Tubular bag filling machine

Tubular bag making-and-filling machine comprising

• a generally vertically extending bag holder tube (105) to hold a partly formed tubular bag, which is closed at the bottom, and open at the top, in essentially vertical position;
• pinching and sealing jaws 9113) movably transversely of the bag to seal the bag after it has been filled;
• a filling hopper (101) receiving fill goods (110), particularly fill goods of flaky, or individual lightweight particles;
• an essentially cylindrical tubular extension fill tube (103) having an upper region, and a wall, said fill tube leading toward the open top of the bag (118) and directing the fill goods into the open top of the bag;
• means (107) for generating an airflow (B) within the fill tube (103) in an essentially vertical direction to enhance movement of the fill goods (110) to be filled in to the bag;
• means for forming an inlet air chamber (111) surrounding, at least the upper region of the fill tube (103);
• an air inlet opening (115) terminating in said chamber (111) and coupled to said airflow generating means (107);
• air directing nozzle flaps (119), bent from a wall of the fill tube (103) to form air directing openings (104) directing air from the chamber (111) into the fill tube (103), located in the upper region thereof, and shaped to provide downwardly directed flap nozzle openings;
• means for forming an air removal chamber (116) surrounding the fill tube (103) and located downwardly of the air inlet openings (104);
• air removal openings (122) formed in the wall of the fill tube below the air directing openings (104) and communicating with said air removal chamber;
• a duct (128) coupling said air removal chamber to said airflow generating means, to remove air, by suction, from the interior of the fill tube (103) and to form a closed pneumatic loop;
• the bag holder tube (105) being located below the fill tube (103) and being joined thereto;
• and tube forming sheets or vanes (20, 120) receiving a deformable, sealable foil (102) to form the fill-receiving tubular bag (118), said tube forming sheets or vanes (20, 120) being located below the air removal openings formed in the fill tube, and directing said deformable foil to wrap about the bag holder tube (105).