EP1593485B1 - Folder-gluer for producing folding boxes from blanks - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a Faltschachtelklebemaschine for the production of cartons of blanks and a method for changing the pitch of the blanks during processing in a Faltschachtelklebemaschine.

• Einen Einleger, der die zu verarbeitenden Zuschnitte mit hoher Geschwindigkeit aus einem Stapel nacheinander abzieht und einzeln der nachfolgenden Bearbeitungsstation zuführt,
• eine Faltstation, in der die mit einem Klebestreifen versehenen Zuschnittteile zur Herstellung einer Klebeverbindung um 180° umgelegt, also gefaltet werden,
• eine Überleitstation, die die gefalteten, mit noch nicht abgebundenen Klebenähten versehenen Zuschnitte in allen Teilen exakt ausgerichtet der nachfolgenden Sammel- und Presseinrichtung zuführt, und
• eine Sammel- und Presseinrichtung, in der zunächst ein Schuppenstrom aus gefalteten Zuschnitten gebildet wird, der anschließend zwischen Pressbändern für einige Zeit unter Druck gehalten wird, damit die Klebenähte abbinden.

Folding box gluing machines for producing folding boxes from blanks have, as is known, at least the following processing stations:

• An inserter which pulls the blanks from a stack one after the other at high speed and feeds them one by one to the following processing station,
• a folding station in which the blank parts provided with an adhesive strip are folded by 180 °, ie folded, to produce an adhesive bond,
• a transfer station, which supplies the folded, provided with not yet set adhesive seams blanks in all parts exactly aligned with the subsequent collection and pressing device, and
• a collecting and pressing device, in the first a shingled stream of folded blanks is formed, which is then held between press belts for some time under pressure, so that the adhesive seams set.

Depending on the type of box to be produced, the machine may contain other processing stations; for example, one or more primary crushers in which folding flaps are folded back and forth to soften and smooth the corresponding longitudinal score lines by 180 ° creasing, and further folding stations to perform additional pleats. At the beginning of a folding station usually an applicator is arranged for adhesive, which applies an adhesive strip on the folding flaps to be bonded.

The blanks are conveyed through the individual stations by driven conveyors. The driven conveyors are two or three conveyor belt pairs used, which are arranged with a transverse distance so that they lead the blanks from above and below holding.

The known Faltschachtelklebemaschinen included for the funding in the individual stations a drive motor as a common central drive, lead from the drive belt or drive shafts to the individual stations.

From the U.S.-A-4,759,741 is a folding box gluing machine known in the Taltabstände of blanks can be changed. For this purpose, the machine has several drive wheels for conveying means, which are each assigned to a processing station.

The invention has for its object to simplify a folding box gluing machine of the generic type constructive, better controllable and faster to make convertible and better to be able to influence pitches of blanks.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a method according to claim 1 and a device according to claim 2.

The use of electronically controlled highly dynamic individual drives enables the free arrangement of all stations required for the cutting processing relative to each other. A subsequent addition of processing stations or a change of position existing stations is possible with relatively little effort. In addition, the machine is quieter and the stopping times are drastically reduced, which increases safety. The number and complexity of protective devices can be greatly reduced.

The use of single drives reduces the number of components subject to wear and tear; e.g. Clutches, brakes, idler pulleys, intermediate drives, etc. Coupling with additional units (nozzle gluing units, gluing controls, code readers) is simplified and monitoring of the individual drives via remote maintenance systems is possible, and the machine becomes more accessible for retooling.

In addition, functional profiles can be assigned to each station in a common control device, which substantially increases the flexibility of the folding sequence (for example, inner folding, outer folding). Thus, long machines can be combined with many processing stations for shortest changeover times.

The dependent claims contain preferred, as particularly advantageous embodiments of a Faltschachtelklebemaschine invention to achieve individually or in combination the advantages described above.

Figur 1

zeigt in einer schematischen Seitenansicht einzelne Stationen einer Faltschachtelklebemaschine,

Figur 2

zeigt in einer perspektivischen Darstellung einen Teil einer Station.

The invention will be described with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1

shows a schematic side view of individual stations of a folding box gluing machine,

FIG. 2

shows a perspective view of a part of a station.

In the conveying direction (from left to right), the folding carton machine begins with an insert 1, which withdraws the blanks to be processed at high speed from a stack one after the other and feeds them individually to the subsequent processing station. On the insert 1 follow as the next processing stations two primary crushers 2, 3, the folding elements included to fold folding flaps back and forth. By bending by 180 °, the corresponding left-ridge lines of the blanks are made soft and supple.

On the primary crusher 3 follows as the next processing station, the folding station 4, at the beginning of an applicator 5 for adhesive, usually glue, is arranged. The adhesive applicator 5 contains glue nozzles or glue discs, of which the adhesive is applied in strips on the blanks. Subsequently, the folding flaps of the blanks of folding elements are folded.

The next station is followed by a transfer station 6, in which the folded blanks provided with not yet set adhesive seams are exactly aligned in all parts with a subsequent collecting and pressing device 7. In the area of the transfer station 6 facilities can be arranged with which the boxes are counted, marked and - if defective - are discharged. In the collecting and pressing device 7, a shingled stream of folded blanks is first formed, which is then held under pressure between press belts for some time under pressure, so that the adhesive seams to set. Finally, a packing device is often arranged, in which the flat-folded cartons are packed in cartons.

If required for the production of certain box shapes, the folding box gluing machine contains further processing stations, for example additional folding stations for carrying out further folding or a turning station for rotating the blanks about a rotation axis perpendicular to the transport plane, so that angled folding lines running in the direction of transport are rotated in one direction parallel to the transport direction before being folded become.

Each of the processing stations (feeder 1, primary crusher 2, 3, folding station 4, transfer station 6 and collecting and pressing device 7, and possibly other folding stations or a turning station) has its own driven conveyor to promote the blanks in the pass. The processing stations between the insert 1 and the collecting and pressing device 7, ie the primary crushers 2, 3, the folding station 4 and the transfer station 6, contain as conveying two or three parallel with distance from each other in the conveying direction extending belt pairs, each consisting of a lower Belt 8 and an upper belt between which the blanks are held and transported.

The insert 1 includes a lower belt conveyor, which consists of several, spaced apart conveyor belt. The belt conveyor pulls the blanks to be processed at high speed down from a stack in succession and supplies them to individual subsequent processing stations. The collecting and pressing device 7 includes two machine-wide belt conveyors, which are designed as press belts to keep the shingled flow of folded blanks during conveying under pressure.

In FIG. 2 a processing station is shown with two pairs of belts, with the upper funding has been omitted for clarity. Each of the lower conveyor belt 8 rotates a pulley 9, which sits transversely displaceable on a driven Vielkantwelle 10. Accordingly, the upper conveyor belts also circulate pulleys, which are transversely mounted on a driven Vielkantwelle. Both pairs of belts can be positioned transversely to their working position in the respective cut format adapt. The shaft 10 is driven via a belt drive 11 by an electric motor 12, which is attached to a side wall 13 on the longitudinal side of the machine.

Essential for the invention is that each processing station 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 has its own drive for their funding, which consists of at least one speed-controlled servo motor with resolver. In FIG. 2 the drive motor 12 is shown for the upper and lower pairs of belts. In the exemplary embodiment, each processing station with the exception of the collecting and pressing device 7 holds a servomotor as a drive. The collecting and pressing device 7 are associated with two drives, one of which drives the lower belt conveyor, the other the upper belt conveyor. Three-phase servomotors with resolver feedback are preferably used as drives in which the rotation angles are detected and used to control the motor. These motors are very accurately and quickly controlled and have at relatively low speeds, for example, 5 m / min, relatively high torques.

Due to the electronic control of the drives, it is possible to store information regarding the speed differences for repeat jobs required in the various sections.

1. a) Vom Einleger zum Vorbrecher, um die Taktabstände der Zuschnitte zu generieren.
2. b) Von der Drehstation zum Nachfolgemodul, um die Taktabstände zu verringern und damit die produzierte Stückzahl pro Stunde bei gleich bleibender Maschinengeschwindigkeit zu erhöhen.
3. c) Vom Vorbrecher zur Drehstation, um die Taktabstände für den folgenden Drehvorgang zu vergrößern.
4. d) Von der Faltstation zur Überleitstation, um die Taktabstände z. B. bei Einsatz von Auswurfeinrichtungen zu vergrößern.
5. e) Von der Überleitstation zum Abtransport, um die Schuppung der übereinander abgelegten Zuschnitte den Bedürfnissen anzupassen.
6. f) Die Geschwindigkeitsdifferenz von Obergurt zu Untergurt im Abtransport, um die Zufaltungen der Zuschnitte zu beeinflussen.

Speed differences occur between the following sections:

1. a) From the feeder to the primary crusher to generate the pitches of the blanks.
2. b) From the turning station to the successor module to reduce the pitches and thus increase the number of pieces produced per hour at a constant machine speed.
3. c) From the primary crusher to the turning station to increase the pitches for the following turning operation.
4. d) From the folding station to Überleitstation to the pitches z. B. to increase when using ejectors.
5. e) From the transfer station to the removal, in order to adapt the scaling of the superimposed blanks to the needs.
6. f) The difference in speed from upper belt to lower belt during transport to influence the blanks of the blanks.

All these speed differences can be controlled to ensure an optimal production process.

Furthermore, it is possible through the use of individual drives, the pitches of the blanks, which would increase with increasing machine speed due to the decreasing friction in the insert, thereby keeping constant that the insert speed is adjusted via a corresponding control system according to the changing pitches. This ensures an optimal production quantity.

Depending on the type of processing a blank on a Faltschachtelklebemaschine arise fixed predetermined cutting distances that could not be changed over the processing line so far, since the common, rigid drive a gluing machine offers no way to do so.

Are z. B. processed rectangular blanks with different side lengths and rotated by an angle of 90 degrees, so it has been necessary to set a blank spacing, which is at least as large as the largest length of the blank to be rotated.

Thus, if a blank is conveyed transversely into the gluing machine, then a minimum cut spacing must be set which corresponds at least to the length of the blank diagonals. A disadvantage of this operation, the friction collection of blanks by the depositor is considered, since the required cutting distances can be achieved only by the different speeds between depositor and primary crusher. This results in large cutting distances and large differential speeds, the larger they are left on the printed surface of the blank markings and belt drive.

Another disadvantage is the fact that additional equipment, such. As applicators for tape only up to limited machine speeds are operational and as a result, the number of blanks to be processed per hour due to the large cutting distances by up to 50% can be smaller than theoretically possible.

These can be eliminated if each module within a gluing machine has its own drive. This allows each module to run at a different speed within a gluer. This can z. B. a transversely retracted blank with minimal pitch from the insert are promoted, which has a gentle blanking treatment result. The required pitch is then generated only in the blanking module by the required cutting turning module runs faster than the modules located in front of the rotary module. The differential speed can be adjusted to optimize the blanking distance for processing the blank. All modules behind the rotary module could then again run a little slower, to bring the resulting due to the rotational movement larger cutting distance again to the smallest possible degree.

Even with blanks arriving in the longitudinal direction, the blank spacing can be changed again after a rotation in the transverse direction. For this purpose, all modules behind the rotary module can be slowed down together so that the lowest possible cutting distance is again achieved. This would have the advantage that optimal performance can be achieved when using an applicator.

Preferably, the associated control boxes 14 of the drives - as in FIG. 2 shown outside arranged next to the motors 12 and so cover their lateral outer end. The switch boxes 14 thus also serve as protection and prevent injuries to the operators.

Preferably, the drives 12 are arranged in the individual processing stations each on the same longitudinal side of the machine (= drive side) and the controls (touch screen, etc.) of the stations on the other side of the machine.

In addition to the drives 12 for the conveying means of the stations, further processing devices arranged in the processing stations, in particular the glue discs of a glue application unit and the rotating folding hooks of a overfolding, are preferably driven directly by correspondingly designed servomotors. A direct and separately switchable servo motor as a drive of the glue disc of a glue applicator is particularly advantageous because it allows interference by drying glue to prevent. In the case of the known glue application units without their own drive, the glueing disk is also stationary in the case of machine downtime, for example due to break times or machine malfunctions. The glue on the glue disc and in the glue pot starts to dry, so cleaning work has to be carried out to avoid malfunctions before recommissioning. The direct drive of the glue discs makes it possible to constantly rotate the glue disc through the glue pot, even during machine downtimes, in order to avoid dryness.

The Faltschachtelklebemaschine according to the embodiment includes a common control device for all drives, both for the drives 12 of the funding and for the drives of other processing equipment. The common control device is designed such that the drive of the conveying means in the folding station 4 is operated as a master drive. The drives of the conveyors of the other stations are dependent on the master drive, either controlled at the same speed or with a constant speed difference from the master drive.

This makes it possible to drive the conveyors in two successive stations with a constant speed difference in order to change the distance of the blanks during the pass. A reduction of the distance of the blanks by operating a subsequent station with a lower conveying speed is advantageous, for example, following a turning station in which blanks of widely differing length and width are rotated by 90 °. By rotating blanks that are fed towards their longer side by 90 °, their spacing increases corresponding to the longer side / shorter side ratio. This distance can be reduced to the desired level again by the subsequent station is operated at a lower conveying speed. Likewise, a higher speed in the subsequent station makes it possible to increase the spacing of the blanks, if this is advantageous for processing in the subsequent station.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

depositors

2

primary crusher

3

primary crusher

4

folding station

5

Adhesive factory

6

transfer station

7

Collection and pricing facility

8th

lower conveyor belt

9

pulley

10

Polygonal shaft

11

belt drive

12

drive motor

13

Side wall

14

switchbox

Claims (5)

1. A process for changing the pitches of blanks during processing in a folder gluer with several successively arranged work stations, each having at least one drive for their means of transport being designed as servo motors with a feedback system and a central controller for the drives, wherein the drive (12) of the means of transport in the folder station (4) is operated as master drive, comprising the following process steps:

   - specifying a user-definable pitch for the blanks in at least one predetermined random processing station,

   - determining the actual pitch in this and/or any previous processing station,

   - adjusting the speed profile for the transport of the blanks in the previous processing stations to achieve the predetermined pitch,

   wherein the drives for the means of transport of the remaining processing stations (1, 6, 7) are operated dependent on the master drive at the same speed or at a constant speed difference from the master drive.
2. An apparatus for carrying out the process of claim 1, characterized in that the drives (12) for the processing stations are three-phase servo motors with a resolver feedback system.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the drives (12) for the means of transport (8) in the individual stations (1, 4, 6, 7) are each arranged at the same longitudinal side of the machine and the controls are arranged on the other side of the machine.
4. The apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the control boxes (14) of the drives (12) cover the lateral outer end of the servo motors and so simultaneously serve as protection.
5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that in addition to the means of transport further processing devices are arranged in the processing stations, in particular the glue wheels of a device for applying glue, which are driven by their own servo motors, which are separately switched.

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