According to one embodiment a packaging method is provided in which a tube is supplied in a forward movement direction. The method includes a folding step in which the tube is acted on in a manner that is transverse to the forward movement direction, folding part of the tube in a folding direction, and a sealing and cutting step after which a tube closed at one end and a package closed and separated from the tube are obtained. During the folding step the tube is held transversely, and a tear is generated in the folding direction between the acted on and held parts of the tube. The tube is sealed on both sides of the tear and cut at the height of the tear. Packaging machines for carrying out the method are also disclosed. Suitable.

The procedure of the invention consists in manufacturing and/or transforming flexible containers in vertical filling and sealing machines that manufacture or process English fold, stable bottom or pad type containers, by generating and sealing flaps at the top and/or bottom of the lateral sides of the previous pre-container (6a) or subsequent pre-container (6b) arranged in the vertical machine.

Impact bodies (2; 3) installed in the vertical machine are used, which, when operated, hit, push and fold at least part of at least one side or lateral side on at least another part of another side or contiguous side, thus generating at least any one of the flaps such as: the plus flaps (11; 12; 13), triangular body flaps (14) manipulated triangular body flaps (15) the flap folded on itself (15a) or the strip flap (15b).

Subsequently, the flaps are sealed, by means of a sealing mode like that of a resistance, in order to keep the generated flap permanently stable.

Another object of the invention, devices that are installed in the vertical machine that facilitate the optimal generation of the flaps, such as: the Rammer body (19) intended to widen and stretch the wrapper or sheet of the bottom part or/and of the lower support side of the pre-container (6a), or Pressing platform or drawer unit (22) intended to push and crush the upper part of the pre-container (6b) against the underside of the clamp (1a), causing the pre-container (6b) to expand three-dimensionally in a cubic shape.

The new machines of the invention will have at least one impact body (2; 3) or/and at least one device (19; 20; 21; 22) of the invention.

The invention also protects different packaging models, such as mixed packaging: one half of the pad type and the other half of the English fold type.

A packaging apparatus for small piece goods, the use of the packaging apparatus, and a method for producing a blister tube are provided. The packaging apparatus includes a packaging material guiding device for providing a shaped packaging material web suitable for receiving small piece goods, a longitudinal joining device which is arranged downstream of the packaging material guiding device and a transverse joining device which is arranged downstream of the packaging material guiding device. The transverse joining device joins the shaped packaging material web together at predetermined intervals transversely to the direction of travel to form a transverse joining area. The transverse joining device includes two joiners, which have a plurality of embossers that are individually movable transversely to the direction of travel and have an embosser stop area which cooperate such that elevations that are palpable are formed by the embossers in the transverse joining area.

A method and apparatus of packing product in a tubular casing is provided. The method includes providing a continuous length of tubular casing, providing an expansion plug within the tubular casing, grasping the casing upstream end with a casing grabber, moving the casing grabber away from the expansion plug towards an outlet end of a product feed conduit, feeding product from the product feed conduit through the casing upstream end into the tubular casing, and cutting the tubular casing downstream of the product to sever an upstream casing segment from the remaining continuous length of tubular casing.

The present invention is directed to a method of forming a bottom-gusseted package, wherein each package includes an inwardly-extending, pleat-like gusset at the bottom of the package. To permit heat-sealing formation of each package, the sleeve from which each gusset is formed comprises a lamination of two differing polymeric materials, a sealant layer and a non-sealant layer, so that only an exterior surface of each sleeve, at which the sealant layer is positioned, exhibits the desired heat-sealing characteristics. To facilitate package formation, the sleeves from which the bottom gussets are formed are maintained in a closed or sealed configuration during package formation by providing a heat-sealed bond at the edge of each sleeve. In one embodiment, portions of the non-sealant layer are vaporized to provide sealable surface regions of the sealant layer. In an alternative embodiment, a lamination of the sealant and non-sealant layers is formed such that the sealant layer extends laterally beyond the non-sealant layer, to thereby provide sealable surface regions of the sealant layer.

A packaging apparatus for small piece goods, the use of the packaging apparatus, and a method for producing a blister tube are provided. The packaging apparatus includes a packaging material guiding device for providing a shaped packaging material web suitable for receiving small piece goods, a longitudinal joining device which is arranged downstream of the packaging material guiding device and a transverse joining device which is arranged downstream of the packaging material guiding device. The transverse joining device joins the shaped packaging material web together at predetermined intervals transversely to the direction of travel to form a transverse joining area. The transverse joining device includes two joiners, which have a plurality of embossers that are individually movable transversely to the direction of travel and have an embosser stop area which cooperate such that elevations that are palpable are formed by the embossers in the transverse joining area.

A device for producing tubular bags sealed on multiple sides, the device including a forming shoulder for deforming a plane film web into an envelope web and a forming tube surrounded by the envelope web, the forming tube having, adjacent to a forming shoulder outlet, fins for forming film overlap areas, and a film guide having first and second film guide elements, each of which is associated with one of the fins.

The status of a cutting unit (165a, 165b) in an apparatus for producing packages of liquid food is monitored based on a time sequence of measurement values from a sensor (30), e.g., a pressure transducer, which is arranged to measure cutting resistance for a cutting blade (166a, 166b) in the cutting unit when actuated to perform a cut to sever food-containing packages (106) from each other. The monitoring comprises generating a resistance time profile for the measurement values, detecting at least one predefined feature in the resistance time profile, determining a respective phase value for the predefined feature(s), and determining the status of the cutting unit (165a, 165b) as a function of a set of input values comprising the respective phase value. The status may represent the degree of wear of the cutting blade (166a, 166b).

A method and apparatus of packing product in a tubular casing is provided. The method includes providing a continuous length of tubular casing, providing an expansion plug within the tubular casing, grasping the casing upstream end with a casing grabber, moving the casing grabber away from the expansion plug towards an outlet end of a product feed conduit, feeding product from the product feed conduit through the casing upstream end into the tubular casing, and cutting the tubular casing downstream of the product to sever an upstream casing segment from the remaining continuous length of tubular casing.

A method for operating a tubular bag machine having a biaxially drivable transverse sealing device for producing tubular bags, a film sheet being closed by transverse bottom and top seams after having formed a film tube, an edge area of the film sheet forming a side fold using a side folder before forming the transverse bottom seam, and transverse top and bottom seams formed by adjacent tubular bags in one work step, said tubular bags formed in the draw direction having an alternating orientation, said side folder interacting with a stationary fold molding on the inner side of the film sheet, the minimal distance of the transverse sealing device to the fold molding alternatingly altered in the draw direction and being larger when producing the two transverse top seams than the minimal distance of the transverse sealing device to the fold molding when producing the transverse bottom seams.