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 laminate film manufacturing method is capable of preventing thickness unevenness of a cured layer and preventing wrinkling of the entire laminate film. A laminate film is manufactured by applying a coating solution including an active radiation curable resin to a surface of a first film that is continuously transported in an application part to form a coated film in a lamination part, laminating a second film that is continuously transported on the coated film to sandwich the coated film between the first film and the second film, and in a state in which the coated film is sandwiched between the first film and the second film, winding the first film around a backup roller and irradiating the coated film with infrared rays from an ultraviolet irradiation device while continuously transporting the first film to cure the coated film in a curing part so as to form a cured 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).

A process for packaging a product arranged on a support comprising unrolling a film, moving the film to a packaging assembly defining at its inside a packaging chamber, progressively moving a number of supports inside the packaging chamber of the packaging assembly, closing the packaging chamber with the film sheets held above the respective support, optionally causing one or both of: a gas withdrawal from the hermetically closed packaging chamber and gas injection of a gas mixture of controlled composition, heat sealing the film to said support, wherein the heat sealing uses one or more heaters having heating surfaces which are heated for discrete and short time periods only. An apparatus for performing the above process is also disclosed.

A process for packaging a product arranged on a support comprising unrolling a film, moving the film to a packaging assembly defining at its inside a packaging chamber, progressively moving a number of supports inside the packaging chamber of the packaging assembly, closing the packaging chamber with the film sheets held above the respective support, optionally causing one or both of: a gas withdrawal from the hermetically closed packaging chamber and gas injection of a gas mixture of controlled composition, heat sealing the film to said support, wherein the heat sealing uses one or more heaters having heating surfaces which are heated for discrete and short time periods only. An apparatus for performing the above process is also disclosed.

There is described a unit for applying at least one pre-formed opening device onto a hole of a web of a packaging material, unit comprises an advancing means device for advancing the web along a path; and at least one application station, which is fed, in use, with pre-formed opening device and seals, in use, pre-formed opening device on the hole of web.

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 sealing element for heat sealing packaging material for producing sealed packages comprises a heating element arranged to heat-seal the packaging material so as to form the sealed packages and a groove arranged to be engaged by a cutting element carried by a counter-sealing element interacting with the sealing element during a cutting operation in which a sealed package is separated from a portion of the packaging material, wherein the sealing element further comprises a resilient element received within the groove so as to prevent clogging particles from entering into the groove.

A device comprises a first seal member, a second seal member, a first circuit member, a second circuit member and one or more compressive members. The first seal member has a first outer portion having a first seal portion, and a first inner portion located inward of the first outer portion. The second seal member has a second outer portion having a second seal portion, and a second inner portion located inward of the second outer portion. The first seal portion and the second seal portion are bonded together. The first circuit member and the second circuit member are shut in a closed space which is enclosed by the first inner portion and the second inner portion. One of the compressive members is located between the first seal member and the first circuit member or located between the second seal member and the second circuit member.