A box making and sealing apparatus
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202522195201.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-10-16
- Publication Date
- 2026-09-25
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-10-16
AI Technical Summary
目前行业内普遍采用人工操作或简易气缸压合，在制盒包装过程中，手工折盒或简易气缸压合易导致纸盒变形、折边错位；大舌、小舌折入不牢固，运输过程易开盒，封装可靠性不足；切换纸盒尺寸需停机更换夹具，效率低下；餐具装盒与折边工序分离，难以连续作业
[0016]本实用新型中的一种制盒封装装置，采用输送机械手配合前后挡料板的独特折盒方式，确保纸盒成型精度；通过两组第一折边组件与第二折边组件的分级封装设计，实现纸盒大舌、侧耳及小舌的可靠折合，有效保障封装完整性。本装置彻底消除人工接触环节，显著提升卫生安全性；同时大幅提高生产效率，满足规模化生产需求。
Smart Images
Figure CN224797268U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of food packaging equipment technology, and in particular to a box-making and packaging device. Background Technology
[0002] Disposable plastic tableware (such as knives, forks, and spoons) is widely used in the fast food industry due to its convenience. These products come into direct contact with food, requiring extremely strict hygiene standards during production and packaging in a dust-free environment. Currently, the industry commonly uses manual operation or simple cylinder pressing. During the box-making and packaging process, manual folding or simple cylinder pressing easily leads to box deformation and misalignment; the large and small flaps are not securely folded in, making the boxes prone to opening during transportation and resulting in insufficient sealing reliability; changing box sizes requires stopping the machine to replace clamps, leading to low efficiency; and the separation of tableware boxing and folding processes makes continuous operation difficult. Utility Model Content
[0003] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a box-making and packaging device that features high integration, precise packaging, compatibility with various box specifications, and improved production efficiency.
[0004] This utility model provides a box-making and packaging device, comprising: a base; a transmission component disposed on the base for conveying a paper box along a first direction; a support unit on the transmission component that moves along the transmission path; a front baffle and a rear baffle at the feeding end of the transmission component; a feeding component, one end of which is connected to a tableware stacking device, and the other end of which is connected to the transmission component; the feeding component is used to convey tableware into the paper box; a conveying robot for conveying a paper box sheet to the transmission component; wherein the conveying robot absorbs the paper box sheet and rotates, causing the front end of the paper box sheet to abut and fold against the front baffle, and continues to rotate to cause the rear end to abut and fold against the rear baffle to form a three-dimensional paper box; two sets of first folding edge components fixed on both sides of the base for folding the large tongue and two side ears on the side of the three-dimensional paper box; and a second folding edge component disposed on the side of the discharge end of the transmission component for folding the small tongue on the side of the paper box.
[0005] As an improvement to the above solution, one set of the first folding components is located between the feeding end of the transmission component and the feeding component, and is on the side away from the feeding component; the other set of the first folding components is located between the feeding component and the discharge end of the transmission component, and is on the side close to the feeding component.
[0006] As an improvement to the above solution, the first folding assembly includes: a first pressure rod, disposed on the side of the transmission assembly along a first direction; a first rotating arm, rotatably disposed on the side of the first pressure rod near the feed inlet; a mounting platform, fixed to the side of the transmission assembly and located below the first pressure rod; a synchronous belt, fixed below the mounting platform, with a drive shaft connected to the middle of the two pulleys of the synchronous belt, the drive shaft extending above the mounting platform; two rotating blocks, the first ends of which are respectively connected to the drive shaft, and the second ends of the two rotating blocks connected to a drive plate, the drive plate having a first push block and a second push block along the first direction, the first push block being disposed near the feed inlet. On the side, the first push block is positioned lower than the second push block; the first drive motor has its power output shaft connected to any one of the pulleys of the synchronous belt; the power shaft of the first drive motor is also connected to the first rotating arm via a transmission arm; wherein, when the three-dimensional cardboard box approaches the first pressure rod, the side ear at the front end of the three-dimensional cardboard box is pressed and folded by the first pressure rod; the drive motor drives the first rotating arm to swing, pressing the side ear at the rear end of the three-dimensional cardboard box; when the cardboard box passes the mounting table; the first drive motor drives the synchronous belt to rotate, thereby driving the drive plate to reciprocate; the first push block folds the large tongue, the three-dimensional cardboard box continues to move, and the second push block pushes the large tongue into the cavity of the three-dimensional cardboard box.
[0007] As an improvement to the above solution, the second folding assembly includes: a first driving cylinder, vertically disposed on the side of the first transmission assembly; a second driving cylinder, fixed along a second direction to the power output end of the first driving cylinder; a first top block is provided on the cylinder body of the second driving cylinder, and the power output end of the second driving cylinder is connected to the second top block; the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction on a horizontal plane; a third driving cylinder, disposed along a direction opposite to the first direction on the side of the first transmission assembly, and the power output end of the third driving cylinder is connected to the third top block; wherein, the third driving cylinder drives the third top block to extend, limiting the side of the small tongue; the first driving cylinder drives the second driving cylinder to rise, and the first top block folds the small tongue, and then the second driving cylinder drives the second top block to extend, pushing the small tongue into the carton to complete the sealing.
[0008] As an improvement to the above solution, the transmission assembly includes two sets of parallel transmission chains; each set of transmission chains includes a second drive motor, a first chain disposed on the inner side of the base, and a second chain disposed on the outer side of the base, wherein the second chain is connected to the second drive motor through a keyway; the first chain is connected to the second drive motor through a one-way bearing.
[0009] As an improvement to the above solution, the support unit includes a front support and a rear support; the cardboard box is placed within the limiting space enclosed by the front support and the rear support, and the two ends of the front support are respectively fixedly connected to two first chains; the rear support is respectively fixedly connected to two second chains.
[0010] As an improvement to the above solution, the box-making and packaging device further includes a paper box conveying unit, which is fixed above the base and is used to convey paper box sheets to the conveying robot.
[0011] As an improvement to the above solution, the conveying robot includes: a rotating robotic arm, rotatably mounted on the feeding end of the transmission component; and an electric suction cup, mounted on the power output end of the robotic arm.
[0012] As an improvement to the above solution, the box-making and packaging device further includes an upper limit rod, which is positioned above the transmission component via a height adjustment unit.
[0013] As an improvement to the above solution, the feeding assembly includes two feeding channels and a pushing unit. The feeding channels are respectively connected to the tableware stacking device and the transmission assembly, and the pushing unit is slidably disposed in the feeding channels.
[0014] As an improvement to the above solution, the pushing unit includes: a pushing block, which is movably slidably connected to the feeding channel; and a driving member for driving the pushing block to slide.
[0015] The beneficial effects of implementing this utility model are as follows:
[0016] This utility model discloses a box-making and packaging device that employs a unique box-folding method using a conveyor robot in conjunction with front and rear baffles to ensure the precision of box forming. Through a graded packaging design with two sets of first and second folding components, reliable folding of the box's large flap, side ears, and small flap is achieved, effectively ensuring the integrity of the packaging. This device completely eliminates manual contact, significantly improving hygiene and safety; at the same time, it greatly increases production efficiency, meeting the needs of large-scale production. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Figure 1 This is an installation diagram of a box-making and packaging device according to an embodiment of this application;
[0018] Figure 2 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of a box-making and packaging device according to an embodiment of this application;
[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the packaging cardboard box in the embodiments of this application;
[0020] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 Enlarged view of the structure at point A in the middle;
[0021] Figure 5 yes Figure 2 Enlarged view of the structure at point B;
[0022] Figure 6 This is a partial top view of a box-making and packaging apparatus according to an embodiment of this application;
[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the conveying robot arm of a box-making and packaging device according to an embodiment of this application.
[0024] The reference numerals in the attached drawings are explained as follows: 100, tableware stacking device; 200, conveying robot; 210, robotic arm; 220, electric suction cup; 300, base; 400, transmission assembly; 410, second drive motor; 411, first chain; 412, second chain; 420, support unit; 430, front baffle; 440, rear baffle; 450, upper limit rod; 451, height adjustment unit; 500, first folding assembly; 510, first pressure rod; 520, first rotating arm; 530, mounting platform; 540, synchronous belt; 5 50. Turning block; 560. Drive plate; 561. First push block; 562. Second push block; 570. First drive motor; 571. Transmission arm; 600. Second folding assembly; 610. First drive cylinder; 611. First top block; 620. Second drive cylinder; 630. Third drive cylinder; 631. Third top block; 700. Carton conveying unit; 800. Feeding assembly; 810. Feeding channel; 820. Push block; 830. Drive component; 900. Packaging carton; 910. Large tongue; 920. Small tongue; 930. Side ear. Detailed Implementation
[0025] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of this utility model clearer, the utility model will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0026] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 This is an installation diagram of a box-making and packaging device according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 2This is a partial structural schematic diagram of a box-making and packaging device according to an embodiment of this application; as shown in the figure, the device includes: a base 300; a transmission component 400 disposed on the base 300 for conveying paper boxes along a first direction; a support unit 420 movable along the transmission path is provided on the transmission component 400; a front baffle plate 430 and a rear baffle plate 440 are provided at the feeding end of the transmission component 400; a feeding component 800, one end of which is connected to a tableware stacking device 100, and the other end of the feeding component 800 is connected to the transmission component 400; the feeding component 800 is used to convey tableware into the paper box. A conveying robot 200 is used to transport the cardboard box sheet to the transmission assembly 400. The conveying robot 200 picks up the cardboard box sheet and rotates it, causing the front end of the cardboard box sheet to abut against the front baffle 430 and fold. Continued rotation causes the rear end to abut against the rear baffle 440, folding it into a three-dimensional cardboard box. Two sets of first folding edge components 500 are fixed to both sides of the base 300, used to fold the large tongue 910 and two side ears 930 on the side of the three-dimensional cardboard box. A second folding edge component 600 is located on the side of the discharge end of the transmission assembly 400, used to fold the small tongue 920 on the side of the cardboard box. The unique folding method using the conveying robot 200 in conjunction with the front and rear baffles 440 ensures the accuracy of the cardboard box forming. Through the hierarchical packaging design of the two sets of first folding edge components 500 and second folding edge components 600, reliable folding of the large tongue 910, side ears 930, and small tongue 920 of the cardboard box is achieved, effectively ensuring the integrity of the packaging. This device completely eliminates human contact, significantly improving hygiene and safety; at the same time, it greatly increases production efficiency, meeting the needs of large-scale production.
[0027] See Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the packaging box 900 in the embodiments of this application.
[0028] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the packaging box 900 includes a main box body, and two side ears 930, a large tongue 910 and a small tongue 920 are provided on both sides of the main box body.
[0029] Specifically, one set of first folding components 500 is located between the feed end of the conveying component 400 and the feeding component 800, and is on the side away from the feeding component 800; the other set of first folding components 500 is located between the feeding component 800 and the discharge end of the conveying component 400, and is on the side closer to the feeding component 800. The folding component located upstream of the feeding channel 810 and away from the mounting frame prioritizes folding the outer edge of the carton, while the component located downstream and closer to the mounting frame folds the inner edge in the subsequent cartoning process. This layout cleverly avoids mechanical interference from the double-sided folding process and optimizes the production cycle.
[0030] See Figure 4 , Figure 4 yes Figure 2 Enlarged view of the structure at point A in the middle.
[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first folding assembly 500 includes: a first pressure rod 510, disposed along a first direction on the side of the transmission assembly 400; a first rotating arm 520, rotatably disposed on the side of the first pressure rod 510 near the feed inlet; a mounting platform 530, fixed to the side of the transmission assembly 400 and located below the first pressure rod 510; a synchronous belt 540, fixed below the mounting platform 530, with a drive shaft connected to the middle of the two pulleys of the synchronous belt 540, the drive shaft extending above the mounting platform 530; two rotating blocks 550, the first ends of which are respectively connected to the drive shaft, and the second ends of the two rotating blocks are connected to a drive plate 560, the drive plate 560 having a first push block 561 and a second push block 562 along the first direction, the first push block 561 being disposed on the side near the feed inlet. The first push block 561 is positioned lower than the second push block 562; the first drive motor 570 has its power output shaft connected to any one of the pulleys of the synchronous belt 540; the power shaft of the first drive motor 570 is also connected to the first rotating arm 520 via the transmission arm 571; when the three-dimensional cardboard box approaches the first pressure rod 510, the side ear 930 at the front end of the three-dimensional cardboard box is pressed and folded by the first pressure rod 510; the drive motor drives the first rotating arm 520 to swing, pressing the side ear 930 at the rear end of the three-dimensional cardboard box; when the cardboard box passes the mounting table; the first drive motor 570 drives the synchronous belt 540 to rotate, thereby driving the drive plate 560 to reciprocate; the first push block 561 folds the large tongue 910, the three-dimensional cardboard box continues to move, and the second push block 562 pushes the large tongue 910 into the cavity of the three-dimensional cardboard box. The first folding assembly 500 innovatively adopts a single-motor-driven multi-mechanism collaborative operation: the first drive motor 570 drives the push block mechanism through the synchronous belt 540 to complete the folding action of the large tongue 910, and at the same time, it links the first rotating arm 520 through the transmission arm 571 to achieve the pressing of the side ear 930. This structure greatly simplifies the transmission system, improves equipment reliability and reduces energy consumption.
[0032] See Figure 5 , Figure 5 yes Figure 2 Enlarged view of the structure at point B.
[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the second folding assembly 600 includes: a first driving cylinder 610, vertically disposed on the side of the first transmission assembly 400; a second driving cylinder 620, fixed along a second direction to the power output end of the first driving cylinder 610; a first top block 611 is provided on the cylinder body of the second driving cylinder 620, and the power output end of the second driving cylinder 620 is connected to the second top block; the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction on a horizontal plane; a third driving cylinder 630, disposed along a direction opposite to the first direction on the side of the first transmission assembly 400, and the power output end of the third driving cylinder 630 is connected to the third top block 631; wherein, the third driving cylinder 630 drives the third top block 631 to extend, limiting the side of the small tongue 920; the first driving cylinder 610 drives the second driving cylinder 620 to rise, and the first top block 611 folds the edge of the small tongue 920, and the second driving cylinder 620 drives the second top block to extend, pushing the small tongue 920 into the carton to complete the sealing. The second folding assembly 600 achieves precision encapsulation of the tongue 920 through the sequential coordination of multiple drive cylinders: the third drive cylinder 630 first limits the position, the first drive cylinder 610 lifts the folding mechanism to complete the initial bending, and the second drive cylinder 620 finally pushes it in and fixes it. The multi-station collaborative operation significantly enhances the sealing strength of the tongue 920.
[0034] See Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a partial top view of a box-making and packaging apparatus according to an embodiment of this application.
[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the transmission assembly 400 includes two sets of parallel transmission chains; each set of transmission chains includes a second drive motor 410, a first chain 411 disposed inside the base 300, and a second chain 412 disposed outside the base 300, wherein the second chain 412 is connected to the second drive motor 410 via a keyway; the first chain 411 is connected to the second drive motor 410 via a one-way bearing. The support unit 420 includes a front support and a rear support; the cardboard box is placed within the limiting space enclosed by the front and rear supports, with both ends of the front support fixedly connected to the two first chains 411 respectively; the rear support is fixedly connected to the two second chains 412 respectively. The differential chain design of the transmission assembly 400 enables stepless adjustment of the support unit 420: when the motor reverses, the second chain 412 connected by the keyway drives the rear support to move, while the first chain 411 locked by the one-way bearing keeps the front support fixed. This mechanism allows the cardboard box storage space to quickly adapt to different size requirements, greatly improving production line flexibility.
[0036] Preferably, the two sets of conveyor chains can share a second drive motor 410 for driving or each can be driven by a separate second drive motor 410.
[0037] See Figure 1Furthermore, in this embodiment, the box-making and packaging device also includes a paper box conveying unit 700, which is fixed above the base 300. The paper box conveying unit 700 is used to convey paper box sheets to the conveying robot 200. Adding the paper box conveying unit 700 to directly supply paper box sheets to the conveying robot 200 ensures the continuity of the box-making process and avoids production interruptions caused by manual material replenishment.
[0038] See Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a conveying robot 200 of a box-making and packaging device according to an embodiment of this application.
[0039] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the conveying robot 200 includes: a rotating robotic arm 210, rotatably mounted on the feeding end of the transmission assembly 400; and an electric suction cup 220, mounted on the power output end of the robotic arm 210. The rotating robotic arm 210, in conjunction with the electric suction cup 220, enables precise adsorption and spatial orientation adjustment of the cardboard box sheet, ensuring the positioning accuracy and reliability of the two-step folding action.
[0040] See Figure 2 Furthermore, in this embodiment, the box-making and packaging device also includes an upper limit rod 450, which is positioned above the transmission assembly 400 via a height adjustment unit 451. This upper limit rod 450 is used to limit the height of the paper box and prevent it from shifting during folding. The height adjustment unit 451 is used to adjust the height of the upper limit rod 450 to accommodate paper boxes of different sizes.
[0041] See Figure 6 Furthermore, in this embodiment, the feeding assembly 800 includes two feeding channels 810 and a pushing unit. The feeding channels 810 are respectively connected to the tableware stacking device 100 and the transmission assembly 400. The pushing unit is slidably disposed in the feeding channel 810. The sliding pushing block 820 of the pushing unit is highly compatible with the dual-channel production mode, ensuring that the tableware is pushed into the carton at high speed and smoothly, providing key support for the overall efficient operation of the system.
[0042] Preferably, the pushing unit includes: a pushing block 820, which is movably slidably connected to the feeding channel 810; and a driving member 830, which drives the pushing block 820 to slide.
[0043] Preferably, the driving component 830 is a pusher conveyor belt, and a connecting plate is fixed on the belt of the pusher conveyor belt. The connecting plate is connected to the pusher block 820. The pusher conveyor belt is rigidly connected to the pusher block 820 through the connecting plate, forming a direct and efficient linear transmission mechanism. This design utilizes the stability of belt drive and the rigid guiding advantage of the connecting plate to ensure smooth and precise pushing action while significantly reducing the risk of jamming that is prone to occur in traditional pusher mechanisms, making it particularly suitable for high-speed continuous operation scenarios. Its open structure also facilitates maintenance and replacement, improving the maintainability of the equipment.
[0044] As can be seen from the above, the box-making and packaging device of this utility model adopts a unique box-folding method using a conveyor robot in conjunction with front and rear baffles to ensure the forming accuracy of the cardboard box; through the hierarchical packaging design of two sets of first and second folding edge components, reliable folding of the cardboard box's large flap, side ears, and small flap is achieved, effectively ensuring the integrity of the packaging. This device completely eliminates manual contact, significantly improving hygiene and safety; at the same time, it greatly improves production efficiency, meeting the needs of large-scale production.
[0045] The above description is the preferred embodiment of this utility model. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of this utility model, and these improvements and modifications are also considered to be within the protection scope of this utility model.
Claims
1. A box-making and packaging device, characterized in that, include: Base; A conveying component, disposed on the base, is used to convey a paper box along a first direction; The transmission component is provided with a support unit that moves along the transmission path; The feed end of the transmission component is provided with a front baffle and a rear baffle; The feeding assembly has one end connected to the tableware stacking device and the other end connected to the conveying assembly; the feeding assembly is used to convey tableware into the cardboard box. A conveyor robot is used to transport cardboard box sheets to a transfer assembly; The conveying robot arm picks up the paper box sheet and rotates it, so that the front end of the paper box sheet abuts and folds against the front baffle, and continues to rotate so that the rear end abuts and folds against the rear baffle to form a three-dimensional paper box. Two sets of first folding components are fixed to both sides of the base and are used to fold the large tongue and two side ears on the side of the three-dimensional cardboard box. The second folding component is located on the side of the discharge end of the transmission component and is used to fold the small tongue on the side of the paper box.
2. The box-making and packaging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, One set of the first folding components is located between the feed end of the transmission component and the feed component, and is on the side away from the feed component; Another set of the first folding components is located between the feeding component and the discharge end of the conveying component, and is on the side closer to the feeding component.
3. The box-making and packaging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first folding component includes: A first pressure bar is disposed on the side of the transmission component along a first direction; The first rotating arm is rotatably mounted on the side of the first pressure rod near the feed inlet; The mounting platform is fixed to the side of the transmission component and located below the first pressure rod; A timing belt is fixed below the mounting platform, and a drive shaft is connected to the middle of the two pulleys of the timing belt. The drive shaft extends to the top of the mounting platform. Two rotating blocks, the first ends of which are respectively connected to the drive shaft, and the second ends of the two rotating blocks are connected to the drive plate. The drive plate is provided with a first push block and a second push block along a first direction. The first push block is located on the side close to the feed inlet, and the position of the first push block is lower than that of the second push block. The first drive motor has its power output shaft connected to any one of the pulleys of the synchronous belt; the power shaft of the first drive motor is also connected to the first rotating arm via a transmission arm. When the three-dimensional cardboard box approaches the first pressure bar, the side lug at the front end of the three-dimensional cardboard box is pressed and folded by the first pressure bar; the first rotating arm is driven by the drive motor to swing and press the side lug at the rear end of the three-dimensional cardboard box; when the cardboard box passes the mounting table, the first drive motor drives the synchronous belt to rotate, so as to drive the drive plate to reciprocate; the large tongue is folded by the first push block, the three-dimensional cardboard box continues to move, and the large tongue is pushed into the cavity of the three-dimensional cardboard box by the second push block.
4. The box-making and packaging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second folding component includes: The first drive cylinder is vertically disposed on the side of the first transmission component; The second drive cylinder is fixed to the power output end of the first drive cylinder along the second direction; the cylinder body of the second drive cylinder is provided with a first top block, and the power output end of the second drive cylinder is connected to the second top block; the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction on the horizontal plane. The third drive cylinder is disposed on the side of the first transmission component in a direction opposite to the first direction, and the power output end of the third drive cylinder is connected to a third top block; The third drive cylinder drives the third top block to extend, limiting the side of the small tongue; the first drive cylinder drives the second drive cylinder to rise, and the first top block folds the edge of the small tongue; then the second drive cylinder drives the second top block to extend, pushing the small tongue into the carton to complete the sealing.
5. The box-making and packaging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission assembly includes two sets of parallel transmission chains; each set of transmission chains includes a second drive motor, a first chain disposed inside the base, and a second chain disposed outside the base, wherein the second chain is connected to the second drive motor via a keyway; the first chain is connected to the second drive motor via a one-way bearing; The support unit includes a front support and a rear support; the cardboard box is placed within the limiting space enclosed by the front support and the rear support, and the two ends of the front support are respectively fixedly connected to two first chains; the rear support is respectively fixedly connected to two second chains.
6. The box-making and packaging apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The box-making and packaging device also includes a paper box conveying unit, which is fixed above the base and is used to convey paper box sheets to the conveying robot.
7. The box-making and packaging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conveying robot includes: A rotating robotic arm is rotatably mounted at the feed end of the transmission assembly; An electric suction cup is located at the power output end of the robotic arm.
8. The box-making and packaging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The box-making and packaging device also includes an upper limit rod, which is positioned above the transmission component via a height adjustment unit.
9. The box-making and packaging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding assembly includes two feeding channels and a pushing unit. The feeding channels are respectively connected to the tableware stacking device and the transmission assembly, and the pushing unit is slidably disposed in the feeding channels.
10. The box-making and packaging apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, The feeding unit includes a feeding block, which is movably slidably connected to the feeding channel; A driving component is used to drive the pusher block to slide.