US 10,179,975 B2 · Industrial fabric and method of welding seam area using ultrasonic welding

Abstract

The invention relates to ultrasonic welding of industrial fabrics. Specifically, the invention relates to methods for ultrasonically welding the seam area of industrial fabrics using a textured horn and/or anvil. The fabric edges are overlapped as woven or one or both edges can have some warp or weft yarns raveled out. The method involves ultrasonically bonding the overlapped fabric edges, reducing the caliper of the two stacked edges to match the body caliper of the fabric itself. The bonded area can then be perforated using laser or other mechanical means to produce a seam having the same woven texture and permeability (air and/or water) as the body of the fabric.

Claims8

Dependent claims

An industrial fabric comprising:

a plurality of MD yarns interwoven with a plurality of CD yarns to form a flat woven fabric having two MD edges and two CD edges;
said fabric having seaming loops comprising a seam area at the CD edges of the fabric, the MD yarns forming the seaming loops being bonded to the CD yarns;
wherein at least a portion of the seam area of the fabric is placed between an ultrasonic horn and an anvil;
and the portion of the seam area is welded by applying ultrasonic energy,
wherein a fabric contacting surface of the horn and/or anvil is textured or patterned, and
wherein the flat woven fabric comprises MD yarns woven back into the fabric and forming the seaming loops at widthwise (CD) edges of the fabric.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

14/940,480Filed 13 Nov 2015 · division

Priority

28 Dec 2012

Published

US 2016/0138221 A119 May 2016

Granted

15 Jan 2019

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification36 codes

D21F 7/10
Felts: seams thereof
B29C 65/08
By heating, with or without pressure: using ultrasonic vibrations
B29C 65/7443
Using the same tool for both joining and severing, said tool being monobloc or formed by several parts mounted together and forming a monobloc: by…
B29C 65/7451
Using a single unit having both a severing tool and a welding tool: the severing tool and the welding tool being movable with respect to one-another

Family

Application13/730,101Parent of this division · filed 28 Dec 2012

US 2016/0138221 A1Pre-grant publication · published 19 May 2016

US 9,199,412 B2Parent of this division

US 2014/0186579 A1Published application

US 10,179,975 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Industrial fabric and method of welding seam area using ultrasonic welding

Life of this patent

Industrial fabric and method of welding seam area using ultrasonic welding

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims8