Filling Machine Packaging Waste Management

Abstract

A method and apparatus, including a computer program product, for packaging waste management in a filling machine (100). A waste event is detected during operation of the filling machine (100). The waste event is associated with a waste event detection point in the filling machine (100) and a corresponding web segment location of the packaging material. One or more filled packages are identified for disposal based on a predetermined distance along a path traversed by the packaging material from the waste event detection point to a waste chute (200) in the filling machine (100). The predetermined distance is expressed in a standardized length measurement format. In response to determining that the web segment location has traveled a distance equal to the predetermined distance, one or more packages formed at or proximate the web segment location are discharged through the waste chute (200).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to packaging waste management in filling machines. [Background technology]

[0002] Filling machines are used to package products, most commonly food or beverage products, but also other products. Filling machines are used to fill bottles or pouches, depending on the product.

[0003] There are several types of filling machines used in the packaging industry. The type of food or beverage filling machine used is usually determined by the type of product being filled, the speed requirements, the expected quality and shelf life, resource availability, technology feasibility, and many other variables. Food types range from solid to semi-solid, liquid to frozen, hot to cold, flowable to highly viscous products. There are various filling technologies for liquid and dry products, and product filling machines have a variety of filling techniques to accommodate the vast array of product variables and user requirements, such as rotary or in-line, intermittent or continuous motion, semi-automatic or fully automatic, just to name a few. Each type of filling machine has its own advantages.

[0004] In one type of filling machine, a continuous vertical tube is formed from a web of packaging material. The web is typically supplied in roll form and sterilized by application of a sterilant such as hydrogen peroxide, which is then evaporated and removed from the surface of the packaging material, for example by heating. The sterilized web is kept in a closed, sterile environment and folded and sealed longitudinally to form a tube. The tube is then filled downward with pasteurized or aseptically processed pourable food products and conveyed along a vertical path to a forming station where it is sealed at regular intervals to form individual packages. In some embodiments, the packages are then conveyed to a final folding station where they are mechanically folded into a finished shape, such as a parallelepiped shape.

[0005] As the web moves through the filling machine, certain events may occur that render the resulting package unusable. Such events are referred to herein as "rejection events." A common example of a rejection event is when a roll of web runs out and a new roll of web needs to be spliced ​​in. This results in double wrap at the splice, which is generally not acceptable in a package, and the package formed from the web at the splice location must be discarded. Another example is when a heating element operates outside of its normal range, resulting in the package being unapproved for use. Also, starting or stopping the filling machine may cause the package to be positioned in an offset position on the filling machine relative to the printing on the package, etc.

[0006] To determine which package to discard, the filling machine uses so-called "repeat lengths", which define the length of the package based on the web. The package arrangement in the filling machine tracks the packages as individual units, and when a discard event (e.g., a splicing event) occurs, the filling machine knows that the discard event has occurred on a particular package (e.g., package 67). As the package leaves the filling machine, a counter determines when package 67 is about to leave the filling machine, and instead of discharging the package on the usual conveyor belt with the other packages, package 67 is discharged through a discard chute. The problem with this method of determining which package to discard is that the decision may only be made on an individual package. As a result, situations may arise where it is not possible to know which package a discard event belongs to (e.g., if a discard event occurs between package 67 and package 68), and as a precaution, more packages than necessary may be discarded. Furthermore, every time the repeat length changes, for example when the same filling machine is used for different package types, manual tests must be performed, which is usually very time-consuming and labor-intensive, and still, due to the uncertainties mentioned above, it may lead to situations where multiple packages have to be discarded. For at least these reasons, improved technologies for packaging waste management are needed. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] It is an object of the invention to at least partially overcome one or more of the above-mentioned limitations of the prior art. In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide a method and system for packaging waste management in a filling machine that results in fewer packages being discarded and a significant reduction in the testing required before the filling machine goes into production of a particular type and size of package.

[0008] According to a first aspect, the present invention relates to a method for packaging waste management in a filling machine, the method comprising the steps of: detecting a waste event during operation of the filling machine, the waste event being associated with a waste event detection point on the filling machine and a corresponding web segment location of the packaging material; identifying one or more filled packages to be discarded, the identification being based on a predetermined distance along a path traveled by the packaging material from a discard event detection point to a discard chute of the filling machine, the predetermined distance being expressed in a standardized length measurement format; in response to determining that the web segment position has advanced a distance equal to the predetermined distance, ejecting one or more packages formed at or proximate to the web segment position through a waste chute; Be prepared to do so.

[0009] At a general level, the present invention provides more efficient and accurate waste management in filling machines. In particular, by determining distances in the filling machine in a standardized length measurement format (e.g., millimeters or centimeters, etc.) rather than in discrete packaging units based on repeating lengths, it becomes possible to know with greater precision the distance the web must travel from a given waste event detection point in the filling machine to the waste chute. This increased precision makes it possible to more accurately determine which packages are affected by a waste event, resulting in fewer discarded packages and more efficient use of the filling machine compared to current solutions.

[0010] Another important advantage of using standardized length measurements is that the determination of discarded packages can be decoupled from repeatability and length since it relies solely on the standardized length measurements, thus significantly reducing the amount of testing required both during initial set-up of the filling machine or when the filling machine is reconfigured to produce different types or sizes of packages.

[0011] Additionally, the filling machine can be configured to discard one or more packages formed at or adjacent to the web segment location through a discard chute. For example, if the web segment location of a discard event is clearly located within the perimeter of a package, it is sufficient to discard only that one package. However, if the web segment location is located close to the edge of the package, it may be prudent to discard both the package itself and the packages before and after. The exact determination of how careful one needs to be and what distance between the edge of the package and the web segment location is acceptable generally depends on the particular situation at hand and is well within the ability of one of ordinary skill in the art. Additionally, different types of discard events may result in different numbers of packages being discarded. Typically, discard events depend on the size of the component that triggers the discard event. Thus, some discard events may only be a few millimeters long, which easily fits within the package. Other discard events, such as heating elements, can be hundreds of millimeters long, requiring multiple packages to be discarded.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the filling machine is a food filling machine. The general principles of the packaging waste management method are applicable to a wide range of products, but are particularly suited to filling machines used to fill food products into packages. It is desirable to minimize food waste, both from an economic standpoint and from the standpoint of global resources and the environment. At the same time, it is crucial to maintain strict quality and safety standards, all of which are objectives that various embodiments of the present invention may help to achieve. Food, as used herein, refers to anything that can be consumed or drunk by humans or animals, or absorbed by plants, and includes, but is not limited to, liquid, semi-liquid, viscous, dry, powdered and solid food and beverage products, water, and the like.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the standardized length measurement format is either millimeters and centimeters. The use of standardized length measures such as millimeters and centimeters makes it easier to apply the general principles of the invention in a variety of different filling machines, since the metric system is essentially familiar to everyone and is by far the most used in any research or production environment. Furthermore, the use of millimeters and centimeters generally provides an appropriate level of precision in the packaging context. However, it should of course be noted that rather than expressing measurements in millimeters or centimeters, the same measurements may be expressed in meters, but with more decimals. Furthermore, it should be noted that the invention is not limited to the metric system. The same principles can also be applied using imperial units, for example using measurements expressed in inches.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the filling machine includes multiple modules, with independent waste event detection points included in one or more of the modules. This modularity and independence of the waste detection points creates flexibility with respect to waste event detection in the filling machine, since the waste event detection points do not need to take into account data from waste event detection points in other modules. This allows for high predictability and repeatability, since a waste event occurring at a given waste event detection point will generate the same result at the waste chute, regardless of the combination of modules that form the filling machine, independent of waste events that may occur at waste event detection points of other modules. This allows for easier configuration and reconfiguration of the filling machine for different situations, making the filling machine more flexible to use.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the predetermined distance is calculated as the sum of the distances in each module that the packaging material travels from the waste event detection point to the waste chute. Defining the modules and knowing the distance the web travels from the waste event detection point in the module to the end of the module, and knowing the total distance the web travels from the entry point to the exit point of each module, provides sufficient information to calculate the distance from any waste event detection point to the waste chute as the sum of the individual distances in the different modules that the web travels. If modules are replaced or added to the filling machine, the new distance to the waste chute can be easily updated, again reducing the need for extensive testing and retesting.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the predetermined distance is measured manually within the filling machine or automatically on a computer-aided design (CAD) drawing. In some situations, there is a CAD drawing available that can be used to determine the distance the web traverses within one or more modules. In other situations, particularly those of existing filling machines, such drawings may not be available and instead manual measurements may be made to determine the distance the web travels. In still other situations, it may be useful or necessary to use a combination of manual and CAD drawing measurements. Thus, having these options along with the modularity of the filling machine creates great flexibility in terms of determining the distance the web traverses through the filling machine from any waste event detection point to the waste chute.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the method further includes determining whether to eject one or more packages based on the location of the web segment location relative to a previous or subsequent package. As discussed above, a more accurate knowledge of the web segment location allows a determination of whether it is sufficient to discard only one package or whether multiple packages must be discarded. Typically, such a determination also takes into account several other factors, such as the type of discard event, the type of food, various rules and regulations regarding what is acceptable for food and packaging, etc., and can be adapted as necessary by one of ordinary skill in the art to a particular situation.

[0018] According to one embodiment, determining that the web segment position has advanced a distance equal to the predetermined distance is based on data obtained from a rotary encoder in the filling machine. Encoders are commonly used in filling machines and are well known to those skilled in the art. Encoders can provide very accurate information regarding how far an axle has rotated and therefore can be used to very accurately measure how far the web has traveled within the filling machine. Utilizing this common technology as the "brains" of the system provides consistent and reliable information and also facilitates integration of the principles of the present invention into a variety of existing filling machines that use encoders.

[0019] According to one embodiment, identifying one or more filled packages to be discarded includes determining a correction factor to be applied to the predetermined distance, the correction factor being based on data obtained from the encoder. This correction factor allows for a more accurate determination of which packages to discard depending on when the discard event occurs. This more accurate determination results in fewer discarded packages, which provides many economic and environmental benefits to production.

[0020] According to a second aspect, the present invention relates to a packaging waste management system in a filling machine. The system includes a memory and a processor. The memory includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising: detecting a waste event during operation of the filling machine, the waste event being associated with a waste event detection point on the filling machine and a corresponding web segment location of the packaging material; identifying one or more filled packages to be discarded, the identification being based on a predetermined distance along a path traveled by the packaging material from a discard event detection point to a discard chute of the filling machine, the predetermined distance being expressed in a standardized length measurement format; In response to determining that the web segment position has advanced a distance equal to a predetermined distance, ejecting one or more packages formed at or proximate to the web segment position through a waste chute.

[0021] The advantages of the system correspond to the advantages of the method and can be varied as well.

[0022] According to a third aspect, the present invention relates to a computer program product for packaging waste management in a filling machine, the computer program comprising a computer readable storage medium having instructions, which when executed by a processor, perform the following steps: detecting a waste event during operation of the filling machine, the waste event being associated with a waste event detection point on the filling machine and a corresponding web segment location of the packaging material; identifying one or more filled packages to be discarded, the identification being based on a predetermined distance along a path traveled by the packaging material from a waste event detection point to a waste chute of the filling machine, the predetermined distance being expressed in a standardized length measurement format; In response to determining that the web segment position has advanced a distance equal to a predetermined distance, ejecting one or more packages formed at or proximate to the web segment position through a waste chute.

[0023] The computer programs represent the advantages of the methods and can be modified in the same way.

[0024] The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a filling machine according to an embodiment. [Figure 2A] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a jaw system of a filling machine and a waste gate in two different positions according to one embodiment. [Figure 2B] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a jaw system of a filling machine and a waste gate in two different positions according to one embodiment. [Figure 3A] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a package array including data about which packages are wasted, according to one embodiment. [Figure 3B] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a package array including data about which packages are wasted, according to one embodiment. [Figure 3C] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a package array including data about which packages are wasted, according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates a process for packaging waste management according to one embodiment.

[0026] Like reference numbers in the various drawings indicate like elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] As mentioned above, it is an object according to various embodiments of the present invention to provide a method and system for package waste management in a filling machine. Rather than operating at a package-by-package level, the system uses a measured distance between the waste event detection point and the waste chute expressed in a standardized measurement format, such as millimeters or centimeters. Doing so allows for a more accurate determination of which packages need to be discarded, reducing the overall waste from the filling machine. Furthermore, by using distances in a standardized measurement format, rather than package-by-package, the filling machine becomes more adaptable to handle different types and sizes of packages, and significantly less testing is required when setting up or reconfiguring the filling machine than is currently possible. The system components and their interactions will now be described in more detail with reference to examples and drawings.

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a filling machine 100 according to one embodiment. As seen in Figure 1, the filling machine 100 includes three modules 102, 104, and 106. The first module 104 includes a roll of packaging material 108 (also referred to herein as a "web") that is to be filled with a food product. The web passes through different modules 102, 104, 106 where it is treated in different ways (heated, pasteurized, etc.) and the tube formed by the web is filled with the food product. The last module 106 of the filling machine 100 includes jaw systems 110a-b that form the individual packages.

[0029] The jaw systems 110a-b can be configured in many ways. In the illustrated embodiment, the jaw systems 110a-b are chain driven, which allows the formation of a package in one continuous motion. The jaw systems 110a-b in the illustrated embodiment include ten links, each link forming a package. Depending on the size and volume of the package, the jaw systems 110a-b may have fewer or more links. The links may also have different lengths, typically depending on the repeat length of the package. Regardless of the number of links and their size, one package is produced when the jaw systems 110a-b advance one link.

[0030] After the individual packages are formed, they are discharged onto a pneumatic waste gate 200, shown in Figures 2A and 2B. In the illustrated embodiment, the waste gate 200 has two possible positions, a production position shown in Figure 2A and a waste position shown in Figure 2B, and is embodied as a stainless steel plate located directly beneath the jaw systems 110a-b. In the production position, the waste gate 200 directs packages exiting the jaw systems 110a-b of the filling machine 100 onto a production conveyor that carries them to the next processing step. In the waste position, the waste gate 200 directs packages exiting the filling machine into a waste chute.

[0031] As one skilled in the art will appreciate, it is important not only to track the jaw systems 110a-b along with their links, but also to time the switching of the waste gate 200 between the production and waste locations so that packets end up in the right place and so that the switching of the waste gate 200 occurs only during the arrival of a package at the waste gate 200. In a typical production setting, it is not uncommon to produce between 3 and 12 packages per second, or even more, so the timing of the switching of the waste gate 200 must be very precise relative to when the packages arrive at the waste gate.

[0032] In one embodiment, to ensure this precise timing, the servo motors of the jaw systems 110a-b use encoders. Encoders are well known to those skilled in the art and are used to measure how much an axle has rotated, and therefore can be used to very accurately measure how far the web has moved within the filling machine. The position of the encoder is synchronized with the mechanism of the jaw system in a process called "homing". Homing can essentially be described as a calibration process in which the encoder is zeroed at a specific position in the mechanism. This can be accomplished, for example, using a sensor that detects a stainless steel "flag" placed in one of the jaws of the jaw systems 110a-b. Once homing is performed, the exact position of the jaw systems 110a-b can be known at any point during operation.

[0033] The encoder is programmed so that one link corresponds to 360 encoder units (degrees), i.e., when the jaw system moves 360 degrees, one packaging cycle occurs and one package is produced. This means that for different package amounts, 360 degrees indicates different distances in millimeters of the web traveled.

[0034] Almost all functions within the jaw system 110a-b are synchronized with the encoder and are repeated for each package produced. For example, a sealing pulse can be triggered when the encoder passes x degrees to seal the package. Printing the package may be triggered when the encoder passes y degrees.

[0035] As mentioned above, the movement of the waste gate 200 from between the waste and production positions can only take place when a package is out of the way, otherwise the package may get jammed. This means that there is only these small 360 degree windows for all links during which the waste gate 200 can actually move to be in the right position for the next package arriving at the waste gate 200. This also means that a decision must be made whether the subsequent package should go to production or to waste before it enters this "waste gate possible move window". Once the decision has been made to discard a package, the package is no longer considered to be inside the filling machine 100, since it is no longer possible to revise the decision to discard this package.

[0036] To further explain this decision process, the concept of a "package array" is introduced. Package arrays are used in many conventional filling machines 100 for the purpose of tracking data about all packages as they move through the filling machine 100. Any type of data about the packages may be kept in the package array, but for clarity, this discussion is only concerned with data indicating whether a package should go to production or to waste. FIG. 3A shows an example of a package array that is 10 packages long, with each package represented by an index from 0 to 9, with a package at index 8 including a data element that indicates, for example, that the package should be scrapped. It should be noted that while FIG. 3A only shows a package array representing 10 packages, in a typical filling machine (100), there may be between 50 and 300 packages at any given time, with volumes ranging from 1000 milliliters to 20 milliliters.

[0037] In machines that use discrete units, such as carton package wrapping machines, it is relatively easy to represent the packages in an array since the packages are already discrete units. However, in a filling machine, this is difficult since a moving continuous web of packaging material must be converted into an array with discrete units. Thus, the package array is shifted for each package produced, meaning that the information in position 0 of the array reflects the package that is closest to the discard gate 200. When the filling machine 100 reaches a "decision point" of whether to discard a package, the filling machine 100 checks the information in position 0 of the package array to see if the package should be discarded. After the decision is made, the array is shifted and package 0 is no longer in the array (even though it is still physically in the filling machine).

[0038] One problem with this arrangement is that the package array is shifted every time one package is produced. However, a discard event can occur at any time and is typically not synchronized with the encoder position or the shifting of the package array. To further illustrate this issue, consider the following example where the filling machine 100 is producing 7200 packages per hour. This means there are two packages per second. With a package repeat length of 200 mm, the web is moving at a speed of 400 mm per second. Furthermore, producing two packages per second means that the package array is shifted every 500 ms. Also assume that it has been determined that this package array shifting occurs at 180 degrees of the encoder.

[0039] In the current solution, the location of a particular event is determined during a calibration process by manually testing the filling machine 100. This type of calibration process requires significant investment of manual effort and time. For example, if a paper splice occurs, when the sensor detects the splice, it should be written to location 56 (for example) in the package array, and it is manually determined that package 56 contains a seam and should be discarded. With a repeat length of 200 mm, 56 packages means approximately 11,200 mm of packaging material.

[0040] If the encoder position is at 179 degrees when the splice is detected, the indication of the splice will be at a different location in the array compared to if the position was at 181 degrees when it was detected (i.e., when the array is just about to be shifted or has just been shifted). This is shown in Figures 3B and 3C, respectively. Figure 3B shows the situation where the encoder is at 179 degrees. This means that a discard event is added to package 3, which is located 700.5 mm from the end. On the other hand, Figure 3C shows the situation where the encoder is at 181 degrees, i.e., just after the array has shifted. This means that a discard event is incorrectly added to package 3 in the shifted array, which is located 899.5 mm from the end. Thus, a 2 degree difference in the encoder results in a difference in the packaging material of almost 200 mm. Therefore, two packages need to be discarded to accommodate this uncertainty.

[0041] To address this uncertainty, according to various embodiments of the present invention, waste events are expressed not as specific package numbers, but rather as distances in millimeters (or other standardized units of length) from the position of the jaw system where the package array is shifted to various points within the filling machine 100 where a waste event may occur. Figure 4 illustrates a process 400 for packaging waste management according to one embodiment.

[0042] 4, the process begins by detecting a discard event (step 402) during normal operation of the filling machine 100. The discard event is associated with a discard event detection point within the filling machine 100 and a corresponding location on the web segment. The process then identifies one or more filled packages to be discarded (step 404). In the illustrated embodiment, the identification is made based on a predetermined distance along the path traversed by the web from the discard event detection point to the discard chute 200 of the filling machine, where the distance is expressed in a standardized length format, such as millimeters or centimeters.

[0043] In some embodiments, the position of the jaw system 110a-b relative to the "shift position" is also taken into account. For example, when a discard event occurs, a package that is currently 700 mm away from the discard gate (i.e., a predetermined distance from the location of the discard event) is determined to be 700 mm away from the discard gate only if the encoder is at 180. If the encoder position is less than 180 degrees, x mm is added to the predetermined distance, and if the encoder position is greater than 180 degrees, the length is reduced by y mm. Again, using the example of Figures 3B and 3C, if the encoder position is 181 degrees, the calculation results in 700 mm (359 / 360) x 200 mm = 500.5 mm. This means that the discard event is written to package 2 instead of package 3. That is, in the shifted array of Figure 3C, the discard event is written to package 2 instead of 3, which is correct since the array has only been shifted.

[0044] Finally, when the web segment position has advanced a distance equal to the predetermined distance, the filling machine 100 ejects one or more packages formed at or proximate to the web segment position (step 406), thereby completing the process 400. In this manner, a greater reduction in wasted packages from the filling machine 100 may be achieved, as a result of more accurate determinations that may result in greater certainty of knowing which packages should be discarded. Furthermore, because the distances within the filling machine 100 have been predetermined, either by manual measurement, by measurement on a CAD drawing of the filling machine, or a combination of both, the calibration of a new filling machine (100) or the adjustment of an existing filling machine (100) to produce different types of packages is greatly simplified.

[0045] It should be noted that there are many variations of the above embodiments that fall within the scope of the appended claims. It should be noted that the embodiments shown herein use encoder positions expressed in the range of 0-360 degrees, but may be expressed in any units, such as millimeters or centimeters. Thus, many variations are contemplated by those skilled in the art. The systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof. In hardware implementations, the division of tasks among functional units or components referred to in the above description does not necessarily correspond to a division into physical units. On the contrary, one physical component may perform multiple functions, and one task may be performed jointly by multiple physical components.

[0046] Certain or all of the components may be implemented as software executed by a digital signal processor or microprocessor, or may be implemented as hardware or application specific integrated circuits. Such software may be distributed on computer readable storage media, which may consist of computer storage media (or non-transitory media) and communication media (or transitory media). As is well known to those skilled in the art, the term computer storage media includes both volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storing information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tapes, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or other media that may be used to store the desired information and that may be accessed by a computer.

[0047] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowcharts or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or part of instructions constituting one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. In some alternative implementations, the functions shown in the blocks may be executed in a different order than that shown in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially simultaneously, or the blocks may be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functionality involved. Also, each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations, as well as combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations, may be implemented by a special purpose hardware-based system that performs the specified functions or acts, or executes a combination of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0048] It is understood by those skilled in the art that the above-described embodiments can be modified in various ways while still enjoying the advantages of the present invention as shown in the above-described embodiments. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to the embodiments shown, but should be defined only by the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, the embodiments shown may be combined.

Claims

1. A method of packaging waste management in a filling machine (100), comprising: detecting waste events during operation of the filling machine (100), the waste events being associated with waste event detection points of the filling machine (100) and corresponding web segment locations of packaging material; identifying one or more filled packages to be discarded, said identification being based on a predetermined distance along a path traversed by said packaging material from said discard event detection point to a discard chute (200) of said filling machine (100), said predetermined distance being expressed in a standardized length measurement format; in response to determining that the web segment position has advanced a distance equal to the predetermined distance, ejecting one or more packages formed at or proximate to the web segment position through the waste chute (200). method.

2. The filling machine (100) is a food filling machine. The method of claim 1.

3. the standardized length measurement format is one of millimeters and centimeters; The method of claim 1.

4. the filling machine (100) includes a plurality of modules (102, 104, 106), and an independent waste event detection point is included in one or more of the modules (102, 104, 106); The method of claim 1.

5. the predetermined distance is calculated as the sum of the distances in each module (102, 104, 106) traversed by the packaging material from the waste event detection point to the waste chute (200); The method according to claim 4.

6. the predetermined distance is measured manually on the filling machine (100) or automatically on a computer-aided design (CAD) drawing; The method of claim 1.

7. determining whether to eject the one or more packages based on a position of the web segment relative to preceding and succeeding packages; The method of claim 1.

8. determining that the web segment position has advanced a distance equal to the predetermined distance is based on data obtained from an encoder of the filling machine (100); The method of claim 1.

9. further comprising identifying one or more filled packages to be discarded; determining a correction factor to be applied to the predetermined distance, the correction factor being based on data obtained from an encoder; The method according to claim 8.

10. A packaging waste management system in a filling machine (100), comprising: Memory and a processor; The memory includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method including: detecting waste events during operation of the filling machine (100), the waste events being associated with waste event detection points of the filling machine (100) and corresponding web segment locations of packaging material; identifying one or more filled packages to be discarded, said identification being based on a predetermined distance along a path traversed by said packaging material from said discard event detection point to a discard chute (200) of said filling machine, said predetermined distance being expressed in a standardized length measurement format; in response to determining that the web segment position has advanced a distance equal to a predetermined distance, ejecting one or more packages formed at or proximate to the web segment position through the waste chute (200). Packaging waste management systems.

11. 20. A method for implementing a method of claim 1 comprising: A computer program comprising a computer readable storage medium.

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