Patent Description:
A forming station for forming cardboard containers is proposed, which comprises at least one forming station with a male part and mould assembly configured to work with pre-punched laminated cardboard plates with an integrated lid, of the type the tabs or mounting sides of which are glued and which, when formed, are vertically nested under the forming station with the lid open for easy transport and distribution.

Machines for forming cardboard boxes are known from the state of the art. Generally, the cardboard used is corrugated cardboard, much more resistant than laminated cardboard.

The problem with cardboard containers, especially small ones, which are made with laminated cardboard is the fragility thereof and, above all, given the huge number of formats, sizes and asymmetries (between the lid and the receptacle itself) that greatly complicate their automatic mounting by means of forming machines. Therefore, it is necessary that these machines have simple assembly solutions and fundamentally that these are easily adapted to said amount of different formats.

It is also convenient that the cardboard containers that are formed are stacked in columns of several containers to facilitate their extraction from the machine and the subsequent storage and transport thereof.

Another technical problem is that the containers to be formed can present a multitude of sizes and shapes, which makes the forming thereof difficult. In other words, it is necessary to increase the versatility of the forming machines so that they can adapt to the different shapes of the containers to be formed. Likewise, the lids of the containers can also be of different sizes and shapes and it is necessary that the machine can adapt to this variability.

<CIT> discloses a machine for forming containers from pre-punched laminated cardboard comprising at least one forming station mounted on a frame of the machine.

The invention essentially relates to a machine for forming containers from pre-punched laminated cardboard comprising a forming station with at least one male part and a mould, between which the cardboard sheet is positioned such that, when the male moves vertically towards the mould, the body of the container is formed, i.e., the lid and the receptacle of the container, the lid being unclosed.

The key to the machine of the invention is that it makes it possible to automatically form cardboard containers having a multitude of formats. Said containers may have different sizes and may or may not be symmetrical (for example the lid may have a depth less than that of the receptacle of the container).

Due to the configuration of the faces of the male part and the configuration of the elements of the mould, it is possible to work with laminated cardboard without the risk of same being damaged or broken and, above all, so that it can adapt to the many format changes of these currently widely used containers in the agricultural, food and restaurant sectors.

Preferably, the cardboard container forming machine is fed by a conveyor of sheets that are extracted from a storage area and moved to the forming station(s).

The machine works with tray-type laminated cardboard plates from which the receptacle and the lid of the container are formed, in the laminated body itself. The formed containers remain open to be closed after filling thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the containers are used as receptacles for sales units in the agricultural industry, in the food industry and in restaurant channels.

As the lid remains open after forming, the containers can be stacked or nested in the lower area of the forming station itself, i.e., the lid does not interfere with the correct stacking/nesting of the containers for transport thereof. Thus, nested containers in groups are preferably extracted from the forming station, which fall by gravity when retaining mechanisms of the forming station are released. This operation can be carried out manually or, preferably, automatically. In one embodiment of the invention, the retention mechanisms of the machine comprise lateral brushes that rub against the stack of nested containers.

The key elements of the forming station are the male part, which comprises two independent bodies with inclined forming faces; and the mould that has front folders and articulated folders, fully adjustable and scalable for the adaptation thereof to different container formats. The position of the folders with respect to the rest of the elements of the mould and the male part can be modified depending on the formal features of the cardboard used, depending on the size of the container, etc. This is the technical feature of the machine that provides the greatest advantages, that all the elements are adjustable for adapting the forming station to any dimensional variation of the container or of the stacks of containers that are to be formed and ejected from the machine.

The articulated folders and the front folders are mounted on lateral supports that in turn have an adaptable configuration to the necessary requirements depending on the size and configuration of the container (of the lid and of the receptacle). The supports and folders are resizable by means of tailored supplements.

The articulated folders are configured to press on the laminated cardboard in the area of the laminated cardboard in which the lid and the receptacle of the container are coming together for a correct folding. Said articulated folders have the peculiarity that they adapt to the conicity of the container to be formed. To carry out this adaptation they incorporate a spring system.

As previously seen, when several containers are nested in the forming station, they are held together in the forming station itself due to clamps materialised as brushes with friction bristles that act by exerting force horizontally. When these clamps are released, the stacked containers fall under their own weight or are removed in some other manner and are ready to be transported.

The forming station also includes some devices that are essential to allow the forming of different types of boxes and that are a pair of breaking devices, located on both sides of the mould, and that collaborate with the male part by means of breaking elements (pre-folding elements that can be, for example, knives) and which perform a pre-folding of the sheet along the lid-receptacle junction line. Likewise, the forming station includes vertical guides, arranged in the male part, for retracting the breaking elements of the breakers on cue.

To complete the description, and for the purpose of helping to make the features of the invention more readily understandable, this description is accompanied by a set of drawings constituting an integral part of the same, which by way of illustration and not limitation represents the following:.

Below, a list is provided of the different elements represented in the figures making up the invention:.

The present invention should not be limited to the embodiment described herein. Other configurations may be carried out by those skilled in the art based on the present description. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is defined by the following claims.

<FIG> shows a container of the type that can be formed in the machine of the present invention. It can be seen how the lid (<NUM>) and the receptacle (<NUM>) of the container have different sizes and shapes. A section of a breaking element (<NUM>) of a breaker (<NUM>) has also been represented, through which the lid-receptacle junction line (<NUM>) of the container is formed.

<FIG> shows a forming station of the machine in a lateral view in which a male part (<NUM>) and a mould (<NUM>) can be seen, which are the elements between which the container is formed.

The male part (<NUM>) has a first body (<NUM>) and a second body (<NUM>) configured to form, respectively, the lid (<NUM>) and the receptacle (<NUM>) of the container. Between the first body (<NUM>) and the second body (<NUM>), on each side of the male part (<NUM>) there are vertical guides (<NUM>) able to move horizontally. Said vertical guides (<NUM>) allow synchronising the descent of the male part (<NUM>) with the action of retracting the breaking element (<NUM>), as shown in <FIG>, where it can be seen that said rollers (<NUM>) make contact with the lower inclined area of the vertical guide (<NUM>).

The mould (<NUM>) comprises front folders (<NUM>) facing each other, articulated folders (<NUM>) facing each other and arranged on the sides of the mould (<NUM>) (i.e., in planes perpendicular to those of the front folders (<NUM>)) and a pair of breakers (<NUM>), facing each other and also arranged on the sides of the mould (<NUM>). The front folders (<NUM>), the articulated folders (<NUM>) and the breakers (<NUM>) comprise position adjusters configured to control the position of said elements in the vertical and/or horizontal direction depending on the size and configuration of the container to be formed.

The mould (<NUM>) comprises lateral supports (<NUM>) arranged on the sides of the mould (<NUM>), on which the front folders (<NUM>) and the articulated folders (<NUM>) are mounted. The front folders (<NUM>), each of them mounted on a lateral support (<NUM>) such that the front folders (<NUM>) are arranged in two pairs, facing each other, in a direction perpendicular to said lateral supports (<NUM>), and comprise a body with an inclined surface (<NUM>) intended to be in contact with the laminated cardboard during the operation of forming the container. Preferably, the lateral supports (<NUM>) comprise a plurality of exchangeable supplements such that, depending on the size and configuration of the container to be formed, they can be removed or placed, joining them to the lateral support (<NUM>) by means of screws.

Each articulated folder (<NUM>) is mounted on a lateral support (<NUM>), arranged in pairs facing each other, and comprising a pressing part (<NUM>) able to have a tilting movement with respect to the lateral support (<NUM>) and intended to remain in contact with the laminated cardboard during the container forming operation.

Likewise, there are two breakers (<NUM>), arranged facing each other, arranged on the sides of the mould (<NUM>), between the lateral supports (<NUM>) on each side, and comprise at least one retractable breaking element (<NUM>) configured to act on the cardboard sheet to be formed in a lid-receptacle junction line (<NUM>) of the container, and wherein the passage from a first position to a second position is actuated by the lateral movement of the vertical guides (<NUM>) of the male part (<NUM>). In one embodiment, in the first position the breaking element is extended and in the second position (<NUM>) the breaking element (<NUM>) is retracted.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the forming station comprises cylinders (<NUM>), connected to the breakers (<NUM>). The breakers (<NUM>) are actuated by said cylinders (<NUM>). This embodiment makes it possible to avoid errors in the displacement of the breakers (<NUM>) and to automate the movement thereof. Thus, when the male part (<NUM>) approaches the breaker (<NUM>), same moves to the second position.

<FIG> show an assembly with a lateral support (<NUM>) on which a front folder (<NUM>) and an articulated folder (<NUM>) are mounted. The horizontal movement of the front folder (<NUM>) is carried out in two directions, one of them in the longitudinal direction of a guide track (<NUM>) of the lateral support (<NUM>) and the other in the direction perpendicular to said guide track (<NUM>). Its vertical position can also be adjusted using the vertical adjuster of the front folder (<NUM>).

In this case, the difference between one and the other figure is in the position of the front folder (<NUM>) that has moved horizontally along the guide track (<NUM>) to show how this change can be carried out and thus adapt the separation of the front folders (<NUM>) facing each other to the size of the container to be formed.

Preferably, as seen in the examples of <FIG> and <FIG>, the front folder (<NUM>) comprises an extension (<NUM>) that extends below the body with an inclined surface (<NUM>) such that the front folder (<NUM>) is in contact with the laminated cardboard throughout the entire run of the male part (<NUM>) inside the mould (<NUM>).

Likewise, the male part (<NUM>) can comprise a guide stop that extends vertically from the first body (<NUM>) of the male part (<NUM>) such that the lid (<NUM>) of the container extends vertically when forming same.

More specifically, the front folders (<NUM>) comprise, as seen in <FIG>, a vertical adjuster of the front folder (<NUM>), a first horizontal adjuster of the front folder (<NUM>) and a second horizontal adjuster of the front folder (<NUM>).

The vertical adjuster of the front folder (<NUM>) is configured to modify the vertical position of the front folder (<NUM>) with respect to the lateral support (<NUM>) which preferably comprises a first track (<NUM>) along which the front folder (<NUM>) moves vertically and comprises fixing elements (<NUM>) for fixing the position of said front folder (<NUM>) in the first track (<NUM>) of the vertical adjuster of the front folder (<NUM>).

The first horizontal adjuster of the front folder (<NUM>) adjusts the horizontal position along the guide track (<NUM>) so that the front folders (<NUM>) of opposite pairs move closer or further away. Said first horizontal adjuster of the front folder (<NUM>) preferably comprises a sliding skid (<NUM>) on the guide track (<NUM>) and fixing elements for fixing the position of said skid on the guide track (<NUM>).

Likewise, the second horizontal adjuster of the front folder (<NUM>) that adjusts the horizontal position in a direction perpendicular to that of the guide track (<NUM>), such that the front folders (<NUM>) of each pair move away from or toward each other. Preferably, the sliding skid (<NUM>) of the first horizontal adjuster of the front folder (<NUM>) comprises a projection (<NUM>) configured to be housed in a junction body (<NUM>) movably linked to the vertical adjuster of the front folder (<NUM>) such that said projection (<NUM>) together with fixing elements (<NUM>) for fixing the projection (<NUM>) to the junction body (<NUM>) form the second horizontal adjuster of the front folder (<NUM>).

<FIG> show an articulated folder (<NUM>). As can be seen, preferably, the articulated folders (<NUM>) comprise a vertical adjuster of the articulated folder (<NUM>) configured to adjust the vertical position with respect to the lateral support (<NUM>) and comprise a horizontal adjuster of the articulated folder (<NUM>) configured to adjust the horizontal position of the articulated folder (<NUM>) along the guide track (<NUM>), and comprise a spring, linked to the pressing part (<NUM>) such that it controls the rotational movement thereof.

Preferably, as can be seen in the figures, the articulated folder (<NUM>) comprises an adjustment structure (<NUM>) in which the vertical adjuster of the articulated folder (<NUM>) is located and said vertical adjuster of the articulated folder (<NUM>) comprises a first slot (<NUM>), arranged vertically in the adjustment structure (<NUM>), and fixing elements (<NUM>) for fixing the pressing part (<NUM>) to the adjustment structure through said first slot (<NUM>).

Also preferably, when the articulated folder (<NUM>) comprises an adjustment structure (<NUM>), the horizontal adjuster of the articulated folder (<NUM>) is arranged therein. In this case, said horizontal adjuster of the articulated folder (<NUM>) comprises a second slot (<NUM>), arranged horizontally on the adjustment structure (<NUM>), and fixing elements for fixing the adjustment structure (<NUM>) to the lateral support (<NUM>) through said second slot (<NUM>).

The fixing elements (<NUM>) are generally screws.

In <FIG> a breaker (<NUM>) is shown. As can be seen, said element comprises a first horizontal adjuster of the breaker (<NUM>) configured to adjust the position of the breaker (<NUM>) between the lateral supports (<NUM>), and a second horizontal adjuster of the breaker (<NUM>) configured to control the movement of the breakers (<NUM>) away from or closer to each other.

Preferably, the first horizontal adjuster of the breaker (<NUM>) comprises a sliding track (<NUM>), a complementary skid (<NUM>) and fixing elements (<NUM>) for fixing the position of the complementary skid (<NUM>) on the sliding track (<NUM>) configured to fix the position of the complementary skid (<NUM>) on the sliding track (<NUM>).

Also preferably, the second horizontal adjuster of the breaker (<NUM>) comprises a slot of the breaker (<NUM>) oriented horizontally towards the inside of the mould (<NUM>) and a fixing element (<NUM>) for fixing the position of the spring in said slot of the breaker (<NUM>).

In the figures it can also be seen how the breakers (<NUM>) preferably comprise at least one roller (<NUM>) arranged at one end of the breaking element (<NUM>). These rollers (<NUM>) have the double function of contacting the vertical guides (<NUM>) of the male part (<NUM>) to pivot the breaking element (<NUM>) and release the area for forming the box and, in turn, as clamps for certain portions of the sides of the box during its assembly process. That is, the rollers (<NUM>) are configured to make contact with the vertical guides (<NUM>) of the male part (<NUM>) to pivot said breaking element (<NUM>) and configured to exert pressure on certain portions of sides of the lid (<NUM>) and of the receptacle (<NUM>) the forming.

<FIG> shows an exploded view of an embodiment in which the forming station additionally comprises a cylinder (<NUM>), in correspondence with each breaker (<NUM>). As can be seen in the figure, the breaker (<NUM>) is actuated by the cylinder.

Claim 1:
A machine for forming containers from pre-punched laminated cardboard comprising at least one forming station mounted on a frame of the machine and characterised in that the forming station comprises:
- a male part (<NUM>) with a first body (<NUM>) and a second body (<NUM>) configured to form, respectively, a lid (<NUM>) and a receptacle (<NUM>) of the container and between the first body (<NUM>) and the second body (<NUM>), on each side of the male part (<NUM>) there are vertical guides (<NUM>) able to move horizontally;
- a mould (<NUM>) comprising the following elements:
- two pairs of lateral supports (<NUM>) arranged on the sides of the mould (<NUM>) and on which there are mounted:
- front folders (<NUM>), each of them mounted on a lateral support (<NUM>) such that the front folders (<NUM>) are arranged in two pairs, facing each other, in a direction perpendicular to said lateral supports (<NUM>), and they comprise a body with an inclined surface (<NUM>) intended to be in contact with the laminated cardboard during the container forming operation;
- articulated folders (<NUM>), each of them mounted on a lateral support (<NUM>), arranged in pairs facing each other, and comprising a pressing part (<NUM>) able to have a tilting movement with respect to the lateral support (<NUM>) and intended to be in contact with the laminated cardboard during the container forming operation;
- two breakers (<NUM>), arranged facing each other, arranged on the sides of the mould (<NUM>), between the lateral supports (<NUM>) on each side, and comprising at least one retractable breaking element (<NUM>) configured to act on the cardboard sheet to be formed in a lid-receptacle junction line (<NUM>) of the container, and wherein the passage from a first position to a second position is actuated by the lateral movement of the vertical guides (<NUM>) of the male part (<NUM>);
and wherein the front folders (<NUM>), the articulated folders (<NUM>) and the breakers (<NUM>) comprise position adjusters configured to control the position of said elements in the vertical and/or horizontal direction depending on the size and configuration of the container to be formed.