Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B50/00—Making rigid or semi-rigid containers, e.g. boxes or cartons
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B50/00—Making rigid or semi-rigid containers, e.g. boxes or cartons
  • B31B50/60—Uniting opposed surfaces or edges; Taping
  • B31B50/62—Uniting opposed surfaces or edges; Taping by adhesives
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B2105/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers made by assembling separate sheets, blanks or webs
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B2120/00—Construction of rigid or semi-rigid containers
  • B31B2120/50—Construction of rigid or semi-rigid containers covered or externally reinforced
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B50/00—Making rigid or semi-rigid containers, e.g. boxes or cartons
  • B31B50/26—Folding sheets, blanks or webs
  • B31B50/44—Folding sheets, blanks or webs by plungers moving through folding dies

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the field of the apparatus for erecting and covering cardboard boxes.
• covered card board boxes are formed normal ly by means of automatic productive lines. These lines comprise different working stations in which respective machines are arranged; a typical production line includes for example a gluing apparatus for gluing the paper covering sheets, a box erecting and corner joining apparatus starting from a flat blank, a centring apparatus for centring the box with respect to the pre-glued sheet and, finally, a covering apparatus through which the pre-glued sheet is wrapped around the box for completing the covering of the same.
• the covering apparatus schematically comprises a working head supporting a mould at the end of a mandrel driven along a reciprocating direction corresponding to the axis of the mandrel (normally a substantially vertical direction).
• the translation of the mould, shaped correspondingly with the box to be formed, causes the same box to be wrapped, with all the necessary folds, by the covering paper sheet.
• the mould establishes a reference for all the various working steps, considering that it is around the same mould that the box gains its final shape, acting as a reference and abutment for carrying out the required folds.
• a fi nal step of the covering operation is the so-called "tuck", wherein the covering sheet is folded over the upper edge of the box and towards the inside of the same.
• the mould comprises two moulding modules superimposed in the reciprocating direction.
• the modules can become spaced apart (translating along the reciprocating direction, i. e. the direction of movement of the working head) so that while a first module (lower module or main portion of the mould) is kept inside the box to press the same (e. g. over the base or bottom area), a second module (upper module or counter-mould) can be displaced apart in order to permit the tuck to be carried out, by means of suitable blades moving over a plane orthogonal with the direction along which the mould reciprocates.
• the blades in number of fours and arranged in mirrored pairs to work on opposite sides of the box, are shaped so as to engage with the covering sheet and fold it towards the inside of the same box, so that the tuck can be completed.
• covering apparatus with sequential tuck have been developed, such as the one disclosed in the Italian patent application n. FI2009R000006 of the same present a ppl i ca nt.
• I n a seq u enti al tu ck coveri n g a ppa ratus , th e bl ad es can work contemporaneously or in subsequent steps over pairs of opposite sides of the box.
• a typical working cycle of the blades provides for e.g. the following steps: displacement of two opposite tucking blades close to the box walls and folding of outer flaps of the sheet towards the inside of the box; the counter-mould is driven towards the blades, which are subsequently retracted outwards, away from the box; the counter-mould is driven inside the box so that the flaps are folded and glued on the inner faces of the box; pressing the whole mould to the box so as to stabilize the adhesion of the flaps and of the whole covering sheet; the counter-mould is lifted and the second pair of blades are driven to tuck the flaps on the other sides of the box; the counter-mould is displaced closer to the second blades, which then are retracted away from the box; new introduction of the counter-mould inside the box and repeated pressure for completing the adhesion.
• the main portion of the mould (or lower module) remains steady inside the box, to make it stable, block it on its support and stiffen it so as to avoid the risk that it may collapse during the tucking operations.
• the main object of the present invention is to solve the above explained problems, providing an apparatus and method for covering cardboard boxes that succeed in carrying out even deep or very deep tuckings on slender boxes with an outstanding finishing quality, that is with clean and perfectly neat folds on the top edge of the box, without requiring a subsequently manual cleaning of the folded flaps.
• a particular object of the present invention is also to provide an apparatus of the above mentioned kind that is constructively simple.
• figure 1 represents an overall view of a covering apparatus according to the invention, with parts omitted for the sake of comprehension;
• FIGS. 1 a, 1 b, 1 c represent respective details of the covering apparatus of figure 1 ;
• FIGS. 2a, 2b represent a support leverage o fan abutment plate of a covering apparatus according to the invention, in respective subsequent working steps.
• figure 1 shows a box S with a covering sheet R prepared on an automated productive line as the one previously described, to be worked on a covering apparatus according to the invention in order to wrap the pre-glued covering sheet R around the box S, completing the covering thereof.
• the box S is placed on an abutment plate 101 , shown in figure 1 a (in which, to let the same plate be visible, the box S and the covering sheet R are omitted), carried by a supporting leverage wholly indicated at 100 (shown in isolation in figures 2a and 2b).
• the leverage 1 00 rises in a vertical direction substantially along a working direction X orthogonal with the ground plane on which a basement (not shown) of the apparatus rests.
• the abutment plate is in turn extended over a plane parallel with the ground, and thus orthogonal with the axis X.
• a base fitting 102 that can be considered as a lower spatial reference
• the box S is to be worked by moulding means such as, according to an aspect of the invention, a unitary mould 141 (that is a single body without the conventional divisible structure in two modules comprising a main mould portion and a counter- mould) mounted on a head 140 linked with a top frame (also not shown) of the apparatus.
• the mould 141 can be driven along the direction X, being supported by a linear rail guide 142 that in fact extends along the same direction X. In this way, the mould 141 can be displaced closer to and away from the abutment plate 101 .
• the box S is supported by the leverage 100 so as to be in substantial alignment, according to the working direction X, to the mould 141 .
• viscoelastic reaction means 1 03 such as a linear shock absorber
• a stem 103a of the shock absorber 1 03 is pivotally connected, around an axis parallel with the ground plane, to a lever arm 104 of the leverage 100.
• the two ends of such arm 104 are hinged respectively to a first attachment 105 integral with the fixed structure of the apparatus, and a cup-shaped body 106 from which uprights 106a stand, supporting the abutment plate 101 .
• the uprights 1 06a develop therefore along the direction X and are slidably engaged, to the purpose of maintaining a stable vertical orientation, with a second attach ment 1 07 integral with the fixed structu re of the apparatus.
• the second attachment 107 has a downward tubular projection 107a adapted to receive the cup- shaped body 106 and make it stable, in a position of maximum elevation of the plate 101 (figure 2a); in the opposite run end position, that is with the plate 101 completely lowered (figure 2b) the attachment 107 has instead the function of a dead end stop.
• the overall operative behaviour of the leverage 100 can be clearly understood by considering and comparing the figures 2a and 2b, in spite of the plate 101 , connected to the top end of the uprights 106a, not being represented
• lock means act on the shock absorber 103 and in particular on its stem 103a.
• the lock means are in the example in the form of a clamping device 108 that clutches with its jaws 108a the stem 103a and prevents its movement. Consequently, the movement of the plate 101 along the direction X is locked.
• the folding means 1 10 when considered as such are analogous to the known folding means already in use in this type of machines.
• they comprise, in the present embodiment, two units each having folding blades 1 1 1 extended along the working direction X, mutually spaced with respect to a direction Y on a pla ne orthogonal with the same working direction X, so as to be adapted to engage with the sheet R for folding it up against the side walls of the box.
• actuator means such as a linear actuator 1 12 are provided.
• Figure 1 shows only one of the two folding units 1 10, an identical unit being arranged in a mirror-like fashion on the opposite side of the abutment plate 101 , and therefore of the box S.
• tuck means 120 are associated with press and stop means 130, forming finishing units in turn arranged in a mirror-like fashion on opposite sides of the box S, to work on the four sides of the same box.
• figu re 1 only shows two of the finishing units, arranged mutually at right angles, to work respectively on a shorter side and on a longer side of a rectangular based box S; it is also not represented the mounting of the units to the fixed basement of the apparatus, considering that this mounting can be carried out with any obvious fastening or welding technique.
• tuck means 120 they comprise, as shown in detail in figure 1 b, tuck blades 121 lying on a plane orthogonal with the direction X.
• Four tuck blades are as a whole provided, one for each side of the box, driven forward close to the box and retractable away so as to cause respective flaps of the covering sheet to be folded towards the inside of the box (as described in detail further on).
• Each tuck blade 121 is driven by a linear actuator 122, shown in figures 1 e 1 b.
• the already mentioned press and stop means 1 30 comprise pressing plates 1 31 bearing contact faces 132a adapted to result in parallel relationship with respective side walls of the box with which they match.
• the pressing plates are driven close to and away from the side walls of the box by linear actuators 133.
• contact pads 132 are fixed over the pressing plates 131 .
• the pads 132 each comprise and define one of the above mentioned contact faces 132a, and are preferably made of rubber or other relatively soft material, suitable to realize a uniform pression on the side walls of the box S.
• Stop means of the side wall of the box are placed above the contact pads 132; in particular, according to the depicted embodiment, the stop means comprise suction pads 134 connected with pneumatic means (not shown) for generating a depression that, attracting the box, prevents its displacement.
• the covering apparatus according to the invention operates according to the following working cycle.
• the box S and the covering sheet R are fed as in the known art, by the machinery arranged upstream, over the abutment plate 101 that, thanks to the support leverage 100, is positioned at the desired height, established as a function of the side of the box to be covered.
• Said folding step can be carried out simultaneously for all the side walls of the box S or, as an alternative, sequentially, depending on the type of blank according to which the chosen sheet is outlined (standard profile or T-shaped profile).
• the mold 141 pushes the box further to the height of the finishing units thereunder, and more specifically to the height of the tuck blades
• the pressing plates 131 get the close to the box and made to adhere, with their contact faces 132a, with respective side walls of the box S; the box is also and more effectively kept stably held by the suction cups 134, that stop the box by generating a localized attractive depression.
• the mould 141 Being the box S in this way stopped, the mould 141 is lifted, completely freeing the inside of the box. Although the pressure force exerted by the mould is removed, the locking action of the clamp device 108 prevents the shock absorbing means from releasing, as this would undesirably cause the box to be urged upwards towards the initial position.
• the mould 141 leaves space to the movement of the tuck blades 121 that are driven towards the side walls of the box S and fold the covering flaps at the inside of the box.
• the mould 141 is once again lowered until it comes close to the tuck blades 121 . I n this way, when immediately afterwards the blades are retracted, the sheet flaps are prevented from lifting up back.
• the tuck blades are back to the initial rest position, leaving a completely free space to the downward run of the mould 141 , the mould is further lowered entering the box and folding the covering flaps over the inner faces of the side walls.
• the pressing plates 131 can exert a force such as to assist the adhesion of the covering sheet R over the side walls. Obviously, the box S does not become deformed under this thrust, thanks to the countering action ensured by the mould 141 .
• the unitary mould (single piece with no separable counter-mould) realizes a remarkable constructive simplification of the apparatus, and namely of the drive and control system. Consequently, this being an achievement of even greater importance, even very long flaps can be deeply tucked into the box, as needed in case of tall, slender boxes, because when the u nitary mould is l ifted the inside of the box becomes completely free from physical obstacles that could hinder the tucking of the flaps.
• the box is kept firmly in position, in spite of the absence of a mould inside, by the provision of the pressing means (e.g. the pressing plates 131 with the contact pads 132) with the stop means (e.g. the suction cups 314), in cooperation with the locking means (clamp device 108) that prevent the plate 101 from moving upwards.
• the pressing plates 131 have an elongated shape in the working direction X, and in this way they are capable, when provided with accordingly elongated contact pads 132, to press over the whole depth of a tall box.
• the stop suction system makes the side walls perfectly contact the pads during the tucking step, allowing for a better adhesion of the covering sheet to the box and then a higher quality of the finished products.
• the clamp device 108 locks the plate at the correct height, thus avoiding possible errors in the position of the box S, that could bring about defects in the covering.
• the tucking steps can be simultaneous or sequential for the various sides of the box.
• the control system of the apparatus can be programmed so as to drive one or more tucking blades simultaneously or one after another, even for operating independently on a single side wall of the box S.
• each tucking blade is in charge of a single tucking, making it possible to carry out a tucking comprising even four subsequent steps (still considering the example of a quadrilateral box), each step tucking a respective flap accord ing to the a preprogrammed sequence.
• the apparatus according to the invention also makes it possible to set the tuck height in a wide range, up to the limits imposed by the capability of handling the covering sheets.
• the stop means can make use of different solutions than the pneumatic one, for example mechanical engagement devices controlled by dedicated motors.
• the clamp device 108 can be replaced by equivalent solutions, designed also as a function of the different configurations that can be adopted for the plate support system.
• the pressing means, the folding means and the tuck means can be differently shaped/arranged than in the depicted embodiment, depending on the shape of the box to be covered.
• the box can indeed have a different shape than the quadrilateral one (polygonal shapes with three, five, six, eight or more sides being also feasible).

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Cited By (4)

Citations (2)

• 2010
  • 2010-08-05 IT ITFI2010A000172A patent/IT1401282B1/it active
• 2011
  • 2011-08-04 WO PCT/IB2011/053489 patent/WO2012017412A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (2)

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