US3067555A - Mounting means for wrapper forming instrumentalities - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 11, 1962 K. F. NEWELL ETAL 3,057,555

MOUNTING MEANS FOR WRAPPER FORMING INSTRUMENTALITIES Filed Sept. 12, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 z k 2% N WE EZO J M 7 7/ T 5 5 A NNMm/ wan 3 Dec. 11, 1962 K. F. NEWELL ETAL 3,067,555

MOUNTING MEANS FOR WRAPPER FORMING INSTRUMENTALITIES Filed Sept. 12, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FRANCIS cmesczzvzo ARLM (HA 5.5 CA A MHLHORN ATTORNEYS Un ied States atent MOUNTING MEANS FOR WRAPPER FORMING INSTRUMENTALITIES Kenneth F. Newel], Longmeadow, Francis Crescenzo, Springfield, Earle M. Chase, Wilbraham, and Carl E. Mehlhorn, Springfield, Mass., assignors to Package Machinery Company, East Longmeadow, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Sept. 12, 1960, Ser. No. 55,577 3 Claims. (Cl. 53180) The present invention relates to improvements in packaging machines, and more particularly to improved mechanism for forming pillow-shaped packages. The present application is a division of our copending application Serial No. 857,324 and relates more particularly to improved means for mounting forming instrumentalities on such machines.

Prior machines for producing pillow-shaped packages are exemplified in U.S. Patent No. 1,986,422. These prior machines are based on the use of a pair of draw bars mounted on posts for vertical reciprocating movement. The draw bars grip a tube of wrapper material and heat-seal it along a transverse seam; the product to be packaged is dropped into the wrapper tube as it is drawn down and sealed by the draw bar. As the wrapper tube is so drawn, a knife is actuated to sever the tube intermediate the heat-sealed portion, thus completing a previously filled package. The draw bars are then opened and the completed package released. The draw bars then move upwardly .and again grip the wrapper tube at the top of their stroke and repeat the same cycle of operation over and over to form pillow-shaped packages. The object of the invention is to provide improved means for facilitating a change in the diameter of the tube of wrapper material from which such packages are formed.

The invention is characterized by an inside folder or drop tube and an outside folder which are mounted as a removable component of the machine. Further there are found adjustable means for maintaining a desired angle of the wrapper web as it is fed towards these tube forming instrumentalities and particularly the outside former.

The above and other related objects and features of the invention will be apparent from a reading of the following description of the disclosure found in the accompanying drawings and the novelty thereof pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, somewhat diagrammatical in form, showing the general organiaztion of a packaging machine embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2-is a front elevation, with portions broken away, of-the mounting means for the wrapper tube forming means;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of these mounting means;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of a positioning device for these mounting means;

FIG. 5 is a section taken on line VV in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a section taken on line VIVI in FIG. 5.

The overall organization of the present packaging machine may best be had by referring to FIG. 1 in the drawings. There it will be seen that a pair of supply rolls 30 of heat-scalable wrapper material are mounted at the rear of the machine. A web W is led from one or both of the rolls 30, around a pair of fixed idler rolls 32, 34, over a web take-off roll 36 and then down and around a fixed idler roll 38. For the sake ofclarity, only one web is described herein. From the roll 38 the web W extends upwardly past electric eye mechanism 40 and web braking means 42 to a fixed idler roll 44. From former 50, with the side edges of the wrapper lapped in a vertical seam at the front of the machine.

In the illustrated position, the tube T of wrapper material extends below the lower end of the former St) and is sealed oif at its lower end by a previously formed transverse heat-sealed seam. A pair of draw bars 52, 54 are shown in readiness to move toward the tube T, grip the tube, move downwardly and form a second transverse seam to complete the pillow-shaped package for the charge of product seen in the lower end of the tube.

The draw bars are slidably mounted on a swinging arm 56 which is pivotally connected to the frame of the machine by links 58, 60. An air motor 62. is mounted on the arm 56 and through linkage. means (not shown) is adapted-t0 open and close the draw bars 52, 54 against the tube T.

As illustrated, the next step is for the air motor 62 to close the draw bars 52, 54. Thereafter, or at approximately the same time, the draw bars will move downwardly along a substantially straight line vertical path. This straight movement is attained by the described links 58, 6d and by a link 64 connected at one end to the arm 56 and at its other end to a revolving crank arm 66.

As the draw bars 52, 54 move down, the tube is severed, by means carried herewith, intermediate the transverse heat-seal. As the draw bars near the bottom of their stroke the air motor 62 is actuated by the electric eye mechanism 40; there being electric eye actuating indicia spaced along the web W a distance equaling package length. The draw bars 52, 54 are opened by motor 62, releasing the tube T and the package which was completed by severing the tube on the downstroke. The completed package falls into a chute 67 leading to a collection point at the front of the machine.

After or during the opening of the draw bars 52, 54, the arm 56 swings upwardly to return the draw bars to their upper position, as illustrated.

During the upstroke of the draw bars, the web W is clamped by the braking means 42 as the take-off roll 36 moves upwardly to draw off a length of web W from the supply rolls 30. In this connection it will be seen that the roll 36 is connected to the arm .56 by links 63 and urged upwardly by springs 70. 1

While the tube T is stationary during the upstroke of the draw bars, a heat-sealer 72 is swung towards the former St) to heat-seal the vertical seam of the tube.

Product is introduced into the tube T during the inter val of time between closure of the draw bars in their upper position and return of the draw bars to their open' position again in their upper position. Product is fed from a volumetric feeder 74 which drops a given volume of product into the upper end of the former 50.

Reference is made to said copending application for a detailed description of the packaging machine which has thus been briefly described, and reference is also made thereto for the claimed features of novelty for the machine. For present purposes attention is more specifically directed to the means for controlling the web W and folding it into tubeform and further to the manner in which such means are mounted.

From the brake mechanism 42 (as seen in FIG. 1), the web W passes over the idler roll 44 and then around the positioning roll 46 which controls the angle of the web as it approaches the outside former 48. The roll 46 (FIGS. 5 and 6) is rotatably mounted on a shaft 635 .which has a block 636 secured to each end (only the right hand end is shown). the blocks 636 are slidably mounted on brackets 638 secured to opposite frame panels 86 by screws 640. A screw 642 is threaded through each block 636 and is journaled on lugs 644 projecting from the brackets 638. Collars 646 prevent axial movement of the screws 642 relative to the brackets 638. Knobs 648 are secured to the outer ends of the screws 642 and indicia plates 649 are secured to the brackets 638 for ready reference to the adjustment of each end of the shaft 636.

The configuration of the folding faces of the folder 48 are of known design and need not be described in detail. It will be noted that the outside folder 48 has a concentric spaced relation with the inside tube former 50 which must be closely controlled. One of the advantages of the present construction is that once this relation is established for a given former and folder, it will at all times be maintained even when remounted on the machine after different size formers and folders have been in use.

It will be seen (FIGS. 2 and 3) that arms 650 project from the winged portions of the folder 48 and are clamped against the lower ends of threaded posts 652 by nuts 654. The posts 652 are suspended from a plate 656 and are held thereon by nuts 658. The inside former 50 is provided with a flange 660 at its upper end which is secured to the plate 656 by screws 662. It will also be noted that the funnel 418 is provided with a flange 664 which is secured to the plate 656 by screws 666. The wrapper tube formers and folder are thus mounted as a unit in fixed relation to each other on the plate 656. The plate 656 is, of course, apertured so that product will pass from the funnel 418 to the inside former 50.

The plate 656 is detachably mounted in fixed relation on the frame of the machine. It will be seen that the plate 656 spans and rests on the upper frame member 480. A square locating lug 668 is secured to each of the frame members 48% by a nut 670. Each end of the plate 656 is slotted at 672 to be interdigitated or telescoped over the locating lugs 668. Screws 67'4 project into the front, rear and inner sides of the slots 672 (FIG. 4). In making an original setup, the plate 656 is placed on the frame members 480 and the screws 674 adjusted to obtain the proper transverse and longitudinal location of the inside and outside formers (50 and 48) on the machine. Once this desired location is established, the screws 674 are locked in place by check nuts 676. The plate 656 is then clamped against the frame members 480 by screws 678 which pass through large clearance holes or slots in the plate 656.

Different size inside and outside formers are mounted in the same fashion on plates identical with the plate 656. Thus, to change to a different size package, it is simply necessary to remove the screws 678 and lift the plate 656 from the machine, and with it the folder inside former. An alternate plate having different size inside and outside formers may then be set on the frame members. The new inside and outside formers will automatically be correctly positioned by the locating lugs 668, presuming the locating screws 674 of the new plate have previously been properly adjusted. It will be noted that the screws 674 do not grip the lugs 668 but engage them with a sliding fit to permit ready replacement of the plate 656.

The alternate former units preferably have the different size folders mounted so that a constant or fixed heightwise location of the outside formers is obtained. This is obtained by using the same height posts 652 for each unit. It will also be appreciated that different size formers are themselves of different heights. As was previously stated, it is desirable that the web W have a given angular relation as it approaches the outside former 48. Once a new size outside is mounted in the machine, it is a simple matter to adjust the roll 46 by means of the knobs 648 in order to obtain this desired angular relation.

The web W is wrapped into tubular form, about the former St), and lapped to form a vertical seam. This seam is then heat-sealed'to complete the tube T of wrapper material which is drawn from the former 50 by the draw bars 52, 54.

It will be apparent that the means herein described and claimed are not limited in their utility to the particular environment of said copending application.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as novel and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a packaging machine having a pair of laterally spaced vertical frame members, a mounting for a tubular inside former and a winged folder encircling said former, said mounting comprising a plate spanning said frame members and supported thereby, said plate having an opening therethrough, means for securing the upper end of said former to said plate with said opening aligned with said former and the former depending therefrom, means for securing said folder to said plate in a predetermined relation to said former, a square positioning lug mounted on each of said frame members, openings, one at each end of said plate, which may respectively be telescoped over said square lugs, three adjusting screws threaded into the end of the openings of said plate and engageable respectively with three sides of said lugs whereby said screws may be adjusted to position the former and folder relative to the machine to establish a predetermined relationship therewith whereby the former and folder will be automatically positioned on the machine whenever they are remounted thereon.

2. In a packaging machine having a pair of laterally spaced frame members, a mounting for a tubular inside former and wing folder encircling said former, said mounting comprising a plate spanning said frame members and supported thereby, said plate having an opening therethrough, means for securing the upper end of said former to said plate with said opening aligned with said former and the former depending therefrom, means including posts of predetermined height for securing said folder to said plate in predetermined relation tosaid former and in predetermined heightwise relation to said plate, a square positioning lug mounted on each of said frame members, openings, one at each end of said plate, which may respectively be telescoped over said square lugs, three adjusting screws threaded into the end openings of said plate and engageable respectively with three sides of said lugs respectively where-by said screws may be adjusted to simultaneously position the former and folder relative to the machine to establish a predetermined relationship therewith whereby the former and folder will be automatically positioned on the machine whenever they are ever remounted thereon.

3. In a packaging machine having a pair of laterally spaced vertical frame members, a mounting for a tubular inside former and a winged folder encircling said former, said mounting comprising a hanger member spanning said frame members and supported thereby, means for securing the upper end of said former to said hanger member, said hanger member having an opening aligned with said former, means for securing said folder to said hanger member in predetermined relation to said former and laterally adjustable interdigitating means for positioning said hanger member on said frame members and establish ing a desired relation of the former and folder relative to the machine to facilitate removal and reassembly of this and like mounted folder and former units; in combination with a lead-in roll for controlling the angle of the web as it is fed to said former, a guide member secured to each end of said lead-in roll, a horizontal guideway mounted on each frame member and respectively receiving said guide and screw means for position- 5 ing each guide along the length of its guideway to thereby 2,872,762 position the feed-in r011 relative to the former. 2,899,875 2,95 1,322 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 2,840,966 Dreeben -2 July 1, 1958 839,014

Dreeben Feb. 10, 1959 Leasure Aug. 18, 1959 Wood Sept. 6, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Feb. 27, 1957'

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