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 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 packaging machine comprising a machine frame, at least one work station attached to the machine frame, and a transport device with a transfer unit for feeding trays to the work station, wherein the transfer unit comprises a suction plate for transporting trays in a predetermined transport plane. The suction plate may comprises at least one reception mold which is formed at least in part having the shape of an inner contour of an upper opening region of a tray facing it, provided to the reception mold for reception and transport, so that the reception mold during transport in the transport plane of the tray is arranged in a positive-fit manner in its upper opening region and aligns the tray in the transport plane in a predetermined position on the suction plate. The invention also relates to a method for supplying trays to a work station of a packaging machine.

The present invention provides an article alignment device that can inhibit posture disorderliness when articles land on a conveyor belt. The posture of bags when the bags transfer from an input conveyor to a first aligning conveyor is inclined in such a way that the portions of the bags that land on bags already placed on the first aligning conveyor are higher and the portions of the bags that land directly on the first aligning conveyor are lower, so the bags land on the first aligning conveyor before or at the same time that they contact the bags that were placed on the first aligning conveyor before them. Additionally, the frictional force between the first aligning conveyor and the bags is greater than the frictional force between the bags, so sliding between the bags is prevented, as is posture disorderliness.

A method of loading articles in cartons. The method can comprise moving a carton in a generally flat configuration in a downstream direction with a carton opening carousel, at least partially opening the carton while moving the carton with the carton opening carousel, and transferring the carton from the carton opening carousel to a carton loading carousel in a transfer region. The transferring the carton can comprise moving the carton in an upstream direction. The method further can comprise loading a plurality of articles into the carton while moving the carton in a downstream direction with the carton loading carousel.

The invention relates to a cartoning apparatus (1) of items comprising: a sorting machine (100), which is configured to arrange the items into clusters, and a die-cut magazine (125), in which a plurality of die-cuts (5) are stored for packaging the clusters of items. Where the die-cut magazine is flanked in plan to the sorting machine and is spaced therefrom so that between the die-cut magazine (125) and the sorting machine there is a passage gap (126) with a width greater than 50 cm in at least a stretch of the passage gap.

A packaging system to pack objects in boxes includes a supply station to supply objects of a purchase order batch, an insertion station to insert in a box a specific batch picked up from the supply station, a closing station to close the box, a storage unit configured to house a respective group of folded and flattened boxes, a forming apparatus configured to carry out both an automatic pick-up of a corresponding folded and flattened box from the storage unit, and also a subsequent automatic forming of the box starting from the picked-up folded and flattened box. The forming apparatus includes a first pick-up device and a second pick-up device respectively slidably mounted on the storage unit to slide along a respective linear path, the first pick-up device remaining in a shared transfer space when it moves the folded and flattened box.

An automated method and system for packaging a stack of flexible articles (200) are disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: loading, by a pair of end effectors (1a, 1b), the stack of flexible articles (200) into an erected box (100) having a first open end (101) and a second open end (102), wherein each open end (101, 102) has at least one flap (103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108) that is movable between an open configuration where the flap (103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108) is not covering an opening of the open end (101, 102) and a closed configuration where the flap (103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108) covers the opening of the open end (101, 102), whereby the stack of flexible articles (200) is loaded in an offset position away from the first open end (101), leaving a first gap therebetween; moving, by a first flap closing mechanism (4), the flap (103, 104, 105) of the first open end (101) from the open configuration to the closed configuration; pushing, by a pushing mechanism (16), the stack of flexible articles (200) towards the first gap, thereby forming a second gap between the second open end (102) and the stack of flexible articles (200); and moving, by a second flap closing mechanism (6), the flap (106, 107, 108) of the second open end (102) from the open configuration to the closed configuration, wherein the first and second gaps are configured to prevent the flaps (103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108) from being obstructed by the stack of flexible articles (200) while closing the flaps (103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108).

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.

The disclosure relates to a packaging system comprising a deep-drawing packaging machine configured to produce packages in a production direction, and a feeding system for the deep-drawing packaging machine, wherein the feeding system comprises at least one transport belt device configured to transport cardboard blanks in a transport direction extending transversely to the production direction of the deep-drawing packaging machine into a transfer area formed within a machine frame of the deep-drawing packaging machine, and wherein the feeding system comprises a lifting device arranged in the transfer area for collecting and lifting the cardboard blanks transported into the transfer area by means of the transport belt device, wherein the lifting device has a plurality of independently controllable lifting units positioned one behind the other in the transport direction. Furthermore, the disclosure relates to a corresponding method.