Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance

The present invention relates to an impeller (100) for a rotary positive displacement pump (1) for pumping a liquid food product (F). The impeller (100) includes a base portion (102) having a front side (FS) and a back side (BS). A set of impeller teeth (104) protrude from the front side (FS) and are distributed about a rotational axis (A1) of the impeller (100). The impeller (100) includes a channel (120) having a front side opening (122) at the front side (FS) and a back side opening (124) at the back side (BS), such that the channel (120) extends through the base portion (102). The front side opening (122) and the back side opening (124) are arranged with an angular offset (β) relative to each other about the rotational axis (A1). A rotary positive displacement pump (1) for pumping a liquid food product (F), is also disclosed.

A blank (10) configured to be folded into a package (200) for holding a food product, the blank (10) being made of a multilayer packaging material (12) comprising a layer of fibrous material (14), the blank (10) comprising a main section (22), a bottom section (24), and a top section (26); the top section (26) comprising a plurality of flaps (31-38) extending from the main section (22), each flap (35) having lateral edges (35a-b) arranged to be joined with lateral edges (34b, 36a) of adjacent flaps (34, 36) to thereby form a top portion (204) of the package (200), wherein each lateral edge (35a-b) of every second flap (35) has a convex curvature (42), and each lateral edge (36a-b) of every other second flap (36) has a concave curvature (44) shaped to complement the convex curvature (42), to facilitate the joining of the lateral edges (35b, 36a).

There is described an inspection system (13) for a straw applicator device (10) configured to apply drinking straws (11) onto respective packages (2) containing a pourable product, the inspection system (13) is configured to sequentially inspect an inspection area (14) of each package (2) which includes a wall (2b) of the package (2) and the drinking straw (11) applied thereon, the inspection system (13) comprises: an imaging device configured to acquire an image of the inspection area (14) of each package (2); a control unit configured to analyze the acquired images for detecting or determining a feature representative of each straw (11); the control unit is configured to control a discard of the respective packages (2) as a function of the detected or determined feature .

The present invention relates to a method (200) for providing print to an at least semi-finished packaging material (10) comprising a cellulose-based bulk layer (20) and an outside layer (50) intended to face outside of a packaging container (2) to be formed by the at least semi-finished packaging material (10). The method comprises providing (203) a film (60) on the outside layer (50), wherein the film (60) comprises a coating (64) and ink (62) printed on the coating (64), transferring (206) the ink (62) and the coating (64) from the film (60) to the outside layer (50) of the at least semi-finished packaging material (10), and separating (208) the film (60) from the at least semi-finished packaging material (10) after transferring (206) the ink (62) and the coating (64) from the film (60) to the outside layer (50); wherein the ink is transferred to the outside layer (50) and the coating (64) is transferred to the outside layer (50) as a coating on the ink (62).

There is described a packaging blank (2) for forming a package (1) filled with a pourable product, the packaging blank (2) comprising a top crease pattern (44), a bottom crease pattern (45) and an intermediate crease pattern (46) interposed between the top crease pattern (44) and the bottom crease pattern (45). The intermediate crease pattern (46) comprises a plurality of center panels (55) and a plurality of lateral panels (56). Each center panel (55) and each lateral panel (56) is delimited by a respective first crease line (57) and a respective second crease line (58). Each first crease line (57) and/or its imaginary extension intersects with the respective second crease line (58) and/or its imaginary extension at a respective first intersection point (59) and a respective second intersection point (60) spaced apart from the respective first intersection point (59). Each first intersection point (59) and the respective second intersection point (60) define a respective axis (G). Each center panel (55) and each lateral panel (56) is asymmetric with respect to the respective axis (G).

There is described a splicing device (20) for a strip application apparatus (7) configured to splice a new sealing strip (21) onto a sealing strip (8) in use, each one of the new sealing strip (21) and the sealing strip (8) in use being made of a heat-sealable material; the splicing device (20) comprises a sealing unit (22) configured to seal the new sealing strip (21) onto the sealing strip (8) in use; the sealing unit (22) comprises a first sealing group (23) configured to execute a first sealing operation so as to seal a first sealing portion (31) of the sealing strip (8) in use and a second sealing portion (32) of the new sealing strip (21) to one another; a cutting group (27) configured to cut the sealing strip (8) in use after the first sealing operation downstream of the first sealing portion (31) along the strip advancement path (S) thereby obtaining a combined sealing strip (25) comprising protruding portions (28) projecting from the combined sealing strip (25) ; and a second sealing group (29) distinct from the first sealing group (23) and configured to seal the protruding portions (28) onto the combined sealing strip (25) during a second sealing operation.

A cap arrangement (100) configured to close a neck (11) for a food package (10) containing a liquid or semi-liquid food product is disclosed. The cap arrangement (100) comprising a cap (110) having a top (111) configured to close an upper part of the neck (11) and a cap wall (112) extending from the top (111) along a first axis (A1), wherein the top (111) has an inner surface (111a) surrounded by the cap wall (112), and a gasket (130) being engaged with and covering the inner surface (111a) of the top (111), wherein the cap (110) is made with a natural fiber-based material. It is also disclosed a food package (10) for holding a liquid or semi-liquid food product.

There is described a packaging machine (1) for producing packages (2) starting from a web (4) of packaging material and comprising: a plurality of folding rollers (6) configured to interact with the web (4) to fold the web (4) into a tube (3); a heating device (13) for heating the packaging material at a heating station (H); a presser roller (14) designed to be located inside the tube (3) arranged downstream of the heating station (H) and configured to press the heated packaging material against the folding roller (6); the heating device (13) and the folding roller (6) are configured to be moved selectively in: a first position, in which the heating device (13) faces, a first section (52) of the tube (3) at the heating station (H) and upstream of the presser roller (14), and in which the folding roller (6) cooperates in abutment with the presser roller (14); a second position, in which the folding roller (6) is spaced from the presser roller (14) and in which the heating device (13) faces a second section (53) of the tube (3) arranged downstream of the heating station (H); a third position, in which the folding roller (6) is spaced from the presser roller (14) for allowing a distancing of the packaging material away from the presser roller (14), and in which the heating device (13) is inoperative.

A packaging apparatus for forming sealed packages (2) partially-filled with a pourable product, comprises: a tube forming and sealing device (3), configured to form a tube (4) from an advancing web (5) of packaging material and to longitudinally seal the tube (4); a filling device (6), including a product feeding pipe (60) extending from an inlet (61) to an outlet (62) and presenting an inner surface (67) and a pipe axis (A2), and configured to direct the pourable product into the tube (4) for obtaining a product column (7) within the tube (4); a gas feeding device (8), comprising a gas feeding duct (80) configured to direct a sterile gas into the product column (7) so that a gas cushion (71) is formed and/or maintained within the product column (7); a package forming unit (9), for forming and transversally sealing the tube (4) for obtaining the packages (2), so that each package (2) is filled with the pourable product and contains a gas space (10) containing a defined volume of the sterile gas present within the gas cushion (71). The apparatus (1) includes a channel (68) that develops around the pipe axis (A2) and provides the outlet (62) of the product feeding pipe (60), and is configured to convey the product at the outlet (62) of the product feeding pipe (60) in an ejecting direction (D1) having a component radially diverging with respect to the pipe axis (A1).

A damper arrangement (1) for reducing pressure pulsations in a fluid line (9) filled with a liquid product (LP) is disclosed. The arrangement comprises a vessel (7) in fluid communication with the fluid line (9), an air supply (21) configured to provide air, and a regulation valve (41) for controlling the passage of air into the vessel (7) to form an air pocket (71). A pressure sensor (5) generates pressure data (P1) indicative of the pressure in the fluid line (9). A control unit (80) is configured to receive the pressure data (P1), determine, based on the received pressure data (P1), a feed pressure (Pf1) at which air is to be supplied, control the air supply (21) to supply air at the feed pressure (Pf1), and control the regulation valve (41) to regulate the passage of air into the vessel (7).