A bag-making and packaging apparatus creates one product per cycle by packaging articles in a bag made from a film. The bag-making and packaging apparatus includes a longitudinal sealing mechanism, a guide, an article sensor, a transverse sealing mechanism, a cutting mechanism, and a prediction unit. The guide guides the articles which fall from above into a film tube. The transverse sealing mechanism forms a transversely sealed part in the film tube with each cycle. The cutting mechanism cuts the film tube in the transversely sealed part with each cycle. The prediction unit predicts whether or not jamming of the articles could occur in the transverse sealing mechanism on the basis of an output of the article sensor with each cycle. When the prediction unit has predicted that the jamming could occur in a certain cycle, the cutting mechanism does not cut the film tube in the certain cycle.

A form fill seal apparatus for forming and filling a plurality of bags with a product having a tube formation assembly forming a tubular film, a bag forming assembly configured to form transverse seals and to cut the tubular film to form bags. A product delivery system is provided to deliver product from a positive displacement pump to a product delivery tube. A control system is structurally configured to direct the positive displacement pump to operate in two different modes, a first, continuous operating mode and a second, dosing operating mode. A method of filling is likewise disclosed.

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 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, a first joiner having a plurality of embossers that are individually movable transversely to the direction of travel and are arranged so that they can be extended from the first joiner and retracted into the first joiner.

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 machine and apparatus for forming and filling plastic bags for containing dry food products such as cereals or the like. The invention comprising a product dispensing port over which a film enveloping the port may pass and an inner passage through which a product may be dispensed. The dispensing port comprises a pair of opposing flaps pivotally coupled to the outlet of the dispensing port which are movable between an open and a closed position.

A flexible package assembly can include a flexible package formed from a flexible material and a lid fitment attached to the package at the opening wall. The flexible package can include a plurality of walls that cooperate to define an interior volume of the package, including first and second opposed side walls and an opening wall. The first and second opposed side walls include first and second tucks, respectively, adjacent to opening wall. The lid fitment can include a base attached to the opening wall and surrounding the opening, first and second projections extending downwardly from opposed sides of the base; and a lid having a complementary shape to a shape of the base. The base is attached to the opening wall such that the first projection extends at least partially into the first tuck and the second projection extends at least partially into the second tuck.

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.

A vertical form fill and seal system supports a sheet of material having material segments and a tube sized for drawing edges of the elongated sheet of material together in an overlapping configuration to form the sheet into a substantially tube shape. The VFFS also includes a sealer that seals the edges of the material to one another and a gusseting mechanism sized for forming a gusseted tuck in each of a left panel portion of the material and a right panel portion of the material. A cutting mechanism removes a first portion and a second portion of a first segment of the material segments in order to form a first cut and a second cut in the first segment and a sealing mechanism folds and seals the first segment at the first cut and at the second cut to provide an end wall with a substantially flat, rectangular-shaped footprint.

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, a first joiner having a plurality of embossers that are individually movable transversely to the direction of travel and are arranged so that they can be extended from the first joiner and retracted into the first joiner.