Claims
- 1. A method for constructing a multiwall corrugated container blank, the multiwall corrugated container blank including a body portion having a first wall thickness and a flap portion having a second wall thickness, wherein the first wall thickness is greater than the second wall thickness, the method comprising:
producing a first web having a first left edge, a parallel first right edge, and a first width between the first left edge and the first right edge, the first web including a corrugated first medium bonded to a flat first liner; producing a second web having a second left edge, a parallel second right edge, and a second width between the second left edge and the second right edge greater than the first width, the second web including a corrugated second medium bonded to a flat second liner; bonding the first medium of the first web to the second liner of the second web to at least partially define the body portion and the flap portion of the multiwall corrugated container blank; determining a location of at least one of the first left edge or the first right edge of the first web; positioning a male score tool and a cooperating female score tool adjacent to at least one of the first left edge or the first right edge based on the determined location of the first left edge or the first right edge; and scoring the second web adjacent to at least one of the first left edge or the first right edge with the positioned male and female score tools without scoring the first web, wherein the foregoing steps of producing the first and second webs, bonding the first medium of the first web to the second liner of the second web, determining the location of the at least one of the first left edge or the first right edge of the first web, positioning the male score tool and the cooperating female score tool, and scoring the second web are performed in a sequentially continuous automated process.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the flap portion is a first flap portion, and wherein the multiwall corrugated container blank further includes a second flap portion, further wherein:
bonding the first medium of the first web to the second liner of the second web at least partially defines the body portion and the first and second flap portions of the multiwall corrugated container blank; positioning a male score tool and a cooperating female score tool adjacent to at least one of the first left edge or the first right edge includes positioning a first male score tool and a first cooperating female score tool adjacent to the first left edge and positioning a second male score tool and a second cooperating female score tool adjacent to the first right edge; and scoring the second web includes scoring the second web adjacent to the first left edge with the first male score tool and the first female score tool and scoring the second web adjacent to the first right edge with the second male score tool and the second female score tool.
- 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the flap portion is a first flap portion, and wherein the multiwall corrugated container blank further includes a second flap portion, further wherein:
bonding the first medium of the first web to the second liner of the second web at least partially defines the body portion and the first and second flap portions of the multiwall corrugated container blank so that the first flap portion is at least substantially the same width as the second flap portion; positioning a male score tool and a cooperating female score tool adjacent to at least one of the first left edge or the first right edge includes positioning a first male score tool and a first cooperating female score tool adjacent to the first left edge and positioning a second male score tool and a second cooperating female score tool adjacent to the first right edge; and scoring the second web includes scoring the second web adjacent to the first left edge with the first male score tool and the first female score tool and scoring the second web adjacent to the first right edge with the second male score tool and the second female score tool.
- 4. The method of claim 1 wherein producing the first web includes bonding the first medium to the first liner and slitting the first medium and the first liner to produce the first left edge and the parallel first right edge.
- 5. The method of claim 1 wherein bonding the first medium of the first web to the second liner of the second web at least partially defines the first wall thickness of the body portion and the second wall thickness of the flap portion, wherein the first wall thickness is triple wall and the second wall thickness is double wall.
- 6. The method of claim 1 wherein bonding the first medium of the first web to the second liner of the second web at least partially defines the first wall thickness of the body portion and the second wall thickness of the flap portion, wherein the first wall thickness is double wall and the second wall thickness is single wall.
- 7. The method of claim 1 wherein scoring the second web adjacent to at least one of the first left edge or the first right edge includes scoring the second web along a first score line offset from the first left edge by a distance of up to about 0.25 inch and scoring the second web along a second score line offset from the first right edge by a distance of up to about 0.25 inch.
- 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
producing a third web having a third left edge and a parallel third right edge at least approximately defining the second width between the third left edge and the third right edge, the third web including a corrugated third medium bonded to a flat third liner; and bonding the second medium of the second web to the third liner of the third web, wherein scoring the second web comprises scoring the second and third webs adjacent to at least one of the first left edge or the first right edge with the positioned male and female score tools.
- 9. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a location of at least one of the first left edge or the first right edge includes optically determining the location of the first left edge using at least one camera.
- 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the sequentially continuous automated process is a process whereby a corrugated container blank is manufactured from at least a point of paper corrugation to a point of flap scoring using a series of automated processes in a single production line.
- 11. An automated method for constructing a multiwall corrugated container blank, the multiwall corrugated container blank having a body portion and a flap portion with different wall thicknesses, the method comprising:
producing a first web having a first edge, a second edge, and a first width between the first edge and the second edge, the first web including a corrugated first medium bonded to a flat first liner; producing a second web having a third edge, a fourth edge, and a second width between the third edge and the fourth edge, the second width being greater than the first width, the second web including a corrugated second medium bonded to a flat second liner; bonding the first web to the second web to at least partially define the body portion and the flap portion of the multiwall corrugated container blank; and scoring the second web adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge of the first web without scoring the first web.
- 12. The method of claim 11 wherein bonding the first web to the second web at least partially defines a first wall thickness of the body portion and a second wall thickness of the flap portion, wherein the first wall thickness is triple wall and the second wall thickness is double wall.
- 13. The method of claim 11 wherein bonding the first web to the second web at least partially defines a first wall thickness of the body portion and a second wall thickness of the flap portion, wherein the first wall thickness is double wall and the second wall thickness is single wall.
- 14. The method of claim 11 wherein producing the first web includes bonding the first medium to the first liner and slitting the first medium and the first liner to produce the first edge and the second edge.
- 15. The method of claim 11 wherein scoring the second web adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge includes scoring the second web along a first score line offset from the first edge by a distance of up to about 0.25 inch and scoring the second web along a second score line offset from the second edge by a distance of up to about 0.25 inch.
- 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
determining a location of at least one of the first edge and the second edge; and positioning a male score tool adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge based on the determined location of the at least one of the first edge and the second edge, wherein scoring the second web comprises scoring the second web adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge with the positioned male score tool.
- 17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
determining a location of at least one of the first edge and the second edge; and positioning a male score tool and a cooperating female score tool adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge based on the determined location of the at least one of the first edge and the second edge, wherein scoring the second web includes scoring the second web adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge with the positioned male and female score tools.
- 18. The method of claim 11 wherein the flap portion is a first flap portion, wherein the corrugated container blank further includes a second flap portion, wherein bonding the first web to the second web at least partially defines the body portion and the first and second flap portions, and wherein the method further comprises positioning a first male score tool adjacent to the first edge and a second male score tool adjacent to the second edge, wherein scoring the second web includes scoring the second web adjacent to the first edge with the positioned first male score tool and scoring the second web adjacent to the second edge with the positioned second male score tool.
- 19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
optically determining a location of at least one of the first edge and the second edge of the first web using at least one camera; and positioning a male score tool adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge based on the optically determined location of the at least one of the first edge and the second edge, wherein scoring the second web includes scoring the second web adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge with the positioned male score tool.
- 20. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
producing a third web having a fifth edge and a sixth edge at least approximately defining the second width between the fifth edge and the sixth edge, the third web including a corrugated third medium bonded to a flat third liner; and bonding the second web to the third web, wherein scoring the second web includes scoring the second and third webs adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge.
- 21. A rotatable score tool for producing a score line on a multiwall corrugated container blank, the multiwall corrugated container blank including a body portion having a first wall thickness and a flap portion having a second wall thickness, wherein the first wall thickness is greater than the second wall thickness, and wherein the score line is produced on the flap portion adjacent to the body portion, the score tool comprising:
a circular center body having a scoring surface disposed between a first side facing a first direction and a second side facing an opposite direction, the scoring surface having an outer diameter; a first shoulder concentrically projecting from the first side of the center body, the first shoulder having a first diameter; and a second shoulder concentrically projecting from the second side of the center body, the second shoulder having a second diameter that is less than the outer diameter of the scoring surface but greater than the first diameter of the first shoulder.
- 22. The rotatable score tool of claim 21 wherein:
the outer diameter is between about 8.0 and about 12.0 inches; the first diameter is between about 6.0 and about 11.0 inches; and the second diameter is between about 6.5 and about 11.5 inches.
- 23. The rotatable score tool of claim 21 wherein the center body, the first shoulder, and the second shoulder comprise a single piece of metal.
- 24. A system for manufacturing a multiwall corrugated container blank in a sequentially continuous automated process, the multiwall corrugated container blank including a body portion having a first wall thickness and a flap portion having a second wall thickness, wherein the first wall thickness is greater than the second wall thickness, the system comprising:
a first single face corrugator configured to form a first web having a corrugated first medium bonded to a flat first liner, the first web including a first left edge, a first right edge, and a first width between the first left edge and the first right edge; a second single face corrugator configured to form a second web having a corrugated second medium bonded to a flat second liner, the second web including a second left edge, a second right edge, and a second width between the second left edge and the second right edge, the second width being greater than the first width; a bonding machine positioned to receive the first web from the first single face corrugator and the second web from the second single face corrugator, the bonding machine configured to bond the first medium of the first web to the second liner of the second web to at least partially define the body portion and the flap portion of the multiwall corrugated container blank; an alignment system positioned to receive the bonded first and second webs from the bonding machine, the alignment system configured to and determine the location of at least one of the first left edge and the first right edge of the first web; a scoring system positioned to receive the bonded first and second webs from the alignment system, the scoring system having at least one male score tool and at least one cooperating female score tool, the scoring system configured to position the male and female score tools adjacent to at least one of the first left edge and the first right edge based on the determined location of the at least one edge; and a communication link operatively coupling the alignment system to the scoring system, the communication link configured to communicate the determined location of the at least one edge from the alignment system to the scoring system.
- 25. The system of claim 24, further comprising:
a first slitting system positioned to receive the first web from the first single face corrugator before the first web proceeds to the bonding machine, the first slitting system configured to slit the first web to produce the first left edge and the first right edge; and a second slitting system positioned to receive the bonded first and second webs from the scoring system, the second slitting system configured to slit the second web to produce the second left edge and the second right edge.
- 26. The system of claim 24, further comprising a short press positioned to receive the first and second webs from the bonding machine before the first and second webs proceed to the alignment system, the short press configured to apply heat and pressure to the first and second webs to bond the first web to the second web.
- 27. The system of claim 24 wherein the alignment system includes at least one camera for optically determining the location of the at least one of the first left edge and the first right edge of the first web.
- 28. A system for manufacturing a multiwall corrugated container blank having a first web bonded to a second web to define a body portion and a flap portion with different wall thicknesses, the first web having a first edge, a second edge, and a first width between the first edge and the second edge, the second web having a third edge, a fourth edge, and a second width between the third edge and the fourth edge, the second width being greater than the first width, the system comprising:
an aligner having a web locating system configured to automatically determine first web location information, the first web location information including the location of at least one of the first edge and the second edge; a data processor operatively coupled to the web locating system to receive the first web location information from the web locating system; and a scoring system positioned to receive the first and second webs from the aligner, the scoring system having at least one score tool for scoring the second web adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge, the scoring system being operatively coupled to the data processor for selectively receiving the first web location information from the data processor and positioning the at least one score tool based on the received first web location information.
- 29. The system of claim 28, further comprising a slitting system having at least one slitting tool for slitting the second web to produce at least one of the third edge and the fourth edge, the slitting system being operatively coupled to the data processor for selectively receiving the first web location information from the data processor and positioning the at least one slitting tool based on the received first web location information.
- 30. The system of claim 28 wherein the web locating system includes at least one camera for optically determining the first web location information.
- 31. The system of claim 28 wherein the first web of the multiwall corrugated container blank includes a corrugated first medium bonded to a flat first liner and the second web includes a corrugated second medium bonded to a flat second liner, the corrugated first medium of the first web being bonded to the flat second liner of the second web.
- 32. The system of claim 28 wherein the at least one score tool of the scoring system is a rotatable score tool comprising:
a circular center body having a scoring surface disposed between a first side facing a first direction and a second side facing an opposite direction, the scoring surface having an outer diameter; a first shoulder concentrically projecting from the first side of the center body, the first shoulder having a first diameter and being positionable toward the body portion of the multiwall corrugated container blank; and a second shoulder concentrically projecting from the second side of the center body, the second shoulder having a second diameter that is less than the outer diameter of the scoring surface but greater than the first diameter of the first shoulder.
- 33. The system of claim 28 wherein the aligner further comprises a stabilizer for stabilizing the first and second webs as they move between the aligner and the scoring system.
- 34. A system for constructing a multiwall corrugated container blank, the multiwall corrugated container blank having a body portion and a flap portion with different wall thicknesses, the system comprising:
means for producing a first web having a first edge, a second edge, and a first width between the first edge and the second edge, the first web including a corrugated first medium bonded to a flat first liner; means for producing a second web having a third edge, a fourth edge, and a second width between the third edge and the fourth edge, the second width being greater than the first width, the second web including a corrugated second medium bonded to a flat second liner; means for bonding the first web to the second web to at least partially define the body portion and the flap portion of the multiwall corrugated container blank; and means for scoring the second web adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge of the first web without scoring the first web.
- 35. The system of claim 34 wherein the means for bonding the first web to the second web is a means for at least partially defining a triple wall body portion and a double wall flap portion.
- 36. The system of claim 34 wherein the means for bonding the first web to the second web is a means for at least partially defining a double wall body portion and a single wall flap portion.
- 37. The system of claim 34 wherein the means for producing the first web includes a means for bonding the first medium to the first liner and slitting the first medium and the first liner to produce the first edge and the second edge.
- 38. The system of claim 34 wherein the means for scoring the second web adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge includes a means for scoring the second web along a first score line offset from the first edge by a distance of up to about 0.25 inch and scoring the second web along a second score line offset from the second edge by a distance of up to about 0.25 inch.
- 39. The system of claim 34, further comprising:
means for determining a location of at least one of the first edge and the second edge; and means for positioning a male score tool adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge based on the determined location of the at least one of the first edge and the second edge, wherein scoring the second web includes scoring the second web adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge with the positioned male score tool.
- 40. The system of claim 34, further comprising:
means for determining a location of at least one of the first edge and the second edge; and means for positioning a male score tool and a cooperating female score tool adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge based on the determined location of the at least one of the first edge and the second edge, wherein scoring the second web includes scoring the second web adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge with the positioned male and female score tools.
- 41. The system of claim 34, further comprising:
means for optically determining a location of at least one of the first edge and the second edge using at least one camera; and means for positioning a male score tool adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge based on the optically determined location of the at least one of the first edge and the second edge, wherein scoring the second web includes scoring the second web adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge with the positioned male score tool.
- 42. The system of claim 34, further comprising:
means for producing a third web having a fifth edge and a sixth edge at least approximately defining the second width between the fifth edge and the sixth edge, the third web including a corrugated third medium bonded to a flat third liner; and means for bonding the second web to the third web, wherein scoring the second web includes scoring the second and third webs adjacent to at least one of the first edge and the second edge.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/336,925, filed Nov. 8, 2001, currently pending and incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60336925 |
Nov 2001 |
US |