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AssigneeLeister Process Technologies
InventorsJie-Wei Chen, Adolf Niederberger
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Process and apparatus for joining endless polymer materials by means of the transillumination technique. According to the invention, in order to be joined, the endless materials are guided through two contrarotating rollers that press against each other. The first roller consists of a material that is transparent to laser beams and is tubular. The second roller is formed from a material that can be deformed easily at the surface, so that its surface can adapt to the shape of the first roller. Devices for producing a laser beam at the contact surface between the materials to be joined are arranged in the first roller. In this case, the beam is formed as a linear laser beam longitudinally with respect to the direction of movement of the materials so that during the passage, continuous heating of the material up to the melting point is achieved, without an excessively high laser output having to be provided. By means of the process and the apparatus, continuous joining is possible at high speed.
A process for joining endless polymer materials, in which by means of a laser beam the upper material is shone through by the laser beam and, at the contact surface between the upper material, which is transparent to the laser beam, and the lower material, which is opaque to the laser beam, the two materials are melted and joined to each other under pressure, the laser beam and the materials to be joined being moved relative to each other, wherein in order to produce a welded seam running in the longitudinal direction at the contact surface, a process zone (P) is provided, in which the material is heated continuously to the melting temperature (Tm) in a preheating zone (I) by means of laser beams and is subsequently melted in a melting zone (II).
An apparatus for joining polymer materials by means of a laser beam (12), which shines through the upper material (13) on account of the transparency of the latter and, at the contact surface with the lower material (14), which absorbs the laser beam, heats the materials and melts them, and a device for pressing the materials together, wherein in order to join endless materials, the latter are guided through two contrarotating rollers (17, 18) that press against each other, the first roller (17) being constructed from a material that is transparent to a laser beam and is tubular, and the second roller (18) being constructed from a material that can be deformed easily at the surface, and devices (11) for producing at least one laser beam (12) at the contact surface being arranged in the first roller (17).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.