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EP-4410522-B1 - PACKAGE FORMING APPARATUS FOR A PACKAGING MACHINE AND PACKAGING MACHINE FOR FORMING PACKAGES FILLED WITH A POURABLE PRODUCT

EP4410522B1EP 4410522 B1EP4410522 B1EP 4410522B1EP-4410522-B1

Inventors

  • POPPI, MARCO
  • ORSINI, IVAN
  • FERRARI, FABIO

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240125

Claims (14)

  1. Package forming apparatus (10) for a packaging machine (1), the package forming apparatus (10) being configured to at least transversally seal a tube (4) made from a web of packaging material (3) for obtaining packages (2) from the tube (4); wherein the package forming apparatus (10) comprises at least one operative device (23) having a first operative group (24) and a second operative group (25) configured to at least transversally seal the tube (4); wherein one of the respective first operative group (24) and the respective second operative group (25) comprises a pair of movable interaction tabs (26) and the pair of interaction tabs (26) being configured to interact, in use, with the tube (4) from opposite sides thereof and being configured to move with respect to one another; wherein the package forming apparatus (10) comprises a cam mechanism (28) configured to control the relative position of the interaction tabs (26) of the pair of interaction tabs (26); wherein the cam mechanism (28) comprises at least: - a cam channel (29); and - a cam follower (30) coupled to the pair of interaction tabs (26), movably arranged within the cam channel (29), and being configured to move within the cam channel (28) along an advancement direction (D1); wherein the interaction of the cam follower (30) with the cam channel (29) allows to control the relative position of the interaction tabs (26) with respect to one another, wherein the cam mechanism (28) further comprises an actuation unit (31) configured to move the cam channel (29) along a cam movement direction (D2) transversal to the advancement direction (D1); wherein movement of the cam channel (28) along the cam movement direction (D2) leads also to a movement of the cam follower (29) along the cam movement direction (D2) resulting in a change of the relative position of the interaction tabs (26) with respect to one another.
  2. Package forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuation unit (31) comprises a support bar (34) carrying the cam channel (29) and an actuator (35) coupled to the support bar (34) and configured to move the support bar (34) along the cam movement direction (D2) to move the cam channel (29) along the cam movement direction (D2).
  3. Package forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cam channel (28) rectilinearly extends along a central axis (B); wherein the support bar (34) is designed such that the cam movement direction (D2) comprises a first component perpendicular to the central axis (B) and a second component parallel to the central axis (B).
  4. Package forming apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the support bar (34) comprises a first end portion (40) and a second end portion (41) opposite to the first end portion (40); wherein the first end portion (40) is angularly movable about a first rotation axis (C) and the second end portion (41) is angularly movable about a second rotation axis (E) so as to move the support bar (34) and the cam channel (29) along the cam movement direction (D2).
  5. Package forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the actuator (35) is coupled to one of the first end portion (40) and the second end portion (41).
  6. Package forming apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the support bar (34) comprises a first end portion (40), a second end portion (41) opposite to the first end portion (40) and an intermediate portion (42) rectilinearly extending along a longitudinal axis (F); wherein the first end portion (40) and the second end portion (41) transversally protrude from the intermediate portion (42).
  7. Package forming apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pair of interaction tabs (26) is controllable between a first limit position in which the respective interaction tabs (26) are configured to be, in use, detached from the tube (4) and a second limit position in which the respective interaction tabs (26) are configured to be, in use, in contact with the tube (4); wherein the interaction of the cam follower (30) with the cam channel (29) allows to control the pair of interaction tabs (26) between the respective first limit position and the respective second limit position.
  8. Package forming apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cam channel (29) extends linearly.
  9. Package forming apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cam channel (28) comprises a first wall (32) and a second wall (33) spaced apart from the first wall (31); wherein the cam follower (30) is interposed between the first wall (31) and the second wall (33) and is configured to engage the first wall (31) and the second wall (33).
  10. Package forming apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cam mechanism (28) comprises a coupling bar (43) carrying the cam follower (30) and coupling the cam follower (30) to the pair of interaction tabs (26).
  11. Package forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the operative device (23) comprises an actuation mechanism (49) coupled to the pair of interaction tabs (26) and the coupling bar (43) and being configured to move the interaction tabs (26) of the pair of interaction tabs (26) as a result of the interaction of the cam follower (30) with the cam channel (29).
  12. Package forming apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, and further comprising a conveying unit configured to advance the first operative group (24) and the second operative group (25) along a first advancement path and a second advancement path, respectively; wherein the cam follower (30) is configured to move within the cam channel (29) along the advancement direction (D1) and during and/or as a consequence of the advancement of the first operative group (24) and the second operative group (25) moving along respectively the first advancement path and the second advancement path.
  13. Package forming apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein one of the first operative group (24) and the second operative group (25) comprises a sealing element (47) and the other one of the first operative group (24) and the second operative group (25) comprises a counter-sealing element (48); wherein the sealing element (47) and the counter-sealing element (48) are configured to compress and to transversally seal in cooperation the tube (4).
  14. Packaging machine (1) for forming packages (2) of a pourable product from an advancing tube (4) formed and longitudinally sealed from a web of packaging material (3); the packaging machine (1) comprises: - a conveying device (11) configured to advance the web of packaging material (3) along a web advancement path (P) and for advancing the tube (4) along a tube advancement path (Q) ; - a tube forming and sealing device (12) configured to form the tube (4) from the web of packaging material (3) and to longitudinally seal the tube (4); - a filling device (13) for filling the tube (4) with the pourable product; and - a package forming apparatus (10) according to any one of the preceding claims.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a package forming apparatus for a packaging machine for forming packages filled with a pourable product, preferentially a pourable food product. Advantageously, the present invention also relates to a packaging machine for forming packages filled with a pourable product, preferentially a pourable food product. BACKGROUND ART As is known, many liquid or pourable food products, such as fruit juice, UHT (ultra-high-temperature treated) milk, wine, tomato sauce, etc., are sold in packages made of sterilized packaging material. A typical example is the parallelepiped-shaped package for liquid or pourable food products known as Tetra Brik Aseptic (registered trademark), which is made by sealing and folding laminated strip packaging material. The packaging material has a multilayer structure comprising a base layer, e.g. of paper, covered on both sides with layers of heat-seal plastic material, e.g. polyethylene. In the case of aseptic packages for long-storage products, such as UHT milk, the packaging material also comprises a layer of oxygen-barrier material (an oxygen-barrier layer), e.g. an aluminum foil, which is superimposed on a layer of heat-seal plastic material, and is in turn covered with another layer of heat-seal plastic material forming the inner face of the package eventually contacting the food product. Packages of this sort are normally produced on fully automatic packaging machines, which advance a web of packaging material through a sterilization apparatus for sterilizing the web of packaging material at a sterilization station and to an isolation chamber (a closed and sterile environment) in which the sterilized web of packaging material is maintained and advanced. During advancement of the web of packaging material through the isolation chamber, the web of packaging material is folded and sealed longitudinally at a tube forming station to form a tube having a longitudinal seam portion, the tube being further fed along a vertical advancing direction. For completing the forming operations, the tube is filled with a pourable product, in particular a pourable food product, and is transversally sealed and subsequently cut along equally spaced transversal cross sections within a package forming apparatus of the packaging machine during advancement along the vertical advancing direction. Pillow packages are so obtained, each pillow package having a longitudinal sealing band, a top transversal sealing band and a bottom transversal sealing band. A typical packaging machine comprises a conveying device for advancing the web of packaging material along a web advancement path and the tube formed from the web of packaging material along a tube advancement path, the sterilization apparatus for sterilizing the web of packaging material prior to its formation into the tube, a tube forming and sealing device at least partially arranged within the isolation chamber and being configured to form the tube from the advancing web of packaging material and to longitudinally seal the tube, a filling device for filling the tube with the pourable product and the package forming apparatus adapted to form, transversally seal and cut individual packages from the tube of packaging material. The package forming apparatus comprises at least one operative device having at least a first operative group and a second operative group configured to at least partially form and to transversally seal and cut in cooperation the, in use, advancing tube. The operative device also comprises pair of interaction tabs controllable between a first limit position in which the interaction tabs are detached from the tube and a second limit position in which the interaction tabs interact with the advancing tube. The interaction tabs are more distanced from one another when being in the first limit position than when being in the second limit position. The package forming apparatus also comprises a cam mechanism configured to control the pair of interaction tabs between the first operative configuration and the second operative configuration. The cam mechanism comprises a parallelogram system on which a cam follower runs, coming along with the need of a precise mounting. Package forming apparatuses are disclosed in patent documents EP3760548A1 and IT201900007272, while patent document US3008278A discloses a bag forming apparatus. In particular EP3760548A1 discloses a package forming apparatus comprising movable interaction tabs and a cam system to move a pair of interaction tabs. Even though the known package forming apparatuses and/or packaging machines work satisfactorily well, a desire is felt in the sector to further improve the known package forming apparatuses and/or the known packaging machines. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved package forming apparatus. Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improv