JP2008308227A - End seal apparatus, packaging machine using the same, and pillow packaging machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pillow packaging machine which can obtain the distance of the up-and-down movement of an up-and-down top sealer without an excess and a shortage. <P>SOLUTION: The pillow packaging machine is equipped with a bag making machine 20 which forms a belt-like film supplied continuously into a tubular shape, a center sealing device 24 which performs sealing to the polymerized end of a tubular shape film 21 formed in the tubular shape and an end sealing device 30 which is arranged at the downstream side of the center sealing device and carries out seal-cut in the wide direction of the tubular shape film. The end sealing device is equipped with top sealers 33a and 33b which are arranged up and down by sandwiching the tubular shape film and a driving mechanism which makes the top sealer move by a predetermined locus, while retaining a state that sealing faces of its top sealer are opposed to each other. This driving mechanism is composed so that it may operate a mechanism for making both the top sealers move in front and rear advancement, a mechanism for making the top sealer of the upside move up and down and a mechanism for making the top sealer of the down side move up and down based on power from each separate driving motor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an end seal device, a packaging machine using the same, and a pillow packaging machine.

  A pillow packaging machine, which is one form of a packaging machine, has the following configuration. First, the strip-shaped film wound up by the raw fabric roll is continuously supplied to the bag making device, and when the bag making device is passed, the tubular film formed into a tubular shape is formed. In addition, an article transporting and supplying device is arranged on the upstream side of the bag making device, and an object to be packaged conveyed at predetermined intervals from the object to be packaged conveying and supplying device is supplied into the bag making device. Accordingly, when the article to be packaged passes through the bag making machine, the article to be packaged is stored at predetermined intervals in the cylindrical film, and the article to be packaged is conveyed together with the cylindrical film. A center seal device and an end seal device are arranged along the conveying direction. The center seal device seals the film polymerization end of the tubular film. The end seal device seals the tubular film in the lateral direction of travel (portion where the front and rear packages are not present) and cuts the portion of the tubular film in which the front package is stored. Is separated from the subsequent cylindrical film to produce a package.

  As one form of the above end seal device, a pair of top sealers (with built-in cutter blades) arranged one above the other with a tubular film sandwiched between them and the seal surface of the top sealer are kept facing each other. However, there is a drive mechanism that moves the top sealer along a predetermined locus. Then, the upper and lower top sealers move forward together with the tubular film by a certain amount in a state where the predetermined position of the tubular film is sandwiched from above and below. Thereby, while the site | part between which the cylindrical film was pinched is heat-sealed, it is cut. This type of end seal device is also referred to as a box motion type.

  An example of such a box motion type end seal device is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the end seal device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a drive mechanism for moving the top sealer along a predetermined locus while maintaining the state in which the seal surfaces of the top sealer face each other is used for moving the top sealer forward and backward. The mechanism and the mechanism for moving up and down are configured to operate based on power from separate drive motors.

  In general, the vertical movement of the upper and lower top sealers is performed by converting the rotational output of the drive motor into a vertical motion through a predetermined link mechanism.

JP 2006-321513 A

  However, the conventional apparatus described above has the following problems. That is, there is a demand for one packaging machine to support a plurality of types of products (packages) having different height dimensions. In the end seal device, the pair of top sealers approach each other and sandwich the cylindrical film, and the pair of top sealers separate from each other and the cylindrical film containing the package passes between the top sealers. It is necessary to take a state. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the separation distance of the top sealer as the height dimension of the packaged object increases.

  Therefore, when the movement distance of both top sealers is made constant, the distance needs to be adjusted to the maximum height of the packaged object that the packaging machine can handle. Then, when packaging for a packaged object with a small height dimension, the top sealer moves over a longer distance than necessary, overloading the drive mechanism (including the drive source), and increasing productivity. Or drop.

  Further, when the movement distance of the top sealer can be changed in accordance with the height of the packaged item, usually the cam or the link mechanism is changed, so that the changing process is complicated.

  Furthermore, in the type that adjusts the movement distance of the top and bottom top sealers according to the height dimension of the package, both the top and bottom top sealer movement distances become long when adjusted for a large height dimension. When adjusted for a small size, the moving distance of the top and bottom top sealers is shortened. Therefore, for example, when the height is adjusted to a large one, there is a problem that the lower top sealer moves more downward than necessary.

  Further, when the top sealer is separated, the gap between the belt conveyors arranged before and after the end seal device is narrowed so that the objects to be packaged can be moved stably. In the apparatus having such a configuration, the distance between the belts changes in accordance with the vertical movement of the lower top sealer. As a result, when the height of the package is low and the travel distance of the lower top sealer is short and the stroke is insufficient, a gap is generated between the belt conveyors, and the package is stably conveyed. Have the problem of not being able to.

  Furthermore, the cleaning of the end seal device is complicated. That is, when cleaning or the like, if the upper and lower top sealers are stopped at the most separated reference position (standby position), the top sealer at the lower side reaches the lowest position, and the belts arranged before and after the end seal device Since this disturbs the cleaning of the lower top sealer is difficult. Further, when the lower top sealer is raised, the gap between the upper and lower top sealers becomes narrower, so that cleaning becomes difficult.

  In the type in which the vertical movement distance of the top sealer can be adjusted according to the height dimension of the packaged object, the movement amount of the upper and lower top sealers is appropriately controlled to move the distance longer than necessary. It is an object of the present invention to provide an end seal device, a packaging machine, and a pillow wrapping machine that can prevent the end seal device (especially the top sealer part) from being easily cleaned and that the moving distance is not short. To do.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an end seal device according to the present invention is (1) an end seal device that seals a packaging film containing an article to be packaged in the lateral direction of the packaging film, A top sealer that is disposed above and below the packaging film, and a drive mechanism that moves the top sealer in a vertical direction while maintaining a state in which the seal surfaces of the top sealer are opposed to each other. A mechanism for moving the upper top sealer up and down and a mechanism for moving the lower top sealer up and down are configured to operate based on power from separate drive motors.

  Since the driving sources of the upper and lower top sealers are separated, both the top sealers can move arbitrarily up and down regardless of the positions of the other side. Therefore, in the type that can adjust the vertical movement distance of the top sealer according to the height dimension of the packaged item, the movement amount of the vertical top sealer can be appropriately controlled, and the distance longer than necessary can be controlled. There will be no shortage of movement or travel distance. Furthermore, when the upper and lower top sealers are moved up and down together, the sealing surface of the lower top sealer can be positioned in the vicinity of the conveying surface, and the end seal device (particularly the top sealer portion) can be easily cleaned. .

  (2) The drive mechanism includes a ball screw that rotates forward and backward according to the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor, and the sealer mounting base to which the top sealer is attached is configured to move up and down with the forward and reverse rotation of the ball screw. Good. In this way, the vertical movement of the upper and lower top sealers can be accurately controlled.

  (3) The uppermost movement position of the upper top sealer during the packaging process is set according to the height of the article to be packaged, and the lowermost movement position of the lower top sealer during the packaging process is Regardless of the height of the article to be packaged, it may be set at a predetermined position below the conveyance surface of the article to be packaged in the end seal device. If it does in this way, the up-and-down movement amount of the upper top sealer can be set to a necessary and sufficient distance in accordance with the height of the package. Further, by making the amount of movement of the lower top sealer constant regardless of the height of the packaged object, the moving distance is not increased more than necessary, and the load on the motor is reduced. Further, the lower predetermined position on the conveyance surface is limited to a position below the conveyance surface by a sufficient distance so that adjacent end portions of the front and rear conveyors are close to each other as illustrated in FIGS. In other words, the sealing surface of the top sealer can be positioned substantially the same as or slightly below the conveying surface. If it does in this way, the movement distance of a lower top sealer can be shortened as much as possible, and the load of a motor can be controlled.

  (4) In the cleaning mode, the upper top sealer and the lower top sealer may be controlled so as to move upward together, and may be configured to stop at a predetermined upper predetermined position. A general upper and lower top sealer opens and closes when one moves up and the other moves down. In the present invention, since the drive sources of the upper and lower top sealers are separated, both the top sealers can be moved in the same direction. Therefore, by moving both the top sealers up together, the sealing surface of the lower top sealer rises and is positioned in the vicinity of the transport surface, and the upper top sealer at that time is rising, so the space between both top sealers A space is formed. Therefore, the top sealer can be easily cleaned using the space.

  (5) The drive mechanism may include a mechanism for moving the top sealer forward and backward based on power from a drive motor different from the drive motor for moving the top sealer up and down.

  (6) On the premise of the invention of (5) above, the standby positions in the front-rear direction of the upper and lower top sealers during the packaging process are determined on the upstream side regardless of the length in the front-rear direction of the package. The position can be set. The standby position in the front-rear direction is a position for temporarily stopping the upper and lower top sealers in a state where they are separated from each other in the vertical direction and waiting for the next sealing process for the packaging film. For example, when the film portion where the packaging film is end-sealed reaches between the top sealers that are temporarily stopped at the standby position, the upper and lower top sealers move in a direction in which they approach each other, and sandwich the packaging film. At this time, at least when the top sealer contacts the packaging film, the top sealers are controlled to move forward. Because the drive motor for moving the top sealer up and down and the drive motor for moving back and forth are separated and can be driven independently of each other, even if the standby position of the top sealer in the front-rear direction is fixed at a fixed position, When the seal part of the packaging film comes to a predetermined position, both the top sealers are moved in a direction approaching each other, whereby the desired seal part can be sandwiched and sealed by the both top sealers.

  (7) Based on the above inventions (5) and (6), when the cut dimensions of the packaging film are changed, the upper and lower top sealers sandwich the packaging film from above and below regardless of the cut dimensions. And a control means for controlling the drive motor for moving the top sealer up and down and the other drive motor for moving the top sealer forward and backward so that the time for performing the heat sealing process is constant. Good.

  Regardless of the length of the cut dimensions, the upper and lower top sealers mesh with the packaging film for the same time, so once the top sealer is set to a suitable temperature that can be sealed by film welding, the product It is not necessary to change the set temperature of the top sealer due to changes, etc., and the packaging process can be performed stably with simple control. In addition, even if the heater setting is electrically changed, it takes some time for the actual top sealer surface temperature to change to an appropriate temperature based on the setting. Doing puts a time load on the packaging process and the production process. However, according to the present invention, once an appropriate sealer temperature for the film is set, there is no need to change the temperature even if there is a subsequent product change (change in cut dimensions), resulting in smooth packaging, Production can be carried out.

  (8) The packaging machine of the present invention includes the end seal device according to any one of (1) to (7) above. This packaging machine naturally includes a pillow packaging machine.

  (9) Moreover, the pillow packaging machine of the present invention includes a means for forming a continuously supplied belt-like film into a cylindrical shape, and a center seal device for sealing a polymerization end of the cylindrical film formed in the cylindrical shape. An end seal device that is disposed downstream of the center seal device and seals and cuts in the width direction of the tubular film; and a transport surface of the tubular film that contains an object to be packaged before and after the end seal device The adjacent end portions of the belt conveyor are separated when the lower top sealer moves downward, and the lower top sealer moves upward. The end seal device is configured to be close to each other, and the end seal device is the end seal device according to any one of (1) to (7) above.

  The present invention is a type in which the vertical movement distance of the top sealer can be adjusted according to the height dimension of the article to be packaged. The distance is not moved and the moving distance is not short, and the end seal device (particularly, the top sealer portion) can be easily cleaned.

  1 to 4 show a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The pillow wrapping machine 10 of the present embodiment is disposed on the upstream side of the packaging machine body 11, the film supply device 12 that continuously supplies a belt-like packaging film to the packaging machine body 11, and the packaging machine body 11. And a packaged article transport and supply device 14 that supplies the packaged article 13 to the packaging machine body 11 at predetermined intervals.

  The film supply device 12 links the output of a drive motor (not shown) (speed-controllable motor such as a servo motor) to the original roll 16 obtained by winding the belt-like film 15 into a roll. Supplying to the packaging machine body 11 at a constant speed while appropriately controlling the rotation speed. Although not shown, various rollers are arranged at predetermined positions from the original fabric roll 16 to the packaging machine body 11, and the belt-like film 15 fed out from the original fabric roll 16 is passed over the rollers. Then, it is guided to the packaging machine body 11 through a predetermined path. Of course, in the present invention, it is not always necessary to link the drive motor to the raw roll 16, and a feed roller may be provided on the transport path of the packaging film and pulled out.

  The package transporting and supplying device 14 includes a sprocket 17 (only the front in the traveling direction is shown in the figure) arranged at the front and rear, an endless chain 18 spanned over the plurality of sprockets 17, and a predetermined pitch on the endless chain 18. It is comprised by the several pushing finger | toe 19 attached for every. Thereby, when the pushing finger 19 hits the rear surface of the article 13 to be packaged, the article 13 also moves forward with the movement of the pushing finger 19.

  The packaging machine main body 11 includes a bag making device 20 that sets the supplied belt-like film 15 into a cylindrical film 21, a center seal device 24 disposed on the downstream side of the bag making device 20, and the center seal device 24. A belt conveyor 23 that conveys the tubular film 21, an upper restraining belt 25 that is disposed above the belt conveyor 23, an end seal device 30 that is disposed on the downstream side of the belt conveyor 23, And an unloading conveyor 26 disposed on the downstream side of the end seal device 30.

  The bag-making device 20 allows the side film edges 15a of the belt-like film 15 to contact (polymerize) with each other by passing the belt-like film 15 continuously supplied from the film feeding device 12, and the tube that has become cylindrical. The bag is placed on the film 21. In addition, the articles to be packaged 13 that are sequentially supplied from the article to be packaged supply apparatus 14 to the packaging machine main body 11 are inserted into the bag making machine 20. Thereby, the article 13 to be packaged supplied to the bag making machine 20 is arranged in the cylindrical film 21 at predetermined intervals.

  The center seal device 24 seals both side edge portions 15a of the polymerized belt-like film 15. This center seal device 24 heat-seals by heating while sandwiching both side edge portions 15a of the belt-like film 15 from both sides.

  The upper restraining belt 25 is arranged in the immediate vicinity of the upstream side of the end seal device 30 and suppresses the article 13 in the tubular film 21 from being lifted upward so that it can be conveyed while maintaining a horizontal state. ing.

  The end seal device 30 seals and cuts the tubular film 21 in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction, that is, in a transverse direction. The film part to be sealed / cut is a predetermined position between the front and back objects 13 to be packaged. Thereby, the head part of the cylindrical film 21 is isolate | separated from the subsequent by passing the end seal apparatus 30, and the package body 27 is manufactured.

  Hereinafter, the end seal device 30 which is a main part of the present invention will be described. The end seal device 30 includes top sealers 33a and 33b that are vertically opposed to each other with the tubular film 21 interposed therebetween, and maintains a state in which the seal surfaces 33a 'and 33b' of the top sealers 33a and 33b face each other. Each revolves around a predetermined trajectory.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the machine frame 35 is disposed so as to surround the transport path of the tubular film 21 and to move forward and backward along the transport direction of the tubular film 21. Below the machine frame 35, two first guide rails 34 are installed along the traveling direction of the tubular film 21. A slider 38 corresponding to the first guide rail 34 is connected to a predetermined position on the bottom surface 35 c on the outer peripheral side of the machine frame 35. Thereby, as the slider 38 moves forward and backward along the first guide rail 34, the machine casing 35 also moves forward and backward stably.

  The driving source for the forward / reverse movement uses a flow direction moving motor 60. That is, the ball screw 64 for moving in the flow direction arranged along the traveling direction of the tubular film 21 is inserted into the female screw portion provided on the connecting plate 65 attached to the substantially central portion of the bottom surface 35 c of the machine frame 35. Then, the timing belt 61 is wound around the stepped pulley 62 attached to the output shaft of the flow direction moving motor 60 and the stepped pulley 63 attached to one end of the flow direction moving ball screw 64. As a result, by rotating the flow direction moving motor 60 forward and backward, the top sealers 33a and 33b attached to the connecting plate 65 and the machine frame 35 can be moved forward and backward. And the moving speed at that time can be changed according to the rotational speed of the motor 60 for flow direction movement. That is, the preliminary sealers 33a and 33b can be moved forward at the same speed as the transport speed of the tubular film 21, or can be moved forward at a speed faster or slower than the transport speed. In the present embodiment, the flow direction moving motor 60 uses a motor capable of controlling the rotational speed, such as a servo motor.

  On the other hand, four ball screws extending in the vertical direction were provided so as to cross between the top surface 35a and the bottom surface 35c of the machine casing 35. The ball screw includes a pair of first ball screws 40 disposed on the inner side and a pair of second ball screws 41 disposed on the outer side. The first and second ball screws 40 and 41 are supported by bearings on the top surface 35a and the bottom surface 35c of the machine casing 35 at both ends thereof.

  A thin rod-like rotary shaft 51 at the upper end of the pair of first ball screws 40 is protruded above the top surface 35 a of the machine frame 35, and a stepped pulley 52 is attached to the tip of the rotary shaft 51. The timing belt 53 is wound around. The upper sealer opening / closing motor 57 is linked to the lower end of the first ball screw 40. The upper sealer opening / closing motor 57 uses a motor capable of controlling the rotational speed, such as a servo motor.

  Accordingly, when the upper sealer opening / closing motor 57 is rotated forward and backward, the pair of first ball screws 40 are also rotated forward and backward in the same direction in synchronization. The upper sealer mount 45 is linked to the pair of first ball screws 40. That is, the cylindrical female screw portion 42 is inserted and disposed in the through holes provided at both ends of the band plate-like upper sealer mounting base 45, and the female screw portion 42 is linked to the first ball screw 40. Then, the upper top sealer 33 a is attached to the lower surface of the upper sealer mounting base 45. Therefore, when the upper opening / closing motor 57 is rotated forward and backward, the rotation is transmitted to the first ball screw 40, and the female screw portion 42 (upper sealer mounting base 45) and thus the upper top sealer 33a move up and down.

  Similarly, a thin rod-shaped rotary shaft 56 at the upper end of the pair of second ball screws 41 protrudes above the top surface 35a of the machine frame 35, and a stepped pulley 54 is attached to the tip of the rotary shaft 56, and both stepped pulleys A timing belt 55 is passed between 54. Then, a lower sealer opening / closing motor 58 is linked to the lower end of one second ball screw 41. The lower sealer opening / closing motor 58 uses a motor capable of controlling the rotational speed, such as a servo motor.

  Accordingly, when the lower sealer opening / closing motor 58 is rotated forward and backward, the pair of second ball screws 41 are also rotated forward and backward in the same direction in synchronization. The lower sealer mounting base 46 is linked to the pair of second ball screws 41. In other words, the cylindrical female screw portion 43 is inserted and disposed in the through holes provided at both ends of the lower sealer mounting base 46 in the band plate shape, and the female screw portion 43 is linked to the second ball screw 41. Then, the lower top sealer 33 b is attached to the upper surface of the lower sealer mounting base 46. Therefore, when the lower opening / closing motor 58 is rotated forward and backward, the rotation is transmitted to the second ball screw 41, and the female screw portion 43 (upper sealer mounting base 46) and thus the lower top sealer 33b move up and down.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower sealer opening / closing motor 58 and the second ball screw 41 are linked by engaging gears 67 and 68 attached thereto. Although not shown in the drawings, the linkage between the upper sealer opening / closing motor 57 and the first ball screw 40 has the same configuration.

  Further, a guide rail 80 is provided on the back surface 35d of the machine casing 35 so as to extend in the vertical direction. The sliders 81 and 82 are linked to the guide rail 80 so as to be movable in the axial direction. The slider 81 is connected to the upper sealer mount 45 and the slider 82 is connected to the lower sealer mount 46. Accordingly, rolls are also prevented, and both the mounting bases 45 and 46 and thus the upper and lower top sealers 33a and 33b can be stably moved up and down with respect to the machine frame 35.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a cylinder 59 is provided on the upper surface of the upper sealer mount 45, and the cutter blade built in the upper top sealer 33 a is moved up and down by this cylinder 59. . Such a configuration is the same as the conventional one.

  As described above, in the present invention, separate drive motors are used for the forward and backward movement (horizontal movement) and vertical movement (vertical movement) driving sources of the top sealers 33a and 33b. The top sealers 33a and 33b (machine casing 35) can be controlled to move back and forth and up and down at any timing, and the trajectory of the revolving movement of the top sealers 33a and 33b can be set and changed easily. The

  As a result, the standby positions in the front-rear direction of the upper and lower top sealers 33a, 33b during the packaging process are set to the upstream fixed positions regardless of the length in the front-rear direction and the cut dimensions of the article 13 to be packaged. Can be. Then, when the film part to be end-sealed of the packaging film reaches between the top sealers 33a and 33b that are temporarily stopped at the standby position, the upper and lower top sealers 33a and 33b move toward each other. The cylindrical film 21 is sandwiched from above and below. At this time, when at least the top sealers 33a and 33b come into contact with the tubular film 21, the top sealers 33a and 33b are controlled to move forward. Of course, by providing the control of each of the drive motors 60, 57 and 58 with the function of the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, the same effects can be obtained.

  Further, a driving source (upper sealer opening / closing motor 57) for moving the upper top sealer 33a up and down, and a driving source (lower side sealer opening / closing motor 58) for moving the lower top sealer 33b up and down are provided. Since they are formed by separate motors, the upper and lower top sealers 33a and 33b can be moved up and down independently. Thereby, it is possible to set the movement distance of each top sealer to an optimum one for the articles to be packaged (packaging bodies) having different heights without worrying about the movement distance of the other party.

  Accordingly, for example, the uppermost position of the upper top sealer 33a is set to a position that takes a certain margin from the upper surface position of the packaged object, or the lower top sealer is adjusted to the height of the packaged object. The lowermost movement position of 33b can be set to a predetermined position below the conveying surfaces of both conveyors 23 and 26, regardless of the height of the articles to be packaged. Therefore, it does not move over a longer distance than necessary, and the load on the drive motor can be reduced. Moreover, since the position where the upper and lower top sealers 33a and 33b mesh can be arbitrarily and easily changed, the position can be set to an arbitrary position in the height direction of the package.

  6-8 has shown the principal part of another embodiment. In this embodiment, the end portions on the end seal device 30 side of the belt conveyor 23 and the carry-out conveyor 26 arranged before and after the end seal device 30 are movable in the front-rear direction, and the lower top sealer 33b is moved upward. Is configured such that adjacent ends of the conveyors 23 and 26 are separated from each other, and adjacent end portions of the conveyors 23 and 26 are close to each other when the lower top sealer 33b is moved downward.

  Specifically, the groove cam 70 is attached to the adjacent end portions of the conveyors 23 and 26. As shown in the figure, the groove cam 70 has a linear shape in which an upper portion 70a and a lower portion 70b extend in the vertical direction, and the interval between the upper portions 70a is set to be narrower than the interval between the lower portions 70b. The upper part 70a and the lower part 70b of each groove cam 70 are connected by an intermediate part 70c that is inclined obliquely.

  On the other hand, the cam floor 71 corresponding to the groove cam 70 is connected to the lower sealer mounting base 46 of the lower top sealer 33b. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 8A, when the lower top sealer 33b moves downward and its seal surface is positioned below a predetermined distance from the conveying surface, the lower sealer is attached. The cam floor 71 attached to the base 46 also moves downward in the cam groove 70 and reaches the lower portion 70 b of the cam groove 70. Then, although the interval between the two cam floors 71 attached to the lower sealer mounting base 46 is fixed, both cam grooves 70 are drawn toward the lower sealer mounting base 46 side. Thereby, the adjacent end portions of the respective conveyors 23 and 26 to which the cam grooves 70 are attached also approach each other, and the gap between the both end portions is reduced as much as possible, so that the package can be moved smoothly. To.

  Conversely, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 8B, when the lower top sealer 33b moves upward and the upper seal surface 32b is positioned on the transport surface, the lower sealer mount The cam floor 71 attached to 46 also moves upward in the cam groove 70 and reaches the upper portion 70 a of the cam groove 70. Then, even though the interval between the two cam floors 71 attached to the lower sealer mounting base 46 is fixed, the two cam grooves 70 are separated from the lower sealer mounting base 46. As a result, the adjacent ends of the respective conveyors 23 and 26 to which the cam grooves 70 are attached are also separated from each other, a constant gap is formed between both ends, and the top sealer 33b can protrude upward via the gap. It becomes. Thereby, a cylindrical film can be inserted | pinched between upper side top sealers a, and it can heat-seal.

  As described above, in the case of the end seal device 30 of the type in which the adjacent end portions of the conveyors 23 and 26 approach and separate from each other following the vertical movement of the lower top sealer 33b and the pillow packaging machine including the same, By using separate motors as the drive sources for the vertical movement of the top sealers 33a and 33b, the following operational effects can be obtained.

  That is, for example, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 8A, the uppermost position of the upper top sealer 33a is fixed from the upper surface position of the packaged object according to the height of the packaged object. By setting the margin to a position where the margin is set, the upper top sealer 33a has a necessary and sufficient movement distance according to the height of the package, and when the upper top sealer 33a reaches the uppermost movement position. The cylindrical film that reliably encloses the article to be packaged can pass through and does not take an unnecessarily large movement stroke, so that high-speed processing is possible without applying an excessive load to the motor.

  Further, for example, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 8B, the lowermost position of the lower top sealer 33b is set below the conveying surfaces of the conveyors 23 and 26 regardless of the height of the packages. A predetermined position (a position where the cam floor 71 reaches the lower portion 70b of the cam groove 70) is set. Thus, even when the height of the package is low as shown in FIG. 7B, the movement stroke of the lower top sealer 33b is set larger than the movement stroke of the upper top sealer 33a. It is possible to move the lower top sealer 33b sufficiently downward to bring the end portions adjacent to the conveyors 23 and 26 close to each other, and to ensure smooth movement of the package.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, when the height of the package is high, the movement stroke of the lower top sealer 33b can be made shorter than the movement stroke of the upper top sealer 33a. Without increasing the load more than necessary for the opening / closing motor 58, when the lower top sealer 33b moves downward, the interval between the adjacent ends of the conveyors 33, 36 is narrowed so that the packaged article can be moved smoothly. It can be secured.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, both the upper top sealer 33a and the lower top sealer 33b can be moved upward. In this way, the space between the top sealers 33a and 33b can be secured by moving the upper top sealer 33a upward, and the adjacent end portions of the conveyors 33 and 36 can be moved by moving the lower top sealer 33b upward. And the sealing surface of the lower top sealer 33b can be positioned on the conveying surface of the conveyors 33 and 36 or at a higher position. Therefore, the working space for cleaning the top sealers 33a and 33b can be widened, and the sealing surface of the lower top sealer 33b protrudes, so that the cleaning work can be easily performed. Such an effect is the same in the embodiment shown in FIGS.

  Further, in the present embodiment, an upper sealer opening / closing motor 57 and a lower sealer opening / closing motor 58 are provided as drive motors for moving the top sealers 33a, 33b up and down, and driving for moving the top sealers 33a, 33b back and forth. A motor 60 for moving the flow direction is separately provided as a motor. Thereby, the movement trajectory of the top sealers 33a and 33b can be set freely.

  In other words, for example, when the length of the package is changed and the cut dimension (cut length) for the tubular film is changed, in order to make the number of rotations of the packaging machine (the number manufactured per unit time) the same. When the cut length is long, the traveling speed of the tubular film is increased, and conversely, when the cut length is short, the traveling speed of the tubular film is decreased. The upper and lower top sealers 33a and 33b need to move forward at the same speed as the tubular film 21 while sandwiching the tubular film 21 from above and below. Therefore, in the conventional box motion, the sealing time is shortened when the forward movement speed (circumferential speed) is fast, and the sealing time is long when the forward movement speed (circumferential speed) is slow. Therefore, in order to obtain an appropriate sealing result, the temperature of the top sealer had to be changed due to a change in speed (change in cut length due to product change).

  On the other hand, according to this embodiment, when packaging different products, even if the cut length changes and the moving speed (circumferential speed) in the traveling direction of the tubular film changes, independent servo motor control The meshing time between the top sealers 33a and 33b can be made constant. Therefore, if it is the same film, it can respond even if it does not change sealing temperature by always adjusting to an appropriate sealing time.

  That is, in this embodiment, even if the moving speed of the tubular film changes, the moving time in the forward direction of the top sealer itself and the opening / closing timing of the upper and lower top sealers are arbitrarily set by an independent servo motor. Since it can be controlled, when the peripheral speed is fast, in order to obtain an appropriate sealing time, the upper and lower top sealers have a cylindrical film sandwiched between them to increase the sliding distance in the traveling direction. Control. On the other hand, when the peripheral speed is low, the sliding distance in the traveling direction is shortened when the upper and lower top sealers sandwich and seal the cylindrical film. By controlling in this way, the time for which the top sealer is engaged with the tubular film is the same in either case, so that the top sealer is once welded and sealed at a suitable temperature. Once set, there is no need to change the set temperature of the top sealer by changing the product.

  In addition, even if the heater setting is electrically changed, it takes some time for the actual top sealer surface temperature to change to an appropriate temperature based on the setting. Doing puts a time load on the packaging process and the production process. However, in this embodiment, once an appropriate sealer temperature for the film is set, it is not necessary to change the temperature even when the product is changed thereafter (peripheral speed change due to change in cut length), resulting in smooth packaging. The production can be carried out.

  As for the operation of each drive motor, forward / reverse rotation, stop, rotation speed, and the like are controlled in accordance with a command from a control device (not shown).

  In the embodiment described above, the case where all are applied to a pillow packaging machine is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to a four-side seal packaging machine, a deep-drawing packaging machine, and other various packaging machines.

It is a figure which shows one suitable embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of one embodiment of an end seal device. It is the sectional view on the AA line in FIG. It is the BB sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is CC sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is a figure which shows another embodiment. It is a figure explaining the effect | action in another embodiment. It is a figure explaining the effect | action in another embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Pillow packaging machine 11 Packaging machine main body 12 Film supply apparatus 13 Packaged object 14 Packaged article conveyance supply apparatus 21 Cylindrical film 24 Center seal apparatus 30 End seal apparatus 33a, 33b Top sealer

Claims (9)

An end seal device that seals a packaging film containing a packaged object in a lateral direction of the packaging film,
A top sealer disposed above and below the packaging film;
A drive mechanism for moving the top sealer in the vertical direction while maintaining the state where the seal surface of the top sealer is opposed,
The drive mechanism is configured to operate a mechanism for moving the upper top sealer up and down and a mechanism for moving the lower top sealer up and down based on power from separate drive motors, respectively. An end seal device characterized by that. The drive mechanism includes a ball screw that rotates forward and backward according to forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor,
The end seal device according to claim 1, wherein the sealer mounting base for mounting the top sealer is configured to move up and down with forward and reverse rotation of the ball screw.   The uppermost movement position of the upper top sealer during the packaging process is set according to the height of the packaged object, and the lowermost movement position of the lower top sealer during the packaging process is set as the packaged object. 3. The end seal device according to claim 1, wherein the end seal device is set at a predetermined position on the lower side of the conveying surface of the package in the end seal device regardless of the height of the end seal device.   In the cleaning mode, the upper top sealer and the lower top sealer are both controlled to move upward and stop at a predetermined upper predetermined position. Item 4. The end seal device according to any one of Items 1 to 3.   The said drive mechanism is provided with the mechanism for moving the said top sealer forward and backward based on the motive power from the drive motor different from the drive motor for moving the said top sealer up and down. The end seal device according to any one of 1 to 4.   6. The standby position in the front-rear direction of the upper and lower top sealers during the packaging process is set at a fixed position on the upstream side regardless of the length in the front-rear direction of the package. The end seal device according to 1.   When the cut dimension of the packaging film is changed, the top sealer is fixed so that the upper and lower top sealers sandwich the packaging film from above and below and the heat sealing process is constant regardless of the cut dimension. 7. The end seal device according to claim 5, further comprising control means for controlling a drive motor for moving the top sealer up and down and the another drive motor for moving the top sealer forward and backward.   A packaging machine comprising the end seal device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. Means for forming a continuous strip-like film into a cylindrical shape;
A center seal device that seals the polymerization end of the cylindrical film formed in the cylindrical shape;
An end seal device that is disposed downstream of the center seal device and seals and cuts in the width direction of the tubular film;
A pillow wrapping machine provided with a belt conveyor that constitutes a conveyance surface of a cylindrical film that houses an article to be packaged before and after the end seal device,
The adjacent end portions of the belt conveyor are separated when the lower top sealer moves downward, and are configured to approach when the lower top sealer moves upward,
A pillow packaging machine, wherein the end seal device is the end seal device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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