GB2282561A

GB2282561A - A twin head feed erector

Info

Publication number: GB2282561A
Application number: GB9320825A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Albert John Bradley
Original assignee: Bradman Lake Ltd
Current assignee: Bradman Lake Ltd
Priority date: 1993-10-09
Filing date: 1993-10-09
Publication date: 1995-04-12
Also published as: GB9320825D0

Abstract

A conveyor arrangement 1 carries partly formed cartons 2 onto erecting stations 3 and 4 where plungers 5 and 6 operate to carry out part of the carton forming operation. A drive mechanism causes the plungers 5 and 6 to be reciprocated 180 DEG out of phase which creates a much more balanced design with less vibration. Preferably flights are provided on the conveyor to push the cartons. <IMAGE>

Description

Improvements relating to Feed Erectors In a conventional twin head feed erector for forming cartons, pairs of cartons are moved to forming stations where plungers are brought down in tandem to operate on the two cartons. A conveyor then moves the cartons along until the next pair of cartons are in place below the plungers.

According to the present invention there is provided a multiple head feed erector for carton forming wherein the heads of the plungers for erecting the cartons are set in line along a conveyor of the erector and the drive mechanism for the erector is arranged to operate the plungers out of phase by substantially identical relative amounts.

This arrangement is particularly suited for a twin head erector which incorporates a pair of plungers which will thus be operated substantially 1800 out of phase. The advantage of this arrangement is that the design of the equipment is much more balanced so that less vibration is created. Furthermore, since single cartons are moved into a forming station (rather than in pairs with a conventional twin head feed erector), the conveyor can be moved more slowly (for the same carton throughput) so that the flights for driving the cartons do not hit the static cartons so speedily. Such flights are ideally provided on the conveyor at substantially equal spacings for moving consecutive cartons into position below respective ones of the plungers.

The invention may be performed in various ways and a preferred embodiment will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of a twin head feed erector of this invention; and Figure 2 is an end view of the erector shown in Figure 1.

A conveyor arrangement 1 carries partly formed cartons 2 onto erecting stations 3 and 4 where plungers 5 and 6 operate to carry out part of the carton forming operation, leaving the lid of each carton (with its side flaps still in a vertical attitude). A drive mechanism causes the plungers 5 and 6 to be reciprocated 1800 out of phase. In the sequence shown, therefore, carton A is about to be acted on by the plunger 5 whilst carton B will subsequently be moved into position to be acted on by the plunger 6. Carton C has already been formed by the plunger 5 and Carton D has already been formed by the plunger 6. Flights (not shown) on the conveyor 1 are set at regular spacings to push on respective ones of the cartons 2 to move them along through the stations 3 and 4 in the direction of the arrow 8 to the discharge end 9 of the erector.

Claims

1. A multiple head feed erector for carton forming wherein the heads of the plungers for erecting the cartons are set in line along a conveyor of the erector and the drive mechanism for the erector is arranged to operate the plungers out of phase by substantially identical relative amounts.

2. A carton erector according to Claim 1, wherein there is one pair of plungers.

3. A carton erector according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein flights are provided on the conveyor at substantially equal spacings for moving consecutive cartons into position below respective ones of the plungers.

4. A carton erector substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.