Abstract: A carton blank may be folded by folder blades supported on an adjustable plate positioned on one side of a chain which carries a clamp by which the carton blank is pulled through the machine. After folding, the blank is glued to complete a flat shell and the shell is then inverted; the clamp is articulated so the shell may be turned in a horizontal plane to align a datum line on the shell to a datum line on a cartoner machine.

Abstract: An improvement in an apparatus for setting up and closing the bottom of cartons or so called slit-boxes which are supplied as plainly collapsed carton tubes having sides and bottom and top flaps which are integral with the sides. The apparatus comprises a support (1) which carries a magazine (2) for carton blanks, a feeder unit (3) and a bottom flap closing means (4). The feeding unit (3) includes a suction catcher (11) adapted to catch and open a container blank and to move the said blank along a handling path while closing at least bottom thereof. The feeding unit carries an expelling means (27) having an expellor arm (28) which is moveable between a position inside the handling path and a position outside the handling path and which is mounted at a predetermined distance in front of the feeder unit (3) as considered in the feeding direction.

Abstract: Blanks which are made of cardboard or the like and wherein the neighboring panels are flexible relative to each other are converted first into flat tubular preforms which are thereupon expanded prior to a change of orientation and introduction into a filling machine. The conversion is carried out on a horizontal support during stepwise transport of successive blanks along a stationary elongated one-piece flat pattern having progressively narrower portions at several successive deforming stations. At the first deforming station, a lap which is integral with one outermost panel of each blank is flexed relative to the respective outermost panel; at the second deforming station, the lap and the respective outermost panel are folded over the adjacent portion of the pattern; and the other outermost panel is bonded to the lap at the third deforming station.