JP6207788B2 - Cartridge filling method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for transferring a viscous material from a container to a syringe for filling, and particularly to a technique for preventing gas from being mixed into the viscous material during the filling.

  There is already a field dealing with viscous materials. Applications of such viscous materials include mechanical component or electronic component sealants, adhesives, electrical / electronic circuit forming paste, and electronic component mounting solder. Such viscous materials are used, for example, in the aerospace industry and the electrical / electronic equipment industry.

  The viscous material may be transferred from a container to a syringe and filled for convenience of application to a target object. In this case, during the filling, the viscous material flows or divides, so that there is a possibility that gas is mixed in the viscous material. On the other hand, if gas is mixed in the viscous material, the amount of the viscous material that is intermittently discharged from the syringe is not stable, or the viscous material is cured when it is finally cured. There is a problem that voids are formed in the viscous material.

  In order to solve these problems, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-80005) depressurizes a sealed space in which a container and a syringe are arranged, thereby depressurizing a space in the container and the syringe. In this state, a technique for applying a mechanical external force to the viscous material in the container and discharging the viscous material from the container toward the syringe is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-80005

  However, when filling the viscous material using the conventional technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, in order to prevent the gas from being mixed into the viscous material during filling, the filling device is provided with the entire container and syringe. It is necessary to have a housing for housing the container in a sealed state. Therefore, when this conventional technique is adopted, the filling device tends to increase in size and the number of parts increases, and as a result, the weight and cost tend to increase.

  Against such a background, the present invention is a technique for transferring a viscous material from a container to a syringe and filling it, and it is essential to have a housing for containing the container and the syringe in a sealed state. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a device that prevents gas from being mixed into the viscous material during filling of the viscous material into the syringe.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cartridge filling method for filling a cartridge that is removably loaded into a coating gun for viscous material with the viscous material ,
The cartridge is
A syringe having a chamber therein, a main body having an inner peripheral surface, a bottom located at one of both ends of the main body, and an opening located at the other of both ends of the main body And having
A plunger that is slidably fitted in the syringe and has an outer peripheral surface, and in the fitted state, the chamber is a first internal space on the bottom side and is filled with the viscous material And a space formed between the inner peripheral surface of the syringe and the outer peripheral surface of the plunger, and is partitioned into a second internal space on the opening side.
Until the entire first internal space is filled with the viscous material, the first internal space is higher in pressure than the second internal space in the syringe. If it is, permit the flow from the first internal space through the gap to the second internal space,
For the viscous material in the syringe, the gap has a large resistance to the viscous material passing through the gap because of the viscosity of the viscous material, so that the flow from the first internal space to the second internal space is prevented. Effectively blocking,
The method is
In the second part space, a step of the rod, Ru was possible engaged removably on said plunger,
When filling of the first inner space of the viscous material is completed, the rod, leaving the plunger in the syringe, and pull disconnect rather step from said second internal space
A cartridge filling method is provided.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cartridge filling method for filling a cartridge, which is removably loaded into an application gun for viscous material, with the viscous material,
The cartridge is
A syringe having a chamber therein, a main body having an inner peripheral surface, a bottom located at one of both ends of the main body, and an opening located at the other of both ends of the main body And having
A plunger that is slidably fitted in the syringe and has an outer peripheral surface, and in the fitted state, the chamber is a first internal space on the bottom side and is filled with the viscous material And a space formed between the inner peripheral surface of the syringe and the outer peripheral surface of the plunger.
Including
The gap allows gas to flow from the first internal space to the second internal space, but substantially prevents the viscous material from flowing from the first internal space to the second internal space. ,
The method is
A step of detachably engaging a rod with the plunger in the second partial space;
When the filling of the viscous material into the first internal space is completed, the rod is pulled out of the second internal space while leaving the plunger in the syringe;
A cartridge filling method is provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a cartridge is detachably loaded into an application gun for viscous material,
A syringe having a chamber therein, a main body having an inner peripheral surface, a bottom located at one of both ends of the main body, and an opening located at the other of both ends of the main body And having
A plunger that is slidably fitted in the syringe and has an outer peripheral surface, and in the fitted state, the chamber is a first internal space on the bottom side and is filled with the viscous material And a space formed between the inner peripheral surface of the syringe and the outer peripheral surface of the plunger, and is partitioned into a second internal space on the opening side.
Until the entire first internal space is filled with the viscous material, the first internal space is higher in pressure than the second internal space in the syringe. If it is, permit the flow from the first internal space through the gap to the second internal space,
For the viscous material in the syringe, the gap has a large resistance to the viscous material passing through the gap because of the viscosity of the viscous material, so that the flow from the first internal space to the second internal space is prevented. Effectively blocking,
In the second partial space, a rod is detachably engaged with the plunger,
When the filling of the viscous material into the first internal space is completed, the rod is raised while leaving the plunger in the syringe, whereby the rod is pulled out from the second internal space. A cartridge is provided.

  Furthermore, the following aspects are obtained by the present invention. Each aspect is divided into sections, each section is given a number, and is described in a form that cites other section numbers as necessary. This is to facilitate understanding of some of the technical features that the present invention can employ and combinations thereof, and the technical features that can be employed by the present invention and combinations thereof are limited to the following embodiments. Should not be interpreted. That is, it should be construed that it is not impeded to appropriately extract and employ the technical features described in the present specification as technical features of the present invention although they are not described in the following embodiments.

  Further, describing each section in the form of quoting the numbers of the other sections does not necessarily prevent the technical features described in each section from being separated from the technical features described in the other sections. It should not be construed as meaning, but it should be construed that the technical features described in each section can be appropriately made independent depending on the nature.

(1) A viscous material filling method for filling a viscous material by transferring it from a container to a syringe,
The container is
A container housing;
A container interior space formed in the container housing and in which the viscous material is to be accommodated;
A first opening and a second opening formed in the container housing and communicated with the inner space of the container;
The syringe is
A syringe housing;
A syringe internal space formed in the syringe housing to which the viscous material is to be transferred and filled from the container;
A third opening and a fourth opening formed in the syringe housing and communicated with the syringe internal space;
The viscous material filling method is as follows:
A container set preparation step of inserting a plunger into the container from the first opening of the container in a state where the viscous material is accommodated in the container, thereby preparing a container set; The container set is held in place,
A syringe set preparing step of inserting a first plug into the syringe in a slidable contact state, thereby preparing a syringe set, wherein the first plug is inserted into the syringe, The syringe internal space is partitioned into a first partial space on the third opening side and a second partial space on the fourth opening side, and the first plug is further separated from the first partial space. The flow of gas in the direction toward the second partial space is allowed, but the flow of the viscous material in the same direction is restricted, and the flow of gas in the direction from the second partial space toward the first partial space is also described above. The flow of viscous material is also prevented, and the syringe set is held in a state where the third opening of the syringe is substantially airtightly and separably connected to the second opening of the container. ,
A rod insertion step of inserting into the syringe a rod that engages with the first plug in the syringe and thereby applies a force in a direction that reduces the volume of the first partial space to the first plug;
The plunger is pushed into the container toward the second opening, thereby pushing the viscous material in the container out of the second opening, thereby removing the viscous material from the container into the syringe. A viscous material filling method comprising: an extrusion step of transferring and filling the first partial space.

  According to this method, when the viscous material flows into the first partial space of the syringe from the container prior to filling of the viscous material into the syringe, the gas present in the first partial space is caused by the flowed viscous material. Thus, a differential pressure is generated in the syringe such that the first partial space is at a higher pressure than the second partial space communicating with the outside of the syringe. Due to the differential pressure, the gas in the first partial space flows into the second partial space through the radial gap between the inner peripheral surface of the syringe and the outer peripheral surface of the first plug, and consequently the fourth portion of the syringe. It is discharged outside through the opening.

  As a result, according to this method, during the filling of the viscous material into the first partial space, the gas is discharged from the first partial space as the filling proceeds, and the gas is discharged into the viscous material in the first partial space. Can be avoided.

  Furthermore, according to this method, a force in a direction that reduces the volume of the first partial space is applied to the first plug in the syringe by the rod. The applied force is a force in a direction in which the first plug approaches the viscous material that has flowed into the syringe, that is, a force in a direction in which the first partial space is compressed.

  Therefore, according to this method, even when force is applied by the rod, the above-described differential pressure is generated, and a larger differential pressure is generated in the syringe than when no force is applied by the rod. Thereby, the phenomenon in which the gas existing in the first partial space flows into the second partial space through the radial gap between the inner peripheral surface of the syringe and the outer peripheral surface of the first plug is promoted.

  Thus, according to this method, in order to prevent gas from being mixed into the viscous material during filling of the viscous material from the container to the syringe, the space in the container and the syringe (particularly, the space in the syringe). It is no longer necessary to evacuate. As a result, it is possible to prevent gas from being mixed into the viscous material during the filling of the viscous material into the syringe without making it indispensable to provide a housing for accommodating the container and the entire syringe in a sealed state. obtain.

  In addition, the method according to this section is implemented in a mode in which the plunger set is inserted into the container to prepare the container set and then the container set is held in a predetermined position, or only the container is held in the predetermined position. The container set can be prepared by inserting a plunger into the held container.

  Similarly, this method is implemented in such a manner that the first plug is inserted into the syringe to prepare the syringe set and then the syringe set is held in a predetermined position, or only the syringe is held in a predetermined position, and then the method is performed. It is possible to implement in the aspect which prepares a syringe set by inserting a 1st plug in the syringe currently hold | maintained.

(2) Furthermore,
Holding the container set in an upside down posture in which the first opening is located on the lower side and the second opening is located on the upper side,
The extruding step pushes up the plunger toward the second opening of the container, thereby transferring the viscous material from the container into the first partial space of the syringe in an antigravity direction. The viscous material filling method according to item (1).

(3) Furthermore,
By applying an upward force to the rod, the rod is assisted following the movement of the first plug that moves up in the syringe as the amount of the viscous material filled in the first partial space increases. The viscous material filling method according to item (2), including an assist step.

(4) The syringe has an inner peripheral surface with a circular cross section, and the inner space of the syringe defines the inner space of the syringe,
The first plug is formed by molding an elastically deformable material into a cup shape, and thereby has a circular silhouette having an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the inner peripheral surface,
The first plug has a distal end and a distal end;
The viscous material filling method further includes:
Inserting the first plug into the syringe so that the tip end faces the third opening and contacts the inner peripheral surface at the end portion in the inner peripheral surface ( The viscous material filling method according to any one of items 1) to (3).

(5) The rod is a vacuum tube capable of transmitting a compressive force in the axial direction,
A second plug to be inserted into the syringe is attached to the vacuum tube in a state where the vacuum tube penetrates the second plug substantially airtightly,
The second plug is inserted into the syringe, and the second partial space is divided into a third partial space on the first plug side and a fourth partial space on the fourth opening side. partition,
The second plug inhibits at least the gas flow in the opposite direction of the gas flow from the third partial space toward the fourth partial space and the gas flow in the opposite direction,
The vacuum tube communicates with the third partial space in a state of being inserted into the syringe,
In the rod insertion step, the vacuum tube and the second plug are inserted into the syringe in a state where the second plug is slidably in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the syringe,
The viscous material filling method further includes:
(1) thru | or the vacuuming process which vacuums the 3rd partial space by attracting | sucking the gas in the said 3rd partial space through the said vacuum tube, and, thereby, a said 1st partial space is evacuated. (4) The viscous material filling method according to any one of items.

  According to this method, a third part in the syringe is provided by a vacuum tube (eg in communication with the first subspace at its proximal end and with the first external vacuum source at its distal end). The space (ie, the space defined by the first plug and the second plug in the syringe) is evacuated, and then the third partial space is used as the second vacuum source, and the first partial space is It is evacuated by the flow of gas through the radial gap with the first plug.

  Thereby, a differential pressure is generated in which the first partial space and the third partial space in the syringe are higher in pressure than the first vacuum source communicating with the distal end of the vacuum tube. Due to the differential pressure, the gas existing in the first partial space flows into the third partial space through the radial gap between the inner peripheral surface of the syringe and the outer peripheral surface of the first plug, and as a result, the vacuum tube Is discharged to the outside of the syringe. As a result, during filling of the viscous material into the first partial space, gas does not need to be mixed into the viscous material.

  As a result, according to this method, if the space in the syringe is evacuated, the viscous material that has flowed into the syringe does not need to come into contact with the gas. It is not indispensable to provide the housing, and gas can be prevented from being mixed into the viscous material during the filling of the viscous material into the syringe.

  Further, according to this method, when gas is mixed in the viscous material itself before filling, defoaming, that is, removing the mixed gas from the viscous material is also performed during filling. It becomes possible.

  Further, according to this method, the first plug in the syringe has a force in a direction to approach the viscous material that has flowed into the syringe (that is, a force from the fourth opening to the third opening in the syringe). Applied by vacuum tube. The direction of the applied force is a direction that reduces the volume of the first partial space. On the other hand, evacuation of the first partial space also facilitates reducing the volume of the first partial space.

  Therefore, according to this method, the gas existing in the first partial space is converted into the radius between the syringe and the first plug by the cooperative action of the application of force by the vacuum tube and the evacuation of the first partial space. It is facilitated to be discharged from the first partial space through the directional gap.

(6) The second plug has substantially the same shape as the first plug,
The rod insertion step is the viscous material filling method according to (5), wherein the second plug is inserted into the syringe in series with the first plug in the same direction as the first plug.

(7) A viscous material filling device for transferring a viscous material from a container to a syringe and filling it,
The container is
A container housing;
A container interior space formed in the container housing and in which the viscous material is to be accommodated;
A first opening and a second opening formed in the container housing and communicated with the inner space of the container;
The syringe is
A syringe housing;
A syringe internal space formed in the syringe housing to which the viscous material is to be transferred and filled from the container;
A third opening and a fourth opening formed in the syringe housing and communicated with the syringe internal space;
The viscous material filling device further includes:
A container set holding unit for holding a container set prepared by inserting a plunger into the container from the first opening of the container in a state where the viscous material is accommodated in the container; ,
A syringe set prepared by inserting the first plug into the syringe so as to be slidably contacted, the third opening of the syringe is substantially airtight to the second opening of the container, and A syringe set holding unit that holds the syringe in a separably connected state, wherein the first plug is inserted into the syringe and the syringe internal space is moved to the first opening side of the third opening. Partitioning into a partial space and a second partial space on the side of the fourth opening, the first plug further allows a gas flow from the first partial space toward the second partial space. The flow of the viscous material in the same direction is restricted, and the flow of the gas in the direction from the second partial space toward the first partial space and the flow of the viscous material are prevented.
A rod that engages the first plug in the syringe, thereby applying a force in a direction that reduces the volume of the first partial space to the first plug;
The plunger is pushed into the container toward the second opening, thereby pushing the viscous material in the container out of the second opening, thereby removing the viscous material from the container into the syringe. A viscous material filling apparatus comprising: an extruding part that is transferred and filled into the first partial space.

(8) A vacuum centrifugal stirring and defoaming method in which a viscous material to be defoamed is contained in a container, and the container is rotated and stirred with a stirrer under a vacuum pressure.
The number of rotations of the container by the stirrer and the continuous stirring time are both the size and / or number of voids finally remaining in the viscous material, and the amount by which the temperature of the viscous material increases due to the stirring defoaming, A setting process for setting to minimize as much as possible;
With the stirrer, the container filled with the viscous material is revolved around the revolution axis at the set number of revolutions and the set continuous stirring time under vacuum pressure, with respect to the revolution axis. And a stirring / defoaming step of defoaming the viscous material while stirring the viscous material in the container, thereby rotating around an eccentric rotation axis.

(9) A container set that contains a viscous material in a state capable of being discharged in a required amount,
A container having an inner peripheral surface having an axis, the inner peripheral surface defining a chamber for containing the viscous material;
A plunger having an outer peripheral surface having an axis, and a plunger that is slidably fitted in an inner peripheral surface of the container in an axial direction on the outer peripheral surface;
The plunger has a distal end portion and a proximal end portion aligned in the axial direction, and when the plunger is inserted into the container, the distal end portion is first and the proximal end portion is later, respectively. Configured to fit on the inner peripheral surface of
The diameter of the outer peripheral surface of the plunger is a container set that changes so as to be smaller than the proximal end portion at the distal end portion.

(10) A viscous material filling method of filling a viscous material by transferring it from a container to a syringe,
  The container is configured by fitting a container piston in a container housing having a container bottom,
  The syringe is configured by fitting a syringe piston into a syringe housing having a syringe bottom,
  The viscous material filling method is as follows:
  A first filling step of filling the viscous material in a container chamber formed between the container bottom and the tip of the container piston facing the container bottom in the container housing;
  By pushing the container piston toward the container bottom in the container housing, the viscous material in the container chamber is converted into the syringe bottom and the syringe bottom in the container housing. A second filling step for transferring and filling a syringe internal chamber formed between the tip of the syringe piston facing the syringe;
  The syringe piston is transferred from the container chamber into the syringe chamber by a selective check function realized by the outer peripheral surface of the syringe piston and the inner peripheral surface of the syringe housing which are fitted to each other. The viscous material filled in this way prevents leakage from the gap between the syringe housing and the syringe piston in the retreating process of the syringe piston accompanying an increase in the filling amount. A defoaming step of defoaming the viscous material in the chamber in the syringe by allowing air bubbles mixed therein to leak out of the gap while preventing the flow of air in the opposite direction;
  A viscous material filling method comprising:

(11) The viscous material filling method according to (10), further including a step of applying a force in a direction in which the volume of the chamber in the syringe is reduced to the syringe piston.

FIG. 1 shows a viscous material filling device (hereinafter simply referred to as “filling device”) suitable for carrying out a viscous material filling method (hereinafter simply referred to as “filling method”) using a syringe according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a partial cross-sectional front view showing. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the filling device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional front view showing a main part of the filling apparatus shown in FIG. 1 in a use state. FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C are perspective views for explaining an example of the use of a sealant that is an example of a viscous material filled in a syringe using the filling device shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional side view showing the container set in FIG. 3 in which a plunger is inserted into the container. 6 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of the syringe shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view showing the syringe set in FIG. 3 in which the first plug is inserted into the syringe. FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing the first plug in FIG. FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the suction tool in FIG. 3. 10 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the syringe set shown in FIG. 7 in a state where the suction tool shown in FIG. 9 is inserted. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the assembly of the container set, syringe set, and suction tool shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a process diagram showing the filling method together with the viscous material manufacturing method performed prior to the filling method. FIG. 13 shows a viscous material filling device (hereinafter simply referred to as “filling device”) suitable for carrying out a viscous material filling method (hereinafter simply referred to as “filling method”) using a syringe according to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is a partial cross-sectional front view which shows the principal part of said.) In use condition. FIG. 14 is a process diagram illustrating the filling method according to the second embodiment together with the viscous material manufacturing method performed prior to the filling method. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the container set, syringe set, and rod shown in FIG. FIG. 16 shows a viscous material filling device (hereinafter simply referred to as “filling device”) suitable for carrying out a viscous material filling method using a syringe according to the third embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as “filling method”). It is an exploded view which shows the container set of.

  Hereinafter, some of the more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a viscous material filling device (hereinafter simply referred to as “filling device”) suitable for carrying out a viscous material filling method using a syringe according to the first embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as “filling method”). 10) is shown in partial cross-sectional front view, and in FIG. 2, the filling device 10 is shown in partial cross-sectional side view. FIG. 3 shows an enlarged partial cross-sectional front view of the main part of the filling device 10 in use.

  In this filling method, as shown in FIG. 3, the viscous material 14 accommodated in the container 12 is syringed from the container 12 (it is a small container that dispenses material in small portions, also referred to as “dispensing syringe”). Carried out for transfer to 20 and filling. The viscous material 14 in the container 12 is pushed out of the container 12 when the plunger 22 is pushed into the container 12. The extruded viscous material 14 is filled in the syringe 20 under a vacuum atmosphere. The viscosity of the viscous material 14 is, for example, about 1,100 Pa · s, or about 11,100 pos.

  An example of the viscous material 14 is a highly viscous and non-conductive sealant, and an example of the application of the sealant is an aircraft. For example, in a recent aircraft, as shown in FIG. 4A, in order to mount a nonconductive panel 30 constituting the outer plate of the aircraft on an internal frame (not shown), it is made of metal (conductive). The rivet 32 is driven into a through hole 34 having a tapered portion in the panel 30.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, a non-conductive sealant 40 is applied on the surface of the head 36 so that the dish-like head 36 of the driven rivets 32 is not exposed. . At this point, the sealant 40 is raised from the surface of the panel 30.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4C, a portion of the sealant 40 protruding from the surface of the panel 30 is shaped by being scraped off by an operator. As a result, the surface of the sealant 40 is Match 30 surfaces. Subsequently, the surface of the panel 30 and the surface of the sealant 40 are painted with the same paint.

  An example of the syringe 20 is a cartridge that is detachably attached to an application gun (not shown). An example of this type of application gun is disclosed in US Pat. No. 7,690,530, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

  When a cartridge filled with the viscous material 14 (that is, the syringe 20) is loaded into the application gun, the viscous material 14 is discharged from the cartridge by the required amount by the application gun, and the target object (for example, the above-described object) It is applied to the rivet 32). That is, in this embodiment, the syringe 20 and the first plug described later are used for both filling the viscous material 14 and applying the viscous material 14.

  In FIG. 5, the container 12 is shown in a side sectional view. In the present embodiment, the same container 12 is used for the production of the viscous material 14 (two-liquid mixing described in detail later) and the defoaming of the viscous material 14 after the production (vacuum centrifugal defoaming using a stirrer described in detail later). Used to store and transport the viscous material 14 prior to filling the syringe 20.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the container 12 includes a hollow housing (an example of the container housing) 50 extending in the axial direction, and a cylindrical chamber 52 (coaxially formed in the housing internal space). One example). The chamber 52 has an opening 54 (an example of the first opening) and a bottom 56. The bottom portion 56 has a concave portion that is generally hemispherical. Thus, when the bottom part 56 has a continuous shape, the viscous material 14 flows more smoothly in the chamber 52 than when the bottom part 56 is flat, and as a result, the stirring efficiency of the viscous material 14 is improved. An example of the material constituting the container 12 is POM (polyacetal), and another example is Teflon (registered trademark), but is not limited thereto.

  In the bottom 56 of the chamber 52, a discharge passage 57 (the second opening) for discharging the viscous material 14 (mixture of liquid A and liquid B) accommodated in the chamber 52 toward the syringe 20. The discharge passage 57 is selectively closed by a detachable plug (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 5, the plunger 22 is pushed into the chamber 52 of the container 12 to discharge the viscous material 14 from the container 12. The plunger 22 has a main body portion 58 and an engaging portion 59 formed at the rear end portion of the main body portion 58. The main body 58 has an outer surface shape that complements the inner surface shape of the chamber 52 of the container 12 (for example, a shape having a convex portion that is generally hemispherical). The engaging portion 59 has a smaller diameter than the main body portion 58, and an external force is applied thereto from the filling device 10, whereby the plunger 22 is advanced. As the plunger 22 approaches the discharge passage 57 in the chamber 52, the viscous material 14 is pushed out from the discharge passage 57.

  FIG. 6 shows the syringe 20 in a side sectional view. The syringe 20 has a cylindrical main body portion 60 that extends straight in a uniform cross section and a hollow bottom portion 62 connected to one of both end portions of the main body portion 60 coaxially with each other. . The bottom portion 62 has a cylindrical portion 64 (an example of the third opening portion) 64 having a smaller diameter than the main body portion 60 at the tip thereof, and a tapered portion 66 that is tapered on the side connected to the main body portion 60. Yes. The other end of the main body 60 is an opening 68 (an example of the fourth opening). An example of the material constituting the syringe 20 is POM (polyacetal), but is not limited thereto.

  In the present embodiment, the viscous material 14 is filled from the container 12 into the syringe 20 so as to pass through the cylindrical portion 64 located at one of both ends of the syringe 20, and after the filling, the viscous material 14 is filled. Therefore, the viscous material 14 is discharged from the syringe 20 through the same passage, that is, the cylindrical portion 64 (the passage having the smallest diameter among the syringes 20). In other words, the viscous material 14 enters and exits the syringe 20 so as to pass through the same minimum diameter passage.

  In the present embodiment, when the viscous material 14 is transferred from the container 12 to the syringe 20, the container 12 has the opening 54 of the chamber 52 facing downward as shown in FIG. It is held in the space with the posture facing up (upside down posture). In this state, the plunger 22 is raised in the chamber 52. As a result, the viscous material 14 is pushed upward from the chamber 52.

  Further, when the viscous material 14 is transferred from the container 12 to the syringe 20, the syringe 20 is held in the space with the opening 68 facing upward and the bottom 62 facing downward. In this state, the viscous material 14 pushed upward from the container 12 is injected from the bottom 62 of the syringe 20.

  As a result, the viscous material 14 is accumulated in the syringe 20 in its bottom 62 (lower part), and the uppermost surface of the accumulation part of the viscous material 14 rises from the bottom 62 toward the opening 68 (upper part). To be gradually accommodated.

  Thus, in this embodiment, when the viscous material 14 is injected into the syringe 20, it is injected from the lower part of the syringe 20, so that a new viscous material 14 is different from the case of being injected from the upper part. It does not fall due to gravity and does not collide with the preceding storage unit. As a result, when the viscous material 14 is injected into the syringe 20, there is a possibility that voids are formed in the viscous material 14 accumulated in the syringe 20. The viscous material 14 is injected from the upper part of the syringe 20. It is reduced than the case.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the filling device 10 has a container holder mechanism 70 (an example of the container set holding unit) that detachably holds the container 12 at the lower part thereof, while the syringe 20 at the upper part. Has a syringe holder mechanism 72 (an example of the syringe set holding portion).

  The container holder mechanism 70 includes a base plate 80 to be installed, a top plate 82 that cannot be moved up and down located above the base plate 80, and both the base plate 80 and the top plate 82 that are fixed at both ends vertically and parallel to each other. And a plurality of shafts 84 (in this embodiment, two shafts arranged symmetrically with respect to each other with a vertical center line of the container holder mechanism 70). The top plate 82 has a through hole 90. The through hole 90 is coaxial with the vertical center line of the container holder mechanism 70.

  A guide plate 92 is fixed to the lower surface of the top plate 82. The guide plate 92 has a guide hole 94 coaxial with the through hole 90. The guide hole 94 penetrates the guide plate 92 with a uniform cross section in the thickness direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the guide hole 94 has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the bottom portion 56 of the container 12, and the container 12 can be fitted into the guide hole 94 without any difficulty. is there. Thanks to this guide hole 94, the container 12 is aligned relative to the top plate 82 with respect to the position in the horizontal direction (diameter direction of the container 12).

  As shown in FIG. 3, in a state where the bottom portion 56 of the container 12 is fitted in the guide hole 94, the container 12 is placed on the lower surface of the top plate 82 at the tip surface (on the same plane) of the bottom portion 56 thereof. bump into. Accordingly, the container 12 is aligned relative to the top plate 82 with respect to the position in the vertical direction (the axial direction of the container 12).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the container holder mechanism 70 further includes a movable plate 100 that can be moved up and down. The movable plate 100 has a plurality of sleeves 102 that are slidably fitted to the shaft 84 in the axial direction. The operator can move the movable plate 100 to an arbitrary position in the vertical direction and stop it by operating the lock mechanism 104.

  The movable plate 100 has a stepped positioning hole 106 coaxially with the guide hole 94. The positioning hole 106 penetrates the movable plate 100 in the thickness direction. The positioning hole 106 has a large-diameter hole 110 on the side close to the guide hole 94, and a small-diameter hole 112 on the opposite side, and the guide hole 94 is between the large-diameter hole 110 and the small-diameter hole 112. It has a shoulder surface 114 facing the side.

  The large-diameter hole 110 has an inner diameter that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the opening 54 of the container 12, so that the container 12 can move with respect to the position in the horizontal direction (diameter direction of the container 12). As a result, it is aligned relative to the top plate 82).

  The shoulder surface 114 comes into contact with the front end surface (which is on the same plane) of the opening 54 of the container 12, so that the container 12 can move with respect to the position in the vertical direction (the axial direction of the container 12). It is aligned relative to the top plate 82).

  The small diameter hole 112 has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the plunger 22, and the plunger 22 is slidably fitted into the small diameter hole 112. The small diameter hole 112 functions as a guide hole that guides the axial movement of the plunger 22.

  A container set is configured by inserting the plunger 22 into the container 12, and the container set is set on the top plate 82 in a state where the movable plate 100 is sufficiently retracted downward from the top plate 82. Thereafter, the movable plate 100 is raised until the front end surface of the opening 54 of the container 12 hits the shoulder surface 114. In this position, the movable plate 100 is fixed to the shaft 84. Thereby, the holding operation | work to the container holder mechanism 70 of a container set is complete | finished.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the container holder mechanism 70 further has an air cylinder 120 (an example of the pushing portion) as an actuator coaxially with the guide hole 94. A rod 122 as an elevating member extends upward from the air cylinder 120, and a pusher 124 is attached to the tip of the rod 122. As shown in FIG. 3, the pusher 124 engages with the engaging portion 59 of the plunger 22 in the container set held by the container holder mechanism 70. In the engaged state, as the pusher 124 moves forward, the plunger 22 moves forward with respect to the container 12 and reduces the volume of the chamber 52.

  The air cylinder 120 is a double-acting type, and the pusher 124 moves forward from the initial position to the operating position (up by pressurization), retreats from the operating position to the non-operating position (down by pressurization), and any position The stop at (in which the exhaust from both gas chambers in the air cylinder 120 is blocked) is selectively performed according to the operation of the operator. Although not shown, the air cylinder 120 is connected to a high-pressure source (the primary pressure is 0.2 MPa, for example) via an air pressure control unit having a switching valve.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the container holder mechanism 70 further includes a gas spring 126 as a damper. The gas spring 126 extends vertically and is pivotally connected to the base plate 80 and the movable plate 100 at both ends thereof. The gas spring 126 is installed to limit the movement of the movable plate 100 that descends by its own weight when the lock mechanism 104 is in the unlocked state.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the syringe holder mechanism 72 includes a base frame 130 fixed to the top plate 82, an air cylinder 132 as an actuator, a top frame 134, and a movable frame 136.

  The air cylinder 132 has a main body part 140 that extends vertically and is fixed to the top plate 82 and the top frame 134, and a lifting rod 142 that is linearly moved with respect to the main body part 140. The upper end portion of the elevating rod 142 (the end portion protruding from the main body portion 140) is fixed to the movable frame 136.

  The air cylinder 132 is a double-acting type, and the lifting rod 142 moves forward from the initial position to the operating position (rising by pressurization), retreats from the operating position to the non-acting position (lowering by pressurization), and any Floating at the position (both exhaust from both gas chambers in the air cylinder 132 is permitted) is selectively performed according to the operation of the operator. Although not shown, the air cylinder 132 is connected to the high-pressure source via the pneumatic control unit.

  A plurality of sleeves 144 (in this embodiment, two parallel sleeves arranged symmetrically with respect to the air cylinder 132) are fixed to the main body 140. A plurality of vertically extending shafts 146 are slidably fitted to the sleeves 144. All the upper ends of the shafts 146 are fixed to the movable frame 136.

  In the syringe holder mechanism 72, the base frame 130, the top frame 134, the main body 140, and the sleeve 144 are stationary members, whereas the movable frame 136, the lifting rod 142, and the shaft 146 are integrally moved up and down. It is a movable member.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the syringe holder mechanism 72 further includes a gas spring 150 as a damper. The gas spring 150 extends vertically between the base frame 130 and the movable frame 136. The gas spring 150 includes a cylinder 152 having two gas chambers (not shown) and a rod 154 that can be expanded and contracted with respect to the cylinder 152. The cylinder 152 is pivotally connected to the base frame 130 at one end thereof.

  The tip of the rod 154 is separably engaged with the lower surface of the movable frame 136. Therefore, the rod 154 may be compressed by the movable frame 136 but not expanded. The rod 154 applies an upward force to the movable frame 136 in the compressed state, thereby assisting the movable frame 136 to rise.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the syringe 20 before filling is held by the syringe holder mechanism 72 with the first plug 160 inserted therein. As shown in FIG. 8, the first plug 160 is configured by molding an elastically deformable material (for example, PP) into a cup shape. The first plug 160 has a circular silhouette having an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the inner peripheral surface 162 (see FIG. 7) of the syringe 20.

  The first plug 160 has a distal end portion 164 and a distal end portion 166. The first plug 160 is inserted into the syringe 20 such that the distal end 164 faces the bottom 62 of the syringe 20 and contacts the inner peripheral surface 162 of the syringe 20 at the end 166. A syringe set is configured by inserting the first plug 160 into the syringe 20. By inserting the first plug 160 into the syringe 20 at a position near the bottom 62, the space inside the syringe 20 is divided into a first internal space 170 on the bottom 62 side and a second internal on the opening 68 side. It is partitioned into a space 172.

  The first plug 160 has a check function for gas (generally, air) in a state where the first plug 160 is inserted into the syringe 20.

  Specifically, in the syringe 20, when the air in the first internal space 170 is at a higher pressure than the second internal space 172, the air in the first internal space 170 is transferred from the inner peripheral surface 162 and the first plug. It is allowed to flow out into the second internal space 172 through a gap with the outer peripheral surface of 160. However, when the air in the first internal space 170 is at a lower pressure than the second internal space 172, the inner peripheral surface 162 of the syringe 20 and the outer peripheral surface of the first plug 160 are tightly adhered to each other due to the differential pressure. As a result, the flow of air from the second internal space 172 to the first internal space 170 is blocked.

  Therefore, thanks to the non-return function of the first plug 160, if the second internal space 172 is evacuated, the first internal space 170 is also evacuated, and then the second internal space 172 is returned to atmospheric pressure. 1 The internal space 170 is maintained at a vacuum pressure.

  On the other hand, the first plug 160 has a high resistance to the viscous material 14 through the gap between the inner peripheral surface 162 and the outer peripheral surface of the first plug 160 because of its own viscosity. Therefore, the viscous material 14 is substantially blocked, if not completely, from the first inner space 170 to the second inner space 172. On the other hand, the flow of the viscous material 14 from the second internal space 172 to the first internal space 170 is completely blocked. Therefore, the first plug 160 allows the viscous material 14 to be accommodated in the first internal space 170 without causing leakage to the second internal space 172.

  In the present embodiment, the first plug 160 has a function of preventing the viscous material 14 filled in the syringe 20 from flowing out of the syringe 20. By the way, the syringe 20 filled with the viscous material 14 is then loaded into the coating gun as the cartridge. When the trigger is pulled by the operator, the application gun pushes the first plug 160 to discharge the viscous material 14 as a sealant from the cartridge by a necessary amount. Therefore, the first plug 160 functions as a plunger that pushes out the viscous material 14 in a state where the syringe 20 is loaded in the application gun.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the bottom portion 62 of the syringe 20 is directly connected to the bottom portion 56 of the container 12, but such a connection is indispensable for carrying out the present invention. For example, the connection may be made indirectly through an adapter. In another embodiment, a plurality of syringes 20 parallel to each other are connected to one container 12 via a common adapter.

  In the present embodiment, the container 12 and the syringe 20 are directly connected to each other by, for example, screwing of a male screw and a female screw, so that the syringe 12 is held in the filling device 10. 20 is aligned with respect to the container 12 in both diametrical and axial directions.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the suction tool 180 is inserted into the syringe 20 in a state where the container set is held by the container holder mechanism 70 and the syringe set is connected to the container set.

  The suction tool 180 is held by the syringe holder mechanism 72. In the present embodiment, the syringe holder mechanism 72 holds the suction tool 180 and the suction tool 180 is inserted into the syringe 20, and as a result, the syringe 20 is held by the syringe holder mechanism 72. .

  FIG. 9 shows the suction tool 180 in a partial cross-sectional side view. The suction tool 180 includes a vacuum tube 182 that has rigidity and extends straight, and a second plug 190 that is fixed to the tip of the vacuum tube 182. The vacuum tube 182 is a steel pipe (synthetic resin pipe is acceptable), and not only acts as a passage for generating an air flow toward an external vacuum source (not shown), but also compresses in the axial direction. It also acts as a rod capable of transmitting. In FIG. 10, the suction tool 180 is shown attached to the syringe 20.

  The second plug 190 has substantially the same shape and material configuration as the first plug 160 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the second plug 190 is inserted in series with the first plug 160 previously inserted in the syringe 10 and in the same direction as the first plug 160. By this insertion, the second internal space 172 in the syringe 20 is partitioned into a third partial space 200 on the first plug 160 side and a fourth partial space 202 on the opening 68 side.

  Similar to the first plug 160, the second plug 190 has a check function for gas (generally, air) when inserted into the syringe 20.

  Specifically, in the syringe 20, when the air in the third internal space 200 has a higher pressure than the fourth internal space 202, the air in the third internal space 200 is exchanged with the inner peripheral surface 162 of the syringe 20. It is allowed to flow out into the fourth internal space 202 through a gap with the outer peripheral surface of the second plug 190. However, when the air in the third internal space 200 is lower in pressure than the fourth internal space 202, the inner peripheral surface 162 and the outer peripheral surface of the second plug 190 are hermetically adhered to each other due to the differential pressure. The flow of air from the fourth internal space 202 to the third internal space 200 is blocked.

  Therefore, thanks to the check function of the second plug 190, the third internal space 200 can be set to a vacuum pressure in a state where the fourth internal space 202 is at atmospheric pressure.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the vacuum tube 182 has a front end portion 210 and a rear end portion 212. The vacuum tube 182 is connected to the air pressure control unit at the rear end portion 212 via a flexible hose (not shown). Further, the vacuum source (pressure height is, for example, a large value). The pressure is about 0.1 MPa lower than 0.101325 MPa which is the atmospheric pressure or a negative pressure stronger than that. The vacuum source constitutes an example of the vacuuming mechanism in cooperation with the pneumatic control unit.

  The second plug 190 is fixed at a position slightly away from the tip surface of the tip portion 210. The vacuum tube 182 passes through the second plug 190 coaxially and is in close contact with each other substantially in an airtight manner. The distal end portion 210 is substantially hermetically closed by a stopper 214 at the distal end surface thereof. As shown in FIG. 10, the distal end portion 210 abuts the inner surface of the distal end portion 164 of the first plug 160 at the distal end surface of the stopper 214, and thereby the approach limit of the second plug 190 relative to the first plug 160 (ie, The minimum approach distance between the first plug 160 and the second plug 190 is uniquely determined.

  As shown in FIG. 9, a suction port 216 that penetrates the distal end portion 210 in the diametrical direction is formed at a position that is not obstructed by the stopper 214. The suction port 216 is finally connected to the vacuum source via the internal passage 218 of the vacuum tube 182. As shown in FIG. 10, the suction port 216 communicates with the third internal space 200 in a state where the stopper 214 is in contact with the first plug 160, whereby the fourth internal space 202 is maintained at atmospheric pressure. In this state, the third internal space 200 can be evacuated by the suction tool 180.

  As shown in FIG. 11, when the third internal space 200 is evacuated, the air in the first internal space 170 passes through the radial gap between the syringe 20 and the first plug 160, and the third internal space 200. The discharged air is further sucked by the vacuum source via the vacuum tube 182. Thereby, the first internal space 170 is evacuated. At this time, the fourth internal space 202 is maintained at atmospheric pressure.

  As shown in FIG. 11, when the plunger 22 is pushed into the container 12, the viscous material 14 is pushed out of the bottom 56 from the container 12, and the pushed viscous material 14 is in a first internal space under vacuum pressure. 170 is filled. As the volume of the filled viscous material 14 increases, the first plug 160 is pushed by the viscous material 14 and raised relative to the syringe 20. Accordingly, the suction tool 180 is raised with respect to the syringe 20.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vacuum tube 182 is fixed to the movable frame 136. The vacuum tube 182 extends coaxially with the vertical center line of the filling device 10 (coaxial with the center line of the guide hole 94). The second plug 190 is fixed to the vacuum tube 182, and the second plug 190 is inserted into the syringe 20 without any difficulty. Thereby, the syringe 20 is aligned with respect to the position of the top plate 82.

  Next, the present filling method will be specifically described with reference to the process chart shown in FIG. 12, but prior to that, a method for manufacturing the viscous material 14 will be described.

  The viscous material 14 is a high-viscosity synthetic resin, and is cured when heated to a certain temperature (for example, 50 ° C.) or higher. Once cured, the viscous material 14 has thermoplasticity that does not restore its properties even when the temperature decreases. . When the viscous material 14 is not cured and frozen at a certain temperature (for example, −20 ° C.) or lower, the progress (curing) of the chemical reaction in the viscous material 14 stops. Thereafter, when the viscous material 14 is heated and thawed, the chemical reaction in the viscous material 14 is resumed (cured).

  In the present embodiment, the viscous material 14 is a two-liquid mixing type, and is provided by mixing two liquids of liquid A (curing agent) and liquid B (main agent). An example of liquid A is PR-1776 B-2, Part A (accelerator and manganese dioxide dispersion) of PRC-DeSoto International, USA, and an example of liquid B combined therewith is US PRC. -PR-1776 B-2, Part B (a base component and a filling modified polysulfide resin) from DeSoto International.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, in order to manufacture the viscous material 14, first, two liquids are mixed in the container 12 in step S11. Next, in step S12, stirring and defoaming is performed on the viscous material 14 accommodated in the container 12 using a stirrer (not shown). In the present embodiment, the same container 12 is used for mixing two liquids for producing the viscous material 14 and stirring and defoaming the viscous material 14 with a stirrer.

  An example of a stirrer is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-104404, and the content of this publication is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In this embodiment, this type of stirrer rotates the container 12 filled with the viscous material 14 around the rotation axis eccentrically with respect to the revolution axis while revolving around the revolution axis under vacuum pressure, Thereby, the viscous material 14 is deaerated while being stirred in the container 12.

  In the stirrer, the viscous material 14 is stirred by the centrifugal force resulting from the planetary motion by the stirrer. Further, the bubbles mixed in the viscous material 14 are discharged from the viscous material 14 due to the joint action of the centrifugal force caused by the planetary motion by the stirrer and the negative pressure caused by the vacuum atmosphere. Defoamed. Thereby, the generation of voids in the viscous material 14 is completely or sufficiently prevented.

  In this stirring and defoaming step, the rotation speed and continuous stirring time of the container 12 by the stirrer are determined by the size and / or number of voids finally remaining in the viscous material 14 and the temperature of the viscous material 14 by stirring and defoaming. Both of the rising amounts are set to be minimized as much as possible. The faster the number of revolutions and the longer the continuous stirring time, the greater the degree to which the generation of voids is suppressed. However, the viscous material 14 tends to be heated by Joule heat and the start time of curing tends to be advanced. Thus, for the viscous material 14, the void condition and the temperature condition are in a trade-off relationship. Therefore, in this embodiment, the rotation speed and the continuous stirring time are set so that the void condition and the temperature condition are compatible.

  When the viscous material 14 is mixed in the container 12 and stirred and degassed as described above, the viscous material 14 is transferred from the container 12 to the syringe 20 using the filling device 10 as shown in FIG. Work to be started.

  First, in step S21, the operator prepares the container set by inserting the plunger 22 into the container 12 filled with the viscous material 14, as shown in FIG. Next, in step S22, the operator holds the container set in the filling apparatus 10 by setting the container set upside down on the container holder mechanism 70 of the filling apparatus 10 as shown in FIG. Let

  Specifically, the movable plate 100 is retracted downward from the container set prior to the container set being held by the container holder mechanism 70. The operator first places the container set on the retracted movable plate 100 in a predetermined position in an upside down posture. Thereafter, the operator raises the movable plate 100 together with the container set until the container 12 hits the top plate 82. Finally, the operator fixes the movable plate 100 at that position.

  Subsequently, in step S23, the operator prepares the syringe set by inserting the first plug 160 into the syringe 20, as shown in FIG. Thereafter, in step S24, as shown in FIG. 3, the syringe set is substantially airtightly connected to the container set previously held in the upside down posture by the filling device 10, thereby filling the syringe set. The device 10 holds it.

  Prior to mounting the syringe set on the filling device 10, the air cylinder 132 pushes the lifting rod 142, and as a result, the suction tool 180 is in a position retracted upward from the syringe 20. That is, the attachment of the syringe set to the filling device 10 is not disturbed by the suction tool 180.

  Subsequently, in step S <b> 25, the air cylinder 132 pulls the lifting rod 142, thereby inserting the suction tool 180 in the retracted position into the syringe 20. The suction tool 180 including the vacuum tube 182 and the second plug 190 is lowered by the air cylinder 132 until the stopper 214 of the vacuum tube 182 hits the first plug 160 existing in the syringe 20.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the first plug 160 and the second plug 190 are arranged in series in the syringe 20 such that the first plug 160 is located below and the second plug 190 is located above. Will be positioned. The advance limit of the first plug 160 is defined by, for example, contact with the tip of the portion of the bottom 56 of the container 12 that forms the discharge passage 57.

  Thereafter, the air cylinder 132 is switched to the above-described floating position. As a result, the weight of the vacuum tube 182 and the weight of the member moving up and down together with the vacuum tube 182 are increased from the vacuum tube 182 to the first plug 160. A force having a value obtained by excluding sliding resistance from the sum of the two acts. The force is a force for pressing the first plug 160 toward the bottom portion 62 of the syringe 20 and is a force for reducing the volume of the first partial space 170.

  Then, in step S26, as shown in FIG. 11, the third partial space 200 is evacuated by sucking air in the third partial space 200 through the vacuum tube 182 with the vacuum source. Accordingly, the first partial space 170 is evacuated. The first partial space 170 is then filled with the viscous material 14 from the container 12, but prior to that, air that causes voids generated in the viscous material 14 is substantially contained in the first partial space 170. It will not exist.

  As is clear from the above description, according to the present embodiment, the third partial space 200 in the syringe 20 is evacuated by the vacuum tube 182, and then the third partial space 200 is used as the second vacuum source. The first partial space 170 is evacuated by the flow of air through the radial gap between the inner peripheral surface 162 of the syringe 20 and the outer peripheral surface of the first plug 160.

  Thereby, a differential pressure is generated that the first partial space 170 and the third partial space 200 in the syringe 20 are higher in pressure than the external vacuum source connected to the distal end of the vacuum tube 182. Due to the differential pressure, the air existing in the first partial space 170 flows into the third partial space 200 through the radial gap between the inner peripheral surface 162 of the syringe 20 and the outer peripheral surface of the first plug 160. As a result, it is discharged out of the syringe 20 through the vacuum tube 182. As a result, air does not enter the viscous material 14 during the filling of the viscous material 14 into the first partial space 170.

  As a result, according to the present embodiment, as long as the space in the syringe 20 is evacuated, the viscous material 14 that has flowed into the syringe 20 does not need to come into contact with air. It is not indispensable to provide a housing for housing in a sealed state, and air does not enter the viscous material 14 during filling of the viscous material 14 into the syringe 20.

  Therefore, according to this embodiment, in order to prevent air from being mixed into the viscous material 14 during filling, it is indispensable to provide a housing for accommodating the container 12 and the syringe 20 in a sealed state. It is no longer necessary to evacuate the housing and create a vacuum.

  As a result, according to the present embodiment, in order to prevent air from being mixed into the viscous material 14 during filling, the tendency of the filling device 10 to increase in size and the number of parts is reduced. The tendency to increase weight and cost is also reduced.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the container 12 and the syringe can be filled with the viscous material 14 using the filling device 10 even in a working environment where only a narrow working space exists, and can be occupied simultaneously in the same working space. It becomes easy to increase the number of each of 20.

  Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the first partial space 170 to be filled with the viscous material 14 is evacuated, if air is mixed in the viscous material 14 itself before filling, It is also possible to perform defoaming, that is, to remove the mixed air from the viscous material 14.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the first plug 160 in the syringe 20 is directed toward the first partial space 170 from the force in a direction to approach the viscous material 14 that has flowed into the syringe 20 (that is, from the opening 68). Force) is applied by the vacuum tube 182. The direction of the applied force is a direction that reduces the volume of the first partial space 170. On the other hand, evacuation of the first partial space 170 also facilitates reducing the volume of the first partial space 170.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the air present in the first partial space 170 is converted into the syringe 20 and the first plug by the cooperative action of the application of force by the vacuum tube 182 and the evacuation of the first partial space 170. Exhaust from the first partial space 170 is facilitated through a radial gap between the first subspace 160 and the second subspace 160.

  Subsequently, in step S27, as shown in FIG. 1, the air cylinder 120 pushes out the rod 122, so that the pusher 124 first engages with the engaging portion 59 of the plunger 22 from behind as shown in FIG. To do. Subsequently, when the air cylinder 120 pushes the rod 122 further, the plunger 22 rises and is pushed into the container 12. Along with this, the viscous material 14 is pushed out from the container 12 against the force of gravity, and thereby the filling into the first partial space 170 is started.

  Eventually, the entire first partial space 170 in the initial state shown in FIGS. 3 and 7 is filled with the viscous material 14. Subsequently, when the filling of the viscous material 14 continues, the volume of the first partial space 170 increases, and accordingly, the first plug 160, the second plug 190, the vacuum tube 182 and the movable frame 136 tend to rise. At this time, the viscous material 14 in the first partial space 170 is caused by the joint action of its own viscosity and a slight radial gap between the inner peripheral surface 162 of the syringe 20 and the outer peripheral surface of the first plug 160. Outflow to the third partial space 200 is prevented.

  Prior to filling the syringe 20 with the viscous material 14, the gas spring 150 shown in FIG. 2 is in a state of being compressed by the movable frame 136. As a reaction, the gas spring 150 applies a force to raise the movable frame 136 together with the suction tool 180 to the movable frame 136.

  Accordingly, after the entire first partial space 170 in the initial state shown in FIGS. 3 and 7 is filled with the viscous material 14, when the volume of the first partial space 170 further increases, the first partial space 170 is The plug 160, the suction tool 180 (including the second plug 190 and the vacuum tube 182), and the movable frame 136 can be raised without significantly increasing the pressure of the viscous material 14 in the first partial space 170. . That is, in the present embodiment, in step S <b> 28, the suction tool 180 (including the second plug 190 and the vacuum tube 182) and the movable frame 136 are mechanically assisted by the gas spring 152.

  Thereafter, when the plunger 22 advances to the advance limit and bottoms into the container 12, the air cylinder 132 pushes the lifting rod 142 in step S29, and the suction tool 180 is left with the first plug 160 remaining in the syringe 20. The suction tool 180 is pulled out from the syringe 20.

  Subsequently, in step S <b> 30, the syringe set is removed from the container 12 and the filling device 10. Thereafter, in step S31, the container set is removed from the filling device 10. Thus, transfer and filling of the viscous material 14 from one container 12 to one syringe 20 is completed.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. However, since this embodiment has many elements in common with the first embodiment, only different elements will be described in detail, and the common elements will be referred to using the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. To do.

  In the first embodiment, in addition to the first plug 160, the second plug 190 is also inserted into the syringe 20, and the vacuum tube 182 is engaged with the first plug 160, thereby the first partial space 170. Is now evacuated.

  In contrast, in the present embodiment, the second plug 190 is omitted from the first embodiment, and, as shown in FIG. 13, a simple rod 230 that is not connected to the vacuum source is connected to the first plug 160. The rod 230 is engaged so that it only functions to press the first plug 160 toward the bottom 62 of the syringe 20 and does not evacuate the first subspace 170. . The basic configuration of the rod 230 is the same as that of the vacuum rod 182 shown in FIG. 9 except for the portion related to the second plug 190.

  However, the rod 230 is held by the filling device 10 in the same manner as the vacuum tube 182. Specifically, the rod 230 is moved up and down by the air cylinder 132 and given a rising force by the gas spring 152. In the present embodiment, the rod 230 is configured as a steel pipe in the same manner as the vacuum tube 182, thereby reducing the weight while ensuring the necessary rigidity (to transmit the compressive force in the axial direction). Is realized. Alternatively, the rod 230 can be a synthetic resin pipe or a solid rod made of steel or synthetic resin.

  FIG. 14 is a process diagram showing the filling method according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, among all the steps, only the steps after step S25 are different from those in the first embodiment. Therefore, the duplicated description of common steps is omitted, and only different steps are described.

  In step S25, as in step S25 in FIG. 12, the air cylinder 132 pulls the lifting rod 142, thereby inserting the rod 230 in the retracted position into the syringe 20. The rod 230 is lowered by the air cylinder 132 until the stopper 214 of the rod 230 hits the first plug 160 previously present in the syringe 20. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, the first plug 160 and the rod 230 are positioned in series in the syringe 20. The advance limit of the first plug 160 is defined by, for example, contact with the tip of the portion of the bottom 56 of the container 12 that forms the discharge passage 57.

  Thereafter, the air cylinder 132 is switched to the above-described floating position, and as a result, the rod 230 to the first plug 160 is summed with the weight of the rod 230 and the weight of the member that moves up and down together with the rod 230. A force having a value excluding sliding resistance acts. The force is a force for pressing the first plug 160 toward the bottom portion 62 of the syringe 20 and is a force for reducing the volume of the first partial space 170.

  Subsequently, in step S26, as in step S27 in FIG. 12, the plunger 22 is raised and pushed into the container 12 as shown in FIG. Along with this, the viscous material 14 is pushed out from the container 12 against the force of gravity, and thereby the filling into the first partial space 170 is started.

  In this embodiment, prior to filling the syringe 20 with the viscous material 14, air exists in the first partial space 170 of the syringe 20, and the first partial space 170 is evacuated during filling. There is nothing.

  However, according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, when the viscous material 14 flows from the container 12 into the first partial space 170 of the syringe 20, the air present in the first partial space 170 flows in. It is compressed by the viscous material 14.

  As a result, a differential pressure is generated in the syringe 20 such that the first partial space 170 is higher than the second partial space 172 (atmospheric pressure) communicating with the outside of the syringe 20. Due to the differential pressure, the air in the first partial space 170 flows into the second partial space 172 through a radial gap between the inner peripheral surface 162 of the syringe 20 and the outer peripheral surface of the first plug 160, and consequently , And discharged from the opening 68 of the syringe 20 to the outside.

  As a result, according to the present embodiment, air is discharged from the first partial space 170 during the filling of the viscous material 14 into the first partial space 170, and the air is discharged into the viscous material 14 in the first partial space 170. Can be avoided.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the first plug 160 in the syringe 20 is given a force in the direction in which the volume of the first partial space 170 decreases by the rod 230. The applied force is a force in a direction in which the first plug 160 approaches the viscous material 14 that has flowed into the syringe 20.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the above-described differential pressure is generated even when force is applied by the rod 230, and a larger differential pressure is generated in the syringe 20 than when no force is applied by the rod 230. As a result, there is a phenomenon in which the air present in the first partial space 170 flows into the second partial space 172 through the radial gap between the inner peripheral surface 162 of the syringe 20 and the outer peripheral surface of the first plug 160. Promoted.

  Thus, according to this embodiment, in order to prevent air from being mixed into the viscous material 14 during the filling of the viscous material 14 from the container 12 to the syringe 20, the space in the container 12 and the syringe 20 ( In particular, it is not essential to evacuate the space in the syringe 20. As a result, air is mixed in the viscous material 14 during the filling of the viscous material 14 into the syringe 20 without making it indispensable to provide a housing for accommodating the container 12 and the syringe 20 in a sealed state. Can be prevented.

  Eventually, the entire first partial space 170 in the initial state shown in FIG. 13 is filled with the viscous material 14 (all the original air in the first partial space 170 is replaced with the viscous material 14). Subsequently, when the filling of the viscous material 14 is continued, the volume of the first partial space 170 increases, and accordingly, the first plug 160, the rod 230, and the movable frame 136 tend to rise. At this time, the viscous material 14 in the first partial space 170 is caused by the joint action of its own viscosity and a slight radial gap between the inner peripheral surface 162 of the syringe 20 and the outer peripheral surface of the first plug 160. Outflow to the second partial space 172 is prevented.

  Prior to filling the syringe 20 with the viscous material 14, the gas spring 150 shown in FIG. 2 is in a state of being compressed by the movable frame 136. As a reaction, the gas spring 150 applies a force to raise the movable frame 136 together with the rod 230 to the movable frame 136.

  Therefore, after the entire first partial space 170 in the initial state shown in FIGS. 3 and 7 is filled with the viscous material 14, when the volume of the first partial space 170 is further increased, the first plug is accordingly increased. 160, the rod 230, and the movable frame 136 can be raised without significantly raising the pressure of the viscous material 14 in the first partial space 170. That is, in the present embodiment, in step S27, the ascent of the rod 230 and the movable frame 136 is mechanically assisted by the gas spring 152.

  Thereafter, when the plunger 22 bottoms into the container 12, in step S28, as in step S29 in FIG. 12, the rod 230 is lifted while the first plug 160 remains in the syringe 20, whereby the rod 230 is moved into the syringe. Pull out from 20.

  Subsequently, in step S29, the syringe set is detached from the container 12 and the filling device 10 as in step S30 in FIG. Thereafter, in step S30, the container set is detached from the filling device 10 as in step S31 in FIG. Thus, transfer and filling of the viscous material 14 from one container 12 to one syringe 20 is completed.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. However, in this embodiment, only the container set is different from the first embodiment or the second embodiment, and other elements are common to those embodiments. Therefore, only the container set will be described in detail, and the common elements will be described. Will not be described again.

  FIG. 16 shows an exploded view of a container set used for carrying out the filling method according to the present embodiment. This container set has a basic configuration in common with the container set shown in FIG. However, in the container set in the present embodiment, the container 250 is configured by two separable parts, that is, the main body 252 and the plug 254, and the diameter of the portion of the plunger 260 that is inserted into the container 250. However, it differs from the container set shown in FIG. 5 in that it is not uniform in the axial direction.

  Specifically, the main body 252 is configured to include a housing 50, a chamber 52, an opening 54, and a bottom 56. A through hole 270 having a circular cross section and extending in the axial direction is formed at the center of the bottom portion 56. The plug 254 is configured to integrally include a base plate 280, an engagement shaft portion 282 extending from one side surface of the base plate 280, and a connection shaft portion 284 extending from the other surface of the base plate 280. The plug 254 is made of a synthetic resin such as Teflon (registered trademark), but may be made of another material. The plug 254 has a through hole 286 that passes through the three portions 280, 282 and 284 simultaneously.

  In a state where the plug 254 is attached to the main body 252, the engagement shaft portion 282 is fitted into the through hole 270 of the bottom portion 56. The connection shaft portion 284 is used to connect the container 250 to the bottom portion 62 of the syringe 20 in a substantially airtight manner. Specifically, the connection shaft portion 284 is fitted into the cylindrical portion 64 of the bottom portion 62. In the present embodiment, a thread portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the connection shaft portion 284, while a female screw portion is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tube portion 64, and the connection shaft portion 284 and the tube portion 64 are mutually connected. Connected by screwing.

  The plug 254 is detachably attached to the main body 252 and the plug 254 is fastened to the main body 254 by a method such as screwing in order to maintain the attached state. The container 250 is completed by attaching the plug 254 to the main body 252, and in this state, the viscous material 14 is transferred from the chamber 52 of the container 250 into the syringe 20 through the through hole 286. That is, the through hole 286 performs the same function as the discharge passage 57.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the plug 254 can be separated from the main body 252. On the other hand, since the plug 254 is commonly used for a plurality of different syringes 20, wear on the connecting shaft portion 284 is particularly fast. Therefore, in the present embodiment, only the plug 254 can be replaced without replacing the main body 252, and therefore, it is not necessary to replace the main body 252 in vain with the replacement of the plug 254.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the main body 58 of the plunger 260 has a hemispherical distal end 290, a proximal end 292 adjacent to the engaging portion 59, and an intermediate portion 294 located between the two. doing. Both the distal end portion 290, the proximal end portion 292, and the intermediate portion 294 have a circular cross section, but the diameter D2 of the distal end portion 290 is smaller than the diameter D1 of the proximal end portion 292. Further, the intermediate portion 294 has a taper shape whose diameter changes from a diameter equal to the diameter D2 of the distal end portion 290 to a diameter equal to the diameter D1 of the proximal end portion 292.

  Since the diameter D1 of the base end portion 292 substantially matches the diameter of the chamber 52 of the main body portion 252 (equal to the diameter of the opening portion 54), the base end portion 292 is inserted into the chamber 52. There is only a small radial gap CL1 extending in the circumferential direction between the outer peripheral surface of the base end 292 and the inner peripheral surface of the chamber 52.

  Therefore, in this state, even if air exists between the rear surface of the viscous material 14 in the chamber 52 and the distal end surface of the plunger 260 as well as the viscous material 14 in the chamber 52, neither the viscous material 14 nor the air is present. There is virtually no leakage to the outside through the gap CL1.

  On the other hand, in a state where the tip 290 is inserted into the chamber 52, a gap CL2 having a larger radial dimension than the gap CL1 is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the tip 290 and the inner peripheral surface of the chamber 52. Is done. Therefore, in this state, some viscous material 14 and air existing between the rear surface of the viscous material 14 in the chamber 52 and the front end surface of the plunger 260 are promoted to leak to the outside through the gap CL2. The

  By the way, when it is going to insert the plunger 260 in the container 250 with which the chamber 52 is filled with the viscous material 14, the plunger 260 is inserted in the chamber 52 with the air located in front of it. As a result, the air that has entered the chamber 52 is the first of the syringe 20 in a state where all the viscous material 14 has been transferred from the container 250 to the syringe 20 because the plunger 260 has reached the advance limit in the container 250. It exists in the partial space 170.

  As a result, the viscous material 14 is present together with air in the first partial space 170 of the syringe 20. If this air exists, even if the operator tries to discharge the viscous material 14 with the application gun, only air is discharged and the essential viscous material 14 is not discharged at the beginning of the discharge process. Furthermore, such air is mixed in the viscous material 14 and causes voids to be formed in the viscous material 14 discharged from the application gun and applied to the target object.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, when the insertion of the plunger 260 into the container 250 is started, the tip portion 290 first enters the container 250. At this time, the outer peripheral surface of the tip portion 290 and the chamber 52 are inserted. A gap CL <b> 2 is formed between the inner circumferential surface and the inner circumferential surface. If air exists between the tip 290 and the viscous material 14 in the chamber 52, the air leaks to the outside through the gap CL2 when it is pushed away by the tip 290 that moves forward.

  At this time, not only air but also the viscous material 14 is pushed away by the leading end 290, but the viscous material 14 does not leak out as easily as the air due to its viscosity. That is, the gap CL2 functions as a filter that functions to selectively leak only air.

  The maximum amount of air that may enter the chamber 52 upon insertion of the plunger 260 into the container 250 is the shape of the rear surface (usually a flat surface) of the viscous material 14 filled in the chamber 52 and its filling. Depending on the viscosity of the viscous material 14 (easiness of deformation of the material shape), the shape of the tip 290, and the cross-sectional area of the plunger 260, it can be predicted with a certain degree of accuracy.

  Therefore, the stroke of the plunger 260 necessary for substantially all of the maximum amount of air that has entered the chamber 52 to leak from the container 250 through the gap CL2 can also be predicted. When the predicted stroke is achieved, the axial length of the distal end portion 290 is preset so that the intermediate portion 294 enters the container 250 and the proximal end portion 292 begins to enter the container 250 before long. ing. When the proximal end 292 is inserted into the chamber 52, the viscous material 14 is prevented from leaking from the chamber 52.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, since the air is completely or partially prevented from entering the container 250 due to the insertion of the plunger 260 into the container 250, the air instead of the viscous material 14 is used. Is less likely to be discharged from the application gun, and the possibility of voids being formed in the viscous material 14 discharged and applied from the application gun is reduced.

  This specification provides a thorough explanation of compositions, methods, systems and / or structures and applications in some examples of embodiments of the technology described herein. While various embodiments of the art have been described above with some specificity or with reference to at least one individual embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize numerous modifications to the disclosed embodiments. It can be done without departing from the spirit or scope of the technology. Further, unless the contrary is explicitly stated in the claims section or a specific order is not essential by the terms in the claims, the actions are performed in any order. It should be understood that it may be. All matters contained in the above description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are to be construed as illustrative only of the specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting of the described embodiments. It is intended. Changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the basic elements of the technology as defined in the claims section that follows.

Claims (3)

A cartridge filling method for filling a cartridge, which is detachably loaded into an application gun for viscous material, with viscous material ,
The cartridge is
A syringe having a chamber therein, a main body having an inner peripheral surface, a bottom located at one of both ends of the main body, and an opening located at the other of both ends of the main body And having
A plunger that is slidably fitted in the syringe and has an outer peripheral surface, and in the fitted state, the chamber is a first internal space on the bottom side and is filled with the viscous material And a space formed between the inner peripheral surface of the syringe and the outer peripheral surface of the plunger, and is partitioned into a second internal space on the opening side.
Until the entire first internal space is filled with the viscous material, the first internal space is higher in pressure than the second internal space in the syringe. If it is, permit the flow from the first internal space through the gap to the second internal space,
For the viscous material in the syringe, the gap has a large resistance to the viscous material passing through the gap because of the viscosity of the viscous material, so that the flow from the first internal space to the second internal space is prevented. Effectively blocking,
The method is
In the second part space, a step of the rod, Ru was possible engaged removably on said plunger,
When filling of the first inner space of the viscous material is completed, the rod, leaving the plunger in the syringe, and pull disconnect rather step from said second internal space
A cartridge filling method comprising: The cartridge substantially prevents gas flow from the second internal space to the first internal space when the first internal space is at a lower pressure than the second internal space in the syringe. The cartridge filling method according to claim 1. A cartridge filling method for filling a cartridge, which is detachably loaded into an application gun for viscous material, with viscous material,
The cartridge is
A syringe having a chamber therein, a main body having an inner peripheral surface, a bottom located at one of both ends of the main body, and an opening located at the other of both ends of the main body And having
A plunger that is slidably fitted in the syringe and has an outer peripheral surface, and in the fitted state, the chamber is a first internal space on the bottom side and is filled with the viscous material And a space formed between the inner peripheral surface of the syringe and the outer peripheral surface of the plunger.
Including
The gap allows gas to flow from the first internal space to the second internal space, but substantially prevents the viscous material from flowing from the first internal space to the second internal space. ,
The method is
A step of detachably engaging a rod with the plunger in the second partial space;
When the filling of the viscous material into the first internal space is completed, the rod is pulled out of the second internal space while leaving the plunger in the syringe;
A cartridge filling method comprising:

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