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US 2026/0274477 A1Published application
A packaging apparatus for forming a plurality of sealed packages filled with a pourable product
AssigneeTetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A.
InventorsMattia Monari, Filippo Ferrarini
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A packaging machine for forming a plurality of sealed packages comprises: a conveying device, configured to advance a web of packaging material; an isolation chamber; a tube forming device configured to form a tube from the advancing web of packaging material; a sealing device; a filling device; a package forming unit configured to form and transversally seal the packages from the advancing tube; a tensioning device; a control unit configured to control the conveying device and/or the tensioning device and/or the package forming unit so to vary an advancement speed of the tube.
Claims16
A packaging machine for forming a plurality of sealed packages filled with a pourable product, comprising:
- a conveying device, configured to advance a web of packaging material along an advancement path;
- an isolation chamber separating an inner environment containing a sterile gas from an outer environment;
- a tube forming device extending along a longitudinal axis, being at least partially arranged within the isolation chamber and being configured to form a tube from the, in use, advancing web of packaging material;
- a sealing device, being at least partially arranged within the isolation chamber and being configured to longitudinally seal the tube formed by the tube forming device;
- a filling device configured to continuously fill the tube with the pourable product;
- a package forming unit configured to form and transversally seal the packages from the, in use, advancing tube;
- a tensioning device configured to control the tension of the web;
- a control unit configured to control operation of the packaging machine, wherein the control unit is configured to control the conveying device and/or the tensioning device and/or the package forming unit so to vary an advancement speed of the tube,
- wherein the control unit is configured to control:
- a first variation in the advancement speed, said first variation lasting a first time period;
- a second variation in the advancement speed, said second variation lasting a second time period;
- wherein the first time period is different from the second time period;
- wherein the first variation is a speed variation from a first initial speed to a first target speed, and the second variation is a speed variation from a second initial speed to a second target speed, wherein the first initial speed is different from the second initial speed and/or the first target speed is different from the second target speed;
- wherein the control unit is configured to control the conveying device and/or the tensioning device and/or the package forming unit so that an advancement acceleration of the tube equals a predefined acceleration value during both the first variation and the second variation.
11 more elements
A method for forming a plurality of sealed packages filled with a pourable product, the method comprising:
- advancing a web of packaging material along a web advancement path through a conveying device;
- forming a tube from the advancing web of packaging material, through a tube forming device extending along a longitudinal axis and being at least partially arranged within an inner environment of an isolation chamber containing a sterile gas;
- advancing the tube along a tube advancement path;
- longitudinally sealing the tube formed by the tube forming device through a sealing device, being at least partially arranged within the inner environment of the isolation chamber;
- continuously filling the tube with a pourable product, through a filling device;
- forming and transversally sealing the packages from the advancing tube, through a package forming unit;
- controlling the tension of the web of packaging material and/or of the tube through a tensioning device,
- varying an advancement speed of the tube according to a first variation lasting a first time period,
- varying the advancement speed of the tube according to a second variation lasting a second time period,
- wherein the first time period is different from the second time period;
- wherein the first variation is a speed variation from a first initial speed to a first target speed, and the second variation is a speed variation from a second initial speed to a second target speed, wherein the first initial speed is different from the second initial speed and/or the first target speed is different from the second target speed;
- wherein an advancement acceleration of the tube equals a predefined acceleration value during both the first variation and the second variation.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.