A roll-packing machine (100) is provided with a belt drive mechanism having a closed-loop belt (110). Further, the roll-packing machine (100) is provided with a feed mechanism (130, 140) configured to feed a mattress (10) to the belt (110). The belt drive mechanism is configured to form an inner loop (115) of the belt, to receive the mattress (10) in the inner loop (115), and to roll the mattress (10) by advancing the belt (110) while the mattress (10) is received in the inner loop (115). The inner loop (115) of the belt may thus act as a rolling chamber for the mattress (10).

A pouch conditioner having a roller frame positioned over a bottom condition belt is disclosed. The roller frame includes a housing that has a pair of opposed guide plates, between which are positioned a plurality of conditioning rollers, a top conditioning belt, and a top conditioning belt drive. The top conditioning belt is disposed about the conditioning rollers. Each of the conditioning rollers is coupled to the guide plates by a pair of actuators that provide each roller with independent articulation and individual compressive force. The distance between the bottom conditioning belt and the top conditioning belt defines a conditioning gap through which product containers are advanced. The height of the conditioning rollers relative to the bottom conditioning belt may be varied to provide a graduated conditioning gap.

A package including a stack of absorbent tissue paper material and a packaging, wherein, in the stack, the tissue material forms panels having a length, and a width perpendicular to the length, the panels being piled on top of each other to form a height extending between a first end surface and a second end surface of the stack; the absorbent tissue paper material including at least a dry crepe material, the stack, when in the package, having a selected packing density D0 of 0.25 to 0.65 kg/dm.sup.3, and exerting a force along the height of the stack towards the packaging, the packaging encircling the stack so as to maintain the stack in a compressed condition with the selected packing density D0.

In a method and apparatus for producing a small pouch with a predetermined amount of particulate material therein, a predetermined amount of the particulate material is portioned from a bulk supply and compacted into a single discrete caplet. The caplet is then deposited into an open hollow pouch closed at one end thereof, and the open end is then closed with the caplet between the closed ends of the pouch. The caplet in the pouch is then compressed to return it to its particulate form. The particulate material may be granular or shredded tobacco.

In a method and apparatus for producing a small pouch with a predetermined amount of particulate material therein, a predetermined amount of the particulate material is portioned from a bulk supply and compacted into a single discrete caplet. The caplet is then deposited into an open hollow pouch closed at one end thereof, and the open end is then closed with the caplet between the closed ends of the pouch. The caplet in the pouch is then compressed to return it to its particulate form. The particulate material may be granular or shredded tobacco.

A method for packaging a cushion includes coating a cushioning element with a powder while the cushioning element is in an expanded state and then compressing the cushion to a compressed state. As the cushioning element is compressed, the powder prevents surfaces of the cushioning element (e.g., surfaces of intersecting walls that define hollow buckling columns of a cushioning element formed from an elastomeric polymer extended with a plasticizer, etc.) from adhering to each other. The powder may allow the cushioning element to substantially return to its expanded state substantially immediately following removal of a compressive force from the cushioning element.

A package including a stack of absorbent tissue paper material and a packaging, wherein, in the stack, the tissue material forms panels having a length, and a width perpendicular to the length, the panels being piled on top of each other to form a height extending between a first end surface and a second end surface of the stack; the absorbent tissue paper material including at least a dry crepe material, the stack, when in the package, having a selected packing density D0 of 0.25 to 0.65 kg/dm.sup.3, and exerting a force along the height of the stack towards the packaging, the packaging encircling the stack so as to maintain the stack in a compressed condition with the selected packing density D0.

A package including a stack of absorbent tissue paper material and a packaging, wherein, in the stack, the tissue material forms panels having a length, and a width perpendicular to the length, the panels being piled on top of each other to form a height extending between a first end surface and a second end surface of the stack; the absorbent tissue paper material including at least a dry crepe material, the stack, when in the package, having a selected packing density D0 of 0.25 to 0.65 kg/dm.sup.3, and exerting a force along the height of the stack towards the packaging, the packaging encircling the stack so as to maintain the stack in a compressed condition with the selected packing density D0.

A tamping punch station for filling capsules in a capsule filling machine is described. The machine includes a rotatably drivable dosing disk with bore holes and a filling device for filling the bore holes. Tamping punches and ejection punches are held on a punch support, and vertical movement of the punch support causes the tamping punches to press filling material into the bore holes and the ejection punches to eject pellets created by the tamping punches in the bore holes. A first drive rotates the dosing disk along punches and a second drive moves the punch support. The second drive includes at least two spindle drives acting on the punch support with respectively one spindle nut and respectively one vertical drive spindle guided in the spindle nut and at least two drive motors, which drive respectively one of the spindle drives for vertical movement of the punch support.

A method is disclosed for forming a tissue bundle from a stack of folded absorbent tissues. The method includes the steps of forming a stack of folded absorbent tissues; compressing the stack to an initial density in a first compression step; wrapping the stack a first time in a supporting wrapper to form an initial bundle and maintain the initial density; subsequently applying a second compression step to compress the stack to a final density that is higher than the initial density; and wrapping the stack a second time to form a final bundle and to maintain the final density.