WO2006036270A2 - Procede et appareil de predecoupe pour bandes de materiaux d'emballage remplis d'air - Google Patents

Procede et appareil de predecoupe pour bandes de materiaux d'emballage remplis d'air Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2006036270A2
WO2006036270A2 PCT/US2005/025787 US2005025787W WO2006036270A2 WO 2006036270 A2 WO2006036270 A2 WO 2006036270A2 US 2005025787 W US2005025787 W US 2005025787W WO 2006036270 A2 WO2006036270 A2 WO 2006036270A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
film
rows
predetermined speed
perforations
roller
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2005/025787
Other languages
English (en)
Other versions
WO2006036270A3 (fr
Inventor
Vladimir Yampolsky
Charles Daigle
Original Assignee
Free-Flow Packaging International, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Free-Flow Packaging International, Inc. filed Critical Free-Flow Packaging International, Inc.
Publication of WO2006036270A2 publication Critical patent/WO2006036270A2/fr
Publication of WO2006036270A3 publication Critical patent/WO2006036270A3/fr

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31D—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES B31B OR B31C
    • B31D5/00—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional articles ; Making three-dimensional articles
    • B31D5/0039—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional articles ; Making three-dimensional articles for making dunnage or cushion pads
    • B31D5/0073—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional articles ; Making three-dimensional articles for making dunnage or cushion pads including pillow forming
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B61/00—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages
    • B65B61/007—Perforating strips of completed packages
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B9/00—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, e.g. liquids or semiliquids, in flat, folded, or tubular webs of flexible sheet material; Subdividing filled flexible tubes to form packages
    • B65B9/02—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material between opposed webs
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31D—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES B31B OR B31C
    • B31D2205/00—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional articles
    • B31D2205/0005—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional articles for making dunnage or cushion pads
    • B31D2205/0011—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional articles for making dunnage or cushion pads including particular additional operations
    • B31D2205/0017—Providing stock material in a particular form
    • B31D2205/0023—Providing stock material in a particular form as web from a roll
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31D—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES B31B OR B31C
    • B31D2205/00—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional articles
    • B31D2205/0005—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional articles for making dunnage or cushion pads
    • B31D2205/0011—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional articles for making dunnage or cushion pads including particular additional operations
    • B31D2205/0052—Perforating; Forming lines of weakness
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31D—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES B31B OR B31C
    • B31D2205/00—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional articles
    • B31D2205/0005—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional articles for making dunnage or cushion pads
    • B31D2205/0011—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional articles for making dunnage or cushion pads including particular additional operations
    • B31D2205/007—Delivering

Definitions

  • This invention pertains generally to air-filled packing materials and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for pre-tearing strings of such materials so they can be more readily separated into desired lengths for use.
  • One of the advantages of such materials is that they can be made from a preconfigured film material which is shipped and stored in a relatively compact form, typically on rolls or folded in boxes, and not inflated until it is at or near the point of use.
  • the inflated film material is usually discharged from the machine which inflates it in the form of a continuous string of cushions with lines of perforations between the cushions so that the material can be torn into desired lengths.
  • an object of the invention to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for making air-filled packing materials.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus of the above character which facilitate the tearing of perforated materials into desired lengths.
  • a packing material having inflated chambers separated by rows of perforations is fed at a predetermined speed in a direction generally perpendicular to the rows and periodically pulled upon rather abruptly to produce a partial tearing of the material along the rows of perforations.
  • Figure 1 is an isometric view of one embodiment of a system for pre-tearing and inflating strings of air-filled packing cushions in accordance with the invention.
  • Figure 2 is a perspective view of the machine which inflates and seals the film material in the embodiment of Figure 1.
  • Figure 3 is top plan view, partly broken away, of the preconfigured film material which is pre-torn and inflated in the embodiment of Figure 1.
  • Figure 4 is a fragmentary isometric view of the embodiment of Figure 1 , with the covers of the pre-tear unit removed.
  • Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of the pre-tear mechanism in the embodiment of Figure 1.
  • Figure 6 is an isometric view of the drive mechanism of the pre-tear unit in the embodiment of Figure 1.
  • the invention is illustrated in connection with a system which includes a machine 11 for inflating and sealing a preconfigured film material 12 to form strings of air-filled packing cushions 13.
  • the system also includes a bin 14 positioned to receive the strings of cushions from the machine, and a dispensing head 16 through which the strings of cushions are withdrawn from the bin
  • the inflating and sealing machine can, for example, be of the type shown in U.S. Patent 6,582,800, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
  • This machine has a base plate 17 which is adapted to rest on a table top or bench, and a generally rectangular enclosure housing 18 mounted on the base plate.
  • the material is fed through the machine by a pair of traveling belts 19 which are trained about drive rollers 21 , take-up rollers 22 and guide rollers 23 - 26.
  • the belts are positioned on opposite sides of the path of the film material, with only the upper belt being visible in Figure 2.
  • the lower belt is identical to the upper one, but inverted so that the two belts are positioned symmetrically about the film path.
  • Air is injected into the material before it reaches the belts by an inflation tube 27 which extends in a generally horizontal direction near the front wall of the housing. Air is supplied to the inflation tube at a pressure on the order of 3 psi by a pump located within the housing and discharged into the film material through a plurality of openings (not shown) in the side wall of the tube. A knife blade (not shown) is provided for slitting the film material along the inflation tube after the material is inflated and sealed to permit the material to separate from the tube.
  • Heater blocks 28 are positioned adjacent to the belts on both sides of the film path for applying heat to the material through the belts to seal the material after it is inflated.
  • the heater blocks are movable between a rest position away from the belts and a sealing position against the belts. They are urged together toward the sealing position by springs 29, and are moved apart by a cam mechanism (not shown).
  • Covers 31 , 32 on the front wall of the housing enclose the belts, rollers and heater blocks and thereby protect the operator as well as keeping the film material away from the sides of the heater blocks.
  • upper cover 31 is formed as an integral part of the housing, and has a transparent window 33 in its outer wall. The two covers are spaced apart to form an opening 34 through which the edge portion of the film material can pass as the material travels along the inflation tube and between the belts.
  • An opening 36 is formed in the lower corner of the window and the upper corner of the lower cover to facilitate insertion of the material into the machine, and a knife 37 is mounted on the upper cover for trimming the corner off the film material to make it easier to thread the material onto the inflation tube.
  • the film material 11 is in the form of an elongated length of flattened plastic tubing 39, such as polyethylene, with rows of perforations 41 extending transversely across the tubing from one edge to the other. Between the rows of perforations, the two layers 43, 44 of the flattened tubing are sealed together along lines 46, 47 which extend from one edge 48 of the tubing in a direction generally parallel to the perforations and terminate a short distance from the second edge 49. Each pair of seal lines 46, 47 defines an air chamber 51 which has an open mouth 52 that communicates with a longitudinally extending inflation channel 53 which is formed between the ends of the seals and the second edge of the material.
  • a similar material is shown in U.S. Patent 6,582,800.
  • the film material is wound into a supply roll 56 which is mounted on a mandrel or spindle 57 for rotation about a horizontally extending axis above and to one side of the inflating and sealing machine.
  • a pre-tear unit 59 is positioned between the supply roll and the inflation and sealing machine for tearing the material along the central portions of the rows of perforations before it is inflated and sealed.
  • the pre-tear unit is enclosed in a housing 61 which has a pair of removable covers 62 on opposite sides of the film material.
  • the pre-tear unit includes a pair of horizontally extending input guides 63, 64 positioned on opposite sides of the film material, a pair of feed rollers 66, 67 which draw the material from the supply roll, and a pair of tear rollers 68, 69 which receive the material from the feed rollers.
  • the feed rollers engage opposite sides of the film material and are driven in unison by a pair of gears 71 , 72 mounted on roller shafts 73, 74.
  • Tear rollers 68, 69 also engage opposite sides of the film material and are driven in unison by gears 76, 77 mounted on their shafts 78, 79.
  • the rollers are driven by a drive motor 81 which is connected to the shaft of tear roller 68 and a drive chain 82 trained about sprockets 83, 84 affixed to drive gears 71 , 76.
  • the sprockets are sized such that the tear rollers turn somewhat faster than the feed rollers, and in one present embodiment, sprocket 83 has 30 teeth, sprocket 84 has 24 teeth, and the tear rollers rotate about 25 percent faster than the feed rollers.
  • Tear roller 69 has an interrupted surface with flat sections 86 spaced in quadrature between arcuate sections 87. This roller is thus adapted to engage the film material and pull upon it on an intermittent or periodic basis. Because the tear rollers are traveling substantially faster than the feed rollers, the pull is a rather abrupt one which tears the material apart along the rows of perforations. The rollers engage a central portion of the material, midway between edges 48, 49, and hence the tearing occurs in the central portions of the rows of perforations, resulting in laterally extending slots or gaps 89 between the cushion chambers.
  • the material emerging from the tear rollers is trained about a horizontally extending bar 91 affixed to a switch arm 92 which pivots about a pin 93. It then passes over a guide rod 94 to inflating and sealing machine 11.
  • a magnet 96 is mounted on the switch, and the position of the arm is monitored by a sensor (not shown) which controls the operation of drive motor 81 , with the drive motor being turned off if the mater is not being pulled by the inflating and sealing machine.
  • Dispensing head 16 has a generally rectangular frame 98 which is mounted in an elevated position on a post 99 next to bin 14.
  • a horizontally extending guide roller 101 is mounted on a bracket 102 toward the top of the post, and the dispensing head has a roller 103 mounted between the side rails 104, 106 of the frame and a plurality of elongated, flexible bristles 107 which extend from the upper rail 108 and terminate just above roller 103.
  • the supply roll 56 of preconfigured film material is placed on mandrel 57, and the free end of the material is threaded through pre-tear unit 59. That unit then draws the material from the supply roll, and the free end of the material is trained about switch arm bar 91 and over guide rod 94. It is then threaded onto the inflation tube 27 and engaged with belts 19 in the inflating and sealing machine.
  • the pre-tear unit continues to draw the material from the supply roll, and the belts draw the material from the pre-tear unit and feed it through the machine. If the machine stops pulling the material, switch arm 92 will rotate in a counterclockwise direction, tripping the sensor which shuts of the drive motor in the pre-tear unit, which serves to regulate the speed of the material through the system.
  • feed rollers 66, 67 engage the central portion of the material continuously and feed the material at a substantially steady speed toward tear rollers 68, 69.
  • the tear rollers are traveling at a higher speed, and engage the material only intermittently or periodically. When they do, they exert a rather abrupt tug or pull on the central portion which tends to tear the in the central portions of the areas of weakness formed by the rows of perforations.
  • the material is fed through the inflating and sealing machine with inflation tube 27 being received in the inflation channel 53 and air from the tube being injected through the open mouths 52 into chambers 51 to inflate the cushions.
  • Heating elements 28 then form a longitudinally extending seal across the mouths of the chambers, thereby sealing the chambers to retain the air in them.
  • the material is slit along the inflation channel to permit it to separate from the inflation tube.
  • the inflated cushions 13 are discharged into bin 14 in the form of a continuous string, and stored in the bin until they used. They are withdrawn from the bin, trained over roller 101 , and passed between the bristles 107 and roller 103 of dispensing head 16.
  • the bristles permit the cushions to be withdrawn from the bin without tearing apart if the string of them is pulled steadily. However, they also provide some resistance to the movement of the string such that the pre- torn cushions can be torn apart in desired numbers simply by snapping down on the string. That can be done with one hand, which is a significant improvement and advantage over the prior art where the cushions had to be grasped with both hands and torn laterally in order to separate them.
  • the centrally located slots or openings produced by the pre-tear unit also have another advantage in that they allow the central portions of the cushions to be drawn in and rounded as they are inflated, which allows them to hold about 20 percent more air than they could without the slots.

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un procédé et un appareil qui facilite le découpage des matériaux d'emballage à des longueurs voulues en effectuant un découpage préalable le long des lignes de perforation prévues à cet effet. Dans les modes de réalisation de l'invention, un matériau d'emballage préconfiguré fait de chambres gonflables séparées par des lignes de perforation, qui avance à une vitesse définie selon un sens sensiblement perpendiculaire aux lignes subit une traction brutale visant à produire une déchirure partielle du matériau le long de segments centraux des lignes de perforations.
PCT/US2005/025787 2004-09-22 2005-07-20 Procede et appareil de predecoupe pour bandes de materiaux d'emballage remplis d'air WO2006036270A2 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US10/946,715 US20060059865A1 (en) 2004-09-22 2004-09-22 Method and apparatus for pre-tearing strings of air-filled packing materials
US10/946,715 2004-09-22

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2006036270A2 true WO2006036270A2 (fr) 2006-04-06
WO2006036270A3 WO2006036270A3 (fr) 2006-08-03

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2005/025787 WO2006036270A2 (fr) 2004-09-22 2005-07-20 Procede et appareil de predecoupe pour bandes de materiaux d'emballage remplis d'air

Country Status (2)

Country Link
US (1) US20060059865A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO2006036270A2 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2013100480A (ja) * 2011-10-12 2013-05-23 Central Glass Co Ltd シラン系組成物およびその硬化膜、並びにそれを用いたネガ型レジストパターンの形成方法
CN108016928A (zh) * 2016-11-04 2018-05-11 施托奥皮克汉斯赖兴埃克有限公司 用于生产和/或分离互连包装垫串的装置和方法

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EP1789326B8 (fr) * 2004-08-19 2008-01-09 Unilever Plc Ameliorations apportees a un emballage
DE202005006427U1 (de) * 2005-04-21 2005-07-21 LÖRSCH, Johannes Vorrichtung zur Herstellung gasgefüllter Füllkörper
US8554363B2 (en) * 2010-09-21 2013-10-08 Sealed Air Corporation Apparatus configured to dispense a plurality of connected inflatable structures and associated system and method
WO2017023164A1 (fr) * 2015-08-03 2017-02-09 Ideepack Holding B.V. Dispositif et procédé de fabrication de coussins à gaz à partir de matériau de film préconçu
US10150272B2 (en) * 2015-08-05 2018-12-11 Tung-Lung Chiang Air bag machine
US11078001B2 (en) * 2018-08-14 2021-08-03 Pregis Innovative Packaging Llc Inflatable packaging with tear initiation feature

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US3727814A (en) * 1970-03-09 1973-04-17 Windmoeller & Hoelscher Tear-off apparatus for successively tearing off a length from the leading end of a moving flattened tubular web of material
US4261497A (en) * 1979-01-18 1981-04-14 Pitney Bowes Inc. Bursting apparatus
US4493684A (en) * 1982-10-04 1985-01-15 W. R. Grace & Co., Cryovac Div. Method for making partially separated multibags
US5230453A (en) * 1990-10-03 1993-07-27 Industria Grafica Meschi Srl Apparatus for high speed of stacking either sheets or forms as a continuous web or separated sheets with tear splitting along prepierced lines
US6582800B2 (en) * 2000-01-20 2003-06-24 Free-Flow Packaging International, Inc. Method for making pneumatically filled packing cushions

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US6488222B1 (en) * 2000-08-18 2002-12-03 Larry G. West Bag dispensing system and C-fold bag used therewith
US7174696B2 (en) * 2002-03-01 2007-02-13 Free-Flow Packaging International, Inc. Machine and method for inflating and sealing air-filled packing cushions
US7343723B2 (en) * 2004-01-27 2008-03-18 Free-Flow Packaging International, Inc. Method and apparatus for pre-tearing strings of air-filled packing materials and the like

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3727814A (en) * 1970-03-09 1973-04-17 Windmoeller & Hoelscher Tear-off apparatus for successively tearing off a length from the leading end of a moving flattened tubular web of material
US4261497A (en) * 1979-01-18 1981-04-14 Pitney Bowes Inc. Bursting apparatus
US4493684A (en) * 1982-10-04 1985-01-15 W. R. Grace & Co., Cryovac Div. Method for making partially separated multibags
US5230453A (en) * 1990-10-03 1993-07-27 Industria Grafica Meschi Srl Apparatus for high speed of stacking either sheets or forms as a continuous web or separated sheets with tear splitting along prepierced lines
US6582800B2 (en) * 2000-01-20 2003-06-24 Free-Flow Packaging International, Inc. Method for making pneumatically filled packing cushions

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2013100480A (ja) * 2011-10-12 2013-05-23 Central Glass Co Ltd シラン系組成物およびその硬化膜、並びにそれを用いたネガ型レジストパターンの形成方法
CN108016928A (zh) * 2016-11-04 2018-05-11 施托奥皮克汉斯赖兴埃克有限公司 用于生产和/或分离互连包装垫串的装置和方法

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
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