US3418784A - Wrapping machines - Google Patents

Description

1366- 8 M. PARKER ETAL WRAPPING MACHINES Sheet Filed April 19, 1966 1968 M. PARKER ETAL 3,413,734

WRAPPING MACHINES Filed April 19, 1966 Sheet 2 of 5 Dec. 31, 1968 M. PARKER ETAL WRAPPING mcamms Filed April 19, 1966 Sheet TIHHHMH Dw 31, 1968 M. PARKE Em 3,418 18 WRAPPING MACHINES Filed April 19, 1966 Sheet 4 of 5 J3 H U m {13 ]2--:::\ v 400 v V *f ZOO I! H f 11 I, I! M 66- In -40 j W I L 3 Dec. 31, 1968 M. PARKER ETAL WRAPPING MACHINES Sheet Filed April 19, 1966 United States Patent 01 ice 3,418,784 Patented Dec. 31, 1968 3,418,784 WRAPPING MACHINES Matthew Parker and Geoffrey Gordon Lebeter, Leeds,

England, assignors to The Forgrove Machinery Company Limited, Yorkshire, England, a company of Great Britain Filed Apr. 19, 1966, Ser. No. 543,710 Claims priority, application Great Britain, May 4, 1965, 18,751/65 1 Claim. (Cl. 53122) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A machine for wrapping margarine and the like which includes a rotatable ring carrying a number of spaced die chambers fed in succession with margarine from an extrusion box, an equal number of wrapping units and an equal number of pairs of grippers which carry wrappers in succession to a position at which blocks of margarine are discharged from a die chamber and transferred to a wrapping unit, and a discharge mechanism for wrapped blocks of margarine which is common to all the wrap ping units.

This invention provides a modification in the machine for wrapping margarine, butter and like plastic substances described in United States Patent No. 3,304,690, granted Feb. 21, 1967.

The machine described in said patent includes a rotating ring carrying a number of die chambers and also a corresponding number of wrapping units, the chambers receiving blocks of margarine in succession from an extrusion box and the blocks being thereafter discharged from the die chambers into the wrapping units, and another rotating ring disposed eccentrically to the ring carrying the die chambers, which carries a series of pairs of grippers which present wrappers into position between the die chambers and the wrapping units at the point of intersection of the circular paths of travel of the die chambers and the grippers so that a wrapper is transferred to each wrapping unit with the block of margarine fed to it from the associated die chamber. Eight die chambers are provided and ten pairs of grippers.

In the modified form of the machine provided by the present invention the pairs of grippers are equal in number to the die chambers and are carried by the same ring as the die chambers, the wrappers travelling in a circular path concentric with and of the same radius as the circular path traversed by the die chambers.

The invention accordingly provides a machine for wrapping margarine, butter and like plastic substances which comprises a rotatable ring carrying a number of spaced die chambers, each containing a die plunger, an equal number of wrapping mechanisms one associated with each die chamber and an equal number of pairs of grippers each of which in turn picks up a wrapper, maintains it in position adjacent a die chamber and releases it upon ejection of a block of margarine from the die chamber by a die plunger to permit of transfer of the wrapper with the block into a wrapping mechanism, each wrapping unit being effective completely to wrap a block in a wrapper, an extrusion box past which the die chambers are traversed in succession by rotation of the ring for filling with margarine and a discharge mechanism for the wrapped blocks which is common to all the wrapping mechanisms.

One embodiment of margarine wrapping machine according to the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan View of the machine,

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of one of the pairs of grippers,

FIG. 3 is a corresponding plan view and FIGS. 4-10 are diagrams illustrating successive stages in the wrapping of a block of margarine.

As shown in FIG. 1, a rotating ring 2 carries ten die chambers 3 which pass in succession beneath an extrusion box 1 and ten wrapping units 4 which correspond generally except that they are of opposite hand to those described in United States Patent No. 3,304,690 and to which blocks of margarine are transferred from the die boxes at position 10. The ring 2 also carries ten pairs of grippers 5, which close at station 7 to pick up a wrapper 400 severed from a web 8 of wrapping material and open again at station 10 to allow a wrapper, which is initially positioned above a die chamber, to be transferred to each wrapping unit together with the block of margarine.

Each die chamber 3 contains a die plunger 68, FIG. 5, which is flush with the upper surface of the ring 2 as it moves into position beneath the extrusion box 1, and then descends to allow the die chamber to be filled with margarine from the extrusion box. On reaching station 10 the block of margarine 200' is raised by the die plunger 68 from the die chamber 3, carrying with it the wrapper 400 released at that station by the grippers 5, into a pair of carrier jaws' 11 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The jaws 11 then move radially outward, as shown in FIG. 6, to slide the block 200 off the die plunger 68 and on to a folder 12 which folds the depending tail 401 of the wrapper against the base of the block. At the same time end tuckers 13 fixed to the folder 12 form first end tucks 403 (FIG. 9) in the wrapper. The jaws 11, folder 12 and tuckers 13 then move radialy inwards, as shown in FIG. 7, to move the block on to a fixed folder 14 which folds the other tail 402 of the wrapper against the base of the block. During a short dwell in this position, rotary folders 15 pivot upwardly, as shown in FIG. 8, to fold the projecting parts of the tails 401, 402 against the ends of the block as indicated at 404, 405 in FIG. 9. The jaws 11 then move further inwards, as shown in FIG. 9, past fixed folders 16 which turn in the two remaining vertical folds, one of which is shown at 406 in FIG. 8, to move the block on to an elevator 17. The elevator then rises, as shown in FIG. 10, to carry the block through guides 18, which turn down the horizontal pointed tails 407 of the wrapper to complete the wrap, and into a presser box 19.

After compression of the end folds in the presser box 19, as described in United States Patent No. 3,304,690 the presser box rises and the wrapped block is discharged by discharge belts 42, 43, 44 (FIG. 1). The machine parts are operated from a set of fixed cams as the ring 2 rotates as described in United States Patent No. 3,3 04,690.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each pair of grippers 5 includes a fixed jaw including fingers 50 and a movable jaw including fingers 51, the fingers of each jaw being spaced sufiiciently apart to enable them to straddle the extrusion box 1. The fingers 50 form part of brackets 52 and the fingers '51 are attached to pinions 53, which are rotatable on studs 54 fixed to the brackets 52 and mesh with gear segments 55 fixed to a shaft 56. The grippers are opened and closed by a lever 57 fixed to the shaft 56 and carrying a roller 58 which coacts with a cam 59. Two springs 60, tending to maintain the grippers open or closed, are provided between the pinions 53 and anchorages 61 on the brackets 52. A suitable detector (not shown but similar to that described in United Sates Patent No. 3,304,690) may be provided for stopping the machine in the event of failure of the wrapper feed.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patents is:

1. A machine for wrapping margarine, butter and like plastic substances which comprises a rotatable ring carrying a number of spaced die chambers, each containing a die plunger, an equal number of wrapping units, one as- 3 sociated with each die chamber, and an equal number of pairs of grippers each of which in turn picks up a wrapper, maintains it in position adjacent a die chamber and releases it upon ejection of a block of margarine from the die chamber by a die plunger to permit of transfer of the wrapper with the block into a wrapping unit, each wrapping unit being efiective completely to wrap a block in a wrapper, an extrusion box past which the die chambers are traversed in succession by rotation of the ring for filling with margarine, and a discharge mechanism for the wrapped blocks which is common to all the Wrapping units, each of said pairs of grippers comprising a fixed jaw having a pair of fingers and a movable jaw also having a pair of fingers, the fingers of each jaw being spaced sufiiciently apart to straddle the extrusion box, a spring tending to maintain the jaws open or closed and camcontrolled mechanism for opening and closing the jaws to enable them to pick up and transfer wrappers to the position at which blocks are ejected from the die chambers.

References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 7/1960 Italy.

TRAVIS S. McGEHEE, Primary Examiner.

15 ROBERT L. FARRIS, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 53232

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