US 4,516,210 AGranted

Programmable tray forming machine

AssigneeMarq Packaging Systems, Inc.

InventorDouglas F. Dahlke

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A tray forming machine, including a programmable controller that controls: (a) the movement of tray blanks from a hopper (41) to a conveyor (73) that moves trays from a hopper station (31) through a glue station (33) to a mandrel station (35); (b) the application of glue to tray blanks (43) moved by the conveyor (73) through the glue station (33); and, (c) the formation of the tray blanks (43) into trays at the mandrel station (35), is disclosed. The programmable controller controls the operation of the tray forming machine in accordance with operator instructions, which include tray length, glue pattern length, margin distance and mandrel dwell time, plus on/off instructions regarding glue application and glue format (stitch or continuous). The readily changeable operator inserted instructions are entered via a control/display unit (135), which displays information about the function and changes being made when the instructions are being entered.

A programmable tray forming machine comprising:

(A) conveyor means for receiving tray blanks at a hopper station and moving said tray blanks from said hopper station through a glue station to a mandrel station;
(B) a hopper located at said hopper station for supplying tray blanks to said conveyor means;
(C) controllable tray blank loading means located at said hopper station for moving tray blanks one at a time from said hopper to said conveyor means;
(D) controllable glue means located at said glue station for selectively applying glue to tray blanks moved through said glue station by said conveyor means;
(E) a forming die located at said mandrel station;
(F) controllable mandrel means located at said mandrel station and aligned with said forming die for pressing tray blanks moved to said mandrel station by said conveyor means into said forming die to form said tray blanks into trays;
(G) a control/display unit for receiving programming information and instructions entered by an operator and displaying operator usable alphanumeric information;
(H) a plurality of sensing devices located at said hopper, glue and mandrel stations for sensing the movement of said tray blanks by said conveyor means and for sensing the operation of said controllable tray blank loading means and said controllable mandrel means;
(I) a plurality of controlled devices coupled to said controllable tray blank loading means, said controllable glue means and said controllable mandrel means;
and,
(J) a central processing unit coupled to said control/display unit, said plurality of sensing devices and said plurality of controlled devices for:
(1) receiving and storing said programming information and instructions entered by an operator;
(2) receiving from said plurality of sensing devices information regarding the movement of tray blanks by said conveyor means, the operation of said controllable tray blank loading means and the operation of said controllable mandrel means;
and,
(3) controlling said controllable tray blank loading means, said controllable glue means and said controllable mandrel means via said plurality of control devices such that:
(a) tray blanks are moved from said hopper to said conveyor means one-a-time by said controllable tray blank loading means;
(b) said glue means selectively applies glue to said tray blanks as said tray blanks are moved through said glue station by said conveyor means;
and,
(c) trays are formed by said mandrel means and said forming dies from said tray blanks are moved to said forming station by said conveyor means.

16 more elements

Abstract

Claims16