Reciprocating Nozzle Web Filling for Unit Dose Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for filling cavities on moving webs in manufacturing unit dose articles, such as laundry detergent pouches, face inefficiencies due to limitations in filling speed and volume, particularly when using continuous filling processes on rotatable drums, leading to issues like splashing and stringing of viscous compositions, which can result in poor sealing and increased leakage.
Innovation Solution
A method and system where nozzles positioned on a reciprocating arm move from a first to a second position while dispensing a composition into cavities on a continuously moving web, allowing for simultaneous filling and increased filling window without negatively impacting speed or volume, thereby enhancing production efficiency and reducing leakage risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a continuous filling process is used where the nozzle moves with the cavity, then filling efficiency is improved, but the nozzle must return to start position after each cavity, limiting the speed and number of cavities filled per time period
Solution Approach 1:
The filling system is divided into multiple nozzles (first nozzle, second nozzle, third nozzle) positioned at different locations. While one nozzle fills a cavity, another nozzle is already positioned for the next cavity, eliminating the return time penalty and enabling continuous operation without idle periods.
Solution Approach 2:
Subsequent nozzles are pre-positioned at optimal locations along the web path before filling begins. This allows the filling operation to proceed continuously as each nozzle is already in place to fill the next cavity without waiting for previous nozzles to complete their cycles.
2Productivity
If filling begins early or continues too long on a rotatable drum, then more cavities can be filled, but the composition may spill out due to cavity tilt
Solution Approach 1:
The problem of limited filling window on a rotating drum is solved by adding a spatial dimension - positioning multiple nozzles at different locations along the web path. This transforms a single-point filling operation into a distributed filling system that can operate across multiple positions simultaneously, effectively expanding the filling window without increasing tilt-related spillage risk at any individual position.
3Speed
If high-viscosity composition is dispensed quickly, then production speed increases, but stringing occurs where filament remains between nozzle and cavity
Solution Approach 1:
The dispensing operation is segmented into multiple nozzles operating in sequence rather than one nozzle attempting to fill multiple cavities rapidly. This distributes the dispensing load and allows each nozzle to operate at optimal speed for its assigned cavity, preventing stringing while maintaining overall high production speed.
4Ease of operation
If low-viscosity composition is dispensed, then filling is easier, but the composition may splash out of cavities when dispensed quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the dispensing parameters for each nozzle based on its position and the specific cavity being filled. This allows optimization of dispensing speed and volume for each location, achieving easy filling without splashing by matching the dispensing characteristics to the local conditions of each cavity position.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2C
Figure 3A~4B
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to methods, and corresponding systems, for filling cavities (110, 111, 112) with a composition (300) into said cavities (110, 111, 112) of a web (100) that continuously moves in a machine direction (MD), said method comprising the steps of: providing a web (100) comprising a water-soluble film, typically disposed on a continuously moveable surface (116) in a machine direction (MD), said web (100) comprising at least two thermoformable cavities (110, 111, 112) aligned in said machine direction (MD); providing a filling apparatus (200) comprising at least two nozzles (210, 211, 212) aligned in said machine direction (MD), positioned to dispense a household care composition (300), into said cavities (210, 211, 212); dispensing said composition (300) from said at least two nozzles (210, 211, 212) into said at least two cavities (110, 111, 112) while said at least two nozzles (210, 211, 212) move from a first position (FP) to a second position (SP); and returning said at least two nozzles (210, 211, 212) to said first position (FP).