An automatic packaging machine, comprising an input conveyor belt, a reel holder, containing a reel of single-fold film, a contoured shaped film former, a sealing bar, a collecting device, an output conveyor belt, and a pulling device with at least an upper driving wheel and a lower driving wheel in contact with a layer of single-fold film interposed between said wheels which, rotating in opposite directions, move the single-fold film along the automatic packaging machine; a drive shaft, which transfers a rotational motion to the driving wheels to move the single-fold film along the automatic packaging machine; a lifting actuator, which moves the upper driving wheel away from the lower driving wheel (or vice versa) when sealing the single-fold film, so as to reduce the tension exerted by the driving wheels on the single-fold film during the sealing step and having a lifting actuator actuated by the drive shaft.

A packaging process includes providing a semi-sealed package containing a product to be packaged, providing a vacuum chamber, adjusting a spacing between members of the vacuum chamber to open the vacuum chamber, relatively positioning the package and the vacuum chamber such that a terminal portion of an end of the package is positioned within the vacuum chamber and a non-terminal portion of the end is positioned outside the vacuum chamber, an intermediate portion of the end passing through the opening, adjusting the spacing to bring the members substantially sealingly in contact with one another, the intermediate portion being received in the opening, creating, within the vacuum chamber, an internal vacuum pressure to determine a gas flow through the opening causing opposing layers of the film at the second end to maintain a substantially spaced-apart configuration, and to aspirate both gas from inside the package and gas through the opening.

A packaging process includes providing a semi-sealed package containing a product to be packaged, providing a vacuum chamber, adjusting a spacing between members of the vacuum chamber to open the vacuum chamber, relatively positioning the package and the vacuum chamber such that a terminal portion of an end of the package is positioned within the vacuum chamber and a non-terminal portion of the end is positioned outside the vacuum chamber, an intermediate portion of the end passing through the opening, adjusting the spacing to bring the members substantially sealingly in contact with one another, the intermediate portion being received in the opening, creating, within the vacuum chamber, an internal vacuum pressure to determine a gas flow through the opening causing opposing layers of the film at the second end to maintain a substantially spaced-apart configuration, and to aspirate both gas from inside the package and gas through the opening.

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

A form-fill-seal packing apparatus of the flow wrapper type accepts individuated items via in-feed conveyor. Items are moved through horizontal open lower-sided forming tube 10 by resting indirectly on an underneath transit conveyor, through the underside part of a continuous film bag forming from a supply of film around the forming tube, using a forming shoulder. The bag is longitudinally sealed beside the forming tube. Data may be printed on an upper film surface over a platen including an upper part of the forming tube. An outfeed conveyor carries transversely sealed wrapped items on to a vacuum sealer.

Processes for the manufacture of dispensers for an agent, for example, a therapeutic agent, for example a particulate therapeutic agent or a particulate foodstuff or snuff. The processes comprise the steps of continuously advancing, longitudinally, a flow of longitudinally extending dispensers and wrapping these dispensers by a common product wrapper. The dispensers comprise at least a base element (72), a cylindrical tubular element (73) with a cavity (74), a capping element (76) and a common outer wrapper (77).

Processes for the manufacture of dispensers for an agent, for example, a therapeutic agent, for example a particulate therapeutic agent or a particulate foodstuff or snuff. The processes comprise the steps of continuously advancing, longitudinally, a flow of longitudinally extending dispensers and wrapping these dispensers by a common product wrapper. The dispensers comprise at least a base element (72), a cylindrical tubular element (73) with a cavity (74), a capping element (76) and a common outer wrapper (77).

A method for packaging discrete medicaments in pouches in a packaging device configured to form and fill the pouches in an elongated web, the method comprising the following steps: transporting the elongated web along a web trajectory, printing information on the elongated web related to the discrete medicaments that are fed to the elongated web at the position of the printed information on the elongated web, feeding the discrete medicaments to the elongated web at the position on the elongated web of the related printed information, inspecting the elongated web to determine whether there is a fault related to the elongated web, and in response to a fault being detected, printing a fault indication or a fault symbol on the elongated web, and forming an empty pouch at the position of the fault indication or fault symbol.

A method for packaging discrete medicaments in pouches in a packaging device configured to form and fill the pouches in an elongated web, the method comprising the following steps: transporting the elongated web along a web trajectory, printing information on the elongated web related to the discrete medicaments that are fed to the elongated web at the position of the printed information on the elongated web, feeding the discrete medicaments to the elongated web at the position on the elongated web of the related printed information, inspecting the elongated web to determine whether there is a fault related to the elongated web, and in response to a fault being detected, printing a fault indication or a fault symbol on the elongated web, and forming an empty pouch at the position of the fault indication or fault symbol.

A spring feeding device configured to feed a spring (9) comprises a feeding member (60) delimiting a channel (68), a pusher (70) configured to push the spring (9) along the channel (68) delimited by the feeding member (60), and a drive mechanism con-figured to displace both the feeding member (60) and the pusher (70) such that the feeding member (60) and the pusher (70) move in opposite directions (91, 92).