Method for packaging a flat-shaped packaged item and associated production line

Abstract

Method for the automated packaging of a flat packaged item (1) along a production line (2), comprising the following process steps: a) A folding carton (3) is placed on a conveying device (6) in an unfolded state, by means of which the folding carton (3) can be moved in a conveying direction (7) along the production line (2); b) The packaged goods (1) are placed on a designated support area (9) of the folding carton (3) by means of a placing device (8); c) The packaged goods (1) are enclosed all around along their side edges (10, 11) with packaging cushions (12, 13), wherein - adhesive is applied to the folding carton (3) at the side edges (10, 11) by means of at least one application device (14, 15); - at least one packaging cushion (12, 13) is placed on the folding carton (3) at each of the side edges (10, 11) by means of at least one placement device (16, 17), so that the packaging cushions (12, 13) are glued to the folding carton (3) by the action of the adhesive; d) The folding carton (3) is fed to a folding device (18) by means of which folding areas (19) of the folding carton (3) surrounding the support area (9) are folded around the packaged goods (1) and the folding carton (3) is thus brought into a folded state.

Description

[0001] The present application relates to a method for the automated packaging of a plate-shaped packaging product according to claim 1. Furthermore, the present application relates to a production line for the automated packaging of a plate-shaped packaging product according to claim 11.

[0002] The goods are packaged using a folding carton made of cardboard. The folding carton typically has a plurality of individual layers made of paper. This gives the folding carton a comparatively rigid structure, with a thickness of the folding carton typically ranging between 2 mm and 5 mm. In its unfolded state, the folding carton lies flat on a surface, so that the edge dimensions of the folding carton significantly exceed its thickness. In particular, the folding carton can have dimensions of 3 m or more along its longer side. State of the art

[0003] The packaging of goods using a folding carton is already known in the art. This makes it possible, in particular, to surround the edges of a particular packaged item, such as a furniture board or other wood-based panel, with packaging padding, thus protecting it from impact loads during transport. The packaged item and the packaging padding are enclosed together by the folding carton, which functions as an outer carton, thus preparing it for transport.

[0004] The packaging of a particular packaged item is typically carried out by placing the packaged item on the still unfolded folding carton before the side edges of the packaged item are enclosed with packaging padding. In the typical case of a rectangular, plate-shaped packaged item, packaging padding is applied along both the long and short sides of the packaged item to protect the corresponding end faces of the packaged item from impact. The packaging padding can either be glued to the folding carton or rest loosely against the side edges of the packaged item. Finally, the folding carton is folded over the packaged item and thus converted into its folded state, in which the folding carton completely encloses the packaged item, including the packaging padding on the edges.To ensure that the folding box remains permanently sealed for transport, it is typically sealed with appropriate fixing materials, for example using adhesive parcel tape.

[0005] The current procedure has proven disadvantageous in that it entails comparatively high costs, particularly with regard to the personnel required to complete the individual process steps. Furthermore, the number of finished packages per unit of time using current methods is too low in some applications to ensure a smooth production process for the respective packaged goods. Task

[0006] The present application is therefore based on the object of providing a method whose efficiency is increased compared to the prior art. Solution

[0007] The underlying problem is solved according to the invention by means of the method having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments emerge from the associated subclaims.

[0008] According to the method according to the invention, a respective folding carton, for example starting from a carton magazine, is transferred to a conveyor device by means of which the folding carton can be moved in a conveying direction. The movement of the folding carton takes place along a production line, at the end of which the packaged goods are completely wrapped. The conveyor device can in particular be formed by a conveyor belt onto which the folding carton can be placed. The conveyor device is in particular suitable for transporting the folding carton in a straight direction, wherein the folding carton is preferably not deflected laterally along the production line. By means of a placing device, which can in particular comprise an industrial robot, the respective packaged goods are placed onto a support area of ​​the folding carton provided for this purpose.The folding carton typically has a certain cutting pattern that specifies fold lines along which the folding carton, with corresponding fold areas, is ultimately to be folded over the packaged goods. The fold lines represent, in a sense, predetermined folding points of the folding carton. The support area for the packaged goods is typically bordered all the way around by such fold lines, so that the folding carton can be folded over the packaged goods at all side edges. Furthermore, according to the method according to the invention, the packaged goods are bordered all the way around with packaging cushions along their side edges. Advantageously, a corresponding packaging cushion is assigned to each of the side edges. For this purpose, an adhesive is first applied to the side edges of the folding carton by means of at least one application device, by means of which adhesive a respective packaging cushion can be placed onto the folding carton.After the adhesive has been applied, at least one packaging cushion, preferably all of the packaging cushions, is placed onto the folding carton using at least one placement device, so that the packaging cushion(s) are bonded to the folding carton under the action of the adhesive. The placement device can, in particular, comprise an industrial robot. Finally, the folding carton is fed to a folding device, by means of which the folding areas of the folding carton surrounding the support area are folded over around the packaged goods and the packaging cushions adjacent to them. After completion of this process step, the folding carton is in its folded state.

[0009] The method according to the invention offers many advantages. In particular, the processing of both the folding carton and the packaged goods is automated using appropriate devices, namely the loading device, the application device, and the placement device. This significantly increases the speed at which individual packaged goods are processed. Furthermore, thanks to automation, the quality of the packaging remains consistently high and is therefore easier to control. Damage to the packaged goods, which can be caused by improperly executed packaging, is largely avoided.

[0010] In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention, the method is carried out fully automatically, with at least the application device, the application device, and the folding device being controlled by at least one control device. Furthermore, the folding carton is advantageously transferred from a carton magazine to the conveyor device by means of a transfer device, with the transfer device also being controlled by the control device and thus operating fully automatically. Using such a method, the packaging of packaged goods can be carried out extremely quickly without compromising the quality of the packaging.

[0011] The method according to the invention is further particularly advantageous when the conveyor device is operated at a constant feed rate. In this case, the folding carton is preferably moved continuously along the production line, preferably starting with its placement on the conveyor device until at least its delivery to the folding device. Thus, the folding carton is not stopped even when the packaging item is placed by means of the placement device, the adhesive is applied by means of the at least one gluing device, and / or the at least one packaging cushion is applied by means of the placement device.Accordingly, it is particularly advantageous if the laying device and / or the placing device each comprise at least one industrial robot, by means of which a targeted placement of the packaged goods or the respective packaging cushion can be carried out even during a continuous movement of the folding carton and consequently the latter does not have to be stopped.

[0012] Advantageously, the conveying device is operated at a conveying speed in the range between 0.5 m / s and 5 m / s, preferably between 2 m / s and 4 m / s.

[0013] If the packaged item consists of a rectangular sheet, a method is particularly advantageous in which, after the packaged item has been placed on the conveyor, adhesive is applied to the folding carton along opposite side edges of the packaged item using an application device. This advantageously occurs in a first step along longer longitudinal edges of the packaged item. Additionally or alternatively, the application can be carried out simultaneously using two application units of the application device, with each application unit being assigned to one of the opposite side edges of the packaged item.

[0014] The application device can in particular be formed by a gantry that extends transversely across the conveyor device, wherein the at least one application unit is mounted on a cross member of the gantry and can thus be positioned above the conveyor device. This makes it particularly easy to move and position the respective application unit along a longitudinal axis of the cross member, preferably by motor, so that the adhesive can be applied particularly easily along the side edges by dispensing the adhesive from above onto a surface of the folding carton. In this case, the application device as such can be fixed relative to the conveyor device, since in order to guide the packaged goods or the folding carton along the application device, the latter is in motion by means of the conveyor device. The preferably continuous movement of the folding carton is therefore particularly advantageous for applying the adhesive.Advantageously, the adhesive is applied simultaneously using two application units, with the application units being arranged next to one another along the longitudinal axis of the cross member.

[0015] Furthermore, it can be advantageous if, when using a first application device, at least one second application device is also used, which is arranged downstream of the first application device. The use of at least two application devices is particularly advantageous in order to apply adhesive both along the longitudinal edges and along the transverse edges running perpendicular to the longitudinal edges, at least in the case of rectangular packaging. Thus, in particular, one application device can be responsible for applying adhesive along opposite side edges, with one application device being responsible for the opposite longitudinal edges and the other application device being responsible for the opposite transverse edges.

[0016] Particularly for application along those opposite side edges that extend at least primarily, possibly entirely, transversely to the conveying direction of the conveyor, it is advantageous if the application device has at least two application units, each responsible for applying the adhesive along one of the opposite side edges. It is further advantageous if the application units are moved along a longitudinal axis of a cross member of the application device during the movement of the folding carton for applying the adhesive.

[0017] Furthermore, it can be particularly advantageous if the crossbar of the application device is oriented obliquely relative to the conveying direction of the conveyor device, so that the movement of a respective application unit along the longitudinal axis of the crossbar has both a movement component in a direction transverse to the conveying direction and a component parallel to the conveying direction. By coordinating the conveying speed, the angle between projections of the longitudinal axis of the crossbar and the conveying direction into a common horizontal plane, and the movement speed of the application unit along the crossbar, the adhesive can be applied particularly easily along the respective transverse edges without the folding carton having to be stopped.In contrast to the application units by means of which the adhesive is applied along the opposing longitudinal edges oriented parallel to the conveying direction, the application units for the opposing transverse edges oriented transversely to the conveying direction are accordingly advantageously not stationary during the application of the adhesive, but move along the cross member.

[0018] In further developing the method according to the invention, packaging cushions are first applied to the folding carton at first opposing side edges of the packaged goods by means of at least one application device. This preferably occurs simultaneously; for example, an application device designed in the form of an industrial robot can have a corresponding effect by means of which several packaging cushions can be grasped simultaneously and placed on the folding carton at different locations. The packaging cushions can be gripped, for example, using suction cups. Only after the packaging cushions have been applied to the first opposing side edges are the packaging cushions applied along the other opposing side edges.This can be done either immediately after the first packaging cushions have been applied or after an additional process step, such as the application of additional adhesive. Advantageously, the packaging cushions, which are applied to the second, opposite side edges, are applied by means of a further application device downstream of the first application device, so that the production line comprises at least two application devices in total. Advantageously, each of these comprises an industrial robot.

[0019] Applying the packaging cushions in the described sequence offers the advantage that a pair of packaging cushions corresponding to opposite side edges of the packaged goods can horizontally overlap the associated side edge of the packaged goods, while the pair of packaging cushions applied to the first opposite side edges correspond in length to the length of the associated side edge of the packaged goods and therefore do not overlap. This sequence offers the advantage that the second pair of packaging cushions can be applied to an end face of the other packaging cushions and therefore does not have to be placed between the other packaging cushions. Further details can be found in the exemplary embodiment below.

[0020] Finally, a method in which the folding carton is closed by means of a closing device after being transferred into its folded state is particularly advantageous. In this case, at least one strip of adhesive tape is preferably adhered along at least one butt area of ​​corresponding folding areas of the folding carton. The adhesive tape comes into adhesive contact with the surfaces of the two corresponding folding areas and thus bridges the butt area. This prevents the two folding areas from unfolding again on their own, particularly in the absence of external forces. This typically requires the use of a cutting tool, which is usually only carried out at the packaging's destination during the unpacking of the packaged goods.

[0021] In terms of device technology, the underlying object is achieved according to the invention by means of a production line according to claim 11. Advantageous embodiments emerge from the associated subclaims.

[0022] The production line comprises a conveyor for conveying a folding carton, a placement device for placing a respective packaged item onto a designated support area of ​​the folding carton, at least one application device for applying adhesive to the folding carton along the side edges of the packaged item, at least one placement device for placing at least one packaging cushion onto the folding carton, and at least one folding device for folding the folding area of ​​the folding carton surrounding the packaged item around the packaged item. Advantageously, the production line further comprises at least one transfer device, by means of which a respective folding carton, for example from a carton magazine, can be transferred or placed onto the conveyor.

[0023] The method according to the invention can be implemented particularly easily using the production line according to the invention. The resulting advantages have already been explained above. In particular, it enables fully automated packaging of packaged goods, which is superior to the manual methods known in the prior art both in terms of consistent quality standards and production speed.

[0024] For this purpose, it is particularly advantageous if the application device and / or the placement device and / or the transfer device each comprise at least one industrial robot. Accordingly, in an advantageous embodiment, the production line has at least one control device by means of which at least the application device, the application device, and the placement device can be controlled. In this way, the production line can be operated fully automatically. Advantageously, the control device is also operatively connected to a transfer device for the folding carton.

[0025] If at least the placement device and / or at least one placement device comprise an industrial robot, it may further be advantageous if they have at least one manipulator and at least one effector, wherein the effector preferably comprises a plurality of suction cups. By means of such suction cups, a packaged item and / or a packaging cushion can be grasped by applying a negative pressure. Advantageously, a transfer device further comprises an industrial robot, which likewise has a manipulator and an effector comprising a plurality of suction cups. By means of such a transfer device, a respective folding carton can be gripped particularly easily by applying a negative pressure and transferred onto the conveyor device.Such industrial robots are comparatively easy to program, so that when used together they are particularly well suited to fully automated operation of the production line.

[0026] Further developing the production line according to the invention, it comprises at least one application device, which is designed in the form of a portal extending transversely across the conveyor device. It comprises a cross member extending above the conveyor devices, on which at least one application unit is mounted, preferably movably. The cross member can extend, in particular, perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the conveyor devices. It is also conceivable, particularly in the case that the production line comprises two application devices, for the cross member to extend at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the conveyor devices that is less than 90°. In particular, the angle can be between 85° and 45°, preferably between 80° and 60°.

[0027] The use of a portal-type application device has the advantage that each application unit can be freely positioned above the conveyor. This allows each application unit to be positioned at a point on the crossbeam below which a respective side edge of the packaged goods is guided, so that the application unit can apply the adhesive to the folding carton directly next to the side edge. As explained above, this can be particularly continuous if several application units, in particular two application units, are located on one crossbeam.

[0028] Furthermore, the use of several application devices arranged one behind the other downstream of the conveyor device is advantageous, with a first application device being responsible for applying adhesive along first, opposite side edges and the second application device being responsible for applying adhesive along the other, opposite side edges of the packaged goods. Advantageously, any application units are movably arranged on the respective cross member, which is particularly advantageous for applying adhesive along side edges that are not oriented parallel to the conveying direction of the conveyor devices. According to the above explanation, this is particularly important when the packaged goods are formed by a rectangular plate having two side edges oriented transversely to the conveying direction.

[0029] For the purpose of applying the adhesive, it is particularly advantageous if at least one application unit is moved along the longitudinal axis of the cross member during the movement of the packaged goods and in the process applies the adhesive, wherein the movement of the application unit is selected as a function of an angular position of the longitudinal axis of the cross member in relation to the conveying direction and the conveying speed. Examples of implementation

[0030] The invention is explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment illustrated in the figures. It shows: Fig. 1: A side view of a first section of a production line according to the invention, Fig. 2: A side view of a second section of the production line according to Fig. 1, Fig. 3: A cross-section through the production line according to Fig. 1 in the area of ​​a laying device, Fig. 4: A cross-section through the production line according to Fig. 1 in the area of ​​a first application facility, Fig. 5: A cross-section through the production line according to Fig. 1 in the area of ​​a first landing device, Fig. 6: A top view of the production line according to Fig. 1 in the area of ​​a second application facility, Fig. 7: A side view of the production line according to Fig. 1 in the area of ​​a second landing device, Fig. 8: A top view of a packaged item surrounded by packaging cushions, Fig. 9: A cross-section through the production line according to Fig. 1 in the area of ​​a folding device and Fig. 10: A cross-section through the production line according to Fig. 1 in the area of ​​a folding device.

[0031] An example of implementation that is shown in the Fig. 1 to 10, comprises a production line 2 by means of which packaging goods 1 can be packaged fully automatically. The method for packaging such a packaging item 1, implemented here as an example, is described below using the production line 2.

[0032] The production line 2 has a conveyor device 6, by means of which a folding carton 3, by means of which the respective packaged goods 1 are packaged, can be conveyed along the production line 2 together with the respective packaged goods 1. This occurs here along a conveying direction 7 that is straight in itself. In other words, the folding carton 3 is not deflected from the beginning to the end of the production line 2, but is moved at least substantially along a longitudinal axis 29 of the conveyor device 6.

[0033] At the beginning of the process, a folding carton 3 is placed on the conveyor device 6. This is done by means of a transfer device (not shown in the figures), by means of which a folding carton 3 is taken from a cardboard magazine (also not shown) and transferred onto the conveyor device 6. The folding carton 3, which here is formed from a cardboard consisting of several layers of paper, is in an unfolded state at this time, so that it lies completely flat on a surface of the conveyor device 6. The conveyor device 6 can in particular be formed by a conveyor belt that can be driven by at least one drive device (not shown), in particular an electric motor, and in this way can achieve a continuous advance of the folding carton 3. Advantageously, the production line 2 is operated in such a way that the conveyor device 6 never stops, i.e.a continuous movement of each folding carton 3 along the production line 2.

[0034] After the folding carton 3 has been placed on the conveyor device 6, a respective packaged item 1 to be packaged is placed on the folding carton 3. In the example shown, the packaged item 1 is a rectangular furniture panel with a thickness of approximately 20 mm. Side edges 10 of the packaged item 1 oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis 29 of the conveyor device 6 are longer than side edges 11 oriented transversely to the longitudinal axis 29. The longer side edges 10 can accordingly be referred to as "longitudinal edges" and the shorter side edges 11 as "transverse edges". The packaged item 1 is placed on a support area 9 of the folding carton 3. This is particularly evident from Fig. 3. The support area 9 depends on the folding pattern underlying the folding carton 3. Therefore, it is not absolutely necessary, although possible, that the support area 9 is positioned centrally on the folding carton 3.

[0035] The packaging item 1 is placed on the carton by means of a placement device 8, which in the example shown comprises an industrial robot. This robot is equipped with a plurality of suction elements 4 that can interact with a surface of the packaging item 1. The suction elements 4 are then connected to a suction device (not shown in the figures), by means of which a negative pressure can be generated on the suction elements 4. In this way, the packaging item 1, which has flat surfaces, can be gripped particularly easily and placed on the folding carton 3. The packaging item 1 is placed in a placement direction 5 oriented perpendicular to a surface of the conveyor device 6.

[0036] Following the placement of the packaging item 1, adhesive is applied for the first time along the side edges 10 of the packaging item 1. This application is carried out by means of an application device 14 which has two application units 20. These application units 20 each comprise an application nozzle by means of which an adhesive can be dispensed. In the example shown, the application device 14 is designed in the form of a gantry which extends transversely to the conveying direction 7 over the conveying device 6. The application units 20 are movable along a horizontal cross member of the application device 14, in particular by means of associated drives. In this way, the application units 20 can be moved transversely to the conveying direction 7 and relative to the folding carton 3 and the packaging item 1.For the purpose of applying adhesive along the side edges 10, the application units 20 are positioned relative to the packaged goods 1 in such a way that they apply adhesive to the folding carton 3 directly next to the longer side edges 10. A corresponding position of the application units 20 is shown in FIG. Fig. 4. The adhesive is applied continuously in a line. The application units 20 remain stationary on the crossbeam, while the folding carton 3, together with the packaged goods 1, is guided beneath the application device 14 by the conveyor device 6. The application of adhesive by the application units 20 is controlled and only takes place during the period in which the packaged goods 1 pass the application device 14.

[0037] After the adhesive has been applied, the folding carton 3 is prepared for the application of packaging cushions 12. Accordingly, the production line 2 comprises, downstream of the application device 14, a placement device 16 by means of which the packaging cushions 12 can be placed onto the folding carton 3. The placement device 16 also comprises an industrial robot equipped with placement units 34. In the example shown, two identical packaging cushions 12 are simultaneously placed onto the folding carton 3 along the longer side edges 10 of the packaged item, along which the adhesive was previously applied, by means of the placement device 16. The two packaging cushions 12, which in the example shown are made of folded cardboard, are gripped by means of the placement units 34 from a magazine (not shown in the figures) and released after being positioned along the side edges 10.The positioning takes place dynamically, ie during a continuous movement of the folding carton 3 together with the packaging item 1. This has the consequence that the placement device 16 together with its placement units 34 moves in a manner adapted to a conveying speed of the conveying device 6, so that at least at the moment the packaging cushions 12 are placed on the packaging item 1, there is no relative movement directed in the conveying direction 7 between the packaging cushions 12 and the packaging item 1. Such a relative movement only occurs in a placement direction 25 oriented vertically to the surface of the conveying device 6, which can be seen from the corresponding arrows in accordance with. Fig. 5 results.

[0038] Downstream of the placement device 16, the production line 2 comprises a second application device 15, by means of which adhesive can be applied to the folding carton 3 along the shorter side edges 11 of the packaging material 1, which are oriented transversely to the conveying direction 7. The second application device 15 is particularly well-defined based on Fig. 6. Since this application of adhesive should also advantageously take place without interruption, i.e. without stopping the folding carton 3, the application device 15 comprises two portals extending over the conveyor device 6, each having a cross member 27. Similar to the first application device 14, application units 20 are arranged on the cross members 27 and can be moved along a direction of movement 26 along the respective cross member 27. In this case, one application unit 20 cooperates with a portal or a cross member 27. The cross members 27 are aligned such that their longitudinal axes 28, which extend parallel to one another, are oriented obliquely with respect to the conveying direction 7. In particular, projections of the longitudinal axes 28 of the cross members 27 and of the longitudinal axis 29 of the conveyor device 6 into a common horizontal plane together enclose an angle 30 of approximately 65° here.This orientation of the application device 15 has the advantage that the adhesive can be applied continuously by means of the application units 20. During the dispensing of the adhesive, the application units 20 are each moved along the cross members 27 in the direction of movement 26, whereby the application units 20 receive a movement component oriented parallel to the conveying direction 7.The angle 30, the conveying speed of the conveying device 6 (here: 3 m / s) and a movement speed of the application units 20 along the cross member 27 are coordinated with one another in such a way that the movement of the folding carton 3 is continued unchanged along the production line 2, wherein the application units 20 move in the course of the movement of the folding carton 3 below the application device 15 from one end of the respectively assigned shorter side edge 11 to the opposite end thereof and in the course of this apply the adhesive linearly along the respective side edge 11 to the folding carton 3.

[0039] After the application of adhesive along the shorter side edges 11, packaging cushions 13 are also applied to the packaged goods 1 there, so that the packaged goods 1 are finally enclosed all the way around their side edges 10, 11 by packaging cushions 12, 13. The application of the correspondingly shorter packaging cushions 13 is carried out by means of an application device 17, which likewise comprises two application units 34. The application device 17 is based on Fig. 7. In contrast to the first placement device 16, in the example shown, the packaging cushions 13 are not placed simultaneously, but one after the other, on the folding carton 3. For this purpose, the placement device 17 also has an industrial robot that can move in a manner coordinated with the conveyance of the folding carton 3 and can thus, in principle comparable to the first placement device 16, place the packaging cushions 13 precisely in a respective placement direction 31 on the folding carton 3. To grip the packaging cushions 13, the placement device 17 has two suction elements 32.

[0040] As a preliminary result, the packaged goods 1 - as already explained - are enclosed all around by packaging cushions 12, 13. This condition is particularly evident from Fig. 8. In the embodiment shown, the packaging cushions 12 are dimensioned such that their length 21 measured parallel to the conveying direction 7 corresponds to a length 22 of the packaged item 1 measured equally parallel to the conveying direction 7. The packaging cushions 13 adjacent to the shorter side edges 11, on the other hand, have a length 23 that exceeds a length 24 of the corresponding side edges 11 of the packaged item 1. The packaging cushions 13 therefore overlap the associated side edges 11. The difference in length between the length 23 of the packaging cushions 13 and the length 24 of the corresponding side edges 11 of the packaged item 1 corresponds to twice the width of the packaging cushions 12. This has the consequence that the shorter packaging cushions 13 are laterally flush with the longer packaging cushions 12.

[0041] To complete the packaging, the folding carton 3 together with the packaging item 1 and the surrounding packaging cushions 12, 13 is finally fed to a folding device 18, by means of which the folding areas 19 of the folding carton 3 are folded over the packaging item 1. This is particularly evident from the Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. As a result, the packaged item 1 is completely packaged. Advantageously, the folding carton 3 is joined together, in particular by means of an adhesive tape, in a joint area (not shown in the figures) where the opposing folding areas 19 adjoin one another after being folded over. This prevents the folding carton 3 from opening accidentally.

[0042] In addition to the described application devices 14, 15, the production line 2 shown here also has a third application device 33 upstream of the folding device 18, by means of which additional adhesive can be applied. This application takes place on the upper sides of the packaging cushions 12, 13. By means of this adhesive application, which can be carried out essentially analogously to the application devices 14, 15, the folding areas 19 of the folding carton 3 can be glued to the upper sides of the packaging cushions 12, 13 during their wrapping around the packaged goods 1. List of reference symbols 1 Packaging goods 2 production line 3 folding boxes 4 suction element 5 Laying direction 6 Conveyor system 7 Conveying direction 8 Laying device 9 Support area 10 Page margin 11 Page margin 12 packaging cushions 13 packaging cushions 14 Order setup 15 Order setup 16 Mounting device 17 Mounting device 18 Folding device 19 Folding area 20 order units 21 length 22 length 23 length 24 length 25 Landing direction 26 Direction of movement 27 Crossbeam 28 Longitudinal axis 29 Longitudinal axis 30 angles 31 Touchdown direction 32 suction element 33 Order setup 34 Attachment unit

Claims

[1] Method for the automated packaging of a plate-shaped packaging product (1) along a production line (2), comprising the following method steps: a) A folding carton (3) is placed in an unfolded state on a conveyor device (6) by means of which the folding carton (3) can be moved in a conveying direction (7) along the production line (2); b) The packaged goods (1) are placed by means of a laying device (8) onto a support area (9) of the folding carton (3) provided for this purpose; c) The packaging material (1) is enclosed along its side edges (10, 11) with packaging cushions (12, 13), whereby - adhesive is applied to the folding carton (3) at the side edges (10, 11) by means of at least one application device (14, 15); - at least one packaging cushion (12, 13) is placed on the folding carton (3) at each of the side edges (10, 11) by means of at least one placing device (16, 17), so that the packaging cushions (12, 13) are glued to the folding carton (3) under the action of the adhesive; d) The folding carton (3) is fed to a folding device (18) by means of which folding areas (19) of the folding carton (3) surrounding the support area (9) are folded over the packaging material (1) and the folding carton (3) is thus converted into a folded state. [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by that the method is carried out fully automatically, wherein at least the laying device (8), the application device (14, 15) and the folding device (18) are controlled by means of at least one control device. [3] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the conveyor device (6) is operated at a constant feed speed, wherein preferably the folding carton (3) is moved without interruption along the production line (2) starting with its transfer onto the conveyor device (6) until at least the transfer of the folding carton (3) into its folded state. [4] Method according to claim 3, characterized by that the conveying device (6) is operated at a conveying speed in the range between 0.5 m / s and 5 m / s, preferably between 2 m / s and 4 m / s. [5] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the packaged goods (1) are formed by a rectangular plate. [6] Method according to claim 5, characterized bythat after the packaging item (1) has been placed on the conveyor device (6), adhesive is applied to the folding carton (3) by means of an application device (14) on opposite side edges (10) of the packaging item (1), preferably on its longer longitudinal edges, preferably simultaneously by means of two application units (20) of the application device (14). [7] Method according to claim 6, characterized by that downstream of the first application device (14) by means of a second application device (15) adhesive is applied to the folding carton (3) on the remaining opposite side edges (11) of the packaging material (1), preferably on its shorter transverse edges, preferably simultaneously by means of two application units (20) of the application device (15). [8] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat packaging cushions (12) are first placed, preferably simultaneously, on the first opposite side edges (10) of the packaged goods (1) by means of at least one placing device (16), before packaging cushions (13) are placed, preferably simultaneously, on the second opposite side edges (11) by means of at least one placing device (17). [9] Method according to claim 8, characterized by that the packaging cushions (12) which are first applied to opposite side edges (10) have a length (21) which corresponds to a length (22) of the side edges (10) to which the packaging cushions (12) are assigned. [10] Method according to claim 9, characterized by that the packaging cushions (13) which are last attached to opposite side edges (11) have a length (23) which exceeds a length (24) of the side edges (11) to which the packaging cushions (13) are assigned. [11] Production line (2) for the automated packaging of a plate-shaped packaging item (1) by means of a folding carton (3), comprising a conveyor device (6) for conveying a folding carton (3) in a conveying direction (7) along the production line (2), a laying device (8) for placing the packaged goods (1) on a support area (9) of the folding carton (3) provided for this purpose, at least one application device (14, 15) for applying adhesive to the folding carton (3) on side edges (9, 10) of the packaged goods (1), at least one placement device (16, 17) for placing packaging cushions (12, 13) on the side edges (9, 10) of the packaged goods (1) on the folding carton (3), and at least one folding device (18) for folding the folding areas (19) of the folding carton (3) surrounding the packaging item (1) around the packaging item (1), whereby the folding carton (3) can be converted into its folded state, characterized by , that the application device (14, 15) - viewed in the conveying direction (7) - is arranged downstream of the laying device (8). [12] Production line (2) according to claim 11, characterized by at least one control device by means of which at least the laying device (8), the application device (14, 15) and the setting device (16, 17) can be controlled, so that the production line (1) can be operated fully automatically. [13] Production line (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by in that the laying device (8) and / or the setting device (16, 17) are formed by an industrial robot which has at least one manipulator and at least one effector, wherein the effector preferably comprises a plurality of suction cups by means of which a folding carton (3) and / or a packaging cushion (12, 13) can be gripped by applying a negative pressure. [14] Production line (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that at least one application device (14, 15) is designed in the form of a portal which has a cross member (27) extending above the conveyor device (6), on which at least one application unit (20) is mounted, preferably movably. [15] Production line (2) according to claim 14, characterized by that projections of, on the one hand, a longitudinal axis (28) of the cross member (27) of at least one application device (15) and, on the other hand, a longitudinal axis (29) of the conveyor device (6) into a common horizontal plane together enclose an angle (30) in the range between 85° and 45°, preferably between 80° and 60°.

Images