Forming assembly and method for forming a plurality of sealed packs for pourable food products starting from a tube of packaging material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10449728-B2
Application number	US-201615542730-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2016
Priority date	Feb 4, 2015
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

There is described a forming assembly (10a, 10b) for forming a plurality of sealed packs (3) starting from a tube (2) of packaging material, comprising: a track (13a, 13b); a first element (15a, 15b), which is cyclically movable along the track (13a, 13b) and comprises, in turn, one of a sealing element (22b) or a counter-sealing element (22a) adapted to seal the pack (3); and a second element (14a, 14b), which is cyclically movable along the track (13a, 13b) and comprises, in turn, a first half-shell (21a, 21b; 21a′, 21b′) adapted, in use, contact the tube (2) so as to bound at least part of a respective pack (3) and control the shape of the pack (3) during the formation thereof; the first element (15a, 15b) and the second element (14a, 14b) are self-movable along the track (13a, 13b) independently of one another.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A forming assembly for forming a plurality of sealed packs from a tube of packaging material, the tube extending in a direction along a tube axis, the forming assembly comprising:
a track;
a sealing element, the sealing element being cyclically movable along the track and configured to seal a cross-sectional portion of the tube to form a sealed end of a respective pack,
wherein the sealing element is configured to move, at different locations along the track, between a first position and a second position, the sealing element being situated closer to the tube axis when the sealing element is in the second position than when the sealing element is in the first position, and
wherein the sealing element is cyclically drivable along a cyclic path and, as it moves along the cyclic path, the sealing element is movable between the first position thereof and the second position thereof;

a first shaping element including a first half-shell configured to contact and bound the tube to thereby control at least a portion of the shape of a first pack of the plurality of sealed packs during formation of the first pack, the first half-shell comprising a main wall and a pair of flaps hinged to the main wall,
wherein the first shaping element is cyclically drivable along the cyclic path and, as it moves along the cyclic path, the first shaping element is movable between:
a first operative position, in which the first half-shell contacts the tube so as to control the shape of the first pack; and
a first rest position, in which the first half-shell is away from the tube, and

wherein the first shaping element comprises:
a driving body configured to contact the track and comprising a motor configured to drive the first shaping element along the track;
a first driven body which protrudes from the driving body, wherein the first driven body is staggered from the track, carries the main wall of the first half-shell, and comprises a first cam follower; and
a second driven body, which is movable with respect to the first driven body, is operatively connected to the pair of flaps, and comprises a second cam follower;

a second shaping element, configured to contact and bound the tube to thereby control at least a portion of the shape of a second pack of the plurality of sealed packs during formation of the second pack, wherein the sealing element is located between the first shaping element and the second shaping element;
a first cam surface, which cooperates with the first cam follower of the first shaping element, so as to move the main wall of the first half-shell towards or away from the tube; and
a second cam surface, which cooperates with the second cam follower of the first shaping element, so as to move the pair of flaps of the first half-shell with respect to the main wall of the first half-shell,
wherein the second shaping element is configured to move towards the first shaping element along the track so as to decrease a distance therebetween while the first shaping element and second shaping element contact the tube and while the sealing element is in the first position thereof, the movement of the second shaping element towards the first shaping element being independent of the movement of the sealing element from the first position thereof to the second position thereof,
wherein the sealing element is configured to move from the first position thereof to the second position thereof while the first shaping element and the moved second shaping element contact the tube, so as to seal the first pack of the plurality of sealed packs, and
wherein the first shaping element is arranged downstream of the sealing element with respect to the cyclic path, the cyclic path comprising respective operative branches having a main extension direction which is parallel to an advancing first direction of the tube, wherein the operative branch comprises:
a first portion, in which the first shaping element is in the first operative position and in which the sealing element is in the first position thereof, and
a second portion, in which the first shaping element is in the first operative position and in which the sealing element is in the second position thereof,
the second portion of the operative branch being arranged downstream of the first portion of the operative branch proceeding along the cyclic path, according to an advancing direction of the sealing element and the first shaping element.

2. The forming assembly of claim 1 ,
wherein the second shaping element is cyclically movable along the track and comprises a second half-shell configured to contact and bound the tube;
the second shaping element being arranged upstream of the sealing element with respect to the cyclic path;
the second shaping element being movable along the track independently of the first shaping element and the sealing element;
the second half-shell being cyclically drivable along the cyclic path and, as the second shaping element moves along the path, the second shaping element is movable between:
a second operative position, in which the second half-shell contacts the tube, so as to control the shape of the second pack; and
a second rest position, in which the second half-shell is away from the tube;

the operative branch comprising a third portion, in which the second shaping element is in the second rest position, and in which the sealing element is in the first position thereof and in which the first shaping element is in the first operative position;
the second shaping element being arranged in the second operative position along the first portion of the operative branch and the second portion of the operative branch;
the third portion of the operative branch being arranged upstream of the first portion of the operative branch, proceeding along the cyclic path along the advancing first direction.

3. The forming assembly of claim 2 ,
wherein the path further comprises a fourth portion of the operative branch, in which the first shaping element is in the first operative position, and in which the sealing element is in the first position thereof;
the fourth portion of the cyclic path being arranged downstream of the second portion of the operative branch, proceeding along the cyclic path according to the advancing direction of the sealing element and the first shaping element;
the fourth portion of the cyclic path diverging from the advancing first direction, proceeding along the cyclic path according to the advancing direction of the sealing element and the first shaping element.

4. The forming assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the first portion of the operative branch extends in a direction parallel to the advancing first direction.

5. The forming assembly of claim 1 ,
wherein the sealing element is movable between the first position thereof and the second position thereof in a rectilinear second direction which is orthogonal to the advancing first direction; and
wherein the first shaping element is movable between the first operative position and the first rest position in a direction parallel to the rectilinear second direction.

6. The forming assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sealing element comprises:
a sealing element driving body, the sealing element driving body contacting the track and comprising a motor configured to drive the sealing element along the track; and
a sealing element driven body, which protrudes from the sealing element driving body and which is staggered from the track.

7. The forming assembly of claim 6 , further comprising:
a third cam surface configured to engage a cam follower of the sealing element driven body, so as to displace the sealing element between the first position thereof and the second position

Assignees

• Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance

Inventors

• Fontanazzi Paolo

Classifications

• B65B9/2042

  Means for altering the cross-section of the tube filling opening prior to transversal sealing, e.g. tube spreading devices (subdividing filled tubes to form two or more packages by sealing involving displacement of contents B65B9/12) · CPC title

• B65B9/12

  Subdividing filled tubes to form two or more packages by sealing or securing involving displacement of contents · CPC title

• B29C66/84123

  of different height · CPC title

• B29C66/82263

  Follower pin or roller cooperating with a groove · CPC title

• B29C66/81457

  comprising a block or layer of deformable material, e.g. sponge, foam, rubber (pressing elements supported or backed-up by resilient material B29C66/8161) · CPC title