Package making – Methods – Applying a partial cover
Patent
1991-08-09
1993-02-02
Sipos, John
Package making
Methods
Applying a partial cover
53441, 53449, 53556, 53588, 53170, B65B 1304
Patent
active
051828944
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to apparatus and methods for wrapping articles.
It is known to package articles in flexible sheet material, particularly highly stretchable synthetic plastics film, by enclosing an article or pack of articles between two sheets of material or a folded single sheet and heat sealing otherwise free edges together. A continuous process uses apparatus that feeds the articles and the flexible sheet material in the same direction. We have considerable experience and expertise in this technology, called longitudinal packaging herein for convenience.
It is also known to apply bindings or wrappings, particularly of strong often substantially inextensible material, about articles, often already packaged, or to hold several articles together. A continuous process applies the binding or wrapping material helically about the article or articles and feeding that material in a direction generally transverse to the direction of feed for the articles.
Known apparatus for such helical packaging transports the article or articles concerned into and through a hole in a rotating ring that carries one or more freely revolvable reels of wrapping material and winds that material about the article or articles when partly through the ring. There may be more than one ring and the reels could be driven.
We have been investigating developing such apparatus and process for wrapping using highly stretchable sheet materials as a fast and flexible system in which adjusting the rate of article(s) feed and/or rotation speed of the ring enables formation of helical packaging with varying extents of overlap of successive windings, thus number of layers and strength of final packaging for any particular sheet material.
However, there are problems attaching to helical packaging of the sort of articles to which we previously readily applied what we have called longitudinal packaging. Basic practical apparatus for performing helical packaging can be considered as comprising two spaced aligned conveyor systems with the helical wrapping ring operative in a gap between those conveyor systems. The distance between the conveyor systems, i.e. the length of that gap, gives rise to two constraints, one that the packaging sheet must be of lesser width and the other that the articles to be packaged must be longer than that gap.
This invention arises from and resides in apparatus and methods that reconcile those two major problems and produce a viable system.
According to one aspect of this invention, there is provided a method of packaging articles of lesser length than a gap between in-feed and out-feed provisions for the articles and in which gap the articles are wrapped helically with flexible sheet material, the method comprising feeding said articles across said gap by their engagement with a band of packaging material moving therethrough, and incorporating that band into overall packaging of the article by helically wrapping the flexible and stretchable sheet material about the band as well as the articles.
Engagement of the articles by the band effective to draw the articles through the gap makes the band part of the article transport system as well as the finished package, and may be aided by adhesive on the articleengaging side of the band. Such a transporting band is conveniently considered as a sacrificial conveyor.
If the longitudinally moved band is located below the articles, and its nature is such that it will not of itself, nor even under practical tension applied in its travel through the gap at which helical wrapping is performed, satisfactorily support said articles, it is feasible to support the band itself, thus said articles, in said gap. At least for highly stretchable helical wrapping material with reasonable recovery, practical support means extends at least partly across said gap below said band and articles so as also to be wrapped temporarily by said helical wrapping material, but the helical wrapping material will shrink tightly onto the band and articles as they are drawn off the support means. A mechanic
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Elmwood Packaging Machinery Ltd.
Sipos John
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