A machine and method for converting film into bags or other articles includes a web traveling from an input section to a rotary drum, to an output section. The rotary drum includes at least one seal bar with a sealing zone and a weakening zone, or it can include or at least one sealing die that extends in the machine direction. The single sealing zone or sealing die may be a heated perforator, and may include a heating wire. The heating wire may be an NiCr wire stitched into the heater, and be disposed on a cap or on the seal bar. The weakening zone may create a line of weakness that is uniform or varies in intensity. The sealing zone may include temperature zones, cartridge heaters, cooling air, or heated air, or a source of ultrasonic, microwave or radiative energy.

A human tissue isolation pouch for use with a sealer machine to indirectly seal human tissue medical pouches while avoiding cross contamination is herein disclosed. The human tissue isolation pouch comprises a rigid frame supporting a high temperature material and having one or more magnets for removably attaching the human tissue isolation pouch to a sealer machine.

During use a medical pouch, which may contain a human tissue sample, is inserted within the human tissue isolation pouch. The jaws of the sealer machine clamp down directly on the high temperature material, thus indirectly heating and sealing the medical pouch inside the human tissue isolation pouch. The sealing machine jaws do not physically contact the medical pouch at any time during the sealing process, and in this way contamination of the sealer machine (and cross contamination of medical pouches from distinct donor cases) is avoided. The rigid frame of the human tissue isolation pouch may be sterilized after each donor event. And the containment bag formed of a high temperature material may be disposed of after each donor event.

A welding apparatus includes: a first heating stack, wherein a first heating layer is electrically connected to a first electronic control circuit and is located between a first cover layer and a first electric insulator which is mounted on a first ledge; a second heating stack, wherein a second heating layer is electrically connected to a second electronic control circuit and is located between a second cover layer and a second electric insulator which is mounted on a second ledge, wherein the first heating stack and the second heating stack are coupled to a drive to provide a linear relative movement between the first heating stack and the second heating stack, and wherein the first electronic control circuit is adapted to provide electric energy to the first heating layer and wherein the second electronic control circuit is adapted to detect an electric resistance and/or an electric impedance of the second heating layer.

A system for opening and closing a mixing manifold includes a drive motor, a cam plate, and a valving rod connector. The drive motor imparts movement in first and second directions. Movement imparted in the first direction causes the cam plate to move linearly in a third direction and movement imparted in the second direction causes the cam plate to move linearly in a fourth direction. Movement of the cam plate in the third direction causes the valving rod connector to move linearly in a fifth direction and movement of the cam plate in the fourth direction causes the valving rod connector to move linearly in a sixth direction. Movement of the valving rod connector in the fifth direction causes retraction of a valving rod of the mixing manifold and movement of the valving rod connector in the sixth direction causes extension of the valving rod.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to manufacturing a balloon envelope for use in a stratospheric balloon system. For instance, a stream of polyethylene mixture us extruded through an extruder in order to orient molecules of polymer chains of polyethylene and to provide an oriented film. The oriented film is passed through an electron beam and thereby crosslinking the polymer chains to provide a cross-linked film. The cross-linked film is heat sealed to form the balloon envelope

An improved vacuum sealer having a sealing bar with a plurality of heating elements, where the heating elements ultimately seal the entire length of a polymeric bag, but may be activated independently such that a portion of the bag may first be sealed, after which a vacuum force is applied to the bag such that the internal air is removed, after which the remainder the of the bag is sealed through application of power to the second heating element.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to systems and techniques for inspecting seals for high altitude balloons. In one example, a system may include a reflective surface, a translucent material on the reflective surface, and a movable light source configured to move along the reflective surface and provide light to the reflective surface. The light is provided such that it is reflected from the reflective surface and through the translucent material in order to backlight a balloon envelope seal for inspection. A method for inspecting a balloon envelope seal may include placing balloon envelope material on a table, forming a seal between portions of the material, moving a light over the seal, shining light onto a reflective portion of the table below the seal to backlight the seal, and inspecting the seal using the backlighting of the seal.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to techniques for manufacturing a balloon envelope. In one example, a first sheet of material for a first gore of the balloon envelope is provided. Lap seal material is arranged at least partially on the first sheet of material. A first heat seal is created between the lap seal material and the first sheet of material. A second sheet of material for a second gore of the balloon envelope is arranged over the first heat seal. A second heat seal is created between the lap seal material and the second sheet of material such that the lap seal material is configured to provide additional structural support to the balloon envelope.

A protective packaging formation device is disclosed herein. The protective packaging formation device can include an inflation assembly having a fluid conduit that directs fluid between first and second overlapping plies of a web material and a sealing mechanism. The sealing mechanism can include a heating zone of the sealing mechanism operable to heat the plies to create a longitudinal heat seal that seals the first and second plies together as the web is driven over the heating zone in a downstream direction. The sealing mechanism can also include a pinch zone that overlaps longitudinally with the heating zone. The pinch zone defined by an isolation element that applies a first pressure to the web material along a first region. The pinch zone is also defined by a support structure and a compression element that applies a second pressure to the web material there-between along a second region transverse to the first region.

A production machine for the production of collapsible pouches having a fitment. The machine has a fitment sealing station with an impulse sealing device comprising a first jaw and a second jaw and with an actuator device configured to move the first and second jaws relative to one another between an opened position and a clamped position, as well as a cooling device configured to cool each of the first and second jaws. The fitment sealing station is configured to perform an impulse sealing cycle.