Vertical packaging machine

A vertical packaging machine for packaging a product, the vertical packaging machine comprising:

• a hopper including a hopper inlet mouth and a hopper outlet mouth located below and downstream the hopper inlet mouth, the hopper outlet mouth delimiting a stepped outlet area or an outlet area in a non-horizontal plane;
• a tube located downstream of the hopper and including a tube inlet mouth and a tube outlet mouth located vertically below and downstream of the tube inlet mouth;
• a supply conduit through which the product falls, the supply conduit being formed at least in part by the hopper, the tube and an intermediate region extending between the hopper outlet mouth and the tube inlet mouth;
• and
• first and second gaseous fluid injection ports that are each located in the intermediate region of the supply conduit and configured to inject the gaseous fluid into the supply conduit in a downward direction, the first gaseous fluid injection port being located at a first height and the second gaseous fluid injection port being located at a second height different than the first height, the first and second gaseous fluid injection ports being configured to cause a pressure drop in the supply conduit above the corresponding first and second gaseous fluid injection ports such that upon the gaseous fluid being injected by the first and second gaseous fluid injection ports, air in the supply conduit follows the injected gaseous fluid to accelerate a falling of the product through the supply conduit.