GB1317802A - Apparatus for compressing and packaging stacks of flattened bags or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

1317802 Compressing and packaging stacked bags WINDMOLLER & HOLSCHER 28 July 1970 [31 July 1969] 36552/70 Heading B8C A stack of bags St is compressed and packaged by apparatus comprising a forked plunger 20 which introduces the stack into a pivotable chamber or L-shaped receptacle (43, 44, Fig. 5), two freely rotatable rollers 15, 16 for supporting two sheets F 1 , F 2 which are transversely sealed together to form a web stretching across the chamber or receptacle so that the web can be taken thereinto by the moving stack and an hydraulically or pneumatically actuated folding device 4 which moves across the front of the receptacle or chamber 1 to maintain stack compression as the plunger 20 is displaced (in the direction of arrow b) at the end of its compression stroke and to pull the sheet F 2 across the stack undersurface to that portion of sheet F 1 lying beneath a reciprocable welding jaw 3 so that a stack sleeve M may be formed and the sheets F 1 , F 2 re-interconnected. The folding device 4 comprises a series of triple rollers. The receptacle or chamber 1 may be provided with an adjustable backing member so that a compressed stack of a desired height may be obtained. During welding the plunger 20 is lowered (arrow c) and carried on a transversely moving crosshead 23 (arrow d) so that its prongs pass through a longitudinally slotted stack guide wall 19 into a grid 26 to be ready to lift the next stack mechanically or manually placed on the grid. After welding, the jaw 3 is lifted, the folding device 4 withdrawn and the chamber 1 or receptacle is swung to a discharge station 8. The chamber 1 may be swung clockwise together with the jaw 3, or anti-clockwise (Figs. 4, 5) without the jaw 3. The stack 1 may be prevented from dropping out of the chamber 1 during swinging by either a holding plate extending along the chamber path or by clamps such as a pressure plate 31 or a pivotable wall section (35, Fig. 2) which press the stack against the opposite chamber wall. In the embodiment (Fig. 5) employing the L-shaped receptacle the stack is fed and compressed in an oblique direction so that clamps are not required. In this embodiment a piston or spring- loaded welding jaw (40, Fig. 5) takes up the space occupied by the leading roller (45) of the folding device when the latter is located beneath the stack undersurface. The plunger 20, crosshead 23, jaw 3 may be pneumatically or hydraulically actuated.