Apparatus for filling and closing containers and corresponding method
AssigneeI.M.A. Industria Macchine Automatiche S.P.A.
InventorsFabrizio TALE', Joe CERCIELLO, Gianluca VENTURI
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus (10) for filling and closing flexible containers (11) comprises a station (S1) for feeding containers (11), a station (S2) for filling the containers (11) with at least one product (P), a station (S3) for closing the containers (11) and a discharge station (S4); these stations (S1, S2, S3, S4) being located in succession along an advancing path (F). The apparatus (10) comprises a handling unit (20) of the containers (11) which comprises at least one handling device (23) configured to handle the containers (11) in order to carry them at the stations (S1, S2, S3, S4), selectively opening and closing an aperture (14) of the containers (11).
Claims17
Apparatus for filling and closing flexible containers having two opposite walls and provided with an aperture, said apparatus comprising a feeding station configured to feed containers, a filling station configured to fill said containers with a respective product, a closing station configured to close said containers filled with the respective product, a discharge station, and an handling unit configured to carry at least one container of said containers along a closed advancing path passing in succession through said feeding, filling, closing, and discharge stations, wherein said handling unit is rotatable mounted about a rotation axis, which is preferably horizontally lying, and said advancing path is circular and centered on said rotation axis, wherein said handling unit comprises at least one handling device having two handling arms provided with respective grasping elements configured to grasp said at least one container on the opposite walls of the container, in order to open and close said aperture, respectively.
Method for filling and closing flexible containers having two opposite walls and provided with an aperture, said method comprising the following steps:
- feeding a plurality of flexible containers to a feeding station;
- filling each container of said plurality of containers with a product at a filling station;
- closing said containers filled with the respective product at a closing station;
- discharging the closed containers at a discharge station;
- carrying, by means of a handling unit, at least one container of said plurality of containers along a closed advancing path passing in succession through said feeding, filling, closing, and discharge stations, wherein said handling unit is rotatable mounted about a rotation axis, which is preferably horizontally lying, and said advancing path is circular and centered on said rotation axis, wherein said handling unit comprises at least one handling device having two handling arms provided with respective grasping elements which grasp said at least one container on the opposite walls, and move away and near to each other the opposite walls of the container, in order to open and close said aperture, respectively, wherein said aperture of the container is kept open by said grasping elements at said filling station, and is closed after the at least one container has been filled with the product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.