| CPC B65B 51/30 (2013.01) [B29C 65/224 (2013.01); B29C 65/38 (2013.01); B29C 66/81821 (2013.01); B29C 66/83513 (2013.01); B29C 66/8511 (2013.01); B29C 66/8744 (2013.01); B29C 66/91421 (2013.01); B65B 9/087 (2013.01); B65B 51/16 (2013.01); B65B 2051/105 (2013.01)] | 21 Claims |

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12. A method of fusing a pouch film web to form a plurality of vertical seals along a length of the film web to form pouches, comprising:
providing a pouch machine vertical sealer having a sealer wheel rotatable about a vertical axis of rotation and defining a film web path about a periphery of the sealer wheel, a plurality of vertical sealer land assemblies spaced apart about the periphery of the sealer wheel and each comprising a heater, and a plurality of rollers spaced apart about the periphery of the sealer wheel with at least one roller being located between each of the plurality of vertical seal land assemblies;
rotating the vertical sealer to entrain the film web around the sealer wheel;
engaging the film web with the heater of the plurality of vertical sealer land assemblies and sealing the film web to form a vertical seal at the heater of the plurality of vertical sealer land assemblies; and
reciprocating one of the plurality of vertical sealer land assemblies or the plurality of rollers radially outwardly and inwardly with respect to the other one of the plurality of vertical sealer land assemblies or the plurality of rollers to selectively create a space between the film web and the heater of the plurality of vertical sealer land assemblies.
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