EP2512792A1

EP2512792A1 - Working device and folding and gluing machine including such a device

Info

Publication number: EP2512792A1
Application number: EP10798960A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Lionel Cailloux
Original assignee: Bobst Mex SA
Current assignee: Bobst Mex SA
Priority date: 2009-12-17
Filing date: 2010-12-10
Publication date: 2012-10-24
Anticipated expiration: 2030-12-10
Also published as: BR112012014800B1; TW201127616A; BR112012014800A2; ES2566930T3; WO2011072824A1; CN102762363A; EP2512792B1; US9434120B2; TWI393628B; KR20120112577A; US20130017939A1; JP2013514202A; KR101473067B1; JP5621000B2

Abstract

The invention relates to a working device (1) to be used on cutouts running essentially in a planar manner within a folding and gluing machine, with the outer surface oriented downwards. The invention is characterized in that the working device (1) includes first turning means (10) capable of turning over each cutout so as to position the outer surface thereof on the top, transport means (20) capable of moving each cutout with the outer surface on the top, action means (30) capable of implementing at least one of the functions comprising printing the outer surface of each cutout on the one hand and monitoring the outer surface of each cutout on the other hand, and second turning means (40) capable of turning over each cutout again in order to reposition the outer surface downward.

Description

WORKING DEVICE AND FOLDING MACHINE

AND BONDING INTEGRATING SUCH A DEVICE

The present invention relates to a working device for printing and / or controlling cuts to be folded and glued to form folding boxes.

The invention also relates to a folding and gluing machine incorporating such a working device.

The invention finds a particularly advantageous application in the field of packaging.

In industry, the manufacture of folding boxes is traditionally done online, by folding and gluing cuts by means of machines commonly called folder-gluers. In order to be able to operate at high speeds, these machines are usually arranged in such a way as to cut the blanks continuously.

In practice, the cuts are generally packaged in stack, and introduced one by one from the bottom of the stack. Concretely, conveyor belts cause the cutout placed at the base of the stack, and a system of gauges blocks the cuts placed directly above this basic cut. In order to prevent the ends of the gauges from marking the external face of the cutouts, commonly called the printed face, said cutouts are stacked and therefore left with their external faces positioned below.

This type of folder-gluer however has the disadvantage of making difficult any operation at the outer face of the cuts, during the process of folding and gluing online. In particular, here we think of printing operations and / or quality control.

Indeed, an impression from above can be envisaged only when the outer face is accessible from above, that is to say once the box folded and glued. But at this point, the available area is significantly reduced since only half of the cut is turned upwards. This solution is therefore unsuitable to intervene on the entire outer face of the cut.

A print from below is not a viable solution, since it requires the implementation of printing and / or control means directly under the cuts. Gold because of the gravity, soils naturally tend to come clogging each print head and each control sensor used, with ultimately the risk of making them non-functional.

Also, the technical problem to be solved by the object of the present invention, is to provide a working device for intervening on cuts substantially flowing flat and outer face below, within a bending machine and gluing loaded with manufacturing folding boxes from said blanks, a working device which would make it possible to avoid the problems of the state of the art by offering the ability to print and / or control each blank in any point of its external face during the classic box-making process, while offering a perfect level of reliability.

The solution to the technical problem posed consists, according to the present invention, in that the working device comprises first reversing means adapted to return each cut to position its outer face on the top, transport means which are placed downstream of the first turning means and which are able to move each cut with its outer face above, suitable means of action performing at least one of the functions of printing the outer face of each cut on the one hand, and controlling the outer face of each cut on the other hand, during the movement of said cut by the transport means, and second turning means which are placed downstream of the transport means and which are able to return each cut in order to reposition its outer face underneath.

It is understood that throughout this text, the notion of control must be understood in the broad sense of the term, that is to say that it may relate to the quality of printing, and / or the positioning of the printing with respect to the edges of the cut, and / or the shapes and dimensions of the cut, and / or the possible presence of holes and other appearance defects, etc.

It is the same with regard to the notion of impression which does not take into account the technique of reproduction concretely implemented, and / or the surface of the external face which is really concerned. Moreover, in practice, it will mostly be a complement of printing rather than an integral printing, since the cuts used are traditionally pre-printed at their external faces.

The principle of 1 ¹ invention is therefore to return each cut a first time in order to access from above its outer face, then to return again said cutout so as to him allow to continue the classic process of manufacturing boxes which, remember, imposes a downward positioning of said outer face.

In any event, the invention as thus defined has the advantage of being able to print and / or control the external face of cuts, even within a folding and gluing machine which is designed to manufacture folding boxes from cutouts circulating external face below.

Another major advantage of the invention lies in the fact that the printing and / or the control can be operated at any point on the outer face of each cut. The intervention of the means of action takes place when the outer face is fully accessible, that is to say when the box is not yet formed but still in the state of cutting.

Finally, the invention makes it possible to use means of action implanted above the cuts, and therefore working from the top. This has the advantage of limiting fouling problems at each print head and each control sensor used. In the end, the risks of malfunctions or breakdowns are significantly reduced, to the benefit of the overall reliability of the work device.

The present invention further relates to the features which will emerge in the course of the description which follows, and which should be considered in isolation or in all their possible technical combinations.

This description, given as a non-limiting example, is intended to better understand what the invention consists of and how it can be performed. The description is further given with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a folding and gluing machine incorporating a working device according to a first embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of the folding and gluing machine shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows in detail the working device that equips the folding and gluing machine of Figures 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates the circulation of blanks within a working device which is in accordance with the first embodiment, but which is integrated in a folding and gluing machine arranged differently from that of FIGS. 1 to 3.

FIG. 5 shows the circulation of blanks within a working device according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Figure 6 shows the flow of cuts within a working device according to a third embodiment of the invention.

For the sake of clarity, the same elements have been designated by identical references. Likewise, only the essential elements for understanding the invention have been represented, and this without regard to the scale and in a schematic manner.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a folding and gluing machine 100 which is designed to manufacture folding boxes from cardboard blanks 110 which circulate within said machine 100, substantially flat and outer face 111 below. Conventionally, this folding and gluing machine 100 has a modular structure. It is in fact composed of several work stations 200, 300, 400, 500 which are juxtaposed but interdependent one by one to form a unitary unit.

There is thus a feeder 200 used to feed the machine 100 cutting by cutting from a stack 112, a breaking station 300 which pre-breaks some folds to 180 ° and then opens each cut 110, a folding station and gluing 400 which as its name suggests is responsible for gluing and folding each cutout 110, and finally a receiving station 500 whose function is to collect the folded boxes flat, and keep them pressed against each other others to allow the glue to dry. These different workstations 200, 300, 400, 500 being perfectly known from the state of the art, they will not be described further here, both in their structures and their respective operation.

But FIGS. 1 and 2 also show that the folding and gluing machine 100 additionally incorporates a working device 1 which is more particularly responsible for intervening at the external face 111 of the blanks 110. In this particular embodiment , chosen solely by way of example, the role of the working device 1 is both to print the outer face 111 of each cutouts 110, and then control the print quality.

In accordance with the object of the present invention, the working device 1 is first provided with first turning means 10 which are able to return each cutout 110 so as to position its outer face 111 above. But the working device 1 is also provided with transport means 20 which are placed downstream of the first turning means 10, and which are able to move each cut 110 with its outer face 111 facing upwards. The working device 1 then comprises means of action 30 which are able to print the outer face 111 of each blank 110 at first, and then to control the print quality of said outer face 111 in a second step ; these two successive operations being performed during the movement of said blank 110 by the transport means 20. Finally, the working device 1 has second turning means 40 which are placed downstream of the transport means 20, and which are able to return each cut 110 to reposition its outer face 111 below.

As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 3, the working device 1 is in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention.

According to a feature of this first embodiment, the first turning means 10 are able to move each blank 110 along a path describing a flat half-loop facing upwards (Figure 1).

This first reversal is therefore operated by continuous displacement of the blank 110, so that the first reversing means 10 are comparable to transport means. The trajectory followed by the cutout 110 can in principle be any, that is to say, before any flat, curvilinear and not necessarily purely circular, provided of course that it ultimately forms a half-loop. It is indeed important that at the end of the reversal, the blank 110 is in a position to continue moving in a direction which is parallel but opposite to the direction of initial displacement with which it had approached the first turning means 10. What that he or, after this first reversal, the cutout 110 is always substantially horizontal but this time with its outer face 111 facing upwards.

According to another feature of the first embodiment, the second turning means 40 are also able to move each cut 110 along a path describing a flat half-loop facing upwards (Figure 1).

Moreover, the comments made about the first reversal apply here in a rather similar way. The only notable differences are that at the end of this second reversal, the cutout 110 is in position to continue its displacement in a direction which is parallel but identical to its initial direction of displacement, and that its outer face 111 is found again downwards.

In a particularly advantageous manner, the trajectory followed by each blank 110 during a turnaround is preferably substantially semicircular. It should be noted that this characteristic can be applied both for the displacement generated by the first turning means 10 and for that provided by the second turning means 40.

This means that at the time of each reversal, the displacement movement of the cutout 110 corresponds to a rotation of about 180 ° about an axis that is perpendicular to the direction of initial displacement of said cutout 110. The path in the form of a half circular loop being regular, the displacement movement of the cutout 110 can operate uniformly, which facilitates all the reversal.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, in this first embodiment of the invention, the path of displacement associated with the first means turnaround 10 is purely semi-circular, while that corresponding to the second turning means 40 is a little more ovalized. In the latter case, this is due to the need to leave enough space for the implantation of the means of action 30 above the means of transport 20.

According to another advantageous characteristic, the trajectory followed by each cut 110 during a turnaround, is in a plane which is substantially perpendicular to the plane of displacement of said cutout 110 before said reversal. Here again, this characteristic can be applied both to the displacement generated by the first turning means 10 and to that provided by the second turning means 40.

The advantage of such a property is to guarantee that the different displacements of the blank 110, within the working device 1, will all be along coplanar paths which extend in the vertical plane of the folding machine and This allows the final to be able to have a working device 1 whose transverse size does not exceed that of the folding and gluing machine 100.

Thus, in this first embodiment of the invention, the idea is to move each blank 110 along an S-path. The advantage of this solution is to remain in the plane of the machine 100, which allows a simpler realization.

According to another feature of the first embodiment, the working device 1 is further provided with additional transport means 50 which are placed downstream of the second turning means 40, and which are able to return each blank 110 to level of the initial displacement plane in which it circulated before the first reversing means 10. This feature makes the working device 1 a real module, that is to say, a set capable of integrating without any major adaptation in a 100 standard folding and gluing machine.

As can be seen clearly in Figure 3, the transport means 20 are arranged to move each blank 110 in a substantially horizontal plane.

Particularly advantageously, the transport means 20 are capable of holding each cutout 110 from below. This feature allows to leave the outer face of the cutout fully accessible. The printing and / or control by the action means 30 can thus be performed at any point on the outer face.

According to another advantageous feature visible in FIG. 3, the working device 1 further comprises first alignment means 60 which are placed downstream of the first turning means 10, and which are able to realign each blank 110 before The intervention of the means of action 30. The presence of these first alignment means 60 appears essential here since the operations that will take place immediately after, namely the printing and the control, require a very great precision.

In a similar way, and although this is not the case here, the working device 1 could also have second aligning means downstream of the second turning means 40. Their function would then be to realign each cut 110 before it leaves the working device 1. The the presence of such second alignment means proves to be less relevant than before, since the subsequent operation, namely folding, requires a much lower level of accuracy.

According to a feature of the invention not shown but perfectly compatible with the first embodiment of the invention of FIGS. 1 to 3, the working device 1 may be provided with means of derivations capable of directly moving each blank 110 of FIG. a starting position located upstream of the first turning means 10, at an arrival position located downstream of the additional transport means 50.

This feature makes it possible to short-circuit the working device 1, by deflecting the flow of the blanks 110 even before the latter arrive at the first turning means 10, and reintroducing it at the output of the working device 1. Such a feature finds its full usefulness for certain works requiring neither printing nor control. In any case, this gives the folding and gluing machine 100 a great deal of flexibility as a whole.

In the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3, the first turning means 10, the second turning means 40 and the additional transport means 50 are of conventional invoice. Indeed, all use the combined action of several belts or belts 70, 80, 90 which are guided by a plurality of rollers 71, 81, 91 or appropriately distributed rollers, and which are driven in displacement by a motor shaft. 72, 82, 92.

Thus, firstly, there is a first belt 70 which cooperates with a plurality of rollers 71 and with a drive shaft 72, which is associated essentially with the first turning means 10. There is also the presence of a second belt 80 which cooperates with a plurality of rollers 81 and with a drive shaft 82 , and which is associated essentially with the second turning means 40. Finally, there is the existence of a third belt 90 which cooperates with a plurality of rollers 91 and with a drive shaft 92, which is associated with both the first turning means 10 and the second turning means 40.

The means of action 30 comprise for their part a first printing head 31, a second printing head 32, a drying member 33 and an optical control sensor 34.

In the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3, the working device 1 is integrated between the feeder 200 and the breaking station 300. Figure 4 shows a particularly advantageous variant of implantation, which is remarkable in that that the working device 1 is this time interposed between the breaking station 300 and the folding and gluing station 400. The major advantage of such an implementation is that it allows somehow to integrate the station of breaking 300 under the working device 1, which allows to compact longitudinally all significantly. With the positioning of the first turning means 10 just after the pre-breaking of the folds, it is also possible to advantageously use the first turn to perfectly straighten each blank 110.

It should be noted that Figure 4 is an extremely schematic illustration given that for the sake of clarity, only the circulation of the blanks 110 within a working device has been shown. This is why the arrows of most references do not point structural elements, but the respective locations of the latter in relation to the flow of the cuts 110.

Figure 5 illustrates a second embodiment of the invention. This is also a schematic illustration, where only the circulation of the blanks 110 has been represented in a working device 1.

According to a feature of this second embodiment, the first turning means 10 are able to move each blank 110 along a path describing a semi-loop of substantially helical shape and oriented upwards. In other words, the trajectory followed by the cutout 110 is not flat but corresponds to a left curve arch shaped half-loop.

According to another feature of this second embodiment, the second turning means 40 are in turn able to move each blank 110 along a path describing a half-loop of substantially helical and downwardly oriented.

Preferably, the trajectory followed by each cut 110 during a turnaround is in the form of a helix segment. Once again, the characteristic can be applied indifferently to the displacement generated by the first turning means 10, and / or to that provided by the second turning means 40.

At the time of each reversal, the movement of the blank 110 takes place according to a movement that simultaneously combines a rotation and a translation along the same axis which s ¹ extends perpendicularly to the axis of the bending machine and adhesive 100. The movement path of cutouts 110 is similar to a circular half-loop, but it is part of the three dimensions of space. This means that irrespective of the turns, the trajectory shifts transversely as the cuts 110 advance within the working device 1.

It should be noted that in this second embodiment, given the helical nature of the reversal paths of the blanks 110, it is particularly advantageous to provide alignment means both downstream of the first reversing means 10, downstream of the second turning means 40.

FIG. 5 makes it clear that this second embodiment amounts to making a sort of slightly off-axis looping at each blank 110, thereby causing a lateral shift of the flow of circulation. Such a solution therefore makes it possible to advance the feeder 200, and therefore to reduce the length of the machine 100 as a whole, even if it is a little to the detriment of the width. Another advantage relates to the fact that the second embodiment makes it possible to improve accessibility to the pre-breaking zone and to the printing and / or quality control zone.

Figure 6 shows a third embodiment of the invention. This is again a schematic illustration in which only the flow of the blanks 110 has been represented in the working device 1. According to a feature of this third embodiment, the first turning means 10 are able to move each cutout 110 in a movement associating a translation and a rotation relative to the same axis which is parallel to the general direction of advancement of cutouts 110 in the working device 1.

In such a displacement movement, the rotation is used directly to turn over, while the translation makes it possible to preserve the continuous character of the working process which is carried out within the working device 1. It should also be noted that the rotation is nearly 180 °, it can operate either clockwise or counterclockwise as in the example of Figure 6.

According to another feature of this third embodiment, the second turning means 40 are also able to move each cutout 110 in a movement associating a translation and a rotation with respect to the same axis which is parallel to the general direction of rotation. advancement of the blanks 110 in the working device 1.

Thus, and in order to schematize, the principle of the third embodiment consists in making each half-turn 110 make two half-spins in the axis of the machine 100. The major advantage of this solution is that it offers perfect accessibility, being given that the whole process of manufacturing boxes is then at the same level.

Of course, the invention more generally relates to any folding and gluing machine 100 able to manufacture folding boxes from cuts 110 flowing substantially flat and facing. external 111 below, and having at least one working device 1 as previously described.

It is known that, by definition, this type of folding and gluing machine 100 systematically incorporates a folding and gluing station 400 of the blanks 110. Also, and according to a feature of the invention, the working device 1 is preferably placed upstream of said folding and gluing station 400, according to the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3.

These three representations also show that in the case where the folding and gluing machine 100 also has a breakout station 300 of the blanks 110, which is positioned upstream of the folding and gluing station 400, the device 1 can be placed upstream of said breaking station 300.

FIG. 4 for its part shows that with the same initial hypothesis, that is to say the presence of a breaking station 300 of the blanks 110 upstream of the folding and gluing station 400, it is also possible to interpose the working device 1 between said breaking station 300 and said folding and gluing station 400. This is also a preferred embodiment, because of the gain in compactness longitudinal that it provides.

Claims

1. Work device (1) for intervening on cuts (110) flowing substantially flat and outer face (111) below, within a folding and gluing machine (100) responsible for manufacturing folding boxes from said cutouts (110), characterized in that the working device (1) comprises first turning means (10) able to return each cutout (110) in order to position its outer face (111) on the top, means for transport (20) which are placed downstream of the first turning means (10) and which are able to move each cutout (110) with its outer face (111) above, means of action (30) able to accomplish least one of the functions of printing the outer face (111) of each blank (110) on the one hand, and controlling the outer face (111) of each blank (110) on the other hand, during the movement of said cutting (110) by the transport means (20), as well as second means for turn (40) which are placed downstream of the transport means (20) and which are able to return each cut (110) to reposition its outer face (111) below.

2. Work device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first turning means (10) are adapted to move each cutout (110) along a path describing a half-flat loop facing upwards.

3. Work device (1) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the second turning means (40) are adapted to moving each cutout (110) along a path describing a half-flat loop facing upwards.

4. Work device (1) according to any one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the path followed by each cut (110) during a reversal is substantially semicircular.

5. Work device (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the path followed by each cut (110) during a reversal, is in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of displacement said cutout (110) before said reversal.

6. Work device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises additional transport means (50) which are placed downstream of the second turning means (40), and which are capable of bringing each cutout (110) back to the level of the initial displacement plane in which it was traveling before the first turning means (10).

7. Work device (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises branch means adapted to move each cut (110) directly from a starting position located upstream of the first turning means (10). at an arrival position downstream of the additional transport means (50).

8. Work device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first means of rollover (10) are able to move each cutout (110) along a path describing a half-loop of substantially helical shape and oriented upwards.

9. Work device (1) according to one of claims 1 or 8, characterized in that the second turning means (40) are adapted to move each cutout (110) along a path describing a half-loop substantially shaped helical and downward.

10. Work device (1) according to one of claims 8 or 9, characterized in that the path followed by each cut (110) during a reversal, is in the form of helical segment.

11. Work device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first turning means (10) are adapted to move each cut (110) in a movement associating a translation and a rotation relative to the same axis which is parallel to the general direction of advancement of the cuts (110) in the working device (1).

12. Work device (1) according to one of claims 1 or 11, characterized in that the second turning means (40) are adapted to move each cutout (110) in a movement associating a translation and a rotation relative to the same axis which is parallel to the general direction of advancement of the cuts (110) in the working device (1).

13. Work device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the transport means (20) are adapted to move each cutout (110) in a substantially horizontal plane.

14. Work device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the transport means (20) are adapted to maintain each cut (110) from below.

15. Work device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that it comprises first alignment means (60) which are placed downstream of the first turning means (10), and which are able to realign each cutout (110) before the intervention of the means of action (30).

16. Work device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that it comprises second alignment means which are placed downstream of the second turning means, and which are able to realign each cutting (110) before it leaves the working device (1).

17. Folding and gluing machine (100) for making folding boxes from blanks

(110) circulating substantially flat and outer face

(111) below, characterized in that it comprises at least one working device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.

Folding and gluing machine (100) according to claim 17, characterized in that said machine (100) comprising a folding and gluing station (400) cutouts (110), the working device (1) is placed upstream of said folding station and gluing (400).

19. Folding and gluing machine (100) according to claim 18, characterized in that said machine (100) further comprising a breaking station (300) cutouts (110) upstream of the folding station and gluing (400), the working device (1) is placed upstream of said breaking device (300).

20. Folding and gluing machine (100) according to claim 18, characterized in that said machine (100) further comprising a breaking station (300) cutouts (110) upstream of the folding station and gluing (400), the working device (1) is interposed between said breaking device ⁽³⁰⁰⁾ and said folding station and sizing (400).