Patent GB-1011361-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to packaging melted cheese into various presentation packages
IPC: B65B25/06
Filed: 1963-09-24
Abstract: 1,011,361. Packaging-machines. FROMAGERIES BEL-LA VACHE QUI RIT. Sept. 24, 1963 [Oct. 2, 1962], No. 37563/63. Heading B8C. A machine for packaging melted cheese into various shaped packages comprises two parallel lines of rotating drums having the same diameter in any one line and distributed between an input unit carrying a general driving motor and a terminal unit, to form standard units, each corresponding to one of the basic operations of packaging melted cheese into the required packages, the drums of one line being working drums with angularly equidistant peripheral working stations and those of the other line being transfer drums with transfer stations, each station having means for receiving dies on which the basic packaging operations are effected, each standard unit comprising a working drum and a transfer drum and the operative devices required for the basic packaging operation, each of which is opposite to a working station of the working drum carried by said unit which operative devices are controlled by stationary control elements, the terminal unit transferring the empty dies to an endless chain to return them to the input standard unit, the drum diameters and number of stations being so devised that the dies move at a uniform tangential speed. The machine comprises two parallel rows of rotating drums, i.e. processing drums 8a to 8e and transfer drums 9a to 9f. The processing drums have 8 stations and the transfer drums 6, each station being slotted to receive free dies 10 on which the articles and wrapping material are transported from process to process. The drums are mounted in pairs on interconnected but separate frames 11a to 11e which may vary in number according to the form of package being made, each frame corresponding to one of the basic operations. As shown, the machine is arranged to produce slices of cheese enclosed between upper and lower sheets heatsealed together. The lower sheet may be aluminium foil and the upper, regenerated cellulose. Each frame 11 has a control shaft 39, driven by a motor 16 common to all, which is coupled by gears 43, 44, 47, 48 to rotate a transfer and a processing drum. In the frame 11a the base blanks 1 are cut and placed on the dies 10 which are held by tailpieces 51 in slots on the drums. At each working station on the drum 8a there is an assembly 54 pivoting at 57 comprising a gripper and knife which cut the blank 55 from a web on a roll 13a and deposits it by a suction gripper 56 pivoting at 58 on to the die. In the apparatus on the frame 11b, Fig. 11, the melted cheese is poured from a vat 71 with a screw feeding and agitation member 72 into measuring means 78 and from there on to the blank 1 through nozzles 81. The apparatus on the frame 11c is similar to that on 11a, a reel 13c supplying the cellulosic sheet material. In the apparatus of the frame 11d the cheese is given a fixed shape and size and the base and cover are sealed together. The drum 8d has a rotating frame 91 with a press at each station which comprises an inner position 92 moving in a frame 95 which shapes the cheese and an outer frame 97 which heat seals the cover and base. In the final frame 11e (not shown), the slices are lifted by suction grippers from the dies (Fig. 13, not shown), on to a discharge conveyer 22, the dies being returned to the first frame by an endless chain 19. The die may pass through cleaning means not shown. The dies, drums and frames are replaceable for producing various package shapes and blank-folding stations may be included (not shown).