Tetra Pak Patent Attorneys

Method for monitoring the status of a jaw system (8) in a packaging machine (1), the jaw system (8) being configured to transversally seal a web of packaging material (3) in the form of a tube (2) to form a transverse seal (TS) in the tube (2); the method comprises the steps of: acquiring (S200) a signal (S_p) indicative of the variation over time of a pressure exerted by at least one jaw (9) of the jaw system (8) during operation of the same jaw system (8); processing (S201) the acquired signal (S_p) to determine one or more indicators (I) indicative of the occurrence of possible anomalies in the operation of the jaw system (8) of the packaging machine (1); and adjusting (S202) the operation of the jaw system (8) based on the determined one or more indicators (I).

There is described a folding apparatus (16) for forming finalized packages (2) from semi-finalized packs (5) filled with a pourable product. The folding apparatus (16) comprises a manipulation assembly comprising a plurality of engagement assemblies (44), each engagement assembly (44) having a respective pair of engagement elements (45) configured to laterally engage the respective semi-finalized packs (5) from opposite sides thereof. Each engagement element (45) is movable between an idle position and an active position in which the engagement element (45) is, respectively, disengaged from and engaged to the respective semi-finalized packs (5). The conveying device (31) also comprises a cam mechanism (47) configured to control the engagement elements (45) between the respective idle positions and active positions. The cam mechanism (47) comprises an active section (58) having a first portion (62) and a second portion (64). The first portion (62) and the second portion (64) are movable with respect to one another.

A blank (100) configured to be folded into a retortable package (200) is disclosed. The blank (100) is made of a multilayer packaging material (101) comprising an outer protective layer (300), a fiber-based mid-layer (302), and an inner protective layer (304). A first set of perforations (102) is provided in a top section (109) as tear-guiding perforations to facilitate opening. A second set of perforations (104a-e) extends through the outer protective layer (300) into or in contact with the fiber-based mid-layer (302) and is provided in at least one of a covering section (110c), a covered section (112c), a second covering section (115c), or a second covered section (116c). A web (702) comprising multiple blanks and a method (600) for producing a package from the blank are also disclosed.

It is provided a temperature control system (2) for enabling a pasteuriser (1) to process a liquid product (8) by heating the liquid product (8) in a heating phase (50) and subsequently cooling the liquid product (8) in a cooling phase (52). The temperature control system (2) comprises: a hot water circuit (6, 6a-b) configured to circulate hot water; a cold water circuit (7, 7a-b) configured to circulate cold water; a controller (19); a heat pump (3) controllable by the controller (19) to simultaneously heat the hot water in the hot water circuit (6, 6a) and cool the cold water in the cold water circuit (7, 7a); a heating section (4) configured to transfer heat from the hot water of the hot water circuit (6, 6b) to the liquid product (8) in the heating phase (50); and a cooling section (5) configured to transfer heat from the liquid product (8) to the water of the cold water circuit (7, 7b) in the cooling phase (52).

A method for producing a liquid oat base (7) for human consumption is disclosed. The method comprises processing (12, 34) oat raw material, water (2), and one or more enzymes (5) into a slurry, followed by hydrolyzing (18) the slurry for a defined period using the one or more enzymes (5). The hydrolyzed slurry undergoes high-pressure homogenization in a first homogenization step (20), followed by a second homogenization step (22) to achieve a uniform consistency. The one or more enzymes are deactivated (24), and the liquid oat base (7) is obtained (33) from the two-step homogenized slurry. The disclosure also includes a system for producing the liquid oat base and a method for producing an oat product from the base. The two-step homogenization enhances the textural properties, stability, and overall quality of the oat base while optimizing energy efficiency and resource utilization in the production process.

There is described a method for monitoring the quantity of packaging material accumulating in a buffer device (10) of a packaging material processing unit, the method comprises the steps of:- detecting a distance between a predetermined section (S) of a web (4) of packaging material loop (11) in the buffer device (10) during the accumulation therein and a fixed reference point of the buffer device (10);- receiving a first sensor signal (S1) indicative of said distance;- calculating the quantity of packaging material accumulated in the buffer device (10) as a function of the first sensor signal (S1).

The disclosure relates to a device (1) for shaping the tip (11) of tubular straws (10) in a continuous production, the device comprising: a first body (20) that may be substantially cylindrical and arranged to rotate around a rotation axis (26); a plurality of support members (21), wherein each support member may be configured to support one tubular straw (10) in a fixed position, wherein the plurality of support members (21) is attached the first body (20); a second body (30) comprising a first clamp (31) and a second clamp (32) for receiving, compressing and shaping a tip portion (12) of a straw (10); and a cutting element for removing a part (13) of the compressed tip portion (12) of the straw (10), wherein the cutting element may be arranged to cut the tip portion (12) of the straw (10) in a predefined angle to the length direction of the straw (10). The disclosure further relates to a method for shaping the tip (11) of tubular straws (10) in a continuous production.

There is described a conveyor device (1) comprising cart assemblies (7) movably coupled to an endless track (6). Each cart assembly (7) comprises a housing seat (15) for housing at least one package (2), a supporting group (16), operatively coupled to the endless track (6) and a holding group (17), carried by the supporting group (16) and carrying, in turn, the housing seat (15). Each supporting group (16) comprises at least one first roller (18) and at least one second roller (19), a first portion (20) carrying the at least one first roller (18), a second portion (21) carrying the at least one second roller (19), a coupling assembly (22) coupling the first portion (20) and the second portion (21) with one another and pushing the first portion (20) and the second portion (21) towards each other with a defined preload and a locking assembly (23) locking the holding group (17) onto the first portion (20) and the second portion (21) such to impede a relative movement between the first portion (20) and the second portion (21).

There is described an electron beam emitting device (11) configured to sterilize a packaging material (4) for the production of packages (2) containing a pourable product, the emitting device (11) comprises: a generation chamber (14); an elongated generation member (15) arranged within the generation chamber (14), extending along a longitudinal axis (A) and configured to be supplied with electrical energy from a power supply source (100) and to convert the electrical energy into an electron beam; an electric connector (20) coupled to an axial end portion (15b) of the generation member (15) and configured for transferring electrical energy between the power supply source (100) and the generation member (15); the electric connector (20) comprises a main body (21) made of electrically conductive material, extending around said axial end portion (15b) and having a symmetrical configuration with respect to the longitudinal axis (A) and/or with respect to the axial end portion (15b).

There is described an electron beam emitting device (11) comprising: a generation member (12) configured to be supplied with electrical energy and to emit an electron beam; a hollow casing (14) housing at least the generation member (12), the casing (14) extending along a longitudinal axis (A) and including an aperture (14a) at one axial end portion (16) thereof; and a thermally and/or electrically insulating cover (17) coupled with the casing (14) at said axial end portion (16) for closing said aperture (14a); the emitting device (11) further includes a cooling device (18) configured for cooling the insulating cover (17), the cooling device (18) comprising a hollow flange (19) coupled with the casing (14) at said axial end portion (16), extending at least in part around the longitudinal axis (A) and delimiting, together with an outer surface (16a) of the axial end portion (16), an inner chamber (20) which defines a flow channel for a cooling medium; the flange (19) is welded to said casing (14) at said axial end portion (16).