Apparatus and method for packaging articles into flexible bags

Abstract

An apparatus for the packaging of articles into flexible plastic bags supplies a continuous web formed by two flat superimposed layers to a fill-in station and the web is cut transversally to form web lengths of the desired length. The upper edges of the web lengths are grasped and spread apart to introduce articles, while contemporaneously the presence/absence of such edges is detected to automatically allow or inhibit the operation of the apparatus, respectively.

1 . Apparatus for the packaging of articles within flexible bags (S) made of plastic material starting from a continuous web formed by two superimposed flat layers mutually joined along at least one longitudinal edge, comprising:
 a fill-in station at which the continuous web is delivered and transversely cut so as to form a web length of a desired size; and   grasp means to retain and spread apart the upper edges of the web length to space them from each other enabling introduction of the articles into the bag; and   wherein said grasp means include for each one of said edges an abutment member and a clamp member movable between a spaced opening position and an adjacent closed position relative to the abutment member for temporarily retaining the respective edge;   wherein each abutment member and the clamp member comprise a detector device to detect a presence or an absence of the corresponding edge of the web length, said detector device being operatively connected to a control unit.   
     
     
         2 . Apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said detector device comprises an electrical switch having contacts which are formed by or are part of said abutment member and clamp member. 
     
     
         3 . Apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said control unit is designed to interrupt operation of the apparatus when said detector device detects the absence of the edge of the web length. 
     
     
         4 . Apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein each abutment member comprises an adhesive pad. 
     
     
         5 . Method for the packaging of articles within flexible bags made of plastic material, comprising:
 supplying a continuous web formed by two superimposed flat layers mutually joined along at least one longitudinal edge to a fill-in station;   cutting said continuous belt transversely so as to form a web length of a desired size;   grasping the upper edges of said web length and spreading them apart from each other to carry out introduction of the articles to be packaged; and   wherein during the grasping and spreading apart the upper edges of the web length, the presence or the absence of each edge is detected so as to automatically enable or inhibit operation of an apparatus performing the method.