EP1396430B1 - Apparatus for the production of hinged lid boxes - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method for producing (cigarette) packs of the type folding box with round or bevelled in cross-section upright packing edges - round edges or beveled edges -, wherein unfolded, flat blanks are preformed in the region of the produced round edges or beveled edges by means of rounding or Schrägformwerkzeugen and then processed in a packaging machine in the usual way for producing the folding box. Furthermore, the invention relates to a device for performing method.

Folding boxes for cigarettes in the form of round edge packs ( US 4753383 ) and octagonal packages ( US 4753384 ) are becoming increasingly popular on the market. In order to obtain precisely shaped round edges or bevelled edges in the production of this type of packaging, in particular the round edge packing, by means of a conventional folding box packaging machine, it is known to preform the unfolded blanks before introduction into the packaging machine by means of rounding - or beveled edge forming tools preformed the respective package edges and then the blank is introduced into the packaging machine ( US 5549537 ).

In this prior art device individual blanks in the range of leading to the packaging machine packaging web are subjected during a standstill phase of this pre-processing. As a result, the performance of the packaging machine is impaired.

The invention has for its object to improve the performance of a packaging machine for the production of hinged boxes with round edges or beveled edges in addition to increased quality of the molded packaging edges.

In order to achieve this object, the method according to the invention is characterized in that the blanks are deformed during continuous transport to form round edges or beveled edges and are then shaped back substantially into the flat starting position.

In the method according to the invention, therefore, the pre-deformation of the packing edges takes place during the transport of the blanks, ie during the conveying movement, wherein after the preforming process the blank is shaped back into the (approximately) flat starting position, so that substantially flat blanks of thin cardboard are available to the packaging machine whose structure has changed in the area of the round edges.

The inventive device is equipped with a preferably continuously rotating blank conveyor, in particular with a revolver, which has a plurality of receptacles or holders for each blank, each recording or each holder tools or organs are assigned, which during the conveyor or Rotary movement of the turret to perform the pre-deformation of the blank, in particular a complete rounding process.

Another special feature of the invention is that the blanks are transferred to a stacker after completion of the preforming process to form a blank stack. This is in the totality of a deformation in the In particular, one of the preforming of the round edges or diagonal edges opposite reverse deformation, so that blank stacks are formed from pretreated, flat blanks.

Fig. 1

eine Verpackungsmaschine in schematischem Grundriss,

Fig. 2

eine Einzelheit der Verpackungsmaschine gem. Fig. 1 in Seitenansicht gem. Pfeil II in Fig. 1, bei vergrößertem Maßstab,

Fig. 3 bis Fig. 6

Ausschnitte des Rundungsrevolvers mit Rundungswerkzeugen in verschiedenen Bearbeitungsphasen eines Zuschnitts, bei nochmals vergrößertem Maßstab,

Fig. 7

eine Stapelstation für Zuschnitte in Seitenansicht bzw. in Vertikalschnitt der Schnittebene VII-VII der Fig. 1, bei vergrößertem Maßstab,

Fig. 8

die Stapelstation gem. Fig. 7 bei veränderter Stellung von Organen,

Fig. 9

die schematische Darstellung einer Einzelheit eines (Rundungs-)Revolvers mit Getriebe zur Betätigung von Rundungsorganen in Seitenansicht.

Further features of the method and the device are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. It shows:

Fig. 1

a packaging machine in a schematic plan,

Fig. 2

a detail of the packaging machine gem. Fig. 1 in side view acc. Arrow II in Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale,

Fig. 3 to Fig. 6

Cutouts of the rounding turret with rounding tools in different processing phases of a blank, at a further enlarged scale,

Fig. 7

a stacking station for blanks in side view or in vertical section of the sectional plane VII-VII of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale,

Fig. 8

the stacking station acc. Fig. 7 with altered position of organs,

Fig. 9

the schematic representation of a detail of a (rounding) revolver with gearbox for actuating Rundungsorganen in side view.

The drawings relate to the processing of blanks 10 for the production of round edge packages ( US 4753383 ). In Fig. 1 is a plan view of a packaging machine 11, which is used for the production of (cigarette) packs of the type folding box. The packaging machine 11 has as a folding unit a plate-shaped, about an upright axis rotatable folding turret 12. These are the blanks 10 for producing the folding boxes supply.

For the production of folding boxes of the type round edges (or beveled edges), the blanks 10 are pretreated in the region of a forming unit 13. It is about preforming round edges 14, 15 of the blanks 10 by appropriate bending ( Fig. 5 ). The forming unit 13 is formed as a separate unit with a spatial distance from the packaging machine 11. The treated blanks 10 or blank stacks are transported by a blank conveyor, namely by a stack conveyor 17 from the forming unit 13 to the packaging machine 11 and the folding turret 12. The independent arrangement of the forming unit 13 thus alternatively allows the operation of the packaging machine 11 for the production of conventional folding cartons. In this case, the forming unit 13 can be dismantled or optionally moved.

The forming unit 13 is formed in a special way. Most important detail is an endless conveyor, namely a rounding turret 18. This is preferably driven continuously rotating, and that about a horizontal axis. The blanks 10 are fed one by one to the rounding turret 18 and conveyed along a partial circumference. During this transport route, the blanks 10 are processed, namely the round edges 14, 15 formed. For this purpose, the rounding turret 18 along the circumference with a plurality of equidistantly spaced holders provided for one (or more) blanks 10. These are radially directed suction holder 19, which detect the blank 10 in a central areas and through Fix suction air. The suction holders 19 are designed so that laterally area of the blank 10 are exposed, in particular the area of the round edges 14, 15.

To the holder or to each suction holder 19 include forming members, namely forming webs 20, 21 which are positioned on both sides of the suction holder 19 and (temporarily) extend exactly in the region of the round edges 14, 15, in the axis-parallel direction corresponding to Orientation of the Elongated Blanks 10. Each forming web 20,21 is provided with a sideways curve 16 about which a laterally projecting free edge strip of the blank 10 is formed to form the circular edge 14,15 (Fig. Fig. 5 ). The free edge strips of the blanks 10 are deformed to the extent that they are directed at an acute angle to the plane of the blank 10.

For the deformation of the blanks 10 18 forming tools are attached to the rounding turret, namely associated with each suction holder 19. These are rounding rollers 22, 23 in each case on both sides of the suction holder 19. The rounding rollers 22, 23 are directed axially parallel and in the radial direction to the rounding turret 18 and transversely movable. A starting position is in Fig. 3 shown. The rounding rollers 22; 23 have a distance from each other, the is greater than the transverse dimension or width of the blank 10, so that it can be applied to the suction holder 19 without being affected by the rounding rollers 22, 23. The rounding rollers 22, 23 are located in a position at a greater distance from the rounding turret 18 and on the radially outer side of the blank 10. The rounding rollers 22, 23 are then in a position with a smaller distance from each other and under contact with the radially outer Side of blank 10 moves ( Fig. 4 ). This is followed by a movement of the rounding rollers 22, 23 with deformation of a free edge strip of the blank 10 around the forming webs 20, 21 around. Accordingly, during the rounding deformation of the blank 10, the rounding rollers 22, 23 essentially execute a radial movement from outside to inside, so that due to the formed round edges 14, 15, edge-side limbs of the blank 10 are directed radially inwards (FIG. Fig. 5 ). The rounding rollers perform a rotary movement during this rounding operation, thus producing a rolling process on the outside of the blank 10. In the end position, the rounding rollers 22, 23 extend in a region between the forming webs 20, 21 and the rounding turret 18 (FIG. Fig. 5 ) again reducing the distance from each other, so that the free lateral strips of the blank 10 are "overblown".

The rounding rollers 22, 23 are then moved in the opposite direction at least with a greater distance from each other, such that side marginal edges 24, 25 of the blank on the circumference of the rounding rollers 22, 23 are supported ( Fig. 6 ). The form webs 20, 21 act in this phase in the recovery of the blank 10 in the (flat) starting position. For this purpose, the forming webs 20, 21 can be moved apart in the opposite direction, with the result that the blank 10 is brought into the extended position. This return movement of the forming webs 20, 21 is matched to the movement of the rounding rollers 22, 23. The preformed blank 10 can now be removed from the rounding turret 18.

The rounding rollers 22, 23 are mounted on suitable holders, which perform the described movements. In the embodiment shown, the rounding rollers 22, 23 are attached to angled support arms 26, namely on a suction holder 19 directed to the leg 27 of the support arm 26. The support arms 26 are movable by suitable transmission within the rounding turret 18 via curves by means of cam rollers in the manner described during rotation of the rounding turret 18. The deformation of the blank 10 takes place in one Turning of the rounding turret 18 instead, which corresponds to about three quarters of a turn.

Fig. 9 shows as an embodiment of a substantially housed within the rounding turret 18 gear for actuating the Rundungsrollen 22, 23. The support arm 26 is angled (within the rounding turret 18) to form a pointing in the direction of movement leg 52 whose free end is connected via a hinge with a Drive lever 53 connected. This is to actuate the support arm 26 substantially in the radial direction of the rounding turret 18 back and forth (positions according to dash-dotted lines). The movement of the drive lever 53 can take place via a guide roller (not shown), which rotates in a groove of the rounding turret 18. The leg 52 of the support arm 26 is connected to a pivot lever 54 which has a fixed pivot bearing 55. Fig. 9 also shows the movement curve 56 of the rounding member during the deformation of the blank 10, namely on the basis of a rotation axis 57 of the rounding roller 22, 23 on the support arm 26th

In the area of a loading station 28, individual blanks 10 are transferred by a transfer conveyor 29 to the rounding turret 18 or to a respective suction holder 19. The transfer conveyor 29 consists of (continuous) circumferential support arms 30 for each blank. At the radially outer end of the holding arm 30 is a respective suction member 31 is mounted to hold the blank 10 on a (printed) outside of the same. The retaining arms 30 are mounted on a circumferential retaining disk 32, such that the support arms 30 perform a pivoting movement (and a radial movement) as compensation when taking over a blank 10 and when transferring it to the rounding turret 18. In this example, the transfer conveyor 29 is equipped with four holding arms 30, of which one holding arm 30 is free after transfer of a blank 10 to the rounding turret 18 ( Fig. 2 ).

The blanks 10 are successively removed from the transfer conveyor 29 a feed conveyor 33. On this, the blanks 10 are positioned in sealing position, in an upright plane with the longitudinal extent transverse to the direction of movement. The blanks 10 are arranged so that in each case the printed outside are detected by the transfer conveyor 29 and the suction member 31. The blanks 10 are transported along a three-quarter circle and transferred to the rounding turret 18.
In the region of a removal station 34, the preformed blanks 10 are removed by a removal conveyor 38 from the rounding turret 18 and fed to a stacking unit 36. The removal conveyor 35 is formed in an analogous manner to the transfer conveyor 29, ie with holder arms 30 and suction members 31. At the moment of taking over a blank, this is positioned by the suction holders 19 of the rounding turret 18, the form webs 20, 21 and the rounding rollers 22, 23 in that a movement running in the opposite direction to the rounding process takes place, so that the blanks 10 are more or less returned to the original extended position ( Fig. 6 ).

It is on the one hand the creation of blank stacks 37 as a unit for the further processing of the blanks 10. On the other hand, the stacking unit 36 (additional) deformation of the blanks 10, by deformation of a complete Blank stack 37 ( Fig. 7 ). In the present exemplary embodiment, the blank stack 37 is subjected to a deformation which counteracts the pre-deformation of the individual blanks 10 in the area of the rounding turret 18, thus providing an additional contribution to the reshaping of the blanks 10 into a substantially flat starting position.

The stacking unit 36 consists of an upright stacking tower 38 with upright guide walls 39, 40 which rest against the cut edges 24, 25 of the blanks 10 running in the longitudinal direction of the blanks. Between the guide walls 39, 40 of the blank stack 37 is constructed, by feeding individual blanks 10 at the top. Lower boundary of the stacking tower 38 is a support wall or support wall 41. This is transversely movable to the stacking tower 38, can by transverse displacement from the region of the stacking tower 38 and the support position between the guide walls 39, 40 are pulled out, such that the blank stack 37 formed above the support wall 41 can be conveyed downwards. A special feature is that blank stacks 37 are successively formed in the stacking tower 38. As soon as a filling level corresponding to a blank stack 38 in the stacking tower 38 is reached, a second supporting wall 42 is retracted transversely into the stacking tower 38 by moving it so that subsequently supplied blanks 10 serve to form a subsequent blank stack 37 on the second supporting wall 42.

The finished blank stack 37 is transferred by downward movement to a conveyor, namely to a conveyor shaft 43. This consists of upright shaft walls 44, 45, which connect in a receiving position to the guide walls 39, 40 of the stacking tower 38. Below rest the blanks 10 and the blank stack 37 on supporting organs, namely support legs 46 of the shaft walls 44, 45th

The transfer of the blank stack 37 from the stacking tower 38 to the conveyor shaft 43 is effected by moving down the respective lower support wall 41, 42. The support walls 41, 42 and the guide walls 39, 40 are in the design, for example by comb-like design, coordinated so that the support walls 41, 42 moves within the stacking tower 38 downwards, in a lower end position ( Fig. 7 ) can be pulled laterally out of the stacking tower 38 or out of the conveying shaft 43 and moved back outside these organs into an upper initial position ( Fig. 2 ). The guide walls 39, 40 of the stacking tower 38 are oscillating transversely movable to facilitate the stacking and the downward movement of the blank stack 37 for transfer to the conveyor shaft 43.

The conveyor shaft 43 is part of a stack conveyor. In the embodiment shown, the conveyor shaft 43 is transversely movable and attached to a carriage 47 for this purpose. This can be reciprocated on a guide with guide rods 48 in the horizontal direction, namely from an initial position of the conveyor shaft 43 below the stacking tower 38 in a staggered Position ( Fig. 7 ). From here, the blank stack 37 is transported further and lifted out for this purpose from the conveyor shaft 43 by a lifting member 49. This is equipped with support pieces 50, 51 at the top and bottom of the blank stack 37. The support pieces are relative to each other and movable relative to the conveying shaft 43. For detecting a blank stack 37 in the conveyor shaft 43, the support pieces 50, 51 are moved up and down to the blank stack 37.

A special feature is that the support pieces 50, 51 exercise a dual function, namely serve as a molding tools for the blanks 10 and 37 for the blank stack as a whole. How out Fig. 7 it can be seen, initially only the upper support piece 50 is lowered onto the blank stack 37. Since this is supported on the opposite, lower side only at the edges, namely by the support legs 46, results in pressure transmission through the support member 50 in the central region of the blank 10 downward deformation of the entire blank stack 37 and thus a recovery of the blanks 10 in the flat initial form.

The finished blank stack 37 is now fed to the packaging machine 11 or the folding turret 12, in particular via the stack conveyor 17.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

cut

11

packaging machine

12

folding turret

13

shaping subassembly

14

round edge

15

round edge

16

curve

17

stackers

18

rounding revolver

19

Suction cup

20

lobe

21

lobe

22

rounding role

23

rounding role

24

edge

25

edge

26

Beam

27

leg

28

loading station

29

Transfer conveyor

30

holding arm

31

suction element

32

retaining washer

33

feeder

34

receiving station

35

off conveyors

36

stacking unit

37

blank stacks

38

stacking tower

39

guide wall

40

guide wall

41

supporting wall

42

supporting wall

43

production well

44

shaft wall

45

shaft wall

46

supporting leg

47

carriage

48

guide rod

49

lifting member

50

supporting piece

51

supporting piece

52

leg

53

drive lever

54

articulated lever

55

pivot bearing

56

motion curve

57

pivot bearing

Claims (13)

1. An apparatus for producing packs, in particular cigarette packs, of the hinge-lid box type with cross-sectionally round or bevelled upright pack edges - round edges (14, 15) or oblique edges - from blanks (10) in a packaging machine (11) with folding means, it being possible for the planar blanks (10) to be pre-shaped with the aid of rounding or bevelling tools in the region of the round edges (14, 15) or oblique edges and then to be fed to the packaging machine (11) for producing the hinge-lid boxes, characterized by the following features:

   a) the blanks (10) can be transported during the pre-shaping process by a continually revolving rounding turret (18)

   b) the rounding turret (18) has securing means (19) along its circumference for one blank (10) each,

   c) the securing means (19) are assigned shaping tools (20, 21, 22, 23) for the pre-shaping of the blanks (10),

   d) the blanks (10) can be pre-shaped during the rotational movement of the rounding turret (18) to form the round edges (14, 15) or oblique edges.
2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that each securing means for a blank (10), in particular in each case one suction holder (19), is assigned shaping tools (22, 23) arranged on both sides, in particular moveable and rotatable rounding rollers (22, 23) which, together with further shaping tools (20, 21), shape round edges (14, 15) during the rotary movement of the rounding turret (18).
3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each securing means or each suction holder (19) is assigned shaping members (20, 21) which are arranged on both sides of it and each have a sideways directed rounding (16) corresponding to the shape of the round edge (14, 15) which is to be formed, with the rounding rollers (22, 23) shaping the blank (10) around the rounding (16) of the shaping members (20, 21) in the region of the round edges (14, 15).
4. Apparatus according to Claim 3 or one of the further claims, characterized in that the shaping members (20, 21) can be moved transversely in a plane parallel to the blank (10) and/or more or less tangentially to the rounding turret (18), in particular can be moved apart from one another in order to deform the blank (10) back into an essentially planar starting position.
5. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or one of the further claims, characterized in that the rounding rollers (22, 23) are mounted on holders, in particular on supporting arms (26) which are connected to the rounding turret (18) and can be moved in the radial direction, and transversely thereto, in order to execute rounding movements.
6. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or one of the further claims, characterized in that the blanks (10) can be fed to the rounding turret (18) by a transfer conveyor (29) in the region of a charging station (28), and can be conveyed away by a removal conveyor (35) in the region of a removal station (34), in essentially planar form in each case.
7. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or one of the further claims, characterized in that, in the region of the removal station (34), the blanks (10) can be shaped back into the essentially planar starting form by corresponding relative positioning of the rounding rollers (22, 23) and/or of the shaping members (20, 21), in particular in conjunction with the removal conveyor (35).
8. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or one of the further claims, characterized in that the blanks (10) can be stacked to form blank stacks (37) in the region of a stacking subassembly (36), the stacking subassembly (36) having an upright stacking tower (38) to which blanks can be fed via an open, top side.
9. Apparatus according to Claim 8 or one of the further claims, characterized in that the stacking tower (38) comprises lateral, upright guide walls (39, 40) and at least one bottom supporting wall (41, 42) as a rest for the blank stack (37) formed, it being possible for the supporting wall (41, 42) to be drawn laterally out of the stacking tower (38) in order for the blank stack (37) to be conveyed away.
10. Apparatus according to Claim 9 or one of the further claims, characterized in that the stacking tower (38) is assigned at least two supporting walls (41, 42) which serve alternately as a bottom boundary or rest for a blank stack (37), it being possible for the respective bottom supporting wall (41, 42) to be moved downwards with the blank stack (37) in order for the blank stack (37) to be transferred to a removal conveyor, in particular to a conveying shaft (43).
11. Apparatus according to Claim 10 or one of the further claims, characterized in that the conveying shaft (43) can be displaced in order for the blank stack (37) to be transported away, in particular it can be displaced in the horizontal transverse direction and carries along the blank stack (37) in the process, the conveying shaft (43) comprising lateral shaft walls (44, 45) with bottom supporting means, namely supporting legs (46), for the blank stack.
12. Apparatus according to Claim 8 or one of the further claims, characterized in that the blank stack (37) can be deformed as a whole, in particular with the effect of reverse deformation of the blanks (10), at least one pressure-exerting means, in particular a supporting component (50), acting approximately centrally on the free top side of the blank stack, in the region of the conveying shaft (43), in order to transmit pressure to the blank stack (37), the latter being supported around the border on the underside.
13. Apparatus according to Claim 8 or one of the further claims, characterized in that the blank stack (37) can be transported away from the conveying shaft (43) by a lifting means (49) with supporting components (50, 51) gripping the blank stack (37) at the top and bottom.

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