Abstract: An apparatus and method for vacuum sealing a food item package. Compressed air forces air out of a food item package such that there is substantially no air within the package after it is sealed.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for vacuum sealing a food item package. Compressed air forces air out of a food item package such that there is substantially no air within the package after it is sealed.

Abstract: There is disclosed chuck configurations for internally engaging the hollow core element of a roll of packaging or printing sheet or other web material in which a generally cylindrical chuck body insertable in a web core has at least one hole through the chuck body at an acute angle with the tangent to the chuck body at the outer entrance point of the hole and at an acute angle with the plane perpendicular to the chuck cylindrical axis. At least one elongated element is configured to engage rotatably in each of the holes and having on a distal end thereof one or more pointed or toothed extensions for engagement with the interior of a hollow web whereby chuck engagement with a hollow core may be made by manipulating such elongated elements to extend outside the periphery of said chuck body. The chuck may also be provided with means for securing it on a spindle or shaft for rotation therewith which is separate and independent of the holes and elongated elements for engaging the hollow core.

Abstract: A packaging machine for making substantially air-tight bags at high speed. The machine includes a film drive and pinch roll pair, a pair of film pull belts, and a pair of zipper drive rollers for pulling plastic film and zippered strip through the machine. The machine can produce recloseable bags with zipperlocks by including zippered strips and a zipperlock applicator and feed and apparatus selectively releasing the tension from the zippered drive rollers.

Abstract: A packaging machine for making substantially air-tight bags at high speed. The machine includes a film drive and pinch roll pair, a pair of film pull belts, and a pair of zipper drive rollers for pulling plastic film and zippered strip through the machine. The machine can produce recloseable bags with zipperlocks by including zippered strips and a zipperlock applicator and feed and apparatus selectively releasing the tension from the zippered drive rollers.

Abstract: A packaging machine for making a variety of types and styles of bags and seals, durable, substantially air-tight bags at high speed, different size and make of bags, and different amounts and types of product in the bags. The machine includes a film drive and pinch roll pair, a pair of film pull belts, and a pair of zipper drive rollers for pulling plastic film and zipper strip through the machine. The machine is convertible from one for producing reclosable edge fin seal bags to another for producing nonreclosable midline seal pillow type bags. Conversion from one to another is facilitated by having the pinch seal assembly mounted so that it can be pulled out of the machine, indexed 90°, and pushed back into the machine. The film pull belts are part of a self-contained pull belt unit which can be adjusted or removed from the machine, inverted and placed back into the machine. Different formers, fill tubes, and/or vertical sealing units are used to produce different types and styles of bags.

Abstract: A vertical form, fill and seal machine, components and method is disclosed which makes reclosable bags having a safety seal exterior to a reclosable seal and also produces durable, substantially air-tight bags at high speed and provides for the production of different size bags and different amounts of product in the bags. The disclosed machine includes a drive and pinch roll pair for pulling plastic film off of a plastic film supply roll, a pair of film pull belts biased against the plastic film wrapped around the fill tube and driven to pull the plastic film down along the side of the fill tube, and a pair of drive rollers for pulling the zipper strip through the machine. The production of different size bags is facilitated by having the plastic film drive roll, endless film pull belts, and zipper strip drive rollers all driven by a common drive source which is operated in bag length increments.

Abstract: A convertible, vertical form, fill and seal packaging machine and method for making a variety of types and styles of bags and seals is disclosed. The machine produces durable, substantially air-tight bags at high speed and provides for the production of different size and make of bags and different amounts and types of product in the bags. The machine includes a film drive and pinch roll pair, a pair of film pull belts, and a pair of zipper driver rollers for pulling plastic film and zipper strip through the machine. The machine is convertible from one for producing reclosable edge fin seal bags to another for producing nonreclosable midline seal pillow type bags. The pinch seal assembly can be pulled out of the machine, indexed 90.degree., and pushed back into the machine. The film pull belts are part of a self-contained pull belt unit which can be adjusted or removed from the machine, inverted and placed back into the machine.

Abstract: A vertical form, fill and seal packing machine and method for making recloseable bags having a safety seal exterior to a recloseable seal. The machine produces durable, substantially air-tight bags at high speed and provides for the production of different size and make of bags and different amounts and types of product in the bags. The machine includes a film drive and pinch roll pair, a pair of film pull belts, and a pair of zipper drive rollers for pulling the plastic film and zipper strip through the machine. The production of different size bags is facilitated by having the film drive roll, pull belts, and zipper drive rollers simultaneously driven in bag length increments by a common drive source. Also, to accommodate the production of different size bags, the machine includes a programmable control system, an optical mark sensor, and an adjustable film path length.

Abstract: A vertical form, fill and seal machine, components and method is disclosed which makes reclosable bags having a safety seal exterior to a reclosable seal and also produces durable, substantially air-tight bags at high speed and provides for the production of different size bags and different amounts of product in the bags. The disclosed machine includes a drive and pinch roll pair for pulling plastic film off of a plastic film supply roll, a pair of film pull belts biased against the plastic film wrapped around the fill tube and driven to pull the plastic film down along the side of the fill tube, and a pair of drive rollers for pulling the zipper strip through the machine. The production of different size bags is facilitated by having the plastic film drive roll, endless film pull belts, and zipper strip drive rollers all driven by a common drive source which is operated in bag length increments.

Abstract: A convertible, vertical form, fill and seal packaging machine and method for making a variety of types and styles of bags and seals is disclosed. The machine produces durable, substantially air-tight bags at high speed and provides for the production of different size and make of bags and different amounts and types of product in the bags. The machine includes a film drive and pinch roll pair, a pair of film pull belts, and a pair of zipper drive rollers for pulling plastic film and zipper strip through the machine. The machine is convertible from one for producing reclosable edge fin seal bags to another for producing nonreclosable midline seal pillow type bags. Conversion from one to another is facilitated by having the pinch seal assembly mounted on a base plate which is releasably secured to a drawer-like device. This allows the pinch seal assembly to be pulled out of the machine, indexed 90.degree., and pushed back into the machine.

Abstract: A vertical form, fill and seal machine is disclosed which makes recloseable bags having a safety seal exterior to a recloseable seal and also produces durable, substantially air-tight bags at high speed and provides for the production of different size bags and different amounts of product in the bags. The disclosed machine includes a drive and pinch roll pair for pulling plastic film off of a plastic film supply roll, a pair of film pull belts biased against the plastic film wrapped around the fill tube and driven to pull the plastic film down along the side of the fill tube, and a pair of drive rollers for pulling the zipper strip through the machine. The production of different size bags is facilitated by having the plastic film drive roll, endless film pull belts, and zipper strip drive rollers all driven by a common drive source which is operated in bag length increments.

Abstract: A vertical form, fill and seal packing machine and method for making recloseable bags having a safety seal exterior to a recloseable seal. The machine produces durable, substantially air-tight bags at high speed and provides for the production of different size bags and different amounts of product in the bags. The machine includes a film drive and pinch roll pair, a pair of film pull belts, and a pair of zipper drive rollers for pulling the plastic film and zipper strip through the machine. The production of different size bags is facilitated by having the film drive roll, pull belts, and zipper drive rollers simultaneously driven in bag length increments by a common drive source. Also, to accommodate the production of different size bags, the machine includes a vertically adjustable mark sensor.

Abstract: There is disclosed a pinch sealer drive mechanism for a form fill and seal machine, or the like, wherein a bi-directional rotary actuator is employed to rotate a crank with two oppositely disposed levers, each of which is linked to a slide. Thus, there are two substantially identical symmetrically disposed linkages consisting of a lever, a link and a slide, whereby the slide is caused to have a relatively low velocity at the extremes of its motion, thereby producing a smooth vibration free operating mechanism to which the heat seal bars or other pinch sealing apparatus may be attached. A preferred embodiment of the apparatus has a duplicate of the above described crank, lever, and link mechanism for the distant end of the slide, and the second mechanism is driven from and synchronized with the first by an endless belt drive to one of two sprockets fixed on a rotatable shaft and then from the second sprocket on such shaft to a sprocket connected to rotate the crank of the second mechanism.

Abstract: There is disclosed a food tray film wrapping machine having an improved film feeding mechanism particularly adapted to feeding pre-printed film from a continuous roll and assuring proper registration of the printing on the film-wrapped tray, including a receiving position for a large film roll provided with a pair of rollers for cradling the film roll, a film feed motor separate from the main wrapping machine motor, an automatic motor control responsive to optical sensors for sensing an index mark on the film sheet and for sensing the presence of a food tray at the machine wrapping station to stop and start the film feed motor, a perforating knife positioned adjacent the index mark sensor for perforating the film on a line across the film without separating it, and an arrangement of a filmfolding arm with gripping means for the film whereby the film sheet is separated at the perforation line as the folding arm tucks the trailing edge of the film sheet at the wrapping station under the food tray.