An apparatus and process for cleaning seals of soluble unit dose pouches containing granular composition.

A food processing apparatus has a frame assembly in which frame members are joined using adhesive, such as an epoxy. The frame members are comprised of stainless steel and the adhesive is applied so that exterior surfaces of the stainless steel frame members are free of any adhesive residue. Adhesive may be used to join exterior frame members as well as interior frame members, such as those used to support mechanical components of the processing apparatus.

A food processing apparatus has a frame assembly in which frame members are joined using adhesive, such as an epoxy. The frame members are comprised of stainless steel and the adhesive is applied so that exterior surfaces of the stainless steel frame members are free of any adhesive residue. Adhesive may be used to join exterior frame members as well as interior frame members, such as those used to support mechanical components of the processing apparatus.

A production line for manufacturing packaged products includes a plurality of workstations for performing different operations. Each of the workstations is configured to predictively determine time data during operation that define, as an interaction time, a time of an operator interaction with the respective workstation required in the future. The production line includes a central processing unit. The workstations are configured to transmit the time data to the central processing unit.

A web packaging machine for forming a food product package from a lower web of packaging material and an upper web of packaging material includes a frame, a web transport conveyor extending along the frame and configured to transport the lower web of packaging material along the frame, and a die box pivotally coupled to the frame and configured to form or close the food product package. A lift assembly is pivotally coupled to the frame and configured to assist manual pivoting of the die box relative to the frame.

The disclosure provides a water soluble pouch including at least two sealed compartments, the pouch including outer walls including water soluble film including a water soluble resin, and an inner wall including water soluble film including a water soluble resin, the outer wall films being sealed to the inner wall film, the outer wall films being characterized by: a dissolution time of 300 seconds or less, the water soluble resin of the outer wall films having a viscosity in a range of 14.5 cP to 25 cP, and a pouch strength of at least 200 N, and the inner wall film being characterized by: a dissolution time of 300 seconds or less, the water soluble resin of the inner film having viscosity in a range of 12 cP to 14.5 cP, and a tackiness value of at least 1500 g/s.

A method of forming a package includes forming, at a forming station of a packaging machine, a package base in a film so that the package base has a pocket. The method further includes attaching, at a first cover application station of the packaging machine, a first cover layer on the package base so that the first cover layer partially covers the pocket, and so that access to the pocket is provided to position a product in the pocket after the first cover layer has been attached to the package base.

A method of forming a package includes forming, at a forming station of a packaging machine, a package base in a film so that the package base has a pocket. The method further includes attaching, at a first cover application station of the packaging machine, a first cover layer on the package base so that the first cover layer partially covers the pocket, and so that access to the pocket is provided to position a product in the pocket after the first cover layer has been attached to the package base.

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.

An inspection device inspects a formation state of a pocket portion formed in a container film of a blister pack and includes: an illumination device that irradiates a container film including the pocket portion with a predetermined electromagnetic wave; an imaging device that takes an image of at least the electromagnetic wave transmitted through a bottom portion of the pocket portion and obtains image data; a control device that extracts, based on the image data, shading pattern data corresponding to a shading pattern occurring in the bottom portion of the pocket portion by irradiation with the electromagnetic wave; a storage that stores a neural network and a model, the model being generated by learning of the neural network using, as learning data, only shading pattern data of a pocket portion without any formation defect among the extracted shading pattern data.