JP6293498B2 - Powder and particle feeder - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a granular material supply apparatus that supplies a granular material while heating.

  Conventionally, the thing of various structures is known as this kind of granular material supply apparatus. For example, a conventional powder supply apparatus has a configuration including a supply passage through which, for example, pellets (resin pellets) are passed downward as a powder raw material inside a generally cylindrical or conical casing. Then, using a heating means such as a heater provided on the outer peripheral surface of the casing, the pellets passing through the supply passage are heated or heated / dried.

  The granular material supply apparatus having such a configuration is connected to, for example, an injection molding apparatus and passes through the granular material supply apparatus in accordance with the heating or heating / drying state of the pellets required by the injection molding apparatus. The pellets are heated and dried.

JP 2004-0666529 A

  In such a conventional granular material supply device, the pellets in the casing are in direct contact with the inner wall surface of the casing, and are heated by the heater disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the casing. However, the pellet is almost stationary inside the casing. Even in the state where the pellet located on the inner wall surface of the casing gradually moves downward, only the movement along the inner wall surface of the casing is performed, and the relative positional relationship between the pellets is maintained. . Therefore, temperature unevenness is likely to occur during heating of the pellet. Further, there is a problem that pellets are welded to the inner wall surface of the casing and the pellets are easily fixed and bridged inside the casing, and it is difficult to control the temperature of the pellets. Further, in order to prevent the sticking of pellets and the occurrence of bridges, there is a problem that the heating temperature cannot be set higher and the time required for the heating / drying process becomes longer.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem, and provide a granular material supply apparatus that heats and supplies a granular material while suppressing sticking of the granular material and occurrence of a bridge. There is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a granular material supply device for supplying a granular material while heating, a cylindrical casing having a supply passage for the granular material along the vertical direction inside, A first restricting member that is disposed inside the casing and restricts the flow of the granular material along the supply passage on an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, and a vertical movement that moves the first restricting member in the vertical direction. And a heating means for heating the granular material that passes through the supply passage, and the gap between the lower side edge of the inclined surface of the first restricting member and the inner wall surface of the casing is the restriction of the supply flow path The first restricting member is configured to restrict the flow of the granular material raw material that passes through the throttle portion when the movement in the vertical direction is stopped, and the inclined surface and the inner wall surface of the casing in the vertical movement state. The powder and granular material held between Provides a granular material feeder.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the first restricting member is a cap-shaped member having an inclined surface that spreads radially downward from the center, the outer peripheral edge of the cap-shaped member and the inner wall surface of the casing. The granular material supply apparatus according to the first aspect is provided, in which an annular gap is formed as a throttle portion of the supply flow path.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the plurality of first restriction members that are spaced apart in the vertical direction as the first restriction members and are arranged inside the casing, and the first restriction members that extend in the vertical direction inside the casing and the plurality of first restriction members. In the first aspect or the second aspect, the vertical movement device includes a support member that supports the restriction member, and the vertical movement device moves the plurality of first restriction members integrally in the vertical direction by moving the support member in the vertical direction. The granular material supply apparatus of description is provided.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the plurality of first restricting members have the same shape, and the supply flow path formed between the lower edge of each first restricting member and the inner wall surface of the casing. The granular material supply apparatus according to the third aspect, in which the size of the throttle part is also the same.

  According to the 5th aspect of this invention, the casing provides the granular material supply apparatus as described in a 4th aspect which has a cylindrical shape or a rectangular tube shape.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the casing is connected to the first casing in which the first restricting member is disposed, and the lower outlet of the first casing, and discharges the granular material that has passed through the supply passage. And a second restriction member that is disposed inside the second casing and that restricts the flow of the granular material raw material that passes through the inside of the second casing on an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. The second casing has an inner wall surface inclined with respect to the vertical direction so that the passage area decreases toward the lower side, and the lower side edge of the inclined surface of the second restricting member and the inner wall surface of the second casing From the first mode, the discharge gap is smaller than the throttle portion, and the vertical movement device expands the discharge gap by moving the second restriction member upward together with the first restriction member. Any of the fifth aspect Providing granular material feeding apparatus according to One.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the inclination angle formed by the inclined surface of the first restricting member with respect to the horizontal direction is larger than the repose angle of the granular material raw material, and any one of the first to sixth aspects. The granular material supply apparatus of description is provided.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the heating means includes a heating gas supply means for supplying a heating gas to the inside of the casing, and the first restricting member allows a plurality of heating gases to pass therethrough without passing the granular material. The granular material supply apparatus according to any one of the first aspect to the seventh aspect is provided.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the granular material supply apparatus which heats and supplies a granular material raw material can be provided, suppressing sticking of a granular material raw material and generation | occurrence | production of a bridge | bridging.

The block diagram of the state with which the granular material supply apparatus concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention was connected to the injection molding apparatus The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the process part of the granular material supply apparatus of Embodiment 1 AA line sectional view in the granular material supply device of FIG. BB sectional drawing in the granular material supply apparatus of FIG. Explanatory drawing of the flow of the 2nd caps in the processing part of Embodiment 1. Explanatory drawing of the flow of the 2nd caps in the processing part of Embodiment 1. The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the process part of the granular material supply apparatus concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention. CC sectional view in the granular material supply apparatus of FIG.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
(Configuration in which the powder supply device is connected to the injection molding device)
The granular material supply apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention supplies, as a granular material, for example, a resin pellet subjected to a heating / drying process (heating process or drying process, or heating and drying process). For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus is connected to an injection molding apparatus and used. In the following description of the embodiments, a case where the powder material is a pellet will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the powder supply apparatus 1 is connected to an introduction part 10 into which pellets are introduced and a lower part of the introduction part 10, and performs heating / drying processing on the pellets supplied from the introduction part 10. And a discharge unit 40 connected to the lower part of the processing unit 20 and connected to the injection molding device 80, and discharging and supplying the pellets supplied from the processing unit 20 to the injection molding device 80. Prepare. The introduction unit 10, the processing unit 20, and the discharge unit 40 are connected so as to be generally arranged in the vertical direction, and a pellet supply passage P that communicates in the vertical direction from the introduction unit 10 to the discharge unit 40 is formed. ing.

  The injection molding apparatus 80 includes a barrel 83 having a pellet introduction port 81 and an injection port 82, and a screw 84 disposed in the barrel 83 and rotated and driven to melt and knead the pellets. The discharge unit 40 of the powder and particle supply device 1 is connected to the introduction port 81 of the injection molding device 80.

  As described above, by connecting the granular material supply device 1 and the injection molding device 80, the pellets that have been heated and dried in the granular material supply device 1 pass through the discharge unit 40. Supplied to. In the injection molding apparatus 80, the screw 84 is driven to rotate in the barrel 83, whereby the pellets are conveyed in the axial direction of the screw 84, and the pellets are compressed and melted and kneaded in the compression zone of the barrel 83. It becomes a state. The kneaded resin raw material is weighed to a predetermined amount in the barrel 83 and injected and supplied from the injection port 82 of the barrel 83.

(Overall configuration of powder and particle supply device)
Next, the structure of the granular material supply apparatus 1 is demonstrated concretely.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the introduction unit 10 includes a hopper 11 for charging pellets, and an introduction casing 12 that is connected to the upper inlet of the processing unit 20 and guides pellets supplied from the hopper 11 to the processing unit 20. . The introduction casing 12 has a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction, and is connected to the hopper 11 at an upper portion thereof.

  A first slide gate 13 is provided between the hopper 11 and the introduction casing 12, and pellets are supplied from the hopper 11 to the introduction casing 12 when the first slide gate 13 is open, and pellets are supplied when the first slide gate 13 is closed. Is stopped. A first level meter 14 for detecting the amount of pellets stored in the introduction casing 12 is provided. Based on the amount of pellets detected by the first level meter 14, the opening / closing operation of the first slide gate 13 is performed. Be controlled. The introduction casing 12 is connected to a vacuum pump (evacuation device) 15, and the supply passage P can be evacuated by using the vacuum pump 15.

  The discharge unit 40 includes a discharge casing 41 that is connected to the lower outlet of the processing unit 20 and connected to the introduction port 81 of the injection molding device 80 and supplies pellets conveyed from the processing unit 20 to the injection molding device 80. The discharge casing 41 has a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction, and is connected to the processing unit 20 at an upper portion thereof.

  A second slide gate 42 is provided between the processing unit 20 and the discharge casing 41, and the processing unit 20 and the discharge casing 41 are in communication with each other with the second slide gate 42 open, so that pellets can be supplied. In the closed state, the pellet supply is stopped. A second level meter 43 for detecting the amount of pellets contained in the discharge casing 41 is provided. Based on the amount of pellets detected by the second level meter 43, the opening / closing operation of the second slide gate 42 or The pellet supply operation in the processing unit 20 is controlled. A dry air introduction line 44 is connected to the discharge casing 41, and it is possible to supply dry air into the supply passage P through the dry air introduction line 44 to accelerate the pellet drying process. Note that nitrogen gas may be supplied instead of dry air.

(Configuration of processing unit)
Here, the longitudinal cross-sectional view (a part side view is included) of the process part 20 of the granular material supply apparatus 1 is shown in FIG. 2, and the AA sectional view (cross-sectional view) in the process part 20 of FIG. 3 and a sectional view taken along line BB is shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the processing unit 20 includes a first casing 21 connected to the lower part of the introduction casing 12, and a second casing 22 connected to the lower part of the first casing 21 and the upper part of the discharge casing 41. With. The first casing 21 has a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction. The second casing 22 has a cylindrical shape of an inverted truncated cone shape having an inner wall surface 22a inclined with respect to the vertical direction so that the area of the internal passage decreases downward. Inside the first casing 21 and the second casing 22, a pellet supply passage P is formed along the vertical direction. In FIG. 2, the pellets accommodated in the right half of the supply passage P are displayed, and the illustration of the pellets accommodated in the left half is omitted.

  Inside the first casing 21, there is disposed a first cap member 23 having an inclined surface 23a radially extending from the center toward the lower side as an inclined surface inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. In the first casing 21, three first shade members 23 as a plurality of first shade members 23 are arranged in a state of being separated from each other in the vertical direction. Each first cap member 23 is supported at a central portion by a rod 24 (support member) extending in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 (cross-sectional view taken along line AA), an annular gap is formed between the outer peripheral edge 23 b of the first cap member 23 and the inner wall surface 21 a of the first casing 21. As described above, the outer diameter of the first cap member 23 and the inner diameter of the first casing 21 are set. This annular gap serves as a throttle portion 25 that partially restricts the passage cross-sectional area of the supply passage P. The width dimension (diameter width dimension) of the narrowed portion 25 is set to a constant size in the entire circumferential direction. In the first embodiment, the three first cap members 23 have the same shape, and the size of the respective throttle portions 25 is also the same.

  Inside the second casing 22, a second shade member 26 having an inclined surface 26a radially extending from the center toward the lower side is disposed as an inclined surface inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. The second shade member 26 is arranged in a state of being separated downward from the first shade member 23 arranged at the lowermost of the three first shade members 23 in the first casing 21. Yes. The second cap member 26 is supported at the central portion by a rod 24 that supports each first cap member 23.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 (BB sectional view), the outer peripheral edge 26b of the second shade member 26 and the inclined inner wall surface 22a of the second casing 22 are not in contact with each other. A slight annular gap is formed. This annular gap serves as a discharge gap 27 for discharging the pellets downward. The width dimension (the width dimension in the radial direction) of the discharge gap 27 is set to a constant size in the entire circumferential direction, and is set smaller than the width dimension of the throttle portion 25 in the state shown in FIG. .

  The rods 24 that support the first and second cap members 23 and 26 are connected to the vertical movement device 28 at the upper portions thereof. The vertical movement device 28 moves the rod 24 forward and backward in a vertical direction with a predetermined stroke (movement height range) so that the first and second shade members 23 and 26 are integrated in the vertical direction. Has a function to move forward and backward. As the vertical movement device 28, for example, an air cylinder mechanism can be used, or a ball screw mechanism can be used. In addition, in the state shown in FIG. 2, each 1st cap member 23 and the 2nd cap member 26 are in the state located in the minimum position in the movement range.

  A heater 29 is provided on the outer wall surface of the first casing 21 as a heating means for heating the pellet. The heater 29 has a function of performing heat transfer heating on the pellets passing through the supply passage P in the first casing 21 through the first casing 21.

  A plurality of through holes 23 c and 26 c are formed in the inclined surface 23 a of the first cap member 23 and the inclined surface 26 a of the second cap member 26. Each of the through holes 23c and 26c is formed in a size that allows the dry air supplied into the supply passage P to pass through without passing the pellets.

  In the granular material supply apparatus 1 of the first embodiment, the first cap member 23 and the second cap member 26 function as a limiting member that limits the flow of pellets along the supply passage P. That is, the inside of the first casing 21 and the second casing 22 is lowered by the inclined surface 23a of the first cap member 23 (first restricting member) and the inclined surface 26a of the second cap member 26 (second restricting member). The flow of pellets moving toward is limited.

  The first inclination angle θ1 formed by the inclined surface 23a of the first cap member 23 (that is, the ridge line of the cap member) and the horizontal direction (horizontal plane) is set in a range of 10 to 80 degrees, for example. In order for the pellet to slide downward on the inclined surface 23a, the first inclination angle θ1 may be set to an angle equal to or greater than the repose angle of the pellet to be handled (for example, the repose angle in the dry pellet). preferable.

  Similarly, the second inclination angle θ2 formed by the inclined surface 26a of the second cap-shaped member 26 and the horizontal direction is set, for example, in a range of 10 to 80 degrees, and is set to an angle equal to or greater than the repose angle of the handled pellet. It is preferable. The first inclination angle θ1 and the second inclination angle θ2 may be set to the same angle or may be set to different angles.

  The width dimension Q (the width dimension in the radial direction) of the narrowed portion 25 of the first cap-shaped member 23 is, for example, in a state where the first cap-shaped member 23 is stopped at the lower limit position in the vertical direction (the state of FIG. 2). The size is set such that when the pellet does not pass through the squeezed portion 25 and moves in the vertical direction, the pellet passes through the squeezed portion 25 and moves downward. The width dimension Q of the narrowed portion 25 is preferably set to a size within 1.5 to 3.0 times the diameter of the pellet, for example. In the first embodiment, the width dimension Q of the narrowed portion 25 is kept constant regardless of the movement position of the first cap member 23 in the vertical direction (that is, does not change due to movement). .

  For example, the discharge gap 27 of the second cap-shaped member 26 does not pass through the discharge gap 27 when the second cap-shaped member 26 is stopped at the lower limit in the vertical direction (the state shown in FIG. 2). It is set to such a size. Thus, as a magnitude | size which a pellet does not pass, it is preferable to set to the magnitude | size below the diameter of a pellet, for example, and the outer peripheral edge 26b of the 2nd shade member 26 and the inner wall face of the 2nd casing 22 It is preferable to set so that 22a does not contact. Further, as the second cap member 26 is moved upward, the width dimension of the discharge gap 27 is enlarged, and becomes the maximum size in a state where the second cap member 26 is located at the upper limit position.

(Pellet processing method)
A method of performing the heating / drying process while conveying the pellets in the processing unit 20 of the granular material supply apparatus 1 of the first embodiment having such a configuration will be described.

  A description will be given by taking as an example a pellet in which the pellets are supplied from the introduction casing 12 of the introduction unit 10 into the first casing 21 of the processing unit 20 and the processing is in a steady state (the state of FIG. 2: the state in which the processing is continued). In the state shown in FIG. 2, each of the first and second shade members 23 and 26 that are moved in the vertical direction by the vertical movement device 28 is located at the lower limit position in the movement range. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the first casing 21, pellets are held between the inclined surface 23 a of each first cap member 23 and the inner wall surface 21 a of the first casing 21. ing. That is, in the first casing 21, the flow of the pellets that are about to fall downward due to the action of gravity is in a state (state where the flow is stopped) restricted by the inclined surface 23 a of each first cap member 23. ing.

  Between the outer peripheral edge 23b of the first cap-shaped member 23 and the inner wall surface 21a of the first casing 21, there is provided a narrowed portion 25 having a gap that allows the pellets to pass therethrough. It is in a state that does not pass through. This is due to the bridge effect of the pellets held between the inclined surface 23 a of each first cap member 23 and the inner wall surface 21 a of the first casing 21. In addition, the peak (upper part) of the pellet pile held by the first shade member 23 positioned on the lower side reaches the vicinity of the narrowed portion 25 of the first shade member 23 on the upper side. The flow of the pellets that try to pass through the throttle unit 25 is limited.

  Next, from the state shown in FIG. 2, each first cap member 23 is moved upward through the rod 24 by the vertical movement device 28. By this movement, the pellets held by the inclined surface 23a of each first cap member 23 are lifted upward. As a result, the pellets held between the inclined surface 23a of the first shade member 23 and the inner wall surface 21a of the first casing 21 are agitated (moved) so that the positional relationship between the adjacent pellets changes. The Thereby, the bridge | bridging state of a pellet is destroyed. At the same time, the relative positional relationship between the pellet and the inner wall surface 21a of the first casing 21 and the relative positional relationship between the pellet and the inclined surface 23a of the first cap member 23 change. As a result, the pellets held by the inclined surface 23a of the first cap member 23 are in a state in which the relative positional relationship is changed and the pellets are likely to flow.

  Furthermore, since the position of the narrowed portion 25 of the upper first side cap member 23 is moved upward, the pellet held by the upper narrow portion 25 and the first lower cap member 23 positioned on the lower side. A gap (inner space in which no pellet is present) is temporarily generated between the two peaks. As a result, a part of the pellet held by the upper first cap member 23 passes through the narrowed portion 25 and moves to the space on the inclined surface 23a of the lower first cap member 23. To do. The pellets that have passed through the narrowed portion 25 and moved to the lower side are piled up while spreading on the inclined surface 23a of the first cap member 23 until the peak of the pellet reaches the angle of repose.

  When each first cap member 23 is moved to the upper limit position by the vertical movement device 28, the moving direction is reversed downward, and each first cap member 23 is moved toward the lower limit position. . Also in the process of moving the first cap member 23 in the downward direction, the pellets are agitated while the relative positional relationship between the pellets and the pellets is changed between the inclined surface 23a and the inner wall surface 21a.

  Thereafter, each first cap-like member 23 is moved to the lower limit position, the movement is stopped, and the peak of the pellet held on the inclined surface 23a reaches the repose angle, and the top of the peak of the pellet is on the upper side. This reaches the vicinity of the narrowed portion 25 of the first cap member 23. As a result, the flow of pellets trying to pass through the narrowed portion 25 is restricted, and the flow of pellets is stopped by the bridge effect of the pellets.

  In addition, when the first inclination angle θ1 of the inclined surface 23a of the first cap-shaped member 23 is set to be larger than the repose angle of the pellet, the inclination on the inclined surface 23a with respect to the pellet whose bridge state has been destroyed. It becomes easy to slide and move downward.

  Next, the movement of the pellets in the second cap-shaped member 26 will be described with reference to the explanatory diagrams shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5A, in a state where the second shade member 26 is positioned at the lower limit position in the moving range by the vertical movement device 28, the outer peripheral edge 26b of the second shade member 26 and the second casing. The gap 27 for discharge between the inclined inner wall surface 22a of 22 has a size (width dimension R1) through which pellets cannot pass. For this reason, the flow of pellets to move downward is limited by the inclined surface 26a of the second cap-shaped member 26 and is held on the inclined surface 26a.

  Thereafter, when the second cap-shaped member 26 is moved upward by the vertical movement device 28, the discharge gap 27 expands to a size that allows the pellets to pass, and further reaches the upper limit position in the movement direction. The size allows the pellets to pass sufficiently (width dimension R2 (R2> R1)). At the same time, due to the movement of the second cap-shaped member 26, the positional relationship between the adjacent pellets changes, the pellets are agitated, and the bridge state of the pellets is destroyed. Furthermore, the relative positional relationship between the pellet and the inner wall surface 22a of the second casing 22 and the relative positional relationship between the pellet and the inclined surface 26a of the second cap-shaped member 26 change. Therefore, the pellets held by the inclined surface 26a of the second cap-shaped member 26 are in a state in which the relative positional relationship is changed and the pellets are easy to flow. As a result, the pellets are moved downward through the discharge gap 27 while being stirred.

  When the second shade member 26 is reversed and moved downward by the vertical movement device 28 and stops at the lower limit position, the discharge gap 27 becomes the width dimension R1 through which the pellet cannot pass, and the flow of the pellet is restricted. Become.

  In addition, when the second inclination angle θ2 of the inclined surface 26a of the second shade member 26 is set to be larger than the repose angle of the pellet, the inclination on the inclined surface 26a with respect to the pellet whose bridge state has been destroyed. It becomes easy to slide and move downward.

  In this way, the vertical movement device 28 causes the first and second shade members 23 and 26 to move forward and backward in the vertical direction, so that in the course of the movement, through the throttle portion 25 and the discharge gap 27. The pellet can be moved downward. At the same time, the relative positional relationship between the pellets, the relative positional relationship between the pellets and the inner wall surfaces 21a and 22a, and the relative positional relationship between the pellets and the inclined surfaces 23a and 26a are changed to destroy the bridge state. The pellets can be stirred while.

  Further, the pellets moved downward while being stirred in this way are heated by heat transfer from the heater 29 provided on the outer wall surface of the first casing 21. Since the pellets are agitated and the relative position between the pellets is changed, the pellets are welded to each other, and the pellets are fixed to the inner wall surface 21a of the first casing 21, the inclined surface 23a of the first cap member 23, and the like. Can be suppressed. Therefore, it becomes possible to set to a higher heating temperature.

  Also, during the pellet transport process, dry air is supplied from the dry air introduction line 44, and dry air is supplied to the through hole 26c of the inclined surface 26a of the second cap member 26 and the through hole 23c of the inclined surface 23a of the first cap member 23. The pellets can be dried by passing through. In particular, the pellets can be uniformly dried by flowing dry air through the through holes 23c and 26c in a state where the pellets are held by the respective shade members 23 and 26. Moreover, the inside of the supply channel | path P is evacuated with the vacuum pump 15 previously, and the drying process of a pellet can be accelerated | stimulated by supplying dry air after that.

(Flow of the whole powder supply device)
Next, the whole pellet processing method of the granular material supply apparatus 1 of the first embodiment will be described.

  First, in FIG. 1, the amount of pellets accommodated in the introduction casing 12 of the introduction unit 10 is detected by the first level meter 14. When the amount of pellets detected by the first level meter 14 is smaller than the set value, the first slide gate 13 is opened and the pellets are supplied from the hopper 11 into the introduction casing 12. When the first level meter 14 detects that the amount of pellets in the introduction casing 12 has reached a predetermined amount, the first slide gate 13 is closed and the supply of pellets from the hopper 11 is stopped.

  The pellets supplied into the introduction casing 12 are supplied into the first casing 21 of the processing unit 20. In the first casing 21, the supplied pellet flow is restricted and held by the first cap member 23. After that, the vertical movement device 28 moves the respective first cap members 23 in the vertical direction, so that the pellets pass through the throttle portion 25 while being agitated and onto the first cap members 23 on the lower side. Moving. By sequentially repeating the vertical movement and stop of each first cap member 23 by the vertical movement device 28, the pellets sequentially move to the lower stage side and move onto the second cap member 26.

  In this process, the pellets are sequentially moved downward while being stirred, and the pellets are heated by the heater 29 provided on the outer wall surface of the first casing 21.

  Thereafter, when the second shade member 26 is moved upward by the vertical movement device 28, the pellets held by the second shade member 26 are stirred and passed through the discharge gap 27 in the downward direction. The pellet is moved to

  In the closed state of the first slide gate 13 and the second slide gate 42, the vacuum pump 15 evacuates the supply passage P in advance. When the inside of the supply passage P reaches a predetermined degree of vacuum, the vacuum pump 15 stops. Thereafter, the second slide gate 42 is opened, the valve 45 provided in the dry air introduction line 44 is opened, and the valve 16 provided on the front side of the vacuum pump 15 is opened to supply dry air into the supply passage P. At the same time, the atmosphere in the supply passage P is discharged through the valve 16. At this time, the drying process of the pellet is promoted by the dry air passing through the through holes 23c and 26c of the cap members 23 and 26, respectively.

  The pellets supplied into the discharge casing 41 through the opened second slide gate 42 are supplied into the injection molding device 80, and injection molding is performed on the pellets that have been heated and dried.

  In the discharge casing 41, the amount of pellets is detected by the second level meter 43, and when the amount of pellets is less than the set value, the cap members 23 and 26 are moved in the vertical direction by the vertical movement device 28 of the processing unit 20. The pellets are fed into the discharge casing 41. When the amount of pellets in the discharge casing 41 reaches a predetermined amount, the driving of the vertical movement device 28 is stopped and the supply of pellets is stopped.

  Thus, the granular material supply apparatus 1 can supply the pellet processed in the predetermined state by performing a heating and drying process while conveying the pellet.

  According to the granular material supply device 1 of the first embodiment, a plurality of first cap members 23 are provided in the first casing 21 of the processing unit 20 to restrict the flow of pellets, and the first cap members 23 are provided. The pellets can be moved downward through the narrowed portion 25 by moving the plate up and down. Further, by moving the first cap member 23, the pellets can be agitated so as to change the relative position between the pellets and the relative position between the pellets and the surrounding members. Therefore, heating and drying treatment can be performed at a higher temperature while preventing the heated pellets from welding to generate a bridge and further preventing the pellet from adhering to surrounding members.

  Further, in the first casing 21, pellet piles are held on the respective first cap members 23, so that the drying process is performed by passing dry air or the like using the central space in the first casing 21. Can be promoted. Therefore, a large heat transfer area for the pellet can be secured, and an efficient heating / drying process can be realized.

  Further, the pellets can be supplied downward through the discharge gap 27 by moving the second cap member 26 together with the first cap member 23 upward. Therefore, the supply amount (discharge amount) of pellets can be controlled with a relatively simple configuration. Further, the amount of pellets discharged through the discharge unit 40 can be adjusted by adjusting the vertical movement time, the movement distance, the distance of the discharge gap 27, and the like of the second cap member 26. Therefore, the configuration using the second cap-shaped member 26 has a function as a pellet quantitative supply device.

  Therefore, the granular material supply apparatus which heats and supplies the granular material can be provided while suppressing the sticking of the granular material and the occurrence of the bridge.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, the granular material supply apparatus concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention is demonstrated. Since the configuration of the processing unit of the powder and particle supply apparatus according to the second embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment, only the difference in the configuration of the processing unit will be described. In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 6 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the processing unit 50 included in the granular material supply apparatus according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the processing unit 50 includes a first casing 51 and a second casing 52 that are connected to each other. As shown in FIG. 7, the first casing 51 has a rectangular tube shape, and the second casing 52 has a truncated pyramid tube shape. A heater 59 is provided on the outer wall surface of the first casing.

  In the first casing 51, two inclined members 53 each having an inclined surface 53a inclined with respect to the horizontal direction are provided as two restricting members that restrict the flow of pellets. As shown in FIG. 7, the inclined member 53 has a quadrangular shape, and a narrowed portion 55 through which pellets pass is formed between the lower side edge 53 b of the inclined member 53 and the inner wall surface 51 a of the first casing 51. Each inclined member 53 is supported by a rod 54 and can be moved forward and backward by a vertical movement device 58.

  In the granular material supply apparatus 50 having such a configuration, each inclined member 53 whose vertical movement is stopped can restrict the flow of the pellets and hold the pellets. Further, by moving the respective inclined members 53 in the vertical direction, the pellets can be moved downward through the squeezing portion 55 while stirring the pellets. Therefore, by controlling the movement of the inclined member 53 in the vertical direction, the supply of pellets can be controlled, and the pallets can be prevented from being welded and the pellets can be prevented from adhering to the surrounding constituent members. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the sticking of pellets and the generation of bridges while realizing an efficient heat treatment for the pellets.

  As described above, even when the limiting member is not provided in the second casing 52, the supply of pellets can be controlled by controlling the moving operation of the inclined member 53 in the first casing 51. In the processing unit 50, the second casing 52 itself may not be provided.

  In the second embodiment, only the heat treatment is performed on the pellet. In the granular material supply apparatus, since processing according to the specifications of the pellets required at the supply destination is performed, only the heat treatment may be performed, or the heat treatment and the drying processing may be performed. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the vacuum pump 15 and the dry air introduction line 44 are not used.

  In the description of the above-described embodiment, the case where the cap member 23 and the inclined member 53 are employed as the restricting member that restricts the flow of pellets has been described as an example. . For example, a pyramid-shaped shade-shaped member may be used instead of the conical-shaped shade-shaped member, or an inclined member having a curved inclined surface may be used instead of the flat-plate-shaped inclined member. Moreover, it is good also as a structure by which the inclined surface is arrange | positioned in several directions combining several inclined members. By using the cap member as the limiting member, it is possible to secure a large passage area of the pellet by using the narrowed portion as an annular gap, and to secure a large heat transfer area by arranging a heater around the entire first casing.

  Moreover, in the process parts 20 and 50, the shape of the 1st casings 21 and 51 is not restricted to a cylindrical shape or a square tube shape, A polygonal cylinder shape etc. may be employ | adopted. Instead of a case where the inner wall surface of the first casing is arranged along the vertical direction, a case where the inner wall surface is inclined with respect to the vertical direction may be used. For example, the first casing is formed into a truncated cone shape that narrows downward, and the size of the plurality of restricting members is changed so that a throttle portion having a predetermined size is formed at each height position. May be provided.

  Further, the vertical movement range (stroke) of each restricting member (the cap-shaped member or the inclined member) by the vertical movement device is a length within the arrangement interval of the plurality of restricting members and the length of one particle of the pellet. It is preferable to set it in the above range. Thereby, the pellet hold | maintained on each restricting member can be moved below through a throttle part, suppressing that the height of an apparatus becomes large too much. The amount of pellets to be moved downward can be adjusted by the length of the stroke, the moving time / speed in the vertical direction, the width of the throttle portion, and the like.

  Moreover, although the case where a plurality of limiting members are arranged apart from each other in the vertical direction has been described as an example, a case where only one limiting member is provided may be used.

  Further, in the above description, the case where the evacuation in the supply passage P and the supply of the dry air are both performed and the case where the evacuation is not performed is described, but only the supply of the dry air is performed without performing the evacuation. It may be a case where the drying process of the pellets to be promoted is promoted. The vacuuming and the supply of dry air can be selectively performed according to the required pellet specifications.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the heater disposed on the outer wall surface of the first casing is used as the heating means for heating the pellet is described as an example. However, the heating means heats the pellet passing through the supply passage. Any other configuration can be adopted. For example, a heater may be provided on the rod, or a heating gas such as dry air supplied into the supply passage may be supplied from the heating gas supply means, and the pellets may be heated by the heating gas. Further, the first casing may be constituted by an infrared transmitting member (for example, quartz glass), and the pellet may be heated from the outside by an infrared heater. In addition to the outer wall surface of the first casing, a heater may be provided on the outer wall surface of the second casing.

  In the above-described embodiment, for example, a case where a resin pellet is used as the powder material has been described as an example. However, the powder material is not limited to a pellet, and a powder material may be used. In addition, the powder material is not limited to a resin material, and may be a food material, for example. Therefore, the granular material supply apparatus is not limited to the case where it is connected to the injection molding apparatus.

  It is to be noted that, by appropriately combining any of the above-described various embodiments, the effects possessed by them can be produced.

1: Powder body supply apparatus 10: Introduction part 11: Hopper 12: Introduction casing 13: First slide gate 14: First level meter 15: Vacuum pump 20: Processing part 21: First casing, 21a: Inner wall surface 22: Second casing, 22a: inner wall surface 23: first cap member, 23a: inclined surface, 23b: outer peripheral edge, 23c: through hole 24: rod 25: throttle portion 26: second cap member, 26a: inclined surface 26a, 26b: outer peripheral edge, 26c: through hole 27: discharge gap 28: vertical movement device 29: heater 40: discharge portion 41: discharge casing 42: second slide gate 43: second level gauge 44: dry air introduction line 80: Injection molding device P: Supply passage Q: Width dimension R1, R2: Width dimension θ1: First inclination angle, θ2: Second inclination angle

Claims (8)

A powder supply device for supplying powder raw material while heating,
A cylindrical casing having a supply passage for the powder material along the vertical direction inside;
A first restricting member that is disposed inside the casing and restricts the flow of the granular material along the supply passage at an inclined surface inclined with respect to the horizontal direction;
A vertical movement device for moving the first restriction member in the vertical direction;
Heating means for heating the granular material that passes through the supply passage,
A gap between the lower side edge of the inclined surface of the first limiting member and the inner wall surface of the casing is formed as a throttle portion of the supply flow path,
The vertical movement device moves the first limiting member in the vertical direction while maintaining a gap between the lower edge of the inclined surface of the first limiting member and the inner wall surface of the casing.
The first restricting member restricts the flow of the granular material raw material that passes through the constricted portion when the movement in the vertical direction is stopped, and is held between the inclined surface and the inner wall surface of the casing in the vertical movement state. A granular material supply device that passes the squeezed portion while stirring the raw granular material.   The first restricting member is a cap-shaped member having an inclined surface that extends radially downward from the center, and an annular gap between the outer peripheral edge of the cap-shaped member and the inner wall surface of the casing is a supply channel. The granular material supply device according to claim 1, which is formed as a narrowed portion. A plurality of first restricting members disposed in the casing apart from each other in the vertical direction as first restricting members;
A support member that extends in the vertical direction inside the casing and supports the plurality of first restriction members;
3. The granular material supply device according to claim 1, wherein the vertical movement device moves the plurality of first restriction members integrally in the vertical direction by moving the support member in the vertical direction.   The plurality of first restricting members have the same shape, and the size of the throttle portion of the supply flow path formed between the lower edge of each first restricting member and the inner wall surface of the casing is the same. Item 4. The granular material supply device according to Item 3.   The granular material supply apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the casing has a cylindrical or rectangular tube shape. The casing includes a first casing in which the first restricting member is disposed, and a second casing that is connected to a lower outlet of the first casing and discharges the granular material that has passed through the supply passage.
A second restricting member that is disposed inside the second casing and restricts the flow of the granular material raw material passing through the inside of the second casing on an inclined surface inclined with respect to the horizontal direction;
The second casing has an inner wall surface inclined with respect to the vertical direction so that the passage area decreases toward the lower side,
A discharge gap smaller than the throttle portion is formed between the lower edge of the inclined surface of the second restricting member and the inner wall surface of the second casing,
The powder supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the vertical movement device expands the discharge gap by moving the second restriction member upward together with the first restriction member.   The granular material supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an inclination angle formed by the inclined surface of the first restricting member with respect to the horizontal direction is larger than an angle of repose of the granular material. As a heating means, a heating gas supply means for supplying a heating gas into the casing is provided,
The granular material supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first restricting member has a plurality of through holes through which the heated gas is allowed to pass without passing the powder raw material.

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