Process and an apparatus for folding and packing hose

Abstract

This invention relates to a process and an apparatus for automatically folding long hose, wrapping them up in dressing paper and packing them into an envelope using dressing paper capable of being folded in three on two crease lines. A sheet of the dressing paper, fed on to the start position of a conveyor unfolded, is intermittently transferred at a constant interval firmly held by a suction belt; to begin with one third on one side of the dressing paper, to form the inner-flap part, is bent up during transfer; on its arrival at next stop, a pair of hose are put on the central part of the dressing paper, to form the back cover part; the inner-flap part is laid on the hose; one of the hose ends behind the other on the conveyor is laid on the inner-flap part. A weighting plate, after having pressed them together, moves forward in order to tense the hose, and pass through under a fixed plate on which the other hose end is placed, whereby the second hose end is put on the first one. The weighting plate goes backward, while the dressing paper goes forward, so as to get out between the overlapped hose ends; one third on the other side of the dressing paper, to form the front cover part, is bent up and laid on the hose so as to wrap up in the dressing paper and put in an envelope.