A method for handling and forming glass tubes for medical uses in a system configured to produce syringe bodies, the method comprising:
- arranging the glass tubes horizontally in a glass tube magazine on pallets;
- gripping and picking up a single glass tube using a first manipulator for gripping and picking up the single glass tube from the glass tube magazine;
- rotating the single glass tube gripped by the first manipulator from a horizontal position to a vertical position and inserting the single glass tube into a revolver magazine configured to rotate in steps, in succession to the first manipulator, to produce a crown of glass tubes in near vertical position;
- picking up the single glass tube from the revolver magazine using a second manipulator;
- inserting the single glass tube vertically from above into a single chuck of a first vertical rotating crown of rotating chucks, maintaining lower end fingers of the single chuck open until reaching a predetermined length of the single glass tube upon which the lower end fingers are closed on the single glass tube;
- treating the single glass tube inserted into the first vertical rotating crown, moving the single chuck that retains the single glass tube to subsequent work stations fixed around the first vertical rotating crown, where the subsequent work stations comprise at least one station for arranging a free end of the single glass tube to size with trimming, stations for flame heating, and/or tip forming stations interposed with flame heating stations, up to a station for cutting and unloading the single glass tube or a length of the single glass tube provided with a tip-shaped end;
- gripping the single glass tube or the length of the single glass tube provided with the tip-shaped end with a jaw belonging to an intermediate rotating turret with several positions that allow transfer of the single glass tube or the length of the single glass tube to subsequent treatment, and also positioning to size moving a gripping position on a lateral surface of the single glass tube or the length of the single glass tube provided with the tip-shaped end before sending the single glass tube or the length of the single glass tube provided with the tip-shaped end to the subsequent treatment;
- releasing the single glass tube or the length of the single glass tube provided with the tip-shaped end to a transfer-overturning assembly that receives the single glass tube or the length of the single glass tube provided with the tip-shaped end and moves the single glass tube or the length of the single glass tube provided with the tip-shaped end, rotating it to a horizontal position before transferring it to a horizontal rotating chuck belonging to a second rotating crown of vertical rotating chucks;
- inserting the tip-shaped end of the single glass tube or the length of the single glass tube provided with the tip-shaped end into a horizontal rotating chuck belonging to the second rotating crown of horizontal rotating chucks;
- and
- treating the single glass tube or the length of the single glass tube provided with the tip-shaped end inserted into the second rotating crown comprised of a series of the horizontal rotating chucks, moving each of the horizontal rotating chucks that retain the single glass tube or the length of the single glass tube provided with the tip-shaped end, carrying a free end of the single glass tube or the length of the single glass tube provided with the tip-shaped end to subsequent work stations fixed around the second rotating crown, the subsequent work stations comprising at least one station for arranging the free end of the single glass tube or the length of the single glass tube provided with the tip-shaped end to size with trimming, flame heating stations, flange forming stations interposed with flame heating stations, up to a station for unloading the single glass tube or the length of the single glass tube provided with the tip-shaped end and with a flange-shaped end;
- the method further providing for individual motorization of each of the vertical rotating chucks of the first rotating crown and of each of the horizontal rotating chucks of the second rotating crown.