An apparatus for making a self-opening bag pack includes a supply of film material. An extruder forms a continuous tube of film. A flattener flattens the tube. A corona treater treats at least one surface of the flattened tube. A first sealer forms a bottom seam across a width of the flattened tube. A cutter cuts the flattened tube into bag blanks at a predetermined distance from the bottom seam. A stacker forms the bag blanks into a bag pack. An adhesion knife penetrates the bag pack and adheres adjacent bag blanks together in the bag pack. An aperture maker forms means for suspending the bag pack from a dispensing rack. The pack is attached to the dispensing rack and the front wall of the subsequent bag will be adhered to the rear wall of a first bag, thereby causing the first bag to open when pulled from the rack.

An apparatus for making a self-opening bag pack includes a supply of flexible film material. An extruder forms a continuous tube of film. A flattener flattens the tube. A first sealer forms a bottom seal across a width of the flattened tube. A cutter cuts the flattened tube into bag blanks has a bag mouth at a predetermined distance from the bottom seal. Second and third sealers form angled seals at lower corners of the bag blank forming a flat bottomed bag. An adhesion knife penetrates the bag pack adhering adjacent bag blanks together in the bag pack. An aperture maker forms apertures for suspending the bag pack from a dispensing rack. The pack is attached to the dispensing rack and the front wall of the subsequent bag is adhered to the rear wall of a first bag, thereby causing the first bag to open when pulled from the rack.

A machine for producing bags includes a station for forming a tube, which forms a band of transversely perforated flexible material into a tube, a holding station for retaining the tube, a folding station for forming a bottom at the end of the tube, a folding roller having a folding blade for folding a flap at the end of the tube and a tear-off bar for pinching the tube against the drum, the folding station and the holding station being configured to jointly exert a traction on the tube and detach a portion of the tube. The tear-off bar is disposed behind the folding blade, the machine controlling the rotation of the folding station to synchronize the drum with the front of the tube.

The present invention is directed to a method of forming a bottom-gusseted package, wherein each package includes an inwardly-extending, pleat-like gusset at the bottom of the package. To permit heat-sealing formation of each package, the sleeve from which each gusset is formed comprises a lamination of two differing polymeric materials, a sealant layer and a non-sealant layer, so that only an exterior surface of each sleeve, at which the sealant layer is positioned, exhibits the desired heat-sealing characteristics. To facilitate package formation, the sleeves from which the bottom gussets are formed are maintained in a closed or sealed configuration during package formation by providing a heat-sealed bond at the edge of each sleeve. In one embodiment, portions of the non-sealant layer are vaporized to provide sealable surface regions of the sealant layer. In an alternative embodiment, a lamination of the sealant and non-sealant layers is formed such that the sealant layer extends laterally beyond the non-sealant layer, to thereby provide sealable surface regions of the sealant layer.

A method of packaging a series of differently shaped objects. The method includes receiving a first object to be packaged and identifying a first length of a stock packaging material suitable for enclosing the first object. The method continues by creating, with a bag making machine, a first bag from the stock packaging material having approximately the first length, which leads to substantially enclosing the first object in the first bag. Then the method continues by receiving a second object to be packaged, the second object having a shape or size different from the first object. A second length of the stock packaging material suitable for enclosing the second object is identified. The method continues by creating, with the bag making machine, a second bag from the stock packaging material having approximately the second length, followed by substantially enclosing the second object in the second bag.

Apparatus and method of manufacturing open-mouth bags (2), comprising a storage device (3) with a supply (4) of bag film (5), a control device (60) for controlling, a conveying device (6) for conveying the bag film (5) and/or the bag body (16) along a conveying path (7), a welding device (8) with welding means (9, 10) for making a bottom seam (11) in the bag film and a cutting device (12) with a cutting means (13, 14) for separating a predetermined film length (15) of the bag film (5) to form the bag body (16) of an open-mouth bag (2). The control device (60) controls the conveying device (6) so as to cause a relative motion of the bag body (16) and the bag film (5) and a distance (37) between the bag body (16) and the bag film (5) is generated prior to making the bottom seam (11). The control device (60) controls the conveying device (6) and the welding means (9, 10) so that while welding the bottom seam (11) the welding means (9, 10) extend at least up to the bottom end (23) of the bag body (16).

A machine for manufacturing flat bottom bags includes a drum for carrying along at least one blank having a flattened tubular shape in an advancing direction, a first scoring apparatus upstream of the drum for marking on the blank a first folding line which is transverse with respect to the advancing direction, a front gripper on the drum that grips a front edge of the blank on the drum, in an opening step, and and carries along the blank, a first lateral gripping means on the drum that grip the lateral edges of the blank in the region of the first folding line.

A method of forming reinforced packages. The method can comprise forming an attached web by adhering a blank to a web of material and moving the attached web in a downstream direction through at least a tube forming assembly and a carton forming assembly. The method also can comprise at least partially forming a tube by folding at least a portion of the web of material as the attached web moves through the tube forming assembly, forming a reinforcement sleeve by folding at least a portion of the blank so that the reinforcement sleeve extends at least partially around the tube as the attached web moves through the carton forming assembly, and forming a reinforced package comprising the reinforcement sleeve and a tube portion by separating the tube portion from a remainder of the tube, the reinforcement sleeve being adhered to the tube portion.

The present invention is directed to a method forming a bottom-gusseted package, wherein each package includes an inwardly-extending, pleat-like gusset at the bottom of the package. To permit heat-sealing formation of each package, the sleeve from which each gusset is formed comprises a lamination of two differing polymeric materials, so that only an exterior surface of each sleeve exhibits the desired heat-sealing characteristics. To facilitate package formation, the sleeves from which the bottom gussets are formed are maintained in a temporarily closed or sealed configuration during package formation by providing a preferably frangible bond or seal at the edge of each sleeve. This result is preferably achieved by folding the laminate material, and temporarily sealing or joining an outer layer of the laminate material from which gusset is formed, while an inner layer is maintained in an unsealed condition.

A method of forming reinforced packages. The method can comprise forming an attached web by adhering a blank to a web of material and moving the attached web in a downstream direction through at least a tube forming assembly and a carton forming assembly. The method also can comprise at least partially forming a tube by folding at least a portion of the web of material as the attached web moves through the tube forming assembly, forming a reinforcement sleeve by folding at least a portion of the blank so that the reinforcement sleeve extends at least partially around the tube as the attached web moves through the carton forming assembly, and forming a reinforced package comprising the reinforcement sleeve and a tube portion by separating the tube portion from a remainder of the tube, the reinforcement sleeve being adhered to the tube portion.