Filling unit for a manufacturing machine for the production of disposable cartridges for electronic cigarettes; the filling unit has: a cylindrical tank which is arranged horizontally, is mounted so as to rotate in a stepwise manner around a vertical rotation axis, is delimited, at the bottom, by a base disc having a circular shape, and is delimited, on the sides, by a cylindrical side wall; a feeding duct that feeds a flow of tobacco inside the tank; a plurality of groups of seats, each of which is obtained in the base disc and is adapted to receive and contain a corresponding dose of tobacco; and a transfer device which is arranged in a fixed position and cyclically transfers the doses of tobacco contained inside the seats of a group standing still.

Systems and methods for measuring tobacco for packaging in pouches are disclosed. A system includes a hopper structured and arranged to hold a granular material in a hopper cavity. The system also includes a measuring system including a measuring cavity and a tube that is slidable in the hopper cavity between a first position unaligned with the measuring cavity and a second position over and aligned with the measuring cavity. The measuring system is configured to continuously communicate a vacuum to the measuring cavity. The measuring system is configured to move a portion of the granular material from the hopper cavity to the measuring cavity when the tube is in the first position. The measuring system is configured to move the portion of the granular material from the measuring cavity to a pouch making machine using pressurized gas that overcomes the vacuum when the tube is in the second position.

The present document presents a system and a method for packaging powders in containers (S) through a hopper (T) and a first tube (TC) connected to the hopper (T). Air is sucked both in the area of the first tube and in the area of the hopper. The powder is then drawn directly from inside the hopper thus keeping the flow rate and the degree of compacting of the system constant. Moreover, the powder sucked inside the first tube is thus compacted and can be conveyed compacted towards the outlet. In this way it is possible to control the dosing of the product exiting from the system with high precision.

An apparatus for packaging of loose product includes a loading station, a box forming station and an uploading station. The loading station includes moveable chutes in spaced apart relation. Each chute has an open top, an open upstream end, and an open downstream end. The open top is configured to receive loose product while moving along a first feed path. The box forming station is operable to partially erect boxes in spaced apart relation with first and second open sides and align the first open side of each box with the downstream end of a corresponding chute while moving along a second feed path. The unloading station includes a stationary vacuum head in communication with the second open side of each box. The vacuum head provides a continuous vacuum source along the second feed path operable to move loose product from the chute into the boxes.

An apparatus for emptying bags containing loose material. The apparatus comprises a cutting member for cutting the bags and a support grid including a row of rods arranged downstream of the cutting member and onto which the bags are carried once they have been cut. The rods are associated with a motovibrator designed to cause the rods to vibrate, facilitating the emptying of the bags. Furthermore, a resilient spacer is interposed between each pair of adjacent rods.

A rotary filling machine for filling containers with bridgeable dry materials includes a turret supporting a plurality of circumferentially spaced drop buckets and a plurality of funnel assemblies located under the drop buckets. A stationary slide plate is located vertically between the funnel assemblies and the drop buckets. When viewed in a direction of turret rotation, the slide plate has an upstream end, a downstream end, and inner and outer edges. A portion of the slide plate is tapered progressively in diameter toward its downstream end such that flow paths from the bottoms of the drop buckets to the inlet openings of the funnel assemblies increase progressively in diameter with the taper of the slide plate. Also provided is a funnel assembly and drop buckets provided with one more partitions that hinder the “snow-plowing of particles” along the edge of the associated fill opening in machine's fill plate rather than the sweeping of those particles into the fill opening.

An automated batch filling apparatus comprising a first base comprising a first plurality of metering holes, a trough slidably disposed on an upper surface of the first base, one or more guides configured to constrain a motion of the trough, a gate disposed on a bottom surface of the first base, wherein the gate comprises a second plurality of metering holes, a second base disposed below the gate, wherein the second base comprise a third plurality of metering hole, and one or more vibration devices, wherein the one or more vibration devices are configured to agitate the filling apparatus.

Systems and methods for measuring tobacco for packaging in pouches are disclosed. A system includes a hopper structured and arranged to hold a granular material in a hopper cavity. The system also includes a measuring system including a measuring cavity and a tube that is slidable in the hopper cavity between a first position unaligned with the measuring cavity and a second position over and aligned with the measuring cavity. The measuring system is configured to continuously communicate a vacuum to the measuring cavity. The measuring system is configured to move a portion of the granular material from the hopper cavity to the measuring cavity when the tube is in the first position. The measuring system is configured to move the portion of the granular material from the measuring cavity to a pouch making machine using pressurized gas that overcomes the vacuum when the tube is in the second position.

Systems and methods for measuring tobacco for packaging in pouches are disclosed. A system includes a hopper structured and arranged to hold a granular material in a hopper cavity. The system also includes a measuring system including a measuring cavity and a tube that is slidable in the hopper cavity between a first position unaligned with the measuring cavity and a second position over and aligned with the measuring cavity. The measuring system is configured to continuously communicate a vacuum to the measuring cavity. The measuring system is configured to move a portion of the granular material from the hopper cavity to the measuring cavity when the tube is in the first position. The measuring system is configured to move the portion of the granular material from the measuring cavity to a pouch making machine using pressurized gas that overcomes the vacuum when the tube is in the second position.

Filling unit for a manufacturing machine for the production of disposable cartridges for electronic cigarettes; the filling unit has: a cylindrical tank which is arranged horizontally, is mounted so as to rotate in a stepwise manner around a vertical rotation axis, is delimited, at the bottom, by a base disc having a circular shape, and is delimited, on the sides, by a cylindrical side wall; a feeding duct that feeds a flow of tobacco inside the tank; a plurality of groups of seats, each of which is obtained in the base disc and is adapted to receive and contain a corresponding dose of tobacco; and a transfer device which is arranged in a fixed position and cyclically transfers the doses of tobacco contained inside the seats of a group standing still.