The present invention relates generally to the field of equipment for the manufacture of seals and more particularly to a tote box seal cutting station.
The manufacture of tote box seals typically involves the simultaneous molding of a plurality of individual tote box seals thus forming a single unit which is usually called a mat. The individual tote box seals in the mat as molded are joined at their tips by a runner or strip of plastic which is formed by a portion of the mold which distributes the plastic raw material to individual mold cavities to form the individual tote box seals. The runners must be removed prior to packaging the seals for use. In addition to being joined at their tips by the runner, adjacent individual tote box seals are joined together by thin portions of plastic material.
The simultaneous molding of a plurality of tote box seals as a single unit or mat provides an economy of manufacture as the simultaneous manufacture of a plurality of tote box seals reduces the total number of molding cycles required. However, this economy of manufacture results in a need to separate the tote box seals into either single or individual tote box seals or groups of two seals or another desired grouping of seals prior to packaging for use. There is a requirement for accuracy in the separation process since in selected applications the tote box seals must be used as pairs, for example to seal opposite ends of a tote box and as a result the pairs of tote box seals must carry specific individual identification indicia. During, use individual seals from different pairs cannot be mixed.
In the packaging of tote box seals it is desirable for the seals to be packaged in a flat and orderly stack rather than a tangled and random pile. As a result, there is a need to provide a way to cut the mat of tote box seals apart, remove the connecting runner and stack the cut seals in a container to form an orderly stack. At the present time these requirements cannot be met by available equipment which can perform this task in an efficient and reliable manner.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a tote box seal which can cut tote box seals apart after molding.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a tote box seal cutting station which can operate at relatively high speed.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a tote box seal which is capable of reliable long term operation with a minimum amount of maintenance.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be made clear hereinafter.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a tote box seal cutting station which is capable of cutting tote box seals into desired groups of individual tote box seals, pairs of tote box seals or other desired groupings of tote box seals. The tote box seal cutting station is also capable of removing a common runner which is formed during the molding process and which joins individual tote box seals together. The tote box seal cutting station maintains the tote box seals a in a flat condition allowing them to be stacked in a container in a flat and orderly stack.
The tote box seal cutting station includes a base plate, a pin assembly and a cutter assembly. The cutter assembly includes a plurality of cartridges, each of which support a cutting blade. The cartridges are driven by a first pneumatic actuator to cut a mat of tote box seals apart while maintaining the tote box seals in a flat configuration. The spacing between the cutting blades is controlled by a user by inserting a cutting blade in each of the plurality of cartridges or alternatively, inserting a cutting blade in a selected number of cartridges. The pin assembly includes a plurality of pins which are driven by second pneumatic actuator. The pneumatic actuator drives the pins to bear against and remove a runner portion which is formed during the molding of the mat of tote box seals.
Additional details of construction of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings in which:
With reference to the drawings, there is shown in
The mat of tote box seals 24, as molded, is shown in
As is shown in
The tote box seal cutting station 10, according to the present invention is typically disposed down stream from a molding station, which is not illustrated, in which the mat of tote box seals 24 is formed and a marking station 200 in which the various indicia are formed on the individual tote box seals 100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 123, 134, 136, 138. For clarity of illustration, the marking station 200 has not been illustrated in detail.
As is shown in
The cutter assembly 18 includes a plurality of cartridges 40, each of which supports a blade 42, as is best shown in
Alternatively, a cutting blade 42 may be inserted in only a selected number of cartridges of the plurality of cartridges 42 and, as a result, only selected tote box seals are cut apart leaving a desired number of tote box seals uncut.
As shown in
The pin assembly 16 includes a second actuator 56 which is mounted on the support plate 52 as is best shown in
The plurality of pins 58 ride, one each, in the slots 14 and the pins 58 are connected to a connector bar 60 as is best shown in
As indicated schematically in
In the preferred embodiment the actuators 44, 56 are pneumatic actuators.
As is shown in
During operation, the transfer assembly 84, shown in
The cutter assembly 18 can be adjusted by providing a full complement of blades 42 or less than a full complement of blades 42 in the cartridges 40 to cut the mat of tote box seals 24 apart to form individual tote box seals 100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 123, 134, 136, 138 or to form pairs of tote box seals or other desired groups of tote box seals.
During operation under the control of the control system 72 and the high pressure air source 78, the cutter assembly 18 moves in the directions shown by the arrow 46, 48 in
The location where the cutting action occurs on the mat of tote box seals 24 is best shown in
The vacuum bar 94 maintains the mat of uncut tote box seals 24 and the cut apart tote box seals 100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 123, 134, 136, 138 in a flat condition resting on the base plate 12. After cutting and removing the runner 36 the vacuum bar 94 lifts the tote box seals 100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 123, 134, 136, 138 while holding them flat. The transfer assembly 84 then transfers the cut apart tote box seals 100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 123, 134, 136, 138 and places them in the container 96 while maintaining the cut apart tote box seals 100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 123, 134, 136, 138 in a flat condition. The tote box seals 100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 123, 134, 136, 138 are thus stacked in a neat and ordered stack in the container 96 for shipment.
After the tote box seals 100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 121, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 123, 134, 136, 138 have been placed in the container 96, the actuators 44 and 56 return the cutter assembly 18 and the pin assembly 16 to the positions shown in
The details of construction of the transfer assembly 84 are well known in the art and therefore details of construction of the transfer assembly have not been illustrated in detail.
The operation of the tote box seal cutting system 10 may be best described with reference to
In
As is shown in
Prior to the start of the cutting process the sharpened edge 172 of the blade 42 is positioned to the left of the mat of tote box seals 24, as viewed in
As is best shown in
As is shown in
Simultaneously or nearly simultaneously with the cutting action described above, the actuator 56 drives the pin 176 which is one a plurality of pins 58 to the right in the direction shown by the arrow 48 in
The plurality of pins 58 which ride in the slots 14 and in the space between adjacent tote box seals 100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 123, 134, 136, 138 apply force against the runner simultaneously, thereby preventing any twisting of the mat of the tote box seals 24 and promoting a clean break away of the runner 36.
The foregoing specific embodiment of the present invention as set forth in the specifications herein is for illustrative purposes only. Various deviations and modifications may be made within the spirit and space of this invention, without departing from a main theme thereof.
The present application claims priority from my Provisional Patent Application, titled Tote Box Cutting Seal Station, Ser. No. 61/970,408, filed on Mar. 26, 2014.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2409203 | Gale | Oct 1946 | A |
3450001 | Fortune | Jun 1969 | A |
3540639 | Carlson | Nov 1970 | A |
4585152 | Sager | Apr 1986 | A |
4738177 | Jones, III | Apr 1988 | A |
5244606 | Maus | Sep 1993 | A |
5556649 | Sumioka | Sep 1996 | A |
5596915 | Spencer | Jan 1997 | A |
6178860 | Peters | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6308604 | Guzowski | Oct 2001 | B2 |
6773250 | Wilsterman | Aug 2004 | B2 |
Entry |
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U.S. Appl. No. 14/851,202, filed Sep. 11, 2015 (Grover, Gizzarelli and Tropper) claiming priority to U.S. Appl. No. 62/050,841, filed Sep. 16, 2014. |
U.S. Appl. No. 14/590,272, filed Jan. 6, 2015 (Tropper et al) claiming priority to U.S. Appl. No. 61/924,455, filed Jan. 7, 2014. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61970408 | Mar 2014 | US |