System and method for subjecting web to ultrasonic processing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9815159-B2
Application number	US-201314383069-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2013
Priority date	Mar 22, 2012
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

An ultrasonic processing system adapted to subject a web running in a machine direction to ultrasonic processing includes a first mechanical element defined by one of an ultrasonic horn and an anvil and a second mechanical element defined by a remainder. The web placed on an outer peripheral surface of a rotary drum moves conforming to the drum in a machine direction. The first mechanical element is provided on the inner side of the drum and the second mechanical element is provided on the outer side of the drum. The first and second mechanical elements repeat a step of forward movement and a step of backward movement in a direction intersecting the machine direction across the web. In both steps, the first and second mechanical elements come in close contact with each other by the intermediary of the web and thereby subject the web to the ultrasonic processing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ultrasonic processing system, comprising:
first and second mechanical elements configured to subject a web continuously running in a machine direction to ultrasonic processing, wherein the first and second mechanical elements face each other across the web in a thickness direction of the web;
an upstream side conveying means and a downstream side conveying means for continuously feeding the web in the machine direction; and
a drum having an outer peripheral surface adapted to rotate continuously at the same circumferential velocity as a running velocity of the web and adapted to support the web on the outer peripheral surface,
wherein
said drum is disposed between the upstream side conveying means and the downstream side conveying means,
the outer peripheral surface is provided with a ultrasonic processing portion communicating with an inner side as well as an outer side of the drum,
the first mechanical element configured to be repetitively moved forward and backward in a direction intersecting with the machine direction across the web is disposed on the inner side of the ultrasonic processing portion of the drum,
the second mechanical element configured to be repetitively moved forward and backward together with the first mechanical element is disposed on the outer side of the ultrasonic processing portion of the drum, and
the first mechanical element and the second mechanical element are configured to cooperate with each other to subject the web positioned in the ultrasonic processing portion to ultrasonic processing in two steps of moving forward and moving backward but respective home positions of the first and second mechanical elements are drawn apart from each other after completion of the ultrasonic processing in the two steps.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first mechanical element is an ultrasonic horn and the second mechanical element is an anvil.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first mechanical element is the anvil and the second mechanical element is the ultrasonic horn.

4. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the anvil is a roll adapted to rotate both in a direction of the forward movement and of the backward movement.

5. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
biasing means always acting to bias the first mechanical element and the second mechanical element to come close to each other, wherein the biasing means is disposed between the first mechanical element and the second mechanical element.

6. The system according to claim 5 , further comprising:
cam means on the outer peripheral surface so as to face the respective home positions to which the first mechanical element and the second mechanical element return after the step of forward movement and the step of backward movement, respectively,
the second mechanical element includes cam follower means associated with the cam means, and
the cam means and the cam follower means are configured to cooperate with each other to draw apart the second mechanical element from the first mechanical element against the biasing effect of the biasing means.

7. The system according to claim 2 , wherein
the anvil includes a roll adapted to rotate both in the directions of the forward movement and of the backward movement,
the roll has a peripheral surface facing the horn,
the peripheral surface is formed with a plurality of bosses arranged with certain intervals both in a circumferential direction and in an axial direction so as to form a plurality of rows extending in parallel to each other and diagonally intersecting with the axial direction,
each pair of the adjacent bosses in each of the rows is in such a relationship that, assuming that one boss of adjacent bosses in each of the rows is moved in parallel to the axial direction, the one boss overlaps with a remaining boss, and
each pair of the adjacent rows is in such a relationship that, assuming that one boss disposed at one end portion of one of the adjacent rows is moved in parallel to the axial direction, the one boss at least partially overlaps with at least one boss in a remaining row.

8. A method of subjecting a web continuously running in a machine direction to repetitive ultrasonic processing by a first mechanical element and a second mechanical element facing each other across the web in its thickness direction of the web, said method comprising:
conveying the web continuously in the machine direction while the web is placed on an outer peripheral surface of a drum, said drum being continuously rotated in the machine direction at the same circumferential velocity as a running velocity of the web;
wherein
the first mechanical element is provided on the inside of the drum in an ultrasonic processing portion formed in the outer peripheral surface so as to communicate with both the inside and the outside of the drum and repeats forward movement and backward movement in a direction intersecting the machine direction across the web,
the second mechanical element is provided on the outside of the drum in the ultrasonic processing portion and repeats forward movement and backward movement together with the first mechanical element,
the first mechanical element and the second mechanical element cooperate with each other in two steps of forward movement and backward movement to subject the web positioned at the ultrasonic processing portion to ultrasonic processing but respective home positions of the first and second mechanical elements are drawn apart from each other after completion of the ultrasonic processing in the two steps.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the first mechanical element is an ultrasonic horn and the second mechanical element is an anvil.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the first mechanical element is the anvil and the second mechanical element is the ultrasonic horn.

11. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the anvil is a roll rotating both in directions of the forward movement and of the backward movement.

12. The method according to claim 8 , wherein biasing means always acting to bias the first mechanical element and the second mechanical element to come close to each other is disposed between the first mechanical element and the second mechanical element.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein:
cam means are formed on the outer peripheral surface so as to face the respective home positions to which the first mechanical element and the second mechanical element return after the step of forward movement and the step of backward movement, respectively, and
the second mechanical element is formed with cam follower means associated with the cam means so that these two means cooperate with each other to draw apart the second mechanical element from the first mechanical element against the biasing effect of the biasing means.

14. The method according to claim 9 , wherein
the anvil includes a roll rotating both in the directions of the forward movement and of the backward movement,
the roll has a peripheral surface facing the horn,
the peripheral surface is formed with a plurality of bosses arranged with certain intervals both in a circumferential direction and in an axial direction so as to form a plurality of rows extending in parallel to each other and diagonally intersecting with the axial direction,
each pair of the adjacent bosses in each of the rows is in such a relationship that, assuming that one boss of adjacent bosses in each of the rows is moved in parallel to the axial direction, the one boss overlaps with a remaining boss, and
each pair of the a

Assignees

• Unicharm Corp

Inventors

• Yamamoto Hiroki
• Matsumoto Yoshihiko

Classifications

• B29C66/8221

  Scissor or lever mechanisms, i.e. involving a pivot point · CPC title

• B29C66/83511

  jaws mounted on rollers, cylinders or drums · CPC title

• B29C65/7894

  of continuously moving sheets or webs · CPC title

• B29L2031/4878

  Diapers, napkins · CPC title

• B29C65/087

  using both a rotary sonotrode and a rotary anvil · CPC title