Device for producing cigarette packs

Abstract

For the purpose of folding a blank ( 11 ) in a U-shaped manner around an article or a folding mandrel, use is made of a folding roller ( 34 ) which is mounted at a fixed location, is driven in rotation and is rolled, by way of a lateral portion ( 35 ), over the facing surface of the pack ( 10 ) or of the folding mandrel ( 17 ) with blank ( 11 ).

1 . An apparatus for producing packs ( 10 ) with a blank ( 11 ) wrapping an article which is to be packaged, in particular a cuboidal cigarette pack with an outer wrapper made of film, it being possible for the blank ( 11 ) to be folded around the article and for peripheral folding tabs ( 27 ,  28 ) to be folded into a transversely directed position by a fixed-location, movable folding element, characterized in that the folding element can be moved relative to the article while carrying along part of the blank ( 11 ) in the direction of a free periphery or of the peripheral folding tab ( 27 ), with the blank ( 11 ) being pressed against a surface or wall of the article.  
   
   
       2 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the folding element, which moves in rotation, can be rolled along the surface of the article or of the pack ( 10 ), with the blank ( 11 ) being pressed against the same and tensioned in the process.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the folding element is designed as a rotating folding roller ( 34 ) which, with linear or strip-like abutment against the surface of the article or of the pack ( 10 ), smoothes and tensions the blank ( 11 ) during a continuous rolling movement and presses it against the article or against the surface of a pack ( 10 ).  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 3 , characterized in that the folding roller ( 34 ) is mounted at a fixed location and the articles or packs ( 10 ) with blank ( 11 ) can be moved past the folding roller ( 38 ), in particular by a continuously rotating folding turret ( 13 ), the conveying direction of the articles or packs ( 10 ) and the direction of rotation of the folding roller ( 34 ) coinciding in the region where they butt against one another.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 3 , characterized in that the folding roller ( 34 ) has a plurality of lateral portions ( 35 ) which follow one after the other along the circumference, each for executing a folding and rolling cycle on an article or on a pack ( 10 ), each lateral portion ( 35 ) having a sub-portion of which the curved surface, which rolls by way of a radial convexity ( 49 ), butts against the article or the pack ( 10 ) over the entire width of the same.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 3 , characterized in that the folding element, namely the folding roller ( 34 ), has additional folding tools, in particular radially directed crosspieces ( 36 ) which each adjoin a lateral portion ( 35 ) and cause a facing folding tab—inner tab ( 27 )—to be folded over on to a transversely or radially directed side wall ( 22 ) of the pack ( 10 ) or of a folding mandrel ( 17 ), the folding crosspieces ( 36 ) each adjoining a rolling region of the folding roller ( 34 ) or of the lateral portion ( 35 ) with an arcuate contour, a rounded chamfer ( 37 ) being formed in the process.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 6 , characterized in that the folding crosspieces ( 36 ) of the folding roller ( 34 ) interact with folding elements which are fitted radially on the inside of the folding turret ( 13 ), namely folding levers ( 38 ) which have a supporting leg ( 40 ) for folding a radially inner outer tab ( 28 ), the folding movements of the folding levers ( 38 ) and of the folding crosspieces ( 36 ) being coordinated with one another such that the folding crosspiece ( 36 ) is moved out of the region of action of the supporting lug ( 40 ) when the latter, for the purpose of completing a flexible-tube fold of the inner tab ( 27 ) and outer tab ( 28 ), overlaps the two tabs ( 27 ,  28 ).  
   
   
       8 . An apparatus for producing packs ( 10 ) with a blank ( 11 ) wrapping a cuboidal cigarette pack with an outer wrapper made of film, in which the blank ( 11 ) is folded around the pack and peripheral folding tabs ( 27 ,  28 ) are folded into a transversely directed position by a fixed-location, movable folding element, characterized in that the folding element is moved relative to the article while carrying along part of the blank ( 11 ) in the direction of a free periphery or of the peripheral folding tab ( 27 ), with the blank ( 11 ) being pressed against a surface of the pack ( 10 ).  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 8 , characterized in that the folding element, which moves in rotation, is rolled along the surface of the pack ( 10 ), with the blank ( 11 ) being pressed against the same and tensioned in the process.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 9 , characterized in that the folding element is designed as a rotating folding roller ( 34 ) with linear or strip-like abutment that contacts the surface of the pack ( 10 ) so as to smooth and tension the blank ( 11 ) during a continuous rolling movement and press the blank ( 11 ) against the surface of the pack ( 10 ).  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 10 , characterized in that the folding roller ( 34 ) is mounted at a fixed location and the packs ( 10 ) with blank ( 11 ) can be moved past the folding roller ( 38 ) by a continuously rotating folding turret ( 13 ), the conveying direction of the packs ( 10 ) and the direction of rotation of the folding roller ( 34 ) coinciding in the region where they butt against one another.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 10 , characterized in that the folding roller ( 34 ) has a plurality of lateral portions ( 35 ) which follow one after the other along the circumference, each for executing a folding and rolling cycle on the pack ( 10 ), each lateral portion ( 35 ) having a sub-portion of which the curved surface, which rolls by way of a radial convexity ( 49 ), butts against the pack ( 10 ) over the entire width of the same.  
   
   
       13 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 10 , characterized in that folding roller ( 34 ) has additional folding tools in the form of radially directed crosspieces ( 36 ) which each adjoin a lateral portion ( 35 ) and cause folding tab ( 27 ) to be folded over on to a transversely or radially directed side wall ( 22 ) of the pack ( 10 ) or of a folding mandrel ( 17 ), the folding crosspieces ( 36 ) each adjoining a rolling region of the folding roller ( 34 ) or of the lateral portion ( 35 ) with an arcuate contour, so as to form a rounded chamfer ( 37 ).  
   
   
       14 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 13 , characterized in that the folding crosspieces ( 36 ) of the folding roller ( 34 ) interact with folding levers ( 38 ) which are fitted radially on the inside of the folding turret ( 13 ), wherein folding levers ( 38 ) have a supporting leg ( 40 ) for folding a radially inner outer tab ( 28 ), the folding movements of the folding levers ( 38 ) and of the folding crosspieces ( 36 ) being coordinated with one another such that the folding crosspiece ( 36 ) is moved out of the region of action of the supporting lug ( 40 ) when the latter, for the purpose of completing a flexible-tube fold of the inner tab ( 27 ) and outer tab ( 28 ), overlaps the two tabs ( 27 ,  28 ).