Abstract:
Systems and processes for packaging a product. In one implementation a process involves transporting the product in a first direction, printing information on a film by use of a first printer prior to the film being applied to the product, the film having a width that is less than a width of the product and shrinkable only in a longitudinal direction. In one implementation the film is then applied to the product to produce at least a partial film sleeve around at least a first portion of the product as the product is advanced in the first direction. In one implementation heat is then conveyed to at least a section of the film applied to the product to cause the film to shrink in the longitudinal direction.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application is related to and claims the benefit of European Patent Appl. No. 09382214.6, filed Oct. 16, 2009. 
       TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to packaging apparatus, and more specifically to packaging apparatus for wrapping products or batches of products. The invention also relates to processes for carrying out the packaging. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    A large number of products that are put on sale are packaged with plastic films. The films may be used to package a single product or they may be used to group together a certain number of products to form a batch of products. 
         [0004]    In some cases, the packaging of the products is performed manually by an operator, resulting in a slow and costly process. Packaging machines that resolve this drawback and that package products automatically are already known on the market. Some of these machines dispose the packaging vertically, from a reel with a film that is folded in the shape of a tube, with the longitudinal edges then being sealed and the tube being cut transversally to the required length or height so that it may then be introduced in a vertical direction on the product to be wrapped. These machines are designed for packaging products of a determined shape. 
         [0005]    Document JP9048406A discloses a packaging machine capable of packaging products or batches of different shapes without any need to adapt the machine for such a purpose. The machine includes transport means for transporting the products or batches of products to be wrapped in a determined direction, at least one reel having a rolled film that is released from the reel for wrapping each product or batch of products according to the determined direction, and cutting and sealing means for generating a wrapper for each product or batch of products, each product or batch of products being wrapped by a wrapper as a result of its treatment in the machine. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,295,290 discloses a packaging machine for wrapping products or batches of products. The machine includes transport means for transporting the products or the batches of products to be wrapped in a determined direction, at least one reel having a rolled film that is released from the reel for wrapping each product or batch of products according to the determined direction, cutting and sealing means for generating a wrapper for each product or batch of products, from the film that wraps the product or the batch of products, and heating means for shrinking the film once the wrapper has been generated for each product or batch of products. 
       SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0007]    According to one implementation a system for packaging a product is provided comprising: a conveyor that transports the product in a first direction, a first reel comprising a first film, the first film having a width that is less than a width of the product and shrinkable only in a longitudinal direction, a first printer adapted to print information on the first film prior to the first film being applied to the product, a first apparatus adapted to apply the first film onto the product to produce at least a partial film sleeve around at least a first portion of the product as the product is advanced in the first direction, and a first heater adapted to convey heat to at least a section of the first film applied to the product to cause the first film to shrink in the longitudinal direction. 
         [0008]    According to one implementation a process for packaging a product is provided that comprises: transporting the product in a first direction, printing first information on a first film by use of a first printer prior to the first film being applied to the product, applying the first film onto the product to produce at least a partial film sleeve around at least a first portion of the product as the product is advanced in the first direction, the first film having a width that is less than a width of the product and shrinkable only in a longitudinal direction; and conveying heat by use of a first heater to at least a section of the first film applied to the product to cause the first film to shrink in the longitudinal direction. 
         [0009]    In one implementation a packaging machine is provided for use in wrapping products or batches of products. In one implementation the machine comprises transport means for transporting the products or batches of products to be wrapped in a determined direction, at least one reel comprising a rolled film that is released from the reel for wrapping each product or batch of products according to the determined direction, cutting and sealing means for generating a wrapper for each product or batch of products, which act on the film once the product or batch of products are wrapped, with the result that the wrapper wraps the product or batch of products, and heating means for shrinking the film once the wrapper has been generated for each product or batch of products, each product or batch of products being pressed by the corresponding wrapper, thereby ensuring the products or batches of products are optimally held in place and preventing consumers from damaging the wrapper, for example, when handling the products and batches of products that are put on display in a supermarket. 
         [0010]    In one implementation the film used has a width that is smaller than the width of the products or batches of products, the wrappers thereby forming a sleeve around the corresponding product or batch of products. 
         [0011]    In one implementation a packaging machine is provided that is adapted for working with a film shrinkable only in the longitudinal direction. Using a film shrinkable only in the longitudinal direction the production of edges in the wrapper after being heated is prevented when the products or batches of products are, for example, circular shaped. The reduction or elimination of edges prevents or makes it difficult for a person to manipulate the wrapper. 
         [0012]    In one implementation a packaging machine is provided that comprises printing means for placing printed information on the film once the film is released from the reel and before wrapping the corresponding product or the batch of products with the film. This enables the information of each print, or a set of prints, to be customised. Thus, it is assured that the printed information on the wrapper is legible following shrinking. 
         [0013]    These and other advantages and characteristics will be made evident in the light of the drawings and the detailed description thereof. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a packaging apparatus according to one implementation. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view of the packaging apparatus of  FIG. 1  showing a film wrapping of a product. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a schematic view of the packaging apparatus of  FIG. 1  showing cutting and sealing means generating a wrapper that wraps a product. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an exemplary product packaged by the packaging apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]      FIGS. 1 to 3  show an exemplary embodiment of a packaging machine  1  which is designed to wrap products or batches of products. The machine  1  is preferably used to wrap food products, but may also be used to wrap any other type of non-food products that require packaging. In addition, the machine  1  enables products  3  to be packaged separately from each other, one by one, or a batch of products to be packaged, a batch that may comprise a specific number of units of a single product or even a specific number of different products, the products  3  being capable of being, for example, uniform, irregular, hard, soft or of any other characteristic or combination of characteristics. Hereinafter and for the purposes of simplification, reference shall be made to products  3  throughout the description and not to batches of products, although it is evident that batches of products may be used instead of products  3 . 
         [0019]    In one implementation the machine  1  comprises transport means  2  on which are disposed the products  3  to be wrapped and which transport the products  3  in a determined direction X, at least one reel  4  comprising a rolled film  5  that is released from the reel  4  for wrapping each product  3  according to the determined direction X, and cutting and sealing means  14  for generating a wrapper  6  for each product  3 , each product  3  being wrapped by a wrapper  6 . In one implementation the transport means  2  comprises at least one conveyor belt, and the product  3  to be wrapped is disposed on the conveyor belt and is moved in the determined direction X in order to be packaged. In one implementation the machine  1  also comprises a plurality of rollers  100  in order to give the film  5  the required tension when it is released from the real  4  and to guide the film  5 , so that the product  3  may be wrapped according to the determined direction X. 
         [0020]    The film  5  that is rolled on the reel  4  has a width that is smaller than the width of the products  3 , the wrappers  6  thereby forming a sleeve around the corresponding product  3 , in the form of a band, as shown in  FIG. 4 . Although  FIG. 4  shows a product  3  in the form of a tray, it is clear that the wrapper  6  may also be used for batches of products, for wrapping products  3  of a cylindrical type or other types of products  3 , be they uniform, irregular, hard, soft, etc. 
         [0021]    The wrapper  6  may have printed information  16  that may be decorative and/or variable printed information. The decorative information is generally printed before the film  5  is disposed in the reel  4 , in other words it is pre-printed before the reel  4  is disposed in the machine  1 . In contrast, the variable information may, for example, be customised for each product  3  during the packaging process and may therefore be printed as a part of the packaging process. In one implementation the machine  1  also comprises heating means  7  for shrinking the film  5  once the wrapper  6  has been generated for each product  3 , the film  5  being shrinkable only in the longitudinal direction of the film  5 , with the result that the wrapper  6  shrinks in a manner to make the printed information  16  legible and the product  3  is enclosed or pressed by the wrapper  6 , thereby preventing it from being mishandled. In one implementation the heating means  7  comprises an enclosed area that corresponds with an oven, which comprises an inlet  71  through which the products  3  with the wrapper  6  are introduced in its interior in order to cause the wrapper  6  to shrink, and an outlet  72  through which the products  3  are removed from its interior once the wrapper has been shrunk. 
         [0022]    In one implementation the printed information  16  on the wrapper  6  includes customised information, the machine  1  comprises printing means to place the customised information on the film  5  once the film  5  is released from the reel  4  and before wrapping a product  3  to enable customized information to be printed each time. The customised information may comprise ingredients, expiry dates, a batch number, barcode, packaging date, date of manufacture or other variable information for each product  3 . This prevents the need for an additional machine such as a labelling machine, for example, to place a label or a sticker with the information on the wrapper  6  of the product  3 , thereby allowing savings to be made in the machinery used and in the time required to obtain a packaged product. Furthermore, as it does not require labels, the wrapper  6  can be recycled more easily as it does not have labels stuck on it or adhesive from another material different to that of the wrapper  6 . In one implementation the printing means comprises at least one printer  8  and support means  9  on which the film  5  is supported, the printer  8  printing on the surface of the film  5  supported on the support means  9 . As a result, thanks to the printing of the film  5  on the support means  9 , high quality printing may be obtained on the film  5 , thereby improving the aesthetic appearance of the product. In one implementation the support means  9  corresponds with one of the rollers  100  used to tighten and guide the film  5  once it is released from the reel  4 , but it may have a separate support or similar member designed for such a purpose. 
         [0023]    The printing means may also comprise a second printer (not shown in the figures) with respective support means continuous to the printer  8 . As a result, the first printer  8  may, for example, print a white box on the film  5 , while the second printer may print a plurality of lines and numbers on the box to create a barcode. The printing of barcodes has been described by way of example, but it is evident that other types of printing may also be printed both in black and white and colour for the presentation of the product  3 . A single reel  4  may thus be used to package different products  3  or a single product requiring different printed variable information  16 , for example, without the need to replace the reel  4  every time the product  3  is changed or every time the information associated with the product  3  being packaged at that time is changed. This results in financial savings due to the reduction in the number of pre-printed reels  4  required for the different products  3  to be packaged, and savings in storage space, which therefore represents a logistical advantage as there is no need to store different reels  4  with different information. In one implementation the film  5  is also transparent, with the result that it is easy to identify the printing and for the user to see the product through the wrapper  6 . In one implementation the film  5  is a plastic PET-G film. 
         [0024]    In one implementation the heating means  7  comprises a first chamber  7 A where heat is emitted by infrared on product  3 , already wrapped with the wrapper  6 , and a second chamber  7 B, disposed after the first chamber  7 A, where heat is emitted by convection on the wrapped product  3 . As a result, once a product  3  is wrapped with a wrapper  6 , by means of second transport means  2 A the product  3  is introduced in the first chamber  7 A of the heating means  7  (which may be an oven), from where they reach the second chamber  7 B by means of third transport means  2 B. In one implementation the transport means  2 A and  2 B comprise conveyor belts and are synchronised with each other and also with transport means  2 . Consequently, the products  3  move in a synchronised manner from one place to another where they are disposed on the transport means  2  until their removal from the second chamber  7 B of the heating means  7 . In one implementation, in order to emit heat in the first chamber  7 A infrareds are used and which are distributed in such a way that the product  3  is heated homogenously, or which may be disposed in such a way that more heat is irradiated against the lower part of the product  3 , the part of the wrapper  6  that is disposed in the lower part shrinking to a greater extent. With this last arrangement the wrapper  6  of the upper part of the product  3 , which is the part that is usually shown, is altered to a lesser extent, thereby improving the presentation of the product  3 . 
         [0025]    In one implementation the machine  1  comprises control means (not shown in the Figures) that is adapted, among other functions, to keep the transport means  2 ,  2 A and  2 B synchronised. The control means may also be used to control the printing means, with the result that the printing means may print information entered beforehand by the user or variable information such as an expiry date calculated at the exact moment of packaging depending on the product  3  to be packaged. The control means also allow the extent to which the film  5  shrinks when it passes through the heating means  7  to be anticipated, and to enter a correction of the subsequent deformation in the printing so that the information printed may be of a high quality and legible after the shrinking. 
         [0026]    In one implementation the machine  1  comprises a second reel  10  with a second rolled film  11  that is released from the second reel  10  for wrapping each product  3  according to the determined direction X, with the result that the wrappers  6  are generated joining one segment of the first film  5  with a respective segment of the second film  11  to form a “curtain”  12 . This also enables products  3  of different shapes to be packaged without technical modifications having to be made to the machine  1 , the machine  1  being very versatile. In one implementation according to a first arrangement of the machine  1 , one of the reels is placed over the transport means  2 ,  2 A while the other reel is placed under the transport means  2 ,  2 A. In an implementation of a machine according to  FIGS. 1-3  it is the reel  4  that is placed over the transport means  2 ,  2 A, while it is the reel  10  that is placed under the transport means  2 ,  2 A. In one implementation the machine  1  also comprises pressing means  17  that acts on the film  5  in order to push it towards the product  3 , and thereby prevent the movement of the wrapper  6  during the operations in which the film  5  is cut and sealed. As a result, the pressing means  17  allows, for example, the film  5  to be stretched by the product  3  as it advances, with its shape not being recovered until the cutting and sealing means  14  have acted. In addition, by keeping the film  5  against the product  3  the pressing means  17  prevents the film  5  from moving while the cutting and sealing means  14  cut and seal it. 
         [0027]    With this first arrangement, the machine  1  may be used to package products  3  of the type presented in a tray for example, joining the films  5  and  11  to form a curtain  12  that is vertical or oblique to the vertical plane ( FIG. 1 ), it being the product  3  that comes into contact with the curtain  12  wrapped, in the form of a band, in the longitudinal direction of the product  3  (on top of and beneath the product  3 ). The first arrangement also allows products  3  of the container or bottle type, for example, to be packaged, with the difference that the machine  1  comprises guide means (not shown in the Figures) to guide the films  5  and  11  in such a way that they join together to form a curtain  12  that is horizontal or oblique to the horizontal plane (not shown in the Figures), the products  3  being wrapped transversally, in the form of a band. 
         [0028]    In other arrangements not shown in the figures, the reels  4  and  10  may be placed on either side of the transport means  2  or both on the same side of the transport means  2  (over, under or to one side of the transport means  2 ), thereby causing films  5  and  11  to join to form a curtain  12  that is vertical or oblique to the vertical plane, or a curtain  12  that is horizontal or oblique to the horizontal plane, depending on what is required. 
         [0029]    In one implementation the two films  5  and  11  are made of a single material to enable them to be sealed together. However, it is not necessary that both films  5  and  11  are shrinkable in the longitudinal direction, with only one or both of them being shrinkable. As a result, the film  5  may be shrinkable in the longitudinal direction, and the film  11  may be non-shrinkable, for example. In both arrangements there may also be a printer  8  (or more printers) for the film  4 , and another printer  8 A (or more printers) for the film  11 . 
         [0030]    In one implementation elements of the machine  1 , such as the rollers  100  and the reels  4  and  10 , are fixed with freedom and housed within an enclosure plate  13 . This provides the machine  1  with a clean arrangement, which may be especially advantageous when wrapping food products  3 . 
         [0031]    Implementations of packaging processes used for wrapping products  3  or batches of products will now be explained. In one implementation a product  3  is transported in a determined direction X, and a film  5  is released from a reel  4  of a machine  1  for wrapping the product  3  according to the determined direction X, the film  5  comprising a width that is smaller than the width of the product  3  and printed information  16 , and being shrinkable only in the longitudinal direction. Once the film  5  wraps the product  3 , the film  5  is cut and sealed to generate a wrapper  6  for the product  3  by means of cutting and sealing means  14  of the machine  1 , and the product  3  continues to be transported in the determined direction X towards heating means  7  of the machine  1 . During its movement the product  3 , with the wrapper  6 , is introduced into a first chamber  7 A of the heating means  7 , with heat being applied to it by infrared. In one implementation product  3  continues to advance in the determined direction X and moves to a second chamber  7 B of the heating means  7 , where heat is applied to it by convection. As a result of its passage through the heating means and the ability of the film  5  to shrink in the longitudinal direction, the film  5  shrinks and adapts itself to the shape of the product  3  once the wrapper  6  has been generated, the product  3  being pressed by the wrapper  6  and the printed information  16  being disposed on it in a legible manner. 
         [0032]    In one implementation the film  5  is released from the reel  4  in synchronisation with the advance of the product  3 . Thus, when the product  3  reaches a specific position (e.g., next to the film  5  in the determined direction X, or when it comes into contact with the film  5 ), control means of the machine  1  cause the release of the film  5  at a speed substantially equal to the speed of advance of the product  3  in the determined direction X, thereby helping the film  5  to wrap the product  3 . In one implementation the control means acts on at least one of the rollers  100  of the machine  1 , used for giving the film  5  the required tension when it is released from the roller  4  and for guiding the film  5 , causing the rotation speed of the roller  100  to be substantially equal to the speed of advance of the product  3  in the determined direction X. The machine  1  may also comprise pushing means  15  which may be controlled by the control means to push the product  3  when the product  3  reaches a specific position (e.g., next to the film  5  in the determined direction X, or when it comes into contact with the film  5 ), thereby helping the product  3  to be wrapped by the film  5 . In one implementation the pushing means  15  pushes the product  3  at a speed substantially equal to the speed of advance of the product  3 , thereby ensuring synchronisation with the advance of the product  3  and with the release of the film  5  from the reel  4 . 
         [0033]    In one implementation the process also comprises a stage in which printed information  16  is disposed on the film  5 , once the film  5  is released from the reel  4  and before wrapping the product  3 . The printed information  16  may be customised by the printing means and the control means. 
         [0034]    In one implementation product  3  is transported in the determined direction X towards the curtain  12  formed by the joining of the films  5  and  11 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . When it reaches the height of the curtain  12 , the product  3  comes into contact with the curtain  12  and pushes it, the curtain  12  being wrapped around the product  3  in the form of a band as shown in  FIG. 2 . Subsequently, once the film  5  wraps the product  3 , the pressing means  17  prevent the films  5  and  11  from moving in relation to the product  3 , while the cutting and sealing means  14  cut the films  5  and  11 , thereby generating a wrapper  6  formed by the curtain  12 , and seal together both the two ends of the wrapper  6 , with the wrapper  6  closing around the product  3 , and the two segments of the films  5  and  11 , which generate a new curtain  12  for the next product  3  to be wrapped, as shown in  FIG. 3 . The product  3  wrapped by the wrapper  6  enters the heating means, where the wrapper  6  is shrunk following its passage through both chambers  7 A and  7 B of the heating means  7 .