A device for transferring folding boxes has a suction member arrangement, which has suction members and is supported rotatably around a stationary first rotational axis. The suction members transport a folding box through the device along a first path. The suction members are supported rotatably around a nonstationary second rotational axis. The device also has an opposing suction member arrangement, which comprises at least one opposing suction member. The suction members and the at least one opposing suction member cooperate in a box-opening area in such a way that they at least partially open the folding box. At least in the box-opening area, the at least one opposing suction member is arranged radially inside the suction members with respect to the stationary first rotational axis.

An automatic packing machine and automatic packing method for express delivery are provided. The automatic packing machine for express delivery includes: a frame; a box discharging mechanism, fixed to the frame; a weighing mechanism, fixed to the frame, the weighing mechanism including a weighing plate and a weighing plate steering engine which are arranged in coordination and an image collecting module, the weighing plate steering engine and the image collecting module being fixed to the frame, and the image collecting module facing the weighing plate; a box body unfolding mechanism; a box closing mechanism; a conveying mechanism; and a controller, connected to all other structures of the automatic packing machine for express delivery. Through the technical solutions of the present invention, multiple functions are integrated, the degree of automation is high, and different items are packaged by using different box bodies.

A plant for automated packaging of items in cardboard boxes includes a forming station of open sheet boxes starting from a cardboard web, an item introduction system, a box closing station, and a feeding system. A cutting and creasing system at the forming station produces a longitudinal elongate element defining the bottom and top walls and a first pair of side walls of the box, and transverse panels providing the second pair of side walls. A first gluing system bonds the transverse panels to the elongate element by applying hot-melt strips on the side edges of the elongate element, and a pair of suction-cup manipulators applies the transverse panels on the elongate element at the glue strips to obtain a cross-shaped blank. The closing station includes a folding and automatic gluing system that folds and bonds the side walls and the top wall of the box to produce finished packages.

A box erecting machine includes a transport mechanism that can move an un-erected box from an entry portion of the box erecting machine to a forward portion of the box erecting machine. The transport mechanism can include pivot arm(s) and clamp(s) for securing and moving the un-erected box. The machine can also include a box erecting assembly that erects the un-erected box. The box erecting assembly can include an opening or unfolding mechanism that opens or unfolds the un-erected box into a generally rectangular tube. The machine can also include a folding mechanism and a closure mechanism for folding and securing the bottom flaps of the box.

A lid forming device of a cardboard box using a first flap with a slit and a second flap to be extended after being bent into a mountain shape is disclosed. The lid forming device includes first and second folding mechanisms. The fist folding mechanism folds the first flap in a direction of closing the opening. The second folding mechanism bends the second flap into a mountain shape and inserts part of the second flap into the slit of the first flap while extending the second flap. The second folding mechanism includes first and second retaining units. The first retaining unit retains a first face of the second flap located between a free end of the second flap and a bend line set beforehand in the second flap. The second retaining unit retains a second face of the second flap located between an anchored end and the bend line.

A warehouse system and method for fulfilling orders comprising a plurality of products. As pallets containing cases of individual units are received, they are transported to a specific storage location within a warehouse. There, a picker arm is configured to retrieve individual units from the pallets and place in a tote according to a specified order. The totes are transported through the warehouse to the specific storage locations, then sent to a packing station.

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.

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.

Container collecting and opening apparatus includes a store holding containers in a flattened configuration; an extracting device for extracting the flattened containers from the store and arranging them in a waiting position; and a transfer device movable between, a first, upstream, position for collecting containers from the waiting position and a second, downstream, position for releasing the containers. A container-opening device includes an abutment and a gripper positionable by the transfer device in a position along a container transfer pathway between the first position and the second position, so that the abutment is abutted by the container being opened and the gripper retains the opened-out container. A collecting device collects the container opened out by the container-opening device and transfers the opened-out container by rotating it with the axis thereof vertical to a crate of a packing line, while maintaining the container in the opened-out configuration.

A cartoning machine including a carton supply station (e.g., a rotary carton supply station, a linear carton supply station, a non-linear carton supply station, or the like) and a handling station operatively coupled to the carton supply station. The carton supply station provides, on a selective basis, cartons, such as carton blanks, pre-formed cartons, or the like. The carton supply station of the cartoning machine provides for movement of magazines with respect to a robot in the handling station that may have a distal end secured in a stationary and fixed location. As such, different magazines with dissimilar cartons may be moved to a picking location adjacent the robot, as dissimilar cartons are required. Further, the cartons within the magazines may be moved to a pre-determined pick-up location such that the robot is repeatably picking a carton from the pre-determine pick-up location.