A sheet stacking device is provided with a hopper unit configured to stack a sheet, a feeding unit configured to feed out the sheet to the hopper unit, a distance detection unit configured to detect an inter-sheet distance, in the vertical direction, between a rear end portion of the sheet that is preceding and a tip end portion of the sheet that is subsequent, and an output unit configured to output a behavior stabilization command for the sheet based on the inter-sheet distance.

A post compression carton rejection system for receiving cartons in-line from a carton assembly system having a compression conveying section for compressing folded and glued cartons for delivery to a packing system. The post compression carton rejection system comprise a frame adapted to be supported between the compression conveying section and the packing system. An infeed conveyor is mounted to the frame and has an infeed belt for transporting folded and glued cartons from the compression conveying section and an infeed drive for driving the infeed belt. An outfeed conveyor is mounted to the frame between the infeed conveyor and a conveyor exit proximate the packer, in use, and comprises a nose extension conveyor having an outfeed belt including a dump gate controllably retractable at the conveyor exit to selectively dump folded and glued cartons, an outfeed drive for driving the outfeed belt and a dump gate actuator for opening and returning the dump gate. A controller operatively controls the infeed drive, the outfeed drive and the dump gate actuator to selectively create gaps before and after a stream of defective folded and glued cartons and dump the defective folded and glued cartons at the dump gate.

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.

Methods and apparatus for forming containers from container blanks are provided. An apparatus comprises a blank holding apparatus operable to releasably hold a plurality of carton blanks in a first configuration. The apparatus also has a rotary apparatus operable to rotate an engagement device along a rotational path from a first retrieval location where the engagement device is operable to engage with and retrieve a blank from the plurality of blanks held in the blank holding apparatus, to a second operational location. The apparatus also has a movement apparatus inter-connected to the rotary apparatus. The movement apparatus is operable to move the rotary apparatus and the engagement device with the engaged blank away from the blank holding apparatus, which may be translational movement away from the blank holding apparatus.

A post compression carton rejection system for receiving cartons in-line from a carton assembly system having a compression conveying section for compressing folded and glued cartons for delivery to a packing system. The post compression carton rejection system comprise a frame adapted to be supported between the compression conveying section and the packing system. An infeed conveyor is mounted to the frame and has an infeed belt for transporting folded and glued cartons from the compression conveying section and an infeed drive for driving the infeed belt. An outfeed conveyor is mounted to the frame between the infeed conveyor and a conveyor exit proximate the packer, in use, and comprises a nose extension conveyor having an outfeed belt including a dump gate controllably retractable at the conveyor exit to selectively dump folded and glued cartons, an outfeed drive for driving the outfeed belt and a dump gate actuator for opening and returning the dump gate. A controller operatively controls the infeed drive, the outfeed drive and the dump gate actuator to selectively create gaps before and after a stream of defective folded and glued cartons and dump the defective folded and glued cartons at the dump gate.

Methods and apparatus for forming containers from container blanks are provided. An apparatus comprises a blank holding apparatus operable to releasably hold a plurality of carton blanks in a first configuration. The apparatus also has a rotary apparatus operable to rotate an engagement device along a rotational path from a first retrieval location where the engagement device is operable to engage with and retrieve a blank from the plurality of blanks held in the blank holding apparatus, to a second operational location. The apparatus also has a movement apparatus inter-connected to the rotary apparatus. The movement apparatus is operable to move the rotary apparatus and the engagement device with the engaged blank away from the blank holding apparatus, which may be translational movement away from the blank holding apparatus.

The module (3) comprises a frame having vertical pillars (30A, 30B), a rotary turnover structure (4) arranged horizontally between the vertical pillars and comprising rotation shafts (400A) supported by bearings (300A) with which the vertical pillars are respectively equipped. A motor (303B) applies a first mechanical torque to one of the rotation shafts when a folding package turnover is ordered in the machine. The module also comprises additional means (5) for applying a second mechanical torque to the other rotation shaft upon a folding package turnover.

Disclosed is a corrugated paperboard box making machine which comprises a sheet feeding apparatus, a processing apparatus, a folder-gluer, a counter-ejector for stacking the box-structured corrugated paperboard sheets and separating them as a batch, a speed setting unit for setting a sheet feeding speed, and a control apparatus. The control apparatus is operable to execute a sheet feeding control processing of the sheet feeding apparatus such that a sheet feeding operation of feeding one corrugated paperboard sheet is successively repeated a number of times corresponding to the number of the given number of box-structured corrugated paperboard sheets in the batch, and a sheet feeding stop control processing of, when the sheet feeding speed is greater than an allowable speed, the sheet feeding apparatus such that the sheet feeding operation is stopped at least once after execution of the sheet feeding control processing.

A magazine for temporarily storing at least one package sleeve group having a plurality of flat-folded and upright standing package sleeves and for equipping an unfolding device for the package sleeves following the magazine is represented and described, comprising a supply side supplying the package sleeves, a removal side arranged in a transport direction of the package sleeve group behind the supply side and at least one transport unit movable forwards and backwards along the transport direction to transport the package sleeve group from the supply side to the removal side. In order to ensure the uniform supply of the subsequent unfolding device and therefore to increase the productivity of the subsequent filling machine and also to achieve a constructively simple and simultaneously cost-effective configuration of the magazine, which can also be flexibly applied to different package sleeve sizes, it is proposed that the transport unit has at least two slide elements, arranged opposite one another and in each case resting at least partially on one side of the package sleeves, to align the package sleeves.

The invention relates to a packaging apparatus (1) for combining a plurality of articles (8) an outer package (6) formed from a cardboard blank (3). The packaging apparatus (1) comprises a magazine (2) for cardboard blanks (3), the cardboard blanks (3) being stacked and lying on top of one another within the magazine (2), a removal apparatus (4) for the cardboard blanks (3), and a handling device (5). The removal apparatus (4) is vertically and horizontally movable and comprises at least one suction tool (9) for withdrawing a cardboard blank (3) from the magazine (2). The suction tool (9) arranged pivotally movable within the removal apparatus (4) or on the removal apparatus (4) for executing a compensation movement and aligning the withdrawn cardboard blank (3) in a horizontal plane. The invention also concerns the removal apparatus (4) (3) and a method for withdrawing cardboard blanks (3).