A production device and method for personalized soft capsules

Abstract

The present invention provides a production device and method for personalized soft capsules, belonging to the field of soft capsule production, which includes a first capsule forming unit, a second capsule forming unit, a pump spray body, a printing unit and a control unit, wherein: the first capsule forming unit and the second capsule forming unit are arranged symmetrically, both including a casting drum, a plurality of feeding rollers and a pill pressing mold arranged in sequence from front to back, and also including a material laying box arranged above the casting drum; the pump spray body is arranged directly above the two pill pressing molds; the printing unit includes a printing nozzle, a left and right deviation correction component and a front and back deviation correction component arranged in sequence on the first capsule forming unit from front to back; the control unit is connected to the printing unit. The present invention can realize online variable content printing and color precision control of a pattern, and realize continuous mass printing by using a printing nozzle, and in addition, the left and right deviation correction components and the front and back deviation correction components cooperate with each other to ensure that the pattern is located in the center of the soft capsule.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of soft capsule production, and more specifically, relates to a production device and method for personalized soft capsules. Background Art

[0002] Personalized printing of soft capsules is a relatively new market demand, which is currently in its infancy. With the continuous improvement of people's health awareness and the continuous increase of personalized needs, the soft capsule market is also gradually expanding. Therefore, the market for personalized printing of soft capsules also has great development potential.

[0003] Although the market prospects for personalized printing of soft capsules are broad, there are some technical problems in the process of achieving personalization, mainly including the following aspects: (a) Printing accuracy problem. The size of soft capsules is small, and the surface is oily after demolding. The printing accuracy needs to be guaranteed during the printing process to avoid blurring, distortion, offset and other problems; (b) Printing process problem. The existing technology uses separate process equipment and fixed transfer molds to print patterns or information on soft capsules. The printed content is relatively fixed and cannot achieve online variable printing; (c) Production efficiency problem. Customized printing of soft capsules requires large-scale production. How to improve printing efficiency and reduce production costs is an issue that needs to be considered; (d) Color control problem. Soft capsule printing requires accurate control of color addition and proportion to ensure the consistency and stability of the printing effect. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the defects of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a production device and method for personalized soft capsules, aiming to solve the problems of low precision, fixed printing content, low production efficiency and unstable color in the existing personalized printing device for soft capsules.

[0005] To achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a production device for personalized soft capsules, which includes a first capsule forming unit, a second capsule forming unit, a pump spray body, a printing unit and a control unit, wherein:

[0006] The first capsule forming unit and the second capsule forming unit are symmetrically arranged, and are respectively used to form gelatin sheets and press them into pills. The first capsule forming unit and the second capsule forming unit have the same structure, and both include a casting drum, a plurality of feeding rollers and a pill pressing mold arranged in sequence from front to back along the transmission direction of the gelatin sheet, and also include a laying box arranged above the casting drum;

[0007] The pump spray body is arranged just above the two pill pressing molds and is used to spray liquid into the pill bodies to form soft capsules;

[0008] The printing unit comprises a printing nozzle, a left-right deflection correction component and a front-back deflection correction component which are sequentially arranged on the first capsule forming unit from front to back along the transmission direction of the gelatin sheet, the printing nozzle is used to continuously print on the sheet printing surface of the gelatin sheet to form a pattern; the left-right deflection correction component is used to detect the edge of the gelatin sheet to adjust the gelatin sheet left-right to ensure that the pattern is located in the center of the soft capsule; the front-back deflection correction component is used to detect the pattern position and the rotation position and rotation angle of the pill pressing mold, and then adjust the printing position of the printing nozzle front-back to ensure that the pattern is located in the center of the soft capsule;

[0009] The control unit is connected to the printing unit and is used for receiving detection information and controlling the printing unit.

[0010] As a further preference, the print head adopts a one-time molding printing mode.

[0011] As a further preference, the number of the printing nozzles is 1 to 10.

[0012] As a further preference, the printing unit further comprises a dryer, which is arranged between the printing nozzle and the left and right deviation correcting components and is used for drying the pattern.

[0013] As a further preferred embodiment, the left and right deviation correction components include an edge sensor and a deviation corrector arranged in sequence from back to front, the edge sensor is arranged above the gelatin sheet, for detecting the edge of the gelatin sheet and sending the detection information to the deviation corrector; the deviation corrector is arranged between two adjacent feeding rollers, for adjusting the gelatin sheet left and right according to the detection information to ensure that the pattern is located in the center of the soft capsule when the gelatin sheet enters the pill pressing mold.

[0014] As a further preferred embodiment, the front and rear deviation correction components include detection probes and encoders arranged in sequence from front to back, and the detection probes are arranged above the printing surface, for detecting the pattern position on the gelatin sheet and sending the detection information to the control unit; the encoder is arranged in the pill pressing mold, for detecting the rotation position and rotation angle of the pill pressing mold, and sending the detection information to the control unit, so as to use the control unit to adjust the printing position of the print head.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing personalized soft capsules using the above-mentioned device, the method comprising the following steps:

[0016] S1 drips gelatin stock liquid onto the casting drum through a material spreading box and solidifies it into a gelatin sheet. The side of the gelatin sheet that is attached to the casting drum is the sheet sewing surface, and the side away from the casting drum is the sheet printing surface. The gelatin sheet is transported by a plurality of feeding rollers;

[0017] S2 uses a print head to print a pattern on the printing surface of the sheet and continues to transport it;

[0018] S3 detects the edge of the gelatin sheet using the left and right deviation correction components to adjust the gelatin sheet left and right to ensure that the pattern is located in the center of the soft capsule, and then continues to transport;

[0019] S4 uses the front and rear deviation correction components to detect the pattern position and the rotation position and rotation angle of the pill pressing mold and transmits the data to the control unit, and uses the control unit to adjust the printing position of the print head front and back to ensure that the pattern is located in the center of the soft capsule;

[0020] The S5 gelatin sheet enters the pill pressing mold for pressing and heating, while the spray body injects liquid to form a soft capsule with a pattern, thereby completing the production of personalized soft capsules.

[0021] As further preferred, step S2 further includes: drying the pattern by using the dryer.

[0022] As a further preferred embodiment, step S3 specifically comprises: using an edge sensor to detect the edge of the gelatin sheet, and sending the detection information to a deflection corrector; the deflection corrector adjusts the gelatin sheet left and right according to the detection information.

[0023] As a further preferred embodiment, step S4 is specifically as follows: after the detection probe detects the pattern on the gelatin sheet, it sends an electrical signal to the control unit, and at the same time the encoder detects the rotation position and rotation angle of the pill pressing mold, and sends the detection information to the control unit, and the control unit adjusts the printing position of the print head forward and backward according to the detection information to ensure that the pattern is located in the center of the soft capsule.

[0024] In general, the above technical solution conceived by the present invention has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0025] 1. The present invention can realize online variable information printing of soft capsules by adding a printing unit and a control unit to a traditional soft capsule preparation device, and optimize the position and structure of the printing unit, thereby realizing personalized printing of soft capsules. The printing can be completed before pill pressing to avoid problems such as blurred, distorted, and offset patterns caused by oil on the capsule surface. At the same time, the control unit can be used in conjunction with the print head to realize online variable content printing and accurate color control of the pattern, and the print head can be used to realize continuous large-scale printing, thereby effectively improving printing efficiency. In addition, the left and right deviation correction components and the front and rear deviation correction components can cooperate with each other to ensure that the pattern is located in the center of the soft capsule, thereby further improving the printing effect.

[0026] 2. At the same time, the present invention can ensure that the printing speed is synchronized with the pill-forming speed by optimizing the printing mode and number of the print nozzles, which is beneficial to improving the production speed and efficiency of personalized soft capsules;

[0027] 3. In addition, the present invention can further improve the accuracy of online variable information printing of soft capsules by optimizing the structures of the left and right deviation correction components and the front and rear deviation correction components. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a production device for personalized soft capsules provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a capsule that is offset to the left and right during online variable information printing in an embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) is a normal situation, and (b) is a situation where the capsule is offset to the left;

[0030] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the situation in which the capsule is deflected forward and backward during the online variable information printing process in an embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) is a normal situation and (b) is a situation in which the capsule is deflected forward;

[0031] Figure 4 The present invention provides a flowchart of a method for producing personalized soft capsules.

[0032] Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same elements or structures, wherein:

[0033] 1-casting drum, 2-material laying box, 3-feeding roller, 4-printing nozzle, 5-deviation corrector, 6-edge patrol sensor, 7-detection probe, 8-pump nozzle, 9-pill pressing mold, 10-soft capsule, 11-sheet pulling roller, 12-blank sheet, 13-gelatin sheet, 14-sheet sewing surface, 15-sheet printing surface, 16-dryer, 17-control unit, 18-encoder, 19-normal printing state soft capsule, 20-printing pattern forward offset state soft capsule, 21-printing pattern left offset state soft capsule. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides a production device for personalized soft capsules, which includes a first capsule forming unit, a second capsule forming unit, a pump spray body 8, a printing unit and a control unit, wherein:

[0036] The first capsule forming unit and the second capsule forming unit are symmetrically arranged, and are respectively used to form a gelatin sheet 13 and press it to form a pill body. The first capsule forming unit and the second capsule forming unit have the same structure, and both include a casting drum 1, a plurality of feeding rollers 3 and a pill pressing mold 9 arranged in sequence from front to back along the transmission direction of the gelatin sheet 13, and also include a material spreading box 2 arranged above the casting drum 1; during operation, the gelatin stock solution is dripped onto the casting drum 1 through the material spreading box 2. Since the temperature of the casting drum 1 is relatively low, the gelatin stock solution slowly solidifies on the casting drum 1 to form a gelatin sheet 13. The side of the gelatin sheet 13 close to the casting drum 1 is a sheet sewing surface 14, and the side away from the casting drum 1 is a sheet printing surface 15. The casting drum 1 is always in a rotating state after operation, thereby continuously conveying the gelatin sheet 13. The gelatin sheet 13 is finally fed into the pill pressing mold 9 through a plurality of feeding rollers 3 to be pressed to form a pill body;

[0037] The pump spray body 8 is arranged just above the two pill pressing molds 9, and is used to spray liquid into the pill body to form a soft capsule 10. The blank sheet 12 is pulled out by the sheet pulling roller 11 and transported to the waste barrel;

[0038] The printing unit includes a printing nozzle 4, a left-right deflection correction component and a front-back deflection correction component which are sequentially arranged on the first capsule forming unit from front to back along the transmission direction of the gelatin sheet 13. The printing nozzle 4 is arranged on the next station where the casting drum 1 outputs the gelatin sheet 13, and is used to continuously print on the sheet printing surface 15 of the gelatin sheet 13 to form a pattern, and the surface of the gelatin sheet 13 is oil-free to ensure the printing accuracy and avoid the problems of blur, distortion, offset, etc.; the left-right deflection correction component is used to detect the edge of the gelatin sheet 13, so as to adjust the gelatin sheet 13 left-right to ensure that the pattern is located at the center of the soft capsule 10; the front-back deflection correction component is used to detect the pattern position and the rotation position and rotation angle of the pill pressing mold 9, and then adjust the printing position of the printing nozzle 4 back-and-forth to ensure that the pattern is located at the center of the soft capsule 10;

[0039] The control unit 17 is connected to the printing unit and is used to receive detection information and control the printing unit.

[0040] Furthermore, the print head 4 is a combination of one or more print heads, and the number of the print heads 4 is preferably 1 to 10. The effective printing width of the print head 4 needs to completely cover the width of the gelatin sheet 13. The printing mode of the print head 4 is OnePass (i.e., the pattern is formed once). This printing mode has the characteristics of fast speed and high efficiency. During the printing process, the print head 4 does not need to move, and the casting drum 1 does not need to stop. It is very suitable for continuous large-scale printing, which effectively improves printing efficiency and reduces production costs. At the same time, the print head 4 is connected to the control unit 17, and the printing content can be adjusted in real time under the control of the control unit 17. Compared with the conventional existing technology using a separate process equipment and a fixed transfer mold, online variable information digital printing can be realized. At the same time, the control unit 17 and the print head 4 can accurately control the addition and proportion of colors to ensure the consistency and stability of the printing effect.

[0041] Furthermore, the ink used for printing is made of edible material and dries naturally relatively slowly, so the printing unit also includes a dryer 16, which is arranged between the print head 4 and the left and right correction components to speed up the drying of the ink while ensuring the quality of the printed pattern, effectively improving the operating speed of the device.

[0042] Furthermore, the left and right deviation correction components include an edge sensor 6 and a deviation corrector 5 which are arranged in sequence from back to front. The edge sensor 6 is arranged above the gelatin sheet 13, and is used to detect the edge of the gelatin sheet 13, and send the detection information to the deviation corrector 5; the deviation corrector 5 is arranged between two adjacent feeding rollers 3, and is used to adjust the gelatin sheet 13 left and right according to the detection information, so as to ensure that the pattern of the gelatin sheet 13 is located in the center of the soft capsule 10 when the gelatin sheet 13 enters the pill pressing mold 9. During operation, if the gelatin sheet 13 deviates left and right, the edge sensor 6 will send an electrical signal to the deviation corrector 5, and the deviation corrector 5 will automatically correct the gelatin sheet 13 according to the electrical signal of the edge sensor 6, so that the gelatin sheet 13 is always in the same horizontal position when entering the pill pressing mold, ensuring that the printed pattern can be located in the center of the soft capsule. Figure 2 (a) is a soft capsule 19 in normal printing state, (b) is a soft capsule 21 in a state where the printed pattern is offset to the left. By adding left and right deviation correction components, the left and right offset can be avoided, ensuring that the printed pattern is complete and has no defects.

[0043] Furthermore, the front and rear deviation correction components include a detection probe 7 and an encoder 18 which are arranged in sequence from front to back. The detection probe 7 is arranged above the sheet printing surface 15, and is used to detect the pattern position on the gelatin sheet 13 and send the detection information to the control unit 17; the encoder 18 is arranged in the pill pressing mold 9, and is used to detect the rotation position and rotation angle of the pill pressing mold 9, and send the detection information to the control unit 17, so as to use the control unit 17 to adjust the printing position of the print head 4. During operation, the detection probe 7 will send an electrical signal to the control unit 17 after detecting the pattern, and the encoder 18 will continue to send electrical signals to the control unit 17, so that the control unit 17 knows the current rotation position and rotation angle of the pill pressing mold 9. The control unit receives the electrical signals from the detection probe 7 and the encoder 18 and after calculation, it will send an electrical signal to the print head 4 so that the printed pattern moves forward or backward on the sheet printing surface 15, so that when the pill pressing mold 9 is pressing pills, the pattern is always in the center of the soft capsule. Figure 3 (a) is a soft capsule 19 in a normal printing state, and (b) is a soft capsule 20 in a state where the printed pattern is offset forward. By adding front and rear deviation correction components, the front and rear offset can be avoided, ensuring that the printed pattern is complete and has no defects.

[0044] like Figure 4 According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing personalized soft capsules using the above-mentioned device, the method comprising the following steps:

[0045] S1 drips gelatin stock liquid onto the casting drum 1 through the material laying box 2 and solidifies it into a gelatin sheet 13. The side of the gelatin sheet 13 that is attached to the casting drum 1 is a sheet sewing surface 14, and the side away from the casting drum 1 is a sheet printing surface 15. The gelatin sheet 13 is transported by a plurality of feeding rollers 3;

[0046] S2 uses the print head 4 to print a pattern on the print surface 15 of the sheet and uses the dryer 16 to dry the pattern, and then continues to transport it through the feed roller 3;

[0047] S3 uses the left and right deviation correction components to detect the edge of the gelatin sheet 13, so as to adjust the gelatin sheet 13 left and right to ensure that the pattern is located in the center of the soft capsule, and then continue to transport. Specifically, the edge of the gelatin sheet 13 is detected by the edge patrol sensor 6, and the detection information is sent to the deviation corrector 5; the deviation corrector 5 adjusts the gelatin sheet 13 left and right according to the detection information;

[0048] S4 uses the front and rear deviation correction components to detect the pattern position and the rotation position and rotation angle of the pill pressing mold 9 and transmits the data to the control unit 17, and uses the control unit 17 to adjust the printing position of the print nozzle 4 to ensure that the pattern is located at the center of the soft capsule. Specifically, after the detection probe 7 detects the pattern on the gelatin sheet 13, it sends an electrical signal to the control unit 17. At the same time, the encoder 18 detects the rotation position and rotation angle of the pill pressing mold 9, and sends the detection information to the control unit 17. The control unit 17 adjusts the printing position of the print nozzle 4 to ensure that the pattern is located at the center of the soft capsule according to the detection information.

[0049] S5 The gelatin sheet 13 enters the pill pressing mold 9 for pressing and heating, while the pump spray body 8 injects liquid to form a soft capsule 10 with a pattern, thereby completing the production of personalized capsules.

[0050] It will be easily understood by those skilled in the art that the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A production device for personalized soft capsules, characterized in that: The production device comprises a first capsule forming unit, a second capsule forming unit, a pump spray body (8), a printing unit and a control unit, wherein: The first capsule forming unit and the second capsule forming unit are symmetrically arranged, and are respectively used to form the gelatin sheet (13) and press it to form a pill body. The first capsule forming unit and the second capsule forming unit have the same structure, and both include a casting drum (1), a plurality of feeding rollers (3) and a pill pressing mold (9) arranged in sequence from front to back along the transmission direction of the gelatin sheet (13), and also include a laying box (2) arranged above the casting drum (1); The pump spray body (8) is arranged directly above the two pill pressing molds (9) and is used to spray liquid into the pill bodies to form soft capsules (10); The printing unit comprises a printing head (4), a left-right deflection correction component, a front-back deflection correction component and a dryer (16) which are arranged on the first capsule forming unit in sequence from front to back along the transmission direction of the gelatin sheet (13); the printing head (4) is used to continuously print on the sheet printing surface (15) of the gelatin sheet (13) to form a pattern; the left-right deflection correction component is used to detect the edge of the gelatin sheet (13) to adjust the gelatin sheet (13) left-right to ensure that the pattern is located at the center of the soft capsule (10); the front-back deflection correction component is used to detect the pattern position and the rotation position and rotation angle of the pill pressing mold (9), and then adjust the printing position of the printing head (4) front-back to ensure that the pattern is located at the center of the soft capsule (10); the dryer (16) is arranged between the printing head (4) and the left-right deflection correction component and is used to dry the pattern; The front and rear deviation correcting components comprise a detection probe (7) and an encoder (18) arranged in sequence from front to back, wherein the detection probe (7) is arranged above the sheet printing surface (15) and is used to detect the position of the pattern on the gelatin sheet (13) and send the detection information to the control unit (17); the encoder (18) is arranged in the pill pressing mold (9) and is used to detect the rotation position and rotation angle of the pill pressing mold (9) and send the detection information to the control unit (17), so as to adjust the printing position of the print head (4) by using the control unit (17); The left-right deviation correction component comprises an edge sensor (6) and a deviation corrector (5) which are arranged in sequence from the back to the front. The edge sensor (6) is arranged above the gelatin sheet (13) and is used to detect the edge of the gelatin sheet (13) and send the detection information to the deviation corrector (5); the deviation corrector (5) is arranged between two adjacent feeding rollers (3) and is used to adjust the gelatin sheet (13) left-right according to the detection information, so as to ensure that the pattern of the gelatin sheet (13) is located at the center of the soft capsule (10) when the gelatin sheet (13) enters the pill pressing mold (9); The control unit (17) is connected to the printing unit and is used to receive detection information and control the printing unit.

2. The production device of personalized soft capsules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The printing nozzle (4) adopts a one-shot printing mode.

3. The production device of personalized soft capsules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the printing nozzles (4) is 1 to 10.

4. A method for producing personalized soft capsules using the production device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: S1 drips gelatin stock solution onto the casting drum (1) through a material spreading box (2) and solidifies it into a gelatin sheet (13), wherein the side of the gelatin sheet (13) that is in contact with the casting drum (1) is a sheet sewing surface (14), and the side away from the casting drum (1) is a sheet printing surface (15), and the gelatin sheet (13) is transported by a plurality of feeding rollers (3); S2 uses a printing nozzle (4) to print a pattern on the printing surface (15) of the sheet and continues to transport it; S3 uses the left and right deviation correction components to detect the edge of the gelatin sheet (13), so as to adjust the gelatin sheet (13) left and right to ensure that the pattern is located at the center of the soft capsule, and then continue to transport; S4 uses the front and rear deviation correction components to detect the pattern position and the rotation position and rotation angle of the pill pressing mold (9) and transmits the data to the control unit (17). The control unit (17) adjusts the printing position of the print head (4) front and rear to ensure that the pattern is located at the center of the soft capsule. Specifically: After the detection probe (7) detects the pattern on the gelatin sheet (13), it sends an electrical signal to the control unit (17). At the same time, the encoder (18) detects the rotation position and rotation angle of the pill pressing mold (9) and sends the detection information to the control unit (17). The control unit (17) adjusts the printing position of the print head (4) forward and backward according to the detection information to ensure that the pattern is located at the center of the soft capsule; S5 The gelatin sheet (13) enters the pill pressing mold (9) for pressing and heating, while the pump spray body (8) injects liquid to form a soft capsule (10) with a pattern, thereby completing the production of personalized soft capsules.

5. The method for producing personalized soft capsules according to claim 4, characterized in that: Step S2 also includes: using the dryer (16) to dry the pattern.

6. The method for producing personalized soft capsules according to claim 4, characterized in that: Step S3 specifically comprises: using an edge sensor (6) to detect the edge of the gelatin sheet (13), and sending the detection information to the deflection corrector (5); the deflection corrector (5) adjusts the gelatin sheet (13) left and right according to the detection information.

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