Apparatus and method for vacuum skin packaging of a product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10220994-B2
Application number	US-201314436790-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2013
Priority date	Oct 19, 2012
Publication date	Mar 5, 2019
Grant date	Mar 5, 2019

Abstract

A product can be packaged in vacuum skin packaging. The product is arranged on a support. A film sheet is provided above the support with the product being arranged between the support and the film sheet. The film sheet is air-tightly fixed to the support. A wall of the support is perforated to form at least one through hole. At least a portion of air is removed from within the support underneath the film sheet through the at least one hole.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for packaging a product arranged on a support having a wall, the apparatus comprising:
a frame;
a transport assembly arranged on the frame and configured for displacing one or more supports along a predefined path;
a packaging assembly carried by the frame and operative at a packaging station positioned along the predefined path, the packaging assembly being configured for tightly fixing a film sheet to the supports;
at least one perforating unit having a perforating tool operable between a rest position, where the tool is spaced apart from the wall of the support, and an operating position, where the tool acts on the support to form at least one hole in the wall; and
a vacuum arrangement configured for removing air from within the support underneath the film sheet at least in part through the at least one hole;
wherein the perforating tool has a pointed tip configured for progressively contacting the wall of the support upon displacement of the perforating tool from the rest position to the operating position;
wherein the pointed tip presents one or more cutting edges, each one of the cutting edges being positioned on the pointed tip such as to define a side profile which is inclined with respect to a prefixed direction of perforation;
wherein the cutting edges are positioned and configured such that, upon perforation of the wall of the support, the pointed tip cuts a flap element in the wall;
wherein the pointed tip of the perforating tool comprises two cutting edges having distal portions converging to form a V shaped geometry at a distal end of tip, the two distal portions being inclined by an angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the perforating tool; and
wherein the cutting edges include two further portions adjacent to and in prosecution of the distal portions, the further portions terminating into non-cutting surfaces which extend towards a proximal end of the tip and delimit an aperture.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a holder configured for keeping in a predetermined position the support at least during perforation,
at least one actuator connected to at least one respective perforating tool and configured for displacing the perforating tool according to a prefixed direction of perforation intersecting the wall of the support when the support is placed in predetermined position.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the further portions of cutting edges converge to define non-cutting surfaces extending at a distance from each other which is smaller than the maximum distance between cutting edges, such that upon perforation of the wall of the support, the pointed tip cuts a flap element in the wall and the non-cutting surfaces urge the flap element in an open position, portions of surfaces defining an aperture of sufficient size to allow suction of air/gas coming from the inside of the support.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the perforating tool defines a tip aperture connected to a suction aperture spaced from the tip aperture and in fluid communication with the vacuum arrangement in order to remove air from within the support when the perforating tool tip is inserted in the at least one hole.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the frame defines a sliding plane for the support and wherein the transport assembly comprises a conveyor having at least a portion positioned above the sliding plane and configured for displacing the support above the sliding plane and along the path from a loading station, where one or more supports are received by the conveyor, to the packaging station, where at least one support can be positioned; and
the perforating unit is carried by the frame and operates in correspondence of the packaging station, the perforating unit being configured to form at least one hole in the wall of the at least one support present in the packaging station.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the packaging assembly comprises:
a base unit configured for receiving and holding the support, and
a top unit, operating above the base unit and configured for positioning the film sheet above the base unit, and

the base unit defines a chamber configured for housing the at least one support and presents passages, either on its side wall or on its bottom wall, designed to place into fluid communication the vacuum arrangement and a volume defined at least between an external surface of the support and an inner surface of the base unit.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a control unit connected to the transport assembly, the packaging assembly, the perforating unit and the vacuum arrangement, the control unit being configured for commanding:
the transport assembly to displace the support along the predefined path;
the packaging assembly to tightly fix the film sheet to the support when the support has reached the packaging station;
the perforating unit to displace the perforating tool from the rest position to the operating position thereby creating at least one hole on said support wall; and
the vacuum arrangement to remove air from within the support underneath the film sheet through the at least one hole,
wherein the control unit is further configured to determine when the perforating tool has reached the operating position and, command the vacuum arrangement to remove air from within the support while keeping the perforating tool in the operating position.

8. A method for vacuum skin packaging of at least one product arranged on a support, the method comprising:
providing the apparatus of claim 1 ;
providing a product arranged between a support and a film sheet above the support;
air tightly fixing the film sheet to the support;
perforating a wall of the support to form at least one hole;
removing at least a portion of air from within the support underneath the film sheet through the at least one hole.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
displacing the support above a sliding plane and along a predefined path from a support loading station to a packaging station, where the support housing the product is provided with the air tightly fixed film sheet:
wherein the step of perforating takes place when the support is at one station selected in the group comprising:
the packaging station,
a tray-holder station located upstream of the loading station,
a tray-holder station located at the loading station, and
a tray forming station located upstream of the packaging station; and

wherein the step of perforating comprises:
displacing a perforating tool according to a prefixed direction intersecting the wall of the support,
progressively contacting the wall outer surface with the perforating tool, and
forming a flap element connected to the support wall.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of removing air comprises:
removing air from a volume defined between a base unit receiving support and an outer surface of the support before a perforating tool has started creating the one hole such that a pressure difference is defined between the inside of the support and the volume and, subsequently or contemporaneously,
commanding displacement of the perforating tool to the operating position for progressively perforating the wall of the support, and
continuing to remove air from within the support while keeping the perforating tool in the operating position.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of air tightly fixing the film sheet to the support comprises:
blocking a rim of the support and a corresponding portion of the film sheet between a heated surface of a top unit and an abutment surface of a base unit, and
holding the support su

Assignees

• Cryovac Inc
• Cryovac Llc

Inventors

• Palumbo Riccardo

Classifications

• B29C66/8432

  Machines for making separate joints at the same time mounted in parallel or in series · CPC title

• B65D81/2038

  with means for establishing or improving vacuum · CPC title

• B65D75/305 Primary

  Skin packages · CPC title

• B29C66/8322

  Joining or pressing tools reciprocating along one axis · CPC title

• B29C66/849

  Packaging machines · CPC title