JP2001171620A - Label heating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a label heating apparatus to keep the inside of a heating chamber in the temperature distribution condition suitable for the heating and shrinking of a shrink label. SOLUTION: The label heating apparatus comprises the heating chamber 10 installed to surround a carrying conveyor C and steam blowing means 11 and 12 installed in the heating chamber 10. Each steam outlet 10a to discharge outside the heated steam to be fed into discharge zones Z1 and Z2 by the steam blowing means 11 and 12 is formed over the substantially entire length of the heating zones Z1 and Z2, and an adjustment plate 16 to adjust the opening area and the opening position is bolted to each steam outlet 10a. The opening area and the opening position of the steam outlet 10a can be arbitrarily adjusted by changing the fitting position of the adjustment plate 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to, for example, PET
The present invention relates to a label heating device mounted on a label mounting device for mounting a shrink label on a container such as a bottle, for heating and shrinking the shrink label.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art PE filled with liquid beverages such as soft drinks
Containers such as T bottles are usually equipped with a shrink label made of a synthetic resin film on which a display of a product name, contents, etc. is printed, and such a shrink label moves the container to a predetermined transport path. A conveyor that conveys along, a label insertion device that inserts a non-shrinkable cylindrical shrink label into a container that is conveyed by the conveyor, and a heating device that heats and shrinks the shrink label inserted into the container. In general, the label is continuously mounted on the container by the provided label mounting device.

As a label heating device mounted on a label mounting device, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, a heating process is installed so as to surround a transport conveyor C for transporting a container B in which a shrink label L is inserted. And a steam blower 52 installed in the heat treatment chamber 51 for spraying heating steam to the shrink label L inserted into the container B passing through the heat treatment chamber 51. Heated steam supplied into the heat treatment chamber 51 by the steam spraying means 52 is forcibly discharged to the outside by a discharge fan 56a via a discharge duct 56 from a vapor discharge port 51a formed in an upper portion of the heat treatment chamber 51. It has become so.

In the label heating apparatus 50, as shown in FIG. 1, the inside of a heat treatment chamber 51 is divided into a first heating zone z1 and a second heating zone z2 in the direction of transport of the container B. The shrink label L is thermally contracted stepwise by the steam blowing means 52 provided for each of the zones z1 and z2. That is, in the initial shrinking step performed in the first heating zone z1, the lower side of the shrink label L is mainly heated and shrunk,
After preventing the container B from rising from a predetermined position due to the heat shrinkage of the shrink label L, the entire shrink label L is heated and shrunk in the second heating zone z2, so that the shrink label L moves to the predetermined position of the container B. It is designed to be installed neatly.

[0005] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the steam spraying means 52 has a plurality of steam injection holes 53 a, which are provided in multiple stages in the vertical direction on both sides thereof along the conveyor C. The steam injection pipes 53 are connected to the header section 54 via the valves 55, respectively, and by opening and closing the valves 55, the balance of the amount of steam injected from each steam injection pipe 53 can be adjusted. It has become.

As shown in FIG. 9, a steam supply pipe 58 for supplying heating steam generated by a steam boiler 57 is connected to the header section 54, and the steam supply pipe 58 is connected to the header section 54. A pressure reducing valve 59 that keeps the steam supply pressure constant and a control valve 60 that controls the amount of steam supply to the header 54 are provided.

The heat treatment chamber 51 includes a heat treatment chamber 5
A temperature sensor 61 for detecting the temperature inside the control valve 1 is provided. The control valve 6 is controlled based on an operation signal from a controller 62 output in response to a temperature detection signal from the temperature sensor 61.
By performing the opening / closing operation by 0, the steam injection amount of the steam injection pipe 53 is adjusted so that the temperature in the heat treatment chamber 51 is maintained at the set temperature.

[0008]

By the way, in the label heating device 50 as described above, since the steam discharge port 51a is formed in the upper part of the heat treatment chamber 51, the steam injection pipe 5 is formed.
By being injected from 3, the heating steam supplied into the heat treatment chamber 51 is guided from the lower side to the upper side of the heat treatment chamber 51, and the heating steam always concentrates on the upper part of the heat treatment chamber 51. . In addition, air having a low temperature is guided upward from the lower side of the steam blowing means 52.

Therefore, in the heat treatment chamber 51, the temperature of the upper portion is always higher than that of the lower portion, and the upper side of the shrink label L is more easily heated than the lower side.
It becomes difficult to shrink the shrink label L gradually from its lower part to its upper part. In particular, there is a problem that it is difficult to control the temperature in the first heating zone z1 in which it is necessary to prevent the shrink label L from moving up with respect to the container B by thermally contracting the lower side of the shrink label L.

In the heat treatment chamber 51, the temperature in the vicinity of the steam outlet 51a where the heating steam is concentrated becomes particularly high, and the steam outlet 51a is formed even at the same height position in the same heating zone. Since temperature unevenness is formed between the part and the other part, the shrink label L
However, there is also a problem that heat shrinkage cannot be uniformly performed.

In recent years, there has been a tendency that the label mounting apparatus is operated at a high speed in order to enhance productivity. However, when the label mounting apparatus is operated at a high speed, the transport speed of the container B by the transport conveyor C increases. , Container B is a heat treatment chamber 5
1, the heating time for the shrink label L is shortened, and the shrink label L
Cannot be sufficiently thermally contracted. For this reason,
A label mounting device that is operated at a high speed must be equipped with a label heating device that has a longer overall length than a label mounting device that is operated at a low speed, and there is a problem that the label mounting device becomes larger overall. .

For this reason, with respect to the label heating device mounted on the label mounting device, it is desired to shorten the overall length of the heat treatment chamber 51 while securing the heating capability for the shrink label L. Heating device 5
0, as in the case of the steam spraying means 52 in FIG.
Is connected to the header section 54 via a valve 55, the header section is provided in addition to the installation area of the steam injection pipe 53 serving as a heating steam injection area. Since the installation area of the valve 54 and the valve 55 must be secured in the transport direction of the container B, the entire length of the heat treatment chamber 51 cannot be significantly reduced.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to maintain a temperature distribution state suitable for heat shrinkage of a shrink label in a heat treatment chamber, and to further reduce the total length of the heat treatment chamber while securing the heating capacity for the shrink label. An object of the present invention is to provide a label heating device that can be shortened.

[0014]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a heating process which is installed so as to surround a conveyance path of an inserted body into which a cylindrical shrink label is inserted. And a steam blower that is installed in the heat treatment chamber and blows heating steam to the shrink label inserted into the inserted object that passes through the heat treatment chamber. Another object of the present invention is to provide a label heating apparatus in which a steam discharge port, which can adjust an opening area and an opening position, is formed to discharge heating steam supplied into the heat treatment chamber to the outside.

In the label heating apparatus configured as described above, the heating steam supplied into the heating chamber is discharged from the steam outlet formed on the side surface of the heating chamber. The heating steam does not concentrate on the upper part of the chamber, and the opening and the opening position of the steam outlet can be adjusted. Therefore, by appropriately adjusting the opening area and the opening position, the inside of the heating processing chamber can be adjusted. The temperature distribution can be adjusted to a state suitable for the shrink label under heat shrinkage.

[0016] Further, as in the label heating apparatus according to the second aspect, a steam sprayer in which a steam supply pipe for supplying heating steam is directly connected to a steam injector having a plurality of openable and closable steam injection holes. In those having means, by opening and closing each steam injection hole, it is possible to adjust the injection balance of the heated steam injected from the steam injector,
Like steam spraying means in a conventional label heating device,
There is no need to provide a separate valve for adjusting the steam injection balance, and there is no need to provide a header for connecting a plurality of steam supply pipes to each other. The heat treatment chamber can be shortened by the installation area of the section. The term "heated steam" used herein is a concept including heated steam and steam condensed with steam.

[0017]

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. The label heating device 1 shown in FIG.
The container B such as an ET bottle is installed on a label mounting line for mounting a cylindrical shrink label L on the body of the container B while being conveyed by the conveyor C, and is fitted on the body of the container B in the previous process. The inserted unshrinked cylindrical shrink label L is heated and shrunk by the heating device 1 so as to be brought into close contact with the body of the container B.

This label heating apparatus 1 is shown in FIGS.
(A) and (b), a heat treatment chamber 10 installed so as to surround the transport conveyor C, and the heat treatment chamber 10
And steam spraying means 11 and 12 installed in the heat treatment chamber 1 by the steam spraying means 11 and 12.
Shrink label L inserted in container B passing through inside 0
The shrink label L is thermally contracted by spraying heated steam on the shrink label L.

As shown in FIG. 1, the heat treatment chamber 10 includes a first heating zone Z1 in which the lower part of the shrink label L inserted in the container B is thermally contracted and a shrink label L as a whole. It is divided into a second heating zone Z2 to be thermally contracted, and steam blowing means 11 and 12 are installed in each of the heating zones Z1 and Z2.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 (a), the heating steam supplied into the heating zones Z1 and Z2 by the steam blowing means 11 and 12 is applied to both sides of the heating processing chamber 10 to the outside. A steam discharge port 10a for discharging is formed over substantially the entire length of each of the heating zones Z1 and Z2, and an adjusting plate 16 for adjusting an opening area and an opening position is bolted to each of the steam discharge ports 10a. Have been. Therefore, the opening area and the opening position of the steam discharge port 10a can be arbitrarily adjusted by replacing the adjusting plate 16 with a different size or changing the mounting position of the adjusting plate 16.

A cover member 13 for covering the upper half of the heat treatment chamber 10 is provided outside the heat treatment chamber 10 so as to include the steam discharge port 10a. Thereby, a steam discharge passage 13a for the heated steam discharged from the steam discharge port 10a is formed.

A steam discharge passage 13 a formed by the heat treatment chamber 10 and the cover member 13 is connected to a discharge fan 15 through a connection port 13 b formed on the upper surface of the cover member 13.
Are connected to an exhaust duct 14 in which the heating steam is discharged from the steam outlets 10a of the heating zones Z1 and Z2, and a steam exhaust passage 13a and an exhaust duct formed for each of the heating zones Z1 and Z2. 14, the air is forcibly discharged to the outside by an exhaust fan 15.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the steam spraying means 11 installed in the first heating zone Z1 is a pair of steam blowing means 11 arranged so as to face each other across the conveyor C and extending in the conveying direction of the container B. , And each of the steam injectors 11a is supplied with heated steam by a steam supply pipe 17 connected to its upper surface.

Each of the steam injectors 11a has the structure shown in FIGS.
As shown in (a) and (b), a large number of steam injection hole groups HG including six concentrically formed steam injection holes 11b are formed on both opposing surfaces in the vertical direction and the transport direction of the container B. At the center position of each steam injection hole group HG, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a bolt 11c for attaching a washer 11d covering each steam injection hole group HG is formed. Installed.

Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), by attaching a washer 11d to an arbitrary steam injection hole group HG formed in the steam injector 11a, the steam injection hole group HG is formed. Injection of the heating steam from the steam injector 11a is prevented, and the balance of the steam injection amount of the heating steam injected from the steam injector 11a can be adjusted.

On the other hand, the steam blowing means 12 installed in the second heating zone Z2 is composed of a pair of steam injection units arranged so as to face each other with the transport conveyor C interposed therebetween. As shown in FIG. 1, a header part 12a to which a steam supply pipe 17 is connected, and six upper and lower steam injection pipes 12c connected to the header part 12a via a valve 12b and extending in a transport direction of the container B. It is composed of

A large number of steam injection holes 12d are formed in each steam injection pipe 12c at regular intervals in the direction of transport of the container B, and the heating and spraying injected from each steam injection pipe 12c by opening and closing the valve 12b. The steam injection amount can be adjusted.

As shown in FIG. 5, a steam supply pipe 17 for supplying heating steam to the steam blowing means 11 and 12 is connected to a steam boiler 18 via a control valve 19, and opens and closes each control valve 19. By doing so, the amount of steam supplied to each of the steam blowing means 11 and 12 can be adjusted.

A temperature sensor 20 for detecting the temperature of each of the heating zones Z1 and Z2 is attached to the heat treatment chamber 10, and a steam supply pressure is provided upstream of the control valve 19 in each steam supply pipe 17. A pressure sensor 21 for detecting the pressure is mounted, and is controlled according to an operation output signal from a controller 22 that performs cascade control based on a temperature detection signal from the temperature sensor 20 and a pressure detection signal from the pressure sensor 21. By opening and closing the valve 19, the temperature in each of the heating zones Z1 and Z2 is always maintained at the set temperature.

The label heating apparatus 1 configured as described above
First, in the first heating zone Z1 of the heat treatment chamber 10, heating steam is mainly injected to the lower side of the shrink label L inserted into the container B to be conveyed,
The lower side of the shrink label L is mainly heat shrunk,
The shrink label L is held at a predetermined position with respect to the container B. This prevents the shrink label L from rising due to the subsequent heat shrinkage.

After the lower portion of the shrink label L is heated and shrunk in a focused manner in this way, in the second heating zone, the entirety of the shrink label L is heated by injecting the heating steam, whereby the entire shrink label L is heated. Is heat-shrinked uniformly, and the shrink label L is attached neatly to the predetermined position of the container B.

As described above, in the label heating apparatus 1, the heating steam supplied into the heating processing chamber 10 by the steam spraying means 11 and 12 is supplied from the steam discharging port 10a formed on the side surface of the heating processing chamber 10. Since it is configured to be discharged to the outside, the heating steam does not concentrate on the upper portion of the heating processing chamber 10 as in a conventional label heating device in which a steam outlet is formed on the upper surface of the heating processing chamber. Moreover, since the opening area and the opening position of the steam discharge port 10a can be adjusted by the size and the mounting position of the adjustment plate 16, the first area divided by appropriately adjusting the opening area and the opening position. The inside of the heating zone Z1 and the second heating zone Z2 can be adjusted to a temperature distribution state suitable for the heat shrinkage of the shrink label L in each of the heating zones Z1 and Z2.

Further, in the label heating apparatus 1, the heating steam discharged from the steam discharge ports 10a formed on both sides of the heating processing chamber 10 over substantially the entire length of each of the heating zones Z1 and Z2 is supplied to the heating processing chamber 10. Since the heat is guided to the exhaust duct 14 through the steam discharge passage 13a formed by partitioning the heating zones Z1 and Z2, the influence on other heating zones is small, and the heating zones Z1 and Z2 are not affected. Each label is easily adjusted, and furthermore, the same height position in the same heating zone as in a conventional label heating device in which an exhaust duct is directly connected to a vapor discharge port formed partially on the upper surface of the heat treatment chamber. Therefore, there is an effect that the heat shrinkage of the shrink label L can be uniformly performed without forming temperature unevenness in the transport direction of the container B.

The steam spraying means 11 installed in the first heating zone Z1 has a plurality of steam injection holes 11b formed so as to be aligned in the vertical direction and the transport direction of the container B. By directly connecting the supply pipe 17 and closing the steam injection holes 11b for each steam injection hole group HG using the washer 11d, the balance of the steam injection amount of the entire steam injector 11 can be adjusted. Therefore, a header portion 12a for connecting a plurality of steam injection pipes 12c and a valve 12b for adjusting the balance of the steam injection amount are not required as in the steam blowing means 12 installed in the second heating zone Z2. In addition, there is no need to secure a connection area for the steam supply pipe 17 in the transport direction of the container B, and the entire heating area of the first heating zone Z1 is maintained without reducing the heating capacity for the shrink label L. The header portion 12a, it is possible to shorten the length t of the connecting portion of the valve 12b and the steam supply pipe 17.

Accordingly, compared to a conventional label heating apparatus in which a steam injection unit similar to the steam blowing means 12 is installed in both the first heating zone and the second heating zone, the entire length of the heat treatment chamber 10, that is, the entire length of the heat treatment chamber 10, The overall length of the label heating device 1 can be shortened.

Further, in the label heating device 1, as described above, the pressure sensor 21 installed in the steam supply pipe 17 is used.
Since the cascade control that detects the steam supply pressure and controls the temperature inside the heat treatment chamber 10 while taking into account the fluctuation of the steam supply pressure is adopted, like a conventional label heating device,
There is no need to install a pressure reducing valve that keeps the vapor supply pressure constant, and there is also an effect that the label heating device 1 is downsized.

In the above embodiment, the six steam injection holes 11b constituting each steam injection hole group HG are closed by the washer 11d, but the opening and closing mechanism of the steam injection holes 11b is not limited to this. However, for example, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the steam injector 1
A tapered steam injection hole 11b is formed in the steam injection surface 1a, and a screw 11e having a head fitted into the tapered steam injection hole 11b is inserted into the steam injection hole 11b to face the steam injection surface. It is also possible to open and close the steam injection hole 11b by screwing it into the surface and rotating the screw 11e to advance and retreat the head of the screw 11e with respect to the steam injection hole 11b.

In the above-described embodiment, the conventional steam injection unit is installed in the second heating zone Z2. However, the steam injection unit installed in the first heating zone Z1 is also installed in the second heating zone Z2. If a steam injector having the same configuration as the heater 11a is installed, the total length of the label heating device can be further reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, the inside of the heat treatment chamber 10 is divided into two zones, that is, the first heating zone Z1 and the second heating zone Z2. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is not necessary to partition the inside of the heat treatment chamber 10 when heat shrinking is not required stepwise, and it is also possible to partition the shrink label into three or more zones when it is necessary to shrink the shrink label in more steps. It is.

In the above-described embodiment, the pair of steam injectors 11a or the pair of steam injectors are installed in each of the heating zones Z1 and Z2 so as to be opposed to both sides of the conveyor C. , Such a steam injector 11a or steam injection unit
It is also possible to install heating steam below the container B to be conveyed by the conveyor C from below. When the heating steam is also blown from the lower side of the container B, the heat treatment chamber 1
It is possible to effectively prevent a temperature drop in the lower portion within 0.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the shrink label L is attached to the container B such as a PET bottle has been described. However, the label heating apparatus according to the present invention can be used for various articles other than the container, such as foods and miscellaneous goods. Needless to say, it can be used when a shrink label is attached to a vehicle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing an embodiment of a label heating device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a schematic sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 1;
(B) is a schematic sectional view along line YY of (a).

FIG. 3A is a partial front view showing a steam injector in the label heating device of the above, and FIG. 3B is a partial cross-sectional view showing the steam injector of the same.

FIG. 4A is a partial front view showing a steam injector in a state in which a steam injection hole group in the label heating device is closed.
(B) is a partial sectional view showing the steam injector in a state where the steam injection hole group is closed.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a control system for explaining a temperature control method in a heat treatment chamber in the label heating device of the above.

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a modification of the steam injection hole in the label heating device is closed, and FIG. 6B is a view showing a state in which the modification of the vapor injection hole in the label heating device is opened. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a conventional label heating device.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the label heating device of the above.

FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of a control system for explaining a temperature control method in a heat treatment chamber in the label heating device of the above.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Label heating apparatus 10 Heat treatment chamber 10a Steam discharge port 11, 12 Steam spraying means 11a Steam injector 11b Steam injection hole 11c Bolt 11d Washer 16 Adjustment plate 17 Steam supply pipe 19 Control valve B Container C Transport conveyor L Shrink label Z1 First 1 heating zone Z2 2nd heating zone

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A heat treatment chamber installed so as to surround a transport path of a to-be-inserted body into which a tubular shrink label is inserted, and said heat treatment chamber is installed in said heat treatment chamber and passes through said heat treatment chamber. Steam blowing means for blowing heating steam onto the shrink label inserted into the fitted insert, an opening area for discharging heating steam supplied into the heating processing chamber to the outside on a side surface of the heating processing chamber. And a label heating device having a vapor discharge port whose opening position can be adjusted. 2. The label heating device according to claim 1, wherein the steam spraying means is configured such that a steam supply pipe for supplying heating steam is directly connected to a steam injector having a plurality of openable and closable steam injection holes. apparatus.