The method for packaging articles provides to form a tubular wrapping of thermosealable sheet material inside which the articles to be packaged are prearranged, regularly distanced, and to feed said tubular wrapping to a cut station at which grip means, suitable to grasp in succession said articles, operate. The transverse cut of the tubular wrapping is performed in suitable step relationship in the section upstream the article grasped by said grip means and the prepackaged article is transferred to a closure rotatable head for closing the package, rotatable at a plurality of operative stations. In a first operative station the bellows folding of the open ends of the portion of tubular wrapping containing the article is performed. Successively, the sealing of said bellows folded ends of the wrapping is performed to obtain the airtight closure of the package.

An overwrap feed station wraps a product with an overwrap material by drawing the overwrap material around the product to form a tube around the product as the product moves through the feed station. The feed station is configurable in first, second, or third configurations based upon a desired location of a longitudinal seal to be formed on the tube around the product. A first former is configured to guide the overwrap material through the entrance of the feed station so that longitudinal edges of the overwrap material overlap on a first side of the tube during wrapping of the product. The second former is configured to guide the overwrap material through the entrance of the feed station so that longitudinal edges of the overwrap material overlap on a second side of the tube during wrapping of the product. The third former allows forming the seal on the corner.

An overwrap feed station wraps a product with an overwrap material by drawing the overwrap material around the product to form a tube around the product as the product moves through the feed station. The feed station is configurable in first, second, or third configurations based upon a desired location of a longitudinal seal to be formed on the tube around the product. A first former is configured to guide the overwrap material through the entrance of the feed station so that longitudinal edges of the overwrap material overlap on a first side of the tube during wrapping of the product. The second former is configured to guide the overwrap material through the entrance of the feed station so that longitudinal edges of the overwrap material overlap on a second side of the tube during wrapping of the product. The third former allows forming the seal on the corner.

High-speed methods to close tubular plastic wrappers may include providing a packaging film on a mandrel in the form of a hollow tube, forming a folded surface by rotating the hollow tube and mandrel while counter-rotating a plate having a plurality of folding blades extending outwardly therefrom, to form a plurality of folds that define the folded surface, substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hollow tube, each folding blade engaging a portion of the protruding tube portion, applying heat and pressure to the folded surface to form a closed end, inserting the tampon into the tube, and closing the first end of the tube. The film material comprises at least one thermoplastic surface, and the mandrel has a first end extending from a revolving platform and a second end, distal the first end. The mandrel can rotate with respect to the revolving platform on which it is mounted.

High-speed methods to close tubular plastic wrappers may include providing a packaging film on a mandrel in the form of a hollow tube, forming a folded surface by rotating the hollow tube and mandrel while counter-rotating a plate having a plurality of folding blades extending outwardly therefrom, to form a plurality of folds that define the folded surface, substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hollow tube, each folding blade engaging a portion of the protruding tube portion, applying heat and pressure to the folded surface to form a closed end, inserting the tampon into the tube, and closing the first end of the tube. The film material comprises at least one thermoplastic surface, and the mandrel has a first end extending from a revolving platform and a second end, distal the first end. The mandrel can rotate with respect to the revolving platform on which it is mounted.

A packaging machine with a carousel with horizontal axes, particularly suitable for packaging rolls of paper or packs of paper serviettes or other solid products of variable size, of the type that comprises a plurality of identical seats on the same carousel, angularly equidistant from each other, radially open towards both the outside and the inside and each formed by a longitudinal wall fastened perpendicularly to said carousel and by a parallel and opposite wall, the distance of which from said fixed longitudinal wall can be adjusted to ensure that, with a movement parallel to the axis of the carousel, a product of variable size with its wrapping sheet can be inserted between these walls, and wherein the same seats comprise, between said longitudinal walls, two transverse walls designed to cooperate with the ends of said product with the wrapping sheet inserted in the same seats, which for this must have an adjustable reciprocal distance, whereby at least one of these transverse walls is connected to means for adjusting the distance from the other transverse wall, characterized in that said adjustment means comprise, for each said wall, respective internal threads and respective slides sliding on respective rectilinear guide means, directly or indirectly supported by the table of the carousel and parallel to the movement of the associated walls, with two sets of screws being provided parallel to these guide means that cooperate with said internal threads, which are also rotationally supported, directly or indirectly, by said table, these screws being kinematically connected to each other by associated means to ensure that by acting on one of the components of these connection means, the adjustment of the dimensions in length and in width of all the seats is performed in a centralized, rapid and precise manner to adapt them to the different sizes of the products to be packaged.

A packaging machine with a carousel with horizontal axes, particularly suitable for packaging rolls of paper or packs of paper serviettes or other solid products of variable size, of the type that comprises a plurality of identical seats on the same carousel, angularly equidistant from each other, radially open towards both the outside and the inside and each formed by a longitudinal wall fastened perpendicularly to said carousel and by a parallel and opposite wall, the distance of which from said fixed longitudinal wall can be adjusted to ensure that, with a movement parallel to the axis of the carousel, a product of variable size with its wrapping sheet can be inserted between these walls, and wherein the same seats comprise, between said longitudinal walls, two transverse walls designed to cooperate with the ends of said product with the wrapping sheet inserted in the same seats, which for this must have an adjustable reciprocal distance, whereby at least one of these transverse walls is connected to means for adjusting the distance from the other transverse wall, characterized in that said adjustment means comprise, for each said wall, respective internal threads and respective slides sliding on respective rectilinear guide means, directly or indirectly supported by the table of the carousel and parallel to the movement of the associated walls, with two sets of screws being provided parallel to these guide means that cooperate with said internal threads, which are also rotationally supported, directly or indirectly, by said table, these screws being kinematically connected to each other by associated means to ensure that by acting on one of the components of these connection means, the adjustment of the dimensions in length and in width of all the seats is performed in a centralized, rapid and precise manner to adapt them to the different sizes of the products to be packaged.

A packaging machine to make an airtight wrapper (12) comprising a wrapping sheet (112) wrapped airtight around a structured assembly (11) consisting of an organized group of smoking articles (14) associated with a reinforcement insert (16) comprises, in working sequence on one or more cyclical conveyor devices (39, 71) of the wheel or carousel type: a structured assembly formation unit (30), a combination unit (31) suitable to combine the structured assembly (11) with said wrapping sheet (112), a wrapping sheet work unit (32) and a welding unit (34).

A packaging machine to make an airtight wrapper (12) comprising a wrapping sheet (112) wrapped airtight around a structured assembly (11) consisting of an organized group of smoking articles (14) associated with a reinforcement insert (16) comprises, in working sequence on one or more cyclical conveyor devices (39, 71) of the wheel or carousel type: a structured assembly formation unit (30), a combination unit (31) suitable to combine the structured assembly (11) with said wrapping sheet (112), a wrapping sheet work unit (32) and a welding unit (34).