Patent ID: 7708678

Claim:
A method for erecting tubular blanks in boxes, with each blank including two superposed sheets connected along opposite ends of the sheets to define a flat folded configuration, with longitudinal pre-creasing lines made in said sheets for defining a first and a second lateral walls in each sheet and for facilitating folding of the blank, and with transversal pre-creasing lines made in the sheets for defining and facilitating folding of flaps of the blank, the method including: conveying said tubular blanks one by one in horizontal arrangement, to a tubular blank erecting station; gripping a first lateral wall of each tubular blank and raising said tubular blank by a 90° rotation, wherein raising and rotating said tubular blank takes said first lateral wall in alignment with a stationary vertical plane, said alignment being maintained at least until said tubular blank reaches a subsequent work station; striking at least one second lateral wall of the blank, adjacent to said first lateral wall engaged by the gripping action, so as to arrange the second lateral wall at right angle with respect to said first lateral wall, with consequent erecting of the blank taking a parallelepiped form with a vertical axis, and including, in step relation with the striking of said second lateral wall, also striking the first lower flap of said tubular blank, situated at rear with respect to the movement of the blank in a prefixed forwarding direction, with subsequent inward folding by 90° of said first lower flap, and, including, while forwarding the tubular blank toward a subsequent work station, striking a second lower flap of said tubular blank, opposite to said first lower flap, to fold said second lower flap by 90°.