Abstract:
A dryer device for drying plastics pouches, the device comprising a main air admission pipe having a plurality of dryer heads including outlet orifices, each outlet orifice forming an air knife, the dryer heads being associated in pairs so as to define a plurality of passages for plastics pouches, each passage being adapted to dry plastics pouches passing therethrough by applying two opposing air knives.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This patent application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to French Patent Application No. 1656583, filed on Jul. 8, 2016, the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference. 
       TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to the technical field of industrial dryers, finding its application in particular in fabricating plastics pouches that are to contain food preparations for humans or for pets. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    In industrial methods for fabricating and packaging flexible pouches made of multilayer plastics material (also known as “sachets” or “doypacks”) for the purpose specifically of containing foodstuffs for humans or pets, the flexible pouches are initially bulk-sterilized, and they then need to be thoroughly dried before final packaging in containers. 
         [0004]    According to known methods, the flexible pouches are bulk-sterilized in perforated racks that are stacked on one another. After being sterilized, the pouches are then transferred onto a conveyor belt by passing them through a dryer, and they are once more transferred in order to be taken to final packaging. 
         [0005]    Nevertheless, such a method involves multiple steps of manipulating the pouches, and thus multiple operations of an operator or a machine picking them up and then putting them down, which is penalizing in terms of efficiency and reliability. Such multiple manipulations lead to high risks of the flexible pouches being degraded, thereby reducing the overall efficiency of a production line. 
         [0006]    The present disclosure thus seeks to propose an at least partial solution to these problems. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    The present disclosure relates to a dryer device for drying plastics pouches, the device comprising a main air admission pipe having a plurality of dryer heads including outlet orifices, each outlet orifice forming an air knife, the dryer heads being associated in pairs so as to define a plurality of passages for plastics pouches, each passage being adapted to dry plastics pouches, typically multilayer plastics pouches, passing therethrough by applying two opposing air knives. 
         [0008]    In an example, the main pipe extends in a longitudinal direction, and has a plurality of dryer heads each extending in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the dryer heads being in alignment along the longitudinal direction and each of them defining at least one air knife in the longitudinal direction. 
         [0009]    By way of example, the dryer heads are then arranged in pairs, the dryer heads in each pair defining a plurality of passages for plastics pouches and being configured in such a manner as to apply mutually opposing air knives, the air knife formed by each of the dryer heads in a pair being directed towards the other dryer head of the pair under consideration. 
         [0010]    Typically, the main pipe has a plurality of slots extending in the longitudinal direction and thus defining a plurality of air knives in the transverse direction. 
         [0011]    Typically, each dryer head then comprises a transverse portion extending in the transverse direction and a longitudinal portion extending in the longitudinal direction, the longitudinal portions of the dryer heads being in alignment, and each including a slot extending in the longitudinal direction and facing towards the main pipe, thereby defining a plurality of air knives in the transverse direction. 
         [0012]    The present disclosure also provides a system for drying plastics pouches comprising a dryer device as defined above and a gripper device adapted to take hold of a plurality of plastics pouches and to move them through the passages for plastics pouches of the dryer device in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the direction of the air knives in the passages, whereby each plastics pouch gripped by the gripper device passes through a passage for plastics pouches of the dryer device. 
         [0013]    Typically, the gripper device comprises a plurality of suction cups adapted to grip plastics pouches. 
         [0014]    The present disclosure also provides a method of drying plastics pouches, the method comprising the following steps:
       a gripping step for gripping a plurality of plastics pouches by means of a gripper device; and   a conveying step for conveying the plurality of plastics pouches through a dryer device, so that each plastics pouch passes through a passage for plastics pouches in which two opposing air knives are applied over the plastics pouch.       
 
         [0017]    Typically, the gripping step is performed so as to form a plurality of rows of plastics pouches, each row of plastics pouches passing through one of the passages of the dryer device. 
         [0018]    Typically, the plastics pouches are moved through the passages for plastics pouches in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the air knives. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    The invention and its advantages can be better understood on reading the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention given as non-limiting examples. The description refers to the accompanying sheets of figures, in which: 
           [0020]      FIGS. 1 and 2  are two views of a dryer device in an aspect of the invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  is a diagram showing the air knives generated by such a dryer device; 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  shows a system associating such a dryer device with a gripper device; and 
           [0023]      FIG. 5  is a diagram of a plastic pouch passing through such a dryer device. 
       
    
    
       [0024]    In all of the figures, elements that are common are identified by identical numerical references. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0025]    An embodiment of the device and the system in an aspect of the invention are described below with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 5 . 
         [0026]      FIGS. 1 and 2  are thus two views of a dryer device  10  in an aspect of the present disclosure. 
         [0027]    The dryer device as shown comprises a main pipe  1  forming an air admission, the main pipe having a longitudinal portion extending in a longitudinal direction and being fed with air via at least one of its ends. The dryer device is typically arranged on a plane surface such that the main pipe extends in a horizontal plane. The main pipe  1  may be made up of a plurality of portions connected end to end, each portion possibly then being fed with air independently. Such an embodiment is advantageous in particular in that it makes it possible to obtain a substantially uniform distribution of air for a main pipe  1  of considerable length. 
         [0028]    The main pipe  1  is provided with a plurality of dryer heads  2  extending in a transverse direction, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The dryer device is typically arranged in such a manner that its transverse direction is a vertical direction, and thus in such a manner that the dryer head  2  extends upwards from the main pipe  1 . 
         [0029]    In the example shown, these dryer heads  2  are generally T-shaped, with the dryer heads  2  arranged at each end having a T-shape with only one branch. As explained below, the dryer heads  2  are typically arranged regularly on the main pipe, being distributed regularly in the longitudinal direction. The dryer heads  2  are more typically arranged so as to be disjoint, thus defining spacing between two successive dryer heads. 
         [0030]    Each dryer head  2  thus has a transverse portion  21  extending in the transverse direction and presenting a proximal end  21   p  connected to the main pipe  1  and a distal end  21   d , together with at least one longitudinal portion  22  extending from the distal end  21   d  of the transverse portion  21  parallel to the main pipe  1 . 
         [0031]    Two successive dryer heads  2  thus define a passage that is bounded by the main pipe, by the two transverse portions  21  of the two dryer heads  2 , and by two longitudinal portions  22  of the two dryer heads  2 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 3  shows one such passage diagrammatically. 
         [0033]    The various dryer heads  2  arranged on the main pipe thus act in pairs to define passages as described above. The number of passages as formed in this way thus depends on the number of dryer heads  2  arranged on the main pipe  1 , and may be modified as a function of the desired drying rate. 
         [0034]    The dryer device is configured so as to generate a plurality of air knives pressing against an article that passes through any one of the above-described passages. 
         [0035]    Each of the dryer heads  2  thus presents at least one slot configured to form an air knife going towards the passage defined by the dryer heads  2  in question, the air knife coming from a feed of air provided by the main pipe. 
         [0036]    A plurality of slots may be arranged in each passage so as to define a plurality of air knives in each passage. 
         [0037]    Each dryer head  2  typically presents at least one slot arranged in the transverse direction, formed in the transverse portion of each dryer head  2 , and oriented towards the associated dryer head that defines the passage. Each pair of dryer heads  2  defining a passage thus forms two air knives oriented along the longitudinal axis and flowing in opposite directions, as represented by arrows A 1  and A 2  in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0038]    Each dryer head  2  may also include one or more slots arranged in its longitudinal portion(s)  22 . Such slots are typically formed so as to extend along the longitudinal axis, and are oriented towards the main pipe  1 . In the diagram of  FIG. 3 , such slots thus serve to define air knives identified by arrows A 4 . These slots formed in the longitudinal portion(s)  22  are typically formed so as to extend to the free end of the corresponding longitudinal portion  22 , the slot then being beveled so that the end of the air knife formed in this way is inclined to form an open angle. Such an embodiment makes it possible to apply an air knife over a zone corresponding to the gap between two successive longitudinal portions  22 . 
         [0039]    The main pipe  1  may also have one or more slots extending in its longitudinal direction, e.g. between two successive dryer heads  2 , so as to form one or more air knives in the passage formed by these two dryer heads. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the main pipe thus presents a slot between each pair of successive dryer heads  2 , these slots extending in the longitudinal direction through the top of the main pipe, thus enabling an air knife identified by arrows A 3  in  FIG. 3  to be formed, which knife opposes the air knives identified by above-described arrows A 4 . 
         [0040]    The passages defined by the main pipe  1  and the dryer heads  2  are dimensioned so as to be suitable for passing a plastics pouch, e.g. made of multilayer plastics material, typically following a step of sterilizing the plastics pouches, in order to dry them by means of the air knives. 
         [0041]    Each flexible pouch passing through one of the passages as defined in this way is thus dried by the action of the multiple air knives formed in each passage. 
         [0042]      FIG. 4  shows a system comprising a dryer device  10  as shown above with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 3  in association with a gripper device  30 . 
         [0043]    The gripper device  30  as shown comprises a hinge arm  31  holding a gripper grid  32  suitable for taking hold of and holding in position a plurality of plastics pouches  40 . 
         [0044]    In the example shown, the gripper grid comprises two support bars  33  and a plurality of gripper bars  34 . The support bars  33  form a framework to which the gripper bars  34  are fastened. 
         [0045]    Each gripper bar  34  is provided with a plurality of gripper elements  35  such as suction cups, suitable for gripping the plastics pouches  40  and holding them in position. The gripper elements  35  are arranged in line on the gripper bars  34 , thus making it possible to form rows of plastics pouches  40 . Once the rows of plastics pouches  40  have been formed, the gripper device  30  moves the gripper grid  32  so that each row of plastics pouches  40  passes through a passage of the dryer device  10 . The gripper grid  32  thus typically moves in translation in a horizontal plane, more generally in a plane perpendicular to the plane defined by the transverse direction in which the dryer head  22  of the dryer device  10  extends. 
         [0046]      FIG. 5  is a diagram showing a plastics pouch  40  as held by the gripper device  30  passing through a passage in the dryer device  10 .  FIG. 5  is similar to  FIG. 3 ; elements in common are thus not described again. The spacing between the longitudinal portions  22  of two successive dryer heads  2  serves to pass gripper elements  35 . 
         [0047]    As can be seen in this figure, each plastic pouch  40  that passes through a passage defined by the dryer device  10  is thus subjected to a plurality of air knives formed by the main pipe  1  and by the dryer heads  2 , thus making it possible to remove any drops that might still be present on the plastics pouch after a sterilization step. Drops present on a plastics pouch  40  are blown off the surface of the plastics pouch  40  by the various air knives. 
         [0048]    As shown diagrammatically in this figure, it can be seen that only a small portion of the plastics pouch  40  is masked by the gripper device  35 . The major portion of the surface of the plastics pouch  40  can thus be dried by the air knives, and it can thus be considered that the plastics pouch is completely dried after it has passed through a passage as defined by the main pipe  1  and by the dryer heads  2 . 
         [0049]    The gripper device  30  is thus adapted to take hold of a plurality of plastics pouches  40  and then successively cause them to pass through the passages of the dryer device  10 , and then put them down, e.g. on a conveyor for a subsequent step such as filling the plastics pouches  40  or taking them to a storage zone. 
         [0050]    The system as described thus makes it possible to minimize the number of steps required for drying plastics pouches  40 , and in particular to minimize the number of steps in which the plastics pouches  40  are taken hold of and put down. Specifically, a single gripping step is needed, with the plastics pouches  40  subsequently being dried in a single step as a result of the configuration of the dryer device  10 . Such a small number of steps in which the plastics pouches  40  are gripped is advantageous in terms of reliability, and serves to reduce any risk of the plastics pouches  40  being deteriorated. Furthermore, limiting the number of operations of gripping the plastics pouches  40  in this way serves to reduce the number of pouches that are rejected as a result of faulty gripping, or as a result of the plastics pouches  40  being dropped while they are being moved. 
         [0051]    The system as proposed is also much more compact than conventional dryer systems, and thus makes it possible to shorten the production line. The footprint on the ground of the system as shown is specifically very small. 
         [0052]    The system as described finds a particular application in preparing plastics pouches that are to contain food preparations for humans or for pets. 
         [0053]    Although the present invention is described with reference to specific embodiments, it is clear that modifications and changes may be made to those examples without going beyond the general ambit of the invention as defined by the claims. In particular, individual characteristics of the various embodiments shown and/or mentioned may be combined in additional embodiments. Consequently, the description and the drawings should be considered in a sense that is illustrative rather than restrictive. 
         [0054]    It is also clear that all of the characteristics described with reference to a method can be transposed, singly or in combination, to a device, and vice versa, with all of the characteristics described with reference to a device being capable of being transposed, singly or in combination, to a method.