초록 ▼

A machine for erecting flat, collapsed tubular cartons and for filling and sealing the erected cartons provides higher production rates without significantly increasing the cycle rate or the floor space required by the machine. A rotatable mandrel assembly rotates about a horizontal axis and has pai

A machine for erecting flat, collapsed tubular cartons and for filling and sealing the erected cartons provides higher production rates without significantly increasing the cycle rate or the floor space required by the machine. A rotatable mandrel assembly rotates about a horizontal axis and has pairs of radially extending mandrels at equally spaced circumferential positions. The mandrel assembly is driven in a stepwise sequential manner to bring each pair of mandrels sequentially into alignment with a series of work stations. At a loading station, a two-stage loading assembly erects a pair of carton blanks and loads carton blanks onto the pair of mandrels. One carton blank is inserted directly onto a mandrel, while the other carton blank is advanced to an intermediate holding position for loading during the next operating cycle. At subsequent work stations the bottom ends of the carton blanks are formed and sealed. The pair of carton blanks with their bottom ends sealed are then transferred to a substantially horizontal track and are advanced together to subsequent work stations where they are filled and where the top ends are closed and sealed.

대표청구항 ▼

A machine for erecting flat, collapsed cartons and for filling and sealing the erected cartons during a sequence of operating cycles, the machine comprising: a frame; first and second spindles mounted on the frame for simultaneous rotation about a common horizontal axis; first and second pairs of ma

A machine for erecting flat, collapsed cartons and for filling and sealing the erected cartons during a sequence of operating cycles, the machine comprising: a frame; first and second spindles mounted on the frame for simultaneous rotation about a common horizontal axis; first and second pairs of mandrels mounted side-by-side on the first and second spindles, respectively, at each of a plurality of equally spaced circumferential positions, each first pair of mandrels extending outward from the first spindle in a generally radial direction with respect to the horizontal axis to define a first vertical plane and each second pair of mandrels extending outward from the second spindle in a generally radial direction with respect to the horizontal axis to define a second vertical plane which is parallel to the first vertical plane; a plurality of first and second work stations mounted side-by-side on the frame in the first and second vertical planes, respectively; the plurality of first work stations being positioned circumferentially about the horizontal axis in the first plane to surround the first spindle, and the plurality of second work stations positioned circumferentially about the horizontal axis in the second plane to surround the second spindle; intermittent spindle drive means for rotating simultaneously the first and second spindles and the mandrels mounted thereon in the first and second vertical planes, respectively, about the horizontal axis during each operating cycle to bring each first pair of mandrels sequentially into alignment with each of the first work stations and each second pair of mandrels sequentially into alignment with each of the second work stations; first and second supply means aligned with the first and second vertical planes, respectively for holding supplies of flat carton blanks; first and second erecting means aligned with the first and second vertical planes, respectively for erecting pairs of flat carton blanks into open-end tubular form during each operating cycle; first and second loader means positioned at first and second loader work stations, respectively, for loading a pair of open-end tubular carton blanks onto the first pair of mandrels aligned with the first loader work station during each operating cycle and loading a pair of open-end tubular carton blanks onto the second pair of mandrels aligned with the second loader work station during each operating cycle; means positioned at the work stations in the first and second vertical planes subsequent to the first and second loader work stations for successively forming and sealing bottom ends of the pair of carton blanks carried by each first and second pairs of mandrels; first and second parallel horizontal conveyor tracks aligned with the first and second vertical planes, respectively; first and second carton transfer means positioned at first and second transfer work stations for successively transferring a pair of carton blanks with their bottom ends sealed from each of the first and second pairs of mandrels to the first and second conveyor tracks, respectively; a plurality of side-by-side first and second work stations positioned along the first and second conveyor tracks, respectively; means positioned at the first and second work stations along the first and second conveyor tracks for filling, closing and sealing top ends of each pair of carton blanks; and first and second carton conveyor means operatively synchronized with the intermittent spindle drive means for simultaneously advancing carton blanks by pairs along the first conveyor track and along the second conveyor track in stepped sequence from one work station to another during each operating cycle.