JP2008296958A - Packaging container manufacturing apparatus and packaging container manufacturing process - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the inside of a tubular packaging material from being left in a non-aseptic environment. <P>SOLUTION: This packaging container manufacturing apparatus is provided with a forming member which tubularly forms a webby packaging material 11 whose end edge and beginning edge are connected to form a mutually joint part, a filling part for filling a fluid food in a tubular packaging material 20, a vertical sealing apparatus for vertically sealing both edges of the material 20, a seal/cut part for laterally sealing and cutting the material 20 filled with the food and a sterilized chamber storing at least the filling part and the vertical sealing apparatus. The joint part and the vertical seal part of the material 20 are sealed by a sealing member in the chamber. In this way, the inside of the material 20 is prevented from being left in a non-aseptic environment. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a packaging container manufacturing apparatus and a packaging container manufacturing method.

  Conventionally, for example, when manufacturing a food having fluidity such as tea, juice, soup, alcohol, etc., that is, a packaging container for storing fluid food, in a filling machine of a packaging container manufacturing apparatus, A packaging container is formed by sealing a predetermined portion of a plate-like packaging material by a method such as heat sealing or ultrasonic sealing.

  When a web-like packaging material is used, the packaging material is wound for a preset length and is set on the delivery unit in a reeled state. Next, the packaging material is fed out from the delivery unit, formed into a tube shape, and sealed in the vertical direction by a vertical sealing device, and then the fluid food is filled into the tubular packaging material. Subsequently, the tubular packaging material is laterally sealed and cut by a sealing / cutting device at a predetermined interval to form a pillow-shaped prototype container. The prototype container is further formed into a predetermined shape to become a packaging container.

  By the way, in order to continuously operate the filling machine, a pair of reels is set in the delivery unit, and when the packaging material of one reel is all fed out, the packaging material of the other reel is continuously fed out. It is like that. For this purpose, the end of the packaging material of one reel and the starting end of the packaging material of the other reel are connected (connected) by the splicer, and the respective packaging materials are connected.

  Further, the web-like packaging material is formed by cutting a wide original plate with a predetermined width. For example, a regular packaging material having a set length is wound as it is in a reel shape. The packaging materials having an end length that is formed for the convenience of manufacturing the material and does not reach the set length are connected to each other by a splicer.

  In this case, a two-ply seam portion is formed between each wrapping material, and when the web-like wrapping material is sealed in the longitudinal direction to form a tubular wrapping material, a four-ply portion is formed. There is a possibility that the vertical sealing by the vertical sealing device cannot be sufficiently performed at the four-layered portion.

  2 is a diagram showing a seam portion of a conventional web-shaped packaging material, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a seam portion of the conventional web-shaped packaging material, and FIG. 4 is a seam portion of a conventional tube-shaped packaging material. FIG. 5 and FIG. 5 are AA sectional views of FIG.

  In the figure, 11 is a web-shaped wrapping material, 20 is a tube-shaped wrapping material, m1 is a joint portion, and n1 is a vertical seal portion. In this case, when the packaging material 11 is sealed in the vertical direction by a vertical sealing device (not shown) and the packaging material 20 is formed, a four-ply portion is formed by the seam portion m1 of the packaging material 11.

  As a result, in the vertical seal portion n1, a step is generated by the seam portion m1, so that a gap k1 is formed in a portion adjacent to the seam portion m1, and there is a possibility that a sealing failure may occur.

Therefore, when a seam detection device (not shown) is disposed at a predetermined position and the seam portion m1 is detected by the seam detection device while the packaging material is being processed by the filling machine, the seam detection device is formed including the seam portion m1. The packaging container is removed from the production line as a defective product (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-192628 A

  However, in the conventional filling machine, if a gap k1 due to a sealing failure is formed in the packaging material 20, the inside and outside of the packaging material 20 communicate with each other through the gap k1, so that it is accidentally caused by a temporary shutdown or the like. When the gap k1 stops outside the sterile room, the entire inside of the packaging material 20 is placed in a state where it is not in a sterile environment.

  That is, in the filling machine, the packaging material 11 is formed into a tube shape and sealed in the longitudinal direction, and the process of filling the fluid food therebetween is performed in an aseptic room, and the packaging materials 11 and 20 are placed in the aseptic room. It has come to be. However, since the sealing / cutting device for sealing and cutting the packaging material 20 in the lateral direction at a predetermined interval is large in size and cannot be accommodated in a sterile room, the packaging material 20 is disposed in the lateral direction. The process of sealing and cutting is performed outside the sterile room. Therefore, the packaging material 20 discharged from the aseptic chamber is transported to a place that is not in an aseptic environment. At this time, since the packaging material 20 is not sealed in the lateral direction, the seam m1 of the packaging material 20 is used. In the case where a sealing failure occurs and a gap k1 occurs, and the gap k1 portion accidentally and temporarily stops outside the aseptic room immediately before the lateral sealing is performed, the entire inside of the packaging material 20 Will be left in a sterile environment.

  The present invention provides a packaging container manufacturing apparatus and a packaging container manufacturing method capable of solving the problems of the conventional filling machine and preventing the inside of the tube-shaped packaging material from being placed in a non-sterile environment. The purpose is to provide.

  Therefore, in the packaging container manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the terminal end and the starting end are connected, and a web-like packaging material connected to each other at the joint portion is formed into a tube shape, and the fluid flows into the tube-shaped packaging material. A filling portion for filling a liquid food, a vertical sealing device for sealing both edges of the tubular packaging material in the vertical direction, and a tubular packaging material filled with the fluid food in a lateral direction And a sealing / cutting unit for cutting, and a chamber for accommodating at least the filling unit and the vertical sealing device and forming a sterilization chamber.

  In the tubular packaging material, the seam / vertical seal portion representing the portion sealed in the vertical direction at the seam portion is sealed by a sealing member in the chamber.

  According to the present invention, in the packaging container manufacturing apparatus, the terminal end and the starting end are connected, and the web-shaped packaging material connected to each other at the joint portion is formed into a tube-like shape, and the fluid flows into the tube-shaped packaging material. A filling portion for filling a liquid food, a vertical sealing device for sealing both edges of the tubular packaging material in the vertical direction, and a tubular packaging material filled with the fluid food in a lateral direction And a sealing / cutting unit for cutting, and a chamber for accommodating at least the filling unit and the vertical sealing device and forming a sterilization chamber.

  In the tubular packaging material, the seam / vertical seal portion representing the portion sealed in the vertical direction at the seam portion is sealed by a sealing member in the chamber.

  In this case, since the seam / vertical seal portion in the tubular packaging material is sealed by the sealing member in the chamber, it is possible to prevent the inside of the tubular packaging material from being placed in a non-sterile environment. .

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this case, the filling machine disposed in the packaging container manufacturing apparatus will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a seam portion of a tubular packaging material according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of a filling machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the web-shaped packaging material 11 is accommodated in a cassette 32 in the state of a reel 31, and is set in a delivery unit (not shown) of the filling machine via the cassette 32. The packaging material 11 is composed of a paper base material and a flexible laminate in which a polyethylene resin film as a resin is coated on both sides of the paper base material. A barrier layer made of aluminum foil (gas foil), gas barrier resin, or the like is formed between them, and a portion corresponding to the surface of the packaging container 33 is printed in advance for exterior packaging.

  The packaging material 11 fed out from the feeding section is intermittently conveyed by a feeding device (not shown) as a conveying means, and is sent to the paper tensioner 35 through the bending roller r1, the damper roller r2, the bending rollers r3 and r4, It is sent to the bending roller r5. In the meantime, the strip tape 38 is stuck to one edge of the packaging material 11 by the strip tape sticking device 37.

  Subsequently, the packaging material 11 is sent to the sterilization tank 61 through the paper tensioner 43 and bending rollers r6 and r7, and is immersed in a sterilization solution such as hydrogen peroxide in the sterilization tank 61 and sterilized. , Transported upward, and supplied into the first chamber 14. Reference numeral 62 denotes a bottom tray of the sterilization tank 61.

  In the first chamber 14, a calendar roller r8 as a squeezing mechanism comprising a backup roller and a pressure roller, an air knife 45 as a drying device, bending rollers r9 and r11, a tension adjusting roller r10, and a packaging material 11 are formed in a tube shape. A first forming roller 48 or the like as an upper molding ring for forming a shape is disposed.

  Accordingly, when the packaging material 11 reaches the calender roller r8, the packaging material 11 is sandwiched between the backup roller and the pressure roller, the sterilizing liquid is removed from the packaging material 11, and then sent to the air knife 45 and ejected from a slit (not shown). It is dried by hot air. Then, after the tension is adjusted by the tension adjusting roller r10, the packaging material 11 is sent to the first forming roller 48, and the deformation of the packaging material 11 is started by the first forming roller 48, so that the first chamber 14 to the second chamber 41.

  In the second chamber 41, a second forming roller 49 as a movable forming ring for making the packaging material 11 into a tube shape, a third forming roller 50 as a split forming ring, and a second forming roller as a lower forming ring. 4 forming rollers 51, a filling pipe 52 serving as a filling portion for filling a fluid food in the tube-shaped packaging material 20, a vertical sealing device 55 for sealing both edges of the packaging material 20 in the vertical direction, and the like. Is done. The first to fourth forming rollers 48 to 51 constitute a forming member.

  The packaging material 11 supplied into the second chamber 41 is gradually deformed into a tube shape by the second to fourth forming rollers 49 to 51, and the packaging material 11 is in the middle of the vertical sealing device 55. Thus, the fluidity food supplied through the filling pipe 52 is filled into the tube-shaped packaging material 20.

  Then, the packaging material 11 filled with the fluid food is sent to the pressing guide device 64. The pressure guide device 64 includes a pressure roller (not shown) disposed inside the packaging material 11 and a counter roller 66 disposed outside the packaging material 11. The sealing surface and the strip tape 38 are firmly sandwiched.

  Subsequently, the packaging material 11 is discharged from the second chamber 41, guided by the tube support roller r12, sent to the sealing / cutting portion p1, and sandwiched by a sealing / cutting device (not shown) at the sealing / cutting portion p1. Then, a pillow-shaped prototype container 23 is formed that is sealed laterally at predetermined intervals and cut to accommodate a certain amount of fluid food. Then, the prototype container 23 is sent to the final molding and conveying device 58, and is conveyed by the final molding and conveying device 58, and is molded into a predetermined shape, whereby the packaging container 33 is completed.

  In addition, in the process of drying the packaging material 11, the process of forming the packaging material 11 into a tube shape, the process of filling the packaging material 20 with fluid food, etc., it is necessary to maintain the environment in an aseptic state. There is. Therefore, as described above, the portion where the calender roller r8, the air knife 45, the bending rollers r9 and r11, the tension adjusting roller r10, the first forming roller 48, and the like are disposed by the first chamber 14 is the second to second portions. A portion where the fourth forming rollers 49 to 51, the filling pipe 52, the vertical sealing device 55, and the like are disposed is surrounded by the second chamber 41, and the first and second chambers 14 and 41 are made airtight. The inside of the first and second chambers 14 and 41 is a sterile room, the sterile room is maintained in a sterile state, and the packaging materials 11 and 20 pass through the sterile environment.

  By the way, in order to continuously operate the filling machine, a pair of cassettes 32 is disposed in the delivery unit, the reels 31 are set in the respective cassettes 32, and all the packaging material 11 of the one reel 31 is fed out. And the packaging material 11 of the other reel 31 is drawn out continuously. For this purpose, the end of the packaging material 11 of one reel 31 and the starting end of the packaging material 11 of the other reel 31 are connected by a splicer (not shown), and each packaging material 11 is connected.

  The packaging material 11 is formed by cutting a wide original plate with a predetermined width. For example, the regular packaging material 11 having a set length is wound in a reel shape as it is. The packaging material 11 of the end length which is formed for the manufacturing convenience of 11 and is less than the set length is connected to each other by a splicer.

  In this case, two overlapping seam portions m1 are formed between the respective packaging materials 11, and when the packaging material 11 is sealed in the vertical direction to form the packaging material 20, four sheets are sealed in the portion sealed in the vertical direction at the seam portion m1. Overlapping portions are formed, and the vertical sealing by the vertical sealing device 55 cannot be sufficiently performed in the four-layer overlapping portion. The seam / vertical seal portion is constituted by the four overlapping portions.

  As a result, in the vertical seal portion n1, a step is generated by the joint portion m1, so that a gap k1 (see FIG. 5) is formed in a portion adjacent to the four-layer overlap portion, which may cause a seal failure. When the packaging material 20 is discharged from the second chamber 41 while the inside and outside of the packaging material 20 are communicated via the gap k1, and temporarily stops outside the aseptic room until the sealing / cutting portion p1, There is a risk that the entire inside of the material 20 may be left in a non-sterile environment.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the gap k1 is sealed by a patch film 71 as a sealing member and as a film member in a four-layered portion and a portion adjacent thereto. Like to do.

  For this purpose, a sealing device (not shown) is disposed in the second chamber 41, and the patch film 71 is adhered to the four-layered portion and the adjacent portion by the sealing device. Accordingly, since the inside and outside of the packaging material 20 are blocked, the packaging material 20 is not in an aseptic environment when the packaging material 20 is discharged from the second chamber 41 and transported to a place that is not in an aseptic environment. Can be prevented.

  When a seam detection device (not shown) is disposed at a predetermined position, for example, between the paper tensioner 43 and the bending roller r7 on the conveyance path of the packaging material 11, and the seam portion m1 is detected by the seam detection device, The packaging container 33 formed including the joint portion m1 is removed from the production line as a defective product.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, about what has the same structure as 1st Embodiment, the description is given by providing the same code | symbol, and the effect of the same embodiment is used about the effect of the invention by having the same structure.

  FIG. 7 is a view showing a joint portion of the tubular packaging material according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In this case, a four-layered portion is formed in the portion sealed in the longitudinal direction at the joint portion m1, and therefore the gap k1 (see FIG. 5) is sealed in the four-layered portion and the adjacent portion. And a hot melt 72 as an adhesive.

  For this purpose, a hot melt gun (not shown) as a sealing device is disposed in the second chamber 41 (FIG. 6), and the hot melt gun causes the hot melt 72 to be placed in a four-layered portion and a portion adjacent thereto. The gap k1 is filled by being blown away and applied.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, about what has the same structure as 1st Embodiment, the description is given by providing the same code | symbol, and the effect of the same embodiment is used about the effect of the invention by having the same structure.

  FIG. 8 is a view showing a joint portion of the tubular packaging material according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  In this case, when the web-shaped packaging materials 11 are connected by the splicer, the end 11e of the packaging material 11 of one reel and the start end of the packaging material 11 of the next reel at one edge w1 of each packaging material 11. A wide strip tape 73 as a sealing member and as a film member is sandwiched and stuck between 11s.

  At this time, the portion of the strip tape 73 corresponding to the start end 11s inside the edge portion w1 of the packaging material 11 is sandwiched between the end 11e and the start end 11s of the packaging material 11 and is fused by the splicer. The portion 73a corresponding to the end 11e inside the edge portion w1 of the packaging material 11 and the portions 73b and 73c corresponding to the end 11e inside the edge portion w1 of the packaging material 11 and the start end 11s are placed in a state where they are not fused. It is burned.

  Thereafter, when the packaging material 11 is sealed in the vertical direction, the portions 73a to 73c are fused by the vertical sealing device 55 (FIG. 6) to seal the gap k1 (see FIG. 5). In this case, the vertical sealing device 55 constitutes a sealing device.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made based on the gist of the present invention, and they are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.

It is a figure which shows the joint part of the tubular packaging material in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the joint part of the conventional web-like packaging material. It is sectional drawing which shows the joint part of the conventional web-like packaging material. It is a figure which shows the joint part of the conventional tube-shaped packaging material. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. It is a conceptual diagram of the filling machine in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the joint part of the tubular packaging material in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the joint part of the tubular packaging material in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

11, 20 Packaging material 11e Terminal end 11s Starting end 14, 41 First and second chambers 48-51 First to fourth forming rollers 52 Filling pipe 55 Vertical sealing device 71 Patch film 72 Hot melt 73 Strip tape m1 Seam portion p1 Seal / cut section

Claims (5)

(A) a molding member in which a terminal end and a start end are connected, and a web-like packaging material connected to each other at a joint portion is formed into a tube shape;
(B) a filling portion for filling a fluid food in a tubular packaging material;
(C) a vertical sealing device for sealing both edges of the tubular packaging material in the vertical direction;
(D) a sealing / cutting unit that seals and cuts the tubular packaging material filled with the fluid food in the lateral direction;
(E) containing at least a filling part and a vertical seal device, and having a chamber forming a sterile room;
(F) In the tubular packaging material, a seam / vertical seal portion representing a portion sealed in the vertical direction at the seam portion is sealed by a sealing member in the chamber. .   The packaging container manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member is a film member attached to the joint / vertical seal portion.   The packaging container manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member is an adhesive applied to the joint / vertical seal portion.   The packaging container manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a sealing device for sealing the joint / vertical seal portion is disposed in the chamber. (A) A web-like wrapping material in which a terminal end and a start end are connected and connected to each other at a joint portion is formed into a tube shape, and a fluid food is filled in the tube-shaped wrapping material. Sealing the edge in the vertical direction, sealing the tubular packaging material filled with the fluid food in the horizontal direction, cutting,
(B) In the tubular packaging material, the seam / vertical seal part representing the part sealed in the longitudinal direction at the seam part accommodates at least the filling part and the vertical seal device, and in the chamber forming the aseptic room, A packaging container manufacturing method, wherein the packaging container is sealed by a sealing member.

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