Packaging aid, packing method and packing workplace

1. A packing-work station for packing articles, which belong to one picking order, into shipping units comprising:

a packing device comprising a packing plane on which the articles are stackable to form an article stack;

a manually removable stacking aid having a plurality of lateral sides against which the articles are positioned to form the article stack, wherein the stacking aid is configured to be positioned removably on the packing plane; and

a measuring device for determining dimensions of the article stack in order to individually produce the shipping unit in accordance with the so-determined dimensions;

wherein the lateral sides of the stacking aid, which are closed in a circumferential direction of the stacking aid, are connected to each other;

wherein the lateral sides define an open bottom side as well as an open top side of the stacking aid, wherein the lateral sides are configured to be adjustable, by manually pushing the lateral sides together, in length at least along the circumferential direction for positioning the lateral sides circumferentially compact against the article stack; and

wherein the measuring device is configured to measure a length of the lateral sides of the stacking aid as well as to determine a maximum height of the article stack, and to transmit the so-determined height as well as the measured lengths to a package-production device which produces the shipping unit in accordance with the measured lengths and the determined height.

2. The packing-work station of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the lateral sides is further configured to be adjustable in height, and wherein the measuring device is further configured to measure a height of height-adjustable lateral sides for determining, from the measured height of the lateral sides, the maximum height of the article stack.

3. The packing-work station of claim 1 , wherein the lateral sides form upper and lower circulating edges of the stacking aid, wherein the upper and/or lower edge is/are provided with markers at intersection points of the lateral sides.

4. The packing-work station of claim 1 , wherein exactly four lateral sides are provided which surround the bottom side and the top side.

5. The packing-work station of claim 1 , wherein the lateral sides are pivotally connected to each other for folding the lateral sides, in a unused state of the stacking aid, onto each other in a space-saving manner.

6. The packing-work station of claim 1 , wherein each of the lateral sides comprises a guidance as well as at least two wall elements which are supported in the guidance movably in each other in a length-adjustable manner for adjusting the respective lateral side with regard to a length thereof.

7. The packing-work station of claim 1 , wherein the lateral sides define flat planes.

8. The packing-work station of claim 1 further comprising a conveyor onto which the article stack is transferable together with the stacking aid and which connects the packing plane to the package-production device, wherein the conveyor is configured to move the layered article stack together with the stacking aid onto a flat package blank which forms, in a folded state, the ship-ping unit and which comprises a bottom, sidewalls, and a cover.

9. The packing-work station of claim 1 further comprising, adjacent to the packing device, a package-material dispenser which is configured to deliver a package-material web onto the packing plane so that the stacking aid is arrangable on the package-material web subsequently.

10. The packing-work station of claim 1 further comprising the package-production device.

11. The packing-work station of claim 1 further comprising an article feed coupled to the packing device for moving the article to the packing plane.