This invention relates to packaging and cartoning of products, such as stacks of pouches, sachets or the like, into cartons.
In packaging equipment and, in particular, cartoning machinery, it is common and necessary to condition the incoming product to ensure that the product can reliably be loaded into a carton, particularly where the product comprises a plurality of stacked items, such as pouches, and even more specifically where the pouches are of non-uniform or asymmetric shape. Conditioning can include a variety of processes. One such conditioning process could be the reshaping of the incoming product to insure it will fit into the carton. Another form of conditioning could be to contain the product in a way so as to not disturb the shape of product. Yet another form could be to both reshape and contain the product.
More particularly, it will be appreciated that in the case of unstable product or groups of products, such as stacks of non-uniform shaped pouches, it is important to also prevent the product from slouching or falling over during cartoning or out of the yet unclosed, unsealed carton once loaded. Stacks of pouches, for example, are notoriously unstable and the pouches tend to slump over in disorderly fashion from a symmetrical stack. Reliable product loading of formed stacks has a significant impact on the efficiency of the cartoning machinery since a failed carton load (i.e. slumped over stack) cannot be reliably loaded and adds to scrap produced and to down time to correct. As well, failure of intended loading parameters reduces cartoning speeds and throughput.
The problem with stackings of pouches for cartoning is further exacerbated as noted above when pouches are asymmetric, such that they bulge out when filled and are not flat.
Several prior methods are known for achieving more reliable cartoning of product stacks. One such method involves conditioning the product in a way that will reshape it so that there will be an interference fit between the carton and the pouches preventing the stacks from falling out. Another method uses a system where the carton is tipped over or inclined during loading so to reorient and contain the stack of pouches through gravity, preventing them from falling out of the carton. Such reorientation results in the open end of the carton inclined or facing up thus containing the loaded pouches preventing them from slouching or falling out through the forces of gravity.
It is thus one objective of the invention to provide apparatus and methods for loading products, such as product stacks, into cartons without disturbing the stacks or having them fall over or out of the cartons, by whatever means, before the cartons are closed.
This invention contemplates a containment and loading apparatus and process preventing the stacks of pouches, once formed up, from being disoriented, being disheveled, slumping, slouching, all the way through the cartoning process to the point where the cartons are closed and glued.
More particularly, the invention contemplates apparatus and methods maintaining constant control of a stack of pouches from formation of the stack in a product bucket through stack-loaded carton closure.
One preferred embodiment of the invention contemplates loading pouches individually, one atop another into a three-sided product bucket from a direct drop knife upstream of a cartoning station. The bucket has a partial sidewall through which a sliding stack pusher can pass. One elongated static stack guide plate contains one end of the stack at an open bucket end to, but not through the cartoning station, where the guide terminates. A stack guide bucket is positioned between a loaded product bucket and a carton to be loaded, for receiving the pushed pouch stack from the product bucket and directing the contained stack into the open end of a carton having closed flaps at the other end.
A tamp foot descends on the stack in the product bucket and extends over the stack guide bucket, holding the stack from above while a sliding pusher from a barrel loader extends through the partially open product bucket side wall to push the controlled stack from the product bucket, through the stack guide bucket and into the open end of the carton.
Once the stack is in the carton, a containment blade descends against the rear or pushed side of the loaded stack to further contain the stack while the carton flaps at the open end of the carton are closed.
Preferably, the tamp foot is raised when or after the containment blade descends and returns for deployment in connection with another stack-filled product bucket.
It is apparent that the pusher slide, the product bucket, the stack guide bucket and the open cartons are each independently carried on conveyors in parallel machine directions as are the reciprocal tamp foot and containment blade on respective conveyor apparatus, in the machine direction, above the lower moving elements noted above. It is also apparent that the product buckets are filled with pouches in a position upstream of the cartoning station.
Said in another way, the invention herein contemplates a method wherein a moving product bucket loaded with a product stack is aligned with a moving stack guide bucket, in turn aligned with a carton to be filled. An aligned sliding pusher, operating transversely to the machine direction, advances to push the product stack from the product bucket into the stack guide and thence into the carton, all while the product stack is held down by a tamp foot over the stack in the product bucket and the stack product guide. In a further method step, a moving stack containment blade is disposed at the rear end of the product stack in the carton to contain the stack while carton flaps are disposed but not yet closed across the rear end of the loaded stack in the carton.
The tamp foot and the containment blade are moveable in the same common direction as the product bucket, product guide and carton in a cartoning station, but are also reciprocally mounted for operational vertical movement.
The motion of these components is preferably continuous but could be intermittent with the components operationally aligned or indexed as illustrated herein.
It has thus been an objective of the invention to provide apparatus and methods for retaining shape control for stacks of pouches moved from a product bucket into a carton.
Another objective of the invention has been to prevent product disorientation from a uniform stack of products in a product cartoning operation.
Another objective of the invention has been to provide apparatus and methods for continuously cartoning stacked products without disorientation of products in a product stack.
These and other objectives and advantages are further described in the following written description and in the drawings wherein:
Turning now to the Figures,
Several multiple flap cartons 12 (one shown) to be filled are conveyed in a machine direction MD on a suitable carton conveyor 13 shown only graphically in
A plurality of barrel loader slides 18 of any suitable barrel loader construction are mounted for movement in a machine direction MD on a barrel loader conveyor 19, shown only graphically in
A series of reciprocal stack tamps 20 are slidably mounted on carriages 22 (one shown) partially moveable in at least a machine direction MD and driven via carriage attachment components 25, 27 carried by respective chain runs 72, 74 (
A series of reciprocal stack containment blades 30 is also mounted on carriages 22 for motion at least partially in a machine direction by virtue of components 25, 27, (
A series of stack tamps 20 are vertically operated via cam 23, 23a while containment blades 30 are vertically operated via cam 24, 24a while both also move along in machine direction MD.
It will then be appreciated that all components 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 30 are all moveable in a machine direction MD through a stack cartoning station 36 indicated by cartoning station range bracket 36.
In addition, it will be appreciated that tamps 20 and containment blades 30 are mounted for selective vertical motion perpendicularly to the machine direction MD, while all conveyors 13, 15, 17, 19, and chain runs 72, 74 are substantially parallel in operation in the downstream machine direction MD.
It will also be appreciated that the carriage 22 is carried by the components 25, 27, respectively connected to chain runs 72, 74 which are graphically depicted by the so numbered dotted lines in
Thus carriage 22 is conveyed in machine direction MD, while carrying tamp feet 20 and containment blades 30.
Moreover, it will be appreciated that the moving chain runs 72, 74 extend from upstream of a cartoning station 36, therethrough and beyond the position of the rotary flap closure 66 in the machine direction MD (
An elongated guide 38 is disposed along a path traversed by cartons 12 in the machine direction MD for holding minor carton flaps 12A, 12B inwardly, forming a stop in carton 12 for a stack of products, such as pouches, when loaded into cartons 12.
An elongated static stack guide 40 is disposed along the machine direction MD from an upstream position where products are loaded into buckets 16, and terminating at an end 41. End 41 terminates at a position just short of cartoning station 36, so elongated static product guide 40 clears the moving stack guide bucket 14 in the machine direction MD just as guide bucket 14, and product bucket 16 pass downstream guide end 41 in cartoning station 36.
As illustrated in
Elongated static guide 40 has an upper edge tapered downwardly at 42 (
Product bucket 16 (see
Operation and Further Detail
In operation, a plurality of pouches P (
When each bucket 16 and aligned stack guide bucket 14 clear the end 41 of elongated static guide 40 in cartoning station 36, barrel loader 18 is activated, causing sliding pusher 57 thereof to extend between partial stack confining product bucket sides 53, 55 and push the formed stack 60 from product bucket 16 into stack guide 14. Pusher 57 motion continues, pushing stack 60 into the open end of carton 12, until stack 60 engages closed minor carton flaps 12A, 12B, held by flap guide 38.
Concurrently, tamp 20, moving in direction MD along with product bucket 16, stack guide bucket 14 and carton 12, descends onto the top of stack 60, confining and holding the stack 60 in its oriented form as the bucket 16 passes static guide edge 41.
As the components continue downstream in the direction MD, pushing of stack 60 into carton 12, against carton flaps 12A, 12B is completed.
Downstream of cartoning station 36 an elongated static carton flap guide 76 is positioned in the machine direction MD to engage the leading minor flap 12C with a tapered end 77. Further downstream motion of carton 12 moves the carton and flap 12C to engage guide end 77. Thereafter, rotary flap closer or star 66 rotates to fold trailing minor carton flap 12D against the product stack 60 in carton 12 and containment blade 30.
Carton end flaps 12E, 12F, 12G and 12H (
Containment blades 30 remain in place while minor flaps 12C, 12D are folded inwardly against product stack 6. Once flaps 12C, 12D are held in place by static guide 76, blades 30 ascend and return for another cycle.
This confines the desired stack 60 form in carton 12.
Thereafter, the stack-filled carton 12 proceeds downstream in direction MD for final closing gluing or the like by any suitable means.
The tamps 20 have been raised and returned for another cycle.
It will be appreciated that reciprocal movement of tamps 20 and containment blades 30 are each initiated and controlled by distinct separate cams 23, 24 as shown for coordinated operation.
It will also be appreciated that while single elements or components 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and 30 are shown in the FIGS. for clarity, one preferred embodiment of the invention contemplates a plurality of each of these, driven continuously along from bucket loading to, through and beyond the cartoning station 36 with respective other like components for continuous cartoning operation, all while retaining control of the stacks and pouches as the stacks are formed, transported and loaded into cartons.
Also, it will be appreciated that while feet 20 are referred to herein as tamp feet, they also serve to confine the product stacks from the top whether or not any tamping motion is applied.
Finally, it will also be appreciated that the invention is useful not only in cartoning of asymmetric products or pouches but also in cartoning of stacks of a wide variety of uniform products.
Applicant claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/661,184 on Apr. 23, 2018. That application is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference as if wholly and expressly reproduced herein.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20190322066 A1 | Oct 2019 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62661184 | Apr 2018 | US |