Article laminating apparatus with operation-adjusting cartridge detection and/or improved heating and/or improved cutting

An article laminating apparatus for use with a pair of feed rolls carrying a supply of laminating material to be unwound, at least one of the laminating materials including a layer of adhesive provided thereon, said article laminating apparatus comprising:

• a frame constructed and arranged to enable the feed rolls to be mounted thereto;
• an article processing assembly carried on said frame such that, when the feed rolls are removably mounted thereto, an article can be inserted into said article processing assembly together with the laminating materials unwound from their respective feed rolls and disposed on opposing sides of the article, said article processing assembly including cooperating pressure applying structures and one or more heating elements;
• a control system controlling said article processing assembly to perform an article processing operation wherein a temperature of the one or more heating elements is elevated to enable the adhesive to adhere to the article inserted into said processing assembly and said cooperating pressure applying structures apply pressure to the laminating materials and the article to affect adhesive bonding therebetween;
• and
• a cutter system including a blade mounted on a guide structure for a cutting movement to enable said blade to cut transversely through the bonded materials discharged from said article processing assembly;
• said guide structure being oriented at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to a feeding direction in which the article and laminating materials advance through the article processing assembly such that said blade moves along a cutting path oriented at said non-perpendicular angle,
• said angle and a velocity at which said blade moves along said cutting path being related such that a velocity component at which said blade moves in the feeding direction along the cutting path is substantially identical to a feed rate at which said article and laminating materials are advanced in the feeding direction so that the laminating materials are cut generally perpendicularly with respect to the feeding direction.

An article laminating apparatus for use with a cartridge having a pair of feed rolls carrying a supply of laminating material to be unwound, at least one of the laminating materials including a layer of adhesive provided thereon, the cartridge having a detectable element indicative of a characteristic of the laminating materials, said article laminating apparatus comprising:

• a frame constructed and arranged to enable the cartridge to be removably mounted thereto;
• an article processing assembly carried on said frame such that, when the cartridge is removably mounted thereto, an article can be inserted into said article processing assembly in a feeding direction together with the laminating materials unwound from their respective feed rolls and disposed on opposing sides of the article, said article processing assembly including cooperating pressure applying structures and one or more heating elements;
• a control system controlling said article processing assembly to perform an article processing operation wherein (a) a temperature of the one or more heating elements is elevated to enable the adhesive to adhere to the article inserted into said processing assembly and (b) said cooperating pressure applying structures apply pressure to the laminating materials and the article to affect adhesive bonding therebetween;
• a detector operable to detect the detectable element on the cartridge, said detector being communicated to the control system and being operable to transmit a signal indicative of the characteristic of the laminating material based on the detectable element on the cartridge;
• said control system being operable to adjust at least one parameter of said article processing operation based on the signal indicative of the characteristic of the laminating materials;
• a cutter for cutting transversely through the laminating materials
• wherein said cutter includes a blade mounted for transverse movement to enable said blade to cut transversely through the laminating materials;
• wherein said cutter includes a motor operable to move said blade transversely to transversely cut said laminating materials;
• wherein said blade moves along a cutting path oriented at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to the feeding direction in which the article and the laminating materials advance through the article processing assembly such that the blade moves along a cutting path oriented at said non-perpendicular angle,
• said angle and a velocity at which said motor moves said blade along said cutting path being related such that a velocity component at which said blade moves in the feeding direction along said cutting path is substantially identical to a feed rate at which the article and the laminating materials are advanced in the feeding direction so that the laminating materials are cut generally perpendicularly with respect to the feeding direction;
• wherein the at least one parameter adjusted by the control system includes the feed rate of the article and laminating materials through the article processing assembly;
• the control system also adjusting the velocity at which the blade moves along said cutting path based on the signal indicative of the characteristic of the laminating materials so that the velocity component at which the blade moves in the feeding direction along the cutting path continues to be substantially identical to the feed rate.

An article laminating system comprising:

• a cartridge having a pair of feed rolls carrying a supply of laminating material to be unwound, at least one of said laminating materials including a layer of adhesive provided thereon, said cartridge having a detectable element indicative of a characteristic of the laminating materials;
• a frame constructed and arranged to enable said cartridge to be removably mounted thereto;
• an article processing assembly carried on said frame such that, when said cartridge is removably mounted thereto, an article can be inserted into said article processing assembly in a feeding direction together with said laminating materials unwound from their respective feed rolls and disposed on opposing sides of the article, said article processing assembly including cooperating pressure applying structures and one or more heating elements;
• a control system controlling said article processing assembly to perform an article processing operation wherein (a) a temperature of the one or more heating elements is elevated to enable the adhesive to adhere to the article inserted into said processing assembly and (b) said cooperating pressure applying structures apply pressure to said laminating materials and the article to affect adhesive bonding therebetween;
• a detector operable to detect said detectable element on said cartridge, said detector being communicated to said control system and being operable to transmit a signal indicative of the characteristic of said laminating material based on said detectable element on said cartridge;
• said control system being operable to adjust at least one parameter of said article processing operation based on the signal indicative of the characteristic of the laminating materials;
• a cutter for cutting transversely through the laminating materials
• wherein said cutter includes a blade mounted for transverse movement to enable said blade to cut transversely through the laminating materials;
• wherein said cutter includes a motor operable to move said blade transversely to transversely cut said laminating materials;
• wherein said blade moves along a cutting path oriented at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to the feeding direction in which the article and the laminating materials advance through the article processing assembly such that the blade moves along a cutting path oriented at said non-perpendicular angle,
• said angle and a velocity at which said motor moves said blade along said cutting path being related such that a velocity component at which said blade moves in the feeding direction along said cutting path is substantially identical to a feed rate at which the article and the laminating materials are advanced in the feeding direction so that the laminating materials are cut generally perpendicularly with respect to the feeding direction;
• wherein the at least one parameter adjusted by the control system includes the feed rate of the article and laminating materials through the article processing assembly;
• the control system also adjusting the velocity at which the blade moves along said cutting path based on the signal indicative of the characteristic of the laminating materials so that the velocity component at which the blade moves in the feeding direction along the cutting path continues to be substantially identical to the feed rate.