Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B70/00—Making flexible containers, e.g. envelopes or bags
  • B31B70/001—Shaping, other than by folding, sheet material under pressure
  • B31B70/002—Shaping, other than by folding, sheet material under pressure using punches or dies
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B70/00—Making flexible containers, e.g. envelopes or bags
  • B31B70/02—Feeding or positioning sheets, blanks or webs
  • B31B70/10—Feeding or positioning webs
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B70/00—Making flexible containers, e.g. envelopes or bags
  • B31B70/14—Cutting, e.g. perforating, punching, slitting or trimming
  • B31B70/16—Cutting webs
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B70/00—Making flexible containers, e.g. envelopes or bags
  • B31B70/26—Folding sheets, blanks or webs
  • B31B70/262—Folding sheets, blanks or webs involving longitudinally folding, i.e. along a line parallel to the direction of movement
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B70/00—Making flexible containers, e.g. envelopes or bags
  • B31B70/26—Folding sheets, blanks or webs
  • B31B70/52—Folding sheets, blanks or webs by reciprocating or oscillating members other than plungers and dies, e.g. by fingers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B70/00—Making flexible containers, e.g. envelopes or bags
  • B31B70/60—Uniting opposed surfaces or edges; Taping
  • B31B70/64—Uniting opposed surfaces or edges; Taping by applying heat or pressure
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B70/00—Making flexible containers, e.g. envelopes or bags
  • B31B70/60—Uniting opposed surfaces or edges; Taping
  • B31B70/64—Uniting opposed surfaces or edges; Taping by applying heat or pressure
  • B31B70/645—Making seals transversally to the direction of movement
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B70/00—Making flexible containers, e.g. envelopes or bags
  • B31B70/74—Auxiliary operations
  • B31B70/81—Forming or attaching accessories, e.g. opening devices, closures or tear strings
  • B31B70/812—Applying patches, strips or strings on sheets or webs
  • B31B70/8122—Applying patches
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B2150/00—Flexible containers made from sheets or blanks, e.g. from flattened tubes
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B2160/00—Shape of flexible containers
  • B31B2160/20—Shape of flexible containers with structural provision for thickness of contents
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B2170/00—Construction of flexible containers
  • B31B2170/20—Construction of flexible containers having multi-layered walls, e.g. laminated or lined

Definitions

• the pouch can be made of a flexible material, such as a single- or multi-layer material, in particular laminar, and is suitable to contain edible substances that define one or more ingredients for the preparation of liquid, solid, or semi-solid food products, such as for example beverages, soups, sauces, purees, or other similar products.
• a flexible material such as a single- or multi-layer material, in particular laminar
• edible substances that define one or more ingredients for the preparation of liquid, solid, or semi-solid food products, such as for example beverages, soups, sauces, purees, or other similar products.
• Disposable packages intended to receive and contain the most varied types of bulk products in the solid, liquid or powder state which, by way of example only, can be drugs, cosmetics, supplements, foodstuffs, granules, seeds, creams, detergents or other, are known.
• Such machines comprise one or more nozzles that pierce the package in one or more predetermined points in order to deliver hot water therein, which is thus mixed with the ingredient.
• the pouch disclosed by WO-A1-2022/022902 comprises flexible lateral walls forming a flattened body which has the lateral edges and the upper edge closed through heat-sealing, and a cup-shaped bottom portion suitable to be pierced by the water injection nozzle.
• This bottom portion comprises a hole configured so that the nozzle can pass through it.
• Two reinforcement layers are provided, disposed on the internal side of the cup-shaped bottom portion so as to hermetically close the package in correspondence with the hole, which are also configured to be pierced by the nozzle at the time of piercing.
• a machine for making a pouch as the one disclosed by WO-A1-2022/022902 is also known from US patent US-B2-11,780,616 .
• Both machines both the one disclosed by WO-A1-2022/022902 , and also the one disclosed by US-B2-11,780,616 , provide to seal a reinforcement element in a predetermined position on the sheet, which is subsequently cut to size and folded so as to form the package.
• the sheet After the sheet has been cut to size, it is folded around a shaping punch, provided with suction holes to hold the walls of the folded sheet against it by suction. In this position, while the sheet is folded around the shaping punch, it is then provided to heat-seal the lateral edges of the package using suitable sealing bars. Subsequently, the shaping punch is extracted from the package, and the latter is first filled and then its upper edge, through which the package has been filled with the product, is heat-sealed.
• These machines comprise both parts heated to a high temperature, such as the sealing bars, and also a vacuum system, the vacuum being delivered to the shaping punches in order to hold the folded sheet.
• the shaping punch and the sealing bars are disposed on a rotatable carousel, which further increases the complexity since the vacuum system is used to feed moving components, and it is necessary to provide to heat and maintain the temperature of heated bars that are movable.
• one purpose of the present invention is to develop a method for making a flexible pouch that is simple and effective.
• Another purpose of the present invention is to develop a method for making a flexible pouch that does not require a vacuum system.
• Another purpose is to provide a machine for implementing the aforementioned method for making a flexible pouch that is simpler than prior art machines because it has no movable parts that integrate heated components and/or components that have to be fed by the vacuum system, and which has lower operating costs than the prior art machines.
• Another purpose is to provide a machine for implementing the aforementioned method for making a flexible pouch that is more compact and less bulky than prior art machines.
• the Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.
• a method for making a flexible pouch comprising two lateral walls reciprocally joined along a pair of lateral edges, a bottom and an upper edge which delimit a containing chamber which is able to receive a product. This method overcomes the limits of the state of the art and eliminates the defects present therein.
• the method comprises the steps of:
• the step of forming the pouch provides to form the bottom after the step of sealing the lateral edges through the action of forming elements shaped in a manner correlated to the shape of the bottom.
• the step of forming the pouch comprises a step of heating the bottom by means of the forming elements which are able to be selectively heated.
• the step of forming the pouch provides the cooperation of a male element, which defines an internal forming element acting inside the pouch and configured to be introduced inside the containing chamber, and of a female element, which defines an external forming element configured to contact the pouch from the outside in correspondence with the bottom, wherein the male element and the female element are mating in shape so as to couple together in order to shape the bottom.
• the forming step before the forming step it is provided to open a mouth of the pouch in correspondence with the upper edge so as to allow the introduction of the forming elements, in particular the male element, into the containing chamber.
• the method provides to hold the pouch from the outside without any action of holding the pouch from the inside, in correspondence with the lateral edges, by means of gripping means, preferably mechanical means such as holding grippers for example, at least in the forming step.
• the pouch is held by additional gripping means which hold the pouch from the outside in correspondence with the lateral walls, wherein the relative disposition between the additional gripping means and the gripping means is such that the pouch is held in two directions that are incident on, in particular perpendicular to, each other, the gripping means approaching each other and the additional gripping means moving away from each other, or vice versa, in order to determine the opening of the upper edge.
• a step of filling the containing chamber with the product there is provided a step of filling the containing chamber with the product, and a step of sealing the pouch in which additional sealing bars heat-seal the upper edge in order to seal the containing chamber filled with the product and thus seal the pouch.
• Another aspect of the present invention concerns a machine for making a flexible pouch comprising:
• the forming station is disposed downstream with respect to the second sealing station with reference to the direction of advance.
• the forming station comprises forming elements shaped in a manner correlated to the shape of the bottom.
• the forming elements comprise both a male element which defines an internal forming element acting inside the pouch and configured to be introduced inside the containing chamber, and also a female element which defines an external forming element and configured to contact the pouch from the outside in correspondence with the bottom, wherein the male element and the female element are mating in shape so as to couple together in order to shape the bottom.
• At least one of either the male element or the female element comprises a heating member and is shaped in such a way as to be mating in shape with the bottom.
• the machine comprises gripping means, preferably mechanical means such as holding grippers for example, associated at least with the forming station to hold the pouch from the outside without any action of holding the pouch from the inside, in correspondence with the lateral edges, and possibly additional gripping means to hold the pouch from the outside, in correspondence with the lateral walls.
• gripping means preferably mechanical means such as holding grippers for example, associated at least with the forming station to hold the pouch from the outside without any action of holding the pouch from the inside, in correspondence with the lateral edges, and possibly additional gripping means to hold the pouch from the outside, in correspondence with the lateral walls.
• the sheet 100 can be a laminated sheet.
• the pouch S comprises two lateral edges 104, 105 along which the two lateral walls 102, 103 are reciprocally joined.
• the pouch S comprises a bottom 106 and an upper edge 107, on the opposite side with respect to the bottom 106.
• the latter can be configured as a cup-shaped bottom or a shaped bottom typical of gusseted bags.
• the bottom 106 is shaped so as to comprise a substantially horizontal flat wall 108 and two inclined walls 109, adjacent to the flat wall 108, on opposite sides with respect to each other, which connect the flat wall 108 to the lateral walls 102, 103 ( fig. 5 ).
• This conformation of the bottom 106 is suitable to give stability to the pouch S, since the bottom 106 is shaped so as to provide the pouch with a transverse thickness able to ensure that the pouch S is able to remain in an upright position stably and autonomously.
• these working stations define the operating stations of the machine 10 in accordance with the present invention, which are able to carry out the steps of the method in accordance with the present invention and can be disposed in a single compartment defined within the machine, or in separate and communicating compartments.
• the machine 10 comprises means for handling the sheet 100 and the pouches S, capable of making them advance between the various working stations, and possibly from one compartment to another.
• the handling means can for example be configured to make the sheet 100 advance while it lies in a horizontal plane and, subsequently, to make the pouches S advance - after the sheet has been folded, as will be described below - lying in vertical planes.
• Such handling means are of a type known in the art and can comprise mechanical members such as, for example, conveyor belts, toothed belts, carousels, wheels or carousels equipped with a plurality of gripping members, such as grippers for example, for holding the pouches firmly during their movement.
• mechanical members such as, for example, conveyor belts, toothed belts, carousels, wheels or carousels equipped with a plurality of gripping members, such as grippers for example, for holding the pouches firmly during their movement.
• the machine 10 comprises a feeding station 11 in which the sheet of material 100 unwound from the first reel R1 is fed.
• the machine 10 comprises a drawing roll 12 ( fig. 2 ) for feeding the sheet of material 100 in a direction of advance A.
• the sheet of material 100 can at least partly wrap around one or more tensioning rolls 13, only one of which is shown in figs. 1 and 2 by way of a non-limiting example.
• the machine 10 comprises a preparing station 15 for preparing the reinforcement layer 101 in which feeding means, not shown, feed the reinforcement layer 101 unwound from the second reel R2 in a direction indicated by the arrow B in fig. 1 .
• the direction B is perpendicular to the direction of advance A.
• This continuous strip is preferably made of a barrier material that is impermeable to oxygen and moisture, for example aluminum or an alloy thereof.
• the machine 10 comprises cutting members 16, of a known type and comprising a cutting element, such as for example a blade or a shear, for cutting the reinforcement layers 101 to size so as to separate them one by one from the continuous strip.
• a cutting element such as for example a blade or a shear
• the cutting members 16 are disposed in the preparing station 15.
• each single reinforcement layer 101 is fed until it reaches a longitudinal axis X, disposed parallel to the direction of advance A.
• the longitudinal axis X defines a center line axis of the sheet of material 100, and divides it in half in the width direction, that is, in the direction parallel to the direction B.
• Each individual reinforcement layer 101 is positioned on the sheet of material 100 in such a way that the longitudinal axis X is an axis of symmetry for the sheet of material 100 and for the reinforcement layer 101.
• each individual reinforcement layer 101 is positioned on the sheet of material 100 in such a position that, once the pouch S has been formed, the reinforcement layer 101 is overlapping with the flat wall 108 of the bottom 106.
• the machine 10 comprises a first sealing station 18, in which a sealing member 19 heat-seals the reinforcement layer 101 onto the sheet of material 100.
• the sealing member 19 comprises a sealing rod 19a, movable bidirectionally with an alternating movement, for example parallel to a vertical axis, and a fixed abutment 19b ( fig. 2 ), disposed below the sheet 100 and cooperating with the sealing rod 19a to heat-seal the reinforcement layer 101.
• the sealing rod 19a is heated, according to modes known in the art, at least in correspondence with its head end, that is, the end configured to contact the reinforcement layer 101.
• the machine 10 comprises a cutting station 20 where the sheet of material 100 is cut to size according to the measurements that the pouch S being made will require.
• the machine 10 comprises a cutting device 22, for example oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X.
• the two halves of the sheet of material 100 which are disposed on one side and on the other of the longitudinal axis X define the lateral walls 102, 103 of the pouch S.
• the machine comprises a folding station 25, in which folding members 27 ( fig. 3A ) fold each lateral wall 102, 103 by about 90°, for example from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position.
• each folding member 27 can comprise a movable folder 28 hinged to a fixed support 29 and capable of completing a rotation of at least 90°, as indicated by the arrow in fig. 3A .
• the pouch S is closed on three sides: the bottom 106, formed by folding the sheet of material 100 along the longitudinal axis X, the two lateral edges 104, 105 heat-sealed in the second sealing station 30.
• the pouch S reaches a forming station 34 configured to form the pouch S and prepare it for the subsequent introduction of the products P.
• the forming station 34 is configured to shape the bottom 106.
• the bottom 106 develops on a surface such as to define, when the pouch S is shaped, the base area of the containing chamber C.
• the forming station 34 comprises a shaped male element 35 acting inside the pouch S and mating in shape with the containing chamber C.
• the male element 35 is movable linearly, for example with a bidirectional movement parallel to a vertical axis Z, between a raised position in which it is disengaged with respect to the pouch S, and a lowered position in which it is at least partly inserted inside the pouch S.
• the male element 35 can move with a linear motion also parallel to a horizontal axis, or otherwise inclined, as a function of the space available in the machine.
• the male element 35 has a cross-section shaped as a convex polygon, for example the shape of an irregular hexagon with six sides, wherein the two sides parallel to the longitudinal axis X can be longer than the remaining sides.
• the male element 35 has a forming end that has a shape correlated to, in particular mating with, the shape of the bottom 106 of the pouch S to be formed.
• the male element 35 comprises a flat terminal surface 37a and two inclined surfaces 37b that develop on opposite sides of the flat terminal surface 37a ( fig. 5 ).
• the forming station 34 comprises gripping means configured to hold the pouch S at least in correspondence with the lateral edges 104, 105 so as to determine the opening of the pouch S and guarantee access to the containing chamber C.
• the gripping means are means of a mechanical nature and comprise a pair of grippers, schematized in the drawings and indicated with reference number 36.
• the gripping means comprise an additional pair of gripping members, for example configured as suitable mechanical members, which cooperate with the grippers 36 to hold the pouch S also in correspondence with its lateral walls 102, 103.
• the grippers 36 and the additional pair of gripping members act on the pouch S in two directions that are incident on, preferably perpendicular to, each other.
• the forming station 34 further comprises a female element 38 acting outside the pouch S and configured to cooperate with the male element 35.
• the female element 38 is mating in shape with the bottom 106.
• the machine 10 also comprises a filling station 42 for filling the containing chamber C with the desired product through the upper edge 107, that is, the only edge of the pouch S still open, and a sealing station 45 configured to seal, for example by sealing, the upper edge 107.
• the filling station 42 comprises a conveying element 43, for example configured as a duct or a hopper, to lead the product P, for example by gravity, into the containing chamber C.
• a conveying element 43 for example configured as a duct or a hopper
• the pouch S is preferably still held by the holding grippers 36, and possibly by the additional pair of gripping means, if present, to keep the mouth of the pouch S open and facilitate the operations of filling the containing chamber C.
• the sealing station 45 comprises additional sealing bars 46, for example similar to the sealing bars 31, to heat-seal the upper edge 107 and thus seal the pouch S after it has been filled with the product P.
• the sheet 100 is unwound from the first reel R1 and fed in the direction of advance A.
• the reinforcement layer 101 is unwound from the second reel R2 and fed in the direction B where it encounters the preparation station 15, in which each single reinforcement layer 101 is separated from the continuous strip through the action of cutting members 16 that cut it to size.
• the reinforcement layers 101 thus singularized advance until they reach the longitudinal axis X in such a position that this axis is a longitudinal axis of symmetry for the sheet 100 and the reinforcement layers 101. Subsequently, the reinforcement layers 101 are sealed onto the sheet in the first sealing station 18, after which the sheet 100 is cut to size in accordance with the sizes of the pouch S in the cutting station 20.
• the sheet cut to size arrives at the folding station 25, in which folding members 27 rotate each half of the sheet by about 90°, folding it book or U-shaped.
• folding members 27 rotate each half of the sheet by about 90°, folding it book or U-shaped.
• the two lateral walls 102, 103 of the pouch S are parallel and side by side to each other, separated by a hollow space intended to define the containing chamber C.
• the sheet thus folded arrives at the second sealing station 30 in which sealing bars 31 heat-seal the lateral edges 104, 105, so as to close the pouch S on three sides, leaving an opening only in correspondence with the upper edge 107.
• the forming step is then provided, in which the pouch S is opened, with the aid of the gripping means 36 and any additional gripping means, to allow the insertion of the male element 35 inside the containing chamber C.
• the female element 38 is brought into contact with the bottom 106 from the outside of the pouch S (that is, from below in the example shown) to shape and stabilize the shape of the bottom 106.
• the male element 35 and female element 38 in this condition they squash the bottom 106, which is interposed between them, from opposite sides. Thanks to the conformation of the male element 35 and the female element 38, in this coupling condition the flat terminal surface 37a and the top wall 39 form the flat wall 108, while the inclined surfaces 37b and the inclined walls 40 form the two inclined walls 109.
• the pouch S is filled with the product P in a filling station 42 and sealed in a subsequent sealing station 45, where sealing bars 46 heat-seal the upper edge 107 so as to hermetically seal the pouch S filled with the product P.

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Citations (3)

• 2025
  • 2025-07-30 EP EP25192930.3A patent/EP4686558A1/de active Pending

Patent Citations (3)

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