Packaging apparatus

Apparatus is disclosed for producing discrete packages which can be individually varied in length so that they can be used for packaging articles such as cuts of meat which vary in length. The apparatus comprises drive rolls for feeding a flat tube of plastics packaging material through a cut off device. The apparatus may also comprise a heat sealing device (to form the tube into a bag) and a blower head combined with a suction device which opens the leading portion of the bag to facilitate the placing of an article in the bag. A proximity sensor is provided adjacent the cut off device and immobilizes the drive rolls when it detects the arrival of a loading portion. In one form of the apparatus the sensor is mounted on a movable carriage which can be quickly moved by hand or by a ram. In another form of the apparatus electronic controls are provided which can vary the number of revolutions of the drive rolls, the rotational speed thereof or the period of rotation thereof to preset the length of each leading portion. These controls can be adjusted by hand or by a device which measures the length of an article which is about to be packaged.