Patent ID: 8919080

Claim:
A method for operating a packaging machine for packaging products in at least one automatic packaging station, said method comprising: packaging products in at least one automatic packaging station to provide packaged products; loading packaged products into transport containers; exposing the packaged products in the transport containers to high-pressure treatment in at least one high-pressure treatment station to provide treated packaged products; unloading treated packaged products from the transport containers; and wherein the packaged products are stored in a storage area between the automatic packaging station and the high-pressure treatment station; wherein the operation of the automatic packaging station and the operation of the high-pressure treatment station are coordinated by means of a common control system that is connected to the automatic packaging station and the high pressure treatment station; wherein the common control system is designed to adjust the number of packagings produced in the automatic packaging station per time unit to the number of packagings treated with high pressure in the high-pressure treatment stations per time unit; wherein the automatic packaging station and the high-pressure treatment station are operated in synchronism by means of the common control system; wherein the high-pressure treatment station comprises at least two high-pressure chambers in which the products can be subjected to a high-pressure medium, wherein a common pressure generating system is provided for supplying the high-pressure chambers with pressurized high-pressure medium, and wherein the high-pressure chambers are operated with different or time-staggered timing; wherein within one of the high-pressure chambers, the building up of high pressure begins after the building up of high pressure is completed in another high-pressure chamber; wherein several pressure cycles are performed consecutively in one high-pressure chamber; wherein before and/or after the high-pressure treatment, an automatic inspection of the products or their packagings for damages or deficiencies is accomplished; and wherein the loading of transport containers with packaged products and/or the unloading of the treated packaged products from the transport container is performed automatically.