Patent GB-1050816-A (GB)
IPC: B65B3/02
Abstract: 1,050,816. Making cartons. FMC CORPORATION. Aug. 6, 1963 [Aug. 10, 1962], No. 30931/63. Heading B5D. [Also in Divisions B8, G4 and H5] A machine for producing sealed cartons filled with liquid comprises means to set up collapsed tubular carton blanks, including folding in and securing their bottom closure flaps, means to invert the cartons during transfer to the filling and closing apparatus and to turn the cartons through 90 degrees about their longitudinal axis during such transfer, means to sterilize the cartons and then to fill and seal them. General description. Figs. 2, 6, 7, 9a. The machine operates on two lines of cartons simultaneously, the various devices being duplicated throughout. Stacks of collapsed cartons, Fig. 6, in a magazine 54 are urged towards setting up means 57 and forced on to mandrels of an intermittently rotatable turret 51 with their bottom closure flaps radially outermost. The mandrels are indexed past bottom flap heating, folding and sealing means and the cartons ejected from them through guides 68 which turn them through 90 degrees and deposit them open side uppermost in holders on intermittently moving conveyers 52a, 52b, Means 71 partially folds in the top closures, ultra-violet sterilizing devices 73 enter the cartons, the cartons are filled by means 76, tabs 116, 117, Fig. 9a, are bent outwardly and the surfaces to be sealed heated by elements 77, 78 and folded down and secured by means 82. A coding device 83 marks the cartons and an ejector 84 pushes them transverse to the conveyers 52a, 52b on to discharge conveyers 86. Cartons, Figs. 6, 7, 8a, 8b, 9a. The cartons may be of laminated board, coated on both sides with thermoplastic material. The bottom closure flaps 102, 103, 106, 108 are conventional and include an overlap portion 107. The top closure includes tabs 116, 118 to which portions 119, 121 of the sides from which they extend are sealed, lips 122, 123 extending from the other sides being secured in overlapping relation on to the portions 119, 121 to complete the closure, Figs. 7, 9a. Crease lines 96, 97 in the front wall 91 facilitate slight bending during pouring. The cardboard, but not the coatings, is perforated along a score line 114 on flaps 112, 113 and along scores on the flap 109 to assist opening. Feeding and setting up collapsed cartons, Figs. 2, 6, 30, 31, 34, 38a, 42, 43. The carton stack for each production line is supported on rails 512 at station 1 and urged forward by weight actuated pushers 514, Figs. 30, 31, these engaging the stack by retractable latches 522 which enable fresh stacks to be loaded behind the pushers and the latter drawn back by handles 516. A buzzer (not shown) indicates depletion of supplies. The magazines are vibrated to assist the carton forward movement. The foremost carton abuts fingers 531, 532, Fig. 34, which engage edge portions of the rearwardly facing closure flaps, and a pivoted gate 571 and an abutment 568 on a fixed plate 662. The gate 571 pivots to square the opposed carton edge against the abutment and spring the forward panels slightly outwards and a suction head 588 on parallel linkage, Figs. 38a, 42, engages a leading panel to square the carton, oversquare it to break the creases and return it to square. Pivoted plates 636, 637, Fig. 42, at station 2 then close in against the carton sides to maintain squareness. An ultra-sonic detector, Figs. 42, 43, is provided to initiate machine stoppage in the event that a carton instead of squaring should assume the L-shape shown in dashed lines. A transmitter 667 (not detailed) is connected to an adaptor 671, the opening of which is normally covered by a set-up carton so that signals are passed on to a receiver 668. An L-shaped carton leaves the opening free and the lack of signal at the receiver stops the machine. Forming carton bottom closures, Figs. 8a, 8b, 11, 52, 67. A vertically reciprocating pusher (not shown) forces each erected carton on to one of a series of mandrels 58 on the turret 51 through guides 699, 701, Fig. 11, at station 3. The mandrels index to a position, station 4, where a folding head 62 advances inward radially so that initially cam-operated pivoted fingers 728, Fig. 52, press in part way flaps 102, 103, Fig. 8a, and then converging walls 717 partially fold in flaps 106, 108. At station 5, a heater 64 blows hot sterile air on the closure flaps. It approaches radially so that a central portion 774, Fig. 57, enters the carton end, while outer chambers 766 pass externally of flaps 102, 103. The air is blown through a chamber 791 containing an electric heating coil and escapes through perforations 779. In transit to station 6, a plate 817 completes the folding down of the closure and a watercooled sealing head 822, Fig. 11, presses the closure against the mandrel end. The head and mandrel end have projections 829, 168 and the head a groove (not shown), the projections blocking by crushing potential flow passages and the groove accommodating the overlapping lip 107, Fig. 8b. Station 7 may accommodate bottom marking apparatus (not described) and at station 8 compressed sterile air passing along the hollow mandrels, blows off the cartons, through the guides 78 on to the conveyers 52a, 52b.