Loose fill cellulose insulation material packing machine

A machine for packing low density cellulose fibrous loose fill type building insulation material into flexible containers, comprising:

• a supporting framework;
• a hopper on the framework adapted to receive a bulk quantity of the cellulose insulation material;
• an upright charging tube on the framework at a container filling station for receiving insulation material;
• said upright charging tube having a downwardly extending open discharge end;
• container receiving means on the framework having two spaced container receiving chutes for receiving and supporting flexible containers;
• said container receiving means being movably mounted on the framework for shifting the container receiving chutes alternately between the container filling station and a container loading and unloading station;
• first drive means for selectively moving the container receiving means to alternately shift the container receiving chutes between the container filling station and the container loading and unloading station;
• a feed screw rotatably mounted in the hopper and in operative communication with the charging tube to withdraw cellulose insulation material from the hopper and convey the material to the charging tube;
• second drive means operatively connected to the feed screw for selectively rotating the feed screw at a prescribed speed for a preset time period to withdraw a preselected amount of insulation material from the hopper and convey the withdrawn amount of material to the charging tube;
• a piston means mounted on the framework for reciprocal movement within the charging tube;
• third drive means operatively connected to the piston means for selectively reciprocating the piston means to push the prescribed amount of material conveyed to the charging tube downward through the discharge end and into the flexible container at the container filling station and to compress the material in the flexible container;
• vacuum pressure means operatively connected to the charging tube to provide a vacuum pressure within the charging tube for removing air from the charging tube as the prescribed amount of insulation is being pushed downward and compressed in the flexible container;
• clam plate means mounted on the framework at the container filling station for movement between a closed position in which the clam plate means encircle a flexible container forming a mold and an open position in which a flexible container may be moved from the filling station;
• fourth drive means operatively connected to the clam plate means between the closed and open position;
• control means operatively connected to the first, second, third and fourth drive means for selectively operating:
• (1) the first drive means to move the container receiving means to shift one chute supporting an empty flexible container from the loading and unloading station to the filling station for filling and to shift the other chute from the filling station to the loading and unloading station to receive a successive empty flexible container;
• (2) the fourth drive means to move the clam plate means to the closed position encircling the empty flexible container at the filling station;
• (3) the second drive means to withdraw the prescribed amount of insulation material from the hopper and convey the material into the charging tube;
• (4) the third drive means to push the amount of insulation material downward through the discharge end of the charging tube and through the chute at the filling station and compressing the insulation in the flexible container against the encircling clam plate means to form a filled flexible container of compressed insulation material;
• and (5) the fourth drive means to move the clam plate means to the open position to enable the filled container to be removed from the filling station.