Non-contact rotary knife perforator

Abstract

A non-contact rotary knife apparatus which perforates a seal area between two adjacent pouches in a continuous web by using perforating blades, preferably on the minor hub, and anvils on the major hub with the anvils having elongated, spaced apart recesses for receiving but not touching the teeth of the perforating blade. Thus, a major knife hub is mounted for rotation and has perforating anvils spaced about the exterior of the major knife hub. Each of the perforating anvils has elongated, spaced-apart recesses. A minor knife hub is also mounted for rotation proximate to the major knife hub and has perforating blades spaced about the exterior of the minor knife hub. Each of the perforating blades has an edge with spaced perforating teeth disposed along the edge. The teeth are adapted to operably mesh with but not contact the elongated recesses of the perforating anvils when the major and minor knife hubs are rotated thereby producing a line of perforations in a seal area between adjacent pouches in a continuous web passing between respective areas of the perforating blades and the perforating anvils.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.