A device for detecting defects during sealing of a package including a foil, and a method for detecting defects during sealing of a package including a foil which makes use of such a device. The device may include a distance sensor for determining the distance between at least two clamping elements, and a control unit coupled to the distance sensor for comparing the measured distances to predefined references. Such a device may be operated by, for example, positioning a foil and another part of a package to be connected to the foil between the clamping elements, moving the clamping elements toward one another until a connection between the foil and the other part of the package is formed, determining the distance between the clamping elements over a period, moving the clamping elements apart, and removing the package.

A method for forming a geomembrane liner testable for leaks by securing adjacent panels together with the conductivity of the lower surface of an overlying panel broken along a line adjacent the panel overlapping edge, and the overlapping edges sealed along the line. A heat welder has slots for the overlapping panel edges, with a heated wedge between the slots and having a projection to break the conductivity of the overlying panel bottom surface as it passes the wedge. The slots merge to press the liner edges together to heat weld them along the line of broken conductivity as the welder is moved along the panel edges.

A covering for an architectural feature having generally horizontal vane elements coupled to and located between generally front and rear generally vertical support members, which in preferred embodiments can adjust and control the amount and quality of light transmitted through the covering is described. In one embodiment the covering has three dimensional multi-layered, cellular vanes, which are aesthetically appealing and practically useful for privacy and shading purposes. In another embodiment, the one or more support members are formed of a dark color, and in one example, the support members may be black, grey and/or brown, and in a further example, the rear support member(s) may be formed of material that are darker than the front support member(s), or vise versa. In another embodiment, the support members, e.g., sheers, have an openness factor, preferably as low as about sixty-five percent (65%) to as large as about ninety percent (90%). Other embodiments include structure, assemblies and methods for controlling the closure of the covering as well as embodiments of bottom rail assemblies. Also provided is a method of manufacturing the covering.

A method of sealing a peelable lid to a circumferential and inwardly projecting flange formed in a tubular metal can body, where the flange has a sealing surface having a substantially V-shaped profile. The method comprises pressing the peelable lid against the sealing surface of the flange using a punch, an engagement surface of the punch having a generally V-shaped profile such that the apex of the punch presses the peelable lid into the valley of the engagement surface of the flange.

An assembly for use during manufacture of a balloon envelope that includes a table having first and second levels, an indicator disposed on the first level and a sealing component. The first level is arranged to receive a first sheet portion of material. The indicator is arranged along a lengthwise axis of the table to indicate a position for attaching a tendon to the first sheet portion. The second level is arranged to receive assembled gore portions of the envelope comprising the first sheet portion, the tendon and a second sheet portion of material. The sealing component is configured to move along the table and to apply a heat seal to bond together the first and second sheet portions disposed thereon in order to form at least part of a gore portion of the envelope, such that the tendon is arranged proximate to a centerline of the gore.

An automatic welding machine, comprising a supporting frame and a tensioning device for reversibly joining at least two opposing booms to one another and applying a tension force between these, having an open position in which the opposing booms are separated from one another by a gap and a closed position in which the opposing booms are joined to one another and braced with respect to one another. One boom is mounted in a torsion-proof manner on the tensioning device and is pivotable in relation to the other boom and can be moved out of the open position into the closed position by the pivoting of the tensioning device. The tension force is generated by way of a spring-loaded element disposed on the tensioning device, wherein the spring-loaded element, at one end, is rigidly connected to a supporting element of the tensioning device and, at the other end, is pivotably mounted on the supporting frame by way of a double swivel joint, and the spring-loaded element is tensioned by the pivoting of the double swivel joint out of the open position into the closed position, whereby a torque is applied onto the pivotable boom.

A method for handling containers (I) of collapsible type in a filling machine (20) comprising consecutively arranged stations (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6) comprising a filling station (S3) and a gas filling station (S5), the method comprising intermittently moving the containers (I) to the consecutively arranged stations (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6), supplying, at the filling station (S3), liquid product into the product compartment (5) and supplying, at the gas filling station (S5), gas into the handle compartment (7). The filling station (S3) and the gas filling station (S5) are operated such that liquid product is supplied to the product compartment (5) of one of the containers (I) while gas is supplied to the handle compartment (7) of another of the containers (I). The step of supplying gas at the gas filling station (S5) comprises providing a first gas flow (Qi) at a first pressure (Pi) and delivering said first gas flow (Qi) from the nozzle (30) to the handle compartment (7) via said inlet (11), and subsequently providing a second gas flow (Q.sub.2) at a second pressure (P.sub.2), lower than said first pressure (P.sub.1), and delivering said second gas flow (Q.sub.2) from the nozzle (30) to the handle compartment (7) via said inlet (11) for establishing a target pressure (P.sub.T) inside said handle compartment (7) corresponding to said second pressure (P.sub.2).

A machine and method for making bags is described and 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, having a single sealing zone, and a weakening zone disposed within the single sealing zone. The single sealing zone may be a heated perforator, includes 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 coated fabric (11), comprising a fabric (12) from polymer tapes (12a, 12b), wherein the fabric (12) is coated with a sealing layer (13), wherein at least a portion of the polymer tapes (12a, 12b) have a breaking tenacity of less than 45 cN/tex, preferably 15 to 40 cN/tex and an elongation at break of more than 30%, preferably of 40 to 90%, and/or wherein the sealing layer (13) is formed from a composition A comprising at least one ethylene/-olefin interpolymer, and wherein the composition has a density from 0.905 to 0.930 g/cc, preferably from 0.910 to 0.930 g/cc (1 cc=1 cm.sup.3), and a melt index (12) from 3 to 20 g/10 min and a bag comprising said fabric; a packaging machine (100) for filling gusseted (220) bags (10, 200) wherein the bag walls (202) of the bags (10, 200) consist of a woven fabric (11) of polymer tapes (12a, 12b) at least in part and wherein each of the ends (203, 204) of the bag wall (202) is provided with a filling mouth (211) for filling, wherein a closing device (125) is provided which is structured such that as the filling mouth (211) is closed a welding temperature of at least 50 Kelvin higher in the region of the gussets (220) than in a center region (223) of the bag wall (202) can be generated.

A portable table top welder for welding plastic material webs, the portable table top welder including a frame including a carrier housing and a support arm at which a welding device is arranged; at least one transport roller including a rotatable transport roller axle and at least one contact pressure roller that is rotatably supported at the carrier housing, wherein a weight is arranged at an eccentrical element which is rotatably connected at one side by a concentrically supported eccentrical element axle at the carrier housing and rotatably connected at another side by an eccentrically supported contact pressure roller axle at the contact pressure roller. The table top welder handles and transports easily and can be mounted on a table or on another carrier structure in a disengageable manner.