Douglas Machine Inc.

Apv Douglas Machine Corporation

Tetra Pak Holdings & Finance S.a.

Douglas Machine Limited Liability Company

David Leon Anderson

Paul Howard Wagner

Christopher Todd Davis

Irvan Leo Pazdernik

Richard Willard Lukanen, Jr

Ronald Matthew Gust

Jan T Hakansson

Daniel Leonard Floding

Aaron M Frederick

Harijs B Marovskis

James F Korkowski

Thomas H Peterman

Robert Allan Danner, Jr

Chad W Hahn

Jason P Lattimer

Craig D Sholts

Jeremiah D Rumohr

Glenn Lambert Stroeing

Donovan R Blakesley

A robotic case packer is provided. The packer includes a case conveying apparatus, a case set up station, a case loading station, downstream of the case set up station, and a loaded case closure station, downstream of the case loading station, the case conveying apparatus receiving and conveying a case blank for case set up, case loading and loaded case closure operations, a process flow path as to case operations delimited by the case conveying apparatus. The case set up station, characterized by a case set up robot operable in a process flow path direction, secures a case blank from a source of case blanks and transfers the blank to the case conveying apparatus. The case loading station, characterized by a case loading robot operable across the process flow path direction, transfers an article group for case loading into a set up case conveyed by the case conveying apparatus. The case closure station, characterized by a loaded case closure robot operable in the process flow path direction, effectuates a compressed sealed closure of a loaded case conveyed by the case conveying apparatus.

Robotic case packer platform and packing method

A system for loading an accumulated article group into a case is provided. The system includes an article accumulation station, a grouped article loading station, and a pusher assembly. The accumulation station includes an article receiver assembly in furtherance of delimiting an accumulated article group, and a grouped article guide structure within which the accumulated article group is positionable by operation of the article receiver assembly. The grouped article loading station includes a gate assembly, having first and second operable configurations, and an actuatable gate through which the accumulated article group passes during loading of the group into a case presented for receipt of same. The pusher assembly includes an actuatable pusher for effectuating a transfer of the accumulated article group from the accumulation station to the loading station, flat packing operations effectuated via transfer of the grouped article guide structure over the actuatable gate of the first operably configured pivotable gate assembly by the pusher, vertical packing operations effectuated via transfer of the accumulated article group to the actuatable gate of the second operably configured pivotable gate assembly.

Intermittent case packer assembly and methods

An apparatus for stacking incoming items includes a receiving mechanism for receiving incoming items, a stacking mechanism for receiving items from the receiving mechanism and stacking the items in a stacking area, a buffering mechanism for receiving incoming items when the stacking mechanism is full, and a stack unloading mechanism. Methods of operation include receiving an item in an item receiving mechanism, moving the item receiving mechanism to track the motion of a stacking mechanism, transferring the item from the receiving mechanism to the stacking mechanism, stacking the item in a stacking area, and unloading the stacking area when the stacking area is full of items.

Carton stacking apparatus and method

Holes are removed from nested product patterns by conveying products on a conveyance mechanism () through an infeed section () in nested pattern streams (a, a, b, b), into a narrowing section () of a width less than one and one half the product diameter. After the narrowing section (), the product streams (a, a, b, b) enter into an expansion section () where products move into a side-by-side product stream (a, a, b, b). Thereafter, nested product streams (a, a, b, b) are formed, which can be combined to form nested product streams (A, B) which can be further processed as desired.

Method and apparatus for removing holes from nested product patterns

A rotary unloader () removes articles () from a magazine () and includes a carriage () rotating about a primary axis and a carrier (), attached to the carriage (), rotating about a secondary axis. The secondary axis is separated from the primary axis by a first radial spacing. The carrier () may have one or more handlers () attached at a second radial spacing. Where the carrier () includes multiple handlers (), they may advantageously be equidistantly spaced and circumferentially located around the carrier (). The first radial spacing is smaller than the second radial spacing to ensure an outward disposition of the handler () with regard to the primary axis. Rotation of the carriage () about the primary axis may be coupled to the rotation of the carrier () about the secondary axis by a gear system. The simultaneous rotation of the carriage () and the carrier () cooperates to produce a reciprocal motion of the handler (). The handler () removes articles () from the magazine () during the reciprocal motion in order to minimize roll back or other problems. The rotary unloader () transports the article () to a receiver () and places the article () on the receiver () during a subsequent reciprocal motion. The receiver () may comprise an endless conveyor () and may have flights to capture and possibly shape the article () for further processing.

Multiple head rotary set-up

Apparatus (200) for opening the closure flaps (22-25) of a carton (12), for presenting the carton (12) for loading, and for closing the closure flaps (22-25) is disclosed including a carrier (202) which initially receives the carton (12). The carrier (202) carries the carton (12) into a carriage (226), with the carton (12) sandwiched therebetween. The closure flaps (22-25) are opened by a device (242) including fingers (254-257) which are pivoted to an expanded position after their insertion through an opening (27) in the closure flaps (22-25). An elevator (212) raises the carton (12) in the carriage (226) while the carton (12) is still under compression, with suction cups (56,171-173) then being attached to the closure flaps (22-25). The carriage (226) can then be moved to a loading position and back where the closure flaps (22-25) of the loaded carton (12) are fan folded by a device (120). The elevator (212) can then be lowered where the closed carton (12) can be pushed therefrom.

Tubular carton opening, presenting, and closing apparatus

A machine (10) for loading product onto trays or the like is shown in the preferred embodiment including paddles (16) pivotally mounted to spaced, horizontally arranged chains (30) located above the conveyor (12). A cam track (46) arranged above the chains (30) is engaged by cam followers (48) mounted on the paddles (16). The chains (30) are mounted at an angle relative to the conveyor (12). The paddles (16) are moved by the chains (30) to move longitudinally at the same speed as the product on the conveyor (12) while being held parallel to the movement direction of the conveyor (12) by the followers (48) engaging the cam track (46) to thus simultaneously move laterally across the conveyor (12) to push product located intermediate lugs (14) on the conveyor (12).

Tray loading machine

A machine for loading articles such as milk cartons in a crate and stacking the crates for transport is described. The crate has folding sides. A supply of crates stacked in folded condition is introduced into the machine. The crates are removed individually from the stack by the machine, the sides are raised, and the crates are arranged vertically on a conveyor in preparation to receive the filled cartons. Cartons are inserted into a crate, which is then banded by a plastic strip, and the crate is placed in a stack with other crates that have been filled with cartons. The stack of filled crates is then unloaded from the machine.

Method and apparatus for loading and stacking crates

A device (10) for metering containers (14) for use in packaging machines is disclosed as including a pin system (11) which is pivotally mounted about its drive shaft (22) relative to a conveyor (54). Pin system (11) includes a driven flexible member in the form of cross bars (16) mounted to a roller chain (18) in a generally elliptically shaped endless loop, with the pins (12) extending form the cross bars (16) and being operatively attached to cam followers (20) thereby. The elliptically shaped endless loop is supported by a cam support (24) extending between drive and idler sprockets (28, 32) for continuously changing the pitch angles of the pins (12) along a portion of the endless loop. The pin system (11) is variably positioned relative to the conveyor (54) by pivoting the pin system (11) about the drive shaft (22) such that the containers (14) initially contact the pins (12) at different segments of the endless loop portion along the cam support (24) and sprockets (28, 32) and are inserted into the windows between adjacent containers (14) to allow the device (10) to be easily and quickly changed over to meter different sized containers (14). In the preferred form, the pin system (11) is pivoted by a crank arm assembly (40, 42) which is pivoted by a worm gear drive (46, 48) rotated by a hand wheel (52).

Growing community of inventors

Alexandria, MN, United States of America

David Leon Anderson