Patent GB-1245128-A (GB)
Title: A method of wrapping articles and apparatus for performing the same
IPC: B65B11/28
Filed: 1968-08-14
Abstract: 1,245,128. Wrapping apparatus; reciprocating conveyers. OTTO HANSEL G.m.b.H. 14 Aug., 1968 [7 Sept., 1967; 2 Nov., 1967], No. 38824/68. Headings B8A and B8C. An article wrapping machine, having an enhanced throughput, comprises a folding and brushing shaft, up through which the article to be wrapped together with overlying wrappers are pushed, a pair of folding tracks operative to complete the folding, and transfer mechanism interposed between the shaft and the tracks which mechanism feeds the first of any two consecutive article to one track and the second to the other track. In one embodiment employing parallel linear tracks I and II articles 2, such as chocolate bars, together with wrappers 3 are fed one-by-one from an input conveyer 1 through a folding and brushing shaft 6 by a ram 4. The first article of any consecutive two is gripped by one of a pair of grippers comprising arms 9, 9<SP>1</SP> or 7, 7<SP>1</SP> and transferred to one of a pair of lifting rams 15, 15<SP>1</SP> whence it is lifted to one of tracks I or II and the second article is gripped by the other of the pairs of grippers and transferred to the other pair of lifting rams and thence to the other of the tracks. Prior to the transfer of a gripped article, the folded down sides of the wrapper are folded under the article by sliders 13, 13<SP>1</SP>. Each track comprises a base 16 having stations b. c and d in which the articles are clamped by rams 14, an upwardly moving end folding element 20 being provided in station b and a downwardly moving similar element 22 being provided at station c. The articles are moved through the stations to a take-off conveyer station e by means of linearly and transversely reciprocable supports 23, 23<SP>1</SP> which carry holders 24, 24<SP>1</SP> and folding elements 25 and 25<SP>1</SP>. As shown in Figure 8, the supports of each track are forwarded towards the article presented by rams 15 and are then closed towards each other to cause the forwardmost holders 24, 24<SP>1</SP> to grip this article, the closing movement also causing the ends of the wrappers of the articles at stations b and c to be partially folded by elements 25 and 25<SP>1</SP> respectively and the fully wrapped article at station d to be gripped by rearmost holders 24, 24<SP>1</SP>. The supports are then moved rearwardly so that the articles are moved to the next station, the article newly indexed by this movement to station b having its wrapper ends partially folded by vertically movable element 20, and the article newly indexed to d having the folding completed by element 22. The supports and the rams 14 are then withdrawn and moved forward again and closed upon the next article presented by rams 15<SP>1</SP> and the cycle repeated. In this way each new article is indexed through the stations and is finally deposited fully wrapped upon a conveyer 17. The supports associated with each track are operated in antiphase and in this way continuous production can be maintained. In a second embodiment (see Fig. 11), the tracks are semicircular having a common inlet and outlet conveyer and the articles are indexed through the stations by radially reciprocable gripping jaws mounted upon an oscillatable table rotatable about an axis at the centre of the locus of the conveyers. Arms 9 and 7<SP>1</SP> of the grippers are attached to slidable bar 8<SP>1</SP> arms 9<SP>1</SP> and 7 reattached to slidable bar 8. The arms 9, 9<SP>1</SP> are caused to close on to the article issuing from the shaft whilst the arms 7, 7<SP>1</SP> open and vice versa by movements of the bars in opposite directions, bodily movement of the grippers for the lateral transfer of a gripped article being effected by lateral movement of the bars in unison. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 11, alternate articles are indexed through tracks I and II to take-off conveyer 17 by means of two sets of grippers 29a-29d and 29e-29h carried by an intermittently rotating table 28, one set being open when the other set is closed. In operation starting from the position shown in the figure, the table is indexed one increment clockwise to move the articles 2 around the right hand track this movement bringing the open retracted gripper 29e to the input conveyer 1. Grippers 29a-29d are then opened and then retracted whilst grippers 29e, 29h are forwarded and closed on to articles 2. The table is then indexed anticlockwise thus moving the articles around the left hand track and bring the gripper 29a back to its original position to grip the next article from conveyer 1.