Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.a.

Tetra-Dev Co.

Tetra Brik Research & Development Spa

Paolo Fontanazzi

Fabrizio Rimondi

Massimo Pradelli

Per Gustafsson

Giorgio Mattioli

Franco Santi

Davide Borghi

Stefano Flore

Stefano Caselli

Lars Jeppsson

Pietro Martini

Paolo Benedetti

Richard John Pedretti

Lennart Friberg

Felix Dunge

Mauro Ferrari

Fabio Curbastro Ricci

Alberto Fini

Fabio Ricci Curbastro

Curbastro Fabio Ricci

There is described a packaging assembly configured to form and seal a plurality of packs for containing a pourable food product starting from a tube of packaging material; the packaging assembly comprises a pair of tracks and at least a pair of moving elements, which are cyclically movable along the tracks, respectively; each moving element comprises one forming unit configured to cooperate with the tube so as to surround a portion of the tube destined to form a main portion of one respective pack; and one sealing unit configured to cooperate with the tube to sequentially seal the tube at predetermined consecutive cross sections, each pair of consecutive cross sections forming opposite sealing bands of one respective pack; each forming unit is mounted onto the respective moving element in a linearly movable manner towards and away from the sealing unit mounted onto the same moving element.

Packaging assembly for forming and sealing a plurality of packs containing a pourable food product

There is described a packaging apparatus () for forming sealed packages () from a tube (). The packaging apparatus () has an endless conveyor device () arranged in a conveyor zone (), conveying carts () and operative units () moved by the plurality of conveying carts () along a path (P, Q). Each operative unit () moves between an operative configuration, in which the operative unit () manipulates the tube () and a rest configuration in which the operative unit () is detached from the tube (). Each operative unit () has a half-shell () and one of a sealing element () or a counter-sealing element () and each operative unit () is carried by one respective conveying cart () and extends laterally away therefrom so that the conveyor zone () is laterally spaced apart from an operative zone () where the tube is manipulated.

Packaging apparatus for forming sealed packages from a tube of packaging material

An apparatus for forming an opening device on a receiving portion of a sheet packaging material for packaging pourable food products comprises a molding unit having a first and a second mold selectively set in an open configuration, in which they are spaced from one another to allow feed of the packaging material therebetween, and in a closed configuration, in which they cooperate with faces of the packaging material and delimit a closed mold cavity housing the receiving portion of the packaging material and adapted to be filled with molten plastic material to define, when the plastic material sets, the opening device. The apparatus further comprises feeding device to feed molten plastic material to the molding zone in the open configuration of the first and second mold, and pressing device exerting pressure on the dose to force it to fill the mold cavity and to form the opening device.

Apparatus and method for forming opening devices on a sheet packaging material for packaging pourable food products

There is described an apparatus for forming opening devices on a sheet packaging material for packaging pourable food products; the apparatus comprises conveying means for advancing the packaging material along a given path, at least one molding unit arranged along the path and adapted to mold one opening device on a receiving portion of the packaging material, and at least one movable element carrying the molding unit and advanced parallel to at least a portion of the path to allow the molding unit to form the opening device while the packaging material is being advanced along the path.

Apparatus for forming opening devices on a sheet packaging material for packaging pourable food products

There is described a forming assembly () for forming a plurality of sealed packs () starting from a tube () of packaging material, comprising: a track (); a first element (), which is cyclically movable along the track () and comprises, in turn, one of a sealing element () or a counter-sealing element () adapted to seal the pack (); and a second element (), which is cyclically movable along the track () and comprises, in turn, a first half-shell (') adapted, in use, contact the tube () so as to bound at least part of a respective pack () and control the shape of the pack () during the formation thereof; the first element () and the second element () are self-movable along the track () independently of one another.

Forming assembly and method for forming a plurality of sealed packs for pourable food products starting from a tube of packaging material

There is described a forming assembly () for forming a plurality of sealed packs () starting from a tube () of packaging material, comprising first conveying means () movable along a first path (Q) comprising: a first operative branch (Q), which has a main elongation direction parallel to an advancing direction (A) of the tube (); and a first return branch (Q) comprising an initial portion () which is arranged immediately downstream of the operative branch (Q) and extends transversally to the advancing direction (A); first conveying means (') comprise one of a sealing element () or a counter-sealing element (); and a first half-shell (), which is movable along the operative branch (Q) between: a first rest position, in which it is detached from the tube () or the formed pack (); and a first operative position, in which it grips the tube () or the formed pack (); the first half-shell () is arranged in the first operative position along a first portion () of the first operative branch (Q); the first half-shell () is kept in the first operative position along an initial portion (), so as to grip and convey the pack () in a staggered position with respect to the advancing direction (A); and moves, from the first operative position to the rest position at an end () of the initial portion () opposite to the first portion (), so as to discharge the pack () in a staggered position with respect to the advancing direction (A).

There is described a feeding unit for feeding sealed packs of pourable food products to a folding unit configured to form folded packages from relative the packs; the feeding unit comprising a feeding conveyor adapted to receive packs at an inlet station of the feeding unit and to drive them to an outlet station of the feeding unit; the feeding conveyor comprising at least one push member movable cyclically and having a cooperating surface adapted to cooperate, in use, with a relative pack to push it towards the outlet station along a substantially rectilinear portion of an advancement path, wherein the cooperating surface has an involute-shaped profile. Furthermore, there is provided a corresponding method for feeding sealed packs of pourable food products to a folding unit.

Feeding unit and method for feeding sealed packs of pourable food products

A forming member for controlling the volume of packages of pourable food products formed from a tube of packaging material and sealed at a number of sections of the tube crosswise to an axis of the tube; the forming member having: a main wall which cooperates cyclically with a first portion of the tube extending between two consecutive sections; and at least one flap extending alongside the wall. The flap is movable, with respect to the wall, between a first position, in which it cooperates with a second portion of the tube, extending between the two consecutive sections, to control the volume, between the two consecutive sections, of the package being formed, and a second position, in which it is detached from the second portion.

Member and method for forming sealed packages of pourable food products from a tube of packaging material

Packaging material configured to be folded and sealed to produce a gable-top package for pourable food products comprises a web of material provided with a crease pattern along which the web of material is foldable. The crease pattern includes first and second transverse fold lines extending transversely across the material web, and a plurality of longitudinal fold lines extending longitudinally away from the first transverse fold line toward the opposite longitudinal end of the web of material, with adjacent pairs of the longitudinal fold lines defining respective walls of the gable-top package when the packaging material is folded and sealed. The crease pattern also includes a pair of oblique fold lines extending obliquely from the first transverse fold line to the second transverse fold line such that an area enclosing triangular panels is bounded by the oblique lines and portions of the first and second transverse fold lines.

Packaging material with crease pattern

A folding assembly for producing a gable portion of a sealed package of pourable product, wherein the gable portion has first and second walls sloping with respect to each other and joined at a seal, and a flap connecting lateral edges of the first and second walls. The folding assembly is supplied with packs, each having an axis and, at one end and on opposite sides of the axis, two end portions which are folded to form the gable portion, with the end portions having, respectively, a first and a second portion to be folded, which are joined by a lateral face of the pack. The folding assembly includes a folding mechanism which interacts, on opposite sides of the axis, with the first and second portion of the pack to fold the second portion onto the lateral face, and the first portion onto the second portion to form the flap.

Folding assembly and method for producing a gable portion of a sealed  package of a pourable food product

A folding unit for producing sealed packages of pourable food products from respective packs, each having a main portion folded into a desired shape, and opposite end portions to be folded to form respective folded ends of a relative finished package. The unit has a first folding station, in turn having a first retaining mechanism for securing each pack by a relative first end portion, and a first folding mechanism for folding a relative second end portion of the pack. The unit also has a second folding station located downstream from the first folding station in the traveling direction of the packs, a second retaining mechanism for securing each pack by the relative folded second end portion, and a second folding mechanism for folding the relative first end portion.

Folding unit for producing sealed packages of pourable food products

A method is described for sterilizing, filling and closing packaging containers open on one side, in which the packaging container is exposed to a sterilizing agent during a clock-controlled transportation in a processing line through different processing stations, which is then removed with sterile hot air. Then, the packaging container is filled with sterile fluid and with a sterile closure. In order for sterilizing and also sterile filling and closure to be implemented without an expensive clean room and in a technically simple manner, it is provided according to the invention that during sterilizing the respective fluid is introduced through the center of the aperture of each individual packaging container in the respective processing station under pressure above atmospheric, approximately as far as in the area between the center and the base of the packaging container, or possibly as far as its base, wherein the fluid is deflected in the interior of the package towards the aperture and is pressed out of this such that a first part of the exiting fluid is suctioned out of the surroundings of the aperture and a second part is allowed to leave in the space around the aperture of the packaging container.

Method and device for sterilizing and filling packing containers

A reject device (,) for a high-speed packaging machine (,), the device having an input opening (,) for a succession of packages (,) containing pourable food products and traveling along a supply path (A); a first guide surface (,) for guiding the packages (,) along a transfer path (B) to an output station (,); a second guide surface (,) for guiding the packages (,) along an expulsion path (C) intersecting the supply and transfer paths (A, B); and a selecting member (,) located at the intersection of the supply, transfer and expulsion paths (A, B, C), and which has a first and a second wall (,) facing and connected integrally to each other, and rotates, about a fixed hinge axis (E) crosswise to the supply path (A), between a first operating position wherein the first wall (,) is substantially aligned with the first guide surface (,) to direct the packages (,) along the transfer path (B), and a second operating position wherein the second wall (,) is substantially aligned with the second guide surface (,) to direct the packages (,) along the expulsion path (C). (FIG.,)

Reject device for a high-speed packing machine

A packaging unit (1) for continuously producing aseptic sealed packages (2), containing a pourable food product, from a tube (14) of packaging material filled with the food product; the unit (1) has a first and second chain conveyor (10, 11) respectively having a number of jaws (12) and a number of counter-jaws (13), which interact with and grip the tube (14) to heat-seal the tube at successive cross sections by means of induction heating elements (29) on the jaws (12); and each counter-jaw (13) has a push bar (35) fitted to a main body (20) of the counter-jaw via the interposition of springs (75) defining the gripping pressure exerted on the packaging material.

Growing community of inventors

Modena, Italy

Paolo Fontanazzi