Ultrasonic seal and cut method and apparatus
AssigneeBranson Ultrasonics Corporation
InventorGary N. Flood
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ultrasonic seal and cut method and apparatus comprises an ultrasonic sealing and cutting station which includes a horn adapted to be resonant at an ultrasonic frequency and an oppositely disposed anvil having a sealing surface and a cutting surface. As sheet material is passed through the station, the sheet material is cut and sealed in a marginal area adjacent to the cut. A substantially thermoplastic thread, either monofilament or multifilament, is fed together with the sheet material through the station in a position to cause the thread to fuse with the material in the marginal area. The provision of the thread permits the ultrasonic seal and cut method to be used for sheet material having a relatively low thermoplastic fiber content or exhibiting an open mesh weave, or being made of natural fibers.
Claims20
The method of providing a finished edge on sheet material utilizing an ultrasonic seal and cut apparatus including the steps of:
- providing an ultrasonic seal and cut station comprising an anvil and an opposing horn adapted to be resonant at an ultrasonic frequency;
- passing sheet material through said station for causing material disposed between said anvil and said horn to be cut and simultaneously sealed in a marginal area adjacent said cut in response to said horn being resonant and in contact with the sheet material passing over said anvil;
- feeding at least one thread adapted to melt responsive to the dissipation of ultrasonic energy provided by said horn simultaneously with the sheet material between said anvil and said horn in a position for causing said thread to melt and become fused with the sheet material in said marginal area, and
- removing the cut and sealed portion of the sheet material from the seal and cut station.
An ultrasonic seal and cut apparatus for sheet material including a seal and cut station in the form of an anvil and an opposing horn adapted to be resonant at an ultrasonic frequency for providing ultrasonic energy to the sheet material fed over said anvil, the improvement comprising:
- means for feeding sheet material through said station;
- said anvil having a cutting surface and an adjacent sealing surface;
- means for feeding a thread, adapted to melt responsive to the dissipation of ultrasonic energy provided by said horn, simultaneously with the sheet material between said anvil and said horn for being exposed to said sealing surface,
- whereby to cause said cutting surface to cut the sheet material responsive to said horn being resonant and in contact with the sheet material and said thread to melt and become fused with the sheet material in a marginal area adjacent the cut responsive to the exposure of said marginal area to said sealing surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.