Sealing bar
A method for providing an inductive sealing bar, comprises providing a conductive coil having at least one heating zone, embedding the coil in a supportive body such that the supportive body covers the entire coil along at least some part of the length of the at least one heating zone; and providing a sealing surface of the sealing bar by planarizing the coil and the supportive body such that the coil is exposed along the entire length of said at least one heating zone. The invention also relates to a sealing bar manufactured according to the method.
1. A method for providing an inductive sealing bar, comprising:
positioning a conductive coil in an injection mold, the conductive coil being a tubular body extending linearly in an axial direction, the conductive coil possessing a top portion when the conductive coil is in the injection mold;
injection molding a polymeric material into the injection mold while the conductive coil is in the injection mold, the polymeric material flowing over the top portion of the conductive coil at spaced apart locations so that the polymeric material covers the conductive coil at delimited cavities spaced apart in the axial direction, the polymeric material creating a supportive body around the conductive coil; and
planarizing the conductive coil and the supportive body to form the inductive sealing bar such that the top portion of the conductive coil is exposed along the entire length of at least one heating zone of the inductive sealing bar.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said conductive coil and said supportive body are planarized simultaneously in a single step.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the planarizing is milling.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the planarizing of said conductive coil and said supportive body is in a direction parallel with a longitudinal extension of at least one heating zone to form a sealing surface of the inductive sealing bar.
5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein said injection molding comprises allowing the polymeric material to flow in a direction substantially parallel with the longitudinal extension of the at least one heating zone.
6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein said polymeric material is allowed to flow on each side of said coil, thus forming two parallel webs, and to flow into said delimited cavities, the delimited cavities being centrally aligned with the longitudinal axis of said coil for connecting said parallel webs.
7. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the planarizing further comprises providing a ridge extending along the length of the at least one heating zone.
8. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the forming of the sealing surface of said inductive sealing bar includes removing a part of said coil and a part of said supportive body such that said supportive body surrounds at least 180° of the periphery of said coil.
9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising embedding at least one magnetic insert within said supportive body.
10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the embedding of at least one magnetic insert further includes providing said at least one magnetic insert with rounded corners.
11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the planarizing comprises machining a protruding ridge protruding at the top portion of the conductive coil, the protruding ridge extending along the entire length of the at least one heating zone of the inductive sealing bar.
12. A method for providing an inductive sealing bar, comprising:
positioning a conductive coil in an injection mold, the conductive coil being a tubular body, the injection mold contacting the conductive coil at spaced apart locations along a top portion of the conductive coil to fix the position of the conductive coil in the injection mold;
injection molding a polymeric material into the injection mold while the conductive coil is fixed in the injection mold, the polymeric material creating a supportive body around the conductive coil, the top portion of the conductive coil possessing exposed zones which are not covered by the polymeric material and covered zones which are entirely covered by the polymeric material; and
planarizing the conductive coil and the supportive body to form the inductive sealing bar such that the top portion of the conductive coil is exposed along the entire length of at least one heating zone of the inductive sealing bar.
13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the planarizing comprises machining a protruding ridge protruding at the top portion of the conductive coil, the protruding ridge extending along the entire length of the at least one heating zone of the inductive sealing bar.