Patent Application
20170355533
This application claims priority from Italian Patent Application No. 102016000061202 filed on Jun. 14, 2016, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to a grasping member for transferring hollow glass items.
The present invention applies specifically to machines for moulding hollow glass items, commonly known as I.S. machines. Said machines generally comprise a plurality of moulding sections operating parallel to each other and each comprising their own moulding dies with one or more moulding cavities designed to realise respective hollow glass items, in sequence, according to a predefined moulding plan.
The items coming out of the dies of each moulding section are first transferred onto a relative supporting plate commonly known as a “dead plate” and from here, they are subsequently moved to a discharge conveyor common to all sections.
The items are moved by each supporting plate to the conveyor along a curved path using a thrust device having one or more motorised articulated arms and a grasping member, commonly known as a “shovel”.
The grasping member is coupled to the free end of the articulated arm and presents one or normally, more aligned spaces, each housing one of the items to be transferred, when in use. The spaces are generally defined by a pair of vertical flat plates that are mutually orthogonal and against which the relative item is arranged.
In some cases, the items are held in contact with the plates using a pneumatic suction device designed to create a depression area between the plates and the item to be transferred.
Although used, the known grasping members of the type described above are inadequate for the following reasons.
First and foremost, the pneumatic devices are inefficient in the case of items that are multi-faceted or delimited by tapered, convex or flat outer surfaces as it is difficult to obtain and maintain a sufficient depression in the stated area and consequently realise an efficient and invariant locking action.
Besides this, the pneumatic devices cool the items locally creating unwanted differences in temperature and, consequently, inconsistent cooling of the items.
Not only, but the forces generated by the pneumatic devices deform the items being produced unpredictably, to such an extent that the items do not pass the geometric and dimensional quality checks and consequently have to be discarded at the end of the production cycle.
Finally, the pneumatic devices are not able to guarantee constant angular positioning of the item inside the relative space during the whole transfer phase. In fact, the combination of the centrifugal and inertia action and the friction components along the transfer path, on the supporting plate, generate a torque on the items that makes the items rotate on themselves around vertical axes. Although said rotation causes only minimal problems during the transfer of cylindrical items, such as common cylindrical bottles, it is, however, problematic in the case of multi-faceted items or items with polygonal sections in plan view. After rotating on themselves, said items are released onto the conveyor in positions that are angular and non-predefinable, but above all, different to each other. Arbitrary angular positions create grasping problems in the subsequent automatic handling of the items.
The aim of the present invention is to realise a grasping member, which provides a simple and cheap solution to the previously stated problems and, in particular, a grasping member that makes it possible to arrange the items in an equioriented position on the discharge conveyor.
A further aim of the present invention is to realise a grasping member that is simple and cheap to make, with a contained weight that is easy to replace and adapt quickly to different productions.
According to the present invention, a movable grasping member is provided, as claimed in claim 1.
Moreover, the present invention relates to a method for transferring hollow glass items.
According to the present invention, a method is provided for transferring hollow glass items, as claimed in claim 16.
The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a non-limiting embodiment, wherein:
In
In turn, each section 4 comprises a relative die assembly 5 for moulding the items 2 and a device 7 for moving the items 2 from the die assembly 5 to a relative horizontal supporting plate 10 commonly known as a “dead plate”.
The plate 10 constitutes part of an assembly 12 for transferring the items 2 resting on the plate 10. Besides the plate 10, the assembly 12 comprises a conveyor 13 for discharging items, in turn, comprising a horizontal delivery branch 14 alongside the plate 10 and coplanar with the plate 10 designed to move the items 2 in one direction 15.
Again with reference to
The transfer device 16 comprises a motorised articulated arm, known and indicated by 19, and an item grasping assembly 20 carried by the arm 19 itself.
In the particular illustrated example, the arm 19 comprises a crank 21 having a terminal portion mounted onto a motorised rotating shaft 22 with a revolving action around a fixed axis 23 orthogonal to the plate 10 and the branch 14. The arm 19 also comprises a connecting rod 24 hinged to the crank 21 to rotate around a movable hinge axis 25 and holding, coupled to one of its free ends, the assembly 20.
Again in the illustrated example, the grasping assembly 20 comprises an attachment bar 26 jointly connected to the connecting rod 24 and three grasping members 27, one for each item 2, coupled in spaced out positions, which can be adjusted along the bar 26.
According to a non-illustrated variation, the assembly 20 comprises a motorised, or not, angular adjustment device inserted between the connecting rod 24 and the bar 26 to vary the position of the bar 26 in relation to the connecting rod 24 around a vertical axis.
Whereas, according to a further non-illustrated variation, the connecting rod 24 carries a single grasping member 27.
Independently of the number, each grasping member 27 is a member realised in one single piece. Advantageously, each member 27 is realised from a flat metallic plate cut with a laser and bent in a U-shape (
Each member 27 delimits, in any case, a seat 28 that rounds up an end perimeter portion 2A of the item 2 to allow the item 2 to go in and come out during the steps of collection from the supporting plate 10 and during the release onto the conveyor 13 respectively and, at the same time, to prevent the rotation of the relative item 2 inside the seat 28, that is in relation to the member 27, around vertical axes and parallel to the axes 23 and 25, as we can see in
In particular, each member 27 comprises a vertical portion 30 with a plate fixed, for example with screws, to a K member for attaching to the bar 26 (
Moreover, each member 27 comprises two horizontal portions shaped in a C or a U, indicated in
The portions 31 and 32, in this particular case, having identical geometries and dimensions, each envelop or surround a relative part 31A, 32A of the portion 2A.
The portions 31 and 32 comprise respective arms 33 and 34 which face each other and are coplanar with and parallel to the plate 10 and a relative crosspiece 35 for connecting the arms 33 and 34. The arms 33 are stably connected to the portion 30 and have a length measured parallel to the bar 26 or to the greater direction 15 of that of the arms 34. The arms 34 end with a section that is tapered towards the free end to facilitate the item 2 going in and coming out.
The recesses of the portions 31 and 32 are delimited by respective surfaces 37 and 38, which follow the outer lateral surfaces of the respective parts 31A and 32A. In this case and with reference to
Again with reference to
In the variation illustrated in
The variation illustrated in
In the variation illustrated in
In this particular case, the device 42 comprises a vertical guide defined, in this case, by a vertical opening 43 made on the K body, and an attachment portion defined, again in this case, by a vertical plate 44 made up of a terminal section of the portion 30 and engaging the opening 43 in a sliding manner. A projection 45 of the portion 30 rests on the K member to stop the member 40 vertically and allow the free vertical extraction of the member 40 itself.
Of course, a similar quick change device of the type previously described can be used for coupling the members 27. Advantageously, in this case, the plate 44 is defined by an intermediate portion of the portion 30 and it is obtained, advantageously, by cutting and plastic deformation of the portion 30. In this way, the portion 30 and the plate 44 constitute part of a body made in one single piece.
Independently of how the attachment plate 42 is made, the possibility of extracting the grasping members from above significantly reduces the intervention time and has proven to be extremely advantageous as the free spaces in the area where the transfer assembly 12 of the items works 2 are reduced.
Again with reference to
In use, considering only one item 2 to be transferred for simplicity, arranged on the plate 10, the grasping member 27,40 is moved by the arm 19 and the item 2 gradually inserted into the seat 28. During insertion, the item 2 is gradually taken by portions 31,32 and arranged in a reference position imposed by the gradual support against the inner surfaces 37,38, consequently, when insertion is complete, the item 2 is arranged in a predefined and desired reference position in relation to the grasping member. At this point, the member 27, 40 gradually moves the item 2 towards the conveyor 13 along a predefined curved path. During said movement, the item 2 is always enveloped and held by the portions 31,32, which prevent it not only from leaving the seat 28 as a result of a centrifugal effect, but also from rotating on itself inside the seat 28, thus maintaining its initial reference position.
From the above, it is clear how, on the one hand, the presence and conformation of the portions 31,32 or of just portion 32 without portion 31, makes it possible to position the items 2 on the conveyor 13 in predefined and equioriented positions, eliminating all problems at the root related to the subsequent robotic handling of the items 2.
Compared to the known retaining methods, the fact of retaining each item 2, distributing the retaining action on one or more extended outer surfaces for supporting the item 2 on portions 31,32 allows us to obtain items without dents, scratches and localised deformations in general, caused during the known solutions, also in part by rotation inside the seat, preserving both the aesthetic quality of the item produced and the structural consistency of the item itself.
Lastly, the advantages, which can be gained in terms of quality and positioning constancy of the previously described transferred product by using a grasping member that is extremely simple to make, cheap and with a low weight, are evident. The described member 27 can, in fact, be obtained extremely quickly, starting from a simple plate with a thickness of between 1 and 5 millimetres or a flat sheet, that is a common surface with a thickness of 2 or 3 millimetres, which is cut using a common laser beam to make the surfaces 37 and 38, simply bent in the shape of a U and deformed plastically to make the quick change device 42 when foreseen. Besides being simple, cheap and geometrically stable, such a procedure means that the seat 28 can be conformed according to the aesthetic and/or geometric characteristics of the product to be transferred and that the configuration of the transfer assembly can be modified quickly with every production change. In other words, the described procedure makes it possible to obtain cheap transfer members for transferring a specific item regardless of the geometric characteristics of the item in question.
From the above, it is clear that modifications and changes can be made to the described transfer member 27,40 without going beyond the protective scope defined by the independent claims.
In particular, portions 31 and 32 may present a different structure or different dimensions and geometries from those specified by way of example to adapt to the dimensions/geometries, shape and weight of the items to be transferred.
Similarly, the attachment portion 30 may present a different shape and/or geometries to those specified for the use of quick change or attachment devices different to those described above.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102016000061202 | Jun 2016 | IT | national |
