U.S. patent application number 15/225410 was filed with the patent office on 2017-04-13 for system for forming packages from film material.
This patent application is currently assigned to Cloud Packaging Solutions, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Cloud Packaging Solutions, LLC. Invention is credited to Anthony Crivolio, Donn D. Hartman, Alex Waterman.
Application Number | 20170101203 15/225410 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57206374 |
Filed Date | 2017-04-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170101203 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Waterman; Alex ; et
al. |
April 13, 2017 |
SYSTEM FOR FORMING PACKAGES FROM FILM MATERIAL
Abstract
An apparatus for forming sealed pouches comprising: a rotatable
base forming drum having an outer surface with a plurality of base
tooling cavities in the outer surface; a base stock supply
mechanism for feeding a base stock film of material along a base
stock path, a portion of the base stock path extending along the
outer surface of the base forming drum; a system for displacing the
base stock film into the base tooling cavities to form a pocket of
base stock film material within each base tooling cavity; a
material feed mechanism for feeding at least one material into each
pocket of the base stock film; a rotatable lid forming drum having
an outer surface with a plurality of lid tooling cavities in the
outer surface; a lid stock supply mechanism for feeding a lid stock
film of material along a lid stock path, a portion of the lid stock
path extending along the outer surface of the lid forming drum; a
system for displacing the lid stock film into the lid tooling
cavities to form a lid recess of lid stock film material within
each lid tooling cavity; a material feed mechanism for feeding a
material into each lid recess of the lid stock film; and mechanism
bringing the base stock web and the lid stock web into contact
under pressure. In one form, the material fed into the lid recesses
is a hardenable material and cooling is used to cool the lid
recesses.
Inventors: |
Waterman; Alex; (Mount
Prospect, IL) ; Crivolio; Anthony; (Elk Grove
Village, IL) ; Hartman; Donn D.; (Hawthorne Woods,
IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Cloud Packaging Solutions, LLC |
Des Planes |
IL |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Cloud Packaging Solutions,
LLC
Des Plaines
IL
|
Family ID: |
57206374 |
Appl. No.: |
15/225410 |
Filed: |
August 1, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
15004409 |
Jan 22, 2016 |
|
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15225410 |
|
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62238494 |
Oct 7, 2015 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29C 2791/006 20130101;
B65B 63/08 20130101; B29C 2793/0027 20130101; B29C 51/32 20130101;
B65B 2220/24 20130101; B29C 51/225 20130101; B65B 9/042 20130101;
B29C 51/428 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65B 43/50 20060101
B65B043/50; B65B 41/12 20060101 B65B041/12; B65B 51/10 20060101
B65B051/10; B65B 47/02 20060101 B65B047/02; B65B 37/00 20060101
B65B037/00; B65B 61/06 20060101 B65B061/06; B65B 9/04 20060101
B65B009/04; B65B 31/00 20060101 B65B031/00 |
Claims
1. An apparatus for forming sealed pouches comprising: a rotatable
base forming drum having an outer surface with a plurality of base
tooling cavities in the outer surface; a base stock supply
mechanism for feeding a base stock film along a base stock path, a
portion of the base stock path extending along the outer surface of
the base forming drum; a system for displacing the base stock film
into the base tooling cavities to form a pocket of base stock film
within each base tooling cavity; a material feed mechanism for
feeding at least one material into each said pocket of said base
stock film; a rotatable lid forming drum having an outer surface
with a plurality of lid tooling cavities in the outer surface; a
lid stock supply mechanism for feeding a lid stock film along a lid
stock path, a portion of the lid stock path extending along the
outer surface of the lid forming drum; a system for displacing the
lid stock film into the lid tooling cavities to form a lid recess
of lid stock film within each lid tooling cavity; a material feed
mechanism for feeding a material into each said lid recess of said
lid stock film; and mechanism bringing said base stock film and
said lid stock film into contact under pressure.
2. An apparatus for forming sealed pouches as claimed in claim 1,
wherein said material feed mechanism for feeding material into each
said lid recesses is a hardenable material feed mechanism for
feeding hardenable material.
3. An apparatus for forming sealed pouches as claimed in claim 2,
further comprising, a cooling system associated with the lid
forming drum to provide cooling along a length of the lid stock
path to assist in cooling the hardenable material fed by the
hardenable material feed mechanism.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the cooling system includes
cooling conduits within the lid forming drum which provides cooling
to the lid tooling cavities.
5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the cooling system includes
cooling conduits to direct a gas towards the lid tooling cavities
of the lid forming drum.
6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the cooling conduits are
positioned downstream of the hardenable material feed
mechanism.
7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the base stock path and the
lid stock path intersect at a location at which the base forming
drum and the lid forming drum are adjacent each other and said
mechanism bringing said lid stock film and base stock film into
contact under pressure forms said sealed pouches.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein one of said base forming drum
and lid forming drum is resiliently mounted for applying pressure
against the other drum.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the system for displacing said
base stock film and said lid stock film includes a vacuum system
for generating a vacuum within the base drum cavities to draw the
base stock film into the base tooling cavities to form a pocket
within each base tooling cavity, and a vacuum system for generating
a vacuum within the lid tooling cavities to draw the lid stock film
into the lid tooling cavities to form a lid recess within each lid
tooling cavity.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, including a base stock heater to heat
said base stock film and a lid stock heater to heat said lid stock
film.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, including a lid stock wetting system
to apply a solvent to the lid stock film before bringing said films
into contact under pressure.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the base stock path and the
lid stock path intersect at a location at which the base forming
drum and the lid forming drum are adjacent each other and said
mechanism bringing said lid stock film and said base stock film
into contact under pressure forms said sealed pouches.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said apparatus includes
cutting mechanism to cut said films to form individual pouches
after bringing said films into contact under pressure.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein one of said base forming drum
and lid forming drum is resiliently mounted for applying pressure
against the other of said base forming drum and lid forming
drum.
15. A method of forming sealed product pouches employing an
apparatus having: a rotatable base forming drum having an outer
surface with a plurality of base tooling cavities in the outer
surface; a base stock supply mechanism for feeding a base stock
film along a base stock path, a portion of the base stock path
extending along the outer surface of the base forming drum; a
system for displacing the base stock film into the base tooling
cavities to form a pocket of base stock film within each base
tooling cavity; a material feed mechanism for feeding at least one
material into each said pocket of said base stock film; a rotatable
lid forming drum having an outer surface with a plurality of lid
tooling cavities in the outer surface; a lid stock supply mechanism
for feeding a lid stock film of along a lid stock path, a portion
of the lid stock path extending along the outer surface of the lid
forming drum; a system for displacing the lid stock film into the
lid tooling cavities to form a lid recess of lid stock film within
each lid tooling cavity; a material feed mechanism for feeding a
material into each said lid recess of said lid stock film; and
mechanism for bringing said base stock film and said lid stock film
into contact under pressure; said method comprising: passing said
base stock film over said base forming drum and forming said
pockets therein filling said pockets with material using said
material feed mechanism associated with said base stock pockets;
passing said lid stock film over said lid forming drum and forming
said lid recesses therein; filling said lid recesses with material
using said material feed mechanism associated with said lid
recesses; bringing said base stock film and lid stock film into
contact under pressure.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein the base stock path and the lid
stock path intersect at a location at which the base forming drum
and the lid forming drum are adjacent each other and said mechanism
bringing said lid stock film and base stock film into contact under
pressure forms said sealed pouches.
17. The method of claim 16 in which the apparatus includes a base
stock heater to heat said base stock film and a lid stock heater to
heat said lid stock web, the method further comprising heating said
base stock film and lid stock film.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein said material feed mechanism for
feeding material into each said lid recesses is a hardenable
material feed mechanism for feeding hardenable material, the method
further comprising feeding a hardenable material into said lid
recesses.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein a cooling system associated
with the lid forming drum to provide cooling along a length of the
lid stock path to the steps further comprising providing cooling
along the length of the lid stock path.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein said apparatus includes cutting
mechanism to cut said films to form individual pouches, the steps
further comprising cutting said films to form individual pouches.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 62/238,494, filed Oct. 7, 2015, entitled
"System for Forming Packages From Film Material," and U.S.
application for patent Ser. No. 15/004,409, filed Jan. 22, 2016
entitled System for Forming Packages from Film Material, the
contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein as if
fully set forth.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This disclosure relates generally to a package forming
system and, more particularly, to a system utilizing a rotary drum
to thermoform pouches from a continuous web and a method of forming
and filling the pouches.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Machines or systems are known for forming pouches or
packages from two continuous webs in which a first or base stock
film is thermoformed to define a pocket that may be filled to some
extent with one or more products or materials and subsequently
closed by a second or lid stock film.
[0004] To form the pouches, the base stock film is fed from a
supply roll and heated to a temperature sufficient to allow
thermoforming. The heated film is continuously wrapped or routed
around a base forming drum or roller having a plurality of cavities
along an outer surface thereof and a vacuum is applied within each
cavity to pull a portion of the heated film into each cavity to
form a plurality of base stock pockets as the film is fed and the
drum rotated. After the base stock pockets are formed and as the
base stock film is continuing to be fed and the drum rotated, each
of the base stock pockets may be filled with one or more desired
products or materials while the pocket is still positioned within
its cavity on the drum.
[0005] As the base stock film is being fed from its supply roll,
the lid stock film is fed from a supply roll towards the base
forming drum and into contact with the base stock film to seal each
base stock pocket after the pocket has been filled to a desired
level. To do so, any combination of heat, pressure, and/or a
solvent may be applied to either or both of the base stock film and
the lid stock film before or as the two films are brought together
to continuously seal each pocket and form each sealed pouch or
package. The combined base stock and lid stock films are
subsequently cut to separate the individual pouches. An example of
a machine and a process for forming the pouches is described
further in U.S. Pat. No. 3,218,776, which is incorporated herein by
reference.
[0006] When forming pouches or packages that contain multiple
materials that are to be separated (e.g., a powder and a liquid),
the systems used to form the pouches may utilize three or more
continuous webs. In one known system for forming pouches from three
continuous webs, the base stock film is drawn from a supply roll
and wrapped around or engages a heated roller and then around a
base forming drum and drawn into cavities to form the pockets as
described above. As the base stock film and base forming drum
continue to be rotated, one or more desired first products or
materials may be dispensed into the pockets formed within the
cavities of the base forming drum.
[0007] As the pockets in the base stock film are being formed and
filled, lid base stock film is drawn from a supply roll and wrapped
around or engages a heated roller where the film is heated to a
temperature sufficient to allow thermoforming. The heated lid base
stock film is wrapped or routed around a lid forming drum or roller
having a plurality of cavities along an outer surface thereof and a
vacuum is applied within each cavity to pull a portion of the
heated film into each cavity to define the pockets as the film is
fed and the drum rotated. As the lid base stock film and lid
forming drum continue to be rotated, one or more desired second
products or materials may be dispensed into the pockets formed
within the cavities of the lid forming drum.
[0008] As the pockets in the lid base stock film are being formed
and filled, lid closing stock film is fed from a supply roll
towards the lid base stock film to seal each pocket of the lid base
stock after the pocket has been filled to a desired level. To do
so, any combination of heat, pressure, and/or a solvent may be
applied to either or both of the lid base stock film and the lid
closing stock film before or as the two films are brought together
to continuously seal each pocket and form a sealed lid sub-package
or structure having products or materials sealed between the layers
of film that form the lid sub-package.
[0009] The sealed lid sub-package is then routed towards the base
stock forming drum and the base stock film. As described above, any
combination of heat, pressure, and/or a solvent may be applied to
either or both of the base stock film and the sealed lid
sub-package before or as the two structures are brought together to
continuously seal each base stock pocket with the lid sub-package
and form a sealed pouch having multiple products or materials
sealed therein. The combined base stock and lid sub-packages are
then cut to separate the individual pouches.
[0010] In another known system, pouches may be formed from four
continuous webs. In doing so, the system is similar to that
described above that uses three continuous webs but includes an
additional continuous web that is applied to seal the base stock
pockets before securing together the base sub-packages and the lid
sub-packages. More specifically, base stock pockets are formed and
filled as described above. An additional sealing film is secured to
the base stock film using a combination of heat, pressure and/or
solvent to seal the base stock pockets and form base sub-packages.
After the lid sub-packages are formed as described above, the base
sub-packages and the lid sub-packages are secured together to form
the sealed pouches having different products or materials sealed
therein. In one embodiment, the base sub-packages and the lid
sub-packages may be secured together using a combination of heat,
pressure and/or solvent. In another embodiment, the base
sub-packages and the lid sub-packages may be secured together using
an adhesive. After securing together the base sub-packages and the
lid sub-packages, the webs forming the pouches may be cut to
separate the individual pouches.
SUMMARY
[0011] An apparatus for forming sealed pouches comprising: a
rotatable base forming drum having an outer surface with a
plurality of base tooling cavities in the outer surface; a base
stock supply mechanism for feeding a base stock film of material
along a base stock path, a portion of the base stock path extending
along the outer surface of the base forming drum; a system for
displacing the base stock film into the base tooling cavities to
form a pocket of base stock film material within each base tooling
cavity; a material feed mechanism for feeding at least one material
into each pocket of the base stock film; a rotatable lid forming
drum having an outer surface with a plurality of lid tooling
cavities in the outer surface; a lid stock supply mechanism for
feeding a lid stock film of material along a lid stock path, a
portion of the lid stock path extending along the outer surface of
the lid forming drum; a system for displacing the lid stock film
into the lid tooling cavities to form a lid recess of lid stock web
material within each lid tooling cavity; a material feed mechanism
for feeding a material into each lid recess of the lid stock film;
and mechanism bringing the base stock film and lid stock film into
contact under pressure. In one form, the material fed into the lid
recesses is a hardenable material and cooling is used to cool the
lid recesses.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a pouch forming
apparatus in which the principles disclosed herein may be used;
[0013] FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmented view of a portion of the
lid forming drum of FIG. 1 and systems associated therewith;
[0014] FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmented view similar to FIG. 2 but
illustrating a second embodiment of a cooling system associated
with the lid forming drum;
[0015] FIG. 4 is perspective view of a pouch that may be formed
with the apparatus of FIG. 1;
[0016] FIG. 5 is an end view of the pouch of FIG. 4;
[0017] FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of an alternate
embodiment of systems associated with the lid forming drum of FIG.
1; and
[0018] FIG. 7 is an enlarged, fragmented view of a second
embodiment of the lid forming drum of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] FIGS. 4-5 depict a pouch or package 100 formed from two
continuous webs of material. The pouch 100 includes a base 90
including pocket 101 formed from a base stock film or web of
material 70. As depicted, the pocket 101 includes four sidewalls
102 that extend downward from flange 103 and are interconnected by
lower surface 104. The pouch 100 is sealed by a cover or lid 110
formed from a lid stock film or web of material 75. As depicted,
the lid includes a pair of relatively small recesses 111 that
extend upward from a flange 112 of the lid. It should be noted,
however, that the lid 110 may have one or more recesses 111 and the
recesses may be of identical or different sizes and shapes and are
oriented to overlie the pocket 101 with flanges 103 and 112 sealed
together to form pouch 100.
[0020] In some instances, such as when the pouches 100 are utilized
for cleaning products, the film may be formed of a soluble material
such as a water soluble film. In one example, the film may be
formed of a polyvinyl alcohol material. Other materials are
contemplated. Pocket 101 and recesses 111 may be filled with any
desired products and/or materials. As depicted in FIGS. 4-5, pocket
101 may be filled with a powder material 105 such as a detergent
and the recesses 111 may be filled with a paste or a wax-like
hardenable material 113 such as another detergent, a liquid, or any
other suitable material.
[0021] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a pouch forming
apparatus or system 10 for forming a plurality of the pouches 100
depicted in FIGS. 4-5. Pouch forming apparatus 10 is generally
similar to that disclosed in aforementioned U.S. Pat. No.
3,218,776. In this regard, it includes a first section 20 for
forming and filling the base stock film 70 and a second section 40
for forming and filling the lid stock film 75. The first section 20
includes a rotatable base forming drum 21, a heater system 25, a
supply roll 30 of material that is the base stock film 70, and a
product feed mechanism 31.
[0022] The base forming drum 21 includes a plurality of base
tooling cavities 22 extending inwardly along the outer surface 23
of the drum. To increase the efficiency of the system 10, the base
forming drum 21 may include a three-dimensional array of cavities
22 around the outer surface 23 so each manufacturing step operates
relative to a plurality of horizontally aligned (into the page in
FIG. 1) cavities 22.
[0023] A vacuum system indicated generally at 35, including
conduits 36, seen in FIG. 1, are operatively connected to each
cavity 22 to create a vacuum to draw a portion of the base stock
film 70 into the cavity to form one of the pockets 101. Such a
vacuum system is well known in the art as seen, for example, in
U.S. Pat. No. 3,218,776. A drive system (not shown) is operatively
connected to the base forming drum 21 to rotate the drum
continuously or intermittently, as desired in direction "A."
[0024] The heater system 25 is depicted as a rotatable base stock
heater roller 26 positioned adjacent the base forming drum 21 and
includes an internal heater to heat the base stock film 70 prior to
it contacting the base forming drum and being drawn into cavity 22
to form the pocket 101. In one embodiment, the heater system 25 may
be configured as a cartridge-type heater within the base stock
heater roller 26 but other types of heaters, either internal or
external to a roller, may be used if desired. For example, in
another embodiment, a radiant-type heater external to a roller may
be used.
[0025] A product feed mechanism 31 is positioned generally adjacent
the upper section 24 of the base forming drum 21 to supply one or
more products and/or materials into each pocket 101 as the pocket
together with base stock film 70 move along with the upper surface
of the rotatable drum 21. The product feed mechanism 31 may be
fixed and the base forming drum 21 may be either intermittently
stopped or rotated slowly as the material is fed into pockets 101.
In other instances, the product feed mechanism 31 may include a
drive mechanism (not shown) to permit the product feed mechanism to
move with the pockets 101 as the pockets move during rotation of
the base forming drum 21. The product feed mechanism 31 may be
configured to feed any type, number or combination of products
and/or materials including a solid, a powder, a liquid including
paste or wax-type products, pills, tablets, or even other pouched
products.
[0026] The second section 40 includes a rotatable lid forming drum
41, a heater system 45, a supply roll of continuous web material
that forms the lid stock film 75, a lid stock product feed
mechanism 51, and a lid stock wetting system 60. The lid forming
drum 41 includes a plurality of lid tooling cavities 42 extending
inwardly along the outer surface 43 of the lid forming drum. As
with the cavities 22 of base forming drum 21, the cavities 42 of
lid forming drum 41 may be configured as a three-dimensional array
upon the outer surface 43 of the lid forming drum.
[0027] A vacuum system generally similar to the vacuum system 35 of
the base forming drum 21 indicated generally at 65 is operatively
connected to each of the cavities 42 of the lid forming drum to
create a vacuum within each cavity to draw a portion of the lid
stock film 75 into the cavities 42 to form one or more lid recesses
110. Conduits 66 of the vacuum system 65 are depicted schematically
in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. A drive system (not shown) is operatively
connected to the lid forming drum 41 to rotate the drum
continuously or intermittently, as desired in direction "B."
[0028] The heater system 45 is depicted in FIG. 1 as a rotatable
lid stock heater roller 46 and is positioned adjacent the lid
forming drum 41 and includes an internal heater to heat the lid
stock film 75 prior to it contacting the lid forming drum. The
heater system 45 may be of any type and, as with the heater system
25 associated with base forming drum 21, the heater system 45
associated with lid forming drum 41 may be internal or external to
roller 46.
[0029] A lid stock product feed mechanism 51 is positioned
generally adjacent the upper section 44 of the lid forming drum 41
to supply one or more products or materials into each lid recess
111 as the recesses together with lid stock film 75 move along with
the upper surface of the rotatable drum 41. As depicted, the lid
stock product feed mechanism 51 is fixed but it may include a drive
mechanism (not shown) to permit the lid stock product feed
mechanism to move with the lid recesses 111 as the recesses move
along with the lid forming drum 41. It is contemplated that the lid
stock product feed mechanism 51 may be configured as a hardenable
material feed mechanism to feed any type of product or material in
the form of a hardenable material such as a liquid, a paste or a
wax-like material that hardens or solidifies after delivery.
However, it may also be configured to deliver other materials such
as solid objects, or the like that need not change phase.
[0030] Lid stock wetting system 60 is positioned adjacent the lid
forming drum 41 at a position after (i.e., downstream from) the lid
stock product feed mechanism 51 and before the lid stock film 75
seals the base stock film 70 at the base forming drum 21. The lid
stock wetting system 60 may apply a solvent to the lid stock film
75 to increase its tackiness to assist in adhering the lid stock
film 75 to the base stock film 70. To do so, the solvent may be
provided through a wetting system or reservoir 62 to a wetting
roller 61 that engages the lid stock film 75. In an embodiment in
which the base stock film 70 and lid stock film 75 are formed of a
polyvinyl alcohol material, the solvent for the lid stock wetting
system 60 may be water.
[0031] In an alternate embodiment depicted in FIG. 6, a lid stock
wetting system 160 may be provided before or upstream of the lid
stock product feed mechanism 51. The lid stock wetting system 160
includes a wetting roller 161 that applies a solvent to the lid
stock film 75 upstream of the lid stock product feed mechanism 51.
Such a configuration may be desirable or advantageous in situations
in which the material delivered into to the lid recesses 111 of the
lid stock film 75 extends above the surface or plane of the lid
stock film. By wetting the lid stock film 75 before the material is
inserted into the recesses 111, the material will not contaminate
the wetting roller 161. In other words, in the embodiment depicted
in FIG. 1, if the material within the recesses 111 extends above or
is near the plane of the lid stock film 75 (i.e., the outer surface
43 of the lid forming drum 41), it may contact, and contaminate,
the wetting roller 61.
[0032] As seen in FIG. 6, in some instances, it may be difficult or
undesirable to position the wetting system or reservoir 162
immediately adjacent the wetting roller 161. In such case, the
wetting system or reservoir 162 may be spaced from the wetting
roller 161 and the solvent applied to a preliminary or transfer
wetting roller 163 that engages the wetting roller 161 to transfer
the solvent thereto.
[0033] Returning to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the base
forming drum 21 and the lid forming drum 41 are positioned adjacent
each other so that after forming and filling each of the pockets
101 in base stock film 70 and lid recesses 111 the lid stock film
75 with the desired products and/or materials, the two films may be
secured together to form the pouches 100. Accordingly, one or both
of the base forming drum 21 and the lid forming drum 41 may be
resiliently mounted to permit relative movement between the two
drums in order to apply pressure to the combined base stock film 70
and lid stock film 75 to secure the two films together at the
portions defining flanges 103 and 112 of pouches 100. In another
embodiment, a separate roller or rollers could be used to apply the
required pressure to secure the two films together. In still
another embodiment, one or both of the base forming drum 21 and the
lid forming drum 41 may have a resilient coating or material on the
outer surface thereof.
[0034] A slitting knife 15 may be positioned after or downstream
from the location at which the base stock film 70 and the lid stock
film 75 are secured together to slit the combined films in a
circumferential direction along the outer surface of base forming
drum 21 to create a plurality of circumferential strips that each
include a plurality of pouches 100. A rotary knife 16 may be
positioned after or downstream from the slitting knife 15 to cut
the combined films laterally relative to the direction of rotation
of the base forming drum 21 to cut the combined films into the
individual pouches 100. The individual pouches 100 are discharged
onto a conveyor 17 for subsequent processing.
[0035] Optionally, when a hardenable material is delivered to the
lid recesses, a cooling system indicated generally at 55 may be
associated with the lid forming drum 41 to cool portions of the
drum or a portion of a product or material in the lid recesses 111
formed in the lid stock film 75 within the drum cavities. In one
embodiment depicted in FIG. 2, the cooling system 55 may include a
liquid system that internally directs a liquid through conduits 56
within the lid forming drum 41 to each of the cavities 42 of the
drum to cool all or a portion of the surface (e.g., a lower
surface) of the cavity. In another embodiment, the cooling system
55 may include an air or pneumatic system (or a combination of the
two) that internally directs a gas through conduits 56 within the
lid forming drum 41 to each of the cavities 42 of the drum to cool
all or a portion of the surface of the cavity. The location and
number of conduits 56 may be dependent upon the material and the
temperature of the lid stock film 75, the temperature of the
cavities 42 of the lid forming drum 41, the amount of cooling
desired, the rate at which the lid forming drum is rotated, and the
flow rate and type of medium (i.e., the fluid) being used as a
cooling agent.
[0036] Referring to FIG. 3, still another embodiment is depicted in
which, the cooling system 55 may include an external air or
pneumatic system (or a combination of the two) that directs a gas
from outside the lid forming drum 41 through external conduits 57
towards or into each of the lid recesses 111 in the film 75 within
cavities 42 of the drum. The gas cools all or a portion of the lid
stock film 75, for example, the formed lid recesses 111 of the lid
stock film, and/or any material placed within the recesses of the
lid stock film. In this embodiment, the internal conduits 56 may be
omitted from the lid forming drum 41 and the cooling system 55
configured to utilize the external conduits 57 without the internal
conduits. Also, depending on the material delivered to the lid
recesses 111 in the lid forming film, it may be that no cooling of
the material in the lid recesses is necessary. For example, such
would be the case if a solid object were placed in lid recesses 111
by the lid stock product feed mechanisms 51.
[0037] In instances where cooling is employed, if desired, the
outer surface 43 of lid forming drum 41 may include an insulative
material 47 thereon as depicted in FIG. 7. The insulative material
may be any desired material including rubber, silicone, foam, and
the like. If the insulative material 47 is a resilient material, it
may function as the resilient coating or material referred to above
that operates to assist in applying the desired pressure between
the base forming drum 21 and the lid forming drum 41. The
insulative material 47 extends along the outer surface 43 and
includes openings that correspond to and are aligned with the
cavities 42 along the outer surface of the lid forming drum 41.
[0038] The insulative material 47 operates to insulate the lid
stock film 75 from the lid forming drum 41 except within the
cavities 42. More specifically, as the heated lid stock film 75
meets the lid forming drum 41, it contacts the insulative material
47 along the outer surface 43 of the lid forming drum rather than
contacting the outer surface itself. Upon applying a vacuum through
conduits 66 of vacuum system 65, the heated lid stock film 75 is
drawn into the cavities 42. Once the lid stock film 75 contacts the
cooled cavities 42, the portions of the film that are drawn into
the cavities 42 to define the lid recesses are cooled. The portions
of the lid stock film 75 that form flanges 112 contact the
insulative material 47 outside of the cavities 42 and are not
cooled by the cooling system 55 due to the insulative properties of
the insulative material 47. This aids in adhering the films 70 and
75 together to form pouches 100.
[0039] If desired, in some instances, an insulative material (not
shown) may be applied to the outer surface 23 of the base forming
drum 21. The insulative material may be similar or identical to
insulative material 47 described above that may be applied to the
lid forming drum 41.
[0040] Turning again to FIG. 1, in operation, a base stock film 70
such as a polyvinyl alcohol film is fed from supply roll 30 and
passes around a portion of rotatable base stock heater roller 26
and is heated to a temperature sufficient to allow thermoforming.
In one example, the temperature may be approximately 160.degree. F.
but other temperatures may be utilized depending upon the material
of the base stock film 70, the desired manufacturing
characteristics, and the performance of the apparatus 10. The
heated base stock film 70 is routed around the base forming drum 21
and a vacuum applied to each cavity 22 pulls a portion of the
heated film 70 into each cavity 22 to form the base stock pockets
101 of the pouches 100. As the base forming drum 21 and the base
stock film 70 are rotated, the product feed mechanism 31 operates
to fill each base stock pocket 101 to a desired level with one or
more products or materials such as powdered detergent or other
material.
[0041] As the pockets 101 in the base stock film 70 are being
formed and filled, the lid stock film 75 is fed from supply roll 50
and passes around a portion of rotatable lid stock heater roller 46
and is heated to a temperature sufficient to allow thermoforming.
As with the example described above with respect to the base stock
film 70, the lid stock film 75 may be heated to a temperature of
approximately 160.degree. F. though other temperatures may be used.
The heated lid stock film 75 is routed around the lid forming drum
41 and a vacuum applied to each cavity 42 pulls a portion of the
heated lid stock film 75 into each cavity to form the lid recesses
111 of the pouches 100.
[0042] As the lid forming drum 41 and the lid stock film 75 are
rotated, the lid stock product feed mechanism 51 operates to
deliver material to each lid stock recess 111 to a desired level.
The material may be a hardenable material such as a wax- or
paste-like detergent in the form of a heated liquid or other
suitable material. The cooling system 55, if employed, is operative
to cool the hardenable material within the lid stock recesses 111
sufficiently so that the lid stock film 75 may be further processed
without movement of the liquid material within the recesses.
[0043] In the example in which the cooling system 55 is internally
located within the lid forming drum 41, the lid cooling system is
operative to cool the heated lid stock film 75 and the material
within the recesses 111 as desired. In the example in which the
cooling system 55 is located externally from the lid forming drum
41, the cooling system may direct air or another gas towards the
material within the lid recesses 111 to provide cooling. In one
example, the liquid material may be sufficiently cooled if a
somewhat solidified layer or surface film has been formed about its
outer surface such that it adheres to itself to form a unitary
element around the liquid interior. It does not flow out of the lid
recesses as the lid stock film rotates around the lid forming drum
41. In addition, such as when a solid material is delivered to the
recesses 111, it may be desirable for the material within the
recesses 111 to be sufficiently cool so that it does not react with
the material within the pocket 101 as the base stock film 70 and
the lid stock film 75 are brought together during the sealing
process described. Depending on the material delivered to the lid
recesses 111 or the properties of that material, it may not be
necessary to include cooling of the lid stock drum 41 or the lid
stock film 75 in the process of completing filled pouches 100.
[0044] After the lid recesses 111 in the lid stock film 75 have
been filled, the lid stock film may be wetted by the lid stock
wetting system 60. In doing so, water or another solvent may be
applied to the lid stock film 75 so that the film becomes
sufficiently tacky to assist in securing the lid stock film 75 to
the base stock film 70 along the portions defining flanges 103 and
112.
[0045] The base forming drum 21 and the lid forming drum 41 are
positioned in close proximity to apply pressure and force the base
stock film 70 and the lid stock film 75 into contact with
sufficient pressure to cause the two films to bond together at
flanges 103 and 112 to seal the pockets 101 and form the pouches
100. The combined base stock film 70 and lid stock film 75
continues to travel around the base forming drum 21 until reaching
the slitting knife 15 and the rotary knife 16 which cut the
combined films into the individual pouches 100. The individual
pouches 100 may then be discharged along conveyor 17 for further
processing.
[0046] Although the lid 110 is depicted with two distinct lid
recesses 111 that include material therein, the lid may include any
number of recesses with material therein including one or more.
[0047] It will be appreciated that the foregoing description
provides examples of the disclosed system and technique. However,
it is contemplated that other implementations of the disclosure may
differ in detail from the foregoing examples. All references to the
disclosure or examples thereof are intended to reference the
particular example being discussed at that point and are not
intended to imply any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure
more generally. All language of distinction and disparagement with
respect to certain features is intended to indicate a lack of
preference for those features, but not to exclude such from the
scope of the disclosure entirely unless otherwise indicated.
[0048] Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to
serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each
separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated
herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the
specification as if it were individually recited herein. All
methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order
unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted
by context.
[0049] Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and
equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended
hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of
the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is
encompassed by the disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or
otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
* * * * *