Continuous skin-packaging machine and method

Abstract

Abstract A CONTINUOUS SKIN-PACKAGING MACHINE HAVING A LINEARLY MOVABLE CONVEYOR FOR TRANSPORTING A CONTINUOUS WEB OR SERIES OF DISCRETE BASE PADS OR SUBSTRATES WITH ARTICLES THEREON TO A VACUUM-FORMING STATION. A VACUUM-FORMING STATION IS ARRANGED IN LINE WITH SAID CONVEYOR INCLUDING AN ANGULARLY DISPLACEABLE ARRAY OF PLATENS FOR RECEIVING THE WEB OR A BASE PAD WITH ARTICLES TRANSFERRED FROM THE CONVEYOR AND MOVING IN THE SAME DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT AS THE CONVEYOR AND APPLYING A VACUUM DRAW TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE WEB OR BASE PAD CONCURRENTLY. A HEATER ASSEMBLY AND A THERMOPLASTIC FILM-TRANSPORTING MECHANISM ASSOCIATED THEREWITH ARE SPACED ABOVE THE CONVEYOR FOR DELIVERING HEATED FILM TO THE VICINITY OF TRANSFER OF THE WEB OR A BASE PAD TO THE VACUUM-FORMING STATION SO THAT THE FILM CAN BE LAMINATED TO THE WEB OR BASE PAD ENCASING SAID ARTICLES THEREON AS THE WEB OR BASE PAD IS MOVED BY THE PLATENS. SAID SKIN-PACKAGING OPERATION IS PERFORMED CONTINUOUSLY WITH CONTINUOUS FEEDING OF WEB OR BASE PAD WITH ARTICLES AND HEATED FILM TO SAID VACUUM-FORMING STATION. THE MACHINE ALSO CAN HAVE A PACKAGE-TRIMMING STATION FOR RECEIVING THE COMPLETED PACKAGES DISCHARGED FROM THE VACUUM-FORMING STATION. ALSO, THERE IS EVOLVED A NOVEL METHOD OF MAKING SKIN PACKAGES CONTINUOUSLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE STEPS PERFORMED SEQUENTIALLY BY THE CONTINUOUS SKIN-PACKAGING MACHINE AFORESAID.

Inventors

• 👤 Roger W Stone
• 👤 Donald R Rorer

Bibliographic Details