Apparatus for manufacturing flexible packages having slide closures

The combination of a shredded cheese product and a horizontal form-fill machine for the in line manufacturing of food packages containing the cheese product and having shrouded mated fastener tracks with slider closures comprising:

• a supply of web material extending in a machine direction defining a serial succession of package sidewalls extending in the machine direction;
• a supply of mated fastener tracks, including a first track with a shorter flange mated to a second track with a longer flange;
• a folding member receiving said web material;
• a web drive transporting said web material over said folding member in the machine direction, folding said web material into overlying side-by-side portions, one against the other, to form a fold extending along a continuous succession of folded package portions extending in the machine direction and having pairs of overlying first and second package sidewalls having overlying free edges with bottom portions at the free edges;
• a slider member mateable with said mated fastener tracks for movement along said mated fastener tracks in opposite directions to open and close said mated fastener tracks;
• a slider installation member inserting said slider member onto said mated fastener tracks;
• fastener seal bars extending in the machine direction, sealing portions of said flanges to said sidewalls, and forming a closed shroud covering said fastener tracks;
• side seal bars extending at an angle to said machine direction, sealing portions of said package sidewalls together to form respective side seals of the food package;
• a filler member filling product into said package;
• sidewall sealing means sealing said second package sidewall to said second track flange;
• and
• a bottom sealing member sealing the free edges of said package sidewalls to thereby form a completed food package.

A method of making a flexible package for food products, comprising the steps of:

• providing a supply of web material defining a serial succession of package sidewalls;
• paying out a first portion of the web material;
• providing a supply of mated fastener tracks, including a first track with a shorter flange mated to second track with a longer flange;
• paying out a first portion of the mated fastener tracks;
• crushing a serial succession of spaced apart portions of said mated fastener tracks to form a serial succession of spaced apart slider stop portions;
• folding the web material to form a serial succession of folded package portions, each folded package portion having overlapping first and second package sidewalls with overlying free ends and bottom portions at the free ends, and intermediate portions between the shroud portions and the free ends;
• aligning the mated fastener tracks in-line with the intermediate portions;
• providing a supply of sliders;
• dispensing the sliders one at a time;
• inserting sliders on the mated fastener tracks;
• joining at least a part of the mated fastener tracks to the intermediate portions of said sidewalls;
• forming transverse, side seals for each package portion to cooperate with said sidewalls to form a pouch;
• severing the pouch from the web material and the mated fastener tracks to form a separate flexible package;
• separating the overlying free ends of the package portions to form an opening;
• filling the pouch with product through the opening;
• and
• sealing free edges of the package sidewalls to close the upper portion of the bag.