JP6667990B2 - Composite container, composite preform, method for separating and collecting composite container, and system for separating and collecting composite container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a composite container, a composite preform, a method for separating and collecting a composite container, and a system for separating and collecting a composite container.

  Recently, plastic bottles for storing content liquids such as food and drink have become popular, and such plastic bottles store the content liquid.

  A plastic bottle containing such a content liquid is manufactured by inserting a preform into a mold and performing biaxial stretch blow molding.

  By the way, in the conventional biaxial stretch blow molding method, for example, a preform containing a single layer material such as PET or PP, a multilayer material, a blend material, or the like is used to mold the container into a container shape. However, in the conventional biaxial stretch blow molding method, it is common to simply mold the preform into a container shape. For this reason, when giving various functions and characteristics (barrier property, heat insulation property, etc.) to the container, the means for changing the material of the preform is limited, for example.

JP 2009-241526 A

  In addition, conventionally, since it is necessary to easily recycle a plastic bottle, the plastic bottle is required to be colorless and transparent. Further, it is necessary that the label provided around the plastic bottle can be easily peeled off when the plastic bottle is discarded.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides various functions and characteristics to a container, and enables a plastic member to be easily removed at the time of disposal. An object of the present invention is to provide a preform, a method for separating and collecting a composite container, and a system for separating and collecting a composite container.

The present invention relates to a composite container,
A container body,
Provided in close contact with the outside of the container body, comprising a heat-shrinkable plastic member,
The container body and the plastic member are expanded integrally by blow molding,
A printing area is formed on the surface of the plastic member,
A composite container, wherein the specific gravity of the container body and the specific gravity of the plastic member provided with the printing area are different from each other.

  The present invention is the composite container, wherein the specific gravity of the plastic member having the printing area is less than 1.

  The present invention is the composite container, wherein the specific gravity of the container main body is 1 or more.

The present invention relates to a composite preform,
A preform,
A plastic member having heat shrinkage is provided so as to surround the outside of the preform,
The plastic member is in close contact with the outside of the preform,
A printing area is formed on the surface of the plastic member,
A composite preform, wherein a specific gravity of the container body and a specific gravity of a plastic member on which the printing area is formed are different from each other.

  The present invention is the composite preform, wherein the specific gravity of the plastic member having the printing area is less than 1.

  The present invention is the composite preform, wherein the specific gravity of the container body is 1 or more.

The present invention relates to a method for separating and collecting a composite container,
A preparing step of preparing the composite container according to claim 1;
By crushing the composite container, a crushing step of forming a plurality of flakes each including a small piece-shaped container body and a small piece-shaped plastic member having a printing area,
By immersing the plurality of flakes in hot water, a hot water separation step of separating each flake into the small piece-shaped container body and the small piece-shaped plastic member in which the printing area is formed, And a method for separating and recovering a composite container.

  The present invention further includes a specific gravity separation step of separating the small piece-shaped container main body and the small piece-shaped plastic member on which the printing area is formed, and separately collecting the small piece-shaped plastic members by a difference in their specific gravities. And a separation and recovery method.

  The present invention is characterized in that an inner label member is provided between the container body and the plastic member, and the container body, the inner label member, and the plastic member are integrally expanded by blow molding. This is a method for separating and collecting a composite container.

  The present invention is a separating and collecting means for a composite container, wherein the specific gravity of the small piece of plastic member on which the printing area is formed is less than 1.

  The present invention is a separating and collecting means for a composite container, wherein the specific gravity of the small piece-shaped container main body is 1 or more.

The present invention relates to a composite container separation and recovery system,
A crushing device for crushing the composite container according to claim 1 to form a plurality of flakes each including a small-piece-shaped container main body and a small-piece-shaped plastic member having a printing area formed thereon;
Provided on the downstream side of the crushing device, by immersing the plurality of flakes in hot water, each flake is a small piece-shaped container body, and a small piece-shaped plastic member on which the printing area is formed. And a hot water separator for separating the composite container from the container.

  The present invention is provided on the downstream side of the hot water separator, and separates the small-piece container body and the small-piece plastic member on which the printing area is formed by a difference in their specific gravities. And a specific gravity separation device for recovering the composite container separately.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a separation and recovery system for a composite container, wherein the specific gravity of the small plastic member on which the printing region is formed is less than 1.

  The present invention is a composite container separation and collection system, wherein the specific gravity of the small piece-shaped container body is 1 or more.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when discarding the composite container provided with the container main body and the plastic member, the plastic member can be easily removed from the container main body.

FIG. 1 is a partial vertical sectional view showing a composite container according to the present embodiment. FIGS. 2A to 2F are schematic diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing a composite container for manufacturing the composite container according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a composite container separation and recovery system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the separation and recovery system for a composite container. FIG. 5 is a partial vertical sectional view showing a modified example of the composite container.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 are views showing an embodiment of the present invention.

Structure of the composite container First, FIG. 1, an outline of the composite container to be separated and recovered by the method of separation and recovery composite container according to the present embodiment. In addition, in this specification, "upper" and "lower" refer to the upper side and the lower side in a state where the composite container 10A is erected (FIG. 1), respectively.

  The composite container 10A shown in FIG. 1 is biaxially stretched with respect to a composite preform 70 (see FIG. 2 (b)) including a preform 10a and a plastic member 40a using a blow molding die 50 as described later. This is obtained by expanding the preform 10a of the composite preform 70 and the plastic member 40a integrally by performing blow molding.

  Such a composite container 10A includes a container main body 10 located inside and a plastic member 40 provided in close contact with the outside of the container main body 10. The composite container 10A is separable using a composite container separation and collection method described below. Further, the specific gravity of the container body 10 and the specific gravity of the plastic member 40 having the surface printed thereon are different from each other, and as a result, as described later, the flakes 90 obtained by crushing the composite container 10A are obtained. Can be easily separated and collected into a small piece-shaped container main body 10p and a small piece-shaped plastic member 40p in which a print area 43p is formed.

  The container body 10 includes a mouth portion 11, a neck portion 13 provided below the mouth portion 11, a shoulder portion 12 provided below the neck portion 13, a body portion 20 provided below the shoulder portion 12, and a body portion. And a bottom part 30 provided below the part 20.

  On the other hand, printing is performed on the surface of the plastic member 40 to provide a printing area 43. The printing area 43 is formed by design or printing by a printing method such as an inkjet method or a gravure printing method. This printing may be performed on the plastic member 40 stretched by biaxial stretch blow molding as described later. Alternatively, printing may be performed on the plastic member 40a before being attached to the preform 10a, or may be performed with the plastic member 40a provided outside the preform 10a. Further, the plastic member 40 is closely attached to the outer surface of the container body 10 in a state of being thinly extended, and is attached to the container body 10 in a state in which the member is not easily moved or rotated.

  Next, the container body 10 will be described in detail. The container body 10 has the mouth 11, the neck 13, the shoulder 12, the trunk 20, and the bottom 30 as described above.

  The opening 11 has a screw portion 14 screwed to a cap (not shown) and a flange portion 17 provided below the screw portion 14. Note that the shape of the mouth portion 11 may be a conventionally known shape.

  The neck portion 13 is located between the flange portion 17 and the shoulder portion 12 and has a substantially cylindrical shape having a substantially uniform diameter. The shoulder portion 12 is located between the neck portion 13 and the body portion 20 and has a shape whose diameter gradually increases from the neck portion 13 side toward the body portion 20 side.

  Further, the body 20 has a cylindrical shape having a substantially uniform diameter as a whole. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the body 20 may have a polygonal cylindrical shape such as a rectangular cylindrical shape or an octagonal cylindrical shape. Alternatively, the body 20 may have a tubular shape having a horizontal cross section that is not uniform from above to below. Further, in the present embodiment, the body portion 20 has no substantially uneven surface and a substantially flat surface, but is not limited thereto. For example, unevenness such as a panel or a groove may be formed on the body 20.

  On the other hand, the bottom portion 30 has a concave portion 31 located at the center and a ground portion 32 provided around the concave portion 31. The shape of the bottom 30 is not particularly limited, and may have a conventionally known bottom shape (for example, a petaloid bottom shape or a round bottom shape).

  The thickness of the container body 10 in the body 20 is not limited to this, but can be reduced to, for example, about 50 μm to 250 μm. Further, the weight of the container body 10 is not limited to this, but can be 10 g to 20 g. By reducing the thickness of the container body 10 in this way, the weight of the container body 10 can be reduced.

  Such a container body 10 can be manufactured by biaxially stretch blow molding a preform 10a (described later) manufactured by injection molding a synthetic resin material. The preform 10a, that is, the material (first plastic material) of the container body 10 is a thermoplastic resin, particularly PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PEN (polyethylene naphthalate), PC ( (Polycarbonate) is preferably used. The container body 10 may be colored in a color such as red, blue, yellow, green, brown, black, and white, but in consideration of recyclability, a colorless and transparent polyethylene terephthalate material may be used. preferable. Further, a vapor-deposited film such as a diamond-like carbon film or a silicon oxide thin film may be formed on the inner surface of the container body 10 in order to enhance the barrier properties of the container.

  Further, the container body 10 can be formed as a multilayer molded bottle having two or more layers. That is, for example, by extrusion molding or injection molding, the intermediate layer is provided with a gas barrier property such as MXD6, MXD6 + fatty acid salt, PGA (polyglycolic acid), EVOH (ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer) or PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) and a light shielding property. The preform 10a composed of three or more layers as a resin (intermediate layer) may be formed into a multilayer bottle having gas barrier properties and light shielding properties by extrusion molding and then blow molding. As the intermediate layer, a resin obtained by blending the above various resins may be used.

  Further, by mixing an inert gas (nitrogen gas, argon gas) with a melt of the thermoplastic resin, a foamed preform having a foamed cell diameter of 0.5 to 100 μm is formed, and this foamed preform is blow-molded. Thereby, the container body 10 may be manufactured. Since such a container body 10 has a built-in foam cell, the light shielding property of the entire container body 10 can be enhanced.

  Such a container body 10 may be composed of, for example, a bottle having a full filling capacity of 100 ml to 2000 ml. Alternatively, the container body 10 may be a large bottle having a full filling capacity of, for example, 10 L to 60 L.

  Next, the plastic member 40 will be described. The plastic member 40 (40a) is provided so as to surround the outside of the preform 10a as described later, and is obtained by being closely adhered to the outside of the preform 10a and then biaxially stretch blow-molded together with the preform 10a. It is a thing. Further, the plastic member 40 (40a) may be a single layer or a multilayer.

  The plastic member 40 is attached to the outer surface of the container body 10 without being welded or adhered, and is in close contact with the container body 10 so as not to move or rotate. The plastic member 40 is thinly stretched on the outer surface of the container body 10 to cover the container body 10. Further, the plastic member 40 is provided over the entire circumferential direction so as to surround the container body 10 and has a substantially circular horizontal cross section.

  In this case, the plastic member 40 is provided so as to cover the shoulder 12, the trunk 20, and the bottom 30 of the container body 10 except for the mouth 11 and the neck 13. Thereby, desired functions and characteristics can be given to the shoulder portion 12, the body portion 20, and the bottom portion 30 of the container body 10.

  Note that the plastic member 40 may be provided in the entire or a part of the container body 10 other than the mouth 11. For example, the plastic member 40 may be provided so as to cover the entire neck portion 13, the shoulder portion 12, the trunk portion 20, and the bottom portion 30 of the container main body 10 except for the mouth portion 11. Further, the number of the plastic members 40 is not limited to one, and a plurality of members may be provided. For example, two plastic members 40 may be provided on the outer surface of the shoulder portion 12 and the outer surface of the bottom portion 30, respectively.

On the other hand, the material of the plastic member 40 (the second plastic material) preferably has a heat shrink property, and particularly preferably has a lower heat shrink temperature than the material of the container body 10 (the first plastic material). Specifically, the material (second plastic material) of the plastic member 40 is, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, poly-4-methylpentene-1, polystyrene, AS resin, ABS resin, or the like. , Polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetal, polyvinyl butyral, diallyl phthalate resin, fluororesin, polymethyl methacrylate, polyacrylic acid, polymethyl acrylate, polyacrylonitrile, polyacrylamide , Polybutadiene, polybutene-1, polyisoprene, polychloroprene, ethylene propylene rubber, butyl rubber, nitrile rubber, acrylic rubber, silicone rubber, fluorine rubber, nylon 6, nylon 6 6, nylon MXD6, aromatic polyamide, polycarbonate, poly (ethylene terephthalate), poly (butylene terephthalate), poly (naphthalene ethylene), U polymer, liquid crystal polymer, modified polyphenylene ether, polyether ketone, polyether ether ketone, unsaturated polyester, alkyd Resin, polyimide, polysulfone, polyphenylene sulfide, polyether sulfone, silicone resin, polyurethane, phenol resin, urea resin, polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide, polyacetal, epoxy resin, and the like can be given. Among them, it is preferable to use a thermoplastic inelastic resin such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN). Further and blends materials may be those monomer units that constitute the resin is copolymerized, a multi-layer structure, or may be partially multi-layered structure. Furthermore, various additives other than the main component resin may be added to the material of the plastic member 40 as long as the properties are not impaired. Examples of additives include a plasticizer, an ultraviolet stabilizer, a coloring inhibitor, a matting agent, a deodorant, a flame retardant, a weathering agent, an antistatic agent, a yarn friction reducing agent, a slip agent, a release agent, An oxidizing agent, an ion exchange agent, a coloring pigment, and the like can be added. Further, by mixing an inert gas (nitrogen gas, argon gas) into a melt of the thermoplastic resin, a foamed member having a foamed cell diameter of 0.5 to 100 μm is used, and this foamed preform is molded. In addition, light-shielding properties can be improved.

  In addition, a printing area 43 is provided by printing on the surface of the plastic member 40. Therefore, images and characters can be displayed on the composite container 10A without separately applying a label or the like to the container body 10 after blow molding. The ink used to form the printing area 43 (43a) is particularly limited as long as the specific gravity of the printed plastic member 40 and the specific gravity of the container body 10 are different from each other, as described later. Although it is not a thing, for example, a brown, black, green, white, red or blue colorant can be contained as a colorant. The colorant may be a pigment or a dye, but is preferably a pigment from the viewpoint of light resistance. Among the above colorants, light-reflective pigments, titanium white, aluminum powder, mica powder, zinc sulfide, zinc white, calcium carbonate, kaolin, white pigments such as talc, light-absorbing pigments, carbon black, Colored pigments such as ceramic black and bone black are preferred. By using an ink containing such a pigment, the transmittance of visible light of the plastic member 40 after blow molding can be reduced, and the quality of the content liquid filled in the composite container 10A is prevented from changing. can do. The content of the colorant in the ink is preferably 0.1 to 10% by mass, and more preferably 0.2 to 5% by mass.

  Further, the ink preferably contains a thermosetting resin or an ionizing radiation-curable resin, and is more preferably an ionizing radiation-curable resin in terms of high surface hardness and excellent productivity. Note that a thermosetting resin and an ionizing radiation-curable resin may be used in combination.

  Examples of ionizing radiation-curable resins include polyester resins, polyether resins, acrylic resins, epoxy resins, urethane resins, alkyd resins, spiroacetal resins, and polybutadienes, which can be polymerized and cross-linked by irradiation with ionizing radiation such as ultraviolet rays and electron beams. Resins, polythiol polycircle resins, polyhydric alcohols, etc., are preferred. Ultraviolet-curable resins are preferred because they have high followability and are less likely to cause defects such as cracks by blow molding. Polymethylol having two or more unsaturated bonds such as ethyl (meth) acrylate, ethylhexyl (meth) acrylate, styrene, methylstyrene, and N-vinylpyrrolidone having one unsaturated bond as the ultraviolet-curable resin. Propane tri (meth) acrylate, hexanediol (meth) acrylate, tripropylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, diethylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, pentaerythritol tri (meth) acrylate, dipentaerythritol hexa (meth) acrylate, 1,6 -Hexanediol di (meth) acrylate, neopentyl glycol di (meth) acrylate, or the like, or a reaction product of the above compound with (meth) acrylate, or the like. Among these, ethyl (meth) acrylate, ethylhexyl (meth) acrylate and styrene are preferred, and ethyl (meth) acrylate is more preferred. In this specification, “(meth) acrylate” refers to methacrylate and acrylate. Furthermore, it is preferable to use a photopolymerization initiator in combination with these resins, and examples thereof include acetophenones, benzophenones, and benzyls.

  Examples of the thermosetting resin include, for example, phenol resin, urea resin, diallyl phthalate resin, melamine resin, guanamine resin, unsaturated polyester resin, polyurethane resin, epoxy resin, amino alkyd resin, melamine-urea cocondensation resin, silicon resin, Polysiloxane resins and the like can be mentioned. Further, it is preferable to use these resins in combination with a thermal polymerization initiator, a curing accelerator, a curing agent and the like.

  The total content of the thermosetting resin and the ionizing radiation-curable resin in the ink is preferably 1 to 20% by mass, more preferably 1 to 10% by mass.

  Printing may be repeatedly performed a plurality of times. Thereby, even after the print area 43a is elongated after the blow molding, the print such as the design or the print can be clearly displayed.

  Printing on the plastic member 40 (40a) can be performed by a conventionally known method, and examples thereof include a printing method such as an ink jet method, a gravure printing method, an offset printing method, and a flexographic printing method. In addition, printing may be performed on the plastic member 40 stretched by the biaxial stretch blow molding to form the printing region 43, and the printing region 43a is formed on the plastic member 40a before being attached to the preform 10a. Alternatively, the printing area 43a may be formed on the plastic member 40a provided outside the preform 10a. Before printing, the plastic member 40 (40a) may be subjected to a surface treatment such as a primer treatment or a corona treatment in advance.

  In addition, an anchor coat layer can be formed in advance at a position where the print region 43 (43a) of the plastic member 40 (40a) is to be formed. When the plastic member 40 (40a) includes the anchor coat layer, the adhesion of the ink to the plastic member 40 (40a) is improved. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform a pretreatment such as a corona treatment. Further, by providing the anchor coat layer, it is possible to reduce the blur of printing. However, in this case, the specific gravity of the plastic member 40 including the anchor coat layer and the print area 43 and the specific gravity of the container body 10 need to be different from each other.

  In addition, a protective layer can be formed on the printed portion of the surface of the plastic member 40 (40a). Since the surface protection layer is formed on the surface of the plastic member 40 (40a), it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of temporal defects such as printing performed on the plastic member 40 (40a), Further, the durability of the composite container can be improved. However, in this case, the specific gravity of the plastic member 40 on which the protective layer and the printing region 43 are formed and the specific gravity of the container body 10 need to be different from each other. When an anchor coat layer is further provided, the specific gravity of the plastic member 40 including the anchor coat layer, the protective layer, and the print area 43 needs to be different from the specific gravity of the container body 10.

  In the present embodiment, the specific gravity of the container body 10 and the specific gravity of the plastic member 40 having the surface printed are different from each other. Since the specific gravity of the container body 10 and the specific gravity of the plastic member 40 having the surface printed thereon are different from each other, as described later, the flakes 90 are printed on the small piece-shaped container body 10p and the surface. It is easy to separate and collect the small plastic member 40p. Further, the specific gravity of the plastic member 40 having the surface printed thereon is preferably less than 1, more preferably less than 0.95, and even more preferably less than 0.9. On the other hand, the specific gravity of the container body 10 is preferably 1 or more, more preferably 1.05 or more, and even more preferably 1.2 or more. Furthermore, the specific gravity of the plastic member 40 is less than 1, the specific gravity of the container body 10 is 1 or more, and the difference between the specific gravity of the plastic member 40 and the specific gravity of the container body 10 is 0.1 or more. It is more preferably 0.3 or more. Since the specific gravity of the plastic member 40 is less than 1, the specific gravity of the container body 10 is 1 or more, and the difference between the specific gravity of the plastic member 40 and the specific gravity of the container body 10 is 0.1 or more, the flakes 90 Can be further separated and collected into a small piece-shaped container body 10p and a small piece-shaped plastic member 40p having a printed surface.

  Further, the plastic member 40 (40a) may include a material having a gas barrier property such as an oxygen barrier property or a water vapor barrier property. When the plastic member 40 (40a) has a multilayer structure, the plastic member 40 (40a) may include a layer made of a material having a gas barrier property such as an oxygen barrier property or a water vapor barrier property. In this case, without using a multilayer preform or a preform containing a blend material as the preform 10a, the gas barrier property of the composite container 10A is improved, oxygen is prevented from entering the container, and the content liquid is prevented from deteriorating. In addition, the water vapor can be prevented from evaporating from the inside of the container to the outside, and a decrease in the internal capacity can be prevented. For example, a plastic member 40 may be provided on the entire region of the shoulder 12, neck 13, body 20 and bottom 30 of the container body 10 to enhance the gas barrier properties of this portion. Examples of such a material include PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), MXD-6 (nylon), PGA (polyglycolic acid), EVOH (ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer), and oxygen-containing materials such as fatty acid salts. It is also conceivable to mix an absorbent material.

  Further, the plastic member 40 (40a) may include a material having a light barrier property against ultraviolet rays or the like. When the plastic member 40 (40a) has a multilayer structure, the plastic member 40 (40a) may have a layer made of a material having a light barrier property against ultraviolet rays or the like. In this case, the light barrier property of the composite container 10A can be enhanced without using a multilayer body or a material containing a blend material as the container body 10, and the content liquid can be prevented from being deteriorated by ultraviolet rays or the like. For example, a plastic member 40 may be provided on the entire area of the shoulder 12, neck 13, body 20, and bottom 30 of the container body 10 to enhance the ultraviolet barrier property of this portion. As such a material, a blended material or a material obtained by adding a light-shielding resin to PET, PE, or PP can be considered. Alternatively, a foamed member having a foam cell diameter of 0.5 to 100 μm, which is produced by mixing an inert gas (nitrogen gas, argon gas) with a melt of a thermoplastic resin, may be used.

  In addition, the plastic member 40 (40a) may include a material having a higher heat retaining property or a lower heat retaining property (a material having low thermal conductivity) than the plastic material forming the container body 10 (preform 10a). When the plastic member 40 (40a) is composed of multiple layers, the plastic member 40 (40a) is made of a material (heat conduction) having a higher heat-retaining or cooling property than the plastic material forming the container body 10 (preform 10a). May be provided. In this case, it is possible to make it difficult for the temperature of the content liquid to be transmitted to the surface of the composite container 10A without increasing the thickness of the container body 10 itself. Thereby, the heat retaining property or the cold retaining property of the composite container 10A is enhanced. For example, a plastic member 40 may be provided on all or a part of the body 20 of the container body 10 to enhance the heat retaining property or the cold retaining property of the body 20. Further, when the user holds the composite container 10A, it is prevented that the composite container 10A becomes difficult to hold due to being too hot or too cold. Examples of such a material include foamed polyurethane, polystyrene, PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), phenol resin, polyvinyl chloride, urea resin, silicone, polyimide, and melamine resin. Alternatively, a foamed member having a foam cell diameter of 0.5 to 100 μm, which is produced by mixing an inert gas (nitrogen gas, argon gas) with a melt of a thermoplastic resin, may be used. It is preferable to mix hollow particles with these resins. The average particle diameter of the hollow particles is preferably from 1 to 200 μm, more preferably from 5 to 80 μm. The “average particle diameter” means a volume average particle diameter, and is measured by a known method using a particle size distribution / particle size distribution measuring device (for example, Nanotrack particle size distribution measuring device, manufactured by Nikkiso Co., Ltd.). can do. The hollow particles may be organic hollow particles composed of a resin or the like, or may be inorganic hollow particles composed of a glass or the like. Hollow particles are preferred. Examples of the resin constituting the organic hollow particles include a styrene resin such as a crosslinked styrene-acryl resin, a (meth) acryl resin such as an acrylonitrile-acryl resin, a phenol resin, a fluorine resin, a polyamide resin, and a polyimide. Resin, polycarbonate resin, polyether resin and the like. In addition, Ropeike HP-1055, Ropeke HP-91, Ropeke OP-84J, Ropeke Ultra, Ropeke SE, Ropeke ST (manufactured by Rohm and Haas Co., Ltd.), Nipol MH-5055 (manufactured by Zeon Corporation), SX8782 And SX866 (manufactured by JSR Corporation) can also be used. When the plastic member 40a is formed of a single layer, the content of the hollow particles is preferably 0.01 to 50 parts by mass, based on 100 parts by mass of the resin contained in the plastic member 40a. More preferably, it is 20 parts by mass. When the plastic member 40a has a multilayer structure, the amount is preferably 0.01 to 50 parts by mass, and more preferably 1 to 20 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the resin contained in the layer of the plastic member 40a containing the hollow particles. Is more preferable.

  Further, the plastic member 40 (40a) may include a material that is less slippery than the plastic material forming the container body 10 (preform 10a). When the plastic member 40 (40a) has a multilayer structure, the plastic member 40 (40a) has a layer made of a material that is less slippery than the plastic material forming the container body 10 (preform 10a) as the outermost layer. May be. In this case, the user can easily grip the composite container 10A without changing the material of the container body 10. For example, a plastic member 40 may be provided on all or a part of the body 20 of the container body 10 to make the body 20 easier to hold.

  Such a plastic member 40 has a function of shrinking with respect to the preform 10a. That is, the plastic member (outside contraction member) 40 is provided outside the preform 10a, and is heated and contracted integrally with the preform 10a, and then obtained by biaxial stretching blow molding. Things.

  The thickness of the plastic member 40 is not limited to this, but can be, for example, about 5 μm to 500 μm in a state where the plastic member 40 is attached to the container body 10.

  The plastic member 40a is manufactured by a method including an extrusion molding step. More specifically, first, the above-described resin is heated and melted in an extruder, and the melted resin is continuously extruded from a ring die. If desired, the mixture may contain a colorant, an additive, and the like. Next, the extruded resin is cooled to form an unstretched extruded tube. One end of the extruded tube is closed by welding or bonding one end of the undrawn extruded tube. Next, the extruded tube whose one end is closed is placed in a tube-shaped mold. The inner diameter of the tubular mold is larger than the outer diameter of the extruded tube. Next, a blowing device is arranged (mounted) on the other end of the extrusion tube. At this time, it is preferable that the blow device be in close contact with the extruded tube so that air does not leak from between the extruded tube. Subsequently, the extrusion tube, the mold, and the blow device are sent to the heating furnace in this arrangement, and heated to 70 to 150 ° C. inside the heating furnace. As the heating furnace, a hot-air circulation heating furnace may be used to keep the inside at a uniform temperature. Alternatively, these may be heated by passing the extruded tube, the mold, and the blow device through a heated liquid. Next, the extruded tube, the mold, and the blow device are taken out of the heating furnace, and air is jetted from the blow device into the extruded tube, whereby the inner surface of the extruded tube is stretched under pressure. As a result, the extruded tube expands and is expanded along the inner surface shape of the mold. Thereafter, the extruded tube is cooled in cold water while the air is blown from the blow device, and the extruded tube is taken out of the mold. By cutting this into a desired size, a plastic member 40a is obtained.

  Next, a method of manufacturing (blow molding) the composite container 10A shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, a preform 10a made of a first plastic material is prepared (see FIG. 2A). In this case, for example, the preform 10a may be manufactured by an injection molding method using an injection molding machine (not shown). Further, as the preform 10a, a preform generally used conventionally may be used.

  The preform 10a includes a mouth 11a, a body 20a connected to the mouth 11a, and a bottom 30a connected to the body 20a. The mouth 11 a corresponds to the mouth 11 of the container body 10 described above, and has substantially the same shape as the mouth 11. The body 20a corresponds to the neck 13, the shoulder 12, and the body 20 of the container body 10 described above, and has a substantially cylindrical shape. The bottom 30a corresponds to the bottom 30 of the container body 10 described above, and has a substantially hemispherical shape.

  Next, a plastic member 40a made of a second plastic material having heat shrinkability is provided on the outside of the preform 10a, so that the preform 10a and the plastic member 40a adhered to the outside of the preform 10a can be separated. Is produced (see FIG. 2B). In this case, the plastic member 40a has a bottomed cylindrical shape as a whole, and has a cylindrical body 41 and a bottom 42 connected to the body 41. In the present embodiment, a composite preform 70 used when molding such a composite container 10A is also provided.

  At this time, a plastic member 40a having an inner diameter that is the same as or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the preform 10a may be pressed into the preform 10a to be in close contact with the outer surface of the preform 10a.

  Alternatively, a heat-shrinkable plastic member (outside shrink member) 40a is provided on the outer surface of the preform 10a, and the plastic member 40a is heated to 50 ° C. to 100 ° C. to be thermally shrunk to form an outer surface of the preform 10a. May be adhered to.

  As described above, by bringing the plastic member 40a into close contact with the outside of the preform 10a in advance and preparing the composite preform 70, a series of steps for producing the composite preform 70 (FIGS. 2A to 2B) )) And a series of steps for manufacturing the composite container 10A by blow molding (FIGS. 2 (c) to 2 (f)) can be performed at different places (such as factories).

  Next, the composite preform 70 is heated by the heating device 51 (see FIG. 2C). At this time, the composite preform 70 is uniformly heated in the circumferential direction by the heating device 51 while rotating with the mouth 11a facing downward. The heating temperature of the preform 10a and the plastic member 40a in this heating step may be, for example, 90 ° C. to 130 ° C.

  Subsequently, the composite preform 70 heated by the heating device 51 is sent to the blow molding die 50 (see FIG. 2D).

  The composite container 10A is formed using the blow mold 50. In this case, the blow mold 50 includes a pair of body molds 50a and 50b that are divided from each other, and a bottom mold 50c (see FIG. 2D). In FIG. 2D, the pair of body molds 50a and 50b are open to each other, and the bottom mold 50c is raised upward. In this state, the composite preform 70 is inserted between the pair of body molds 50a and 50b.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2 (e), after the bottom mold 50c is lowered, the pair of body molds 50a and 50b are closed and sealed by the pair of body molds 50a and 50b and the bottom mold 50c. The blow molding die 50 is constructed. Next, air is press-fitted into the preform 10a, and biaxial stretch blow molding is performed on the composite preform 70.

  Thereby, the container main body 10 is obtained from the preform 10a in the blow molding die 50. During this time, the body molds 50a and 50b are heated to 30 ° C to 80 ° C, and the bottom mold 50c is cooled to 5 ° C to 25 ° C. At this time, in the blow mold 50, the preform 10a of the composite preform 70 and the plastic member 40a are integrally expanded. Thereby, the preform 10a and the plastic member 40a are integrally formed into a shape corresponding to the inner surface of the blow molding die 50.

  In this manner, a composite container 10A including the container body 10 and the plastic member 40 provided on the outer surface of the container body 10 is obtained.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2F, the pair of body dies 50a and 50b and the bottom die 50c are separated from each other, and the composite container 10A is taken out from the blow molding die 50.

  Subsequently, the composite container 10A is filled with contents such as a beverage, and a cap (not shown) is attached to the mouth 11 of the composite container 10A.

  Thereafter, the cap is removed from the mouth 11 of the composite container 10A by the consumer, and the contents such as beverages are consumed. Thereafter, the composite container 10A is discarded, and separated and collected by using the composite container separation and collection system 80 as described below.

Separation and recovery system of the composite container Next, referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, an outline of separation and recovery system of the composite container according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the separation and recovery system 80 for a composite container includes, in order from the upstream side to the downstream side, a pulverizing device 81, a hot water separating device 82, and a specific gravity separating device 83.

  The crushing device 81 forms a plurality of flakes 90 by crushing the discarded composite container 10A. Each flake 90 includes a small piece-shaped container body 10p and a small piece-shaped plastic member 40p provided with a print area 43p. In this case, the small plastic member 40p provided with the print area 43p is in close contact with the small container body 10p.

  The crushing device 81 crushes the composite container 10A finely, and crushes the composite container 10A into flakes 90 each having a side length of about 5 mm to 20 mm using, for example, rotating teeth. The small piece-shaped container body 10p is obtained by finely pulverizing the container body 10, and the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p provided with the printing area 43p is printed on the surface, and the printing area 43 is formed. The plastic member 40 provided is finely pulverized.

  The hot water separator 82 is provided downstream of the crusher 81, and has a liquid tank 82a containing hot water. The hot water separator 82 immerses the plurality of flakes 90 crushed by the crusher 81 in hot water in the liquid tank 82a, thereby converting each flake 90 into a small piece-shaped container body 10p and a printing area 43p. Are separated into a small piece-shaped plastic member 40p provided with. For example, in the hot water separator 82, each flake 90 is stirred in hot water of, for example, 80 ° C. to 90 ° C. for a certain period of time, so that a small piece main body 10p and a small piece provided with the print area 43p are provided. And the plastic member 40p are separated from each other.

  The specific gravity separation device 83 is provided on the downstream side of the hot water separation device 82, and has a liquid tank 83a that stores a liquid such as normal-temperature water. The specific gravity separation device 83 is configured by immersing a small piece-shaped container body 10p separated from each other and a small piece-shaped plastic member 40p provided with a print area 43p in water or the like in a liquid tank 83a. , And are separated and recovered separately due to the difference in their specific gravities. For example, when the material (first plastic material) of the container body 10 is polyethylene terephthalate and the material (second plastic material) of the plastic member 40 is polypropylene, a small-shaped container having a specific gravity larger than 1 is used. Since the main body 10p sinks in the water and the small plastic member 40p provided with the printing area 43p having a specific gravity smaller than 1 floats in the water, these can be collected separately.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the composite container separation / recovery system 80 includes one or more of a foreign substance removing device 84, a wind separation device 85, and an alkali separation device 86 in addition to the above devices. May be.

  Among them, the foreign matter removing device 84 is a device into which the composite container 10A before pulverization is put, and sorts out and removes foreign matters such as paper pieces, metal pieces, and plastic pieces other than the composite container 10A.

  Further, the wind separation device 85 is provided at least on the downstream side of the crushing device 81, and separates the flakes 90 into the small piece-shaped container main body 10p and the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p by wind force. .

  The alkali separation device 86 is provided at least on the downstream side of the crushing device 81, and has a liquid tank (not shown) containing a hot alkaline liquid. This alkali separation device 86 separates each flake 90 into a small piece-shaped container body 10p and a small piece-shaped plastic member 40p by immersing a plurality of flakes 90 in a hot alkali solution in a liquid tank. Things.

  As described above, by providing the air separation device 85 and the alkali separation device 86, the flakes 90 are separated into the small piece-shaped container body 10p and the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p provided with the printing area 43p. Is done more reliably.

Method for Separating and Recovering Composite Container Next, a method for separating and recovering a composite container using the composite container separating and collecting system 80 shown in FIG. 3 will be described.

  First, a used composite container 10A to be discarded is prepared (preparation step).

  Next, the composite container 10A is crushed by the crusher 81. Thereby, the composite container 10A is pulverized into a plurality of flakes 90 each including the small-piece-shaped container body 10p and the small-piece-shaped plastic member 40p (crushing step). The length of one side of each flake 90 is, for example, about 5 mm to 20 mm. At this time, in many flakes 90, the small piece-shaped container main body 10p and the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p provided with the print area 43p are in close contact with each other.

  Subsequently, the plurality of flakes 90 are sent to the hot water separator 82. In the hot water separator 82, the plurality of flakes 90 are immersed in hot water in the liquid tank 82a, so that each flake 90 has a small piece-shaped container body 10p and a small piece-shaped Separation into plastic members 40p (hot water separation step). In the hot water separator 82, the flakes 90 are stirred in hot water of, for example, 80 ° C. to 90 ° C. for a certain time. At this time, the small-piece plastic member 40p provided with the print area 43p is suddenly thermally contracted and curls, so that the small-piece plastic member 40p is separated from the small-piece container body 10p.

  Next, the small-piece-shaped container main body 10p and the small-piece-shaped plastic member 40p provided with the printing area 43p are sent to the specific gravity separation device 83. In this specific gravity separation device 83, the small-piece-shaped container body 10p and the small-piece-shaped plastic member 40p provided with the printing area 43p are immersed in water or the like in the liquid tank 83a, and differ in their specific gravities. And separated and collected separately (specific gravity separation step).

  After that, the small piece-shaped container body 10p is further reduced to particles having a smaller diameter through a melting step or the like, and then used as a raw material for products such as clothes and carpets.

  In the above-described hot water separator 82, the small-piece-shaped container main body 10p and the small-piece-shaped plastic member 40p provided with the print area 43p are separated by hot water in a liquid tank 82a. It may be separated and collected depending on the difference in specific gravity. In this case, the specific gravity separation device 83 (specific gravity separation step) may not be separately provided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, after the preparation step, foreign matters such as paper pieces, metal pieces, and plastic pieces other than the used composite container 10A may be selectively removed using the foreign matter removing device 84. Further, at least after the pulverizing step, a wind separation step of separating the flakes 90 into small piece-shaped container bodies 10p and small piece-shaped plastic members 40p provided with the print area 43p by wind force is provided. Is also good. Further, at least after the pulverization step, the flakes 90 are immersed in a hot alkaline solution to separate the small-piece container body 10p and the small-piece plastic member 40p provided with the print area 43p into alkali separation. A process may be provided. In the present embodiment, the container main body 10 and the plastic member 40 are not bonded, and therefore, no adhesive residue is present in the composite container 10A. Therefore, when only the composite container 10A according to the present embodiment is separated and collected using the separation and collection system 80, the alkali separation step may not be provided.

  As described above, the specific gravity of the container body 10 and the specific gravity of the plastic material 40 on which printing is performed on the surface and the printing region 43 is formed are different from each other, since the plastic member 40 has heat shrinkability. . Thereby, when discarding the composite container 10A, the small-piece-shaped container body 10p and the small-piece-shaped plastic member 40p provided with the printing area 43p can be easily separated. Further, since the plastic member 40 is expanded by blow molding, the plastic member 40p has high stretchability and is more easily contracted. Therefore, it is easy to remove the plastic member 40p provided with the printing region 43p in the hot water separation step. It is.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, a plurality of flakes 90 are formed by crushing the composite container 10A (crushing step), and the flakes 90 are immersed in hot water to form small flakes 90. (A hot water separation process) into a small plastic member 40p provided with a printing area 43p. Thereafter, the small-piece-shaped container body 10p and the small-piece-shaped plastic member 40p provided with the printing area 43p are separated and collected separately by a difference in their specific gravities (specific gravity separation step). Thereby, when discarding the composite container 10A, the plastic member 40 can be easily removed from the container body 10. In addition, there is no need for the consumer to perform an operation of removing the plastic member 40 from the container body 10 using, for example, a blade.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the preform 10a (container main body 10) and the plastic member 40a (plastic member 40) can be formed from different members, the type and shape of the plastic member 40 can be configured. By appropriately selecting, various functions and characteristics can be freely imparted to the composite container 10A.

EXAMPLES Next, specific examples of the present embodiment will be described.

  According to the method shown in FIGS. 2A to 2F, a composite container 10A having the container main body 10 and the plastic member 40 provided in close contact with the outside of the container main body 10 was produced. In this case, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) was used as the material of the container body 10, and PP (polypropylene) was used as the material of the plastic member 40.

  Next, the composite container 10A was cut into a plurality of flakes 90 so as to be 8 mm square. The plurality of flakes 90 were continuously stirred with hot water of 85 ° C. for 15 minutes. Thereafter, this was allowed to stand for 5 minutes to remove the small plastic member 40p provided with the print area 43p floating in the hot water. The sinking flakes 90 were dried, and the small piece-shaped container body 10p and the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p provided with the remaining print area 43p were separated, and their respective weights were measured. As a result, it was confirmed that the ratio of the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p provided with the printing region 43p was 20 ppm or less, and thus it was confirmed that the recyclability was excellent.

Next, a modified example of the composite container will be described.

  In the above-described embodiment, the aspect using the composite container 10A including the container main body 10 and the plastic member 40 having the print area 43 formed on the surface is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 5, in the composite container 10 </ b> A, the inner label member 60 may be provided between the container body 10 and the plastic member 40.

  Such a composite container 10A has a container body 10 made of a first plastic material located inside, an inner label member 60 provided in close contact with the outside of the container body 10, and a close contact with the outside of the inner label member 60. And a heat-shrinkable plastic member 40 made of a second plastic material.

  The inner label member 60 is in close contact with the outer surface of the container body 10 in a thinly extended state, and is in close contact with the container body 10 so as not to easily move or rotate.

  Further, the plastic member 40 is in close contact with the outer surface of the container main body 10 and the outer surface of the inner label member 60 in a thinly extended state, and is in close contact with the container main body 10 so as not to easily move or rotate. I have.

  It is conceivable that at least a part of the plastic member 40 is translucent or transparent. In this case, the inner label member 60 can be visually recognized from outside through the translucent or transparent portion. The plastic member 40 may be entirely translucent or transparent, or may have an opaque portion and a translucent or transparent portion (for example, a window).

  Next, the inner label member 60 will be described. The inner label member 60 is provided so as to surround the outside of the preform 10a, and is obtained by integral biaxial stretching blow molding with the preform 10a and the plastic member 40a.

  The inner label member 60 is attached to the outer surface of the container body 10 without being adhered thereto, and is tightly attached to the container body 10 so as not to move or rotate. The inner label member 60 is thinly stretched on the outer surface of the container body 10 and covers the container body 10. The inner label member 60 is provided over the entire area in the circumferential direction so as to surround the container body 10 and has a substantially circular horizontal cross section.

  In this case, the inner label member 60 is provided so as to cover the shoulder 12, the trunk 20, and the bottom 30 of the container main body 10 except for the mouth 11 and the neck 13. Accordingly, desired characters, images, and the like can be given to the shoulder portion 12, the trunk portion 20, and the bottom portion 30 of the container body 10, and the composite container 10A can be provided with decorativeness or display information.

  Note that the inner label member 60 may be provided in the whole or a part of the container body 10 other than the mouth 11. For example, the inner label member 60 may be provided so as to cover the entire neck portion 13, the shoulder portion 12, the body portion 20, and the bottom portion 30 of the container body 10 except for the mouth portion 11. Further, the number of the inner label members 60 is not limited to one, but may be plural. Note that the inner label member 60 may be provided in the same region as the plastic member 40 or may be provided in a region smaller than the plastic member 40. In the latter case, the inner label member 60 is preferably completely covered by the plastic member 40.

  As such an inner label member 60, a film of a polyester resin, a polyamide resin, a polyaramid resin, a polypropylene resin, a polycarbonate resin, a polyacetal resin, a fluorine resin, or the like can be used. The inner label member 60 may be made of the same material (the second plastic material) as the plastic member 40, or may be made of a different material. The inner label member 60 preferably has heat shrinkability and a specific gravity different from the material (first plastic material) of the container body 10 in order to facilitate peeling from the container body 10 at the time of disposal.

  The thickness of the inner label member 60 is not limited to this, but can be, for example, about 1 μm to 100 μm in a state where the inner label member 60 is attached to the container body 10.

  In addition, since the configurations of the container body 10 and the plastic member 40 are substantially the same as those described above, detailed description is omitted here. The method for manufacturing the composite container 10A (blow molding method) shown in FIG. 5 is substantially the same as the method shown in FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 (f).

  Also in the present embodiment, similarly to the above, a plurality of flakes 90 are formed by crushing the composite container 10A (crushing step), and the flakes 90 are immersed in hot water, so that each flake 90 is divided into small pieces. The container body 10p, a small inner label member (not shown), and a small plastic member 40p provided with a print area 43p are separated (a hot water separating step). Thereafter, the small piece-shaped container body 10p, the small piece-shaped inner label member, and the small piece-shaped plastic member 40p provided with the printing area 43p are separated and collected separately due to the difference in their specific gravities. (Specific gravity separation step). Accordingly, when the composite container 10A is discarded, the plastic member 40 having the printed area 43 formed on the surface and the inner label member 60 can be easily removed from the container body 10. The small inner label member and the small plastic member 40p may be removed from the small container body 10p in a state of being in close contact with each other.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Container main body 10A Composite container 10a Preform 10p Small piece-shaped container body 40 Plastic member 40a Plastic member 40p Small piece-shaped plastic member 43 Printing area formed on the surface of the plastic member 43p Small piece-shaped plastic Printing area on the surface of the member made 70 Composite preform 80 Separation and recovery system 81 Crusher 82 Hot water separator 83 Specific gravity separator 84 Foreign matter remover 85 Wind separation separator 86 Alkaline separator 90 Flake

Claims (7)

In a composite container,
A container body,
A plastic member is provided outside the container body,
The plastic member is not adhered to the container body, and is provided in close contact with the plastic member so that no adhesive residue exists between the plastic member and the container body .
The container body and the plastic member are expanded integrally by blow molding,
A printing area is formed on the surface of the plastic member,
The container body has a specific gravity of 1 or more;
The specific gravity of the printed area is formed plastic member Ri der less than 1,
The plastic member has such heat shrinkage that the plastic member is shrunk by immersing the flakes obtained by pulverizing the container main body in hot water and stirring, and the plastic member contracts from the container main body. A composite container, characterized in that: In a composite preform,
A preform,
A plastic member having heat shrinkage is provided so as to surround the outside of the preform,
The plastic member is not adhered to the preform, and is provided in close contact with the plastic member so that no adhesive residue exists between the plastic member and the container body.
A printing area is formed on the surface of the plastic member,
The specific gravity of the preform is 1 or more,
The specific gravity of the plastic member on which the printing region is formed is less than 1,
The plastic member, the flakes obtained by crushing the composite preform is immersed in hot water, by stirring, the plastic member shrinks, the heat shrinkage of the degree of peeling from the preform. A composite preform comprising: In the method of separating and collecting a composite container,
A preparing step of preparing the composite container according to claim 1;
By crushing the composite container, a crushing step of forming a plurality of flakes each including a small piece-shaped container body and a small piece-shaped plastic member in which a printing area is formed,
By immersing the plurality of flakes in hot water, a hot water separation step of separating each flake into the small piece-shaped container body and the small piece-shaped plastic member in which the printing area is formed, A method for separating and recovering a composite container, comprising:   The method further includes a specific gravity separating step of separating the small piece-shaped container main body and the small piece-shaped plastic member on which the printing area is formed, and separating and collecting them separately according to a difference in their specific gravities. The method for separating and recovering a composite container according to claim 3.   An inner label member is provided between the container main body and the plastic member, and the container main body, the inner label member, and the plastic member are integrally expanded by blow molding. 5. The method for separating and collecting a composite container according to 3 or 4. In the separation and recovery system for composite containers,
A crushing device for crushing the composite container according to claim 1 to form a plurality of flakes each including a small-piece-shaped container body and a small-piece-shaped plastic member on which a printing region is formed,
Provided on the downstream side of the crushing device, by immersing the plurality of flakes in hot water, each flake is a small piece-shaped container body, and a small piece-shaped plastic member on which the printing area is formed. And a hot water separator for separating the composite container from the container.   The small-piece-shaped container body provided on the downstream side of the hot-water separator and the small-piece-shaped plastic member on which the printing area is formed are separated and recovered separately due to a difference in their specific gravities. The separation / collection system for a composite container according to claim 6, further comprising a specific gravity separation device.

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