A method for securing a palletized load is provided. The method comprises dispensing a first stretch film vertically inserted over a first support member, dispensing a second stretch film having an upper lateral side edge and a lower lateral side edge and being vertically inserted over a second support member, edging at least one of the upper lateral side edge and the lower lateral side edge of the second stretch film to obtain an edged second stretch film, partially overlapping the edged second stretch film and the first stretch film, passing the combined stretch film through a pre-stretcher, and wrapping the combined stretch film around the palletized load. The height of the stretch film can be adjusted using a height adjustment device. A third stretch film can be dispensed and combined with the first and second stretch films.

Disclosed is a packaging film perforating system used in commercially available, horizontal, form, fill and seal packaging machines. The packing film perforating system is attached to a packaging machine via a mounting module. The system is designed to create perforation lines in the packaging film, housing pre-packaged product, being moved by a conveying chain between various functional stations located on said packaging machine. The perforating system is positioned as the last automated station of the packaging machine, and is typically preceded by a plurality of other automated stations designed to fully complete the packaging process. The stations preceding the location of the perforation system may include stations designed to feed both the bottom and the top layers of the packaging film, product fill station, and both the bottom and the top package forming stations. The packaging film perforating system comprises of four primary modules: 1) perforating module assembly, for perforating the packaging film; 2) mounting module assembly, for mounting the perforating module to the machine and for enabling rotation of said perforating module; 3) packaging machine, having a package perforation station for placing therein the perforating module, held by the mounding module; 4) and a plurality of mounting hardware, used for completion of said assemblies. The perforating module assembly is sub-divided into two components: 1) shaft; 2) perforating disc sub-assembly. The perforating disc slides onto the shaft, and is releasably locked in place. The shaft may hold one or a multitude of the perforating discs. Spaces between said perforating disc may be adjusted to accommodate various shapes and sizes of the packaged products. Each perforating disc comprises of a back disc, a front disc, and a plurality of knives. Wherein each of said knives has one blunt edge and one sharp edge. The knives are configured to be equally spaced, with all blunt edges facing in the same direction, and are positioned around the outside perimeter of the two discs. The knives are sandwiched between the two discs, locked in place, made to extend beyond the two discs' outside perimeter. The perforating module is held by the mounting module, by having both ends of the shaft fitted inside bearings, held by two bearing blocks. Using actuators, the bearing blocks along with attached thereto perforating module, are moved up and down, allowing the perforating discs to engage or to disengage the packaging film, located directly below the mounting module. Once engaged, the conveyed packaging film pushes on the blunt edge of the knives, causing the perforating disc to rotate, without application of a

Apparatus and method for separating product containing pouches from a travelling web of adhered films carried on a film support surface includes a rotary blade drum assembly having blade configurations with blade portions arranged to form the entire perimeter edge of the flange of the pouch which rotate in synchronous registration with grooves in the film support surface. In one form, at least one blade portion and associated groove portion are non-linear and other than longitudinal or transverse to the film support surface of the forming drum or travelling web of films. The blade portions may be heated and the rotary blade drum assembly may include insulating guides for the pouches.

A food product gathering and dispensing system is disclosed. The food product is generally a flat disc shaped article dispensed onto a consumable strip of food product conveyer material. The food product is fed to single, or series related, spools that wind up the consumable conveyer material and food product into a removable roll. The roll is placed into a dispenser pack, optionally subject to further environmental treatment, and refrigeration. The pack is then installed within a refrigerated dispenser system where the food product and consumable material are collectively unwound and separated, as the food product is fed into a processing system, i.e., a cooking device. The consumable conveyer material is collected and separately discarded.

The present invention is directed to a method of forming a bottom-gusseted package, wherein each package includes an inwardly-extending, pleat-like gusset at the bottom of the package. To permit heat-sealing formation of each package, the sleeve from which each gusset is formed comprises a lamination of two differing polymeric materials, a sealant layer and a non-sealant layer, so that only an exterior surface of each sleeve, at which the sealant layer is positioned, exhibits the desired heat-sealing characteristics. To facilitate package formation, the sleeves from which the bottom gussets are formed are maintained in a closed or sealed configuration during package formation by providing a heat-sealed bond at the edge of each sleeve. In one embodiment, portions of the non-sealant layer are vaporized to provide sealable surface regions of the sealant layer. In an alternative embodiment, a lamination of the sealant and non-sealant layers is formed such that the sealant layer extends laterally beyond the non-sealant layer, to thereby provide sealable surface regions of the sealant layer.

A food product gathering and dispensing system is disclosed. The food product is generally a flat disc shaped article dispensed onto a consumable strip of food product conveyer material. The food product is fed to single, or series related, spools that wind up the consumable conveyer material and food product into a removable roll. The roll is placed into a dispenser pack, optionally subject to further environmental treatment, and refrigeration. The pack is then installed within a refrigerated dispenser system where the food product and consumable material are collectively unwound and separated, as the food product is fed into a processing system, i.e., a cooking device. The consumable conveyer material is collected and separately discarded.

A machine for manufacturing packaging with two sealed cross seams and at least one sealed longitudinal seam consisting of at least one heat sealable packing material sheet includes at least one cross seam sealing device; at least one longitudinal seam sealing device; at least one cross cutting device; and at least one longitudinal cutting device.

Systems and methods to form openings in water soluble packets are described. The system includes a packet forming assembly to form water soluble packets, and a laser to form one or more openings in the water soluble packets. The method includes forming openings in the water soluble packets with a laser. The openings permit air to escape from the packets. By allowing air to escape, the water soluble packets have improved packaging characteristics. The water soluble packets are packed more tightly with a product.

A packaging machine packages items using film. The packaging machine includes: a film transporter for feeding film; and a cutting device for cutting film. The cutting device is transferrable by a driving force from a rest position into an extended position. The film is severable by the cutting device in the extended position. The cutting device is connected to a housing surrounding the cutting device via a return mechanism. The return mechanism is activatable upon the cutting device being transferred from the rest position into the extended position. A return force in a direction of the rest position is exertable by the return mechanism in the activated state on the cutting device in its extended position, the force being greater than a return resistance of the cutting device in its extended state by which the cutting device is held in the extended state without action of the driving force.

A vertical bag-making/filling machine (1) comprises: a film-feeding unit (8) which intermittently feeds a film (F) formed into a tubular shape downward; a nozzle (10) supplying contents (X) into the film; a sealing-off unit (17) arranged below a lower end of the nozzle and forming a bag body (Fg) by heat-sealing the film in a transverse direction; a lower shaping unit (30) regulating swelling of the film on the lower side of the sealing-off unit; an upper shaping unit (40) regulating the swelling of the film on the upper side of the sealing-off unit; and a separating unit (25) for separating the bag body (G) fully filled with the contents by cutting the transverse seal (Y1, Y2) formed by the sealing-off unit.