Abstract:
Packaging machine for the production of packs having at least one wrapping consisting of packaging material, the wrapping being provided with a changeable print, in particular a code. A printing mechanism ( 11 ) having printing tools ( 25, 26 ) serves for applying printing characters or codes to packaging material. These printing tools must be capable of being actuated at short time intervals in order to adapt the code. For this purpose, a printing roller ( 14 ) receiving the printing tools ( 25, 26 ) can be moved out of a working position into an adjusting position.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a packaging machine for the production of packs having at least one wrapping consisting of packaging material for the pack content, in particular of cigarette packs, the packs or their wrapping being provided by means of a coding assembly with a print, in particular, an identification code, to be changed from time to time. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Packs of the most diverse kinds are provided, during manufacture, with an identification code which reproduces, in particular, the time and place of manufacture. This code, usually consisting of numbers and letters, is applied in a position concealed from the user, specifically usually by printing a blank for the wrapping. In cigarette packs, the identification code is mostly applied to an inner wrapping which may consist of tin foil or paper. 
     The coding may be applied to blanks ready for packaging or to packs already completely or partially finished. It is expedient, however, for the identification code to be printed on a material web for manufacturing the blanks. 
     The identification code often has to be changed at short notice. In particular, it is necessary to change the code after each shift of the production factory. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object on which the invention is based, in a packaging machine, in particular for the manufacture of cigarette packs, is to design a coding assembly in such a way that the code can be changed at little outlay and within a short time. 
     To achieve this object, the packaging machine according to the invention is characterized in that, in order to carry out changes in the printing, the coding assembly can be moved out of a working position into a freely accessible handling position. 
     According to the invention, therefore, the coding assembly is a unit capable of being handled separately, which, in a working position, carries out the printing of a material web or of blanks in the conventional way, but which can be moved in a simple way into a handling position, in order to carry out the adjustment of coding members. 
     In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the coding members, namely coding discs rotatable on a shaft, are arranged on a preferably rotatably mounted carrier and the latter, together with the coding members, can be moved out of the working position in the axial direction. In the handling position, the coding members, which can be adjusted in order to change the print or the code, are changed. The unit or the coding assembly is subsequently moved back into the working position. 
     The coding assembly is arranged in a mounting or a housing which, according to the invention, is connected to an embossing block to form a unit. In the region of the embossing block, for example material webs consisting of tin foil are provided with embossing. The embossed material web then immediately thereafter runs through the coding assembly. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Further details of the invention relate to the design and functioning of the coding assembly. An exemplary embodiment is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic side view of a unit of a packaging machine with a coding assembly, 
     FIG. 2 shows the coding assembly in axial longitudinal section, 
     FIG. 3 shows the coding assembly according to FIG. 2, with part of the assembly in a changed position, 
     FIG. 4 shows a partially sectional side view of a coding roller as a detail of the coding assembly on an enlarged scale, 
     FIG. 5 shows a detail of the coding roller in cross-section. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawings relates to an assembly which can be used in a packaging machine for cigarettes. In actual fact, what is meant is the treatment of a material web  10  for producing blanks of an inner wrapping for a cigarette group. The inner wrapping or the material web  10  may consist of paper, (thin) cardboard or tin foil, but also of a film. 
     The blanks are to have a print, namely a definite code capable of being changed at short notice. The latter serves, if required, for identifying the cigarette pack in terms of the time and place of manufacture. The code is applied in the correct position to the material web  10 , in such a way that, in the finished pack, the corresponding data appear in the region of a bottom face of the inner wrapping. 
     A printing mechanism  11  serves for applying the code. This consists of a printing assembly  12  and of a back-up roller  13 . The material web  10  runs through between the printing assembly  12  and the back-up roller  13 . At the same time, an adjustable code is printed onto the material web  10  at intervals. 
     The printing assembly  12  is mounted rotatably, that is to say in a rotating manner. Attached to a printing roller  14  are printing members which project beyond the cylindrical circumference and come to bear, according to the rotation of the printing roller  14 , on the back-up roller  13  or on the material web  10  resting on the latter. The printing members are, here, printing discs  15 , that is to say relatively small disc-shaped wheels, on the outer circumference of which printing characters, for example numbers or letters, are arranged. As is evident particularly from FIG. 5, the printing discs  15  are of gearwheel-like design, with radially directed projections  16  and gaps  17  formed between these. Each projection  16  carries one or more printing symbols, that is to say letters or numbers, on an outer printing face  18 . Each projection  16  is expediently provided with another character. The printing discs  15  are mounted rotatably on a carrying shaft  19 , so that, in each case, another symbol can be brought into the printing position by rotating the printing disc  15 . In the printing position, the respective projection  16  projects beyond a cylindrical outer surface of the printing roller  14 . 
     In the present exemplary embodiment, a plurality of printing discs  15 , specifically, altogether, seven printing discs  15 , are mounted on the carrying shaft  19 , so as each to be independently adjustable, specifically rotatable. These are rotated on the carrying shaft  19  by hand or via a suitable tool in order to set the code. The printing discs  15  are fixed in the respective printing position, in the present case by means of a retaining member common to all the printing discs  15 . This is a retaining rod  20  which extends axis-parallel to the carrying shaft  19 . The retaining rod  20  is provided with a groove  21  which runs in the longitudinal direction and into which a projection  16  of each printing disc  15  penetrates positively. In order to adjust the printing discs  15 , the retaining rod  20  is adjusted in the axial direction via a handle  22 , specifically counter to the elastic pressure of a spring  23 . When the retaining rod  20  is in an actuating position, the projections  16  of the printing discs  15  are located in the region of transversely directed recesses  24  of the retaining rod  20 . The printing discs  15  can then be adjusted in the circumferential direction. After the setting operation has ended, the retaining rod  20  returns to the retaining position according to FIG.  5 . 
     The interrelated printing discs  15 , including the retaining rod  20 , form a printing tool  25  for producing a complete print or a complete code. A dual-web operating mode is provided in the present exemplary embodiment. Two material webs lying next to one another or a material web  10  of double width are conveyed through the printing mechanism  11  and are acted upon simultaneously by two printing tools  25  and  26  lying next to one another in the axial direction. The common, appropriately dimensioned back-up roller  13  is assigned to both printing tools  25 ,  26 . 
     The individual printing tool  25  or, as shown, both printing tools  25 ,  26  are mounted eccentrically on the printing roller  14 . If there are two printing tools  25 ,  26 , these are mounted next to one another in the axial direction, eccentrically to the printing roller  14 , in the same circumferential position in a corresponding depression  27  of the said printing roller. The printing tools  25 ,  26  are arranged in such a way that, on each printing disc  15 , a projection  16  having a character (letter, number) projects beyond the outer surface of the common printing roller  14  and can thus bring about printing. 
     In order to adjust the printing members or printing discs  15 , the printing assembly  12  can be moved as a unit out of the working position shown in FIG. 2 into a setting position. In the latter, the printing tools  25 ,  26  or their printing discs  15  are exposed so that (manual) adjustments can be made. 
     The printing mechanism  11 , specifically the printing assembly  12  and back-up roller  13 , is mounted in a common closed housing  28 . Side walls  29 ,  30  serve for mounting the rotatable members, specifically the printing roller  14  and the back-up roller  13 . The latter is rotatably mounted by means of a shaft  31  in a stationary (upper) part region of the side wall  29 ,  30 . The shaft  31  is driven in rotation by a toothed gear  32 . The back-up roller  13  is mounted on the shaft  31 . 
     The printing assembly  12  or the printing roller  14  can be removed from the housing  28 , specifically via a free side wall  30 . For this purpose, carrying parts  33 ,  34  of the side walls  29 ,  30 , together with the printing roller  14 , can be displaced in the axial direction of the latter, specifically in the direction of the side located opposite the toothed gear  32 . In this case, the printing assembly  12  is drawn out of the housing  28  laterally by means of a hand knob  35 , in such a way that, in an end position, the (two) printing tools  25 ,  26  are exposed for the adjustment of the printing discs  15 , specifically outside the housing  28 . After the adjustments have been made, the printing assembly  12  is pushed back into the working position according to FIG.  2 . At the same time, the carrying part  34  is inserted into the side wall  30  again. The opposite carrying part  33  remains in a position offset relative to the side wall  29 . 
     The printing assembly  12  is mounted, for the movements described, on guides which ensure that, after the adjustments have been made, the printing assembly returns to the exact working position by being displaced. For this purpose, two guide rods  36 ,  37  are mounted at a fixed location next to one another in the lateral region of the housing  28 . The two guide rods  36 ,  37  are connected, on the one hand, to a fixed outer wall  38  of the housing  28  and, on the other hand, to the opposite side wall  30 . The printing assembly  12  is supported slidably on the guide rods  36 ,  37 , specifically, in each case, by means of the carrying part  33 ,  34 . The carrying part  33  located opposite the draw-out side is provided with a lengthened guide piece, specifically a guide sleeve  39  which slides on the two guide rods  36 ,  37  and ensures stable accurate guidance of the printing assembly  12  during the axial movements. 
     The two end positions of the printing assembly  12  are fixed, specifically by means of catch positions. For this purpose, for example manually operable catch members  40 ,  41  are provided, which penetrate with a catch pin  42  into a hole  43  of the printing assembly  12 , specifically of the guide sleeve  39 . FIG. 2 shows the catch position of the catch member  40  in the working position. In the drawn-out position, the catch pin  42  of the catch member  41  penetrates, adjacent to the side wall  30 , into the hole  43 . 
     In the working position, the carrying part  34  assigned to the side wall  30  is also supported on the guide rods  36 ,  37 . 
     The two carrying parts  33 ,  34  form a rotary bearing  44 ,  45  for the printing roller  14 . On the side facing the toothed gear  32 , the printing roller  14  is provided with a shaft piece  46 . Mounted on the end of the latter is a driving wheel  47 . This is positively connected via a journal  48  to a gearwheel  49  of the toothed gear  32 . The driving wheel  47  and journal  48  thus couple the printing assembly  12  to the drive, the said coupling being capable of being released and reconnected in a simple way. 
     The printing mechanism  11  is connected to an embossing assembly  50  for the material web  10 . The embossing assembly  50  serves for the embossing treatment of the material web  10 , for example for the embossing of tin foil. In this case, the material web  10  is guided through between two co-operating embossing rollers  51 ,  52 . After the embossing operation, the material web  10  runs through the printing mechanism  11  for applying the print or the code. 
     In this exemplary embodiment, the embossing rollers  51 ,  52  are mounted next to one another in a horizontal plane. The printing mechanism  11  is arranged below the embossing assembly  50 . The housing  28  of the printing mechanism  11  is expediently connected to the embossing assembly  50  or its housing. 
     As is evident from FIG. 1, the printing roller  14  and back-up roller  13  are positioned next to one another so as to be slightly offset relative to one another vertically. The guide rods  36 ,  37  are positioned one above the other. 
     The material web  10  is deflected by the back-up roller  13  and emerges from the printing mechanism  11  in an approximately horizontal direction. The material web  10  runs over a deflecting roller  53  which is adjustable. For this purpose, the deflecting roller  53  is mounted on a lever  54 . The latter can be moved about a pivot bearing  55 . An adjusting member makes it possible to adjust the lever  54 . This adjusting member is a knurled screw  56  which is mounted on a stationary holder  57  and one end of which bears on the lever  54 . 
     The printing mechanism  11  may alternatively also be designed in such a way that the members responsible for printing, that is to say the printing tools  25 ,  26  or the printing roller  14 , can be moved out of the working position into an adjusting position by means of an axially transverse movement.