A vacuum belt conveyor sequentially delivers sheet articles to a digital printer. The sheets are held in position by vacuum on the underside of the sheets through apertures in the belt and covered by the sheets. A plurality of independent plenums on the underside of the belt have chambers respectively communicating with rows of apertures extending along the belt. Vacuum is selectively applied from a manifold only to the plenum chambers that supply apertures that are covered by the sheets so that the ink from the printer will not be directed from its intended position on the sheet by vacuum from adjacent uncovered belt apertures.

In a folder-gluer, push-out forces by an air cylinder and a push-out spring mechanism are set such that: (1) when downstream portions of first and fourth panels are passing through a second bending plate, the second bending plate is pushed outwardly in a width direction by the push-out forces to extend the downstream portions of the first and fourth panels in the width direction; and (2) when upstream portions of the first and fourth panels are passing through the second bending plate, the second bending plate is pushed back inwardly in the width direction by the resistance force applied to the second bending plate by the first and fourth panels so as not to extend the upstream portions in the width direction, and wherein the push-out forces are not varied by a control while the first and fourth panels are passing through the second bending plate.

A method for producing a bowl formed by a tray closed by a sealing film involves preparing a blank where a first and a second couples of crease lines delimit a bottom panel, two first and two second side walls, each first side wall provided of an internal flap and an external flap delimited by respective third and fourth crease lines, each second side wall provided of an internal flap and an external flap delimited by respective fifth and sixth crease lines, erecting the blank into a tray, folding the internal and external flaps of each first side wall about the respective third crease line and the internal and external flaps of each second side wall about the respective fifth crease line, applying adhesive on the internal and/or external flaps of each first and second side walls, folding the external flap of each first side wall about the respective fourth crease line and the external flap of each second side wall about the respective sixth crease line, forming a rim, applying adhesive on gaps between abutting ends of rims of adjacent first and second side walls, and attaching the sealing film on the rims.

A method and apparatus are shown for securing a top for a cardboard carton where the carton has a bottom wall and integral sidewalls, an initially open interior and initially open top flaps with outwardly extending ears. The top flaps are folded to a carton closing position which closes off the initially open interior of the cardboard carton. The ears are also folded to a position in contact with the sidewalls of the carton. A set of punches are aligned with the folded ears of the carton and are actuated to force a first layer of cardboard from a respective top flap through an underlying region of the carton sidewall. A set of platens are located so as to underlie and reinforce the sidewalls of the carton as the punching operation takes place.

A device for shaping containers by folding cardboard sheets, comprising a folding station for folding cardboard sheets, provided with a die; a handling station for handling said sheets from a store to said folding station, with a frame and at least one gripping head that can be moved on the frame and comprises means for grasping and holding said sheet, and also a punch with a complementary shape so as to interact with the inside of said die. The punch comprises a bearing surface for bearing against the bottom of said grasped sheet. The grasping means is mounted so as to be able to move relative to said punch and free to move in at least one plane parallel to said bearing surface. The invention also relates to a corresponding shaping method.

A box erecting device for folding a box is disclosed herein. The box erecting device includes a folding plate and a lid erecting system. The folding plate is configured for erecting a box, and a folding notch including a first edge and a second edge is formed in the folding plate. The first edge is configured for erecting a first dust flap of the box, and the second edge is configured for erecting a second dust flap of the box. The lid erecting system is disposed adjacent to the folding plate and is configured for erecting a lid of the box. The lid erecting system includes a tab funnel and a folding tool. The tab funnel includes a ramp for retaining the dust flaps while closing the lid. The folding tool includes a hooked ramp for causing a distal end of the lid to be inserted into the box.

A forming machine (2) for forming a box (60) from a blank (6) made of paper or cardboard, including a base (6a) and side panels (6a, 6b, 6c, 6d) connected to the base (6a), comprises: a working zone configured to receive the blank (6); a plurality of folders (21) positioned in the working zone and configured to interact with the side panels (6a, 6b, 6c, 6d) of the blank (6) to fold them and dispose them parallel to a vertical direction (V), with respective lateral borders juxtaposed to define vertical edges of the side wall of the box (60); a plurality of heads (22), including respective pressers (222) that are movable towards and away from each other, wherein each presser (222) is configured to press a respective vertical edge from the outside of the space inside the box (60).

A method of erecting a carton from a blank, including: engaging the blank with a punch head against which the carton is formed, folding side portions of the blank against the punch head to form sides of the carton; folding outer portions of the side portions of the blank away from the punch head and against an external side of the carton; folding end portions of the blank against the punch head to form end portions of the carton; folding outer portions of the end portions of the blank away from the punch head and against an external end of the carton; and securing corner gussets formed between the side and end portions against sides or ends of the carton.

In a box assembly device, a holding mechanism causes one of bottom boards to contact a first jig and folds the bottom board inside, while the holding mechanism holding the box material in a state where the box material is developed in a cylindrical shape from a folded state. The folding mechanism folds the bottom flap inside so as to overlap with one of the bottom boards. The holding mechanism causes the other bottom board to contact the second jig while holding the box material and folds the other bottom board inside and upwardly so as to overlap with the bottom flap to engage the bottom boards with each other.

A method for automatically closing an open packaging box with a cardboard lid, said box comprising a polygonal bottom panel defined by three or more bottom panel edges and sidewalls joined over respective crease lines to said bottom panel edges, each sidewall forming a substantially right angle with the bottom panel, said lid comprising a polygonal top panel defined by three or more top panel edges and corresponding to the bottom panel of the box to be closed and flaps joined over respective crease lines to said top panel edges and adapted for being folded onto a corresponding one of said sidewalls, the method comprising a step of folding each flap along the respective crease line partially towards a position, in which the flap forms a substantially right angle with said top panel and placing the lid above said box such that the top panel and the bottom panel are substantially aligned and such that, seen onto each sidewall, each flap overlaps one of the sidewalls, a step of releasing the lid allowing it to be guided by the partially folded flaps into a position on the box, in which the top panel and the bottom panel are aligned, and a step of folding each flap onto the respective sidewall fully into said position, in which the flap forms a substantially right angle with the top panel.