Packaging machine for withdrawing and opening flat folded cases and for filling them with relative articles

Packaging machine for withdrawing flat folded carton blanks from a magazine where said carton blanks are stored in flat folded condition to form a stack, and for erecting and filling said cases with relative articles, including:

• a blank feeding line, cantilever supported by a fixed frame structure and equipped with first belt conveying means for conveying blanks withdrawn from said magazine, in flat folded condition;
• a withdrawal station where said flat folded blanks are withdrawn from said magazine, said withdrawal station being situated along said blank feeding line and equipped with bars for supporting a stack of blanks, and with stop means aimed at cooperating with the same bars so as to define a passage through which a single flat folded blank is withdrawn by the said first belt conveying means;
• a carton erecting device, situated downstream of the said withdrawal station and comprising a rotary member that carries gripping means located along the periphery of the said rotary member and including suction cups mounted on respective shafts pivoting on a rotary drum coaxial to and rotated in synchrony with said rotary member;
• further gripping means including suction cups situated over said rotary member and operated in phase relation with the said gripping means between a gripping position, in which said suction cups grip at opposed sides a flat folded blank, and an opening position in which adjacent wall panels of said blank are opened;
• a packaging line situated below the said blank feeding line and parallel thereto, supported in cantilevered fashion by the said fixed frame structure and equipped with second belt conveying means aimed at cooperating with a lower run of said first belt conveying means, so as to hold the cases, obtained from the said blanks, while conveying them;
• an article feeding line situated at the side of the packaging line, in intermediate position with respect to the said fixed frame structure for feeding articles to be packaged;
• a plurality of pushers carried along a closed path, that extends along a straight section at the side of the article feeding line, moved with a speed equal to the speed of said article feeding line, said pushers being operated axially when they run the above mentioned straight section, so as to push the articles inside respective cases;
• first adjustment means aimed at moving vertically a group comprising the said withdrawal station, said blank feeding line, and said carton erecting device, for adjusting height of said group in accordance with the height of the cases to be packaged, in such a manner that the distance between the lower run of the said belts conveying means first and second of the said packaging line is changed accordingly;
• second adjustment means equipped with a centralized control member aimed at operating, by means of flexible transmission means, actuating means for changing width of the blank feeding line, of the packaging line and of the magazine in accordance with the length of the cases to be packaged.