Folding station of a cardboard blank and a machine for packing an article internally of a cardboard box obtained from the cardboard blank

A machine for packing an article internally of a cardboard box obtained from a cardboard sheet, comprising:

• a store in which a continuous strip of cardboard is predisposed, folded on itself to form a fanfold;
• a sectioning station of a cardboard sheet from the continuous strip of cardboard, which sectioning station is situated downstream of the store and comprising:
• a conveyor plane, predisposed so as to be able to restingly receive the continuous strip of cardboard which is unwound from the fanfold, conveying means, for advancing the continuous strip of cardboard along the conveyor plane in an advancement direction and for halting the continuous strip of cardboard for enabling cutting thereof, a sectioning group, predisposed above the conveyor plane, for sectioning the cardboard sheet from the continuous strip of cardboard, forming a cut edge of the cardboard sheet and at the same time realising a first-formed transversal score line, parallel to the cut edge of the cardboard sheet;
• a score line forming station, downstream of the sectioning station, into which the cut cardboard sheet coming from the sectioning station is fed, and advanced in the advancement direction, comprising:
• first score line forming means predisposed to realise, on the cardboard sheet, two longitudinal score lines parallel to the advancement direction and parallel to longitudinal edges of the cardboard sheet, distanced from one another by a distance corresponding to a length of the base of the article to be packed, so as to identify, in the cardboard sheet, a central sector and two lateral sectors;
• second score line forming means that are predisposed for realising three additional transversal score lines parallel to one another, and parallel to the first-formed transversal score line, and mutually distanced so as to define, in the central sector, together with the first-formed transversal score line, five portions:
• a first portion, between the first additional transversal score line and the second additional transversal score line having dimensions corresponding to the base of the article to be packed;
• a second portion, between a first transversal edge of the cardboard sheet and the first additional transversal score line, having dimensions corresponding to a first flank of the article;
• a third portion, adjacent to the first portion, between the second additional transversal score line and the third additional transversal score line having dimensions corresponding to a second flank of the article, opposite the first flank;
• a fourth portion, between the third additional transversal score line and the first-formed transversal score line, having dimensions corresponding to the upper face of the article;
• and a fifth portion constituted by a strip of material of the cardboard sheet between the first-formed transversal score line and a second transversal edge of the cardboard sheet;
• and
• third score line forming means which are predisposed so as to realise, in the portions of the cardboard sheet of the two lateral sectors, at flanks of the first portion, a first pair of longitudinal folding lines and a second pair of longitudinal folding lines, parallel to the two longitudinal score lines and having a same width extension as the first portion,
• a transversal cutting station, downstream of the score line forming station, into which the cardboard sheet is fed in an advancement direction with the longitudinal score lines in the central sector, the first-formed transversal score line and the three additional transversal score lines and the pairs of folding lines, in the two lateral sectors, comprising cutting means for carrying out four transversal cuts for each of the two lateral sectors of the cardboard sheet, at the first-formed transversal score line and the three additional transversal score lines, so as to obtain:
• at the two ends of the second portion, a first reinforcing flap and a second reinforcing flap;
• at the two ends of the first portion, a first lateral enveloping flap, containing the first pair of longitudinal folding lines which identify a first folding tab between the longitudinal folding lines of the first pair and the first longitudinal score line, a second folding tab between the longitudinal folding lines of the first pair and the edge of the first enveloping flap, and a central portion between the two longitudinal folding lines of the first pair, and a second lateral enveloping flap, containing the second pair of longitudinal folding lines which identify a third folding tab, between the longitudinal folding lines of the second pair and the second longitudinal score line, a fourth folding tab between the longitudinal folding line s of the second pair and the edge of the second enveloping flap and a central portion between the two longitudinal folding lines of the second pair;
• at the two ends of the third portion, a third reinforcing flap and a fourth reinforcing flap;
• at the two ends of the fourth portion, a fifth reinforcing flap and a sixth reinforcing flap;
• and forming, between the fourth first-formed transversal score line and the second transversal edge, a tab for closing the cardboard box, so as to provide, at the outlet of the transversal cutting station, a cardboard blank for packing an article;
• a first folding station, downstream of the transversal cutting station, into which the cardboard blank is fed in an advancement direction, and at which:
• the first reinforcing flap and second reinforcing flap are folded, with respect to the first and the second longitudinal score line, on the second portion of the central sector, for obtaining a first lateral closing wall;
• the third reinforcing flap and fourth reinforcing flap are folded, with respect to the first and the second longitudinal score line, on the third portion of the central sector, for obtaining a second lateral closing wall;
• the fifth reinforcing flap and sixth reinforcing flap are folded, with respect to the first and the second longitudinal score line, on the fourth portion of the central sector, for obtaining an upper closing wall;
• the first folding tab of the first lateral enveloping flap is folded, with respect to the first longitudinal score line, for superposing a part of the first portion of the central sector and forming a reinforcing edge, leaving the central part of the first lateral enveloping flap in the raised position, defining a third lateral closing wall, and the third folding tab of the second lateral enveloping flap is folded, with respect to the second longitudinal score line, for superposing a part of the first portion of the central sector and forming a reinforcing edge, leaving the central part of the second lateral enveloping flap in the raised position, so as to define a fourth lateral closing wall,
• a feeding station of an article to be packed, to which the cardboard blank coming from the first folding station is fed and wherein the article to be packed is deposited and rested on the first portion of the cardboard blank, with a first flank facing towards the first lateral closing wall, a second flank, opposite the first, facing towards the second lateral closing wall, a third flank, transversal to the first two, facing towards the third lateral closing wall, and a fourth flank, opposite the third, facing towards the fourth lateral closing wall;
• a second folding station at which the cardboard blank with the article rested thereon, on the first portion thereof, is fed and advanced in the advancement direction, comprising:
• first folding means for rotating the third lateral closing wall, with respect to the folding line which separates it from the first folding tab, and folding the third lateral closing wall up to when it goes to cover the third flank of the article, and for rotating the second folding tab, with respect to the fold line which separates it from the third lateral closing wall, and folding the second folding tab up to superposing it on a part of the upper face of the article;
• second folding means for rotating the fourth lateral closing wall, with respect to the folding line which separates it from the third folding tab, and folding the fourth lateral closing wall up to when it goes to cover the fourth flank of the article, and for rotating the fourth folding tab, with respect to the fold line which separates it from the fourth lateral closing wall, so as to fold the fourth folding tab up to superposing it on a part of the upper face of the article;
• means for applying glue predisposed for applying glue on the second and fourth folding tab folded onto the upper face of the article;
• blocking means, for blocking and halting the cardboard blank once the means for applying glue have applied the glue;
• third folding means for rotating the second lateral closing wall, with respect to the second transversal fold score, so as to fold it with respect to the first portion on which the article is rested up to when it goes to cover the second flank of the article, and fourth folding means for rotating, in succession, the upper closing wall, with respect to the third additional transversal score line, for folding it with respect to the second lateral closing wall up to when it goes to cover the upper face of the article, and therefore provide in outlet from the second folding station a cardboard box partially closed with the packed article internally thereof;
• a final closing station, situated downstream of the second folding station, to which the partially-closed cardboard box is fed, and comprising:
• stop means activatable for halting the partially-closed cardboard box;
• fifth folding means predisposed for being activated once the partially-closed cardboard box has been halted for rotating the first lateral closing wall, with respect to the first additional transversal score line, so as to fold it with respect to the first portion on which the article is rested so that it goes to cover the first flank of the article;
• a glue applying organ, functionally associated to the fifth folding means, and predisposed for applying glue on a part of the first lateral closing wall while it is folded by the fifth folding means against the first flank of the article, and sixth folding means activatable for rotating the closing tab, with respect to the first-formed transversal fold line, and folding the closing tab with respect to the upper closing wall against the upper part of the first lateral closing wall on which the glue had been applied, in order to make it adhere thereto and complete the closing of the cardboard box with the article packed internally thereof, in order to provide at the outlet of the final closing station the cardboard box completely closed with the packed article internal thereof.