System for filling flat-bottom pouches

• US 20050229550A1
• Filed: 08/06/2003
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Krones AG (Krones)
• Original Assignee: Krones AG (Krones)
• Inventors: Eder, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 7,162,852 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 53/571
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 3/04 Methods of, or means for, filling the material into the containers or receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 39/145 in an endless path
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 43/28 by grippers co-operating with fixed supports
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 43/30 by grippers engaging opposed walls, e.g. suction-operated
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 43/465 for bags
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 43/59 vertically movable B65B43/58 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 43/60 rotatable

Abstract

A device for filling stand-alone flat-bottom bags with opposing side edges and a bottom, in particular filling them with liquid including a filling carousel which can rotate about a vertical axis and which has a plurality of holders for one bag each provided on its circumference. The filling carousel has a bag feeding station, a bag opening station, a filling station and a removal station as well as a sealing station. To optimize the filling device and in particular to achieve a higher throughput, a magazine for prefabricated bags and a feeding carousel for the bags is provided in the bag feeding station, containing a plurality of holding devices for one bag each whereby the holding devices can be driven to rotate about a common axis in order to remove each bag individually from the magazine and transfer it continuously to a holder of the filling carousel.

Claims

1. Device for filling stand-alone flat-bottom bags with opposing side seams and a bottom, in particular with a liquid, comprising a filling carousel that is capable of rotating about a vertical axis, a parallel of holders each for one bag being provided on the circumference of the carousel, with a bag feeding station, a bag opening station, a filling station and a removal station as well as a sealing station being assigned to the filling carousel, the bag feeding station (A) having a magazine (7) for prefabricated bags (2) and has a feeding carousel (8) which contains a plurality of holding devices (13) each for one bag, whereby the holding devices (13) can be driven to rotate about a common axis (8′

) so that each bag (2) can be removed individually from the magazine (7) and the bags (2) can be transferred continuously to one of the holders (10) of the filling carousel (9).

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the holding device (13) of the feeding carousel (8) includes a suction gripper.

3. Device according to claim 1 wherein the holding device (13) of the feeding carousel (8) can be moved in relation to the rotation of the feeding carousel (8).

4. Device according to claim 3, wherein the holding device (13) is arranged so it can rotate about an axis on the feeding carousel (8).

5. Device according to claim 3 wherein the orientation of the bags (2) in the magazine (7) corresponds essentially to the orientation of the bags (2) in the filling carousel (9), whereby the holding device (13) of the feeding carousel (8) is movably controlled so that the orientation of the bags between the magazine (7) and the filling carousel (9) remains essentially unchanged.

8. Device according to claim 1, wherein the opening station (B) has suction grips (27) which grip on opposite side walls (3, 4) of the bag (2).

9. Device according to claim 1, wherein the holder (10) of the filling carousel (9) includes a clamping grip (17) for gripping and holding the bag (2) on just one side seam (2a) of the bag (2).

10. Device according to claim 9, wherein the bag (2) is oriented with its side seams (2a, 2b) radially to the axis of rotation (9′

) in the filling carousel (9), and the clamping grip (17) grips the side seams (2b) that is on the inside radially.

11. Device according to claim 1, wherein the holder (10) has a clamping grip (17) for gripping a side seam (2b) of the bag and has two suction grips (27) which are arranged symmetrically with the clamping grip (17) and can be moved in relation to one another, each gripping a side wall (3, 4) of the bag (2) for opening the bag (2).

12. Device according to claim 1, wherein the holder (10) includes a support surface (19) for the stand-alone bottom (5) of the bag (2).

13. Device according to claim 12, wherein the supporting surface (19) can be moved up and down.

14. Device according to claim 12, wherein the support surface (19) can be rotated about a vertical axis (20′

).

15. Device according to claim 12, wherein the support surface (19) includes a centering device (21) for the bags (2).

16. Device, according to claim 1, wherein the removal and sealing station (E) includes a sealing carousel (11) having a plurality of sealing devices (30) revolving around a common axis (11′

) for one bag (2) each which is arranged directly adjacent to the filling carousel (9) whereby the sealing device (30) is movable to remove a bag (2) via the holder (10) of the filling carousel (9).

17. Device according to claim 16, wherein the sealing device (30) has sealing jaws (31, 32) with a holding function for sealing bag (2) and for removing the bag (2) from the filling carousel (9) and for transferring the bag (2) to a further conveyor (12).

18. Device according to claim 1, and a stationary welding station (E′

) is provided on the filling carousel (9) which can be driven to revolve continuously, the welding station having sealing tools (40, 41), the sealing tools (40, 41) having a gap oriented tangentially to the peripheral web of the bag (2), passing through the open edges of the tangentially oriented bags continuously, and being connected to one another along the peripheral edge thereby.

19. Device according to claim 18, wherein the welding station (E′

) has at least one stationary ultrasonic welding device, in particular with a sonotrode (40) and a mating tool (41).

6. Device according to claim wherein the orientation of the bags (2) in the magazine (7) corresponds essentially to the orientation of the bags (2) in the filling carousel (9), whereby the holding device (13) of the feeding carousel (8) is movably controlled so that the bags (2) can be rotated by 180°

between the magazine (7) and the filling carousel (9).

7. Device according to claim 6, wherein the holding device (13) is situated on a pivot arm (16) which can be pivoted from an approximately tangential orientation to the feeding carousel (8) into an approximately radial orientation thereto.