A deep-drawing packaging machine that includes a sealing station and a method for changing the sealing frame together with the sealing plate at the sealing station. The sealing station includes a sealing plate and a sealing frame. The sealing plate may be releasably coupled to an upper sealing tool part, and the sealing frame may be slidably removable at a lower sealing tool part. The sealing frame may be slidable on rails. The sealing frame may include one or more centering aids for aligning the sealing plate with respect to said sealing frame during removal thereof. The centering aids may be displaceable underneath a film web by the upper sealing tool part during the clamping of the film web between the sealing frame and the upper sealing tool part.

An elastic nonwoven material includes a first non-woven fabric including a plurality of rows. Each row has a plurality of adjacent bonds formed therein. The elastic nonwoven material also includes a first elastic strand entrapped between a first pair of adjacent bonds within a first row of the plurality of rows, and a second elastic strand entrapped between a second pair of adjacent bonds within the first row. A third pair of adjacent bonds within the first row is free of elastic material therebetween and is located between the first pair of adjacent bonds and the second pair of adjacent bonds.

A web packaging machine for forming a food product package from a lower web of packaging material and an upper web of packaging material includes a frame, a die member supported by the frame and configured to form or close the food product package, and a clamping device comprising a first end that is pivotally coupled to the frame and an opposite, second end that is configured to secure the die member to the frame. The clamping device is pivotable into and between a locked position in which the clamping device clamps the die member to the frame and an unlocked position in which the clamping device is pivoted away from the die member such that the die member can be moved relative to the frame.

An apparatus for fabricating an elastic nonwoven material generally includes a rotary ultrasonic horn and a rotary anvil positionable in close proximity to the ultrasonic horn. The anvil has a face with a width and a circumferential axis. The face has a plurality of ridges each of which defines a plurality of interspaced lands and notches.

A welding apparatus for welding overlapping plastic material webs along edges of the overlapping plastic material webs, the welding apparatus including a chassis; and a heating device arranged at the chassis and configured for melting the edges of the overlapping plastic material webs, wherein the chassis includes a support frame which includes at least two running rollers that are arranged offset from each other, at least two pressing and feed rollers that are arranged opposite to each other, wherein a lower pressing and feed roller of the at least two running and feed rollers is fixated at the support frame and an upper pressing and feed roller of the at least two running and feed rollers is pivotably supported at the support frame, and at least one drive unit with a transmission, wherein the at least two running rollers are configured for supporting the chassis on a base.

A moveable seam welding machine, system, and method of use is provided. The seam welding machine includes at least one sensor that generates at least one data point having geolocation coordinates incorporated or integrally formed therewith. The data point typically relates to the integrity or quality of the welded seam created by the machine. The sensor generates data points which may be evaluated in alarm logic for abnormalities or anomalies. The geolocation coordinates inherent or integral to the data point may be plotted or registered overtop satellite imagery. The coordinates of the anomalies or the registered image, or both, can be provided to the workman or operator so he/she may manually inspect the geolocation at where the abnormal or anomaly data point was generated by the sensor to spot check the welded seam by hand.

A moveable seam welding machine, system, and method of use is provided. The seam welding machine includes at least one sensor that generates at least one data point having geolocation coordinates incorporated or integrally formed therewith. The data point typically relates to the integrity or quality of the welded seam created by the machine. The sensor generates data points which may be evaluated in alarm logic for abnormalities or anomalies. The geolocation coordinates inherent or integral to the data point may be plotted or registered overtop satellite imagery. The coordinates of the anomalies or the registered image, or both, can be provided to the workman or operator so he/she may manually inspect the geolocation at where the abnormal or anomaly data point was generated by the sensor to spot check the welded seam by hand.

A weld wheel cleaning system is provided to clean or remove a layer of embedded material and other debris produced from welding from the working surface of a weld wheel. Such a weld wheel cleaning system includes a cleaner with an abrasive material positioned on an outer surface of the cleaner. The cleaner is positionable adjacent to the weld wheel such that the abrasive material is aligned with the working surface of the weld wheel. An actuator can be used to selectively actuate the cleaner with a force sufficient to remove the layer of embedded material from the working surface of the weld wheel with the abrasive material. The debris from the cleaner can be removed by a vacuum.

A method for testing a tubular bag machine, the tubular bag machine having multiple electronic drive units controlled independently by a drive control system for driving functional elements of the packing machine in a cycle time-synchronous manner during predefined motion sequences, one drive unit being a transverse sealing unit comprising a motor and two transverse sealing jaws for transversely sealing a film tube, the drive torque being measured using a drive controller, and the position of the drive motor measured using a position sensor, by removing the film tube from the sealing zone between the transverse sealing jaws, closing the jaws according to a predefined target torque stored in the drive control system; measuring the actual position of the drive motor at the target torque; and comparing the measured actual position to a target position stored in the drive control system and associated with the predefined target torque.

The seal plate assembly of this invention includes a base plate, an insulator pad positioned on the base plate, an electric heater pad positioned on the insulator pad and a pair of seal plates positioned on the electric heater pad, all of which have registering vacuum openings formed therein. The base plate, insulator pad, heater pad and seal plates are bolted together. The seal plates have spaced-apart cavities formed therein. A support plate is positioned in each of the cavities with each of the support plates having a length and width which is less than the length and width of the respective cavity to create a vacuum space at the perimeter of the support plates. The support plates are spaced above the bottom of the cavities.