Retrofit of a Form-Fill-Seal Machine Heat Station with an Advanced Ultrasonic Welding Kit

摘要

Advanced ultrasonic welding components of co-pending application Ser. No. 12/925,652 are readily incorporated into new form-fill-seal machines, but owners of existing machines utilizing heat-seal stations were unsuccessful at swapping the sealing packages. Retrofit kits to a replace heat sealing station with an advanced ultrasonic sonotrode and anvil comprise: a housing; a linear rail fixed thereto; first and second bearing carriages being slidable upon the rail; and first and second fluidic muscles. Each of the fluidic muscles is mounted with a first end fixed to a respective housing wall, and a second end fixed to a respective bearing carriage, permitting actuation of each carriage through pressurization and depressurization of the muscles. The advanced anvil and sonotrode may be secured to respective carriages. In-line arrangements of anvil/sonotrode, bearing carriages, the first fluidic muscle, and the second fluidic muscle provides a narrow profile, permitting side-by-side kit installations for retrofits accomplishing duplex sealing on a horizontal machine.

主权项

1. An ultrasonic sealing station, for use in supporting an anvil and sonotrode of an ultrasonic welding stack of a form-fill-seal machine or pre-made pouch machine, said ultrasonic sealing station comprising:
a housing; a linear rail with a portion fixedly secured to a portion of said housing; a first bearing carriage slidably received upon said linear rail; a second bearing carriage slidably received upon said linear rail; a first fluidic muscle; a second fluidic muscle; a first mounting member fixedly secured to said first bearing carriage to be slidable relative to said housing; said first fluidic muscle configured with a first end secured to a portion of said housing and with a second end secured to said first mounting member; said first mounting member configured to fixedly secure an anvil thereto; a second mounting member fixedly secured to said second bearing carriage to be slidable relative to said housing; said second fluidic muscle configured with a first end secured to a portion of said housing and with a second end secured to said second mounting member; said second mounting member configured to fixedly secure a sonotrode thereto; wherein said first and second fluidic muscles are configured to be pressurized to cause corresponding translation of said first and second mounting members relative to said housing, to cause convergent translation of said first and second mounting members.