JP7317463B2 - Composite preform and its manufacturing method, and composite container and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a composite preform and its manufacturing method, and a composite container and its manufacturing method.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, plastic bottles have become common as bottles for containing content liquids such as food and drink, and such plastic bottles contain content liquids.

A plastic bottle containing such a content liquid is manufactured by inserting a preform into a mold and biaxially stretching and blow-molding it.

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 multi-layer material, or a blend material is used to form a container shape. However, in conventional biaxial stretch blow molding processes, it is common to simply mold the preform into a container shape. Therefore, when various functions and properties (barrier properties, heat retention, etc.) are to be imparted to the container, the means for doing so are limited, for example, by changing the material constituting the preform. In particular, it is difficult to give different functions and characteristics to different parts of the container (for example, the body and the bottom).

In response to this, the applicant of the present application has proposed a composite container capable of imparting various functions and characteristics to the container in Patent Document 1.

JP 2015-128858 A

The composite container disclosed in Patent Document 1 is obtained by blow molding a composite preform comprising a container body and a plastic member. In such a composite container, it is possible to shield the content liquid filled in the composite container from external light by using a plastic member with improved light blocking properties.

Also, conventionally, printing on a composite container eliminates the need for a labeler to apply a label around the container. However, since the plastic member is stretched, the printed layer may be stretched depending on the printing position, type of ink, etc., and the printed layer may not be clear.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such points, and provides a composite preform, a method for manufacturing the same, and a composite container capable of making the print layer applied to the plastic member after blow molding clear. and a method for producing the same.

The present invention provides a composite preform comprising a preform having a mouth portion, a body portion, and a bottom portion, and a plastic member provided so as to surround the outside of the preform and having a print area formed thereon, The body has an upper region that is 1/3 or less of the length of the body from the mouth side, and a region that is more than 1/3 of the length of the body from the mouth side. a lower region, wherein the print region is formed over the upper region of the body.

The present invention is a composite preform, wherein the printing area is formed so as to cover only the upper area of the body, and the lower area is a non-printing area where no printing is applied.

The present invention provides a composite container manufactured using the composite preform, comprising: a container body; A region is a composite container formed to cover a region corresponding to the upper region of the body.

The present invention provides a method of manufacturing a composite preform, comprising the steps of preparing a preform having a mouth portion, a body portion and a bottom portion, and providing a plastic member outside the preform, wherein the body portion is , an upper region that is a region that is 1/3 or less of the length of the body from the mouth side, and a lower region that is a region that is more than 1/3 of the length of the body from the mouth side A printed area is formed in the plastic member, and the printed area is formed to cover the upper area of the body.

The present invention is a method of manufacturing a composite preform, wherein in the step of providing the plastic member, the plastic member having the print area formed in advance is provided outside the preform.

The present invention is a method of manufacturing a composite preform, comprising providing a plastic member on the outside of the preform and then forming the print area on the plastic member.

The present invention provides a method of manufacturing a composite container, comprising the steps of: preparing the composite preform; and blow-molding the composite preform to integrally expand the preform and the plastic member. A method for manufacturing a composite container.

According to the present invention, the printed layer applied to the plastic member after blow molding can be made clear.

1 is a partial vertical sectional view showing a composite container according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1) showing a composite container according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing a composite preform according to one embodiment of the invention; FIG. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view along line IV-IV in FIG. 3) showing a composite preform according to one embodiment of the present invention; 5(a) to (d) are perspective views showing various plastic members. 6(a) to 6(f) are schematic diagrams showing a method of manufacturing a composite container according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7(a) to 7(f) are schematic diagrams showing a method of manufacturing a composite container according to a modification of the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 8(a) to 8(g) are schematic diagrams showing a method of manufacturing a composite container according to a modification of the embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 8 are diagrams showing one embodiment of the present invention.

Structure of Composite Container First, the outline of the composite container according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. In this specification, the terms "upper" and "lower" respectively refer to the upper and lower sides when the composite container 10A is erected (FIG. 1).

The composite container 10A shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is biaxially stretched against a composite preform 70 (see FIG. 4) including the preform 10a and the plastic member 40a using a blow mold 50, as will be described later. It is obtained by expanding the preform 10a of the composite preform 70 and the plastic member 40a integrally by blow molding.

Such a composite container 10A comprises an inner container body 10 made of a plastic material and a plastic member 40 provided in close contact with the outside of the container body 10 .

Of these, 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 20 provided below the shoulder portion 12. and a bottom portion 30 provided below the portion 20 .

On the other hand, the plastic member 40 is closely attached to the outer surface of the container body 10 in a thinly stretched state, and is attached to the container body 10 in a state in which it cannot be easily moved or rotated.

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

Of these, the mouth portion 11 has a threaded portion 14 to be screwed onto a cap (not shown) and a flange portion 17 provided below the threaded portion 14 . In addition, the shape of the mouth portion 11 may be a conventionally known shape. A content-filled composite container is manufactured by filling the container body 10 with content such as a content liquid and screwing a cap (not shown) onto the mouth portion 11 .

The neck portion 13 is located between the flange portion 17 and the shoulder portion 12 and has a substantially cylindrical shape with a substantially uniform diameter. The shoulder portion 12 is positioned between the neck portion 13 and the body portion 20, and has a shape in which the diameter gradually increases from the neck portion 13 side toward the body portion 20 side (the area gradually increases in the horizontal cross section). shape).

Furthermore, the trunk portion 20 has a cylindrical shape with a substantially uniform diameter as a whole. However, the shape is not limited to this, and the trunk portion 20 may have a polygonal tubular shape such as a quadrangular tubular shape or an octagonal tubular shape. Alternatively, the body 20 may have a cylindrical shape with a non-uniform horizontal cross-section from top to bottom. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the trunk portion 20 has no irregularities and has a substantially flat surface, but the surface is not limited to this. For example, the body portion 20 may be formed with unevenness such as panels or grooves.

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

Moreover, the thickness of the container body 10 at the trunk portion 20 is not limited to this, but can be reduced to, for example, approximately 50 μm or more and 250 μm or less. Further, the weight of the container body 10 is not limited to this, but can be 10 g or more and 20 g or less. By reducing the wall thickness of the container body 10 in this way, the weight of the container body 10 can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the container body 10 has a region (container upper region) 18 corresponding to the upper region 18a of the preform 10a described later and a region (container lower region) corresponding to the lower region 19a of the preform 10a described later. 19. The container top region 18 is located above the container body 10 and the container bottom region 19 is located below the container top region 18 . Further, the region of the container body 10 other than the mouth portion 11 belongs to either one of the container upper region 18 and the container lower region 19 . In this case, container top region 18 corresponds to neck 13 and shoulder 12 and container bottom region 19 corresponds to body 20 and bottom 30 . That is, the boundary line _BL between the container upper region 18 and the container lower region 19 is positioned between the shoulder 12 and the body 20 . However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the boundary line _BL between the container upper region 18 and the container lower region 19 may be located anywhere on the container body 10 other than the mouth portion 11 .

Such a container body 10 can be produced by biaxially stretching blow molding a preform 10a (described later) produced by injection molding a synthetic resin material. As the material of the container body 10, it is preferable to use a thermoplastic resin, particularly PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PEN (polyethylene naphthalate), and PC (polycarbonate). The container body 10 may be colored in red, blue, yellow, green, brown, black, white, or the like, but is preferably colorless and transparent in consideration of ease of recycling. Moreover, you may blend and use the various resin mentioned above. Further, a 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 improve the barrier properties of the container.

Further, the container body 10 can also be formed as a multi-layer molded bottle having two or more layers. That is, by injection molding, for example, the intermediate layer is formed of a gas barrier resin (intermediate layer) such as MXD6, MXD6 + fatty acid salt, PGA (polyglycolic acid), EVOH (ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer), or PEN (polyethylene naphthalate). Alternatively, the preform 10a having three or more layers may be injection-molded and then blow-molded to form a multi-layer bottle having gas barrier properties. As the intermediate layer, a resin obtained by blending the various resins described above may be used.

In addition, by mixing an inert gas (nitrogen gas, argon gas) with the melt of the thermoplastic resin, a foamed preform having a foamed cell diameter of 0.5 μm or more and 100 μm or less is molded, and this foamed preform is blow molded. By doing so, the container body 10 may be produced. Since such a container body 10 incorporates foam cells, the light shielding property of the entire container body 10 can be enhanced.

Such a container main body 10 may be made of a bottle with a full filling volume of 100 ml or more and 2000 ml or less, for example. Alternatively, the container body 10 may be a large bottle with a full filling capacity of, for example, 10 L or more and 60 L or less.

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 will be described later, and is obtained by closely contacting the outside of the preform 10a and then biaxially stretch blow molding together with the preform 10a. It is a thing.

The plastic member 40 is attached to the outer surface of the container body 10 without being 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, as shown in FIG. 2, 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 neck portion 13 , the shoulder portion 12 , the body portion 20 and the bottom portion 30 of the container body 10 excluding the mouth portion 11 . Thereby, desired functions and characteristics can be imparted to the neck portion 13 , the shoulder portion 12 , the body portion 20 and the bottom portion 30 of the container body 10 .

In addition, the plastic member 40 may be provided in the entire area or a partial area of the container body 10 other than the mouth portion 11 . For example, the plastic member 40 may be provided so as to entirely cover the shoulder portion 12 , body portion 20 and bottom portion 30 of the container body 10 excluding the mouth portion 11 and neck portion 13 . Alternatively, the plastic member 40 may be provided so as to cover the shoulder portion 12 , the trunk portion 20 and the bottom portion 30 of the container body 10 excluding the mouth portion 11 , the neck portion 13 and the central portion of the bottom portion 30 .

Since the plastic member 40 is not welded or adhered to the container body 10, it can be peeled off from the container body 10 and removed. Specifically, for example, the plastic member 40 may be cut using a knife or the like, or a cutting line (not shown) may be provided on the plastic member 40 in advance, and the plastic member 40 may be peeled off along the cutting line. can. Thereby, the plastic member 40 can be separated and removed from the container body 10 .

Such a plastic member 40 may be one that does not have a contracting action with respect to the preform 10a, or one that has a contracting action.

When the plastic member 40 has a contraction action on the preform 10a, the plastic member (outer contracting member) 40 is provided outside the preform 10a and is heated integrally with the preform 10a, It is obtained by biaxial stretch blow molding.

By the way, in the present embodiment, the plastic member 40 is formed with a printed area 43 by printing in advance. This printed area 43 is formed in the area of the plastic member 40 that covers the container upper area 18 . That is, the printed area 43 is formed outside the plastic member 40 and in an area corresponding to the shoulder portion 12 of the container body 10 . In this case, the area of the plastic member 40 other than the printing area 43 is a non-printing area 44 where no printing is applied. The printed area 43 is formed by designing or printing by a printing method such as an inkjet method, a gravure printing method, an offset printing method, or a flexographic printing method. For example, when using an ink jet method, the printing area 43 can be formed by applying a UV curable ink to the plastic member 40a, irradiating the ink with UV, and curing the ink.

The printing for forming the printing area 43 is applied to the plastic member 40a before biaxial stretch blow molding. In this case, the printing for forming the printing area 43 may be applied to the plastic member 40a before being attached to the preform 10a, and the plastic member 40a is provided on the outside of the preform 10a. May be applied. Moreover, the printing for forming the printing area 43 may be applied to the inner side of the plastic member 40 (40a). In this case, it is possible to suppress peeling of the print due to abrasion or abrasion applied from the outside.

By providing the print area 43 on the plastic member 40, it is possible to display images and characters on the composite container 10A without attaching a separate label or the like to the container body 10 after blow molding. In particular, by providing the printed area 43 in the area covering the shoulder portion 12 (container top area 18) having a low stretch ratio in the plastic member 40, the printed area can be printed on the stretched plastic member 40 after blow molding. 43 can be clearly displayed. The printed area 43 is formed so as to cover a portion of the container upper region 18 in the vertical direction (a portion of the shoulder portion 12 in the vertical direction), but is not limited to this, and covers the entire vertical direction of the container upper region 18. You may form so that it may cover. Also, the print area 43 may be provided so as to cover the entire area of the shoulder portion 12 in the vertical direction. Further, the printed area 43 may be formed so as to cover the entire circumferential direction of the container top area 18 , or may be formed so as to cover only a part of the container top area 18 in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, one or a plurality of print areas 43 may be provided. The items to be displayed in the print area 43 may be text information such as the name of the content liquid, the manufacturer, the name of the raw material, etc., in addition to the design, product name, and the like.

By providing the printing area 43 on the plastic member 40 in this manner, common information such as the product name, the name of the content liquid, the manufacturer, and the raw material name can be printed in advance on the printing area 43 . In addition, in each figure, the printing area 43 (43a) is indicated by shading (gray).

In this embodiment, the printed area 43 is formed only in the area of the plastic member 40 that covers the container upper area 18, but is not limited to this, and the container lower area 19, for example, the body 20 and/or the bottom. At 30, additional print areas may be provided.

Examples of the plastic member 40 include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, poly-4-methylpentene-1, polystyrene, AS resin, ABS resin, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl acetate, Polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetal, polyvinyl butyral, diallyl phthalate resin, fluorine resin, 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, aromatic polyamide, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polynaphthalene ethylene, U polymer, Liquid crystal polymer, modified polyphenylene ether, polyetherketone, polyetheretherketone, unsaturated polyester, alkyd resin, polyimide, polysulfone, polyphenylene sulfide, polyethersulfone, silicone resin, polyurethane, phenolic resin, urea resin, polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide , polyacetal, epoxy resin, and the like. Among these, thermoplastic inelastic resins such as polyethylene (PE) such as low density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) are preferably used. A blend material, a multilayer structure, or a partially multilayer structure may also be used. Furthermore, various additives other than the main component resin may be added to the material of the plastic member 40 as long as the characteristics of the plastic member 40 are not impaired. Additives include, for example, plasticizers, ultraviolet stabilizers, anti-coloring agents, matting agents, deodorants, flame retardants, weathering agents, antistatic agents, thread friction reducing agents, slip agents, release agents, anti- Oxidizing agents, ion exchange agents, color pigments, and the like can be added. In addition, by mixing an inert gas (nitrogen gas, argon gas) with a melt of a thermoplastic resin, a foamed member having a foamed cell diameter of 0.5 μm or more and 100 μm or less can be used to mold this foamed preform. can enhance the light shielding property.

The plastic member 40 may be made of a light barrier material that blocks invisible light such as ultraviolet rays. In this case, the light barrier property of the composite container 10A can be improved without using a multi-layered preform or a preform containing a blend material as the preform 10a, and deterioration of the content liquid due to ultraviolet rays or the like can be prevented. Such a material may be a blend material or a material obtained by adding a light-shielding resin to PET, PE, or PP. Also, a foam member having a foam cell diameter of 0.5 μm or more and 100 μm or less, which is produced by mixing an inert gas (nitrogen gas, argon gas) with a melt of a thermoplastic resin, may be used.

The plastic member 40 may be made of a material (a material with low thermal conductivity) that has higher cold-retaining or heat-retaining properties than the plastic material that constitutes the container body 10 (preform 10a). 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 cold-retaining property or heat-retaining property of the composite container 10A is enhanced. Moreover, when the user grips the composite container 10A, it is possible to prevent the composite container 10A from being difficult to hold due to being too cold or too hot. Such materials include foamed polyurethane, polystyrene, PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), phenol resin, polyvinyl chloride, urea resin, silicone, polyimide, melamine resin, and the like. It is preferable to mix hollow particles with the resin material containing these resins. The average particle diameter of the hollow particles is preferably 1 μm or more and 200 μm or less, more preferably 5 μm or more and 80 μm or less. The "average particle size" means the volume average particle size, and is measured by a known method using a particle size distribution/particle size distribution analyzer (e.g., Nanotrac particle size distribution analyzer manufactured by Nikkiso Co., Ltd.). can do. The hollow particles may be organic hollow particles made of resin or the like, or inorganic hollow particles made of glass or the like. Hollow particles are preferred. Examples of resins constituting organic hollow particles include styrene resins such as crosslinked styrene-acrylic resins, (meth)acrylic resins such as acrylonitrile-acrylic resins, phenolic resins, fluorine resins, polyamide resins, and polyimides. resins, polycarbonate resins, polyether resins, and the like. In addition, Low Pake HP-1055, Low Pake HP-91, Low Pake OP-84J, Low Pake Ultra, Low Pake SE, Low Pake ST (manufactured by Rohm and Haas Co., Ltd.), Nipol MH-5055 (manufactured by Nippon Zeon Co., Ltd.), SX8782 , SX866 (manufactured by JSR Corporation) and other commercially available hollow particles can also be used. The content of the hollow particles is preferably 0.01 parts by mass or more and 50 parts by mass or less, more preferably 1 part by mass or more and 20 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the resin material contained in the plastic member 40. It is more preferable to have

Further, the plastic member 40 may be made of a material that is less slippery than the plastic material that constitutes the container body 10 (preform 10a). In this case, the composite container 10A can be easily gripped by the user without changing the material of the container body 10 .

The plastic member 40 may be colored red, blue, yellow, green, brown, black, white, or the like, and may be transparent or opaque.

The thickness of the plastic member 40 is not limited to this, but can be, for example, about 5 μm or more and 500 μm or less when attached to the container body 10 .

Structure of Composite Preform Next, the structure of the composite preform according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the composite preform 70 includes a plastic material preform 10a and a bottomed cylindrical plastic member 40a provided outside the preform 10a.

Among them, the preform 10a includes a mouth portion 11a, a trunk portion 20a connected to the mouth portion 11a, and a bottom portion 30a connected to the trunk portion 20a. Of these, the mouth portion 11 a corresponds to the mouth portion 11 of the container body 10 described above, and has substantially the same shape as the mouth portion 11 . The trunk portion 20a corresponds to the neck portion 13, the shoulder portion 12 and the trunk portion 20 of the container body 10 described above, and has a substantially cylindrical shape. Specifically, the body portion 20a includes a neck portion 13b corresponding to the neck portion 13 of the container body 10, a shoulder portion corresponding portion 12b corresponding to the shoulder portion 12 of the container body 10, and a body portion 20 of the container body 10. and a corresponding torso corresponding portion 20b. In this case, the neck corresponding portion 13b and the shoulder corresponding portion 12b constitute the upper region 18a, and the torso corresponding portion 20b constitutes the lower region 19a. The bottom portion 30a corresponds to the bottom portion 30 of the container body 10 described above, and has a substantially hemispherical shape.

The trunk portion 20a is composed of an upper region 18a positioned on the mouth portion 11a side and a lower region 19a positioned below the upper region 18a and on the bottom portion 30a side. Among these, the upper region 18a is a region that is ⅓ or less of the length L1 of the body portion 20a from the mouth portion 11a side. That is, when the length of the upper region 18a is L2, L2≦1/3×L1. More preferably, the upper region 18a is a region that is 1/4 or less of the length L1 of the trunk portion 20a from the mouth portion 11a side. The length L2 of the upper region 18a may be 5 mm or more and 40 mm or less. The lower region 19a is a region that is more than ⅓ of the length L1 of the trunk portion 20a from the mouth portion 11a side, and more preferably ¾ of the length L1 of the trunk portion 20a from the mouth portion 11a side. This is the area of super. The length L3 of the lower region 19a may be 30 mm or more and 200 mm or less. The length L1 of the entire trunk portion 20a may be 30 mm or more and 240 mm or less. Also, the length L4 of the preform 10a excluding the mouth portion 11a (the sum of the length of the body portion 20a and the length of the bottom portion 30a) may be 40 mm or more and 270 mm or less.

The plastic member 40a is attached to the outer surface of the preform 10a without being glued, and is in such close contact with the preform 10a that it does not move or rotate, or in such close contact that it does not fall under its own weight. . The plastic member 40a surrounds the preform 10a over its entire circumferential direction and has a circular horizontal cross section.

In this case, the plastic member 40a is provided so as to cover the entire area of the container body 10 and the entire area of the bottom portion 30a in the trunk portion 20a.

In addition, the plastic member 40a may be provided in the entire region or a partial region other than the mouth portion 11a. For example, the plastic member 40a may be provided so as to entirely cover the shoulder portion 12b, the body portion 20b and the bottom portion 30a except for the neck portion 13b and the mouth portion 11a. Alternatively, the plastic member 40a may be provided so as to cover the portion corresponding to the neck 13b, the portion corresponding to the shoulder 12b, and the portion corresponding to the trunk 20b except for the bottom portion 30. FIG.

Such a plastic member 40a may be one that does not contract with respect to the preform 10a, or one that contracts.

In the case where the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a has a shrinking action, the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a is, for example, applied to the preform 10a when an external action (for example, heat) is applied. A material that shrinks (for example, heat shrinks) may be used. Alternatively, the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a itself may be shrinkable or elastic, and may be shrinkable without external action.

Examples of the plastic member 40a include a direct blow tube produced by direct blow molding, a sheet molded tube produced by sheet molding, an extruded tube produced by extrusion molding, an injection molded tube produced by injection molding, and an inflation molding. Although an inflation-molded tube or the like produced by the method can be used, the present invention is not limited to this, and molding methods other than those described above may be used.

The plastic member 40a may be colored red, blue, yellow, green, brown, black, white, or the like, and may be transparent or opaque. In addition, a print area 43a, which is printed with a design or printed in advance, is formed in an area covering the shoulder portion corresponding portion 12b (part of the upper area 18a) of the plastic member 40a. The area of the plastic member 40a other than the printing area 43a is a non-printing area 44a where no printing is applied.

The printed area 43a corresponds to the printed area 43 in the plastic member 40 after blow molding described above. The printed area 43a is formed by designing or printing on the plain plastic member 40a by a printing method such as an inkjet method, gravure printing method, offset printing method, or flexographic printing method. This printing may be applied to the plastic member 40a before being attached to the preform 10a, or may be applied while the plastic member 40a is provided outside the preform 10a. The printing (printing area 43a) may be applied to the inner side of the plastic member 40a. In this case, for example, the plastic member 40a may be produced by using a film printed on one side and forming it into a tubular shape so that the one side faces the inside (FIGS. 5C and 5C). 5(d)). Alternatively, an ink jet nozzle may be inserted inside the tubular plastic member 40a, and printing may be applied to the inside of the plastic member 40 by the ink jet method. The items to be displayed in the print area 43a may be text information such as the name of the content liquid, the manufacturer, the name of the raw material, etc., in addition to the design, product name, and the like.

Moreover, the printing for forming the printing area 43a may be repeated a plurality of times. As a result, the printed area 43 can be clearly displayed even after the printed area 43a is stretched after blow molding. Although any ink may be used for printing, it is preferable to use highly stretchable ink so that the printed area 43 can be clearly displayed even after being stretched by biaxial stretch blow molding. Such highly stretchable inks include, for example, UV curable inks and EB curable inks.

In this way, the print area 43a is provided so as to cover the shoulder-corresponding portion 12b (a part of the upper area 18a) of the plastic member 40a, which is stretched at a low stretch ratio during blow molding. The printed area 43 can be clearly displayed on the plastic member 40 . The print area 43a may be provided so as to cover the entire area or a partial area of the upper area 18a, or may be provided so as to cover the entire area or a partial area of the shoulder corresponding portion 12b.

Further, in the present embodiment, the printed area 43a is formed only in the area covering the upper area 18a of the plastic member 40a. may be provided.

Next, the shape of the plastic member 40a will be described.

As shown in FIG. 5( a ), the plastic member 40 a may have a bottomed cylindrical shape as a whole, and may have a cylindrical trunk portion 41 and a bottom portion 42 connected to the trunk portion 41 . . In this case, since the bottom portion 42 of the plastic member 40a covers the bottom portion 30a of the preform 10a, various functions and characteristics such as barrier properties can be imparted to the bottom portion 30 in addition to the body portion 20 of the composite container 10A. can be done. Examples of such a plastic member 40a include the above-described direct blow tube, sheet-molded tube, and injection-molded tube.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the plastic member 40a may have a circular tubular shape (bottomless cylindrical shape) as a whole, and may have a cylindrical body portion 41. As shown in FIG. In this case, as the plastic member 40a, for example, the above-described blow tube, extruded tube, inflation-molded tube, or sheet-molded tube can be used.

Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 5(c) and 5(d), the plastic member 40a may be produced by forming a film into a cylinder and adhering the ends thereof. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5(c), the plastic member 40a may be configured in a tubular shape (bottomless cylindrical shape) having a body portion 41, and as shown in FIG. 5(d), The bottom portion 42 may be attached to form a cylindrical shape with a bottom.

Manufacturing Method of Composite Preform and Composite Container Next, a manufacturing method (blow molding method) of the composite container 10A according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6(a) to 6(f).

First, a preform 10a made of plastic material is prepared (see FIG. 6(a)). In this case, for example, the preform 10a may be produced 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.

Next, by providing a plastic member 40a on the outside of the preform 10a, a composite preform 70 having the preform 10a and the plastic member 40a in close contact with the outside of the preform 10a is manufactured (FIG. 6 ( b) see). In this case, the plastic member 40 a has a bottomed cylindrical shape as a whole, and has a cylindrical trunk portion 41 and a bottom portion 42 connected to the trunk portion 41 . A print area 43a is formed in the area of the plastic member 40a that covers the shoulder-corresponding portion 12b (part of the upper area 18a). The print area 43a may be formed after the plastic member 40a is provided outside the preform 10a.

At this time, a plastic member 40a having an inner diameter equal to or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the preform 10a may be pushed into the preform 10a so as to be in close contact with the outer surface of the preform 10a. Alternatively, as will be described later, a heat-shrinkable plastic 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 heat-shrink the outer surface of the preform 10a. You may let it adhere to.

In this way, the plastic member 40a is brought into close contact with the outside of the preform 10a in advance to fabricate the composite preform 70, whereby a series of steps for fabricating the composite preform 70 (Fig. 6(a) to (b) )) and a series of steps (FIGS. 6(c) to (f)) for manufacturing the composite container 10A by blow molding can be performed at separate locations (factories, etc.).

Next, the composite preform 70 is heated by the heating device 51 (see FIG. 6(c)). At this time, the composite preform 70 is evenly heated in the circumferential direction by the heating device 51 while rotating with the opening 11a facing downward. The heating temperature of the preform 10a and the plastic member 40a in this heating step may be, for example, 90.degree. C. to 130.degree.

Subsequently, the composite preform 70 heated by the heating device 51 is sent to the blow molding die 50 (see FIG. 6(d)).

The composite container 10A is molded using this blow molding die 50. As shown in FIG. In this case, the blow-molding mold 50 is composed of a pair of split body molds 50a and 50b and a bottom mold 50c (see FIG. 6(d)). In FIG. 6(d), the pair of body molds 50a and 50b are open from 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. 6(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. A blow molding mold 50 is constructed. Next, air is forced into the preform 10a and the composite preform 70 is subjected to biaxial stretch blow molding.

As a result, the container body 10 is obtained from the preform 10a in the blow molding die 50. As shown in FIG. During this time, the body molds 50a, 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 molding die 50, the preform 10a of the composite preform 70 and the plastic member 40a are expanded together. As a result, the preform 10 a and the plastic member 40 a are integrally formed into a shape corresponding to the inner surface of the blow molding die 50 .

Thus, a composite container 10A comprising the container body 10 and the plastic member 40 provided on the outer surface of the container body 10 is obtained.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6(f), the pair of body molds 50a and 50b and the bottom mold 50c are separated from each other, and the composite container 10A is removed from the blow molding mold 50. As shown in FIG. At this time, a printed area 43 corresponding to the printed area 43a is formed in the blow-molded plastic member 40. As shown in FIG. Thus, the composite container 10A shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is obtained.

Modification of Composite Container Manufacturing Method Next, a modification of the composite container 10A manufacturing method (blow molding method) according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7(a) to 7(f). The modification shown in FIGS. 7(a) to 7(f) has a plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a which has the effect of shrinking the preform 10a. It is substantially the same as the form shown in (f). In FIGS. 7A to 7F, the same parts as those in FIGS. 6A to 6F are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

First, a preform 10a made of plastic material is prepared (see FIG. 7(a)).

Next, a plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a is provided outside the preform 10a (see FIG. 7(b)). In this case, the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a has a bottomed cylindrical shape as a whole, and has a cylindrical trunk portion 41 and a bottom portion 42 connected to the trunk portion 41 . This plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40 is mounted so as to cover the entire area of the body portion 20a and the bottom portion 30a. A printing area 43a, which is pre-printed with a design or print, is formed in a region of the plastic member 40a that covers the shoulder portion corresponding portion 12b (part of the upper region 18a). The print area 43a may be formed after the plastic member 40a is provided outside the preform 10a.

Next, the preform 10a and the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a are heated by the heating device 51 (see FIG. 7(c)). At this time, the preform 10a and the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a are evenly heated in the circumferential direction by the heating device 51 while rotating with the opening 11a facing downward. The heating temperature of the preform 10a and the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a in this heating step may be, for example, 90.degree. C. to 130.degree.

As the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a is heated in this manner, the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a is thermally shrunk and tightly adheres to the outside of the preform 10a (see FIG. 7(c)). . If the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a itself has shrinkability, the plastic member will be The (outer shrinkable member) 40a may be in close contact with the outside of the preform 10a.

Subsequently, the preform 10a and the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a heated by the heating device 51 are sent to the blow molding die 50 (see FIG. 7(d)).

The preform 10a and the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a are molded using this blow molding die 50, and the container body 10 and the container body 10 are molded in substantially the same manner as in FIGS. , and a plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40 provided on the outer surface of the container body 10 is obtained (see FIGS. 7(d) to (f)).

Next, another modification of the manufacturing method (blow molding method) of the composite container 10A according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8(a) to 8(g). In the modification shown in FIGS. 8(a) to (g), the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a has the effect of shrinking the preform 10a, and the preform 10a and the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a is heated in two steps, and other configurations are substantially the same as those shown in FIGS. In FIGS. 8A to 8G, the same parts as those in FIGS. 6A to 6F are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

First, a preform 10a made of plastic material is prepared (see FIG. 8(a)).

Next, a plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a is provided outside the preform 10a (see FIG. 8(b)). A printing area 43a, which is pre-printed with a design or print, is formed in a region of the plastic member 40a that covers the shoulder portion corresponding portion 12b (part of the upper region 18a). The print area 43a may be formed after the plastic member 40a is provided outside the preform 10a and the plastic member 40a is shrunk.

Next, the preform 10a and the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a are heated by the first heating device 55 (see FIG. 8(c)). At this time, the heating temperature of the preform 10a and the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a may be, for example, 50°C to 100°C.

When the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a is heated, the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a is thermally shrunk and adheres to the outside of the preform 10a. As a result, a composite preform 70 having the preform 10a and the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a adhered to the outside of the preform 10a is obtained (see FIG. 8(c)).

In this manner, the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a is heated and adhered to the outside of the preform 10a in advance using the first heating device 55, and the composite preform 70 is manufactured. A series of steps (FIGS. 8(a) to (c)) for producing the composite container 10A by blow molding (FIGS. 8(d) to (g)) are performed in separate places (factories, etc. ) can be implemented.

Next, the composite preform 70 is heated by the second heating device 51 (see FIG. 8(d)). At this time, the composite preform 70 is evenly heated in the circumferential direction by the second heating device 51 while rotating with the opening 11a facing downward. The heating temperature of the preform 10a and the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a in this heating step may be, for example, 90.degree. C. to 130.degree.

Subsequently, the composite preform 70 heated by the second heating device 51 is sent to the blow molding die 50 (see FIG. 8(e)). In this case, the heating for thermally shrinking the plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a and the heating for blow-molding the preform 10a can be performed in the same step.

The composite preform 70 is molded using this blow molding die 50, and is provided on the container body 10 and the outer surface of the container body 10 in substantially the same manner as in the case of FIGS. A composite container 10A including a plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40 is obtained (see FIGS. 8(e) to 8(g)).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since printing is applied to the plastic member 40, the composite container 10A is filled with the content liquid, sealed, and then labeled by a labeler. need not be set. Thereby, the manufacturing cost for manufacturing the final product can be suppressed. In addition, it is possible to prevent a decrease in yield when manufacturing the final product due to defects in the labeler or the like.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the print area 43a of the preform 10a is formed in the plastic member 40a at a position covering the upper area 18a of the body portion 20a. Since the print area 43a is formed so as to cover the upper area 18a (shoulder-corresponding portion 12b) having a relatively low stretch ratio, the print area 43 is not greatly stretched after blow molding. As a result, the printed area 43 is less likely to become thin and hazy due to the stretching, and the printed area 43 can be clearly displayed. Therefore, various designs can be given to the plastic member 40, and the composite container 10A with a rich design can be provided.

Further, assuming that the print area 43a is stretched after blow molding, it is possible to adjust (correct) the print area 43a of the preform 10a in advance. In other words, it is conceivable that the print area 43a before blow molding is appropriately reduced from the predetermined design so that the print area 43 has a predetermined design after blow molding. Even in this case, since the print area 43 is not greatly stretched after blow molding, it is possible to easily adjust (correct) the print area 43a.

Further, according to this embodiment, the printed plastic member 40 can be separated and removed from the container body 10, so that the colorless and transparent container body 10 can be recycled as in the conventional case. On the other hand, as a comparative example, if the container body 10 is directly printed, recycling of the container body 10 may become difficult.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, when manufacturing the composite container 10A, a general blow molding apparatus can be used as it is, so there is a need to prepare new molding equipment for manufacturing the composite container 10A. do not have. Moreover, since the plastic member 40a is provided outside the preform 10a, there is no need to prepare new molding equipment for molding the preform 10a.

10 container body 10A composite container 10a preform 11, 11a mouth portion 12 shoulder portion 12b shoulder portion corresponding portion 13 neck portion 13b neck portion corresponding portion 14 screw portion 17 flange portion 18 container upper region 18a upper region 19 container lower region 19a lower region 20, 20a trunk portion 20b trunk portion corresponding portion 30, 30a bottom portion 40, 40a plastic member 43, 43a print area 44, 44a non-print area 70 composite preform

Claims (6)

In composite preforms,
a preform having a mouth, a body and a bottom;
a plastic member provided so as to surround the outside of the preform and having a printed area formed thereon,
The plastic member, in a heat-shrunk state, is in close contact with the outside of the body portion and the bottom portion of the preform,
The body has an upper region that is 1/3 or less of the length of the body from the mouth side, and a region that is more than 1/3 of the length of the body from the mouth side. a lower region and
The barrel has a cylindrical shape with a flat outer surface,
The length of the upper region is 5 mm or more and 40 mm or less,
The printing area is formed only in an area covering the upper area of the body,
The composite preform, wherein the printing area is formed to cover only the upper area of the body, and the lower area is a non-printing area where no printing is applied. In a composite container manufactured using the composite preform according to claim 1,
a container body;
A plastic member provided in close contact with the outside of the body and bottom of the container body and having a printed area formed thereon,
The composite container, wherein the printed area is formed to cover an area corresponding to the upper area of the body. In the method for manufacturing a composite preform,
providing a preform having a mouth, a body and a bottom;
providing a plastic member outside the preform;
The plastic member, in a heat-shrunk state, is in close contact with the outside of the body portion and the bottom portion of the preform,
The body has an upper region that is 1/3 or less of the length of the body from the mouth side, and a region that is more than 1/3 of the length of the body from the mouth side. a lower region and
The barrel has a cylindrical shape with a flat outer surface,
The length of the upper region is 5 mm or more and 40 mm or less,
a printed area is formed on the plastic member, the printed area being formed only in an area covering the upper area of the body;
A manufacturing method of a composite preform, wherein the printing area is formed to cover only the upper area of the body, and the lower area is a non-printing area where no printing is applied. 4. The method of manufacturing a composite preform according to claim 3, wherein in the step of providing said plastic member, said plastic member having said print area formed in advance is provided outside said preform. 4. The method of manufacturing a composite preform according to claim 3, wherein the printing region is formed on the plastic member after providing the plastic member on the outside of the preform. In the method for manufacturing a composite container,
preparing a composite preform according to claim 1;
A method of manufacturing a composite container, comprising: expanding the preform and the plastic member integrally by subjecting the composite preform to blow molding.

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