METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ERECTING AND FILLING A FOLDING BOX

Abstract

For the purpose of erecting and filling a folding box which has closure flaps on two opposite sides, the folding box is removed from a store and erected such that the closure flaps are arranged on its upper side and its underside. The lower closure flaps are folded over and the underside of the folding box is thus closed, whereupon products are introduced into the folding box. Then, the upper closure flaps are folded over, as a result of which the upper side of the folding box is closed. Thereafter, both the upper closure flaps and the lower closure flaps are fixed in their closed position in a downstream fixing apparatus.

Claims

1. Method for erecting and filling a folding box which has closure flaps on two opposite sides, the method comprising: removing the folding box in flat form from a store and erecting the folding box by an erecting apparatus such that the closure flaps are arranged on an upper side and an underside thereof, wherein the lower closure flaps, which are arranged on the underside of the folding box, are folded over and the underside of the folding box is thus closed, and thereafter introducing products into the folding box, and then folding the upper closure flaps, which are arranged on the upper side of the folding box, over and thus closing the upper side of the folding box, and thereafter fixing both the upper closure flaps and the lower closure flaps in a closed position in a fixing apparatus.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein fixing the closure flaps in the fixing apparatus takes place by adhesive bonding and/or stapling and/or by an adhesive tape.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein fixing the upper closure flaps takes place at least to some extent at the same time as the operation of fixing the lower closure flaps.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the folding box has the underside thereof resting on a bearing surface during the step of introducing the products.

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein the bearing surface is formed on a conveying apparatus.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein the folding box is retained by a positioning device during the step of introducing the products.

7. Method according to claim 6, wherein the positioning device has at least one sucker and/or at least one stop.

8. Apparatus for erecting and filling a folding box which has closure flaps on two opposite sides, the apparatus comprising a store, in which the folding box is accommodated in flat form, removal apparatus, by which the folding box can be removed from the store, an erecting apparatus, by which the folding box can be erected such that the closure flaps are arranged on an upper side and an underside thereof and the lower closure flaps, which are arranged on the underside of the folding box, are folded over and the underside of the folding box is thus closed, a filling apparatus, by which products can be introduced into the folding box, a closure apparatus, by which the upper closure flaps, which are arranged on the upper side of the folding box, can be folded over and the upper side of the folding box can thus be closed, and a fixing apparatus, which has an upper fixing unit, by which the upper closure flaps can be fixed in an upper closed position and which is arranged downstream of the closure apparatus, and has a lower fixing unit, by which the lower closure flaps can be fixed in a lower closed position, wherein the lower fixing unit is arranged downstream of the closure apparatus.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the upper fixing unit and the lower fixing unit are arranged one above the other.

10. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the folding box can be guided through between the upper fixing unit and the lower fixing unit.

11. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the upper fixing unit and/or the lower fixing unit are/is designed in the form of an adhesive-bonding unit and/or of a stapling unit.

12. Apparatus according to claim 8, further including a conveying apparatus, by which the folding box can be transported through the fixing apparatus.

13. Apparatus according to claim 8, further including a positioning device, by which the folding box can be positioned, and fixed, in the filling apparatus.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the positioning device has at least one sucker and/or at least one stop.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Further details and features of the invention can be gathered from the following description of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawing, in which:

[0032] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of the individual phases of the method for erecting and filling a folding box, and

[0033] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a folding box in the positioning device, prior to the box being filled.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of the operations in an apparatus 10 for erecting and filling a folding box FK. A stack 19 of folding boxes FK is accommodated in a shaft-like store 11. By means of a removal apparatus 12, which can be an industrial robot, the lower folding box FK is removed from the folding-box stack 19 and fed to an erecting apparatus 13, as is indicated by the arrow E.

[0035] In the erecting apparatus 13, the flat folding box FK is erected by being moved against corresponding stops or forming surfaces. It is possible here for the folding box FK to be retained and moved by the same industrial robot which is also part of the removal apparatus 12. Once the folding box FK has been erected, it is of cuboidal shape or cubic shape, with for example four side walls, in its central part and bears upper closure flaps L.sub.O on its upper side and lower closure flaps L.sub.U on its underside, although these are still located in their open position, as is illustrated schematically in FIG. 1.

[0036] The folding box FK is then closed on its underside by the lower closure flaps L.sub.U being folded over. Fixing of the lower closure flaps L.sub.U by adhesive bonding or stapling does not yet take place. The folding box FK, closed on its underside, is then set down on a set-down surface 14 of a conveying apparatus 23, as is indicated by the arrow A. Since the folding box FK has its underside resting on the bearing surface 14 of the conveying apparatus 23, the lower closure flaps L.sub.U are retained in their closed position. The folding box FK is still open on its upper side, since the upper closure flaps L.sub.O are not yet in their closed position.

[0037] The folding box FK is then transported, by means of the conveying apparatus 23, to a filling apparatus 15, in which products P, for example packs, are introduced into the folding box FK from above, as is indicated by the arrow B. An industrial robot can be used for the operation of introducing the products P.

[0038] While the folding box FK is being filled, it is expedient for it to be positioned, and retained, securely. It is illustrated in FIG. 2 that the folding box FK, in the filling apparatus 15, is arranged in a positioning device 20, which has two parallel guide rails or stops 22, between which the folding box FK is retained with a close fit. In addition, or as an alternative, it is possible to provide at least one sucker 21, which is brought into abutment with an outer side of the folding box FK and is then activated so that the sucker 21 securely positions, and retains, the folding box FK.

[0039] Once the desired number of products P has been introduced into the folding box FK, the latter is transported, by means of the conveying apparatus 23, to a closure apparatus 24, in which the upper closure flaps L.sub.O are folded over and the folding box FK is thus closed. This can be achieved by means of stops or forming surfaces, against which the upper closure flaps L.sub.O of the folding box FK are moved.

[0040] The folding box FK filled with the products P and closed, albeit not fixed, on its underside and its upper side is then transported to a fixing apparatus 16 by means of the conveying apparatus 23. The fixing apparatus 16 has a lower fixing unit 17 and an upper fixing unit 18, between which the folding box FK is arranged. The lower fixing unit 17 fixes the lower closure flaps L.sub.U by adhesive bonding and/or by means of adhesive tapes and/or by stapling. At the same time, the upper fixing unit 18 fixes the upper closure flaps L.sub.O likewise by means of adhesive bonding and/or by means of adhesive tapes and/or by stapling. The folding box FK is then in a state in which it has been filled and securely closed.