Apparatus for making capsules and relative method for making capsules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12503262-B2
Application number	US-202318856991-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2023
Priority date	May 16, 2022
Publication date	Dec 23, 2025
Grant date	Dec 23, 2025

Abstract

An apparatus for making capsules, includes: a receiving station for receiving capsule bodies having bottom and side walls defining a filling cavity with an opening opposite the bottom and a flange surrounding the opening. A forming station for making sealing rings includes a device for feeding a sheet from a reel. A coupling station couples each ring to a capsule body at the respective flange. A welding station welds the rings to respective capsule bodies. Groups of receiving seats receive the capsule bodies. An etching device etches pre-cutting lines along the edges of the rings, so that a central portion of the rings is detached from the etched sheet. Detaching elements detach from the sheet the rings that had been etched onto the sheet and bring them into contact with the flange at the coupling station. The etching device operates remotely and separately from the coupling station.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An apparatus for making capsules, the apparatus comprising:
a receiving station for receiving capsule bodies each having a bottom and side walls defining, in combination, a filling cavity provided with an opening opposite the bottom and a flange surrounding said opening; a forming station for making sealing rings, the forming station comprising a feeding device for feeding a sheet unwound from a reel; a coupling station for coupling said sealing rings with respective capsule bodies, the coupling station being configured to couple each sealing ring to a respective flange of a respective one of the capsule bodies; a welding station configured to weld said sealing rings to respective ones of said capsule bodies; a plurality of groups of receiving seats for receiving said capsule bodies and a handling device for handling of said groups of receiving seats, the handling device including a conveyor configured to allow handling of the capsule bodies between the receiving station, the coupling station, and the welding station; an etching device configured to etch the sheet forming pre-cutting lines along edges of said sealing rings, so that central portions of the sealing rings are detached from the etched sheet, while the sealing rings remain anchored to the sheet by means of anchor points spaced by the pre-cutting lines; and a plurality of detaching elements configured to detach from the sheet the sealing rings and bring the sealing rings into contact with the flanges of the capsule bodies at the coupling station, the etching device operating at an etching station remote and separate from the coupling station.

2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said groups of receiving seats comprise first groups of receiving seats and second groups of receiving seats, and wherein the handling device comprises a first handling device operating said first groups of receiving seats, and a second handling device operating said second groups of receiving seats, said first and second handling devices being independent from each other to allow an independent movement of said first and second groups of receiving seats, respectively.

3 . The apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a control unit configured to control said first and second handling devices to allow a movement of the receiving seats in accordance with the following cyclically repeating sequence:
a first phase of motion, in which said first handling device is active while said second handling device is inactive, to move said first groups of receiving seats closer to the second groups of receiving seats; followed by a second phase of motion, in which said first handling device is active and said second handling device is simultaneously active, to move said first groups of receiving seats and said second groups of receiving seats simultaneously; followed by a third phase of motion, in which said second handling device is active while said first handling device is inactive, to move said second groups of receiving seats away from said first groups of receiving seats.

4 . The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said first handling device comprises a first loop conveyor configured to define a first handling closed loop path for the first groups of receiving seats, and wherein said second handling device comprises a second loop conveyor configured to define a second handling closed loop path for the second groups of receiving seats, said first and second handling closed loop paths being parallel.

5 . The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein said first loop conveyor comprises first belts developing along a first loop and driven by a first drive, said first groups of receiving seats being connected to the first belts to move with the first belts, and wherein said second loop conveyor comprises second belts developing along a second loop and driven by a second drive, said second groups of receiving seats being connected to the second belts to move with the second belts, the first belts and the second belts being arranged side by side.

6 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the feeding device comprises a supporting roller for supporting and unwinding the reel, said feeding device being configured to unwind the reel at a constant speed, while the etching device operates on the sheet at a standstill.

7 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the etching device comprises a shear which comprises a plurality of cutting elements operable on said sheet for etching the sheet and defining said sealing rings.

8 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises a suction device configured to act on the sheet to detach the central portions from the sealing rings.

9 . A method for making capsules, the method comprising the following steps:
providing a plurality of capsule bodies each having a bottom and side walls defining, in combination, a filling cavity provided with an opening opposite the bottom and a flange arranged to surround said opening; arranging said capsule bodies inside groups of receiving seats; moving said groups of receiving seats along an advancement path in a closed loop; providing a reel and unwinding said reel to make available a sheet; obtaining sealing rings from said sheet; coupling in a coupling station each sealing ring to a respective flange of a respective one of the capsule bodies; welding each sealing ring to the respective one of the capsule bodies to which each sealing ring is coupled, wherein the step of obtaining the sealing rings from said sheet includes a sub-step of etching the sheet by creating pre-cutting lines along edges of said sealing rings, so that central portions of the sealing rings having a discoidal shape are detached from the etched sheet while the sealing rings remain anchored to the sheet by anchor points spaced by the pre-cutting lines, and wherein the step of coupling in the coupling station is preceded by a step of detaching from the sheet the sealing rings, the sub-step of etching the sheet being carried out in an etching station remote and separate from the coupling station.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the step of arranging said capsule bodies inside the groups of receiving seats comprises a step of arranging first portions of said capsule bodies within first groups of receiving seats and second portions of said capsule bodies within second groups of receiving seats, and wherein the step of moving said groups of receiving seats along the advancement path comprises a step of independently moving said first groups of receiving seats with respect to said second groups of receiving seats.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the step of moving said groups of receiving seats along the advancement path is carried out stepwise and comprises the following steps, in the following cyclically repeating sequence:
moving said first groups of receiving seats closer to the second groups of receiving seats; then moving at the same time said first groups of receiving seats and said second groups of receiving seats; then moving said second groups of receiving seats away from the first groups of receiving seats.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the step of moving said first groups of receiving seats closer to said second groups of receiving seats is performed by keeping said second groups of receiving seats in a fixed position, and the step of moving said second groups of receiving seats away from the first groups of receiving seats is performed by keeping said first groups of receiving seats in a fixed position.

13 . The metho

Assignees

• Ima Spa

Inventors

• Spreafico Enrico Davide

Classifications

• B65B5/02

  Machines characterised by incorporation of means for making the containers or receptacles · CPC title

• B26D3/08

  Making a superficial cut in the surface of the work without removal of material, e.g. scoring, incising · CPC title

• B65D85/8064

  Sealing means for the interface with the processing machine · CPC title

• B26D5/08

  Means for actuating the cutting member to effect the cut · CPC title

• B26F1/3853

  cutting out frames (B26F1/384, B26F1/40 and B26F1/44 take precedence) · CPC title