JP7390782B2 - heat shrinkable label heat shrink equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a heat-shrinking apparatus for heat-shrinkable labels that heats and heat-shrinks heat-shrinkable labels placed on containers.

Containers covered with heat-shrinkable labels are transported through a long rectangular parallelepiped heat treatment chamber, and the labels are heat-shrinked by spraying steam from a nozzle onto the rows of containers, sealing the labels tightly to the body of each container. A label heating device is known (Patent Document 1). In addition, we have created a device that heat-shrinks the heat-shrinkable labels by placing each container covered with a heat-shrinkable label in a closed space and spraying heated steam around the bottle while reducing the pressure in the closed space. Known (Patent Document 2)

Patent No. 6142339 Patent No. 5318942

However, in the label heating device of Patent Document 1, the temperature inside the heat treatment chamber is easily influenced by external disturbances such as the outside temperature, and it is difficult to control the temperature inside the heat treatment chamber. For example, if variations occur in the amount of containers discharged from the distillation apparatus and the conveyance pitch of the containers becomes non-uniform, the temperature within the heat treatment chamber will become uneven and uneven shrinkage will occur. The configuration of Patent Document 2 in which containers are individually processed in a closed space is not affected by variations in the amount of containers discharged from upstream devices.

By the way, when heat-shrinking a heat-shrinkable label onto a container, it is generally better to shrink from the bottom of the container to secure the container and label, and then heat-shrink the upper part to prevent wrinkles from forming. The finish is beautiful. In addition, if the label is suddenly subjected to heat shrinkage at high temperatures, air will be trapped between the label and the container, causing wrinkles to form and resulting in a poor finish.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a heat shrinking device for heat shrinkable labels that is not affected by external disturbances and is capable of reducing wrinkles during heat shrinkage.

A heat shrinking apparatus for heat shrinkable labels, which is a first aspect of the present invention, includes a container holding means for holding a container to which a heat shrinkable label is attached, and a moving means for horizontally moving the container holding means. a heating cylinder that moves in the horizontal direction in synchronization with the container holding means and has an open top end capable of accommodating the container held by the container holding means; and supplying steam to the inside of the heating cylinder. The heating cylinder includes a steam supply means, and a lifting means for relatively raising and lowering the container holding means and the heating cylinder, and the heating cylinder has an inner side disposed near a lower end with an outlet of the steam supply means facing inside. a cylinder, and an outer cylinder whose upper end extends above the inner cylinder and covers at least the upper part of the inner cylinder, and the bottom of the container is inserted from above the outer cylinder, and the container is inserted into the heating cylinder. The label attached to the container is thermally shrunk by moving the container holding means and the heating cylinder relatively up and down so that the container is housed in the container.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of wrinkles during heat shrinkage without being affected by external disturbances, and the finish of the heat shrinkable label is improved.

1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a label mounting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the shrink wheel of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the bottle stand and heating cylinder of the first embodiment. It is a figure showing the details of the elevating mechanism in a 1st embodiment. FIG. 6 is a side view showing the raising and lowering operation of the heating cylinder by the raising and lowering mechanism. FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a heating cylinder according to a second embodiment. FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a heating cylinder according to a third embodiment. It is an enlarged plan view of the heating cylinder of 3rd Embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a label attaching device using a heat shrinking device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The label attachment device 10 of the first embodiment is an apparatus that attaches a shrink label L made of a heat-shrinkable film to the outer periphery of an article such as a container V, and uses heat shrinkage to tightly adhere the shrink label L to the outer periphery of the container V. It is. The container V is filled and capped, for example, in a filling device or a capper disposed on the upstream side, and then supplied to the label attaching device 10 by a supply conveyor 12. In the supply conveyor 12, the containers V are conveyed in a line, and pitch adjustment is performed by the introduction screw 12A on the downstream side of the supply conveyor 12. The pitch-adjusted containers V are sequentially delivered to a supply wheel 14 that is disposed adjacent to the downstream end of the supply conveyor 12 and rotates in synchronization with the introduction screw 12A.

On the downstream side of the supply wheel 14, a shrink labeler 15 that rotates in synchronization with the supply wheel 14 is arranged adjacent to the shrink labeler 15, and containers V are sequentially delivered from the supply wheel 14. In the shrink labeler 15, a cylindrical shrink label L is arranged to surround the container V. The container V with the shrink label L attached to the outer periphery is delivered to a discharge wheel 16 rotating in synchronization with the shrink labeler 15 on the downstream side. The container V is further provided with a shrink wheel (a shrink wheel ()) which tightly adheres the shrink label L along the outer circumferential shape of the container V by utilizing the heat shrinkage of the shrink label L via an intermediate wheel 17 and a supply wheel 18 that rotate in synchronization with each other. (heat shrinking device) 20.

As will be described later, the shrink wheel 20 is equipped with a heating device for heating and shrinking the shrink labels L arranged around each container V conveyed along the outer periphery of the wheel, so that the shrink label L is The container V that has been brought into close contact with the container V is placed on the downstream side of the shrink wheel 20, is delivered to a discharge wheel 21 that is synchronized with the shrink wheel 20, and is then transported to a downstream processing device (not shown) such as a case.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the shrink wheel 20 of this embodiment. The shrink wheel 20 includes a fixed base 22A and a fixed upper part 22B fixed to a base, and a rotating part 24 rotatably attached to the fixed base 22A via a bearing 23 or the like. The shrink wheel 20 is entirely covered by a can body 26, and the rotating portion 24 is rotated by a drive mechanism (not shown) via a gear 24A provided on the outside of the can body 26. Further, the can body 26 is provided with a duct 26A for discharging heating steam, which will be described later.

The rotating body 24 includes a rotating table 24B, and bottle stands 28 on which the containers V delivered from the supply wheel 18 are placed are installed at predetermined intervals on the outer periphery of the rotating body 24. . Directly above each bottle stand 28, a top locator 30 is arranged (container support means) that presses the top surface of the container V placed on the bottle stand 28 from above and supports the container V together with the bottle stand 28. The top locator 30 is held by the rotating body 24 so as to be able to move up and down, and is provided with a cam follower 30A at its upper end that engages with a cam 32 provided along the outer periphery of the fixed upper part 22B. That is, the top locator 30 is moved together with the rotating body 24, and as the cam follower 30A moves up and down along the cam 32, the top locator 30 moves up and down, and the container V on the bottle stand 28 is gripped or released in the vertical direction.

Each bottle stand 28 is provided with a heating cylinder 34 whose upper end is open and capable of accommodating the container V held by the bottle stand 28 inside. The heating cylinder 34 includes a heating mechanism (heating means) that heats the inside thereof. In this embodiment, the heating mechanism supplies steam into the heating cylinder 34 through a flexible hose 36 connected to the heating cylinder 34 . One end of each flexible hose 36 is connected to an injection nozzle 34C provided below the side surface of the heating cylinder 34, and the other end is radially connected to a rotary joint 36A arranged at the center of rotation of the rotating body 24. A single steam supply pipe 36B is connected to the lower part of the rotary joint 36A, and the steam supply pipe 36B passes external steam through a cavity provided along the center of rotation of the rotating body 24 and the fixed base 22A. It is connected to a generator (not shown) (steam supply means).

Each heating cylinder 34 is provided with a lifting mechanism 38 that moves the heating cylinder 34 up and down relative to the bottle stand 28 . The elevating mechanism 38 includes a rod member 38A that is attached to the heating cylinder 34 and supported by the rotary body 24 so as to be movable up and down. The rod member 38A extends in the vertical direction, and its upper end can be moved up and down by a ball screw mechanism 38B along a slider rail 38C that extends in the vertical direction. The ball screw mechanisms 38B are each driven by servo motors 38D connected via a transmission belt, for example, and the driving of each servo motor 38D is controlled by a control device 50 (see FIG. 4). Note that the elevating mechanisms (elevating means) 38 are provided at regular intervals along the outer periphery of the rotating body 24 in correspondence to each bottle stand 28 . In the bottle stand 28 depicted on the right side of FIG. 2, the heating tube 34 is lowered to the lowest position, the top locator 30 is raised, and the container V is in an open state. On the other hand, in the bottle stand 28 depicted on the left side of FIG. 2, the top locator 30 is lowered and the container V is in a gripping state, and the heating cylinder 34 is raised to the highest position, so that the container V is completely inside the heating cylinder 34. is housed in.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the bottle stand 28 and heating cylinder 34 of this embodiment. FIG. 3(a) is a longitudinal sectional view of the bottle stand 28 and heating cylinder 34 seen along the circumferential direction of the rotary table 24B, FIG. 3(b) is a top view thereof, and FIG. 3(c) is a , is a plan view showing the arrangement of an injection nozzle 34C that injects heating steam into the heating cylinder 34. FIG. With reference to FIG. 3, the structure of the heating tube 34 will be explained in more detail.

The bottle stand 28 is provided at the upper end of a support rod 28A that is provided upright on the outer periphery of the rotary table 24B. The bottle stand 28 and its support rod 28A are arranged at positions corresponding to the inside of the heating cylinder 34. In this embodiment, the heating cylinder 34 includes a double cylinder member, for example, an inner cylinder 34A and an outer cylinder 34B. The inner tube 34A is arranged inside the outer tube 34B with a predetermined gap therebetween, and the upper end of the outer tube 34B extends upward by a predetermined height than the upper end of the inner tube 34A. The inner side of the inner tube 34A constitutes a second heating section B. Further, the lower end of the outer tube 34B of this embodiment extends slightly below the lower end of the inner tube 34A, and the inner tube 34A is completely housed within the outer tube 34B. Further, a sealing member 35 is attached to the lower end of the inner cylinder 34A to close the support rod 28A and the inner cylinder 34A to prevent steam inside the inner cylinder 34A from leaking from the lower end. Note that the leakage of steam may be reduced by narrowing the distance between the inner tube 34 and the support rod 28A without attaching the seal member 35. Further, the seal member 35 may be attached to the outer tube 34B instead of the inner tube 34A.

In the example of FIG. 3, the inner tube 34A and the outer tube 34B both have an octagonal cross section, and the inner tube 34A is fixed to the outer tube 34B using fixing devices 34D such as screws on each face of the octagon. . Further, the inner cylinder 34A and the outer cylinder 34B are held on both sides by a holding arm 38E via a member 34E, and the holding arm 38E is fixed to the rod member 38A.

With reference to FIG. 4, details of the elevating mechanism 38 in this embodiment will be described. Note that FIG. 4(a) is a side view of the elevating mechanism 38, and FIG. 4(b) is a view of a part of FIG. 4(a) as viewed from the direction of arrow C.

The upper end of the rod member 38A that holds the heating cylinder 34 via the holding arm 38E is fixed to a nut block 37A of a ball screw mechanism 38B, and the nut block 37A is screwed into a threaded portion 37B of the ball screw mechanism 38B. A cylindrical support part without a screw is provided near the upper end of the threaded part 37B, and is rotatably held by a support plate 39 fixed to the rotating body 24 via a bearing 37C. A toothed pulley 37D is attached to the upper end of the threaded portion 37B, and a timing belt 37E is wound around the toothed pulley 37F of a servo motor 38D fixed to the rotating body 24.

Further, the nut block 37A of the ball screw mechanism 38B is fixed to a slider 39A of a slider rail 38C attached to a support plate 39, and the slider 39A is slidable on a rail 39B attached to the support plate 39 along the vertical direction. engage with. That is, when the servo motor 38D rotates, the threaded portion 37B is rotated by belt transmission, and the nut block 37A, which is threaded into the threaded portion 37B, is raised and lowered in the vertical direction along the rail 39B depending on the rotational direction of the servo motor 38D. Ru. As a result, the rod member 38A attached to the nut block 37A moves up and down, and the heating cylinder 34 moves up and down.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing the raising and lowering operation of the heating cylinder 34 by the raising and lowering mechanism 38. 5(a) shows a state in which the heating cylinder 34 has been lowered to the lowest position, FIG. 5(b) shows a state in which the heating cylinder 34 has been raised to an intermediate position, and FIG. 5(c) shows a state in which the heating cylinder 34 has been raised to an intermediate position. 2 shows a state in which the heating cylinder 34 has been raised to its highest position.

The state shown in FIG. 5(a) corresponds to the state immediately after the container V wrapped with the shrink label L is transferred from the supply wheel 18 to the shrink wheel 20, and the state shown in FIG. The top part is arranged at a position lower than the top surface of the bottle stand 28, and the container V placed on the bottle stand 28 is located outside the heating cylinder 34. The injection nozzle 34C penetrates the outer cylinder 34B and is attached near the lower end of the inner cylinder 34A, and from its tip always injects, for example, saturated steam at a predetermined flow rate into the inner cylinder 34A. The steam supplied to the inner cylinder 34A mainly flows upward along the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 34A to heat the second heating section B, and when it reaches the upper end of the inner cylinder 34A, it flows into the outer cylinder with a larger diameter. It rises along the inner peripheral surface of 34B and heats the first heating part A. Thereafter, the steam is released to the outside of the heating cylinder 34 from the top opening of the outer cylinder 34B. The steam released from the heating cylinder 34 is discharged to the outside of the can body 26 through, for example, the duct 26A. Note that the steam injected from the injection nozzle 34C is not limited to saturated steam, and may be superheated steam.

The container V transferred from the supply wheel 18 to the shrink wheel 20 is then lowered by the rotation of the rotating body 24, and the lower end of the top locator 30 (not shown in FIG. 5) is pressed against the top surface of the container V. As a result, the heating cylinder 34 is fixed to the bottle stand 28, and as shown in FIG. 5(b), the heating cylinder 34 is gradually raised by the elevating mechanism 38, and as shown in FIG. The container V is lifted until all of the containers (or all of the labeled portions) are accommodated in the inner cylinder 34A.

In the heating cylinder 34, the inside of the inner cylinder 34A where the outlet of the injection nozzle 34C is provided, that is, the second heating part B, is maintained at a relatively high temperature (for example, about 100° C.), and the temperature is higher than the upper end of the inner cylinder 34A. The inside of the upper outer cylinder 34B, that is, the first heating section A, is maintained at a relatively low temperature (for example, 80° C.). As shown in FIG. 5, the lifting mechanism 38 raises the heating cylinder 34 relative to the bottle stand 28, thereby inserting the container V into the outer cylinder 34B and the inner cylinder 34A in order from the bottom side. . That is, due to the temperature difference between the inner tube 34A and the outer tube 34B above it, the shrink label L is first shrunk at a low temperature and then at a high temperature, and the shape and size of the container V, the shrink label By adjusting the rising speed of the heating tube 34 according to the characteristics (for example, material) of the shrink label L, the heat shrinkage speed of the shrink label L can be appropriately controlled so as not to cause wrinkles.

For example, in a bottle-shaped container V as shown in FIG. 5, the diameter is substantially constant from the bottom to the body, so the amount of shrinkage of the shrink label L is small and the change thereof is also small. However, from the shoulder to the neck, the diameter rapidly decreases and the amount of shrinkage of the shrink label L is large. Therefore, when applying from the shoulder to the neck, the rising speed of the heating cylinder 34 is lowered (including stopping) to lengthen the heating time in the first heating section A. Further, if there is a depression in the body, in order to increase the amount of contraction at the depression position, for example, the rising speed near the height is slowed down. Furthermore, if the shrink label L is made of a material that easily shrinks, it is possible to raise and lower it at a faster speed than for other labels, thereby shortening the overall shrinkage time.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, since the label shrinking operation is performed by storing containers one by one in each heating cylinder that is maintained under substantially constant conditions, variations in the amount of containers discharged upstream, etc. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of uneven shrinkage due to external disturbances. In addition, even if the type of container or label is changed and the conditions for shrinking the label are changed, this can be handled by controlling the speed at which the heating tube is raised, so the simple configuration allows the container height to be adjusted. The amount of shrinkage of the label can be controlled accordingly, making it easy to handle different lots.

In addition, since shrinking work is performed by raising and lowering one heating cylinder for each container, even if an emergency stop occurs, the shrinking work can be continued even if the rotational transfer of the container is stopped. It is also possible to lower the heating cylinder when the work is completed and carry out the shrinking work as usual.

Next, referring to FIG. 6, a heat shrinking device according to a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the heating cylinder of the second embodiment. FIG. 6(a) shows a state in which the container V is completely accommodated within the heating cylinder, and FIG. 6(b) shows a state in which the container V is completely located outside the heating cylinder.

In the second embodiment, the heating cylinder is fixed at a predetermined height, and the bottle stand is moved up and down. Furthermore, although the configuration of the heating cylinder of the second embodiment is slightly different from that of the first embodiment, other configurations are the same as those of the embodiment. The lower end of the outer tube 34B of the heating tube 34 of the first embodiment extends slightly below the lower end of the inner tube 34A, and the inner tube 34A is completely housed within the outer tube 34B. On the other hand, the heating cylinder 40 of the second embodiment includes an inner cylinder 40A and an outer cylinder 40B, and only the upper part of the inner cylinder 40A is accommodated in the lower part of the outer cylinder 40B, and the upper end of the outer cylinder 40B is It extends upward from the inner cylinder 40A. Note that the distance between the inner cylinder 40A and the outer cylinder 40B is set constant by the fixture 34D.

Immediately after the container V is transferred from the supply wheel 18 onto the bottle stand 28, the bottle stand 28 and the support rod 28A are raised, and the container V is placed outside the heating cylinder 40 as shown in FIG. 6(b). Located in In the subsequent shrinkage process, the bottle stand 28 and the support rod 28A are lowered, and the container V is inserted into the heating cylinder 40 from the bottom side. FIG. 6A shows a state in which the first heating section A heats the shoulder to neck of the container V, and the second heating section B heats the body of the container V. Thereafter, the bottle stand 28 and the support rod 28A are further lowered, and the region extending from the shoulder to the neck is also heated in the second heating section B. In the second embodiment, the lifting and lowering of the support rod 28A, that is, the lifting and lowering of the bottle stand 28, is performed by, for example, the same configuration as the lifting mechanism 38 of the first embodiment, and the top locator 30 is also lifted and lowered in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Like the mechanism 38, a configuration in which the device is moved up and down by a servo motor is adopted.

As described above, even when the heat shrinking device of the second embodiment is used, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

Next, a heat shrinking device according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the heating tube of the third embodiment, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view of the heating tube of FIG. 7. FIG. 7(a) shows a state in which the container V is completely located outside the heating cylinder, and FIG. 7(b) shows a state in which the container V is completely accommodated within the heating cylinder. Note that the same reference numerals are used for the same configurations as those in the first or second embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The heat shrinking device of the third embodiment moves up and down the bottle stand 28 similarly to the second embodiment. On the other hand, the inner cylinder 41A and the outer cylinder 41B of the heating cylinder 41 of the third embodiment share the bottom surface 42. The outer tube 41B extends upward than the inner tube 41B, and the inner side of the outer tube 41B, which is higher than the inner tube 41A, forms a first heating section A, and the inside of the inner tube 41A forms a second heating section B. Furthermore, in the third embodiment, a heating mechanism that supplies steam is provided not only below but also above the heating cylinder 41, and an air supply mechanism, for example, is further provided below as a cooling mechanism. Note that the gap between the supporting rod 28A that passes through the bottom surface 42 is closed by a sealing member 35, for example, similarly to the first embodiment.

The upper heating mechanism is provided, for example, with two steam supply pipes 43A and 43B penetrating the outer cylinder 41B and the inner cylinder 41A, and the steam supply pipes 43A and 43B, and is provided along the inner circumferential wall of the inner cylinder 41A. It is composed of manifolds 44A and 44B arranged so as to surround V over approximately 180 degrees. The manifolds 44A, 44B are provided with a plurality of inwardly directed steam injection ports 45 along their inner peripheries.

On the other hand, the lower heating mechanism is composed of an injection nozzle 34C that communicates into the inner cylinder 41A and is connected to the steam supply pipe 36B, as in the first embodiment. Further, as an air supply mechanism provided below, an air supply pipe 46 that communicates into the inner cylinder 41A is provided similarly to the injection nozzle 34C.

As described above, the heat shrinking device of the third embodiment also provides the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments. In addition, in the third embodiment, since steam is injected inward from the steam injection port located above, steam can be sprayed directly onto the shoulder of the container where it is necessary to shrink the label significantly. can be done more efficiently. Furthermore, in the third embodiment, by injecting air to the lower part of the container, the temperature of the lower part, which is heated for a long time compared to the upper part of the container and may shrink excessively, is lowered, and the label is Excessive contraction can be suppressed.

Note that in the third embodiment, the number of steam supply pipes and manifolds may be one or three or more. In addition, the injection of steam from the steam injection port and the injection of air from the air supply pipe may be performed at all times during production, but the injection timing is controlled according to the position of the container in the heating cylinder and the elapsed heating time. You may.

In addition, although the shrink device of this embodiment is a wheel that rotates and conveys containers, if the configuration is such that each container can be conveyed while being housed in an individual heating tube, it is possible to convey the containers in a horizontal direction, for example, in a straight line. It can also be applied to a conveyor, and instead of carrying out the heat shrinkage treatment while continuously conveying the container, the heat shrinkage treatment may be carried out while conveying the container intermittently. Furthermore, the structure for supporting the container is not limited to the structure in which the container is held by the bottle stand and the top locator, but may be, for example, in a structure in which only the neck of the container is held and suspended.

10 Label attaching device 20 Shrink wheel 24 Rotating body (transfer means)
28 Bottle stand (container support means)
30 Top locator (container support means)
34, 40, 41 Heating tube 34A, 40A, 41A Inner tube 34B, 40B, 41B Outer tube 34C Injection nozzle 36 Flexible hose 38 Lifting mechanism (lifting means)
38D Servo motor 43A, 43B Steam supply pipe 44A, 44B Manifold 45 Steam injection port 50 Control device L Label V Container

Claims (1)

container support means for supporting a container with a heat-shrinkable label attached;
a heating cylinder arranged below the container support means and capable of accommodating the container supported by the container support means;
Steam supply means for supplying steam to the inside of the heating cylinder;
comprising an elevating means for relatively elevating the container supporting means and the heating cylinder,
The heating cylinder includes an inner cylinder disposed near a lower end with the outlet of the steam supply means facing inside, and an upper end extending upward from the inner cylinder and covering at least an upper portion of the inner cylinder. an outer cylinder spaced apart from the inner cylinder;
The label attached to the container is heated by inserting the bottom of the container from above the outer cylinder and moving the container supporting means and the heating cylinder relatively up and down so that the container is accommodated in the heating cylinder. A heat-shrinking device for heat-shrinkable labels, which is characterized by shrinking.

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