A production line for making a covered box, comprising:
- a forming machine, configured to receive a cardboard box blank and to fold it to form the box, wherein the box blank includes a base, configured to define a base wall of the box and a plurality of side panels, connected to the base and foldable to define longitudinal side walls and transverse side walls of the box, and wherein the forming machine includes a plurality of folders and a movement system configured to receive the box blank oriented horizontally and to move it along a vertical direction, wherein the folders are configured to interact with the side panels to fold them along the vertical direction;
- a gluing unit, configured to receive a paper covering blank and to spread glue on the covering blank, wherein the covering blank includes a base, a plurality of panels connected to the base and a plurality of fold-over flaps connected to the panels;
- a positioning device, configured to receive the box from the forming machine (2) and the covering blank from the gluing unit and to position the box on the covering blank in such a way that the base wall of the box rests on the base of the covering blank;
- a covering machine, configured receive the box coupled to the respective covering blank from the positioning device and to fold the covering blank into contact with the box in such a way as to cover the box,
- wherein the movement system of the forming machine comprises a plurality of columns, extending along the vertical direction, and configured to abut against the base of the box blank received in the forming machine, wherein the columns of the plurality of columns are movable along the vertical direction to push the box blank in the vertical direction,
- wherein the plurality of side panels includes longitudinal panels, connected to the base along longitudinal sides of the base, and transverse panels, connected to the base along transverse sides of the base, transverse to the longitudinal sides, wherein the covering blank also includes a plurality of fold-over flaps, connected to the longitudinal panels, wherein the covering machine comprises:
- a plate, which is movable along a vertical direction, the plate being configured to receive the covering blank and the box, with the base of the covering blank coupled to the base wall of the box, wherein the longitudinal side walls of the box received by the plate are oriented along a longitudinal vertical plane, parallel to the vertical direction and to a longitudinal direction, and the transverse side walls are oriented along a transverse vertical plane, parallel to the vertical direction and to a transverse direction,
- a first folding station, configured to fold longitudinal sides of the covering blank, disposing them in the longitudinal vertical plane, with the longitudinal panels in contact with an outside surface of corresponding longitudinal side walls of the box;
- a second folding station, configured to fold transverse sides of the covering blank, disposing them in the transverse vertical plane, with the transverse panels in contact with an outside surface of corresponding transverse side walls of the box,
- a plurality of intermediate folders, each of which is configured to fold a corresponding fold-over flap, causing it to be folded from the longitudinal vertical plane to the transverse vertical plane and positioned in contact with the transverse side walls of the box.