Thermoform packaging machine and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10384820-B2
Application number	US-201514746613-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2015
Priority date	Jun 24, 2014
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

The present invention relates to a thermoform packaging machine as well as to a method for producing a skin pack, comprising the steps of preforming a skin film prior to a sealing station and subjecting it to a further forming step in the sealing station, so that the skin film can wrap around a product protruding far beyond a packaging trough.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermoform packaging machine comprising:
a bottom-film forming station including a number n of mold cavities for forming n troughs into a bottom film;
a top-film forming station including n evacuable first domes for forming n lids into a top skin film, wherein each first dome is enclosed by a clamping surface and has a first height, the first height defined by the maximum depth of a hollow in said first domes relative to the plane of the clamping surface, wherein the top-film forming station includes a first heating element to heat the top skin film to a temperature between 100° C. and 140° C.; and
a sealing station configured for sealing the n lids with the n troughs associated therewith, wherein the sealing station includes a sealing-tool upper part comprising n heatable and evacuable second domes having a second height, wherein the sealing station includes a second heating element to heat the top skin film to a temperature between 170° C. and 220° C.;
wherein the second domes are configured for allowing the top skin film to be brought into contact with the respective second dome from inside;
wherein the first height is at least 80% of the second height;
wherein n is larger than or equal to two.

2. The thermoform packaging machine according to claim 1 , wherein the second height is at least 60 mm.

3. The thermoform packaging machine according to claim 1 further comprising a top-film conveyor having conveying members disposed on both sides of the top skin film to advance the lids from the top-film forming station into the sealing station.

4. The thermoform packaging machine according to claim 1 , wherein the mold cavities have a cavity depth, and wherein the second height of the second domes in the sealing-tool upper part is at least five times as large as the cavity depth.

5. The thermoform packaging machine according to claim 1 ,
wherein the n mold cavities in the bottom-film forming station each have an opening length in a direction parallel to a production direction of the bottom film and an opening width in a direction transverse to the production direction of the bottom film;
wherein the n first domes in the top-film forming tool upper part each have a first opening length in a direction parallel to a production direction of the top film and a first opening width in a direction transverse to the production direction of the top film; and
wherein the first opening length and the first opening width of the first domes amounting each to a value between 80% and 95% of the opening length and opening width, respectively, of the mold cavity, so that the molded lids will have dimensions that are larger than those of a product to be packed, when they are supplied to the sealing station.

6. The thermoform packaging machine according to claim 1 , wherein said top skin film does not appreciably shrink upon application of heat.

Assignees

• Multivac Sepp Haggenmueller Gmbh & Co Kg
• Multivac Haggenmueller Kg

Inventors

• Grimm Bernhard
• Ehrmann Elmar

Classifications

• B65B47/02

  with means for heating the material prior to forming · CPC title

• B65B9/04

  one or both webs being formed with pockets for the reception of the articles, or of the quantities of material · CPC title

• B65B31/021 Primary

  the containers or wrappers being interconnected · CPC title

• B65B9/045

  for single articles, e.g. tablets · CPC title

• B65B47/10

  by vacuum · CPC title