Device for the forming of a packing material web in a packaging machine

Claim 1

In apparatus for forming a web of packaging material into a series of interconnected packages in which a plurality of U-shaped mould cavities are interconnected to form an endless chain having transverse walls separating each mould cavity and means adjacent said endless chain for feeding the web to the endless chain of mould cavities and means operatively associated with said endless chain for moving the endless chain in a closed continuous path about parallel axes, the improvement comprising a device for pressing the web into each successive mould cavity as it passes a package shaping station, said device comprising at least two rotatable shaping elements, each shaping element comprising a pair of spaced coaxial roller elements, means mounting each pair of coaxial roller elements for free rotation about an axis parallel to the parallel axes of said endless chain, and angularly equidistant from each other pair, means operatively associated with said shaping elements for rotating said shaping elements synchronously with the movement of the endless chain about a common fixed axis equidistant from the axes of each pair of coaxial roller elements and adjacent said endless chain so that each of said at least two shaping elements successively enter into and are withdrawn from successive mould cavities during movement of said endless chain and during synchronous rotation of said shaping elements about the common axis to press the web into successive mould cavities and a pressure device comprising an endless belt disposed between the spaced coaxial roller elements of each pair, one portion of said belt being located adjacent the transverse walls of the U-shaped mould cavities passing the package shaping station whereby the endless belt engages and presses the web of packaging material against the top of the transverse walls while passing the shaping station to prevent longitudinal slippage of the web after having been pressed into a preceeding mould cavity by one of said shaping elements.