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.

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 Upon transitioning to the release position (P2), the retaining device is withdrawn from the path to be followed by the product.

A bagging device adapted for filling a bag includes a hopper trolley and a hopper. The hopper trolley is configured to move in a lateral direction along the ground. The hopper is coupled to the hopper trolley for movement therewith.

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, sealing a lid film to the base film.

A feed assembly includes a conveyor assembly and a supply assembly. The conveyor assembly includes a conveyor belt apparatus, a conveyor frame, and conveyor rollers enabling movement of the conveyor assembly over a support surface. The supply assembly includes a supply apparatus configured to discharge a material through a discharge port, a supply frame, and supply rollers enabling movement of the supply assembly over the support surface. The conveyor assembly is movable to align a front end of the conveyor belt apparatus with an intake port of an external structure, and the supply assembly is movable in relation to the conveyor assembly to vertically overlap the discharge port over a rear end of the conveyor belt apparatus, to enable the conveyor assembly to convey material discharged from the discharge port to the intake port based on operation of the supply apparatus and the conveyor belt apparatus.