Tube filling machine having an adjustable stroke, cam operated piston

Abstract

A tube filling and closing machine includes a material feeding device which comprises a container for the material to be packaged which opens into a cylinder in which a piston is movable backwardly and forwardly for taking in the material from the container and dicharging it out through a nozzle discharge into a package to be filled. The piston is moved by a connection to a piston rod which is connected to the piston and a valve is disposed between the filling line to the storage container for the material and a discharge line to a nozzle for filling the package. A mechanism is connected to the piston to change the stroke thereof for varying the quantity of material which is filled and this includes a lever arm which is connected to a fixed pivot at one end and its opposite end provides a journal for a rotatable shaft which carries a cam plate which is in engagement with a cam roller located at a fixed location. The cam plate drives a connecting rod by an eccentric or crank connection which is connected at the one end of a link which has its opposite end connected to the piston rod. A pivot bearing embraces the link and is movable therealong and it carries a pivot pin for a bearing block which may be adjusted by a threaded spindle for the purpose of varying the stroke of the piston. In an alternative embodiment, the shaft for the cam plate is mounted in a slide bearing.