Cutting and sealing apparatus

Claim 2

A die assembly for a shaped article having an hermetically sealed portion and being fabricated from heat sealable sheet material, comprising: first die means operable to cut a shape in superposed sheets of heat sealable material, the first die means including a thermally conductive body portion, thermally conductive cutting bar means projecting from the body portion having a cutting edge spaced from the body portion and perimetrically defining shape, and an access opening extending through the body portion to a location within the irregular shape; heating means operably positioned to heat the body portion to a temperature exceeding the temperature required for thermally cutting the material of the superposed sheets; and second die means operable to hermetically seal the shape along a portion cut by the first die means, having a perimeter conforming to the shape defined by the cutting bar, including a thermally conductive sealing bar projecting therefrom and having a sealing edge juxtaposed with the cutting edge, and operating means extending from the second die means through the access opening for moving the second die means relative to the first die means to and from a heat receiving position in which the second die means is operably positioned to receive heat from the body portion.

Claim 3

The die assembly of claim 1 wherein the cutting bar is integral with the body portion and the sealing bar is integral with the second die means.

Claim 4

The die assembly of claim 1 wherein: the body portion includes a plurality of generally parallel openings; and the heating means includes a plurality of cartridge heaters, each heater being received in a corresponding one of the plurality of generally parallel openings.

Claim 5

The die assembly of claim 1 wherein the cutting edge projects from the body portion farther than the sealing edge when the second die means is in the heat receiving position.

Claim 6

The die assembly of claim 4 wherein the cutting edge has a generally uniform width, the sealing edge has a generally uniform width, and the width of the sealing edge is substantially greater than the width of the cutting edge.

Claim 7

The die assembly of claim 1 wherein the second die means is guided during movement to and from the heat receiving position by the cutting bar of the first die means.

Claim 8

A die assembly for fabricating an irregular shape with an hermetically sealed peripheral portion from heat sealable sheet material, comprising: a first die member fashioned of thermally conductive material and including a body portion having a generally planar surface, a plurality of generally parallel openings uniformly spaced from the planar surface, and an access opening extending through the body portion generally perpendicular to the planar surface, and a cutting bar integral with the first die member, projecting from the planar surface, defining an irregular shape which generally circumscribes the access opening, and having a cutting edge with a generally uniform width located in a plane spaced from and generally parallel to the planar surface; a second die member fashioned of thermally conductive material, having a second planar surface, a perimeter generally conforming to the irregular shape, an integral sealing bar projecting therefrom with a sealing edge of generally uniform width lying in a plane spaced from the second planar surface by a distance less than the spacing between the first planar surface and the cutting edge, the second die member being operable between a heat receiving position in which the first and second planar surfaces are in heat transfer relationship and a heat sealing position in which the first and second planar surfaces are spaced from one another; a plurality of cartridge heaters, each cartridge heater disposed in a corresponding one of the plurality of openings in the first die member; operating means extending through the access opening, engaging the second die member and operable to move the second die member between the heat receiving and heat sealing positions thereof; and a polytetrafluoroethylene sheet operably positioned adjacent the cutting edge and the sealing edge to insure release of the die from sheet material being cut and hermetically sealed.

Claim 9

A die assembly for fabricating an irregular shape with an hermetically sealed peripheral portion from heat sealable sheet material, comprising: a first die member fashioned of thermally conductive material and including a body portion having a generally planar surface, a plurality of generally parallel openings uniformly spaced from the planar surface, and an access opening extending through the body portion generally perpendicular to the planar surface, and a cutting bar integral with the first die member, projecting from the planar surface, defining an irregular shape which generally circumscribes the access opening, and having a cutting edge with a generally uniform width located in a plane spaced from and generally parallel to the planar surface; a second die member fashioned of thermally conductive material, having a second planar surface, a perimeter generally conforming to the irregular shape, an integral sealing bar projecting therefrom with a sealing edge of generally uniform width lying in a plane spaced from the second planar surface by a distance less than the spacing between the first planar surface and the cutting edge, the second die member being operable between a heat receiving position in which the first and second planar surfaces are in heat transfer relationship and a heat sealing position in which the first and second planar surfaces are spaced from one another; a plurality of cartridge heaters, each cartridge heater disposed in a corresponding one of the plurality of openings in the first die member; operating means extending through the access opening, engaging the second die member and operable to move the second die member between the heat receiving and heat sealing positions thereof; and a polytetrafluoroethylene sheet operably positioned adjacent the cutting edge and the sealing edge to insure release of the die from sheet material being cut and hermetically sealed.

Claim 10

Apparatus for fashioning an irregular shape with an hermetically sealed peripheral portion from heat sealable sheet material comprising: platen means for supporting superposed sheets of material during fashioning of an irregular shape therein; a die assembly reciprocably mounted with respect to the platen means, operable between a remote position in which superposed sheets of material are positioned on the platen means and a cutting-sealing position in which the die assembly and platen means cooperate to hermetically seal and cut an unstripped irregular shape from the superposed sheets of material, and including a first thermally conductive member having a body portion and a cutting edge surface projecting therefrom, a second thermally conductive member having a sealing edge surface projecting therefrom in juxtaposition with the cutting edge surface and operable between a heat receiving position in which the second member is heated by the first member and a heat sealing position in which the second member hermetically seals the superposed sheets of material while the cutting edge surface is cutting an unstripped shape in the superposed sheets, and heating means carried by the first member and operable to maintain the temperature of both the first and second members at different predetermined levels; and release means operably positioned between the die assembly and the platen means at the cutting-sealing position and operable to improve release of the die assembly from the sheets of material being cut and sealed.

Claim 11

Apparatus for fashioning an irregular shape with an hermetically sealed peripheral portion from heat sealable sheet material comprising: platen means for supporting superposed sheets of material during fashioning of an irregular shape therein; a die assembly reciprocably mounted with respect to the platen means, operable between a remote position in which superposed sheets of material are positioned on the platen means and a cutting-sealing position in which the die assembly and platen means cooperate to hermetically seal and cut an unstripped irregular shape from the superposed sheets of material, and including a first thermally conductive member having a body portion and a cutting edge surface projecting therefrom, a second thermally conductive member having a sealing edge surface projecting therefrom in juxtaposition with the cutting edge surface and operable between a heat receiving position in which the second member is heated by the first member and a heat sealing position in which the second member hermetically seals the superposed sheets of material while the cutting edge surface is cutting an unstripped shape in the superposed sheets, and heating means carried by the first member and operable to maintain the temperature of both the first and second members at different predetermined levels; and release means operably positioned between the die assembly and the platen means at the cutting-sealing position and operable to improve release of the die assembly from the sheets of material being cut and sealed.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the second member is guided between the heat receiving position and the heat sealing position by the projecting cutting edge of the first member.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 8 further including means for intermittently advancing continuous sheets of superposed material between the die assembly and the platen means.