible in FIG. 3, the blank 200 has a substantially cross shape comprising a front panel 230 with a quadrilateral shape from which additional panels branch out according to the normal directions of the respective edges.

[0165] More in detail, an abutment panel 210 and a closing panel 245 opposite the front panel 230 with respect to the abutment panel 210 are connected along the longitudinal axis X of the cross shape of the blank from the front panel 230. Again along the longitudinal direction X, there is identified a rear panel 240 which is connected to the abutment panel 210 on the opposite side of the front panel 230.

[0166] Further, two opposite lateral panels 250 are identified, which are connected to the front panel 230 at the other two edges thereof of the abutment panel 210. All the aforementioned panels have a quadrilateral shape, preferably rectangular, so that the container 290 obtained from the blank 200 is substantially box-shaped or parallelepiped.

[0167] In particular, the abutment panel 210 will define the bottom of the container 290, while the rear panel 240, the front panel 230, and the lateral panels 250 of the blank 200 will correspond respectively to the rear wall, to the front wall and to the lateral walls of the container. Finally, the closing panel 245 will define an openable wall of the container 290, which is intended to close an opening 249 defined in the container 290 by the rising of the lateral panels 250, of the front panel 230 and of the rear panel 240.

[0168] Preferably, the abutment panel 210 and the rear panel 240 have, on each edge 211, 212, 241, 242 which branches parallel to the longitudinal axis X of the blank 200, respective longitudinal fixing flaps 280 having an isosceles trapezoid shape, with a free edge connected by inclined edges.

[0169] Additional flaps can be made on any free edge of each panel of the blank.

[0170] The rear panel 240 also has, in addition to the longitudinal fixing flaps 280, a closing flap 243 which is articulated to the rear panel 240 on the opposite side of the abutment panel 210.

[0171] In particular, the container 290 is formed at a forming unit 1 of the packing apparatus 300, which is provided for the continuous transformation of the initial blank 200 into the final shape of the container 290, which is functional for the subsequent operations of the packing apparatus 300.

[0172] The packing apparatus 300 has a first line 301 which is supplied at a first inlet end thereof with a stack of blanks 200 by means of a supply station 302.

[0173] The supply station 302 performs the extraction of the single blanks 200 and is connected to a folding station 304 in which the blanks 200 are arranged in a configuration in which they are sent on a blanks conveyor 303. In the folding station 304, the blanks 200 undergo a preliminary folding of the respective panels and of the longitudinal fixing flaps 280, and are, moreover, correctly spaced apart from each other.

[0174] The blanks conveyor 303 travels through a gluing station 305 comprising an adhesive spot distribution device 306 in which a plurality of hot adhesive guns lay suitable adhesive spots on the longitudinal fixing flaps 280 or on the other panels of the blanks 200.

[0175] The adhesive spot distribution device 306 comprises adhesive dispensing nozzles which are housed on an arm rotating about a vertical rotation axis and which is positioned near a distal end of the arm with respect to the rotation axis of the rotary carousel 20. Thanks to the ability to rotate, the arm can be conveniently moved to a purging zone.

[0176] The blanks conveyor 303 then supplies the forming unit 1, at which the first line 301 forms a curve, assuming a U-shaped configuration.

[0177] The forming unit 1 comprises a plurality of forming devices 100, each one arranged to form a container 290 from a respective blank 200, which is delivered to them by the blanks conveyor 303 in the correct position and already provided with the necessary adhesive spots.

[0178] As better described below, each forming device 100 forms the respective container 290 by means of suitable folding operations of the panels which form the blank 200, by making the longitudinal fixing flaps 280 adhere to the lateral panels 250 so that the front panel 230, the rear panel 240 remain glued to the front panels, while the closing panel 245 remains open.

[0179] At the end of the forming unit 1, the containers 290 are supplied onto a package conveyor 307 which includes a station for opening the openable wall 245 of the containers 290, so as to keep the opening of the containers 290 clear of obstacles, until filling is complete.

[0180] The package conveyor 307 follows a straight path in which the single containers 290 are filled with layers of articles intended to be packed, which are transferred into them by means of a plurality of robotic filling devices 309, which are arranged in line alongside the container conveyor and supported by an overlying cage frame. Once the filling is complete, the containers 290 arrive at a closing station 310, wherein the openable wall 245 of each package is made to adhere to the respective opening. Subsequently, the closed containers 290 reach a discharge end 311, from which they are sent to a packaging apparatus (not shown in the figure).

[0181] The packing apparatus 300 further has a second line 312 that is supplied by a first conveyor that transports the capsule elements in an upright configuration in a substantially disordered manner.

[0182] The first conveyor is connected to a sorting station 313, in which the capsule elements are arranged on a predetermined number of rows of a conveyor belt which is directed in a parallel direction but in the opposite direction with respect to the package conveyor 307. In the sorting station 313 the capsule elements are correctly positioned for their transfer into the container 290. In particular, the articles are spaced apart and arranged according to an appropriate configuration that allows the best compaction conditions inside the container. Downstream of the sorting station 313, the articles are removed by robotic filling devices 309 and deposited in successive layers inside the containers 290.

[0183] In more detail and with reference to FIG. 1, the forming unit 1 comprises a conveyor 10 which moves with continuous movement. Such a conveyor 10 is a rotary carousel 20 which is provided to rotate about its vertical rotation axis Z and comprising twelve equipments 50 that are fixedly secured thereto. Each equipment 50 comprises a respective forming device 100 which is provided to perform a forming of the container 290 starting from the blank 200 during a predetermined forming path T on the carousel 20.

[0184] Alternatively, the conveyor 10 may be formed, for example, by a belt.

[0185] The forming device 100 comprises a piston 110, which is formed to removably engage on the abutment panel 210 of the blank 200, as well as a seat 120, which is formed to receive within it the piston 110 and to induce and/or allow the container 290 to be formed while the blank 200 is moved by the piston 110 within the seat 120 along a predefined trajectory t.

[0186] The movement of the rotary carousel 20, and in particular of the seats 120, substantially define a movement direction D included on a movement plane P, which is substantially horizontal, while the forming device 100 and the predefined trajectory t have a substantially vertical orientation, which is perpendicular to the movement plane P.

[0187] The piston 110 has a substantially parallelepiped shape on which it is identified an abutment face 111 which is placed in the direction of the seat 120 and formed to abut and exert a pressure on the abutment panel 210 of the blank 200 so as to push it inside the seat 120.

[0188] The forming device 100 further comprises a motor element 140, which is provided to move the piston 110 along the predefined trajectory t by means of a movement transmission device comprising a belt 130. In particular, the belt 130 is fixed by means of a support 132 to a rod 115 extended from the piston 110 on the side opposite the seat 120.

[0189] The seat 120 has a substantially hollow box-shaped form, in which the piston 110 can freely slide, and is extended along a substantially vertical longitudinal direction, coinciding with the predefined trajectory t, and has an upper opening 129 and a longitudinally opposed lower opening 129b.

[0190] As better visible in FIG. 2, the seat 120 comprises a front wall 121 which is positioned radially distal to the rotation axis Z of the rotary carousel 20, a rear wall 123 opposite the front wall 121 and positioned radially proximal to the vertical rotation axis Z of the rotary carousel 20, as well as lateral walls 122 which complete the box-shaped structure of the seat 120.

[0191] Preferably, the seat 120 comprises a front support 127 having the form of a T-panel radially projecting away from the rotation axis of the rotary carousel 20 and positioned on the front wall 121 near the upper opening 129. This front support 127 acts as a support for the front panel 230 and/or the openable wall 245 of the blank 200 during the forming steps.

[0192] Similarly, the seat 120 comprises a rear support 128 radially projecting towards the rotation axis of the rotary carousel 20 and positioned on the rear wall 125 near the upper opening 129.

[0193] Preferably, the rear support 128 comprises a rear opening, substantially rectangular, which is configured to let the support 132 of the belt 130 pass and to allow the piston 110 to slide freely along the predefined trajectory t inside the seat 120.

[0194] The support 132 is preferably a bracket with main vertical dimensional development, so that the rear opening requires as little space as possible to be able to pass through the rear support 128.

[0195] The piston 110, in its movement along a predefined trajectory t, defines the following positions with respect to the seat 120: [0196] an upper position S which identifies the maximum spacing M of the piston 110 from the seat 120, [0197] a forming start position I of the blank 200, in which the piston 110 engages with the blank 200 at the abutment panel 210 outside the seat 120 and at a predetermined minimum spacing d therefrom, [0198] a forming end position F of the blank 200, in which the piston 110 is at least partially inside the seat 120 and thus the blank 200, under the pressure of the piston 110, is folded inside the seat 120 in order to form the container 290, and [0199] a discharge position E of the blank 200 from the seat 120 in which the piston 110 moves further away from the upper position S, beyond the forming end position F, causing the blank 200 to be completely discharged from the seat 120.

[0200] The seat 120 comprises a plurality of guides 126 which allows the folding of the blank 200 to be carried out by synergistic collaboration with the piston 110 which pushes the blank 200 inside the seat 120 between the forming start position I and the forming end position F.

[0201] In particular, the foldings take place along a first, a second and a third folding zone P1, P2, P3 which are defined respectively between the abutment panel 210 and the front panel 230, the abutment panel 210 and the rear panel 240, the front panel 230 and the lateral panels 250.

[0202] Preferably, the plurality of guides 126 is formed to initially induce the vertical rotation of the front panel 230 and the lateral panels 250 which are connected thereto. At the same time, the rear panel 240 is also rotated vertically. Subsequently, the lateral panels 250 are rotated with respect to the front panel 230, so as to close the blank 200 laterally and thus form the box-shaped container 290.

[0203] In order to further optimise this forming of the blank 200, the seat 120 comprises folding facilitating portions placed below on the lateral walls 122 which further push the lateral panels 250 towards the desired final position, favouring the mutual gluing step of the panels and of the longitudinal fixing flaps.

[0204] According to an embodiment, the seat 120 comprises lateral openings 123 made on the lateral walls 122 which facilitate the rotation for closing the lateral panels 250 of the blank.

[0205] With particular reference to FIGS. 1 and 5, it can be noted that the forming path T is equal to an axial rotation of the rotary carousel 20 through approximately 180°, the remaining 180° being used to return the piston 110 to the initial forming position, i.e. the upper position S.

[0206] The motor element 140 is preferably an electric motor and is powered and controlled independently of the forming unit 1 itself, so that even if the rotary carousel 20 stops, the motor element 140 is able to move the piston 110 as far as the forming end position F in order to complete the forming of the blank 200, at least for the forming devices 100 already provided with the blank 200.

[0207] In an alternative embodiment, not illustrated herein, the motor element 140 is powered and controlled independently of the forming unit 1, but collaborates with a main motor of the same unit which is used to also move the piston 110 in the various desired positions and intervenes, by transferring the movement by means of cams, in the event that the main motor of the unit stops undesirably. In this manner, the motor element 140 is in any case able to bring the piston 110 as far as the forming end position F, thus ensuring that the possibility of producing waste from containers 290 not perfectly closed in the desired times and bound to the cross-linking of the glue already applied on the blank is avoided.

[0208] The forming unit 1 further comprises a gripping device 190 which is positioned at the discharge position E of the blank 200 from the seat 120 and is configured in such a manner to be able to selectively retain the container 290 once it is discharged from the seat 120 through the lower opening 129b. Preferably, the gripping device 190 comprises movable grippers 191, to which gripping elements 192 are fixed, for example of the suction cup type, which act with pressure reduction.

[0209] The piston 110 and the seat 120 are preferably made from carbon fibre or fibreglass and comprise at least one rapid-disengagement device 170 which allows the forming device 100 to be disengaged from the equipment 50, for example to be serviced or replaced with a differently shaped forming device. In FIG. 2 the rapid-disengagement device 170 is shown on the seat 120 but can also be installed on the piston 110.

[0210] As can be seen from the foregoing, the forming unit 1 is capable of forming containers 290 from the blanks 200 in a continuous, complete and autonomous manner.

[0211] In fact, as clearly illustrated in FIG. 1, the rotary carousel 20 rotates clockwise, starting the forming process in the right part of the figure, immediately downstream of the adhesive spot application device 306, and completing the forming of the container 290, in the left part of the figure, in a continuous manner, without ever interrupting its movement, near the package conveyor 307 to which it transfers the container 290 thus formed.

[0212] The forming step is started and completed over a rotation of the rotary carousel 20 equal to approximately 180° while the step of repositioning the forming device 100 in an initial condition corresponding to the upper position S of the piston 110 is completed over a rotation of the rotary carousel 20 of the remaining 180°.

[0213] Thanks to these technical solutions, the Applicant has found that a total of at least about 100 containers per minute can be formed with a single-line forming unit.