Patent ID: 7836664

Claim:
A unit for fitting screw caps to the necks of respective containers, comprising: a carousel having a platform on which to stand respective containers, and an upper frame positioned above the platform; a drive mechanism, associated with the carousel, by which the platform and the frame are set in rotation about a respective vertical axis; at least one screw capping device associated with the upper frame, positioned above a respective container and equipped with a gripping mechanism lockable onto the cap of a container; a first motion-inducing mechanism acting on the screw capping device, by which the gripping mechanism is caused to rotate about an axis parallel to the vertical axis; a second motion-inducing mechanism acting on the screw capping device, by which the gripping mechanism is moved toward and away from the respective cap; the screw capping device further comprising a hollow body removably attachable to the upper frame, internally of which the gripping mechanism is housed; the hollow body being cantilevered from and located outside a dimensional envelope of the frame; a separable connecting mechanism associated with the hollow body and the frame, allowing the radial displacement of the screw capping device between a fastened position in which the screw capping device is attached as a unit to the frame, and an unfastened position in which the screw capping device can be radially removed as a unit from the frame.