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.

A method and apparatus for making bags with hem seals is disclosed. The machine includes an infeed section and a draw tape section. Bags are made from a film and a film path extends through the infeed section and through the draw tape section. The draw tape section includes a hem sealer that includes a stationary sealing plate on one side of the film path such that film path passes across the stationary plate. A sealing head is on the second side of the film path, opposite the first side, such that the film following the film path passes between the sealing head and the stationary plate. A sealing section may be included. The draw tape section may include driven infeed an outfeed nips.

A zipper (100) includes a male closure element (101) and a female closure element (102). The male closure element includes a base member (103), one or more male interlocking members (201,203) extending distally from a first side of the base member, and a plurality of guide posts (105,107) extending from a second side of the base member. The female closure element includes a base member (104), one or more female interlocking members (202,204) extending distally from a first side of the base member, and a plurality of guide posts (106,108) extending from a second side of the base member.

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 one method, a piece of nonwoven PET or PP fabric is formed into a tote bag using a bag forming device. Seams of the tote bag are ultrasonically welded using an ultrasonic bag welding device. The ultrasonic bag welding device includes at least one sonotrode. In another method, BOPP film is received and a full-color graphic is printed on the BOPP film for each tote bag using a printer. The printed BOPP film is received from the printer and nonwoven PP or PET fabric is received from a roll of nonwoven PP or PET fabric using a laminator. The printed BOPP film is laminated to the nonwoven PP or PET fabric. The printed BOPP film laminated to nonwoven PP or PET fabric is received from the laminator and a finished version of each tote bag is produced using an ultrasonic bag welding device.

A packaging machine for forming doy-pack bags includes: a base; a reel-holding frame, configured to carry a reel of packaging film or a sheet-holding reel having a band with packaging sheets; a gripping and folding group configured to pick up and fold like a book, by facing two symmetrical parts thereof, either a portion of the packaging film or a packaging sheet; shaping apparatus for shaping a recessed bottom (B) of a doy-pack bag (A); a joiner for sealing the facing side edges of the two symmetrical parts either of a portion of the packaging film or of a packaging sheet; pick-up apparatus adapted to remove the portion of the packaging film or the packaging sheet, folded and with the facing side edges sealed, from the gripping and folding group.

The present invention relates to a machine comprising: an unwinding unit (11) for unwinding a flexible band (1), a folding unit (14) of a flexible band (1), a drive unit (31) configured for moving the flexible band (1) in a forward movement direction (DA), a welding unit (16) and a cutting unit (17) for cutting the flexible band, wherein the cutting unit (17) is a laser beam cutting unit (53) separating each individual flexible package from the flexible band (1) and providing a fill opening in each flexible package by means of at least one fill opening cut. The laser beam cutting unit (53) has associated therewith a separator device, movable in a vertical direction and including an insertable separator element (41), interposed between the opposite faces of the folded flexible band (1), in an area adjacent to the fill opening (3), for separating the opposite faces of the flexible band (1) during cutting operations to prevent the fusion thereof.

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.

During the manufacturing process the exterior surface of one or both of the sheets of plastic film which form the bags is treated with low temperature corona discharge plasma to raise the level of surface charge magnitude to at least 43 Dyne to increase the adhesion force between the bags. A recess is formed in each of the bags to further increase the adhesion. The increased adhesion causes the mouth of one bag to automatically open as the adjacent bag is removed from the rack. The recess is formed at the same time openings are created in the bags to accept the support rods of a dispensing rack. The bags can have simple edge sides or side gussets and may be provided in a package including a pouch which receives and supports the lower portions of the bags.

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.