METHOD AND EQUIPMENT FOR MANUFACTURING A PACKAGE, AND PACKAGE THUS FORMED

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a package composed of two cardboard bases and a window extending on the lateral faces between the cardboard bases involves preparing cardboard cutouts by cutting out, from a sheet, two parts that correspond, respectively, to the shape of the first and second cardboard base joined together by separable connecting zones. The cutouts are placed on a conveyor belt. Pressing rollers are applied to the cutouts and one of the rollers in contact with one of the parts is slowed down with respect to the roller in contact with the other part in order to cause tearing of the separable zones. The two parts are repositioned by moving them apart by a distance corresponding to the height of the window. The window is deposited in order to bond the edges on the corresponding edges of the parts, which are thus repositioned.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a package comprising first and second cardboard bases and a window extending on lateral faces between the first and second cardboard bases, the method comprising: preparing cardboard cutouts by cutting out, from a sheet, two parts that correspond respectively to the shape of the first and second cardboard bases joined together by separable connecting zones; placing the cardboard cutouts on a conveyor belt using a pair of motorized rollers supported on an upper surface of the cardboard cutouts; slowing down one roller of the pair of motorized rollers in contact with one of the two parts with respect to the roller in contact with the other part in order to cause tearing of the separable connecting zones; and depositing a window in order to bond the edges on corresponding edges of the two parts that are thus repositioned.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cardboard cutouts are deposited onto the conveyor belt in such a way that the center line passing through the separable connecting zones is oriented perpendicularly to the direction of movement of the conveyor belt, and wherein the motorized rollers are arranged transversely.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the slowing down of the one roller is controlled to cause the separable connecting zone to break and create a longitudinal offset between the two parts such that the two parts are separated by a distance corresponding to the height of the window.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising repositioning the two parts after the tearing of the separable connecting zones by a jogging module to ensure realignment of the two separated parts.

5. A system for manufacturing a package comprising two cardboard bases and a transparent window extending on lateral faces between the two cardboard bases, the system comprising: a conveyor belt; and two pressure rollers, rotation of two pressure rollers being controlled to cause the slowing down of one of the pressure rollers in contact with one of the two cardboard bases relative to the pressure roller in contact with the other cardboard base to cause separable zones to break, and to reposition the separated cardboard bases by moving them away from each other by a distance corresponding to the height of the window; and a mechanism for placing the window between the repositioned two cardboard bases and gluing the edges to the corresponding edges of the repositioned two cardboard bases.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a destacker for depositing the blanks onto the conveyor belt and a destacker for delivering the windows.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a jogger for realigning the cut and repositioned two cardboard bases.

8. A box comprising a plastic window between two cardboard bases, wherein the box is manufactured from a cardboard cutout formed from a two-part sheet corresponding respectively to the shape of the two cardboard bases joined together by separable connecting zones, the manufacture of the box being carried out according to the method of claim 1.

9. The system of claim 5, further comprising a jogger for realigning the cut and repositioned two cardboard bases.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The present disclosure will be best understood upon reading the following detailed description of a non-restrictive exemplary embodiment, while referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0027] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a package box according to the disclosure;

[0028] FIG. 2 shows a flat view of a package box according to the disclosure;

[0029] FIG. 3 shows a side view of the cardboard cutout according to the disclosure; and

[0030] FIG. 4 is a top view of a machine according to the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Description of One Exemplary Package

[0031] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary package consisting of two cardboard bases 100, 200 and a window 300 arranged between the two cardboard bases 100, 200.

[0032] The window 300 is typically cut in a PVC sheet, on which a groove 302 is applied to facilitate folding and prevent the PVC sheet, which is more rigid than cardboard, from tearing the cardboard at an edge in the zone where the cardboard and PVC are joined.

[0033] The transparent window 300 may also have indentations 301 on the edges, at the fold lines 302, to prevent the stiffness of the PVC from creating a deformation that exerts pressure onto the cardboard that could lead to a local tearing.

[0034] FIG. 2 shows the assembly between the cardboard blanks 100; 200 and the window 300 prior to forming.

[0035] The manufacture of a package box according to the disclosure includes the following main steps:

[0036] First of all, a series of blanks 100, 200 are cut from a cardboard sheet, separated by a transverse space 150 and punctually connected by separable zones 160, and these blanks are stacked on a destacker.

[0037] At the same time, a series of precut and pre-grooved windows are prepared and stored on another destacker.

[0038] The cardboard blanks are then dragged, one by one, onto a conveyor belt to a blanks processing station.

[0039] The cardboard cutout is stuck, at least for part of its travel, between the conveyor belt and a pair of rollers supported on the upper surface of the cutout. The rollers initially rotate at a speed synchronous with the belt so as to ensure the movement of the cutout without speed differential between the lower part and the upper part.

[0040] At this processing station, each of the blanks 100, 200 is then pulled in opposite directions perpendicular to the median of the transverse space 150. Such pulling is achieved by modifying the speed of the two rollers, when they are positioned on either side of the separable zone 160 of the cutout. For example, the roller behind this separable zone is slowed down in order to create a force in a direction perpendicular to the separable line.

[0041] This force causes the separable zones 160 to break and allows the two blanks 100, 200 to be moved apart, positioning them opposite each other with an offset corresponding to the transparent sheet of window 300.

[0042] A window is then transported in superposition with the two edges of the blanks 100, 200, an adhesive is applied to the edges of the strips 110, 210 and the window is applied to the glued zone.

Description of a Piece of Equipment for Implementing the Method

[0043] FIG. 4 shows a specific example of a piece of equipment for implementing the method according to the disclosure.

[0044] The equipment includes a suction belt 1 that runs longitudinally. The cutout 2 is deposited onto this suction belt 1 by a destacker, and slides under pressure rollers 3, 4, 5.

[0045] The cutout 2 is then driven between the belt 1 and a motorized transverse roller 6.

[0046] A belt jogging module 7 separates the two blanks 100, 200 from the cutout 2.

[0047] The purpose of the equipment is to detach and separate, parallel to a predefined distance, the cardboard cutout 2 consisting of two or three pieces held together by separable zones 160.

[0048] This separation is carried out continuously in the machine and linearly in the machine pitch.

[0049] After the separation of the cutouts 100, 200, a belt jogger 7 realigns the cardboard cutouts 100, 200 in parallel on the suction belt 1 and also ensures the correct positioning at a pre-programmed distance of the cutouts 100, 200 from each other.

[0050] During the transfer, the rear blank 100 of the cutout 2 is kept tight between the pressure rollers 6.

[0051] The pressure rollers 6 slow down while the front blank 200 of the cardboard cutout 2 travels on at the same speed as the suction belt 1 and is maintained under pressure by the pressure rollers 3, 4, 5 on the belt 1.

[0052] After separating the blanks 100, 200, the rollers 6 accelerate to return to the same speed as the belt 1 at a specific time, previously determined by the separation length of the two cuts 100, 200.

[0053] The separated blanks 100, 200 advance to the belt jogging module 7.

[0054] The blanks 100, 200 are then realigned by pushing and holding the right edges of the two cardboard blanks 100, 200.

[0055] A motorized toothed belt equipped with a cleat welded and synchronized to the feed of the blanks 100, 200, ensures braking and acceleration of the blanks 100, 200 on the suction belt 1, which also allows the spacing of the two blanks 100, 200 to be accurately finalized.

[0056] The belt jogging module 7 consists of two belt carriages mounted in parallel.

[0057] The two toothed belts are driven by a splined shaft with ball bushings, allowing each carriage to be adjusted laterally.

[0058] Each toothed belt is equipped with a welded cleat.

[0059] Each belt has a micro-adjustment device, which allows the two cleats to be aligned in parallel or to make an angular correction of the cardboard cutouts. The settings for synchronizing the cleats/the position of the cutouts can be configured at the machine console.

Principle for Alignment of 2 Blanks 100, 200:

[0060] Phase 1: The cleat pushes, from the back, the first blank 200 of the previously separated cardboard upstream.

[0061] Phase 2: Assisting the pushing of the first blank 200 from 2 mm to 5 mm.

[0062] Phase 3: End of the assistance to the pushing of the first blank 200 of the cardboard from 2 mm to 5 mm and return of the cleat backwards so that it is positioned on the front edge of the second blank 100.

[0063] Phase 4: Slowing down of the second blank 100 from 2 mm to 5 mm with respect to the belt 1, when the separable zone is between the first and the second rollers, then rotation of the cleat for preparing the next cardboard.