Plastic Bag Making Apparatus Simplifies Panel Guide Structure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing apparatus for making plastic bags with panel, side gusset, and bottom gusset portions requires complex panel material guide structures to fold and unfold webs of panel material, making it cumbersome to produce rectangular bottom bags.

Innovation Solution

The apparatus simplifies the process by folding one web of panel material, forming open surfaces, and superposing the bottom gusset material without folding it back or unfolding the panel material, using panel material feeding, side gusset material supply, temporarily fixing, panel material guide, bottom gusset forming, cross sealing, and longitudinal sealing mechanisms to create the bag structure.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If the web of bottom gusset material is folded back and one web of panel material is unfolded to interpose the bottom gusset material, then the bag structure can be formed, but the panel material guide means becomes complicated in structure

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebag structure formationVSAvoidpanel material guide means
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the bottom gusset material formation process from the panel material guide system. Instead of using the panel material guide to fold back the bottom gusset material and unfold panel material, the invention uses a separate bottom gusset material supply means that directly supplies the bottom gusset material in its required configuration, eliminating the need for complex folding and unfolding operations in the panel material guide.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the bag making process into distinct functional modules: panel material feeding means for handling panel material, side gusset material supply means for handling side gusset material, and bottom gusset material supply means for handling bottom gusset material. Each module independently supplies its material without requiring complex interactions or transformations of other materials, simplifying the overall system structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Device complexity

If the panel material guide means is simplified to avoid folding back bottom gusset material and unfolding panel material, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to form the bag structure must be maintained

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepanel material guide meansVSAvoidbag structure formation
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a bottom gusset material supply means as an intermediary component that provides the bottom gusset material in a pre-prepared state. This intermediary supplies the material directly to the sealing means without requiring the panel material guide to perform complex folding and unfolding operations, thus simplifying the guide structure while maintaining the ability to form the bag.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The bottom gusset material is prepared in advance by the bottom gusset material supply means in the required configuration before being supplied to the sealing means. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for complex real-time folding and unfolding operations during the bag formation process, simplifying the panel material guide structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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 approach allows for the efficient production of plastic bags with enhanced capacity and stability, reducing the complexity of the panel material guide structure and maintaining open surfaces during the sealing process.

Implementation Method 1

the web of bottom gusset material and the auxiliary gusset portion are heat sealed with each other while the panels and the sheet of side gusset material are heat sealed with each other

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat sealing: Heating

Data Source

PatentEP2500165B1Plastic bag making apparatus
Publication Date: 2013.11.27 TOTANI CORP (JP)
  • EP2500165B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2500165B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2500165B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A sheet of side gusset material 3 is folded into halves, superposed into two layers and interposed between webs of panel material 1 and 2. One of the webs of panel material 1 is folded along a longitudinal folded line 8 to make the webs of panel material 1 and 2 open and make an open surface formed on the webs of panel material 1 and 2. One of the layers of side gusset material 3 is folded along the longitudinal folded line 8 to make the layers of side gusset material 3 open along with an auxiliary gusset portion 7 and make an open surface formed on the layers of auxiliary gusset portion 7. A web of bottom gusset material 4 is superposed on the open surfaces of panel material 1 and 2 and auxiliary gusset portion 7. The web of bottom gusset material 4 and the auxiliary gusset portion 7 are heat sealed with each other while the webs of panel material 1 and 2 and the sheet of side gusset material 3 are heat sealed with each other widthwise of the webs of panel material 1 and 2 with the open surfaces kept being formed. The web of bottom gusset material 4 and at least one of the webs of panel material 1 are heat sealed with each other longitudinally of the webs of panel material 1 and 2 with the open surfaces kept being formed.