Apparatuses and methods for tamping the contents of a container are disclosed. An embodiment of an apparatus includes a tamp head for tamping the contents of the container; and a container support assembly structured and arranged to temporarily support the bottom surface of the container during tamping, the container support assembly comprising a support element having a protrusion extending upward from a substantially flat and horizontal upper surface, wherein the protrusion is sized and shaped to correspond to the size and shape of the bottom surface of the container.

A packaging machine 20 includes a feeding system 22 for delivering and positioning work products, in registry with a chute system 28 as well as in registry with a pushing system 26 for pushing the work products through a stuffing tube 24 of the chute system 28. The chute system 28 also includes a plurality of individual chute assemblies 30, each constructed with an elongate chute 32 positionable in registry with the stuffing tube 24 for receiving the food products from the stuffing tube and guiding the work product into packaging material 34 which has been shined over the elongate chute. The plurality of chute assemblies 30 are mounted on a transverse mounting structure 44 to slide along the mounting structure to sequentially position chute assemblies, loaded with packaging material, in alignment with the stuffing tube 24 to receive the work products. Additional chute assemblies 30 are positionable on either side of the chute assembly in use.

An apparatus for dispensing and packaging dosed quantities of solid drug portions is provided. The apparatus includes multiple dosing stations, each dosing station having an output opening for dispensing solid drug portions, a collector for collecting dosed quantities of solid drug portions dispensed by the dosing stations and forwarding the dosed quantities of solid drug portions to a packager, and multiple fall ducts configured to guide the solid drug portions from the output openings to the collector, each fall duct having an outlet and a number of inlet openings, the output openings of the dosing stations being aligned with the inlet openings of the fall ducts when a fall duct is positioned adjacent to a column of dosing stations. Each fall duct includes a first part and a second part detachably connected together.

Funnels and gas lances are disclosed for use with filling packages with bulk product.

A blister assembly comprises at least one collapsible blister adapted, as it is collapsed, to eject a liquid contained therein. The blister assembly comprises a first layer (130) having at least one blister chamber (150) and a second layer (131) sealed to the first layer at least around a periphery of the at least one blister chamber such that a liquid is contained between the first layer and the second layer. The seal between the first and second layers comprises a first planar portion having a first peel strength and a second planar portion having a second peel strength, wherein the first peel strength is greater than the second peel strength, such that when pressure is applied to the blister, the second portion of the seal breaks to release the liquid contained within the chamber into the liquid inlet. The blister assembly further comprises at least one discontinuity (142) formed in the first and second layers in the region of the first portion of the seal, such that a shear force is required to delaminate the first and second layers in that region.

Systems and method of wrapping an object are disclosed. An object wrapping system includes a contractible loop, a positioning system, and a wrapping material system. The contractible loop is configured to be deployed in an expanded position and a contracted position. The positioning system is configured to position an object in alignment with an aperture defined by the contractible loop. The wrapping material system is configured to position a wrapping material between the object and the aperture. The positioning system is configured to move the object into the wrapping material and through the aperture when the contractible loop is deployed in the expanded position. The contractible loop is configured to deploy into the contracted position to at least partially close the wrapping material around the object.

Exemplary embodiments are directed to an apparatus for filling a central open space in a jar. The apparatus includes a base, an indexing station including a magazine, a blade, and a first actuator, a filling station including cartridges, and a second actuator. The magazine is rotatably mounted to the base. The platform of the cutting station is configured to receive a whole cucumber at a loading area and is incrementally indexed to reposition the whole cucumber from the loading area to a cutting area above the blade. The first actuator is configured to urge the whole cucumber through the blade and cut the whole cucumber into spears. The spears drop into and are held by one of the cartridges. The second actuator is configure to push at least one of the spears out from the cartridge into the central open space of the jar.

A support shaft capable of supporting a wound body with a long sheet wound therearound includes a first projection located at a proximal end of an outer peripheral part, and a second projection located at a distal end of the outer peripheral part. A core body of the wound body includes a one-end-side first recess part located at one end of an inner peripheral part, an other-end-side firsts recess part located at an other end of the inner peripheral part, and a second recess part located to extend from the one end to the other end. In a state where the core body is mounted on an outer periphery of the support shaft, the first projection engages the one-end-side first recess part or the other-end-side first recess part. When the core body is mounted to the outer periphery of the support shaft, the second projection engages the second recess to allow the circumferential position of the first projection to be aligned with the circumferential position of the one-end-side first recess part or the other-end-side first recess part around a central axis.

A rotary filling machine includes a rotatable fill plate with fill openings defined therein, a plurality of circumferentially spaced drop buckets mounted above the fill plate and configured to rotate with the fill plate, and a rotating mounting plate mounted on top of the fill plate and disposed below the drop buckets. Each drop bucket includes an inner radial wall, an outer radial wall, a first sidewall, and a second sidewall surrounding a volume bounded by top and bottom openings. A coupler for each drop bucket includes a first connector, such as a socket, extending from an outer surface of the inner radial wall and a mating connector, such as a post, extending upwardly from the mounting ring. A plurality of ridges or protrusions are formed on a side surface of at least one of the walls to reduce the planar surface area available for adhesion to materials being dispensed.

A part packing system includes a bag holding machine including a part funnel having an opening configured to receive an end of a part and having a bag end manipulator holding first and second bag end gripper mechanisms that receive an end of the bag therebetween to open the end of the bag to form a mouth at the end of the bag. The bag end manipulator moves the first and second bag end gripper mechanisms to position the mouth of the bag immediately downstream of the opening of the part funnel. A part loading machine including a part manipulator holding the part and moving the part to a loading position upstream of the part funnel and moving the part gripper mechanism to load an end of the part through the opening in the part funnel into the mouth of the bag to load the part into the bag.