Nano Micro technologies - incredible archipelagos of applications
Web material as regenerated cellulose films, filter, cigarette, tipping, roll-your-own RYO paper, transparent, coated special, bag or packing papers, bonded fabrics, spun bonded non-woven, technical textiles, fabrics, laminate with base weights from 20 g/m2 to up to 150 g/m2, up to 20 g/m2 LPDE coating films, are perforated electro statically nano, micro, or by laser (mechanical hot or micro needle) with micro or macro holes for wide range of application purposes.
Electrostatic NANO MICRO PERFORATION, based at micro discharging and sparking, Bluemlein and Plasma Tunnel effects with gas atomic ionization in Nanosecond time windows.
The pores are statistically irregularly distributed with size ranges from 100 nm up to 80 m diameter and analogically, under LASER or micro macro PERFORATION, arranged in diameter sizes from 60 up 200 m, at best non-inclined holes und rows of holes of diverse arrangement comprehension.
For the human eye invisible electrostatic nano or micro perforations may be arranged in areas as well as in zones with specific distances within its web. Controlled pore sizes in wide ranges from 100 nm to 80 µm diameters by holes sequences up to 16 million pores per second and 0.1 bis 3 mJ discharge energy for each Pore.
Arrangements of zones are usually carried out in width from 2 to 6 mm and pore density of 15 up to 250 pores per cm2 whereas the perforation of areas results in pore densities of up to 5 million pores per m2. ESP perforations allow porosity levels from 80 to 2500 C. U., web widths from 100 to 2000 mm at web speeds of up to 500 m/min, depending on porosity and material consistency in relation to its ability to perforate.
Conventional laser perforation
Possible to perforate by pulsed and focused laser beams are holes sizes from 60 to 200 µm at density of holes of typical 10 to 30 holes per cm length, holes sequences up to 400.000 holes per second at a maximum of 32 hole rows by laser distributed over the width of the web with traditional systems or machines on the market.
Porosity levels from 100 up to 3000 C. U. by web widths up to 500 mm at web speeds of up to 600 m/min are archive able, depending on porosity and material consistency in relation to its ability to perforate.
IPM laser perforation processes
IPM owns development of LASER PERFORATION technology LPM-1 (patent grant DE102004001327) operates with quad laser beam inputs of 8 KW optical power input ( fast flow or SLAB laser with 10.6 m wave length ) to an upper/lower dual beam multiplexer to generate up to 200 individual laser perforation beams/rows/lines across the web, combines automatic laser perforation head positioning, focus setting, by web speeds up to 400 m/min, web widths up to 2000 mm, up to 4,000.000 holes per second. Each laser perforation lines are archive able from 100 up to 2000 C.U.
Jumbo-roll-by-roll production, optical online porovision and simultaneous perforation line positioning control, full feed-back system for constant porosity levels are further features. Each laser perforated jumbo roll is ISO production data controlled, benefit and certificated.
Other industry areas
The conception of high power twin laser beam multiplexers enable many possibilities in other industry application fields as cutting, cut-offs, welding, surface finishing, drilling, polishing, forming, surface treatment, roughness improvement.
Each of the 200 single perforation head can be positioned in X directions across the running web or other laser treated material sheet, substrates, blocks etc.
The automatic processes, equipments and devises opening completely new possibilities in industry, science, military or space laser application. Patent grant of process and device with DE102004001327.
Further laser features
A patent pending Micro Laser Line perforation technology MLL-1 generates sinus, waves, zigzags or other kinds of perforations cryptograms, designs as multiple or quadruple pairs of micro laser lines in web direction.
Hole, slot or star sizes in ranges from 60 up to 200 m are possible. Provide for tipping, cigarette, packaging or other kind of paper, plastic film or other web material.
Special features of micro laser line perforation enables fundamental new product characteristic in scripts, e.g. for mouthpieces with tipping paper, CTP on cigarette filters, product indication with visible perforation holes, brand name, company logo, indications, anti counterfeiting designs, cryptogram, etc.
In addition for other industry, medical, science or military purposes, material and applications fields.
Patent pending for process, device and product property DE102004012081.
Ventilation of mass products
Electrostatic perforation has been used since 30 years for ventilation of non filter, RYO or filter cigarettes to create a directed and guided air bypass or Lindstroem principle. For this purpose, cigarette paper for some non filter or RYO cigarettes and almost every kind of filter cigarettes tipping papers are perforated electro statically OFFLINE in zones from 2.0 – 6.0 mm width or in rows with ONLINE or OFFLINE by use of slow, fast flow, sealed-off or SLAB CO2 gas or diode laser in order to reduce the harmful substances such as nicotine and condensate down to allowed values. Another effect is the possibility to control the degree of ventilation of Cigarettes.
Online micro perforation – porosity profile
Many years ago IPM had developed a multiple online electrostatic micro perforation OESP-1 units at cigarette making machines which was patent applied with EP0460369 and DE4018209.
The method and the device for electro-erosive perforation of cigarette paper basically operates with at least two pairs of electrodes which are ignited at the same time in such a manner that each perforation section is treated twice in order to provide a corresponding intensity of perforation, taking into consideration the duration of ignition and the web speed. In particular, the invention operates with at least four pairs of electrodes (I to IV), between which the web (10) of cigarette paper to be perforated is moved through. The cigarette paper is moved in the longitudinal direction of the cigarette to be produced later, the width corresponding to the circumference of the cigarette plus an overlap section for bonding. Perforating is carried out transversely to the direction of movement, that is to say an accurately defined zone section is produced around the circumference of the cigarette. The pairs of electrodes are arranged at a distance which corresponds to half the cigarette length (a, b, c) when four pairs of electrodes are used. The first and the third pair of electrodes are ignited simultaneously. A distance-dependent control causes the second and fourth pair of electrodes also to be ignited simultaneously when the previously perforated sections have traveled the distance of half a cigarette length. Each section is perforated four times, the speed at which the web (10) can be moved being determined not by the spacing (half a cigarette length) of the pairs of electrodes but by the spacing of the pairs of electrodes in each case simultaneously ignited (one cigarette length). This provides for uniform, intensive and very powerful perforation and the cigarette paper treated can be continuously supplied to the cigarette machine for further processing in the longitudinal direction of the cigarette.
That electrostatic micro perforation process enables cigarette or tipping paper while cigarette making processes to reduce nicotine and condensate levels for non-filter and filter cigarettes as well. The OESP-1 devices opens fully new possibilities for cigarette or tipping paper ventilation during cigarette manufacturing by entire perforation cassettes integration into cigarette making machines as Max-S, Protos 80, Protos 90, Mark-9 etc.
Advantages during manufacturing
Compact all-over-dimensions, direct mechanical integration of perforation units, easy functional interfacing and full EMI acceptance in order of EN or NEC standards archiving high production efficiencies with controllable ventilation grades on highly automated cigarette making machines.
Patented, powerful, dual high frequency switching electronics and multiple perforation performances of the circumference of each cigarette enables problem less perforation on high-speed cigarette making machines up to 12.000 cpm
Porosity ranges from 50 up up to 400 C.U.
pore densities from 25 up to 300 pores/cm2
hole size from 30 up to 80 micron
cigarette ventilation grades up to 45 % are archive able.
All necessary perforation, production parameters are stored and controlled by microcomputer operation, i.e. geometrical and synchronized positions of perforation lines, zones etc., pore density, perforation zones width and distributions, perforation profile and porosity ranges for each cigarette brand
Porosity profiles over the length of each non-filter cigarettes are possible.
Furthermore single, multiple, different or equal groups of single perforation zones around the circumference of each cigarette for non-filter, RYO even tipping paper for filter cigarettes are possible.
All stored parameter sets are linked to the PLC system.
Different micro perforation designs and porosities of each cigarette brand are flexible to define and controllable during all production processes.
Air ventilation levels are exactly defined and, due to online feedback, can be kept constant by means of perforation system design and porosity distribution.
For non filter cigarettes for example, perforation can be effected over the entire length and circumference of the cigarette.
Liability and system investment
The ESP process OESP-1 has a high liability and is realizable with low investments and low running costs when compared with online macro or micro laser perforation processes. An online porosity control system OPSS-1 monitor continuously the air permeability, called optical online porovision or porosimeter, with a state-of-the-art technology to obtain a close-loop/feed-back to the perforation unit to keep ventilation grades constant.
Conclusion: Online micro perforation processes are possible to use for other mass products and application fields with full system integration in entire production lines as bag, sack, packaging manufacturing etc.
Product properties with electrostatic perforation
One of the foremost postulation which can be applied to many application purposes and products containing bonded fabrics, bag or packaging papers, non-woven, etc. with gas or steam permeability but water impermeability.
Further substrates or micro engineered membranes for micro filtration, fractionation, nanopattering, nanomembranes, nanophotonics, microbiology, catalysis, gas, alcohol, liquid or blood separation, battery separator foils or others are possible with ELECTROSTATIC NANO MICRO PERFORATION TECHNOLOGY, depends of material structures and perforability.
Which means pore sizes from 10 nm up to 10 µm diameter by up to 5 million pores per m2. This is due to the water's greater surface tension as dyne level and hydrophobic property or wetability through the relatively small sizes of nano or micro pores. These and other advantages of the pores necessarily demand the application of the ESP perforation method because alternative perforation or processes are physically NOT feasible, too expensive or simply uneconomical and would not allow successful product applications.
To archive new nano or micro perforation demands IPM developed power electronics perforation units which working as upward converters with IGBT, BJT, MOSFETS, FRETFET or HVFET for ultra short power pulses from 10 ns up to 20 µs, high current peaks up to 300 Amps, base frequencies up to 200 KHz on plug-in ferrite transformers to generate 50 Kilovolt to each sparking electrode. Patent grant DE10328937 for power electronics.
Online porovision control
Since naturally porous web materials or web materials to be perforated are processed with speeds of up to 600 m/min by web widths of up to 2000 mm are used, pneumatic porosity control, hence measuring whilst touching the web are highly difficult. Further difficulties of pneumatic measurements are the disadvantages of rising of web tension, material abrasion, folding, leakage at measuring head, impurities, non linear processing, calibration problems and scanning effects.
Thus, optical measuring offers better ways for transmission measuring the pneumatic static permeability for naturally porous or nano, micro or macro perforated webs. The conditions mentioned above can be easily met by using the optical porosity or porovision control technology thanks to the mentioned product processing and online control, extremely small pore dimensions, relatively high track speeds and a good value repetition. That full independent from principle material facts as consistence, thickness, weight, coloring, formation, smoothness, brightness, opacity, and other influences. Patent pending for process and device DE10251610 - China patent grant 200310104764.
Therefore, IPM – International Perforation Management – has developed a pending, stationary and transverse optical porovision control processes and systems which working with multiple color and wave length sensors, a precision line laser, scanning speeds from 20 – 200 mm per second, porosity ranges from 80 up to 3000 C.U., perforation lines detection by 0.1 mm, nano micro holes sizes from 500 nm up to 200 µm diameter and up to 250 holes/cm2.
To detect the multiple wave light transmissions and perforation profiles values to determine each envelope curves of porosity profiles and their integral values with a sensor internal DSP controller unit and Firmware simultaneously.
Thus direct feedback into the perforation system makes it possible to compensate any changes in terms of porosity and perforation locations so that each jumbo roll production up to 25,000.00 meters as well single or quad bobbin sets can be produced and controlled without intermediate stops and certificated in quantity, quality in order of ISO 9000/9001 or others production standards.
Outlook
The electrostatic nano or micro perforation usually applies within ranges of the refinement of fine paper, packaging webs, bonded fabrics, non woven, filter, bag or paper alternative material webs of most diverse kind especially when additionally or traditionally treating processes can not achieving the high require characteristics for physical, process or economical reasons.
Our highly modern, industrially approved electrostatic perforation technology which relied 24/7 operation can be integrated into existing rewinding, slitting, refining machines as well in entire production lines. Also, they can be used as completely independent perforation processes or machines.
New ranges of applications will be made accessible as new NANO MICRO product properties with special features will be developed.
IPM – International Perforation Management – has developed many different kind of laser or electrostatic nano micro treatment and perforation processes especially for new product characteristics.
Their devices, systems and machines are in use world-wide.
MLL-1 – Micro Laser Line Perforation for holes pattern, perforation design, e.g. waves, zigzag lines, line packages, cryptograms, company logos, holograms, anti counterfeiting, product indicators. Patent pending for process, device and product properties. DE102004012081.
LPM-1 – micro laser perforation at wide web material with high power CO2 dual laser beam multiplexers and splitters, patent grant for process and device DE102004001327.
ESP electrostatic nano micro perforation machines for cigarette, tipping, filter, packaging, plug-wrap and other paper products, patent grant for process and device DE10328937 of IGBT power switching unit.
Optical online OPSS-1 porovision control/scanning system for ESP or LASER perforation machines,
patent pending for process and device DE10251610 - China patent grant 200310104764.
Title: Micro-laser line perforation for web materials such as paper, metal or other substrates and laser application fields in industry (paper, packaging or cigarette industry) and research (Ref: 06 DE NRXE 0FGK )
Micro-laser line perforation for web materials such as paper, metal or other substrates and laser application fields in industry (paper, packaging or cigarette industry) and research
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