Bagging apparatus particularly for granular and/or powdery products

Abstract

A bagging apparatus, particularly for granular and/or powdery products, of the type adapted to vacuum-package granular and/or powdery products in bags, comprising at least one compaction chamber for the bag, in which at least one of the walls is movable and is adapted to apply a pressure to a surface of the bag, so as to expel therefrom the contained air and/or gases and compact the product, and at least one bell, which is provided with at least one filter probe, which is connected to air and/or gas suction elements and is adapted to produce vacuum inside the bag, the bell being associated with elements for bidirectional translational motion from an inactive retracted position to a suction position, in which the bell is at least partially inserted in a mouth of the bag so as to adhere perimetrically to an internal surface of the bag, elements being further provided for heat-sealing the mouth in the portion arranged in contact with the bell, the sealing elements being adapted to provide a final closure of the mouth of the bag along the internal surface thereof, which has remained unsoiled by the product.

1 . A bagging apparatus, particularly for granular and/or powdery products, of the type adapted to vacuum-package granular and/or powdery products in bags, comprising at least one compaction chamber for the bag, in which at least one of the walls is movable and is adapted to apply a given pressure to a surface of the bag, so as to expel therefrom contained air and/or gases and compact the product, and at least one bell, which is provided with at least one filter probe, which is connected to air and/or gas suction means and is adapted to produce vacuum inside the bag, said bell being associated with means for bidirectional translational motion from an inactive retracted position to a suction position, in which the bell is at least partially inserted in a mouth of the bag so as to adhere perimetrically to an internal surface thereof, means being further provided for heat-sealing the mouth in a portion arranged in contact with said bell, said means being adapted to provide a final closure of the mouth of the bag along said internal surface, which has remained unsoiled by the product.  
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising clamping means, which are adapted to make the mouth of the bag adhere hermetically to an external surface of said bell, so as to prevent seepage of the air from the outside and/or escape of the product.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising elements for closing temporarily the bag substantially at a base of the mouth, said elements being adapted to clamp walls of the bag against each other and prevent inflow of air into an already-filled bag and escape of the product during a final heat-sealing step.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said bell is arranged at the top of said compaction chamber and is actuated so as to perform a bidirectional translational motion along a substantially vertical direction.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said filter probe is arranged inside said bell and is associated with respective elements for translational motion from an inactive retracted position to a protruding position, in which said filter, with said bell inserted in the mouth of the bag, in contact with the product contained in said bag, so as to remove the air included within the product.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said compaction chamber comprises at least five walls, of which at least one is movable, said walls being substantially flat: a first side wall and a second side wall, which are substantially mutually parallel and flat, a third bottom wall, a fourth upper wall, and a fifth upper wall, which are substantially perpendicular thereto.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein at least one of said five walls is associated with means for generating a vibration of predefined frequency and amplitude, so as to facilitate compaction of the product inside the bag.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said heat-sealing means comprise at least one pair of mutually opposite heat-sealing heads, which are associated with respective actuation elements and are each actuated so as to perform a translational motion, substantially at right angles to the external surface of said bell, from a respective inactive retracted position to a respective protruding position, in which they are pressed against the external surface of the mouth of the bag, for a time period, so as to provide the hermetic closure of said bag.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said clamping means comprise at least one pair of mutually opposite jaws, which are associated with respective actuation elements and are each actuated so as to perform a translational motion, substantially at right angles to the external surface of said bell, from a respective inactive retracted position to a respective protruding position, in which said actuation elements each press the internal surface of the mouth of the bag against the external surface of the bell.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein said temporary closure elements comprise at least one first male element and at least one second female element, which are mutually opposite and are associated. with respective actuation elements and are each actuated so as to perform a translational motion, in a direction which is substantially perpendicular to the external surface of said bell, from a respective inactive retracted position to a respective protruding position, in which they engage within each other so as to clamp the base of the mouth of the bag, preventing the escape of the product and the inflow of air during the final heat-sealing step.  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said bag is of a type with an open mouth.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said bag is of a type formed from a continuous reel.  
   
   
       13 . A method for removing gas inside a bag filled with granular and/or powdery product and for heat-sealing the bag without the bag reacquiring air or gas from the outside, so as to obtain a vacuum which is adjustable according to the requirements of the product, performed with the apparatus according to  claim 1 , comprising the steps of: 
 filling the bag with the granular and/or powdery products to be packaged;    inserting said bell in the mouth of the bag for an extent of predetermined length;    clamping said jaws against the external surface of said bell so as to make the mouth of the bag adhere hermetically thereto;    actuating said movable walls and said vibration generation means so as to achieve the optimum compaction of the product inside the bag and simultaneously the escape of the air and/gases;    actuating said air suction means so as to remove it from the inside of the bag;    actuating said first male element and said second female element so as to close temporarily the compacted bag at the base of the mouth;    releasing said jaws from the mouth of the bag;    extracting said bell from the mouth of the bag;    actuating said heat-sealing heads so as to close hermetically and permanently the bag in vacuum;    releasing said first male element and said second female element.    
   
   
       14 . A package of granular and/or powdery products in a vacuum which is adjustable according to the requirements of said products, comprising at least one bag which, once packaging and hermetic closure have been completed, has an external surface which comprises at least two flat and parallel lateral regular faces, a bottom face and an upper face, which are perpendicular to said lateral faces, said package having predefined dimensions with narrow tolerances and being adapted to be stored and palletized with minimal space occupation and maximum stability.