(57) An apparatus for producing crate-like containers made of synthetic material constituted
by a sheet in which die-cutting and folding lines form a bottom (2), two side walls
(5,6) and two front walls (3,4) that are extended laterally at opposite ends by means
of a first flap (7), a complementary flap (8) and an end flap (9) that can be folded
in a tube-like fashion so as to form four corner elements (13), which can be connected
on the respective sides (14) to respective end portions (5a,6a) of said side walls
(5,6), forming a substantially box-like structure that is open at the top; the apparatus
comprises a first station (20) and a second station (21) connected by a sliding surface
(22), the first station (20) comprising a plurality of lateral units (23) for folding
the complementary flaps (8) and the end flaps (9) and means (44) for the adhesion
of the end flaps (9) against the front walls (3,4) in order to form the corner elements
(13), the second station (21) comprising a rectangular recess (50) for the forming
of the containers, a pusher (51) that can be actuated from an inactive upper position
to a lower position for insertion in the recess (50) for the folding of the front
walls (3,4) and side walls (5,6) in order to form the container, means (52) for fixing
the sides (14) of the corner elements (13) onto the end portions (5a,6a) of the side
walls (5,6), characterized in that the fixing means are constituted by thermal bonding
elements (96) that comprise a plurality of thermal bonding laminas (97) that are located
at the edges of the recess (50) and are associated with actuation elements (91) that
are suitable to guide the thermal bonding laminas (97) from a retracted position to
a protruding position, in which they are interposed temporarily between the corner
elements (13) and the side walls (5,6), in order to produce the surface melting and
mutual adhesion of the end portions (5a,6a) of the side walls and of the sides (14)
of the corner elements (13).
|
|
