Patent GB-698818-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in filling machine
IPC: B65B3/32
Filed: 1951-03-02
Abstract: 698,818. Filling containers. PFAUDLER CO. March 2, 1951 [March 2, 1950], No. 5119/51. Class 125(ii) Relates to apparatus for filling containers with liquid or viscous material and of the kind described in Specification 634,214 in which material is withdrawn by a piston through a valve from a rotatable reservoir, the valve is rotated and then the piston is actuated to discharge the material through the valve into the container, the throw of the piston being adjustable to vary the amount of fill. According to the invention, the valve comprises a valve member of conical form and a seat of complementary shape, resilient means being provided to urge the valve member towards said seat to maintain the parts in continuous working relationship. Containers 49 to be filled are fed by a conveyer 57, an idling star wheel 161, a series of fingers 162, a rotating helical spacing screw 156 and a star wheel 161A to the stationary table 48 of the machine where each enters a chuck 51 rotating with the machine and secured thereto by bolts 52 so as to be interchangeable to accommodate different sizes of containers. The main shaft 27 of the machine is rotated through bevel gearing by a shaft 17 and carries on a unit 39, 43, the chucks 51 and a frustro-conical plate 44 forming the base of the material reservoir 16. The reservoir 16 has a peripheral base flange 72 on which are detachably mounted cylinders 74 each containing a piston 76 and disposed above a rotatable valve 98 working in a valve body 96. The valve body and the flange 72, Figs. 6 and 8, have through passages 99, 101. The valve 98 has a through passage 106 aligned with the passage 99 and with a discharge passage 102 in the body 96. It also has a passage 107 disposed at 45 degrees to the passage 106 and joining the passage 101 to an opening 104 in the base of the reservoir 16. During the upstroke of the piston 76, Fig. 8, material is withdrawn through passages 104, 107, 101 from the container 16 to the cylinder 72 and during the downstroke of the piston, the valve 98 is rotated to close the passage 107 and allow discharge of the material to the container to be filled through passages 99, 106, 102. A peripheral passage 110 communicating with the input end of passage 106 is always in communication with the cylinder 72 so that the passage 106 is always full thus ensuring a completely filled container even if the machine has been stopped. The valve 98 is held in its seat by a plate 109 yieldably held in place by a bolt 113 and a spring. At the exit of the table the filled containers are deflected by a bar 212 to a conveyer 213. Piston operating mechanism. Each piston cylinder 74 has a vertical cut out part 81 flanked by guides 82 for an enlarged part 83 of the piston 76 on which is mounted a cam-follower roller 92 acted on by cam rails 63, 68. The stationary part of the machine has three vertical pillars 57 carrying an annular plate 58 which has three vertical rods 59 secured thereto by screwing. Two rods 59 have rigidly fixed thereto brackets 60 carrying the lower cam rail 63. The third rod 59 is threaded and carries between nut 62, a bracket 61 for the cam rail 63. By raising or lowering the nuts 62, the slope of the cam 63 can be altered thus varying the stroke of the piston 76 and therefore the quantity of material withdrawn from the reservoir 16 and supplied to the containers 49. Thus different capacities of container can be compensated for. If this variation is not enough the cam rails can be removed by unscrewing the rods 59 and replacing by a different cam rail unit. The rail 63 extends right round the machine but the rail 68, which is carried by two bracket assemblies 64 on the rail 63, extends only part way round between the points 69, 71, i.e. the part wherein the rail 63 is falling, the piston 76 descending and the container being filled. Valve operating mechanism. The valve 98 carries a cranked actuating arm 118 having a roller 121 which, just before the container reaches the start of the filling operation (point 69) passes between a pair of trip cams 128, 132 carried by the plate 58 and rotating the valve to discharge position, i.e. the passage 106 joining the passage 99 to the passage 102. The piston then descends in the cylinder 74 to fill the container until the point 71 is reached whereupon the roller 121 is passed between a pair of cams 134, 138 also carried by the plate 58 and rotating the valve to the position in which the cylinder is in communication through passages 104, 107, 101 with the reservoir 16. During further rotation until the point 69 is again reached the piston 76 rises to refill the cylinder 74. If no container is present in a particular chuck, the associated valve 98 is not turned to discharge position at the point 69 because the cam 132 is moved out of the path of the roller 121 automatically. In this case, downward motion of the piston 76 discharges the contents of the cylinder 74 back into the reservoir 16 between the points 69 and 71. No container-no fill mechanism (Figs. 11 and 12). Containers being traversed by the chucks 51 are contacted by a finger 171 long enough to bridge two adjacent containers. If, however, one chuck is empty, the finger moves inwards to the dotted position in Fig. 11 under the influence of a spring 198 (see below). The finger is mounted on an arm 173 pivoted at 178 to an arm 176 fixed to one of the pillars 57. When the finger 171 moves inward (no container present) an extension 181 on the arm 173 moves a linkage 182, 184, 188, 189 to rotate a shaft 191 mounted in a bracket 192 fixed to the plate 58. This rotation moves a cam block 194 to allow a slider 201 to move outwardly under the influence of spring 198 which is connected between a bracket 196 fixed to the plate 58 and a pin 199 on the slider. The cam 132 is fixed to the slider 201 so that it is moved out of the path of the roller 121 actuating the filling valve 98. When a chuck 51 holding a container 49 next approaches the finger 171, the latter is moved outwardly to cause the cam block 194 to push the cam 132 back into the path of the rollers 121 against the action of spring 198. The slider 201 is mounted on an arm 207 pivoted at 208 to a bracket on the plate 58 and is slotted at 204 to take a bolt 206 mounted in the plate 58.