JPH0447614B2 - - Google Patents

Description

The tube suction transfer device 1 has a gripping device 5 for carrying out the container from the container mounting table 3, and the tube suction transfer device 1 includes a suction cup 1a,
1a, the operation of expanding and holding the tube into a cylindrical shape and fitting it onto the semi-cylindrical bodies 2a, 2a of the lower guide plate 2 is repeated, and when the tube is externally fitted, the guide plate 2 expands into the semi-cylindrical body 2a, 2a. 2a, and once lowers below the placing part 3a of the container placing table 3, and when a container is carried into the placing part 3a, rises to the place of the placing part 3a.
Then, the gripping parts 5a, 5a of the gripping device 5 approach each other to grip the containers inside the semi-cylindrical bodies 2a, 2a of the guide plate 2 from the outside of the tube. When the plate 2 moves downward, the gripped container is placed on the container mounting table 3.
A device for inserting a heat-shrinkable film tube, characterized in that the operation of carrying out the tube from the tube is repeated.

[Detailed description of the invention]

The present invention relates to a device for fitting a heat-shrinkable film tube (film tube made of heat-shrinkable synthetic resin) into a sealed container filled with food or beverages. Traditionally, in the instant food industry,
BACKGROUND ART Foods and beverages are packed into cup-shaped containers, that is, containers with a large diameter on the top, and sealed, and a label on which a trademark or the like is printed is attached to the outer periphery of the container. The method of attaching this label to the outer periphery of the container is as follows:
A method of fitting a cylindrical heat-shrinkable film tube to the outer periphery of the container to serve as a label attached to the outer periphery of the container, heat-shrinking the film tube to make it adhere to the container, and attaching the label to the outer periphery of the container. is commonly used. However, when a heat-shrinkable film tube is fitted around the outer circumference of a container, there is an extremely small gap between the container and the film tube, and the film tube is thin and flexible, so the tip of the film tube does not touch the outer surface of the container. Moreover, if the tip of the film tube remains stuck and the film tube is further inserted, there is a problem in that the tip ends up curling into the inside of the film tube. Therefore, in order to efficiently fit a heat-shrinkable film tube onto the outer surface of a container, it is necessary to solve the above-mentioned problems. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a device for efficiently fitting a heat-shrinkable film tube. The device for fitting a heat-shrinkable film tube of the present invention includes a container mounting table 3 having a mounting portion 3a on which a container to which the tube is to be mounted is placed, and a flat-shaped heat-shrinkable film tube disposed above the container mounting table 3. It has a pair of suction cups 1a, 1a for expanding a shrinkable film tube (hereinafter referred to as "tube") into a cylindrical shape. A tube suction transfer device 1 that moves up and down to return to the original height position after transferring the tube downward, a pair of semi-cylindrical pairs 2a, 2a into which the tubes transferred by the tube suction transfer device 1 are fitted.
(A bottom plate 2b is formed at the bottom of each semi-cylindrical body and serves as a mounting surface for a tube to be fitted onto the outside.)
The semi-cylindrical bodies 2a, 2a move horizontally so that their axes coincide with the axis of the container mounting table 3 and move toward and away from each other, and their mounting portions 3a move along the axis of the container mounting table 3.
a guide plate 2 that moves up and down between the upper part and the lower part of the guide plate 2; and a semi-cylindrical body 2 of the guide plate 2.
It has a pair of gripping parts 5a, 5a facing each other and located outside the spaces 2a and 2a. The tube suction transfer device 1 has a gripping device 5 that grips the container from the outside and carries it out from the container mounting table 3, and the tube suction transfer device 1 includes a suction cup 1a,
1a, the operation of expanding and holding the tube into a cylindrical shape and fitting it onto the semi-cylindrical bodies 2a, 2a of the lower guide plate 2 is repeated, and when the tube is externally fitted, the guide plate 2 expands into the semi-cylindrical body 2a, 2a. 2a, and once lowers below the placing part 3a of the container placing table 3, and when a container is carried into the placing part 3a, rises to the place of the placing part 3a.
Then, the gripping parts 5a, 5a of the gripping device 5 approach each other to grip the containers inside the semi-cylindrical bodies 2a, 2a of the guide plate 2 from the outside of the tube. When the plate 2 moves downward, the gripped container is placed on the container mounting table 3.
It is characterized by repeating the action of taking it out. Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail based on the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of the apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an adsorption/transfer device for expanding a heat-shrinkable film tube (hereinafter simply referred to as a tube) from a flat shape to a cylindrical shape and then transporting the tube in the expanded state. The suction transfer device 1 includes a suction cup 1a with suction cups 1b and 1b attached inside so as to be able to perform the above-mentioned operation.
are arranged symmetrically, and each suction cup 1a is
It has a structure in which it is supported by the support arms 1c, and the left and right suction cups 1a, 1a are arranged to be relatively close to each other and separated from each other. It is designed so that they can be rotated together. A guide plate 2 for externally fitting the tube is disposed diagonally below the suction transfer device 1. The guide plate 2 is a pair of semi-cylindrical bodies 2 obtained by vertically removing a cylindrical body by a predetermined width.
a, 2a and a pair of bottom plates 2 attached to the bottom thereof.
b, 2b. The bottom plates 2b, 2b are tube mounting surfaces for preventing the tubes fitted onto the semi-cylindrical bodies 2a, 2a from slipping down. As a result, even if the tubes are fitted onto the outside by bringing the semi-cylindrical bodies 2a, 2a a little closer to each other to make it easier to fit the tubes on the outside, the tubes can surround the semi-cylindrical bodies 2a, 2a without causing the tubes to slip off. can be held. In order to easily fit the tube onto the guide plate 2, each semi-cylindrical body 2a is formed so that the diameter of curvature of its outer circumferential surface is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the tube in the expanded state. Furthermore, the left and right semi-cylindrical bodies 2a, 2a are arranged to approach and separate from each other. Further, the center portion of each bottom plate 2b is removed so that a curved surface that is an extension of the inner circumferential surface of each semi-cylindrical body 2a is formed. This is to prevent the container mounting table 3 and the guide plate 2 from interfering with each other, which will be described later. Furthermore, the guide plate 2 can be moved up and down. The container mounting table 3 is arranged so that the center axes of the guide plate 2 and the guide plate 2 are aligned with each other, and the uppermost surface thereof is higher than the uppermost surface of the guide plate 2 when the guide plate 2 is lowered downward. ,
It consists of a cylindrical mounting section 3a and a support shaft 3b attached to its lower surface. Placement section 3a of the container placement stand 3
On top of the loading device 4 is a tapered container with a large diameter on the upper side.
It is designed to be carried in and placed by a. Further, the tapered container is carried out from above the placing section 3a by a carrying out device 4b. The guide plate 2 rises upward, and the semi-cylindrical bodies 2a, 2a on the left and right sides of the guide plate 2 are spaced apart from each other to substantially form one cylinder, and the semi-cylindrical bodies 2a, 2a are vertically moved. On both sides of the space corresponding to the deleted part, there is a grip part 5 at the inner tip.
A gripping device 5 is provided, which includes a gripping device 5a and a gripping device 5a, which are configured to approach and separate from each other. The gripping device 5 has a container fitted into the guide plate 2, and
With the tube fitted onto the guide plate 2, the tube can be integrally gripped from the outside with the container inside by bringing the gripping parts 5a, 5a on both sides closer to each other. . Figures 2a to 2g show the tube fitting process using the above device. First, the flattened tube F is supplied between the suction cups 1b, 1b of the suction transfer device 1, and the tube F is vacuum-suctioned from both outsides by the suction cups 1b, 1b. Then, by relatively separating the suction cups 1a and 1a while applying vacuum suction, the tube F is expanded into a cylindrical shape (the second
(see figure a). The suction cups 1a, 1a of the suction transfer device 1 rotate around the proximal ends of the supporting arms 1c, 1c while holding the expanded tube F, and attach the tube F to the guide plate 2 located diagonally downward. to be fitted externally. In this case, the semi-cylindrical bodies 2a, 2a of the guide plate 2 are
The tubes are close together to facilitate fitting (see Figure 2b). After the tube F is fitted onto the guide plate 2 in this manner, the semi-cylindrical bodies 2a, 2a are separated from each other and grip the tube F from the inside (see FIG. 2c). The guide plate 2, which grips the tube F from the inside, descends, and in this state, the upper large-diameter tapered container C is carried and placed on the placement part 3a of the container placement table 3 (the second (see figure d). After that, the guide plate 2 that grips the tube F from inside rises, and as a result, the tube F is fitted into the tapered container C via the semi-cylindrical bodies 2a, 2a of the guide plate 2 (the first (See Figure 2 e). By operating the gripping device 5 in this state, the container C is gripped from the outside of the tube F at the portion of the guide plate 2 where the semicylindrical bodies 2a, 2a are not located inside. After that, guide plate 2
By lowering the tube F, the tube F remains fitted in the container C (see FIG. 2 f). The container C with the tube F fitted thereon is carried out and sent to the next step, a heat shrinking step (see FIG. 2g). As mentioned above, when fitting the tube F into the container C, the tube F is fitted from the lower side of the upper large-diameter container C, that is, from the reduced diameter side, so the tube F is not fitted. The tube F can be easily fitted onto the outer periphery of the container C without causing problems such as curling when fitting due to the tube F being thin and flexible. Moreover, since the method described above can be realized by using a known device such as a cylinder, it can be easily automated. Furthermore, when fitting the tube F into the container C using the apparatus of the present invention, since the tube F is easily fitted as described above, the tube F is inserted from the large diameter side of the container C.
The tube diameter can be made smaller than when the tube is fitted. When the tube diameter is made smaller, the amount of heat shrinkage required to make it adhere tightly to the circumferential surface of the container C is reduced, resulting in improved thermal economy in the heat shrinking process, and the finished product has fewer wrinkles and distortions. It becomes something beautiful. In addition, in Figures 1 and 2, tube F
Considering the ease with which the tube F can be fitted, the guide plate 2 was placed diagonally below the suction transfer device 1, and the tube F was fitted from diagonally above. , guide plate 2
may be arranged below the suction transfer device 1. In the above-mentioned embodiment, a case was explained in which the tube F is fitted into a container C having a large diameter on the upper side. Even if it is fitted, it can be done in the same way as above. As detailed above, when fitting a heat-shrinkable film tube into a container using the apparatus of the present invention,
The difficulty of fitting the heat-shrinkable film tube into the container, which is caused by the thinness and flexibility of the heat-shrinkable film tube, can be easily resolved, and
It can also be automated easily. Therefore, the present invention makes a significant contribution to streamlining product packaging processes in the instant food industry.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of the device of the present invention, and Figures 2 a, b, c, d, e, f, and g are step-by-step explanations schematically showing tube fitting operations by the device of the present invention. It is a diagram. 1...Adsorption transfer device, 2...Guide plate,
3...Container mounting table, 4a... Carrying device, 4b...
Carrying out device, 5...Gripping device, F...Heat-shrinkable film tube, C...Tapered container.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A container mounting table 3 having a mounting portion 3a on which a container to which a tube is to be attached is placed; A flat heat-shrinkable film tube (hereinafter referred to as It has a pair of suction cups 1a, 1a for expanding the tube ("tube") into a cylindrical shape. , a tube suction and transfer device 1 that performs an elevating movement to return to the original height position, and a pair of semi-cylindrical pairs 2a, 2a into which the tubes transferred by the tube suction and transfer device 1 are fitted.
(A bottom plate 2b is formed at the bottom of each semi-cylindrical body and serves as a mounting surface for a tube to be fitted onto the outside.)
The semi-cylindrical bodies 2a, 2a move horizontally so that their axes coincide with the axis of the container mounting table 3 and move toward and away from each other, and their mounting portions 3a move along the axis of the container mounting table 3.
a guide plate 2 that moves up and down between the upper part and the lower part of the guide plate 2; and a semi-cylindrical body 2 of the guide plate 2.
It has a pair of gripping parts 5a, 5a facing each other and located outside the spaces 2a and 2a. Grasp the container from the outside.