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EP-4735336-A1 - A CUTTING DEVICE FOR UNDRESSING A PALLET

EP4735336A1EP 4735336 A1EP4735336 A1EP 4735336A1EP-4735336-A1

Abstract

Cutting device (100) for cutting the protective film (550) for undressing a pallet (500) of products (510) preferably arranged in layers on a base (520) or plate, said pallet (500) being coated with a protective film (550) for retaining and protecting said products (510) themselves, configured to cover the upper surface (501) and the side surface (502) of the pallet (500) at least up to the base (520), said cutting device (100) comprising a blade (111) and a protection element (130) configured to be interposed between the product (510) and the film (550) in order to retain said film (550) in proximity to the blade (111), said protection element (130) comprises a first surface (131) operatively facing the film (550) below which at least a portion of the blade (111) protrudes, characterised in that said protection element (130) further comprises a first end (133) preceding the blade (111) in the cutting direction, on which a rotatable element (134) arranged transversally to the cutting direction is installed.

Inventors

  • Rocchetta, Paolo

Assignees

  • E2Pack s.r.l.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240628

Claims (13)

  1. 1. A cutting device (100) for cutting the protective film (550) for undressing a pallet (500) of products (510) preferably arranged in layers on a base (520) or plate, said pallet (500) being coated with a protective film (550) for retaining and protecting the products (510) themselves, configured to cover the upper surface (501) and the side surface (502 of the pallet (500) at least up to the base (520), said cutting device (100) comprising a blade (111) and a protection element (130) configured to be interposed between the product (510) and the film (550) in order to retain said film (550) in proximity to the blade (111), said protection element (130) comprising a first surface (131) operatively facing the film (550) below which at least a portion of the blade (111) protrudes, characterised in that said protection element (130) further comprises a first end (133) preceding the blade (111) in the cutting direction, on which a rotatable element (134) arranged transversally to the cutting direction is installed.
  2. 2. Cutting device (100), according to claim 1, wherein the protection element (130) comprises a second surface (132) operatively facing the product (51) and opposing the first surface (131) adapted to define a thickness (S) less than or equal to the diameter of the rotatable element (134).
  3. 3. Cutting device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rotatable element (134) comprises at least one roller (134a) free to rotate about its axis of symmetry.
  4. 4. Cutting device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rotatable element (134) comprises an electrical heating element for heating said rotatable element (134).
  5. 5. Cutting device (100), according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the blade (111) does not protrude from the second surface (132).
  6. 6. Cutting device (100), according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the protection element (130) comprises a planar portion 130a preferably comprising an opening (1304) passing through the thickness (S) of the protection element (130) into which the blade (111) is inserted, in particular at least a second portion (111").
  7. 7. Cutting device (100), according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising adaptation elements (114) adapted to support the protection element (130) to adapt its position to the conformation of the pallet (500).
  8. 8. Cutting device (100), according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the blade (111) is of the circular type set in rotation by means of actuating means (112).
  9. 9. Cutting device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising activation means (135) configured to move the protection element (130) relative to the blade (111) between at least one working position (A) in which the protection element (130) retains the film (550) between the first surface (131) and the blade (111) in particular during cutting and an out-of-space position (B) in which the protection element (130) does not engage with the film 550.
  10. 10. Cutting device (100), according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a control element (150) which detects the presence of the film (550) resting on the first surface (131) of the protection element (130).
  11. 11. Cutting device (100), according to claim 10, wherein the control element (150) is placed in an advanced position with respect to the blade (111), according to the cutting direction.
  12. 12. Cutting device (100), according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising at least one release device (115) comprising a suction head (116) configured to distance a portion of film (550) from the pallet (500) and assist in the insertion of the protection element (130).
  13. 13. Cutting device (100), according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising pick-up means (120) which comprise at least one grasping head (122) configured to remove a portion of film (550) from the pallet (500) after cutting.

Description

DESCRIPTION TITLE: A CUTTING DEVICE FOR UNDRESSING A PALLET FIELD OF APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION The present invention falls within the field of undressing a palletised load. In particular, it relates to a device for ensuring the picking of the protective film of a palletised load. STATE OF THE ART The packaging or bottling plants, for example, are fed with palletised loads consisting of various layers of products or containers surrounded by a heat-shrinkable or elastic envelope that covers said products. Palletised load or pallet mean a plurality of products preferably arranged in layers on a base also known as a pallet, generally made of wood or plastic. Between each layer there may be an insert called pad made of plastic or cardboard that helps the stability of the pallet. It is also possible for said pad to be positioned between the pallet and the load. Prior to depalletising the product in the treatment lines, such as for example the filling lines if it is a container like bottles or jars, said pallet is stored and moved between the product production plants and the subsequent treatment plants. To guarantee the integrity and stability thereof during the various steps mentioned above, the pallet is generally wrapped with a protective film that defines an envelope in which the products are enclosed. Said film is generally of the plastic type. In the case of containers for the food industry, the film completely wraps the products and the pallet on which the load is supported to ensure that insects and dirt cannot get in as well as to give stability to the palletised load. Said envelope can be applied by wrapping the perimeter surface of the pallet with a stretch film or by fitting a heat- shrinkable type film on the pallet that adheres to the perimeter surface of the pallet by heat-shrinking. Alternatively, the pallet can be wrapped in a stretch-hood type film that is fitted onto the pallet and adapts thanks to its elasticity characteristics, without the need to adhere by heat-shrinking. Even a perimeter portion of the base of the pallet can be wrapped in the protective film. The operation of withdrawing the protective film from the pallet, which in jargon is called pallet undressing, is very often performed manually. In fact, the variables linked to the stability of the product and the non-uniform adhesion of the protective film, the possibility of damaging the product and/or pads has always made undressing by automatic machines unreliable. At the same time, however, manual undressing performed by one or more operators is an operation which, in addition to entailing risks in terms of the integrity of the palletised load, also entails risks in terms of safety of the operator. In fact, during undressing, the operator may find him-/herself in a dangerous situation due to possible products falling off that are dragged by the withdrawn film. In order to overcome this drawback, some automatic means and methods for undressing pallets are known in the state of the art. Said means and methods present a series of problems in particular when the pallet load comprises many unstable and fragile products such as for example pallets of glass bottles. The main problem of the known machines is that, especially in the case of undressing with heat-shrinkable type films, said plastic film has creases or folds that change from area to area the behaviour of the film during cutting and tearing and the relative behaviour of the load during the unwinding process. As a result, the load may tilt, get caught in the film, and partial dropping of the load bottles may also occur. A further problem of known methods and machines is also given by the difficulties in performing the cut and by the type of tools for cutting the film, which can come into contact with the containers; this aspect is particularly relevant in light of consumer food safety aspects, especially for glass containers (such as bottles or jars), due to the possible loss of resistance and integrity. Contact of the cutting tools with the containers can cause damage to the outer walls, mouths or necks of the containers. Document EP3214004B1, to overcome the aforementioned problem, provides for carrying out the cut of the film by inserting the blade between each row of bottles, but this is not always possible because it depends on the correct positioning of the bottles on the pallet which is not always guaranteed due to palletising errors or due to displacements after moving the pallet. EXPOSURE AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION The technical problem underpinning the present invention is that of making available a method and relative apparatus for undressing a pallet of products structurally and functionally designed to overcome one or more of the limits set forth above with reference to the known prior art. Within the scope of the aforementioned problem, a main object of the invention is to develop a method and relative apparatus for undressing a pallet of products t