Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO SMALL-SCALE
BLISTER PACKERS
This invention relates to improvements in small-scale blister packers.
Small scale blister packers are used for eg. clinical trials, pack
development, stability trials and low volume production, and they are
designed to make either a single pack or up to possibly 10,000 packs in a
s batch. Such packers are also preferably designed for use and relocation
where required. The pressing plates are generally adapted to support a
number of different pressing tools for different operations such as forming,
sealing and cutting, and for different pack shapes and sizes, and at least the
upper tool is secured to its pressing plate by a number of bolts, usually near
io the plate centre. However, the bolting takes time and effort, especially to
ensure accurate alignment and levelling of the tools.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
pressing station assembly for a small-scale blister packing apparatus
comprising upper and lower pressing plates securely supporting upper and
is lower tools respectively, the upper pressing plate being moveable between a
rest position and a pressing position, wherein the upper tool is adapted to be
secured to the upper pressing plate using a quick release attachment means
able to move the upper tool in the rest position directly between an open tool
changing position and a closed tool -secured position. The quick release
2o attachment means allows quick and simple location, securement and release
of one or both of the tools. This reduces the time and skill needed to change
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tools. The tools include dies, platen formers, sealers) cutters, perforators,
batch codes, and tools for thermo or cold-forming, etc.
One or both tools may be secured directly to the or each respective
pressing plate. Alternatively one or both tools are indirectly secured to the
or
each respective pressing plate using a tool attachment means or tool holding
means or both. An upper tool attachment is preferably moveable between an
open position for the location, conjoining or release of a tool or tool
holding
means therewith, and a closed position which secures the tool or tool holding
means to the pressing plate. More preferably, the quick release means
Io operates the movement of the tool attachment means.
The quick release attachment means could be any suitable
arrangement or assembly, including a toggle joint, biased switch, ram
assembly, solenoid, etc, either manually operated or automatic, which is able
to secure the relevant pressing plate to the remaining station assembly under
is pressure. The quick release operation is preferably a single action, such
that
the relevant tool or tool attachment or tool holding means is readily
available
for replacement from the rest position. The securement action of the quick
release attachment means is also preferably a single action.
Each tool must be accurately aligned and level for the proper forming,
2o sealing) cutting, perforating, etc. of blister packs. Preferably, the
pressing
station assembly includes one or more guidance means to provide alignment
and levelling of the moveable tools) when secured to the pressing plate(s).
The guidance means may also help support the secured tools) during
pressing. The guidance means may be one or more pins, posts, etc. with
2s complementary fitting slots, apertures, depressions, etc., in the pressing
plates(s), tool holding or tool attachment means.
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The, if any, pressing plate not having a quick release attachment
means may only need to locate or secure simply its tool in place for pressing.
Any such secondary pressing plate, usually the lower plate, may also be
independently moveable between a pressing position and a tool-changing
position. Preferably, the changing position is out of alignment with the other
pressing plate to provide ease of access.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a small-scale blister packing apparatus comprising a blister roll
supporting apparatus, blister roll guidance means, and a blister pack pressing
to station assembly as herein defined.
In the packing apparatus of the present invention, the blister roll
supporting apparatus (and hence blister roll) is preferably located wholly or
substantially vertically below the pressing station assembly. The packing
apparatus need not therefore be significantly bigger than the size of the
is pressing station assembly and the housing area for the blister roll. This
creates a compact apparatus compared with prior apparatus which support
the blister roll away from the pressing station.
The blister roll guidance means preferably comprises one or more
rollers around which the blister roll material is guided in use, thus avoiding
2o any possibly unsmooth or rough edges which could scratch (and hence ruin)
the blister roll material, usually through friction. The blister roll guidance
means may include a one-way roll-feeding means to prevent the roll material
rewinding when cut or otherwise unsupported.
The packing apparatus of the present invention is also preferably
2s wholly or substantially enclosed during use except for the formed blister
pack
exit. This reduces or avoids dust or microbes etc. which could affect the
packing apparatus andlor packs formed. The packing apparatus may be fully
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or partly automatic. The upper andlor lower tools may be accessed from any
side for changing, most conveniently the side having any external heating
and/or air leads.
The packing apparatus of the present invention is also preferably
s mobile, e.g supported on one or more wheels. As the invention is intended
for small scale use, mobility assists relocatability wherever the invention is
needed or required.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
method of securing one or both tools of a pressing station assembly for a
to small-scale blister packing apparatus to the upper and/or lower pressing
plates wherein the tools) are secured to the pressing plates) using quick
release attachment means.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of
example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
is Fig. 1 is a front view of a small-scale blister packing apparatus of the
present invention with blister roll;
Figs. 2a and 2b are side views of the apparatus of Fig. 1 without blister
roll with the lower holding means in pressing and tool-changing positions
respectively;
2o Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the upper pressing plate,
tool attachment means, and tool in Fig. 1 in an open position; and
Figs. 4a and 4b are schematic side views of the upper, lower and base
pressing plates of the apparatus of Fig. 1 in open and closed positions
respectively.
2, Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a small-scale blister packing
apparatus. The apparatus is on casters 2 for rapid and easy movement. The
apparatus comprises a pressing station assembly 4 and blister roll housing 6.
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Within the housing 6 is a blister roll support means 8 supporting a blister
roll
10. The blister roll 10 is located vertically beneath the pressing station
assembly 4, thereby providing compaction of the overall apparatus compared
with prior apparatus.
s The roll material 12 is guided from its roll 10 by two guide rollers 14
which form the blister roll guidance means. The material 12 is guided to pass
through the pressing station assembly 4. The rollers 14 create a simple and
frictionless passage for the material 12 which avoids any edges which could
damage the material 12. The upper guide roller 14 could have an aligned
to and shaped rubber wedge or bar engaging therewith or thereon to act as a
one-way feeding means to prevent roll material therebeyond when cut or
otherwise not secured rewinding back onto the main roll 10.
The pressing station assembly 4) partly shown in more detail in Fig. 3,
comprises upper and lower pressing plates 16, 18. The lower plate 18 is
1s fixed and the upper plate 16 is relatively vertically moveable between rest
and
pressing positions by means of four corner columns 20 connected to a ram
assembly beneath the pressing station assembly 4. the ram assembly is
shown in Figs. 4a and 4b and discussed below.
As shown in Figs. 2a and 2b, a lower tool holding means 22 is located
20 on khe lower plate 18, with a lower tool 23 (shown in dotted form) inserted
therein. The lower tool holding means 22 is slideably mounted between a
pressing position in Fig. 2a and a tool-changing position in Fig. 2b. This
allows easy access to the lower tool holding means 22 when changing the
lower tool 23, as well as distancing the changing operation from any heated
2s upper tool. The lower tool 23 is generally the blister-shaping or shaped
die.
The upper tool attachment means is a tool attachment block 26,
centrally supported through an elongate column 28 to one end of a toggle
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joint 32 acting as the quick release attachment means. The top of the column
28 is linked to a toggle handle 30 which is also pivotally secured to the
upper
pressing plate 16. The toggle handle 30 is adapted to move the attachment
block 26 between an open position (as shown in Fig. 3) and a closed position
s (as shown in Fig. 1 ) relative to the upper pressing plate 16 through the
action
of the toggle joint 32.
The tool attachment block 26 has side flanges 34 over which side
pieces 36 can slide. Preferably, the sides of the block 26 include one or more
stops to assist positive Vocation of the side pieces 36 on the block 26. The
t o side pieces 36 are secured to and form part of an upper tool holding means
38) which holding means 38 holds a tool 40. The upper tool 40 is generally
the forming, sealing or cutting tool.
Depending from the upper pressing plate 16 are four posts 42. The
posts 42 meet the upper tool holding means 38 when the attachment block 26
is is in its closed position and at or near the corners of the holding means
38.
The posts 42 thus provide support in use wholly or substantially across the
whole of the holding means 38 (in combination with the support from the tool
attachment block 26). This can help allow reduction in the size of the ram
assembly required for the same degree of pressing) or allow for increased
2o pressure, compared with prior small-scale blister packing apparatus
(wherein
one or both of the tools or tool attachment means were only supported in their
centres).
The posts 42 are preferably tapered at their lower ends and there are
complementary conical depressions 43 in the upper surface of the upper tool
2s holding means 38. Thus, the posts 42 can assist and/or provide correct and
accurate alignment and levelling of the holding means 38 (and hence upper
tool 40) with the lower too! etc.
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In use, the upper tool holding means 38 and side pieces 36 are
slidingly located onto the tool attachment block 26 in its open position. The
toggle handle 30 is then moved by the operator in a single action until the
block 26 is raised and becomes flush with the lower surface of the pressing
s plate 16. Simultaneously the four corner posts 42 mate with the depressions
43 in the upper tool holding means 38. The pressing station assembly 4 is
now ready for use. Reverse movement of the toggle handle 30, again as a
single action moves the block 26 away from the upper pressing plate 16 and
posts 42 to allow rapid removal (by simple sliding action) of the upper tool
~o holding means 38 from the pressing assembly 4 for replacement with a
similar
upper tool holding means but with a different tool.
The fitting and removal of the upper tool holding means 38 is thus a
very fast and simple operation taking seconds, and the new too! or tool
holding means can still be accurately aligned using the tapered corner posts
~s 42. This operation is in contrast to the requirement of prior taol holding
blocks
to be bolted in place using usually four bolts, each requiring exactly the
same
degree of tightening to ensure the tool is level. With hot tools for
thermoforming, holding the tool or tool attachment means whilst the bolts are
tightened or loosened can be difficult and a lengthy operation.
2o Once the tools are located and secured, the blister roll material 12 is
fed between the tools and the apparatus is ready for operation. The
apparatus has a control panel 44. The parts of the apparatus are fully
enclosed by the roll housing 6 and a pressing station assembly hood 46
(having an openable front and/or rear portion for access). The pressed
2s material exits through a slot (not shown) in the hood 46.
Figs. 4a and 4b show the pressing operation. The columns 20 from
the upper pressing plate are connected to a base pressing plate 48 within the
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housing fi. The base plate 48 is moved by a ram assembly 50 beneath the
lower pressing plate 18. Lowering the base plate 48 creates the pressing of
the upper and lower pressing plates 16, 18 together. To increase the
pressing pressure, hydraulically-operated tapering side arms 52 extend
s inwardly over roll bars 54 on the upper edges on the base plate 48, giving
possibly a 6:1 mechanical increase in pressing pressure.
The pressing station assembly of the present invention provides a
means for quick and simple release and attachment of tools (which are
usually already housed, inserted or secured to their required tool attachment
~o means). The tools are still accurately alignable, and are fully supported
across their pressing surface. The blister packing apparatus of the present
invention can be fully mobile, and is significantly more compact (compared
with prior apparatus). The apparatus may therefore be used, located or
relocated with significantly fewer problems.
