JP2000335748A - Powder filling device and its operation method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the contact of a screw blade to a filter by providing a filter for degassing the air contained in powder, and mounting the filter on an installation part so that its inside diameter is larger than the inside diameter of the opening of the installation part. SOLUTION: This device has a powder input port 12a and a powder discharge port 50a. The inside diameter of the upper part of a nozzle body 25 is set to 60 mm which is the same as the inside diameter of a mounting flange 28, while the inside diameter of a filter 26 is set to 62 mm so as to be larger in both edges by 1 mm each. Namely, a relief (clearance) for preventing the breakage of the filter 26 by the contact with a screw blade 16a is provided on the filter 26. Although the danger of breaking the filter 26 by the contact with the screw blade 16a is reduced more as the relief is set larger, the effect of degassing is deteriorated. Therefore, according to the inside diameter size of the mounting flange 28, the relief is preferably set to the minimum size within the range where the screw blade 16a never makes contact with the filter 26.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for degassing powder,
Powder deaerator that increases its bulk specific gravity (bulk density),
Also, the present invention relates to a powder filling apparatus for filling a package of a predetermined volume (size) with a predetermined weight of powder by using the powder deaerator, and an operation method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, powders are subjected to various treatments such as pulverization, classification, pneumatic transportation, mixing and the like. Since the amount of air contained in the powder varies greatly depending on the state and type of the powder, the place of origin of the raw material, and the like, the bulk specific gravity of the same type of powder is, for example, 0.1% in the case of wheat flour. It varies to some extent, for example, in the range of 5 to 0.65. In particular, the bulk specific gravity of the powder after milling is unstable and varies gradually with time.

[0003] When packing a powder product, it is necessary to fill a package such as a paper bag coated with resin on the inner surface with a certain weight of powder (actually, a certain weight or more because of the inclusion of a crease). However, as described above, if powders of the same type vary in bulk specific gravity, the size of the package must be determined in consideration of the case where the bulk specific gravity is smallest. For this reason, the size of the package increases,
Not only the cost but also the transportation and storage costs of the packaged powder product increase.

[0004] For the above-mentioned economic reasons, in the case of a package for filling a fixed weight of powder, for example, the above-mentioned small bag packaging of flour or the like, 250 g or 500 g is packed.
It is preferred that the size of the bag, such as 1 kg, be as small as possible, so that it is practically minimized as much as possible. For this reason, a powder filling apparatus that can accurately fill a predetermined-size package with a predetermined weight of powder is required even if the powder has a certain bulk density.

[0005] For example, if a powder filling device having a scale (weighing device) is used, it is possible to fill the package with a desired weight of powder while measuring the weight using feedback control. In this way, if a scale is used, the package can be filled with a predetermined weight of powder regardless of the bulk specific gravity of the powder, but the apparatus structure becomes complicated and, as a matter of course, significantly increases the cost. There is a problem of inviting. In addition, there is a problem that the size of the package needs to be set large so as to be able to cope with any case where the specific gravity of the powder varies.

[0006] Therefore, a positive displacement type powder filling apparatus without a scale is generally used. But,
Although the positive displacement type powder filling device is inexpensive, the filling amount of the powder into the package is determined only depending on the number of rotations (angle) of the screw conveyor (screw auger).
When filling a package with a predetermined weight of powder, it is required to keep the bulk specific gravity constant. Therefore, in a positive displacement type powder filling device, a powder degassing device that degass the powder and increases its bulk specific gravity is often used.

Here, FIG. 5 shows a conceptual diagram of an example of a conventional powder filling apparatus. Vertical powder filling device 52 shown in FIG.
Is to pack and pack powder products such as flour in bags.
A hopper 12 serving as a container for storing the powder, a powder deaerator 54 for degassing the powder, and a screw conveyor 16 for conveying the powder stored in the hopper 12 to the powder deaerator 54 side And an air suction device 60 that sucks air contained in the powder via the powder deaerator 54.

In the illustrated powder filling apparatus 52, the upper end opening of the hopper 12 serves as a powder input port 12a for inputting powder. The powder degassing device 54 includes a filter 58 for degassing the powder, a cylindrical casing 56 to which the filter 58 is attached, and a degassing buffer provided so as to cover the entire outer wall surface of the filter 58. 62, the upper end opening of the casing 56 is connected to the lower end opening of the hopper 12, and the lower end opening of the casing 56 is
It becomes a powder discharge port 56a from which the deaerated powder is discharged.

The screw conveyor 16 has a screw blade 16a spirally formed along a screw rotating shaft 16b. The screw conveyor 16 is suspended from the upper part of the outside of the hopper 12, is inserted into the hopper 12 through the powder inlet 12a, and further has an opening where the hopper 12 and the powder deaerator 54 are connected. The casing 56 of the powder deaerator 54 is
Extends to the vicinity of the powder discharge port 56a.

In the vertical powder filling device 52, the screw conveyor 16 is rotated at a predetermined speed for a predetermined time, and the powder stored in the hopper 12 passes through the casing 56 of the powder deaerator 54. The powder is discharged from the powder discharge port 56a and is filled in a package disposed below the powder discharge port 56a. At this time, when the powder passes through the casing 56, the powder is sucked by the suction device 60 through the filter 58 and the degassing buffer 62, and only air is removed from the powder containing a large amount of air. You.

By the way, the screw conveyor 1 described above
6 is suspended from the outside of the hopper 12 and has a so-called cantilever structure, so that whirling is likely to occur and the screw blade 16 a may come into contact with the filter 58. For this reason, conventionally used filters such as wire mesh and punching metal use the rotating screw blade 16a.
However, there is a problem in that the metal pieces may be damaged by contact, and the metal pieces may be mixed into the powder as the final product.

Further, as shown in the illustrated example, in the powder filling apparatus 52 for filling the package after degassing the powder, the powder is discharged and filled at a high speed of, for example, 50 to 70 bags / min. In this case, when the powder conveyed by the screw conveyor 16 falls from the powder discharge port 56a of the powder deaerator 54, the flow of the powder is disturbed due to the degassing action and becomes irregular. For this reason, there is a problem in that the particles are scattered to the periphery of the package and are not filled in the package, and the filling amount is insufficient or the filling amount varies.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a powder degassing apparatus which does not break due to contact with a screw blade, and a powder filling apparatus using the same, in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. It is to provide a device. Another object of the present invention is to prevent the degassed powder discharged from the powder outlet from scattering and expanding, and to accurately fill the package with the degassed powder. And a powder filling device using the same. Still another object of the present invention is to use the above-described powder filling apparatus to fill a package of a predetermined size with a predetermined weight of a powder with high accuracy with a small variation in the amount of the powder after deaeration. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of operating a powder filling apparatus capable of performing the above.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for supplying powder through a first opening and a second powder.
A powder degassing device for degassing the air contained in the powder while the powder is discharged from the opening portion, for degassing the air contained in the powder. Filter and
The filter has a mounting portion for mounting the filter, wherein the first and second openings are opened, and the filter is mounted so that an inner diameter of the filter is larger than an inner diameter of the opening of the mounting portion. Provided is a powder deaeration device which is mounted on a part.

Here, the filter is a wire mesh formed by laminating a plurality of meshes, and is arranged from the inner wall side to the outer wall side or from the inner wall side and the outer wall side to the inner wall. It is preferable to use a finer mesh gradually toward the core.

Further, in the above powder degassing apparatus,
Further, a third opening is connected to the second opening of the mounting portion, into which the powder is charged, and a fourth opening, from which the powder is discharged from the third opening, is discharged. It is preferable that a rectifier having a hollow cylindrical shape having an opening is provided, and the length of the rectifier be 30% or more of the inner diameter of the rectifier.

Further, the present invention is a powder filling apparatus for degassing air contained in powder and filling said degassed powder into a package having a predetermined volume at a predetermined weight. A hopper for storing the powder supplied from the opening in the inside and discharging the powder from the sixth opening, and the first opening connected to the sixth opening of the hopper The powder deaerator described above, a screw conveyor inserted into the hopper and the powder deaerator, and conveying the powder from the hopper to the powder deaerator, and the powder deaerator. And a suction device for sucking air contained in the powder from the outer wall surface side of a filter of the device.

Further, according to the present invention, the air contained in the powder passing through one surface of the filter is sucked from the other surface of the filter to remove the air contained in the powder. A method of operating a powder filling apparatus for degassing and filling a predetermined volume of the degassed powder into a package having a predetermined volume, wherein the pressure for sucking air contained in the powder is -100 to -5
A method for operating a powder filling apparatus characterized by being in the range of 00 mmHg is provided.

Here, it is preferable that the pressure at which air contained in the powder is sucked is in the range of -200 to -400 mmHg.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a powder deaerator of the present invention, a powder filling apparatus using the same, and a method of operating the same will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of one embodiment of the powder filling device of the present invention. The illustrated powder filling apparatus 10 includes a hopper 12
And a powder deaerator 14 of the present invention, a screw conveyor 16, a drive unit 18, a suction unit 20, a sensor unit 22, and a control unit 24.

In the powder filling apparatus 10 of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, a hopper 12 is a container for storing a predetermined amount of powder 46 having a small bulk specific gravity. An opening is provided. Hopper 1
The upper end opening 2 serves as a powder inlet 12a for feeding the powder 46 stored therein by a conveyor or the like (not shown). It is connected to the upper end opening of the pneumatic device 14.

The powder 4 stored in the hopper 12
The powder surface No. 6 is constantly detected by a level sensor 42 described later. When the degassed powder 46 is discharged from the powder discharge port 14a of the powder deaerator 14 and the powder 46 inside the hopper 12 is reduced, the powder 46 having a low bulk specific gravity becomes a conveyer (not shown). The powder is appropriately replenished from the powder inlet 12a. Thereby, the screw conveyor 16
Is controlled to be always constant.

In the powder filling apparatus 10 shown in the figure, the amount of the powder 46 filled in a package (hereinafter simply referred to as a bag) 48 such as one bag is determined by the total number of rotations of the screw conveyor 16, that is, the rotation speed. (The number of rotations per unit time) and the drive time. For this reason, the control device 24
The state and the storage amount of the powder 46 inside the hopper 12 and the powder pressure applied to the screw conveyor 16 are controlled to be constant. Further, the rotation speed and the driving time of the screw conveyor 16 are accurately controlled to values set in advance in accordance with the filling amount of one bag.

Next, the powder deaerator 14 will be described in detail. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2A and the perspective view of FIG. 2B, the inside thereof has a cylindrical filter 26 for deaeration of the powder 46, and the filter 26 is attached to the mounting portion 30. And a mounting flange 28 (28a, 28b) for holding the unit. As shown, the outer diameter of the filter 26 is smaller than the outer diameter of the mounting flange 28. The central opening of the upper mounting flange 28a serves as a powder inlet, while the central opening of the lower mounting flange 28b serves as a powder outlet 14a through which the degassed powder 46 is discharged.

As shown in FIG. 3, a groove formed in the inner wall near the opening at the lower end of the hopper 12 and a nozzle body 25 are formed.
The upper annular portion is fitted and both are fixed. The hopper 12 has a left-right split structure, and a hole into which a pin 29 for positioning the nozzle body 25 is inserted is formed on one inner wall. The inner diameter of the mounting flange 28 is
The outer diameter of the mounting flange 28 is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the lower portion of the nozzle body 25, and is equal to the inner diameter of the upper portion of the nozzle body 25, as described above (upper mounting flange 28a-filter 26-lower mounting flange 28b). ) Unit is inserted from below the nozzle body 25 and fits inside. Further, a rectifying device 50 is provided on the nozzle body 25 with bolts 51.
To form an integrated powder deaerator 14. When assembled in this manner, an annular space, that is, a deaeration buffer 27 is formed in the gap between the filter 26 and the nozzle body 25,
Is connected to a deaeration port 25a provided at

In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the upper portion of the nozzle body 25 and the inner diameter of the mounting flange 28 are the same, ie, 60 mm, while the inner diameter of the filter 26 is 62 mm, which is larger by 1 mm at both edges. That is, the filter 26 is provided with a clearance (clearance) for preventing the filter blade 26 from being damaged by contact with the screw blades. The risk of the filter 26 being damaged by contact with the screw blades 16a decreases as the clearance increases, but the degassing effect decreases.
According to the inner diameter size of 8, it is preferable that the screw blade 16a has a minimum size of relief as long as it does not contact the filter 26.

In this embodiment, as an example of the filter 26, a wire mesh formed by laminating a plurality of stainless steel wire meshes is used. At this time, a stainless steel wire having a gradually smaller diameter, that is, a finer mesh, is used from the inner wall surface side to the outer wall surface side. Alternatively, it is also preferable to increase the wire diameter on the inner wall surface side and the outer wall surface side, and use a mesh made of a stainless steel wire whose wire diameter becomes smaller toward the inner core side. The accuracy and performance of powder deaeration can be appropriately adjusted by appropriately selecting the number, diameter, and size of the meshes of the stainless steel wires to be laminated.

In the illustrated powder deaerator 14, the powder 46 is introduced from the center opening side of the upper mounting flange 28a.
While continuously discharging the powder to the powder discharge port 14a at the center opening of the lower mounting flange 28b while reducing the pressure through the deaeration buffer 27 from the outer wall side of the filter 26, the air passes through the filter 26. The powder 46 is attracted to the inner wall surface of the filter 26. At this time, a part of the powder 46 is captured between the meshes, and they function as a kind of filtration layer. Thereafter, the powder 46 continuously passes through the mesh without flowing into the intake device 20 side. The powder 46 is degassed.

The filter 26 may be any filter as long as it can filter only the air in the powder 46. For example, a punched metal (punched plate), a porous screen, a sintered body of porous ceramics or metal, etc. Alternatively, it is also possible to use a contact rough surface type laminated filter unit and the like disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-175676 of the present applicant. The filter 26 may be formed on the entire inner peripheral surface of the mounting portion 30 or may be formed only on a part thereof.

Subsequently, the screw conveyer 16 rotates the screw rotating shaft 16b in which the screw blade 16a is formed in a spiral shape, so that the hopper 1 is rotated.
The powder 46 stored in the container 2 is conveyed downward, and a predetermined amount of the powder 46 is discharged from the powder discharge port 14 a of the powder deaerator 14 according to the number of rotations. Screw conveyor 16
Is suspended from the upper outside of the hopper 12, and the hopper 12
And the powder outlet 14 of the powder deaerator 14
a.

The driving device 18 drives the screw conveyor 16 to rotate under the control of the control device 24.
A motor 32, a gear (chain sprocket) 34a,
34b and a toothed belt 34c. Gear 34a
Is the screw rotating shaft 16b of the screw conveyor 16
The gear 34b is attached to the upper end of the rotating shaft of the motor 18, and the toothed belt 34c is stretched between the gears 34a and 34b.

As described above, the powder 46 for one bag is used.
Is controlled by the total number of revolutions of the screw conveyor 16, so that the driving unit 18 needs to accurately start and stop driving the screw conveyor 16.
Therefore, as the motor 32, it is preferable to use a motor with a brake, and the motor 32 is directly connected to the screw rotating shaft 16b,
It may be driven via a gear or the like. Further, a motor without a brake may be used, a clutch or the like may be incorporated, or a rack and pinion may be used.

Subsequently, the suction device 20 is connected to the powder deaerator 1
And a constant flow control device 36 for controlling the amount of intake air to a predetermined fixed amount, and a constant flow control device for controlling the powder deaerator 14. It has a vacuum pump 38 for suctioning and reducing the pressure at a predetermined intake amount via the device 36, and a pipe 40. As shown in FIG. 1, pipes 4 are provided between the powder deaerator 14 and the constant flow controller 36 and between the constant flow controller 36 and the vacuum pump 38, respectively.
0 is connected.

The constant flow control device 36 provided in the illustrated intake device 20 is for keeping the degassing amount constant irrespective of the state of the inside of the powder 46, and increases the degassing efficiency. As will be described later, it is also preferable to provide it in the intake device 20 because it also has the effect of reducing the variation in the amount of powder filling. The constant flow control device 28 obtains a constant flow rate by opening and closing a valve using a differential pressure generated by a venturi, and a commercially available device can be used.

The air intake device 20 used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and is not limited to the illustrated example. Also, there is no particular limitation on how to combine the pipes 40, and the vacuum pump 38 serving as an intake source is not particularly limited, and any intake source may be used as long as it can suck air, such as a fan, a blower, a compressor, and a suction pump. Can be used.

Subsequently, the sensor device 22 has a level sensor 42 and a position sensor 44. Level sensor 42
Is for detecting the storage amount of the powder 46 inside the hopper 12 and is attached near the powder input port 12a of the hopper 12. The position sensor 44 detects that the bag 34 is at a fixed position immediately below the powder discharge port 14 a of the powder deaerator 14. Both the detection results by the level sensor 42 and the position sensor 44 are input to the control device 24.

Finally, the control device 24 controls the powder filling device 1
0 conceptually represents a device that controls the entire operation. In the present embodiment, for example, upon receiving a signal from the level sensor 42,
The replenishment of the powder 46 into the hopper 12 is controlled, the flow rate of the constant flow control device 36 of the suction device 20 is controlled according to the operation method of the powder filling device of the present invention, and the position sensor 4
In response to the signal of 4, the start and end of the driving of the motor 32 of the driving device 18, that is, the filling time is controlled.

The powder degassing device 14 and the powder filling device 10 of the present invention are basically configured as described above. In addition,
Although not shown in FIG. 1, the degassed powder 46 discharged from the powder discharge port 14a of the powder deaerator 14 is prevented from being scattered and expanded, and the degassed powder 46 is stored in a bag. It is preferable to provide a rectifying device described below in connection with the powder discharge port 14a so that the inside of the container 48 can be accurately filled.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of one embodiment of a rectifying device used in the powder filling device of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the rectifier 50 has a hollow cylindrical shape, the upper end opening of which is connected to the powder discharge port 14a of the powder deaerator 14, and the lower end opening of which has the deaerated powder. It becomes a powder discharge port 50a for discharging the body 46. In addition, the length L from the upper end opening to the lower end opening of the rectifier 50 is 30% or more of the inner diameter D.

By providing the rectifying device 50 having the above-described configuration, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-175676 of the present applicant, the powder 4 discharged from the powder discharge port 50a can be used.
6 can be greatly suppressed from being scattered and expanded, and the powder 46 can be accurately filled in the package disposed below the outlet 50a without dropping the powder 46 around the package. On the other hand, if the ratio between the length L and the inner diameter D of the rectifying device 50 is less than 30%, the scattering expansion angle α of the powder 46 becomes large, and the powder 46 drops to the periphery of the package, which is not preferable. .

The rectifying device 50 may be formed separately from the powder degassing device 14 as shown in the figure, and may be fixed by bolts or screws, or the like, but is not limited to this type. Further, as shown in FIG.
The screw rotating shaft 16b is preferably provided with a stirring blade 16c for pulverizing and stirring the powder 46 at the upper end of the screw blade 16a in order to make the powder density uniform.

Next, the operation of the powder filling apparatus of the present invention will be described together with the operation of the powder deaerator 14 and the powder filling apparatus 10 of the present invention.

The filling time corresponding to the size of the bag 48 is set in the control device 24 in advance. Intake device 20
The vacuum pump 38 is operated in a steady state, and the constant flow rate control device 36 is controlled by the control device 24 according to the operation method of the powder filling device of the present invention so as to have a predetermined deaeration pressure in advance. I have. Similarly, under the control of the control device 24, the motor 32 is stopped, the shutter of the powder outlet 14a (not shown) is closed, and the level sensor 4
It is confirmed that the level of the powder surface of the powder 46 in the hopper 12 is at a predetermined level in response to the signal from the hopper 12.

Here, FIG. 4 shows a graph of one embodiment showing the relationship between the deaeration pressure and the variation in the filling amount of the powder. In the graph of the illustrated example, the horizontal axis represents the degassing pressure (mmH
g), and the vertical axis indicates the variation (σ) in the amount of powder filling. As is clear from this graph, the variation in the filling amount of the powder depends on the deaeration pressure, and the variation in the filling amount of the powder becomes large even if the deaeration pressure is too small or too large. It can be seen that in the case of, the deaeration pressure reaches a minimum value near -300 mmHg. Therefore, the control of the control device 24 preferably reduces the deaeration pressure to -100 to -500 mmHg.
And more preferably -200 to -400 mmHg, it is possible to suppress the variation in the filling amount of the powder to be low.

Here, when an unfilled bag 48 is transported to a fixed position immediately below the powder discharge port 14a of the powder deaerator 14 by a transport device such as a conveyor (not shown), the position sensor 44 is activated. The bag 48 is detected, and a signal notifying that the bag 48 has been arranged at the home position is transmitted to the control device 10.
The control device 24 receives the signal transmitted from the position sensor 44, starts the rotation drive of the motor 32, and controls to open the shutter of the powder discharge port 14a (not shown).

With the start of rotation of the motor 32, the gear 34
b, the screw conveyor 16 starts rotating via the toothed belt 34c and the gear 34a, and the powder 46 stored in the hopper 12 is conveyed to the powder deaerator 14 according to the rotation of the screw conveyor 16. And the powder outlet 1
It is discharged from 4a and filled in the bag 48 immediately below. At this time, the powder 46 is deaerated at a predetermined deaeration pressure through the filter 26 of the powder deaerator 14, and the deaerated powder 46 is filled in a bag 48.

In the powder deaerator 14 of the present invention and the powder filling apparatus 10 using the same, since the inner diameter of the filter 26 is larger than the inner diameter of the mounting flange 28, the screw conveyor 16 having a cantilever structure is rotated and touched. Even if the rotation occurs, the screw blade 16a does not contact the filter 26. Therefore, there is no fear that the rotating screw blade 16a comes into contact with the filter 26 and breaks, and that the metal pieces are mixed into the powder as the final product.

Further, according to the method of operating the powder filling apparatus of the present invention, by setting the degassing pressure for degassing the powder within the above-mentioned proper value range, the powder filled in the package is Can be minimized.

As described above, the rectifier 50 is connected to the powder discharge port 14a of the powder deaerator 14 to discharge the powder from the powder discharge port 14a of the powder deaerator 14. The flow of the powder after degassing can be suppressed, and the powder can be prevented from scattering. For this reason, even if the powder is discharged and filled at a high speed of 50 to 70 bags / min,
The powder does not scatter around the package, and the powder of a predetermined weight can be accurately filled in the package of a predetermined size.

Thereafter, when the time from the start of rotation of the screw conveyor 16 or the accumulated rotation speed reaches a preset filling time (or the accumulated rotation speed), the rotation of the motor 32 is controlled by the control device 24. The rotation of the screw conveyor 16 is stopped and the shutter (not shown) of the powder discharge port 14a is closed at the same time. When a brake motor is used as the motor 32 and a shutter is used, the variation in the filling amount of the powder 46 due to the inertia of the motor 32 is small, and more accurate filling is possible.

The bag 48 filled with the powder 46 whose bulk specific gravity has been sufficiently increased by an exact predetermined amount is moved from immediately below the powder discharge port 14a, and is conveyed to a sealing device (not shown). Is closed and the packaging is completed. When the filled bag 48 moves from directly below the powder discharge port 14a, the position sensor 44 detects this and transmits it to the control device 38. Thereafter, the control device 24 prepares or waits for the next filling until the next unfilled bag 48 comes directly below the powder discharge port 14a, and sends a signal indicating that the bag 48 has come to the predetermined position. Receiving from the position sensor 44, the above-described filling operation is repeated again.

Thus, a predetermined weight, for example, 250 g, 5
The filling of 00 g or 1000 g of powder into a bag 48 of a predetermined size is performed at a high speed, for example, 60 bags / min.
It can be performed continuously at 20 bags / min. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to filling at a low speed, for example, filling time of 2 to 10 seconds / bag. Needless to say, the bag filled with the powder may be passed through a filling assist device such as tapping as a later step.

As described above, the powder degassing apparatus, the powder filling apparatus and the operation method thereof according to the present invention have been described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be modified within the scope of the present invention. Of course, various improvements and changes may be made.

[0054]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, since the inner diameter of the filter of the powder deaerator is larger than the outer diameter of the screw, the screw blade does not come into contact with the filter. There is no worry that the filter will break and the debris will get into the product. Further, according to the present invention, by providing a rectifying device for rectifying the flow of the powder after degassing in connection with the powder degassing device,
The degassed powder can be prevented from being scattered, and a predetermined weight of powder can be accurately filled in a package of a predetermined size. Further, according to the present invention, by evacuating the powder at a degassing pressure within a predetermined range, it is possible to reduce the variation in the filling amount of the powder.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of one embodiment of a powder filling device of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are a cross-sectional view and a perspective view, respectively, of one embodiment of the powder deaerator of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of one embodiment of a rectifying device used in the powder filling device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a graph of one embodiment illustrating the relationship between degassing pressure and variation in powder loading.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of an example of a conventional powder filling device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 52 Powder filling device 12 Hopper 12a Powder inlet 14, 54 Powder deaerator 14a, 50a, 56a Powder outlet 16 Screw conveyor 16a Screw blade 16b Screw rotating shaft 18 Drive device 20, 60 Suction device 22 Sensor device 24 Control device 25 Nozzle body 25a Deaeration port 26,58 Filter 27,62 Deaeration buffer 28 Mounting flange 29 Positioning pin 30 Mounting part 32 Motor 34a, 34b Gear 34c Geared belt 36 Constant flow control device 38 Vacuum pump 40 Piping 42 Level sensor 44 Position sensor 46 Powder 48 Packaging container 50 Rectifier 51 Bolt 56 Casing

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] March 16, 2000 (200.3.1.1)
6)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Name of invention

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Patent application title: Powder filling apparatus and operating method thereof

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0001

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0001] The present invention comprises a powder degassing apparatus for degassing powder and increasing its bulk specific gravity (bulk density).
Filling a predetermined weight of powder into a volume (size) packaging bag
The present invention relates to a powder filling device and an operation method thereof.

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0013

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0013]

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-said to solve the prior art based on the problem, the vertical with the powder deaerator never screw blade may be damaged by contact with <br /> To provide a powder filling device. Another object of the present invention, powder after degassing flying discharged from the powder discharge port
It is an object of the present invention to provide a powder filling apparatus capable of preventing the powder from being scattered and accurately filling the deaerated powder in a packaging bag . Still another object of the present invention is to use the above-described powder filling apparatus to highly accurately fill a predetermined size of powder into a predetermined size packaging bag with little variation in the amount of powder after degassing. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of operating a powder filling apparatus that can perform the above.

[Procedure amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0014

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, a powder filling apparatus according to the present invention includes a powder filling apparatus.
Deaerate the air and place the deaerated powder in a packaging bag with a predetermined volume.
A vertical powder filling apparatus for filling a predetermined weight, comprising:
The powder input from the opening is discharged from the second opening.
Between the first and second filters.
And a mounting portion for the filter having an opening portion.
The filter has an inner diameter corresponding to the opening of the mounting portion.
A powder deaerator configured to be larger than the inner diameter and this powder
A hopper that supplies powder to the deaerator and this hopper and
And the hopper inserted into the powder deaerator
A screw that transports the powder from the powder to the powder deaerator
Conveyor and the outer wall side of the filter of the powder deaerator
Has an air suction device for sucking air contained in the powder.
It is characterized by doing.

[Procedure amendment 6]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0016

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Further, in the powder filling apparatus according to the present invention,
Is a powder degassing apparatus, in addition to the above components.
And a third opening connected to the second opening of the mounting portion.
And the powder introduced through the third opening is discharged.
Of a hollow cylindrical shape having a fourth opening formed therein
Device, and the length of the rectifier is within the rectifier.
It is preferably at least 30% of the diameter .

[Procedure amendment 7]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0017

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Also, the operation of the powder filling apparatus according to the present invention
The method according to any one of the preceding items,
An operation method, wherein air contained in the powder is sucked.
Pressure in the range of -100 mmHg to -500 mmHg
It is characterized by the following. It should be noted that the powder
-200mmHg ~ -400m
More preferably, the range is mHg.

[Procedure amendment 8]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0018

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 9]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0019

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 10]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0032

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

As described above, the powder 46 for one bag is used.
Is controlled by the total number of revolutions of the screw conveyor 16, so that the driving unit 18 needs to accurately start and stop driving the screw conveyor 16.
Therefore, it is preferable to use a motor with a brake as the motor 32, and the motor 32 may be directly connected to the screw rotating shaft 16b, or may be driven via a gear or the like. Alternatively, a motor without a brake may be used, and a clutch or the like may be incorporated.

[Procedure amendment 11]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0053

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

The invention has been described in detail operating method of the powder filling device and its <br/> according to the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention, Needless to say, various improvements and changes may be made.
Nor.

[Procedure amendment 12]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Fig. 2

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIGS. 2 (a) and (b) each relate to the present invention.
1 is a sectional view and a perspective view of an embodiment of a powder deaerator used in a powder filling apparatus .

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Yojiro Teramachi 5-3-1 Tsurugaoka, Oimachi, Iruma-gun, Saitama F-term in Nisshin Flour Milling Co., Ltd. Production Research Laboratory 3B117 AA01 BA51 3E018 AA04 AB01 BA07 BB06 CA03 DA02 DA04 EA02 3E070 AA19 AB11 CA04 GA04 RA01 WG06 3F075 AA08 BA01 BB01 CA03 CA09 CB02 CB12 CB14 CB16 CC04 CC05 CC09 DA26 DA30

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A powder deaerator for removing air contained in a powder while the powder is introduced from a first opening and the powder is discharged from a second opening. An apparatus, comprising: a filter for degassing air contained in the powder; and a mounting part for mounting the filter, wherein the first and second openings are opened, The powder degassing device, wherein the filter is mounted on the mounting portion such that the inner diameter is larger than the inner diameter of the opening of the mounting portion. 2. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the filter is a metal mesh formed by laminating a plurality of meshes, and a filter having a finer mesh gradually from an inner wall side to an outer wall side is used. Item 4. A powder deaerator according to Item 1. 3. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the filter is a wire mesh formed by laminating a plurality of meshes, and a filter having a smaller mesh gradually from an inner wall side and an outer wall side to an inner core side. The powder deaerator according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The powder degassing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a third opening in which said powder is charged and connected to a second opening of said mounting section. Opening, and
A rectifying device having a hollow cylindrical shape having an opening at a fourth opening through which the powder introduced from the third opening is discharged, wherein the length of the rectifying device is the inner diameter of the rectifying device; 30% or more of the powder degassing apparatus. 5. A powder filling device for degassing air contained in powder and filling said degassed powder in a predetermined weight in a package of a predetermined volume, comprising: The powder to be charged is stored inside,
The powder deaerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a hopper that discharges the powder from a sixth opening, and the first opening is connected to the sixth opening of the hopper. And inserted into the hopper and the powder deaerator,
A screw conveyor that conveys the powder from the hopper to the powder deaerator, and an air suction device that sucks air contained in the powder from the outer wall side of a filter of the powder deaerator. A powder filling device, characterized in that: 6. The air contained in the powder passing through one surface of the filter is sucked from the other surface of the filter, and the air contained in the powder is degassed. A method for operating a powder filling apparatus for filling a package having a predetermined volume with a predetermined weight of the powder after degassing, wherein a pressure for sucking air contained in the powder is −100.
A method for operating a powder filling apparatus, wherein the operating temperature is in the range of -500 mmHg. 7. The method for operating a powder filling apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the pressure for sucking air contained in the powder is in a range of -200 to -400 mmHg.