Folding unit and method for producing pourable food product packages

A method for producing folded packages of pourable food product from sealed packs comprising:

• conveying at least one said sealed pack along a forming path in which a corresponding folded package is formed, said forming path including an input station and an output station, said pack comprising an unfolded portion;
• folding said unfolded portion of said sealed pack while said pack is being conveyed along said forming path, an end flap of said unfolded portion remaining at least partially unfolded after said folding of said unfolded portion of said sealed pack;
• moving at least one pair of shells integrally in conjunction with each other along said forming path and relative to each other along a transverse direction transverse to said forming path between a fully closed position in which the shells exert a pressure onto said sealed pack to contact and fold said end flap of said unfolded portion of said sealed pack;
• said moving of said shells into said fully closed position completing said folding operation of said sealed pack;
• integrally moving said shells in the same direction in conjunction with one another parallel to said transverse direction, upstream from said output station;
• and
• outputting said corresponding folded package at said output station of said forming path by moving said shells into an open position in which said shells are detached from said corresponding folded package.

A folding unit for producing folded packages of pourable food products from respective sealed packs, comprising:

• a conveyor that receives a plurality of the sealed packs at an input station, the conveyor being configured to convey the sealed packs along a forming path and output the folded packages at an output station;
• the conveyor moving along a conveyor path, the conveyor path including a first curved portion, a top straight portion, a second curved portion, and a bottom straight portion, the top straight portion and bottom straight portion being spaced apart and each being between the first curved portion and the second curved portion;
• folding means configured to cooperate with each of the plurality of sealed packs to perform at least one folding operation on the sealed pack;
• two shells conveyed by the conveyor along the forming path, the two shells being movable in opposite directions relative to each other in a transverse direction to said forming path and also being movable together in the transverse direction such that both of said shells move together in the same direction away from the conveyor path in the transverse direction;
• the two shells being movable relative to one another in the transverse direction to:
• a fully closed position in which the two shells exert a pressure onto a respective pack of the plurality of sealed packs to fold flaps of the respective pack to complete a folding operation of the respective pack, the two shells being at the top straight portion of the conveyor path upstream of the second curved portion when the two shells move into the fully closed position;
• and
• an open position in which the two shells are detached from the respective pack after the respective pack has been folded to form a respective folded package.