An apparatus for packaging of loose product includes a loading station, a box forming station and an uploading station. The loading station includes moveable chutes in spaced apart relation. Each chute has an open top, an open upstream end, and an open downstream end. The open top is configured to receive loose product while moving along a first feed path. The box forming station is operable to partially erect boxes in spaced apart relation with first and second open sides and align the first open side of each box with the downstream end of a corresponding chute while moving along a second feed path. The unloading station includes a stationary vacuum head in communication with the second open side of each box. The vacuum head provides a continuous vacuum source along the second feed path operable to move loose product from the chute into the boxes.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a case-handling system including movable flap openers positionable relative to a case and operable to fold the upper major flaps of the case outwardly before the upper minor flaps of the case are folded inwardly and closed.

A box packing apparatus supports a box with a sideways facing opening while at a loading location. After loading the box is moved from the loading location. The box packing apparatus includes a supporting and moving component, arms, and a feed mechanism. The supporting and moving component supports the cardboard box in the loading location and moves the cardboard box after loading in the loading location. The arms temporarily support the cardboard box as it is delivered to the loading location with the opening thereof facing sideways, while the supporting and moving component moves the cardboard box. The feed mechanism feeds the articles into the cardboard box through the opening while the box is supported by the arms.

The invention concerns an apparatus for manufacturing of containers from blanks of a cardboard based material, said apparatus comprising: a container body forming unit configured to form a cylindrical container body from a substantially plane blank of a multilayer material comprising at least a supporting cardboard layer and a weldable layer; a welding unit configured to fasten an end closure to the container body, said welding unit comprising an inductive welding energy generator for melting of the weldable layer; and transporting means configured to transport a flow of body blanks to the container body forming unit, to transport a flow of container bodies from the container body forming unit to the welding unit, and to transport a flow of container bodies provided with end closures from the welding unit. The invention is characterized in that the transporting means comprises: a first movable gripping arrangement configured to grip at least two container bodies and move these container bodies simultaneously to the welding unit; and a transferring and positioning arrangement configured to transfer container bodies from the container body forming unit to the first movable gripping arrangement and to position the container bodies in a controlled manner to ensure that the first movable gripping arrangement can grip the at least two container bodies properly, wherein the welding unit is configured to simultaneously fasten an end closure to each of the at least two container bodies. The invention also concerns a method for operating an apparatus of the above type.

A device, system, and method for loading empty and formed six-pack bottle carriers into a larger case (i.e. a multi-pack) is provided. The packaging device includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The six-pack carriers are formed by unfolding them in the upper portion. Various components are associated with the upper portion of the packaging device. The case receives a plurality of six-pack carriers therein. The larger cases is formed by unfolding them in the lower portion of the packaging device. Various components are associated with the lower portion of the packaging device. The upper portion and lower portion operate simultaneously to efficiently produce a case have empty six-pack carriers placed therein for later filling with bottles at a downstream destination. The system includes the machine, the cases, the six-pack carriers, and the bottles, operating collectively.

A method of fulfilling an order comprising at least one product is provided. The method includes receiving an order comprising at least one product, determining a suitable case from a plurality of available cases for holding the at least one product, said determining being a function of one or more characteristics of each product of the at least one product and one or more characteristics of the plurality of available cases; forwarding information identifying the suitable case to a case former; providing a case blank corresponding to said suitable case to said case former; erecting a suitable case from said case blank corresponding to said suitable case with said case former; and prior to the loading said suitable case with said at least one product, labelling said suitable case with at least one label.

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.

Provided is a method for labelling first packagings, including at least the following steps: transporting labels to a labelling zone, wherein an adhesive side of the labels is directed upward during the transport; removing the primary packagings to be labelled from a magazine device, wherein the packagings are provided in the magazine device as packaging blanks which are at least in sections flat, and are preferably removed individually from the magazine device; placing the primary packagings onto the labels and adhering the labels to the packagings, wherein the packagings are preferably pressed from above onto the labels; inserting the first labelled packagings into secondary packagings; and introducing several containers into the primary and secondary packagings.

A method and a machine for forming a box from a blank, in which the blank is removed from a storage magazine by suction, the blank is fed horizontally above a support having an upper edge with a V-shaped cross section and faces that correspond to the main walls and are inclined with respect to the horizontal by a given angle a, such that the central folding line, known as the reference folding line, is next to the edge, the blank is placed on the support, the blank is then pressed against a polygonal mandrel, the upper edge of which coincides with and/or is in line with the upper edge of the support, said mandrel having a shape complementary to that of the box, so as to form a tubular box body at an angle to the horizontal, the bottom of the box is formed by folding and pressing together flaps after application of glue, and the inclined box thus formed is ejected, is positioned upright and then is transferred to a filling station.

The invention relates to a packaging machine for packaging products (O) in cartons, wherein the packaging machine has a product feed for feeding products (O) to be packaged in cartons, wherein the products (O) have the length P, wherein the product feed has a stacking apparatus (111) that is embodied to at least stack a first group of products (O), which are positioned next to one another in a row with a length R, vertically above or below a second group of products (O), which are likewise positioned next to one another in a row with a length R, wherein the length R is a multiple of the length P, wherein a product slot (112) is positioned at the end of the product feed, at which product slot stacked rows of products (O) with the length R are collected, wherein a slide (113) with a length S is positioned at the product slot (112), which slide is embodied to slide the stacked rows of products (O) having a length that at least corresponds to the length S in an at least substantially horizontal sliding direction into a carton at a carton packing station, wherein the length S is shorter than the length R by at least one times the length P.