The product efficiency of bags each with an end face part is increased. A panel webs is guided to be divided along a line of weakness of the panel web and to be folded along division edges of the panel web. This guiding of the first panel and temporary sealed sections cause a side gusset to be cut open along a line of weakness of the side gusset such that open surfaces are formed. After the forming of the open surfaces, an end face web is supplied to be superposed on folded parts of the panel web and the open surfaces of the side gusset.

In order to allow a bag to be easily unsealed by sliding both sides of the bag in a longitudinal direction of a zipper tape irrespective of the rigidity of the zipper tape, a zipper-tape bag according to an aspect of the invention includes: a bag body including at least a pair of facing surfaces; and an elongated zipper tape whose cross sectional profile includes first and second bases each bonded to corresponding one of facing surfaces, and mutually engageable first and second engagement portion respectively protruded from the first and second bases, the zipper tape including an intermediate hinge at at least one point in the longitudinal direction.

A method of forming reinforced packages. The method can comprise moving a blank in a machine direction on a blank conveyor, and forming a tubular web while moving a first web of material and a second web of material in the machine direction. The forming the tubular web can comprise at least partially sealing at least a portion of the first web and the second web together to form a sealed margin of the tubular web. The method further can comprise forming a liner by cutting the tubular web, forming an attached blank by attaching the liner to the blank, and moving the attached blank in the machine direction on the blank conveyor.

In order to allow a bag to be easily unsealed by sliding both sides of the bag in a longitudinal direction of a zipper tape irrespective of the rigidity of the zipper tape, a zipper-tape bag according to an aspect of the invention includes: a bag body including at least a pair of facing surfaces; and an elongated zipper tape whose cross sectional profile includes first and second bases each bonded to corresponding one of facing surfaces, and mutually engageable first and second engagement portion respectively protruded from the first and second bases, the zipper tape including an intermediate hinge at at least one point in the longitudinal direction.

A welding device includes a pair of pressure rollers for pressurizing a web and a strip member, a feed device configured to intermittently or continuously feed the web and the strip member through the pair of pressure rollers, and the laser device configured to irradiate the web or the strip member with a laser beam at a position upstream of the pair of pressure rollers. The welding device may include a movement device configured to move the pair of pressure rollers upstream with respect to the web and the strip member during pause or stop of feed. Alternatively, the feed device may pause or stop the web and the strip member after retracting the web and the strip member by a certain length.

First and second panel webs are superposed on each other and fed in their longitudinal direction. After a side gusset is temporarily fixed to the second panel web, the side gusset is divided by a dividing device to form a pair of open edges. The open edges are aligned with a line of weakness of the first panel web when the first and second panel webs are superposed on each other. The side gusset is temporarily sealed to the first and second panel webs by a temporary seal device to form temporary sealed sections. The first panel web is guided to be divided along its line of weakness and to be folded on the sides of its division edges. This guiding of the panel web and the temporary sealed sections cause the side gusset to be opened at the open edges to form open surfaces. An end face web is then disposed on the panel web to be superposed on folded parts of the panel web and the open surfaces of the side gusset.

A welding device includes a pair of pressure rollers for pressurizing a web and a strip member, a feed device configured to intermittently or continuously feed the web and the strip member through the pair of pressure rollers, and the laser device configured to irradiate the web or the strip member with a laser beam at a position upstream of the pair of pressure rollers. The welding device may include a movement device configured to move the pair of pressure rollers upstream with respect to the web and the strip member during pause or stop of feed. Alternatively, the feed device may pause or stop the web and the strip member after retracting the web and the strip member by a certain length.

The present disclosure relates to the simultaneous manufacture of reclosable packages or pouches by application of a closure or reclosure onto a package web or film in the transverse direction. The web or film is folded along a machine-direction centerline so that one half of the web or film overlies, or is coextensively aligned with, the other half of the web or film. Heat seals and slits are formed in the machine direction, thereby forming the side seals of the plurality of reclosable packages or pouches.

A trifold side seamed film produce bag includes a front wall and a back wall, first and second side edges sealed together and a seamless bag bottom. The bag is joined at the side edges to additional bags by a perforation. The bag is corona treated on at least one wall and promotional material is printed on the treated surface. The bags are folded to one third of their height to fit compact bag roll dispensers. The bags are folded in a Z-fold or C-fold configuration. The method includes manufacturing the bags and winding them onto cores or forming the bags into coreless rolls. An apparatus for forming the side seamed bags includes an extruder, a tubing flattener, a perforator, a sealer, a corona treater, a printer and a slitter. The treated, printed bags may be stored on rolls for later slitting into two bag streams and folding into thirds.

A method and apparatus for making bags or pouches is disclosed. It includes a track, at least two sleds that move on the track, and operating stations mounted on the sleds. The film moves along the track, and the sleds move with the film while performing operations on the film. The system can have the sleds stationary while operating for an intermittent machine, and move to reconfigure when the film is moving. The operating stations include one or more of a sealer, a heater, a cooler, an inserter, a knife, a punch, a perforator, a static charger, and a printer. The track forms a continuous path or is linear. A controller controls the sleds and operating stations. The controller includes an operating time and/or a reconfiguration module. The operating time module is responsive to a user set material thickness or a sensed material thickness.