Patent GB-1468571-A (GB)
Title: Process and apparatus for continuous manufacture of flattened corrugated cardboard boxes
IPC: B31C1/00
Filed: 1974-04-09
Abstract: 1468571 Making flattened corrugated boxes; cutting apparatus A HAYAMA 9 April 1974 [10 April 1973 5 May 1973] 15692/74 Headings B5D and B4B [Also in Divisions F2 B6 and D1] A method of making flattened corrugated cardboard boxes comprises winding a cardboard strip which has corrugated portions at intervals along its length with the corrugations extending transversely, around a mandrel at least twice so that a non-corrugated portion of the strip overlaps a corrugated portion, joining the overlapped portion to form a tube, line ruling and slotting the tube and flattening the tube after it has been removed from the mandrel. The strip having corrugated portions may be produced by corrugating a continuous plain cardboard strip at intervals, Fig. 4, or by corrugating a first continuous cardboard strip and sticking corrugated portions severed from this strip to a second plain cardboard strip at spaced intervals, Fig. 21. The tube is cut circumferentially when it is on the mandrel so that a plurality of boxes are produced simultaneously. An apparatus for performing the method includes a corrugating device, a plurality of wind ing mandrels 5, a line ruling, slotting and tube cutting device and a device for flattening the tube. A corrugating device, Fig. 3 (not shown) for corrugating a strip at intervals comprises upper and lower driven corrugating rollers (7, 10) which are cammed at intervals into engagement with an intermediate driven roller (6). The mandrels 5 are movable in a closed path on endless chains, Figs. 20 and 23 (not shown), or along a closed track (17) Figs. 5, 24 and 30. The mandrels of a particular apparatus may be circular or square in cross-section and may have different peripheral dimensions enabling the production of boxes of different sizes. In operation the leading end of the corrugated cardboard strip is fed into and clamped in a slot (74) Fig. 18 (not shown) in a mandrel which is then rotated to wind a severed length of the strip thereabout with assistance from roller brushes 81. Pressure rollers 26 which can be moved against the wound strip and which are housed in an adhesive drier 29, stick the overlapped strip portions together. The mandrel is formed of parts 5A, 5B which can be moved towards the rotational axis of the mandrel to reduce the mandrel's cross-section dimension and give it a tapered shape so that removal of the tube by a pushing ring 20 is facilitated. In the embodiments in which the mandrels move along a closed track (17), each mandrel is also pivotally mounted about a vertical axis (23) Figs. 7 and 26 (not shown) so that the mandrel may be aligned with a flattening device (C) Fig. 5, or a line ruling, slotting and cutting device (94) Figs. 24 and 30 (not shown), at the tube discharge station or stations. A line ruling, slotting and cutting device may be associated with each mandrel, Fig. 8, and Figs. 11 and 12 (not shown), or one or two such devices may be provided separately from the mandrels to effect operations on a tube which has been pushed off a mandrel, Figs. 29, 31 (not shown). In the former instance driven cutting wheels (37) and horizontal line ruling wheels (39) mounted on a rod (40) co-operate with annular slots (36) and ridges (39A) on the mandrel. Slotters 44 actuated by cams 45 are arranged along the length of the mandrel for co-operation with female cutters 44A which, with vertical line ruling blades 48, are also actuated by cams (52) Fig. 12 (not shown). The separate line ruling, slotting and cutting device Fig. 29 (not shown) comprises inner and outer cylinders (145, 127) between which the cardboard tube is inserted. The outer cylinder (127) carries slotters (137) co-operable with female slotting blades (144) formed in the inner cylinder (145) which also has vertical line ruling blades (142). The slotters (137) are actuated by cams (138) mounted on a shaft driven through righthanded ratchet wheels 139. A rotary discshaped blade (122) and horizontal line rulers (123) and a left-handed ratchet wheel (124) are fixed to a horizontal line ruling shaft (125). In operation, when a cardboard tube has been inserted, an endless chain (141) turns camshafts (140) equipped with the right-handed ratchet wheels (139) to execute slotting and vertical line ruling. Once these operations have been completed, the endless chain (141) moves in the opposite direction whereby the horizontal line ruling shaft (125) starts to operate, and at the same time a driving device rotates the inner cylinder (145) one revolution. The tube flattening device, Fig. 16 (not shown) comprises tapering guides (66, 67). The apparatus may include an aniline printer for the cardboard tubes and an automatic control system.