Patent ID: 7338424

Claim:
A horizontal packaging machine for making fluid-tight packages equipped with a zip closure, the machine comprising: at least one unit for unwinding a film of synthetic material for packaging a series of products; at least one unit for unreeling a pair of tapes to form the zip closure; a shaping tunnel located downstream of the film unreeling unit; a sealing unit located downstream of the shaping tunnel; a power-driven film feed roller designed to apply a uniform pulling force on the film which is unwound and fed into the sealing unit, wherein the power-driven film feed roller is downstream of the sealing unit, wherein the location of the power-driven film feed roller and the uniform pulling force stretches the film and prevents the film from being uneven or crumpled while sealed upstream from the power-driven film feed roller and wherein the power-driven film feed roller has on its surface a series of jaws for transversely separating the packages; and a pair of opposite platforms, one on each side of the forward moving film and zip tapes, each platform being equipped with two jaws designed to make a first continuous seal along an outside of joined edges of the film and a second seal along an inside in order to attach zip tape to the film edges.