A fully compostable beverage capsule may be produced by improving the seal strength between the capsule and its lid. Additionally, the lid itself may be made more resistant to the stress that occurs during brewing. In this invention, the lidding material is cut one or more times to produce a pattern similar to the blades of a pinwheel. The sections or “blades” are then overlapped and energetically welded to one another and joined to the beverage capsule. In this process, the double thickness of lidding material improves the seal between the lidding and the capsule. Each “blade” of the lidding has its own point of attachment to the capsule, which helps to isolate any stress that may occur during the beverage brewing process. As a result, the lidding as a whole remains securely attached to the capsule, even if one or two blades experience sufficient stress to trigger delamination.

A fully compostable beverage capsule may be produced by improving the seal strength between the capsule and its lid. In this invention, a number of protruding tabs are added to the upper and/or lower edges of the capsule. The lidding is then attached to the capsule via an energetic welding process, such as ultrasonic welding. In this process, the protruding tabs are folded over the edge of the capsule and deformed, increasing the surface area contact between the capsule and its lidding. Acting similarly to a swage fitting, these spikes will improve the strength of the seal that forms between the lidding and the capsule.

A device for sealing packages, including a product feed and a packaging feed for a tubular packaging material; and a method for sealing packages. Such devices are used, for example, as tubular bag machines. The packages can be produced by type for improved recyclability while simultaneously maintaining a high load-bearing capacity of the package closures with the aid of a closure element made of the same material as the rest of the package by welding the closure element and the package in the closure region.

A sealing system (100) for sealing a packaging material is disclosed comprising an independently movable sealing device (101) being movably mounted on a track (102), a power generator (105) in communication with the sealing device (101) to supply a power signal (p1) at a frequency for said sealing over a power communication line (106), the sealing device (101) comprising a housing (107), a detection device (108) arranged in the housing (107) to register detection data of an environment therein and/or of sealing parameters associated with said sealing, and a transmitter (109) connected to the detection device (108), the transmitter comprising an encoder (110) to convert the detection data to at least one frequency pulse (p2), whereby the transmitter (109) communicates the at least one frequency pulse as a detection signal to a receiver (111) over the power communication line (106).

A determination device includes an imager that captures an image of an object subjected to a sealing process by use of an adhesive and that acquires a distribution of an intensity of energy emitted from the adhesive, and a determiner that calculates a change over time in the intensity of the energy emitted from the adhesive based on a first distribution indicating the distribution acquired from an image captured by the imager at a first time point and a second distribution indicating the distribution acquired from an image captured by the imager at a second time point later than the first time point and that determines the quality of sealing based on the calculated change over time.

An ultrasonic welding system. The system includes an ultrasonic transducer assembly having a horn and a first transducer and a second transducer arranged to impart ultrasonic energy into the horn. The horn has a first part-interfacing surface and a second part-interfacing surface opposite the first part-interfacing surface. An actuator assembly is operatively coupled to the ultrasonic transducer assembly and configured to cause rotation of the horn. A controller is configured to: cause the actuator assembly to rotate the horn so that the first part-interfacing surface applies the ultrasonic energy to a first part along an entire length of the first part-interface surface while a first ultrasonic energy is applied through the horn via the first transducer to cause the first part-interfacing surface to vibrate back and forth along its entire length as the first ultrasonic energy is applied by the first transducer to the horn.

A beverage capsule includes a body defining an interior space having an opening. A filter is disposed in the interior space to define an ingredients chamber for containing and filtering ingredients for preparing a desired beverage product. The filter is formed of a hydrophobic and non-absorbent polymer material having a basis weight of less than 40 gsm, wherein said filter has a tensile strength of less than 100 N/5 cm in the Machine Direction (MD) and 70 N/5 cm or less in the Cross Direction (CD). The ingredients are disposed in the ingredients chamber for preparing the desired beverage product. A cover is disposed on the body to close the opening.

A coupling unit for coupling a component for a container includes a coupling equipment. The coupling equipment includes: a frame, a housing constrained to the frame, a gripping device rotatably constrained with respect to the frame and including a retaining element to selectively retain the component, and a coupling device constrained to the gripping device with respect to the frame, the coupling device including a coupling element to constrain a portion of the component to a coupling surface of the container at a coupling position. The gripping device and the coupling device can move along an arc with a curved trajectory to a removal position where the retaining element is oriented to receive at least one component to be retained, and to a coupling position where the retaining element and the coupling element bring an abutment surface of the container and a couplable portion of the component into contact.

Described is a method for making single-use capsules for beverages including the steps of: providing an upper flange having at least one hole; providing a support having at least one seat for housing a rigid cup-shaped body; inserting a rigid cup-shaped body in said housing seat, said rigid cup-shaped body having an inner space and an open upper opening; providing a piece of filter material above the upper flange; actuating a first step of feeding, by means of a pushing element, a central portion of said piece of filter material towards said hole, up to an intermediate position; upon reaching said intermediate position of the pushing element, performing a main locking of said piece of filter material relative to said upper flange and making a main cut of the piece of filter material along a predetermined main closed cutting line, extending substantially circularly about said central portion, to define a filter for infusion of beverages.

A machine for forming bags with infusion or extraction products includes a station for forming and feeding single sheets; a U-shaped folding station for folding the sheet; a unit for sealing the two lateral edges the sheet to create a bag with a closed bottom and side and an open end opposite the bottom. A second carousel includes radial grippers each configured to receive a bag. A dosing station includes a first device for dosing a first product along a dosing trajectory towards the opening and a second dosing device for dosing a second product. A transporting element positioned between the dosing devices includes a container for receiving the second product. The transporting element moves the container from a second product dosing position to a position for unloading the second product coinciding with the dosing trajectory from where the container discharges the dose of the second product into the bag.