Abstract: A folding method and device, whereby a tubular wrapping is formed about a product by inserting the product inside a U-shaped pocket together with a sheet of wrapping material, a first lateral portion of which is interposed between the product and a first lateral wall of the pocket, and a second lateral portion of which, opposite the first, is folded outside and beyond the pocket and crosswise to the first lateral portion; the tubular wrapping being closed by moving the first lateral wall of the pocket outwards, simultaneously moving a contrast member onto the first lateral portion, and then folding the second lateral portion, by means of an external folding member, onto the product and so as to overlap the first lateral portion; and the tubular wrapping being fixed inside the pocket by withdrawing the external folding member, simultaneously closing the first lateral wall onto the product, and withdrawing the contrast member (34) from the pocket.

Abstract: A method and device for folding an end portion of a substantially elliptical-section, tubular wrapping for a group of cigarettes, whereby the end portion of the tubular wrapping is folded by forming three first and three second folded flaps located on opposite sides of a major axis of the elliptical section of the tubular wrapping; the first and second flaps being defined respectively by a respective central flap and by two respective lateral flaps, each of the second flaps being specular with a corresponding first flap, and being located between the major axis of the elliptical section and a packing wheel supporting the tubular wrapping; the first flaps being folded first, commencing with the first central flap; and the second flaps being folded subsequently, commencing with the second lateral flaps.

Abstract: A packing machine provided with a wrapping conveyor moving along a wrapping path and having a plurality of recesses each of which is designed to receive a respective article together with a respective wrapping sheet; and with a plurality of folding stations successively arranged along the wrapping path, each folding station comprising folding units arranged to cooperate with the wrapping sheets to fold the same around respective articles; the folding unit in at least one of the folding station has a folding device presenting a fixed block and a movable block defining respective contiguous flat surfaces blending along a fold line; the movable block is activated by an articulated parallelogram actuating device having two connecting rods connected by cranks hinged to the fixed block to rotate, with respect to the fixed block, about respective axes parallel to the fold line; the movable block being hinged to the two connecting rods, and defining a further crank rotating, with respect to the fixed block, about an

Abstract: A method of transferring wrappings, wherein each wrapping is defined by a sheet of wrapping material and has at least one flat wall, provides for feeding a wrapping along a curved path by means of a pocket of a conveyor; for guiding the wrapping along the curved path by means of a guide contacting the wrapping; and for moving a plate of the guide with respect to the pocket, so that a flat face of the plate is maintained contacting the entire flat wall of the wrapping along a portion of the curved path.

Abstract: A method and device for applying a label to a packet of cigarettes travelling in a given direction along a conveying path; to apply the label to the packet, a pickup head is fed along a feed path by rotating the pickup head about two axes parallel to each other, and by moving the pickup head radially with respect to one of the two axes.

Abstract: A turn-around device for packets, in particular packets of cigarettes, wherein the packets are fed successively, with a first surface facing forwards, to a turn-around station, from which they are extracted, with a second surface facing forwards, by a gripper conveyor, which travels through the turn-around station perpendicularly to the second surface, and has a number of grippers, each of which defines a pocket for a relative packet, and closes gradually onto the packet to control its position as it is extracted from the turn-around station with the second surface facing forwards.

Abstract: A method of wrapping elongated articles in groups provides for feeding a first and a second pocket continuously along two respective paths having a common portion, along which the first pocket penetrates the second pocket to transfer a group from the first to the second pocket together with a sheet of wrapping material, which is folded into a U inside the second pocket and has two parallel, opposite flaps gripped between first and second lateral walls; and for compressing the group between a first and a second bottom wall and, at the same time, extracting the first lateral walls from the second pocket.

Abstract: A method and unit for applying labels to packets of cigarettes, traveling in a given direction along a first path with a given spacing and arranged a given distance apart, provide for feeding a gripping head along a second path, and applying each label to a first face of a respective packet by inserting the gripping head between one packet and the adjacent following packet to roll the gripping head and apply the label along the first face, which is perpendicular to the given direction. (FIG.

Abstract: A packing machine for packing cigarettes, having a conveyor in turn having at least one pocket for forming and conveying a respective group of cigarettes; the pocket being carried by a carriage run along a fixed guide by a linear electric motor, a stator or primary of which extends along at least one portion of the guide, and a cursor or secondary of which is carried by the carriage.

Abstract: A method of overwrapping packets in the form of a rectangular prism, whereby a packet, as it is fed continuously along a wrapping path, is first centered with respect to a relative conveying seat, and is then paired with a relative sheet of wrapping material, which is folded about the packet to form a tubular wrapping projecting axially from the packet in the form of two tubular appendixes, which are folded to form a closed overwrapping; each tubular appendix being at least partly folded onto the relative packet before the relative tubular wrapping is completed.

Abstract: A method of wrapping elongated articles in groups provides for feeding a first and a second pocket continuously along two respective paths having a common portion, along which the first pocket penetrates the second pocket to transfer a group from the first to the second pocket together with a sheet of wrapping material, which is folded into a U inside the second pocket and has two parallel, opposite flaps gripped between first and second lateral walls; and for compressing the group between a first and a second bottom wall and, at the same time, extracting the first lateral walls from the second pocket.

Abstract: A method of transferring wrappings, wherein each wrapping is defined by a sheet of wrapping material and has at least one flat wall, provides for feeding a wrapping along a curved path by means of a pocket of a conveyor; for guiding the wrapping along the curved path by means of a guide contacting the wrapping; and for moving a plate of the guide with respect to the pocket, so that a flat face of the plate is maintained contacting the entire flat wall of the wrapping along a portion of the curved path.

Abstract: A method and unit for forming tubular wrappings on a cigarette packing machine, whereby groups of cigarettes are fed successively to respective conveying heads of a continuous wrapping wheel, on which an end portion of a sheet of wrapping material, folded into a U about a respective group of cigarettes and carried by a respective conveying head, is folded onto the respective group by means of a respective outer folding member moved, with respect to the wrapping wheel, so to remain substantially parallel at all times to the respective conveying head; the outer folding members being equal in number to the conveying heads.

Abstract: A method of overwrapping packets in the form of a rectangular prism, whereby a packet, as it is fed continuously along a wrapping path, is first centered with respect to a relative conveying seat, and is then paired with a relative sheet of wrapping material, which is folded about the packet to form a tubular wrapping projecting axially from the packet in the form of two tubular appendixes, which are folded to form a closed overwrapping; each tubular appendix being at least partly folded onto the relative packet before the relative tubular wrapping is completed.

Abstract: On a packing machine for packing cigarettes, whereby a group of cigarettes is formed by withdrawing the cigarettes from one or more outlets of a hopper, interception, in response to a control signal, of the stream of cigarettes from any one outlet results in simultaneous interception of the respective streams from all of any other outlets participating, with the intercepted outlet, in the formation of the group, but not in simultaneous stoppage of the packing machine as a whole.

Abstract: To pack a group of cigarettes in a rigid packet, a collar, a respective inner sheet of wrapping material and a respective group of cigarettes are fed successively into a same conveying seat in which the collar and the inner sheet are at least partly folded together about the group of cigarettes as of respective flat initial configurations.

Abstract: A wrapping wheel of a continuous cigarette packing machine has at least one seat for a respective group of cigarettes having two end surfaces and enclosed in a tubular wrapping having two projecting tubular end portions, each having two minor walls; the wheel moves each end surface along a relative path crosswise to the relative two minor walls, which are each folded onto the end surface by a relative folding device, which has an outer surface tangent to the end surface, and is mounted for rotation about a respective axis converging towards a plane defined by the path traveled by the end surface.

Abstract: A method and unit for forming tubular wrappings on a cigarette packing machine, whereby groups of cigarettes are fed successively to respective conveying heads of a continuous wrapping wheel, on which an end portion of a sheet of wrapping material, folded into a U about a respective group of cigarettes and carried by a respective conveying head, is folded onto the respective group by means of a respective outer folding member moved, with respect to the wrapping wheel, so to remain substantially parallel at all times to the respective conveying head; the outer folding members being equal in number to the conveying heads.

Abstract: A method and unit for applying labels to packets of cigarettes, traveling in a given direction along a first path with a given spacing and arranged a given distance apart, provide for feeding a gripping head along a second path, and applying each label to a first face of a respective packet by inserting the gripping head between one packet and the adjacent following packet to roll the gripping head and apply the label along the first face, which is perpendicular to the given direction.

Abstract: A packing machine wherein a conveying head feeds a product to a wrapping head in which a respective sheet of wrapping material is folded into a U about the product so as to have a pair of wings facing each other and projecting transversely from the product; and a movable folding device carried by the conveying head folds a first wing of the pair of wings through 90° onto the product once the product is supplied to the wrapping head.