MXPA00009338A - Device for packaging materials in a vacuum chamber - Google Patents

Abstract

A packaging device, particularly for foodstuffs or technical materials, comprising a bell-shaped vacuum chamber (3). A single-folded film (7) can be placed in the vacuum chamber and the foodstuff can be inserted from the open longitudinal side (9) of the film. Inside the bell-shaped vacuum chamber (3) there is also provided a first transverse thermal bonding bar (11), which is laterally adjacent to a cutting blade (12), and a second thermal bonding bar (15), both bars being L-shaped. At least one nozzle (18) for introducing gas is furthermore provided so as to face the longitudinal or transverse open side (9) of the single-folded film (7).

Description

DEVICE TO PACK MATERIALS IN A VACUUM CHAMBER TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a packaging device, particularly for food products or technical materials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Nowadays machines with a bell-shaped chamber forming a vacuum are known which comprise a vacuum pump connected to a chamber, also known as a vacuum chamber, and into which a preformed bag, open on three, is normally placed. sides; A food product is placed inside the bag. Therefore, in these conventional machines the preformed bag already contains the food product when it is inserted into the vacuum chamber, then vacuum is formed inside the chamber and thermal adhesion is performed on the free side of the preformed bag. This conventional technology imposes the need to use preformed bags, whose size is therefore comparable to the size of the product; considerable manual labor is also required.

Therefore, there are operating steps that prolong the time necessary to achieve vacuum packing of the product; In addition, if the packaging is presented in a controlled atmosphere, most of the gas is wasted since it is diffused not only in the bag but mainly inside the vacuum chamber. It is also known from EP-603,704 in which the food products are packaged using a plastic film which is guided through a bending station in order to obtain a double layer and then thermally bonded so as to form a bag. The bags are supplied with the intended size or capacity before being filled and sealed. The union and thermal formation are followed by the filling, closing and cutting of the resulting bags or sacks; however, this solution is complicated since it requires that a plurality of separate stations perform the individual operations to which the plastic film must be subjected sequentially. In addition, the cold or hot formation of the plastic film is also provided, in addition to the filling, through a nozzle with liquid products, flours or finely granulated products, and therefore it is not possible to use the solution described for solid products that have pre-established volumes, such as ham in slices and the like, meat, cheeses divided into portions, trays containing food and non-food products.

Furthermore, in the conventional solution described, it is necessary, in order to close the bag or sack, it is necessary to make it pass through various operating steps, with the consequent need to optimally center the bag at each station. so that the intended optimal treatment is allowed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The purpose of the present invention is to solve the problems described above, eliminating the impediments of the aforementioned prior art and therefore providing a device that allows vacuum packing, or with compensated vacuum, technical products or food products such as ham in slices or similar, meat, cheeses divided into portions, and trays containing food and non-food products. Within the scope of this purpose, an important objective of the present invention is to provide a device that allows to pack such products quickly and with limited intervention of personnel. Another important objective of the present invention is to provide a device for packaging products that has a reduced operating cycle with short execution times. Another important objective of the present invention is to provide a device in which said packaging process can be presented at a very low cost for each individual package.

Another important objective of the present invention is to provide a device that also allows the use of shrink wrapping films, optionally with the possibility of using a small amount of gas that is sufficient only for the package containing the product.

• Another important objective of the present invention is to provide a device that is reliable and safe to use. This purpose, these objectives and others that will be evident later in the present invention are achieved by means of a packaging device, particularly for food products or technical materials comprising a bell-shaped vacuum chamber, characterized • because at least one film can be placed with a single fold in said bell-shaped vacuum chamber, said product or material being able to be inserted from an open longitudinal side of said film, said bell-shaped vacuum chamber containing a first bar of transverse thermal bonding, which are adjacent laterally to a cutting blade, and a second thermal bonding rod, said first and second bars being L-shaped, with at least one nozzle provided to form the vacuum and / or introduce gas or mixtures, in such a way that it looks towards one of said longitudinal open sides.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of two particular embodiments thereof, illustrated solely by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a view lateral part section of the device components. Figure 2 is a top view of the device. Figure 3 is a view of the nozzle arrangement. Figure 4 is a different view of the nozzle. Figure 5 is a side view in partial section of the components of a second embodiment. Figure 6 is a view is a perspective view of the components of the device of Figure 5. Figure 7 is a schematic plan view of the components of the device of Figure 5. Figure 8 is a sectional view, taken along a plane that rests transversely to the advance of the film to the bell-shaped vacuum chamber of the device of Figure 5.

WAYS TO CARRY OUT THE INVENTION With reference to the previous figures, the reference number 1 indicates the packaging device particularly for materials • 5 technicians or food products, which are identified with the reference number 2. The device 1 comprises a bell-shaped vacuum chamber, identified with the reference number 3, which is constituted substantially by a lower container 4 and by a top cover 10 lockable 5; the first strips or gaskets 6 suitable for waterproofing • air are provided perimetrically with respect to the container 4 and the cover 5. The device uses a film 7 with a single fold, which as such has a first longitudinal side 8 which is closed and a second longitudinal side 9 the which is open. A first thermal bond bar 11 is positioned transversely inside the bell-shaped vacuum chamber 3 at its inlet 10, a substantially L-shaped cutting blade 12 is placed laterally to said first thermal bond bar 11, and a first 20 wing 13 of the blade is parallel with the first thermal tie bar 11, while the second wing 14 is positioned at right angles to the first wing in the direction of advance of the film with a single bend 7.

A second similar L-shaped thermal link bar 15 is provided adjacent to the cutting blade 12 and forms a third wing 16, which is adjacent and parallel with the first wing 13, and a fourth wing 17, which is adjacent and parallel with the wing 14. The first thermal connection bar 11, the second thermal connection bar 15 and the cutting blade 12 are advantageously associated, but not necessarily, with a same support 50 which can be moved inside the chamber Vacuum-shaped bell and working seated against the appropriate contrast elements 51 which are associated within the cover 5. The bell-shaped vacuum chamber 3 also contains at least one nozzle 18 which allows to produce vacuum and / or to inject gas or mixtures either on the second longitudinal open side 9 of the film with a single fold or on the fourth transverse side 20 which is adjacent to the side entrance 10 of the bell-shaped vacuum chamber. The solution shown in Figure 2 utilizes a nozzle 18 which has a lens-shaped cross-section and is hermetically inserted from the side inlet 10 of the bell-shaped vacuum chamber by an appropriate piston 31. Once the vacuum or empty more gas has been formed, the piston 31 causes the nozzle to retract in order to allow activation of the first and second thermal junction bars 11, 15 and of the cutting blade 12 so as to obtain a closed package 21.

In this case, a presser 32 is provided which can move inside the bell-shaped chamber 3 and provide a seal due to the presence, at the ends, of a second strip or packing 33 which works in contrast to a third one. Band or packing 34 placed inside the cover 5. Preferably, the vacuum and / or the controlled atmosphere are produced in the bell-shaped chamber and inside the bag 21 through a first path 35 and a separate path 36, each of the which has a detector 36a and 36b that detects and controls the internal pressure. 10 In the solution shown in Figure 5, only the • support 50 for the first and second thermal connection bars and the cutting blade, while the nozzle 18 is placed on the second longitudinal side 9. Therefore, the use of the device is as follows: considering 15 that the system of beforehand it is in a condition of continuous operation, the third transverse side 19 of the film with a single fold 7, which is adjacent to the side outlet 30 in the bell-shaped vacuum chamber, • is already partially sealed along its vertical extension; the operator then places the product 2 to be packed inside the film with a single fold through the second longitudinal side 9, which is open. After that, it is sufficient to place the product contained in the film inside the bell-shaped vacuum chamber with a single fold, after which, by lowering the upper clamped cover 5, the vacuum or vacuum-gas cycle is started. In a different way to the solution of figure 1, in the solution of figure 5 there is an improvement in terms of costs because the nozzle • 5 18 is laterally adjacent to the second longitudinal open side 9 of the film with a single fold: if the gas is introduced, the use of the gas is limited only to the volume of the film with a single fold which, being placed inside the empty bell-shaped chamber, takes a bag-like configuration, since the fourth transverse side 20 is held 10 between the strips 6. • At the end of the vacuum or vacuum-gas cycle, the nozzle, which advantageously has a cross section in the form of a lens and injects gas or mixtures, if required; then the first thermal bond bar 11 is activated, forming the third closed transverse side 19 of the next container 15 or bag 21 that can be obtained; then the second thermal bond bar 15 is activated, closing both the fourth transverse side 20 and the second longitudinal side 9. • During this cycle, the product does not move inside the bell-shaped chamber. A closed bag 21 is then obtained by activating the cutting blade 12. It is therefore possible to open the bell-shaped chamber, remove the resulting bag and start a new cycle.

In this way it has been shown that the invention achieves the intended purpose and objectives, has provided a device which, using a film with a single fold and even wrap films that shrink, allows to obtain a vacuum or controlled atmosphere packaging by means of an operating sequence that occurs only in the bell-shaped vacuum chamber, without the need to handle the product, allowing solid products such as ham in slices or the like to be packed, meat, cheeses divided into portions and trays that contain both food products and non-food products. In addition, in the presented solutions, the formation and closing of the film with a single fold is presented in the bell-shaped vacuum chamber, simultaneously closing a transversal side of the next bag, and all this happens inside the vacuum chamber with a bell shape and during the same cycle. It is also possible to use only the amount of gas needed for the volume of the package that contains the product; this allows to reduce the treatment times and costs for each individual package. The invention is, of course, susceptible to numerous modifications and variations, of which all are within the scope of the same inventive concept.

The materials and dimensions that make up the individual components can also, of course, be the most relevant in accordance with the specific requirements.

Claims (17)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - The packaging device, particularly for food products or technical materials, comprising a vacuum chamber (3), characterized in that at least one film can be inserted with a single double-layer fold (7) in said vacuum chamber ( 3) with its fold line (8) placed parallel to the longitudinal side of the vacuum chamber, a product or material (2) being able to be inserted from an open longitudinal side (9) of said film (7), containing said vacuum chamber (3) a first transverse thermal connecting rod (11), which is laterally adjacent to a cutting blade (12) and is placed at the entrance of the chamber (3), and a second thermal connection rod (15) said second thermal link bar having an L-shape and being positioned along the transverse side of the inlet and the longitudinal side of the vacuum chamber (3), opposite the longitudinal side along which the fold line ( 8) of the film (7) is passes, at least one nozzle (18) to introduce vacuum and / or gas or mixtures being provided in such a way that it faces one of the longitudinal open sides.

2. The device according to claim 1, further characterized in that said vacuum chamber (3) is constituted by a lower container (4) and a lockable lid (5), of which both are provided in a perimetric manner with ias first strips or sealing gaskets (6).

3. The device according to claim 1, further characterized in that said first thermal joint bar (11), said • The second thermal bond bar (15) and said cutting blade (12) are adapted to close the three open sides of the film (7) to form at least one closed bag, from said one film with a single double layer fold.

4. The device according to claim 1, further characterized in that said cutting blade (12) is shaped • substantially of L.

5. The device according to claim 4, further characterized in that said cutting blade (12) has a first wing (13) which is adjacent to said first thermal joint bar (11) and a 15 second wing (14) which is placed at right angles to it.

6. The device according to claim 1, further characterized in that said second L-shaped thermal connection bar (15) is adjacent to said cutting blade (12).

7. The device according to claim 5, 20 further characterized in that said second thermal joint bar (15) has a third wing (16), which is adjacent to said first wing (13) of said cutting blade (12), and a fourth wing (17) which it is adjacent to said second wing (14) of said second cutting blade (12).

8. - The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the steps for producing vacuum and / or introducing gas or mixtures, for the thermal bonding and cutting of said at least one film with a single double layer fold (7) occur while maintaining said product (2) in the same position.

9. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, further characterized in that said first thermal joint bar (11) forms at the end of each cycle, a third transverse side (19) which is closed or partially closed to said at least one film with a single double-layer fold (7).

10. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, further characterized in that said second thermal connection bar (15) produces, in said third and fourth wings (16, 17), the complete closure of the sides of said at least one film with a single double-layer fold (7) so that a closed package (21) is obtained.

11. The device according to claim 10, further characterized in that said first thermal joint bar (11), said cutting blade (12) and said second thermal joining bar (15) are subsequently activated so that said package (21) is obtained.

12. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, further characterized in that it comprises a first path (35) and optionally a second path (36) to form a vacuum and / or inject gas or mixtures, each path having a detector (36a, 36b) for detecting and controlling the pressure inside said chamber (3) and / or said single fold film with double layer (7).

13. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, further characterized in that said first and second thermal junction bars (11, 15) and said cutting blade are associated with at least one support (50) which it can be moved within said chamber and interact with the associated contrast elements (51) within said cover (5).

14. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, further characterized in that said nozzle (18) is hermetically inserted into, and extracted from, said vacuum chamber (3) by means of a piston (31).

15. The device according to claim 14, further characterized in that a presser (32) can be moved within said vacuum chamber (3) and has, at one of its ends, a second strip or packing (33) on the which acts in contrast to a third strip or packing (34) placed inside said cover (3).

16. The device according to claim 1, further characterized in that said nozzle (18) is placed on said second longitudinal open side (9) of said single fold film with double layer (7).

17. The device according to claim 1, further characterized in that said nozzle (18) is placed on a fourth transverse side of said film with a single fold of double layer (7), which is adjacent to the lateral entrance of said vacuum chamber (3).