Cartoning apparatus

A cartoning device for packing articles in a packing box formed by folding a sheet, the cartoning device then transporting the packing box in a box transport direction, the cartoning device comprising:

• a box transport rail extending along the box transport direction;
• a plurality of box transport shuttles movably arranged on the box transport rail so as to be movable in the box transport direction;
• a box transport linear motor mechanism configured to control the plurality of box transport shuttles independently of each other;
• a sheet feeder configured to
• absorb by suction the sheet from a sheet placement stage, then
• bring front and rear parts of the sheet in a transport direction thereof into contact with the box transport shuttles located frontward and rearward in the box transport direction to fold the sheet, and then
• feed the sheet onto the box transport rail;
• a pushing unit configured to push, in a direction intersecting the box transport direction, the articles into the folded sheet having moved rearward of the sheet feeder in the box transport direction by the box transport shuttles;
• and
• a sealer configured to seal the sheet by pressing, from above and from frontward and rearward in the transport direction and from a direction intersecting the box transport direction, the sheet having a to-be-packed number of articles pushed thereinto and having been moved rearward of the pushing unit in the transport direction by the box transport shuttles,
• wherein
• when located in the sheet feeder, the box transport shuttles receive the sheet with the box transport shuttles apart from each other across an interval greater than a bottom sheet portion of the sheet, and
• during movement from the pushing unit to the sealer, the box transport shuttle arranged frontward in the box transport direction is brought close to the bottom sheet portion so as to reduce an angle of a part frontward of the bottom sheet portion in the box transport direction relative to the bottom sheet portion.