A case forming, packing, and sealing apparatus is disclosed. The case forming, packing, and sealing apparatus includes a cardboard box handling area and a product handling area. In the cardboard box handling area, case forming sheets including flatly collapsed cardboard boxes are erected into boxes that has openings which open in one direction, products are received into the boxes, and thereafter the openings are closed and sealed. In the product handling area, plural products are aligned and a predetermined quantity of the products are pushed in an accumulated state through the openings into the boxes. The cardboard box handling area and the product handling area are interconnected in a state in which they are mutually independently separable.

A feeding device is adapted to be installed to a box folding machine for delivering a plurality of unfolded cardboard boxes, and includes a base unit, a positioning unit and a box pushing unit. The base unit is operable for moving the cardboard boxes to push two stopping members of the positioning unit to rotate from a stopping position, where the cardboard boxes are retained between upstream and downstream ends of the base unit, to a releasing position, where one of the cardboard boxes is moved out of the downstream end to a standby position. The box pushing unit is operable to push the one of the cardboard boxes from the standby position to a ready-to-fold position, where the one of the cardboard boxes is ready to be folded.

It is generally a goal to reduce the height dimension of a case-making device. A case-making device 90 comprises a box-sheet-holding part 10 and an extraction part 20. The box-sheet-holding part 10 holds a plurality of box sheets S to be processed into container boxes B such that the box sheets S extend in an upright direction UR. The extraction part 20 extracts one box sheet S from the box-sheet-holding part 10. An upright-direction UR dimension of the box sheet S is a first dimension H1. The extraction part 20 moves the box sheet S in the upright direction UR by a second dimension H2 shorter than the first dimension H1.

A feeding device is adapted to be installed to a box folding machine for delivering a plurality of unfolded cardboard boxes, and includes a base unit, a positioning unit and a box pushing unit. The base unit is operable for moving the cardboard boxes to push two stopping members of the positioning unit to rotate from a stopping position, where the cardboard boxes are retained between upstream and downstream ends of the base unit, to a releasing position, where one of the cardboard boxes is moved out of the downstream end to a standby position. The box pushing unit is operable to push the one of the cardboard boxes from the standby position to a ready-to-fold position, where the one of the cardboard boxes is ready to be folded.

A carton feeding assembly includes a carton blank storage rack for holding a stack of horizontally oriented folded carton blanks, a carton blank transport device for picking a bottommost folded carton blank from the stack and conveying it along a conveyance path, and a carton blank push up device that reorients the folded carton blank into an upright position suitable for movement into engagement with a case erector.

A carton blank feeding and shuttle machine includes a first driven belt supported by a first plurality of pulleys and a second driven belt supported by a second plurality of pulleys, a first rod attached to the first driven belt and a second rod attached to the second driven belt. Each of the rods extend across the first and second opposing sides. At least one controller controls motions of (a) the first driven belt and (b) the second driven belt, and a plucking head is supported by the first and second rods such that the first and second driven belts create common motion to move the plucking head along a transport path and relative motion to extend and retract the plucking head. A linkage assembly includes a plurality of links configured to move a plucking head along a shaft in response to movements of the first and second belts.

A self-contained no-feed-roll computer controlled corrugated board or paperboard sheet feeder apparatus 200 is configured to upgrade an installed corrugated board processing machine (e.g., 10) and includes a feed table surface 210 for boards (e.g., 2) having drive wheels (222W, 224W, 226W) in an initial variable velocity zone 220 which drives the board in a first motion profile through a first vacuum zone, and a second velocity zone 230 which then drives the board in a second motion profile through a second vacuum zone Retrofittable sheet feeder 200 also includes a controller 300 configured to receive predetermined velocity signals from the host machine 10 and generate (i) a first initial variable velocity control signal for initial variable velocity zone 220 and (ii) a second velocity control signal for second velocity zone 230 in response.

A box forming apparatus includes first holders configured to hold a first side surface of a cardboard sheet, second holders configured to hold a second side surface of the cardboard sheet, an arm, a first mover, and a second mover. The arm has a support that supports the first and the second holders. The first mover changes a position of the first holders relative to the second holders while the arm is being rotated to open the cardboard sheet. The second mover moves the arm in association with opening of the cardboard sheet so that, when the cardboard sheet has been opened, the second mover will have moved the support a predetermined distance in a second direction opposite a first direction, which is a direction heading from a rotational center of the arm to a distal end of the arm.

Apparatus and methods for assembling thermally insulated containers are disclosed. In one example, an apparatus for inserting a first insulating liner panel and a second insulating liner panel into a rectangular box to form a thermally insulated container includes a first station with a flap opening assembly, a second station with a first liner panel insertion assembly for inserting a first liner panel within the box, and a third station with a second liner panel insertion assembly for inserting a second liner panel within the box. A box transfer system is configured to transfer the box between the first station, the second station, and the third station. A flap guide system maintains the at least two of the lid flaps of the box in the open configuration as the box is transferred from the first station to the third station.

A case forming, packing, and sealing apparatus is disclosed. The case forming, packing, and sealing apparatus includes a cardboard box handling area and a product handling area. In the cardboard box handling area, case forming sheets including flatly collapsed cardboard boxes are erected into boxes that has openings which open in one direction, products are received into the boxes, and thereafter the openings are closed and sealed. In the product handling area, plural products are aligned and a predetermined quantity of the products are pushed in an accumulated state through the openings into the boxes. The cardboard box handling area and the product handling area are interconnected in a state in which they are mutually independently separable.