Abstract: Longitudinal welding equipment in a machine for packaging products fed on a conveyor belt inside a continuous film of plastic material wrapped around the products with overlapping longitudinal side edges. The equipment comprises a longitudinal welding means positioned above the edges of the means for generating an oscillatory rotary-translational motion on a vertical plane. Furthermore, the equipment provides at least one pressure and accompanying belt a top of the products wrapped inside the film. The welding means and the pressure belt are operatively driven by the same central motor means which actuates said conveyor belt. The welding means is equipped with a means for temperature control operatively connected to the packaging speed.

Abstract: A centralized drive device in a machine for packaging products in continuous plastic film which unwinds from a reel comprising essentially a feed unit for said products, an individual product feed unit, a unit for wrapping said products in said film, and a unit for welding and cutting the individual packaged products, in which a rigid transmission shaft extends along the entire length of the interior of the packaging machine from a central variable-speed drive. A series of individual motion transmissions, each operating one of the units of the machine, branches from the shaft, there being also connected to the variable-speed drive a further variable-speed drive which, by positive transmission, drives a belt for conveying the products to be packaged, in accordance with the predetermined succession.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for controlling the unwinding of a plastic film in a packaging machine. The film before coming in contact with a conveyor belt for the products to be packaged passes in succession through a pair of dragging rollers and about a floating bar disposed between fixed guide rollers. The drive roller of the pair of rollers is driven by a variable speed motor by way of two alternately activated transmission of different ratio. Two microswitches disposed at different levels cooperate with the floating bar in order to activate one or the other of the transmissions.

Abstract: A loader for box-type feeders of packaging machines, bookbinding machines and the like, in which the products are loaded into a feed channel with an inclined base formed by a conveyor belt, to be brought into contact with a counteracting plate. Sucker arms cyclically withdraw one product at a time and transfer it to wheels provided with grippers which insert the product between pairs of belts by means of which the product is transferred until it discharges into the feeder box. Feeler elements cyclically determine the thrust of the products in the feed channel and enable the conveyor belt to advance through one step when the thrust is smaller than a predetermined value, whereas they prevent said advancement when the thrust is greater than said value.

Abstract: In a machine for wrapping individual articles with a thermoplastic film, a device is provided for correctly positioning the film, which is for example printed with certain symbols, relative to the articles. Said device comprises a mechanism for detecting at every instant the position of an article, a photoelectric cell for detecting the position of the film and a comparison circuit which receives signals from both the detecting means. The comparison circuit comprises logical gates (of AND type) and storage means and is associated to timing means for actuating a motor so as to increase or reduce the speed of the film consistently with the positive or negative results of the speed comparison made by the comparison circuit, or to leave said speed unaltered when the phase relationship between the film and the articles has been found correct.

Abstract: Labels with and without final item identification mark are put on the individual items in a label collocation station located upstream an item wrapping station followed by a film sealing and cutting station, a heating tunnel and a stacker. Reading means associated to the label collocation station read any identification marks on the labels and control feeding of recognition tabs onto the wrapped items from tab feeding means arranged between the sealing and cutting station and the heating tunnel. Tab detecting means arranged between the heating tunnel and the stacker control the stacker to terminate the formation of a batch of items when a tab on a wrapped item is detected.

Abstract: A machine for packaging sundry articles between two weldable plastics material sheets is disclosed, in which provision is made for the formation of a top sheet loop to cope with different tallnesses of the articles as they are being packaged and sealed between the plastics sheet: undue sheet tensions are prevented as well as undue slackening of the sheet.Waste of plastics material is also efficiently done away with.

Abstract: This invention relates to a packaging machine for wrapping light objects, for example paper cups in flexible plastics wrappers. The packaging machine according to the invention is of the general type including a cell conveyor for the objects, lower and upper plastics films respectively fed below and above the objects and welding and cutting means for joining said films together before each object by operating a double weld with intermediate cut. According to the invention, each cell of the conveyor is provided with at least one upper closing arm carrying an idle roller for the lower film and resiliently retained in cell closing position, there being provided first and second cam means acting on said arm to cause momentary displacements thereof into cell opening position when each cell passes through loading and discharge regions respectively upstream and downstream of the film joining region.

Abstract: In a conveyance system with crossing paths, such as used in the conveyance of piled-up articles such as newpapers and the like, the improvement consisting in providing two couples of belts arranged crosswise relative to one another and equipped with a lifting mechanism capable of lifting and depressing one couple of belts relative to the other. The lifting mechanism comprises an array of idle belt-tightening rollers and fixed rollers, a few rollers being mounted in such a way as to impart a U-bend to top belt lap, the U-bend area being mounted on a special swingable arm. Appropriate linkages ensure the desired synchronization of the movement of the upper laps of the belts, so that the articles on the belts can easily be passed from a lower-level belt to a higher-level belt, and viceversa. It is also possible to select which belts are to stand at a higher or lower level as necessity demands.

Abstract: In a packaging machine of the kind in which a tubular film is wrapped around the articles to be packaged as they are advanced over a conveyor belt and the film is heat-welded and severed, the improvement consisting in that the welding and the counter-welding rods are vertically reciprocated between respective inactive positions and an approached position whereat both rods cooperate to effect the welding and the film-severing. The height adjustment to allow for different heights of the articles to be packaged is thus greatly facilitated and the film pull reduced.

Abstract: A packaging machine is shown, for various articles, single or multiple, particularly mail, fragile and delicate articles and the like, wherein the article to be packaged is dropped into a partially formed envelope, which is thereafter sealed and severed from the supply of packaging material, any contact of the article with any mechanical gripping device being prevented.

Abstract: The invention relates to an automatic feeding device for delivering articles from a magazine to a conveyor, wherein the magazine is adapted to permit the articles to be delivered to be pulled out therefrom singly from below, and at least one grab-arm is provided adapted to pick up the article pulled out and to deposit it onto a tray which is being swept from said conveyor. To this end the said grab-arm is capable of performing a rotary-translatory motion between the magazine and the tray.