Patent Description:
The present invention also relates to the field of automatic container forming machines, and, in particular, to the field of automatic flexible pouch forming machines.

Container forming machines are known in the prior art which are capable of forming containers in the form of a pouch or bag from a band of flexible heat-sealable film supplied from a reel. Some container forming machines are also capable of filling said containers with one or more products, and hermetically sealing the filled containers.

There are two main variants or types of container forming machines. Vertical type machines, in which the band of film is longitudinally cut into several strips of film and each strip of film is rolled in the form of a tube around a vertical core to form the container by heat sealing thereon, and the tube is vertically moved downwards while at the same time the containers can be filled with one or more products supplied through an inner passage of the core and finally closed by heat sealing; and horizontal type machines, in which the band of film is folded to form by heat sealing containers open at the top which are transported along a horizontal path along which the containers can be filled with one or more products and finally closed by heat sealing.

A welding unit is used in both machine types to form horizontal welds at the edges of the container by heat sealing. Each of these welding units usually comprises at least one pair of pressure and heat applicators facing one another and located on opposite sides of a container precursor made of the band of film, and driving means alternately moving said pressure and heat applicators between a release position, in which the pressure and heat applicators are separated from the container precursor, and a welding position, in which the pressure and heat applicators press the container precursor while at the same time applying heat to form a weld.

In order to increase the productivity of container forming machines, there are known in the art container forming machines, and in particular, welding units for container forming machines, that comprise a plurality of pairs of pressure and heat applicators arranged following a direction defined by the forward movement of the container precursors, so that multiple welds for a plurality of containers can be done simultaneously. Usually said plurality of pairs of pressure and heat applicators are arranged in a linear manner. However, such solution also has drawbacks, as it is required more space to install the plurality of pairs of pressure and heat applicators, thereby increasing the size of the welding unit and, consequently, the size of the container forming machine. Moreover, increasing the number of pairs of pressure and heat applicators arranged along the forward movement direction of the container precursor also may affect the requirements of the container precursor, as the forces, temperature, etc. that it has to withstand varies, and the complexity of adjusting the operating parameters of the welding unit also increases. Furthermore, increasing the number of pairs of pressure and heat applicators also increases the number of parts of the welding unit, as each pair of pressure and heat applicators is independent from the rest.

<CIT> discloses a welding unit for an automatic flexible pouch forming machine comprising first and second pressure applicators facing one another, thereby forming a first path for a first pouch precursor made of a folded band of flexible heat-sealable film; heating means heating at least one of said first and second pressure applicators; and driving means for moving at least one of said first and second pressure applicators between a release position, in which the first and second pressure applicators are separated from the first path, and a welding position, in which the first and second pressure applicators press and apply heat on the first pouch precursor to form a weld.

The present invention is directed towards a welding unit for an automatic flexible pouch forming machine that increases the productivity of known welding units while providing a compact arrangement of its elements. In order to do so, according to a first aspect of the present invention, it is disclosed a welding unit for an automatic flexible pouch forming machine comprising: first and second pressure applicators facing one another, thereby forming a first path for a first pouch precursor made of a folded band of flexible heat-sealable film; heating means heating at least one of said first and second pressure applicators; and driving means, or driving mechanism, for moving at least one of said first and second pressure applicators between a release position, in which the first and second pressure applicators are separated from the first path, and a welding position, in which the pressure applicators press and apply heat on the first pouch precursor to form a weld; the welding unit further comprising: a first lateral element comprising the first pressure applicator; a central element comprising the second pressure applicator and a third pressure applicator on opposite sides thereof; a second lateral element comprising a fourth pressure applicator facing the third pressure applicator, thereby forming a second path for a second pouch precursor made of a folded band of flexible heat-sealable film; wherein the heating means also heat at least one of said third and fourth pressure applicators; and wherein at least one of said third and fourth pressure applicators are movable between a release position, in which the third and fourth pressure applicators are separated from the second path, and a welding position, in which the third and fourth pressure applicators press and apply heat on the second pouch precursor to form a weld; and wherein at least one of the third and fourth pressure applicators is operatively connected to said driving means, or driving mechanism, so that at least one of said first and second pressure applicators and at least one of said third and fourth pressure applicators, simultaneously move from the release position to the welding position, and vice versa.

The first aspect of the present invention increases the productivity of a welding unit of a certain length, as it doubles the number of welds produced by a given length of the welding unit. Moreover, compared to an alleged welding unit for a container forming machine having two container precursors arranged in parallel, said container precursors being made of a folded band of flexible heat-sealable film, and two independent pairs of pressure applicators, one pair for each container precursor, the present invention reduces the number of elements required, as some are shared between the pressure applicators, in particular, the driving means and the central element. Furthermore, as the driving means simultaneously move at least one of said first and second pressure applicators and at least one of said third and fourth pressure applicators from the release position to the welding position, and vice versa, there is no need for complex control means of the pressure applicators as it would be in the case of two independent pairs of pressure and heat applicators arranged in parallel, each pair for a corresponding container precursor.

The first aspect of the present invention is especially suitable for use in automatic flexible pouch forming machine of the horizontal type. However, is not limited to said type of automatic flexible pouch forming machines.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the driving means may simultaneously move the first lateral element and the central element relative to the second lateral element to move the first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators from the release position to the welding position, and vice versa.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the driving means may simultaneously move the second lateral element and the central element relative to the first lateral element to move the first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators from the release position to the welding position, and vice versa.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the driving means may simultaneously move the first and second lateral elements relative to the central element to move the first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators from the release position to the welding position, and vice versa, that is to say, the central element may be stationary and the driving means may move the first and second lateral elements closer to the central element so that the first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators reach their welding position; and the driving means may move the first and second lateral elements away from the central element so that the first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators reach their release position.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators may be mutually aligned.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the welding unit may further comprise at least one guiding unit for guiding the first and second pouch precursors.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the welding unit may comprise at least one guiding unit upstream the pressure applicators; and at least one guiding unit downstream the pressure applicators.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the first path of the first pouch precursor may be separated from the second path of the second pouch precursor by a first distance; and the guiding unit may be further configured to keep said first distance and to allow to modify at least one of said first and said second path so that they are separated by a second distance.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the second distance may be greater than the first distance.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the guiding unit may comprise a first roller for being placed in contact and guiding the first pouch precursor and a second roller for being placed in contact and guiding the second pouch precursor, each roller defining a longitudinal axis parallel to the corresponding pouch precursor.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the guiding unit may further comprise a third roller for being placed in contact and guiding the first pouch precursor, defining a longitudinal axis parallel to the first pouch precursor and being arranged pivotally about a pivot axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the first roller; and the guiding unit may further comprise a fourth roller for being placed in contact and guiding the second pouch precursor, defining a longitudinal axis parallel to the second pouch precursor and being arranged pivotally about a pivot axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the second roller.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the welding unit may comprise at least a second set of first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the heating means may comprise one or more sonotrodes.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the heating means may comprise one or more electrical resistors.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, at least one of the first and second pressure applicators may have projections configured to form a weld with a predetermined format and/or shape in contact with the first pouch precursor.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, at least one of the third and fourth pressure applicators may have projections configured to form a weld with a predetermined format and/or shape in contact with the first pouch precursor.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, it is disclosed an automatic flexible pouch forming machine comprising a welding unit according to the first aspect of the present invention.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the automatic flexible pouch forming machine may further comprise: a first unwinding unit for unwinding a first band of a flexible heat-sealable film in a first forward movement direction; a first folding unit of the first band configured for folding said band along at least one first folding line parallel to the first forward movement direction, at least two portions of the first band being arranged on opposite sides of said at least one first folding line and the same face of the first band being arranged opposite one another; a second unwinding unit for unwinding a second band of a flexible heat-sealable film in a second forward movement direction; and a second folding unit of the second band configured for folding said band along at least one second folding line parallel to the second forward movement direction, at least two portions of the second band being arranged on opposite sides of said at least one second folding line and the same face of the second band being arranged opposite one another.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the automatic flexible pouch forming machine may further comprise at least one cutting unit for separating portions making up flexible pouches from the first and second bands.

It will be understood that references to geometric position, such as parallel, perpendicular, tangent, etc. allow deviations up to ± <NUM>° from the theoretical position defined by this nomenclature.

It will also be understood that any range of values given may not be optimal in extreme values and may require adaptations of the invention to these extreme values are applicable, such adaptations being within reach of a skilled person.

Other features of the invention appear from the following detailed description of an embodiment.

The foregoing and other advantages and features will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of an embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, to be taken in an illustrative and non-limitative manner, in which:.

The foregoing and other advantages and features will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of an embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, to be taken in an illustrative and not limitative way.

<FIG> shows a perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of a welding unit for an automatic flexible pouch forming machine according to the present invention. The welding unit <NUM> of this first exemplary embodiment comprises a first lateral element <NUM>, a central element <NUM> and a second lateral element <NUM>. Said first lateral element <NUM> comprises a first pressure applicator <NUM> and said central element <NUM> comprises a second pressure applicator <NUM>, said first and second pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM> defining a path for a first pouch precursor 3A made of a folded band of flexible heat-sealable film. The central element <NUM> further comprises a third pressure applicator <NUM> and the second lateral element <NUM> comprises a fourth pressure applicator <NUM>, said third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM> defining a path for a second pouch precursor 3B made of a folded band of flexible heat-sealable film.

The welding unit <NUM> further comprises a heating means for heating at least one of said first and second pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM> and at least one of said third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM>. Said heating means can comprise, for example, one or more electrical resistors and/or one or more sonotrodes.

The welding unit <NUM> also comprises driving means <NUM>, or driving mechanism, for moving the first and second pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM> from a release position, in which the first and second pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM> are separated from the path for the first pouch precursor 3A, and a welding position, in which first and second pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM> press and apply heat on the first pouch precursor 3A to form at least a weld. Said driving means <NUM>, or driving mechanism, are also operatively connected to the third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM> so that the third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM> are movable between a release position, in which the third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM> are separated from the path for the second pouch precursor 3B, and a welding position, in which the third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM> press and apply heat on the second pouch precursor 3B to form at least a weld. The driving mechanism or driving means <NUM> are operatively connected to the first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> in such a way that at least one of said first and second pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM> and at least one of said third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM> simultaneously move from the release position to the welding position, and vice versa.

The second and third pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM> are located opposite one another on opposite sides of the central element <NUM>.

In the first exemplary embodiment shown, the first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are mutually aligned.

In the first exemplary embodiment, the driving means <NUM>, or driving mechanism, simultaneously move the first and second lateral elements <NUM>, <NUM> relative to the central element <NUM> to move the first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> from the release position to the welding position, and vice versa. That is to say, in this first exemplary embodiment, the central element <NUM> is stationary and the first and second lateral elements <NUM>, <NUM> move closer to the central element <NUM> to move the first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> from the release position to the welding position; and the first and second lateral elements <NUM>, <NUM> move away from the central element <NUM> to move the first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> from the welding position to the release position. However, in other embodiments of the present invention none of the first lateral element <NUM>, the central element <NUM> and the second lateral element <NUM> may be stationary, i.e., the first lateral element <NUM>, the central element <NUM> and the second lateral element may all be movable.

It is also possible, in other embodiments, that the driving mechanism or driving means <NUM> may simultaneously move the first lateral element <NUM> and the central element <NUM> relative to the second lateral element <NUM> to move the first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> from the release position to the welding position, and vice versa. That is to say, the second lateral element <NUM> may be stationary and the first lateral element <NUM> and the central element <NUM> may move closer and away from said second lateral element <NUM>.

In other embodiments of the present invention, the driving mechanism or driving means <NUM> may simultaneously move the second lateral element <NUM> and the central element <NUM> relative to the first lateral element <NUM> to move the first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> from the release position to the welding position, and vice versa. That is to say, the first lateral element <NUM> may be stationary and the central element <NUM> and the second lateral element <NUM> may move closer and away from said first lateral element <NUM>.

The first lateral element <NUM>, the central element <NUM>, the second lateral element <NUM>, the driving mechanism or driving means <NUM>, together with the first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> define a welding assembly <NUM>.

In the present invention, productivity of the welding unit <NUM> is doubled, as it can perform a weld simultaneously on the first pouch precursor 3A and on the second pouch precursor 3B, without doubling the components of a known welding unit, as in the present invention some elements are shared. In particular, in the present invention the driving means <NUM> and the central element <NUM>, which comprises the second and third pressure applicators <NUM>,<NUM>, are shared. Moreover, in the exemplary embodiment shown, the driving means <NUM> mechanically connect and drive the first and second lateral elements <NUM>, <NUM> (as has been stated hereinabove, in the first exemplary embodiment the central element <NUM> is stationary), thereby eliminating the need of a complex control unit that controls and coordinate the first and second applicators <NUM>, <NUM>, and the third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a perspective view of a second exemplary embodiment of a welding unit <NUM> for an automatic flexible pouch forming machine according to the present invention. Compared to the first exemplary embodiment shown in <FIG>, this second exemplary embodiment further comprises a guiding unit <NUM> upstream the first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and a further guiding unit <NUM> downstream said first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. It can also be stated that the welding unit <NUM> of the second exemplary embodiment comprises a guiding <NUM> upstream the welding assembly <NUM> and a further guiding unit <NUM> downstream said welding assembly <NUM>.

In this second exemplary embodiment, each guiding unit <NUM> comprises a first roller <NUM> for being placed in contact and guiding the first pouch precursor 3A and a second roller <NUM> for being placed in contact and guiding the second pouch precursor 3B, said first and second rollers <NUM>, <NUM> defining a longitudinal axis parallel to the corresponding pouch precursor 3A, 3B.

Each guiding unit <NUM> of this second exemplary embodiment further comprise a third roller <NUM> for being placed in contact and guiding the first pouch precursor 3A and a fourth roller <NUM> for being placed in contact and guiding the second pouch precursor 3B. Said third roller <NUM> defines a longitudinal axis parallel to the first pouch precursor 3A, i.e. the first path for the first pouch precursor 3A, and is arranged pivotally about a pivot axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the first roller <NUM>. Said fourth roller <NUM> defines a longitudinal axis parallel to the second pouch precursor 3B, i.e., the second path for the second pouch precursor 3B, and is arranged pivotally about a pivot axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the second roller <NUM>.

In other embodiments, one or more guiding units <NUM> may differ than the one described above. In particular, it is possible that in other embodiments one or more guiding units lack of the third and fourth rollers <NUM>, <NUM>.

In other embodiments of the present invention, the guiding unit <NUM> upstream the first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may be different than the guiding unit downstream the first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>.

In this first exemplary embodiment, the first path of the first pouch precursor 3A is separated by a first distance from the second path of the second pouch precursor 3B and the guiding unit is configured to modify at least one of said first and second paths so that they are separated by a second distance. Said second distance is preferably greater than the first one. By varying the separation or distance between the first and the second path of the first and second pouch precursors 3A, 3B it is possible to avoid, or at least reduce, the risk of damaging the pouch precursors 3A, 3B when the welding unit <NUM> and/or the automatic flexible pouch forming machine is starting up or being stopped, as it allows to move the pouch precursors 3A, 3B away from the heating means.

<FIG> shows a perspective view of a third exemplary embodiment of a welding unit <NUM> for an automatic flexible pouch forming machine according to the present invention. This third exemplary embodiment comprises four sets of first lateral elements <NUM>, central elements <NUM> and second lateral elements <NUM>, with the corresponding first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and driving means <NUM>. That is to say, this third exemplary embodiment comprises four welding assemblies <NUM>.

By increasing the number of welding assemblies <NUM>, the number of operations or welds performed on the first and second pouch precursors 3A, 3B also increases for a given period of time, as the plurality of welding assemblies <NUM> allow to perform multiple operations on a simultaneous or substantially simultaneous manner.

In this third exemplary embodiment each welding assembly <NUM> performs a different welding operation, but in other embodiments with a plurality of welding assemblies <NUM>, each welding assembly <NUM> can perform the same operation, so that a certain operation is performed n times, where n is the number of welding assemblies <NUM>, simultaneously.

For clarity purposes, in <FIG> the reference numerals of the first lateral element <NUM>, the central element <NUM>, the second lateral element <NUM>, the first, second, third and fourth pressure applicators <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and the driving means <NUM> of only one welding assembly <NUM> have been depicted. However, all welding assemblies <NUM> of this third exemplary embodiment share the same parts and the above explanation is also applicable to them.

<FIG> show a top, a front and a side view of the third exemplary embodiment of a welding unit <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

As can be clearly seen in <FIG>, in this third exemplary embodiment of a welding unit <NUM> its components or elements are arranged in a linear manner, as in this embodiment the first and second paths for a first and second pouch precursors 3A, 3B are linear. However, in other embodiments said paths for the first and second pouch precursors 3A, 3B may be non-linear, for example, curved, in which case the elements of the welding unit <NUM> are also arranged in a non-linear manner, adapted to the paths of the first and second pouch precursors 3A, 3B.

<FIG> and <FIG> show how the first and second pouch precursors 3A, 3B are surrounded by the welding assemblies <NUM>. In particular, the first pouch precursor 3A is surrounded by the first pressure applicator <NUM> of the first lateral element <NUM>, the second pressure applicator <NUM> of the central element <NUM>, part of the driving means <NUM> and the lower body of the welding assembly <NUM>. In a similar manner, the second pouch precursor 3B is surrounded by the third pressure applicator <NUM> of the central element <NUM>, the fourth pressure applicator <NUM> of the second lateral element <NUM>, part of the driving means <NUM> and the lower body of the welding assembly <NUM>.

Although it is not shown in the drawings, a second aspect of the present invention comprises an automatic flexible pouch forming machine comprising a welding unit <NUM> as previously described.

In certain embodiments, the automatic flexible pouch forming machine can comprise a first unwinding unit for unwinding a first band of a flexible heat-sealable film in a first forward movement direction; a first folding unit of the first band configured for folding said band along at least one first folding line parallel to the first forward movement direction, at least two portions of the first band being arranged on opposite sides of said at least one first folding line and the same face of the first band being arranged opposite one another; a second unwinding unit for unwinding a second band of a flexible heat-sealable film in a second forward movement direction; and a second folding unit of the second band configured for folding said band along at least one second folding line parallel to the second forward movement direction, at least two portions of the second band being arranged on opposite sides of said at least one second folding line and the same face of the second band being arranged opposite one another.

Claim 1:
Welding unit (<NUM>) for an automatic flexible pouch forming machine comprising:
- first and second pressure applicators (<NUM>, <NUM>) facing one another, thereby forming a first path for a first pouch precursor (3A) made of a folded band of flexible heat-sealable film,
- heating means heating at least one of said first and second pressure applicators (<NUM>, <NUM>), and
- driving means (<NUM>) for moving at least one of said first and second pressure applicators (<NUM>, <NUM>) between a release position, in which the first and second pressure applicators (<NUM>, <NUM>) are separated from the first path, and a welding position, in which the first and second pressure applicators (<NUM>, <NUM>) press and apply heat on the first pouch precursor (3A) to form a weld,
characterized in that it comprises:
a first lateral element (<NUM>) comprising the first pressure applicator (<NUM>);
a central element (<NUM>) comprising the second pressure applicator (<NUM>) and a third pressure applicator (<NUM>) on opposite sides thereof;
a second lateral (<NUM>) element comprising a fourth pressure applicator (<NUM>) facing the third pressure applicator (<NUM>), thereby forming a second path for a second pouch precursor (3B) made of a folded band of flexible heat-sealable film;
wherein the heating means also heat at least one of said third and fourth pressure applicators (<NUM>, <NUM>); and
wherein at least one of said third and fourth pressure applicators (<NUM>, <NUM>) are movable between a release position, in which the third and fourth pressure applicators (<NUM>, <NUM>) are separated from the second path, and a welding position, in which the third and fourth pressure applicators (<NUM>, <NUM>) press and apply heat on the second pouch precursor (3B) to form a weld; and wherein at least one of the third and fourth pressure applicators (<NUM>, <NUM>) is operatively connected to said driving means (<NUM>), so that at least one of said first and second pressure applicators (<NUM>, <NUM>) and at least one of said third and fourth pressure applicators (<NUM>, <NUM>), simultaneously move from the release position to the welding position, and vice versa.