JP2001048127A - Infrared ray shrinking apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform good shrink coating by supplying a hot blast and heat to a required portion, in a heater to be used for coating an empty PET bottle with a PET film. SOLUTION: A heat treatment apparatus 1 includes a plurality of sectioned treatment chambers, wherein a heater 20 comprising infrared lamps 21 to 23 and a hot blast circulator 30 are provided for a resin container such as a PET bottle carried by a belt 16. A heating direction controller 40 for controlling heat and blast is provided, so that heating function can be applied to an arbitrary portion of the resin container passing through a heat treatment section 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a means for coating a film on the surface of a resin bottle such as a PET bottle or other resin containers, and more particularly, to shrink coating an empty resin container integrally with the film. The aim is to provide a possible device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A resin container such as a PET bottle is coated with a film on the entire outer surface of the container, or is coated with a label or the like printed on a plastic film on the outer surface. In order to coat the film or the like on the surface of the resin container, a shrink tunnel is generally used, and in a tunnel having a heat insulating structure, air heated with an electric heater or an infrared heater is blown,
A heating means for directly irradiating the heat of the heater to the resin container is provided. Then, the PET bottle coated with the film conveyed by a conveyor or the like is subjected to a heat treatment such as blowing hot air to shrink the film so as to adhere to the surface of the bottle. In the shrink tunnel, the temperature is controlled by turning on and off the heater in order to maintain a temperature set in accordance with the film, thereby controlling the temperature in the tunnel.

[0003]

When a PET film is wrapped in a PET bottle using a conventional shrink tunnel, an empty resin container is not filled with the film but is filled with the contents. A means for shrink-coating by covering a resin-made container with a film is used. And since it is necessary to arrange | position a shrink tunnel in connection with the filling equipment of resin containers, such as a bottle, there exists a problem that container filling equipment becomes large-scale. Further, in the case of using the above-described shrink tunnel, since the resin container is heated together with the film, there is often a concern that the contents may be deteriorated. In addition to the above problems, in the conventional shrink tunnel, a plurality of heat treatment means having different heating temperatures are separately arranged for shrink coating, and the heat treatment devices are connected by a conveyor so as to be arranged. There was also a problem that the configuration scale of the tunnel became large and it could not be easily adopted in a molding factory with a small number of treatments.

[0004] In addition to the problem of the size of the shrink tunnel and the like, the conventional shrink tunnel does not have stable temperature control at low temperatures and tends to vary. , The container may be expanded and deformed, or the film may not be completely shrunk. In order to deal with such inconvenience, for example, the temperature of the shrink tunnel is maintained at a low temperature, the film is taken out of the tunnel in a state where the film is not completely shrunk, and the worker performs a finishing work using a hand dryer or the like. Method may be used. Also, depending on the shape, material, etc. of the resin container, a tunnel having a different set temperature may be arranged, and the container may be subjected to a plurality of heat treatments, which requires relatively inefficient work. That is the current situation.

[0005] As the film to be coated on the above-mentioned conventional PET bottle, PVC capable of easily performing shrink coating is used.
(PVC) film and PS (polyethylene)
Films are generally used, and PET films are rarely used. However, in order to cope with the recent reuse of plastic bottles, it is necessary to separate the plastic bottles from the PVC film and the PS film, and there is a problem that the disposal of the discarded plastic bottles becomes complicated. However, in the conventional shrink coating apparatus, there are still many problems that need to be solved in order to coat a PET bottle with a PET film.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the conventional shrink coating apparatus, and has improved the structure of the shrink tunnel so that the shrink tunnel made of PET film can be added to a resin container such as an empty PET bottle. It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus capable of performing coating efficiently.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus for shrink-coating a film on a surface of a resin container. The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is characterized in that the heat treatment apparatus includes a plurality of processing chambers divided in a moving direction of the resin container, heating means, hot air circulating means, and heating direction adjusting means arranged in each of the processing chambers. And a conveyor device for transporting the resin container through each of the processing chambers.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the plurality of processing chambers disposed in the transfer path of the resin container, the heating conditions corresponding to the properties of the resin container and the film to be coated can be arbitrarily set. It is characterized by doing. According to a third aspect of the present invention, the heating means arranged in each of the processing chambers is configured by arranging a large number of infrared lamps in groups, and heating conditions can be adjusted for each of the infrared lamp groups. A control means is provided. The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that a heating direction adjusting means is provided in each of the processing chambers so that the temperature distribution in the processing chamber can be adjusted.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a heating direction adjusting means is disposed in a heating section of the resin container inside the processing chamber, and the heating action by the heating means and the hot air circulating means is controlled by the heating direction adjusting means. It is characterized by being controlled by means.

With the above-described configuration, unlike the conventional apparatus using a shrink tunnel, there is no need to use a separate apparatus in accordance with a plurality of steps, and the effect of shrink coating of a resin container with a film can be reduced. It can be performed with a small device. Further, since it is not necessary to cover the film in a state where the contents are filled in the resin container, there is no need for a facility of a filling device, and heat treatment can be easily performed. Further, by individually or collectively controlling the heating device, the hot air circulating device, and the heating direction adjusting device disposed in the processing chamber, it is possible to easily perform a control operation corresponding to the type and characteristics of the resin container and the film. be able to.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The infrared shrink device of the present invention will be described with reference to the illustrated example. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the heat treatment apparatus 1 of the present invention includes an upper frame 3 disposed on a base frame 2, and processing chambers 5, 5
a and 5b are arranged. And the upper frame 3
An opening having a size through which a resin container such as a PET bottle can pass is provided at each of the both ends and the partition wall of the conveyor device 15.
The heat treatment is performed while transporting the container. Processing chamber 5 arranged in the upper frame 3 ...
, A heating device using infrared lamps 21 for heating in the processing chamber and a hot air circulating device using blowers 31, 31 a and 31 b for circulating hot air are arranged, respectively. When the film is conveyed through, the film is shrink-coated according to the heating conditions set separately in each processing chamber.

In the heat treatment apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the resin container placed on the right end of the drawing is
While being conveyed by the conveyor device 15, the resin containers are sequentially heated. In each of the treatment chambers, a temperature and a ventilation condition for the heat treatment for the resin container are separately set, the heat treatment is performed at the set temperature, the film coated on the resin container is softened, and the A shrink coating to adhere to the surface is performed. Then, in a state of being carried out to the left side of the apparatus, a resin container coated with a film can be obtained.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a cross section of the processing chamber of the heat treatment apparatus. The processing chamber 5 is mounted on a belt 16 of a conveyor device 15 and conveyed. Is formed with a processing space as a heat treatment section 6. A heating device 20 in which a number of infrared lamps are arranged for a resin container passing through the heat treatment section 6
And a hot air circulation device 30 using a blower 31,
A heating operation is performed at a set temperature. Also,
In order to control the amount of heating by the infrared lamp and the amount of hot air blown by the blower, the heat treatment section 6
The heating direction adjusting devices 40 are arranged on both sides of the.

As the conveyor device 15 used in the heat treatment device 1, a belt-shaped device using any material having a small thermal conductivity can be used. In the present embodiment, a fluororesin is used for the aramid fiber. Endless V-belts 16a and 16b each having a structure in which impregnated and fired braids are braided are arranged on both sides, and a belt supporting a fluororesin mesh belt 16 is used. And the transport belt 16 is
A belt guide formed of an iron plate frame is provided in a transport path that passes through each processing chamber, and a resin container is placed on the mesh belt and transported while the V-belt is guided by the belt guide. The driving device 17 for driving the transport belt 16 is provided with a variable speed drive unit controlled by an inverter, and sets the drive speed of the conveyor to the optimal transport speed for the target resin container.

Heating device 20 disposed with respect to the processing chamber
Are a number of infrared lamps 21, 2 above and below the top and sides.
2 and 23 are arranged respectively. As the infrared lamp, a lamp used as a general heating device can be used. The infrared lamps 21, 22, and 23 are each divided into one group, and each group is controlled by a dimmer. By controlling the amount of light, conditions such as the heating temperature in the processing chamber can be controlled. The infrared lamps 22 and 23 disposed on both sides of the processing chamber are attached to, for example, a side plate 24 of the heating chamber, and
The maintenance can be easily performed by opening the window and performing operations such as lamp replacement.

The hot air circulating device 30 disposed above the heat treatment device 1 is configured to suck hot air from above the heat treatment section 6 and blow hot air from the side of the heat treatment section. Blower 3 placed on top of upper frame 3
1 is an intake path 35 arranged toward the upper part of the heat treatment section 6.
The hot air is sucked from and exhausted from the exhaust passages 36 and 37 arranged on both sides. Air flow adjusting means is provided in the exhaust passage as necessary to adjust the amount of hot air blown. are doing.

Further, for example, even when the temperature distribution in the heat treatment section 6 is not uniform and an uneven state occurs, one hot air blown from the side of the heat treatment section by the hot air circulation device 30 causes The temperature distribution inside the heat treatment section becomes constant, and it is possible to prevent the temperature at the upstream and downstream portions in the transport direction of the resin container from being different. The intake path 35 and the exhaust path 36 disposed for the blower 31 may be disposed one by one. However, when the conditions of the temperature distribution inside the heat treatment section are to be set strictly, A plurality of air supply / exhaust portions may be provided, and a means for adjusting the flow rate of the hot air may be provided for the air supply / exhaust portions.

In the heating direction adjusting device 40 for adjusting the temperature in the heat treatment section 6, a large number of stainless steel louver plates 41 are arranged so as to be swingable. Is provided so as to be adjustable to an arbitrary angle within a range of 0 to 170 °. The louver plates 41 are provided with a mechanism for swinging the entire louver plates 41 in the same direction, and can be adjusted based on information set in a control device described later. In addition, when a large number of louver plates are separately provided so as to be swingable by hand,
Part of the resin container, such as the upper and lower parts or a part of the body part, which is particularly required to be heated, can be irradiated with lamp light and hot air through a louver plate.

For example, in a state where the louver plate is positioned and fixed substantially horizontally, the light of the infrared lamp disposed on the horizontal portion is irradiated onto the resin container without being blocked, and the light from the hot air circulating device is applied. The state in which the hot air is applied horizontally is set. Further, in a state where the louver plate is set to be inclined downward or upward, the light of the infrared lamp is radiated obliquely with a direction, and the blowing direction of the hot air by the hot air circulating device is also oblique to the resin container. , The heating action can be applied to specific positions on the upper and lower portions of the container. Further, when it is necessary to heat only a part of the resin container, it is possible to set a heating condition by adjusting a part of the louver plate.

As described above, the control of the lighting of the infrared lamp of the heating device 20, the control of the blowing condition of the hot air by the hot air circulating device 30, and the adjustment by the louver are performed in each of the processing chambers disposed in the upper frame. Can be performed individually. And, for example,
Even when the PET film is shrink-coated with the PET film, the heating conditions in the respective processing chambers are set for the entire film and the upper and lower ends, respectively.
An operation of shrink coating can be performed. Also,
Even when shrink coating is performed using a film of a type other than the PET, it is possible to set heating conditions corresponding to the characteristics of the film.

Are arranged between the processing chambers 5, 5a,... Arranged in the upper frame 3, respectively. As shown in FIG. The opening 11 is formed in a size large enough to pass through. The opening 11 provided in the partition 10 is, for example,
It can be configured in accordance with the size of the bottle 45, so that it is possible to prevent excess air from entering and leaving between the processing chambers partitioned by the partition wall 10. In addition, as the infrared lamp of the heating device disposed in the processing chamber, for example, when the entire body 47 and the neck 46 are uniformly heated, all the infrared lamps 21 to 23 are used. On the other hand, when the heating condition set in the processing chamber strongly acts on a specific portion of the bottle 45, for example, the neck 46
If you need to apply strong heat to the
By setting the interaction between turning on the lights 1 and 22 and the adjustment of the heating direction adjusting device, the heating action can be intensively applied to a portion requiring heating.

In the embodiment of the present invention as described above,
After the contents are filled in the resin container, the film can be used to coat the film. However, the heat treatment apparatus 1 coats the resin container with the film before the contents are filled in the container. It can be used as a device. Also,
In the case where the heat treatment device 1 is connected to a molding machine for a resin container and the film is coated before being transferred to a bottling factory, the film is shrink-coated on an empty resin container. The film can be easily coated. In particular, when shrink-coating a film on which a product name or a trademark is printed before filling the contents into the resin container, only the film to be coated on the thin plastic container needs to be heated. Therefore, it is possible to exhibit a feature that less heat is required for shrink coating, and it is not necessary to pay special attention to deterioration of the contents.

The heat treatment apparatus 1 can be provided with a control device as shown in FIG. 5 attached thereto. The input circuit 51 has information on the size and material of the resin container in addition to the information. , The type of film, the covering position, and the like are input and transmitted to the CPU 52. Further, in the memory 53 connected to the CPU, a table of control conditions is set in accordance with conditions such as a material and size of a resin container and a type of a film. The corresponding control information is transmitted.

The CPU 52 sets temperature conditions for each processing chamber of the heat treatment apparatus and data for controlling hot air, and sends the data to an individual controller 55 of each control device via an output circuit 54. The control condition for the device is output. As the individual devices,
It is intended for the conveyor device 15, the heating device 20, the hot air circulating device 30, and the heating direction adjusting device 40, and while performing control based on the initially set control conditions,
The CPU rewrites the control condition as needed using the information of the sensor S arranged in the processing chamber, outputs the rewrite information to the individual controller 55, and sets the optimum condition.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the heat treatment apparatus 1 is configured to have a length of about 2 m, and when shrink coating is applied to a small bottle, the time required for the bottle to pass through the apparatus for 30 seconds. Can be set to about. In the three processing chambers of the upper frame 3, the first processing chamber 5 performs an overall heating operation, the second processing chamber 5 a performs heating for the groove, and the third processing chamber 5 b performs heating for the neck. By applying a heating effect, the film can be shrink-coated in a short time. As the film, it is possible to cope with any shrink coating mode, such as covering the entire resin container and covering it for reinforcement, and attaching a label to a specific portion of the resin container. It is. The film can be used not only for covering a PET bottle with a PET film, but also for covering other types of resin films such as vinyl chloride.

The object of the shrink coating is not limited to a resin container such as a PET bottle, but may be a resin product such as a cap or a glass bottle. . When coating a film on a resin container other than the PET bottle,
Although there are many cases where it is not necessary to strictly set the control conditions, such as the coating for the PET bottle, the mechanism shown in the above embodiment can be applied as it is.

[0027]

As described above, the infrared shrink device of the present invention is constructed as described above, so that it is not necessary to use a separate device according to a plurality of steps as in a conventional device using a shrink tunnel. In addition, the effect of shrink coating of the resin container with the film can be performed by a small-sized device. Further, since it is not necessary to cover the film in a state where the contents are filled in the resin container, there is no need for equipment of a filling device, and heat treatment can be easily performed. Furthermore, by individually or comprehensively controlling the heating device, hot air circulating device, and heating direction adjusting device arranged in the processing chamber, the control action corresponding to the type and characteristics of the resin container and the film can be easily performed. It can be carried out.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a processing chamber.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a partition that partitions a processing chamber.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 heat treatment device, 2 base frame, 3
Upper frame, 5 processing room, 10 partition wall, 11
Opening, 15 conveyor devices, 16 belts,
17 drive device, 20 heating device, 21-23
Infrared lamp, 24 side plate, 30 hot air circulation device, 31 blower, 35 intake path, 36
Exhaust path, 40 heating direction adjusting device, 41 louver, 45 bottle, 46 neck, 47
Body, 50 control device, 51 input circuit, 52
CPU, 53 memory, 54 output circuit,
55 Individual controller.

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Akihiro Chihara 212-8 Akagidai, Kawasato-mura, Kita-Saitama-gun, Saitama

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A heat treatment apparatus for shrink-coating a film on a surface of a resin container, wherein the heat treatment apparatus includes a plurality of processing chambers divided in a moving direction of the resin container; An infrared shrink apparatus comprising: a heating unit, a hot air circulating unit, and a heating direction adjusting unit disposed in a chamber; and a conveyor device for transporting a resin container through each of the processing chambers. 2. A plurality of processing chambers arranged in a transfer path of the resin container, wherein heating conditions corresponding to the properties of the resin container and the film to be coated can be arbitrarily set. The infrared shrink device according to claim 1. 3. A heating means disposed in each of the processing chambers, wherein a large number of infrared lamps are arranged in groups, and a control means capable of adjusting a heating condition for each of the infrared lamp groups. The infrared shrink device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: 4. The infrared shrink according to claim 1, wherein a heating direction adjusting means is provided in each of the processing chambers so that a temperature distribution in the processing chamber can be adjusted. apparatus. 5. A heating direction adjusting means is disposed in a heating section of the resin container inside the processing chamber, and a heating action by the heating means and the hot air circulating means is controlled by the heating direction adjusting means. The infrared shrink device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: