Member and method for forming sealed packages of pourable food products from a tube of packaging material

A forming member for controlling the volume of packages of pourable food products formed from a tube of packaging material and sealed at a number of sections of the tube crosswise to a first axis of the tube, the forming member comprising:

• a main wall configured to cooperate cyclically with a first portion of the tube extending between two of the sections which are consecutive;
• a pair of flaps hingedly connected to the main wall for rotation about respective second axes spaced apart from one another and from the first axis so that the two flaps are positionable in either a first position, in which the flaps cooperate with respective second portions of the tube extending between the two consecutive sections to control volume between the two consecutive sections of the package being formed, and a second position, in which the flaps are spaced from the respective second portions;
• a body hingedly mounted on the main wall to rotate relative to the main wall about a third axis spaced from the first axis and from the second axis;
• the body being connected to each of the flaps by a respective connecting member so that rotation of the body about the third axis rotates both of the flaps about the respective second axis;
• means for elastically loading each of the flaps into the second positions;
• and
• a portion of the body being configured to engage a control member to rotate the body about the third axis in a direction causing both of the flaps to rotate about the respective second axes in opposition to the elastic loading to position both of the flaps in the first position.

A method of forming packages of pourable food products produced from a tube of packaging material fed along a first axis and sealed at a number of sealed sections of the tube cross-wise to the first axis, the method comprising:

• moving two main walls, which are connected to respective jaws of respective forming members, cyclically into contact with respective first portions of the tube extending between two consecutive ones of the sealed sections, each of the main walls having a respective flap hinged to an edge of the main wall so that the flap is rotatable relative to the main wall about a second axis parallel to the first axis;
• each of the forming members comprising a lever hinged to the edge of one of the main walls so that the lever rotates about a third axis perpendicular to the second axis, each forming member also comprising a body integral with the lever and rotatable together with the lever about the third axis;
• rotating the body and the integral lever of each forming member about the respective third axis so that the body and the integral lever rotate toward the respective main wall;
• and
• converting the rotation of the body and the integral lever of each forming member about the respective third axis into rotation of the flap of the respective forming member about the second axis to move the flap into contact with a second portion of the tube extending between the two consecutive sealed sections to control the volume of the package being formed between the two consecutive sections.

A forming member for controlling the volume of packages of pourable food products formed from a tube of packaging material vertically moving along a first axis and sealed at a number of sections of the tube crosswise to the first axis, the forming member comprising:

• a main wall adapted to cooperate cyclically with a first portion of the tube extending between two of the sections arranged consecutive;
• at least one flap extending alongside an edge of the main wall and hinged to rotate about a second axis, the second axis being different from the first axis and parallel to the first axis;
• the flap being rotatable about the second axis and relative to the main wall between one position in which the flap cooperates with a second portion of the tube extending between the two consecutive sections to control the volume, and a second position in which the flap is out of cooperation with the second portion of the tube;
• elastic means for loading the flap into one of the first position and the second position;
• an interaction surface connected operatively to the flap and engageable with a control member to move the flap into the other of the first position and the second position in opposition to the elastic means;
• a lever hinged to the main wall to rotate relative to the main wall about a third axis, the third axis being perpendicular to the second axis and offset with respect to the interaction surface;
• a body integral with the lever to rotate together with the lever about the third axis, the body having the interaction surface;
• and
• a connecting member connecting the body and the flap so that integral rotation of the body and the lever about the third axis and toward the main wall is converted into rotation of the flap about the second axis.