JP7260973B2 - Pressurized product manufacturing method and pressurizing agent filling device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pressurized product manufacturing method using undercup filling and a pressurizing agent filling apparatus used in the manufacturing method.

Patent Literature 1 discloses an attachment that holds an outer container, a flexible inner container housed therein, and a valve provided at the upper end of the inner container, which itself is attached to the outer container for sealing. A double pressurized container with a sleeve is disclosed. As a method for filling the double pressurized container with pressurized gas, the space between the outer container and the inner container is filled with the pressurized gas from between the mounting sleeve and the outer container, and then the outer container is filled around the mounting sleeve. A method of combining undercup filling and ultrasonic welding is disclosed in which ultrasonic welding is performed on the .

In Patent Document 2, an undercup is filled with a propellant through a gap between a container and a valve cover (lid), and then an ultrasonic horn arranged on the bottom side of the container is vibrated to vibrate the entire container to open the container. A method of filling a spray container is disclosed that ultrasonically welds the perimeter of the valve to the valve cover.

Japanese Patent No. 5138777 JP-A-58-1622

When the container body and the lid are sealed by ultrasonic welding, both the container body and the lid are made of thermoplastic resin. When filling the undercup, the filling tool is pressed against the shoulder of the container body on which the lid is arranged, and the sealing material of the filling tool and the container body are brought into contact with each other with a considerable sealing pressure so as to prevent gas leakage. For this reason, a container body having a strength higher than that required for internal pressure, that is, a thick container body is used so that it can withstand a high sealing pressure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a pressurized product that can employ a container body having a lower strength and a thinner wall thickness than conventional ones, and a pressurizing agent filling device used in the manufacturing method.

In the method for producing a pressurized product of the present invention, the lids 40 and 44 are placed on the mouth of the container body (41 and 43) with a gap therebetween, and the cup-shaped filler 13 opening downward is placed on the container body (41 and 41). , 43) and the lids 40, 44, the annular sealing material 29 at the lower end of the filler 13 is brought into contact with the shoulder 32 of the container body (41, 43), and the opening of the container body (41, 43) is covered. The container (20, 42) is filled with the pressurizing agent P through the gaps between the lids 40, 44, and the sealing material 29 and the shoulder portion are 32 is increased, and the container bodies (41, 43) are airtightly closed by the lids 40, 44.

In such a method for producing the pressurized product (45), when the container bodies (41, 43) are closed with the lids 40, 44, it is preferable to seal them by ultrasonic welding. Moreover, it is preferable to place the containers (20, 42) on a vertically movable table (19), and to increase the force pushing up the table (19) as the internal pressure of the containers (20, 42) increases.

The pressurizing agent filling device 10 of the present invention has a cup-shaped form that opens downward, and a filling tool 13 having an annular seal member 29 at the lower end that abuts against the shoulder portion 32 of the container body (41, 43). , and a regulator for increasing the contact pressure between the sealing material 29 and the shoulder portion 32 of the container body (41, 43) as the internal pressure in the container (20, 42) increases. .

In such a pressurizing agent filling device 10, a cavity 24 through which a horn 14 that generates ultrasonic waves passes is formed above the filling tool 13. Preferably, a second sealing material (34) is interposed between the peripheral surfaces. In addition, it is preferable to have a vertically movable table (19) on which the containers (20, 42) are placed, and to increase the force pushing up the table (19) as the internal pressure in the containers (20, 42) increases. .

When the container is filled with the pressurizing agent, if the internal pressure becomes high, even if the thickness of the container body is thin, the container is less likely to be deformed due to tension and can withstand high sealing pressure. The present invention utilizes this phenomenon. When the pressurizing agent is filled into the container through the gap between the mouth of the container body and the lid, when the internal pressure of the container is low, the contact pressure between the sealing material and the shoulder is reduced. is kept low, and the contact pressure is increased when the internal pressure increases and the rigidity of the container increases. As a result, even a relatively thin container body is not deformed or crushed by the contact pressure of the sealing material, and can be filled to a final high internal pressure. Therefore, an inexpensive container body manufactured with less material can be adopted. Also, when the internal pressure is low, the pressurizing agent is less likely to leak even if the seal pressure is low.

In this manufacturing method, when the container body is closed by the lid, if the sealing is performed by ultrasonic welding, the sealing material between the container body and the lid can be omitted, so that the manufacturing cost can be further reduced. . In addition, when ultrasonic welding is performed, the strength of the container increases due to the internal pressure, and the pressing force (vertical load) applied to the container during welding is small, making it easy to use a thin container body.

In addition, when the container is placed on a vertically movable table and the force pushing up the table is increased as the internal pressure of the container increases, the contact pressure between the shoulder portion and the sealing material can be easily increased.

Since the pressurizing agent filling device of the present invention includes a regulator that increases the contact pressure between the sealing material and the shoulder of the container as the internal pressure of the container increases, it is used in the manufacturing method of the present invention. be able to. When a cavity through which a horn that generates ultrasonic waves passes is formed in the upper part of the filling tool, and a second sealing material is interposed between the outer peripheral surface of the horn and the inner peripheral surface of the cavity of the filling tool, Filling and sealing can be performed sequentially, and pressurized products can be produced efficiently. If the pressurizing agent filling device has a vertically movable table on which the container is placed, and the force pushing up the table increases as the internal pressure in the container increases, the filling device can be realized with a simple structure. can do.

1 is a partially cross-sectional front view showing an embodiment of a pressurizing agent filling device of the present invention; FIG. It is a partial cross-sectional front view which shows the filling process in the manufacturing method of this invention. It is a partial cross-sectional front view which shows a welding process. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view before assembly showing one embodiment of the pressurized container used in the manufacturing method of the present invention, FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view after assembly, and FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view after cap attachment.

A pressurizing agent filling device 10 shown in FIG. It consists of a horn 14 for ultrasonic welding which closes the upper opening and is provided in the filler 13 so as to be able to move up and down. The filling tool 13 is supported by two supports 15 rising from the base 11 so as to be adjustable in height. The horn 14 is attached to the ultrasonic oscillator via an elevating mechanism 16 (see FIG. 2) having a drive source such as a fluid cylinder or motor.

The lift table 12 includes a base 17, a rod 18 whose elevation is guided by the base 17, an elevating mechanism 16A for driving the rod 18 up and down, and a holding cup (base) 19 provided at the upper end of the rod 18. Consists of The base 17 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a guide member 18a for guiding the vertical movement of the rod 18 is provided inside. The elevating mechanism 16A is composed of, for example, a linear motion mechanism such as a fluid pressure cylinder such as hydraulic pressure or gas, or a screw mechanism that is rotationally driven by a motor.

An example of the lifting mechanism 16A includes two pistons 18b1 and 18b2 fixed to the rod 18, housing chambers (cylinders) 18c1 and 18c2 for housing the pistons, a lifting air introduction portion Au1 for lifting the rod 18, An in-line two-stage type air cylinder provided with Au2 and lowering air introduction portions Ad1 and Ad2 for lowering the rod 18 may be used. Each of the air introduction portions Au1, Au2, Ad1 and Ad2 is connected to an air source As such as an air compressor via electromagnetic valves Sv1 and Sv2. Before filling the pressurizing agent into the bottle (container) 20, the first solenoid valve Sv1 is switched to remove air from the descending air introducing portion Ad1, while the ascending air introducing portion Au1 for the first piston 18b1 is opened. Pressurized (compressed) air is introduced into the first storage chamber 18 c 1 from the first storage chamber 18 c 1 to raise the rod 18 and bring the shoulder 32 of the container body 41 into contact with the sealing material 29 . The second electromagnetic surface Sv2 is switched to open the second descending air introduction portion Ad2 and the ascending air introduction portion Au2 to the atmosphere so that the second piston 18b2 does not act as a load.

Next, when filling the bottle 20 with the pressurizing agent, as the internal pressure of the bottle 20 rises, the second electromagnetic valve Sv2 is switched to pressurize from the second rising air introduction portion Au2 to the second storage chamber 18c2. Further pressurized air is introduced to increase the contact pressure between the shoulder portion 32 of the container body 41 and the sealing material 29, thereby maintaining the seal so that the pressurizing agent does not leak. After the container body 41 is airtightly closed by the lid 44 by welding or the like, pressurized air is introduced into the storage chamber 18c from the first and second lowering air introduction portions Ad1 and Ad2 to lower the rod 18, Bottle 20 can be removed.

The holding cup 19 is for placing the bottle 20 to be filled with the pressurizing agent, and is fitted around the outer periphery of the bottom 21 of the bottle 20 so as to hold the bottom 21 stably and to be centered. do. The lifting platform 12 raises the bottle 20 not filled with the pressurizing agent and lowers the bottle 20 filled with the pressurizing agent. It presses upward to create sealing pressure.

When the above-mentioned series two-stage air cylinder is employed, the pressurizing force of the rod 18 can be changed simply by switching the solenoid valves Sv1 and Sv2, and the pressure of the air introduced into the air cylinder may be constant. It should be noted that the pressurizing force can also be varied by a parallel double air cylinder. On the other hand, a one-stage air cylinder may be employed and the pressure of the air introduced into the cylinder may be changed to adjust the pressing force (lifting load) of the rod 18 . As a method for changing the pressure of the air introduced into the cylinder, for example, a plurality of air sources with different supply pressures are provided, and which air source is introduced into the cylinder is switched by an electromagnetic valve, or a plurality of air sources with different inner diameters are used. A method such as combining cylinders can be adopted. In addition, by opening and closing the solenoid valve to increase the amount of pressurized air supplied to the air cylinder in stages or linearly, the internal pressure in the air cylinder is increased, and the pressurizing force of the rod 18 is increased. You may make it increase.

In either case, it is preferable to provide a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure, an internal pressure sensor for detecting the internal pressure of the bottle 20, and a control device for adjusting the pressure based on the detected value. Note that the internal pressure in the bottle 20 can be calculated from a calibration curve by detecting expansion and hardness change of the body of the bottle 20 when filled with a pressurizing agent, for example.

A support block 22 is attached to the upper part of the column 15 so as to be adjustable in height, and a support plate 23 is attached to the left and right support blocks 22 . The filling tool 13 described above is hung from the lower surface of the support plate 23 . The filler 13 is formed with a cavity (closed space) 24 having an inner diameter into which the horn 14 is slidably fitted. A small diameter portion 26 is provided at the lower portion of the cavity 24 with a stepped portion 25 interposed therebetween. The inner diameter of the small diameter portion 26 is sized to pass through the neck portion 27 and the flange 28 of the bottle 20 (see FIG. 2).

An annular plate-shaped seal member 29 is attached to the lower end of the filler 13 by a mounting plate 30 (lower seal portion). The sealing material 29 has elasticity such as rubber, and has an opening in the center through which the bottle 20 is passed. (See Figure 2). The inner edge of the opening acts as a resiliently deformable lip. At the top of the cavity 24 of the filler 13, an O-ring 34 for sealing with the horn 14 and an O-ring groove for accommodating the O-ring 34 are provided. An introduction port 36 that communicates with the cavity 24 and the outside is provided in the lower portion of the filler 13 , and a pressurizing agent introduction pipe 37 is connected to the introduction port 36 .

The horn 14 has a columnar shape, and the lower end thereof is ring-shaped or the like in order to ultrasonically weld the cover 40, and the lower surface 14a is flat. The upper portion of the horn 14 forms a large-diameter portion 39 with an inclined stepped portion 38 interposed therebetween. The upper portion of the horn 14 is held so as not to interfere with vertical vibration, and is connected to the ultrasonic oscillator so as to allow vibration transmission. As described above, the horn 14 is suspended via an elevating mechanism 16 that moves up and down between a low position where the lower surface 14a contacts the lid 40 of the bottle 20 and a high position away from the lid 40. .

The bottle (container) 20 is, for example, a pressurized container composed of a container body 41 and a lid body 40 that is ultrasonically welded to close the opening of the container body 41, and has strength to withstand the internal pressure of the pressurizing agent. be done. In the state shown in FIG. 1, the cover 40 is not yet ultrasonically welded to the container body 41, and a gap or a filling passage is provided between the upper end surfaces of the cover 40 and the container body 41 to pass the pressurizing agent. .

As shown in FIG. 1, the method of filling the bottle 20 with the pressurizing agent is as follows. First, the container body 41 is filled with the undiluted solution, and the bottle 20 with the lid 40 placed on the mouth is placed on the holding cup 19 of the lifting table 12. do. Then, the elevating mechanism 16A is driven to raise the bottle 20 so that the shoulder portion 32 of the container body 41 is brought into contact with the sealing material 29 of the filler 13 (see FIG. 2). The contact pressure (initial value) of the sealing material 29 at this time is sufficiently weak to the extent that the shoulder portion 32 and the bottom portion 21 are not crushed even when the shoulder portion 32 and the bottom portion 21 are pressed. The upper part of the cavity 24 is closed with a horn 14, and the gap between the filler 13 and the horn 14 is sealed with an O-ring 34.

Then, the pressurizing agent is introduced from the introduction port 36 and filled into the container main body 41 through the gap between the lid 40 and the container main body 41 via the cavity 24 (under-cup filling). Compressed gases such as air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide are used as the pressurizing agent. The internal pressure in the bottle 20 is preferably 0.1 to 0.5 MPa (25° C., gauge pressure), particularly 0.3 to 0.5 MPa (25° C., gauge pressure), which is the same as that of carbonated beverages.

As the container body 41 is filled with the pressurizing agent, the lifting table 12 is gradually raised, or the lifting table 12 is held so as not to fall, and the lifting table 12 is lifted while elastically deforming the sealing material 29 . Gradually increase the pressing force. When the platform 12 is raised, the platform 12 may be raised stepwise, or may be raised linearly or curvedly. As a result, the contact pressure (sealing pressure) between the sealing member 29 and the shoulder portion 32 of the container body 41 is set to be higher than the initial value at least once to three times along the way. As a result, even if the internal pressure of the bottle 20 is low, the bottle 20 is not crushed, and even if the internal pressure of the bottle 20 rises, leakage of the pressurizing agent from the gap between the sealing material 29 and the shoulder portion 32 can be reduced. When the internal pressure rises, it becomes difficult to collapse even if the contact pressure is increased. Therefore, it is possible to employ a thin container body 41 having a body portion of about 0.1 to 0.5 mm in thickness, thereby reducing the production cost.

The contact pressure may be increased based on the relationship between the filling time of the pressurizing agent and the internal pressure of the bottle 20, which is measured in advance. On the other hand, the internal pressure of the bottle 20 and the contact pressure of the sealing material 19 may be detected, and based on these detected values, the filling operation may be performed while balancing the filling and lifting.

The contact pressure of the sealing material 19 is detected by a pressure gauge or the like provided on the rod 18 or the lifting mechanism 16A. The contact pressure can also be detected by inserting a compression spring in the rod 18 and detecting the amount of compression of the compression spring. As the compression spring, in addition to a compression coil spring, an air spring and an air cylinder can also be used. The internal pressure of the bottle 20 can be detected indirectly, for example by temporarily stopping filling and detecting the internal pressure of the sealed cavity 24 . Filling is stopped because of the pressure differential between the bottle 20 and the cavity 24 during flow. When the change in the internal pressure of the bottle 20 corresponds to the change in the diameter or height of the bottle 20, the internal pressure can also be indirectly detected by detecting the diameter or height of the bottle.

When the filling of the pressurizing agent is completed, the horn 14 is lowered as shown in FIG. It is welded to the mouth of 41. When welding is completed, the supply of the pressurizing agent is stopped, the horn 14 is raised, the holding cup 19 of the platform is lowered, and the bottle 20 is taken out. This completes the production of the pressurized product (bottle filled with pressurizing agent).

Such a pressurizing agent filling apparatus 10 and a method for manufacturing a pressurized product include a double container main body 43 shown in FIGS. It is applicable to the manufacture of double pressurized products 45 to be filled. The double container main body 43 is formed of an outer container 46 and an inner container 47 accommodated therein (FIG. 4A). Next, the lid 44 is attached to the opening of the inner container 47 to seal the inner container 47, and the pressurizing agent is supplied to the space (pressurizing agent accommodating portion) S2 between the outer container 46 and the inner container 47 by the process shown in FIG. Fill P. 3, the cover 44 is ultrasonically welded to the outer container 46 and the inner container 47. As shown in FIG.

The double pressed product 45 of FIG. 4B is thereby obtained. The lid 44 has a cup-shaped sealing portion 48 that closes the mouth of the inner container 47 and a flange 49 that closes the upper end of the gap between the neck of the outer container 46 and the neck of the inner container 47 . A to-be-opened portion 50 is provided on the bottom surface. The manufactured dual pressurized product 45 is fitted with a cap 52 with a valve 51 and a push button with nozzle 53 attached to the stem of the valve, as shown in Figure 4C. At that time, the unsealable portion 50 is broken by the needle-like unsealing portion 54 provided at the lower end of the housing 51 a of the valve 51 to allow the inside of the valve 51 and the inside of the inner container 46 to communicate with each other. A dual aerosol product 55 is thereby obtained.

The double-pressurized product 45 can be used as a replacement or refill product, thereby reducing the thickness of the outer container 46, reducing manufacturing costs, and contributing to resource conservation and environmental protection. In this double-pressurized product 45, the sealing between the lid 44 and the inner container 47 and the sealing between the lid 44 and the outer container 46 are performed by ultrasonic welding.

Although the embodiments of the pressurized product manufacturing method and the pressurizing agent filling device of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these, and can be modified within the scope of the invention. . For example, although FIGS. 4A-C show the double pressurized container 43 as an example of the container body, the outer container 46 may be the only one. Moreover, although the valve 51 is provided on the cap 52 separate from the lid 44, the valve 51 may be provided on the lid 44, and the housing 51a of the valve 51 may be used as the lid. Further, when the inside of the container body can be pressurized to a predetermined pressure by the volume of gas that the horn 14 moves inside the filling tool 13, it is not necessary to pressurize and introduce the pressurizing agent into the filling tool 13. When the container 14 descends, the above volume of pressurizing agent or air may be introduced into the container body.

In addition to fixing the lid to the container body by ultrasonic welding, there are methods such as high-frequency welding, laser welding, and other thermal welding methods. can also be adopted. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the holding cup 19 can be moved up and down, but the filling tool 13 may be moved up and down, or both of them may be moved up and down. Further, instead of lowering the horn 14, the holding cup 19 and the filler 13 may be raised.

10 Pressurizing agent filling device 11 Base 12 Lifting table 13 Filling tool 14 Horn 14a Lower surface 15 Struts 16, 16A Lifting mechanism 17 Base 18 Rod 18a Guide members 18b1, 18b2 Pistons 18c1, 18c2 Storage chambers Au1, Au2 Lifting air introduction part Ad1, Ad2 Lowering air introduction parts Sv1, Sv2 Solenoid valve As Air source 19 Holding cup (stand)
20 bottles (containers)
21 bottom 22 support block 23 support plate 24 cavity (closed space)
25 Stepped portion 26 Small diameter portion 27 Neck portion 28 Flange 29 Sealing material 30 Mounting plate 32 Shoulder portion 33 Inclined surface 34 O-ring 36 Inlet 37 Pressurizing agent introduction pipe 38 Inclined stepped portion 39 Large diameter portion 40 Lid 41 Container main body 42 heavy bottle (container)
43 Double container main body 44 Lid 45 Double pressurized product 46 Outer container 47 Inner container S1 Stock solution storage part C Stock solution S2 Pressurizing agent storage part P Pressurizing agent 48 Sealing part 49 Flange 50 Unsealable part 51 Valve 51a Housing 52 Cap 53 Push button with nozzle 54 Opening part 55 Double aerosol product

Claims (3)

Arrange the lid on the mouth of the container body with a gap,
Cover the container body and the lid with a cup-shaped filling tool that opens at the bottom,
The bottom and shoulder of the container body are sandwiched between a table and a filling tool, one or both of which can be moved up and down,
The annular sealing material at the lower end of the cup-shaped filling tool is brought into contact with the shoulder of the container body with a sealing pressure that does not crush the container ,
Filling the container with a pressurizing agent through the gap between the mouth of the container body and the lid,
As the internal pressure of the container rises during filling , either one or both of the filling tool and the base are moved in a direction toward each other, so that the contact pressure between the sealing material and the shoulder portion is increased to a strength corresponding to the internal pressure. raise,
Next, a method for manufacturing a pressurized product, wherein the container body is hermetically closed with a lid. 2. The method for manufacturing a pressurized product according to claim 1, wherein the opening of the container body is sealed by ultrasonic welding when the lid is closed. 3. The method of manufacturing a pressurized product according to claim 1, wherein the container is placed on a vertically movable table, and a force pushing up the table is increased as the internal pressure of the container increases.

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