Abstract:
An ice bagging assembly is described that includes a support frame and an ice cube hopper coupled to the support frame. The ice cube hopper stores a plurality of ice cubes. The ice cube hopper is intended to convey the plurality of ice cubes from a low end of the ice cube hopper to a high end of the ice cube hopper. An ice chute is in mechanical cooperation with the high end of the ice cube hopper, the ice chute configured to drop the plurality of ice cubes into an open ice bag. The ice bagging assembly also includes a first level sensor configured to sense a height level of ice in the ice cube hopper to ensure an adequate quantity of ice to fill the open ice bag to a predetermined weight.
Abstract:
An ice bagging assembly and related method with a horizontal ice bag cassette, a pair of opposing ice bag ply graspers configured to move an empty ice bag from the horizontal ice bag cassette to a vertical position to receive cubed ice before it is sealed shut and dropped to an ice bag merchandiser. The opposing graspers may be configured as rotating wheels and may have a grasping sensor. The ice bag cassette may be slidably and tiltably supported for easy replacement of horizontal bags. A load sensor, optical or mechanical, may be associated with the ice hopper to sense how much ice has been put in each bag. A pair of angled guides may guide a hopper into a support frame for the system.
Abstract:
A flexible funnel positioned at a filling station of a fill machine. The flexible funnel directs a product dispensed at the filling station of the filling machine into a pouch. The flexible funnel having a rigid upper portion and a plurality of fingers. The rigid upper portion includes an open top end and an open bottom end. Each of the plurality of elongated fingers hingedly connected to the upper portion. The rigid upper portion has a regular polygon shape having a plurality of sides, and each of the plurality of fingers is individually articulatable with respect to one of the plurality of sides of the upper rigid portion.
Abstract:
A packaging machine includes a shaping device including a conveyor drive mechanism and a bottom tapping mechanism and shaping a packaging bag filled with article so that the bag has a predetermined thickness. The conveyor drive mechanism includes a pair of side conveyors movable forward and backward. The conveyors are capable of pressing the bag filled with the article when moved forward. The conveyors are configured to be run in parallel to the moving direction of the bag substantially in synchronization with movement of the bag. The tapping mechanism includes a receiving plate disposed over the filling step and one or more steps following the filling step. The receiving plate is moved up and down so that the bag bottom is tapped, when the bag filled with the article is stopped between the filling step and one or more steps following the filling step.
Abstract:
A load smart system for continuously loading preformed pouches into a fill-seal machine is provided. A plurality of pouches are disposed within a pouch delivery device, each of the pouches having an upper edge and an indicia. The fill-seal machine includes a rotating turret having a plurality of radially extending grippers. The rotating turret rotates the plurality of gripper pairs between a loading station, an opening station, a filling station, a sealing station, and an unloading station. A robotic transfer device is positioned between the pouch delivery device and the loading station of the fill-seal machine. The robotic transfer device includes an optical sensor positioned on a gripper member. During operation, the optical sensor scans the indicia to determine the pouch characteristics and a controlling station controls the gripper member to deposits the pouch within the gripper pairs at the loading station a predetermined distance from the upper edge of the pouch.
Abstract:
A load smart system for continuously loading preformed pouches into a fill-seal machine is provided. A plurality of pouches are disposed within a pouch delivery device, each of the pouches having an upper edge and an indicia. The fill-seal machine includes a rotating turret having a plurality of radially extending grippers. The rotating turret rotates the plurality of gripper pairs between a loading station, an opening station, a filling station, a sealing station, and an unloading station. A robotic transfer device is positioned between the pouch delivery device and the loading station of the fill-seal machine. The robotic transfer device includes an optical sensor positioned on a gripper member. During operation, the optical sensor scans the indicia to determine the pouch characteristics and a controlling station controls the gripper member to deposits the pouch within the gripper pairs at the loading station a predetermined distance from the upper edge of the pouch.
Abstract:
A machine for automatically filling and sealing bags. Bags are placed in flat condition on a stack. Suckers pick up the uppermost bag from the stack and move it to a platform which has a substantial horizontal component and on which the bag is placed in a predetermined position. Thereupon, grippers engage the opposite sides of the bag near the bag mouth. Next, spreaders swing into the bag mouth to open the same and hold the same open. The spreaders and grippers are mounted to turn about a horizontal axis and they swing the bag held by the grippers with its mouth maintained open by the spreaders through an arc to a position in which the bag is upright and located beneath the spout of a batching machine. The bag then is filled while it is held by the grippers. The grippers also are mounted to turn about a vertical axis and do so turn after the bag is filled, carrying the bag with them through an arc in a horizontal plane. The path of movement of the bag about the vertical axis causes the mouth of the bag to move into operative engagement with a closing device such as a sewing machine, taping machine or sealing machine. After filling but prior to closure, the grippers together with the filled bag are moved first up and then down through a short stroke to eliminate air in the bag above the material with which the bag just has been filled. The filled and closed bag is rested on a supporting plate from which, after the elimination of air from the bag and the closing of the bag, the bag is slid by tilting of the plate onto a delivery conveyor.
Abstract:
A bag supply device used in a rotary bag-filling packaging machine and including: an empty-bag holding member (9) for holding a bag (B), a reciprocating mechanism (13) for moving the empty-bag holding member back and forth between a bag receiving position and a bag delivery position, a first turning mechanism (14) for turning the empty-bag holding member around a first axis (O1) parallel to a bag width direction thereof upon operation of the reciprocating mechanism and orienting the holding face of the empty-bag holding member vertically in the delivery position, and a second turning mechanism (15) for turning the empty-bag holding member around a second axis (O2) parallel to a bag length direction thereof and causing the bag held by the empty-bag holding member in the delivery position to be directly across from the pair of grippers stopped in the empty bag supply position.