GB1567337A

GB1567337A - Method of and apparatus for producing a receptance

Info

Publication number: GB1567337A
Application number: GB53389/76A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Aluminiumwerke AG Rorschach
Current assignee: Aluminiumwerke AG Rorschach
Priority date: 1976-12-21
Filing date: 1976-12-21
Publication date: 1980-05-14

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO A METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A RECEPTACLE (71) We, ALUMINIUMWERKE A. Ci.

RORSCHACEL a Body Corporate organized under the Laws of Switzerland of Industriestrasse 35, Rorschach, Switzerland, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The invention relates to a method of producing a receptacle from two superimposed web portions and apparatus therefor. The invention is particularly suitable for the production of packings from aluminium, plastics material or aluminium/plastics composition.

A conventional method of producing a packing employs a shallow drawing of two half shells out of two webs of foil material.

Prior to the filling of such packing the two half shells are brought together and joined to one another. Such shallow drawing of the webs of foil, however, requires intricate and expensive tools.

In another conventional method two superimposed planar webs are sealed along the circumference of the packing to be produced. The intermediate product accordingly produced is thereafter placed in the hollow space or cavity of a mould and the interior space provided between the web portions which are not joined is inflated by means of compressed air. In order to perform this well-known method too, expensive tools are needed. This method is furthermore not suitable for deforming foils of aluminium and aluminium/plastics composition material.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for producing a packing.

The method according to the invention of producing a receptacle from two superimposed web portions consists of the steps of sizing the web portions together at at least part of peripheral areas around central areas to be bulged; subsequently or simultaneously clamping the web portions at the peripheral areas; whilst the peripheral areas are clamped, bulging the central areas to one side, the bulged areas being permanently deformed with the bulged area of one web portion lying within the curvature of the other; and expanding the space between the bulged areas, the inner bulged area being inverted during expansion to a shape which is a mirror image of the shape to which it is bulged.

The apparatus according to the invention for carrying out the method according to the invention comprises a device for sealing the said peripheral areas together, clamping means for clamping together both web portions at the peripheral areas, web bulging means for shaping the central areas of both web portions by bulging the said areas to one side, the web bulging means consisting solely of a male plug and means for moving the male plug during bulging of the said areas, and expansion means for expanding the interior space located between the bulged areas.

During the bulging of the unclamped central web areas located within the clamped peripheral areas, the web material is stretched and deformed. The expansion is carried out in order to invert the material of that web portion which is located at the inner side of the bulge. The bulging involves an exertion of pressure onto the superimposed web portions and at one side only thereof. The force needed for such bulging, which involves plastic deformation of the web material, is relatively low, resulting in the possible employment of lightweight packaging machines. By means of controlling the depth of the bulge it is possible to manufacture packings of various volumes by application of one and the same tool.

The advantages described above are attrac tive when applying the method for a manufacture of packings out of two superimposed webs of foils supplied or advanced, respectively, in a continuous or steplike manner as well as of one web folded along its centre line. In the first and second case it is necessary to seal the foils at their peripheral areas except the opening needed for the next step in the process, i.e. filling of the packing.

This sealing is carried through prior to or during the clamping. The interior space formed thereby between the conjointly bulged areas of the foils can be expanded by means of a fluid such as compressed air and can be simultaneously opened and thereafter filled at the predetermined filling station, which procedure is especially advantageous in case of powder-like or solid filling material. It is also feasible to expand the interior space by the material being filled itself which is especially advantageous in the case of a liquid or paste-like material.

It is possible to manufacture large bags having an inner volume up to 50 litres as well as packings of small volume in a range of 1 to 50 milliliters such as for reception of liquid or paste-like pharmaceutical, cosmetic or foodstuff products.

Because the apparatus for carrying out the above method does not require the provision of a counter surface to the pressure foot at the back or outer side of the foil material, this device is in comparison with other apparatus of the prior art constructed much simpler with regard to the expenditure regarding the tooling.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, various embodiments thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figures 1 and 2 are a schematic plan view and an elevational view, respectively, of an apparatus of the invention for producing packings out of two superimposed foil webs; Figure la is a side elevational view of a packing produced by means of the apparatus shown in Figure 1: Figure 3 is a plan view of a prefabricated bag; Figures 4 to 6 are side elevational views of the bag of Figure 2 indicating various steps of the method of producing the bag according to the method of the present invention; Figure 7 is a side elevational view of the premanufactured bag shown in Figure 3 and processed thereafter in accordance with a method of the prior art; Figure 8 is a plan view of a formed receptacle such as e.g. an air cushion, cooler, heat exchanger, etc.; Figures 9 to 11 are schematic views of the method steps during the production and inflating of the formed receptacle of Figure 8; and Figures 12 and 13 are views similar to the views shown in Figures 1 and 2 of an alternate embodiment.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings wherein is shown an embodiment of apparatus of the invention, webs of foil of an expansible or ductile material such as aluminium, plastics or an aluminium/plastic composition are drawn off two rolls 3 and 4 and superimposed in a parallel fashion.

These webs are drawn off by a stepwise advancement of steps of a length "a" or of a multiple of "a". This length "a" corresponds to the width of packings which are to be produced from the web.

The webs traverse two main production stations 5 and 9. Station 5 comprises a clamping means including two clamping frames 6, one being arranged on each side of the two webs 1, 2; the clamping frames are adapted to clamp the portions of the webs together in accordance with the contour of the packing to be produced. The clamping frames encircle a cavity 7 in which cavity the web material remains unclamped.

A male plug 8 can be inserted into the cavity 7. The contour of this male plug 8 approximately corresponds in its plan view (see Figure 1) to the contour of the cavity 7.

When the male plug 8 is now lowered under influence of pressure in the direction of the arrow "A" (see Figure 2) into the cavity 7, the male plug 8 jointly urges the foil material of both web portions which is located in the cavity towards the outside, thus the material is stretched and plastically deformed. The stroke of the male plug 8 is adjustable in accordance with a desired depth of bulge. At any rate this stroke is sufficiently large to ensure that the deformation of the material remains as a permanent deformation.

In the case of the above described embodiment of apparatus of the invention the peripheral areas of the foil around the cavity 7 are heat sealed at the same time as they are clamped. However, in another embodiment such heat sealing can be carried out at another sealing station provided upstream of the station 5. Such other station is shown in broken lines in Figure 1 and is designated by the reference numeral 10.

The foil area 11 which is sealed and which subsequently overlaps the base surface of the clamping frame 6 is shown crosshatched for the sake of clarity. At 12 there is shown an unsealed portion which will serve as a charging opening.

In Figure 2 the bulged areas of both webs are designated with the reference numerals 21 and 22. In the station 5 these bulged areas 21, 22 are next to each other with negligible space therebetween.

In station 9 a nozzle 13 is inserted through the charging opening 12 and the in tenor space between the two bulged areas is expanded. Thereby the inner areas 21 of the foil is inverted to a shape which is a mirror image of the shape to which it was bulged and the packing takes on a form wherein the areas 21 22 both bulge outwards symmetrically (see Figure la), thereby giving the thus formed packing a considerable interior space 14.

The expansion of the interior space 14, consequent upon the inversion of the area 21 can be achieved either by means of pressurized air followed thereafter by charging of the packing or by means of the material itself which is being charged into the packing.

Thereafter, the completed packing can be severed individually from the webs or a certain number of packings can together be severed from the webs such as to obtain a strip of packings consisting of e.g. 10 or any desired number of individual packings connected to one another and which later on can individually be torn off the strip by severing perforated lines included therebetween.

A further embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 12 and 13.

The nozzle 13 is inserted between the two web portions 21, 22 into the interior space as early as at the station 5A corresponding to station 5 of Figure 1. Accordingly station 9 is deleted. According to a preferred filling sequence, shown in Figure 13, the male plug 8 remains in contact with the inner web area 21 during its expansion and especially its inversion, that is, it rests during expansion and inversion upon the foil area 21. This sequence prevents the inversion proceeding with a snap-like action, which possibly could lead to crumpling, to uneven foil thickness, weakened areas and/ or ruptures.

In Figure 3 there is shown a top view of a prefabricated bag formed in conventional manner from a folded sheet of material and which can be processed to a charged packing in accordance with the procedure described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Peripheral areas are sealed as shown crosshatched in Figure 3. The bag 30 of Figure 3 having a cross-sectional configuration as shown in Figure 4 is transferred to a station corresponding to station 5 and clamped for instance at 29 by the previously described procedure along an uninterrupted peripheral area. Then the bag is bulged to one side to stretch, with plastic deformation, those areas of the foil which remain un- clamped, so as to produce stretched, superimposed and bulged foil areas 31, 32. Following this the area 31 of the foil is inverted by means of a pressure medium (compressed air or charging material) fed via a charging opening left at 33 so that the symmetrical cross-sectional configuration of Figure 6 is achieved.

For comparison there is shown in Figure 7 a bag 35 which has been charged without application of the method of the invention. A comparison demonstrates that the interior space 34 of the bag shown in Figure 6 is considerably larger than the interior space 341 of the bag shown in Figure 7.

The difference in size results from the fact that the side walls 31, 32 of the bag shown in Figure 6 have been stretched or deformed during the bulging operation of Figure 5.

The larger interior space 34 gives a larger packing volume with the consumption of the same amount of foil material.

By application of the method of the invention it is possible to produce receptacles of many different plan contours and cross-sectional shapes (see the packings shown in Figures lla and 6). Thus it is possible to provide rupture lines or rupture notches or rupture scores travelling at the desired location through the sealed peripheral area towards the interior space.

As a further example there is now described the formed receptacle 40 shown in Figure 8. This formed body has a meandershaped unsealed area 38 which is surrounded bv sealed areas 39. The arrows "B" and "C" indicate the direction d charging and emntying or direction of circulation, respec- tively.

Figure 9 there is shown the crosssectional view of the formed receptacle of Figure 9 prior to bulging. In Figure 10 there is shown the same formed receptacle after the clamping of the sealed areas 39 and the bulging of the unclamped areas 41, 42 of the material to one side, and Figure 11 depicts the formed body in its expanded condition.

It is also possible to produce bags suit able fnr receint of injection solutions, which are to be extracted out of the bag by means of a syringe puncturing the bag.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS : - 1 A method of producing a receptacle from two superimposed web portions the method consisting of the steps of sealing the web portions together at at least part 'of peripheral areas around central areas to be bulged; subsequently or simultaneously clamping the web portions at the peripheral areas; whilst the peripheral areas are clamped, bulging the central areas to one side, the bulged areas being permanently defo-merl "'itch the bulled area of one web portion lying within the curvature of the other; and expanding the space between the bulged areas, the inner bulged area being inverted during expansion to a shape which is a mirror image of the shape to which it is bulged.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. tenor space between the two bulged areas is expanded. Thereby the inner areas 21 of the foil is inverted to a shape which is a mirror image of the shape to which it was bulged and the packing takes on a form wherein the areas 21 22 both bulge outwards symmetrically (see Figure la), thereby giving the thus formed packing a considerable interior space 14. The expansion of the interior space 14, consequent upon the inversion of the area 21 can be achieved either by means of pressurized air followed thereafter by charging of the packing or by means of the material itself which is being charged into the packing. Thereafter, the completed packing can be severed individually from the webs or a certain number of packings can together be severed from the webs such as to obtain a strip of packings consisting of e.g. 10 or any desired number of individual packings connected to one another and which later on can individually be torn off the strip by severing perforated lines included therebetween. A further embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 12 and 13. The nozzle 13 is inserted between the two web portions 21, 22 into the interior space as early as at the station 5A corresponding to station 5 of Figure 1. Accordingly station 9 is deleted. According to a preferred filling sequence, shown in Figure 13, the male plug 8 remains in contact with the inner web area 21 during its expansion and especially its inversion, that is, it rests during expansion and inversion upon the foil area 21. This sequence prevents the inversion proceeding with a snap-like action, which possibly could lead to crumpling, to uneven foil thickness, weakened areas and/ or ruptures. In Figure 3 there is shown a top view of a prefabricated bag formed in conventional manner from a folded sheet of material and which can be processed to a charged packing in accordance with the procedure described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Peripheral areas are sealed as shown crosshatched in Figure 3. The bag 30 of Figure 3 having a cross-sectional configuration as shown in Figure 4 is transferred to a station corresponding to station 5 and clamped for instance at 29 by the previously described procedure along an uninterrupted peripheral area. Then the bag is bulged to one side to stretch, with plastic deformation, those areas of the foil which remain un- clamped, so as to produce stretched, superimposed and bulged foil areas 31, 32. Following this the area 31 of the foil is inverted by means of a pressure medium (compressed air or charging material) fed via a charging opening left at 33 so that the symmetrical cross-sectional configuration of Figure 6 is achieved. For comparison there is shown in Figure 7 a bag 35 which has been charged without application of the method of the invention. A comparison demonstrates that the interior space 34 of the bag shown in Figure 6 is considerably larger than the interior space 341 of the bag shown in Figure 7. The difference in size results from the fact that the side walls 31, 32 of the bag shown in Figure 6 have been stretched or deformed during the bulging operation of Figure 5. The larger interior space 34 gives a larger packing volume with the consumption of the same amount of foil material. By application of the method of the invention it is possible to produce receptacles of many different plan contours and cross-sectional shapes (see the packings shown in Figures lla and 6). Thus it is possible to provide rupture lines or rupture notches or rupture scores travelling at the desired location through the sealed peripheral area towards the interior space. As a further example there is now described the formed receptacle 40 shown in Figure 8. This formed body has a meandershaped unsealed area 38 which is surrounded bv sealed areas 39. The arrows "B" and "C" indicate the direction d charging and emntying or direction of circulation, respec- tively. Figure 9 there is shown the crosssectional view of the formed receptacle of Figure 9 prior to bulging. In Figure 10 there is shown the same formed receptacle after the clamping of the sealed areas 39 and the bulging of the unclamped areas 41, 42 of the material to one side, and Figure 11 depicts the formed body in its expanded condition. It is also possible to produce bags suit able fnr receint of injection solutions, which are to be extracted out of the bag by means of a syringe puncturing the bag. WHAT WE CLAIM IS : -

1 A method of producing a receptacle from two superimposed web portions the method consisting of the steps of sealing the web portions together at at least part 'of peripheral areas around central areas to be bulged; subsequently or simultaneously clamping the web portions at the peripheral areas; whilst the peripheral areas are clamped, bulging the central areas to one side, the bulged areas being permanently defo-merl "'itch the bulled area of one web portion lying within the curvature of the other; and expanding the space between the bulged areas, the inner bulged area being inverted during expansion to a shape which is a mirror image of the shape to which it is bulged.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1

wherein the web portions are bulged by means of a male plug which during expansion remains in contact with the inverting web portion.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the interior space is expanded by means of a fluid such as compressed air.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the interior space is expanded by means of the material to be packed.

5. Apparatus for carrying out the method of claim 1, comprising a device for sealing the said peripheral areas together, clamping means for clamping together both web portions at the peripheral areas, web bulging means for shaping the central areas of both web portions by bulging the said areas to one side, the web bulging means consisting solely of a male plug and means for moving the male plug during bulging of the said areas, and expansion means for expanding the interior space located between the bulged areas.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the device for sealing together the peripheral areas is arranged upstream of the clamping means with regard to the direction of advance of the web portions.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6 wherein the clamping means and the male plug are located at a common processing station.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the sealing device is also located at the common processing station.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein the receptacle is produced out of two continuously or stepwise advanced superimposed webs of a foil or out of one web of foil folded along its centre line.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein prefabricated bags are produced.

1;1. A method for producing a receptacle substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. Apparatus for producing a receptacle subseantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. A receptacle produced by the method substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.