Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for folding and sealing a web of material to form an item with a contoured seal such as a valve bag. Folding apparatus form the web of film into a continuous tubular web having upper and lower sections, a closed side and an open side. The open side has two folded flaps that extend into an inside area of the tubular web. A longitudinal sealer includes a floating sealer located inside the tubular web. The floating sealer and its contoured heating element are selectively and intermittently pressed against the overlapping flaps to form a contoured seal that bonds the flaps together. The contoured seal defines a self-sealing valve port through which product is poured to fill the bag. Pairs of repelling magnets biasingly elevate the floating sealer above the overlapping flaps when the longitudinal sealer is in its release position.

Abstract: A cross sealer for a plastic bag making machine includes a frame with an upper moveable seal bar unit and an opposed lower stationary seal bar unit. The movable unit is a lightweight construction seal beam. A rotating shaft spans the cross sealer and is connected by a plurality of eccentric linkages to the seal beam. The linkages moves a seal bar into sealing engagement across the width of the web to the seal bar unit constructed with a support beam and a seal bar connected to the beam. The seal bar unit is mounted as a substantially stationary unit during sealing and is supported by a plurality of air cylinder units for positioning from standby to an operating position. Each air cylinder unit includes an adjustable stop unit secured to the back of the cylinder unit and connected to the cylinder piston for adjusting the movement of the piston and thereby the operative sealing position of the stationary seal bar unit.

Abstract: A cross sealer for a bag making machine includes a frame with an upper seal bar unit and a lower seal bar unit in aligned opposed relation. One is movable seal bar unit which includes a rigid support beam of a lightweight construction and a light weight seal bar connected to the beam by a plurality of adjustable stud units for adjusting the position of the seal bar. A rotating shaft spans the cross sealer and is connected by a plurality of eccentric linkages to the beam between side plates of the frame. The linkages support the beam and seal bar and transfers the sealing force onto the beam and bar for moving the bar into sealing engagement across the width of the web. The opposed seal bar unit is similarly constructed with a beam and a seal bar with the units interconnected by adjustable stud connectors.

Abstract: A flat plastic bag is formed from a side gusseted tubular web. The bag is formed with an open end and a opposite spaced end seal. Hinge crease patterns are formed in each of the gusseted portions at the bottom end of the bag. The pattern includes a two ridge upper leg and a three ridge bottom leg which are formed by a cold sealing process. A bag making machine includes a web supply which is passed through a web feed supply section to form the gusseted web. The gusseted web is sent through a forming section. The segment is first formed with the patterns of two bags in immediately adjacent relationship and located to the opposite sides of a common line defining the end of the adjacent bags. The web is formed into two bag segments with the creases located at each of the segment ends. The web is passed through a unit creating the seal and simultaneously severing the upstream segment.

Abstract: A bag forming machine includes draw rolls for drawing a folded plastic web to and through a cut and seal unit for forming of successive bags. A wicketer receives the individual bags and rotates to carry successive bags to an opposite discharge end and depositing of the bags onto a pin stacker. A wicket conveyor includes an endless chain with an input sprocket adjacent the discharge end of the wicketer and a discharge sprocket located in spaced alignment to a discharge end of the conveyor. A plurality of pin stackers are secured in equi-spaced relation to the chain. A high response AC servo motor located at the input end of the conveyor is connected via a chain to the input sprocket. An independent servo controller is connected to energize the AC servo motor. A multi-axis servo controller is connected to servo drives for operating servo motors connected to the draw roll, the cut and seal unit, and the wicketer.

Abstract: A bag machine includes a hole forming apparatus with a pair of adjustably mounted hole punches and a wicketing apparatus including a pair of wicket pins. Both the punches and pins are separately adjustably mounted on a slide mechanism for establishing corresponding location in spacing of the punched holes in the receiving wicket pins. Each slide mechanism or assembly includes fixed elongated track having equi-spaced locking elements in the form of spaced recesses in the base of the track. The recesses are equi-spaced. A separate slide element is provided for each of the paired devices for adjustably mounting of the device on the related track. Each slide includes a spring loaded detent plunger aligned with the series of locking recesses. The punch slides are located in alignment with the recesses on the punched track and the plunger released to lock the punches in predetermined hole spacing.

Abstract: A sideweld bag making has a reciprocating seal bar and a roller. Drive rolls upstream of the seal bar moves a web in steps over the roller and seal bar seals and severs the web to form bags. A cooling plate between the drive rolls and sealing bar includes a web strip and control air stream tube directs a special stream to engage the raising seal bar to strip the severed web therefrom and to engage the leading web edge as it moves through the seal bar unit. The stream source has closely spaced openings to form the stream; the width and character of which is controllable for selective web engagement. A second air tube is located beneath the web and directs the air stream over the sealing roller to further release the web during the movement of the web.

Abstract: A web drive cyclically moves a web a fixed distance. First and second spaced draw roll units include separate servo motors. Separate programmed controllers are connected to energize the servo drives with a time motion profile including acceleration and deceleration periods to move the web in a fixed time period. The one programmed controller generates the profile program each cycle during the execution of program to move the web the next cycle. The generated program is down-loaded to the second controller to duplicate energization of the second servo motor. A dancer unit between the drive rolls maintains the tension with a change in web length and includes a movable roll unit. A potentiometer sensor is coupled to the roll unit and establishes an output signal voltage proportional to the direction of the web change and to the length thereof.

Abstract: A wicket post mounting in a bag stacking machine includes a base unit bolted to a conveyor plate. The base unit includes an upstanding wall with a plurality of machined, vertical post receptacles or openings. Each receptacle is identical to receive and physically support one post in precise accurate relation to a longitudinal location on the station plate of a second post. The spacing of the receptacles and posts is selected to receive bags with spaced holes. A releasable latch pin is secured to each receptacle. The pin projects into an appropriate opening in the post and locks the post in the receptacle. The base unit may include a pair of post mounting bases each having an offset edge wall abutting the station plate to accurately locate the base. Bolts pass through the mounting base into threaded holes in the station. Each base has two spaced receptacles, providing for post spacing of 4, 5 and 6 inches.

Abstract: A bag machine includes a programmed logic controller intermittently actuating a web feed draw roll motor for controlled web feed during the inoperative period of a cycled seal bar. The controller has separate inputs for the seal bar periods and a web length and establishes a control program of a preferred motion profile, with acceleration and deceleration of the fixed rolls to match the bag length to the available time using the total time available, with acceleration to a maximum and deceleration to reference, with or without a constant speed period. The bag length and time is monitored each machine cycle to calculate the next motion profile and permit changes in the bag length without machine shut-down. A programmed registered mode of control responds to a web mark spacing relative to the seal bar. In the registered mode, a photoscanner detects the mark during a constant speed web feed period prior to the end of the available time and actuates the web feed accordingly.

Abstract: A barricade is provided for use at construction sites, on roadways and highways, and the like, or for crowd control, for example, at the scene of an emergency. The barricade includes an elongated, hollow crossbar member that comprises one or more elongated, hollow interconnecting sections, with each end of the crossbar member mounted in a collapsible A-frame support. The barricade can be collapsed from its fully-assembled, in-use configuration into a compact unit or package which takes up relatively little space so that it can be conveniently transported from place to place.

Abstract: A draw tape bag is formed from a plastic web. An edge folding unit, a notching unit, a tape inserting unit, a heat sealing unit and a web folding unit form a compact continuous line in a rectangular path. The hem folder includes a L-shaped plate within the hem to receive a draw tape. The plate is pivotally mounted the tape within the hem. A wheel is rotatably and pivotally mounted for pulling the hem onto the plate. A single strap on a roll has a width equal to both tapes. The roll is driven and the strap passes over a knife to sever the strap from the tapes. A tension control roll is coupled to moving the strap and controls the strap feed to hold a constant tape tension. A folding board includes spaced edge channels in a V-shape for folding the flat web. An air layer is interposed between the web and the folding channels to provide a low friction movement.

Abstract: A draw tape bag forming apparatus includes an edge folder for folding the edges of pliable plastic web to form a hem in the edge. A draw tape is fed into the open hem which is then heat sealed along the inner edge of the hem wall to form a tubular hem. The web is of an indefinite length and moves continuously through the machine. The heat sealed hem is an expanded air-filled type hem. An electrostatic generator unit is mounted downstream of the ballooned hem. The generator unit includes a charging bar mounted in spaced relation to reference ground plate to form a gap with the ballooned hem passing therebetween. The hem is aligned with the bar. A 120 volt power supply is connected to the charging bar and establishes a high voltage along the length of the bar.

Abstract: A draw tape bag apparatus passes a web of plastic material having edge notched hems in the opposite edges to receive closing tapes. A hem sealer unit seals the folded layers of the web longitudinally of the folded edge to form the hem. The sealer unit includes a drum unit rotatably mounted on a shaft. The drum unit includes first and second drum parts having coaxial peripheral surfaces. A heat concentrating and release tape is secured to each drum part. The adjacent intermediate ends of the drum parts have telescoping and mating fingers and receses. Separate adjustment screws are coupled to the machine frame adjacent each drum part. Each screw is coupled to the outer race of a ball bearing secured to the adjacent outer end wall of the drum part. The setting of the screw accurately locates the heat concentrating tape axially of the drum. Hot air nozzles are mounted externally to the drum parts in alignment with the tapes and heat the web passing over the tapes to heat seal the web layers in the hem.

Abstract: A bag forming apparatus passes a hemmed web through a rotating edge notcher and related units to form a taped hem in the web which is passed through an intermittently operated bag making machine. A web supply unit includes a web take-up unit to maintain a constant tension in the continuously moving web to the bag making machine. The web notches are phased with the bag making machine to locate the notches centrally of each bag. During starting and stopping, the web take-up unit changes the web length moving through the notching unit at normal full web speed operation and the web length variations are minimal. A programmable notch controller actuates a stepper motor to rotate the notcher. The controller responds to a control signal to form a notch. A programmable switch is coupled to the bag making machine to generate a first control signal for each bag cycle and is phased with the full web speed to locate the notch centrally of the bag.

Abstract: In a clutch-brake mechanism wherein an input member rotates first in one direction and then in the other, an axially shiftable output member, spline-connected to an output shaft, is clutched to the input member while it rotates in one direction and is declutched and braked while the input member rotates in the opposite direction. The output member has a driven clutch element facing in one axial direction for cooperation with a driving clutch element on the input member and has an oppositely facing braking element cooperating with a relatively stationary braking element which, however, is adjustingly rotatable. All said elements have axially projecting circumferentially spaced teeth for slipless torque transmission. A barrel cam rotating in synchronism with the input member control shifting of the output member through a lever that has a fulcrum, a connection with the output member spaced from the fulcrum, and a cam follower portion engaging the cam.