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A tray forming machine comprising an infeed station for accepting a blank of corrugated plastic, and a transfer mechanism which automatically conveys the blank along a plane into a blank receiving station between a tray forming ram and a forming tool frame. The tray forming ram moves downward along

A tray forming machine comprising an infeed station for accepting a blank of corrugated plastic, and a transfer mechanism which automatically conveys the blank along a plane into a blank receiving station between a tray forming ram and a forming tool frame. The tray forming ram moves downward along a vertical path carrying the blank through the forming tool frame, during which the blank is folded into a generally upright tray configuration by a series of vertically displaced side and end forming bars and brackets. The tray forming ram and blank emerge from the forming tool frame and are received in a clamping and welding assembly which holds the blank in position while it is secured by sonic welds into the upright tray. The clamping assembly releases while the tray forming ram returns to its raised position, and the tray is stripped off the tray forming ram by the bottom of the forming brackets. The tray falls due to gravity onto a conveyor beneath the forming tool frame, and the trays are individually removed.

대표청구항 ▼

A tray forming machine for folding a blank of corrugated plastic into a generally upright configuration to form a tray and for securing said tray in said upright configuration, said blank being cut from a sheet of corrugated plastic to define a bottom wall panel and a pair of opposing side wall pane

A tray forming machine for folding a blank of corrugated plastic into a generally upright configuration to form a tray and for securing said tray in said upright configuration, said blank being cut from a sheet of corrugated plastic to define a bottom wall panel and a pair of opposing side wall panels and a pair of opposing end wall panels, said side wall panels and said end wall panels being hingedly connected to said bottom panel along scored fold lines, said tray forming machine comprising: a frame structure; an infeed station defined by said frame structure for receiving the blank of corrugated plastic and having a transfer mechanism for conveying the blank of corrugated plastic along a generally linear transfer path, the blank of corrugated plastic defining a plane as the blank moves along said transfer path; a blank receiving station defined by said frame structure for receiving the blank from said infeed station as the blank is conveyed along said transfer path by said transfer mechanism; a tray forming ram, said tray forming ram being mounted on said frame structure above said blank receiving station for movement along a generally linear stroke path between a raised position and a lowered position, said stroke path being generally perpendicular to and extending through said plane defined by the blank of corrugated plastic moving along said transfer path; a forming tool frame, said forming tool frame being mounted on said frame structure, said forming tool frame being positioned beneath said blank receiving station and being generally vertically aligned with said tray forming ram, said forming tool frame defining an opening such that said tray forming ram passes through said opening as said tray forming ram traverses said stroke path; a plurality of tray forming members, each said tray forming member being connected to said frame structure and extending inwardly relative to said opening of said forming tool frame to obstruct at least a portion of said opening; clamping means movably mounted on said frame structure and positioned beneath said forming tool frame on opposing sides thereof, said clamping means being mounted to move in a generally horizontal direction between a retracted position displaced from said tray forming ram when in said lowered position and an extended position displaced from said retracted position and disposed proximate to said tray forming ram when in said lowered position; and fastening means for securing each of the end wall panels to at least one of the side wall panels in the generally upright configuration, said fastening means being mounted in a position such that said fastening means is adjacent to the tray forming ram when the tray forming ram is in the lowered position and when the fastening means if securing one of the end wall panels to one of the side wall panels, whereby the blank is selectively placed in the infeed station and conveyed by the transfer mechanism to the blank receiving station, at which time the tray forming ram moves downward along the stroke path through the opening of the forming tool frame to the lowered position, the tray forming ram thereby contacting and carrying the blank downward through the opening in the forming tool frame and against the plurality of tray forming members, such that the tray forming members fold the end wall panels and the side wall panels of the blank into the generally upright configuration, the clamping means being in the extended position and the blank being disposed between and contacting both the tray forming ram and the clamping means, the clamping means exerting pressure against the blank in order to clamp the blank against the ram and maintain the blank in the upright configuration as the fastening means secures the end wall panels and side wall panels in the generally upright configuration, the clamping means then moving to the retracted position and the tray forming ram returning to the raised position such that the tray falls downwardly from the tray forming ram.