JP2017105508A - Capping apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce an amount of leakage of grease applied to a support shaft of a thread roller attached to a sealing head of a capping apparatus.SOLUTION: A screw part is formed in a cap by descending a thread roller 14 along the screw groove of a container mouth part by rotating the thread roller 14 while pressing to the peripheral wall of the cap covered on the container mouth. A pocket part 40 of a small diameter is formed in the peripheral surface of a support shaft 14S of the thread roller 14 inserted into a sleeve. Spiral grooves 42A and 42B having different directions are formed in the peripheral surfaces on both sides of the pocket part 40, and the edges of the spiral grooves 42A and 42B are communicated with the pocket part 40. When rotating the thread roller 14, grease existing between the support shaft 14S and the sleeve 30 is guided to the pocket part 40 by the grooves 42A and 42B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a capping device, and more particularly to a support shaft of a thread roller attached to a sealing head and a structure of a rotating shaft for rotating the sealing head.

  A capping device is known in which a thread roller is pressed against a cap placed on a container mouth portion along a screw groove provided in the mouth portion of the container to adapt the cap shape to the mouth shape of the container (Patent Document). 1). The support shaft of the thread roller is pivotally supported on the arm via a sleeve and is urged upward by a return spring. That is, when the thread roller is pressed against the capper and the cap is deformed and the edge of the thread roller body is fitted into the thread groove, the thread roller rotates against the urging force of the return spring and rotates into the thread groove. A female screw is formed on the cylindrical side surface of the cap.

Japanese Patent No. 3593812

  Grease is applied between the support shaft of the thread roller and the sleeve in order to improve lubricity and to smoothly lift and rotate the thread roller. As described above, when capping, the support shaft of the thread roller is lowered while rotating in the sleeve. At this time, grease may leak from below the sleeve, and the cap may be soiled. Further, when grease leaks from the sleeve, the grease is depleted, which may cause wear and failure of the support shaft and the sleeve. For this reason, the worker periodically wipes away the leaked grease and performs a maintenance work for applying grease to the support shaft. A plurality of thread rollers are arranged on the sealing head, and this maintenance work takes a lot of time for a large-sized capping device having a large number of sealing heads. Further, such a problem has occurred not only on the support shaft of the thread roller but also on a rotating shaft that rotates a sealing head that rotates and moves up and down.

  The present invention reduces the burden of maintenance work by suppressing the amount of lubricant, such as grease, applied to the shaft that rotates and lifts, such as the support shaft of the thread roller and the rotating shaft that rotates the sealing head, from the sleeve. Is an issue.

  A capping device according to the present invention includes a rotating shaft that can be rotated and moved up and down in a sleeve, a capping head provided at a lower end of the rotating shaft, a rotating unit that rotates the rotating shaft, and a lifting unit that lifts and lowers the rotating shaft. And a cap supply means for supplying a cap to the capping head, and a capping device for mounting the cap held by the capping head on the container by rotating the rotating shaft up and down, and a small-diameter pocket portion on the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft; A helical groove whose end communicates with the pocket portion is formed on the peripheral surface below the pocket portion, and when the rotation shaft rotates, the lubricant existing between the rotation shaft and the sleeve is added to the pocket portion. It is characterized by guiding.

  The capping device of the present invention includes a thread roller body, a support shaft that supports the thread roller body, a sleeve that is disposed so that the support shaft can be rotated and moved up and down, and a spring that biases the support shaft upward, In the capping device for lowering the thread roller body along the thread groove of the container mouth by rotating the roller body while pressing the roller body against the peripheral wall of the cap placed on the mouth of the container, A small-diameter pocket portion is formed on the peripheral surface of the support shaft, and a spiral groove whose end portion communicates with the pocket portion is formed on the peripheral surface below the pocket portion. When the thread roller rotates, the support shaft and the sleeve It is characterized in that the lubricant existing between the two is guided to the pocket portion.

  A spiral groove having an end communicating with the pocket portion and having a direction different from that of the spiral groove formed on the peripheral surface below the pocket portion may be further formed on the circumferential surface above the pocket portion.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the burden of maintenance work by suppressing the amount of lubricant such as grease applied to the rotating shaft for rotating the sealing head and the support shaft of the thread roller from leaking from the sleeve.

It is a sectional side view which shows the layout of the capping apparatus which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is an expanded sectional side view of the thread | yarn roller unit attached to the capping apparatus of FIG. It is an expansion side view of the thread roller unit of a modification.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a layout of a capping device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The capping device 10 of the present embodiment, for example, presses a roller against a cap (for example, a metal cap such as aluminum) covered with a container mouth such as a bottle or aluminum, and the cap shape is changed to the shape of the container mouth (screw groove or It is a PP capper adapted to an annular groove). The capping device 10 includes a plurality of sealing heads 12, and each sealing head 12 is provided with a thread roller 14 and a lock roller 15. FIG. 1 illustrates one sealing head 12.

  As is well known in the art, each of the sealing heads 12 is arranged along the outer periphery of the rotating body 16 at, for example, equal intervals, revolves around the rotation axis of the rotating body 16, and moves up and down with respect to the rotating body 16. It is supported freely and freely.

  The sealing head 12 includes a hollow upper cylinder 18, an actuator cam 20, and a lower cylinder 22. The upper cylindrical body 18 is supported by the rotating body 16 via the sleeve 16S so as to be movable up and down, and when it is revolved by the rotating body 16, it is moved up and down by a cam mechanism (not shown) or the like, and a gear train (not shown). Rotated by etc. An actuator cam 20 is integrally attached to the lower end of the upper cylinder 18, and a lower cylinder 22 is fitted to the actuator cam 20 from below the actuator cam 20. The actuator cam 20 and the lower cylindrical body 22 are connected by a key (not shown), and the actuator cam 20 can rotate integrally with the lower cylindrical body 22 and is attached to the lower cylindrical body 22 so as to be movable up and down. .

  The hollow provided inside the upper cylinder 18, the actuator cam 20, and the lower cylinder 22 communicates along the rotation axis of the sealing head 12, and this hollow extends vertically from the upper cylinder 18 to the lower cylinder 22. A main rod 24 is inserted. A sleeve 18 </ b> S is interposed between the main rod 24 and the upper cylindrical body 18, and the upper cylindrical body 18 is supported by the main rod 24 so as to be movable up and down and rotatable.

  On the other hand, bushes 20B and 20B are fitted between the main rod 24 and the lower cylindrical body 22, and thrust bearings 20T and 20T are interposed at both upper and lower ends thereof. That is, the main rod 24 is rotatable with respect to the lower cylindrical body 22, but the movement in the axial direction is restricted, and the lower cylindrical body 22 is moved up and down integrally with the main rod 24. A ring member 20R integrated with the lower cylinder 22 is provided at the upper end of the lower cylinder 22, and abuts against a step provided on the actuator cam 20 so that the lower cylinder 22 faces the actuator cam 20 downward. Regulate axial movement. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the main rod 24 is lowered to the lowest position and the ring member 20 </ b> R is locked to the step portion of the actuator cam 20.

  The main rod 24 extends from the lower end portion of the lower cylindrical body 22, and a pressure block 26 is attached to the lower end thereof. The pressure block 26 is pressed against the top of a cap (not shown) placed on the container by lowering the main rod 24, thereby holding the cap.

  A circular plate portion 22D and an arm holding portion 28 are provided on the lower end side of the lower cylindrical body 22, and a plurality of pivot shafts 27 extending in the vertical direction are pivotally supported. At the lower end of the pivot shaft 27 (shown only with respect to the arm 28B), arms 28A and 28B swingable about the pivot shaft 27 are attached. At the tips of the arms 28A and 28B, thread roller units 140 and The lock roller unit 150 is held. The arms 28 </ b> A and 28 </ b> B are biased toward the shaft of the sealing head 12 by a torsion spring 29 wound around the pivot shaft 27. On the other hand, one end of an arm 23 for rotating the pivot shaft 27 is attached to the upper end of the pivot shaft 27 (in FIG. 1, the portion indicating the connection state between the arm 23 and the pivot shaft 27 is omitted), and the other end. Is provided with a cam follower 50 that engages with the cam of the actuator cam 20. That is, the arm 23 is driven in the radial direction in accordance with the vertical relative position of the actuator cam 20 and the main rod 24, and the pivot shaft 27 is rotated accordingly to swing the arms 28A and 28B. 15 is moved in the axial direction of the sealing head 12 or moved from the axial direction, and the rollers 14 and 15 are brought into contact with or separated from the cap.

  FIG. 2 shows a side sectional view of the thread roller unit 140 of the present embodiment. 2 is a side sectional view of the thread roller unit 140 shown on the right side in FIG.

  The thread roller unit 140 of the present embodiment is mainly composed of a thread roller 14, a sleeve 30, and a spring 32 that is an urging means. The thread roller 14 includes a disk-shaped thread roller body 14B, a support shaft 14S standing upright from the center of the thread roller body 14B, and a head 14H attached to the tip of the support shaft 14S. The support shaft 14S is inserted into the sleeve 30, and a spring 32 is interposed between the upper end of the sleeve 30 (the end opposite to the thread roller main body 14B) and the head 14H. 30 is biased upward. The head 14H is a bolt, for example, and is screwed to the upper end portion of the support shaft 14S after the spring 32 is mounted. In FIG. 2, the thread roller 14 is at the highest position with respect to the sleeve 30 by the urging force of the spring 32.

  In the example of FIG. 2, the sleeve 30 is accommodated in the protective cylinder 34, and the thread roller unit 140 is held by the arm 28 </ b> A via the protective cylinder 34. A washer 36 and a spring retainer 38 are interposed between the upper end of the sleeve 30 and the lower end of the spring 32. The washer 36 abuts on the upper end of the sleeve 30 and the upper end of the protective cylindrical body 34 and distributes the force from the spring 32 to both members. The spring retainer 38 accommodates the lower end of the spring 32 and stabilizes the movement of the spring 32. The protective cylinder 34, the washer 36, and the spring retainer 38 can be omitted.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the thread roller 14 includes a pocket portion 40 having a predetermined width in the axial direction on the support shaft 14 </ b> S disposed in the sleeve 30. The pocket portion 40 is an annular groove along the peripheral surface of the support shaft 14S. In the pocket portion 40, the outer diameter of the support shaft 14S is smaller than the other portions.

  In the support shaft 14 </ b> S, spiral grooves 42 </ b> A and 42 </ b> B having different winding directions are formed on the upper and lower circumferential surfaces of the pocket portion 40. For example, in the example of FIG. 2, the upper spiral groove 42A is right-handed, and the lower spiral groove 42B is left-handed. Further, the lower end of the upper spiral groove 42 </ b> A and the upper end of the lower spiral groove 42 </ b> B communicate with the pocket portion 40. The spiral grooves 42A and 42B may be provided in a region that is always in the sleeve 30 when the thread roller 14 is raised and lowered.

  Next, the operation of the thread roller 14 of the present embodiment at the time of capping will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As is well known, when the capping device 10 is supplied with a cap (not shown) placed on a container (not shown), the pressure block 26 is pressed against the top of the cap, and the cap is placed on the container mouth. Hold. Thereafter, the thread roller 14 and the lock roller 15 are pressed against the side surface of the cap, and the thread roller 14 is rotated around the cap relatively. The thread roller 14 fitted in the thread groove of the container mouth is lowered along the thread groove against the urging force of the spring 32 while rotating in the sleeve 30. When the tightening is completed, the thread roller 14 and the lock roller 15 are separated from the cap, and the thread roller 14 is raised to the original position by the urging force of the spring 32.

  In the case of the thread roller 14 shown in FIG. 2, during capping, the thread roller 14 is rotated clockwise as viewed from the head 14H side (upper side). Thereby, when the thread roller 14 rotates, the grease (lubricant) applied around the support shaft 14S is guided to the pocket 40 along the spiral grooves 42A and 42B between the sleeve 30 and the thread. Even if the roller 14 moves up and down with respect to the sleeve 30, the amount of grease that leaks out from below or above the sleeve 30 can be suppressed.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the amount of leakage of grease (lubricant) applied to the support shaft of the thread roller and to prolong the period until grease is depleted. Thus, the number of maintenance operations such as wiping off the operator and applying grease can be reduced, and the burden on the operator can be reduced.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the structure of the thread roller unit 142 which is a modification of this embodiment is demonstrated. The thread roller unit 142 of the modification is substantially the same as the thread roller unit 140 of the embodiment except that the configuration of the sleeve 31 is different from the configuration of the sleeve 30 of the embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals are used for the same configuration as the embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

  3A shows a state where the thread roller 14 is lowered to the lowermost position, and FIG. 3B shows a state where the thread roller 14 is raised to the uppermost position. As shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the sleeve 31 of the modified example is provided with a pocket portion 31R along the inner peripheral surface thereof. For example, in the state of FIG. 3B, the pocket portion 31R is formed across the positions facing the spiral groove 42A, the pocket portion 40, and the spiral groove 42B of the thread roller 14, and in the state of FIG. The lower side of the pocket portion 40 of the roller 14 is lowered to a position substantially coincident with the lower side of the pocket portion 31R of the sleeve 31. Accordingly, in the modification, the grease (lubricant) is more effectively retained in the pocket portion 31R and the pocket portion 40, and the amount of leakage from the lower end and the upper end of the sleeve 31 can be reduced. That is, the same effect as that of the embodiment can be obtained in this modification.

  In the present embodiment and the modification, one spiral groove is provided above and below the pocket portion. However, a configuration in which the spiral groove is provided only on the lower side or a plurality of spiral grooves may be provided in the upper and lower sides. Moreover, in this embodiment and the modification, you may provide the spiral groove of the right-handed side on the lower side, and the left-handed side of the upper side. In this case, the rotation direction of the thread roller is reversed. Further, in the present embodiment and the modification, the description has been given by taking grease as an example of the lubricant, but it is also possible to use oil other than grease as the lubricant.

  In this embodiment, the pocket portion 31R and the spiral grooves 42A and 42B are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the support shaft 14S of the thread roller 14. However, the same configuration is slidably in contact with the inner peripheral wall of a sleeve or a bush. It can also be applied to general rotating shafts. For example, in this embodiment, even if a pocket portion and a spiral groove are formed in a portion (outer peripheral surface) disposed inside the sleeves 16S and 18S and the bush 20B in the main rod 24 to which the capping head 26 is attached, etc. The effect is obtained.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Capping apparatus 12 Sealing head 14 Thread roller 14B Thread roller main body 14S Support shaft 14H Head 15 Lock roller 16 Rotating body 24 Main rod 26 Pressure block 30, 31 Sleeve 31R Pocket part 32 Spring 40 Pocket part 42A, 42B Spiral groove 140, 142 Thread roller unit

Claims (3)

A rotating shaft arranged to be rotatable and movable up and down in the sleeve;
A capping head provided at the lower end of the rotating shaft;
Rotating means for rotating the rotating shaft;
Elevating means for elevating and lowering the rotating shaft;
Cap supply means for supplying a cap to the capping head,
In the capping device for mounting the cap held by the capping head on the container by rotating the rotary shaft up and down,
A small-diameter pocket portion is formed on the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft, and a spiral groove whose end portion communicates with the pocket portion is formed on the peripheral surface below the pocket portion, and the rotation shaft rotates when the rotating shaft rotates. A capping device for guiding a lubricant present between a shaft and the sleeve to the pocket portion. The thread roller body,
A support shaft for supporting the thread roller body;
A sleeve in which the support shaft is rotatably and vertically movable;
A spring for biasing the support shaft upward,
By rotating the thread roller body while pressing the thread roller body against the peripheral wall of the cap placed on the mouth of the container, the thread roller body is lowered along the thread groove of the container mouth to form a thread on the cap. In the capping device to
A small-diameter pocket portion is formed on the peripheral surface of the support shaft, and a spiral groove whose end portion communicates with the pocket portion is formed on the peripheral surface below the pocket portion. A capping device for guiding a lubricant present between a shaft and the sleeve to the pocket portion.   A spiral groove having a direction different from that of the spiral groove formed on the peripheral surface below the pocket portion and an end portion communicating with the pocket portion is formed on the peripheral surface above the pocket portion. The capping device according to claim 1 or 2.

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