Manufacturing container or tube from paper; or other manufacturi – Bending – Crushing or crumpling
Patent
1997-12-05
1999-04-27
Coan, James F.
Manufacturing container or tube from paper; or other manufacturi
Bending
Crushing or crumpling
493407, 493379, 101 31, 101 22, 101 23, B31F 100, B65D 8543
Patent
active
058974814
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a machine for continuously making cellular packaging from a web material such as paper which is moulding to create alveolus or cells according to several distribution patterns, and which are cut into rectangular pieces adapted to be placed e.g. in the bottom of boxes or crates.
The most usual application of such cellular packaging is the separation of fruits in a crate, each fruit having its own cell in which it is protected against any compression resulting from possible contacts with the neighbour fruits. There is usually only one layer of fruits to prevent also from any crushing of a layer by the weight of an upper layer.
The diameters of the cells, which are generally of hemispherical shape, are selected according to the fruits to be conditioned. Their primary function is therefore to prevent any contact between the fruits, and also to prevent any contamination when a fruit starts to go mouldy or to be rotten, which can happen as soon as a sound product contacts an altered product.
The machines for making such packaging make use of a continuous web-like material, generally a band of paper from paper rolls. Depending on the case, there can be used one or several rolls at the machine input, rotating freely and feeding continuously the machine.
Each paper web is then fed through a longitudinal station which creates a transversal crease of the web by means of a metal sheets system having transversal creases, and cooperating with rolls which press the web against the metal sheets, progressively achieving the creasing thereof.
The web(s) are then fed to the moulding station where the cells are moulded by a couple of substantially cylindrical rolls, one of said rolls having in its peripheral surface positive prints or moulds corresponding to the volumes defined by the cells and the other roll having in its peripheral surface corresponding negative prints or moulds. In other words, the moulds of one roll are fitting into the moulds of the other roll during the course of the process.
Said both rolls are therefore playing two functions: paper web which is fed therebetween.
At the output, a continuous web is obtained, in which cells are regularly distributed. Finally, to obtain packaging products commercially usable, it is provided an output station through which the cellular packaging material is transversally cut at regular intervals, and is also longitudinally cut, so that rectangular pieces having a size adapted to the boxes and crates provided to contain the fruits are obtained.
It is clear that such machines are representing an important financial investment, due to their size and their mechanical complexity, resulting from the number of functions they have to assume. In addition, such machines must be adapted to make cellular packaging for a variety of sizes and natures of fruits and/or vegetables.
However, it is also clear that, whereas each size of product requires a specific couple of rotative moulding rolls, it is obviously not possible to use machines having an unique couple of moulding rolls, except if using a plurality of machines, which would be financially unthinkable. It is therefore required to change the moulding rolls each time the product to be packaged changes.
However, in the presently used machines, such a change is time consuming. In fact, the moulding of the cells is carried out at elevated temperature and pressure, failing which the cells made in web would not last. The heat is generally provided by stream, at a pressure of about 10.10.sup.5 Pa, and at a temperature of about 200.degree. C.
The devices used to obtain such conditions are complex and difficult to assemble and dismantle.
One object of this invention is to provide a machine with moulds which are easy to assemble and dismantle, to be able to use the same machine with various product sizes.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a machine with heating means easy to control, which makes also easy the assembling and dismantling process of the machine.
Another object of the invention is to of
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Coan James F.
Kim Gene L.
Naturembal (S.A.)
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