A closing station for closing a cardboard box formed about an article and partly open, the cardboard box being such as to comprise:
- a base wall, a first lateral closing wall hinged to a first transversal side of the base wall, a second lateral closing wall hinged to second transversal side of the base wall, a third lateral closing wall hinged to a first longitudinal side of the base wall, a fourth lateral closing wall hinged to a second longitudinal side of the base wall, an upper closing wall hinged transversally to the second lateral closing wall, on an opposite side with respect to the base wall, and a closing tab hinged transversally to the upper closing wall, on an opposite side with respect to the second lateral closing wall, and with the article arranged with the base thereof resting on the base wall and with a first lateral flank facing towards the first lateral closing wall, a second lateral flank, opposite the first, facing towards the second lateral closing wall, a third lateral flank, transversal to the first two, facing towards the third lateral closing wall, and a fourth lateral flank, opposite the third lateral flank, facing towards the fourth lateral closing wall, the cardboard box being such that the first lateral closing wall is arranged on the same plane as the base wall so that the first flank of the article is uncovered, the second lateral closing wall being folded with respect to the base wall so as to cover the second lateral flank of the article, the third lateral closing wall being folded with respect to the base wall so as to cover the third lateral flank of the article, the fourth lateral closing wall being folded with respect to the base wall so as to cover the fourth lateral flank of the article, and the upper closing wall being folded with respect to the second lateral closing wall so as to cover the upper face of the article and be arranged above the end of the third and fourth lateral closing walls, the closing station comprising an inlet, an outlet, a sliding plane between the inlet and the outlet, and a conveyor which extends from the inlet to the outlet along the sliding plane, wherein:
- the sliding plane comprises a transversal opening arranged transversally to the conveyor;
- the conveyor is able to receive, at the inlet, the cardboard box enveloped about the article with the base wall arranged resting on the conveyor and with the first lateral closing wall facing upstream, and the first lateral flank of the article facing upstream and transversal to the conveyor, and convey the cardboard box along the sliding plane towards the outlet;
- the closing station comprising:
- stop means, predisposed and activatable with respect to the sliding plane so as to abut the cardboard box and to halt the cardboard box when the base wall of the cardboard box has passed beyond the transversal opening so that the first lateral closing wall is situated above the transversal opening;
- first folding means predisposed with respect to the sliding plane so that they are movable between a lowered position, in which they are positioned below the sliding plane, and a raised position, passing through the transversal opening, wherein they are situated at a higher level than the sliding plane, so as to be activatable, following a halting of the cardboard box by the stop means, from the lowered position to the raised position for abutting the first lateral closing wall and rotating the first lateral closing wall with respect to the base wall so as to fold the first lateral closing wall with respect to the base wall and bring the first lateral closing wall into a vertical position facing and covering the first lateral flank of the article,
- glue application means, predisposed so as to be associated to the first folding means and to follow the movement thereof, and activatable for dispensing the glue, the first folding means being further predisposed, once moved and positioned in the raised position above the sliding plane, so as to be transversally translatable with respect to the sliding plane along the transversal opening so that they can slide in contact with and along the first lateral closing wall for maintaining the first lateral closing wall folded against the first lateral flank of the article, the glue application means being predisposed to be activated during the translation of the first folding means along the transversal opening for applying glue to the upper portions of the first lateral closing wall;
- second folding means, predisposed above the sliding plane and activatable for abutting the closing tab of the cardboard box for rotating the closing tab with respect to the upper closing wall so as to fold the closing tab with respect to the upper closing wall and take the closing tab against the first lateral closing wall, above portions on which the glue application means have applied glue, for reciprocally fixing and for completion of the closing of the cardboard box.