The invention relates to a method for top sealing a cardboard tray lined with a plastic foil. The method includes the steps of providing a cardboard tray having a bottom, upstanding walls arranged along the periphery of the bottom and a horizontal flange arranged along the upper edges of the upstanding walls, wherein the inside of the cardboard tray is lined with a plast foil, which plastic foil extends at least onto the horizontal flange; arranging the cardboard tray in a lower sealing tool member having a compressible support edge, wherein at least the horizontal flange is supported by the compressible support edge of the lower sealing tool member; arranging a cover foil over the cardboard tray arranged in the lower sealing tool member to cover the opening of the tray defined by the upper edges of the upstanding walls; and pressing a heated upper sealing tool member onto the lower sealing tool member, wherein the cover foil, the plastic foil liner and the horizontal flange are pressed together to seal the cover foil onto the plastic foil liner along the horizontal flange. The overlapping area of the plastic foil liner, the cover foil, and the compressible support edge extends at least partially outside of the area of the horizontal flange.

A packaging machine for producing packs containing a group of cigarettes, having in a manufacturing flow direction: a forming unit for forming cigarette groups; a first folding unit at which an inner blank composed of a material suitable for forming a dimensionally stable inner pack is folded around a cigarette group to form an inner pack with the cigarette group as pack content; adjoining said first folding unit, a sealing inner pack unit in which a sealing inner pack is manufactured from the inner pack, the sealing inner pack is folded into a final state, or one sealing inner pack comprising the inner pack is manufactured; and adjoining the sealing inner pack unit, a second folding unit at which an outer blank composed of a material suitable for forming a dimensionally stable outer pack is folded around the sealing inner pack to form an outer pack.

The disclosure relates to a packaging system comprising a deep-drawing packaging machine configured to produce packages in a production direction, and a feeding system for the deep-drawing packaging machine, wherein the feeding system comprises at least one transport belt device configured to transport cardboard blanks in a transport direction extending transversely to the production direction of the deep-drawing packaging machine into a transfer area formed within a machine frame of the deep-drawing packaging machine, and wherein the feeding system comprises a lifting device arranged in the transfer area for collecting and lifting the cardboard blanks transported into the transfer area by means of the transport belt device, wherein the lifting device has a plurality of independently controllable lifting units positioned one behind the other in the transport direction. Furthermore, the disclosure relates to a corresponding method.

A packing box folding system, and the packing box folding system including a transfer conveyor on which transfers the packing box from a packing box introducing position to a folded packing box discharging position; a fixed guide panel which extends between the packing box introducing position and the packing box discharging position and is disposed on one side of the transfer conveyor in the width-direction; and a movable suction device which is disposed on the side opposite to the fixed guide panel in the width-direction of the transfer conveyor and is movable between the packing box introducing position and the packing box discharging position, wherein the movable suction device suctions the side surface of the packing box, which faces the side surface in contact with the fixed guide panel, and presses the suctioned side surface inward in the width-direction.

An apparatus for making a multiplicity of packages including a feeding station, a separation station which is arranged downstream of the feeding station, a single feeding track which carries at least one multiplicity of multiple sheets from the feeding station to the separation station, at least two exit tracks which are arranged downstream of the separation station. Each multiple sheet of the multiplicity of multiple sheets includes at least two portions of sheet lying on a same geometric plane. Each portion of sheet is a single sheet of the package in a flat configuration. Each package of the multiplicity of packages includes at least one product and the single sheet of the package adapted to pass from a flat configuration to a configuration coupled with the at least one product.

A cartoner includes an entrance section, a loading section, an exit section, a transport system and a controller. The entrance section is configured for picking carton blanks from a magazine and folding a first side of the carton. The loading section is configured for loading a product into the first-side-folded carton. The exit section is configured for closing the loaded carton. The transport system is configured for transporting the first-side-folded carton from the entrance section to the loading section and the loaded carton from the loading section to the exit section. The controller is arranged for controlling an operation following each carton through the cartoner. The controller is further arranged for adapting, for each carton, a distance between two consecutive carriers of the transport system in dependence to a size of the first-side-folded carton and driving the two consecutive carriers maintaining the distance.

A packaging system having a packaging machine and a feeding device for the packaging machine. Packaging elements for receiving products in a predetermined format can be supplied to the packaging machine for a packaging process running thereon. The packaging machine may comprise a machine frame, at least one work station attached to the machine frame; a transport device that comprises a grouping unit for receiving packaging elements supplied by the feeding device to the packaging machine; and/or a transfer unit for transporting packaging elements received thereon to the work station. The grouping unit and the transfer unit can be brought together by way of a relative motion so that the packaging elements positioned on the grouping unit can be received by way of the transfer unit. The transfer unit may be capable of gripping the packaging elements. A method for producing a packaging as described above is also provided.

An apparatus for making a multiplicity of packages including a feeding station, a separation station which is arranged downstream of the feeding station, a single feeding track which carries at least one multiplicity of multiple sheets from the feeding station to the separation station, at least two exit tracks which are arranged downstream of the separation station. Each multiple sheet of the multiplicity of multiple sheets includes at least two portions of sheet lying on a same geometric plane. Each portion of sheet is a single sheet of the package in a flat configuration. Each package of the multiplicity of packages includes at least one product and the single sheet of the package adapted to pass from a flat configuration to a configuration coupled with the at least one product.

A packaging machine for producing packs containing a group of cigarettes, having in a manufacturing flow direction: a forming unit for forming cigarette groups; a first folding unit at which an inner blank composed of a material suitable for forming a dimensionally stable inner pack is folded in certain regions around a cigarette group to form an inner pack with the cigarette group as pack content; adjoining said first folding unit, a sealing inner pack unit in which a sealing inner pack is manufactured from the inner pack, the sealing inner pack is folded into a final state, or one sealing inner pack comprising the inner pack is manufactured; and adjoining said sealing inner pack unit, a second folding unit at which an outer blank composed of a material suitable for forming a dimensionally stable outer pack is folded around the sealing inner pack to form an outer pack.

A packaging machine comprising a machine frame, at least one work station attached to the machine frame, and a transport device with a transfer unit for feeding trays to the work station, wherein the transfer unit comprises a suction plate for transporting trays in a predetermined transport plane. The suction plate may comprises at least one reception mold which is formed at least in part having the shape of an inner contour of an upper opening region of a tray facing it, provided to the reception mold for reception and transport, so that the reception mold during transport in the transport plane of the tray is arranged in a positive-fit manner in its upper opening region and aligns the tray in the transport plane in a predetermined position on the suction plate. The invention also relates to a method for supplying trays to a work station of a packaging machine.