A modification of conventional case packing equipment for forming rectangular containers from knocked-down-flat (KDF) precursors allows formation of non-rectangular containers having one or more oblique wall panels, e.g., an octagonal container. As part of a conveyor line operation, a ram head assembly is advanceable into a rectangular tube erected from a KDF container precusor. The ram head assembly includes a pair of plows which are movable outwardly from a base of the ram head assembly and into engagement with opposing interior sides of the rectangular tube such that oblique corner wall panels are positively formed along score lines provided in the precursor. In addition to forming the oblique wall panels, the plows provide pressing surfaces for facilitating adhesive securement of the container closure flaps while the plow maintains the oblique wall panels in a proper orientation. Once the closure flaps are secured, the container shape is stabilized, the plows are retracted out of engagement with the container walls, and the ram head assembly is retracted from the resultant container.

A machine for forming a variety of different sturdy, stackable three-part fiberboard containers having a depth dimension greater than their width dimension, and which are suitable for holding bags filled with liquid. The machine includes a slidable, removable mandrel which cycles between a fiberboard hopper area and a container forming compression area. Each of two side bins provides a fiberboard end panel which comes into contact with independently slidable edge picks on the mandrel. Just before the mandrel cycles forward, the edge picks push the fiberboard end panels forward where they are bent by the action of two folding elements. Meanwhile, a fiberboard body matt is brought into position in front of the retracted mandrel from an overhead feed unit. Adhesive material is sprayed onto selected parts of the body matt as it is placed into position in front of the mandrel. As the mandrel cycles forward, the body matt is bent over into a C-shape and the now-folded end panels are pushed into close association with the middle of the body matt. A set of guides and plows bends the body matt flaps over the end panels forming sturdy corners. The compression plates loosely surround the bent fiberboard pieces in order to avoid early adhesion until the mandrel is fully extended forward bringing the fiberboard pieces into proper position. Once positioned, the compression plates collapse around the fiberboard pieces forming a finished container. The finished container is then displaced as the machine cycles back to form another container.

Disclosed is a supply hopper apparatus for 3-part (Bliss) box forming machines having a vertical or substantially vertical orientation that is capable of holding a large supply of end panels. The trays of the hopper are open at the top and bottom, and may be adjusted to accommodate a wide range of differently sized end panels. A shuttle mechanism is provided at the bottom of each tray for removing the lowermost end panel from the tray, and an adjustable gate is provided to prevent more than one panel from being removed from the tray at a time. An elevating mechanism is provided adjacent to each tray to bring the lowermost panel from a generally horizontal position to a vertical position alongside the mandrel of the container forming machine. The mandrel then picks up the elevated end panels from each side, and takes them into the machine where they are used to form the three-part Bliss container. The vertically oriented trays of the present invention which use the shuttle, gate and elevating devices described herein allow for end panels to be stacked into the trays without the need for any special orientation, shuffling, stacking or monitoring of the end panels. Additional end panels may be stacked into the trays during operation of the machine without slowing or interrupting the progress of the machine.