Abstract: An adjustable guide roller assembly installed on the tube forming apparatus of form-fill-seal packaging machines of the type having a tube former and depending tubular fill pipe through which quantities of product are passed and over which a strip of packaging material is pulled to progressively form the material into a depending and upwardly open tubular configuration and subsequently sealed to form product bearing packages. The adjustable guide roller assembly is removably mounted on the back of the tube former adjacent the curved shaping portion which receives the strip material and is pivotally and horizontally movable relative thereto to receive and adjustably position the strip material thereon. The guide roller member of the assembly is capable of being pivotally raised above the top of the lowermost surface of the shaping portion of the former to clear the machine framework supporting the former allowing it to be removed horizontally outward from the packaging machine.

Abstract: Wear strips removably installed on the tube forming apparatus of form-fill-seal packaging machines of the type having a tube former and depending tubular fill pipe through which quantities of product are passed and over which a strip of packaging material is pulled by transfer belts to progressively form the material into a depending and upwardly open tubular configuration and subsequently sealed to form product bearing packages. The wear strips comprise a pair of circumferentially spaced rectangular members removably attached to the fill pipe adjacent the transfer belts to receive substantially the full frictional wearing force caused by the transfer belts pressing and moving the packaging material against the fill pipe. The outer surface of the wear strips are configured to substantially reduce the contact surface area and the resulting wearing of the transfer belt and thus reduce the frequency of replacement and repair of the belts.

Abstract: A tube former for turning a strip of thin tube stock, e.g. plastic film, paper, metal foil etc., into a elongated tube comprises a former tube having a curved upper edge tapering from an apex downwardly on opposite sides thereof with a sheet metal winged member is secured along the curved upper edge and extending outward at an acute angle relative to the side of the tube. The winged guide has the wings ending in overlapping relation at one side of the tube and spaced apart so that a strip of thin tube stock drawn over the wings through the former tube is formed into an elongated tube with overlapping edges at the sides of the tube and may be flattened and seamed to produce a longitudinal seam along the side of the flattened tube. The tube former is used with a conventional tube forming apparatus where thin tube stock is fed from rolls over the former.