Abstract
The invention relates to a method for forming package bodies open at one end from package sleeves open at both ends for the manufacture of filled packages. In order to allow packages with a cross section which is neither square nor rectangular to be formed more simply and reliably, the package sleeves are kept ready for further processing in a stack, folded flat along at least two folded edges running in the longitudinal direction of the package sleeve, the flat-folded package sleeves are transferred in succession from the stack to a forming station, the package sleeves are unfolded in a forming station and the unfolded package sleeves are, in the forming station, pushed onto a mandrel in order to close, in particular seal, a longitudinal end of the package sleeve.
Claims
1. A method for forming package bodies open at one end from package sleeves open at both ends for the manufacture of filled packages, comprising keeping the package sleeves ready for further processing in a stack, folded flat along at least two folded edges running in the longitudinal direction of the package sleeves, transferring at least one flat-folded package sleeve in succession from the stack to a forming station, unfolding the at least one package sleeve in the forming station, drawing the at least one package sleeve through a channel that is in contact with at least two opposite folded edges of the package sleeve and narrows in a transverse direction to the at least one package sleeve, engaging the at least one package sleeve at the end of the channel in grooves arranged in opposite sides of the channel, and pushing the at least one unfolded package sleeve from the forming station onto a mandrel to close or seal, a longitudinal end of the package sleeve.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one package sleeve is folded flat along exactly two folded edges and/or no fold line running between the folded edges that extends in a straight line over an entire longitudinal extension of the package sleeve is provided for folding the package sleeves.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the forming station, in order to enlarge a free cross section of the package sleeve, a pressure is applied from opposite sides of the package sleeve against the at least two folded edges such that the at least two folded edges of the package sleeve are moved towards one another.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein when unfolding the at least one package sleeve in the forming station, the package sleeve is positioned between at least two mould halves of a mould and the package sleeve is unfolded by closing the mould with the package sleeve lying at least substantially circumferentially against the inside of the mould.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a side of the at least one package sleeve forming the front side of the stack is seized and drawn from the stack and/or the package sleeve is in a pre-folding device, drawn through the channel.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, as the at least one package sleeve is being drawn through, lateral boundaries of the channel press against the at least two folded edges of the package sleeve such that the folded edges of the package sleeve are moved towards one another.
7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the at least one package sleeve engages with the at least two folded edges at the end of the channel in grooves arranged in opposite sides of the channel and the at least one package sleeve is transported further in a longitudinal direction of the grooves, in the grooves and/or together with the grooves, into an unfolding device.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one package sleeve is moved through a pre-folding device and the at least one package sleeve is moved into the unfolding device at least substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement within the pre-folding device.
9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one package sleeve is pushed onto the mandrel with the folded edges spaced at a distance from an edge of a sleeve of the mandrel and/or a corner of a top of the mandrel, and wherein a distance from the folded edge to an adjacent edge and/or a corner of the mandrel amounts to at least a tenth of the distance between the adjacent edges and/or corners.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the folded edges are arranged on flat and/or convex sides of a sleeve of the mandrel.
11. The method according to claim 1, wherein, to close the package sleeve, a longitudinal end of the package sleeve is pressed against a pressing surface of the mandrel which is only formed after the at least one package sleeve has been pushed onto the mandrel and after the closing of the at least one package sleeve and before the removal of the at least one package sleeve from the mandrel, the mandrel is returned to the starting position before the at least one package sleeve is pushed on.
12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, for the purpose of closing, a width of a free end of the mandrel is enlarged in at least one direction transverse to the at least one package sleeve and is reduced in order to push on and/or remove the at least one package sleeve.
13. A device for forming package bodies open at one end from package sleeves open at both ends for the manufacture of filled packages, for the manufacture of filled packages according to claim 1, comprising a magazine, a stack comprising at least one package sleeve, a transfer device, a forming station, a placement device, and a mandrel, wherein the at least one package sleeve in the stack is folded flat along at least two folded edges running in the longitudinal direction of the package sleeve, the transfer device transfers the at least one package sleeve from the stack in succession to the forming station for unfolding, the forming station comprising a channel for the partial unfolding of the at least one package sleeve moved through the channel and at the end of the channel, opposing grooves are provided to receive the at least two folded edges of the at least one package sleeve, and the placement device pushes the at least one unfolded package sleeve from the forming station onto the mandrel, wherein a pre-folding device has the channel comprising lateral boundaries for partial unfolding of the package sleeves moved through the channel, the width of the channel narrowing in a transport direction of the package sleeves to a dimension less than the width of the flat-folded package sleeves as they are held in the magazine, such that, as the package sleeves are moved through, the lateral boundaries of the channel press against the at least two folded edges of the package sleeve and move the folded edges of the package sleeve towards one another.
14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the forming station has at least two stamps which simultaneously press together and unfold the at least one package sleeve and, the at least two stamps are designed as at least two mould halves, wherein by closing the mould the at least one package sleeve is unfolded, coming at least substantially circumferentially into contact with the inside of the mould.
15. The device according to claim 13, wherein the lateral boundaries of the channel are fixed in place, at least when the at least one package sleeve moves through the channel.
16. The device according to claim 15, further comprising a feed device to feed the package sleeves to the unfolding device in a longitudinal extension of the grooves in the grooves and/or together with the grooves.
17. The device according to claim 13, wherein the transfer device further comprises a gripper arm and a feed device to move the package sleeve through a pre-folding device in a first direction of transport and into an unfolding device in a second direction of transport oriented substantially perpendicular to the first direction of transport.
18. The device according to claim 13, wherein the mandrel is designed to be adjusted between a wider pressing position and a narrower starting position for pushing on and removing package sleeves, and that in the pressing position the mandrel provides a pressing surface for pressing a longitudinal end of the package sleeve against the mandrel.
19. The device according to claim 13, wherein a gable pre-folding device comprising two stamps is provided to press together a filled and closed package adjacent to at least one package lug of a package gable, at least partially folding a fold line of the package in order to lay the package lugs against the sleeve of the package.
20. The device according to claim 13, wherein an at least two-part mould is provided in order to press the sleeve of the filled and closed package.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) In the following, the inventions disclosed in the present case are explained in more detail with reference to a drawing which simply illustrates an exemplary embodiment, wherein
(2) FIG. 1A-B shows a sleeve blank made of a package material and a package sleeve formed from the sleeve blank, known from the prior art, in each case viewed from above,
(3) FIG. 2 shows a package, known from the prior art, formed from the package sleeve according to FIG. 1B in a perspective view,
(4) FIG. 3 shows a device for manufacturing the package according to FIG. 2 from a package sleeve according to FIG. 1B from the prior art in a schematic representation,
(5) FIG. 4A-C shows a sleeve blank made of a package material and a package sleeve formed from the sleeve blank, viewed from above,
(6) FIG. 5 shows a package formed from the package sleeve according to FIG. 4B-C package in a perspective view,
(7) FIG. 6 shows a device for manufacturing the package according to FIG. 5 from a package sleeve according to FIG. 4B-C in a schematic representation,
(8) FIG. 7 shows the unfolding of the package sleeve in a forming station in a schematic side view,
(9) FIG. 8 shows the prefolding of the package sleeve in a sectional view through the sectional plane VIII-VIII from FIG. 7,
(10) FIG. 9A-B shows the forming of the package sleeve in a sectional view through the sectional plane IX-IX from FIG. 7,
(11) FIG. 10A-B shows the mandrel onto which the formed package sleeve is pushed in a schematic top view,
(12) FIG. 11 shows the pre-forming of the package gable of the filled and closed package in a schematic representation and
(13) FIG. 12A-B shows the forming of the filled and closed package in a schematic representation.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(14) FIG. 1A illustrates a sleeve blank 1 made of a package material 2 as known from the prior art. The package material 2 is formed as a laminate consisting of several material layers arranged on top of one another. It is in particular a paperboard/plastic composite material. The illustrated package material 2 has two outer layers made of a thermoplastic plastic, preferably polyethylene (PE), which makes possible a sealing, i.e. a welding, of the outer layers of the package material 2. Arranged between these is a paperboard layer, providing structure, with a comparatively high bending stiffness for the package material 2. Moreover, at least one barrier layer can also be provided which is preferably formed of aluminium, polyamide and/or an ethylene vinyl alcohol. Further layers are also conceivable.
(15) The sleeve blank 1 is used to manufacture a package sleeve 3, which is formed in that the outer longitudinal margins 4 of the sleeve blank 1 lying opposite one another are bent over towards one another and joined with one another, in particular sealed to one another. The sleeve blank 1 has a series of fold lines 5,6 along which the sleeve blank 1 can be folded in order to form the desired package 7. The fold lines 5,6, if necessary crease lines, facilitate folding and also ensure reliable folding. Most of the fold lines 5,6 are provided at the upper margin 8 and the lower margin 9 of the sleeve blank 1, which are later folded in order to form the bases and the top or the gable of the package 7. The sleeve blank 1 also has four substantially parallel fold lines 6 along which the sleeve blank 1 is prefolded before forming the package sleeve 3 or thereafter. Once the package material 2 has been bent over once along the fold lines 5,6, a further folding of the package material 2 at the same point only meets a slight resistance that is in any case significantly less than along fold lines 5,6 which have not yet previously been folded.
(16) FIG. 1B shows the package sleeve 3 after the longitudinal margins 4 of the sleeve blank 1 have been sealed together. For optical reasons, the corresponding sealing seam 10 is thereby positioned near one of the fold lines 6 of the package sleeve 3. The package sleeve 3 has folded edges 6 on its longitudinal edges along which the package sleeve 3 has been folded flat, so that the front portion 11 and the rear portion 12 of the package sleeve 3 lie on top of one another. The package sleeve 3 can be stored easily when folded flat in this way. Nonetheless, it can subsequently be easily unfolded along the four prefolded fold lines 6. A package sleeve 3 with a rectangular cross section is then obtained.
(17) In the following, the package 7 illustrated in FIG. 2 can be obtained using the corresponding package sleeve 3. In the case of the package 7, the four prefolded fold lines 6 in the region of the sleeve 13 of the package 7 then form the edges of the package 7, as the prefolded fold lines 6 previously formed the edges of the package sleeve 3. The longitudinal ends 14,15 of the package sleeve 3 have been folded and sealed in order to form the base 16 of the package 7 and in order to form the top 17 of the package 7. So-called package lugs 18 are thereby formed at the top 17 of the package which are folded downwards and laid against the sleeve 13 of the package 7 and sealed or glued in place there. In the case of the base 16, the corresponding package lugs are folded into this and are therefore no longer visible as such following formation of the base 16.
(18) FIG. 3 shows a device 20 for filling package bodies 21, in particular with flowable foodstuffs, in order to form packages 7, that is to say a so-called filling machine, comprising a magazine 22 for the supply of package sleeves 3 and a device for forming package bodies 21 from the package sleeves 3, which are closed at one end and can thus receive for example a flowable foodstuff through the remaining opening. The illustrated and as such preferred device 20 has a series of parallel processing lines, of which only one processing line 23 is illustrated in FIG. 3. Each processing line 23 is assigned a magazine 22 with a stack 24 or bundle of package sleeves 3 which have been folded flat along two of the fold lines 6. The package sleeves 3 have, as described above, been formed from sleeve blanks 1, made of a package material 2, the longitudinal margins 4 of which are sealed to one another. The package sleeves 3 are unfolded by means of a feed device 25. The unfolding of the package sleeves 3 is thereby achieved by pulling a later side surface of the corresponding package sleeve 3 away from the stack 24, without further action, along the prefolded fold lines 6 which form the edges of the package sleeve 3 and the later package 7. If necessary, an application device for applying pourer inserts, not illustrated, to the package sleeve 3 can also be provided.
(19) The device 26 for forming the package 7 has a mandrel wheel 27 which in the illustrated and as such preferred case comprises six mandrels 28 and rotates cyclically, that is to say stepwise, in an anticlockwise direction. In the first mandrel wheel position I, a package sleeve 3 is pushed onto the mandrel 28. The mandrel wheel 27 is then rotated further into the next mandrel wheel position II, in which the longitudinal end 15 of the package sleeve 3 projecting in relation to the mandrel 28 is heated with hot air by means of a heating unit 29. In the next mandrel wheel position III, the heated longitudinal end 15 of the package sleeve 3 is prefolded by means of a press 30 and in the following mandrel wheel position IV is sealed closed in the folded position by means of a sealing device 31, in particular to form a base 16.
(20) In this way, a package body 21 closed at one end is obtained which, in the following mandrel wheel position V, is removed from the mandrel 28 and transferred to a cell 32 of a transport device 33 which moves in an endless circle. In the next mandrel wheel position VI, the mandrel 28 is not assigned any working step. The number of mandrel wheel positions or mandrels 28 and the processing steps provided there can if necessary differ from the representation according to FIG. 1 and the associated description. Moreover, in at least one if necessary further mandrel wheel position, a pourer insert can also be joined with the package material. In this case, the longitudinal end of the package sleeve which is closed on the mandrel wheel is preferably the top of the later package. Whether the package body is filled through the later top or through the later base only plays a secondary role in the present case.
(21) The package body 21 removed from the mandrel wheel is transported through a filling machine 34 in the associated cell 32, in particular of a chain of cells, with the open longitudinal end pointing upwards. The package body thereby enters an aseptic chamber 35, which comprises a sterilisation zone 36 and a filling and sealing zone 37, through which the package bodies 21 are transported from left to right in the direction of transport symbolised by the arrow. The transport of the package bodies 21 need not take place in a straight line, but can also take place at least in an arc or even in a circle.
(22) The aseptic chamber 35 is supplied with sterile air via corresponding sterile air connections 38. The package bodies 21 are preheated by having hot sterile air being blown on them in succession by a pre-heating device 39. The package bodies 21 are then sterilised by means of a stabilising device 40, preferably by means of hydrogen peroxide, whereupon the package bodies 21 are dried by being blown on with sterile air by a drying device 41 and, after passing from the sterilisation zone 36 into the filling and sealing zone 37, are brought into a filling position 42 beneath a filling outlet 43. Here, the package bodies 2 are filled in succession with foodstuffs 44. The filled package bodies 21 are then closed by means of a closing device 45 by folding the upper regions of the package body 21 and sealing. The filled and closed packages 7 are then removed from the cells 32 of the transport device 33. The now empty cells 32 are moved on by the transport device 33 in the direction of the mandrel wheel 27 in order to receive further package bodies 21 there.
(23) FIG. 4A shows a further sleeve blank 50 made of a package material 51 which is fundamentally similar to the sleeve blank 50 shown in FIG. 1A in terms of the package material 51, the sleeve blank 50 and the fold lines 52,53,54. However, the difference is that the fold lines 52,53,54, in particular crease lines, are arranged and formed differently. For example, in particular, only two fold lines 52 are provided which extend in a straight line in a longitudinal direction and over the entire longitudinal extension of the sleeve blank 50. Two further fold lines 53 are divided into sections in the longitudinal direction of the sleeve blank 50 and enclose a portion of the sleeve blank. In the corresponding region, the fold lines 53 run parallel to one another, which is not however essential. The upper margin 55 and the lower margin 56 of the sleeve blank 50 are also provided with fold lines 54. The fold lines 54 of the lower margin 56 serve to form a base 57, while the fold lines 54 of the upper margin 55 serve to form a top 58 of a package 59.
(24) The sleeve blank 50 is sealed along the longitudinal edges 60, forming a sealing seam 61, in order to form a package sleeve 63, the front side 64 and rear side 64′ of which are illustrated in FIG. 4B-C. The package sleeve 62 is folded along the two fold lines 52 running in a straight line in the longitudinal direction of the package sleeve 62 to form the folded edges 65, so that the front side 64 and the rear side 64′ of the package sleeve 62 lie on top of one another.
(25) The package 59 illustrated in FIG. 5 can be formed using the corresponding package sleeve 63. The package 59 has a flat base 57 which is oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the package 59. The top 58 of the package 59 is in contrast oriented obliquely to the longitudinal extension of the package 59 and so forms a package gable 66. The package gable 66 thereby has a larger front gable surface 67 which is larger than the smaller rear gable surface 71 arranged on the other side of the sealing seam 68. The sealing seam 68 and adjacent portions of the top 58 form package lugs 69 on opposite sides of the package 59 which are folded downwards and laid against and sealed onto the sleeve 70 the package 59. If necessary, a large opening section, a large weakening and/or a large pourer can be provided on the large gable surface 67. For the sake of simplicity, neither an opening section nor a weakening nor a pourer is illustrated. A notable feature of the package 59 is that no continuous fold lines 52 or folded edges 65 are provided on the front longitudinal margins of the package 59. Another special feature of the package 59 is that the folded edges 65 used to fold the package sleeve 63 flat are not provided on any longitudinal margin of the package 59. Instead, the folded edges 65 are positioned in the areas between the longitudinal margins or longitudinal edges of the package. In other words, the folded edges 65 of the package sleeve 63 are folded back again and thus no longer form folded edges of the package 59. Moreover, no fold lines 52,53,54 are provided on the rear edges of the sleeve 70 of the package 59 which extend in a straight line in the longitudinal direction of the package. The division of the fold lines 53 means that these do not run in a straight line over the entire longitudinal extension of the sleeve 70 of the package 59 and also, at least in sections, not along the edges of the sleeve 70 of the package 59, but in areas next to these.
(26) FIG. 6 illustrates the device 80 for filling such packages 59. The device 80 thereby largely corresponds to the device 20 illustrated in FIG. 3, so that in order to avoid unnecessary repetition it is essentially the differences in the device 80 illustrated in FIG. 6 in comparison with the device 20 illustrated in FIG. 3 illustrated device 20 which are described in the following. For this reason, identical components in FIGS. 3 and 6 are identified with the same reference numbers.
(27) One difference for example is that the package sleeves 63 are provided in the magazine 22 of the device 80 illustrated in FIG. 4B-C in the form of the stack 81, i.e. they are only prefolded along two fold lines 52 extending in a straight line over the entire longitudinal extension of the package sleeve, whereby these fold lines 52 form the folded edges 65 of the package sleeve 63 along which the package sleeves 63 are folded flat. Also, in the device 80 illustrated in FIG. 6, in supplementation of the device 20 illustrated in FIG. 3, a prefolding device 82 for prefolding the package sleeve 63 following removal of the package sleeves 63 from the stack 81 of package sleeves 63 and an unfolding device 83 for unfolding the package sleeves 63 which have been removed from the stack 81 of package sleeves 63 in the magazine 22 are provided. In the illustrated and as such preferred device 80, the prefolding device 82 and the unfolding device 83 are combined into a forming station 84 for forming the unfolded package sleeves 63 which are to be transferred to the mandrel wheel 85. Also however, only the prefolding device 82 or only the unfolding device 83 could be provided. Only after passing through the forming station 84 are the package sleeves 63 pushed onto the mandrels 86. The mandrels 86 are thus formed differently from the mandrels 28 illustrated in FIG. 3. The mandrels 86 can be spread, i.e. adjusted from a narrow starting position into a wider pressing position, wherein in the pressing position of the mandrel 86 a pressing surface is provided against which the corresponding longitudinal end 87 of the package sleeve 63 can be folded and pressed in order to close the longitudinal end 87, in particular to seal this in a liquid-tight manner. In this way, package bodies 88 are finally formed which are transferred into the cells 32 of the transport device 33, in this case in the form of a chain of cells.
(28) Furthermore, in the device 80 illustrated in FIG. 6, in comparison with the device 20 illustrated in FIG. 3, a gable pre-folding device 90 for prefolding the package gable 66 and a sealing device 91 for sealing the package lugs 69 to the sleeve 70 of the package 59 are provided after a sealing 6 device 89 for sealing the sealing seam 68 of the package gable 66. Moreover, in the illustrated and as such preferred device 80, a moulding device 92 for final forming of the filled and closed package 59 is provided. In this moulding device 92, the package 59 is given its final form. For the sake of clarity, the moulding device 92 is illustrated such that the package 59 projects at the top and bottom in relation to the moulding device 92. Preferably, however, the package 59 is received into the moulding device 92 over its entire longitudinal extension.
(29) The forming station 84 of the device 80 illustrated in FIG. 6 is illustrated schematically in FIG. 7. The forming station 84 uses the package sleeves 63 which are supplied, folded together along two fold lines 52 or folded edges 65, in a stack 81 of package sleeves 63 held in a magazine 22. The forming station 84 thereby comprises a gripper arm 93 with suction cups 94 which grabs the front side of the flat-folded package sleeve 63 at the front of the stack 81 and draws the package sleeve 63 into and through a channel 95 of the prefolding device 82. The prefolding device 82 is in particular illustrated in the sectional view of the forming station 84 according to FIG. 8 The gripper arm 93 is shown, in broken lines, picking a package sleeve 63 from the stack 81. The gripper arm 93 then moves together with the package sleeve 63 in a straight line backwards and draws the package sleeve 63 in a straight line into a channel 95 narrowing transversely to the package sleeve 63. In the channel 95, the folded edges 65, along which the package sleeve 63 has been folded flat, come into contact with the boundaries 96 of the channel 95. Finally, the folded edges 65 press from the inside against the channel 95 which, in response, opens up the package sleeve 63 somewhat, increasingly wider as the package sleeve 63 is drawn or transported further through the channel 95. At the rear end of the channel 95, grooves 97 oriented in the longitudinal direction of the folded edges 65 are provided on two sides of the channel 95 into which the package sleeve 63 engages with the folded edges 65, in the corresponding position. The suction cups 94 and thus the gripper arm 93 then release the package sleeve 63. The package sleeve 63 remains within the channel 95, held within the grooves 97.
(30) Two fingers 98 are arranged above the package sleeve 63 positioned in this way, as illustrated in particular in FIG. 7. These fingers 98 now move downwards and press the package sleeve 63 downwards into a mould 99 of the unfolding device 83 in order to unfold the package sleeve 63. The mould 99 of the unfolding device 83 is in particular illustrated in cross section in FIG. 9A-B. In FIG. 9A, the mould 9 is illustrated by way of example with two mould halves 100,101 in an opened position. The prefolded package sleeve 63 is received in this position by the mould 99, for which purpose grooves 102 are also provided in the illustrated and as such preferred mould 99, into which the folded edges 65 of the package sleeve 63 engage. The mould 99 is then closed and ends up in the closed position illustrated by way of example in FIG. 9B. The package sleeve 63 is unfolded and lies at least substantially against the inner contour 103 of the mould 99. In this way, the package sleeve 63 can be brought at least approximately into the later form of the package 59. Instead of the illustrated form of the contour, if necessary contours of a different form can be provided, depending on the form in which the packages are to be manufactured. In FIG. 7 it is indicated, through the double arrow and the mandrel 86 of a mandrel wheel 85 positioned beneath the mould 99, that after closing the mould 99 moves downwards over the mandrel 86 and transfers the unfolded package sleeve 63 to the mandrel 86 or pushes it onto the mandrel 86.
(31) FIG. 10A-B shows in schematic form a top view of the mandrel 86 of the mandrel wheel 85. In FIG. 10A, the mandrel 86 is in a starting position in which package sleeves 63 can be simply pushed onto the mandrel 86 and removed again. In some sections, the mandrel 86 does not have a rectangular or square cross section. In the illustrated and as such preferred mandrel 86, one side of the sleeve 104 bulges outwards. Movable mandrel elements 106 and a static mandrel element 107 located between them are provided at the top 105 of the illustrated and as such preferred mandrel 86. In the starting position, the movable mandrel elements 106 assume an inner position. The mandrel 86 is therefore narrower in a direction R than in the pressing position of the mandrel 86 illustrated in FIG. 10B, in which the movable mandrel elements 106 are moved outwards. The mandrel 86 is spread wider in this position and can be used to press a longitudinal end 87 of the package sleeve 63 against the mandrel 86. In the pressing position, the upper side of the top 105 of the mandrel 86 forms a pressing surface 108 for pressing the folded-together longitudinal ends 87 of the package sleeve 63. The corresponding longitudinal end 87 of the package sleeve 63 can thereby be closed, if necessary through sealing.
(32) FIG. 11 illustrates in schematic form a gable pre-folding device 90 for prefolding the package gable 66, wherein a package 59 which has been filled and closed along the sealing seam 68 of the package gable 66 is positioned in the gable pre-folding device 90 with package lugs 69 projecting outwards relative to the sleeve 70 of the package. Two stamps 110 are being pressed from opposite sides of the package 59 against the sleeve 70 of the package 59 so that the sleeve 70 of the package 59 is pressed in at the corresponding point. The stamps 110 are thereby applied below the projecting package lugs 69. The package 59 is thereby partially folded along opposite fold lines 111 below the package lugs 69. After the stamps 110 are moved away again from the package 59, the package lugs 69 can be bent down in a defined way along the correspondingly prefolded fold lines 111 and fixed in place against the sleeve 70 of the package 59.
(33) FIG. 12A-B shows a moulding device 92 for forming the filled and closed package 59 in which the package lugs 69 are preferably already fixed to the sleeve 70 of the package 59.
(34) The package 59 is introduced into the opened mould 112 of a package crimper comprising at least two mould halves 114,115. The mould 112 is then closed for and the package 59 is thereby pressed or squeezed from outside. The mould 112 can preferably receive the package 59 over its entire longitudinal extension and/or overlap it at the top and bottom in order for example, in the closed state of the mould 112, to hold, in particular to press the package 59, not only around the entire circumference of the package 59, but also all around the longitudinal extension of the package 59.
(35) In the illustrated and as such preferred mould 112, the inner contour 116 of the mould 112 corresponds to the desired form of the package 59 but not the form of the fed package 59. The contour 116 is not restricted to the form illustrated in FIG. 12A-B. Differently formed contours can be provided in order to produce differently formed packages. In the present case, the mould 112 has bevelled edges 113 which the package 59 is also supposed to possess. When closing the mould 112 the package 59 is pressed at least substantially circumferentially against the inner contour 116 of the mould 112 and thereby folded or bent in the region of the bevelled edges 113 along already-provided fold lines 53 of the package The region of the package 59 between the dividing fold lines 53 is thus brought into an oblique alignment relative to the sides and to the rear of the package 59 in order to impress the desired edge form. The impressed edge form is also retained following removal of the package 59 from the mould 112, since the edge form has already been defined in the package 59 as a result of the fold lines 53. The package material 51 had simply not yet been bent or folded along the fold lines 53.
