FR3102090A1 - BENDING AND GLUING BOX FORMING MACHINE WITH LAMELLAR MATERIAL BOARD DISPENSER, AND PROCESS FOR FORMING LAMELLAR MATERIAL BOARDS - Google Patents

Abstract

TITLE: BENDING AND GLUING CASE FORming MACHINE WITH LAMELLAR MATERIAL BOARD DISPENSER, AND LAMELLAR MATERIAL FORMING PROCESS Machine (100) for forming boxes by folding and gluing with board dispenser (P) in lamellar material, and process for forming crates of lamellar material. The dispenser is provided with a suction mechanism (20) with a first pivoting arm (21), which moves a second pivot (23) around which a suction head (24) pivots between two positions, guided by means of a second arm (27) slidably and pivotably mounted on a third fixed pivot (26). The second pivot (23) is slidably connected to the first arm by means of a guide device (29, 31) to reduce the distance between said pivots (22, 23) as the suction head (24) away from the loader (3), and to increase the distance between said pivots during the substantial rotation of the suction head (24). The suction head (24) causes a vertical descent of the board (P) to a third horizontal position. Figure for the abstract: Figure 2

Description

BENDING AND GLUING BOX FORMING MACHINE WITH LAMELLAR MATERIAL BOARD DISPENSER, AND PROCESS FOR FORMING LAMELLAR MATERIAL BOARDS

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates, according to a first aspect, to a machine for forming cases by folding and gluing with a distributor of boards made of lamellar material. The present invention also relates, according to a second aspect, to a method of forming boxes of lamellar material.

Throughout the description, the term "lamellar material" is used to denote a sheet of corrugated cardboard, a sheet of corrugated plastic, a sheet of solid cardboard, a sheet of compacted plastic and the like, on which weakened lines are formed. to facilitate their formation in a box by folding said weakened lines.

State of the art

It would be desirable to obtain a folding and gluing case forming machine with a board dispenser of lamellar material and a case forming method capable of increasing the number of boards supported on the board loader and forming cases with it. a greater range of dimensions from the distribution of the associated board, keeping a reduced height of the board loader for better ergonomics during the operation of loading said boards on said loader, keeping a reduced floor space and height occupied by said machine and maintaining a relatively high crate forming speed.

It is in fact desirable to obtain said machine and said method for increasing the loading capacity of boards and for forming a wider range of board sizes, while said machine is ergonomic during the loading of said boards, compact and fast.

Documents ES8606124A1, ES8704799A1, ES2342522B1, ES1078077U, WO2016198708A1 and ES1230441U disclose case forming machines with board dispensers of the type which include a horizontal loader, a suction mechanism, in combination with a conveyor, on which the suction mechanism in a vertical movement positions the boards horizontally. The conveyor has a movable push element that moves the board between two side guides, one on each side, and glue injectors that deposit glue on the board, while the board is transported by the conveyor from the loader boards to the training station, the latter including a punch and a mold.

However, a board loader configured to have the boards stacked horizontally has a drawback in providing said machine with a loader having a relatively high board loading capacity, since the stack of boards increases vertically to a height of. greater number of boards, thus leading to a lack of ergonomics during manual loading of the boards.

Documents US2624249A, US3008385A, US3176978A, US3511138A and US4566846A disclose board dispensers for case forming machines. Said dispensers, by virtue of their suction mechanism, suck boards individually from a board loader on which the boards are arranged in a substantially vertical stack to a final position in which the boards are horizontally arranged between a punch and a punch. mold, these forming the box by folding said board during the stamping movement of the punch against the mold. This essentially vertical arrangement of the stack of boards is favorable for providing said machine with a higher capacity loader, since an increase in the number of boards in the stack does not significantly affect the loading height.

A disadvantage of these dispensers is that the suction mechanism requires a relatively large loading height from the loader to the ground, since the height between the vertical stack of boards on the loader and the final position of the loader. longitudinal supply of horizontal board between the punch and the mold is relatively large ( of documents US3176978A and US4566846A and Figures 4 and 5 of document US3008385A). This comes from the fact that in the suction mechanism, a first driving pivot moves a second pivot articulated on the suction head and this second pivot describes a circular arc of 90 °, the center of which is said first driving pivot, which results in said excessive height and length of the forming machine. Therefore, the disadvantage of these chargers is that the charging operation is not ergonomic. It should be noted that the ergonomics are worse at a larger board size.

In the hypothesis of a combination of any forming machine of documents ES8606124A1, ES2046077B1, ES2342522B1, WO2016198708A1 and ES1230441U with any vertical distributor of documents US2624249A, US3176978A, US3008385A, US3511138A, and there is a series of disadvantages. Firstly, the inconvenience relating to ergonomics during the loading operation, which further increases as the suction mechanism has to leave the board at an even higher point, namely, on the side guides of the conveyor to its subsequent gluing. Second, the longitudinal distance between the suction position and the supply position of the conveyor board causes the machine to be excessively long and, therefore, the floor area occupied by the machine increases.

Obtaining a compact case forming machine is a critical point, as shown by documents ES1078077U and WO2016046433A1 in which vertical board loaders are integrated into the own machine to reduce the space occupied by said forming machine, face to a solution of forming machine plus independent feeder such as that indicated in document ES2334483B1.

In documents US3210072A, US4564188A, ES1078077U and WO2016046433A1 the suction head rotates around a pivot which remains below the support on which the boards are resting on the loader, between a raised position in which it sucks the boards from the loader and a horizontal position in which it remains below the side guides and the push member of the conveyor. This causes a series of disadvantages.

First, there is a necessary high jump between the loader planks bearing area and the transporter so that the plank does not interfere with the loader support or the side guides of the transporter during the simple circular arc motion of the loader. suction support of the suction mechanism. Said high jump again leads to poor ergonomics.

Second, the dispenser limits the crate forming speed of the machine. This limited speed is due to the fact that the machine and its loader are configured so that, in the board supply position of the suction mechanism, the suction head of the suction mechanism remains below the board, the side guides and of the push element of the conveyor. Therefore, the suction head must wait with the board arranged horizontally until the push member of the conveyor transports the board along a path so that it protrudes in its longitudinal direction of transport said suction head. . Only after the transporter has picked up the board, the suction head is released from the board and can begin to rotate up to pick up a new board from the vertical stack, all resulting in a limited and low training speed.

Detailed description of the invention

To solve the drawbacks exposed in the previous paragraph and solve other drawbacks, the present invention presents, according to a first aspect of the invention, a machine for forming cases by folding and gluing with a distributor of boards made of lamellar material.

Said machine comprises a frame and a board dispenser supported in use by the frame.

Said distributor comprises a plank loader which comprises a loader support configured to support said planks with their faces aligned or with an inclination with respect to the vertical, two driving chains of the supporting planks, the drive elements of which can be actuated independently between them and which are connected to the loader support and two first side guides located one on each side of the two drive chains.

Furthermore, said dispenser comprises a suction mechanism configured to individually suck said boards resting on the loader support and position them horizontally on second side guides of a board conveyor.

In addition, said dispenser comprises a board conveyor configured to horizontally and guided transport the boards one by one to a crate forming station. The conveyor comprises two second lateral guides located one on each side of a pusher element and said pusher element which is movable along said second lateral guides.

Furthermore, said machine comprises a plurality of glue injectors supported in use by the frame, suspended on said conveyor and operatively linked to deposit respective beads of glue on the boards during their transport by means of the conveyor.

Likewise, said machine comprises a station for forming boxes, which comprises a punch and a mold.

Said punch is movable in a guided manner in the vertical direction by means of a punch actuator supported in use by the frame.

Said mold is supported in use by the frame and is provided with a mold cavity and a plurality of folding elements arranged around said mold cavity such that said mold cavity has a complementary shape to the bottom of the mold. fund to be formed. The punch is insertable in the mold, concretely in the mold cavity, to fold and connect by means of said beads of glue parts of the board to others and form a box.

In said machine, the suction mechanism comprises an actuator which is operatively connected to rotate a first arm, a first arm which in use pivots between an initial position and a final position about a first horizontal and fixed pivot. to the frame, and a second horizontal pivot operatively connected to the first arm.

Said suction mechanism further comprises a suction head, which supports a plurality of suction elements configured to immobilize the board and whose separation between them is adjustable to accommodate different board dimensions. The suction head is pivotally mounted in use around said second pivot. The suction head is movable between a first position, in which it individually sucks boards resting on the loader support by one of their faces, and a second position, in which said boards are positioned horizontally with this same face oriented towards the front. high.

Furthermore, said suction mechanism comprises a third horizontal pivot fixed to the frame and located above the second pivot, a second arm having one end firmly connected to said suction head and an opposite end slidably mounted and pivoting on the third pivot, and a guide member slidably coupled to the second arm and pivotably on the third pivot, for guiding the suction head between said first and second positions.

Likewise, in said suction mechanism, the second pivot is operatively connected to the first arm in a sliding manner by means of a guide device.

Said guide device comprises a guide integrally connected to the first pivoting arm and contained in a vertical plane perpendicular to the first, second and third pivots.

The guide device also includes a mating guide sliding on the guide, wherein said mating guide supports the second pivot around which the suction head rotates, to guide the suction head between said first and second positions.

Preferably, said guide device arranged between the first arm and the second pivot is configured to reduce the distance between the first pivot and the second pivot as the suction head moves away from the loader in a first path from said first position up to an intermediate position between said first and second positions.

Preferably, said guide device arranged between the first arm and the second pivot is configured to increase the distance between the first pivot and the second pivot during the substantial rotation of the suction head around the second pivot in a second path from said position intermediate to said second position.

Note that said guide device cooperates with the third pivot, the second arm and the guide member to reduce the radius of rotation of the suction head during the second path.

Likewise, said suction head is configured to cause a vertical descent of the board from said second horizontal position in which the board is immobilized by the suction elements on the second side guides to a third horizontal position in which the board is immobilized. board is supported on the second lateral guides.

A folding and gluing case forming machine is thus obtained with a lamellar material board dispenser capable of increasing the number of boards supported on the board loader, and of forming cases with a greater range of dimensions from the distribution of the associated board, keeping a reduced height of the board loader with a view to better ergonomics during the loading operation of said boards on said loader, keeping a floor area and reduced height occupied by said machine, and while maintaining a relatively high rate of crate formation.

The guiding device in combination with the rest of the elements and characteristics of the case forming machine modifies the distance between the first and second pivots, reducing and increasing it, so that the suction head and the suction board do not 'not interfere with the second side guides and remain above them at all times during movement between said first and second positions, increasing the loading capacity of boards, and forming a wider range of board sizes, then that said machine is ergonomic during the loading of said boards, compact longitudinally and in height, and rapid.

On the other hand, as we have already argued, the antecedents disclose a fixed length between the first and second pivots, so that the machine has greater longitudinal and height dimensions, corresponding to the circular arc described above. the second pivot driven by a first motor pivot, which increases the loading point of the boards on the loader and involves poor ergonomics during the loading operation.

The distributor of the machine of the present invention is suitable for obtaining a high crate forming speed since once a board is positioned on the conveyor, the subsequent movement of the suction head towards the loader to pick up the next board can be. carried out at the same time and even before the transporter has transported the board to the training station. As a result, the speed increases as the waiting times are significantly reduced and hence the time spent delivering the board from the loader to the training station.

Preferably, in said machine, the guide of the guiding device is a linear guide aligned with the first arm and the mating guide is a linear shoe sliding on said linear guide.

In a complementary manner, said machine further comprises a reduced friction element coupled coaxially with the third pivot, a reduced friction element coupled coaxially with the second pivot, and a carriage support fixed to said conjugate guide, where said second pivot and its element are supported. reduced friction.

Furthermore, in said machine said third pivot and its reduced friction element are further mounted on an auxiliary linear guide device.

Said auxiliary guide device comprises a linear auxiliary guide connected to the frame and contained in a vertical plane perpendicular to the first, second and third pivots.

The auxiliary guide device further comprises a linear auxiliary mating guide sliding on the auxiliary guide, said mating guide being fixed to a second carriage support.

In addition, in this additional option, the carriage support is hingedly connected by means of a hinge to the second carriage support, and the auxiliary guide device and the guide device in combination support and guide the second pivot where the carriage is supported. suction head.

Complementarily, in said machine, the linear auxiliary guide has an upward inclination to support and guide the second pivot which supports the suction head to a higher vertical position as the second carriage support moves on the auxiliary guide. from said first position to said second position.

This helps to move the vacuum head away from the loader during said first path, and to provide substantial rotation of the vacuum head around the second pivot in said second path.

Likewise, the auxiliary guide device is configured to increase the distance between the first pivot and the second pivot during the substantial rotation of the suction head around the second pivot in said second path from said intermediate position to said second position. and avoid interference with the side guides.

Preferably, in said machine, the suction head comprises a main support integrally connected to the second pivot, a suction support which supports the plurality of suction elements, and an actuator with a fixed part and a movable part provided. of relative movement. Said fixed part is connected to the main support and said movable part is connected to the suction support to guidely move the suction support and the board sucked in use with respect to the main support from said second horizontal position to said third horizontal position.

Thus, said suction head is configured to cause a vertical descent of the board from said second horizontal position in which the board is immobilized by the suction elements on the second lateral guides to a third horizontal position in which the board rests on the second lateral guides.

Alternatively, said suction head is configured to cause a vertical descent of the board by deactivating the suction elements once the board has reached said second position, and the board falls by gravity.

Also preferably, in said machine, the separation between the suction elements is adjustable by means of an adjustment device mounted on the main support which comprises a transverse bar, two longitudinal bars slidably mounted one at each of the two ends of the cross bar by means of an attachment and release member, and a plurality of suction members slidably mounted on each of the longitudinal bars by means of respective second attachment and release members.

Also preferably, in said machine, the suction head is pivotally supported on a pivot axis with two opposite ends, on each of which it has a second pivot coaxially coupled to a respective reduced friction member, each of said two. second pivots being supported on a respective carriage support, each respective carriage support being supported by a respective mating guide sliding on a respective guide, each respective guide being integrally connected to a respective first arm pivoting in use around a first horizontal pivot respective and each respective guide being contained in a respective vertical plane perpendicular to the first and second pivots.

According to a preferred option, in said machine, the actuating element of the suction mechanism is a motor which is operatively connected to rotate a rotational axis integrally connected to a crank, which in turn is configured to rotate. pivoting a first arm between said initial and final positions, and the punch actuator element comprises a second motor. This independence between the actuating element of the punch and the actuating element of the suction mechanism allows a higher speed of operation. Faced with fluid-dynamic cylinder type actuation, a motor provides greater precision and accuracy in the respective movements of the suction head and the punch.

Throughout this description, a motor can include a conventional electric motor or a servomotor.

According to another preferred option, in said machine, the actuating element of said suction mechanism is operatively connected to actuate said first two arms between said first and second positions. This allows better synchronization of the movement of the suction mechanism located on one side of the suction head and with respect to the other part of the suction mechanism located on the other side of the suction head. .

In order to resolve the drawbacks exposed in the previous paragraph, and to resolve other drawbacks, the present invention presents, according to a second aspect of the invention, a method for forming boxes of lamellar material, which comprises the following steps:

a) distribution of boards supported on the frame of a case forming machine, this step a) comprising the following steps:

b) loading the boards by pressing them with their faces aligned or with an inclination with respect to the vertical on a loader,

c) guided drive of the supporting boards by means of two drive chains and two first lateral guides located one on each side of the two drive chains, after step b),

d) individual suction of said boards by means of a suction mechanism and horizontal positioning of them on second lateral guides of a board conveyor, after step c) and

e) transport by means of two second lateral guides of the boards one by one to a box forming station where they are placed between a punch and a mold, by means of two second lateral guides located one on each side of a pusher element and said pusher element which is movable in a horizontal linear direction parallel to said second lateral guides after step d),

f) depositing beads of glue on the board during step e) and

g) moving a punch in a guided manner in the vertical direction and inserting the punch and the board into a mold provided with a mold cavity and a plurality of folding elements disposed around said mold cavity for folding and connecting by means of said beads of glue parts of the board to others and forming a box.

Furthermore, in step d) of this method, a suction head of the suction mechanism pivots between a first position in which it individually sucks up boards resting on the loader support by one of their faces, and a second position in which it positions said boards horizontally with this same face facing upwards by virtue of the following steps:

h) pivoting of a first arm around a first horizontal pivot between a first position in which the boards are aligned or with an inclination relative to the vertical, and a second position in which the boards are horizontal,

i) pivoting of a suction head which supports a plurality of suction elements around a second horizontal pivot operatively connected to the first arm between said first position, in which it individually sucks up boards resting on the loader support by a of their faces, and said second position, in which said boards are positioned horizontally with this same face oriented upwards,

j) pivoting and sliding of a second arm firmly connected to said suction head around a third pivot,

k) sliding said second pivot along said first arm by means of a guide device during steps h), i) and j),

l) reducing the distance between the first pivot and the second pivot as the suction head moves away from the loader in a first path from said first position to an intermediate position between said first and second positions,

m) increasing the distance between the first pivot and the second pivot during the rotation of the suction head around the second pivot in a second path from said intermediate position to said second position and

n) vertical descent of the board from said second horizontal position in which the board is immobilized by the suction elements on the second lateral guides to a third horizontal position in which the board rests on the second lateral guides (51 ).

According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, the shows a machine (100) for forming cases by folding and gluing with a distributor of boards in lamellar material.

Figures 1 to 3 show that said machine (100) comprises a frame (1) and a board dispenser (P) supported in use by the frame (1).

Figures 1 to 10 show that said distributor comprises a loader (2) of boards, which comprises a loader support (3) configured to support said boards (P) with their faces essentially vertical, and concretely with a slight inclination with respect to the vertical, two drive chains (4) of the resting boards (P) that can be actuated independently from each other and connected to the loader support (3), and two first lateral guides (5) located one on each side of the two drive chains ( 4).

Each drive chain (4) includes a flexible transmission element (not shown), such as a closed loop link chain, which meshes with two sprockets (17), which are mounted on axles (16). respective located at both ends of the drive chain (4). Figures 3 to 9 show that each drive chain (4) comprises, at the end adjacent to the loader support (3), a unidirectional bearing (18) coupled coaxially to one of the axes (16), and a fluid cylinder. dynamic (19) which in use rotates the one-way bearing (18) around the axis (16).

The boards (P) are thus driven from the area where they are resting on the own drive chains (4) to the area where they are resting on the loader support (3). The drive elements of the drive chains (4) can be operated independently by means of the fluid-dynamic cylinder (19) of each of them. The one-way bearings (18) allow rotation in one direction but not in the opposite direction, which helps to ensure correct alignment of the boards (P) during their drive due to the correct advancement of the flexible transmission elements.

Figures 1 to 10 show that the loader (2) comprises two first side guides (5), each of which is on one side of the drive chains (4) to drive the boards (P) in a guided manner. Each first lateral guide (5) is integrally connected in use to a drive chain (4), and comprises at least one vertical bar (10) which supports two horizontal bars (9), and said horizontal bars (9) being supported in a desired vertical position by means of respective clamps (11) to adapt to the changing dimensions of the boards. In addition, each first side guide (5) includes at least one cross member (12) which supports the vertical and horizontal bars (9, 10), and second flanges (13) to adjust the width between the two first side guides (5). ).

Figures 2 to 9 show that each drive chain (4) is mounted so as to be able to slide on at least two guide carriages (4a), specifically on the , it can slide on three guide carriages (4a). Two guide carriages (4a) are mounted on a respective linear guide (6), while another guide carriage (4a) is mounted on a screw (7) parallel to the two side guides (6). The drive chains (4) are slidably mounted on the same screw (7) and the same two linear guides (6). Therefore, in the face of a rotation of the screw (7), the drive chains (4) and the lateral guides (5) on one side and the other increase or reduce their equal separation distances on each side. to adapt to different board sizes. Namely, the distance between the drive chains (4) is synchronously adjusted due to the fact that half of the screw (7) has a thread in one direction (left), and the other half of the same screw (7) presents the thread in the opposite direction (right), and thus, we open or close by equal distances on each side.

Figures 7 to 9 show that the loader support (3) is configured to support said boards (P) with their faces essentially vertical. To this end, it employs a lateral stop (14) connected to each first lateral guide (5) and two upper stops (15), the width of which is adjustable by means of a screw (15a) supported in rotation on an upper support ( 3a) telescopically movable in height relative to the loader support (3). Said upper support (3a) is movable in height thanks to the rotation of a screw (3b). The upper support (3a) is moved to increase or decrease the separation between the drive chains (4) and the upper stops (15) to accommodate different board heights. Furthermore, the separation width between an upper stop (15) and the other is adjustable by means of an adjustment device which, in this example, comprises a box (15b) supported on the loader support (3) which accommodates two bevel gears perpendicular to each other, one of which moves a telescopic bar (15c), which in turn moves another bevel gear housed in another box (15b) supported on the upper support (3a) which houses two bevel gears perpendicular to each other , this moves a pinion (15d) which turns the screw (15a) to move away or approach the upper stops (15) symmetrically.

Figures 10 to 13 show that said dispenser comprises a suction mechanism (20) configured to individually suck said boards (P) resting on the loader support (3) and position them horizontally on second lateral guides (51) of a conveyor (50) of boards.

Figures 2 to 6 and 20 show that said machine (100) comprises a board conveyor (50) configured to horizontally and guided transport the boards (P) one by one to a box forming station (70). The conveyor (50) includes two second side guides (51) located one on each side of a pusher member (52) configured to guide the ends of the board (P) to a crate forming station (70). The conveyor (50) also comprises said pusher element (52) which is movable along said second lateral guides (51) by means of a transport actuating element (53) materialized by a motor.

Figures 2 to 10 show that faced with a manual rotation of one of the two screws (54) on which the two ends of the two lateral guides (51) bear, they open or close by equal distances of each side, to adapt to different board dimensions (P). This symmetrical opening / closing occurs because half of the screw (54) has a thread in one direction (left), and the other half of the screw has the thread in the opposite direction (right).

Thus, in said machine (100), the distance between the first lateral guides (5) is firstly adjusted by means of a manual rotation of the screw (7), and then a second manual rotation of a another screw (54) for adjusting the distance between the second side guides (51), since the first guides (5) and the second guides (51) are not connected to each other, namely, the first side guides (5) and the second side guides (51) cannot be adjusted independently on each side since they open symmetrical distances.

Figures 1 to 4 show that the machine (100) comprises a plurality of glue injectors (60) supported in use by the frame (1), suspended on said conveyor (50) on a linear bridge. The plurality of glue injectors (60) are operatively connected to deposit respective beads of glue on the boards as they are transported by means of the conveyor (50).

Figures 1 to 3 show that said machine (100) further comprises a box forming station (70), which comprises a punch (71) and a corresponding mold (73).

Said punch (71) is movable in a guided manner in the vertical direction by means of a punch actuator (72) supported in use by the frame (1). Said punch actuating element (72) is embodied by a motor or servomotor.

Said mold (73) is supported in use by the frame (1), and is provided with a mold cavity (74) and a plurality of folding elements (75) disposed around said mold cavity (74). ) so that said mold cavity (74) has a shape complementary to the bottom of the box to be formed, and where the punch (71) can be inserted to bend and connect by means of said beads of glue parts of the board (P ) to others and form a fund. The plurality of folding elements (75) are arranged in four sets facing each other in pairs, corresponding to the corners of the rectangular box to be formed.

Figures 1 to 20 show that the suction mechanism (20) includes an actuating member (45) which is operatively connected to pivot a first arm (21), said first arm (21) which pivots in use, between position initial position of Figures 2 to 4, 10 and 14, and the final position of Figures 13 and 19, around a first horizontal pivot (22) and fixed to the frame (1), and a second horizontal pivot (23) operatively connected to the first arm (21).

Figures 1 to 20 show that the suction mechanism (20) further comprises a suction head (24) which supports a plurality of suction elements (25), materialized by vacuum suction cups, configured to immobilize the board and whose the separation between them is adjustable to suit the different board sizes, the suction head (24) being pivotally mounted around said second pivot (23). Said suction head (24) is movable between a first position shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, 10, 14 and 16, in which it individually sucks boards resting on the loader support (3) by one of their faces, and a second position shown in Figures 13 and 19, in which said boards (P) are positioned horizontally with this same face facing upwards.

Figures 1 to 20 show that the suction mechanism (20) also comprises a third horizontal pivot (26) fixed to the frame (1) and located above the second pivot (23), a second arm (27) provided with a end securely connected to said suction head (24) and from an opposite end slidably and pivotably mounted on the third pivot (26), and a guide member (28) slidably coupled to the second arm (27) and pivotally to the third pivot (26), for guiding the suction head (24) between said first and second positions. The shows that said guide member (28) is a support on which are mounted two wheels, and said two wheels, which are coupled one to each side of the second arm (27).

Figures 11 to 20 show that in said suction mechanism (20), the second pivot (23) is operatively connected to the first arm (21) in a sliding manner by means of a guide device (29, 31).

Said guide device (29, 31) comprises a linear guide (31) integrally connected to the first pivoting arm (21), aligned therewith, and contained in a vertical plane perpendicular to the first, second and third pivots (22 , 23, 26).

Furthermore, said guide device (29, 31) comprises a conjugate guide (29), materialized by a linear pad, sliding on the linear guide (31), on which said conjugate guide (29) supports the second pivot (23) around which the suction head (24) rotates, to guide the suction head (24) between said first and second positions.

Figures 14 to 16 show that said guide device (29, 31) disposed between the first arm (21) and the second pivot (23) is configured to reduce the distance between the first pivot (22) and the second pivot (23) ) as the suction head (24) moves away from the loader (3) in a first path from said first position to a position intermediate between said first and second positions.

Figures 17 to 19 show that said guide device (29, 31) disposed between the first arm (21) and the second pivot (23) is configured to increase the distance between the first pivot (22) and the second pivot (23) ) during substantial rotation of the suction head (24) around the second pivot (23) in a second path from said intermediate position to said second position.

Figures 13, 19 and 20 show that said suction head (24) is configured to cause a vertical descent of the board from said second horizontal position (Figures 13 and 19) in which the board is immobilized by the suction elements. (25) on the second side guides (51) to a third horizontal position ( ) in which the board rests on the second lateral guides (51).

FIGS. 11 to 20 show that said machine (100) further comprises an element with reduced friction (40), materialized by a bearing, coupled coaxially with the third pivot (26). Said machine (100) also comprises another element with reduced friction (40) materialized by a bearing (40) coupled coaxially to the second pivot (23), and a carriage support (43) fixed to said conjugate guide (29), where are supported said second pivot (23) and its reduced friction element (40).

Figures 1 to 4 and 11 to 20 show that said third pivot (23) and its reduced friction element (40) is mounted on two auxiliary linear guide devices (41, 42).

Each auxiliary guide device (41, 42) comprises a linear auxiliary guide (41) connected to the frame (1) and contained in a vertical plane perpendicular to the first, second and third pivots (22, 23, 26).

Each auxiliary guide device (41, 42) further comprises a linear auxiliary mating guide (42) sliding on the auxiliary guide (41), said auxiliary mating guide (42) being attached to a second carriage support (44).

Furthermore, in each auxiliary guide device (41, 42), the carriage support (43) is hingedly connected by means of a joint (30) to the second carriage support (44), and the auxiliary guide device ( 41, 42) and the guide device (29, 31) support and guide in combination each second pivot (23) which supports the suction head (24).

In Figures 1 to 4 and 11 to 20, each linear auxiliary guide (41) has an upward inclination to support and guide each second pivot (23) which supports the suction head (24) to a vertical position greater than as the second carriage supports (44) move on each auxiliary guide (41) from said first position to said second position.

In this embodiment of the machine (100), Figures 11 to 20 show that the suction head (24) comprises a main support (33) integrally connected to the second pivot (23), a suction support ( 34) which supports the plurality of suction elements (25), and an actuator (35) materialized in a fluid-dynamic cylinder with a fixed part (body) and a movable part (piston) provided with a relative movement, in which said fixed part is connected to the main support (33) and said movable part is connected to the suction support (34) for guided movement of the suction support (34) and the suction board in use relative to the main support ( 33) from said second horizontal position (Figures 13 and 19) to said third horizontal position ( ).

In Figures 11 to 20 again, and in particular in Figures 11 to 13, in the suction head (24), the separation between the suction elements (25) is adjustable by means of an adjustment device mounted on the main support (33). Said adjustment device comprises a transverse bar (36), two longitudinal bars (37) slidably mounted one at each of the two ends of the transverse bar (36) by means of a fixing and releasing element (38), materialized by respective flanges, and four suction elements (25) slidably mounted on each of the longitudinal bars (37) by means of second respective fixing and release elements (39), materialized by respective flanges.

Figures 2, 3, 4, and 10 to 13 show that the suction head (24) is pivotally supported on a pivot axis (E1) having two opposite ends, on each of which it has a second pivot (23 ) coaxially coupled to a low friction element (40). Each of said two second pivots (23) are supported on a carriage support (43), each of them being supported on a mating guide (29) sliding on a respective guide (31). Each guide (31) is integrally connected to a respective first arm (21) pivoting in use around a respective horizontal first pivot (22). Each respective guide (31) is contained in a respective vertical plane perpendicular to the first and second pivots (22, 23).

Figures 2, 3, 4 and 10 show that the actuating element (45) is a motor which is operatively connected to rotate a rotational axis (47) integrally connected to a crank (46), which is configured in turn to pivot a first arm (21) between said initial and final positions, and the punch actuator (72) comprises a second independent motor of the servomotor type.

In this machine embodiment (100), more specifically, the actuating element (45) of said suction mechanism (20) is operatively connected to actuate two first arms (21) between said first and second positions. .

Figures 10 to 12 show that said actuating element (45) is a motor coupled to a reducer (48), which is coupled to a motor shaft (49). In each of the sides of the machine (100) corresponding to the ends of the pivoting axis (E1), the driving axis (49) integrally moves respective driving gears which move driven gears coupled to rotation axes (47 ) respective integrally connected to a crank (46) on each side, which is in turn configured to pivot a first arm (21) on each side between said initial and final positions.

Moreover, as shown in in detail, the suction mechanism (20) comprises an encoder (47a) (encoder) coaxially coupled to a rotational axis (47) configured to provide in use a signal indicative of the angle of rotation of the crank (46). Further, a suction mechanism (20) comprises a counting element (47c) supported on the frame (1), and materialized by a cam, which cooperates with a detector (47b) and which is configured to provide an indicator signal each time. that the crank (46) makes a complete revolution.

According to an embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, FIGS. 1 to 20, and in particular FIGS. 10 to 20, detail a method of forming boxes of lamellar material.

Said method comprises the step of a) distribution of boards supported on the frame (1) of a case forming machine (100), this step a) comprising the following steps:

b) loading boards (P) by pressing them with their faces at a slight inclination with respect to the vertical on a loader (2) as shown in figures 2, 7, 8 and 10,

c) guided drive of the boards (P) resting by means of two drive chains (4) and two first lateral guides (5) located one on each side of the two drive chains (4), as shown Figures 2, 7, 8 and 10, after step b),

d) individual suction of said boards (P) by means of a suction mechanism (20) and horizontal positioning thereof on second lateral guides (51) of a conveyor (50) of boards, after the step c), as shown in Figures 10 to 20 and

e) transport by means of two second lateral guides (51) of the boards one by one to a box forming station (70) where they are placed between a punch (71) and a mold (73), by means of two second side guides (51) located one on each side of a pusher member (52) and said pusher member (52) which is movable in a horizontal linear direction parallel to said second side guides (51) after step d).

Furthermore, said method comprises the step of f) depositing beads of glue by means of the glue injectors of Figures 4 and 6 on the board during step e).

The method also comprises the step of g) moving a punch (71) (shown in Figures 1 and 2) in a guided manner in the vertical direction and inserting the punch (71) and the board into a mold ( 73) provided with a mold cavity (74) and a plurality of folding elements (75) arranged around said mold cavity (74) for folding and connecting by means of said beads of glue parts of the board to others and form a fund.

In said method, in step d), a suction head (24) of the suction mechanism (20) pivots between a first position in which it individually sucks boards resting on the loader support (3) by a of their faces, and a second position in which it positions said boards horizontally with this same face oriented upwards (Figures 10 to 20) by means of the following steps:

h) pivoting of a first arm (21) around a first horizontal pivot (22) between a first position (figures 2, 4, 7, 10 and 14) in which the boards (P) have a slight inclination relative to vertically, and a second position (figures 13 and 19) in which the boards (P) are horizontal,

i) pivoting of a suction head (24) which supports a plurality of suction elements (25) about a second horizontal pivot (23) operatively connected to the first arm (21) between said first position (Figures 2, 4, 7, 10 and 14), in which it individually sucks boards resting on the loader support (3) by one of their faces, and said second position (Figures 13 and 19), in which said boards are positioned horizontally with this same face facing upwards and

j) pivoting and sliding of a second arm (27) firmly connected to said suction head (24) around a third pivot (26) (Figures 16 to 18).

Furthermore, said method further comprises the following steps:

k) sliding said second pivot (23) along said first arm (21) by means of a guide device (29, 31) during steps h), i) and j), as shown in Figures 16 to 18,

l) reducing the distance between the first pivot (22) and the second pivot (23) as the suction head (24) moves away from the loader (3) in a first path from said first position to an intermediate position between said first and second positions, as shown in ,

m) increasing the distance between the first pivot (22) and the second pivot (23) during the rotation of the suction head (24) around the second pivot (23) in a second path from said intermediate position to said second position, as shown in Figures 17 and 18 and

n) vertical descent of the board from said second horizontal position in which the board is immobilized by the suction elements (25) on the second lateral guides (51) to a third horizontal position in which the board is resting on the second side guides (51), as shown in Figures 19 and 20.

Brief description of the figures

To complete the description made of the object of the invention and to help a better understanding of the characteristics which distinguish it, this descriptive memory is accompanied, as an integral part thereof, by a set of plans to illustrative and non-limiting, on which:

shows a top perspective view of the case forming machine of the present invention, and on which there is further shown a board between the first and second positions of the suction head,

shows a top perspective view of the board dispenser, the plurality of glue injectors, and the forming station, in which the punch is shown schematically for a better understanding, of the case forming machine of the present invention,

essentially represents a side view of the , on which the punch is not represented for a better understanding of the rest of the characteristics,

shows another top perspective view, showing the suction mechanism, located relative to the conveyor, and the plurality of glue injectors,

represents the view of detail IV of the ,

represents the view of detail V of the ,

shows another top perspective view of the loader on which is shown a stack of boards which are supported on their faces with an inclination relative to the vertical,

shows yet another top perspective view of the which does not show the stack of boards resting on the loader,

represents is the view of detail VI of the ,

shows a top perspective view of the board dispenser, which does not show the pusher element of the conveyor for better understanding, and in which the head is in its first position,

shows a top perspective view of the suction mechanism, in which the suction head is in a position between the first and second positions,

represents the view of detail VII of the ,

shows a top perspective view of the suction mechanism, in which the suction head is in its second position in which the board is horizontal,

shows the sectional side view of the suction mechanism, the second side guides and the stack of boards supported on the loader with the suction head in the first position,

represents the view of detail VIII of the ,

Figures 16 to 20 show respective side views of the suction mechanism in different positions during its sequence of operation, as well as representative views of the different steps of the box forming process according to the second aspect of the invention. The is a side view showing two positions of the suction mechanism, the position of the continuous lines corresponds to the while the position of the broken lines corresponds to an intermediate position in which the suction head moves away from the loader,

is a side view showing two positions of the suction mechanism, the position of the continuous lines corresponds to the while the position of the broken lines corresponds to a position during the substantial rotation of the suction head around the second pivot in a second path from said intermediate position to said second position,

is a side view showing two positions of the suction mechanism, the position of the continuous lines corresponds to the while the position of the broken lines corresponds to said second position,

is a side view showing the suction mechanism in the second position and

is a side view which shows the suction mechanism and the board in the third horizontal position in which the board is resting on the second lateral guides.

Claims (12)

Folding and gluing case forming machine (100) with lamellar material board dispenser, which includes:
- a frame (1),
- a board dispenser supported in use by the frame (1) which comprises:
- a loader (2) of boards which comprises a loader support (3) configured to support said boards with their faces aligned or with an inclination with respect to the vertical, two drive chains (4) of the supporting boards, the elements of which drive can be actuated independently of each other which are connected to the loader support (3), and two first lateral guides (5) located one on each side of the two drive chains (4),
- a suction mechanism (20) configured to individually suck said boards resting on the loader support (3) and position them horizontally on second lateral guides (51) of a board conveyor (50) and
a board conveyor (50) configured to horizontally and guided transport the boards one by one to a box forming station (70), which includes two second side guides (51) located on either side of a pusher member ( 52), and said pusher element (52) which is movable along said second lateral guides (51),
- a plurality of glue injectors (60) supported in use by the frame (1), suspended on said conveyor (50) and operatively connected to deposit respective beads of glue on the boards during their transport by means of the conveyor (50) ) and
- a training station (70) for cash registers, which includes:
- a punch (71) movable in a guided manner in the vertical direction by means of a punch actuating element (72) supported in use by the frame (1); and
- a mold (73) supported in use by the frame (1), provided with a mold cavity (74) and a plurality of folding elements (75) disposed around said mold cavity (74) of so that said mold cavity (74) has a shape complementary to the bottom of the box to be formed, and in which the punch (71) is insertable for folding and connecting by means of said beads of glue parts of the board to other and form a fund,
- in which the suction mechanism (20) comprises:
- an actuating element (45) which is operatively connected to rotate a first arm (21),
- a first arm (21) which pivots in use between an initial position and a final position around a first horizontal pivot (22) and fixed to the frame (1),
- a second horizontal pivot (23) operatively connected to the first arm (21)
- a suction head (24) which supports a plurality of suction elements (25) configured to immobilize the board and whose separation between them is adjustable to adapt to the different dimensions of the board, the suction head (24 ) being mounted so as to pivot about said second pivot (23), said suction head (24) being movable between a first position, in which it individually sucks boards resting on the loader support (3) by one of their faces , and a second position, in which said boards are positioned horizontally with this same face facing upwards,
- a third horizontal pivot (26) fixed to the frame (1) and located above the second pivot (23),
a second arm (27) having one end securely connected to said suction head (24) and an opposite end slidably and pivotably mounted on the third pivot (26) and
a guide member (28) slidably coupled to the second arm (27) and pivotably to the third pivot (26), for guiding the suction head (24) between said first and second positions,
characterized in that in said suction mechanism (20), the second pivot (23) is operatively connected to the first arm (21) in a sliding manner by means of a guide device (29, 31), said guide device (29, 31) comprising:
- a guide (31) integrally connected to the first pivoting arm (21) and contained in a vertical plane perpendicular to the first, second and third pivots (22, 23, 26) and
- a conjugate guide (29) sliding on the guide (31), in which said conjugate guide (29) supports the second pivot (23) around which the suction head (24) rotates, to guide the suction head ( 24) between said first and second positions and
said suction head (24) is configured to cause a vertical descent of the board from said second horizontal position in which the board is immobilized by the suction elements (25) on the second side guides (51) to a height third horizontal position in which the board rests on the second lateral guides (51). A machine (100) according to claim 1, wherein said guide device (29, 31) disposed between the first arm (21) and the second pivot (23) is configured to reduce the distance between the first pivot (22) and the second pivot (23) as the suction head (24) moves away from the loader (3) in a first path from said first position to a position intermediate between said first and second positions and
said guide device (29, 31) disposed between the first arm (21) and the second pivot (23) is configured to increase the distance between the first pivot (22) and the second pivot (23) during the substantial rotation of the suction head (24) around the second pivot (23) in a second path from said intermediate position to said second position. Machine (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide (31) of the guide device (29, 31) is a linear guide aligned with the first arm (21) and the mating guide (29) is a linear shoe sliding in said linear guide. A machine (100) according to claim 3, which further comprises a reduced friction element (40) coupled coaxially with the third pivot (26), a reduced friction element (40) coupled coaxially with the second pivot (23), and a support carriage (43) fixed to said mating guide (29), where said second pivot (23) and its low friction element (40) are supported. A machine (100) according to claim 4, wherein said third pivot (23) and its low friction element (40) is mounted on a linear auxiliary guide device (41, 42), comprising:
- a linear auxiliary guide (41) connected to the frame (1) and contained in a vertical plane perpendicular to the first, second and third pivots (22, 23, 26), and
- a linear auxiliary conjugate guide (42) sliding on the auxiliary guide (41), said auxiliary conjugate guide (42) being fixed to a second carriage support (44),
wherein the carriage support (43) is hingedly connected by means of a hinge (30) to the second carriage support (44) and
- the auxiliary guide device (41, 42) and the guide device (29, 31) support and guide in combination the second pivot (23) which supports the suction head (24). A machine (100) according to claim 5, wherein the linear auxiliary guide (41) has an upward inclination to support and guide the second pivot (23) which supports the suction head (24) to a vertical position greater than as the second carriage support (44) moves on the auxiliary guide (41) from said first position to said second position. Machine (100) according to one of claims 1 to 6, in which the suction head (24) comprises a main support (33) integrally connected to the second pivot (23), a suction support (34) which supports the plurality of suction elements (25), and an actuator (35) with a fixed part and a movable part provided with relative movement, in which said fixed part is connected to the main support (33) and said movable part is connected to the suction support (34) for guided movement of the suction support (34) and the suction board in use relative to the main support (33) from said second horizontal position to said third horizontal position. Machine (100) according to one of claims 1 to 7, in which the separation between the suction elements (25) is adjustable by means of an adjustment device mounted on the main support (33) which comprises a transverse bar (36). ), two longitudinal bars (37) slidably mounted one at each of the two ends of the cross bar (36) by means of a fastening and releasing member (38), and a plurality of suction members mounted slidably on each of the horizontal bars (37) by means of respective second securing and releasing members (39). Machine (100) according to one of claims 1 to 4, in which the suction head (24) is pivotally supported on a pivoting axis (E1) provided with two opposite ends, on each of which it has a second pivot (23) coaxially coupled to a respective reduced friction element (40), each of said two second pivots (23) being supported on a respective carriage support (43), each respective carriage support (43) being supported by a mating guide (29) ) respective sliding on a respective guide (31), each respective guide (31) being integrally connected to a respective first arm (21) pivoting in use around a respective first horizontal pivot (22) and each guide (31) respective being contained in a respective vertical plane perpendicular to the first and second pivots (22, 23). Machine (100) according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the actuating element (45) is a motor which is operatively connected to rotate a rotational axis (47) integrally connected to a crank (46) , which in turn is configured to rotate a first arm (21) between said initial and final positions, and the punch actuator (72) comprises a second independent motor. A machine (100) according to claim 9, wherein the drive (45) of said suction mechanism (20) is operatively connected to actuate said first two arms (21) between said first and second positions. Process for forming crates of lamellar material, which comprises the following steps:
a) distribution of boards supported on the frame (1) of a case forming machine (100), this step a) comprising the following steps:
b) loading boards by pressing them with their faces aligned or with an inclination with respect to the vertical on a loader (2),
c) guided drive of the supporting boards by means of two drive chains (4) and two first lateral guides (5) located one on each side of the two drive chains (4), after step b),
d) individual suction of said boards by means of a suction mechanism (20) and horizontal positioning thereof on second lateral guides (51) of a conveyor (50) of boards, after step c) and
e) transport by means of two second lateral guides (51) of the boards one by one to a box forming station (70) where they are placed between a punch (71) and a mold (73), by means of two second lateral guides (51) located one on each side of a pusher element (52) and said pusher element (52) which is movable in a horizontal linear direction X parallel to said second lateral guides (51) after step d) ,
f) depositing beads of glue on the board during step e),
g) moving a punch (71) in a guided manner in the vertical direction and inserting the punch (71) and the board into a mold (73) provided with a mold cavity (74) and a plurality of folding elements (75) arranged around said mold cavity (74) for folding and connecting by means of said beads of glue parts of the board to others and forming a box,
wherein in step d) a suction head (24) of the suction mechanism (20) pivots between a first position in which it individually sucks boards resting on the loader support (3) by one of their faces , and a second position in which it positions said boards horizontally with this same face facing upwards by virtue of the following steps:
h) pivoting of a first arm (21) around a first horizontal pivot (22) between a first position in which the boards are aligned or with an inclination with respect to the vertical, and a second position in which the boards are horizontal,
i) pivoting of a suction head (24) which supports a plurality of suction elements (25) about a second horizontal pivot (23) operatively connected to the first arm (21) between said first position, in which it individually sucks boards resting on the loader support (3) by one of their faces, and a second position in which said boards are positioned horizontally with this same face facing upwards,
j) pivoting and sliding of a second arm (27) firmly connected to said suction head (24) around a third pivot (26),
characterized in that it further comprises the following steps:
k) sliding of said second pivot (23) along said first arm (21) by means of a guide device (29, 31) during steps h), i) and j),
l) reducing the distance between the first pivot (22) and the second pivot (23) as the suction head (24) moves away from the loader (3) in a first path from said first position to an intermediate position between said first and second positions,
m) increasing the distance between the first pivot (22) and the second pivot (23) during the rotation of the suction head (24) around the second pivot (23) in a second path from said intermediate position to said second position and
n) vertical descent of the board from said second horizontal position in which the board is immobilized by the suction elements (25) on the second lateral guides (51) to a third horizontal position in which the board is resting on the second lateral guides (51).