The invention relates to a device for separating multiple doses from extruding means for extruding plastics.
Specifically, but not exclusively, the invention can be advantageously applied to supply the plastics intended for forming the annular liner of a closure for containers, such as, for example, a lid for a jar or a cap for a bottle.
In particular, reference is made to a device for separating a multiplicity of doses of plastics and then for depositing the doses of plastics, for example directly inside a closure for containers, such that at least one part of the deposited doses has an annular arrangement. This annular arrangement will in fact facilitate the formation, for example through compression of the doses, of the internal sealing liner of the closure for containers.
Forming an annular liner by means of a process that comprises separating a multiplicity of doses from an extruder, placing the doses in a circular arrangement and subsequently forming the annular liner by compressing the doses is already known.
The known technique disclosed above nevertheless has some limits and drawbacks.
In the first place there exist certain structural and/or functional constraints that limit the maximum number of the doses and/or the minimum diameter of the liner.
With reference to
A first constraint is the diameter D of the dose, which in general must not be less than the height of the dose.
Another constraint is the thickness of the wall of the separating element, which will be, generally, between 0.75 and 1 millimetre.
A further constraint is the distance between a separating element and the holes of the extruder outlets, which distance must in general be greater than at least 0.7 millimetres.
Taking account of at least these constraints, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to form liners with a very small diameter Dp, especially if such liners are relatively very heavy, i.e. require the use of a large quantity of plastics.
Further, it is not possible to increase over a certain limit the number of doses of plastics (and the consequent number of extruder openings and of dose separating elements) for a certain liner diameter Dp.
Each of documents US 2007/134361, EP 1101587, EP 1101586 and US 2009/127076 discloses a device according to the preamble of claim 1.
One object of the invention is to overcome one or more of the aforementioned limits and drawbacks.
One advantage is to provide a device for separating a relatively high number of doses of plastic.
One advantage is to separate, almost simultaneously, a relatively high number of doses from extruding means for extruding plastics.
One advantage is to make available a device for separating a multiplicity of doses from extruding means and then placing the doses in an annular arrangement with a relatively reduced diameter.
One advantage is separating a multiplicity of doses from extruding means and then arranging part of the doses in an external annular arrangement and another part of the doses inside the external annular arrangement (where in the context of the overall present description the meaning of “annular arrangement” may comprise the meaning that will be disclosed better below).
One advantage is separating multiple doses to enable the liners for closing relatively small containers to be subsequently formed.
These objects and advantages, and still others, are obtained by the device according to one or more of the claims set out below.
In one example, a device for separating a plurality of doses of plastics comprises a plurality of extruder outlets, from which said plurality of doses is separated, and a movable element that carries two or more groups of dose separating elements in which at least a first group of elements is movable on said movable element with respect to at least a second group of elements.
In one example, the separating device is controlled in such a manner that the second group of dose separating elements, which is arranged at least partly behind the first group of dose separating elements (with reference to an advancing direction of the movable element), meets some extruder outlets whilst the first group of dose separating elements, arranged at least partly in front, is arranged in a non-interference position (for example a raised position) and subsequently the first group of dose separating elements is moved (for example downwards) to take on a position in which it meets other extruder outlets.
In one example, the separating device is configured for expelling the doses in an arrangement that is at least partly annular for subsequent forming (by compression of plastics) of a sealing liner of a closure for containers.
The invention can be better understood and implemented with reference to the enclosed drawings that illustrate some non-limiting examples thereof.
With reference to the aforesaid figures, with 1 a device has been overall indicated for separating, almost simultaneously, a multiplicity of doses from a corresponding multiplicity of extrusion flows that exit extruding means for extruding plastics. The separating device 1 can be arranged, in particular, in the context of an apparatus for forming annular liners that will form the sealing liners inside closures for containers, in particular in an apparatus for forming liners by compression of plastics.
The separating device 1 comprises extruding means for extruding plastics having a first group of extruder outlets 2 and a second group of extruder outlets 3 arranged at a greater height than the first group of extruder outlets 2. In this specific example, the first group of extruder outlets 2 comprises a plurality of extruder outlets and the second group of extruder outlets 3 comprises a plurality of extruder outlets, although it is possible to provide other examples, according to the invention, in which the first group of extruder outlets comprises a single extruder outlet and/or the second group of extruder outlets 3 comprises a single extruder outlet.
The separating device 1 comprises a movable element 4 that is movable in an advancing direction F along a closed loop path arranged in such a manner as to pass, at each rotation, opposite the extruding means. In the specific case, the movable element 4 rotates with a vertical rotation axis, along a horizontal circular path.
The separating device 1 comprises a first (front) group of dose separating elements 5 carried by the movable element 4 to separate, at each revolution of the movable element, doses of plastics from the first group of extruder outlets 2. The separating device 1 further comprises a second (rear) group of dose separating elements 6 carried by the movable element 4 to separate, at each revolution of the movable element, doses of plastics from the second group of extruder outlets 3.
In the specific case, the first group of extruder outlets 2, is arranged after (with reference to the advancing direction F of the movable element) the second group of extruder outlets 3.
The dose separating elements of the first and of the second group, respectively 5 and 6, can be arranged on the movable element 4 such as to take on, overall, at least one annular arrangement (see, for example,
The first group of dose separating elements 5 is movable on the movable element 4, with respect to the second group of dose separating elements 6, in such a manner as to take on at least a first configuration (see
The first group of dose separating elements 5 can take on at least a second configuration (see, for example, the lowered configuration of
The separating device 1 can comprise, in particular, driving means that is able to carry selectively the first group of dose separating elements 5 in the first (raised) non-interference configuration before the passing, at each revolution of the movable element, of the first group of dose separating elements opposite the second group of extruder outlets 3, and in the second (lowered) configuration, of possible interference, after the first group of dose separating elements has passed in front of the second group of extruder outlets.
This movement (downwards, for example in a vertical direction) is shown in the right part in
In the specific case, the first group of dose separating elements 5 is arranged, on the movable element 4, after the second group of dose separating elements 3, with reference to the advancing direction F.
The first group of dose separating elements 5 is movable on the movable element 4 in a first (vertical) direction that is transverse to the (horizontal) advancing direction F. The first group of dose separating elements 5 can be movable on the movable element by means of slidable coupling, for example along (vertical) linear sliding guides.
The first group of dose separating elements 5, when it is in the first (non-interference) configuration, leaves free a front space, i.e. arranged in front (with reference to the advancing direction F) of the second group of dose separating elements 6 to enable the latter to remove the doses correctly.
The first and the second group of extrusion outlets are arranged in such a manner that the first group of dose separating elements 5 is, in the first (raised) non-interference configuration, farther from the first (lower) group of extruder outlets 2 than from the second (upper) group of extruder outlets 3.
The dose separating elements of the first and of the second group, considered overall, can have, as in the example in
The second group of dose separating elements 6 may be optionally movable on the movable element, particularly by means of a sliding coupling, e.g. along (vertical) linear sliding guides.
It is possible that the first and the second group of dose separating elements are able to take on a third configuration (
The driving means that moves the dose separating elements can comprise, as in the specific case, cam-type driving means. In particular, the cam means can comprise at least a first annular cam path 7 that is operationally associated (in particular by a cam-following member, for example of the roller type) with the first group of dose separating elements 5 and at least a second annular cam path that is operationally (in particular by a cam-following member, for example of the roller type) with the second group of dose separating elements 6.
The first group of dose separating elements 5 can comprise, as in the specific example, a first (front) semicircular arrangement of elements. The second group of dose separating elements 6 can comprise, as in this case, a second (rear) semicircular arrangement of elements. The second semicircular arrangement is arranged to the rear of the first semicircular arrangement, with reference to the advancing direction F of the movable element.
The first and the second group of extruder outlets 2 and 3 can have, as in the example disclosed here, an outlet direction of the extruded plastics that is transverse (vertical) to the (horizontal) advancing direction F of the movable element.
The extruding means comprises, in the case in point, an extruder with an inlet 11 for the plastics and a plurality of supply channels 12 for supplying plastics to the various outlets 2 and 3.
In the example illustrated in
For each of the examples disclosed above and below, each separating device 1 can comprise, for example, a rotating carousel 9 (
In each of the examples disclosed here, each of the dose separating elements (both of the first group, the second group, and of any further possible groups of elements) can be provided with means for expelling the dose in an expelling direction, for example downwards. In the specific cases disclosed here, these expelling means comprise, for example, an expelling member 10 (one for each dose separating element), for example in the shape of a cylinder, which is movable in the expelling direction (for example vertically) inside the respective dose separating element. The expelling means for expelling the dose can be commanded by driving means, for example of the cam type. In the specific case the device comprises driving means that is suitable for driving the dose expelling means and comprises a third annular cam path 13 that is operationally associated (in particular by a cam-following member, for example of the roller type) to the expelling means (expelling member 10).
It is observed that in the drawing in
The operation of the device is clear from what has been disclosed previously. Each movable element rotates carried by the carousel 9. At each revolution of the carousel, initially the second (rear) group of dose separating elements 6 separates the doses from the second group of extruder outlets 3 (rear and upper), with the first group of dose separating elements 5 in the first (raised) non-interference configuration. Subsequently, the first group of dose separating elements 5 lowers to separate the doses from the first group of extruder outlets 2 (front and lower). Subsequently, both the first group and the second group of dose separating elements 5 and 6 take on the third configuration (of dose deposition), in which they are (at the same height) near a conveying plane X along which the container closures slide. In
The extruding means can comprise, as for example in the embodiment illustrated in
In one embodiment, for example like the one illustrated in
The extruder outlets 3 of the second group (associated with the second extruder 16 of a second plastic material) will thus be ten (for example aligned), whilst the first group of extruder outlets 2 (associated with the first extruder 16 of a first plastic material that is optionally different from the second plastic material) will comprise a single extruder outlet 2 (in the specific case bigger than each of the outlets 3).
The first group of dose separating elements 5 can be, in this example, movable on the movable element that carries the separating elements in a movement direction, for example parallel to the (vertical) axis of concentricity of the first and second circular arrangement of elements. The second group of dose separating elements 6 can be, in this example, movable on the movable element in a movement direction, for example, parallel to the (vertical) movement direction of the first group of dose separating elements 5. The movable element can thus have at least three operating configurations in which: (i) the second group of dose separating elements 6 (external group) is arranged below with respect to the first group of dose separating elements 5 (internal group) to be able to separate the doses of plastic D from the extruder outlets 3 of the second extruder 16 (to the right in
The closure C will then be sent to the step where the liner/s are formed, for example by compression of the doses D, to obtain the closure C, illustrated in
The extruding means illustrated in
The extruding means in
The aforesaid flow adjusting means for adjusting the extrusion flow can be operationally associated with both the extruder outlets 2, and the extrusion outlets 3.
In an example that is not shown, the separating device can comprise at least a third group of dose separating elements carried by the movable element and arranged to separate, at each revolution of the movable element, doses of plastics from at least a third group of extruder outlets of the extruding means.
For each of the examples disclosed here, the separating device can comprise, for example, a first and a second group of extrusion outlets in which the extrusion outlets are arranged with an upward (vertical) outlet direction of the plastics. Nevertheless, it is possible to provide extruding means with different outlet directions of the extruded material, for example (vertical) downwards, horizontally, obliquely.
In each of the examples disclosed here, each of the dose separating elements (of the first, of the second and of possible further groups of elements) can be opened below to release the dose in a (vertical) expelling direction downwards and can further be conformed into a forwardly facing concave shape, with reference to the advancing direction F. In particular, each of the dose separating elements has a U-shaped cross section with the forwardly facing concave shape. It is nevertheless possible to provide dose separating elements having other conformations.
Each of the movable elements disclosed here has a first group of dose separating elements that comprises a first horizontal arrangement of elements, in which this first horizontal arrangement is movable on the movable element (for example in a vertical or horizontal direction). It is nevertheless possible to provide other arrangements (vertical, oblique, or a combination thereof) and/or different movement directions that are suitable for enabling the doses to be separated from the extruding means.
Each of the movable elements disclosed here has a second group of dose separating elements that comprises a second horizontal arrangement of elements, in which this second horizontal arrangement is movable on the movable element in a direction (for example in a vertical direction). Also in this case it will be possible to provide other arrangements (vertical, oblique, or a combination of them) and different movement directions of the second group of dose separating elements, that are nevertheless suitable for separating the doses from the extruding means.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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MO2011A000198 | Aug 2011 | IT | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/IB2012/053223 | 6/26/2012 | WO | 00 | 5/5/2014 |