US 12,454,380 B2
Method of operating a packaging line and packaging line suitable therefor
Daniel Gropper, Illertissen (DE); and Pascal Schilling, Leutkirch (DE)
Assigned to Multivac Sepp Haggenmueller SE & Co. KG, Wolfertschwenden (DE)
Filed by MULTIVAC SEPP HAGGENMUELLER SE & CO. KG, Wolfertschwenden (DE)
Filed on Nov. 16, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/511,013.
Claims priority of application No. 102022130350.0 (DE), filed on Nov. 16, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0158120 A1, May 16, 2024
Int. Cl. B65B 57/16 (2006.01); B26D 7/32 (2006.01); B65B 35/50 (2006.01); B65B 63/00 (2006.01)
CPC B65B 57/16 (2013.01) [B26D 7/32 (2013.01); B65B 35/50 (2013.01); B65B 63/00 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for operating a packaging line comprising:
a packaging machine having an infeed station in which a portion is stored on or in a package;
a single-track or multi-track slicing machine for cutting slices from a product calibre, including a discharge unit with a plurality of conveyor belts one behind the other for the slices, wherein the discharge unit is operable to form portions that each include a plurality of the slices placed at least partially on top of one another; and
a horizontal infeed unit downstream of the slicing machine in a direction of travel for buffering and feeding the portions to the infeed station by a plurality of conveyor bands, wherein, of the plurality of conveyor bands, those arranged within a buffer route and equipped with controllable servo drives comprise buffer bands;
wherein the discharge unit and the infeed unit together form a transport route for the portions, and where the method comprises: providing a controller configured to perform the following steps: operating the slicing machine in normal operation in which a cutting capacity is such that per track a number of portions present on the transport route corresponds at most to a number of deposit positions present in the buffer route for one portion each, the deposit positions being buffer positions; and
in a case of a foreseeable interruption of cutting operation of the slicing machine, in a preliminary period before the interruption, temporarily operating the slicing machine with a cutting capacity which is higher in comparison to the cutting capacity during the normal operation, that per track a number of portions present in the transport route reaches a special number which is higher by a predetermined special difference than the number of buffer positions on the buffer route.