GB1355571A - Method and apparatus for continuously packaging clusters of articles - Google Patents

Abstract

1355571 Wrapping; endless conveyers R H GANZ 18 June 1971 [22 June 1970] 28719/71 Headings B8A and B8C In a machine for wrapping spaced clusters of cans moving on conveyers a bar 33 pulls a loop of shrinkable sheet material through the space between two adjacent clusters and under the front cluster, and a cutter 182 severs the loop adjacent the bar to form a flap 179 for the back and part of the underneath of the front cluster and a flap 180 for the front and part of the underneath of the back cluster. There are a plurality of bars 33, each bar 33 being mounted with a spacer bar 33<SP>1</SP> on arms which are pivotally connected to links of an endless chain disposed above the wrapping zone. A plurality of cams (Figs. 14 and 15, not shown) control the pivoting of the arms to cause bars 33 to move downwardly between a pair of clusters, to support the rear cans of the clusters during wrapping with bars 33<SP>1</SP> being positioned between adjacent clusters, and then to retract. The front cans of the clusters are supported on plates 158 connected to links of a chain 131. Bars 178 on a chain 146 moving faster than the cluster conveying speed support the rear cans before bars 33 take over, while plate 170 and bars 173-175 on a chain 140 support the rear cans after bars 33 are retracted. The or each cutter 182 comprise an electrically heated wire mounted on a rotatable shaft and arranged to engage the sheet material in a groove 38 of each bar 33 while the material is tensioned by a bar 185 associated with the or each cutter. The end 186 of each flap 179 is blown by an air jet 39 against the bottom of the cluster and held there by a plate 40 pivoted to the plate 158 at the front of the cluster and cammed upwardly. A plate 167 laps the flap 180 over flap 179 as the clusters move off plates 158. Rods (124-126, Fig. 6, not shown) on an endless chain engage the top of the cans during the wrapping. A card may be put on the top of each cluster before the wrapping step. After wrapping a pin hole may be made in the sheet material coinciding with finger holes in the card before the clusters are passed through an oven. In a modification the wrapping zone may be shortened by omitting conveyer chains 140 and having the air jets coming from a stationary sprocket shaft 138. The cans are formed into clusters by a plurality of chain conveyers which feed the cans into and through a guide path 52 which converges from a width greater to a width less than three can diameters so that cans 66 in the middle row are disposed in the interstices between the cans in the outer rows. As the path subsequently diverges the cans in the middle row (or in the outer rows) are speeded up to align the cans in all three rows. The cans are then moved on to faster moving conveyers to separate the cans into clusters.