Method and apparatus for making fluorocarbon film plastic bags using a laser
AssigneeAmerican Fluoroseal Corporation
InventorsCharles I. Soodak, Robert R. Ulrich
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and apparatuses for manufacturing air and water tight bags of plastic films such as Teflon or other fluorocarbons including creation of an intimate contacting pair of such films. This film pair can be stored or used in accordance with the other aspects of the invention or otherwise, and has its own utility. A vacuum table holds the film pair while a laser beam under computer control simultaneously cuts and welds the film pair along the path of the laser beam to form the bags.
Claims78
Apparatus for welding two plastic films together, comprising means for putting said films into optical contact with each other, and laser means adapted to weld said films together at the locations where a laser beam produced by said laser means strikes said films, and said films consisting of fluorocarbons.
Apparatus for cutting fluorocarbon sheet material comprising a CO.sub.2 laser having a wavelength of 10.6 microns, means for applying the beam from said laser to said fluorocarbon sheet material, means for causing relative motion between said laser beam and said fluorocarbon sheet material, and vacuum table means to hold said fluorocarbon sheet material stationary, said means causing relative motion causing said laser beam to cut said fluorocarbon sheet material to a predetermined pattern without the use of a die.
Apparatus for simultaneously cutting and welding two plastic films comprising a laser beam, means for forming said laser beam into a relatively intense central spot surrounded by an annular region of less intense laser energy, control means to cause relative motion between said laser beam and said films to simultaneously cut said films along the path of said central spot and to weld said films on both sides of the cut line along the path of said annular region on said films, and means for selectively preventing one of said annular region and said central spot of said laser beam from effecting said films, whereby said laser beam can be used to selectively only cut and not weld said films, and to selectively only well and not cut said films.
Apparatus for welding two plastic films together, comprising means for putting said films into optical contact with each other, laser means adapted to weld said films together at the location where a laser beam produced by said laser means strikes said films, said laser means comprising one laser producing one laser beam, means for causing said laser beam to have a central spot of relatively intense laser energy and an annular region surrounding said central spot of relatively less intense laser energy, control means to cause relative motion between said laser beam and said films to simultaneously cut said films along a path of said central spot and to weld said films on both sides of the cut line along the path of said annular region, and means for selectively preventing one of said annular region and said central spot of said laser beam from affecting said films, whereby said laser beam can be used to selectively only cut and not weld said films, and to selectively only weld and not cut said films.
Apparatus for welding two plastic films together, comprising means for putting said films into optical contact with each other, laser means adapted to weld said films together at the location where a laser beam produced by said laser means strikes said films, said laser means comprising a first laser and a second laser displaced from said first laser, means for causing relative motion between said films and said lasers along a line defined by said two lasers, means for using the first of said two lasers to strike said films to weld said films together, and means for using the second of said lasers to cut said films apart along the weld, whereby said films are welded together on both sides of the line of cut.
Apparatus for cutting fluorocarbon sheet material comprising a CO.sub.2 laser having a wavelength of 10.6 microns, means for applying the beam from said laser to said fluorocarbon sheet material, means for causing relative motion between said laser beam and said fluorocarbon sheet material, means for welding two of said sheets together, means for putting said sheets into optical contact with each other, and means for using said laser beam to simultaneously weld said sheets together at locations where said laser beam strikes said sheets.
Apparatus for cutting fluorocarbon sheet material comprising a CO.sub.2 laser having a wavelength of 10.6 microns, means for applying the beam from said laser to said fluorocarbon sheet material, means for causing relative motion between said laser beam and said fluorocarbon sheet material, and means for adjusting the laser beam produced by said laser means to control the location at which said laser beam strikes said films, and said last mentioned means comprising means for deviating said beam away from the optical axis of said laser means.
Apparatus for cutting fluorocarbon sheet material comprising a CO.sub.2 laser having a wavelength of 10.6 microns, means for applying the beam from said laser to said fluorocarbon sheet material, means for causing relative motion between said laser beam and said fluorocarbon sheet material, means for welding two of said sheets together, means for putting said sheets into optical contact with each other, means for using said laser beams to simultaneously weld said sheets together at locations where said laser beam strikes said sheets, wherein two of said fluorocarbon sheets are used to make plastic bags each having a dimension equal to or less than the width of said sheets, and means for using said laser beam to simultaneously make a cut across the width of said sheets while welding said sheets together on both sides of said cut, whereby one relative motion between said sheets and said laser beam across said width produces one finished edge on each of two adjacent bags being formed of said sheets while also simultaneously severing said two adjacent bags from each other.
Apparatus for cutting fluorocarbon sheet material comprising a CO.sub.2 laser having a wavelength of 10.6 microns, means for applying the beam from said laser to said fluorocarbon sheet material, means for causing relative motion between said laser beam and said fluorocarbon sheet material, means for causing said laser beam to have a central spot of relatively intense laser energy and an annular region surrounding said central spot of relatively less intense laser energy, and control means to cause relative motion between said laser beam and said fluorocarbon sheet material to simultaneously cut said fluorocarbon sheet material along the path of said central spot and to weld said fluorocarbon sheet material on both sides of the cut line along the path of said annular region.
Apparatus for cutting fluorocarbon sheet material comprising a CO.sub.2 laser having a wavelength of 10.6 microns, means for applying the beam from said laser to said fluorocarbon sheet material, means for causing relative motion between said laser beam and said fluorocarbon sheet material, means for holding said fluorocarbon sheet material stationary, and means for moving said laser beam to cause said laser beam to trace a predetermined pattern on said fluorocarbon sheet material.
Apparatus for cutting fluorocarbon sheet material comprising a CO.sub.2 laser having a wavelength of 10.6 microns, means for applying the beam from said laser to said fluorocarbon sheet material, means for causing relative motion between said laser beam and said fluorocarbon sheet material, means for holding said laser beam stationary, and means for moving said fluorocarbon sheet material to cause said laser beam to trace a predetermined pattern on said fluorocarbon sheet material.
Apparatus for cutting fluorocarbon sheet material comprising a CO.sub.2 laser having a wavelength of 10.6 microns, means for applying the beam from said laser to said fluorocarbon sheet material, means for causing relative motion between said laser beam and said fluorocarbon sheet material, said means for causing relative motion between said sheet material and said laser means operating in an X-Y orthogonal system, means for moving one of said laser and said sheet material in one of said X and Y directions, and means for moving the other of said laser means and said sheet material in the other of said X and Y directions.
Apparatus for simultaneously cutting and welding two plastic films comprising a laser beam, means for forming said laser beam into a relatively intense central spot surrounded by an annular region of less intense laser energy, control means to cause relative motion between said laser beam and said films to simultaneously cut said films along the path of said central spot and to weld said films on both sides of the cut line along the path of said annular region on said films, said laser having a wavelength which is absorbed well by the particular plastic of said films, said laser comprising a CO.sub.2 laser having a wavelength of 10.6 microns and said films consisting of fluorocarbons, and means for putting said films into optical contact including means for applying heat and one of positive and vacuum pressure to said films.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.