Thermally Bonded Multilayer Pads Without Adhesive Lamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing multilayer pads rely heavily on adhesives for bonding layers, which can lead to environmental concerns, health hazards, and increased production costs, as well as limitations in recyclability and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An in-line method using ultrasonic bonding to fuse thermoplastic materials without adhesives, employing thermal bonding processes to integrate handle, barrier, and base pad layers, allowing for efficient cutting and formation of multilayer pads with various handle configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If adhesives are used to bond layers, then bonding strength is improved, but environmental harm and health hazards increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes adhesives from the multilayer pad structure entirely, extracting the harmful bonding agent while maintaining layer attachment through thermal bonding of thermoplastic materials. This eliminates environmental and health hazards associated with adhesive chemicals while preserving bonding function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the chemical bonding mechanism (adhesives) with a thermal/physical bonding mechanism (thermal bonding of thermoplastic layers). This substitution eliminates harmful chemicals while achieving secure layer attachment through heat-activated material fusion.
2Strength
If adhesives are used to bond layers, then bonding strength is improved, but production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By removing adhesives from the manufacturing process, the patent eliminates adhesive material costs, application equipment costs, and associated labor costs. The thermal bonding process uses heat and pressure that can be applied directly during the forming process, reducing overall manufacturing expenses while maintaining bonding strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermoplastic materials bond to themselves through thermal bonding, eliminating the need for separate adhesive materials and application processes. The layers perform their own bonding function through heat-activated material properties, reducing production complexity and cost.
3Strength
If adhesives are used to bond layers, then layer attachment is improved, but recyclability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By removing adhesives from the multilayer structure, the patent eliminates chemical contaminants that interfere with recycling processes. The thermoplastic layers can be separated and recycled through standard plastic recycling methods, improving environmental sustainability and material recovery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses homogeneous thermoplastic materials for all layers that can be thermally bonded together. This material compatibility enables the entire structure to be processed together in recycling facilities, improving recyclability compared to adhesive-bonded heterogeneous structures.
4Strength
If adhesive coating is applied, then bonding coverage is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By removing the adhesive coating process entirely, the patent eliminates adhesive application equipment, coating control systems, and drying/curing infrastructure. The thermal bonding process integrates directly into the forming process, simplifying manufacturing equipment and operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermoplastic materials provide their own bonding capability through thermal activation, eliminating the need for separate adhesive materials and application processes. The bonding function is inherent to the material system rather than requiring external adhesive chemicals.
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 eliminates the need for adhesives, reducing environmental impact, health risks, and production costs, while enabling efficient recycling and improving manufacturing efficiency by using ultrasonic bonding to integrate layers without warping or quality control issues.
Implementation Method 1
An in-line method using ultrasonic bonding to fuse thermoplastic materials without adhesives, employing thermal bonding processes to integrate handle, barrier, and base pad layers
Implementation Method 2
employing thermal bonding processes to integrate handle, barrier, and base pad layers
Data Source
AI summary
In-line methods for manufacturing a plurality of multilayer pads and the resultant pads. Various embodiments of the invention employ one or two thermal bonding stations, such as ultrasonic bonding stations, along with handle folding tooling, to produce two- or three-layer pads in various configurations, without the use of adhesive. Following bonding and handle folding, a cutter, such as a die cutter, is employed to cut through the layers to form individual pads. Pads of various configurations are manufactured, including pads with “L”-shaped handles, handles of “wing” configuration, and “folded” handles.