Automatic displacer clearance adjustment

An apparatus for producing a plait-like portion on a tubular packaging casing which accommodates a filling material, wherein the plait-like portion is at least approximately free of filling material and comprises a longitudinal plait-axis, comprising:

• a first displacer unit with a first pair of displacer elements being reversibly movable perpendicular to the longitudinal plait-axis between an opened and a closed position creating a displacer clearance between the first pair of displacer elements surrounding the longitudinal plait-axis, in which the tubular packaging casing is being gathered, when the first pair of displacer elements is in the closed position,
• a second displacer unit with a second pair of displacer elements being reversibly movable perpendicular to the longitudinal plait-axis between an opened and a closed position creating a displacer clearance between the second pair of displacer elements surrounding the longitudinal plait-axis, in which the tubular packaging casing is being gathered, when the second pair of displacer elements is in the closed position, the second displacer unit being reversibly movable parallel to the longitudinal plait-axis between a narrow position in which the first displacer unit is adjacent to the second displacer unit, and a spread position in which the second displacer unit is moved away from the first displacer unit, and
• a first drive unit for the movement of the first and second pair of displacer elements between the opened and closed position having an adjustment device rotatable around a pivot axis essentially parallel to the longitudinal plait-axis, wherein
• the pivot axis of the adjustment device is adjustable for changing the size of the displacer clearance created by the first and second pair of displacer elements,
• wherein the adjustment device comprises a drive element and a two-armed lever, which are coupled to each other by a torque transmission element,
• which is attached to the two-armed lever and extends into a radial aligned guide of the drive element.