Embodiments of product handling systems facilitate transfer of individual product items from incoming bulk form into dedicated trays for inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging. Inspection may comprise interrogation of product items within a tray by electromagnetic (e.g., optical, hyperspectral) or other (e.g., physical, acoustic, gas sensing, etc.) techniques. Prior to packaging, product items disposed within the tray may be stored in a moveable carousel responsible for controlling environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, illumination, ambient gases, product-to-product interactions, and/or others. Movement of product items from a carousel's transfer station to an outside staging position may be accomplished using robots and/or conveyor belts. Embodiments may allow rapid, low-cost consumer selection of specific individual product items based upon their accompanying metadata (e.g., source, identifier), in combination with the results of inspection (e.g., visual appearance). Embodiments may receive product items pre-packaged in tray format to expedite inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging.

Assembly for manufacturing a medical bag from a plastic film, with filling means for filling the bag with a liquid through a port of the bag, with closing means for closing the port after filling of the bag, with different stations in which various production process steps are performed, and with a transport unit for transferring the bag being produced along these stations, the assembly being adapted to perform filling of the bag and closing of the bag at a combined filling and closing station.

Assembly for manufacturing a medical bag from a plastic film, with filling means for filling the bag with a liquid through a port of the bag, with closing means for closing the port after filling of the bag, with different stations in which various production process steps are performed, and with a transport unit for transferring the bag being produced along these stations, the assembly being adapted to perform filling of the bag and closing of the bag at a combined filling and closing station.

A system and a method for maintaining, transferring and transporting a flexible package. The system includes a manipulating system, preferably a five axis robot, for transferring and displacing the flexible package and a lift-assist platform positioned within a reach of the manipulating system for transporting the package and for supporting a weight of the flexible package. The system may be used more specifically for the transport and transfer of upright flexible packages. The system simplifies the tool supported by the robot, thus allowing use of a smaller robot.

A system and a method for maintaining, transferring and transporting a flexible package. The system includes a manipulating system, preferably a five axis robot, for transferring and displacing the flexible package and a lift-assist platform positioned within a reach of the manipulating system for transporting the package and for supporting a weight of the flexible package. The system may be used more specifically for the transport and transfer of upright flexible packages. The system simplifies the tool supported by the robot, thus allowing use of a smaller robot.

A supporting structure for supporting a plurality of sealed medical cartridges is disclosed, comprising a planar supporting plate having a plurality of receptacles for accommodating the sealed cartridges. Retaining protrusions are formed at the bottom ends of the receptacles protruding inward, which are mated with the shoulder portions of the sealed cartridges in such a manner that the shoulder portions of the sealed cartridges are supported on the retaining protrusions of the receptacles and that the upper ends of the sealed cartridges protrude from the upper ends of the receptacles at an upper side of the planar supporting plate, when the sealed cartridges are accommodated upside-down in the receptacles. The inventive nest will be suitable for any nested liquid filling machine without much changes in filling table and general settings.

A supporting structure for supporting a plurality of sealed medical cartridges is disclosed, comprising a planar supporting plate having a plurality of receptacles for accommodating the sealed cartridges. Retaining protrusions are formed at the bottom ends of the receptacles protruding inward, which are mated with the shoulder portions of the sealed cartridges in such a manner that the shoulder portions of the sealed cartridges are supported on the retaining protrusions of the receptacles and that the upper ends of the sealed cartridges protrude from the upper ends of the receptacles at an upper side of the planar supporting plate, when the sealed cartridges are accommodated upside-down in the receptacles. The inventive nest will be suitable for any nested liquid filling machine without much changes in filling table and general settings.

A method for the portioned packaging of liquid or pasty products using a packaging machine. The product is fed via an inlet to a metering chamber, being metered in the metering chamber by a metering member to form a product portion, and the product portion being fed via a metering outlet to a package. In order to avoid impairments of products which are sensitive to crystallizing out in the inoperative state, the metering chamber is operated in continuous flow in at least one operating state of the packaging machine from the following group: downtimes of the packaging machine, start-up of the packaging machine and operation of the packaging machine, by the productwhether entirely or in a partial flowbeing removed entirely or partially from the metering chamber past the metering member via an outlet provided in addition to the metering outlet and being recirculated.

A method for the portioned packaging of liquid or pasty products using a packaging machine. The product is fed via an inlet to a metering chamber, being metered in the metering chamber by a metering member to form a product portion, and the product portion being fed via a metering outlet to a package. In order to avoid impairments of products which are sensitive to crystallizing out in the inoperative state, the metering chamber is operated in continuous flow in at least one operating state of the packaging machine from the following group: downtimes of the packaging machine, start-up of the packaging machine and operation of the packaging machine, by the productwhether entirely or in a partial flowbeing removed entirely or partially from the metering chamber past the metering member via an outlet provided in addition to the metering outlet and being recirculated.

Apparatus for vertically supporting and guiding a web of plastic film horizontally in applications such as in machines that form the plastic film into bags and fill the bags with bulk material. A longitudinally extending gap is provided between proximate edges of first and second plates. The plastic film web is traversed through the gap. A punch mechanism forms protrusions in the web. The protrusions slide atop the plates and prevent the web from falling through the gap as the web traverses through the gap. The protrusions can, for example, be tab cutouts with terminal ends sliding atop the plates and loops formed between slits extending to a crest.