A method and apparatus for making bags or pouches is disclosed. It includes a track, at least two sleds that move on the track, and operating stations mounted on the sleds. The film moves along the track, and the sleds move with the film while performing operations on the film. The system can have the sleds stationary while operating for an intermittent machine, and move to reconfigure when the film is moving. The operating stations include one or more of a sealer, a heater, a cooler, an inserter, a knife, a punch, a perforator, a static charger, and a printer. The track forms a continuous path or is linear. A controller controls the sleds and operating stations. The controller includes an operating time and/or a reconfiguration module. The operating time module is responsive to a user set material thickness or a sensed material thickness.

A thermoplastic bag includes raised rib-like elements that allow the thermoplastic bag to expand. The thermoplastic bag further includes side seals having rib-like elements that allow the side seals to expand. Additionally, in one or more implementations, the thermoplastic bag includes one or more of a material formulation, a density of raised rib-like elements, a height of raised rib-like elements, or land areas that provide the raised rib-like elements with a reduced rebound ratio.

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.

A female belt-shaped base is attached to a bag body at a region from a female hook to a first end near an open end of the bag body and to a second end near a housing space. A male belt-shaped base is attached to the bag body only in a bonding region without being attached at a region from a position where an engagement portion is continuously attached to a first end near the open end of the bag body.

The present invention relates to a flexible package-forming machine for horizontal packaging and method of manufacturing flexible packages. The proposed forming machine consists of an unwinding unit (11), a perforating unit (12), a folding unit (14), a welding unit (16), and a cutting unit (17), wherein a compensating unit (13) is further included intercalated between the perforating unit (12) and the folding unit (14), linking a section with intermittent forward movement (S1) of the flexible band (1) where the flexible band moves in an intermittent manner and including the perforating unit, and a section with continuous forward movement (S2) where the flexible band moves in a continuous manner and including the folding unit, flexible band being accumulated in said compensating unit during the forward movement of the section with intermittent forward movement (S1) and the accumulation being reduced during breaks in the forward movement of the section with intermittent forward movement.

A stitchless highly oriented polypropylene fabric bulk bag of the type that can hold 500 to 5000 pounds (226.7 to 2268 kilograms) of bulk material includes a highly oriented polypropylene fabric top, body and bottom, with a heat fused joint providing an air tight connection between the top and body, and another air tight heat fused joint connecting the body and bottom. A fill spout and discharge tube may also be provided with an air tight heat fused joint connecting the fill spout to the top and another air tight heat fused joint connecting the discharge spout to the bottom. Heat sealing machinery include heat seal bar assemblies that can self-align during heat-sealing to apply even pressure to all areas being heat sealed. A heating element is of single piece construction and can include end coupler portions as part of the single piece construction. Carrier plates used in a heat-sealing assembly line guide parts placement, provide quality checks for parts placement, and tooling set-up for machinery.

The present invention is a bag making machine (20, 30). The bag making machine (20, 30) includes: a conveying unit (37) which conveys a multi-layer film (S) in which films (13a, 13b) are overlapped; a side edge sealing device (27) which thermally fuses the films (13a, 13b) to each other; and an ultrasonic device (26) which crushes a part of a zipper member (14) disposed between films (13a, 13b). The side edge sealing device (27) includes: a platform (44); and a heat-generating head (45). The ultrasonic device (26) includes: an anvil (41); and an ultrasonic horn head (42). The heating-generating head (45) and the ultrasonic horn head (42) reciprocate at a same cycle via a link member (51).

Thermoplastic bags with phased deformation patterns are described. In particular, one or more implementations comprise thermoplastic bags with ring rolling, SELFing, or other deformation patterns phased or aligned relative to the sides of the bags. The phased deformation patterns can allow for reducing or eliminating deformation patterns in areas of the thermoplastic bag in which side seals or other seals are formed. Additionally or alternatively, the phased deformation patterns can provide for zones that provide differing properties (e.g., functional or aesthetic). Such zones can vary aligned along a width of the thermoplastic bag and optionally also vary along a height of the thermoplastic bag. The differing zones can provide the thermoplastic bags with phased deformations that provide leak prevention, liquid containment, and other benefits.

Apparatus and method of manufacturing open-mouth bags, comprising a storage device with a supply of bag film, a control device for controlling, a conveying device for conveying the bag film and/or the bag body along a conveying path, a welding device with welding means for making a bottom seam in the bag film and a cutting device with a cutting means for separating a predetermined film length of the bag film to form the bag body of an open-mouth bag. The control device controls the conveying device so as to cause a relative motion of the bag body and the bag film and a distance between the bag body and the bag film is generated prior to making the bottom seam. The control device controls the conveying device and the welding means so that while welding the bottom seam the welding means extend at least up to the bottom end of the bag body.

A bottom and discharge assembly for a flexible fabric bulk bag of the type having heat sealed joints includes a piece of reinforcing fabric positioned under a heat sealed joint of a bottom portion and a discharge tube, around a periphery of a discharge tube opening and bottom opening that are each substantially square, wherein the reinforcing fabric prevents bag failure at or about at corners of the bottom opening and discharge tube opening. The assembly can be formed by overlapping the reinforcing fabric, discharge tube, and bottom portion so that the bottom is heat sealed to both a portion of the discharge tube fabric and a portion of the reinforcing fabric and wherein a portion of the reinforcing fabric is under the discharge tube and bottom joint, and wherein the discharge tube fabric and reinforcing fabric are not joined together.