IMPULSE WELDING BAR WITH NON-STICK COATING

Abstract

An impulse welding bar (10) for welding plastics films is provided with a detachable non-stick coating (20) which is held on lateral flanks (24) of the impulse welding bar (10). In order to facilitate the replacement of a worn non-stick coating (20), retaining elements (22) are provided which are made of two or more parts and which act in a form-fitting manner in order to detachably fasten the non-stick coating (20) to both flanks (24) of the impulse welding bar (10), wherein first parts (26) of the retaining elements (22) are arranged on the flanks (24) of the impulse welding bar (10) and second parts (36) of the retaining elements (22) are arranged on the non-stick coating (20).

Claims

1. Impulse welding bar for welding plastics films, comprising a detachable non-stick coating (20) which is held on lateral flanks (24) of the impulse welding bar (10), characterised in that retaining elements (22) are provided which are made of two or more parts and which act in a form-fitting manner in order to detachably fasten the non-stick coating (20) to both flanks (24) of the impulse welding bar (10), first parts (26) of the retaining elements (22) being arranged on the flanks (24) of the impulse welding bar (10) and second parts (36) of the retaining elements (22) being arranged on the non-stick coating (20).

2. Impulse welding bar according to claim 1, characterised in that the first parts (26) of the retaining elements (22) are glued to the flanks (24) of the impulse welding bar (10).

3. Impulse welding bar according to claim 1, characterised in that recesses (32) are provided in the flanks (24) of the impulse welding bar (10), which recesses wholly or partially accommodate the first parts (26) of the retaining elements (22).

4. Impulse welding bar according to claim 1, characterised in that the retaining elements are designed as spring snap fasteners.

5. Impulse welding bar according to claim 1, characterised in that the retaining elements are designed as hook-and-loop fasteners.

6. Impulse welding bar according to claim 1, characterised in that the retaining elements (22) are designed as grip seal strips.

7. Impulse welding bar according to claim 6, characterised in that the first parts (26) of the grip seal strips (22) are located in grooves (32) in the flanks (24) of the impulse welding bar (10).

8. Impulse welding bar according to claim 6, characterised in that the second parts (36) of the grip seal strips (22) are attached to the edges of the non-stick coating (20) which spans the impulse welding bar (10).

9. Impulse welding bar according to claim 1, characterised in that the non-stick coating (20) is formed by a coated fibre fabric.

10. Impulse welding bar according to claim 9, characterised in that the fibre fabric is coated or laminated with PTFE.

11. Impulse welding bar according to claim 1, characterized in that the impulse welding bar (10) has a heat-resistant area on its upper side, over which an impulse heating band (18) runs.

12. Impulse welding bar according to claim 11, characterized in that the impulse welding bar (10) has a retaining groove (16) on its upper side for receiving a heat-resistant support (17) which forms the heat-resistant area.

13. Impulse welding bar according to claim 12, characterized in that the heat-resistant support (17) consists of a silicone rubber material.

14. Impulse welding bar according to claim 2, characterised in that recesses (32) are provided in the flanks (24) of the impulse welding bar (10), which recesses wholly or partially accommodate the first parts (26) of the retaining elements (22).

Description

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0026] The accompanying drawing shows an impulse welding bar 10, which consists of a main body 12 made of metal, generally aluminium or steel, which is substantially rectangular in cross section and has a length tailored to the respective application. The impulse welding bar 10 can be designed having a circular channel 14 which, if required, allows for liquid cooling to dissipate heat.

[0027] On its upper side, the impulse welding bar 10 is provided with a retaining groove 16 for accommodating a heat-resistant support 17 as insulation, which can be made of silicone rubber material, for example. Above this support, an impulse heating band 18 extends over the entire length of the impulse welding bar 10, which impulse heating band generates the heat required for welding the foils (not shown) by having current flow through it. Electrical connections (not shown) for this purpose are located at the ends of the impulse welding bar 10 and are designed in a manner known per se. The heating band 18 is generally designed to be significantly narrower than the heat-resistant support 17.

[0028] In order to reliably prevent direct contact between the impulse band and the film to be welded, a non-stick coating 20 is provided, which is designed here as a strip-shaped PTFE glass fibre fabric. The PTFE glass fibre fabric spans the heating band 18 and, at its lateral edges 42, is detachably fastened to lateral flanks 24 of the impulse welding bar 10 via retaining elements 22 in the form of grip seal strips. The retaining principle of these grip seal strips is known from resealable film bags, but is not used here as an air-impermeable closure and instead is used for the detachable, precisely positioned attachment of the PTFE glass fibre fabric on the impulse welding bar 10.

[0029] The grip seal strips 22 are designed in two parts, the basic principle being one of interlocking plastics profiles 24 with a hook-shaped cross-section, which are here arranged in pairs. The detachment is provided by the ability of the plastics profile to deform when the grip seal strip is subjected to strong tension.

[0030] As mentioned, the two grip seal strips 22 are each designed in two parts, a first part 26 being associated with the impulse welding bar 10. The associated first pair 28 of hook-shaped plastics profiles is connected to a first panel element 30 or formed integrally therewith, which element is glued flat to the flanks 24 of the impulse welding bar 10. The plastics material is selected such that it can permanently withstand the heat and mechanical stress that occur, and the same also applies to the adhesive used.

[0031] Each of the first pair 28 of plastics profiles is located in a recess in the form of a groove 32 in the body 12 of the impulse welding bar 10, the lower edges 34 of which define the positions of the first parts 26 of the grip seal strips 22.

[0032] After pressing in the second parts 36 of the grip seal strips 22, which second parts in turn consist of pairs 38 of hook-shaped plastics profiles that correspond in their shape to the first pairs 28 and form-fittingly hook therewith when they are closed, the non-stick coating 20 is then likewise positioned in an exact manner.

[0033] The second pairs 28 of hook-shaped plastics profiles are connected to second panel elements 40 or formed integrally therewith, which elements are glued flat to edges 42 of the non-stick coating 20. Here, too, the plastics material is selected such that it can permanently withstand the heat and mechanical stress that occur, and the same naturally also applies here to the adhesive used.

[0034] To replace a worn non-stick coating 20, tensile stress is applied to its edges away from the flanks 24 of the impulse welding bar 10, such that the hook-shaped plastics profiles are deformed and the formfit between the parts 26, 36 of the grip seal strips 22 is released. The non-stick coating 20, which was only held by the grip seal strips 22, can be lifted off without leaving any residue.

[0035] A new non-stick coating 20 can then simply be installed by pushing its second pairs 38 of hook-shaped plastics profiles onto the first pairs 28 of hook-shaped plastics profiles, which are firmly attached to the impulse welding bar, thus hooking the respective pairs together in a form-fitting manner. It is a property of grip seal strips of this type that their release force is significantly higher than the closing force, such that the non-stick coating 20 is securely held when the impulse welding bar 10 is in operation.

[0036] In the transverse direction, the grip seal profiles precisely specify the position of the non-stick coating, making manual alignment unnecessary. In the longitudinal direction, the friction between the profiles prevents slipping during use.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0037] 10 Impulse welding bar [0038] 12 Main body [0039] 14 Cavity [0040] 16 Retaining groove [0041] 17 Support [0042] 18 Heating band [0043] 20 Non-stick coating [0044] 22 Retaining elements/grip seal strips [0045] 24 Flanks of the impulse welding bar [0046] 26 First parts of the retaining elements [0047] 28 First hook-shaped plastics profile pairs [0048] 30 First panel element [0049] 32 Recesses/grooves [0050] 34 Lower edges of the grooves [0051] 36 Second parts of the retaining elements [0052] 38 Second hook-shaped plastics profile pairs [0053] 40 Second panel elements [0054] 42 Edges of the non-stick coating