Machine for joining sheet material

Abstract

The invention relates to a machine (1) for joining sheet material, comprising a joining station (2) providing a guide path (9) from an inlet (7) to an outlet (8) for discharging sheet material, a joining unit (3) equipped with a stapling head (4), a device (5) for driving sheet material, and a control unit (6), the joining units (3) comprising two longitudinal circulation tracks (11, 12) having a bearing surface for a sheet material to be joined, the tracks (11, 12) each having a first track section at which the bearing surfaces are arranged at different heights at least partially overlapping, and a second track section at which the bearing surfaces are coplanar. The machine (1) comprises at least one pressing member (13) that can be positioned at the second section, facing the bearing surface of the tracks (11, 12) of the second section in the axial extension of the region of the first section at which the bearing surfaces partially overlap and upstream of the stapling head (4).

Description

Description Title of the invention: Machine for joining sheet material

[0001] The present invention relates to a machine for joining sheet material.

[0002] It relates in particular to a machine for joining sheet material, said machine comprising a joining station, at least one joining group equipped with at least one stapling head, a sheet material drive device, and a control unit, the joining station comprising a sheet material inlet and a sheet material outlet and providing a guide path delimited by two edges extending longitudinally from the sheet material inlet to the sheet material outlet, the joining group or each joining group and at least part of the drive device being arranged between the edges of the guide path, the joining group or at least one of the joining groups comprising two longitudinal traffic lanes extending in the direction of the inlet / outlet of the joining station,each of the tracks having a bearing surface to receive a portion of a sheet material to be joined with a portion of a sheet material of the other track, said tracks each having a first track section at which the bearing surfaces are arranged at different heights with at least partial overlap, and a second track section arranged downstream of the first section taken with respect to the direction of movement of sheet material from the entrance towards the exit of the junction station and at which the bearing surfaces are substantially coplanar.

[0003] It should be noted that substantially coplanar bearing surfaces are understood to be bearing surfaces extending in planes separated from each other by no more than 5 mm.

[0004] Machines for joining sheet material are known, as illustrated for example by patent FR 3 132 292.

[0005] Other machines for joining sheet materials are also described in US patents 2003 / 022776, DE 2239335, and DE 1016110. However, the quality of the joining currently presents several drawbacks. In particular, the thickness of the sheet materials at the joining point results in an excess thickness which, when joined sheets are stacked at the output of the processing unit, leads to instability in the resulting stack. Furthermore, this excess thickness can negatively impact the quality of the stapling. Finally, localized air pockets can occur, leading to heterogeneity in the final product.

[0006] One aim of the invention is to provide a machine of the aforementioned type whose design makes it possible to solve the problems mentioned above.

[0007] To this end, the invention relates to a machine for joining sheet material, said machine comprising a joining station, at least one joining group equipped with at least one stapling head, a sheet material drive device, and a control unit, the joining station comprising a sheet material inlet and a sheet material outlet and providing a guide path delimited by two edges extending longitudinally from the sheet material inlet to the sheet material outlet, the joining group or each joining group and at least a part of the drive device being arranged between the edges of the guide path, the joining group or at least one of the joining groups comprising two longitudinal traffic lanes extending in the inlet / outlet direction of the joining station,each of the tracks having a bearing surface for receiving a portion of a sheet material to be joined with a portion of a sheet material of the other track, said tracks each having a first track section at which the bearing surfaces are arranged at different heights with at least partial overlap, and a second track section arranged downstream of the first section taken with respect to the direction of movement of the sheet material from the entrance towards the exit of the junction station and at which the bearing surfaces are substantially coplanar, characterized in that said machine comprises at least one pressure element positionable at the level of the second section, opposite the bearing surface of the tracks of the second section, said element, presser being disposed in the axial extension of the zone of the first section at the level of which the bearing surfaces partially overlap, called overlap zone and upstream of the stapling head taken with respect to the direction of movement of sheet material from the entrance towards the exit of the junction station for an in-line positioning of said overlap zone, of the or at least one of the presser members and of the stapling head.

[0008] The inline arrangement of the overlap zone, one or more of the pressure elements, and the stapling head allows for the simultaneous pressing of the two overlapping sheet materials by the pressure element, with this pressing occurring at the joint zone. This results in a joint thickness that is identical or nearly identical to the thickness of the sheet panels without compromising the machine's simplicity. Consequently, a stable stack of sheet materials is produced at the machine's output.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the invention, the support surface of at least one of the tracks comprises, in its transition zone between the first and second sections of said track, a leveling element in the form of a ramp or step. Thus, the sheet materials are permanently tracked and guided.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the invention, the sheet material drive device comprises a plurality of drives and one or more drive motors for operating said drives, and at least some of the drives are arranged opposite the bearing surface of the tracks of the junction group or at least one of the junction groups to form, in cooperation with the opposite bearing surface in at least one configuration, a pinching zone for a sheet material suitable for being driven by said drive. A drive is understood to be an active mechanical drive system for moving at least one sheet material.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, each drive unit is an endless belt following a loop path, and each operating control motor of at least one drive unit is a drive motor. movement of the endless belt constituting said drive. Preferably, the active mechanical drive system for the displacement drive of at least one sheet material is therefore a mechanical belt drive system.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the invention, at the first section of each track, the driver, or at least one of the drivers, is mounted to move between an active position close to the track's bearing surface and an inactive position away from said bearing surface. This arrangement allows the operator to introduce the sheet material(s) to be joined, i.e., to be bonded by stapling, between the driver and the track's bearing surface before the sheet material(s) to be bonded by stapling are pinched between the driver and the track's bearing surface.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the invention, for one or at least one of the joining groups, for each track, the drive unit positioned opposite the bearing surface of the first section of said track and the drive unit positioned opposite the bearing surface of the second section of said track are configured to operate synchronously. Since the drive unit positioned opposite the bearing surface of the first section of said track and the drive unit positioned opposite the bearing surface of the second section of said track are configured to operate synchronously, that is, to drive a sheet material at the same travel speed, this results in a smooth drive of the sheet material(s) along the track.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the invention, for one or at least one of the joining groups, for each track, the drive unit positioned opposite the bearing surface of the first section of said track and the drive unit positioned opposite the bearing surface of the second section of said track are at least partially common and are formed by the same strip, and the drive motor for moving the strip of one of the tracks is common to the drive motor for moving the strip of the other track. This results in simplified manufacturing and guaranteed synchronous operation.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the invention, each joining group is a reversible group having two operating positions: one in which one or more of the joiners of the joining group extends above the support surface with which it cooperates to form a pinching zone for the sheet material to be fed; the other in which it extends below the support surface with which it cooperates to form a pinching zone for the sheet material to be fed. A joining machine may include at least two joining groups, referred to respectively as lower and upper, when, for example, the sheet material(s) are folded back on themselves to form a flattened tube structure, with the upper joining group(s) providing a bond at the upper surface of the tube and the lower joining group(s) providing a bond at the lower surface of the tube.The reversibility of the junction group allows it to be used interchangeably as an upper or lower junction group by simple reversal.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the invention, the pressing member is a rotating member equipped with a rotary drive motor system at least partially shared with a part of the sheet material drive device. This results in a simplified machine.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the invention, the pressing member, which is a rotating member, is arranged adjacent to a driver to be driven in rotation by contact with said driver.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the invention, the machine includes a gluing device comprising at least one nozzle oriented to project a flow of glue at the level of the first section in the area where the tracks partially overlap, this flow of glue being oriented towards the bearing surface of the track covered by the bearing surface of the other track in at least one position of use of the joining group.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the invention, the machine comprises, at the exit of the first section of each track of the junction unit or group of junction units, measured with respect to the direction of movement of the sheet material from the inlet towards the exit of the junction unit, a so-called front stop for a with reference to the sheet material introduced into the joining group, said stop being a retractable stop.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the invention, at the level of the first section of each traffic lane of a junction group, the bearing surface of said traffic lane is bordered longitudinally by a rim, the rim, the bearing surface and a part of the drive device arranged opposite the bearing surface forming between them a U-shaped housing lying down open towards one bank of the guide path, the U of the housing formed by one of the lanes being open towards one of the banks, the U of the housing formed by the other of the lanes being open towards the other of the banks.

[0021] Brief description of the drawings

[0022] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description of exemplary embodiments, with reference to the attached drawings in which:

[0023] [Fig. 1] represents a partial schematic view of a machine according to the invention during the introduction by an operator of sheet materials into the processing station;

[0024] [Fig. 2] represents a partial schematic view of the junction station;

[0025] [Fig. 3] represents a so-called lower junction group and a so-called upper junction group to illustrate the reversibility of a junction group;

[0026] [Fig. 4] represents a schematic view, partially in perspective, of the traffic lanes of a junction group;

[0027] [Fig. 5] represents a cross-sectional view of figure 4;

[0028] [Fig. 6] represents a partial perspective view of the trainer at the level of a junction group linked to the presser element;

[0029] [Fig. 7] represents a partial schematic perspective view of a junction station;

[0030] [Fig. 8] represents a partial cross-sectional view of figure 7 to illustrate the offset position of the track support surface drivers at the first section;

[0031] [Fig. 9] represents a partial schematic perspective view of a junction station;

[0032] [Fig. 10] represents a partial cross-sectional view of figure 9 to illustrate the close position of the track support surface drivers at the first section;

[0033] [Fig. 11] represents a partial perspective view of a junction group taken from the output side of the processing station;

[0034] [Fig. 12] represents a perspective portion of a junction group taken from the outlet side of the processing station to illustrate the pressure element;

[0035] [Fig. 13] represents a schematic longitudinal sectional view of sheet materials at a junction group with three associated sectional views taken respectively along A, B and C;

[0036] [Fig. 14] represents a schematic cross-sectional view of a junction station.

[0037] As mentioned above, machine 1, the object of the invention, is a machine designed to allow the joining of sheet materials 30 by stapling, in particular cardboard blanks as shown in the figures. The joining can be carried out either between two parts of the same sheet material or between two different sheet materials. Machine 1 therefore comprises a station 2 junctions and at least one 3 junction group equipped with at least one 4 stapling head.

[0038] Such a machine 1 may include several joining groups 3, as illustrated in Figure 1 where the product to be joined is formed of two sheet materials 30 folded, each in half, and positioned with their opening facing each other and partially overlapping so as to form a flattened loop.

[0039] The upper strand of the loop includes a junction to be made by the group 3 of the so-called upper junction, while the lower strand of the loop includes a junction to be made by the so-called lower junction group 3.

[0040] Junction station 2 includes an inlet 7 for supplying sheet material 30 and an outlet 8 for removing sheet material 30, providing a guide path 9 delimited by two edges 10 extending longitudinally from the sheet material feed inlet 7 to the sheet material discharge outlet 8.

[0041] The machine 1 includes a sheet material drive device 5 adapted to drive sheet materials from the inlet 7 to the outlet 8 of the junction station 2. The junction station(s) 3, and at least part of the drive device 5, are arranged between the edges 10 of the guide path 9. The edges 10 of the guide path 9 may be formed by rails, as illustrated in Figure 2. These rails are movable, moving closer together or further apart to vary the width of the guide path 9.

[0042] For this purpose, a motorized belt following a loop path can be coupled with the upper strand of the loop at one side and with the lower strand of the loop at the other side to allow synchronous movement of the rails in the direction of a coming together or a moving apart of each other according to the direction of movement of the loop, as illustrated in Figure 2.

[0043] The 3 joining groups can similarly be linked by a motorized belt to change their position in the direction of moving apart or closer together in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the sheet materials.

[0044] Machine 1 also includes a control unit 6. This control unit 6 is an electronic and computer system that includes, for example, a microprocessor and working memory. In a particular configuration, the control unit can be a programmable logic controller (PLC). In other words, the functions and steps described can be implemented as a computer program or via hardware components (e.g., programmable gate arrays). Specifically, the functions and steps performed by the control unit or its modules can be carried out by instruction sets or computer modules implemented in a processor or controller, or by dedicated electronic components or components of the field-programmable gate array (FPGA) type. or of the application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) type. It is also possible to combine computer and electronic components. When it is specified that the unit, or means or modules of said unit, are configured to perform a given operation, this means that the unit includes computer instructions and the corresponding execution means to perform said operation, and / or that the unit includes corresponding electronic components.

[0045] Each junction group 3, as illustrated in Figure 3, comprises two longitudinal traffic lanes 11 and 12 extending in the direction of the inlet 7 / outlet 8 of junction station 2. Each of the lanes 11 or 12 has a bearing surface to receive a portion of a sheet material 30 to be joined with a portion of a sheet material 30 of the other lane. Said lanes 11 and 12 each have a first track section in which the bearing surfaces are arranged at different heights with at least partial overlap, and a second track section located downstream of the first section, measured with respect to the direction of movement of the sheet material 30 from the inlet 7 towards the outlet 8 of junction station 2, and in which the bearing surfaces, represented by 113 and 123 in the figures, are substantially coplanar.

[0046] Thus, track 11 has a bearing surface 113 and comprises a first track section 110 and a second track section 111. Track 12, on the other hand, has a bearing surface 123, a first track section 120, and a second track section 121. The area of ​​the first section of each of tracks 11 and 12, where the bearing surfaces 113 and 123 overlap, is called the overlap zone 20. This overlap zone 20 is visible in Figure 2. At this overlap zone 20, the track bearing surfaces are arranged in a superimposed state.

[0047] The sheet material drive device 5 comprises a plurality of drives 15 and one or more motors 16 for operating said drives 15. Each drive 15 is an active mechanical system for driving at least one sheet material. In the example of the figures 1 to 3, each drive 15 is an endless belt following a looped path. Each drive motor 16 operates at least one drive 15. The drive motor 16 drives the endless belt constituting said drive 15. Each drive 15 can cooperate with an adjacent drive 15 or with a bearing surface of a junction group 3 to form, in at least one configuration, a pinch zone. Each drive extends in a direction parallel to the direction of movement of the sheet material from the inlet towards the outlet of the junction station 2, that is, along the longitudinal axis of the guide path 9, this longitudinal axis extending parallel to the edges of the guide path 9.

[0048] As illustrated in Figure 5, at the first section of each traffic lane of a junction group 3, the bearing surface 113, or respectively 123, of said traffic lane 11, or respectively 12, is bordered longitudinally by a rim 114, or respectively 124. The rim 114, or respectively 124, the bearing surface 113, or respectively 123, and a part of the drive device 5 arranged opposite the bearing surface 113, or respectively 123, together form a housing 115, or respectively 125, in the shape of a horizontal U open towards an edge 10 of the guide path 9. The U of dwelling 115, formed by track 11, is open towards one of the banks 10. The U of dwelling 125, formed by the other track 12, is open towards the other bank 10.

[0049] Sections of sheet material to be joined are inserted, each by one edge of the sheet material, one into one of the inverted U-shapes, and the other into the other inverted U-shape, as shown in Figure 8. This U-shaped architecture is classic. It corresponds to the part called the swan neck of the joining group 3.

[0050] As can be seen when moving from Figure 8 to Figure 10 at the first section of each track, the driver or at least one of the drivers 15 is mounted movably between an active position close to the track support surface and an inactive position away from the support surface 113, or respectively 123, of the track.

[0051] Indeed, machine 1 includes, at the exit of the first section 110, or respectively 120, of track 11, or respectively 12, of the junction group 3, measured with respect to the direction of movement of the sheet material 30 from the inlet 7 towards the exit 8 of the junction station 2, a stop 19, referred to as a front stop, for referencing the sheet material(s) 30 introduced into the junction group 3. This front stop 19 is a retractable stop, allowing it to move from an active position, in which it prevents the sheet material(s) from continuing to move towards the exit of the junction station, to an inactive position, in which continued movement is permitted.

[0052] Thus, when the front stop 19 is lowered, the operator feeds the sheet material(s) from the junction station inlet into the U-channels until the material(s) are supported against the front stop. During this operation, the drive 15 is in a position away from the opposite support surface 113 or 123, which corresponds to an inactive position of the drive 15. As soon as the material is aligned against the front stop, the operator activates a control, such as a foot pedal, and the control unit 6 is configured to retract the front stop 19 and bring the drive 15s closer to the opposite support surfaces 113 and 123, generating a movement of the sheet material(s) towards the second section.

[0053] As illustrated in Figure 4, the support surface of one of the tracks includes, in its area forming a transition between the first and second sections of said track, a level adjustment element 14 in the form of a ramp or a step.

[0054] In the example shown in Figure 4, the leveling element 14 is in the form of a ramp with a downward slope from the entrance towards the exit of the junction station 2. This leveling element 14 is fitted to the uppermost track, shown as 12, which partially overlaps the other track, shown as 11, when the junction group is the upper junction group, i.e., when the driver is positioned above the track support surface, as illustrated in the lower view of Figure 3.

[0055] When the junction group is a lower junction group, as illustrated in the top view of Figure 3, i.e. the trainer extends below the support surface with which it cooperates to form a pinch zone, the leveling element 14 equips the lowest track and is formed by an inclined ramp with an upward slope from the entrance towards the exit of the junction station.

[0056] As illustrated in Figure 3, each joining group 3 is a reversible group with two operating positions. The first operating position is one in which one or more of the drivers 15 of the joining group 3 extends above the support surface 113 or 123, with which it cooperates to form a pinching zone for the sheet material 30 to be fed. The other position is one in which it extends below the support surface 113 or 123, with which it cooperates. Thus, simply rotating the joining group 3 by 180° allows it to be used in the other position. Therefore, the joining groups 3 are identical regardless of their orientation.

[0057] Figure 1 illustrates a machine with two identical joining groups, one of which is inverted relative to the other. One of the tracks therefore has, in its first section, an upward inclined ramp followed by a flat section on which the sheet material rests. The upward inclined ramp simply serves to help the sheet material come into contact with the flat section after entering the joining station. This flat section is followed by a downward inclined ramp to reach the level of the other track, subsequently forming two tracks with coplanar bearing surfaces. This path is visible in Figure 13. The sheet material of the other track moves in a single horizontal plane. Obviously, the leveling could have been achieved by shaping the bearing surfaces of the two tracks without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0058] To simplify the design of the junction group 3, and as can be seen in Figures 3 and 6, for at least one of the junction groups 3 for each track 11, or respectively 12, the driver 15 is positioned opposite the bearing surface 113, or respectively 123, of the first section 110, or respectively 120, of said track, and the driver 15 is positioned opposite the bearing surface 113, or respectively 123, of the second section of said track 11, or respectively 12, are at least partially common and are formed by the same strip 151.

[0059] Similarly, the drive motor 16 for moving the band 151 of track 11 is common to the drive motor 16 for moving the band 151 of the other track represented in 12.

[0060] In this embodiment, a cylinder 21 visible in figure 3 is housed inside the part of the loop formed by the endless belt arranged opposite the support surface 113 of the first section 110 of the track 11, or the support surface 123 of the first section 120 of the track 12. This cylinder 21 allows the control of the approach or separation of the belt 151 from the opposite support surface to allow the passage of the driver 15 formed by the endless belt 151 from an active state to an inactive state, or vice versa.

[0061] For smooth feeding of the sheet material, and by design, the drive 15 positioned opposite the bearing surface 113 of the first section 110 of track 11 and the drive 15 positioned opposite the bearing surface 113 of the second section 111 of track 11 are configured to operate synchronously, that is, to feed the sheet material at the same speed. The same applies to track 12, where the drive 15 positioned opposite the bearing surface 123 of the first section 120 of said track 12 and the drive 15 positioned opposite the bearing surface 123 of the second section 121 of said track 12 are configured to operate synchronously. Achieving this synchronization is facilitated when the operating control motor 16 of a trainer is common to all the trainers in the junction group as is the case in Figure 3.To aid in the movement of the sheet material at the leveling element, the portion of the drive unit that extends opposite the leveling element is positioned parallel to it. This facilitates the movement of the sheet material by ensuring precise guidance.

[0062] The machine 1 includes at least one pressure element 13 that can be positioned at the level of the second section 111, or respectively 121, opposite the surface support 113, or respectively 123, of the tracks 11, or respectively 12, of the second section 111, or respectively 121. This pressure member 13 is arranged in the axial extension of the zone of the first section 110, or respectively 120, at the level of which the support surfaces 113, or respectively 123, partially overlap, this zone being called overlap zone 20.

[0063] This pressure member 13 is further positioned upstream of the stapling head 4, relative to the direction of movement of the sheet material from the inlet 7 towards the outlet 8 of the joining station, for in-line positioning of the overlap zone 20, the pressure member(s), and the stapling head 4. This pressure member 13 is visible in Figure 12. This pressure member 13 is a rotary member equipped with a rotary drive motor system 17. Ideally, and as shown, this rotary drive motor system 17 is at least partially shared with a portion of the sheet material conveying device 30.

[0064] Indeed, the pressing member 13, which is a rotating member, is arranged adjacent to a driver 15 to be driven in rotation by contact with said driver 15.

[0065] In the example shown, this trainer 15 also constitutes the trainer of the sheet material at the level of the first and second sections of the traffic lanes of group 3 of junction.

[0066] Indeed, the strip 151, which forms part of the drive 15 of each track, at least partially drives the pressure member 13, causing it to rotate during the loop movement of the strip 151. The in-line positioning of the track overlap zone 20, the pressure member 13, and the stapling head 4 along the inlet 7 / outlet 8 direction of the joining group 3 allows, as can be seen in the cross-sectional views along B and C of Figure 13, for a junction thickness at the sheet material that is substantially the same as the thickness of the sheet material. Eliminating any excess thickness at the junction allows the sheet materials to be stacked at the exit of the joining station without causing instability in the stack. formed. The pressing member 13 ensures a crushing of the sheet material at the level of the sheet material where the sheet materials overlap.

[0067] It should be noted that the track support surfaces are at the level of the second section coincide in the part of the support surfaces extending in the continuation of the overlap zone 20.

[0068] To complete this stapling connection, the machine 1 includes a gluing device 18 comprising at least one nozzle 181 oriented to project a flow of glue onto the first section 110, or 120 respectively, in the area where tracks 11 and 12 partially overlap. This flow of glue is directed towards the bearing surface of the track covered by the bearing surface of the other track in at least one operating position of the joining unit.

[0069] Thus, in the operating position in which the or at least one of the junction group 3 drivers 15 extends above the bearing surface 113 or 123 with which it cooperates to form a pinching zone of a sheet material 30 to be driven, the flow of glue is directed towards the bearing surface 113 of the track 11 at least partially covered by the bearing surface 123 of the other track 12, such is the case of the upper junction group.

[0070] In the operating position in which the or at least one of the joint group 3 drivers 15 extends below the bearing surface 113 or 123 with which it cooperates to form a pinching zone of a sheet material 30 to be driven, the flow of glue is directed towards the bearing surface 113 of the track 11, coming into at least partial overlap of the bearing surface 123 of the other track 12. Such a projection of glue can then be spread by the pressure member 13. The presence of glue helps to reinforce the mechanical strength of the joint.

[0071] In practice, the operation of the machine, as described above, is as follows.

[0072] It is assumed that the junction group 3 drivers 15 are in the inactive position at the first track sections, that the front stop 19 is in the non-retracted position, and that the operator has inserted the two sheet materials in each joint group up to the front stop, as illustrated in Figure 7.

[0073] When the operator commands the junction by actuation of a pedal or other means, the junction group drivers are brought into active position at the first track sections, the front stops retract and the drivers cause the sheet materials to move in the direction of entry 7 / exit 8 of the junction station 2, as illustrated in Figure 9.

[0074] During this movement, one of the sheet materials can be glued by the gluing nozzles 181. At the level of the joining group, shown in figure 9, and forming an upper joining group, the highest sheet material, referred to as the upper one, is placed in the track 12 and is forced to deform under the action of the associated driver 15 and to join the lower sheet material by following the inclined ramp forming the leveling element 14.

[0075] The upper and lower sheet materials pass through their overlap zone under the pressure element 13 where they are crushed. This crushing spreads the glue between the two sheet materials, thus ensuring a reliable bond, reducing air gaps in the cardboard interstices and therefore making the cardboard more homogeneous and facilitating the insertion of the staple through, and obtaining a joint thickness identical to the thickness of the sheet materials, allowing for straight stacks rather than accordion-like stacks at the exit of the joining station.

[0076] After pressing, the sheet materials are stapled by the stapling head, then evacuated from the joining station to be stacked outside the machine.

[0077] A staple detection sensor 22, visible in Figure 9, can be integrated into one of the drives arranged downstream of the stapling head to detect staples being placed.

[0078] The fact that the pusher element 13 is capable of simultaneously pressing two sheet materials makes it possible to avoid an excess thickness at the junction of the sheet materials.

[0079] It should be noted that to facilitate the use of this machine and allow for easy and quick changing of the spool(s) of wire supplying wire to the The machine, designed to ensure safe operation of the stapling heads, may include, in addition to the wire feed device for the stapling head connected to the stapling head by one or more wire guides and referred to as the first wire feed device, at least one second wire feed device connected to the first wire feed device by one or more wire guides to allow wire to be supplied to the first wire feed device from the second wire feed device. This second wire feed device may be positioned at a distance from the first wire feed device. Each of the first and second wire feed devices includes one or more wire-moving drive motor systems, and the machine includes a control unit configured to control each of the wire-moving drive motor systems.

[0080] The presence of two wire feed units arranged in series and positioned at a distance from each other allows the first feed unit to be placed as close as possible to the stapling head, while the second feed unit, which contains the wire spool(s) to be changed, is positioned in an area directly accessible to the operator. Furthermore, using two wire feed units in series, with one of them positioned near the stapling head(s), reduces the risk of wire slippage, thus preventing the cutting of an incorrect length and, consequently, producing a defective staple.

Claims

Demands

1. Machine (1) for joining sheet material (30), said machine (1) comprising a joining station (2), at least one joining group (3) equipped with at least one stapling head (4), a sheet material (30) drive device (5), and a pilot unit (6), the joining station (2) comprising a sheet material (30) feed inlet (7) and a sheet material (30) discharge outlet (8) and providing a guide path (9) delimited by two edges (10) extending longitudinally from the sheet material feed inlet (7) to the sheet material discharge outlet (8), the joining group(s) or each joining group (3) and at least a portion of the drive device (5) being disposed between the edges (10) of the guide path (9), the joining group(s) or at least one of the joining groups (3) comprising two paths (11,12) of so-called longitudinal traffic extending in the direction of entry (7) / exit (8) of the junction station (2), each of the tracks (11, 12) having a bearing surface (113, 123) to receive a portion of a sheet material (30) to be joined with a portion of a sheet material (30) of the other track, said tracks (11, 12) each having a first track section (110, 120) at which the bearing surfaces (113, 123) are arranged at different heights with at least partial overlap, and a second track section (111, 121) arranged downstream of the first section (110, 120) taken with respect to the direction of movement of sheet material (30) from the entry (7) towards the exit (8) of the junction station (2) and at which the bearing surfaces (113, 123) are substantially coplanar, characterized in that said machine (1) comprises at least one press member (13) positionable at the level of the second section (111, 121),with regard to the bearing surface (113, 123) of the tracks (11, 12) of the second section (111, 121), said pressure member (13) being disposed in the axial extension of the zone of the first section (110, 120) at the level of which the bearing surfaces (113, 123) partially overlap, said overlap zone (20), and upstream of the stapling head (4) taken with respect to the direction of movement of sheet material from the inlet (7) towards the outlet (8) of the junction station (2) for an in-line positioning of said zone (20), covering, of the or at least one of the pressing members (13) and of the stapling head (4).

2. Machine (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the bearing surface (123) of at least one (12) of the tracks (11, 12) comprises, in its area forming a transition between the first and second sections (120, 121) of said track (12), a leveling element (14) in the form of a ramp or a step.

3. Machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the sheet material drive device (5) comprises a plurality of drives (15) and one or more operating control motors (16) of said drives (15), and in that at least some of the drives (15) are arranged opposite the bearing surface (113, 123) of the tracks (11, 12) of the or at least one of the joining groups (3) to form in cooperation with the opposite bearing surface (113, 123) in at least one configuration a pinching zone of a sheet material (30) suitable for being driven by said drive (15).

4. Machine (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that each drive (15) is an endless belt following a loop path and in that each control motor (16) in operation of at least one drive (15) is a drive motor in movement of the endless belt constituting said drive (15).

5. Machine (1) according to any one of claims 3 or 4, characterized in that, at the level of the first section (110, 120) of each track (11, 12), the or at least one of the drivers (15) is mounted movably between a so-called active position close to the support surface (113, 123) of the track (11, 12) and a so-called inactive position away from said support surface (113, 123).

6. Machine (1) according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that, for the or at least one of the joining groups (3), for each track (11, 12), the driver (15) disposed opposite the bearing surface (113, 123) of the first section (110, 120) of said track (11, 12) and the driver (15) disposed opposite the bearing surface (113, 123) of the second section (111, 121) of said track (11, 12) are configured to operate in synchronicity.

7. Machine (1) according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that for the or at least one of the joining groups (3), for each track (11, 12), the drive (15) disposed opposite the bearing surface (113, 123) of the first section (110, 120) of said track (11, 12) and the drive (15) disposed opposite the bearing surface (113, 123) of the second section (111, 121) of said track (11, 12) are at least partially common and are formed by the same strip and in that the drive motor (16) for moving the strip (151) of one (11) of the tracks (11, 12) is common to the drive motor (16) for moving the strip (151) of the other (12) roads (11, 12).

8. Machine (1) according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that each joining group (3) is a reversible group having two operating positions, one in which the or at least one of the drivers (15) of the joining group (3) extends above the support surface (113, 123) with which it cooperates to form a pinching zone of a sheet material (30) to be driven, the other in which it extends below the support surface (113, 123) with which it cooperates to form a pinching zone of a sheet material (30) to be driven.

9. Machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the pressing member (13) is a rotating member equipped with a rotational drive motor system (17) at least partially common with a part of the sheet material (30) drive device (5).

10. Machine (1) according to claim 9 taken in combination with claim 3, characterized in that the pressing member (13) which is a rotating member is arranged contiguous to a driver (15) to be driven in rotation by contact with said driver (15).

11. Machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it comprises a gluing device (18) including at least one nozzle (181) oriented to project a flow of glue at the first section (110, 120) in the area where the tracks (11, 12) partially overlap, this flow of glue being oriented towards the bearing surface (113) of the track (11) covered by the bearing surface (123) of the other track (12) in at least one position of use of the junction group.

12. Machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that it comprises, at the exit of the first section (110, 120) of each track (11, 12) of the or a group (3) of joining taken with respect to the direction of movement of sheet material (30) from the inlet (7) towards the exit (8) of the joining station (2), a stop (19) said to be front for referencing the or each sheet material (30) introduced into the joining group (3), said stop (19) being a retractable stop (19).

13. Machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that at the first section (110, 120) of each traffic lane (11, 12) of a connecting group (3), the bearing surface (113, 123) of said traffic lane (11, 12) is longitudinally bordered by an edge (114, 124), the edge (114, 124), the bearing surface (113, 123) and a portion (5) of the drive device disposed opposite the bearing surface (113, 123) forming between them a housing (115, 125) in the shape of a horizontal U open towards an edge (10) of the guide path (9), the U of the housing (115) formed by one (11) of the lanes (11, 12) being open towards one of the banks (10), the U of the dwelling (125) formed by the other (12) of the roads (11, 12) being open towards the other of the banks (10).

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