A forming station for forming pairs of three side seal pouches including a shaped outer top surface and an inner forming slot. The inner forming slot has an upper portion extending from an upper entry edge, and a transition portion. The inner forming slot may further include a lower portion.

The present invention is directed to a process for manufacturing a flexible package suitable for containing a food or beverage ingredient and suitable for use with a food or beverage preparation machine, wherein said process comprises punching a flexible flat blank sheet between a plunger and a cavity that are movable relative to one another. According to the invention, the plunger has a concave end side and convex lateral sides, and the profile curvature of its end side is identical to the profile curvature of each of its lateral sides.

A female belt-shaped base is attached to a bag body at a region from a female hook to a first end near an open end of the bag body and to a second end near a housing space. A male belt-shaped base is attached to the bag body only in a bonding region without being attached at a region from a position where an engagement portion is continuously attached to a first end near the open end of the bag body.

A folding wedge device for a bag packaging machine for continuously adjusting a bottom fold of a bag, comprising: a feed area for continuously feeding a flat packaging foil; a discharge area opposite the feed area for discharging the packaging foil folded centrally by means of the folding wedge device, a folding wedge with two folding wedge strips converging towards one another in a wedge shape from the feed area to the discharge area for deflecting the packaging foil; a counter tip arranged behind the folding wedge strips in the conveying direction of the packaging foil for inserting the bottom fold between the packaging foil sections folded centrally on top of one another, the folding wedge strips having end sections pointing towards the counter tip; wherein a lateral distance between the end sections of the folding wedge strips is infinitely adjustable.

A female belt-shaped base is attached to a bag body at a region from a female hook to a first end near an open end of the bag body and to a second end near a housing space. A male belt-shaped base is attached to the bag body only in a bonding region without being attached at a region from a position where an engagement portion is continuously attached to a first end near the open end of the bag body.