Apparatus for feeding container blanks to container bottom forming mandrel

摘要

An apparatus for use with blanks (B) folded to a flat form for unfolding each blank into a tube of rectangular to square cross section and feeding the tubular blank to one of container bottom forming mandrels (21) which is at rest at a feed station. The appara­tus comprises a magazine (23) for accommodating a multiplicity of such blanks as arranged side by side, transport means (24) for delivering the blanks one by one from a delivery opening of the magazine and transporting each blank to a position on an extension of the axis of the mandrel, means (25) for unfolding the blank from the flat form to the tubular form during transport by forming a fold in the opposed flat portions of the blank, a holder (26) for holding the tubular blank on the extension of axis in alignment therewith movably along the extension, and a transfer assembly (27) for transferring the blank from the holder to the mandrel. The unfolding means has an unfolding member (71), and the forward end of the arm is movable into and out of the path of transport of the blank. One of adjacent two side wall panels among four side wall panels of the blank is pushed toward the other panel by the arm end advanced into the path to thereby form the fold in each of the opposed flat portions of the blank.