Abstract: The disclosure relates to a lifting gear for opening and closing a workstation of a packaging machine, wherein the lifting gear includes a stationarily mounted base, a lifting platform mounted to be height adjustable with respect to the base along a lifting axis for supporting a lower tool part of the workstation, and an adjusting mechanism comprising a drive unit and a toggle means on which the lifting platform is mounted, wherein the adjusting mechanism furthermore includes a pressure part coupled with the toggle means and adjustable by means of the drive unit along the lifting axis, wherein by the displacement of said pressure part along the lifting axis, the toggle means can be actuated for a height adjustment of the lifting platform.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a sealing tool for a packaging machine which comprises a tool lower part with at least one centrifugal separator for separating a particle-laden gas flow. The disclosure further relates to a method for separating a particle-laden gas flow at a sealing tool of a packaging machine, where the particle-laden gas flow is separated by way of a centrifugal separator provided at a tool lower part of the sealing tool.

Abstract: In order to be able to reduce the number of required drive units in a multi-track slicing machine, in particular a multi-track slicer, for slicing a plurality of calibers simultaneously into slices, according to the invention second driven product guides for the, in particular all, tracks can only be driven together and have a freewheel unit acting in the feeding direction of the calibers.

Abstract: In order to be able to implement a plurality of gripper functions acting independently of one another in a slicing machine without requiring a separate drive unit for each gripper function, a switching unit displaceable along an axial shifting distance is provided. Upon displacement of the switching unit along a first partial distance of a plurality of partial distances of the shifting distance, a caliber contact element is actuated in such a way that a caliber is pushed away from a caliber gripper, and upon shifting of the switching unit along a second partial distance, gripper claws of the caliber gripper are actuated in such a way that they are moved into an engagement position, in which they engage with the caliber, or into a release position, in which they release the caliber.

Abstract: In order to automatically correct the transverse position, rotational position and, if necessary, the folded position of articles, an actual position may be determined as far upstream as possible, preferably already on a portioning belt of a discharge conveyor unit, and depending on this, a change in position towards a target position may be carried out with a belt of the discharge conveyor unit, which preferably follows downstream. The aim is to make the discharge conveyor unit as short as possible and with as few conveyors as possible, in particular preferably with only three belts, of which a weighing belt or the portioning belt may be used as a detection belt, and the next belt may be used as a displacement belt, regardless of whether it is arranged in the second or third position.

Abstract: The disclosure refers to a packaging device for manufacturing a packaging for a foodstuff. In particular, the packaging may include a trough-shaped lower packaging part and a top film which can be sealed together along their edges by means of a sealing tool of the packaging device. In order to improve a packaging device completely without evacuation or by evacuation in a simple and inexpensive manner with only a slight negative pressure in such a way that sufficient vapor purging is possible and at the same time cooling of the foodstuff before sealing or excessive degassing of the foodstuff does not take place, vapor can be introduced under pressure between the lower packaging part and the top film at at least one vapor entry point before sealing and can be released into the surrounding atmosphere at an outlet point from the packaging.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a molding station for molding packaging trays, wherein the molding station comprises an upper tool and a lower tool which can be moved relative to one another, and the lower tool comprises at least one receptacle for a packaging blank. The molding station further comprises a frame that is connected to the lower tool in a movable manner and that is arranged between the upper tool and the lower tool. The lower tool comprises at least one clamping mechanism for fixating a packaging blank in the receptacle. The clamping mechanism comprises a clamping element which can be actuated by a motion of the frame relative to the lower tool and is configured to fixate a packaging blank in the receptacle.

Abstract: In order to be able to shingle articles individual slices or partial portions of slices shingled in a longitudinal direction in a transverse direction relative to the running direction of conveyor units on which these articles are transported, the two conveyor units, on each of which one of the two articles is fully supported, are not brought to overlap in order to achieve the transverse shingling, but one of the articles is transported on its conveyor unit with a lateral overhang to the other conveyor unit, and the other article placed there on the edge side with such a height difference that the two articles can finally overlap and be placed on top of each other. However, the two conveyor units only have to be guided closely next to each other for this purpose without overlapping themselves. This simplifies the design of the overlapping unit and reduces its overall height.

Abstract: A packaging machine comprising a control unit, a plurality of measuring devices and a plurality of working units for different process. The control unit is functionally connected to the working units and to the measuring devices. The measuring devices may detect actual process values at the respective working units and forwarding these values to the control unit for monitoring the respective working units. The control unit may create a specific program sequence for each of the individual working units and/or a program sequence coordinated with respect to the working units, by comparing the actual process values from the respective measuring devices with associated target process values from a memory. The individual working units may function according to this program sequence, depending on the actual process values detected at these working units, and/or the working units are coordinated with one another based on the actual process values.

Abstract: A forming station for producing a packaging trough by thermoforming at least an area of a film web positioned between a forming tool upper part and a forming tool lower part of the forming station. A male die part of the forming tool upper part may be moved in a vertical direction and inserted into a forming space of a female die part of the forming tool lower part. The packaging trough is produced by deforming the film web between the male die part and an inner wall of the forming space of the female die part. In an inserted condition of the male die part within the female die art, a push-in unit is extended from the male die part towards the inner wall of the forming space at an angular orientation relative to the vertical direction.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a machine system, in particular a packaging and/or processing machine, which comprises at least one input/retrieval device for inputting a first group of parameters of a complete set of parameters comprising the first group and at least a second group of parameters as adjustment parameters for operating the machine. The second group of parameters can be transmitted to the input/retrieval device from the Internet, where the number of and/or changes to the parameters of the first group can be selected/or determined via the Internet. As a result, a respective machine system is improved in such a way that a user of the machine system can be given limitations when adjusting his machine system in order, for example, to enable a usage and/or function-based billing model.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a cutting device which is adapted for cutting substantially round packaging corners from a film web, wherein the cutting device has at least one cutting tool comprising a cutting punch which has at its outside at least one concavity provided for forming a cutting edge of the cutting punch. According to the disclosure, the cutting edge has a cutting contour extending both transversely and longitudinally along the cutting punch. The disclosure further relates to a method for manufacturing a cutting punch.

Abstract: A sealing station for a packaging machine, the sealing station may be a tray sealer. The sealing station includes an upper die with a sealing plate and a lower die with a tray holder for receiving at least one packaging tray to be sealed. A cutting blade is arranged within the sealing station, and cuts a lid for closing the packaging tray out of a top film. The cutting blade has an endless cutting edge for cutting out the lid along its contour. The cutting blade includes a first and a second blade section, for cutting out a first and second section of the contour of the lid respectively. The second blade section may produce a tear-off corner in the lid projecting beyond the edge region. The sealing station may include a first clamping jaw on the sealing plate, and a second clamping jaw on the tray holder.

Abstract: A working station for a packaging machine, wherein the working station has a lifting unit having a pressure source and a lifting actuator connected to the pressure source. The lifting actuator comprises a hose comprising a wall having an inner surface and an outer surface disposed opposite the inner surface, and a seal having a seal cap engaging the outer surface. The seal further comprises an insert engaging the inner surface. Furthermore, the seal clamps a clamping portion of the wall of the hose between the insert and the seal cap in a fluidtight, preferably gastight, manner.

Abstract: A thermoforming packaging machine that includes a film holder for receiving a lower film supply roll and one behind the other in a sequential arrangement along a production direction a pretreatment station for pretreating the lower film web, a forming station for forming troughs in the lower film web by thermoforming, an insertion line for filling the troughs with products and a sealing station for sealing the troughs with a top film. A transport device is configured to transport the lower film web along the production direction through the pretreatment station, further to the forming station, further to the insertion line and finally to the sealing station. A deflection unit arranged at least partially below the pretreatment station is configured to deflect the lower film web before reaching the pretreatment station. The pretreatment station may include a punching or slitting unit to punch or slit the lower film web.

Abstract: A packaging machine for packaging products under vacuum, the packaging machine comprising a lid and a chamber bottom which together form a chamber, the chamber bottom having formed therein a suction opening which can be closed in a gas-tight manner and to which a suction device for evacuating the chamber is connected. An electrically heatable grid is arranged on the suction opening to prevent ice forming near or around the suction opening during evacuation of the chamber.

Abstract: A reclosable package may comprise a first web thermoformed into a trough shape and a second web that encloses a product cavity with the first web. A first sealing extends over at least a portion of the first web and the second web and connects the first web and the second web. The first sealing at least partially defines a periphery of the product cavity. The package further includes a zipper element comprising a third web, a fourth web and a zipper track that is arranged at an outer border of the third web and the fourth web. The zipper element extends from an overlapping region of the first web and the second web, and the zipper track is arranged outside of the overlapping region. Furthermore, in the overlapping region, the third web is fused with the first web and the fourth web is fused with the second web.

Abstract: In order to detect if and when a blade contacts a front surface of a cutting frame, a no-load torque of a blade motor or of the blade itself is measured when the blade approaches the cutting frame in an axial direction and checked for an increase.

Abstract: A method of closing a packaging tray comprises arranging a packaging tray between a lower tool and an upper tool of a sealing station, positioning a cover film above the packaging tray between the lower tool and the upper tool, and pressing together the cover film and the packaging tray by a lower sealing surface of the lower tool and an upper sealing surface of the upper tool cooperating with the lower sealing surface. During the pressing together, a connection is established between the cover film and the packaging tray along a sealing seam. While the cover film and the packaging tray are being pressed together, an overpressure is locally generated by supplying pressurized gas from a pressurized-gas source, the overpressure cooperating as a counterpressure with the lower sealing surface or with the upper sealing surface so as to press the cover film and the packaging tray together.

Abstract: In order to avoid a gap on both sides of a blade exit point, if an outer radius of a product caliber is smaller than an inner radius of a product opening in a cutting frame at this point, a contour of the cutting frame in this blade exit area is given a radius of curvature as small as the smallest product caliber to be expected.