System and method for making pleated filter media

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9808753-B2
Application number	US-201414177900-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2014
Priority date	Feb 15, 2013
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

Systems and methods for automated fabrication of pleated filters that promote user-selected adjustment of the pleat spacing generated by the system. A lower conveyor of a pleat spacing station is operated at a selected conveyor rate. A gathered pleated segment of filter material is received at the pleat spacing station. The pleat spacing station expands a pleat spacing of the gathered pleated segment in forming a pleated filter segment. Expansion of the pleats at the pleat spacing station is accomplished by initially engaging the filter material along the lower conveyor, with the conveyor rate being alterable by a user, including on the fly alteration, to establish a desired pleat spacing and thus pleat density in the pleated filter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a framed pleated filter, the method comprising:
operating a lower conveyor of a pleat spacing station at a selected conveyor rate and operating an upper conveyor of the pleat spacing station at the same selected conveyor rate, wherein the lower conveyor extends upstream of the upper conveyor,
receiving a gathered pleated segment of a web of filter material at the pleat spacing station, the gathered pleated segment having a plurality of pleats including a plurality of pleat tips and a plurality of pleat valleys, and arranged in a first configuration defined by a maximum first distance between adjacent pleat tips;
adjusting and setting the arrangement of the plurality of pleat tips within the pleat spacing station into a second spaced configuration defined by a second distance between adjacent pleat tips to form a pleated filter segment with a pleat spacing defined by the second distance between adjacent pleat tips, wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance and varies as a function of the selected conveyor rate;
wherein the step of adjusting and setting the plurality of pleats within the pleat spacing station includes disposing a first reinforcing material between the upper conveyor and the pleat tips to apply the first reinforcing material to the pleat tips and bonding the first reinforcing material to the pleat tips, so that the first reinforcing material provides dimensional stability to the pleats of the pleated filter segment,

and,
securing the pleated filter segment within a perimeter frame to provide a framed pleated filter comprising the pleated filter segment that exhibits the pleat spacing defined by the second distance between adjacent pleat tips.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pleat spacing station is configured to selectively operate the lower conveyor at a first conveyor rate and a second conveyor rate, the first conveyor rate being different from the second conveyor rate, and further wherein the second distance at the first conveyor rate is different from the second distance at the second conveyor rate.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the second distance at the first conveyor rate corresponds with a pleat density of not less than 4.5 pleats per inch, and the second distance at the second conveyor rate corresponds with a pleat density of not greater than 4.0 pleats per inch.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of operating the lower conveyor includes:
determining a desired pleat spacing of the pleated filter media; and
selecting the conveyor rate as a function of the desired pleat spacing.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of adjusting and setting the arrangement of the plurality of pleat tips within the pleat spacing station includes:
operating the lower conveyor at a first conveyor rate for a first period of time to generate a first portion of pleated filter media having a first spacing between adjacent pleat tips; and
operating the lower conveyor at a second conveyor rate differing from the first conveyor rate for a second period of time to generate a second portion of pleated filter media having a second spacing between adjacent pleat tips;
wherein the second spacing is different from the first spacing.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the steps of operating the lower conveyor at the first conveyor rate and the second conveyor rate includes the gathered pleated segment being continuously supplied to the pleat spacing station.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the method is characterized by the lower conveyor continuing to move while transitioning from the first conveyor rate to the second conveyor rate.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of adjusting and setting the arrangement of pleat tips in the pleat spacing station is characterized by the absence of inserting a body in between adjacent pleat tips.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pleat spacing station is characterized by the absence of cleats carried by the lower conveyor.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to the step of receiving a gathered pleated segment, forming the gathered pleated segment from a generally planar segment of the web of filter material at a pleating station;
wherein the pleating station includes a pleat station conveyance apparatus for advancing the gathered pleated segment from the pleating station to the pleat spacing station;
and further wherein the selected conveyor rate of the pleat spacing station is correlated with a conveyance rate of the conveyance apparatus.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the upper conveyor is located above a segment of the lower conveyor.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of adjusting and setting the arrangement of the plurality of pleat tips within the pleat spacing station includes initially contacting the web of filter material only with the lower conveyor at a location upstream of the upper conveyor, and further wherein the conveyance rate of the pleat station conveyance apparatus and the conveyor rate of the pleat spacing station is such that a continuous supply of the gathered pleated segment is fed to the lower conveyor.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lower conveyor includes a first conveyor section and a second conveyor section, the first conveyor section defining an entrance side of the pleat spacing station, and further wherein the upper conveyor is aligned with the second conveyor section downstream of the first conveyor section.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the step of adjusting and setting the arrangement of the plurality of pleats within the pleat spacing station includes:
initially contacting the pleat valleys at the first conveyor section of the lower conveyor to cause the pleats in the gathered pleated segment to pull apart to the second distance; and
subsequently engaging the plurality of pleats between the upper conveyor and the second conveyor section of the lower conveyor.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first conveyor section, the second conveyor section, and the upper conveyor are operated at an identical conveyor rate.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the step of adjusting and setting the plurality of pleats within the pleat spacing station further includes:
disposing a second reinforcing material between the second conveyor section of the lower conveyor and the pleat valleys to apply the second reinforcing material to the pleat valleys.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first reinforcing material is a polymer strapping material.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the polymer strapping material is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene and woven polyester.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the first reinforcing material comprises metal configured as elongated strips, scrims, strands or filaments.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lower conveyor includes a first conveyor section and a second conveyor section, the first conveyor section defining an entrance side of the pleat spacing station, and further wherein the upper conveyor consists of a single conveyor section.

Assignees

• 3M Innovative Properties Co

Inventors

• Lise Jonathan M
• Slamkowski Joel R
• Barjesteh Nader J

Classifications

• B01D46/0001 Primary

  Making filtering elements · CPC title

• B31D5/0082

  Making filter elements, e.g. pleated · CPC title

• B01D46/521

  using folded, pleated material · CPC title

• B01D29/012

  Making filtering elements (making bag, cage, hose, tube, sleeve or like filtering elements B01D29/111) · CPC title