a packaging machine for making sealed packages with articles contained therein includes seal bars and anvils mounted for relative rotation along circular paths so that both the seal bars and the anvils maintain their orientation in space constant . resilient mounting of the seal bars and anvils allows for extended contact time with a thermoplastics web which forms the packages . the seal bars and other parts of the machine may be driven by a common variable speed motor through a drive chain which maintains constant speed ratios between the operative parts . the accuracy of the sealing may be improved by clamps mounted on the seal bar assembly which cooperate with the anvils to hold the web while sealing and cutting take place . the seal bar assembly may include two seal bars , one of which cuts and seals to form an edge of a package and also forms a handle cut - out and the other seal bar forms a transverse seal to seal off a main portion of the bag from a handle cut - out portion .