Apparatus and method for splicing substantially flat continuous material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11453566-B2
Application number	US-202016996046-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2020
Priority date	Oct 14, 2014
Publication date	Sep 27, 2022
Grant date	Sep 27, 2022

Abstract

The apparatus and method for splicing substantially flat continuous material comprises a transport unit for transporting a first substantially flat continuous material and a second substantially flat continuous material to a splicing location. The transport unit is adapted to transport the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material parallel to each other forming an overlap portion of the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material in the splicing location. A pressure unit is arranged in the splicing location. The pressure unit is adapted to apply a mechanical impact onto at least a part of the overlap portion of the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material, thereby at least partially merging the first substantially flat continuous material with the second substantially flat continuous material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for splicing substantially flat continuous material, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a first substantially flat continuous material and providing a second substantially flat continuous material;
aligning the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material in an overlapping manner forming an overlap portion, and
applying a mechanical impact of a duration between 100 milliseconds and 500 milliseconds and with a force in a range between 100 Newtons and 600 Newtons to the overlap portion, thereby merging the first substantially flat continuous material with the second substantially flat continuous material in a splicing location, therein applying the mechanical impact outside of a transport path of a transport system that transports the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material to and through the splicing location,
wherein the transport system comprises a belt conveyor, wherein the belt conveyor is guided to and through the splicing location, and
wherein the belt conveyor in the splicing location is arranged outside of at least a part of the overlap portion of the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material in the splicing location, wherein the mechanical impact is applied to the part of the overlap portion.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of applying the mechanical impact to the overlap portion comprises applying the mechanical impact over a width of the overlap portion and onto discrete longitudinal positions of the overlap portion.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of applying the mechanical impact to the overlap portion comprises applying the mechanical impact perpendicular to a plane spanned by the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mechanical impact is applied on two lateral sides of the belt conveyor in the splicing location.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a length of the overlap portion is in a range between 15 millimeter and 50 millimeter.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of cooling the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material during or after the merging step.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the steps of providing a gas stream and directing the gas stream into a moving direction of at least the first substantially flat continuous material or the second substantially flat continuous material, thereby guiding at least the first substantially flat continuous material or the second substantially flat continuous material into the moving direction.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material is any one of a polylactic acid sheet and a tobacco sheet.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein merging the first substantially flat continuous material with the second substantially flat continuous material creates a form fit or a chemical connection between the two materials.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein no additional material is provided to merge the first substantially flat continuous material with the second substantially flat continuous material.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein applying the mechanical impact reduces a thickness of the merged first and second substantially flat continuous material in a range of 10 percent to 30 percent compared to a thickness of the overlap portion before merging.

12. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising embossing at least one of the first and the second substantially flat continuous material.

13. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising interrupting the transport of the first substantially flat continuous material and of the second substantially flat continuous material when the overlap portion is in the splicing location.

14. The method according to claim 1 , the method comprising the further steps before applying the mechanical impact:
cutting the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material such as to provide the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material with edge cuts;
aligning the edge cuts of the first substantially flat continuous material and of the second substantially flat continuous material such that the edge cuts overlap each other.

15. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising the step of dispensing a liquid to at least the first substantially flat continuous material or the second substantially flat continuous material.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises conveying at least the first substantially flat continuous material to and through a pressure unit for applying the mechanical impact outside of the transport path of the transport system using the conveyor.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the mechanical impact is not applied to the belt conveyor.

18. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the pressure unit comprise a first hammer edge and a second hammer edge, wherein applying the mechanical impact comprises applying the mechanical impact with the first hammer edge on a first lateral side of the transport path and with the second hammer edge on a second lateral side of the transport path.

19. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the pressure unit comprise a hammer edge, wherein applying the mechanical impact comprises applying the mechanical impact with the hammer edge, and wherein a longitudinal extension of the overlap portion is at least 2.5 times larger than a width of the hammer edge.

20. The method according to claim 19 , further comprising providing heat to at least a portion of the hammer edge.

Assignees

• Philip Morris Products Sa

Inventors

• Kummel Matthieu
• Fontaine Sebastien

Classifications

• B65H2301/4625

  Slanted · CPC title

• B65H2301/51432

  Applying heat and pressure · CPC title

• B65H2801/54

  Cigarette making · CPC title

• B65H2301/4634

  Heat seal splice · CPC title

• B65H2301/4621

  Overlapping article or web portions · CPC title