Abstract: This relates to a mandrel assembly for forming a continuous web into individual pouches. The web is drawn onto a reciprocating mandrel through a suitable guide so as to have adjacent free edge portions. The free edge portions are sequentially heat sealed by a side sealer and the so formed continuous tube is sequentially pushed onto the mandrels carried by a turret, followed by the heat sealing closed of the forward most portion of the tube and then the cutting thereof from the tube. A drive is provided for reciprocating each mandrel and the drive constructed wherein the advance of each mandrel may be selectively varied. The web is preferably provided with suitable indicia printed thereon and in order that the indicia may be properly oriented with respect to each bag or pouch, there is an indicia or printing detector which functions to vary the advance of the mandrel upon each stroke thereof so as to maintain registration of the printing.

Abstract: This relates to a drive system for selectively positioning a heat sealer and a cooler relative to mandrels supporting bags or pouches, which mandrels are carried by a turret and indexed thereby. A simple oscillating shaft driven by a cam oscillates a double ended lever which, in turn, serves to oscillate wedge shaped cam members so as to simultaneously actuate two sets of heat sealers and coolers with each heat sealer and cooler being carried by a separate support arm.

Abstract: This relates to a web pay-out assembly wherein a web in spool form is mounted on a hub for selective paying out of the web. The hub is of a hollow construction and includes an internal chamber. A plurality of radiating pins project into the chamber and are projectable radially outwardly beyond the hub for engaging a tubular core of the spool to lock the spool in place on the hub. The pins are resiliently urged inwardly and are cammed outwardly by a nut member threaded onto a positioning member. The hub has opposite flanges and one of the flanges has a tubular extension which is mounted on a control shaft of a control unit. The control unit supports the hub and is mounted on a combined partition and support wall of a machine. The control unit has a mounting flange which is mounted in sealed relation with respect to a tubular spacer and the control unit passes through an opening in the wall so as to be primarily disposed on the opposite side of the wall.

Abstract: This relates to a heat sealer which is particularly adapted for sequentially heat sealing opposite edge portions of a web which has been formed into a tubular configuration. The heat sealer functions after each advancement of the web to seal a portion of the longitudinal side seam of the tube while a forward portion of the tube is cut off and the bottom thereof heat sealed to form a bag. The heat sealer is constructed to simultaneously form heat seals along side seams of two tubes and includes support members for supporting heat sealing members for movement together and then apart to effect the necessary heat sealing operation and then the release of the heat sealed portion.

Abstract: This relates to a dancer roll assembly wherein there are a pair of dancer roll assemblies disposed in side-by-side relation and each vertically disposed. Each dancer roll assembly includes an upper shaft and a lower shaft having spaced sprockets thereon which are vertically aligned and over which are engaged belts. Each pair of belts carries a dancer doll for vertical movement under the influence of a tensioned web passed around the dancer roll. The upper shaft is a control shaft and has connected thereto a pneumatic control motor which resists the rotation of the shaft and thus resists the upward movement of the dancer roll. After the dancer roll has moved to an uppermost permitted position, the pneumatic motor is actuated to rotate the upper shaft and thus return the dancer roll to its lowermost starting position. The tension on the web is controlled by controlling the air pressure to the air motor.

Abstract: This relates to a bag forming machine wherein a continuous tube is formed from a contuous web, the tube having a side seam and being cut off at predetermined intervals to form short tubes with closed bottoms. The tubes are placed on mandrel assemblies of a turret and the mandrel assemblies, as the turret is indexed, are actuated so as to axially elongate the closed tubes while holding the open end of each tube against movement, thereby generally forming a flat bottom on the tube and triangular bottom portions. The turret is next indexed so as to plow down the triangular bottom portions flat against the flat bottom portion followed by further indexing of the turret to heat seal the triangular positions to the flat bottom portion and then cool the heat seals. Finally, each closed bottom bag is gripped by a combined rotator and orientation device wherein the side seam of the bag is rotated to a selected orientation.

Abstract: This relates to a device for pinching off a length of a continuous tube and heat sealing the same, together with a cutting off of the closed end tube portion. A pivot is provided on which there is mounted a pair of blade like members each carrying a heat sealing member with the heat sealing members being cooperable both to flatten or pinch the tube and to heat seal together the pinched together portion of the tube. A blade element is also carried by the pivot and is cooperable with the heat sealing members to cut off the pinched and heat sealed tube portion. Plungers are provided for effecting the pivoting of the blade like members and the blade elements and the plungers are carried by guide sleeves which extend through a machine wall with there being on the opposite side of the machine wall suitable drive means for effecting the controlled reciprocation of the plungers.

Abstract: This relates to a heat sealer for engaging heat sealable material between a pair of heat sealer members and clamping the material to be heat sealed under a controlled force. The heat sealing mechanism includes a pair of parallel members which are mounted for movement in unison and in opposite direction and which carry the heat sealing members which face in opposed relation. A pressure device is attached to one of the parallel members for moving the parallel members to a closed heat sealing position and a mechanical mechanism in the form of a cam is connected to the other of the parallel members for overriding the pressure device and effecting opening of the heat sealing members. The pressure device is in the form of a simple fluid cylinder and the fluid supply therefor is of the variable type whereby the controlled force exerted by the heat sealing members on the article to be heat sealed may be selectively varied.