US-12617114-B2 - Apparatus and method for producing a locking ring on a closure cap for a container

US12617114B2US 12617114 B2US12617114 B2US 12617114B2US-12617114-B2

Abstract

An apparatus for producing a locking ring on a closure cap for a container comprises a stationary cutting knife with a cutting blade extending along a cutting path, the cutting profile of which cutting blade corresponds to a slot geometry, to be created in a lateral surface of a closure cap blank, between a main part of the closure cap and the locking ring. Furthermore, the apparatus comprises a transport device for transporting the closure cap blank along the cutting path, wherein the transport device has a supporting mandrel for supporting the lateral surface of the closure cap blank such that the lateral surface is rolled over the cutting blade during a cutting operation, wherein the supporting mandrel has a rotatable mount, with which it is mounted so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation oriented perpendicularly to the cutting path. In a supporting portion of the supporting mandrel, which is located opposite the cutting blade during the cutting operation, a groove geometry is formed, which corresponds at least to the slot geometry to be created.

Inventors

Pascal Friedli

Assignees

PACKSYS GLOBAL AG

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20200923
Priority Date: 20191003

Claims (14)

1 . An apparatus for producing a locking ring on a closure cap for a container, comprising: a stationary cutting knife having a plurality of cutting blades extending along a cutting section, the plurality of cutting blades each having a cutting edge profile and being configured to simultaneously penetrate a shell of a closure cap blank, each cutting blade of the plurality of cutting blades providing a slot geometry in the shell of the closure cap blank corresponding to the cutting edge profile of each cutting blade of the plurality of cutting blades so as to be between a main part of the closure cap and the locking ring, wherein the plurality of blades of the cutting knife are disposed on top of one another; a transport installation for transporting the closure cap blank along the cutting section, wherein the transport installation comprises a support mandrel to directly support an internal side of the shell of the closure cap blank, in such a manner that the shell during a cutting procedure is rolled along the plurality of cutting blades, wherein the support mandrel has a rotatable mounting by way of which said support mandrel is mounted so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis oriented perpendicularly to the cutting section; wherein the slot geometry comprises portions which in relation to the rotation axis of the support mandrel extend at an angle of less than 90°; wherein a groove geometry of the support mandrel includes an axial extent, the groove geometry including (i) a first portion that is aligned so as to be perpendicular to the rotation axis of the support mandrel and having a smaller extent of the groove geometry, and (ii) a second portion that extends at an angle less than 90 degrees with respect to the axis of rotation of the support mandrel and having a larger extent of the groove geometry, to provide space for engagement of the cutting edges of the cutting blades due to rotational movement of the supporting mandrel; wherein the support mandrel includes a support portion that is configured to lie in opposite to the plurality of cutting blades during the cutting procedure, the support portion being interrupted in a region of the slot geometry to be generated, by forming the groove geometry which corresponds to the slot geometry to be provided is configured in a support portion of the support mandrel which during the cutting procedure lies opposite to the plurality of cutting blades, such that the groove geometry of the support mandrel is configured so as to be congruent with a cutting edge profile of each cutting blade of the plurality of cutting blades when the support portion is moved past the cutting blade, in such a manner that a portion of the groove geometry is disposed opposite the cutting blade at every moment during the cutting procedure in a momentary cutting region of the cutting edge; and wherein the apparatus further comprises a synchronizing installation that is configured to synchronize an advancing movement of the transport installation along the cutting section with a rotating movement of the support mandrel about the rotation axis in such a manner that the groove geometry of the support mandrel in a momentary cutting region is moved past the plurality of cutting blades so as to be congruent with the cutting edge profile of each cutting blade of the plurality of cutting blades.
2 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cutting blades are disposed relative to the support mandrel in such a manner that the plurality of cutting blades during the cutting procedure engage in the groove geometry of the support mandrel.
3 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an axial extent of the groove geometry of the support mandrel in the direction of the rotation axis, at least in portions that are aligned so as to be perpendicular to the rotation axis of the support mandrel, is 0.2 to 0.8 mm.
4 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cutting knife is configured so as to be modular and comprises a plurality of replaceable cutting elements which complement one another so as to form each cutting blade of the plurality of cutting blades.
5 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the slot geometry is defined by at least 1.25 revolutions of the support mandrel about the rotation axis of the latter, and in that the groove geometry of the support mandrel corresponds to a superimposition of the slot geometry during the at least 1.25 revolutions.
6 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the synchronizing installation comprises a synchronizing mechanism which mechanically synchronizes an axle of the rotatable mounting of the support mandrel with a movement of the transport installation along the cutting section.
7 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the synchronizing installation comprises a first electric motor for driving an axle of the rotatable mounting of the support mandrel, a second electric motor for the movement of the transport installation along the cutting section, and a control apparatus for synchronizing a movement of the first electric motor and of the second electric motor.
8 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the transport installation is configured as a rotary table, wherein a plurality of support mandrels are disposed along a circumference of the rotary table, and in that the plurality of cutting blades of the cutting knife extend along the circumference of the rotary table.
9 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the groove geometry is defined in part by a support section of the support mandrel.
10 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the groove geometry is configured to include inclined sections relative to the rotation axis of the support mandrel, wherein the inclined sections include an angle that is less than 90° and greater than 0°.
11 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the axial extent of the groove geometry is based on the cutting edge profile of the plurality of blades, the cutting edge profile including a superimposition of a longitudinal profile and a height profile, the longitudinal profile describing the cutting edge profile along the cutting section, and the height profile describing the cutting edge profile in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation.
12 . A method for producing a closure cap for a container, comprising the following steps: providing a closure cap blank; producing a locking ring by generating a slot geometry in a shell of the closure cap blank in a cutting procedure by rolling the shell along a plurality of cutting blades of a stationary cutting knife, said plurality of cutting blades extending along a cutting section and a cutting edge profile of each of the former corresponding to the slot geometry to be generated; wherein the slot geometry comprises portions which in relation to a rotation axis of a support mandrel extend at an angle of less than 90°; wherein a groove geometry of the support mandrel includes an axial extent, the groove geometry including (i) a first portion that is aligned so as to be perpendicular to the rotation axis of the support mandrel and having a smaller extent of the groove geometry, and (ii) a second portion that extends at an angle less than 90 degrees with respect to the axis of rotation of the support mandrel and having a larger extent of the groove geometry, to provide space for engagement of the cutting edges of the cutting blades due to rotational movement of the supporting mandrel; wherein the shell while rolling is supported by a support mandrel which is mounted so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis oriented perpendicularly to the cutting section; wherein a support portion of the support mandrel which during the cutting procedure lies opposite the cutting blade and by way of which the support mandrel in a momentary cutting region bears on a shell internal face of the shell, is interrupted in a region of the slot geometry to be generated by forming the groove geometry corresponding to the slot geometry to be generated; and wherein a rotating movement of the support mandrel takes places so as to be synchronized with an advancing movement of the shell along the cutting section with a rotating movement of the support mandrel about the rotation axis in such a manner that the groove geometry of the support mandrel in a momentary cutting region is moved past the plurality of cutting blades so as to be congruent with the cutting edge profile of the plurality of cutting blades, in such a manner that a portion of the groove geometry is disposed opposite the cutting blades at every moment during the cutting procedure in a momentary cutting region of the cutting edges.
13 . The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the plurality of cutting blades during the cutting procedure are each brought to engage with the groove geometry in the support portion of the support mandrel.
14 . An apparatus for producing a locking ring on a closure cap for a container, comprising: a) a stationary cutting knife having a plurality of cutting blades extending along a cutting section, the plurality of cutting blades each having a cutting edge profile and being configured to simultaneously penetrate a shell of a closure cap blank, each cutting blade of the plurality of cutting blades providing a slot geometry in the shell of the closure cap blank corresponding to the cutting edge profile of each cutting blade of the plurality of cutting blades so as to be between a main part of the closure cap and the locking ring, wherein the plurality of blades of the cutting knife are disposed on top of one another; b) a transport installation for transporting the closure cap blank along the cutting section, wherein the transport installation comprises a support mandrel for supporting the shell of the closure cap blank, in particular for supporting directly a shell internal side, in such a manner that the shell during a cutting procedure is rolled along the plurality of cutting blades, wherein the support mandrel has a rotatable mounting by way of which said support mandrel is mounted so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis oriented perpendicularly to the cutting section; wherein c) a groove geometry which corresponds to the slot geometry to be produced is configured in a support portion of the support mandrel which during the cutting procedure lies opposite the plurality of cutting blades, wherein the groove geometry includes an axial extent, the groove geometry including (i) a first portion that is aligned so as to be perpendicular to the rotation axis of the support mandrel and having a smaller extent of the groove geometry, and (ii) a second portion that extends at an angle less than 90 degrees with respect to the axis of rotation of the support mandrel and having a larger extent of the groove geometry, to provide space for engagement of the cutting edges of the cutting blades due to rotational movement of the supporting mandrel, such that the groove geometry of the support mandrel is configured so as to be congruent with a cutting edge profile of each cutting blade of the plurality of cutting blades when the support portion is moved past the cutting blade, in such a manner that a portion of the groove geometry is disposed opposite the cutting blade at every moment during the cutting procedure in a momentary cutting region of the cutting edge; d) the apparatus comprises a synchronizing installation by means of which an advancing movement of the transport installation along the cutting section is able to be synchronized with a rotating movement of the support mandrel about the rotation axis; and e) the cutting-edge profile of the cutting knife being constructed in a modular manner by assembling a plurality of rectilinear but relatively inclined portions of different cutting elements.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to an apparatus for producing a locking ring on a closure cap for a container, in particular for a beverage bottle. The invention furthermore relates to an assembly which for producing a closure cap for a container comprises the apparatus, as well as to a method for producing a closure cap for a container. PRIOR ART In order to ensure for users when buying a container such as, for example, a beverage bottle, that the container is still in the original state and has not been previously deliberately or inadvertently opened, closure caps for containers of this type are in most instances provided with a locking ring. This locking ring is connected to a main part of the closure cap that fulfills the closure function by way of a predetermined breaking point such that the predetermined breaking point is inevitably damaged when the container is opened and the initial opening of the container can be reliably identified from the outside. In order to guarantee this securing function, the locking ring when extracting or unscrewing the cap part is held on the container at least until the predetermined breaking point breaks. To this end, the container in an extraction direction on a neck on which the closure cap sits usually has an undercut, for example in the shape of a bead, the locking ring engaging behind the latter from below, i.e. counter to an opening direction. As a result thereof, when the closure cap is being removed, the locking ring resists extraction on the bead of the container such that the predetermined breaking point is torn open. For this purpose, an encircling, occasionally interrupted, beading which is folded inward is typically configured on the locking ring, the locking ring engaging on the bead on the container from the rear by way of said beading. It is also known for a thickened portion instead of a beading to be provided on the locking ring. In order to prevent the main part being able to be separated upon removal from the container, the predetermined breaking point can be configured in such a manner that a connection between the main part and the locking ring remains upon removal. In this case, upon removal of the main part, the opening of the container should be freely accessible, which is readily possible for example by designing the predetermined breaking point and the locking ring appropriately. Thus, in the context of an intended use, the main part is captively secured to the container via the locking ring. This is advantageous with a view to ecological sustainability, in particular with a view to reducing plastic waste which is disposed of in an uncontrolled manner, for example. A closure cap of this type is described, for example, in US 2016/0288961 A1 (M. J. Maguire). Here, a plurality of cuts are introduced into a closure cap blank, said cuts forming a predetermined breaking point in such a manner that the main part of the closure cap upon breaking the predetermined breaking point remains connected to the locking ring by way of a plurality of webs. Locking rings of this type are typically generated by cutting the predetermined breaking point into a closure cap blank. However, methods of this type are mostly imprecise, for example because the folded beading of the locking ring forms an imprecise cutting support surface. There is moreover the risk, for example, that the beading of the locking ring, or other parts, are damaged during cutting in the case of deviations in the closure cap blank, this potentially compromising the reliability of the closure cap thus produced. Other methods such as, for example, laser cutting, are complex and cost-intensive. There is thus a requirement, in terms of a simple and reliable possibility, for producing a closure cap having a predetermined breaking point, said closure cap overcoming the disadvantages of the prior art and in particular permitting complex slot geometries of the predetermined breaking point to be produced in a reliable and simple manner. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to achieve an apparatus as well as a method associated with the technical field mentioned at the outset, said apparatus and said method enabling a reliable and cost-effective production of closure caps having a locking ring for containers. The achievement of the object is defined by the features of claim 1. According to the invention, an apparatus for producing a locking ring on a closure cap for a container, in particular for a beverage bottle, comprises a stationary cutting knife having a cutting blade which extends along a cutting section and of which the cutting edge profile corresponds to a slot geometry that is to be generated in a shell of a closure cap blank so as to be between a main part of the closure cap and the locking ring. The apparatus furthermore comprises a transport installation for transporting the closure cap blank along the cutting section, wherein the transport installation comprises