METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MAKING BAGS FROM NET MATERIAL
The invention relates to the continuous production of packs from a net material, such as bags in which fruit, vegetables, potatoes, onions and the like are packed. For the packing of such products it is known to use, as the starting material, a tubular or sleeve-type net material, which is kept ready in compressed form on a mandrel. The tube or sleeve is gradually stripped off the mandrel. The net material is then closed by means of a weld at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction of the tube or sleeve. A desired quantity of products is placed in the tube or sleeve, after which a closed unit is formed by means of a subsequent weld. This unit is cut off the tubular or sleeve-type starting material at the position of the weld, after which the pack is ready.
During the packing, the sleeve-type material can also be enclosed between two webs of sheet material. These webs of sheet material under the influence of heat are welded together with the net material, with the result that a relatively strong weld is obtained. Such a weld is in any case considerably stronger than a weld in the net material itself, which provides a poorer bond. A device for carrying out such a method is known from EP-B-405595.
The disadvantage of this known method lies in the starting material used. As already mentioned, the material concerned is a tubular or sleeve- type material. Although that material is compressed on a mandrel, the total length of the material, and thus the number of packs to be produced, is still quite small. The packing process therefore has to be interrupted relatively frequently in order to provide a new quantity of starting material. Besides, such tubular or sleeve-type starting material is relatively expensive.
The object of the invention is therefore to provide a method for producing a pack of the type described above, but which does not have the limitation of the tubular or sleeve-type starting material used until now.
That object is achieved by means of a method for the continuous production of bags from a net material, which bags are filled with products such as fruit, vegetables, potatoes and the like, comprising the steps of providing a stock - for example a roll - of web-type net material, forming therefrom a sleeve with overlapping longitudinal edges, feeding-in a web of sheet material at least at the side of the sleeve of net material with overlapping longitudinal edges, under the influence of heat and by means of a transversely directed weld, bonding the pack consisting of the web of sheet material and the opposite walls of the sleeve of net material, under the influence of heat and by
means of a weld running in the longitudinal direction of the sleeve, bonding the overlapping longitudinal edges of the sleeve and the adjacent web of sheet material, placing a quantity of products in the sleeve of net material, and separating the bag with products from the sleeve of net material. In the case of the method according to the invention, a roll of web-type net material can be used as the starting material to produce a pack from net material. A great length can be accommodated on such a roll without any problem, sufficient for lengthy, uninterrupted production.
The packs obtained are also very sturdy, in view of the fact that all welded seams, including the longitudinal seam, are reinforced by the sheet material. In addition, as is customary, lettering and the like can be placed on the sheet material.
The method according to the invention preferably comprises feeding-in two webs of sheet material at the opposite sides of the sleeve of net material and, by means of a transversely directed weld, bonding the pack consisting of the two webs of sheet material and the opposite walls of the sleeve of net material.
The pack thus obtained has a web of sheet material both at the front side and at the rear side, both of which can be suitable for printing. In addition, the relatively heavily loaded transverse seams of the pack are then particularly sturdy, in view of the double sheet layers in the transversely directed welds. In order to ensure a uniform, undisturbed in-feed of the sheet material together with the net material, the method according to the invention comprises bonding, by means of at least one local weld, at least one of the webs of sheet material to the web of net material, in order to ensure that the two run evenly before the sleeve of net material is formed. Reference is made to the method known from EP-A-696991
(WO-A-942356). According to this known method, bags can be produced continuously from a web-type sheet material by turning said sheet material into the form of a sleeve or tube with overlapping longitudinal edges and then welding said longitudinal edges to each other. In addition, transversely directed welds are made, in order to form individual bags.
The sheet material used in the case of this known method is extremely easy to weld, and this means that welded seams with the desired strength can be obtained. However, this known method is not suitable for the production of packs from net material. The net material is made of a plastic which is not so readily weldable, with the result that any welded seams obtained in this way would soon give way under the
influence of the weight of the contents of the pack.
The invention also relates to a device for carrying out the method according to the invention. This device comprises a first guide for feeding-in a web of net material, a shaping element for forming a sleeve with overlapping longitudinal edges from the web of net material fed in, a second guide for feeding-in a web of sheet material at the side of the sleeve where the overlapping longitudinal edges are situated, first welding means for forming a transversely directed weld in the pack consisting of the web of sheet material and the opposite walls of the sleeve of net material, second welding means for forming a weld running in the longitudinal direction in the overlapping longitudinal edges of the sleeve and the adjacent web of sheet material, filling means for placing a quantity of products in the sleeve, and cutting means for separating a bag filled with products from the sleeve.
The device preferably also comprises a third guide for feeding-in a second web of sheet material at the side of the sleeve of net material opposite the side where the overlapping longitudinal edges are situated. By means of such a device, packs in which the net material is provided with a web of sheet material at both sides can be produced. The transversely directed welds of such a pack are consequently extremely sturdy.
A welding station is situated along the guide of the web of sheet material and the net-type web material, for bonding to each other locally said web of sheet material and the net-type web material.
In this embodiment of the device it can be ensured that the web of sheet material in question and the net-type web material cannot shift relative to each other. That is important during the formation of a sleeve or tube from the net material. During that forming step said web of net material is guided over a so-called forming shoulder, which could lead to undesirable shifts of the web of sheet material also being guided over the forming shoulder.
The invention will be explained in greater detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown in the figures.
Figure 1 shows a device for carrying out the method according to the invention.
Figure 2 shows the sleeve and webs of sheet material before the welding. Figure 3 shows a view in perspective of a net pack according to the invention.
The device shown in Figure 1 comprises a machine frame shown in its entirety by 1, on which machine frame a station 2 having a rotatably suspended roll 3
with web-type net material 4 is situated. By way of a number of rolls, said net material is ultimately fed over rolls 5 and 6 to a so-called shaping shoulder 7.
At the position of said shaping shoulder 7 the web of net material 4 is formed into a sleeve 8 with overlapping longitudinal edges 9, as can be seen in Figure 2. The frame 1 also has provided on it a station 10 on which a roll 11 with web-type sheet material 12 is accommodated. By way of rolls 5 and 6, said web of sheet material 12 is fed together with the net material 4 to the shaping shoulder 7. Over said shaping shoulder 7 the sheet material 12 reaches the rear side of the sleeve of net material 8. The sheet material 12 and the net material 4 are combined at roll 13 and guided along a welding station 14, where by means of local welding the two webs are bonded to each other. The advantage of this is that the web of sheet material 12 cannot shift relative to the net material at the position of the shaping shoulder 7, and reaches the correct place at the rear side of the sleeve of net material 8. A station 29 is also present on the frame 1, which station has a roll 15 with sheet material 16. By way of a number of rolls 28, said sheet material 16 reaches the front side of the sleeve of net material 8.
The position of the two webs of sheet material is also shown diagrammatically in Figure 2. The sleeve of net material 8 and the webs of sheet material 12, 16 are then welded to each other, in order to form a weld 17 running in the transverse direction. For this purpose, the welding station 18 is used, which welding station has two jaws 19, 20 which apply heat and pressure to the pack composed of the front wall 21 and rear wall
22 of the sleeve 8 of net material, web of sheet material 12 and web of sheet material 16.
By means of a second welding station 23, the longitudinal edges 9 and the web of sheet material 16 are welded to each other. For this purpose, the welding station
23 has a jaw 24 placed outside the sleeve 8, and also a format pipe 25 placed inside the sleeve. Under the influence of the heat and pressure supplied by the jaw 24, the weld 26 running in the longitudinal direction is obtained, as shown in Figure 3.
A desired quantity of products is then placed by way of filling station 26 in the now closed sleeve of net material 8, after which the sleeve material 8, together with the web of sheet material 12 in the meantime bonded thereto by welded seam 17, and the web of sheet material 16 bonded thereto by welded seams 17 and 25, is moved downwards. A second welded seam 17 is then made by means of the jaws 19, 20 above
the products placed in the sleeve, after which the pack with the products therein has acquired the shape shown in Figure 3.
A handle for carrying the bag can be made in one web or in both webs of sheet material, if desired.