The present invention is directed to a process for manufacturing a flexible package suitable for containing a food or beverage ingredient and suitable for use with a food or beverage preparation machine, wherein said process comprises punching a flexible flat blank sheet between a plunger and a cavity that are movable relative to one another. According to the invention, the plunger has a concave end side and convex lateral sides, and the profile curvature of its end side is identical to the profile curvature of each of its lateral sides.

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.

An oral pouch product having a soft edge includes an inner filling material enclosed inwardly of at least one seam between opposed layers of porous pouch wrapper. The at least one seam is separated from the periphery of the porous pouch wrapper by an unbonded area of the opposed layers so as to form a soft edge of the pouch wrapper.

A method for controlling the processing of varying shipment sets of one or more item(s) in an automated packaging system for packaging said varying shipment sets in custom-sized boxes made from cardboard blanks, said packaging system comprising a plurality of processing stations performing different operations on said shipment sets, said operations including transporting said shipments sets to and through said stations, said method comprising: acquiring information about one or more physical properties of a shipment set or the item(s) forming the shipment set, determining based on said information if the shipment set needs or allows a specific treatment in or on the transport to and through one or more of said processing stations within said packaging system, and configuring said one or more of said processing stations with instructions for said specific treatment of said shipment set.

A sealing machine for the sealing of packages comprises a sealing chamber in which packages can be sealed. The sealing chamber comprises a working platform on which packages can be conveyed; a chamber lid movable relative to the working platform between an open position and a closed position; a sealing mechanism for the sealing of packages; and a suction unit for suction of gas from a volume enclosed by the chamber lid and the working platform. The sealing machine further comprises a protective frame kinematically connected to the chamber lid, and the protective frame has apertures through which gas can flow from the outer space into the enclosed volume.

This document describes techniques, apparatuses, and systems for severing a cable tie with a rounded cut. Using a cable tie severing tool, a cable tie may be looped around an object and a tail portion received through a nosepiece assembly. A head of the cable tie may be aligned using an alignment indicator to ensure a rounded cut of the serrated portion of the cable tie at a finite distance from the head portion of the cable tie. A blade member may be displaced to sever the serrated portion of the cable tie and produce a rounded cut free of sharp edges. In this manner, the likelihood of abrasive damage from contacting the rounded cut may be reduced.

An actuator system for fabricating a cavity within thermoplastic material includes a plurality of actuators arranged in an array. When dimensions of an item are determined, the actuator system may be programmed with data regarding such dimensions to fabricate a cavity for the item. A subset of the actuators, and distances by which each of the actuators is to be extended, may be selected based on dimensions of the item, in order to fabricate a cavity within the thermoplastic material that may accommodate the item therein. Additionally, the actuators and the distances may be selected based on intrinsic or extrinsic data regarding the item, and a cavity fabricated within the thermoplastic material may include one or more buffer zones or protective regions that are specifically formed with respect to aspects of the item.

The disclosure provides an automated container resizing apparatus and system, an automated method of resizing a container, and a cutting tool that can be used for the resizing. In one example, the system includes the cutting tool, a controller, a conveyor, and a moveable support that can be a robotic arm. The controller can operate the conveyor to position a container in a cutting zone. The dimensions of the box and product fill height within the container are obtained and translated by the controller into a programmed cutting pattern. The controller then operates the robotic arm to perform the programmed cutting pattern on the box with the cutting tool. The cutting tool can be mounted on the robotic arm that rotates about its axis to cut side walls of the container for resizing.

An oral pouch product having a soft edge includes an inner filling material enclosed inwardly of at least one seam between opposed layers of porous pouch wrapper. The at least one seam is separated from the periphery of the porous pouch wrapper by an unbonded area of the opposed layers so as to form a soft edge of the pouch wrapper.

Apparatus and method of manufacturing open-mouth bags, comprising a storage device with a supply of bag film, a control device for controlling, a conveying device for conveying the bag film and/or the bag body along a conveying path, a welding device with welding means for making a bottom seam in the bag film and a cutting device with a cutting means for separating a predetermined film length of the bag film to form the bag body of an open-mouth bag. The control device controls the conveying device so as to cause a relative motion of the bag body and the bag film and a distance between the bag body and the bag film is generated prior to making the bottom seam. The control device controls the conveying device and the welding means so that while welding the bottom seam the welding means extend at least up to the bottom end of the bag body.