The invention provides a method of manufacturing a pouch for holding therein a liquid, comprising providing a front and back layer, locally bonding them together to create an inner space, forming a pour channel, by locally bonding the layers together to form bonds defining boundaries of the pour channel, wherein the forming of the pour channel is carried out by providing a heating device having a plurality of heating elements arranged in a grid-like manner, forming a heating surface, each of the heating elements being individually operable, operating the heating device such that heating elements which are required for creating the boundaries are operated and thereby heated, and bringing the heating surface into contact with the front layer or back layer, so as to locally bond together the front layer and the back layer so as to form the bonds defining the boundaries of the pour channel.

In methods of making disposable, flexible containers for fluent products, methods of sealing the flexible containers when such containers include expansion materials, are disclosed. The methods include forming a partially completed container blank that has layers of flexible materials. The layered structure includes a first space for a fluent product, and a second space for an expansion material. The methods of sealing the flexible containers include adding an expansion material into the second space and pressing parts of at least some of the layers together to close off the second space.

A method (400) for assessing quality of a transversal sealing (102) of a paperboard-based food package (100), wherein the food package (100) comprises a longitudinal scaling (104), and is provided with an reference imprint (106) in connection to the transversal sealing (102) is provided. The method (400) comprising, capturing (S402), by a camera (202), image data of the transversal scaling (102), determining (S404), in the image data, a position of the reference imprint (106), determining (S406), in the image data, a position of a reference line (104), determining (S408) quality measurement data of the transversal sealing (102) based on the position of the reference imprint (106) relative to the position of the reference line (104).

The sonotrode and anvil of Applicant's issued U.S. Pat. No. 8,376,016, for advanced ultrasonic welding of work pieces, are readily incorporated into new form-fill-seal machines, but existing machines with heat-seal stations pose difficult problems for swapping of the sealing packages. Kits enabling heat station replacement with the Applicant's patented sonotrode and anvil include: a housing; a rail fixed thereto; anvil and sonotrode support members; and a parallel gripper. Each of the anvil and sonotrode support members is slidably attached to the rail(s) and are also connected to a respective piston of the gripper, permitting actuation of each through cycling of the gripper pistons. The improved sonotrode/anvil combination each include corresponding pluralities of energy directors arranged into a three-dimensional grid pattern that produces narrower weld regions, which exhibit greater durability, permitting use of less packaging material.

A laser welding method and system join portions of two workpieces of thermoplastic material by clamping together the portions of the workpieces to be joined, against a baseplate engraved or etched to form an image to be replicated in the joined portions of the workpieces, and applying laser radiation to the portions of the clamped workpieces to be joined, to melt those portions of the clamped workpieces to be joined and to replicate the image in the joined portions of the clamped workpieces when the material solidifies. The thermoplastic material of the workpieces can be optically transparent but absorbs a portion of the laser radiation, so that both workpieces are heated and melted by the laser radiation. A portion of the melted workpiece material flows into the engraved or etched portions of the baseplate, forming an embossed surface on the lower surface of the area where the workpieces are joined.

The sonotrode and anvil of copending application Ser. No. 12/925,652, for advanced ultrasonic welding of work pieces, are readily incorporated into new form-fill-seal machines, but existing machines with heat-seal stations pose difficult problems for swapping of the sealing packages. Kits enabling heat station replacement, with the further improved sonotrode and anvil disclosed herein, comprise: a housing; a linear rail fixed thereto; anvil and sonotrode support members; and a parallel gripper. Each of the anvil and sonotrode support members is slidably attached to the rail(s) and are also connected to a respective piston of the gripper, permitting actuation of each through cycling of the gripper pistons. The improved sonotrode/anvil combination each comprise a corresponding plurality of energy directors arranged into a three-dimensional grid pattern to produce a narrower weld region, but one exhibiting greater durability, thereby permitting use of less packaging material, and which may also weld a company logo into the workpieces.

An article for laser marking can comprising: a thermoplastic composition comprising a thermoplastic polymer, an active component comprising at least one of a polymeric unit and an additive, wherein the thermoplastic polymer has a visible transmission of greater than or equal to 80% according to ASTM D1003-00, Procedure A, using D65 illumination, 10 degrees observer, and thickness of 1 mm; and a mark produced by chemical rearrangement of the active component generated by a laser of a first wavelength; wherein the mark exhibits at least one of: (i) a change in optical properties in the region 400 nm to 700 nm when exposed to light having a wavelength less than or equal to 500 nm; and (ii) a change in optical properties in the region of 400 nm to 700 nm when exposed to light having a wavelength greater than or equal to the first wavelength.

The sonotrode and anvil of copending application Ser. No. 12/925,652, for advanced ultrasonic welding of work pieces, are readily incorporated into new form-fill-seal machines, but existing machines with heat-seal stations pose difficult problems for swapping of the sealing packages. Kits enabling heat station replacement, with the further improved sonotrode and anvil disclosed herein, comprise: a housing; a linear rail fixed thereto; anvil and sonotrode support members; and a parallel gripper. Each of the anvil and sonotrode support members is slidably attached to the rail(s) and are also connected to a respective piston of the gripper, permitting actuation of each through cycling of the gripper pistons. The improved sonotrode/anvil combination each comprise a corresponding plurality of energy directors arranged into a three-dimensional grid pattern to produce a narrower weld region, but one exhibiting greater durability, thereby permitting use of less packaging material, and which may also weld a company logo into the workpieces.

A method and apparatus for sealing films. In one embodiment the sealing device comprises a horn and an anvil. The film has a standard portion and an increased portion. Increased energy is applied to the film in the increased portion compared to the energy applied to the standard portion. Such a method allows for sealing of varying number of layers.

A multilayered article for laser marking can comprise: a first layer having a visible transmission of greater than or equal to 80%; a second layer having a visible transmission of greater than or equal to 80%, and wherein the second layer comprises an active component that will form a laser mark with an L* of less than or equal to 40, when exposed to a laser light of a wavelength of greater than 800 nm; a third layer reflective to laser light having a wavelength greater than 800 nm, wherein the third layer has a visible transmission of greater than or equal to 80%; and optionally a substrate; wherein the article comprises a laser mark having an L* of less than or equal to 40 as measured according to CIELAB 1976 (specular included).