Tea Bag Sealing Dies With Zoned Infrared Heating Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tea bag sealing systems struggle with temperature control precision, leading to inconsistent seals due to +/- 20°C tolerance and up to 30°C variation along the sealing die, which is critical for maintaining integrity, especially when using eco-friendly bonding agents like polylactic acid.
Innovation Solution
Implementing quartz glass infrared emitters with short wave carbon elements and multiple heating zones, allowing for temperature control within +/- 3°C across the sealing die surface, combined with independent control of heating zones and pressure adjustment to ensure uniform temperature distribution and seal integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional heating drums with ceramic infrared heating elements are used, then the sealing temperature can be maintained, but the temperature control precision is poor with a tolerance of +/- 20°C and temperature variation up to 30°C along the sealing die
Solution Approach 1:
The heating drum is divided into multiple heating zones (first heating zone and second heating zone) with independently controllable infrared emitters. This segmentation allows each zone to be controlled separately, enabling precise temperature management across different sections of the sealing die and eliminating the temperature variation problem that affects seal integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the power supplied to each heating zone based on real-time temperature feedback. The independent control of multiple heating zones allows the system to respond to temperature variations along the sealing die, maintaining precise temperature control (+/- 3°C) and ensuring consistent seal quality throughout the production process.
2Reliability
If the sealing temperature is increased to ensure proper bonding, then the bonding agent melts effectively, but the agent may leach through the tissue web to the sealing die
Solution Approach 1:
The system precisely controls the sealing temperature within a narrow range of +/- 3°C across all heating zones. This precise parameter control ensures the bonding agent reaches the optimal melting temperature for effective bonding while preventing excessive temperature that would cause the agent to leach through the tissue web to the sealing die.
3Productivity
If conventional heating systems are used, then the apparatus structure is simpler, but the production rate is limited due to slower heating response time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional thermal conduction heating with infrared radiation heating. Infrared emitters directly radiate thermal energy to the sealing die surface, providing rapid heating response and enabling high-speed production (2800 pockets per minute) without requiring complex thermal management systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating system is segmented into multiple independently controlled heating zones with infrared emitters. This segmentation enables precise local temperature control and rapid response to production demands, achieving high productivity while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular design.
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
Achieves high-speed production of tea bags with uniform seals, ensuring effective bonding even with biodegradable materials, reducing leaks and improving production efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
Quartz glass infrared emitters can transfer large amounts of energy at a greater rate than conventional heating sources. This fast response time allows the system to heat up almost immediately from cold with the application of power.
Implementation Method 2
The infrared element may have a temperature of approximately 2200°C.
Implementation Method 3
The heating drums each comprise an array of ceramic infrared heating elements that are controlled to maintain the sealing temperature of the sealing die.
Implementation Method 4
applying pressure and heat to the tissue around the edges of the tea bag to melt a plastic bonding agent such as polypropylene and create a bond between the two tissue webs
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
Packaging apparatus comprises two counter-rotatable sealing dies for pressing together two tissue webs to produce pockets for containing a substance for preparing beverages and to seal around said pockets, and two heating drums for heating the sealing dies and each being positioned inside a respective sealing die, wherein a first heating zone of each heating drum comprises a first plurality of circumferentially distributed infrared heating elements, and a second heating zone of each heating drum comprises a second plurality of circumferentially distributed infrared heating elements.