Method and apparatus for packaging injection mouldings

• US 10,457,434 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2014
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hekuma Gmbh (elexis AG)
• Original Assignee: Hekuma Gmbh (elexis AG)
• Inventors: Faltenbacher, Christian, Kammerloher, Jakob
• Primary Examiner(s): Chukwurah, Nathaniel C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahmed, Mobeen
• Application Number:
  US15/027,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20160244193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,853 Days
• Field of Search: 53443, 53448, 53473, 53539, 53543, 53236, 53247, 53251, 1984603, 1984622, 1984621, 1984623
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/4073 Ejection devices located outside the injection moulding machine
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1769 Handling of moulded articles or runners, e.g. sorting, stacking, grinding of runners
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/42 using means movable from outside the mould between mould parts , e.g. robots
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/4225 Take-off members or carriers for the moulded articles, e.g. grippers
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7544 Injection needles, syringes
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 25/00 Packaging other articles presenting special problems bundling B65B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/16 by grippers
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/30 Arranging and feeding articles in groups
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/36 by grippers
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/56 Orientating, i.e. changing the attitude of, articles, e.g. of non-uniform cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/06 Packaging groups of articles, the groups being treated as single articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/068 in trays B65B5/061 - B65B5/065 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/105 by grippers B65B5/12 and B65B5/108 take precedence

Abstract

Method for transferring injection moldings, in particular pipette tips (P), out of an injection-molding machine into packaging containers (V1 to V4), comprising the following steps: removing the injection moldings (P) in an annular arrangement from a mold (W) of the injection-molding machine by way of a removable gripper (100), converting the annular arrangement into a row arrangement of the injection moldings (P) in a transfer station (101), positioning the injection moldings (P) in the transfer station (101) in a manner corresponding to the positioning in a workpiece carrier (102), and transferring the injection moldings (P) into the workpiece carrier (102) by way of the transfer station (101), whereupon the injection moldings (P) are inserted into the packaging containers (V1 to V4) from the workpiece carrier (102).

Claims

1. A method for transferring injection-molded components (P) in the form of pipette tips (P) from an injection-molded machine into packaging containers (V1 to V4), comprising the following steps:

withdrawing the injection-molded components (P) in a ring-shaped arrangement from a tool (W) of the injection molding machine by a withdrawal grab (100),

transferring the ring-shaped arrangement into an in-line configuration of the injection-molded components (P) in a transfer station (101),

positioning the injection-molded components (P) in the transfer station (101) according to positioning in a workpiece holder (102), and

transporting the injection-molded components (P) into the workpiece holder (102) by means of the transfer station (101), whereupon the injection-molded components (P) from the workpiece holder (102) are inserted into the packaging containers (V1 to V4), wherein

in the withdrawal grab (100) injection-molded components (P), arranged along a straight line (Y) in an opposite manner, are withdrawn from the ring-shaped arrangement and are transferred into the in-line configuration in the transfer station (101),

whereupon the remaining injection-molded components (P) of the ring-shaped arrangement, which face each other along the straight line (Y) complete the already present in-line configuration in the transfer station (101) such that from the ring-shaped arrangement of the injection-molded components (01 to 08) on the withdrawal grab (100) at least one line or row is formed in the transfer station (101), wherein

groups of rings (R1 to R8) of injection-molded components at the withdrawal grab (100) are transferred in groups of rows in the transfer station (101) such that in the groups of rows numbering of the injection-molded components (P) corresponds continuously to the numbering in the ring-shaped arrangement, wherein

the in-line configuration of the injection-molded components (P) in the transfer station (101) is compacted to a compact in-line configuration by moving single injection-molded components and/or portions of single rows in relation to each other in which the injection-molded components (P) and groups of rows of the injection-molded components have a predetermined distance to each other which corresponds to the positioning in the workpiece holder (102), wherein

groups of rows (R1 to R8) in the transfer station (101) corresponding to one shot of the injection molding machine are inserted into the workpiece holder (102) such that the order of the groups of rings in the injection molding tool corresponds to the order of groups of rows in the workpiece holder (102), whereby the transfer station repeatedly charges the workpiece holder (102), and wherein,

the workpiece holder (102) is designed by means of rod-shaped workpiece holder units (102.1, 102.2, . . . ), having receiving holes (B) for the injection-molded components (P), the rod-shaped workpiece holder units (102.102.2, . . . ) are attached to a support device (102a) in a manner displaceable relative to each other.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein one of the group of rings (R1 to R8) in the injection molding tool corresponding to a one of the group of rows in the workpiece holder (102) are transferred in such a row in the packaging container (V1 to V4) such that in a packaging container those groups of rows are inserted, which corresponds to the one group of rings (R1 to R8) in the injection molding tool.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transfer station (101) is pivoted or moved over the workpiece holder (102) and the injection-molded components (P) are inserted by the transfer station (101) directly into the workpiece holder (102).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the compacting of the in-line configuration or the positioning of the injection-molded components (P) in the transfer station (101) is made during the pivoting or moving of the transfer station (101) over the workpiece holder (102).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the workpiece holder (102) is moved in a transverse direction to the group of rows in the transfer station (101) to transfer the group of rows to the workpiece holder (102).

6. A packaging device comprising:

a withdrawal grab (100) with groups of cavities in a ring-shaped arrangement for receiving injection-molded components (P) in correspondence with the ring-shaped arrangement of the injection-molded components in an injection molding tool (W),

a transfer station (101) for receiving the injection-molded components (P) or a group of injection-molded components (P) from the withdrawal grab,

a workpiece holder (102), and

a control device which controls the transfer station (101) such that the positioning of the injection-molded component in the transfer station (101) corresponds to the positioning in the workpiece holder (102), and the transfer station (101) is moved or pivoted over the workpiece holder (102) in order to insert the injection-molded components from the transfer station (101) into the workpiece holder (102), wherein the control device controls the withdrawal grab (100) such that the withdrawal grab (100) transfers the ring-shaped arrangement of the injection-molded components (P) in at least two steps into an in-line configuration in the transfer station (101), wherein the workpiece holder (102) is designed by means of rod-shaped workpiece holder units (102.1, 102.2 . . . ) having receiving holes (B) for the injection-molded components (P) the rod-shaped workpiece holder units (102.1 102.2 . . . ) are mounted displaceable relative to each other on a support device (102a).

7. The packaging device according to claim 6, wherein the withdrawal grab (100) has an intake capacity of injection-molded components (P) corresponding to a number of components (P) produced by one injection-molding step of the injection molding tool (W), wherein the transfer station (101) has an intake capacity of injection-molded components (P) corresponding to one injection-molding step and the workpiece holder (102) has a capacity of injection molded components corresponding to several injection-molding steps of the injection molding tool (W).