Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D75/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
  • B65D75/28—Articles or materials wholly enclosed in composite wrappers, i.e. wrappers formed by associating or interconnecting two or more sheets or blanks
  • B65D75/30—Articles or materials enclosed between two opposed sheets or blanks having their margins united, e.g. by pressure-sensitive adhesive, crimping, heat-sealing, or welding
  • B65D75/305—Skin packages
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B25/00—Packaging other articles presenting special problems
  • B65B25/06—Packaging slices or specially-shaped pieces of meat, cheese, or other plastic or tacky products
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B53/00—Shrinking wrappers, containers, or container covers during or after packaging
  • B65B53/02—Shrinking wrappers, containers, or container covers during or after packaging by heat
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B61/00—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages
  • B65B61/04—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages for severing webs, or for separating joined packages
  • B65B61/06—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages for severing webs, or for separating joined packages by cutting
  • B65B61/065—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages for severing webs, or for separating joined packages by cutting by punching out
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B9/00—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, e.g. liquids or semiliquids, in flat, folded, or tubular webs of flexible sheet material; Subdividing filled flexible tubes to form packages
  • B65B9/02—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material between opposed webs
  • B65B9/04—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material between opposed webs one or both webs being formed with pockets for the reception of the articles, or of the quantities of material

Definitions

• the invention pertains to the art of packaging and, more specifically, to packaging of various products between first and second plastic films in a form, fill and seal system wherein one of the films is shrinkable, but not the other film.
• VFFS vertical form, fill and seal systems
• HFFS horizontal form, fill and seal packaging systems
• a HFFS system can be employed to create product cavities or pouches in a lower film, with the pouches being filled with frozen dough products and sealed with an upper film.
• a vacuum Prior to fully sealing the pouches, a vacuum is typically drawn in order to reduce the available headspace of the package.
• evacuating the headspace is appropriate for frozen dough products, employing a vacuum on a refrigerated dough product would inherently destroy nucleation sites for leavener in the dough and, consequently, the overall product.
• the invention is directed to a method for packaging products between first and second films in a form, fill and seal system, as well as the associated product, wherein one of the films is heat shrunk at least 5% about the product while the other film exhibits no appreciable shrinkage.
• a flexible product receiving cavity is initially formed in a first film and a product is loaded into the cavity.
• a second film is positioned across the loaded product receiving cavity and then joined to the first film about a peripheral portion of the product cavity to create a package containing the product.
• the package is heated to cause the first film to shrink about the product while the second film exhibits no appreciable shrinkage.
• the first film When the first film is shrunk without permitting venting from inside the package, i.e., the package is completely sealed, an external pressure is effectively applied about the package which, in effect, limits the extent that the package and product can be physically deformed, thereby enhancing the stability of the overall product. Basically, the applied force is essentially transferred to static pressure within the package. However, if the first film is shrunk while accommodating venting from inside the package, the majority of the product can be tightly wrapped by the first, shrinkable film. In either case, as the second film is specifically designed not to shrink, product information, advertising and similar indicia can be applied to the second film, even prior to joining the first and second films, without the risk of the indicia being visually distorted, regardless of any product deformation.
• Figure 1 schematically illustrates a horizontal form, fill and seal (HFFS) system constructed in accordance with the invention.
• Figure 2 is a perspective view of a packaged dough product prior to heat shrinking of the package in accordance with the invention.
• HFFS horizontal form, fill and seal
• Figure 3 is a perspective view of the packaged dough product of Figure 2 after heat shrinking.
• a horizontal form, fill and seal (HFFS) system employed in connection with the packaging method of the present invention is generally indicated at 2.
• system 2 has associated therewith a first or lower film 5 which runs from a payout reel 7 in the direction of arrow A to a take-up reel 8.
• first or lower film 5 which runs from a payout reel 7 in the direction of arrow A to a take-up reel 8.
• take-up reel 8 receives the left over or scrap film.
• take-up reel 8 merely receives lateral edge portions of lower film 5, such as an inch (approximately 2.54 cm) of either side of film 5 while the remainder of the film 5 is employed in the final package.
• thermoforming unit 19 includes a lower cavity mold 21 having a main body 22 formed with recessed cavities 23.
• a linear actuator 24 is connected to main body 22 and designed to vertically shift main body 22 during the forming of product cavities 20.
• thermoforming unit 19 For use in connection with the forming process, fluid communication lines, such as that indicated at 25, extend through main body 22 to recessed cavities 23.
• thermoforming unit 19 includes an upper cavity mold 30 which also includes a main body 31 from which extend various projection molds 32 that conform to recessed cavities 23.
• upper cavity mold 30 is connected to a linear actuator 33 used to vertically shift upper cavity mold 30 during a thermoforming operation.
• thermoforming devices such as that employed in connection with forming station 18 are widely known in the art and do not form part of the present invention.
• the function of forming station 18 is to receive heated lower film 5 between lower cavity mold 21 and upper cavity mold 30 at which time the movement of lower film 5 is temporarily stopped, projection molds 32 are mated with recessed cavities 23 in order to reshape lower film 5 to include product cavities 20.
• fluid communication lines 25 can be hooked to a vacuum source in order to draw lower film 5 against recessed cavities 23 as well as to subsequently apply a positive pressure to aid in removing the formed product cavities 20 from lower cavity mold 21 after the thermoforming process is complete.
• filling station 40 can take various forms without departing from the invention. As illustrated, filling station 40 includes a vertical loading unit 42 including a platform 43 from which extend various loading arms 44 used to transport products, such as that indicated at 46, into the individual product cavities 20.
• lower film 5 is advanced to a sealing station 52.
• a sealing station 52 At this point, depending on the product being packaged, it may be potentially advantageous to reduce package headspace volume associated with product cavities 20 prior to completing the packaging operation.
• the headspace can be reduced in various ways. For instance, an external force can be applied to lower film 5, such as by providing either a fixed or movable plate (not shown) which abuts lower film 5.
• a housing including a pressure chamber at sealing station 52 can be employed, such as disclosed in co-owned U.S.
• a second or upper film 56 is provided over first film 5 and sealed thereto.
• the product cavities 20 can be completely scaled or some accommodation for venting can be provided, such as a small seal gap.
• second film 56 is drawn from a payout reel 57 and delivered through a printing unit 60.
• Printing unit 60 is used to provide product information, advertising and similar indicia directly on upper film 56 as generally indicated at 61 in Figure 2. After following various guide rollers 63 to sealing station 52, the remainder of upper film 56 is directed to a take-up reel 65.
• heat source 70 can take various forms, including radiant, convection or conduction heat sources, without departing from the invention.
• a heat bath is employed wherein packages 68 are introduced into a heated liquid.
• other heating arrangement could also be employed, such as subjecting package 68 to a heated stream of air or passing package 68 across a radiant heat bed.
• the heating time can vary depending on various factors including the thickness of film 5, the temperature associated with heat source 70 and the size of package 68, the time period is preferably established to correspond to the rate of other unit operations in the overall process.
• package 68 After being heated at shrinking station 69, package 68 proceeds to a cutter station 72 wherein a blade element 73 is shifted vertically through the use of a linear actuator 74 against an anvil member 75 in order to cut each package 68 from the overall web defined by the mated lower film 5 and upper film 56. At this point, package 68 is ready to ship for sale to a consumer.
• first or lower film 5 is made of a heat shrinkable material, while the material employed for second or upper film 56 is non- shrinking, i.e., exhibits no appreciable shrinkage upon heating. More specifically, film 5 will shrink in accordance with the invention a minimum of 5% and up to 50%, preferably 7-38% and more preferably 13-27%.
• Known films can be utilized for this purpose, such as CURLON Grade 9506-J, 9580-W and 9581 -W flexible films produced by Curwood, a Bemis Company, for the food industry. These films can vary in thickness between approximately 2.75 - 6.0 mils, although even thicker films could be utilized.
• the percentage of film shrinkage is not only a function of the particular film employed, but also the applied temperature. To date, application temperatures ranging from about 8O 0 C to about 115°C have been effectively employed. Obviously, a different material is used for non-shrinking film 56. Again, there are various known film products having the necessary criteria, including 1834-K (which is a clear film) and 1839-K (which is a white film) made by Curwood. These films can also range in thickness, while a 3.5 mil 1834-K film was found to be effective.
• shrinking film 5 establishes an external pressure which is effectively applied about package 68, in effect limiting the extent that package 68 and product 46 can be physically deformed, thereby enhancing the stability of the overall product.
• This arrangement can be particularly beneficial when packaging a soft or pliable product, such as a refrigerated dough product.
• the applied compression force is essentially transferred to static pressure within the package 68. If venting is permitted, the first film 5 will shrink to conform to the shape of the majority of the product in the cavity 20.
• the product information, advertising and similar indicia 61 can be applied to upper film 56, even prior to full or partial sealing of package 68, without the risk of the indicia 61 being visually distorted.
• This non- distortion of indicia 61 is perhaps best illustrated in comparing package 68 of soft, deformable refrigerated dough before and after being shrunk as shown in Figures 2 and 3 respectively wherein the indicia 61 remains intact throughout the shrinking operation.
• the chart below illustrates the results of a test wherein an approximately 2 Ib. weight was applied to a control package made with non-shrinking films and a package made in accordance with the invention. As clearly reflected in the chart, the control package height declined and the width increased, while the package made in accordance with the present invention exhibits no significant height or width variations.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Composite Materials (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=43299989

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (9)

Citations (2)

Family Cites Families (10)

• 2009
  • 2009-06-09 US US12/481,095 patent/US20100307948A1/en not_active Abandoned
• 2010
  • 2010-06-08 CA CA2764206A patent/CA2764206A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2010-06-08 EP EP10786669A patent/EP2440464A4/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2010-06-08 WO PCT/US2010/037727 patent/WO2010144412A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (2)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events