JP2021181199A - Cushioning material supplying device - Google Patents

Abstract

To stretch a cushioning material having slits arranged in a zigzag shape into a three-dimensional shape and to supply the same.SOLUTION: A cushioning material supplying device of the invention comprises: a supply preparation part for preparing a sheet-like cushioning material 12 in which a large number of slits extending in one direction are arranged; and a cushioning material overlapping part 15 in which the cushioning materials 12 are overlapped with each other in a state where the longitudinal directions of the slits of the cushioning material 12 are aligned. The cushioning material overlapping part 15 is composed of a rounding mechanism 15a for winding the cushioning material 12 drawn out from the supply preparation part in a cylindrical shape, and the cushioning material overlapping part 15 is equipped with pulling means to pull the cushioning materials 12, which are rolled into a cylindrical shape and overlapped, in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the slit to make it three-dimensional.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

The present invention relates to a cushioning material used for packaging, packaging, and the like, and more particularly to a cushioning material which is in the form of a sheet and is used after being stretched.

As the cushioning material as described above, there is the following Patent Document 1. This cushioning material is formed by disposing a large number of slits extending in one direction on a paper sheet. Specifically, a large number of slit rows in which slit portions and non-slit portions are alternately arranged in a straight line are arranged side by side. The middle positions of the parts are lined up.

Currently, there are two types of such cushioning materials: vertical slit paper in which the longitudinal direction of the slit and the flow of the paper are the same, and horizontal slit paper in which the longitudinal direction of the slit and the flow are orthogonal to each other.

All of these cushioning materials are used after the slits are formed into a substantially honeycomb shape by pulling and stretching them in the direction of widening the slits. The pulling work is done by hand, and it is used for packing as a cushioning material by rolling it.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1-226574

However, since the work of stretching the cushioning material for use is performed manually, it was not possible to automate the packing and the like.

Therefore, it is a main object of the present invention to contribute to the automation of packing of the cushioning material in which the slit is arranged.

The means for that purpose is a cushioning material supply device for supplying a sheet-shaped cushioning material in which a large number of slits extending in one direction are arranged, the supply preparation unit for preparing the cushioning material, and the cushioning material having the cushioning material. The cushioning material stacking portion in which the cushioning materials are stacked in a state where the longitudinal directions of the slits are aligned, and the cushioning material in a state of being overlapped by the cushioning material stacking portions are pulled in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the slits to form the slit. It is a cushioning material supply device equipped with a pulling means for opening.

In this configuration, the cushioning material sent from the supply preparation unit has a double or more multi-layered structure in the cushioning material stacking portion. That is, if there is only one cushioning material, it may be wound or folded, and if there are multiple cushioning materials, it may simply be stacked, or it may be wound or folded on top of each other. , Make sure that the longitudinal directions of the slits in the overlapping parts are aligned in the same direction. In this state, the pulling means pulls the overlapping cushioning materials in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the slit or in a diagonal direction with respect to the slits, opens the slit, and deforms the overlapping portion of the cushioning materials into a three-dimensional shape. At the time of stretching, the strength in the normal direction of the slit is reinforced, and the portions formed by opening the slits of the overlapping cushioning materials engage with each other.

According to the present invention, since the cushioning material stacking portion and the pulling means are provided, the cushioning materials can be stretched together to form a three-dimensional shape having an open slit. Therefore, the cushioning material provided with the slits can be fully or semi-automatically transformed into a three-dimensional shape to be used, which can contribute to the automation of packing and the like.

Moreover, since the open slit portions in the overlapping portions engage with each other, the three-dimensional shape can be maintained.

In addition, since the cushioning materials are made into a multi-layered state in the cushioning material stacking part, when the cushioning materials are discharged in the bundled form, it is possible to omit the work of rolling the cushioning materials at the time of packing, etc. It is advantageous for automation of.

The perspective view of the cushioning material supply device. Top view of cushioning material. Perspective view of cushioning material. The plan view which shows the schematic structure of the cushioning material supply device. The side view which shows the schematic structure of the cushioning material supply device. Perspective view of the shifter part. Side view of the cushioning material stacking part. Top view showing the working state. Top view showing the working state. Top view showing the working state. Top view showing the working state. Side view showing the working state. Side view showing the working state. Explanatory drawing which shows the deformed state of a cushioning material. Side view showing the working state. Front view showing the working state. Front view showing the working state. Side view showing the working state. Top view of the vicinity of the supply preparation unit according to another example. The front view which shows the schematic structure of the cushioning material stacking part and the pulling means which concerns on another example. The side view which shows the outline of the cushioning material supply device which adopted the structure shown in FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the working state of the structure shown in FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the working state of the structure shown in FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the working state of the structure shown in FIG. The front view which shows the schematic structure of the cushioning material stacking part and the pulling means which concerns on another example. The perspective view which shows the form which concerns on other example about the cushioning material supplied from the supply preparation part. The perspective view which shows the stacking mode of the cushioning material which concerns on another example. The perspective view which shows the stacking mode of the cushioning material which concerns on another example. The plan view of the cushioning material stacking part and the pulling means which concerns on another example. It is a partial cross-sectional side view which shows the structure of the cushioning material stacking part and the pulling means shown in FIG.

An embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the cushioning material supply device 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the cushioning material supply device 11 is a device that transforms the sheet-shaped cushioning material 12 into a three-dimensional shape so that it can be used as it is.

First, the cushioning material 12 will be briefly described.

A cushioning material 12 may be made of an appropriate material, but here, a paper cushioning material is taken as an example. As shown in FIG. 2A, the cushioning material 12 has a large number of slits 21 extending in one direction arranged in a staggered manner. The slit 21 is a cut penetrating in the thickness direction.

The slits 21 of the cushioning material 12 are arranged in a straight line at equal intervals. Assuming that a virtual straight line having a slit 21 is a slit row, the slit row is formed by a slit 21 having a predetermined length and a non-slit 22 between the slits 21 as shown by enlarging a part in FIG. 2 (a). It will be configured. A large number of such slit rows are arranged side by side, and the intermediate positions between the slits 21 and the non-slits 22 of the adjacent slit rows are arranged so as to be aligned with each other.

Since such a cushioning material 12 is merely a sheet having a slit 21, it does not have much buffering action. However, when the slit 21 is stretched in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the slit 21 to widen the slit 21, substantially honeycomb-shaped eyes 23 (openings) are formed as shown in (b) of FIG. 2 by enlarging a part. .. The portion forming the eye 23, that is, the portion other than the slit 21, has a structure in which the cushioning material 12 is inclined diagonally with respect to the surface direction to exert a buffering action.

Since the cushioning material 12 has such a structure, it is necessary to stretch the cushioning material 12 and deform it into a three-dimensional shape at the time of packing or the like. Hereinafter, the cushioning material 12 deformed into a three-dimensional shape is referred to as a three-dimensional cushioning material 12a.

The cushioning material 12 illustrated in FIG. 2 has a so-called vertical slit. The vertical slit means a slit in which the longitudinal direction of the slit 21 and the flow stitch (paper flow stitch) are the same regardless of whether the slit is vertical or horizontal. On the other hand, the cushioning material 12 in which the slit 21 extends in the direction orthogonal to the flow is a horizontal slit.

In this example, the vertical slit type cushioning material 12 will be described as an example.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cushioning material supply device 11 is configured to obtain a three-dimensional cushioning material 12a in a cylindrical shape from the cushioning material 12 wound in a roll shape.

Since the cushioning material 12 wound in a roll shape is conveyed in the drawing direction for processing, the vertical slit type cushioning material 12 has the winding direction D1 as shown in FIG. And the longitudinal direction D2 of the slit 21 are the same.

The cushioning material supply device 11 is mounted on a movable wagon 13, a supply preparation unit 14 for preparing the cushioning material 12, a cushioning material stacking unit 15 for stacking the cushioning materials 12, and a three-dimensional cushioning material 12a. It has a discharge unit 16 for discharging.

The wagon 13 is provided with casters 31 with stoppers at the four corners of the lower end, and a mounting surface 32 is provided on the upper end surface. The mounting surface 32 has a high-position mounting surface 32a and a low-position mounting surface 32b by setting the portion having the discharge portion 16 lower than the portion having the supply preparation portion 14.

FIG. 4 shows a plan view of a main part of the cushioning material supply device 11, and FIG. 5 shows a side view thereof. As shown in these figures, the supply preparation unit 14 has a support 41 that can pull out the cushioning material 12 wound in a roll shape, in other words, rotatably holds the cushioning material 12. The support 41 supports the roll-shaped cushioning material 12 by standing vertically in the axial direction, and has a horizontally expanding support plate 41a and a core of the roll-shaped cushioning material 12 at the center of the support plate 41a. It has a shaft portion 41b through which it passes. The support plate 41a is provided at a position appropriately raised upward from the high-position mounting surface 32a, and the shaft portion 41b faces vertically upward.

A guide roll 42 extending in the vertical direction is provided in the rear stage of the supply preparation unit 14, and a feeding means 43 is provided in the rear stage of the guide roll 42. The feeding means 43 includes a feeding roll 43a extending in the vertical direction and a nip roll 43b that comes into contact with and separates from the feeding roll 43a. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 44 denotes a feed drive unit including a motor for rotating the feed roll 43a.

As shown in FIG. 1, a part of the mounting surface 32 is covered with a box-shaped cover body 45, and the cover body 45 is provided on the entire rear stage side from the rear stage position of the guide roll 42. The cover body 45 covers a mechanism arranged after the guide roll 42, and has an opening / closing door 45a at a portion on the side surface corresponding to the feeding means 43. It should be noted that the portion of the cover body 45 corresponding to the downstream portion of the guide roll 42 in the transport direction and the discharge portion 16 has a window.

The rear stage of the feeding means 43 is provided with a processing unit 46 for feeding the tip of the cushioning material 12 to the cushioning material overlapping portion 15 in the rear stage and cutting the cushioning material 12. The processing unit 46 has a base portion 47 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the vertical direction, a shifter 48 for performing the feed, and a cutting mechanism 49 for performing the cutting.

One side surface of the base portion 47 is a transport surface 47a that serves as a transport path for the cushioning material 12. The shifter 48 and the cutting mechanism 49 are provided at positions facing the transport surface 47a of the base portion 47.

The configuration of the base portion 47 and the shifter 48 is as shown in FIG. That is, the height of the base portion 47 is set higher than the position of the upper side of the cushioning material 12 to be transported, and is a position on the transport surface 47a on the downstream side in the transport direction corresponding to the upper side and the lower side of the cushioning material 12. Is formed with a recess 47b having an appropriate depth.

These recesses 47b are portions into which the tip 48a of the shifter 48 enters, and are configured so that the tip portion of the cushioning material 12 to be fed can be grasped. The shifter 48 is supported via a rod 52 so as to be reciprocating in the transport direction of the cushioning material 12 with respect to the support column 51 provided at a position facing the transport surface 47a of the base portion 47 and extending in the vertical direction. There is. The shifter drive unit 53 that reciprocates the shifter 48 is configured by an appropriate means such as an air cylinder or a ball screw.

The shifter 48 is formed in a frame shape, and the above-mentioned tip 48a is projected at both upper and lower ends of the tip facing the transport surface 47a. At these tips 48a, a receiving claw portion 54 that enters the recess 47b described above is formed inward. The upper surface 54a of the receiving claw portion 54, that is, the surface facing away from the transport surface 47a is flush with the transport surface 47a of the base portion 47.

A movable claw 55 that comes into contact with and separates from the receiving claw portion 54 is provided at a portion facing the upper surface 54a of the receiving claw portion 54. The movable claw 55 is composed of an appropriate gripping drive unit 56 such as an air cylinder.

A receiving portion 47c for receiving the cutting blade 57 of the cutting mechanism 49 is formed in the intermediate portion of the base portion 47 in the transport direction of the transport surface 47a. The receiving portion 47c may be formed flat as well as having a groove as shown in the illustrated example.

A cutting blade 57 for cutting is provided at a position facing the receiving portion 47c so that a cutting operation can be performed by an appropriate cutting driving portion 58. The cutting blade 57 is composed of an appropriate blade such as a Thomson blade or a rotary blade.

Further, at positions on both sides of the cutting blade 57 in the transport direction, a prismatic pressing member 59 that presses the cushioning material 12 against the transport surface 47a at the time of cutting is arranged. The pressing member 59 is supported reciprocally with respect to the support column 61 extending in the vertical direction via the rod 62. The pressing drive unit 63 that reciprocates the pressing member 59 is configured by an appropriate means such as an air cylinder.

The cushioning material overlapping portion 15 is formed on the extension line of the transport surface 47a in the base portion 47.

The cushioning material overlapping portion 15 is a portion where the cushioning materials 12 are overlapped with each other in a state where the longitudinal directions of the slits 21 of the cushioning material 12 are aligned. The cushioning material 12 to be overlapped may be one sheet or a plurality of sheets. As described above, since the cushioning material 12 is wound in a roll shape, a plurality of cushioning materials 12 to be overlapped may be used, but in this example, one is used.

The cushioning material stacking unit 15 is composed of a rounding mechanism 15a for winding and rolling the cushioning material 12 sent from the supply preparation unit 14 in the transport direction, and the configuration is as follows. That is, the support frame 71 erected on the extension line of the transport surface 47a of the base portion 47, the take-up roll 72 supported by the support frame 71, and the holding roll 73 that comes into contact with and separates from the take-up roll 72. , A pulling means 74 for stretching the cushioning material 12 wound on the winding roll 72 is provided.

The support frame 71 is formed in a square frame shape, and is provided at the end of the mounting surface 32 on the low position mounting surface 32b on the side having the discharge portion 16. The support frame 71 has a shape that extends in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and its erection range is a range that extends over the extension line of the transport surface 47a of the base portion 47 and the discharge portion 16. As shown in FIG. 5, the height of the support frame 71 is higher than that of the processing unit 46 and the like.

On the surface of the support frame 71 on the upstream side in the transport direction, a vertically long lower support plate 75 and a horizontally long upper support plate 76 are provided. The lower support plate 75 is provided on the extension line of the transport surface 47a at the lower part of the support frame 71, and the upper support plate 76 is provided on the upper part of the support frame 71 from the extension line of the transport surface 47a to the discharge portion 16. Has been done.

As shown in FIG. 7, the take-up roll 72 described above is supported on the lower support plate 75 and the upper support plate 76 via the moving tables 77 and 78, respectively. The moving table 77 of the lower support plate 75 is movably supported along the longitudinal direction of the vertical rail 75a on the vertical rail 75a extending in the vertical direction. The moving table 78 of the upper support plate 76 is movably supported on the horizontal rail 76a extending in the left-right direction along the longitudinal direction of the horizontal rail 76a.

The upper and lower moving bases 77 and 78 are both L-shaped in side view with the bases 77a and 78a running on the vertical rail 75a or the horizontal rail 76a and the support portions 77b and 78b erected from the ends of the bases 77a and 78a. Is formed in. The lower moving table 77 has a support portion 77b formed at the lower end of the base 77a, the upper moving table 78 has a support portion 78b formed at the upper end of the base 78a, and the upper and lower moving tables 77 and 78 face each other. doing.

The lower moving table 77 can be moved by a vertical drive unit 81 made of an appropriate actuator such as an air cylinder or a ball screw, and the upper moving table 78 can be moved by a left / right drive unit 82 made of an appropriate actuator. The vertical drive unit 81 moves the moving table 77 to the uppermost position P1 shown by the solid line in FIG. 7 and two lower positions below it, that is, the stretching position P2 and the retracting position P3 (see the virtual line). The left and right drive unit 82 moves the moving table 78 to a position corresponding to the extension line of the transport surface 47a and a position corresponding to the discharge unit 16.

A chuck 83 and the above-mentioned take-up roll 72 are sequentially arranged on the facing surfaces of the upper and lower moving tables 77 and 78. The chuck 83 has a plurality of claw portions 83a, and these claw portions 83a can be opened and closed inside and outside. The claw portion 83a is located on the outer periphery of the take-up roll 72 when closed, and is configured to sandwich the cushioning material 12 wound around the take-up roll 72 with the take-up roll 72. ..

Since the cushioning material 12 is conveyed in the vertical direction in the width direction and wound on the winding roll 72 in that posture, the chuck 83 is the end portion of the cushioning material 12 in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the slit 21. Will be grabbed.

Of the chucks 83 arranged above and below, the chuck 83 located above is the upper chuck 83b, and the chuck 83 located below is the lower chuck 83c. The above-mentioned pulling means 74 is configured to be driven by these chucks 83 and the above-mentioned vertical drive unit 81. Further, the upper chuck 83b is supported by the left and right drive units 82 so as to be relatively movable to a position horizontally separated from the lower chuck 83c.

The central shaft of the take-up roll 72 is the same as that of the chuck 83, and the take-up roll 72 has a shaft portion 72a and a roll portion 72b having a diameter larger than that of the shaft portion 72a. The shaft portion 72a can be rotated by a take-up drive portion 84 composed of an appropriate motor, and rotates independently of the chuck 83.

An insertion groove 72c extending in the axial direction is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the roll portion 72b of the take-up roll 72. The insertion groove 72c is a portion into which the tip edge of the cushioning material 12 is inserted.

The take-up roll 72 is attached with the above-mentioned pressing roll 73. That is, a holding roll 73 that comes into contact with and separates from the roll portion 72b is provided at a portion of the take-up roll 72 of the lower moving table 77 that is immovable in the left-right direction on the upstream side in the transport direction.

The holding roll 73 is formed to be slightly longer than the width of the cushioning material 12, and is rotatably held at the tip of the holder 85 in the longitudinal direction. The intermediate portion of the holder 85 in the longitudinal direction is rotatably supported by a support shaft 85a extending vertically, and a contact / detachment drive portion 86 made of an air cylinder or the like is connected to the base portion of the holder 85 in the longitudinal direction. By the operation of the contact / detachment drive unit 86, the holding roll 73 at the tip of the holder 85 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the roll portion 72b in the lower winding roll 72. The position where the holding roll 73 comes into contact is a position closer to the discharge portion 16 than the insertion groove 72c in the roll portion 73b with the insertion groove 72c directed upstream in the transport direction.

An inclined discharge plate 87 is provided in the discharge portion 16 in which the upper moving table 78 is located away from the lower moving table 77. The discharge plate 87 is a portion that receives the falling three-dimensional cushioning material 12a.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a separating means 88 is provided at a portion corresponding to the discharging portion 16 at the upper end of the support frame 71. The separating means 88 is for dropping the three-dimensional cushioning material 12a attached to the take-up roll 72 provided on the upper moving table 78, and is provided at the telescopic arm 88a and the tip of the arm 88a. It is composed of a brush roll 88b that can be rotated. The separation drive unit 89 that expands and contracts the arm 88a and rotates the brush roll 88b is composed of an appropriate actuator such as an air cylinder and a motor.

Each drive unit in the cushioning material supply device 11 having the above configuration, that is, the feed drive unit 44, the shifter drive unit 53, the grip drive unit 56, the cutting drive unit 58, the presser drive unit 63, the vertical drive unit 81, and the left and right drive unit. The 82, the chuck 83, the take-up drive unit 84, the contact / detachment drive unit 86, and the separation drive unit 89 are controlled together with sensors (not shown) provided at necessary locations for detecting, for example, the tip position of the cushioning material 12. Based on the input signal from the operation panel 17 (see FIG. 1) provided on the outer surface of the cover body 45 connected to the unit (not shown), the drive is controlled as follows according to a program stored in advance. ..

First, after the power is turned on, the tip of the cushioning material 12 of the supply preparation unit 14 is pulled out to the downstream side in the transport direction and passed through the guide roll 42, and then the tip of the cushioning material 12 is sandwiched between the feeding means 43 as shown in FIG. That is, the nip roll 43b is opened, the tip of the cushioning material 12 is passed through, and then the nip roll 43b is closed.

After that, the control unit drives the feed drive unit 44 to feed the tip of the cushioning material 12 to a predetermined position. That is, a sensor (not shown) for detecting the tip of the cushioning material 12 is provided in the vicinity of the downstream side of the shifter 48 in the processing unit 46 in the transport direction, and the feed drive unit 44 is driven until it is detected by this sensor. Then stop.

In FIG. 8, the virtual line drawn on the downstream side in the transport direction of the shifter 48 is the tip of the cushioning material 12, and thus, the cushioning material 12 extends from the shifter 48 to a position appropriately extending downstream in the transport direction. To be transported.

Subsequently, the control unit drives the gripping drive unit 56 of the shifter 48 to grip the tip of the cushioning material 12, drives the shifter drive unit 53 in this state, and directs the shifter 48 toward the cushioning material overlapping unit 15. Extrude.

At this time, the upper and lower take-up rolls 72 have the insertion groove 72c directed upstream in the transport direction as the initial position in the rotation direction. Further, both the upper and lower moving tables 77 and 78 are initially located on the extension of the transport surface 47a of the processing unit 46, and in the lower moving table 77, they are located at the uppermost position P1. ing.

As the shifter 48 moves downstream in the transport direction, the tip of the cushioning material 12 enters the insertion groove of the take-up roll 72 as shown in FIG. When a predetermined insertion state is detected, the control unit drives the contact / detachment drive unit 86 to bring the pressing roll 73 into contact with the winding roll 72.

In this state, the control unit drives the take-up drive unit 84 to rotate a predetermined number of rotations set in advance, and winds the cushioning material 12 on the take-up roll 72 having a predetermined length. The contact / detachment drive unit 86 is retracted and returned to the initial position when the take-up drive unit 84 makes one rotation. When the holding roll 73 is in contact with the roll portion 72b of the take-up roll 72, the tip of the cushioning material 12 inserted into the insertion groove 72c is prevented from unexpectedly coming off.

By rotating the take-up roll 72 in a predetermined manner, as shown in FIG. 10, the cushioning material 12 is wound around the take-up roll 72 to obtain a plurality of cushioning materials 12.

The control unit once stops the winding drive unit 84, and then drives the cutting mechanism 49 of the processing unit 46. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the pressing drive unit 63 is driven to press the cushioning material 12 with the pressing member 59, and then the cutting drive unit 58 is driven to perform cutting by the cutting blade 57. After cutting, the control unit drives the winding drive unit 84 again to perform additional winding on the winding roll 72 to wind the portion of the cushioning material 12 that has not yet been wound on the winding roll 72. Additional winding can be managed by the number of revolutions and the drive time.

After that, as shown in FIG. 12, the control unit drives the chuck 83 to close the claw portion 83a and grips the upper and lower ends of the cushioning material 12 wound in a cylindrical shape. The upper and lower ends of the cushioning material 12 are sandwiched between the claw portion 83a and the roll portion 72b.

Subsequently, the control unit drives the vertical drive unit 81 to lower the lower moving platform 77 as shown in FIG. The descent position is the stretch position P2. The amount of movement that becomes the stretching amount is set in advance according to the width of the cushioning material 12, and is an amount of movement that approximately increases the width of the cushioning material 12 by 1.5 times.

When the cushioning material 12 is stretched in this way, as shown in FIG. 14, the slit 21 of the flat cushioning material 12 expands to form the eyes 23. Along with this, the portions other than the slit 21 rise diagonally with respect to the surface direction of the cushioning material 12, and the opposing portions of the overlapping cushioning materials 12 engage with each other. This prevents the three-dimensional cushioning material 12a from returning to the original flat sheet shape.

When expanding the slit 21 of the cushioning material 12, it tries to shrink in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the slit 21, but the cushioning material 2 is cylindrically rolled by the rounding mechanism 15a, and the portion to be gripped is Only at both ends. Therefore, the cushioning material 12 is surely stretched to become the three-dimensional cushioning material 12a.

After that, as shown in FIG. 15, the control unit opens the claw portion 83a of the lower chuck 83c to release the restraint of the cushioning material 12, and then drives the vertical drive portion 81 again to drive the lower moving table 77. Further descend to the retracted position P3.

FIG. 16 shows a state in which this state is viewed in different directions, that is, from upstream to downstream in the transport direction.

The obtained three-dimensional cushioning material 12a is shifted to the discharge operation.

That is, the control unit drives the left and right drive units 82 to move the upper moving table 78 to the position corresponding to the discharge unit 16 as shown in FIG. As a result, the three-dimensional cushioning material 12a is positioned in a state of being suspended above the discharge plate 87.

The control unit drives the separation drive unit 89 to bring the brush roll 88b into contact with the three-dimensional cushioning material 12a and rotate it to scrape off the three-dimensional cushioning material 12a. The three-dimensional cushioning material 12a is in a state where a part of the upper end portion is inserted into the insertion groove 72c of the take-up roll 72, but the slit 21 is open and has the eyes 23, so that the contact with the brush roll 88b is provided. It can be easily dropped by resistance.

The discharged tubular three-dimensional cushioning material 12a is used for packing or packaging while remaining in the tubular shape or by being bent or rolled in the longitudinal direction thereof.

Since it is not necessary to manually stretch and make it three-dimensional, the work such as packing is easy, it can be performed easily and quickly, and it can contribute to the realization of semi-automatic or fully automatic packing.

Further, since the open slit portions in the overlapping portions of the cushioning materials 12 engage with each other to maintain the three-dimensional shape, the three-dimensional cushioning material 12a can be surely obtained only by stretching once. Moreover, even if the three-dimensional cushioning material 12a is removed from the discharge unit 16, the three-dimensional cushioning material 12a can maintain its function as a cushioning material.

Moreover, since the cushioning materials 12 overlap each other, the strength in the normal direction of the slit is reinforced at the time of stretching. Therefore, even if a single cushioning material is easily torn, it can be prevented from being broken, and the tension of the pulling means 74 can be easily controlled.

Further, since the cushioning material 12 is overlapped in the cushioning material overlapping portion 15, stretched and three-dimensionalized in a state of being overlapped in multiple layers, and discharged in the combined form, it is possible to omit the work of re-rolling at the time of packing or the like. From this point as well, it is advantageous for automation of packing and the like.

In particular, the cushioning material stacking portion 15 is composed of a rounding mechanism 15a that winds and rolls the cushioning material 12 in the transport direction, and the three-dimensional cushioning material 12a is formed in a cylindrical shape. Simple work such as folding to is sufficient. Therefore, the three-dimensional cushioning material 12a is easy to handle and can be suitably used in place of the conventional air cushion.

Further, the cushioning material 12 is automatically conveyed while being pulled out at the time of three-dimensionalization, but the cushioning material 12 is a vertical slit type and the cushioning material 12 is conveyed in the vertical direction. That is, since the longitudinal direction of the slit 21 of the cushioning material 12 and the direction of sending the cushioning material 12 from the supply preparation unit 14 toward the cushioning material stacking portion 15 are the same, the cushioning material 12 can be strongly pulled in the transport direction. be. Therefore, quick work can be performed and high productivity can be obtained.

Moreover, the supply preparation unit 14 holds the cushioning material 12 in a rolled state so that it can be pulled out, and the cushioning material 12 is cut in front of the cushioning material stacking part 15, so that the cushioning material 12 can be pulled out while being pulled out. Since the supply work can be performed by cutting in sequence, high productivity can be obtained from this point as well.

Since the pulling means 74 for stretching the stacked cushioning material 12 has a chuck 83 for gripping the end portion of the cushioning material 12, the pulling can be performed reliably, and the pulling means 74 is gripped jointly with the take-up roll 72. Can be fully stretched.

The chuck 83 is arranged vertically, and the upper chuck 83b is supported so as to be relatively movable to a position horizontally separated from the lower chuck 83c, and is used for discharging the three-dimensional cushioning material 12a. It can be compact and highly automated.

In addition, since the cushioning material supply device 11 is mounted on the movable wagon 13, it can be freely moved according to the work and can be conveniently used.

Hereinafter, other examples will be described. In this description, the same parts as those described above are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 19 is a plan view of the supply preparation unit 14 according to another example. The supply preparation unit 14 is for pulling out and holding the base material 12b to be the cushioning material 12 in a rolled state.

That is, the supply preparation unit 14 rotatably holds the base material 12b wound in a roll shape before the slit 21 is formed.

Therefore, a slit forming means 18 including a slit forming blade is provided after the feeding means 43.

FIG. 20 shows a schematic structure of another example of the pulling means 74 of the cushioning material overlapping portion 15 (rounding mechanism 15a).

Whereas the pulling means 74 of the above-mentioned example is a one-sided stretching that pulls and stretches one side of the cushioning material 12, the pulling means 74 of FIG. 20 has a double-stretching structure that pulls and stretches both ends of the cushioning material 12. Since it has a double-stretched structure, it is preferable that the winding roll 72 of the rolling mechanism 15a has a shaft in the left-right direction.

The take-up rolls 72 have a pair on the left and right, and are rotatably supported by the standing plates 91 which are opposed to each other on the left and right. A roll portion 72b is provided on the shaft portion 72a of the take-up roll 72 so as to be able to advance and retreat in the longitudinal direction of the shaft portion 72a while being unable to rotate relative to the shaft portion 72a, and the roll portion 72b is provided toward the tip end direction of the shaft portion 72a. It is urged by a spring 72d.

Inside the erection plate 91, a pair of moving tables 92 are provided corresponding to the take-up roll 72. The moving table 92 can move along the longitudinal direction of the shaft portion 72a of the take-up roll 72.

The moving table 92 is provided with a chuck 83, and the moving table 92 has a forward position for locating the claw portion 83a on the outer periphery of the roll portion 72b located on the tip end side of the shaft portion 72a, and the moving table 92 for retracting the cushioning material 12. A moving mechanism 94 that moves between the retracted position for extending the required length is connected. The moving mechanism 94 can be composed of a rack 94a and a pinion 94b, and the pinion 94b is rotated by a scaling drive unit 94c including an appropriate motor.

FIG. 21 shows a side view of a main part of the cushioning material supply device 11 including the cushioning material overlapping portion 15 (rounding mechanism 15a) shown in FIG. 20. As shown in this figure, it is the same as described above that the feeding means 43 and the processing unit 46 are arranged in the rear stage of the supply preparation unit 14, and the cushioning material stacking unit 15 (rounding mechanism 15a) is provided in the subsequent stage. .. The axial direction of the cushioning material 12 wound in a roll shape in the supply preparation unit 14 is set to the same left-right direction as the axial direction of the rounding mechanism 15a.

In the cushioning material stacking unit 15 having such a configuration, the cushioning material 12 conveyed from the supply preparation unit 14 to the cushioning material stacking unit 15 through the feeding means 43 and the like is transferred to the winding roll 72 as shown in FIG. 22. It is wound up to a predetermined length, and both ends are gripped by driving the expansion / contraction drive unit 94c and the chuck 83. Subsequently, the control unit drives the expansion / contraction drive unit 94c to retract the moving table 92 to the retracted position. As a result, as shown in FIG. 23, both ends of the cushioning material 12 retract together with the chuck 83 and the roll portion 72b, and the cushioning material 12 is stretched.

After that, when the control unit drives the chuck 83 to open the claw portion 83a, the roll portion 72b returns to the forward position by the urging force, and the restraint of both ends of the cushioning material 12 is released as shown in FIG. 24. NS.

The cushioning material 12 from which the restraint has been released, that is, the three-dimensional cushioning material 12a, is discharged from the cushioning material stacking portion 15 mechanically or manually.

FIG. 25 shows another example of the cushioning material overlapping portion 15 that stretches both sides in the same manner as in FIG. 20.

The pulling means 74 of the cushioning material overlapping portion 15 is configured by using a ball screw spline 95 capable of uniaxial positioning, linear motion, and rotational motion.

In this configuration, basically the same operation as in the example of FIG. 20 is performed, but the roll portion 72b on the spline shaft 95a retracts by a linear motion when retracting to the retracted position together with the chuck 83. Since the spline shaft 95a is present, the rolled three-dimensional cushioning material 12a is once unfolded and discharged.

FIG. 26 shows another form of the cushioning material 12 supplied from the supply preparation unit 14. That is, in the above-mentioned example, one cushioning material 12 is sent out as it is, that is, in a single state, and is overlapped by the cushioning material overlapping portion 15 to multiplex. On the other hand, as in the example of FIG. 26, the superposition may be performed also in the pre-stage sent to the cushioning material stacking portion 15.

In the example of FIG. 26, a configuration for sailor folding that folds along the longitudinal direction is shown. That is, the triangular plate 19 is applied to the cushioning material 12, the cushioning material 12 is folded at an intermediate position in the width direction, and the cushioning material 12 is folded in half in the width direction. A pair of sandwiching rollers 19a are provided in the rear stage of the triangular plate 19, and bending is completed when the sandwiching rollers 19a pass through the sandwiching rollers 19a. Such sailor folding may be performed twice or more instead of once as shown in FIG. 26.

The cushioning material 12 after the sailor folding is sent to the cushioning material overlapping portion 15 in the same manner as described above, and becomes the three-dimensional cushioning material 12a.

In the above example, the structure in which the cushioning material stacking portion 15 is a rounding mechanism 15a is shown, but even if the cushioning material stacking portion 15 is made by folding and stacking the cushioning material 12, a plurality of standard-sized cushioning materials 12 are stacked. It may be a thing.

FIG. 27 shows an example in which the long cushioning materials 12 are stacked in a zigzag shape, but the standard-sized cushioning materials 12 may be folded. FIG. 28 shows an example in which a plurality of standard-sized cushioning materials 12 are stacked. In either case, the cushioning materials 12 overlap each other in a state where the longitudinal directions of the slits 21 of the cushioning material 12 are aligned.

In the cushioning material supply device 11 having the cushioning material stacking portion 15 as described above, the pulling means 74 as shown in FIGS. 29 and 30 can be used.

That is, a plurality of chucks 83 are provided at portions corresponding to both ends in the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the slit 21 of the cushioning material 12 in the stage 96 on which the stacked cushioning material 12 is placed, that is, in the orthogonal direction in this example. It is prepared. The claw portions 83a of the chuck 83 are arranged so as to face each other vertically.

The plurality of chucks 83 are supported in a straight line on the support rod 97, and the other chucks 83 except the chuck 83 at the intermediate position can slide on the support rod 97 along the longitudinal direction of the support rod 97. .. A spring 97a is provided between the chucks 83 and is urged on both sides of the support rod 97 in the longitudinal direction.

Further, the pair of left and right support rods 97 are moved to a forward position where both ends of the cushioning material 12 are gripped and a retracted position where the cushioning material 12 is stretched by a towing drive unit 98 composed of an appropriate actuator such as an air cylinder or a ball screw. It is possible.

Although not shown, the longitudinal direction of the slit 21 of the cushioning material 12 may be slanted with respect to the vertical and horizontal directions of the cushioning material 12.

Further, the cushioning material 12 may be, for example, a synthetic resin, a foamed resin, a metal foil, or the like, in addition to paper.

11 ... Cushioning material supply device 12 ... Cushioning material 12a ... Three-dimensional cushioning material 12b ... Base material 13 ... Wagon 14 ... Supply preparation part 15 ... Cushioning material stacking part 15a ... Rounding mechanism 21 ... Slit 49 ... Cutting mechanism 74 ... Pulling means 83 ... Chuck 83b ... Upper chuck 83c ... Lower chuck

Claims (8)

A cushioning material supply device that supplies a sheet-shaped cushioning material in which a large number of slits extending in one direction are arranged.
The supply preparation unit that prepares the cushioning material and
A cushioning material stacking portion for stacking the cushioning materials in a state where the longitudinal directions of the slits of the cushioning material are aligned with each other.
A cushioning material supply device provided with a pulling means for pulling the cushioning material in a state of being overlapped at the cushioning material overlapping portion in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the slit to open the slit. The cushioning material supply device according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal direction of the slit is the same as the direction in which the cushioning material is sent from the supply preparation unit to the cushioning material overlapping portion. The slit is a vertical slit extending in the vertical direction of the cushioning material, and also
The cushioning material supply device according to claim 1, wherein the cushioning material is conveyed in the vertical direction. The cushioning material supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cushioning material stacking unit comprises a rounding mechanism for winding and rolling the cushioning material sent from the supply preparation unit in the transport direction. .. The supply preparation unit is for holding the cushioning material or the base material serving as the cushioning material in a rolled state so as to be able to be pulled out.
The cushioning material supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a cutting mechanism for cutting the cushioning material is provided in front of the cushioning material stacking portion. The aspect according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the pulling means has a chuck for gripping an end portion of the cushioning material overlapped at the cushioning material overlapping portion in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the slit. Cushioning material supply device. The chucks are arranged vertically and at the same time.
The cushioning material supply device according to claim 6, wherein the upper chuck located above is supported so as to be relatively movable to a position horizontally separated from the lower chuck located below. The cushioning material supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which is mounted on a movable wagon.

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