Abstract: An aim assembly includes a hub movable about a central axis and at least one support operably connected to the hub. At least one arm is operably connected to the at least one support and thereby movable about the central axis in a predetermined path. At least one adjustment mechanism is located at the central axis and is capable of altering the predetermined path during movement of the at least one support about the central axis. A method of operating an arm assembly includes locating at least one hub at a central axis and moving at least one arm about the central axis in a predetermined path. The at least one arm is operably connected to the at least one hub via at least one support. An adjustment mechanism is engaged thereby altering the predetermined path during movement of the at least one arm about the central axis.

Abstract: A packaging apparatus for wrapping a carton around a packaged product comprises a box mandrel conveyor including a plurality of mandrels which support the packaged product thereon. Packages are precisely fed to the mandrels of the box mandrel conveyor by a conditioning conveyor. Carton blanks are delivered to a conveying system from a carton magazine and are conveyed in vertical confronting relation to a mandrel. Each mandrel moves the carton blank against a plow device thereby causing the carton blank to be folded around a mandrel containing a package. Folding and compression devices are provided for folding and compressing an end panel against a manufacturer's flap. Suitable flap closing means close the end flaps and upper and lower flaps after the mandrel is withdrawn from the carton.

Abstract: Described herein is a shuttle device for producing wrappers of sheet material (F) containing a product (P) with at least one fantail-twisted end obtained by twisting said sheet material (F). The shuttle (10) comprises a first part (112a, 112b) for receiving the product (P) located in the precursor of wrapper and at least one second part (212a, 212b; 312a, 312b) that grips on a respective part of precursor of wrapper (F). The first part (112a, 112b) and the second part (212a, 212b; 312a, 312b) of the shuttle (10) are able to turn with respect to one another about a given axis (X10) so as to produce at least one fantail-twisted end as a result of the twisting action imparted on the precursor of wrapper (F) following upon the relative movement of rotation about the aforesaid given axis (X10).

Abstract: A continuous motion packaging system for packaging a series of articles in cartons as the cartons are moved along a carton conveyor. A series of selector wedges engage and form groups of articles received on the cartons, which are folded or wrapped about the articles as the cartons are moved forwardly along a packaging path.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for packaging articles such as pouches which do not have rigid structures. The method includes the steps of placing first and second sets of the articles onto spaced apart loading panels of a carton blank so that the article sets are spaced apart with an unloaded further panel of the blank disposed between the article sets, raising the spaced loading panels together with the respective sets of articles to transfer the sets of articles to the unloaded further panel so that the unloaded further panel becomes the loaded base of the carton and the loading panels become opposed side panels of the carton.

Abstract: A machine and method for producing a package by folding a sheet of packing material about a respective article; a packing conveyor feeds along a packing path a folding head, which houses the package and has an electrically heated activating member for applying heat to a portion of the package; the folding head also has a movable magnetic core, which has a coil connected electrically to the activating member, and is positioned facing and coupled magnetically to a fixed magnetic core positioned parallel to the packing path; in use, a coil coupled to the fixed magnetic core is supplied with electric current to induce flow of a corresponding electric current through the coil of the movable magnetic core.

Abstract: A conveying device for machines for packaging rolled articles includes a series of carriages, fastened, regularly spaced apart, to conveying means moved stepwise along an endless path. Each pair of adjacent carriages define holding seats for respective groups of articles to be packaged in a single pack with a sheet of a wrapping material. The carriages include a plurality of pushing prongs which extend, perpendicular to the conveying means, from slide means slidingly mounted on gliding means fastened to the conveying means crosswise to a forward movement direction of conveying means. The conveying device include also means for adjusting the position of the pushing prongs on the carriages, aimed at operating the slide means to move in a selected position along the gliding means.

Abstract: A method and machine for wrapping cigars provides for feeding the cigars continuously along a given path, along which a sheet of wrapping material is folded about each cigar, the sheet of wrapping material is closed about the cigar and at the opposite ends to form a closed wrapping, and the closed wrapping is sealed.

Abstract: A pocket belt is continuously advanced by a drive at a variable pocket-belt speed, and a package supply feeds packages at a variable spacing one after another to a transfer station offset from the pocket belt. A feeding system has an intermediate belt extending through the transfer station from the supply to the pocket belt, and a drive for advancing the intermediate belt at an intermediate-belt speed and thereby moving the packages on the intermediate belt at the intermediate-belt speed from the supply to the pocket belt. A controller connected to the drives maintains the intermediate speed at a predetermined ratio to the pocket-belt speed as determined by the spacing between succeeding packages as they arrive at the transfer station from the supply.

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 packing machine comprising a rotary assembly (2) which is adapted to receive articles (4) travelling along a path which is adjacent one region of the periphery of the assembly, and means (26) for receiving foil (14) or other wrapping material, at a different peripheral region, the foil then being oriented in a tangential plane; the assembly further comprising means for reorienting the foil into a plane which is perpendicular to said tangential plane (20) at a subsequent rotary position, where it is suitably aligned with a cooperating article wrapping means (40, 32).

Abstract: A method for wrapping an elongated, substantially parallelepiped product (2) having two opposite longitudinal end bases (8), by engaging the bases (8) of the product (2) by a conveyor head (6) fed continuously by a conveyor (7) along a wrapping path (P1) and folding a sheet (3) of wrapping material into a U about the product (2) along a first portion of the wrapping path and further folding the material along a second portion of the wrapping path to stabilize the fold and form a tubular wrapping (10). The conveyor comprises a wheel (17) and a plurality of conveyor heads on the wheel, each head being movable with respect to the wheel (17) to cause the sheet (3) of wrapping material to cooperate, along the second portion of the wrapping path (P1), with at least one passive fixture (58, 61) operating on the sheet (3) to form the tubular wrapping (10).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a cartoning machine in which box-like (i.e., generally rectangular) contents with a carton positioned therearound are fed, and when the box-like contents with the carton have passed a pivotable face of a conveyance pocket positioned on the most upstream side in the conveyance direction, a fold-down piece operates to fold down an upper body flap of the carton. After this operation, the pivotable face is raised from a lower position to fold up a lower body flap, whereby the lower body flap is overlapped on the outside of the upper body flap to complete the body folding of the carton. Thereafter, a plurality of conveyance pockets are conveyed simultaneously by intermittent operation of endless flexible members, whereby side flaps of each carton, which has gone through the body flap folding operation, are folded in successively to complete the cartoning.

Abstract: A machine and process for wrapping workpieces, typically napkins. The machine having an infeed conveyor from which workpieces are feed to a poly film supply apparatus, via a conveyor assembly, that distributes a predetermined portion of the poly film supply apparatus around the workpieces to form a horizontally disposed U having a first tail and a second tail of poly film wrap. The conveyor assembly has two conveyor belts that are arranged so that the end of the first conveyor belt meets an end of the second conveyor belt. The second conveyor belt is mounted on a pulley system that allows the end of the second conveyor belt to move away from the end of the first conveyor belt after the workpieces have transferred to the second conveyor belt so that a gap between the two belts is presented. A folder folds down the first tail of poly film wrap. A second folder and a sealer bar come up through the gap and fold up the second tail against the first and seal it in place.

Abstract: A method of fashioning tubular overwrappings with a heat-sealable material, and a device in which single commodities are directed in succession together with respective sheets of heat-sealable material into a set of pockets spaced apart at a constant pitch around the periphery of an indexing wheel rotated through steps of length equal to a submultiple of the pitch of the peripheral pockets. The pockets currently occupied pause after each step in alignment with a relative set of heat-seal stations and are accompanied through the first step, approaching the first heat-seal station, by a moving folder positioned so as to flatten a first longitudinal flap of the relative sheet against the flank of the commodity; a second flap is flattened similarly over the first flap by a fixed folder whereupon the two flaps are held fast in overlapping contact, ready for heat-sealing.

Abstract: The conveying arm is composed of a first lower portion by which products assembled for wrapping are restrained, and a supporting upper portion embodied integrally with the first, which affords two slots occupying the full width of the arm as measured transversely to the conveying direction and designed to couple with two respective rails; the first such slot is located in and accessible from the face of the upper portion directed toward the products, and functions as a sliding bearing, whilst the second slot is located to the rear of the first. The arm is fashioned in a deformable material and its deformability enhanced by a narrow extension of the rear slot, in such a way that the upper portion can be locked to and released from the rail swiftly by applying a corresponding force parallel to the conveying direction.

Abstract: A lug folding apparatus for a packaging machine in which box-like items, fed into pockets, are continuously circularly conveyed, during which a packaging sheet is wound or wrapped along the surface of each of the box-like items, the wound box-like items are transferred from the continuous circular conveyance to a linear conveyance, and the extended ends of the packaging sheet, protruding angularly from both sides of the box-like items, are folded along both sides thereof, the lug folding apparatus having a continuously rotating lug folding wheel provided with a plurality of pockets into which the wound box-like items are fed at equal intervals at the outer periphery thereof; a low speed conveyor which is partly in contact with a moving orbit of the pockets; a horizontal conveying path, opposite to the low speed conveyor, wherein the pockets are circularly moved while maintaining their horizontal state by rotation of the lug folding wheel, the pockets being provided with spaced portions to which projections of

Abstract: A packaging machine for individual flat strip-like articles, in particular chewing gum strips (10), comprises means for cutting (110) and supplying (100), wrapping (300) and grouping (400; 500) of the individual articles. The packaging machine comprises a first fast section through which the articles pass continuously, i.e. substantially without retardations or accelerations. In this machine section the chewing gums are first cut from sheets (20) to strips (10) in a cutting device (110) and thereafter individually wrapped, a turning drum (340) possibly being employed. Subsequently, they are combined to groups in a grouping means (400; 500). In this second machine section the chewing gum groups are further conveyed intermittently in cycles with lower speed to a collective packing machine. By exchanging components in the grouping means of the fast machine section the articles can be combined to groups different in number and arrangement.

Abstract: In the production of packs with adhesively bonded folding tabs, especially of (soft) cup packs for cigarettes, it is necessary to keep the just finished packs for a while in an environment which preserves or improves their shape before they are discharged. For this purpose, an elongated pack channel (31) is provided, into which the finished packs (20) are pushed at one end (inserting opening 32) and which the packs leave after some time at the opposite end (discharge opening 33). The pack channel (31) has a cross-section which stabilizes or improves the cross-sectional shape of the pack (20). A plurality of pack channels (31) are mounted on a conveyor (channel conveyor 41) side-by-side. The packs (20) are inserted and ejected during a continuous transport of the endless channel conveyor (41). When the pack (20) enters a pack channel (31), a label (26) may be held ready which is folded round the forwardly pointing end face (23) of the pack (20) in a U-shaped manner by the insertion into the pack channel (31).

Abstract: The machine comprises essentially a substantially belt-like endless conveyor provided with plates having cells to which the bodies to be wrapped are supplied individually. The cells with the bodies housed therein are covered by a wrapping sheet which is supplied continuously and is subsequently cut to form an individual wrapping sheet portion for each body. The unit constituted by each body and its respective wrapping sheet portion is turned over and transferred by a thrusting action exerted on the body to a drum provided with gripping jaws and associated folding members. An intermediate, generally tubular wrapper with two end parts and a central part in which the body is situated is thus formed. The two end parts are acted on by rotary pincers provided with pairs of clamping fingers for forming bow-like twists in the ends.The preferred application is for wrapping food products such as sweets and the like.

Abstract: A method and device for producing tubular wrappings for products of parallelepiped shape or similar; whereby the products are fed successively, and in a substantially radial direction, to a wrapping wheel turning at substantially constant speed and having a number of mobile elements, each defining a seat for a respective product. Each product is inserted inside a respective seat together with a sheet of wrapping material, which is folded in a U and presents two opposite portions projecting outwards of the seat. One of the portions is folded down on to the product by a first folding element, and the mobile element is moved on the wheel so as to fold and hold down the other portion by means of a second folding element mounted on the wheel, and so as to move the seat into a position facing a joining device for firmly joining the two folded opposite portions of the sheet of wrapping material.

Abstract: Apparatus for draping blanks around blocks of parallel cigarettes has a continuously driven turret with radially inwardly extending pockets in its peripheral surface. Successive pockets of the turret receive blocks of cigarettes from successive pockets of a first endless belt or chain conveyor which partially overlies the peripheral surface of the turret and carries pushers which transfer the blocks into the pockets of the turret in the region of overlap. First blanks are caused to overlie the pockets of the turret ahead of the region of overlap so that the blocks deform the blanks during transfer into the pockets of the turret. The blanks are provided with flaps and tucks during travel with the turret, and the latter is further overlapped by a portion of a second endless belt or chain conveyor whose pockets receive blocks and the at least partially draped first blanks from the pockets of the turret in the region where the second conveyor overlaps the peripheral surface of the turret.

Abstract: A wrapping machine wherein article units are wrapped by a shrinkable web to form a package. The machine includes a conveyor which includes an upper article supporting run. The conveyor has regularly spaced openings and associated with the rear of each opening is a web pulling bar. Article units are fed to the conveyor run in timed relation to conveyor movement and a series of retarder bars, moving at a slower rate, pull the web in front of each article unit to be wrapped with the article unit then bearing against the retarder bar and being slowed to the speed of the retarder bar with the conveyor moving therebeneath. A clamp bar moves down behind each article unit, draws the web down behind the article unit and then clamps the web to the article unit. In advance of this, and before the clamp bar engages the article unit, web drawing means engages the web between two adjacent article units and draws the same down into the associated conveyor opening and engages the web with the article pulling means.

Abstract: This relates to a wrapping machine of the type wherein a web is automatically wrapped about one or a group of articles to form a package. A continuous web is provided and this web has at regular intervals a series of transversely aligned cutouts. After the web has passed over the article or articles to be wrapped, the web between two adjacent sets of articles is hooked onto a web drawing member of an article transporting conveyor which is moving at a greater rate than the article being wrapped. A simple web pressing mechanism is provided for pressing the web down in front of the web drawing member and holding the web portion in a pressed condition until the advancing web drawing member engages fingers thereof into the cutouts in the web.

Abstract: This relates to the forming of shrink wrap packages. A continuous web predivided into wrap sections is delivered to moving article clusters and is drawn thereabout by a puller apparatus while article clusters are supported on a moving conveyor having openings therethrough at regularly spaced intervals. The article clusters are retarded relative to the conveyor so that the conveyor advances relative to the article clusters. The web is precut to define the individual wraps and the conveyor has adjacent each opening fingers for interlocking with the web to draw the web over a trailing article cluster. The wrap web is eventually clamped to the article cluster and as the conveyor continues to advance causes separation of the leading wrap section from the remainder of the web. The conveyor then moves a trailing flap under the article cluster and a forward flap is later moved under the article cluster and the trailing flap by discharge rollers.

Abstract: A package preferably of cube shape is supported and moved by a series of notched rollers (5-9) and a film (F) is disposed in overlying relation to the package with its leading part (FL) underneath the leading part of the package and a movable tucking bar (23) is arranged to move into engagement with the trailing part (FT) of the film and movable in sequence through the notches (11, 25, 27, 29, 31) in the rollers so as to tuck the trailing part (FT) of the film (F) underneath the trailing part of the package and in overlapping relation with respect to the leading part (FL) of the film (F).