Heat-Welding Device With Composite Conveyor Belts

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing packing machines suffer from high wear and frequent replacement of Teflon conveyor belts due to dragging against hot and cold plates, leading to increased costs and machine downtime, and impose transitory acceleration on packs, causing further issues.

Innovation Solution

A device with sturdy textile or rubbery conveyor belts with metal wire inserts and elastically oscillating rollers, along with heat-welding rollers and cooling plates, designed to absorb transitory acceleration and provide effective heat-welding of superposed flaps without belt wear, using freewheel clutches and adjustable support frames for universal compatibility.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If Teflon conveyor belts are used to drag against hot and cold plates, then heat-welding of flaps is achieved, but the belts suffer high wear and require frequent replacement

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheat-welding effectivenessVSAvoidbelt operational life
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the material parameters of the conveyor belt from Teflon to a composite material with metal wire inserts embedded in textile or rubbery material. This parameter change increases friction coefficient and mechanical strength, allowing the belt to withstand dragging against plates without wearing out, while still enabling effective heat-welding through maintained contact pressure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs a composite conveyor belt structure combining textile or rubbery base material with embedded metal wire inserts. The metal wires provide tensile strength and wear resistance, while the textile/rubbery matrix maintains flexibility and friction characteristics necessary for belt operation and heat-welding function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Speed

If the conveyor system impresses transitory acceleration on packs, then packs are advanced through the device, but this causes dragging on the initial tract of the belts

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepack advancement velocityVSAvoidbelt dragging and wear
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the friction parameter of the conveyor belt by incorporating metal wire inserts in the belt structure, which increase the coefficient of friction. This allows the belt to grip and advance packs during transitory acceleration phases without slipping or dragging excessively, converting the harmful acceleration into effective pack advancement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Duration of action of moving object

If sturdy belts with metal wire inserts are used, then belt wear is reduced and operational period extended, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebelt operational lifeVSAvoidbelt construction complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent modifies the material composition parameter of the conveyor belt by embedding metal wire inserts within the textile or rubbery matrix. This creates a composite structure that achieves high durability and wear resistance while maintaining the flexibility and operational characteristics of traditional conveyor belts, without requiring fundamental redesign of the belt system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The device extends operational periods with reduced maintenance needs, maintains optimal heat-welding performance, and absorbs transitory acceleration, offering cost savings and reliable operation while interfacing with various packing machines without modifications.

Implementation Method 1

which enable the rollers to be heated and maintained constantly at a predetermined temperature

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeating: Heating

Implementation Method 2

which cooling means are destined to act on the flaps heat-welded by the rollers in order to lower the temperature thereof and stabilise the join

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCooling: Cooling

Implementation Method 3

which enable the roller to press elastically on the flaps in a transversal direction to the pack

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP2398711B8Device for heat-welding superposed flaps of a wrapping enveloping a set of articles
Publication Date: 2014.08.06 INFINITY MACHINE & ENGINEERING CORP

AI summary

The device (1) is associated, in line, to an outlet of a packing machine and is designed to seal superposed flaps (Ls, Li) of packs (C), at longitudinal vertical sides (V) thereof. The device comprises means (2) for receiving and moving the packs (C) and two batteries (3, 4) of heat-welding rollers (30, 40), having a vertical axis, destined to act on respective longitudinal vertical sides (V) in order to heat the flaps (Ls, Li) up to a temperature which is sufficient to cause joining by aggregation of the packing material. Cooling means (5) are provided downstream of the batteries (3, 4) which are destined to act on the flaps (Ls, Li) in order to lower the temperature thereof and thus stabilise the join.