GB2512135A

GB2512135A - Packaging Machine

Info

Publication number: GB2512135A
Application number: GB1305273.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Lee Neville Wright; David Alan Francis Mann
Original assignee: A M PACKAGING Ltd
Current assignee: A M PACKAGING Ltd
Priority date: 2013-03-22
Filing date: 2013-03-22
Publication date: 2014-09-24
Anticipated expiration: 2033-03-22
Also published as: WO2014147422A1; GB2512135B; GB201305273D0

Abstract

A packaging machine for packaging a collation of deformable packets 12 has two longitudinally-extending endless belts 16, 18 spaced apart by a distance less than the width of any one of the packets, the collation of packets 12 being received between the belts 16,18 with each packet upright, feed means 20,22 for guiding and shaping a web material from a web feed over and around an end portion of the belts 16,18 with the packets therebetween, means for drawing together and sealing the opposed sides of the web to form a tube closely surrounding the collation of packets 12 as it emerges from between the belts 16,18, and transverse sealing and cutting means 26 for sealing and separating the tube between each collation of packets 12. The packets may contain potato crisps.

Description

PACKAGING MACHINE

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a packaging machine for use in packaging colla-tions of flexible packets, for example of the type used to contain snack foods such as potato crisps.

Background to the Invention

It is common for snack foods such as potato crisps and nuts to be pack-aged in film packets flat-sealed along the upper and lower edges. While these packets are sold singly, they are also often sold in multipack form with, for ex-ample, six of the packets contained within a similar, but of course larger, film pack. Conventionally, the multipacks are created by forming the larger film pack around stacked collations of the packets, and these are usually stacked horizontally in collations of two or three. The resulting multipacks therefore have a relatively long narrow shape. For some display purposes, it may be de-sirable to offer other shapes.

A possible disadvantage with such conventional multipackaging methods is that, because they typically package in multi-layers, they operate most effi-ciently when all the layers are the same, which means that it is difficult to vary the numbers of packets in the multipack singly; instead they tend to be varied by increments of the number of layers, to avoid creating unnecessary empty space within the multipack.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention provides a packaging machine for packaging a collation of deformable packets, the machine having two longitudi-nally-extending endless belts spaced apart by a distance less than the width of any one of the packets, the collation of packets being received between the belts with each packet upright, feed means for guiding and shaping a web mate- rial from a web feed over and around an end portion of the belts with the pack-ets therebetween, means for drawing together and sealing the opposed sides of the web to form a tube closely surrounding the collation of packets as it emerg-es from between the belts, and transverse sealing and cutting means for sealing and separating the tube between each collation of packets.

Other features of the invention are set out in the claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the drawings, which illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the pack-aging machine of the invention: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine; Figure 2 is a section on line A-A in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a section on line B-B in Figure 1

Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiment

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the packaging machine comprises a deliv-ery channel 1 consisting of a spaced pair of longitudinal guides 2 and 4, and with a moving bed 6 extending beneath and between the guides. The moving bed 6 is formed by plastics blocks 8 carried by an endless chain (not shown), which also supports pairs of posts 10 spaced at intervals along the bed 6.

The packets 12 of snack foods, typically containing from 20g to 50g of the snack foods, are located into the delivery channel in collations of, for exam-ple, six, each packet 12 being placed upright (generally known in the packaging field as "on edge") into the channel at an oblique angle to the direction of movement (indicated in Figure 1 by the arrow 0) and then rotated so that the width of the packet extends transversely of the channel. This will typically be done by a robotic arm device which will pick the packets from a neighbouring conveyor. The positioning of the packet between the guides in this way causes the packet to be squeezed in to a small degree centrally, creating an indentation in each side of the packet. The indentations help to maintain the correct orien- tation of the packets, while the posts 10 assist in maintaining the packets up-right and in their collations as they pass along the delivery channel.

The delivery channel 1 leads into a wrapping section indicated generally at 14, in which the longitudinal guides 2 and 4 are replaced by longitudinally-extending endless belts 16 and 18, as may be seen more clearly in Figure 3, which offer at least a small degree of friction so as to engage the indented sides of the packets to propel them forward and hold them upright. The wrapping section 14 has guides 20 and 22 on opposed sides of the delivery channel to receive a web material 24 delivered from a roll and to guide each side of the web downwardly and around the outsides of the belts 16 and 18 and to the op-posed sides of the moving bed 6, to be brought together in a tensioning and crimp sealing station beneath the packets at the point where the moving bed 6 ends. This pulls the web 24 into a tube with a crimped seal being formed as the collation of packets is carried forward free of the ends of the belts 16 and 18, the web tube serving to hold the packets in a stack for delivery to a transverse end sealing and cuffing station 26 consisting of conventional rotary heat-sealing and cutting blades 28 and 30, which bring the top and bottom of the tube to-gether forming a transverse seal across the tube between each collation of packets, and severing the sealed portion so that each multipack is separated in turn from the following one. It is desirable to extend the ends of the belts 16 is and 18 forward as close to the sealing and cutting station 26 as possible to en-sure that the packets do not move significantly away from the vertical before the closing seal is formed.

The belts are servo-driven at a speed that matches the speed of the web as it is delivered to the wrapping section 14. Because the belts extend within the web as it is formed into a tube, the collation of packets continues to be sup-ported by the belts right up to the point at which the tube is crimped and sealed, support then transferring to the tube. The moving bed 6 runs at a speed slightly faster than that of the web 24 to ensure that the packets are urged towards the closed end of the web tube, thereby ensuring that there are no gaps between them, or unnecessary empty space within the multipack.

The web material is conveniently a heat-sealable plastics film of the type used for forming conventional multipacks, but other materials could be used, for example paper, suitably a coated paper to facilitate sealing.

It will be appreciated that, while the invention has been described with reference to the packaging of snack foods and the like, the machine can be used for packaging almost any packets or bags of loose products.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A packaging machine for packaging a collation of deformable packets, the machine having two longitudinally-extending endless belts spaced apart by a distance less than the width of any one of the packets, the collation of packets being received between the belts with each packet upright, feed means for guiding and shaping a web material from a web feed over and around an end portion of the belts with the packets therebetween, means for drawing together and sealing the opposed sides of the web to form a tube closely surrounding the collation of packets as it emerges from between the belts, and transverse sealing and cutting means for sealing and separating the tube between each collation of packets.
2. A packaging machine according to Claim 1, wherein drive motors are provided to drive the endless belts.
3. A packaging machine according to Claim 1 or 2, further compris- ing a moving bed extending below and between the belts to support the pack-ets.
4. A packaging machine according to Claim 3, wherein the moving bed comprises a plurality of blocks carried by an endless chain extending longi-tudinally of the machine.
5. A packaging machine according to Claim 3 or 4, wherein the mov- ing bed is divided into sections by upright barriers spaced at intervals there-along and movable therewith.
6. A packaging machine according to Claim 5, wherein the upright barriers comprise pairs of posts.
7. A packaging machine according to any of Claims 3 to 6, wherein the endless belts extend horizontally beyond the end of the moving bed.
8. A packaging machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the endless belts are configured to exert a gripping force on the packets.
9. A packaging machine according to any preceding claim, compris- ing a delivery channel to deliver the collations of packets to the belts, the deliv- ery channel comprising a spaced pair of longitudinal guides above and extend-ing along opposed sides of the moving bed.
10. A packaging machine, substantially as described with reference to, and/or as shown in, the drawings.Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows:CLAIMS1. A packaging machine for packaging a collation of deformable packets, the machine having two longitudinally-extending endless belts spaced apart by a distance less than the width of any one of the packets, the collation of packets being received between the belts with each packet upright, feed means for guiding and shaping a web material from a web feed over and around an end portion of the belts with the packets therebetween, means for drawing together and sealing the opposed sides of the web to form a tube closely surrounding the collation of packets as it emerges from between the belts, and transverse sealing and cutting means for sealing and separating the tube between each collation of packets as it emerges from between the belts.2. A packaging machine according to Claim 1, wherein drive motors are provided to drive the endless belts.C') 3. A packaging machine according to Claim 1 or 2, further compris- ing a moving bed extending below and between the belts to support the pack-ets.4. A packaging machine according to Claim 3, wherein the moving o bed comprises a plurality of blocks carried by an endless chain extending longi-tudinally of the machine.5. A packaging machine according to Claim 3 or 4, wherein the mov- ing bed is divided into sections by upright barriers spaced at intervals there-along and movable therewith.6. A packaging machine according to Claim 5, wherein the upright barriers comprise pairs of posts.7. A packaging machine according to any of Claims 3 to 6, wherein the endless belts extend horizontally beyond the end of the moving bed.8. A packaging machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the endless belts are configured to exert a gripping force on the packets.9. A packaging machine according to any preceding claim, compris- ing a delivery channel to deliver the collations of packets to the belts, the deliv- ery channel comprising a spaced pair of longitudinal guides above and extend-ing along opposed sides of the moving bed.Specification AMPACKAG-Pi 934.GBA-2O1 3-08-27.doc10. A packaging machine, substantially as described with reference to, and/or as shown in, the drawings.