An apparatus for packaging a product comprises a packaging assembly to fix a film sheet to a support. The packaging assembly includes a lower tool having seats for receiving the support and an upper tool facing the lower tool and comprising a film holding plate for holding the film sheet. The film holding plate has an active surface for receiving the film sheet, where the upper and lower tools cooperating to define a packaging chamber. The packaging assembly is open to receive the film sheet in a first operating condition and is hermetically closed in a second operating condition. The film holding plate has a lateral surface extending substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by the active surface, the film holding plate comprising ejectors arranged in the lateral surface for ejecting a stream of gas substantially parallel to said plane and substantially away from a center of the active surface.

An apparatus for vacuumizing and sealing a package includes a plurality of platens and vacuum chambers, each chamber adapted to mate with a dedicated one of the platens; a conveying system for conveying the platens and chambers along a generally angular path having a single axis of rotation; an automated loading assembly having a linear component and configured to load a package onto each of the platens; an automated unloading assembly having a linear portion and configured to unload a vacuumized, sealed package from each loaded platen onto an outfeed conveyor; and a vacuumizing/sealing system configured to cause relative movement of each chamber/platen pair, along a portion of the angular path, to form therebetween an air-tight enclosure accommodating the package and effect vacuumization and sealing of the package.

The invention relates to a device comprising a first fixing element, comprising a first fixing surface, a further fixing element, comprising a further fixing surface, and a folded planar composite, at least partially fixed between the first fixing surface and the further fixing surface; wherein the folded planar composite comprises a first composite region and a further composite region; wherein the first composite region comprises a first layer sequence, comprising, from the further fixing surface to the first fixing surface, a first composite layer, a second composite layer, a third composite layer and a fourth composite layer; wherein the further composite region comprises a further layer sequence, comprising, from the further fixing surface to the first fixing surface, the first composite layer, the second composite layer and the fourth composite layer; wherein the first composite layer comprises a first carrier layer, the second composite layer a second carrier layer, the third composite layer a third carrier layer, and the fourth composite layer a fourth carrier layer; wherein, in the first composite region, the first or the fourth carrier layer or each of both is characterised by a greater layer thickness than the second or the third carrier layer or each of both and in the further composite region the second carrier layer is characterised by a greater layer thickness than in the first composite region; wherein the further fixing surface comprises a recess and the first composite region and the further composite region are each at least partially located between the recess and the first fixing surface.

The present invention relates to an induction sealing device for heat sealing of packaging material. The sealing device comprises a conductor partly encapsulated in a supporting body for cooperation with the packaging material during sealing. The coil conductor has a reduced cross sectional area at at least one position along the coil conductor so as to concentrate the magnetic flux induced by the coil conductor at the at least one position. The invention also relates to a method of heat sealing a packaging material using the induction sealing device.

A method and apparatus can be used for vacuum skin packaging of a product. The product can be arranged on a support comprising providing a film sheet above said support with said product being arranged between the support and the film sheet. The film sheet can be air tightly fixed to the support. The wall of the support can be perforated to form at least one through hole. At least a portion of air from within the support underneath said film sheet can be removed through the at least one hole. A packaged product is obtainable using the method and apparatus.

The present invention relates to an induction sealing device for heat sealing packaging material for producing sealed packages. The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing such an induction sealing device. The device comprises at least one inductor made of an alloy comprising silver and copper.

There is described a unit (1, 1, 1) for forming/advancing at least one pack (3) or at least one portion of a pack (3), comprising a frame (11, 12a, 12b), a selectively activatable/deactivatable source of power (42) and at least one carriage (14a, 14b) operationally coupled with source of power (42), movable along a path (13a, 13b) comprising at least one vertical portion (18a, 18b, 19a, 19b), and adapted to convey said at least one pack (3) or said at least one portion of a pack (3); unit (1, 1, 1) comprises stopping means (45) fitted to frame (12a, 12b) and which can be operated: to leave carriage (14a, 14b) free to advance along vertical portion (18a, 18b; 19a, 19b), when source of power (42) is activated, and to stop carriage (14a, 14b) along vertical portion (18a, 18b; 19a, 19b), when source of power is, in use, deactivated.

There is described a packaging apparatus (1) for forming sealed packages (2) from a tube (3). The packaging apparatus (1) has an endless conveyor device (7) arranged in a conveyor zone (8), conveying carts (9) and operative units (10, 10) moved by the plurality of conveying carts (9) along a path (P, Q). Each operative unit (10, 10) moves between an operative configuration, in which the operative unit (10, 10) manipulates the tube (3) and a rest configuration in which the operative unit (10, 10) is detached from the tube (3). Each operative unit (10, 10) has a halfshell (36) and one of a sealing element (37a) or a counter-sealing element (37b) and each operative unit (10, 10) is carried by one respective conveying cart (9) and extends laterally away therefrom so that the conveyor zone (8) is laterally spaced apart from an operative zone (33) where the tube is manipulated.

A battery includes a battery element, a housing body, and a valve device. The housing body houses the battery element. The valve device is in communication with the inside of the housing body. Heat-sealable resin layers face each other in a peripheral edge portion of the housing body. A joined edge portion in which the mutually facing heat-sealable resin layers are fused together is formed in the peripheral edge portion of the housing body. The valve device is configured to reduce an internal pressure of the housing body if the internal pressure is increased due to gas generated in the housing body. The valve device includes a first portion that is located on an outer side of an edge of the joined edge portion and a second portion that is sandwiched between the heat-sealable resin layers in the joined edge portion.

In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, various novel dispensing devices can be provided. Such devices can involve a range of sprayer heads and sprayer/foamer systems incorporating such heads. Novel sprayer/foamer heads can include buffers of various types. By using a buffer, a user need not continually be pumping the device in order for the device to be spraying or foaming. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, such a buffer can be spring loaded, spring loaded combination, elastomeric or gas. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the buffer can be in line or adjacent to a piston chamber. If adjacent, it can be connected to the piston chamber with a one way valve, to provide for spray after a downstroke of the piston has been completed, or without, to allow spraying to cease once a user releases the trigger or other actuator. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, such novel sprayers and foamers can be mounted upside down, in various Flairomop devices, used to clean floors or the like. When using a buffer, a piston chamber can be designed to deliver greater amount of liquid per unit time than can be possibly dispensed through the nozzle or nozzles. The fraction of liquid that cannot be sent through the nozzle(s), due to their inherent restriction, can thus be sent to the buffer for dispensing after the piston downstroke has been completed. A volume of the piston chamber, a volume of the buffer, a pressure response of the buffer, the throughput of the nozzle, and the minimum opening pressure of the outlet valve can be arranged to restrict the outlet pressures of liquid droplets exiting the nozzle within a defined range.