JP2001193872A - Tube for beverage - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tube for beverages which is inexpensive, free from chlorine consumption, tasteless and odor, excellent in food hygiene, also excellent in flexibility and transparency, and hardly soiled, and can sufficiently ensure the adhesive strength between an inner layer and an outer layer. SOLUTION: This tube for beverages is provided with an inner layer 2, an intermediate layer 3 and an outer layer 4, which were applied from the inside in order. The inner layer 2 is formed of polyvinylidene fluoride, the intermediate layer 3 is formed of a styrene elastomer containing 10-90 wt.% of an acrylic elastomer, and the outer layer 4 is formed of one of styrene elastomers, olefinic elastomers, and blend materials of styrene elastomers and olefinic elastomers.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a beverage tube used as a beverage pipe in a cup-type vending machine, a dispenser or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, this kind of beverage tube is required to have the following characteristics. A. Do not impair the taste and smell of the beverage. B. B. Low consumption of chlorine added to tap water for sterilization. Difficult to be stained D. E. It has flexibility to perform piping freely. F. Transparency for visualizing the inside of the tube. Low cost

[0003] Conventionally, the following are mainly used beverage tubes. Single-layer tube made of silicone rubber or styrene-based elastomer The inner layer is made of FEP or PFA, the surface of which is surface-treated by a metal sodium method, and then an epoxy-rich silicone-based primer is applied.
A multi-layer tube made of SEBS or an olefin-based elastomer and bonded to the outer layer. A multi-layer tube made of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) with a silane-based coupling agent added, and an outer layer made of an ester-based polyurethane.

[0004]

However, none of these conventional beverage tubes satisfy the above-mentioned properties required for beverage tubes. First, although silicone rubber tubes and styrene-based elastomer tubes have flexibility, the components in the material react with chlorine added for sterilization in tap water, causing an unpleasant odor or chlorine. Consumption consumes the bactericidal effect. In addition, these materials are easy for dirt to adhere to, and are difficult to remove even when washed, and if used as they are, mold will be generated and they will bite into the material, making it more difficult to remove dirt. There are disadvantages.

[0005] Although the multilayer tube can solve the drawback of the tube, it is difficult to control the quality of adhesion between FEP or PFA constituting the inner layer and SEBS constituting the outer layer.
A sufficient adhesive strength cannot be stably obtained. Also,
Since the material cost is high and many steps are required for completion, there is a disadvantage that the manufacturing cost is very high.
In addition, the multilayer tube has been proposed as a measure for improving the tube, but only the polyurethane of the material constituting the outer layer can be bonded,
Since polyurethane is hydrolyzed, no durability is obtained for beverage piping such as a cup-type vending machine, which is not suitable.

The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and satisfies all of the above-mentioned characteristics required for a beverage tube, that is, it is inexpensive, has no chlorine consumption, and is tasteless and odorless. An object of the present invention is to provide a beverage tube that is excellent in food hygiene, is excellent in flexibility and transparency, is resistant to soiling, and can sufficiently secure the adhesive strength between an inner layer and an outer layer.

[0007]

In order to achieve this object, a beverage tube of the present invention comprises an inner layer, an intermediate layer and an outer layer which are coated in order from the inside, wherein the inner layer is made of polyvinylidene fluoride. The layer is composed of a styrene-based elastomer containing 10 to 90% by weight of an acrylic elastomer, and the outer layer is composed of one of a styrene-based elastomer, an olefin-based elastomer, and a blend material of a styrene-based elastomer and an olefin-based elastomer. It is characterized by having.

According to this beverage tube, since the inner layer is composed of polyvinylidene fluoride, the characteristics thereof do not cause chlorine consumption, the inner surface is hardly stained, and has a gas barrier property. The advantages such as less taste and odor and excellent food hygiene can be obtained. Also,
The outer layer is composed of a styrene-based elastomer, an olefin-based elastomer, or a blend material of both,
Flexibility is ensured.

Further, the intermediate layer as an adhesive layer for adhering the inner layer and the outer layer is made of a styrene-based elastomer containing 10 to 90% by weight of an acrylic-based elastomer. For this reason, the adhesiveness with the inner layer made of polyvinylidene fluoride is ensured by the acrylic elastomer of 10% by weight or more contained in the intermediate layer. Further, the adhesiveness to the outer layer composed of the styrene-based elastomer and / or the olefin-based elastomer is ensured by the styrene-based elastomer of 10% by weight or more contained in the intermediate layer. Therefore, the intermediate layer can sufficiently secure the adhesive strength between the inner layer and the outer layer.

Further, these materials constituting the inner layer, the intermediate layer and the outer layer are low in material cost, and can be easily molded simultaneously by, for example, three-layer co-extrusion molding because they are all thermoplastic resins. Can be manufactured.

[0011] In this case, it is preferable to further include an outermost skin which is coated on the outer layer and is made of an olefin resin.

[0012] With this configuration, the outer surface of the beverage tube is less likely to be soiled and a good glossy appearance can be obtained due to the characteristics of the olefin resin coated as the outermost skin.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a beverage tube (hereinafter, simply referred to as “tube”) 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This tube 1 is used as a beverage pipe of a cup-type vending machine or a dispenser, and includes an inner layer 2, an intermediate layer 3, and an outer layer 4 which are sequentially coated from the inside.

The inner layer 2 is made of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVD).
F). The intermediate layer 3 has a thickness of 10 to 90.
It is composed of a thin film layer made of a styrene-based elastomer (for example, SEBS) containing a weight percent of an acrylic-based elastomer. Further, the outer layer 4 is made of SEBS, olefin-based elastomer, or a blended material of SEBS and olefin-based elastomer, and the tube 1 is formed by three-layer co-extrusion of these materials.

The intermediate layer 3 functions as an adhesive layer for bonding the inner layer 2 and the outer layer 4. That is, the acrylic elastomer contained in the intermediate layer 3 ensures the adhesiveness to the PVDF forming the inner layer 2 and the intermediate layer 3
SEBS constituting the outer layer 4 by SEBS included in
And / or adhesion to the olefin-based elastomer is ensured.

In this case, when the content of the acrylic elastomer in the intermediate layer 3 is less than 10% by weight,
On the other hand, when the adhesion exceeds 90% by weight, that is, when the content of SEBS is less than 10% by weight, the adhesion to the outer layer 4 becomes insufficient. Therefore,
The addition amount of the acrylic elastomer of the mid layer 3 is 10 to 90.
By setting the weight%, the adhesive strength between the inner layer 2 and the outer layer 4 can be sufficiently ensured. In addition, the content of the acrylic elastomer is preferably 30 to 70% by weight in order to obtain a sufficient and more reliable bonding strength between the inner layer 2 and the outer layer 4. 2
In order to obtain a good balance between the outer layer 4 and the outer layer 4, the content is particularly preferably 50% by weight.

Table 1 below shows the adhesiveness and cold resistance of the tubes 1 according to three examples manufactured based on this embodiment, together with four comparative examples. In each of these Examples and Comparative Examples, PVDF was used as the inner layer 2.
Is that SEBS is used as the outer layer 4 and the composition of the intermediate layer 3 is different from each other. Specifically, in each embodiment, the intermediate layer 3 is made of an acrylic elastomer and S
Using a blend material with EBS, the content of the acrylic elastomer was set to 30% by weight, 50% by weight and 70% by weight in the first to third examples, respectively.

[0018]

[Table 1]

On the other hand, in the fourth comparative example, the content of the acrylic elastomer was 100% by weight, that is, an acrylic elastomer containing no SEBS was used as the intermediate layer 3. Further, in all of the first to third comparative examples, the intermediate layer 3 is an acrylic resin.
A blend material of PMMA-EVA graft polymer, PMMA, and EVA containing 25% vinyl acetate was used, and their compounding ratios were 7: 3: 0, 7: 3: 7, and 7: 3: 3, respectively. A sample of the tube 1 was prepared as described above, and the adhesion between the inner layer 2 and the outer layer 4 and the cold resistance of the tube 1 were evaluated. The cold resistance is 23
When the change in hardness of the outer layer 4 when the sample prepared so that the hardness of the outer layer 4 becomes 60 degrees at the ambient temperature of 5 ° C. for a predetermined time is within 10 degrees, the cold resistance is “good”. It was evaluated.

In the same table, first, in the first to third comparative examples in which the intermediate layer 3 is made of only acrylic resin, the cold resistance is good, but the adhesiveness between the inner layer 2 and the outer layer 4 is not good. In Comparative Example 4 in which the intermediate layer 3 was composed of only the acrylic elastomer, the adhesion between the intermediate layer 3 and the inner layer 2 composed of PVDF was good, but the adhesion between the intermediate layer 3 and the outer layer 4 composed of SEBS was good. Is bad. Comparative Example 4
Had poor cold resistance and a strong smell.

On the other hand, in each of the first to third embodiments, since the intermediate layer 3 is made of a blend material of an acrylic elastomer and SEBS, sufficient adhesion between the inner layer 2 and the outer layer 4 is achieved. Strength is obtained and cold resistance is also good. In particular, the second example in which the content of the acrylic elastomer was 50% by weight showed the highest adhesive strength.

As described above, according to the tube 1 of the present embodiment, since the inner layer 2 is made of PVDF, there is no chlorine consumption, the inner surface is hardly soiled, and it has a gas barrier property and can be used for beverages. Since there is no eluate, advantages such as tastelessness and odor and excellent food hygiene can be obtained. Further, since the outer layer 4 is made of SEBS, olefin-based elastomer, or a blend material of both, flexibility can be ensured.

Further, the acrylic elastomer contained in the intermediate layer 3 ensures the adhesiveness to the inner layer 2 made of PVDF, and the SEBS contained in the intermediate layer 3
By this, the adhesiveness with the outer layer 4 composed of SEBS and / or olefin-based elastomer is ensured,
The adhesive strength between the inner layer 2 and the outer layer 4 can be sufficiently ensured.

Further, these materials constituting the inner layer 2, the intermediate layer 3 and the outer layer 4 have low material costs and are all thermoplastic resins, which are easily formed simultaneously by three-layer coextrusion. The tube 1 can be manufactured at low cost.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but can be implemented in various modes.
For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the outermost layer 5 made of an olefin-based resin may be further coated on the outside of the outer layer 4 of the embodiment. In this configuration, the outer surface of the tube 1 is hardly stained due to the characteristics of the olefin resin, and a good glossy appearance can be obtained. In addition, the configuration of the details can be appropriately changed within the scope of the present invention.

[0026]

As described above, the beverage tube of the present invention is inexpensive, consumes no chlorine, is tasteless and odorless, is excellent in food hygiene, is excellent in flexibility and transparency, and is resistant to soiling. In addition, there is an effect that the adhesive strength between the inner layer and the outer layer can be sufficiently secured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a beverage tube according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a modification of the beverage tube of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Beverage tube 2 Inner layer 3 Middle layer 4 Outer layer 5 Outer skin

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Sachiko Sagawa 2-5-5-Keihanhondori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Katsumasa Kanai 4371 Maesawa, Kurobe-shi, Toyama Pref. F-term (reference) 3H111 AA02 BA15 BA34 CB04 CB05 CB14 DA26 DB02 DB19 4F100 AK03C AK03J AK12B AK12C AK12J AK19A AK25B AL05B AL05C AL09B AL09C BA03 BA07 BA10A BA10C BA15 EH20 J51 GB90 JK06

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An inner layer, an intermediate layer, and an outer layer coated in order from the inside, wherein the inner layer is made of polyvinylidene fluoride, and the intermediate layer is a styrene-based elastomer containing 10 to 90% by weight of an acrylic elastomer. Wherein the outer layer is made of one of a styrene-based elastomer, an olefin-based elastomer, and a blended material of a styrene-based elastomer and an olefin-based elastomer. 2. The beverage tube according to claim 1, further comprising an outermost skin layer coated on the outside of the outer layer and made of an olefin-based resin.