Cooling device and method for cooling a multi-layer laminate

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a cooling device for at least one laminate composite consisting of several layers and to a method for cooling it.

[0002] US Pat. No. 5,637,174 A discloses a device for the automatic production of an identification card. At least two layers are each fed to a printing station and subsequently cut and joined in a cutting device. The layers are then fed to a laminating device. This device comprises two counter-rotating conveyor belts, between which the layers are picked up and guided first along a heating station and then along a cooling station. The laminated composite is then fed to another processing station.

[0003] EP 0 677 786 A1 discloses a laminating unit and a developing device. After a laminate has left the laminating device, it is fed to the developing device, where the material web is sprayed with a developing fluid. The material web is then dried. Air ducts are provided on both sides of the material web, each of which delivers a hot air stream to the side of the material web to which the ducts are directed.

[0004] DE 694 04 027 T2 discloses a method and apparatus for producing a laminate. The laminate is passed through a heating device and subsequently through a heating / cooling zone before passing through a quenching device. Heating or cooling is performed in the heating / cooling zone by applying heating or cooling streams to the strip-shaped material on both sides and in opposite directions.

[0005] A laminate composite comprises multiple layers bonded together in a lamination device using a hot-melt adhesive. Before further processing of such a laminate composite, such as punching the laminate composite to a predetermined format, the hot-melt adhesive must be allowed to set to prevent, for example, adhesive residue in the form of threads from forming during the punching process and the formation of unclean punched edges on the laminate composite.

[0006] The invention is based on the object of proposing a cooling device for at least one laminate composite consisting of several layers and a method for cooling such a laminate composite, so that a laminate composite led out of a laminate device can be further processed within a short time.

[0007] This object is achieved by a cooling device for at least one laminate composite consisting of several layers, which cooling device comprises a housing which at least partially surrounds a transport path along which the at least one laminate composite is moved, wherein the housing has an inlet opening and an outlet opening in order to guide the laminate composite through the housing. A cooling device is arranged in the housing on both sides of the transport path and which together generates at least one air flow which is oriented transversely to the transport path and forms a cooling path. As a result, a laminate composite which is still heated is cooled down in a short time. By generating the air flow transversely to the transport direction of the laminate composite, a high level of heat removal from the laminate composite can be enabled.Within a relatively short time, the laminate composite can be cooled to the required temperature for subsequent processing. For example, a subsequent punching process can enable residue-free punching.

[0008] The cooling device preferably has a housing with a tunnel-shaped passage along which the transport path extends. This allows for the continuous passage of at least one laminate composite, for example, using a conveyor belt of a transport device, so that multiple laminate composites can also be passed through the cooling device simultaneously. This can increase the cycle time during the production of such laminate composites.

[0009] A further advantageous embodiment of the cooling device provides for air guiding elements arranged in the housing that extend to the transport path. This allows for targeted air flow for improved heat dissipation from the laminate composite.

[0010] Advantageously, the air guiding elements extend along the transport path provided between the inlet and outlet openings in the housing. This allows a virtually closed area for cooling the at least one laminate composite to be achieved despite the housing being only partially closed in terms of air flow.

[0011] Thermoelectric cooling devices are preferably provided in the housing of the cooling device to generate the air flow. Such thermoelectric cooling devices have the advantage of requiring little installation space. Furthermore, electrical control can be implemented easily. Additional cooling media are not required.

[0012] The thermoelectric cooling device preferably comprises at least one Peltier element and a cooling fin arrangement connected thereto, with one cooling fin arrangement with a fan facing the housing interior and another cooling fin arrangement with a fan facing the housing exterior. This represents a simple and space-saving design for such a cooling device.

[0013] To generate the air flow transverse to the transport path, the cooling devices are preferably assigned to one another in pairs and are positioned on either side of the transport path. In the first of the two cooling devices, the fans have the same flow direction, from the interior of the housing to the exterior. In the second of the two cooling devices, the fan arranged towards the interior of the cooling chamber is aligned with a flow direction towards the transport path, and the fan facing the exterior of the housing is aligned with a flow direction inwards into the housing. A common air flow can be generated within the housing of the cooling device. This allows for an improved reduction in the temperature in the cooling chamber, i.e. within the housing of the cooling device.

[0014] Preferably, several cooling devices aligned in pairs are provided along the transport path in the housing, forming a cooling path. Several laminate composites can be filled simultaneously.

[0015] Furthermore, to improve the cooling performance, an additional flow element can advantageously be provided outside the air guide elements, assigned to the first cooling device, through which a portion of the air flow from the first internal fan is returned cooled to the housing. This creates a type of cooling curtain that closes the open areas between the inlet and outlet openings and the conveying device, in particular the conveyor belt, passing through with the laminate composite.

[0016] The object underlying the invention is achieved by a method for cooling a laminate composite consisting of several layers. In this method, the laminate composite, which is led out of the laminate device and still heated, is moved along a transport path and passed through a cooling device. In this method, an air flow is generated which crosses the transport path and forms a cooling path within which the heat is transported away from the laminate composite. This method has the advantage of achieving rapid cooling. In addition, several laminate composites can be passed through the cooling device and cooled simultaneously. This can reduce the cycle time for processing in a subsequent process.

[0017] Furthermore, it is preferably provided that the air flow is generated using a thermoelectric cooling device, with a thermoelectric cooling device being positioned on each side of the transport path. This enables efficient cooling.

[0018] The air flow generated by the cooling device is advantageously guided through air guide elements aligned transversely to the transport path. This allows a volume flow with an increased flow velocity to be achieved, which increases heat removal from the laminate composite. This can reduce the cooling time.

[0019] Furthermore, the air guide elements preferably extend between an inlet and outlet opening within the housing. This limits the cooling space or cooling path on the one hand, and on the other hand, achieves increased cooling efficiency.

[0020] To accelerate cooling of at least one laminate composite, the laminate composite is passed upright through the cooling devices, which are arranged in pairs, and the generated air flow is directed parallel to the front and back of the laminate composite. This allows for lower flow velocities to achieve increased heat dissipation. This, in turn, enables a reduction in the costs of designing such a cooling device.

[0021] The cooling device is preferably used to cool a laminate composite produced by bonding at least two layers directly to one another or with auxiliary materials. The direct bonding of at least two layers can be achieved by fold lamination or hot lamination. In particular, the surfaces of the layers or the layers themselves are heated so that they reach the respective glass transition temperature and are subsequently bonded to one another under appropriate pressure. Alternatively, it can be provided that the at least two layers are bonded with an auxiliary material such as a thermally reactive adhesive. The laminate composite can be produced by hot bonding, in particular using a hotmelt adhesive, or by hot pressing.

[0022] A further preferred embodiment of the method provides that an adhesive that can be activated under radiation can also be used as an auxiliary material.

[0023] The laminate composite passed through the cooling device is preferably made from several different layers. For example, a data page or personalization data page is provided as the laminate composite, which consists of at least two thermoplastic layers and a tab consisting of a fabric layer or a fabric-plastic composite layer is attached between these at least two layers or to one of these layers. The laminate composite can also be provided as a book cover, for example made of cardboard, paper or a paper-plastic composite, which encloses a book binding. The laminate composite can also be designed as a passport, in which, for example, a book block is connected to a book cover or a book case. After cooling this laminate composite, it can be cut or punched to a final format.

[0024] The invention and further advantageous embodiments and developments thereof are described and explained in more detail below with reference to the examples shown in the drawings. They show: Figure 1 a schematic view of a cooling device connected downstream of a lamination device, Figure 2 a perspective view of the cooling device, and Figure 3 a perspective view from above in section of the cooling device according to Figure 2 .

[0025] In Figure 1A perspective view of a cooling device 11 is shown, which is arranged downstream of a lamination device 12. In the lamination device 12, a laminate composite 14 consisting of several layers is produced. The individual layers can consist of organic polymer material and / or paper and / or cardboard, or a mixture of the aforementioned materials. These are bonded together with a temperature-activated adhesive under the influence of pressure and / or temperature in the lamination device 12.The at least one layer consisting of organic polymer material can, for example, consist of polycarbonate (PC), very particularly bisphenol A polycarbonate, carboxy-modified PC, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), its derivatives such as glycol-modified PET (PETG), carboxy-modified PET, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinyl butyral (PVB), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyimide (PI), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polystyrene (PS), polyvinylphenol (PVP), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), in particular thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) and / or their derivatives.

[0026] The laminate composite 14 is guided out of the lamination device 12 and fed to the cooling device 11 by a transport device, in particular a conveyor belt 16. The cooling device 11 is designed such that the conveyor belt 16 can be guided through with the laminate composites 14 fixed or held thereon. The cooled laminate composites 14 are then fed to a magazine or a subsequent processing station for a subsequent process, such as punching.

[0027] The cooling device 11 is shown in perspective in Figure 2 and in a schematic partial section in Figure 3This cooling device 11 comprises a housing 19, which has an inlet opening 21 and an outlet opening 22. A tunnel-shaped passage extends between them, along which the conveyor belt 16 is guided and the laminate composites 14 are guided through the cooling device 11. The inlet opening 21 and the outlet opening 22 are each provided in an end face 25 of the housing 19. A further closed wall section 26 is provided between them. This can advantageously have an openable access for maintenance work.

[0028] The conveyor belt 16 runs along a transport path through the housing 19. At least one cooling device 28, 29 is provided on each side of the transport path. The cooling devices 28, 29 are preferably positioned opposite one another in pairs. The cooling devices 28, 29 are coordinated with one another so that they generate an air flow according to arrow 30, which traverses or crosses the transport path. This allows heat to be removed from the hot laminate composite 14. At the same time, the heat can be removed from the housing 19 of the cooling device 11 to the outside.

[0029] The cooling device 28, 29 is preferably designed as a thermoelectric cooling device. Such a thermoelectric cooling device 28, 29 comprises Peltier elements 31 and cooling fin arrangements 32, as well as fans 33, 34.

[0030] In Figure 3A basic arrangement is shown. The cooling device 28 comprises the Peltier element 31 with a cooling fin arrangement 32 arranged on the outside and a fan 33 associated with this cooling fin arrangement 32. This fan 33 faces the outside of the housing 19 and discharges a heated air flow to the outside. A Peltier element 31 is provided towards the cooling chamber or housing interior, followed by a cooling fin arrangement 32, which in turn is associated with an internal fan 34. The flow directions of these fans 33, 34 of the cooling device 28 are aligned such that the flow direction is directed from the inside of the housing 19 to the outside.

[0031] The structure of the second cooling device 29, which is opposite the first cooling device 28, is analogous. The first and second cooling devices 28, 29 differ only in that in the second cooling device 29, the internal fan 34 points inward in the flow direction and not outward, as is the case with the first cooling device 28.

[0032] By pairing the cooling devices 28, 29, an air flow is generated from the cooling device 29 to the cooling device 28 transversely to the transport path. The heated air flow is discharged to the outside through the cooling device 28.

[0033] To guide the air flow in a targeted manner, both the cooling device 28 and the cooling device 29 are assigned air guide elements 38, 39. These elements are adjacent to the internal fans 34. These air guide elements 38, 39 preferably extend between the inlet opening 21 and the outlet opening 22 in the housing 19, as viewed in the transport direction.

[0034] The first cooling device 28 is preferably assigned additional flow elements 41, 42, which are positioned outside the air guide elements 38, 39. As a result, a portion of the air flow, which is supplied to the cooling fin arrangement 32 by the internal fan 34 and guided past the Peltier element 31, is cooled and returned to the interior of the housing 19. This creates an air flow to close the open areas between the laminate composite 14 and the conveyor belt 16, on the one hand, and the inlet opening 21 or outlet opening 22, on the other.

[0035] The conveyor belt 16 receives the laminate composite 14 individually and preferably in an upright position. "Upright" means that the laminate composite 14 is oriented perpendicular to the plane of the conveyor belt or the transport path with respect to its planar extent. The laminate composite 14 is oriented with respect to its front and rear sides virtually parallel to the air flow according to arrow 30 and is guided through the cooling device 11.

[0036] The laminate composite 14 can be a valuable and / or security document. This valuable and / or security document can, for example, be in ID1 or ID3 format. Security documents with an ID1 format are used, for example, for check cards, visa cards, telephone cards, driver's licenses, health insurance cards, or other authorization cards. Alternatively, the security document can comprise an ID3 format or other formats. An ID3 format is used, for example, for a personalization data page in a passport. Such a personalization data page can additionally comprise a transponder module consisting of an IC chip and an antenna.

[0037] The laminated composite 14 in an ID3 format can also be a passport, for example. In this passport, a book cover can be laminated to a book cover. For example, an endpaper can also be laminated to a book cover to create a passport. The endpaper is preferably connected to a book block. Reference number list

[0038] 11. Cooling device 29. Cooling device 12. Laminating device 30. Arrow 14. Laminate composite 31. Peltier element 16. conveyor belt 32. Cooling fin arrangement 19. Housing 33. outside fan 21. Entrance opening 34. Fan inside 22. Exit opening 38. Air guide element 23. Tunnel-shaped passage 39. Air guide element 25. front side 41. flow element 26. Wall section 42. flow element 28. Cooling device

Claims

1. Cooling device for a multi-layered laminate(14), - with a housing (19) which at least partially surrounds a transport section along which the at least one laminate composite (14) is moved, - with an inlet opening (21) and outlet opening (22) provided on the housing (19), and - with cooling devices (28, 29) arranged on both sides of the transport path in the housing (19), the cooling devices (28, 29) being located opposite one another in pairs, characterized in that the cooling devices (28, 29) are matched to one another so that they generate a common air flow, which crosses the transport path and forms a cooling path for the at least one laminate composite (14) and leads a heat removal from the housing (19) of the cooling device (11) to the outside.

2. Cooling device according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (19) has a tunnel-shaped passage (23) along which the transport section extends.

3. Cooling device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each cooling device (28, 29) is assigned air guide elements (38, 39) which extend as far as the transport section and preferably the air guide elements (38, 39) extend along the transport section between the inlet opening (21) and the outlet opening (22) in the housing (19).

4. Cooling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cooling devices (28, 29) are designed as thermoelectric cooling devices (28, 29) and preferably in that the cooling device (28, 29) has at least one Peltier element (31) and at least one cooling fin arrangement (32) arranged thereon, at least one fan (33, 34) being assigned to the cooling fin arrangement (32).

5. Cooling device according to claim 4, characterized in that the at least one Peltier element (31) is assigned a cooling fin arrangement (32) assigned to the inside of the housing (19) and this in turn is assigned an internal fan (34) pointing into the housing (19) and the at least one Peltier element (31) pointing to the outside of the housing (19) is assigned an external cooling fin arrangement (32), on which an external fan (33) pointing to the outside of the housing (19) is provided.

6. Cooling device according to one of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the cooling devices (28, 29) are aligned in pairs with respect to one another towards the transport section, the internal fan (34) and external fan (33) of the first cooling device (28) having the same flow direction, and this flow direction is directed towards the outside of the housing (19), and in the second cooling device (29) the internal fan (34) is aligned with a flow direction towards the transport section and the external fan (33) is aligned with a flow direction inwards into the housing (19).

7. Cooling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of cooling devices (28, 29) assigned to one another in pairs are provided along the transport path in the housing (19).

8. Cooling device according to one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that in the first cooling device (28) a flow element (41, 42) is provided outside the air guiding elements (38, 39), which returns a part of the air flow cooled by the first internal fan (33) into the housing (19).

9. Method for cooling at least one multi-layered laminate composite (14) - in which the at least one laminate composite (14) led out of a laminating device (12) is moved along a transport path and guided through a cooling device (11) according to claim 1, - in which an air flow is generated in the cooling device (11) by cooling devices (28, 29) arranged on both sides of the transport section, characterized in that the cooling devices (28, 29) are positioned opposite one another in pairs and are positioned in a coordinated manner, so that they generate a common air flow which crosses the transport section and forms a cooling section within which the heat from the at least one laminate composite (14) is removed outwards from the housing (19) of the cooling device (11) by the air flow.

10. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that the air flow is formed by at least a first and a second cooling device (28, 29), which are assigned to one another in pairs and are arranged on both sides of the transport path.

11. Method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the air flow is generated by thermoelectric cooling devices (28, 29).

12. Method according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the air flow is guided by air guiding elements (38, 39) which are aligned transversely to the transport path and extend completely along the transport path inside the housing (19).

13. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that the laminate composite (14) is guided upright through the cooling device (11) by a transport device and the air flow is aligned parallel to the front and rear sides of the laminate composite (14).

14. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that a laminate composite (14) formed from at least two layers bonded directly to one another or from at least two layers bonded to an auxiliary material is cooled and a thermally reactive adhesive or an adhesive which can be activated by radiation is used as auxiliary material.

15. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that the laminate composite (14) is made of several layers of different materials and one is formed as a data page of layers consisting of a thermoplastic and as a flap of a fabric layer or a fabric-plastic composite layer or as a passport with a book cover applied to a book cover or as a passport by bonding a book block to a book cover.