System and Method for Preconditioning Filled Bags Prior to Sealing

Abstract

A system and method for preconditioning filled bags prior to sealing employs an apparatus which removes wrinkles and other distortions from the sealing portion of the bag to assure proper surface to surface contact of bag panels prior to sealing the panels together. In a particularly preferred form of the invention, the apparatus is employed in preconditioning fine or powdery particulate filled bags, such as paper bags filled with flour, to enhance the quality of the resulting seal and prevent undesired leakage of the particulate from the sealed bag. The bag panels are introduced between shiftable guide plates and each of the panels is engaged by a set of panel gripping and stretching wheels which are driven at different speeds to pull the panels taut, such that the overall apparatus effectively closes, straightens and flattens the panels of the bag to create greater sealing success across an entire sealing zone.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention generally pertains to the field of packaging and, more particularly,

[0002] to an apparatus employed in an overall bag filling and sealing system, as well as a method for preconditioning filled bags by effectively closing, straightening and flattening sealing panels of the bags prior to sealing of the bags.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The packaging of products in flexible containers such as bags or pouches which

[0004] are filled with a product and then sealed, is quite common in various fields. Typically, a bag is placed in an upright position, with upper portions of the bag defining an opening formed along upper edges of the bag. The bag is moved to a loading area and then filled with product. The bag is then moved to a sealing area where the upper portions of the bag are pressed together and sealed.

[0005] In some industries, it can be important for the sealing to be robust and complete along the entire upper container opening. However, successful sealing of the opening can vary based on various factors. The flexibility of the bag or pouch can be of particular concern when trying to seal the bag. This issue is particularly concerning in connection with packaging a particulate or powdery substance, such as flour, in a bag or pouch as a complete seal must be established to avoid the loss of product. Particularly with flexible paper bags, it is important to recognize that, during the filling process, the containers may become distorted. For example, large paper bags of particulate material may be distorted when filled causing the sides of the opening of each bag to not be aligned, resulting in inferior or incomplete sealing of the opening. That is, once sealed, the bag might still leak due to a poor seal which can cause loss of product from the bag or even oxidization of the contents of the bag. With this in mind, a robust and complete seal is best achieved if the upper portions of the opposing bag or pouch panels are properly positioned against each other. Additionally, unless the panels are straightened and aligned, the sealed upper portions will not appear straight, which can reflect negatively upon the supplier to a consumer. Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a system and method to assure that the opposing upper panel portions of flexible containers are straightened and aligned prior to the commencing of a sealing operation.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The invention is directed to a system and method for preconditioning a filled bag prior to sealing the bag. In a preferred embodiment, the system is employed in a production line producing bags filled with particulate products, such as flour. The bags are initially placed on a conveyor in an upright orientation. Each bag preferably has two complementary upper sealing panels surrounding an opening at the top of the bag to allow the bag to be easily filled. The top of the bag is opened by separating the two upper sealing panels. The bag is then moved along to a filling station and filled with the particulate product. However, as the bag is filled, wrinkles and other distortions are generally formed in the upper sealing panels of the bag. The bag is then moved along the conveyor to a preconditioning stage where the upper sealing panels are acted upon to remove the wrinkles and other distortions so as to be easily sealed together. In a final stage, the upper sealing panels are sealed together forming a bag with a straight uniform seal over an entire sealing region to effectively prevent product leakage.

[0007] With the above in mind, the preconditioning system of the invention is configured to be interposed between a bag filling station and a sealing station in an overall flexible package filling and sealing production line. In a preferred form, bags are sequentially erected, filled, pre-conditioned and sealed as they move along a transport conveyor. The preconditioning system includes a support body or housing to which is mounted a pair of opposing shiftable guide plates configured to receive therebetween the upper panel portions of successive bags traveling along the conveyor. Upon receiving the upper panel portions, the guide plates are shifted in order to press the upper panels together as the guide plates shift toward each other. Each shiftable guide plate is provided with a first movable gripping member configured to be driven at a first speed and a first movable stretching member configured to be driven at a higher, second speed. Preferably, the opposing gripping members are driven to rotate at the same speed, while the opposing stretching members are located downstream of the gripping members and rotate at the same speed as each other, but at a speed higher than each of the gripping members.

[0008] The shiftable guide plates are configured to pivot relatively toward each other to close the upper sealing panels of the filled bag by compressing the upper sealing panels against each other. At the same time, the moveable gripping members and movable stretching members function to pull the upper sealing panels taut, such that the system effectively, straightens and flattens the upper sealing panels of the bag to remove the wrinkles and other distortions from the upper sealing panels of the bag. This action assures proper surface to surface contact of the upper sealing panels prior to sealing the upper sealing panels together.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the movable gripping member is a gripping wheel mounted in the shiftable guide plate and the moveable stretching member is a stretching wheel also mounted in the shiftable guide plate. The opposing movable gripping member is also a gripping wheel which is mounted in the opposing shiftable guide plate and the opposing moveable stretching member is a stretching wheel mounted in the opposing shiftable guide plate. Each stretching wheel is preferably connected to a motor through a transmission including a set of gearboxes and a pulley system. Preferably the transmission includes a first shaft located in the shiftable guide plate which drives a gearbox. The gearbox drives the stretching wheel in the shiftable guide plate and also drives a transfer pulley. A second shaft is located in the opposing shiftable guide plate and includes a driven transfer pulley connected to the transfer pulley by a belt. The second shaft also drives a gearbox that drives a stretching wheel mounted in the opposing shiftable plate. An additional transmission links the gripping wheel and the stretching wheel in the shiftable guide plate and rotates the gripping wheel slower than the gripping wheel. The additional transmission can take different forms so long as the additional transmission moves the stretching wheel faster than the gripping wheel.

[0010] In one preferred arrangement, the additional transmission includes a pulley and belt system. In particular, each gripping wheel is mounted on a gripping shaft which also supports a first pulley. Likewise, each stretching wheel is mounted on a stretching shaft which supports a second pulley. The second pulley has a smaller diameter than the first pulley and the transmission includes a belt mounted on the first and second pulleys. The motor is connected to the stretching shaft through a gearbox system and drives the stretching wheels at a first speed while the pulleys and belt simultaneously drive the gripping wheels at a lower speed. The difference in the speed of the wheels causes the panels to be stretched, when the shiftable guide plate and the opposing shiftable guide plate are pivoted toward each other, thus removing any wrinkles or distortions in a continuous manner.

[0011] The gripping wheel and stretching wheel are mounted on the shiftable guide plate. The shiftable guide plate is formed with two holes. The holes are sized to allow portions of the gripping wheel and stretching wheel to extend through a respective one of the two holes and engage with the upper sealing panels of the bag. An actuator is connected to the shiftable guide plates. The shiftable guide plates are pivotably mounted to the housing and the actuator is configured to cooperate with a linking mechanism to pivot the guide plates toward each other to grip the upper panels of the bag.

[0012] More specifically, the actuator includes piston and cylinder arrangement, mounted in the housing which pivots the shiftable guide plate. The linking mechanism connecting the shiftable guide plate, and the opposing shiftable guide plate causes the plates to pivot in opposite directions and bring the shiftable guide plate towards the opposing shiftable guide plate when the piston is activated. The linking mechanism is preferably formed of a pivoting link mounted between the shiftable guide plate and the opposing shiftable guide plate, but other types of transmissions could be employed.

[0013] In use, the bag panels are placed between the shiftable guide plates by moving the filled bags between the set of movable gripping members on a conveyor. The shiftable guide plates are pivoted toward each other so that the panels are gripped by the set of moveable members formed with gripping members and stretching members formed with moveable surfaces. The panels are thereby closed with the moveable surfaces. The panels are straightened and flattened by moving the stretching members at different speeds than the gripping members. Straightening and flattening the panels is achieved by rotating the stretching wheel faster than the gripping wheel.

[0014] The preceding summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of the innovative features unique to the present disclosure and is not intended to be a full description. A full appreciation of the disclosure can be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, drawings, and abstract as a whole. Additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing the overall process of filling a bag with a

[0016] particulate material, with the process including a bag preconditioning stage in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a perspective front view of the bag preconditioning stage of FIG. 1 positioned along a conveyor and having shifting plates shown in an open configuration.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a close-up perspective view of the bag preconditioning stage of FIG. 2 showing shifting plates with gripper and stretching wheels mounted thereon.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a close up perspective view of the bag preconditioning stage of FIG. 2 showing a linking mechanism configured to move the shifting plates simultaneously into engagement with the bag.

[0020] FIG. 5 is a cross section cut away view of the mechanism of FIG. 2.

[0021] FIG. 6 is a front view of the bag preconditioning stage of FIG. 2 showing the shifting plates in a closed configuration with the shifting plates in a closed configuration engaging with the bag.

[0022] FIG. 7 is a perspective rear view of the mechanism of FIG. 2.

[0023] FIG. 8 is a close up view of the linking mechanism of FIG. 4.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0024] The following detailed description should be read with reference to the drawings in which similar elements in different figures are numbered the same. The detailed description and the drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, set forth illustrative and exemplary embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Selected features of any illustrative embodiment can be incorporated into an additional embodiment unless clearly stated to the contrary. While the disclosure is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. Overall, it should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit aspects of the disclosure to the particular illustrative embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the overall process of filling a bag with a particulate material in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. A bag supply stage 5 represents a supply of bags. The bags are preferably fed from a magazine and placed in a spaced manner on a conveyor. The bags move to a bag opening stage 10 provided with a mechanism for opening the tops of the bags so that the bags are ready to be filled. The bags then move to a bag filling stage 15 where the bags are filled with a particulate material, such as flour. During the bag filling stage 15, sealing panels which form the opening of each bag are sometimes wrinkled or distorted. Next, the bags move to a bag preconditioning stage 20 wherein the opening of each bag is closed, and the panels of the bags are treated to remove the wrinkles and distortions, as more fully described below prior to sealing the upper sealing panels. Finally, the bags move to a bag sealing stage 25 wherein the opening at the top of the bag is sealed.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a perspective front view of the bag preconditioning stage 20 positioned along a conveyor 50. The conveyor 50 is shown generically but may be in the form of any conventional type of conveyor comprising rollers, belts or other mechanisms designed to move items along the conveyor 50. A bag 60 is shown on conveyor 50 in a filled condition before preconditioning. The bag 60 has sealing panels 61, 62 in an open configuration. The bag 60 is filled with a particulate material 63. Preferably the bag 60 is filled with 25 to 50 lbs. of flour, but various types of contents and sizes of bags will work with the preferred embodiment. The sealing panels 61, 62 are formed as two straight upper edges on the bag 60. However, during filling of the bag 60, the sealing panels 61, 62 are prone to being distorted so that wrinkles and other distortions 64 may form in the sealing panels 61, 62. A bag 70 similar to bag 60 but is shown in the bag preconditioning stage 20. A bag 80 represents a processed bag headed to the bag sealing stage 25. The bag 80 has sealing edges 81, 82 which have already been stretched and placed together.

[0027] A preconditioner assembly 90 is supported on an upright beam 100 and suspended over the conveyor 50. The upright beam 100 preferably has outer walls forming a square shaped box beam made of metal but may be made of other shapes and of different materials. A bracket 110 is mounted on the upright beam 100. The bracket 110 is formed with two tubes 114, 116 connected to each other at right angles, with one tube 114 extending vertically and the other tube 116 extending horizontally. Preferably the tubes 114, 116 are welded together. The tube 114 has a shape complementary to the upright beam 100 and is slid onto the upright beam 100 at a desired height. Fasteners 118 connect the bracket 110 to the upright beam 100. The fasteners 118 allow for height adjustment for the preconditioner assembly 90. The fasteners 118 preferably grip the outer surface of upright beam 100. However, other arrangements may be employed. For example, the upright beam 100 may be provided with a series of holes at different heights to receive the fasteners 118. In a similar manner, a horizontal beam 120 is mounted within the tube 116 and retained in place with fasteners 119. The fasteners 119 allow for horizontal adjustment of the horizontal beam 120. Horizontal beam 120 supports a support body or housing 125 for the preconditioner assembly 90. The support body or housing is preferably an open structure but may be fully enclosed if desired.

[0028] As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the housing 125 includes a front panel 130 and a rear panel 140 connected to each other by a side panel 150. The housing 125 is supported on the horizontal beam 120. More specifically, a rear upright bar 161 and a front upright bar 162 are welded to the horizontal beam 120. The rear upright bar 161 is connected the rear panel 140 of the housing 125 by a set of fasteners 170 passing through holes in the rear upright bar 161. A matching front upright bar 162 is connected to the front panel 130 by another set of fasteners 174 passing through holes 176 in the front upright bar and into holes 178 in the front panel 130. The side panel 150 extends between the front panel 130 and the rear panel 140. The holes in the rear upright bar 161 and the rear panel 140 are similar in construction to the corresponding holes 176, 178, in the front upright bar 162 and the front panel 130 and one exemplary set of holes 179, 180 can be seen in FIG. 5.

[0029] Turning now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the front panel 130 is removed in FIG. 4 but the additional threaded fasteners 190 are shown that connect the front panel 130 to the side panel 150. With the front panel 130 removed, a pair of relatively shiftable plates 200 can more easily be seen. The shiftable plates 200 are mounted in the housing 125 and are configured to shift relative to each other. The shiftable plates 200 face each other and are of similar construction such that only one will be discussed in detail. A first shiftable plate 210 and an opposing shiftable plate 211 are shown. The first shiftable plate 210 is mounted so as to pivot about a main shaft 215 extending from the front panel 130 to the rear panel 140. A bearing 220 located next to the front panel 130 allows main shaft 215 to be driven by a motor 230 relative to the first shiftable plate 210.

[0030] As best seen in FIG. 4, the first shiftable plate 210 also includes a support member 250. The support member 250 ends in a flange 260 that has four mounting holes one of which is labeled 271. A channel shaped beam 280 extends laterally from the support member 250 and is also formed with mounting holes not separately shown. The channel shaped beam 280 is connected to the support member 250 with fasteners 281 extending through respective mounting holes in the channel shaped beam 280 and the support member 250. One side of the channel shaped beam 280 is connected to a large flat plate 285. The large flat plate 285 is formed with a bottom edge 289, a flat central portion 290 and a flared entrance 295 configured to receive the sealing panels 71, 72 of the bag 70 (shown in FIG. 6). The large flat plate 285 is also formed with a front hole 300 near the flared entrance portion and a rear hole 310 (shown in FIG. 7) in line with and spaced from the front hole 300. The channel shaped beam 280 also supports a slidable bar 320 in an adjustable manner. Specifically, longitudinally extending grooves 340, 350 are formed in the channel shaped beam 280 and the slidable bar 320 respectively. The relative positions of the slidable bar 320 and channel shaped beam 280 are adjustable and can be fixed in place at a desired location by fasteners 360 extending through the longitudinally extending grooves 340, 350. The adjustment preferably allows for different sized bags. For example, the slidable bar 320 can be placed in a retracted position for a 25 lb bag and moved to an extended position for processing a 50 lb bag.

[0031] Referring back to FIG. 3, the slidable bar 320 supports a bearing 400 that allows a shaft 410 to rotate relative to the slidable bar 320. A driven pulley 420 and a gripping wheel 430 are mounted on the shaft 410 with the gripping wheel 430 being positioned to extend through the front hole 300 in the large flat plate 285. A drive pulley 450 and a stretching wheel 460 are mounted on the second shaft with the stretching wheel 460 being positioned to extend through the second hole in the large flat plate 285. A stretching wheel 442 and gripping wheel 444 can be seen extending through holes 446 and 448 of the opposing shiftable plate 211 in FIG. 4. A transmission includes a belt 470 for linking the gripping wheel 430 and stretching wheel 460 and is configured to rotate gripping wheel 430 slower than the stretching wheel 460. The belt 470 extends between the drive pulley 450 and the driven pulley 420. The drive pulley 450 has a smaller diameter than the driven pulley 420 resulting in the drive pulley 450 and the stretching wheel 460 rotating faster than the driven pulley 420 and the gripping wheel 430 and thus pulling the sealing panels 61, 62 taut. Of course, other arrangements could be employed to provide for the wheels spinning at different speeds.

[0032] As best seen in FIGS. 4-6, the opposing shiftable plate 211 is located about a second shaft 475 also mounted in the housing 125 and parallel to the first shaft 215. The shiftable plate 211 is mounted so as to pivot independently of the second shaft 475. The second shaft 475 is preferably mounted on two bearings 477, 478 so as to allow the second shaft to rotate. The motor 230 drives an input portion of main shaft 215. The rotation of main shaft 215 is transferred to a second shaft 475 by a pulley system. The main shaft 215 has a pulley 484 and the second shaft has a pulley 480 which are connected by a belt 485. The main shaft 215 drives a gear box 490, which in turn drives the shaft of the stretching wheel 460. The second shaft 475 has a counter rotating gear box 491 which drives the opposing stretching wheel 442.

[0033] As best seen in FIGS. 6-7, the system employs pivoting mechanism 530 that allows for the guide plates 210, 212 to pivot or rotate in opposite directions to allow the shiftable plates 210, 211 to engage each other with the sealing panels 71, 72 of the bag 70. The pivoting mechanism 530 includes a lever arm 520 that is mounted on plate 210 and an actuator 510 that is mounted between the housing 125 and the lever arm 520. The actuator 510 is mounted by a pin 511 to an upright post 512 fixed to side panel 150 of housing 125. The actuator 510 is also connected to the lever arm 520 by another pin 521 so that when the actuator 510 moves, the lever arm 520 rotates guide plate 210 counterclockwise. The lever arm 520 is connected to a link 540 through an additional pin 544. The link 540 is also connected to a second lever arm 542 by a pin 545 that is mounted on plate 211. As lever arm 520 rotates counterclockwise, link 540 is pulled upward, which in turn pulls on second lever arm 542 causing plate 211 to rotate clockwise. Preferably, the actuator 510 is a fluid powered piston within a cylinder 536. A piston 537 moves within the cylinder 536. When fluid is introduced into port 531, the guide plates 210, 211 close as shown in FIG. 6, when fluid is introduced into port 532 the guide plates 210, 211 open. While a piston mechanism is shown any linear actuator may be employed.

[0034] In a method of use, the bag panels 71, 72 are placed between shiftable guide plates 210, 211 by moving the filled bags 70 to the set of shiftable guide plates 210, 211 on conveyor 50. Each of the panels 71, 72 is engaged by the set of shiftable guide plates 210, 211 including gripping members and stretching members as the shiftable guide plates 210, 211 are closed. The panels 71, 72 are straightened and flattened by gripping each panel at one end portion while effectively pulling the panel in the opposite direction to maximize the surface to surface contact of bag panels 71, 72. That is, straightening and flattening the panels 71, 72 includes rotating the stretching wheel 460 faster than the gripping wheel 430 particularly, in accordance with the disclosed embodiment, by rotating the pulley 420 mounted on the gripping wheel 430 with the belt 470 extending to the pulley 450 mounted on the stretching wheel 460. This operation is timed in connection with the movement of the bag such that the opposing bag panels 71, 72 are straightened and aligned in a continuous manner to assure proper surface to surface contact of the bag panels 71, 72 and enhance the seal created in the subsequent sealing operation. As can be seen from the above description there is provided a system or preconditioning stage 20, that straightens and flattens the upper sealing panels 61, 62 of the bag 60 to remove the wrinkles and other distortions 64 from the upper sealing panels 61, 62 of the bag 60 to assure proper surface to surface contact of the upper sealing panels 61, 62 prior to sealing the upper sealing panels 61, 62 together.

[0035] While certain preferred embodiments of the present invention have been set forth, it should be understood that various changes or modifications could be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A system for preconditioning a filled bag to remove wrinkles and other distortions from upper sealing panels of the bag which form an opening in the bag prior to sealing the upper sealing panels, said system comprising:a conveyor supporting the filled bag;a support body located along the conveyor;first and second relatively shiftable guide plates mounted on the support body, each guide plate including a gripping member and a stretching member, wherein the gripping member of the first guide plate is driven at a first speed and the stretching member of the first guide plate at a second speed different from the first speed; andthe relatively shiftable guide plates being configured to shift relative to each other to close the upper sealing panels of the filled bag while the gripping member and the stretching member pull the upper sealing panels taut, such that the system, straightens and flattens the upper sealing panels of the bag to remove the wrinkles and other distortions from the upper sealing panels of the bag to assure proper surface to surface contact of the upper sealing panels prior to sealing the upper sealing panels together.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first gripping member is a gripping wheel mounted in the first shiftable guide plate and the first stretching member is a stretching wheel mounted in the first shiftable guide plate.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein a gripping wheel and a stretching wheel are mounted in the second shiftable guide plate.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising a motor for driving the stretching wheel, a transmission for linking the gripping wheel and the stretching wheel, wherein the transmission is configured to rotate the stretching wheel faster than the gripping wheel.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a gripping shaft with a first pulley and a stretching shaft with a second pulley which has a smaller diameter than the first pulley, wherein the gripping wheel is mounted on the gripping shaft and the stretching wheel is mounted on the stretching shaft and the transmission includes a belt mounted on the first and second pulleys.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first shiftable guide plate has two holes formed therein and the gripping wheel is mounted on the first shiftable guide plate with a portion of the gripping wheel extending through one of the two holes and the stretching wheel is mounted on the first shiftable guide plate with a portion of the gripping wheel extending through the other of the two holes.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an actuator connected to the shiftable guide plates, wherein the shiftable guide plates are pivotably mounted, and the actuator is configured to pivot the guide plates toward each other to grip the upper panels of the bag.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising a pivot shaft, with a lever arm, mounted on the support body, the actuator mounted between the support body and the lever arm, and an opposing pivot shaft mounted in the support body, wherein the first shiftable guide plate is mounted on the pivot shaft so that when the actuator moves the lever arm the pivot shaft pivots the first shiftable guide plate towards the second shiftable guide plate which is mounted on the opposing pivot shaft.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a linking mechanism connecting the shiftable plate and opposing shiftable plate and is configured to cause the shafts to pivot in opposite directions and bring the first shiftable guide plate towards the second shiftable guide plate.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the actuator is a fluid powered piston within a cylinder.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein the wheels are configured to straighten and flatten the upper sealing panels of the bag in a continuous manner.

12. A method for preconditioning a filled bag with panels forming an opening prior to sealing comprisingintroducing the bag panels between shiftable guide plates;engaging each of the panels by a set of gripping members and stretching members located on the shiftable guide plates;closing the panels with the gripping and stretching members; andstraightening and flattening the panels of the bag by moving the stretching members at different speeds than the gripping members.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising moving the filled bags to the shiftable guide plates on a conveyor.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the gripping member is a gripping wheel mounted in a first shiftable guide plate of the shiftable guide plates and the stretching member is a stretching wheel mounted in the first shiftable guide plate and straightening and flattening the panels includes rotating the stretching wheel faster than the gripping wheel.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein rotating the stretching wheel faster than the gripping wheel includes rotating a pulley mounted on the gripping wheel with a belt extending to a pulley mounted on the stretching wheel.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising extending the stretching wheel through a hole in the first shiftable guide plate and extending the gripping wheel through a hole in the first shiftable guide plate.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising moving the guide plates with an actuator.

18. The method of claim 12 further comprising removing wrinkles and other distortions from the panels of the bag to assure proper surface to surface contact of bag panels.

19. The method of claim 12 further comprising sealing the panels together in a continuous manner.

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