| 摘要 |
In packaging snack food chips 24 (e.g. tortilla chips), seasoning is deposited onto an upper surface of the chips (at seasoning station 6) and after shingling a group of chips 38 together, the rear chip 34 of the shingled group 38 is the first to enter the packaging container 14. Thus, seasoning is not inadvertently lost from the chips by inversion or flipping, while the seasoned upper surfaces of the chips are still orientated towards the containers openable closure 42. The apparatus has a conveying mechanism for conveying the chips; a holding mechanism for holding a packaging container; and an insertion mechanism to insert the shingled group of chips as a stack into the container. The packaging tube 14 may be static, with the shingled group 38 of crisps pushed into the tube 14; or the tube 14 may be moved relative to the shingled group 38. The singled group 38 may be rotated about a vertical axis (e.g. 180° or 90°) before insertion into the packaging tube (fig 4), closing the container base 18 once the chips are inside. The chips are preferably nestable, e.g. saddle shaped. |
