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
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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.
Claims56
A method of welding two plastic films together, comprising the steps of putting said films into optical contact with each other, and using laser means to weld said films together at locations where laser energy from said laser means strikes said films, said plastic films consisting of fluorocarbon films, and each having physical characteristics different from each other.
A method of welding two plastic films together, comprising the steps of putting said films into optical contact with each other, using laser means to weld said films together at locations where laser energy from said laser means strikes said films, causing said laser means to comprise one laser producing one laser beam, 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, using 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 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, and the optional steps of 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.
A method of welding two plastic films together, comprising the steps of putting said films into optical contact with each other, using laser means to weld said films together at locations where laser energy from said laser means strikes said films, causing said laser means to comprise a first laser and a second laser, displacing said first laser from said second laser, causing relative motion between said films and said first and second lasers along a line defined by said two lasers, using the one of said lasers to first strike said films to weld said films together and the second of said lasers to cut said films apart along the weld, and performing said cutting and welding in such manners that said films remain welded together on both sides of the line of cut.
A method of welding two plastic films together, comprising the steps of putting said films into optical contact with each other, using laser means to weld said films together at locations where laser energy from said laser means strikes said films, and controlling the location at which said laser beam strikes said films by deviating said beam away from the optical axis of said laser means, whereby said laser beam can weld said films together at a pre-existing edge of said films.
A method of cutting fluorocarbon sheet material comprising the steps of selecting a CO.sub.2 laser having a wavelength of 10.6 microns, applying the beam from said laser to said fluorocarbon sheet material, and causing relative motion between said laser beam and said fluorocarbon sheet material.
A method of using a laser beam to cut and weld two plastic films simultaneously comprising the steps of forming said laser beam into an relative intense central spot surrounded by an annular region of less intense laser energy, using 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 putting said films into optical contact with each other, said films consisting of fluorocarbons, and each of said films having physical characteristics different from those of the companion film.
A method of using a laser beam to cut and weld two plastic films simultaneously comprising the steps of forming said laser beam into a relatively intense central spot surrounded by an annular region of less intense laser energy, using 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 the optional steps of 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.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.