Abstract: A machine for filling and closing bags of a synthetic plastic material has a lowerable filling device, a transporting band spaced from the filling device and intermittently moveable in a longitudinal direction, opening, filling and welding stations, two carriages arranged in a space between the transporting band and the filling device at a distance corresponding to a band width and moveable synchronously with the transporting band parallel to the longitudinal direction, a feeding means on the carriages and having two feeding arms which are provided with gripping plates and move in the opening station from an upper position to a medium expanding position to be inserted into a bag mouth, and after expanding the bag the filling arms with the gripping plates move further in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction to a lower transporting position, and two pairs of grippers arranged on the carriages at both sides of the feeding device to grip bags below their mouth edges, wherein one of the pairs of gr