JPH10166357A - Molding apparatus of pellet - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To execute an operation of replacement of a strainer in a short time and to improve productivity effectively. SOLUTION: At the time when pellets are molded by a movable head 24 on one side being present at a position H of closure, in this apparatus, a strainer body on the other side provided for a movable head 34 on the other side being at a position L of opening is replaced by a new one. When foreign substances in an extruded material are collected in the strainer body on one side provided for the movable head 24 on one side, according to this constitution, the strainer body can be replaced only by swinging the movable heads 24 and 34 on one and the other sides and changing the positions thereof in an alternating manner, and thus a time for replacement is shortened.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pellet forming apparatus that cuts one after another while continuously extruding an extruded material to form pellets.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional pellet forming apparatus, for example, a cylinder barrel into which an extruded material is supplied, and a cylinder barrel housed in the cylinder barrel, rotate the extruded material toward a front end side of the cylinder barrel. An extrusion screw to be conveyed, a fixed head fixed to the front end of the cylinder barrel, an open / close head detachably attached to the fixed head by bolts or the like, and a rear end face opposed to the fixed head of the open / close head, A breaker plate on which a number of extrusion ports through which the extruded material passes are formed,
A strainer body detachably attached to a rear end surface of the breaker plate to dam foreign matter mixed into the extruded material, a support frame fixed to the opening / closing head, and a support frame positioned immediately in front of the opening / closing head, and supported by the support frame; There is known an apparatus provided with a cutting mechanism for cutting an extruded material extruded through an extrusion opening into a predetermined length to form a pellet.

When a pellet is formed using such a pellet forming apparatus, foreign matter mixed in the extruded material is dammed on the strainer body when passing through the strainer body. If the foreign matter accumulates, it becomes difficult for the extruded material to pass through the strainer body. For this reason, the above-mentioned pellet forming apparatus has to frequently replace the strainer body during the pellet forming operation.

[0004]

However, since the opening / closing head to which the above-mentioned strainer body is attached is attached to the fixed head by bolts or the like, the bolt is loosened every time the strainer body is replaced, and the weight is large. The opening / closing head, the support frame, and the cutting mechanism must be removed from the fixed head.As a result, the replacement operation requires a long time, and the pellet forming operation has to be interrupted during such replacement operation. For this reason, there is a problem that productivity is reduced.

In order to solve such a problem, for example, the opening / closing head is swingably connected to the fixed head, and when performing the pellet forming operation, the opening / closing head is swung to a closed position for closing the front end of the fixed head. On the other hand, when replacing the strainer body, it is also conceivable to secure the working space by swinging the opening / closing head from the closed position to the open position separated by a predetermined angle. However, such a method does not require the operation of attaching and detaching the opening / closing head to / from the fixed head, so that productivity can be improved to some extent, but the degree is not sufficient.

An object of the present invention is to provide a pellet forming apparatus capable of effectively improving productivity by performing a strainer body replacement operation in a short time.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder barrel into which an extruded material is supplied, and a cylinder barrel housed in the cylinder barrel, which rotates the extruded material toward a front end of the cylinder barrel. An extrusion screw to be conveyed, a fixed head fixed to the front end of the cylinder barrel, a closed position connected to one side of the fixed head and closing the front end of the fixed head, and an open position separated from the closed position by a predetermined angle. A one-sided movable head that can swing between the one-sided movable head, a one-sided breaker plate attached to a rear end face of the one-sided movable head facing the fixed head, and having a plurality of extrusion ports through which the extruded material passes. A one-side strainer body detachably attached to the rear end face of the one-side breaker plate and damping foreign matter mixed in the extruded material, and connected to the other side of the fixed head. A movable head capable of swinging between a closed position for closing the front end of the fixed head and an open position separated by a predetermined angle from the closed position; and a rear end surface of the other movable head facing the fixed head. Attached to
A second breaker plate formed with a large number of extrusion ports through which the extruded material passes, a second strainer body detachably attached to a rear end surface of the second breaker plate and damming foreign matter mixed in the extruded material; This is achieved by providing a support frame installed immediately before the movable head located at the position, and a cutting mechanism that is cut by the extruded material supported by the support frame and extruded through the extrusion port into a predetermined length to form pellets. be able to.

Now, for example, it is assumed that one movable head is located at a closed position and the other movable head is located at an open position. At this time, the extruded material in the cylinder barrel is conveyed toward the front end by the rotation of the extrusion screw,
The one-side strainer body attached to the one-side movable head and the one-side breaker plate are continuously extruded forward through a large number of extrusion ports of the one-side breaker plate. The extruded material extruded from the extrusion opening is cut into a predetermined length by a cutting mechanism, and is formed into pellets one after another. Then, during the pellet forming operation using the one-side movable head, the other-side movable head waiting at the open position, and the other-side strainer body containing a large amount of foreign matter from the other-side breaker plate are removed. Replace with a new strainer body on the other side. In this way, if the replacement of the other-side strainer body is performed during the pellet forming operation by the one-side movable head, that is, during the use of the one-side strainer body, after the pellet-forming operation by the one-side movable head is completed, that is, the one-side strainer Immediately after the use of the body, the pellet forming operation can be resumed using the other movable head, that is, a new other strainer body, thereby improving productivity. In addition, if the above-described pellet forming operation is continued for a long time, foreign matters accumulate on the rear end side of the one-side strainer body, and it becomes difficult for the extruded material to pass through the one-side strainer body. In this case, once stop the rotation of the extrusion screw, then swing one movable head from the closed position to the open position, and then open the other movable head on which the new other strainer body is mounted. From the position to the closed position, and the front end of the fixed head is closed by the other movable head. Thus, by simply swinging the one-side and the other-side movable heads, a new other-side strainer body can be set in place of the one-side strainer body, whereby the productivity can be effectively improved. Next, the rotation of the extrusion screw is restarted, and pellets are formed in the same manner as described above. When foreign matter accumulates on the other strainer body, replacement is performed in the same manner as described above.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the structure of the apparatus can be simplified as compared with the case where the support frame and the cutting mechanism are fixed to the one-side and the other-side movable head, respectively. The manufacturing cost can be reduced. Furthermore, the front of the cylinder barrel is usually provided only with an empty space or a pellet carry-out conveyor, but if configured as described in claim 3,
This empty space can be used effectively.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1, 2 and 3, reference numeral 11 denotes a horizontal cylindrical cylinder barrel extending in the front-rear direction.
The cylinder barrel 11 has a hopper (not shown) at a rear portion thereof, through which the extruded material G,
For example, a block-like rubber kneaded by a Banbury mixer is supplied. A fixed head 12 is fixed to the front end of the cylinder barrel 11, and an extrusion screw 13 extending in the front-rear direction is housed in the fixed head 12 and the cylinder barrel 11. When the extrusion screw 13 is driven and rotated by a motor (not shown),
The extruded material G in the cylinder barrel 11 and the extruding head 12 is conveyed by the extruding screw 13 toward the front end side. Reference numeral 14 denotes a fastening ring whose rear end is screwed to the outer periphery of the fixed head 12, and a plurality of locking pieces extending inward in the radial direction as shown in FIG. 15 are formed equidistantly in the circumferential direction. Reference numeral 16 denotes a fastening cylinder whose head side is connected to the fixed head 12 via a bracket 17, and a tip of a piston rod 19 of the fastening cylinder 16 is connected to the fastening ring 14. As a result, when the fastening cylinder 16 operates and the piston rod 19 projects or retracts, the fastening ring
14 moves in the axial direction by changing the screwing position with respect to the fixed head 12 while rotating.

A pin 22 extending in the vertical direction is supported on one side of the fixed head 12, and this pin 22 has a through hole at the center.
23 is inserted into the base end of the one-side movable head 24 formed. As a result, the one-side movable head 24 is connected to one side of the fixed head 12 so as to be able to swing about the pin 22 in a horizontal plane. Reference numeral 25 denotes a one-side cylinder whose head side is connected to the front end of the cylinder barrel 11 via a bracket 21, and a piston rod of the one-side cylinder 25.
The tip of 26 is connected to the one-side movable head 24. Then, the one-side cylinder 25 is operated and the piston rod 26
Is retracted to the stroke end, the one-side movable head 24
Swings to a closing position H at which the front end of the fixed head 12 is closed, while the one-side movable head 24 is separated from the closing position H by a predetermined angle, here 90 degrees or more, when the piston rod 26 projects to the stroke end. Open position K indicated by a virtual line
Rocks until. Thus, the one-side movable head 24 can swing between the closed position H and the open position K by the operation of the one-side cylinder 25. When the one-side movable head 24 is at the closed position H, a ring 27 is formed on the rear end surface of the one-side movable head 24 which faces the fixed head 12, and the outer periphery of the ring 27 is The diameter is slightly smaller than the circle connecting the inner ends of the pieces 15. The outer periphery of the rear end of this ring body 27 is
As shown in the figure, a large number of locking pieces 28 extending outward in the radial direction, more specifically, the same number of locking pieces 15 as the locking pieces 15 are formed equidistantly in the circumferential direction, and the height of these locking pieces 28 is Identical to piece 15. Here, the circumferential length of the locking piece 15 is slightly shorter than the circumferential distance between the locking pieces 28, and the circumferential length of the locking piece 28 is slightly smaller than the circumferential distance between the locking pieces 15. short. As a result, when the one-side movable head 24 is swinging toward the closing position H, each locking piece 28 passes through the gap between the adjacent locking pieces 15 and reaches rearward from the locking piece 15. can do.
Then, when the fastening cylinder 16 is operated and the fastening ring 14 is rotated in this state, the locking piece 15 presses the locking piece 28 against the fixed head 12 to lock the one-side movable head 24 at the closed position H.

1, 2, 3, and 5, a movable head 34 having a through hole 33 is connected to the other side of the fixed head 12 via a pin 32 so as to swing in a horizontal plane. The other end of the piston rod 36 of the other cylinder 35 whose head is connected to the bracket 21 is connected to the other movable head 34. Then, when the piston rod 36 of the other cylinder 35 retracts to the stroke end, the other movable head 34 swings to the closing position H for closing the front end of the fixed head 12 as described above, while the piston rod 36 When it protrudes to the stroke end, it swings to an open position L indicated by a solid line at a predetermined angle away from the closed position H. As described above, the other-side movable head 34 can swing between the closed position H and the open position L by the operation of the other-side cylinder 35. A ring body 37 similar to the ring body 27 is also formed on the rear end surface of the other-side movable head 34, and a plurality of locking pieces 38 similar to the locking pieces 28 are formed around the rear end of the ring body 37. Is formed. When the other movable head 34 is swinging toward the closing position H, each of the locking pieces 38 passes through the gap between the adjacent locking pieces 15 as described above.
When the fastening ring 14 rotates in this state, the locking piece 15 presses the locking piece 38 against the fixed head 12 and locks the other movable head 34 in the closed position H. The above-mentioned fastening ring 14, locking pieces 15, 28, 38 as a whole are provided with a locking mechanism 39 for fixing the one or other movable head 24 or 34 to the fixed head 12 and locking it at the closed position H.
Is configured.

Reference numerals 41 and 42 denote one-side and other-side breaker plates as dies attached to the rear end surfaces of the one-side and the other-side movable heads 24 and 34, respectively. One side, the other side movable head 24, through hole 23 of 34,
33 is closed from the rear side. A large number of through-holes 43 and 44 are formed in the one and other breaker plates 41 and 42, respectively. As a result, the extruded material G in the cylinder barrel 11 is continuously extruded through the through-holes 43 and 44. . 45 and 46 have outer edges on one side and the other side breaker plate
41, 42, this one side, one side detachably connected to the other side breaker plate 41, 42, the other side by being sandwiched between the holding ring 48, 49, one side, the other side breaker plate 41, 42 is a one-sided, other-sided strainer body made of a wire mesh or the like removably attached to the rear end face of each, and these one-sided, other-side strainer bodies 45 or 46 are used when the extruded material G passes.
Foreign matter mixed in the extruded material G is dammed and accumulated on the rear surface side.

Reference numeral 53 denotes one support frame installed immediately before the one or other movable head 24 or 34 at the closed position H. A plurality of slide bearings 54 fixed to the lower end of the support frame 53 are provided. Are slidably supported by a pair of guide rails 55 extending in the front-rear direction. Reference numeral 56 denotes a rotation shaft which is rotatably supported on the support frame 53 via a plurality of bearings 57 and is coaxial with the extrusion screw 13. A pulley 58 is fixed to a front end of the rotation shaft 56. Reference numeral 59 denotes a motor with a speed reducer attached to the upper end of the support frame 53. The output shaft of the motor 59 with a speed reducer has a pulley
60 is fixed. Reference numeral 61 denotes a belt stretched between the pulleys 58 and 60. The rotational driving force of the motor 59 with a speed reducer is transmitted to the rotating shaft 56 via the belt 61, and the rotating shaft 56 is rotated. At the rear end of the rotating shaft 56, a plurality of cutters 62 are fixed at an equal angle from each other, and these cutters 62 are located immediately before the one-side and other-side breaker plates 41, 42 located at the closed position H. ing. When these cutters 62 are rotating together with the rotary shaft 56, the elongated extruded materials G extruded from the extrusion ports 43 or 44 of the one-side and other-side breaker plates 41 and 42 are cut into a predetermined length one after another. Then, a pellet P having a predetermined length is obtained. The aforementioned rotating shaft 56, pulleys 58 and 60, motor 59 with reduction gear, belt 61,
The cutter 62 is supported by the support frame 53 as a whole,
One extruded material G extruded through the extruded port 43 or 44 of the one-side and other-side breaker plates 41 and 42 is cut into a predetermined length to form a single cutting mechanism 63 as a pellet P.

Reference numeral 64 denotes a supply passage formed in the support frame 53. From the supply passage 64, the pellets P move toward one side, the other side breaker plate 41 or 42, and the cutter 62.
A dusting liquid, for example, an aqueous solution of calcium carbonate, which prevents adhesion between the two and cools the pellets P, is injected. The supply passage 64 is connected to a dusting liquid supply source via a hose (not shown). The above-described supply passage, hose, and dusting liquid supply source as a whole constitute an injection mechanism 65 for injecting the dusting liquid onto the formed pellets P. Then, the pellet P molded as described above is then
It falls while passing through the inside 53 and is carried out by a carry-out conveyor (not shown) installed below the guide rail 55.

Reference numeral 66 denotes a cylinder installed between the guide rails 55 and serving as a retracting mechanism extending in parallel with the guide rails 55.
The tip of a piston rod 67 of the cylinder 66 is connected to the support frame 53. When the cylinder 66 operates and the piston rod 67 projects or retracts, the support frame 53 moves in the front-rear direction, in other words, in the axial direction of the push screw 13 while being guided by the guide rail 55. Here, the front of the cylinder barrel 11 is usually an empty space in which only the pellet carry-out conveyor is installed as described above or an empty space in which nothing is installed. Side movable head 2
Immediately before 4, 34, support frame 53, cutting mechanism 63, injection mechanism 6
If the support frame 53, the cutting mechanism 63, and the injection mechanism 65 can be moved in the front-rear direction while installing 5, the empty space can be effectively used.

1 and 6, L-shaped fastening members 70 are fixed to the rear end of the support frame 53 at both side ends thereof, and the rear ends of the fastening members 70 project inward. The plurality of fastening projections 71 are formed vertically apart from each other. On the other hand, a plurality of fastening projections 72 projecting outward are provided on both side ends of the one side and the other side movable heads 24 and 34.
Are formed vertically apart, and each fastening projection 72 can pass through a gap between adjacent fastening projections 70 when the support frame 53 approaches one side and the other side movable head 24 or 34. Reference numeral 73 denotes a fastening block inserted between the fastening projections 71 and 72 when the support frame 53 moves to the rear limit and comes into contact with the one-side movable head 24 or the other-side movable head 34. It can be moved up and down by a cylinder (not shown) attached to the frame 53. And, as described above, the fastening block 73 is
When inserted between 71 and 72, the support frame 53 is in the closed position H
When the fastening block 73 is pulled out from between the fastening protrusions 71 and 72, the support frame 53 is attached to the one-side movable head 24 or the other-side movable head 34 in the closed position H. Alternatively, it is removed from the other movable head 34. As a result, the support frame 53 is detachably attached to the one-side movable head 24 or the other-side movable head 34 at the closed position H, and the position of the support frame 53 when attached, that is, the rear end is limited. This is the molding position S. The above-described fastening projections 71 and 72, the fastening block 73, and the cylinder as a whole constitute an attachment mechanism 74 that detachably attaches the support frame 53 to the one-side movable head 24 or the other-side movable head 34 at the closed position H. On the other hand, after the support frame 53 is removed from the one or other movable head 24 or 34, the support frame 53 can be moved to the retreat position T shown by a virtual line in FIG. The retracted position T is determined by the movable heads 24 and 34 on the one side and the other side.
Are located far away from the movable heads 24 and 34 on one side outside the swing range of FIG. As described above, if the support frame 53, the cutting mechanism 63, and the ejection mechanism 65 can be separated from the one-side and other-side movable heads 24 and 34 and can be moved in the front-rear direction, the support frame 53, the cutting mechanism
63, the structure of the apparatus can be simplified as compared with the case where the ejection mechanism 65 is attached to the one side and the other side movable heads 24 and 34, respectively, and swings together with these movable heads 24 and 34. Production costs can be reduced.

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. Now, the one-side movable head located at the closed position H
24 is locked to the fixed head 12 by a lock mechanism 39,
On the other hand, the other side movable head 34 is located at the open position L, and
The support frame 53 located at the molding position S, the cutting mechanism 63
Is attached to the movable head 24 on one side of the closed position H by an attachment mechanism 74. At this time, the extruded material G supplied into the cylinder barrel 11 through the hopper is conveyed toward the front end side by the rotation of the extrusion screw 13, and the one-side strainer body 45 attached to the one-side movable head 24 and the one-side breaker It is continuously extruded forward through the extrusion port 43 of the plate 41. At this time, the foreign matter mixed in the extruded material G is blocked when passing through the one-side strainer body 45 and accumulates on the rear end side of the one-side strainer body 45. Further, at this time, since the cutter 62 of the cutting mechanism 63 installed immediately before the one-side breaker plate 41 is receiving the rotational driving force from the motor 59 with a speed reducer, the cutter 62 is rotating.
The elongated extruded material G extruded through the extrusion port 43 is cut into a predetermined length by the cutter 62, and pellets P having a predetermined length are formed one after another. At the time of this cutting, a dusting liquid is sprayed onto the pellets P from the supply passage 64 to prevent adhesion of the pellets P and cool the pellets P.

During the molding operation of the pellet P using the one-side movable head 24, the other-side strainer body in which a large amount of foreign matter is accumulated from the other-side movable head 34 waiting at the open position L. 46, Remove the other side holding ring 49 and replace it with a new other side strainer body 46 to which no foreign matter is attached. In this manner, the replacement operation of the other-side strainer body 46 can be performed during the forming operation of the pellet P by the one-side movable head 24, that is, during the use of the one-side strainer body 45. After completion of the forming operation of P, that is, immediately after the use of the one-side strainer body 45, the forming operation of the pellet P can be restarted immediately using the other movable head 34, that is, the new replaced other-side strainer body 46, Thereby, productivity can be improved.

Next, when the molding operation of the pellet P by the one-side movable head 24 as described above is continued for a long time, foreign matter accumulates on the rear end side of the one-side strainer body 45, and the extruded material G is transferred to the one-side strainer body 45. It becomes difficult to pass through. In this case, the operation of the motor 59 with the speed reducer is stopped to stop the rotation of the cutter 62, the injection of the dusting liquid from the supply passage 64 is stopped, and the rotation of the extrusion screw 13 is also temporarily stopped. . Next, the cylinder of the mounting mechanism 74 is operated to connect the fastening block 73 to the fastening projections 71, 72.
Then, the support frame 53 is removed from the one-side movable head 24. Next, the cylinder 66 is operated to retract the piston rod 67, and the support frame 53 is moved forward from the molding position S to the retreat position T along the guide rail 55. Next, the fastening cylinder 16 of the lock mechanism 39 is operated to project the piston rod 19 to lock the fastening ring 14 with the locking piece 15.
Rotate until it is in the middle. At this time, the fastening ring
Since the screw 14 is screwed to the fixed head 12, it moves axially forward by a screw action, whereby the one-side movable head 24 is released from the lock on the fixed head 12.
Next, by protruding the piston rod 26 of the one-side cylinder 25, the one-side movable head 24 is swung from the closed position H to the open position K about the pin 22 so that the space for replacement of the one-side strainer body 45 is formed. To secure. At this time, the locking piece 28 of the one-side movable head 24 passes through the gap between the adjacent locking pieces 15, and the support frame 53 stands by at the retreat position T outside the swing range of the one-side movable head 24. Therefore, the swing of the one-side movable head 24 is performed without any problem.

Next, the piston rod 36 of the other cylinder 35
By retracting the other side, the other side movable head 34 which has replaced the other side strainer body 46 with a new
From the open position L to the closed position H around
The front end of the fixed head 12 is closed by the other movable head 34. As described above, by simply swinging the movable heads 24 and 34 on one side and the other side, the one-side strainer body 45 in which foreign matters are accumulated can be replaced with a new other-side strainer body 46, thereby increasing productivity. It can be improved effectively. next,
By operating the fastening cylinder 16, the fastening ring 14 is rotated until the locking piece 15 presses the locking piece 38 against the fixed head 12, and the other movable head 34 is locked with respect to the fixed head 12. Next, after operating the cylinder 66 to move the support frame 53 backward from the retracted position T to the molding position S, the cylinder is operated to insert the fastening block 73 between the fastening projections 71 and 72, and the support frame 53 Is attached to the other movable head 34.
Next, the motor 59 with a speed reducer is operated to rotate the cutter 62, the dusting liquid is injected from the supply passage 64, and the rotation of the extrusion screw 13 is restarted. As a result, the pellet P is formed by the other movable head 34 and the cutting mechanism 63 in the same manner as described above. When foreign matter accumulates in the other strainer body 46, replacement is performed in the same manner as described above.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, the work of replacing the strainer body can be performed in a short time, and the productivity can be effectively improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front sectional view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a plan sectional view of the mounting mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... Cylinder barrel 12 ... Fixed head 13 ... Extrusion screw 24 ... One side movable head 34 ... Other side movable head 41 ... One side breaker plate 42 ... Other side breaker plate 43,44 ... Extrusion port 45 ... One side strainer body 46 ... Other strainer body 53 ... Support frame 63 ... Cutting mechanism 66 ... Evacuation mechanism H ... Closed position K, L ... Open position G ... Extruded material P ... Pellet

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A cylinder barrel into which an extruded material is supplied, an extruding screw housed in the cylinder barrel and rotating the extruded material toward the front end of the cylinder barrel, and a front end of the cylinder barrel. A fixed head fixed to the portion, and a swingable position between a closed position connected to one side of the fixed head for closing the front end of the fixed head and an open position separated from the closed position by a predetermined angle. A side movable head, a one side breaker plate attached to a rear end face of the one side movable head facing the fixed head, and formed with a large number of extrusion ports through which the extruded material passes, and a rear end face of the one side breaker plate. One side strainer body that is detachably attached and dams foreign matter mixed in the extruded material, and is connected to the other side of the fixed head to close the front end of the fixed head A second movable head capable of swinging between a stop position and an open position separated by a predetermined angle from the closed position; and a rear end face of the second movable head which is attached to a rear end face of the other movable head which faces the fixed head, through which the extruded material passes. Other breaker plate formed with a large number of extrusion ports to be formed, another strainer body detachably attached to the rear end surface of the other breaker plate and damping foreign matter mixed in the extruded material, and movable at the closed position A pellet forming apparatus comprising: a support frame installed immediately before the head; and a cutting mechanism supported by the support frame and cutting the extruded material extruded through the extrusion port into a predetermined length to form a pellet. . 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the number of the support frame and the cutting mechanism is one, and the support frame is detachably attached to the movable head at a closed position. Further, when the support frame is removed from the movable head, The support frame,
2. The pellet forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a retracting mechanism for separating the cutting mechanism from the movable head and retracting the cutting mechanism from a swing range of the movable head. 3. The pellet forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support frame and the cutting mechanism are moved back and forth by the retracting mechanism.