Bottom pressure pad for gable carton forming apparatus

A pressure pad for sealing a bottom of a carton, the carton being formed form a paperboard material and the bottom being defined by a plurality of bottom panels disposed in at least partly overlapping relationship to one another, each said bottom panel including at least one raw edge of paperboard material having a given thickness, at least one said bottom panel being disposed such that the raw edge thereof is externally exposed,

• the pressure pad defining a generally planar surface having at least one sealing bar extending therefrom, the at least one sealing bar being disposed on the pressure pad and having a length and width to generally register only with substantially the entire externally exposed raw edge of the at least one said bottom panel of the carton for compressing the paperboard material adjacent to substantially the entire externally exposed raw edge to a thickness substantially reduced from said given thickness, whereby substantially the entire externally exposed raw edge engaged by the at least one sealing bar is rendered less likely to absorb liquids,
• wherein the at least one sealing bar comprises a sealing bar matrix defined by a plurality of intersecting sealing bar sections including a transverse sealing bar section, a diagonal sealing bar section and a side sealing bar section disposed to register with a transverse externally exposed raw edge, a diagonal externally exposed raw edge and a side externally exposed raw edge, respectively, of the at least one said bottom panel of the carton.