A sandbagging attachment to a tiltable dolly for filling bags with scoopable materials such as sand without use of shovels and for subsequent transportation of the filled bags to the destination by using the same dolly. The attachment contains a connection member for connecting the attachment to the dolly and a scoop with a through passage for a material to be scooped. The connection member rotationally supports a scoop that can be turned between a scooping position for filling a bag and a transportation position, at which the filled bag can be transported by the dolly to the destination. The attachment eliminates a need for a special sandbagging equipment. All aforementioned operations are accomplished without the use of manual labor, except for transporting the dolly and removing the filled bag from the dolly.

A packaging machine is provided for producing single and multiple compartment film wrapped pouches. Multiple linear motors allow aspects of the forming, filling, cutting and discharging to run at different speeds. The pouches are formed, filled and discharged from platens that are secured to movers that proceed through the packaging process by following magnetic fields created by independently controlled linear motors. Overall, cycle time is decreased as a result of speeding up parts of the process, including the platen return process, possible because there is no mechanical connection and not a single conveyor moving the platens while the other parts of the process may be simultaneously slowed down or even temporarily stopped. Changeover of platens, to accommodate different products, such as single compartment pouch to multiple compartment pouches, is also simplified because platens are simply connected to the movers and are thus easily removed and replaced.

A packaging machine is provided for producing single and multiple compartment film wrapped pouches. Multiple linear motors allow aspects of the forming, filling, cutting and discharging to run at different speeds. The pouches are formed, filled and discharged from platens that are secured to movers that proceed through the packaging process by following magnetic fields created by independently controlled linear motors. Overall, cycle time is decreased as a result of speeding up parts of the process, including the platen return process, possible because there is no mechanical connection and not a single conveyor moving the platens while the other parts of the process may be simultaneously slowed down or even temporarily stopped. Changeover of platens, to accommodate different products, such as single compartment pouch to multiple compartment pouches, is also simplified because platens are simply connected to the movers and are thus easily removed and replaced.

An apparatus and method for filling bulk materials into open-mouth bags is provided, which includes the following steps: a) an open-mouth bag is placed beneath a filling spout of a filling station; b) the filling spout is lowered and the open-mouth bag is appended to the filling spout; c) the filling spout with the appended open-mouth bag travels upwardly so that the bottom end of the open-mouth bag is freely suspended; and d) the filling process is started and bulk material is introduced into the open-mouth bag so that the freely suspended bottom end of the open-mouth bag unfolds.

An apparatus and method for filling bulk materials into open-mouth bags is provided, which includes the following steps: a) an open-mouth bag is placed beneath a filling spout of a filling station; b) the filling spout is lowered and the open-mouth bag is appended to the filling spout; c) the filling spout with the appended open-mouth bag travels upwardly so that the bottom end of the open-mouth bag is freely suspended; and d) the filling process is started and bulk material is introduced into the open-mouth bag so that the freely suspended bottom end of the open-mouth bag unfolds.

An apparatus for transferring pharmaceutical articles from a counting machine to containers advancing along a conveyor line comprises a first series of tubular elements and at least one second series of tubular elements able to receive the pharmaceutical articles internally thereof. The apparatus comprises a first looped movement organ for moving the first tubular elements and at least one independently activatable second looped movement organ for moving the second tubular elements both, a stepped fashion and continuously, and each defining a looped movement pathway for the tubular elements comprising a first straight path portion below the counting machine so that the tubular elements can be halted for receiving therefrom the counted articles, and a second straight path portion above the conveyor line, so that the tubular elements can be moved at the same velocity above the containers and release the articles therein.

In an example embodiment, a doser assembly includes a hopper assembly configured to receive plant material, a bracket assembly connected to the hopper assembly, and a roller in a hopper opening defined by the hopper assembly extending through the hopper assembly. An interior surface of the hopper assembly may define the hopper opening. The bracket assembly may include a shaft extending across a portion of the hopper opening. The roller may be in the portion of the hopper opening of the hopper assembly and may extend between a first part and a second part of the interior surface of the hopper assembly. The roller may be connected to the shaft and may be configured to rotate with rotation of the shaft.

In an example embodiment, a doser assembly includes a hopper assembly configured to receive plant material, a bracket assembly connected to the hopper assembly, and a roller in a hopper opening defined by the hopper assembly extending through the hopper assembly. An interior surface of the hopper assembly may define the hopper opening. The bracket assembly may include a shaft extending across a portion of the hopper opening. The roller may be in the portion of the hopper opening of the hopper assembly and may extend between a first part and a second part of the interior surface of the hopper assembly. The roller may be connected to the shaft and may be configured to rotate with rotation of the shaft.

The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for passing a medium into a container, for example a flexible pouch, with a rotatable carousel and one or more treatment stations with a movable lance that can be inserted into the container, and a receptacle for a container, characterized in that an indirect magnetic drive means for moving the lance is provided, wherein a first part (lance part) of the magnetic drive means is joined with the lance and a second part (drive part) of the magnetic drive means is indirectly magnetically coupled with the lance part.

A method is described and illustrated for filling packages open on one side, in particular cardboard composite packages, with flowable products, in particular foodstuffs, in a filling machine. So that the packages can be impinged sufficiently and reliably with hot air, drying air and/or sterilising agent simply, quickly and with a small space requirement, it is provided that hot air, drying air and/or sterilising agent is introduced into the packages 2 open on one side from above via at least one nozzle as they are transported past under the nozzle and in that the hot air, the drying air and/or the sterilising agent are directed towards the packages from at least one elongated nozzle slot extending transverse to the transport direction.