Lamination machine

Details Lamination machine Lamination machine

1999-09-23

2001-04-24

Sells, James (Department: 1734)

Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture

Surface bonding means and/or assembly means therefor

With work cooling means

C156S555000, C156S583500, C100S154000, C100S310000, C100S312000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06220328

ABSTRACT:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
(Not Applicable)
STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT
(Not Applicable)
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to lamination equipment for laminating two or more layers of material to each other through a heat activated adhesion constituent exemplified by heat activated adhesive or inherent thermoplasticity to form a laminated product, and in particular to a flat-bed lamination machine having a heating module for melting the adhesion constituent prior to lamination of the layers of material and a cooling module for cooling a resultant laminated product and any applied finish coating.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Lamination of two or more layers of material is an extremely important process in the production of a myriad of goods. Such lamination typically involves the bonding of adjacent surfaces of two layers of different textile or wood products to each other with heat-sensitive adhesive. The two layers typically are fed into a lamination machine where both heat and physical pressure are applied to consequently activate the adhesive and retain the layers together as a laminated product. Non-limiting examples of such laminated products include garments with backings, wadding, or decorative panels, carpets and draperies with backings and linings, furniture upholstery and bedding covers, automotive products, aerospace parts, footwear, woodworking and wood lamination products, and scores of other domestic arid industrial commodities.
While lamination machines are known, these machines provide heat and physical lamination pressure, but many times are ineffective in cooling the joined layers of material after melting of an adhesion constituent is completed and a laminated product is formed. In particular, a cooler component of the prior art may include only a single coolant circulation conduit disposed in a non-rigid housing to result in inefficient contact coupled with inefficient cooling of a laminated product. As a result, hot laminated products with correspondingly produced hot laminates emerge from the lamination process to require significant time and space commitments while cooling and adhesive setting occurs. It is therefore apparent that a need is present for a lamination and coating process wherein laminated products are delivered more rapidly after lamination in a usable or storable state. Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a lamination machine that provides effective and relatively rapid cooling of laminated products immediately after a lamination coating procedure is completed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a lamination machine whose cooling zone is served by a plurality of cooler components having chambers in communication with a cooling fluid.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a lamination machine whose chambered cooler components are substantially rigid to thereby reject bowed movement away from the central cooling zone.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent throughout the description thereof which now follows.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a lamination machine for adhesively heat laminating adjacent surfaces of two or more layers of material to each other. The machine comprises, first of all, upper and lower continuous opposing conveyor belts disposed one above the other to form a lamination passage therebetween and through which layers of material can travel during lamination and ultimately to an exit. Physical pressure for lamination is maintained by at least one pressure roller tensioned against the layers of material to be laminated.
The lamination machine includes a heating zone, disposed between the upper and lower conveyor belts between the entrance and the pressure roller, and a cooling zone, disposed between the upper and lower conveyor belts between the pressure roller and the exit. The heating zone is a module providing a plurality of substantially rigid respective heater components positioned immediately above and immediately below the upper and lower conveyor belts for melting a heat activated adhesion constituent disposed between layers of material to be laminated when such layers travel there through in preparation for adhesion. Each heater component is an elongate one-piece heat-conductive extrusion structure with a generally T-shape cross section wherein a substantially hollow channel is disposed vertically and a plurality of walled chambers in communication with respective heat sources are disposed horizontally. Preferably, to enhance heater component rigidity, a rigid rectangular tube is disposed within the hollow channel and extends beyond each end of the channel to expose a first and second end thereof, with each end having respective connector mounts for mounting the tube to a support bar to thereby secure the associated heater component.
Once the layers of material are pressured together by the pressure roller to form a laminated product, that formed laminated product immediately enters the cooling zone disposed between the upper and lower conveyor belts between the pressure roller and the exit. In particular, the cooling zone is a module providing a plurality of substantially rigid respective cooler components positioned immediately above and immediately below the upper and lower conveyor belts for cooling the laminated product. Each cooler component is an elongate one-piece heat-conductive extrusion structure with a generally T-shape cross section wherein a substantially hollow channel is disposed vertically and a plurality of walled chambers in communication with respective cooling sources are disposed horizontally. Preferably, to enhance cooler component rigidity, a rigid rectangular tube is disposed within the hollow channel and extends beyond each end of the channel to expose a first and second end thereof, with each end having respective connector mounts for mounting the tube to a support bar to thereby secure the associated cooler component. In this manner, a heat-laminated product including a finish coating thereon can be produced more quickly because of proactive cooling after adhesive melt and material adhesion, thereby permitting greater efficiency in enhanced volume production of immediately usable product.


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Kannegiesser; “Quality Fusing for Quality Fabrics”; 6 pages.
Brandwise Reliant Limited; “Powerbond High Performance Laminating Technology”; 8 pages.
Meyer; “Laminating Stabilizing Calibrating Coating”; 6 pages.

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