A packaging machine for producing sealed packages of a pourable product from a packaging material web advancing along a web advancement path comprises an isolation chamber separating inner and outer environments, and a sterilization apparatus for sterilizing the packaging material web and in fluid connection with the isolation chamber. The sterilization apparatus comprises a main shielding chamber housing an irradiation device and comprising an advancement channel having inlet and outlet openings, and through which, in use, the packaging material web advances, and first and second auxiliary shielding chambers having respectively first and second inner spaces fluidically connected to the advancement channel. A pressure control controls a first pressure in the first auxiliary shielding chamber, a second pressure in the second auxiliary shielding chamber and a third pressure in the isolation chamber, the third pressure being higher than the second pressure and the second pressure being higher than the first pressure.

A fill-packaging method for plural rows, a fill-packaging machine for plural rows and a fill-packaged body include a wide-width cylindrical body forming process for continuously longitudinal-sealing a plastic film longitudinally unreeled in the longitudinal direction to continuously form a single wide-width cylindrical body, a sealing and cutting process for continuously heat-sealing one or more widthwise positions of the wide-width cylindrical body to form longitudinally border sealed portions and continuously cutting the longitudinally border sealed portions in the longitudinal direction to cut out the wide-width cylindrical body into a plurality of narrow-width cylindrical body rows independently arranged in parallel, and a bag-making process for continuously manufacturing packaged bodies by applying horizontal sealing to each of the narrow-width cylindrical body rows separated and run independently in the longitudinal direction at predetermined intervals while filling a packing material therein.

Method and apparatus for twist linking tubular casings for stuffing tubular casings is disclosed. A method for twist linking tubular casings includes twisting a tubular casing such that the number of twists per portion or per group of portions is varied during the processing of a tubular casing. An apparatus for twist linking tubular casings, which is configured to twist the tubular casings to form portions having a variable number of twists per portion or per group of portions, includes a control unit configured to perform the disclosed method for twist linking tubular casings.

There is described a method for forming a tube (3) of a web (4, 4) of packaging material comprising the steps of advancing the web (4) of packaging material along a web advancement path (P), overlapping a first lateral edge (19) of the web (4, 4′) of packaging material with a second lateral edge (20) of the web (4, 4) of packaging material for obtaining a longitudinal seam portion of the tube (3) and fusing at least an internal outer surface (34) of the first lateral edge (19) and an external outer surface (37) of the second lateral edge (20) with one another for longitudinally sealing the seam portion of the tube (3). The step of fusing comprises at least the substeps of directly heating the external outer surface (37) of the second lateral edge (20) and heating by contact the internal outer surface (34) by establishing contact between the internal outer surface (34) and the directly heated external outer surface (37).

The present disclosure is directed to a big-bag transfer station for API seed crystals. The transfer station may permit the filling of smaller containers, such as bags or pouches, from a large container, such as a big bag. The transfer station may permit the transfer without contaminating the atmosphere of the room in which the station is housed. Additionally, the transfer station may limit cross-contamination between filling cycles by employing single-use liners.

The present disclosure is directed to a big-bag transfer station for API seed crystals. The transfer station may permit the filling of smaller containers, such as bags or pouches, from a large container, such as a big bag. The transfer station may permit the transfer without contaminating the atmosphere of the room in which the station is housed. Additionally, the transfer station may limit cross-contamination between filling cycles by employing single-use liners.

A squeezable, flexible tubular package for an edible product is compartmented to simultaneously hold a first edible product in one compartment separate from a second edible product in another juxtaposed compartment. The package includes an elongated enclosure defined by a pair of transparent, flexible film strips bonded to one another around the periphery thereof by a liquid tight seal; and a membrane situated between the film strips, bonded to the periphery of the film strips by a liquid tight seal, partitioning the enclosure into a pair of juxtaposed, liquid tight compartments. An extrudable, edible product is separately contained in each of the compartments. Apparatus for continuously and successively forming, filling and sealing articulated arrays of such packaged products is also disclosed.

There is described a packaging machine for producing sealed packages of a pourable product from a web of packaging material, which may include conveying means for advancing the web of packaging material along a web advancement path at least to a tube forming station at which the web of packaging material is formed into a tube and for advancing the tube along a tube advancement path, an isolation housing having a main chamber and an auxiliary chamber arranged downstream of the main chamber along the tube advancement path, a tube forming and sealing device at least partially arranged within the main chamber and being configured to form and longitudinally seal the tube within the main chamber, a filling device for filling the tube with the pourable product and a pressure control device configured to control a first pressure within the main chamber and a second pressure within the auxiliary chamber such that the first pressure is higher than the second pressure and the first pressure and the second pressure are both higher than the ambient pressure.

There is described a packaging machine for producing sealed packages of a pourable product from a web of packaging material, which may include conveying means for advancing the web of packaging material along a web advancement path at least to a tube forming station at which the web of packaging material is formed into a tube and for advancing the tube along a tube advancement path, an isolation housing having a main chamber and an auxiliary chamber arranged downstream of the main chamber along the tube advancement path, a tube forming and sealing device at least partially arranged within the main chamber and being configured to form and longitudinally seal the tube within the main chamber, a filling device for filling the tube with the pourable product and a pressure control device configured to control a first pressure within the main chamber and a second pressure within the auxiliary chamber such that the first pressure is higher than the second pressure and the first pressure and the second pressure are both higher than the ambient pressure.

The present invention relates to a method for portion-packing of an oral pouched snuff product (1′, 1″). The method comprises a) supplying and advancing a tubular web (19, 19′, 19″) of packaging material enveloping a continuous feed (23, 23′, 23a″, 23b″) of filling material in a direction of travel (L), b) forming transverse seals (39) in the tubular web across the continuous feed of filling material by means of ultrasonic welding, the transverse seals extending in a transverse direction (T) being perpendicular to the direction of travel. The present invention further relates to an arrangement (17, 17′, 17″) for portion-packing of an oral pouched snuff product.