A flow-pack packaging machine

Abstract

 A flow-pack packaging machine comprising:
- a support frame (12) including two front uprights (16), an upper front support plate (24) and a lower front support plate (26), said front support plates (24, 26) being oriented vertically and being fixed to said front uprights (16),
- an unwinding unit (28) carried by said upper front support plate (24),
- a supplying and forming unit (34), a longitudinal welding unit (36) and a cross welding unit (38) carried by said lower front support plate (26), and
- an electric control board (44) enclosed in an outer casing (46),

wherein the machine (10) has a vertical dividing plane (Pv), coplanar with a front face of said lower front support plate (26) and an upper horizontal plane (Po), tangent to an upper end of said upper front support plate (24),
wherein said electric control board (44) is located above said upper horizontal plane (Po) and behind said vertical dividing plane (Pv).

Description

Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a flow-pack packaging machine.

[0002] Flow-pack packaging machines are intended for wrapping a continuous flow of products in a film of packaging material, which is folded in a tubular form around the products that advance along the packaging direction. The film of packaging material is closed around the products by means of one longitudinal weld and two cross welds.

Description of the prior art

[0003] Typically, a flow-pack packaging machine comprises a support frame that carries an unwinding unit which supplies a film of packaging material, a supplying and forming unit that advances the products to be packaged along a horizontal direction and folds the film of packaging material into a tubular form around the products, a longitudinal welding unit, which carries out a longitudinal weld on the tubular-folded film, and a cross welding unit that closes the packages by means of two cross welds, and separates the packages from each other by transverse cutting of the film.

[0004] Flow-pack packaging machines of this type usually have a central vertical plane that divides the machine into a front area and a rear area. The work area is located in the front area where the packaging of the products takes place. The electric motors for actuating the unwinding unit are located in the rear area, along with the longitudinal welding unit and cross welding unit.

[0005] Flow-pack packaging machines are equipped with an electric control board including electrical and electronic devices for supplying and controlling the operative units of the machine. Usually, the electrical control board is contained in a prismatic casing resting on the ground.

[0006] In many applications, it is desirable to reduce the footprint of the packaging machines on the ground. In these cases, it would be advantageous to place the electrical control board in a raised position from the ground, for example above the unwinding unit. An arrangement of this type, however, could prevent access from above of lifting devices for the loading of the spools of packaging material on the unwinding unit.

Object and summary of the invention

[0007] The present invention aims to provide a flow-pack packaging machine that has a reduced footprint on the ground, and in which the accessibility of the unwinding unit from above is not compromised.

[0008] According to the present invention, this object is achieved by a flow-pack packaging machine having the characteristics forming the subject of claim 1.

[0009] The claims form an integral part of the disclosure given in relation to the invention.

Brief description of the drawings

[0010] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, given purely by way of non-limiting example, wherein:

• Figure 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a packaging machine according to the present invention,
• Figure 2 is a perspective view of the packaging machine of Figure 1,
• Figure 3 is an elevational view according to the arrow III of Figure 2,
• Figure 4 is a perspective view of the packaging machine of Figure 2, equipped with protective elements in the closed position, and
• Figure 5 is a perspective view of the packaging machine of Figure 4 with the protective elements in the open position.

Detailed description of the invention

[0011] With reference to the figures, numeral 10 indicates a flow-pack packaging machine according to the present invention. The packaging machine 10 comprises a support frame 12, which comprises two lower base supports 14, two front uprights 16 and two rear uprights 18, which extend upwards from the lower base supports 14. The lower base supports 14 are preferably fitted with adjustable support feet 20. Each front upright 16 is fixed at the top to a corresponding rear upright 18 by means of an upper transverse element 22.

[0012] The support frame 12 comprises an upper front support plate 24 and a lower front support plate 26. The front support plates 24, 26 are oriented vertically and are fixed at their lateral ends to the two front uprights 16.

[0013] In the machine 10, a vertical dividing plane Pv and an upper horizontal plane Po can be identified. The vertical dividing plane Pv is a vertical plane, coplanar with the front face of the lower front support plate 26. The upper horizontal plane Po is a horizontal plane that is tangent to the upper end of the upper front support plate 24. The upper horizontal plane Po divides the machine 10 into an operative area located below the upper horizontal plane Po, and a non-operative area located above the upper horizontal plane Po. The vertical dividing plane Pv divides the machine 10 into a front work area and a rear actuation area. The front work area is the area in which the packaging operations of the products are carried out, while the rear actuation area is the area in which the motors that actuate the operative units of the machine 10 are located.

[0014] The packaging machine 10 comprises an unwinding unit 28 carried by the upper front support plate 24. The unwinding unit 28 comprises two support reels 30 on which respective spools B are intended to be mounted, and a plurality of guiding reels 32 for the film of packaging material. The reels 30, 32 project in a cantilevered manner from the upper front support plate 24 in the front area of the machine 10.

[0015] The machine 10 comprises a supplying and forming unit 34, a longitudinal welding unit 36 and a cross welding unit 38, carried by said lower front support plate 26. The supplying and forming unit 34 receives a film of packaging material from the unwinding unit 28 and folds the initially flat film of packaging material in order to impart a tubular shape to it. The supplying and forming unit 34 supplies a continuous flow of products to be packaged along a horizontal rectilinear direction, and inserts the products inside the tubular packaging film.

[0016] The longitudinal welding unit 36 carries out a longitudinal weld on the film of packaging material, downstream of the supplying and forming unit 34. The cross welding unit 38 makes cross welds downstream of the longitudinal welding unit 36, in order to close the packages in the transverse direction. The cross welding unit 38 also carries out the cutting of the film of packaging material in order to separate the finished packages from each other. An outlet conveyor unit is also provided that receives the finished packages downstream of the cross welding unit.

[0017] The longitudinal welding unit 36 and the cross welding unit 38 are equipped with respective motors 40, 42. The welding devices of the longitudinal welding unit 36 and the cross welding unit 38 are located in the front area of the machine 10. The supplying and forming unit 34 is located in the front area of the machine 10. The structure and operation of the operative units 34, 36, 38 are known per se and are not described in greater detail since they fall outside the scope of the present invention.

[0018] The packaging machine 10 comprises an electric control board 44 including the electrical and electronic devices for supplying and controlling the operative units 28, 34, 36, 38. The electric control board 44 is enclosed in an outer casing 46 having a parallelepiped shape. The casing 46 is equipped with an openable front wall 48 and an openable rear wall 50, articulated about respective upper horizontal axes.

[0019] The electric control board 44 is located above the upper horizontal plane Po and behind the vertical dividing plane Pv. This arrangement of the electric control board 44 allows the reduction of the footprint of the machine 10 on the ground, and enables free access of the unwinding unit 28 from above, in order to allow the loading of the spools B of packaging material on the reels 30, also in case hoists or similar lifting devices are used for loading the spools B, which support the spools B from above.

[0020] The electric control board 44 is supported by front uprights 16 and rear uprights 18. The width of the casing 46 is essentially equal to the distance between the upper transverse elements 22, and the depth of the casing 46 is essentially equal to the distance between the front uprights 16 and the rear uprights 18.

[0021] With reference to Figures 4 and 5, the machine 10 is equipped with a safety guard 52 that closes the packaging area formed by the supplying and forming unit 34, the longitudinal welding unit 36 and the cross welding unit 38. The safety guard 52 comprises an upper wall 54 and a front wall 56, joined together according to a right-angled configuration. The safety guard 52 is articulated to the support frame 12 by means of two side arms 58. The arms 58 are articulated to respective upper transverse elements 22 around a common horizontal axis A.

[0022] Figures 4 and 5 show the safety guard 52 in the closed position and the open position, respectively. The fact that the electric control board 44 is located behind the vertical dividing plane Pv allows lifting of the safety guard 52 in order to enable free access to the work area, without the safety guard interfering with the casing 46 of the electric control board 44.

[0023] The machine is also equipped with a lower front panel that can be removed, and two rear doors articulated to the frame about respective vertical axes.

[0024] Of course, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the details of construction and the embodiments may vary widely with respect to those described and illustrated, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A flow-pack packaging machine comprising:

- a support frame (12) including two front uprights (16), an upper front support plate (24) and a lower front support plate (26), said front support plates (24, 26) being oriented vertically and being fixed to said front uprights (16),

- an unwinding unit (28) carried by said upper front support plate (24),

- a supplying and forming unit (34), a longitudinal welding unit (36) and a cross welding unit (38) carried by said lower front support plate (26), and

- an electric control board (44) enclosed in an outer casing (46),
wherein the machine (10) has a vertical dividing plane (Pv), coplanar with a front face of said lower front support plate (26) and an upper horizontal plane (Po), tangent to an upper end of said upper front support plate (24),
wherein said electric control board (44) is located above said upper horizontal plane (Po) and behind said vertical dividing plane (Pv).

2. A packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein said support frame (12) comprises two rear uprights (18) and wherein said electric control board (44) is supported by said front uprights (16) and said rear uprights (18).

3. A packaging machine according to claim 1, comprising an openable safety guard (52), which covers said supplying and forming unit (34), said longitudinal welding unit (36) and said cross welding unit (38), said safety guard (52) being articulated to the support frame (12) around a horizontal axis (A) by means of a pair of side arms (58).

4. A packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein said vertical dividing plane (Pv) divides the machine (10) into a front work area and a rear actuation area.

5. A packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein said upper horizontal plane (Po) divides the machine (10) into a lower operative area and an upper non-operative area.

6. A packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein said outer casing (46) of the electrical control board (44) has an openable front wall (48) and an openable rear wall (50) articulated about respective upper horizontal axes.

Drawing