1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a vertical cartoner having a gate that drops away from a scoreline of the carton.
2. Description of Related Art
Vertical cartoners are used in varied applications requiring the deposit of a product or, more typically, a number of products, such as food, pharmaceuticals and other items, into cartons or boxes. Vertical cartoners traditionally require: a carton chain to transport empty cartons for filling; a product loader for loading product into a bucket; a product chain for transporting product to the carton chain; and a gate for dropping the product from the product chain to the empty cartons on the carton chain. Traditional vertical cartoners drop a number of products from each bucket in the product chain through a gate that swings open and dumps the products, all at one time, into the carton.
Fill operations with traditional vertical cartoners involve swinging the gate instantly open toward a scoreline of the carton thereby resulting in a rush of product through the open gate. As a result, product may become clogged, damaged, may cause line stoppages or may result in partially filled and/or overfilled cartons when the gate is opened in this manner. As a result, such systems may require slower line speeds.