CA1232786A - Prebreaker for a carton - Google Patents
Prebreaker for a cartonInfo
- Publication number
- CA1232786A CA1232786A CA000478740A CA478740A CA1232786A CA 1232786 A CA1232786 A CA 1232786A CA 000478740 A CA000478740 A CA 000478740A CA 478740 A CA478740 A CA 478740A CA 1232786 A CA1232786 A CA 1232786A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- prebreaker
- carton
- conveying means
- belts
- low pressure
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
- B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
- B31B50/00—Making rigid or semi-rigid containers, e.g. boxes or cartons
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
- B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
- B31B50/00—Making rigid or semi-rigid containers, e.g. boxes or cartons
- B31B50/74—Auxiliary operations
- B31B50/76—Opening and distending flattened articles
- B31B50/78—Mechanically
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
- B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
- B31B50/00—Making rigid or semi-rigid containers, e.g. boxes or cartons
- B31B50/002—Prebreaking
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A prebreaker for temporarily erecting a carton has a pair of divergent belts moving at different speeds. The faces of the carton are held onto the blanks by suction so that as the belts diverge the faces are pulled apart to partially erect the carton. An abutment surface is provided at the end of one of the divergent belts to force the carton back upon itself and fully flex the hinge connections between adjacent panels prior to transportation to a packing facility.
A prebreaker for temporarily erecting a carton has a pair of divergent belts moving at different speeds. The faces of the carton are held onto the blanks by suction so that as the belts diverge the faces are pulled apart to partially erect the carton. An abutment surface is provided at the end of one of the divergent belts to force the carton back upon itself and fully flex the hinge connections between adjacent panels prior to transportation to a packing facility.
Description
The present invention relates to a prebreaker for temporarily erecting a folded carton.
It is well-known to fold a carton from a blank to provide a generally planar flattened carton for ease of transportation to a packing plant. The cartons are usually folded from relatively stiff card with connections between adjacent panels of the carton being formed by score lines within the card. Additionally it is quite common to provide partitions within the carton that also may assume a collapsed position within the carton for transportation. At the packing plant the cartons are fed to an erecting machine where they are initially opened into a generally rectangular or square configuration and the end flaps of the carton subsequently folded prior to the insertion of the contents into the carton.
The initial erection of the carton is performed by swinging arms that engage the opposite faces of the carton and pull them apart to move them from a flat to a rectangular configuration. As this initial erection is part of the packing process it is important that each of the cartons be erected to the correct configuration to avoid any subsequent jamming or malfunction of the packing plant.
It has been found that the multiplicity of fold lines in the carton produces a relatively stiff structure that requires a considerable force to erect. Because of the forces involved it is not uncommon for the carton to resist opening to such an extent that the swinging arm loses contact with the face of the carton and fails to erect it. This causes considerable inconvenience as the whole of the packing line may have to be stopped.
Attempts have been made to overcome this problem by erecting the blanks by a hand after they have passed through the folding machine. This, of course, is labor intensive and is not entirely satisfactory as the cartons are relatively easy to tear and therefore be rendered unsuitable for further use.
It is has also been proposed to use mechanical arrangements to prebreak the carton after it has been folded.
However, to the best of the applicant's knowledge these mechanical devices have not been entirely satisfactory as they have a limited capacity or are unduly complex.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a prebreaker for a folded carton in which the above disadvantages are obviated or mitigated.
According therefore to the present invention there is provided a prebreaker for temporarily erecting a folded carton, said prebreaker comprising a first conveying means to transport a folded carton along a first axis, a second conveying means overlying said first conveying means and diverging therefrom from a nip, means to hold opposite sides of said carton in contact with respective ones of said first and second conveying means and drive means to drive said first and second conveying means to provide a difference in the axial velocities of said first and second conveying means whereby upon said carton passing through said nip, said opposite sides are moved progressively away from one another to erect said carton.
An embodiment to the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a prebreaker located at one end of a carton converting line;
Figure 2 is a view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 on an enlarged scale.
Referring now to the drawings, a prebreaker 20 is located at the end of a carton converter generally designated 22. Folded carton blanks 24 are delivered from between a pair of press belts 26 on the converter 22 to a transport belt 28.
The blanks 24 pass between the press belts 26 in a staggered configuration to provide sufficient time to permit the glue used during conversion of the blanks to dry. Located at the junction between the press belts 26 and the transport 28 is a fixed gate 30 having a lower surface 32 spaced from the upper surface of the transport belt 28. The clearance between the lower surface 32 and the upper surface of the transport belt 28 is sufficient to accommodate a single folded blank so that the gate 30 serves to separate overlapping blanks 24. The transport belt 28 is moving at a faster linear speed than the press belts 26 so that as the blanks 24 pass beneath the gate 30 they accelerate so as to be separated from one another.
The transport belt 28 delivers the blanks 24 to a lower conveyor 34 forming part of the prebreaker 20. m e conveyor 34 comprises a pair of laterally spaced support frames 36 having rollers 38, 40 mounted at opposite ends. The rollers 38 and 40 7~36 are mounted for rotation about an axis generally transverse to the axis of movement of the conveyor 34 and support an endless belt 42 that is entrained around them. Located between the frame members 36 is a vacuum chamber 44 connected through a hose 46 to an evacuating pump (not shown). The chamber 44 has an imperforate base 48 and an upstanding peripheral wall 50 that contacts the undersurface of the belt 42. The belt 42 is formed with holes 52 so that air may pass from the upper surface of the belt 42 into the chamber 44 to be evacuated by the evacuation pump. The roller 38 is driven by a motor 54 mounted to one side of the frame 36. An upper conveyor 58 similar to the conveyor 34 is located above the conveyor 34 and comprises a pair of laterally spaced support frames 60 with rollers 62, 64 mounted at opposite ends. An endless belt 66 is entrained around the rollers 62, 64 and is provided with holes 68. A motor 56 is supported on one of the frame members 60 and drives roller 40 to move the belt 66. Each of the the frame members 60 is cranked intermediate its ends to provide an inclined portion 70 and a terminal portion 72 extending generally parallel to the frames 36. Mounted on the frame 60 is a low pressure chamber 74 having base 76 and peripheral side walls 78. The interior of the chamber 74 is connected through a hose 80 to the evacuation pump.
An abutment 82 is mounted on the frame 36 adjacent the roller 64 to provide a downwardly directed inclined surface below the level of the belt 66. The frame 60 is supported by a pair of gantries 84 that are attached to the frame 36 by angle brackets 86. The gantries 84 support the roller 60 in close I I
proximity to the upper surface of the belt 42 so that a nip indicated at 88 is provided between the belts 42 and 66.
The drives provided by the motors 54, 56 are chosen such that the belt 42 has a greater surface speed than the belt 66. The difference in surface speeds is chosen to suit a particular carton 24 but with a conventional twelve bottle beer carton having dimensions 16" x 5 1/2" (inches) the relative belt speeds are found to be suitable 243 feet per minute for the belt 42 and 202 feet per minute for the belt 66. In this example the included angle between the belts is I
In operation the motors 54, 56 move the belts 42, 66 in the same direction but at a differential speed when measured in the direction of the arrow A in Figures 1 and 2. The blanks 24 are transferred to the belt 42 where they are carried to the nip 88. As the carton passes through the nip 88 the opposite faces of the carton are held on respective belts by the low pressure zone created by the chambers 44, 74. Thus as the belts diverge the carton is erected from the folded position to the upstanding position indicated in Figure 2. The faster velocity of the belt 42 in the direction of arrow A assists in the erection of the carton so that by the time it reaches the terminal portion 72 of the conveyor 58 the carton is substantially rectangular. The carton continues to be conveyed by the two conveyors until it contacts the abutment 82. The abutment is effective to force the interconnected walls of the carton beyond the perpendicular as indicated in Figure 2 and subsequently releases them to fold back to a flat configuration for collection and subsequent packaging.
The progressive erection of the cartons 24 is effective to create the initial folding of the score lines within the carton blank. The abutment 82 is effective to flex the cartons beyond their normal position to remove some of the memory within the carton material In this way it has been found that the subsequent erection of the cartons in the packaging plant proceeds more smoothly as any cartons that are firmly secured together due to misplacement of the glue or inadequate folding will be detected during the passage through the prebreaker and may be removed prior to dispatch to the packaging plant.
It will be apparent that the speeds and relative inclinations of the belts may be varied to suit particular cartons. Further, by virtue of the inclined portion of the conveyor 58 it will be apparent that the actual surface speeds of the belts 42, 66 need not differ provided there is a difference in the speeds when measured in the axial direction of one of the belts.
It is well-known to fold a carton from a blank to provide a generally planar flattened carton for ease of transportation to a packing plant. The cartons are usually folded from relatively stiff card with connections between adjacent panels of the carton being formed by score lines within the card. Additionally it is quite common to provide partitions within the carton that also may assume a collapsed position within the carton for transportation. At the packing plant the cartons are fed to an erecting machine where they are initially opened into a generally rectangular or square configuration and the end flaps of the carton subsequently folded prior to the insertion of the contents into the carton.
The initial erection of the carton is performed by swinging arms that engage the opposite faces of the carton and pull them apart to move them from a flat to a rectangular configuration. As this initial erection is part of the packing process it is important that each of the cartons be erected to the correct configuration to avoid any subsequent jamming or malfunction of the packing plant.
It has been found that the multiplicity of fold lines in the carton produces a relatively stiff structure that requires a considerable force to erect. Because of the forces involved it is not uncommon for the carton to resist opening to such an extent that the swinging arm loses contact with the face of the carton and fails to erect it. This causes considerable inconvenience as the whole of the packing line may have to be stopped.
Attempts have been made to overcome this problem by erecting the blanks by a hand after they have passed through the folding machine. This, of course, is labor intensive and is not entirely satisfactory as the cartons are relatively easy to tear and therefore be rendered unsuitable for further use.
It is has also been proposed to use mechanical arrangements to prebreak the carton after it has been folded.
However, to the best of the applicant's knowledge these mechanical devices have not been entirely satisfactory as they have a limited capacity or are unduly complex.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a prebreaker for a folded carton in which the above disadvantages are obviated or mitigated.
According therefore to the present invention there is provided a prebreaker for temporarily erecting a folded carton, said prebreaker comprising a first conveying means to transport a folded carton along a first axis, a second conveying means overlying said first conveying means and diverging therefrom from a nip, means to hold opposite sides of said carton in contact with respective ones of said first and second conveying means and drive means to drive said first and second conveying means to provide a difference in the axial velocities of said first and second conveying means whereby upon said carton passing through said nip, said opposite sides are moved progressively away from one another to erect said carton.
An embodiment to the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a prebreaker located at one end of a carton converting line;
Figure 2 is a view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 on an enlarged scale.
Referring now to the drawings, a prebreaker 20 is located at the end of a carton converter generally designated 22. Folded carton blanks 24 are delivered from between a pair of press belts 26 on the converter 22 to a transport belt 28.
The blanks 24 pass between the press belts 26 in a staggered configuration to provide sufficient time to permit the glue used during conversion of the blanks to dry. Located at the junction between the press belts 26 and the transport 28 is a fixed gate 30 having a lower surface 32 spaced from the upper surface of the transport belt 28. The clearance between the lower surface 32 and the upper surface of the transport belt 28 is sufficient to accommodate a single folded blank so that the gate 30 serves to separate overlapping blanks 24. The transport belt 28 is moving at a faster linear speed than the press belts 26 so that as the blanks 24 pass beneath the gate 30 they accelerate so as to be separated from one another.
The transport belt 28 delivers the blanks 24 to a lower conveyor 34 forming part of the prebreaker 20. m e conveyor 34 comprises a pair of laterally spaced support frames 36 having rollers 38, 40 mounted at opposite ends. The rollers 38 and 40 7~36 are mounted for rotation about an axis generally transverse to the axis of movement of the conveyor 34 and support an endless belt 42 that is entrained around them. Located between the frame members 36 is a vacuum chamber 44 connected through a hose 46 to an evacuating pump (not shown). The chamber 44 has an imperforate base 48 and an upstanding peripheral wall 50 that contacts the undersurface of the belt 42. The belt 42 is formed with holes 52 so that air may pass from the upper surface of the belt 42 into the chamber 44 to be evacuated by the evacuation pump. The roller 38 is driven by a motor 54 mounted to one side of the frame 36. An upper conveyor 58 similar to the conveyor 34 is located above the conveyor 34 and comprises a pair of laterally spaced support frames 60 with rollers 62, 64 mounted at opposite ends. An endless belt 66 is entrained around the rollers 62, 64 and is provided with holes 68. A motor 56 is supported on one of the frame members 60 and drives roller 40 to move the belt 66. Each of the the frame members 60 is cranked intermediate its ends to provide an inclined portion 70 and a terminal portion 72 extending generally parallel to the frames 36. Mounted on the frame 60 is a low pressure chamber 74 having base 76 and peripheral side walls 78. The interior of the chamber 74 is connected through a hose 80 to the evacuation pump.
An abutment 82 is mounted on the frame 36 adjacent the roller 64 to provide a downwardly directed inclined surface below the level of the belt 66. The frame 60 is supported by a pair of gantries 84 that are attached to the frame 36 by angle brackets 86. The gantries 84 support the roller 60 in close I I
proximity to the upper surface of the belt 42 so that a nip indicated at 88 is provided between the belts 42 and 66.
The drives provided by the motors 54, 56 are chosen such that the belt 42 has a greater surface speed than the belt 66. The difference in surface speeds is chosen to suit a particular carton 24 but with a conventional twelve bottle beer carton having dimensions 16" x 5 1/2" (inches) the relative belt speeds are found to be suitable 243 feet per minute for the belt 42 and 202 feet per minute for the belt 66. In this example the included angle between the belts is I
In operation the motors 54, 56 move the belts 42, 66 in the same direction but at a differential speed when measured in the direction of the arrow A in Figures 1 and 2. The blanks 24 are transferred to the belt 42 where they are carried to the nip 88. As the carton passes through the nip 88 the opposite faces of the carton are held on respective belts by the low pressure zone created by the chambers 44, 74. Thus as the belts diverge the carton is erected from the folded position to the upstanding position indicated in Figure 2. The faster velocity of the belt 42 in the direction of arrow A assists in the erection of the carton so that by the time it reaches the terminal portion 72 of the conveyor 58 the carton is substantially rectangular. The carton continues to be conveyed by the two conveyors until it contacts the abutment 82. The abutment is effective to force the interconnected walls of the carton beyond the perpendicular as indicated in Figure 2 and subsequently releases them to fold back to a flat configuration for collection and subsequent packaging.
The progressive erection of the cartons 24 is effective to create the initial folding of the score lines within the carton blank. The abutment 82 is effective to flex the cartons beyond their normal position to remove some of the memory within the carton material In this way it has been found that the subsequent erection of the cartons in the packaging plant proceeds more smoothly as any cartons that are firmly secured together due to misplacement of the glue or inadequate folding will be detected during the passage through the prebreaker and may be removed prior to dispatch to the packaging plant.
It will be apparent that the speeds and relative inclinations of the belts may be varied to suit particular cartons. Further, by virtue of the inclined portion of the conveyor 58 it will be apparent that the actual surface speeds of the belts 42, 66 need not differ provided there is a difference in the speeds when measured in the axial direction of one of the belts.
Claims (12)
1. A prebreaker for temporarily erecting a folded carton, said prebreaker comprising a first conveying means to transport a folded carton along a first axis, a second conveying means overlying said first conveying means and diverging therefrom from a nip, holding means comprising low pressure zones beginning at said nip and extending along each of respective ones of said conveying means to hold opposite sides of said carton in contact with respective ones of said first and second conveying means, said first conveying means being driven at a first axial velocity and said second conveying means being driven at a second axial velocity different from said first axial velocity whereby upon said carton passing through said nip, said opposite sides are moved progressively away from one another to erect said carton.
2. A prebreaker according to claim 1 wherein said conveying means are endless belts.
3. A prebreaker according to claim 2 wherein said holding means are low pressure zones provided at the suface of said belts.
4. A prebreaker according to claim 3 wherein said low pressure zones are provided by low pressure chambers located on the opposite sides of said belts to said cartons and said belts are perforated to provide communication between opposite sides of said belt.
5. A prebreaker according to claim 4 wherein said second conveying means includes a terminal portion extending parallel to said first axis.
6. A prebreaker according to claim 5 wherein an abutment is provided adjacent the end of said terminal portion to engage the leading face of said carton, said abutment being located closer to said first conveying means than said terminal portion to move interconnected panels of said carton beyond perpendicular.
7. A prebreaker according to claim 1 wherein said second conveying means includes a terminal portion extending generally parallel to said first conveying means.
8. A prebreaker according to claim 7 including an abutment surface to engage a leading face of said panel and move interconnected panels of said carton beyond perpendicular.
9. A prebreaker according to claim 8 wherein said abutment surface is located at the end of said terminal portion remote from said nip.
10. A prebreaker according to claim 8 wherein said conveying means are endless belts.
11. A prebreaker according to claim 10 wherein said belts are perforated along substantially the entire length thereof and pass over low pressure zones to provide said holding means.
12. A prebreaker according to claim 11 wherein the low pressure zone associated with said second conveying means includes a chamber having a pair of peripheral walls engaging said belt, said low pressure zone being effective to guide said belt along the divergent and terminal portions of said conveyor.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000478740A CA1232786A (en) | 1985-04-10 | 1985-04-10 | Prebreaker for a carton |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000478740A CA1232786A (en) | 1985-04-10 | 1985-04-10 | Prebreaker for a carton |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1232786A true CA1232786A (en) | 1988-02-16 |
Family
ID=4130226
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000478740A Expired CA1232786A (en) | 1985-04-10 | 1985-04-10 | Prebreaker for a carton |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1232786A (en) |
-
1985
- 1985-04-10 CA CA000478740A patent/CA1232786A/en not_active Expired
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |