An assembly and method for handling packaging containers for foodstuffs is disclosed. The assembly and method may include a support plate attachable on a rail for holding packaging containers raised from a sheet of web material, a membrane arranged on the support plate and at least one inlet for receiving fluid intended to inflate the membrane. The assembly may be arranged at a sealing station for the packaging container and the membrane may be configured to be inflated through the fluid inlet in order to press against at least two walls of the packaging container during sealing of the container in order to prevent bulging of the sealed container.

A method for filling packages with changing products in a filling machine is disclosed. Packages are successively transported through a filling machine, and the packages are each successively filled with a first product in a sterile environment via a filling outlet connected to a product tank. To empty the product tank, at least one outlet means is brought into an emptying position, and a residue of the first product is discharged at least partially from the sterile environment, via the outlet means located in the emptying position. The outlet means is removed from the emptying position following the emptying of the product tank. Packages are subsequently each successively filled with a second product in a sterile environment, via a filling outlet connected to a product tank.

A unit configured to form a tube for producing sealed packages starting from a sheet of packaging material having opening devices pre-applied thereon, comprises at least one guiding assembly configured to interact with the sheet of packaging material to fold it gradually into a tube shape; the guiding assembly comprises a plurality of folding rollers delimiting a passage for the sheet of packaging material and each having a lateral wall configured to cooperate in contact with the sheet of packaging material to control the folding thereof; the folding rollers comprise at least one folding roller having at least one recess on the lateral wall thereof, the recess defining a slot configured to be engaged by the opening devices.

The invention is directed to a system and method for sealing a closure to a container comprising a die assembly, a mandrel assembly, and a gas evacuation assembly. The mandrel assembly comprises an outer mandrel and an inner mandrel. The outer mandrel is configured to vertically translate and constrain a closure in position. The gas evacuation assembly, which comprises at least one hollow channel within the die and one or more channel openings into the interior of the die, suctions gas from the interior of an aligned container when the closure is constrained in position. The inner mandrel translates vertically to insert the closure into the container and a sealing member seals the closure in place.

A method for controlling a flow regulating valve (6) of a filling machine (1), controlling the flow of pourable food product, envisages: receiving an inlet pressure measurement (P.sub.IN) from a pressure sensor (14); receiving an inlet flow measurement (F.sub.IN) from a flow meter (16); determining a control signal (S.sub.c) for controlling an operating position of the flow regulating valve (6) by combined contributions (C.sub.1, C.sub.2) of a flow feedback control module (22), receiving at its input a flow set point (F.sub.SP) and the inlet flow measurement (F.sub.IN) and generating a first control contribution (C.sub.1) indicative of a difference between the inlet flow measurement and the flow set point; and a flow feed-forward control module (20), receiving at its input the inlet pressure measurement (P.sub.IN) and the flow set point (F.sub.SP) and generating a second control contribution (C.sub.2) as a function of the flow set point and inlet pressure measurement, using pre-stored fluid-dynamic maps, which may be a result of a characterization of the flow regulating valve in a test condition. The flow feed-forward control module uses the fluid dynamics maps in a dynamically adaptive manner, depending on different operating conditions of the filling machine and/or the related pourable food product, thereby adapting to the same different operating conditions and/or the pourable food product.

The invention is directed to a system and method for sealing a closure to a container comprising a die assembly, a mandrel assembly, and a gas evacuation assembly. The mandrel assembly comprises an outer mandrel and an inner mandrel. The outer mandrel is configured to vertically translate and constrain a closure in position. The gas evacuation assembly, which comprises at least one interior channel within the die and one or more channel openings into the interior of the die, suctions gas from the interior of an aligned container when the closure is constrained in position. The inner mandrel translates vertically to insert the closure into the container and a sealing member seals the closure in place.

A method and a device for heat sealing multiple plies of a laminate from which gable top packaging can be produced, wherein the laminate has a carrier layer made of electrically non-conductive material and a sealing layer made of thermoplastic material on at least one surface of the laminate. To heat seal multiple plies of a laminate in a high-frequency alternating electric field, the alternating electric field is generated by a first lead of an HF voltage supply in a first sub-region of the sealing region and is generated by a second lead of the HF voltage supply, differing from the first lead, in at least a second sub-region of the sealing region, so that a different heat distribution is obtained over the sub-regions of the sealing region.

An inductor for transverse sealing a packaging material tube filled with food product comprises a main body comprising first and second sealing surfaces facing the packaging material during a sealing state, a recess in the main body for receiving a knife during a cutting state, and an electric conductor arrangement, in the main body for inducing eddy currents in the packaging material during the sealing state. The first/second sealing surfaces each comprise a top section, an inner sealing section between the recess and the top section, and an outer sealing section between the top section and an outer edge of the inductor. The inner sealing section is inclined towards the recess, and the outer sealing section is inclined towards the outer edge, so that product in the tube is pushed away from a sealing band of the tube as the first/second sealing surfaces are pressed towards the sealing band.

An anvil for forming a transversal sealing of a sleeve-shaped portion of packaging material holding a liquid product, said anvil comprising a main surface, in operation, facing the tube, and a ridge provided on the main surface, the ridge comprising a first section and a second section, wherein the first section of the ridge is placed below the second section such that, in operation, a stress in the packaging material formed by a hydrostatic pressure formed by the liquid product is shifted from a first part of the sleeve-shaped portion placed above the first section of the ridge to a second part placed above the second section.

A method for controlling a flow regulating valve (6) of a filling machine (1), controlling the flow of pourable food product, envisages: receiving an inlet pressure measurement (P.sub.IN) from a pressure sensor (14); receiving an inlet flow measurement (F.sub.IN) from a flow meter (16); determining a control signal (S.sub.c) for controlling an operating position of the flow regulating valve (6) by combined contributions (C.sub.1, C.sub.2) of a flow feedback control module (22), receiving at its input a flow set point (F.sub.SP) and the inlet flow measurement (F.sub.IN) and generating a first control contribution (C.sub.1) indicative of a difference between the inlet flow measurement and the flow set point; and a flow feed-forward control module (20), receiving at its input the inlet pressure measurement (P.sub.IN) and the flow set point (F.sub.SP) and generating a second control contribution (C.sub.2) as a function of the flow set point and inlet pressure measurement, using pre-stored fluid-dynamic maps, which may be a result of a characterization of the flow regulating valve in a test condition. The flow feed-forward control module uses the fluid dynamics maps in a dynamically adaptive manner, depending on different operating conditions of the filling machine and/or the related pourable food product, thereby adapting to the same different operating conditions and/or the pourable food product.