Patent Grant
10625890
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for filling empty open bags which are also referred to as open-mouth bags. The invention in particular also relates to an apparatus and a method for filling empty open-mouth bags with dry bulk goods or liquids, wherein the filling weight of a filled open-mouth bag is between approximately 1 kg and 10 kg. Higher and lower filled weights are also conceivable.
Bags which are filled with bulk materials such as cement, high-quality tile grout, or other construction materials and having the comparatively low weights indicated may also be called pouches or small sacks.
These bags tend to be manufactured immediately prior to filling in a device installed upstream of the apparatus. To this end for example a flat sheet is pulled over a shaping shoulder where the flat sheet is welded together to obtain a tubular film. Bottom seams are inserted at regular intervals and the bulk material intended for filling is filled into the tube so partitioned until the desired weight or volume is reached. Then the top seam is made and the bag is detached.
These manufacturing processes function reliably. The bags manufactured and filled in this way are used on the market in large quantities. However, it is desirable to obtain, optionally or as required, better sealing of the filled bulk material. This is difficult with the manufacturing method described.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method enabling more flexibility with bagging and in particular allowing to reliably fill open-mouth bags or pouches manufactured in some other way.
This object is solved by an apparatus having the features of claim 1 and by a method having the features of claim 16. Preferred specific embodiments of the invention are the subjects of the subclaims. Further advantages and features of the present invention can be taken from the general description and the description of the exemplary embodiment.
An apparatus according to the invention serves to fill empty open-mouth bags in particular with bulk goods or fluids. The apparatus comprises at least one filling station and a bag receiving unit disposed thereat. At least one weighing unit is provided. A bag received by the bag receiving unit is at least partially filled. At least one bag receiving unit is configured as a receiving box having a receiving space to temporarily receive a bag. The receiving box is provided with at least one suction aperture to receive in the receiving box the empty bag intended for taking up in a form-fit at least in sections. The receiving box comprises suction apertures in a lower region and in at least one region above that which are controlled separately.
The bag is in particular received in the receiving box in a form-fit at least at its lower end. Preferably the receiving box is configured and set up to suck in the empty bag intended for taking up through the at least one suction aperture.
The apparatus according to the invention has many advantages. A considerable advantage of the apparatus according to the invention consists in that an as yet empty open-mouth bag intended for filling is handed over to a bag receiving unit which receives it in a form-fit. This both facilitates handling and also provides the option to compact the filled open-mouth bag prior to closing the filled bag for example by a top weld seam.
The bag receiving unit configured as a receiving box can receive the open-mouth bag in the receiving space in a form-fit so as to allow trouble-free filling.
Form-fit presently means that both the bag bottom and also the sidewalls of the open-mouth bag rest against the boundaries of the receiving space and thus the bag is opened for the following filling process and in particular retained open during the following filling.
In preferred specific embodiments the apparatus is provided with multiple filling stations wherein each of the filling stations is provided with a bag receiving unit. The apparatus may in particular comprise a rotary filling carousel having multiple filling stations. The filling carousel preferably rotates in increments or indexed in operation. The apparatus is particularly preferably suitable and set up to fill bulk goods into empty open-mouth bags.
It is possible and preferred for the bag to be opened at and in particular in the receiving box during handover of an empty open-mouth bag intended for filling. It is also possible to feed a pre-opened open-mouth bag to the receiving box for example from above. Due to the suction through the suction apertures of the receiving box the pre-opened empty bag is then reliably transported into the receiving space where it rests form-fittingly at least in sections.
In particularly preferred configurations the receiving box is configured tubular and comprises at least one open top end. Through this open top end an empty open-mouth bag intended for filling is supplied to the receiving box.
Particularly preferably the receiving box also has an open bottom end. The receiving box comprises an in particular continuous free cross-section which the filled open-mouth bag will later show. This configuration provides for retaining the open-mouth bag intended for filling in the receiving box by way of the suction through the suction apertures. When the suction is deactivated the open-mouth bag falls downwardly due to gravity out of the bottom end of the receiving box, if sufficient space is available.
In preferred specific embodiments the receiving box comprises a plurality of suction apertures at least at one inner wall adjacent to the receiving space so that the bag wall rests snug against the receiving space, retaining the top open. When the open bag intended for receiving is still located above the receiving box, suctioning the receiving space may generate a local vacuum causing the open bag intended for receiving to be sucked into the receiving box.
In advantageous specific embodiments the receiving box is configured with a double wall at least on one side and particularly preferably at least on two sides opposite one another and comprises at least one intermediate space so that at least in the intermediate space at least one air chamber is provided for vacuum distribution. It is thus sufficient to provide only one or a small number of suction connections at the receiving box while the vacuum or the generated negative pressure dissipates through the air chamber to the plurality of suction apertures. The receiving box is in particular configured with a circumferential double wall. The intermediate space may be sectioned in the vertical direction to configure a bottom air chamber and at least one air chamber disposed above which may be subjected to a vacuum separately or together. The air chambers may be sectioned e.g. by webs.
In advantageous configurations the receiving box comprises at least one suction branch. The at least one air chamber may be supplied with vacuum through the suction branch. It is also possible to provide the receiving box with two or more separate air chambers or suction apertures which can be suctioned separately from one another so as to enable a suctioning profile or a time sequence of suction processes through different suction apertures.
In particularly preferred configurations the receiving box has suction apertures in a bottom region and in at least one region above. At least two, three or more of these regions are provided to be controlled differently.
In preferred specific embodiments the receiving box is exchangeably fastened to a retaining device. The retaining device is in particular assigned to and firmly connected with the filling station. Exchanging a receiving box allows to process bags of different dimensions. Other than different heights of the receiving spaces, different cross-sectional surfaces can be enabled to allow flexibility in filling different weights.
In particularly preferred configurations a separate bottom plate is provided at and/or inserted in a bottom end of each of the receiving boxes. This bottom plate is disposed movable relative to the receiving box at least in the vertical direction. Preferably the bottom plate is supported on a base platform of the apparatus. The base platform may for example serve to transmit vibrations to the bottom plate and thus to the open bag intended for filling to cause deaeration and compacting of the filled material. The bottom plate is in particular configured separately and for traveling along. The bottom plate comprises in particular at least one suction aperture. The suction aperture may be provided with a supporting grate and/or at least one wire mesh or other air-permeable supporting means for supporting the sack or bag bottom.
In all the configurations it is preferred for the retaining device to comprise at least one retaining arm and in particular a pair of retaining arms and for at least one suction duct to be assigned to or provided at the retaining device. The retaining arms serve to retain the receiving box. The receiving box is suctioned off or supplied with a vacuum through the suction duct. It is also possible for two or more separate suction ducts at the retaining device to be in functional connection with the receiving box. The suction duct of the retaining device may protrude into a suction branch of the receiving box or vice versa. It is also possible for a suction branch of the receiving box to terminate by a narrow or very narrow gap in front of the suction duct. Escaping air if any may be compensated. Sealing is possible.
Preferably at least two opposite inner walls of the receiving box diverge conically upwardly. This facilitates inserting a bag from above and also removing the bag upwardly. A preferred angle is between 0.2° and 5° and preferably between 0.25° and 2°.
All the configurations preferably provide for a plurality of filling stations with a bag receiving unit positioned at each of the filling stations. Particularly preferably the retaining devices are disposed in a star-shaped arrangement at a filling carousel and a deaeration duct is provided for connection with the bag receiving units.
Particularly preferably a handover station for transferring open bags intended for filling is provided. An as yet empty open bag intended for filling is transferred to a bag receiving unit at the handover station. The handover station preferably comprises a swivel arm to which a receiving box is attached that is in particular exchangeable. The receiving box of the handover station is disposed at the filling station on a plane immediately above the upper edge of the receiving box. This allows the handover station to accept from a bag source an open bag intended for filling in one swivel position and to hand over the bag to the bag receiving unit at the filling station in another swivel position. The receiving box of the handover station is disposed in the other swivel position immediately flush above the receiving box of the filling station. This means that after activating the suction apertures at the receiving box of the filling station and after deactivating the suction apertures at the receiving box of the handover station the still empty open bag is sucked downwardly from above into the receiving box of the filling station where it comes to rest in a form-fit against the receiving space. This enables a particularly simple and efficient handover of empty open bags intended for filling to the apparatus and at the same time to its aperture.
The apparatus serves to fill in particular bulk goods into open bags by the gross weighing method. The open bag is weighed including the already filled bulk material for controlling the filling process.
The method according to the invention serves to fill in particular bulk goods into empty open bags by means of an apparatus comprising at least one weighing unit, at least one filling station, and a bag receiving unit disposed at the filling station. The bag received at the bag receiving unit is at least partially filled. An empty bag intended for receiving is temporarily received at the receiving box in form-fit at least in sections through suction apertures at the bag receiving unit that is configured as a receiving box. Suctioning is preferably carried out at different intensities and/or at different times in a lower region of the receiving box and in at least one region above.
The method according to the invention also has many advantages since it allows a simple and efficient handover of an empty open bag intended for filling and subsequent filling of the same.
Air is preferably sucked off through suction apertures provided in the inner walls of the receiving box so that the wall of an empty bag intended for filling rests against the interior of the receiving box at least in sections and possibly entirely in a form-fit.
It is possible and preferred that as an empty open bag is received, sucking off or applying a vacuum through suction apertures is firstly stronger in a lower region of the receiving box than in a region lying above. For example for taking over an open bag intended for filling, only suction apertures in a lower region of the receiving box may be sucked off first while the suction apertures in a mid or top region of the receiving box do not suck off any air. However, since there is suction in a lower region of the receiving box, a downwardly air flow is generated in the receiving box overall and thus a vacuum resulting in sucking in the open bag intended for filling. It is also possible to suction off air through the suction apertures both in a lower region and also in an upper region. Suction may be stronger in the lower region than in the upper region.
According to another configuration of the method, suction will first be stronger in an upper region than in a lower region of the receiving box as an empty open bag is received. As receiving or takeover of an empty open bag begins, the vacuum is first increased in an upper region of the receiving region so as to accelerate handover of the open bag intended for filling. The suction can then virtually follow what is the current state or the level of the bottom of the open bag intended for takeover, so that as handover of the open bag intended for filling progresses, the downwardly suction increases, while it decreases in an upper region at least temporarily to prevent the bag wall from adhering.
In another configuration, sucking off through the suction apertures is first provided in a mid or upper region and thereafter in a lower region of the receiving box when an empty open bag is received.
Further advantages and features of the present invention can be taken from the exemplary embodiment which will be described below with reference to the enclosed figures.
The figures show in:
With reference to the
In this exemplary embodiment the bag source 70 is provided with a film roll 71 on which a sheet of film 72 is wound. The sheet of film 72 unwound from the film roll 71 is fed to a shaping shoulder 73. There the sheet of film 72 consisting of a plastic film is guided around the shoulder and a longitudinal seam is welded so as to create a continuous tubular film.
The bag bottom is manufactured at the handover station 60 by making suitable welding seams transverse to the longitudinal extension of the tubular film. The tubular film having a suitable cross-section is conveyed and taken into the receiving box 62 of the handover station 60. The open-mouth bag 3 intended for filling is form-fittingly received there. For supplying, the tubular film is cut to size so as to manufacture the open top end of the open-mouth bag 3.
It is also possible to manufacture the open-top bags from a prefabricated, e.g. extruded tubular film or else to feed completely prefabricated, flexible bags or sacks from a magazine or the like.
As can be seen in the
Each of the filling stations 11 to 18 has a retaining device 20 fastened to the movable part 6. Each retaining device 20 in turn carries a bag receiving unit 10 which receives, retains, and guides the bags intended for filling.
This filling carousel 2 is provided for indexed operation so that the filling stations 11 to 18 and the bag receiving units 10 received thereon are successively transported to the individual handling stations 41 to 48.
The takeover station being the handling station 41 takes over an open-mouth bag 3 intended for filling by means of a bag receiving unit 10.
As can be seen in
After indexing the movable part 6 forward the bag intended for filling is conveyed to a compacting station 43 where the material bagged thus far is deaerated and compacted. In the next index the flexible open-mouth bag 3 reaches the handling station 44. This is where another filling turbine 82 driven by a motor 81 is located. The bulk goods intended for filling are fed in low speed flow to the open-mouth bag 3 through a filling pipe 86. Again, a covering hood 87 is provided which enters into the bag receiving unit 10 from above to reduce the height of fall of the bulk goods and thus the dust content and aeration.
Both the handling station 42 and the handling station 44 are provided with servo units 83 in the respective filling pipes 86 allowing pre-adjustment of the open cross-section of the filling pipes 86. In this way for example when filling different materials or identical materials with varying properties, the filling cross-section in high speed flow and the filling cross-section in low speed flow are preadjusted to achieve optimal filling properties.
After filling in low speed flow at the handling station 44 three further handling stations 45, 46 and 47 follow, each providing for compacting the filled material. The filled open-mouth bag is conveyed off at the handling station 48. The handling stations 45, 46 and 47 may be configured as a joint compacting station.
Each bag receiving unit 10 configured as a receiving box 30 is provided with a recognition unit 54 responsive to optical, magnetic or electronic requests and in particular returning a unique signal. In simple cases a bar code may be provided. It is preferred to use RFID (radio-frequency identification) for contactless recognition of the pertaining bag receiving unit 10. This allows to unambiguously identify and assign the bag receiving unit 10 concerned. This is significant for example when changing product or the size of the bags intended for filling to ensure attachment of the matching bag receiving units 10 to the filling carousel 2. This allows to also carry out other format-related machine settings.
Receiving boxes 30 of different heights may be provided for filling different quantities. The handling stations are oriented at the top ends of the receiving boxes 30 so as to dispose their top ends 32 (see
The filling carousel 2 is supported to rotate around the rotation axis 8 in its entirety. A handover of an open-mouth bag 3 intended for filling (presently) to the filling station 11 takes place at the handling station 41 in the swivel position 64 of the swivel arm 61. The swivel arm 61 with the coupling rod 65 forms a parallelogram-like swiveling device for the receiving box 62 whose basic structure is similar to the receiving boxes 30.
Each of these retaining devices 20 is provided with a pair of holder arms 21 and 22 which are covered on top by a covering hood 25 to protect from dust and contamination.
The height adjusters 85 are provided for height adjustment of the base platform 55 and the separate weigh platform 56. Individual height adjuster components may comprise a drive while other height adjuster components serve for guiding only.
Although the weigh platform 56 is mechanically decoupled from the base platform 55, it is height-adjusted concurrently with the base platform in the same way. A weighing unit 7 not visible in the
If any additional bulk goods or the like should accumulate over time on the weigh platform 56 or on individual receiving boxes 30, this may be taken into account by means of an empty run and capturing the tare weights. If the tare weight obtained by checking deviates too much from the original tare weight, a recommendation for servicing or cleaning may be emitted.
The swivel arm 61 and the coupling rod 65 of the handover station 60 are located in the swivel position 64, in which an open-mouth bag 3 intended for filling is handed over from the receiving box 62 to the receiving box 30 located directly underneath. The receiving box 62 and the receiving boxes 30 are provided with suction apertures 34 (see
After positioning the receiving box 62 in the swivel position 64 illustrated in
In
Each of the receiving boxes 30 comprises a receiving space 31 having a cross section, in this case rectangular, that is approximately constant over the height. Preferably the inner walls extend slightly conically diverging upwardly to facilitate insertion from above and upwardly removal. A preferred angle is between 0.25° and 2° and it may be e.g. 0.35° or 0.5°. The dimensions of the rectangular cross-section depend on the desired dimensions of the filled open-mouth bags. The dimensions are predetermined by the dimensions of the receiving boxes 30 and the flexible bag material is selected accordingly, or vice versa.
Except for the handling station 44 where the weighing unit 7 is provided, the receiving boxes 30 at the other handling stations are each located above the base platform 55.
As can be seen in
A receiving box 30 may be decoupled by means of a control device not shown in detail. Manual decoupling is possible any time by way of the unlatching device 26.
In
At the bottom end of the receiving boxes 30, bottom plates 50 lie on the base platform 55 so that a bag 3 received in the receiving box 30 is supported on the top surface of the bottom plate 50. The bottom surface of the bottom plate 50 is in gliding contact with the base platform 55 when the filling carousel 2 is indexed further.
Thus, the bottom plate 50 represents a gliding plate or wear plate that protects the bottom of an open-mouth bag 3 intended for filling from being contaminated or damaged while the filling carousel 2 is rotated or indexed further.
The receiving box 30 is shown in
The intermediate space 37 is supplied with a vacuum through the suction branch 38. The shown suction branch 38 ends slightly spaced apart from the suction duct 23 attached to the movable part 6. The suction duct 23 couples to the suction connection 52 at the specified fixed angular positions. A sealing connection is provided by means of the gliding sleeve 53 which glides over the outer surface of the presently annular deaeration duct 9 while the movable part 6 rotates.
The bottom plate 50 is also provided with suction apertures 34 through which air is sucked off preferably at the takeover station 41 to suck an open-mouth bag 3 intended for filling into the receiving box 30 from above or to support the movement. It is also possible to provide, instead of suction apertures 34 in the bottom plate, additional, controlled suction apertures in a bottom region of the receiving box 30.
The
For handing over an open-mouth bag 3 intended for filling to the bag receiving unit 10 or the receiving box 30, air may firstly be sucked off e.g. only in the upper region 31c through the suction apertures 34 in the upper region 31c along the drawn arrow. When the bag 3 has already been sucked some distance into the receiving box 30, suction may be activated or boosted in the mid region 31b while in the upper region 31c suction is reduced and optionally temporarily entirely deactivated. Finally, suction takes place in the lower region 34 so that a bag 3 is pulled all the way down.
It is also possible and preferred to then emit an air blast from above downwardly into the opened bag 3 which takes the bag 3 that is held open reliably and reproducibly down and positions it on the bottom plate 50 or on the base platform 55 in case no bottom plate 50 is provided. The strength of the air blast emitted through one or more air nozzles may be determined by experimenting. In the alternative or supplementarily to an air blast, a mechanical pressing device may force the bag bottom downwardly. At the same time, the suctioning action through the suction apertures 34 may be slightly reduced to ensure reliable lowering of the opened bag 3 in the bag receiving unit 10.
It can be seen that a plurality of suction apertures 34 each is arranged in the lower region 31a, in the mid region 31b, and in the upper region 31c. The suction apertures in the different regions 31a to 31c may preferably be controlled separately if the separating webs 35a and 35b shown in broken lines are provided which then subdivide the intermediate space 31 in separate air chambers 37a, 37b and 37c. Controlling may be provided by separately controlled valves.
Or else it is possible to provide a specific suctioning profile across the height of the receiving box 30 by way of the number and types of suction apertures or by way of their cross-sections or by way of fixed flow cross-sections and flow paths.
Resting on the weigh platform 56 is the bottom plate 50 which is free to move in the vertical direction relative to the receiving box 30 while being configured high enough so that the receiving box 30 pulls the bottom plate 50 along in the rotational motion of the filling carousel 2. Thus, there is gliding relative motion between the bottom surface of the bottom plate 50 and the weigh platform 56 respectively the base platform 55 as the movable part 6 is indexed further. To ensure better transfer of the bottom plate 50 from the base platform 55 to the weigh platform 56 or in the next index from the weigh platform 56 to the base platform 55, the weigh platform 56 is provided with a momentum grade 57 and the base platform 55 is provided with a momentum grade 58.
A broken line in
The base platform 55 is height-adjustable and it may be adjusted high or still higher, for example up to the broken line 89, for mounting suitable receiving boxes 30 to the handling stations 41 to 48. After an exchange, bags having correspondingly smaller volumes may be filled.
To facilitate lowering the receiving box relative to the filled bag, the connection of the suction duct 23 with the suction branch 38 may be interrupted at the weighing station to enable relative motion between the bag and the receiving box. Even if the receiving box is not lowered completely, the receiving box together with the bag rests on the weigh platform 56 by way of friction fit, which results in precise weighing by the gross method as it has been described.
For example if bulk goods intended for filling should accumulate in the intermediate space 37, the service door 39 may be opened as required to empty out and optionally clean the intermediate space 37.
The receiving box 30 may be supported on three feet 30b in all the configurations. At least one of the feet 30b may be adjustable. Preferably all of the feet 30b are adjustable. This prevents the receiving box 30 from resting on its outer frame as the receiving box 30 is lowered at the weigh platform 56. In the case of any manufacturing tolerances the receiving box 30 may be prevented from slightly inclining in any direction. Thus the receiving box 30 can be prevented from leaning against the holding brackets which would adulterate the weight. One, two or three adjustable feet 30b ensure that the receiving box 30 sits in a defined position but not on the circumferential rectangular frame. This allows optimal adjustment of every receiving box 30.
It is also possible to omit the feet 30b so that the receiving box 30 rests on its circumferential rectangular frame, if sufficiently narrow tolerances are ensured.
On the whole the invention provides an advantageous apparatus and an advantageous method which allow simple, efficient handover to a filling station of open-mouth bags intended for filling and which are still empty. The bottom of the open-mouth bag 3 is conveyed into the receiving box 30 due to gravitation and supported by suctioning. Due to the suction through the suction apertures 34 the bag wall comes to rest form-fittingly against the receiving box 30 so that the open-mouth bag 3 assumes an ideal, desired shape even prior to filling. This achieves efficient and material-saving filling. Moreover an optically appealing shape of the filled open-mouth bag 3 is ensured. Moreover the dust hood 87 is enabled to safely enter into the receiving box 30 and in particular even into the opened bag 3.
The receiving boxes 30 guide the open-mouth bags 3 intended for filling during transport by means of the movable part 6. To enhance weighing the receiving box 30 at the weighing station is taken to a decoupling position to determine the weight remaining to be filled and in particular to control filling the remainder into the open-mouth bag in low speed flow. A number of stations are provided where the filled material is compacted. Vibrating is possible both from beneath and from above, or else a vacuum lance or a vibrating lance or the like may enter into the opened open-mouth bag 3 to carry out efficient deaeration and thus compacting.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2014 113 859 | Sep 2014 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2015/071942 | 9/24/2015 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2016/046302 | 3/31/2016 | WO | A |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170275032 A1 | Sep 2017 | US |
