Patent GB-997238-A (GB)
Title: Box making machine
IPC: B31B3/44
Filed: 1962-03-14
Abstract: 997,238. Box making machines. FMC CORPORATION. March 14, 1962 [March 21, 1961], No. 9868/62. Heading B5D. A cellulose acetate blank for a carton or lid having a base 10, and flaps 11, 12, is folded by two sets of dies, one set folding down the flaps 11 and corner tabs 13, and the other set folding down flaps 12. The tabs 13 may overlie or underlie the flaps 11 and are heat-sealed thereto. The folding apparatus is driven by an electric motor which causes movement of the various parts of the mechanism through chain and sprocket drive and cams, the cams being adjusted to give the correct timing and sequence of operations. The completed carton is raised from the second set of dies and moved on to a conveyer. The apparatus is adjustable to accommodate blanks of different length and width. The die 149 (Fig. 6) is mounted on an eccentric sleeve 136 to permit adjustment and ensure alignment of upper and lower dies. A blank L (Fig. 1) has its flaps 11 located in guides 68 (Figs. 1 and 6) and rests on lower dies D and pushers 109 on feed carriages 91 engage a trailing flap 12. The pushers move the blank to a first fold station B where the upper die 149 (Fig. 6) operated by a cam 141 and a rocker arm 138 moves down and folds flaps 11 and tabs 13, the carriages 91 having moved downwardly and started to return to their initial positions. A heater 153 in the lower die is provided. When the next blank is moved to the first folding position the first partly folded blank is moved by fingers 110 to the second folding position C to lie upon lower dies Dl, D2. Tuck plates 186a support flaps 12 when the partly folded blank is transferred from the first to the second set of dies, these plates being retracted when the flaps 12 are folded down and subsequently returned to hold the flaps 12 against anvils 14 carrying heating elements 244, during sealing of the corner joints and also to prevent the previously folded flaps 11 from buckling inwardly. The upper outboard die descends in advance of the inboard die and folds down the outboard flap 12 so that any creep of the material takes place freely towards the inboard side. Subsequently, the inboard flap 12 is foled down. The tuck plates are next advanced to press the panels 12 against anvils 14. The heaters in the dies soften the blank and ensure a clean, permanent corner. Inboard and outboard chills 231 (Fig. 9) and sealing mechanism 208 (Fig. 9) are next advanced by a cam 226 and a rocker 227 towards their respective anvils 14 and press and heat seal the tabs 13 to flaps 11. After retraction of the chills and sealing mechanism and of the tuck plates, cam-operated elevator arms 256, 256a (Fig. 11) lift the carton or lid and ejector mechanism 271 moved by a chain 287 along a cam track 276 removes the carton or lid from the arms and carries it along guide rails 15 to a discharge station G. A pair of parallel wires 296 assist in guiding the carton or lid. The dies may be shaped as shown in Fig. 20 to form a head 328 and an offset outer face 327 ensures that the flaps 11 stand clear of the die and will not catch or hang up during transfer of the blank from the first to the second folding station.