An apparatus for heat shrinking packages includes a mover having an active surface configured for receiving one or more packages and for displacing the one or more packages along a predetermined operating path, a heating fluid circuit configured to circulate a heating fluid, a control unit operative on the heating fluid circuit, the control unit being configured to control circulation of the heating fluid in the heating fluid circuit, a chamber having an opening and being configured for receiving the one or more packages positioned on the active surface and for heat shrinking the one or more packages based on circulation of the heating fluid in the heating fluid circuit, and means for forming a liquid curtain arranged at the opening and configured to define a liquid curtain along the opening, the liquid curtain separating an inner volume of the chamber from an ambient atmosphere external to the chamber.

Heat shrink wrap product packaging oven or tunnel apparatus and processing methods are provided which incorporate or utilize a central divider mechanism. The central divider moves over a conveyor between a vertical, dual track position, and a retracted, single track position. The divider can additionally include a curved deflector that focuses and/or smooths air flow from the divider laterally across the dual track conveyance path.

In a method for packaging products, the products are packaged with a packaging material on a packaging line. The packaging material is first of all drawn off a first packaging-material reel and fed to the packaging line. When the first packaging-material reel has been at least partially used up, an initial portion of a second packaging-material reel is made to overlap with a packaging-material portion already drawn off the first packaging-material reel and is joined to the latter packaging-material portion. After the two packaging-material portions have been joined together, the packaging material is drawn off from the second packaging-material reel and fed to the packaging line. The two above-mentioned packaging-material portions are joined together by a stamping operator of a stamping device. There is also described a packaging installation for carrying out the method.

A shrink wrapping apparatus, and associated process, includes a housing (turbine) having a wall forming a passage dimensioned to receive the associated container assembly and associated sleeve. The passage has an inlet and an outlet spaced therefrom. A steam/hot air path communicates with the passage to provide steam from an associated steam source to at least a portion of the passage in order to shrink wrap the associated sleeve on the associated container assembly as the container assembly and sleeve move through the passage. The apparatus also includes a stop member for engaging the associated container assembly and holding in the passage for a predetermined amount of time.

A shrink wrapping apparatus, and associated process, includes a housing (turbine) having a wall forming a passage dimensioned to receive the associated container assembly and associated sleeve. The passage has an inlet and an outlet spaced therefrom. A steam/hot air path communicates with the passage to provide steam from an associated steam source to at least a portion of the passage in order to shrink wrap the associated sleeve on the associated container assembly as the container assembly and sleeve move through the passage. The apparatus also includes a stop member for engaging the associated container assembly and holding in the passage for a predetermined amount of time.

A wrapping apparatus for wrapping groups of products with a film includes conveyor elements for supporting and moving groups of products, a feeding unit for dispensing film portions of defined length through a transverse opening of the conveyor elements, a wrapping unit including a plurality of crossbars supported by respective rods and arranged for picking the film portions and wrapping the film portions around the groups of products and a hub arrangement, rotatable about a rotation axis and slidably supporting the rods to be mobile linearly and transversely to the rotation axis and rotatably about the rotation axis, the crossbars being moved along a wrapping trajectory, and a guiding assembly engaged by the rods and/or the crossbars for guiding the crossbars along the wrapping trajectory changing a distance of the crossbars from the rotation axis during a rotation of the respective rods.

A heat sealing packaging machine and method for assembling that includes a package platform for supporting a package, a film carriage carrying a supply of film material, a sealing platform adjacent the package platform and including a conveyor for laterally moving the package to be sealed to a shrink tunnel. The carriage is laterally movable to adjust the position of the film material and a lifting mechanism raises and lowers the sealing platform and the shrink tunnel. The shrink tunnel is laterally movable with respect to the sealing platform and includes a latch mechanism for locking a lateral position of the shrink tunnel.

A labelling system includes a dispensing apparatus to present respective cut and opened sleeves of shrink-wrap label stock material for insertion of claws of crustaceans, and a heating apparatus to apply heat to the sleeves to shrink the sleeves around the claws. A related method includes inserting a claw of a crustacean into a sleeve of shrink-wrap label stock material, and applying heat to the sleeve to shrink the sleeve around the claw. Another method involves providing a dispensing apparatus to present respective cut and opened sleeves of shrink-wrap label stock material to receive claws of crustaceans, and providing a heating apparatus to apply heat to the sleeves to shrink the sleeves around the claws. A seafood product may include a crustacean having a claw, the claw carrying a shrink-wrap label.

A labelling system includes a dispensing apparatus to present respective cut and opened sleeves of shrink-wrap label stock material for insertion of claws of crustaceans, and a heating apparatus to apply heat to the sleeves to shrink the sleeves around the claws. A related method includes inserting a claw of a crustacean into a sleeve of shrink-wrap label stock material, and applying heat to the sleeve to shrink the sleeve around the claw. Another method involves providing a dispensing apparatus to present respective cut and opened sleeves of shrink-wrap label stock material to receive claws of crustaceans, and providing a heating apparatus to apply heat to the sleeves to shrink the sleeves around the claws. A seafood product may include a crustacean having a claw, the claw carrying a shrink-wrap label.

A shrink wrapping apparatus, and associated process, includes a housing (turbine) having a wall forming a passage dimensioned to receive the associated container assembly and associated sleeve. The passage has an inlet and an outlet spaced therefrom. A steam/hot air path communicates with the passage to provide steam from an associated steam source to at least a portion of the passage in order to shrink wrap the associated sleeve on the associated container assembly as the container assembly and sleeve move through the passage. The apparatus also includes a stop member for engaging the associated container assembly and holding in the passage for a predetermined amount of time.