Abstract: A container for pourable food comprises an initially sealed body portion for holding the pourable food and a drink spout for drinking from the container. The proximal end of a base portion of the drink spout is permanently attached to the outer surface of the container, and has an opening to receive pourable food from the body of the container. The distal end of the base portion has an opening for drinking the pourable food from the container. The drink spout comprises a lid portion initially attached to the base portion to seal the opening at the distal end by a breakable sealing portion. The drink spout comprises a connection portion permanently attaching the lid portion to the base portion. The connection portion is a flexure hinge allowing the lid portion to pivot away from the base portion after the breakable sealing portion has been broken.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a gas-barrier coated substrate material, coated with a layer of reduced graphene oxide. The invention further relates to laminated packaging materials comprising the barrier-coated substrate material, in particular intended for liquid carton food packaging, and to liquid carton packaging containers comprising the laminated packaging material.

Abstract: An induction sealing device for heat sealing packaging material for producing sealed packages of pourable food products, said sealing device comprising: an inductor configured to induce a current in the packaging material, the inductor comprising conductor elements; a polymer insert holding said conductor elements; and a supporting body holding said polymer insert; wherein the polymer insert comprises a polymer matrix into which boron nitride particles are dispersed.

Abstract: A counter-pressure roller for applying pressure on a longitudinal sealing of a packaging material web comprises, a first back-panel support section having a first radius and a second back-panel support section having a second radius, for supporting first and second back-panels of the web, respectively. The first radius is greater than the second radius, and a groove is between the first and second back-panel support sections, for holding a longitudinal overlap section formed by first and second edge sections of the first and second back-panels, respectively. The first edge section is positionable outside the second edge section, with the first edge section facing a bottom of the groove. The bottom has a third radius less than or equal to the second radius. The groove has a first groove edge section having a first inclination, and a second groove edge section having a second inclination.

Abstract: A method for quality assessment of a sealing section of a package, wherein the package includes at least a robustness layer and a plastic layer. The sealing section is formed by holding a first section and a second section of the package against each other while providing heat such that the plastic layer of the first and second section melt and thereby provide for that the first and second section adhere to each other. The method includes capturing image data depicting the sealing section using a camera, identifying a reference line in the image data, identifying a sealing section boundary line in the image data, determining a sealing section assessment feature set based on the reference line and the sealing section boundary line, and comparing the sealing section assessment feature set with a reference feature set.

Abstract: An induction heating sealing device for induction welding of a packaging material for producing sealed packages of pourable food products in a package producing machine is provided. The packaging material has at least one layer of metallized film. The induction heating sealing device comprises an AC power source and an inductor coil connected to the AC power source and configured to induce eddy currents in the metallized film for inductive heating of the packaging material, wherein the AC power source is configured to generate a variable-voltage or current signal of a frequency higher than 1 MHz.

Abstract: The present invention relates to barrier-coated cellulose-based substrates and to a method of manufacturing such cellulose-based substrates, by dispersion coating of a barrier pre-coating and subsequent vapour deposition coating of a barrier deposition coating. The invention further relates to laminated packaging materials comprising the barrier-coated celluose-based substrates, in particular intended for liquid carton food packaging, and to liquid carton packaging containers comprising the laminated packaging material.

Abstract: An electron exit window foil for an electron beam emitter having an electron beam generator and operating in a corrosive environment. The electron exit window foil has a sandwich structure with an outer side arranged to face the corrosive environment and an inner side arranged to face the electron beam generator. The sandwich structure comprises, as seen from the outer side to the inner side, a protective layer, for protecting the sandwich structure from the corrosive environment, a supporting layer made of Ti, for providing structural support for the sandwich structure, and a thermally conductive layer made of Al, for conveying heat from the sandwich structure.

Abstract: An induction sealing device for heat sealing packaging material for producing sealed packages of pourable food products, the sealing device comprising: an inductor configured to induce a current in the packaging material, the inductor comprising conductor elements; a polymer insert holding the conductor elements; and a supporting body holding the polymer insert; wherein the polymer insert comprises a polymer matrix into which graphene particles are dispersed.

Abstract: There is described a packaging apparatus (1) for forming a plurality of sealed packages (2) from a tube (3) of a web of packaging material (4) which is continuously filled with a pourable product. The packaging apparatus comprises an isolation chamber (10) separating an inner environment (11) containing a sterile gas from an outer environment (12). The packaging apparatus further comprises a delimiting element (48) arranged, in use, within the tube (3) and being designed to divide the tube (3), in use, into a first space (49) and a second space (50). The packaging apparatus (1) also comprises a pressurizing device (47) for pressurizing the second space (50) by means of a pressurized sterile gas. The delimiting element (48) is arranged within the isolation chamber (10).

Abstract: A magazine unit for a packaging machine comprises a support device configured to rotatably carry a reel of a packaging material web and a reel brake device configured to decelerate rotation of the reel around a central axis. The reel brake device comprises a brake assembly adapted to interact with an outer lateral surface of the reel of the packaging material web and configured to selectively exert a deceleration force on the reel of the packaging material web for decelerating the rotation of the reel around the central axis. The reel brake device comprises a support rail moveably carrying the brake assembly and an actuator device configured to actuate, in use, movement of the brake assembly along the support rail at least towards the outer lateral surface so as to establish contact of at least an interaction element of the brake assembly with the outer lateral surface of the reel.

Abstract: A method for transversally sealing a packaging material tube, comprises placing a transversal sealing section of the tube between a sonotrode and an anvil. The transversal sealing section comprises a first two-layer sub-section, a three-layer sub-section and a second two-layer sub-section, transmitting ultrasonic acoustic vibrations, having a frequency and an amplitude, from the sonotrode into the transversal sealing section, thereby melting the plastic foil in the transversal sealing section, and pressing the tube together between the sonotrode and the anvil to bond the plastic foil such that transversal sealing is formed. The anvil has a ridge comprising various sub-sections for receiving various ones of the sub-sections of the tube, wherein the ridge has equal height in at least some of the sub-sections. The frequency, amplitude, pressure and paperboard properties are chosen to achieve equal temperature in the first two-layer sub-section, the three-layer sub-section and the second two-layer sub-section.

Abstract: A pressure element for a sealing device includes a sealing member and a countersealing member facing one another and configured to be pressed against one another to seal therebetween a tube of packaging material adapted to be filled with a pourable product. The pressure element comprises a fitting portion configured to be fitted to the countersealing member and a contact portion defining a contact surface facing, in use, the sealing member and configured to interact with a sealing element of the sealing member to press and seal the tube therebetween. The pressure element comprises at least one engagement element configured to cooperate with a complementary engagement element carried by the countersealing member to guide the pressure element according to a predetermined orientation during fitting of the pressure element to the countersealing member.

Abstract: A laminated packaging material for liquid food products may include a paper board having a non-white color or a film arranged on the paper board, and a pre-laminated hole arranged in an opening section of the paper board. A first contrast area may be arranged adjacent to the pre-laminated hole and printed in a first color that is selected such that a high contrast between the first color and the pre-laminated hole is achieved.

Abstract: A method and system of fault prediction in a packaging machine is disclosed. The method comprises registering data values associated with the motion of independently movable objects along a track in the packaging machine; determining a distribution of the data values; calculating a measure of central tendency of the data values in the distribution; calculating a quantified measure of a shape of the distribution; associating the measure of central tendency with said quantified measure of the shape as a coupled set of condition parameters; determining a degree of dispersion of a plurality of coupled sets of condition parameters associated with a plurality of motion cycles of the independently movable objects; and comparing the degree of dispersion with a dispersion threshold value, or determining a trend of the degree of dispersion over time, for said fault prediction.

Abstract: An apparatus for digital printing of carton-based packaging material for packages holding liquid food products is provided. The packaging material has a first side adapted to form outer surfaces of the packages and a second side adapted to form inner surfaces of the packages.

Abstract: A packaging material is provided, comprising a core material layer and at least one polymer layer being laminated thereto. The core material layer is provided with at least one area being configured to assist in folding the packaging material into a bottom end corner of a package to be formed, wherein the packaging material comprises a first set of crease lines being designed to form a bottom end of the package, and a second set of crease lines being designed to form a main body of the package. The at least one area comprises an intersection of a plurality of crease lines, each having a triangular cross-section, while a plurality of crease lines of the first set of crease lines, each having a triangular cross-section and having a virtual extension through the intersection, are terminated such that they end at a distance from the intersection.

Abstract: A method is disclosed comprising retrieving captured process data comprising video and/or audio data capturing at least part of the execution of events in a machine, retrieving at least a first signal representing a measurable machine condition responsive to the events executed, wherein a first sequence of said machine control instructions is configured to trigger a respective first set of said events for execution thereof, determining first time stamps of the machine control instructions, aligning the first time stamps with second time stamps determined for at least one of; i) times of execution of said first set of events determined from the captured process data; ii) the first signal and associated measurable machine condition retrieved in response to execution of said first set of events, displaying a representation of the first sequence of machine control instructions, associated with the first time stamps, together with an output representation said second time stamps.