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EP-4741296-A2 - A METHOD AND A MACHINE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF POUCHES CONTAINING A RESPECTIVE QUANTITY OF A LOOSE MATERIAL, IN PARTICULAIR SNUS

EP4741296A2EP 4741296 A2EP4741296 A2EP 4741296A2EP-4741296-A2

Abstract

A machine (6) for the production of pouches (1) containing a respective quantity (2) of a loose material, in particular snus, is provided, comprising a forming station (13) configured to enclose each quantity (2) within a wrapping material band (11) with a wrapping device (14) at which the wrapping material band (11) is wound to form a tubular wrap (8) having a longitudinal extension in which a first edge of the wrapping material band (11) partially overlaps a second edge of the wrapping material band (11) defining an overlapping area; a longitudinal sealing unit (15) configured to longitudinally seal the tubular wrap (8) at the overlapping area; and a transverse sealing unit (16) configured to make transverse seals (5) of the tubular wrap (8) so as to form a continuous succession of pouches (1) connected to each other at said transverse seals (5). The transverse sealing unit (16) is configured to perform ultrasonic sealing of the tubular wrapper (8) and comprises a sealing device (25) and a countering device (26) that cooperate to make the transverse seals (5); the ultrasonic transverse sealing unit (16) also comprises a conditioning unit (47) configured to cool the sealing device (25) and/or the countering device (26).

Inventors

  • GHIOTTI, ROBERTO

Assignees

  • Sasib S.p.A.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20251103

Claims (8)

  1. A machine (6) for the production of pouches (1) containing a respective quantity (2) of a loose material, in particular snus, comprising a forming station (13) configured to enclose each quantity (2) within a wrapping material band (11) with: - a wrapping device (14), in the area of which the wrapping material band (11) is rolled up so as to form a tubular wrap (8) having a longitudinal extension, wherein a first edge of the wrapping material band (11) partially overlaps a second edge of the wrapping material band (11), thus defining an overlapping area; - a longitudinal sealing unit (15) configured to longitudinally seal the tubular wrap (8) in the overlapping area; and - an ultrasound transverse sealing unit (16) configured to make transverse seals (5) of the tubular wrap (8) so as to form a continuous succession of pouches (1) connected to each other in the area of said transverse seals (5) and comprising a sealing device (25) and a countering head (26), which cooperate to make the transverse seals (5) and a first conditioning device (47**) configured to cool the countering element (26) by means of a conditioning fluid, in particular air; the machine is characterised in that the first device (47**) for conditioning comprises a first cooling body (48**) having one end configured to be arranged, in use, at a certain non-zero distance from the countering element (26), in particular from a respective countering head (28) of the countering element (26).
  2. The machine (6) according to claim 1, wherein the conditioning unit (47) comprises a second device (47*) for conditioning the sealing device (25) by means of a cooling fluid, in particular air.
  3. The machine (6) according to claim 1, wherein the second conditioning device (47*) comprises a second cooling body (48*), which surrounds, preferably completely, a sealing head (27) of the sealing device (25).
  4. The machine (6) according to claim 3, wherein, in the second cooling body (48*), a cooling chamber (C) is defined, which houses the sealing head (27) on the inside and whose surfaces (50) are configured to be placed, in use, at a given distance other than zero from a respective surface of the sealing head (27).
  5. The machine (6) according to claim 4, wherein each surface (50) is provided with a number of through openings (51) configured to direct the cooling fluid towards the sealing head (27) and preferably evenly distributed on said surfaces (50).
  6. The machine (6) according to claim 5, wherein the through openings (51) are in fluid communication with a first annular channel (CC*) obtained in the first cooling body (48*), which is provided with a first inlet opening (52*) to be connected to a conditioning fluid supply circuit.
  7. The machine (6) according to any one of the previous claims, wherein, in the first cooling body (48**), a second channel (CC**) is obtained, which is in hydraulic communication with a conditioning fluid supply circuit through a second inlet opening (52**) and with a number of outlet openings (51**) configured to direct the conditioning fluid towards the countering element (26), in particular towards the respective countering head (28) of the countering element (26).
  8. A method for the production of pouches (1) containing a quantity (2) of a loose material, in particular snus, comprising in succession: - a step wherein to roll a wrapping material band (11) around a wrapping device (14) so as to form a tubular wrap (8) having a longitudinal development, wherein a first edge of the wrapping material band (11) partially overlaps a second edge of the wrapping material band (11), thus defining an overlapping area; - a longitudinal sealing step, during which the tubular wrap (8) is longitudinally sealed in the overlapping area; and - a transverse ultrasound sealing step, during which the tubular wrap (8) is transversely sealed with ultrasounds so as to form a continuous succession of pouches (1) connected to one another; wherein the transverse ultrasound sealing step is carried out by means of a transverse sealing unit (16) having a sealing device (25) and a countering device (26), which cooperate with one another, and comprises, in turn, a sub-step wherein to cool the sealing device (25) and/or the countering element (26).

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This patent application claims priority from Italian patent application no. 102024000025416 filed on November 12, 2024, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to a machine for the production of pouches (or sachets) containing a quantity of a loose product (that is, a non-compact product), in particular snus, and to a method for producing pouches containing a quantity of a loose product, in particular snus. This invention can be advantageously applied to the production of snus pouches (that is, permeable pouches for oral use that each contain a predetermined quantity of a loose, that is, non-compact product, that is more or less wet and, for example, nicotine-based), to which the discussion that follows will explicitly refer without any loss of generality thereby. PRIOR ART As is well known, a snus pouch is essentially rectangular in shape, is made from a wrapping sheet that is folded back on itself to form a closed shape around a quantity of powdered material, and is stabilised by means of a longitudinal seal and a pair of opposite, transverse seals. Typically, a wrapping machine for producing snus pouches comprises a conveyor device for conveying a wrapping material band along a packaging path, a wrapping station arranged along the packaging path, wherein the wrapping material band is wound to form a tubular wrap having a longitudinal extension around a wrapping duct, and a feeding device for the loose material that terminates at the inlet of the wrapping duct and is configured to successively feed the loose product quantities into the tubular wrap (around which the wrapping material is folded to form the tubular wrap) by means of compressed air. The wrapping machine also comprises a longitudinal sealing unit to longitudinally seal the tubular wrap at an overlapping area of the wrapping material band; a transverse sealing unit to transversely seal the tubular wrap so as to form an alternating succession of sealing areas and areas containing a quantity of loose product; and a cutting unit to transversely cut the tubular wrap at the transverse sealing areas so as to separate the individual snus pouches. Known transverse sealing units mostly perform heat sealing and comprise two opposing sealing rollers that cooperate together to press against each other (that is, pinch together) the tubular wrap, are rotatably mounted around two corresponding horizontal rotation axes, and are rotated by the same actuator device. In known transverse sealing units when the wrapping material band and/or powdered material come into contact with the sealing rollers at high temperatures they crystallise, leaving residues and impurities. Therefore, there is a need for solutions to limit as much as possible the crystallisation of powdered materials and at the same time have a high productivity and quality of transverse seals. Patents US2010101588, US2014109513, US2018148207 and JPS6396003 describe machines for producing pouches of a known type. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The purpose of this invention is, therefore, to provide a machine for the production of pouches containing a quantity of a loose material, in particular snus, that is free from the drawbacks of the state of the art and is also easy and inexpensive to manufacture. In accordance with this invention, a machine for the production of pouches containing a respective quantity of loose material, in particular snus, is provided, comprising a forming station configured to enclose each quantity within a wrapping material band comprising, in turn, a wrapping device at which the wrapping material band is wound to form a tubular wrap having a longitudinal extension wherein a first edge of the wrapping material band partially overlaps a second edge of the wrapping material band defining an overlapping area; a longitudinal sealing unit configured to longitudinally seal the tubular wrap at the overlapping area; and a transverse sealing unit configured to make transverse seals of the tubular wrap so as to form a continuous succession of pouches connected to each other at said transverse seals. In accordance with this invention, the transverse sealing unit is configured to perform ultrasonic sealing of the tubular wrapping and comprises a sealing device and a countering element that cooperate to make the transverse seals. In addition, the ultrasonic transverse sealing unit comprises an air conditioning unit configured to cool the sealing device and/or the countering element. According to a preferred embodiment, the conditioning unit comprises a first device for conditioning the sealing device by means of a cooling fluid, in particular air. According to a preferred embodiment, the first conditioning device comprises a first cooling body surrounding (completely) a sealing head to be cooled by the sealing device. According to a preferred embodiment, in the first cooling body, a c