EP1448358A1

EP1448358A1 - Method and device for producing a fluid-tight connection of layers of material and corresponding sealing

Info

Publication number: EP1448358A1
Application number: EP02792801A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Thomas Seeger; Dirk HÄNSCH
Original assignee: Prolas Produktionslaser GmbH; Ploucquet C F GmbH and Co
Current assignee: PROLAS GmbH; Ploucquet C F GmbH and Co
Priority date: 2001-11-27
Filing date: 2002-11-26
Publication date: 2004-08-25
Also published as: WO2003045668A1; WO2003045668A8; US20050008854A1; CA2468828A1; DE10158016C1; US20070212537A1; BR0214468A; AU2002358537A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a fluid-tight connection of layers of material, especially of textile fabrics, according to which an adhesive layer of an additional sealing strip (8) sealing the layers of material or one of the layers of material (1, 2) is molten by means of a laser beam (10). The sealing strip and the layer of material are then linked with the layers of material and the other layer of material, respectively. Between the laser beam (10) and the sealing strip (8) or the layer of material a relative movement takes place.

Description

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A LIQUID-TIGHT CONNECTION OF MATERIAL LAYERS AND SEALING TAPE THEREFOR

The invention relates to a method for producing a liquid-tight connection of layers of material, in particular textile materials. Furthermore, the invention relates to a device for performing the method and a sealing tape for sealing two interconnected, in particular sewn, layers of material.

DE 35 40 368 CI describes a method for producing a durable, liquid-tight connection of layers of material, the edges of which are framed, sewn and welded or glued with a U-shaped band strip. The tape strip used there is, however, of relatively complex construction and is therefore both complex to manufacture and difficult to handle.

DE 197 39 592 A1 discloses a liquid-tight, linear joint connection for single- or multi-layer textile fabrics. In this case, a high-frequency-reactive polymer film strip is provided, which is pierced by sewing threads, a portion of the film strip running under the action of heat filling and sealing the seam puncture holes.

With regard to further processes for the production of such liquid-tight connections, EP 0 791 674 A1, JP 09084980 A or JP 08243273 A referenced. In this case, attempts are usually made to close the puncture holes created during the production of a seam, sometimes even when sewing.

A further method is known from practice, in which a sealing tape is applied to two layers of material that have already been sewn together, for which purpose an adhesive layer of the sealing tape is heated by means of hot air under pressure and supplied by a blower or the like.

However, this method has a large number of disadvantages, which arise on the one hand from the fact that the temperature of several hundred ° C. generated by the hot air in the region of the adhesive layer cannot be measured exactly and therefore cannot always be set correctly, so that statements about the quality the sealing connection are very difficult. This usually leads to an excessively high temperature, which has further disadvantages, such as the combustion of oil in the air and other contaminants required for the generation of pressure, and the resulting smoke development, which is associated with health problems for the operators, and elevated temperatures in the workplace and increased energy consumption.

In principle, the pressurized hot air used or the elements required for this, such as blowers and compressors, also generate a very high level of noise and lead to the entry of air bubbles in the adhesive layer of the sealing tape, which in whose later use in textiles cannot be guaranteed.

Usually a nozzle is provided for dispensing the hot air, the position of which has a decisive influence on the quality of the connection, since the temperature of the hot air decreases very strongly after leaving the nozzle. The constant movement of the nozzle / heating unit constantly changes the nozzle position, which constantly changes the quality of the connection.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and a device for producing a liquid-tight connection of material layers, which ensures process reliability in the sense of high manufacturing accuracy and the associated reliable tightness of the connection. Another object of the invention is to provide a sealing tape for sealing two interconnected material layers, which is suitable for use in the method and enables the interconnected material layers to be tight.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by the features mentioned in claim 1.

The laser beam used according to the invention, which melts the adhesive layer of the sealing tape or the adhesive layer of the one layer of material, results in a large number of advantages, both in terms of the actual process and the product which is produced in the process. The laser beam makes it possible, by introducing a very specific amount of energy, to set a very exact temperature at the position of the sealing tape or the material layer at which the adhesive layer is to be melted, so that practically no temperature differences arise. This uniform temperature enables the best possible melting behavior of the adhesive layer to be set, which leads to an optimal connection of the sealing tape with the material layers or the material layers with one another.

In order to achieve secure bonding, it is no longer necessary to set an excessive temperature in the area of the adhesive layer. Rather, the absence of pressurized hot air and the use of the laser beam to melt the adhesive layer result in much lower temperatures in the working environment and therefore more pleasant working conditions when the material layers and, if applicable, the sealing tape are fed in by hand. Due to these better working conditions, a higher level of accuracy when working by hand and therefore a better tightness of the connection can of course also be expected.

Since the light energy of a laser beam decreases only slightly with the distance from the laser source, such a laser source can be arranged at almost any distance from the actual heating or gluing point, which advantageously leads to considerably increased flexibility in production.

The introduction of light energy into the adhesive layer to melt it advantageously does not lead to Air bubbles, resulting in a very high tightness of the connection with a higher feed rate, better handling and thus greater production reliability with reproducible results. The accuracy of the connection made with the method according to the invention is ensured by the precise melting of the adhesive layer with the laser beam.

A simple possibility for controlling the method according to the invention can arise if, in an advantageous development of the invention, the energy of the laser beam is controlled as a function of the melting of the adhesive layer.

A device for carrying out the method results from the features of claim 6. By means of this device it is possible in a simple manner to carry out the method according to the invention for producing a liquid-tight connection of material layers.

In independent claim 9, a sealing tape for sealing two interconnected, in particular sewn layers of material is described.

According to the invention, in addition to the at least one sealing layer and the at least one adhesive layer, this sealing tape has light-absorbing particles which at least to a large extent convert the light energy generated by the laser beam and introduced into the sealing tape into thermal energy and in this way melt the adhesive layer. It has proven to be particularly advantageous for converting the energy of the laser source into thermal energy for melting the adhesive layer if the light-absorbing particles are formed by soot particles.

In order to obtain correspondingly high-quality products, in particular in the case of high-quality textile materials, it can be provided in an advantageous embodiment of the sealing tape that a textile layer is provided on the side opposite the adhesive layer.

Further advantageous refinements and developments of the invention result from the remaining subclaims and from the exemplary embodiments illustrated in principle below with reference to the drawing.

It shows:

1 shows a first embodiment of an apparatus for performing the method according to the invention;

2 shows a second embodiment of an apparatus for performing the method according to the invention;

3 shows a liquid-tight connection produced by means of the method according to the invention in a first embodiment;

4 shows a liquid-tight connection produced by means of the method according to the invention in a second embodiment; and 5 shows a sealing tape according to the invention.

1 shows a device 1 for sealing a seam which cannot be seen here and which connects two layers of material 2 and 3, preferably textile materials, to one another. A sealing tape 4 is provided for sealing, the structure of which will be described in more detail at a later point in time with reference to FIG. 5. The connection of the material layers 2 and 3 to the sealing tape 4 produced by means of the device 1 and the method described below is shown in more detail in FIG. 3.

The device 1 has two rollers 5 and 6, both of which are provided by means of respective drive devices, not shown, e.g. of an electric motor, are set in rotation. The first, counterclockwise rotating roller 5 is provided for transporting the layers of material 2 and 3 sewn together, whereas the second, clockwise rotating roller 6 transports the sealing tape 4. Between the two rollers 5 and 6 there is a roller gap 7, in which the sealing tape 4 is pressed with the material layers 2 and 3 in such a way that the connection shown in FIG. 3 is created. The force required for this can e.g. be applied by pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders, not shown, which act on the rollers 5 and 6.

The sealing tape 4 is provided on its side facing the material layers 2 and 3, that is to say away from the roller 6, with an adhesive layer 8, which is melted by means of a laser beam 10 generated by a laser source 9. For example, a laser source 9 emitting radiation in the IR range can be used as the laser source 9. Here there is a relative movement between the material layers 2 and 3 sewn together and the sealing tape 4 on the one hand, which, as described above, are transported by means of the rollers 5 and 6, and the stationary laser beam 10 on the other hand. This leads to the fact that only one area of the sealing tape 4 is melted, which, as described below, is immediately bonded to the material layers 2 and 3. In many applications, the material layers 2 and 3 are fed by hand and aligned so that a clean connection is created. It is also possible to move the material layers 2 and 3 on curved tracks. However, a controlled movement is also possible, the sealing tape 4 always remaining in a fixed position.

The laser beam 10 can be introduced into the sealing tape 4 with a fixed amount of energy, so that there is a fixed, usually relatively low temperature which is just sufficient to melt the adhesive layer 8 in the desired manner. The energy supply of the laser source 9, that is to say the energy content of the laser beam 10, can be controlled by a measurement (not shown) of the retroreflection by the adhesive layer 8, so that the adhesive layer 8 always melts optimally.

After the adhesive layer 8 has melted, the sealing tape 4 is transported further by the roller 6 in the direction of the roller gap 7 and the sealing tape 4 is adhered to the material layers 2 and 3 by the pressure of the rollers 5 and 6. Of course, the melting of the adhesive layer 8 and the subsequent gluing run in a continuous Process from which, for example, the rotational speed of the two rollers 5 and 6 can be controlled.

In order to glue two layers of material 2 and 3, which were not previously sewn together, in a similar manner, a further device 1 'is shown in FIG. In the present case, the material layer 2 lies on a fixed support 11 and the roller 6 is moved together with the laser source 9 in the direction of the arrow X. In this case, the second layer of material 3 is provided with the adhesive layer 8, which in turn is melted by the laser beam 10, and is fed in from above with the aid of the roller 6, as is also the case with the device 1, a different feed being also conceivable.

In order to enable simple control of the required movements, the roller 6 can be mechanically connected to the laser source 9, for example. In order to deflect the laser beam 10 or to adapt it to the width of the adhesive layer 8 or to make any other changes to the laser beam 10, the laser source 9 is preceded by an optical device 12 which is of a type known per se and of course also in the device 1 according to Fig. 1 can be provided.

The two devices 1 and 1 'described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are only to be regarded as examples in their specific configuration. Further devices could also be provided, for example in order to position or move the material layers 2 and 3 or the sealing tape 4. Furthermore, it would also be possible with the device 1 shown in FIG. 1 with the two rollers 5 and 6, the two layers of material 2 and 3 without connecting the sealing tape 4 to one another and it would also be conceivable in the reverse manner, with the device 1 ′ shown in FIG apply material layers 2 and 3 sewn together.

3 shows the connection of the sealing tape 4 with the material layers 2 and 3, which was produced in the present case with the device 1. The material layers 2 and 3 were made before the adhesive tape 4 was glued on by means of a seam 13, which in the present case consisted of two individual seams 13a and 13b is connected. In a manner known per se, the material layer 2 was first connected to the material layer 3 by the first seam 13a, whereupon the resulting flag 14 was sewn to a further seam 13b, in this case the material layer 3. Of course, it is also possible to connect the material layers 2 and 3 to one another only with a single seam or, if necessary, in a completely different way before sealing.

The sealing tape 4 seals the seam 13 in a liquid-tight manner. Particularly when using textile fabrics and there in particular in the manufacture of items of clothing, such as, for example, wet weather suits, the sealing tape 4 is arranged on an inside of the item of clothing, so that this seals the seam 13 and no liquid can reach a person from outside who wears the garment. Theoretically, the sealing tape 4 could also be attached to an outside of the garment. FIG. 4 shows the connection between the two material layers 2 and 3, which is produced by means of the device 1 ′ shown in FIG. This is much simpler in structure and consists only of the material layer 2 and the material layer 3, the adhesive layer 8 being, as already mentioned, on part of the material layer 3. An area of application of the connection shown in FIG. 4 can be, for example, if two large-area foils are to be glued to one another in a liquid-tight manner.

5 shows a section through the sealing tape 4 which, in addition to the adhesive layer 8 already described above, has a first sealing layer 15, a second sealing layer 16 and a fabric or textile layer 17 opposite the adhesive layer 8. Inside the first sealing layer 15, which consists, for example, of a thermoset or a high-melting thermoplastic, there are arranged light energy-absorbing or light-absorbing pigments or particles 18, such as soot particles, which convert the light energy entering the sealing tape 4 through the laser beam 10 into thermal energy and onto it Way to melt the adhesive layer 8. Because the light-absorbing particles 18 are not contained in the adhesive layer 8, the adhesive properties thereof are not impaired. Of course, other substances or materials can also be used as light-absorbing particles 18.

The adhesive layer 8 is transparent in order to prevent loss of energy introduced into the sealing tape 4 by the laser beam 10. The coloring of the adhesive layer 8 is independent of its transparency. If necessary, only one of the sealing layers 15 and 16 and the light-absorbing particles 18 could also be arranged in a completely independent layer at any location within the sealing tape 4.

The textile layer 17, e.g. can be formed as knitted fabric, woven fabric or non-woven, is inserted into the second sealing layer 16, which in the present case is also made of a thermoset or a high-melting thermoplastic, so that the second sealing layer 16 is firmly connected to the textile layer 17. The textile layer 17 ensures that when using the sealing tape 4 for garments a uniform quality is guaranteed on the inside thereof, for which purpose the textile layer 17 can have, for example, the same color and the same material as the respective garment. If the textile layer 17 is dispensed with in very simple applications, one of the sealing layers 15 or 16 can also have a corresponding color.

The adhesive layer 8 can consist of a polymer, such as a thermoplastic, such as polyurethane, polypropylene, polystyrene or the like, the energy content of the laser beam 10 should be matched to the material of the adhesive layer 8, so that an optimal melting thereof can be ensured. This means that for different materials of the adhesive layer 8, if appropriate, different types of laser sources and a different control of the laser source ^'9, including their performance, can be provided with respect to.

Claims

P at en ta nsp rue

1. A method for producing a liquid-tight connection of material layers (2, 3), in particular of textile materials, an adhesive layer (8) of an additional sealing tape (4) sealing the material layers (2, 3) by means of a laser beam (10). or one of the material layers (3) is melted, whereupon the sealing tape (4) or the one material layer (3) is connected to the material layers (2, 3) or the other material layer (2), and between the laser beam (10) and the sealing tape (4) or the material layer (3) a relative movement takes place.

2. The method according to claim 1, dadur ch ge kenn z e i chnet that the one material layer (3) and the sealing tape (4) or the material layers (2,3) are moved and that the laser beam (10) stands still.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, that the energy of the laser beam (10) is controlled as a function of the melting of the adhesive layer (8).

4. The method according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the. Material layers (2,3) are sewn together and the resulting seam (13) is then sealed with the sealing tape (4).

5. The method of claim 4, since you r ch ge ke nn zei chn et that the sewn together material layers (2,3) are moved via a first driven roller (5), and that the sealing tape (4) via a second driven The roller (6) is moved, the sealing tape (4) with the two material layers (2, 3) being pressed in a roller gap (7) located between the two rollers (5, 6).

6. Device for performing the method according to one of claims 1 to 5 with a device (5, 6; 6, 11) for connecting the layers of material (2, 3) with the sealing tape (4) or for connecting the individual layers of material (2, 3) and with a laser source (9) for generating a laser beam (10).

7. The device according to claim 6, that the laser source (9) emits radiation in the IR range.

8. Apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that the laser source (9) is preceded by an optical device (12) for deflecting and / or adjusting the laser beam (10).

9. sealing tape for sealing two interconnected, in particular sewn material layers, in particular textile materials, with at least one sealing layer and with at least one adhesive layer, ge ke nnzeic hn et du rch light-absorbing particles (18).

10. Sealing tape according to claim 9, since by ge ke n n z e ichne t that the light-absorbing particles (18) are arranged within the at least one sealing layer (15).

11. Sealing tape according to claim 9, since by ch ke n n z e ichne t that the light-absorbing particles (18) are arranged within a separate layer.

12. Sealing tape according to claim 9, 10 or 11, so that the light-absorbing particles (18) are formed by soot particles.

13. Sealing tape according to one of claims 9 to 12, so that a textile layer (17) is provided on the side opposite the adhesive layer (8).

14. Sealing tape according to one of claims 9 to 13, since th e ch e c e nn z e i chne t that the adhesive layer (8) is transparent.

15. Sealing tape according to one of claims 9 to 14, so that the at least one sealing layer (15, 16) consists of a thermosetting plastic.

16. Sealing tape according to one of claims 9 to 14, since you can see that the at least one sealing layer (15, 16) consists of a high-melting thermoplastic.

17. Sealing tape according to one of claims 9 to 16, since you r ch ge k e n n z e i chn e t that two sealing layers (15,16) are provided.