An automatic welding machine for lap welding the edges of plastic webs, comprising a movable supporting frame, a heating device for partially melting the plastic webs, at least two opposing, counter-rotating pressing rollers and/or advancing rollers, at least one of which being driven, and at least one driving device comprising a drive motor and at least one gearbox for driving the pressing and/or advancing rollers, wherein the pressing rollers and/or advancing rollers are driven by the driving device by way of at least one flexible shaft. Furthermore, the gearbox can be implemented as a worm gear mechanism comprising a worm that is seated directly on a motor shaft of the drive motor and two counter-rotating worm gears driven by the worm.

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.

An ultrasonic welding system including at least one sonic converter including a body and an ultrasonic horn, a vibrator disposed in the ultrasonic horn, a power source configured to provide electrical power to the vibrator, a driver mechanically coupled to the sonic converter, the driver being configured to drive the sonic converter, a controller including a detected power input and a driver control output, the driver control output being connected to a control input of the driver, and a first power monitor disposed at one of a vibrator power input and a power source output, and configured to provide a first measured power magnitude to the detected power input.

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.

The invention relates to a cross seam joining device for a flexible packaging having at least one ultrasonic applicator (13a-13c), which is rotatably mounted on a shaft (13d) and can be rotated about an axis (13e) of the shaft (13d) arranged longitudinally to the cross seam (110, 111). The ultrasonic applicator (13a-13c) is designed to produce and bundle ultrasounds in a frequency range of 0.1 MHz-0.5 MHz, preferably from 0.5 MHz-2 MHz.

The invention relates to a method for joining a sealing seam of a tubular bag packaging by means of an ultrasonic applicator (10), characterized in that said ultrasonic applicator (10) generates ultrasonic waves at a frequency of between 0.1 MHz and 5 MHz, preferably between 0.5 MHz and 2 MHz. The invention also relates to a longitudinal seal joining device of a tubular bag machine for use with said claimed method.

A method for sealing and cutting of a flexible material for forming a flexible container comprising a product volume and at least one structural support volume can include feeding at least two flexible material into a sealing apparatus comprising a sealing surface and an opposed anvil surface; contacting a seam region of the at least two flexible material with the sealing surface to form a seal in the seam region and cut the seal to form a seam in a single unit operation. The seal defines one or both of at least a portion of a boundary of the product volume and at least a portion of a boundary of the at least one structural support volume.

The present disclosure relates to an oral pouched snuff product and a method for its production. The oral pouched snuff product comprises a filling material and a saliva-permeable pouch enclosing the filling material, the saliva-permeable pouch comprising at least one elongated seal and the saliva-permeable pouch comprising a mesh material being elastic in at least one direction and comprising fibres of thermoplastic polyamide, wherein the at least one elongated seal has a seal strength of at least 0.10 N/mm as measured in dry state as well as in wet state. The at least one elongated seal may be an ultrasonically provided weld.

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.

Advanced ultrasonic welding components of Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 8,376,016 are readily incorporated into new form-fill-seal machines, but owners of existing machines utilizing heat-seal stations were unsuccessful at swapping the sealing packages. Retrofit kits to a replace heat sealing stations with an advanced ultrasonic sonotrode and anvil comprise: a housing; a linear rail fixed thereto; first and second bearing carriages being slidable upon the rail; and first and second fluidic muscles. Each of the fluidic muscles is mounted with a first end fixed to a respective housing wall, and a second end fixed to a respective bearing carriage, permitting actuation of each carriage through pressurization/depressurization of the muscles. The advanced anvil and sonotrode may be secured to respective carriages. In-line arrangements of anvil/sonotrode, bearing carriages, the first fluidic and second fluidic muscles provides a narrow profile, permitting side-by-side kit installations for retrofits accomplishing duplex sealing on a horizontal machine.