A method of adjusting accelerations within a packaging machine includes determining the dimensions and frictional coefficients of each product or group of products that are placed on a product feeder 106. Acceleration profiles of first and second drive lines 200, 202 can be adjusted to ensure that the products are moved through the packaging machine at appropriate speeds and accelerations. The method may ensure that the products maintain proper positions throughout the packaging process so that the products are not damaged, and the packaging process is not hindered. A packaging machine with means for determining the coefficient of friction associated with a product is also provided.

An automatic machine for the production or the packaging of consumer products, in particular of the tobacco industry has at least one processing line provided with a plurality of operating members and feeds at least one material used to manufacture the consumer products. A control and/or identification method includes carrying out, inside a volume containing at least part of the automatic machine, a three-dimensional detection using at least one hyperspectral detection unit for detecting alterations of the electromagnetic field produced by all the objects inside the volume, the hyperspectral detection unit outputs raw data concerning the dimensions, position, shape, physical structure, and/or the chemical composition of all the objects present inside the volume. The raw data is filtered using an artificial intelligence algorithm to isolate and extract information concerning at least one single object inside the volume; and the information is used to carry out a control and/or identification operation.

An automatic machine for the production or the packaging of consumer products, in particular of the tobacco industry has at least one processing line provided with a plurality of operating members and feeds at least one material used to manufacture the consumer products. A control and/or identification method includes carrying out, inside a volume containing at least part of the automatic machine, a three-dimensional detection using at least one hyperspectral detection unit for detecting alterations of the electromagnetic field produced by all the objects inside the volume, the hyperspectral detection unit outputs raw data concerning the dimensions, position, shape, physical structure, and/or the chemical composition of all the objects present inside the volume. The raw data is filtered using an artificial intelligence algorithm to isolate and extract information concerning at least one single object inside the volume; and the information is used to carry out a control and/or identification operation.

Robotic assembly systems and methods of assembling products using planar robots. Planar movers cooperate magnetically with stators to pick products provided on an infeed and place them in a pattern on an outfeed system, wherein the movers having a clamp having at least two opposing clamping surfaces whose relative positions are continuously adjustable by a force from an object external to the mover and the stator. Sensors and controllers cooperate to precisely move the movers on the stator, particularly as a group, for the movers to pick respective products at respective picking locations. Some systems permit packaging of multiple products.

Robotic assembly systems and methods of assembling products using planar robots. Planar movers cooperate magnetically with stators to pick products provided on an infeed and place them in a pattern on an outfeed system, wherein the movers having a clamp having at least two opposing clamping surfaces whose relative positions are continuously adjustable by a force from an object external to the mover and the stator. Sensors and controllers cooperate to precisely move the movers on the stator, particularly as a group, for the movers to pick respective products at respective picking locations. Some systems permit packaging of multiple products.

The present invention relates to a tamping system (100) for tamping of filler materials of capsule filling machine to form slug, and selectively delivering the slug from a dosing disc (108) based on the presence/absence of empty capsule bodies in an empty capsule segment in a turret of capsule filling machine. The tamping system (100) based on the presence/absence of empty capsule bodies in the empty capsule segment, enables actuation of pneumatic cylinders (113) to restrict movement of tamping pistons (110) into the respective holes of the dosing disc (108) that were configured to be align with the empty capsule segments of the turret where no capsule bodies were identified or present, irrespective of the downward movement of the holder blocks (111) towards the dosing disc (108), thereby restricting the delivery of the slug into empty capsule segment of the turret, and preventing wastage of the filler material or slug.

The present invention relates to a tamping system (100) for tamping of filler materials of capsule filling machine to form slug, and selectively delivering the slug from a dosing disc (108) based on the presence/absence of empty capsule bodies in an empty capsule segment in a turret of capsule filling machine. The tamping system (100) based on the presence/absence of empty capsule bodies in the empty capsule segment, enables actuation of pneumatic cylinders (113) to restrict movement of tamping pistons (110) into the respective holes of the dosing disc (108) that were configured to be align with the empty capsule segments of the turret where no capsule bodies were identified or present, irrespective of the downward movement of the holder blocks (111) towards the dosing disc (108), thereby restricting the delivery of the slug into empty capsule segment of the turret, and preventing wastage of the filler material or slug.

The invention relates to a tubular bag machine having a longitudinal sealing element for forming a film tube, having two transverse sealing jaws, which are moveable against each other and which thereby transversely seal the film tube, for forming sealed tubular bags, having a mechanism, which has a drive and which moves the transverse sealing jaws, having a filling device for filling the unsealed tubular bags with a filling material, having a separating element for separating individual filled tubular bags, a dosing device being disposed upstream of the filling device, said dosing device allowing for the dosing of a prespecified filling quantity of the filling material to be filled into a tubular bag, a transfer element having several transfer containers being provided between the filling device of the tubular bag machine and the dosing device, the prespecified filling quantity of the filling material being transferred from the dosing device to the transfer containers in an input station, and the transfer containers being transported to a dispensing station along a transfer line, and the filling material being transferred from the transport containers to the filling device in the dispensing station, and the transfer containers being transported back to the input station along a return transfer line.

The invention relates to a tubular bag machine having a longitudinal sealing element for forming a film tube, having two transverse sealing jaws, which are moveable against each other and which thereby transversely seal the film tube, for forming sealed tubular bags, having a mechanism, which has a drive and which moves the transverse sealing jaws, having a filling device for filling the unsealed tubular bags with a filling material, having a separating element for separating individual filled tubular bags, a dosing device being disposed upstream of the filling device, said dosing device allowing for the dosing of a prespecified filling quantity of the filling material to be filled into a tubular bag, a transfer element having several transfer containers being provided between the filling device of the tubular bag machine and the dosing device, the prespecified filling quantity of the filling material being transferred from the dosing device to the transfer containers in an input station, and the transfer containers being transported to a dispensing station along a transfer line, and the filling material being transferred from the transport containers to the filling device in the dispensing station, and the transfer containers being transported back to the input station along a return transfer line.

A bag-making and packaging machine works with a weighing machine installed upstream to manufacture bags containing article discharged from the weighing machine. The bag-making and packaging machine includes a forming unit, a transverse sealing unit, a conveyance unit, a communication unit, and a control unit. The communication unit receives from the weighing machine a signal relating to weighing and discharge of the article. The control unit has a disposal mode for disposing of the article in the weighing machine. When changing from a normal production mode to the disposal mode, the control unit performs control to skip, among operations in the normal production mode, the operation of the transverse sealing unit implemented in conjunction with the signal received by the communication unit from the weighing machine.