Method and an apparatus for transferring fragile receptacles from a container to a packing machine

An apparatus for transferring a plurality of tubular receptacles made of a fragile material, the receptacles being barrels for syringes, suitable for containing doses of medicinal substances, from containers having nests for accepting the barrels, each nest having a plurality of vertical through-cavities, each through-cavity vertically housing a respective barrel, a support collar of the barrel rested upon an upper surface of the through-cavity, a bottom of the barrel, located opposite the support collar, projecting below the nest, to a packing machine having an inlet for receiving the barrels, the apparatus comprising:

• at least one pick-up device for picking up a plurality of barrels from a nest and for releasing the barrels, the pick-up device configured to maintain the barrels separated while picking the barrels up and after picking the barrels up, the pick-up device being a plurality of pliers, each pliers having a pair of jaws, positionable above the nest, each pliers being closable for singly gripping a barrel, and openable to release the barrel, the pliers being arranged at a reciprocal distance such that the barrels, while being gripped and once gripped by a respective pliers, are maintained separated from one another;
• at least one inserting device provided at the packing machine inlet for delivering the barrels extracted from the nest to the packing machine inlet, the inserting device having a plurality of movable seatings arranged separated from one another, each movable seating receiving and housing a barrel, the plurality of movable seatings arranged in a predefined configuration for separating the barrels from one another, the inserting device being activatable to move the movable seatings with the barrels housed therein to the packing machine inlet;
• displacing means for supporting the pick-up device and displacing the pick-up device, so that the barrels are extracted from the nest and are taken to the inserting device, the displacing means being activatable to move the pick-up device to the inserting device and to move the pick-up device for introducing the barrels into the movable seatings of the inserting device, the barrels being then released and housed in the movable seatings;
• wherein the pick-up device has at least one pusher element positionable below the nest and having an upper abutting surface, the pusher element being oscillatable vertically for performing an upwards run, the upper surface of the pusher element pushing upwards the bottoms of the barrels of a line of barrels in the nest, upper parts of the pushed barrels, including the support collar, projected upwardly relative to the housings, and therefore of the nest;
• the plurality of pliers being positionable above the nest, each pair of jaws being closable so as to solidly grip the upper projecting part of each barrel pushed upwards by the pusher element beneath the support collars thereof;
• wherein the displacing means comprise a robot for supporting and moving the plurality of pliers in space, the robot having a bearing body oscillatable between a loading position thereof, located by a flank of the nest which houses the barrels to be picked up, and an unloading position thereof in proximity of the inserting device;
• a guide for constraining the oscillation of the bearing body;
• a motor for displacing the bearing body along the guide or for stopping the bearing body in any position there-along;
• a support arm mounted solidly to the bearing body, on which support arm the plurality of pliers are mounted, the support arm being movable in order to displace the pliers along two Cartesian axes of a vertical plane;
• the bearing body, when in the loading position, being arranged with respect to the barrels such that the support arm can lift the pliers, once the pliers have gripped the barrels, so as to extract the barrels from the nests, and the bearing body, when in the unloading position, being further arranged with respect to the inserting device such that the arm can lower the pliers which bear the barrels for inserting the barrels in respective movable seatings of the inserting device;
• and,
• wherein the robot has a pusher organ mounted solidly to the bearing body, fixed below the pusher element, and activatable to cause a vertical oscillation of the pusher element, the pusher element being mounted on the pusher organ such that the upper abutting surface is vertically below the plurality of pliers.

An apparatus for transferring a plurality of tubular receptacles made of a fragile material from containers, each container being a tray for the receptacles, the tray having pluralities of open housings, superiorly accessible and able to singly house respective receptacles horizontally arranged therein such that the receptacles are separated from one another, to a packing machine having an inlet for receiving the receptacles, the apparatus comprising:

• at least one pick-up device for picking up a plurality of receptacles from the tray and releasing the receptacles, the pick-up device configured to maintain the receptacles separated while picking up the receptacles and after the receptacles are picked-up, the pick-up device having a plurality of pliers, each pliers having a pair of jaws, positionable above the tray, each pliers being closable for singly gripping a receptacle and openable for releasing the receptacle, the pliers being arranged at a reciprocal distance such that the receptacles, while being gripped and once gripped by a respective pliers, are maintained separated from one another,
• at least one inserting device provided at the inlet of the packing machine, for bringing the receptacles extracted from the tray to the packing machine inlet, the inserting device having a plurality of movable seatings arranged separated from one another, each movable seating receiving and housing a receptacle, the plurality of movable seatings arranged for housing the receptacles in a predefined configuration in which the receptacles are separated from one another, the inserting device being activatable to move the movable seatings, with the receptacles housed therein, the packing machine inlet and
• a displacing means for supporting the pick-up device and displacing the pick-up device, once the receptacles have been picked up, so that the picked-up receptacles are extracted from the tray and taken to the inserting device, the displacing means being activatable to displace the pick-up device, after the receptacles are picked up, to the inserting device and to move the pick-up device so that the receptacles are introduced into the movable seatings, whereby the receptacles are received and housed in the movable seatings,
• each pliers having a pair of jaws dimensioned for inserting into a housing for gripping a receptacle;
• the displacing means being a robot for supporting and moving the plurality of pliers in space, and having a rotating device connected to the plurality of pliers for rotating the pliers to vertically arrange the picked up receptacles, extracted from the relative housings of the tray.