Abstract: Disclosed is a product case packing system with a gripping head assembly and a packaging grid assembly linked by a coordination arm that synchronizes the delivery of the product to be packaged and with the positioning of the grid assembly into the packaging container. The system includes a gripper head assembly extension control module, capable of controlling multiple travel distances of the gripper head assembly in a single packing cycle, a product assembly detection module, and a packaging release control element for subtle separation of individual packed containers.

Abstract: Disclosed is a product case packing system with a gripping head assembly and a packaging grid assembly linked by a coordination arm that synchronizes the delivery of the product to be packaged and with the positioning of the grid assembly into the packaging container. The system includes a gripper head assembly extension control module, capable of controlling multiple travel distances of the gripper head assembly in a single packing cycle, a product assembly detection module, and a packaging release control element for subtle separation of individual packed containers.

Abstract: A packaging machine includes a grouper section having changeable lane sizes and a dual servo grouper that separates product into product sets and allow the product sets to accelerate to the lane chain speed in a controlled manner. The grouper section further includes disappearing lugs that pivot into the lanes via a cam surface provided in the lanes. The product rides upon a raised surface of the cam surface as the lug pushes the product set together down the lane, thus ensuring that no gaps are provided between product set members. A gripper/grid section of the packaging machine includes a bars that travel about a carousel with a gripper head assembly and a grid assembly pair moving up and down the bars as defined by cam surfaces within the gripper/grid section. The grid section is presented below the product set such that the product set is fed through the grid section in a one-way trip into a case. The gripper head assembly cam device and the case feed section both include height adjustment assemblies.

Abstract: A tooth grinding system includes an electric motor, a drive unit driven by the motor, a float arm attached to the electric motor at one end, a cutter head at the distal end of the arm including a drive assembly and a cutter element driven by the drive assembly and a flexible drive member within the arm and driven by the drive unit to drive the drive assembly and cutter element.

Abstract: A packaging machine includes a grouper section having changeable lane sizes and a dual servo grouper that separates product into product sets and allow the product sets to accelerate to the lane chain speed in a controlled manner. The grouper section further includes disappearing lugs that pivot into the lanes via a cam surface provided in the lanes. The product rides upon a raised surface of the cam surface as the lug pushes the product set together down the lane, thus ensuring that no gaps are provided between product set members. A gripper/grid section of the packaging machine includes a bars that travel about a carousel with a gripper head assembly and a grid assembly pair moving up and down the bars as defined by cam surfaces within the gripper/grid section. The grid section is presented below the product set such that the product set is fed through the grid section in a one-way trip into a case. The gripper head assembly cam device and the case feed section both include height adjustment assemblies.

Abstract: A packaging machine includes a grouper section having changeable lane sizes and a dual servo grouper that separates product into product sets and allow the product sets to accelerate to the lane chain speed in a controlled manner. The grouper section further includes disappearing lugs that pivot into the lanes via a cam surface provided in the lanes. The product rides upon a raised surface of the cam surface as the lug pushes the product set together down the lane, thus ensuring that no gaps are provided between product set members. A gripper/grid section of the packaging machine includes a bars that travel about a carousel with a gripper head assembly and a grid assembly pair moving up and down the bars as defined by cam surfaces within the gripper/grid section. The grid section is presented below the product set such that the product set is fed through the grid section in a one-way trip into a case. The gripper head assembly cam device and the case feed section both include height adjustment assemblies.

Abstract: A packaging machine includes a grouper section having changeable lane sizes and a dual servo grouper that separates product into product sets and allow the product sets to accelerate to the lane chain speed in a controlled manner. The grouper section further includes disappearing lugs that pivot into the lanes via a cam surface provided in the lanes. The product rides upon a raised surface of the cam surface as the lug pushes the product set together down the lane, thus ensuring that no gaps are provided between product set members. A gripper/grid section of the packaging machine includes a bars that travel about a carousel with a gripper head assembly and a grid assembly pair moving up and down the bars as defined by cam surfaces within the gripper/grid section. The grid section is presented below the product set such that the product set is fed through the grid section in a one-way trip into a case. The gripper head assembly cam device and the case feed section both include height adjustment assemblies.

Abstract: A slitter machine of the type where tab lock cases of varying height, width, and length are advanced therethrough in a product flow direction on a machine bed by a main drive motor, is presented. The slitter machine includes a frame, a centerline, a leading flap lifter and a trailing flap lifter. The leading flap lifter and trailing flap lifter are mounted are mounted to the frame on opposite sides of the centerline, and extend at an incline relative to the machine bed. Each flap lifter includes a tear drop assembly attached to a drive chain and actuated by a pair of cams to rotate the leading flap and the trailing flap toward a closed position. A chain track is disposed in each of the flap lifting assemblies, with the drive chains disposed therein. Each chain track has a first section having a first distance between the drive chains and a second section having a second distance between the drive chains. The second distance is greater than the first distance.

Abstract: An inline packaging machine for folding the flaps of a paper board tray blank around a group of articles loaded on the bottom panel of the tray has provision for emergency shut-down whereby any glue applied to the side flaps of the tray will not set before the tray is completely formed. Moveable side flap folding means is provided at the glue station itself for this purpose. The said emergency flap folding means also serves to support the tray end flaps during gluing. The compression section of the machine that normally applies pressure to the glued flaps includes an inlet portion that is re-configured during emergency shut-down for the same purpose, that is to assure that the flaps are completely folded as the glue sets. The glue station and compression section are mounted on beams that are movable toward and away from one another to accommodate trays of various width.

Abstract: Plastic bottles filled with hot liquid such as fruit juices or the like are packaged in cases fed in line below the path of these bottles in the machine. Line pressure urges the bottles down an inclined ramp into a load station where the plastic trays are continuously filled with the bottles. The trays are indexed by a flight bar conveyor that lifts each tray turn at the load station. Overhead flight bar conveyor chains operate separator pegs that move downwardly between selected article rows to index groups of the softened hot bottles as they are loaded into the inline trays. Overhead separator discs are used in place of these flight bars and pegs for loading conventional plastic bottles or the like.

Abstract: In a packaging machine the articles to be packaged are handled by escapement means that generate gaps between successive articles in each column. The escapement means includes at least two pin conveyors, each of which is driven at a speed which is controlled whereby to permit varying the pitch distance between the pins of each of these two conveyors in order to accommodate a different number of and differently sized articles. The articles are separated by a take away conveyor driven at a slightly greater speed than the pin conveyors to create gaps between the adjacent rows of articles. Partitions may be fed into these gaps, and other gaps are used to permit entry of a flight bar grouper conveyor that ultimately groups the articles so as to create a desired pack pattern for loading.

Abstract: Groups of articles are received from a conventional drop packer grid, into one side of a rotatable carrier that defines pockets for receiving the articles. Each pocket is defined by upright fingers that form funnels for each article. These fingers are resiliently deformed by a star shaped cam located alongside each pocket so as to close around each article and hold it securely while the carrier is inverted. A second set of pockets accepts a second charge of articles while the first charge is dropped into a case lifted into place below the carrier. This case can be so positioned while the fingers are closed to reduce the verticle height through which the articles are dropped.

Abstract: Upright containers of non-rectangular shape move downstream in a plurality of parallel columns and in laterally aligned rows toward a load station where the containers are deposited row-on-row into partitioned packing cases. The cases move continuously through the load station end-to-end and are indexed to the rows of containers by depending pegs that move in between the containers from above. The pegs are provided in flights of an overhead flight bar conveyor and camming means keeps these pegs oriented perpendicular to the upright containers as the legs move in between the containers to control the containers dropped at the load station.

Abstract: Two side-by-side columns of containers are fed between laterally spaced container conveyors that have lugs which move inwardly between the adjacent containers of each column. Some lugs are oversized to create a space between the foremost containers in one slug or array and the last containers in an adjacent array. These lugs also have bifurcated lower portions and the lug conveyors move these lugs downwardly to engage the adjacent end panels of two end-to-end packing cases so the containers can be lowered into these cases at a load station.

Abstract: Oscillating lane guide segments define a diverging laterally shifting path for the articles tending to break up the nested articles and to facilitate feeding the articles in orderly rows more suitable for a conventional case packer. Left and right primary lane guide elements are pivotably mounted to the downstream ends of left and right stationary intake lane guides. Left and right secondary lane guide elements are pivotably mounted in turn to downstream ends of the primary lane guide segments. An actuator is provided for oscillating the left and right primary lane guide segments.

Abstract: Reusable plastic trays of the type adapted to transport large plastic soda bottles generally have cylindrical pockets for receiving the base of the bottle, and these pockets are uniformly spaced with respect to one another in each tray, and also with respect to adjacent bottles in adjacent trays at least when the trays are oriented in end-to-end relationship with respect to one another. This feature is one the present invention takes peculiar advantage of providing for orienting the bottles in two columns, and synchronizing bottle and tray movements so that the bottles can be lowered by their neck rings into the upwardly open pockets of the tray without necessity for periodically interrupting forward movement of the containers and of the trays in an improved continuous motion bottle packer especially suited for use with such reusable plastic trays.

Abstract: A nested pattern of round containers accumulates on an infeed conveyor between side guides so spaced as to accommodate the containers in nested columns. Individual venturi, or lane conveyors, are non-linear and achieve a lateral spreading of the center columns without relying on a fixed lane guide or divider. Outer lane conveyors do the same immediately downstream of this center column spreading action and the containers are then fed to a case packer in orderly columns.

Abstract: Articles, such as glass containers, are fed continuously in end-to-end relationship through a pin spacer adapted to provide a space between adjacent rows so that cross partitions can be fed therebetween. The articles are then grouped by s pin type grouper to provide predetermined members of article rows and columns in each group. The columns of articles are then spread slightly to allow longitudinal extending partitions to be fed between adjacent columns. At the same time flat tray blanks are withdrawn from a horizontally extending magazine and provided on a lug conveyor located below the path of the grouped articles and each blank is mated with a group of articles at a load station where the blank is formed around the articles by a pocket chain conveyor and article folding means operated in conjunction with an overhead flight bar conveyor which cooperates with the trailing portion of each pocket to fold all flaps provided on the tray blank.

Abstract: Articles, such as glass containers, are fed continuously in end-to-end relationship through a pin spacer adapted to provide a space between adjacent rows so that cross partitions can be fed therebetween. The articles are then grouped by a pin type grouper to provide predetermined members of article rows and columns in each group. The columns of articles are then spread slightly to allow longitudinal extending partitions to be fed between adjacent columns. At the same time flat tray blanks are withdrawn from a horizontally extending magazine and provided on a lug conveyor located below the path of the grouped articles and each blank is mated with a group of articles at a load station where the blank is formed around the articles by a pocket chain conveyor and article folding means operated in conjunction with an overhead flight bar conveyor which cooperates with the trailing portion of each pocket to fold all flaps provided on the tray blank.