Process and device for packaging products

Abstract

Products consisting, for example, of stacks of articles having a flattened shape, such as sanitary articles, are packaged inside the corresponding bags, by providing a device which keeps the aforesaid bags open while a pusher element is pushing the products inside the bags. Once the pushing movement has been completed, the bags containing the products are left free to advance towards a closing station, thus disengaging the pusher element. In this way, the aforesaid pusher element is prevented from advancing inside the closing station and from being subsequently backed off from the said station. Preferably, the closing station is made by means of an orientable structure, which enables sealing lines of the packages to be made that are oriented both in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction, so adapting to the orientation of the bags fed onto the device.

1 . A process for packaging products in which the products being packaged are placed inside bags and subjected to the action of a pusher element acting in a pushing region for pushing said products towards a closing region in which at least one closing element grips said bags containing said products in at least one area of the bags in which the products are absent, wherein said pushing region and said closing region are separate from one another, so that said pusher element is kept disengaged from said closing region.  
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1 , comprising the operations of: 
 feeding said products through said pushing region and said closing regions, which are arranged in cascaded fashion;    withholding said bags in said pushing region whilst said pushing element pushes said products into said bags; and    then releasing said bags, enabling advance of said bags towards said closing region and disengagement from said pusher element.    
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 1  comprising the operations of: 
 providing in said bags a first end and a second end;  
 inserting said products in said bags, causing them to advance, by means of said pusher element, from said second end towards said first end.  
 
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 3 , wherein said products are made to advance to come into close proximity of said first end.  
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 3 , wherein said products are made to advance up to a certain distance from said first end.  
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 3  comprising the operation of providing said bags, before insertion of said products in them, with a first closed end.  
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 3  comprising the operation of forming, by means of said at least one closing element, a sealing line in said second end of said bags so as to close said products in them.  
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 7  comprising the operations of: 
 arranging said bags with said first end oriented in a given direction; and  
 making said at least one closing element selectively orientable, about a respective axis of orientation, so that said sealing line can be made with a spatial orientation selectively determined with respect to said first end.  
 
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 7 , wherein said products advance according to a general direction of advance and said sealing line is oriented in a direction substantially orthogonal to said direction of advance.  
     
     
         10 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein said products are made up of stacks of articles having a generally flattened shape and are such as to identify a respective family of planes of extension.  
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 9 , wherein said products are made up of stacks of articles having a generally flattened shape and are such as to identify a respective family of planes of extension and further wherein said sealing line is orthogonal to said family of planes of extension.  
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 3 , comprising the operation of making bellows-like formations in an area corresponding to at least one between said first and second ends of said bags.  
     
     
         13 . The process of  claim 12 , comprising the operation of making respective bellows-like formations in areas corresponding to both of said first and second ends of said bags, the bellows-like formations associated to said first end being formed so as to extend in a direction longitudinal to said bags, whilst the bellows-like formations associated to said second end are formed so as to extend in a direction transverse to said bags.  
     
     
         14 . The process of  claim 1  comprising the operation of imparting on said pusher element a general orbital movement, with a pushing travel in a position of engagement with said products being packaged and a return travel in which the pusher element is disengaged with respect to the path of advance of said products.  
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 1  comprising the operations of: 
 receiving said bags with said products located inside them in a position corresponding to said at least one closing element;  
 issuing a command for the gripping movement of said at least one closing element on said bags; and  
 producing controlled advance of said bags towards the area of intervention of said at least one closing element in a way that is coordinated with the gripping movement of said at least one closing element, basically maintaining the position of co-operation of said at least one closing element with said bags constant.  
 
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 1  comprising the operations of: 
 conveying said bags containing said products respectively upstream and downstream of said at least one closing element by means of a respective first conveyor and a respective second conveyor; and  
 rendering the end upstream of said second conveyor selectively movable between: 
 a stretched-forward position for receiving the bags, in which said end upstream is brought in close proximity to said first conveyor to receive said bags, said end upstream extending through the area of intervention of said at least one closing element; and  
 
 a back-off position, in which said end upstream with said bags received on it moves away from said respective first conveyor, disengaging the area of intervention of said at least one closing element.  
 
     
     
         17 . A device for packaging products, comprising: 
 a unit for receiving bags for packaging said products, said unit being able to bring said bags into the opening position;    a pusher element for acting in a respective pushing region on said products placed in said respective bags; and    at least one closing element towards which said pusher element pushes said products; said at least one closing element acting in a respective closing region to grip said bags containing said products in areas of said bags where said products are absent wherein 
 said pusher element and said at least one closing element act in respective regions that are separate from one another, so that said pusher element is kept disengaged from the region in which said at least one closing element acts.  
   
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 17 , comprising: 
 conveyor elements to cause said products to advance through said pushing region and said closing region;    at least one retention element able to withhold said bags kept in the opening position while said pusher element is pushing said products inside said bags; said retention device being configured for subsequently releasing said bags which advance being moved by said conveyor elements towards said closing region, disengaging said pusher element.    
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 17  wherein said pusher element carries associated thereto an actuation mechanism adapted for imparting to the pusher element itself: 
 an active pushing travel, in which said pusher element acts on said products, pushing them inside said bags; and  
 a return travel, in which said pusher element is disengaged with respect to the path of advance of said products.  
 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 17  comprising, in a position upstream of said pushing region, a stacking device to set said products in the form of stacks of individual articles defining a family of respective planes of extension.  
     
     
         21 . The device of  claim 17 , wherein said at least one closing element is adapted for acting on said respective bags to form at least one respective sealing line oriented in a pre-set direction.  
     
     
         22 . The device of  claim 21 , wherein said at least one closing element comprises two jaws adapted to close selectively on said bags to form said at least one sealing line.  
     
     
         23 . The device of  claim 21 , wherein said at least one closing element carries, associated thereto, at least one forming element adapted for moving concordantly with said at least one sealing line, advancing towards said bags so as to form, in the proximity of said at least one sealing line, at least one respective bellows-like formation.  
     
     
         24 . The device of  claim 21 , wherein said at least one closing element is mounted on a mobile piece of equipment selectively orientable so as to vary selectively the direction of extension of said at least one respective sealing line.  
     
     
         25 . The device of  claim 17 , wherein: 
 the device defines a main axis of advance of said products being packaged;    said at least one closing element acts in a direction transverse to said main direction of advance.    
     
     
         26 . The device of  claim 24 , wherein: 
 the device defines a main axis of advance of said products being packaged;    said at least one closing element acts in a direction transverse to said main direction of advance, and wherein said mobile piece of equipment is selectively orientable about said main axis of advance.    
     
     
         27 . The device of  claim 25 , wherein: 
 a device is provided for feeding said bags, said device being arranged for feeding bags oriented in at least one first direction and one second direction that are orthogonal to one another; and    said mobile piece of equipment is selectively orientable between at least one respective first operating position and at least one respective second operating position, so that said at least one closing element is able to form said at least one respective sealing line selectively in said first direction and in said second direction orthogonal to one another.    
     
     
         28 . The device of  claim 24 , wherein said at least one mobile piece of equipment is substantially configured in the form of a circular platform which is adapted to rotate about an axis.  
     
     
         29 . The device of  claim 17  comprising at least one conveyor with one end located in the proximity of said at least one closing element, said at least one conveyor carrying, associated thereto, control means that enable said at least one conveyor to be moved selectively towards said at least one closing element in a way that is coordinated with the gripping movement of said closing element, keeping the position of co-operation of said at least one closing element with said bags substantially constant.  
     
     
         30 . The device of  claim 17  comprising: 
 a first conveyor and a second conveyor respectively upstream and downstream of said at least one closing element in the direction of advance of said products, wherein said second conveyor is provided with one end set upstream, to which are associated adjustment means for causing displacement of said ends upstream between: 
 a forward position of reception of said bags, in which said end upstream extends in a relationship of close proximity towards said first conveyor through the closing region in which said at least one closing element acts; and  
 a back-off position in which said end upstream of said second conveyor is able to receive said bags undergoing the action of said at least one closing element in the absence of interference with the movement of said at least one closing element.