A garment station including a first guide separated from a second guide by a repositionable gap. The garment station further includes a head carrier disposed between the first guide and the second guide. The garment station further includes a first tool head and a second tool head attached to the head carrier and configured to join webs of fabric disposed across the gap. The head carrier is configured to maintain the first tool head and the second tool head aligned in the gap as the gap is repositioned.

A protective packaging formation device is disclosed herein. The device includes an inflation assembly that directs fluid between first and second overlapping plies of a web material. The device also includes a sealing mechanism. The sealing mechanism includes a heating zone and a cooling zone. The sealing mechanism also includes a heating element that extends along both the heating zone and the cooling zone, with the heating element having a first profile in the heating zone and a second profile in the cooling zone.

An assembly for forming bags, having a belt drive for feeding a film at a film speed to a former shoulder to form a tubular film, a set of jaws movable at a jaw speed to engage and seal a tubular film to form a closed bag, and a sensor assembly to provide a volume signal indicative of a volume of the closed bag, wherein the controller is configured to adjust at least one of the film speed and the jaw speed in response to the volume signal.

A fiber feeding device includes rollers, a brake and a belt conveyor. The rollers guide feeding out of tapes. The tapes are arrayed without overlapping the tapes in a width direction. The brake stops first feeding out of a first tape. The belt conveyor feeds out second feeding out of a second tape. The second tape is guided by a selected roller. The second tape is fed out by being sandwiched between the selected roller and the belt conveyor. The selected roller approaches the belt conveyor to sandwich the second tape between the selected roller and the belt conveyor while a nonselected roller retreats from the belt conveyor to prevent a third tape from being sandwiched between the nonselected roller and the belt conveyor. The third tape is guided by the nonselected roller. The third tape includes the first tape.

A method of sealing reinforced packages. The method can comprise moving an open-ended package in a downstream direction on a package conveyor by engaging the open-ended package with a chain flight of the package conveyor moving in the downstream direction. The method further can comprise forming a bag with a closed end by engaging at least a seal portion of a tail section of an open-ended tube portion of the open-ended package between the chain flight of the package conveyor and a hot plate positioned adjacent the package conveyor. The chain flight can move with the tail section in the downstream direction relative to the hot plate, which can transfer thermal energy to the tail section to at least partially form a seal along the seal portion in the tail section to at least partially form the closed end of the bag.

The invention provides automated spacer processing systems and methods. The systems and methods involve at least one robot arm that is configured to process spacers for multiple-pane insulating glazing units. In some embodiments, the systems also include an insulating glazing unit assembly line and a spacer conveyor system. Additionally or alternatively, the systems may include a sealant applicator.

A method of sealing reinforced packages. The method can comprise moving an open-ended package in a downstream direction on a package conveyor by engaging the open-ended package with a chain flight of the package conveyor moving in the downstream direction. The method further can comprise forming a bag with a closed end by engaging at least a seal portion of a tail section of an open-ended tube portion of the open-ended package between the chain flight of the package conveyor and a hot plate positioned adjacent the package conveyor. The chain flight can move with the tail section in the downstream direction relative to the hot plate, which can transfer thermal energy to the tail section to at least partially form a seal along the seal portion in the tail section to at least partially form the closed end of the bag.

The invention provides automated spacer processing systems and methods. The systems and methods involve at least one robot arm that is configured to process spacers for multiple-pane insulating glazing units. In some embodiments, the systems also include an insulating glazing unit assembly line and a spacer conveyor system. Additionally or alternatively, the systems may include a sealant applicator.

A tray sealer comprises a conveyor arrangement for conveying packaging trays along a conveying direction. The conveyor arrangement comprises a first conveyor device for conveying a first line of packaging trays along the conveying direction, a second conveyor device running laterally alongside the first conveyor device for conveying a second line of packaging trays along the conveying direction, and a center guide which is arranged between the first conveyor device and the second conveyor device and extends along the conveying direction. The conveyor arrangement further comprises a third conveyor device for conveying packaging trays along the conveying direction. The third conveyor device extends adjoining the second conveyor device in terms of the conveying direction laterally alongside the first conveyor device.

A system (300) for closing mailers includes a forming funnel (320) and a fusing device (310). The forming funnel includes funneling surfaces that receive an opening of a mailer in an insertion direction (302) and constrain the opening of the mailer after the opening of the mailer is inserted. The funneling surfaces are arranged to continue constraining the opening of the mailer as the mailer moves in a sliding direction (304). The fusing device includes a slot that receives the constrained opening of the mailer from the forming funnel. The fusing device applies pressure and heat to the opening of the mailer as the opening of the mailer moves through the slot. The pressure and the heat applied by the fusing device cause portions of the opening to fuse together to close the mailer.