Abstract: A packaging device is provided which prevents trays accommodating packaged items from being broken due to the tension in a film acting from above. The sealing base and the sealer perform a box motion by the combination of the back and forth movement of the general frame, and the upward and downward movement of the sealing base and the sealer, and the film is welded onto the flange of the tray while in movement. In this case, by setting the upper limit of the sealing base to the lower surface of the flange of the tray, it is possible for the deck plate to receive the tension of the film acting on the tray through the packaged item.

Abstract: A sealing and packaging device in which, simultaneously when a sealing base frame lifted upwards from a lower region towards a flange on the perimeter edge of a tray mounted on a desk plate makes contact with the flange, a touching base provided on a frame of the sealing base frame makes contact with the lower surface of the deck plate, and the tray is pushed upwards towards a cover film by means of the deck plate and sealing base frame, the cover film being welded to the flange of the tray. By means of the upward movement of the tray caused by the sealing base frame and deck plate, breaking of the tray is prevented by the deck plate on which the tray is mounted, even when the tensile pressure of the film or the reaction of urethane rubber members act respectively on the packaged item in the tray.

Abstract: The present invention heat-seals a cover film onto a tray accommodating an item to be packaged, without creating wrinkles in the film. In the present invention, respective touch bars provided at equidistant intervals on chains respectively and continuously move trays accommodating items to be packaged, and a frame to which sealers of the same outline as the trays are fixed moves back and forth at the same speed, in the same direction as the trays. A crank below the frame moving back and forth raises a sealing base frame upwards when the frame advances, the trays are pushed against the sealers positioned above the same, via the moving film, and the film is welded to the open edge of the trays. The movement of the sealing base frame is a box motion, and the efficiency of the sealing operation is increased.

Abstract: A tube film grip-pressing time by a pair of seal bars is controlled to set longer. A crank mechanism allows a seal bar frame supported by a pair of rails to reciprocate along the rails. The crank mechanism includes an arm which supports one end support shaft and is capable of swinging, and a circular crank plate which is rotated by power of a center shaft. The crank mechanism is fixed to a crankshaft which rotatably supports a groove-like slide which is engaged with a slide guide formed along a longitudinal direction of a lower surface of the arm on an eccentric portion of the crank plate. A top dead center and a bottom dead center of the arm are formed respectively &thgr;1 and &thgr;2 beyond a 180° region connected across a center shaft that, is a. A servo motor which drives the center shaft controls speed in the point 55 to point 56 region having a radius of 180° to make the speed constant, and cause the frame to advance along rails and then move backward at a high speed.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus for use in a bag forming/filling/sealing machine for controlling the operations of a film transportation motor, an article feeding motor, frame driving motor and a sealer opening-closing motor, wherein rotations of the film transportation motor and the article feeding motor are controlled based on the rotation of the frame driving motor. The rotation cycles of the film transportation motor, the article feeding motor and the frame driving motor are determined based on a reference pulse which is generated by a crystal oscillator and inputted to a central processing unit. When a value of the length of articles to be packaged is inputted to the central processing unit, the central processing unit specifies a cyclic variable speed of the frame driving motor based on data stored in a memory.

Abstract: The present invention is intended to effect proper sealing of a film by automatically adjusting the gripping pressure exerted by seal bars on the basis of a change in unsteady current flowing through the seal bars which grip the film. When the main shaft of a servomotor mounted on a frame is rotated forward and backward, the pair of seal bars opens and closes. When the seal bars press each other, the film is gripped under pressure by these seal bars and heat-sealed. Cushion means for elastically pressing the seal bars increases the gripping pressure of the pair of seal bars in proportion to an increase in the angle of rotation of the motor main shaft after the opposed surfaces of the seal bars have contacted each other.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus for use in a bag forming/filling/sealing machine for controlling the operations of a film transportation motor (10) and an article transportation motor (18) based on the operation of a sealer driving motor (25) which is driven at a cyclic variable speed. The rotation cycles of the respective motors (10, 18, 25) are determined, based on a reference pulse which is generated by a crystal oscillator (28) and input to a central processing unit (27). When a value of the length of articles (19) to be packaged is input to the central processing unit (27), the central processing unit (27) specifies constant speeds of the film transportation motor (10) and the article transportation motor (18) and a cyclic variable speed of the sealer driving motor (25).

Abstract: An apparatus for packaging articles in deaerated condition. A belt-like film is tubulated to enclose a plurality of articles transported in a longitudinally aligned fashion. The articles and the film are transported together in integral relation while the air in the tubular film is evacuated by a pipe nozzle inserted in the film tube. The pipe nozzle is connected to a vacuum source via a connecting pipe. Usually, the interior of the tubular film is kept in a suitable negative pressure condition by suction through a tube bypassing a normally closed valve disposed on the connecting pipe. The valve is impulsively opened immediately before seal bars press the film from opposite sides so that the air in the film is instantly discharged.

Abstract: A method of producing a film wrapped package enables the package to have a bottom seam which is offset from the center-line of the tray and thus lends itself to pre-printing relatively large labels on the bottom of the package without interference from the bottom seam.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed directed to transferring articles from a first delivery conveyor to a second transfer and discharge conveyor located above the first delivery conveyor. The second transfer and discharge conveyor has a series of longitudinally spaced openings through which the articles are lifted from the first delivery conveyor for placement on the second transfer and discharge conveyor.

Abstract: An apparatus for tubularly covering each of a plurality of trays containing a packaged object with film while elongating the film itself. In the course of conveying each tray in the longitudinal direction of the tubular film, the film itself is cut off between a pair of adjoining trays aligned in the front and on the back. Simultaneous with execution of a cutting operation, a pair of edges of the tubular film are respectively subject to vacuum by vacuum absorptive force in a pair of suction tubes each being disposed on the up-and-downstream sides of the cutting unit. The suction tube on the downstream side is transferable in the direction identical to the direction of conveying these trays. The suction tube on the downstream side returns to the original position by the time at which the following tray arrives at this position.

Abstract: An improved packaging apparatus comprising; a pair of endless belts 70 and 70 which respectively nip a tubular film 63 at a downstream domain of a frame body 14 which is capable of reciprocating itself in order to support a pair of sealing bars 65 and 66 for sealing a tubular film 63 used for covering a number of packageable individual contents 46 being conveyed in file; two pairs of pulleys 73 and 74 which respectively support a pair of belts 70 secured to a supporting plate 71 connected to the frame body 14; and a pair of bevel gears 80 and 80 which link an idle shaft 79 having own axis horizontally being secured to the supporting plate 71 by means of a pair of shafts of those pulleys 73 and 74 engaged with a pair of endless belts 70 and 70. An endless chain 86 links a chain wheel 86 secured to the idle shaft 79, a pair of chain wheels 84 and 85 secured to the frame body 14, and a pair of chain wheels 82 and 83 secured to the frame body 14, with each other.

Abstract: A packaging machine of the type having a mechanism for tubulating a belt-like film and a conveyor for transferring products into the tubular film is typically equipped with a pair of sealing bars which produce transverse seals between the products being packaged. The present invention relates to a mechanism which is able to control the length and speed of the stroke of the sealing bars and the speed of the film dependent on the length of the product being packaged which assures more uniform heating of the seals resulting overall in more uniform transverse seals.

Abstract: In a film packaging machine wherein a pair of sealing bars are caused to move linearly with said film so as to increase the sealing cycle time, a pair of control belts are mounted so as to reciprocate in unison with said sealing bars. The control belts, which are oriented vertically at opposite edges of a central product conveyor and adapted to grip a product being wrapped, are rotated from a drive apparatus mounted to the machine body at a speed which equals the linear speed of reciprocation. Thus, the control belts do not rotate when the reciprocating motion is in the same direction as the direction in which the film and product move, and rotate at double the linear speed of reciprocation when the reciprocating motion is in the opposite direction.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is provided to shrink a heat shrinkable film wrapped around a product so as to produce a neat, wrinkle free finished package. As the product is transported along a conveyor path, first a bottom portion of the shrinkable film is shrunk by hot air; second, both side portions of the shrinkable film are shrunk by hot air; and third, the top portion of the shrinkable film is shrunk by warm water. The warm water employed is maintained at a temperature which is lower than that of the hot air so as to avoid wrinkles or damage to the film while efficiently shrinking the film.

Abstract: A controllable length conveyor suitable for use in a packaging machine comprises a pair of conveyor belts which are continuously driven in a given direction at a selected speed. The conveyor belts are mounted on a reciprocable frame and are arranged such that the product being conveyed resides between the belts and a run of each belt firmly engages and transports the product. The belt runs engaging the product can be made to extend and retract in correspondence with the product reaching a succeeding stage of packaging such as sealing.