US007586071B2

(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 7,586,071 B2

Gruenspecht et al. (45) Date of Patent: *Sep. 8, 2009
(54) RF WELDING DEVICE WITH FILTERING (52) U.S. Cl. ....................... 219/765: 219/779; 219/778:
AND TUNING 156/274.4; 156/380.4
(58) Field of Classification Search ......... 219/764 769,
(76) Inventors: Mark Gruenspecht, 1299 E. Lake Dr., 219/778 780; 156/272.2 275,379.6 380.8
Tarpon Springs, FL (US) 34688; See application file for complete search history.
Timothy Hopper, 3401 Bayfield Blvd., 56 Ref Cited
Oceanside, NY (US) 11572 (56) eeees e
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
(*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this 3.431,380 A * 3/1969 Butler et al. ................ 219,769
patent is extended or adjusted under 35 3,721.920 A * 3, 1973. Mann ........ ... 219,779
U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days. 3,783,217 A * 1/1974 Brown .............. ... 219,776
4,320,276 A * 3/1982 Takeuchi et al. ............ 219,771
This patent is Subject to a terminal dis- 5,833,915. A 1 1/1998 Shah
claimer. 5,973,308 A * 10/1999 Sternowski ................. 219,770
6,828,536 B1 12/2004 Grimes et al.
(21) Appl. No.: 11/805,071 7,220.950 B2 * 5/2007 Gruenspecht et al. ....... 219,765
* cited b
(22) Filed: May 22, 2007 c1ted by examiner
Primary Examiner Quang T Van
(65) Prior Publication Data (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm Jordan and Hamburg LLP
US 2008/OO41847 A1 Feb. 21, 2008 (57) ABSTRACT
Related U.S. Application Data An RF welder, and a method of operation thereof, is disclosed
(63) Continuation-in-part of application No. 1 1/338,026, that has circuitry that automatically affects system impedance
filed on Jan. 24, 2006, now Pat. No. 7,220,950, which SO that, throughout the welding or embossing cycle, a gen:
is a continuation of application No. 10/930,641, filed erator is capable of delivering the same power to a die and
on Aug. 31, 2004, now Pat. No. 7,012,232. fabric, and cabling is capable of dissipating a load that is less
than a preselected amount.
(51) Int. Cl.
H05B 6/50 (2006.01) 8 Claims, 7 Drawing Sheets

InstalDesired Die on S10

Underside of Press Plate

Secure Dielectric
Material for Embossing S120
Operation on Platen

Lower Top Plate and

S30 Lower Top Plate Engage Tuner S35

Activate Generator Confirm Tuned System

S50 - St 40

Remove Embossed
S160 Materia

s Froduction Run
of Material
Complets
U.S. Patent Sep. 8, 2009 Sheet 1 of 7 US 7,586,071 B2
U.S. Patent Sep. 8, 2009 Sheet 2 of 7 US 7,586,071 B2
U.S. Patent Sep. 8, 2009 Sheet 3 of 7 US 7,586,071 B2

START
re--...-------- -----

NSTALL SECURE
DESIRED DE DELECTRIC
ON UNERSE MATERIALON
PATEN
OF PRESS PLATE 57

SECURE SELECRC -TT START

MAERA. ON PLATEN SWITCH TO
FOR EMBOSSING BEGIN
OPERATION OPERATION
S2

RPNU
TUNE EXTERNAL
CAPACTOR FOR
PROPER RF
SeMAL NG

HT START
SWITCH
S4

REMOVE
ENABOSSES
MATERA

EMBOSSIN
ATSFACTORY
S6

FIGURE 4
(PRIOR ART)
U.S. Patent Sep. 8, 2009 Sheet 4 of 7 US 7,586,071 B2

INSTAL DESERED
DE ON UNDERSOE
OF PR'sS. PLATE

SECURE DEELECTRIC
MATERAL FOR
EMBOSSING
OPERA Teign
S
PLATEN

OWER OP
PLATE AND
ENGAGE UNER
S13

VISUALLY
CONFIRM
UNED SYSTEM
S14

-IT START
SWITCH TO
ACTUAE
GENERATOR
S15

REMOVE
EMBOSSE
MATERIAL
S16

UN OF MATERIA
...------------arrara COMPLETE?
S17

FIGURE 5
U.S. Patent Sep. 8, 2009 Sheet 5 of 7 US 7,586,071 B2

Install Desired Die on

Underside of Press Plate SO

Secure Dielectric
S120
Material for Embossing
Operation on Platen

Lower Top Plate Lower Top Plate and

Engage Tuner S135

Confirm Tuned System S4O

Remove Embossed
Material r- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - --- - - - --- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -u

S Production Run
of Material
Complets

FIGURE 6
U.S. Patent Sep. 8, 2009 Sheet 6 of 7 US 7,586,071 B2
U.S. Patent Sep. 8, 2009 Sheet 7 of 7 US 7,586,071 B2

FIGURE 8
 US 7,586,071 B2
1. 2
RF WELDING DEVICE WITH FILTERING cycle, or the power may rise to a maximum value and fall as
AND TUNING the die sinks into the material. Such a power fluctuation
provides an uneven weld with potential undesirable results in,
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED for example, weld strength or emboss appearance.
APPLICATION Accordingly, with differing load impedance characteris
tics, a result of changing load impedance, there may be a slow
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent reaction by the fabric causing a slow start of the welding or
application Ser. No. 1 1/338,026, entitled RF WELDING embossing or a complete failure to weld or emboss the mate
DEVICE filed on Jan. 24, 2006. rial. Other problems include flashing caused by a high Voltage
10 aC-OV.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As a result of the unique impedance characteristic, the RF
welder must be electrically tuned, via impedance matching,
The present invention relates to packaging machines, and after placement of the die 6 and material 5 within the welder.
more particularly relates to sealers used in horizontal form, After the tuning of the load impedance, the power delivered
fill, and seal packaging machines. 15 will be optimum and over-dissipation of the cables and other
Machines that utilize Radio Frequency as the means for elements will not occur. Energy will be passed through the
welding (RFWelders) are known in the art. RF welders are platen and fabric at frequency of 27.12 MHz, preventing
typically used for sealing and embossing appliqué on RF lagging or leading of the welding or embossing process.
sealable materials. Such materials are commonly used in Normally, impedance matching occurs as illustrated in
processing materials such as PVC, PU, PET, PETG and poly FIG. 4. As indicated, the die and material must first be
olefin. The welders process these materials in manufacturing, installed on the machine at S1 and S2. The user is capable of
for example, vinyl envelopes and binders having internal adjusting the load impedance by manually adjusting a capaci
pockets. For example, pockets are sealed to the binder on first torexternal to the generator at S3. The capacitor is adjusted by
and second side edges and a bottom edge, leaving a top edge attempting to weld a material while adjusting capacitor elec
open foregress. RF welding of the edges obviates the need for 25 trodes towards or away from a sample dielectric. The RF
Stitches. welder 1 is calibrated by running the RF welder 1 and check
The theory and implementation of RF welding is disclosed ing the material at S4 and S5 to determine if the quality is
in U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,915, incorporated herein by reference. satisfactory at S6.
FIG. 2 discloses an RF welder 1 known in the art. A standard When the material welds appropriately, it is deduced that
generator (not shown) provides power to the welder 1 at an 30 the RF welder 1 is tuned properly, the power is set correctly,
FCC mandated frequency of 27.12 MHZ, using standard 50 and over-dissipation does not occur. Once the RF welder 1 is
Ohm coaxial cable 2. The coaxial cable is used because it is an tuned, a series of identical materials can be welded or
excellent conveyor of energy and suffers very little loss. The embossed at steps S7 and S8.
term load in this application should be understood to mean all Various problems normally occur with the manual adjust
components seen as a load with respect to the generator. 35 ing of the capacitor. First, it is relatively impossible for a
Referencing FIG. 2, the welder 1 has a top plate 3 and a person to adjust the capacitance so that the generator sees
bottom plate 4 that are used as electrodes for transferring exactly 50 ohms due to the inherent sensitivity and robustness
electrical energy through a subject material 5 and die 6, where of the RF welder 1. Rather, manual adjusting typically pro
the die 6 has impressions 6a used for embossing or welding. vides at least a 5% error on the frequency adjustment. Also, a
The die 6 is attached to the top plate 3 and acts as an 40 sample does not capture the dielectric characteristic for a
electrode in tandem with the top plate 3. The die 6 has con series of materials since each individual piece of material has
ductive electrical characteristics which alter the load charac unique inconsistencies which affect the electrical character
teristics. The material 5 is non-metallic and acts as a dielec istics of each weld. To adjust for these problems, the RF
tric, absorbing energy passed between the top and bottom welder 1 must constantly be checked for quality at S9. Fur
plates 3 and 4, to emboss or weld the material 5. The dielectric 45 ther, if non-identical materials or dies are used, then the RF
characteristics of the material 5 also alter the electrical char welder 1 must be continuously retuned.
acteristics of the load. Even if the impedance is adjusted for each unique material
Accordingly, the impedance of the load is a combination of 5, the material capacitance tends to change as the die sinks
the impedance of all of the components in the electrical con into the material. As the die sinks the capacitance changes,
duction loop plus the material being processed. Since the 50 impedance changes, and optimum power is not transferred to
impedance varies from part to part and during the welding the die and material. Accordingly, the falloff causes a
process, optimum power is not delivered to the weld with a decrease in the ability for the die to weld or emboss the
manually fixed impedance match. If the matching network or material.
the frequency generator automatically adjust the reactance of
the load to maintain the correct impedance at the generator, 55 BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
maximum power is always delivered to the weld during pro
cessing giving a better, quicker and more efficient weld. It is the object of the invention to supply an RF welder that
If not enough energy is delivered to the load the material 5 has circuitry which automatically adjusts the impedance of
may not weld or fail to become embossed. If too much energy the load so that when welding occurs the same power is
passes through the load, the material may burn and other load 60 applied to the die and material in a consistent manner ensur
components may fail (such as the coaxial cable which can be ing that over-dissipation does not occur to material, dies, or
over-dissipated). other load components.
If the frequency at which energy is delivered to the material The two exemplary embodiments disclosed adjust the
is incorrect, the welding or embossing of that material will impedance of the load in different manners. The first exem
Suffer lagging or leading, which is known to provide poor 65 plary embodiment uses a matching network having a variable
quality results. More specifically, the power that transfers filter with a motor driven capacitor. The matching network
through the fabric may rise continuously through the weld has the capability of measuring the magnitude and phase of a
 US 7,586,071 B2
3 4
radio frequency signal at its input and varies the filter imped relatively slow to minimize the injury risk upon inadvertent
ance, by adjusting the motor driven capacitor, to match the operator contact with the plate.
impedance of the load to the generator. In the second embodi The range of motion for the top plate 13 is defined by the
ment, a variable frequency generator measures the reflected range of motion for the plate arms 18. The arms 18 are
power or phase difference between voltage and current of a 5 provided with a bottom plate 19 which defines the top range
radio frequency signal at its output and varies the frequency of of motion and a top plate 20 which defines the bottom range
the power output by the generator thereby adjusting the of motion. The bottom range of motion, with the absence of
impedance of the load, to match the impedance of the load to the usable die 10, is 0.010 inches from the top face of the
the generator. bottom plate 14. The separation minimum prevents the plates
10 from buckling when power is transferred during operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The die 10 and material 11 further limit the range of bottom
motion that is reachable by the top plate 13 by creating a
Accompanying the specification are figures which assist in separation barrier between the top and bottom plates 13 and
illustrating the embodiments of the invention, in which: 14.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the RF Welding Machine; 15 Between the arms 18 and the top plate 13 are four spacers
FIG. 2 is a front view of the RF Welding Machine accord 21. Each spacer 21 is parallel to and the same length as each
ing to the prior art; other spacer. Each spacer is manufactured from a non-con
FIG.3 is a front view of the RF Welding Machine with the ductive material which prevents the power from the generator
top plate engaging the bottom plate and the generator acti 9 from being transferred to arms 18.
vated; 2O The electrical control of the arms 18 is achieved through
FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the method of operating known techniques, such as those defined in U.S. Pat. No.
the RF Welding Machine according to the prior art; 2.993.3600 incorporated herein by reference. After the press
FIG.5 is a block diagram of the methodofoperating the RF has been actuated by the operator, the operation of the press
Welding Machine according to a first exemplary embodi elements is coordinated via cam-operated micro-switches
ment, 25 and limit switches at the ends of the strokes of the various
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the methodofoperating the RF reciprocating components. Alternatively, strain gauges are
Welding Machine according to a second exemplary embodi located in each spacer 21. The registered strain determines the
ment, maximum downward travel of the top plate 13.
FIG. 7 is an illustration of a sample output from the RF retract The arms 18 are advanced and retracted, to advance or
Welding Machine; and 30 the top plate 13, with the use of activation switches 22.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the load and generator of power from a are
The switches powered through cabling 23 that receives
the second exemplary embodiment of the invention using a wall current, fed throughelectrical
standard current, such as a 120 volt
a transformer 24.
fixed filter.
Turning again to FIG. 3, advancing the top plate 13 main
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 35 tains pressure on the die 10 for purposes of completing the
embossing or welding of the material. The pressure is main
Turning to FIG. 1, an RF welder 1 is disclosed that has tained for a period of time sufficient to ensure both that the
circuitry 7 and software that automatically tunes the imped material properly fills the die cavity so that the desired overall
outer shape is achieved, and so that the complete formation of
ance of the die 10 and material 11 (FIG. 3) to match that of a 40 the embossed indicia is obtained. Dwell times for the press
solid state generator 9. Alternatively the solid state generator
9 may automatically tune the frequency of its output signal to will be on the order of 0.1-5.0 seconds, preferably 1.0 to 3.0
seconds.
match the impedance of the load to the generator. The tuning As compared to manually retracing the top plate 13, a
enables a maximum power transfer through the material 11. timing relay Switch maybe used for controlling the period of
Remaining with FIG. 1, the RF welder 1 has welding as the application of the dielectric Sealing current in accordance
components 12 that include a top platen or plate 13 and with the materials being added.
bottom plate 14. Each plate 13 and 14 is manufactured from Referring again to FIG. 1, the welding components 12
an electrically conductive material and is adapted to act as an include the die 10. The die 10 is a typical die use for emboss
electrode for an RF dielectric heating system. Each plate 13 ing or welding the material 11. FIG. 7, for example, illustrates
and 14 is in communication with the high frequency RF so a sample die having a diamond design about the word “Dia
generator 9 so that the top plate 13 is electrically hot and the mond.”
bottom plate 14 serves as an electric ground. Returning to FIG. 1, the die 10 has a cavity with inner walls
The thickness of each plate is sufficient to prevent flexing and a bottom shape that is exactly like the desired final out
or fatiguing of the plates by periodic loading of the plates. The ward shape of the end product being the compressed product.
top plate 13 is adapted to receive energy from the generator 9 ss The die 10 is made of material which is capable of withstand
and, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the bottom plate 14 is adapted to ing the required welding and embossing pressures. Typically,
ground energy traveling from the top plate 13 through a the principle component of the die 10 is a steel alloy.
conductive base 27. The plates 13 and 14 are parallel to each Another welding component 12 is the material 11. Mate
other and large enough to fit the die 10 and material 11. rial, which maybe welded or embossed, includes PVC, PET,
The lower plate 14 is a stationary base. The top plate 13 is 60 RPET, PU, urethane and vinyl coated materials and other
movable between an opened or home position and a closed or related sealable materials. The material is adapted to be
press position. The opened position spaces the top plate 13 sealed onto other different or identical materials, a.k.a. appli
from the lower plate 14 so that the die 10 can be changed and qué on material and material on material.
material 11 can be fed. The RF welder 1 has power input components 15 which
The top plate 13 is indirectly mounted to a plurality of 65 include the generator 9. The generator 9 in a first exemplary
platen arms 18 that move perpendicular to the pressing Sur embodiment, is a Solid state generator being, for example,
face of the plate 13. The rate of motion of the plate arms 18 is model CX-1000A, 27.12 MHz by Comdel Corporation, of 11
 US 7,586,071 B2
5 6
Kondelin Road, Gloucester, Mass. 01930. The “1000A' 01930, having power supply number CX 27.12 by Comdel,
stands for 1000 Watts, or 1 KW of power. In a second alter which is a known impedance matching network.
native embodiment of the invention a variable frequency gen The impedance matching system 7 includes an algorithm
erator, such as Comdel model CV1000, may be used as the that gradually slows the adjustment of the matching network
generator 9. The amount of power required for a given appli capacitors so that precise impedance matching is achieved
cation is dependent upon type or quantity of material that is ensuring that the proper power is delivered to the load during
subject to the RF welder 1. the welding or embossing process. Even with high loads, the
A solid State generator is required as compared to an oscil impedance matching system 7 is capable of being responsive
lator tube style generator. The oscillator tube style generator to the change of material characteristics during the process.
has an extensive Swing in load impedance during use which 10
In the second exemplary embodiment of the invention fre
renders the tuner incapable of matching the impedance of the quency tuning is used to match the impedances. The genera
platen to the generator. The solid state generator, on the other tor 9 is a variable frequency generator that Supplies energy at
hand, is capable of operating at a 100% duty cycle and, a varying frequency within a band of frequencies that extend
notably, is capable of remote operation, i.e. the power Supply above and below a predetermined, advantageously chosen,
is capable of being located in a separate room, with the 15
frequency. The generator 9 has a control circuit 52 that adjusts
efficiency of the RF welder 1 remaining in a high 90 percent the frequency of the RF energy output by the generator 9 to
efficiency. match the impedances between the generator 9 and the load.
Separating the power Supply from the generator is advan Therefore the impedance matching system 7 may be replaced
tageous for medical applications as the power Supply portion with a fixed filter 38 that matches the impedance between the
can be put outside a clean room environment if needed. Sepa generator 9 and the load at the predetermined, advanta
rating the power Supply is also advantageous for quality con geously chosen, frequency in the band of frequencies that the
trol purposes for allowing a separate control room where the generator 9 will operate.
operators of the machines are incapable of changing the set An exemplary configuration of the fixed filter 38 is illus
ting arbitrarily. trated in FIG.8. As may be seen in FIG. 8, the fixed filter 38
25
Another benefit of a solid state generator is the efficiency at is interposed between the generator 9 and all other load com
which the generator is capable of Supplying power. Some ponents 50. All other load components 50 may include and is
materials weld better with differing frequencies or respond not limited to: the welding components, material 11 and
better to variable frequencies, such as frequencies that ramp power regulator 17. The fixed filter 38 impedance should be
downwardly through the welding or embossing process to 30
determined based on the average or mean load impedance that
account for material property changes through the welding will be experienced during processing. Alternatively the
process. The physical characteristics of alternating frequen impedance matching system 7 may be used and the imped
cies will be apparent, though unobvious, to those knowledge ance matching algorithm is activated for the initial configu
able in the art. ration of the impedance matching system 7.
The generator 9 in the first exemplary embodiment pro 35 When frequency tuning is activated during processing, the
vides welding and embossing energy to the load at a fixed control circuit 52 measures the radio frequency signal at the
frequency such as 27.12 MHz. In the second exemplary input nodes 40 and 41 to the fixed filter 38 (i.e. at the generator
embodiment the generator 9 is a variable frequency generator 9 output), either for the reflected power or phase difference
and provides energy at an adjusted frequency inaband advan between voltage and current signals. The control circuit 52
tageously around a predetermined frequency Such as 27.12 40 then determines that the frequency should be changed in order
MHz. The frequency for RF welding and embossing is set by to provide an impedance match between the generator 9 and
governmental regulation, and it is to be appreciated that other the load and makes the necessary adjustment to the frequency
frequencies could be-used where available by law. of the generator 9. The control circuit 52 continues during the
The power Supplied by the generator depends on the mate welding process, to monitor the signal and vary the frequency
rial being processed and the processing to the material. A 45 to maintain the impedance match between the generator 9 and
typical generator for an embosser or welder produces 6 kilo the load. It is also understood by those in the art that other
watts (KW) or more of power. However, wattage both above indicia of the electrical state of the RF welder at the generator
and below 6 KW could be supplied, where necessary. 9 or another location within the RF welding circuit may be
The cabling 16 is chosen because it is capable of carrying used to determine adjustment to the frequency of the genera
the current which results and is determined by the RF power 50
tor 9.
Supplied by the generator and the impedance of the load The impedance characteristics of the welding components
without failure due to over-dissipation. This cable is a stan 12, such as the plates 13 and 14, the die 10 and the material 11,
dard cable for applications in RF Welding and embossing. A are based upon the Solid structure and material properties of
sample of the cabling is the type provided with one of the the components. The impedance characteristics differ from
aforementioned generators by Comdel Corporation. It is to be 55 one piece of material to another and change throughout the
appreciated that cabling having greater or lesser dissipative welding or embossing processes in a manor which is known
characteristics could be employed, where necessary. The in the art. These changes affect the power being transferred
power input 15 also includes a transducer 26 that transfers through the load and the power required to be dissipated by
power from the generator to the top plate 13. the load components.
In the first exemplary embodiment of the invention there is 60 Both the first and second exemplary embodiments of the
a power regulator 17 which includes the impedance matching invention are designed to dynamically adjust the impedance
system 7 and is connected to the welding components 12. The that the generator sees so that the power level delivered is
impedance matching system 7 and the generator 9, electroni controlled and over-dissipation of the cables and other com
cally communicate through the coaxial cable 16. The imped ponents does not occur. This ensures that the proper power is
ance matching system 7 is, for example, model CPM-25, air 65 consistently delivered to the die 10 and material 11. The
cooled, single phase, 115 Volt, vacuum variable caps by Com disclosed stabilizing technology optimizes amplifier (power
del Corporation, 11 Kondelin Road, Gloucester, Mass. Supply and generator) performance, reducing power-gain
 US 7,586,071 B2
7 8
changes caused by material 11 and die 10 impedance fluctua welder 1 is capable of indicating readiness with a visual or
tions, both dynamic and static. audible signal at S140 and the process proceeds to step S150.
The power regulator 17 includes cables 25 which are, for Once the plate 13 is lowered, the generator 9 is automati
example, standard 25 pin peripheral cables adapted to transfer cally or manually activated and the generator 9 dynamically
signals indicative of inductance and electrical characteristics maintains the tuned characteristics by varying its output sig
of the welding components 12 to the impedance matching nal frequency throughout the embossing or welding cycle at
system 7 after the top plate 13 is pressed against the bottom step S150. Then the material is removed at step S160.
plate 14. Signals traveling through the cables 25 are, for Since the material welding is optimized for each material
example, digital signals converted from an analog to digital piece, there is no need to manually re-tune before welding or
converter (not shown). The a/d converter is connected to 10 embossing any individual piece of material. Accordingly, the
receive signals from the impedance matching system 7 in a welding or embossing of the next material pattern can con
manor that is readily apparent to one skilled in the art and tinue at step S170. Alternatively, a new die can be installed
analyzed and interpreted by the regulator 17 so that the regu and the process can begin again at Step S110.
lator 17 may determine the electrical state of the load. An RF welder 1 has been disclosed with circuitry that
Due to the dynamic adjustments of the impedance match 15 automatically affects the impedance of the load so that the
ing system 7 in the first exemplary embodiment and the generator 9 is capable of transferring maximum power
variable frequency generator 9 in the second exemplary through die 10 and material 11.
embodiment, manual adjustments are unnecessary and itera The present invention may be embodied in other specific
tions are not required to maintain the desired power charac forms without departing from its spirit or essential character
teristics. Accordingly, both the first and second exemplary istics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all
embodiments account for differences in each unique material respects only as illustrative and not as restrictive. The scope of
piece, each unique die, and the changing power characteris the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims
tics that result during heating. and their combination in whole or in part rather than by the
In FIG. 5, the operation of the first exemplary embodiment foregoing description. All changes that come within the
of the RF welder 1 is disclosed. The die 10 is installed on the 25 meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be
underside of the top press plate 13 at step S11. The material 11 embraced within their scope.
that is the Subject of the embossing or welding is secured to What is claimed is:
the lowerplate 14 at step S12. The top plate 13 is lowered onto 1. An apparatus for performing a process of embossing,
the bottom plate 14 and the impedance matching system 7 is 30 sealing, welding or fusing RF Sealable material, the apparatus
activated at step S13. comprising:
Once the plate 13 is lowered, the impedance matching a power source including a solid state variable frequency
system 7 reads and, as required, affects the impedance char generator for providing a radio frequency output signal
acteristics of the welding components 12. The adjusting pre at a predetermined power the generator having a control
vents more than a 50 ohm load from being dissipated by the 35 circuit;
cables 16 and enables power to transfer continuously through power components operating below a maximum predeter
the die 10 and material 11 at a frequency of 27.12 MHz. Once mined power load in electrical communication with the
the impedance characteristics are tuned, the RF welder 1 is variable frequency generator for transferring power
capable of indicating readiness with a visual or audible signal from the generator towards the sealable material;
at S14. The generator 9 is automatically or manually activated 40 welding components for receiving the transferred power
and the impedance matching system 7 dynamically maintains from the power components and transferring the power
the tuned characteristics throughout the embossing or weld to the RF sealable material whereby the material is
ing cycle at step S15. Then the material is removed at step embossed, sealed, welded or fused;
S16. a fixed filter in electrical communication between the
Since the material welding is optimized for each material 45 power components and the welding components; and
piece, there is no need to manually re-tune before welding or an automatic impedance tuning device in electrical com
embossing any individual piece of material. Accordingly, the munication between the power components and the
welding or embossing of the next material pattern can con welding components, the tuning device comprising
tinue at step S17. Alternatively, a new die can be installed and electronically controlled capacitors;
the process can begin again at step S11. 50 wherein the control circuit monitors the electrical state of
In FIG. 6, the operation of the second exemplary embodi the apparatus and varies the radio frequency output sig
ment of the RF welder 1 is disclosed. The die 10 is installed on nal so that: (1) delivery of said predetermined power
the underside of the top press plate 13 at step S110. The remains substantially unchanged and (2) said power
material 11 that is the subject of the embossing or welding is load in said power components remains below said
secured to the lower plate 14 at step S120. The top plate 13 is 55 maximum predetermined power load; and
lowered onto the bottom plate 14 at step S130 and continues wherein the automatic impedance tuning device electroni
to step S150. cally measures the electrical state of the apparatus at the
Alternatively, if the impedance matching system 7 is used, beginning of the process and adjusts the capacitors in the
the top plate 13 is lowered onto the bottom plate 14 and the tuning device so that maximum power from the variable
impedance matching system 7 is activated at step S135. Then 60 frequency generator is delivered to the welding compo
once the plate 13 is lowered, the impedance matching system nentS.
7 reads and, as required, affects the impedance characteristics 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said power compo
of the welding components 12. The adjusting prevents more nents include coaxial cabling.
than a 50ohm load from being dissipated by the cables 16 and 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said welding compo
enables power to transfer through the die 10 and material 11 65 nents include at least one conductive platen; and wherein the
at a predetermined, advantageously chosen, frequency Such electrical state monitored by the variable frequency generator
as 27.12 MHz. Once the characteristics are tuned, the RF comprises the electrical characteristic of the platen.
 US 7,586,071 B2
9 10
4. The apparatus of claim3 including at least one conduc the method comprising:
tive die between said platen and said material wherein the electronically monitoring, by the variable frequency gen
electrical state monitored by the tuning device includes the erator, the electrical state of the apparatus;
electrical characteristic of said die. controlling, by the variable frequency generator, the radio
5. A method of using an apparatus that applies RF power frequency output signal thereby modifying apparatus
for performing a process defined by embossing, sealing, impedance throughout the process So that: (1) delivery
welding or fusing RF Sealable material, the apparatus com of said predetermined power remains substantially
prising: unchanged and (2) said power load in said power com
a power source including a solid state variable frequency ponents remains below said maximum predetermined
generator for providing a radio frequency output signal 10 power load; and
at a predetermined power the generator having a control adjusting the capacitors in the tuning device thereby modi
circuit; fying the apparatus impedance to maximize power
power components operating below a maximum predeter transferred from the generator to the welding compo
nentS.
mined power load in electrical communication with the
variable frequency generator for transferring power 15 6. The method of claim 5, wherein said power components
from the generator towards the sealable material; include coaxial cabling.
welding components for receiving the transferred power 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said apparatus includes
from the power components and transferring the power at least one conductive platen and the electrical state moni
to the RF sealable material whereby the material is tored by the variable frequency generator includes the elec
embossed, sealed, welded or fused; trical characteristic of the platen.
a fixed filter in electrical communication between the 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said apparatus includes
power components and the welding components; at least one conductive die between said platen and said
material, and wherein the electrical state monitored by the
an automatic impedance tuning device in electrical com variable frequency generator includes the electrical charac
munication between the power components and the 25 teristic of said die.
welding components, the tuning device including elec
tronically controlled capacitors;