BULK CONTAINER, SPECIFICALLY IBC COMBINATION, AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAME

Description

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a bulk packaging means, specifically an intermediate bulk container (IBC) with the dangerous goods code UN31HA1 or similar, according to the preamble of claim 1 and a method for manufacturing such an IBC according to the preamble of claim 9 and furthermore a method for converting to such an IBC according to the preamble of claim 12.

IBCs for transporting unit loads in the form of boxes or crates are known, for example, from WO 2004/022459 A2. For example, FIG. 26 of WO 2004/022459 A2 shows a construction of a hinged frame mounted on a pallet in the form of a crate or box, in which unit loads can be transported, which are held on the pallet by the hinged side walls of the crate there.

Intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), especially with the dangerous goods code UN31HA1, are also known and are used in particular for packaging and transporting liquid and free-flowing substances, for example. Such IBC combinations are usually used for the transportation and production of chemicals, foodstuffs, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals as well as agricultural goods and building materials. Such IBC combinations can have the dangerous goods code UN31HA1 and are then, unlike the crate-like IBCs disclosed in WO 2004/022459 A2, for example, approved in particular for the transportation of dangerous goods. Such use is in no way possible with the IBCs described in WO 2004/022459 A2 for design reasons alone, due to the hinged design of the box there.

IBC combinations, which are approved for dangerous goods, usually have a capacity of 500 liters (l) up to 3000 l, but also up to 5000 l or more if required, and consist of a pallet on which a mesh cage is mounted. Depending on the product to be packaged, a flexible or rigid packaging container can be arranged inside the mesh cage. The pallet of such an IBC usually has a base area of around 1.2 m² and has a length or width of around 100 cm to 120 cm. However, these dimensions are only rough guidelines and are intended to express the fact that IBCs are packaging containers that comprise bulk packaging volumes and are designed for a weight range from half a ton to several tons.

In addition, so-called IBC combinations are also known, which are essentially identical in construction to IBCs with the dangerous goods code UN31HA1, but which, depending on the requirements and contents, may not have corner and/or edge protection and, depending on the requirements and contents, may only have a lighter or thinner-walled and/or flexible inner container, although these somewhat lighter IBC combinations are subject to essentially the same stability requirements with regard to pallet deflection.

One problem with such IBC combinations known from the prior art is that these IBC combinations are suitable for holding and safely storing large quantities of filling goods with a corresponding weight and volume and must therefore guarantee a high degree of stability so that the IBCs do not deform too much or bend too much or, in the worst case, even break when full,

A particular problem arises when the IBC must be suitable not only for holding unit loads but also for holding liquids, as in this case the load forces in the area of the pallet center, where any reinforcements are intended to counteract the deformation work, are particularly high. This poses a particular problem for IBCs known to date for holding liquids and in particular for holding dangerous goods, among other things because it has been found that IBCs for holding unit loads are not suitable for holding liquids in the above-mentioned volume or weight classes due to the rather uniform surface load caused by solids such as filled steel drums, cartons or unit loads.

In order to meet the high stability requirements placed on the pallet supporting the IBC, such pallets were generally reinforced with metal, in particular steel struts and steel profiles according to the previous state of the art, wherein the pallet bases of conventional IBCs were often made of plastic, which had to be reinforced with metal, usually steel, to achieve the required stability,

However, such a mixed construction of plastic and steel parts has two major disadvantages, namely the high weight due to the metal and steel parts, and poor recyclability, as the plastic and metal materials always have to be separated before the pallets of the intermediate bulk containers can be recycled, which in cases where the metal has been integrated into the plastic is either very time-consuming or in some cases not possible at all.

The invention is based on the object of providing an intermediate bulk container which avoids the above-mentioned disadvantages, is suitable for holding dangerous goods and liquids and is also simple and inexpensive to manufacture and easy to recycle, as well as providing a method for manufacturing such an IBC and a method for converting a conventional IBC whose pallet has metal parts.

This object is solved with an IBC according to claim 1, a method for manufacturing such an IBC according to claim 9 and a method for converting an IBC known from the prior art according to claim 12.

In particular, the object is solved by an intermediate bulk container (IBC) having a pallet which has a pallet body made of plastic and a mesh cage, in particular a tubular mesh cage, made of metal which is attached to the pallet and in which an inner container made of dimensionally stable plastic or flexible materials is mounted, wherein the IBC optionally has a corner and/or edge protection and the pallet has at least one reinforcing strip made of plastic. According to the invention, the inner container forms a unit with the outer container, i.e. the mesh cage, which is essential for the IBC according to the invention,

An essential point of the invention is that the pallet body of which the pallet of the IBC consists is made purely of plastic and the pallet body is provided with at least one reinforcing strip made of plastic for manufacturing the pallet.

According to the invention, the at least one reinforcing strip made of plastic thus replaces metal parts which were previously necessary for reinforcing the pallet of the intermediate bulk container and which were previously necessary on the pallet body of known pallets for intermediate bulk containers.

In numerous tests, it has been found according to the invention that the use of such reinforcing strips made of plastic on a pallet for intermediate bulk containers leads in a surprisingly simple way to similar and better stability-giving properties of the pallet of an intermediate bulk container, as could previously only be achieved by metal parts, such as steel struts and steel profiles. According to the invention, the traditional prejudice that only metal reinforcements, in particular steel reinforcements, could be used to achieve such strength properties of a pallet for Intermediate bulk containers could thus be refuted.

A significant advantage of such an IBC according to the invention, which has a pallet provided with plastic reinforcing strips and a tubular metal mesh cage attached thereto, in which in turn an inner container which is impermeable to liquids is mounted or arranged, is that such an IBC is not only easy and simple to recycle, but is also suitable for containing liquids. Accordingly, according to the invention, an IBC is claimed which can be classified or classifiable according to the dangerous goods code UN31HA1 and is thus then suitable for accommodating, transporting and/or storing dangerous goods or, without such classification, is also suitable for accommodating, transporting and/or storing liquids and, optionally, free-flowing and/or pourable goods which are not subject to any dangerous goods regulations.

An essential point of these IBCs is that both IBCs according to the invention that are suitable for dangerous goods and essentially identical IBCs for non-dangerous goods, whose respective construction is essentially always identical and, in addition to a pallet that is stabilized with reinforcing strips against deflection, always have a mesh cage attached to the pallet, in which an inner container designed as a unit with the mesh cage is arranged. If dangerous goods are to be accommodated, transported and/or stored in the IBC according to the invention, the IBC according to the invention can also have corner and/or edge protection. In addition, the inner container of the IBC according to the invention can be designed to be somewhat more stable, in particular more dimensionally stable, and optionally thicker-walled than an IBC which is not intended for handling in connection with dangerous goods, if the IBC according to the invention is intended to hold dangerous goods.

Moreover, the present invention claims an IBC, a method for manufacturing such an IBC and furthermore a method for converting a conventional IBC to an IBC according to the invention, wherein the IBC claimed according to the invention is suitable for holding liquids without exception and thus fulfills special requirements for the tightness of the IBC. Thus, the IBC according to the invention can be tightly closed, unlike, for example, box-type IBCs, which may be open at the top and may not even have a lid.

According to one embodiment of the invention, at least one reinforcing strip is attached to an upper side and/or to a lower side and/or in a middle part and/or in a cavity or recess of the pallet body. In all cases of application of the reinforcements, it is important that the surface for application to the pallet is flat, even and not wavy in order to ensure the best possible connection between the reinforcing strip and the pallet.

In this way, it is thus possible according to the invention, on the one hand, to provide differently stable pallets for intermediate bulk containers and thus to be able to manufacture and provide the IBCs according to the invention specifically for different requirements and weight classes, in particular gross weights, and also to use the reinforcing strips necessary for the IBCs according to the invention sparingly, wherein the pallets of the intermediate bulk containers according to the invention are only reinforced at the points which are exposed to particular loads. Thus, depending on requirements, only the easily accessible lower side of the pallet body can be provided with one or, if desired, several corresponding reinforcing strips, while the top of the pallet body does not need to be reinforced at all. Conversely, according to the invention, it is also possible to stabilize only the upper side of the pallet body or both sides of the pallet body with one or more reinforcing strips. The same applies to the attachment of one or, if desired, several corresponding reinforcing strips in and/or on a central part and/or in a recess of the pallet body.

A particularly good reinforcement of the pallet of an IBC according to the invention can also be achieved by attaching one or more reinforcing strips to the side surfaces of the pallet body and fastening them there, so that they extend at right angles to the load on the pallet resulting from the weight force, Such a reinforcing strip attached to the pallet in a vertical direction counteracts deflection of the pallet under load particularly well.

According to the invention, the at least one reinforcing strip is bonded and/or welded to the pallet body and/or covered or surrounded on the pallet body with a plastic layer connecting the reinforcing strip and the pallet body, so that the reinforcing strip is practically enveloped by the plastic layer and connected to the pallet body according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In this way, according to the invention, it is extremely easy to attach the reinforcing strips required to reinforce a respective pallet body, or to manufacture the pallet from the pallet body and reinforcing strip, to the pallet body, for example by simply gluing the reinforcing strip to the pallet body. In order to improve the connection between the reinforcing strip and the pallet body, the reinforcing strip, which is itself made of plastic, can also be welded to the pallet body or surrounded or encased. The latter, i.e. welding or wrapping, is particularly advantageous according to the invention if both the pallet body and the reinforcing strip are made of sealable material, which can be welded together or the reinforcing strip can be joined by an equally sealable material in the form of a wrapping layer surrounding the reinforcing strip.

In order to achieve even better stabilization of the pallet of the intermediate bulk container according to the invention, the reinforcing strip can also be laminated to the pallet body and, optionally, covered with a plastic layer connecting the reinforcing strip and the pallet body, so that the reinforcing strip is invisible from the outside and only the laminating material and/or the plastic layer is visible.

According to an alternative embodiment, gluing and/or welding of the reinforcing strip to the pallet body can also be dispensed with if this reinforcing strip is exclusively molded to the pallet body with a plastic material and laminated to it or laminated into the plastic material.

Due to the fact that both the pallet body and the reinforcing strip are made of plastic, not only is the weight of the IBC according to the invention reduced compared to conventional IBCs, but its recyclability is also significantly improved, since it is no longer necessary to separate materials before recycling the pallet of the IBC.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the reinforcing strip consists of a flat structure made of a fiber composite material.

For its part, the fiber composite material according to the invention consists of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, in particular nylon6, nylon12 or nylon66, polyethylene terephthalate, glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polyphenylene sulfide and/or polycarbonate in combination with fibers made of carbon, glass, basalt, polyamide, in particular aromatic polyamide, a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) and/or ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE).

Depending on the product to be packaged and the stability requirements for the Intermediate bulk container, a suitable material combination can be selected for the reinforcing strip, which provides the intermediate bulk container with the required stability.

The stability-providing properties of the IBC according to the invention are derived from the tensile and tear strength of the fiber composite material used according to the invention, which is firmly and immovably bonded to the pallet body in the form of a respective reinforcing strip and forms a unit with the pallet body in the form of the pallet of the IBC.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the reinforcing strip is woven or knitted. For this purpose, the reinforcing strip comprises a plurality of individual fibers or individual strips which are woven or knitted together to form a flat body, which gives the flat body particular stability, in particular with regard to rigidity, tensile strength, drawability and spliceability.

In this context, it should be noted that the dimensions of the reinforcing strips used to manufacture the IBCs according to the invention are generally in a range from 3 mm to 100 mm, preferably in a range from 5 mm to 90 mm and particularly preferably in a range from 20 mm to 80 mm. The thickness of the reinforcing strips used according to the invention is preferably in a range from 0.5 mm to 6 mm, preferably in a range from 0.8 mm to 3 mm and particularly preferably in a range from 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm. According to the invention, the fiber volume is preferably in a range from 30% to 80%, preferably in a range from 45% to 65% and particularly preferably in a range from 50% to 60%. In addition to optimum stabilization of the pallet body of the IBC according to the invention, such a design of the reinforcing strips used according to the invention also ensures particularly good handling, in particular for attaching the reinforcing strip to the pallet body.

A further feature according to the invention, which contributes in particular to the ease of manufacture of the IBC according to the invention, in particular the pallet required for this, is that the reinforcing strip according to the invention can be attached to the pallet cavity by means of a self-adhesive material of similar or identical dimensions and can then be joined to the pallet body to produce the pallet virtually in a single work step.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the reinforcing strip has at least one self-adhesive surface or is alternatively or additionally attached to the pallet body, in particular to a cavity or the recess of the pallet body, by means of an adhesive, preferably a self-adhesive material, in particular a sheet material, which has the same dimensions as a surface of the reinforcing strip.

Furthermore, the reinforcing strip can alternatively or additionally be fixed in position shortly before and/or during the manufacture of the pallet or pallet body, for example by means of special vacuum devices in the pallet cavity.

Alternatively, the reinforcing strip can also be applied after the pallet body has been manufactured, preferably by welding onto and/or to the pallet body. In all cases of applying the reinforcements, it is important that the surface is flat, even and not wavy.

The basic body of the pallet, i.e. the essential elements of the pallet body, is/are retained. The surface(s) of the pallet to which the reinforcements are attached can be created by components and/or inserts in the injection mold during the production of the pallet.

In summary, it can therefore be stated that the IBC according to the invention has no reinforcements, in particular no metal struts, attached to its pallet, in particular by means of further connecting elements. This ensures that the pallet of the IBC according to the invention can be easily recycled.

Furthermore, the object according to the invention is also solved by a method for producing an intermediate bulk container (IBC) according to the above embodiments, wherein the following steps are carried out:

• • Producing a plastic pallet body;
  • Attaching at least one reinforcing strip to an upper side and/or to a lower side and/or in a middle part and/or in a recess of the pallet body for manufacturing the pallet; and
  • Attaching a mesh cage, in particular a tubular mesh cage, to the pallet; and
  • Adjusting and/or mounting an inner container made of rigid plastic or flexible materials in the mesh cage, in particular a tubular mesh cage, and
  • Optionally, attaching corner and/or edge protection to the IBC.

The attachment of a corner and/or edge protection to the IBC is carried out according to the invention in particular if the IBC according to the invention is intended for accommodating, transporting and/or storing dangerous goods, i.e. liquids that are subject to a dangerous goods regulation. In this case, the wall of the inner container can also be somewhat thicker and optionally somewhat more dimensionally stable than in the case of an IBC in which liquids not classified as dangerous goods are to be accommodated, transported and/or stored. In the latter case, according to the invention, depending on the wishes and requirements, a corner and/or edge protection can also be omitted, which, among other things, also serves to improve stackability as well as optimized fall protection.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the reinforcing strips can in principle be arranged at the same points of the pallet body at which the respective metal struts and/or steel profiles were arranged in conventional pallets known from the prior art; however, according to the invention, it is in principle possible to provide the pallet with respective reinforcing strips basically at all loaded areas and thereby stabilize it, wherein according to a further embodiment of the invention, an overlapping or intersecting arrangement of respective reinforcing strips on the pallet body is also possible in principle.

A particularly preferred arrangement of respective reinforcing strips consists, for example, in a placement of the reinforcing strips between respective outer, in particular two, skids or feet of the pallet and here again in a central region which is furthest away from the respective skids or feet of the pallet. The reinforcing strip can, for example, extend from one skid or foot to the other skid or foot or also enclose a respective skid or foot, wherein attention must be paid to the respective external dimensions of the bulk packaging means according to the invention, i.e. K-IBCs, so that their stackability and arrangeability next to one another is optimally ensured.

As mentioned above, in order to manufacture the IBC according to the invention, the reinforcing strips are connected to the pallet body by gluing and/or welding and/or attached to the pallet body by surrounding or wrapping it with a plastic layer connecting the reinforcing strip and the pallet body.

Furthermore, the object according to the invention is solved by a method for converting a conventional intermediate bulk container (IBC), the pallet of which has at least one metal reinforcement and a metal mesh cage, in particular tubular mesh cage, attached to the pallet, in which an inner container made of dimensionally stable plastic or flexible materials is mounted, and optionally a corner and/or edge protection, wherein the following steps are carried out:

• • Removing the metal reinforcement from the pallet of the IBC; and
  • Fastening of at least one reinforcing strip on an upper side and/or on a lower side and/or in a middle part and/or in a cavity or recess of the pallet body to reinforce the pallet of the IBC, preferably at least where the metal reinforcement was originally located.

In this way, according to the invention, it is also possible to convert or assemble existing IBCs known from the prior art in such a way that an IBC according to the invention is obtained with all its advantages. For this purpose, according to the invention, it is only necessary to remove the conventional metal reinforcements of the pallet of the IBC known from the prior art and replace them with reinforcing strips in order to make the IBC easy to recycle on the one hand and to significantly reduce the tare weight of the IBC on the other. The commercial advantages of the invention result in particular from the elimination of the steel reinforcement, which makes disposal and recycling of the pallet easier and its production more cost-effective and more sustainable due to lower CO₂ emissions, also by eliminating transport costs, in particular heavy components.

Further embodiments of the invention are shown in the sub-claims.

The invention is described below with reference to an exemplary embodiment, which is explained in more detail with reference to the illustrations, wherein the figures show as follows:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of an intermediate bulk container according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of a pallet of an IBC known from the prior art, wherein the pallet is provided with a metal reinforcement;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of a pallet of an IBC according to the invention as seen from above; and

FIGS. 4-7 show schematic illustrations of a pallet of an IBC according to the invention as seen obliquely from the front/above.

In the following description, the same reference numbers are used for identical and similarly acting parts.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of an intermediate bulk container combination according to the invention, having a pallet body 25 forming a pallet 20, to which a mesh cage 30 is attached, in particular screwed and/or clamped, into which in turn an inner container 35 is inserted, which forms a unit with the tubular mesh cage 30. The IBC shown as an example in FIG. 1 is an intermediate bulk container (IBC) with the dangerous goods code UN31HA1.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of a pallet of an IBC known from the prior art, on whose pallet top 40 of the pallet body 25 a metal reinforcement 70 can be seen, which secures the pallet against bending under load.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of a pallet 20 of an IBC 10 according to the invention in a view from above. It can be seen that reinforcing strips 80 are now arranged on the pallet body 25 at the sides of the areas where the steel reinforcement 70 was located in the prior art pallet according to FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4-7 show the pallet 20 of FIG. 3 in a schematic view of the pallet body 25. It can be seen that two reinforcing strips 80 are attached to the pallet body 25 in a central area between the feet 60 of the pallet 20. In FIG. 4, a reinforcing strip 80 is attached horizontally on the upper side 40, in FIG. 5 two reinforcing strips 80 are attached horizontally on the upper side 40, in FIG. 6 two vertically attached reinforcing strips 80 are attached in a recess in a middle part 55, or central area, and in FIG. 7 a reinforcing strip 80 is attached horizontally in a recess in a middle part 55, or central area, of the pallet body 25.

According to one exemplary embodiment of the invention, two reinforcing strips were arranged on a pallet 20 in an arrangement as shown in FIG. 3. The pallet 20 was then placed with its lateral feet 60 on two supports assigned to the respective feet 60 and loaded in a first test with a weight of 1060 kg and in a second test with a weight of 2100 kg in the form of water. A deflection of the pallet base was measured using a mirror and a laser sensor. It was found that the pallet according to the invention deflected by 10 mm when loaded with 1060 kg and by 11 mm when loaded with 2100 kg. This deflection of the pallet 20 essentially corresponds approximately to the same deflection of the pallet 20 when it is stabilized with a conventional C-shaped metal reinforcement 70 instead of a reinforcing strip 80 used according to the invention, in which the respective deflection values with all the disadvantages associated with the metal reinforcement were 8 mm and 9 mm.

Thus, the invention relates, inter alia, generally to the following:

According to a first aspect of the invention, a bulk packaging means (10), namely an intermediate bulk container (IBC), comprising a pallet (20) having a pallet body (25) made of plastic and a mesh cage (30) attached to the pallet (20), wherein the pallet (20) has at least one reinforcing strip (80) made of plastic,

According to a second aspect of the invention, a bulk packaging means according to aspect 1, wherein the at least one respective reinforcing strip (80) is attached to an upper side (40) and/or to a lower side (50) and/or in a middle part (55) and/or in a recess (55) of the pallet body (25).

According to a third aspect of the invention, a bulk packaging means according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the reinforcing strip (80) is bonded and/or welded to the pallet body (25) and/or is covered and/or surrounded on the pallet body (25) with a plastic layer connecting the reinforcing strip (80) and the pallet body (25).

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a bulk packaging means according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the reinforcing strip (80) consists of a textile fabric made of a fiber composite material.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, a bulk packaging material according to aspect 4, wherein the fiber composite material consists of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, in particular nylon6, nylon12 or nylon66, polyethylene terephthalate, glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polyphenylene sulfide and/or polycarbonate in combination with fibers made of carbon, glass, basalt, polyamide, In particular aromatic polyamide, a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) and/or ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE).

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, a bulk packaging means according to any of the preceding aspects, wherein the reinforcing strip (80) is woven or knitted,

According to a seventh aspect of the invention, a bulk packaging means according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the reinforcing strip (80) has at least one self-adhesive surface and/or is attached to the pallet body (25), in particular to a cavity or the recess (55) of the pallet body (25), by means of an adhesive, preferably a self-adhesive material, in particular a sheet material, which has the same dimensions as a surface of the reinforcing strip (80).

According to an eighth aspect of the invention, a bulk packaging means according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the pallet (20) has no reinforcements, in particular no struts, made of metal.

According to a ninth aspect of the invention, a method for producing a bulk packaging means (10), namely an intermediate bulk container (IBC), according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the following steps are carried out:

• • producing a pallet body (25) from plastic;
  • attaching at least one reinforcing strip (80) in each case to an upper side (40) and/or to a lower side (50) and/or in a central part (55) and/or in a cavity or recess (55) of the pallet body (25) for producing the pallet (20);
  • attaching a mesh cage (30) to the pallet (20).

According to a tenth aspect of the invention, a method according to aspect 9, wherein the reinforcing strip (80) is attached to the pallet body (25) by gluing and/or welding and/or to the pallet body (25) by coating and/or surrounding with a plastic layer connecting the reinforcing strip (80) and the pallet body (25).

According to an eleventh aspect of the invention, a method according to one of the preceding aspects 9 or 10, wherein the reinforcing strip (80) is held in position in the cavity or recess (55) of the pallet body (25) by means of at least one vacuum device shortly before and/or during the production of the pallet body (25).

According to a twelfth aspect of the invention, a method for converting a bulk packaging means (10), specifically an intermediate bulk container (IBC), the pallet of which has at least one metal reinforcement, characterized by the following steps of:

• • removing the metal reinforcement (70) from the pallet (20) of the intermediate bulk container (10); and
  • attaching at least one reinforcing strip (80) in each case to an upper side (40) and/or to a lower side (50) and/or in a central part (55) and/or in a cavity or recess (55) of the pallet body (25) for reinforcing the pallet (20) of the intermediate bulk container (10), preferably at least also at the point where the metal reinforcement (70) was originally located.

At this point, it should be noted that all the parts described above are claimed to be essential to the invention when viewed individually and in any combination, in particular the details shown in the drawings. Modifications thereof are familiar to the person skilled in the art.

List of Reference Signs

• • 10 Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC)
  • 20 Pallet
  • 25 Pallet body
  • 30 Mesh cage
  • 35 Inner container
  • 40 Upper side of the pallet body
  • 50 Lower side of the pallet body
  • 55 Recess/middle section of the pallet body
  • 60 Feet
  • 70 Metal reinforcement
  • 80 Reinforcing strips