The invention relates to a method as well as to an apparatus for manufacturing packaging units in a tubular bag forming, filling and sealing machine. Separated products (46, 47) are transferred to a portioning device (20) by means of a horizontal conveyor (18) in order to manufacture portion units (21) with a defined arrangement and number of products, and the portion units, which are enveloped by a film web (34), are subsequently conveyed to a separating device with the help of a vertical conveyor (22) in order to separate the packaging units. The portioning device is used both to manufacture the portion units and to synchronize the portioning device with the horizontal conveyor and the vertical conveyor.

An apparatus for the transverse welding of a tape traveling in a machine direction, comprising: a stationary structure, a rotary structure rotatable with respect to the stationary structure about a rotation axis perpendicular to said machine direction, a plurality of welding units carried by said rotary structure and spaced apart in a circumferential direction, wherein each of said welding units comprises an inner welding element fixed relative to the rotary structure and an outer welding element cyclically movable with respect to the rotary structure between a release position and an operative position, and vice versa, wherein each of said outer welding elements during the movement from said release position to said operative position, and vice versa, performs an angular rotation movement about a respective radial axis perpendicular to said rotation axis, and a linear translation movement along said radial axis.

An apparatus for the transverse welding of a tape traveling in a machine direction, comprising: a stationary structure, a rotary structure rotatable with respect to the stationary structure about a rotation axis perpendicular to said machine direction, a plurality of welding units carried by said rotary structure and spaced apart in a circumferential direction, wherein each of said welding units comprises an inner welding element fixed relative to the rotary structure and an outer welding element cyclically movable with respect to the rotary structure between a release position and an operative position, and vice versa, wherein each of said outer welding elements during the movement from said release position to said operative position, and vice versa, performs an angular rotation movement about a respective radial axis perpendicular to said rotation axis, and a linear translation movement along said radial axis.

A conveyor and packaging system includes an upstream conveyor that transports stacks biscuits in a plurality of lanes into buckets of a bucket conveyor. The bucket conveyor transports the buckets in a direction perpendicular to the length of the buckets to a packaging area, where transfer devices transfer the biscuit stacks to an input of a packaging machine. The transfer device can transfer the stacks without use of an intermediary conveyor.

A device and a method for portioning a flow of individual products having an input-side conveying device continuously supplying individual products and at least two output-side conveying devices for continuously discharging the products. The output-side conveying devices are arranged vertically above one another. The input-side conveying device continuously transfers the products to a first output-side conveying device. The input-side and/or the output-side conveying devices are able to be pivoted in their position to transfer the products to one of the at least two output-side conveying devices, continuously or in batches. The input and output-side conveying devices may be circulating conveyor belts, in the form of front and/or rear ends, which are movable in the direction of conveyance and cooperate so that during the phase of adjusting the position of the input and/or the output-side conveying devices, the products on the input-side may be supplied continuously at uniform spacings from one another.

A device and a method for portioning a flow of individual products having an input-side conveying device continuously supplying individual products and at least two output-side conveying devices for continuously discharging the products. The output-side conveying devices are arranged vertically above one another. The input-side conveying device continuously transfers the products to a first output-side conveying device. The input-side and/or the output-side conveying devices are able to be pivoted in their position to transfer the products to one of the at least two output-side conveying devices, continuously or in batches. The input and output-side conveying devices may be circulating conveyor belts, in the form of front and/or rear ends, which are movable in the direction of conveyance and cooperate so that during the phase of adjusting the position of the input and/or the output-side conveying devices, the products on the input-side may be supplied continuously at uniform spacings from one another.

A packaging line for products, in particular food products, includes a conveyor belt having a longitudinal feed axis and carrying the products arranged in a plurality of rows orthogonal to the longitudinal feed axis, at least one packaging machine for the products, and at least one transfer device for transferring the products from the conveyor belt to the at least one packaging machine along a direction transverse to the longitudinal feed axis. The at least one transfer device has a linear motor having a closed-loop stator and a plurality of conveyor units independently movable along the closed-loop stator, each configured to receive at least one of the products.

The present invention relates to a vibrating trough (1) for transporting shingled products (2) in food production comprising a transport surface (3) which is designed to carry the products (2) and is excited to vibrate in order to transport the products (2) along the transport surface (3) from a starting point (A) to an end point (E) of the transport surface (3), wherein the transport surface (3) has wedge-shaped sections (4) which are arranged on a base area (5) of the vibrating trough (1), wherein the wedge-shaped sections (4) each have an ascending region on a side oriented toward the starting point (A) via which the products (2) are lifted with respect to the base area (5) during transport, and a dropping-off region (4b) on a side oriented toward the end point (E) at which the products (2) drop back during transport to a lower lying point on the transport surface (3).

The present invention relates to a vibrating trough (1) for transporting shingled products (2) in food production comprising a transport surface (3) which is designed to carry the products (2) and is excited to vibrate in order to transport the products (2) along the transport surface (3) from a starting point (A) to an end point (E) of the transport surface (3), wherein the transport surface (3) has wedge-shaped sections (4) which are arranged on a base area (5) of the vibrating trough (1), wherein the wedge-shaped sections (4) each have an ascending region on a side oriented toward the starting point (A) via which the products (2) are lifted with respect to the base area (5) during transport, and a dropping-off region (4b) on a side oriented toward the end point (E) at which the products (2) drop back during transport to a lower lying point on the transport surface (3).

A method for feeding articles includes the steps of: feeding transversally, by a first conveyor, a succession of parallel rows of articles to a transfer area; moving longitudinally, using a second conveyor, a succession of rows of articles from the transfer area; sending at least one row of articles, coming from the first conveyor, to a storage unit whilst the row of articles is fed transversely, preferably perpendicularly, to the row; transferring the row of articles inside the storage unit, positioning the row of articles in a longitudinal direction at an outfeed section of the storage unit; extracting longitudinally portions in sequence of the row, portions formed preferably by one or more articles, from the storage unit and feeding the portions of row to the transfer area.