A conveyor of a cardboard-folding station receives a cardboard blank having a first portion, first and second lateral closing walls hinged thereto and facing upstream and downstream, respectively, an upper closing wall hinged to the second lateral closing wall and facing downstream, a third and a fourth lateral closing wall hinged and partly raised with respect to the first portion and projecting from sides of the conveyor. An article rests on the first portion, with four flanks or the article respectively facing the four lateral closing walls of the blank. At a first folding zone the third and fourth lateral closing walls are folded to cover the third and the fourth flanks of the article, and at a second folding zone the second lateral closing wall and the upper closing wall are folded to cover the article's second flank and its upper face.

A carton for carrying a plurality of articles includes a plurality of panels for at least partially forming an interior of the carton. The plurality of panels includes a top panel, a bottom panel, and at least one side panel, and the plurality of panels include a material having a grain direction. At least one handle is formed in the top panel and defines a major axis that is substantially parallel to the grain direction.

A folding station includes an inlet and an outlet and is predisposed to receive at the inlet a cardboard blank having two transversal edges, two longitudinal edges, two longitudinal score lines, and four transverse score lines. The two longitudinal score lines define therebetween a central sector and also define two lateral sectors externally of the two longitudinal score lines. Cuts in the two lateral sectors define a series of flaps. The folding station further comprises a conveyor for transporting the cardboard blank in an advancement direction to a position, a first folding bar located by a flank of a first side of the conveyor at the position, and a second folding bar located by a flank of a second side of the conveyor at the position. The first folding bar and the second folding bar rotate to fold the flaps in the two lateral sectors onto respective portions of the central sector of the cardboard blank.

A forming unit for a container from a blank of the container. The unit includes a conveyor and at least one equipment secured to the conveyor. The equipment includes a forming device moving with continuous movement and forming a container from the blank during a predetermined forming path on the conveyor.

A unit for boxing packaged food products including: a first rotary element with at least one first receiving seat; a first transfer station for transferring a blank from a magazine for feeding blanks to the first receiving seat; a folding station for opening up the blank; a second rotary element with at least one second receiving seat; a second transfer station for transferring the blank folded open from the first receiving seat to the second receiving seat; an insertion station for inserting the packaged food products inside the blank folded open positioned on the second receiving seat; and a closing station for closing the blank folded open, positioned on the second receiving seat and containing the packaged food products.

A unit for boxing packaged food products including a rotary element with at least one first seat for receiving a blank; a first transfer station for transferring the blank from a magazine for feeding blanks to a folding mould; a folding station for opening up, at least partly, the blank; a second transfer station for transferring the blank folded open from mould to the first receiving seat; an insertion station for inserting the packaged food products inside the blank folded open positioned on the first receiving seat; a closing station for closing the blank folded open, positioned on the second receiving seat and containing the packaged food products.

This inkjet printing device comprises a conveyance path by which a sheet to be assembled as a corrugated cardboard box having a plurality of walls is conveyed in a conveyance direction, and inkjet heads that are positioned facing the surface of the sheet in the conveyance path and that can print a printed pattern in predetermined print ranges of an intersecting direction that intersects the conveyance direction along the surface of the sheet. The inkjet heads are positioned so that the print ranges span between first regions, which are intended to be first walls when the sheet is assembled into a corrugated cardboard box, and second regions, which are adjacent to the first regions in the intersecting direction and are intended to be second walls separate from the first walls.

A method and an apparatus for realizing cartons for packing includes feeding a cardboard band (2) for packing along an advancement direction (A) which is parallel to the development direction of the cardboard band (2) and making a first score line (II) and a second score line (12) on the cardboard band (2), so as: to identify a central sector; a first lateral sector (4), and a second lateral sector (5). The method further includes identifying regions of band (8) on the carton (2), making on each region of band (8) at least a first cut (21), a second cut (22), a third cut (23) and a fourth cut (24) oriented transversally so that a first closing wing (49), a first reinforcing wing (51) a second reinforcing wing (52), a second closing wing (50), a third reinforcing wing (53) and a fourth reinforcing wing (54) are defined. The band of carton (2) is cut transversally so as to separate the regions of band (8) from one another, thus obtaining cartons (I) for packing.

A method for forming a container starting from a blank. A forming unit includes a conveyor and equipment secured to the conveyor, including a forming device to form the container from the blank. The method includes: moving the conveyor; supplying the blank to the conveyor at the forming device; starting the forming of the container from the blank by said forming device; and completing the forming of the container from the blank by the forming device independently of a movement of the conveyor.

A method and system are disclosed for forming a can from a re-configurable blank. A blank is also disclosed that may be a paper based blank and may be of multi-layer construction. The method may comprise: (a) supporting the blank in a first orientation; (b) positioning a first portion of an outward facing surface of a blank support device proximate a first portion of the blank while the blank is in the first orientation; (c) while the first portion of the blank is in the first orientation, rotating a second portion of the blank around a second portion of the outward facing surface of the blank support device; and (d) rotating a third portion of the blank from the first orientation, around a third portion of the outward facing surface of the blank support device. A generally tubular side wall may thus be formed for a can.