JP2816490B2 - Screw for container transfer device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a container transporting apparatus in which a container is suspended between screws arranged in parallel at regular intervals, and the container is transported by rotating the screw. This is related to the screw used for.

[Conventional technology]

Containers such as glass and plastic bottles containing a filling such as a liquid (hereinafter, these are simply referred to as containers)
There is usually a step of transferring containers on a manufacturing process line until it is shipped as a product. In general, a belt conveyor, a roller conveyor, or the like is used for container transfer, and the container is moved by moving a belt or rotating a roller.

In a transfer device such as a belt conveyor or a roller conveyor, the positions of the containers on the conveyor are not always strictly determined, and the containers are in a state of being randomly arranged on the conveyor. However, when filling the container, it is necessary to position the container precisely,
In order to be able to use the container for the next process without any trouble, the position of the container transported by the conveyor must be corrected.

Further, in order to automate the manufacturing process, it is required to simplify the process line as much as possible. However, it is difficult to automate the transfer of the container by the conveyor due to the necessity of the above-mentioned positioning correction.

In addition, the conveyor-based transport device not only occupies a large amount of space as a fixed facility, but also has a problem that the facility cost is high.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

A new container transport device has been proposed in order to solve various problems encountered in the above-described conventional container transport devices such as a belt conveyor and a roller conveyor. In this device, the screws are arranged in parallel at regular intervals, the container is suspended between the screws (usually the collar at the neck of the container is hooked on the screw), and the container is transported by rotating the screw. Is done.

This device moves the container by a completely different transport principle from the conveyor, that is, the container is moved by the contact friction between the screw and the neck of the container, the container positioning is accurate, the manufacturing process line can be automated, and the structure of the device itself Is simple and small, and the equipment cost is low.

In the above-described apparatus, generally, the screw is used not only for the neck of the container, but also for the main body and the shelf of the rail, since the screw is made to have an advantage by being locked on a rail having a main body and a shelf protruding from the main body. It comes into contact and wears the screw as it runs. Because the screw rotates at high speed,
In particular, the sliding friction generated at the contact portion with the shelf where the weight of the screw and the weight of the container are added increases considerably, and the abrasion progresses faster. Therefore, the screw must be replaced periodically, but it is important to extend the life of the screw in order to reduce maintenance costs as much as possible.

In addition, since the container is transported by the rotation of the screw, it is important for the product and safety that the neck (including the flange) of the container in contact with the screw is not worn or damaged.
In particular, in the case of a container filled with carbonated beverages, more attention must be paid to the damage to the container.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a screw that is optimal for use in the novel container transport device.

[Means for solving the problem]

The object is a flexible one having a flexible rod in which a resin coating is applied on a metal core and a resin coil spirally wound thereon. This is achieved by a screw having a circular cross section in a direction orthogonal to the above, and wherein the coil material of the resin coil is a resin having excellent kinetic friction coefficient of 0.4 or less and excellent in wear resistance and extrudable.

The screw of the present invention is generally used for a novel container conveying device having a configuration as described in detail in the following examples.The screw is suitable for mass production, has high performance and long life, Wear and damage due to contact friction between the container and the neck of the container can be effectively prevented.

In the container transporting apparatus to which the screw of the present invention is applied, when the screw is rotated with the screw locked on a rail (generally having a main body and a shelf protruding from the main body), the screw moves from the rail. Normally, the rail is provided with suction means for sucking the screw to the rail because of the possibility of the screw coming off. This adsorption means,
There is no particular limitation as long as the screw can be sucked and locked to the main body and the shelf of the rail so that the screw does not come off the rail. For example, when attracting by magnetic force, permanent magnets are embedded at regular intervals in the main body as shown in the following embodiments, or the rail is made of a material obtained by mixing a resin material (eg, nylon) and a magnetic material. And the like. Alternatively, when negative pressure is used, a through-hole is provided in the main body, and small holes communicating with the through-hole are formed at regular intervals on the side of the main body where the shelf protrudes, and the inside of the through-hole is depressurized by a vacuum pump or the like. Means such as suctioning a screw through a small hole are exemplified.

The container transport line is not limited to a straight line, but is often curved as shown in FIG. 1. In order to cope with such a case, the screw of the present invention needs to be flexible. There is. The screw is a flexible rod having a resin coating on a metal core (hereinafter referred to as
Flexible rod is simply referred to as a rod) and a resin coil spirally wound thereon.
The cross section in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction has a circular shape. The resin material of the coil has excellent wear resistance because it comes into direct contact with the neck of the container and rubs against the neck, can be extruded because of the ease of mass production, and has a dynamic friction coefficient of 0.4 or less. .

In the present invention, extrusion molding, which is one of the above-mentioned conditions, means that a coil material can be melted and a coil having a desired cross section can be flow-molded using a tool such as a die as in ordinary extrusion.

The coefficient of kinetic friction is such that the surface roughness (Rz) of the mating material is 6
Here, it mainly refers to the coefficient of sliding friction, and may be 0.4 or less, preferably 0.2 or less under conditions of a surface pressure of 7.5 kg / cm ² and a sliding speed of 12 m / min.

As for the abrasion resistance, the coil slides on the neck and flange of the container at high speed, so it is important to withstand this friction, and the surface pressure is 3 kg / cm.
² 、 Slip speed (peripheral speed) 33.3m / min, mating material is stainless steel (SUS304), sliding test time is 168 hours, wear coefficient is less than 10 × 10 ^-8 cm ³ / kg ・ m It is.

Examples of such resin materials include polyolefins or polyalkylenes (for example, various polyethylenes, especially ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylenes or those having improved injection moldability based on them, for example, commercially available products such as Lubmar (manufactured by Mitsui Oil Co., Ltd.)) , Polypropylene, etc.), polyethers (eg, polyacetal, polyphenylene ether, etc.), polyamides (eg, 6-nylon, 6,6 nylon, 11-nylon, etc.), fluorine resins (eg, polytetrafluoroethylene, tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoro) Examples thereof include alkyl vinyl ether copolymers) and polyesters (eg, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, etc.). Among them, as a resin satisfying the above conditions, a lubricator is most suitable mainly from the viewpoint of slidability and durability.

Lübmer is an extrudable ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, self-lubricating (dynamic friction coefficient: 0.15), abrasion resistance (wear coefficient: 2 × 10 ^-8 cm ³ / kg · m or less, and limit PV value: 300 kg / c
m ² / m / min). In addition, excellent chemical resistance and mechanical strength comparable to engineering plastics (tensile strength at break: 440 to 530 kg / cm ² , flexural modulus: 16,500 to
18,400 kg / cm ² ).

The winding pitch of the resin coil around the rod is appropriately determined based on the size of the container, the number of containers to be conveyed, the number of rotations of the screw, and the like in consideration of the conveying speed of the container.
Also, the pitch of the coils need not be constant over the entire length of the rod, but may vary, for example, at any portion of the rod.

The rod used in the present invention has a structure in which a metal core is coated with a resin, as shown in a sectional view of FIG. 4 described later. The rod that spirally winds the above coil does not bend due to rotation and has sufficient rigidity to transmit the rotational torque applied from one end of the rod to the other end,
For example, it also has flexibility so that it can be laid along a curved rail. When the rail is attracted by magnetic force, the metal core must be made of a metal such as steel, nickel, cobalt, or an alloy thereof so that the screw is attracted by magnetic force.

As a screw that has both flexibility and rigidity,
As a metal core, a wire rope (steel wire), that is, a strand (for example, 3 to 4 mm) in which several (or several tens) strands of strands are twisted on a strand (for example, 3 to 4 mm), It is preferable that the metal core is covered with a resin. At this time, the method of twisting the wire rope is not particularly limited, and may be ordinary twisting, rung twisting, or the like, and the twisting direction may be S twisting or Z twisting.
Twist may be used.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the screw for a container conveyance device of the present invention will be described in detail based on examples.

First, the entire contents of the container transporting device to which the screw is used will be described. In FIG. 1 showing an overview plane of an example of the apparatus, two rails 1 and 2 having a total length of about 3 m have a radius of curvature of 50.
It is arranged side by side at regular intervals in a substantially right angle curve at 0 mm,
Permanent magnets 3 are embedded in the rails 1 and 2 at regular intervals (for example, 200 mm). Although not shown in detail in the drawings, the screws 4, 5 are respectively attracted and locked to the rails 1, 2 by the permanent magnet 3, and one ends of the screws 4, 5 are rotatably supported by bearings 6, 7, respectively.
The other end is rotatably supported by another bearing 8. The bearing 8 is connected to a motor 9 and can rotate the screws 4, 5 in opposite directions. Note that the bearing 8 may have a transmission so that the rotation speed transmitted to the screws 4 and 5 can be adjusted.

In such an apparatus, a container (not shown in FIG. 1)
Is suspended between the screws 4 and 5, and the containers are moved in one direction (the direction of the bearing 8 in the figure) by rotating the screws 4 and 5 in the directions of the arrows.

This container transport device will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a perspective view taken along line AA 'of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA'. Rail 2 (rail 1 is omitted in FIG. 2)
Has a rectangular main body 21 made of nylon and a shelf 22 protruding from the main body 21, and has an L-shape as a whole rail.
The rail 1 also has a main body 11 and a shelf 12. The two rails 1 and 2 are supported by supporting arms 10 so that the shelves 12 and 22 face each other.
(The rail 1 side is omitted in FIG. 2) and is supported at regular intervals. Rectangular permanent magnets 3 are buried at regular intervals in the main bodies 11 and 21, and
Screws 4 and 5 are placed on 12 and 22, respectively. The screws 4, 5 are attracted to the side surfaces of the main bodies 11, 21 by the permanent magnet 3 so as not to come off from the rails 1, 2, and are locked to the main bodies 11, 21 and the shelf parts 12, 22. .
Therefore, attachment and detachment of the screws 4 and 5 to and from the rails 1 and 2 can be easily performed.

The screw 4 in this example is flexible so as to correspond to the curved rail 1, and includes a flexible rod 41 and the rod 41.
A resin coil 42 spirally wound at a constant pitch on 41 is formed. The screw 5 is also flexible like the screw 4 and includes a flexible rod 51 and a resin coil 52, but the winding direction of the coil 52 is exactly opposite to the screw 4. Screws 4 and 5 are motors 9 on rails 1 and 2.
(See FIG. 1), it is possible to rotate in opposite directions as indicated by the arrows.

In such an apparatus, as is apparent from FIG. 3, when a collar 101 at the neck of a container 100 made of, for example, polyethylene terephthalate is hooked on the screws 4 and 5 to suspend the container 100 between the screws 4 and 5 The container can be easily suspended between the screws 4 and 5 by slightly increasing the one end interval between the screws 4 and 5), and the container 100 is transported in the direction of arrow A with the rotation of the screws 4 and 5. You. That is, the container 100 is pushed in the direction of the arrow A by the coils 42 and 52 of the screws 4 and 5, and is translated one after another.

As shown in FIG. 4 in the above embodiment, the screw 4 is a rod 41 in which a metal core is covered with a resin coating 43, and a resin coil 42 having a circular cross section is wound thereon at a constant pitch. It has an attached structure. For example, the diameter of the screw 4 is such that the diameter of the neck of the container 100 is 26.0 mm and the diameter of the flange 101 is 41.2 mm.
mm, the wall thickness is 3.35 mm, the diameter of the rod 41 (screw groove diameter) is 9 mm, the diameter of the coil 42 is 3 mm, the flight diameter of the screw is 15 mm, and the pitch is 35 mm. The structure of the screw 5 is the same as that of the screw 4, and the winding direction of the coil is reversed as described above. Since the coil is made of a resin that satisfies the above requirements, the coil has a high performance and a long life, and can more effectively prevent, for example, neck abrasion and damage due to contact friction between the coil and the neck of the container as compared with a metal coil.

Examples 1-4, Comparative Examples 1-2, Example 1 The resin coating of the rod and the material of the coil are as shown in Table 1, and the rod diameter (screw groove diameter): 9 mm, the coil diameter: 3 mm, A screw having a flight diameter of the screw of 15 mm and a pitch of 35 mm was produced. This was used in the container transporting apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and the durability (screw degree) of the screw and the scratch (or degree of wear) on the neck of the container were examined by the following test methods i) and ii). The results are shown in Table 1.

The size of the container is: neck diameter: 26.0 mm, collar diameter: 41.2
mm, its wall thickness: 3.35 mm. The steel cord structure of the metal core of the rod is all the same.

i) Screw durability test method Screw rotation speed: 1714 rpm, container transport speed: 60 m /
After operating for 8 hours under the following conditions: container transport pitch: 140 mm, container weight: 1.5 kg, the weight change of the coil and rod is determined, and from this the wear coefficient (cm ³ / kg · m) is determined. If the weight change is 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ g or less, the practical durability is “good”,
If the value is larger than the value, it is determined to be “defective”.

ii) Test method for examining the degree of damage to the neck of the container The operation time was 90 seconds, and the other conditions were the same as those for the above-mentioned durability test. After that, the neck of the polyethylene terephthalate container was visually visually degraded. It is checked whether or not a flaw occurs, and if such a flaw occurs, it is determined to be “good”, and if not, it is determined to be “bad”.

[Effect of the Invention] The screw for a container transfer device of the present invention has a resin coil spirally wound on a rod as described above, and the coil material has excellent wear resistance with a dynamic friction coefficient of 0.4 or less, and Since it is an extrudable resin, the following effects can be obtained by using it in a new known container transport device.

 Continuous mass production of screws of uniform quality is possible.

The wear and damage of the neck of the container conveyed by the rotation of the screw can be further reduced as compared with a coil (such as a metal coil) not having the above characteristics.

 It is hard to wear and can extend the life of the screw.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a container conveying apparatus using the screw of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially omitted perspective view taken along a line AA 'of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a line A of FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the screw of the present invention. 1, 2: rail 3: permanent magnet (adsorbing means) 4, 5: screw 11, 21: body 12, 22: shelf 41, 51: flexible rod 42, 52: resin coil 43: resin coating 100 : Container 101: Container collar

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A flexible rod having a flexible rod having a resin coating on a metal core and a resin coil spirally wound thereon. A screw having a circular cross section in a direction perpendicular to the direction, wherein the coil material of the resin coil is a resin excellent in wear resistance having a dynamic friction coefficient of 0.4 or less and extrudable. 2. A screw for use in a container transporting device in which screws are arranged in parallel at regular intervals, a container is suspended between the screws, and the containers are transported by rotating the screws. Is a flexible rod having a flexible rod in which a resin coating is applied on a metal core and a resin coil spirally wound thereon, and the resin coil is orthogonal to its longitudinal direction. The cross section in the direction is circular, and the coil material of the resin coil has a dynamic friction coefficient.
A screw having excellent wear resistance of 0.4 or less and being extrudable. 3. A rail having suction means is arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval, a screw is mounted on the rail, and the screw is locked to the rail by the suction means so that the screw does not come off the rail. Is a screw used for a container transport device that transports the container by rotating the screw, the screw is a flexible rod having a resin coating on a metal core and on the flexible rod It is a flexible coil having a spirally wound resin coil.The resin coil has a circular cross section in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the coil material of the resin coil has a dynamic friction coefficient of 0.4 or less. A screw having excellent wear resistance and being extrudable resin.