Three-sided pouches, machine and method of making

A method of forming a pair of three-sided pouches comprising the steps of:

• forming a former having a curved top portion, an elliptical-shaped inner opening and an elongated figure 8-shaped exit opening;
• passing a strip of material over the curved top portion, into the elliptical-shaped inner opening, and out of the elongated figure 8-shaped exit opening so as to form the strip of material into an elongated tubular element having an extended figure 8-shaped cross section;
• and
• filling and sealing the elongated tubular element having the extended figure 8-shape cross section into two continuous streams of three-sided pouches.

A packaging machine to vertically form, fill and seal a plurality of streams of three-sided pouches comprising, in combination:

• a roll of flexible web material mounted in the machine;
• take-up means for feeding the flexible web material from the roll to a cutting station;
• a plurality of cutting blades for slitting the web material into a plurality of strips of material;
• a forming station receiving the plurality of strips of material;
• a plurality of curved top surfaces and a plurality of open forming areas having extended figure 8-shaped exit openings to form a plurality of tubular element, having an extended figure 8 cross section for forming a plurality of pairs of streams of pouches;
• means mounted in the packaging machine, after the forming station, for forming side seals, bottom seals, top seals and to cut-off formed pairs of three side pouches;
• and
• a pair of filling tubes passing through the each of the curved top surfaces, the open forming areas and the extended figure 8-shaped exit openings to fill pouches with a predetermined amount of a selected material.