A packing method and unit (26) for producing a rigid package (1) with a hollow rib (12; 13); an end portion of a blank (21) is folded about a contrasting body (36; 39) onto a panel (11′) of the blank (21) to form the hollow rib (12; 13); a fastening tab (16; 19), which forms the end part of the end portion, is glued to the panel (11′) to stabilize the hollow rib (12; 13); and the contrasting body (36; 39) is extracted from the hollow rib (12; 13) once the end portion is folded.

An erecting aid for packaging materials is described and may include a table portion and a panel. A panel may be coupled to one side of the table portion. The table portion and the panel can be configured such that the table portion and panel form an acute angle and the panel acts as a type of back support wall with respect to the table portion. A clamp may cooperate with the table portion to produce a clamping force. The clamping force may occur by biasing at least a portion of the clamp towards a relaxed, closed. The combination of the table, panel and biased clamp provide the forces necessary to stabilize a partially folded corrugated box during the erecting process such that the partially folded corrugated box is stabilized and maintained in a partially assembled state while the operator can use both hands to complete the erecting process.

An unwinding unit (400) for unwinding a strip (S) of heat sealing material for quadrangular machines (1) comprises a casing (401) adapted to be mounted on a quadrangular machine (1) and a puller (402) operatively associated with the casing (401) and configured to pull the strip (S) relative to the casing (401) along a feed path (P) and in a feed direction (V). A diverter (407) is configured to divert the strip (S) between an initial, preferably horizontal, stretch (P1) of the feed path and a final, substantially vertical stretch (P2) of the feed path, defining a curved, connecting stretch (P3) between the initial stretch and the final stretch. A deformer (413) operatively associated with the casing (401) are configured to make on the strip (5) an extended crease line (414) running along the strip itself starting from the curved stretch (P3) or downstream of the curved stretch (P3), in the feed direction (V) of the strip (S).

A machine for forming a container from a blank of sheet material is provided. The blank includes a reinforcing panel assembly for forming a reinforcing corner assembly. The machine includes a hopper station for storing the blank in a substantially flat configuration and a forming station for forming the blank into the container. The forming station includes an initial forming station that rotates a first portion of the reinforcing panel assembly with respect to a second portion of the reinforcing panel assembly, and a secondary forming station having male and female forming members with shapes corresponding to an interior shape and an exterior shape of the reinforcing corner assembly, respectively. The male and the female forming members are configured to form the reinforcing corner assembly by compressing together the first and second portions of the reinforcing panel assembly.

A blank of sheet material for forming a polygonal container is provided. The blank includes a bottom panel, two opposing side panels, two opposing end panels, and a reinforcing panel assembly extending from a first side edge of a first end panel of the two end panels. The reinforcing panel assembly includes a corner panel extending from the first side edge of the first end panel, a first reinforcing side panel extending from a side edge of the corner panel, a second reinforcing side panel extending from a side edge of the first reinforcing side panel, a reinforcing corner panel extending from a side edge of the second reinforcing side panel, and an inner end panel extending from a side edge of the reinforcing corner panel. The corner panel and the reinforcing corner panel are configured, upon articulation of the blank, to be positioned into face-to-face relationship to form a corner wall of the container extending from a side edge of an end wall of the container to an end edge of a side wall of the container.

The invention disclosed herein is an improved panel arrangement for closing a box. The invention includes two sliding panels and two slotted panels, each slotted panel having a first slot and a second slot for receiving a terminal edge of a sliding panel. In some embodiments of the invention, a flap or flaps are present about a perimeter edge of the slots to allow better access to the slots by the terminal edges of the sliding panels.

A printing platform includes a printing engine with one or more printheads arranged such that the ink drops are jetted vertically upwards against the action of gravity; and a substrate transportation system where the normal to the surface in contact with the substrate is parallel and with opposite direction to the travelling direction of the jetted ink drops. It is necessary to counteract the weight of the substrate during the printing process to avoid it from falling under the action of gravity. This is achieved through any of a mechanical element that interferes with the falling of the substrate and that keeps it in place; or a system that generates adhesion forces between the element that transmits the motion to the substrate, typically a conveyor belt, and the substrate through the action of electrostatic forces, an air pressure differential between both faces of the substrate, or any other suitable mechanism.

The present invention relates to a transfer module (26) for a folder-gluer machine (1), the transfer module comprising a lower conveyor (36) and an upper conveyor (38) adapted to receive a folding box (2) therebetween and to transport the folding box in a direction of transportation (D) towards a downstream-located loading surface (90) in a stacker module. The upper conveyor (36) of the transfer module extends further in the direction of transportation than the lower conveyor (38) and the lower conveyor comprises a first conveyor belt (38a) and second conveyor belt (38b), each having an inlet end (67a, 67b) and an outlet end (65a, 65b), and wherein the outlet ends are displaceable in the direction of transportation.

A method to form cardboard boxes by gluing into a box-forming machine from sheets, said machine, a computer program with instructions for said machine to execute said method, and a computer-readable device that has stored said computer program. In this method, a stage of the movement of inserting a pintle into a mold starts with a controlling element when the position of a drag element of sheet to a delivery position, where you place a sheet aligned between said pintle and mold, it corresponds to a second intermediate position between a source position and said delivery position; and a stage of activation of a supplying actuator starts with a controlling element to supply a sheet subsequent to the source position, when the position of said drag element corresponds to a third intermediate position between said source position and said second position.

A container includes a plurality of panels connected together at fold lines configured for extending at least partially around an interior space, including a front panel, a first side panel, a back panel and a second side panel. A plurality of end flaps are included, each end flap foldably connected to a respective one of the panels. The end flaps are overlapped with one another to enclose an end of the interior space. An air cell flap is foldably connected to at least one of the end flaps and/or one of the panels, wherein the air cell flap is within the interior space and is inwardly offset from the end flaps to define an air cell between the air cell flap and the end flaps to protect product within the interior space.