Filling unit for a manufacturing machine for the production of disposable cartridges for electronic cigarettes; the filling unit has: a cylindrical tank which is arranged horizontally, is mounted so as to rotate in a stepwise manner around a vertical rotation axis, is delimited, at the bottom, by a base disc having a circular shape, and is delimited, on the sides, by a cylindrical side wall; a feeding duct that feeds a flow of tobacco inside the tank; a plurality of groups of seats, each of which is obtained in the base disc and is adapted to receive and contain a corresponding dose of tobacco; and a transfer device which is arranged in a fixed position and cyclically transfers the doses of tobacco contained inside the seats of a group standing still.

The invention relates to a method and a production line (1) for producing pouches (2). The product line (1) comprises a supply unit (3), a deformation unit (4), a dosing unit (5), a sealing unit (6) and a cutting unit (7).

A particulate matter supply device having a simple configuration, which includes: a fixing plate through which a flow path that allows passage of particulate matter penetrates; a bottom portion through which a discharge port that allows passage of particulate matter penetrates; and a movable portion between the fixing plate and the bottom portion, has an accommodation region capable of accommodating particulate matter in the accommodation region and penetrating the movable portion along a facing direction in which the fixing plate and the bottom portion face each other, and is movable to a position where the accommodation region communicates with the flow path and to a position where the accommodation region communicates with the discharge port. The fixing plate is provided with a level-off portion that, when the movable portion moves, levels off particulate matter so as to remove an amount of particulate matter exceeding a capacity of the accommodation region.

A pipette for metering powder has a pipette sleeve and a metering piston having an end face for ejecting powder from the sleeve. The sleeve includes a free end and, on the sleeve inside, includes a circumferential wall extending in a closed manner around a longitudinal axis. The wall extends in the direction of the axis up to the free end and ends there in an edge which extends around the axis. The piston is guided to be movable parallel to the axis inside the wall. The end face, with the piston in a retracted metering position, defines a chamber with the wall. The wall is, in the region of the chamber, divided into a guide portion and a release portion adjoining the guide portion and extends up to the edge. The release portion surrounds a cross section of the chamber which is radially widened compared to the guide portion.

A pipette for metering powder has a pipette sleeve and a metering piston having an end face for ejecting powder from the sleeve. The sleeve includes a free end and, on the sleeve inside, includes a circumferential wall extending in a closed manner around a longitudinal axis. The wall extends in the direction of the axis up to the free end and ends there in an edge which extends around the axis. The piston is guided to be movable parallel to the axis inside the wall. The end face, with the piston in a retracted metering position, defines a chamber with the wall. The wall is, in the region of the chamber, divided into a guide portion and a release portion adjoining the guide portion and extends up to the edge. The release portion surrounds a cross section of the chamber which is radially widened compared to the guide portion.

A mixing-dosage apparatus for rotary machines for packaging containers includes a mixing portion and a dosage portion. The two portions have a selective fluid connection using a flow control valve, which acts between the two portions so as to feed the dosage duct with consecutive loads of mixed food mass. Each load has a volume that is approximately equal to the volume of the mixing chamber.

A mixing-dosage apparatus for rotary machines for packaging containers includes a mixing portion and a dosage portion. The two portions have a selective fluid connection using a flow control valve, which acts between the two portions so as to feed the dosage duct with consecutive loads of mixed food mass. Each load has a volume that is approximately equal to the volume of the mixing chamber.

A metering roller is for filling a vessel with a portion of a powder product to be metered. The metering roller includes a roller jacket, a filter element, a filter strip, a seal and a clamping core. The roller jacket defines at least one metering opening completely penetrating the roller jacket from its outer side to its inner side, the metering opening being delimited on the inside via a filter element. The filter element is pressed by the clamping core via the filter strip against the inner side of the roller jacket. The seal is arranged between the filter element and the filter strip, the metering opening being exposed to a negative pressure through the filter element via at least one pressure channel in the filter strip. The seal seals a connection of the pressure channel to the metering opening. The seal is an elastomer cured onto the filter strip.

A particulate matter supply device capable of suppressing leakage of particulate matter includes an accommodation region formed so as to penetrate a rotating member along a facing direction in which a spiral member and a fixing plate face each other. The spiral member includes a level-off portion that levels off particulate matter in excess of the capacity of the accommodation region when the rotating member moves from a position where the accommodation region communicates with a flow path for supplying particulate matter to the accommodation region to a position where the accommodation region communicates with a discharge port.

The present invention relates to a food production line (11) with a forming apparatus (5) that comprises a rotating drum (1), which is utilized to form a product (7) from a food mass and a packaging machine (13), which packages the products in a packaging (14). The present invention further relates to a process for forming a product, whereas several products are formed and subsequently dropped simultaneously from a drum on an accumulation belt.