A machine for filling bags with loose products extends along a longitudinal direction of advancing movement of the bags. The machine includes a station for feeding a bag to a pick-up position, and a plurality of filling stations for filling a respective bag, arranged in succession along the longitudinal direction, downstream of the pick-up position. The bags are picked up and transported from one station to another station. The pick-up position and filling stations are arranged at a predefined and equal distance from each other, corresponding to a step between adjacent stations in the longitudinal direction. The bags are transported by performing single translation movements in the longitudinal direction.

A bag transfer mechanism for moving intravenous medication delivery bags includes linear actuator and a pantograph mechanism. A proximal end of the pantograph mechanism is coupled to the linear actuator such a that the pantograph mechanism is configured to extend when the linear actuator travels in a first direction, and to retract when the linear actuator travels in a second direction. The bag transfer mechanism also includes a magnet coupled to a distal end of the pantograph mechanism.

A bag transfer apparatus includes a plurality of holding units which include a first holding unit and a second holding unit provided to be adjacent to each other in a horizontal direction and are provided to be able to move, wherein each of the plurality of holding units includes: a left support unit which supports one side portion of a bag; and a right support unit which supports another side portion of the bag, and wherein one of the right support unit of the first holding unit and the left support unit of the second holding unit is positioned above the other.

The present invention relates to a method of packaging a set of stacked lids, which includes the steps of capturing an empty, flat package (12), comprising an inlet (25), by securing a vacuum terminal (8) in the immediate proximity of the inlet (25) of the package (12) and maintaining this package (12) straight; maintaining the vacuum terminal (8) activated, retaining the package (12), and producing an air jet towards the inlet (25) of the package (12) so as to open the inlet (25) of the package (12); maintaining a vacuum terminal (8) activated, retaining the package (12) and fitting the inlet (25) of the package (12) thus opened in a feed nozzle (5); transferring into the package (12) a set of stacked lids (6), the set of lids (6) passing through the feed nozzle (5) and the inlet (25) of the package (12) to the interior of the package (12). The present invention also relates to a packaging device for sets of stacked lids.

A method and device for sealing gas in a gas compartment-equipped bag, in which pressurized gas discharge outlets are provided in the distal ends of a horn and an anvil of an ultrasonic sealing device, and such horn and anvil used for ultrasonic sealing are also used as gas-discharging nozzles. The distal ends of the horn and the anvil are placed against a cutout of a gas compartment of a bag, a gas is discharged into the gas compartment from the discharge outlets, the films surrounding the cutout are being clamped by the horn and the anvil while gas discharging is in progress, and then the gas compartment is ultrasonically sealed by the horn and the anvil to trap the gas inside.

The present invention relates to a method and system for aseptically filling of flexible packages containing dry cloth. Such a method may include a first stage that is performed in a non-sterile environment. The first stage may include cutting a first substantially dry cloth to a predetermined size; inserting the first cloth into a flexible package; sealing a first end of the flexible package; and sterilizing the flexible package. The method may also include a second stage performed in a sterile environment. The second stage may include filling the flexible package with a medical solution such that the substantially dry cloth absorbs at least a portion of the medical solution; and sealing the open end of the flexible package.

An apparatus for filling a pouch type package with a liquid product, comprising a plurality of stations arranged to consecutively receive and handle the pouch type package, the plurality of stations comprising a filling station for filling the product compartment with the liquid product, a sealing station for sealing the product compartment and comprising a first sealing member arranged to provide the pouch type package with a first seal closing the filling duct, a gas filling station arranged to introduce gas into the handle compartment, and a transfer unit comprising a gripping member for retrieving the package from the gas filling station and transferring it to a neighboring down-stream situated station. A gas sealing unit (36) integrated in the gripping member of the transfer unit, the gas sealing unit (36) comprising a second sealing member (37) arranged to provide the pouch type package with a second seal entrapping gas introduced into the handle compartment. The invention also relates to a method for filling a pouch type package.

The horizontal-type automatic packaging machine comprises a conveyor moving a plurality of gripper-holding carriages (4) in an advancing direction (D) along a closed path. Each gripper-holding carriage (4) comprises a base structure (7) connected to the conveyor (2) and two parallel gripper arms (8a, 8b) carrying two or more pairs of grippers (47a, 47b) for holding two or more flexible packages (50) arranged in parallel. The gripper arms (8a, 8b) are guided for moving parallel to the advancing direction (D), moving one closer to the other for opening the packages and moving one away from the other for closing the packages due to the action of a driving mechanism connected to proximal ends (17a, 17b) of the gripper arms. A mechanical transmission transmits the movement of the proximal ends (17a, 17b) to distal ends (18a, 18b) of the gripper arms (8a, 8b).

A transfer device of a bag processor includes a rail member which defines a transfer route and a plurality of movable gripper pairs. At various processing stations on the transfer route, time for executing a particular process may differ. The number of bags processed at each processing station and transfer states of the bags is controlled to ensure that a number of processed bags is equal. Bags on which first process has been executed are stocked on an upstream side of the second processing station.

A linear conveyor to transport an article includes a base platform provided with a stator, movers configuring the linear motor and holding members for holding an article provided on the movers. The holding member is arranged at a position which is radially outwardly apart from the traveling track of the mover by a predetermined distance. When the movers travel on a curved traveling track served by the stator, the controller controls the interval of the adjacently arranged movers to narrower than the interval when the movers travel on an immediately preceding linear traveling track, and so that when the movers travel on a linear traveling track on the stator, the interval between the adjacently arranged movers is wider than the interval when the movers travel on the immediately preceding curved traveling track, thereby setting the interval between the holding members of the adjacently arranged movers to be constant.