Patent ID: 11964784
Assignee: MONDINI S.P.A.
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. A sealing machine for sealing with a plastic film a tray on which a food product is present, the tray being pre-formed, comprising at least one layer of plastic material and having a bottom wall; the sealing machine comprising:
a supporting element which defines a housing configured to receive in use the tray;
a closing element associated with the supporting element, which is movable, relative to the supporting element, between an operating position, in which the closing element is coupled to the supporting element, and a non-operating position, in which the closing element is uncoupled from the supporting element; and
an ejecting device associated with the housing of the supporting element and configured to eject in use the tray from the housing;, wherein:
the supporting element is constituted of a shaped mould;
the housing has a bottom surface suitable for making contact, in use, with the bottom wall of the tray;
the sealing machine further comprising a cooling system configured for cooling the shaped mould when the tray is in the housing, the cooling occurring simultaneously with a tray sealing operation of the sealing machine, the cooling system comprising a chiller and a plurality of ducts, the ducts of the plurality of ducts being in fluid communication with each other, extending inside the shaped mould and defining a flow path for a cooling fluid, the flow path extending from an infeed section to an outfeed section, wherein the chiller is connected to the plurality of ducts for feeding those ducts with the cooling fluid and is configured to cool the cooling fluid bringing it to a temperature equal to or less than 10° C.;
the bottom surface of the housing is fixed relative to the rest of the shaped mould;
one or more sliding holes are made in the shaped mould at the bottom surface; and
the ejecting device comprises one or more ejectors, at least one of which is fitted in each of said one or more sliding holes, each of said one or more ejectors being movable between a disengaged position, in which the ejector allows the tray to be received in the housing, and an engaged position, in which the ejector prevents the tray from being received in the housing.