Method and machine for on-line treating and/or processing containers
AssigneeG.D Societa' Per Azioni
InventorMario Spatafora
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and machine for on-line treating and/or processing containers (2), whereby a container (2) is fed along a production line (45), a portion of which is defined by an endless conveyor (3) extending through a loading station (43; 55) and an unloading station (41; 55) for containers (2); the container (2), as it is fed along by the conveyor (3), being subjected to a treatment and/or processing operation inside a respective cell (17), which is movable with the conveyor (3) to receive the container (2) at the loading station (43; 55) and to release the container (2) at the unloading station (41; 55).
Claims15
A method of on-line treating and/or processing containers, the method comprising the steps of feeding at least one container (2) along a production line (45) comprising a conveying drum (3) rotating about a vertical axis (4) to define an annular path (P) extending through a loading station (43) and an unloading station (41) for containers (2);
- loading the container (2), at said loading station (43) and in a substantially radial direction with respect to said conveying drum (3), into a respective processing cell (17) positioned substantially radially with respect to said axis (4) and movable with said conveying drum (3) along said path (P);
- subjecting the container (2) to a treatment and/or processing operation inside said cell (17) and as the cell (17) is fed from said loading station (43;
- 55) to said unloading station (41;
- 55);
- and unloading the container (2) radially from the cell (17) at the unloading station (41;
- 55);
- the method being characterized in that the conveying drum (3) comprises a first number of rings (11) of cells (17) superimposed along said axis (4), and each ring (11) comprises a same number of cells (17) equally spaced about said axis (4);
- said loading step comprising loading a first number of containers (2) simultaneously into respective said cells (17) arranged in a column along said conveying drum (3);
- and said unloading step comprising unloading a first number of containers (2) simultaneously radially from the respective cells (17) arranged in a column along said conveying drum (3).
A machine for on-line treating and/or processing containers, the machine comprising a production line (45) for producing containers (2) and in turn comprising a conveying drum (3) having a number of substantially radial cells (17) and rotating about a vertical axis (4) to feed each cell (17) along an annular path (P), along which are located a loading station (43;
- 55) and an unloading station (41;
- 55) for containers (2);
- operating means (32, 33, 34) associated with the cells (17) to effect, in each cell (17), a treatment and/or processing operation as the cell (17) is fed from said loading station (43;
- 55) to said unloading station (41;
- 55);
- and transfer means (5, 6;
- 47) for loading the containers (2) radially into the cells (17) at said loading station (43;
- 55), and extracting the containers (2) radially from the cells (17) at said unloading station (41;
- 55);
- the machine being characterized in that the conveying drum (3) comprises a first number of rings (11) of cells (17) superimposed along said axis (4), and each ring (11) comprises a same number of cells (17) equally spaced about said axis (4);
- said transfer means (5, 6;
- 47) being able to load at said loading station (43;
- 55) a first number of containers (2) simultaneously into respective said cells (17) arranged in a column along said conveying drum (3);
- and said transfer means (5, 6;
- 47) being able to unload at said unloading station (41;
- 55) a first number of containers (2) simultaneously radially from the respective cells (17) arranged in a column along said conveying drum (3).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.