A container filling assembly that can be used with container filling systems to fill containers during successive filling cycles with the same or different fluid compositions at high rates of speed, with little to no machinery changeover, and/or with little to no fluid waste.

A system for packaging one or more items includes an order arrangement station where the one or more items can be arranged into a stack with a desired configuration. A dimensioning mechanism determines the outer dimensions of the stack and a converting assembly creates a box template that when erected forms a box that is custom sized to the dimensions of the stack. A crowder assembly holds and maintains the stack in the desired configuration while the box template is at least partially folded around the stack. The box template is secured around the stack in the form of a box.

This box assembling and packing system is provided: a first jig which is fixed at a predetermined position and against which a side part of a body of a packing box is thrust; a second jig which is fixed at a predetermined position and against which a flap part and a tuck part of the packing box are thrust; and a robot having two articulated arms. A first articulated arm of the two articulated arms holds and moves the packing box in a flatly collapsed form by a packing box holding mechanism, folds and raises the body of the flatly collapsed packing box into a rectangular tubular shape in cooperation with the first jig, and maintains the folded and raised body of the packing box in the rectangular tubular shape by a packing box rectangular tubular shape maintaining mechanism. The second articulated arm moves a folding member into contact with the flap part and the tuck part of the packing box being held by the packing box holding mechanism of the first articulated arm, forms each of a bottom and a lid of the packing box in cooperation with the second jig, and moves an object-to-be-packed being grasped by an object-to-be-packed grasping mechanism and inserts it into the body from an end portion at a timing between forming the bottom and forming the lid.

A system for packing items into cases includes a computer system for receiving information regarding items to be packed into a case, the computer system configured to determine a needed case size for loading based upon physical information regarding the items to be packed. A case handling machine includes multiple components that are position-adjustable according to case size to be held, formed and sealed, the case handling machine including a control system including a memory storing a plurality of machine set ups, wherein each machine set up includes data corresponding to positions for the multiple components. The computer system is configured to communicate needed case size information to the case handling machine, wherein the control system of the case handling machine is configured to implement component position adjustment based upon the needed case size information.

A carton sizing system that has a frame, a controller, one or more cutters movably mounted to the frame and operatively connected to the controller, one or more markers movably mounted to the frame and operatively connected to the controller. The carton sizing system also has a measuring means that is operatively connected to the controller and configured to determine, in use, the footprint of an open top carton and to determine the height of one or more objects contained within the carton. The controller is configured to position the one or more cutters based on the determined footprint and to cut vertical edges of the carton based on the determined height and also to position the one or more markers based on the determined footprint and height and to score or crease vertical walls of the carton between the vertical edges to at least partially define foldable panels.

The invention relates to a method for automatically creasing a folded box having inserted packaged goods, wherein the side walls of the folded box are creased by means of a creasing station which comprises a creasing tool having a rotatably mounted creasing roller for creasing a planar workpiece and a rotatably mounted counter-pressure roller which are retained at one end on a common support, wherein the distance between the two rollers can be varied, wherein the creasing tool is fastened to a movement system for three-dimensional displaceability, and wherein the following steps are carried out: a) providing the folded box, which is open at the top in the vertical direction and has inserted packaged goods; b) determining the dimensions of the folded box and the filling height of the packaged goods; c) creasing the side walls of the folded box, a first side wall being creased at a first creasing height associated with the filling height determined in step b). The counter-pressure roller is mounted parallel to the creasing roller; the counter-pressure roller and the creasing roller can be displaced relative to one another in order to set a distance from one another; and, during the creasing process, when the creasing tool reaches a vertical edge of the folded box, the roller located outside the folded box is pivoted through 90° about the roller located inside the folded box, the distance between the creasing roller and the counter-pressure roller being changed.

The invention relates to a method for automatically creasing a folded box having inserted packaged goods, wherein the side walls of the folded box are creased by means of a creasing station which comprises a creasing tool having a rotatably mounted creasing roller for creasing a planar workpiece and a rotatably mounted counter-pressure roller which are retained at one end on a common support, wherein the distance between the two rollers can be varied, wherein the creasing tool is fastened to a movement system for three-dimensional displaceability, and wherein the following steps are carried out: a) providing the folded box, which is open at the top in the vertical direction and has inserted packaged goods; b) determining the dimensions of the folded box and the filling height of the packaged goods; c) creasing the side walls of the folded box, a first side wall being creased at a first creasing height associated with the filling height determined in step b). The counter-pressure roller is mounted parallel to the creasing roller; the counter-pressure roller and the creasing roller can be displaced relative to one another in order to set a distance from one another; and, during the creasing process, when the creasing tool reaches a vertical edge of the folded box, the roller located outside the folded box is pivoted through 90° about the roller located inside the folded box, the distance between the creasing roller and the counter-pressure roller being changed.

An application unit in a packaging machine attaches a material blank to containers in a container group so as to form a multipack. At least one pressing element connect the material blank to the containers while they are conveyed along a transport plane. A drive unit moves the pressing element with a tool plate between out-of-engagement and engagement positions with the containers. The drive unit has mutually parallel and spaced-apart first and second drive disks to be rotated about respective first and second axes of rotation. The first and second axes of rotation are horizontal and located at the same height but not coaxial with each other. The pressing element is articulated to the first drive disk by a first joint axis and to the second drive disk by a second joint axis such that the tool plate is oriented horizontal during rotation of the two drive disks.

A method includes separating a portion of a flattened tube of stock packing material to a custom length to form a pouch pre-form and closing a first end of the pouch pre-form leaving a second end of the pouch pre-form open. The method can include placing product into the pouch pre-form and closing the one open end of the pouch pre-form to form a closed pouch containing the product.

Devices, systems, and methods for autonomously packing folded laundry articles into a container are described. A packing system includes a refillable cartridge, a queue conveyor having one or more folded laundry articles and stacks of folded laundry articles disposed thereon, at least one retractable conveyor loading end between the refillable cartridge and the queue conveyor for loading the folded laundry articles into the refillable cartridge, a driven lifter for selectively raising and lowering the into and out of the container, and a controller in operative configuration with processors and drives of all of the foregoing and one or more sensors detecting a fill height of the refillable cartridge. The refillable cartridge includes a removable receiving surface that moves from a closed position to an open position during loading of the folded laundry by the retractable conveyor and unloading of the folded laundry into the container.