Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B19/00—Packaging rod-shaped or tubular articles susceptible to damage by abrasion or pressure, e.g. cigarettes, cigars, macaroni, spaghetti, drinking straws or welding electrodes
  • B65B19/02—Packaging cigarettes
  • B65B19/22—Wrapping the cigarettes; Packaging the cigarettes in containers formed by folding wrapping material around formers
  • B65B19/223—Wrapping the cigarettes; Packaging the cigarettes in containers formed by folding wrapping material around formers in a curved path; in a combination of straight and curved paths, e.g. on rotary tables or other endless conveyors
  • B65B19/226—Wrapping the cigarettes; Packaging the cigarettes in containers formed by folding wrapping material around formers in a curved path; in a combination of straight and curved paths, e.g. on rotary tables or other endless conveyors using endless conveyors having pockets, each pocket being provided with separate members, e.g. folders
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B11/00—Wrapping, e.g. partially or wholly enclosing, articles or quantities of material, in strips, sheets or blanks, of flexible material
  • B65B11/06—Wrapping articles, or quantities of material, by conveying wrapper and contents in common defined paths
  • B65B11/38—Wrapping articles, or quantities of material, by conveying wrapper and contents in common defined paths in a combination of straight and curved paths
  • B65B11/40—Wrapping articles, or quantities of material, by conveying wrapper and contents in common defined paths in a combination of straight and curved paths to fold the wrappers in tubular form about contents
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B35/00—Supplying, feeding, arranging or orientating articles to be packaged
  • B65B35/30—Arranging and feeding articles in groups
  • B65B35/50—Stacking one article, or group of articles, upon another before packaging
  • B65B35/52—Stacking one article, or group of articles, upon another before packaging building-up the stack from the bottom

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method and machine for forming groups of products and an overwrapping about each group.
• Figure 1 shows a partial, schematic view of a preferred embodiment of the machine according to the present invention
• Figure 2 shows a partial, schematic view of a second preferred embodiment of the machine according to the present invention
• Figure 3 shows a schematic plan view, with parts removed for clarity, of a third preferred embodiment of the machine according to the present invention
• Figure 4 shows an example of the type of product used to form groups of products according to the method of the present invention
• Figures 5 to 9 show respective different groups of products obtainable using the method according to the present invention.
• Number 1 in Figure 1 indicates as a whole a machine for forming groups 2 of products 3 and an overwrapping about each group 2.
• products 3 are parallelepiped- shaped and in the form of rigid, hinged-lid packets . It should be stressed, however, that the product shown is purely by way of example and has no functional bearing, in that, in other examples not shown, product 3 may differ in shape and structure from those shown and described herein by way of example.
• machine 1 comprises a feed conveyor 4 for feeding a succession of individual products 3 to a group-forming station 5, where products
• grouping device 6 As they reach group-forming station 5, are formed into groups 2 by a grouping device 6.
• Feed conveyor 4 is a belt conveyor, and comprises a belt 7 looped about pulleys 8 (only one shown) rotating about respective axes 9 perpendicular to the Figure 1 plane, and defining on belt 7 a work branch on which products 3 are fed one after another in a substantially horizontal feed direction Dl (indicated by an arrow in Figure 1) , and are stopped at group-forming station 5 in an intermediate position between conveyor 4 and a wrapping unit.
• the wrapping unit comprises a wheel 10 rotating in steps about an axis 11 perpendicular to the Figure 1 plane, and having a number of peripheral pockets 12 equally spaced about axis 11, and each of which receives a respective group 2 and a respective sheet 14 of wrapping material at a loading station 13, and conveys respective group 2 from loading station 13 to an unloading station 15, diametrically opposite loading station 13, via a number of work stations where (as explained in detail below) each sheet 14 is closed about respective group 2 to form a respective overwrapped group 16.
• Sheets 14 are fed to loading station 13 by a feed line 17 in a substantially vertical direction D2
• a knife 20 is moved back and forth, in time with wheel 10, through strip 18, so that, when a pocket 12 is arrested at loading station 13, a sheet 14 is positioned exactly opposite pocket 12.
• Machine 1 also comprises an output conveyor 21 comprising a belt 22 looped about pulleys (only one shown) which define on belt 22 a work branch extending in a substantially horizontal direction D3 (indicated by an arrow in Figures 1 and 2) from unloading station 15 to successively remove the overwrapped groups 16 coming out of unloading station 15.
• an output conveyor 21 comprising a belt 22 looped about pulleys (only one shown) which define on belt 22 a work branch extending in a substantially horizontal direction D3 (indicated by an arrow in Figures 1 and 2) from unloading station 15 to successively remove the overwrapped groups 16 coming out of unloading station 15.
• group-forming station 5 also acts as a collecting station where, as they are formed, groups 2 are stacked and gradually transferred one at a time to a respective pocket 12.
• Grouping device 6 at group-forming station 5 comprises a pusher 23 located at the output end of the work branch of conveyor 4, and which is moved back and forth, crosswise to the travelling direction Dl of products 3 on conveyor 4, to engage one product 3 at a time entering group-forming station 5, and to lift and add the product 3 to the bottom of a vertical stack 24 resting on pusher 23, substantially opposite loading station 13, and comprising a given number of products 3 transferred previously from conveyor 4 and arranged contacting one another to form relative groups 2.
• each group 2 is of the type shown in Figure 5, i.e. comprising two products 3 positioned with respective major lateral surfaces contacting.
• grouping device 6 also comprises a pusher 25, which transfers groups 2 to respective pockets 12, is located on a level with the top end of stack 24, on the opposite side of stack 24 to loading station 13, and is operated back and forth, in a horizontal direction and in time with wheel 10, to and from loading station 13, to engage one group 2 at a time, i.e. two top products 3 in stack 24, and push group 2 into a respective stationary pocket 12 at loading station 13.
• a pusher 25 which transfers groups 2 to respective pockets 12, is located on a level with the top end of stack 24, on the opposite side of stack 24 to loading station 13, and is operated back and forth, in a horizontal direction and in time with wheel 10, to and from loading station 13, to engage one group 2 at a time, i.e. two top products 3 in stack 24, and push group 2 into a respective stationary pocket 12 at loading station 13.
• group 2 when transferred by pusher 25 into respective pocket 12, intercepts a sheet 14 fed previously by feed line 17 into position in front of pocket 12, and, as it is inserted inside pocket 12, forces sheet 14 to fold into a U about group 2.
• the size of sheets 14 is such that, once group 2 is fully inserted inside pocket 12, respective sheet 14 projects outwards of pocket 12, about the whole of group 2. While the loaded pocket 12 is still stationary at loading station 13, which is also a folding station, the first step in closing sheet 14 about group 2 is performed by a known folding device 26, which is moved in a direction substantially tangent to wheel 10 to fold a flap of sheet 14, projecting radially from pocket 12, onto group 2. As wheel 10 moves forward one step, the other flap of sheet 14 projecting radially from pocket 12 is folded onto group 2 by a fixed folding device 27 defined by a semicircular rail extending along the periphery of wheel 10 from a point immediately downstream from loading station 13 in the rotation direction of wheel 10.
• the two flaps folded one on top of the other are joined firmly at a first sealing station located upstream from unloading station 15 and comprising a known heat-sealing device 28 movable radially to and from wheel 10 to close sheet 14 laterally about group 2 and form a respective tubular wrapping.
• each end of the tubular wrapping is closed by pinching together two flaps defining the end, and so forming a corresponding wall of the overwrapping, and a tab projecting transversely from the wall.
• the tabs are folded onto the relative walls by respective fixed rails 29 (only one shown in Figure 1) located at unloading station 15, in an intermediate position between wheel 10 and a second sealing station where two heat-sealing devices 30 (only- one shown in Figure 1) , located on opposite sides of group 2, seal the tabs firmly to the respective walls to form a relative overwrapped group 16.
• sheet 14 may be closed about group 2 in other ways known in the wrapping machine industry and differing from that shown and described in the present invention.
• the end closed at loading station 13 may be closed by pinching together the two flaps projecting radially from pocket 12, and folding the resulting tab onto the resulting wall; in a further variation, the ends of each tubular wrapping may be closed by superimposing and sealing the respective pairs of flaps .
• sheets 14 of other than thermoplastic material, and appropriately gummed on the sealing areas may be used; in which case, sealing is effected, not by melting the material, as in the case of thermoplastic material, but by the sealing devices hot-melting the glue.
• thermoplastic material used in the example embodiment described above is also impermeable, the method according to the present invention also provides for forming sealed overwrappings about groups 2.
• group-forming station 5 need not necessarily be a collecting station.
• pushers 23 and 25 are operated in time with each other and at such a frequency that, as soon as pusher 23 has transferred into position in front of loading station 13 a number of products 3 equal to the number of products defining a group 2, group 2 is inserted immediately inside a respective pocket 12 by pusher 25.
• Machine 1 in Figure 2 provides for forming and overwrapping groups 2 of the type shown in Figure 6 and comprising two products 3 positioned with respective minor lateral surfaces contacting.
• pusher 23 engages two side by side products 3, which already define a group 2, and which are then transferred by pusher 25 - which is designed to engage one row of stack 24 at a time - into relative pocket 12, which is shaped and sized to receive group 2.
• machine 1 according to the present invention can be modified easily to form different types of overwrapped groups 16 by forming different types of groups 2, as shown for example in Figures 7, 8 and 9.
• machine 1 to form a group 2 of the type shown in Figure 9, machine 1 must be equipped with a known inverting device (not shown) for rotating and flipping over one product 3 in group 2 with respect to the other, so that the respective front walls of products 3 face outwards ( Figure 9) or inwards (not shown) .
• supply of products 3 to group-forming station 5 and subsequent transfer of groups 2 to respective pockets 12 may be performed in line, i.e. the work branch of conveyor 4 may be located on a level with loading station 13.
• grouping device 6 may only comprise pusher 25, which engages one group 2 at a time reaching group-forming station 5, and feeds it directly into respective pocket 12.
• products 3 may be fed to group-forming station 5 in a feed direction Dl substantially tangent to wheel 10 and crosswise to direction D3. All the variations described above relative to the location of conveyor 4 with respect to loading station 13 and the types of groups obtainable obviously also apply in this case too.
• the method according to the present invention provides for effectively forming and overwrapping groups of products using a straightforward machine specially designed to adapt, with no major alterations required, to changes in the composition or shape of the groups to be formed and overwrapped.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Basic Packing Technique (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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• 2005
  • 2005-07-29 IT ITBO20050512 patent/ITBO20050512A1/it unknown
• 2006
  • 2006-07-28 EP EP06778067A patent/EP1919776A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2006-07-28 WO PCT/EP2006/064810 patent/WO2007014917A1/en active Application Filing

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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