DE102009040976A1 - Arrangement of several interconnected article handling devices and methods of operating such a device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an arrangement of a plurality of handling devices for articles (26), in particular packaging station (10), which is coupled to a grouping station (14) via a conveyor (12), wherein the conveyor (12) has at least one free travel path (18). which is arranged in a straight line and is assigned directly to the grouping station (14) without a deflection and in a straight transport direction and which has a capacity for accommodating a number of articles (26) which are at least twice the number of articles (26) which can be received in the packaging station (10). equivalent. The conveyor (12) comprises at least one further transport path (22), which is handrailless and not stowable.
The invention further relates to a method for operating such a system.

Description

The present invention relates to an arrangement of a plurality of handling devices for articles, in particular a packaging station, which is coupled to a grouping station via a conveyor. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for operating such an arrangement.

Packaging systems for plastic containers made of PET usually consist of a so-called wet part. The wet part comprises, for example, a blow molding machine, a filler, a labeling unit and the respectively necessary container transport lines and devices. The dry part usually comprises a packing machine, a palletizing machine and container transport lines and facilities. In conventional systems, the connection of the individual machines takes place through long container or package transport lines. The transport routes between the individual machines serve as a connection route. On the other hand, however, the transport routes also serve as a buffer between the individual machines, which usually travel at a constant speed set once. The reference machine for defining the production speed is usually the filling machine. Associated machines before or after the filling machine usually have an over-capacity, usually in a range of about 20%, so that filled buffers can be emptied again in an acceptable time. The machines run in an on / off mode, so either stopped or run at a greatly increased setting speed and are controlled by jam barriers that are located on the long buffers.

With this on / off operation, however, a number of disadvantages associated, for example, the resulting increased machine wear and the particularly stressful operation at maximum speed. The "pumping" plant operation also requires a relatively high energy consumption. In addition, long and non-value-added transport routes are formed, which entail a high consumption of space.

The present invention is based on the object of providing a space-saving arrangement of several handling machines for articles, for example for a space-saving direct coupling of a packaging station with a subsequent grouping station, which can be operated in a continuous and coordinated processing speed.

This object of the invention is achieved with the objects of the independent claims, wherein features of advantageous developments of the invention result from the respective dependent claims.

The invention relates to an arrangement of a plurality of handling devices for articles, in particular an arrangement of a packaging station which is coupled to a grouping station via a conveyor, wherein the conveyor is designed as a free travel having a capacity for receiving a number of articles, at least twice the number corresponds to the recordable in the packaging station article. The free route is arranged in a straight line. In addition, it is assigned directly to the grouping station without deflection and in a straight transport direction. Furthermore, it is provided that the conveyor comprises at least one further transport path, which is without terrain and not stowable. This further transport route, which can be deflected almost arbitrarily, is particularly advantageous since it can be set up cost-effectively and can be universally used by the railless embodiment. When retrofitting other parts of the plant to changing dimensions of the transported and processed articles can be completely dispensed with a conversion of these railless, non-accumulating transport areas. The non-stowable railing transport routes can not only have almost any deflections, but also slope and slope sections, so that almost any machine installation can be realized in a cost effective manner, which can still be very compact due to the blocking of the machine parts.

An advantage of the arrangement according to the invention is that a processing speed of the grouping is matched to a processing speed of the packaging station, that also the conveying speed of the rectilinear free travel and optional further transport lines are matched to the processing speeds of Gruppierungstation and / or the packaging station. Preferably, all processing speeds and the conveyor speeds are coordinated, in particular synchronized. The non-stowable railing transport sections are controlled in this context that the conveyor is turned off at the latest when the free travel is completely filled and the articles located there are jammed. After stopping the Gruppierstation thus the free range continues to stepwise to use the storage capacity, while evacuating the shrink tunnel and at the same time continue the handrail, possibly deflected transport sections unchanged. Once the shrink tunnel is completely emptied, these transport sections, the straight ahead free-range area, are switched off.

The free travel path is formed from a plurality of segments which can be deactivated successively in the event of a stop signal from the grouping station. When the grouping station is restarted, the successive segments of the free travel path can be activated one after the other in the same sequence as when switching off, so that the grouping station can again be loaded with the articles previously dammed up in the free travel route.

The free route preferably has two-sided railing for supporting the article and is designed as a jam track. The other transport routes can be designed with or without deflection and / or with or without gradients or gradients. The further transport routes are not suitable for damming and thus not as free travel, so that they are basically optional to the mandatory rectilinear executed free travel to see the machines in a desired manner and to the environment can be adjusted. The particular advantage of the non-stowable, handrail transport sections, however, consists in the high flexibility of the machine installation as well as the economically feasible and very universally usable transport sections.

Since the packing station can be designed in particular as a so-called shrink tunnel or can have such, it must first be cleared at a plant stop, since the container contained therein can not be exposed to a prolonged exposure to heat. In order to clear the shrink tunnel despite the immediate coupling of the processing speeds of the system components, there is a free-ride in front of the grouping, which can accommodate the transported from the shrink tunnel article Shrinkage o. The like. This free travel distance is preceded by an almost arbitrarily configurable transport path on which the articles in their usual spacing, d. H. be moved to a gap. Due to the lack of storage capacity, this transport route does not require any guardrail guidance for the articles, since these are guided and guided only by the transport surface. This additional transport route can then be stopped when the free travel path is filled and / or when the shrink tunnel is evacuated.

The invention further relates to a method for operating a plurality of coupled handling devices for articles, in particular a packaging station, which is coupled to a Gruppierstation via a conveyor, wherein the Gruppierstation upstream conveyor is designed as a linear free travel, which has a capacity for receiving a number of articles which corresponds to at least twice the number of items that can be received in the packing station. In this case, a processing speed of the grouping station is matched to a processing speed of the packaging station. In addition, the conveying speed of the rectilinear free travel route and optional further transport routes are matched to the processing speeds of the grouping station and / or the packaging station. The articles are transported between the packing station and the shrink tunnel and the free travel on the running with or without deflections transport route, but are not jammed here, so that no railing guidance is required in this area.

A feed line upstream of the packaging station is immediately deactivated in the event of a stop signal from the grouping station. The packaging station is initially operated at a stop signal Gruppierstation so long until all articles therein are transferred to the non-stowable, handrail transport route and possibly the free travel. Only then will she also be stopped.

The free travel path is formed of a plurality of segments, which are deactivated in succession at a stop signal of the grouping. The successive segments of the free route are activated in succession in a start of the grouping in the same order as when switching off.

In the following, the possibilities for realizing the dry part in PET packaging systems in an extremely short installation will be shown once more. The central component of the concept according to the invention is based on the fact that the connecting distance between the packing area, the so-called disposable packer and the shrinking tunnel and the palletizing area, ie the bundle grouping and the palletizing, is shortened to a so-called container straddle distance and this can be designed universally , railless, but not stowable transport route is connected upstream. In contrast to conventional combinations of packing and palletizing with relatively long and sometimes multi-deflected and / or buffer areas equipped container transport lines, the production speeds of palletizer and disposable packer are controlled in dependence on each other with this so-called. Ie. if the inlet of the packaging machine is subjected to a smaller number of containers due to a reduced filling capacity wet area, the disposable packer is operated with a reduced power in a corresponding order of magnitude. At the same time the throughput at the disposable packer is reported by a data exchange control to the palletizing area and the palletizer drives only a smaller proportion of its maximum possible output. By this regulation can be dispensed with long transport distances between the two areas. Only in emergency stop situations at the palletizing area is a minimum free travel distance necessary to evacuate the thermally inert, not infinitely variable shrink tunnel. This free driving is made possible by a so-called free driving route. The free travel path is advantageously supplemented by the railing-free transport section, which provides many degrees of freedom in the machine installation, since no linear blocking of the parts required, the transport routes can still be made very short. The non-railable, non-accumulating transport area can be used very cost-effectively, but only provides the desired flexibility in plant installation.

The free travel route is segmented. Depending on the capacity of the plant and the format size of the containers, lengths of approx. 8 m, 12 m or approx. 16 m of the free travel distance are used. In automatic mode, drums are produced in the disposable packer and transported through the disposable packer and the tunnel at a defined pitch (that is, a variable but constant distance between the drums). A distance between the containers is maintained on the free-travel route, d. H. the containers are not jammed in the automatic mode on the free-ride. If the palletizing area stops, these gaps between the containers on the free-travel section are used to evacuate the containers located in the tunnel. There is a segment-by-segment replenishment of the free-distance modules. Here, a module is about 4 m long and divided into two segments á 2 m and has four drives. When a module is filled, the drives turn off in turn. When restarting the palletizing area, the free travel route is initially emptied, ie. H. the situation of the containers with gap is restored. Thereafter, the packing area will restart immediately. For the determination of the production speed of the palletizer, on the one hand, the production speed of the disposable packer is used, on the other hand, the degree of filling of the container grip section. The degree of filling of the free route is done by counting with a length measurement of the container at the inlet of the free-travel. For an online sensor as Befüllgradbestimmung a light bar above the entire free ride range or even a camera detection over the free travel route would be conceivable. The above-described control of the machine block between the packing and palletizing area is possible in subsequent configurations.

• – Die Freifahrstrecke befindet sich immer vor der Gebindegruppierung, d. h. dem Zulauf der robotergestützten Gruppierstation;
• – die Freifahrstrecke hat beidseitige Geländer und staut Gebinde bei einem Stopp am Palettierer;
• – während eines regulären Automatikbetriebs weist die Freifahrstrecke Lücken zwischen den Gebinden auf;
• – zusätzliche Verbindungsstrecken zwischen Tunnelauslauf und Freifahrstrecke sind immer in geländerloser Ausführung als Transportband mit lediglich einer optionalen seitlichen Absturzsicherung ausgebildet;
• – steuerungstechnisch sind Streckenerweiterungen (90°-Kurven, 180°-Kurven etc.) als Auslaufverlängerung des Tunnels zu sehen; der Transport der Gebinde erfolgt hierbei immer mit Lücke; auf diesen Transportbändern wird nicht gestaut; die Funktionsstrecke ist immer nur die Freifahrtstrecke vor der Gebindegruppierung.

The essential features of the block layout are:

• - The free travel route is always in front of the bundle grouping, ie the inlet of the robot-supported grouping station;
• - the freewheeling route has bilateral railings and stows containers at a stop on the palletizer;
• - During a regular automatic mode, the free-travel path has gaps between the containers;
• - Additional links between the tunnel outlet and free travel are always designed in banterless execution as a conveyor belt with only an optional side fall protection;
• - In terms of control technology, extensions of the route (90 ° curves, 180 ° curves, etc.) can be seen as extensions of the tunnel; the transport of the containers always takes place with a gap; on these conveyor belts is not jammed; the functional route is always only the free travel route before the bundle grouping.

• – Reduzierung des Gebindetransports bedeutet weniger Investitionsaufwand;
• – der Platzbedarf ist geringer als bei bekannten Anlagen;
• – die Umstellzeiten lassen sich reduzieren, da Streckenerweiterungen geländerlos ausgeführt sind;
• – durch einen reduzierten Bauaufwand und einen reduzierten Technikeinsatz und einer geringeren Anzahl der notwendigen Transporteinrichtungen lässt sich eine höhere Betriebssicherheit realisieren;
• – aufgrund der reduzierten Anzahl von Antrieben lässt sich der Energieverbrauch reduzieren;
• – ein geringerer Maschinenverschleiß folgt aus den der Anlagenproduktionsgeschwindigkeit angepassten Maschinengeschwindigkeiten;
• – die geländerlosen, nicht staufähigen Transportabschnitte führen zu einer hohen Flexibilität in der Maschinengestaltung und -aufstellung;
• – die geländerlosen, nicht staufähigen Transportabschnitte lassen sich sehr kostengünstig einsetzen, tragen aber dazu bei, den Platzbedarf der Anlage zu reduzieren und/oder einen vorhandenen, ggf. begrenzten Einbauraum in optimierter Weise ausnutzen zu können;
• – insgesamt ergibt sich ein höherer Anlagenwirkungsgrad.

As advantages of the invention to the hitherto known state of the art may include:

• - Reduction of container transport means less capital expenditure;
• - The space requirement is lower than in known systems;
• - The changeover times can be reduced, since route extensions are carried out without borders;
• - By a reduced construction cost and a reduced use of technology and a smaller number of necessary transport facilities can achieve higher reliability;
• - due to the reduced number of drives, energy consumption can be reduced;
• A lesser machine wear follows from the machine speeds adapted to the machine production speed;
• - The railless, non-accumulating transport sections lead to a high degree of flexibility in machine design and installation;
• - The railless, non-accumulating transport sections can be used very inexpensively, but help to reduce the space requirement of the system and / or to be able to exploit an existing, possibly limited installation space in an optimized manner;
• - Overall results in a higher system efficiency.

In the following, embodiments of the invention and their advantages with reference to the accompanying figures will be explained in more detail. The proportions of the individual elements to each other in the figures do not always correspond to the actual size ratios, as some simplifies some forms and others Shapes are shown enlarged in relation to other elements for ease of illustration.

1 schematically shows an arrangement of a packaging station in a first standard variant, which is coupled via a free travel path with a Gruppierstation.

2 shows a variant of the arrangement according to the invention with a 90 ° deflection of a transport path in a schematic representation.

3 shows a further variant of the arrangement with a 180 ° deflection of a transport path in a schematic representation.

4 shows a further variant of the arrangement with a double 90 ° deflection of a transport path in a schematic representation.

5 shows a schematic perspective view of the open road.

6 shows a plan view of an article distribution and transport during a stowage process before the Gruppierstation.

The following detailed description of several possible embodiments of the invention is given by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same components in principle have the same reference numerals and will not be explained several times.

Based on 1 to 6 Various variants and possibilities are shown, in which the so-called dry part in packaging systems is realized in a very compact machine setup. The in the 1 The arrangement shown serves only to illustrate the basic components, while the 2 to 4 illustrate the important for the invention part of the banister, non-accumulative complementary transport areas in connection with the other machine parts. The arrangement according to 1 includes a so-called disposable packer 10 , which includes a film wrapping module and a shrink tunnel. Recognizable is still a transport route 12 that by the one way packer 10 in a straight line to a grouping station 14 leads. This is followed by a palletizing station 16 at. The transport route 12 is in this variant between the packing area, the so-called one-way packer 10 with the subsequent shrink tunnel and the palletizing area, ie the bundle grouping 14 and palletizing 16 except for a so-called container recovery route 18 is shortened. That is, the straight-line transport route 12 forms the free-range 18 , which serves for receiving and damming of containers as soon as the palletizing area 14 . 16 stopped, because the packing station 10 and, in particular, the shrink tunnel must be cleared and evacuated to avoid damage and intensive exposure to heat on the containers.

In contrast to conventional combinations of packing and palletizing with relatively long and partially multi-deflected and / or buffer areas equipped container transport lines are with the arrangement shown (see also 2 . 3 and 4 ) the production speeds of palletizers 16 , Grouping station 14 and disposable packers 10 coordinated and largely synchronized. Thus, when the inlet of the packing machine is loaded with a smaller number of containers due to a reduced filling capacity wet area, the disposable packer 10 also operated at reduced power. At the same time, the data is transferred to the palletizing area via data exchange control 14 . 16 the throughput at the disposable packer 10 reported and the grouper 14 as well as the palletizer 16 also operated at reduced throughput. By this regulation can be dispensed with long transport distances between the two areas. Only for emergency stop situations at the palletizing area 14 . 16 is the free travel route 18 necessary to evacuate the thermally inert, not infinitely variable shrink tunnel. This freewheeling is through the free travel route shown 18 allows.

As continues in 1 indicated, is the free range 18 built up in segments. Depending on the capacity of the plant and the format size of the containers, lengths of approx. 8 m, 12 m or approx. 16 m of the free passage are required 18 used. The segments 20 are merely indicated here. In automatic mode are used in disposable packer 10 Container produced and in a defined division (ie, a variable, but kept constant distance between the containers) through the disposable packer 10 and transported the shrink tunnel. A distance between the containers is on the free travel route 18 maintained, ie the containers are in automatic mode on the free-ride 18 not jammed.

On the other hand, the palletizing area stops 14 . 16 So these gaps between the containers on the free-ride track 18 used to evacuate the containers located in the tunnel. There is a segment-by-segment replenishment of the free-travel modules or segments 20 , Here is a module about 4 m long and in two segments 20 divided into 2 m and has four drives. When a module is filled, the drives turn off in turn. When restarting the palletizing area 14 . 16 First, the free travel route 18 empty, ie the situation of the containers with gap is restored. Thereafter, the packing area also runs immediately 10 back to.

The schematic representation of 2 shows a variant of the arrangement according to the invention with a 90 ° deflection of a non-accumulating transport route 22 , The transport route 22 between the disposable packer 10 and the free range 18 can be designed as a handrail horizontal or inclined conveyor line, in which the containers are not jammed and therefore require no separate lateral guidance. The additional transport routes 22 Therefore, they can be designed very flexibly and adapted to individual needs and to the available installation space. In addition, they form cost-effective transport sections, which contribute to the optimized and space-saving machine installation.

The schematic representation of 3 shows a further variant of the arrangement with a 180 ° deflection of not suitable for impoundment and banister designed transport route 22 , The 4 shows a further variant of the arrangement with a double 90 ° deflection of a transport path 22 in a schematic representation.

The 5 shows a schematic perspective view of the open road 18 in which each of the four-meter-long modules 24 , each in two segments 20 á 2 m are divided, recognizable.

The schematic plan view of 6 shows by way of example article distribution and transport during a stowage process before the grouping station 14 , There it can be seen that when switching off the grouping station 14 in the free range 18 gradually the articles 26 be stowed, starting at the grouping station 14 and continuing towards the disposable packer 10 , The length of the free travel route 18 is sized to fill in the gaps 28 between the individual articles 26 Sufficient to at least the entire shrink tunnel of the disposable packer 10 to evacuate.

In addition to the variants shown here numerous other arrangement configurations are conceivable, for example. An arrangement in which the non-stowable and almost arbitrarily deflectable transport route 22 establishes a connection between different height levels of the stations. So could, for example, the disposable packer 10 above or below the palletizing and / or grouping station 16 . 14 be arranged, the connection via the transport route 22 can be made.

The invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Rather, a variety of variants and modifications are conceivable that make use of the inventive concept and therefore also fall within the scope.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

disposable packer

12

transport distance

14

grouping

16

palletizing

18

Free route

20

segment

22

Transport route, not stowable

24

module

26

items

28

gap

Claims (14)

Arrangement of several handling devices for articles ( 26 ), in particular packaging station ( 10 ) with a grouping station ( 14 ) via a conveyor ( 12 ), wherein the conveyor ( 12 ) at least one free travel route ( 18 ), which are arranged in a straight line and without deflection and in a straight transport direction directly the Gruppierstation ( 14 ) and which has a capacity to hold a number of articles ( 26 ), which is at least twice the number in the packaging station ( 10 ) recordable articles ( 26 ), characterized in that the conveyor ( 12 ) at least one further transport route ( 22 ), which is handrailless and not stowable. Arrangement according to Claim 1, in which the non-stowable, rail-free transport route ( 22 ) has one or more deflections. Arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the non-stowable, rail-free transport route ( 22 ) has one or more inclinations in one or more different directions. Arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 3, in which the free travel route ( 18 ) between the non-accumulating transport route ( 22 ) and directly to the free-travel route ( 18 ) subsequent grouping station ( 14 ) is arranged. Arrangement according to one of Claims 1 to 4, in which a processing speed of the grouping station ( 14 ) to a processing speed of the packaging station ( 10 ) is tuned. Arrangement according to claim 5, in which the conveying speed of the rectilinear free-travel path ( 18 ) as well as optional further transport routes ( 22 ) on the processing speeds of the grouping station ( 14 ) and / or the packaging station ( 10 ) are tuned. Arrangement according to claim 6, in which all processing speeds and the conveying speeds are coordinated, in particular synchronized. Arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 7, in which the free travel route ( 18 two-sided railing for supporting the articles ( 26 ) and is designed as a buffer path. Method for operating a plurality of coupled handling devices for articles ( 26 ), in particular a packaging station ( 10 ) with a grouping station ( 14 ) via a conveyor ( 12 ), wherein the grouping station ( 14 ) upstream funding facility ( 12 ) a linear free travel route ( 18 ) having a capacity to hold a number of articles ( 26 ), which is at least twice the number in the packaging station ( 10 ) recordable articles ( 26 ), characterized in that the articles between the packaging station ( 10 ) and the free travel route ( 18 ) on another transport route ( 22 ), which is without handrails and is not stowable. Method according to Claim 9, in which a processing speed of the grouping station ( 14 ) to a processing speed of the packaging station ( 10 ) and / or in which the conveying speed of the rectilinear free-travel path ( 18 ) as well as the railless, non-accumulative further transport route ( 22 ) on the processing speeds of the grouping station ( 14 ) and / or the packaging station ( 10 ) are tuned. Method according to Claim 9 or 10, in which one of the packaging stations ( 10 ) upstream Zuförderstrecke at a stop signal of the grouping ( 14 ) is deactivated immediately. Method according to Claim 11, in which the packaging station ( 10 ) at a stop signal of the grouping station ( 14 ) until all articles ( 26 ) on the free route ( 18 ) are transferred. Method according to one of Claims 9 to 12, in which the free travel route ( 18 ) of several segments ( 20 ) formed at a stop signal of the grouping station ( 14 ) are deactivated one after the other. Method according to Claim 13, in which the successive segments ( 20 ) of the free route ( 18 ) when approaching the grouping station ( 14 ) are activated one after the other in the same sequence as when switching off.

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