Plant and process for packaging products

Abstract

The present invention is relative to a plant (100) for packaging products (P) arranged on a support (4), said plant comprising: a conveyor configured for moving a plurality of supports (4) along an advancement path (A); a plurality of packaging apparatuses (1), each configured for engaging a portion of a film (5a) with a support (4) for making a package (40); a transfer device (30) configured, in at least one operative condition, for transferring a support (4) from said conveyor (30) to a respective packaging apparatus (1). The transfer device (30) comprises: a guide (31) exhibiting a tract (T1) transverse to the advancement path (A) of the supports (4) and fixed with respect to said packaging apparatuses (1) at least when the transfer device (30) is in the operative condition; a displacement element (32) engaged with the guide (31) and configured for being moved, at least when the transfer device (30) is in said operative condition, along said tract (T1) and for intercepting a support (4) on the conveyor (20), moving it to the respective packaging apparatus (1). The present invention also regards a packaging process using said packaging plant.

1 . A plant for packaging products arranged on a support, said plant comprising:
 at least one conveyor configured to receive and move a plurality of supports along a predetermined advancement path,   a plurality of packaging apparatuses beside the conveyor, each packaging apparatus being configured to receive at least one support bearing a product and to engage a portion of a film with said support for making at least one package,   at least one transfer device configured, in at least one operative condition, to transfer at least one support from said conveyor to at least one respective of said packaging apparatuses,   wherein the transfer device comprises:
 at least one guide including a tract transverse to the advancement path of the supports on the conveyor, said guide being fixed with respect to said packaging apparatuses at least when the transfer device is in said operative condition, 
 at least one displacement element engaged with the guide and configured, at least when the transfer device is in said operative condition, to be moved along said tract and intercepting at least one support on the conveyor to move the at least one support to the respective packaging apparatus. 
   
     
     
         2 . The plant of  claim 1 , wherein, when the transfer device is in said operative condition, the tract extends above the conveyor, wherein the displacement element, in the operative condition, is configured to be moved above the conveyor. 
     
     
         3 . The plant of  claim 1 , wherein the displacement element is movable along the tract of the guide at least between:
 a loading position in which the displacement element is spaced from a respective of said packaging apparatuses and configured for intercepting one or more supports, and   an outlet position in which the displacement element is placed in proximity to the respective packaging apparatus beside the conveyor.   
     
     
         4 . The plant of  claim 1 , wherein the displacement element is selectively movable with respect to the guide, at least between:
 an active condition in which the displacement element, when movable along the tract of the guide, is adapted to intercept the support moving on the conveyor, and   an inactive condition in which the displacement element, when movable along the tract of the guide, is adapted to avoid contact with the supports on the conveyor.   
     
     
         5 . The plant of  claim 4 , wherein the displacement element comprises:
 an engagement portion directly constrained to the guide,   an end contact portion, which, at least in the loading position, faces the conveyor and is adapted to intercept the at least one support on said conveyor,   wherein, in the active condition of the displacement element, the contact portion is arranged at a minimum distance from the conveyor less than a minimum distance between the contact portion and the conveyor in the inactive condition of the displacement element.   
     
     
         6 . The plant of  claim 1 , wherein the tract of the guide is rectilinear and extends across the conveyor up to at least one packaging apparatus. 
     
     
         7 . The plant of  claim 1 , wherein the conveyor comprises an operative tract extending along a plane and configured to move the supports along said advancement path, wherein at least one part of the tract of the guide extends parallel to the lying plane of the operative tract of the conveyor. 
     
     
         8 . The plant of  claim 6 , wherein the rectilinear tract of the guide is tilted with respect to the advancement path of the conveyor by an angle in a range between 10° and 80°. 
     
     
         9 . The plant of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of transfer devices operating at the advancement path of the conveyor, each transfer device being configured to move at least one support on the conveyor to a respective packaging apparatus. 
     
     
         10 . The plant of  claim 9 , wherein each transfer device is at least partly fixed with respect to the packaging apparatuses and is configured to deliver supports to only one of said packaging apparatuses. 
     
     
         11 . The plant of  claim 1 , wherein each packaging apparatus comprises:
 a lower tool configured to receive one or more supports,   an upper tool configured to engage a film portion with at least one support for making at least one package,   wherein the transfer device is configured to move at least one support from the conveyor directly on the lower tool of the respective packaging apparatus.   
     
     
         12 . The plant of  claim 11 , wherein the upper tool and the lower tool are movable with respect to each other at least between:
 a spaced condition in which the lower tool and the upper tool are configured to enable the positioning of at least one film portion and a support between said lower tool and upper tool, and   at least one approached condition in which said upper tool and lower tool are configured to enable the engagement of the film portion with the support and to define the package,   wherein the transfer device is configured to move a support on the lower tool in the spaced condition defined by said lower and upper tools.   
     
     
         13 . The plant of  claim 1 , further comprising a control unit connected to the transfer device, the control unit being configured to command the operative condition of said transfer device in order to enable the transfer of at least one support on the conveyor from said conveyor at a respective of said packaging apparatuses, wherein the plant comprises at least one sensor configured to emit at least one signal representative of at least one among the following parameters:
 a presence of a support within a specific passage section of the conveyor,   a relative position of a support placed on the conveyor with respect to at least one respective packaging apparatus,   a movement speed of the conveyor,   wherein the control unit is connected to said sensor and is configured to:
 receive the signal from the sensor, 
 command, as a function of said signal, the operative condition to the transfer device so that the transfer device can intercept at least one support on the conveyor in order to move it to a respective packaging apparatus. 
   
     
     
         14 . The plant of  claim 13 , wherein the control unit is further connected to the packaging apparatuses and is further configured to:
 receive a monitoring signal from each of said packaging apparatuses,   determine, as a function of said monitoring signal, an operative parameter of each packaging apparatus representative of at least one between the following operative conditions:
 a stand-by condition in which the lower and upper tools are in the spaced condition and the lower tool is adapted to receive at least one support, 
 a packaging condition in which the lower and upper tools are in the approached condition and are configured to make at least one package, 
   command, as a function of said monitoring signal, the operative condition of at least one transfer device so that the at least one transfer device can move at least one support at a packaging apparatus.   
     
     
         15 . The plant of  claim 13 , wherein the control unit is connected to the conveyor and is configured to adjust the movement speed of the conveyor,
 wherein the control unit is further configured to adjust the movement speed of the displacement element along the tract of the guide, wherein the control unit is configured to command a movement speed of the displacement element along the tract of the guide so that a component of said speed, parallel to the operative tract of the conveyor, is substantially equal to the movement speed of the conveyor.   
     
     
         16 . A method of packaging at least one product by the packaging plant of  claim 1 , said method comprising:
 moving, by the conveyor, a plurality of supports along the predetermined advancement path,   displacing at least one support from the conveyor towards a packaging apparatus by moving the displacement element along the guide of at least one transfer device,   wherein the guide has a tract transverse to the advancement path of the supports on the conveyor.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the displacing of the at least one support comprises:
 arranging the displacement element of at least one transfer device in the active condition;   intercepting, by the displacement element at least during the active condition, one or more supports on the conveyor;   moving the displacement element along the tract of the guide from the loading position to the outlet position, at least during the active condition, in order to arrange the at least one support at at least one packaging apparatus.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising monitoring, by the control unit, operative conditions of the plant,
 wherein said monitoring comprises determining at least one parameter representative of at least one of the following operative conditions:
 a presence of a support within a specific passage section of the conveyor, 
 a relative position of a support placed on the conveyor with respect to at least one respective packaging apparatus, 
 a movement speed of the conveyor, 
 a stand-by condition of at least one packaging apparatus in which the lower and upper tools are in the spaced condition and the lower tool is adapted to receive at least one support, 
 a packaging condition of at least one packaging apparatus in which the lower and upper tools are in the approached condition and are configured to make at least one package, 
   wherein the method further includes commanding, as a function of the operative conditions, the operative condition of at least one transfer device so that the at least one transfer device can move at least one support at a packaging apparatus placed in the stand-by condition.