Splice mechanism for a packaging assembly

A splice mechanism for a packaging assembly, the packaging assembly including:

• a former shoulder;
• a controller;
• a belt drive controlled by the controller for feeding a film at a film speed to the former shoulder to form a tubular film moving in a film direction;
• a sealing device to seal the tubular film in a first sealing direction, the first sealing direction being parallel to the film direction;
• and
• a set of jaws controlled by the controller and movable at a jaw speed to engage and seal the tubular film in a second sealing direction to form a first seal and a second seal in each bag, thereby forming a closed bag, the splice mechanism comprising:
• a film roll holder for holding an active film roll from which film is drawn to be fed to the former shoulder and a second film roll having film for feeding to the former shoulder, wherein film from the active film roll extends along a film path to the former shoulder and the second film roll is accessible;
• and
• a splice roller against which film from the second film roll is placed, the film having a film end, the film end having an adhesive, the splice roller being movable between a free position, wherein the film path is unimpeded by the splice roller, and a splice position, wherein the film path is tangential to the splice roller at a splice point on the film path;
• wherein the splice mechanism further includes a first pinch drive mechanism locatable along the film path between the active film roll and the former shoulder, the first pinch drive mechanism having a first pinch roller and a second pinch roller positioned such that the first pinch roller and the second pinch roller engage and draw the film from the active film roll at the film speed,
• wherein, when the splice roller is in the splice position, the splice roller and the first pinch roller are adjacent each other such that the film of the active film roll and the film of the second film roll is engaged by the splice roller and the first pinch roller, and
• wherein, when the splice roller is in the splice position, the first pinch drive mechanism drives the film opposite the film direction.