Patent GB-1208674-A (GB)
Title: A packaging machine
Inventor: NICHOLS MATTHEW
IPC: B29C51/00
Filed: 1968-01-24
Abstract: 1,208,674. Punching machines. SAUTER PACKAGING CO. 24 Jan., 1968, No. 3650/68. Headings B4B and B5A. [Also in Division B8] In a machine for enclosing articles, e.g. pills, in blister packages, the blisters are formed by applying pressure to thermoplastic materialwhich has been softened by heating but the marginal portions are kept at a lower temperature to prevent distortion of these parts and permit pulling of the web through the machine. The pills are swept into the blisters by brushes which move in sequence sweeping along the web in the direction of its movement then lifting and returning to their initial position. A web S of thermoplastics material is heated at a station A, Fig. 1, its margins being kept cool, and has recesses stamped in it at a station B. The pills from a hopper 65 are swept into these recesses at a station C, then a top coversheet 70 is heat sealed on to the base web at station D. The centre pill containing portion of the webs is punched out at station E, from which station the final package, Fig. 20, is delivered. However, the marginal remnants of the sealed webs, still retaining their tensile stress due to the cooling means at station A, and similar means at station B, are gripped by a reciprocating mechanism at station F which intermittently pulls the webs through the machine. The heating and recess forming, station A and B, Figs. 4 and 6.-At station A are upper and lower heated platens 30 and 42 respectively, the former being fixed and the latter vertically reciprocable to heat the central portion 47 of the web S. The marginal portions are cooled by channels 32, 33 containing water or other refrigerant, and having an overflow compartment (35), Fig. 5 (not shown), from which excess refrigerant is extracted through a conduit 36. At the station B male and female die-plates 50, respectively, are reciprocated towards each other to form the blisters. The sharply defined vertical side wall is produced in the blisters by applying suction through openings 58 around the male members 52 during forming. Placing the pills in the blisters, station C, Figs. 1 and 11.-Pills 60, from hopper 65, fall on to the web and are swept into the recesses 55, by brushes 66, e.g. three set at differing heights. The brushes are mounted for vertical and horizontal movement so that they sweep against the intermittent motion of the web in their lowest position, rising when adjacent the hopper, for the return stroke. Sealing the cover sheet and severing the package from the web. Stations D and E, Figs. 1 and 16 and 19.-A web 70 is heat-sealed on to the web S between a lower reciprocating platen 73 and a stationary heated platen 72, means to cool the margins being provided as before. The centre portion 80 containing the pills is punched out at station E to form the package, Fig. 20, by a vertically reciprocating female die 82, Fig. 16, which pushes the web upwards against a male cutting member 81. This cuts out and pushes the centre portion through the female die and on to the delivery shoot 88. The marginal remnants are gripped between the female die 82 and spring-loaded plates on each side of the member 81. Pulling mechanism, Figs. 1 and 17. Station F,-The marginal portions are gripped by a fixed gripper 90 having spaced pairs of fixed jaws 93 and lower movable ones 94. These portions are next gripped by a similar but horizontally movable gripper 92 which has advanced so that its pairs of jaws slide between those of the gripper 90. The fixed gripper 90 then releases the margins and the gripper 92 pulls them to the right as shown in Fig. 1, thus pulling the webs S and 70 through the machine.