The embodiment provides a heat-sealing apparatus and a method of accurately controlling heat sealing temperature by measuring the temperature using a heat-sealing apparatus which heat-seals a pair of heat seal materials by nipping them between a pair of heating bodies. The method of heat-sealing includes mounting a cover material on the surface of at least one of the heating bodies to be in contact with the heat seal material, attaching a minute temperature sensor to the surface of the cover material on the side to be in contact with the heat seal material, and controlling temperature of welding face by the temperature detected by the minute temperature sensor, and an apparatus therefor.

A set of sealing jaws incorporating an adjustable seal area to seal the vertical portion of a bottom gusseted style of package. An adjustable seal surface allows a packaging machine to run different film web widths without the need to change jaws. The sealing jaws to be converted to run bottom gusset packages to pillow packages without the requirement to change jaws.

A heat sealer module for a heat-sealing station of a packaging apparatus has a sealing belt for contacting a terminal portion of semi-sealed packages and for guiding the terminal portion of the semi-sealed packages along a main movement direction; the heat sealer module also has a first driving belt and a second driving belt to assist in accompanying the packages in proper position for sealing. A heat sealer having opposed heat sealer modules. A packaging apparatus for heat sealing packages having a vacuum chamber with an elongated opening and a conveyor for receiving semi-sealed packages and for moving the semi-sealed packages relative to the vacuum chamber is disclosed. The packaging apparatus includes evacuation means for evacuating gas present in the semi-sealed packages and forming evacuated semi-sealed packages. The packaging apparatus includes the heat sealer for heat sealing the terminal portion of each evacuated semi-sealed package thereby forming heat sealed packages.

A process is provided for heat sealing substrate layers. The process comprising: conveying an upper die having a heating conductor and a lower die having a heating conductor to a sealing region, where a substrate is applied to one or more items; activating a power supply system; monitoring, via the power supply system, a temperature of the heating conductor of the upper die when in the sealing region; monitoring, via the power supply system, a temperature of the heating conductor of the lower die when in the sealing region, wherein the monitoring of the temperature of the heating conductor of the upper die is performed independently of the monitoring of the temperature of the heating conductor of the lower die; supplying power to the upper die based on the temperature of the heating conductor of the upper die; supplying power to the lower die based on the temperature of the heating conductor of the lower die, wherein the power is supplied to the lower die independently of the power being supplied to the upper die.

The invention relates to improvements of a heating means particularly in a vertical flow-wrapper.

A packaging apparatus with an improved pinch roller apparatus, fluid supply apparatus, and/or a sealing apparatus. The pinch roller apparatus (e.g., comprising one or more guide and/or pinch rollers) is used to deliver film material to the fluid supply apparatus (e.g., nozzle and blower apparatus, or the like) that fills one or more chambers of the film material with fluid (e.g., air, gas, or other like fluid), and the film material is then sealed by a sealing apparatus (e.g., using one or more heating elements with an improved temperature sensor configuration) that seals the fluid within the one or more chambers in order to form the inflated article (e.g., inflated packaging material). In particular, the sealing apparatus provides improved sealing through the improved accuracy of the temperature reading in the heating zone, in part, by locating a sensor between a heating element and a protective member that covers the sensor.

A method and a device for setting vacuum time in a packaging apparatus and in a packaging process are described. The method and device provide for determining, from pressure signals or from humidity signals detected in the vacuum chamber (4; 24; 54), a reference time instant (T.sub.1). The method and device also provide for commanding a vacuum device (6; 26; 56) either to stop extracting gas from the vacuum chamber (4; 24; 54) or to execute one or more prescribed steps preluding to end of the vacuum cycle at expiration of a delay time (DT) interval following said reference time instant (T.sub.1).

A process is provided for heat sealing substrate layers. The process comprising: conveying an upper die having a heating conductor and a lower die having a heating conductor to a sealing region, where a substrate is applied to one or more items; activating a power supply system; monitoring, via the power supply system, a temperature of the heating conductor of the upper die when in the sealing region; monitoring, via the power supply system, a temperature of the heating conductor of the lower die when in the sealing region, wherein the monitoring of the temperature of the heating conductor of the upper die is performed independently of the monitoring of the temperature of the heating conductor of the lower die; supplying power to the upper die based on the temperature of the heating conductor of the upper die; supplying power to the lower die based on the temperature of the heating conductor of the lower die, wherein the power is supplied to the lower die independently of the power being supplied to the upper die.

A workstation for a film-processing packaging machine defines a film transport plane in which the packaging film can be transported. In addition, the workstation comprises an electrically operable heating assembly. The latter in turn comprises an electrically conductive planar resistance heating element which in a plane parallel to the film transport plane has dimensions that are greater by a factor of at least 5, preferably at least 10, than in a direction perpendicular to the film transport plane. The resistance heating element is arranged between a heating plate and a clamping plate. The disclosure also relates to a packaging machine with such a workstation and to a method for operating such a workstation.

A heat sealable bag may have overlapping layers of a multi-layer film. The inner adjacent layers of the multi-layer film may comprise a sealant layer that allows an open edge of the bag to be heat sealed by temperatures lower than 255 F for a 6-second dwell time, thereby providing safer operation and potentially allowing thinner plastics to be used, with reduced risk of burn-through. The sealant may include a polyolefin plastomer such as an ethylene alpha-olefin resin.