Continuous Vacuum Lamination Device with Permeable Support

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing laminating devices face challenges in ensuring smooth, wrinkle-free lamination of materials with different heights and in preventing air pockets between the workpiece and the material being laminated, particularly due to the lack of effective surface pressure and air removal mechanisms.

Innovation Solution

The laminating device employs a transport system with air-permeable supports and a vacuum device to generate negative pressure, sucking the material onto the support and removing air between the workpiece and the material to be laminated, thereby creating a high surface pressure that prevents air pockets and allows for reliable processing of items with varying heights.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional belt conveyors are used for transporting materials through the heating zone, then continuous transport is achieved, but air pockets form between the workpiece and material to be laminated, causing wrinkles and poor lamination quality

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelamination qualityVSAvoidair pockets
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies pneumatic principles by introducing a vacuum system with suction channels that extend into the heating zone. These channels create negative pressure to actively remove air from between the workpiece and material being laminated, preventing air pocket formation and ensuring consistent contact pressure throughout the lamination process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #29Pneumatics and hydraulics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs a porous or perforated support structure in the vacuum system that allows air to be extracted from the lamination interface. The porous nature of the support enables distributed air removal across the lamination area, preventing localized air pockets while maintaining continuous material transport.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

2Adaptability or versatility

If materials with different heights are laminated, then versatility is improved, but uneven contact pressure causes poor lamination on taller items

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing different heightsVSAvoidcontact pressure uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The vacuum system with distributed suction channels compensates for height variations by creating uniform negative pressure across the lamination interface. This pneumatic approach maintains consistent contact pressure between the workpiece and material being laminated, regardless of height differences, enabling reliable lamination of varied geometries.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #29Pneumatics and hydraulics

3Object-generated harmful factors

If vacuum suction is applied throughout the entire transport path, then air removal is improved, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair pocketsVSAvoidvacuum energy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The vacuum system is segmented into specific zones, with suction channels positioned only in the heating zone where lamination occurs. This localized vacuum application removes air pockets where they most affect quality while avoiding continuous vacuum along the entire transport path, reducing energy consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The vacuum suction is applied locally only in the heating zone rather than uniformly throughout the entire transport path. This localized quality approach concentrates energy where it is most needed for air removal during the critical lamination process, while conserving energy in transport sections where vacuum is unnecessary.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

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 ensures a smooth, wrinkle-free lamination process by maintaining close contact between the workpiece and the material, preventing air pockets, and enabling the reliable lamination of items with different heights, resulting in continuous and economical processing.

Implementation Method 1

a device for generating negative pressure, the device for generating negative pressure interacting with the support in such a way that the goods to be laminated are sucked onto the support during transport through the heating zone

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectNegative pressure (Vacuum): Vacuum

Data Source

PatentEP2782756B1Lamination device for continuous vacuum lamination
Publication Date: 2016.03.09 HERBERT MEYER GMBH & CO KG
  • EP2782756B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2782756B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2782756B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

A lamination device (1) has a transport device (10) for transporting a work piece (40) and at least one lamination item (71, 72). A lamination device (1) also has at least one temperature change zone (20, 30) for changing a temperature in the lamination item (70) and at least one negative pressure device (50) for generating negative pressure. The transport device (10) comprises at least one support surface (11, 12) which has at least one region that extends in the direction of transport (T) and is permeable to air. The temperature change zone (20, 30) comprises at least one temperature changing element, which has at least one recess (22, 32) that is fluidly connected to the air-permeable region of the support surface (11, 12). The negative pressure device (50) is connected to the recess (22, 32) of the temperature changing element (21, 31) in such a manner that the lamination item (71, 72) is sucked onto the support surface (11, 12) during transport through the temperature changing zone (20, 30) on at least one partial distance section of the transport path.