A shipping system for shipping planar substrates includes a plurality of planar substrates stacked to form a pack and a plurality of interleaving material including substantially spherical beads positioned between the substrates of the pack and configured to carry a load. Substantially all of the beads have a diameter within 25% of D.sub.max, where D.sub.max is a diameter corresponding to a size of an opening of an upper limit sieve used in the shipping system. Also disclosed are a spacer for use in a shipping system for shipping planar substrates, a wrapped system for shipping planar substrates, a method of wrapping a system for shipping planar substrates, and a powder applicator.

Disclosed are a vacuum suction nozzle for improving vacuum suction performance and a vacuum suction apparatus including the same. The nozzle includes blade portions extending from both sides thereof so as to reduce a gap occurring between the nozzle and an outer skin material for a vacuum insulation panel (VIP) or other vacuum wrapping paper when the outer skin material or vacuum wrapping paper is sealed, thereby minimizing the occurrence of a leak and thus enabling efficient vacuum suction. Further, the nozzle achieves efficient vacuum suctioning by ensuring a suction channel inside the vacuum insulation panel (VIP) or other vacuum wrapping paper through a protrusion extending to the front of the nozzle.

Bag-sealing apparatus is provided for heat-sealing a bag. The apparatus has a heater arrangement operable to apply heat to heat-seal an open end of the bag. A bag detector detects the location of the bag relative to the heater arrangement. The heater arrangement is formed of plural heater portions. The heater arrangement is operable such that only the or each heater portion that overlies the bag as detected by the bag detector is caused to operate to apply heat to the bag.

A method of manufacturing a pack of smoking articles. The method comprises providing a planar blank of an inner support frame comprising a front panel and a rear panel connected by a bottom panel, and folding the front and rear panels together about the bottom panel to form an inner support frame in a receiving configuration. In the receiving configuration, the front and rear panels diverge in a direction away from the bottom panel and define an opening remote from the bottom panel. The method includes inserting a bundle of smoking articles through the opening into the inner support frame and folding the front and rear panels together about the bottom panel from the receiving configuration to an enclosed configuration to enclose the bundle of smoking articles. The method includes wrapping the bundle of smoking articles and inner support frame with a film to form a sealed pack of smoking articles. Also an apparatus for manufacturing a pack of smoking articles according to such a method.

Disclosed are methods and apparatuses for manufacturing a solid formulation for oral administration, comprising an edible substrate portion on which a composition comprising a first pharmaceutical active ingredient is deposited, and solid formulations made thereby. The methods comprise providing an edible substrate in the form of a film comprising a plurality of portions, spraying a liquid formulation comprising the active ingredient and a solvent onto an edible substrate portion and evaporating the solvent to form a solid composition deposited on the edible substrate portion; measuring the quantity of active ingredient supported by the edible substrate portion and comparing to a predetermined value, and dividing the edible substrate into the plurality of portions.

There is provided a moisture-sensitive vacuum packing machine, and particularly, there is provided a moisture-sensitive vacuum packing machine for sensing moisture within a chamber. The moisture-sensitive vacuum packing machine includes: a device housing having a controller and a vacuum driving unit; a chamber unit positioned above the device housing and having a first chamber and a second chamber whose interiors are vacuumized when the vacuum driving unit operates; and a sensing unit installed in the chamber unit such that it is associated with the controller, and sensing the presence or absence of moisture within the second chamber according to whether the sensing unit comes into contact with the second chamber.

A wet vacuum sealing device, includes a vacuum chamber provided with a vacuum joint, a vacuum pump connected to the vacuum joint, a solenoid valve with outlets respectively connected to the vacuum joint and the vacuum pump, and an inlet connected to an outside to allow air exchange, a heat sealing module arranged on a side of the vacuum chamber, and a control module electrically connected to the vacuum pump, the solenoid valve, and the heat sealing module. When the vacuum pump vacuums the vacuum chamber for a predetermined period of time, the solenoid valve switches states to make an air pressure inside the vacuum chamber close to an atmospheric pressure of the outside.

A lid for a vacuum sealing device may include a housing that supports a sealing station. The housing may define a sealing surface with a sealing perimeter that is able to seal against a canister body when the sealing surface is located on the canister body so that the sealing surface and the canister body together define a sealed volume. The sealing station is supported by the housing and extends from the housing. The sealing station is configured to heat seal an open bag, the sealing station being located within the sealing perimeter of the sealing surface such that when the lid is located onto the canister body, the sealing station is disposed within the sealed volume. The lid may have an internal pump for vacuum sealing operations or may receive a vacuum from an external source.

A shipping system for shipping planar substrates includes a plurality of planar substrates stacked to form a pack and a plurality of interleaving material including substantially spherical beads positioned between the substrates of the pack and configured to carry a load. Substantially all of the beads have a diameter within 25% of D.sub.max, where D.sub.max is a diameter corresponding to a size of an opening of an upper limit sieve used in the shipping system. Also disclosed are a spacer for use in a shipping system for shipping planar substrates, a wrapped system for shipping planar substrates, a method of wrapping a system for shipping planar substrates, and a powder applicator.

A method of handling or manipulating a flexible, dissolvable, porous article that is highly compressible and reboundable, can include applying a moderate force to said article to achieve a Volumetric Compression of 50% or more, followed by the step of removing said force to achieve a Volumetric Rebound of 80% or more in less than 10 minutes.