Continuous motion rotating thermoforming of soluble pouches
AssigneeRideau Machinery Inc.
InventorsJames Fowler, Boris Makutonin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Soluble pouches are formed on a continous motion rotating thermoforming machine having cavities in the surface of a drum into which a web of polymeric film is drawn by a vacuum to form pockets. The pockets are filled with one or more components and closed by a further web of polymeric film. Shrink-back of the polymeric film within the cavities is reduced by heating the cavities with heaters.
Claims28
A continuous motion rotating thermoforming machine for producing pouches made from two webs comprising soluble polymeric substrates, the machine comprising:
- a former having a plurality of pouch forming cavities around its periphery;
- a forming station, a filling station, a sealing station, and a cutting station disposed sequentially around the former;
- a motor configured to continuously rotate the former so that the cavities follow an endless path in the direction of rotation of the former sequentially through the forming, filling, sealing and cutting stations;
- one or more heaters disposed around the former for heating the cavities;
- and
- a vacuum configured to apply a vacuum through the base of each cavity in order that, once thermoformed, a base web is held tightly to the base of the cavities through filling, sealing and cutting stations until the vacuum is released and the filled and sealed pouch is ejected from its cavity;
- wherein the vacuum applies different levels of vacuum at different positions around the former as it rotates.
A continuous motion rotating thermoforming machine for producing pouches made from two webs comprising soluble polymeric substrates, the machine comprising:
- a former having a plurality of pouch forming cavities around its periphery;
- a forming station, a filling station, a sealing station, and a cutting station disposed sequentially around the former;
- a motor configured to continuously rotate the former so that the cavities follow an endless path in the direction of rotation of the former sequentially through the forming, filling, sealing and cutting stations;
- one or more heaters disposed around the former for heating the cavities;
- and a vacuum configured to apply a vacuum through the base of each cavity in order that, once thermoformed, a base web is held tightly to the base of the cavities through filling, sealing and cutting stations until the vacuum is released and the filled and sealed pouch is ejected from its cavity;
- a perforation unit configured to perforate a base web;
- and
- a second forming station;
- wherein the perforation unit is positioned to perforate the base web before the base web is drawn by the vacuum into one of the cavities at the forming station to form a pouch;
- and
- wherein at the second forming station, the machine is configured for the vacuum to draw a second web into the first cavity to form a first compartment in the pouch between the base web and the second web and to form a second compartment in the pouch that is separated from the first compartment by the second web.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.