Material web fixing device as part of a filter bag manufacturing installation

#This application claims priority of German patent application No. DE 10 2016 203 358.1 filed on Mar. 1, 2016, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

#The invention relates to a material web fixing device as part of a filter bag manufacturing installation. The invention further relates to a method of fixing at least two material webs at a distance from one another, and to a filter bag manufacturing installation comprising a material web fixing device of this type.

#A material web fixing device of the type named at the outset is known from the product brochure “FPS300-High-Speed-Fertigungsinstallation für Filtertaschen” (engl.: “FPS300 High Speed Manufacturing Installation for Filter Bags”), available via the applicant's web pages at the filing date of the application. A multi-needle sewing machine is known from DE 20 2005 014 523 U1.

#FIG. 1 shows a perspective sectional view of a material web fixing device as part of a filter bag manufacturing installation, seen from a direction counter to a material web transport direction.

#FIG. 2 shows a more schematic view of components of the material web fixing device, seen also from a direction counter to the material web transport direction, the components shown being associated to precisely one sewing unit of a plurality of sewing units of the material web fixing device, with a stitch plate and two material webs fixed at a distance from one another being shown in a partly sectional view in addition to thread guide components.

#FIG. 3 shows another sectional view of components of the material web fixing device, seen from viewing direction III in FIG. 2.

#A material web fixing device 1 is part of a filter bag manufacturing installation 2 shown in an extremely schematic view in FIG. 5. The filter bag manufacturing installation 2 is used to manufacture filter bags the bag walls of which are formed by two material webs 3, 4 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In accordance with its orientation when being processed in the material web fixing device 1, the material web 3 is referred to as upper material web while the material web 4 is referred to as lower material web. A plurality of filter bags thus produced can be inserted into a common filter frame (not shown) at a later point in time, wherein adjacent ones of the filter bags bear against one another with their long bag opening front edges. The short front edges of the filter bag openings have a dimension greater than 70 mm, in particular amounting to 100 mm. A frame with an edge length of 600 mm×600 mm can be filled completely with a total of six filter bags with filter bag openings dimensioned and arranged in this manner (100 mm×600 mm).

#The material web fixing device 1 has a material web transport device 5 shown only schematically in FIG. 5 to transport the two material webs 3, 4 along a transport direction 6. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the transport direction 6 runs perpendicular to the drawing plane and out of the latter.

#The material web fixing device 1 has a plurality of sewing units 7. Said sewing units 7 each have a sewing needle 8 and a thread looper 9 serving as stitch forming tools interacting with a sewing thread 10. FIG. 1 shows an exemplary view of eleven sewing units 7 arranged adjacent to each other and perpendicular to the transport direction 6. The material web fixing device 1 is actually provided with a total of twelve sewing units 7 arranged adjacent to each other and perpendicular to the transport direction 6.