CUTTING SUPPLY UNIT AND METHOD FOR ITS OPERATION

Abstract

A blank supply unit, for providing flat blanks for production of dimensionally stable outer packaging, includes an input magazine for receiving a stack of blanks, a buffer magazine arranged downstream of the input magazine for receiving stacked blanks, a transfilling unit arranged between the input magazine and the buffer magazine, and a discharge unit for withdrawing a blank from the stacked blanks in the buffer magazine and transporting the blank on to a next processing station for the blank. The transfilling unit is configured for automatic, batch-wise refilling of the buffer magazine with blanks from the input magazine.

Claims

1. A blank supply unit for providing flat blanks for production of dimensionally stable outer packaging, the blank supply unit comprising: an input magazine for receiving a stack of blanks, a buffer magazine arranged downstream of the input magazine for receiving stacked blanks, a transfilling unit arranged between the input magazine and the buffer magazine, and a discharge unit for withdrawing a blank from the stacked blanks in the buffer magazine and transporting the blank on to a next processing station for the blank, wherein the transfilling unit is configured for automatic, batch-wise refilling of the buffer magazine with blanks from the input magazine.

2. The blank supply unit according to claim 1, wherein the transfilling unit comprises a transfilling conveyor belt and downstream and upstream deflection rollers associated with the transfilling conveyor belt, the downstream deflection roller is positioned or positionable in such a way that the transfilling conveyor belt can deposit a stack of blanks transported thereon in the buffer magazine, and the upstream deflection roller is displaceable between a pick-up position in which the upstream deflection roller is at least in contact with a side surface of the stack in the input magazine and a non-contacting rest position.

3. The blank supply unit according to claim 2, wherein the transfilling unit comprises a pusher configured to push a partial stack of blanks in the input magazine lying above a height of an upper run of the transfilling conveyor belt onto the transfilling conveyor belt.

4. The blank supply unit according to claim 2, wherein at least the upstream deflection roller of the transfilling conveyor belt is controllably height-adjustable.

5. The blank supply unit according to claim 1, wherein the input magazine has a rear side or longitudinal side which is different from a front side facing the transfilling unit and which is open or openable for filling the input magazine.

6. The blank supply unit according to claim 1, wherein the input magazine has a floor that is inclined or inclinable towards the transfilling unit.

7. The blank supply unit according to claim 1, wherein the input magazine or the transfilling unit is displaceable in a transverse direction relative to a transfilling direction.

8. The blank supply unit according to claim 1, wherein the input magazine has at least one interchangeable input box which can be filled with a stack of blanks.

9. The blank supply unit according to claim 1, wherein the blank supply unit comprises a removal device for removing an intermediate sheet in the stack of blanks of the input magazine.

10. The blank supply unit according to claim 1, wherein the discharge unit is designed so that it can withdraw a bottom blank from the stacked blanks in the buffer magazine.

11. The blank supply unit according to claim 1, wherein the blank supply unit comprises an additional buffer magazine, and the transfilling unit is configured to refill the additional buffer magazine from the input magazine.

12. The blank supply unit according to claim 1, further comprising a hold-down device which can be moved up and down in a controlled manner relative to the transfilling unit and is arranged such that the hold-down device can be moved towards an upper side of a downstream end of the transfilling unit in a transfilling direction.

13. A packaging machine for inserting and packaging articles in a dimensionally stable outer packaging, the packaging machine comprising: a carton erector for producing a carton from a flat blank of carton material, a plurality of robots along a transfer line for transferring articles into cartons, and the blank supply unit according to claim 1 for supplying the carton erector with blanks.

14. A method for supplying a carton erector of a packaging machine with individual blanks, the method comprising: filling an input magazine with at least one stack of blanks, automatically refilling a buffer magazine with partial stacks or an entire stack from the input magazine by transfilling, refilling the input magazine, automatically withdrawing a single blank from the buffer magazine, and feeding the blank to the carton erector.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the single blank withdrawn from the buffer magazine is a bottom blank of a stack of blanks in the buffer magazine.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein a capacity of the buffer magazine is chosen to be large enough so that the input magazine can be refilled by the packaging machine during a time it takes to use up a supply of blanks in the buffer magazine.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the transfilling is carried out by a transfilling unit including a transfilling conveyor belt and a deflector element associated with the transfilling conveyor belt, and wherein the transfilling comprises: placing the deflector element in contact with a side surface of a stack of blanks in the input magazine, driving the transfilling conveyor belt in a circulation direction and moving the deflector element into the stack of blanks, so that a partial stack of the stack of blanks located above the transfilling conveyor belt is automatically picked up onto the transfilling conveyor belt, and transporting the partial stack to the buffer magazine by the transfilling conveyor belt.

18. The blank supply unit according to claim 1, wherein the transfilling unit comprises a pusher configured to push a partial stack of blanks in the input magazine lying above an upper edge of a rear side of the buffer magazine into the buffer magazine.

19. The blank supply unit according to claim 1, further comprising a lifting device configured to adjust height of the input magazine.

20. The blank supply unit according to claim 10, wherein the discharge unit comprises a robot including a suction cup configured to engage on an underside of the bottom blank, and the robot is configured to withdraw the bottom blank from the stacked blanks in the buffer magazine.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0072] Embodiments according to the disclosure are described in more detail below by way of example. The following are shown:

[0073] FIG. 1A: A known packaging machine with an inclined magazine for the carton blanks, viewed from above.

[0074] FIGS. 1B1, 1B2: The known packaging machine of FIG. 1A viewed in the longitudinal direction with the discharge unit for the blank magazine in two different functional positions.

[0075] FIG. 1C: Another design of packaging machine, also viewed in the longitudinal direction, but with the same inclined magazine for carton blanks.

[0076] FIGS. 2A1, 2A4, 2A5, 2A7: A blank supply unit according to the disclosure on an otherwise known packaging machine viewed from above in various functional positions analogous to the numbering in FIG. 2B.

[0077] FIGS. 2B1, 2B8: The blank supply unit shown in FIG. 2A viewed in the longitudinal direction of the packaging machine in various functional positions.

[0078] FIG. 3: A second embodiment of the blank supply unit in various functional positions viewed in the same direction as FIGS. 2B1 to 2B7.

[0079] FIGS. 4A, B, C: A part of a third embodiment of the blank supply unit viewed in the same direction as FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0080] FIG. 5: A fourth embodiment of the blank supply unit viewed in the same direction as FIGS. 2-4.

[0081] FIG. 6: A representation similar to the enlargement in FIG. 2B2, but with very short blanks.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0082] FIGS. 1A, 1B1, 1B2 show a known packaging machine 100 in the form of a transfer line or picker line viewed from above and in the longitudinal direction 110.

[0083] In such a packaging machine 100, irregularly distributed articles A are transported on an article belt 101 which moves in the longitudinal direction 110, i.e., the article running direction, and in some casesbiscuits or packaged articles A for examplemay also lie on top of one another. On at least one side, in this case both sides, of the article belt 101, a carton belt 102 runs, on which cartons K are moved in the articles' longitudinal direction 110.

[0084] A plurality of robots 109 are arranged one after the other in the longitudinal direction 110, which pick up articles A from the article belt 101 and transfer them into a carton K on the carton belt 102 and in this way fill the cartons K.

[0085] In order for the robots 109of which only two are shown here, but in practice there are usually considerably more arranged one after the otherto know the position of the articles A on the usually permanently moving article belt 101, this is detected in the running direction 110 of the article belt 101 upstream of the first robot 109 by means of an optical sensor 117, usually a scanner 117 covering the entire width of the article belt 101.

[0086] In this case, the robots 109 are designed with a serial robot arm in which the robot's upper arm 107 is pivotable about a vertical axis relative to a robot base 108 and, at the free end of the upper arm 107, a lower arm 106 of the robot 109 is also pivotable about a vertical axis. At the free end of the lower arm 106 is the hand 105 of the robot with a suitable tool attached to it, the hand in this case comprising a vertical strutsee FIGS. 1B1 and 1B2so that the tool is displaceable in height relative to the lower arm 106 and is often also rotatable about a vertical axis.

[0087] The robots 109 are suspended by their robot base 108 from a cross-member 104 of the base frame 103 of the packaging machine which runs transversely above the rest of the packaging machine 100.

[0088] Alternatively, the robots 109 could also be robots according to FIG. 1C in which the upper arm 107 is pivotable relative to the robot base 108 about a horizontal pivot axis extending in the longitudinal direction 110, and the lower arm 106 is also pivotable relative to the free end of the upper arm 107 about a pivot axis extending horizontally in the longitudinal direction 110. Similarly, the hand 105 of the robot with the tool attached to it can be pivoted about such a horizontal longitudinal axis, so that such a robot 109 has only 3 degrees of freedom (moving in the vertical 112 and transverse directions 111 and pivoting about the longitudinal direction 110), whereas the robots of FIGS. 1A to 1B2 have four degrees of freedom, namely the three spatial directions and rotation of the tool about an upright axis.

[0089] FIG. 1C shows bottles that are to be placed in cartons K.

[0090] In FIG. 1C, the carton belt 102 is realized not as a conventional, endlessly circulating conveyor belt, but rather in the form of small, unmanned rail vehicles, in this case sleds 115 running along a rail 116a, b which is arranged on a track body 116 of finite length, once on its upper side and once on its underside.

[0091] As a result, cartons K which are to be filled and those which are partially or completely filled can be transported upright on the upper side by a rail vehicle 115 which travels on the upper side of the track body 116 along the rail 116a located there, while on the underside of the track body 116, along the rail 116b located there, the empty rail vehicles 115 can be moved back to the start of the track body 116, usually the start of the transfer line, i.e., for example to the first robot 109 in the article transport direction 110.

[0092] On both designs of the known packaging machine 100, the same design of blank supply unit 50 is shown, which supplies the carton erector 60 present on each carton belt 102 upstream of the transfer line with flat blanks Z in order to produce a 3 dimensional carton K, usually open at the top, and place it onto the carton belt 102 or onto the rail vehicle 115 in order to transport the cartons K and feed them into the transfer line.

[0093] The flat blanks Zas shown in FIGS. 1B1, 1B2 and 1Care held so that they stand in an inclined position in a horizontal row or stack outside the base frame 103 of the packaging line 100, standing slightly inclined and pushed by means of a magazine pusher 114 against a stop 113a of the inclined magazine 113, so that the blank Z resting against the stop 113 is the blank closest to the article belt 102.

[0094] This blank Z is removed by a discharge unit 4, here in the form of a robot with three degrees of freedom as described above with reference to FIG. 1C, positioned over an erecting die 61 and pressed through this die 61, as a result of which the flat blank Z is formed into a 3 dimensional carton K that is open at the top.

[0095] Before it can be transported further on the carton belt 102, it must be fixed in this erected state, for example by gluing its side walls together.

[0096] However, such an inclined magazine 113 must be regularly refilled manually by a machine operator, and, in order to avoid interruptions in the operation of the packaging machine, two blank supply units 50 are often provided one after the other in the longitudinal direction 110 for each carton belt 102, i.e., each with an inclined magazine 113 and carton erector 60. This adds to the overall length of the machine, increases costs and still requires regular attendance by the machine operator.

[0097] A blank supply unit 50 according to the disclosure as shown in FIG. 2A1 and the following figures seeks to avoid these disadvantages.

[0098] As can best be seen in FIG. 2B1, looking in the longitudinal direction 110 of the packaging machine 100, a buffer magazine 2 for blanks Z is provided in which the blanks Z lie on top of one another, i.e., in a vertical stack 2, and which can be refilled from above at any time, since it is open at the top, and from which the discharge unit 4again in the form of a robot 109 as described abovewithdraws a single bottom blank Z in a downward direction, or, conversely, filling takes place from below and withdrawal from above.

[0099] Downward withdrawal is possible by the discharge robot 109 engaging, for example, with a suction cup on the underside of the bottom blank Z which rests only by its corners or edges on supports 2a of the buffer magazine 2, which can easily be overcome by slight deformation of the engaged bottom blank Z without damaging the blank Z.

[0100] Then, as described above, the blank Z is pressed from above by the discharge robot 109 through the die 61 of the carton erector 60, thereby erecting it into the state required for filling.

[0101] This buffer magazine 2 is automatically refilled as required, usually at regular intervals, from an input magazine 1, in which blanks Z are also located one above the other, i.e., in a vertical stack S1, and which generally has a larger capacity than the buffer magazine 2 and therefore has to be refilled less frequently, thus requiring less time and manual effort.

[0102] For example, a Euro pallet loaded with blanks Z can be set down by a forklift directly in the input magazine 1, of which only the floor plate 1a is shown in FIG. 2B1 and the following figures, but which also has walls, as can be seen from FIGS. 2A1 to 2A7.

[0103] In this case, the input magazine 1 is positioned at a distance from the buffer magazine 2 in the transverse direction 111 of the packaging machine 100, but could also be positioned in the longitudinal direction 110 relative thereto.

[0104] The buffer magazine 2 is refilled from the input magazine 1 by means of a transfilling unit 3, for which there are several possibilities.

[0105] In FIGS. 2B1 to 2B8, this is a transfilling conveyor belt 5 which is controlled by the control system 50* of the blank supply unit 50, usually being integrated into the control system 100* of the overall packaging machine 100, as shown in FIG. 1A.

[0106] This transfilling conveyor belt 5 runs with an approximately horizontal upper run 5.1 generally over two deflection rollers 5a, 5b, which are spaced apart and mounted in a belt support frame 5A. At least the deflection roller 5a adjacent to the input magazine 1 can be displaced at least in the transfilling direction 10, in this case the transverse direction 111 of the packaging machine 100. Specifically, in this exemplary embodiment, the entire transfilling conveyor belt 5 can be displaced in this direction by moving its support frame 5A back and forth in this direction.

[0107] This enables a transfilling process as shown in FIGS. 2B1 to 2B8:

[0108] The transfilling conveyor belt 5 is brought into contact by its input-side end, here the deflection roller 5a, with the side surface of the stack S1 facing it in the input magazine 1 as shown in FIG. 2B1, at a certain height, usually a roughly predetermined number of blanks Z below the top blank Z.

[0109] By setting the transfilling conveyor belt 5 in motion with its upper run 5.1 in the direction of the buffer magazine 2, i.e., the transfilling direction 10, with sufficient horizontal contact pressure, the transfilling conveyor belt 5 slightly lifts the narrow side of the blank Z with which it is in contact, as shown in FIG. 2B2, so that this is the lowest blank Z of an upper partial stack S1.1, which is thus lifted on one side from the lower remaining stack, the partial stack S1.2, of the stack S1 in the input magazine 1.

[0110] This is continued until this end of the contacted blank is at the level of the upper run 5.1 of the transfilling conveyor belt 5 according to FIG. 2B3, which naturally requires the constant repositioning of this guide roller 5ain particular horizontally and against the transfilling direction 10towards the input magazine 1 so as not to lose contact with this bottom blank of the raised partial stack S1.1, preferably until this deflection roller 5a of the transfilling conveyor belt 5 is located in the wedge-shaped slot between the raised partial stack S1.1 and the remaining stack S1.2 located below it, as shown in FIG. 2B4.

[0111] By continuously moving the transfilling conveyor belt 5 in its circulation direction 10 and simultaneously moving the upstream deflector element, in particular the deflection roller 5a, into the stack S1 at the same speed, but against the circulation direction 10, the upper run 5.1 is rolled further and further along the underside of the partial stack S1.1 against the transfilling direction 10preferably without relative movement between the underside of the partial stack S1.1 and the upper run 5.1until the partial stack S1.1 lies on the upper run 5.1 of the transfilling conveyor belt 5 as shown in FIG. 2B5.

[0112] FIG. 2A1 also shows that, in this way, either only one buffer magazine 2 lying spaced apart in the transfilling direction 10 can be refilled from the input magazine 1, or two erectors 61 can be present on the packaging machine 100, for example spaced apart in the longitudinal direction 110 of the packaging machine 100, each with a buffer magazine 2 arranged next to it, and both buffer magazines 2 can be refilled, preferably alternately, from the input magazine 1.

[0113] For this purpose, the transfilling unit 3 must be controllably movable transversely to the transfilling direction 10 in order to move into a position aligned with the buffer magazine 2 which is not precisely opposite the input magazine 1, after a partial stack S1.1 has been picked up and deposited into it.

[0114] At the same time, FIGS. 2B1 to 2B5 show to the left of the buffer magazine 2 how the bottom blank Z of the stack S2 located therein is withdrawnfor example at the same time intervalsby the discharge unit 4, namely the robot 109, it being [0115] engaged from underneath (FIG. 2B1), [0116] pulled downwards and thus bent by its middle portion, as long as its edges are still resting on the supports 2a (FIG. 2B2), [0117] moved to the erector 60 after withdrawal of the separated blank Z from the buffer magazine 2 (FIG. 2B3), [0118] positioned by the discharge unit 4, in this case the robot 109, over the erecting die 61 (FIG. 2B4), and [0119] pressed into, in particular through, the die 61 and thereby erected so as to form a 3 dimensional carton K.

[0120] As soon as this has taken place, the entire transfilling conveyor belt 5 according to FIG. 2B6 moves, preferably horizontally, towards the buffer magazine 2, so that its deflection roller 5 facing the latter is located in the transfilling direction 10 close to and, in terms of height, with the upper run 5.1 above the upper end of the side wall of the buffer magazine 2 facing it, as shown in FIG. 2B6.

[0121] By further circulation of the conveyor belt 5 about its deflection rollers 5a, b, the picked-up partial stack S1.1 is dropped into the buffer magazine 2 from above as shown in FIG. 2B7, with an interior space of the buffer magazine 2 tapering conically from top to bottom or other previously described depositing aids (not shown) assisting the exact placement of the blanks Z on top of one another in the buffer magazine 2 as shown in FIG. 2B8.

[0122] The transfilling conveyor belt 5 then moves against the transfilling direction 10 back to the input magazine 1 to pick up the next partial stack from it.

[0123] This refilling of the buffer magazine 2 preferably already takes place when the uppermost blank Z in the buffer magazine 2 is not yet further away from the upper end of the side wall on the refilling side than the height of the partial stack S1.1 to be refilled.

[0124] FIG. 2A1 shows the situation in FIG. 2B1 viewed from above.

[0125] It can be seen that the rear side of the input magazine 1 facing the transfilling conveyor belt 5 is essentially open in order to allow the transfilling conveyor belt 5 to rest against the stack S1.

[0126] In order to have a limit stop for the stack S1 in the transfilling direction 10, the side walls of the input magazine 1 running in the transfilling direction 10 can have, only on the side facing towards the transfilling conveyor belt 5, a slight inward offset 1bas viewed from abovebut which it should preferably be possible to fold away outwards in a controlled manner, at least over the height of the upper partial stack S1.1 to be withdrawn.

[0127] To ensure that the blanks of the stack S1 rest against these stops 1b, these vertically extending stops can be inclined slightly forwards towards the top, which, however, makes refilling, e.g., by means of a forklift truck, somewhat more difficult.

[0128] FIGS. 2A4, 2A5, 2A7 show the situation corresponding to FIGS. 2B4, 2B5, 2B7 with the transported, refilling partial stack S1.1 in several functional positions.

[0129] It can be seen, for example, that the width of the transfilling conveyor belt 5 in the transverse direction 11 relative to the transfilling direction 10 is less than the width of the blank Z to be transfilled.

[0130] In FIGS. 2B1 to 2B8, the transfilling conveyor belt 5 is movable in the horizontal transfilling direction 10, but not in height, for example in order to adjust its height to the height of the upper end of the wall of the buffer magazine 2 facing it.

[0131] Furthermore, the remaining stack S1.2 in the input magazine 1, which becomes lower due to the withdrawal of the partial stack S1.1, must be moved upwards relative to the transfilling conveyor belt 5, this being done with the aid of a controlled lifting device 7 under the floor plate 1a of the input magazine.

[0132] Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3, the transfilling conveyor belt 5 or a differently designed transfilling unit 3 can instead be controllably height-adjustable, while the input magazine 1 is always at the same height, preferably at a height just above the ground, so that it can be reloaded particularly easily, including by means of a non-lifting handling vehicle such as a pallet truck.

[0133] After picking up a partial stack S1.1 from the input magazine 1, the transfilling conveyor belt 5, i.e., usually its support frame 5A together with the partial stack S1.1 loaded thereon, must then additionally move upwards to the discharge height with respect to the buffer magazine 2, i.e., with its upper run 5.1 at or above the height of the wall of the buffer magazine 2 facing it.

[0134] It should also be clarified that, instead of the aforementioned displacement of the transfilling conveyor belt 5 which has a constant length, i.e., a constant distance between its two ends, as shown here to the left and right, it would also be possible to leave the buffer-side deflection roller 5b or that end of the transfilling conveyor belt 5 stationary in the discharge position, i.e., at the correct distance from the buffer magazine 2, and instead change the length of the transfilling conveyor belt 5 between the two ends in order to make contact with the stack S1 or space it apart from the stack S1.

[0135] FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C first show a different embodiment of the transfilling conveyor belt 5 in which the conveyor belt 5 also runs over two deflecting rollers 5a, b, but the upstream end in the transfilling direction 10 runs over the offset of an offset support plate 14 as a deflecting element, and the most upstream deflecting roller 5a is located downstream thereof.

[0136] The same statements as above concerning the corresponding deflection roller apply in particular to such an offset support plate serving as a deflector element.

[0137] As a result, a significantly smaller deflection radius can be achieved at the deflection point of the conveyor belt 5, so that contact at the upstream end of the conveyor belt 5 with the end face of the stack S1 can be defined at only the end face of a single blank Z, thus enabling more defined lifting of the upper partial stack S1.1 with otherwise the same procedure as described above, i.e., also driving in this deflection point around the support plate 14 between the lifted partial stack S1.1 and the remaining partial stack S1.2 located below

[0138] FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C also show the special situation in which a so-called intermediate sheet ZBwhether made of cardboard or paper, usually the latteris inserted in a delivered stack S1 for the input magazine 1 at certain heights between the blanks, which usually protrudes over the edge of the stack S1 and must be removed when the blanks Z above it have been taken away.

[0139] Such intermediate sheets ZB are normally used for stabilization, especially if there is not a single stack of blanks on the pallet, for example, but two or more stacks lying next to one another, for example, in order to prevent relative movement between adjacent stacks by connecting them across the entire pallet via the intermediate sheet.

[0140] In order to be able to pass the partial stack S1.1 directly over an intermediate sheet ZB as shown in FIGS. 2B1 to 2B8 and/or FIG. 3, according to FIG. 4A the upstream end of the transfilling conveyor belt 5regardless of whether it is of the design shown in FIG. 4 or that of the preceding figureis moved downwards at a slight distance from, i.e., not in contact with, the end face of the stack S1.1 above the intermediate sheet ZB, this end of the conveyor belt 5 being moved downwards to an extent such that the part of the conveyor belt 5 furthest upstream, which can be seen as a point in this side view, is at the level of the end face of the bottom blank Z of this partial stack S1.1 and makes contact with it by moving horizontally against the transfilling direction 10 as shown in FIG. 4B, as a result of which the projecting edge of the intermediate sheet ZB is generally bent slightly downwards.

[0141] This partial stack S1.1 is then picked up and placed onto the transfilling conveyor belt 5 as described above, in particular by driving the upstream end into the resulting wedge-shaped gap between the raised partial stack S1.1 and the intermediate sheet ZB as shown in FIG. 4C.

[0142] After the partial stack S1.1 has been completely picked up as shown in FIG. 4D and transferred to the buffer magazine 2 as described above, the empty transfilling conveyor belt 5 is moved back towards the input magazine 1 and placed with its lower run 5.2 on the upper side of the intermediate sheet ZB as shown in FIG. 4E.

[0143] Then, by driving the conveyor belt 5 in the opposite direction to the transfilling circulation direction, i.e., in this case with the lower run 5.2 from right to left, the intermediate sheet ZB can be removed from the remaining stack S1.2 and ejected as shown in FIG. 4F, so that the transfilling conveyor belt 5 itself can be used as a removal device 13 for the intermediate sheet ZB without requiring an additional, separate removal device.

[0144] FIG. 5 shows a transfilling unit 3 of a fundamentally different design.

[0145] Instead of a transfilling conveyor belt, a simple pusher 6 is used here, which pushes a partial stack S1.1 horizontally from the input magazine 1 into the immediately adjacent buffer magazine 2 over the upper edge of its wall facing the input magazine 1.

[0146] For this purpose, again only the input magazine 1 should be displaceable in height by means of a lifting device 7, while the pusher 6 can always remain at the same height.

[0147] If the input magazine 1 has a lifting device 7, this can generally be used to lower its floor 1a to a height close to the ground in order to facilitate filling of the input magazine 1.

[0148] FIG. 6A shows the problem of blanks Z that are very short in the transfilling direction 10.

[0149] If the blanks are so short in the transfilling direction 10 that, when the upstream deflector element 5a is driven in and, depending on the thickness of the upstream deflector element 5a, the center of gravity SP of the partial stack S1.1only the centers of gravity of the individual blanks being shown in FIG. 6 for easier visualizationcan no longer reach a position above the upper run 5.1 before the partial stack S1.1 is positioned more and more upright by the deflection roller 5a and pressed against its rear abutment, usually the rear wall of the input magazine 1, additional measures must be taken.

[0150] One possibility is to reduce the height of the upstream deflector element 5a, for example by not using the deflection roller itself as the deflector element, but rather a support plate offset around a much smaller bending radius, as shown in FIGS. 4A-F.

[0151] As this may not be possible due to the corresponding parameters of the work order, and the deflection roller 5a must still be moved into the stack S1 and its diameter cannot be further reduced, the partial stack can be made to lie flat on the upper run 5.1 for example by means of a hold-down device 16, which can press vertically against the downstream end of the partial stack S1.1 in a controlled manner as shown in FIG. 6A until the underside of the stack rests on the upper run 5.1 as shown in FIG. 6B.

[0152] This is not critical because, when the transfilling conveyor belt 5 is driven in against the transfilling direction 10, its upper run 5.1 moves in the transfilling direction 10 at an equal and opposite speed, therefore no relative movement takes place between the underside of the hold-down device 16 and the partial stack S1.1.