A method for supplying a packaging machine and packaging bags to the conveying device of the packaging machine.

Abstract

The present invention relates to a packaging machine for providing and filling packaging bags, the packaging machine comprising a conveying device for transporting a plurality of carriages, wherein two adjacent carriages are configured to jointly receive, hold, and displace packaging bags in the transport direction, and a supply device for supplying packaging bags to the conveying device, particularly two adjacent carriages of the conveying device, wherein the packaging bags are displaced in the transport direction when supplied to the conveying device, and the carriages are displaced in the transport direction when receiving the packaging bags.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a packaging machine having a supply device for packaging bags, a packaging machine having a metering device, and a method for supplying packaging bags to a transport device of a packaging machine.

Background Art

[0002] Packaging machines for manufacturing, filling, and sealing packaging bags are usually designed for specific packaging bags and specific filling materials and are not individually controllable or are only controllable to a limited extent. In particular, when the packaging material, the packaging bag, and / or the filling material are changed, retooling of the packaging machine requires a considerable amount of labor, cost, and time. For example, the form / shape and / or material of the manufactured packaging bags can vary between different products, batches, and / or manufacturing cycles, which requires appropriate adaptation of one or more devices of the packaging machine and / or process steps of the packaging method in order to ensure proper functioning.

[0003] New concepts for packaging machines enable flexible adaptation of many process sequences, including individual control of each packaging bag transported by the packaging machine. For example, software can be used to relatively easily adapt some processes, such as the amount and / or type of filling material filled into the packaging bag. Devices for picking up and / or holding the packaging bags and transporting them to different stations, such as filling stations and sealing stations, can also flexibly adapt to changes in the format of the packaging bags. In contrast, adjusting a device for transferring a packaging bag made of packaging material to a transport device requires, for example, a relatively large additional effort. Depending on the design and dimensions of the packaging machine, this retooling process can take a considerable amount of time, resulting in a long downtime of the packaging machine during which the packaging machine cannot be operated.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a packaging machine and a method for supplying packaging bags to a conveying device of the packaging machine, the method enabling manufactured packaging bags having different formats to be transferred to the conveying device of the packaging machine in an advantageous manner. A further object of the present invention is to provide a packaging machine having an advantageous device for measuring the filling weight of packaging bags of different formats.

[0005] These objectives are achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.

[0006] A packaging machine for providing and filling packaging bags according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a conveying device for conveying a plurality of carriages, in particular slide carriages, wherein two adjacent carriages are configured to jointly receive, hold, and displace packaging bags in the conveying direction and / or manufacturing direction, and a supplying device for supplying packaging bags to the conveying device, in particular two adjacent carriages of the conveying device, wherein the packaging bags are displaced in the conveying direction when supplied to the conveying device, and the carriages are displaced in the conveying direction when receiving the packaging bags.

[0007] In particular, two types of packaging machines are common in the packaging industry: horizontal fill-seal (HFFS) and vertical fill-seal (VFFS). These packaging machines or methods differ, in particular, with respect to the substantial direction of transport of the packaging material or packaging bag. In the HFFS method, the packaging material and / or the manufactured packaging bag are transported substantially horizontally. This application relates in particular to, but is not limited to, such systems and / or methods.

[0008] The conveying direction and / or manufacturing direction (hereinafter referred to as the conveying direction) refers in particular to the direction in which the packaging material and / or manufactured packaging bags and / or sealed packaging bags are displaced, in particular from one station to the next. The conveying direction may vary within the packaging machine or remain substantially the same, and in particular may be linear and / or curved in at least some areas. The conveying direction is in particular the direction along the conveying track or rail of the conveying device through which the carriage and / or the packaging bags held by the carriage are conveyed. Preferably, the conveying direction is substantially flat and / or substantially horizontal. Preferably, the conveying direction is substantially rectilinear in the area of ​​the supply device and / or across the area of ​​the conveying device through which the supply and / or transfer of packaging bags takes place.

[0009] The conveying device is preferably designed to convey and / or displace a plurality of carriages along a conveying track in the conveying direction. The conveying track may, in particular, feature an electromagnetic linear motor, especially a plurality of electromagnets arranged side by side, and / or, preferably, form one or more electromagnetic stators to displace a plurality of carriages designed as rotors. In particular, carriage parameters such as velocity, direction of displacement, acceleration, and position along the conveying track are preferably controllable and / or detectable.

[0010] Multiple carriages may, in particular, preferably, be designed as shuttles for a magnetic shuttle system capable of transporting along a track. Such shuttles are advantageous in that the time and / or velocity and / or acceleration of the shuttle displacement can be individually controlled. This allows the carriages to be displaced differently and individually at different stations and / or in different areas of the packaging machine, thereby achieving an optimal process speed. In particular, the distance between adjacent carriages in the transport direction can be adjusted or modified as described below.

[0011] Preferably, two adjacent carriages in the conveying direction are configured to jointly receive, and / or take, and / or hold, and / or pick up manufactured packaging bags and / or filled packaging bags and / or sealed packaging bags.

[0012] Adjacent carriages are preferably displaceable relative to each other, thereby configuring the conveying device to advantageously hold and displace packaging bags of different dimensions, particularly different widths, without any setup work. In this way, advantageous "format freedom" can be achieved in packaging machines, especially conveying devices.

[0013] A manufactured packaging bag refers in particular to a packaging bag having an opening for filling with a filling material and formed from one or more layers of packaging material. A sealed packaging bag refers in particular to a packaging bag having a sealed opening, preferably filled with a filling material and / or substantially sealed or sealed.

[0014] Filling material refers in particular to bulk material, preferably in an injectable form, including, for example, substantially powdered, granular, and / or lumpy mixtures. Filling material also substantially includes fluids, in particular liquids, materials, and the aforementioned mixed forms and / or mixtures. Filling material in the sense of the present application further includes so-called bulk items, i.e., substantially injectable, definable, or measurable units, such as hardware or assembly accessories (e.g., screws, nuts, nails, washers, felt pads, etc.), crafts and sewing materials (e.g., beads, snap fasteners, sequins, etc.), stationery (e.g., paper clips, etc.), toys (e.g., building blocks, game pieces, dice, etc.), and dry foods (e.g., biscuits, cereal / muesli, coffee, rice, pasta, sugar, salt, etc.). Alternatively and / or additionally, packaging bags may be suitable for containing individual items such as connecting cables and hand tools.

[0015] The conveying device is designed to displace two adjacent carriages together, in particular, to hold the packaging bags substantially synchronously and / or uniformly. This is particularly advantageous because, when the held packaging bags are conveyed by the carriages, the force acting on the packaging bags from the carriages is substantially absent or at least minimal, and / or substantially absent or at least minimal, deformation of the packaging bags occurs. This ensures the gentle conveyance of the packaging bags by the carriages.

[0016] The supply device is specifically designed to supply the finished packaging bags to the conveying device and / or transfer the finished packaging bags to the conveying device, in particular to two adjacent carriages. Preferably, the packaging bags are held at least temporarily simultaneously by both the supply device and the conveying device, in particular by the two carriages.

[0017] Preferably, the supply device and the conveying device form a transfer area where the packaging bags are transferred from the supply device to the conveying device or carriage. The transfer area is preferably formed in an overlapping area between at least a portion of the supply device and at least a portion of the conveying track, and / or extends in the conveying direction along a portion of the conveying track. In particular, the transfer area includes an area where the packaging bags to be transferred are held by the supply device and positioned substantially parallel to the conveying track, so that one of the two carriages assigned to the packaging bags is positioned in front of the packaging bags in the conveying direction, and the other carriage is positioned behind the packaging bags in the conveying direction, and both carriages are positioned in the area between the supply device and the conveying track.

[0018] In particular, the supply device is designed to substantially displace the packaging bags in the conveying direction during supply and / or transfer. This allows for higher process speeds because the packaging bags do not need to be accelerated from a stationary state after being supplied to and / or transferred to the conveying device, but rather already have a certain speed in the conveying direction. The speed of the packaging bags in the conveying direction may be reduced or increased. In particular, the speed of the packaging bags within the conveying device may be reduced, for example, by about 50% to about 90% for transfer. Alternatively or additionally, the speed of the packaging bags may be increased after transfer, for example, by about 200% to about 1000% compared to the speed during transfer.

[0019] Alternatively or additionally, the supply and conveying devices may be designed to intermittently supply and / or transfer the packaging bags to the conveying device, and / or to supply the packaging bags in the conveying direction of the conveying device when the packaging bags are temporarily nearly stationary. Particularly preferably, the packaging bags are conveyed without changing direction, and / or, preferably, further "inline".

[0020] The supply device is preferably designed to hold and / or transport packaging bags of different dimensions, particularly different widths. This is especially advantageous when combined with format-free transport devices, such as magnetic shuttle systems.

[0021] The supply device is preferably designed to transfer and / or supply one or more, particularly one, two, three, or four packaging bags to the conveying device substantially simultaneously and / or in the same manner. Similarly, the conveying device may be designed to convey one or more, particularly one, two, three, or four packaging bags substantially simultaneously and / or in the same manner.

[0022] Preferably, the packaging bag is displaced when supplied without substantially acceleration, particularly at a substantially constant speed, and / or substantially only in the conveying direction. In particular, the packaging bag is not displaced perpendicular to the conveying direction, or only slightly displaced, during supply and / or transport. This has the advantage, in particular, that deformation and / or bending of the packaging bag does not occur during transport due to the inertia of the packaging bag. In particular, the lower end of the packaging bag in the vertical direction is always substantially below the upper holding area of ​​the packaging bag during transport. In particular, deformation of the packaging bag caused by the inertia of the lower end of the packaging bag during transport may be reduced, and preferably substantially prevented. This can, in particular, increase the process speed.

[0023] Preferably, in order to receive the displaced packaging bag, the carriage is displaced in the transport direction during the transport and / or gripping of the packaging bag.

[0024] Preferably, the packaging bag and the two carriages associated with it approach each other immediately before and / or during transport, and neither the packaging bag nor the carriages are displaced exclusively perpendicular to the transport direction immediately before and / or during transport.

[0025] Preferably, two adjacent carriages each have a retaining device that engages with the opposing sides and / or edges of the packaging bag.

[0026] Each carriage preferably has a holding device and / or gripping device for gripping and / or holding a portion of the packaging bag, particularly the lateral upper edge area of ​​the packaging bag. Preferably, adjacent carriages are each designed to grip corresponding portions of the packaging bag and are preferably positioned substantially horizontally from the side of the packaging bag.

[0027] The holding device and / or gripping device may in particular have two holding members displaceable relative to one another. For example, the first holding member is arranged substantially stationary relative to the carriage, and the second holding member is designed to at least temporarily move away from the first holding member, whereby a part of the packaging bag can be positioned between the holding members. Next, the second holding member is returned towards the first holding member or engages with the first holding member and the packaging bag. Alternatively, both holding members of the holding device may be displaceable.

[0028] Preferably, the holding devices of adjacent carriages are designed to be substantially mirror-symmetrical, whereby one carriage can grip the packaging bag from one side and the other carriage can grip the packaging bag from the opposite side.

[0029] Preferably, the conveying device includes a conveying track, and the carriage is arranged substantially vertically aligned along the conveying track. This offers the advantage that the conveying track can form a particularly complex profile with horizontal curves and / or displace the packaging bag to stations that are not arranged in a straight line. Thus, the packaging machine may have a flexible and / or needs-adapted and / or complex structure. Such alignment particularly provides advantageous accessibility to the conveying track and / or the carriage arranged on the conveying track, for example, for installation and / or maintenance. Since there is less dirt and / or dust that can accumulate on the conveying track, the effort for maintenance and / or cleaning of the conveying track and the carriage can also be reduced. In particular, due to the alignment described, the carriage is aligned along the entire length of the conveying track to hold the packaging bag, whereby the stations interacting with the packaging bag can be arranged along the entire conveying track. This makes it possible to provide a more compact packaging machine. Furthermore, such alignment achieves an advantageous ground clearance.

[0030] Alternatively, the carriage may be arranged substantially horizontally aligned on the transport track. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of displacement devices of the carriage, in particular a plurality of rollers that directly contact the transport track and arrange the carriage body to be rollable on the transport track, may have a substantially horizontal axis of rotation. Thereby, since a partial region of the transport track is arranged vertically, in particular, a space-saving transport device can be provided. However, due to such an alignment, the carriage is turned upside down and / or reversed in a partial region of the transport track, particularly in the region where the carriage is returned to the packaging bag receiving position, and thereby, the packaging bag can only be transported over a partial region of the transport track.

[0031] The carriage is preferably arranged on the transport track of the transport device such that the longitudinal extension of the carriage body of the carriage is substantially vertically oriented. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of displacement devices of the carriage, in particular a plurality of rollers that directly contact the transport track and arrange the carriage body to be rollable on the transport track, may have a substantially vertical axis of rotation. In other words, the carriage may have a plurality of displacement devices, particularly rollers having a substantially vertical axis of rotation. The displacement device can be arranged to directly contact the transport track (4) and displace the carriage body (8) of the carriage (6) along the transport track (4), particularly to cause a rolling movement.

[0032] One or more of the displacement devices and / or one or more guide protrusions of the displacement device can engage with one or more guide devices of the transport track, particularly one or more rails and / or grooves.

[0033] The carriage may particularly have two pairs of rollers. One pair of rollers can be arranged near the first part at the upper part of the carriage, particularly near the holding device and / or gripping device of the carriage. One pair of rollers can be arranged at the second part at the lower part of the carriage and vertically below the other pair of rollers. This ensures reliable and stable guiding and / or positioning of the carriage on the transport track.

[0034] The plane spanned by two adjacent carriages is preferably oriented substantially parallel to the packaging bag held by the two adjacent carriages.

[0035] The holding device is preferably positioned above the carriage in the vertical direction at the operating position and extends upward and / or away from the transport track.

[0036] The transport track is preferably designed and positioned such that the surface on which the carriage is positioned and which can be affected by the magnetic field of the transport track is preferably aligned substantially vertically over the entire length of the transport track. Preferably, the substantially vertical side surfaces of the transport track form a traveling surface on which the carriage can be transported, preferably over the entire length of the transport track, particularly under the influence of the magnetic field generated by the transport device.

[0037] The transport track preferably includes one or more guide devices, particularly guide grooves and / or guide notches, the guide devices being specifically designed to receive and / or support one or more displacement devices. The guide devices preferably extend along the entire transport track. Preferably, the guide devices have horizontal portions projecting distally and / or laterally outward from the transport track and are designed to support the rollers of the carriage from vertically below. Alternatively or additionally, the transport track may have at least one guide device having a vertically upward-facing guide surface, the guide surface being designed to support the sides of the rollers of the carriage from vertically below. This allows for advantageous guiding of the carriage during transport along the transport track.

[0038] Preferably, the conveying device is designed to individually control the displacement of adjacent carriages, particularly in the conveying direction, when receiving packaging bags. This increases the process speed by enabling advantageous, and especially rapid, feeding and / or transfer from the feeding device to the conveying device.

[0039] In particular, adjacent carriages can be displaced asynchronously, at least temporarily. For example, a carriage forward in the conveying direction, especially just before gripping a packaging bag, can be displaced more slowly than the packaging bag to reduce the distance to the packaging bag in the conveying direction and / or to make contact with the packaging bag. A carriage backward in the conveying direction, especially just before gripping a packaging bag, can be displaced more quickly than the packaging bag to reduce the distance to the packaging bag in the conveying direction and / or to make contact with the packaging bag. In other words, while the packaging bag is being displaced in the conveying direction by the feeding device, adjacent carriages can approach the opposing sides and / or edges of the packaging bag. In particular, the conveying device is designed to reduce the distance in the conveying direction between adjacent carriages during the feeding and / or transport of packaging bags in order to bring the carriages closer to the opposing sides and / or edges of the packaging bag.

[0040] The feeding device preferably has one or more suction belts and / or one or more clamping belts for holding and / or transporting one or more packaging bags. Such a feeding device is particularly advantageous because it can hold and / or transport packaging bags of different sizes, especially widths, thereby providing "format freedom." This eliminates the need for complex setup changes of the feeding device when changing the format of the packaging bags. Furthermore, no components that could interfere with or complicate transport to the transport device are positioned above the packaging bags.

[0041] One or more suction belts and / or clamping belts can be aligned in at least several areas substantially parallel to the sides of the packaging bag, so that one or more suction belts can suction the sides of the packaging bag, or one or more clamping belts can hold the packaging bag laterally.

[0042] The supply device is preferably designed to transport the suctioned packaging bags by displacing a suction belt and / or a clamping belt.

[0043] In particular, the suction belt and / or clamping belt may be displaced by the drive unit in an endless loop, especially along the extending direction of the suction belt and / or clamping belt, similar to the drive belt of a belt drive and / or belt transmission.

[0044] A suction belt can be coupled to a vacuum device to create a vacuum at the suction surface of the suction belt in order to suck up a packaging bag. For this purpose, the suction belt may have multiple holes through which a vacuum is applied and air is sucked in.

[0045] The suction belt and / or clamping belt are preferably arranged to supply and / or transport the suctioned and / or held packaging bag to the conveying device and displace it substantially in the conveying direction.

[0046] The packaging machine preferably further includes at least one filling device for filling packaging bags with filling material, and the conveying device is configured to displace packaging bags held by two adjacent carriages to the filling device.

[0047] Preferably, the conveying device is configured to open and / or close the opening of the packaging bag by displacing one adjacent carriage relative to another adjacent carriage, particularly in a direction toward each other, especially immediately before or after the filling process and / or immediately before or after introducing the filling material into the packaging bag. By bringing the carriages closer together, the opposing sides and / or edges of the packaging bag come closer together, thereby opening and / or widening the opening of the packaging bag. This allows for advantageous filling because no additional device is required to open the opening. In particular, the opening of the packaging bag can be individually controlled by changing the distance between the carriages.

[0048] The packaging machine preferably includes a weighing device for weighing the packaging bags and / or filling material, particularly while the packaging bags are positioned in the area of ​​the filling device. This advantageously allows for measuring the filling weight and / or filling volume of the packaging bags during and / or immediately after filling. If a deviation from the target weight is detected, the packaging bags can be sorted or replenished, for example.

[0049] Preferably, two adjacent carriages each have a weighing cell for weighing the packaging bags jointly held by the carriages. The weighing cell can measure the deformation of a portion of the holding device using, for example, one or more strain gauges. Alternatively or additionally, the weighing cell can measure the downward vertical force applied by the packaging bags using one or more piezoelectric elements.

[0050] The power supply for the weighing device may be provided via a battery and / or a rechargeable battery. Alternatively or additionally, slide contacts and / or spring contacts may be provided to supply power to at least one measuring section of the transport track. Alternatively or additionally, the power supply may be provided by electromagnetic induction.

[0051] The transmission of one or more measurement signals from the weighing cell can be carried out, for example, using wireless technology, particularly NFC. Alternatively or additionally, one or more measurement signals may be transmitted optically, for example, via LEDs in the carriage and phototransistors in the transport track, or via a receiving device that receives signals from the LEDs. Alternatively or additionally, the display and / or mechanical measuring scale in the carriage may be photographed by a camera.

[0052] Preferably, and alternatively, the conveying device may have substantially separate parts comprising a weighing cell for weighing the packaging bags and a carriage for holding the packaging bags. This has the advantage of not requiring power to the carriage and / or data transmission from the carriage.

[0053] The weighing device within the transport track may include substantially separated segments of the transport track and can measure the weight of the carriage and the packaging bags held by the carriage. For example, while the carriage with the packaging bags is positioned on the support, the substantially static torque of the segment relative to the support can be measured.

[0054] Preferably, the packaging machine further includes a connecting device for connecting at least two layers of packaging material to produce a packaging bag, and / or a separating device for separating the packaging material and / or a portion of at least one packaging bag, and / or a sealing device for sealing the filled packaging bag. Alternatively or additionally, the packaging machine may include a device for supplying the manufactured and separated packaging bags from a magazine and / or stack and / or from a conveyor belt, particularly to a feeding device and / or carriage.

[0055] Two or more layers of packaging material can be joined within a region by one or more connecting devices, for example, by bonding and / or welding and / or embossing, to form a packaging bag. Preferably, one or more separating devices can be provided to produce packaging bags that separate from each other, for example by cutting the packaging material using a cutting edge and / or blade. Packaging bags produced by this method or similarly are transferred from a supply device to a conveying device and / or supplied to a conveying device to be transported from the conveying device to another station, in particular at least one filling station and / or sealing device.

[0056] The conveying device is designed in particular to convey the filled packaging bags to a sealing device that seals the filled packaging bags. The sealing device can seal the opening of the packaging bag into which the filling material has been introduced, particularly substantially, preferably, fluid-tightly.

[0057] The supply device is preferably designed to transport the packaging material and / or formed packaging bags to a connecting device and / or a separating device, and / or to a conveying device away from the connecting device and / or separating device. Alternatively, the supply device is designed to receive the manufactured packaging bags, particularly separated packaging bags, and to supply them to a conveying device.

[0058] The packaging machine preferably has one or more guides and / or guiding elements that guide the packaging bags as they are transported along the conveyor. To limit and / or reduce, preferably substantially prevent, the pivoting and / or vibration of at least some of the packaging bags due to inertial and / or centrifugal forces, one or more guides and / or guiding elements are preferably located in curved and / or non-linear regions of the conveyor track. This can, in particular, reduce the load on the carriage that holds the packaging bags and / or packaging bags. The guides and / or guiding elements may include guardrails and / or crush barriers and / or protective sheets, in particular, that are positioned substantially parallel to and spaced apart from the region of the conveyor track. Preferably, the position and / or alignment of the guides and / or guiding elements are manually or automatically adjustable, in particular to accommodate different packaging bags, speeds, filling materials and / or filling amounts.

[0059] A further aspect of the present invention relates to a method for supplying packaging bags to a conveying device of a packaging machine, wherein the conveying device is configured to convey a plurality of carriages, particularly slide carriages, and the method includes the steps of supplying packaging bags to two adjacent carriages of the conveying device by a supply device, and receiving and holding the supplied packaging bags by the adjacent carriages while the carriages and packaging bags are displaced in the conveying direction. This method is particularly advantageous because it reduces the load on the packaging bags when they are transferred to the conveying device, thereby improving the process speed.

[0060] Preferably, the packaging bags are displaced when supplied substantially without acceleration and / or substantially only in the conveying direction. In particular, the carriage is displaced substantially in the conveying direction during transport. Preferably, the packaging bags are not displaced substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction during supply and / or transport.

[0061] Preferably, the method includes the step of engaging one retaining device of two adjacent carriages with the opposing sides and / or edges of the packaging bag, respectively.

[0062] Preferably, the method includes the step of weighing the packaging bags with a weighing device, particularly during and / or after the filling process.

[0063] A further embodiment of the present invention, a packaging machine for providing and filling packaging bags, includes a conveying device for conveying a plurality of carriages, particularly slide carriages, wherein two adjacent carriages are configured to jointly receive, hold, and displace packaging bags in the conveying and / or manufacturing directions; and a weighing device for weighing packaging bags, wherein two adjacent carriages each have a weighing cell for weighing the packaging bags held by the carriages; or the conveying device has substantially separate parts having a weighing cell for weighing packaging bags and carriages for holding packaging bags. The packaging machine and weighing device may have one or more of the features and / or devices and / or characteristics described in particular with respect to other embodiments.

[0064] A further embodiment of the present invention relates to a packaging machine for providing and filling packaging bags, comprising a conveying device for transporting a plurality of carriages, particularly slide carriages, wherein two adjacent carriages are configured to jointly receive, hold, and displace packaging bags in the transport direction, the conveying device having a transport track, the carriages being arranged substantially vertically aligned on the transport track, and / or at least one roller of a carriage in direct contact with the transport track having a substantially vertical axis of rotation. This embodiment is particularly compatible with one or more other embodiments of the present invention and / or may have one or more features and / or characteristics of the other embodiments. Similarly, other embodiments may have one or more features and / or characteristics of this embodiment.

[0065] Preferably, the transport track has at least one guide device having a vertically upward-facing guide surface, the guide surface being configured to support the sides of the carriage rollers from vertically downward.

[0066] The packaging machine preferably further includes a feeding device that supplies packaging bags to a conveying device, particularly to two adjacent carriages of the conveying device, wherein the packaging bags are displaced in the conveying direction when supplied to the conveying device, and the carriages are displaced in the conveying direction when receiving the packaging bags. The packaging bags can be displaced when supplied substantially without acceleration and / or substantially only in the conveying direction.

[0067] Preferably, two adjacent carriages each have a retaining device that engages with the opposite sides and / or edges of the packaging bag.

[0068] Preferably, the conveying device is configured to individually control the displacement of adjacent carriages, particularly in the conveying direction, when receiving a packaging bag.

[0069] Preferably, the supply device has one or more suction belts and / or clamping belts for holding and / or transporting the packaging bags.

[0070] Preferably, the packaging machine further includes at least one filling device for filling packaging bags with filling material, and the conveying device is configured to displace packaging bags held by two adjacent carriages toward the filling device.

[0071] Preferably, the conveying device is configured to open and / or close the opening of the packaging bag held by the carriages by displacing one adjacent carriage relative to the other adjacent carriage.

[0072] The following describes, illustratively, individual embodiments for solving the problem, with reference to the drawings. Some of the individual embodiments described have features that are not absolutely necessary to realize the claimed subject matter but provide desirable properties in a particular application. Therefore, embodiments that do not have all the features of the embodiments described below should also be considered within the scope of the technical teachings described. Furthermore, in order to avoid unnecessary repetition, certain features are referred to only in reference to the individual embodiments described below. It should be noted that, therefore, individual embodiments should be considered not only individually but also in relation to one another. Based on this outline, those skilled in the art will recognize that individual embodiments can be modified by incorporating one or more features of other embodiments. It should be noted that systematic combinations of individual embodiments and one or more features described with reference to other embodiments are desirable and useful and should therefore be considered and included in the description. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0073] [Figure 1] An example of a packaging machine is shown. [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows a vertical view of an exemplary packaging machine. [Figure 3] Exemplary feeding devices, exemplary separating devices, and exemplary connecting devices for a packaging machine are shown. [Figure 4] This shows two exemplary adjacent carriages with packaging bags. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0074] Figure 1 shows an exemplary packaging machine 1 having a conveying device 2 and a supply device 20 that supplies packaging bags 16 to the conveying device 2.

[0075] The conveying device 2 has, in particular, a conveying track 4, which in this example has a shape that is substantially like a rectangle with rounded corners. However, the conveying track 4 may also have different shapes, in particular one or more substantially horizontal curves. The conveying track 4 is preferably substantially aligned horizontally. However, the conveying track 4 may also have inclines and / or declines in certain areas, for example, to access stations at different heights.

[0076] The transport device 2 is preferably designed to transport and / or displace a plurality of carriages, particularly slide carriages 6, along a transport track 4 in the transport direction B. The transport track 4 may feature an electromagnetic linear motor, particularly a plurality of electromagnets arranged side by side, and / or, preferably, one or more electromagnetic stators that displace a plurality of carriages 6 designed as rotors. In particular, carriage parameters such as velocity, displacement direction, acceleration, and position along the transport track are preferably controllable and / or detectable.

[0077] In particular, the transport device 2 is designed to displace each of the carriages 6 individually and / or separately. Similarly, the transport device 2 is designed to displace two or more carriages 6 substantially synchronously and / or in the same manner. The carriages 6 preferably repeatedly displace along a closed transport track 4 and / or repeatedly complete a circuit along the transport track 4.

[0078] Preferably, the transport track 4 has vertical and / or outward-facing sides, on which the carriage 6 is positioned, in direct contact with, and / or displaced and / or transported along the sides.

[0079] Each of the carriages 6 preferably has a retaining device 12 that engages with a portion of the packaging bag 16. The retaining device 12 may have, for example, two retaining members 14, one of which may be designed to be at least temporarily displaceable relative to the other retaining member 14 in order to position and / or place the portion of the packaging bag 16 between the retaining members 14. When the two retaining members 14 subsequently move closer to each other, the portion of the packaging bag 16 is clamped between the retaining members 14 and / or held by the retaining device 12 by force and / or friction.

[0080] Figure 4 shows a detailed view of two adjacent carriages 6 that hold the packaging bag 16.

[0081] The packaging machine 1 may further include one or more connecting devices for connecting two or more layers of packaging material to form a packaging bag 16. Furthermore, the packaging machine 1 may include one or more separating devices 30 for separating and / or cutting the interconnected packaging bags 16.

[0082] Preferably, the packaging machine 1 includes a feeder 20 for supplying the manufactured and / or separated packaging bags 16 to a conveying device 2. The feeder 20 is designed to displace the packaging bags 16 substantially in the conveying direction B, which is oriented particularly parallel to the alignment of the portion of the conveying device 2 into which the packaging bags 16 are received.

[0083] The supply device 20 and the conveying device 2 are designed and / or aligned with each other such that, in particular, the packaging bags 16 are displaced substantially continuously, preferably without acceleration and / or optionally decelerated, exclusively in the conveying direction B, when supplied to and / or transferred to the conveying device 2. In other words, the packaging bags 16 are displaced substantially exclusively linearly and substantially parallel to the conveying track 4 while being transferred from the supply device 20 to the conveying device 2. In particular, the packaging bags 16 are not accelerated in the direction transverse to the conveying direction B. Alternatively, the supply device 20 and the conveying device 2 may be designed to transfer or receive one or more packaging bags 16 substantially intermittently, and the packaging bags 16 may temporarily remain substantially stationary in the conveying direction B.

[0084] A preferred arrangement of the supply device 20 and the conveying device 2 is shown in detail in Figure 2. An exemplary supply device 20 is shown in detail in Figure 3.

[0085] The packaging machine 1 may further include a filling device 36 positioned in part of the transport track 4 and designed to fill packaging bags 16, which are transported by the transport device 2, with filling material. For this purpose, the packaging bags 16, held by two adjacent carriages 6, are displaced to the filling device 36 and positioned below the inlet device.

[0086] Preferably, adjacent carriages 6 are displaced relative to each other and substantially, and / or the distance between carriages 6 in the transport direction B is reduced by displacing the carriages 6, thereby deforming the packaging bag 16 so that the opening of the packaging bag is opened and / or enlarged, thereby allowing for favorable filling.

[0087] Alternatively or additionally, the opening of the packaging bag 16 may be opened, for example, by blowing air through the opening into the interior of the packaging bag 16 and / or by one or more suction devices and / or a former that substantially opens the opening. Optionally, a sensing device and / or one or more sensors may be provided to control or monitor the open state of the packaging bag 16.

[0088] Figure 2 shows a top-down vertical view of the exemplary packaging machine 1 shown in Figure 1.

[0089] The transport track 4 of the transport device 2 is preferably formed substantially linear and / or straight in at least some areas within the area of ​​the supply device 20, so that the transport direction B of the packaging bag 16 is also substantially linear and / or straight in the area of ​​supply and / or transfer to the transport device 2.

[0090] In this example, the supply device 20 has a suction belt 22 that runs substantially parallel to and / or is oriented to the transport track 4 in at least some areas. The suction belt 22 is designed to generate negative pressure in some areas, at least on its outward-facing surface, so that the packaging material and / or packaging bag 16 can be sucked and / or held by the suction belt 22, at least temporarily.

[0091] The suction belt 22 is preferably designed to be displaceable, in particular by the drive unit 24. The suction belt 22 is preferably designed as an endless component forming a loop. The suction belt 22 can be deflected and / or tensioned by one or more deflection rollers 29.

[0092] The supply device 20 may have one or more suction belts 22, and two or more suction belts 22 may be arranged substantially side by side in the conveying direction B, and in particular substantially seamlessly adjacent and / or vertically.

[0093] Alternatively or additionally, the supply device 20 may have one or more clamping belts that can have one or more of the above-mentioned characteristics of the suction belt 22.

[0094] The supply device 20 is particularly designed to hold and / or transport packaging bags 16 of different sizes and / or dimensions, especially different widths, without requiring any changeover. Therefore, since both the supply device 20 and the transport device 2 are formed to be substantially "format-free," i.e., no changeover is required, or only minimal changeover is required, when changing the format of the transported packaging bags 16, the supply device 20 is particularly advantageous when combined with the illustrated exemplary transport device 2.

[0095] As shown in Figure 2, the packaging bag 16 is transported to the conveying device 2 such that the displacement direction of the packaging bag 16 remains substantially constant and / or rectilinear throughout the entire transport process.

[0096] Preferably, the conveying device 2 is designed to displace two adjacent carriages 6 assigned to the packaging bag 16, thereby transferring the packaging bag 2 to the conveying device 2 or the two carriages 6 with substantially no acceleration.

[0097] For example, the packaging bag 16 being transported is held by the supply device 20, particularly the suction belt 22, and is displaced at a substantially constant speed in the transport direction B.

[0098] Alternatively, transport and / or supply may occur intermittently and / or while the packaging bag 16 is temporarily almost stationary in the transport direction B.

[0099] Preferably, the carriage 6a in the forward direction B of the conveying direction is positioned on the conveying track 4 in front of the packaging bag 16. Here, the carriage 6a may be temporarily substantially stationary, or it may be displaced in the conveying direction B such that the speed of the carriage 6a is lower than the speed of the packaging bag 16, thereby reducing the distance between the carriage 6a and the packaging bag 16. As soon as the carriage 6a, in particular its retaining device 12, is positioned relative to the packaging bag 16 so that the retaining device 12 can engage with a portion of the packaging bag 16, and / or immediately before, the carriage 6a is accelerated so that the carriage 6a is moving at substantially the same speed as the packaging bag 16, and / or so that the position of the carriage 6a relative to the packaging bag 16 remains substantially constant.

[0100] Alternatively or additionally, the carriage 6b, located behind the conveying direction and positioned on the conveying track 4, is positioned behind the packaging bag 16 and can be displaced at a speed faster than the speed of the packaging bag 16, thereby reducing the distance between the carriage 6b and the packaging bag 16. As soon as the carriage 6b, in particular its retaining device 12, is positioned relative to the packaging bag 16 so that the retaining device 12 can engage with a portion of the packaging bag 16, and / or immediately before, the carriage 6b is negatively accelerated and / or decelerated so that the carriage 6b has substantially the same speed as the packaging bag 16, and / or so that the position of the carriage 6b relative to the packaging bag 16 remains substantially constant.

[0101] The packaging machine 1 is preferably designed to control and / or initiate the movement of the holding members 14 of the holding device 12 toward each other. In particular, the packaging machine 1 can be designed to displace the holding members 14 of two adjacent carriages 6 assigned to the packaging bag 16 substantially simultaneously and / or synchronously, so that the portion of the packaging bag 16 positioned between the holding members 14 of the holding device 12 of both carriages is clamped and / or held in place substantially simultaneously.

[0102] Preferably, the two carriages 6a and 6b are controlled to be positioned substantially simultaneously with respect to the packaging bag 16, so that their retaining devices 12 can each engage with a portion of the packaging bag 16. Preferably, then, by displacing at least one of the retaining members 14 substantially simultaneously, the retaining devices 12 of the two carriages 6a and 6b are made to grip and / or hold and / or hold the respective portions of the packaging bag 16 substantially simultaneously.

[0103] Preferably, the packaging machine 1 includes a holder element displacement device 38 that displaces one or more holder members 14 of one or more carriages 6.

[0104] For example, the retaining member displacement device 38 can be designed to be displaceable in particular laterally with respect to the transport direction, and the displacement can position it to contact or abut one or more carriages 6 assigned to the packaging bag 16, preferably two adjacent carriages 6, thereby displacing or acting on at least one retaining member 14 of the carriage 6 to hold a portion of the packaging bag 16 in place. This is particularly advantageous because the retaining members 14 of both adjacent carriages 6 can be displaced substantially simultaneously and / or by a single displacement of the retaining member displacement device 38. In particular, the timing and / or speed of the displacement may be flexibly controlled and easily adapted to different formats of the packaging bag 16 and displacement speeds.

[0105] Alternatively, the retaining member displacement device 38 can be positioned to be substantially stationary relative to the transport track 4, and a portion of the retaining device 12 can come into contact with the retaining member displacement device 38 during transport of the associated carriage 6, thereby being displaced or activated to orient and / or shape to hold the packaging bag 16 in place. However, the packaging bag 16 is not gripped by both retaining devices 12 simultaneously, but rather gripped at different points in time when each retaining device 12 is displaced or activated by the retaining member displacement device 38.

[0106] When the packaging bag 16 is transferred from the supply device 20 to the carriage 6 of the conveying device 2, it is temporarily held simultaneously by the suction belt 22 of the supply device 20 and the holding device 12 of the carriage 6.

[0107] The supply device 20 can be designed to reduce and / or eliminate the negative pressure generated by the suction belt 22 that sucks and / or holds the packaging bags 16, thereby allowing the packaging bags 16 already held and / or received by the carriages 6a and 6b to be separated from the suction belt 22, and in particular accelerated by carriage 6 and / or displaced at a different speed from that of the suction belt 22. Alternatively or additionally, the suction belt 22 can be deflected by 90° or more and displaced away from the packaging bags 16 and / or the transport track 4, thereby allowing the packaging bags 16 to no longer be sucked and / or held by the suction belt 22 and / or to be separated from the suction belt 22.

[0108] The procedure described represents only one of many alternative procedures for favorably supplying and / or transferring the packaging bag 16 to the conveying device 2, according to one aspect of the present invention.

[0109] Alternatively, the supply and / or transfer of one or more packaging bags 16 to the conveying device 2 may occur intermittently and / or while one or more packaging bags 16 are temporarily stationary. Here, the retaining member displacement device 38 is preferably designed to displace the retaining devices 12 assigned to the packaging bags 16 substantially simultaneously and / or synchronously.

[0110] Figure 3 shows an exemplary feeding device 20 and two exemplary separating devices 30 of the packaging machine 1.

[0111] The supply device 20 may have a drive unit 24 that drives the suction belt 22 and / or displaces the suction belt 22 in a continuous loop along the track.

[0112] The suction belt 22 preferably forms a suction surface 23 that sucks and / or holds the packaging bag 16. The suction surface 23 is preferably aligned substantially perpendicular and parallel to the conveying direction B. The suction surface 23 is, in particular, part of the suction belt 22 designed to receive, displace, and feed the packaging bag 16 to the conveying device 2. The suction surface 23 is preferably positioned substantially parallel to and directed toward the outer surface of the conveying track 4.

[0113] The suction belt 22 is preferably configured to generate negative pressure at the suction surface 23, particularly to suck and / or hold the packaging material and / or packaging bag 16. For this purpose, the supply device 20 may include a compressor connected to a negative pressure generator and / or suction belt 22. The suction belt 22 may have a plurality of holes through which negative pressure is applied and air and / or the packaging bag is sucked.

[0114] The supply device 20 may have one or more suction belts 22, for example, two, three, four, or five, which can be arranged front-to-back and / or up-and-down in at least some areas. For example, two suction belts 22 arranged up-and-down can form one or more suction surfaces 23. This is particularly advantageous when packaging a packaging bag 16 that has a low height, as it can be held only by the upper suction belt 22 and energy can be saved by stopping the generation of negative pressure by the lower suction belt 22. Some of the suction belts 22 can be arranged front-to-back, preferably substantially seamlessly, in the displacement direction of the packaging bag 16. One or more suction belts 22 may have a common or different drive unit 24 and / or negative pressure generator.

[0115] The suction surface 23 is preferably not a predetermined portion along the suction belt 22, but rather is always formed by a portion of the suction belt 22 that precisely forms a part of the track configured to hold and / or displace the packaging material and / or packaging bag 16. In the example of Figure 3, the suction surface 23 is substantially formed between deflection rollers 26 that deflect the suction belt 22 in or out of the conveying direction B. At the front end of the conveying direction B, the suction surface 23 is designed to suck and / or pick up the provided packaging bag 16. At the rear end of the conveying direction B, the suction surface 23 is designed to release and / or repel the held and displaced packaging bag 16, which is preferably already supplied and / or transported to the conveying device 2.

[0116] A feeding device 20 having a suction belt 22 is particularly advantageous because it can transport the packaging bags 16 in different formats. This avoids setup work and associated downtime. Preferably, the upper edges of packaging bags 16 of different dimensions and / or sizes are positioned at substantially the same height so that feeding to the conveying device 2 can occur without changing the position of the holding device 12 of the carriage 6. Preferably, the vertical upper end of the packaging bag 16 protrudes beyond the suction belt 22 so that the portion of the packaging bag 16 gripped by the holding device 12 of the carriage 6 is substantially exposed.

[0117] The speed at which the packaging bag is displaced in the conveying direction B may also be advantageously controllable and / or adjustable and / or synchronized with the conveying device 2.

[0118] Preferably, one or more connecting devices are provided that can form a packaging bag 16 by connecting two or more layers of packaging material. Two separating devices 30 that can separate and / or cut the formed packaging bag 16 are also shown. The connecting devices and separating devices 30 are located upstream of the supply device 20 in the packaging machine 1. A conveying device may be provided for transporting the packaging material and / or packaging bag 16 to the supply device 20. The conveying device may have, for example, one or more suction belts, and the suction belt 22 of the supply device 20 is preferably located substantially directly adjacent to the conveying device. Optionally, the suction surface of the conveying device may be oriented opposite the suction surface 23 of the supply device 20, so that when the packaging material and / or packaging bag 16 is transported from the conveying device to the supply device 20, both sides of the packaging material and / or packaging bag 16 are simultaneously suctioned by the corresponding suction belts.

[0119] Alternatively or additionally, the supply device 20 may have one or more clamping belts that can have one or more of the above-mentioned characteristics of the suction belt 22.

[0120] Figure 4 shows an exemplary adjacent carriage 6 holding a packaging bag 16, the carriage being positioned on a transport track 4. The carriage 6 may, in particular, be included in a packaging machine 1 according to one aspect of the present invention.

[0121] The carriage 6 preferably includes a carriage body 8 which may have an elongated shape. One or more, preferably four, displacement devices 10 can be positioned on the carriage body 8 to displace the carriage 6 along the transport track 4. The displacement devices 10 may be rollers in particular, whose axes of rotation are preferably substantially aligned within the longitudinally extending portion of the carriage body 8.

[0122] When positioned on the transport track 4, the carriage body 8 is preferably aligned substantially vertically with the side surfaces 5 of the transport track 4 facing each other vertically and / or laterally and outward. The rollers 10 are designed to extend along the side surfaces 5 of the transport track 4, and their axes of rotation are preferably oriented substantially vertically.

[0123] The transport track 4 preferably has one or more guide devices 40 capable of accommodating at least some of the rollers 10 of the carriage 6. The guide devices 40 are in particular designed to guide and / or support the carriage 6, in particular one or more guide projections, and / or their displacement devices 10, and / or extend along at least a portion of the transport track 4. For example, the guide devices 40 may be designed as grooves in the side surface 5 and / or projections projecting substantially orthogonally from the side surface 5. In particular, the guide devices 40 may have substantially horizontal guide surfaces positioned to support the side walls of the rollers 10 of the carriage 6 substantially vertically from below.

[0124] The carriage 6 may preferably be configured to be electromagnetically displaced along the transport track 4. In particular, the carriage body 8 may be configured to be displaced by attraction and / or repulsion by an electric field and / or a magnetic field. The carriage body 8 preferably contains a ferromagnetic material in at least some areas.

[0125] The carriage 6 preferably has a retaining device 12 for holding and / or gripping at least a portion of the packaging bag 16. In the illustrated example, the retaining device 12 is designed to grip the upper edge region of the packaging bag 16 laterally. In particular, the retaining device 12 may include two retaining members 14 that lean against opposing sides of the packaging bag 16 and / or form a forward-facing and / or frictional connection to hold the packaging bag 16.

[0126] Preferably, at least one of the retaining members 14 is designed to be displaceable relative to the other retaining members 14, so that the retaining members 14 can move away from each other to position the portion of the packaging bag 16 that is gripped between them. By bringing the retaining members 14 together, the middle portion of the packaging bag 16 is clamped and / or held in place.

[0127] The two carriages 6a and 6b, designed to jointly hold the packaging bag 16, preferably have opposing retaining members 14. In other words, the retaining devices 12 of adjacent carriages 6a and 6b are preferably designed to be substantially mirror-symmetric, so that each retaining device 12 can grip and / or hold the opposing edges of the packaging bag 16.

[0128] The holding device 12 is preferably positioned in the vertically upper region of the carriage. Preferably, the holding device 12 protrudes from the carriage body 8 at least partially upward and outward, i.e., away from the transport track 4. This is particularly advantageous because it allows for sufficient distance between the packaging bag 16 and the transport track 4.

[0129] The carriage 6 may include and / or be formed a weighing device 32 for weighing the packaging bag 16 and / or its contents. Preferably, the carriage 6 may be formed integrally with the carriage body 8 or the holding device 12 and / or may have a weighing cell 34 which can be positioned between the carriage body 8 and the holding device 12.

[0130] The metering cell 34 may, for example, include a load cell and / or use one or more strain gauges and / or optical sensors to measure the deformation of a portion of the retaining device 12 and / or carriage body 8. Alternatively or additionally, the metering cell 34 may use one or more piezoelectric elements to measure the downward vertical force acting on the retaining device 12 and / or retaining member 14.

[0131] The weighing device 32 can be supplied with current and / or voltage, particularly via a battery and / or rechargeable battery cell. Alternatively or additionally, slide contacts and / or spring contacts may be provided to supply power to at least one measuring section of the transport track 4. Alternatively or additionally, power may be supplied by electromagnetic induction and the pickup coil of the carriage 6.

[0132] To transmit one or more measurement signals from the weighing device 32 to a receiving unit, for example, wireless technology, particularly NFC, can be used. For this purpose, each carriage 6 may include a transmitter that transmits a wireless signal that can be received in the vicinity of the carriage. Alternatively or additionally, one or more measurement signals can be transmitted optically, for example, by one or more light-emitting diodes in the carriage 6 and a receiving unit that receives signals from one or more phototransistors or light-emitting diodes in the transport track 4. Alternatively or additionally, a display and / or mechanical measuring scale in the carriage 6 may be photographed by a camera and supplied to a control and / or adjustment device. Preferably, measurement signals from two adjacent carriages 6 holding the packaging bag 16 together are offset from each other by a calculating device to determine the weight of the packaging bag 16 and / or the filling material contained in the packaging bag 16. [Explanation of symbols]

[0133] 1 packaging machine 2. Conveying device 4. Transport track 5 Side view 6 carriages 8. Carriage body 10 Displacement device 12 Holding device 14 Retaining member 16 Packaging bag 20 Feeding device 22 Suction belt 23 Suction surface 24 Drive Unit 26 Deflection Roller 30 Separation device 32 Weighing device 34 weighing cells 36 Filling equipment 38 Retaining member displacement device 40 Guide device B Conveying direction

Claims

1. In a packaging machine (1) that provides and fills packaging bags (16), A conveying device (2) that transports multiple carriages (6), wherein two adjacent carriages (6) are configured to jointly receive, hold, and displace packaging bags (16) in the transport direction (B), The system includes a supply device (20) that supplies packaging bags (16) to the conveying device (2), particularly to two adjacent carriages (6) of the conveying device (2), A packaging machine (1) wherein the packaging bag (16) is displaced in the conveying direction (B) when supplied to the conveying device (2), and the carriage (6) is displaced in the conveying direction (B) when receiving the packaging bag (16).

2. The packaging machine (1) according to claim 1, wherein the packaging bag (16) is displaced when supplied substantially without acceleration and / or substantially only in the conveying direction (B).

3. The packaging machine (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein two adjacent carriages (6) each have a retaining device (12) that engages with the opposing sides and / or edges of the packaging bag (16).

4. The packaging machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the conveying device (2) has a conveying track (4), and the carriage (6) has a plurality of displacement devices (10), particularly rollers, having substantially vertical axes of rotation, the displacement devices (10) preferably in direct contact with the conveying track (4), and the carriage body (8) of the carriage (6) is rotatably positioned on the conveying track (4).

5. The packaging machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the conveying device (2) is designed to individually control the displacement of adjacent carriages (6), particularly in the conveying direction (B), when receiving a packaging bag (16).

6. The packaging machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the supply device (20) has one or more suction belts (22) and / or one or more clamping belts for holding and / or transporting the packaging bag (16).

7. The packaging machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising at least one filling device (36) for filling packaging bags (16) with a filling material, wherein the conveying device (2) is configured to displace packaging bags (16) held by two adjacent carriages (6) to the filling device (36).

8. The packaging machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the conveying device (2) is configured to open and / or close the opening of the packaging bag (16) held by the carriage (6) by displacing one adjacent carriage (6) relative to the other adjacent carriage (6).

9. The packaging machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a weighing device (32) for weighing packaging bags (16).

10. Each of the two adjacent carriages (6) has a weighing cell (34) for weighing the packaging bag (16) held by the carriage (6), and / or The packaging machine (1) according to claim 9, wherein the conveying device (2) has a substantially separate portion having a weighing cell (34) for weighing the packaging bags (16) and a carriage (6) for holding the packaging bags (16).

11. A connecting device for connecting at least two layers of packaging material to manufacture a packaging bag (16), and / or A separation device (30) for separating a portion of the packaging material and / or at least one packaging bag (16), and / or A packaging machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising a sealing device for sealing a filled packaging bag (16).

12. A method for supplying packaging bags (16) to a conveying device (2) of a packaging machine (1), wherein the conveying device (2) is configured to convey a plurality of carriages (6), and the method is The steps include supplying packaging bags (16) to two adjacent carriages (6) of the conveying device (2) using a supply device (20), A method for supplying a packaging bag (16) to a conveying device (2) of a packaging machine (1), comprising the step of receiving and holding the supplied packaging bag (16) by an adjacent carriage (6) while the carriage (6) and the packaging bag (16) are displaced in the conveying direction (B).

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the packaging bag (16) is displaced when supplied substantially without acceleration and / or substantially only in the transport direction (B).

14. The steps of engaging one retaining device (12) of two adjacent carriages (6) with the opposing sides and / or edges of the packaging bag (16), and / or The method according to claim 12 or 13, further comprising the step of weighing the packaging bag (16) with a weighing device (32).

15. In a packaging machine (1) that provides and fills packaging bags (16), A conveying device (2) that transports multiple carriages (6), wherein two adjacent carriages (6) are configured to jointly receive, hold, and displace packaging bags (16) in the transport direction (B), The device includes a weighing device (32) for weighing the packaging bag (16), Each of the two adjacent carriages (6) has a weighing cell (34) for weighing the packaging bag (16) held by the carriage (6), or The conveying device (2) is a packaging machine (1) that provides and fills packaging bags (16), having substantially separate parts comprising a weighing cell (34) for weighing the packaging bags (16) and a carriage (6) for holding the packaging bags (16).

Images