Focke & Co.

Focke & Pfuhl

Kurt W Liedtke

Heinz H Focke

Jurgen Focke

Hans J Bretthauer

Focke Heinz

Dietrich Muller

Hans-Jurgen Blichenberg

Dieter Schmidt

In the production of packs, especially hinge-lid packs, from rigid packaging material (thin cardboard), hitherto individual blanks have been supplied in stacks and introduced into the packaging machine in succession. To make the handling of the blanks easier and to increase the storage capacity, the blanks (23) are now connected to one another via residual connections (25) into a continuous web of material (24) wound as a reel (30). Within the packaging machine, the blanks are severed from the web of material (23) in succession, specifically as a result of the elimination of the residual connections, preferably by being torn off. The residual connections (25) are formed in a region of the blanks (23) or in the region of folding tabs of the latter which, in the finished pack (hinge-lid pack), are concealed by other folding tabs, that is to say are on the inside.

Drum eccentrically wound with a web of pre-punched packaging blanks

Process, web of material and apparatus for producing packaging blanks

In the production of (cigarette) packs made of blanks of thin cardboard, the latter are delivered as blank stacks, normally stacked on pallets. The blank stacks delivered in this or other ways have to be continuously filled into supply magazines of high performance packaging machines. It is therefore necessary, particularly because of the high working speed of the packaging machines, to mechanize and to a large extent automate the transport of the blank stacks. Transporting blank stacks is quite problematic because of accelerations and decelerations occurring at the same time. The basic embodiment of the invention therefore provides a so-called endless pocket conveyor between a feed station and a supply magazine, the pockets of the conveyor holding a blank stack each and not only transporting the blank stacks but also fixing them in proper stack position during transport so that individual stacks can be automatically pushed out of the conveyor pockets and into the magazine. Insofar as further shifts and intermediate transports are necessary, the invention also provides mechanisms which ensure a transport of the blank stacks without endangering the stack arrangement.

Apparatus including an endless pocket conveyor for automatically

Process and apparatus for the stocking (storage) of (pack) blanks and for feeding these to a folding unit of a packaging machine. The supply of packaging material to a packaging machine is especially difficult in the processing of blanks made of cardboard. Supply becomes easier if blanks joined together via residual connections are conveyed as a web of material in the packaging machine. Especially favorable storage of blanks (11) connected to one another is possible if the web of material (19) so formed is arranged in a zigzag-shaped manner as a result of oppositely directed folding and the blanks are stacked in this way. The stacks (15) formed can be kept in stock in a space-saving way and fed to an extraction station, in which the web of material (19) is drawn off from the stacks (15) and restored to the extended state. Appropriately, a plurality of stacks (15) is connected to one another, specifically via vertical web portions (23) from one stack to another, to form a continuous web of material (19).

Process and apparatus for the stocking (storage) of (pack) blanks and

A process and an apparatus for the extraction of pack blanks (10) from a blank magazine (25). A special problem with high-performance packing machines is the extraction of blanks from the blank magazine (25) of the packing machine, especially thin cardboard blanks which are produced outside the packing machine. The 'transfer rollers' so far mainly used herefore take a lot of time and are ponderous due to their complex motions. In order to extract respective lowermost blanks (10) from a blank magazine (25), there is provided an extractor in the form of a blank segment (39) which grasps a blank at one side and leads the blank (10) with slight deformation, namely in an acute angle, to the plane of a conveyor track (38). Because of the very sparse movements of the blank (10) during extraction, the extraction process can be performed within short strokes.

Apparatus for extracting (pack) blanks from a blank magazine

Foil pack for paper tissues. Packs for stacks of folded paper tissues (10) are made of very thin plastic foil or film. For easier usage, these packs have lately been provided with tear-open aids, especially in the region of a front wall (11) of the cuboidal pack. In order to open and reclose the pack, a tear-open flap (22) is defined by perforation lines (23, 24, 25) in the region of the front wall (11), which can be opened and reclosed with the aid of a covering adhesive flap (37). In order to increase the function value of the foil pack, the tear-open flap (22) limited by side perforations (23, 24) is narrower than the front wall (11), especially such that a recess (32) of sufficient size for extracting a paper tissue (10) is formed. Adjoined to the perforations of the tear-open flap (22) is a transverse perforation (28, 29) in the region of a front edge (26), which is opened by way of lifting the end wall of the pack. Herewith, an extraction opening (21) extending across the whole width is formed. With this embodiment of the tear-open aid it is of advantage to design the pack such that folding flaps of the end wall 16 are separated by means of punch cuts (43, 44) and can thus be folded in rectangular shape.

Foil pack for paper tissues

Supporting machine parts (cheeks) and movable machine parts, especially levers of a machine are provided with interspaces and/or cavities (pores) for proofing against or the damping of sound vibrations or sound-generating vibrations, the interspaces and/or cavities being filled with a sound-proofing or sound-damping material.

Sound-damping machine parts

In packaging machines with an integrated apparatus for the production, storage and conveyance of blanks, the arrangement of the apparatus within the packaging machine is important. It is necessary to ensure that, especially when the reel being, for instance, wound with packaging material is changed, the actual operation of the packaging machine should not be interrupted. For this purpose, a web store (31) is provided, through which a web of material (16) for the production of the blanks (13) and in the form of the reel (17) passes. This web store (31) is located downstream of the reel (17) and upstream of a conveying track (18) for the web of material (16), of a severing station (19) for forming the blanks (13) and of a blank track (26) for feeding the blanks (13) to a folding turret (10) on the rear side (25) of the packaging machine. The web store consists of a storage container (33) having a rectangular cross-section and funnel-shaped run-in and run-out pieces (34, 37 ) with push and draw rollers (36, 39) located upstream and downstream thereof. The web store (31) is formed by zig-zag folding the web of material (16) as a result of kinks or folding lines (32) being disposed at the edges of the blanks (13) (fanfold arrangement of the web of material 16).

Apparatus for the production of cigarette packs

High-performance packaging machines have a large consumption of packaging material. When blanks are produced in the region of the packaging machine by being severed from a material web wound as a reel, such reels have to be supplied to the packaging machine in sufficient quantity, specifically for reception by a rotatable supporting journal (16) located on the machine. For the efficient labor-saving supply of reels (12, 13, 14, 15) to the packing machine, a plurality of these are arranged on a movable supporting frame (19) in such a way that, by bringing the supporting frame (19) up to the transversely projecting supporting journal (16), the particular leading reel (12, 13, etc.) can be pushed onto the supporting journal (16). At the same time, the supporting journal (16) can be moved up and down between a receiving position and a working position. The feed of the reels (12, 13, etc.) is especially suitable for producing blanks from thin cardboard by tearing them off from the material web (10).

Packaging machine for the production of cigarette packs

Known conventional cigarette packs, especially those with a hinge-lid box (10), an inner blank (29) made of tin-foil and possibly an outer wrapping made of plastics foil, are not suitable for disposing of smoked cigarettes (waste-cigarettes 48). It is felt to be undesirable that smoked cigarettes be thrown away individually. This is especially true for 'artificial cigarettes' which have recently appeared on the market. In order to achieve an improved waste-disposal, the present cigarette pack, especially as regards its embodiment with a hinge-lid box (10), is provided with a waste compartment (47) for holding waste-cigarettes (48). Park of the inner blank (28), namely its rear-wall (30), forms a partition between the waste compartment (47) and a cigarette compartment (46). Smoked cigarettes are reinserted into the pack through an insert-opening (54).

Cigarette pack, especially hinge-lid box

2.1 Hinge-lid packs made of thin cardboard and consisting of a pack part (12) and hinge-lid (13) present certain difficulties in gaining access to the closely packed cigarettes when the pack is to be used, even after a flap (30) as part of an inner blank (18) has been pulled off. 2.2 To make it easier to extract cigarettes, part of the inner blank (18), particularly its front wall (20), is lifted by being pulled upwards, so that a row (front row 34) of cigarettes (10) is likewise lifted relative to the remaining ones. It thus becomes easier to extract them. To make it easier to lift the front wall (20), a gripping tab (42) of the front wall (20) is exposed when the flap (30) is pulled off.

Cigarette pack, especially hinge-lid pack

The performance of packaging machines for the production of hinge-lid cigarette packs is limited by complex folding operations. In particular, these packs have hitherto been conveyed through the packaging machine by intermittently moved conveying members (folding turrets), the necessary folding steps thereby being carried out. In order to increase the performance of a packaging machine of this type, folding turrets (35, 36) are driven continuously. During the continuous movement of folding turrets 35, 36, the necessary folding of pack blanks (12) are made, especially by means of co-rotating folding members assigned respectively to a pocket (47, 74) of the folding turrets. During the continuous run, partially finished hinge-lid packs (10) are transferred from one folding turret (35) to the following folding turret (36) which is designed in a similar way to the first folding turret (35) and which completes the folding of the pack blanks (12). To increase the performance even further, the packaging machine is operated in a two-track mode with folding turrets (35 and 36) designed as double turrets.

Apparatus for the production of hinge-lid packs for cigarettes

In packaging machines with an integrated apparatus for the production, storage and conveyance of blanks, the arrangement of the apparatus within the packaging machine is important. It is necessary to ensure that free unimpeded access to the units is possible. On the other hand, the actual operation of the packaging machine should not be impaired. For this purpose, a web of material (16) for the production of the blanks (13) and in the form of a wound reel (17), a conveying track (18) for the web of material (16), a severing station (19) for forming the blanks (13) and a blank track (26) for feeding the blanks (13) to a folding turret (10) are arranged on the rear side (25) of the packaging machine. The conveying track (18) for the web of material (16) extends parallel to the longitudinal mid-plane of the packaging machine. The blank track (26) follows this transversely.

Apparatus for the production of (cigarette) packs

Cigarette groups (11) are wrapped in an inner blank (16) made of tinfoil or the like within a cigarette pack designed as a hinge-lid pack. To make it easier to extract cigarettes (12), the inner blank (16) is equipped with a flap (26) which can be pulled off as a result of punching lines (27). To make it even easier to extract cigarettes (12), the inner blank (16) is equipped, by means of lateral punching lines (31, 32), with a lift-out strip (30) which makes it possible to lift a number of cigarettes (12) in order to extract them. The lift-out strip (30) extends by means of a gripping tab (34) into the region of the flap (26). When the latter is pulled off, the gripping tab (34) is exposed, in such a way that it projects from the opened cigarette pack and can be grasped by hand. The lift-out strip (30) is connected permanently to the inner blank (16) as part of the latter.

Continuously transported groups (21) of articles (20), in particular packages, are wrapped by means of wrapping with a continuous film web 23 (stretch film) and held together thereby. The article groups (21) are conveyed by an inward conveyor (31) to a winding station (25) having a winding unit (26), and after being wrapped with their wrapping (24) are transported away by an outward conveyor (32). In the region of the winding station (25) the article groups (21) are held, conveyed and in particular fixed in their relative position by a support member (33) which consists of at least one horizontal or vertical support wall. The support wall or support walls are arranged in the region between the articles (20) of one article group (21), in other words in the region of mutually facing surfaces of the articles. As a result, the film web 23 is directly wound around the articles.

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Verden, Germany

Kurt W Liedtke