GB1417082A - Apparatus for wrapping compressible articles - Google Patents

Abstract

1417082 Apparatus for wrapping compressible articles P SUHR 8 May 1973 [8 May 1972] 21947/73 Heading B8C An apparatus for wrapping compressible articles in sheet material comprises two conveyer belts 3, 4 disposed on opposite sides of a path of the articles and having runs which face one another and which converge in their feeding direction, means for supplying wrapping sheet material from two opposite sides of the path of articles to a position beyond the output ends of the conveyor belts, heat-sealing and severing means provided between the output ends of the conveyer belts and a holding mechanism 24, 25, the heat-sealing and severing means comprising two heat-sealing jaws 20, 21, disposed respectively on said two opposite sides of the path, and said jaws being movable relative to one another transversely of the path of articles. As shown, a stack 50 of synthetic resin sheets, pillows, or blankets, &c., is advanced by a conveyer 1 into the wider, inlet, end of the conveyer belts 3, 4 which, during transfer, compress the stack 50 and push it from their narrow outlet end and into a wrapper web 44, 45 which is wrapped around the leading, and top and bottom, faces of the stack as the latter is transferred into the inlet end of a pair of parallel holding conveyer belts 24, 25. The conveyers 3, 4 and 24, 25, which move intermittently, are stopped when the rear end of the stack 50 has just passed the inlet of the conveyers 24, 25 whereupon the verticallyreciprocable, heat sealing and cutting jaws 20, 21 are brought together to seal the web along the rear face of the stack, the seal being cut intermediate its width to free the partiallywrapped stack and provide a new length of transverse web. When the conveyers 3, 4 and 24, 25 are again moved. the stack 50 is advanced to a position between a pair of laterally-spaced, longitudinally - extending heat - sealing - andcutting units 32-36 and 33-37, each of which is similar to the unit 20, 21 and which seal together, and trim, the upper and lower web portions at the side faces of the stack 50 to complete the package. Concurrently with these steps wrapped stacks are transferred from the outlet end of the conveyers 24, 25 and fresh stacks of articles are successively advanced between the converging conveyer belts 3, 4. The lateral heat-sealing units 32-36 and 33-37 may be replaced by two hot-air distribution boxes (39, 40), Fig. 4, not shown, and, to prevent expansion of the stacks as they emerge from the outlet end of the conveyers 3, 4, guide plates (51, 52), Fig. 5, not shown, may be employed. The transverse web is formed from two rolls 44, 45 of heat-sealable wrapping material supplied across sets of guide- and-tensioning rollers 46, 47, the facing runs of the conveyers 3, 4 and 24, 25 being provided respectively with support plates 7, 8, and 28, 29. Since the guide plates (51, 52) may obstruct the setting up of fresh wrapping material the holding conveyers (24, 25) can be mounted upon a horizontally reciprocable carriage (53), Fig. 6 not shown, the heat sealing devices (20-22) being mounted for displacement with the holding conveyers.