CN118843535A - Device for cooling and removing preforms for producing plastic containers - Google Patents

Abstract

A device (1) for cooling and removing preforms for producing plastic containers, comprising: a support structure (10) for at least one clamping assembly (2), the clamping assembly forming a plurality of receiving seats (20) for corresponding preforms; and a transfer device for transferring the still warm preforms from an injection molding device to the clamping assembly (2), provided with a disengagement plate, the disengagement plate supporting a plurality of clamping bodies configured to selectively engage the corresponding preforms so as to be able to remove the preforms from the corresponding receiving seats (20), wherein the clamping assembly (2) comprises a support assembly (11) for a clamping plate (12), the clamping plate supporting a plurality of receiving seats (20) arranged in a plurality of mutually parallel rows (101) and extending along a first extension direction (201), the rows (101) extending along a substantially vertical direction. The receiving seats (20) are arranged side by side in a second extension direction (202) perpendicular to the first extension direction (201), and the receiving seats (20) in adjacent rows (101) arranged side by side along the second extension direction (202) are offset from each other along the first direction (201). A moving device (50) is provided for moving the clamping plate (12) relative to the support structure (10). The moving device (50) comprises: a first moving device (51), acting between the support structure (10) and the support assembly (11), so that the support assembly (11) moves at least along a first moving direction (301); and a second moving device (52), supported by the support assembly (11), so that the clamping plate (12) moves relative to the support assembly (11) at least along a second moving direction (302) different from the first moving direction (301).

Description

Device for cooling and removing preforms for producing plastic containers

Technical Field

The invention relates to a device for cooling and removing preforms for producing plastic containers.

Background Art

Known devices for unloading and storing preforms for producing plastic containers usually consist of a cooling plate forming a plurality of receptacles which are arranged in a matrix and designed to accommodate the respective still warm preforms for the time necessary to at least partially cool them.

Typically, these preforms are fed directly from the injection molding machine to the cooling plate and remain in the corresponding receptacles for a preset period of time.

In particular, after the injection process (which refers to the step in which the male and female mold parts remain in the closed position) is finished, the mold opens and the cooling plate moves towards the preform, which is partially accommodated in one of the two mold parts, so that the receiving seat of the cooling plate can engage with the corresponding part of the preform protruding from this mold part and remove the preform from the mold part to allow the mold to close and start a new molding cycle.

The unloading of the preforms from the cooling plate occurs due to an ejection action which may be achieved by pneumatic means, mechanical means or a combination thereof.

The preforms are then transferred from the release plate and then fall onto a conveyor belt under the effect of gravity.

However, despite the widespread use of the solutions described above, there are still disadvantages.

In particular, in many cases the cooling time is quite long, which makes it impossible to optimize the productivity of the entire system.

The known solution in EP0947304 from Husky allows to accelerate the cooling process by using air jets to reduce the temperature of the inner surface of the preform.

Specifically, EP0947304 describes a preform molding and cooling system which requires removing the preforms from the preform mold when they are not fully cooled and subsequently cooling these preforms outside the molding area; the solution describes how to cool the preforms by introducing air jets into the interior of the preform and cooling the exterior of the preform in a conventional manner, i.e. by cooling the receiving seat with a cooling fluid or by convection.

Other similar solutions cool the interior of the preform using air jets.

In these cases, the cooling and removal assembly is usually designed to cool the preform arranged at the gripping assembly and to remove the cooled preform from the gripping assembly.

The gripping plate is movable relative to the molding device to pick up the preform.

Furthermore, the holding plate can be moved on command along at least one arrangement direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the preforms in order to arrange the preforms at the holding body after each removal.

Typically, the holding plate has receptacles which are arranged in a matrix and extend in rows and columns.

Such an arrangement of the receptacles on the clamping plate limits the maximum number of stations that can be inserted, which depends on the size of the preforms to be manufactured.

In fact, for very large neck diameters, adding cooling stations is not possible due to the geometrical limitations imposed by the horizontal arrangement of the successive receptacles.

Summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is to eliminate or at least significantly reduce the above mentioned disadvantages.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a device for cooling and removing preforms for producing plastic containers which is able to cool the preforms and remove them from a gripping assembly in a very practical and effective manner.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for cooling and removing preforms for producing plastic containers which is able to manage both the cooling operation and the unloading operation in an optimal way, simplifying the movement of the various components and thus optimizing both operations.

This aim and these and other objects which will become more apparent hereinafter are achieved by a device for cooling and removing preforms for producing plastic containers according to claim 1 .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the description of some preferred but not exclusive embodiments of the device for cooling and removing preforms for producing plastic containers according to the invention, which are illustrated by way of non-limiting examples in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG1 is a perspective view of a clamping assembly;

FIG2 is a perspective view of a portion of the clamp assembly of FIG1 , but shown on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a front view of the portion of the clamp assembly shown in Fig. 2;

4 and 5 are cross-sectional views of the clamping assembly taken along the arrangement planes identified by lines IV-IV and V-V in FIG. 3 , respectively;

6 is a view of a portion of a clamp assembly with the front portion omitted for greater clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The device according to the invention for cooling and removing preforms for producing plastic containers is denoted overall by the reference numeral 1 .

The device 1 comprises a support structure 10 for at least one clamping assembly 2 forming or supporting a plurality of receptacles 20 for respective preforms and a transfer device for transferring still warm preforms from an injection moulding device (not shown) to the clamping assembly 2 .

Furthermore, the device 1 comprises a take off plate (not shown) supporting a plurality of gripping bodies configured to selectively engage respective preforms so as to be able to extract the preforms from the respective receptacles 20 .

Conveniently, the release plate supports a plurality of clamping bodies arranged in a matrix and arranged along a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns substantially perpendicular to the plurality of rows.

According to the invention, the clamping assembly 2 comprises a support assembly 11 for a clamping plate 12 which supports a plurality of receptacles 20 arranged in a plurality of mutually parallel rows 101 and extending along a first extension direction 201 .

The rows 101 are arranged alongside one another along a second direction of extension (indicated by reference numeral 202 ), which is substantially perpendicular to the first direction of extension 201 .

In particular, the receptacles 20 in adjacent rows 101 arranged side by side along the second extension direction 202 are offset from each other along the first direction 201 to be arranged in a quincunx-like shape.

Furthermore, the device 1 according to the invention comprises movement means 50 for moving the clamping plate 12 relative to the support structure 10 .

The moving device 50 includes: a first moving device 51, acting between the supporting structure 10 and the supporting assembly 11 to move the supporting assembly 11 at least along a first moving direction 301; and a second moving device 52, supported by the supporting assembly 11 to move the clamping plate 12 relative to the supporting assembly 11 at least along a second moving direction 302 different from the first moving direction 301.

In more detail, the first moving direction 301 and the second moving direction 302 are located on a plane substantially parallel to the arrangement plane of the clamping plate 12 .

With reference to the embodiment shown in the drawings, the first extension direction 201 comprises a substantially vertical direction, and the second extension direction 202 comprises a substantially horizontal direction.

Conveniently, the first movement direction 301 comprises a substantially horizontal direction, and the second movement direction 302 comprises a substantially vertical direction.

The first motor arrangement 51 comprises, for example, at least one linear motor acting between the support structure 10 and the support assembly 11 .

In this way, the first motor arrangement 51 may actuate the support assembly 11 to move the support assembly along the first movement direction 301 and thus actuate the clamping plate 12 of the support receptacle 20 to move the clamping plate along the first movement direction.

The support assembly 11 is associated with at least one sliding guide 15, which extends parallel to the second movement direction 302. After the second motor device 51 is started, during the movement of the clamping plate 12 relative to the support assembly 11 along the second movement direction 302, the at least one sliding guide can be engaged by the corresponding engaging element supported by the clamping plate 12.

With reference to the embodiment shown in the drawings, the second motor device 52 comprises a motor body 13 supported by the support assembly 11 and comprising a rotatable shaft integrally associated with a gear which meshes with a rack 14 extending parallel to the second movement direction 302 and integral with the clamping plate 12 .

Of course, the second motor arrangement 52 may be provided in other ways, for example by providing a linear motor acting between the support assembly 11 and the clamping plate 12 .

Advantageously, the cooling and removal assembly comprises a cooling plate which, at least in one operating state thereof, is arranged facing the gripping assembly 2 .

In particular, the cooling plate 21 can be moved relative to the clamping assembly 2 between a position close to the clamping assembly 2 and a position far from the clamping assembly 2 according to a command.

Optionally, the cooling plate 21 supports a plurality of cooling channels.

The cooling channel is functionally connected to the means for generating an air flow, which means for generating an air flow consist of, for example, a blower or a water-based cooling device.

The cooling channels are designed to open into the respective preform accommodated in the respective receptacle 20 when the cooling plates are in the close position, so as to deliver air jets into the interior of the preform, thereby increasing the cooling rate thereof.

The operation of the device 1 is as follows.

In each moulding cycle, the gripper assembly is moved so as to be able to transfer the newly moulded preform inside the corresponding receptacle 20 formed at the gripper assembly 2 and then to face the removal assembly.

At this time, the cooling plate (if provided) moves from a position away from the clamping assembly 2 toward a position close to the clamping assembly 2 according to the command.

In the close position, the cooling channel is arranged at the cavity of the respective preform to be cooled, and the air delivered to the cooling channel is therefore guided to the interior of said preform to achieve cooling of the preform by convection of the blown air.

Cyclicly, the gripping bodies supported by the release plate are moved to engage respective preforms to be removed from respective receptacles 20 , which have previously undergone one or more holding cycles or cooling cycles (if cooling plates are provided) in receptacles 20 .

Since the spatial position of the clamping body changes only in a direction substantially perpendicular to the arrangement plane of the clamping plates 12 , the first moving device 51 and/or the second moving device 52 operate cyclically to position the preform to be removed in a position facing the clamping body.

Once the preform has been transferred by the gripping plate, the disengagement plate is moved away from the gripping assembly 2 in order to bring the preform to an unloading position, optionally by rotating downwards about a substantially horizontal articulation axis.

At the same time, the preform-moulding device completes a new moulding cycle and transfers the still warm preform to the newly vacated receptacle 20 of the gripper assembly 2 .

The gripper assembly 2 is then moved to a position in which the receptacle is arranged offset relative to the previous position, so that the gripper body can engage the preform that has completed the cooling cycle.

By means of the specific arrangement of the receptacles and the provision of the first and second movement means, the above embodiment makes it possible to optimize the cooling of the preforms, even of relatively large dimensions.

Furthermore, the fact that the second moving device 52 is supported by the support assembly ensures that the movement along the second moving direction 302 has a higher accuracy and at the same time reduces the inertia during the movement.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

In practice, the materials used, as long as they are compatible with the specific use, as well as the shapes and dimensions, may be any according to requirements.

Moreover, all the details may be replaced by other technically equivalent elements.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102022000005810 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

In case technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs are included only to improve the intelligibility of the claims and therefore these reference signs have no limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by these reference signs.

Claims (7)

1. Device (1) for cooling and extracting preforms for the production of plastic containers, comprising: -a support structure (10) for at least one clamping assembly (2) forming a plurality of receptacles (20) for respective preforms; and transfer means for transferring preforms, still warm, from an injection moulding device to the gripping assembly (2), provided with a stripper plate supporting a plurality of gripping bodies configured to selectively engage respective preforms so as to be able to remove them from respective receptacles (20), characterized in that the gripping assembly (2) comprises a support assembly (11) for gripping plates (12) supporting the plurality of receptacles (20) arranged on a plurality of mutually parallel rows (101) and extending along a first direction of extension (201), the rows (101) being arranged alongside each other along a second direction of extension (202) substantially perpendicular to the first direction of extension (201), receptacles (20) in adjacent rows (101) arranged alongside each other along the second direction of extension (202) being offset from each other in the first direction (201), a movement means (50) being provided for moving the gripping plates (12) relative to the support structure (10), the movement means (50) comprising: -first movement means (51) acting between said support structure (10) and said support assembly (11) to move said support assembly (11) at least along a first movement direction (301); and a second moving device (52) supported by the support assembly (11) to move the clamping plate (12) relative to the support assembly (11) at least along a second moving direction (302) different from the first moving direction (301).

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first movement direction (301) and the second movement direction (302) lie in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of arrangement of the clamping plates (12).

3. The device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the first direction of extension (201) comprises a substantially vertical direction, and wherein the second direction of extension (202) comprises a substantially horizontal direction.

4. The device (1) according to claim 2, wherein the first direction of movement (301) comprises a substantially horizontal direction, and wherein the second direction of movement (302) comprises a substantially vertical direction.

5. Device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said first motor means (51) comprise at least one linear motor acting between said support structure (10) and said support assembly (11).

6. Device (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one sliding guide (15) formed on said support assembly (11), extending parallel to said second movement direction (302), and which can be engaged by a respective engagement element supported by said clamping plate (12) during the movement of said clamping plate (12) along said second movement direction (302) with respect to said support assembly (11).

7. The device (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second motor means (52) comprise a motor body (13) supported by said support assembly (11) and comprising a rotatable shaft integrally associated with a gear wheel which meshes with a rack (14) extending parallel to said second movement direction (302) and integral with said clamping plate (12).