IS Machine for Producing Glass Containers and Method for Operating an IS Machine of This Kind

Abstract

An IS machine for producing glass containers includes a plurality of stations which each comprise a blank mold and a finishing mold, and comprising a lubricating tool for lubricating at least some of the blank molds with a lubricant, the lubricating tool comprising a spray head for spraying the lubricant and comprising a robot connection, to which the spray head is fastened and by means of which the spray head is movable between different stations within the IS machine, wherein the spray head is reversibly detachably fastened to the robot connection by means of a coupling. This provides the option of protecting a robot manipulating the lubricating tool without high repair costs being incurred in the event of a collision.

Claims

1. An IS machine for producing glass containers, comprising a plurality of stations which each comprise a blank mold and a finishing mold, and comprising a lubricating tool for lubricating at least some of the blank molds with a lubricant, the lubricating tool comprising a spray head for spraying the lubricant and comprising a robot connection, to which the spray head is fastened and by means of which the spray head is movable between different stations within the IS machine, the spray head being reversibly detachably fastened to the robot connection by means of a coupling, wherein the robot connection is provided with a sensor, by means of which it can be detected whether the coupling is open or closed, and the sensor is connected to a switch apparatus, using which the operation of the station at which the spray head is currently located can be terminated, and/or by means of which a robot action can be initiated when it is established by the sensor that the coupling is open.

2. The IS machine according to claim 1, wherein the coupling is a magnetic coupling.

3. The IS machine according to claim 1, wherein the coupling is a safety coupling comprising a mechanism which reversibly detaches the spray head from the robot connection when a force exceeding a predetermined force value is applied to the spray head.

4. The IS machine according to claim 1, wherein the switch apparatus is designed and configured such that the operation of the station at which the spray head is currently located is permitted again when it is established by the sensor that the coupling is closed again.

5. The IS machine according to claim 1, wherein the robot connection is provided with a control air line, a lubricant line, and an atomizing air line, and at least one of these lines extends at least partly in the interior of a spray head holder to which the spray head is fastened.

6. The IS machine according to claim 5, the control air line, the lubricant line, and the atomizing air line all extend completely in the interior of the spray head holder and are each provided with a connection adjacently to the coupling, and a hose is attached to each of the connections and is connected to a relevant connection of the robot connection at its other end in order to supply the spray head with control air, lubricant, or atomizing air.

7. A method for operating an IS machine for producing glass containers, wherein the IS machine comprises a plurality of stations which each comprise a blank mold and a finishing mold, and comprises a lubricating tool for lubricating at least some of the blank molds with a lubricant, the lubricating tool comprising a spray head for spraying the lubricant and comprising a robot connection, to which the spray head is fastened, the spray head being reversibly detachably fastened to the robot connection by means of a coupling, the method comprising: moving the spray head between different stations within the IS machine and lubricating a relevant blank mold, detecting whether the coupling is closed or open, and terminating the operation of the station at which the spray head is currently located and/or initiating a robot action when it is established that the coupling is open.

Description

[0021] In the following, the invention will be explained in greater detail on the basis of a preferred exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0022] FIG. 1 schematically shows an IS machine according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention,

[0023] FIG. 2 schematically shows a lubricating tool according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention in which the coupling is a magnetic coupling,

[0024] FIG. 3 schematically shows a lubricating tool according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention in which the coupling is a safety coupling,

[0025] FIG. 4 is a schematic, enlarged view, inter alia, of the lubricating tool from FIG. 1, and

[0026] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the magnetic coupling of the lubricating tool from FIG. 2.

[0027] FIG. 1 schematically shows an IS machine 1 for producing glass containers according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention. The IS machine 1 is provided with a plurality of stations 2, which each comprise a blank mold 3 and a finishing mold 4. For the sake of simplicity, FIG. 1 only shows three stations 2, and the remaining stations are indicated by dots.

[0028] In terms of providing uniform product quality that is constant over time, the surfaces of the blank molds 3 that come into direct contact with the molten glass require lubrication in order to ensure uniform distribution of the glass material within the mold cavity when said glass material is introduced into the relevant blank mold 3 and to make it easier to release the parison, which is still mechanically unstable, from the relevant blank mold 3 after shaping. To do this, the IS machine 1 comprises a lubricating tool 5 that can be manipulated by a robot 19 for lubricating the blank molds 3 with a lubricant. For this purpose, the lubricating tool 5 is provided with three spray heads 18 arranged on a spray head holder 6 for spraying the lubricant and with a robot connection 7, to which the spray head holder 6 is fastened and by means of which the lubricating tool is connected to the robot 19. As indicated in FIG. 1 by a horizontal double-headed arrow, the lubricating tool 5 is movable between different stations 2 together with its robot connection 7 and the spray heads 18 within the IS machine 1 by means of the robot 19, such that the blank molds 3 at different stations 2 can be lubricated in succession.

[0029] It is then essential for the spray heads 18 to be reversibly detachably fastened to the robot connection 7 by means of a coupling 8 in order to prevent any damage to the lubricating tool 5 or the robot 19 in the event of a collision with mechanisms at a station 2. A coupling 8 is therefore used which opens in the event of a collision such that the spray heads 18 are separated from the robot connection 7. Owing to this separation, no more force can be transmitted to the robot connection 7. The coupling 8 is designed such that the spray head holder 6 is reversibly detachable from the robot connection 7. The spray head holder 6 can therefore also be fastened to the robot connection 7 again via the coupling 8, namely by closing the coupling 8. The coupling 8 therefore does not sustain any damage when it is opened, and therefore it can be closed again without being repaired.

[0030] There are various options for those couplings which can be reversibly detachably fastened to the robot connection 7. One of those options is that the coupling 8 is a magnetic coupling. In this case, the magnetic force can be used to set the force that needs to be applied to the spray heads 18 to separate them from the robot connection 7. FIG. 2 shows those spray heads 18 which are fastened to the spray head holder 6 and are fastened to the robot connection 7 of the lubricating tool 5 via a coupling 8 designed as a magnetic coupling. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the coupling 8 designed as a magnetic coupling. This figure shows that the spray head holder 6 is provided at its end closest to the robot connection 7 with a magnet 13, which is fastened to the spray head holder 6 by a screw 14. This magnet 13 interacts with a magnet which is not visible in FIG. 5, but which is fastened in the same manner to a counterpart 17 arranged on the robot connection 7. In order to ensure that the spray head holder 6 is correctly oriented relative to the robot connection 7, the end region interacting with the counterpart 17 is provided with a rib 15, which engages in a groove 16 provided on the counterpart 17 when the coupling 8 is closed.

[0031] The spray head holder 6 is provided with a control air line, a lubricant line, and an atomizing air line, these lines all extending completely in the interior of the spray head holder 6, and therefore they are not visible in FIG. 2. These lines are each provided with a connection 10, shown in FIG. 2, adjacently to the coupling 8. During operation of the lubricating tool 5, a hose is attached to each of the connections 10 and is connected to the robot connection 7 at its other end in order to receive control air, lubricant, or atomizing air. To do this, connections 11 are also provided on the robot connection 7. For the sake of clarity, these hoses are not shown in FIG. 2. These hoses mean that, if the spray head holder 6 becomes detached from the robot connection 7, the spray head holder 6 does not fall into the station 2 at which the lubricating tool 5 is currently located, but instead is held by the hoses. The spray head holder 6 can then be manually fitted back onto the robot connection 7, and the station 2 can continue to be operated.

[0032] FIG. 3 shows an alternative configuration of the coupling 8. This figure shows that the coupling 8 is designed as a safety coupling comprising a mechanism which reversibly detaches the spray head holder 6 from the robot connection 7 when a force exceeding a predetermined force value is applied to the spray head holder 6.A safety coupling of this kind can be constructed in accordance with the ball-catch principle, for example: In this case, the spray head holder 6 is connected to the robot connection 7 in a form-fitting manner by means of balls or rollers. The coupling hub is designed as a ball cage and is used as a receptacle for a flange ring, an index plate comprising a disc spring, and an adjusting nut. The balls or rollers are pressed into countersunk holes in the flange ring at a set spring force. In the event of excessive loading, the flange ring rotates relative to the cage hub, the balls are pushed out of the spherical indentations, and the spray head holder 6 is separated from the robot connection 7. Moreover, the structure of the assembly shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to that shown in FIG. 2.

[0033] An essential point regarding the lubricating tools 5 described in the present case is that the lubricating tool 5 is provided with a sensor 12, by means of which it can be detected whether the coupling 8 is open or closed. This is shown schematically in FIG. 4, which is, inter alia, an enlarged view of the lubricating tool from FIG. 1. This sensor 12 can be designed as a capacitive sensor, for example. This sensor 12 is connected to a switch apparatus 9, also shown in FIG. 1, using which the operation of the station 2 at which the spray head holder 6 comprising the spray heads 18 is currently located can be terminated when it is established by the sensor 12 that the coupling 8 is open. This switch apparatus 9 is also designed and configured such that the operation of the station 2 at which the spray head holder 6 comprising the spray heads 18 is currently located is permitted again when it is established by the sensor 12 that the coupling 8 is closed again, e.g. by the spray head holder 6 having been manually fitted back onto the robot connection 7. In this case, however, the station 2 is not put back into operation automatically, but only after this is approved by a user.

[0034] This makes the following method for operating the IS machine 1 possible:

[0035] For lubricating the blank molds 3 at the stations 2, the spray heads 18 are moved back and forth between the different stations 2 within the IS machine 1. In the process, it is detected whether the coupling 8 is closed or open. If the spray head holder 6 then becomes detached from the robot connection 7 due to a spray head 18 colliding with a mechanism of a station 2, this is detected by the sensor 12. If this happens, the operation of the station 2 at which the lubricating tool 5 is currently located is automatically terminated. This can ensure that no further damage is sustained by the IS machine 1 or the robot 19 due to the spray head holder 6 becoming detached. A message is output, e.g. by the robot 19, and the spray head holder 6 can be manually fitted back onto the robot connection 7.

TABLE-US-00001 List of reference signs 1 IS machine 2 Stations 3 Blank mold 4 Finishing mold 5 Lubricating tool 6 Spray head holder 7 Robot connection 8 Coupling 9 Switch apparatus 10 Connections to the spray head holder 11 Connections to the robot connection 12 Sensor 13 Magnet 14 Screw 15 Rib 16 Groove 17 Counterpart 18 Spray heads 19 Robot