Patent GB-628156-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to an article banding machine
IPC: B65B13/02
Filed: 1947-03-17
Abstract: 628,156. Packaging sausages &c. KARTRIDG-PAK MACHINE CO. March 17, 1947, No. 7290. Convention date, June 26, 1942. [Class 94(i)] [Also in Group XXX] A machine for securing articles between bands includes means for moving a pair of bands along separate but adjacent paths, means for moving the articles into and along the space between the bands, an abutment located beneath the paths of movement of the bands, a reciprocating sealing head including a sealing element and means for heating it, and means for moving the sealing head against the abutment and against the two bands as they pass over the abutment. As applied to the wrappings of sausages 144 (Fig. 3) by strips 18, 156 (which are sealed and are transversely perforated and/or cut on each side of a respective sausage, the machine comprises a main frame 1, Fig. 1, supporting a motor 5 which drives a main shaft 39 through reduction gearing 9, 10 and a belt 42. A feed conveyer comprising a pair of laterally - spaced chains 23 having sausage-carrying members 143, is driven from the shaft 39 by gears 38, 36, 35 and driving sprockets 32. The members 143 deliver a respective sausage 144 on to the lower strip 156 at a point where it is in engagement with a freely rotatable rubber-surfaced platen 167. The upper strip 18 previously sealed to the lower strip at a in advance of the sausage 144, is pressed around the sausage by a curved hook-member 135 (Fig. 3). Following this operation a sealing head having an electrically-heated sealing element 102 carrying a sheath 104 movable relative to the element 102 against the action of a spring 108, descends downwardly and forwardly, engaging by means of the sheath 104 the sausage 144. The latter is thereby displaced together with the previously wrapped chain of sausages 144<SP>1</SP>, forwardly a small interval along a receiving platform 13. The element 102 secondly presses the strips 18, 156 against the platen to seal them, by pressure and heat and cutting or perforating them in the middle of the sealed area, by teeth 103 on the head 102. The sealing head and its actuating means. -The sealing head is adjustably mounted on a bracket 82 by means of a bolt and nut 97, 98 and a threaded sleeve 95. The bracket 82 is similarly adjustably mounted on a bracket 80 by means of a bolt and nut 87, 88, threaded sleeve 85, and guide pins 83 carried by the bracket 82 and slidable in holes in the bracket 80. The bracket 80 is carried by a limb 68 (Fig. 8) of a member 66, 67, 68. The upper end of the limb 68 carries a pin 69 which is in engagement with a cam-surface 70 formed in a plate 14 secured to side plates 11 forming part of the machine frame. The pin 69 is guided in its movement along the upper portion of the surface 70 by a dog 71. The limb 66 is welded or otherwise secured to an arm 61 carrying a pin 59 at its lower end which is journalled in a bearing 58 carried by a rod 51. The lower end of the arm 61 is formed with a hook-shaped portion 62 which may engage a headed pin 64 mounted on the machine frame 11. The rod 51 bears for sliding movement in an angularly movable bearing 52 and at its lower end carries a roller 49 which engages an internal cam-surface 46 formed on a disc 45. A spring 53 extends between the bottom of the rod 51 and part of the machine frame at 54. The disc 45 is rotatably driven from a shaft 44 (Fig. 1) by a gear 43 meshing with the gear 40, and makes one revolution for each individual sausage-wrapping cycle. A cam follower 77 mounted on the portion 66 of the member 66, 67, 68, is angularly adjustable by virtue of an integral arm 76 positioned between adjustment screws 78 mounted on the frame plate 14. The cam-follower 77 is engageable by a three-armed cam 28 which is rotated at one third the speed of the cam disc 45 by a shaft 27 carrying a sprocket (not shown) in engagement with the conveyor chain 23. The upper strip positioning mechanism. -A frame member 110 (Fig. 3) secured to an arm 19 forming an extension of the machine frame 11, provides a mounting for a bracket 117 which carries a member 114 on which is mounted spring members 141, 140, the latter having a forked extension providing laterally-spaced spring portions 142. The spring portions 141, 142 bear on the wrapped sausages in order to provide a load which tending to oppose the forward feed, consolidates the package. These portions are adjustable vertically and longitudinally by means of a threaded sleeve 118 forming the support of the member 117 from a member 119 which is slidable relative to the frame member 110, but may be locked in position by a nut 120 and a bolt 123 having lock-nuts 125, 126. The upper strip positioning-hook 135 is formed on the end of a member 134 which has a slotted extension 128, slidable longitudinally about a pin 127 carried by the frame member 110, against the tension of a spring 130. The forward movement of the member 134 is limited by an adjustable stop 138. The hook 135 carries a second hook portion 137 which is engageable by a portion 105 of the sealing head sheath 104. In operation, when a sausage is delivered to the platen by the conveyor members 143 as shown in Fig. 3, the hook 137 is then engaged by a cam-surface 105 of the sealing head sheath 104 in its forward-downward travel so that the hook 135 engages the upper strip 18 and folds it round and under the sausage. On the return upward-rearward movement of the sealing head subsequent to the sealing operation the portion 105<SP>1</SP> of the sheath, engages the underside of the hook 137 in order to raise the hook 135 clear of the next sausage to be fed on to the platen. In a modified construction (Figs. 14, 15, not shown), the hook 135 comprises an extended portion which lies between the sealing element and the strips 18, 156 during the sealing operation. If articles other than sausages are to be dealt with, the spring portions 142 may carry anti-friction rollers. The strips and their guiding means.- The upper strip 18 is fed from a roller 17 to a guide 146 having looped portions 147, 148 and a friction roller 149 carried by a pivoted arm 150 is urged against the strip by a spring 152. The lower strip is fed from a roller 154 over a guide 157 having a friction roller 163 loaded by an adjustment screw 166. The strips may be of paper, fabric, cellophane, or other synthetic materal, and may be coated with adhesive which is activated by heat or pressure. More than one pair of strips may be applied to each sausage. Operation.-The sealing head 69 is given a forward downward movement to the sealing position followed by an interval at rest in this position, and an upward rearward movement by the combined action of the cam 28 and the cam-surfaces 46, 70 on their respective following members. As the sealing head 69 descends, the portion 105 of the sheath 104 draws down the hook 135 to fold the upper strip around the sausage 144, and the lower portion of the sheath 104 engages the sausage and pushes it forward together with the previouslywrapped sausages 14 along the receiving platform 13. The sealing element 102 presses the two strips on to the platen to seal and perforate them. On its upwardrearward movement the sheath 104 is extended to cover the element 102 by the action of the spring 108 and the portion 1051 of the sheath engages the hook 137 of the member 134.