Guide for stack of disk-shaped elements

Details Guide for stack of disk-shaped elements Guide for stack of disk-shaped elements

1990-12-07

1993-02-23

Kisliuk, Bruce M.

Sheet metal container making

Apparatus applying closure to receptacle

Closure or receptacle feed

1987353, B65G 1918

Patent

active

051884976

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is the national phase of PCT/EP/90/00504 filed Mar. 30, 1990 with a claim to the priority of German application 3,910,452 filed Mar. 31, 1989.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a guide for a stack of disk-shaped elements, such as covers for containers, in particular sheet-metal covers for cans.
2. Background of the Invention
Covers for cans are produced and used annually in the hundreds of millions. Although this is a mass-produced article, such covers are today highly developed and are subjected according to use to multiple production, treatment, transportation, and storage operations. This is true from the manufacture of the covers up to packing these covers in the form of stacks at the manufacturing location and also for filling plants where the covers, once again in stacks, must be transported from storage or supply regions at high speed and with great precision to other steps in the installation for fitting together with the respective containers or cans so that they can be closed up. The transport path in such a plant can be several hundred meters long. In addition the transport must take place frequently over several stories up or down and with movement through curves with direction change.
It is known to form the guides for this transport as troughs receiving the stack, which troughs are surrounded by a shell-like cage which is formed of longitudinal elements extending in the elongation direction of the guide and curved cross elements which hold together the longitudinal elements. Such guide systems are relatively expensive. The same is true for drive systems which are used with these guide systems in order to move the disk-shaped elements or covers along the guide for moving, accelerating, or stopping them.


OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a guide for the above-mentioned purpose which is extremely easy to manufacture and adapt to different applications and which ensures a simple and sure movement of the disk-shaped elements along the guide.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A transport system for a stack of like disks according to the invention has an elongated guide formed with a generally semicircular groove having a radius of curvature generally corresponding to that of the disks and a substantially circular-section passage having a predetermined passage diameter and extending parallel to and opening partially at a full-length slot into the groove. The slot has a predetermined transverse width substantially smaller than the passage diameter. A substantially circular-section and elongated guide strand in and generally filling the passage projects therefrom through the slot into the groove. The guide strand has a diameter greater than the transverse width of the slot and the strand is longitudinally displaceable in the passage and engages the rims of disks standing in the groove to displace the disks along the guide.
The longitudinally extending profiled element can have any length and can extend straight or can deviate from a straight line so as to be bent or wound downward, upward or to one side or another or can be steadily bent in any selected direction. The profile element can in a simple manner be made by any of the known methods, for instance by extrusion, extrusion molding, or simple molding. It can be made as a hollow tube out of light metal. Preferably it is however made of an antistatic synthetic resin or is coated with same. The disk-shaped elements can be set easily in the profile element in particular when the hollow cylindrical guide surface extends as seen in section over an angle of about 180.degree. or slightly more. If necessary the open side of the profile element can be covered in any desired manner. It is also possible in regions of the conveyor where there is a danger that the profile elements come out of the guide to extend the hollow cylindrical guide surface over an angle greater than 180.degree.. The guide passage for the flexible drive element lies preferably in t

REFERENCES:
patent: 670835 (1901-03-01), Bergland
patent: 3350842 (1967-11-01), Renish
patent: 4000709 (1977-01-01), Mojden
patent: 4230028 (1980-10-01), Knudsen
patent: 4883166 (1989-11-01), Whiteaker

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