Abstract: A unit for packing products, wherein a feed line, for supplying a strip of packing material, feeds the strip with a given movement to a cutting device for cutting the strip into a succession of sheets of packing material, and then to a feed station for feeding each sheet to a packing wheel moving with a further movement through the feed station; and wherein a compensating roller, having a compensating store, is interposed between the cutting device and the feed station.

Abstract: A turn-around device for packets, in particular packets of cigarettes, wherein the packets are fed successively, with a first surface facing forwards, to a turn-around station, from which they are extracted, with a second surface facing forwards, by a gripper conveyor, which travels through the turn-around station perpendicularly to the second surface, and has a number of grippers, each of which defines a pocket for a relative packet, and closes gradually onto the packet to control its position as it is extracted from the turn-around station with the second surface facing forwards.

Abstract: A method and device for controlled filling of a channel supplying tobacco articles, whereby a lead-in member is positioned inside the channel to completely cut off passage along the channel; a mass of tobacco articles is then fed into the channel so that the mass of tobacco articles is positioned contacting the lead-in member; and, finally, the lead-in member is eased along the channel, while keeping the mass of tobacco articles in contact with the lead-in member, to ease the mass of tobacco articles along the channel.

Abstract: A method and device for producing a rigid container, having two end walls and a lateral wall, from a flat blank having two flat first portions, each of which has a relative panel defining a relative end wall of the container, and a drawn rim integral with the panel, extending along at least one portion of an outer edge of the panel, and square with respect to the panel; and three flat second portions alternating with the two panels; each panel being folded squarely with respect to the flat second portions adjacent to it; the second portions being wrapped about and onto the rims to form the lateral wall; and each panel being stiffened by means of an external stiffening member, at least when forming the lateral wall.

Abstract: A machine and method for producing a package by folding a sheet of packing material about a respective article; a packing conveyor feeds along a packing path a folding head, which houses the package and has an electrically heated activating member for applying heat to a portion of the package; the folding head also has a movable magnetic core, which has a coil connected electrically to the activating member, and is positioned facing and coupled magnetically to a fixed magnetic core positioned parallel to the packing path; in use, a coil coupled to the fixed magnetic core is supplied with electric current to induce flow of a corresponding electric current through the coil of the movable magnetic core.

Abstract: A method and machine for wrapping an article, whereby the article is fed through a feed station, where the article is applied with a respective sheet of wrapping material which is folded into an L about the article, so as to have a free edge not contacting the article, and through a follow-up wrapping station, where the sheet of wrapping material is folded about the article to form a tubular wrapping by applying the free edge onto the article; between the feed station and the wrapping station, the free edge of the L-folded sheet of wrapping material is subjected to traction in substantially the opposite direction to the travelling direction of the article by subjecting the first free edge to suction, so as to smooth the sheet of wrapping material onto the article.

Abstract: Groups of cigarettes approaching a packer are transferred and inspected by a conveyor equipped with receptacles advancing along a set path, and an inspection device such as will verify the presence and the integrity of each cigarette in each receptacle and generate signals to indicate the outcome of the inspection. The conveyor also incorporates emitters in the form of permanent magnets, each associated with a relative receptacle and interacting with a receiver consisting in an array of magnetoresistors ordered along the conveying path; the receiver is capable of emitting signals synchronized with the steps of the inspection procedure and indicating the position of each receptacle relative to a fixed inspection position.

Abstract: A packing machine provided with a wrapping conveyor moving along a wrapping path and having a plurality of recesses each of which is designed to receive a respective article together with a respective wrapping sheet; and with a plurality of folding stations successively arranged along the wrapping path, each folding station comprising folding units arranged to cooperate with the wrapping sheets to fold the same around respective articles; the folding unit in at least one of the folding station has a folding device presenting a fixed block and a movable block defining respective contiguous flat surfaces blending along a fold line; the movable block is activated by an articulated parallelogram actuating device having two connecting rods connected by cranks hinged to the fixed block to rotate, with respect to the fixed block, about respective axes parallel to the fold line; the movable block being hinged to the two connecting rods, and defining a further crank rotating, with respect to the fixed block, about an

Abstract: A cigarette packer (1) incorporates a station at which cigarettes (2) are formed into groups (12) and from which the groups (12) are advanced by a first conveyor (13) along a first feed path (P) toward a wrapping station (16). A first inspection device (24) located along the first feed path (P) detects initially whether or not there are any defective cigarettes (2) in each group (12), and a second inspection device (45) located along a second conveyor (30) then identifies the single defective cigarettes (2) detected by the first device (24); the second inspection device (45) operates in conjunction with a rejection unit (46) by which defective cigarettes (2) are removed from the second conveyor (30).

Abstract: An embossing device having a first embossing unit for satin finishing a strip of packing material, and a second embossing unit for impressing graphics on the strip of packing material; the second embossing unit has two embossing rollers, at least one of which only has embossing pins in areas for impressing the graphics.

Abstract: Packets of prismatic geometry referable to a longitudinal axis, presenting two larger side faces, two smaller flank faces and two end faces, are overwrapped by a method including a step in which each packet, enveloped initially by a tubular wrap projecting beyond the two end faces, is inserted into a holder of a transfer wheel in such a way that two appendages of the tubular wrap projecting at either end from a first flank face of the packet are flattened over the end faces; the appendages are pinned immediately along two lines coinciding substantially with the corner edges of the end face as the packet enters the relative holder, and held stably in position during a subsequent step of transferring the single packets from a feed station to an outfeed conveyor.

Abstract: Cigarettes entering a packer are directed en masse into a device comprising a hopper with a number of distinct feed sections, each having a dedicated inlet and outlet and enclosed on one side by an access door, from which the single cigarettes are transferred to respective assembly stations and thereupon formed into ordered groups. Located alongside each inlet is a suction field provided by an array of holes allowing a fluid connection between the hopper and a vacuum duct; a chamber forming part of the vacuum duct houses a valve element able to alternate between an extended active position in which the holes are shut off, and a retracted inactive position in which the holes are able to attract and immobilize the cigarettes, thereby allowing inspection of the feed section by an operator; movement of the valve element is interlocked to the access door.

Abstract: A method and device for picking up stacks of blanks, arranged in at least one layer on a separating sheet having a peripheral portion projecting outwards of the layer; the stacks are removed successively by a pickup member, a free end of which is pressed onto the separating sheet in a position facing a stack for removal, and is then slid in a given pickup direction, and in contact with the separating sheet, beneath the stack for removal. A portion, crosswise to the pickup direction and facing the pickup member, of the peripheral portion of the separating sheet is blocked in position both crosswise to its plane and in the pickup direction by a gripping device before and during removal of the stacks.

Abstract: A method of producing a hinged-lid packet of cigarettes having an inner wrapping formed by folding a first blank of foil about a group of cigarettes: an outer package formed from a second blank folded about the inner wrapping to define a body and a lid hinged to each other; and a collar formed by folding a third blank and interposed between the inner wrapping and the outer package; the method including the steps of juxtaposing and connecting the third blank to the first blank in laterally offset mutual positions; forming on the first blank fold lines located as a function of the aforementioned mutual positions; and simultaneously folding the first and third blank about the group of cigarettes.

Abstract: A unit for feeding stacked packing material to a packing machine. The unit has a group of containers, each for housing a respective stack of packing material; a first conveying device for feeding the group of containers along a first path; a pickup station located at the end of the path to remove a single container from the group of containers; a second conveying device for feeding a container along a second path as of the pickup station; and a feed station located along the second path to remove the stack of packing material from a container, and to feed the stack of packing material to the packing machine.

Abstract: In an embossing unit, sheet material is fed between a first and at least one second embossing roller rotating in opposite direction and having first and second outer embossing tips respectively, and at least the first embossing roller has a metal core covered with a ceramic cylindrical jacket connected integrally to the metal core and having the first embossing tips on the outside; the first embossing roller being angularly integral with at least one first gear which meshes with a corresponding second gear angularly integral with the second embossing roller; and angular connection of the first gear to the first embossing roller being adjusted micrometrically to time the two embossing rollers with respect to each other, so that, in use, the first embossing tips are maintained at all times in a position meshing with the second embossing tips.

Abstract: A method and unit for applying a label to an article, whereby a supporting head is fed by a conveyor along a labelling path; the label is fed to a first seat of the supporting head; the article is fed to a second seat of the supporting head; and a relative movement is produced between the first seat and the second seat of the supporting head to apply the label to the article.

Abstract: A rigid pack of substantially parallelepiped appearance for tobacco products appears as a container (5) with an open top end (6), surmounted by a lid (7) hinged to the container (5) and rotatable between positions in which the top end (6) is open and closed. The pack (1) presents four lateral faces (17, 18, 19), and two end faces (12, 16) disposed mutually parallel and perpendicular to the lateral faces (17, 18, 19); at least one of the six faces (12, 16, 17, 18, 19) presents a raised portion (22) with an outwardly directed convex profile obtained by plastically deforming at least one panel (43, 44) of a blank (31) before the blank is folded around the tobacco products to fashion the pack (1).

Abstract: Packets of cigarettes with a predominating longitudinal axis, presenting two larger side faces, two smaller flank faces and two end faces, are overwrapped by a unit incorporating a first conveyor rotatable about a relative axis, on which a sheet of transparent film is folded initially around the side and flank faces of each packet by one of a set of peripheral holder mechanisms pivotable about respective axes parallel to the axis of the conveyor. Each holder mechanism supports a relative packet, gripped between a pair of jaws and disposed with the longitudinal axis parallel to the axis of the conveyor, and comprises a clip serving to grip and retain one end of the sheet, operating in conjunction with suction holes by which the remaining free end of the sheet is attracted and restrained and thus kept perfectly under control during the transfer of the packet to a second conveyor that will complete the initial overwrapping step.

Abstract: A method and unit for controlling a variable-capacity store, which has a first conveyor in the form of an endless belt having a conveying branch and a return branch of respective lengths variable in complementary manner, and a first and second actuating device; the conveying branch is connected to a second conveyor at an input station, and to a third conveyor at an output station; the first actuating device is controlled solely as a function of the status of the second conveyor, and the second actuating device is controlled as a function of the status of the third conveyor and as a function of the status of the first actuating device; the status of the first actuating device, the status of the second actuating device, and the status of the third conveyor are determined by respective encoders; and the second actuating device is feedback position controlled by means of a control unit to which the encoders are connected.