A container for packaging a pre-portioned amount of liquid or dry product is provided that includes a one-piece outer casing defining an interior reservoir. The outer casing has a cylindrical shell that is closed at one end by a rounded tip and open at the opposing end with an open circular outer edge/rim defining a mouth. To fill the container, the product is introduced through the mouth into the interior reservoir; then opposing edges of the rim are compressed together and sealed with heat to create an elongated seal having two opposing ends. Multiple types of elongated seals are provided. In one aspect the outer casing is formed unitarily of a plastic resin. To open the container, the consumer squeezes the two opposing seal ends/termini toward each other; this deforms the elongated seal and causes the seal to snap open, which allows access to the product.

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.

A method for producing a tube skirt for a flexible tube, said tube skirt being manufactured from a flat strip 1 comprising a decorative film 15 superimposed on a primary film 16, said primary film 16 comprising a sealable inner layer 14 at the lower surface 20 of the strip 1 as well as two stabilizing layers 11, 13, said decorative film 15 comprising a sealable outer layer 7 at the upper surface 19 of the strip 1, and a decorative layer 8, 9. This method comprises the following steps: winding the flat strip 1 into the form of a sleeve to shape the tube skirt; superimposing a first side border 2 of the strip 1 on a second side border 2 of the strip 1 to form an overlapping area 3, the sealable inner layer 14 of the primary film 16 of the first side border 2 overlapping the sealable outer layer 7 of the decorative film 15 of the second side border 2; applying a heating temperature T2 to the inside of the tube skirt at the inner face 22 of the overlapping area 3 to produce the side weld of the tube skirt; simultaneously with the application of the heating temperature T2, applying compression between the outer 21 and inner 22 faces of the overlapping area 3 so as to finalize the side weld of the tube skirt.

An apparatus for welding composite thermoplastic materials comprises a welding member configured to receive the composite thermoplastic materials there at; and a controller for controlling a temperature by which composite thermoplastic materials received at the welding member are heated, the controller being configured to provide a plurality of heating cycles during which the composite thermoplastic materials are welded. There is also a method for welding composite thermoplastic materials, the method comprises receiving the composite thermoplastic materials at a welding zone; and applying a plurality of heating cycles to the composite thermoplastic materials at the welding zone.

An anvil for transversally sealing a tube having a longitudinal seam portion can include a first elongate contact surface and a second elongate contact surface. In some embodiments, the first elongate contact surface includes a first groove and the second elongate contact surface includes a second groove, each one of the first groove and the second groove being adapted to receive, in use, a respective section of the longitudinal seam portion of the tube. The first elongate contact surface can include a first seam interaction portion positioned within the first groove and having a first surface profile. The second elongate contact surface can include a second seam interaction portion positioned within the second groove and having a second surface profile. In some embodiments, the first surface profile differs from the second surface profile.

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.

A method and apparatus for pleating or otherwise shaping a web are described herein. The method and apparatus may have numerous applications. In some embodiments, the method and apparatus are used in the formation, filling, and sealing of unit dose packages for consumer products. A method and apparatus for forming sealing two moving webs together, which webs have portions that are non-planar are also described herein.

A method and apparatus for pleating or otherwise shaping a web are described herein. The method and apparatus may have numerous applications. In some embodiments, the method and apparatus are used in the formation, filling, and sealing of unit dose packages for consumer products. A method and apparatus for forming sealing two moving webs together, which webs have portions that are non-planar are also described herein.

A heat-sealing apparatus for forming a composite heat seal structure, includes a belt conveying, heating and press bonding portion configured to convey and heat a heat seal material to form a band-shaped peelable seal, and a die roll press bonding portion configured to add a linear peelable seal to the band-shaped peelable seal in a longitudinal direction of the band-shaped peelable seal for forming the composite heat seal structure.

A method for manufacturing an injection molded container includes operating an injection molding apparatus to inject one or more polymeric materials into a mold cavity to form a container. The container includes an energy director ring protruding from an inside surface of the container and extending circumferentially along the inside surface. The method includes welding a filter onto the inside surface by applying a welding force to the inside surface. The energy director ring causes the welding force to be concentrated at a location of the energy director ring, thereby forming a circumferential weld that secures the filter to the inside surface the location of the energy director ring.