JP2017154801A - Vacuum packaging machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum packaging machine and vacuum formation method for properly packaging a content in vacuum sealing packaging with a packaging bag.SOLUTION: After a content 11 is filled in a packaging bag 10, the packaging bag 10 is released from a left and right pair of grippers and is introduced into a vacuum processing chamber 30, and by a gripper 20 in a chamber provided in the vacuum processing chamber 30, the packaging bag 10 is held so that inside of the packaging bag 10 is communicated to outside of the packaging bag 10 through an opening part. After sealing and decompressing inside of the vacuum processing chamber 30, the opening part is sealed and atmospheric air is introduced into the vacuum processing chamber 30. On a front stage of the vacuum processing chamber 30, a fold formation device having a fold formation member is arranged, and the fold formation member 67 forms a fold corresponding to at least any edge part of the content 11 on the packaging bag 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum packaging machine for vacuum-sealing contents with a packaging bag.

  Foods and daily necessities packaged in a vacuum state are commercially available, and there are various types. Foods and daily necessities that have been vacuum-packed are not exposed to the outside air, and the quality is maintained over a long period of time. Therefore, such vacuum packaging is very useful not only for foods and daily necessities for daily use but also for emergency foods and daily necessities.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vacuum packaging bag including a film material as a partition wall that separates the inside and the outside. In this vacuum packaging bag, the film material includes a layer containing aluminum atoms and a monomer unit having phosphorus atoms so that the gas barrier property can be maintained at a high level even under physical stress. It has a layer containing a polymer and a substrate.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-074474

  As described above, vacuum-sealing the contents with a packaging bag made of aluminum or the like is widely performed. Such vacuum-sealed packaging is preferably performed in a state where the packaging bag is properly adhered to the surface of the contents, and is compact as a whole so that the product after packaging has a certain external shape. During the vacuum processing, the packaging bag may be deformed into an unintended shape or a complicated shape of wrinkles may be generated in the packaging bag.

  Such unintentional deformation of the packaging bag and occurrence of complicated wrinkles not only impair the appearance of the product after packaging, but also make the outer shape of the product after packaging non-uniform and increase the overall size of the product. In addition, due to such deformation of the packaging bag and the presence of wrinkles, excessive force may act locally on the packaging bag, and pinholes (holes) may be generated in the packaging bag. Such pinholes allow air to flow between the inside and outside of the packaging bag. When air (oxygen, etc.) flows into the packaging bag through the pinhole, the inside of the packaging bag is in a non-vacuum state, the adhesion between the contents and the packaging bag is released, and the outer shape of the product after packaging changes In addition, the quality of the contents deteriorates due to oxidation or the like, and the original expiration date or shelf life of the contents cannot be guaranteed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a technique for appropriately vacuum-sealing the contents with a packaging bag.

  One aspect of the present invention is to hold both side edges of a packaging bag having an opening with a pair of left and right grippers, and in that state, after filling the contents into the packaging bag from the opening, The packaging bag is released from the gripper and introduced into the vacuum processing chamber, and the inside of the packaging bag is held in communication with the outside of the packaging bag through the opening by the in-chamber gripper disposed in the vacuum processing chamber. Next, the vacuum processing chamber is hermetically sealed and decompressed, and then the opening is sealed to introduce the atmosphere into the vacuum processing chamber. The vacuum packaging machine includes a crease forming member in a stage preceding the vacuum processing chamber. The present invention relates to a vacuum packaging machine in which a crease forming device is arranged, and the crease forming member forms a fold corresponding to at least one edge of the contents in a packaging bag. .

  The crease forming apparatus including the crease forming member includes a lower crease forming apparatus including the bottom edge crease forming member and a side fold forming apparatus including the side edge crease forming member, and the bottom edge crease forming member is a lower surface of the contents. Forming a fold corresponding to the edge of the contents forming the packaging bag, and forming a fold corresponding to the edge of the contents forming the side of the contents on the packaging bag. Good.

  In the vacuum processing chamber, an upper crease forming member is disposed between the gripper in the chamber and the upper surface of the contents. When air is introduced into the vacuum processing chamber, the upper crease forming member is placed on the upper surface of the contents on the packaging bag. You may form in a packaging bag the crease | fold along the edge of the contents which contact | abut from the outer side and form an upper surface.

  A pair of left and right grippers may hold the packaging bag in a suspended state.

  The in-chamber gripper may hold the packaging bag in a suspended state.

  Another aspect of the present invention includes a vacuum processing chamber, a pressure adjusting unit that adjusts the pressure in the vacuum processing chamber, and an in-chamber gripper that holds the packaging bag disposed in the vacuum processing chamber. Has an opening, the contents are arranged inside, and a crease according to the outer shape of the contents is given, and the gripper in the chamber is located inside the packaging bag through the opening in the vacuum processing chamber. Hold the packaging bag so that it communicates with the outside of the packaging bag, and the pressure adjuster adjusts the pressure in the vacuum processing chamber with the packaging bag with the contents inside placed in the vacuum processing chamber It is related with the vacuum packaging machine which makes the inside of a packaging bag negative pressure.

  The pressure adjustment unit adjusts the inside of the vacuum processing chamber to a negative pressure to make the inside of the packaging bag negative, and the inside of the packaging bag is in a negative pressure state, and the pressure inside the vacuum processing chamber is set to the pressure inside the packaging bag. May be larger.

  In the vacuum processing chamber, the vacuum packaging machine includes an upper crease forming member provided between the gripper in the chamber and the contents disposed inside the packaging bag, and a seal processing unit that seals the opening of the packaging bag. The gripper in the chamber holds the packaging bag in which the contents are placed inside in a suspended state, and the pressure adjustment unit and the seal processing unit seal the opening after making the inside of the packaging bag have a negative pressure. The pressure adjustment unit pushes the contents to the upper crease forming member through the packaging bag by reducing the size of the entire packaging bag by making the pressure outside the packaging bag larger than the pressure inside the packaging bag. You may apply and give a new crease to a packaging bag.

  The vacuum packaging machine is a lower fold forming a part of the fold, and the lower fold is provided to the packaging bag vertically below the contents arranged inside the packaging bag held by the gripper in the chamber. The lower fold forming device and the packaging bag in which the contents are arranged on the inner side are side folds constituting a part of the fold and are arranged inside the packaging bag held by the gripper in the chamber. And a side fold forming device for providing a side fold that is positioned outside the content and extends in the vertical direction.

  In another aspect of the present invention, the contents are arranged on the inner side, the step of preparing a packaging bag with a crease according to the outer shape of the contents, and the contents are arranged on the inner side of the packaging bag. A vacuum shaping comprising: a step of applying a negative pressure to the inside of the packaging bag; and a step of sealing the packaging bag while the inside of the packaging bag is in a negative pressure state to block air flow between the inside and the outside of the packaging bag. Regarding the method.

  According to the present invention, the contents can be appropriately vacuum-sealed and packaged by the packaging bag provided with the fold according to the outer shape of the contents.

FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a configuration example of an upper crease forming device and a vacuum processing device of a vacuum packaging machine. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and particularly shows a state in which the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is decompressed. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the configuration of the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and particularly shows a sealing process in a state where the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is decompressed. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the configuration of the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and particularly shows a state in which the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is pressurized to atmospheric pressure. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a vacuum shaping method for a packaging bag and contents in a vacuum processing chamber. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the side fold forming device is viewed from the side. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the side fold forming device shown in FIG. 6 is viewed from above, and a state in which the packaging bag and the contents are arranged at a position for receiving processing by the side fold forming device (processing) Previous state). FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which the side fold forming device shown in FIG. 6 is viewed from above, and shows a state of the side fold forming device in the middle of the machining process. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the side fold forming device shown in FIG. 6 as viewed from above, and shows the state of the side fold forming device in the middle of the processing process. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the side fold forming device shown in FIG. 6 is viewed from above, and shows a state of the side fold forming device in the middle of the machining process. FIG. 11 is a front view showing an example of a packaging bag having a downward fold and a side fold. FIG. 12 is a view for explaining an example of a lower crease forming device for giving a lower crease to a packaging bag, and a packaging bag and a lower crease forming device (pushing folds and Sectional view of bottom holding plate). FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a vacuum shaping method including a processing step for applying a crease to the packaging bag and a vacuum packaging processing step.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For ease of explanation and understanding, the elements shown in each drawing include elements whose scales, vertical and horizontal dimensional ratios, etc. are changed or exaggerated from the actual ones, and the shape of each element, The size and other forms do not necessarily match exactly between the drawings.

  In one embodiment of the present invention described below, all or part of the folds (downward folds and side folds in the following example) are placed at positions that match the outer shape of the contents with respect to the packaging bag for wrapping the contents. By forming in advance and making the inside of the packaging bag a negative pressure (that is, a pressure lower than the standard atmospheric pressure), the content is appropriately packaged by the packaging bag in a state in which the content is in close contact with the packaging bag. The method for giving the fold to the packaging bag is not particularly limited, and an example of the method for giving the upper fold, the lower fold, and the side fold will be described below.

  However, by reducing the size of the entire packaging bag as described below and applying the fold (upward fold in the following embodiment) while closely attaching the packaging bag 10 to the content, A desired crease can be given to an appropriate position according to the size. By giving a crease to the packaging bag as described above, the content can be appropriately vacuum-packed by the packaging bag even if there is some variation in the outer shape of the content.

<Applying method of upper fold>
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a configuration example of the upper crease forming device 62 and the vacuum processing device 101 of the vacuum packaging machine 100. In order to facilitate understanding, the vacuum processing chamber 30 and the elements disposed inside thereof are shown in a cross-sectional state in FIG.

  In the vacuum packaging machine 100 of this example, the upper crease forming device 62 and the vacuum processing device 101 are constituted by the same device, and the process for applying the upper fold to the packaging bag 10 and the process for vacuum packaging the packaging bag 10 are performed together. Done. Therefore, in the following description, the term “vacuum processing apparatus 101” is also used to mean “upper crease forming apparatus 62”.

  The vacuum processing apparatus 101 includes a vacuum processing chamber 30, a pressure adjusting unit 35 that adjusts the pressure (atmospheric pressure) in the vacuum processing chamber 30, and a gripper 20 (chamber that holds the packaging bag 10 disposed in the vacuum processing chamber 30. Inner gripper).

  The vacuum processing chamber 30 includes a chamber body 31 fixed to the intermittent rotation table 47, a chamber lid portion 32, and a chamber packing 33 disposed between the chamber body 31 and the chamber lid portion 32. The chamber packing 33 of this example is attached to the outer edge portion of the chamber lid portion 32, and the outer edge portion of the chamber lid portion 32 provided so as to be capable of opening and closing is pressed against the outer edge portion of the chamber body 31. A chamber packing 33 seals between the chamber 32 and the chamber body 31.

  The packaging bag 10 has an opening 12, the contents 11 are arranged on the inner side, and folds (downward folds and side folds in this example) according to the outer shape of the contents 11 are given.

  The gripper 20 is disposed in the vacuum processing chamber 30 and grips only the both end portions of the packaging bag 10 so as not to block the entire opening 12 of the packaging bag 10. Therefore, the gripper 20 suspends the packaging bag 10 in which the contents 11 are arranged so that the inside of the packaging bag 10 communicates with the outside of the packaging bag 10 through the opening 12 in the vacuum processing chamber 30. Grip with In addition, the specific structure of the gripper 20 is not specifically limited, For example, the holding part of patent 2538473 can be applied suitably.

  In the vacuum processing chamber 30, a seal heater unit 56 and a seal cradle 57 that constitute a seal processing unit 55, and a first fold forming member 51 and a second fold forming member 52 (upper fold forming member) are arranged. Is done. The first fold forming member 51 and the second fold forming member 52 are provided between the gripper 20 and the contents 11 arranged inside the packaging bag 10 in the vacuum processing chamber 30. The first fold forming member 51 is fixed to the chamber body 31, and the second fold forming member 52 is fixed to the chamber lid portion 32. The first crease forming member 51 and the second crease forming member 52 are respectively a horizontal portion extending in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the suspending direction (vertical direction) of the packaging bag 10 and a suspending direction of the packaging bag 10 ( And a vertical portion extending in the vertical direction). The horizontal portions of the first crease forming member 51 and the second crease forming member 52 correspond to the shape of the top surface of the contents 11. The vertical portions of the first fold forming member 51 and the second fold forming member 52 have planes that face each other, and between the vertical portion of the first fold forming member 51 and the vertical portion of the second fold forming member 52, A part of the packaging bag 10 suspended by the gripper 20 is disposed.

  The pressure adjustment unit 35 is attached to the chamber main body 31 and communicates with the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 30 (that is, a space surrounded by the chamber main body 31 and the chamber lid portion 32). For example, a pipe in which an internal flow path is formed so as to penetrate the chamber body 31 and the internal flow path is connected to the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 30 via a rotary valve. The pressure adjusting unit 35 can also be configured by a vacuum pump.

  The seal heater part 56 is attached to the chamber lid part 32 and generates heat. The seal cradle 57 is attached to the chamber body 31 and is driven by a cradle air cylinder 58 provided outside the vacuum processing chamber 30 so as to be movable in a direction toward and away from the seal heater unit 56. Yes. When the seal cradle 57 is driven and pressed against the seal heater part 56 through the opening 12 of the packaging bag 10, the packaging bag 10 sandwiched between the seal heater part 56 and the seal cradle 57 is melted and opened. The part 12 is sealed (heat-welded). Thus, in this example, the seal heater unit 56, the seal cradle 57, and the cradle air cylinder 58 function as “a seal processing unit that seals the opening 12 of the packaging bag 10”. The pressure adjusting unit 35 and the seal processing unit (particularly the cradle air cylinder 58) seal the opening 12 after setting the inside of the packaging bag 10 to a negative pressure as will be described later.

  The chamber lid portion 32 is attached to the open / close arm 38 via a connecting link 37, and the open / close arm 38 is attached to the elevating shaft 43 via a connecting link 42. A lid support member 39 is attached to the open / close arm 38 via an arm open / close shaft 41, and a chamber lid 32 is attached to the lid support member 39 via a lid open / close fulcrum shaft 40.

  The elevating shaft 43 is fixed to the elevating shaft connecting portion 45 and is held up and down by an elevating shaft supporting portion 44 provided on the intermittent rotary table 47, and the elevating shaft connecting portion 45 is driven by the elevating shaft driving portion 46. By moving up and down, it moves up and down together with the lifting shaft connecting portion 45. When the elevating shaft 43 is disposed at the most elevated position (rising end position), the chamber lid portion 32 is pressed against the chamber body 31 via the chamber packing 33 and the vacuum processing chamber 30 is closed.

  As described above, the chamber main body 31 is attached to the intermittent rotation table 47, and the chamber lid portion 32 is also connected via the elevating shaft 43, the connecting link 42, the opening / closing arm 38, and the connecting link 37. Therefore, when the intermittent rotation table 47 is intermittently rotated by being driven by a drive source (not shown), the chamber body 31 and the chamber lid portion 32 are intermittently rotated together with the intermittent rotation table 47.

  FIG. 1 shows a state before the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 30 is adjusted to a negative pressure (that is, a state of atmospheric pressure).

  FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of the vacuum processing apparatus 101 shown in FIG. 1, and particularly shows a state where the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 30 is decompressed. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the pressure adjusting unit 35 depressurizes the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 30 and sets the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 30 to a negative pressure from the state shown in FIG. At this time, since the opening 12 of the packaging bag 10 is not sealed and can be ventilated, air is extracted from the packaging bag 10, and not only the vacuum processing chamber 30 but also the packaging bag 10 is decompressed. . However, since the packaging bag 10 is in a state of being gripped by the gripper 20, and the contents 11 that can contain air are arranged inside the packaging bag 10, the packaging bag 10 in the vacuum processing chamber 30 is arranged. The inner pressure reduction degree is weaker than the outer pressure reduction degree, and the inner pressure of the packaging bag 10 is higher than the outer pressure. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the packaging bag 10 is in an inflated state. In this case, the contents 11 are not held or constrained in the packaging bag 10, and the space below the vertical direction in the packaging bag 10 increases due to the expansion of the packaging bag 10. Moves vertically downward in the packaging bag 10.

  The transition from the state shown in FIG. 1 to the state shown in FIG. 2 is performed, for example, by moving the communication destination in the vacuum processing chamber 30 from the atmosphere (outside air) to the vacuum pump that forms the pressure adjusting unit 35 and performing the vacuum processing by the vacuum pump. This can be realized by sucking the air in the chamber 30 and reducing the pressure in the vacuum processing chamber 30.

  FIG. 3 is a side view showing the configuration of the vacuum processing apparatus 101 shown in FIG. 1, and particularly shows a sealing process in a state where the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 30 is depressurized. From the state shown in FIG. 2, the seal cradle 57 driven by the cradle air cylinder 58 is advanced toward the seal heater portion 56, and the opening of the packaging bag 10 is opened by the seal cradle 57 and the heat generating seal heater portion 56. Pressure is applied to section 12. Thereby, the “surface portion on the seal heater portion 56 side” and the “back surface portion on the seal receiving base 57 side” of the packaging bag 10 are thermocompression-bonded, and the opening 12 is sealed. Therefore, the inside of the packaging bag 10 is sealed while maintaining the inflated state (see FIG. 3).

  In the transition from the state shown in FIG. 2 to the state shown in FIG. 3, the pressure adjusting unit 35 keeps the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 30 (and the inside of the packaging bag 10) in a negative pressure state.

  FIG. 4 is a side view showing the configuration of the vacuum processing apparatus 101 shown in FIG. 1, and particularly shows a state in which the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 30 is pressurized to atmospheric pressure. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the pressure adjusting unit 35 raises the pressure inside the vacuum processing chamber 30 to the atmospheric pressure from the state shown in FIG. In this case, since the packaging bag 10 is sealed and the inside of the packaging bag 10 is closed while maintaining a negative pressure state, the pressure on the outside of the packaging bag 10 becomes larger than the pressure on the inside. 10 is reduced as a whole.

  At this time, since the fold according to the outer shape of the content 11 is given to the packaging bag 10 in advance, the packaging bag 10 is folded according to the fold while reducing the overall size, and the outer shape of the content 11 is obtained. The contents 11 are wrapped in close contact with the contents 11 without any gap, and the end of the packaging bag 10 is folded in a direction determined by the fold.

  In this example, as the packaging bag 10 shrinks, the contents 11 rise upward in the vertical direction, but the first fold forming member 51 and the second fold forming member 52 hold the contents 11 through the packaging bag 10. The rise of the contents 11 is restrained. At this time, while applying a force to the packaging bag 10 and the contents 11 downward in the vertical direction so that the first fold forming member 51 and the second fold forming member 52 resist the force of the packaging bag 10 directed upward in the vertical direction, The gripper 20 holds the packaging bag 10 while holding the position of the packaging bag 10. Therefore, the packaging bag 10 is provided with an upper fold 13c having a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the top surface of the contents 11.

  Such an increase in the contents 11 accompanying the shrinkage of the packaging bag 10 can occur based on various factors. For example, when a concave portion is formed in the content 11 and the packaging bag 10 is in close contact with the surface of the content 11 that forms the concave portion, the packaging bag 10 is pulled by the close contact, resulting in the content 11. Can rise. However, the contents 11 do not necessarily rise due to the “reduction of the packaging bag 10 (that is, the pressure increase in the vacuum processing chamber 30)”, and after the packaging bag 10 is reduced, the contents 11 become the first fold forming member 51 and the first fold forming member 51. It may be in a state separated from the second fold forming member 52. However, the contents 11 and the packaging bag 10 are pressed against the first fold forming member 51 and the second fold forming member 52 by “reduction of the packaging bag 10 (that is, the pressure increase in the vacuum processing chamber 30)”, thereby the packaging bag. 10 can be provided with the upper fold 13c easily and accurately. Therefore, when the pressure inside the vacuum processing chamber 30 is increased to reduce the overall size of the packaging bag 10, the seal material 51 and the second fold forming member 51 are moved by moving the first fold forming member 51 and the second fold forming member 52 by a driving device (not shown). The spacer 52 may be pressed against the contents 11, or the sealing material 51 and the spacer 52 may be pressed against the contents 11 by moving the packaging bag 10 and the contents 11 by a driving device (not shown).

  Note that the transition from the state shown in FIG. 3 to the state shown in FIG. 4 is performed, for example, by moving the communication target in the vacuum processing chamber 30 from the vacuum pump (pressure adjusting unit 35) to the atmosphere (outside air). This can be realized by introducing the pressure into the vacuum processing chamber 30 and increasing the pressure in the vacuum processing chamber 30.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a vacuum shaping method for the packaging bag 10 and the contents 11 in the vacuum processing chamber 30.

  First, the packaging bag 10 in which the contents 11 are arranged on the inside and the folds corresponding to the outer shape of the contents 11 are provided in advance is prepared, and the packaging bag 10 is gripped by the gripper 20 in the vacuum processing chamber 30. Arrange (S11 in FIG. 5; see FIG. 1). At this time, the air pressure in the vacuum processing chamber 30 and the air pressure in the packaging bag 10 are atmospheric pressure, and the inside and outside of the packaging bag 10 can be vented through the opening 12 of the packaging bag 10 in the vacuum processing chamber 30. It is a state.

  And in the state which the packaging bag 10 was hold | gripped by the gripper 20 in the vacuum processing chamber 30, an inert gas is injected toward the inside of the packaging bag 10 from the nozzle which is not shown in figure (S12). Thereby, gas such as air in the packaging bag 10 and the contents 11 is pushed by the inert gas and discharged out of the packaging bag 10, and part or all of the gases in the packaging bag 10 and the contents 11 are inactivated. It can be replaced with gas. The inert gas used here is not particularly limited, and a gas having a low oxygen content or zero (0) determined according to the use of the packaging bag 10 and the contents 11 can be used as the inert gas. For example, when the contents 11 are foods or the like, it is required to use an inert gas with high safety, and typically nitrogen is used as the inert gas. In addition, this process is not essential and the below-mentioned process (S13 etc.) may be performed without inject | pouring an inert gas into the packaging bag 10. FIG.

  And the pressure adjustment part 35 makes the inner side of the packaging bag 10 a negative pressure in the state by which the contents 11 are arrange | positioned inside the packaging bag 10 (S13; refer FIG. 2). That is, the pressure in the vacuum processing chamber 30 is adjusted in a state in which the packaging bag 10 having the contents 11 disposed therein is disposed in the vacuum processing chamber 30, and the inside of the packaging bag 10 is set to a negative pressure. Specifically, the pressure adjusting unit 35 reduces the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 30 to a negative pressure, thereby negatively adjusting the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 30 (the outside of the packaging bag 10) and the inside of the packaging bag 10 to be vented. Pressure.

  And the opening part 12 of the packaging bag 10 is sealed in the state where the inner side of the packaging bag 10 is a negative pressure, and ventilation | gas_flowing between the inner side and the outer side of the packaging bag 10 is interrupted | blocked (S14; refer FIG. 3). The seal processing of the present embodiment is arranged between the seal heater portion 56 and the seal cradle 57 by the seal cradle 57 being driven by the cradle air cylinder 58 and being pressed toward the seal heater portion 56. The opening 12 of the packaging bag 10 is heat-pressed and sealed. The method of thermocompression bonding is not particularly limited. For example, the seal heater unit 56 may always generate heat, or may generate heat when the seal receiving table 57 is pressed. Further, the pressing surface of the seal cradle 57 against the packaging bag 10 may generate heat. Further, the opening 12 of the packaging bag 10 may be sealed by another method instead of the heat welding, and the opening 12 of the packaging bag 10 may be used as the seal processing unit by using any method such as ultrasonic welding or high-frequency welding. Can be sealed.

  After the packaging bag 10 is sealed, the pressure inside the vacuum processing chamber 30 is increased to atmospheric pressure while the inside of the packaging bag 10 is in a negative pressure state, and the pressure inside the vacuum processing chamber 30 is increased from the pressure inside the packaging bag 10. (S15; see FIG. 4). That is, the pressure adjustment unit 35 reduces the packaging bag 10 by making the pressure (atmospheric pressure) outside the packaging bag 10 larger than the pressure (atmospheric pressure) inside the packaging bag 10. Thereby, the packaging bag 10 and the contents 11 are pressed against the first fold forming member 51 and the second fold forming member 52, and a new fold (that is, the upper fold 13c) is given to the packaging bag 10. As described above, the packaging bag 10 is reduced by the first crease forming member 51 and the second crease forming member 52 while suppressing the movement (particularly ascending movement) of the content 11, thereby bringing the packaging bag 10 into close contact with the content 11. In addition, the upper fold line 13c can be provided at a position appropriately adapted to the outer shape of the contents 11. In particular, in the present embodiment, folds (downward folds and side folds) are given in advance to the packaging bag 10, and the folds given in advance are also formed at positions that match the outer shape of the contents 11. Therefore, when the packaging bag 10 is reduced, the packaging bag 10 bends along a crease provided in advance, and the contents 11 are arranged in a space surrounded by the folds in the packaging bag 10, so that the contents 11 are not separated. And can be closely attached to the packaging bag 10.

  As described above, the “packaging bag 10 in which the contents 11 are arranged on the inner side” produced through the above-described series of steps is in close contact with the contents 11 without a gap, and the portion in close contact with the contents 11 is pulled to generate wrinkles. Is prevented and has smooth surface characteristics. Further, an end portion of the packaging bag 10 that is not in close contact with the contents 11 is bent along the crease and is folded along the end face of the contents 11. The “packaging bag 10 in which the contents 11 are arranged on the inside” thus produced not only has a beautiful appearance, but also can be configured compactly while preventing wrinkles and the like. The packaging bags 10 "arranged on the inner side can be closely attached to each other and boxed, and the handling is excellent. Moreover, since the generation | occurrence | production of the wrinkle in the packaging bag 10 is prevented, it can avoid effectively that an excessive force acts locally in the unexpected position of the packaging bag 10, and a pinhole etc. damage arises.

<Applying method of side fold>
Next, the side fold forming device 64 that gives side folds to the packaging bag 10 will be illustrated.

  FIG. 6 is a view showing a state in which the side fold forming device 64 is viewed from the side. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the side fold forming device 64 shown in FIG. 6 is viewed from above, and the packaging bag 10 and the contents 11 are arranged at a position for receiving processing by the side fold forming device 64. State (state before processing). In FIG. 7, the packaging bag 10 and the contents 11 are shown in cross section.

  The side fold forming device 64 of the present embodiment provides side folds constituting a part of the fold 13 to both sides of the packaging bag 10 with respect to the packaging bag 10 in which the contents 11 are arranged inside. To do. Accordingly, the side fold provided by the side fold forming device 64 is positioned outside the contents 11 arranged inside the packaging bag 10 in a state where the packaging bag 10 is held by the gripper 20 and is in the vertical direction. Extend.

  The side crease forming device 64 of this embodiment is attached to each of the air chuck 65 connected to the second advance / retreat drive source 80, the pair of movable members 66 attached to the air chuck 65, and the pair of movable members 66. A pair of side edge crease forming members 67 and a first bag support member 68 disposed in a guide space 67a formed in each side edge crease forming member 67 are provided. The air chuck 65 can move each movable member 66 in the width direction Dw of the packaging bag 10 and is moved in the thickness direction Dt direction of the packaging bag 10 by the second advance / retreat driving source 80. The guide space 67a formed in the side edge fold forming member 67 extends in the thickness direction Dt of the packaging bag 10 and forms a movement path of the first bag support member 68 in the thickness direction Dt of the packaging bag 10. It is provided so as not to hinder the movement of one bag support member 68. The second advancing / retreating drive source 80 is attached to a stand 82 fixed on the gantry 83 via a connecting member 81, and a first advancing / retreating drive source 79 is also fixedly attached to the stand 82.

  The first bag support member 68 is connected to an advance / retreat drive device (not shown), is moved in the thickness direction Dt of the packaging bag 10 by the advance / retreat drive device, and comes into contact with one surface (surface 10a in this example) of the packaging bag 10. It is provided so as to be movable between a position (contact position) and a position that does not contact the surface (retracted position). The first bag support member 68 is not necessarily provided so as to be movable between the contact position and the retracted position. For example, when the first bag support member 68 is fixedly installed at the contact position, the first bag support member 68 comes into contact with the packaging bag 10 when the packaging bag 10 is placed at the processing position. It is also possible to serve as a guide for preventing the support member 68 from shaking. Note that the cross-sectional shape of the first bag support member 68 is not particularly limited, and in the illustrated example, a quadrangular prism-shaped member is used as the first bag support member 68. For example, the cross-section is circular. A round bar-shaped member may be used as the first bag support member 68.

  Further, the side fold forming device 64 of the present embodiment is fixed to a base 71 connected to the first advance / retreat driving source 79, an air cylinder 70 fixed to the base 71, and an air cylinder shaft 78 of the air cylinder 70. A moving block 76 and a second bag support member 77 fixed to the base 71 are provided. The moving block 76 holds a pair of block bodies 72 rotatably. Each block 72 is held by the moving block 76 via a pin 75 inserted into a locking long hole 76 a formed in the moving block 76. The pin 75 is provided so as to be movable along the locking elongated hole 76 a and is rotatably provided within the locking elongated hole 76 a, and is fixed to one end side of each block body 72. Each block body 72 is rotatably fixed to the base 71 via a support shaft 74. Further, a content holding member 73 is provided on the other end side of each block 72, and the content 11 in the packaging bag 10 is held from the side by a pair of content holding members 73 as will be described later. . The air cylinder shaft 78 is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat in the thickness direction Dt of the packaging bag 10, and the pair of block bodies 72 and the pair of content holding members 73 perform an opening / closing operation according to the advance / retreat of the air cylinder shaft 78. . In the second bag support member 77, notch-shaped rocking spaces 77a are formed in the vicinity of both ends of the packaging bag 10 in the width direction Dw. The pair of content holding members 73 are swingably provided in the corresponding swing spaces 77 a, and can be opened and closed without being obstructed by the second bag support member 77. The second bag support member 77 is driven in the thickness direction Dt of the packaging bag 10 by the first advance / retreat driving source 79, and is in contact with the other surface (back surface 10b in this example) of the packaging bag 10. It is provided so as to be movable between a position that does not contact the surface (retracted position).

  As described above, the second bag support member 77, the side edge crease forming member 67, and the first bag support member 68 are members for holding the contents 11 via the packaging bag 10, and among these members The holding surface for holding the contents 11 (packaging bag 10) has a shape corresponding to the shape (outer shape) of the contents 11. The contents 11 of this example have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped (hexahedron) shape as shown in the figure, and are solids that do not easily collapse. Among the six constituent surfaces of the contents 11 arranged in the packaging bag 10 suspended by the gripper 20, four side surfaces other than the top surface and the bottom surface are the second bag support member 77, the side edge fold forming member 67, and It is held by the first bag support member 68. In the example shown in FIG. 7, two surfaces of the outer surface of the contents 11 (packaging bag 10) whose surface direction (direction perpendicular to the surface) coincides with the thickness direction Dt of the packaging bag 10 are the first bag support member 68. And held by the second bag support member 77. In addition, two surfaces of the contents 11 (packaging bag 10) whose surface direction coincides with the width direction Dw of the packaging bag 10 are held by the pair of side edge fold forming members 67. Since the constituent surfaces of the contents 11 of this example both have a planar shape and are perpendicular to the adjacent surfaces, the extending directions of the holding surfaces of the first bag support member 68 and the second bag support member 77 (in this example, The width direction Dw of the packaging bag 10 and the extending direction of the holding surfaces of the pair of side edge crease forming members 67 (in this example, the thickness direction Dt of the packaging bag 10) form a perpendicular.

  When the side fold forming device 64 having the above-described configuration is used to give a side fold to the packaging bag 10, first, as shown in FIG. 7, the packaging bag 10 in which the contents 11 are arranged inside is attached to the second bag support member 77. And the first bag support member 68. At this time, the pair of content holding members 73 is opened, and the distance between the pair of content holding members 73 is set to be larger than the length of the content 11 in the width direction Dw of the packaging bag 10. The pair of side edge fold forming members 67 is also opened, and the distance between the pair of side edge fold forming members 67 is set to be larger than the length of the contents 11 in the width direction Dw of the packaging bag 10.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which the side fold forming device 64 shown in FIG. 6 is viewed from above, and shows a state of the side fold forming device 64 in the middle of the machining process. After the packaging bag 10 is arranged in the state shown in FIG. 7, the first bag support member 68 and the second bag support member 77 move in the thickness direction Dt of the packaging bag 10 so as to approach each other, and hold a pair of contents The member 73 is closed to sandwich the contents 11 in the packaging bag 10, and the packaging bag 10 and the contents 11 are placed in the state shown in FIG. 8. The movement of the first bag support member 68 is performed by an advance / retreat driving device (not shown), and the first bag support member 68 moves along a guide space 67a formed in the side edge fold forming member 67. On the other hand, the second bag support member 77 is moved in the thickness direction Dt together with the base 71 by the first advancing / retreating drive source 79 and is fixed to the base 71 (in this example, the air cylinder 70, the moving block 76, and the pair of members). It moves integrally with the block body 72 (including the content holding member 73).

  The opening degree of the pair of content holding members 73 is determined according to the amount of protrusion of the air cylinder shaft 78 from the main body of the air cylinder 70 (the position of the moving block 76 in the thickness direction Dt). The closing operation is performed when the air cylinder shaft 78 is retracted to the main body side of the air cylinder 70 and the moving block 76 is separated from the second bag support member 77. That is, when the air cylinder 70 retracts (retracts) the air cylinder shaft 78, the “moving block 76” attached to the air cylinder shaft 78 is separated from the second bag support member 77. At this time, the “pin 75” that engages with the locking long hole 76 a of the moving block 76 moves away from the second bag support member 77 while sliding within the locking long hole 76 a, but is fixed to the base 71. The position of the “support shaft 74” does not change. Therefore, the pin 75 provided at one end of the block body 72 swings in the direction away from the second bag support member 77 around the support shaft 74, while being provided at the other end of the block body 72. The content holding member 73 swings around the support shaft 74 in the direction approaching the second bag support member 77. Accordingly, the pair of content holding members 73 are closed to hold the content 11 from the outside of the packaging bag 10. In particular, the content holding members 73 operate symmetrically, and the position of the content 11 held by the content holding member 73 (particularly the position in the width direction Dw of the packaging bag 10) is always constant. Therefore, the content 11 in a state where the position is not fixed in the packaging bag 10 is arranged at a predetermined position in the packaging bag 10 by being sandwiched by the content holding member 73, and the arrangement in the width direction Dw is corrected.

  In addition, although the position regarding the thickness direction Dt of the front-end | tip part of the content holding member 73 holding the content 11 is not specifically limited, in order to influence the position of a side fold, it is in the intermediate position of the content 11 regarding the thickness direction Dt. Preferably they are arranged. In the present embodiment, “the position in the thickness direction Dt of the distal end portion of the content holding member 73 that holds the content 11” is relative to the second bag support member 77 and the distal end portion of the content holding member 73 in the thickness direction Dt. It depends on the specific positional relationship.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the side fold forming device 64 shown in FIG. 6 as viewed from above, and shows the state of the side fold forming device 64 during the processing. After the packaging bag 10 is arranged in the state shown in FIG. 8, the pair of side edge crease forming members 67 moves in the thickness direction Dt direction of the packaging bag 10 so as to approach the second bag support member 77, and the packaging bag 10. The side end portion in the width direction Dw is pushed toward the second bag support member 77 to tilt the side end portion toward the second bag support member 77. Thereby, the side edge part of the packaging bag 10 is folded. At this time, the interval in the width direction Dw between the side edge crease forming members 67 is not particularly limited, but is not necessary for the side end portion of the packaging bag 10 because it affects the degree of folding of the side end portion of the packaging bag 10 in this step. The distance is set such that it can be bent appropriately so that excessive wrinkles or the like do not occur excessively.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the side fold forming device 64 shown in FIG. 6 is viewed from above, and shows a state of the side fold forming device 64 in the middle of the machining process. After the packaging bag 10 is arranged in the state shown in FIG. 9, the pair of side edge crease forming members 67 moves in the width direction Dw of the packaging bag 10 so as to approach the contents 11 in the packaging bag 10, and the packaging bag 10 side end portions are further bent to give side folds 13 b to the packaging bag 10. The movement of the side edge fold forming member 67 in the width direction Dw is performed by moving the movable member 66 in the width direction Dw by the air chuck 65, and the side edge crease forming member 67 is moved in the width direction Dw together with the movable member 66. Moving.

  FIG. 11 is a front view showing an example of the packaging bag 10 provided with the lower fold 13a and the side fold 13b.

<Applying method for lower crease>
Next, the lower crease forming device 90 that gives a lower crease to the packaging bag 10 is illustrated.

  FIG. 12 is a view for explaining an example of a lower crease forming device 90 that applies a lower crease to the packaging bag 10, and a package that accommodates the contents 11 while being gripped by the gripper 20 (a pair of left and right grippers). The front view of the bag 10 and the downward crease forming device 90 (the push rod 91 is shown. The gripper 20 (a pair of left and right grippers) here is the gripper 20 (the in-chamber gripper; FIG. 1) disposed in the vacuum processing chamber 30. Etc.) but may be the same.

  The lower crease forming device 90 applies a lower crease 13 a constituting a part of the crease 13 to the packaging bag 10. The downward crease forming device 90 of this example has a push-in rod 91, and the push-in rod 91 is provided so as to be movable up and down in the vertical direction by an unillustrated lifting drive source. As will be described later, the push rod 91 is a member that presses the contents 11 downward in the vertical direction. Therefore, it is preferable that the bottom surface of the push-in basket 91 has a shape corresponding to the top surface of the contents 11 arranged in the packaging bag 10. In this example, the top surface and bottom surface of the contents 11 arranged in the packaging bag 10 are horizontal surfaces extending in the horizontal direction (direction perpendicular to the vertical direction), and the bottom surface of the push-in basket 91 also extends in the horizontal direction. It is a horizontal plane.

  In this example, a rectangular parallelepiped content 11 is put into the packaging bag 10. At this time, the push rod 91 is disposed above the opening 12 a of the packaging bag 10 in the vertical direction, and the bottom surface of the push rod 91 and the top surface of the contents 11 are opposed to each other.

  Then, the pushing bag 91 is lowered by an elevating drive source (not shown), and the contents 11 arranged in the packaging bag 10 are pushed by the pushing bag 91 as shown in FIG. At this time, the push rod 91 enters the packaging bag 10 from the opening 12a. Thereby, a fold (downward fold 13a) is formed at a position corresponding to the edge forming the lower surface of the contents 11 (a position along the edge in this example) on the bottom of the packaging bag 10. That is, the lower fold 13a is formed in the packaging bag 10 at substantially the same position as the position of the edge forming the lower surface of the contents 11 placed in the packaging bag 10 in the vertical direction. Since the content 11 of this example is a rectangular parallelepiped and the edge part of the bottom face of the content 11 has a linear shape, the downward fold 13a formed in the packaging bag 10 also has a linear shape.

  When the rectangular parallelepiped contents 11 are placed in a housing portion (inside the contents 11) having a substantially rectangular shape as seen from the front as shown in this example and the downward fold 13 a is applied to the packaging bag 10, An inclined fold line 13d is also formed from the vicinity of the apex forming the bottom surface of the content 11 to the lower apex of the accommodating portion. Although the inclined folds 13d formed in the lower right part and the lower left part of the packaging bag 10 in FIG. 12 are actually slight folds that can be called wrinkles, the above-described vacuum packaging process (see FIGS. 1 to 4) is performed. After passing, it is further folded and becomes a clear crease.

  Then, the pushing rod 91 is lifted by a lifting drive source (not shown), and the pushing rod 91 is returned to the original position.

  Through the above-described series of steps, the lower fold 13a can be given to the packaging bag 10. In addition, in order to improve sealing property, the packaging bag 10 of this example is formed with seal portions 10c on both side edges and bottom, and the sheet forming the front surface of the packaging bag 10 and the sheet forming the back surface are heat-pressed to form a gap. There is no strong adhesion. Further, before the above-described series of steps, the bottom portion of the packaging bag 10 may be folded in one direction to define the folding direction of the bottom portion of the packaging bag 10 when the lower fold 13a is formed in the packaging bag 10. . That is, before the lower fold 13a is formed in the packaging bag 10, the contents 11 are hermetically packaged by the packaging bag 10 by performing "crease in the folding direction" on the bottom of the packaging bag 10 (FIG. 1). 4), the folding direction of the bottom of the packaging bag 10 can be determined in a predetermined direction.

<Vacuum shaping method>
Next, a series of processes performed by the vacuum packaging machine 100 including the above-described lower crease forming apparatus 90, side crease forming apparatus 64, upper crease forming apparatus 62, and vacuum processing apparatus 101 will be described.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a vacuum shaping method including a processing step for applying a crease to the packaging bag 10 and a vacuum packaging processing step.

  In this example, first, the content 11 is put into the packaging bag 10 through the opening 12a of the packaging bag 10, and the content 11 is placed inside the packaging bag 10 (S21 in FIG. 13). The step of arranging the contents 11 inside the packaging bag 10 can be performed by an arbitrary method. For example, the contents 11 may be arranged inside the packaging bag 10 by a charging device (not shown) or manually. In addition, the contents 11 may be arranged inside the packaging bag 10 through human hands. Further, the direction in which the contents 11 are put into the inside of the packaging bag 10 is not limited. For example, the contents 11 may be dropped toward the inside of the packaging bag 10 by using gravity, and is perpendicular to the vertical direction. The contents 11 may be arranged inside the packaging bag 10 by moving the contents 11 in the horizontal direction.

  Then, the lower fold forming device 90 gives the lower fold 13a to the packaging bag 10 (S22; see FIG. 12), and the side fold forming device 64 gives the side fold 13b to the packaging bag 10 (S23; FIG. 7). 10). And the process which provides the upper crease | fold 13c with respect to the packaging bag 10, and the process which vacuum-packs the contents 11 with the packaging bag 10 are performed simultaneously by the upper crease formation apparatus 62 and the vacuum processing apparatus 101 (S24; 1 to 5).

  The vacuum packaging machine 100 can continuously vacuum-pack the contents 11 with the packaging bag 10 with high accuracy by repeating the above-described series of steps (S21 to S24).

  As described above, the vacuum packaging machine 100 of the present embodiment holds both side edges of the packaging bag 10 having the opening 12 with the pair of left and right grippers 20, and the contents from the opening 12 to the inside of the packaging bag 10 in that state. After filling the product 11, the packaging bag 10 is opened from the pair of left and right grippers 20 and introduced into the vacuum processing chamber 30, and the packaging bag 10 is placed in the vacuum processing chamber 30 by the in-chamber gripper 20. The packaging bag 10 is held so that the inside communicates with the outside of the packaging bag 10 through the opening 12, and then the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 30 is sealed and decompressed, and then the opening 12 is sealed and the vacuum processing chamber 30 is sealed. Air is introduced into the interior. Then, before the vacuum processing chamber 30, a crease forming device having a crease forming member (for example, “a side fold forming device 64 having a side edge crease forming member 67” and / or “a pushing rod 91 and a bottom support plate 92 is provided. The lower crease forming device 90 ”) is provided, and the crease forming member forms a crease in the packaging bag 10 corresponding to at least one edge of the contents 11.

  In particular, the crease forming device provided with the crease forming member includes a lower crease forming device 90 provided with the pushing rod 91 and the bottom support plate 92, and a side fold forming device 64 provided with the side edge crease forming member 67. And the bottom part support plate 92 contact | abuts from the outer side of the packaging bag 10 to the lower surface of the content 11, forms the crease | fold corresponding to the edge of the content 11 which forms the lower surface of the content 11, and the side edge The crease forming member 67 forms a crease in the packaging bag 10 corresponding to the edge of the content 11 forming the side surface of the content 11.

  In the vacuum processing chamber 30, upper fold forming members (first fold forming member 51 and second fold forming member 52) are disposed between the in-chamber gripper 20 and the upper surface of the contents 11. When air is introduced into the inside, the upper fold forming member comes into contact with the upper surface of the contents 11 from the outside of the packaging bag 10 to form a fold along the edge of the contents 11 forming the upper surface in the packaging bag 10.

  A pair of left and right grippers 20 (see FIG. 12) hold the packaging bag 10 in a suspended state.

  The in-chamber gripper 20 (see FIG. 1 and the like) holds the packaging bag 10 in a suspended state.

  According to the vacuum packaging machine 100 having the above-described configuration, the content 11 is vacuum-sealed using the packaging bag 10 provided with a fold according to the outer shape of the content 11. The contents 11 can be appropriately vacuum-sealed and packaged by the packaging bag 10 with the packaging bag 10 in close contact. Thereby, not only the appearance of the product after packaging is beautiful, but also the outer shape of the product after packaging can be made uniform, and the overall product size can be made compact. Moreover, generation | occurrence | production of damage, such as a pinhole in the packaging bag 10, can be prevented, deterioration of the quality of the content 11 packaged in the packaging bag 10 can be suppressed effectively, and the quality of the content 11 is ensured over a long period of time. Is also possible.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, A various deformation | transformation may be added to the above-mentioned embodiment.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the process of giving the upper fold 13c to the packaging bag 10 and the process of vacuum-sealing the contents 11 in the packaging bag 10 has been described. It may be performed separately. Therefore, in addition to the lower fold 13a and the side fold 13b, the upper fold 13c is also given to the packaging bag 10, and then the opening 12 of the packaging bag 10 is kept in a vacuum state while the inside of the packaging bag 10 containing the contents 11 is kept in a vacuum state. A sealing process may be performed. Further, after any one or two kinds of folds of the lower fold 13a, the side fold 13b, and the upper fold 13c are applied to the packaging bag 10, a vacuum sealing process of the contents 11 using the packaging bag 10 is performed. It may be broken.

  Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the crease | fold is provided with respect to the packaging bag 10 in order of the downward fold 13a, the side fold 13b, and the upper crease 13c, the order which gives a crease to the packaging bag 10 is not specifically limited.

  In the above-described embodiment, the lower fold 13a, the side fold 13b, and the upper fold 13c are provided to the packaging bag 10 in a state where the contents 11 are accommodated in the packaging bag 10, but the contents 11 are accommodated. Any one or two types of folds among the lower fold line 13a, the side fold line 13b, and the upper fold line 13c may be given to the packaging bag 10 that is not. However, when the outer shape of the content 11 is not necessarily constant and there is some variation, the outer shape of the actual content 11 is obtained by giving a crease to the packaging bag 10 in a state where the content 11 is accommodated. Corresponding folds can be given with high accuracy.

  The contents 11 to which the present invention is applicable are not particularly limited, but preferably have a solid shape having a certain outer shape. Further, in the product made according to the present invention, the contents 11 that are vacuum-sealed and packaged by the packaging bag 10 are not exposed to the outside air. Therefore, the contents 11 that are deteriorated by being exposed to the outside air are used as the contents 11. The invention is particularly effective. Therefore, for example, food, medical instruments, medicines, and other daily necessities can be suitably employed as the contents 11. The contents 11 are not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped, and may have any outer shape.

  Further, other processes may be performed before and after the crease applying process and the vacuum sealing process. Typically, a process of taking out the packaging bags 10 one by one from the bag storage unit that holds a large number of packaging bags 10 and gripping them by the gripper 20 (bag feeding process), and information such as the quality guarantee expiration date on each packaging bag 10 A step of printing (printing step) and a step of checking the state of printing on the packaging bag 10 (printing inspection step) can be performed before the crease applying process and the vacuum sealing process. Moreover, the process (delivery process) of transferring the packaging bag 10 and the contents 11 to a place where the subsequent process is performed can be performed after the crease applying process and the vacuum sealing process. Further, the crease applying process and the vacuum sealing process may be performed while other processes are performed or immediately after being performed. For example, the creases are applied while the print inspection process is performed or immediately after the print inspection process. A process (for example, a downward crease applying process) may be performed.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and can include various aspects to which various modifications that can be conceived by those skilled in the art can be included. The effects achieved by the present invention are also described above. It is not limited to the matter of. Therefore, various additions, modifications, and partial deletions can be made to each element described in the claims and the specification without departing from the technical idea and spirit of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Packaging bag 10a Front surface 10b Back surface 10c Seal part 11 Contents 12 Open part 12a Open 13 Fold 13a Lower fold 13b Side fold 13c Upper fold 20 Gripper 30 Vacuum processing chamber 31 Chamber main body 32 Chamber cover part 33 Chamber packing 35 Pressure adjustment part 37 Connecting link 38 Opening / closing arm 39 Lid support member 40 Lid opening / closing fulcrum shaft 41 Arm opening / closing shaft 42 Connection link 43 Lifting shaft 44 Lifting shaft support 45 Lifting shaft connection 46 Lifting shaft drive 47 Intermittent rotary table 51 First fold Forming member 52 Second fold forming member 55 Seal processing unit 56 Seal heater unit 57 Seal receiving table 58 Receiving air cylinder 62 Upper fold forming device 64 Side fold forming device 65 Air chuck 66 Movable member 67 Side edge fold forming member 67a Guide Space 6 8 First bag support member 70 Air cylinder 71 Base 72 Block body 73 Contents holding member 74 Support shaft 75 Pin 76 Moving block 76a Locking long hole 77 Second bag support member 77a Oscillating space 78 Air cylinder shaft 79 First advance / retreat Drive source 80 Second forward / backward drive source 81 Connecting member 82 Stand 83 Base 90 Lower crease forming device 91 Push-down bar 92 Bottom support plate 100 Vacuum packaging machine 101 Vacuum processing device Dw Width direction Dt Thickness direction

Claims (5)

A pair of left and right grippers hold both side edges of the packaging bag having an opening, and in that state, the packaging bag is filled with contents from the opening, and then the packaging bag is opened from the pair of left and right grippers. The packaging bag is introduced into the vacuum processing chamber and held by the gripper in the chamber disposed in the vacuum processing chamber so that the inside of the packaging bag communicates with the outside of the packaging bag through the opening. ,
Next, after the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is sealed and depressurized, the opening is sealed to introduce the atmosphere into the vacuum processing chamber,
A crease forming apparatus including a crease forming member is disposed in a stage prior to the vacuum processing chamber,
The vacuum wrapping machine, wherein the fold forming member forms a fold corresponding to at least one edge of the contents in the packaging bag. The crease forming device including the crease forming member includes a lower crease forming device including a bottom edge crease forming member and a side fold forming device including a side edge crease forming member,
The bottom edge crease forming member forms a crease in the packaging bag corresponding to an edge of the content forming the lower surface of the content;
2. The vacuum packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the side edge fold forming member forms a fold corresponding to an edge of the content forming a side surface of the content in the packaging bag.   In the vacuum processing chamber, an upper fold forming member is disposed between the gripper in the chamber and the upper surface of the contents, and when the atmosphere is introduced into the vacuum processing chamber, the upper fold forming member is 3. The vacuum packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein a fold along the edge of the content forming the upper surface is formed in the packaging bag by contacting the upper surface of the packaging bag from the outside of the packaging bag. .   The vacuum packaging machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pair of left and right grippers hold the packaging bag in a suspended state.   The vacuum packaging machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the in-chamber gripper holds the packaging bag in a suspended state.

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