US 5,452,565 AGranted

Device for wrapping and welding under vacuum, used in the manufacture of a thermally insulated container

AssigneeThermopac AB

InventorsAnders Blom, Jarl Gustavsson

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Abstract

Method and device for manufacturing a thermally insulated container (1) for storing and transporting material such as vaccine, biological material and the like requiring a substantial constant temperature during a substantial period of time, the container comprising an insulated first can-shaped vessel (2) filled with a solid-to-liquid phase transforming refrigerant material (5). In a first step of the method a multilayer insulation is baked under vacuum and arranged about said first vessel (2) by wrapping so that it encloses said first vessel on all sides, in a second step said first vessel is inserted under vacuum into an outer vessel, in a third step the bottom part (18) and the cover part (19) of the container are welded together under vacuum. The device for manufacturing the container comprises a high vacuum chamber (28) provided with an input magazine (32) and valve (32b) for said first vessel (2), a wrapper machine (29) for wrapping said first vessel with insulation and a welding station located above said wrapper machine (29) for welding the container parts (18, 19) under vacuum.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A device for manufacturing and thermally insulating a transport and storage container, said container comprising an inner vessel placed inside said container for holding a material to be transported and stored, a multi-layer insulated material around said inner vessel, and outer shell halves enclosing said inner vessel and insulation material, said device comprising;

a vacuum pressure chamber with cryo vacuum pump means for evacuating the air from said pressure chamber and for maintaining an operational vacuum pressure;
first vacuum oven means connected to said pressure chamber for heat treatment of said insulation material under vacuum pressure;
a wrapper machine inside said pressure chamber, for wrapping said insulation material in the form of a web about said inner vessel;
holder means inside said pressure chamber for handling the inner vessel during said wrapping;
second vacuum oven means connected to said pressure chamber for heat treatment of outer shell halves under vacuum pressure;
means for placing said outer shell halves over the wrapped inner vessel;
and
a welding station inside said pressure chamber, for joining and hermetically sealing said outer vessel shell halves under vacuum pressure.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.