Apparatus for manufacturing bags

An apparatus for manufacturing bags in which a band of a packing material is shaped into a tube about a shaping mandrel and which comprises a reciprocating transverse sealing device for dividing the tube into separate bags, a rotatable conveying device frictionally engaging the tube in an area of the shaping mandrel for intermittently feeding the tube, and a drive for synchronously moving the rotatable conveying device and the transverse sealing device during feeding the tube by a bag length.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing bags comprising a 
mandrel for shaping a band made from a packing material into a tube, a 
sealing device for dividing the tube into separate bags, and a rotatable 
conveying device for feeding the tube. 
Apparatuses for manufacturing bags or bag packaging, in which a packing 
material band is shaped to form a tube, and the tube is drawn forward and 
divided cyclically by one bag length in each instance, are substantially 
divided into two types; namely, gripper feed machines and belt or roller 
feed machines. In gripper feed machines, the tube is fed by a bag length 
in each instance by a transverse sealing device which is moved in 
reciprocating or up-and-down motion, while the tools of the transverse 
sealing device simultaneously apply transverse seams to the tube and 
divide a bag. In these machines, the sealing time corresponds to the feed 
time. A disadvantage of this type of tube bag machine is that the end is 
shaped in a wedge-shaped manner by an exerted tension during the drawing 
forward of the tube, so that a formation of a base is impeded and, 
accordingly, the holding or volumetric capacity of the bag is not fully 
utilized. 
In belt or roller feed machines, on the other hand, the tube is drawn 
forward by a bag length in a stepwise manner by a pair of conveying belts 
or rollers by frictional engagement, and the transverse sealing seams are 
applied by a stationary sealing device during every stoppage. In this type 
of tube bag machine, a clean standing base can be formed, but it has the 
disadvantage that the time for the transverse seam sealing and for the 
tube feed are cumulative, and the output of this type of machine is 
accordingly lower than that of the gripper feed machine. 
Further, a tube bag machine is known from DE-OS No. 21 34 475 in which the 
tube feed is carried out by a reciprocated transverse sealing device as 
well as by conveying rollers or belts which are conveyed cyclically. In 
this tube bag machine, however, the transverse sealing device is moved in 
a reciprocating manner only a part of the length of the bag to be 
manufactured, and the remaining tube length for a bag to be manufactured 
is drawn forward with the aid of the conveying rollers or belts. In this 
known tube bag machine, it is very difficult to manufacture bags having 
the same length in each instance. Moreover, the time which is available 
for the transverse seam sealing is not fully used. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is the object of the invention to provide an apparatus for manufacturing 
bags on which bags can be formed with a shaped base and on which bags with 
very strong transverse sealing seams can be manufactured. This object is 
achieved by providing an apparatus in which the sealing device and the 
rotatable feed device are driven synchronously during a conveying phase of 
feeding the tube. 
With the apparatus, according to the invention, bags and bag packaging with 
sealing seams of high strength can be manufactured with very high output. 
Moreover, the produced bags have a large holding capacity as they are 
formed on a single base. 
The present invention both as to its construction so to its mode of 
operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will 
be best understood from the following detailed description of a preferred 
embodiment with reference to the appended drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
A shaping and filling tubular mandrel 12 is suspended vertically from a 
plate 11 which extends out of a machine frame 10. A shaping shoulder 13 
encloses the upper portion of the shaping mandrel 12, a heat-sealable 
packing material band 1 being drawn off from a supply roll, not shown, via 
the shaping shoulder 13 and is wrapped around the shaping mandrel 12 to 
form a tube 2. The overlapping rims of the packing material band 1, which 
is shaped to form a tube 2, are sealed together by a heated heat-sealing 
jaw 14 cooperating with the shaping mandrel 12. In order to convey the 
packing material band 1 and the tube 2, respectively, continuous conveying 
belts 15, 16 are arranged at both sides of the lower part of the shaping 
mandrel 12, and a transverse sealing jaw pair 17 is arranged below the 
shaping mandrel 12. The conveying belts 15, 16, which circulate 
cyclically, are guided around upper and lower deflecting rollers 20, 21 
and 22, 23 in such a way that the portions of the belts facing one another 
between the rollers contact the outside of the tube 2 guided on the 
shaping mandrel 12 by frictional engagement. The two portions of the 
perforated conveying belts 15, 16 contacting the tube 2 run in front of 
suction boxes 24, 25 in which a vacuum pressure is built up. 
A transverse sealing jaw pair 17 is arranged in a frame-like carriage 26 in 
such a way that the two transverse sealing jaws can be moved and pressed 
against one another, wherein they compress the tube 2 transversely and, in 
so doing, separate a bag 3 off from the lower end of the tube. When the 
bag 3 is separate, a head seam is formed at the tube 2 at the bottom, and 
a base seam is formed at the tube 2 at the top, and a separation of the 
bag 3 located between the latter is carried out. 
The separation of a bag 3 is effected while the carriage 26, which is 
supported so that it can be raised and lowered on two vertical rods 27, 
28, is moved downward by one bag length in each instance by a stepping 
gear unit 30 via a rocker 31 and a tie rod 32. During this feed movement, 
the two conveying belts 15, 16 are driven synchronously, so that the tube 
2 is conveyed to the separating point not only by pulling, but also 
pushing a bag length in each instance. During the tube feed, a vacuum 
pressure is produced in the suction boxes 24, 25, so that the tube 2 is 
drawn securely at the conveying belts 15, 16. 
In order to drive the conveying belts 15, 16, their lower deflecting 
rollers 22, 23 are connected in each instance with a chain drive 35, 36 
via a free-running wheel 34, which chain drives 35, 36 extend downward 
parallel to the feed axis of the tube 2. The two chain drives 35, 36 have 
chain sprockets 37, 38 at the top, which are coaxial with the lower 
deflecting rollers 22, 23, and chain sprockets 39, 40 at the bottom. 
Brackets 41, 42, whose lower end is connected with the carriage 26 which 
is moved up and down, are articulated at the two portions of the chain 
drive 35, 36 which are located close to one another. As a result of this 
connection, the two chain drives 35, 36 are carried along during a 
downward movement of the carriage 26, in which the transverse sealing jaw 
pair 17, 18 draws the clamped together tube 2 downward, and the lower 
deflecting rollers 22, 23 rotate via the free running-wheels 34 which 
block in this direction, so that the two conveying belts 15, 16 rotate and 
feed the tube to the shaping mandrel 12. In the lower position of the 
carriage 26, the transverse sealing jaws 17 are moved apart, wherein they 
release the tube 2 and the separated bag 3. Thereupon, the carriage 26 is 
raised again. During the upward movement of the carriage 26, the latter 
propels the chain drives 35, 36 in the opposite direction via the brackets 
41, 42, wherein the upper chain sprockets 37, 38 spin freely because of 
the action of the free-wheels 34 without rotating the lower deflecting 
rollers 22, 23 of the conveying belts 15, 16. Instead of the brackets 41, 
42, pneumatic cylinders can also be provided which increase the feed path 
of the conveying belts relative to the transverse sealing apparatus during 
the tube feed by a superimposed movement, so that a particularly 
pronounced formation of a base at the bags is made possible. 
In order to form a standing base close to the lower transverse sealing seam 
of a bag 3, two folding slides 44, 45 are arranged at the carriage 26 
slightly above the transverse sealing jaws 17, which folding slides 44, 45 
introduce a lateral fold at both sides of the tube 2 in each instance when 
the transverse sealing jaws 17 come together, as is known e.g. from U.S. 
Pat. No. 3,201,913. Such folding slides can also be arranged below the 
transverse sealing jaws 17 so that lateral folds can also be introduced at 
the head of the bag 3. A high filling capacity of the bag packaging is 
achieved by applying lateral folds in the head and base areas of the bag. 
In order to produce filled bag packaging, a quantity of filling product is 
introduced into the end of the tube 2 in each instance during the feeding 
of the tube 2 through the shaping mandrel 12. However, empty bags can also 
be produced with the described apparatus, wherein a filling is omitted, 
and only a base seam is applied to the tube by corresponding construction 
of the transverse sealing jaws. 
It is noted, in addition, that rollers can also be arranged, instead of the 
conveying belts, for feeding the tube, which rollers are driven in the 
same way as the conveying belts. Moreover, instead of perforated conveying 
belts at which the tube is held by means of vacuum pressure, conveying 
belts or rollers whose surface enters into a favorable frictional 
engagement with the tube can also be used. 
While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in an 
apparatus for manufacturing bags, it is not intended to be limited to the 
details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be 
made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present 
invention. 
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of 
the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, 
readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, 
from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential 
characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.