JP5298490B2 - Blank supply apparatus, blank supply method, and container molding apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a blank supply device that supplies, for example, a blank mainly made of paper to a processing unit, a blank supply method, and a container molding device that forms a container from the blank.

2. Description of the Related Art A cup container composed of, for example, a circular bottom member and a cylindrical body member is known as a container for food or beverages. In such a container molding apparatus that molds a cup container, a blank supply unit that supplies a blank formed in a predetermined shape from a sheet material mainly made of paper, and a predetermined place while intermittently transporting the supplied blank. And a processing station that is assembled by bonding (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The supply unit includes a table that is movable in a direction to be in contact with and away from the rotating processing station, and a regulating member that is formed on the table and regulates the position of the blank. The regulating member is usually arranged at the end of the blank placement site opposite to the processing station. Blanks are supplied to the table one by one, and when the blank is placed, the table moves in the direction closer to the processing station, so that the blank is pushed by the regulating member and supplied to the processing station. It is held by the provided grip part. The processing station conveys the blank by intermittently rotating while holding the blank, and performs various processes at a plurality of processing units provided along the conveyance path.
JP-A-7-223683

  However, the above-described blank supply device and container molding device have the following circumstances. That is, the restricting member restricts the position of the blank at the rear end of the moving direction of the stage, but cannot restrict the position of the blank in a direction intersecting with the position. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately supply the blank to a desired position. For this reason, it may be gripped and transported in a state where the position of the blank is shifted, and various processes may not be performed appropriately.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the blank supply apparatus, the blank supply method, and container molding apparatus which can raise the positional accuracy of a blank and can improve processing precision.

One form of this invention is a blank supply apparatus which supplies the said blank to the processing station which conveys the blank comprised from a sheet | seat material to a predetermined | prescribed conveyance direction, and performs a predetermined | prescribed process to the said blank, Comprising: A table that is placed and movable in a direction that intersects the transport station and that is in contact with and away from the processing station, and an end of the blank mounting site on the table opposite to the processing station A first regulating member that regulates a position of the blank in the surface direction of the blank, and an end portion of the blank placement portion in a direction intersecting the contact / separation direction, in the processing station It is arranged at the end of the placement part upstream of the blank conveyance direction, and the bra in the plane direction of the blank. A second regulating member for regulating the position of the click, arranged in an end portion of the downstream side of the blank mounting part position, the processing station side at the end portion on the downstream side of the conveying direction of the blank mounting portion position It is supported so as to be movable on an inclined tapered surface on the lower side, and is configured to be movable up and down with the movement of the table, and is located on the separated side on the tapered surface when the processing station and the table are separated from each other. This restricts the position of the blank by protruding from the table, and when the table and the processing station are close to each other, it is positioned on the taper surface in the proximity direction side so as to be downward from the blank conveyance path. A blank supply device comprising: a third regulating member that retracts .

  Another embodiment of the present invention is a blank supply device including an adsorption mechanism that adsorbs the placed blank to the table.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a blank supply method for supplying a blank composed of a sheet material to a processing station that performs a predetermined processing on the blank, and the blank is placed on the processing station. A first regulating member configured to be movable in a direction in which the blank is placed and separated, and disposed at an end portion on the opposite side of the processing station of the blank placing portion on which the blank is placed to regulate the position of the blank A second regulating member that is disposed at an upstream end of the blank placement site in the transport direction and regulates the position of the blank; and an end of the blank placement site downstream of the transport direction a third regulating member, wherein the processing station side is configured to be movably supported vertically movable on inclined tapered surface which becomes lower, the adsorption mechanism of adsorbing the blank , A table with is in the restricted state in which the third regulating member regulates the position of the blank projecting on the table as well as away from the processing station, when the suction by the suction mechanism is released, the A step of placing a blank on the table, a step of sucking the blank onto the table after placing the blank, and moving the table in a direction approaching the processing station in a state where the blank is sucked. Thereby retracting the third restriction member downward to release the downstream restriction, holding the blank in the processing station, and releasing the suction after the blank is held. And a process of transporting along the transport direction with the blank held in the processing station A blank feed method of comprising the a step of moving the table after the blank is held in the direction away from the processing station.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a container molding apparatus that molds a container using a blank made of a sheet material, and transports the blank in a predetermined transport direction and performs a predetermined process on the blank. And a processing station that is movable in a direction that intersects and separates from the processing station and that is close to the processing station with the blank placed thereon. A blank supply unit having a table for supplying a blank to the processing station, and the blank supply unit is provided at an end of the blank mounting portion on the opposite side of the processing station on which the blank is mounted on the table. A first regulating member arranged to regulate the position of the blank, and an upstream end of the blank placement site in the transport direction And a second regulating member that regulates the position of the blank, and an end on the downstream side in the transport direction of the blank mounting portion, can be moved on an inclined tapered surface with the processing station side on the lower side. And when the processing station and the table are separated from each other, the blanket protrudes from the table by being positioned on the separation side on the tapered surface to regulate the position of the blank, and the table and the processing station And a third restricting member that retreats downward from the blank conveyance path by being positioned in the proximity direction side on the tapered surface when close to each other.

  According to the above configuration, the present invention can improve the positional accuracy of the blank and improve the processing accuracy.

  Hereinafter, a cup molding apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. In each figure, arrows X, Y, and Z indicate three directions orthogonal to each other.

  The cup molding apparatus 1 includes a plurality of processing stations, for example, a fan-shaped side blank 102 (blank) made of a laminated sheet 101 (sheet material) mainly made of paper, and a circular shape made of a similar laminated sheet 101. The bottom portion that is assembled with the bottom blank 103 and is erected by bending the peripheral portion 103a of the circular bottom blank 103 downward and a substantially cylindrical body member 104 that opens slightly upward as shown in FIG. A cup container 100 made of the material 105 is molded. The laminated sheet 101 is obtained by laminating a polyethylene resin on paper, for example.

  The cup molding apparatus 1 includes a first processing station 10 that performs predetermined processing such as preheating on the side blank 102, a second processing station 60 that molds the side blank 102 into a cylindrical shape and assembles it with the bottom blank 103. A third processing station 80 for processing the end of the three-dimensionally formed cup member 106, a side blank supply unit 40 (blank supply device) for supplying the side blank 102 to the first processing station 10, and a second processing station The bottom blank supply unit 50 that supplies the bottom blank 103 to 60 and the stacking unit 90 that receives the cup member 106 that has been subjected to a predetermined process at the third processing station 80 are configured.

  Along with the conveyance direction of the side blank 102 of the cup molding apparatus 1, the side blank supply unit 40, the first processing station 10, the second processing station 60, the third processing station 80, and the stacking unit 90 are arranged in this order from the upstream side. Has been placed. The first to third processing stations 10, 60, 80 are rotated along the outer peripheral direction by intermittently rotating the rotary tables 11, 61, 81 while holding the blanks 102, 103 and the cup member 106. It has a function of conveying these. In addition, the rotation direction on the side blank supply unit 40 side is a direction along the arrow Y, and is a direction crossing the contact / separation direction, that is, the moving direction of the table 45 along the arrow X. The bottom blank supply unit 50 is provided in the vicinity of the second processing station 60.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the side blank supply unit 40 includes a blank stock unit 41 in which a plurality of side blanks 102 each having a laminated sheet 101 formed into a fan-shaped quadrangle whose upper and lower sides are curved by punching or the like are stocked. A rectangular supply stage 42 that can move along the arrow X in the contact / separation direction with respect to the first processing station 10 and a side blank 102 of the blank stock section 41 one by one at a predetermined timing from above. And a blank feed portion 43 to be placed on 42.

  The supply stage 42 protrudes upward (in the direction along the arrow Z) from the upper surface of the table 45, a table 45 attached to the base 44 so as to be movable in the X direction in the figure, and a blank on the table 45. 3 is disposed on the rear end side in the moving direction of the blank mounting portion on which is mounted, and protrudes upward from the upper surface of the table 45 and the upper side of the table 45, A transport upstream fixing pin 47 (second restricting member) that is disposed upstream in the rotational transport direction in one processing station 10, i.e., above the plan view of FIG. 1, and regulates the position of the edge of the blank upstream in the rotational transport direction. The first processing station 10 is disposed at the downstream side in the rotational conveyance direction, that is, at the lower end of FIG. 1 and regulates the position of the downstream edge of the side blank 102. , Vertically movable conveyor downstream movement pin 48 (third regulating member), is constituted by a suction mechanism 49 for attracting the side blank 102 in table 45.

  The transport downstream moving pin 48 contacts a tapered surface 44a formed on the pedestal 44 and rotates on the tapered surface 44a, a pin member 52 fixed to the rotating shaft of the roller 51 and extending upward, And a spring member 53 disposed around the pin member 52 below the table 45. The position of the side blank 102 is regulated by the tip of the pin member 52. The tapered surface 44a is inclined so that the first processing station side, that is, the right side in FIGS.

  The transport downstream movement pin 48 is configured to be movable between a protruding position protruding upward from the upper surface of the table 45 and a retracted position retracting downward by moving in the X direction along the tapered surface 44a. That is, at the position where the table 45 is separated from the first processing station 10, the roller 51 and the pin member 52 are positioned upward, and the tip of the pin member 52 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the table 45, so that the downstream position is reached. To regulate. In addition, when the table 45 moves in the X direction with respect to the pedestal 44, the roller 51 moves toward the first processing station 10 along the tapered surface 44 a, and the table 45 and the roller 51 are separated by the spring member 53. As a result, the roller 51 and the pin member 52 move downward, and the tip end portion of the pin member 52 retracts below the blank conveyance path.

  The tips of the plurality of positioning pins 46 to 48 are positioned downward in contact with the outer peripheral edge of the side blank 102 in the blank placement portion, and are inclined upward in the direction away from the side blank 102. Tapered surfaces 46a, 47a, 48a are provided.

  The contact / separation upstream fixing pin 46 and the transport upstream fixing pin 47 are fixed on the upper surface of the table 45. For example, a long hole pin hole is formed in the table 45 and the position thereof is determined according to the shape of the target blank. May be settable.

  The suction mechanism 49 includes a plurality of hole portions 55 formed in communication with the upper surface of the table 45, a passage portion 56 formed in the table 45 and communicating with the hole portion 55, and a pressure reducing mechanism connected to the passage portion 56. 57. The decompression mechanism 57 performs suction processing after the blank is positioned by the positioning pins 46 to 48 according to the transport operation, and the suction processing is released before being gripped and transported by the first processing station 10. It is comprised so that. Moreover, you may control the timing of these adsorption | suction processes by the control part which is not shown in figure.

  The first processing station 10 includes a circular rotary table 11 that rotates counterclockwise as indicated by an arrow R1 in the drawing, a drive mechanism (not shown) 12 that rotates the rotary table 11, and a rotary table 11 on its outer periphery. And a plurality of gripping portions 13 that grip and fix the side blank 102 to the rotary table 11. Further, the first processing station 10 is arranged in order from the left end along the outer periphery of the turntable 11 toward the downstream side in the rotation direction R1, the holding stage 14, the first and second heating stages 15, 16, and A seal stage 17 is provided.

  The first and second heating stages 15 and 16 include first and second heater mechanisms 18 and 18 provided above the turntable 11 and a support mechanism 19 provided below the turntable 11. ing.

  The heater mechanisms 18, 18 were applied by heating a predetermined bonding target portion A of the side blank 102 shown in FIG. 2 to, for example, 300 ° C. to 400 ° C. by blowing hot air to the predetermined portion of the side blank 102. Melt the polyethylene resin. The adhesion target site A is, for example, an L-shaped portion including the vicinity of the edge of the side edge 102a of one side blank 102 and the vicinity of the lower edge 102b.

  The seal stage 17 is disposed at a predetermined position in the vicinity of the second processing station 60, and the side blank 102 is wound around the mandrel 63 of the second processing station 60 and combined with the bottom blank 103 previously held on the mandrel 63. 102 and the bottom blank 103 are provided with a sealing mechanism 22 that seals the bonding target portion A.

  The side blank 102 supplied from the side blank supply unit 40 and held by the holding unit 13 by the rotation of the rotary table 11 is transported in the direction of the arrow R1 along the outer periphery of the rotary table 11, and in each processing stage. Each of the heating process and the sealing process is performed. The sealed and three-dimensionally combined cup member 106 is held by the mandrel 63 and moves to the second processing station 60.

  The second processing station 60 includes a circular rotary table 61 that rotates clockwise indicated by an arrow R2 in the drawing, a drive mechanism (not shown) 62 that rotates the rotary table 61, and an outer periphery of the rotary table 61. A mandrel 63 is provided as a plurality of holding portions that are provided and extend outward from the outer periphery of the rotary table 61.

  The second processing station 60 is arranged in order from the vicinity of the first processing station 10 at the left end toward the downstream side in the rotational direction along the outer periphery of the rotary table 61, in order, the seal stage 17, the incurl stage 64, the knurled stage 65, and the air shooter. A stage 66 is provided. A bottom blank holding stage 68 is provided on the upstream side in the rotational direction from the seal stage 17 and on the lower side in FIG. Near the bottom blank holding stage 68, a bottom blank supply unit 50 is provided.

  The mandrel 63 includes a suction mechanism (not shown), holds the bottom blank 103 supplied from the bottom blank supply unit 50 at the bottom blank holding stage 68, and holds the wound side blank 102 at the seal stage 17. Further, downstream of the seal stage 17, the cup member 106 in which the side blank 102 and the bottom blank 103 are combined is held, and these are conveyed along with the rotation of the rotary table 61.

  The incurl stage 64 is provided with an incurl mechanism 69 that winds the lower end edge of the side blank 102 located at the tip of the mandrel 63 inside the periphery of the bottom blank 103. The knurled stage 65 is provided with a knurled mechanism 71 that caulks the lower edge portion of the side blank 102 wound by the incurl stage 64. In the air shooter stage 66, air is blown by the air shooter 72 to send the cup member 106 from the mandrel 63 to the third processing station 80 disposed in the outer peripheral direction.

  The third processing station 80 includes a circular rotary table 81 that rotates clockwise indicated by an arrow R3 in the drawing, a drive mechanism (not shown) that rotates the rotary table 81, and a cup member 106 that is attached to the circular rotary table 81. And an upright holding mechanism 83 for holding in an upright state. The third processing station 80 includes a coating stage 84, a pre-curl stage 85, and a finish curl stage 86 in order from the left end along the outer periphery of the turntable 81 toward the downstream side in the rotation direction.

  The coating stage 84 is provided with a coating mechanism 87 for coating the cup member 106 with liquid paraffin that improves workability and slip properties. The precurl stage 85 is provided with a precurl mechanism 88 that curls the top portion of the cup member 106. The finish curl stage 86 is provided with a finish curl mechanism 89 that further crimps the top portion curled by the pre-curl stage 85.

  In the cup molding apparatus 1 configured in this way, first, the side blanks 102 stocked in the blank stock portion 41 are placed on the supply stage 42 one by one from above while rotating while being sucked as shown in FIG. To do.

  At this time, the position of the side blank 102 is regulated by the tapered contact / separation upstream fixing pin 46 and the transport downstream movement pin 48 of the supply stage 42. When the blank is placed at a predetermined position, the suction mechanism 49 of the supply stage 42 is operated, and the side blank 102 is sucked to prevent the positional deviation.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the supply stage 42 moves in the X direction in the drawing toward the first processing station 10. With this movement in the X direction, the transport downstream moving pin 48 is retracted downward. The retracted state is shown in FIG. When the side blank 102 is supplied to the gripping stage of the first processing station 10 by the movement, the side blank 102 is gripped by the gripping mechanism and the suction is released.

  Next, in a state where the side blank 102 is gripped by the gripping mechanism, the rotary table is rotationally driven in the R1 direction, and the side blank 102 is sequentially conveyed to the downstream first and second heating stages. Since the transport downstream moving pin 48 provided on the downstream side in the blank transport direction is retracted downward, the transport is smoothly performed without interfering with the side blank 102 during the rotational transport.

  In the first and second heating stages 15 and 16, the bonding target portion A is heated by the heater mechanisms 18 and 18, and the polyethylene resin is melted.

  After completion of the heating step, the side blank 102 in a state where the polyethylene is melted is conveyed to the downstream seal stage 17 by the rotation of the rotary table.

  On the other hand, in the bottom blank supply unit 50, the bottom blank 103 configured to stand up by bending the peripheral edge of a circular sheet material downward is supplied to the mandrel 63 one by one. The rotary table rotates while the bottom blank 103 is sucked and held on the mandrel 63, and the mandrel 63 with the bottom blank 103 is conveyed to the seal stage 17.

  In this seal stage 17, the side blank 102 preheated in the first processing station 10 is wound around the mandrel 63 of the second processing station 60, and the lower edge of the side blank 102 and the peripheral edge of the bottom blank 103 are separated by a mold. In addition to being bonded, both side edges of the side blank 102 are bonded to each other. As described above, the side blank 102 and the bottom blank 103 are integrally three-dimensionally formed into a cup shape.

  The cup member 106 molded into a cup shape by the seal stage 17 is sent to the downstream incurl stage 64 by the rotation of the rotary table 61. Here, the lower peripheral edge of the side blank 102 is bent inward by the incurl mechanism 69 so as to cover the peripheral edge of the bottom blank 103.

  The cup member 106 after the incurling step is sent to the knurled stage 65 further downstream by the rotation of the rotary table 61. Here, the lower edge 102b of the side blank 102 folded inward and the peripheral edge portion 103a of the bottom blank 103 are caulked by the knurling mechanism 71 to form an annular leg portion having a predetermined strength.

  The cup member 106 is sent further downstream by the rotation of the rotary table 61, and is conveyed to the third processing station 80 by the air shooter 72 and held in an upright state.

  The cup member 106 is sent to the coating stage 84 by the rotation of the rotary table 81 of the third processing station 80. Here, a coating process in which liquid paraffin is coated by the coating mechanism 87 is performed.

  Next, the rotation of the rotary table 81 causes the cup member 106 to be sent to the precurl stage 85, and the precurl mechanism 88 performs a precurling process in which the top portion 102 d of the upper end edge of the cup member 106 is wound outward. Furthermore, it is sent to the finish curl stage 86 on the downstream side, and the top portion 102d is caulked to form a lip having a predetermined strength. In the cup molding apparatus 1, for example, 120 cup containers 100 shown in FIG. 7 are molded per minute as described above.

  The cup molding device 1 and the blank supply unit according to this embodiment have the following effects. That is, the side blank 102 can be positioned in a direction crossing the contact / separation direction, and the accuracy of the blank position is improved. Furthermore, the mounting position can be maintained by providing the table 45 with the suction mechanism 49 for sucking the side blank 102. Further, the downstream end of the first processing station 10 in the transport direction R1 is regulated by the retractable transport downstream moving pin 48, and thus does not hinder subsequent transport processing. Moreover, since the conveyance downstream movement pin 48 is a simple structure supported by the taper surface 44a and can be retracted with movement in the contact / separation direction, a desired function can be ensured with a simple device structure. Furthermore, since the suction timing is configured to be after the blank placement and before the rotational conveyance, the placement position can be maintained without hindering gripping and conveyance.

  In addition, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the blank supply part 40 was applied to cup shaping | molding, it is not restricted to this, It can apply also to another molded article and shaping | molding apparatus.

In carrying out the present invention, it goes without saying that the constituent elements of the present invention, such as the specific shapes of the case members and the cross-sectional shapes of the various frame members, can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. Of course, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention .

The top view which shows the structure of the cup shaping | molding apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. The top view which shows the blank supply part of the same cup shaping | molding apparatus. The side view which shows the blank supply part. Sectional drawing which follows the BB line in FIG. 2 of the blank supply part. The side view which shows the blank supply part. The top view explaining the blank supply process of a blank supply part. The perspective view which cuts off and shows partially the cup container shape | molded with the cup shaping | molding apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

A ... site to be bonded, 1 ... cup molding device (container molding device), 10 ... processing station,
11 ... rotary table, 40 ... side blank supply unit (blank supply device),
44a ... taper surface, 45 ... table, 46 ... contact / separation upstream fixing pin (first regulating member),
46a. 47a, 48a ... taper surface, 47 ... transport upstream fixing pin (second restricting member),
48 ... transport downstream moving pin (third regulating member), 49 ... suction mechanism, 51 ... roller,
52 ... Pin member, 53 ... Spring member, 55 ... Hole, 56 ... Passage part, 57 ... Pressure reducing mechanism,
72 ... air shooter, 101 ... laminated sheet (sheet material),
102: Side blank (blank).

Claims (4)

A blank supply device that supplies a blank to a processing station that conveys a blank composed of a sheet material in a predetermined conveyance direction and performs a predetermined process on the blank,
A table configured to be movable in a direction in which the blank is placed and intersects the conveyance direction and is in contact with and away from the processing station;
A first restricting member that is disposed at an end portion of the blank mounting portion on the table opposite to the processing station and restricts the position of the blank in the surface direction of the blank;
It is an end of the blank placement part in a direction intersecting with the contact / separation direction, and is disposed at the end of the placement part on the upstream side of the blank transport direction in the processing station, and the surface direction of the blank A second regulating member that regulates the position of the blank;
The processing unit is configured to be movable on an inclined tapered surface, which is the lower side of the processing station side at the downstream end of the blank mounting portion in the transport direction, and is configured to be movable up and down as the table moves. When the station and the table are separated from each other, the position of the blank protrudes from the table by being positioned on the separation side on the tapered surface, and when the table and the processing station are close to each other, A blank supply device, comprising: a third regulating member that is located on a side closer to the taper surface and retracts downward from the blank conveyance path .   The blank supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an adsorption mechanism that adsorbs the placed blank to the table. A blank supply method for supplying a blank composed of a sheet material to a processing station that performs a predetermined process on the blank,
The blank is placed, and is configured to be movable in a direction in which the blank is brought into contact with and separated from the processing station. The blank is placed on an end of the blank placement site opposite to the processing station. A first regulating member that regulates the position of the blank, a second regulating member that is disposed at an upstream end of the blank placement site in the transport direction and regulates the position of the blank, and the blank placement A third regulating member configured to be movable on an inclined taper surface on the downstream side of the part in the transport direction on the downstream side of the processing station and configured to be movable up and down; and suction for sucking the blank table with a mechanism, the is regulated like that the third restricting member while spaced from said processing station to regulate the position of the blank projecting on the table To have, when suction by the suction mechanism is released, and the step of placing the blank on the table,
Adsorbing the blank to the table after placing the blank;
With the blank adsorbed, the step of retreating the third restricting member downward by moving the table in a direction approaching the processing station to release the downstream restriction;
Holding the blank in the processing station;
Releasing the adsorption after the blank is held;
A process of transporting along the transport direction with the blank held in the processing station;
Moving the table in a direction away from the processing station after the blank is held;
A blank supply method comprising: A container molding apparatus for molding a container using a blank composed of a sheet material,
It is possible to move the blank in a predetermined transport direction and a processing station provided with a processing unit for performing a predetermined process on the blank, in a direction crossing the transport direction and in contact with and away from the processing station. A blank supply unit having a table for supplying a blank to the processing station by approaching the processing station in a state where the blank is placed,
The blank supply unit is disposed at an end portion of the blank mounting portion on the table opposite to the processing station where the blank is mounted on the table, and regulates the position of the blank, and the blank A second restriction member that is disposed at an upstream end of the placement site in the transport direction and regulates the position of the blank; and an end of the blank placement site on the downstream side of the transport direction in the processing station. side is movably supported on the lower side becomes inclined tapered surface, of the blank projecting from the said table by a position spaced side on the tapered surface when said processing station and said table are spaced apart In addition to restricting the position, when the table and the processing station are close to each other, the position is close to the taper surface. Container molding apparatus characterized by having a third regulating member is retracted downward from the conveying path of the blank.

Images