Thermal bonding machine

Abstract

A thermal bonding machine may include a plurality of modules. At least one of the plurality of modules is a stand-up pedal module, a sit-down pedal module, a horizontal arm module or a vertical arm module, a top belt assembly module or a top roller, a bottom belt assembly module or a bottom roller, a side cutter module, a suction tube module, a chute module or a tape feeder and cutter module, an indirect hot air module, and / or a direct hot air module.

Description

THERMAL BONDING MACHINETECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates generally to a thermal bonding machine. More specifically, the present application relates to a thermal bonding machine for textile articles that may be convertible for multiple purposes.BACKGROUND

[0002] Textile bonding is an alternative to sewing and is used for joining / reinforcing of material and for decorative fashion and functional elements that adds value to the product. Most commonly used adhesive for bonding is thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and forms of its derivates. Bonding machines use heat to melt the TPU and pressure to bond the surfaces.

[0003] The inventor has identified numerous deficiencies and problems with the existing technologies in this field. Through applied effort, ingenuity, and innovation, many of these identified deficiencies and problems have been solved by developing solutions that are structured in accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure, many examples of which are described in detail herein.BRIEF SUMMARY

[0004] In various embodiments, a thermal bonding machine for bonding textiles, for example, is provided. In an example embodiment, a thermal bonding machine includes a plurality of modules. For example, the plurality of modules may include one or more of a stand-up pedal module, a sit-down pedal module, a horizontal arm module, a vertical (feed-of-the-arm) module, a top belt assembly module, a bottom belt assembly module, a side cutter module and a suction tube module, a chute module, a tape feeder and cutter module, a direct hot air module, and / or an indirect hot air module.

[0005] In an example embodiment a thermal bonding machine for bonding textiles, for example, is provided. The thermal bonding machine includes a plurality of modules. The plurality of modules include a stand-up pedal module, a sit-down pedal module, a horizontal arm module, a vertical (feed-of-the-arm) module, a top belt assembly module,a bottom belt assembly module, a side cutter module and a suction tube module, a chute module, a tape feeder and cutter module, a direct hot air module, and / or an indirect hot air module.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS)

[0006] Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

[0007] Figures 1-62 provide various views of various embodiments of thermal bonding machines, modules, components, and / or portions thereof, in accordance with various embodiments.

[0008] Figure 63 provides a flowchart illustrating various processes and / or procedures that may be performed by a controller of the thermal bonding machine to optimize the cutter frequency of the side cutter module, in accordance with an example embodiment.

[0009] Figure 64 provides a functional block diagram of a direct air heater fail-safe mechanism, in accordance with an example embodiment.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] One or more embodiments are now more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout and in which some, but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various embodiments. It is evident, however, that the various embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. It should be understood that some, but not all embodiments are shown and described herein. Indeed, the embodiments may be embodied in many different forms, and accordingly this disclosure should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements.

[0011] As used herein, the term “exemplary” means serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use of the word exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion. In addition, while a particular feature may be disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes” and “including” and variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, these terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.”

[0012] As used herein, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or”. That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from context, “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form.

[0013] As used herein, the terms “coupled,” “fixed,” “attached to,” and the like refer to both direct coupling, fixing, or attaching, as well as indirect coupling, fixing, or attaching through one or more intermediate components or features, unless otherwise specified herein.

[0014] As used herein, terms of approximation, such as “approximately,” “substantially,” or “about,” refer to being within manufacturing or engineering tolerances. For example, terms of approximation may refer to being within a five percent margin of error.

[0015] As used herein, terms such as “front,” “rear,” “top,” "right side,” “left side,” etc. are merely used for explanatory purposes in the examples provided to describe the relative position of certain components or portions of components. However, it should be understood that these directional terms depend on perspective of the viewer and should be non-limiting.Exemplary Bonding Machines

[0016] Referring now to FIGS. 1-2, perspective views of a bonding machine 100 are provided, in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 1 provides a front view of the bonding machine 100, and FIG. 2 provides a back view of the bonding machine 100. The bonding machine 100 may be configured to join and / or reinforce material. For example, the bonding machine 100 may be configured to heat and melt thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) that is positioned between two pieces of material, add pressure, and bond the surfaces of the two pieces of material. The bonding machine 100 may be configured as a narrow width continuous bonding machine 100 that is configured for various bonding operations, such as seam sealing (e.g., covering a sewn seam with a bondable sealing tape for making the seam impermeable and / or for decorativeness), laydown of an adhesive (bondable tape) to a textile material with or without side trimming of the material for final appearance / function or as an intermediate step for laying down the adhesive to bond with another surface, and / or overlap / hem / strap / foam cup / fold over bonding (bonding the same material together with heat and pressure where an adhesive has been previously laid down).

[0017] The bonding machine 100 may include various components and / or assemblies, such as some or all of: a horizontal arm module 1, a horizontal arm support bed 2, a vertical arm module 3 (not shown in FIGS. 1-2), a vertical arm support bed 4 (not shown in FIGS. 1-2), a top roller module 5, a top roller 6, a bottom roller 7 (not shown in FIGS. 1-2), a top belt assembly module 8 (not shown in FIGS. 1-2), a bottom belt assembly module 9 (not shown in FIGS. 1-2), a side cutter module 10, a suction tube module 11, a waste collection system 12, a chute module 13, a tape feeder and cutter module 14 (not shown in FIGS. 1-2), a hot air module 15, which may include an indirect hot air module 16 and / or a direct hot air module 17, an adhesive support bracket 18, a human machine interface (HMI) module 19, a height adjustable machine frame 20, adhesive guides 21, a pressure regulator 22, hot air flow controls 23, quick electrical connectors 24, pneumatic push connectors 25, a height adjustable machine table 26, a control box 27, a filter, regulator, and lubricator (FRL) unit 28, a machine power switch 29, a machine table drawer 30, a stand-up pedal module 31 (not shown in FISG. 1-2), asit-down pedal module 32, a bonding roller and / or belt nip gap adjustor mechanism 33, a light emitting diode (LED) task light 34, and / or other components and / or assemblies.

[0018] Referring now to FIGS. 3-7, and 9, perspective views of different configurations of the bonding machine 100 are provided, in accordance with various example embodiments. As discussed, the bonding machine 100 may include various components and / or assemblies. The bonding machine 100 may be reconfigurable in that various components, modules, and / or assemblies may be removed and / or installed on the bonding machine 100. FIGS. 3-7 and 9 provide various examples of some of the different possible configurations. However, it should be understood that the configurations provided in FIGS. 3-7 and 9 are non- exhaustive and that other configurations of the bonding machine 100 exist and are contemplated.

[0019] FIG. 3 depicts the bonding machine 100 without the side cutter module 10 installed, in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 4 depicts the bonding machine 100 with the top belt assembly module 8 and the bottom belt assembly module 9 installed, in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 5 depicts the bonding machine 100 with the vertical arm module 3 and the vertical arm support bed 4 installed, in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 6 depicts the bonding machine 100 with the bottom belt assembly module 9 and the stand-up pedal module 31 installed, in accordance with an example embodiment.

[0020] FIG. 7 depicts the bonding machine 100 with the vertical arm module 3 and the tape feeder and cutter module 14 installed, in accordance with an example embodiment. Referring briefly to FIGS. 8A-8B, front and rear perspective views of the tape feeder and cutter module 14 are provided, in accordance with an example embodiment. The tape feeder and cutter module 14 may include a tape feeder and cutter module attaching screws 14.1 to couple the tape feeder and cutter module 14 to the bonding machine 100. In various examples, the tape feeder and cutter module 14 may include a fast electrical connector and pneumatic connections for coupling.

[0021] FIG. 9 depicts the bonding machine 100 with the top belt assembly module 8, the bottom belt assembly module 9, and the vertical arm module 3 installed, in accordance with an example embodiment. In the examples depicted in FIG. 3-7 and 9,various components are not drawn for clarity. However, it should be understood that the bonding machine 100 may include more, or fewer, components than depicted.

[0022] The bonding machine 100 may be configured to operate at approximately room temperature and up to 500 degrees Celsius, for example, such as between 200 to 300 degrees Celsius. The bonding machine 100 may be configured to operate at a supply and / or inlet air pressure of up to 10 bar. The bonding machine 100 may be configured to operate at a speed of up to 6 m / min. The speed of the side cutter module 10 may be up to 3,600 rpm. The bonding width of the chute and wheel of the bonding machine 100 may range from 2mm to 30mm. The bonding width of the belt of the bonding machine 100 may range from 10mm to 30mm.Exemplary Top Roller Modules

[0023] Referring now to FIGS. 10-13, FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 provide front and back exploded views of attachment of the top roller module 5, which may be installed on the bonding machine 100, in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 provide front and rear views of the top roller drive module, in accordance with an example embodiment.

[0024] The top roller module 5 may include a motor 5.6, a power transmission system, a pivot arm 5.5, and / or atop roller shaft 5.2. A belt module rotating bracket 5.1 may include a ball-ended guide shaft which may slide along a corresponding bush of the machine head when installed on the bonding machine 100. In various examples, such as in a belt configuration of the bonding machine 100, the belt module rotating bracket 5.1 may block rotation of the top belt module 8, for example, to ensure that the top belt module 8 may be lifted and / or lowered substantially parallel to the bottom belt module 9 by the pivot arm 5.5 via a pneumatic foot actuator 33.5. Having all the components of the top roller module 5 in a single module may enable easy removal and refitting of the top roller module 5 for various custom operations. Top roller module locating guides 5.4 on the top roller module 5 may ensure that correct positioning is achieved when refitting with three top roller module fixing screws 5.8. The top roller module 5 may have a single fast connecting electrical connector that can be easily plugged in or removed. The mating female component of the electrical connector may be attached to the machine head 20.4.

[0025] A side cuter module 10 may be attached to the top roller module 5 via the side cutter module fixing screws 10.3. The minimum clearance between the top roller 6 bottom- most position and the pivot arm 5.5 bottom profile along the top roller shaft 5.2 may be kept at a maximum by the pivot arm 5.5, which may be designed to allow an operator to move the material freely using their hands when operating with the horizontal arm module 1 or the vertical arm module 3.

[0026] The top roller 6 and / or top belt assembly module 8 may be mounted to the top roller shaft 5.2 through the top roller ataching screw 6.1. In the case of the belt module, additional support with pivoting capability may be provided by the rotating bracket 5.1. Top roller shaft 5.2 may enable attaching of rollers ranging in width from 2 mm to 30 mm with the top roller ataching screw 6.1.

[0027] In this example of the top roller module 5, a top roller 6, and / or a top belt assembly module 8 may be driven from the right side of the machine through a top roller shaft 5.2, allowing the same roller design to be used for both top and botom. This configuration may allow the use of the side cuter to be used simultaneously with a right side driven top roller shaft 5.2.Exemplary Horizontal Arm Modules

[0028] Referring now to FIGS. 14-17, FIG. 14 and FIG. 16 provide front and rear exploded views of atachment of a horizontal arm module 1, which may be installed on the bonding machine 100, in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 15 and FIG. 17 provide front and rear perspective views of the horizontal arm module 1, in accordance with an example embodiment.

[0029] The horizontal arm module 1 may include a horizontal arm motor 1.4, a horizontal arm gearbox assembly 1.5, and a drive shaft with collar 1.2. Horizontal arm locating guides 1.3 on the horizontal arm module 1 may guide exact positioning of the horizontal arm module 1 on the machine frame with the horizontal arm locating holes 20.1.

[0030] Therefore, when changing the configuration to include a vertical arm module 3, removing or refiting the unit may only require loosening and / or tightening of two horizontal arm fixing screws 1.1 and / or disconnecting and / or connecting the fast connectelectrical connection of the motor. The horizontal arm module 1 can be used with or without the horizontal arm support bed 2 and may be appropriate for textile panel operations with or without the side cutter module 10 or for tubular operations. Side cutter counter blade 10.2 may be appropriate for use when using the side cutter. Without the bottom roller spacer washer 7.2, the top roller 6 and the bottom roller 7 are identical.Exemplary Vertical Arm Modules

[0031] Referring now to FIGS. 18-19, FIG. 18 provides an exploded front view of a vertical arm module 3 with a top roller 6, a bottom roller 7, and a side cutter module 10, which may be installed on the bonding machine 100, in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 18 illustrates the vertical arm module 3 attachment and side cutter 10 suction tubes 11 attachment to the bonding machine for converting to a vertical arm configuration with a side cutter. FIG. 19 provides front and rear perspective views of the vertical arm module 3, in accordance with an example embodiment.

[0032] The vertical arm module 3 may include a vertical arm gearbox assembly 3.7 and a vertical arm drive shaft with collar 3.5. A vertical arm insert housing 3.3 of the vertical arm may ensure correct engagement of the vertical arm with the vertical arm insert female housing 20.9 and underbed bottom motor of the machine. Therefore, when changing the configuration, removing or refitting the unit may only requires loosening and / or tightening of the four vertical arm fixing screws 3.1 and adjusting the height adjustable machine frame 20. Machine head 20.4 may need to be raised for the vertical arm. A side cutter counter blade for bottom rollerl0.2 may be installed when the side cutter module 10 is included in the configuration. The side cutter module 10 may be excluded from the operation by removing a cutter arm 10.1 or by removing the side cutter module 10. The suction tubes 11 may include a suction tube common duct 11.1 , a suction tube vertical arm extension 11.3, and a suction tube snap-on alignment hole 11.4.Exemplary Height Adjustable Machine Frames

[0033] Referring now to FIGS. 20-21, cross-sectional views of a portion of a height adjustable machine frame 20 are provided, in accordance with an example embodiment. FIGS. 20-21 provide views of a machine head height adjusting mechanism 20.5 of abonding machine 100, in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 20 provides a close-up view of the bonding machine 100 of FIG. 21.

[0034] An adjustable machine head height, for example, to suit configurations of the vertical arm module 3 and / or the or horizontal arm module 1, may ensure ergonomic operation of the machine in various configurations. The machine head 20.4 may be configured to slide through the machine frame (column) 20.3 which couples the machine to the table. When a horizontal arm module 1 is fitted to the machine, the head may be lowered to meet the standard height required for ergonomic operating with the horizontal arm module 1. When feed-of the-arm (e.g., vertical arm module 3) is fitted to the machine, the head can be raised to meet the height of the vertical arm. This design enables even the fitting of a vertical arm with a customized height to meet the requirement of a specific operation.

[0035] When height adjusting screw 20.6 is rotated clockwise, the machine head 20.4 may be raised and when it is rotated anticlockwise, it is lowered. Alignment marks may be provided on the front side of machine frame and machine head for horizontal arm module 1 and vertical arm module 3 predefined positions.Exemplary Side Cutter Modules

[0036] Referring now to FIGS. 22-23, FIG. 22 provides an exploded front view of a side cutter module 10, which may be installed on a bonding machine 100, in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 23 provides an exploded rear view of the side cutter module 10.

[0037] As described herein, when feed-of the-arm (e.g., vertical arm module 3) is fitted to the bonding machine 100, the head can be raised to meet the length of the vertical arm. An upper mounted side cutter module 10 may be mounted to the top roller module 5 with respect to the top roller 6 and the bottom roller 7 nip zero position. Since the upper mounted side cutter module 10 moves with the machine head 20.4, performing side trimming operations with a horizontal arm 1 or a vertical arm 3 of any feasible height may be possible. Having the upper mounted side cutter module 10 mounted at the top of the bonding machine 100 may allow for more free space on the machine table 26.1 ,which may eliminate clutter and provide the operator with a spacious working environment.

[0038] In various embodiments, the cutter may be configured such that removing only the cutter arm 10.1 may eliminate the need to remove the entire cutter unit 10 for other operations, which may minimize the changeover times and / or any technical skills required. In any custom operation, for example, where it may be required to remove the entire cutter unit 10, such removal may be possible by unscrewing just two bolts 10.3 and / or unplugging the fast connect electrical connector. Excluding the side cutter 10 from any operation by removing the cutter arm 10.1 may eliminate alignment issues, especially compared to refitting the entire module.Exemplary Belt Bonding Modules

[0039] Referring now to FIGS. 24-33, various views are provided of belt bonding modules, which may be installed on a bonding machine 100, in accordance with an example embodiment. FIGS. 24 and 25 provide front and rear views, respectively, of top and bottom belt module attachment, which may be installed on a bonding machine 100, in accordance with an example embodiment. FIGS. 26 and 27 provide front and rear views, respectively, of top belt module 8 (also referred to herein as a “belt bonding unit”), in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 28 provides an exploded view of attachment of the top belt module 8 to a top roller module 5. FIG. 29 provides a perspective view of the top belt module 8 attached to the top roller module 5. FIGS. 30 and 31 provide front and rear views, respectively, of the bottom belt module 9 (also referred to herein as a “belt bonding unit”). FIG. 32 provides an exploded view of a horizontal arm bracket for the bottom belt module 9. FIG. 33 provides an exploded view of a vertical arm bracket for the bottom belt module 9.

[0040] The top belt module 8 and the bottom belt module 9 may be attached to one or more wheel drive shafts (e.g., top roller shaft 5.2, drive shaft with collar 1.2, and / or vertical arm drive shaft with collar 3.5) with the same wheel attaching screw (e.g., top roller attaching screw 6.1 and / or bottom roller attaching screw 7.1) and / or one other support bracket (e.g., pivot arm attaching bracket 8.6, horizontal arm attaching bracket 9.6, and / or vertical arm attaching bracket 9.7), respectively. A belt module rotatingbracket 5.1 ball sliding bush in the machine head may ensure substantially parallel movement of the top belt module 8 with lifting of the pivot arm 5.5. Respective belt modules (e.g., the top belt module 8 and / or the bottom belt module 9) may have single fast connecting electrical connectors which may be easily plugged into the machine head 20.4 female socket. Belt modules as described herein may be configured to allow bonding widths ranging from 10mm to 30mm.

[0041] In various embodiments, belt bonding modules, such as the top belt module 8 and / or the bottom belt module 9 include various components and / or assemblies such as: a top roller module 5, a belt module rotating bracket 5.1, a top roller module drive shaft 5.2, a top roller module drive shaft lock pin 5.3, a top roller attaching screw 6.1, a bottom roller attaching screw 7.1, a top belt module cover 8.1, a top belt 8.2, a belt tensioning mechanism 8.3, a tensioning adjusting screw 8.4, a tension adjusting slot 8.5, a pivot arm attaching bracket 8.6, a pivot arm attaching screw 8.7, space for side cutting blade motion 8.8, heat insulating bushes 8.9, a heat insulator 8.10, a pivot arm drive shaft connection 8.11 , a bottom belt module cover 9.1 , a bottom belt 9.2, a belt tensioning mechanism 9.3, a tension adjusting screw 9.4, a tension adjusting slot 9.5, a horizontal arm attaching bracket 9.6, a vertical arm attaching bracket 9.7, heat insulating bushes 9.8, bracket attaching screws 9.9, a counter blade for side cutter 9.10, a counter blade adjusting and attaching clamp 9.11, a heat insulator 9.12, a horizontal and / or vertical drive shaft connection 9.13, a side cutter module 10, side cutter module fixing screws 10.3, and / or other components and / or assemblies.Exemplary Chute Module

[0042] Referring now to FIGS. 34-37, views of a chute module 13 are provided, in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 34 and FIG. 35 provide front and rear views of attachment of the chute module 13, which may be installed on the bonding machine 100, in accordance with an example embodiment. FIGS. 36-37 provide front and rear exploded views of the chute module 13, in accordance with an example embodiment.

[0043] A fixed- width removable chute 13.1 and a heating block 13.3 may have heat insulative bushes 13.2 made from engineered plastics to avoid direct heat conduction to apivot arm attaching bracket 13.4 and to the machine frame, which may minimize the heat loss and any possible damage to nearby components. The chute module 13 may be easily removable with two chute module attaching screws 13.5 as a single module without removing the fixed- width removable chute 13.1 or the heating block 13.3 when a tape feeder or cutter module 14 is to be installed. The electrical connections to the chute module only may have a single fast connector.

[0044] The heating block 13.3 may include a cartridge- type heater and / or a thermocouple for heating the attached chute.Exemplary Hot Air Modules

[0045] Referring now to FIGS. 39-42, views of a hot air module 15 in accordance with an example embodiment are provided. FIG. 38 (by means of FIGS. 38A, 38B, and 38C) provides front and rear views of three removable hot air nozzle types. FIG. 39 provides a view of the hot air module 15 in an operational position and installed on the bonding machine 100, in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 40 provides an exploded view of attachment of the hot air module 15 to the bonding machine 100. FIGS. 41 and 42 provide front and side views of assembly of the hot air module 15, respectively.

[0046] In various embodiments, availability of both direct and indirect hot air units in the bonding machine 100 allow hot air to be utilized effectively for a wide variety of bonding operations. For example, for delicate materials, indirect air heater 16 may be used, as it provides laminar airflow, and for materials that tolerate higher temperatures and / or require high heat transfers, direct air heater 17 may be used. Regardless of which heater is used, a single output common hot air tube 15.1 may be used at the bonding zone.

[0047] Depending on the user selection or mode of the machine, the nozzle may automatically output hot air from the selected hot air unit without any user interference. Two of the one-way non-return valve assembly 15.9 may combine the output hot air channels to the common single output 15.1. Such a valve design may block the hot air from the operating hot air unit entering the non-operating hot air unit. A hot air modules assembly actuator 15.4 may move the assembly to the working position (further described herein with respect to FIG. 39) when the foot pedal is pressed. The moduleassembly may be configured to only have the indirect heater 16, to only have the direct air heater 17, or to have both heaters. Respective heater types have their own own fast connecting electrical connectors and a common fast connecting shared thermocouple measuring the air temperature at the nozzle air exit. Assembly module attachment to the machine may be achieved through four hot air modules assembly fixing screws 15.3.

[0048] As illustrated in FIGS. 39-42, the hot air nozzle 15.2 may be configured for vertical feeding of the adhesive / bonding material, where the air output slit is horizontal, and lateral to the vertical material feeding.

[0049] FIG. 38A illustrates such a nozzle. FIG. 38B illustrates another similar nozzle used to heat the feed substrate for operations such as lap bonding or hemming, where adhesive contained within the feed substrate is to be melted. FIG. 38C illustrates a specially designed removable hot air nozzle 15.2 with a vertical slit width that allows hot air to be blown across the adhesive / bonding material when it is fed from the side of the machine as in the case with fold-over or cup bonding. The hot air blowing position can be changed three-dimensionally with position adjusting mechanisms (e.g., x-direction position adjustment mechanism 15.5, y-direction position adjusting mechanism 15.6, and / or z-direction position adjusting mechanism 15.7) to suit the side feeding or vertical feeding of the material and / or to heat the feed substrate. Different sizes of this removable nozzle 15.2 allow for hot air output in different slit widths, for example, ranging from 2 mm to 30 mm, to support various widths of material.Exemplary Adhesive Support Brackets

[0050] Referring now to FIGS. 43-47, various views of an adhesive support bracket 18 are provided, in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 43 provides a perspective view of attachment of the adhesive support bracket 18, which may be installed on a bonding machine 100, in a vertical position, in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 44 and FIG. 45 provide front and rear views of the adhesive support bracket 18 in the vertical position, in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 46 and FIG. 47 provide front and rear views of the adhesive support bracket 18 in a horizontal position, in accordance with an example embodiment.

[0051] The adhesive support bracket 18 may be configured at any angle, such as vertically (FIGS. 44-45), horizontally (FIGS. 46-47), or any angle between horizontally and vertically. An angle adjustable adhesive mounting pole 18.6 may be provided that includes holes for adhesive mounting rod horizontal configuration 18.11 on both planes. An adhesive mounting rod 18.9 can be inserted from both planes and through the holes. The adjustable adhesive mounting pole 18.6 can be angled around an adhesive bracket rotatable clamp 18.4 by any angle by loosening an adhesive mounting pole angle adjusting grub screw 18.7. The rotatable clamp 18.4 may be mounted to the base 18.1 via an adhesive bracket pivot pin 18.3 and it can be rotated in that plane to any angle by loosening a clamp tightening grub screw 18.5. The adhesive bracket base 18.1 may be mounted to the machine head 20.4 through a plurality of adhesive bracket fixing screws 18.2. Thus, material can be unraveled from any angle as desired to achieve the required material behavior.Exemplary Stand-Up and Sit-Down Pedal Modules

[0052] Referring now to FIGS. 48-51, various views of stand-up and sit-down pedal modules are provided. FIG. 48 provides an exploded view of attachment of a sit-down pedal module 32 to a bonding machine 100 via a plurality of sit-down pedal module attaching screws 32.1. FIG. 49 provides a perspective view of a sit-down pedal module 32, which may be installed on a bonding machine in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 50 provides an exploded view of attachment of a stand-up pedal module 31 to a bonding machine 100 via a plurality of stand-up pedal module attaching screws 31.1. FIG. 51 provides a perspective view of a stand-up pedal module 31, which may be installed on a bonding machine in accordance with an example embodiment.

[0053] The bonding machine 100 may be operated by foot using a pedal system. Respective stand-up and / or sit-down pedal systems may be configured with respective fast connecting electrical connectors. In various embodiments, the bonding machine 100 may be configured with either a stand-up pedal system or a sit-down pedal system at a time. When the electrical connector is plugged into a control box of the bonding machine 100, the attached pedal type may be automatically identified by the control box firmware.

[0054] When converting the bonding machine 100 from sit-down mode to stand-up mode, or vice versa, the adjustable machine table 26 height may be raised and / or lowered as suitable for the installed pedal type and / or operator needs. Thus, the bonding machine 100 may be used in various manufacturing environments, such as those with sit-down and / or stand-up production floor layouts. The mode of the bonding machine 100 may be changed, for example, based on changes to factory production floor layouts.Exemplary Heat Insulative Mountings

[0055] At least some of the heating parts and / or heating modules described herein may be attached to the bonding machine 100 through heat insulating engineered plastic bushes (e.g., heat insulative bushes 8.9, heat insulative bushes 9.8, and / or heat insulative bushes 13.2) which are configured to eliminate direct heat transfer through metallic contacts. Thus, the bonding machine 100 may minimize heat loss due to conduction occurring via bolts and / or other heat conductive connections.Exemplary Top and Bottom Belt Bonding Units

[0056] Referring now to FIGS. 52-53, exploded views of the internal construction of the top belt module 8 and the bottom belt module 9 are provided. FIG. 52 provides a front exploded view of the top belt module 8. FIG. 53 provides a rear exploded view of the bottom belt module 9.

[0057] In some embodiments, the top belt module 8 and the bottom belt module 9 are identical in design, except for the space for the blade motion 8.8, the counter blade for side cutter 9.10, and / or the module attaching brackets (e.g., pivot arm attaching bracket 8.6, horizontal arm attaching bracket 9.6, and / or vertical arm attaching bracket 9.7). In some embodiments, belt modules 8 and 9 have identical belt drive and heating mechanisms.

[0058] In various embodiments, when one of the belt modules 8 or 9 is attached to the top roller drive shaft 5.2 or to the horizontal / vertical arm drive shaft 1.2 / 3.5, the drive shaft connection 8.11 or 9.13 may be connected similarly to the connection to the top / bottom roller with the roller attaching screw 6.1 or 7.1. In such a design, the belt may be driven by a silicone roller at the rear of the unit. Therefore, a chain power transmissionsystem (e.g., drive sprocket 8.12, chain tensioning mechanism 8.13, and / or driven sprocket 8.14) may be utilized to transfer the torque from the drive shaft connection 8.11 to the silicone roller 8.17.

[0059] A belt tensioning mechanism 8.3 and / or adjustment screws 8.4 located at the rear of the module may help to tension the belt by moving the silicone roller 8.17 along the tension adjusting slot 8.5. The tension adjustment screws 8.4 may be fine-tuned to ensure that the belt 8.2 is tensioned in a substantially parallel manner, for example, without creating any tension variations across the width of the belt, which may improve belt life and / or avoid possible defects in the bonding operation. Adjusted tension may be locked using a bolt on the side of the mechanism. A raising plate in the tension mechanism facing the material feeding direction close to the silicone roller 8.17 may avoid material sticking and / or adhering along the belt. In various embodiments, belt length of a belt bonding unit may be reduced (e.g., down to approximately 310mm), wherein the belt bonding unit is of 78mm to 85mm bonding length, and wherein the bonding length is the contact length of the top and bottom belts when they are in contact with one another. Thus, heat loss may be reduced due to the shorter belt length, which may increase efficiency of the heat transfer and bonding operations.

[0060] The belt module may be heated using alumina ceramic heaters inside heating blocks 8.18. that are directly in contact with the belt. A heat insulator 8.10 may block unwanted heat conduction to the material block which may further transfer to the drive shaft bearing 8.19 and / or to the top roller drive shaft 5.2 (and / or similarly for the bottom belt module). Such a design may increase energy efficiency and / or reduce unwanted heating of nearby components, particularly in comparison with conventional methods. Heat insulative bushes 8.9 and 9.8 at bracket attachments may further avoid direct heat transfer to the top roller module 5 and / or the horizontal / vertical arm modules 1 or 3.

[0061] Since the belt module is attached to the roller driving shaft, it may be possible to retrofit such a belt module to conventional roller bonding machines with custom support brackets and / or with internal or external temperature controllers, thereby converting them to belt bonding machines.Exemplary Interchangeable Top / Bottom Wheels and Side Cutter

[0062] Referring now to FIGS. 54-60, various views of interchangeable wheels and a side cutter are provided. FIGS. 54 and 55 provide front and rear views, respectively, of a top and / or bottom roller, which may be installed on a bonding machine 100 in accordance with an example embodiment. FIGS. 56 and 57 provide front and rear views, respectively, of a side cutter module, which may be installed on a bonding machine 100 in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 58 provides an exploded view of the side cutter module. FIG. 59 provides an exploded view of a connecting rod assembly of the side cutter module. FIG. 60 provides a plan view of the connecting rod assembly of the side cutter module.

[0063] The top roller drive module 5 may be configured to drive the top wheel 6 and / or the top belt module 8 from a side of the bonding machine 100 (e.g., the right side) through the drive shaft 5.2. The bottom wheel 7 and / or bottom belt module 9 may be drive from the same side of the bonding machine 100 through the horizontal and / or vertical arm module drive shaft 1.2 and / or 3.5. To facilitate space for a side cutter blade 10.4 and / or a cutter arm 10.1, and their respective motion, a wheel design with a hub groove 7.6 which encloses the top shaft wheel mounting collar 5.2 and / or a miniature blade 10.4 and / or cutter arm 10.1 profile may be utilized. Therefore, such cutter blade assemblies and their oscillatory motion may be contained within the gap between the top shaft and the bottom shaft collar.

[0064] A similar wheel design may be used for the bottom roller. A bottom roller spacer washer 7.2 may ensure that the bottom shaft collar is not enclosed by the bottom wheel, for example, when the side cutter counter blade 10.2 is not used and / or the right edge wheel alignment is maintained at various configurations. Thus, the top wheel 6 and / or the bottom wheel 7 may be interchanged with the spacer washer 7.2 applicable to the bottom shaft 1.2 or 3.5, which results in the top and bottom wheels being identical and interchangeable. In various embodiments, the top and bottom belt modules may not be interchangeable due to their differing designs; however, side cutter usage may be facilitated by enclosing the top shaft wheel mounting collar 5.2 and including space for side cutter blade motion 8.8 in the top belt module 8. As shown in FIGS. 54-55, the top and bottom wheels may be interchangeable.

[0065] The side cutter blade 10.4 may make oscillatory movements across the counter blade 10.2 or 9.10 to cut material by shear force. Such movement may be produced by the cam 10.8 and connecting rod 10.10, and it may be transmitted to the cutter shaft 10.20 through a sliding piece 10.11. In various embodiments, when the cutter blade 10.4 cut edge starts to engage with the counter blade 10.2 or 9.10, a right angle is produced by the connecting rod 10.10 and the sliding piece 10.11, which may maximize the starting cutting force. Such right angle formation may be ensured by having a cutter shaft key way 10.7 and locking grub screws 10.13 with respect to the cutter arm lock pin 10.6, which may, in turn, determine the position of the cutter blade 10.4 with respect to the sliding piece 10.11 rotary position.

[0066] The sliding piece 10.11 may slide along the crank pin 10.14 within a clearance provided such that the sliding movement which keeps the cutter blade 10.4 pressed against the counter blade 10.2 or 9.10 may be produced. A wave spring 10.9 may be used to produce the force for keeping the cutter blade 10.4 pressed against the counter blade 10.2 or 9.10. The wave spring 10.9 may support shrinking the gap between the cutter shaft 10.20 collar and the cutter side plate 10.18, particularly in comparison with conventional springs. One or more lubricative plastic discs 10.16 attached to a connecting rod 10.10 may lubricate and / or guide the connecting rod 10.10 movement within the side plates 10.18.Exemplary Bonding Roller / Belt Nip Adjusting Mechanism

[0067] Referring now to FIGS. 61-62, various views of bonding roller and / or belt nip adjusting mechanisms are provided. FIG. 61 provides a perspective view of a bonding roller and / or belt nip adjusting mechanism 33. FIG. 62 provides an exploded view of the bonding roller and / or belt nip adjusting mechanism 33.

[0068] A screw-adjustable measurement-based bonding roller and / or belt nip adjusting mechanism attached to the pivot arm 5.5 pneumatic actuator 33.5 may allow for measurement / quantifying of the top roller and / or top belt lowering depth. A value of zero may indicate that the top and bottom rollers and / or belts are just in contact. A millimeter scale 33.6, which may range from -5mm to 5mm, marked on a sliding block 33.4 may be visible through a window (e.g., a substantially transparent circular window)of the machine head 20.4 front panel. The position of the sliding block 33.4 may be read from the front panel with reference to a marking on the window. A positive measured value on the millimeter scale 33.6 may indicate the top roller pressurizing depth limit against the bottom roller. A negative measured value on the millimeter scale 33.6 may indicate the top roller stop height from the bottom roller. Such quantifying of the depth / height may enable recording of data and / or repeatability of parameter values, for example, in bulk machine setup.Exemplary Methods

[0069] Referring now to FIG. 63, a method for synchronizing side cutter speed with machine speed is provided, in accordance with an example embodiment. The method may include a step of reading a top and bottom motor frequency. The method may include a step of finding a maximum of top and bottom motor frequency. The method may include a step of calculating surface velocity of the fastest roller / belt. The method may include a step of calculating side cutter frequency required for a minimum or nonoverlapping cut. The method may include a step of solving an empirically derived parametric function. The method may include a step of outputting a side cutter motor signal. In various example, the steps of the method are repeated.

[0070] An algorithm may dynamically calculate the optimum cutter frequency of the side cutter module 10 based at least in part on the current bonding machine 100 roller speed, which may minimize the unnecessary cutter blade and counter blade wear due to fixed frequency. In this method, since the blade does not pass through and contact with the already cut areas of the material repeatedly at a higher rate, fuzziness occurring at cut edges of some textiles can be minimized.

[0071] As will be explained further, the algorithm calculation may be performed with a controller and / or one or more components of machine firmware configured to monitor and / or control operation of various components and / or modules of the thermal bonding machine.Exemplary Control Systems

[0072] In various embodiments, the thermal bonding machine 100 comprises a controller and / or one or more components of machine firmware configured to monitor and / or control operation of various components and / or modules of the thermal bonding machine. In various examples, machine firmware may monitor bonding process parameters against set parameter values, within set tolerance ranges, which may allow the user to alert visually and audibly and / or to stop the machine when all or any of the selected parameters are out of range. For example, a temperature of all heaters, line air pressure and pivot arm 5.5 actuator air pressure, machine roller speeds, and / or air flow rate for direct and indirect hot air units may be monitored. Each parameter tolerance values may be customizable to the user and is available with pre-set default values.

[0073] In various embodiments, stepper motors may be used to drive the bonding machine top and / or bottom wheels, wherein the stepper motors may include a gear ratio of 1 :2 between the top / bottom wheel and the motors. Energizing the stepper motors with a current to generate a holding torque that is substantially equal to, including a gear ratio of 1 :2, the wheel attaching screw tightening and / or loosening torque may enable improved wheel attachment and / or removal. Since the wheel attaching screw tightening torque may be limited to applied motor torque, the wheel may rotate freely beyond that torque limit, which may avoid overtightening or damage to the screw or shaft. Furthermore, in some examples, locking the free rotation of the drive shaft when loosening the wheel attaching screw may be performed without additional tools. Such functionality may be included in the firmware of the bonding machine 100.

[0074] Referring now to FIG. 64, a functional block diagram of a fail-safe mechanism for a direct air heater is provided. In various embodiments, a supercapacitor bank may be included as backup power to the air control valve to continue supplying air to the direct air heater 17, for example, in the case of a power failure and / or turning the bonding machine 100 off. Furthermore, a pressurized pneumatic storage tank may be used to feed continuous air to the direct air heater 17 in the case of a sudden pneumatic supply failure, which may protect the direct air heater 17 heater element from failing. Such components may enable automatic control of the direct air heater 17 pneumatic supply, which may allow for the bonding machine 100 to be turned off and / or disconnected from power and / or air source without damaging the direct air heater 17, asthe fail-safe mechanisms may continue to cool the direct air heater 17 during power and / or air outages.

[0075] The fail-safe mechanism may include a pneumatic fail-safe and an electrical fail-safe which both connect to a solenoid air control valve, which itself connects to the direct air heater 17. The pneumatic fail-safe may include: an industrial compressed air source, a pressure booster, a one-way valve, a compressed air storage tank, a pressure regulator, and / or an air source switching mechanism. The electrical fail-safe may include: a power supply, supercapacitor charging circuitry, a supercapacitor bank, a boost converter, and / or a changeover circuit.Exemplary Configurations of the Thermal Bonding Machine

[0076] In various examples, both a direct hot air module 17 and an indirect hot air module 16 are installed on the thermal bonding machine 100. In various examples, a direct hot air module 17 or an indirect hot air module 16, but not both, are installed on the thermal bonding machine 100. In various examples, neither a direct hot air module 17 nor an indirect hot air module 16 are installed on the thermal bonding machine 100. When the direct hot air module 17 and the indirect hot air module 16 are installed in the thermal bonding machine 100, the thermal bonding machine 100 can be configured to allow a user to select between a direct hot air mode, which utilizes the direct hot air module 17, an indirect hot air mode, which utilizes the indirect hot air module 16, and a mode that uses neither the direct hot air module 17 or the indirect hot air module 16. When the direct hot air module 17 or the indirect hot air module 16, but not both, are installed in the thermal bonding machine 100, the thermal bonding machine 100 can be configured to allow a user to select between a hot air mode, which uses the hot air module that is installed on the thermal bonding machine 100, and a mode that does not use the hot air module that is installed on the thermal bonding machine 100.

[0077] In various examples, a horizontal arm module 1 or a vertical arm module 3 is installed on the thermal bonding machine 100, but not both. In various examples, a top roller 6 or a top belt assembly module 8 is installed on the thermal bonding machine 100, but not both. In various examples, a bottom roller 7 or a bottom belt assembly module 9 is installed on the thermal bonding machine 100, but not both. In various examples, achute module 13 or a tape feeder and cutter module 14 is installed on the thermal bonding machine 100, but not both.ClausesFurther aspects of the invention are provided by the subject matter of any of the following clauses and / or combinations thereof:1. A thermal bonding machine 100 comprising a plurality of modules, wherein at least one of the plurality of modules is / are: a stand-up pedal module, a sit-down pedal module, a horizontal arm module, a vertical (feed-of-the-arm) module, a top belt assembly module, a bottom belt assembly module, a side cutter module and a suction tube module, a chute module, a tape feeder and cutter module, a direct hot air module, and / or an indirect hot air module.2. A thermal bonding machine 100 comprising a plurality of modules, wherein the plurality of modules comprise a stand-up pedal module, a sit-down pedal module, a horizontal arm module, a vertical (feed-of-the-arm) module, a top belt assembly module, a bottom belt assembly module, a side cutter module and a suction tube module, a chute module, a tape feeder and cutter module, a direct hot air module, and / or an indirect hot air module.3. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising one or more quick electrical connectors 24 and / or one or more pneumatic push connectors 25 to connect the above modules where applicable.4. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a control box 27 comprising at least four temperature-controlled heater outputs that are configurable by a user.5. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a control box 27 comprising at least three controlled stepper motor outputs that are configurable by a user.6. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a control box comprising nine controlled pneumatic valve outputs that are configurable by a user.7. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a machine frame 20.3 that comprises horizontal arm locating holes 20.1 that are configured to attach the horizontal arm module 1 and / or a vertical arm insert female housing 20.9 to insert the vertical arm module 3.8. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a control box 27 and / or a human machine interface module 19 configured to execute firmware that facilitates automated and user-defined bonding operations.9. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the firmware is configured to automatically detect any one or more plugged-in peripheral modules.10. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising heat insulative bushes and / or a heat insulative plastic guard, wherein the heat insulative bushes 8.9, 9.8, and / or 13.2 and / or the heat insulative plastic guard are configured to isolate heating parts from other components of the thermal bonding machine.11. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the thermal bonding 100 machine may be configured with, at the same time, either of the stand-up pedal module 31 or the sit-down pedal module 32.12. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the thermal bonding machine 100 may be configured with, at the same time, either of the horizontal arm module 1 or the vertical arm module 3.13. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the thermal bonding machine 100 may be configured with, at the same time, either of a top roller 6 or a top belt assembly module 8.14. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the thermal bonding machine 100 may be configured with, at the same time, either of a bottom roller 7 or a bottom belt assembly module 9.15. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the thermal bonding machine 100 may optionally be configured with the side cutter module 10.16. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the thermal bonding machine 100 may be configured with, at the same time either of the chute module 13 or the tape feeder and cutter module 14.17. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the thermal bonding machine 100 may optionally be configured with a direct hot air module 17.18. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the thermal bonding machine 100 may optionally be configured with an indirect hot air module 16.19. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the thermal bonding machine 100 may have functional, at the same time and during operation, either of the direct hot air module 17 or the indirect hot air module 16.20. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a top roller module 5 comprising a motor 5.6, a pivot arm 5.5, and / or a top roller shaft 5.2, wherein the motor 5.6 and the top roller shaft 5.2 are coupled, directly or indirectly, with a power transmission mechanism 3.7.21. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a belt module rotating bracket 5.1 configured to support parallel lifting and lowering when a top belt assembly module 8 is attached.22. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising one or more locating guides 5.4 configured to allow precise positioning on a machine head 20.4 of the bonding machine 100.23. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the top roller module 5 is configured to allow driving of the top roller shaft 5.2 from a first side (e.g., the right side) of the bonding machine 100.24. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein a vertical distance between a top roller bottom edge and a pivot arm housing bottom, along a top roller shaft line, is greater than 5mm.25. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the top roller module 5 defines one or more screw holes for attaching the side cutter module 10 to the top roller module 5.26. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising an electrical connector 24, of the top roller module 5, configured to transmit power, signals, and / or automatic identification of the top roller module 5 when coupled to the bonding machine 100.27. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a horizontal arm module 1 comprising a motor 1.4, a plurality of power transmission gears 1.5 coupled to the motor 1.4, and / or a bottom shaft 1.2 coupled to the plurality of power transmission gears 1.5.28. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising locating pins 1.3 configured to guide positioning of the horizontal arm module 1 onto a machine frame 20.3 of the bonding machine 100.29. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein each locating pin 1.3 corresponds to a supporting hole on the machine frame 20.3.30. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the horizontal arm module 1 defines one or more screw holes for attaching a belt bonding unit bracket 8.6 to the horizontal arm module 1.31. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising an electrical connector 24, of the horizontal arm module 1, configured to transmit power, signals, and / or automatic identification of the horizontal arm module 1 when coupled to the bonding machine 100.32. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a vertical arm module 3 comprising a power transmission mechanism 3.7 and / or a bottom shaft 3.5 coupled to the power transmission mechanism 3.7.33. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a mating housing 3.3, wherein the power transmission mechanism 3.7 is at least partially positioned within the mating housing 3.3.34. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the mating housing 3.3 is configured to couple the vertical arm module 3 with a bottom motor of the bonding machine 100.35. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a side cutter module 10 configured to be coupled to a top roller module 5.36. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a detachable cutter arm 10.1 that attaches to a mating cutter shaft with a collar and / or a lock pinl0.6, wherein the lock pin 10.6 is configured to lock rotation of the detachable cutter arm.37. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a top belt assembly module 8 attached to the bonding machine 100 by one or more wheel mounting screws, one or more brackets 8.6, and / or one or more heat insulative bushes 8.9.38. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising an electrical connector 24, of the top belt assembly module 8, configured to transmit power, signals, and / or automatic identification of the top belt assembly module 8 when coupled to the bonding machine.39. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a bottom belt assembly module 9 attached to the bonding machine 100 by one or more wheel mounting screws, one or more brackets of a horizontal arm attaching bracket 9.6 or a vertical arm attaching bracket 9.7, one or more bracket attaching screws 9.9, and / or one or more heat insulating bushes 9.8.40. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising an electrical connector 24, of the bottom belt assembly module 9, configured to transmit power, signals, and / or automatic identification of the bottom belt assembly module 9 when coupled to the bonding machine.41. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a chute module 13 comprising a heating block 13.3 and a chute 13.1, the heating block 13.3 comprising a heater and a thermocouple.42. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising one or more locating screws configured to attach the chute module to a top roller pivot arm 5.5.43. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a wave spring 10.9 configured to reduce, based on the wave spring 10.9 being compressed, a gap between the heating block 13.3 and a chute bracket to less than or equal to 8mm.44. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising an electrical connector 24, of the chute module 13, configured to transmit power, signals, and / or automatic identification of the chute module 13 when coupled to the bonding machine 100.45. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a hot air nozzle system 15 comprising three types of removable hot air nozzles 15.2, wherein the three types of removable hot air nozzles 15.2 are configured to be attachable to the bonding machine 100 via a common hot air output tube 15.1.46. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein a first removable hot air nozzle 15.2 comprises one or more vertical slits configured to allow air to be blown vertically across a desired height as a single stream or a plurality of streams within the desired height, wherein the desired height is at least 2mm and up to 30 mm.47. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the first removable hot air nozzle 15.2 is further configured to allow the air to be blown to an adhesive or bonding material fed from a side of the bonding machine 100.48. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the first removable hot air nozzle 15.2 uses the same hot air sources as the other two removable hot air nozzles 15.2.49. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising an adhesive support bracket 18 configured to be installed on the bonding machine 100 in a vertical position and / or in a horizontal position.50. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a pole 18.6 with one or more holes on horizontal and / or vertical planes.51. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the adhesive support bracket 18 is configured to be coupled to a base of the bonding machine 100 via a pivot pin and / or one or more plastic washers 18.8, wherein a clamp can be rotated around the pivot pin.52. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising one or more grub screws 18.10 configured to lock rotation of the clamp and / or other rotatable components of the adhesive support bracket 18.53. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a base 18.1 attached to a machine head 20.4 of the bonding machine 100 by one or more screws 18.2.54. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the adhesive support bracket 18 is configurable horizontally and / or vertically at various inclines from 0 degrees up to and including 180 degrees.55. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a stand-up pedal module 31 comprising a three pedal stand-up pedal unit, wherein a first pedal is configured to control speed, a second pedal is configured to control foot up and down movement, and a third pedal is configured to control a tape feeder and cutter 14.56. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising an electrical connector 24, of the stand-up pedal module 31, configured to transmit power, signals, and / or automatic identification of the standup pedal module 31 when coupled to the bonding machine 100.57. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a sit-down pedal module 32 comprising an operating pedal.58. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising an electrical connector 24, of the sit-down pedal module 32, configured to transmit power, signals, and / or automatic identification of the sit- down pedal module 32 when coupled to the bonding machine 100.59. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a head height adjustable machine frame 20.5 comprising a height adjusting screw 20.6, a horizontal head portion, and / or a vertical machine column.60. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the horizontal head portion is configured to slide along the vertical machine column via the height adjusting screw 20.6.61. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein rotating the height adjusting screw 20.6 moves the horizontal head portion up or down.62. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the head height adjustable machine frame 20.5 is configured to adjust a position of the horizontal head portion to enable a vertical arm module 3 to be attached thereto or a horizontal arm module 1 to be attached thereto.63. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the horizontal head portion comprises a plurality of locating holes to attach a top roller drive module 5.64. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a top belt bonding assembly module 8 comprising a heating block 8.18, wherein the heating block 8.18 comprises one or more alumina ceramic heaters and one or more guide plates 8.15, the one or more heaters and the one or more guide plates 8.15 configured to heat and guide movement of a belt 8.2.65. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a drive shaft connector 8.11, a drive shaft connector bearing 8.19, and a heat insulator 8.10 surrounding the drive shaft connector bearing 8.19, wherein the heat insulator 8.10 is configured to avoid heat transfer to the drive shaft.66. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the belt 8.2 has a length of less than or equal to 310mm and a width ranging from 10mm to 30mm, and wherein the belt 8.2 is configured to have a bonding contact length ranging from 78mm to 85mm when used with the bottom belt bonding assembly module 9.67. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising one or more guide rollers 8.16 disposed at front bending corners of the belt 8.2 and further comprising a high friction drive roller 8.17 at a back of the top belt bonding assembly module 8.68. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a mechanical power transmission system 8.13 configured to drive the belt 8.2 from a rear end of the top belt assembly module 8 by transmitting torque from the drive shaft at a front of the bonding machine 100 to a high friction drive roller 8.17 at a back of the bonding machine 100.69. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the top belt bonding assembly module 8 is configured to withstand temperatures up to and including 350 degrees Celsius.70. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising an adjustable belt tension mechanism 8.3 movably fixed on both sides of the bonding machine 100 and configured to adjust tension of the belt 8.2 in a substantially parallel manner using one or more screws 8.4.71. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a tension mechanism comprised at least of a raising plate 8.15 proximate to a high friction drive roller 8.17, wherein the raising plate 8.15 is configured to avoid material adhering to the belt 8.2.72. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a belt module cover 8.1 configured to cover at least some components of the mechanical power transmission system 8.13 and further configured to allow access to attachment or removal of the top belt bonding assembly module 8 from the drive shaft and to allow tension adjustment.73. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a grooved space configured to fit motion of a side cutter, thereby facilitating use of the side cutter with a right-side driven top belt bonding assembly module 8.74. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a bottom belt bonding assembly module 9 comprising a heating block, wherein the heating block comprises one or more alumina ceramic heaters and one or more guide plates, the one or more heaters and the one or more guide plates configured to heat and guide movement of a belt 9.2.75. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a drive shaft connector, a drive shaft connector bearing, and a heat insulator 9.12 surrounding the drive shaft connector bearing, wherein the heat insulator 9.12 is configured to avoid heat transfer to the drive shaft.76. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the belt9.2 has a length of less than or equal to 310mm and a width ranging from 10mm to 30mm, and wherein the belt 9.2 is configured to have a bonding contact length ranging from 78mm to 85mm when used with the top belt bonding assembly module 8.77. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising one or more guide rollers disposed at front bending corners of the belt9.2 and further comprising a high friction drive roller at a back of the bottom belt bonding assembly module 9.78. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a mechanical power transmission system configured to drive the belt9.2 from a rear end of the bottom belt assembly module 9 by transmitting torque from the drive shaft at a front of the bonding machine 100 to a high friction drive roller at a back of the bonding machine 100.79. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the bottom belt bonding assembly module 9 is configured to withstand temperatures up to and including 350 degrees Celsius.80. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising an adjustable belt tension mechanism 9.3 movably fixed on both sides of the bonding machine 100 and configured to adjust tension of the belt 9.2 in a substantially parallel manner using one or more screws 9.4.81. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the drive shaft is at least one of a horizontal arm module drive shaft or a vertical arm module drive shaft.82. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a tension mechanism comprised at least of a raising plate proximate toa high friction drive roller, wherein the raising plate is configured to avoid material adhering to the belt 9.2.83. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a belt module cover 9.1 configured to cover at least some components of the mechanical power transmission system and further configured to allow access to attachment or removal of the bottom belt bonding assembly module 9 from the drive shaft and to allow tension adjustment.84. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a side cutter and interchangeable, identical top and bottom wheels comprising a top or bottom roller defining a groove configured to enclose a top roller shaft collar or configured to allow a spacer washer sized corresponding to the top roller shaft collar to be disposed within the groove.85. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the spacer washer may be installed such that the top or bottom roller is configured for use with a bottom shaft 3.2 of a vertical arm module 3 or a bottom shaft 1.2 of a horizontal arm module 1, and wherein the spacer washer may be removable such that the top or bottom roller is configured for use with a top roller shaft.86. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the side cutter comprises a miniature side cutter blade profile and a cutter arm profile, and wherein the miniature side cutter blade profile and the cutter arm profile are configured to allow right side driving of a top roller of the bonding machine 100.87. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the side cutter comprises a sliding crank 10.11 configured to be moveable a distance along a crank pin 10.14, wherein the distance is at least 0.5mm and up to 5mm.88. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the side cutter, when mounted to the bonding machine 100, defines a right angle with a connecting rod 10.10 and a sliding crank 10.11 link based on a cutting edge of a blade engaging with a counter blade.89. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the side cutter defines the right angle based on a cutter shaft key way 10.7 comprising two locking grub screws.90. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the side cutter comprises one or more lubricative guiding plastic discs 10.16 configured to guide the side cutter connecting rod 10.10 between two or more side plates 10.18.91. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the side cutter comprises a wave spring configured to reduce, based on the wave spring being compressed, a distance between an inner surface of a cutter shaft 10.20 collar and a nearest cutter side plate 10.18 to less than or equal to 4.5mm.92. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising an adjusting mechanism 33 of a bonding roller and belt nip, the adjusting mechanism 33 comprising a sliding block 33.4 attached to a pneumatic actuator 33.5 of a pivot arm, wherein the adjusting mechanism is configured to be moveable vertically, with respect to the machine head 20.4, through one or more guide pins 33.3 via rotation of a screw mechanism 33.2, and wherein the adjusting mechanism 33 is configured to adjust a top and bottom roller and belt nip based on the pneumatic actuator 33.5 of the pivot arm being pressurized to lower the pivot arm.93. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the screw mechanism 33.2 is configured to be lockable at various levels by a screw locking mechanism.94. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the sliding block 33.4 comprises a millimeter scale 33.6 ranging from -5mm to +5mm, inclusive, such that positions of the adjusting mechanism 33 can be measured with respect to a corresponding fixed marking on the machine head 20.4.95. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a top roller or a top belt and a bottom roller or a bottom belt configured to be in direct physical contact with the nip based on the millimeter scale being at the 0mm position and the pneumatic actuator 33.5 of the pivot arm being pressurized to lower the pivot arm.96. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the thermal bonding machine 100 is configured to calculate a cutter frequency of aside cuter module 10 based on variable bonding machine speed by: reading a top and botom motor frequency; finding a maximum of the top and bottom motor frequency; calculating a surface velocity of a fastest roller or belt; calculating a side cuter frequency required for a non-overlapping cut; solving an empirically derived parametric function; and / or outputting a side cuter motor signal.97. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a controller configured to implement one or more steps of the method for calculating a cutter frequency of a side cutter module 10 based on variable bonding machine speed.98. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein calculating the side cuter frequency is based at least in part on a variable speed of the bonding machine.99. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the thermal bonding machine 100 is configured to allow for removal and / or tightening of its wheels by: determining a current; supplying, via control firmware of the bonding machine 100, a top and bottom wheel drive stepper motor with the determined current; and / or generating, based on the determined current, a holding torque for locking rotation of the top and / or bottom shaft and for loosening or tightening one or more wheel ataching screws.100. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a controller configured to monitor or enforce an operation of the bonding machine 100 or components of the bonding machine 100.101. The thermal bonding machine 100, wherein the controller comprises an inlet air pressure sensor, a foot air pressure sensor, a plurality of respective inlet air flow sensors for a plurality of hot air lines, and / or a plurality of respective temperature sensors for a plurality of heating units.102. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the controller is configured to monitor and log one or more bonding process parameters.103. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the one or more bonding process parameters include at least one of: temperature, pressure, bonding machine speed, or airflow.104. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a graphical user interface configured to allow setting of target values and custom tolerance values for the one or more bonding process parameters.105. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a graphical user interface configured to output visual and audible alerts based on any of the one or more bonding process parameters being out of range of a set of parameter values.106. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a graphical use interface configured stop the bonding machine or any one or more bonding processes based on any of the one or more bonding process parameters being out of range of a set of parameter values.107. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a graphical user interface configured to output a graphical representation of any of the one or more bonding process parameters.108. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a control box 27 comprising a supercapacitor bank, supercapacitor charging circuitry, and / or a boost converter power module configured to supply backup power to a direct heater control valve in the absence of main power until capacitor storage energy is depleted.109. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, further comprising a pressurized pneumatic storage tank, wherein the pressurized pneumatic storage tank is configured to withstand at least 10 bar pressure, and associated pneumatic circuitry, wherein the pneumatic circuitry is configured to supply backup compressed air to a direct heater in the absence of compressed air at machine inlet until air pressure of the pneumatic storage tank is depleted.110. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the pneumatic circuitry is configured to connect an output of the pneumatic storagetank to the direct air heater and an input of the pneumatic storage tank to a main pneumatic supply through pneumatic regulating components.111. The thermal bonding machine 100 of any of the clauses, wherein the pneumatic regulating components comprise a one-way non-return valve, an optional pressure booster at an air inlet of the pneumatic storage tank, and a pressure regulator at an outlet of the pneumatic storage tank.Conclusion

[0078] The above descriptions of various embodiments of the subject disclosure and corresponding figures and what is described in the Abstract, are described herein for illustrative purposes, and are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It is to be understood that one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that other embodiments having modifications, permutations, combinations, and additions can be implemented for performing the same, similar, alternative, or substitute functions of the disclosed subject matter, and are therefore considered within the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to any single embodiment described herein, but rather should be construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims below. Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe example embodiments in the context of certain example combinations of elements and / or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and / or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and / or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.List of References

[0079] Horizontal arm module 1

[0080] Screw 1.1

[0081] Bottom shaft 1.2

[0082] Locating pins 1.3

[0083] Motor 1.4

[0084] Power transmission gears 1.5

[0085] Horizontal arm 1.6

[0086] Drive shaft lock pin 1.7

[0087] Horizontal arm support bed 2

[0088] Support bed sliding strip 2.1

[0089] Vertical arm module 3

[0090] Screw 3.1

[0091] Vertical arm 3.2

[0092] Mating housing 3.3

[0093] Vertical arm gear roller driven shaft 3.4

[0094] Bottom shaft 3.5

[0095] Power transmission belt adjustment 3.6

[0096] Power transmission mechanism 3.7

[0097] Vertical arm drive shaft lock pin 3.8

[0098] Vertical arm support bed 4

[0099] Support bed sliding strip 4.1

[0100] Top roller module 5

[0101] Rotating bracket 5.1

[0102] Top roller shaft 5.2

[0103] Top roller module drive shaft lock pin 5.3

[0104] Locating guides 5.4

[0105] Pivot arm 5.5

[0106] Motor 5.6

[0107] Screw 5.8

[0108] Top roller 6

[0109] Attaching screw 6.1

[0110] Bottom roller 7

[0111] Attaching screw 7.1

[0112] Spacer washer 7.2 1

[0113] Roller hub 7.3

[0114] Hole for shaft guide pin 7.4

[0115] Silicone layer 7.5

[0116] Roller hub groove for shaft collar 7.6

[0117] Hole for roller tightening screw 7.7

[0118] Top belt assembly module 8

[0119] Top belt module cover 8.1

[0120] Belt 8.2

[0121] Belt tensioning mechanism 8.3

[0122] Tension adjusting screw 8.4

[0123] Tension adjusting slot 8.5

[0124] Module attaching bracket 8.6

[0125] Pivot arm attaching screw 8.7

[0126] Space for side cutter blade motion 8.8

[0127] Heat insulative bushes 8.9

[0128] Heat insulator 8.10

[0129] Drive shaft connection 8.11

[0130] Drive sprocket 8.12

[0131] Chain tensioning mechanism 8.13

[0132] Driven sprocket 8.14

[0133] Belt guide plate 8.15

[0134] Belt guide rollers 8.16

[0135] Silicone coated roller 8.17

[0136] Belt heating block 8.18

[0137] Drive shaft bearing 8.19

[0138] Bottom belt assembly module 9

[0139] Bottom belt module cover 9.1

[0140] Bottom belt 9.2

[0141] Belt tensioning mechanism 9.3

[0142] Tension adjusting screw 9.4

[0143] Tension adjusting slot 9.5

[0144] Horizontal arm attaching bracket 9.6

[0145] Vertical arm attaching bracket 9.7

[0146] Heat insulative bushes 9.8

[0147] Bracket attaching screws 9.9

[0148] Counter blade for side cutter 9.10

[0149] Counter blade adjusting and attaching clamp 9.11

[0150] Heat insulator 9.12

[0151] Horizontal / vertical drive shaft connection 9.13

[0152] Side cutter module 10

[0153] Cutter arm 10.1

[0154] Side cutter counter blade for bottom roller 10.2

[0155] Side cutter module fixing screws 10.3

[0156] Side cutter blade 10.4

[0157] Removable cutter arm fixing screw 10.5

[0158] Removable cutter arm lock pin 10.6

[0159] Cutter shaft key way 10.7

[0160] Cam 10.8

[0161] Cutter shaft wave spring 10.9

[0162] Connecting rod 10.10

[0163] Sliding crank piece 10.11

[0164] Cutter back cover 10.12

[0165] Cutter shaft locking grub screw 10.13

[0166] Crank pin 10.14

[0167] Crank pin tightening grub screw 10.15

[0168] Guiding plastic discs 10.16

[0169] Cutter module motor 10.17

[0170] Cutter side plates 10.18

[0171] Power transmission coupling unit 10.19

[0172] Cutter shaft 10.20

[0173] Suction tube module 11

[0174] Suction tube common duct 11.1

[0175] Suction tube horizontal arm extension 11.2

[0176] Suction tube vertical arm extension 11.3

[0177] Suction tube snap-on alignment hole 11.4

[0178] Waste collection system 12

[0179] Chute module 13

[0180] Fixed width removable chute 13.1

[0181] Heat insulative bushes 13.2

[0182] Heating block 13.3

[0183] Pivot arm attaching bracket 13.4

[0184] Chute module attaching screws 13.5

[0185] Chute attaching screw 13.6

[0186] Chute aligning hand knob 13.7

[0187] Tape feeder and cutter module 14

[0188] Tape feeder and cutter module attaching screws 14.1

[0189] Hot air module 15

[0190] Common hot air tube 15.1

[0191] Removable hot air nozzle 15.2

[0192] Hot air modules assembly fixing screws 15.3

[0193] Hot air modules assembly actuator 15.4

[0194] X-direction position adjustment mechanism 15.5

[0195] Y-direction position adjustment mechanism 15.6

[0196] Z-direction position adjustment mechanism 15.7

[0197] Hot air modules assembly cover 15.8

[0198] One-way valve assembly 15.9

[0199] Indirect hot air module 16

[0200] Direct hot air module 17

[0201] Adhesive support bracket 18

[0202] Adhesive bracket base 18.1

[0203] Screw 18.2

[0204] Adhesive bracket pivot pin 18.3

[0205] Adhesive bracket rotatable clamp 18.4

[0206] Clamp tightening grub screw 18.5

[0207] Angle adjustable adhesive mounting pole 18.6

[0208] Adhesive mounting pole angle adjusting grub screw 18.7

[0209] Plastic washer 18.8

[0210] Adhesive mounting rod 18.9

[0211] Adhesive mounting rod tightening grub screw 18.10

[0212] Hole for adhesive mounting rod horizontal configuration 18.11

[0213] Human machine interface (HMI) module 19

[0214] Height adjustable machine frame 20

[0215] Horizontal arm locating holes 20.1

[0216] Vertical arm cover plate 20.2

[0217] Machine frame 20.3

[0218] Machine head 20.4

[0219] Head height adjusting mechanism 20.5

[0220] Height adjusting screw 20.6

[0221] Guide slots 20.7

[0222] Guiding and tightening screws 20.8

[0223] Vertical arm insert female housing 20.9

[0224] Adhesive guides 21

[0225] Pressure regulator 22

[0226] Hot air flow controls 23

[0227] Quick electrical connectors 24

[0228] Pneumatic push connectors 25

[0229] Height adjustable machine table 26

[0230] Machine table 26.1

[0231] Control box 27

[0232] FRL unit 28

[0233] Machine power switch 29

[0234] Machine table drawer 30

[0235] Stand-up pedal module 31

[0236] Pedal attaching screw 31.1

[0237] Sit-down pedal module 32

[0238] Pedal attaching screw 32.1

[0239] Bonding roller and / or belt nip gap adjustor mechanism 33

[0240] Height adjusting screw 33.1

[0241] Screw mechanism 33.2

[0242] Guide pins 33.3

[0243] Sliding block 33.4

[0244] Foot pneumatic actuator 33.5

[0245] Millimeter scale 33.6

[0246] Light emitting diode (LED) task light 34

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A thermal bonding machine comprising a plurality of modules, wherein at least one of the plurality of modules is: a stand-up pedal module; a sit-down pedal module; a horizonal arm module; a vertical arm (feed-of-the-arm) module; a top belt assembly module; a bottom belt assembly module; a side cutter module and a suction tube module; a chute module; a tape feeder and cutter module; a direct hot air module; or an indirect hot air module.

2. The thermal bonding machine of claim 1 , wherein the thermal bonding machine is configured to convert from a horizontal arm mode to a vertical arm mode, and vice versa.

3. The thermal bonding machine of claim 1, further comprising at least one connector configured to connect at least two of the plurality of modules, wherein each of the at least one connector is a quick electrical connector or a pneumatic push connector.

4. The thermal bonding machine of any preceding claim, further comprising a control box comprising at least four temperature-controlled heater outputs that are configurable by a user.

5. The thermal bonding machine of any preceding claim, further comprising a control box comprising at least three controlled stepper motor outputs that are configurable by a user.

6. The thermal bonding machine of any preceding claim, further comprising a control box comprising nine controlled pneumatic valve outputs that are configurable by a user.

7. The thermal bonding machine of any preceding claim, further comprising a machine frame that comprises horizontal arm locating holes that are configured to attach the horizontal arm module and / or a vertical arm insert female housing to insert the vertical arm module.

8. The thermal bonding machine of any preceding claim, further comprising a control box and / or a human machine interface module configured to execute firmware that facilitates automated and user-defined bonding operations.

9. The thermal bonding machine of any preceding claim, wherein the firmware is configured to automatically detect any one or more plugged-in peripheral modules.

10. The thermal bonding machine of any preceding claim, further comprising heat insulative bushes and / or a heat insulative plastic guard, wherein the heat insulative bushes and the heat insulative plastic guard are configured to isolate heating parts from other components of the thermal bonding machine.

11. The thermal bonding machine of any preceding claim, wherein the thermal bonding machine may be configured with, at the same time, either of the stand-up pedal module or the sit-down pedal module.

12. The thermal bonding machine of any preceding claim, wherein the thermal bonding machine may be configured with, at the same time, either of the horizontal arm module or the vertical arm module.

13. The thermal bonding machine of any preceding claim, wherein the thermal bonding machine may be configured with, at the same time, either of a top roller or a top belt assembly.

14. The thermal bonding machine of any preceding claim, wherein the thermal bonding machine may be configured with, at the same time, either of a bottom roller or a bottom belt assembly.

15. The thermal bonding machine of any preceding claim, wherein the thermal bonding machine may optionally be configured with the side cutter module.

16. The thermal bonding machine of any preceding claim, wherein the thermal bonding machine may be configured with, at the same time, either of the chute module or the tape feeder and cutter module.

17. The thermal bonding machine of any preceding claim, wherein the thermal bonding machine may optionally be configured with a direct hot air module.

18. The thermal bonding machine of any preceding claim, wherein the thermal bonding machine may be optionally configured with an indirect hot air module.

19. The thermal bonding machine of any preceding claim, wherein the thermal bonding machine may have functional, at the same time and during operation, either of a direct hot air module or an indirect hot air module.

20. A top roller module for a bonding machine, the top roller module comprising: a motor; a pivot arm; and a top roller shaft, wherein the motor and the top roller shaft are coupled, directly or indirectly, with a power transmission system.

21. The top roller module of claim 20, further comprising a belt module rotating bracket configured to support parallel lifting and lowering when a top belt module is attached.

22. The top roller module of claim 20, further comprising one or more locating guides configured to allow precise positioning on a head of the bonding machine.

23. The top roller module of claim 20, wherein the top roller module is configured to allow driving of the top roller shaft from a first side of the bonding machine.

24. The top roller module of claim 20, wherein a vertical distance between a top roller bottom edge and a pivot arm housing bottom, along a top roller shaft line, is greater than 5mm.

25. The top roller module of claim 20, wherein the top roller module defines one or more screw holes for attaching the side cutter module to the top roller module.

26. The top roller module of claim 20, further comprising an electrical connector configured to transmit power, signals, and automatic identification of the top roller module when coupled to the bonding machine.

27. A horizontal arm module for a bonding machine, the horizontal arm module comprising: a motor; a plurality of power transmission gears coupled to the motor; and a bottom shaft coupled to the plurality of power transmission gears.

28. The horizontal arm module of claim 27, further comprising locating pins configured to guide positioning of the horizontal arm module onto a frame of the bonding machine.

29. The horizontal arm module of claim 27, wherein each locating pin corresponds to a supporting hole on the frame.

30. The horizontal arm module of claim 27, wherein the horizontal arm module definesone or more screw holes for ataching a belt bonding unit bracket to the horizontal arm module.

31. The horizontal arm module of claim 27, further comprising an electrical connector configured to transmit power, signals, and automatic identification of the horizontal arm module when coupled to the bonding machine.

32. A vertical arm module for a bonding machine, the vertical arm module comprising: a power transmission mechanism; and a botom shaft coupled to the power transmission mechanism.

33. The vertical arm module of claim 32, further comprising a mating housing, wherein the power transmission system is at least partially positioned within the mating housing.

34. The vertical arm module of claim 33, wherein the mating housing is configured to couple the vertical arm module with a botom motor of the bonding machine.

35. A side cuter module for a bonding machine, wherein the side cutter module is configured to be coupled to a top roller module of the bonding machine.

36. The side cutter module of claim 35, comprising: a detachable cutter arm that ataches to a mating cutter shaft with a collar; and a lock pin, wherein the lock pin is configured to lock rotation of the detachable cuter arm.

37. A top belt assembly module for a bonding machine, wherein the top belt assembly module is atached to the bonding machine by one or more regular wheel mounting screws, one or more brackets, and one or more heat insulating bushes.

38. The top belt assembly module of claim 37, further comprising an electrical connector configured to transmit power, signals, and automatic identification of the top beltassembly module when coupled to the bonding machine.

39. A botom belt assembly module for a bonding machine, wherein the bottom belt assembly module is atached to the bonding machine by one or more regular wheel mounting screws, one or more brackets of a horizontal arm bracket or a vertical arm bracket, one or more screws, and one or more heat insulating bushes.

40. The bottom belt assembly module of claim 39, further comprising an electrical connector configured to transmit power, signals, and automatic identification of the bottom belt assembly module when coupled to the bonding machine.

41. A chute module for a bonding machine, the chute module comprising a heating block and a chute, the heating block comprising a heater and a thermocouple.

42. The chute module of claim 41, further comprising one or more locating screws configured to attach the chute module to a top roller pivot arm.

43. The chute module of claim 41, further comprising a wave spring configured to reduce, based on the wave spring being compressed, a gap between the heating block and the chute bracket to less than or equal to 8mm.

44. The chute module of claim 41, further comprising an electrical connector configured to transmit power, signals, and automatic identification of the chute module when coupled to the bonding machine.

45. A hot air nozzle system for a bonding machine, the hot air nozzle system comprising three types of removable hot air nozzles, and wherein the three types of removable hot air nozzles are configured to be attachable to the bonding machine via a common hot air output tube.

46. The hot air nozzle system of claim 45, wherein a first removable hot air nozzlecomprises one or more vertical slits configured to allow air to be blown vertically across a desired height as a single stream or a plurality of streams within the desired height, wherein the desired height is at least 2mm and up to 30 mm.

47. The hot air nozzle system of claim 46, wherein the first removable hot air nozzle is further configured to allow the air to be blown to an adhesive or bonding material fed from a side of the bonding machine.

48. The hot air nozzle system of claim 46, wherein the first removable hot air nozzle uses the same hot air sources as the other two removable hot air nozzles.

49. An adhesive support bracket for a bonding machine, the adhesive support bracket configured to be installed on the bonding machine in a vertical position and in a horizontal position.

50. The adhesive support bracket of claim 49, comprising a pole with holes on horizontal and vertical planes.

51. The adhesive support bracket of claim 49, wherein the adhesive support bracket is configured to be coupled to a base of the bonding machine via a pivot pin and plastic washers, wherein a clamp can be rotated around the pivot pin.

52. The adhesive support bracket of claim 51, further comprising one or more grub screws configured to lock rotation of the clamp and other rotatable components of the adhesive support bracket.

53. The adhesive support bracket of claim 49, comprising a base attached to a head of the bonding machine by one or more screws.

54. The adhesive support bracket of claim 49, wherein the adhesive support bracket is configurable horizontally or vertically at various inclines from 0 degrees up to andincluding 180 degrees.

55. A stand-up pedal module for a bonding machine, the stand-up pedal module comprising a three pedal stand-up pedal unit, wherein a first pedal is configured to control speed, a second pedal is configured to control foot up and down movement, and a third pedal is configured to control a tape feeder and cutter.

56. The stand-up pedal module of claim 55, further comprising an electrical connector configured to transmit power, signals, and automatic identification of the stand-up pedal module when coupled to the bonding machine.

57. A sit-down pedal module for a bonding machine comprising an operating pedal.

58. The sit-down pedal module of claim 57, further comprising an electrical connector configured to transmit power, signals, and automatic identification of the sit-down pedal module when coupled to the bonding machine.

59. A head height adjustable machine frame for a bonding machine, the height adjustable machine frame comprising: a height adjusting screw; a horizontal head portion; and a vertical machine column.

60. The head height adjustable machine frame of claim 59, wherein the horizontal head portion is configured to slide along the vertical machine column via the height adjusting screw.

61. The head height adjustable machine frame of claim 60, wherein rotating the height adjusting screw moves the horizontal head portion up or down.

62. The head height adjustable machine frame of claim 59, wherein the head heightadjustable machine frame is configured to adjust a position of the horizontal head portion to enable a vertical arm module to be attached thereto or a horizontal arm module to be attached thereto.

63. The head height adjustable machine frame of claim 59, wherein the horizontal head portion comprises a plurality of locating holes to attach a top roller drive module.

64. A top belt bonding assembly module for a bonding machine, the top belt bonding assembly module comprising a heating block, wherein the heating block comprises one or more alumina ceramic heaters and one or more guide plates, the one or more heaters and guide plates configured to heat and guide movement of a belt.

65. The top belt bonding assembly module of claim 64, further comprising a drive shaft connector, a drive shaft connector bearing, and a heat insulator surrounding the drive shaft connector bearing, wherein the heat insulator is configured to avoid heat transfer to the drive shaft.

66. The top belt bonding assembly module of claim 64, wherein the belt has a length of less than or equal to 310mm and a width ranging from 10mm to 30mm, and wherein the belt is configured to have a bonding contact length ranging from 78mm to 85mm when used with a bottom belt bonding assembly module.

67. The top belt bonding assembly module of claim 64, further comprising one or more guide rollers disposed at front bending corners of the belt and further comprising a high friction drive roller at a back of the top belt bonding assembly module.

68. The top belt bonding assembly module of claim 65, further comprising a mechanical power transmission system configured to drive the belt from a rear end of the top belt assembly module by transmitting torque from the drive shaft at a front of the bonding machine to a high friction drive roller at a back of the bonding machine.

69. The top belt bonding assembly module of claim 68, wherein the top belt bonding assembly module is configured to withstand temperatures up to and including 350 degrees Celsius.

70. The top belt bonding assembly of claim 64, further comprising an adjustable belt tension mechanism movably fixed on both sides of the bonding machine and configured to adjust tension of the belt in a substantially parallel manner using one or more screws.

71. The top belt bonding assembly module of claim 64, further comprising a tension mechanism comprised at least of a raising plate proximate to a high friction drive roller, wherein the raising plate is configured to avoid material adhering to the belt.

72. The top belt bonding assembly module of claim 68, further comprising a belt module cover configured to cover at least some components of the mechanical power transmission system and further configured to allow access to attachment or removal of the top belt bonding assembly module from the drive shaft and to allow tension adjustment.

73. The top belt bonding assembly module of claim 64, further comprising a grooved space configured to fit motion of a side cutter, thereby facilitating use of the side cutter with a right-side driven top belt bonding assembly module.

74. A bottom belt bonding assembly module for a bonding machine, the bottom belt bonding assembly module comprising a heating block, wherein the heating block comprises one or more alumina ceramic heaters and one or more guide plates, the one or more heaters and guide plates configured to heat and guide movement of a belt.

75. The bottom belt bonding assembly module of claim 74, further comprising a drive shaft connector, a drive shaft connector bearing, and a heat insulator surrounding the drive shaft connector bearing, wherein the heat insulator is configured to avoid heat transfer to the drive shaft.

76. The bottom belt bonding assembly module of claim 74, wherein the belt has a length of less than or equal to 310mm and a width ranging from 10mm to 30mm, and wherein the belt is configured to have a bonding contact length ranging from 78mm to 85mm when used with a top belt bonding assembly module.

77. The bottom belt bonding assembly module of claim 74, further comprising one or more guide rollers disposed at front bending corners of the belt and further comprising a high friction drive roller at a back of the bottom belt bonding assembly module.

78. The bottom belt bonding assembly module of claim 75, further comprising a mechanical power transmission system configured to drive the belt from a rear end of the bottom belt assembly module by transmitting torque from the drive shaft at a front of the bonding machine to a high friction drive roller at a back of the bonding machine.

79. The bottom belt bonding assembly module of claim 78, wherein the bottom belt bonding assembly module is configured to withstand temperatures up to and including 350 degrees Celsius.

80. The bottom belt bonding assembly of claim 74, further comprising an adjustable belt tension mechanism movably fixed on both sides of the bonding machine and configured to adjust tension of the belt in a substantially parallel manner using one or more screws.

81. The bottom belt bonding assembly module of claim 78, wherein the drive shaft is at least one of a horizontal arm module drive shaft or a vertical arm module drive shaft.

82. The bottom belt bonding assembly module of claim 74, further comprising a tension mechanism comprised at least of a raising plate proximate to a high friction drive roller, wherein the raising plate is configured to avoid material adhering to the belt.

83. The bottom belt bonding assembly module of claim 78, further comprising a beltmodule cover configured to cover at least some components of the mechanical power transmission system and further configured to allow access to attachment or removal of the bottom belt bonding assembly module from the drive shaft and to allow tension adjustment.

84. A system of a side cutter and interchangeable, identical top and bottom wheels for a bonding machine, wherein the system comprises a top or bottom roller defining a groove configured to enclose a top roller shaft collar or configured to allow a spacer washer sized corresponding to the top roller shaft collar to be disposed within the groove.

85. The system of claim 84, wherein the spacer washer may be installed such that the top or bottom roller is configured for use with a bottom shaft of a vertical arm module or a bottom shaft of a horizontal arm module, and wherein the spacer washer may be removable such that the top or bottom roller is configured for use with a top roller shaft.

86. The system of claim 85, wherein the side cutter comprises a miniature side cutter blade profile and a cutter arm profile, and wherein the miniature side cutter blade profile and the cutter arm profile are configured to allow right side driving of a top roller of the bonding machine.

87. The system of claim 85, wherein the side cutter comprises a sliding crank configured to be moveable a distance along a crank pin, wherein the distance at least 0.5mm and up to 5mm.

88. The system of claim 85, wherein the side cutter, when mounted to the bonding machine, defines a right angle with a connecting rod and a sliding crank link based on a cutting edge of a blade engaging with a counter blade.

89. The system of claim 88, wherein the side cutter defines the right angle based on a cutter shaft key way comprising two locking grub screws.

90. The system of claim 85, wherein the side cutter comprises one or more lubricative guiding plastic discs configured to guide the side cutter connecting rod between two or more side plates.

91. The system of claim 85, wherein the side cutter comprises a wave spring configured to reduce, based on the wave spring being compressed, a distance between an inner surface of a cutter shaft collar and a nearest cutter side plate to less than or equal to 4.5mm.

92. An adjusting mechanism of a bonding roller and belt nip for a bonding machine, the adjusting mechanism comprising a sliding block attached to a pneumatic actuator of a pivot arm, wherein the adjusting mechanism is configured to be moveable vertically, with respect to a head of the bonding machine, through one or more guide pins via rotation of a screw mechanism, and wherein the adjusting mechanism is configured to adjust a top and bottom roller and belt nip based on the pneumatic actuator of the pivot arm being pressurized to lower the pivot arm.

93. The adjusting mechanism of claim 92, wherein the screw mechanism is configured to be lockable at various levels by a screw locking mechanism.

94. The adjusting mechanism of claim 92, wherein the sliding block comprises a millimeter scale ranging from -5mm to +5mm, inclusive, such that positions of the adjusting mechanism can be measured with respect to a corresponding fixed marking on the head of the bonding machine.

95. The adjusting mechanism of claim 94, further comprising a top roller or a top belt and a bottom roller or a bottom belt configured to be in direct physical contact with the nip based on the millimeter scale being at the 0mm position and the pneumatic actuator of the pivot arm being pressurized to lower the pivot arm.

96. A method for calculating a cutter frequency of a side cutter module of a bonding machine based on variable bonding machine speed, the method comprising: reading a top and bottom motor frequency; finding a maximum of the top and bottom motor frequency; calculating a surface velocity of a fastest roller or belt; calculating a side cutter frequency required for a non-overlapping cut; solving a parametric function; and outputting a side cutter motor signal.

97. The method of claim 96, wherein each step is repeated by the controller at least once.

98. The method of claim 96, wherein calculating the side cutter frequency is based at least in part on a variable speed of the bonding machine.

99. A method for removing or tightening wheels of a bonding machine, the method comprising: determining a current; supplying, via control firmware of the bonding machine, a top and bottom wheel drive stepper motor with the determined current; and generating, based on the determined current, a holding torque for locking rotation of the top and / or bottom shaft and for loosening or tightening one or more wheel attaching screws.

100. A controller for a bonding machine, the controller configured to monitor or enforce an operation of the bonding machine or components of the bonding machine.

101. The controller of claim 100, wherein the controller comprises an inlet air pressure sensor, a foot air pressure sensor, a plurality of respective inlet air flow sensors for a plurality of hot air lines, and a plurality of respective temperature sensors for a plurality of heating units.

102. The controller of claim 100, wherein the controller is configured to monitor and log one or more bonding process parameters.

103. The controller of claim 102, wherein the one or more bonding process parameters include at least one of: temperature, pressure, bonding machine speed, or airflow.

104. The controller of claim 100, comprising a graphical user interface configured to allow setting of target values and custom tolerance values for the one or more bonding process parameters.

105. The controller of claim 100, comprising a graphical user interface configured to output visual and audible alerts based on any of the one or more bonding process parameters being out of range of a set of parameter values.

106. The controller of claim 100, comprising a graphical use interface configured stop the bonding machine or any one or more bonding processes based on any of the one or more bonding process parameters being out of range of a set of parameter values.

107. The controller of claim 100, comprising a graphical user interface configured to output a graphical representation of any of the one or more bonding process parameters.

108. A control box for a bonding machine, the control box comprising: a super capacitor bank; super capacitor charging circuitry; and a boost converter power module configured to supply backup power to a direct heater air control valve in the absence of main power until capacitor storage energy is depleted.

109. The control box of claim 108, further comprising a pressurized pneumatic storage tank, wherein the pressurized pneumatic storage tank is configured to withstand at least 10 bar pressure, and associated pneumatic circuitry, wherein the pneumatic circuitry isconfigured to supply backup compressed air to a direct heater in the absence of compressed air at machine inlet until air pressure of the pneumatic storage tank is depleted.

110. The control box of claim 109, wherein the pneumatic circuitry is configured to connect an output of the pneumatic storage tank to the direct air heater and an input of the pneumatic storage tank to a main pneumatic supply through pneumatic regulating components.

111. The control box of claim 110, wherein the pneumatic regulating components comprise a one-way non-return valve, an optional pressure booster at an air inlet of the pneumatic storage tank, and a pressure regulator at an outlet of the pneumatic storage tank.

Images