Abstract:
The invention relates to a method for assembling a composite box, in two parts, the method being implemented by a machine having: a conveyor system for bringing an envelope into position; a store for storing the blanks of the trays; means in the form of extractor arms for removing one of the tray blanks from the store and bringing it to the assembly station, facing the envelope; a device for gluing the edges of the envelope and the tongues of the tray blank during the movement towards the assembly station; a framework having two mobile carriages, a first carriage carrying a die for shaping the blank, and a second carriage carrying a tappet for driving the envelope towards the die and a stamp maintaining a counter-pressure using a suitable device against the pressing device of the die.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a process for constructing a composite cardboard box. 
     It relates, more specifically, to a box that consists of two parts assembled by gluing;
         a bottomless “½ American box”-type part with or without upper flaps, and   a part in the form of a tray that acts as a base.       

     This invention also relates to the installation, i.e. the machine that enables the process for constructing this type of composite cardboard box to be implemented. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     This type of composite box is used to wrap and package diverse and varied products found in large and medium distribution departments. 
     Indeed, this two-part box is suitable for serving as a display. It is brought to the department and, on site, the box part can be detached so as to leave only the tray, which holds the products and acts as a display. 
     The construction of these boxes is not a simple operation because it involves the forming of two cardboard cutouts, then the assembly thereof. However, the material, namely corrugated cardboard, is not known for its precision or for its manufacturing tolerances. 
     The construction of this type of box can be envisaged only by shaping one of the parts on the other, such as, for example, by assembling the tray cutout directly on the box with a suitable assembly. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention proposes a process for shaping this type of box, which is based on the well-known “wrap-around” technique, i.e. the cutout of the tray is formed directly on and by the box blank, in which said box blank has itself been pre-formed in a conventional manner from a cutout. 
     The invention enables a shaping machine to be proposed for implementing the process, which is in a compact, linear form. 
     This machine can also be in the form of a module associated with a machine for forming ½ American box-type cutouts. This assembly then constitutes a general machine for shaping composite boxes, which can easily be integrated in a line for wrapping and packaging products, or replace other existing solutions. 
     The process relates to the construction of a composite cardboard box, i.e. a box of the type including two parts:—a ½ American box and—a tray acting as a base, 
     which tray comprises flanks and tongues for assembling said flanks together, which process consists, in a first stage, of erecting the ½ American box cutout in the form of a sheath of which the axis of symmetry is perpendicular to its direction of movement on the machine, and, in a second stage, of:
         moving said sheath in order to position it in a repository located at the level of a station for assembling said two parts;   picking up, in a storage site that is arranged near said assembly station and with suitable means, a tray cutout;   applying glue to said sheath and said tray cutout as they are moving, in which said sheath receives bond lines on its longitudinal sides and said tray cutout receives bond lines on its tongues;   positioning and holding said tray cutout in another repository at the level of said assembly station, between said sheath and a matrix for forming said tray cutout;   installing a press in said sheath, at the level of its end, which is waiting for said tray;   bringing said tray cutout and said sheath together, in which said sheath serves as a support for said cutout while the matrix begins to fold the flanks of the latter;   applying and pressing said flanks of the tray cutout on the end of said sheath by means of the matrix;   applying and pressing said tongues on the corresponding flanks;   bringing the composite box to the repository of said sheath, and releasing it substantially upstream of its anterior position in said repository, for removal thereof.       

     Also according to the invention, the process consists of:
         picking up the tray cutout in a storage site of which the bed is located at a level below that of the bed of the assembly station, in which the distance between the two beds is at least equal to the vertical dimension of said tray cutout increased by the maximum vertical dimension of a flank;   raising said tray cutout, between its storage site and said assembly station, in a vertical guide passage and according to a movement perpendicular to the forward movement of the sheath;   allowing said tray cutout to be taken over, at the level of the assembly station, by plate-type means equipped with suction cups, which means are capable of being moved along an axis parallel to the axis of the sheath under the effect of an actuator in order to be placed in the active position for handling said tray cutout, and these same means are then free, on their axis, during the assembly of the tray cutout and during its assembly with the sheath.       

     According to another arrangement of the invention, the process consists of:
         moving the sheath transversally, in its repository, by means of a push member and clamps arranged on the supporting structure of the press;   folding the flanks of the tray cutouts by placing their tongues on the corresponding flanks;   pressing said tongues on said corresponding flanks, near the angles of said sheath, by means of actuators installed on the matrix;   pressing the longitudinal flanks of the tray thus formed on the longitudinal sides of the sheath by means of the matrix and the press in order to assemble said tray and said sheath, in which said press comprises actuator-type means for applying counter-pressure and optimizing the assembly;   deactivating the means for handling the tray cutout;   moving the supporting structure of the expansible template and the matrix in order to extract, by means of said clamps, the composite box from said matrix;   deactivating said clamps in order to release said box in its repository by means of a stop that receives said box at the level of its free peripheral edge, which release is performed upstream of its anterior position on the repository so as to avoid any interference between said repository and the flanks of the tray, which are attached to the sheath;   moving the composite box toward the outlet and pivoting it on a removal conveyor by placing its tray-type base on said conveyor.       

     The invention also relates to the machine that enables the process of constructing a composite box consisting of a sheath and a tray acting as a base to be implemented. This machine includes:
         a conveyor system for transferring the sheath, which has been pre-assembled at the forming station, which sheath is transferred in and with its repository;   a storage site for storing the tray cutouts;   means forming extractor arms for picking up said tray cutouts one by one in said storage site and bringing them to a repository, at the level of the assembly station, opposite said sheath;   means for applying glue to the edges of the longitudinal sides of the sheath and the tongues of the tray cutout as they are moving toward said assembly station;   a portal frame that is arranged transversally above said conveyor system, in the median vertical plane of said assembly station, which portal frame comprises two mobile structures: a first structure that has a matrix for shaping the tray cutout and a second structure that has a push member suitable for cooperating with the free periphery of said sheath in order to drive it toward said matrix and cause said sheath to act as a support;   means arranged on the matrix in order to press said flanks of the tray cutout on the sheath and press-type means, which press is arranged on the supporting structure of said push member, upstream of the latter, and is capable of penetrating to the end of said sheath in order to maintain, with suitable actuator-type means, a counter-pressure opposite the matrix pressing means.       

     According to a preferred arrangement of the invention, the supporting structures of the matrix, on the one hand, and of the push member and the press, on the other hand, consist of carriages mounted on slides, and these carriages are each powered by means, for example, of an electric linear motor type. 
     Also according to the invention, the matrix comprises four plates for pushing the flanks of the tray cutout, which plates comprise an inlet in the form of an arc of circle in order to form a sort of funnel, and these plates are capable of moving in a converging fashion, when actuated by actuators, between a position of assembling the cutout and a position of pressing the flanks of the tray cutout. 
     According to another arrangement of the invention, the matrix structure comprises means for taking over the tray cutout when it arrives at the level of the assembly station, which means consist of a plate equipped with suction cups, which plate is capable of moving under the effect of an actuator controlled by an open-center-type valve, which actuator manages said cutout with said suction cups, then it is free, accompanying the movement of the tray and the matrix. 
     Also according to the invention, the storage site for the tray cutouts is arranged below the level of the sheath transfer conveyor system, parallel thereto, and the transfer of each tray cutout is carried out by means of:
         an extractor arm that is pivotably connected to a vertical shaft located on the edge of said conveyor system, and it is moved by suitable actuator-type means in order to move one-quarter of a circle, around a vertical shaft, between the outlet of said storage site and the positioning plane of said tray cutout which is also located on the side of said transfer conveyor, parallel thereto,   and an ascent system that includes a vertical guide passage and a lifting device for moving each cutout between the lower level corresponding to the level of said storage site for said tray cutouts and the level of the assembly station that corresponds to that of said conveyor system.       

     According to another arrangement of the invention, the lifting device consists of an endless belt-type conveyor, which belt comprises a cradle for handling the cutout from below and drives it to a level that is substantially higher than that of said conveyor in order to avoid any interference between the latter and the matrix that carries said cutout for the assembly operation. 
     Also according to the invention, the vertical passage for guiding cutouts consists of lateral guides that are arranged on each side of the lifting device in order to channel the tray cutout as it rises between the level of its storage site and the level of the assembly station, which vertical passage comprises two distinct parts:
         a lower part of which the height corresponds substantially to the dimension of the largest tray cutout format, and which consists of a pair of guides with a U-shaped cross-section arranged opposite one another and of which the posterior, or downstream, wing is stationary so as to act as a soleplate, while the anterior, or upstream, wing forms a flap that can be retracted, by pivoting or lateral movement, in order to enable the passage of said cutout brought by the extractor arm and the deposition thereof on said soleplate, which flap returns to its active guide position before said cutout is released from said extractor arm and before it is taken over by the lifting device and in particular by the active surface of the cradle that pushes said cutout,   an upper portion of which the height corresponds to that of the largest tray cutout format, and which consists of a pair of guides with a V-shaped cross-section, also arranged opposite one another, so as to guide said cutout on its lateral edges, in order to avoid any risk of contact with the bond lines on the tongues during the cutout lifting phase.       

     Also according to the invention, the upper guides of the vertical guide passage can be retracted by actuator-type means, which actuators move said guides laterally in order to enable the matrix to pass during assembly of the tray cutout and the assembly of the latter on the sheath. 
     According to another arrangement of the invention, the glue guns responsible for applying glue to the tongues of the tray cutout are arranged at the upper end of the soleplate of the lower guides of the guide passage for the tray cutouts, upstream of the upper guides. 
     Also according to the invention, the storage site for the tray cutouts includes a soleplate that consists of two chain- or endless belt-type conveyors, which conveyors can be independently adjusted transversally and vertically so as to receive tray cutouts of various formats and shapes. 
     According to another arrangement of the invention, the tray cutout storage site is borne and pivotably connected by means of a vertical shaft arranged laterally on its external side, so as to enable it to be retracted and to allow the operator responsible for maintenance or the like to access the sheath transfer conveyor, which comprises, for example, in front of the assembly station, a station for assembling the ½ American box cutout that forms the sheath of the composite box. 
     Also according to the invention, the end of the conveyor system comprises a pivoting rack that enables the box lying on said conveyor system to be transferred and pivoted so as to place it in a standing position on the removal conveyor, which removal conveyor is arranged along and below the level of said conveyor system. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be further detailed in the following description with the appended drawings, provided for indicative purposes, in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a composite box obtained by the process and the machine according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows the ½ American box before its assembly with the tray; 
         FIG. 3  shows the tray cutout at the beginning of the forming operation, before it has been assembled with the sheath; 
         FIG. 4  shows the tray cutout in the form of a simple cardboard blank; 
         FIG. 5  shows, in the form of a functional diagram and in perspective, the essential elements of the machine for shaping and assembling the composite box; 
         FIG. 6  is a diagrammatic and simplified side view of said machine, showing the arrangement of the main constituent parts; 
         FIG. 7  is a diagrammatic top view of said machine; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-section of one of the guides of the vertical passage for guiding the tray cutouts and in particular the lower guide; 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-section view of one of the upper guides of the vertical guide passage; 
         FIG. 10  is a sectional elevation view of the machine seen from upstream; 
         FIGS. 11 to 14  show some phases of the process for shaping the tray cutout and assembling it with the sheath in order to form the box. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The process and machine described below enable the box shown in  FIG. 1  to be constructed. 
     This box  1  includes two parts:—a baseless part in the form of a sheath  2  and—a part in the form of a tray  3 . 
     The sheath  2  consists, for example, of a ½ American box with or without upper flaps; the tray  3  acts both as a support and a base for the box  1 . 
     The sheath  2 , shown in  FIG. 2 , and the tray  3 , shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , are complementary and are assembled together by bonding. 
     The tray  3  consists of a base  4 , flanks  5  and  6 , and tongues  7  for bonding, which are located in the extension and at the ends of said longitudinal flanks  5 . These tongues  7  are bonded to the flanks  6 , outside of the latter. 
     The tray  3  after erecting thereof, is applied to the lower part of the sheath  2  and is attached by bonding to the longitudinal sides  8 ; the flanks  5  and  6  form a belt around said sheath; they envelope said longitudinal sides  8  and the transverse sides  9  of said sheath  2 . 
     This design of the mode of assembly of the sheath  2  with the tray  3  enables an easy disassembly of the box  1  to be envisaged, so as to preserve, in particular in the department, only the tray  3 , which then serves as a display. 
     The cardboard blank that constitutes the cutout  10  of the tray  3  is shown in  FIG. 4  with a substantially trapezoidal shape. The shape of this cutout  10  and in particular that of the flanks  5  and  6  can vary for reasons of resistance and for aesthetic purposes. These shapes, like the trapezoidal shape of the flanks  5 , are taken into account by the shaping machine, as described below. 
     This machine for shaping the box  1  is shown diagrammatically in perspective ( FIG. 5 ) and in the three classic views:—side view (FIG.  6 ),—top view ( FIG. 7 ) and elevation view ( FIG. 10 ). 
     The machine is shown ( FIG. 5 ) with its main constituent parts, which parts are secured, directly or indirectly to a general chassis  11 . 
     This machine comprises two inlets: an inlet represented by the arrow  Ef  for the sheaths  2  that arrive, with their axis of symmetry oriented transversally, on a conveyor system  12 , in a suitable repository, and an inlet represented by the arrow  Ed  for the cutouts  10  for the trays  3 , which cutouts are arranged in a storage site  13 . 
     It comprises an outlet represented by an arrow Sc for removing boxes  1  after they have been shaped, i.e. after assembly of the sheath  2  with the tray  3 , said removal is performed by means of a conveyor  14 . 
     The construction of the box  1  is performed at the level of an assembly station  15  that is located in the central part of the machine, which station  15  extends above the conveyor system  12 , transversally. 
     This assembly station  15  is supplied with sheaths  2  by the conveyor system  12 , directly, and the cutouts  10  for the trays  3  arrive by an ascent system  16 , which is arranged along said conveyor system  12 , in a plane parallel to the latter; this ascent system  16  is located on the side of the conveyor system  12  that corresponds to the side of the lower end of said sheath  2 , i.e. the end intended to be closed off by the tray  3 . 
     The ascent system  16  enables the junction to be created between the level of the storage site  13  for cutouts  10  and that of the conveyor system  12 . The storage site  13  is located on the upstream side of the conveyor system  12  and near the ground. The difference in level between the two is greater than the dimension of the largest cutout  10  format; in fact, it corresponds essentially to the dimension of the largest cutout  10  format increased by the dimension of the upper flank. 
     The cutout  10  storage site  13  is arranged parallel to the conveyor system  12 , and these cutouts  10  are perpendicular to said conveyor system  12  when they are in said storage site  13 . To orient them parallel to the conveyor system  12  and place them in a vertical guide passage  17 , these cutouts  10  are collected in the storage site  13  by means of a pick-up device that is moved in a circular movement with an amplitude corresponding to one-quarter of a circle. 
     This device for picking up cutouts  10  consists of an extractor arm  18  that is equipped with suction cups, which arm is pivotably connected to a vertical shaft  19 ; 
     this shaft  19  is located at the intersection of the plane of the vertical passage  17  and the plane of the outlet of the storage site  13 . The extractor arm  18  is moved by suitable actuator-type means  20  or the like, such as, for example, a motor reducer with a connecting rod-crankshaft device. 
     The cutout  10  is placed, by the extractor arm  18 , in vertical guides  21  of the passage  17  so as to be taken over by a lifting device  22  that brings it to the level of the assembly station  15 . 
     When it arrives at the level of the assembly station  15 , the cutout  10  is placed opposite the sheath  2 , which sheath  2  is waiting on the conveyor system  12 , wedged in its repository which is formed by cleats  23  arranged upstream and downstream of said sheath  2 , which cleats  23  are secured to belts  24 , or chains, of said conveyor system  12 . 
     During their transfer, the sheath  2  and the cutout  10  respectively pass through glue application stations, in front of nozzles that deposit bond lines as they are moving. Nozzles  26  are located upstream of the assembly station  15  and are arranged on the side of the conveyor system  12 , which nozzles  26  deposit a bond line  27  at the center, for example, near the edge, on the two longitudinal sides  8  of the sheath  2 . 
     In the same way, nozzles  28  are arranged upstream of the assembly station  15 , on the path of the cutouts  10 , at the level of the guides  21  of the vertical passage  17 ; these nozzles  28  deposit bond lines  29  on the tongues  7 , which can be seen in  FIG. 4 , in particular. 
     At the level of the assembly station  15 , the cutout  10  is placed between the sheath  2  and a matrix  30  described below, which is intended in particular to assemble the cutout  3  in the form of a tray  3  by folding flaps  5  and  6  and tongues  7 , which folding and assembly are carried out directly at the end of the sheath  2 . 
     The matrix  30  is secured to a supporting structure in the form of a carriage  31 ; this carriage  31  is transversally mobile with respect to the direction of forward movement of the sheaths  2 , and it is guided on a portal frame that is secured to the chassis  11  of the machine. This portal frame includes a horizontal beam  32  acting as a slide, and the carriage  31  can be moved under the effect of a drive member, not shown, of the actuator type, a servomotor with a belt, or an electric linear motor. 
     On this beam  32  is a second structure in the form of a carriage  33 , which carriage  33  is powered in the same way as carriage  31 . 
     This carriage  33  is equipped with a press  34  that is arranged as a cantilever at the end of an arm  35  in the form of a square. This press  34  comprises guides in the form of shoes  36  for penetrating the sheath  2 , to its end, which press  34  is also arranged to support the longitudinal walls  8  of said sheath  2  and exert a counter-pressure when the flanks  5  of the tray  3  are shaped on said walls  8 . 
     To create this counter-pressure, the press  34  comprises two actuators  37  that are arranged head-to-tail so as to be located opposite the bond lines  27  and said two actuators  37  are implemented at the right moment, as described below. 
     The carriage  33  comprises, in addition to the press  34 , means intended to transversally move the sheath  2  in order to bring it close to the cutout  10 . During this movement, the sheath  2  remains guided in its repository, which consists of cleats  23 . 
     These means, which move the sheath  2 , consist of a push member  38  in the form of a shield and a clamp system  39  that grips the edges of said sheath  2 . These clamps  39  are maneuvered by means of actuators, which are not shown. 
     The process of shaping the box  1  will be described in detail below, in the description, in relation to  FIGS. 10 to 14 . 
     The matrix  30  includes a general frame  40 , and it is connected to the carriage  31  by means of a vertical arm, which arm supports it as a cantilever. 
     This matrix  30  comprises means for taking over the cutout  10  when it reaches the assembly station  15 . These means consist, as shown in  FIG. 10  in particular, of an actuator  41  that is attached to the frame  40  and of which the end of the rod is equipped with at least one suction cup  42 , which enables the panel  4  of the cutout  10 , forming the base, to be grasped by suction. Preferably, the end of the rod of the actuator  41  comprises a plate  43  that is equipped with four suction cups  42  that are distributed over a large part of the surface of the base  4  of the cutout  10 . 
     The actuator  41  has the special feature of being supplied by means of an open-center valve, not shown. This special feature enables the actuator  41  to be released after the cutout  10  has been grasped; it is then subjected to the movements of the cutout  10  that are imposed by the matrix  30 . 
     When it moves transversally, the matrix  30  passes through the upstream and downstream guide  21  plane of the passage  17 , and the width of this matrix  30  can, depending on the shapes and dimensions of the cutouts  10 , be greater than the space between said upstream and downstream guides  21 . 
     These guides  21  are therefore designed to be capable:—at the level of the station  15 , of being retracted on each side of the cutout  10  and, in addition,—at the level of the storage site  13 , to be opened in order to receive the cutout  10  that is brought by the extractor arm  18 . 
     These lateral guides  21  of the vertical passage  17  are divided over the height into two parts, between which the glue application nozzles  28  mentioned above are provided. These guides  21  include:—guides  44  that take over the cutout  10  at the level of the storage site  13  and—guides  45  that take over the same cutout  10  at the level of the assembly station  15 . 
       FIG. 8  diagrammatically shows, from a top and horizontal cross-section view, a guide  44 . In the active guide position, the cross-section of this guide  44  has a U-shape. This particular U comprises—a posterior, or downstream wing, which is stationary in order to act as a soleplate  46  and on which the cutout  10  is pressed when it is brought by the extractor arm  18 , and—a mobile anterior, or upstream wing, which acts as a flap  47 ; this flap  47  is mobile, and maneuvered, for example, by means of an actuator  48 . 
       FIG. 9  similarly shows a cross-section of the upper guide  45  of which the cross-section is more V-shaped or square, which guide  45  is maneuvered by means of an actuator  49 , or a pair of actuators, in order to be laterally retracted and open the passage so as to allow the matrix  30  to pass when the tray  3  is shaped and assembled on the sheath  2 . 
     The guide  45  has a V-shaped cross-section so as to avoid wiping the bond lines  29  located on the tongues  7  of the cutout  10 , and which have been deposited by the nozzles  28  that are located just upstream of said guides  45 . In fact, the cutout  10  is guided by the edge of its flanks  6  and the tongues  7 . 
     As indicated above, the glue is deposited in the form of one or more lines  29  on the tongues  7 , during the transfer of the cutout  10  between the level of the storage site  13  and that of the assembly station  15  by the ascent system  16 . 
     This ascent system  16  includes, in addition to the passage  17  and guides  21  detailed above, the lifting device  22 , which acts as a conveyor. It is equipped with an endless belt  51  that comprises at least one cradle  52 , which cradles is arranged so as to take over the cutout  10  when it has been released by the extractor arm  18 . This cradle  52  has a U-shape of which the position of the projecting branches is adapted to the shape of the flanks  5  of the cutouts  10  so as to transport said cutouts properly in the guides  21 . 
     The upper part of the lifting device  22  is located clearly below the assembly station  15  so as not to interfere with the matrix  30  when it moves transversally. The cradle  52  is secured to the belt  51  so as to be capable of carrying said cutout  10  clearly above the upper level of the lifting device  22 . 
     The matrix  30  comprises four pressing plates  53 , each in correspondence with the sides  8  and  9  of the sheath  2 . 
     These plates  53  ( FIG. 10 ) are secured to the frame  40  by means of actuators  54 , in particular; they are guided with respect to said frame  40  by suitable means and they are each mobile perpendicularly to the respective sides of the sheath  2  under the effect of said actuators  54 . 
     These plates  53  are rounded at the level of their inlet, forming a funnel, in order to perform, in a first stage, a progressive bending of the flaps  5  and  6  of the cutout  10 . 
     In a second stage, they are activated by the actuators  54  in order to perform the pressing and bonding of the tongues  7  on the flaps  6  and the pressing of the flaps  5  on the sides  8  of the sheath  2 . 
     To improve the bonding, the plates  53  comprise complementary actuators that act, specifically, as a press at the level of the various bonding points. 
     Thus, the lateral plates  53  comprise actuators  55 , which can be seen in  FIG. 7 , which press the tongues  7  on the flanks  6  of the cutout  10  in order to secure the bonding at the level of the bond lines  29 . 
     The plates  53  located above and below the sheath  2  also comprise actuators  56 , which can be seen in  FIGS. 10  and following, which are arranged opposite actuators  37  of the press  34 , mentioned earlier. 
     Actuators  56  act at the same time as actuators  37 , when the tray  3  is in place, formed on the end of the sheath  2 . 
     The positioning of these actuators  55  and  56  is shown symbolically on the plates  53  in  FIG. 1  so as not to complicate said figure. 
     When the operation of assembly and formation of the box  1  is completed, the actuators  55  and  56  are deactivated and the plates  53  return to the inactive position under the effect of their actuators  54 . 
     In a simultaneous movement, the carriage  31  that bears the matrix  30  and the carriage  33  that bears the press  34  withdraw from the assembly station. In its movement, the carriage  33 , which comprises the clamp system  39 , extracts the box  1  from the matrix  30 , and retracts to a position established by a retractable stop  57 . 
     This stop  57  is installed on the general chassis  11  of the machine, under the level of the conveyor  12 , and, simultaneously to the deactivation of the clamps  39 , it holds the box  1  in order to enable the press  34  to completely leave the sheath  2  and return to the inactive position. 
     It is noted that, in the inactive position, the stop  57  is slightly ahead of the edge of the sheath  2  ( FIG. 10 ). This slightly advanced position enables it to position the box  1  on the conveyor  12 , between its cleats  23 , before the flanks  5 ,  6  and the tongues  7  reach the repository of the sheath  2 , i.e. the chains  24  and said cleats  23  of the conveyor system  12 . 
     When the box  1  is free, the conveyor system  12  moves it to the outlet Sc where it is pivoted onto the removal conveyor  14 . 
     The pivoting of the box  1  is performed by means of a rack  58  of which the bars extend on each side of and between the belts  24  or chains of the conveyor  12 . This rack  58  pivots around a longitudinal shaft  59  arranged on the side of the conveyor  12 , under the effect of an actuator, for example, which is not shown. 
     The rack  58  extends toward the conveyor  14  in the form of a plate  60  that is profiled so as to accompany the box  1  in its descent on the conveyor  14 . 
     The storage site  13  for storing the cutouts is arranged so as to be capable of accepting cutouts  10  with a wide variety of formats and shapes. It consists of two conveying arms  63  that act as a soleplate, which arms  63  are separately adjustable, in particular in height. They can thus accept and carry, without any difficulty, cutouts  10  with complicated shapes, such as, for example, cutouts with flanks  5  with a trapezoidal shape or the like. 
     In addition, to facilitate access to the machine, in general, and in particular access to the upstream portion, the storage site  13  comprises a frame  64  that is laterally pivotably connected to the frame  11  of the machine. The storage site  13  can be retracted, as shown in  FIG. 7 , around a vertical shaft  65  that is located on its external side. 
       FIGS. 10 to 14  show steps of the process for shaping the box  1 . 
     In  FIG. 10 , the sheath  2  is wedged longitudinally in its repository, which consists of cleats  23  and is positioned transversally on the reference line  66  that is located on the side of the conveyor system  12 . 
     Also in this  FIG. 10 , the cutout  10  is taken over by the suction cups  42  of the plate  43  and it waits in the plane  67  of the vertical passage  17 . 
     In a first stage ( FIG. 11 ), the press  34  penetrates the sheath  2  to its end, and, when the push member  38  reaches the edge of said sheath, the clamps  39  close on these edges and said sheath  2  is driven toward the matrix  30  until it is in an area shown in the figure by a line  68  that corresponds to the plane in which the sheath  2  and the cutout  10  are brought together, which cutout is supported by said sheath  2 . 
     The cradle  52  of the ascent system  16  withdraws, and ( FIG. 12 ) the sheath  2  and the matrix  30  converge toward the assembly plane  68 , and when they reach said plane  68 , the matrix  30  has already begun to fold down the tongues  7  and flanks  5  and  6 . 
     Once the cutout  10  is supported on the end edge of the sheath  2 , the matrix  30  continues its course and completes the folding of the tongues  7  and the flanks  5  and  6 ; the tray  3  thus formed covers, with its entire depth, said end of the sheath  2  ( FIG. 13 ). 
     At this stage, the actuators  54  of the matrix  30  act in order to generally apply the plates  53  on the flanks  5  and  6  and on the tongues  7 , as the various actuators  55  and  56  are specifically applied at the bonding points, which actuators  56  act opposite the actuators  37  of the press  34 . 
     At the same time, the suction cups  42  of the plate  43  release the base  4  of the tray  3 . 
     The matrix  30  can then withdraw after the deactivation of the various actuators  55 ,  56  and  37 , which act as presses, and after the various plates  53  have been arranged in their inactive positions by their respective actuators  54 . 
     The sheath  2  also withdraws, between its cleats  23 , driven by the clamps  39  o the carriage  33 , until the stop  57 , which has been put in the active position. At this level, the clamps  39  are deactivated and the carriage  33  that bears the press  34  continues the withdrawal movement in order to move said press  34  away from the sheath  2  until it reaches its inactive position. 
     Conveyor  12  can then bring the box  1 , and the latter is ejected onto conveyor  14  as mentioned earlier.