Abstract: An apparatus for constructing multi-piece cartons, comprising a tray member supply hopper, a tray conveyor, a glue station, a web placement and compression station including a reciprocating placer, a preform conveyor, a forming station having at least three vertically aligned mandrels and a carton output conveyor. The apparatus process paperboard cartons for fresh produce and the like. The apparatus is operable in a cartoning mode and a preform mode wherein flat unerected carton preforms are output.

Abstract: A turret magazine assembly which provides a constant supply of articles in a packaging operation. The turret magazine assembly has a rotatable feeding assembly having a plurality of tube receiving structures. A plurality of removable tubes are provided to receive and dispense a supply of articles. Each removable tube has a gate mechanism mounted at its dispensing end. A fixed feeding tube is provided having an inlet end and an outlet end. The turret magazine assembly has a control mechanism including an article flow detector to determine article flow. An indexing structure is provided which is operative on the rotatable feeding assembly and which is activated by the control mechanism. The indexing structure is constructed and arranged to successively align the dispensing ends of the respective removable tubes with the inlet end of the fixed feeding tube.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for merging articles on multiple infeed lines into a single outfeed line. The apparatus comprises a frame structure with an infeed end and an outfeed end, and at least two side transfer conveyors, each with a pair of parallel upstanding belts separated a predetermined distance and forming a central conveyance path. The side transfer conveyors are alternately operable to convey a predetermined number of articles to the outfeed end. A guide rail structure is located at the outfeed end and is aligned with the side transfer conveyors to direct output articles into a single line configuration.