Tube and pouch forming mandrel assembly

Abstract

This relates to a mandrel assembly for forming a continuous web into individual pouches. The web is drawn onto a reciprocating mandrel through a suitable guide so as to have adjacent free edge portions. The free edge portions are sequentially heat sealed by a side sealer and the so formed continuous tube is sequentially pushed onto the mandrels carried by a turret, followed by the heat sealing closed of the forward most portion of the tube and then the cutting thereof from the tube. A drive is provided for reciprocating each mandrel and the drive constructed wherein the advance of each mandrel may be selectively varied. The web is preferably provided with suitable indicia printed thereon and in order that the indicia may be properly oriented with respect to each bag or pouch, there is an indicia or printing detector which functions to vary the advance of the mandrel upon each stroke thereof so as to maintain registration of the printing.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.