Machine and method for working a material suitable to make containers

Abstract

A machine and a method to carry out workings on a sheet of a sufficiently rigid material is suitable to make containers. The machine includes a transverse working head guided by a first transverse guide member, one or more longitudinal working heads, each selectively positionable in a desired transverse position, guided by at least a second transverse guide member parallel to the first transverse guide member; and positioning mechanism configured to cooperate with each longitudinal working head in order to selectively position it in the desired transverse position.

Claims

1. A machine to carry out workings on a sheet of a material suitable to make containers, comprising: a fixed frame that defines a support plane for said sheet; a feeder configured to feed said sheet in a first longitudinal direction along said support plane; at least a first transverse guide member disposed in a transverse direction, substantially perpendicular to said first longitudinal direction; a transverse working head, provided with a first cutting tool and/or a first creasing tool and guided by said first transverse guide member, to selectively carry out transverse cuttings and/or creasings on said sheet; one or more longitudinal working heads, each provided with a second cutting tool and/or a second creasing tool to selectively carry out longitudinal cuttings and/or creasings on said sheet, and each selectively positionable in a desired transverse position, guided by at least a second transverse guide member parallel to said first transverse guide member, to carry out longitudinal cuttings and/or creasings on said sheet; and a positioning mechanism, configured to cooperate with each of said longitudinal workings heads in order to position it selectively in said desired transverse position, wherein said positioning mechanism comprises a first transverse positioning device and a second transverse positioning device, wherein said first transverse positioning device is mounted on said transverse working head, wherein said second transverse positioning device is mounted on said fixed frame and movable in the transverse direction to be selectively engagable with any one of the longitudinal working heads, wherein each of said first transverse positioning device and said second transverse positioning device is configured to position each of said longitudinal working heads along said transverse direction, and wherein each of said longitudinal working heads is disposed between said first transverse guide member and said second transverse guide member and comprises sliding elements configured to cooperate slidingly with both said first transverse guide member and said second transverse guide member.

2. The machine as in claim 1, wherein said transverse working head comprises a first slider, and wherein said first transverse guide member comprises a first pair of guide rails distanced vertically so as to cooperate one with an upper part of said first slider and another with a lower part of said first slider.

3. The machine as in claim 2, wherein said first transverse guide member comprises a bar with two vertical lateral surfaces, on a first of which said first pair of guide rails is attached and on a second of which said second pair of guide rails is attached.

4. The machine as in claim 3, wherein said second slider is provided with a clamping device, configured to selectively clamp the corresponding longitudinal working head in the desired transverse position, with respect to at least one of said transverse guide members.

5. The machine as in claim 1, wherein each of said longitudinal working heads comprises a second slider, and wherein said first transverse guide member comprises a second pair of guide rails distanced vertically so as to cooperate one with an upper part of said second slider and another with a lower part of said second slider.

6. The machine as in claim 5, wherein each second transverse guide member comprises a third pair of guide rails, aligned vertically with said second pair of guide rails, so as to also cooperate one with an upper part of said second slider and another with a lower part of said slider, but on the opposite side of the latter with respect to said second pair of guide rails.

7. The machine as in claim 5, wherein said second slider is provided with a clamping device, configured to selectively clamp the corresponding longitudinal working head in the desired transverse position, with respect to at least one of said transverse guide members.

8. The machine as in claim 7, wherein said clamping device comprises at least a first inflatable membrane, disposed between said second pair of guide rails and connected to a corresponding first support and inflation chamber provided with a first compressed air supply channel.

9. The machine as in claim 8, wherein said clamping device also comprises a second inflatable membrane, disposed between said third pair of guide rails and connected to a corresponding second support and inflation chamber provided with a second compressed air supply channel.

10. The machine as in claim 5, wherein said first transverse guide member comprises a bar with two vertical lateral surfaces, on a first of which said first pair of guide rails is attached and on a second of which said second pair of guide rails is attached.

11. The machine as in claim 1, wherein said transverse working head comprises a first slider, and wherein said first transverse guide member comprises a first pair of guide rails distanced vertically so as to cooperate one with an upper part of said first slider and another with a lower part of said first slider.

12. The machine as in claim 1, wherein each of said longitudinal working heads comprises a second slider, and wherein said first transverse guide member comprises a second pair of guide rails distanced vertically so as to cooperate one with an upper part of said second slider and another with a lower part of said second slider.

13. The machine as in claim 1, wherein said second transverse positioning device is located between the transverse guide members.

14. The machine as in claim 1, wherein said second transverse positioning device is located above the longitudinal working heads.

15. The machine as in claim 1, wherein said second transverse positioning device is movable relative to the longitudinal working heads.

16. A method to make workings on a sheet of a material suitable to make containers, comprising the steps of: feeding said sheet in a first longitudinal direction; carrying out transverse cuts and/or creasings by means of a transverse working head, provided with a first cutting tool and/or a first creasing tool guided by first transverse guide member and mobile in a first transverse direction, substantially perpendicular to said first longitudinal direction; carrying out longitudinal cuts and/or creasings by means of longitudinal working heads, each provided with a second cutting tool and/or a second creasing tool and each selectively positionable in a desired position along said first transverse direction and guided by at least a second transverse guide member parallel to said first transverse guide member; selectively moving any one of the longitudinal working heads in said desired transverse position by moving a positioning device mounted on said fixed frame in the transverse direction and selectively engaging the positioning device with any one of the longitudinal heads even while said transverse working head is carrying out said transverse cuts and/or said transverse creasings, wherein each longitudinal working head is disposed between said first transverse guide member and said second transverse guide member.

17. The method as in claim 16, further comprising moving said second transverse positioning device relative to the longitudinal working heads.

18. The method as in claim 16, further comprising moving the second transverse positioning device to be aligned with one of the longitudinal working heads.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a plan view of a machine according to the present invention for working sufficiently rigid material suitable to make containers;

(3) FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail of FIG. 1,

(4) FIG. 3 is a rear view of the machine in FIG. 1,

(5) FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail of FIG. 3;

(6) FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional view, front right, of a part of the machine in FIG. 1;

(7) FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail of FIG. 5;

(8) FIG. 7 is a right lateral view of a part of the machine of FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ONE EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

(9) With reference to FIG. 1, a machine 10 according to the present invention, to make containers, for example boxes for packaging, starting from a flat sheet F of sufficiently rigid material, such as for example paper, cardboard, plastic material or other suitable materials, comprises a fixed frame 11, with two vertical lateral flanks 12 and 13, between which horizontal plates 14 are disposed (FIGS. 5, 6 and 7) that define a support plane P (FIG. 7), suitable to support the sheet F during the working thereof.

(10) Four feed rolls 15 are mounted rotatable on the vertical lateral flanks 12 and 13, configured to selectively feed the sheet F in a longitudinal direction L parallel to the vertical lateral flanks 12 and 13.

(11) In the embodiment shown here, the gap between the vertical lateral flanks 12 and 13 is such as to also allow several sheets F to be inserted coplanar with respect to each other, one alongside the other, in order to be worked at the same time.

(12) Merely by way of example the gap between the vertical lateral flanks 12 and 13 can be comprised between 600 mm and 4000 mm, depending on the specific application of the machine. Merely by way of example, machines can be provided with a gap between the vertical lateral flanks 12 and 13 of about 880 mm, about 2500 mm and about 3000 mm.

(13) On the vertical lateral flanks 12 and 13, above the feed rolls 15, a first and a second transverse guide member are attached, in this case a first transverse guide bar 16 (FIGS. 5, 6 and 7) and a second transverse guide bar 17, parallel to each other, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L and each with a substantially rectangular cross section, with the larger sides vertical.

(14) On the front side of the first transverse guide bar 16 (on the left in FIG. 5) two first guide rails 18 are mounted, on which a transverse working head 19 is mounted sliding, in a transverse direction T (FIGS. 1 and 5), perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L and comprises a slider 20 provided with sliding pads 21 (FIG. 7).

(15) The vertical distance between the two first guide rails 18 is sufficiently large, for example comprised between 150 mm and 300 mm, so that the two guide rails 18 are one in correspondence with the upper part of the slider 20 and the other in correspondence with the lower part of the same slider 20, in order to guarantee a secure and stable guide of the latter when it moves in the transverse direction T.

(16) A cutting tool 22 (FIG. 6) consisting of a circular blade, and a creasing tool 23 consisting of a shaped disc, are mounted on the slider 20. The tools 22 and 23 are connected, in a known manner, to corresponding actuators 24, for example pneumatic, configured to take them selectively against each sheet F below, in order to make transverse cuts and/or creasings, when the sheet F is stopped and the slider 20 moves with respect to it in the transverse direction T.

(17) An electric motor 25 of the two-directional type is also mounted on the slider 20, for example a step or brushless motor, with a toothed pinion 26 that is constantly engaged with the teeth of a transmission belt 27 (FIGS. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7), which is toothed only on one side and is stretched between the vertical lateral flanks 12 and 13. Two idle return pulleys 28 (FIG. 2) and 29 are mounted rotatable on the upper part of the slider 20 and are constantly in contact with the non-toothed surface of the transmission belt 27 in order to improve the contact between the toothed pinion 26 and the teeth of the transmission belt 27.

(18) A transducer of the known type, not shown in the drawings, is associated with the electric motor 25 in order to determine the instantaneous position of the slider 20 and therefore of the transverse working head 19, with respect to the first transverse guide bar 16, in the transverse direction T, and to send corresponding electric signals to a control circuit C (FIG. 3) disposed, for example, in the lower part of the machine 10, which also controls the electric motor 25.

(19) On the rear side of the first transverse guide bar 16 (on the right in FIG. 7) two second guide rails 30 are mounted, parallel to and in correspondence with the first guide rails 18. Moreover, on the front side of the second transverse guide bar 17 (on the left in FIG. 7) two third guide rails 31 are mounted, also parallel to and in correspondence with the first guide rails 18.

(20) On the second and third guide rails 30 and 31 a plurality of longitudinal working heads 32 (FIGS. 1 to 7) are mounted slidingly, parallel to each other, of which, in the example shown here, there are twelve, but there can be more or fewer, as a function of the gap between the vertical lateral flanks 12 and 13 and the number of workings to be carried out at the same time on each sheet F inserted in the machine 10.

(21) Each longitudinal working head 32 comprises a slider 33 (FIG. 7) provided with sliding elements, in this case sliding pads 34 and 35 engaged constantly with the corresponding rails 30 and 31.

(22) Therefore, the vertical distance between the two second guide rails 30 and that between the third guide rails 31 is also sufficiently big so that the guide rails 30 and 31 are in correspondence with the upper part of each slider 33 and with the lower part of the same slider 33, in order to guarantee a secure and stable guide of the latter when it moves in the transverse direction T.

(23) Moreover, a cutting tool 36, also consisting of a circular blade, and a creasing tool 37, also consisting of a shaped disc, are mounted on each slider 33.

(24) The tools 36 and 37 are associated with corresponding actuators 38 and 39, for example pneumatic, suitable to selectively take them against the sheet F below, in order to make longitudinal cuts and/or creasings, that is, in the longitudinal direction L, while the sheet F is fed by the feed rolls 15 in the same longitudinal direction L.

(25) Each slider 33 is also provided with a clamping device 40, configured to clamp the corresponding longitudinal working head 32 in the desired transverse position, with respect to the transverse guide bars 16 and 17.

(26) Each clamping device 40 comprises a first inflatable membrane 41, disposed between the second guide rails 30, connected to a corresponding first support and inflation chamber 42, which is provided with a first compressed air supply channel 43, controlled for example by an electro valve of the known type and not shown in the drawings. Each clamping device 40 also comprises a second inflatable membrane 44, disposed between the third guide rails 31, connected to a corresponding second support and inflation chamber 45, which is provided with a second compressed air supply channel 46, which is also controlled, for example, by an electro valve of the known type and not shown in the drawings.

(27) The two inflatable membranes 41 and 44 are made of rubber for example and, when they are selectively inflated with compressed air, act as a brake pressing with a determinate force against the corresponding flat vertical surfaces of the two transverse guide bars 16 and 17, thus keeping the corresponding slider 33 in the desired position and therefore the associated longitudinal working head 32. On the contrary, when one or more longitudinal working heads 32 are to be moved with respect to the transverse guide bars 16 and 17, in the transverse direction T, the inflatable membranes 41 and 44 are deflated, thus releasing the corresponding sliders 33.

(28) In order to selectively move each slider 33 in the transverse direction T, positioning means are optionally provided, in this case a first transverse positioning device 47 and second transverse positioning device 48.

(29) Please note that in the machine 10 both the transverse positioning devices 47 and 48 can be present, or, alternatively, only one or the other of the two transverse positioning devices 47 and 48.

(30) In particular, the first transverse positioning device 47 is similar to the one described in the above cited international patent application WO-A-201 1/135433. In this case, the first transverse positioning device 47 (FIGS. 6 and 7) is mounted on the upper part of the slider 20 of the transverse working head 19 and comprises an actuator 49, of the pneumatic type for example, with a pointed peg 50 configured to selectively cooperate with a flared cavity 51 present on a flank of each slider 33 of a corresponding longitudinal working head 32.

(31) The pointed peg 50 is therefore configured to act as a drawing element and is normally held in a retracted position, so as not to interfere with the longitudinal working heads 32. The actuator 49 remains deactivated during the working steps of the transverse working head 19, that is, cutting and/or creasing in the transverse direction T.

(32) A photo cell 52 (FIG. 6) is mounted on the slider 20 and is able to recognize the passage of the latter in front of each longitudinal working head 32 and to send a corresponding electric signal to the control circuit C, in order to identify, with precision, the position of the slider 20 with respect to each longitudinal working head 32. Moreover, when one of the longitudinal working heads 32 is attached by the slider 20, with the photo cell 52 it is possible to precisely determine the position of the longitudinal working head 32 attached with respect to the transverse guide bars 16 and 17.

(33) The second transverse positioning device 48 is instead mounted on the fixed frame 11 (FIG. 1), in correspondence with the rear part of the machine 10, and comprises a transmission belt 53, toothed and closed in a ring, stretched between a toothed pinion 54 of an electric motor 55 (FIG. 3), for example a step, or brushless motor, disposed in correspondence with the vertical lateral flank 12 and a return pulley 56, mounted rotatable in correspondence with the vertical lateral flank 13.

(34) A small slider 57 is attached on the rear part of the transmission belt 53 (FIGS. 1, 6 and 7), and an actuator 58 is mounted on the small slider 57, for example of the pneumatic type, with a pointed peg 59 facing downward and configured to selectively cooperate with a flared cavity 60 present on the upper part of each slider 33 of a corresponding longitudinal working head 32.

(35) Therefore, the pointed peg 59 is configured to act as a drawing element and is normally held in retracted position, so as not to interfere with the longitudinal working heads 32. The actuator 58 remains deactivated during the working steps of the longitudinal working heads 32, that is, cutting and/or creasing in the longitudinal direction L.

(36) A transducer of the known type and not shown in the drawings is associated with the electric motor 55 (FIG. 3) and is able to send a corresponding electric signal to the control circuit C, in order to identify with precision the position of the small slider 57 with respect to each longitudinal working head 32 and, when one of these is attached by the small slider 57, also the position of the longitudinal working head 32 attached, with respect to the transverse guide bars 16 and 17. Alternatively, or additionally, a linear transducer can also be provided, associated with, for example, one of the two transverse guide bars 16 and 17, in order to detect the position of each longitudinal working head 32.

(37) The functioning of the machine 10 described heretofore, which also defines the method for working a sufficiently rigid material, represented here by the sheet F, to make containers, is as follows.

(38) Initially, the position of each longitudinal working head 32 (FIGS. 1 and 3), with respect to the vertical lateral flanks 12 and 13 and the transverse guide bars 16 and 17, is programmed, in a known manner, by the control circuit C, in order to carry out the desired longitudinal cuttings and/or the desired creasings on the sheet F (FIG. 7) disposed on the support plane P, in contact with the feed rolls 15.

(39) The transverse workings of cutting and/or creasing on the sheet F are carried out in the known way, for example as described in the above cited international patent application WO-A-201 1/135433. In particular, the actuators 24 are selectively actuated (FIGS. 6 and 7) to take the cutting tool 22 and/or the creasing tool 23 against the sheet F below, and the electric motor 25 is driven to move the transverse working head 19 in the transverse direction L.

(40) In order to carry out longitudinal workings of cutting and/or creasing on the sheet F, one or more longitudinal working heads 32 must first be positioned in the desired positions along the transverse guide bar 17.

(41) To do this, first of all the corresponding clamping devices 40 (FIG. 7) must be released, deflating the inflatable membranes 41 and 44. Each longitudinal working head 32 is then moved in the transverse direction T (FIG. 1) into the desired position, by one of the two transverse positioning devices 47 and 48 (FIGS. 6 and 7).

(42) In particular, if the first transverse positioning device 47 is used, in the same way as described in the international patent application WO-A-201 1/135433 cited above, the positioning of each longitudinal working head 32 must be done with the tools 22 and 23 of the transverse working head 19 raised, in a non-operating position.

(43) In this first case, the slider 20 is first made to perform a complete travel from the left (FIG. 1) toward the right and from the right toward the left, so that the photo cell 52 (FIG. 6) acquires the necessary information on the actual position of all the longitudinal working heads 32 and transmits it to the control circuit C (FIG. 3).

(44) Then, in order to move a longitudinal working head 32 transversely, starting for example from the one most to the left in FIG. 1, the control circuit C (FIG. 3) commands the motor 25 (FIGS. 6 and 7) which, by means of the transmission belt 27, causes the movement of the slider 20, until the pointed peg 50 of the actuator 49 is exactly opposite the flared cavity 51 of the corresponding longitudinal working head 32. The actuator 49 is then actuated so that the pointed peg 50 is inserted precisely into the flared cavity 51 of the slider 33 of the longitudinal working head 32 selected.

(45) The electric motor 25 is then once again commanded which, by means of the transmission belt 27, actuates the movement of the slider 20 and the slider 33 which is temporarily attached to it. This movement ends when the slider 33 and the longitudinal working head 32 associated therewith arrive in the desired transverse position, calculated by the control circuit C (FIG. 3), by means of the transducer associated with the electric motor 25.

(46) The actuator 49 is then de-activated (FIG. 6), so that its pointed peg 50 returns to the initial retracted position. The longitudinal working head 32 selected is thus in its new, desired transverse position.

(47) The same operation is then repeated for all the other longitudinal working heads 32 that are to be moved and positioned transversally with respect to the transverse guide bars 16 and 17.

(48) Once all the longitudinal working heads 32 have been positioned, the clamping devices 40 are actuated, so that the two inflatable membranes 41 and 44 of each slider 33 inflate and act as a brake against the corresponding flat surfaces of the flanks of the transverse guide bars 16 and 17.

(49) The machine 10 can therefore carry out all the cutting and/or creasing operations on the sheet F in a known manner, both transverse by means of the transverse working head 19, and also longitudinal, by means of the different longitudinal working heads 32.

(50) If instead the second transverse positioning device 48 is used, the positioning operation of each longitudinal working head 32 can take place while the tools 22 and 23 of the transverse working head 19 are working and the latter is moving from one to the other of the two vertical lateral flanks 12 and 13.

(51) Indeed, in this second case, to move a longitudinal working head 32 transversely, starting for example from the one most to the left in FIG. 1, the control circuit C (FIG. 3) commands the motor 55 which, by means of the transmission belt 53, causes the movement of the small slider 57, until the pointed peg 59 of the actuator 58 is exactly opposite the flared cavity 60 (FIGS. 6 and 7) of the corresponding longitudinal working head 32. The actuator 58 is then actuated so that the pointed peg 59 is inserted with precision into the flared cavity 60 of the small slider 57 of the longitudinal working head 32 selected. The electric motor 55 is then once again commanded which, by means of the transmission belt 53, actuates the movement of the small slider 57 and of the slider 33 temporarily attached thereto. This movement ends when the slider 33 and the longitudinal working head 32 associated therewith arrive in the desired transverse position, calculated by the control circuit C (FIG. 3), by means of the transducer associated to the electric motor 55.

(52) The actuator 58 is then de-activated (FIG. 6), so that its pointed peg 59 returns into the initial retracted position. The longitudinal working head 32 selected is thus once again in its desired new transverse position.

(53) In this second case too, the same operation is then repeated for all the other longitudinal working heads 32 that are to be moved and positioned transversely with respect to the transverse guide bars 16 and 17.

(54) Once all the working heads 32 are positioned, the clamping devices 40 are actuated, so that the two inflatable membranes 41 and 44 of each slider 33 inflate and act as brakes against the corresponding flat surfaces of the flanks of the transverse guide bars 16 and 17.

(55) The machine 10 can therefore carry out all the longitudinal cutting and/or creasing operations on the sheet F, using the different longitudinal working heads 32, while the transverse ones can also continue to be carried out, by means of the transverse working head 19.

(56) Please note that, irrespective of which transverse positioning device 47 or 48 is used, the longitudinal working heads 32 are however always guided with precision and reliability in the transverse direction T, thanks to the two transverse guide bars 16 and 17 disposed on opposite sides with respect to the different sliders 33 and to the big vertical distance between the individual rails of each pair of second and third rails 30 and 31.

(57) Moreover, also each clamping device 40, with the membranes 41 and 44 disposed between the second rails 30 and respectively between the third rails 31, guarantees and ensures a precise and stable positioning of each longitudinal working head 32 in the desired position.

(58) It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts and/or steps may be made to the machine 10 and corresponding method as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

(59) It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of the machine and/or method for working a sufficiently rigid material, suitable to make containers, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.