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EP-4737102-A1 - SEALING DEVICE FOR A FORMING UNIT FOR FORMING SEALED PACKS CONTAINING A POURABLE PRODUCT

EP4737102A1EP 4737102 A1EP4737102 A1EP 4737102A1EP-4737102-A1

Abstract

There is described a sealing device (14) for sealing a tube of packaging material (3) containing a pourable product to obtain sealed packs (2a) filled with the pourable product, the sealing device (14) including a sealing member (14a) and a counter-sealing member (14b) configured to interact with the tube (3) for sealing a transversal section of the tube (3), thereby defining a transversal sealing band on the tube (3), the sealing device (14) comprising: a support frame (12) for supporting the sealing member (14a); a power transfer system (15) for powering the sealing member (14a) and comprising a conductive member (16) connected to the sealing member (14a) and configured to feed electrical energy to the sealing member (14a); a stop member (17) carried by the support frame (12) and arranged to cooperate with the conductive member (16) for at least limiting a movement of the conductive member (16).

Inventors

  • GIANGOLINI, Matteo
  • BABINI, ANDREA
  • GUIDETTI, Mattia
  • MAGELLI, Roberto
  • CASINI, Giulio

Assignees

  • Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251024

Claims (16)

  1. Sealing device (14) for sealing a tube of packaging material (3) containing a pourable product to obtain sealed packs (2a) filled with the pourable product, the sealing device (14) including a sealing member (14a) and a counter-sealing member (14b) configured to interact with the tube (3) for sealing a transversal section of the tube (3), thereby defining a transversal sealing band on the tube (3), the sealing device (14) comprising: - a support frame (12) for supporting the sealing member (14a); - a power transfer system (15) for powering the sealing member (14a) with electrical energy and comprising a conductive member (16) connected to the sealing member (14a) and configured to feed the electrical energy to the sealing member (14a); - a stop member (17) carried by the support frame (12) and arranged to cooperate with the conductive member (16) for at least limiting a movement of the conductive member (16).
  2. Sealing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stop member (17) is configured to dampen vibrations and/or oscillations of the conductive member (16).
  3. Sealing device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the stop member (17) is arranged in contact with the conductive member (16) for blocking the movement of the conductive member (16).
  4. Sealing device as claimed in any one of the foregoing claims, and further comprising an abutment element (18) carried by the support frame (12), the conductive member (16) resting on the abutment element (18); wherein the stop member (17) is arranged so that the conductive member (16) is interposed between the stop member (17) and the abutment element (18).
  5. Sealing device as claimed in claims 3 and 4, wherein the stop member (17) presses the conductive member (16) against the abutment element (18), so that the conductive member (16) is clamped between the stop member (17) and the abutment element (18).
  6. Sealing device as claimed in any one of the foregoing claims, wherein the power transfer system (15) comprises a first transmission device (19) configured to receive electrical energy from a power source and a second transmission device (20) configured to receive electrical energy from the first transmission device (19) and to feed the electrical energy to the conductive member (16); wherein the sealing device (14) comprises a first support member (21) mounted to the support frame (12) and supporting the second transmission device (20); wherein the stop member (17) is mounted to the first support member (21).
  7. Sealing device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first support member (21) has a main portion (21a) fixed with respect to the support frame (12) and configured to support the second transmission device (20), and an appendix portion (21b) carried by the main portion (21a); wherein the stop member (17) is mounted to the appendix portion (21b).
  8. Sealing device as claimed in claim 6 or 7, and further comprising a second support member (22) configured to hold the second transmission device (20) and to cooperate in mating contact with a corresponding engaging member associated to the counter-sealing member (14b) for driving advancement of the sealing device (14) along a movement path; wherein the first support member (21) is mounted on the second support member (22).
  9. Sealing device as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the first support member (21) is made in one single piece.
  10. Sealing device as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the power transfer system (15) is a contactless transfer system whereby the first transmission device (19) transmits electrical energy to the second transmission device (20) in a contactless manner.
  11. Sealing device as claimed in any one of the foregoing claims, wherein the sealing device (14) is movable along a longitudinal direction (A) parallel, in use, to the tube (3); and wherein the stop member (17) is configured to at least limit the movement of the conductive member (16) along a direction transversal to said longitudinal direction (A).
  12. Sealing device as claimed in any one of the foregoing claims, wherein the conductive member (16) has a first end portion (16a) connected to the sealing member (14), a second end portion (16b) connectable to a power source, and a main portion (16c) arranged between the first end portion (16a) and the second end portion (16b); wherein the stop member (17) cooperates with the main portion (16c).
  13. Sealing device as claimed in any one of the foregoing claims, wherein the sealing member (14a) comprises an inductor configured to heat-seal the tube (3) by means of electromagnetic induction; wherein the conductive member (16) is configured to supply electrical energy to the inductor.
  14. Forming unit (6) for forming sealed packs (2a) from a tube (3) of packaging material, the forming unit (6) comprising a plurality of sealing devices (14) as claimed in any one of the foregoing claims.
  15. Forming unit (6) as claimed in claim 14, and further comprising a plurality of forming devices (8), each forming device (8) being configured to cyclically engage the tube (3) for imparting a predetermined shape to a portion of the tube (3).
  16. Packaging apparatus (1) for producing sealed packages (2) containing a pourable product from a tube (3) of packaging material, the packaging apparatus (1) comprising a forming unit (6) as claimed in claim 14 or 15 for interacting with successive portions of the tube (3) while the tube (3) is fed along a longitudinal direction (A).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a sealing device for a forming unit for forming sealed packs containing a pourable product, preferably a pourable food product, from a tube formed from a web of packaging material. In particular, the present invention refers to a sealing device for a forming unit that is part of a packaging apparatus configured to produce sealed packages containing a pourable product. BACKGROUND ART As is generally known, many 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 pourable food products known as Tetra Brik Aseptic (registered trademark), which is made by folding and sealing a laminated web of packaging material. The packaging material has a multilayer structure comprising a base layer, e.g. made of paper, covered on both sides with layers of heat-sealable 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, e.g. an aluminum foil, which is superimposed on a layer of heat-sealable material, and is in turn covered with another layer of heat-sealable material forming the inner face of the package eventually contacting the food product. Packages of this sort are usually produced on fully automatic packaging apparatuses, which form and fill the packages starting from a multilayer web of packaging material. In particular, in such packaging apparatuses a continuous tube is formed from the web of packaging material which is initially wound in a reel and fed through a plurality of unwinding rollers. The web of packaging material is typically sterilized in the packaging apparatuses, e.g. by applying a chemical sterilizing agent, such as hydrogen peroxide solution, which, once sterilization is completed, is removed from the surfaces of the packaging material, e.g. evaporated by heating. The web so sterilized is then maintained in a closed, sterile environment, and, being advanced by the aforementioned unwinding rollers, is folded to form the tube and then sealed longitudinally. In order to perform the package forming operations, the tube is continuously fed along a first direction, usually a straight vertical direction, is filled with the sterilized food product from above and is formed, sealed and subsequently cut along equally spaced transversal cross-sections extending along a second direction, usually a direction orthogonal to the first direction. So-called pillow packs are obtained thereby, which have a longitudinal sealing band, a top transversal sealing band and a bottom transversal sealing band. A packaging apparatus of such type is known from WO-A-2022017745. Such packaging apparatus comprises a forming unit having a plurality of jaw units and a conveyor device for advancing the jaw units. Each jaw unit comprises: a pair of forming members configured to engage the tube from opposite sides thereof for forming the tube while advancing along respective operative sections of a conveying path; anda pair of sealing members configured to engage the tube from opposite sides thereof for transversally sealing the tube at the above-mentioned equally spaced transversal cross-sections while advancing along the respective operative sections of the conveying path. In greater detail, each jaw unit includes two jaw members, each one defining a forming and sealing arrangement, each jaw member or forming and sealing arrangement including one forming member and one sealing member. Hence, the plurality of jaw units includes two sets of jaw members, the jaw members of each set being linked together to form an endless chain. In other words, each jaw member defines a link of the respective endless chain. The conveyor device is configured to advance each endless chain. That is, the conveyor device is configured to advance each jaw member along a respective closed-loop path. A typical pair of forming members comprises two internally shaped half-shells, arranged at opposite lateral sides of the tube, facing one another and configured to cyclically engage the tube from opposite lateral sides thereof, so as to surround successive portions of the tube to sequentially impart a predetermined shape to these portions (according to a manner known). A typical pair of sealing members comprises a sealing element and a counter-sealing element, arranged at opposite lateral sides of the tube, facing one another and configured to cyclically engage the tube in a clamping manner from opposite lateral sides thereof, so as to repeatedly seal the tube at the aforementioned cross-sections (according to a manner known). Each sealing element and the corresponding counter-sealing element define together a sealing device. Typically, each jaw unit also comprises a cutting element, carried by one of the sealing elem