Apparatus for placing products into blisters of a blister band

An apparatus for placing products into blisters of a blister band moved in a forward motion direction along a blistering machine, with blisters made in an upper surface of said blister band and made accessible from top, the apparatus having at least one work unit, situated above said blister band, the work unit including:

• a carriage carried by a support, connected to a bearing structure of said blistering machine, with the carriage capable of sliding, with respect to the support, parallel to the blister band forward motion direction;
• at least one hopper, carried by said carriage, fed with products and feeding said products to at least one discharge conduit fastened to said carriage, the discharge conduit having a lower end situated directly above the upper surface of said blister band and aligned with respect to a corresponding longitudinal row of blisters made in the latter;
• first means for operating said carriage between two extreme positions, a rear position and a fore position, by a forward stroke and return stroke, with the forward stroke being operated in step relation with advancement of said blister band, so as to center the lower end of said discharge conduit with respect to a corresponding blister of said row, situated below and to maintain this centering for a prefixed period of time;
• at least one moving assembly, connected to said carriage and carrying a strip interposed between said lower end of at least one discharge conduit and the upper surface of the blister band, and extending forward with respect to the band forward motion direction, said strip having at least one hole, which is aligned with the longitudinal row of blisters and whose size allows single products to pass therethrough;
• second means for moving said strip parallel to the blister band forward motion direction, in step relation with the operation of said carriage, thus performing a forward stroke and a return stroke, between two extreme positions, a rest position and a working position, with the rest position preventing the lowermost product of the pile of products contained in said conduit from falling, and with the working position, defined by said forward stroke, allowing the centering of the hole with the lower end of said conduit, situated above, and consequently, allowing the said lowermost product to fall into said blister, during said time period.