Package Machinery Co. Inc.

United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Edward F O'Brien

Roger L Putnam, Jr

James S Groom

Richard H Shultz

A vertical form, fill and seal packaging machine has a tube former for receiving flexible packaging material in thin flat strip form and juxtaposing opposite longitudinal edge portions thereof in parallel vertically extending relationship to provide a depending tube open at the top. An end sealer provides vertically spaced horizontally extending transverse or end seals across the tube. A product dispenser discharges measured quantities of product into the tube interior through its open upper end. Tube feed means comprises first and second pairs of vertically spaced rolls respectively on opposite external sides of the tube of packaging material and first and second tube feeding belts respectively trained over said pairs of rolls. Inner runs of the belts engage the tube and have vertically extending perforate portions. Vacuum generating means communicate with the perforate portions to cause the belts to grip the tube and back-up means within the tube provide for frictional tube feeding action. Improved side sealing means comprises a third pair of rolls spaced vertically along the longitudinal edge portions and a belt trained thereover and in pressure engagement with the edge portions. Back-up means within the tube react the sealing belt pressure. The sealing means is driven in unison with the tube feed means and is both adjustable toward and away from the tube edge portions and movable bodily away from the edge portions to prevent overheating thereof.

Vertical form, fill and seal packaging machine with improved side

A tubeless vertical form, fill and seal packaging machine has a tube former for receiving flexible packaging material in thin flat strip form and juxtaposing opposite longitudinal edge portions thereof in parallel vertically extending relationship to provide a depending tube open at the top. Side and end sealers respectively seal vertical longitudinal edge portions and provide vertically spaced horizontally extending end seals across the tube. A product dispenser discharges measured quantities of product into the tube interior through its open upper end. Improved tube feed means comprises first and second pairs of vertically spaced rolls respectively on opposite external sides of the tube of packaging material and first and second tube feeding belts respectively trained over said pairs of rolls. Inner runs of the belts engage the tube and have vertically extending imperforate marginal portions and a perforate intermediate portion. Vacuum generating means communicate with the intermediate perforate portions to cause the belts to grip the tube and tube guide and belt back-up means within the tube prevent lateral vacuum loss and provide for frictional tube feeding action. In one form, the back-up means comprise depending cantilevered thin flat members which provide frictional feeding action throughout the width of the belts. In a second form, first and second pairs of back-up members provide frictional feeding action only at the imperforate marginal belt portions. The rolls and belts are adjustable horizontally for varying frictional tube feeding action.

Tubeless vertical form, fill and seal packaging machine with improved

A package making machine of the vertical form, fill and seal type has a tube former for receiving flexible packaging material in thin flat strip form and for juxtaposing opposite side edges thereof in parallel vertically extending relationship to provide a depending tube open at the top. Side and end sealers respectively seal the vertical edge portions and provide vertically spaced horizontally extending end seals across the tube. A product dispenser associated with the former discharges measured quantities of product to the tube interior space through its open upper end, a bottom seal having first been provided across the tube by the end sealer. An improved tube advancing or feed means occupies a minimum space vertically beneath the former and provides for a short product drop. The feed means comprises a pair of vacuum feed rolls on spaced horizontal axes and in parallel relationship to peripherally engage opposite sides of the tube. Back-up members inside the tube provide for firm tube and roll engagement over a substantial portion of the roll peripheral surface and for efficient tube feeding operation. Alternatively, four vacuum feed rolls are provided in a rectangular configuration for four sided tube engagement. The vacuum rolls may have associated stationary distributors for sequentially providing a vacuum and venting the vacuum passageways and openings therein. Alternatively, vacuum boxes may be provided for hollow feed rolls with the rolls projecting partially through sealed openings to engage the tube.

Short product drop vertical form, fill and seal packaging machine

A film slewing device is incorporated into a contact printer of the type in which a free running inner copy film and a driven outer master film are transported in layered contact on the surface of a free wheeling drum through a light exposure region by use of a master film drive roller and a film coupling pressure roller. The slewing device can selectively provide independent drive of the master film while holding the copy film stationary. This is accomplished by use of a thin arcuate film separating member that is conformed to the outer surface of the drum and that slides on the outer surface of the copy film. The film separating member can be slideably inserted between copy and master films in the region of light exposure. It has idling rollers on its outer surfaces to permit free passage of the outer master film. The pressure roller is disengaged when the separating member is positioned between films to prevent movement of the copy film.

Film slewing device for drum type contact printer

A package making machine of the vertical form, fill and seal type has a tube former for receiving packaging material in thin flat strip form and for juxtaposing opposite side edges thereof in parallel vertically extending and overlapped relationship to provide a depending tube open at the top. A product dispenser discharges measured quantities of product to the tube interior space, a lower end portion thereof being sealed transversely by an end sealing apparatus. Tube advancing means may comprise intermittently operable vertically extending vacuum belts or, alternatively, the end sealer may be reciprocated vertically to draw the strip material downwardly through the former. At a longitudinal seam sealing station beneath the former a vertically elongated sealing bar moves to engage and to seal the overlapped longitudinal edges of the tube. A sealing back-up bar within the tube is pivotally supported at its mid-point by a depending support member and freely adjusts angularly to provide precise parallelism and uniform pressure distribution between and throughout the length of the sealing and back-up bars. Narrow elongated tube spreaders depend within the tube to maintain the tube open in cooperation with the back-up bar and its support member, a relatively unobstructed product fall space thus being provided.

Vertical form, fill and seal packaging machine with improved back-up bar

A mechanism for forming heat seals or the like in adjacent layers of web material as part of a package making process carried out by a machine comprises two sealing jaws and a means for slidably supporting and driving the two jaws for movement between relatively opened and closed positions. One jaw is fixed to a slide slidably supported for movement relative to a base along a given slide axis and the other jaw is slidably supported on the slide for slidable movement along the same slide axis. A crank mechanism simultaneously moves both the slide and the other jaw to drive the two jaws in opposite directions toward their open or closed condition, depending on the direction of rotation of the crank. In the jaw closing direction the crank mechanism has a toggle action making available a high clamping force between the jaws and causing the jaws to close smoothly with little or no bouncing or impact.

Sealing jaw mechanism for package making machine

A mechanism for forming seals at spaced points along the length of a body of web material moved through the mechanism is comprised of two sealing jaws and a simple device for opening and closing the jaws whereby the mechanism consists of a small number of parts and may be made at a relatively low cost and to have a relatively light weight. The jaws are slidably supported relative to a base for pure linear motion and are moved between their open and closed conditions by an air cylinder or other fluid actuator which is unfixed to and floats relative to the base.

Growing community of inventors

Northampton, MA, United States of America

Edward F O'Brien