Sealing station with a product protection plate

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a sealing station with a product protection plate fastened thereto, wherein a fastening mechanism used for fastening the product protection plate comprises a magnetic locking unit, a hook-in locking unit or a gravity locking unit.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sealing station for a packaging machine, wherein the sealing station comprises a sealing tool lower part for receiving deep-drawing troughs or packaging trays and a sealing tool upper part positioned thereabove with a heatable sealing plate which is configured to close the deep-drawing troughs or packaging trays received by the sealing tool lower part with an upper film, wherein a product protection plate is fastened to a lower side of the sealing plate, and wherein the sealing tool upper part comprises a fastening mechanism for releasably fastening the product protection plate to the lower side of the sealing plate, wherein the fastening mechanism between the sealing plate and the product protection plate comprises at least one magnetic locking unit for generating a magnetic holding force for fastening the product protection plate to the sealing plate, at least one hook-in locking unit for fastening opposite outer sides of the product protection plate to regions of the sealing plate facing the product protection plate, or at least one gravity locking unit which is configured to lock the product protection plate to the sealing tool upper part by means of a gravitational force exerted by the product protection plate in an assembled state and pointing away from the sealing plate positioned above it. 
     
     
         2 . The sealing station according to  claim 1 , wherein the fastening mechanism comprises the at least one magnetic locking unit, and the at least one magnetic locking unit comprises at least one permanent magnet fastened to the sealing plate or to the product protection plate. 
     
     
         3 . The sealing station according to  claim 2 , wherein the at least one permanent magnet has at least partially a plastic coating. 
     
     
         4 . The sealing station according to  claim 2 , wherein the at least one permanent magnet is completely embedded in plastic. 
     
     
         5 . The sealing station according to  claim 2 , wherein the at least one permanent magnet is fastened inside a recess formed on the sealing plate. 
     
     
         6 . The sealing station according to  claim 1 , wherein the fastening mechanism comprises the at least one magnetic locking unit, and the at least one magnetic locking unit comprises at least one component made of a soft magnetic material, which is fastened to the sealing plate or to the product protection plate. 
     
     
         7 . The sealing station according to  claim 6 , wherein the at least one component made of the soft magnetic material has at least partially a plastic coating. 
     
     
         8 . The sealing station according to  claim 6 , wherein the at least one component made of the soft magnetic material is completely embedded in plastic. 
     
     
         9 . The sealing station according to  claim 6 , wherein the at least one component made of the soft magnetic material is fastened inside a recess formed on the sealing plate. 
     
     
         10 . The sealing station according to  claim 1 , wherein the fastening mechanism comprises the at least one hook-in locking unit, and the at least one hook-in locking unit comprises at least one hook-in projection formed on a first outer side of the product protection plate and at least one elastic locking bracket formed on a second outer side of the product protection plate opposite to the first outer side. 
     
     
         11 . The sealing station according to  claim 1 , wherein the fastening mechanism comprises the at least one gravity locking unit, and the at least one gravity locking unit is configured to unlock the product protection plate in a dismantled closed state of the sealing tool upper part, when the sealing tool upper part is turned upside down, by merely pressing the product protection plate in a direction of gravity. 
     
     
         12 . The sealing station according to  claim 1 , wherein the product protection plate has at least two centering bolts. 
     
     
         13 . The sealing station according to  claim 1 , wherein the product protection plate has a lower side facing the sealing tool lower part in the assembled state and having a surface free of bores. 
     
     
         14 . The sealing station according to  claim 13 , wherein the product protection plate has at least two centering bolts. 
     
     
         15 . A packaging machine, which is a deep-drawing packaging machine or a tray-sealing machine, comprising the sealing station according to  claim 1 .