Wrap around carton packaging machine

Abstract

A packaging apparatus for wrapping a carton around a packaged product comprises a box mandrel conveyor including a plurality of mandrels which support the packaged product thereon. Packages are precisely fed to the mandrels of the box mandrel conveyor by a conditioning conveyor. Carton blanks are delivered to a conveying system for a carton magazine and are conveyed in vertical confronting relation to a mandrel. Each mandrel moves the carton blank against a large radius plows device thereby causing the carton blank to be folded around a mandrel containing a package. Folding and compression devices are provided for folding and compressing an end panel against a manufacturer's flap. Suitable flap closing means close the end flaps and upper and lower flaps after the mandrel is withdrawn from the carton.

1 . Apparatus for continuously folding, forming and sealing carton blanks around product comprising 
 an elongate box mandrel conveyor including a plurality of spaced apart horizontally disposed mandrels for containing product, power means connected to the box mandrel conveyor for moving the mandrels in a predetermined path of travel from an upstream end to a downstream end, said mandrels being movable transversely of the path of travel between an advanced package supporting position and a retracted position, means for causing movement between advanced and retracted positions,    power means connected to the mandrel conveyor for moving the mandrel conveyor,    means continuously conveying vertically disposed carton blanks one at a time to the box mandrel conveyor in confronting relation with a mandrel during movement of the mandrel, each carton blank including side panels, end panels, end flaps, upper and lower flaps, and a manufacturer's flap, the manufacturer's flap defining the lower edge portion of a carton blank, and notches between certain flaps and panels,    means engaging and folding the manufacturer's flap against the mandrel during movement of the blank to the mandrel conveyor,    a folding plow device positioned downstream of the carton blank magazine for folding a carton blank moved by a mandrel around a mandrel containing product as the mandrel is moved in the path of travel,    a rotary flap tucker device folding a panel against the manufacturer's flap including plates for engaging and folding the flap and panel,    and an elongate hold down rail positioned adjacent the plow device and having a front end mounted for vertical pivotal movement, said rail engaging and holding the blank in position for tucking, and pivoting upwardly in response to a blank or product projecting upwardly beyond the associated mandrel, and a sensor mounted downstream end producing a signal in response to upward pivoting movement at the rail to indicate an unacceptable product.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 1  wherein the mandrel conveyor includes a plurality of conveyor elements, means mounting the mandrels on the conveyor elements to permit ready placement of one size mandrel for another size mandrel.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 1  wherein said power means comprises a precision electrically controlled motion generating device (PECMGD).  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 3  wherein the PECMGD is a servomotor.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 1  wherein each mandrel has a blank positioning and containment guide plate secured thereto, said guide plate engaging a notch in the blank for maintaining proper position of the blank as it folded around the mandrel by the folding plow device.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 1  and an adjustable blank guide element mounted adjacent the mandrel conveyor and engaging a notch in the blank during movement of each mandrel and blank in downstream direction for maintaining the blank in proper position for folding by the folding plow device.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 1  and a rotary compression device including compression plates and rotary driven member, each compression plate being pivotally mounted on the driven member, each compression plate engaging an compressing two blank flaps against each and against a mandrel as the latter moves downstream, the pivotal connection of each compression plate permitting precise alignment of each plate with the associated mandrel, and a precision electrically controlled motion generating device connected to the rotary compression device and designed and programmed to monitor and vary the compression force, and to automatically adjust position so that a uniform and consistent force is applied regardless of angle or position of mandrel engaged by a compression plate.  
   
   
       8 . An apparatus for continuously folding, forming and compressing a blank around a product, comprising 
 a mandrel conveyor including a plurality of similar mandrels, for containing a product, power means for moving the mandrel from an upstream end to a downstream end,    a magazine containing a supply of vertically disposed blanks and having a discharge end, toothed conveyor means engaging bottom edges of the blanks for moving the blanks to the discharge end,    means receiving blanks from the magazine and continuously conveying vertically disposed blanks one at a time to the mandrel conveyor in confronting relation with a mandrel during movement of the mandrel,    each blank being scored and cut to define a plurality of panels and flaps, the lower most flap comprising a manufacturer's flap, means engaging and folding the manufacturer's flap 180° against a mandrel as the blank is conveyed to the mandrel conveyor, means for applying glue to the exterior surface of the manufacturer's flap of a blank as the blank is conveyed to mandrel conveyor, the manufacturer's flap upon release from the folding means forming an angle of approximately 90° with respect to the blank.    
   
   
       9 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 8  wherein the means for conveying the blanks to the mandrel conveyor includes a conveyor and nip roller assembly including a belt conveyor, a driven nip roller having a flat surface portion disposed in opposed relation with the belt conveyor and cooperating therewith to convey each blank in a vertically square position with respect to the mandrel conveyor.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 8  and a finger drive belt assembly positioned above the blanks and including a driven belt having a plurality of flexible fingers secured thereto, means for driving the belt assembly at speed slightly faster than the speed at which the blanks are conveyed to the discharge end, said flexible fingers engaging the top edges of the blanks and flexing in response to the engagement to impart a resistive force to the blanks to insure proper positioning of the blanks as each blank is removed form the magazine.  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 8  wherein the nip roller is shiftable between a blank engaging position and an open position, said nip roller being shiftable away from the belt conveyer when in the open position to enable clearing of jammed blanks therefrom.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 8  wherein the discharge end of the magazine has a picking side where blanks are picked and moved laterally from the magazine, and an opposed side, a plate pivotally mounted on the opposed side engaging the forward most blank to properly position each blank for proper picking and removal from the magazine, means engaging and yieldable urging the plate against a blank.  
   
   
       13 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 8  and upper and lower air jets positioned above and below the magazine and connected to a source of air under pressure and discharged compressed air into the blanks adjacent the discharge end of the magazine.  
   
   
       14 . A packaging apparatus for forming a blank into a carton around a product, 
 an elongate mandrel conveyor including a plurality of mandrels for containing and conveying product,    power means for moving the mandrel conveyor in a predetermined path of travel from an upstream end to a downstream end,    a conditioning conveyor system positioned upstream of the mandrel conveyor for receiving product delivered to the conditioning conveyor system, and positioning, compressing and precisely dropping product sequentially into mandrels, said conditioning conveyor including an elongate table having elongate longitudinally extending slots therein and receiving product delivered thereto,    said conditioning conveyor including horizontally disposed endless conveyor members having a plurality of fingered flights secured thereto, the lower run of the conveyor members moving in a downstream direction, each flight having fingers secured thereto and underlying and supporting product as the product is moved by the flights,    second horizontally disposed endless conveyor members each having a plurality of compression flights secured thereto, each compression flight cooperating with a fingered flight to first compress a product and thereafter precisely drop a product into mandrel as the product is moved downstream.    
   
   
       15 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 14  and a pair of precision electrically controlled motion generating devices each being operatively connected to one of the finger flight conveyor members or the compression flight conveyor members to programmatically vary the distance between fingered and compression flight, and to precisely and quickly control the force for driving the flights  
   
   
       16 . A packaging apparatus for forming a blank into a carton around a product, 
 an elongate mandrel conveyor including a plurality of mandrels for containing and conveying product, means for moving the mandrel conveyor from an upstream end to a downstream end,    means for folding and sealing a blank into a sleeve around a mandrel containing product, the blank sleeve having a pair of upper and lower flaps, and a pair of end flaps at each end,    a transfer conveyor receiving sleeve shaped blanks containing product from the mandrel conveyor and continuing movement thereof in a downstream direction, the transfer conveyor including spaced apart trailing flights engaging only the upstream end of the sleeve shaped blank,    a pair of rotary end flap tucker wheels positioned on opposite sides of the transfer conveyor engaging and folding the end flaps during movement of the transfer flight,    plow means positioned on opposite sides of the transfer conveyor downstream of the end flap tucker wheels engaging and folding the upper and flaps against the associated end flaps at each end of the sleeve to close and form the sleeve into a carton containing a product.    
   
   
       17 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 16  wherein each tucker wheel has a lobe projecting therefrom for engaging and tucking the product into a sleeve shaped blank.  
   
   
       18 . The apparatus as defined in  claim 16  and means engaging the downstream end of the carton to cause the carton to be positioned squarely against a tracking flight.