JP2011020342A - Kneader, molding apparatus, and method for producing fluid of kneaded substance - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a kneader which can discharge a kneaded substance in at least a constant amount which is kneaded at a time, a molding apparatus, and a method for producing the fluid of the kneaded substance. <P>SOLUTION: The kneader includes a kneading part 10 for kneading the kneaded substance W, a buffer part 20 in which the fluid W1 is stored, and a discharge part 30 for discharging the fluid W1 outside the buffer part 20. The kneading part 10 includes a shaft-shaped kneading screw 12, a kneading screw driving part 14, a kneading cylinder part 11a which surrounds the kneading screw 12 and forms a kneading space Q1 for kneading the kneaded substance W between it and the kneading screw 12 and in which a kneading part discharge port 11b for discharging the fluid W1 of the kneaded substance W kneaded in the kneading space Q1 is provided, a kneading part opening/closing mechanism 18 which opens/closes the kneading part discharge port 11b, and a circulation passage 13 for circulating the kneaded substance W in the kneading space Q1. The buffer part 20 includes a pressurization part 50 for pressurizing the fluid W1 to maintain at least a prescribed pressure. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a kneader, a molding apparatus, and a method for producing a fluid to be kneaded.

Conventionally, in order to improve the characteristics of industrial materials and medical materials, various apparatuses for kneading a plurality of polymers or materials to be kneaded such as polymers and organic powders or inorganic powders have been studied. As one of such devices, as shown in Patent Document 1, a through hole (circulation flow path) is formed in a screw (kneading screw) to connect the distal end surface and the proximal end side surface to form an internal feedback type. A kneading machine using a screw is known.
According to this kneading machine, by rotating the screw at a high speed, the introduced material to be kneaded is melted by applying a strong shearing force to the material to be kneaded, and the dispersed phase size of the material to be kneaded is several tens of nanometers. Extruded products that are dispersed to a small extent can be produced.

JP-A-2005-313608

  However, in the conventional kneader, since a certain amount of the material to be kneaded is circulated and kneaded into a fluid, it is necessary to discharge the kneaded material to be kneaded before the next kneading. For this reason, it is impossible to take out the kneaded material to be kneaded as a fluid of a certain amount at a time, and extrusion molding that requires a certain amount or more when performing extrusion molding with the fluid discharged from the kneader. The product could not be manufactured.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and is a kneading machine, a molding apparatus, and a fluid to be kneaded that can discharge a predetermined amount or more of the material to be kneaded that is kneaded at a time. The manufacturing method of this is provided.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means.

  The kneading machine of the present invention includes a kneading part for kneading the material to be kneaded, a buffer part for storing a fluid of the material to be kneaded kneaded by the kneading part, and discharging the fluid to the outside of the buffer part. The kneading part includes a shaft-like kneading screw, a kneading screw driving part for rotating the kneading screw around the axis, and the kneading screw surrounding the kneading screw. A kneading cylinder portion provided with a kneading part discharge port for forming a kneading space for kneading the material to be kneaded and discharging a fluid of the material to be kneaded kneaded in the kneading space, and opening and closing the kneading part discharge port A kneading part opening / closing mechanism that circulates and a circulation flow path for circulating the material to be kneaded in the kneading space, and the buffer part applies pressure to the fluid to maintain a pressure equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure. Pressurizing to press It is characterized by having a.

According to this invention, in the kneading part, the kneading screw is rotated by the kneading screw driving part, and the material to be kneaded is circulated through the circulation channel in the kneading space between the kneading screw and the kneading cylinder part, and a certain amount of the material to be kneaded is circulated. Can be kneaded one by one. The material to be kneaded can be discharged as a fluid from the kneading part discharge port by opening the kneading part discharge port by the kneading part opening / closing mechanism. By repeating these in order, a certain amount or more of the fluid that has been kneaded from the kneading section can be stored in the buffer section. Then, the fluid stored in the buffer unit is agitated by the agitation unit and then discharged outside the apparatus by the discharge unit.
In this way, since a certain amount or more of fluid can be stored and discharged in the buffer part, it is possible to adjust the timing of discharging the fluid, and a certain amount or more of the material to be kneaded that is kneaded at once in the kneading part The fluid of the product can be discharged together. At this time, since the pressure applied to the fluid is maintained constant by the pressurizing unit, the fluid can be sent to the discharge unit regardless of the remaining amount of the fluid in the buffer unit. For this reason, the fluid can be stably discharged from the discharge portion even in the process of continuously conveying the fluid from the kneading portion to the buffer portion.

In the kneader of the present invention, it is preferable that the pressurizing unit includes a pressure adjusting unit that adjusts a pressure applied to the fluid according to a pressure of the fluid inside the buffer unit.
In this case, the pressure is adjusted so as to cancel out the pressure fluctuation following the pressure fluctuation in the buffer section generated when the fluid kneaded by the kneader is conveyed to the buffer section. As a result, the pressure applied to the fluid in the discharge part is kept above a certain level, so that the fluid can be stably discharged from the discharge part.

In the kneading machine of the present invention, it is preferable that the discharge unit includes a first gear pump having a pair of gears arranged vertically below the buffer unit and meshing with each other.
In this case, the fluid can be moved to the discharge portion by gravity because the discharge portion is vertically below the buffer portion. Furthermore, since the gear pump is employed as a mechanism for transporting the fluid in the discharge section, the transport amount of the fluid can be reliably controlled according to the driving of the gear.

In the kneading machine of the present invention, a second gear pump having a pair of gears meshing with each other is interposed between the kneading unit and the buffer unit to convey the fluid to the buffer unit. preferable.
In this case, the fluid can be conveyed to the buffer unit by the gear pump. Therefore, even when the fluid in the kneading part is reduced with the conveyance and the pressure in the kneading space is reduced, the fluid of the material to be kneaded remaining in the kneading part is stably buffered. It can be conveyed to the part. Furthermore, since the second gear pump functions as a check valve even when the fluid inside the buffer unit is pressurized by the pressurizing unit, the fluid is prevented from flowing back from the buffer unit to the kneading unit. Yes.

The molding apparatus of the present invention includes the above-described kneader and a molding unit that molds the fluid that has been kneaded by the kneader and discharged from the discharge unit into a predetermined shape.
According to the present invention, a predetermined amount or more of the fluid to be kneaded is continuously discharged from the discharge unit in a state of being uniformly mixed by the stirring unit. The fluid discharged from the discharge unit is supplied to the molding unit, and the fluid is molded into a predetermined shape. Therefore, it is possible to produce a molded product that requires a certain amount or more of fluid that can be kneaded at a time in the kneading section.

The method for producing a fluid to be kneaded according to the present invention comprises a kneading step of kneading the material to be kneaded to make a fluid of the material to be kneaded, and a buffer part capable of storing the fluid following the kneading step. It comprises a transporting process for transporting a fluid, a pressurizing process for pressurizing the fluid inside the buffer part, and a discharging process for discharging the fluid from the buffer part.
According to this invention, the fluid is stored in the buffer part by the conveying process following the kneading process, and then the fluid inside the buffer part is pressurized by the pressurizing process and is pressed and moved to the discharge part. For this reason, a certain amount or more of fluid can be continuously produced regardless of the timing of supplying the fluid to the buffer section.

According to the kneading machine of the present invention, the fluid of the material to be kneaded kneaded in the kneading unit is stored inside the buffer unit and discharged to the outside while being pressurized in the pressurizing unit, so that it is kneaded at once. A certain amount or more of the materials to be kneaded can be discharged. Furthermore, since the pressure applied to the fluid is kept constant by the pressurization unit, the fluid can be sent to the discharge unit regardless of the remaining amount of fluid inside the buffer unit. The fluid can be stably discharged from the discharge portion even in the process of continuously conveying the fluid from the kneading portion to the buffer portion.
Further, according to the molding apparatus of the present invention, since a fluid of a certain amount or more to be kneaded is continuously discharged from the discharge part and supplied to the molding part, extrusion molding that requires a certain amount of fluid or more is performed. Products such as goods can be manufactured.
Further, according to the method for producing a fluid to be kneaded according to the present invention, the fluid inside the buffer portion is pressurized and moved to the discharge portion by the pressurizing step. Regardless of the timing of supply, a certain amount or more of fluid can be continuously produced.

It is a perspective view which shows the kneading machine of 1 embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the kneading machine in a partial cross section. It is a side view which shows the kneading machine in a partial cross section. It is a block diagram which shows the pressure adjustment means in the kneading machine. It is a side view which shows the operation | movement at the time of use of the kneading machine in a partial cross section. It is a side view which shows the operation | movement at the time of use of the kneading machine in a partial cross section. It is a side view which shows the operation | movement at the time of use of the kneading machine in a partial cross section. It is a graph which shows the supply process of the fluid of the to-be-kneaded material to the buffer part of the kneading machine. It is a graph which shows the change of the internal pressure of the buffer part in the kneading machine.

Hereinafter, a kneading machine, a molding apparatus, and a manufacturing method of a fluid to be kneaded according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the configuration of the kneader of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a kneading machine of the present embodiment.
The kneading machine 1 includes a kneading unit 10 that kneads a certain amount of the material to be kneaded W, a buffer unit 20 in which a fluid of the material to be kneaded kneaded by the kneading unit 10 is stored, and a fluid outside the buffer unit. And a discharge unit 30 for discharging. In addition, a pressurizing unit 50 described later in detail is fixed to the buffer unit 20. In the present embodiment, the material to be kneaded W is composed of two types of materials consisting of a polymer material and a powder material.

  The material to be kneaded W of the polymer material is not particularly limited as long as it is a thermoplastic material. For example, polyethylene (low density / high density / linear low density / ultra high molecular weight), ionomer resin (For example, ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer ionomer resin), polypropylene (homo / random / block / atactic / syndiotactic), ultrahigh molecular weight polypropylene, polybutene, 4-methylpentene-1 polymer, cyclic polyolefin resin, styrene resin (Polystyrene, butadiene-styrene resin, acrylonitrile-styrene resin, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resin, etc.), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinylidene chloride, polycarbonate, polyacetal, polyphenylene oxide, polyacetic acid Nyl, polyvinyl alcohol, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), cellulose acetate, polyester (for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polytrimethylene terephthalate, etc.), polyamide resin, polyimide resin, fluorine resin, polysulfone , Polyethersulfone, polyarylate, polyetheretherketone (PEEK), liquid crystal polymer, thermoplastic polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer, biodegradable polymer, and a copolymer thereof can be used.

  Further, the material to be kneaded W of the powder particles is not particularly limited as long as it is a material that can be combined with a molecular material. For example, in the case of inorganic materials, metal inorganic salts such as barium sulfate and calcium carbonate, metal oxides such as alumina, and the like. , Nitrogen compounds such as boron nitride, powdered / acicular carbon, carbon nanotubes, fullerene and other single substances or composites, organic substances such as polytetrafluoroethylene powder, ultrahigh molecular weight powder, polyimide powder, etc. Good. It may be a composite particle of an inorganic substance and an organic substance. Further, the amount of the inorganic particles added is not particularly limited as long as the amount can be combined with the polymer material. In forming the inorganic particles, the inorganic particles to be used may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  Further, various additive components commonly used as components to be dispersed in the resin mixture in the material to be kneaded W, such as a compatibilizing agent, a crystal nucleating agent, a coloring inhibitor, an antioxidant, a release agent, a plasticizer, a heat stabilizer, and a lubricant Additives such as ultraviolet ray inhibitors, colorants, and flame retardants may also be used.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the kneading machine 1 with a part thereof broken. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the kneading unit 10 includes a substantially cylindrical kneading screw 12, a kneading screw driving unit 14 that rotates the kneading screw 12, and a kneading screw 12 that surrounds the kneading screw 12. A kneading cylinder part 11a provided with a kneading part discharge port 11b for forming a kneading space Q1 for kneading the to-be-kneaded object W and discharging a fluid W1 of the to-be-kneaded substance W kneaded in the kneading space Q1, and a kneading part A kneading part opening / closing mechanism 18 for opening and closing the discharge port 11b and a circulation channel 13 for circulating the material to be kneaded W in the kneading space Q1 are provided.

The kneading cylinder part 11a of this embodiment is formed in the kneading part main body 11 so as to extend in the horizontal direction as a cylindrical hole. Further, the kneading screw 12 is formed with a spiral screw 12a on the outer peripheral portion, and is disposed coaxially with the kneading cylinder portion 11a inside the kneading cylinder portion 11a. Thereby, the kneading screw 12 can convey the material to be kneaded W in the direction of the kneading part discharge port 11b in the kneading space Q1.
The kneading part discharge port 11b is formed along the axial direction of the kneading cylinder part 11a (see FIG. 3).
Further, the circulation channel 13 of the present embodiment is formed inside the kneading screw 12. That is, the circulation channel 13 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the kneading screw 12 on the proximal end side of the kneading screw 12 from the distal end side opening 13 a formed at the end portion on the kneading portion discharge port 11 b side which is the leading end side of the kneading screw 12. The base end side opening 13b is provided so as to extend. The proximal end side openings 13 b are opened at two locations on the outer peripheral surface facing the radial direction of the kneading screw 12.

  The kneading screw drive unit 14 is attached to the outer surface of the kneading unit main body 11 on the base end side of the kneading screw 12, and can rotate the kneading screw 12 at two stages at different speeds, for example.

  FIG. 3 is a side view showing the kneader 1 in a partial cross section. As shown in FIG. 3, the kneading part opening / closing mechanism 18 includes a plate-like kneading shutter 18a capable of closing the flow path by moving back and forth in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the kneading part discharge port 11b, and a kneading shutter 18a. And a kneading shutter opening / closing part 18b for advancing and retreating.

The kneading part main body 11 is formed with a material charging port 15a that extends vertically downward from the upper surface and communicates with the inside of the kneading cylinder unit 11a. The material charging port 15a stores a material to be kneaded W (see FIG. 1). A hopper 15 to be supplied to the material inlet 15a is attached.
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a second gear pump 40 having a pair of gears 42 and 43 meshing with each other and conveying the fluid W <b> 1 to the buffer unit 20 is interposed between the kneading unit 10 and the buffer unit 20. Has been. The gears 42 and 43 are rotated inside the case 41 by a pump motor (not shown), whereby the fluid W1 can be conveyed to the buffer unit 20 along the space formed between the gears 42 and 43 and the case 41. it can.

  The buffer part 20 is formed with a buffer part opening 24 communicating with the kneading part discharge port 11b, and a buffer space Q2 is formed in communication with the buffer part opening 24 for storing the fluid W1 of the material to be kneaded. The buffer space Q2 is formed as a columnar hole whose central axis is directed in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the buffer space Q2 is formed as a cylindrical hole.

  The maximum volume of the buffer space Q2 is preferably larger than the volume of the kneading space Q1, and for example, the maximum volume of the buffer space Q2 may be set to about 4 to 5 times the volume of the kneading space Q1. This is for discharging the fluid W1 from the buffer unit 20 without interruption during the kneading of the material W to be kneaded in the kneading unit 10, and the fluid W1 is completely discharged from the buffer unit 20. This is because the entire amount of the subsequent fluid W1 previously kneaded in the kneading unit 10 can be filled in the buffer space Q2.

  The buffer unit is provided with a pressurizing unit 50 that pressurizes the fluid W1 stored in the buffer space Q2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pressurizing unit 50 includes a piston 51 that can slide while being in close contact with the inner wall surface 20b of the buffer space Q2, and a screw that extends from the center of the piston 51 in the axial direction of the buffer space Q2. Part 52 and a rotation drive part 53 that rotates the screw part 52 with respect to the buffer part housing 21, and the screw part 52 can move back and forth in the direction of the central axis as it rotates about the axis. In conjunction with the advance / retreat operation of the screw portion 52, the piston 51 also advances / retreats in the axial direction of the buffer space Q2. Accordingly, the volume of the buffer space Q2 varies depending on the position of the piston 51.

The pressurizing unit 50 is provided with a pressure adjusting means 70 that adjusts the pressure applied to the fluid W1 according to the pressure of the fluid W1 in the buffer space Q2 inside the buffer unit 20. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the pressure adjusting means 70.
The pressure adjusting means 70 includes a pressure sensor 71 that is disposed on the inner wall surface of the buffer unit 20 and detects the pressure in the buffer space Q2, and rotates with the second gear pump 40 based on the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor 71. A control signal for controlling the operation with the drive unit 53 is transmitted.

The discharge part 30 is formed in a cylindrical shape communicating with the buffer space Q <b> 2, and has a discharge pipe 31 protruding vertically below the buffer part 20. Further, the discharge unit 30 includes a first gear pump 60 having a pair of gears 62 and 63 which are disposed inside a case 61 fixed vertically below the buffer unit 20 and mesh with each other.
The discharge pipe 31 has a discharge opening 31 a outside the buffer unit 20, and serves as a discharge port for discharging the fluid W <b> 1 to the outside of the buffer unit 20.

  The discharge part opening 31a can be connected to a molding part (not shown) that forms the fluid W1 in a predetermined shape, and can be connected by appropriately adopting a molding part such as a known extrusion molding machine. By combining the kneader 1 and the molding unit, a molding apparatus for molding an extrusion molded product from the fluid W1 of the material to be kneaded W can be configured.

With reference to FIGS. 5 to 9, the operation of the kneading machine and the molding apparatus of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration and the method of manufacturing the fluid to be kneaded will be described.
FIG. 5 is a side view showing an operation when the kneader 1 is used. In the kneading machine 1, the kneading part discharge port 11b is closed by the kneading shutter 18a in the initial state, and the material charging port 15a is opened to the outside in the kneading space Q1.

  The user drives the kneading screw driving unit 14 to rotate the kneading screw 12 around the axis. At this time, the kneading screw is rotated at the higher second rotation speed of the two-stage rotation speeds. Then, a fixed amount of the material to be kneaded W stored in the hopper 15 that is kneaded at once in the kneading unit 10 is charged into the kneading cylinder 11a through the material charging port 15a.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the material to be kneaded W put into the kneading cylinder portion 11a is moved to the front end side of the kneading screw 12 through the kneading space Q1 by the rotation of the screw 12a of the kneading screw 12. .
During this time, the material to be kneaded W receives a shearing force from the kneading screw 12 in the kneading space Q1 to generate heat and melt, and the material to be kneaded W becomes a fluid W1 and is kneaded. And the fluid W1 which reached | attained the front-end | tip of the kneading screw 12 receives the big shear force between the kneading screw 12 and the kneading cylinder part 11a, and the circulation flow path 13 (FIG. 2) from the front end side opening 13a (refer FIG. 2). And is discharged from the proximal side opening 13b (see FIG. 2) to the outer peripheral surface of the kneading screw 12 again and pushed out to the front end side of the kneading screw 12 through the kneading space Q1. Thus, a certain amount of the material W to be kneaded is repeatedly kneaded as a fluid W1 while circulating through the kneading space Q1 and the circulation channel 13 (kneading step S1).

  Thus, when the material to be kneaded is kneaded for a certain period of time and the first kneading is completed, as shown in FIG. 6, the kneading shutter 18a is opened by the kneading part opening / closing mechanism 18 and flows from the kneading part discharge port 11b. Body W1 is discharged. At this time, the kneading screw drive unit 14 rotates the kneading screw 12 at a first rotation speed lower than the second rotation speed described above, and the fluid W1 in the kneading space sequentially moves to the kneading unit discharge port 11b. Be transported. The fluid W1 conveyed to the kneading part discharge port 11b is conveyed to the buffer part 20 side by the gear pump 40, and the fluid W1 is filled in the buffer space Q2 of the buffer part 20 (conveying step S2).

  As shown in FIG. 6, the fluid W1 transported into the buffer unit 20 accumulates from below the buffer space Q2 according to gravity. When all the fluid W1 kneaded in the kneading space Q1 is conveyed to the buffer unit 20, the gear pump 40 is stopped, and the kneading unit opening / closing mechanism 18 is operated to close the kneading unit discharge port 11b by the kneading shutter 18a. In the same manner as described above, the material W to be kneaded is kneaded in the kneading space Q1 and the circulation channel 13 to produce the subsequent fluid W1.

  The kneading step S1 in the kneading unit 10 is repeated until a predetermined amount of the fluid W1 is stored in the buffer space Q2 of the buffer unit 20, while the fluid W1 stored in the buffer unit 20 is held in the buffer space Q2. ing.

  When a predetermined amount of the fluid W1 is stored in the buffer unit 20, the screw unit 52 is rotated by the rotation driving unit 53 in the pressurizing unit 50, the piston 51 slides and moves vertically downward, and the fluid W1 moves vertically downward. Press on. For this reason, a constant pressure by the piston 51 is applied to the fluid W1 (pressurizing step S3).

In the pressurizing step S3, the pressure adjusting unit 70 controls the rotation driving unit 53 so that a suitable pressure is applied to the fluid based on the pressure value from the pressure sensor 71, and the pressure applied to the fluid W1 is set to a predetermined pressure. Adjustments are made to maintain above. The upper limit value of the pressure applied to the fluid W1 is set so as not to exceed the maximum pressure corresponding to the strength of the buffer unit 20 and the like.
Subsequently, the first gear pump 60 is driven, and the gears 62 and 63 are rotated around the axis. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the fluid W <b> 1 is discharged from the discharge portion opening 31 a of the discharge pipe 31 of the discharge portion 30. (Discharge process S4)
The fluid W1 extruded from the discharge part opening 31a is shape | molded by the shaping | molding part etc. which were mentioned above, and becomes an extrusion molded product.

Below, operation | movement of the kneading machine 1 at the time of discharging continuously the fluid W1 more than the fixed quantity which can be kneaded in the kneading part 10 is explained in full detail.
In order to discharge a certain amount or more of the fluid W1 that can be kneaded by the kneading unit 10, it is necessary to intermittently include the transporting step S2 between the discharging step S4 for discharging the fluid W1 from the discharging unit 30. At this time, since the flow path from the kneading part discharge port 11b of the kneading part 10 to the buffer part opening 24 of the buffer part 20 is communicated, a part of the pressure applied to the fluid W1 by the pressurizing part 50 is reduced. Take to the side. Accordingly, at this time, the pressure of the fluid W1 varies in the discharge unit 30.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing the remaining amount of the fluid W1 in the buffer space Q2 of the buffer unit 20 over time. The vertical axis indicates the amount of the fluid W1, and the horizontal axis indicates time.
As shown in FIG. 8, in the initial state (time T0), the remaining amount of the fluid stored in the buffer space Q2 is V0 (not stored at all). During the time T0 to the time T1, the first kneading step S1 is performed in the kneading unit 10.
Between the time T1 and the time T2, the transport step S2 is performed, and the fluid W1 is transported to the buffer unit 20. At this time, the remaining amount of the fluid W1 increases from the remaining amount V0 to the remaining amount V2 in the buffer space Q2. The remaining amount V2 is an amount equal to or smaller than the volume of the buffer space Q2, and the operation of the discharge unit 30 is started after the remaining amount of the fluid W1 in the buffer space Q2 exceeds the remaining amount V2. In addition, when kneading cannot be performed to increase the remaining amount V0 to V2 in one kneading step, the fluid W1 is manufactured by repeating the kneading step S1 and the conveying step S2.

  In the discharge unit 30, the first gear pump 60 is continuously operated after the time T2, and the fluid W1 is continuously discharged by the operation of the first gear pump 60. At this time, in the kneading part 10, a kneading step S1 for kneading the subsequent material to be kneaded W from time T2 to time T3 is performed.

  At time T3, the remaining amount of the fluid W1 in the buffer space Q2 is the remaining amount V1. The remaining amount V1 is set as an amount that can be supplied without interruption when the fluid W1 is transported from the buffer space Q2 to the discharge unit 30. When the remaining amount of the fluid W1 falls below the remaining amount V1, the fluid of the material W to be kneaded for the second time in the kneading unit 10 (referred to as “subsequent fluid W2” for convenience) is described above. In the same manner as described above, the transfer step S2 transfers the buffer unit 20 to the buffer unit 20, and the remaining amount in the buffer space Q2 increases to the remaining amount V2.

FIG. 9 is a graph schematically showing pressure fluctuations in the buffer space Q2 when the transfer step S2 is intermittently interposed between the discharge step S4. The vertical axis indicates the pressure value, and the horizontal axis indicates time.
In FIG. 9, L <b> 1 is the pressurization by the piston 51 when the rotation driving unit 53 is operated. L2 is pressurization by operating the second gear pump 40. P2 on the vertical axis is a value set as a pressure value suitable for discharging the fluid W1 from the discharge unit 30.

  When the first kneading step S1 is completed at time T1 and the conveying step S2 is started, the fluid W1 is conveyed into the buffer space Q2 inside the buffer unit 20 and exceeds the pressure P2 by the second gear pump 40. The fluid W1 in the buffer space Q2 is pressurized to the pressure P3.

  When the transport process S2 is completed at time T2, the second gear pump 40 is stopped, and instead, the rotation drive unit 53 is driven and pressurization of the fluid W1 by the piston 51 is started. Between time T2 and time T3, the pressure of the fluid W1 is adjusted by the piston 51 to be a pressure P3 exceeding the pressure P2. After time T2, the fluid W1 is continuously discharged from the discharge portion 30, and the pressure of the fluid W1 in the buffer space Q2 gradually decreases. Therefore, the piston 51 is gradually pushed down to compensate for this decrease. go.

  When the remaining amount of the fluid in the buffer space Q2 becomes equal to or lower than V1 at time T3, the kneading space Q1 and the buffer space Q2 are in communication with each other in order to transport the fluid W1 from the kneading space Q1 to the buffer space Q2. However, at this time, the pressure adjusting means 70 changes the setting so as to weaken the pressurization by the piston 51 and set the vicinity of the pressure P2 as the target pressure. At the same time, the second gear pump 40 is operated to convey the subsequent fluid W1 from the kneading space Q1. Accordingly, the pressure of the fluid W1 in the buffer space Q2 rises to a pressure P2 or higher due to the pressurization of the fluid W1 by the second gear pump 40.

  When the conveying step S2 is completed at time T4, the pressure is switched from the pressurization by the second gear pump 40 to the pressurization by the rotation drive unit 53 as described above.

  In this way, after the time T2, the fluid W1 having at least the remaining amount V1 remains in the buffer space Q2, and the pressure of the fluid W1 is adjusted so as not to fall below the pressure P2. Even if it is driven continuously, the fluid W1 inside the buffer unit 20 is suppressed from being depleted, and the pressure of the fluid W1 maintains a suitable pressure value even if the remaining amount of the fluid W1 decreases. it can. Therefore, a certain amount or more of fluid can be discharged from the discharge unit 30, and a molded product that requires a certain amount or more of fluid can be formed.

  In addition, as shown by the code | symbol L2 in FIG. 9, the pressurization by the 2nd gear pump 40 is slightly performed between time T2-T3 and between time T4-T5. This is a control that assumes a case where the fluid W1 flows backward from the gap between the components inside the second gear pump 40. Therefore, as long as this backflow is negligible, the second gear pump 40 may be completely stopped to make the pressurization zero.

  As described above, according to the kneading machine, the molding apparatus, and the manufacturing method of the fluid to be kneaded according to the present embodiment, the fluid W1 discharged from the kneading unit discharge port 11b to the buffer unit 20 is the pressurizing unit. While being pressurized by 50, it is discharged from the discharge unit 30. Accordingly, it is possible to discharge a predetermined amount or more of the materials to be kneaded that are kneaded at a time in the kneading section.

In addition, pressure adjusting means 70 is provided to compensate for pressure fluctuations of the fluid W1 when the fluid W1 is conveyed from the kneading unit 10 to the buffer unit 20 and when the fluid W1 is discharged from the discharge unit 30. Therefore, even if the fluid W1 is intermittently transported to the buffer unit 20 or the fluid W1 is discharged from the discharge unit 30, fluctuations in pressure applied to the fluid W1 in the discharge unit 30 can be suppressed. Thereby, the dimensional accuracy of an extrusion molded product can be improved.
In addition, since a certain amount or more of the fluid to be kneaded is continuously discharged from the discharge portion and supplied to the forming portion, it is possible to manufacture products such as extruded products that require a certain amount or more of the fluid. it can.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail with reference to drawings, the concrete structure is not restricted to this embodiment, The design change etc. of the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention are included.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Kneading machine 10 Kneading part 11a Kneading cylinder part 12 Kneading screw 13 Circulation flow path 14 Kneading screw drive part 18 Kneading part opening / closing mechanism 20 Buffer part 30 Discharge part 40 Second gear pump 50 Pressurizing part 60 First gear pump 70 Pressure adjustment Means S1 Kneading step S2 Conveying step S3 Pressurizing step S4 Discharging step

Claims (6)

A kneading part for kneading the material to be kneaded;
A buffer part in which a fluid of the material to be kneaded kneaded by the kneading part is stored;
A discharge part for discharging the fluid to the outside of the buffer part;
With
The kneading part is
An axial kneading screw;
A kneading screw driving section for rotating the kneading screw about its axis;
A kneading section discharge port is provided that surrounds the kneading screw to form a kneading space for kneading the material to be kneaded between the kneading screw and discharges the fluid of the material to be kneaded kneaded in the kneading space. A kneading cylinder portion,
A kneading part opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing the kneading part discharge port;
A circulation channel for circulating the material to be kneaded in the kneading space;
Have
The buffer unit is
A kneader comprising a pressurizing unit that pressurizes the fluid so as to maintain a pressure equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure. The pressurizing part is
The kneading machine according to claim 1, further comprising a pressure adjusting unit that adjusts a pressure applied to the fluid according to a pressure of the fluid inside the buffer portion.   The kneading machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the discharge unit includes a first gear pump having a pair of gears arranged vertically below the buffer unit and meshing with each other. Between the kneading part and the buffer part,
The kneading machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a second gear pump having a pair of gears meshing with each other and interposing the fluid to the buffer unit is interposed. A kneader according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A molding unit that molds the fluid that has been kneaded by the kneader and discharged from the discharge unit into a predetermined shape;
A molding apparatus comprising: A kneading step of kneading the material to be kneaded to form a fluid of the material to be kneaded;
A transporting step of transporting the fluid to a buffer part capable of storing the fluid following the kneading step;
A pressurizing step of pressurizing the fluid inside the buffer unit;
A discharge step of discharging the fluid from the buffer section;
A method for producing a fluid to be kneaded comprising:

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