A hybrid feed structure for an ice pack packaging machine
By using an inclined feed pipe and a 45-degree angled mixing and feeding structure in the ice pack packaging machine, the problem of uneven mixing of water and superabsorbent resin is solved, improving mixing efficiency and product quality, and reducing equipment failure rate and operating costs.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- CHAOZHOU RUNZHI PACKAGING MATERIALS CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-08-19
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-19
AI Technical Summary
Existing ice pack filling equipment suffers from problems such as mixing dead zones, uneven stirring, unbalanced shear force control, clumping due to open structure, blockage of conveying pipelines, and uneven mixing within the bag when mixing water and superabsorbent resin. These issues result in poor mixing effect, unstable product performance, and low production efficiency.
The first and second feed pipes are set at an angle, combined with a 45-degree angle design, to ensure that water and absorbent are quickly mixed in the mixing unit and enter the filling pipe through the third feed pipe, avoiding adhesion and blockage, and achieving uniform mixing.
It improves mixing efficiency, reduces equipment failure rate and operating costs, and ensures the uniformity of materials inside the ice pack and the stability of product performance.
Smart Images
Figure CN224376028U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of ice pack packaging machines, and in particular to a mixed feeding structure for ice pack packaging machines. Background Technology
[0002] The core function of an ice pack relies on the synergy between its internal materials—water (or coolant) and superabsorbent polymer (SAP). SAP has the ability to instantly absorb hundreds of times its own weight in water and form a gel. This gel not only locks in moisture to prevent leakage but also gives the ice pack the desired shape and thermal conductivity. Therefore, the ability to achieve rapid, thorough, and uniform mixing of water and SAP during the filling process is a key factor determining the final performance of the ice pack (gel uniformity, cooling and heating efficiency, and reliability).
[0003] 1. Currently, ice pack filling equipment mainly relies on two technical routes to achieve the mixing of water and superabsorbent resin:
[0004] Route 1, Premixing Structure: An independent premixing tank / cavity is equipped with a stirring device and a slurry delivery system (pipelines, pumps, filling valves). Its working principle involves the superabsorbent resin and water being forcibly stirred and mixed into a slurry within the tank / cavity, which is then pumped to the filling head for injection into ice packs for sealing.
[0005] Route 2, In-bag Mixing Structure: A superabsorbent resin filling mechanism and a water injection mechanism work in conjunction with a bag vibration / kneading device. The working principle is to first fill the bag with superabsorbent resin, then inject water into the bag, relying on the impact of the water flow and / or subsequent bag movement to promote mixing of the materials inside the bag.
[0006] 2. Key technical problems existing in hybrid structures
[0007] 2.1. Inherent problems of premixed structures, including mixing dead zones and uneven mixing: The design and layout of the stirring device (paddle, blade) is difficult to cover the entire mixing chamber, especially in corners and near the tank wall / top cover, which easily form mixing dead zones, leading to agglomeration of superabsorbent resin dry powder or moisture accumulation; Imbalance in shear force control: High-speed stirring is often used to pursue mixing speed, but strong shear force will destroy superabsorbent resin particles or the formed gel network, affecting its final water absorption performance, while low speed increases the risk of gelation due to long mixing time; Open / semi-open structure leads to environmental interference: Structures such as the feeding port and observation window can easily expose superabsorbent resin powder to ambient humidity, causing the powder to slightly clump before entering the mixing zone, affecting the uniformity of mixing.
[0008] Defects in the delivery pipeline and filling valve structure:
[0009] A breeding ground for adhesion and blockage: Long-distance delivery pipelines with many bends and changes in diameter, as well as complex filling valves (with internal steps, gaps, and narrow flow channels), are highly susceptible to becoming sites of adhesion, accumulation, and eventual blockage of SAP gel slurry. Structural dead zones are difficult to avoid.
[0010] Flow stratification and segregation: During the transportation process, due to differences in viscosity and density, the gel slurry may stratify (separation of the aqueous phase and the gel phase) in the pipeline, resulting in uneven material composition when poured into different ice packs or in different parts of the same ice pack.
[0011] 2.2 Key Structural Defects of the In-Bag Hybrid Structure
[0012] Limitations of water injection structure design:
[0013] Single-point / concentrated water injection: The most common design is a single injection needle or a small number of injection holes. The concentrated water flow impacts the localized highly absorbent resin powder, causing the area to instantly form a dense, water-impermeable gel mass, encapsulating the internal dry powder (forming a "dry powder nucleus"), severely hindering the diffusion of moisture to the surrounding and lower powder layers. This is the core structural cause of uneven mixing within the bag.
[0014] The effectiveness of oscillation / kneading devices is limited: the oscillation table or kneading mechanism of existing devices usually provides simple reciprocating vibration or planar shaking. This motion mode has low energy transfer efficiency and is difficult to effectively penetrate and break up gel clumps that have formed inside the bag, especially hard clumps located in the center of the bag or adhering to the bag wall.
[0015] To address the aforementioned structural issues, the industry has attempted some improvements, but with limited success.
[0016] Premixed structures: These involve using more expensive non-stick coatings (such as Teflon), optimizing impeller shape, and adding in-line static mixers. These methods are costly, their non-stick properties diminish over time, they cannot eliminate dead zones and the risk of clogging, and the static mixers themselves are prone to clogging.
[0017] In-bag mixing structure: increasing the number of water injection holes, changing the water injection angle, and using a oscillation table with a higher oscillation frequency. This alleviates the problem to some extent, but it cannot fundamentally solve the problem of clumping caused by single-point water injection impact. Moreover, high-frequency oscillation increases equipment failure rate and noise, creating a bottleneck for improving the mixing effect.
[0018] In summary, existing mixing structures struggle to achieve rapid, deep, and uniform mixing of water and superabsorbent resin within ice packs or during transport, while ensuring high production efficiency, low equipment failure rates, and ease of maintenance and cleaning. These structural design deficiencies are the root causes of poor mixing effects, unstable product performance, low production efficiency, and high operating costs. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an innovative mixing structure design that can fundamentally optimize material contact methods, enhance hybrid mixing, eliminate dead zones and adhesion risks, thereby overcoming the bottlenecks of existing technologies. Utility Model Content
[0019] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to provide a mixed feeding structure for an ice pack packaging machine.
[0020] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model discloses a mixing and feeding structure for an ice pack packaging machine, including a machine frame, a first storage bin, a second storage bin, and a mixing unit. The machine frame is fixedly equipped with a filling pipe, and the first storage bin and the second storage bin are used to store absorbent and water, respectively.
[0021] The mixing unit includes a first feed pipe and a second feed pipe. The first feed pipe is fixedly and inclined above the equipment frame. The second feed pipe is fixedly and inclined in the lower half of the first feed pipe. The output end of the first storage tank is connected to the upper half of the first feed pipe through a first feed pipe. The output end of the second storage tank is connected to the open end of the second feed pipe through a second feed pipe. The end of the first feed pipe is connected to the beginning of the filling pipe through a third feed pipe.
[0022] The absorbent in the first storage tank flows through the first supply pipe to the first conveying pipe, and the water in the second storage tank flows through the second supply pipe to the second conveying pipe. The inclined second conveying pipe guides the water toward the opening at the end of the first conveying pipe. At the same time, the water mixes with the absorbent and flows through the third supply pipe into the filling pipe.
[0023] Furthermore, the first feed pipe is inclined at 10-15 degrees with the vertical axis of the equipment frame as the center.
[0024] Furthermore, the second feed tube forms a 45-degree angle with the first feed tube.
[0025] Furthermore, the discharge end of the first storage box is provided with a material conveying module, one end of the first feeding pipe is detachably and airtightly connected to the discharge end of the material conveying module, and the other end is fixedly connected to the outer periphery of the upper half of the first feeding pipe.
[0026] Furthermore, one end of the second feed pipe is fixedly connected to the outer periphery of the lower half of the first feed pipe, the discharge end of the second storage box is provided with a pump body, and the other end of the second feed pipe is fixedly connected to the output end of the pump body.
[0027] Furthermore, a first connecting portion is provided at the top end of the first feed tube, and the first connecting portion is in communication with the inner cavity of the first feed tube.
[0028] Furthermore, a second connecting part is also provided on the outer periphery of the upper half of the first feed tube, and the inner cavity of the second connecting part is in communication with the inner cavity of the first feed tube.
[0029] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: setting the first feed pipe in a vertical angled shape solves the problem of absorbent sticking to the wall of the third feed pipe. At the same time, the second feed pipe is set at an angle at the end of the first feed pipe, so that the water source is guided to flow to the opening at the end of the first feed pipe to ensure that the flow rate does not decrease, and the absorbent flowing through the end of the first feed pipe flows to the third feed pipe to achieve the mixing effect. Attached Figure Description
[0030] Figure 1 This is a side view of the overall structure of this embodiment;
[0031] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the hybrid unit in this embodiment. Detailed Implementation
[0032] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the following will be combined with... Figure 1 The present invention will be further described in detail with reference to Figure 2.
[0033] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a mixing and feeding structure for an ice pack packaging machine includes a machine frame 1, a first storage bin 2, a second storage bin 3, and a mixing unit 4.
[0034] A filling station 11 is provided on the front side of the equipment frame 1, and a filling pipe 12 is vertically installed inside the filling station 11.
[0035] The first storage tank 2 is fixedly installed on the top of the equipment frame 1, and the second storage tank 3 is fixedly installed inside the equipment frame 1. In this embodiment, the first storage tank 2 is used to store the desiccant; the second storage tank 3 is used to store either water or a coolant.
[0036] The mixing unit 4 is fixedly installed on the top of the equipment frame 1. Specifically, the discharge end of the first storage tank 2 is connected to the mixing unit 4 through the first feeding pipe 21; the discharge end of the second storage tank 3 is connected to the mixing unit 4 through the second feeding pipe 31; and the output end of the mixing unit 4 is connected to the input end of the filling pipe 12 through the third feeding pipe 41.
[0037] The materials output from the first storage tank 2 and the materials output from the second storage tank 3 are mixed together after passing through the mixing unit 4 and then output together, flowing through the third feeding pipe 41 into the filling pipe 12.
[0038] The mixing unit 4 includes a first feed pipe 42 and a second feed pipe 43.
[0039] One end of the first feeding pipe 21 is detachably and airtightly connected to the discharge end of the first storage box 2, and the other end is fixedly connected to the outer periphery of the upper half of the first conveying pipe 42.
[0040] One end of the second feed pipe 43 is fixedly connected to the outer periphery of the lower half of the first feed pipe 42. The discharge end of the second storage tank 3 is equipped with a pump body. The other end of the second feed pipe 31 is fixedly connected to the output end of the pump body. The liquid in the second storage tank 3 is pumped to the second feed pipe 31, the second feed pipe 43 and the first feed pipe 42 through the pump body.
[0041] One end of the third feed pipe 41 is detachably sleeved on the outer periphery of the output end of the first feed pipe 42, and the other end is fixedly connected to the input end of the filling pipe 12.
[0042] Furthermore, the discharge end of the second feed pipe 43 is adjacent to that of the first feed pipe 42 to reduce the flow distance of the two mixed materials in the first feed pipe 21 and prevent blockage and adhesion to the inner wall of the first feed pipe 21.
[0043] Furthermore, the first feed pipe 42 is inclined toward the filling pipe 12, specifically the first feed pipe 42 is inclined at 10 to 15 degrees with the first feed pipe 21 as the center.
[0044] The second feed pipe 43 is inclined on the first feed pipe 42, and the second feed pipe 43 and the first feed pipe 42 form a 45-degree angle.
[0045] In this embodiment, the first feed pipe 42 is set at an angle to the vertical direction. When the first end of the third feed pipe 41 is connected to the end of the first feed pipe 42, the curvature of its first end is increased, forming an arc-shaped bend at its first end. This prevents the flowing mixture from becoming clogged and solves the problem of absorbent sticking to the pipe wall. Preferably, the third feed pipe 41 is tangent to the arc-shaped bend of the third feed pipe 42.
[0046] The second feed pipe 43 is set at a 45-degree angle at the end of the first feed pipe 42, so that the water source is guided to flow to the opening at the end of the first feed pipe 42 to ensure that the flow rate does not decrease, and the absorbent flowing through the end of the first feed pipe 42 flows together to the third feed pipe to achieve the mixing effect.
[0047] Furthermore, a material conveying module 22 is provided at the discharge end of the first storage bin 2. In this embodiment, the material conveying module 22 is a screw conveyor. One end of the first feed pipe 21 is detachably and airtightly connected to the discharge end of the material conveying module 22, and the other end is fixedly connected to the outer periphery of the upper half of the first feed pipe 21. The material in the first storage bin 2 is sequentially conveyed to the first feed pipe 21 and the first conveying pipe 42 through the material conveying module 22.
[0048] In this embodiment, the first feeding pipe 21 and the material conveying module 22 are connected by a clamp structure to achieve a detachable airtight connection. The above method is a known technology and will not be described here.
[0049] Furthermore, a first connecting part 421 extends upward from the top of the first feed pipe 42, and the first connecting part 421 communicates with the inner cavity of the first feed pipe 42. A plug is movably inserted into the open end of the first feed pipe 42. When the equipment needs to be cleaned, the plug can be removed, and a water source can be connected to the first connecting part 421 to clean the first feed pipe 42 without disassembling the first feed pipe 21.
[0050] A second connecting part 422 protrudes from the outer periphery of the upper half of the first feed pipe 42. The inner cavity of the second connecting part 422 is connected to the inner cavity of the first feed pipe 42, and the second connecting part 422 is flush with the first feed pipe 21. When using this equipment, the second connecting part 422 can be connected to an external feeding device through a pipeline according to actual working needs, so as to increase the production versatility of this equipment and has the advantage of quick switching.
[0051] The operating principle of this equipment is as follows:
[0052] S1, the material conveying module 22 receives the absorbent output from the first storage box 2 and conveys it forward. The absorbent enters the first feed pipe 42 through the first feed pipe 21 and flows downward under the action of gravity.
[0053] S2, the second feed pipe 31 inputs the water source in the second storage tank 3 into the second feed pipe 43;
[0054] S3. The water output from the second feed pipe 43 is directed to the opening at the end of the first feed pipe 42, and at the same time mixes with the absorbent and flows out from the end of the first feed pipe 42 to the third feed pipe 41 and the filling pipe 12 into the packaging bag.
[0055] Of course, the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of this utility model. Their purpose is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of this utility model and implement it accordingly. They cannot be used to limit the protection scope of this utility model. All modifications made in accordance with the spirit of the main technical solution of this utility model should be covered within the protection scope of this utility model.
Claims
1. A mixing and feeding structure for an ice pack packaging machine, characterized in that, It includes a machine frame (1), a first storage tank (2), a second storage tank (3) and a mixing unit (4). The machine frame (1) is fixedly equipped with a filling pipe (12). The first storage tank (2) and the second storage tank (3) are used to store water absorbent and water, respectively. The mixing unit (4) includes a first feed pipe (42) and a second feed pipe (43). The first feed pipe (42) is fixedly and inclined above the equipment frame (1). The second feed pipe (43) is fixedly and inclined at the lower half of the first feed pipe (42). The output end of the first storage tank (2) is connected to the upper half of the first feed pipe (42) through the first feed pipe (21). The output end of the second storage tank (3) is connected to the open end of the second feed pipe (43) through the second feed pipe (31). The end of the first feed pipe (42) is connected to the beginning end of the filling pipe (12) through the third feed pipe (41). The absorbent in the first storage tank (2) flows through the first supply pipe (21) to the first feed pipe (42), and the water in the second storage tank (3) flows through the second supply pipe (31) to the second feed pipe (43). The inclined second feed pipe (43) guides the water to flow toward the opening at the end of the first feed pipe (42). The water is mixed with the absorbent at the same time as it is output and flows through the third supply pipe (41) to the filling pipe (12).
2. The mixing and feeding structure for the ice pack packaging machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first feed pipe (42) is inclined at 10-15 degrees with the vertical axis of the equipment frame (1) as the center.
3. The mixing and feeding structure for an ice pack packaging machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The second feed tube (43) forms a 45-degree angle with the first feed tube (42).
4. The mixing and feeding structure for the ice pack packaging machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first storage box (2) is provided with a material conveying module (22) at the discharge end. One end of the first feeding pipe (21) is detachably and airtightly connected to the discharge end of the material conveying module (22), and the other end is fixedly connected to the outer periphery of the upper half of the first feeding pipe (21).
5. The mixing and feeding structure for the ice pack packaging machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, One end of the second feed pipe (43) is fixedly connected to the outer periphery of the lower half of the first feed pipe (42), the discharge end of the second storage tank (3) is provided with a pump body, and the other end of the second feed pipe (31) is fixedly connected to the output end of the pump body.
6. The mixing and feeding structure for an ice pack packaging machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top end of the first feed tube (42) extends upward and is provided with a first connecting part (421), which is in communication with the inner cavity of the first feed tube (42).
7. The mixing and feeding structure for an ice pack packaging machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer periphery of the upper half of the first feed tube (42) is also provided with a second connecting part (422), and the inner cavity of the second connecting part (422) is connected to the inner cavity of the first feed tube (42).