Plant for the filling of containers with quantities of liquid

Abstract

 The invention provides plant for the filling of individual containers with liquid. A filling machine has a plurality of filling heads which move round an endless path with the containers as they are being filled, and there are at least two output paths from the endless path, respectively for different types of container. At least one, and usually each, outlet path leads to a capping or sealing machine of a type suited to the filled containers being delivered along that path to the capping or sealing machine.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to plant for the filling of containers with quantities of liquid.

[0002] Plant for the filling of containers, such as bottles, jars and cans is of course used extensively in many industries, in particular in the food industry, the drinks industry and the motor industry. Large organisations having filling plant usually install the plant line to run continuously and to fill only one type of container, such as a narrow neck bottle or a wide mouthed bottle or can; there may be separate lines to fill different types of containers.

[0003] Smaller container filling organisations may however be required to fill one type of container during one part of a year, for example the filling of cans with anti-freeze, and another type of container during the remainder of the year, for example a narrow-necked bottle with washing up liquid.

[0004] Heretofore, such organisations have also been faced with providing separate lines for the filling of separate types of containers and of course if one line runs for only part of a year, it is poor capital investment for the filling line to be standing idle for the remainder of the year, especially if such remainder period is significant.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a filling plant through which different types of containers to be filled can be passed, and which will be more economical from the capital investment point of view.

[0006] According to the present invention there is provided a filling plant for the filling of containers with quantities of liquid comprising a filling machine having an endless path travelling means, such as a rotary table, with pockets for receiving the containers individually, and filling heads for filling the containers as they move round the endless path, feed conveyor means for feeding the containers to the filling machine, a first outlet from which containers of a first type for example in the form of wide-mouthed bottles or cans (after filling) can be led away from the path to a capping or sealing machine of the plant, and a second outlet from which containers of a second type different from the first type can be led away from the endless path in a path which avoids said capping or sealing machine. The said second outlet preferably leads to a second capping or sealing machine which is for capping or sealing containers of a different type from those which the first named capping or sealing machine is adapted to cap or seal. The endless path means will preferably be provided by a rotary table.

[0007] The filling machine heads and pockets for reveiving the containers may require to be changed to suit the different types of containers but at least the filling machine can be arranged to be functional all year where there is demand in the year to fill containers of different types.

[0008] The feed conveyor means may comprise one conveyor which can accommodate different types of container to be filled or two separate input conveyors for two different types of container. The or each input conveyor may be coupled to the filling machine table through a star wheel. The said first and second outlets may also comprise conveyors, output conveyors, which lead respectively to first and second capping or sealing machines respectively for capping or sealing different types of container. Thus, the plant can be arranged so that when containers of the first type e.g. (cans) are being filled, they travel along the output or the first input conveyor, meet the table, travel with the table through an appropriate arc, during which travel they are filled, and then leave the table via the first output conveyor in the same direction as they travelled to the table, and travel to the first capping or sealing machine whereat they are capped or sealed. Containers of the second type (e.g. narrow neck bottles) would travel similarly but would either enter the tube at the same place as the containers of the other type, or where the second input conveyor meets the table and would leave the table via the second output conveyor, to the second capping or sealing machine.

[0009] As mentioned, the filling heads may require to be changed for the filling of different types of containers, but in this connection, we prefer to use filling heads of the construction described and illustrated in our copending application No. , which are well adapted for the changeover from filling a wide mouth container such as a can to filling for example a narrow necked bottle, all as described in said co-pending application.

[0010] Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:-

Fig. 1 shows in plan view, a filling plant line according to one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the plant shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 shows in plan view, a filling plant line according to a second embodiment of the invention.

[0011] Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, only the significant parts of the filling plant layout are illustrated in the drawings, but it is to be appreciated that in actual production machine various other parts and components to complete the layout will be present. Referring firstly to Fig. 1, the plant shown includes a filling machine having a rotary filling table 10 in which are defined pockets for individual containers. The individual pockets are aligned with individual filling heads 12 which rotate with the table. The table is not shown in Fig. 2 whilst in Fig. 1 the pockets are obscured by the filling heads 12. The axis of rotation of the table is indicated by numeral 14. Reference numeral 16 indicates a capping machine of conventional construction for applying and seaming lids to individual containers in the form of cans or other containers able to receive the closures which have to be seamed. No further description of the seaming machine is given herein except to say that it is an expensive and bulky piece of equipment which, when installed, is not readily movable. The individual containers after filling are fed to the seaming machine 16 in which lids are applied and are seamed to the containers, in conventional manner. It is to be noticed from Fig. 1, that the rotary table 10 is common to two feed systems comprising on the one hand a first feed conveyor 18 and a first output conveyor 20 and on the other hand a second feed conveyor 22 and a second output conveyor 24. The first feed conveyor-18 and the first output conveyor 2Q are shown as being in alignment and lying substantially tangentially to the rotary table 10, whilst the second feed conveyor 22 and second output conveyor 24 are also shown as being aligned and substantially tangential to the rotary table 10. In fact', the feed conveyor 22 and the output conveyor 24 may be combined into a single continuous conveyor belt or the like. It lies parallel to the aligned conveyors 18 and 20. The conveyor 18 is for feeding containers of a first type which are to be filled by the filling machine, and such containers may be for example metal cans. As the cans are moved by conveyor 18 towards the filling machine, they are engaged by a flight conveyor 26 which effects regular spacing of the individual containers, and then these are located in pockets of a first feed star wheel 28 from which the containers are transferred individually to the pockets in the rotary table. As the containers are carried round by the table 10, they are raised by a lifting cam and they are filled by the filling heads 12, which may be of a construction as set out in our co-pending application No.

[0012] The containers travel round with the table 10 until they. reach an outlet star wheel 30 (by which time they have again been lowered by said cam) in individual pockets of which the containers become located and from which they are discharged, by a suitable guide means not shown onto they conveyor 20, by which they are transferred to the seaming machine 16.

[0013] The conveyors 22 and 24 are for use when it is desired to fill containers of a type which do not require seaming in the machine 16. To set up the plant for handling such containers it may be necessary to replace, reset or fit different components to the filling heads 12 and also to adjust the position of the cam to give the lifting and lowering of the containers at the correct time in relation to the cycle of operation. Such containers are fed by conveyor 22 to a second feed star wheel 32, and are regularly spaced by a flight conveyor 34 before reaching star wheel 32. The containers are transferred from star wheel 32 to the pockets in the rotary table 10, they are carried round by the table 10 until they reach the second outlet star wheel 36 from the individual pockets of which they are discharged on to the second outlet conveyor 24, which in practice will usually lead to a second capping machineadapted to cap a different type of container from that which machine 16 is adapted to cap. As the containers are carried round with the table 10 between star wheels 32 and 36, they are of course filled with their contents. During the mode of operation the star wheels 28 and 30 are removed and are replaced by appropriate guide means.

[0014] Conversely, when the star wheels 28 and 30 are in position to function as above described, the star wheels 32 and 36 are removed and are replaced by suitable guide means.

[0015] Reference numeral 38 indicates a form of belt drive which may be used for rotating the star wheels 28 and 30, but in this connection it is to be mentioned that the equipment will be provided with the appropriate drive and transmission means in order to synchronise the various movements of the containers and the units of the plant.

[0016] Referring now to Fig. 3, this arrangement is distinguished from the arrangement in Figs. 1 and 2 mainly in that a single input feed conveyor 100, which is adapted to accommodate containers of at least two different types, is provided. The conveyor 100 is of the marshalling type and includes a large width infeed section 102 so that a large number of containers can be placed thereon at any one time. This arrangement enables an operator more easily to keep up with the demand of the plant. The rotary table 104 of the filling machine is again indicated, the axis of rotation being indicated by 106, and the direction of rotation being indicated by arrow 108. The first and second output conveyors are indicated by 110 and .112, and respectively coupling the output conveyors 110 and 112 with the filling machine table 104 are star wheels 114 and 116. Conveyor 110 leads to a seaming machine 118 (corresponding to machine 16 shown in Fig. 1.1 and conveyor 112 leads to an appropriate capping or sealing machine 119 adapted to the particular form of container being delivered along conveyor 112.

[0017] The equipment of Fig. 3 operates essentially in the same manner as that described in relation to Figs. 1 and 2 in that when containers adapted to be seamed by the machine 118 are being handled, star wheel 116 is removed and replaced by a suitable guide, the containers individually are received in the pockets in the table 104 and travel between input star wheel 120 and the output star wheel 114, during which travel the lift camraises the containers into engagement with the filling heads, the containers are appropriately filled, and then are lowered, and the containers, duly filled, and discharged from star wheel 114, pass onto conveyor 110 and then into machine 118, for capping or sealing.

[0018] When containers of the seconf type are to be handled, star wheel 114 is removed and is replaced by an appropriate guide. Additionally, an appropriate adjustment is made to the cam track to enable the lifting and lowering of the containers to take place at the correct instants in the cycle of operations. Appropriate adjustments are made to the filling heads of the filling machine. The containers are inserted into the table pockets by star wheel 120 and travel around the endless path defined by the table 104 to star wheel 116 which removes same from the table and discharges the filled containers onto conveyor 112. The containers pass on this conveyor to the capping or sealing machine 119, where they are duly sealed.

[0019] The advantages of the arrangements described is that the same filling unit, even if it has to be adjusted between runs, is used for handling of different types of containers, namely those which have to be seemed in machine 16, and those which do not require or cannot receive such seaming, and yet it is not necessary to re-locate the seaming machine, or to remove it from the plant in general.

[0020] Although two output lines have been shown as emanating from the same filling machine, it would seem possible to provide that more than two output conveyors emanate from the same filling machine.

[0021] Plants as described have considerable advantage in that they can be adapted for handling a first type of container during one part of a year, and can be adapted for handling another type of container during another portion of the year, with no disturbance, except perhaps the need to reset the filling machine to change the filling heads 12, or merely changing the filling nozzles if filling heads as described in our co-pending application No. are used, remove and/or replace star wheels and adjust the left cam.

Claims

1. A filling plant for the filling of containers with quantities of liquid comprising a filling machine having an endless path travelling means, such as a rotary table, with pockets for receiving the containers individually, and filling heads for filling the containers as they move round the endless path, feed conveyor means for feeding the containers to the filling machine, a first outlet from which containers of a first type, for example in the form of wide-mouthed bottles or cans (after filling) can be led away from the path to a capping or sealing machine of the plant, and a second outlet from which containers of a second type different from the first type can be led away from the endless path in a path which avoids said capping or sealing machine.

2. A filling plant according to claim 1, wherein the second outlet leads to a second capping or sealing machine which is for capping or sealing containers of a different type from those which the first-named capping or sealing machine is adapted to cap or seal.

3. A filling plant according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the endless path means is defined by a rotary table.

4. A filling plant according to claim 3 wherein the feed conveyor means conprises a single travelling conveyor which can accommodate different types of container to be filled.

5. A filling plant according to claim 3, wherein the feed conveyor means comprises two separate input conveyors which meet the rotating table at different locations and which respectively are for handling two different types of container to be filled.

6. A filling plant substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, or Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings.

Drawing