Rotary Pouch Manufacturing Machine with Suction Pocket Feeding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manufacturing machines for producing snus pouches struggle to feed loose products at high speeds while ensuring uniform quantities and allowing for variations in shape, density, and weight.
Innovation Solution
The proposed manufacturing machine and method utilize a dual forming drum system with suction pockets and a feeding unit that allows for high-speed feeding of uniform loose products, enabling the production of pouches with different shapes and densities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conventional FFS-type manufacturing machine is used, then the production process is simple and well-established, but the feeding speed of loose product is limited and uniformity of quantities is difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing machine is divided into multiple specialized stations (forming station, filling station, sealing station, cutting station) that operate independently but coordinated. The forming drum segments the continuous wrapping material into discrete pouches, while the filling device segments the loose product into uniform quantities. This segmentation allows each station to optimize for its specific function, achieving both high speed and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical dosing mechanisms with a volumetric filling system that uses a forming drum with cavities. The cavities automatically portion the loose product based on their fixed volume, eliminating the need for complex mechanical dosing mechanisms. This substitution maintains high filling speeds while ensuring uniform quantities through the geometric consistency of the cavities.
2Reliability
If traditional sealing methods are used, then the process is straightforward, but contamination of wrapping material occurs reducing sealing quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the filling operation from the sealing area by using a separate filling device that deposits product into the pouch through a dedicated opening. The wrapping material is sealed in a clean zone away from the loose product, preventing contamination. The filling station and sealing station are spatially separated, with the filling device taking out the product transfer function from the sealing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (the forming drum with cavities) that handles the loose product and transfers it to the pouch without direct contact between the product and the wrapping material's sealing surfaces. The cavities act as intermediaries that contain the product during transfer, preventing it from contaminating the wrapping material that will be sealed.
3Productivity
If the machine is designed for high-speed production, then productivity increases, but the ability to produce varied shapes and densities is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates adjustable parameters in the forming drum and filling device that allow dynamic adaptation to different product requirements. The forming drum's cavity dimensions and configurations can be adjusted or changed to produce different pouch shapes and product densities. This dynamic adjustability enables the high-speed machine to accommodate varied product specifications without sacrificing productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The forming drum is designed as a universal component that can handle multiple product types and pouch configurations. By adjusting the cavity arrangements and dimensions, the same basic machine structure can produce various pouch shapes and densities. This multi-functionality allows a single high-speed production line to serve multiple product lines, maintaining both productivity and versatility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables high hourly productivity with uniform product quantities, allows for the production of pouches with varied shapes and densities, and ensures high-quality sealings by preventing contamination of the wrapping material.
Implementation Method 1
a suction device configured to hold the band of wrapping material and the quantity of loose material in contact with the base wall of the compartment
Data Source
Figure 1~3
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AI summary
A manufacturing machine (6) and a manufacturing method for the production of pouches (1), preferably snus pouches (1), each containing a quantity (2) of loose product. The following are provided: an upper disc (21), which is arranged horizontally, is mounted in a rotary manner, in a stepped manner, around a vertical rotation axis (22) and delimits at least one compartment (23), which is open at the top and is designed to receive and contain an amount of loose product; and a transfer device (49), which is configured to retrieve at least one quantity (2) of loose product from the compartment (23). The transfer device (49) has: a retrieving head (50) provided with at least one pocket (51), which is open at the bottom and is shaped so as to contain, on the inside, a quantity (2) of loose product; and an actuator assembly (52) configured to cyclically move the retrieving head (50) between a retrieving station (S3), in which the retrieving head (50) is arranged above the compartment (23) and the pocket (51) is arranged inside the compartment (23) in order to retrieve a quantity (2) of loose product, and a feeding station (S2), in which the pocket (51) is coupled to a corresponding pocket (10) of a forming conveyor (7) in order to transfer the quantity (2) of loose product to the pocket (10) of the forming conveyor (7).