WO2003095166A1

WO2003095166A1 - Apparatus and method for production of boxes, primarily for wine bottles

Info

Publication number: WO2003095166A1
Application number: PCT/DK2003/000304
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jørgen LARSEN; Keld Pedersen
Original assignee: Danbox International Aps
Priority date: 2002-05-08
Filing date: 2003-05-08
Publication date: 2003-11-20
Also published as: AU2003229525A1

Abstract

The present invention concerns a machine for assembling boxes, primarily for packing wine bottles, where the machine contains a pressing frame surrounding the box sides and its top and bottom, where the pressing frame exerts a pressure in a first direction and in a second direction, and where the machine includes a transport means for removing assembled boxes. It is the purpose of the invention to achieve a simple, efficient and reliable machine for assembling boxes, whereby is achieved a high capacity, where also it is a purpose to achieve assembling of boxes with very high quality. This may be achieved, if the box elements are conveyed from the magazines by means of actuators that push the lower boards of the magazines through slots, where the boards slide on rounded ramps to their mounting positions, where the box elements are temporarily held. Hereby is achieved a uniform and rapid assembling of boxes. The efficient production may be highly cost-reducing for the making of boxes and enable assembling of boxes in immediate vicinity of the place where the boxes are e.g. to be filled with wine bottles.

Description

Apparatus and Method for Production of Boxes, primarily for Wine Bottles

The present invention concerns a machine for assembling boxes, primarily boxes for packing wine bottles, where the bottles contains at least the following box elements: a rear board, a top board, a bottom board and two side boards; where a rear board is placed upon a support by transport means; where the machine contains a pressing frame surrounding the box sides and its top and bottom; where the pressing frame exerts a pressure in a first direction and in a second direction; where the machine includes a transport means for removing assembled boxes.

A machine for compressing boxes of this kind are described in DK patent application PA 2000 01337 filed by the same inventor. Here is described a machine for compressing boxes, where a box in principle is to be assembled and dowels are to engage before the box is provided in the apparatus, where the apparatus has various adjusting mechanisms so that the apparatus in question is suited for assembling boxes of very different sizes. An apparatus as described here is well-functioning and solves the assigned task very well. Only this apparatus is not automatic, and if a large number of boxes are to be produced it will be suitable with a machine working automatically to a greater extent.

DE 3 335 991 concerns a machine for a mortise joining of boxes, where box sides from magazines are transported to a mounting position by means of arms that perform a rotating movement about a moving centre. The arms are rotating synchronously in pairs for achieving simultaneous movement. Use of the movable arms is both cumbersome and complicated, and the arms may constitute a safety risk for persons near the machine.

US 350.943 concerns a machine for gluing and mortise joining of boxes. The box sides are conveyed simultaneously from magazines, and surfaces to be joined are supplied glue during the conveying. By means of gripping arms, the box sides are placed in a pressing frame containing a bottom, and compression of the box is performed there. Transport from magazine to pressing frame occurs in a very cumbersome way, and adjusting the machine is very tedious. At the same time, the machine is so complicated in construction that interruptions may occur with short intervals.

It is the purpose of the invention to achieve a simple, cheap, efficient and reliable ma- chine for assembling boxes, where the assembly may be performed fully or partly automatically with great speed, whereby is achieved high capacity, where it is also an object to achieve assembling of boxes of very high quality.

This can be achieved if the box elements are transported from the magazines by means of actuators pushing the lower boards of the magazines through slots, where the box elements slide on rounded ramps to their mounting positions, and where the box elements are temporarily held.

Hereby may be achieved a uniform and rapid assembling of boxes, where the boxes due to an efficient pressing frame and the precise positioning of the box elements before assembly are contributing to achieving a high quality of the finished product. The efficient production may be highly cost-reducing for the making of boxes, and with regard to the machine being made with simple means and the machine size being limited, the machine for assembling boxes in question may operate in immediate vicinity of the place where the boxes are e.g. to be filled with wine bottles. Thereby, a machine as the one here described, may substantially reduce the need for transporting empty boxes, as the transport is reduced to only including box elements that in principle may be forwarded in very large portions where a volume, e.g. in a lorry container, is utilised optimally. In this way, procuring wine boxes becomes still cheaper, and as wine boxes are made immediately on the place of application, there is a minimum risk of transport damage on the boxes.

Advantageously, the machine may contain at least one glue station supplying glue to dowel holes and to groove. Hereby may be achieved a good bonding of the individual elements of the box as well as reinforcement of wood close to either dowel holes or groove, as the glue, by pressing in dowels or inserting rear board in a groove, will press glue into possible cavities in the micro structure of the wood, thus effecting a considerable reinforcement of wood in areas around dowels. Hereby may be achieved a very secure and very stable assembling of a box.

Advantageously, the machine may contain means for adjusting box height. Hereby, the same machine may automatically produce boxes with very different heights so that the boxes may be adapted to the actual application and in the primary case the height of the wine bottles that possibly are to be packed. Naturally, height adjustment will simultaneously require that side faces are applied with the correct height. This means that in case of shift of box type, other side boards are to be provided in the magazines of the machine. Also, adjustment of the rear board will be necessary.

Also, the machine may advantageously contain means for adjusting the box width. Hereby is achieved that the machine becomes suited for making boxes, particularly suited for different numbers of wine bottles. By replacing top and bottom boards and the rear board, a single readjustment of the machine may provide for making boxes with another width. Hereby is achieved a machine which is very flexible, as boxes of widely different sizes may be produced on the same machine.

The machine may advantageously contain pneumatic actuators for activating the pressing frame of the machine. Hereby may be attained a large pressing force from the pneumatic actuators, where the actuators may designed so that these automatically may return the pressing frame by using compressed air too after compressing a box.

The pneumatic actuators may be connected to a compressed air source, and control of the direction of movement of the pneumatic actuators may advantageously be controlled via electric control valves. Instead of using pneumatic actuators, the machine may instead be used with hydraulic actuators, whereas mechanical actuators based on spindles may also be used. Thus there is possibility of making an entirely automatic pressing frame that perform compressing a box without any kind of manual engage- ment. The possibility of an operator being injured in connection with operating a compressing machine is thereby reduced. In the following, the invention is explained from the drawings, where

Fig. 1 shows a possible embodiment of a wine box,

Fig. 2 shows a possible embodiment of the machine seen in a perspective from the side and obliquely from above,

Fig. 3 shows a section through the machine,

Fig. 4 shows another section in an opposite plane through the machine, and

Fig. 5 shows a possible embodiment for a glue station.

On Fig. 1 is shown a box 2 consisting of a top 4, a bottom 6 and two sides 8 with a rear board 10. In the side board 8 there is outlined a groove 12 which is also to be found in the side board 8, where the groove is intended for receiving a not shown lid which is to be mounted only when the box is full, e.g. with wine bottles.

Fig. 2 shows a possible embodiment of a machine 101 according to the invention. The machine contains a first magazine 110 and a second magazine 114. Each magazine 110, 114 is formed by two end magazine sections 111, 112 and 115, 116.

These magazines 110, 114 may contain top and bottom boards 4, 6. From the maga- zines 110, 114, box elements are transported by means of actuators 150, 152, 154, 156 which push the lowermost top and bottom boards 4, 6 of the magazines through slots 158, 160, 162 (164 not shown) to mounting positions 126. On rounded ramps 166, 168, 170, 172, top and bottom boards 4, 6 are automatically sliding into position in their mounting positions 126 where the box elements are held temporarily. Following application of glue, side boards are positioned manually in the shown embodiment in mounting positions 124. A pressing frame 134, 136, 138, 140 surrounds individual box elements with the purpose of performing pressing in dowels 214 (Fig. 4) and assembling of the box.

The machine shown on Fig. 2 may be extended with two further magazines that may contain glued side boards 8 which can be provided with dowel holes 215. Hereby, a fully automatic machine may be constructed. Fig. 3 shows a detailed section through the machine, where a bottom board 206 and a top board 204 are placed in temporary mounting positions 224, where a rear board 210 are provided on supports 220 by transport means 216, where a rear board 210 is to interact with groove 212, where the pressing frame consists of a first side 234 that may be moved by actuators 230 and a second side 238 which is fixed. During mounting, transport means 216 will hold the rear board 210, while the actuators 230 are performing a movement of the side 234 of the pressing frame in direction of the arrows in direction towards the side 238. The rear board 210 will hereby be pressed into engage- ment with the grooves 212. Hereby may be avoided an unsuitable deflection of the rear board 210. After assembling of the box, transport means may transport the box away from the machine.

On Fig. 4 is shown other movable pressing faces 240 of the pressing frame with tem- porary fastening means 226 for receiving a side board 208. A bottom 206 and top board 204, respectively, contain dowels 214, and a projecting edge of the bottom board 210 is shown. Side board 208 contains dowel holes 215 and a groove 212 for accommodating bottom board 210. Compressing is effected by activating two actuators 232, whereby the section 240 of the pressing frame performs a movement in the direction of the arrows. Dowels 214 hereby engage dowel holes 215 simultaneously with rear piece 210 engaging groove 212. A corresponding compression occurs in bottom 206 and opposite side of top board 204 caused by activation of the two actuators 232. Then the box is removed by ejection means (not shown) that may be provided in the temporary holders. After finished compression, the actuators return to their starting position. By finished compression, the actuator 216 shown on Fig. 3, for example, by means of vacuum nozzles may lift rear board 210 which is now fastened to two side faces, top and bottom face, respectively, whereby actuator 216 is provided possibility of transporting an assembled box, e.g. for a conveyor belt.

Fig. 5 shows a possible embodiment of a glue station 300. The glue station 300 contains a magazine 304 that may contain side boards 8, 208, where actuators 306 are pushing side elements 8, 208 through slots 308 to positions where a glue dispenser 302 applies glue. The glue dispenser 302 may perform an automatic movement along groove 12 at a side 8, where the glue dispenser 302 either applies a constantly running glue stripe in grooves 12, or glue is applied at certain points in grooves 12. Also, the glue station may contain a certain glue dispenser placing glue drops in dowel holes 215 in the side boards 8. After gluing, the box elements 4, 6, 8 are pushed out upon a storage place 310. The machine may be used for making boxes directly where the box is to be used, where a fully or semi-automatic machine has so great capacity that finished boxes are only to be stocked to a limited extent.

The outlined machine may be further developed, and handling of box elements 4, 6, 8 may be entirely automated. Also, transport of finished boxes away from the machine may advantageously be automated. Thereby, a machine may constitute a closed unit which may be provided with components from one side, and where finished boxes may be delivered on the other side of the machine. Access to the machine may only be required in connection with service.

The machine may be designed so that transport of box elements from magazines to pressing frame occurs in a simple and efficient way while using a very small number of mechanical components. Box elements are turned during passage of the ramps from a horizontal position in the magazines to a vertical position in connection with the pressing frame. This movement occurs partly by means of gravity, as the box elements are pushed out upon the inclining ramp, where gravity makes the box elements rotate before the box elements are falling freely to the desired position relative to the pressing frame. A controlled braking may be used for achieving a precise positioning of the box elements in the pressing frame. The braking may occur with a mechanical stop which is braking the movement of the box elements completely, where the movement continues as soon as the stop is deactivated.

Claims

1. Machine (101) for assembling boxes (2), primarily boxes for packing wine bottles where the boxes (2) contains at least the following box elements: a rear board (10 210), a top board (4, 204), a bottom board (6, 206) and two side boards (8, 208) where a rear board (10, 210) is placed upon a support (220) by transport means (216) where the machine (101) contains a pressing frame (134, 136, 138, 140, 234, 238 240) surrounding the box sides (8, 208) and its top (4, 204) and bottom (6, 206) where the pressing frame (134, 136, 138, 140, 234, 240) exerts a pressure in a first direction and in a second direction; where the machine includes a transport means

(216) for removing assembled boxes; characterised in that the box elements (4, 204, 6, 206, 8, 208) are conveyed from the magazines (110, 114) by means of actuators (150, 152, 154, 156) that push the lower boards (4, 204, 6, 206, 8, 208) of the magazines through slots (158, 160, 162, 164), where the boards (4, 204, 6, 206, 8, 208) slide on rounded ramps (166, 168, 170, 172) to their mounting positions (126), where the box elements (4, 204, 6, 206, 8, 208) are temporarily held.

2. Machine according to claim 1, characterised in that the machine contains at least one glue station (310) that supplies glue to dowel holes (215) and to groove (12, 212).

3. Machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the machine contains means for adjusting box height.

4. Machine according one of claims 1 - 3, characterised in that the machine contains means for adjusting the box width.

5. Machine according to one of claims 1 - 4, characterised in that the machine (101) contains pneumatic actuators (230, 232) for activating the pressing frame (134, 136, 138, 140, 234, 238, 240) of the machine.