JP5492529B2 - Cardboard sheet folding method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a folding method and apparatus for performing a folding process of a corrugated box making machine for producing a corrugated cardboard box. More specifically, the folding belt arrangement path can be changed with a single folding apparatus, and the shape and size can be changed. It enables folding of special types of cardboard sheets.

  A corrugated box making machine that manufactures corrugated boxes from flat corrugated sheets, in order from the upstream side, performs a paper feeding section, a flexographic printing section that performs printing, a paper ejection section that performs grooving and ruled lines, and punching with a wooden mold It consists of a die-cut part, a folding part for gluing and bending, and a counter / ejector part for counting and stacking. The flat corrugated cardboard sheet is supplied to the paper feeding unit and processed while being conveyed through each unit, whereby a cardboard box is manufactured.

  Among these, in the folding portion, a step of gluing the flap portion provided on one of the folding panels located at both ends of the flat corrugated cardboard sheet, and further folding the both folding panels with a folding device, the flap portion Is bonded to the other folding panel to perform a folding step of forming a flat corrugated cardboard sheet into a box shape.

  Patent Document 1 discloses this bending apparatus. The bending apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 7, a folding device 100 is disposed above the corrugated cardboard sheet 1 and conveys the belts 102 and 102 that convey the corrugated cardboard sheet 1 in the direction of arrow a, and is disposed below both sides of the corrugated cardboard sheet 1. Folding belts 104a and 104b for folding the folding panels 1a and 1b located at the ends, and rulers 106 and 106 for regulating the folding position of the cardboard sheet 1 when the folding panels 1a and 1b are folded along the ruled lines 1c and 1c. I have.

  The conveyor belts 102 and 102 are wound around upstream pulleys 108 and 108 and a downstream pulley (not shown). The conveyor belts 102 and 102 are driven by a downstream pulley driven by a driving device (not shown). The folding belts 104a and 104b are wound around pulleys 110, 112 and 114. For example, when the downstream pulley 114 is driven by a driving device (not shown), the folding belts 104 a and 104 b travel at a speed synchronized with the conveying speed of the cardboard sheet 1.

  The folding belts 104a and 104b are positioned horizontally in the upstream end to be folded 180 ° to fold the folding panels 1a and 1b, and are gradually twisted downward in the middle, twisted 180 ° and horizontally again in the downstream end. It is supported by pulleys 110, 112 and 114 so as to be positioned. The corrugated cardboard sheet 1 is sandwiched between the rulers 106 and 106 and the conveyor belts 102 and 102 and conveyed in the direction of arrow a. During the conveyance, the folding panels 1a and 1b are pushed inward by the folding belts 104a and 104b and folded. Note that a guide pulley (not shown) is disposed between the pulleys 110, 112, and 114 so that the folding belts 104a and 104b form an accurate folding path.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a folding apparatus that uses both a folding bar and a folding belt. The bending apparatus 120 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, the bending device 120 is provided with left and right upper frames 122 and 122 along the sheet conveyance direction a, and pulleys 124 and 124 are provided at the inlet and the outlet of the upper frame 122 (outlet). The side is not shown). Conveying belts 126 and 126 are wound around these inlet and outlet pulleys 124. Lower frames 128 are provided below the left and right conveyor belts 126, and each conveyor belt 126 runs on the upper surface of the lower frame 128.

  The cardboard sheet 1 is fed between the conveyor belt 126 and the lower frame 128, and moves by sliding on the upper surface of the lower frame 128 by the frictional force of the conveyor belt 126. The lower frames 128, 128 are located on the inner side (center side of the machine) than the ruled lines 1c, 1c corresponding to the folding positions. Folding rulers 130 and 130 are provided along the traveling path of the cardboard sheet 1 by being supported by the lower frames 128 and 128. The front end restricting portions (edges) of the folding rulers 130 and 130 coincide with the ruled lines 1c and 1c. Folding bars 132a and 132b are provided on both outer sides of the travel path of the cardboard sheet 1.

  In the course of traveling, the folding panel 1a, 1b at both ends is pressed downward by the folding bars 132a, 132b while the folding position is regulated by the tip regulating part (edge) of the folding ruler 130 in the course of traveling, and finally Folded flat. Folding belts 134a and 134b are provided on the downstream side of the folding bars 132a and 132b. The corrugated cardboard sheet 1 is folded to about 180 ° by the folding bars 132a and 132b, and then further folded to 180 ° by the folding belts 134a and 134b. On the downstream side of the folding belts 134a and 132b, the folded folding panels 1a and 1b are bonded to each other by glued flaps provided on either one of them. The corrugated cardboard sheet 1 that has been bonded to form a box is delivered to the counter-ejector section on the downstream side.

  The folding means of the folding apparatus includes a folding means that uses a gauge roller in addition to the folding belt or the folding bar. In this bending means, as indicated by reference numeral 140 in FIG. 9, a plurality of correction rollers (gauge rollers) having concave grooves formed on the peripheral surface are arranged at predetermined intervals on both sides of the cardboard sheet conveyance path. The cardboard sheet 1 is folded by guiding the folding position corresponding to one ruled line 1c into the concave groove (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-20046 JP 2008-93997 A JP 2007-105985 A

  Conventionally, in a folding apparatus using a folding belt, the position and angle of the folding belt can be finely adjusted. However, the arrangement path of the folding belt for folding the folding panel is fixed and cannot be changed. Therefore, when the shape and size of the corrugated cardboard sheet are special and the existing folding apparatus cannot be bent, a folding apparatus having a different folding belt arrangement path is separately required. Therefore, when producing a product with a special shape and size of the cardboard sheet, it is necessary to have a plurality of folding devices.

  For example, there is a corrugated cardboard sheet in which one folding panel is extremely long in the width direction of the machine. An example of this cardboard sheet is shown in FIG. FIG. 9A shows a folding process of this type of corrugated cardboard sheet 2, and FIG. 9B shows a state in which a corrugated cardboard box is formed from the corrugated cardboard sheet 2 and then formed into a box shape. This cardboard box is mainly used for displaying products. The folding apparatus shown in FIG. 9 (A) includes a plurality of gauge rollers 140 and 140 arranged at predetermined intervals on both sides of the conveyance path of the cardboard sheet 1, and folds the folding panels 2a and 2b of the cardboard sheet 2. .

  That is, a concave groove 142 is formed on the peripheral end surface of the gauge roller 140, and the ruled line portions 2c and 2c of the cardboard sheet 1 are sandwiched by the concave groove 142 so that the folding panels 2a and 2b are folded. After the folding panels 2a and 2b are folded, the folding panels 2a and 2b are held in a folded state by a folding bar 144 arranged in the transport direction at the center of the transport path of the cardboard sheet 2. In this corrugated cardboard sheet 2, since the folding panel 2a is long in the machine width direction, when the folding panel 2b is pressed by a normal folding belt supported by a pulley, the end of the folding panel 2a hits the folding belt, and the folding belt The folding panel 2b cannot be pushed in.

This state will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, the corrugated cardboard sheet 3 is a normal cardboard sheet in which both folding panels 3a and 3b have the same length in the machine width direction. The corrugated cardboard sheet 4 has one folding panel 4a with a machine width wider than the other folding belt 4b. A specially designed cardboard sheet that is extremely long in the direction.
When the cardboard sheet 4 is folded, as shown in FIG. 3D, in the latter half of the folding process, the folding panel 4a hits the folding belt 26 that pushes the folding panel 4b and the pulley 37 that supports the folding belt 26, The folding panel 4a cannot be folded any further. Therefore, it was necessary to replace the folding device with another specification and perform the bending process.

  In view of the problems of the prior art, the present invention provides a method for removing a part of a pulley that supports a folding belt or using a folding device of another specification even when the shape and size of a cardboard sheet are special. It is an object of the present invention to be able to bend a plurality of types of corrugated cardboard sheets using a table folding apparatus.

In order to achieve such an object, the method for bending a corrugated cardboard sheet of the present invention comprises:
A pair of endless folding belts that run in synchronization with the corrugated sheet in the conveying direction of the corrugated sheet while the corrugated sheet is conveyed in the horizontal direction, and the first and second folding panels at both ends of the corrugated sheet are pushed in the folding direction. In the folding method of the corrugated cardboard sheet folded at
The arrangement path of the endless folding belt that defines the folding trajectory of the folding panel can be changed while keeping the entire length of the endless folding belt constant,
When the first folding panel and the endless folding belt that folds the second folding panel interfere with each other when the first and second folding panels are folded,
Change the arrangement path of the endless folding belt to avoid the interference,
Instead of the endless folding belt, the second folding panel is folded by a folding bar located at a position that does not interfere with the first folding panel;
By changing the arrangement path of the endless folding belt according to the shape or size of the folding panel, it is possible to fold a plurality of types of cardboard sheets having special shapes or sizes.

  In the method of the present invention, the arrangement path of the folding belt formed along the conveying direction of the cardboard sheet can be changed according to the shape or size of the cardboard sheet, so that a plurality of types of cardboard sheets having different shapes and sizes can be obtained. Can be bent. Moreover, when changing the arrangement path | route of a folding belt, since it hold | maintains uniformly, without changing the full length of a folding belt, the tension | tensile_strength of a folding belt can be kept constant. Therefore, even if the arrangement path of the folding belt is changed, the pressing force against the folding panel can be kept constant, and the folding process can be performed without hindrance.

In the process of the present invention, the first fold panel and the second fold panel located on both ends of the cardboard sheet, when the endless folding belt to fold the first fold panel and the second fold panel interferes, first arrangement path of the endless folding belt so as to avoid interference with the folding panel and the endless fold belt you to change the.
Accordingly, the endless folding belt that folds the second folding panel even if the cardboard sheet has a special shape, for example, the first folding panel is a folding panel having a long dimension in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The bending process can be performed by changing the arrangement path.

  In this case, the arrangement paths of the drive side endless folding belt and the operation side endless folding belt are not the same. However, since the total length of both endless folding belts remains the same, the cardboard sheets are oriented in the machine width direction by synchronizing the traveling speeds of both endless folding belts in accordance with the conveying speed of the cardboard sheets. Can be transported in the correct posture.

In the process of the present invention, when said first folding panels and said endless folding belt interfere interferes the endless folding belt drivable in the support pulleys moves the pulley by said first fold panel may it to avoid interfering with the.
Thereby, the first folding panel and the second folding panel can be reliably folded.

  As a method of changing the arrangement path of the folding belt, for example, the position of the pulley that supports the folding belt is moved or a part of the pulley is removed so that the folding belt does not interfere with the first folding panel. The method can be adopted.

  In the method of the present invention, after the folding panel is folded, the lower surface of the folding panel is supported by a support bar arranged in the cardboard sheet conveying direction so that the folded state of the folding panel is maintained. Accordingly, since the folding panel can be held in the folded state by the support bar in the folding panel bonding step, the folding panels can be reliably bonded to each other.

The cardboard sheet folding apparatus of the present invention that can be used directly for carrying out the method of the present invention comprises:
A conveying belt that conveys the cardboard sheet in the horizontal direction; a pair of endless folding belts that are disposed on both sides of the cardboard sheet and abut against the first and second folding panels at both ends of the cardboard sheet and are pushed in the folding direction; A pulley for supporting an endless folding belt so as to be able to run in synchronization with a cardboard sheet, and a folding apparatus for corrugated cardboard sheets which folds by pushing the first and second folding panels in the folding direction ;
The arrangement path of the endless folding belt that defines the folding locus of the folding panel can be changed, and the tension of the folding belt is always kept constant without changing the overall length of the folding belt ,
The endless folding belt that folds the second folding panel with respect to the first folding panel can be changed to a position that does not interfere,
The folding belt and the folding bar are provided at the same position in the conveyance direction of the corrugated cardboard sheet so as to be able to approach or separate from the second folding panel;
When one of the folding belts is positioned within the turning range of the first folding panel, the one folding belt is moved out of the turning range of the first folding panel, and the one folding belt is replaced with the one folding belt. A folding bar is brought close to the second folding panel, and the second folding panel is folded .

  With the above-described configuration, it is possible to perform a folding process with a single folding device on a plurality of types of cardboard sheets having different shapes and sizes. In addition, when changing the folding path, the entire length of the folding belt is kept constant, so that the tension of the folding belt can be kept constant, thereby keeping the pressing force of the folding belt against the folding panel constant. Therefore, the bending process can be performed without any trouble.

In the present invention apparatus, the first folding panel and the second fold panel located on both ends of the cardboard sheet, changes in a position that does not interfere with endless folding belt to the first fold panel folding the second folding panels to be able to you configure.
Thereby, the arrangement of the endless folding belt that folds the second folding panel even if the cardboard sheet has a special shape, for example, the first folding panel is a folding panel that is long in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The folding process can be performed by changing the path.

  As described above, in this case, the arrangement path of the drive side endless folding belt and the operation side endless folding belt is not the same, but since the total length of both endless folding belts remains the same, both endless folding belts By synchronizing the traveling speed with the conveyance speed of the corrugated cardboard sheet, the corrugated cardboard sheet can be conveyed in a correct posture in the machine width direction.

In the present invention apparatus is provided with the folding belt and the folding bar in the transport direction the same position of the cardboard sheet to be close to or away from the second fold panel, turning one of the folded belt of the first fold panel When positioned within the range, the folding belt is moved out of the swivel range of the first folding panel, the folding bar is moved closer to the second folding panel instead of the one folding belt, and the folding belt of the one folding belt is moved . the folding by the bar instead configured to fold the second fold panel.
Thereby, even if the first folding panel is a cardboard sheet having a special shape, the second folding panel can be folded by the folding bar, so that the folding process can be performed without any trouble.
In the device of the present invention, after the folding panel is folded, a support bar that supports the lower surface of the folding panel in the conveying direction of the cardboard sheet may be disposed.

According to the method of the present invention, a pair of endless folding belts that run in synchronization with a corrugated sheet in the conveying direction of the corrugated sheet while conveying the corrugated sheet in the horizontal direction, the first and second end belts at both ends of the corrugated sheet . In the folding method of the corrugated cardboard sheet that is folded by pushing the folding panel in the folding direction, the arrangement path of the endless folding belt that defines the folding trajectory of the folding panel can be changed while keeping the entire length of the endless folding belt constant, By changing the arrangement path of the endless folding belt according to the shape or size of the folding panel, it is possible to fold a plurality of types of cardboard sheets with special shapes or sizes. Multiple types of cardboard sheets with special sizes can be folded, with different specifications Ri bending can be saved the trouble and expense of providing a device.

Further, when changing the arrangement path of the endless folding belt, the total length of the endless folding belt is not changed, so that it is not necessary to adjust the tension of the endless folding belt. Therefore, it is easy to change the arrangement path of the endless folding belt.
Further, when the first and second folding panels are folded and the endless folding belt that folds the first folding panel and the second folding panel interferes, the arrangement path of the endless folding belt is avoided so as to avoid this interference. And instead of the endless folding belt, the second folding panel is folded by a folding bar located at a position not interfering with the first folding panel, so that the cardboard sheet can be folded without any trouble. .

According to the apparatus of the present invention, a conveying belt that conveys a corrugated cardboard sheet in the horizontal direction, and a pair of endless members that are disposed on both sides of the frame and abut against the first and second folding panels at both ends of the corrugated cardboard sheet and push in the folding direction. A cardboard sheet folding apparatus comprising: a folding belt; and a pulley that supports the endless folding belt so that the endless folding belt can run in synchronization with the cardboard sheet, and the first and second folding panels are folded in the folding direction . The arrangement path of the endless folding belt that defines the folding locus of the folding panel can be changed, and the tension of the folding belt is always kept constant without changing the total length of the folding belt. The same effect as the method of the present invention can be obtained.
The endless folding belt that folds the second folding panel with respect to the first folding panel can be changed to a position that does not interfere with the folding belt and the folding bar at the same position in the cardboard sheet conveying direction. The first folding panel is provided so as to be able to approach or separate from the second folding panel, and when one of the folding belts is positioned within a swivel range of the first folding panel, the one folding belt is disposed on the first folding panel. Similar to the method of the present invention, by moving out of the swivel range, and instead of the one folding belt, the folding bar is moved closer to the second folding panel and the second folding panel is folded. The effect of this can be obtained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a general view which shows typically the bending apparatus of the cardboard box making machine concerning one Embodiment of this invention method and apparatus, and shows the case where a normal cardboard sheet is folded. It is a typical whole view of the said bending apparatus, and shows the case where the corrugated cardboard sheet | seat of special use is folded. It is a front view which shows the folding bar attaching part of the bending apparatus which concerns on the said embodiment. (A) is sectional drawing which follows the AA line in FIG. 1, (B) is sectional drawing which follows the BB line similarly, (C) is sectional drawing which follows the CC line similarly. , (D) is a cross-sectional view along the line DD, and (E) is a cross-sectional view along the line EE. (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in FIG. 2, (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line GG, and (C) is a cross-sectional view taken along line H-H. , (D) is a cross-sectional view taken along line II, and (E) is a cross-sectional view taken along line JJ. It is a side view which shows the modification of the support mechanism of an additional folding bar. It is a perspective view which shows the conventional bending apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows another example of the conventional bending apparatus. (A) is a side view which shows the state which folds the cardboard sheet | seat of a special specification, (B) is explanatory drawing of the cardboard box of a special specification.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the component parts described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to that unless otherwise specified.

  An embodiment of the method and apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.1 and FIG.2 is the whole figure of the bending apparatus 10 which makes a part of cardboard box making machine. FIG. 1 shows a case in which a normal corrugated cardboard sheet 3 having the same size in the machine width direction of the folding panels 3a and 3b at both ends of the corrugated cardboard sheet is folded. FIG. 2 shows a case where a specially-designed corrugated cardboard sheet 4 in which the dimension in the machine width direction of one folding panel 4a is extremely longer than that of the other folding panel 4b is folded.

  In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a corrugated sheet conveyance path c that forms a horizontal plane is formed. The conveyance path c conveys the corrugated sheet by sliding the corrugated sheet on a frame having a horizontal plane in the direction of arrow a or while supporting both ends of the corrugated sheet with the groove provided on the peripheral end surface of the gauge roller. Are formed at a fixed position in the horizontal direction.

  A pair of endless conveyance belts 12 are provided above both sides of the conveyance path c so as to contact the both ends of the cardboard sheet in the machine width direction and send the cardboard sheet in the direction of arrow a. The conveyor belt 12 is fed in the direction of arrow a by a drive motor (not shown) that drives the downstream pulley 14 and is guided by a plurality of guide pulleys 16. The conveyor belt 12 is provided with a tension adjusting mechanism 18 including a movable roller 20, an air cylinder 22 and a fixed base 24. The piston rod 22a of the air cylinder 22 is connected to the movable roller 20, and the tension of the conveyor belt 12 can be adjusted by driving the air cylinder 22.

  A pair of endless folding belts 26 are provided along the conveyance path c below both sides of the conveyance path c. The endless folding belt 26 is wound around the upstream pulley 28, the downstream pulley 30, and other guide pulleys 32 to 38. The endless folding belt 26 is sent in the direction of the arrow by a drive motor (not shown) that drives the downstream pulley 30. The endless folding belt 26 is provided with a tension adjusting mechanism 40 including a movable roller 42, an air cylinder 44, and a fixed base 46. The piston rod 44 a of the air cylinder 44 is connected to the movable roller 42, and the tension of the endless folding belt 26 can be adjusted by driving the air cylinder 44. The tension adjusting mechanism 40 is mainly used for finely adjusting the tension of the endless folding belt 26.

  A round bar-shaped folding bar 48 is provided in the lower center of the transport path c in the transport direction of the corrugated cardboard sheet s (in the direction of arrow a) over substantially the entire length of the folding device 10. The folding bar 48 serves to assist the folding operation of the folding panel by the endless folding belt 26 during the folding process.

  FIG. 3 shows a support mechanism 50 that supports one end of the folding bar 48 on the end side of the bending apparatus 10. The horizontal upper surface of the lower frame 52 forms the conveyance path c, and the cardboard sheet slides on the upper surface of the lower frame 52. The holders 54 and 56 are fastened and fixed to the lower frame 52 by bolts 54a and 56a, and the folding bar 48 is fixed at a predetermined position by these holders 54 and 56.

  In such a configuration, first, a folding process for folding the corrugated cardboard sheet 3 of the normal specification using the folding apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4. In FIG. 4, an upper frame 60 that defines the conveyance path c from above is provided above the conveyance path c of the cardboard sheet 3. A plurality of gauge rollers 62 are provided on both sides of the conveyance path c in the machine width direction. A concave groove 62 a is provided on the peripheral end surface of the gauge roller 62. The folding panels 3a and 3b are folded by guiding the folding positions corresponding to the ruled lines 3c and 3c of the corrugated cardboard sheet 3 to the concave grooves 62a.

  Support frames 64, 64 are provided below both sides of the conveyance path c, and slide rails 66, 66 integral with the support frames 64, 64 are arranged in the vertical direction. Movable frames 68, 68 are supported on the slide rails 66, 66 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. The arms 72 and 72 are rotatably attached to the movable frames 68 and 68 via the shaft 70, and pulleys 36 and 36 are rotatably attached to the tips of the arms 72 and 72. The endless folding belt 26 is supported by the pulleys 36 and 36. The endless folding belt 26 on the driving side and the operation side travels in synchronization with the conveying speed of the cardboard sheet 3 by the downstream pulleys 30 and 30.

  The positions of the pulleys 36 to 38 and the folding bar 48 that form the folding path of the endless folding belt 26 are positioned along the conveying direction of the cardboard sheet 3. The folding panels 3a and 3b are folded by the endless folding belt 26 supported by the pulleys 36 to 38 and the folding bar 48. As shown in FIG. 3 (E), the folding process is completed at the EE cross section, and the glued flaps on one of the folding panels 3a and 3b are bonded to the other folding panel, and the cardboard sheet 3 Is formed into a box shape.

  As shown in FIG. 4 (E), two pulleys 32, 32 are rotatably mounted on the lower frame 74 at the EE cross section, and the return path of the endless folding belt 26 is attached to these pulleys. It is wound.

  Next, referring to FIGS. 2 and 5, a folding process in which the folding device 10 is used to fold the cardboard sheet 4 having a special specification in which one folding panel 4 a is extremely longer than the other folding belt 4 b in the machine width direction will be described. In FIG. 2, first, before operating the bending apparatus 10, an operation of lowering the plurality of pulley groups 37 on the driving side where the short folding panel 4 b is arranged is performed downward. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the movable frames 68, 68 equipped with the pulley group 37 are moved downward along the slide rails 66, 66.

  Next, the drive endless folding belt 26 is removed from the two pulleys 32 and is wound around pulleys 76 and 77 disposed below instead. The pulley group 37 and the endless folding belt 26 on the operation side do not change the state of FIG. The total length of the drive side endless folding belt 26 is the same as when the cardboard sheet 3 is folded, even after the arrangement path is changed. Therefore, the total length of the drive side endless folding belt 26 and the total length of the operation side endless folding belt 26 remain the same. Accordingly, by making the conveyance speed of the corrugated cardboard sheet 3 by the conveyance belt 12 and the traveling speed of the drive side and operation side endless folding belt 26 the same, the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 can be conveyed in a correct posture in the machine width direction.

  As described above, since the total length of the endless folding belt does not change even after the arrangement path is changed, the tension of the endless folding belt 26 basically does not change. Therefore, it is not necessary to adjust the tension of the endless folding belt 26, and the arrangement path of the endless folding belt 26 can be easily changed. If fine adjustment of the tension of the endless folding belt 26 is necessary, fine adjustment is performed by the tension adjustment mechanism 40. In addition, since the full length of the endless folding belt 26 remains the same, tension adjustment is unnecessary, and the tension adjustment mechanism 40 may be omitted. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the folding bar 48 that is long in the transport direction is an obstacle when the folding panel 4a having a long specification is folded, so that it is replaced with a folding bar 78 having a short specification.

  In this way, after changing the arrangement path of the drive endless folding belt 26, the folding device 10 is operated. This operation procedure is shown in FIG. 5A (F-F cross section), except that the folding bar 48 is removed, folding is performed in the same manner as in FIG. 4A (AA cross section). That is, the folding panels 3 a and 3 b are folded by guiding the folding positions corresponding to the ruled lines 4 c and 4 c of the cardboard sheet 4 to the concave groove 62 a of the gauge roller 52.

  As shown in FIG. 5B (GG cross section), the pulley group 37 is moved downward so that the front end of the folding panel 4a does not interfere with the drive-side endless folding belt 26 and the pulley group 37 that support the folding panel 4b. The drive side endless folding belt 26 is wound around a pulley 76 disposed below. Instead, the folding panel 4b is supported by the additional folding bar 80.

  The additional folding bar 80 has a round bar shape and is arranged in the transport direction. The additional folding bar 80 is fixed to the tip of the arm 82, and the arm 82 is attached to the movable frame 84 through a bearing portion 82a integral with the arm 82 so as to be slidable in the machine width direction. A slide rail 86 is fixed to the support frame 64 in the vertical direction at substantially the same position as the slide rail 66. The movable frame 84 is slidably supported on the slide rail 86 via a bearing portion 84 a integrated with the movable frame 84.

Due to such a support mechanism, the additional folding bar 80 can be translated to an arbitrary position. Therefore, it is easy to arrange the additional folding bar 80 at a desired position.
At this folding position, the guide pulley 34 is mounted on the slide rail 66 to support the return path of the folding belt 26 on the drive side and the operation side.

  In this state, that is, while folding the folding panel 4a with the operation side folding belt 26 and pushing the folding panel 4b with the additional folding bar 80, the folding panels 4a and 4b are folded step by step. As shown in FIG. 5 (D), the drive endless folding belt 26 is supported by a pulley 77 disposed below at a section taken along the line II, and is away from the transport path c.

  In the final stage of the folding process, in a state where the folding panels 4a and 4b are folded 180 ° (as shown in FIG. 5E), the folding bar 78 holds the folding panels 4a and 4b from below, and one folding panel The glued flap is bonded to the other folding panel to form a cardboard box.

  According to this embodiment, the folding process of the normal cardboard sheet 3 and the special specification cardboard sheet 4 can be performed by one folding device 10. That is, when the special specification cardboard sheet 4 is folded, the driving side folding belt 26 is retracted from the conveyance path c, and instead, the folding panel 4b is folded by the additional folding bar 80 provided at a position not interfering with the folding panel 4a. Therefore, the cardboard sheet 4 can be folded without any trouble.

In this way, a single folding device can be used to fold cardboard sheets of a variety of special sizes and shapes, and a part of the pulley that supports the folding belt can be removed, or a folding device with a different specification can be prepared. Saving labor and costs.
Further, since the total length of the drive side endless folding belt 26 whose arrangement path is changed and the total length of the operation side endless folding belt 26 whose arrangement path is not changed remain the same, the conveyance speed of the cardboard sheet 3 by the conveyance belt 12 By synchronizing the traveling speeds of the drive side and operation side endless folding belts 26, the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 can be conveyed in the correct posture in the machine width direction.

Further, in the case of the normal specification corrugated cardboard sheet 3, the folding bar 48 assists the folding of one folding panel 4b throughout the folding process. Can be done reliably.
Furthermore, both the normal specification corrugated cardboard sheet 3 and the special specification corrugated cardboard sheet 4 are pressed by the folding bars 48 or 78 in a state where the folding panels 4a and 4b are folded at the final stage of the folding process. The panel can be securely bonded.

  Further, since the arrangement path of the drive side folding belt 26 is changed without changing the total length of the folding belt 26, the tension of the drive side endless folding belt 26 can be kept constant, and a stable tension is maintained. it can. Therefore, even after the arrangement path is changed, tension adjustment is not required, so that the arrangement path can be easily changed.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 6 shows a modification of the support mechanism for the additional folding bar 80. In this support mechanism 90, a first slide shaft 92 is rotatably attached to a support frame 64 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 via a rotation shaft 92a. A second slide shaft 94 is slidably attached to the first slide shaft 92 via a bearing portion 94a. An arm 96 having an additional folding bar 80 attached to the tip is slidably attached via a bearing portion 96a.

  With this configuration of the support mechanism 90, the additional folding bar 80 can be translated to an arbitrary position, so that the position can be freely set. Therefore, when the folding panel 4b is folded, it is easy to arrange the folding panel 4b at a position that does not interfere with the folding panel 4a that is long in the machine width direction.

  According to the present invention, in the cardboard box making machine, a single folding device can perform a folding process of a plurality of types of cardboard sheets having special shapes or sizes, so that the pulley for supporting the endless folding belt The labor and cost of removing a part or preparing a folding device of another specification can be saved.

1, 2, 3, 4 Corrugated cardboard sheet 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b Folding panel 1c, 2c, 3c, 4c Ruled line 10 Bending device 12 Conveying belt 14, 30 Downstream pulley 18, 40 Tension Adjustment mechanism 26 Endless folding belt 20, 42 Movable roller 22, 44 Air cylinder 24, 46 Fixing base 28 Upstream pulley 32-38, 76, 77 Pulley 48, 78 Folding bar 50, 90 Support mechanism 60 Upper frame 62 Gauge Roller 62a Concave groove 64 Support frame 66, 86 Slide rail 68 Movable frame 72, 82 Arm 74 Lower frame 80 Additional folding bar c Corrugated cardboard sheet conveyance path

Claims (6)

A pair of endless folding belts that run in synchronization with the corrugated sheet in the conveying direction of the corrugated sheet while the corrugated sheet is conveyed in the horizontal direction, and the first and second folding panels at both ends of the corrugated sheet are pushed in the folding direction. In the folding method of the corrugated cardboard sheet folded at
The arrangement path of the endless folding belt that defines the folding trajectory of the folding panel can be changed while keeping the entire length of the endless folding belt constant,
When the first folding panel and the endless folding belt that folds the second folding panel interfere with each other when the first and second folding panels are folded,
Change the arrangement path of the endless folding belt to avoid the interference,
Instead of the endless folding belt, the second folding panel is folded by a folding bar located at a position that does not interfere with the first folding panel;
A method for folding a corrugated cardboard sheet characterized in that a plurality of types of corrugated cardboard sheets having special shapes or sizes can be folded by changing the arrangement path of the endless folding belt according to the shape or size of the folding panel. . When the first fold panel and the front Symbol endless folding belt interfere, the pulley by moving the pulley running supporting the interfering said endless folding belt interfering with the first fold panel mETHOD folding of the cardboard sheet according to claim 1, characterized in that to avoid the. The corrugated sheet folding method according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the first folding panel is a folding panel that is long in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.   2. The folding panel according to claim 1, wherein after the folding panel is folded, the lower surface of the folding panel is supported by a support bar arranged in the cardboard sheet conveying direction, and the folded state of the folding panel is maintained. Method of folding corrugated cardboard sheets. A conveying belt that conveys the cardboard sheet in the horizontal direction; a pair of endless folding belts that are disposed on both sides of the cardboard sheet and abut against the first and second folding panels at both ends of the cardboard sheet and are pushed in the folding direction; A pulley for supporting an endless folding belt so as to be able to run in synchronization with a cardboard sheet, and a folding apparatus for corrugated cardboard sheets which folds by pushing the first and second folding panels in the folding direction ;
The arrangement path of the endless folding belt that defines the folding locus of the folding panel can be changed, and the tension of the folding belt is always kept constant without changing the overall length of the folding belt ,
The endless folding belt that folds the second folding panel with respect to the first folding panel can be changed to a position that does not interfere,
The folding belt and the folding bar are provided at the same position in the conveyance direction of the corrugated cardboard sheet so as to be able to approach or separate from the second folding panel;
When one of the folding belts is positioned within the turning range of the first folding panel, the one folding belt is moved out of the turning range of the first folding panel, and the one folding belt is replaced with the one folding belt. An apparatus for folding cardboard sheets, wherein a folding bar is moved closer to the second folding panel to fold the second folding panel .   6. The corrugated sheet folding apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a support bar that supports the lower surface of the folding panel in the conveying direction of the corrugated sheet after the folding panel is folded.

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