A cartoning machine for packaging one or more products in a respective carton includes a product conveyor for conveying the products along an advancement direction, a transport device for transporting the carton along a transport path, an insertion zone wherein the products face an aperture of the carton and are inserted into the carton. The product conveyor includes a first belt on which first edges are mounted and a second belt on which second edges are mounted, each first edge defining with a respective second edge a pair of containment edges of the products. A mutual position of the first belt and of the second belt is adjustable so as to adjust accordingly a distance between the first edges and the second edges to adapt the pair of containment edges to a dimension of the products. The product conveyor further includes a first cam path and a second cam path, each first edge including a first cam follower engaging the first cam path and each second edge including a second cam follower engaging the second cam path, such that the first edges and the second edges are movable transversely to the advancement direction towards the carton at the insertion zone.

A wrapping apparatus for wrapping groups of products with a film includes conveyor elements for supporting and moving groups of products, a feeding unit for dispensing film portions of defined length through a transverse opening of the conveyor elements, a wrapping unit including a plurality of crossbars supported by respective rods and arranged for picking the film portions and wrapping the film portions around the groups of products and a hub arrangement, rotatable about a rotation axis and slidably supporting the rods to be mobile linearly and transversely to the rotation axis and rotatably about the rotation axis, the crossbars being moved along a wrapping trajectory, and a guiding assembly engaged by the rods and/or the crossbars for guiding the crossbars along the wrapping trajectory changing a distance of the crossbars from the rotation axis during a rotation of the respective rods.

A container filling valve may include a shuttle and a drive sleeve that are magnetically coupled. Movement of the drive sleeve may move the shuttle from a position in which the filling valve is closed to a position in which the filling valve is open. A container handling arm may include a distal end configured to hold a container and a proximal end that includes a load cell. A low flow setpoint system may be configured to arrest closing of a filling valve when that filling valve is partially closed. A pressure control system may be configured to maintain a desired pressure in a reservoir or in a flow path from that reservoir. A product recirculation system may be configured to adjust flow rate in the product recirculation system.

A heat sealing packaging machine and method for assembling that includes a package platform for supporting a package, a film carriage carrying a supply of film material, a sealing platform adjacent the package platform and including a conveyor for laterally moving the package to be sealed to a shrink tunnel. The carriage is laterally movable to adjust the position of the film material and a lifting mechanism raises and lowers the sealing platform and the shrink tunnel. The shrink tunnel is laterally movable with respect to the sealing platform and includes a latch mechanism for locking a lateral position of the shrink tunnel.

Example methods and systems are disclosed for on-demand packaging of one or more items. According to one example, a method can include receiving an order for the item(s) and determining characteristic-information for the item(s) using a computer system. The characteristic-information includes an indication of at least a size and a shape of the item(s). The method also includes processing the characteristic-information based on design criteria to determine an arrangement of the item(s) within at least one container volume, and a configuration for a protective structure to hold the item(s) in the arrangement within the container volume(s). The method can further include, in response to the processing the characteristic-information, forming the protective structure according to the configuration, placing the item(s) into the protective structure according to the arrangement, and placing the protective structure and the item(s) in the container volume(s).

A flap folding unit (90) for folding flaps of lids of boxes, comprising a hinged guiding element (94) adapted for contacting a flap to be folded upon relative movement of the guiding element and the flap and guiding the flap towards its intended final position and an extendable pusher (96) adapted for pushing the flap into its intended final position.

A packing machine (M) and method for wrapping a sheet (P), in particular of shock-absorbing paper, around articles (A) so as to form bags (B) with means (4,5) for folding the said sheet around the articles and means (6) for gluing the said sheet to itself so as to create a sheet tube (TB) around the articles (A) and compression and cutting means (7), for sealing and separating portions of the tube by sealing and separating the ends upstream and downstream of the article, acting in cooperation with second glue application means (10) on the sheet at the cutting areas, located upstream of the sheet folding and gluing means.

An information processing apparatus for determining an area of a packaged object in a packaging material to suctioned by a suction device for picking up the packaged object includes an input unit configured to input an image obtained by capturing the packaged object, and a determining unit configured to, based on a state of a surface of the packaging material regarding a degree of ease of suction in each area of the surface of the packaging material identified based on the image, determine the area to be suctioned by the suction device.

Adjustable tables for use in packaging forming systems and related methods are provided. An adjustable table for use in a packaging forming system can include outer side panels and moveable inner side panels moveably connected to the outer side panels with the outer side panels held stationary relative to the moveable inner side panels. The adjustable table can also include a table top secured to the moveable inner side panels. The table top and the inner side panels are configured to move upwardly or downwardly relative to the outer side panels.

Disclosed are methods and apparatuses for manufacturing a solid formulation for oral administration, comprising an edible substrate portion on which a composition comprising a first pharmaceutical active ingredient is deposited, and solid formulations made thereby. The methods comprise providing an edible substrate in the form of a film comprising a plurality of portions, spraying a liquid formulation comprising the active ingredient and a solvent onto an edible substrate portion and evaporating the solvent to form a solid composition deposited on the edible substrate portion; measuring the quantity of active ingredient supported by the edible substrate portion and comparing to a predetermined value, and dividing the edible substrate into the plurality of portions.