Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Lawrence G Sickels

Timothy B Pearson

James A Haberstroh

Allan J Bobren

Alan J Bobren

A package pacer is configured for use with an automatic strapping machine having a strap chute through which strap material is fed and from which strap material is tensioned onto a package. The strapping machine has an in-feed conveyor defining a plane and is configured to automatically move a package into a packaging region bounded by the chute. The pacer includes a frame that is mountable to the strapping machine. A plurality of rollers are mounted to the frame in a stationary plane about coplanar with the in-feed conveyor plane. The rollers extend forwardly of the strapping machine and permit conveyance of the package therealong and onto the in-feed conveyor. A pacing element is movable between a stop position in which the pacer element is out of the in-feed conveyor plane and interferes with movement of the package onto the in-feed conveyor and a feed position in which the pacing element resides about coplanar with the planar stationary rollers and the in-feed conveyor. A drive moves the pacing element between the stop position and the feed position.

Integrated package pacer for strapping machine

A strapping machine feed system for automatically detecting a strap error or fault, thereby stopping strap retraction or take-up, and refeeding the strap into the strapping head following the error or fault. The feed system includes a pair of tensioning wheels disposed along a strap path proximal a strap supply, and a pair of feed wheels, defining a nip therebetween, disposed along the strap path proximal the strapping head. A feed wheel drive and a tensioning wheel drive are respectively connected to the feed wheels and the tensioning wheels. A sensor disposed along the strap path generates a signal to the feed wheel drive and tensioning wheel drive, indicating movement or lack of movement along the strap path, thus causing the feed wheels or tensioning wheels to rotate in both a forward and reverse direction.

Strapping machine with strap feeding and tensioning system with automatic refeed

A method and control system for a strapping machine restarts the strapping machine at a point of interruption of the strapping machine cycle. The system and method determines the presence of a foreign object proximal the strapping machine during the strapping cycle, interrupts the strapping cycle upon determining the presence of the foreign object proximal the strapping machine during the strapping cycle, determines a point of interruption of the strapping cycle and restarts the strapping cycle at the point of interruption through the use of retained program timers.

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Spring Grove, IL, United States of America

Lawrence G Sickels