Inductor coil for induction welding of a packaging material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020164597-A1
Application number	US-201816631608-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 5, 2018
Priority date	Jul 17, 2017
Publication date	May 28, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

An inductor coil for induction welding of a packaging material having at least one layer of metal foil is disclosed. The inductor coil can be configured to induce an alternating current in the at least one layer of metal foil for inductive heating of the packaging material. In some embodiments, the inductor coil comprises a base layer material and a top layer material bonded to the base layer material to form an irreversible bonding interface comprising a mixture of the base layer material and the top layer material. An induction sealing device comprising at least one inductor coil and a method of manufacturing an inductor coil for induction welding of a packaging material is also disclosed.

First claim

1 . An inductor coil for induction welding of a packaging material having at least one layer of metal foil, the inductor coil configured to induce an alternating current in the at least one layer of metal foil for inductive heating of the packaging material, the inductor coil comprising:
a base layer material; and a top layer material bonded to the base layer material to form an irreversible bonding interface comprising a mixture of the base layer material and the top layer material.

2 . The inductor coil according to claim 1 , wherein the top layer material is bonded to the base layer material by at least one of brazing, cold or hot cladding and/or diffusion bonding.

3 . The inductor coil according to claim 1 , wherein the base layer material has a lower resistivity (ρ) than the top layer material.

4 . The inductor coil according to claim 1 , wherein the inductor coil comprises an outer surface, and wherein at least part of the outer surface comprises the top layer material.

5 . The inductor coil according to claim 1 , wherein the inductor coil comprises a welding surface configured to be arranged opposite the packaging material for inductive heating thereof, and wherein the welding surface comprises the top layer material.

6 . The inductor coil according to claim 1 , wherein the top layer material covers the base layer material with a predefined thickness, wherein the predefined thickness is between 50-150 micrometers.

7 . The inductor coil according to claim 1 , wherein the inductor coil is elongated and extends with a length in a longitudinal direction, and wherein the top layer material and the base layer material form a substantially rectangular or square cross-section of the inductor coil along said length.

8 . The inductor coil according to claim 1 , further comprising a protruding ridge formed from the top layer material.

9 . The inductor coil according to claim 1 , wherein the top layer material comprises a silver-palladium (AgPd) alloy.

10 . An induction sealing device comprising at least one inductor coil according to claim 1 and a supporting body encapsulating said at least one inductor coil apart from an outer surface of the at least one inductor coil, wherein at least the outer surface of the at least one inductor coil comprises the top layer material bonded to the base layer material to form the irreversible bonding interface comprising the mixture of the base layer material and the top layer material.

11 . The induction sealing device according to claim 10 , wherein the base layer material comprises at least one of protrusions or recesses configured to interlock with the supporting body.

12 . A sealing machine for sealing packaging material, the sealing machine comprising at least one inductor coil according to claim 1 .

13 . A method of manufacturing an inductor coil for induction welding of a packaging material having at least one layer of metal foil, the method comprising:
bonding a top layer material to a base layer material to form an irreversible bonding interface comprising a mixture of the base layer material and the top layer material; and forming an outer surface of the inductor coil with the top layer material.

14 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein the step of bonding the top layer material to the base layer material comprises at least one of brazing, cold or hot cladding, and diffusion bonding the top layer material to the base layer material.

15 . The method according to claim 13 , further comprising:
forming a welding surface of the inductor coil with the top layer material, the welding surface configured to be arranged opposite the packaging material for inductive heating thereof.

16 . The method according to claim 13 , further comprising:
forming the top layer material along the base layer material in a longitudinal direction of the inductor coil with a predefined thickness ( 105 ), wherein the predefined thickness is between 50-150 micrometers.

17 . The method according to claim 13 , further comprising:
joining a first portion of material comprising said top layer material to a second portion of material comprising said base layer material; applying at least one of pressure and temperature to the first and second portions of material for said bonding thereof; and forming said inductor coil from the bonded first and second portions of material so that the outer surface of the inductor coil comprises the top layer material.

18 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein the top layer material comprises a silver-palladium (AgPd) alloy.

19 . A sealing machine for sealing packaging material comprising an induction sealing device according to claim 10 .

Assignees

• Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance

Inventors

• Israelsson Karl
• Massaccesi Fabio
• Christoffersson Jonas
• Johannesson Emil
• Dreissigacker Uwe
• Kraus Andreas
• Råbe Magnus

Classifications

• B29C66/73921

  characterised by the materials of both parts being thermoplastics · CPC title

• B29C66/80

  General aspects of machine operations or constructions and parts thereof · CPC title

• B29C65/3656 Primary

  being a layer of a multilayer part to be joined, e.g. for joining plastic-metal laminates · CPC title

• B29C65/368

  with a polymer coating · CPC title

• B29C65/3668 Primary

  characterised by the means for supplying heat to said heated elements which remain in the join, e.g. special induction coils · CPC title