JP7257024B2 - Sealer cover and sealing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sealer cover and a sealing device.

BACKGROUND ART For example, there is a center sealing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 as a type of sealing device that is used in a packaging machine and seals a packaging film along the conveying direction. Such a center sealing device includes a pair of left and right rectangular parallelepiped bar sealers and a pair of left and right press rollers arranged downstream of the bar sealers. There is (see Patent Document 1, etc.). The bar sealer incorporates a heater, and heats and melts both side edges of the packaging film passing between the sealing surfaces of the opposing bar sealers. A press roller presses and heat seals the heated film portion. There is also a bar sealer whose sealing surface is surface-treated to reduce contact resistance and improve slipperiness.

Japanese Patent No. 6050997

With long-term use, the surface becomes dirty and the surface treatment described above wears out. When such a situation occurs, the bar sealer is removed from the device, and the heater and thermocouple built into the bar sealer are removed. Then, various kinds of cleaning and maintenance are performed on the bar sealer, and parts are replaced. Such processing and operations are complicated, and the packaging machine must be stopped from the time when the bar sealer is removed until the time when the bar sealer is mounted. In addition, in order to reuse the bar sealer whose surface treatment has worn out, it is necessary to apply the surface treatment again to the removed bar sealer, which is not only complicated but also takes time. It is necessary to prepare and store multiple sealers. Furthermore, once the bar sealer is removed, it may not be attached at a proper position during subsequent attachment, or even if it is attached, alignment may be complicated.

The above-described problems are described as independent ones, and the present invention does not necessarily have to be able to solve all of the described problems, and it is sufficient if at least one of the problems can be solved. In addition, we intend to obtain the right for the configuration to solve this problem by filing a divisional application or making an amendment.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the sealer cover of the present invention is provided by: (1) facing surfaces of a pair of bar sealers used in a packaging machine to heat the film portion in order to seal the packaging film along the transport direction; The sealer cover is detachably attached to each so as to cover the seal surface provided in the sealer cover, and the sealer cover has a rectangular inner surface and a direction orthogonal to the inner surface from both long sides of the inner surface. and one of the pair of side surfaces covers the sealing surface of the bar sealer and is mounted on the bar sealer so that one of the pair of side surfaces covers the sealing surface. An inclined portion bent toward the other side surface is provided at a leading end portion of the side surface on the upstream side in the conveying direction , the inclined portion is in contact with the bar sealer, and the sealer cover is attached to the bar sealer in the conveying direction . It is configured to suppress relative movement to the downstream side. When the sealer cover is detachably attached so as to cover the sealing surface of the bar sealer, the function of the attached sealer cover can be exhibited without replacing the bar sealer itself.
The sealer cover has a rectangular inner surface and a pair of side surfaces extending from both long sides of the inner surface in a direction orthogonal to the inner surface, one of the pair of side surfaces serving as the sealing surface of the bar sealer. Since it is constructed so as to be mounted on the bar sealer so as to cover it, it can be mounted on the bar sealer with a simple structure. The back surface corresponds to the top surface in the embodiment.
In addition, even if the packaging film moves in contact with the side surface of the sealer cover attached to the sealing surface of the bar sealer, and a biasing force is applied from the packaging film to the sealer cover toward the downstream side in the conveying direction , the inclined portion contacts the bar sealer to restrain the movement of the sealer cover and prevent the sealer cover from being displaced along the conveying direction.

(2) A portion that contacts the film portion may be configured to have a low contact resistance. By making the contact resistance low, when the sealer cover is detachably attached so as to cover the sealing surface of the bar sealer, the slipperiness with the packaging film is improved, and the packaging film is smooth without scratches or stress. can be moved to and heated. Then, when the low contact resistance state of the surface of the sealer cover decreases and the contact resistance increases, for example, when the sealer cover is removed from the bar sealer and a sealer cover with a new desired function (low contact resistance, etc.) is attached, be up and running in a short time. The removed sealer cover should be discarded or reused after proper maintenance.

(3) The structure with low contact resistance is preferably made of a plate material having unevenness on its surface or surface-treated. The surface treatment is, for example, a treatment for improving slipperiness. The plate material on which unevenness is formed may be, for example, an embossed plate material.

(4) A locking portion is bent toward the other side surface at a tip end portion of the side surface of the pair of side surfaces that covers the sealing surface in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, and the locking portion is bent toward the other side surface. It is preferable that the stop portion contacts the bar sealer and restrains the sealer cover from moving relative to the bar sealer toward the inner surface side.

It is preferable to provide a stopper portion for suppressing relative movement with respect to the bar sealer at a tip portion of one of the pair of side surfaces that covers the sealing surface. When the sealer cover is attached to the bar sealer, the stopper portion contacts the appropriate position of the bar sealer to suppress relative movement. The stopper portion corresponds to a locking portion or an inclined portion in the embodiments.

(5) It is preferably constructed by bending an embossed metal plate. By doing so, it can be realized with a simple configuration.

(6) It is preferable to prepare a plurality of films having different thicknesses for the portion covering the sealing surface, and replace them according to the thickness of the packaging film.

(7) The sealing device according to the present invention includes a bar sealer that heats the film portion in order to seal the film along the conveying direction, and a bar sealer that is provided downstream of the bar sealer in the conveying direction and heated by the bar sealer. It is preferable that the sealer cover according to any one of (1) to (6) is mounted so as to cover the sealing surface of the bar sealer, and has means for pressurizing the film portion.

According to the present invention, the function of the attached sealer cover can be exhibited without replacing the bar sealer itself.

It is a figure which shows an example of the pillow packaging machine which the sealing device which concerns on this invention mounts. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of a sealing device according to the present invention; FIG. It is the right side view. It is the left side view. It is the top view. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of a sealer cover according to the present invention; FIG.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not to be construed as being limited to this, and various changes, modifications, and improvements can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a pillow packaging machine 10 in which the center seal device of this embodiment is installed. The pillow packaging machine 10 includes a packaging machine main body 11, a film supply device 12 that continuously supplies strip-shaped packaging films to the packaging machine main body 11, and a film supply device 12 that is arranged upstream of the packaging machine main body 11 to provide the packaging. An object-to-package conveying/supplying device 14 is provided for supplying the object-to-be-packaged 13 to the machine body 11 at predetermined intervals.

The film supply device 12 connects the output of a drive motor (not shown) (motor such as a servomotor whose speed is controllable) to an original fabric roll 16 wound with a belt-shaped film 15 . The material is supplied to the packaging machine main body 11 at a constant speed while appropriately controlling the rotation speed. Also, although not shown, various rollers are arranged at predetermined positions from the original fabric roll 16 to the packaging machine main body 11, and the belt-shaped film 15 sent out from the original fabric roll 16 is stretched over the rollers. Then, it is guided to the packaging machine main body 11 through a predetermined path. In the present invention, it is not always necessary to link the original roll 16 with the drive motor, and a feed roller may be provided on the transport path of the packaging film to pull it out.

A device 14 for conveying and supplying items to be packaged includes sprockets 17 arranged in the front and rear (in the figure, only the front in the traveling direction is shown), an endless chain 18 stretched over the plurality of sprockets 17, and the endless chain 18 having a predetermined pitch. It consists of a plurality of pushing fingers 19 attached to each other. As a result, when the pushing finger 19 hits the rear surface of the object 13 to be packaged, the object 13 moves forward as the pushing finger 19 moves.

The packaging machine main body 11 includes a bag making machine 20 for making a tubular film 21 from the supplied belt-shaped film 15, a center sealing device 25 arranged downstream of the bag making machine 20, and the center sealing device 25. , a belt conveyor 23 for conveying the tubular film 21, a top sealing device 30 arranged downstream of the belt conveyor 23, and an unloading conveyor 26 arranged downstream of the top sealing device 30. , is equipped with

The bag-making device 20 passes the strip-shaped film 15 continuously supplied from the film supply device 12 to bring the both side edge portions 15a of the strip-shaped film 15 into contact with each other (polymerize) and form a cylindrical tube. The bag is made into a shaped film 21. The objects to be packaged 13 sequentially supplied from the object-to-be-packaged conveying/supplying device 14 to the packaging machine main body 11 are inserted into the bag making machine 20 . As a result, the articles to be packaged 13 supplied to the bag making machine 20 are arranged in the tubular film 21 at predetermined intervals.

The center sealing device 25 seals the overlapped portion of the both side edge portions 15a of the belt-shaped film 15 that has been made into a tubular bag. The center sealing device 25 is provided with a pair of rectangular parallelepiped bar sealers 31, and both side edges 15a of the strip film 15 are heated while being sandwiched between the pair of bar sealers 31. The film portions (side edges 15a) are fused together in contact. Furthermore, a pair of press rollers 32 are arranged downstream of the bar sealer 31 to press both side edge portions 15 a of the melted belt-shaped film 15 . As a result, the both side edge portions 15a are heat-sealed and integrated to form the center seal portion 21a.

A pinch roller 33 is provided upstream of the bar sealer 31 and between the bag making machine 20 and the bar sealer 31 . A driving force from a drive motor (not shown) is transmitted to the pinch rollers 33, and the pinch rollers 33 pinch both side edge portions 15a of the strip film 15 and apply a conveying force to the both side edge portions 15a. is stably led to the bar sealer 31 in the next stage.

The top sealing device 30 seals and cuts the tubular film 21 in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction, that is, in a transverse direction. The film portion to be sealed and cut is a predetermined position between the front and rear packaged items 13 . As a result, the leading portion of the tubular film 21 is separated from the trailing portion by passing through the top sealing device 30, and the package 27 is manufactured.

In the illustrated example, the top sealing device 30 includes top sealers 30a and 30b arranged to face each other vertically with the tubular film 21 interposed therebetween. It is a so-called box motion type device that is configured to revolve and move each on a predetermined trajectory. There are various types, such as a rotating rotary type.

As described above, the center sealing device 25 includes a pair of bar sealers 31 for heating the both side edge portions 15a of the strip film 15 while sandwiching them. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the bar sealer 31 has a longitudinally extending hole 31a at a predetermined upper position, and a heater and a thermocouple are mounted in the hole 31a. Also, the pair of bar sealers 31 has protrusions 31b at the upper portions on the opposite surface sides thereof. The projecting portion 31b is formed over substantially the entire length in the longitudinal direction, and has an inclined surface 31c at the end on the upstream side such that the projecting amount gradually decreases. The separation distance between the portions where the projections 31b of the pair of bar sealers 31 are formed is uniform and narrow over almost the entire length, and the area where the inclined surface 31c is provided gradually widens toward the upstream side. The protruding opposing surface side of the projecting portion 31 b serves as a sealing surface 31 d for heating both side edge portions 15 a of the strip film 15 .

The pair of left and right bar sealers 31 can be moved in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction by a moving mechanism (not shown) and pulled out to the front side, or can be swung to the front side. It is made so that it can be knocked down. This moving mechanism is operable independently of the supporting mechanism of the pinch roller 33, and when the bar sealer 31 is pulled forward or tilted forward, the pinch roller 33 returns to its original position. The positional relationship is such that the pinch roller 33 does not exist on the upstream side of the dovetail sealer 31 . The press roller 32 may move together with the bar sealer 31, or may remain at its original position like the pinch roller 33 without moving.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the bar sealer 31 of this embodiment includes a sealer cover 40 that covers the sealing surface 31d. In this embodiment, the sealer cover 40 is configured to cover the upper portion of the bar sealer 31 together with the sealing surface 31d. In other words, the sealer cover 40 covers not only the sealing surface 31d of the bar sealer 31, but also the top surface of the bar sealer 31 and the upper portion of the outer surface facing the sealing surface 31d.

The sealer cover 40 is formed by bending a metal plate/embossed plate such as a stainless steel plate whose surface is embossed to form a substantially U-shaped cross section. Thus, the sealer cover 40 has a sealing surface 40b that hangs downward from both longitudinal sides of the top surface 40a, and an outer wall surface 40c. The lower end of the sealing surface 40b is positioned on the lower surface 31e of the protrusion 31b of the bar sealer 31 and covers substantially the entire sealing surface 31d of the bar sealer 31. As shown in FIG. Further, the upstream end of the sealing surface 40b is bent inward at a predetermined angle to form an inclined portion 40d. The inclined portion 40d faces the inclined surface 31c of the bar sealer 31 and covers the inclined surface 31c. In FIGS. 3 and 4, for convenience of illustration, a gap is provided between the outer surface of the bar sealer 31 and the inner surface of the sealer cover 40, but in reality, appropriate surfaces are in contact with each other.

By doing so, when the sealer cover 40 is attached to the bar sealer 31, the surfaces of the sealing surface 31d and the inclined surface 31c of the bar sealer 31 are covered with the sealing surface 40b and the inclined portion 40d of the sealer cover 40, and the film It is the seal surface 40b and the inclined portion 40d of the sealer cover 40 that come into direct contact with. Since the sealer cover 40 is formed of a metal plate, it has good thermal conductivity. contact. As a result, the heat generated by the bar sealer 31 is transmitted to the sealer cover 40 side via the sealing surface 31d, and is transmitted to the film via the sealing surface 40b and the like to heat the film.

Further, the sealer cover 40 of the present embodiment has a locking portion 40e formed by bending the lower end (tip) of the sealing surface 40b of the sealer cover 40 inward (toward the outer wall surface 40c). The engaging portion 40e faces the lower surface 31e of the protrusion 31b.

In the center seal device 25 in which the sealer cover 40 configured as described above is attached to the bar sealer 31, it is the sealer cover 40 that the film comes into direct contact for the center seal, and the sealer cover 40 of the present embodiment is an embossed metal. Since it is formed by bending a plate, the surface is uneven. Therefore, since the film is in point contact with the film, the surface has good slipperiness and low contact resistance without special surface treatment.

Further, since the locking portion 40e of the sealer cover 40 faces the lower surface 31e of the protrusion 31b of the bar sealer 31, the sealer cover 40 is prevented from being displaced upward during operation. Further, the both side edge portions 15a of the strip film 15 move in contact between the sealing surfaces 40b of the sealer covers 40 attached to the pair of bar sealers 31, respectively. During this movement, an urging force is applied from the strip film 15 to the sealer cover 40 toward the downstream side. At this time, since the inclined portion 40d of the sealer cover 40 is in contact with the inclined surface 31c of the bar sealer 31, the sealer cover 40 is prevented from being displaced along the transport direction.

For example, with long-term use, the unevenness of the seal surface 40b changes and wears, or the surface becomes dirty, for example, the slipperiness of the film deteriorates, and maintenance, replacement, cleaning, etc. is required, for example, the moving mechanism moves the bar sealer 31 from the operating position where the sealing process was performed to the front maintenance position. In this state, the pinch roller 33 does not exist near the upstream side of the bar sealer 31 and a space is secured. In this state, the sealer cover 40 is slid toward the upstream side in the conveying direction and removed from the bar sealer 31. - 特許庁Next, for example, a prepared replacement sealer cover 40 is slid from the upstream side of the bar sealer 31 and attached. Then, the moving mechanism returns the bar sealer 31 to which the sealer cover 40 is attached to the operating position.

In this embodiment, although the bar sealer 31 itself is displaced by the moving mechanism, it is not attached or detached but remains attached to the moving mechanism. becomes unnecessary.

Even if it is necessary to stock replacement parts, it is the sealer cover 40, and the storage cost can be reduced compared to the conventional case of stocking the bar sealer 31 as a replacement part. In addition, replacement work can be performed simply by attaching and detaching the sealer cover 40, and there is no need to attach or detach the bar sealer 31 or attach and detach the heater or the thermocouple as in the conventional art.

In the above-described embodiment, since the embossed metal plate is formed by bending, the entire surface of the sealer cover 40 is embossed to form irregularities. A structure having good properties should be such that at least the sealing surface 40b with which the film portion to be heated contacts is embossed so as to have good lubricity.

In addition, the uneven shape for reducing the contact resistance with the film is not limited to embossing as in the above-described embodiment. For example, it may be a ridge or the like extending along the conveying direction. In the case of such a ridge, it is more preferable that the ridge does not extend parallel to the conveying direction, i.e., horizontally, but is inclined at a predetermined angle and traverses the entire width of the sealing surface. With such a configuration, the entire surface of the side edge portion 15a of the strip film 15 can be reliably heated.

Furthermore, the uneven shape is not limited to the one formed by protruding a part of the surface of the flat plate as described above. It is good also as a structure which provides a hole. However, embossing is the best way to efficiently reduce the contact resistance with a simple configuration/structure.

In addition, the structure with good slipperiness is not limited to the unevenness such as embossing as in the embodiment, and various structures such as surface treatment that improves slipperiness, for example be able to. The sealing surface may be a flat surface if a predetermined surface treatment is applied. The use of an embossed metal plate is preferable because it can be easily configured without requiring special surface processing, and can maintain good slipperiness for a longer period of time than a surface-processed metal plate.

Further, in the modified example described above, an example in which a slit or a hole is provided as a shape for reducing contact resistance has been shown, but adopting such a configuration is preferable because heat loss can be suppressed. That is, when the sealer cover 40 is attached to the bar sealer 31, part of the heat generated from the bar sealer is taken away by the sealer cover 40, so the amount of heat required to heat the bar sealer is greater than that of a type without a sealer cover. is required. Therefore, it is preferable to reduce the mass of the cover by providing a slit, a hole, or the like, because it is possible to reduce the amount of extra heat required. The same applies to bottomed holes.

Further, in the above-described embodiment and modification, the sealer cover 40 is slid along the conveying direction to be attached to and detached from the bar sealer 31, and detachment is suppressed using the locking portion 40e and the inclined portion 40d. However, for example, detachable fixing means such as screws may be used to temporarily fix the sealer cover 40 .

Further, in the above-described embodiment and modification, the cross section is substantially U-shaped so as to cover the upper three surfaces of the bar sealer 31, but it is sufficient to cover at least the sealing surface 31d.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment and modification, an example was described in which the sealer cover 40 was replaced when cleaning or maintenance was performed due to deterioration in film slipperiness, etc., but the present invention is not limited to this. , 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm, . In this way, by attaching and detaching the sealer cover, it is possible to easily provide an appropriate clearance between the sealing surfaces according to the thickness of the film. For example, even if a mechanism is provided to change the relative position of the bar sealer, there is little difference in film thickness, so it is complicated to fine-tune it to the appropriate position, but it is easy to replace the sealer cover. It is good because it can give appropriate clearance to .

Further, the center sealing device to which the sealer cover is attached can have various structures as long as it has a bar sealer. Heated and pressurized air may be blown toward both side edges of the film from the sealing surface. In this case, it is preferable to provide a hole larger than the air blowout hole at a position corresponding to the air blowout hole of the sealer cover.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment and modifications, the center seal device used in the pillow packaging machine has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, a horizontal three-sided seal packaging machine, a four-sided seal packaging machine, etc. It can be used for center sealing devices, side sealing devices, etc. mounted on various packaging machines. Moreover, even when used in a pillow packaging machine, as shown in the figure, the side edge portions 15a of the belt-shaped film 15 that has passed through the bag making machine 20 are not limited to being positioned on the lower side, and the reverse pillow type packaging is positioned on the upper side. It can also be applied to center seal devices for machines.

Various aspects of the present invention have been described above using the embodiments and the like, but these embodiments and the description are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but rather contribute to the understanding of the present invention. It should be noted that it is provided for The scope of the invention is not limited to the constructions or methods of manufacture explicitly described herein, but rather includes within its scope combinations of the various aspects of the invention disclosed herein. While the claimed features of the invention are identified in the appended claims, any configuration not presently specified in the claims is disclosed herein. For the sake of clarity, it is possible that such a configuration may be claimed in the future.

10: Pillow packaging machine 15: Strip film (wrapping film)
21: Cylindrical film (packaging film)
25: Center seal device 31: Bar sealer 31a: Hole 31b: Projection 31c: Inclined surface 31d: Seal surface 31e: Lower surface 32: Press roller 40: Sealer cover 40a: Top surface 40b: Seal surface 40c: Outer wall surface 40d: Inclined portion 40e: locking portion

Claims (7)

A sealer that is detachably attached to each of a pair of bar sealers used in a packaging machine so as to cover the sealing surfaces provided on the opposing surfaces of the pair of bar sealers that heat the film portion in order to seal the packaging film along the conveying direction. is a cover,
The sealer cover has a rectangular inner surface and a pair of side surfaces extending from both long sides of the inner surface in a direction orthogonal to the inner surface,
It is configured to be mounted over the bar sealer so that one of the pair of side surfaces covers the sealing surface of the bar sealer,
An inclined portion bent toward the other side surface is provided at an upstream end portion in the conveying direction of the side surface of the pair of side surfaces that covers the sealing surface, and the inclined portion contacts the bar sealer and contacts the sealer. A sealer cover configured to suppress relative movement of the cover to the downstream side in the conveying direction with respect to the bar sealer. 2. The sealer cover according to claim 1, wherein the portion that contacts the film portion is configured to have a low contact resistance. 3. The sealer cover according to claim 2, wherein the structure having the low contact resistance is a plate material having an uneven surface or a surface-treated surface. a locking portion bent toward the other side surface at a leading end portion of the side surface of the pair of side surfaces covering the sealing surface in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction;
4. The locking portion is configured to contact the bar sealer and restrain the sealer cover from moving relative to the bar sealer toward the inner surface side. The sealer cover according to item 1. The sealer cover according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sealer cover is constructed by bending an embossed metal plate. 6. The sealer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a plurality of sealers having different thicknesses of the portion covering the sealing surface are prepared and replaced according to the thickness of the packaging film. cover. A bar sealer that heats the film portion to seal the packaging film along the conveying direction;
Means for pressurizing the film portion heated by the bar sealer provided on the downstream side of the bar sealer in the conveying direction ,
A sealing device comprising the sealer cover according to any one of claims 1 to 6 so as to cover the sealing surface of the bar sealer.

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