Manufacturing container or tube from paper; or other manufacturi – Bending – Form-scoring
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-18
2001-09-18
Vo, Peter (Department: 3721)
Manufacturing container or tube from paper; or other manufacturi
Bending
Form-scoring
C493S433000, C493S360000, C156S073100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290635
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a device for folding a web of material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,441 discloses an apparatus for folding a web of material. It consists essentially of an embossing roller which has concave and convex embossing elements as well as a matching counter roller. The paper to be embossed is guided between the two rollers.
Also disclosed in German OS 42 01 288 is a method and a machine for producing pleats on paper, filter material or other such media. This method also operates with a pair of notched rollers with indenting knives and anvils. Variable pleating can be produced by controlling them accordingly.
A device which produces zig-zag folded filter elements is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,514,354. Here two star rollers are provided which emboss and simultaneously fold the paper. Conveyor belts follow the star rollers to guide the pleated element into a shaping apparatus.
A disadvantage in the known embossing or pleating devices is that, in some of the materials to be processed, the embossing action is not sufficient to achieve a precise folded edge. It is especially disadvantageous that mechanical embossing by means of cylinders above a certain maximum speed results in poorer results as regards the embossing action.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention therefore is addressed to the problem of avoiding the aforementioned disadvantages and providing a device for folding a web of material, which will achieve a high folding output and even in the case of different materials will emboss them sufficiently to enable them to be pleated.
This object is achieved by the invention described and claimed hereinafter.
It is known to perform a welding of laminated materials or nonwoven materials by ultrasound. It is also known to cut nonwoven materials or paper by the ultrasound method. In the case of the method of the invention, however, neither a cutting process nor a welding process is carried out.
The substantial advantage of the invention is that supporting the embossing action with ultrasound improves the embossing action and shorter cycle times are achieved. By the input of energy by ultrasound, especially when synthetic fiber nonwoven materials are used, plastification is produced in the area of the fold line by the heat that is produced.
It is possible, of course, to provide vibrations of other frequencies instead of ultrasound, or to directly bring about heating in the area of the fold line by means of heating elements.
An advantage of the use of ultrasound is also to be seen in the fact that is can be applied precisely at the desired position. Energy consumption is thus low, and the amount of energy applied can be very well controlled.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention the embossing unit comprises at least one anvil roller with an appropriately designed shape and a sonotrode. This sonotrode is a part of an oscillating structure with which the necessary energy can be applied to and act upon the web of material.
In another embodiment of the device, two embossing units are to be used. With these the material web can be embossed on both sides and a zig-zag folded element can be formed. After the material is provided with the embossing, it passes on to a receiving unit or set-up unit. Here the pleating is performed by the fact that, for example, the web of material is introduced into revolving spindles. These spindles permit a precise establishment of the spacing between folds.
An advantageous embodiment of the invention envisions making the anvil rolls or the sonotrodes modular, so that they can be quickly exchanged and an adaptation to the desired embossing structure will be very easy to achieve. A method for producing a pleated element provides, according to the invention, for feeding a web of material through a feeder to an embossing unit. Ultrasound is simultaneously applied to the embossing unit to assist the embossing action. With this method it is possible to produce a filter element from different materials, especially also from synthetic nonwoven material, which can be produced in an economical manner.
In another embodiment of the invention, a synthetic resin element composed of active carbon or doped with active carbon is embossed, thus producing a filter element which in addition to particles, also absorbs air pollutants and gases.
These and other features of preferred embodiments of the invention will be found not only in the claims but also in the description and the drawings, it being possible for the individual features to be realized individually or together in the form of sub-combinations in embodiments of the invention and in other fields, and may represent advantageous and independently patentable embodiments for which protection is hereby claimed.
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patent: 4265842 (1981-05-01), Summo
patent: 4333978 (1982-06-01), Kocher
patent: 4713132 (1987-12-01), Abel et al.
patent: 4778441 (1988-10-01), Couturier
patent: 5089202 (1992-02-01), Lippold
patent: 5167740 (1992-12-01), Michaelis et al.
patent: 5701893 (1997-12-01), Kern et al.
Demmel Joerg
Levermann Andreas
Rapp Siegfried
Crowell & Moring , L.L.P.
Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung
Huynh Louis K.
Vo Peter
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