Method for manufacturing a divider for a cardboard box

A method for manufacturing a divider for insertion into cardboard boxes, comprising the steps of:

• continuously feeding strips of flexible material along a path,
• providing said strips with longitudinal grooves which will define fold lines in a longitudinal direction and which divide the strip into longitudinal bands,
• applying an adhesive to at least some of said strips in transversely offset positions,
• directing said strips to converge progressively until they overlap on each other and adhere to each other under pressure applied at the transversely offset positions at which the adhesive is applied to said at least some of said strips to form an assembly of strips which are overlapped and adhered to one another, and
• continuously cutting the assembly of strips which are overlapped and adhered to one another by means of transverse cutting operations to provide pieces which will constitute the folded dividers which will be unfolded and adhered to sides of a box, said cutting step comprising the step of forming in each of said transverse cutting operations a plurality of inwardly directed recesses at a first longitudinal end of each of said pieces and a plurality of outwardly directed projections at an opposite, second longitudinal end of an adjacent one of said pieces such that said outwardly directed projections are complementary to said inwardly directed recesses.