Packaging Machine Without Dancers for Stable Web Tension
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging machines suffer from material web stretching, warping, and damaged seals due to complex dancers that require individual design and cause inherent tension fluctuations.
Innovation Solution
A packaging machine with motor-driven supply rolls that adjust speed and torque based on roll parameters, synchronized with transport means to minimize tension and eliminate the need for dancers, using torque motors and sensors to control web speed and tension.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a dancer is used to generate web tension, then the material web can be transported and formed, but the material web is significantly stretched, causing damage and warping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the dancer component entirely from the system. Instead of using a dancer to generate web tension, the invention employs direct motor-driven supply rolls that unwind material at controlled speeds, eliminating the source of excessive tension and stretching that caused material damage in conventional systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical dancer-based tension generation system with an electronically controlled motor-driven unwinding system. The supply rolls are directly driven by motors with controlled speed and torque, substituting mechanical tension generation with precision motor control to maintain web integrity
2Ease of operation
If a dancer is used to control material web tension, then the web can be fed to the sealing station, but the device becomes complex requiring individual design for each machine
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal motor-driven supply roll system that can be applied across different packaging machine configurations. The standardized motor-controlled unwinding mechanism replaces the need for custom-designed dancers, providing adaptable web tension control through electronic parameters rather than mechanical customization
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the complex mechanical dancer system with a simpler motor-driven unwinding system. The control function previously requiring mechanical adaptation is achieved through electronic speed and torque control of the supply rolls, reducing device complexity and improving ease of operation
3Speed
If a dancer is used to generate tension force in the film, then the film can be unwound and transported, but web tension fluctuates inherently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control through sensors that detect material web position and tension, with the control system adjusting motor speed and torque in real-time. This closed-loop control stabilizes web tension by continuously monitoring and correcting deviations, eliminating the inherent fluctuations of dancer-based systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic motor control that adjusts speed and torque parameters in real-time during the unwinding process. The motors can adapt their output to match the varying demands of the packaging process while maintaining stable web tension, providing dynamic stability that static dancer systems cannot achieve
4Productivity
If the material web is stretched by the dancer, then the web can be fed through the packaging machine, but the sealed connections are damaged during transport
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the dancer component that causes web stretching, thereby preventing damage to sealed connections. The motor-driven supply rolls feed material without the excessive tension that compromises seal integrity, allowing continuous production while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent eliminates the need for dancer maintenance and adjustment by using a simpler motor-driven system. The removal of the dancer prevents seal damage that would require rework or scrap, reducing waste and maintaining continuous productivity
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
Reduces material web tension, prevents damage and warping, and ensures precise sealing without dancers, allowing for efficient processing of thin films and consistent package production.
Implementation Method 1
at least one supply roll is driven by a motor whose parameters, in particular speed and/or torque, can be adjusted based on the parameters of the respective supply roll
Implementation Method 2
the drive of the supply roll and the drive of the transport means are synchronized, in particular by means of a control system, such that the speed profile of the transport means and the speed profile of the material web are identical, at least temporarily, during a feed
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The present invention relates to a packaging machine (1), which unrolls a lower material web (8) from a supply roller (22) and transports it intermittently along the packaging machine (1) and thereby optionally forms packaging recesses (6) in the lower material web (8) in a forming station (2). A product (16) to be packaged is then filled into/placed on the packaging recesses, and an upper material web (14) is subsequently sealed onto the lower material web (8) in a sealing station (15), the lower material web and the upper material web each being unrolled from a supply roller (22, 21) and at least one supply roller (22, 21) being driven by a motor. The present invention also relates to a method for producing a packaging.