APPARATUS FOR DETACHING FOLDABLE INNER BAGS FROM THE INNER WALLS OF RIGID OUTER CONTAINERS

Abstract

An apparatus including a conveyor track for upright containers, which is constituted by a horizontal, rotating conveyor belt, a vertical conveyor belt rotating in the same direction, which is arranged on one side of the horizontal conveyor belt and a vertical, fixed belt on the opposite side of the horizontal conveyor belt, where a distance between the vertical conveyor belt and the fixed belt is smaller than an outer diameter of the upright containers so that the upright containers rotate about a vertical axis as the upright containers pass between the rotating, vertical conveyor belt and the fixed, vertical belt and are laterally compressed so that the inner bags detach abruptly from the outer containers.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detaching foldable inner bags from inner walls of associated rigid outer containers of containers, which are manufactured in a coextrusion process, wherein the inner bags have a considerable stiffness and a rough surface with microscopically small protuberances and recesses and thereby adhere to the outer containers only with low adhesive forces without being welded to the outer containers, and wherein the outer containers have an at least partially open pinch seam at their base, in which a welded base seam of the inner bags is held, the apparatus comprising: a conveyor track for upright containers, which is constituted by a horizontal, rotating conveyor belt, a vertical conveyor belt rotating in the same direction, which is arranged on one side of the horizontal conveyor belt (2), and a vertical, fixed belt (6)-on the opposite side of the horizontal conveyor belt, wherein a distance between the vertical conveyor belt (4)-and the fixed belt is smaller than an outer diameter of the upright containers so that the upright containers rotate about a vertical axis when the upright containers pass between the rotating vertical conveyor belt and the fixed vertical belt and are laterally compressed so that the inner bags abruptly separate from the outer containers.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherin the distance between the vertical, rotating conveyor belt and the vertical, fixed belt is adjustable.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vertical conveyor belt runs at the same speed as the horizontal conveyor belt.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an individual drive device provided for the vertical, rotating conveyor belt-(4).

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotating conveyor belt and the vertical conveyor belt consist of fabric or rubber.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixed, vertical belt consists of an aluminium alloy or steel.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotating conveyor belt and the vertical conveyor belt run at such a speed that the upright containers rotate at least once through 360° against the vertical conveyor belt.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the horizontal, rotating conveyor belt is arranged close to or below the blow mould of an associated coextrusion blowing machine.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Further details of the invention will be apparent from the following description of one preferred embodiment of the invention and with the aid of the drawings, in which:

[0015] FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of the apparatus in accordance with the invention;

[0016] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

[0017] FIG. 3 is a front view of the apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The apparatus, provided in the figures generally with the reference numeral 1, includes a horizontal, rotating conveyor belt 2, which is arranged in the vicinity of a blow mould, which is not shown, of a coextrusion blowing machine. Arranged on one longitudinal side of the horizontal conveyor belt 2, above its upper run 3, is a vertical, rotating conveyor belt, referred to below as a squeezing conveyor belt 4. The inner run 5 of the squeezing conveyor belt 4 runs with the same speed as the upper run 3 of the horizontal conveyor belt 2. The direction of movement of the horizontal conveyor belt is designated in the figures with X whilst the direction of movement in the same direction of the inner run 5 of the squeezing conveyor belt 4 is identified with Y.

[0019] Arranged above the opposing longitudinal side of the upper run 3 of the horizontal belt conveyor 2 is a fixed, vertical belt 6, which constitutes a counter support and which consists of a smooth material, such as aluminium alloy or steel. The two rotating conveyor belts 2 and 4 consist of fabric or of a rubber alloy.

[0020] The inner run 5 of the squeezing conveyor belt 4 extends parallel to the inner run 7 of the fixed belt 6, whereby the spacing a from one another is somewhat smaller than the outer diameter of the containers 8 to be handled. When passing between the squeezing conveyor belt 4 and the fixed belt 6 the containers 8 rotate completely in the direction of the arrows b at least once about their vertical axis, whereby the inner bags of the containers 8 abruptly come free form the outer containers, which is also perceptible acoustically.

[0021] The entire apparatus 1 is fastened on a frame 9, for the structural details of which reference is made to the figures. The squeezing conveyor belt 4 is provided with its own motor 10, which drives the squeezing conveyor belt 4 with the same running speed as that with which the horizontal conveyor belt rotates.