An apparatus and a method for filling and sealing bags and sacks

摘要

The present invention concerns an apparatus and a method for filling and sealing bags and sacks, in particular big bags comprising a liner with a filling connection piece (10), which has a filling opening. The apparatus consists of a filling station (1), a sealing station (2) and possibly a tensioning station (3), mounted in this order along a conveyor belt (7). The filling station is provided with a filling pipe (4). The appartus also comprises a stretching device (5) with needles (51, 51', 51", 51'''). In connection with filling, the stretching device stretches the sack's filling opening in the filling connection piece open and accompanies the filling connection piece until it has reached the sealing device (8) at the sealing station. Before sealing, which is prefrably done by welding, air is extracted from the sack. The stretching device is then returned to its initial position where a new sack may be ready for filling or is being prepared for filling. The surplus part of the filling connection piece (10) is expediently cut off after sealing. The proposed solution also comprises an improved tensioning station. The present invention enables good automatic sealing to be achieved without the filling process being delayed, while the stretching device ensures good support to the sack/liner during the various operations.