A handle applicator includes controller that receives signals concerning marks on an endless band. The controller controls a contact body to be between a release position, in which a handle applicator is freely driven and a drawing position, in which the contact body contacts the endless band of material prior to its being cut to form the handle. The contact body moves along a continuum of positions between the release position and the drawing position based on actual position data indicative of actual positions of position markings on the handle.

Feeding unit for feeding a plastic film in packaging machines, including: a unit for unwinding the film from a reel; a cutting device downstream of the unwinding unit and intended to form sheets of predetermined length; a transfer device downstream of the cutting device; a positioning device downstream of the transfer device and comprising drive belts able to engage the upper and the lower faces of the film. The belts of the positioning device are controlled by a control unit connected with optical elements that detect the passage of signs formed on the film. The control unit is programmed to compare a transit time elapsing during the passage of the signs of a same side of two consecutive sheets with a cycle time and to increase or decrease the speed of said belts if the transit time is less than or greater than the cycle time.

Feeding unit for feeding a plastic film in packaging machines, including: a unit for unwinding the film from a reel; a cutting device downstream of the unwinding unit and intended to form sheets of predetermined length; a transfer device downstream of the cutting device; a positioning device downstream of the transfer device and comprising drive belts able to engage the upper and the lower faces of the film. The belts of the positioning device are controlled by a control unit connected with optical elements that detect the passage of signs formed on the film. The control unit is programmed to compare a transit time elapsing during the passage of the signs of a same side of two consecutive sheets with a cycle time and to increase or decrease the speed of said belts if the transit time is less than or greater than the cycle time.

A machine for making filter bags of different shapes for infusion products includes: a wheel defining a work surface and rotating about a relative axis; feed stations for placing tags on the work surface, a continuous thread, along a weave path, and a strip of filter material superposing the weave of thread and the tag. A sealing device is located downstream of the feed stations for sealing between the thread, tag and strip of filter material. A feed device moving the strip along a feed line is positioned downstream of the wheel. A station introduces a dose of infusion product in bag and closes the bag. The feed device has two feed rollers, for unwinding the strip, controlled by a control system for adjusting the speed of rotation of the feed rollers as a function of the length of the filter material needed to form the bag.

A machine for making filter bags of different shapes for infusion products includes: a wheel defining a work surface and rotating about a relative axis; feed stations for placing tags on the work surface, a continuous thread, along a weave path, and a strip of filter material superposing the weave of thread and the tag. A sealing device is located downstream of the feed stations for sealing between the thread, tag and strip of filter material. A feed device moving the strip along a feed line is positioned downstream of the wheel. A station introduces a dose of infusion product in bag and closes the bag. The feed device has two feed rollers, for unwinding the strip, controlled by a control system for adjusting the speed of rotation of the feed rollers as a function of the length of the filter material needed to form the bag.

A bag-making and packaging apparatus includes a bag-making and packaging unit, a film feeding unit, a splicing device, and a control unit. The control unit allows a bag-making operation to continue by utilizing an auto-feeding function that feeds to the bag-making and packaging unit a film F spliced by the splicing device to take the place of a film F currently being fed to the bag-making and packaging unit. When the control unit judges that at least one of the film feeding unit and the splicing device is malfunctioning in a case where the control unit is utilizing the auto-feeding function, the control unit stops the auto-feeding function and executes a non-auto-feeding mode. The non-auto-feeding mode allows the bag-making operation to be continued by the bag-making and packaging unit and a film roll holding unit that is operable among plural film roll holding units.

A printing system for providing a printed image (30) to a web (1) of packaging material (3) is provided. The printing system comprises a detecting unit (130) configured to detect a feature (10) on the packaging material (3), a control unit (120) configured to determine a first position of the detected feature (10), and a printing unit (110) having a plurality of printing nozzles (112). The control unit (120) is further configured to: determine a second position of an image (30) to be printed, the second position being determined based on the first position, determine at least one printing nozzle (112) based on the second position, and to activate the at least one printing nozzle (112) in order to print an image (30) onto the packaging material (3) at the second position.

A printing system for providing a printed image (30) to a web (1) of packaging material (3) is provided. The printing system comprises a detecting unit (130) configured to detect a feature (10) on the packaging material (3), a control unit (120) configured to determine a first position of the detected feature (10), and a printing unit (110) having a plurality of printing nozzles (112). The control unit (120) is further configured to: determine a second position of an image (30) to be printed, the second position being determined based on the first position, determine at least one printing nozzle (112) based on the second position, and to activate the at least one printing nozzle (112) in order to print an image (30) onto the packaging material (3) at the second position.

A guiding device for guiding a sheet of packaging material in a packaging machine for producing sealed packages includes: a plurality of folding rollers defining a passage for the sheet of packaging material, the passage having a longitudinal axis, wherein the plurality of folding rollers are configured to cause a first longitudinal edge of the sheet of packaging material to superimpose to a second longitudinal edge of the sheet of packaging material, opposite the first longitudinal edge, wherein the first longitudinal edge and the second longitudinal edge define an overlapping area having an extension, wherein the plurality of folding rollers include: a group of first folding rollers configured to rotate around first rotation axes, and at least one second folding roller configured to rotate around a second rotation axis, and a driving arrangement configured to move the at least one second folding roller towards and away from the longitudinal axis.

An automatic packaging machine, comprising an input conveyor belt, a reel holder, containing a reel of single-fold film, a contoured shaped film former, a sealing bar, a collecting device, an output conveyor belt, and a pulling device with at least an upper driving wheel and a lower driving wheel in contact with a layer of single-fold film interposed between said wheels which, rotating in opposite directions, move the single-fold film along the automatic packaging machine; a drive shaft, which transfers a rotational motion to the driving wheels to move the single-fold film along the automatic packaging machine; a lifting actuator, which moves the upper driving wheel away from the lower driving wheel (or vice versa) when sealing the single-fold film, so as to reduce the tension exerted by the driving wheels on the single-fold film during the sealing step and having a lifting actuator actuated by the drive shaft.