JP2022101888A - Device for correcting misalignment of kneaded materials - Google Patents

Abstract

To make misalignment of a kneaded materials easily correctable.SOLUTION: A device (4) for correcting misalignment of kneaded materials is to correct the misalignment of kneaded materials that are left after cutting the continuous kneaded material extruded from a kneading machine by cutting means (33) and includes a pair of side guide members (41) that are provided above a conveying surface (32a) of a conveyor (32) disposed downstream from the cutting means and on both sides of a conveying reference line (BL) and have contact portions (41a) facing each other, and a guide control mechanism (42) for moving at least one of the pair of side guide members in the direction of the conveying reference line so that the contact portions are pressed against the kneaded material on the conveyor from the side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a misalignment correcting device for a kneaded product, and in particular, for correcting a misalignment of a kneaded product (discontinuous kneaded product) after cutting a continuous kneaded product extruded from a kneading machine by a cutting portion. Regarding the correction device.

There is an LFT-D (Long Fiber Thermoplastics -Direct) method as a molding method for producing a composite material in which a resin such as a thermoplastic resin and a fiber such as carbon fiber are kneaded. In the LFT-D method, a continuous fiber material and a thermoplastic resin material are introduced into the cylinder of the kneader (extruder), and the thermoplastic resin is cut while cutting the continuous fiber material by the rotation of the screw arranged in the cylinder. A kneaded material (kneaded material) is produced by kneading with the material, and this kneaded material is extruded to the outside of the cylinder, and the kneaded material in the molding die is pressed in a subsequent step to produce a fiber-reinforced resin molded body. An apparatus for producing such a fiber-reinforced resin molded product is provided with a cutting device between the kneader and the molding apparatus, and the kneaded product cut to a desired weight or size by the cutting apparatus is formed into a molding die. It is thrown in.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-69476 (Patent Document 1) describes a grip that grips both sides of the kneaded material cut by the cutting portion in order to prevent the kneaded material cut by the cutting portion from shifting from a predetermined position. Disclosed is a cutting and separating device including a portion and a transfer portion for separating the cut and kneaded product from the kneaded product before cutting by moving the grip portion that grips the cut and kneaded product toward the front.

JP-A-2018-69476 (Patent No. 6645948)

According to the technique of Patent Document 1, since the gripping portion of the cutting and separating device grips both sides of the cutting and kneading material, the cutting and kneading material may be laterally displaced due to the cutting of the kneaded material. However, the cut and kneaded product can be transferred to the next process in a centered state. However, since the kneaded material discharged from the kneader is in a resin molten state (semi-solid state), it may be difficult to grip the cut kneaded material with the gripping portion as described above and transfer it forward. There has been a demand for a technique that can more easily correct the misalignment of the kneaded material.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a misalignment correcting device capable of easily correcting misalignment of a kneaded product.

The misalignment correction device for the kneaded product according to a certain aspect of the present invention is a misalignment correction device for correcting the misalignment of the kneaded product after cutting the continuous kneaded product extruded from the kneader by a cutting means. For a pair of side guide members provided above the transport surface of the transport conveyor arranged downstream of the cutting means and on both sides of the transport reference line and having contact portions facing each other, and the kneaded material on the transport conveyor. It is provided with a guide control mechanism for moving at least one of the pair of side guide members in the direction of the transport reference line so as to press the abutting portion from the side.

Preferably, the abutting portion of the side guide member is configured to be movable along the transport direction of the conveyor. Specifically, it is desirable that the contact portion is composed of a conveyor belt, and the guide control mechanism includes a rotation driving means for rotating the conveyor belt in synchronization with the conveyor belt.

Preferably, the guide control mechanism reciprocates the pair of side guide members between a working position where the abutting portion abuts on the kneaded material and a retracted position where the abutting portion does not abut on the kneaded material. Including means.

In a form in which a heating device for heating the kneaded material on the conveyor from above or below is provided, the retracted position of the side guide member shall be a position that does not overlap with the heating area by the heating device. Is desirable.

Further, the discharge port of the kneader may be replaceable. In this case, it is desirable that the working position of the side guide member is preset based on the width of the discharge port.

The kneaded material cutting device according to another aspect of the present invention is a cutting device equipped with the above-described kneaded material misalignment correction device, and is a continuous kneaded material disposed on the upstream side of the cutting means and extruded from the kneading machine. The above-mentioned transport conveyor is configured by the second conveyor, including a first conveyor that receives from below and a second conveyor that is arranged in a row on the first conveyor on the downstream side of the cutting means and discharges the kneaded material after cutting. There is.

According to the present invention, since the kneaded material can be centered during transportation by the conveyor, the misalignment of the kneaded material can be easily corrected.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the manufacturing apparatus of the fiber reinforced resin molded article which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A) and (B) are diagrams schematically showing a cutting device included in the fiber-reinforced resin molded product manufacturing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of the misalignment correction apparatus of the kneaded material which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIGS. (A) and (B) are diagrams schematically showing a configuration example of a side guide member included in the misalignment correction device for the kneaded material according to the embodiment of the present invention. (A) and (B) are diagrams schematically showing the operation of the misalignment correction device for the kneaded material according to the embodiment of the present invention. (A) and (B) are diagrams schematically showing a situation in which the kneaded material may be misaligned in the cutting device in the comparative example.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The same or corresponding parts in the drawings are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will not be repeated.

<Summary configuration of manufacturing equipment for fiber reinforced resin molded product>
With reference to FIG. 1, first, a schematic configuration of a fiber-reinforced resin molded product manufacturing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the fiber-reinforced resin molded product manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a kneading apparatus 2 for kneading fibers and a thermoplastic resin, and a continuous kneaded product (continuous kneaded product) K1 discharged from the kneading apparatus 2. It is provided with a cutting device 3 for cutting, a transfer device 5 for transferring the kneaded product (discontinuous kneaded product) K2 after cutting to the mold 80, and a molding device 8 having the mold 80. In the drawings, the kneaded products K1 and K2 are shown by hatching.

The kneading device 2 is a device for producing a kneaded product as a molded body material in which fibers are mixed with a thermoplastic resin. In the kneading device 2, for example, the first kneader 21 for kneading the thermoplastic resin and the fibers and the thermoplastic resin introduced in the first kneader 21 are kneaded with the fibers in the first kneader 21. Prior to this, it includes a second kneader 22 that kneads and melts, and a fiber supply unit (not shown) that supplies fibers to the first kneader 21. The kneaded product K1 extruded from the first kneading machine 21 is sent to the cutting device 3. The kneading device 2 (first kneading machine 21) may be used as long as it produces a molded material containing a thermoplastic resin, and a material other than the fiber and the resin may be kneaded.

The cutting device 3 is a kneaded material cutting device, and is a first conveyor 31 that receives the kneaded material K1 extruded from the first kneading machine 21 from below and conveys it in one direction, and a kneaded material conveyed by the first conveyor 31. It is composed of a cutting blade 33 for cutting K1 and a second conveyor 32 for transporting the kneaded material K2 after cutting by the cutting blade 33 in one direction and discharging the kneaded material K2. The first and second conveyors 31 and 32 are belt conveyors including a rotating belt having heat resistance, and the upper surface of the belt constitutes a transport surface for the kneaded products K1 and K2. The second conveyor 32 is arranged in series with the first conveyor 31, and the transport surfaces (upper surfaces) of the first and second conveyors 31, 32 are arranged flush with each other. The cutting means for cutting the kneaded material K1 is not limited to the cutting blade 33, and for example, a laser or the like may be used.

A heating device 36 for suppressing the cooling of the kneaded materials K1 and K2 is provided on the transport paths of the first and second conveyors 31 and 32. The heating device 36 is provided below and above the transport surface (upper surface) of the first and second conveyors 31, 32, respectively. As a result, the kneaded products K1 and K2 are heated from above and below, so that the kneaded materials K1 and K2 can be conveyed in a resin melted state (plastic state). The heating device 36 is composed of, for example, an infrared heater. The same applies to the heating device shown below.

The cutting device 3 has a load cell (weight detecting means) 34 attached to at least one of the first and second conveyors 31 and 32, and a control means (FIG. 2) for controlling the cutting blade 33 based on the detection signal of the load cell 34. "CTL33a") and further included. As a result, the cutting device 3 can cut the kneaded material K1 discharged from the first kneading machine 21 while weighing the kneaded material K1. The weight of the kneaded product K2 is predetermined according to the cutting order, and the cutting device 3 cuts the kneaded product K1 each time when the weight reaches a predetermined weight, and a plurality of sizes (weight, length) are obtained. K2 of the kneaded product is sent to the downstream side.

In the present embodiment, the cutting device 3 is equipped with a misalignment correcting device 4 for correcting the misalignment of the kneaded material K2 after cutting. The misalignment correction device 4 will be described in detail later.

(Transfer device)
The transfer device 5 is provided in series with the second conveyor 32 of the cutting device 3, and is provided between the transfer conveyor 51 for unidirectionally transporting the kneaded material K2 after cutting, and between the transfer conveyor 51 and the molding device 8. It includes a mounting table 52 and a transfer robot 53 for charging (inserting) one or a plurality of kneaded materials K2 arranged on the mounting table 52 into the mold 80. The transfer robot 53 has a grip portion 54 that grips the kneaded product K2. The grip portion 54 is typically a needle gripper and includes a plurality of needle-shaped members and an advancing / retreating member for advancing / retreating the plurality of needle-shaped members.

A heating device 56 for heating the kneaded material K2 from above and below is also provided on the transfer path of the kneaded material K2 by the transfer conveyor 51. Further, it is desirable that the mounting table 52 is also provided with a heating device 57 for heating the kneaded product K2 from at least below.

As a form (not shown), a transfer robot for transferring the kneaded material K2 from the transfer conveyor 51 to the mounting table 52 may be separately provided. Alternatively, the transfer robot 53 may pick up the kneaded product K2 directly from the transfer conveyor 51 without going through the mounting table 52.

(Molding equipment)
The molding apparatus 8 is located on the downstream side of the transfer apparatus 5, and the kneaded product K2 arranged in the mold 80 is pressure-molded to produce a fiber-reinforced resin molded product as a final molded product (product). The mold 80 is a molding die, and is composed of a lower die 81 on which the kneaded product K2 is placed and an upper die 82 arranged facing the lower die 81. The upper die 82 is provided at the lower end of the slider 83. The molding apparatus 8 inserts one or more kneaded products K2 into the lower mold 81 by the transfer robot 53, and then closes the upper mold 82 and the lower mold 81 to reinforce the fibers corresponding to the shape of the mold 80. Mold the resin molded body.

In the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the discharge port of the kneading apparatus 2 may be replaceable in order to be compatible with various final products (fiber reinforced resin molded bodies). In this case, the kneaded material K1 having a size (cross-sectional area) corresponding to the size of the discharge port is extruded from the kneading device 2, and is cut into kneaded materials K2 having various lengths by the cutting device 3.

<About the misalignment correction device for the kneaded material>
As described above, the cutting device 3 is equipped with a misalignment correction device 4 for the kneaded material. Prior to the description of the misalignment correction device 4, the misalignment of the kneaded material that may occur when the cutting device 3 does not include the misalignment correction device 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B. 6 (A) is a top view schematically showing the cutting device 103 in the comparative example, and FIG. 6 (B) shows the cutting blade 33 and the second conveyor as seen from the VIB-VIB direction of FIG. 6 (A). It is a figure which shows 32 schematically. In FIG. 6, the kneaded materials K1 and K2 are shown by hatching for easy understanding.

With reference to FIG. 6A, the continuous kneaded product K1 extruded from the kneading device 2 has an unstable shape because it is in a resin molten state, and flows on the first conveyor 31 while meandering. In some cases. If the kneaded material K1 is cut by the cutting blade 33 in that state, the kneaded material K2 after cutting may deviate from the transport reference line BL of the second conveyor 32. The transfer reference line BL is a line passing through the center of the kneaded material K2 at the normal position (centering position), and is a virtual straight line parallel to the transfer direction of the second conveyor 32. The transport reference line BL typically corresponds to the widthwise center position of the second conveyor 32. The transport reference line BL may be variable.

As shown in FIG. 6B, when the upper standby position of the cutting blade 33 is offset from the transport reference line BL to one side in the width direction (right side of the paper surface), the cutting blade 33 is obliquely downward when viewed in the transport direction. In such a case, the kneaded material K1 cut by the cutting blade 33 tends to be biased toward the other side (left side of the paper surface) in the width direction from the transport reference line BL, and the position of the kneaded material K2 The possibility of deviation increases.

The cutting device 3 of the present embodiment includes a misalignment correcting device for correcting the misalignment of the kneaded material K2 and returning it to the transport reference line BL (centering). As a result, the kneaded product K2 at the normal position can be discharged from the cutting device 3, so that subsequent transfer processing and molding processing can be appropriately performed. Therefore, according to the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, a good fiber-reinforced resin molded product can be manufactured.

(Configuration example of misalignment correction device)
2A and 2B are views schematically showing a cutting device 3 according to the present embodiment, where FIG. 2A is a side view and FIG. 2B is a top view. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the misalignment correction device 4. The arrow A1 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 indicates the transport direction of the first and second conveyors 31 and 32, and the arrow A2 indicates the width direction of the first and second conveyors 31 and 32. The arrow A3 indicates upward. The width directions of the first and second conveyors 31 and 32 are directions that intersect (orthogonally) the transport direction, and are also referred to as left-right directions.

With reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the misalignment correction device 4 is provided above the second conveyor 32 arranged on the downstream side of the cutting blade 33. The misalignment correction device 4 includes a pair of side guide members 41 and a guide control mechanism 42.

The pair of side guide members 41 are provided above the transport surface 32a of the second conveyor 32 and on both sides of the transport reference line BL. The pair of side guide members 41 extend along the transport direction of the second conveyor 32, and are arranged so as to be substantially parallel to the transport reference line BL. Each of the pair of side guide members 41 has a contact portion 41a facing each other. As shown in FIG. 2B, the pair of side guide members 41 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the transport reference line BL of the second conveyor 32. Although not shown in FIG. 2A, each side guide member 41 is arranged with a slight gap between it and the transport surface 32a of the second conveyor 32.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the side guide member 41 extends from the upstream end to the downstream end of the second conveyor 32 (abbreviation of the second conveyor 32). It is extended (over the entire length). In this case, the length dimension of the contact portion 41a in the longitudinal direction is preferably 3/4 or more, which is 3/4 or more of the total length of the second conveyor 32.

Each contact portion 41a is configured to be movable along the transport direction of the second conveyor 32. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the contact portion 41a is configured by the conveyor belt 64. The conveyor belt 64 is provided perpendicular to the rotating belt of the second conveyor 32 so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of the side guide member 41. A part of the rotating conveyor belt 64 (a portion facing the center side in the width direction of the second conveyor 32) constitutes the contact portion 41a, and the other portion (including a portion facing the outside in the width direction of the second conveyor 32) It is a non-contact part.

The guide control mechanism 42 is a pull-down mechanism, and at least one of the pair of side guide members 41 is transferred to the transport reference line BL so as to press the contact portion 41a against the kneaded material K2 on the second conveyor 32 from the side. Move in the direction of. The guide control mechanism 42 in the present embodiment is configured to reciprocate (simultaneously) both of the pair of side guide members 41 along the width direction of the second conveyor 32, and the side guide members 41. The advancing / retreating driving means 44 provided for each is included. In this case, the guide control mechanism 42 includes a pair of advancing / retreating driving means 44 and a pair of connecting members 43 for connecting the pair of advancing / retreating driving means 44 and the pair of side guide members 41, respectively. The advancing / retreating driving means 44 is typically composed of an electric actuator. Thereby, the start position and the stop position of the reciprocating movement can be arbitrarily determined.

The connecting member 43 includes, for example, a vertical member 431 whose lower end is connected to the side guide member 41 and extends in the vertical direction, and a horizontal member 432 which is connected to the upper end of the vertical member 431 and connected to the advancing / retreating driving means 44. including. The horizontal member 432 is arranged directly above the side guide member 41 in parallel with the horizontal member 432, and the advancing / retreating driving means 44 is connected to the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal member 432. Further, both ends of the horizontal member 432 and the side guide member 41 in the longitudinal direction are connected to each other by a vertical member 431.

As shown, a guide rail 45 may be provided to guide the movement of the horizontal member 432 in the width direction. The guide rail 45 extends along the width direction of the second conveyor 32 and has, for example, a receiving groove 45a for receiving the engaging portion 432a provided so as to project from the lower surface of the horizontal member 432. The advancing / retreating driving means 44 and the guide rail 45 are attached to, for example, a device frame (not shown) of the cutting device 3 via a crosspiece member 49 as shown in FIG. 2 (A).

Each advancing / retreating driving means 44 advances / retreats the connecting member 43 by a predetermined amount along the width direction based on the signal from the control means 47, so that the side guide member 41 is brought into contact with the kneaded material K2 by the contact portion 41a. The contact portion 41a is reciprocated between the abutting work position and the retracted position where the abutting portion 41a does not abut on the kneaded material K2. The position of the side guide member 41 shown in FIG. 2B corresponds to the retracted position.

The guide control mechanism 42 further includes a rotation driving means 46 for rotating the conveyor belt 64 of each side guide member 41. The rotation driving means 46 rotates the conveyor belt 64 in synchronization with the second conveyor 32 based on the signal from the control means 47. The rotation drive means 46 is typically an electric motor and may include a speed reducer that slows down the rotation of the electric motor.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rotation driving means 46 is provided on the non-contact portion side of the side guide member 41, and the upper end portion thereof is connected to the horizontal member 432 of the connecting member 43 via the mounting member. There is. Therefore, with the operation of the advancing / retreating driving means 44, the rotary driving means 46 moves along the width direction of the second conveyor 32 together with the side guide member 41. The control means 47 for controlling the advance / retreat drive means 44 and the rotation drive means 46 is realized by a computer such as an MCU (Micro Controller Unit) including a memory and a processor. The control means for controlling the advancing / retreating driving means 44 and the rotation driving means 46 may be provided individually.

The rotation mechanism for rotating the conveyor belt 64 of the side guide member 41 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration example of the side guide member 41. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the upper portion of the side guide member 41, and FIG. 4B shows a rotating portion (conveyor belt 64, chain belt 61) of the side guide member 41. It is a side view which shows.

The side guide member 41 has a chain belt 61 that engages with the sprocket 46a, which is the rotation axis of the rotation drive means 46, and a plurality of side guide members 41 that engage with the chain belt 61 and rotate (rotate) with the rotation of the chain belt 61. It has a sprocket 62, a plurality of guide plates 63 for preventing the chain belt 61 from bending, and a conveyor belt 64 located below the chain belt 61 and having an upper end connected to the chain belt 61.

The plurality of sprockets 62 are provided on the back side of the chain belt 61 at intervals in the longitudinal direction, assuming that the center side in the width direction (direction of the kneaded product K2) of the second conveyor 32 is the front side of the chain belt 61. .. Further, a guide plate 63 is provided between the adjacent sprockets 62.

Since the chain belt 61 and the conveyor belt 64 are connected so as not to be relatively movable, the conveyor belt 64 rotates with the rotation of the chain belt 61. That is, each rotation driving means 46 rotates the conveyor belt 64 connected to the chain belt 61 by rotating the chain belt 61. As shown in FIG. 4B, the conveyor belt 64 has a caterpillar structure including a vertical lattice-shaped plate-shaped member, and the plate-shaped member is preferably made of a heat-resistant member such as metal. ..

Each rotation driving means 46 rotates the chain belt 61 and the conveyor belt 64 so as to have the same speed as the transfer speed of the second conveyor 32 based on the signal from the control means 47. As a result, friction between the kneaded material K2 on the second conveyor 32 and the conveyor belt 64 can be prevented, so that the kneaded material K2 can be appropriately conveyed and centered.

(Operation of misalignment correction device)
The operation of the misalignment correction device 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B. The misalignment correction device 4 starts operating with the start of operation of the cutting device 3. The control means 47 of the misalignment correction device 4 controls the rotary drive means 46 before the kneaded material K1 is discharged from the discharge port 23 of the kneading device 2 (first kneading machine 21) to guide the sides. The rotation of the conveyor belt 64 of the member 41 is started. Specifically, the conveyor belt 64 is rotated at the same speed as the rotation speed of the second conveyor 32.

Further, the control means 47 determines in advance the stroke of the advancing / retreating driving means 44 according to the width of the discharge port 23 (that is, according to the width of the kneaded material K2 discharged from the discharge port 23). That is, the movement amount D1 (FIG. 3) of the side guide member 41 is determined in advance. The movement amount D1 corresponds to the distance between the retracted position P1 and the working position P2. In this way, the working position P2 is preset based on the width of the discharge port 23. The width of the discharge port 23 can be specified by input from the user, for example.

When the kneaded material K1 is discharged from the kneading device 2 and the kneaded material K1 is cut by the cutting blade 33 while the kneaded material K1 straddles the first conveyor 31 and the second conveyor 32, the kneaded material K1 is cut (discontinuous) after cutting. The kneaded product K2 is conveyed as it is by the second conveyor 32. In the example shown in FIG. 5A, the kneaded product K2 is deviated from the transport reference line BL to one side in the width direction (lower side of the paper surface) and meanders. In that state, the control means 47 controls the advance / retreat drive means 44 to simultaneously move the pair of side guide members 41 from the retracted position P1 by the amount of movement D1 and translate them to the working position P2.

As a result, the surface portion of the conveyor belt 64 of each of the pair of side guide members 41 travels in the same direction as the second conveyor 32 at the same speed (that is, in a state of following the movement of the kneaded material K2). 2 It is pressed from both sides against the kneaded product K2 on the conveyor 32. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, the misaligned kneaded material K2 is centered so that the transport reference line BL is at the center position, and the shape is adjusted.

Here, as described above, since the cutting device 3 is provided with a heating device 36 for heating the kneaded material K2 on the second conveyor 32 from above or below, the second conveyor 32 is conveyed. A wide area of the surface 32a is a heating region 36a by the heating device 36. The heating region 36a is a region that overlaps with the heating device 36 in a plan view. Therefore, the retracted position P1 is set so as not to overlap the heating region 36a, such as being outside the transport surface 32a of the second conveyor 32 as shown in the figure. On the other hand, since the working position P2 is positioned so as to overlap the heating region 36a, when the side guide member 41 is positioned at the working position P2 for a long time, the side guide member 41 and the guide control mechanism 42 move to the heating device 36. There is a risk of failure due to exposure to the heat of.

Therefore, it is desirable that the movement of the pair of side guide members 41 (movement from the retracted position P1 to the working position P2) by the advancing / retreating driving means 44 is repeated in a short time. That is, the advancing / retreating driving means 44 reciprocates the pair of side guide members 41 between the retracted position P1 that does not overlap the heating region 36a and the working position P2 that overlaps the heating region 36a in a constant cycle. Is desirable. Even in this case, since the conveyor belt 64 is pressed against one kneaded material K2 a plurality of times, the kneaded material K2 in the resin molten state can be appropriately centered while adjusting the shape. By doing so, it is possible to prevent a failure due to the thermal influence of the side guide member 41 and the guide control mechanism 42.

When the rotation speed of the second conveyor 32 is changed during the operation of the cutting device 3, the rotation speed of the conveyor belt 64 is changed by the rotation driving means 46 so as to follow the rotation speed. It can be assumed that the second conveyor 32 has a low speed during cutting by the cutting blade 33 and a high speed after cutting by the cutting blade 33. As a result, the kneaded product K2 after cutting can be separated from the kneaded product K1 having a continuous shape. In such a case, the second conveyor 32 is composed of a plurality of conveyors connected in the transport direction, and the cutting control means 33a shown in FIG. 2A is provided at least on the conveyor on the cutting blade 33 side. The cutting blade 33 may be operated according to the weight detected by the cutting blade 33.

As described above, the misalignment correction device 4 according to the present embodiment is incorporated in the cutting device 3. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a centering process, and the misalignment of the kneaded product K2 can be easily and efficiently corrected in the cutting process, and the kneaded product K2 with high position accuracy can be discharged to the next section (transfer device 5). can.

Further, since the pair of side guide members 41 have the same length as the second conveyor 32, the kneaded material is surely centered no matter where the kneaded material is on the second conveyor 32. can do.

Further, since the abutting portion 41a of the pair of side guide members 41 is configured by the conveyor belt 64 that moves in synchronization with (synchronizing with) the second conveyor 32, friction with the kneaded material can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to prevent damage to the side surface of the kneaded material and disturbance of transportation due to catching with the contact portion 41a. That is, the shape of the kneaded product can be stabilized, and centering and transportation can be performed.

<Modification example>
In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the pair of side guide members 41 of the misalignment correction device 4 extends over substantially the entire length of the second conveyor 32, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, when the second conveyor 32 is composed of a plurality of conveyors, the side guide member 41 may not be arranged on the conveyor closest to the cutting blade 33, but may be arranged only on other conveyors. In any case, it is desirable that the length of the side guide member 41 in the longitudinal direction (transportation direction) is equal to or longer than the length (maximum length) of the kneaded product K2.

Further, in the present embodiment, the stroke of the advancing / retreating driving means 44 is made variable, and the movement amount D1 (FIG. 3) of the side guide member 41 is adjusted according to the width of the discharge port 23. Not limited to examples. That is, the work position P2 may be set to match the width of the discharge port 23 by making the stroke of the advance / retreat drive means 44 constant (that is, making the movement amount D1 constant) and adjusting the retract position P1.

Further, in the present embodiment, the pair of side guide members 41 are repeatedly reciprocated in a fixed cycle while the second conveyor 32 is in operation, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the pair of side guide members 41 may be kept on standby at the retracted position P1 and moved to the working position P2 when the misalignment of the kneaded material K2 is detected.

Further, in the present embodiment, the contact portion 41a of the side guide member 41 is configured by the conveyor belt 64 driven by the rotation driving means 46, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, it may be a conveyor that moves with the movement of the kneaded material K2 conveyed by the second conveyor 32 (by contacting with the kneaded material K2). Such a conveyor may be composed of a plurality of movable rollers.

In the present embodiment, the misalignment correction device 4 is mounted on the second conveyor 32 of the cutting device 3, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. The conveyor on which the misalignment correction device is mounted may be located on the downstream side of the cutting blade 33 and on the upstream side of the molding device 8. For example, it may be mounted on the transfer conveyor 51 of the transfer device 5.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown by the scope of claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

2 kneading device, 3,103 cutting device, 4 misalignment correction device, 23 discharge port, 31 first conveyor, 32 second conveyor, 33 cutting blade, 36 heating device, 41 side guide member, 41a abutment part, 42 Guide control mechanism, 44 Advance / retreat drive means, 46 Rotation drive means, 64 Conveyor belt, BL transport reference line, K1, K2 kneaded material, P1 retract position, P2 work position.

Claims (7)

It is a misalignment correction device for correcting the misalignment of the kneaded product after cutting the continuous kneaded product extruded from the kneader by a cutting means.
A pair of side guide members provided above the transport surface of the transport conveyor arranged on the downstream side of the cutting means and on both sides of the transport reference line and having contact portions facing each other.
A kneaded product provided with a guide control mechanism for moving at least one of the pair of side guide members in the direction of the transport reference line so that the contact portion is pressed from the side against the kneaded product on the conveyor. Position shift correction device. The misalignment correction device for a kneaded product according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion of the side guide member is configured to be movable along the transport direction of the conveyor. The contact portion is composed of a conveyor belt.
The misalignment correction device for a kneaded product according to claim 2, wherein the guide control mechanism includes a rotary drive means for rotating the conveyor belt in synchronization with the conveyor. The guide control mechanism moves the pair of side guide members back and forth between a working position where the abutting portion abuts on the kneaded material and a retracted position where the abutting portion does not abut on the kneaded material. The misalignment correction device for a kneaded product according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which includes a driving means. A heating device for heating the kneaded material on the conveyor from above or below is provided.
The misalignment correction device for a kneaded product according to claim 4, wherein the retracted position of the side guide member is a position that does not overlap the heating region of the heating device. The discharge port of the kneader is replaceable and can be replaced.
The misalignment correction device for a kneaded product according to claim 4, wherein the working position of the side guide member is preset based on the width of the discharge port. A cutting device equipped with the misalignment correction device for the kneaded product according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
A first conveyor arranged on the upstream side of the cutting means and receiving a continuous kneaded product extruded from the kneader from below, and a first conveyor.
A second conveyor, which is arranged in a row on the first conveyor on the downstream side of the cutting means and discharges the kneaded material after cutting, is included.
A kneaded material cutting device in which the conveyor is configured by the second conveyor.

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