Patent ID: 7032365

Claim:
A packaging machine for wrapping groups of products in related wrapping sheets of heat-sealable material, each group comprising products arranged according to a determined number of mutually superposed layers, the machine comprising first wrapping means to form a tubular case from a continuous strip of heat-sealable material, the tubular case having a first longitudinal superposition area defined by superposition portions of the strip; conveyor means to feed in sequence groups of products into the tubular case, each group being positioned between two free tubular portions of said tubular case; stabiliser means to stabilise said first superposition area; separator means to separate in succession tubular wrappers from said tubular case, each of which wrappers is wound about a related group, and has two open tubular ends projecting from the related group; second wrapping means to fold each said tubular end substantially in contact with the related group, form a first external wrapper having two end superposition areas, and perform a sealing operation on the second superposition areas; and being characterised in that it further comprises third wrapping means to fold each said tubular portion substantially in contact with the related groups, perform a sealing operation on the tubular portion, and separate in succession from said tubular case second external wrappers wrapped around respective groups; and feeding means for selectively feeding the groups and the related tubular wrappers to said second wrapping means to obtain said first external wrappers and the groups and the tubular case to said third wrapping means to obtain said second external wrappers; said separator means being able to be selectively operated to separate the tubular wrappers from the tubular case.