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US 6,422,379 B1Granted
Apparatus for continuously transferring orderly sequences of preforms of thermoplastic materials
AssigneeSIPA S.p.A.
InventorMatteo Zoppas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for continuously transferring orderly sequences of preforms includes a closed-loop conveyor belt and a plurality of support and forward carrying elements. A loading station is provided for loading the preforms, while an unloading station is provided for separating the preforms from the elements. A temperature conditioning station is provided between the loading station and unloading station.
Claims27
An apparatus for continuously transferring preforms, comprising:
- a closed-loop conveyor chain formed of a plurality of support elements for carrying the preforms, each of said support elements having a pick-up plug for picking-up, holding, and releasing a respective preform, said conveyor chain being operable to be driven in a continuous motion;
- a closed-loop conveyor belt for guiding said conveyor chain, said conveyor belt including:
- a first horizontal stretch;
- a second horizontal stretch parallel to said first horizontal stretch;
- a first curved stretch arranged on the same horizontal plane as said first horizontal stretch and said second horizontal stretch and arranged to connect an end of said first horizontal stretch to an end of said second horizontal stretch;
- a second curved stretch shaped as a half-circle and arranged in a first vertical plane and extending into said first horizontal stretch;
- a third curved stretch shaped as a half-circle and arranged in a second vertical plane and extending into said second horizontal stretch;
- and
- a fourth curved stretch on a horizontal plane and connected to an end of said second curved stretch and an end of said third curved stretch;
- a loading station for loading the preforms onto said support elements;
- an unloading station for separating the preforms from said support elements, said loading station and said unloading station being arranged along said conveyor belt such that a preform can be picked-up by and released from a respective one of said pick-up plugs while the preform is in a vertical position and a neck portion of the preform is turned upwards;
- a temperature conditioning station provided along said conveyor belt between said loading station and said unloading station so as to treat the preforms carried by said support elements;
- and
- a moving component for moving said conveyor chain including said support elements forward along said conveyor belt, each of said support elements being operable to rotate as said moving component moves said conveyor chain such that when each of said support elements is moved through said temperature conditioning station, a respective preform carried by said each of said support elements is in a vertical position and a neck portion of the preform is turned downwards.
11 more elements
An apparatus for continuously transferring preforms, comprising:
- a closed-loop conveyor chain formed of a plurality of support elements for carrying the preforms, each of said support elements having a pick-up plug for picking-up, holding, and releasing a respective preform, said conveyor chain being operable to be driven in a continuous motion;
- a closed-loop conveyor belt for guiding said conveyor chain, said conveyor belt including:
- a first horizontal stretch;
- a second horizontal stretch parallel to said first horizontal stretch, said second horizontal stretch having an extension stretch for allowing the preforms to undergo a temperature leveling-off phase;
- a first curved stretch shaped as a half-circle and arranged in a first vertical plane at an end of said first horizontal stretch;
- a second curved stretch shaped as a half-circle and arranged in a second vertical plane at an end of said extension stretch of said second horizontal stretch;
- and
- a third curved stretch on a horizontal plane and connected to an end of said first curved stretch and an end of said second curved stretch;
- a loading station for loading the preforms onto said support elements;
- an unloading station for separating the preforms from said support elements, said loading station and said unloading station being arranged along said conveyor belt such that a preform can be picked-up by and released from a respective one of said pick-up plugs while the preform is in a vertical position and a neck portion of the preform is turned upwards;
- a temperature conditioning station provided along said conveyor belt between said loading station and said unloading station so as to treat the preforms carried by said support elements;
- and
- a moving component for moving said conveyor chain including said support elements forward along said conveyor belt, each of said support elements being operable to rotate as said moving component moves said conveyor chain such that when each of said support elements is moved through said temperature conditioning station, a respective preform carried by said each of said support elements is in a vertical position and a neck portion of the preform is turned downwards.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.