Transversal sealing system and a method for transversally sealing a tube of packaging material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12534252-B2
Application number	US-202318851239-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2023
Priority date	Apr 12, 2022
Publication date	Jan 27, 2026
Grant date	Jan 27, 2026

Abstract

A transversal sealing system for a packaging machine is provided. The sealing system comprises an ultrasonic arrangement arranged to face an outside surface of a tube of packaging material from a first sealing direction, wherein the tube comprises a longitudinal sealing area in which at least two layers of packaging material are overlapping, an anvil arranged to face the outside surface from a second sealing direction, wherein the ultrasonic arrangement comprises a sonotrode arranged to apply ultrasonic vibrations such that an inner layer of the packaging material is at least partly melted, a first pressure plate arranged next to the sonotrode and upstream the feeding direction of the tube, wherein the first pressure plate is non-oscillating, a second pressure plate arranged next to the sonotrode and downstream the feeding direction of the tube, wherein the second pressure plate is non-oscillating, wherein the sonotrode is arranged to provide a TS-LS overlap pressure in a TS-LS overlap area, the first pressure plate is arranged to provide a first pressure in a first area, placed upstream the TS-LS overlap area in the feeding direction, and the second pressure plate is arranged to provide a second pressure in a second area, placed downstream the TS-LS overlap area in the feeding direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A transversal sealing (TS) system for a packaging machine, said sealing system comprising
an ultrasonic arrangement arranged to face an outside surface of a tube of packaging material from a first sealing direction, wherein the first sealing direction is perpendicular to a feeding direction of the tube, wherein the tube comprises a longitudinal sealing (LS) area in which at least two layers of packaging material are overlapping, an anvil arranged to face the outside surface from a second sealing direction, wherein the second sealing direction is opposite to the first sealing direction, wherein the ultrasonic arrangement comprises a sonotrode arranged to apply ultrasonic vibrations such that an inner layer of the packaging material is at least partly melted, a first pressure plate arranged next to the sonotrode and upstream the feeding direction of the tube, wherein the first pressure plate is non-oscillating, a second pressure plate arranged next to the sonotrode and downstream the feeding direction of the tube, wherein the second pressure plate is non-oscillating, and a third pressure plate placed in a groove in the sonotrode, wherein the sonotrode is arranged to provide a TS-LS overlap pressure in a TS-LS overlap area, the first pressure plate is arranged to provide a first pressure in a first area, placed upstream the TS-LS overlap area in the feeding direction, and the second pressure plate is arranged to provide a second pressure in a second area, placed downstream the TS-LS overlap area in the feeding direction.

2 . The transversal sealing system according to claim 1 , wherein the TS-LS overlap pressure is greater than the first pressure and the second pressure.

3 . The transversal sealing system according to claim 1 , wherein the first pressure plate is provided with a first slope sloping away from the sonotrode and/or wherein the second pressure plate is provided with a second slope sloping away from the sonotrode.

4 . The transversal sealing system according to claim 1 , wherein the anvil is provided with a first slope sloping away from the sonotrode and/or with a second slope sloping away from the sonotrode.

5 . The transversal sealing system according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second pressure plate extend along a full width of the sonotrode.

6 . The transversal sealing system according to claim 1 , wherein the anvil is provided with a TS-LS anvil profile in a TS-LS anvil section arranged to meet the TS-LS overlap area of the tube, and a TS anvil profile in a TS anvil section arranged to meet a TS area of the tube.

7 . The transversal sealing system according to claim 1 , wherein the sonotrode is provided with a TS-LS sonotrode profile in a TS-LS sonotrode section arranged to meet the TS-LS overlap area of the tube, and a TS sonotrode profile in a TS sonotrode section arranged to meet a TS area of the tube.

8 . The transversal sealing system according to claim 1 , wherein the first and/or second pressure plate are provided with at least one ridge for blocking plastic lumps formed at edges of the TS-LS area and/or edges of an LS-strip area.

9 . The transversal sealing system according to claim 1 , wherein the first and/or second pressure plate or the anvil are spring loaded.

10 . The transversal sealing system according to claim 1 , wherein the packaging material comprises at least one cellulose-based layer, an inner polymer layer, and is void of Aluminum.

11 . A packaging machine comprising
a packaging material receiver, a food product filling pipe arranged to fill food product into the tube, and the transversal sealing system according to claim 1 .

12 . A method for transversally sealing a tube of packaging material, said method comprising
providing the tube of packaging material in a feeding direction, generating ultrasonic waves by using a sonotrode comprised in an ultrasonic arrangement such that an inner layer of the packaging material in a transversal sealing (TS) area at least partly melts, and pressing together the tube in the transversal sealing area by moving the ultrasonic arrangement in a first sealing direction and moving an anvil in a second longitudinal (LS) sealing direction, wherein the second sealing direction is opposite to the first sealing direction, wherein the ultrasonic arrangement comprises the sonotrode, a first pressure plate arranged next to the sonotrode and upstream the feeding direction of the tube, wherein the first pressure plate is non-oscillating, a second pressure plate arranged next to the sonotrode and downstream the feeding direction of the tube, wherein the second pressure plate is non-oscillating, and a third pressure plate placed in a groove in the sonotrode, wherein the sonotrode is arranged to provide a TS-LS overlap pressure in a TS-LS overlap area, the first pressure plate is arranged to provide a first pressure in a first area, placed upstream the TS-LS overlap area in the feeding direction, and the second pressure plate is arranged to provide a second pressure in a second area, placed downstream the TS-LS overlap area in the feeding direction.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises
releasing stress from the first area by a first slope sloping away from the sonotrode, and/or releasing stress from the second area by a second slope sloping away from the sonotrode.

14 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises
blocking plastic lumps formed at edges of the TS-LS overlap area and/or edges of an LS-strip area by at least one ridge provided on the first and/or second pressure plate.

Assignees

• Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance

Inventors

• Råbe Magnus

Classifications

• B65B51/303

  reciprocating along only one axis · CPC title

• B65B51/225 Primary

  by ultrasonic welding · CPC title

• B29C66/81815

  of the clamps · CPC title

• B29C65/7841

  Holding or clamping means for handling purposes (clamping means for the purpose of applying pressure on the parts to be joined, in the area to be joined B29C66/81; work holders in general B25B; devices for holding or positioning work for welding metal B23K37/04) · CPC title

• B29C66/324

  Avoiding burr formation · CPC title