Flexible plant for treating containers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11260574-B2
Application number	US-201816643097-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2018
Priority date	Sep 8, 2017
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

Provided is a device for treating containers, comprising a heating device for heating plastic preforms, wherein the heating device has a plurality of heating stations which are suitable for individually heating the plastic preforms, and wherein the heating device has a transport device which transports the plastic preforms individually through the heating device, and comprising a reshaping device which is suitable and intended for reshaping the plastic preforms heated by the heating device into plastic containers. This reshaping device is arranged downstream of the heating device in the transport direction of the plastic preforms, and the reshaping device has a movable support, on which a plurality of reshaping stations are arranged for reshaping the plastic preforms into the plastic containers. The device also comprises a transport device, for transporting the heated plastic preforms individually from the heating device to the reshaping device, and a decorating device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for treating containers, comprising a heating device for heating plastic preforms, wherein the heating device has heating stations which are suitable for individually heating the plastic preforms, and wherein the heating device has a transport device which transports the plastic preforms individually through the heating device, and comprising a reshaping device which is suitable and intended for reshaping the plastic preforms heated by the heating device into plastic containers, wherein the reshaping device is arranged downstream of the heating device in the transport direction of the plastic preforms, and wherein the reshaping device has a movable support, on which reshaping stations are arranged for reshaping the plastic preforms into the plastic containers, and comprising a transport device, which is suitable and intended for transporting the heated plastic preforms individually from the heating device to the reshaping device, and a decorating device, which is arranged downstream of the reshaping device in the transport direction of the plastic containers, wherein this decorating device has a transport device for individually transporting the plastic containers, and the decorating device has at least one decorating assembly or a plurality of decorating assemblies which are suitable and intended for decorating the plastic containers, wherein the device has an assigning device and/or an assigning option which allows at least one assigning process of at least one heating station, at least one reshaping station, at least one equipping assembly, and at least one filling element of a filling device,
wherein the assignment at least in some instances enables the substantially simultaneous production of two different products, without refitting work having to be carried out on the device, wherein the decorating device is a labelling, wherein the filling device has a plurality of filling elements, wherein the filling elements have filling valves which are suitable and intended for filling the plastic containers with different products and at least one filling valve is a flexible filling valve which can fill up to five different products and quantities of products, so that simultaneous filling with different products is possible.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the transport device of the heating device has a movable support on which the heating stations are arranged.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device for treating containers has at least one feed device for feeding plastic preforms to the heating device, wherein this feed device is suitable and intended to feed at least two different types of plastic preforms to the heating device selectively and individually.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device for treating containers has a changing device which facilitates a change of blow molds of any individual reshaping station.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the transport device of the reshaping device is suitable and intended for changing a sequence of plastic preforms discharged from the heating device, so that these plastic preforms are transferred to the reshaping device in a modified sequence.

6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a cooling device for cooling the plastic containers is provided between the reshaping device and the decorating device.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the decorating device is suitable and intended for decorating different container formats.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a filling device for filling the plastic containers is provided, which facilitates filling of the containers with different liquids.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device for treating containers has a closer device for closing the containers with container closures, wherein this closer device is suitable and intended for closing the containers with at least two different types of container closures.

10. A method for treating containers using a device, wherein plastic preforms are heated by a heating device, wherein the heating device has heating stations which heat the plastic preforms individually and wherein a transport device transports the plastic preforms individually through the heating device, wherein furthermore a reshaping device reshapes the plastic preforms heated by the heating device into plastic containers, wherein the reshaping device is arranged downstream of the heating device in the transport direction of the plastic preforms, and wherein the reshaping device has a movable support, on which reshaping stations are arranged for reshaping the plastic preforms into the plastic containers, and a transport device is provided for transporting the heated plastic preforms individually from the heating device to the reshaping device, and a decorating device is provided, which is arranged downstream of the reshaping device in the transport direction of the plastic containers, wherein this decorating device has a transport device for individual transport of the plastic containers, and wherein the decorating device has at least one decorating assembly or a plurality of decorating assemblies which decorate the plastic containers, wherein at least one assignment between at least one heating station, at least one reshaping station, at least one equipping assembly, and at least one filling element of a filling device is enabled,
wherein the assignment at least in some instances enables the substantially simultaneous production of two different products, without refitting work having to be carried out on the device, wherein the decorating device is a labelling, wherein the filling device has a plurality of filling elements, wherein the filling elements have filling valves which are suitable and intended for filling the plastic containers with different products and at least one filling valve is a flexible filling valve which can fill up to five different products and quantities of products, so that simultaneous filling with different products is possible.

11. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device for treating containers machine has a changing robot which facilitates a change of blow molds of any individual reshaping station.

Assignees

• Krones Ag

Inventors

• Poeschl Stefan
• Hausladen Wolfgang

Classifications

• B29C49/0027

  involving the change of moulds, e.g. in production processes without interrupting the production processes · CPC title

• B29C49/46

  characterised by using particular environment or blow fluids other than air · CPC title

• B29C49/42073

  Grippers · CPC title

• B29C49/42093

  Transporting apparatus, e.g. slides, wheels or conveyors · CPC title

• B29C49/78

  Measuring, controlling or regulating · CPC title