Method and apparatus for making an air cell cushioning product
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
B32B-031/00
B32B-003/28
출원번호
US-0333042
(1981-12-21)
발명자
/ 주소
Ottaviano Gary W. (Bedford Heights OH)
출원인 / 주소
Ranpak Corp. (Willoughby OH 02)
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
18인용 특허 :
1
초록▼
A method and apparatus for the production of air cell cushioning material, for protective cushioning purposes in packaging or other purposes, with the air cell product being formed from flexible, single stratum sheet of low density, low melting point thermoplastic, such as low density polyethylene f
A method and apparatus for the production of air cell cushioning material, for protective cushioning purposes in packaging or other purposes, with the air cell product being formed from flexible, single stratum sheet of low density, low melting point thermoplastic, such as low density polyethylene film. The method and apparatus include an arrangement for cooling an embossed film on a rotatable forming drum to a predetermined temperature range prior to applying a sealing laminating film to the cooled embossed film, and are such that the apparatus can be halted in its operation without injurious effects to any substantial amount of the air cell product being produced, and can be restarted to again commence production of the air cell product. The apparatus and method utilize clear thermoplastic single stratum film, and result in an effective air cell cushioning product which possesses extremely good clarity even after the heating and pressure steps utilized in the production of the product.
대표청구항▼
In a method of manufacturing air cell cushioning dunnage material from a plurality of sheets of flexible thermoplastic, single stratum film, of low melting point, low density material, such as for instance polyethylene film, comprising the steps of, heating a first of the sheets to a temperature suf
In a method of manufacturing air cell cushioning dunnage material from a plurality of sheets of flexible thermoplastic, single stratum film, of low melting point, low density material, such as for instance polyethylene film, comprising the steps of, heating a first of the sheets to a temperature sufficient for providing for vacuum forming of the sheet on a forming drum, and embossing said heated first sheet by feeding it onto the rotating forming drum having a plurality of recesses therein and forming the air cells in the recesses on said forming drum by vacuum, heating a second sheet of the thermoplastic film to about the melting point of the second sheet, cooling the embossed sheet while on said rotating drum by means of said drum to a temperature below said vacuum forming temperature and to a temperature approaching the heat softening point of said thermoplastic material and within a temperature range which is no greater than 30 Fahrenheit degrees above the heat softening point of said material, and then applying said second sheet to said first sheet together with predetermined pressure, whereby the residue heat in said second sheet causes a melting of the confronting surface of the cooled embossed sheet sufficiently in conjunction with said pressure, to cause a heat bonding of said first and second sheets at the areas of engagement while on the drum so as to seal the air cells in the formed product, and then removing the formed product from the forming drum. In an apparatus for producing embossed air cell cushioning dunnage from flexible thermoplastic single stratum sheet stock, of low melting point, low density material, such as for instance polyethylene film, comprising a rotatable forming drum having a plurality of recesses formed in the surface thereof for vacuum forming the air cells in a first sheet of the thermoplastic material fed onto the rotating forming drum, a first series of spaced rollers, spaced, with respect to said forming drum and adapted for engagement with the first sheet, said series of rollers having means provided for heating the first sheet prior to its being fed onto said forming drum to a temperature adequate to provide for vacuum thermoforming of the air cells onto the first sheet on the forming drum, and a second series of rollers, spaced from said first series and having means adapted to heat a second of the thermoplastic sheets of stock materials to a temperature at about the melting point of the second sheet while engaging the second sheet, said forming drum including means for cooling the first sheet while on said forming drum during rotation of the latter, whereby the outwardly facing surface of the first sheet is cooled by said forming drum to a temperature below the vacuum thermoforming temperature of the first sheet and to a temperature approaching the heat softening point of the thermoplastic sheet material, and within a temperature range which is no greater than 30 Fahrenheit degrees above the heat softening point of the first sheet, and means coacting with said second series of rollers for pressurized application onto said rotatable forming drum of the heated second sheet from said second roller series, with the first sheet, whereby the residue heat in the second sheet will cause a melting of the confronting outwardly facing surface of the cooled embossed first sheet sufficiently in conjunction with said pressure, to cause heat bonding of the first and second sheets at the areas of engagement while on said forming drum during rotation thereof so as to seal the air cells in the formed product, the point of application of the second sheet to the cooled embossed first sheet on said forming drum by said application means being a substantial peripheral distance from the point of application of the first sheet to said rotating forming drum so that complete cooling of the first sheet including both side surfaces thereof, can occur on said forming drum prior to said application of the second sheet thereto, and a peripheral distance at least as great as the radius of said forming drum.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (1)
Ottaviano Gary W. (Bedford Heights OH), Method of making cushioning dunnage.
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