Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02720609 2013-07-30
1
Device for filling bags
The invention relates to an apparatus for filling bags, especially flat bags
or side-gusseted bags.
The flat bag is one of the simplest types of bags which substantially consists
of a piece of tubular
film closed off on one side and which can be sealed at the second end after
filling. The closing
region is provided with a flat configuration, thus leading to the name of flat
bag. Such flat bags
are especially known as bags for grain, fertilizer, coffee beans, etc.
The side-gusseted bag comprises lateral folds, through which the bag deforms
into a substantially
cuboid container during filling, as is the case in conventional paper carrier
bags that can be
obtained at supermarket checkouts. The side-gusseted bag can thus be stacked
in an especially
good manner and offers a high capacity in combination with a low amount of
packaging material.
Apparatuses for filling bags are known, with the apparatus comprising a
storage means for empty
bags. Bags are taken from a stack of bags on the storage means and transferred
to an opening
unit. A first end of the bag is opened in the opening unit and then
transferred to the filling unit.
DE 24 59 725 Al describes an apparatus for charging a bag-filling device,
comprising a roll with
a tube.
EP 1 129 950 A discloses an apparatus for removing a sack body from a stack of
sack bodies and
for supplying the removed sack body to a processing station.
WO 2006/007960 A also describes a method and an apparatus for producing bags.
US Pat. No. 4,726,170 A discloses a filling apparatus which comprises a roll
with bag blanks
which can be detached from one another by means of pre-perforation.
Adhesion may occur between the bags of the stack of bags. In the case of
plastic bags, adhesion
can occur as a result of static charging, and in the case of fabric bags this
can occur as a result of
fabric fibers of adjacent bags getting caught in one another.
The disadvantageous aspect is that several bags, especially two or three, can
be taken
simultaneously from the storage means for empty bags. The disadvantageous
aspect is that
several bags can be conveyed simultaneously to the opening unit. During this
process, one or two
bags can detach in an uncontrolled manner from the conveying unit. As a
result, the opening unit
and/or the storage means can be blocked by bags that are arranged in an
uncontrolled manner.
Similarly, the simultaneously entrained bags can be transferred to the filling
unit and can
obstruct the filling process there. This is especially disadvantageous because
the filling material
is mostly loose and/or fluid and the loose and/or fluid filling material will
distribute in the filling
CA 02720609 2013-07-30
2
unit in the case of erroneous filling of the bag, thus causing time-consuming
cleaning work for
cleaning the filling unit and/or the ambient environment of the same.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for filling
bags of the kind
mentioned above with which the mentioned disadvantages are avoided and with
which a reliable
and rapid filling of the bags can be ensured.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for
filling bags, especially
flat bags or side-gusseted bags, comprising an opening unit for opening a
first bag end of the
bags, a filling station, a cross-cutting apparatus for cutting to size the
blank bags, a closing unit
for closing a second bag end of the bag blanks which is opposite of the first
bag end, and a
deflecting station, with the cross-cutting apparatus, the closing unit and the
deflecting station
being operatively connected with one another by means of a transport system,
and with the cross-
cutting apparatus, the closing unit and the deflecting station being arranged
one after the other, as
seen in the direction of conveyance of the bag blank or bag, characterized by
a transversal
deflecting station which is comprised by the transport system for deflecting
the conveying
direction of the bag blank from longitudinal transport to transversal
transport, with the transversal
deflecting station being arranged between the cross-cutting apparatus and the
closing unit as seen
in the conveying direction of the bag blank or the bag, and by a feed
apparatus for feeding the
bag from the deflecting station to the opening unit.
This leads to the advantage that each bag blank and each bag is conveyed
individually, with
neither two bag blanks nor two bags coming into contact with each other.
It is advantageous that the simultaneous delivery of several bags to the
opening unit can be
excluded.
This leads to the advantage that faults caused by the simultaneous conveyance
of bags can be
avoided, so that the disadvantage mentioned initially can also be avoided.
This leads to the further advantage that no checks are required for the
delivery of the bag to the
opening unit as to whether one or, erroneously, several bags have been
delivered simultaneously.
The delivery can thus also occur very rapidly, so that the throughput of the
filling apparatus can
be arranged to be high.
The invention also relates to a method for filling bags, especially flat bags
or side-gusseted bags.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a method for filling
bags in such a way that
CA 02720609 2013-07-30
2a
the initially mentioned disadvantage can be avoided and with which a reliable
and rapid filling of
the bags can be ensured.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for
filling bags,
especially flat bags and side-gusseted bags, with a prefabricated tube,
especially made of PP
fabric or HDPE fabric, being drawn off from a roll, and a bag blank is cut to
size from the tube in
longitudinal transport of the tube, characterized in that the bag blank is
deflected from
longitudinal transport to transversal transport in a transversal deflecting
station comprised by the
transport system, the bag blank is then sealed at the second bag end for
forming a bag, especially
sewn thereto, the bag is then supplied from the deflecting station to an
opening unit with the open
first bag end which faces forward and which is opposite of the second bag end,
the wall regions
of the bag which are opposite of the first bag end are moved away from one
another in the
opening unit, with bag thus being opened, and the bag is thereafter
transferred to a filling station.
It is advantageous that in this way the simultaneous delivery of several bags
to the opening unit
can be excluded. This leads to the advantages and advantageous effects in the
method as
mentioned above.
According to another aspect of the invention, there can be provided the
apparatus described
herein, characterized in that the closing unit is arranged in a stationary
manner in the apparatus.
According to another aspect of the invention, there can be provided the
apparatus described
herein, characterized in that the transport system comprises a transversal
conveyor for the
transport of flatly disposed bags and/or bag blanks.
According to another aspect of the invention, there can be provided the
apparatus described
herein, characterized in that the deflecting station comprises a stop for the
alignment of bags
supplied by means of the transversal conveyor.
According to another aspect of the invention, there can be provided the
apparatus described
herein, characterized in that the transversal deflecting station comprises at
least one second stop
for aligning the bag blank in the x-direction.
According to another aspect of the invention, there can be provided the
apparatus described
herein, characterized in that the feed apparatus comprises a gripping
apparatus for gripping and
lifting the bag at least in sections, and at least one first conveyor with at
least one first bag-body
CA 02720609 2013-07-30
2b
support, with the first bag-body support being guidable beneath the gripping
apparatus in the
lifted state.
According to another aspect of the invention, there can be provided the
apparatus described
herein, characterized in that a second conveyor is provided with at least one
second bag-body
support, with the second bag-body support being guidable beneath the gripping
apparatus in the
lifted state.
According to another aspect of the invention, there can be provided the
apparatus described
herein, characterized in that the conveyors can be moved independent from one
another.
According to another aspect of the invention, there can be provided the
apparatus described
herein, characterized in that the conveyors are rotating conveyors.
According to another aspect of the invention, there can be provided the
apparatus described
herein, characterized in that the deflecting apparatus comprises a receiver
for a stack of bags.
According to another aspect of the invention, there can be provided the method
as described
herein, characterized in that the second bag end is conveyed in a straight
line past a closing unit
which is arranged in a stationary manner in an apparatus.
The invention will be described in closer detail by reference to the enclosed
drawings in which
merely preferred embodiments are shown, wherein:
Fig. 1 shows parts of the apparatus for filling an especially preferred first
embodiment in a top
view;
Fig. 2 shows the parts of the apparatus for filling in accordance with Fig. 1
in a side view
according to the direction A in Fig. 1;
CA 02720609 2013-07-30
3
Fig. 3 shows the deflecting station in a side view, in which the direction of
sight corresponds
to a direction of transportation of the bag blank or bag in the region of the
transport system;
Fig. 4 shows parts of the deflecting station of Fig. 3 in a side view of Fig.
3;
Fig. 5 shows parts of the deflecting station of Fig. 3 and parts of the
transport system in a top
view, with the bag being arranged in the first position;
Fig. 6 shows parts of the deflecting station of Fig. 3 in the side view of
Fig. 3, with the bag
being arranged in a second position following the first position;
Fig. 7 shows the parts of the deflecting station of Fig. 3 and parts of the
transport system in a
top view, with the bag being arranged in the second position;
Fig. 8 shows the parts of the deflecting station of Fig. 3 in the side view of
Fig. 3, with the bag
being arranged in a third position following the second position, and
Fig. 9 shows the parts of the deflecting station of Fig. 3 and parts of the
transport system in a
top view, with the bag being arranged in the third position.
Figs. 1 to 9 show parts of an apparatus 1 for filling bags 2, comprising an
opening unit 8 for
opening a first bag end 21 of bags 2 and a filling station 9. For the purpose
of reliable and
rapid filling of the bags, the apparatus 1 comprises a cross-cutting apparatus
3 for cutting to
size the blank bags 25, a closing unit 4 for closing a second bag end 22 of
the bag blanks 25
which is opposite of the first bag end 21, and a deflecting station 5 for
deflecting the bags 2,
with the cross-cutting apparatus 3, the closing unit 4 and the deflecting
station 5 being
operatively connected with one another by means of a transport system 6, and
comprises a
feed apparatus 7 for feeding the bag 2 from the deflecting station 5 to the
opening unit 8. The
apparatus 1 for filling bags 2 can be called a filling apparatus.
The apparatus 1 is especially suitably used for a method for filling bags 2,
especially flat bags
and side-gusseted bags. It can especially be provided in the method that a
prefabricated tube
26 is drawn off from a roll 27, the bag blank 25 is cut to size from the tube
26, thereafter the
bag blank 25 is sealed at the second bag end 22 for forming a bag 2,
especially sewed thereto,
the bag 2 is then supplied from the deflecting station 5 to an opening unit 8
with the closed
first bag end 21 which faces forward and which is opposite of the second bag
end 22, the wall
CA 02720609 2010-10-01
4
regions of bag 2 which are opposite of the first bag end 21 are moved away
from one another
in the opening unit 8, with bag 2 thus being opened, and the bag 2 is
thereafter transferred to a
filling station 9.
In the illustrated first embodiment, the cross-cutting apparatus 3 and then
the closing unit 4
are arranged as seen in the conveying direction of the bag blank 25, and
subsequently the
closing unit 4, and then the deflecting apparatus 5, as seen in the conveying
direction. It can
especially be provided that the cross-cutting apparatus 3, the closing unit 4
and the deflecting
apparatus 5 are connected and operatively connected by each other by means of
the
continuously arranged transport system 6. For this purpose, the closing unit 4
can be
connected with fixed position with the apparatus 1 and can be arranged at the
edge of the
transport system 6. The bag blank 25 conveyed by means of the transport system
6 to the
closing unit 4 is sealed by means of the closing unit 4 during its conveyance
past said unit,
which conveyance past said unit can occur especially without any interruptions
in the
conveyance and especially with substantially constant speed, and will leave
the zone of the
closing unit 4 as the bag 2. The bag 2 can be further conveyed directly
subsequently in the
direction of the deflection 5, especially without any interruption in the
conveyance and
especially with substantially constant speed. The cross-cutting apparatus 3,
the closing unit 4
and the deflecting station 5 are arranged one after the other, as seen in the
direction of
conveyance of the bag blank 25 or bag 2.
The apparatus 1 can be used for filling bags 2 with different filling volumes,
e.g. between 500
mL and 250 litres, especially between one litre and 120 litres, preferably
between 3 litres and
60 litres, and different filling weights, especially between 0.5 kg and 250
kg, especially
between 3 kg and 120 kg, preferably between 3 kg and 60 kg.
The bag blank 25 is further made into bag 2 by means of closing the bag blank
25 at its
second bag end 22. The bag blank 25 is conveyed at first in the direction of
conveyance of
apparatus 1 and then the bag 2. The tube 26 can be conveyed before the
arrangement of the
bag blank 25, as seen in the direction of conveyance.
In this context, the filling material can be one or several gaseous, fluid or
solid materials. The
filling material can especially be pourable. Examples of conventional filling
materials are
CA 02720609 2010-10-01
sugar, salt, rice, peas, beans, grain, corn, flour, semolina, malt, milk
powder, baking mixtures,
lime, cement, potting soil, pet food, mineral feeding stuff, concentrated
feed, grass seeds,
seeds, fertilizer, plastic granulate, chemical substances, coal, wood pellets,
sand, gravel,
building materials, wood balls. The list can be extended at will.
The bags 2 can be made of a tube 26, especially a tubular film, e.g. a plastic
film or a
composite film, made of a tubular fabric, e.g. of linen fabric or plastic
fabric, especially of PP
fabric or HDPE fabric, and/or of a paper tube.
The tube 26 can be fiber-reinforced, especially glass-fiber reinforced, and/or
fabric reinforced,
especially glass-fiber fabric reinforced.
The tube 26 is unwound especially from a roll 27 in the direction of an x-
direction 28 shown
in Fig. I. In order to form the bag blank 25, pieces of predetermined
longitudinal extension
are cut to size in the x-direction 28 from the tube 26 by means of the cross-
cutting apparatus 3,
through which the bag blank 25 is arranged as a substantially flatly disposed
tubular piece of
tube 26. The bag blank 25 can also be aligned in the x-direction 28 when it is
cut to size.
The cutting to size can occur during longitudinal transport of tube 26 or bag
blank 25, as is
schematically shown in Fig. 1. In order to deflect from the longitudinal
transport of the cut
bag blank 25 to transversal transport, a transversal deflection station 65 can
be comprised by
the transport system 6 between the cross-cutting apparatus and the closing
unit 4, which
station is shown schematically in Figs. 1 and 2. The transversal deflection
station 65 can
comprise at least one second stop for the purpose of reliable alignment of the
bag blank 25 in
the x-direction 28. In longitudinal transport, the bag blank 25 can be
conveyed up to the
second stop and from there in transversal transport in the direction of the
closing unit 4 and
further in the direction of the deflection 5.
In another further development of the apparatus 1, the transversal deflection
station 65 and the
transport system 6 can be arranged as separate parts of the apparatus 1, with
the bag blanks 25
being transferred from the transversal deflection station 65 to the transport
system 6.
The bag blank 25 and the bags 2 have a first bag end 21 and a second bag end
22 opposite of
the first bag end 21. The first bag end 21 of bag 2 comprises an opening for
filling the filling
material. The second bag end 22 of bag 2 is sealed and is impenetrable for the
filling material.
CA 02720609 2013-07-30
6
The bag blanks 25 have an open second bag end 22 in contrast to bag 2. In this
way, the bag
blank 25 is substantially a piece of tubular film with two open bag ends.
The bag blank 25 is then conveyed to the closing unit 4 in the direction of a
y-direction 29 as
shown in Fig. I. The second bag end 22 is sealed in the closing unit 4 and can
be especially
folded, especially folded once or twice, provided with an easy-open end, i.e.
folded merely
over a short section along the second bag end 22 and then sewn together.
Sealing by means of
welding or gluing is also possible. The transport direction can advantageously
be substantially
parallel to one edge of the second bag end 22, so that the second bag end 22
is conveyed in a
straight line past the closing unit 4 which is arranged for this purpose in a
stationary manner
in the apparatus I. The transport of the bag blank 25 and further the bag 2 in
the direction
substantially parallel to the edge of the second bag end 22 can be designated
as transversal
transport.
It is advantageous that the bag blank 25 was already aligned during the
cutting by means of
the cross-cutting apparatus 3 in the x-direction 28 and no renewed position of
the bag blank
25 needs to occur before the closing unit 4. The closing of the second bag end
22 can thus
occur in a simple, rapid and especially cost-effective manner.
By sealing the second bag end 22, the especially flatly disposed blank bag 25
becomes the
especially flatly disposed bag 2 and is suitable for filling with the filling
material. The bag 2 is
thus especially also conveyed in a transversal transport. The advantageous
aspect is that the
predetermined location positioning of the bag in the x-direction 28 is not
disturbed.
In this context, the bag blank 25 or bag 2 has a longitudinal axis which
coincides substantially
with the central axis of the tubular film forming the bag blank 25 and is
arranged substantially
normally to the edge of the first bag end 21 and/or the second bag end 22. The
longitudinal
axis can especially coincide with the x-direction 28.
After the completed closing of the second bag end 22, the bag 2 is further
transported in
transversal conveyance in the direction of the deflecting station 5. The
conveying direction of
the bag 2 is deflected in the deflecting station 5 in such a way that the
especially flatly
disposed bag 2 is conveyed up to a predetermined position in transversal
transport. The
advantageous aspect is that a location positioning of the bag 2 can occur in
the y-direction 29.
CA 02720609 2010-10-01
7
Since the bag 2 is still aligned in the x-direction 28, which means it is
location-positioned, the
bag 2 is now aligned both in the x-direction 28 as well as in the y-direction
29. The
advantageous aspect is that the alignment of the bag 2 can be especially
precise and can occur
at especially high speed. Advantageously, it is possible to omit further
alignment apparatuses
for the alignment of the bag, i.e. for the alignment of the bag 2, so that the
apparatus 1 can be
arranged in a cost-effective way.
The transport system 6 is arranged for conveying the bag blanks 25 and the
bags 2. The
transport system 6 can especially comprise a transversal conveyor 61 for the
transport of flatly
disposed bags 2 and/or bag blanks 25 for the purpose of simple arrangement of
the transversal
transport of the bag blanks 25 and the bags 2. The transversal conveyor 61 can
comprise one
or several revolving conveying means for this purpose.
The alignment of the bag 2 in the y-direction 29 can occur in an especially
simple way by
means of a stop 51 which is comprised by the deflection 5, i.e. a passive
positioning device, or
by means of a controlled positioning device, e.g. by means of slides, for the
alignment of bags
2 which are supplied by means of a transport apparatus 6, especially the
transversal conveyor
61.
The bag 2 which is location-positioned in this manner in the x-direction 28
and the y-direction
29 is subsequently grasped by the feed apparatus 7 and transferred to a first
conveyor 52 with
a first bag-body support 53 or to a second conveyor 54 with a second bag-body
support 55.
For this purpose, the feed apparatus 7 lifts the first bag end 21 or the
second bag end 22, with
the bag 2 being lifted at least in sections, so that the first bag end 21 or
the second bag end 22,
when seen in the position of use of apparatus 1, is arranged above the
conveyor 52 and/or the
second conveyor 54. Fig. 6 shows the lifting of the second bag end 22 in the
lifting direction
64, with Fig. 7 showing a top view of the parts of apparatus 1 as shown in
Fig. 6, but without
the feed apparatus 7.
The transfer of the bag 2 by the transport device 6 to the first conveyor 52
or the second
conveyor 54 is described by reference to the lifting of the second bag end 22
as illustrated in
Fig. 6, wherein such transfer of the bag 2 can also occur by means of the
lifting of the first
bag end 21 in an advantageous second embodiment of the deflecting station 5
and the feed
apparatus 7 (not shown). The first conveyor 52 and the second conveyor 54 can
also be
comprised by the deflecting station 5, as is the case in the first embodiment
of apparatus 1.
CA 02720609 2010-10-01
8
For transferring purposes, bag 2 is lifted off by lifting the second bag end
22 in sections by the
transport device 6, with the feed apparatus 7 penetrating cavities in the
first conveyor 52 and
the second conveyor 54 in order to reach the second bag end 22. Once the
second bag end 22
has been lifted sufficiently, the first bag-body support 53 and/or the second
bag-body support
55 can be guided beneath the bag 2. As a result of a movement of the first
conveyor 52 and/or
the second conveyor 54, the bag 2 can be transferred, which means moved, to
the first bag-
body support 53 or the second bag-body support 55. The alignment of the bag 2
in the x-
direction 28 and the y-direction 29 can preferably be maintained. Since the
first conveyor 52
and the second conveyor 54 are provided for conveying the bag 2 in the y-
direction 29, the
direction of transport of bag 2 is deflected after the completed transfer,
thus leading to the
name deflecting station 5.
The bag 2 is conveyed in substantially longitudinal transport by the first
conveyor 52 and the
second conveyor 54, for which purpose the first conveyor 52 and the second
conveyor 54 can
be arranged for forming a second conveying direction in x-direction 28 which
is arranged to
be normally to the conveying direction of the transport direction 6 in the y-
direction 29.
As is shown in Figs. 3, 4, 6 and 8 which show parts of the apparatus 1 in the
side view in the
direction of view of the y-direction 29, the conveyors 52, 54 can be
preferably be rotating
conveyors 56, 57, 58, with the first conveyor 52 being arranged as the first
rotating conveyor
57 and the second conveyor 54 as the second rotating conveyor 58. The movement
and
control of the conveyors 52, 54 can occur in an especially simple and energy-
saving manner,
through which the transport of the bags 2 can occur in a simple and energy-
saving manner. As
is shown in the side view in Figs. 3, 4, 6 and 8, the second conveyor 54 can
enclose the first
conveyor 52, as seen in the side view. The second conveyor 54 can also be
designated as the
outer conveyor and the first conveyor can also be designated as the inner
conveyor. It can thus
be excluded that the first conveyor 52 and the second conveyor 54 block each
other during
their independent movements.
The rotating conveyors 56 can preferably be arranged in such a way that they
comprise two
revolving parallel chains and the first bag-body support 53 is arranged
between the two chains
(in the first conveyor 52) and the second bag-body support 55 is arranged
between the two
chains (in the second conveyor 54), and they are connected with the chains,
with the bag-body
supports 53, 55 are arranged to be not completely circumferential, so that the
first conveyor
52 and the second conveyor 54 each comprise at least one free space.
CA 02720609 2010-10-01
9
As a result, the feed apparatus 7 can penetrate said free spaces for gripping
the bag 2 in order
to grasp the bag 2 at the second bag end 22, which bag is location-positioned
in a
predetermined manner in the x-direction 28 and the y-direction 29 by resting
on the transport
system 6, and to lift the bag in the direction of the swiveling movement 64 as
shown in Fig. 6.
It is advantageous that the predeterminable location positioning of bag 2 can
be provided even
after the transfer of the bag, which means also when resting on the second bag-
body support
55, through which no further location positioning and/or checking of the
location positioning
is necessary. The deflecting station 5 can thus be arranged in a simple and
cost-effective way
and the bags can be transported in a location-positioned simple, reliable and
rapid way.
The bag 2 can be transferred by the transport system 6 to the first conveyor
52. For this
purpose, the first bag-body support 53 is positioned beneath the bag 2 by a
movement of the
first conveyor 52 in a counter-clockwise manner, as shown in the view of Fig.
2, with first
bag-body support 53 moving beneath the bag 2 and the lifted second bag end 22,
and the
lifted second bag end 22 is thus especially placed on the first bag-body
support 53, it is
detached from the feed apparatus 7 and will drop by gravity on the first bag-
body support 53.
The bag that now rests on the first bag-body support 53 can now be conveyed in
the y-
direction 29 towards the opening unit 8 and be transferred to the opening unit
8, as shown in
Figs. 8 and 9.
The first bag end 21 is now gripped by the opening unit 8 and is opened in
such a way that the
filling material can be filled into the bag 2 in the filling station, which
opening occurs in such
a way that wall regions of bag 2 which are opposite of one another in the
opening unit 8 in the
region of the first bag end 21 are moved away from one another.
The bag can then be further conveyed by means of known apparatuses, sealed at
the first bag
end 21, sorted, stacked and/or repackaged.
In summary, the apparatus 1 provides a method for filling bags in which it is
provided that the
prefabricated tube 26 is withdrawn from the roller 27, the bag blank 25 is cut
to size from the
tube 26, thereafter the bag blank 25 is sealed at a second bag end 22 for
forming a bag 2, and
is especially sewn, welded or glued, the bag 2 is supplied by the deflecting
station 5 of the
opening unit 8, with the first bag end 21 opposite of the second bag end 22
leading, wall
CA 02720609 2010-10-01
regions which are opposite of one another in the opening unit 8 in the region
of the first bag
end 21 are moved away one another, with the bag 2 thus being opened, and the
bag 2 is then
transferred to the filling station 9.
The method can ensure the initially mentioned advantages and advantageous
effects. In
particular, the simple and quick conveyance of the bags with high throughput
can thus be
ensured.
Similarly, bag 2 can be transferred to the second conveyor 54, with this also
occurring by
means of the feed apparatus 7 and the lifting of the second bag end 22 and the
movement of
the second conveyor 54 preferably also occurring in analogy to the transfer of
bag 2, which
means the transfer of bag 2 from the transport device 6 to the first conveyor
52. The bag 2
which rests on the second conveyor 54 can also be location-positioned in a
predeterminable
manner both in the x-direction and the y-direction, and can similarly be
conveyed in the y-
direction without any further location position, i.e. in an especially fast
manner with little
effort, and can be supplied to the opening unit 8.
In order to grip one of the two bag ends 21, 22, it can advantageously be
provided that the
feed apparatus 7 comprises a gripping apparatus 71 for gripping and lifting
the bag 2 at least
in sections. The first bag-body support 53 and/or the second bag-body support
55 can be
guided beneath the gripping apparatus 71 in the lifted state. The gripping
apparatus 71 can
preferably be arranged pneumatically, e.g. as air suction pads, or
mechanically, e.g. as
gripping pliers.
While the bag 2 resting on the first bag-body support 53 is conveyed in the y-
direction 29, the
bag 2 that follows this bag 2 directly can be gripped by means of the feed
apparatus 7 and can
be moved to the first conveyor 52 or the second conveyor 54, i.e. transferred.
The bags 2 can
thus be conveyed with low distance from one another and thus with high
throughput.
It can preferably be provided that two bags 2 conveyed directly one after the
other are
distributed among the first conveyor 52 and the second conveyor 54 in such a
way that one of
the two bags 2 is transferred to the first conveyor 52 and the other of the
two bags 2 to the
second conveyor 54. The throughput of the deflecting station 5 can thus be
especially high.
CA 02720609 2010-10-01
11
In a further possible control of the first conveyor 52, the second conveyor 54
and the feed
apparatus 7, the bag 2 can be transferred from the first bag-body support 53
to the second bag-
body support 55, or from the second bag-body support 55 to the first bag-body
support 53. In
this case too, the previously produced location positioning in the x-direction
28 and the y-
direction 29 can be maintained, so that the bag 2 can still be location-
positioned in a
predeterminable way. Bags 2 can be transferred advantageously in this control
by the
transport system 6 to the second bag-body support 55, for which purpose the
first conveyor 52
is arranged in a position so that the feed apparatus 7 can penetrate the free
space in the first
conveyor 52 and can grip the bag 2 disposed on the transport system 6 and can
lift the bag.
Once the second bag-body support 55 has moved beneath the bag 2, the first bag-
body
support 53 is brought to a position for supporting the bag 2, which means it
is also arranged
beneath the bag 2. Once the first bag-body support 53 stands still, the bag 2,
which has been
lifted for this purpose at least at one of the two bag ends 21, 22 by means of
the feed
apparatus 7, is transferred from the second bag-body support 55 to the first
bag-body support
53 in such a way that the second bag-body support 55 is pulled away beneath
the bag 2, so
that the bag thus falls onto the first bag-body support 53 as a result of
gravity, and the feed
apparatus 7 thus also places the gripped bag ends 21, 22 onto the first bag-
body support 53.
One or several bags 2 can already rest on the first bag-body support 53 as a
stack of bags. The
bag 2 can be transferred to said stack of bags. The advantageous aspect is
that a stack of bags
can be formed in the deflecting station 5 for buffering, which means for
intermediate storing.
It is advantageous that bag blanks 25 can be produced and processed into bags
2 during a
standstill and/or reconfiguration work on the filling station 9 for example.
It is also
advantageous that a buffer can be set up in the deflecting station 5, so that
the filling station 9
can be operated during a change of roll 27 for example. The capacity
utilization of the
apparatus I can thus be especially high. Short reconfiguration work or
elimination of
malfunctions on parts of apparatus 1 can thus be performed without having to
switch off
apparatus 1 entirely.
In particular, the conveyors 52, 54 can be moved independent from one another.
In this way,
the sequence of the deflection in the transport direction can be optimized and
disturbances in
the transport can be prevented.
CA 02720609 2010-10-01
12
The first conveyor 52 can comprise several first bag-body supports 53 and/or
the second
conveyor 54 can comprise several second bag-body supports 55. One or several
free spaces
can be arranged in the first conveyor 52 and in the second conveyor 54. The
throughput of
bags 2 in the deflecting station 5 can be especially high.
It can be provided in an advantageous third embodiment (not shown) of the
deflecting station
and the transport system 6, that a receiver is provided for a stack of bags
formed outside of
the apparatus. The receiver can advantageously be arranged between transport
system 6 and
the first conveyor 52. The transport system 6 can advantageously be arranged
for this purpose
in the region of the deflecting station 5 in a movable manner, especially
swivelable. In an
especially preferable manner, the transport system 6 can be folded downwardly
in the region
of the deflecting station 5, for which purpose the transport system 6 is
arranged to be
vertically foldable at least in sections. In the case of a transport system 6
which is folded
downwardly, sufficient space for the arrangement of the stack of bags can be
ensured in the
receiver.
When the deflecting station 5 is not arranged for receiving a stack of bags in
an advantageous
fourth embodiment of the deflecting station 5 (not shown), the deflecting
station 5 can also be
arranged with a low height extension. The apparatus I can thus be arranged in
a compact
and/or cost-effective way.
Both in the first, second, third and fourth embodiment of the deflecting
station 5, an alignment
device for x/y-positioning of bag 2 can be provided, which means for
predeterminable
positioning in the x-direction 28 and y-direction 29. The alignment device can
position the
bag 2 again directly before the transfer to the opening unit 8 and/or check
the positioning
again. The advantageous aspect is that deviations in the intended position of
the bag 2 are
checked again directly before the transfer to the opening unit 8 and are
optionally corrected. A
transfer of bag 2 with high positioning precision is thus possible.
The bag 2 is conveyed by the transport system 6 to the deflecting station 5 in
an advantageous
fifth embodiment of the deflecting station (not shown). When supplied into or
onto the
deflecting station 5, the bag 2 is positioned by means of the stop 51 or by
means of the
controlled positioning device in the x-direction 28, gripped underneath by a
liftable conveying
system, e.g. liftable rollers or liftable belts, and is further conveyed in
the y-direction 29 to the
CA 02720609 2010-10-01
13
opening unit 8. The liftable rollers or liftable belts are moved from below to
the bottom side
of bag 2, with the bag 2 being lifted off by the transport system 6. Timing of
delivery can
occur after the location positioning of bag 2 in the x-direction 28, with the
delivery timing of
bags 2 being brought into agreement with the filling timing of the filling
station 9.
In an advantageous sixth embodiment of the deflecting station 5 (not shown),
the bag 2 is also
conveyed by the transport system 6 to the deflecting station 5. The stop 51 or
the controlled
positioning device again stops the bag 2 in the x-direction 28. A gripper
system which is
similar to the gripper apparatus 71 or which is arranged by the gripper
apparatus 71 grips the
part of the bag 2 which is at the front as seen in the y-direction 29, which
means the bag 2 in
the region of the first bag end 21, lifts the bag 2 at least in this region
from the transport
system 6 and pulls the bag in the y-direction 29 from the deflecting station 5
to the opening
station. The gripper system can advantageously perform an additional location
positioning of
the bag 2 in the x-direction 28 and/or in the y-direction 29, so that the bag
2 can be conveyed
with especially reliable location positioning to the opening unit 8 and from
there with
especially reliable location positioning to the filling station 9.
In another embodiment of the transport device 6, it can be arranged with small
dimensions in
such a way that the closing unit 4 is movably arranged on the transport device
6. The bag
blank 25 can be arranged in a stationary manner in relation to apparatus 1
during the sealing
of the second bag 2 and the closing unit 4 can be moved parallel to the y-
direction 29. The
closing unit 4 can also be moved at least in sections into cross-cutting
apparatus 3. The cross-
cutting apparatus 3 can thus be arranged closer to the deflecting device 5 and
the transport
device 6 can thus be arranged with small dimensions, especially with small
dimensions in the
y-direction 29. This enables an especially compact arrangement of the
apparatus 1, so that
existing filling apparatuses can be modernized and/or expanded in a compact
way.
Further embodiments in accordance with the invention merely have a part of the
described
features, with any combination of features being provided, especially also
such of different
described embodiments.
