Soft case packet plus method and device for manufacturing same and other packets

A method for manufacturing a soft pack for a cigarette group with a continuously moving blank made of thin packaging material which completely surrounds the cigarette group, wherein longitudinally extending pack inner and outer side flaps (24, 25) are formed which overlap each other and are glued to one another, and wherein in a region of a pack base wall, longitudinally extending pack inner and outer base flaps (38, 39) are formed which likewise overlap each other and which are glued to one another, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) placing the blank in U-shaped fashion around a folding mandrel (10) of a continuously rotating folding unit (12) rotating about an axis, in such a way that the side flaps (24, 25), on a rear side of the folding mandrel (10) relative to a moving direction of the mandrel, project over said folding mandrel;
• b) folding an overhang of the blank, at a free end of the folding mandrel (10), for the base flaps (38, 39);
• c) folding in edge flaps (22, 33) of the overhang to make the base flaps (38, 39) trapezoid-shaped;
• d) during the continuous movement of the rotary folding unit (12), providing, on an inner face of the outer base flap (39) of the continuously moving blank, a row of glue spots (41) running in the direction of said movement;
• and
• e) applying the glue spots (41) to said inner face, through only a single non-contacting glue nozzle (45) of a stationary gluing member (44), by successively and cyclically actuating the glue nozzle (45) to produce successive delivery of individual glue spots during the continuous movement of the rotary folding unit (12).

A device for manufacturing soft-pouch packs for cigarettes, wherein blanks made of thin packaging material are continuously conveyed in a conveying direction by folding mandrels (10) of a rotary folding unit (12) rotating about an axis, said device comprising, disposed outside a movement path of the folding mandrels (10), a plurality of folding members for folding longitudinally extending folding flaps of the blanks, said device further comprising:

• a) outside the movement path of the folding mandrels (10), a stationary gluing assembly (28) having a plurality of non-contacting glue nozzles (29), spaced from the movement path, for transferring glue spots (26) to the flaps of each moving blank, said glue nozzles (29) being directed radially toward the axis of the rotary folding unit (12),
• b) the folding flaps of each moving blank including an inner side flap (24) of a soft pouch (18), and wherein an outer surface of the inner side flap (24) faces the glue nozzles (29) as the blank moves past the gluing assembly (28),
• c) wherein, in order to apply a row of spaced glue spots (26), running transversely to the conveying direction, to the inner side flap (24), said glue nozzles are disposed beside one another in the axial direction of the rotary folding unit (12);
• and
• means for simultaneously actuating the nozzles to transfer one spot portion of glue per nozzle in a radial direction to the outer surface of the inner side flap (24).