Packaging assembly for wrapping mail items of differing sizes

A packaging assembly for wrapping mail items of differing sizes, each mail item including at least one mail component or a stack of mail components, the packaging assembly comprising:

• a mail item collecting assembly including a collecting conveyor and at least one feeder for dispatching individual mail components to the collecting conveyor so as to compose the mail items which are subsequently transported in a transport direction to a downstream end of the collecting conveyor;
• a flow wrap station which is configured for wrapping a continuous web of material around the mail items, wherein the flow wrap station has an infeed end which connects to the downstream end of the collecting conveyor for subsequently placing on the continuous web the mail items composed in the collecting assembly, wherein the flow wrap station comprises a folding assembly configured to continuously fold the web around the mail items, thereby creating a folded web which has a single side fold which is positioned on a first side of the subsequently placed mail items, wherein the side fold extends in the transport direction;
• a longitudinal sealing assembly for creating a longitudinal seal;
• a cross sealing assembly which is positioned downstream of the folding assembly and is configured for cross sealing the folded web between the subsequently placed mail items and for separating from the folded web an intermediate mail product comprising a downstream mail item of the subsequently placed mail items and an associated web part;
• and
• a measuring assembly for determining a transverse position of a second side of the mail item which is opposite the first side,
• wherein the longitudinal sealing assembly has an infeed end which is positioned downstream of the cross sealing assembly, wherein the longitudinal sealing assembly is configured for creating a mail product by applying a longitudinal seal to each intermediate mail product at the second side of the mail item, wherein the longitudinal sealing assembly comprises a positioning assembly for controlling a transverse position of the longitudinal seal for each intermediate mail product, and wherein the transverse position of the longitudinal seal is determined by the transverse position of the second side of the mail item;
• an alignment assembly having an infeed end positioned upstream of the longitudinal sealing assembly and downstream of the cross sealing assembly,
• wherein the alignment assembly is configured to move the individual mail components of the mail item to cause alignment of edges of the individual mail components of the mail item along and adjacent to the side fold,
• wherein the alignment assembly comprises a first tilting assembly configured to tilt the intermediate mail product around an axis of rotation from a first orientation to a second orientation,
• wherein the axis of rotation extends in the transport direction,
• wherein the second orientation is a less horizontal orientation compared to the first orientation, and
• wherein, in the second orientation, a gravity force exerted on the individual mail components has a force component which is directed towards the side fold.