Box Flap Support During Upright Carton Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing boxing devices face issues where box flaps fall inward when articles are boxed with the opening facing upwards, leading to disrupted packaging and potential damage to contents.
Innovation Solution
A boxing device equipped with a box-moving section, flap support section, and pushing section that aligns and supports the box flaps to prevent them from falling inward during orientation change, ensuring smooth boxing operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the box is placed with the opening facing upwards for boxing articles, then the boxing operation can proceed with articles being pushed in vertically, but the flaps of the cardboard box fall inward disrupting the packaging and potentially damaging contents
Solution Approach 1:
The flap support section is positioned to proactively support the flaps before they can fall inward during the boxing operation. By establishing support in advance at the inner surfaces of the flaps, the system prevents the harmful effect of flaps falling inward while maintaining smooth boxing operations with the opening facing upwards
2Reliability
If articles are boxed with the opening facing sideways as described in prior art, then the flaps remain stable, but the boxing process requires rotating the box 90° after boxing which adds complexity and time
Solution Approach 1:
The flap support section provides preliminary support to the flaps before boxing begins, enabling the box to maintain its stable configuration with the opening facing upwards throughout the entire boxing operation. This eliminates the need for post-boxing rotation and subsequent repositioning operations
3Ease of operation
If the box is oriented with opening facing upwards to facilitate article insertion, then vertical pushing of articles is enabled, but the flaps lose structural support and fall inward
Solution Approach 1:
The flap support section acts as an intermediary element between the box flaps and the external environment. It provides continuous support to the inner surfaces of the flaps, maintaining their structural integrity and preventing inward collapse while allowing the box to remain in the upright orientation necessary for efficient article insertion
Data Source
AI summary
A boxing device has a box-moving section that moves a box with flaps from a supply position to a boxing position; a flap support section; and a pushing section. At the boxing position, articles are boxed in the box's opening. The flap support section supports the flaps. A pushing section pushes a group of side-by-side aligned articles into the box in the boxing position. Before the pushing section pushes the articles into the box, the box-moving section moves the box so that the box changes from a first orientation, in which the opening of the box faces sideways in the box supply position, to a second orientation, in which the opening of the box faces upwards in the boxing position. The flap support section supports the flaps as the box is moved from the first orientation to the second orientation.