Apparatus for making tank top bags from a web of tubular plastics film provided with side folds

Claim 1

Apparatus for making tank top bags from an intermittently fed web of tubular plastics film provided with side folds, comprising: cyclically operating transverse welding and separating means for severing tube sections from an intermittently fed web and for forming weld seams at both ends of the severed tube sections; first conveyor means for taking the tube sections away from said welding and separating means; and stamping means for cutting out tank top cut-outs from the welded tube sections, said first conveyor means comprising a suction belt conveyor means (7) comprising at least one belt (8, 9, 10) provided with a first plurality of suction holes (30') spaced apart by a larger distance than the length of the severed tube sections (29), direction-changing drum means (6) for changing the conveying direction of said suction belt conveyor means disposed at and encompassed within a receiving end of the suction belt conveyor means (7), said direction-changing drum means being provided with a suction channel for providing the suction holes of said suction belt conveyor means with suction air, a raisable and lowerable pressure roller (23) positioned above said direction-changing drum means, drive means (25) for moving said pressure roller towards said direction-changing drum means (6) as suction holes pass said direction-changing drum means, jaw means (20, 21, 22) provided on both sides of a feeding plane of the tubular web (1) for clamping a severed tube section (29) upstream of the direction-changing drum means (6) and for releasing the clamped severed section when the pressure roller (23) is lowered; suction drum means (27) rotatably mounted above a delivery end of said suction belt conveyor means having a second plurality of suction holes at the same spacing along its circumference as the spacing between suction holes in said at least one belt (8, 9, 10), the second plurality of suction holes (28) suction-attracting leading edges of tube sections for taking attracted tube sections from the suction belt conveyor means (7), said stamping means comprising means movable towards and cooperating with said suction drum means (27) for cutting out tank top cut-outs (43) from said tube sections; said suction drum means (27) carrying projectable folding blade means (32) for transferring the tank top bags; means for controlling movement of said blade means; and second conveyor means (35) for receiving transferred tank top bags and for conveying received bags away from said suction drum means.