Apparatus and method for opening bags in bale enveloping apparatus

In an apparatus for enveloping bales of material with preformed bags having an open end and a closed end, wherein the bags include opposing first and second elongate bag walls joined at opposing side fold edges and wherein the bag walls are provided adjacent one another at said open end, an apparatus for separating the bag walls at the open end comprising:

• upper and lower jaws, said jaws being selectively extendable to a position adjacent each other and retractable to a position wherein they are separated from each other, whereby a bag can selectively be placed between said jaws with said first bag wall adjacent one of said upper or lower jaws and said second bag wall adjacent the other of said upper or lower jaws;
• a first vacuum coupling having a first vacuum inlet opening carried on said upper jaw;
• a second vacuum coupling having a second vacuum inlet opening carried on said lower jaw;
• a selectively extendable and retractable first grip pin adjacent said first vacuum inlet opening and a selectively extendable and retractable second grip pin adjacent said second vacuum inlet opening whereby, at each of said first and second vacuum couplings, by providing a vacuum at said vacuum inlet opening and drawing a bag wall thereto and thereafter extending the grip pin and piercing the bag wall, the bag wall can be securely gripped for thereby retracting the upper and lower jaws and separating the bag first and second walls.