Aspects of the present disclosure relate to packaging apparatuses and methods adapted to wrap absorbent paper product in a continuous sheet of film formed into tube shape with an asymmetric opening. A former may include a plurality of forming members, wherein each forming member includes an outer surface connected with an inner surface along an edge. In operation, a continuous sheet of film advances around the edges of the forming members and forms an opening. In addition, opposing longitudinal edges of the continuous sheet are guided into an overlapping arrangement that forms the plastic film into a tube shape that extends downstream from the opening in the machine direction. The opening is symmetrical about a first axis and is asymmetrical about a second axis. Absorbent paper product to be packaged advances in the machine direction through the opening and into the tube.

An overwrap feed station wraps a product with an overwrap material by drawing the overwrap material around the product to form a tube around the product as the product moves through the feed station. The feed station is configurable in one of first and second configurations based upon a desired location of a longitudinal seal to be formed on the tube around the product. A first former is configured to guide the overwrap material through the entrance of the feed station so that longitudinal edges of the overwrap material overlap on a first side of the tube during wrapping of the product. The second former is configured to guide the overwrap material through the entrance of the feed station so that longitudinal edges of the overwrap material overlap on a second side of the tube during wrapping of the product. The second side is transverse to the first side.

An overwrap feed station wraps a product with an overwrap material by drawing the overwrap material around the product to form a tube around the product as the product moves through the feed station. The feed station is configurable in first, second, or third configurations based upon a desired location of a longitudinal seal to be formed on the tube around the product. A first former is configured to guide the overwrap material through the entrance of the feed station so that longitudinal edges of the overwrap material overlap on a first side of the tube during wrapping of the product. The second former is configured to guide the overwrap material through the entrance of the feed station so that longitudinal edges of the overwrap material overlap on a second side of the tube during wrapping of the product. The third former allows forming the seal on the corner.

The present invention relates to a packing system including a transporting device, an erecting device, and a guiding device. The packing system is configured to reduce the number of packing operations and to simplify the packing process, thereby improving production efficiency, compared with a conventional system. The packing system is configured to minimize wrinkling of a packing material and to adjust position of ends of the packing material in a way that the packing material is always supplied to a predetermined position, thereby reducing a failure rate of a packed product. It is possible to pack various sizes of packing target objects using a single system.

Disclosed herein is an apparatus for packing articles as well as a device for counteracting winding up of film or web material for an apparatus for packing articles, the packing being formed by at least one web material conveyed over at least one pulling roller, wherein the device for counteracting winding up is disposed in relation to the pulling roller and extending at least partially around the pulling roller, whereby is achieved an easy, secure and functional device that efficiently counteracts and obviates the possibility of web material being wound around a pulling roller.

A packaging machine includes a compact dynamic shuttle buffer arranged upstream of a packaging station.

Apparatus (10) for producing tubular packages includes a packaging material dispenser (12) and a forming section (20). The forming section (20) comprises a series of package formers (22a-22e) aligned in the machine direction, each defining a packaging material folding channel (24) through which the packaging material passes. The channels (24) of the package formers in the series vary in shape such that as the packaging material passes through the forming section it is gradually folded about a longitudinal axis from a planar configuration into a tubular structure. A series of items (44) to be packaged is conveyed in the machine direction and may be sequentially introduced proximal to the packaging material (14) at a location such that the packaging material is subsequently folded about each item in turn as it continues through the forming section. The apparatus may be a horizontal or vertical form, fill seal type apparatus. The packaging material (14) may be a semi-rigid packaging material such as paperboard, cartonboard, or semi-rigid plastics.

A cutting unit configured to make segments of consecutive articles from a continuous chain of articles, where the segments of consecutive articles have a desired number of articles in each segment of articles.

A support shaft capable of supporting a wound body with a long sheet wound therearound includes a first projection located at a proximal end of an outer peripheral part, and a second projection located at a distal end of the outer peripheral part. A core body of the wound body includes a one-end-side first recess part located at one end of an inner peripheral part, an other-end-side firsts recess part located at an other end of the inner peripheral part, and a second recess part located to extend from the one end to the other end. In a state where the core body is mounted on an outer periphery of the support shaft, the first projection engages the one-end-side first recess part or the other-end-side first recess part. When the core body is mounted to the outer periphery of the support shaft, the second projection engages the second recess to allow the circumferential position of the first projection to be aligned with the circumferential position of the one-end-side first recess part or the other-end-side first recess part around a central axis.

A horizontal forming device, in particular for horizontal flow pack machines, comprises at least one, in particular roller-free, forming unit, in particular a forming shoulder, and comprises at least one support unit, which are configured for forming a packaging material web into a packaging material tube, wherein the forming unit and the support unit together delimit a guiding gap which the packaging material web can be guided through, the horizontal forming device further comprising at least one compensation unit, which is configured to movably support the forming unit and/or the support unit in such a way that, at least during a forming of the packaging material tube, the forming unit and the support unit are movable relative to each other, in particular in order to enable a compensation movement of the forming unit and/or the support unit relative to each other during a forming of the packaging material tube.