Method of cutting the box

Abstract

We propose a novel technology for cutting cardboard boxes and other similar materials to open them. [Solution] A method for cutting a box, comprising moving a disc-shaped cutter from a first position to a second position. The cutting teeth of the cutter are gear-shaped. The cutter is of a free-rotating type. The distance from the first position to the second position is 3 cm or more. The cutter cuts perpendicular to the cutting surface of the box.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for cutting a box such as cardboard.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, an apparatus for automatically opening a packaging box is known. In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, a knife-shaped cutter is inserted into a tape to cut the end of the tape. Further, Patent Document 1 describes a so-called "H-shaped taping" packaging. In addition to securing the gap between the tips of a pair of flaps with tape, the sides of each flap and the side surface of the packaging box are secured with tape, so that the tape is taped in an H shape on the top surface of the packaging box.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In Patent Document 1, in the case of "H-shaped taping" packaging, it is described that the cutting range of the cutter is widened. However, if the knife-shaped cutter is moved over a wide range, there is a concern that the cutter will meander due to the resistance generated during cutting and the straightness will deteriorate. As a result, there is also a concern that cutting defects will occur and later, the flaps will not be properly raised.

[0005] In addition, since a large load is applied to the cutter during cutting, there is also a concern that the cutter will wear out quickly and the replacement frequency will increase. Specifically, it may be necessary to replace the cutter once every two weeks. Furthermore, when the replacement frequency of the cutter is high, it is necessary to ensure safety each time.

[0006] Furthermore, the boxes (packaging boxes) to be opened are expected to have variations in shape due to deformation caused by warping, and variations are also expected in the position where the knife-shaped cutter is inserted. Therefore, if the deformation of the box is significant, the knife-shaped cutter may cut in a different location than intended, and it may not be possible to make a stable, straight cut, which could lead to problems such as poor flap opening or cuts into the contents.

[0007] Another issue was that when cutting the tape with a knife-shaped cutter, the adhesive from the tape would stick to the knife, dulling its cutting performance and requiring frequent cleaning for maintenance.

[0008] In view of the above problems, this invention proposes a novel technique for cutting cardboard boxes and other similar materials to open them. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The problems that this invention aims to solve are as described above, and the means for solving these problems will now be explained.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, the method for cutting a box is to move a disc-shaped cutter from a first position to a second position.

[0011] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the cutting teeth of the cutter are gear-tooth shaped.

[0012] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the cutter is of the free-rotating type.

[0013] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the distance from the first position to the second position is 3 cm or more.

[0014] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the cutter makes a cut perpendicular to the cut surface of the box.

[0015] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the box has a flap, the flap is closed with tape, and the cutter cuts into the tape and / or the flap.

[0016] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the cutter is positioned at a third position, then moves to a first position, then moves to a second position, and then moves to a fourth position, wherein the third position is located laterally to the box body, and the fourth position is also located laterally to the box body.

[0017] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the third position is lower than the upper position of the box, and the fourth position is lower than the upper position of the box.

[0018] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the first position and the second position are located on the top surface of the box.

[0019] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the first position and the second position are located on the bottom surface of the box.

[0020] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the first position and the second position are the top and bottom surfaces of the box, and a plurality of cutters are provided to cut the top and bottom surfaces simultaneously.

[0021] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, a plurality of cutters are provided, and each cutter cuts at least parallel lines of the box body.

[0022] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is a method for cutting the bottom surface of a box, wherein a disc-shaped cutter is moved from a fifth position to a sixth position located on the bottom surface of the box.

[0023] Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, it is assumed that the distance from the fifth position to the sixth position is 3 cm or more.

Advantages of the Invention

[0024] The present invention has the following advantages. That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, since the cutter is disk-shaped, a large load is not applied to the cutter during cutting, and it is difficult for the cutter to wear quickly, and the replacement frequency can be reduced, for example, to once every few months. In addition, since the replacement frequency of the cutter is also reduced, the risk regarding safety during the replacement operation can be reduced.

[0025] Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, even when the deformation of the box body is large, a straight cut can be surely made on the box body stably, and risks of defects such as poor rising of the later flap and cuts on the contents can also be reduced.

[0026] Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, compared with the case of cutting a tape with a knife-shaped cutter, the glue of the tape hardly adheres to and remains on the disk-shaped cutter, and it is possible to avoid the cutting edge from becoming dull early, and the cleaning frequency can also be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027] [Figure 1] A diagram for explaining the state of being cut in the Y-axis direction by a cutter, etc. [Figure 2] A diagram for explaining the state of being cut in the X-axis direction by a cutter, etc. [Figure 3] A diagram for explaining the state of being cut in the Y-axis direction by a cutter, etc. [Figure 4] A diagram for explaining the state of being cut in the Y-axis direction by a cutter, etc. [Figure 5] A diagram for explaining the state of being cut in the X-axis direction by a cutter, etc. [Figure 6] A diagram for explaining the state of being cut in the X-axis direction by a cutter, etc. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0028] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows a box body 1 on which the cutting method of the present invention is carried out. The box body 1 is composed of four side panels 2a, 2b and flaps 3a, 3b connected to the upper and lower ends of each side panel, and is constructed as a so-called A-type corrugated cardboard box. In Figure 1, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions are shown which are orthogonal to each other.

[0029] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the box 1 is transported on the roller conveyor 4 from upstream to downstream. For the sake of explanation, the transport direction of the box 1 is the X-axis direction, with the upstream side being the rear and the downstream side being the front.

[0030] The top surface of the box body 1 is composed of flaps 3a and 3b, and the box body 1 is transported such that the linear gap S formed by the tips of the flaps 3a and 3b facing each other is in the direction of the X-axis.

[0031] The ends of flaps 3a and 3b are secured together with tape T1 extending in the X-axis direction, filling the linear gap S between them. The bottom flap is similarly secured with tape T3 extending in the X-axis direction.

[0032] The side edges 3m and 3n of the top flaps 3a and 3b, which extend in the Y-axis direction on the upstream and downstream sides, are respectively secured to the side panel with tape T2 that extends in the Y-axis direction. The bottom flap is similarly secured with tape T4 that extends in the Y-axis direction.

[0033] As described above, the box body 1, which is constructed as a type A corrugated cardboard box, is secured with tape in a roughly H shape using tape T1 in the X-axis direction and tape T2 in the Y-axis direction. Note that the tape T2 in the Y-axis direction may be applied to the entire Y-axis area of ​​the box body 1, or it may be applied to only a part of it. Alternatively, the tape T2 in the Y-axis direction may be omitted, and the box body 1 may be secured in a roughly I shape using only the tape T1 in the X-axis direction.

[0034] Similarly, the bottom surface of box 1 is also secured with tape in a roughly H-shape using tape T3 in the X-axis direction and tape T4 in the Y-axis direction.

[0035] As shown in Figure 1, the box bodies 1, which are sequentially transported by the roller conveyor 4, are stopped at a predetermined position when a pair of stoppers 7, 7 close, and are cut in the Y-axis direction by cutters 5a to 5d. After cutting, the box bodies 1 are transported downstream when the stoppers 7, 7 open, and as shown in Figure 2, are cut in the X-axis direction by cutters 6a and 6b.

[0036] As shown in Figure 1, with respect to the box body 1 whose movement is restricted by stoppers 7, 7, the cutters 5a and 5b are positioned to correspond to the side edge portions 3m and 3n extending in the Y-axis direction on the upstream and downstream sides of the flaps 3a and 3b, respectively. Then, by applying a load from above to cause the cutters 5a and 5b to cut into the box body 1 from above the tape T2, and moving the cutters 5a and 5b in the Y-axis direction, the box body is cut.

[0037] The cutters 5a and 5b are made up of disc-shaped cutters. The cutting edges of the cutters 5a and 5b have a so-called gear tooth shape (gear shape) in which multiple blades are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer circumference of the disc-shaped base. By using this gear tooth shape, it is possible to make sharp cuts into the tape T2 and flaps 3a and 3b, and a perforated break line M2 (Figure 2) can be reliably formed on the tape T2 and flaps 3a and 3b.

[0038] The cutter 5a is supported so as to rotate freely with respect to the support shaft 51, and is configured in a so-called free-rotating manner. The support shaft 51 is rotatably supported on the cylindrical body 52 by bearings (not shown). The cylindrical body 52 is fixed to the tip of a rotating arm 53 that rotates freely at a predetermined angle. The rotating arm 53 is supported on a moving block 55 via a bracket 54. The moving block 55 is configured to move in the Y-axis direction by a drive mechanism (not shown).

[0039] As shown in Figure 3, the cutter 5a moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2, and the movement distance can be 3 cm or more. The first position P1 and the second position P2 are positioned to straddle the tape T1, and cut through the tape T1, tape T2, and flaps 3a and 3b.

[0040] Furthermore, the cutter 5a only needs to cut through at least the tapes T1 and T2, and does not need to cut the flaps 3a and 3b if it can be reliably opened in a later step. The step of opening the flaps 3a and 3b may be performed by another device or by hand.

[0041] Also, in the example in Figure 3, the cutter 5a is After being positioned at the third position P3, it moves to the first position P1. Move to the first position P1, then move to the second position P2, It is positioned at the second position P2 and then moves to the fourth position P4. The third position P3 is located laterally to the box body 1. The fourth position P4 is defined as being located laterally to the box body 1.

[0042] This allows cutting to be performed across the entire Y-axis range of the box 1, and can accommodate cases where tape 2 is applied across the entire width of the box 1.

[0043] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 3, the third position P3 is lower than the upper position of the box body 1. The fourth position P4 is defined as being lower than the upper position of box body 1.

[0044] As a result, the cutter 5a starts cutting the top surface by resting on the box body 1 from the third position P3, and after passing through the box body 1, it drops into the fourth position P4. This generates a downward load on the cutter 5a, enabling it to make sharp cuts into the tape T2 and flaps 3a and 3b, and reliably forming perforated break lines in the tape T2 and flaps 3a and 3b.

[0045] Furthermore, methods for generating a downward load on the cutter 5a include, for example, limiting the angle of the rotating arm 53 or providing a damper on the moving block 55 to generate a downward load on the bracket 54, and are not particularly limited.

[0046] Furthermore, after the box body 1 has passed downstream due to the transport mechanism, the cutter 5a, which has reached the fourth position P4, is returned to the third position P3.

[0047] As shown in Figure 4, similar to the cutter 5a located on the downstream side, the cutter 5b located on the upstream side also cuts and cuts the tape T2 on the upstream side. By moving along parallel lines, the cutters 5a and 5b cut a pair of side edge portions 3m and 3n that extend in the Y-axis direction on the top surface of the box body 1.

[0048] The cutter 5c shown in Figure 3 is used to cut the tape T4 extending in the Y-axis direction and the flaps 3c and 3d that form the bottom surface of the box body 1.

[0049] The range of movement of cutter 5c is the same as that of cutter 5a, which cuts the top surface, and it moves from the 5th position P5 to the 6th position P6.

[0050] Furthermore, similar to the cutter 5a used to cut the top surface, The cutter 5c for cutting the bottom surface is After being positioned at the 7th position P7, it moves to the 5th position P5. Move to the 5th position P5, then move to the 6th position P6. It is positioned at the 6th position P6 and then moves to the 8th position P8. The seventh position P7 is located laterally to the box body 1. The eighth position P8 can be defined as being located laterally to the box body 1.

[0051] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 3, the seventh position P7 is higher than the lower position of the box body 1, and the eighth position P8 is also higher than the lower position of the box body 1. This allows an upward load to be generated on the cutter 5c.

[0052] As shown in Figure 4, similar to the cutter 5c located downstream, the cutter 5d located upstream also cuts and cuts the upstream tape T4. By moving along parallel lines, the cutters 5c and 5d cut a pair of side edge portions 3p and 3q that extend in the Y-axis direction on the top surface of the box body 1.

[0053] As shown in Figure 2, the cutter 6a cuts the tape T1 extending in the Y-axis direction on the top surface, forming a perforated break line M1. As shown in Figure 5, the cutter 6a is supported so as to rotate freely with respect to the support shaft 61, and is configured as a so-called free-rotating type. The support shaft 61 is rotatably supported by a bearing (not shown) on a cylindrical body 62. The cylindrical body 62 is fixed to the tip of a rotating arm 63 that rotates freely at a predetermined angle. The rotating arm 63 is supported by a fixed block 65 via a bracket 64. The fixed block 65 is fixed to a frame (not shown).

[0054] As shown in Figure 6, as the box 1 moves from upstream to downstream during transport, the cutter 6a rests on the top surface of the box 1, and the tape T1 is cut by the cutter 6a. A guide device (not shown) guides the box 1 so that the position of the tape T1 on the box 1 aligns with the position of the cutter 6a.

[0055] As shown in Figure 6, the tape T3 is similarly cut by the cutter 6b on the bottom surface of the box 1.

[0056] Furthermore, the cutting with cutters 6a,6a shown in Figure 6 may be performed after the cutting with cutters 5a to 5d shown in Figure 4, or it may be performed before the cutting with cutters 5a to 5d. That is, cutters 6a,6a may be positioned downstream of cutters 5a to 5d, or they may be positioned upstream of cutters 5a to 5d.

[0057] Furthermore, each cutter described above is configured to cut perpendicularly to the cut surface of the box. Specifically, for example, the support shaft 51 (Figure 4) is provided horizontally, so that the cutter blade does not tilt and is positioned vertically.

[0058] This improves the straightness of the cutter's movement compared to when the cutter blade is tilted at an angle when cutting into the box body 1, thereby suppressing cutting defects caused by the cutter's meandering and uneven wear of the cutter.

[0059] According to the above embodiment, because the cutter is disc-shaped, a large load is not placed on the cutter during cutting, so wear on the cutter does not progress quickly, and the frequency of replacement can be reduced, for example, to once every few months. In addition, because the frequency of cutter replacement is reduced, the risk to safety during replacement work can be reduced.

[0060] Furthermore, even if the box is significantly deformed, it is possible to reliably make a stable, straight cut into the box, reducing the risk of problems such as poor flap setup or cuts into the contents.

[0061] Furthermore, compared to cutting tape with a knife-shaped cutter, a disc-shaped cutter is less likely to leave adhesive residue from the tape, preventing premature dulling and reducing the frequency of cleaning. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0062] 1 box body 2 tapes 2a Side panel 2b Side Panel 3a Flap 3b Flap 3m side edge part 3n side edge part 4 Roller conveyor 5a Cutter 5b Cutter 5c Cutter 5D cutter 6a Cutter 6b Cutter 7 Stopper 51 Support shaft 52 Cylinder 53 Rotating Arm 54 Brackets 55 Moving Blocks 61 Support shaft 63 Rotating Arm 64 brackets 65 Fixed Blocks S Gap T1 Tape T2 Tape T3 Tape T4 Tape

Claims

1. A method for cutting a box, A method for cutting a box-shaped object, which involves moving a disc-shaped cutter from a first position to a second position.

2. The cutting teeth of the cutter are gear-shaped. The method for cutting a box according to feature 1.

3. The cutter is of the free-rotating type. The method for cutting a box according to feature 2.

4. The distance from the first position to the second position is 3 cm or more. The method for cutting a box according to feature 3.

5. The cutter cuts perpendicular to the cut surface of the box. The method for cutting a box according to feature 4.

6. The box has a flap, and the flap is closed with tape. The cutter cuts into the tape and / or flap. The method for cutting a box according to feature 5.

7. The aforementioned cutter is After being positioned in the third position, it moves to the first position. Move to the first position, then move to the second position. It is positioned in the second position and then moves to the fourth position. The third position is located laterally to the box body. The fourth position is located laterally to the box body. A method for cutting a box according to claim 6, characterized in that...

8. The third position is lower than the upper position of the box. The fourth position is lower than the upper position of the box. A method for cutting a box according to claim 7, characterized in that...

9. The first position and the second position are located on the top surface of the box. A method for cutting a box according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that...

10. The first position and the second position are located on the bottom surface of the box. A method for cutting a box according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that...

11. The first position and the second position are the top surface and the bottom surface of the box. Multiple cutters are provided to cut the top surface and the bottom surface simultaneously. A method for cutting a box according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that...

12. Multiple cutters are provided, Each of the aforementioned cutters cuts at least parallel lines of the box body. A method for cutting a box according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that...

13. A method for cutting the bottom surface of a box, A method for cutting a box, comprising moving a disc-shaped cutter from a fifth position located on the bottom surface of the box to a sixth position.

14. The cutting teeth of the cutter are gear-shaped. The method for cutting a box according to feature 13.

15. The cutter is of the free-rotating type. The method for cutting a box according to feature 14.

16. The distance from position 5 to position 6 is 3 cm or more. The method for cutting a box according to feature 15.

17. The cutter cuts perpendicular to the cut surface of the box. The method for cutting a box body as described in feature 16.

18. The box has a flap, and the flap is closed with tape. The cutter cuts into the tape and / or flap. The method for cutting a box according to feature 17.

19. Multiple cutters are provided, Each of the aforementioned cutters cuts at least parallel lines of the box body. A method for cutting a box according to claims 13 to 18, characterized in that...

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