Plastic Profile Sealing Machine with Locking and Containment

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing machines for sealing plastic profiled elements, such as PVC, face issues with non-uniform sealing areas leading to excess material waste and complex, costly finishing operations to remove the sealing bead, which complicates the installation of frames and increases processing times.

Innovation Solution

A machine with retention means and heat-sealing elements that maintain the profiled elements in a fixed position during sealing, using locking mechanisms to prevent rotation and movement, and machining tools to create containment compartments for the sealing bead, ensuring uniform sealing without excess material protrusion.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If heating and pressing operations are performed to seal the profiled elements, then the profiled elements are joined together to form a surrounding structure, but excess melted material forms a sealing bead that protrudes from the surface

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvejoining strengthVSAvoidsurface appearance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSShape

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary milling operations to create containment compartments (grooves) on the profiled elements before sealing. These compartments are prepared in advance to receive and contain the melted material during sealing, preventing it from forming protruding beads on the surface while ensuring proper material containment and aesthetic appearance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the sealing area is increased to ensure complete sealing, then the sealing effectiveness is improved, but more material is melted forming a larger bead

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing effectivenessVSAvoidmaterial waste
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates containment compartments at specific locations where excess material is expected to form during sealing. These localized grooves are positioned precisely to capture melted material only where needed, rather than requiring uniform reduction across the entire sealing area. This allows complete sealing effectiveness while containing material waste within the compartments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Shape

If finishing operations are added to remove the sealing bead, then the surface appearance is improved, but the total processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesurface appearanceVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ShapeVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the harmful effect of melted material forming beads into a beneficial outcome by designing containment compartments that capture and hide the excess material. Instead of requiring additional operations to remove beads, the compartments themselves become part of the aesthetic design, eliminating the need for post-sealing removal operations and reducing total processing time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

4Shape

If complex finishing machinery is used to remove the bead, then the surface quality is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesurface qualityVSAvoidmachinery complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ShapeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the problematic sealing bead formation from the sealing process by incorporating containment compartments into the profiled elements themselves. This design integration eliminates the need for separate complex finishing machinery, as the compartments are built-in features that naturally contain and conceal excess material without requiring additional removal equipment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

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 solution simplifies and streamlines the sealing process, ensuring high aesthetic standards and structural integrity by maintaining the profiled elements in a fixed position during sealing, reducing waste and processing time, and allowing for easy use on various profiled element shapes and types.

Implementation Method 1

melting is done by heating the portions to be connected by means of suitable heat-sealing plates

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeating: Heating

Implementation Method 2

heating the portions to be connected by means of suitable heat-sealing plates and then pressing the heated portions the one against the other to facilitate their merger

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMelting: Melting

Implementation Method 3

pressing the heated portions the one against the other to facilitate their merger

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCompression: Compression

Data Source

PatentEP3481620B1Machine for sealing plastic profiled elements
Publication Date: 2021.12.29 GRAF SYNERGY
  • EP3481620B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3481620B1 patent drawingFigure 1a~1b
  • EP3481620B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The machine (1) for sealing plastic profiled elements comprises: a base frame (6); retention means (7, 8) of at least a profiled element (P) of plastic material having a first main face (2), a second main face (3), a first lateral face (4), a second lateral face (5) and respective areas to seal (Z), the retention means (7, 8) being associated with the base frame (6) and comprising a first support element (7) movable along a first direction of sliding (A) and a second support element (8) mounted on the first support element (7) and movable relative thereto along a second direction of sliding (B); a heat-sealing element with heated plate (11), having two mutually opposite surfaces on which the areas to seal (Z) to be heated are placeable in contact; sliding means (9, 10) of the retention means (7, 8) adapted to shift the profiled elements (P) between a position of reciprocal moving away and a position of mutual approach wherein the heated areas to seal (Z) are joined together; wherein the machine (1) comprises positioning means (13, 14) associated with the support elements (7, 8) and adapted to receive a portion of one of the lateral faces (4, 5); locking means (15, 28) movably associated with the retention means (7, 8) and adapted to keep the profiled elements (P) in a locking configuration wherein one of the main faces (2, 3) is kept into contact with one of the support elements (7, 8) and one of the lateral faces (4, 5) is arranged into contact with the positioning means (13, 14), and wherein the locking means (15, 28) prevent the profiled elements (P) from rotating around the longitudinal axis of the profiled elements themselves.