PACKING AND CAPPING MACHINE

摘要

The present invention provides a novel method of packing a plurality of articles such as cans and bottles in trays and a novel machine adapted thereto. According to the method there is provided in a hopper station a stack of pre-cut paperboard blanks each having crease lines defining a bottom panel, front and rear walls with flaps and a pair of end walls. One of the tray blanks is pulled from the bottom of the stack, and creased along the front wall crease lines. The front wall is cammed into a square position with the bottom panel, and the rear wall is creased. The blank so partially formed is pushed from the hopper station to a packing station, while the front wall is held in a square position with the bottom panel. The front wall of the tray is guided into a desired position within the packing station with the bottom panel, the rear wall and the end walls under a dead plate. A load of cans or the like is delivered over the dead plate and contacts the front wall of the tray, drawing the tray blank out from under the dead plate and pushing the loaded partially formed tray away from the packing station. The tray front wall flaps are folded into square position with the front wall. The loaded partially formed tray is conveyed to tray erecting and sealing means where the rear wall flaps are kicked into square position with the rear walls and the rear wall is erected into square position with the bottom panel, and for erecting. The end walls are erected into square position with the bottom panel and into adhesive contact with the front and rear flaps. The novel machine comprises a hopper station, a packing station, a glue station, and tray erecting and sealing means. The hopper station includes means for holding the stack of pre-cut paperboard blanks, means for pulling one of the tray blanks from the bottom of the stack, and forming therefrom a partially formed blank, and means for holding the front wall of the blank in a square position with the bottom panel during the transfer from the hopper station to the packing station. The packing station includes means for holding the tray front wall flaps into square position with the front wall, and for maintaining the front wall in that position, a dead plate, gate means for guiding the front wall of the tray into a desired position, means for delivering a load of cans or the like over the dead plate, a downstream dead plate, means for rotating the gate away from the front wall and means for conveying the loaded partially formed tray to said glue station. The glue station includes means for applying glue to the opposite ends of the end walls of the tray. The tray erecting and sealing means includes means for kicking the rear wall flaps into square position with the rear walls, means for erecting the rear wall into square position with the bottom panel, and means for erecting the end walls into square position with the bottom panel and into adhesive contact with the front and rear flaps.