Machine for sealing carton

Abstract

A packaging apparatus forms a completely sealed composite package. The apparatus employs a continuous process which involves conditioning a surface of the package substrate. The substrate includes an adhesive coating that can be reactivated by infra-red radiation and adheres the package substrate to a juxtaposed face of a second surface. The apparatus uses rollers (102, 104, 118, 120) to compress the two surfaces together to complete the construction process.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention relates to a method and apparatus for adhering one surface to another, and more particularly to cartons and packaging systems.[0002]The invention is concerned with a method and apparatus for adhering packaging substrates which have been conditioned with an adhesive coating.[0003]The invention has potential applications in many types of consumer packaging but offers many benefits in pharmaceutical packaging where tamper evident and child proof features are important characteristics of the packaging, and where conventional gluing technologies such as hot melt gluing are less suitable. Additionally, the pharmaceutical industry requires stringent quality control checks as well as a high rate of output in order for the packaging methods to be viable and cost effective. One common type of pharmaceutical package is a foil-backed PVC and Aclar / PVC blister pack which contains pharmaceutical products such as prescription drugs. The blister pack n...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0036]According to an eighth aspect, the invention provides an apparatus having means for executing a process on an article while the article is in motion, the apparatus comprising a checking means for assessing whether the processing means is ready to execute said process, the checking means comprising a first monitoring means for monitoring the operation of the processing means, means for supplying a test article to the processing means and for maintaing the test article in motion whilst the process is executed, and comprising a second monitoring means for monitoring the integrity of the test article once the process has been executed, the first and second monitoring means each being coupled to a control means for determining whether the processing means is ready before the process is executed on an article and for causing the process to be executed.

[0037]Preferably the process is an infra-red heating process and the article is a paperboard blank and wherein each of the first

Problems solved by technology

This causes the process to be slow and therefore costly.

In known processes, one mould of a platen sealer, the female, is generally not heated because heating this would lead to heating of the blister contents and heating of the blister packs can have a detrimental effect to the contents.

However, a disadvantage of this technique is the reduction in the quality of the adhesive bond between the blister and paperboard layers of the package and a further increase in the time taken to produce each packaged blister pack.

A further disadvantage of current packaging systems is that they require physical contact between the substrate and the heating element and this may have a detrimental effect on the printed surface of substrates, thereby reducing the aesthetic appearance of the packaging.

The hot mould directly contacting the flammable paperboard package can also be dangerous.

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