Abstract: Sacks are successively filled and closed in an automatic process by suspending each sack from near the mouth and spreading the side walls apart, filling the sack, allowing it to settle on a support while keeping the side walls taut, bringing the side walls together near the mouth and folding them over onto themselves, welding a closure tape over the folded-over portion and the adjoining unfolded portion of the sack, crimping the unfilled upper part of the sack and gathering it to form a frill, and applying a clamping ring beneath the frill.

Abstract: Conveying means which are intermittently rotatable in equal steps take flattened sacks successively from supply means through one step to filling means which are effective to open each sack and fill it, whereupon the conveying means move a further step to take the sack to welding means. Said conveying means comprise two parallel discs turned in synchronism about horizontal shafts which are directed outwardly to define a free passage between the discs. Confronting tongs on the discs are displaceable towards and away from one another to engage the sack at both sides of its mouth at the supply means and convey it up to the welding means at which they deposit the filled sack on a discharge conveyor, the tongs being lowerable towards said discharge conveyor to an extent such that the upper region of each sack becomes buckled.