INNOVATIONS IN THE WET WIPE PACKING MACHINE

Technical Field

The invention is about the innovations for increasing the machine capacity enabling the filling of two packages simultaneously by using at least two or more stations instead of one transfer station in machines used for placing wet wipes and the like products into packages, and ensuring both vertical and horizontal placements of packages with the same machine thanks to the transfer station, feeding conveyor and the flexibility of product grouping mechanism.

Technical Description

The wet wipe packaging machines used today are designed in accordance with one or two package types and these require replacements taking long hours when the type of package placement changes. Besides, there is also a machine which can place packages both vertically and horizontally into parcels. Because of these reasons, particularly the contract packers producing wet wipes use labor force due to absence of a machine which fills packages into many different types of parcels.

Another disadvantage in the known wet wipe packaging machines is not being able to work at the same speeds in different types of parcel placements. To overcome this problem, pair robots are used in some machines, but due to this application is not different from the way using two machines, the machine costs are quite high.

The aforesaid invention was invented considering the abovementioned disadvantages, which were soon after removed thanks to the invention.

Thanks to the product feeding conveyor and grouping conveyor which use this invention in the wet wipe packaging machine, the high capacity and multifunctional machines having quite short format change times were obtained, which can place packages vertically and horizontally conforming to the flexible types of parcels in the market.

In our invention, the wipe packages coming over one line were separated into two different transfer stations and two different robots were ensured to carry products independently and a higher capacity was obtained.

Moreover, thanks to separation and the flexibility of the invention subject transfer unit in the wet wipe packaging machine, different parcel basis placements such as lxl, 2x1, 3x1, 4x1, 5x1, 1x2, 2x2, 3x2, 4x2 can easily be done.

Besides, the machine can place products into parcel also vertically.

Figures to explaing the invention

Figure- 1 Perspective front-view of the machine

Figure- 2 Perspective front-view of the demounted machine Figure- 3a Perspective view of the product feeding conveyor for horizontal packaging Figure- 3b Perspective view of the product feeding conveyor for vertical packaging

Figure- 4a Product grouping conveyor for horizontal packaging

Figure- 4b Grouping conveyor for vertical packaging

Figure- 5a Grouping mechanism for horizontal packaging

Figure- 5b Grouping mechanism for vertical packaging

Figure- 6a Perspective view of the mounting form of the machine for horizontal packaging Figure- 6b Perspective view of the mounting form of the machine for vertical packaging Figure- 7 Top view of the product flow of the machine

Figure- 8 Perspective view of the machine showing horizontal packaging

Figure- 9 Perspective view of the machine showing horizontal packaging

Figure- 10 Perspective view of the machine showing horizontal packaging

Figure- 11 Perspective view of the machine showing horizontal packaging

Figure- 12 Perspective view of the machine showing horizontal packaging

Figure- 13 Perspective view of the machine showing horizontal packaging

Figure- 14 Perspective view of the machine showing horizontal packaging

Figure- 15 Perspective view of the machine showing that it made 3x2 horizontal packaging Figure- 16 Side view of the machine showing that it made vertical packaging

Figure- 17 Perspective view of the machine showing vertical packaging

Figure- 18 Perspective view of the machine showing vertical packaging

Figure- 19 Perspective view of the machine showing vertical packaging

Figure- 20 Perspective view of the machine showing vertical packaging

Figure- 21 Perspective view of the machine showing vertical packaging

Figure- 22 Perspective view of the machine showing vertical packaging

Figure- 23 Perspective view of the machine showing vertical packaging

Figure- 24 Perspective view of the machine showing that it made 3x2 vertical packaging Reference Numbers to Explain the Invention

1- Inlet conveyor

2- Product charge conveyor

3- Product charge module 4- Product feeding conveyor

5- Product grouping conveyor

6- Product grouping mechanism

7a- Product transfer unit no 1

7b- Product transfer unit no 2

8a- Filling robot unit no 1

8b- Filling robot unit no 2

9- Parcel transfer unit

10- Flat belt

11- Product grouping conveyor transition pulleys

12- Palletized belt

13- Product feeding conveyor transition pulleys

14- Horizontal product grouping part

15- Vertical product grouping part

16- Product handling mechanism

17a- No 1 product alignment mechanism

17b- No 2 product alignment mechanism

18- Bearing

19- Parcel filling station

20- Product

21- Parcel

Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention is related to the innovations in machines placing wet wipe and the like products into parcels, and the machine generally comprise of at least one inlet conveyor (1), at least one product charge conveyor (2), at least one charge module (3), at least one product feeding conveyor (4), at least one product grouping conveyor (5), at least one product grouping mechanism (6), at least two product transfer unit (7a,7b), at least two filling robot units with vacuum, non-vacuum or both vacuum and mechanic handlers (8a, 8b), at least one parcel filling unit (9), at least two parcel filling station (19).

The invention was designed machine to package products (20) horizontally or vertically (and in different combinations at the same time). As is seen in Figure-6a, flat belt (10) and product grouping conveyor transition pulleys (11) are affixed to the product grouping conveyor (5) in Figure -4a and product feeding conveyor transition pulleys (13) are affixed to the product feeding conveyor (4) in Figure -3a in placing the product (20) vertically inside the parcel (21). The horizontal product grouping part (14) is affixed to the product grouping mechanism (6) in Figure -5a. There are product transfer units (7a, 7b) in the left and right sides of the product grouping conveyor (5). There are product handling mechanism (16) and product alignment mechanism on both sides (right and left) of the product transfer unit (7a, 7b) (Figure -6a).

As is seen in Figure-6b, palletized belt is affixed to the product grouping conveyor (5) in Figure - 4b to place the products (20) vertically inside the parcel (21). As is seen in Figure 3b, the product feeding conveyor (4) is used without transition pulleys (13). Vertical product grouping part (15) is affixed on the product grouping mechanism (6) in Figure- 5b. There are product transfer units (7a, 7b) on the right and left sides of the product grouping conveyor (5).

Working manner of the invention subject in the horizontal packaging of the product;

As is seen in Figure- 7, the products (20) pass through the inlet conveyor (1) and reach to product charge conveyor (2). The product transfer module (3) pushes the products (20) and transports them to the product feeding conveyor (4).

The product feeding conveyor (4) (Figure -3a) transports products (20) to the grouping conveyor

(5) in Figure- 4a (Figure- 8). The grouping conveyor (5) transports the products (20) to the product up the bearing (18) of the grouping mechanism (6) (Figure- 9). As soon as the products (20) reach to the bearing (18), the handling mechanism (16) closes and fixes the products (20) not to be transported in the step on the product grouping conveyor (5), the product grouping mechanism

(6) is activated and transfers the products (20) to the transfer station no 1 (7a) through the product grouping part (14) (Figure- 10). Then the product handling mechanism (16) opens and allow for products (20) to progress and reach to the bearing (18) of the product grouping mechanism (6) Figure- 11.

As soon as the products (20) reach to the bearing (18) the product handling mechanism closes (16) and fixes the products (20) not to be transferred in this step on the product grouping conveyor (5), the product grouping mechanism (6) activates and the product alignment mechanism (17a) retreats, and while the products grouping mechanism (6) transferring the products (6) to the no 2 product transfer station (7b) through the product grouping part (14), no 1 filling robot (8a) receives the products (20) on the no 1 product transfer station (7a) to place them to the parcel (21) (Figure- 12).

Then the product handling mechanism (16) opens and allows for products (20) to progress to the bearing (18) of the grouping conveyor, in the meanwhile the product alignment mechanism (17a) takes the forward position (Figure- 13).

As soon as the products (20) reaches to the bearing (18), the product handling mechanism (16) closes and fixes the products (20) not to be transferred in this step on the grouping conveyor (5), the product grouping mechanism (6) activates and the product alignment mechanism (17a) retreats, while the product grouping mechanism (6) transfers the products (20) to the no 1 product transfer station (7a) through the product grouping part (14) no 2 filling robot (8b) takes the products (20) on the no 2 product transfer station (7b) to place them to the parcel (21) (Figure- 14). This procedure is repeated in a way to ensure filling of the parcels (21) serially. The example we have given in Figure- 8, 9, 10- 14 is for 3x1 packaging and this procedure can be set as lxl, 2x1, 4x1, 5x1 and in a way to be in different combinations in accordance with the parcel dimensions.

Moreover, the horizontal packaging can be adjusted as 1x2, 2x2, 3x2, 4x2, 5x2 and in different combinations according to the parcel (21) dimensions. For this, following the product grouping mechanism (6) has transferred products to the same transfer station (7a, 7b) more than one time, the filling robots (8a, 8b) takes the products (20) to place them to the parcel, the example for this procedure was shown in the Figure- 15 exhibition the 3x2 packaging.

Working manner of the invention subject in the vertical packaging of the product;

As is seen in Figure- 7, the products (20) pass through the inlet conveyor (1) and reach to product charge conveyor (2). The product transfer module (3) pushes the products (20) and transports them to the product feeding conveyor (4).

The product feeding conveyor (4) (Figure- 3b) transports products (20) to the grouping conveyor (5) in Figure- 4b (Figure- 16). It is ensured the product coming horizontally from the product feeding conveyor (0) to take vertical position coming on the palletized belt of the grouping conveyor (12) (Figure- 17). With the coming of each product (20) the product grouping conveyor (5) progresses one step. The product grouping conveyor (5) transfers the products (20) to the product grouping mechanism (6) (Figure 18). As soon as the products (20) reach to the product grouping mechanism (6) the product grouping mechanism (6) activates and transfers the products (20) to the no 1 product transfer station (7a) through the product grouping part (15) (Figure- 19).

The product grouping conveyor (5) transfers the products (20) to the product grouping mechanism (6) again (Figure- 20). As soon as the products (20) reach to the product grouping mechanism (6), the product grouping mechanism activates and transfers the products (20) to the no 2 product transfer station (7b) through the product grouping part (15), while the no 1 filling robot (8a) takes the products (20) in the no 1 product transfer station (7a) to place them in the parcel (Figure- 21).

The product grouping conveyor (5) transfers the products (20) again to the product grouping mechanism (6) (Figure- 22). As soon as the products (20) reach to the product grouping mechanism (6), the product grouping mechanism activates and transfers the products (20) to the no 1 product transfer station (7a) through the product grouping part (15), while the no 2 filling robot (8b) takes the products (20) in the no 1 product transfer station (7b) to place them in the parcel (Figure- 23). The procedure is repeated in a way to ensure parcels to be filled serially. The example we have given in Figure- 16, 17, 18- 23 is for 3x1 packaging and this procedure can be set as lxl, 2x1, 4x1, 5x1 and in a way to be in different combinations in accordance with the parcel dimensions. Moreover, the horizontal packaging can be adjusted as 1x2, 2x2, 3x2, 4x2, 5x2 and in different combinations according to the parcel dimensions.

For this, following the product grouping mechanism (6) has transferred products to the same transfer station (7a, 7b) more than one time, the filling robots (8a, 8b) takes the products (20) to place them to the parcel, the example for this procedure was shown in the Figure- 24 exhibition the 3x2 packaging.

The parcel transfer unit (9) transfers the parcels (21) as the parcels (21) fill and transfers the empty parcels (21) to the filling station (19) to be filled (19) (Figure- 7). The aforementioned parcel transfer can be done using different methods and mechanisms.

The products (20) can be transferred to the product feeding unit (4) also using different methods and mechanisms without the inlet conveyor (1), product charge conveyor (2) and product transfer module (3) mentioned in Figure- 1 and Figure- 7.

This invention can be used in the machines placing wet wipe and the like products (tissue paper, napkins, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.) into parcels, as well as in the packaging machines that packages all kinds of the products manufactured in all sectors, for example, in the food and chemistry sectors, in brief, in packaging machines used in all sectors.