GB1140719A - Improvements in or relating to a method of and apparatus for packing articles in a heat-sealable thermoplastic material - Google Patents

Abstract

1,140,719. Packaging machines. MENSCHNER G.m.b.H., [trading as FIRM JOHANNES MENSCHNER TEXTILMASCHINENFABRIK]. 20 June, 1966 [22 June, 1965], No. 27392/66. Heading B8C. An article placed on two webs of thermoplastic material, welded together at their leading transverse edges, is lowered to draw the two webs around the article, whereupon the two webs are transversely sealed and severed above the article and sealed around the remaining sides to form a package, which is conveyed to a heat shrinking device. As described, the two thermoplastic webs 12, 13 are led over rollers 19 and 21 and their leading edges transversely sealed by reciprocating sealing bars 26 and 27, after which jaws 22 and 23, connected to the sides of a hopper A, together with lateral guide plates 31 and 32, are horizontally reciprocated to cause a package to drop from the hopper on to the sealed webs and on to a carrier arm 30. A contact is actuated to prevent further outward movement of the jaws 22 and 23 and to lower the arm 30 until the article resting thereon has passed a photo-electric cell 28, whereupon the arm 30 stops and the jaws 22 and 23 are moved towards each other. The two webs of wrapping material above the article are then transversely sealed and severed by the sealing bars 26 and 27, after which the arm 30 is lowered and the package longitudinally sealed by reciprocating sealing bars 34 and 35, the projecting remnants being severed and drawn off by suction means (38), (Fig. 7, not shown). On further downward movement of the arm 30, a stop member 37 is actuated to upwardly pivot a flap 31a of the lateral guide 31 so that the package may be moved along a conveyer belt 36, the movement of which is also initiated by the stop 37. Finally, the sealed package is conveyed to a heat shrinking tunnel. A switch 39 is actuated by the package moving on the conveyer 36 to cause the apparatus to return to its original position.