Horizontal Transverse Sealing Station with Movable Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing horizontal tubular bagging machines face challenges in creating high-quality transverse sealing seams due to speed differences between the film tube and sealing surfaces, leading to potential film tube damage and inconsistent sealing times, which are influenced by the mounting tolerances and speed variations during the sealing process.
Innovation Solution
A horizontal transverse sealing station with a drivable transverse sealing unit that undergoes a displacement movement parallel to the transport direction, coupled with a mass balancing unit and energy storage unit, to synchronize the sealing surfaces with the film tube speed, ensuring consistent sealing pressure and time, and a support unit to prevent film sagging, allowing for longer sealing times and higher speeds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the sealing surfaces are mounted on a rigid base, then the structural stability is improved, but the speed synchronization between sealing surfaces and film tube deteriorates due to mounting tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the transverse sealing unit movable relative to the film tube path. The sealing unit is mounted on guides and can be displaced in the transport direction, allowing dynamic adjustment of the sealing surfaces' position to maintain speed synchronization with the moving film tube, thereby resolving the contradiction between structural stability and speed synchronization precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If the sealing time is extended to improve sealing quality, then the sealing precision is improved, but the packaging productivity deteriorates due to slower cycle times
Solution Approach 1:
The movable sealing unit enables dynamic speed matching between the sealing surfaces and the film tube during the sealing process. This allows the sealing surfaces to move synchronously with the film tube at higher speeds while maintaining adequate contact time for quality sealing, thus resolving the contradiction between sealing quality and packaging productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous operation by eliminating idle positions in the sealing cycle. The sealing unit moves continuously with the film tube throughout the sealing process, maintaining useful action during the entire sealing duration rather than having periodic stops or idle periods, thereby improving productivity while maintaining sealing quality.
3Reliability
If the sealing pressure is increased to compensate for speed differences, then the sealing reliability is improved, but the film tube damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
By making the sealing unit movable and synchronizing its speed with the film tube, the patent eliminates the need for excessive sealing pressure to compensate for speed differences. The dynamic speed matching ensures consistent relative velocity between sealing surfaces and film tube, allowing reliable sealing at appropriate pressure levels without causing film damage.
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
This configuration ensures high-quality transverse sealing seams by compensating for speed differences and maintaining synchronization between the sealing surfaces and film tube, reducing film damage and allowing for longer sealing times and higher packaging speeds, independent of film speed variations.
Implementation Method 1
a mass balancing unit with at least one driveably mounted balancing mass, which is driven in a balancing movement with at least one movement component parallel to the displacement movement such that the mass forces caused by the displacement movement and the balancing movement at least partially cancel each other out
Implementation Method 2
an energy storage unit, which exerts a restoring force on the cross-sealing unit, which opposes a deflection of the sliding movement
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a horizontal transverse sealing station (10a-b), in particular for a horizontal tubular bag machine (12a-b), for producing transverse sealing seams (14a-b) on at least one film tube (18a-b) transported in a continuous, at least essentially horizontal transport direction (16a-b), comprising a transverse sealing station base (20a-b) fixedly connected to a packing machine (22a-b), a transverse sealing unit (24a-b), and at least one sealing jaw pair (28a-b) movably mounted on the transverse sealing unit (24a-b) and formed by two sealing jaws (26a-b), the sealing surfaces (30a-b) of which come closer to each other during a sealing process in a sealing movement (32a-b), which relative to the transverse sealing unit (24a-b) is provided with at least one movement component (34a-b) in the transport direction (16a-b), in order to seal material layers (36a-b) of the film tube (18a-b) between the sealing surfaces (30a-b) by way of heating and/or applying pressure, and to remove again at the end of the sealing process. According to the invention the transverse sealing unit (24a-b) is driveably mounted on the transverse sealing station base (20a-b) in a displacement movement (38a-b) that is at least substantially parallel to the transport direction (16a-b).