Patent GB-1380072-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for opening and refolding a prescored carton blank
IPC: B31B50/36
Filed: 1971-12-13
Abstract: 1380072 Making cartons PNEUMATIC SCALE CORP 13 Dec 1971 57791/71 Heading B5D [Also in Division B8] In a machine for producing knocked down side seamed tubular cartons having their longitudinal creases broken, prescored carton blanks 12 are successively removed from the bottom of a stack 14 in a magazine 16, Fig. 6, and conveyed to a glue applicator roller 28 and folding bars which form the side seamed cartons and then to an arrangement which sets-up and re-collapses the cartons to break the creases. Blanks are removed from the magazine by continuously driven friction belts 42 and opposed advancing rollers 18, 20. Vertically adjustable stop guides 76 in conjunction with driven rollers 78 permit the removal of the lowermost blank 12 only. Removal of the blanks in timed relation to the operation of the remainder of the machine is achieved by lowering and raising the stack of blanks into and out of engagement with the friction belts 42 by means of lifting rollers 52 operated by a cam (68, Fig. 5) acting through linkwork 58, 59, 64. A solenoid actuated piston and cylinder assembly (358, Fig. 5) raises the link 64 from the cam (68) and consequently the lifting rollers 52 to stop the feed of blanks in the event of a malfunction detected by a microswitch (378, Fig. 5A) or a photo-electric detector (380, Fig. 5A). The blank folding station comprises a chain conveyer 26 which conveys the blanks under hold down rails (154, 156, Fig. 2), over the glue roller 28 which applies adhesive to a glue flop (27 Fig. 3), under shoes 174, 176, past folding rails (182, 184, Fig. 2) which fold side panels (29, 31, Fig. 3) of the blank inwards so that the glued surface of the flop (27) contacts the panel (29), and then between pressure rollers 32, 204. The hold down rails (154, 156), the shoes 174, 176 and the folding rails (182, 184) are laterally adjustable and mounted on longitudinally extending rocker shafts (190, 198, Fig. 2). The upper pressure roller 32 is mounted on a shaft 224, Fig. 9, which is pivoted about an axis 230 and which can be rocked either manually using a handle 237 or automatically through a cam operated linkage (not shown). The cam is such that the roller 32 is lowered and raised to contact the carton along the length of the seam only. The knocked down cartons, which are folded about two of their four longitudinal creases, are next set-up and then recollapsed about the other two remaining creases. The cartons are fed on to platforms 682, 684 from which they are transferred into one of several pockets 575 on a chain conveyer. Each pocket 575 includes a leading member 584 rigidly secured to the conveyer and a trailing member 588 rockingly supported by the conveyer. As the cartons are conveyed in the pockets 575 they are supported on rails 582. The trailing member 588 of each pocket is caused to rock from an inclined carton receiving condition (right hand side of Fig. 12) to a substantially upright position (left hand side of Fig. 12) by a stationary cam rail 620 to effect, in conjunction with the leading member 584 and an upwardly inclined portion 634 of the rails 582, a folding member 638 carried on an endless chain 636 to disengage the carton from the leading member 584 of the pocket, and the carton collapsed about the other two creases by further rails 630, 632 engaging the top side wall of the carton.