A method and apparatus for making a structurally resilient package with a desired shape on a vertical form, fill, and seal machine. The method comprises sealing a film to form a back seal; forming a first end seal to form a partially formed first package; flattening a first side of the partially formed first package to form a flat first side; filling the partially formed first package with product; forming a second end seal on the partially formed first package to form a first package from the partially formed first package; flattening the second side of the first package to form a flat second side, wherein the flattening the first side and the flattening the second side occur on a first machine.

A vertical bag-making/filling/packaging machine (1) comprises: a film supplying portion (5) which lets out a film (F) from a roll (Fr); a bag-making guide (31) which folds the film (F) into a tubular shape and changes a conveying direction downward; a vertical sealing portion (60) which thermally seals side edges of the film (F) to each other in an up-down direction so as to make the film into a tubular shape; a film conveying portion (50) which conveys the film (F) downward; a filling portion (70) which loads a content (X) into an interior of the film (F); a lateral sealing portion (80) which thermally seals the film (F) in a left-right direction so as to make a bag body; a square-bottom sealing portion (90) which expands a bottom of the bag body to a rectangular shape from an inside and then thermally seals the bottom to form a rectangular bottom surface; and a cutter (89) which cuts off the bag body from the film (F).

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 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 stretching unit for clamping and stretching a tubular film in a flow-wrapper, the stretching unit includes: a gripping head; two coupling rods attached to a moving means; two gripping fingers, each of the gripping fingers is attached to the gripping head and to one of the coupling rods; the gripping fingers are moved from a remote position to a clamping position by a relative linear movement between the gripping head and the moving means parallel to a center axis of the moving means.

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.

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.

A vertical flow-wrapper with a form-fill-tube along which a film is transported in a transport direction and formed into a tube, a longitudinal-sealing means, which seals two opposing longitudinal ends of the formed film together to a longitudinal seal, and a cross-sealing means and a cutting means which provide cross seals to each package and separate the packages from each other and means to apply re-closure means to each package, arranged parallel to the longitudinal seal and as individual segments.

The present invention relates to a package seal control system (300), comprising a control unit (308), and data recording means (306) adapted to be communicatively connected to the control unit, wherein said data recording means (306) is adapted to monitor a longitudinal seal (302) extending in a direction conforming to a direction of flow of a packaging material (e.g. Tetra Pak) in a packaging and filling machine (100). The present invention further relates to its use and method for monitoring and optionally controlling the longitudinal seal (302) of a package material in a packaging and filling machine (100).

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.