Method for producing and treating containers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9517599-B2
Application number	US-201113816857-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2011
Priority date	Aug 31, 2010
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

A method for producing plastic containers by a production process, which is either drape forming and blow molding, using a preform in a drape forming or blow molding machine, and for subsequent treatment of the plastic containers in a treatment station of a container treatment line includes, prior to completion of the production process, determining first positional data associated with the container at a location, wherein the first positional data is selected from the group consisting of angular position of a container and angular position of a design feature on the container, and wherein the location is selected from the group consisting of the production machine, a conveying line that precedes the production machine, and a treatment line that precedes the production machine, and passing the first positional data to the treatment station for control thereof.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising
introducing preforms into a production machine,
using a production process that is performed within said production machine, transforming preforms into corresponding plastic containers, and,
in a treatment station of a container-treatment line that follows said production machine, treating said plastic containers,
wherein using said production process comprises
holding a preform with a centering-and-holding element that comprises an encoding ring, and
prior to completion of said production process, scanning said encoding ring to determine determining first angular-position data that is associated with said preform, wherein said preform is located at a location that is before said container-treatment line, and
passing said first angular-position data to said treatment station for use in controlling said treatment station.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising
after completion of said production process, holding a container with said centering-and-holding element, said container having been made from said preform,
moving said container through said container-treatment line, and using said centering-and-holding element, positioning said container at said treatment station,
wherein positioning is selected from the group consisting of rotating said container and aligning said container.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising handing over said preform to a blow mold of a blow-molding machine after having already determined said first angular-position data.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising handing over said preform to a blow mold of said blow-molding machine, and, after having completed said handover, determining said first angular-position data.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising preheating said preform.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining first angular-position data comprises determining said first angular-position data prior to preheating a preform.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising capturing information concerning said blow mold for forming second angular-position data, said information concerning said blow mold comprising information selected from the group consisting of location of the blow mold, position of the blow mold, location of a part of the blow mold that forms said design feature, and position of a part of said blow mold that forms said design feature.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising correcting said first angular-position data using said second angular-position data.

9. The method of claim 7 , controlling said treatment station using said second angular-position data.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising, at said treatment station, using said second angular-position data to align said container.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising, at said treatment station, using said first and second angular-position data to align said container.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising, at said treatment station, initiating a printing process controlled by at least one of said first angular-position data and said second angular-position data, and rotating said containers about container axes thereof while printing.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, at said treatment station, at least one of aligning and coarse aligning said container based at least in part on said first angular-position data.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, at said treatment station, after having taken into account at least one of said first and second angular-position data, initiating treatment of said container.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, at said treatment station, aligning a container, and, while said container is being aligned, printing on said container.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising causing treatment of said container at a first treatment station that has a first rotating drivable transport element, and causing treatment of said container at a second treatment station that has a second rotating drivable transport element, wherein said first treatment station and said second treatment station are successive treatment stations in a transport direction of containers through said treatment line.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of drying and curing at least one of a printing color and printing ink used for printing on said container and simultaneously disinfecting said containers in a partial area thereof.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein simultaneously disinfecting said containers in a partial area thereof comprises illuminating said partial area with UV radiation.

19. The method of claim 1 , further comprising treating a container immediately after said production process.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said location is said production machine.

21. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said location is a conveying line that precedes said production machine.

22. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said location is a treatment line that precedes said production machine.

23. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein using a production process that is performed within a production machine comprises using a drape forming process that is performed within a drape forming machine.

24. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein using a production process that is performed within a production machine comprises using a blow molding process that is performed within a blow molding machine.

Assignees

• Preckel Katrin
• Schach Martin
• Reiniger Markus
• Khs Gmbh

Inventors

• Preckel Katrin
• Schach Martin
• Reiniger Markus

Classifications

• B29C49/42085

  holding inside the neck · CPC title

• B29C49/42063

  in relation to the mould, e.g. preform centring means in the mould · CPC title

• B29C49/42073

  Grippers · CPC title

• B29C49/42822

  Sterilizing the article · CPC title

• B29C49/78

  Measuring, controlling or regulating · CPC title