BAG MAKING AND PACKAGING MACHINE

Abstract

A bag making and packaging machine has pull-down belt mechanisms, a transverse sealing mechanism, a rotatable folding member, and a gas blowing mechanism. The folding member, before the transverse sealing mechanism, seals a cylindrical film, pushes against a side portion of the cylindrical film to thereby fold the cylindrical film inward and form a fold in the cylindrical film. The gas blowing mechanism blows a gas onto the fold to thereby inhibit the cylindrical film from sticking to the rotating folding member.

Claims

1. A bag making and packaging machine that fills a packaging material formed into a cylindrical shape with contents and airtightly packages the contents, the bag making and packaging machine comprising: a conveyance mechanism that conveys the packaging material: a sealing mechanism that seals the packaging material that is conveyed by the conveyance mechanism; a rotatable disc-shaped member which, before the sealing mechanism seals the packaging material, pushes against a side portion of the packaging material to thereby fold the packaging material inward and form a fold in the packaging material; and a gas blowing mechanism that blows a gas onto the fold to thereby inhibit the packaging material from sticking to the rotating disc-shaped member.

2. The bag making and packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the gas blowing mechanism blows out the gas from an outer peripheral portion of the disc-shaped member toward the packaging material and blows the gas onto the fold.

3. The bag making and packaging machine according to claim 2, wherein the gas blowing mechanism supplies the gas to a gas supply space formed between two circular main surfaces of the disc-shaped member, blows out the gas from the gas supply space toward the packaging material, and blows the gas onto the fold.

4. The bag making and packaging machine according to claim 3, wherein the disc-shaped member is comprised of two disc parts that oppose each other across a predetermined distance, and the gas blowing mechanism supplies the gas to the gas supply space which is formed between the two disc parts.

5. The bag making and packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the gas blowing mechanism blows out the gas at a position away from the disc-shaped member and blows the gas onto the fold.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bag making and packaging machine 1 that is an embodiment of the invention.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of a bag making and packaging unit 3.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a transverse sealing mechanism 17 as seen from the right side of FIG. 2.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a view showing the configuration of a gusset forming mechanism 18.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which a folding member 18a is pushing against a cylindrical film Fc. FIG. 5 is a front view of the cylindrical film Fc as seen looking from the front side toward the rear side.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a view showing a state in which the folding member 18a is pushing against the cylindrical film Fc. FIG. 6 is a top view of the cylindrical film Fc as seen looking from the upper side toward the lower side.

[0024] FIG. 7 is a view of the folding member 18a as seen along a rotating shaft 18d.

[0025] FIG. 8 is a view of the folding member 18a as seen along a direction orthogonal to the rotating shaft 18d.

[0026] FIG. 9 is a view showing the configuration of the gusset forming mechanism 18 in example modification A.

[0027] FIG. 10 is a view showing the configuration of a gas blowing mechanism 19 in example modification B.

[0028] FIG. 11 is a view showing the configuration of the folding member 18a in example modification C.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is a specific example of the invention and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the invention.

(1) Configuration of Bag Making and Packaging Machine

[0030] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bag making and packaging machine 1 that is an embodiment of the invention. The bag making and packaging machine 1 is a machine for bagging contents such as food. The bag making and packaging machine 1 is mainly configured from a combination weighing unit 2, a bag making and packaging unit 3, and a film supplying unit 4.

[0031] The combination weighing unit 2 is disposed above the bag making and packaging unit 3. The combination weighing unit 2 weighs, with plural weighing hoppers, the weights of the contents and combines the values of the weights that have been weighed by each weighing hopper so as to reach a predetermined total weight. The combination weighing unit 2 discharges downward and supplies to the bag making and packaging unit 3 the contents having the combined predetermined total weight.

[0032] The bag making and packaging unit 3 seals in bags and packages the contents in accordance with the timing when the contents are supplied from the combination weighing unit 2. The detailed configuration and operation of the bag making and packaging unit 3 will be described later.

[0033] The film supplying unit 4 is installed adjacent to the bag making and packaging unit 3 and supplies to the bag making and packaging unit 3 a film that becomes formed into bags. A film roll wound with the film is set in the film supplying unit 4. The film supplying unit 4 pays out the film from the film roll.

[0034] The bag making and packaging machine 1 has operation switches 5 and a liquid crystal display 6. The operation switches 5 and the liquid crystal display 6 are mounted to the front of the bag making and packaging machine 1 body. The liquid crystal display 6 is a touch panel display disposed in a position where the operator of the operation switches 5 can see it. The operation switches 5 and the liquid crystal display 6 function as input devices that receive instructions with respect to the bag making and packaging machine 1 and settings relating to the bag making and packaging machine 1. The liquid crystal display 6 functions as an output device that displays information relating to the bag making and packaging machine 1.

[0035] The bag making and packaging machine 1 has a control unit (not shown in the drawings). The control unit is a computer configured from a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, for example. The control unit is connected to the combination weighing unit 2, the bag making and packaging unit 3, the film supplying unit 4, the operation switches 5, and the liquid crystal display 6. The control unit controls the combination weighing unit 2, the bag making and packaging unit 3, and the film supplying unit 4 on the basis of input from the operation switches 5 and the liquid crystal display 6 and outputs various types of information to the liquid crystal display 6.

(2) Configuration of Bag Making and Packaging Unit

[0036] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of the bag making and packaging unit 3. In the following description, the six directions of front (front surface), rear (back surface), up, down, left, and right are defined as shown in FIG. 2.

[0037] The bag making and packaging unit 3 is mainly configured from a forming mechanism 13, pull-down belt mechanisms 14, a longitudinal sealing mechanism 15, a transverse sealing mechanism 17, a gusset forming mechanism 18, and a gas blowing mechanism 19. The forming mechanism 13 forms into a cylindrical shape the sheet-like film F that is supplied from the film supplying unit 4. The pull-down belt mechanisms 14 convey downward the film F that has been formed into a cylindrical shape. The longitudinal sealing mechanism 15 seals, in the longitudinal direction parallel to the conveyance direction, the overlapping portion of both end portions of the film F that has been formed into a cylindrical shape to thereby form a cylindrical film Fc. The transverse sealing mechanism 17 seals the cylindrical film Fc in the transverse direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction to thereby form bags B whose upper end portions and lower end portions have been sealed. The gusset forming mechanism 18 forms a fold G along the conveyance direction in the cylindrical film Fc before the cylindrical film Fc is sealed by the transverse sealing mechanism 17. The gas blowing mechanism 19 is a mechanism for blowing a gas onto the fold G that has been formed in the cylindrical film Fc. In FIG. 2, the portions that have been sealed by the longitudinal sealing mechanism 15 and the transverse sealing mechanism 17 are indicated as hatched regions.

(2-1) Forming Mechanism

[0038] The forming mechanism 13 has a tube 13a and a former 13b. The tube 13b is an open cylinder-shaped member whose upper end and lower end are open. The contents C supplied from the combination weighing unit 2 are input to the opening in the upper end of the tube 13a. The former 13b is disposed surrounding the tube 13a. The film F that has been paid out from the film roll of the film supplying unit 4 wraps around the tube 13a and is formed into a cylindrical shape when it passes through a gap between the tube 13a and the former 13b. The tube 13a and the former 13b can be replaced in accordance with the size of the bags B that are to be manufactured.

(2-2) Pull-down Belt Mechanisms

[0039] The pull-down belt mechanisms 14 suck and convey downward the film F wrapped around the tube 13a. The pull-down belt mechanisms 14 mainly have drive rollers 14a, follower rollers 14b, and a pair of belts 14c. The pair of belts 14c are disposed on both the right and left sides of the tube 13a so as to sandwich the tube 13a as shown in FIG. 2 and have mechanisms that suck the film F that has been formed into a cylindrical shape. The pair of belts 14c are driven to rotate by the drive rollers 14a and the follower rollers 14b, whereby the pull-down belt mechanisms 14 convey downward the film F that has been formed into a cylindrical shape. That is, the conveyance direction of the film F is a direction heading from the upper side to the lower side in FIG. 2.

(2-3) Longitudinal Sealing Mechanism

[0040] The longitudinal sealing mechanism 15 seals in the longitudinal direction (the up and down direction in FIG. 2) the film F that has been formed into a cylindrical shape. The longitudinal sealing mechanism 15 is disposed on the front side of the tube 13a. The longitudinal sealing mechanism 15 is moved by a drive mechanism (not shown in the drawings) in forward and rearward directions toward the tube 13a or away from the tube 13a.

[0041] When the longitudinal sealing mechanism 15 is driven by the drive mechanism toward the tube 13a, the overlapping portion in the longitudinal direction of the film F wrapped around the tube 13a becomes sandwiched between the longitudinal sealing mechanism 15 and the tube 13a. Because of the drive mechanism, the longitudinal sealing mechanism 15 pushes the overlapping portion of the film F with a fixed pressure against the tube 13a and heats it to thereby heat-seal the overlapping portion of the film F in the longitudinal direction and form the cylindrical film Fc. The longitudinal sealing mechanism 15 has a heater that heats the overlapping portion of the film F and a heater belt that contacts the overlapping portion of the film F.

(2-4) Transverse Sealing Mechanism

[0042] The transverse sealing mechanism 17 seals the cylindrical film Fc in the transverse direction (the right and left direction in FIG. 2). The transverse sealing mechanism 17 is disposed under the forming mechanism 13, the pull-down belt mechanisms 14, the longitudinal sealing mechanism 15, and the gusset forming mechanism 18.

[0043] FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the transverse sealing mechanism 17 as seen from the right side of FIG. 2. In FIG. 3, the direction perpendicular to the page is the right and left direction in FIG. 2. The transverse sealing mechanism 17 mainly has a first rotating body 50a and a second rotating body 50b. The first rotating body 50a is disposed on the front side of the cylindrical film Fc. The second rotating body 50b is disposed on the rear side of the cylindrical film Fc. Within the page of FIG. 3, the first rotating body 50a is positioned on the left side of the cylindrical film Fc, and the second rotating body 50b is positioned on the right side of the cylindrical film Fc.

[0044] The first rotating body 50a mainly has a first rotating shaft 53a, a first sealing jaw 51a, and a second sealing jaw 52a. The second rotating body 50b mainly has a second rotating shaft 53b, a first sealing jaw 51b, and a second sealing jaw 52b. The first rotating body 50a, when seen along the right and left direction, rotates about a rotational center C1 of the first rotating shaft 53a using the first rotating shaft 53a as a rotational axis. The second rotating body 50b, when seen along the right and left direction, rotates about a rotational center C2 of the second rotating shaft 53b using the second rotating shaft 53b as a rotational axis. When the transverse sealing mechanism 17 is seen along the right and left direction, the pair of first sealing jaws 51a, 51b synchronously rotate in mutually opposite directions, and the pair of second sealing jaws 52a, 52b synchronously rotate in mutually opposite directions. In FIG. 3, the paths traced by the pair of first sealing jaws 51a, 51b and the pair of second sealing jaws 52a, 52b are indicated by long-dashed short-dashed lines.

[0045] The transverse sealing mechanism 17 sandwiches, with the pair of first sealing jaws 51a, 51b or the pair of second sealing jaws 52a, 52b and along the transverse direction (the right and left direction in FIG. 2) intersecting the conveyance direction of the cylindrical film Fc, the cylindrical film Fc that is conveyed downward. The pair of first sealing jaws 51a, 51b or the pair of second sealing jaws 52a, 52b heat-seal the cylindrical film Fc in the transverse direction by sandwiching and heating the cylindrical film Fc.

[0046] The cylindrical film Fc that has been sealed in the transverse direction by the transverse sealing mechanism 17 is cut away from the subsequent cylindrical film Fc as a result of the portion that has been sealed in the transverse direction being cut in the transverse direction by a cutter (not shown in the drawings). As shown in FIG. 2, the portion that has been cut away from the cylindrical film Fc becomes a bag B made airtight by its upper side and lower side being sealed in the transverse direction.

(2-5) Gusset Forming Mechanism 18

[0047] The gusset forming mechanism 18 is disposed under the longitudinal sealing mechanism 15 and above the transverse sealing mechanism 17. The gusset forming mechanism 18 forms a fold G called a gusset along the longitudinal direction (the up and down direction in FIG. 2) in the cylindrical film Fc before the cylindrical film Fc is sealed by the transverse sealing mechanism 17. The fold G is a portion folded toward the inside of the cylindrical film Fc. As shown in FIG. 2, the fold G is formed in the side portion of the bag B in such a way as to be folded toward the interior of the bag. The fold G is formed in order to increase the capacity of the bags B and to allow the bags B to stand up on their own.

[0048] FIG. 4 is a view showing the configuration of the gusset forming mechanism 18. FIG. 4 is a view looking from the front side toward the rear side of FIG. 2. Shown in FIG. 4 are the cylindrical film Fc that is conveyed downward and the transverse sealing mechanism 17. The gusset forming mechanism 18 is secured to a frame or the like of the bag making and packaging unit 3.

[0049] The gusset forming mechanism 18 mainly has one folding member 18a and a servo motor 18m. The folding member 18a is a disc-shaped member that is rotatable about a rotating shaft 18d. The servo motor 18m has a mechanism that causes the folding member 18a to move in the right and left direction and a mechanism that causes the folding member 18a to rotate about the rotating shaft 18d. The rotating shaft 18d is a shaft that passes through the centers of two circular main surfaces of the folding member 18a. In FIG. 4, the conveyance direction of the cylindrical film Fc and the rotational direction of the folding member 18a are indicated by arrows. The servo motor 18m controls the operation of the folding member 18a in such a way that the rotational speed of the folding member 18a is a little faster than the conveyance speed of the cylindrical film Fc.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 4, the folding member 18a is positioned on the right side of the cylindrical film Fc when the bag making and packaging unit 3 is seen from the front. The folding member 18a rotates in the same direction as the conveyance direction of the cylindrical film Fc on the side where the cylindrical film Fc is conveyed. That is, in FIG. 4, the folding member 18a rotates counter-clockwise. The folding member 18a is disposed in such a way that the rotating shaft 18d lies along the front and rear direction. That is, the disc-shaped circular main surfaces of the folding member 18a are surfaces orthogonal to the front and rear direction.

[0051] The folding member 18a is a member for forming the fold G in the cylindrical film Fc by rotating about the rotating shaft 18d and pushing against the side portion of the cylindrical film Fc that is conveyed downward. FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are views showing a state in which the folding member 18a is pushing against the cylindrical film Fc. FIG. 5 is a front view of the cylindrical film Fc as seen looking from the front side toward the rear side. FIG. 6 is a top view of the cylindrical film Fc as seen looking from the upper side toward the lower side at the height position at which the cylindrical film Fc and the folding member 18a contact each other. The gusset forming mechanism 18 uses the servo motor 18m to cause the folding member 18a to move in such a way that the left-side end portion of the folding member 18a is positioned on the left side of the right-side end portion of the cylindrical film Fc (the inside of the cylindrical film Fc). Because of this, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the rotating disc-shaped folding member 18a pushes against the right side portion of the cylindrical film Fc. When the cylindrical film Fc receives force from the folding member 18a, the fold G that extends in the up and down direction is formed in the right side portion of the cylindrical film Fc.

[0052] FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are views showing the detailed configuration of the folding member 18a. FIG. 7 is a view of the folding member 18a as seen along the rotating shaft 18d. FIG. 8 is a view of the folding member 18a as seen along a direction orthogonal to the rotating shaft 18d.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the folding member 18a is mainly configured from two disc parts 18b, 18c and three spacers 18e. The two disc parts 18b, 18c have the same dimensions when seen along the rotating shaft 18d. The disc parts 18b, 18c and the spacers 18e are made of resin, for example. The two disc parts 18b, 18c sandwich the spacers 18e between them and are thereby secured in a state in which they are spaced a predetermined distance apart from each other. As shown in FIG. 7, the two disc parts 18b, 18c and each spacer 18e are secured to each other by a bolt 18i. The bolt 18i is a member for passing through the two disc parts 18b, 18c and one spacer 18e and securing these to each other. That is, the folding member 18a is a member in which the two disc parts 18b, 18c and the three spacers 18e are secured to each other by three bolts 18i. It will be noted that in FIG. 8 the distance between the two disc parts 18b, 18c is shown more exaggerated than it really is in order to make it easier to understand the structure of the folding member 18a.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 7, the spacers 18e are disposed equidistantly around the rotating shaft 18d in the center portion of the two disc parts 18b, 18c. That is, the three spacers 18e are away from each other. For that reason, the space between the two disc parts 18b, 18c is not partitioned by the three spacers 18e. Hereinafter, the space between the two disc parts 18b, 18c will be called a gas supply space 18f.

[0055] The two disc parts 18b, 18c are configured from a first disc part 18b positioned in back and a second disc part 18c positioned in front. The first disc part 18b is connected to the servo motor 18m via a shaft (not shown in the drawings). The servo motor 18m causes the shaft to axially rotate to thereby cause the folding member 18a to rotate about the rotating shaft 18d. The second disc part 18c is connected to the gas blowing mechanism 19 described later.

[0056] In the folding member 18a shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the main surfaces of the disc parts 18b, 18c that are in contact with the spacers 18e have flat circular shapes. As shown in FIG. 8, the thicknesses of the disc parts 18b, 18c gradually become larger heading from the outer peripheral portion to the center portion and then become fixed. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the folding member 18a has a tapered outer peripheral portion. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, the spacers 18e are in contact with the disc parts 18b, 18c where the thicknesses of the disc parts 18b, 18c are at their largest. However, the shapes and the positional relationships of the two disc parts 18b, 18c and the three spacers 18e are not limited to those shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8.

(2-6) Gas Blowing Mechanism 19

[0057] The gas blowing mechanism 19 is a device that has a tube 19a that delivers a gas such as air and a nozzle 19b that blows out the gas that has been delivered thereto by the tube 19a. As shown in FIG. 8, the nozzle 19b of the gas blowing mechanism 19 is connected to a gas supply hole 18g formed in the center portion of the second disc part 18c of the folding member 18a. In FIG. 7, the gas blowing mechanism 19 is not shown. The gas supply hole 18g communicates with the gas supply space 18f.

[0058] The gas blowing mechanism 19 uses the tube 19a and the nozzle 19b to blow out the gas in the gas supply hole 18g in the folding member 18a and supply the gas to the gas supply space 18f of the folding member 18a. In FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the flow of the gas in the gas supply space 18f is indicated by dashed arrows. The gas that has been supplied to the gas supply space 18f flows from the center portion of the disc parts 18b, 18c, in between the spacers 18e, and toward the outer peripheral portion. Thereafter, the gas flowing through the gas supply space 18f is blown out from the outer peripheral portion of the folding member 18a. Members such as the spacers 18e are not provided in the outer peripheral portion of the folding member 18a. For that reason, the gas that has been blown out from the gas blowing mechanism 19 flows through the gas supply space 18f and thereafter is blown out evenly from the entire outer peripheral portion of the folding member 18a. The gas blowing mechanism 19 has a mechanism for adjusting the amount of the gas that is to be blown out from the nozzle 19b.

(3) Operation of Bag Making and Packaging Machine

[0059] First, an overview of the operation by which the bag making and packaging machine 1 seals the contents C in the bags B will be described. The film F that has been supplied from the film supplying unit 4 to the bag making and packaging unit 3 is wrapped around the tube 13a and formed into a cylindrical shape, and is conveyed downward by the pull-down belt mechanisms 14. Both end portionsextending in the up and down directionof the cylindrical film F wrapped around the tube 13a are overlapped on top of each other. The overlapping portion of the film F that has been formed into a cylindrical shape is sealed in the longitudinal direction by the longitudinal sealing mechanism 15, whereby the cylindrical film Fc is formed.

[0060] The cylindrical film Fc that has been longitudinally sealed comes off from the tube 13a and thereafter has the fold G formed therein by the folding member 18a of the gusset forming mechanism 18. The fold G is formed along the up and down direction in the side surface on the right side of the cylindrical film Fc. The cylindrical film Fc in which the fold G has been formed is conveyed downward to the position of the transverse sealing mechanism 17. The transverse sealing mechanism 17 uses the pair of first sealing jaws 51a, 51b or the pair of second sealing jaws 52a, 52b to sandwich the cylindrical film Fc and seal it in the transverse direction. At this time, under the portion of the cylindrical film Fc that has been sealed in the transverse direction, the bag B in which the contents C have been enclosed is formed. At the same time, above the portion of the cylindrical film Fc that has been sealed in the transverse direction, the contents C that have been weighed by the combination weighing unit 2 drop through the inside of the tube 13a and are input to the cylindrical film Fc.

[0061] Furthermore, in accordance with the timing when the cylindrical film Fc is sealed in the transverse direction, the portion of the cylindrical film Fc that has been sealed in the transverse direction is cut in the transverse direction by the cutter (not shown in the drawings) built into the first sealing jaw 51a or the second sealing jaw 52a. Because of this, the bag B in which the contents C are enclosed is cut away from the subsequent cylindrical film Fc. The fold G is formed in the side surface on the right side of the bag B.

[0062] In the way described above, the bags B in which the contents C are enclosed are continuously manufactured. The manufactured bags B are thereafter transferred by a belt conveyor (not shown in the drawings) or the like to devices such as a thickness checker and a weight checker.

(4) Characteristics

[0063] The bag making and packaging machine 1 forms, with the gusset forming mechanism 18, the fold G in the cylindrical film Fc before sealing, with the transverse sealing mechanism 17, the cylindrical film Fc that has been formed by the forming mechanism 13. Specifically, the gusset forming mechanism 18 causes the folding member 18a to rotate and at the same time pushes the folding member 18a against the side portion of the cylindrical film Fc that is conveyed downward. Because of this, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the cylindrical film Fc is folded toward the inside of the cylindrical film Fc by the force it receives from the folding member 18a, whereby the fold G along the conveyance direction of the cylindrical film Fc is formed. The cylindrical film Fc in which the fold G has been formed is filled with the contents C and thereafter is sealed by the transverse sealing mechanism 17. Because of this series of processes, the bag making and packaging machine 1 can manufacture the bags B in which the single fold G is formed.

[0064] In the bag making and packaging machine 1, when the fold G is formed in the cylindrical film Fc by the folding member 18a, the gas that has been supplied from the gas blowing mechanism 19 is blown out from the outer peripheral portion of the rotating folding member 18a. The rotating folding member 18a is pushed against the cylindrical film Fc, so the gas that has been blown out from the outer peripheral portion of the folding member 18a is blown onto the fold G of the cylindrical film Fc. For that reason, even if a force by which the cylindrical film Fc sticks to the folding member 18a acts due to static electricity or the like, a force by which the cylindrical film Fc tends to separate from the folding member 18a acts because of the gas blowing out from the outer peripheral portion of the folding member 18a. Because of this, a situation where the cylindrical film Fc sticks to and gets caught on the rotating folding member 18a so that the cylindrical film Fc tears and sustains damage is inhibited. Consequently, the bag making and packaging machine 1 can prevent sticking between the disc-shaped folding member 18a for folding the cylindrical film Fc inward and the cylindrical film Fc.

[0065] Furthermore, in the bag making and packaging machine 1, the gas that has been supplied from the gas blowing mechanism 19 is blown out from the outer peripheral portion of the folding member 18a and is blown onto the fold G of the cylindrical film Fc. For that reason, the gas is blown directly onto the side portion of the cylindrical film Fc that contacts the rotating folding member 18a. For that reason, sticking between the folding member 18a and the cylindrical film Fc is effectively inhibited.

[0066] Furthermore, in the bag making and packaging machine 1, the folding member 18a is configured from the two disc parts 18b, 18c that oppose each other across a predetermined distance, and the gas blowing mechanism 19 supplies the gas to the gas supply space 18f formed between the two disc parts 18b, 18c. The two disc parts 18b, 18c are spaced apart from each other by the three spacers 18e installed in the center portion. For that reason, the two disc parts 18b, 18c are not in contact with each other at the outer peripheral portion. Consequently, the gas blowing mechanism 19 can blow out the gas from the entire outer peripheral portion of the folding member 18a by supplying the gas to the gas supply space 18f.

[0067] Furthermore, in the bag making and packaging machine 1, the gas blowing mechanism 19 is a mechanism for supplying the gas to the gas supply space 18f formed between the two disc parts 18b, 18c of the folding member 18a, blowing out from the outer peripheral portion of the folding member 18a the gas that has been supplied to the gas supply space 18f, and blowing the gas onto the fold G of the cylindrical film Fc. The gas that has been supplied to the gas supply space 18f is blown out from the outer peripheral portion of the folding member 18a while the folding member 18a rotates about the rotating shaft 18d. Furthermore, the spacers 18e sandwiched between the two disc parts 18b, 18c of the folding member 18a are installed in the center portion of the disc parts 18b, 18c. For that reason, as shown in FIG. 7, the gas in the gas supply space 18f is blown out evenly from the entire outer peripheral portion of the rotating folding member 18a. Because of this, the gas blowing mechanism 19 can adjust the amount of the gas that is blown onto the fold G by controlling the amount of the gas that is supplied to the gas supply space 18f. That is, the gas blowing mechanism 19 can blow the minimum required amount of the gas onto the fold G in order to ensure that the cylindrical film Fc does not stick to and get caught on the rotating folding member 18a. If the amount of the gas that is blown onto the fold G is too much, there is the concern that the cylindrical film Fc will flutter because of the gas and the cylindrical film Fc will not be appropriately sealed by the transverse sealing mechanism 17. Consequently, by adjusting the amount of the gas that is blown onto the fold G by the gas blowing mechanism 19, sticking between the folding member 18a and the cylindrical film Fc is prevented and also fluttering of the cylindrical film Fc is inhibited, so the cylindrical film Fc can be appropriately sealed by the transverse sealing mechanism 17.

[0068] Furthermore, in the bag making and packaging machine 1, the gusset forming mechanism 18 can move, using the servo motor 18m, the folding member 18a in the right and left direction but cannot move it in the up and down direction. That is, the up and down direction position of the folding member 18a is fixed. For that reason, it is not necessary to ensure a large space between the longitudinal sealing mechanism 15 and the transverse sealing mechanism 17 in order to install the gusset forming mechanism 18 under the longitudinal sealing mechanism 15 and above the transverse sealing mechanism 17. That is, the distance between the position at which the fold G is formed in the cylindrical film Fc by the gusset forming mechanism 18 and the position at which the cylindrical film Fc is sealed by the transverse sealing mechanism 17 can be reduced. The shorter this distance is, the more the amount of time from when the fold G is formed in the cylindrical film Fc to when the cylindrical film Fc is sealed in the transverse direction can be shortened, so the aesthetic look of the bags B is inhibited from being decreased by opening of the fold G that has been formed by the gusset forming mechanism 18. That is, the bag making and packaging machine 1 can enhance, with the gusset forming mechanism 18 that has the folding member 18a, the aesthetic look of the bags B after they have been sealed by the transverse sealing mechanism 17.

[0069] Furthermore, in the bag making and packaging machine 1, the gusset forming mechanism 18 blows out the gas from the entire outer peripheral portion of the rotating folding member 18a. For that reason, the gas that has been blown out from the lower end portion of the folding member 18a is blown also onto the fold G just after the fold G has been formed in the cylindrical film Fc by the folding member 18a. Because of this, the fold G just after it has been formed is inhibited from opening, so the aesthetic look of the bags B after they have been sealed by the transverse sealing mechanism 17 is inhibited from being decreased.

(5) Example Modifications

[0070] An embodiment of the invention has been described above, but the invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be changed in a variety of ways in a range that does not depart from the spirit of the invention.

(5-1) Example Modification A

[0071] In the embodiment, the gusset forming mechanism 18 has only one folding member 18a for forming the fold G in the right side portion of the cylindrical film Fc. However, the gusset forming mechanism 18 may also have two folding members 18a for forming the fold G in the left side portion and the right side portion of the cylindrical film Fc.

[0072] FIG. 9 is a view showing the configuration of the gusset forming mechanism 18 in this example modification. As shown in FIG. 9, the folding member 18a is provided one each on both the right and left side portions of the cylindrical film Fc that is conveyed downward. The gusset forming mechanism 18 can, with the servo motors 18m, cause the two folding members 18a to independently move in the right and left direction. The two folding members 18a are rotatable about the rotating shafts 18d. In FIG. 9, the folding member 18a on the left side of the cylindrical film Fc rotates in the clockwise direction, and the folding member 18a on the right side of the cylindrical film Fc rotates in the counter-clockwise direction. In this example modification also, the gas is blown out from the outer peripheral portions of the two folding members 18a by the gas blowing mechanism 19, and sticking between the folding members 18a and the cylindrical film Fc is prevented.

[0073] In this example modification, the gusset forming mechanism 18 can form the folds G in both the right and left side portions of the cylindrical film Fc. For that reason, the bag making and packaging machine 1 that has the gusset forming mechanism 18 can manufacture bags B having two folds G.

(5-2) Example Modification B

[0074] In the embodiment, the gas blowing mechanism 19 is connected to the second disc part 18c of the folding member 18a via the tube 19a and the nozzle 19b as shown in FIG. 8. Because of this, the gas that has been blown out from the gas blowing mechanism 19 is supplied to the gas supply space 18f between the two disc parts 18b, 18c of the folding member 18a and is blown out from the outer peripheral portion of the folding member 18a.

[0075] However, the gas blowing mechanism 19 may also blow out the gas at a position away from the folding member 18a and blow the gas onto the fold G of the cylindrical film Fc.

[0076] FIG. 10 is a view showing the configuration of the gas blowing mechanism 19 in this example modification. FIG. 10 is the same view as FIG. 5 and is a front view of the cylindrical film Fc and the folding member 18a as seen looking from the front side toward the rear side. The gas blowing mechanism 19 is shown in FIG. 10.

[0077] As in the embodiment, the gas blowing mechanism 19 has the tube 19a and the nozzle 19b. The nozzle 19b is attached by a securing member (not shown in the drawings) to a frame or the like of the bag making and packaging unit 3. The gas blowing mechanism 19 is not connected to the folding member 18a and blows the gas onto the fold G of the cylindrical film Fc from a position away from the folding member 18a. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the nozzle 19b of the gas blowing mechanism 19 is provided under the folding member 18a and blows out the gas from the right side toward the left side. In this case, the gas that has been blown out from the nozzle 19b is blown onto the fold G just after the fold G has been formed by the folding member 18a. In FIG. 10, the flow of the gas that has been blown out from the nozzle 19b is indicated by a dashed arrow.

[0078] In this example modification, the gas blowing mechanism 19 is a mechanism independent from the folding member 18a, so the amount and the direction of the gas that is blown onto the fold G of the cylindrical film Fc can be easily adjusted by adjusting the position and the angle of the nozzle 19b of the gas blowing mechanism 19. In FIG. 10, the nozzle 19b of the gas blowing mechanism 19 blows the gas from the lower side onto where the cylindrical film Fc and the folding member 18a contact each other. However, the nozzle 19b of the gas blowing mechanism 19 may also blow the gas from the upper side onto where the cylindrical film Fc and the folding member 18a contact each other.

(5-3) Example Modification C

[0079] In the embodiment, the gusset forming mechanism 18 has the folding member 18a that has the two disc parts 18b, 18c and the three spacers 18e. The two disc parts 18b, 18c sandwich the three spacers 18e, whereby the gas supply space 18f, to which the gas is supplied from the gas blowing mechanism 19, is formed between the two disc parts 18b, 18c.

[0080] However, it suffices for the gas supply space 18f to be an arbitrary space formed between the two circular main surfaces of the folding member 18a. That is, the gas supply space 18f does not have to be a space between the two disc parts 18b, 18c. For example, the gas supply space 18f may also be a space formed radially inside the folding member 18a that is a disc-shaped one-piece body. FIG. 11 is a view showing the configuration of the folding member 18a in this example modification. In FIG. 11, the folding member 18a has plural gas flow passages 18h that extend radially from the center portion of the main surfaces toward the outer peripheral portion. The plural gas flow passages 18h are connected to each other at the center portion of the main surfaces and overall form the gas supply space 18f. The gas flow passages 18h are, for example, holes formed in the radial direction in the folding member 18a.

[0081] In a case where the nozzle 19b of the gas blowing mechanism 19 is connected to the hole (not shown in the drawings) formed in the center portion of the main surfaces of the folding member 18a shown in FIG. 11, the gas that has been supplied from the gas blowing mechanism 19 to the gas supply hole 18g flows through each of the gas flow passages 18h and is blown out from the outer peripheral portion of the folding member 18a. For that reason, the folding member 18a shown in FIG. 11 can blow the gas onto the fold G of the cylindrical film Fc in the same way as the folding member 18a of the embodiment. In FIG. 11, the flows of the gas in each of the gas flow passages 18h are indicated by dashed arrows.

[0082] In FIG. 11, twelve gas flow passages 18h are shown wider than what they actually are in order to make it easier to understand the structure of the folding member 18a. However, in order to blow out the gas evenly from the entire outer peripheral portion of the folding member 18a, the greater the number of the gas flow passages 18h formed inside the folding member 18a, the more preferred it is.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

[0083] 1 Bag Making and Packaging Machine [0084] 13 Forming Mechanism [0085] 14 Pull-down Belt Mechanisms (Conveyance Mechanism) [0086] 15 Longitudinal Sealing Mechanism [0087] 17 Transverse Sealing Mechanism (Sealing Mechanism) [0088] 18 Gusset Forming Mechanism [0089] 18a Folding Member (Disc-shaped Member) [0090] 18b Disc Part [0091] 18c Disc Part [0092] 18f Gas Supply Space [0093] 19 Gas Blowing Mechanism [0094] B Bags [0095] C Contents [0096] F Film (Packaging Material) [0097] Fc Cylindrical Film (Packaging Material Formed in Cylindrical Shape) [0098] G Fold