A method of forming dual layer water soluble packets includes drawing a base film into a cavity of a mold, drawing air through openings in the base film, metering an amount of a first product of a first color onto the base film in the cavity, metering an amount of a second product of a second color onto the amount of the first product, and, scaling a lid film to the base film.

A dosing apparatus for a machine for producing unit dose articles including first and second dosing units each having: a nozzle support body carrying a plurality of nozzles, and a movement control unit configured for moving the respective nozzle support body along a closed-loop path, wherein the movement control units of the first and second dosing units are configured for moving the respective nozzle support bodies independently of each other along the closed-loop path.

A dosing apparatus for a machine for producing unit dose articles including first and second dosing units each having: a nozzle support body carrying a plurality of nozzles, and a movement control unit configured for moving the respective nozzle support body along a closed-loop path, wherein the movement control units of the first and second dosing units are configured for moving the respective nozzle support bodies independently of each other along the closed-loop path.

A process for line production of plant growth medium pots or bags with a closed bottom end includes the steps of: i) continuously folding the free end of a continuous length of water and air permeable sheet material into a sheet material tube around and beyond a free end of a growth medium feeding tube; ii) forming a first sealing in the sheet material tube; iii) filling the sheet material tube with a measured amount of growth medium; iv) forming a second sealing in the sheet material tube; v) separating the part of the sheet material tube positioned downstream from the second sealing to form a first plant growth medium pot or bag with a closed end, repeating as needed to form a plurality of plant growth medium pots or bags.

A filling station for a breathing apparatus includes a cradle that houses a fill panel, a manifold and a cascade bank system. The fill panel has one or more sequence valves for controlling filling of one or more compressed air breathing apparatus with air stored in the cascade bank system. The manifold connects the fill panel to the cascade bank system. The cascade bank system has a cylinder store including five or more banks. Also provided is a filling station recharging device that has a cradle, a manifold, a cylinder store and a pump. The control panel has one or more valves for controlling recharging of one or more breathing apparatus filling station with air stored in the cylinder store. The manifold connects the control panel and pump to the cylinder store. The pump and cylinder store at least partially power the recharging.

A distribution station includes reels that are arranged on first and second opposed sides in a mobile trailer, with an aisle walkway down the middle of the mobile trailer. The aisle walkway has an aisle width and the mobile trailer has a trailer width, and a ratio of the trailer width to the aisle width is no greater than 5. The reels have a reel diameter, and the aisle width is greater than the reel diameter by a factor of at least 1.3.

An apparatus for packaging dosed quantities of medicines and method for operating such apparatus. The apparatus includes multiple dosing stations for dispensing solid drug portions, and multiple collectors for collecting dosed quantities of solid drug portions and for forwarding the dosed quantities of solid drug portions to a packaging station. Each dosing station has an outlet and each collector has a unique collector identifier. A conveyor includes multiple mounting elements arranged in a chain, wherein each collector is detachably mounted to one of the mounting elements and moved by the conveyor along the dosing stations, so that the collector can receive the solid drug portions dispensed at the outlets of the dosing stations. A controller controls the operation of the dosing stations, the conveyor and the packaging station. Input means (80, 81) are coupled to the control means (19) for inputting the collecting means identifier. The controller maintains a mapping between identifiers assigned to each mounting element or mounting position and the unique collector identifiers of the collectors.

The present invention relates to a method for making pouches providing a continuous web; folding the web to provide confronting side surfaces joined along a bottom edge; forming a vertical seal between the confronting side surfaces, thereby providing a series of adjacent pockets having opposite side walls with each pocket having an unsealed opening along a top edge; filling the pockets through the unsealed opening with material; sealing the unsealed opening. In the inventive method, which facilitates handling of the continuous web forming the pouches, the web is perforated by a perforation between a leading length piece of the web adapted to form a leading pocket and a trailing length piece of the web adapted to form a trailing pocket, and the distance between a trailing edge of the leading length piece and a leading edge of a trailing length piece is increased for tearing the leading and the trailing lengths pieces apart at the perforation.

A vertical packaging machine that includes a forming tube having an inner passage section and retaining means associated with the forming tube. The retaining means includes a retaining device configured to be displaced between a blocking position (P1) in which it at least partially blocks the inner passage section of the forming tube, and a release position (P2) in which it does not block said inner passage section of the forming tube. While in the blocking position (P1), the retaining device is arranged at a fixed specific height and is configured to prevent a product from passing through the inner passage section of the forming tube. Upon transitioning to the release position (P2), the retaining device is withdrawn from the path to be followed by the product.

An apparatus for filling a plurality of containers with a fluid. The apparatus including a connector configured to removably couple the apparatus to a fluid source, a flow path providing fluid communication between the fluid source and a plurality of containers coupled to the apparatus, a sealing element disposed within each of the plurality of containers, the sealing element configured to couple the container to the apparatus and automatically seal the container when the container is decoupled from the apparatus, and a first retaining member and a second retaining member affixed to each of the plurality of containers to position the sealing element in a neck of each of the plurality of containers.