Method and apparatus for forming corrugated board carton blanks

• US 20050209075A1
• Filed: 11/04/2004
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alejandro Gonzalez, Michael E. Kocherga
• Original Assignee: Alejandro Gonzalez, Michael E. Kocherga
• Inventors: Kocherga, Michael E., Gonzalez, Alejandro
• Granted Patent: US 7,326,168 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 493/11
• CPC Class Codes: B31B 50/146 using tools mounted on a drum
• CPC Class Codes: B31B 50/20 Cutting sheets or blanks
• CPC Class Codes: B31B 50/252 using presses or dies
• CPC Class Codes: B31B 50/254 using tools mounted on belts or chains
• CPC Class Codes: B31B 50/256 using tools mounted on a drum
• CPC Class Codes: B31F 1/08 Creasing corrugating B31F1/20; zig-zag folding B65H45/20 ; combined with folding B31F1/0012, B31F1/0022; grooving by cutting B26D3/06, B26D3/08; by milling grooves B23C3/30; of plastics material B29C53/06
• CPC Class Codes: B31F 1/10 by rotary tools

Abstract

An in-line method and apparatus for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board include: a laminating station for completing the formation of a corrugated board having a corrugated medium, an inner liner, and a printed outer liner; an adhesive setting station for curing adhesive in the corrugated board; and a creasing, cutting, and scrap removal station for repeatedly forming sets of fold lines and cuts in the corrugated board to make carton blanks. The sets of fold lines and cuts may be formed by rotary or flatbed dies and a control system properly locates the sets of fold lines and cuts and printed matter on the outer liner relative to each other on the carton blanks being formed.

Claims

1. A method for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process, comprising:

continuously feeding a first corrugated board comprising a corrugated medium and an inner liner into a laminating station;

the inner liner having a first major surface bonded to the corrugated medium and a second major surface that forms interior surfaces of cartons made from carton blanks made in the in-line manufacturing process;

continuously feeding a printed outer liner into the laminating station;

the printed outer liner having a first major surface to be bonded to the first corrugated board and a second major surface with printed matter and/or other markings thereon that forms exterior surfaces of cartons made from the carton blanks made in the in-line manufacturing process;

continuously bonding the first major surface of the printed outer liner to the first corrugated board in the laminating station with an adhesive to form a second corrugated board comprising the corrugated medium, the inner liner and the printed outer liner;

continuously feeding the second corrugated board, with the adhesive sufficiently set to maintain the printed outer liner in a fixed position relative to a remainder of the second corrugated board, through a creasing and cutting station for repeatedly making a set of fold lines and a set of cuts in the second corrugated board to successively form carton blanks from the second corrugated board that can be folded and glued to make cartons;

repeatedly creasing and cutting the second corrugated board as the second corrugated board is fed through the creasing and cutting station to repeatedly make the set of fold lines and the set of cuts in the second corrugated board to successively form carton blanks from the second corrugated board that can be folded and glued to make cartons; and

continuously feeding the carton blanks into a take off station for removal from the in-line manufacturing process.

2. The method for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process, according to claim 1, wherein:

the second corrugated board is maintained in a sufficiently planar state throughout the in-line manufacturing process to cause the carton blanks formed to be substantially planar.

3. The method for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process, according to claim 1, including:

heating the adhesive as the second corrugated board is fed from the laminating station to the creasing and cutting station to quicken the setting of the adhesive.

4. The method for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process, according to claim 1, wherein:

the sets of fold lines are formed in the corrugated board with a creasing die; and

the sets of cuts are formed in the corrugated board with a cutting die.

5. The method for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process, according to claim 4, wherein:

the creasing die and the cutting die are rotary dies that have their creasing and cutting operations coordinated to form the carton blanks; and

the sets of fold lines are formed prior to forming the sets of cuts.

6. The method for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process, according to claim 1, wherein:

the second major surface of the printed outer liner has a series of registration marks for cooperating with sensor and control means to properly register the printed matter and/or other markings on the second major surface of the printed outer liner with the creasing and cutting operations in the creasing and cutting station so that the sets of fold lines, the sets of cuts and the printed matter and/or other markings are properly located on the carton blanks;

the locations of the registration marks on the second major surface of the printed outer liner are detected with a sensor and control means as the second corrugated board passes through the creasing and cutting station and compared to an optimum location for the registration marks that optimizes the locations of the sets of fold lines, the sets of cuts, and the printed matter and/or other markings on the carton blanks; and

the creasing and cutting operations in the creasing and cutting station are controlled, according to the detected locations of the registration marks relative to the optimum location, to properly register the printed matter and/or other markings on the second major surface of the printed outer liner with the creasing and cutting operations in the creasing and cutting station so that the sets of fold lines, the sets of cuts, and the printed matter and/or other markings are properly located on the carton blanks.

7. The method for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process, according to claim 6, wherein:

the sets of fold lines are formed in the second corrugated board with a creasing die;

subsequently, the sets of cuts are formed in the second corrugated board with a cutting die; and

the creasing die and/or the cutting die are moved in the direction of travel of the second corrugated board to properly register the printed matter and/or other markings on the second major surface of the printed outer liner with the creasing and cutting operations in the creasing and cutting station so that the sets of fold lines, the sets of cuts, and the printed matter and/or other markings are properly located on the carton blanks.

8. The method for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process, according to claim 6, wherein:

the second corrugated board is maintained in a substantially planar state throughout in-line manufacturing process so that the carton blanks are substantially planar.

9. The method for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process, according to claim 6, including:

heating the adhesive as the second corrugated board is fed from the laminating station to the creasing and cutting station to quicken the setting of the adhesive.

10. The method for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process, according to claim 1, wherein:

the sets of fold lines and the sets of cuts are simultaneously formed in the second corrugated board with a flat bed creasing and cutting die.

11. The method for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process, according to claim 10, wherein:

the second corrugated board is periodically deflected upstream of the creasing and cutting station to periodically stop the travel of the second corrugated board through the creasing and cutting station for an instant while the sets of fold lines and the sets of cuts are simultaneously formed in the second corrugated board with the flat bed creasing and cutting die; and

the periodic deflection of the second corrugated board maintains the second corrugated board in a sufficiently planar state that the second corrugated board returns to its pre-deflected condition after being deflected and the carton blanks formed are substantially planar.

12. The method for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process, according to claim 1, wherein:

the first major surface of the inner liner is directly bonded to a first side of the corrugated medium and the first major surface of the printed outer liner is directly bonded to a second side of the corrugated medium.

13. An apparatus for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process, comprising:

means for continuously feeding a first corrugated board comprising a corrugated medium and an inner liner into a laminating station;

the inner liner having a first major surface bonded to the corrugated medium and a second major surface that forms interior surfaces of cartons made from carton blanks made in the in-line manufacturing process;

means for continuously feeding a printed outer liner into the laminating station;

the printed outer liner having a first major surface to be bonded to the first corrugated board and a second major surface with printed matter and/or other markings thereon that forms exterior surfaces of cartons made from the carton blanks made in the in-line manufacturing process;

means for continuously bonding the first major surface of the printed outer liner to the first corrugated board in the laminating station with an adhesive to form a second corrugated board comprising the corrugated medium, the inner liner and the printed outer liner;

means for continuously feeding the second corrugated board, with the adhesive sufficiently set to maintain the printed outer liner in a fixed position relative to a remainder of the second corrugated board, through a creasing and cutting station for repeatedly making a set of fold lines and a set of cuts in the second corrugated board to successively form carton blanks from the second corrugated board that can be folded and glued to make cartons;

means for repeatedly creasing and cutting the second corrugated board as the second corrugated board is fed through the creasing and cutting station to repeatedly make the set of fold lines and the set of cuts in the second corrugated board to successively form carton blanks from the second corrugated board that can be folded and glued to make cartons; and

means for continuously feeding the carton blanks into a take off station for removal from the in-line manufacturing process.

14. The apparatus for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process according to claim 13, including:

means for maintaining the second corrugated board a sufficiently planar state throughout the in-line manufacturing process to cause the carton blanks formed to be substantially planar.

15. The apparatus for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process according to claim 13, including:

means for heating the adhesive as the second corrugated board is fed from the laminating station to the creasing and cutting station to quicken the setting of the adhesive.

16. The apparatus for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process according to claim 13, wherein:

the means for repeatedly creasing and cutting the second corrugated board as the second corrugated board is fed through the creasing and cutting station is a creasing die that forms the sets of fold lines in the second corrugated board and a cutting die that forms the sets of cuts in the second corrugated board.

17. The apparatus for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process according to claim 16, wherein:

the creasing die and the cutting die are rotary dies that have their creasing and cutting operations coordinated to form the carton blanks; and

the rotary creasing die is located upstream of the rotary cutting die.

18. The apparatus for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process according to claim 13, including:

sensor and control means;

for detecting the locations of a series of registration marks on the second major surface of the printed outer liner of the second corrugated board as the second corrugated board passes through the creasing and cutting station;

for comparing the detected locations of the registration marks to an optimum location for the registration marks that optimizes the locations of the sets of fold lines, the sets of cuts, and the printed matter and/or other markings on the carton blanks; and

for controlling the creasing and cutting operations of the creasing and cutting station, according to the detected locations of the registration marks relative to the optimum location for the registration marks, to properly register the printed matter and/or other markings on the second major surface of the printed outer liner with the creasing and cutting operations in the creasing and cutting station so that the sets of fold lines, the sets of cuts, and the printed matter and/or other markings on the second major surface of the printed outer liner are properly located on the carton blanks.

19. The apparatus for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process according to claim 18, wherein:

the means for repeatedly creasing and cutting the second corrugated board as the second corrugated board is fed through the creasing and cutting station is a creasing die for forming the sets of fold lines in the second corrugated board and a cutting die for forming the sets of cuts in the second corrugated board; and

the sensor and control means moves creasing die and/or the cutting die in the direction of travel of the second corrugated board to properly register the printed matter and/or other markings on the second major surface of the printed outer liner with the creasing and cutting operations in the creasing and cutting station so that the sets of fold lines, the sets of cuts, and the printed matter and/or other markings are properly located on the carton blanks.

20. The apparatus for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process according to claim 18, including:

means for maintaining the second corrugated board in a substantially planar state throughout in-line manufacturing process so that the carton blanks formed are substantially planar.

21. The apparatus for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process according to claim 13, including:

means for heating the adhesive as the second corrugated board is fed from the laminating station to the creasing and cutting station to quicken the setting of the adhesive.

22. The apparatus for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process according to claim 13, wherein:

the means for repeatedly creasing and cutting the second corrugated board to form the sets of fold lines and the sets of cuts in the second corrugated board as the second corrugated board is fed through the creasing and cutting station is a flat bed creasing and cutting die.

23. The apparatus for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process according to claim 22, including:

means for periodically deflecting the second corrugated board upstream of the creasing and cutting station to periodically stop the travel of the second corrugated board through the creasing and cutting station for an instant, while the sets of fold lines and the sets of cuts are simultaneously formed in the second corrugated board with the flat bed creasing and cutting die, that maintains the second corrugated board in a sufficiently planar state to cause the second corrugated board to return to its pre-deflected condition after being deflected and the carton blanks formed are substantially planar.

24. The apparatus for making a corrugated board and carton blanks from the corrugated board in a continuous in-line manufacturing process, according to claim 13, wherein:

the first major surface of the inner liner is directly bonded to a first side of the corrugated medium and the first major surface of the printed outer liner is directly bonded to a second side of the corrugated medium.