The Ward Machinery Company

John R Van Noy

John R Harrison

Robert R Wells

Michael W Millard

Douglas T Benach

John H Bachmann, Jr

A machine or machine section for squaring folded container blanks has a conveyor for conveying slotted and partially folded container blanks. A folding device completes folding of each container blank while being conveyed by the conveyor. A gauge plate is inserted in a slot in each of the slotted and partially folded container blanks. A mechanism moves the gauge plate in timed sequence with the conveyor, inserts the gauge plate in the slot before completion of folding of the respective blank in order to 'square' the folded blank, and then withdraws the gauge plate from the slot. Overlapping flaps of each folded blank may be tacked together during 'squaring' by drops of hot melt adhesive which subsequently hold the flat folded blanks square while the conventional slow drying water soluble glue dries. The 'squaring' arrangement may be incorporated in a conventional gluer/folder machine.

Squaring folded container blanks

Sheet feeding apparatus, particularly for feeding corrugated paperboard sheets to container blank processing machinery, has an indexing transmission for cyclically accelerating and decelerating belts or the like for frictionally engaging and feeding sheets from an end of a stack of sheets. A cam arrangement cyclically shifts the feed belts or the like relative to a stack support surface between an operative position for feeding and an inoperative position. The accelerating and decelerating cycle of the belts occurs twice per machine cycle. The cam arrangement preferably comprises a single lobe cam and a double lobe cam, either of which can be selectively chosen for shifting the belts. When feeding one sheet per machine cycle of the downstream machinery, the single lobe cam is employed to shift the belts into the operative mode only once per machine cycle. Shorter sheets can be fed at twice the production rate by employing the double lobe cam to shift the belts into the operative mode twice per machine cycle, this mode taking advantage of the second accelerating/decelerating cycle of the belts.

Dual feeding of sheets of processing machinery

A rotary die-cut apparatus, in which a die roll cooperates with a resiliently covered anvil roll for die-cutting carton blanks passed therebetween, incorporates a constant mesh gear train between the die roll and the anvil roll for providing an infinite hunting ratio between the rolls. This provides more uniform wear of the anvil roll cover and prolongs its effective life. Preferably, this gear train includes a harmonic drive having a wave generator cam rotatable by a trim motor. An arrangement for sensing changes in diameter of the anvil roll due to wear of its cover may provide an input for determining the speed of the trim motor. A resurfacing mechanism for removing the outer surface of the cover when worn may provide this input. A pulse generator is preferably incorporated in a controller of the trim motor for periodically making random changes in the speed of the trim motor. The gear train, with or without the trim motor, preferably has a gear ratio through multiple pairs of gears which itself provides an infinite hunting ratio. A gear on the anvil roll concentric therewith may mesh inside an internally toothed ring gear, these gears remaining in mesh when the anvil roll is moved about an eccentric axis towards or away from the die roll. An electric register for registering the die roll may be interconnected with the trim motor for rotation of the anvil roll with the die roll when the apparatus is stopped.

Growing community of inventors

Baltimore, MD, United States of America

John R Van Noy