Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to the apparatus and
method of making double-faced, corrugated boxes with
printing thereon and more particularly, for making such
boxes in a continuous process.
Heretofore, boxes formed or corrugated material
with flat sheets at opposite sides of a corrugated
coil were made by severing the three-layered material
into individual boards and subsequently, printing, cutting,
and scoring in multiple stages of operations. The
corrugated material presents problems in attempting
to use contlnuous processes because of the rigidity of
the material which prevents sufficient flexibility for
rotary opera-tions.
It is an object of the invention to provide
a method and apparatus for forming a printed, corrugated
- box from a continuous web of double-faced corrugated
material, one face of which is printed.
It is another object of the invention to
provide apparatus for forming printed corrugated boxes
in which the web of material is delivered continuously
to a reciprocating press at which the web ma-terial is
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cut and scored.
Still another object of the invention is to
provide an accumulator arrangement in which web material
is supported in a manner receiving the material cont~nuously
and delivering it intermittently.
It is an object of the invention to provide
a method and apparatus of forming printed corrugated
boxes continuously in which means are provided to
add flexibility to a web of corru~ated material making
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it possible to use equipment for handling flexible webs.
The objects of the invention are accomplished by
apparatus in which a web of paper mat;erial is printed with
various indicia and messages including a printed reference mark
and wherein another web of single back corrugated paper web is
formed. The printed web and the single-backed web are joined
-toge-ther to form a double-backed continuous web of printed
corrugated web material. ~he double-backed printed material is
delivered continuously from a firs-t station to an accumulator and
from the accumulator the material is delivered at an intermittent
rate to a reciprocating press in which the web material is cut
and scored to form a box blank. Between the first and second
station is an accumulator which suspends the web material with
the length of web between the first and second stations varying
between a maximum and a minimum. Control means are provided for
regulating the speed of delivery from the first station so that
the speed varies between a maximum and minimum. Such speed is
varied under the influence of control means which respond to the
maximum length of material in the accumulator to cause delivery
at a minimum rate and respond to a minimum length of material in
the accumulator to deliver the web at a maximum rate. ~eans also
are provided to make even thick corrugated material which
normally is very stiff and substantially inflexible adapted for
use in an accumulator which requires longitudinally Flexible
materials by making spaced false scoring or lines of
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weakening -to make the otherwise relatively stiff
material sufficiently flexible for use with the accumulator.
The objects of the invention are accomplished
by the embodin;ent disclosed in t:he following description
and illustrated in the drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a diagramrnatic view of the apparatus
for continuously forming foldable box blanks of pre-
printed corrugated material;
Fi-~ure 2 illustrates an example of the type oE
~o~ blank that can be formed;
Figure 3 is a bottom view of a portion of
the double-faced corrugated material after it has been
printed,
Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view of a portion
of the apparatus illustrated in Figure l;
Figure 5 is an enlarged top view of a portion
of a clamping element shown in Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a side view of the clamping arrange-
ment illustrated in Figure 5;
Figure 7 is a view of a section of the
corrugated material as it appears in one stage of the
method of forming box blanks; and
Figure 8 is a view showing a section of the
corrugated material as it appears in a la-ter stage
of the blanking operation.
Figure 1 il]ustrates the apparatus by which
foldable carton 12, that is, blanks of pre-printed
corrugated material, such as shown in Figure 2 can be
produced for subsequent assembly. Such cartons 12 can
take a variety of shapes but by way of example can have
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four sides 14 foldable along longitudinally ex-tending
score or crease lines 16. The sides 14 are foldable
along the score lines 16 and a tab 18 attached -to one
of the sides may be glued to the side at the opposite
edge of the blank 12. Similarily, bottom tabs 2 and
21 can be folded along transversly extending score line
22 and glued to form the bottom of the carton. Side
flaps 23 and box cover 24 can be folded along score
line 25 to close the top of the box. The box blank
12 can be pre-printed in one or more colors at locations
- shown for example by the markings 27 and 28.
The carton 12 is made of double-faced corrugated
paper formed in the initial stages of the carton forming
apparatus 10. As seen in Figure 1 a paper web 30 is
delivered to a corrugating machine 32 and results in
a corrugated web 34 which is bonded to a web 35 to form
a single-faced web 36. The web 36 has corrugations
which extend generally transversly making the web 36
relatively stiff in a transverse direction but permitting
flexibility in a longitudinal direction. This makes
it possible for the web 36 to be temporarily stored at
an accumulator station indicated at 40. The accumulator
station 40 can be in the form of a platform 41 per-
mitting the web 36 to be in a slack condition for
removal from the accumulator qO on demand from a roll
42 forming a Eirst conveyor.
Paper stock in the form of a weh 44 can be
delivered on demand to a printing machine 46. In the
printing machine 46, the web 44 can be printed in one
or more colors with various messag~s and designs
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and delivered from the machine in the form of a printed
web 48 includes the printed markings 27 and 28 also
seen in the carton blank l2 in the Figure 2. In addition,
the web 48 is printed with registration marks 50 along
the margin of the printed web 48.
The printed web 48 is delivered Erom the
printer 46 over rolls 52 to a backing machine 56
sometimes called a double-backer. The sinyle-faced
web 36 also is delivered to the backing machine 56
after it has first passed through a gluing station 58
at which adhesive is applied to the corrugated web
portion. Subsequently, the printed web 48 is joined
with the single-faced web 36 at the roll station 60
and is delivered through the backing machine 56 where
the joined webs are heated by electric heaters 61 and
the adhesive is cured so that the single-faced web
36 and the printed web 48 are joined together to form
a double-backed web 62. The web 62 moves to rolls
designated at 64 which form a conveyor means for
discharging the web 62 from the backlng machine 56.
The double-backed web 62 having a corrugated
core and backing at opposite sides is moved through the
backing machine 56 at a speed determined by a motor
66 regulated by a control mechanism 6~.
From the double-backer machine 56 the web
62 is delivered through an accumulator station 70 and
through a cut-ting and scoring press or station 72.
The press includes a stationary die 74 and
a reciprocating die 76. The reciprocating die 76 is
moved up and down vertically at a uniform speed. As
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-the web 62 enters the reciprocati.ng press 72, the dies
74 and 76 meet to cut and score the web 62. During
such cutting and scoring the web 62 must be momentarily
stopped. Nevertheless, the die 76 can be reciprocated
at a relatively fast rate, for example, approximately
75 cycles per minute during which time the longitudinally
and transversely extending score lines are formed and
the perimeter oE the carton 12 is cut.
The web 62 must be supplied to the press 72
in-termittently by supply rolls 78 which must supply
the web 62 in a rnotion synchronized to the motion of
the press 72. More particularly, the web 62 must be
delivered in accordance with the position of the pre-
printed material 27 and 28 on the web 62. Such synchron-
ization is accomplished by a scanner 80 disposed along
one edge of the web 62 to sense the position of
the registration marks 60 and signal a control system
82 which regulates a motor mechanism 84 driving the
supply xolls 78 in synchronization with the reciprocation
of the die 76. In this manner, the press 72 reclprocates
at a constant rate and the supply rolls 78 deliver the
printed double-backed web material 62 intermittently
through the press 72 to insure that the cutting and
scoring portions of the dies 74 and 76 are appropriately
aligned with the printed markings 27 and 28. If the
position of the pre-printed materials 27 and 28 should
vary, so also will the position of the registration
marks 50 and the intermitten-t rate of the supply
. rolls 78 will be similarily varied to insure that the
position of the printed material is properly synchronized
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with the movement of the dies 74 and 76 rela-tive to
each otherr
The accumula-tor station 70 disposed between
the rolls 6~ and -the supply roll 78 of the press 72
must accomodate the problem of receiving the web 62
at a relative continuous rate from the rolls 64 dis-
posing or delivering the web 62 intermittently at the
supply rolls 78. Alsol both the continuous delivery
rate from the accumulator 70 are variable. Both sets
of rolls 64 and 78 are operated simultaneously but
substantially independently of each other although the
rates of operation are selected to be generally
similar.
The accumulator station 70 includes a pair
Oe similar but oppositly extending flexible support
members 86 in the form of bent, flexible rods made of
material such as fiberglass reinforced resin, for ex-
ample. Each of the support rods 86 is bent into a
general U-shape with a bight portion 88 adapted to
be disposed at the underside of the web 62 and a pair
of legs 90 extending from the bight 88 and having their
free ends fixed by brackets 92 at opposite of the path
of the web movement and associated with the backing
machine 56 and with the press 72.
As seen in Figures 5 and 6 the brackets 92
include stacked washers 93, 94 and 95 which clamp
each of the legs 90 to a rod 96 transversly to the
path of movement of the web 62 by means of a bolt 97.
The bracket arrangements 92 make it possible to adjust
the inclination of the support rods 86 relative to the
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transverse rods 96 so that the web 62 passing over
the bight portions 88 deflects the suppor-t rods 86
and resiliently supports the web 62.
The web 62 passes from the rolls 64 and over
the bight portion 88 of the rod element 86 associated
with the backing machine 56 and over the bight 88 of
the other rod element associated with the press 72.
As shown in Figure l, the web 62 which is flexible due
to the transversly extending corrugations, drapes
between the two bight portions 88 to form a loop lO0
which varies in length from a maximum indicated in
the full line position in Figure l to a minimum 1ndi-
cated in broken line at 102. In the maximum length
position of the loop lO0, the web 62 engages a switch
mechanism 104 which sends a signal to the control
mechanism 68 regulating the speed of the motor 66.
Control mechanism 68 may be of a type which controls
the motor 66 to operate at either a maximum speed or
a minimum speed, with both of such speeds being select-
- 20 able.
As the web 62 1eaves the delivery rolls 64
and is draped in the maximum length position shown at
lO0 in Figure l, switch 104 is engaged to cause the
motor to drive the rolls 64 at its lowest selected
speed. Eventually this will cause the supply rolls 78
to transport the web fi2 at a faster rate than ,it is
being delivered by the rolls 64. This results in the
web 62 r,~oving toward the minimum length position indicated
at 102 and out of engagement with the control switch 104.
Such movement :results in regulating the control 68 so
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that the motor 66 increases its speed to the selected
maximum rate and the web 62 is subsequently delivered
from the rolls 64 at a higher rate. Eventually, if
the web 62 again comes into engagement with the switch
104, speed of the delivery from backing machine 56 will
be diminished. In this manner the web 62 is draped in a
position varying between its maximum length at 100 and
its minimum length at 102. During such movement of
the web 62, the rod elements 86 act to support the web
62 and permit it to move vertically and horizontally in
undulating motions which are absorbed by the rod
elements 86.
In actual practice it was found that glass
rods having a diameter of about one-half of an inch
were adequate to support a length of relatively heavy
. ~eight of corrugated paper stock.
After the cut and scored web 62 leaves the
cutting and scoring station or press 72 the box blanks
12 can be separated from the scrap portion of the web
62 and the cut and scored blanks 12 can be stacked in
unfolded condition for shipment to a point at which they
can be assemhled to receive the materials to be
packaged.
The successful operation and synchronization
of the continuously moving web with the intermittently
opera-ting presC, 72 relies on the longitudinal flexibility
of the corrugated, double-hacked material so that it
can assume a draped position between the rods 86
associated with the backing machine 56 and the press 72.
As flexibility is relatively easily achieved with thinner
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sizes of corrugated double-backed material. However,
when the corrugated web material is of a thicker
dimension the longitudinal stiffness of the material
is increased so that i-t does not easily form a loop
between the positions indicated at 100 and ln2 in Figure
1. with thinner webs of corrugated material the
threading of the material between the roll 42 from the
accumulator 40 the the glue station indicated at 48
can be over roll 110 and as indicated in dotted lines
at 112 over a pair of rolls 114 and 116 to the glue
station 58. This path of movement as indicated in part
by the lines 112, bypasses scoring apparatus indicated
at 120. The scoring apparatus 120 includes a pair
or rotating cyliners 122 and 124 the rotation of
which is synchronized with the printing machinel46 by
drive means 126. The cylinder 124 is provided with a
bar 128 which e~tends the full length of the cylinder
124 and transversly to the direction of travel of the
web 36. When the web 36 is of a heavier material it
is threaded between the rolls 114 and 116 over the
cylinder 122 so that the web 36 passes through the nip
between the rolls 122 and 124 and thereafter to the
glue station 58.
As the cylinders 122 and 124 rotate in
unison and ln synchronization with the printing machine
46, the bar 138 engages a single corrugation and
crushes it to form a crushed corrugation 132 is in a
predetermined fi~ed relationship relative to the ~
registration marks 50 printed on the web 48 coming from
the printing machine 46 and in uniformly spaced
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relationship as illustrated, for example, in Figure 3~
After leaving the scoring apparatus 120, the single
backed corrugated web 36 passes under roll 116 to the glue
station 58. The glue station 58 includes a glue application roll
134 which applies glue to the corrugations 130 of the web 126.
The adhesive which can be in the nature of a solution of corn
starch is applied only to the tips of the corrugations 130
leaving the crushed corrugation 132 without any adhesive.
Subsequently, at the roll station 60 forming the entry to the
backing machine 56, the web 36 and the prin-ted web 48 are brought
into contact wi-th each other and after passing through the
backing machine ~6 results in the finished double-backed web 62
which is delivered from the roll station 64. Since adhesive is
not applied to the crushed corrugation 132 a line of weakening is
formed which extends transversely of the web 62 as indicated at
the crushed corrugation 132 in Figure 8. As a result as the web
62 enters the accumulator station 70 and passes over the flexible
rod 86, the web 62 folds due to it own weight along the resultant
line of weakening so that it is free to assume the looped
position between the positions indicated at 100 and 102. This
permits operation of the accumulator 70 to properly synchronize
the delivery of the web 62 to the reciprocating press 72.
In effect the scoring apparatus 120 forms a false score
that weakens the web 62 so that it can fold in either direction.
The line of weakening is located at the edge of each box or
carton blank 12. In other words, the spaced apart a distance
equal to the dimension
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of a single box blank 12 and occur at the opposite edges
of the portion from which the blank 12 is formed.
To conver-t the apparatus from an arrangement
to handle relatively heavy corrugated material to one
processing corrugated materials which are move flexible
longitudinally, it is possible t:o bypass the scoring
apparatus 120 by rethreading the web 36 to travel in
the path indicated by broken lines 112 in Figure 1.
The method and apparatus for forming web
material and particularly corrugated double-backed
material into foldable box blanks has been provided in
which single-backed corrugated web material and a pre-
printed web of material are joined together to form a
double-backed, printed corrugated web from which foldable
box blanks are cut and scored by a reciprocating press.
The press receives the web of material intermittently
from an accumulator mechanism which receives the double-
backed corruga-ted material. The accumulator receives
material continuously at a rate varying between a
maximum and a minimum and delivers it to the press at
an intermittent rate which causes the web material in
the accumulator to vary between a maximum and a minimum.
Means are provided responding to the variable length
of the web material passinq through the accumulator
so that when the web material therein is at a maximum
length, the delivery of web material to the accumulator
is reduced to a minimum and when the length of material
is at a minimum, the rate of delivery is increase~, there-
by making it possible to form foldable pre-printed box
blanks of corrugated material by employing a reciprocating
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press. The accumulator relies on the longitudinal
flexibility of the web of corrugated material and such
flexibility is enhanced in heavier grades of corrugated
stock by an apparatus which forms lines of weakening
permitting transverse folding of the web at uniformly
spaced locations.
