Apparatus for setting up slit-boxes

Claim 1

In an apparatus for setting up and bottom closing slit boxes which are supplied to the apparatus as collapsed carton tubes comprising sides and bottom flaps and top flaps integral therewith, said apparatus comprising a support which carries a magazine for the carton blanks, a feeder unit including a suction catcher means for pulling a blank out of the magazine, for setting up the blank to a tubular form and for moving the set up blank along a feeding path, bottom flap closing means provided along the feeding path of the suction catcher means for bottom closing the carton tube while the latter is moving along the feeding path, means for moving the suction catcher means in a first direction for successively catching and setting up carton blanks from the magazine and for moving the suction catcher means in a second direction along the feeding path while bottom closing the tubular carton blank and for returning the suction catcher means to the initial position thereof to enable catching of a further carton blank from the magazine, the improvement wherein the feeder unit including the suction catcher means carries an expelling means having an expellor arm which is rotatable between a first, inactive position wherein the expellor arm is located adjacent to the feeding path and a second, active position wherein the expellor arm is located inside the feeding path so as to engage a carton in said path and provide movement thereof independently of said suction means, said expellor arm being connected to the feeder unit at an adjustable distance downstream of the suction catcher means in the direction of movement along the feeding path so as to provide movement of a first carton blank along the feeding path while the suction catcher means moves a second carton blank along the feeding path, the position of the expellor arm being adjusted to said predetermined distance downstream of the suction catcher means.