JP5142390B2 - Plasticizing apparatus and plasticizing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a plasticizing apparatus and a plasticizing method for improving exhaust in a heating cylinder.

A technique for rotating and plasticizing a screw provided with a main flight and a subflight in a state where the inside of a cylinder (heating cylinder) is exhausted by a vacuum pump and exhausting a gas generated during plasticization is disclosed in Patent Document 1. Yes. However, as shown in FIG. 4 of the present application, the exhaust state of the gas generated in the subflight portion in Patent Document 1 is not good. That is, the gas generated effectively from the molten material deposited on the front of the main flight over the subflight flows over the subflight and flows into the rear side of the main flight, and then the semi-molten material and unmelted raw material pellets. It must flow through the gap, resulting in a very large flow resistance.

On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, in order to remove gas such as air generated in the cylinder and gas generated from the molding material, grooves or holes penetrating in the axial direction are provided at a plurality of locations on the spiral crest of the screw. It is disclosed. However, according to the technique of Patent Document 2, there is a possibility that molding material may enter the groove or hole and hinder exhaust, and if the groove or hole is enlarged to avoid this, the plasticizing ability is reduced. Concerned.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-53867 JP-A-8-142143

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a plasticizing apparatus and a plasticizing method for effectively improving gas exhaustion in a plasticizing apparatus using a screw provided with a subflight. Objective.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1 is a plasticizer comprising a screw for plasticizing a raw material having a feed zone, a compression zone, and a metering zone, and configured to allow forced exhaust of the inside of the heating cylinder. A main flight having an outer diameter slightly smaller than an inner diameter of an inner hole of a heating cylinder formed in a spiral shape continuously to the feed zone, the compression zone and the metering zone, and inserting the screw; A subflight having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the main flight, wherein one or a plurality of subflights are formed between a front surface and a rear surface of the main flight in an arbitrary section between the feed zone and the metering zone; To the width of the main flight pitch interval from the front portion of the main flight to the main flight near the front That the ventilation unit consisting outs Kita cut is provided with a screw provided is the gist thereof.

According to this, gas can be exhausted extremely well.

The gist of the invention described in claim 2 is the plasticizing apparatus provided with the screw according to claim 1, and is provided with a raw material adjusting means for restricting and controlling the raw material supplied to the heating cylinder.

According to this, gas can be discharged more effectively.

Invention of Claim 3 is a plasticizing method using the plasticizing apparatus of Claim 1 or Claim 2 , Comprising: The rotational speed of 50% or more of the maximum rotational speed which can be set with the said plasticizing apparatus The gist is to rotate the screw and control the screw back pressure in the range of 0 to 5 MPa in the pressure of the molten material.

According to this, degassing from the molten material is performed very easily.

The present invention provides a plasticizing apparatus comprising a feed plasticizing screw having a feed zone, a compression zone, and a metering zone, and configured to be capable of forcibly exhausting the inside of the heating cylinder, the feed zone, the compression zone, and the metering zone. A main flight having an outer diameter slightly smaller than an inner diameter of an inner hole of a heating cylinder that is formed in a spiral shape and is inserted into the screw, and an arbitrary section between a feed zone and a metering zone of the main flight A subflight having one or more formed between the front surface and the rear surface of the main flight and having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the main flight, and a front flight portion from the front portion of the main flight to which the subflight is connected. Only main flights are provided with vents consisting of notches with a width of up to half of the main flight pitch interval. Since comprises Ryu, it can be carried out very well exhaust gas.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a plasticizing apparatus provided with the screw of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a development view of a flight in a screw used in the plasticizing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a developed view of a flight in another screw used in the plasticizing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a development view of a flight in a conventional screw.

The plasticizing apparatus 1 includes a screw 2 having a check valve composed of a screw head 6 and a ring valve 7 at the tip, and a screw 2 that is fitted to the screw 2 so as to be able to rotate and reciprocate. A heating cylinder 8 provided, a housing 11 having a raw material dropping port 12 communicating with a through-hole on the upper surface of the rear portion of the heating cylinder 8, and a raw material dropping port 12 on the upper surface of the housing 11 so as to communicate with the raw material dropping port 12 A raw material adjusting means 15 comprising a raw material adjusting cylinder 13 and a feed screw 14, a vacuum pump 19 connected to a through hole provided on the upper surface of the raw material adjusting cylinder 13 above the raw material dropping port 12, It consists of a raw material supply cylinder 16 erected on the upper surface. The screw 2 is controlled so that a driving means (not shown) connected to an extension of the housing 11 rotates or moves forward and backward based on a set value set by a control device (not shown). The raw material supply cylinder 16 is provided with three chambers up and down by two shutters 17 and 18 that are alternately opened and closed, and supplies a predetermined amount of the raw material M to the raw material adjusting means 15 while maintaining airtightness. The sliding portions of the shutters 17 and 18 and the drive shaft portions of the feed screw 14 and the screw 2 are provided with packing that can maintain airtightness even when sliding or rotating. In addition, the vacuum pump 19 is illustrated as being connected to the through hole provided on the upper surface of the raw material adjusting cylinder 13, but the through hole provided in the raw material dropping port 12, the rear end of the heating cylinder 8, or the screw 2 is retracted last. You may connect to the through-hole provided in the rear part from the intermediate part of the heating cylinder 8 which opposes the ventilation | gas_flowing part 5 at that time. In addition, although the plasticizing apparatus 1 was illustrated as that of an injection molding machine, it may be an extruder.

The screw 2 has a wall as a main flight 3 on the outer periphery of a round bar as a shaft portion 22 having a small diameter at the base and a large diameter at the tip, and a middle portion having a truncated cone shape that smoothly connects the small diameter and the large diameter. The protrusions are formed in a continuous spiral from the base to the tip. The outer diameter of the main flight 3 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the inner hole of the heating cylinder 8. The screw 2 is partitioned in the axial direction with the small diameter section of the base portion as a feed zone ZF, the intermediate portion as a compression zone ZC, and the large diameter section of the tip portion as a metering zone ZM.

One or a plurality of screws 2 are formed between the front surface 20 and the rear surface 21 of the main flight 3 in an arbitrary section between the feed zone ZF and the metering zone ZM of the main flight 3 and are smaller than the outer diameter of the main flight 3. It has a secondary flight 4 with an outer diameter. That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the secondary flight 4 is connected to the front surface 20 of the main flight 3 at the boundary between the feed zone ZF and the compression zone ZC, and the compression zone corresponding to the third forward pitch of the main flight 3 therefrom. It is provided continuously up to the rear surface 21 of the main flight 3 in the middle of the ZC. Thus, although only one subflight 4 may be provided, a plurality of subflights 4 may be provided between the feed zone ZF and the metering zone ZM of the main flight 3. Further, the plurality of subflights may have the same pitch interval or may have different pitch intervals. A triangular portion 24 in front of a portion where the main flight 3 and the sub flight 4 are branched is gradually lowered toward the outer diameter of the shaft portion 22.

A ventilation portion 5 is provided in the main flight 3 near the front from the front portion 20a of the main flight to which the sub flight is connected to the main flight 3. The ventilation portion 5 is preferably a notch or a through hole that penetrates the main flight 3 in a direction parallel to the axis of the screw 2 or in the vicinity thereof. Since the specific numerical value when the ventilation part 5 is a notch changes according to the magnitude | size of the plasticizing capability of the plasticizing apparatus 1, ie, the screw 2 size, description is difficult. However, it is effective that the depth of the notch reaches the surface of the shaft portion 22 and the width of the notch is up to an interval corresponding to half the pitch interval of the main flight 3. In particular, when the notch has a wide width, when the feed zone ZF is filled with the raw material M made of plastic pellets or the like and the front portion 20 of the main flight 3 where the sub-flight 4 is present is cleaned, the raw material M or half This is effective in facilitating the inflow of the molten material MH. In many cases, the main flight 3 adjacent to the triangular portion 24 is not provided with the ventilation portion 5 for reasons of screw processing.

Next, based on FIGS. 2-4, the plasticization effect | action in the screw 2 and its effect are demonstrated in detail. 2 to 4 show the relationship between the main flights 3, 3b, 3c of the screw 2 and the sub-flights 4, 4a, 4b connected between the front surface 20 and the rear surface 21 so that the plasticization state can be easily understood. It is developed to do. The raw material M is conveyed with the rotation of the screw 2 from the right side of the figure, and the sub-flights 4, 4a, 4b are in the state of a semi-molten material MH or a part of the molten material MM and get over the sub-flights 4, 4a, 4b. It accumulates on the front surface 20 side of the main flights 3, 3b, 3c.

Then, in the conventional case shown in FIG. 4, the gas G generated at that time (including moisture hereinafter) gets over the subflight 4b and flows into the rear surface 21 side of the main flight 3c, and then the semi-molten material. Since it flows through the gaps between MH and unmelted raw material M pellets, an extremely large resistance is generated and it is not easily exhausted.

On the other hand, in the case of the present invention shown in FIG. 2, the gas G released from the molten material MM on the front surface 20 of the main flight 3 flows in the space formed on the surface of the sub flight 4 facing the front surface 20 of the main flight 3. Then, the air enters the rear surface 21 side of the main flight 3 provided with the air ventilation portion 5 from the ventilation portion 5, and further passes through the spiral space formed on the rear surface side of the main flight 3 from the inside of the heating cylinder 8. Released into the atmosphere. At this time, the gas G may be naturally discharged from the rear portion of the heating cylinder 8, the raw material dropping port 12, or the through hole provided in the raw material adjusting means 15, and exhausted. However, as shown in the present embodiment, the vacuum pump 19 The gas G can be removed very effectively by vacuum suction and forced exhaust. Moreover, the raw material adjustment means 15 is provided, the rotational speed of the feed screw 14 is controlled so that the raw material M does not fill the raw material dropping port 12, and the supply amount of the raw material M is limited. As a result, the conveyance amount of the raw material M in the feed zone ZF decreases, and the spiral space where the raw material M does not exist increases, and the space formed on the surface facing the front surface 20 of the main flight 3 of the sub flight 4 also increases. However, the distribution and passage of the gas G is extremely easy.

Further, in another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3, the outer diameter of the small diameter portion 3a which is a section facing the rear surface 23 of the sub flight 4a in the main flight is a section other than the section in the main flight. Is formed smaller than the outer diameter of the main flight 3b (all or a majority of the feed zone and metering zone). Accordingly, since the outer diameter of the small-diameter portion 3a of the main flight may be the same as the outer diameter of the subflight 4a, the small-diameter portion 3a includes a case where the outer diameter of the subflight 4a is equal to or greater. In addition, you may make it not provide the part with the low height of a main flight only in one place by comprising a ventilation part by the small diameter part 3a of the said main flight. The small diameter portion 3a of the main flight only needs to be opposed to the sub flight 4a in the majority, and may be the same length as the sub flight 4a or longer or shorter than the sub flight 4a.

With this configuration, the gas G can be easily exhausted from the ventilation portion 5 and the molten material MM is generated on the surface of the sub flight 4a facing the small diameter portion 3a of the main flight. However, since the exhaust can be performed, the plasticizing ability can be improved. In the case of the embodiment of FIG. 3, the effect of providing the vacuum pump 19 and the raw material adjusting means 15 is the same as that of the above-described embodiment of FIG.

When the screw 2 is rotationally driven to plasticize the raw material M, the molten material MM degassed and exhausted as described above is passed through the inner hole of the heating cylinder 8 from the metering zone ZM via the check valve. It is pushed out and stored in the front. Then, the screw 2 moves backward by receiving a force in the backward direction due to the pressure of the stored molten material MM. By controlling the retreating force by the driving means, the pressure of the molten material MM, that is, the screw back pressure is controlled. If the value of the screw back pressure is high, the kneading of the molten material MM becomes good, but the release of the gas G from the molten material MM is hindered. Therefore, as a result of inventor's diligent test and research in performing plasticization for the purpose of good degassing from the molten material MM in the plasticizing apparatus 1 of the present invention, the screw back pressure is 0 to the pressure of the molten material MM. It has been found that the range of 5 MPa is preferable.

In addition, the rotational speed of the screw 2 during plasticization is controlled by setting an arbitrary value up to the maximum rotational speed inevitably determined based on the output capacity of the driving means by the control device. And the maximum rotational speed of the screw 2 changes according to the size etc. of the plasticizer 1 or the screw 2. Therefore, it is difficult to express the screw 2 rotation speed optimum for degassing the molten material MM as an absolute value. However, when the screw 2 is rotationally driven at least at a rotational speed of 50% or more of the maximum rotational speed that can be set by the plasticizing apparatus 1, it is possible to obtain a preferable plasticizing ability while improving degassing from the molten material MM. I found it. By controlling the screw rotation speed at a relatively high speed in this way, the screw 2 retracting force based on the screw effect caused by the rotation of the screw 2 between the flight of the screw 2 and the molten material MM or the like is increased and the screw is rotated. A synergistic effect of lowering the back pressure is obtained.

In addition, this invention includes what can be implemented in the aspect which added various change, correction, improvement, etc. based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Further, it goes without saying that any of the embodiments to which the above-mentioned changes are added is included in the scope of the present invention without departing from the gist of the present invention.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the plasticizing apparatus provided with the screw of this invention. It is an expanded view of the flight in the screw used for the plasticizing apparatus of this invention. It is an expanded view of the flight in the other screw used for the plasticizing apparatus of this invention. It is an expanded view of the flight in the conventional screw.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Plasticizer 2 Screw 3, 3b, 3c Main flight 3a Small diameter part 4, 4a, 4b Subflight 5 Ventilation part 6 Screw head 7 Ring valve 8 Heating cylinder 9 Nozzle 10 Band heater 11 Housing 12 Raw material drop port 13 Raw material adjustment cylinder 14 Feed screw 15 Raw material adjusting means 16 Raw material supply cylinders 17 and 18 Shutter 19 Vacuum pump 20 Front surface 20a Front portion 21 and 22 of main flight to which the secondary flight is connected Rear surface 22 Shaft portion 23 Rear surface 24 Triangular portion G Gas M Raw material MH Semi-molten material MM Molten material ZF Feed zone ZC Compression zone ZM Metalling zone

Claims (3)

A plasticizing device comprising a feed plasticizing screw having a feed zone, a compression zone and a metering zone, and configured to allow forced exhaust of the inside of the heating cylinder,
A main flight having an outer diameter slightly smaller than an inner diameter of an inner hole of a heating cylinder formed in a spiral shape continuously to the feed zone, the compression zone, and the metering zone, and the feed zone of the main flight; The subflight is connected to one or more subflights having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the main flight formed between the front surface and the rear surface of the main flight in an arbitrary section between the metering zone A plasticizing apparatus, comprising: a screw provided with a ventilation portion including a notch provided in a width of only half of a main flight pitch interval only in a main flight in the vicinity of the front from a front portion of the main flight. 2. The plasticizing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a raw material adjusting means for restricting and controlling a raw material supplied to the heating cylinder. A plasticizing method using the plasticizing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The screw is driven to rotate at a rotational speed of 50% or more of the maximum rotational speed that can be set by the plasticizing apparatus, and the screw back pressure is controlled in the range of 0 to 5 MPa in the pressure of the molten material. Method.