PARRINELLO, Fiorenzo (Via Zanardi, 122/A, Medicina, I-40059, IT)
ZUFFA, Zeno (Via Raggi 6, Borgo Tossignano, I-40021, IT)
MARASTONI, Daniele (Via della Costituzione 22, San Giovanni in Persiceto, I-40017, IT)
STOCCHI, Gabriele (Stradone Martiri della Libertà 35, Parma, I-43100, IT)
PARRINELLO, Fiorenzo (Via Zanardi, 122/A, Medicina, I-40059, IT)
ZUFFA, Zeno (Via Raggi 6, Borgo Tossignano, I-40021, IT)
MARASTONI, Daniele (Via della Costituzione 22, San Giovanni in Persiceto, I-40017, IT)
| CLAIMS 1. A method for forming beverage containers (1) made of metallic material, particularly aluminum, comprising in sequence the following steps: - a step for filling, through at least one mouth (2), a container (1) made of metallic material with a beverage; - a step for closing said at least one mouth (2) with a respective cap (3); - a step of plastic deformation of at least one portion of said container (1) made of metallic material filled with said beverage and closed hermetically in order to provide a container made of metallic material that has at least one shaped portion (10). 2. The method for forming beverage containers (1) made of metallic material according to claim 1 , characterized in that said plastic deformation step comprises a sequence, in succession, of sub-steps for plastic deformation of said at least one portion of said container ( 1) made of metallic material at progressively increasing pressures to provide said at least one shaped portion (10). 3. The method for forming beverage containers (1) made of metallic material according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises, before said plastic deformation step, a step for cooling said beverage. 4. The method for forming beverage containers (1) made of metallic material according to claim 3, characterized in that said step for cooling said beverage comprises the cooling of the beverage prior to the step of filling said container (1) made of metallic material. 5. The method for forming beverage containers (1) made of metallic material according to claim 3, characterized in that said step for cooling said beverage comprises the cooling of the beverage contained within said container (1) made of metallic material. 6. The method for forming beverage containers (1) made of metallic material according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the portion or portions of said container (1) to be deformed have a thickness comprised between 0.10 mm and 0.5 mm. 7. The method for forming beverage containers (1) made of metallic material according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the portion or portions of said container (1) made of metallic material to be deformed have a thickness comprised between 0.20 mm and 0.30 mm. 8. The method for forming beverage containers (1) made of metallic material according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said portion to be shaped of said container (1) made of metallic material comprises a portion of the lateral surface (la) of said container (1) made of metallic material and said at least one shaped portion (10) comprises at least one recess whose concavity faces toward the outside of said container (1 ) made of metallic material. 9. The method for forming beverage containers (1) made of metallic material according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a step for detecting the angular position of said container (1) with respect to a fixed reference system and a step for rotating said container (1) about a respective rotation axis to perform said shaping step on a preset portion of said container (1). 10. The method for forming beverage containers (1) made of metallic material according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said deformation step comprises at least two deformation sub-steps for providing different shaped portions (10) on said container (1). 1 1. An apparatus for forming shaped containers, characterized in that it comprises conveyance means for at least one container (1 ) made of metallic material to be shaped, which cross, in sequence, a station for filling said at least one container (1) made of metallic material with a beverage, a station for closing, through application of at least one cap (3), said at least one container (1) made of metallic material filled with said beverage, and a shaping station (20), which comprises at least one presser body (21) designed to act against at least one portion of the outer surface of said container (1) made of metallic material in order to provide at least one shaped portion (10). 12. The apparatus for forming shaped containers (1 ) according to claim 1 1, characterized in that said conveyance means comprise a supporting pan (23) for a respective container (1 ), said supporting pan (23) being movable along a movement line (200) and being movable on command about a rotation axis ( 100) in order to turn said container (1 ) about an axis which is substantially parallel to its own longitudinal axis. 13. The apparatus for forming shaped containers (1 ) according to one or more of claims 1 1 and 12, characterized in that said at least one presser body (21) is supported by said at least one supporting pan (23), there being a device for relative movement between said at least one presser body (21) and the container (1) supported by said supporting pan (23) in order to place at least one portion of said at least one presser body (21) against a portion of the outer surface of said container (1), so as to provide said shaped portion (10). 14. The apparatus for forming shaped containers (1) according to one or more of claims 1 1 to 13, characterized in that said supporting pan (23) supports at least one pair of presser bodies (21), which are arranged on diametrically opposite sides with respect to the axis of longitudinal extension of said container (1), said relative movement device being adapted to move mutually closer/further apart said pair of presser bodies (21) in order to pass between an inactive spacing condition, in which they are arranged so as to be spaced from the outer surface of said container (1), and an active approach condition, in which they apply a pressure on respective diametrical portions of said container (1) in order to deform plastically said diametrical portions and provide respective shaped portions (10). 15. The apparatus for forming shaped containers according to one or more of claims 1 1 to 14, characterized in that said shaping station (20) comprises a framework which supports a shaping device (25), which forms at least one presser body (21 ), means for relative movement being provided which act between said shaping device (25) and said supporting pan (23) and are adapted to move said at least one presser body (21) into contact against a portion of the outer surface of said container (1) that is supported by said supporting pan (23) in order to provide said shaped portion (10). 16. The apparatus for forming shaped containers (1) according to one or more of claims 1 1 to 15, characterized in that said relative movement means are adapted to provide, during contact between the outer surface of said container (1) and said at least one presser body (21 ), substantially a rolling motion without sliding of the presser body (21) on the outer surface of said container (1 ) in order to provide said shaped portion (10). 17. The apparatus for forming shaped containers (1) according to one or more of claims 1 1 to 16, characterized in that it comprises a supporting frame for a carousel rotatable about a rotation axis (102) and designed to support peripherally said at least one supporting pan (23), which is arranged so that its own axis (100) is substantially parallel to said rotation axis (102) of the carousel, said relative movement means comprising an electric motor (24) for actuating rotationally said supporting pan (23), in order to eliminate, during the step for contact between the outer surface of said container (1) and said presser body (21), the effect of the rotation of said supporting pan (23) around said carousel. 18. The apparatus for forming shaped containers according to one or more of claims 1 1 to 17, characterized in that said shaping device (25) supports a plurality of presser bodies (21), which are mutually spaced along a longitudinal direction which is substantially parallel to said movement line (200) of said supporting pans (23). |
Technical field
The present invention relates to a method for forming beverage containers made of metallic material, particularly aluminum, and to the corresponding apparatus.
Background Art
Shaped aluminum containers intended to contain beverages are currently provided by using forming processes which normally provide for injecting disposable liquid (for example water) at a preset pressure into the container so as to contrast the pressure applied to the outer surface of such container by the correspondingly shaped mold.
The forming operation, when provided, is performed before performing the operations for filling with the beverages and before closing the container with its final closure.
In any case, once the forming operations have ended, it is necessary to empty the container and then perform sterilization before sending the containers thus obtained to the filling system.
Although this method is conceptually valid, it is however not free from drawbacks.
First of all, the use of a disposable liquid to contrast from the inside the pressure applied by the mold causes not only problems to be managed during the filling (at controlled pressure) and emptying of the container but also the need to sterilize the containers before sending them to the filling system.
If one wishes to provide on the containers changes to the shape and number of these forming operations, it is necessary to make a choice in advance, since they occur at the beginning of the path of the process.
These forming operations are performed with the aid of molds of a certain complexity, so that as the number of variations increases, so do the problems in managing the different formats.
Moreover, some of the operations performed after forming, particularly the provision of the thread onto which the cap is to be screwed, are veiy critical and are the main cause of rejects: having rejects at the end of the entire production process for obtaining the shaped container of course causes an extremely high "production" cost.
Disclosure of the Invention
The aim of the present invention is to solve the problems and obviate the drawbacks described above, by providing a method for forming beverage containers made of metallic material, particularly aluminum, in which it is not necessary to use disposable liquid.
Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a method for forming beverage containers made of metallic material, particularly aluminum, which allows to avoid the need to sterilize the containers.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method for forming beverage containers made of metallic material, particularly aluminum, which has high operating efficiency and can be integrated in filling and sealing lines that are already in use today.
This aim, as well as these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a method for forming beverage containers made of metallic material, particularly aluminum, characterized in that it comprises in sequence the following steps:
- a step for filling, through at least one mouth, a container made of metallic material with a beverage;
- a step for closing said at least one mouth with a respective cap;
- a step of plastic deformation of at least one portion of said container filled with said beverage and closed hermetically in order to provide at least one shaped portion.
According to a further aspect, the present invention relates to an apparatus for forming shaped containers, characterized in that it comprises conveyance means for at least one container made of metallic material to be shaped, which cross, in sequence, a station for filling said at least one container made of metallic material with a beverage, a station for closing, through application of at least one cap, said at least one container made of metallic material filled with said beverage, and a shaping station, which comprises at least one presser body designed to act against at least one portion of the outer surface of said container made of metallic material in order to provide at least one shaped portion.
Brief description of the drawings
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of some preferred but not exclusive embodiments of the method for forming beverage containers made of metallic material, particularly aluminum, and of the corresponding apparatus according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a shaping station for forming shaped containers;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of a shaping station;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the shaping station.
Ways of carrying out the Invention
In the exemplary embodiments that follow, individual characteristics, given in relation to specific examples, may actually be interchanged with other different characteristics that exist in other exemplary embodiments.
Moreover, it is noted that anything found to be already known during the patenting process is understood not to be claimed and to be the subject of a disclaimer.
With reference to the figures, the present invention relates to a method for forming beverage containers made of metallic material, particularly aluminum.
The method comprises in sequence the following steps:
- a step for filling, through at least one mouth 2, a container 1 made of metallic material with a beverage;
- a step for closing the mouth 2 with a respective cap 3 ;
- a step of plastic deformation of at least one portion of the container 1 made of metallic material filled with the beverage and closed in order to provide a container 1 made of metallic material that has at least one shaped portion 10.
Advantageously, the plastic deformation step comprises a sequence, in succession, of sub-steps for plastic deformation of the portion or portions of the container 1 made of metallic material at progressively increasing pressures to provide, at the end of the sub-steps, the shaped portion oi ¬ portions 10.
Conveniently, before the plastic deformation step the method provides for a step for cooling the beverage.
In this regard, the step for cooling the beverage can consist in cooling the beverage prior to its placement in the container 1 and therefore before the step of filling the container 1 made of metallic material.
However, nothing forbids performing the step of cooling the beverage already contained in such container made of metallic material.
It has been found that this cooling step is sometimes convenient if the filling of the containers 1 is performed by using specific types of beverage (for example those with a medium or high level of carbonation), since by bringing the beverage to a temperature that is lower than the ambient temperature a reduction in the pressure inside the container is obtained and accordingly the plastic deformation step is facilitated.
Advantageously, the portions of the container 1 made of metallic material to be deformed have a thickness comprised between 0.10 mm and 0.50 mm, preferably between 0.20 mm and 0.30 mm, since thicknesses of this order of magnitude allow to obtain plastic and permanent deformations.
However, it has been observed that in some cases it is possible to obtain plastic and permanent deformations even with extremely low thicknesses of the portion of container 1 to be deformed, by using, for example, particular aluminum alloys or by subjecting the base metallic material to preset thermal and/or mechanical treatments capable of increasing its strain-hardening and therefore its tendency to deform plastically and permanently.
In greater detail, the portion or portions of the container 1 made of metallic material to be deformed conveniently comprise a portion of the lateral surface la of the container 1 made of metallic material.
In particular, the shaped portion or portions 10 comprise at least one respective recess whose concavity faces toward the outside of the container 1 made of metallic material.
As shown in the figures, a plurality of elongated recesses can be provided which have a longitudinal direction that is substantially parallel to the axis of longitudinal extension of the container 1.
These elongated recesses are arranged around the axis of longitudinal extension of the container and advantageously are mutually angularly spaced.
However, nothing forbids the provision of one or more recesses, again having an elongated shape, which wind helically around the lateral surface 1 a of the container or recesses that are extended transversely with respect to the axis of longitudinal extension of the container 1 ,
The method according to the invention can provide, during the plastic deformation step, for a relative movement between the container 1 and a shaping device 25 around the axis of longitudinal extension of the container 1.
In particular, the container 1 has a lateral surface l a that is extended around its own axis of longitudinal extension.
Preferably, the shaping device 25 can be constituted by at least one presser body 21.
In the common case in which the containers 1 are decorated (for example by means of lithography or screen printing processes) or in any case if the shaped portions 10 are provided at one or more preset portions of the container, it is possible to provide a step of detecting the angular position of the container 1 with respect to a fixed reference system and a subsequent step of controlled rotation of the container 1 about a respective rotation axis to perform the subsequent shaping step at the preset portion or portions of the container 1 ,
Furthermore, the deformation step can comprise at least two deformation sub-steps for providing mutually different shaped portions 10 on the container 1.
Advantageously, the filling step is performed by taking into account the extent of the internal volume of the container 1 at the end of the deformation step, such volume being smaller than the volume of the container 1 before such deformation step.
In this regard, the degree of carbonation of the beverage with which the container 1 is filled can be provided lower than the degree of carbonation that one wishes to obtain, since the level of carbonation also increases as the volume decreases and reaches the desired level at the end of the deformation step.
According to a further aspect, the present invention relates to an apparatus for forming shaped containers.
Such apparatus comprises conveyance means for at least one container 1 made of metallic material to be shaped.
Such conveyance means cross, in sequence, a station for filling the or each container 1 made of metallic material with a beverage, a station for closing, through application of at least one cap 3, the or each container 1 made of metallic material fdled with the beverage, and a shaping station 20 (shown schematically in the accompanying figures).
In particular, the shaping station 20 comprises at least one presser body 21 , which is designed to act against at least one portion of the outer surface of the container 1 made of metallic material in order to provide at least one shaped portion 10.
According to a preferred embodiment, the conveyance means comprise a supporting pan 23 for a respective container 1.
The supporting pan 23 can move along a movement line (shown schematically in the figures with the dashed line 200).
The supporting pan 23 can further move on command about a rotation axis 100, for example thanks to the action of an electric motor 24 arranged below the supporting pan 23.
In this manner, the supporting pan 23 can turn on command the container 1 about an axis 100 which is substantially parallel to its own longitudinal axis of extension and advantageously coincides with it.
According to a first embodiment, shown in Figure 2, at least one presser body 21 is supported by a respective supporting pan 23.
A device for relative movement acts between the or each presser body 21 and the container 1 supported by the respective supporting pan 23 and is intended to place at least one portion of the or each presser body 21 against a portion of the outer surface (and in particular of the lateral surface la) of the container 1, so as to provide the shaped portion or portions 10.
Preferably, as shown in Figure 2, each supporting pan 23 supports at least one pair of presser bodies 21 , which are arranged on diametrically opposite sides with respect to the axis of longitudinal extension of the container 1.
In this specific case, the relative movement device is adapted to move mutually closer/further apart, conveniently along a direction 101 that lies radially with respect to the axis of longitudinal extension of the container, the pair or pairs of presser bodies 21 , which pass between an inactive spacing condition, in which they are arranged so as to be spaced from the outer surface of the container 1 , and an active approach condition, in which they apply a pressure on respective diametrical portions of the container 1 in order to deform plastically the diametrical portions and provide respective shaped portions 10.
After providing a pair of shaped portions 10, the presser bodies 21 are moved to the inactive spacing condition, the container 1 is turned with respect to the pair of presser bodies 21 about the rotation axis 100, and the presser bodies 21 are then moved to the active approach condition to deform further diametrical portions which are angularly spaced with respect to the shaped portions 10 that have already been provided,
As an alternative (as shown in Figures 1 and 3), the shaping station 20 comprises a framework which supports a shaping device 25, which forms at least one presser body 21.
In this case there are means for relative movement between the shaping device 25 and the supporting pan 23, which are adapted to move the presser body or bodies 21 into contact against a portion of the outer surface of the container 1 that is supported by the supporting pan 23 in order to provide the shaped portion or portions 10.
The relative movement means, which are constituted advantageously by the movement line 200 and by the supporting pan 23 associated with the respective electric motor 24, are adapted to provide, during contact between the outer surface of the container 1 and each presser body 21 , a rolling motion without sliding of the presser body 21 on the outer surface of the container 1 in order to provide the shaped portion 10.
The apparatus 1 can further have a supporting frame (not shown) for a carousel rotatable about a rotation axis 102 and designed to support peripherally the or, more advantageously, a plurality of supporting pans 23, arranged so that their axis 100 is substantially parallel to the rotation axis 102 of the carousel.
The relative movement means comprise, in this case, the electric motor 24 for actuating rotationally the supporting pan 23, which can be controlled in order to eliminate, during the step for contact between the outer surface of the container 1 and the presser body 21 , the effect of the rotation of the supporting pan 23 around the carousel.
Preferably, the shaping device 25 supports a plurality of presser bodies 21 , which are mutually spaced along a longitudinal direction which is substantially parallel to the movement line 200 of the supporting spindles 23, so as to allow to provide a sequence of recesses which are mutually spaced angularly about the axis of longitudinal extension of the container.
The deformed portions 10 might also be provided by using a shaping element that is intended to pass on command between an inactive condition and an active condition,
Specifically, in the active condition at least one active portion thereof is fitted around the container 1 to be deformed and advantageously around its lateral surface la.
Such active portion can be constituted, for example, by a plurality of shaped bodies 21, which can move toward/away with respect to the axis of longitudinal extension of the container 1 so as to provide simultaneously a plurality of shaped portions 10 arranged around such axis of longitudinal extension.
Such active portion can rotate together with the pan 23 about the rotation axis 100 of the latter.
In the inactive condition, the shaping element can be arranged above or below the container 1 on which the shaping has been performed.
The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.
In practice it has been found that the invention, in all its embodiments, has achieved the intended aim and objects.
If the low-relief shaping of the container has particular characteristics as regards the radial depth of such recesses, operations for progressive forming might be provided, in that each operation can be performed by means of various sub-steps, by way of presser means 21 having a different shape.
In particular, the method and the apparatus according to the invention, by not using disposable liquid to perform the shapings of the container, do not have the problems linked to the operations for filling and emptying the container and the drawback related to the subsequent sterilization process.
The method according to the invention is further extremely flexible, since it is capable of ensuring various shaping possibilities.
It has also been found that the method and the apparatus according to the invention can be integrated easily in known filling systems.
Moreover, it has been found that the shaping step, performed after filling (and after any lithography performed on the container), is extremely reliable, with a consequent reduction of the risk of having rejects at the end of the process.
The principle lends itself favorably to provide the forming operations in step with the lithography/decorations that are already present on the outside of the container by virtue of the possibility to rotate according to the requirements the pan 23 and likewise also the surface of the container 1, after visual reading (detection means, control systems) of the existing situations.
In practice the dimensions may be any according to requirements. All the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.
The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. VR2010A000064 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.
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