Automatic filling apparatus, and bag mouth opening device thereof

Abstract

An apparatus for automatically filling bags with a material after separating each bag from a continuous chain of bags along perforations where each bag is joined to its neighbor has a guide section for guiding the chain of bags, a separating section for separating the chain of bags into individual bags at the perforations, a mouth opening device for opening a mouth located at one side edge of each bag, and a filling section for blowing air into the bag through its opened mouth and for filling the bag through the opened mouth. The mouth opening device has a pressing assembly supported above the mouth of the bag, and a chuck assembly situated at one side of the mouth. The pressing assembly has pressing pads brought into pressured contact with an outer surface of one side sheet of the bag near its mouth, and the chuck assembly has means for moving the pressing pads toward the bottom of the bag while the pressing pads are in pressured contact with the one side sheet, and means for grasping the other side sheet of the bag at the mouth thereof as the pressing pads are moved. The mouth opening device thus grasps one side sheet of the bag and partially opens the mouth, in which state the bag is delivered to the filling section to be fully opened by the expelled air and filled while held firmly in place.