WO1990012748A1

WO1990012748A1 - Corrugated board treatment method and machine

Info

Publication number: WO1990012748A1
Application number: PCT/GB1989/001210
Authority: WO
Inventors: Terence Charles Osborne
Original assignee: Terence Charles Osborne
Priority date: 1989-04-14
Filing date: 1989-10-12
Publication date: 1990-11-01
Also published as: GB8908525D0; GB2249083A; GB9119953D0; AU4404789A

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of treatment of a continuous length of corrugated board to facilitate subsequent handling, according to which the board is perforated in lines across its width at regular intervals along the length of the board, and the perforated board is folded in zig-zag manner to form a flat pack of interconnected equally sized pieces ready for subsequent use by tearing along the perforated lines. The invention also provides a flat pack of zig-zag folded corrugated board formed by this method, and also such a flat pack in combination with a box for storage of the pack, the box having a slotted top wall through which the uppermost piece of the stack is withdrawable. The method of the invention may be applied to either single face or double face corrugated board.

Description

CORRUGATED BOARD TREATMENT METHOD AND MACHINE

Field of the invention

This invention relates generally to corrugated board, and in particular to the final production stage of the board and the packaging, dispensation and handling of the board after manufacture.

Background to the invention

Corrugated board is manufactured as either single or double face board. Single face corrugated board comprises a fluted layer bonded to a liner on one side only. Double face corrugated board comprises a fluted layer sandwiched between two such liners .

Kraft liners are manufactured from virgin softwood chemical pulp, whilst kraft-substitute liners are made mainly from reclaimed fibres from paper and board. The fluting may be made partly or wholly from semi-chemical pulp or partly or wholly from reclaimed fibres, possibly with chemical additives. The number of flutes per unit length varies with requirements for crush resistance and for cushioning effect, having due regard to the intended use of the board, which lies in the field of packaging.

Referring to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, there is diagrammatically shown a machine for the manufacture of single face corrugated board. The raw fluting material is shown at 13, the raw lining material at 12. The fluting material passes through a steam shower 20 t.o a pair of corrugator rolls 14, 15, associated with a flute guide finger 19. Adhesive is applied to the tips of the formed corrugations by an adhesive application roll 17, associated with an adhesive metering roll 18 with associated slot clean-out finger 21, adhesive being drawn from a tray 22. The liner is applied to the corrugated layer at pressure roll 16, and the single face board emerges at 10 as a continuous length thereof.

A machine for the manufacture of double face corrugated baord would operate in much the same way, except that a further pressure roll, similar to 16 and also supplied with raw lining material as at 12, would be used to apply a second layer of liner to the corrugated layer.

Conventionally, the emergent single faced corrugated board is rolled to form a reel thereof from which it may be drawn and cut, as required, during a subsequent packaging process.

However, supply reels of the board are wasteful in space during transport and storage, and the rolled board tends to become damaged at the ends of the reels. In addition, the board is often wastefully used, as the packaging operative will frequently draw too large a length from the reel for the item to be packaged, whilst sometimes drawing too short a length which goes wholly to waste.

Corrugated board is manufactured in various widths but can now be manufactured with perforations pitched at suitable dimensions to meet the customer's individual requirements.

The invention According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of treatment of a continuous length of corrugated board to facilitate subsequent handling, according to which the board is perforated in lines across its width at regular intervals along the length of the board, and the perforated board is folded in zig-zag manner to form a flat pack of interconnected equally sized pieces ready for subsequent use by tearing along the perforated lines.

Preferably the perforated board is zig-zag folded into a box subsequently to be closed by a lid having a slot through which the upper piece of the flat pack may be withdrawn.

Thus, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a flat pack of zig-zag folded equally sized pieces of corrugated board, the pieces being folded along interconnected lines of perforations.

A further feature of the invention concerns the combination of a flat pack as aforesaid with a box in which the pack is stored, the box having a slotted top wall through which the uppermost piece of the stack is withdrawable. In this connection, it will be appreciated that if the uppermost piece always protrudes ready for use, the act of withdrawing it and tearing it from the next following sheet along the line of perforations will automatically cause the next following sheet to protrude ready for use.

According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a machine for the manufacture of corrugated board, which includes a work station for handling a conventionally produced continuous length of board and at which the board is perforated in lines across its width at regular intervals along its length, and is then folded in zig-zag manner to form a flat pack of equally sized interconnected pieces.

Moreover, the invention extends to a machine for re- handling corrugated board which has been wound onto a supply reel thereof, and reforming the supply reel into one or more flat packs as aforesaid.

Description of Embodiments

The invention is exemplified in the following description, making reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a machine for manufacturing single face corrugated board;

Figure 2 shows a perforated roller assembly in diagrammatic manner;

Figure 2A shows a detail from Figure 2; and

Figure 3 shows a package of single faced corrugated boar

Referring back to Figure 1, the manufactured board 10 is conventionally, as previously mentioned, wound into a reel for storage, transport and subsequent usage.

Preceding an assembly (not shown) at which the board is wound, a cutting assembly is provided to cut the supply from the machine when a reel of desired size has been wound, whereafter winding of the next reel is commenced.

In accordance with the present invention, the cutting assembly may or may not be retained, but in any case, as shown in Figure 2, the manufactured board 10 passes to a perforating assembly 30, used in place of or in addition to the cutting assembly.

The perforating assembly comprises a pair of similar perforating rollers 32 between which the board is passed so that, in accordance with the circumferential size of the rollers, the board is perforated across its width at spaced intervals along its length. Figure 2A shows the detail of a perforating blade 34 which is let into the upper of the two rollers 32 to form the perforations.

The actual pitch of the perforations is determined by a variable speed mechanism, usually called a variable P.R.V. box, which governs the speed at which the shafts revolve relative to the speed at which the corrugated board is produced.

On emergence from the perforating assembly 30, the supply of perforated board is folded in zig-zag fashion, either automatically or manually, to form a flat pack (see Figure 3) of individual pieces of board 40, all of equal size, and which are inter-connected along the lines of perforations 42. Preferably, as also shown in Figure 3, the pack is formed into a protective box 44, with the leading piece of board protruding from a slot 46 in the top of the box, so that it can readily be pulled out, torn off, and used for a wrapping purpose, as required. It will be appreciated that pulling out the leading piece of board and tearing it off will then leave the next piece protruding from the box ready for use.

The original cutting assembly may be retained to cut the supply of manufactured board when a pack of required size has been formed, but alternatively the perforated supply may simply be torn from the supply when a pack has been completed.

The drawings illustrate the processing of single face corrugated board. However, the present invention is clearly also applicable to the treatment of double face corrugated board.

Although there is no restriction on the dimensions of the individual pieces forming the pack, because pieces of any desired size can be made by use of starting materials of a required width and appropriate design of the perforating assembly, it is intended that an initial standard size of 650mm by 500mm be offered to potential users as this would be appropriate for the majority of wrapping purposes for which single or double face corrugated board is used. Conveniently, therefore, manufactured board of 650mm width may be perforated at 500mm intervals.

Various modifications of the above described and illustrated arrangement are possible within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A method of treatment of a continuous length of corrugated board to facilitate subsequent handling, according to which the board is perforated in lines across its width at regular intervals along the length of the board, and the perforated board is folded in zig-zag manner to form a flat pack of interconnected equally sized pieces ready for subsequent use by tearing along the perforated lines.

2. A method according to Claim 1, wherein the corrugated board is single face corrugated board.

3. A method according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the corrugated board is perforated at 500 mm intervals along its length.

4. A flat pack of zig-zag folded equally sized pieces of corrugated board, the pieces being folded along interconnected lines of perforations.

5. A flat pack according to Claim 4, wherein the pieces of corrugated board are of dimensions 650 mm by 500 mm.

6. A flat pack according to Claim 4 or Claim 5, in combination with a box in which the pack is stored, the box having a slotted top wall through which the uppermost piece of the stack is withdrawable.

7. A machine for the manufacture of corrugated board, which includes a work station for handling a conventionally produced continuous length of board and at which the board is perforated in lines across its width at regular intervals along its length, and is then folded in zig-zag manner to form a flat pack of equally sized interconnected pieces.

8. A machine for re-handling corrugated board, which board has been wound onto a supply reel thereof, and for reforming the supply reel into one or more flat packs as claimed in Claim 4 or Claim 5.