A high altitude balloon, including a method and machine for manufacture, uses a perimeter border strip to couple two circular balloon panels with a lap or butt seal. Simultaneous sealing of two perimeter seals, one between the border strip and each of two balloon panels, is provided by supporting stacked balloon panels on a rotatable support and sealing around the full perimeter of the two interposed balloon panels and the border strip. The method and machine for manufacture allow for the mass production of high altitude balloons and minimize necessary material handling. The perimeter border strip can be dispensed and guided relative to the perimeter of the balloon panels for positioning before sealing together, as a bonding device is rotated relative to the balloon envelope.

A method and apparatus for making a structurally resilient package with a desired shape on a vertical form, fill, and seal machine. The method comprises sealing a film to form a back seal; forming a first end seal to form a partially formed first package; flattening a first side of the partially formed first package to form a flat first side; filling the partially formed first package with product; forming a second end seal on the partially formed first package to form a first package from the partially formed first package; flattening the second side of the first package to form a flat second side, wherein the flattening the first side and the flattening the second side occur on a first machine.

A woven fabric seam area is provided including a top surface and a bottom surface, with the woven fabric being formed of warp yarns interwoven with weft yarns in a repeating pattern, and either the warp yarns or the weft yarns are formed at least in part of a laser energy absorbent material. Within the fabric seam area yarns formed of laser energy transparent material can be bonded to yarns being formed at least in part of a laser energy absorbent material by laser welds in order to maintain or achieve a desired flexibility and/or shear resistance of the fabric. A method of forming such a fabric seam area is also provided.

A respiratory apparatus may employ ultrasonic welds. The ultrasonic welding may be used to join a variety of headgear, mask and accessory components. This process may enhance comfort, fit and/or performance of the joined components and/or overall mask assembly. A component may be a single layer component such as a textile or fabric, or a composite or multiple layer component such as fabric and foam composites, or outer fabric layers and inner spacer fabrics. Further, a component may be a strap, some other headgear component, a mask component, an accessory component or the like.

The invention concerns an apparatus for manufacturing of containers from blanks of a cardboard based material, said apparatus comprising: a container body forming unit configured to form a cylindrical container body from a substantially plane blank of a multilayer material comprising at least a supporting cardboard layer and a weldable layer; a welding unit configured to fasten an end closure to the container body, said welding unit comprising an inductive welding energy generator for melting of the weldable layer; and transporting means configured to transport a flow of body blanks to the container body forming unit, to transport a flow of container bodies from the container body forming unit to the welding unit, and to transport a flow of container bodies provided with end closures from the welding unit. The invention is characterized in that the transporting means comprises: a first movable gripping arrangement configured to grip at least two container bodies and move these container bodies simultaneously to the welding unit; and a transferring and positioning arrangement configured to transfer container bodies from the container body forming unit to the first movable gripping arrangement and to position the container bodies in a controlled manner to ensure that the first movable gripping arrangement can grip the at least two container bodies properly, wherein the welding unit is configured to simultaneously fasten an end closure to each of the at least two container bodies. The invention also concerns a method for operating an apparatus of the above type.

A method and apparatus for constructing a tubular assembly 40 comprising an inner portion (24) and a further portion (23) surrounding the inner portion. The inner portion (24) comprises reinforcement (37) and the further portion (23) being formed from a strip (50) of material comprising two opposed longitudinal marginal side portions (53). The apparatus comprises an assembly station (220) comprising a wall (253). The apparatus comprises means for advancing the inner portion (21) along a first path (231) extending passed the wall (253), and means for advancing the strip (50) along a second path (232) and causing the strip to encircle the wall (253) and thereby wrap about and surround the inner portion (21). The apparatus further comprises means (321) for introducing resinous binder into the reinforcement (37) as the strip (50) is being wrapped about the inner portion (21).

A method of making a tube (60) includes forming at least one tube layer (101, 106, 108); and forming at least one film layer (102, 103, 104) on the at least one tube layer, wherein the at least a portion of the at least one film layer does not completely overlap the at least one tube layer.

Methods include providing a plurality fabric material layers, applying a plastisol layer between each fabric material layer forming plurality fabric material layers thereby creating a belt carcass, pressing the fabric material layers together with the plastisol layer(s) at a pressure of at least 5 psi to produce a preformed fabric carcass while heating the preformed fabric carcass while heating the preformed fabric carcass to a temperature which is within the range of about 360° F. to about 450° F. for a period of at least 6 minutes, disposing a thermoplastic elastomer polyvinyl chloride alloy composition onto the upper and lower surfaces of the fabric carcass, pressing the thermoplastic elastomer polyvinyl chloride alloy composition onto the upper and lower surfaces of the fabric carcass, and splicing opposing distal ends of the belt in a stepped splice configuration. The layers may be devoid of covering strips of lattice fabric disposed adjacent an abutment of any proximally positioned fabric layer.

The invention relates to a welding device (1) for producing tubular bodies by the edge-side welding of two substrate edges (2, 3), in particular two laminate edges, said welding device having a continuous, circulating first contact belt (5) for coming into contact with the substrate (4), and an energy source (12, 13) for providing welding energy. According to the invention, the first contact belt (5) has a seamless polyimide contact surface (35) for coming into contact with the substrate (4).

An insulating device can include an aperture having a waterproof closure which allows access to the chamber within the insulating device. The closure can help prevent any fluid leakage into and out of the insulating device if the insulating device is overturned or in any configuration other than upright. The closure also prevents any fluid from permeating into the chamber if the insulating device is exposed to precipitation, other fluid, or submersed under water. This construction results in an insulating chamber impervious to water and other liquids when the closure is sealed.