Apparatus and a method for heating plastic preforms with decoupled transport devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10434699-B2
Application number	US-201615159118-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2016
Priority date	May 19, 2015
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

An apparatus for heating plastic preforms includes a first transport device that transports the plastic preforms in a separated manner, wherein said first transport device has a plurality of recesses for receiving the plastic preforms, and a second transport device that takes over the plastic preforms transported by the first transport device and transports said plastic preforms along a predetermined transport path. The second transport device has a plurality of holding elements for holding the plastic preforms. The apparatus also includes at least one heating device that heats the plastic preforms transported by the second transport device, wherein at least the first transport device is a circulating transport device, wherein a relative position of the recesses of the first transport device in the circulation direction of the first transport device relative to a position of the holding elements in respect of the transport path can be changed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for heating plastic preforms, comprising a first transport device that transports the plastic preforms in a separated manner, wherein said first transport device has a plurality of recesses for receiving the plastic preforms, comprising a second transport device that is adapted to take over the plastic preforms transported by the first transport device and to transport said plastic preforms along a predetermined transport path,
wherein the second transport device has a plurality of holding elements for holding the plastic preforms, and comprising at least one heating device that heats the plastic preforms transported by the second transport device, wherein at least the first transport device is a circulating transport device,
wherein
a relative position of the recesses of the first transport device in the circulation direction of the first transport device relative to a position of the holding elements in respect of the transport path can be changed, and wherein the first transport device has a first drive device for driving the first transport device and the second transport device has a second drive device for driving the second transport device,
wherein the apparatus comprises a further drive device for moving the holding elements in a longitudinal direction of the plastic preforms, and
wherein an offset correction between the first drive device and the second drive device is carried out, in which an operator of the machine him/herself establishes correction parameters,
wherein the correction parameter for another plastic preform could be input via an input means, so that the apparatus automatically adjust the offset between the first drive device and the second drive device, or
the operator selects a respective recipe deposited in the machine, wherein in this recipe already correction parameters as well as further parameters such as respective preform neck parameters are deposited, wherein between a machine control and a servo control of the drive devices a processor device is arranged which determines a difference angle from the previous preforms and the new preform sizes, from which the machine can adjust itself to the new format in relation to the oven infeed.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein
the first drive device and the second drive device are adapted to be controlled independently of each other.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein
the apparatus comprises a feeding device for feeding the plastic preforms to the first transport device, and the first transport device separates these plastic preforms from each other.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein
the apparatus comprises a control device for controlling the two drive devices.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 ,
wherein
said control device is adapted to control at least one of the two drive devices also on the basis of a parameter that is characteristic of a geometry of the plastic preforms.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein
the apparatus comprises a processor device that determines an offset between the two drive devices from at least one characteristic variable of a plastic preform.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein
the apparatus comprises a control device that is adapted to control an offset between the two drive devices.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein
a relative position of the recesses of the first transport device in the circulation direction of the first transport device relative to a position of the holding elements in respect of the transport path can be changed in order to change in this way a take-over position, at which the second transport device takes over the plastic preforms.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein
the first transport device comprises a rotatable carrier and the recesses are formed as recesses on an outer circumference of said carrier.

10. A method for heating plastic preforms, wherein the plastic preforms are transported in recesses of a first transport device and are taken over by a second transport device in a predetermined take-over position and are transported by said second transport device by holding elements that hold the plastic preforms along a predetermined transport path, and are heated, at least temporarily, during the transport along the transport path by at least one heating device,
wherein
a relative position of the recesses of the first transport device in the circulation direction of the first transport device relative to a position of the holding elements in respect of the transport path can be changed,
wherein a further drive device for moving the holding elements in a longitudinal direction is provided, and
wherein an offset correction between the first drive device and the second drive device is carried out, in which an operator of the machine him/herself establishes correction parameters, wherein the correction parameter for another plastic preform could be input via an input means, so that the apparatus automatically adjust the offset between the first drive device and the second drive device, or
the operator selects a respective receipt deposited in the machine, wherein in this recipe already correction parameters as well as further parameters such as respective preform neck parameter are deposited, wherein between a machine control and a servo control of the drive devices a processor device is arranged which determines a difference angle from the previous preforms and the new preform sizes, from which the machine can adjust itself to the new format in relation to the oven infeed.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second transport device is disposed downstream of the first transport device.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second transport device follows directly from the first transport device and is adapted to take over the plastic preforms immediately from the first transport device.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a pitch of the recesses of the first transport device corresponds to a pitch of the holding devices of the second transport device.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the holding elements of the second transport device are mandrels that are adapted to be introduced into the mouths of the plastic preforms.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first transport device and the second transport device are decoupled from each other with regard to their transport movements and/or are adapted to be decoupled at least at times.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the drive device is adapted for moving the holding elements in a longitudinal direction of the plastic preforms and is adapted to be deactivated during an on-going operation.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the apparatus includes a controllable lifting cam which is adapted for feeding the holding mandrels into the mouths of the plastic preforms.

Assignees

• Krones Ag

Inventors

• Schoenberger Wolfgang

Classifications

• B29C49/42081

  adjustable for different preform size · CPC title

• B29C49/42085

  holding inside the neck · CPC title

• B29C49/06

  Injection blow-moulding · CPC title

• B29C49/36

  rotatable about one axis · CPC title

• B29K2067/003

  PET, i.e. poylethylene terephthalate · CPC title