EP0065055B1 - Wrap around type machine for automatically packaging articles such as bottles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic case-packing machine for objects such as bottles, of the so-called "wrap around" type, these objects arriving at the entrance to the machine in a standing position, this automatic case-packing being carried out from pre-cut blanks. made of cardboard or any other material, stacked flat inside a store, said blanks being intended to form cases having two large opposite sides each extended at both ends by two large flaps and two small opposite sides extended each by two small flaps, said flaps once folded constituting the top and the bottom of the box, each pre-cut blank comprising, in addition, a closing flap making it possible to assemble by gluing one of the large sides to a small adjacent side, and the machine comprising means suitable for carrying out the wrapping of the objects to be wrapped by winding as well as means for folding and fixing the flaps so as to obtain a full box d and above closed.

In the known machine of the type indicated above, the objects to be packaged are wrapped by winding, in a vertical plane, a cut, or precut blank, which is initially presented horizontally or vertically, which has the drawback that the finished box, formed around the objects, has a top which cannot be easily opened. However, when it comes to bottles, it is important that the user can access them through an upper opening of the packaging, and not from the side, which is certainly easier to open.

To avoid this drawback, one can think of packing the objects in the supine position, but this imposes on the packaging machine an additional maneuver, which can damage the objects, given that they arrive at the entrance of this machine in a standing position. . This is more particularly the case in the case of bottles which have been previously provided with a protective sleeve or band laid by an automatic machine such as that which is the subject of French patent application No. 81 -04774, also filed in the name of the plaintiff.

The object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks of the packaging machines of the prior art which are called "wrap around" and, for this purpose, a case packing machine according to the invention is essentially characterized in that said means suitable for carrying out the wrapping of the objects to be wrapped by winding are designed so as to allow the winding of the objects, the latter being in a standing position, in a horizontal plane from a pre-cut blank presented vertically.

This machine will also advantageously include means for guiding, folding, gluing and pressing, making it possible to automatically fold the flaps of the blank, or precut blank, their gluing and their pressing, in order to obtain a full box with flaps fixed in their closed position.

We will thus obtain, by a "wrap around" different from the known "wrap around", a kind of American box, automatically shaped around the objects to be wrapped, and that it will be easy to open from above, since its flaps will then be above and below the body, instead of appearing on its sides. This, of course, is obtained without at any time the orientation of the objects having to be changed.

• - la figure 1 est une vue d'ensemble d'une machine conforme à l'invention;
• - la figure 2 est une vue partielle montrant plus particulièrement l'arrivée des objets à emballer et la prise des découpes;
• - la figure 3 est une vue partielle montrant plus particulièrement la mise en configuration des objets et le transfert en position verticale de la découpe;
• - la figure 4 est une vue partielle montrant plus particulièrement l'introduction des objets dans la caisse en début d'enroulement dans un plan horizontal;
• - la figure 5 est une vue partielle montrant plus particulièrement le transfert de la caisse et des objets sur la bande transporteuse d'évacuation;
• - la figure 6 est une vue partielle montrant plus particulièrement le dépôt de la colle et la fermeture des rabats; et
• - la figure 7 est une vue partielle montrant plus particulièrement le verrouillage de la fermeture des caisses.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the schematic figures of the appended drawing in which:

• - Figure 1 is an overview of a machine according to the invention;
• - Figure 2 is a partial view showing more particularly the arrival of the objects to be packaged and the taking of the blanks;
• - Figure 3 is a partial view showing more particularly the configuration of objects and the transfer of the blank in the vertical position;
• - Figure 4 is a partial view showing more particularly the introduction of objects into the box at the start of winding in a horizontal plane;
• - Figure 5 is a partial view showing more particularly the transfer of the body and objects on the evacuation conveyor belt;
• - Figure 6 is a partial view showing more particularly the deposition of the glue and the closing of the flaps; and
• - Figure 7 is a partial view showing more particularly the locking of the closing of the boxes.

In the various figures, the same references have been used to designate the same members or elements.

1 designates the objects - in this case bottles - which are brought to the machine in a standing position on a conveyor 2. These objects are stopped by a vertical stop 3, and a blank 4 is extracted from the blank magazine 5.

Then, a transfer pusher 6 movable transversely in front of the fixed stop 3 allows the transfer of a certain number of the objects thus grouped, for example twelve in number, from a fixed table 7 to a table 8 movable transversely, in the direction of arrow f2 (see figure 4). When the transfer pusher 6 is in the advanced position (see FIG. 3), that is to say pushing the bottles onto the movable table, it constitutes by a front face 9 a stop for the following objects. The loading pusher secured to the movable table 8 and which has been referenced at 10 is then in the raised position indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3.

During these operations, the extracted blank 4 is brought to a vertical position and transferred in the direction of arrow f1 in front of the movable table 8, this passing between two transfer rollers 11.

Using the loading pushbutton 10 of the mobile table, which can pivot in the direction of the arrow f3, the bottles are then transferred from the mobile table 8 towards the inside of the box being formed, this is that is to say at the same time as the body 4 begins to be shaped around the objects by horizontal winding (arrow f4), this winding being produced by guides not shown. The lower flaps of the box close below the table 8, and the box is then transferred (arrow f5), still using the loading pusher 10, along with the objects it contains, on the table machine 12 transfer and evacuation. At this time (FIG. 4), the transfer pusher 6 has returned to its initial position (arrow f6) and a new batch of twelve bottles can be brought to the fixed table 7 (FIG. 5).

At this instant, three of the side walls of the box 4 are in their final position, and after the loading pusher 10 has returned to its high position, the last side wall 4a of the box 4 can also be brought into its final position. , under the action of a fixed folding guide 13 (Figure 6), due to the transfer of the box.

Reference 14 designates complete folding guides for the lower flaps, provided on the transfer table 12 (FIG. 4), and reference 15 designates a device for gluing these flaps; the reference 16 designates a gluing device for the upper flaps of the box (FIG. 6).

Also shown, in Figure 5, a sizing device 17 suitable for depositing a line of glue along the front edge of the cutout 4, which will allow the fixing on this edge of the closure tab 4b of the box .

The mobile table and the loading pusher move back to their initial position in order to resume a new loading cycle. Finally, in a known manner, thanks to fixed guides or the like, the upper flaps of the body (arrows f7) are closed, also after gluing, which can finally be removed (direction of arrow f8) from the machine , while its sides are pressed, the time necessary for the setting of the glue.

Claims (2)

1. A machine for the automatic packing of articles such as bottles (1), of the type called »wrap-around«, these articles arriving at the input (2) of the machine in the upright position, the automatic packing being carried out using pre-cut cardboard blanks (4) or blanks of any other material, stacked flat within a store (5), the blanks (4) being designed to form cases comprising two opposite large sides each extended at both ends by two large flaps and two small opposite sides eachextended by two small flaps, the flaps, when folded, forming the top and the base of the case, each pre-cut blank (4) also comprising closure flap (4b) enabling one of the large sides to be attached to an adjacent small side by adhesion, the machine comprising means (10) designed to carry out the packing of the articles to be packaged by wrapping and means (12-14; 15-17) for folding and fixing the flaps so as obtain a full case with its top and base closed, characterised in that the said means designed to carry out the packaging of the articles to be packed by wrapping are designed to enable the wrapping of the articles (1), which arrive in an upright position, in a horizontal plane from a pre-cut blank (4) arriving vertically.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that it also comprises means (12-17) for guiding, folding, glueing and pressing, enabling the flaps of the pre-cut blank (4) to be automatically folded, glued and pressed, so as to obtain a full case with the flaps fixed in their closed position.

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