EP3548388A1

EP3548388A1 - Method and filling machine for filling packagings open on one side with a processing motion deviating from the transport direction

Info

Publication number: EP3548388A1
Application number: EP17809255.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hanno Geissler; Richard Heuser; Markus Klaus; Franz-Josef Laven; Klaus Naber; Frank Ott; Thomas Patzer; Christian Weiler
Original assignee: SIG Technology AG
Current assignee: SIG Services AG
Priority date: 2016-11-30
Filing date: 2017-11-30
Publication date: 2019-10-09
Also published as: WO2018100119A1; CN110139802A; JP2019536707A; DE102016123144A1; US20190291910A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for filling packagings (2) open on one side, in particular cardboard composite packagings, with flowable products, in particular foods, in a filling machine (1). In order that the packagings open on one side can be reliably processed with hot air, drying air, sterilizing agent, and/or flowable product with reasonable equipment complexity and process complexity and at high throughput, hot air, drying air, sterilizing agent, and/or flowable product is introduced into packagings (2) open on one side via at least one, in particular stationary, nozzle (24, 30, 36), the packagings (2) are moved from an initial position (A) before the introduction of the hot air, the drying air, the sterilizing agent, and/or the flowable product into a final position (E) after the introduction of the hot air, the drying air, the sterilizing agent, and/or the flowable product and, during the introduction of the hot air, the drying air, the sterilizing agent, and/or the flowable product, the packagings (2) are moved along a linear or constantly curved transport direction (T) defined by the initial position (A) and the final position (E) and in a processing motion (B), which is superposed on the transport direction (T) and which, at least in sections, extends transversely to the transport direction (T). The invention further relates to a method and to a filling machine for filling packagings open on one side with a processing motion deviating from the transport direction.

Description

Method and filling machine for filling unilaterally open packages with a deviating from the transport direction machining movement

The invention relates to a method for filling unilaterally open packages, in particular cardboard composite packages, with flowable products, in particular food, in a filling machine. Furthermore, the invention relates to a filling machine for filling unilaterally open packages, in particular cardboard composite packages, with flowable products, in particular foods, preferably according to the aforementioned method, wherein at least one nozzle for introducing hot air, drying air, sterilizing agent and / or flowable product in the open on one side Packages is provided and wherein a transport device for

Transporting the unilaterally open packages from a home position prior to introducing the hot air, the drying air, the sterilant and / or the flowable product to an end position after the introduction of the hot air, the drying air, the sterilant and / or the flowable product along a through the initial position and the end position is provided fixed rectilinear or constant curved transport direction.

There are already different filling machines for filling unilaterally open packages with products, especially in the form of food, known. The packs are preferably filled with flowable food. When

Packages are used, in particular, packs that are open on a top to provide an opening for filling the packs. The packs can be, for example, cardboard composite packings, which are formed from a packaging material in the form of a laminate comprising a cardboard layer and outer, in particular thermoplastic, plastic layers, for example made of polyethylene (PE). The carton provides the packages with sufficient stability to allow the packages to be easily handled and stacked, for example. The

Plastic layers protect the carton from moisture and allow sealing of the packaging material to form a tight package. In addition, other layers, such as an aluminum layer, may be provided to prevent diffusion of oxygen and other gases through the package. The filling of the food packages is typically done under sterile conditions. It is not only the food to be filled, but also the pack to be sterilized. For this, the food is usually heated for a certain period of time. The packs are initially mostly blown out with sterile hot air. In the thus heated packs, a sterilizing agent is then introduced, which is typically hydrogen peroxide or has. As the package is preheated, high sterilization reaction rates are achieved, avoiding too much condensate in the package.

Moisture and residual hydrogen peroxide is then removed from the package by drying the package with, preferably hot and sterile, drying air. Then the filling of the sterile pack is done.

The device for introducing hot air, drying air, sterilizing agent and / or flowable product comprises nozzles for targeted application of the unilaterally open packages with the appropriate medium. The packages are transported by means of a transport device through the filling machine and thereby successively to the corresponding nozzles. In order not to damage the packs and yet be able to transport precisely, the transport devices regularly have carriers or cells for holding the packs during transport. Thus, the packages can be moved indirectly over the carriers or cells through the filling machine. In this case, carriers are to be understood in particular to mean those on which the packs predominantly rest and are held laterally, while cells are understood to mean those means which receive the packs primarily and / or hold them to a large extent. In particular, in filling machines in which the processing of the packs takes place substantially in a straight line, one speaks in corresponding filling machines in

Delimitation to so-called Rundläufern of so-called longitudinal runners, become the Transport of the packs typically used so-called cell chains, in which a plurality of cells for receiving the packs along a

circulating chain are provided. The cells may also be in the form of holders which hold the packages by lateral contact. This is especially the case with rotors in which the packs of the

Starting position and the end position to be transported along a rotating carousel along a constant curved curve. The radius of the curve typically corresponds to the distance between the packs and the axis of rotation of the carousel of the rotary.

While charging the packages with hot air, drying air,

Sterilizing agent and / or flowable product, the packages can be transported past under the respective nozzles. This takes place starting from a starting position of the packs before the application of hot air,

Drying air, sterilizing agent and / or flowable product up to an end position after the application of hot air, drying air,

Sterilizing agent and / or flowable product, and indeed regularly in a straight line or in a curve constant curvature, ie in a circular arc. The transport of the packs can be done continuously, if necessary, at a constant speed. If desired, the nozzles may be moved with the packages, such that there is no relative velocity between the packages and the nozzles. However, it is simpler and more cost-effective if the nozzles are provided in a fixed position. Frequently, the packs are also cyclically, so gradually, through the

Filling machine moves, so that the packages successively occupy certain positions for a certain period of time, in which the packages can be applied via at least one nozzle with hot air, drying air, sterilizing agent and / or flowable product. Appropriate

Filling machines are typically designed as a longitudinal rotor. In the

Processing of unilaterally open packages with hot air, drying air, and / or Sterilizing agent or when filling the unilaterally open packages with flowable product in a rotary the packs are indeed

typically continuously moving, but remain as in the pulsed operation of the longitudinal for a certain period of time, fixed relative to the at least one hot air, drying air, sterilant and / or flowable product dispensing nozzle, this at the same speed along at least substantially the same circular arc as the associated Pack moves.

In any case, it must be ensured that the packages are sufficiently charged with hot air, drying air, sterilant and / or flowable product to be sufficiently preheated, dried, sterilized and / or filled. On the one hand enough hot air, drying air,

Sterilizing agent and / or flowable product from the nozzle on / in the

On the other hand, the package must be left under the nozzle long enough. At the same time, however, there is a tendency in filling machines to fill as many packages as possible in the shortest possible time with a filling machine which has the smallest possible space requirement. In addition, the rinsing out of the packs with hot air, drying air and / or sterilizing agent or the filling of the packs with flowable product is only conditionally foreseeable. The currents forming in the packs are to a degree random or chaotic. This leads, in part, to the formation of unwanted shadow areas which do not come into contact with the hot air, the drying air and / or the sterilization agent to the desired extent, for example because these areas are partially covered by carrier boundary layers. However, under certain circumstances, this also leads to foaming during filling of the flowable product.

Therefore, the present invention has the object, the method and the filling machine each of the aforementioned type and previously described in such a way and further develop that unilaterally open packages with reasonable equipment and procedural effort at high throughputs can be acted upon reliably with hot air, drying air, sterilizing agent and / or flowable product.

The object is according to claim 1 by a method for filling unilaterally open packages, in particular cardboard composite packages, with flowable

Products, in particular foods, dissolved in a filling machine,

in which hot air, drying air, sterilizing agent and / or flowable product is introduced into unilaterally open packages via at least one, in particular stationary, nozzle;

- In which the packs from a starting position before the introduction of

Hot air, the drying air, the sterilizing agent and / or the flowable product in an end position after the introduction of the hot air, the

Drying air, the sterilant and / or the flowable product are moved and

- In which the packs during the introduction of the hot air, the drying air, the sterilizing agent and / or the flowable product along a fixed by the starting position and the end position rectilinear or constant curved transport direction and in a transport direction

superimposed and at least partially crosswise to the transport direction extending machining movement to be moved.

In addition, the above object is in a filling machine after the

The preamble of claim 9 is achieved in that means for moving the packs during the introduction of the hot air, the drying air, the sterilizing agent and / or the flowable product are provided in a transport direction overlying and at least partially extending transversely to the transport direction machining movement.

The invention has recognized that it can have a favorable effect on the processing of unilaterally open packages, if they are not exclusively rectilinear or along an arc of constant curvature, thus a circular arc, from the Starting position is moved to the final position and is acted upon in between by applying hot air, drying air, sterilant and / or flowable product. Instead, it is suggested overlaying this

basic movement in the transport direction of the packs one more

To provide machining movement of each pack between the

Starting position and the end position is performed. This processing movement serves less the actual transport of the packs to the final position, but rather the more reliable processing of the packs with hot air, drying air and / or sterilizing agent or for more reliable filling of the packs with flowable product. This can in fact be improved if the packs are not merely positioned underneath the nozzle or transported in a simple movement under the nozzle, but are additionally moved during processing or filling, in the form of

Machining movement.

With regard to the machining movement, no distinction is made in the present case between processing with hot air, drying air and / or sterilizing agent and filling with a flowable product, in particular food. Although the unilaterally open package is not processed in the latter case, the filling of the unilaterally open package also represents a processing step of a filling machine in a broader sense. For better understanding and to avoid unnecessary repetitions, therefore, no fundamental distinction should be made between processing movement and filling movement. depending on whether the packs are being processed or filled.

The additional processing movement in addition to the transport movement then ensures that the hot air, the drying air and / or the sterilizing agent reaches all designated areas of the pack and sufficiently interacts with all these surfaces to achieve a uniform and reliable heating, drying and / or sterilization , If necessary, provides an additional

Machining movement that prevents foaming when filling with flowable Product is reduced. This is achieved, for example, by the fact that the flow of the hot air, the drying air, the sterilizing agent and / or the flowable product in the pack is deflected targeted. For example, it is accepted that during the treatment of the packages with hot air,

Drying air and / or sterilant or during the filling of

Packages, the introduction of the appropriate medium at least for a large part of the treatment time or filling time is not optimal, but if necessary, even very suboptimal. This is then compensated by the machining movement. Thus, for example, different areas of the package can be treated particularly well and other areas of the package less well at different times. With completed treatment, however, all surfaces have been treated very reliably in a suitable manner.

It would be expected that much longer processing of the packages would be required if processing was suboptimal for substantially all of the processing time, and that it would be better in terms of shortening the processing time and increasing the throughput of the filling machine during the entire processing step at least perform almost optimal processing of the packs. However, it has surprisingly been found that due to the somewhat random and chaotic

Flow behavior of the hot air, the drying air and / or the

Sterilizing agent in the packs is not so. In addition, it has been shown that not as commonly believed a particular filling direction based on the pack suppresses the foaming particularly effective, but changing

Filling directions during filling.

The machining movement can be carried out in different ways, as will be explained below. If the machining movement as an overlay to the basic transport direction or transport movement the uniform transport of the packs from the starting position in the

End position along a straight line or a uniformly curved arc is understood, the machining movement, for example, in a movement back and into a movement can be decomposed back. Thus, it will happen that the actual package web following the packages deviates initially from the basic rectilinear or constant curved transport direction and then returns to the imaginary rectilinear or constantly curved package web, so that the packages after termination of the package Processing to reach the end position to which the packs would come even with exclusive movement of the packs in the rectilinear or constant curved transport direction.

In the present case, the term nozzle is preferably understood very generally. It is not necessarily a nozzle with significant cross-sectional constriction to produce a significant pressure loss or a greatly widening free jet required. The nozzle is only intended to reliably and accurately deliver the corresponding medium at a predetermined position into the package

enable. In a particularly simple case, the nozzle may be formed as a straight piece of pipe, which can be aligned very precisely to the packs.

Furthermore, the term of the hot air and the drying air is preferably to be understood very broadly. The appropriate medium is used for preheating and

Dry, which also completely without air, but with another gas or

Gas mixture could be accomplished. Thus, when hot air and / or drying air is mentioned, the term air is preferred to be considered generally as a gas or mixture of gases. However, since air is readily available inexpensively, it is particularly preferred if it really is air. Even in practice, air is used throughout. Therefore, in the present case the sake of clarity and to avoid unnecessary repetition of hot air and drying air spoken, even if these media need not be limited to air and could be referred to in principle as a heating medium or drying medium. The packs are preferably laminate packings formed from packaging laminates. In a particularly preferred case, these are cardboard composite packings of a packaging laminate comprising at least one cardboard layer, preferably at least one barrier layer, consisting for example of aluminum, polyamide and / or an ethylene-vinyl alcohol, and outer layers of a thermoplastic plastic, in particular polyethylene (PE ) or polypropylene (PP). The longitudinal edges of a packaging material blank formed from the packaging material laminate are sealed together to form a so-called packing sleeve or packing jacket. One of the open ends of the package can be folded and sealed to form a package bottom. After filling, the still open end of the packing jacket can also be closed by folding and sealing to a packing head.

For ease of understanding and to avoid unnecessary repetition, the method and the filling machine will be described together below, without distinguishing in detail between the method and the filling machine. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art, by reference to the context, which in each case with regard to the method and with respect to the

Filling machine is preferred.

In a first particularly preferred embodiment of the method, the packages are each on a carrier and / or in each cell of a

Transport device moved from the starting position to the end position. For a simple handling of the packs, it may be further preferred if the

Packs on one carrier and / or in each cell by the

Filling machine to be transported as such. Basically, the carriers or cells allow for a reproducible and precise transport of the packs without exposing the packs to excessive stresses that could damage the packs. To easily effect the machining movement of the packages and to process the packages in this way

can improve, the carrier and / or the cells in sections in at least a direction transverse to the transport direction, in particular back and forth, to be moved. The packs, carriers and / or cells are thus initially led away from an imaginary packing web, which is defined by the straight or constant curved transport direction or transport movement to be guided back later on the imaginary pack web according to the straight or constant curved transport direction or ,

Transport movement. The transport movement and the machining movement can consequently be regarded as movements overlapping between the starting position and the end position.

In order to provide a suitable machining movement between the starting position and the end position, it is advisable to tilt the packages, preferably together with at least parts of the carriers and / or cells. The tilting movement may include a component of motion back and forth. So can the

For example, packages may be located in both the home position and the end position in the same upright orientation. In order to be able to provide the machining movement in a simple and reliable manner, it may further be appropriate to tilt the packages, preferably together with at least parts of the carriers and / or cells, in a plane parallel to the transport direction and / or in a plane perpendicular to the transport direction.

For a suitable machining movement between the starting position and the end position, it may alternatively or additionally be offered if the packages, preferably together with at least parts of the carriers and / or cells, are moved transversely to the transport direction. This movement can also be subdivided into partial movements back and forth. So that the packs of the imaginary

Packing path along the rectilinear or constantly curved

Transport direction can be moved away and back again. In this

Relation is procedurally and constructively simple, if the packages, preferably together with at least parts of the carrier and / or cells in one horizontal plane and / or in a vertical plane. This also increases the overall reliability of the process.

In order to be able to provide the machining movement in a structurally simple and procedurally reliable manner, alternatively or additionally, a part of the supports and / or the cells can be moved from the starting position into the end position at least substantially exclusively in the straight-line or constantly curved transport direction, while another part the carrier and / or the cells performs the machining movement. The packs are then assigned to the further, the processing movement performing part. This can be done for simplicity so that the packages are on the appropriate part or held by the appropriate part. Thus, on the one hand less mass must be moved in the machining movement and it is possible in a very simple manner, a superimposition of the transport movement along the straight or constant curved transport direction on the one hand and of it

deviating machining movement on the other.

In order to achieve the simplest possible and reliable adjustment of at least part of the carriers and / or the cells for effecting the machining movement, at least one cam track and / or at least one cam can be provided. The cam rail and / or the cam can then come into positive engagement with the packing between the starting position and the end position. By this positive attachment is preferably the direction of movement of the

Affected packings and the machining movement imposed on the packs.

As an alternative or in addition to the curved rail and / or the cam, at least part of the supports and / or cells may be exposed to a magnetic field between the starting position and the end position in order to at least partially impart a machining movement to the packs in a simple and, if necessary, non-contact manner , Regardless of how the adjustment of parts of the carriers and / or the cells to impart at least parts of the processing movement to the packages, this need not apply equally to both movement sections and back. It can for the sake of simplicity in the manner mentioned a

Deflection of at least parts of the carrier and / or the cells are effected, while the adjustment is carried out automatically back to the starting position, namely approximately in that the parts of the carrier and / or the cells are connected to each other via a spring means. The deflection of the parts of the carrier and / or the cells can then take place against the restoring force of the at least one spring means, while the subsequent return of the deflection is effected by the restoring force of the at least one spring means.

In a first particularly preferred embodiment of the filling machine, the transport device has carriers and / or cells for holding and moving the

Packs from the starting position to the end position. The carriers and / or cells can preferably be transported on the carriers and / or with the cells by the filling machine as such. In addition, the carriers and / or cells for effecting the processing movement of the packs can be adjusted at least in sections in at least one direction transversely to the transport direction, whether they are provided in a straight line or constantly curved. The

Machining movement can be understood as a movement away and back referring to the imaginary, resulting from the rectilinear or constant curved transport direction packing web. For imparting the machining movement to the packages, at least one means for tilting the packages, preferably together with at least parts of the carriers and / or cells, may be provided. The means for tilting the packs, preferably together with at least parts of the carriers and / or cells, can be designed for the sake of simplicity, that the packs in a plane parallel to the transport direction and / or in a plane perpendicular to

Transport direction, if necessary, back and forth, can be tilted. Alternatively or additionally, however, it is also possible to provide at least one means for moving the packs, preferably together with at least parts of the carriers and / or cells, transversely to the transport direction. Then it lends itself to

apparatus and procedural simplification, if the means for

Method of packaging, preferably together with at least parts of the carrier and / or cells, in a horizontal plane and / or in a vertical plane are formed. The superposition of a transport movement along the straight or constant curved transport direction with the transversely provided

Machining movement, it offers the sake of simplicity, if the carrier and / or cells are formed at least in two parts. A part of the carriers and / or cells can then follow the straight-line or constantly curved transport direction, while another part of the carriers and / or cells

Machining movement is imposed. In order to achieve this constructionally simple and reliable, the two parts can be mutually displaceable and / or tiltable, in particular with at least one rail system, at least one joint and / or at least one spring means connected. So that a simple and reliable transport of the packs can be ensured, the parts of the carriers and / or cells are connected to one another, for example, in the manner described.

If at least one cam rail and / or at least one cam is provided, the cam rail and / or the cam may be provided for positive engagement with at least a part of the supports and / or cells between the starting position and the end position. By means of the corresponding design of the curved rail and / or of the cam, the form-fitting installation can then ensure that the desired machining movement is impressed on the corresponding part of the cells and / or the carrier and thus on the packages, specifically in superposition of the transport movement. by the straight or constant curved transport direction between the starting position and the end position is defined.

A contact-free imprinting of the machining movement on the packs can preferably be effected with a device, in particular an electrical device, which generates a magnetic field by which the carriers and / or the cells are at least partially moved. According to the orientation of the magnetic field with respect to the transport direction can be so targeted

Deflections are in particular caused by the parts of the carrier and / or cells conducting the packages with respect to the transport movement.

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to a drawing illustrating only embodiments. In the drawing, Fig. 1 shows a filling machine according to the invention for carrying out the

process according to the invention in a schematic side view,

Fig. 2 shows a detail of the filling machine of Fig. 1 in a schematic

Side View,

Fig. 3A-C overlays a machining movement and a

Transport direction between a starting position and a

End position in a longitudinal roller filling machine in schematic views from the side and from the top,

Fig. 4 overlays a machining movement and a

Transport direction between a starting position and a

End position in a rotary filling machine in a schematic view from above, Fig. 5A-D alternative overlays a machining movement and a transport direction between a starting position and a

End position in a Längsläuffüllmaschine in schematic

Views from the side and from the top,

Fig. 6A-B, a superposition of a processing movement and a

Transport direction with clocked operation of a

Längsläuferfüllmaschine at two different times in a schematic plan view and

Fig. 7 shows an alternative superposition of a machining movement and a

Transport direction with clocked operation of a

Längsläuffüllmaschine in a schematic side view. 1 shows a filling machine 1 for filling packages 2, in particular with flowable foods, which in this case comprises a device 3 for shaping the packages 2 to be filled. In principle, however, it is also possible for the filling machine to be supplied with packages 2 which are already open to be filled. The illustrated preferred filling machine 1 also has a number of parallel processing lines, of which only one processing line is shown in FIG. Each processing line is assigned a bundle 4 of package blanks 5 whose longitudinal edges are sealed to one another and thus form packing shells 6 which are open on both sides. By a feeder 7, the packing shells 6 are unfolded and pushed onto a mandrel 8 of a mandrel wheel 9.

The mandrel 9 is cyclically, so gradually, rotated counterclockwise. The packing shells 6 are processed in different positions.

First, an edge is heated with a heating unit 10 with hot air and

then prefolded in a prefold 11 to then seal the prefolded edge with a press 12 to a bottom. It will be a one-sided open and receive at one end sealed package 2, which is transferred to a cell 13 of a transport device 14. In the illustrated and so far preferred filling machine 1, the cells are continuous, ie without in

stop certain positions transported by the filling machines.

If necessary, the cells are thereby accelerated and / or slowed down or the transport of the cells through the filling machine 1 takes place with a constant

Speed.

The package 2 is transported by means of the transport device 14 through an aseptic chamber 15 which is successively subdivided into a sterilization zone 16 and a filling and sealing zone 17. The transport of the packages 2 does not have to be rectilinear, but can also take place in at least one arc or even in a circle, depending on whether the filling machine 1 is a so-called longitudinal or rotary. The aseptic chamber 15 is via corresponding

Sterile air connections 18 are flushed with sterile air under a slight overpressure to prevent the entry of germs.

Sterile hot air is first blown into the open-topped packs 2 by a preheating device 19 in order to preheat the packs 2. Subsequently, in a sterilizing device 20, a sterilizing agent is introduced into the packs 2

injected, which reacts more strongly in the preheated packages 2 and condenses less. As a sterilizing agent is in particular hydrogen peroxide in question. The hydrogen peroxide may be introduced together with steam and / or air into the open-sided package 2. After sterilizing the packages 2, the interior of the packages 2 in a drying device 21 by

Dried on drying air dried. The drying air is preferably hot and sterile.

After passing from the sterilization zone 16 into the filling and sealing zone 17, the unilaterally open packages 2 are positioned below a filling device 22 and filled with a flowable product in the form of a food. The filled Packs 2 are then closed with a closure device 23 by folding the upper open area of the package 2 and sealing it. The sealed packages 2 are then from the cells 13 of the

Transport device 14 removed and, if necessary, further processed. The now empty cells 13 of the transport device 14 are further in the direction of

Dornrads 9 moves to record more packages 2 there.

1, the preheating device 19, sterilizing device 20,

Drying device 21 and filling device 22 of clarity and clarity sake only shown schematically. Therefore, in Fig. 2, the aseptic chamber 15 is shown again in detail. The illustration of FIG. 2 is also very schematic, but in particular the nozzles of the preheating device 19, sterilizing device 20, drying device 21 and filling device 22, with which the hot air, the drying air, the sterilizing agent or the flowable product in the direction of the packs is passed , shown larger.

In the aseptic chamber 15 of FIG. 2, a preheating device 19, which has a nozzle 24 for introducing hot air into the packs 2, is initially provided in the sterilization zone 16. The hot air is drawn in the illustrated and so far preferred filling machine 1 via a compressor 25 from the environment and filtered by means of a filter 26 to separate microorganisms and to sterilize the air so. Subsequently, the sterile air is heated in a heating device 27. The unilaterally open packages 2 are transported continuously under the stationary nozzle 24 of the preheater 19.

Thereafter, the packages 2 enter a sterilizer 20 in which a

Sterilizing agent, which is in the illustrated and so far preferred filling machine 1 is an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution, fed via a pump 28 and evaporated in an evaporator 29. The mix out

Hydrogen peroxide and steam, which can still be supplied with air, is introduced via a nozzle 30 into the packs 2 transported therebelow. In the area downstream of the sterilizing device 20, sterile air is conducted via sterile air connections 18 into the sterilization zone 16, which can alternatively or additionally also take place at other locations of the aseptic chamber 15. For this purpose, air is sucked in via a compressor 31 from the environment and pressed through a filter 32, in which all microorganisms are deposited to sterilize the air. In the subsequent drying device 21, the sterile packs are dried with hot drying air, which is also sucked in via a compressor 33 and sterilized in a filter 34. The thus sterilized air is heated in a heater 35 and passed into the packs 2.

The dried packages 2 are then transferred to the filling and sealing zone 17 where the packages 2 in the next two positions of the conveyor 14 are filled with the product in the form of a food. The product is supplied in the filling device 22 via a reservoir 37 and a nozzle 38 is passed into the packs 2. The filled packages 2 are then closed by a closing device 23 by sealing the upper edge and transported out of the aseptic chamber 15. In the illustrated preferred filling machine 1, so-called empty positions are provided between individual processing positions along which packages 2 are transported without being processed, while other packages 2 are processed in one of the previously described ways. The arrangement and the number of voids can be chosen in different ways, without this being of particular importance. Incidentally, alternative preheating devices 19, sterilizing devices 20, drying devices 21 and / or filling devices 22 may additionally have additional nozzles in order to process the packs 2 with the corresponding media and / or to fill them with product. Then, the processing and / or filling of the packages 2 is carried out successively with at least two nozzles in order to extend the processing time or to make the processing more reliable. When processing the packages 2 with hot air, drying air and sterilizing agent as well as filling the packages, the packages in the preheater 19, the sterilizer 20, the drying device 21 and the filling device 22 are moved from a starting position before processing to an end position after processing. This movement can be understood in any case as a transport movement, which runs in the form of a longitudinal rotor filling machine 1 in a straight-line transport direction, in a as

Rotary trained filling machine but could also run in a circular arc. In addition, in the preheating device 19, the sterilizing device 20, the drying device 21 and / or the filling device 22 the packages 2 nor a transport movement along the transport direction superimposed

Machining movement are imposed. This ultimately leads to the packing following a packing web, which depends both on the direction of transport and on the working movement

Shown in FIGS. 3A-C are schematic examples, such as a straight-line transport movement along the transport direction T of the packs 2

Machining movement B can be superimposed in the form of a tilting movement. The packages 2 are moved on the one hand in a linear transport movement from the starting position A to the end position E, in particular in a longitudinally designed as a filling machine 1, during which the packages 2 are tilted transversely to the transport direction T back and forth. In Fig. 3A, a two-part cell 13 for receiving the packages 2 is shown, which comprises a lower part 39 which is moved in the transport direction T. On the lower part 39, the upper part 40 is pivotally provided relative to the lower part 39. The upper part 40 also receives the package 2 and is guided along one of two curved rails 41 which engage relatively high on the upper part 40 of the cell 13 and during transport of the package 2 from the starting position A to the end position E

positively in contact with the cells 13 advised. Thus, the package 2 is tilted transversely to the transport direction T in the form of the processing movement B back and forth, while hot air, drying air, sterilant and / or flowable product are introduced into the open-top package 2. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 3B, also curve rails 42 may be provided which do not laterally against the upper part 43 of the cells 13 come into positive engagement, but in the vertical direction. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3B press the

Curved rails 42 alternately opposite sides of the upper part 43 of the cells 13 downwards, so as to cause in this way a tilting of the pack 2 in a direction transverse to the transport direction T and back. The movement of the packages 2 for the cases shown in Figs. 3A-B is shown in a schematic plan view from above in Fig. 3C. While the lower part 39,44 of the cell 13 of the

Starting position A is moved to the end position E rectilinear in the transport direction T, the upper part 40,43 of the cell 13 is tilted together with the received therein pack 2 in addition by the side of the cell 13 provided cam rails 41,42 to the side and back again.

In Fig. 4 is a transport of the cells 13 and the packages 2 for a

Filling machine shown in the form of a rotary. The lower part 45 of the cell 13 is thereby from the starting position A in the end position E along a

Arc in the constant curved transport direction T moves. In between, the upper part 46 of the cell 13 and the pack 2 received therein are next to the transport movement in the transport direction T a

Machining movement B in the form of tilting to the side and back impressed. This machining movement B is effected by a guide of the upper part 46 of the cell 13 along laterally provided curved rails 47, as has been shown in principle for example already in Figs. 3A-B.

In Fig. 5A-D is shown schematically how the packs 2 during transport from the starting position A in the end position E one the

Transport movement along a straight transport direction T a

Machining movement B is superimposed. These are the packages 2

receiving cells 13 formed in two parts. The lower part 48-50 of the cells 13 is transported in the transporting direction T in the transporting motion, while the upper part 51-53 of the cells 13 together with the therein received

Packs 2 are moved transversely to the transport direction T in the machining movement B back and forth. For this purpose, the parts 48-53 of the illustrated cells 13 are connected to each other via a rail system 54, which the

Displacement of the parts 48-53 allows transverse to each other and the parts 48-53 of the cells 13 but locked in the transport direction T to each other. In the case illustrated in FIG. 5A, the machining movement B is impressed by two curved rails 55 on the packages 2, between which the packages 2 and the upper parts 51 of the cells 13 are moved from the starting position A to the end position E. Shown are the upper part 51 of the cell 13 and the packing 2 in FIG. 5A in a position displaced to the left as a result of the positive engagement with the cam rails 55. The same applies to the embodiment of FIG. 5B in which the upper part 52 and the lower part 49 of the cell 13 are connected to each other by a spring means 56. In addition, only one cam rail 57 is shown, which deflects the upper part 52 of the cell 13 counter to the restoring force of the spring means 56 to the left. The restoring force of the spring means 56 ensures that the upper part 52 of the cell 13 remains in contact with the curved rail 57 and returns to an initial position. The second curve rail is so unnecessary. FIG. 5C illustrates the case in which an electrical device 58 generates a magnetic field M by applying a corresponding voltage, through which the upper part 53 of the cell 13 moves and thereby in the machining movement B

is deflected. The lower part 50 of the cell 13 is moved therefrom in the transporting direction T in a straight line from the home position A to the end position E. In the schematic plan view of FIG. 5D, in which the principle described for the Fig. 5A-C of the loading of the packages 2 with a

Processing movement B read, the displacement of the packs 2 in a machining movement B is shown transversely to the transport direction T against a restoring force of a spring means 56 triggered by a curved rail 57 of FIG. 5B. The packs 2 are thereby moved from the starting position A to the end position E. If necessary, the cells 13, together with the packs 2, can also be stopped between the starting position A and the end position E, in order then to be acted upon in a machining position by the machining movement B. This can be done approximately as in the Fig. 6A-B by a cam 59 which on a

Cam disk 60 is mounted. The cam 60 shown in FIGS. 6A-B at two different times rotates and enters

positive engagement with an upper part 61 of the cell 13, which is thereby displaced outwards relative to the lower part 62 of the cell 13, to a

Machining movement B in the upper part 61 of the cell 13 received

Pack 2 to produce. In this case, the upper part 61 and the lower part 62 of the cell 13 may be connected via a spring means whose restoring force holds the upper part 61 of the cell 13 in abutment with the cam 59 and the package 2 moves back to a starting position after the deflection. Subsequently, the package 2 is further moved in the transport direction T in the end position E. In FIG. 7 it is shown that the same cam disc 60 as in FIGS. 6A-B can cause the upper part 63 of the cell 13, which has the packing 2, to be transferred to the package 2 in the form of a tilting movement. The upper part 63 of the cell 13 is then not displaced by the cam 59 of the cam plate 60 with respect to the lower part 64 of the cell 13, but tilted.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 filling machine

2 pack

3 device

4 bundles

5 pack blank

6 packing coats

7 feeder

8 thorn 9 mandrel wheel

10 heating unit

11 prefolding

12 press

13 cells

14 transport device

15 Aseptic chamber

16 sterilization zone

17 filling and sealing zone

18 sterile air connection

19 preheating device

20 sterilizer

21 drying device

22 filling device

23 closing device

24 nozzle

25 compressors

26 filters

27 heating device

28 pump

29 evaporator

30 nozzle

31 compressors

32 filters

33 compressors

34 filters

35 heating device

36 cell

37 storage tank

38 nozzle

39 lower part

40 upper part

41 curve rail

42 curve rail

43 upper part

44 lower part

45 lower part

46 upper part

47 Curve rail

48-50 lower part 51-53 upper part

54 rail system

55 curve rail

56 spring means

57 Curve rail

58 electrical device

59 cams

60 cam disk

61 upper part

62 lower part

63 upper part

64 lower part

A starting position

B machining movement

E end position

T transport direction

Claims

November 30, 2017

P a n t a n s p r e c h e

1. A method for filling unilaterally open packages (2), in particular

Cardboard composite packages, with flowable products, in particular

Food, in a filling machine (1),

in which hot air, drying air, sterilizing agent and / or flowable product is introduced via at least one, in particular stationary, nozzle (24, 30, 36) into packs (2) which are open on one side,

in which the packs (2) are moved from a starting position (A) before introducing the hot air, the drying air, the sterilizing agent and / or the flowable product into an end position (E) after the introduction of the hot air,

Drying air, the sterilant and / or the flowable product are moved and

in which the packages (2) during the introduction of the hot air, the

Drying air, the sterilizing agent and / or the flowable product along a fixed by the starting position (A) and the end position (E) straight or constant curved transport direction (T) and in a direction of transport (T) and at least partially transverse to the transport direction ( T) extending machining movement (B) are moved.

2. The method according to claim 1,

in which the packages (2) are each moved on a support and / or in a respective cell (13) of a transport device (14) from the starting position (A) to the end position (E), in particular by the filling machine (1), and in which, preferably, the carriers and / or the cells (13) for effecting the processing movement (B) of the packages (2) at least in sections in at least one direction transversely to the transport direction (T), in particular back and forth, to be moved.

Method according to claim 1 or 2,

- In which the packages (2), preferably together with at least parts

(40,43,46,63) of the carrier (13) and / or cells (13), in particular back and forth, be tilted and

- In which, preferably, the packages (2), preferably together with

at least parts (40, 43, 46, 63) of the carriers and / or cells (13) are tilted in a plane parallel to the transport direction (T) and / or in a plane perpendicular to the transport direction (T), in particular back and forth ,

Method according to one of claims 1 to 3,

- In which the packages (2), preferably together with at least parts (51- 53,61) of the carrier and / or cells (13), in particular back and forth, transversely to the transport direction (T) are moved and

- In which, preferably the packages (2), preferably together with

at least parts (51-53, 61) of the supports and / or cells (13) are moved in a horizontal plane and / or in a vertical plane.

Method according to one of claims 2 to 4,

in which a part (39, 44, 45, 48, 50, 62, 64) of the carriers and / or cells (13) is moved from the starting position (A) into the end position (E) at least substantially exclusively in the transport direction (T) is moved and in which one of the packages (2) associated with or with the packages (2) connected part (40,43,46,51-53,61,63) of the carrier and / or cells (13)

Machining movement (B) performs.

Method according to one of claims 2 to 5,

in which at least one part (40, 43, 46, 51, 52, 61, 63) of the carriers and / or cells (13) is positively connected between the starting position (A) and the end position (E) in contact with a curved rail (41,42,47,55,57,62,64) and / or a cam (59) passes and as a result performs the machining movement (B).

7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 6,

in which at least a part (53) of the carriers and / or cells (13) is exposed to a magnetic field (M) between the starting position (A) and the end position (E) and consequently carries out the machining movement (B).

8. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7,

in which parts (49, 52) of the carriers and / or cells (13) are connected to one another via a spring means (56) and that the parts (49, 52) of the carriers and / or cells (13) are replaced by the spring means (56). be moved back to a starting position after a deflection.

9. filling machine (1) for filling unilaterally open packages (2), in particular cardboard composite packages, with flowable products, in particular

Food, preferably according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein at least one nozzle (24, 30, 36) is provided for introducing hot air, drying air, sterilizing agent and / or flowable product into the unilaterally open packages (2) and wherein a transport device ( 14) for transporting the unilaterally open packages (2) from a starting position (A) before introducing the hot air, the drying air, the sterilizing agent and / or the flowable product into an end position (E) after the introduction of the hot air, the drying air, Sterilisationsmittels and / or the flowable product along a fixed by the initial position (A) and the end position (E) rectilinear or constant curved

Transport direction (T) is provided,

d a d u r c h e s e n c i n e s, d a s s

Means for moving the packages (2) during the introduction of the hot air, the drying air, the sterilizing agent and / or the flowable product in a transport direction (T) and at least overlying sections extending transversely to the transport direction (T)

Machining movement (B) are provided.

10. Filling machine according to claim 9,

d a d u r c h e s e n c i n e s, d a s s

the transport device (14) has carriers and / or cells (13) for holding and moving the packages (2) from the starting position (A) to the end position (E), in particular for moving through the filling machine (1), and that, preferably, the Carrier and / or cells (13) for effecting

Machining movement (B) of the packs (2) at least partially in at least one direction transversely to the transport direction (T), in particular back and forth, are formed.

11. Filling machine according to claim 9 or 10,

d a d u r c h e s e n c i n e s, d a s s

Means for tilting the packages (2), preferably together with at least parts (40, 43, 61) of the carriers and / or cells (13), in particular back and forth, and that, preferably, the means for tilting the packages ( 2), preferably together with at least parts (40, 43, 61) of the carriers and / or cells (13) in a plane parallel to the transport direction (T) and / or in a plane perpendicular to the transport direction (T).

12. Filling machine according to one of claims 9 to 11,

d a d u r c h e s e n c i n e s, d a s s

Means for moving the packages (2), preferably together with at least parts (51-53) of the carriers and / or cells (13), in particular back and forth, transversely to the transport direction (T) are provided and that, preferably, the means for Method of the packs (2), preferably together with at least parts (514-53) of the carriers and / or cells (13), are provided in a horizontal plane and / or in a vertical plane.

13. Filling machine according to one of claims 9 to 12,

d a d u r c h e s e n c i n e s, d a s s

the supports and / or cells (13) are formed in at least two parts and the two parts (39, 40, 43-46, 48-53, 61-64) are displaceable and / or tiltable relative to one another, in particular with at least one rail system (54) Joint and / or at least one spring means (56) are connected.

Filling machine according to one of claims 9 to 13,

d a d u r c h e s e n c i n e s, d a s s

at least one curved rail (41, 42, 47, 55, 57) and / or at least one cam (59) for positive engagement with at least one part

(40,43,46,51,52,61,63) of the carriers and / or cells (13) between the

Starting position (A) and the end position (E) is provided such that the machining movement (B) is effected.

Filling machine according to one of claims 9 to 14,

d a d u r c h e s e n c i n e s, d a s s

at least one, in particular electrical, means (58) for generating a of the carriers and / or cells (13) passed magnetic field (M) for effecting the machining movement (B) is provided.