Patent ID: 9546009
Date: 2017-01-17
CPC Classifications: B65B,B65G

Claim:
1. An apparatus for sealing an open end of a cardboard-based container containing a powder, wherein the apparatus comprises: a welding unit configured to fasten a lid to the container, said welding unit comprising an inductive welding energy generator for melting of a wieldable layer that forms part of the container and/or the lid; and a transporter configured to transport a flow of containers to and from the welding unit, wherein the transporter comprises, in a container flow order, a feeding arrangement, a main conveyor member and a movable gripping arrangement, wherein the feeding arrangement is configured to transfer containers one by one in a continuous manner to the main conveyor member, wherein the movable gripping arrangement is configured to transfer containers from the main conveyor member to the welding unit, and wherein the apparatus is arranged in such a way that, during normal operation of the apparatus, the containers line up close to each other at an upstream side of the feeding arrangement, wherein the feeding arrangement is configured to, during operation, separate adjacent containers from each other in the direction of transport by increasing the feeding speed of each individual container along the feeding arrangement and thereby increasing the distance between adjacent containers fed along the feeding arrangement, wherein the main conveyor member is configured to operate at a transport speed that approximately corresponds to, and is uniform in relation to, a discharge speed of the containers when fed out from the feeding arrangement such that containers transferred to and along the main conveyor member remain separated, wherein the moveable gripping arrangement is configured to grip at least two containers and transfer these containers simultaneously from the main conveyor member to the welding unit, and wherein the welding unit is configured to simultaneously fasten a lid to each of the simultaneously transferred containers.