Method and device for correcting the folded position of a blank in a folder-gluer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11285684-B2
Application number	US-201515528578-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2015
Priority date	Nov 24, 2014
Publication date	Mar 29, 2022
Grant date	Mar 29, 2022

Abstract

A method for checking and correcting the position of a blank (10) that includes closing the folded right-hand and left-hand flaps (17, 18) of the blank, which are positioned one above the other in an overlapping portion, checking the position of the right-hand edge (13) and of the left-hand edge (14), and comparing the position with a predetermined position in order to determine a positional deviation, if the positional deviation exceeds an admissible deviation value, and before the glue sets, fixing of the central flap (19), then holding the upper face of the right-hand flap and of the left-hand flap by a suction cup (21, 23, 24, 26), and correcting the position of the left-hand flap (18) and/or of the right-hand flap (17) by moving the suction cup (21, 23, 24, 26).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A correction device for correcting the folded position of a blank in a folder-gluer, the blank being conveyed by a conveyor belt in a longitudinal direction through the folder-gluer, the blank having been folded in the folder-gluer from a substantially flat blank, the blank having a right-hand edge, a left-hand edge, a front edge, a rear edge, a right-hand longitudinal crease and a left-hand longitudinal crease, the right-hand longitudinal crease and the left-hand longitudinal crease delimiting, with the right-hand edge and the left-hand edge, at least three flaps in a row including a right-hand flap, a central flap and a left-hand flap; the blank moving through the folder-gluer having been being processed by:
a glue applicator configured to apply glue to one of a zone of the right-hand flap adjacent to the right-hand edge and a zone of the left-hand flap adjacent to the left-hand edge, such that the glue is present in an overlapping portion between the right-hand flap and the left-hand flap;
a flap folder configured and operable for folding the right-hand flap and the left-hand flap over the central flap;
a position checker configured to check, after the folding of the substantially flat blank, a relative position between the right-hand edge and the left-hand edge in the transverse left-right direction of a folded right-hand flap and a folded left-hand flap of the folded blank, and configured to detect at least one of a paralleling fault or a gap between the right-hand edge and the left-hand edge of the folded and glued right-hand and left-hand flaps of the folded blank;
wherein the correction device comprises:
a flap fixer configured to fix the central flap, the flap fixer comprising at least one boom fitted with nozzles that are oriented upwards and are configured to apply vacuum-induced negative pressure to a lower face of the central flap of the blank,
a flap position correction device configured to correct, when the at least one of the paralleling fault or the gap is detected, the relative position of at least one of the left-hand flap and the right-hand flap; the flap correction device comprising:
at least a right-hand suction cup;
at least a left-hand suction cup;
the at least one right-hand suction cup is configured to hold the right-hand flap, and the at least one left-hand suction cup is configured to hold the left-hand flap, the suction cups being arranged downwards and configured to move vertically and transversely and to be vacuumized,
wherein as the blank is being conveyed by the conveyor belt in the longitudinal direction, the correction device and the flap fixer are configured to advance in the longitudinal direction at the same speed as the blank during the longitudinal travel of the at least one boom.

2. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the correction device includes a pair of first and second right-hand suction cups and a pair of first and second left-hand suction cups.

3. A device according to claim 2 , wherein each pair of right-hand suction cups and each pair of left-hand suction cups includes:
a first suction cup positioned toward the front, and a second suction cup positioned toward the rear of the respective flaps, and
wherein the vacuumization of the first suction cup is controlled independently from the vacuumization of the second suction cup.

4. A device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a right-hand supporting element supporting the two suction cups in the pair of right-hand suction cups, and
the right-hand supporting element configured to move simultaneously both of the right-hand suction cups, and
a left-hand supporting element supporting the two suction cups in the pair of left-hand suction cups, and the left-hand supporting element configured to move simultaneously both left-hand suction cups.

5. A device according to claim 1 , further comprising an element inserted between the right-hand flap and the left-hand flap before folding the flaps, and the element is withdrawable following the correction by the correction device.

6. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the boom is provided on a linear motor accompanying the blank along travel of the blank, and the boom is configured to house the vacuum of the nozzles activated when a correction is made after the glue is applied.

7. A folder-gluer machine fitted comprising the device for correcting the folded position of the blank according to claim 1 .

8. The folder-gluer of claim 7 , wherein the position checker includes an optical detector.

Assignees

• Bobst Mex Sa

Inventors

• Bourgeois Sacha
• Favini Dimitri

Classifications

• B31B50/044

  involving aligning · CPC title

• B31B2100/0022

  made from tubular webs or blanks, including by tube or bottom forming operations · CPC title

• B31B2120/70

  having corrugated or pleated walls · CPC title

• B31B2120/30

  collapsible; temporarily collapsed during manufacturing · CPC title

• B31B50/26

  Folding sheets, blanks or webs · CPC title