Method for adhering resin to bottles
AssigneeThe Coca-Cola Company
InventorsJonathan Kirschner, Acie Ray Fields, Stanley J. Puskarz, William Leonard Roy
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for adhering resin to the exterior of the bottles includes a coating section, a flash-off section, and a curing section. In the coating section, the bottles are dipped in a solution of resin and solvent. Only the exterior of the bottles is coated. The bottles are fed from the coating section to the flash-off section where they will be conveyed along a zig-zag path. In the flash-off section, air will pass over the bottles in order to remove solvent from their exterior. The bottles are then fed to the curing section where they pass in front of a plurality of ultraviolet lights. The ultraviolet lights will cure the resin on the exterior of the bottles.
Claims46
A method for adhering resin to bottles comprising the steps of:
- supplying bottles to a coating section;
- providing a plurality of containers in the coating section;
- gripping the bottles within the coating section;
- dipping the bottles into a solution of resin and solvent in the coating section after the bottles are gripped in the coating section, the bottles being individually dipped into one of the plurality of containers with only one bottle being simultaneously received in one of the containers;
- removing the bottles from the solution;
- terminating the gripping of the bottles after the bottles are removed from the solution;
- transferring the bottles to a flash-off section after gripping is terminated;
- conveying the bottles through the flash-off section;
- removing solvent from an exterior of the bottles during conveying of the bottles through the flash-off section;
- transferring the bottles from the flash-off section to a curing section;
- curing resin on the exterior of the bottles in the curing section;
- and
- discharging the bottles from the curing section.
A method for adhering resin to bottles comprising the steps of:
- supplying bottles to a coating section;
- gripping the bottles within the coating section;
- dipping the bottles into a solution of resin and solvent in the coating section after the bottles are gripped in the coating section;
- removing the bottles from the solution;
- terminating the gripping of the bottles after the bottles are removed from the solution;
- transferring the bottles to a flash-off section after gripping is terminated;
- conveying the bottles along a non-linear path through the flash-off section by moving the bottles along an elongated spiral path, the bottles moving along flights of a conveyor with sequential flights of the conveyor overlying one another;
- removing solvent from an exterior of the bottles during conveying of the bottles through the flash-off section, the step of removing including passing air over the bottles;
- treating the air entering the flash-off section with an air make-up system, the air make-up system including an air chiller, a dehumidifier and a filter for treating the air;
- transferring the bottles from the flash-off section to a curing section;
- curing resin on the exterior of the bottles in the curing section;
- and
- discharging the bottles from the curing section.
A method for adhering resin to bottles comprising the steps of:
- supplying bottles to a coating section;
- gripping the bottles within the coating section;
- dipping the bottles into a solution of resin and solvent in the coating section after the bottles are gripped in the coating section;
- removing the bottles from the solution;
- terminating the gripping of the bottles after the bottles are removed from the solution;
- transferring the bottles to a flash-off section after gripping is terminated;
- conveying the bottles through the flash-off section;
- removing solvent from an exterior of the bottles during conveying of the bottles through the flash-off section;
- transferring the bottles from the flash-off section to a curing section;
- curing resin on the exterior of the bottles in the curing section with ultraviolet lights;
- conveying the bottles on a conveyor past the ultraviolet lights in the curing section, the bottles being exposed to ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet lights during at least a portion of the step of conveying;
- moving the ultraviolet lights toward and away from the bottles in the curing section, the step of moving the ultraviolet lights comprises moving the lights closer to the conveyor when speed of the conveyor increases, and moving the lights further from the conveyor when speed of the conveyor decreases;
- and
- discharging the bottles from the curing section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.