JP2021059386A - Processing apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a processing apparatus capable of performing high-quality processing of heating and shrinking a heat-shrinkable film by steam to bond to an object.SOLUTION: A processing apparatus 1 that performs the processing of bonding, onto an object to be processed 9 being transported, a heat-shrinkable film by heating and shrinking, includes a heating chamber 14A that heats, using a high-temperature gas containing steam, the object to be processed with the film attached, which has been delivered into the heating chamber, a drying chamber 14B provided downstream of the heating chamber in a direction of transportation, and removing moisture adhering due to heating using the high-temperature gas containing steam in the heating chamber by heating the object having been delivered from the heating chamber using a high-temperature gas containing no steam, and a first negative pressure chamber 15B provided between the heating chamber and the drying chamber, which allows the passage of the object to be processed delivered from the heating chamber to the drying chamber, and in which the inside is at negative pressure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to processing equipment and methods.

There is a processing device that heats and processes the target product. For example, it is a device that adheres a shrink film to a product. The shrink film is a film having heat shrinkage formed of polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, etc., and is heated in a state of being attached to the product and shrinks to be in close contact with the product. As a result, product packaging and label attachment can be easily and firmly performed.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-81219 (hereinafter, Patent Document 1) discloses a heating device proposed by the applicant of the present application, in which hot air is swirled and blown onto a product to uniformly heat the product. It is a device.

Patent Document 1 also introduces a processing apparatus that utilizes steam for heating.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-81219 JP-A-2007-137502

In a processing apparatus that processes the target product using steam, it is considered that the entire target product can be heat-processed evenly by using more steam. However, when other processing is continuously performed, if a large amount of steam is used, steam may flow into the other processing and the quality of the processing may be deteriorated. In addition, the more steam there is, the more moisture tends to remain on the surface of the target product, leading to deterioration of the quality of the processed product.

In this regard, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-137502 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 2) is provided with a partition member, a collection port is provided below the partition member, and hot air inside the heating unit is collected from the collection port and circulated inside the heating unit. We are proposing a heating device that has a structure that allows it to operate.

However, in this configuration, since gas flows into the heating unit from the outside, the internal environment may change and affect the processing quality. Therefore, we provide a processing apparatus and method capable of performing high-quality processing by heating and shrinking a heat-shrinkable film using steam.

According to a certain embodiment, the processing apparatus is a processing apparatus that performs processing in which a heat-shrinkable film is heated and contracted to bring it into close contact with a product to be processed, and the carried-in film. A heating chamber that heats the product to be processed using a high-temperature gas containing steam, and a product to be processed that is provided on the downstream side of the heating chamber in the direction of transportation and is carried in from the heating chamber, contains steam. A drying chamber is provided between the heating chamber and the drying chamber, and a drying chamber is provided between the heating chamber and the drying chamber to remove the moisture adhering by heating with the high-temperature gas including steam in the heating chamber by heating with a high-temperature gas. It is provided with a first negative pressure chamber through which the product to be processed passed through and the inside becomes negative pressure.

A method according to another embodiment is a method in which a heat-shrinkable film is heated and shrunk to bring it into close contact with the product to be processed, and the film is attached to the product to be processed. The product is carried into the heating chamber, heated in the heating chamber using a high-temperature gas containing steam, and the product to be processed heated in the heating chamber is carried into the drying chamber via the negative pressure chamber whose inside is negative pressure. By heating with a high-temperature gas containing steam in the drying chamber, the moisture adhering to the heating by the high-temperature gas containing steam in the heating chamber is removed.

Further details will be described as embodiments described below.

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of the processing apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the processing apparatus according to the embodiment as viewed from the upstream side in the transport direction. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a preheating portion included in the processing apparatus. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of a heating unit included in the processing apparatus. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of the nozzles included in the heating unit and the control of the air flow. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the control of the air flow in the negative pressure portion. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an air flow generated by a negative pressure portion included in the processing apparatus. FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a blower and a water jacket. FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of the water jacket. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of the water jacket.

<1. Overview of processing equipment and methods>

(1) The processing apparatus included in the present embodiment is a processing apparatus that performs processing in which a heat-shrinkable film is heated and contracted to bring it into close contact with a product to be processed, and is carried in. In addition, a heating chamber that heats the product to be processed with the film attached using a high-temperature gas containing steam, and a product to be processed that is provided on the downstream side of the heating chamber in the direction of transportation and is carried in from the heating chamber. By heating with a high-temperature gas that does not contain steam, a drying chamber that removes the moisture adhering to the heating by the high-temperature gas containing steam in the heating chamber and a heating chamber provided between the heating chamber and the drying chamber are provided. It is provided with a first negative pressure chamber through which the product to be processed that is carried into the drying chamber passes through and the inside becomes negative pressure.

The heat-shrinkable film is, for example, a shrink film, which is heated in a state of being attached to the product and shrinks to be in close contact with the product. The high-temperature gas containing steam may be a high-temperature gas containing at least a part of steam, and may be a gas consisting only of steam, that is, water vapor.

By providing the first negative pressure chamber adjacent to the heating chamber for heating using the high temperature gas containing steam, the high temperature gas containing steam flowing out of the heating chamber is sucked in the first negative pressure chamber. As a result, the heating chamber can be filled with the high-temperature gas containing steam without mixing the high-temperature gas containing steam into the drying chamber for removing water using the high-temperature gas containing no steam, which is subsequently carried in. .. This makes it possible to use a high-temperature gas containing more steam when heating the product to be processed in the heating chamber. The more high-temperature gas containing a large amount of steam is used, the more evenly and evenly the entire processed product carried into the heating chamber can be heated. Therefore, the processing quality can be improved.

Further, since the product to be processed is continuously carried into the drying chamber from the heating chamber via the first negative pressure chamber, the chance of the product to be processed being brought into the drying chamber from the heating chamber being exposed to the outside air can be reduced. As a result, the temperature drop of the product to be processed heated in the heating chamber can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the water droplets on the outer surface of the product to be processed from becoming large. As a result, it becomes easier to remove moisture from the outer surface of the product to be processed in the drying chamber.

(2) Preferably, the first negative pressure chamber sucks the gas that has flowed into the first negative pressure chamber by maintaining the inside at a negative pressure, and discharges the gas to the outside of the processing apparatus. As a result, the high-temperature gas containing steam flowing out of the heating chamber is sucked in the first negative pressure chamber and discharged to the outside of the processing apparatus. Therefore, the heating chamber can be filled with the high-temperature gas containing steam without mixing the high-temperature gas containing steam into the drying chamber that is subsequently carried in.

(3) Preferably, the heating chamber allows a high-temperature gas containing steam inside to flow out by maintaining the inside at a positive pressure. As a result, the heating chamber can be filled with a high-temperature gas containing steam. Since the high-temperature gas containing steam flowing out of the heating chamber is sucked in the first negative pressure chamber, the high-temperature gas containing steam is not mixed into the drying chamber that is subsequently carried in.

(4) Preferably, the processing apparatus is provided adjacent to the heating chamber on the upstream side in the transport direction, and the product to be processed on which the film is attached passes through and is carried into the heating chamber, and the inside becomes negative pressure. A second negative pressure chamber is further provided. By providing a first negative pressure chamber and a second negative pressure chamber adjacent to each other on both sides of the heating chamber, the high temperature gas containing steam flowing out of the heating chamber is allowed to flow into the first negative pressure chamber and the second negative pressure chamber. It is sucked in the room. As a result, the heating chamber can be filled with the high-temperature gas containing steam without mixing the high-temperature gas containing steam into the processing chambers on both sides of the heating chamber.

(5) Preferably, in the heating chamber, the air flow that generates a vortex of a high-temperature gas containing steam is controlled at a predetermined position on the path through which the product to be processed is conveyed. By installing the product to be processed at the predetermined position, the product to be processed can be wrapped in a vortex of high-temperature gas containing steam in the processing chamber and can be heated evenly. As a result, the quality of the process of mounting the film can be improved.

(6) Preferably, in the drying chamber, the air flow that generates a vortex of a high-temperature gas that does not contain steam is controlled at a predetermined position on the path through which the product to be processed is conveyed. By installing the product to be processed at the predetermined position, the product to be processed can be wrapped in a vortex of high-temperature gas containing no steam in the processing chamber, and can be heated evenly. As a result, the moisture adhering to the surface of the product to be processed can be removed with high probability by thermal processing with a high-temperature gas containing steam, and the processing quality can be improved.

(7) The method included in the present embodiment is a method in which a film to be processed is subjected to a process of bringing a heat-shrinkable film into close contact with the product by heating and shrinking the film to be processed. A film is attached and carried into a heating chamber, heated in the heating chamber using a high-temperature gas containing steam, and the processed product heated in the heating chamber is dried through a negative pressure chamber having a negative pressure inside. This includes removing the moisture adhering to the film by heating it with a high-temperature gas containing steam in the heating chamber by carrying it into a chamber and heating it with a high-temperature gas containing steam in the drying chamber.

By bringing the product to be processed from the heating chamber that heats using high-temperature gas containing steam to the adjacent negative pressure chamber, the high-temperature containing steam is not mixed in the drying chamber and the high-temperature gas containing steam is mixed. The product to be processed can be heated by filling it with gas. As a result, the entire product to be processed can be heated evenly and evenly. Therefore, the processing quality can be improved.

<2. Examples of processing equipment and methods>

The processing device 1 according to the present embodiment is a processing device that processes a product 9 which is a processing target product by utilizing an internal air flow, and as an example, processes the product 9 by heating. It is a heating device.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the processing apparatus 1 has a preheating unit 13 and a main heating unit 14, which are arranged along the transport direction of the conveyor 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the conveyor 12 rotates the two rollers 121 and 122 so that the upper portion of the belt 123 moves in the direction of the arrow from A to B in the drawing. This arrow direction is the direction in which the loaded goods 9 are transported, and this direction is also referred to as the transport direction in the following description. Further, the A side in the transport direction is also referred to as an upstream side, and the B side is also referred to as a downstream side.

A shrink film 91 having heat shrinkage is attached to the product 9, and the product 9 in that state is loaded on the belt 123, so that the product 9 is transported in the transport direction (see FIG. 3).

Both the preheating unit 13 and the main heating unit 14 are heat-processed by spraying a high-temperature gas onto the product 9 to which the shrink film 91 is attached. The preheating unit 13 and the main heating unit 14 are provided so as to cover the transport path of the conveyor 12. Therefore, it can be said that the preheating unit 13 is a preheating chamber and the main heating unit 14 is a processing chamber for processing by heating. The main heating unit 14 includes a first heating unit 14A arranged on the upstream side and a second heating unit 14B arranged on the downstream side. The first heating unit 14A corresponds to a heating chamber, and the second heating unit 14B corresponds to a drying chamber. The main heating unit 14 is representative of the first heating unit 14A and the second heating unit 14B. The heating unit 14 will be described later.

The high-temperature gas used for thermal processing in the first heating unit 14A is, for example, a gas containing steam. In the following example, it is a gas consisting only of steam, that is, water vapor. The high-temperature gas used for thermal processing in the preheating section 13 and the second heating section 14B is, for example, a gas containing no steam, that is, a dry gas. As will be described later, the temperature of the high temperature gas used in the preheating unit 13 is lower than the temperature of the high temperature gas used in the second heating unit 14B. As another example, the high-temperature gas used for thermal processing in the first heating unit 14A may be a dry gas. That is, both the preheating unit 13 and the main heating unit 14 may be a dry gas.

Since steam is used for thermal processing in the first heating section 14A, a blower 40A for sending out high-temperature steam is arranged above the first heating section 14A. As shown in FIG. 1, the blower 40B may also be arranged above the second heating unit 14B blower 40. The blower devices 40A and 40B are represented by the blower device 40. Details of the blower 40 will be described later. The blower 40 may be removable and movable. The arrangement above the first heating unit 14A is an example of the arrangement and is not limited to the arrangement.

A water jacket 60 for sending water vapor is arranged on the side surface of the first heating unit 14A that sandwiches the conveyor 12. As shown in FIG. 1, when the upstream side in the transport direction is left and the downstream side is right, the front side surface is the front surface and the back side surface is the back surface. The water pipe in the water jacket 60 is connected to the blower 40. Details of the water jacket 60 will be described later.

Further, a negative pressure portion 15 is arranged adjacent to the main heating portion 14. The negative pressure portion 15 is also provided so as to cover the transport path of the conveyor 12, and can be said to be a negative pressure chamber. The negative pressure section 15 includes a first negative pressure section 15A (second negative pressure chamber) arranged between the preheating section 13 and the first heating section 14A, and the first heating section 14A and the second heating section 14B. It is composed of a second negative pressure portion 15B (first negative pressure chamber) arranged between and. The negative pressure portion 15 is representative of the first negative pressure portion 15A and the second negative pressure portion 15B. The negative pressure portion 15 will be described later.

The preheating section 13, the first negative pressure section 15A, the first heating section 14A, the second negative pressure section 15B, and the second heating section 14B are continuously arranged in this order in the transport direction, and the conveyor is connected to each connecting portion. An opening is provided through which the product 9 conveyed by the 12 can pass. Therefore, the goods 9 conveyed by the conveyor 12 are guided to the inside of these goods 9 through the openings in this order. Further, in addition to the above-mentioned opening, an opening for ventilation is provided in the connection portion with the negative pressure portion 15. Therefore, air supply and exhaust can be performed between the negative pressure portion 15 and the adjacent processing portion. In this specification, the configuration below the conveyor 12 is omitted. Below the conveyor 12, for example, a mechanism for blowing hot air, which will be described later, and a control device for controlling the mechanism are stored.

Specifically, the product 9 loaded on the conveyor 12 is conveyed from the opening 131a to the inside of the preheating portion 13, and is preheated until the temperature immediately before the shrink film 91 starts shrinking. That is, the shrink film 91 is heated to the vicinity of the shrinkage start temperature by the preheating unit 13. After that, the product 9 is conveyed from the opening 131b to the outside of the preheating section 13 by the conveyor 12. The opening 131a and the opening 131b are also referred to as an opening 131 as a representative.

The product 9 conveyed from the opening 131b to the outside of the preheating portion 13 is continuously conveyed from the opening 151a to the inside of the first negative pressure portion 15A. Then, it is conveyed from the opening 151b to the outside of the first negative pressure portion 15A via the first negative pressure portion 15A.

The product 9 transported from the opening 151b to the outside of the first negative pressure portion 15A is continuously transported from the opening 141a to the inside of the first heating portion 14A (heating chamber). Then, further heating is performed by the first heating unit 14A, and the shrink film 91 shrinks. Here, thermal processing with steam is performed. As a result, the shrink film 91 adheres to the outer surface of the product 9 and is attached to the product 9. After that, the product 9 is conveyed from the opening 141b to the outside of the first heating unit 14A by the conveyor 12.

The product 9 transported from the opening 141b to the outside of the first heating portion 14A is continuously transported from the opening 151c to the inside of the second negative pressure portion 15B. Then, it is conveyed from the opening 151d to the outside of the second negative pressure portion 15B via the second negative pressure portion 15B. The openings 151a to 151d are also referred to as openings 151 as representatives.

The product 9 transported from the opening 151d to the outside of the second negative pressure portion 15B is continuously transported from the opening 141c to the inside of the second heating portion 14B (drying chamber). Then, further heating is performed by the second heating unit 14B. As a result, the shrink film 91 adheres evenly to the outer surface of the product 9, and the moisture adhering to the product 9 by heat processing with steam in the first heating unit 14A is removed and dried.

Further, by continuously carrying the products from the first heating unit 14A through the second negative pressure unit 15B to the second heating unit 14B, the product 9 can be brought into the second heating unit 14B without being exposed to the outside air from the first heating unit 14A. Will be delivered to. As a result, the temperature drop of the product 9 heated by the first heating unit 14A can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the water droplets on the outer surface of the product 9 from becoming large. As a result, it becomes easier for the second heating unit 14B to remove water from the outer surface of the product 9.

After drying in the second heating unit 14B, the product 9 is conveyed from the opening 141d to the outside of the second heating unit 14B by the conveyor 12, and is carried out to the downstream device.

With reference to FIG. 3, in the cover 21 of the preheating portion 13, a pair of blower portions 22 sandwiching the conveyor 12 extending in the transport direction are arranged. The product 9 is conveyed by the conveyor 12 between the two blowers 22.

A supply pipe 134 is connected to the upper part of the blower unit 22, and a high-temperature gas heated by a heater (not shown) is supplied into the blower unit 22 via the supply pipe 134. An opening plate 221 having a plurality of openings formed is attached to the surface of the blower portion 22 facing the conveyor 12. The high-temperature gas supplied into the blower 22 is sent out from the opening of the opening plate 221 toward the product 9. Therefore, the high temperature gas is sprayed on the product 9.

As a result, the shrink film 91 attached to the product 9 is heated by the high temperature gas. The temperature of the high-temperature gas here is about the temperature immediately before the shrink film 91 starts shrinking. Therefore, the shrink film of the product 9 that passes through the preheating section 13 is preheated.

With reference to FIG. 4, two pipes 33 extend from the blower 40A to the first heating unit 14A. Each pipe 33 is separated into two paths so as to sandwich the conveyor 12, penetrates the cover 31 and extends into the first heating portion 14A. Four nozzles 34 are arranged inside the first heating unit 14A, and are connected to the separated tips of the two pipes 33, respectively. The high-temperature steam sent out from the blower 40A is supplied to the four nozzles 34 via the pipe 33, and is sent out from the nozzles 34.

Assuming that a predetermined position on the conveyor 12 is set as a heating position T and a virtual axis 8 in the height direction (hereinafter referred to as a reference axis) 8 is assumed as the heating position T, the four nozzles 34 move around the reference axis 8. They are arranged at equal intervals (equal intervals with respect to the circumferential direction of the reference axis 8) so as to surround them. As a result, when the product 9 carried in from the opening 141a by the conveyor 12 is conveyed to the heating position T, water vapor is sprayed from the four nozzles 34 to efficiently heat the shrink film 91.

With reference to FIG. 5, each nozzle 34 does not send the high temperature gas toward the center of the product 9 located at the heating position T, but in the same direction from the center of the product 9, that is, the direction toward the reference axis 8. The high temperature gas is sent out in the direction inclined by the angle θ. As a result, the airflows F1 of the high-temperature gas sent out from the four nozzles 34 interfere with each other to form a vortex. Therefore, the high temperature gas flows along the surface of the shrink film 91 attached to the product 9. As a result, the entire surface of the shrink film 91 is uniformly and rapidly heated, and wrinkles and uneven shrinkage are prevented from occurring.

Although FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the first heating unit 14A, the second heating unit 14B also has substantially the same configuration. In this example, in the first heating unit 14A, a blower 40A and a water jacket 60 for sending steam are arranged in the first heating unit 14A in order to perform thermal processing with steam. The same may apply to the second heating unit 14B.

Alternatively, the second heating unit 14B may be an apparatus that performs thermal processing with dry hot air that does not contain steam. In that case, the second heating unit 14B does not include the blower device 40B and the like shown in FIG. High-temperature gas is supplied to the second heating unit 14B from a blower (not shown) to the four nozzles 34 via the pipe 33, and is sent out from the nozzles 34. As a result, similarly to the first heating unit 14A, the high temperature gas is sprayed on the product 9 conveyed to the heating position T, and the shrink film 91 is efficiently heated. In addition, residual water is removed by thermal processing with steam in the first heating unit 14A.

With reference to FIG. 3, an opening 133 is provided in addition to the opening 131b on the side surface of the cover 21 of the preheating portion 13 in contact with the first negative pressure portion 15A. Further, with reference to FIG. 6, an opening 153 is provided at a position on the side surface of the cover 51 of the negative pressure portion 15 facing the transport direction, which coincides with the opening 133 of the preheating portion 13. As a result, the preheating portion 13 can be ventilated with the first negative pressure portion 15A.

As shown in FIG. 4, an opening 143 is provided in addition to the opening 141a on the side surface of the first heating portion 14A in contact with the first negative pressure portion 15A. Further, with reference to FIG. 6, an opening 153 is provided at a position on the side surface of the cover 51 of the negative pressure portion 15 facing the transport direction, which coincides with the opening 143 of the first heating portion 14A. As a result, the first heating portion 14A can be ventilated with the first negative pressure portion 15A.

As shown in FIG. 4, an opening 143 is provided in addition to the opening 141b on the side surface of the first heating portion 14A in contact with the second negative pressure portion 15B. Further, with reference to FIG. 6, an opening 153 is provided at a position on the side surface of the cover 51 of the negative pressure portion 15 facing the transport direction, which coincides with the opening 143 of the first heating portion 14A. As a result, the first heating portion 14A can be ventilated together with the second negative pressure portion 15B.

As shown in FIG. 4, an opening 143 is provided in addition to the opening 141a on the side surface of the second heating portion 14B in contact with the second negative pressure portion 15B. Further, with reference to FIG. 6, an opening 153 is provided at a position on the side surface of the cover 51 of the negative pressure portion 15 facing in the transport direction, which coincides with the opening 143 of the second heating portion 14B. As a result, the second heating portion 14B can be ventilated with the second negative pressure portion 15B.

With the above configuration, the gas as shown in FIG. 7 is formed between the preheating section 13, the first negative pressure section 15A, the first heating section 14A, the second negative pressure section 15B, and the second heating section 14B. A flow occurs. That is, with reference to FIG. 7, the internal pressure P3 of the preheating unit 13 is controlled to a positive pressure. On the other hand, the internal pressure P5a of the first negative pressure portion 15A is controlled by the negative pressure. Therefore, an air flow F3 is generated from the preheating portion 13 through the opening 133 and the opening 153 toward the first negative pressure portion 15A. That is, the high-temperature gas in the preheating portion 13 is sucked into the first negative pressure portion 15A through the openings 133 and 153, and is discharged to the outside of the processing apparatus 1 as shown by the arrow in FIG.

As a result, the preheating section 13 can be filled with high-temperature gas, and the inflow of outside air from the outside into the preheating section 13 can be prevented. As a result, the air flow F2 that blows the high-temperature gas onto the product 9 conveyed by the conveyor 12 in the preheating unit 13 is suppressed from being disturbed.

Further, the internal pressure P4a of the first heating unit 14A is controlled to a positive pressure. On the other hand, the internal pressure P5a of the first negative pressure portion 15A and the internal pressure P5b of the second negative pressure portion 15B are both controlled to negative pressure. Therefore, the airflow F3 from the first heating portion 14A to the first negative pressure portion 15A via the opening 143 and the opening 153, and from the first heating portion 14A to the second negative pressure portion 15B through the opening 143 and the opening 153. Airflow F4 is generated. That is, the water vapor in the first heating portion 14A is sucked into the inside of the first negative pressure portion 15A and the inside of the second negative pressure portion 15B through the openings 143 and 153, and as shown by the arrows in FIG. 7, the processing apparatus 1 It is discharged to the outside.

The first negative pressure portion 15A and the second negative pressure portion 15B provided adjacent to each other suck the outflowing water vapor, so that the preheating part 13 that preheats using a high temperature gas that does not contain water vapor and the heat processing are performed. 2 The first heating unit 14A can be filled with high-temperature steam without mixing steam into the heating unit 14B. As a result, more water vapor can be used when heating the product 9. The more water vapor is used, the more evenly and evenly the entire product 9 carried into the first heating unit 14A can be heated by the spiral air flow F1. Therefore, the processing quality can be improved.

Further, by filling the first heating unit 14A with high-temperature steam, the inflow of outside air from the outside into the inside of the first heating unit 14A can be prevented. As a result, the vortex-shaped airflow F1 in the first heating unit 14A is suppressed from being disturbed. As a result, the entire product 9 carried into the first heating unit 14A can be evenly and evenly heated by the vortex-shaped airflow F1. Therefore, the processing quality can be improved.

Further, the internal pressure P4b of the second heating unit 14B is controlled to a positive pressure. On the other hand, the internal pressure P5b of the second negative pressure portion 15B is controlled by the negative pressure. Therefore, an air flow F4 is generated from the second heating portion 14B through the opening 143 and the opening 153 toward the second negative pressure portion 15B. That is, the high-temperature gas in the second heating portion 14B is sucked into the second negative pressure portion 15B through the openings 143 and 153, and is discharged to the outside of the processing apparatus 1 as shown by the arrow in FIG.

By sucking the outflowing steam from the second negative pressure section 15B provided adjacently, the second heating section does not mix the high temperature gas containing no steam into the first heating section 14A that is heat-processed with steam. 14B can be filled with high temperature gas. As a result, when the product 9 is dried, it can be dried using a larger amount of high-temperature gas.

Further, by filling the second heating unit 14B with the high temperature gas, the inflow of outside air from the outside into the inside of the second heating unit 14B can be prevented. As a result, the vortex-shaped airflow F1 in the second heating unit 14B is suppressed from being disturbed and can be dried with high efficiency and high quality.

In particular, in the heating unit 14, the air flow F1 is controlled so that the high-temperature gas is blown onto the product 9 in a spiral shape. Therefore, when the outside air flows into the heating unit 14, the air flow F1 is disturbed, and there is a possibility that the thermal processing of the target quality cannot be achieved. In this regard, by providing a negative pressure portion 15 adjacent to at least one of them and setting the internal pressure P5 to a negative pressure, the internal pressure P4 of the heating portion 14 can be maintained at a positive pressure. This is because even if the gas flows out from the heating unit 14 by maintaining the internal pressure P4 at a positive pressure, it is sucked by the negative pressure unit 15. The internal pressure P5 refers to a representative of the internal pressure P5a and the internal pressure P5b, and the internal pressure P4 refers to a representative of the internal pressure P4a and the internal pressure P4b. As a result, the inflow of outside air into the heating unit 14 is prevented, and the disturbance of the air flow F1 is suppressed. As a result, deterioration of the quality of thermal processing can be suppressed.

In the example of FIG. 1, two negative pressure portions 15A and a second negative pressure portion 15B are arranged as the negative pressure portion 15. However, the negative pressure portion 15 may be one or three or more.

For example, when only the first negative pressure portion 15A is provided, the gas flowing out from the side surface of each of the preheating portion 13 and the first heating portion 14A on the first negative pressure portion 15A side is sucked. This also suppresses the inflow of outside air into the preheating section 13 and the first heating section 14A, and suppresses the disturbance of the internal air flow. When only the second negative pressure portion 15B is provided, the gas flowing out from the side surface of each of the first heating portion 14A and the second heating portion 14B on the second negative pressure portion 15B side is sucked. This also suppresses the inflow of outside air into the first heating unit 14A and the second heating unit 14B, and suppresses the disturbance of the internal air flow.

As an example, as shown in FIG. 1, a blower 40A and a water jacket 60 are attached to the first heating unit 14A, which heat-processes using steam, as a configuration for sending out high-temperature steam. There is.

More specifically, with reference to FIG. 8, the blower 40A includes a tank 41 for storing water, a boiler 42, and a cooler 43 for cooling water vapor and taking out water. The blower 40A may not include all of the tank 41, the boiler 42, and the cooler 43, and at least one of them may be used by connecting to an external facility.

Water is supplied to the tank 41 from the outside (step S1), and the water obtained by cooling with the cooler 43 is also returned (step S9). The water in the tank 41 is supplied to the water jacket 60 (step S2) and circulates in the water jacket 60 (step S3).

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the water jacket 60 is provided in contact with the inside of the front surface of the cover 31 of the first heating portion 14A, and the front jacket 60F on which the pipe 61 is installed and the cover 31. It has a back jacket 60B which is provided in contact with the inside of the back surface of the pipe 62 and installs the pipe 62. The pipe 61 and the pipe 62 are connected by a pipe 63 passed to the upper part. The installation of the water jacket 60 is not limited to the inner surface of the front surface of the cover 31 of the first heating unit 14A. It may be installed on the cover 31 of the second heating unit 14B in place of or in addition to the first heating unit 14A. Further, it does not necessarily have to be in contact with the inner surface of the cover 31, and may be arranged inside the cover 31 away from the inner surface.

The circulation in step S3 is supplied from the tank 41 to the pipe 62 of the back jacket 60B (step S31), moves in the pipe 62 (step S32), and moves to the pipe 61 of the front jacket 60F via the pipe 63 (step S33). ). Then, it moves in the pipe 61 (step S34) and is supplied to the boiler 42 (step S4).

Since the first heating unit 14A is subjected to thermal processing, the temperature of the inner surface of the cover 31 is rising. By moving the pipes 61, 62, 63 provided in the water jacket 60 in contact with the inner surface of the cover 31 in step S3, the water inside is heated and returned to the boiler 42 in a state where the water temperature has risen (step S4). ). As a result, the temperature of the water supplied to the boiler 42 becomes higher than that without passing through the water jacket 60, and the heating temperature in the boiler 42 can be suppressed. As a result, the heating time can be shortened and energy saving can be realized. On the contrary, the temperature of the inner surface of the cover 31 of the first heating portion 14A is lowered by the water moving through the pipes 61, 62, 63 of the water jacket 60. As a result, the temperature rise of the first heating unit 14A is alleviated.

By heating in the boiler 42, water becomes steam (step S5) and is supplied to the first heating unit 14A (step S6). The first heating unit 14A is heat-processed using steam supplied from the boiler 42.

The steam used for thermal processing in the first heating unit 14A, that is, the steam sprayed from the nozzle 34 onto the product 9, is recovered by a suction device (not shown) and supplied to the cooler 43 (step S8). As a result, the external exhaust of water vapor can be suppressed, and the installation environment of the processing apparatus 1 can be improved. The suction device is installed in the first heating unit 14A. Further, the suction device may be further installed in the negative pressure portion 15. Thereby, the recovery efficiency of water vapor can be improved.

The recovered steam is cooled by the cooler 43 to become water (step S8) and is supplied to the tank 41 (step S9). After that, the flow from step S2 is repeated. This allows the water to be reused.

<3. Addendum>
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, as another aspect, the processing apparatus included in the present embodiment may be the following thermal processing apparatus. That is, the heat processing device included in the present embodiment is a heat processing device that heat-processes the product to be processed by a gas containing water vapor, and the pipe through which the water supplied to the boiler passes is discharged from the heat processing device. It has a water jacket for arranging it in contact with the heat, and the water vapor obtained by heating the water passing through the pipe by the boiler is supplied to the heat processing apparatus.

Preferably, it is further provided with a cooler for cooling the gas containing water vapor used for heat processing and recovered in the heat processing apparatus, and the water obtained by cooling with the cooler is supplied to the pipe.

According to other aspects of this embodiment, there are the following problems. That is, there is a processing device that processes the target product using the air flow. It is important to control the airflow in a processing device that processes the target product using such an airflow. However, the airflow may be disturbed depending on the usage conditions of the processing apparatus. For example, when an external gas is mixed. If the airflow is disturbed, the intended machining may not be achieved. Therefore, it is desirable to suppress the disturbance as much as possible.

In this regard, as described above, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-137502 (Patent Document 2) provides a partition member, a collection port at the lower portion thereof, and collects hot air inside the heating unit from the collection port to collect the hot air inside the heating unit. We are proposing a heating device that has a structure that circulates inside.

However, in this configuration, since the gas flows into the heating unit from the outside, the internal airflow may be disturbed. Therefore, a processing device and a method for suppressing the disturbance of the internal airflow are provided. Therefore, the present embodiment also includes the following aspects.

(1) The processing chamber is provided with a processing chamber for processing the processed product to be transported and a negative pressure chamber provided adjacent to the processing chamber through which the processed product to be transported passes. Is a processing device in which the inside is maintained at a positive pressure and the air flow inside is controlled, and the negative pressure chamber is maintained at a negative pressure inside.

(2) The processing chamber includes a first processing chamber and a second processing chamber, and the first processing chamber and the second processing chamber sandwich the negative pressure chamber in the direction of transportation. The processing apparatus according to (1), which is arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side of the above.

(3) The gas inside one of the first processing chamber and the second processing chamber is a high-temperature gas containing steam, and the gas inside the other is a high-temperature gas containing no steam. , (1) or (2).

(4) The processing according to (1) or (2), wherein the gas inside the first processing chamber and the gas inside the second processing chamber are both high-temperature gases containing no steam. apparatus.

(5) In the processing chamber, the gas inside is a high-temperature gas containing steam, and the negative pressure chamber is arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction with the processing chamber in between. The processing apparatus according to (1).

(6) Any one of (3) to (5), wherein the control of the internal air flow includes an internal control of generating a vortex of the high temperature gas at a predetermined position on the transportation path of the product to be processed. The processing equipment described in.

(7) The processing chamber internally heat-processes the product to be processed, further includes a preheating chamber arranged on the upstream side of the processing chamber in the direction of transportation, and the negative pressure chamber is the same as the processing chamber. The processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (6), which is arranged at a position sandwiched between the preheating chamber and the preheating chamber.

(8) A method of controlling the internal airflow to suppress the disturbance of the internal airflow in the processing chamber for processing the transported object to be processed, and maintaining the inside of the processing chamber at a positive pressure. , A method of maintaining a negative pressure inside the negative pressure chamber provided adjacent to the processing chamber and through which the transported object to be processed passes.

1: Processing equipment 8: Reference axis 9: Product 12: Conveyor 13: Preheating part 14: Heating part 14A: First heating part 14B: Second heating part 15: Negative pressure part 15A: First negative pressure part 15B: Second Negative pressure part 21: Cover 22: Blower part 31: Cover 33: Piping 34: Nozzle 40: Blower 40A: Blower 40B: Blower 41: Tank 42: Boiler 43: Cooler 51: Cover 60: Water jacket 60B: Back jacket 60F: Front jacket 61: Piping 62: Piping 63: Piping 91: Shrink film 121: Roller 122: Roller 123: Belt 131: Opening 131a: Opening 131b: Opening 133: Opening 134: Supply pipe 141a: Opening 141b: Opening 141c: Opening 141d: Opening 143: Opening 151: Opening 151a: Opening 151b: Opening 151c: Opening 151d: Opening 153: Opening 221: Opening plate F1: Airflow F2: Airflow F3: Airflow F4: Airflow P3: Internal pressure P4: Internal pressure P4a : Internal pressure P4b: Internal pressure P5: Internal pressure P5a: Internal pressure P5b: Internal pressure T: Heating position θ: Angle

Claims (7)

A processing device that performs processing to bring a heat-shrinkable film into close contact with a product to be processed by heating and shrinking it.
A heating chamber for heating the carried-in product to be processed to which the film is attached using a high-temperature gas containing steam, and a heating chamber.
By heating the product to be processed, which is provided on the downstream side of the heating chamber in the direction of transportation and carried in from the heating chamber, using a high-temperature gas containing no steam, the steam in the heating chamber is heated. A drying chamber that removes the attached moisture by heating with a high-temperature gas containing
Processing provided between the heating chamber and the drying chamber is provided with a first negative pressure chamber through which the product to be processed carried from the heating chamber into the drying chamber passes and the inside becomes negative pressure. apparatus. The first negative pressure chamber sucks the gas that has flowed into the first negative pressure chamber by maintaining the negative pressure inside, and discharges the gas to the outside of the processing apparatus.
The processing apparatus according to claim 1. The heating chamber causes the high temperature gas containing the steam inside to flow out by maintaining the inside at a positive pressure.
The processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. A second negative pressure provided adjacent to the heating chamber on the upstream side in the direction of transportation, through which the product to be processed with the film attached passes and is carried into the heating chamber, and the inside becomes negative pressure. The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a chamber. Any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in the heating chamber, the air flow that generates a vortex of the high-temperature gas containing the steam is controlled at a predetermined position on the path through which the product to be processed is conveyed. The processing equipment described in. Any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein in the drying chamber, the air flow that generates a vortex of the high-temperature gas that does not contain steam is controlled at a predetermined position on the path through which the product to be processed is conveyed. The processing equipment described in the section. This is a method of applying a heat-shrinkable film to a product to be processed by heating and shrinking the film to bring it into close contact with the product to be processed.
The film is attached to the product to be processed, carried into a heating chamber, and heated in the heating chamber using a high-temperature gas containing steam.
The product to be processed, which has been heated in the heating chamber, is carried into a drying chamber via a negative pressure chamber having a negative pressure inside, and is heated in the drying chamber using a high-temperature gas containing no steam. A method comprising removing moisture attached by heating with a high temperature gas containing the steam in the heating chamber.

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