JPH11320664A - Conveying device for blow molding machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a conveying member from horizontally rotating at the time of conveying so that damage to the conveying member can be avoided and the life of a conveying chain can be extended and to easily determine the position of the conveying member by a method wherein a preform can be prevented from falling down into a space between the conveying members so that damage to the conveying members and conveying chain can be avoided and there is no need to impart tension to the conveying chain. SOLUTION: There are provided a plurality of conveying members 28 each holding a preform, a conveying chain 26 which effects conveying and fixes the members 28 at regular intervals, and conveying rails 30a, 30b to guide the members 28 along a conveying path 12 to a blow molding part 20. And conveying plates 50, which can contact each other, are provided to prevent each of the members 28 from rotating horizontally at the time of conveying.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transfer device for a blow molding machine, and more particularly to a transfer device for a blow molding machine that transfers a molded product by a transfer member fixed to a transfer chain.

[0002]

BACKGROUND ART As a blow molding machine for heating a synthetic resin preform to blow-mold it into a predetermined container shape, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-132517 previously proposed by the present applicant. And JP-A-8-2247
No. 75 is disclosed.

[0003] In this blow molding machine, a preform conveying path is formed in a square shape, and a heating section and a blow molding section are arranged in a linear portion thereof. It is conveyed to the heating section and the blow molding section.

[0004] This transport device is constituted by fixing a plurality of transport members holding a preform to a transport drive transport chain arranged along the transport path at predetermined intervals.

A preform on the conveying member is intermittently conveyed to a heating section or a blow molding section by driving a conveying chain while guiding the conveying member by guide rails arranged along the conveying path. Thus, the structure is relatively simple and the operability is excellent.

By the way, in this transport device, since a plurality of transport members are fixed to the transport chain at predetermined intervals, there is a space between the transport members, and when the preform falls into this space, the transport chain or The transport member may be damaged.

If the transport chain is loose, the transport member fixed to the transport chain may rotate horizontally during transport, and the portion of the transport member that engages with the transport rail may be damaged.

For this reason, if tension is applied to the transport chain to prevent horizontal rotation of the transport member during transport, the transport chain wears and the life of the transport chain is shortened.

Further, when the transport chain is worn and extended, the position of the transport member is also shifted, making it difficult to position the transport member. Therefore, the management of the tension of the transport chain and the like has been an important check item on a daily basis, and has been a burden on the molding manager.

An object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device of a blow molding machine capable of preventing a preform from falling into a space between transfer members and damaging the transfer member and the transfer chain.

Another object of the present invention is to prevent the transfer member from rotating horizontally during transfer without applying a large tension to the transfer chain, thereby preventing damage to the transfer member and extending the life of the transfer chain. Another object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device of a blow molding machine that can easily position a transfer member.

[0012]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a blow molding apparatus comprising: a blow molding section disposed in the middle of a transport path; a plurality of transport members for holding a preform; and a plurality of transport members. A transport chain fixed at a predetermined pitch, stretched along the transport path and transporting the plurality of transport members, and a guide rail for guiding the transport members along the transport path are provided. At least one attitude regulating member is disposed between two adjacent transport members of the plurality of transport members, thereby preventing the two transport members from rotating horizontally during transport. .

According to the present invention, the posture regulating member allows
Horizontal rotation of the transport member during transport can be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the transport member from being damaged. Furthermore, there is no need to apply a large tension to the transport chain to prevent horizontal rotation, and as a result,
It is possible to extend the life of the transport chain and facilitate positioning of the transport member. In addition, when this posture guide member is integrally formed with the transport member, the manufacturing cost is reduced and the dimensional accuracy is increased.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a blow molding apparatus comprising: a blow molding section disposed in the middle of a transport path; a plurality of transport members for holding a preform; and the plurality of transport members fixed at a predetermined pitch. A transport chain that is stretched along the transport path and transports the plurality of transport members;
A guide rail that guides the plurality of transport members along the transport path, and a guide rail that is provided between each two adjacent transport members of the plurality of transport members, and separates each space between the two adjacent transport members. And a covering member for covering.

According to the present invention, since the space between the transport members can be covered by the covering member, it is possible to prevent the preform from dropping into the space between the transport members and damage the transport members and the transport chain. can do. When this covering member is integrally formed with the transport member, the manufacturing cost is reduced and the dimensional accuracy is increased.

It is preferable that the posture regulating member or the covering member is detachable from the transport member.

In this way, when the posture regulating member or the covering member is damaged or worn, it can be easily replaced with a new posture guiding member or covering member, and the transport member can be used for a long time.

[0018] More preferably, the transport path is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and when a part of the plurality of transport members and the attitude regulating member (or the covering member) passes through the linear portion of the transport path, the one-way path is formed. The linear portion of the transport path is covered by the transport member and the posture regulating member (or the covering member) of the section.

In this case, since the straight section of the transport path, which is the work section, is covered with the transport member and the posture guide member (or the covering member), the fall of the preform in the work section having a high possibility of falling is reliably prevented. can do.

It is preferable that the apparatus further includes a positioning mechanism for positioning a part of the conveying member and the posture regulating member (or the covering member) stopped at at least one linear portion of the conveying path by pressing the conveying member and the posture regulating member (or the covering member) in a direction in which they contact each other.

With this arrangement, it is not necessary to position the individual transport members by the positioning mechanism, and the transport plates located at both ends of the plurality of transport plates are simply pressed by the positioning mechanism in the direction in which they are gathered. Can be easily and reliably positioned.

In the case where the posture guide members (or covering members) attached to the conveying member are arranged at intervals due to a change in the number of blow molded preforms, the intermediate posture regulating member (or the intermediate covering member). ) Can prevent horizontal rotation of the conveying member, or can fill the gap to prevent the preform from falling.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments to which the method and apparatus of the present invention are applied will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are views showing a conveying device of a blow molding machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. For details of each working unit, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.
Since it is disclosed in JP-A-132517 and JP-A-8-224775, the description is omitted here.

The transfer device 10 of this blow molding machine has a transfer path 12 arranged in a substantially square shape.
Each of the four straight portions is a working section.

The receiving section 16 receiving the preform 14 (see FIG. 5) and the preform 1
Heating section 18 heating section 4 to a suitable temperature for blow molding, heating section 18
A blow molding unit 20 for blow molding the preform 14 heated in the above into a container shape, and an extracting unit 22 for taking out the blow molded container to the outside of the apparatus are arranged.

In the transport path 12, four sprockets 24a to 24d are arranged at the corners. For example, only the sprocket 24d is driven, and the other sprockets 24a to 24d are driven.
4c is driven.

An endless transport chain 26 is stretched over the four sprockets 24a to 24d along the transport path 12.

A plurality of, for example, 24
The conveying members 28 are fixed at predetermined intervals, and these conveying members 28 are guided by engaging with the conveying rails 30 a and 30 b disposed along the conveying path 12, and the receiving section 16, the heating section 18, It is intermittently circulated and transported to the blow molding section 20 and the take-out section 22.

For example, in the present embodiment, in the receiving section 16, the six preforms 14 are attached to the six transport members 28.
Are received and intermittently conveyed, and the blow molding unit 20 blow-molds two preforms 14 by two.

The details of each transport member 28 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the transport member 28 has a cylindrical fixing portion 32.

At two places on one side of the fixing portion 32,
It has protrusions 34 a and 34 b projecting above and below the transport chain 26, and the protrusions 34 a and 34 b are connected to the transport chain 26 by fixing pins 44.

The transport member 28 rotatably supports a tubular body 36 inside the tubular portion of the fixed portion 32.

The upper part of the cylinder 36 functions as a mounting table 40 on which the end face of the neck 38 of the preform 14 in the inverted state shown in FIG. 5 is mounted.

The transport pin 4 is further provided in the cylindrical body 36.
2 are supported. The mounting table 40 for the transport pins 42
A portion protruding upward is inserted into the neck portion 38 of the preform 14 so that the preform 14 can be supported in an inverted state.

Accordingly, the mounting table 40 and the transfer pins 42
These constitute the support of the preform 14.

The transport member 28 supports three cam followers 46. The two cam followers 46
The transport member 28 rotates and moves along the locus of the inner transport rail 30a when the transport member 28 is driven by the transport chain 26.

The remaining one cam follower 46 is
It moves while rotating along the trajectory of the outer transport rail 30b.

As shown in FIG. 5, the two transport rails 30a and 30b disposed on both sides of the transport path 12 are each formed in a U-shaped cross section so that the cam follower 46 does not separate from the transport rails 30a and 30b. ing.

A sprocket 48 for rotation is fixed to the cylinder 36 of the conveying member 28. The rotation sprocket 48 is for rotating the preform 14 around its longitudinal axis when the preform 14 is placed in the heating section 18 so that the preform 14 can be uniformly heated in the circumferential direction. ing.

The transporting members 28 are fixed to the transporting chain 26 at predetermined intervals, and a space is formed between the transporting members 28. This space is provided by the transporting plate 50 mounted on the transporting member 28. I cover it.

The transfer plate 50 is made of, for example, sheet metal and is composed of a plurality of pieces. This transport plate 50 is provided in FIG. 1 and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the width is substantially equivalent to the width between the transport rails 30a and 30b, and the length is substantially rectangular having a length to fill the space between the two transport members 28. As a result, the straight portion of the transport path 12 is covered by the plurality of transport members 28 and the plurality of transport plates 50 stopped there. Thus, the transport plate 50 functions as a covering member that covers the transport path 12.

Accordingly, since the space between the transport members 28 is covered by the transport plate 50, the preform 14 falls during the transport and enters the space between the transport members 28, and the transport member 28 and the transport chain 26 are damaged. Can be prevented.

In particular, it is possible to reliably prevent the preform 14 from dropping into the space between the transport members 28 in the straight section of the transport path 12 which is a work section where the preform 14 is likely to fall.

When the transport plate 50 functions only as a covering member, a slight gap may be formed between the adjacent transport plates 50 depending on the size of the fall prevention target.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, contact pieces 52 for securing a contact state with the adjacent transfer plate 50 are bent downward at both ends of the transfer plate 50 in the transfer direction. Is formed.

Therefore, when the transport member 28 attempts to rotate horizontally during the transport of the transport member 28, the contact piece 52 of the transport plate 50 is replaced with the contact piece 52 of the adjacent transport plate 50.
, To prevent the transport member 28 from rotating horizontally. In this sense, the transport plate 50 functions as a posture regulating member.

Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the mounting portion of the cam follower 46 engaged with the transfer rails 30a and 30b from being damaged by the horizontal rotation of the transfer member 28.

Further, since the horizontal rotation of the conveying member 28 can be prevented by the contact piece 52 of the conveying plate 50, it is not necessary to apply a large tension to the conveying chain 26 for preventing the horizontal rotation of the conveying member 28.

Therefore, it is sufficient that the transport chain 26 is used only for the purpose of transporting the transport member 28. As a result, the life of the transport chain 26 is extended, and the positioning of the transport member 28 is facilitated. Can be.

Further, the transport plate 50 has two divided members 54a, 54b divided along the transport direction of the transport path 12.
And is detachable from the transport member 28.

The dividing members 54a and 54b are provided with semicircular cutouts 58a and 58 corresponding to the protruding portions on the upper surface of the fixing portion 32 on the opposing sides adjacent to the transport plate main portions 56a and 56b.
The transport plate main portions 56a and 56b are placed on the upper surface of the fixed portion 32 so that adjacent sides of the transport plate main portions 56a and 56b can be abutted.

Further, on both sides of the notches 58a, 58b, the retaining plate main bodies 56a, 56b are placed on the upper surface of the fixing portion 32, and the retaining plate can be engaged with the lower surface of the fixing portion 32. A pair of connecting pieces 62a, 62 having an engaging portion 60
b is bent downward.

Then, the pair of connecting pieces 62a, 62b
By connecting them with bolts / nuts 64, the transport member 28 is controlled in a state where the vertical movement is restricted by the transport plate body portions 56 a and 56 b and the retaining portion 60.
It will be attached to.

Further, a pair of rotation-preventing engaging pieces 68 and 70 sandwiching the upper protruding part 34a and the rib 66 of the fixed part 32 are formed on the transport plate body parts 56a and 56b, respectively. , 70, the transport member 28
The rotation of the transport plate 50 with respect to is prevented.

As described above, since the attachment and detachment of the bolts and nuts 64 can be easily performed by simply attaching and detaching the bolts and nuts 64, the transport plate 50
It can be easily replaced when it is worn or damaged.

The receiving section 16 and the blow molding section 20 which require the positioning of the conveying member 28 are provided with positioning mechanisms 72 and 74, respectively.

The positioning mechanism 72 in the receiving section 16
It has one U-shaped positioning member 76 that presses the transport plates 50 located at both ends of the six transport plates 50 arranged in the receiving section 16 in a direction of gathering them. As shown in FIG. 2, the positioning member 76 is advanced by a driving unit (not shown) in a direction intersecting the transport direction in the receiving unit 16. In this case, the conveying member 28 is positioned by bringing all the conveying plates 50 in the receiving section 16 into contact without any gap. At this time, even if the distance between the transfer plates 50 is set to 0 mm from the time of attachment, the contact piece 52 is shorter than the entire width of the transfer plate 50. There will be no hindrance. However, the conveying member 28 and the conveying plate 50
Due to the mounting error of the above, the interval between the transport plates 50 may be about 1 mm.

Positioning mechanism 7 in blow molding section 20
Reference numeral 4 designates positioning members 78 at both corners of the blow molding section 20, respectively. Then, each positioning member 78 is moved by the positioning cylinder 79 to the blow molding section 2.
0 is advanced in the proximity direction along the transport method. In this case, the six transfer plates 50 arranged on a certain linear portion of the blow molding unit 20 are pressed in a direction of gathering, and all the transfer plates 50 can be positioned. The positioning member 78 is preferably shaped so as to cover a corner of the transport path 12.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a conveying device of a blow molding machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the receiving section 16 receives three preforms, and the blow molding section 20 blow-molds each preform one by one. In comparison with the case, every other one is fixed to the transport chain 26 and the transport plate 5
0 are arranged at intervals.

Then, between the transport plates 50, the transport plates 5
An intermediate conveyance plate 80 that fills the interval between zeros is arranged.

The intermediate transport plate 80 is formed in substantially the same size as the transport plate 50 so as to cover the transport path 12 together with the transport plate 50 at the linear portion of the transport path 12, and is attached as shown in FIG. The portion 82 is directly fixed to the transport chain 26 so as to sandwich the transport chain 26 from above and below.

At both ends of the intermediate transfer plate 80 in the transfer direction, contact pieces 84 for ensuring a contact state with the adjacent transfer plate 50 are bent downward.

Therefore, even when the conveying member 28 is fixed with a distance between the conveying plates 50, the intermediate conveying plate 80
Thus, the gap between the transport plates 50 can be securely filled to prevent the preform from dropping, and the horizontal rotation of the transport plate 50 can also be prevented. In this sense, the intermediate transport plate 80 functions as an intermediate covering member or an intermediate position regulating member.

Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the above-described embodiment, and the description is omitted.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a blow molding apparatus using a transport plate and a positioning mechanism different from those of the above-described embodiment. 10, the blow molding apparatus has a plurality of transport members 100 fixed to a transport chain 26, similarly to the apparatus shown in FIG. Further, also in the apparatus shown in FIG. 10, the positioning mechanism 200 is arranged on the straight section where the receiving section 16 is arranged.

The details of the conveying member 100 shown in FIG. 10 are shown in FIGS. 11 (A) to 10 (D). FIG.
In FIGS. 1A to 1D, members having the same functions as the members shown in FIGS. 4 to 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIGS. The transfer member 100 is different from the transfer plate 50 shown in FIG. 4 in that the transfer member 100 is formed of a single piece made of a casting including the transfer plate 110. Thereby, the conveying member 100
Is lower than the total cost including the transport member 28 and the transport plate 50 in FIG. Further, since the transfer plate 110 formed on the transfer member 100 is made of a casting, the dimensional accuracy is higher than that of the transfer plate 50 made of sheet metal shown in FIG.

The transport member 100 is fixed to the transport chain 26 and rotatably supports three cam followers 46. A sprocket cylinder 36 is rotatably supported by the transport member 100, and a transport pin 42 is supported in the cylinder 36. The upper surface of the cylindrical body 36 serves as a preform mounting table 40, and the preform neck is inserted into and supported by the transport pins 42 protruding from the mounting table 40.

Further, since the transport plate 110 is formed as one piece as a part of the transport member 100, a hole through which the cylindrical body 36 is inserted instead of the cutout portions 58a and 58b formed in the transport plate 50. (Not shown), and the engaging portion 60, the connecting pieces 62a, 62b, the engaging pieces 68, 70, etc. become unnecessary.

Further, since the transport plate 110 is formed thicker than the transport plate 50, both end portions 102, 102 have
The contact piece 52 formed on the transport plate 50 becomes unnecessary.

The positioning mechanism 200 shown in FIG. 10 differs from the positioning mechanism 72 shown in FIG. The positioning member 202 is shown in FIG.
The cylindrical body 36 shown in FIG. In this case, the positioning member 202 advances and retreats between the solid line position and the dashed line position in FIG. 10 while rotatingly contacting the cylindrical body 36, and thus there is an advantage that the positioning member 202 can be smoothly moved forward and backward.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

For example, the shape of the transport path 12 is not limited to a square but may be a rectangle, and the number of transport members attached can be freely changed.

The intermediate transport plate is not limited to the case where the intermediate transport plate is attached to every other transport plate.
The size of the intermediate conveyance plate is not limited to the size substantially the same as the conveyance plate.In short, when the conveyance members are fixed with a space between the conveyance plates, it is sufficient that the space can be filled. It can be changed to various modes.

Further, the positioning of the transport plates at each work station is not limited to positioning all the transport plates arranged in a straight line at once, but may be positioning for each transport member as in the prior art.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a state before positioning a transfer plate in a transfer device of a blow molding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state after positioning of a transfer plate in the transfer device of the blow molding machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a transfer device of a blow molding machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing the transport device transport member and the transport plate shown in FIGS.

FIG. 5 is a side view as viewed in the direction of arrow V in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front view as seen from the direction of arrow VI in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a transport plate.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the intermediate conveyance plate shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a blow molding apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 11A to 11D are a plan view, a right side view, a front view, and a rear view of the transport member shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Conveying apparatus 12 Conveying path 14 Preform 16 Receiving part 18 Heating part 20 Blow molding part 22 Take-out part 26 Conveying chain 28 Conveying members 30a, 30b Conveying rail 50 Conveying plate 52 Contact piece 70, 72, 200 Positioning mechanism 76, 78 , 202 Positioning member 80 Intermediate transport plate 84 Contact piece 100 Transport member 110 Transport plate

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A blow molding section arranged in the middle of a transport path, a plurality of transport members for holding a preform, and the plurality of transport members are fixed at a predetermined pitch and stretched along the transport path. A transport chain that transports the plurality of transport members, and a guide rail that guides the plurality of transport members along the transport path, between two adjacent transport members of the plurality of transport members. A blow molding apparatus, wherein at least one attitude regulating member is disposed, thereby preventing the two transport members from rotating horizontally during transport. 2. The blow molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attitude regulating member is detachable from the transport member. 3. The transport path according to claim 1, wherein the transport path is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and when a part of the plurality of transport members and the attitude regulating member passes through a linear portion of the transport path, A straight part of the conveyance path is covered by a conveyance member and a posture regulating member of the blow molding apparatus. 4. The positioning mechanism according to claim 3, further comprising a positioning mechanism for pressing and positioning a part of the transport member and the attitude regulating member stopped at at least one linear portion of the transport path in a direction in which they contact each other. And blow molding equipment. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: two posture restricting members supported by the two adjacent conveying members, respectively, and opposing ends of the two posture restricting members contact each other. Blow molding apparatus. 6. The posture control device according to claim 1, wherein two of the two posture regulating members are respectively supported by the two adjacent conveyance members, and the two posture regulating members are provided between the two posture regulating members. Blow molding, further comprising: an intermediate posture regulating member that is in contact with opposing ends of the two posture regulating members, wherein the two posture regulating members and the intermediate posture member prevent horizontal rotation of the transport member. apparatus. 7. A blow molding portion disposed in the middle of a transport path, a plurality of transport members for holding a preform, and the plurality of transport members are fixed at a predetermined pitch and stretched along the transport path. A transport chain that transports the plurality of transport members; a guide rail that guides the plurality of transport members along the transport path; and a guide rail that is provided between each two adjacent transport members of the plurality of transport members. And a covering member that covers each space between the two adjacent conveying members. 8. The blow molding apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the covering member is detachable from the conveying member. 9. The method according to claim 7, wherein two covering members supported by the two adjacent transport members are provided, and an intermediate covering member is further disposed between the two covering members. Blow molding apparatus. 10. The transport path according to claim 7, wherein the transport path is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and when a part of the plurality of transport members and the covering member passes through a straight portion of the transport path, A blow molding device, wherein the straight portion of the transport path is covered by the partial transport member and the covering member. 11. A blow molding portion arranged in the middle of a transport path, a plurality of transport members for holding a preform, and the plurality of transport members are fixed at a predetermined pitch and stretched along the transport path. A transport chain that transports the plurality of transport members; and a guide rail that guides the plurality of transport members along the transport path. Each of the plurality of transport members integrally includes a posture regulating member. Wherein the opposing ends of two adjacent posture regulating members are in contact with each other to prevent the two adjacent conveying members from rotating horizontally during conveyance. 12. A blow molding portion disposed in the middle of a transport path, a plurality of transport members for holding a preform, and the plurality of transport members are fixed at a predetermined pitch and stretched along the transport path. A transport chain that transports the plurality of transport members; and a guide rail that guides the plurality of transport members along the transport path. Each of the plurality of transport members integrally includes a covering member. Have
A blow molding apparatus, wherein two adjacent covering members cover respective spaces between two adjacent conveying members.