Method and device for applying a plastic film around a product to be packaged

A device (10) for applying a plastic film (18) around a product (16) to be packaged, said device comprising a wrapping support system (20) of a wrapping machine (10) having

• a supporting frame consisting of supporting elements (21) and having over it a plastic film girdle (18) of shrinkable and/or stretchable plastic, said girdle having a circumference larger than the circumference of the product (16) to be packaged,
• transfer elements (11, 22, 23) for transferring the product (16) to be packaged and/or the plastic film girdle (18) so that the product to be packaged remains inside the plastic film girdle,
• means (22, 23) for removing the supporting elements (21) from inside the plastic film girdle (18), allowing the plastic film girdle to tighten around the product (16) to be packaged,
• a wrapping system (12,13) for wrapping a shrinkable and/or stretchable plastic film band (15) from a film reel (14) over the supporting elements (21) so that the wrapping film band being wrapped forms on the supporting elements a plastic film girdle (18) tightening over the product (16) to be packaged,
• and transfer elements (11, 22, 23) for transferring the product (16) to be packaged and/or the plastic film girdle (18) formed from the wrapping plastic film band (15) so that the product to be packaged remains inside the plastic film girdle,
• characterized in
• that the wrapping support system (20) of a wrapping machine (10) comprising a wrapping system (12, 13), which is arranged to wrap shrinkable and/or stretchable plastic film band (15) for forming a binding plastic film girdle (18) in order to bind together two or more pieces (16, 17) in the product (16) to be packaged,
• that the width of the binding plastic film girdle (18) being essentially smaller than the length of the product (16) to be packaged so that the binding plastic film girdle does not cover the whole length of the product to be packaged,
• that the transfer elements (11, 22, 23) are arranged to transfer the product (16) to be packaged towards the wrapping support system (20) while the binding plastic film girdle (18) is wrapped in advance in the wrapping support system (20) of the wrapping machine (10) on the supporting elements (21), and
• that the transfer elements (11, 22, 23) and the supporting elements (21) are arranged to transfer the binding<plastic film girdle (18) so that the area on the product, where the bandage is to be formed comes into a position aligned with the binding plastic film girdle (18), and allow the binding plastic film girdle (18) to tighten around the product to be packaged so that only a part of the length of the product (16) to be packaged remains under the binding plastic film girdle.