Method and apparatus for filling bags with a quantity of deaerated product by means of a deaerator inserted in the product

A method for filling bags with bulk products, comprising the following steps:

• providing a metered quantity of product for filling a bag;
• dispensing the quantity of product through one or more connection ducts towards one or more filling stations each provided with filling means designed to fill the bag with the product;
• intercepting and retaining at least part of the quantity of dispensed product inside at least one connection duct of the one or more connection ducts, before arrival at the filling means of a respective filling station of the one or more filling stations;
• deaerating the quantity of intercepted and retained product by deaeration means;
• filling the bag with the dispensed quantity of product, in the one or more filling stations, wherein a first step of deaeration of the quantity of intercepted and retained product is performed by a first deaeration means inserted into the product intercepted and retained in the at least one connection duct, wherein a second step of deaeration of the product contained inside the bag is performed by a second deaeration means at at least one of the one or more of the filling stations, and wherein the predefined metered quantity of product is divided up into a first semi-quantity of product and at least one second semi-quantity of product, each dispensed via a respective one of said one or more connection ducts connected to a respective one of a first filling station and at least one second filling station arranged downstream of the first filling station in a direction of feeding of the bag, wherein each filling station of said first and at least one second filling stations fills the bag with a respective semi-quantity of product;
• transporting a bag to the first filling station;
• dispensing the first semi-quantity of product towards the first filling station and filling the bag with the first semi-quantity of product;
• dispensing a second semi-quantity of product of the at least one second semi-quantity of product towards the second filling station;
• intercepting and retaining the second semi-quantity of product before its arrival at the filling means of the second filling station;
• deaerating the second semi-quantity of retained product;
• transporting the bag to the second filling station;
• discharging the second semi-quantity of deaerated product into the bag by means of the filling means of the second filling station;
• deaerating the product contained inside the bag of the second filling station, wherein one or more of the steps of dispensing, intercepting and deaerating the second semi-quantity of product is performed simultaneously with one or more of the steps of:
• dispensing the first semi-quantity of product towards the first filling station, filling the bag in the first filling station and transporting the bag to the second filling station;
• and
• wherein semi-quantities of the first semi-quantity and the at least one second semi-quantity are approximately equal, the second semi-quantity dispensed via a second duct connected to the second filling station is intercepted, retained and deaerated before arrival at the filling means of the second filling station, and the first semi-quantity dispensed via the connection duct connected to the first filling station is intercepted, retained and deaerated before arrival at the filling means of the respective filling station.