GB906379A - Machine for packing and wrapping articles - Google Patents

Abstract

906,379. Endless conveyers; rotary elevators. NOVOTECHNICS Ltd. Nov. 12, 1958 [Aug. 12, 1957], No. 25440/57. Class 78 (1). [Also in Group XVII] A machine for packaging a predetermined number of articles, such as apples, in a wrapper, comprises a plurality of troughs 5 on an intermittently moving endless conveyer 3, each trough carrying the predetermined number of apples to a transfer position below a step-by-step rotary wrapping head H. Each trough 5 is mounted on a link 3 of a pair of endless chains and the troughs 5 have flanges 7 that overlap the flanges of adjacent troughs. A plunger 8, acting through an opening in the base of a trough, transfers the contents of the trough, together with the wrapper, supplied from a roll R, into one of a series of grippers 10, 11 on the wrapping head. The plunger 8 has a dished or concave surface to maintain the apples in alignment during the transfer stroke. As the apples and wrapper move into the gripper at position I the wrapper is pressed downwardly against the sides of the apples. As the grippers 10, 11 close and move to position II, cam tracks cause folding blades 12 to close and overlap one another and collapse the edges of the wrapper around the pack in a superimposed manner. An electrically-heated member 25 then heat-seals the overlapping edges. At position IV a pair of rotatable claws grip the projecting ends of the wrapper and twist them to close the package. At position V the final package is released to fall on to a delivery tray. Centralizing apples to be packed.-On arrival of the trough 5 at the transfer position, end stops 30 (Fig. 2, not shown) move towards each other along the axis of the trough to centralize the apples therein and cause them to abut against each other. The end stops 30 rise with the plunger 8 but withdraw as the apples and wrapper enter the grippers 10, 11.