A method and apparatus for pleating or otherwise shaping a web are described herein. The method and apparatus may have numerous applications. In some embodiments, the method and apparatus are used in the formation, filling, and sealing of unit dose packages for consumer products. A method and apparatus for forming sealing two moving webs together, which webs have portions that are non-planar are also described herein.

A protective packaging formation device is provided herein. The device includes an inflation assembly having a fluid conduit that directs fluid between overlapping plies of a polymeric web. The device also includes a driving mechanism that drives the film in a downstream direction. The device also includes a sealing mechanism that includes a thin film heater that heats the plies to create a longitudinal seal that seals the plies of film together. The driving mechanism drives the web such that the web slides across the heating assembly in a downstream direction to trap fluid between the plies.

In a method for forming a lateral sealed portion, a liquid packing material can be filled without biting bubbles, granulates and so on included in the liquid packing material into the lateral sealed portion. In a method for forming a lateral sealed portion with a pair of lateral sealing rolls after a packaging film fed and run is folded at its central portion and a vertical sealing is performed at their side edge parts to shape into a cylindrical form and a liquid packing material is filled into an inside of the cylindrically formed packaging film, at least a folded side part of the cylindrically formed packaging film is pushed with a pushing means arranged between heat sealing bars located at equal intervals in a circumferential direction of the lateral sealing roll and the lateral sealed portion is formed at a pushed position with the pair of lateral sealing bars.

A packaging machine to make an airtight wrapper includes a wrapping sheet wrapped airtight around a structured assembly consisting of an organized group of smoking articles associated with a reinforcement insert. The reinforcement insert includes, in working sequence on one or more cyclical conveyor devices of the wheel or carousel type, a structured assembly formation unit, a combination unit suitable to combine the structured assembly with said wrapping sheet, a wrapping sheet work unit and a welding unit.

A bleach compatible mattress cover made of a non-woven polyolefin material and defining an interior cavity. The interior cavity configured to receive a mattress structure which may include a first and second support structure disposed in the interior cavity. In certain embodiments, the mattress cover has a Moisture Vapor Transfer Rate of greater than or equal 400 to less than 10,000, 7500 or more particularly less than 5000 grams per square meter per day and a hydrostatic head of 100 cm or greater and passes ASTM 1670 and ASTM 1671.

An ultrasonic systems and methods for sealing complex interfaces or for metal forming. Complex interfaces, such as a Gable top, have multiple and a variety of layers across the interface, or an oval or round spout having a complex geometry. An example system includes two ultrasonic horns arranged opposite a gap between which the interface is provided. The frequency and phase of the ultrasonic energy are synchronized as the energy is applied simultaneously while the interface is pressed between a jaw and the energy is applied to both sides of the interface. Another example system includes two ultrasonic transducers synchronized in frequency and phase and used to vibrate a horn mechanically to facilitate a sealing or welding interface or to assist in a metal-forming process.

An ultrasonic welding system. The system includes an ultrasonic transducer assembly having a horn and a first transducer and a second transducer arranged to impart ultrasonic energy into the horn. The horn has a first part-interfacing surface and a second part-interfacing surface opposite the first part-interfacing surface. An actuator assembly is operatively coupled to the ultrasonic transducer assembly and configured to cause rotation of the horn. A controller is configured to: cause the actuator assembly to rotate the horn so that the first part-interfacing surface applies the ultrasonic energy to a first part along an entire length of the first part-interface surface while a first ultrasonic energy is applied through the horn via the first transducer to cause the first part-interfacing surface to vibrate back and forth along its entire length as the first ultrasonic energy is applied by the first transducer to the horn.

The ultrasound welding device, for welding flexible packages is disclosed. The device includes: a power generator to generate a sinusoidal electric signal at a predetermined frequency; a transducer operatively associated with the power generator to transform the electric signal generated by the latter into mechanical vibrations having the same frequency as the electric signal; a sonotrode associated with the transducer and structured to amplify and transmit the mechanical vibrations generated by the transducer to a welding surface defined on the same; and a contrast element provided with a contrast surface arranged to engage the welding surface of the sonotrode during the welding operations. The transducer and sonotrode are engaged so as to amplify and transmit the vibrations generated by the transducer to the welding surface of the sonotrode without an amplifier or similar device.

A flexible package having a closure device and a lap or fin seal is provided that reduces or eliminates an air gap present at the fin or lap seal portion of packages. The package can include a film with a closure applied to the film. The flexible package can include a film having a closure device applied to the film transverse to the first and second side edges of the film, with the first side edge portion extending into the fin seal such that at least a portion of the first side edge portion eliminates an air gap between the fin or lap seal and at least one of the first and second side edge portions.

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner filter bag made of a thermally weldable filter material which forms the sealed internal space of the vacuum cleaner filter bag. The internal space is thereby closed at least on one side by means of a weld seam configured according to the invention, in the case of which at least two layers of the filter material are welded together. The weld seam configured according to the present invention is distinguished by a far higher tearing strength, compared with weld seams as are known from the state of the art. The invention relates in addition to a method for the production of the vacuum cleaner filter bag, to a tool for the production of the high-strength weld seam and also to an ultrasonic welding unit in which this tool is integrated.