Tooling fixture
Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company
InventorsRandall L. Alberg, Michael R. Gorman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved method and tooling for a pouch forming machine to attach a fastener to the bag film layers. The method and fixture in one embodiment can unwind a double wide touch and close fastening material and then split the fastener into two strips using two turning bars, invert one of the strips, bring the strips together to interlock them with a nip roller, and then insert the interlocked strip between the bag film layers.
Claims18
A fastener applicator tooling fixture comprising:
- a baseplate having a first major surface opposing a second major surface and a machine direction longitudinal axis;
- a feed tunnel intersecting the longitudinal axis at approximately 90 degrees having a first end and a second end;
- a first turning bar and a second turning bar located adjacent the second end of the feed channel, the first and the second turning bars disposed in a turn bar aperture and having an included angle of approximately 90 degrees and each turning bar forming an angle with the longitudinal axis of approximately 45 degrees;
- an inversion guide located upstream from the first turning bar in the machine direction;
- the inversion guide having its axis substantially 90 degrees to the longitudinal axis;
- and
- a pair of nip rolls located downstream from the first and the second turning bars in the machine direction;
- the nip rollers each having a rotation axis substantially 90 degrees to the machine direction longitudinal axis.
An opener for an interlocked fastener comprising:
- a blade having a first side, an opposing second side, and a longitudinal axis;
- a first channel in the first side having a first bottom surface and a first guide rail extending from the first bottom surface;
- the first channel extending approximately 90 degrees to the longitudinal axis and the first guide rail parallel to the first channel;
- an opposing second channel in the second side having a second bottom surface and a second guide rail extending from the second bottom surface;
- and the second channel extending approximately 90 degrees to the longitudinal axis and the second guide rail parallel to the second channel.
A method of placing a touch and close fastener between a first bag film layer and a second bag film layer the method comprising the steps of:
- advancing in a machine direction the first bag film layer over a first major surface of a baseplate and advancing the second film layer over a second major surface of the baseplate;
- advancing a first and a second strip of fastening material in a cross-machine direction to a pair of turning bars having an included angle of approximately 90 degrees with each being disposed at approximately 45 degrees to the machine direction;
- aligning the first and the second strips in the machine direction by wrapping the first strip around a first turning bar and wrapping the second strip around a second turning bar of the pair of turning bars;
- inverting the first strip by wrapping it around an inverting guide to face a plurality of hooks on the first strip towards a plurality of hooks on the second strip;
- stacking the first strip onto the second strip such that the plurality of hooks on each strip are in close proximity to each other;
- compressing the first strip into the second strip to interlock the strips forming an interlocked strip by running the stacked first and second strips through a pair of nip rollers;
- and
- inserting the interlocked strip between the first and the second bag film layers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.