Abstract: A vial closing machine includes an indexed mechanism to facilitate movement of vial fixtures between a plurality stations—loading, filling, sealing, and unloading; integration of a filler and manifold system, to dispense a pharmaceutical product equally into each of the vials; an electrical enclosure containing a programmable logic controller or a series of timers to control filler, sealing mechanism, indexer movement; a moveable heat sealing device providing pressure against an opposing respective device which creates pressured system required for sealing process; a material flattener, attached to the moveable heat sealing device, used to pre-flatten a vial below a sealing area in order to create a reliable seal without damaging the integrity of the vial material; and a means for removing filled and sealed vials from vial fixture. The vial closing machine may be one of two types—a Ferris wheel design type or a stadium design type.

Abstract: The present invention provides an automatic welding apparatus for welding a pair of horizontally overlapping thermoplastic materials in sheet form along the overlap thereof. The apparatus includes, in a preferred embodiment thereof, a chassis having a material guide including a pair of overlapping channels, vertically spaced from one another and said materials, to receive the overlapping portions of the materials and to maintain and to produce a separation between the materials. Located within the separation are an electrically heated prismatic member and a first and a second means to produce first and second streams of heated air to heat the materials to plasticity. A pair of pressure rollers acting against the materials and in a preferred embodiment a pair of guide rollers mounted on a guide plate attached to the aforementioned material guide are provided to urge the materials against one another so that they weld to one another.