Method and device for producing a multipack and multipack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10661494-B2
Application number	US-201716305262-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2017
Priority date	Jun 8, 2016
Publication date	May 26, 2020
Grant date	May 26, 2020

Abstract

A method for producing a multipack of containers includes heating a preform, cooling at least part of the preform, the at least part of the preform defining a cooled region, and producing a first container from the preform. The container has a reinforced wall portion formed from the cooled region. The method continues with applying adhesive to the reinforced wall portion, thereby forming an adhesive point and fixing a second container to the adhesive point.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing a multipack with first and second containers, wherein at least one container comprises a reinforced wall portion, said method comprising
providing a preform for said first container,
heating said preform and cooling at least a portion of said preform, said portion being a cooled portion,
producing said first container from said preform, wherein said first container comprises a reinforced wall portion formed from said cooled portion of said preform,
applying an adhesive to produce an adhesive point in said reinforced wall portion of said first container, and
forming a multipack by fixing said second container to said adhesive point on said first container.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein cooling comprises exposing said cooled portion to a flow of cooling gas.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising rotating said preform is rotated while cooling said cooled portion such that said cooled portion is ring shaped.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising regulating cooling gas flow to control a thickness of said reinforced wall portion.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising regulating cooling gas pressure so as to cause said reinforced wall portion to have a material thickness that is greater than thirty percent of a thickness of a container wall at a portion other than said reinforced wall portion.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing said preform comprises providing a preform having a constant thickness in said region.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing said preform comprises providing a preform that has been formed as one piece.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein producing said first container from said preform comprises stretch blow molding said preform.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said second container comprises a reinforced wall portion that, when said multipack is formed, is adhesively bonded to said first container.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising rotating said preform while said preform is being conveyed along said nozzle arrangement.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising rotating said preform while said preform is being conveyed along a slot nozzle.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein cooling comprises causing said cooled region to be reduced by at least two degrees centigrade relative to a remainder of said preform.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein cooling comprises causing said cooled region to be reduced by at least five degrees centigrade relative to a remainder of said preform.

14. An apparatus for producing a multipack with at least two containers, said apparatus comprising a heater for heating preforms, a stretch blow molding device for producing containers from said heated preforms, a device for applying an adhesive for producing an adhesive point on said containers, and a combiner for combining said containers by said adhesive point to form a multipack, wherein said apparatus further comprises a gas nozzle arrangement configured to form a cooling zone on a portion of said heated preform.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein said preform has a circumference, wherein said nozzle arrangement comprises a slot arranged at right angles to a movement direction of said preforms, wherein said slot has a length in said movement direction equal to said circumference.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein said nozzle arrangement comprises a linear arrangement of a plurality of gas nozzles, wherein said gas nozzles are arranged at right angles to a direction of movement of said preforms through said apparatus, wherein said gas nozzles are formed as boreholes with a diameter of between half a millimeter and four millimeters.

17. A manufacture comprising a multipack comprising first and second containers, each having a container wall, wherein said first and second containers adhere together as a result of an adhesive at an adhesive point, wherein said first container was formed from a preform that, after having been heated, was cooled at a region of a wall thereof, said region defining a cooled region, wherein said cooled region comprises a reinforced wall portion to which adhesive was applied to form said adhesive point to which said second container was fixed.

Assignees

• Khs Gmbh
• Khs Corpoplast Gmbh

Inventors

• Zahn Volker
• Wiese Arne-Fritz

Classifications

• B65B17/02

  Joining articles, e.g. cans, directly to each other for convenience of storage, transport, or handling · CPC title

• B65B63/005

  for marking or coding articles prior to packaging · CPC title

• B29L2031/7158

  Bottles · CPC title

• B29K2067/003

  PET, i.e. poylethylene terephthalate · CPC title

• B29C49/06 Primary

  Injection blow-moulding · CPC title