JP6253074B1 - Packaging bag sealing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sealing device suitable for printing information such as the expiration date on a bag of a variety of small lots. SOLUTION: Each of the opposed surfaces of a pair of heat seal members 3 and 4 for heat-sealing by pressure-bonding the mouth portion of the packaging bag 2 has concavity and convexity groups 3b and 4b continuous in the longitudinal direction, and the above-mentioned Printing space forming areas 3c and 4c surrounded by the uneven groups 3b and 4b and from which the uneven groups are removed are provided, and the mouth of the packaging bag 2 is pressure-bonded and heat sealed by a pair of heat seal members 3 and 4 When the seal portion 2a of the packaging bag 2 is formed with a concavo-convex group corresponding to the concavo-convex groups 3b and 4b, a flat printing space 5 is formed in which the concavo-convex group is removed at a position corresponding to the print space forming area. Is done. [Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a sealing device for packaging bags for sweets and the like.

As this type, for example, a sealing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been conventionally known.
This conventional sealing device prints the expiration date in advance on the mating surface of the heat seal portion corresponding to the mouth portion of the packaging bag, and then heat seals the mating surface including the print portion. Therefore, the printing of the expiration date can be seen through.
However, since the high heat of the heat seal acts on the printed portion, there is a problem that the printed characters are likely to be blurred or disturbed.

In order to solve such a problem, a printing space is secured in advance on the surface opposite to the surface on which the main design of the packaging bag is applied, for example, the back surface expressing the names of raw materials and nutrients of the product. Conventionally, a method for printing the expiration date in a space using a thermal printer or the like and sealing the mouth of the packaging bag after printing it is known.
Moreover, although the said printing space is ensured on the back surface of a bag main body, even if it is a back surface, since design property becomes a problem, the said printing space is also ensured in various positions according to the goods packed in a bag. It will be.

JP 2004-268925 A

When the expiration date is printed in the printing space on the back surface of the bag body as in the prior art, it is usual to print the expiration date for the number of packaging bags predicted in advance.
Such a method causes various problems when dealing with small lots and many kinds of foods.
For example, in the case of handling a small lot of various types of products, it is common that the form of the bag is different for each product. Therefore, if the form of the bag is different, the position of the printing space is also different for each bag. .

Thus, if the position of the printing space differs depending on the packaging bag, the printing means must be aligned each time the packaging bag shape changes.
Therefore, in the case of handling small-lot, multi-variety foods as described above, there is a problem in that there are many opportunities for alignment of the printing means, and the productivity decreases accordingly.

Moreover, when many products packed in a bag are boxed without gaps, the packaging bags rub against each other. Moreover, the packaging bag in which the product is packed is swollen outward. For example, when the expiration date is printed on the most swollen portion, the portion is most strongly rubbed.
Therefore, when the packaging bags in the box are rubbed with each other during the conveyance process, there is a problem that characters such as the expiration date are erased or become unclear.

Furthermore, the expiration date and the like are printed on the back surface expressing the raw material names and nutritional components of the product. However, even on the back side, the design of the part becomes a problem, but securing the printing space for the expiry date has a problem of impairing the degree of freedom of the design.
In addition, if the printing point of the expiration date is different depending on the packaging bag of the product as described above, for example, there is a problem that it is difficult to confirm the expiration date at the time of the product pick-up operation in the store.

  The object of the present invention is to easily align the printing means for each packaging bag even when dealing with small lots of various types of products, enable clear printing, and the printing process will not become unclear, etc. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sealing device that solves the above-mentioned conventional problems.

This invention presupposes a packaging bag sealing device that heat-seals by compressing a mouth portion of a packaging bag between opposing surfaces of a pair of heat sealing members facing each other.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a concavity and convexity group continuous in the longitudinal direction is formed on each of the opposing surfaces of the pair of heat seal members, and a printing space is formed in which the concavity and convexity group is removed and the entire circumference is surrounded by the concavity and convexity group There is an area.
Then, when the heat-sealed by crimping the mouth of the packaging bag with the pair of heat-sealing member, the sealing portion of the packaging bag indents corresponding to the indents are formed, corresponding to the print space formation area A flat printing space is formed at the position where the entire circumference is surrounded by the uneven group and the uneven group is removed.
The printing space forming area may be a flat surface, a concave portion, a through hole, etc., as long as the printing space forming area where the unevenness group is removed and the sealing portion of the packaging bag is not formed with the printing space forming area is defined. The form of the printing space forming area is not limited.

The printing means for printing in the printing space may be any means as long as it can print information such as the expiration date, such as a thermal printer or an engraving printing machine using type.
However, it is difficult to print information other than characters with printing means using printed characters. With a thermal printer, in addition to characters, various information such as graphics, symbols, and two-dimensional codes can be printed, and there is no need to change the type every time the information content changes.
Further, the size of the printing space is not particularly limited as long as the periphery is surrounded by a group of projections and depressions and can accommodate information to be printed.

  The second invention is characterized in that the print space forming area is formed of a recess or a through hole formed in the facing surface.

3rd invention is equipped with the conveyance mechanism which conveys the said packaging bag along the longitudinal direction of the said heat seal member, The said conveyance mechanism is a printing space formed in the sealing part of the said packaging bag, The said heat seal The position control for making the printing means provided in the conveyance direction upstream or downstream of the packaging bag rather than the member possible is possible.

According to the sealing device of the first to third inventions, the printing space on which the expiration date is printed is limited to the mouth portion of the packaging bag to be heat sealed. In addition, the relative position of the heat-sealed portion is limited to some extent regardless of the type of bag, so that the printing space can be grasped in a limited manner even when handling a small variety of foods.
Therefore, the alignment of the printing space formed on the heat seal member and the printing means may be performed only in the mouth portion of the packaging bag, and the control becomes simple. Therefore, it is easy to control to match the relative positions of the printing space and the printing means, which is necessary every time the type of the packaging bag is different, and the production efficiency is greatly improved.
In particular, if the printing space forming area is set to be larger than the actual printing range, the positioning accuracy for making the printing unit face the printing space can be made rough.

  Further, the mouth portion of the packaging bag does not swell even when the product is packaged. Therefore, the printing space is not rubbed with other packaging bags even in the process of being packed and transported. Since the printing space does not rub against other packaging bags, the printing of the expiration date printed on the printing space is not erased or blurred.

  Furthermore, since the print portion such as the expiration date in the packaging bag is limited to the heat-sealed mouth portion, for example, when checking the expiration date or the like, the information can be confirmed without hesitation. In particular, when a product is busy working in a store or the like, the printing location such as the expiry date is habitually noticeable, which helps to increase the efficiency of the product work.

  In addition, the heat seal portion of the mouth of the packaging bag is often colored in one color, and the pattern is hardly drawn, so that the degree of freedom in design is not impaired. And since it is not necessary to ensure a printing space in the back surface of the said packaging bag, the freedom degree of design increases also as the whole bag.

Furthermore, since the printing space is formed by being sandwiched between the printing space forming areas from which the unevenness group of the heat seal member is removed, the printing space becomes a flat surface, and information such as characters printed thereon can be clearly displayed. it can.
For example, the information printed on the surface on which the concavo-convex group is formed may be difficult to read because lines may be interrupted by the concavo-convex group or characters may be distorted. Since there is no flat surface, there is no such problem.

In addition, since the sealing bag is sealed with the uneven portion formed on the opposing surface of the heat seal member, the sealing performance is higher than when both opposing surfaces are formed as flat surfaces. Can be realized. In the case where the facing surface is a flat surface, if the flatness of both facing surfaces and the parallel accuracy between the facing surfaces are lowered, the pressure-bonding force is biased and the sealing strength is partially weakened. Sometimes. However, when the concavo-convex group is formed, the heating area is increased and the pressure is concentrated on the convex portion, so that a reliable seal can be achieved even if the parallel relationship between the two opposing surfaces is somewhat broken.
And since the said printing space is firmly sealed by the said uneven | corrugated group in the perimeter , even if heat and pressure are not acting on the printing space part, the opening | mouth of the sealed packaging bag will open easily There is no such thing.

Also, since the printing space is surrounded and sealed by uneven groups, it does not communicate with the outside of the packaging bag or the filled product side, so there is no entry of external garbage or product fragments into the printing space. .
If the periphery of the printing space is open, foreign matter such as dust enters the printing space. If the printing space expands due to the foreign matter, the pressure due to the foreign matter may cause the seal portion to open, or the printed information may be difficult to read due to surface irregularities.
In addition, foreign matter entering from the outside may cause mold and the like. However, such a problem does not occur in the present invention.

  In particular, as in the second aspect of the present invention, if a recess or a through hole is formed on the opposing surfaces of a pair of heat seal members to form a print space forming area, the heat seal member does not directly contact the print space. High temperature will not work. For this reason, the ink on the printing surface does not bleed or become distorted regardless of whether printing is performed before or after the heat sealing process by a thermal printer in the printing space.

According to the third aspect, since the printing space and the printing means can be aligned by the transport mechanism, the sealing and printing processing efficiency is improved.
In addition, since the printing space in which the unevenness group is not formed and the printing unit that prints various information can be made to correspond accurately, the clarity of the printed information can be maintained.

It is a front view of the packaging bag by which the part of the opening | mouth of 1st Embodiment was heat-sealed. It is explanatory drawing which showed the state which has sealed the opening | mouth of the packaging bag conveyed with the conveyor of 1st Embodiment with the heat seal member. It is a block diagram of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the heat seal member of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the heat seal member of 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the heat seal member of 3rd Embodiment.

In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the mouth portion of the packaging bag 2 conveyed by the conveyor 1 is heat-sealed by being sandwiched between heat-seal members 3 and 4 made of a pair of long members, and FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the sealing portion 2a is formed at the mouth portion of the packaging bag 2.
The conveyor 1 is connected to a controller 9 that drives and controls the conveyor 1 in order to control the transport position of the packaging bag 2.
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, when the conveyance direction of the packaging bag 2 conveyed by the conveyor 1 is indicated by an arrow 6, printing means 7 such as a thermal printer or a printing machine using a type in order from the upstream side. The camera 8 as the printing state inspection means and the heat seal members 3 and 4 are provided.
In the first embodiment, the control unit 9 is set in advance so that the conveyor 1 conveys the packaging bag 2 so that the printing means 7 and the camera 8 coincide with a printing space 5 described later.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the heat seal members 3 and 4 are formed with concavity and convexity groups 3 b and 4 b on the facing surfaces 3 a and 4 a, respectively. The uneven groups 3b and 4b extend linearly in the longitudinal direction of the heat seal members 3 and 4, which is a direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIGS. This direction is the direction of arrow 6 in FIG. And both the uneven | corrugated groups 3b and 4b are formed so that it may mutually engage when the said heat seal members 3 and 4 are faced | matched.

Further, a pair of recesses 3c and 4c facing each other are formed on each of the facing surfaces 3a and 4a. That is, a print space forming area in a state where the concave and convex groups 3b and 4b are removed is formed in a portion corresponding to the concave portions 3c and 4c. These concave portions 3c and 4c are surrounded by the concave and convex groups 3b and 4b on the entire circumference . However, the situation in which the entire circumference of the recesses 3c and 4c is surrounded by the uneven groups 3b and 4b is not shown.

If the part of the mouth of the packaging bag 2 is sandwiched between the pair of heat sealing members 3 and 4 as described above, and the part is heat sealed, the unevenness of the heat sealing members 3 and 4 as shown in FIG. The seal portion 2a having a wavy uneven group corresponding to the groups 3b and 4b is formed (see FIG. 1).
However, as described above, since the print space forming area including the recesses 3c and 4c is formed on the opposed surfaces 3a and 4a of the heat seal members 3 and 4, the recess portion 3c is the mouth portion of the packaging bag 2. A flat print space 5 is formed at a location corresponding to 3c and 4c.

The printing space 5 which is formed as described above, indents 3b, are surrounded all around the indents of the sealing portion 2a corresponding to 4b. In other words, the printing space 5 is in a state where the entire circumference is completely sealed. Accordingly, dust from the outside does not enter the printing space 5.
In addition, scraps of goods filled in the packaging bag 2 do not enter the printing space 5.

  In the printing space 5, the expiration date printed by the printing means 7 is displayed. Thus, in order to print information such as the expiration date on the printing space 5, the relative positions of the printing means 7 and the printing space 5 must be matched. In this 1st Embodiment, the control part 9 controls the conveyor 1 which conveys the packaging bag 2, and the said printing space 5 and the printing means 7 of the packaging bag 2 are made to correspond.

The packaging bag 2 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow 6 in FIG. 3. First, the expiration date and the like are printed on the portion corresponding to the seal portion 2 a by the printing means 7, and the printed portion is photographed by the camera 8. Thereafter, a portion of the packaging bag 2 corresponding to the seal portion 2a is inserted between the pair of heat seal members 3 and 4, and is conveyed to a position corresponding to the concave portions 3c and 4c serving as the print space forming area. The heat seal members 3 and 4 heat seal the mouth portion of the packaging bag 2.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, a packaging bag 2 in which the expiration date is printed in the printing space 5 formed in the seal portion 2 a can be obtained.

The camera 8 is for confirming the printing status, and the captured image is recorded by a computer (not shown). The captured image can be checked by a computer, and if the printing is unclear or the printed information is incorrect, the conveyance of the packaging bag 2 can be stopped.
And since the seal part 2a of the mouth part of the packaging bag 2 is almost in the same place even if the products are different, once it is set in the control part 9 so that these relative positions are matched, after that, another part When the packaging bag 2 is sealed, there is almost no need to align them.

In the first embodiment, the wavy uneven groups are formed on the opposing surfaces 3 a and 4 a of the heat seal members 3 and 4. However, the uneven groups are continuously provided in the longitudinal direction of the heat seal members 3 and 4. If it is, the cross-sectional shape and form are not ask | required. For example, it may be a net-like uneven group.
If such a concavo-convex group is formed, the area where heat acts when heat-sealing can be made larger than that of a flat surface, and pressure can be concentrated on the protrusions to improve sealing performance. .

  Further, the mouth portion of the packaging bag 2 does not swell even when the product is packed. Therefore, the printing space 5 is not rubbed with other bags even when the packaging bag 2 is packed and transported. Since the printing space 5 does not rub against other bags, the expiration date printed on the printing space 5 is not erased or unclear.

  Moreover, since the printing location in the packaging bag 2 is limited to the heat-sealed mouth portion, the information can be confirmed without hesitation when checking the printed information. In particular, when a product is busy working in a store or the like, the printing location such as the expiry date is habitually noticeable, which helps to increase the efficiency of the product work.

  Furthermore, the seal part 2a of the mouth of the packaging bag 2 is often colored with one color, and the design like a pattern is not a problem. In addition, since it is not necessary to secure a printing space on the back surface of the bag, the degree of freedom in design of the entire packaging bag is increased.

On the other hand, if an adjustment piece (not shown) that can be attached to and detached from the concave portions 3c and 4c is provided, the adjustment piece is inserted into or removed from the concave portions 3c and 4c, and the concave portions 3c and 4c and the printing means. The size can be substantially changed without adjusting the relative position with other devices such as 7.
In addition, the concave portions 3c and 4c are formed in a large size in advance, and the size of the concave portions 3c and 4c can be adjusted according to the number of characters to be printed, the size of the mark, and the like. For example, the number of characters is different between the case where only the expiration date is displayed and the case where the expiration date and the date of manufacture are written together, but the size of the recesses 3c and 4c is changed by using the adjustment frame, The sizes of 3c and 4c can be made to correspond to the amount of information.
However, if the printing space 5 is set to be larger than the actual printing range, the accuracy of alignment between the printing unit 7 and the printing space 5 can be roughened.

And in this 1st Embodiment, since heat seal members 3 and 4 do not contact the printing space 5 also when heat-sealing, heat is not easily transmitted to the printing space 5, and the printing means 7 is, for example, a thermal printer. Thus, even if heat sealing is performed after printing using heat-sensitive ink, the printed portion does not blur due to heat and become unclear.
However, the printing unit 7 may be provided on the downstream side of the heat seal members 3 and 4. In that case, after the mouth of the packaging bag 2 is heat-sealed with the heat-seal members 3 and 4 and the printing space 5 is formed, information such as the expiration date is printed in the printing space 5. The conveyor 1 controls the transport position of the packaging bag 2. In this case, the camera 8 is provided on the downstream side of the printing means 7.

As described above, the printing unit 7 may be provided on either the upstream side or the downstream side of the heat seal members 3 and 4 as viewed from the work flow, or the printing unit 7 and the heat seal members 3 and 3. The distance to 4 is not questioned.
In any case, it is only necessary that the conveyor 1 driven and controlled by the control unit 9 can transport the packaging bag 2 so that the printing space 5 and the printing unit correspond to each other.
That is, in the first embodiment, the conveyor 1 and the control unit 9 constitute a transport mechanism that enables alignment in the present invention.

In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the print space forming area of the present invention is configured by the through holes 3e and 4e, and the print space 5 is formed at portions corresponding to the through holes 3e and 4e. . Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.
In the second embodiment, when the mouth of the packaging bag 2 is heat-sealed, the printing space 5 is sandwiched by the space vertically penetrating, so that heat from the heat sealing members 3 and 4 is received in the printing space 5. It is hardly transmitted.
For this reason, even if the printing space 5 is formed by heat sealing after printing with a thermal printer in which ink easily bleeds by heat, the ink does not bleed and printing does not become unclear.

Further, if printing state inspection means such as the camera 8 shown in FIG. 3 is provided above or below the through holes 3e and 4e constituting the print space forming area, printing is performed from the through holes 3e and 4e when heat sealing is performed. You can also check the situation. If the camera 8 is provided so as to correspond to the heat seal members 3 and 4 as described above, the size in the transport direction of the packaging bag 2 in this apparatus can be reduced.
In addition, the size of the through holes 3e and 4e can be substantially changed by inserting or removing an adjustment piece (not shown) that is detachable from the through holes 3e and 4e. Therefore, the size of the printing space 5 can be changed.
Of course, even if the printing means 7 is provided on the downstream side of the heat seal members 3 and 4 of the second embodiment, clear printing can be performed.

In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the print space forming area of the present invention is configured by flat portions 3d and 4d, and a flat print space 5 is formed at locations corresponding to these flat portions 3d and 4d. Will be. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.
In the third embodiment, since the flat portions 3d and 4d of the heat seal members 3 and 4 are in contact with the print space 5, the generated print space 5 is heated and heat-sealed. For this reason, when the print space 5 is formed after the necessary information such as the expiration date is printed by the thermal printer, the characters printed by the heat acting on the flat surfaces 3d and 4d of the print space formation area blur and become unclear. There is a possibility that.

Therefore, in this third embodiment, when a thermal printer is used as the printing means 7, the printing means 7 is arranged downstream of the heat seal members 3 and 4 so that printed characters are not affected by heat. It is necessary to form the print space 5 by heat sealing and to print after the temperature of the formed print space 5 is lowered to some extent.
The camera 8 serving as a printing state inspection unit is also provided on the downstream side of the printing unit 7.
The functions of the camera 8, the conveyor 1, and the control unit 9 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In the third embodiment, either one of the flat surfaces 3d and 4d on the opposite surface of the heat seal member is configured by a recess or a through-hole as in the print space forming area of the first and second embodiments. May be. In that case, heat acts on the printing space 5 by the flat surface, but since the other surface side is a space, compared to the case where the heat seal members 3 and 4 are pressure-bonded to both surfaces of the printing space 5, Difficult to get hot. Therefore, if the heat seal members 3 and 4 are released from the pressure-bonded state, the portion of the printing space 5 is immediately cooled, and printing with a thermal printer is possible thereafter.

In any of the first to third embodiments, the printing unit 7 may be any type. For example, even an engraving printing machine using type characters has an advantage that printing on the printing area 5 from which irregularities are removed can prevent ink from being rubbed or distorted.
However, when using an engraving printing machine, it is difficult to print information other than characters, and the type must be reset according to the information content.
On the other hand, the thermal printer can save the trouble of setting the type, and can print various information such as characters, figures, symbols, and two-dimensional codes.

In the above-described embodiment, the conveyor 1 and the control unit 9 constitute the conveyance mechanism of the present invention. However, the conveyance mechanism can be configured as long as the printing space and the printing unit can be aligned. It is not limited to. For example, the conveyance mechanism may be configured by moving a member that holds the opening of the packaging bag 2 in the direction of arrow 6 in FIG.
Further, the sealing device of the present invention may be configured by only the pair of heat seal members 3 and 4 without providing the transport mechanism. For example, the mouth portion of the packaging bag 2 may be manually inserted between the pair of heat seal members 3 and 4 from the direction orthogonal to the arrow 6 in FIG.

In addition, the sealing device of the above-described embodiment can be applied to various packaging bags that need to print information while sealing a product-filled mouth by heat sealing. It is most suitable as a sealing device for packaging bags that need to display not only food packaging bags that display the expiration date but also manufacturing date, rod number, and other product information.
For example, information such as the sterilization date and the expiration date can be printed on the seal portion while sealing the packaging bag containing the sterilized medical device.
The information to be printed may be not only characters but also information represented by figures, marks, two-dimensional codes, and the like.

In addition, the packaging bag 2 that is heat sealed by the sealing device of the present invention may be in any form as long as the portion other than the mouth for filling the product is closed. For example, pre-sealed ones and three sides of the surrounding overlapping the two sheets, which seals the one side of the tubular member, sealing the two sides other than the mouth folded to one sheet In any case, the sealing device can be applied.

  In particular, it is effective for sealing small-lot, multi-variety packaging bags.

1 (conveying mechanism) conveyor 2 packaging bag 2a seal part 3, 4 heat seal members 3a, 4a opposing surface 3b, 4b concave and convex groups 3c, 4c (composing printing space forming area) concave parts 3d, 4d (printing space) Flat portions 3e, 4e (which constitute a forming area) (which constitutes a printing space forming area) Through-hole 5 Print space 6 (Indicates the conveying direction) Arrow 7 Printing means 8 (which constitutes a printing status inspection means) Camera 9 (Conveying) Control part)

Claims (3)

In a packaging bag sealing device that heat-seals by crimping a portion of the mouth of the packaging bag between the opposing surfaces of a pair of heat sealing members facing each other,
In each of the facing surfaces of the pair of heat seal members,
Concavity and convexity groups continuous in the longitudinal direction, and a printing space forming area in which the concave and convexity groups are removed and the entire circumference is surrounded by the concave and convexity groups,
When heat sealed by crimping the mouth of the packaging bag with the pair of heat-sealing member, the sealing portion of the packaging bag indents corresponding to the indents are formed, the position corresponding to the print space formation area Is a sealing device for a packaging bag in which a flat printing space is formed in which the entire circumference is surrounded by uneven groups and the uneven groups are removed.   The packaging bag sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the print space forming area includes a recess or a through hole formed in the facing surface. A transport mechanism for transporting the packaging bag along the longitudinal direction of the heat seal member is provided,
The transport mechanism is
Position control is possible for the printing space formed in the sealing portion of the packaging bag and the printing means provided on the upstream side or downstream side in the transport direction of the packaging bag relative to the heat seal member. Item 3. A packaging bag sealing device according to item 1 or 2.

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