JPH10129622A - Opening method of pouch - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To securely prevent the deflection of a pouch when it is opened, by holding the pouch from both sides by suckers and sucking and opening it by the vacuum pressure and then moving a pair of rows of suckers in a fan-shaped movement around a center made on the extended line of the bottom of the pouch to open the pouch from the upper side one by one. SOLUTION: A pouch taken out of a magazine is delivered to a gripper of a filling and packaging machine and fed to a station to open pouches. A pair of right and left sucker holders are actuated toward the pouch and the suckers 14 (14-1 to 14-2) of both right and left sides vertically arranged in rows by respective sucker holders approach each other at an appropriate distance and stop there by the contact of a positioning stopper 17 for the distance provided at both sides. Then, immediately a vacuum system acts and respective suckers 14 suck both sides of the pouch and subsequently, the sucker holders are unfolded to the outside to form a fan-shape as a whole around the basic axial point 23 and the pouch is opened from the upper part in sequence. In this way, the pouch is shaped to a form decided by the rows of suckers 14.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to foods, pharmaceuticals,
It relates to a method for ensuring the opening of pouches, which are often used for all small packages such as toiletry products.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The following method is used for a conventional opening method. (1) Open a little under the opening of a pouch with a suction cup, insert a waterfowl beak-shaped molding jig, and from the inside. Forming (2) Open the pouch just below the opening slightly with a suction cup, insert the air injecting jig in close contact, inject compressed air to inflate and mold.

[0003]

The conventional method has the following drawbacks. (1) At the one or two suction openings of the conventional method, if the pouch is bent or wrinkled, "tack" is caused by the opening. (2) If the opening of the suction cup fails, the molding jig and air injection jig cannot be inserted, and the opening cannot be molded. (3) The molding jig and air cannot be inserted into the opening of the pouch. Since the injection jig is inserted, the opening of the pouch is bent or damaged,
Heat sealing after filling the product is not successful or impairs productability. (4) In the insertion method of the molding jig, a strong force is applied to the molding from inside, and damage occurs. (5) In the air injection method If the adhesion between the jig and the opening of the pouch is poor, the swelling is insufficient and molding failure occurs.In order to improve the moldability, the air pressure is too high, and the pouch breaks and the heat seal wire tears. (6) In the case of a standing pouch, when the jig or pneumatic molding is used, the shape of the "fold" at the bottom and the rigidity of the material used cannot completely prevent the molding from "returning". There is a shortage of filling volume in the subsequent filling process,
(7) In order to improve the formability of the "folds" of the standing pouch, the rigidity of the "folds" is reduced, and the "folds" Means for weakening the folding habit are taken regularly, leading to diversification of packaging materials and a reduction in the yield of the bag making process. (8) Since the molding jigs are in contact with the inner surfaces of all pouches, Hygiene management is difficult (9) In pneumatic molding, hygiene management to prevent invasion of various bacteria from the injected air is difficult.

[0004]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the following inventions have been made. (1) A pair of suction cups for performing opening operation is arranged along a longitudinal center line of a pouch. Arrange on a straight line. (2) The suction cup is (a) immediately below the opening, (b) the center of the plane of the pouch, (c) an intermediate position between the center of the plane of the pouch and the bottom of the pouch, and (d) immediately below the opening. (3) When the pouch size is large, (c) and (d)
Are divided roughly evenly and increased to enhance the function of correcting the "tack" generated at the time of opening due to the pouch's bag making and storage habits. (4) The spacing of the suction cups Although it depends on the diameter of the sucker, the spacing within 25 to 30 mm can correspond to any kind of packaging material, distortion and bending. (5) The sucker arranged as described above is held by a rigid body (sucker holder), The rigid body has a pair of suction cup rows on both sides of the pouch plane centered on the extension line of the pouch bottom (origin axis), and each performs a fan-like operation in the opposite direction to open the pouch by vacuum suction. A "fold" is attached to the bottom. In the case of a standing pouch, the following operation is further added. (6) The center of the plane of the standing pouch is not centered on the intersection of the diagonal line of the pouch plane, but the upper end of the folded “fold” is sealed. Determined as the virtual line at the bottom of Tom. (7) Arrange the suction cups to be added so that they are as close as possible to the top and the bottom of the virtual line at the bottom bottom (see Fig. 7). (8) Drive the opening of the flat pouch. The fan-shaped starting axis of the sucker group is made independent, and immediately after the fan-shaped operation is completed, the starting axis is moved horizontally to the desired opening size of the pouch, and the bottom is folded and the opening is formed by flattening the fold. The features of the invention can be enumerated as follows: (1) Since the opening of the pouch is performed in order from the top, the injection of the outside air for increasing the internal volume of the pouch can be performed uniformly and smoothly. The "blocking" phenomenon caused by the atmospheric pressure from the outside of the body of the pouch no longer occurs. This eliminates "poor opening" caused by the opening operation itself. (2) By arranging the suction cups in a single row and aligning the molding stress points with one another, the "tack" generated during molding can be absorbed, resulting in partial concentrated stress on the pouch Opening and moldability have been greatly improved, and trouble has been minimized. (3) Manufacture of pouches by arranging suction cups on a rigid body (suction cup holder) on the same line and on the same side to make pinching surface contact With the function of correcting distortion during storage and deformation during storage, there is no need to adjust for changes in pouch characteristics due to differences in pouch lots and suppliers. ) Linear stress can be applied to the bottom "folds" of the standing pouch by using a suction cup or seal hooking at the bottom of the pouch, or a combination of the seals, ensuring reliable regardless of the seal shape and rigidity of the bottom material. (5) The use of molding jigs and compressed air eliminates the need for conventional sanitary surfaces and concerns about damage to the pouch during molding.

[0005]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A description will be given of a packaging process in which a pouch opening operation is required with reference to FIG. 1. Normally, in a filling / packing process in which a bag-made pouch is delivered from a manufacturer in a box, The pouch magazine (1) is manually aligned and supplied to the pouch magazine (1). Thereafter, the removal from the magazine is automatically performed by the pouch removal arm (2). The pouch (3) removed from the magazine is filled and packed by a packing machine (4). The gripper (5) is transferred to the pouch opening station (6), and is opened and molded. The opening station (6) is a batch operation for a long operation time or a high-speed repetitive operation. The opening device is cut off after the opening and molding, and the opening and the molded pouch (3) are manufactured at the filling station (7). Is weighed and filled, and is sent to the next heat sealing station (8) to be sealed and packaged after packaging. FIG. 2 shows an opening by a conventional molding jig (9), a molding method, and FIG. I showed the molding method

The outline of the method of the present invention is shown in the section of the present invention.
FIG. 4 shows the positional relationship between the stress point (15) and the suction cup (14-1) immediately below the opening, the plane center (14-2), the middle between the plane center (14-3) and the bottom, and the plane. Center (14
FIG. 4 (a) shows the positions (15-1 to 15-4) of the suction molding stress points on the pouch (3) corresponding to the positions of the suction cups. The size of the pouch (3) is increased and the distance between the stress points exceeds 25 to 30 mm. FIG. 5 shows a method of expanding the suction cup (14). Molding station (6)
The pouch (3) is held in the opening, the molding station (6) by the gripper (5), is automatically fed, and is automatically determined in the standby state, which is further opened than the opening, molding completion state. When stopped, the suction cup holder (16) moves toward the pouch (3) and the suction cups (14) approach the "proper spacing" by the contact of the spacing stoppers (17) provided on both sides. Immediately after the vacuum system is activated and the pouch (3) is brought into the suction state, the suction cup holder (16) starts to operate outward and sequentially opens from the top of the pouch (3). By opening from the upper part, the supply of air corresponding to the increase in the internal volume of the pouch (3) is performed smoothly.
It is easily molded into a molding shape determined by the row of suction cups (14). At this time, the gap between the grippers (5) operates so as to become narrower according to the opening of the pouch (3). FIG. 6 shows the suction start state of the operation.
FIG. 6B shows a state in which the opening is completed in FIG. 6B. This series of operations is performed by a direct drive or a control signal from the filling and packaging machine (4), and is completed in about 1 to 2 seconds. In a pouch having a fold (19) at the bottom of a standing pouch (18), in addition to the above-described opening and molding, it is necessary to expand and mold the folded fold (19) to a flat surface. The folds (19) at the bottom are inflated by applying internal pressure, or a rigid shape is inserted inside, but molding cannot be performed because stress cannot be concentrated on the folds of the folds (19). In many cases, materials used for the folds (19) are selected to be less likely to have a habit, and a bag-making method is used to avoid the habit. This increases the cost of the packaging material. The yield of the bag making process is The present invention adopts a method in which the bottom expanding suction cup (20) is brought as close as possible to the bottom so that a linear stress is applied to the bottom fold (19). The shape of the bottom expansion suction cup (20) is as follows. An oval or rectangular shape is preferable. A similar effect can be obtained by using a hooker (21) that mechanically hooks the edge of the bottom. In the present invention, the hooker (21) is provided with a suction cup (2) for expanding the bottom.
Also included is a method to replace the fold (1) by the strong force expansion of the bottom fold (19).
Since an inward stress that inhibits opening and molding is generated on the virtual line of the upper heat seal of 9), the suction cup (22) for controlling the inside deformation is installed slightly above the virtual line. The operation of the bottom fold (1
As before the expansion of 9), the suction cup holder (1
The operation of 6) can be achieved by extending the starting axis (23) by horizontal movement after the fan-shaped operation, as shown in FIG.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 9. In the case of a flat pouch, the operation of the suction cup holder (16) may be only a fan-shaped operation. ) Waits in the fully opened state, and when the pouch (3) arrives at a fixed position, a vacuum source is operated on the suction cup (14), and the suction cup holder (16) operates so as to sandwich the pouch (3). It is driven to change direction immediately when approaching to a state where it comes into slight contact with (3), and when 70-80% of the full-opening method is reached, the vacuum source operated on the suction cup (14) is released. The opening for releasing the stress applied to the pouch (3) and the molded pouch (3) are suspended in the gripper (5), so that they can be sent without any contact in the next filling step. Holder (16) Since it is only necessary to drive each of them in the opposite direction, a driving method in which the desired operation is realized by connecting the two axes of the starting axis (23) by a gear and rotating and driving one of the axes is described as follows. , The starting axis (2) of the suction cup holder (16)
3) Rotate the suction cup holder (1)
6) may be driven linearly, or the suction cups (14-1 to 14-4) may be slid independently and linearly on a fixed axis, and sequentially driven by a trapezoidal block. In the case of a standing pouch (18), a combined operation of a fan-shaped operation and a slide operation is required. An embodiment of a fan-shaped operation and a parallel operation is shown in FIG. The driving cylinder (25) is in the fully retracted state. The pouch (18) is moved by the gripper (5) of the filling machine (4).
Immediately after stopping at the operation fixed position of the device, the sector drive cylinder (24) and the horizontal drive cylinder (2)
5) is in the state of full extrusion by the control signal of the filling machine (4). At the same time, the vacuum system of the suction cup (14) is activated to be in the suction state. The fan drive cylinder (24) is in the direction of full retraction immediately after full extrusion. With a slight delay (0.2-0.5 seconds), the horizontal drive cylinder (25) also operates in the direction of full retraction. When it reaches 70-80% retraction, the suction cup (1
Release the vacuum source that had been activated in 4) and release the pouch (1).
8) Release stress application to the opening, molded pouch (18)
It can be sent without any contact to the next filling process because it is suspended in the air. Instead of the drive cylinder (24, 25), a direct drive from the filling machine (4) is also used using a cam and a link mechanism. can do

[0007]

【The invention's effect】

(1) Opening and molding sequentially from the top so as to sandwich the pouch, and the generation of distortion at the time of opening is reliably controlled, so that opening and molding of pouches with all characteristics can be performed without failure. (2) In the case of a standing pouch Has a straight horizontal pull on the bottom that allows the bottom folds to expand reliably,
Since the filling volume of the pouch can be ensured, there is no failure in the filling process. (3) Minimization of considerations for pouch production related to opening and moldability. (4) Improvement of opening and moldability to improve production site efficiency. And the need for manual assistance is also minimized, reducing manufacturing costs.

[Brief description of the drawings]

Fig. 1 Explanation of filling and packaging process using ordinary pouch

FIG. 2 is an illustration of pouch opening and molding using a normal molding jig.

[Fig. 3] Explanation of pouch opening and molding by ordinary air pressure

FIG. 4 is an explanation of opening and molding stress application of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates how to add stress points for large pouches of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of the opening and molding procedure of the flat pouch of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of a procedure for opening and molding a standing pouch of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates the extension of the bottom fold by the hooker of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an example of the opening and molding of the flat pouch of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an example of the opening and molding of the standing pouch of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Pouch magazine 2 Pouch take-out arm
Reference Signs List 3 pouch 4 filling machine 5 gripper 6 opening station 7 filling station 8 sealing station
Reference Signs List 9 molding jig 10 suction cup 11 vertical apparatus 12 air injection jig 13 air pipe 14 suction cup group 15 molding stress point group 16 suction holder 17 spacing stopper 18 standing pouch 19 fold 20
Bottom sucker 21 Hooker 22 Virtual line sucker 23 Starting axis 24 Fan-shaped drive cylinder 25 Horizontal drive cylinder

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A method for opening a flat pouch (1) A suction cup is linearly arranged along a longitudinal center line of a pouch to be opened, and the pouch is sandwiched from both sides, and then the pouch is suction-opened by vacuum pressure. (2) The suction cup is (a) just below the opening, (b) the intersection of the diagonal of the plane of the pouch [center of the plane], (c) the middle position between the plane center of the pouch and the bottom of the pouch, (d) the opening (3) When the size of the pouch is large, (c) and (d) are divided approximately equally to increase the number of suction cups (4) ( 2) and (3) are arranged. In (1), a pair of suction cup rows located on both sides of the pouch plane are operated in a fan-like manner centering on an extension of the bottom of the pouch, and the pouch is sequentially vacuum-opened from the top. how to 2. In the case of a standing pouch having "folds" attached to the bottom, the following method is further added. (1) The center of (1) of (1) is the upper end of the folded fold seal. The center of the plane is determined as the imaginary line of the bottom bottom. (2) A method of arranging a suction cup so as to be as close as possible to the group of suction cups to be arranged in (2) and the bottom of the pouch just above the imaginary line of the bottom bottom. (3) Operate the suction cup provided on the bottom of the pouch linearly in a direction perpendicular to the body of the pouch. (4) Perform the same operation as in (3) by hooking a mechanical hook inside the heat seal edge on the bottom of the pouch. (5) Immediately after the completion of the fan-shaped operation of the sucker group of (1), the fan-shaped operating shaft is moved horizontally to the opening dimension of the pouch to open and form the "fold" of the bottom. Method