AU652166B2

AU652166B2 - Apparatus and method for filling and sealing a product in flexible bags

Info

Publication number: AU652166B2
Application number: AU81287/91A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Bertrand Gaillard
Original assignee: Grace SA
Current assignee: Grace SA
Priority date: 1990-07-26
Filing date: 1991-07-23
Publication date: 1994-08-18
Anticipated expiration: 2011-07-23
Also published as: EP0468865A1; AU8128791A; ATE106822T1; FR2665136B1; FR2665136A1; DE69102361D1; EP0468865B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and a machine for automatic packaging of any products in flexible bags. The machine comprises, in particular, a station R for filling bags (S) and a station (2) for leaktight closure by welding of the filled bags, as well as means (8) for placing a tie or strip (1) connecting the bags (S) under tension, these means being arranged at the entry or at the exit of the station (2) in order to tension and flatten the opening of the bags before heat sealing. This machine and this method apply, for example, to the packaging of food products. <IMAGE>

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 (COMPLETE SPECI]FICATION NAME OF APPLICANT(S): GRACE S.A.

ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: DAVIES COLLISON Patent Attorneys 1 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000.

00 o o.~o o Ow 0 0 00 00 I 0100 I 0 0 00 0 0 4 00 INVENTION TITLE: and method for filng and sealing a prociu4a in flexidble bags"'.

'Apparatus The following statement is a full description of thIs invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 004000 0 Q 0000 0 00 00 0 00 00 4 000 06 00 0 0 0 00 0 00 0 00 i iii b% -la- The present invention relates to a method of filling and sealing products, for instance foodstuffs, in flexible bags.

It is also directed to apparatus allowing this method to be carried out.

Methods and machines have been previously proposed for successively conveying, opening, filling and fluid-tight closing of bags of plastics material adapted to contain foodstuffs to allow the packaged foodstuffs to be exhibited for sale.

It has also been previously proposed to use in these methods and apparatus bags which are initially connected to each other by a flexible tie or tape extending for instance near and in substantially parallel relation to respective openings of the bags.

However, there are often problems when the bags are to be closed at a bag closing station, which station consists generally of an enclosure which generates a vacuum within the bags and contains a press with two heated elements between which the bags are passed. At this point, in order to obtain an optimum seal, edges of the opening of each bag are required to be superimposed and parallel before carrying out the heat sealing, and this very often requires a manual operation which of course is time-consuming. Moreover, portions of the bags attached to the tie are cut off after the heat sealing producing waste material which is difficult to be controlled and to be recovered.

Embodiments of the present invention seek to at least reduce some of the problems referred to hereinabove by providing a method and an apparatus for filling and sealing products in bags, which provide in particular a positioning of the bags at the heat sealing station, as well as an easy recovery of waste material cut from the bags.

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940621,p:\oper\mab,81287-91,1 L~1 ~rr j- According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for filling and sealing flexible bags, said flexible bags each having an opening and being connected in side by side relation by a flexible tie which extends substantially parallel to the respective opening of the bags, the apparatus comprising a filling station for filling ertch bag with a product and a closing station having means for sealing the opening of each bag, the apparatus being arranged such that in use, each bag is passed from the filling station to the closing station, the apparatus further comprising means for stretching or tensioning the tie prior to sealing so that the walls of each bag adjacent the opening lie substantially parallel to one another to thereby facilitate sealing of the bag by the sealing means.

Preferably, cutting means is provided downstream of the sealing means, said cutting means being arranged to remove a portion of the bag which is connected to the tie, each bag being cut at a location on the bag between where it is sealed by the sealing means and where it is connected to the tie.

I 4 0 0 0 *0 0 o o 0 0 r* 0 In addition, the apparatus may also include a reel or drum downstream of the cutting means onto which the tie and the portion of each bag can be wound.

20 According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of filling and sealing a product in a flexible bag using the above-described apparatus, the method comprising filling the bag with a product, passing the bag to the closing station, a:nsioning the tie connecting the bags by way of the tensioning means so that the walls of each bag adjacent the opening lie substantially parallel to 25 one another to facilitate sealing of the bags by the sealing means and sealing the opening, Preferably, the method further comprises cutting the bags to remove a portion of the bag which is connected to the tie, each bag being cut at a location on the bag between where it is sealed and where it is connected to the tie.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with 940621,p:\oper\mab,81287-91,2 -3reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic elevational view of an apparatus for the filling and sealing of flexible bags according to an embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1.

According to the exemplary embodiment shown, a machine according to this invention allows the filling and sealing of bags S in particular of plastics material, these bags being all connected by a flexible tie 1 such as a strip fastened by any suitable means known to those skilled in the art adjacent to respective openings 0 of the bags and in substantially parallel relationship with their openings as shown in Figure 2. At R has been shown a station for filling these bags and at 2 a station for the fluid-tight closing or sealing of the bags after the bags have been filled.

Closing station 2 essentially comprises an enclc -are 3 which is generally connected to a vacuum source (not shown) and which contains a number of heated ielements or bars 4 some or all of which are vertically movable by any suitable means (not shown) and between which the bags S must pass after the filling thereof in order to be heat-sealed.

a -At the outlet of the enclosure 3 or within this enclosure is provided a knife shown schematically at 5, and beyond this knife is provided a drum 6 which allows ro the recovery of scraps of cut-off bags as will be explained in detail later with respect to the method.

o Also at the outlet of the enclosure 3 is provided a conveyor 7 for carrying away filled and heat-sealed bags S which have to undergo subsequent heat-shrinking for instance.

Rollers 8 are provided at the inlet and/or the outlet of the enclosure 3 for exerting tension upon the tie or ribbon 1 connecting the bags S in order to provide for optimum parallel overlying of the edges of the openings 0 of the bags when the 940621,p:\oper\znab,81287-91,3

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i -4latter are located between the elements 4 of the press performing the heat-sealing step.

Now for a better understanding of the invention the operation of the machine described above is explained hereinafter.

It should be pointed out at first that the bags S will constantly remain connected by the ribbon 1 until after they have passed out of the heat-sealing or closing station 2.

Initially, as seen at T in Figure 1, the bags connected to each other may be formed into a roll feeding the loading station R.

Here the bags S are not stretched by the ribbon or tie 1 so as to allow the opening of the bags and therefore the loading of products into the bags as shown by the arrows F on Figure 2.

It should be noted here that the bags S may rest for instance on an endless band or belt conveyor (not shown).

After having been loaded, the bags S are transferred to the closing station 2.

It is however important to point out here that a pull is exerted upon the tie or ribbon 1 so as to cause opposed walls of the bags.adjacent the openings 0 of the bags S to be substantially parallel in order to facilitate their fluid-tight closing by welding 25 of said walls which, as mentioned above, are flattened and substantially parallel in view of the pull exerted upon the tie 1 by the rollers 8.

At 9 has been schematically shown the flattened and parallel walls adjacent the openings 0 of the bags S before heat-sealing thereof and at 10 on Figure 2 has been shown a welding line made on the previously filled bags, this welding line being slightly spaced from the ribbon 1 retaining the connection between the bags S.

I I 4 4 4 4 44 L. L 44 'C 4 Cr 940621,p:\oper\mab,81287-91,4 After the fluid-tight closure under vacuum of the bags S, the knife 5 carries out a cut between the welding line 10 and the tie or tape 1, and at the outlet of the enclosure 3 the scraps 12 cut off by the knife 5 and all connected by the tape 1 are automatically wound onto the drum 6. Instead of the drum 6, any other recovery system such as a suction system for instance could be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

The individual bags S which have been filled with a product P are carried along as seen at 13 by the conveyor 7 towards, for instance, a station for heatshrinking of the bags to eventually give a finished product schematically illustrated at 14 on Figure 2.

There has therefore been provided a method of and an apparatus for filling and sealing allowing, owing to the tie connecting the bags and means for stretching or tensioning the tie, a proper positioning of these bags to be achieved without the need to manually prepare the bags prior to sealing to guarantee a fluid-tight and clean closing of the bags which will confer upon the packaged products a fine t t appearance for exhibition purposes.

S 20 It should be understood that the invention is not at all limited to the embodiment described and shown which has been given by way of example only.

0 Thus, the means for tensioning the tie connecting the bags and providing the flattening of their walls adjacent the openings may be by means other than rollers.

For example, the rollers may be driven at differing speeds. Likewise, the material lil t of the tie or ribbon 1 and its fastening to the bags may be of any kind known to those skilled in the art.

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Claims

1. An apparatus for filling and sealing flexible bags, said flexible bags each having an opening and being connected in side by side relation by' a flexible tie which extends substantially parallel to the respective opening of the bags, the apparatus comprising a filling station for filling each bag with a product and a closing station having means for sealing the opening of each bag, the apparatus being arranged such that in use, each bag is passed from the filling station to the closing station, the apparatus further comprising means for stretching or tensioning the tie prior to sealing so that the walls of each bag adjacent the opening lie substantially parallel to one another to thereby facilitate sealing of the bag by the sealing means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for stretching or tensioning comprises at least one roller.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for stretching or tensioning comprises at least one te-nsioning arm.

II S4. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising cutting means located downstream of th'e sealing means, said cutting means being *0~11arranged to remove a portion of the bag which is connected to the tie, each bag being cut at a location on the bag between where it is se,-kd by the sealing means and where it is connected to the tie.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a reel or drum .*.*downstream of the cutting means onto which the portion of each bag can be wound.

An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising means for generating a vacuum or a controlled atmosphere within each bag prior to sealing thereof.

7. A method of filling and seaiing a product in a flexible bag using the apparatus (1 940621,p:~oper\mab,81287-91,6 -U 4- -7- of any one of claims 1 to 6, the method comprising filling the bag with a product, passing the bag to the closing station, tensioning the tie connecting the bags by way of the tensioning means so that the walls of each bag adjacent the opening lie substantially parallel to one another to facilitate sealing of the bags by the sealing means and sealing the opening.

8. A method of filling and sealing a product in flexible bags according to claim 7, further comprising generating a vacuum or a controlled atmosphere within the bag prior to sealing thereof.

9. A method according to claim 7 or claim 8, further comprising cutting the bags to remove a portion of the bag which is connected to the tie, each bag being cut at a location on the bag between where it is sealed and where it is connected to the tie.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising winding said tie and said portion of said bag onto a reel or drum.

11. An apparatus for filling and sealing flexible bags or a method for filling and sealing flexible bags substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the 20 drawings. Dated this 21st day of Juie, 1994 GRACE SA. By its Patent Attorneys: 25 DAVIES COLLISON CAVE os *s 0 0 0 *00 0*4.0 0o o 00 4o 0 1 ,z- -4, t' 940621,p:\opr\nab,812.37-91,7 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a method of and a machine for the automatic conditioning of any products whatsoever in flexible bags. This machine in particular comprises a station (R) for filling the bags and a station for the o fluid-tight closing through welding of the filled bags as a well as means for stretching a tie or ribbon (1) Sconnecting the bags these means being arranged at the Sinlet or at the outlet of the station to provide a tensioning and a flattening of the openings of the bags *I prior to the heat-sealing thereof. This machine and this method are applicable for instance to the conditioning of foodstuff. 6 0 0" Figure 1 o a~o $6 4, t A ^l L h L- ;1 li i I L