Abstract: A method of and apparatus for guiding an elongate sheet of packaging material towards a former which manipulates the sheet into a tube having its longitudinal edges slightly overlapped to enable them to be formed into a seam, the sheet being caused initially to drift sideways in one direction as it is drawn towards the former, a detector being provided for detecting when one longitudinal edge of the sheet has drifted to a first predetermined position, the sheet then being caused to drift sideways in the opposite direction until the said one longitudinal edge of the sheet has drifted to a second predetermined position after which the sheet is caused to drift sideways again in the said one direction.

Abstract: A method of weighing wherein an apparatus conveys irregular pieces of product to a grading device for separating the regular pieces into two fractions respectively containing relatively smaller-sized pieces and relatively larger-sized pieces. A second conveyor conveys the larger-sized pieces to a weighing device until a batch of the product is accumulated having a weight slightly less than the required batch weight, and a third conveyor adds smaller-sized pieces to the batch until the minimum batch weight is achieved.

Abstract: A tube former, comprising a body and a wear insert which jointly define a preformer surface over which an elongate sheet of packaging material is to be pulled towards an edge of the preformer surface which defines an aperture through which the sheet is to be drawn at an acute angle to the preformer surface, the relative shape and positioning of the aperture and the preformer surface causing the longitudinal edges of the tube to overlap slightly, and the wear insert being detachably supported by the body and defining both said edge of the preformer surface and a continuous portion of the preformer surface lying immediately adjacent the edge.

Abstract: A feed control system, for controlling the operation of a weighing apparatus including two or more conveyors arranged in flow series and arranged to carry product from a feeder to a hopper whereby the product will be separated into batches of predetermined weight, the control system providing adjustment of the feed rate of the conveyors, and adjustment of the rate of feed of product by each conveyor in relation to the weight of product on a succeeding conveyor in the series.

Abstract: A tube former, including a body defining a preformer surface over which an elongate sheet of packaging material is to be pulled towards an edge of the preformer surface which defines an aperture through which the sheet is to be drawn at an acute angle to the preformer surface, the relative shape and positioning of the aperture and the preformer surface being such that the resulting tube will have its longitudinal edges slightly overlapped, and the body being so shaped adjacent the aperture that the wall of the tube may locally be distorted outwardly without engaging the body.

Abstract: Weighing apparatus conveys irregular pieces of product to a grading device for separating the regular pieces into two fractions respectively containing relatively smaller-sized pieces and relatively larger-sized pieces. A second conveyor conveys the larger-sized pieces to a weighing device until a batch of the product is accumulated having a weight slightly less than the required batch weight, and a third conveyor adds smaller-sized pieces to the batch until the minimum batch weight is achieved.