Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B55/00—Preserving, protecting or purifying packages or package contents in association with packaging
  • B65B55/02—Sterilising, e.g. of complete packages
  • B65B55/027—Packaging in aseptic chambers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B37/00—Supplying or feeding fluent-solid, plastic, or liquid material, or loose masses of small articles, to be packaged
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B55/00—Preserving, protecting or purifying packages or package contents in association with packaging
  • B65B55/02—Sterilising, e.g. of complete packages
  • B65B55/04—Sterilising wrappers or receptacles prior to, or during, packaging
  • B65B55/10—Sterilising wrappers or receptacles prior to, or during, packaging by liquids or gases
  • B65B55/103—Sterilising flat or tubular webs
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B57/00—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices
  • B65B57/10—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of articles or materials to be packaged
  • B65B57/14—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of articles or materials to be packaged and operating to control, or stop, the feed of articles or material to be packaged
  • B65B57/145—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of articles or materials to be packaged and operating to control, or stop, the feed of articles or material to be packaged for fluent material
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B57/00—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices
  • B65B57/10—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of articles or materials to be packaged
  • B65B57/16—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of articles or materials to be packaged and operating to stop, or to control the speed of, the machine as a whole
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B9/00—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, e.g. liquids or semiliquids, in flat, folded, or tubular webs of flexible sheet material; Subdividing filled flexible tubes to form packages
  • B65B9/10—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, in preformed tubular webs, or in webs formed into tubes around filling nozzles, e.g. extruded tubular webs
  • B65B9/12—Subdividing filled tubes to form two or more packages by sealing or securing involving displacement of contents
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B9/00—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, e.g. liquids or semiliquids, in flat, folded, or tubular webs of flexible sheet material; Subdividing filled flexible tubes to form packages
  • B65B9/10—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, in preformed tubular webs, or in webs formed into tubes around filling nozzles, e.g. extruded tubular webs
  • B65B9/20—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, in preformed tubular webs, or in webs formed into tubes around filling nozzles, e.g. extruded tubular webs the webs being formed into tubes in situ around the filling nozzles

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a packaging machine configured for producing sealed packages containing a pourable product, preferably a pourable food product.
• the present invention also refers to a method for producing sealed packages containing a pourable product, preferably a pourable food product.
• pourable food products such as fruit juice, UHT (ultra-high temperature-treated) milk, wine, tomato sauce, etc.
• UHT ultra-high temperature-treated milk
• wine tomato sauce
• etc. are sold in packages made of sterilized packaging material.
• a typical example is the parallelepiped-shaped package for pourable food products known as Tetra Brik Aseptic (registered trademark), which is made by folding and sealing a laminated web of packaging material.
• the packaging material has a multilayer structure comprising a base layer, e.g. made of paper, covered on both sides with layers of heat-seal plastic material, e.g. polyethylene.
• the packaging material also comprises a layer of oxygen-barrier material, e.g. an aluminum foil, which is superimposed on a layer of heat-seal plastic material, and is in turn covered with another layer of heat-seal plastic material forming the inner face of the package eventually contacting the food product.
• Packages of this sort are normally produced on fully automatic packaging machines, which form and fill the packages starting from a multilayer web of packaging material.
• a continuous tube is formed from the web of packaging material which is initially wound in a reel and fed through a plurality of unwinding rollers.
• the web of packaging material is typically fed through a sterilization apparatus for sterilizing the web and then into an isolation chamber which encloses an environment controlled in sterile and/or aseptic conditions.
• the web While advanced by the aforementioned unwinding rollers, the web is folded to form the tube by means of a known web folding unit and then sealed longitudinally. Hence, the tube is provided with a longitudinal seal before exiting the isolation chamber.
• the tube In order to perform the package forming operations, the tube is continuously fed along a first direction, normally a straight vertical direction, is filled with the sterilized food product from above and is formed, sealed and subsequently cut along equally spaced transversal cross-sections extending along a second direction, normally a direction orthogonal to the first direction.
• a sequence of pillow packs is thereby obtained, which pillow packs are then fed to a folding device of the packaging machine for the final folding thereof.
• a packaging machine of the above type further comprises a filling system configured to fill the tube with the pourable product, while the tube is continuously formed, sealed and advanced along said first direction.
• the filling system comprises a filling pipe which is inserted in, and surrounded by, the tube in formation, and which delivers the pourable product into the tube, so that a column of pourable product is defined and maintained within the tube.
• such hydrostatic pressure is provided by the column of pourable product within the tube.
• such column of pourable product can reach a relatively large extension in order to guarantee the needed hydrostatic pressure.
• the column of pourable product may have not yet reached the nominal extension required for defining the nominal hydrostatic pressure.
• EP-A-3456638 discloses a packaging machine of the above type and comprising:
• the delimiting plate has a central passage through which the filling pipe extends.
• the feeding duct is configured to supply the compressed air into the second space, thereby controlling the pressure therein to be greater than the pressure within the first space and the sterile environment delimited within the isolation chamber.
• An overpressure is thereby defined within the second space with respect to the first space and the isolation chamber.
• the aforementioned pressure can be controlled, and in particular increased, so that the extension of the column of pourable product can be reduced while obtaining the same value of hydrostatic pressure.
• a narrow gap is defined between the delimiting plate and the inner wall of the tube, so as to allow a smooth advancement of the tube without wearing this latter.
• the pressure within the isolation chamber is maintained constant throughout the packaging operation (in particular, under nominal operating conditions).
• packaging machines of the aforementioned type are structurally and functionally valid, the Applicant has observed that they are still open for further improvement. Therefore, a desire is felt to further improve such packaging machines.
• number 1 indicates as a whole a non-limiting example of a packaging machine for producing a plurality of packages 2 containing a pourable product, preferably a pourable food product such as pasteurized or UHT milk, water, fruit juice, wine, peas, beans, etc.
• a pourable food product such as pasteurized or UHT milk, water, fruit juice, wine, peas, beans, etc.
• packaging machine 1 is configured to form, seal and fold packages 2 starting from a web 4 of packaging material, which is initially wound in a reel 4a, and then folded into a tube 3 of packaging material, as explained below.
• the packaging material has a multilayer structure (not shown), and comprises a layer of fibrous material, e.g. paper, covered on both sides with respective layers of heat-seal plastic material, e.g. polyethylene.
• a layer of fibrous material e.g. paper
• heat-seal plastic material e.g. polyethylene
• the packaging material also comprises a layer of gas-and-light barrier material, e.g. aluminum foil or ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) film, which is superimposed on a layer of heat-seal plastic material, and is in turn covered with another layer of heat-seal plastic material, the latter forming the inner face of package 2 eventually contacting the pourable product.
• gas-and-light barrier material e.g. aluminum foil or ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) film
• the packaging material is initially provided in the form of a web 4.
• Packaging machine 1 comprises conveying means (only partially shown) configured to advance web 4 along an advancement path.
• packaging machine 1 further comprises a web folding device 5 for progressively folding the advancing web 4 into a tube 3, in a manner known and not described in detail.
• Packaging machine 1 further comprises a sealing device 6 for longitudinally sealing tube 3, thereby providing tube 3 with a longitudinal seal 7.
• Packaging machine 1 also comprises a forming and sealing unit (known per se and only partially visible in Figure 2 ) for repeatedly forming and transversally sealing tube 3 at successive cross-sections thereof, thereby obtaining a plurality of packs 2a from which packages 2 are subsequently obtained.
• a forming and sealing unit (known per se and only partially visible in Figure 2 ) for repeatedly forming and transversally sealing tube 3 at successive cross-sections thereof, thereby obtaining a plurality of packs 2a from which packages 2 are subsequently obtained.
• the forming and sealing unit is configured to sequentially impart a predetermined external shape, corresponding to a precursor of the shape of package 2, to successive longitudinal portions of tube 3, and to transversally seal tube 3 at equally spaced cross-sections.
• Packaging machine 1 further comprises a folding unit (not shown) designed to fold packs 2a for obtaining packages 2.
• packaging machine 1 comprises a filling system 8 configured for supplying pourable product into tube 3 (during its formation).
• packaging machine 1 comprises an isolation chamber 10 enclosing a substantially sterile or aseptic environment.
• isolation chamber10 houses web folding device 5, the sealing device 6 and, preferably, at least part of the filling system 8.
• tube 3 is provided with longitudinal seal 7 before exiting isolation chamber 10 ( Figure 1 ).
• packaging machine 1 has an axis X along which tube 3 is fed, in use.
• Axis X is parallel to a straight direction, which preferably is a straight vertical direction.
• tube 3 is fed along axis X, downwards, and while being filled from above by filling system 8 is formed and sealed by the forming and sealing unit, according to a manner known and not described in detail.
• tube 3 is drawn (downwards) along axis X by the forming and sealing unit in a known manner.
• filling system 8 comprises a product filling pipe 11 designed to be arranged (at least partially) within tube 3, i.e. arranged in use within tube 3 so that tube 3 surrounds filling pipe 11, and configured to supply pourable product within tube 3.
• filling pipe 11 is in fluid connection or is controllable to be in fluid connection with a pourable product storage tank (not shown and known as such), which is adapted to store/provide for the pourable product, in particular the sterilized and/or sterile-processed pourable food product, to be packaged.
• a pourable product storage tank (not shown and known as such), which is adapted to store/provide for the pourable product, in particular the sterilized and/or sterile-processed pourable food product, to be packaged.
• At least a portion of filling pipe 11 is arranged coaxial with axis X, i.e. with tube 3.
• Filling system 8 further comprises a delimiting element 12, in particular defined by a flange or plate, designed to be arranged within tube 3, i.e. arranged in use within tube 3, for dividing tube 3 in a first inner compartment or space 3a, which is open towards isolation chamber 10 (as visible in Figure 1 ), and a second inner compartment or space 3b arranged downstream of first space 3a with respect to the tube (downward) advancement direction along axis X.
• a delimiting element 12 in particular defined by a flange or plate, designed to be arranged within tube 3, i.e. arranged in use within tube 3, for dividing tube 3 in a first inner compartment or space 3a, which is open towards isolation chamber 10 (as visible in Figure 1 ), and a second inner compartment or space 3b arranged downstream of first space 3a with respect to the tube (downward) advancement direction along axis X.
• second space 3b is delimited between delimiting element 12 and the forming and sealing unit.
• second space 3b is delimited between delimiting element 12 and the first subsequent transversal seal of tube 3 defined by the forming and sealing unit.
• Filling pipe 11 is configured to supply the pourable product into second space 3b.
• Filling system 8 further comprises a gas feeding device 13 configured to feed compressed gas into second inner space 3b, so that a pressure within second inner space 3b is higher than a pressure within first inner space 3a and within isolation chamber 10.
• gas feeding device is configured to suction gas (in particular sterile and/or aseptic air) from isolation chamber 10, to compress such gas and feed the compressed gas into second inner space 3b.
• gas feeding device 13 includes:
• delivery duct 13b extends, at least in part, parallel to axis X. More preferably, delivery duct 13b is arranged coaxially to filling pipe 11.
• delivery duct 13b surrounds filling pipe 11, so that an annular flow channel 14 for the compressed gas is delimited between an outer (lateral) surface of filling pipe 11 and an inner (lateral) surface 11a of delivery duct 13b.
• delimiting element 12 is mounted coaxially with delivery duct 13b.
• delimiting element 12 does not contact tube 3, so that first space 3a is not fluid-tightly separated from second space 3b.
• second space 3b is fluidically connected to first space 3a.
• delimiting element 12 is configured to be arranged at a non-zero distance from an inner wall 3c of tube 3, thereby allowing a recirculation (schematized in Figure 2 ) of some of the compressed gas from second space 3b towards first space 3a and from first space 3a back into isolation chamber 10.
• pressure within the isolation chamber 10 is maintained higher than ambient pressure.
• pressure within the isolation chamber 10 is substantially constant in use (in particular, under nominal operating conditions).
• pressure within the isolation chamber 10 may vary when pressure within the second space 3b is varied. In fact, pressure within the isolation chamber 10 depends on pressure within second space 3b.
• gas feeding device 13 allows to control the pressure in second space 3b, i.e. in the inner space of tube 3 where the pourable product is fed in use.
• packaging machine 1 comprises a pressure sensor 15 associated with isolation chamber 10 and configured to detect a variation of the pressure within isolation chamber 10 and to generate a signal correlated with the detection.
• pressure within isolation chamber 10 is correlated with pressure within second space 3b; so, by monitoring pressure within isolation chamber 10 it is possible to (indirectly) monitor pressure within second space 3b.
• packaging machine 1 further comprises a control unit 16 configured to receive the signal generated by pressure sensor 15 and to control the operation of packaging machine 1 based on the received signal and, in particular, based on the detected variation of the pressure (within isolation chamber 10).
• pressure sensor 15 is configured to detect a pressure decrease within isolation chamber 10.
• pressure sensor 15 is configured to detect a pressure drop PD within isolation chamber 10.
• control unit 16 is configured to compare the detected pressure decrease (or drop) within isolation chamber 10 with a predetermined threshold pressure drop value of the pressure within isolation chamber 10.
• control unit 16 may be configured to emit a warning if the value of the detected pressure decrease (or drop) is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold pressure drop value.
• control unit 16 may be configured to control a stop of packaging machine 1 if the value of the detected pressure decrease (or drop) is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold pressure drop value.
• control unit 16 may be configured to compare the detected pressure in isolation chamber 10 after the detected pressure decrease (or drop) with a predetermined threshold pressure value of the pressure within isolation chamber 10. Accordingly, control unit 16 is configured to control the operation of the packaging machine 1 if a value of the pressure in isolation chamber 10 after the detected pressure decrease (or drop) is equal to or below the predetermined threshold pressure value.
• control unit 16 may be configured to emit a warning if the value of the pressure within isolation chamber 10 after the detected pressure decrease (or drop) is equal to or below the predetermined threshold pressure value.
• control unit 16 may be configured to control a stop of packaging machine 1 if the value of the pressure within isolation chamber 10 after the detected pressure decrease (or drop) is equal to or below the predetermined threshold pressure value.
• control unit 16 is configured to correlate the detected pressure drop PD (or decrease) to a pressure drop within the second space 3b, and particularly to a defect in, or a failure of, or an opening in, longitudinal seal 7.
• second space 3b is positioned outside isolation chamber 10.
• At least a portion of second space 3b, or at least part of the portion of tube 3 delimiting second space 3b, is surrounded by the outside environment.
• the delimiting element 12 is arranged within isolation chamber 10, so that second space 3b is arranged partly within isolation chamber 10 and at least partly outside isolation chamber 10.
• delimiting element 12 may be arranged outside of isolation chamber 10, i.e. downstream of isolation chamber 10 according to the advancement direction of tube 3, so that the second space 3b is arranged, in use, entirely outside of isolation chamber 10.
• delimiting element 12, and therefore second space 3b may be arranged between isolation chamber 10 and the forming and sealing unit.
• the second space 3b may be surrounded, in part or entirely, by the outside environment.
• the overpressure within second space 3b may force the compressed gas to leak from the defected region of longitudinal seal 7 towards the outside environment.
• such compressed gas leak may occur if the defect in longitudinal seal 7 is large/significative enough to allow the outflow of compressed gas from second space 3b. In such a case, the pressure within second space 3b decreases or drops and, therefore, the amount of compressed gas available for the recirculation back into the isolation chamber 10 decreases.
• isolation chamber 10 there is a sudden pressure decrease, or pressure drop, within isolation chamber 10.
• packaging machine 1 thanks to the configuration described above and thanks to the presence of pressure sensor 15, allows to promptly and easily detect a failure in the longitudinal seal 7, and therefore to timely act (for example by following the issued warning or by automatically stopping the machine 1).
• control unit 16 is advantageously configured to issue a warning and/or to stop the packaging machine if pressure sensor 15 detects a pressure drop PD in isolation chamber 10.
• Figure 3 depicts a diagram illustrating a trend of the pressure P within isolation chamber 10 over time t.
• the predetermined threshold pressure drop value is comprised between 250 Pa and 150 Pa, preferably between 220 Pa and 180 Pa, even more preferably is 200 Pa.
• control unit 16 may be configured to compare the detected pressure decrease (or drop) within isolation chamber 10 with a first predetermined threshold pressure drop value within isolation chamber 10 and with a second predetermined threshold pressure drop value, the second predetermined threshold pressure drop value being smaller than the first predetermined threshold pressure drop value.
• control unit 16 may be further configured to emit a warning if the value of the pressure decrease (or drop) within isolation chamber 10 is equal to or below the first predetermined threshold pressure drop value and greater than the second predetermined threshold pressure drop value.
• control unit 16 may be configured to control a stop of packaging machine 1 if the value of the pressure drop within isolation chamber 10 is equal to or greater than the second predetermined threshold pressure drop value.
• the multi-level control allows to avoid continuous stops of packaging machine 1, which may be detrimental to a smooth production process.
• filling system 8 may include a filling level sensor 17 configured to detect a level of the pourable product within second space 3b.
• filling level sensor 17 is expediently arranged downstream delimiting element 12.
• filling level sensor 17 is coupled with filling pipe 11.
• filling level sensor 17 may include a floating member of the electromagnetic type configured to detect the pourable product level by electromagnetic action, according to a manner known and not described in detail.
• control unit 16 is configured to issue a warning and/or control the stop of packaging machine 1 if the level of pourable product in second space 3b detected by filling level sensor 17 is equal to or below a predetermined threshold level value.
• control unit 16 may be configured to issue a warning and/or control the stop of packaging machine 1 if a level decrease (or drop) LD of pourable product in second space 3b detected by filling level sensor 17 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold level drop value.
• filling level sensor 17 is configured to detect a product level drop LD within second space 3b.
• the defect or failure in longitudinal seal 7 may define an opening in the tube 3 large enough to cause a leak of pourable product.
• filling level sensor 17 contributes to a timely detection of a defected longitudinal seal 7, and adds a further safety measure, should the pressure sensor 15 not function properly.
• warning and/or control the stop of packaging machine 1 as a function of the level of pourable product detected by filling level sensor 17 may be implemented in alternative or in addition to the above-described control the stop of packaging machine 1 as a function of the pressure in the isolation chamber 10 detected by pressure sensor 15.
• the diagram of Figure 3 further depicts a diagram illustrating a trend of the pourable product level L within second space 3b over time t.
• packaging machine 1 allows to implement a method for producing sealed packages 2 containing a pourable product by means of packaging machine 1 and starting from a web 4 of packaging material, the method comprising the steps of:
• the method comprises the steps of:
• the method comprises the step of: p) emitting a warning if the detected pressure is equal to or below the predetermined threshold pressure value.
• the method comprises the step of: q) stopping the packaging machine 1 if the detected pressure is equal to or below the predetermined threshold pressure value.
• the method comprises the steps of:
• the method comprises the steps of:
• packaging machine 1 thanks to the configuration described above and thanks to the presence of pressure sensor 15, allows to promptly and easily detect a failure in the longitudinal seal 7, and therefore to timely act (for example by following the issued warning or by automatically stopping the machine 1).

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Containers And Plastic Fillers For Packaging (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

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ID=91248859

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Citations (6)

• 2025
  • 2025-02-11 WO PCT/EP2025/053487 patent/WO2025185931A1/fr active Pending
  • 2025-02-11 EP EP25156988.5A patent/EP4613656A1/fr active Pending

Patent Citations (6)

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