Method and apparatus for manufacturing filled packaging containers

Abstract: In a machine for forming, filling and closing brick-shaped containers for beverages or the like, a heat-sealable web (1) is supplied along a horizontal or inclined supply path and then deflected downward along a substantially vertical treat­ ment path along which the web is formed into a tube, sealed to form a longitudinal seam (8), filled with the liquid con­ tents and then transversely squeezed, sealed and severed to form individual rectangular container units (9). In order to place the longitudinal seam (8) out of the center of a side face of the container and preferably along the edge formed by two adjoining side faces, the vertical deflection of the web is combined with a twisting of the web so as to bring the web plane into an angle of less than 90° to the vertical plane defined by the supply and treatment paths. This is obtained by two subsequent deflections of the web around two deflection rollers (3, 5) arranged one above the other and having their axes horizontal but at an angle to each other. Between these deflection rollers the web forms a loop around a slack absorbing or tensioning roller (4).

Description: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing filled and sealed parallelepiped packaging containers by applying the sequential steps of : Forming a preliminarily creased belt-like packaging material web coated with thermoplastic resin into tubular configuration, followed by thermal sealing of lengthwise edge portions, charging the contents, transverse sealing at specific intervals, separation at the sealed portions into individual units by means of cutting, and inwardly folding the upper and lower portions before eventually forming a complete parallelepiped packaging container. For manufacturing brick-formed containers filled with liquid foodstuff such as milk and juice in the prior art, a band-like packaging web provided beforehand with folding lines and a plastic coating is shaped at a filling portion of a packaging machine into a tubular configuration, in which the content is filled, and is then sealed and cut transversely at predetermined intervals and top and bottom parts of the packaging container blanks obtained are folded in order to obtain packaging containers of parallelepiped shape. In order to prepare the aforesaid tubular configuration, the packaging material web moving along a horizontal or inclined moving direction at the upper part of the packaging machine is bent downward nearly at right angle and the resulting bent web surface is transported downwards and converted through a bending guide means into the tubular configuration, which londitudinal edge portions are heat-sealed together for obtaining a tube with a longitudinal liquid-tight sealed seam, into which the content liquid is filled. The liquid-tight sealed seam is thus formed in middle zone of the tube side surface which is forwardly directed with respect to the original horizontal or inclined transporting direction of the web. Then the separated sealed tube portions with the liquid contents are shaped into a square configuration by molding jaws of a molding and sealing device, which is successively opened and closed in a direction which is in the same plane as the original transporting direction of the packaging container blank web, whereby the longitudinal sealed portions are provided in middle zone of the side wall (normally wider side or major side face) which faces in the transporting direction. Japan Publ. No. 56-95807 discloses a device wherein the entire lateral sealing device is attached on a turnable base plate for sealing the material tube at predetermined intervals, the base plate being turned to a predetermined position for the lateral sealing for making separated packaging container blanks with longitudinal sealed portions to be positioned between neighboring side walls. In the prior art manufacturing methods of packaging containers, it is unavoidable that the longitudinal sealed seam must be located in middle zone of the side wall which is in the lateral transporting direction of packaging container blanks when the material tube is shaped into a rectangular cross section under action of the sealing jaws which are opened and closed along transporting direction of a material web or the aforesaid packaging container blanks (refer to Fig. 12). Consequently the printing which shall appear on said side wall must be printed onto the material web as if it were cut apart at the middle zone of the side wall, so that after longitudinal sealing of the aforesaid web, the printed representations should have a connection along the middle line of the side wall (formally the major side). However, this results often in an unsatisfactory appearance, because the printed parts become offset or staggered at the sealed portion. Also, the mechanical strength at the corner portions of the packaging containers is smaller than that of a sealing seam resulting in a unfavorable dimensional stability. The device disclosed in Japan Publ. No. 56-95807 provides formation of longitudinal sealed portions at side wall corners of the packaging containers, however, the practical application of the disclosure is substantially difficult because of the complicated construction of the entire lateral sealing device, which should be turned to a predetermined position for sealing the material tubes at predetermined intervals. US-A-3 082 583 shows an apparatus for manufacturing filled rectangular packaging containers according to the preamble part of claim 6. From this document also a method according to the preamble part of claim 1 is known. However, in this known apparatus the seam of the rectangular packaging containers is arranged at the edges of the containers. With the known method and apparatus it is not possible to manufacture packaging containers having a seam in the center part of a side surface. The object of this invention is to provide a manufacturing method of packaging containers with higher mechanical strength and better appearance showing no joint staggering of printed patterns at middle zone of side walls thereof, wherein a simple alteration of a prior device is executed in such manner that the longitudinal sealing portions are positioned at corner portions of the aforesaid containers for lateral sealing of the material tubes at predetermined intervals. This object is solved according to the invention by the method and apparatus as defined in claims 1 and 6, with the other claims defining further advantageous features of the invention. The attached drawings show embodiments of this invention: Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the principle of converting a band-like packaging material web provided beforehand with folding lines into packaging containers in a packaging machine according to this invention; Fig. 2 is a front perspective view of essential construction elements according to this invention; Fig. 3 is a side view of fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an top view showing different positions of 3 different rollers in the upper side of the apparatus; Fig. 5 shows a relation between axis line directions of the upper and lower bending roller and the sealing direction; Fig. 6(a) and 7(a) show each a cross section taken at line II-II of fig. 2, with the right or left edge portion as viewed in moving direction of the web being positioned inside the tube; Fig. 6(b) and 7(b) each show a corresponding cross section of the material tube as shown in fig. 6(a) and 7(a) after being converted into a rectangular form; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the packaging container manufactured under overlapped condition of the longitudinal sealed portions, as shown in fig. 6(a) and (b); Fig. 9 is a perspective view of another packaging container under overlapped condition of the longitudinal sealed portions, as shown in fig. 7(a) and (b); Fig. 10 is a plan view showing a part of the packaging material web for manufacturing the packaging containers as shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 11 is a plan view showing a part of the packaging material web for manufacturing the packaging containers, as shown in fig. 9; Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing an example of conventional packaging containers. The manufacturing method according to this invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The manufacturing method according to this invention applies to a filling section of packaging machines for manufacturing brick-shaped containers filled with liquid foodstuff such as milk, juice and others. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the principle for converting a band-like packaging material web provided beforehand with folding lines into packaging containers in a packaging machine applying the method according to this invention. Fig. 2 and 3 are front and side views showing essential parts for carrying out the method according to this invention. In the packaging machine (the outline thereof is not shown) the band-like packaging material web 1 as a roll 2 is kept in a rear bottom part (in left of fig. 1). The aforesaid packaging material web 1 preferably consists of a core paper support and an aluminium foil layer and is provided with a coating of liquid-tight heat-sealable resin material, normally polyethylene, and with preformed folding lines. The packaging material web 1 is drawn from the roll 2 and passes upwards at constant speed through a plurality of reversing rollers and guide rollers while web treatments including sterilization are executed. The transporting direction thereof is then changed from upward to substantially vertically downward through the upper bending roller 3 which has its axis line 3′ positioned horizontally. At a predetermined position under the upper bending roller 3 a lower bending roller or deflecting roller 5 is positioned, whose axis line 5′ takes a horizontal position with a predetermined inclination angle α with respect to the axis 3′ of bending roller 3. And between the upper and lower bending rollers 3 and 5 a slack absorbing or tensioning roller 4 is arranged which has its axis line 4′ slightly inclined to the horizontal, so that a slack (swelling) due to twisting of the material web 1 during travelling of the web surface 1a in contact with bending rollers 3 and 5 can be drawn in onto one side and absorbed, assuring smooth transportation of the web under a slack-free stretched condition. Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the relative positions between the aforesaid rollers 3, 4 and 5 and it is clearly noted that the web surface 1a results inclined or twisted to the axis line 3′ of the upper bending roller 3. Below the deflecting or lower bending roller 5 a pair (top and bottom) of web center support rollers 6, is arranged with certain displacement in horizontal direction in order to support the center of the web bent as a circular arc, while smooth cylindrical configuration of the lowering web is assured by a shaping ring 7 carrying a plurality of barrel-shaped rollers 7a with small diameter being positioned below the web center support rollers 6. A filling tube 17 is inserted sidewise towards the center of the circular-arc-like web with respect to vertical transporting direction of the material web in a position below the web center support rollers 6 and above the shaping ring 7 and has its end portion bent downwards at right angle and extended downward to a predetermined filling position. A hot air nozzle 18 is arranged below the aforesaid shaping ring 7 on the transporting path of the thus cylindrically configurated material web for hearing sidewise the two longitudinal side edge portions of the cylindrical material web for melt-sealing thereof, while the outside of the cylindrical web is supported by a lower shaping ring 19 positioned further below. The two overlapped edge portions or margins of the web are fused together from the inside under pressure of a press roller (not shown) for longitudinal sealing in order to prepare a material tube 1′ which is filled with the content through the aforesaid filling tube 17 during its downward movement. The filled material tube 1′ is shaped to a rectangular cross section by molding jaws 20a of a molding and sealing device 20, which are periodically opened and closed, and is transversely at predetermined intervals and cut off for obtaining individual unfinished packaging container units 9. The feed of the web from roll 2 is so synchronized with the reciprocating movement of the jaws 20a that the folding is obtained at the preformed folding lines of the web. The reciprocating direction of the jaws 20a and furthermore the lateral transporting direction of the packaging container units 9 extends in the same plane as the feeding direction of aforesaid material web 1 but to the other side of the vertical downward path of the filled material tube 1′. When the material web 1 is shaped and sealed cylindrically as described above, the direction which passes through the sealed seam 8 of the two overlapped longitudinal edges and through the center of the material tube 1′ is inclined to the lateral transporting direction of the web and the container units 9 (the direction shown by the line 1x in Fig. 5) the inclination angle α being defined by tan α = a b , where a is the transverse width (refer to Fig. 8 and Fig. 9) of the packaging containers to be manufactured and b is the longitudinal width thereof. Consequently when the molding jaws 20a of the aforesaid molding and sealing device 20 are opened and closed for making rectangular cross sections, the jointing lines of the corresponding seal portions 8 take a position at the side edges of the aforesaid rectangular forms, i.e. at the corners of the packaging container units 9 obtained (refer to Fig. 6(a) and Fig. 7(b). These are then transported laterally, i.e. along the initial lateral transporting direction of the web, on a conveyor (not shown), and the top and bottom lateral seal portions of the aforesaid units 9 are shaped into triangular flaps 15, which are folded from the right and the left onto the top part (the bottom of the finished packaging container) and onto the side walls of the aforesaid units 9 for finishing the packaging containers 10 of required parallelepiped form. When forming the cylindrical configuration and subsequently longitudinal sealing of the packaging material web 1 along its lengthwise edge portions of the material web, which become the longitudinal edge portions of two adjoining side walls of the container to be manufactured, the relative position of the longitudinal sealed seam 8 relative to the side walls of the packaging container 10 changes according to whether the right or left edge portion of the material web moving downwards is positioned to the inside of the tube. In Fig. 6 (a) the left edge portion as viewed in the moving direction of the lowering web is positioned at the inside of the cylindrical material tube 1′ (corresponding to a cross section at II-II in Fig. 2). The line 1x indicating the lateral feeding direction of the material web 1 is crossed at the inclination angle α with another line 1s passing through the center of the cylindrical form and indicating the sealing direction of the material web. The longitudinal sealing flap 8₁ (refer to Fig. 10) of the material web 1 being thus positioned as the inside edge portion is displaced sidewise from the line 1s indicating the sealing direction towards the line 1x indicating the lateral moving direction of the material web. After molding by the molding jaws 20a of the molding and sealing device 20 the longitudinal sealed flaps 8 are located in back surface of the major side wall 11 which faces to the line 1x indicating the moving direction of the container unit 9, as shown in Fig. 6 (b), which is a cross section view from the bottom side of the packaging container 10 to be finished. In the finished container 10, as shown in Fig. 8, the longitudinal sealed seam 8 is located at the inside of the edge the side wall 11 having the lateral width a and at the corresponding edge of the container wall 13. In Fig. 7 (b), in contrast with Fig. 6 (a), the left edge portion as viewed in moving direction of the lowering web is located in inside of the cylindrical material tube 1′ (corresponding to a cross section at II-II view of Fig. 2) and therefore the longitudinal sealing flap 8₁ (refer to Fig. 11) of the material web 1 being positioned as the inside edge portion is displaced from the line ls away from the line 1x. Therefore, the longitudinal sealed flap 8₁, as shown in Fig. 7 (b), after shaping by the molding jaws 20a of the molding and sealing device 20 is positioned at the back side of the side wall 12 which is parallel to the line 1x indicating the moving direction of the container unit 9. Fig. 7 (b) shows a cross section as viewed from the bottom side of the packaging container to be finished, and the longitudinal sealed seam 8 is brought at inside corner, as shown in Fig.9, of the smaller side wall 12 having the width b and along the corresponding edge of the container top wall 13. As clearly understood in this case from Fig. 7, the upper part of the aforesaid longitudinal sealed seam 8 extends across the folding lines of the triangular flap 15 into the side wall 12. It may thus become difficult to fold the triangular flap 15, because the paper overlappings are increased by the layer thickness of the longitudinal sealed flap 8₁. When portions 8′ at the triangular flap 15 of t he longitudinal sealing margin 8 are reduced in the paper thickness to, for example, one half by grinding or other methods, as shown in Fig. 11, there is no thickness increase at the folding portions of the triangular flap 15, assuring effective folding and adhering not adversely affected by the seam 8. As disclosed in the aforesaid embodiment according to this invention the longitudinal sealed seam 8 of the packaging containers 10 can be positioned at the side wall corner of the aforesaid containers, because preceding to the filling process of the packaging containers the plane of the web surface 1a packaging material web 1 is inclined to initial lateral transporting thereof,i.e. to the closing and opening direction of the molding jaws of the molding and sealing device 20. In the aforesaid embodiment it is prefereable from the viewpoint of manufacturing practice that the longitudinal sealing flap 8₁ of the material web is positioned at the inside of the side wall 11, which is the side face facing to the lateral transporting direction of the packaging material web 1 or the packaging container units 9 and which is connected to the top wall 13 of the packaging container 10 [refer to Fig. 6(b) and Fig. 9]. However, when the aforesaid sealing flap 8₁ is positioned [refer to Fig. 7(b) and Fig. 9] at the inside of the narrower side wall 12 of the packaging container 10, the rigidity over the entire surface of the side wall 12 in this narrower side is improved. This position of the seam 8, as shown in Fig. 9, is favorable when the packaging container is gripped at the opposed narrower side walls 12 for subsequent handling and treatment. In Fig. 9, 11′ and 12′ are side wall forming panels, 13′ are top wall forming panels and 14′ is a top sealing tab 14, while 15′ is a triangular flap forming panel. When according to this invention a flat band-like packaging material web 1 is changed in direction from substantially lateral to downward transportation through the upper bending roller 3 at the upper part of a packaging machine for making a cylindrical form of the flat web surface 1a, the aforesaid web 1 is transported in such manner that the direction of the web surface 1a is inclined to the axis line 3′ of the upper bending roller 3 through the lower bending roller 5 which has its axis line 5′ inclined to that of the upper bending roller 3, as shown in Fig. 4, while any slack appearing due to twisting of the material web 1 is drawn in to one side and absorbed by a slack absorbing roller 4 arranged between the aforesaid upper and lower bending roller 3 and 5, resulting in a smooth downward transportation under stretch action without any slack of the aforesaid web 1. After shaping of the material web 1 to cylindrical configuration the orientation of the seal portions 8 to be sealed together at the two longitudinal edge portions of the web is angularly offset from the lateral transporting direction of the material web 1 (refer to Fig. 6 or Fig. 7). Supposing that α is defined as the inclination angle between the axis line 3′ of the upper bending roller 3 and the axis line 5′ of the lower bending roller 5, and 0 is the crossing point of the both axis lines, the line lx perpendicular to the axis line 3′ with the respect to the crossing point 0 indicates the initial lateral transporting direction of the material web 1, while another line 1s perpendicular to the axis line 5′ with respect to the crossing point 0 indicates the direction of the seal portions 8. The lines 1x and 1s make the angle α, which means the sealed seam 8 is brought into direction of the line ls. After cylindrical configuration by welding the longitudinal edge portions, the material web 1 filled with the content is shaped into a rectangular cross section by the molding and sealing device 20, which is opened and closed according to the initial lateral transporting direction of the material web 1 [corresponding to lateral transporting direction of the packaging container units 9 after filling and side sealing thereof]. Owing to the relation, tan α = a b , the sealed seam takes a position at a side wall corners of the packaging container units 9 and consequently strong packaging containers 10 showing no joint of the printing pattern in the middle zone of the side walls (normally the wider side) are obtained when the top and bottom portions of the packaging container units 9 are folded in to make the finished packaging containers 10. As can be seen from Fig. 2 and 4, the rollers 3 and 5 have their axes 3′ and 5′ horizontal and at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the web for the web 1 to pass squarely over these rollers. On the other hand, the axis 4′ of the roller 4 which is slightly inclined to the horizontal and in the plan view forms approximately, though not necessarily exactly, an angle of α/2 with the axes 3′ and 4′, forms an acute angle with the longitudinal axis of the web 1 approaching and leaving the roller 4, so that the web 1 passes over the roller 4 along a helical path. As clearly understood from the above description superior packaging containers with improved handling strength and joint-free in the middle of the side walls can be easily manufactured through a simple alternation of conventional packaging machine without application of any complicated device, in such manner that for shaping and sealing a packaging material web into a cylindrical configuration, the web surface is transported with an inclination with respect to the opening and closing direction of the molding jaws of the molding and sealing device, which is obtained by the upper and lower bending roller 3, 5 and the tensioning roller 4 arranged therebetween.

Claims: A method of manufacturing filled rectangular packaging containers from a continuous web of packing material coated with thermoplastic resin, comprising the steps of: feeding the flat web (1) along a horizontal or inclined feeding path, deflecting the web from the feeding path into a substantially vertically downward directed path, forming the web (1) into tubular configuration and thermally fusing the overlapping edges of the web to form a seamed tube (1') having a longitudinal sealed seam (8) offset from the center line of a side surface (11) of the containers (10) filling the contents into the tube, transverse squeazing and sealing the tube (1') at predetermined intervals and separating the thus formed packaging units (9) from each other, and final forming of the packaging units (9) into the containers (10) of parallelepiped form, characterized in that the whole of the web (1) after being deflecting into the downward path is twisted by means of at least one roller (5) in a flattened state about a longitudinal axis by a predetermined angle α. A method as claimed in claims 1, characterized that the twisting of the web (1) is obtained by two subsequent deflections of the web in opposite directions about one nearly horizontal deflection line (4') and one substantially horizontal line (5') which in the plane view are inclined to each other and to a first deflection line (3') about which the web is deflected into the substantially vertical downward path. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the angle α is chosen so that the seam (8) is located adjacent to the edge formed by two adjoining side walls (11, 12) of a container (10). A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the angle α is determined by the formula tan α = a b , where a and b are the widths of the adjoining side faces (11, 12) of the rectangular container (10). A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the marginal sealing portions (8₁) of the web (1) for forming the seam (8) have portions (8') of reduced thickness at spaced positions where the tubular web (1) is to be squeazed to form transverse seams (14) and the top walls (13) with triangular end-flapes (15) of the containers are to be formed. An apparatus for performing the method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, comprising means for feeding a web (1) along a horizontal or inclined feeding path, a bending roller (3) for deflecting the web into a downward path, tube forming means (7), longitudinal heating means (18), tube forming and longitudinal sealing means (19), tube filling means (17), shaping, transverse sealing and cutting means (20) for forming transverse sealed, rectangular, separated packaging units (9), all said means being arranged along said downward path, characterized in that below said bending roller (3) a deflecting roller (5) is arranged which has its axis (5') inclined, in a horizontal plane, by an angle α with respect to the axis (3') of said bending roller (3). An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that a slack absorbing and tensioning roller (4) is arranged between said bending roller (3) and deflecting roller (5), said slack absorbing roller (4) having its axis (4') inclined in an angle between the axes (3', 5') of said bending roller (3) and deflecting roller (5). An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that said slack absorbing roller (4) has its axis (4') slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal.

Inventors: NISKE JOERGEN, NISKE, JOERGEN, Niske, Jörgen
Applicants: TETRA PAK AB, AB TETRA PAK
Application year: 1988
Main classification: B65B9
IPC codes: B65B9