The product efficiency of bags each with an end face part is increased. A panel webs is guided to be divided along a line of weakness of the panel web and to be folded along division edges of the panel web. This guiding of the first panel and temporary sealed sections cause a side gusset to be cut open along a line of weakness of the side gusset such that open surfaces are formed. After the forming of the open surfaces, an end face web is supplied to be superposed on folded parts of the panel web and the open surfaces of the side gusset.

A flexible container is provided. The flexible container includes four panels. The four panels form (i) a body portion; (ii) a neck portion, and a flare portion that extends from the neck portion; (iii) a tapered transition portion between the body portion and the neck portion; and (iv) the neck portion has a reduced width. The flare portion has an expanded end. The width of the flare portion gradually increases from the neck portion to the expanded end.

In an apparatus and method for successively making plastic bags, webs of first and second panel materials are superposed and fed longitudinally. A plastic film is slit to form longitudinal slit lines so as to be divided into the web of the first panel material and a plurality of webs of a bottom gusset material before the webs of the first and second panel materials are superposed. Then, the webs of the bottom gusset material are guided and supplied to the webs of the first or second panel material by bottom gusset material guide devices. The bottom gusset material is not supplied from another supply roll, and a pattern discrepancy is not caused.

The machine and the method disclosed use a panel plastic film that is longitudinally folded into top and bottom halves before slitting along the fold. The halves are simultaneously transported ensuring print registration and requiring a single accumulator in the longitudinal direction. Side gusset pieces are inserted between the top and bottom halves through an initial gap enlarged by a pair of timing belts. The top and bottom halves partly sealed with the side gusset pieces are pulled away from each other and a means gives the ends of the side gusset pieces the shape of a rhomboid. Bottom gusset film is vertically sealed along the vertical axis of the rhomboid shaped ends of the side gusset pieces with the seal extending to the folded portions of the top and bottom halves. Longitudinal sealing and transverse sealing before cutting ensure sealing of the bottom gusset and side gussets.

A method of sealing reinforced packages. The method can comprise moving an open-ended package in a downstream direction on a package conveyor by engaging the open-ended package with a chain flight of the package conveyor moving in the downstream direction. The method further can comprise forming a bag with a closed end by engaging at least a seal portion of a tail section of an open-ended tube portion of the open-ended package between the chain flight of the package conveyor and a hot plate positioned adjacent the package conveyor. The chain flight can move with the tail section in the downstream direction relative to the hot plate, which can transfer thermal energy to the tail section to at least partially form a seal along the seal portion in the tail section to at least partially form the closed end of the bag.

A bag wall is designed for producing a bag open on a top side by means of at least a connection seam and for closing said bag by means of at least one further connecting seam after being filled with bulk material and is characterized by at least one Kraft paper layer forming a Kraft paper core (1) and essentially determining the load capacity of the bag which core (1) is provided with fine openings (2) in two-dimensional regions covering at least half of the surface of said core (1) and is directly coated on both sides with a plastic layer (3, 4) each wherein both plastic layers consist of plastic material being miscible in liquid states and wherein the plastic layers (3, 4) are connected to each other by material fit through said openings (2) during the coating.

A bag making and packaging machine has pull-down belt mechanisms, a transverse sealing mechanism, a rotatable folding member, and a gas blowing mechanism. The folding member, before the transverse sealing mechanism, seals a cylindrical film, pushes against a side portion of the cylindrical film to thereby fold the cylindrical film inward and form a fold in the cylindrical film. The gas blowing mechanism blows a gas onto the fold to thereby inhibit the cylindrical film from sticking to the rotating folding member.

A web of first or second material is provided with the spout, and a plastic bag is made from side gusset materials in addition to webs of the first and second materials. An aperture is formed in the web of the first or second panel material, and the spout is inserted into and positioned with the aperture, whenever the webs of the first and second panel materials are fed intermittently. After the webs of the first and second panel materials are superposed on each other, whenever the webs of the first and second panel materials are fed intermittently, the webs of the first and second panel materials are heat sealed with each other in a longitudinal direction thereof by a longitudinal seal device, and the webs of the first and second panel materials are heat sealed with the side gusset materials in a width direction thereof by a cross seal device.

A gusset preheating assembly and a method of using the same. The assembly includes a heating gun assembly mounted on a frame. Spreader rods open up a gap in a bag's gusset and nozzles blow warmed air into the gap. Orthogonally arranged first and second hydraulic members are operatively engaged with heating gun assembly and are activated to move the heating gun assembly vertically or horizontally. Hot air blowing into the gap from the nozzle relaxes the gusset. Pressure is applied to the relaxed gusset, thereby reducing the thickness of the gusset region of the bag. The reduction in thickness makes it possible to increase the number of gusseted bags that are packaged in a container or on a roll.

In order to successively make plastic bags each of which includes panel portions, side gusset portions and a zipper portion, a web of panel material 9 is folded and folded back along longitudinal folded lines 14, 15 and 16 and longitudinal folded back lines 17 and 18 into superposed two layers having opposite side edges at each of which a folded portion is formed. The web of panel material 9 is slit along the longitudinal folded line 16 into two divided parts after being folded and folded back. The divided parts are separated and spaced from each other. In addition, the folded portions are split at positions into sprit portions and removed at the positions partially, a body of zipper material being disposed between the sprit portions.