JPH11268714A - Device and method for transverse sealing for bag-making, filling and packaging machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily adjust pressure and operational timing of heater blocks, in a transverse sealing device for a bag-making, filling and packaging machine. SOLUTION: A first air cylinder 33 and a second air cylinder 32 are provided for driving a pair of slider main bodies 10 and 20 each carrying a heter block. The heater blocks are moved forward by the first air cylinder 33 to a position immediately before the one where packaging films are interposed. Then, the heater blocks are moved forward further by the second air cylinder 32 from the position immediately before the interposition of the packaging films, and the packaging films are interposed between the blocks.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a horizontal sealing device in a bag making and filling machine for sandwiching a cylindrically formed packaging film between a pair of heater blocks and thermally sealing in a width direction to form a bag-like package. And a lateral sealing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional horizontal sealing device of this type, a heater block is driven by a single air cylinder. Now, packaging materials used for bag making and filling include a multilayer film such as a laminate film and a single plastic material (eg, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene terephthalate (PE).
T)).

[0003] Of these, particularly when a single film is used, since the film itself is thin and easily melted, strict adjustment is required for the temperature of the heater block, the clamping pressure, and the like.
Further, these adjustments need to be properly adjusted according to the thickness and the material of the film.

[0004]

Conventionally, the clamping pressure of the heater block has been set by adjusting the air pressure of a single air cylinder that drives the heater block. But,
If the air pressure of the air cylinder is changed according to the thickness or material of the single film used, the operating speed of the heater block also changes. The operation speed of the heater block is closely related to the operation timing of its peripheral members, for example, the timing of cutting the heat seal portion of the single film by the cutter.

[0005] Therefore, with the change of the clamping pressure of the heater block, it is necessary to adjust up to the operation timing with these peripheral members, and the adjustment work is complicated. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to enable the pressure and operation timing of a heater block to be easily adjusted.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a horizontal sealing device according to the present invention comprises a pair of heater blocks which sandwich a packaging film formed into a cylindrical shape and heat-seal it in the width direction to form a bag. In a bag making and filling machine for forming a package, a pair of slider bodies each having a pair of heater blocks mounted thereon, guide means for moving and guiding the pair of slider bodies, and immediately before the pair of heater blocks sandwich the packaging film. And a second drive source for driving the pair of slider bodies between a position moved by the first drive source and a position where the pair of heater blocks sandwich the packaging film. And characterized in that:

In the sealing device of the present invention, first, the pair of heater blocks is advanced by the first drive source to a position immediately before the packaging film is sandwiched (first advance step). This first advance step can always be performed at a constant operation speed regardless of the packaging film used.

Then, the pair of heater blocks are further advanced from the position immediately before the packaging film is sandwiched by the second drive source, and the packaging film is sandwiched (second advancement step). The packaging film is clamped by the second advance process. Therefore, the pressure for holding the packaging film by the heater block can be adjusted by the second drive source.
Here, since the operation stroke of the heater block is very small, even if the nipping pressure of the packaging film is changed, the fluctuation of the operation timing of the heater block accompanying the change is negligibly small.

Next, the packaging film is heat-sealed by a pair of heater blocks (heat-sealing step).
The packaging film can be formed into a bag. The present invention is also effective even if an inexpensive air cylinder is used as the first and second drive sources. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0010] Further, a cooling means for injecting cooling air toward the heat sealing portion of the packaging film may be mounted on at least one of the pair of slider bodies. Some conventional horizontal sealing devices are provided with this type of cooling means (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-153412).
By combining with the drive mechanism of the heater block by the second drive source, it is possible to more appropriately cool the heat seal portion of the packaging film.

That is, after the heat sealing step, if the slider body is slightly retracted by the second driving source and the cooling air is jetted from the position toward the heat sealing part of the packaging film, the slider is moved from the shortest distance to the heat sealing part. Cooling air can be blown for a time suitable for the packaging material. In the conventional configuration in which the heater block is driven by a single air cylinder, the retreat operation of the air cylinder cannot be stopped halfway, so that a cooling time suitable for the packaging material may not be secured, and there is a problem in cooling efficiency. Was.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional front view of a horizontal sealing device of a bag making and filling machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same device with a pressing member omitted,
FIG. 3 is a front view showing a drive system of the device. The main body 1 of the horizontal sealing device is mounted on a vertical bag making and filling machine and has a function of thermally sealing a cylindrical packaging film F supplied from above the filling machine in the width direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus main body 1 has two guide rails 2 and 2 (guide means) disposed horizontally.
A pair of slider bodies 10, 20 are slidable along these guide rails 2, 2. Packaging film F
Is continuously supplied from above to a substantially central portion inside the guide rails 2 and 2.

Heater blocks 11 and 21 are mounted on the slider bodies 10 and 20, respectively. The heater surfaces 11a and 21a of the heater blocks 11 and 21 are opposed to each other, and the heater surfaces 11a and 21a are heated by a built-in heater (not shown).
Each of the heater blocks 11 and 21 includes a heater surface 11a,
21a has a function of sandwiching the packaging film F and heat sealing. Concave portions 11b, 21b are formed at the center of the heater surfaces 11a, 21a.
The heater surfaces 11a and 21a are vertically divided by b and 21b.

One slider body 10 has a cutter 12
And the cutting edge of the cutter 12 is
It can freely come and go from the recessed part a. This cutter 12
The cutting air cylinder 1 mounted on the slider body 10
3 driven.

As shown in FIG. 2, a drive shaft 30 is rotatably provided on the apparatus main body 1 in a direction orthogonal to the guide rails 2 and 2, and one end of a drive link member 31 is attached to the drive shaft 30. Externally fitted and fixed. As shown in FIG. 3, the other end of the drive link member 31 is provided with a second air cylinder 32.
The drive rod 32a of the (second drive source) is connected.

The main body 32b of the second air cylinder 32 is mounted on the main body 33b of another first air cylinder 33 (first driving source). Here, an air cylinder having a short drive stroke is used as the second air cylinder 32, while an air cylinder having a long drive stroke is used as the first air cylinder 33. The drive rod 33a of the first air cylinder 33 is swingably connected to the apparatus main body 1.

At both ends of the drive shaft 30, the central portions of power transmission members 34, 34 are externally fitted and fixed. One ends of power transmission arms 35, 36 are rotatably connected to both ends of the power transmission members 34, 34, respectively.

The other ends of the power transmission arms 35, 35 are rotatably connected to both side surfaces of one slider body 20, respectively, and the other ends of the other power transmission arms 36, 36 are connected to the other side. The slider body 10 is rotatably connected to both side surfaces. The drive link member 31 described above,
Power transmission member 34, and each power transmission arm 35, 36
Form a link mechanism that transmits the driving force of the first and second air cylinders 33, 32 to the slider bodies 10, 20, and moves the main bodies 10, 20 along the guide rails 2, 2.

That is, the first and second air cylinders 33,
When the drive rod 32 is actuated and the drive rods 33a, 32a protrude, the drive shaft 30 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. At this time, each power transmission member 34,
3 also rotates together with the drive shaft 30 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. With this rotation, one power transmission arm 35 advances one slider main body 20 rightward in FIG. 3, and the other power transmission arm 36 moves the other slider main body 1
0 is advanced to the left in FIG. Each heater block 1
1 and 21 approach each other with the packaging film F interposed therebetween with the forward movement.

Here, the first air cylinder 33 and the second air cylinder 32 are controlled so that the first air cylinder 33 operates first, and then the second air cylinder 32 operates at a predetermined timing. It is. At this time, the driving amount of each of the slider bodies 10 and 20 by the first air cylinder 33 is adjusted to an amount by which the heater blocks 11 and 21 move to a position immediately before the packaging film F is sandwiched.

The driving amount of each slider body 10, 20 by the second air cylinder 32 is adjusted to the amount that the heater blocks 11, 21 move from the immediately preceding position to the position where the heater block 11, 21 sandwiches the packaging film F. Further, the driving force of the second air cylinder 32 is determined by taking into consideration the thickness and material of the packaging film F and the like, and setting the heater blocks 11 and 12 at an appropriate clamping pressure.
1 is adjusted so that the packaging film F can be clamped.

Contrary to the above operation, when the first and second air cylinders 33, 32 operate and the drive rods 33a, 32a retract, the drive shaft 30 is moved clockwise in FIG. To rotate. At this time, the respective power transmission members 34, 34 also rotate clockwise in FIG. With this rotation, one power transmission arm 35 retreats one slider body 20 to the left in FIG. 3, and the other power transmission arm 36 retreats the other slider body 10 to the right in FIG. . Each heater block 1
1 and 21 are separated from each other with this retreat operation.

In the retreating operation, first, the second air cylinder 32 is operated, and the heater blocks 11 and 21 are operated.
Is retracted to a position immediately before the packaging film F is sandwiched, and then the first air cylinder 33 is controlled to operate at a predetermined timing.

Air cylinders 14 and 24 for holding are mounted on the back surfaces of the slider bodies 10 and 20, respectively. The drive rods of the holding air cylinders 14 and 24 are connected to holding members 16 and 26 via drive plates 15 and 25. The holding members 16 and 26 include the heater blocks 11 and 21.
Are disposed above and below the heater blocks 1 and 2, respectively, by the driving force of the holding air cylinders 14 and 24.
The first and second heater surfaces 11a and 21a can be moved forward and backward. Each of the pressing members 16 and 26 has a distal end surface opposed to each other, and has a function of gripping the packaging film F in cooperation with each other.

A cooling nozzle 17 (cooling means) that opens diagonally upward or diagonally downward is formed at the corner of the tip of each of the pressing members 16, 16. Cooling air is supplied to the cooling nozzle 17 through a pipe (not shown), and the cooling air can be injected obliquely upward or downward from the nozzle opening.

Next, the operation of the above-mentioned horizontal sealing device will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and FIGS. When the packaging film F filled with the product is sent downward by the vertical bag making and filling machine, the first air cylinder 33 is operated, and each slider body is moved to a position immediately before the heater blocks 11 and 21 sandwich the packaging film F. 10,2
Advance 0.

Subsequently, the holding air cylinders 14 and 24 operate to move the holding members 16 and 26 to the heater blocks 11 and 24.
The protrusion 21 protrudes forward from the heater surfaces 11a, 21a, and the holding film 16, 26 holds the packaging film F (see FIG. 4). The holding points of the packaging film F by the pressing members 16 and 26 are at predetermined positions above and below the portion to be heat-sealed. By the holding by the pressing members 16 and 26, the tension received from the lower portion (filled with the product W) of the packaging film F can be prevented from being transmitted to the heat sealing portion. The product filling operation can be performed in parallel with the next heat sealing operation.

Next, the second air cylinder 32 operates to move to the operation of sandwiching the packaging film F by the heater blocks 11 and 21. The cutting air cylinder 13 operates at the timing immediately before the end of this operation. The packaging film F is cut by the cutter 12 (see FIG. 5). The cut portion at this time is the center of the portion that is heat-sealed by the heater blocks 11 and 21. In parallel with these operations, the vertical bag making and filling machine starts filling the product W into the packaging film F.

Since the slider bodies 10, 20 are advanced by the operation of the second air cylinder 32, further pressing force is applied to the pressing members 16, 26, which are in contact with each other via the packaging film F. However, the movement stroke of the slider bodies 10, 20 by the second air cylinder 32 is very small, and the first and second air cylinders 33,
Since the holding air cylinders 14 and 24 are extremely small as compared with 32, the moving amount can be absorbed by the movement of the drive rod of the holding air cylinders 14 and 24.

When the heater blocks 11 and 21 sandwich the packaging film F by the driving force of the second air cylinder 32,
By the heat of the heater built in the blocks 11 and 21,
The packaging film F is heat-sealed (see FIG. 6). When the heat sealing is completed, the second air cylinder 32 operates in the reverse direction to slightly separate the heater blocks 11 and 21 from the packaging film F (see FIG. 7). Again,
The holding of the packaging film F by the pressing members 16 and 26 is continued.

With the heater blocks 11 and 21 slightly separated from the packaging film F, the cooling nozzle 1
From 7, cooling air is injected. Since the cooling nozzle 17 is formed on the holding member 16 which is in a state of gripping the packaging film F, the cooling air blown out from the nozzle 17 flows to the heat sealing portion along the packaging film surface, and is efficiently. Cool the heat seal.

Thereafter, at the timing when the heat seal portion cools and solidifies, the first air cylinder 33 and the holding air cylinders 14 and 24 start a retreating operation, and each heater block 1
At the same time, the holding members 16 and 26 retract backward from the heater surfaces 11a and 21a. Thus, one cycle of the horizontal sealing operation on the packaging film F is completed.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the holding member may be provided with a gripping force by a biasing member such as a spring. Also,
The present invention is not limited only to the case where a single film is used, but can also be applied to a case where a multilayer film is used.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, the heater block is temporarily stopped at the position immediately before the packaging film is sandwiched, and then the heater block is further advanced slightly to sandwich the packaging film. Therefore, pressure is applied to the heater block by the sandwiching operation at the subsequent stage. As a result, even if the pressure of the heater block is changed, the operation timing is not largely shifted, and therefore, it is easy to adjust the pressure and the operation timing of these heater blocks.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional front view of a horizontal sealing device of a bag making, filling and packaging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the device with a pressing member omitted.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a drive system of the device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the apparatus.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the apparatus, following FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the apparatus, following FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the device, following FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the same device, following FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Device main body 2: Guide rail 10, 20: Slider main body 11, 21: Heater block 11a, 21a: Heater surface 12: Cutter 13: Cutting air cylinder 14, 24: Holding air cylinder 16, 26: Holding member 17 : Cooling nozzle 30: Drive shaft 31: Drive link member 32: Second air cylinder 33: First air cylinder 34: Power transmission member 35, 36: Power transmission arm

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A bag making and filling machine for sandwiching a packaging film formed into a cylindrical shape with a pair of heater blocks and heat sealing in a width direction to form a bag-like package, wherein each of the pair of heater blocks is mounted. A pair of slider bodies, guide means for respectively moving and guiding the pair of slider bodies, a first drive source for driving the pair of slider bodies to a position immediately before the pair of heater blocks sandwiches the packaging film, A second drive source for driving the pair of slider bodies between a position moved by a first drive source and a position where the pair of heater blocks sandwiches the packaging film; 2. The horizontal sealing device according to claim 1, wherein air cylinders are used as the first and second driving sources. 3. A bag-making apparatus according to claim 1, wherein cooling means for injecting cooling air toward a heat sealing portion of said packaging film is mounted on at least one of said pair of slider bodies. Horizontal sealing device in filling and packaging machines. 4. A bag-making and filling machine for sandwiching a cylindrically formed packaging film between a pair of heater blocks and heat-sealing in the width direction to form a bag-like package, up to a position immediately before sandwiching the packaging film. A first advancing step for advancing the pair of heater blocks, a second advancing step for advancing the pair of heater blocks further from a position immediately before sandwiching the packaging film and sandwiching the packaging film, A heat sealing step of heat sealing with a block. 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the first forward step is executed by a driving force of an air cylinder, and the second forward step is executed by a driving force of another air cylinder. Horizontal sealing method in bag making and filling machine. 6. The horizontal sealing method in a bag making and filling machine according to claim 5, wherein, in the second advance step, the holding pressure of the packaging film is adjusted by the another air cylinder.