US 8,906,187 B2 · Method of making shoulder/nozzles with film barrier liners

Abstract

The method comprises an automated technique for making and inserting flexible laminate film barrier liners into the shoulder/nozzles of product tube packaging. The shoulder/nozzles are made and oriented with the shoulder opening to be facing the laminate film. The film is fed to a station that forms the nozzle aperture, die cuts the laminate film to fit into the shoulder of the shoulder/nozzle, and inserts this laminate film into the shoulder/nozzle. The laminate film can be heat bonded to the shoulder nozzle at this station or in a subsequent sealing station. After the shoulder/nozzle leaves the station that forms and inserts the laminate film into the shoulder/nozzle there can be a detection station to determine if the laminate film is properly aligned in the shoulder/nozzle. There also can be a detection station after a subsequent sealing station. Shoulder/nozzles with sealed laminate film liner are then sent to tube making. The laminate film will have a polymer layer and a barrier layer comprising ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymers, polyethylene terephthalate polymers, polyethylene naphthalate polymers and acrylonitrile methyl-acrylate copolymers The tube packages produced using these shoulder/nozzles are very useful for products which contain flavorants, such as dentifrices.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method of making a tube shoulder/nozzle with a barrier in the tube shoulder/nozzle comprising:

forming the tube shoulder/nozzle having a shoulder portion and a nozzle portion, the shoulder portion comprising a first end of the tube shoulder/nozzle and a first portion of an inner surface of the tube shoulder/nozzle and the nozzle portion comprising a second end of the tube shoulder/nozzle and a second portion of the inner surface of the tube shoulder/nozzle;
placing the tube shoulder/nozzle in a holder with the first end of the tube shoulder/nozzle exposed;
placing a film laminate comprising a barrier layer and a polymer layer above the first end of the tube shoulder/nozzle, the polymer layer forming a first side of the film laminate and the barrier layer forming a second opposite side of the film laminate, the polymer layer facing the tube shoulder/nozzle;
contacting the film laminate with a die/mandrel to simultaneously (i) cut the film laminate to fit into the tube shoulder/nozzle, and (ii) insert the film laminate into the tube shoulder/nozzle, the film laminate conforming to the shape of the tube shoulder/nozzle upon being inserted into the tube shoulder/nozzle;
and
wherein the die/mandrel is at a temperature to also seal the film laminate into the tube shoulder/nozzle upon cutting the film laminate to fit into the tube shoulder/nozzle, the polymer layer bonding to at least a portion of each of the first and second portions of the inner surface of the tube shoulder/nozzle and the barrier layer contacting a product in a tube comprising the tube shoulder/nozzle.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of making shoulder/nozzles with film barrier liners

Life of this patent

Method of making shoulder/nozzles with film barrier liners

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17