JP2000190383A - Core for controlling inside diameter of mouth neck portion of preform - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve heating and cooling followability, to suppress the conduction of heat to a portion other than a mouth neck portion to prevent the crystallization up to an unnecessary portion and to certainly and efficiently crystallize only the mouth neck portion in an inside diameter controlling core used at the time of crystallization of the mouth neck portion of a preform. SOLUTION: An inside diameter controlling core A is formed of a core main body 1 having a cylindrical core portion 11 to which the mouth neck portion 31 of a preform 30 is externally fitted and the annular heat blocking core member 2 attached to the leading end of the cylindrical core portion 11. In this case, the conduction of that to a portion other than the mouth neck portion 31 of the preform 30 is suppressed by the heat blocking core member 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the regulation of the inner diameter of the neck of a preform used in an apparatus for subjecting a preform of a polyester resin bottle, which is mainly used to contain various liquids, to heat treatment for crystallization. It is related to the core for use.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, bottles made of polyester resin such as polyethylene terephthalate resin (so-called PET) have been widely used as containers having excellent properties such as mechanical strength, gas barrier properties, and transparency.

[0003] Such a polyester resin bottle (hereinafter, referred to as a bottle)
A PET bottle is usually obtained by molding a preform (parison) as an intermediate and then biaxially stretching the preform. In order to strengthen the neck of the preform, the neck is subjected to heat treatment. Crystallization and whitening are performed.

Various devices have been proposed for crystallizing the neck portion of the preform. For example, the preform is supported in an upright or inverted state, and is transported while being appropriately rotated by a transporting means.A heating process is performed during the transport, and the preform that has been processed is cooled and collected, and is then re-formed. As a supply of reforms, an apparatus for performing continuous processing is known. Then, in such an apparatus, for the purpose of preventing an increase in density due to heat treatment of the lip portion, dimensional change or deformation due to shrinkage, etc., a core for regulating the inner diameter is inserted into the lip portion of the preform, and the It has also been proposed to perform heat treatment while the peripheral surface is supported by a core (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-24170).

By the way, when the core is inserted into the neck portion of the preform as described above and heat-treated from outside by an infrared heater or the like to be crystallized, when the core is made of a solid metal body, Due to its large mass, it is inferior to heating and cooling, and as a result, heating inside the neck is delayed,
If the heating time is short, crystallization may not be sufficiently performed to the inside. Also, the cooling of the core after the crystallization process is delayed,
Even in the crystallization apparatus that performs the continuous processing, the processing time is long.

For this reason, the core for regulating the inner diameter is formed in a cylindrical shape so that the followability of heating and cooling is improved, and the neck portion of the preform fitted to the core can be efficiently heated. It is considered that when the core is formed in a cylindrical shape, heat is easily transmitted to the inside of the preform at the time of heating, and the portion other than the neck portion where the core is not fitted is heated to be crystallized and whitened. The boundary between the neck portion and the other non-crystallized portions is disturbed, resulting in a problem such as an appearance.

In view of the above, the present invention provides a core for regulating the inner diameter of the neck portion of a preform used in the above-mentioned crystallization apparatus, which has good followability of heating and cooling, and furthermore, conducts heat to portions other than the neck portion. It is an object of the present invention to provide a core for regulating the inner diameter, which can suppress the occurrence of crystallization, prevent crystallization to an unnecessary portion, and reliably and efficiently crystallize only the neck portion.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a core for regulating the inner diameter of a preform neck provided in an apparatus for heating and crystallizing the neck of a polyester resin bottle preform. A core body having a tubular core portion to which the neck portion is fitted, and an annular heat shielding core member attached to the tip of the tubular core portion, and the heat shielding core member forms a preform. It is characterized in that heat conduction to a portion other than the mouth is suppressed.

According to the core for regulating the inner diameter of the present invention, not only deformation and dimensional change due to crystallization due to heat treatment of the neck portion of the preform fitted with the cylindrical core portion of the core body, but also particularly the core body can be suppressed. Since the cylindrical core portion fitted to the neck portion is hollow and has a small mass, the heating and cooling followability is good, and the heating and cooling processing can be performed more efficiently. Moreover, since a heat-shielding core member is attached to the tip of the cylindrical core portion, heat conduction to portions other than the mouth portion can be restricted, and only the neck portion is reliably and efficiently crystallized and whitened. As a result, the boundary between the whitened cervix and the other portions appears clearly, and the body can be processed in a good manner.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the heat-shielding core member is made of a molded article of a heat-resistant resin such as a fluororesin, whereby the core member has good dimensional stability and has a heat insulating effect. Make good. In particular, when the preform is made of a fluororesin, the preform after the crystallization treatment can be easily released.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, at least the surface of the cylindrical core portion of the core body is colored with a color having good heat absorption. Thereby, when heating with an infrared heater or near-infrared heater, the infrared rays of the heater can be efficiently absorbed, and the tubular core portion is hollow, so that heating is quick, and therefore, the preform neck portion is moved from the inner side. Can also be heated, and there is no occurrence of poor heat treatment and insufficient crystallization.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a half section of an inner diameter regulating core according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a core body and a heat shielding core member separated from each other, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a heat treatment state of a neck portion of a preform using the method shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a half vertical sectional front view showing another embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, a preform (30) of a PET bottle to be processed has a screw portion (32) for screwing a cap and a cap end on the outer periphery of a neck portion (31). An engaging ring-shaped step (33) and a support ring (34) for holding the bottle are provided.

Inner diameter regulating core (A) of the illustrated embodiment
Shows a case where the preform (30) is supported in an inverted state, and the core body (1) and the preform (3) are supported.
A core body (1) having a cylindrical core portion (11) having a cylindrical cross section that can be fitted to the neck portion (31) of (0), and a heat shield attached to a tip of the cylindrical core portion (11). And a core member (2).

The core main body (1) is made of a rigid material such as a metal material such as aluminum or a ceramic material, and has a lower end with respect to a holding portion (40) supported by a rotating and conveying means (not shown). Screw shaft part (1
2), on which the cylindrical core portion (11) is fitted via the flange portion (13) and the central tubular portion (14) for communication with the neck portion (31) of the preform. ) Are connected.

A flange-like step (15) is provided between the tubular core (11) and the central tube (14). The inner hole (11a) of the cylindrical core portion (11) and the inner hole (14a) of the central cylindrical portion (14) communicate with each other. ), Inner holes (11a) of the cylindrical core portion (11) and the central cylindrical portion (14).
A vent (16) leading to (14a) is provided.

The cylindrical core portion (11) has a front end corresponding to the length of the neck portion (31) of the preform fitted to the cylindrical core portion (11). For example, the length is set so as to reach the inside position of the support ring (34) or a position slightly inside thereof. The tubular core (11) is usually very slightly tapered to facilitate insertion and extraction with respect to the neck (31).

The heat-shielding core member (2) is formed of a heat-resistant resin having a heat-insulating effect, such as a fluororesin generally known as Teflon (registered trademark), so as to form an annular shape. A thick portion (21) having substantially the same diameter as the tip of the tubular core portion (11), and extending in the axial direction from the thick portion (21) and fitted to the inner periphery of the tip portion of the tubular core portion (11). (22). On the outer periphery of the fitting portion (22), a circumferential groove (1) formed on the inner periphery of the distal end portion of the cylindrical core portion (11) is provided.
An engaging portion (23) having a hook-shaped cross section is formed so as to elastically engage and engage with 7), and the engaging portion (23) is fitted to one end of the cylindrical core portion (11). Then, it can be securely and firmly attached without detaching easily. Of course, it can be attached by other fixing means such as an adhesive means.

The core member (2) is used to fit the neck portion (31) of the preform (30) into the tubular core portion (11) and to support the preform (30) in an inverted state, for example. By contacting the portion (2) with a portion slightly inward from the neck portion (31), heat conduction to portions other than the mouth portion can be suppressed.

A circumferential groove (24) for heat insulation is provided on the outer periphery of the thick portion (21) of the core member (2), so that the heat shielding effect of the core member (2) is ensured. It is provided so as to make it easier. Numeral (25) is a small hole for ventilation provided at a required portion of the peripheral groove (23), and allows air in the intermediate peripheral groove (23) to escape at the time of fitting.

The width of the thick portion (21) of the core member (2) is set in consideration of the effect of suppressing heat conduction at the time of heat treatment in a state where the core member (2) is fitted to the neck portion (31). Usually 2-6
mm, particularly preferably around 4 mm.

Since the core body (1) is made of a metal material such as aluminum or other rigid materials, the core body (1) is required to have good releasability for removing the preform (30) after the heat treatment. It is preferable to apply a fluorine resin or other resin coating (not shown) for improving the releasability.

In a heating process using an infrared heater or a near infrared heater provided outside, the core body (1)
In order to improve the heating effect, at least the outer peripheral surface, preferably the entire surface, of the cylindrical core portion (11) of the core body (1) is provided with a color having good absorption of infrared rays and heat rays, for example, black, red, gold, etc. It is desirable to apply coloring (not shown) by coating or the like. The thickness of this colored coating is 15
About 40 microns is preferable.

As shown in FIG. 3, the inner diameter regulating core (A) configured as described above passes through the heating zone from the supply zone while being rotated by the rotating and conveying means, and is cooled and recovered. (4)
0) is fixed by screwing the screw shaft (12) at the lower end.

The preform to be processed (30)
With the lip (31) of the core (A) facing downward, the core (A) is fitted to the cylindrical core (11) on the upper end side of the core body (1) and supported in an inverted state. At this time, the air in the preform (30) flows into the inner hole (11a) of the core body (1),
(14a) and discharged through the vent (16). In this state, the heating zone is conveyed while being rotated by the rotation and conveyance means, and during this movement, the heating zone is heated by a heating means (41) such as an infrared heater or a near-infrared heater disposed near the moving portion. To process. As a result, the neck portion (31) of the preform (30) is gradually and uniformly heated, and is whitened and crystallized by this heating. At this time, deformation and dimensional change due to crystallization are restricted by the cylindrical core portion (11) of the core body (1) fitted to the neck portion.

In particular, the tubular core portion (11) of the core body (1) fitted to the mouth portion (31) is hollow,
Since the specific weight is small and the specific heat is small, the followability to the heating is good, and the tubular core (11) itself is easily heated, and therefore, the temperature rises quickly even inside the mouth part (31) fitted therein. As a result, the inside of the mouth part (31) is also quickly and sufficiently heated and efficiently crystallized and whitened.

Further, when the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical core portion (11) is colored with good absorbability such as infrared rays or heat rays, the temperature rise of the cylindrical core portion (11) is further accelerated,
Even when heating is performed from the outside, heat treatment can be efficiently performed to the inside in a short time.

In addition, at the time of the heat treatment, a heat-shielding core member (2) is attached to the tip of the tubular core portion (11) of the core body (1). Since 2) is located along the inner end of the neck portion (31), the core member (2) can prevent heat during heating from conducting inward. Therefore the lip (31)
Crystallization can be surely performed up to the boundary between this and the other part, and the boundary between the non-crystallized part and the non-crystallized part can be crystallized in a good appearance and whitened.

The crystallized preform (30) heat-treated as described above is cooled and then withdrawn from the core (A) in the cooling and recovery zone subsequent to the heating zone, and recovered. You.

At the time of the cooling, the core (A) is cooled relatively quickly because the core body (1) is hollow and is cooled relatively quickly. It can be cooled well, and the preform (3
The sampling operation 0) can be performed in a relatively short time without any problem. In addition, when a resin coating having good releasability such as a fluororesin is applied to the surface of the core, the mouth part (31)
Can be more easily extracted without adhering to the core (A).

In the above-described embodiment, the cylindrical core portion (11) to which the neck portion of the preform is fitted is replaced with the core body (1).
Although the case where it was integrally formed was shown, in addition, for example, FIG.
One or more (two in the figure) sleeves (11c) are provided on the outer periphery of the inner cylinder (11b) integral with the core body (1) as shown in FIG.
(11d) may be fitted to form a double structure.
(18) in the figure is a circumferential groove, and (19) is a vent.

[0033]

As described above, according to the core for regulating the inner diameter of the neck portion of the preform of the present invention, not only deformation and dimensional change due to crystallization can be reliably regulated, but also follow-up of heating and cooling is improved. In addition, heat conduction to portions other than the neck portion can be effectively suppressed, and unnecessary portions are not crystallized, and only the neck portion can be crystallized reliably and efficiently. Can greatly contribute to improving the efficiency of the crystallization treatment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a half vertical sectional view showing one embodiment of an inner diameter regulating core of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view in which the core body and the heat shielding core member are separated from each other.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a heat treatment state of a neck portion of a preform using the core according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a half vertical sectional front view showing another embodiment of the inner diameter regulating core of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 (A) Inner diameter regulating core (1) Core body (11) Cylindrical core (12) Screw shaft (13) Flange (14) Central cylinder (15) Flange-shaped step (16) Vent ( 17) Peripheral groove (2) Heat shielding core member (21) Thick part (22) Fitting part (23) Locking part (24) Peripheral groove (30) Preform (31) Mouth part (32) Screw part (34) Support ring (40) Holding part (41) Heating means

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Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A core for regulating the inner diameter of a neck portion of a preform provided in an apparatus for heating and crystallizing the neck portion of a preform for a bottle made of a polyester resin, wherein the core is fitted with the neck portion of the preform. A core body having an annular core portion, and an annular heat shielding core member attached to the tip of the cylindrical core portion, and the heat shielding core member heats the preform to portions other than the mouth portion. A core for regulating the inner diameter of a neck portion of a preform, wherein conduction is suppressed. 2. The core for regulating the inner diameter of a neck portion of a preform neck according to claim 1, wherein said heat shielding core member is formed of a heat-resistant resin such as a fluororesin. 3. The core for regulating the inner diameter of a neck portion of a preform neck according to claim 1, wherein at least a surface of the cylindrical core portion of the core main body is colored with a color having good heat absorbability.