Processing device and processing method

Abstract

To improve the processability of folding and stacking sheet pieces.SOLUTION: A processing device 40 processes a blank sheet 11S folded and formed into a three-dimensional container 10, by processing a pair of first sheet pieces 7S extending in a first direction and extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a pair of second sheet pieces 9S extending in a second direction and extending along the first direction. The processing device 40 comprises: a first part 20 having a first processing part 22 that transports, by a first conveyor 23, a primary processing object 11S placed on a first placement face 23a, and folds and thermally welds the pair of first sheet pieces 7S; and a second part 30 disposed on the downstream side of a transportation direction relative to the first part 20, having a second processing part 32 that transports, by a second conveyor 33, a second processing object 11SA which is the folded and stacked pair of first sheet pieces 7S, placed on a second placement face 33a, and folds and thermally welds the pair of second sheet pieces 9S.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing device and a processing method for processing sheet pieces in a flat blank sheet. [Background technology]

[0002] Disposable food containers are widely used, such as in microwave cooking containers. In recent years, from the perspective of moving away from plastic, it has been proposed to use paper containers as such containers. Flanged paper containers assembled by folding a blank paper sheet are known as paper food containers. Patent Document 1 discloses a paper container having a flange portion (called a "double flange portion") formed by folding a sheet piece twice.

[0003] This paper container has a pair of first flanges around a rectangular opening, and a pair of second flanges perpendicular to the first flanges. Patent Document 1 describes a method for manufacturing this paper container by the following procedure. Step 1: Folding the sheet pieces (forming the double flange) Step 2: The forming process in which the sheet obtained in the folding process is assembled into a paper container [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-171148 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the above manufacturing method, after a pair of first flange portions and a pair of second flange portions are formed in step 1, a paper container is assembled in step 2. Therefore, in order to mass-produce paper containers, it is necessary to efficiently process the sheet pieces in step 1 prior to step 2. For example, as a processing device for processing the sheet pieces in step 1, a processing device that folds the blank sheet along creases parallel to the conveying direction (conveying direction) may be used. In this case, after the blank sheet is fed into the device to form the pair of first flange portions, it is necessary to feed the sheet again to form the pair of second flange portions. Therefore, there is room for improvement in terms of improving the workability of the process of folding the sheet pieces.

[0006] The processing device and processing method of the present invention have been invented in consideration of the above problems, and one of the objects of the present invention is to improve the workability of folding and overlapping sheet pieces. However, the present invention is not limited to this object. Another object of the present invention is to achieve the effects and advantages derived from the respective configurations shown in the "Description of the Preferred Embodiments" below, which cannot be obtained by the conventional technology. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The processing device disclosed herein has the following components (1) to (7). (1) An apparatus for processing a pair of first sheet pieces extending in a first direction and along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in a flat blank sheet having a paper base material with a heat seal layer provided on at least one surface thereof and to be folded and formed into a three-dimensional container, and a pair of second sheet pieces extending in the second direction and along the first direction in the blank sheet, the apparatus comprising: a first part having a first processing section that sequentially transports the blank sheet to be primarily processed along the second direction by a first conveyor while placing the blank sheet on a first placement surface, folds each of the pair of first sheet pieces in the primary processing object along a first fold line along the second direction in a direction in which the one sides face each other, and heat-seals the first sheet pieces with the heat-seal layer; a second processing section for folding each of the pair of second sheet pieces in the secondary processing object at a second fold line along the first direction in a direction in which the one sides face each other and heat-sealing the pair of second sheet pieces in the secondary processing object while conveying the pair of second sheet pieces in the secondary processing object, in a state in which the pair of first sheet pieces are folded at the first fold line in the first processing section, on a second placement surface and by a second conveyor along the first direction, and for heat-sealing the pair of second sheet pieces in the secondary processing object, the second processing section being provided continuously downstream in the conveying direction with respect to the first part; The processing device is characterized by the above.

[0008] (2) A primary direction in which the primary processing object is transported in the first part and a secondary direction in which the secondary processing object is transported in the second part are set to be perpendicular to each other. The processing apparatus according to (1) above, (3) A secondary speed, which is a speed at which the secondary processing object is transported by the second conveyor of the second part, is set to be faster than a primary speed, which is a speed at which the primary processing object is transported by the first conveyor of the first part. The processing apparatus according to (1) or (2) above,

[0009] (4) A secondary section length along the conveying direction of a secondary section in which the secondary processed object is heated in the second processing section in the second part is set to be longer than a primary section length along the conveying direction of a primary section in which the primary processed object is heated in the first processing section in the first part. The processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (3) above, (5) A secondary dimension, which is a dimension in which the second sheet piece extends along the second direction in the secondary processing object, is set shorter than a primary dimension, which is a dimension in which the first sheet piece extends along the first direction in the primary processing object. The processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (4) above,

[0010] (6) The first part has a feed section in which the primary processed objects are stacked and which sequentially feeds the primary processed objects to the first processing section along the second direction, The second part has an accumulator in which the objects to be processed are stacked and which sequentially delivers the objects to the second processing section along the first direction. The processing device according to any one of (1) to (5) above. (7) A sensor for detecting a height of the secondary processing objects stacked in the accumulator; and a control unit that temporarily stops the feeding of the primary processing object by the feeding unit of the first part when the height detected by the sensor exceeds a predetermined height. The processing apparatus according to (6) above.

[0011] The processing method disclosed herein also includes the following configuration (8). (8) A method for processing a pair of first sheet pieces extending in a first direction and extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in a flat blank sheet having a paper base material with a heat seal layer provided on at least one surface thereof and to be folded and formed into a three-dimensional container, and a pair of second sheet pieces extending in the second direction and extending along the first direction in the blank sheet, the method comprising the steps of: a first processing step in which the blank sheet to be subjected to primary processing is placed on a first placement surface and conveyed along the second direction by a first conveyor while folding each of the pair of first sheet pieces in the object to be primary processed along a first fold line along the second direction in a direction in which the one sides face each other and heat-seal the blank sheets with the heat seal layer; a second process in which the secondary processing object in which the pair of first sheet pieces are folded at the first fold lines in the first process is placed on a second placement surface and transported along the first direction by a second conveyor, in which the second processing unit folds each of the pair of second sheet pieces in the secondary processing object at a second fold line along the first direction and heat-welds the pair of second sheet pieces with the heat seal layer, and performs secondary processing continuously downstream of the first processing unit in the transport direction. The processing method is characterized by the above. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the processing device and processing method of the present invention, the processability of folding and overlapping a sheet piece can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a processing device according to a first embodiment of the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a plan view of a blank sheet to be processed by the processing device. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a processing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment for carrying out a processing apparatus and a processing method will be described. In item [1], the configuration of the processing device and processing method of this embodiment will be described. Then, the effect of the configuration of item [1] will be described in item [2]. Modifications will be described in item [3].

[0015] [1. Configuration] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing device 40 placed on a horizontal surface as viewed from above. This processing device 40 is a device for processing a flat blank sheet 11S. 3 is a plan view of a blank sheet 11S to be processed by the processing device 40. The blank sheet 11S is a paper material to be folded and formed into a three-dimensional paper container (hereinafter also simply referred to as a "container") 10 shown in FIG.

[0016] The blank sheet 11S is processed by the processing device 40 to become a semi-finished product before being manufactured into the container 10. That is, the processing device 40 is a device that processes the blank sheet in advance to manufacture a semi-finished product before forming the paper container shown in FIG. In this section [1], sections [1-1] and [1-2] explain the blank sheets to be processed by the processing equipment and the containers assembled from the blank sheets into a three-dimensional shape, section [1-3] explains the processing equipment, and section [1-4] explains the processing method.

[0017] [1-1. Container] In this section [1-1], the configuration of the container 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the container 10 placed on a horizontal surface as viewed from above. As shown in Fig. 2, the container 10 has a container body 11 that has an internal storage space and an opening at the top. The opening of the container body 11 can be closed with an upper cover member (not shown). Fig. 2 shows the container 10 with the upper cover member removed. The container body 11 is a box body formed by folding a paper blank sheet 11S shown in FIG. 3 into a square tray shape.

[0018] The container body 11 of this embodiment has a rectangular bottom surface portion 1 that forms the bottom surface of the storage space, and a plurality of side surfaces 3, 5 that are folded up from the four sides of the bottom surface portion 1. Around the opening of the container body 11, flange portions 7, 9 are provided that extend from the upper edges of the side surfaces 3, 5 toward the outside of the container in a brim-like manner. The flange portions 7, 9 have wide surfaces (extending surfaces) that extend along the horizontal direction, and these surfaces form a bonding surface for bonding an upper cover member (not shown). The flange portions 7, 9 of this embodiment have a double flange structure in which two layers of sheet pieces are overlapped, as described later.

[0019] In this specification, each of the side portions erected on a pair of long sides of the bottom portion 1 is referred to as a "first side portion 3," and each of the side portions erected on a pair of short sides of the bottom portion 1 is referred to as a "second side portion 5." Each of the flange portions extending from the upper edges of the pair of first side portion 3 is referred to as a "first flange portion 7," and each of the flange portions extending from the upper edges of the pair of second side portion 5 is referred to as a "second flange portion 9." Both ends of the first flange portion 7 are provided with first protruding pieces 17 (only one first protruding piece 17 is labeled with a reference number in FIG. 2) that protrude beyond the upper edge of the first side surface portion 3 toward the outside of the container. Both ends of the second flange portion 9 are provided with second protruding pieces 19 (only one second protruding piece 19 is labeled with a reference number in FIG. 2) that protrude beyond the upper edge of the second side surface portion 5 toward the outside of the container.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, an edge 3a rising from the bottom surface 1 of the first side surface portion 3 and an edge 5a rising from the bottom surface 1 of the second side surface portion 5 are butted together to form a corner portion 4 of the container body 11. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, a corner where the edges 3a, 5a rising from the bottom surface portion 1 of the adjacent side portions 3, 5 of the container body 11 are butted together, and a corner where the adjacent flange portions 7, 9 are butted together, are referred to as a "corner portion 4." At the corner portion 4 of the container body 11, a first protruding piece 17 and a second protruding piece 19 are overlapped. In this embodiment, the first protruding piece 17 is disposed below the second protruding piece 19.

[0021] 2, at the corner 4 of the container body 11, a joint surface portion 13 is attached to the surface of the second side surface portion 5 facing the outside of the container. The joint surface portion 13 is a portion that connects the side surface portions 3, 5 whose edges 3a, 5a are butted against each other at the corner 4. The joint surface portion 13 is a planar region extending from the edges 3a, 5a of the side surface portions 3, 5. In this embodiment, the joint surface portion 13 is formed in a shape that forms an inverted triangle when the container body 11 is viewed from the second side surface portion 5 side. The joining surface portion 13 is attached to the surface of the second side surface portion 5 (one of the side surface portions 3, 5 adjacent to each other at the corner portion 4 of the container body 11) facing the outside of the container.

[0022] [1-2. Blank sheet] 3, blank sheet 11S is illustrated as a plan view of the surface facing inward when assembled into container 10 (hereinafter referred to as the "container inner surface") as viewed from above. The surface opposite the container inner surface is referred to as the "container outer surface." Note that the terms "inner" and "outer" correspond to the inner and outer sides of the container when sheet 11S is assembled into the container. The blank sheet 11S has a heat seal layer on the surface (at least one of the inner surface and the outer surface) that is heat-sealed when assembling the paper base material into the three-dimensional container body 11. The heat seal layer is a functional layer in which a heat-fusible substance (e.g., resin) is provided on the surface of the paper base material, and is provided, for example, on both sides of the paper base material.

[0023] The blank sheet 11S has a rectangular bottom sheet 1S corresponding to the bottom portion 1. A pair of first side sheets 3S are connected to a pair of opposing long sides of the four sides of the bottom sheet 1S via folds L1, and a pair of second side sheets 5S are connected to a pair of opposing short sides of the four sides via folds L2.

[0024] Each of the pair of first side sheets 3S has a pair of first flange sheets (first sheet pieces) 7S at the edge opposite the bottom sheet 1S via a fold L3. The second side sheet 5S has a pair of second flange sheets (second sheet pieces) 9S at the edge opposite the bottom sheet 1S via a fold L5. The first side sheet 3S and the second side sheet 5S correspond to the first side portion 3 and the second side portion 5, respectively. The first flange sheet 7S and the second flange sheet 9S correspond to the first flange portion 7 and the second flange portion 9, respectively.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 3, the pair of first flange sheets 7S extend in a predetermined first direction (up-down direction in the figure) in the blank sheet 11S and extend along a second direction (left-right direction in the figure) perpendicular to the first direction. The pair of second flange sheets 9S extend in a predetermined second direction in the blank sheet 11S and extend along the first direction. The dimension of the second flange sheet 9S extending in the first direction (secondary dimension) is set shorter than the dimension of the first flange sheet 7S extending in the second direction (primary dimension).

[0026] The first flange sheet 7S is divided into a first extending region 70S connected to the first side sheet 3S via a fold L3, and a first folded-back region 71S connected to the first extending region 70S via a fold L4 (first fold line). A first protruding piece sheet 17S is connected to both ends of the first folded-back region 71S. The second flange sheet 9S is divided into a second extending region 90S connected to the second side sheet 5S via a fold L5 and a second folded-back region 91S connected to the second extending region 90S via a fold L6 (second fold line). Second projecting piece sheets 19S are connected to both ends of the second extending region 90S.

[0027] When the blank sheet 11S is assembled to the container body 11, the first flange sheet 7S forms a flange portion having a two-layer structure (double flange) in which the first extending region 70S and the first folded-back region 71S are folded over. When the blank sheet 11S is assembled into the container body 11, the second flange sheet 9S forms a flange portion having a two-layer structure (double flange) in which the second extending region 90S and the second folded-back region 91S are folded over.

[0028] A first joining surface sheet 13S is connected to the second side sheet 5S via a fold line L9, and a second joining surface sheet 12S is connected to the first side sheet 3S via a fold line L10. The first joining surface sheet 13S and the second joining surface sheet 12S are each a triangular region, and are connected to each other via a fold line L11. The first joining surface sheet 13S (and the second joining surface sheet 12S) corresponds to the joining surface portion 13.

[0029] The blank sheet 11S shown in FIG. 3 is assembled in the following steps 1 and 2 to be formed into the container body 11 (container 10) shown in FIG. Step 1: A folding step of folding the first folded region 71S and the second folded region 91S onto the outer side surface of the container of the first extending region 70S and the second extending region 90S. Step 2: A forming process for forming the container body 11 from the sheet obtained in the folding process.

[0030] [1-3. Processing equipment] 1 is an apparatus used to carry out the folding step shown in the above-mentioned step 1. In other words, this processing apparatus 40 is an apparatus for manufacturing a semi-finished product 11SB by processing flange sheets 7S, 9S onto an unprocessed blank sheet 11S prior to carrying out the molding step of the container body 11 shown in the above-mentioned step 2. 1, the manner in which an unprocessed blank sheet 11S is sequentially processed into a semi-finished product 11SB in a processing device 40 is illustrated in correspondence with each part of the processing device 40. The semi-finished product 11SB is in a state after flange sheets 7S, 9S are processed (double flanges are formed) on the unprocessed blank sheet 11S, and is a sheet-like intermediate product before being formed into a three-dimensional shape.

[0031] The processing device 40 is provided with a first part 20 provided on the upstream side of the processing device 40 in the conveying direction, and a second part 30 provided continuously with the first part 20 on the downstream side in the conveying direction. The first part 20 and the second part 30 sequentially process the pair of first flange sheets 7S and the pair of second flange sheets 9S while conveying the blank sheet 11S along the conveyance direction, thereby manufacturing the semi-finished product 11SB. In this specification, the direction in which the workpiece is transported in the first part 20 (transport direction) is referred to as the "primary direction D1", and the direction in which the workpiece is transported in the second part 30 is referred to as the "secondary direction D2".

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1, the first part 20 is provided so as to extend linearly along a primary direction D1, and the second part 30 is provided so as to extend linearly along a secondary direction D2. In this processing device 40, the primary direction D1 and the secondary direction D2 are set to be perpendicular to each other, and the downstream end of the first part 20 is butted against the upstream end of the second part 30. That is, the first part 20 and the second part 30 are arranged in an L-shaped position when viewed from above.

[0033] The first part 20 processes a pair of first flange sheets 7S on an unprocessed blank sheet 11S to produce a work-in-progress 11SA in which the pair of first flange sheets 7S is processed and the pair of second flange sheets 9S is unprocessed. The unprocessed blank sheet 11S that is the processing target of the first part 20 is also referred to as the "primary processing target," and the work-in-progress 11SA produced by the first part 20 is also referred to as the "secondary processing target." The second part 30 processes the pair of second flange sheets 9S for the secondary processing object 11SA, and produces a semi-finished product 11SB in which both the pair of first flange sheets 7S and the pair of second flange sheets 9S are processed sheets.

[0034] The first part 20 is provided with a first processing section 22 for processing the primary processing object 11S. The second part 30 is provided with a second processing section 32 for processing the secondary processing object 11SA. The first part 20 is provided with a feed section 21 for feeding the primary processing object 11S on the upstream side in the conveying direction with respect to the first processing section 22. On the other hand, the second part 30 is fed with the secondary processing object 11SA processed in the first processing section 22 (first part 20), and no part other than the first part 20 is provided for feeding the secondary processing object 11SA.

[0035] The feed section 21 of the first part 20 is a section that sequentially pays out the primary processing object 11S along the second direction and supplies the paper to the first processing section 22. Paying out the primary processing object 11S along the second direction can be said in other words that the direction in which the primary processing object 11S is paid out is along the second direction, and can also be said in other words that the second direction of the primary processing object 11S is along the primary direction D1 in which the first part 20 transports the primary processing object 11S. Known technology may be applied to the feed section 21. For example, the feed section 21 may have a structure in which a plurality of blank sheets 11S are stacked in the thickness direction, and blank sheets are fed one by one from the bottom layer of the stacked blank sheets 11S.

[0036] The first processing section 22 of the first part 20 is provided with a first conveyor 23. The first conveyor 23 has a placement surface (hereinafter referred to as the "first placement surface") 23a on which the primary processing object 11S is placed, and is a transport mechanism that transports the primary processing object 11S in a state in which it is placed on the first placement surface 23a. The first conveyor 23 may have a well-known structure, such as a belt conveyor or a roller conveyor. The first conveyor 23 extends over the entire section along the conveying direction in the first processing section 22. That is, the upstream end of the first conveyor 23 is provided continuous with the feed section 21, and the downstream end of the first conveyor 23 is provided continuous with the second part 30.

[0037] On the first placement surface 23a of the first conveyor 23, the primary processing objects 11S successively fed out from the feed section 21 are placed. When the primary processing object 11S is placed on the first loading surface 23a of the first conveyor 23, it is in a first position in which a pair of first flange sheets 7S extend along the primary direction D1 and are spaced apart in the width direction of the first conveyor 23.

[0038] In the first processing section 22, a first pre-hold section 24, a first heating section 25, and a first holding section 26 are provided in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction of the first conveyor 23. The first pre-hold portion 24 is a part that creates creases in the pair of first flange sheets 7S.

[0039] The above-mentioned "creasing" refers to folding the first folded region 71S at the crease L4 relative to the first extending region 70S of each first flange sheet 7S to make it easier to fold and overlap. The folding direction is the direction in which the surfaces of the blank sheets 11S on which the heat seal layers are provided face each other. Specifically, when a heat seal layer is provided on the outer container surface of the first extending region 70S and the first folded-back region 71S, the first pre-hold section 24 creates a crease in the direction in which the outer container surfaces of the first extending region 70S and the first folded-back region 71S face each other. After creating the crease in the first flange sheet 7S, the first pre-hold section 24 returns the first flange sheet 7S to a flat state.

[0040] The first pre-hold section 24 may be configured to fold the first flange sheet 7S at the crease L4, and then fold the first extended region 70S (first flange sheet 7S) against the first side sheet 3S at the crease L3 to form the crease. This crease forming process is intended to improve formability by making the semi-finished product 11SB processed by the main processing device 40 easier to fold at the crease L3 when it is formed into a container by a tray forming device separate from the main processing device 40. When the first pre-hold section 24 performs the process of forming the crease at the crease L3, it is preferable to return the first flange sheet 7S to a flat state again after forming the creases at the creases L3 and L4.

[0041] The first heating section 25 is a heater that heats one surface of the pair of first flange sheets 7S on which the heat seal layer is provided. The first heating section 25 extends along the primary direction D1, and while the primary processing object 11S is being transported through the section in which the first heating section 25 is provided, the first heating section 25 heats the primary processing object 11S to thermally melt the heat seal layer. The first holding section 26 is disposed downstream in the conveying direction from the first heating section 25, and folds the first folded-back region 71S over the first extending region 70S of each first flange sheet 7S at the fold L4 and heat seals the first folded-back region 71S with the heat seal layer. In the first holding section 26, the first folded-back region 71S is folded over approximately 180° from the first extending region 70S at the fold L4.

[0042] For example, if a heat seal layer is provided on the outer container surfaces of the first extension region 70S and the first folded back region 71S, the first heating section 25 and the first holding section 26 fold the first extension region 70S and the first folded back region 71S at fold L4 in a direction in which the outer container surfaces face each other and are heat-sealed by the heat seal layer. In the first processing section 22, the section in which the first heating section 25 is provided forms a primary section 27 in which each of the first flange sheets 7S of the primary processing object 11S is heated.

[0043] This produces a secondary processing object 11SA in which each of the pair of first flange sheets 7S is folded at the fold line L4. The produced secondary processing object 11SA is sequentially discharged by the first conveyor 23 from the downstream end of the first part 20 to the upstream end of the second part 30 in the primary direction D1, as shown in FIG.

[0044] The second processing section 32 of the second part 30 is provided with a second conveyor 33. The second conveyor 33 has a placement surface (hereinafter referred to as the "second placement surface") 33a on which the secondary processing object 11SA is placed, and is a transport mechanism that transports the secondary processing object 11SA in a state in which it is placed on the second placement surface 33a. As with the first conveyor 23, the second conveyor 33 may have a well-known structure such as a belt conveyor or a roller conveyor.

[0045] The second conveyor 33 extends over the entire section along the conveying direction in the second processing section 32, and its upstream end is provided continuous with the downstream end of the first conveyor 23. Therefore, the secondary processing objects 11SA sequentially discharged from the downstream end of the first part 20 are sequentially transferred to the second placement surface 33a of the second conveyor 33. The vertical position of the downstream end on the first placement surface 23a of the first conveyor 23 and the vertical position of the upstream end on the second placement surface 33a of the second conveyor 33 may be set to the same position. Alternatively, the second placement surface 33a of the second conveyor 33 is preferably set to be 1 to 200 mm lower than the first placement surface 23a of the first conveyor 23, and more preferably set to be 100 to 200 mm lower. When the second placement surface 33a is set to a vertical position lower than the first placement surface 23a, the secondary processing object 11SA discharged from the first part 20 is placed on the second placement surface 33a of the second conveyor 33 by its own weight.

[0046] When placed on the second placement surface 33a of the second conveyor 33, the secondary processing object 11SA is in a second position in which each of the pair of second flange sheets 9S extends along the secondary direction D2 and is spaced apart in the width direction of the second conveyor 33. This second position can also be said to be a position in which the first direction of the secondary processing object 11SA is along the secondary direction D2 in which the second part 30 transports the secondary processing object 11SA. In other words, by simply transferring the secondary processing object 11SA manufactured in the first part 20 to the second loading surface 33a (to the second part 30) of the second conveyor 33 without changing its posture, the orientation of the flange sheets 7S, 9S relative to the conveying direction is changed by 90° between the first part 20 and the second part 30.

[0047] The second pre-hold portion 34, second heating portion 35, and second holding portion 36 of the second part 30 have the same configuration as the first pre-hold portion 24, first heating portion 25, and first holding portion 26 of the first part 20, except that the areas to be processed are a pair of second flange sheets 9S. That is, the second pre-hold portion 34 creases the second folded-back region 91S at the crease L6 in the second extending region 90S of the pair of second flange sheets 9S. After creasing the second flange sheet 9S, the second pre-hold portion 34 returns the second flange sheet 9S to a flat state again.

[0048] The second pre-hold section 34 may be configured to fold the second flange sheet 9S at the fold line L6, and then fold the second extended region 90S (second flange sheet 9S) against the second side sheet 5S at the fold line L5 to form the fold line. This fold line forming process is intended to improve formability by making the semi-finished product 11SB processed by the main processing device 40 easier to fold at the fold line L5 when the semi-finished product 11SB is formed into a container by a tray forming device separate from the main processing device 40. When the second pre-hold section 34 performs the process of forming the fold line L5, it is preferable to return the second flange sheet 9S to a flat state after forming the fold lines L5 and L6.

[0049] The second heating section 35 heats the secondary processing object 11SA to thermally melt the heat seal layer. The second holding section 36 folds the second folded-back region 91S over the second extending region 90S of each second flange sheet 9S at the fold line L6 and thermally welds the second folded-back region 91S over the second extending region 90S at the fold line L6 in the second holding section 36. In this way, a semi-finished product 11SB is manufactured in which both the pair of first flange sheets 7S and the pair of second flange sheets 9S are processed.

[0050] For example, if a heat seal layer is provided on the outer container surfaces of the second extension region 90S and the second folded back region 91S, the second heating section 35 and the second holding section 36 fold the second extension region 90S and the second folded back region 91S at fold L6 in a direction in which the outer container surfaces face each other and are heat-sealed by the heat seal layer. In the second processing section 32, the section in which the second heating section 35 is provided forms a secondary section 37 in which each second flange sheet 9S of the secondary processing object 11SA is heated.

[0051] Here, an example of the conveying speeds of the first processing section 22 and the second processing section 32 and the section lengths of the primary section 27 and the secondary section 37 will be described. The speed at which the primary processing object 11S is transported by the first conveyor 23 of the first processing unit 22 is referred to as the "primary speed," and the speed at which the secondary processing object 11SA is transported by the second conveyor 33 of the second processing unit 32 is referred to as the "secondary speed." Additionally, the dimension (section) of the primary section 27 extending in the primary direction D1 in the first processing unit 22 is referred to as the "primary section length," and the dimension (section) of the secondary section 37 extending in the secondary direction D2 in the second processing unit 32 is referred to as the "secondary section length."

[0052] In this processing device 40, the secondary speed of the second processing section 32 is set to be higher than the primary speed of the first processing section 22. In the processing device 40 in which the first part 20 and the second part 30 are arranged in an L-shape in top view, the secondary processing object 11SA may be retained for a short time at the corner where the first part 20 and the second part 30 are butted together. When the secondary processing object 11SA is retained and the subsequent secondary processing object 11SA is transported, the secondary processing objects 11SA may interfere with (overlap) each other. Therefore, from the viewpoint of avoiding mutual interference of the secondary processing objects 11SA, the secondary speed is set to be faster than the primary speed, for example, the secondary speed is set to be at least 10% faster than the primary speed.

[0053] When the secondary speed is set faster than the primary speed as described above, if the section lengths of primary section 27 and secondary section 37 are set equal, the heating time of secondary section 37 will be shorter than that of primary section 27, which may result in insufficient adhesive strength. In the processing device 40 of FIG. 1, the secondary section length of the secondary section 37 is set to be a long section having a longer dimension in the conveying direction than the primary section length of the primary section 27.

[0054] The secondary section length of the secondary section 37 is set based on the secondary speed to a length that can ensure a sufficient heating time for the secondary section 37. Here, the sufficient heating time is appropriately set as a time that can ensure the adhesive strength of the pair of second flange sheets 9S. 1, in the secondary section 37, two heating sections 35, a primary heating section 35A and a secondary heating section 35B, are arranged side by side in the conveying direction in accordance with the length of the secondary section. This makes it possible to heat the object 11SA to be secondary processed over a longer section in the secondary section 37 than in the primary section 27, in which only one heating section 25 is provided, and thus makes it possible to further compensate for the lack of adhesive strength caused by the secondary speed being higher than the primary speed.

[0055] [1-4. Processing method] Next, the processing method will be described. The processing method of this embodiment is a method of processing a blank sheet 11S by the processing device 40 described above in item [1-3]. In the processing method, a first step is performed in which the first processing unit 22 performs primary processing on the primary processing object 11S. Next, a second step is performed in which the second processing unit 32 performs secondary processing on the secondary processing object 11SA continuously downstream of the first processing unit 22 in the conveying direction.

[0056] The first step is a step performed by the first processing unit 22 of the first part 20. In this first step, the primary processing object 11S is placed on the first placement surface 23a and conveyed along the second direction by the first conveyor 23, while the pair of first flange sheets 7S are folded and thermally welded at the folds L4. The processing of the primary processing object 11S in the first step is referred to as "primary processing."

[0057] After the first step is performed, the second step is performed. This second step is a step that is continuously performed by the second processing section 32 of the second part 30 downstream in the conveying direction relative to the first processing section 22. In this second step, the secondary processing object 11SA, in which the pair of first flange sheets 7S are folded at the fold line L4 in the first step, is placed on the second placement surface 33a and conveyed along the first direction by the second conveyor 33 while the pair of second flange sheets 9S are folded at the fold line L6 and thermally welded. The processing of the secondary processing object 11SA in the second step is referred to as "secondary processing".

[0058] [2. Effects] (1) In the processing device 40 and processing method of the present invention, the second part 30 for processing a pair of second flange sheets 9S is provided continuously downstream in the conveying direction from the first part 20 for processing a pair of first flange sheets 7S. Therefore, by simply feeding the blank sheet 11S once from the feed section 21, the pair of first flange sheets 7S and the pair of second flange sheets 9S that are provided in mutually orthogonal directions can be continuously (in-line) formed. In conventional technology, for example, when using a device that folds a sheet along a crease in the conveying direction, after forming a pair of first flange portions, it is necessary to re-feed the blank sheet again to form a pair of second flange portions. In contrast, in the processing device 40 of the present invention, since there is no need to feed again, the workability of the process of folding both the pair of first flange sheets 7S and the pair of second flange sheets 9S is improved.

[0059] In addition, when forming the pair of first flange sheets 7S and the pair of second flange sheets 9S, the flange sheets 7S, 9S are folded approximately 180° at folds L4, L6 relative to the flat blank sheet 11S, so that the repulsive force against folding is large, and it tends to be difficult to ensure adhesive strength when bonding by gluing. In contrast, in the processing device 40 of the present invention, the sheets are thermally welded by a heat seal layer, so that it is easier to ensure adhesive strength compared to when bonding by gluing.

[0060] (2) In addition, in the processing device 40 of the present invention, the primary direction in which the primary processing object 11S is transported in the first part 20 and the secondary direction in which the secondary processing object 11SA is transported in the second part 30 are set to be perpendicular to each other. Therefore, the first part 20 and the second part 30 are arranged in an L-shape when viewed from above. Therefore, the orientation of the first / second flange sheets 7S, 9S relative to the transport direction is changed by 90° simply by transferring the secondary processing object 11SA manufactured in the first part 20 to the second part 30 without changing its posture. Therefore, the configuration of the processing device 40 can be simplified compared to a structure that uses a mechanism for changing the sheet orientation, for example.

[0061] (3) Furthermore, in the present processing device 40, the secondary speed of the second processing section 32 is set to be faster than the primary speed of the first processing section 22, so that mutual interference between the secondary processing objects 11SA transported continuously in the second processing section 32 can be suppressed. (4) In addition, in the processing device 40 of the present invention, the secondary section 37 has a longer length in the conveying direction than the primary section 27. This allows a longer time for heating the pair of second flange sheets 9S in the second processing unit 32. Therefore, even if the secondary speed is set to be faster than the primary speed, it is easy to ensure adhesive strength.

[0062] (5) In addition, in the blank sheet 11S to be processed by the processing device 40 of the present invention, the secondary dimension of the pair of second flange sheets 9S is set shorter than the primary dimension of the pair of first flange sheets 7S. In this case, it tends to take more time to heat the pair of first flange sheets 7S than the pair of second flange sheets 9S. In contrast, in the processing device 40, the pair of first flange sheets 7S is heated in the first processing section 22, which has a relatively slow transport speed, and the pair of second flange sheets 9S is heated in the second processing section 32, which has a relatively fast transport speed and a long section length. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the time to heat both the pair of first flange sheets 7S on the long side and the pair of second flange sheets 9S on the short side, making it easy to ensure the adhesive strength.

[0063] [3. Modifications] The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and is not intended to exclude various modifications and application of techniques not explicitly stated in the embodiment. Each configuration of the present embodiment can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the embodiment. In addition, the configurations can be selected as necessary, and can be combined appropriately.

[0064] For example, Fig. 4 is a plan view of a processing device 40' according to a modified example, as viewed from the top. This processing device 40' has components in common with the above-described processing device 40, except that it has an accumulator 31 at the upstream end of the second part 30'. In the following description, the accumulator 31, which is different from the above-described processing device 40, will be described, and a description of the common components will be omitted.

[0065] The accumulator 31 is a part where the secondary processing objects 11SA discharged from the first part 20 can temporarily stay before being sequentially transferred to the second placement surface 33a of the second conveyor 33. As shown in Fig. 4, the accumulator 31 is provided on the downstream side in the conveying direction with respect to the downstream end of the first part 20, and is provided on the upstream side in the conveying direction with respect to the second processing section 32 at the upstream end of the second part 30'.

[0066] This accumulator 31 is provided with a third loading surface 31a on which secondary processing objects 11SA sequentially discharged from the first part 20 are stacked in the thickness direction, and the secondary processing object 11SA at the bottom among the secondary processing objects 11SA stacked on the third loading surface 31a is sequentially unloaded along the first direction. For example, the upper limit of the height of the secondary processing objects 11SA stacked in the accumulator 31 is set to be lower than the upper limit of the height of the primary processing objects 11S stacked in the feed section 21.

[0067] The vertical position of the third mounting surface 31a of the accumulator 31 is set to be the same as the vertical position of the upstream end of the second mounting surface 33a of the second conveyor 33. Moreover, the vertical position of the third mounting surface 31a of the accumulator 31 is set preferably 1 to 200 mm lower, and more preferably 100 to 200 mm lower, than the vertical position of the downstream end of the first mounting surface 23a of the first conveyor 23. Furthermore, the vertical position of the downstream end of the first placement surface 23a of the first conveyor 23 is preferably set higher than the vertical position of the uppermost tier of the objects of secondary processing 11SA stacked in the accumulator 31 up to a predetermined upper limit.

[0068] Furthermore, the accumulator 31 may be provided with a lifting mechanism that moves up and down depending on the number of stacked secondary processing objects 11SA. This lifting mechanism is located vertically upward when the number of stacked secondary processing objects 11SA is small, and moves downward as the number increases. Then, after the bottom ends of the stacked secondary processing objects 11SA reach the same plane as the second placement surface 33a of the second conveyor 33, feeding from the accumulator 31 may start.

[0069] In this processing device 40', since the accumulator 31 can suppress mutual interference of the secondary processing object 11SA, the primary speed and the secondary speed are set to the same speed, and the primary section length of the primary section 27 and the secondary section length of the secondary section 37 are set to the same dimension. Also, the second processing section 32 is provided with only one heating section 35, and the heating performance is not reinforced. However, in this processing device 40', as in the above-mentioned processing device 40, the secondary section length of the secondary section 37 may be made longer than the primary section length of the primary section 27, or multiple heating sections 35 may be provided in the second processing section 32 to reinforce the heating performance.

[0070] The processing device 40' is further provided with a sensor 39 that detects the height of the secondary processing objects 11SA stacked in the accumulator 31, and a control unit . The sensor 39 detects the height of the secondary processing objects 11SA stacked in the accumulator 31, and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 38. Any known sensor can be used as the sensor 39, and one example is a laser sensor capable of position detection. Note that the sensor 39 is not limited to one that detects the height of the secondary processing objects 11SA, and may be one that detects the amount of the secondary processing objects 11SA stacked in the accumulator 31. In this case, the sensor 39 outputs a detection signal indicating the amount of the secondary processing objects to the control unit 38.

[0071] The control unit 38 is an electronic control device for controlling the processing device 40', and is configured as, for example, an LSI device or an embedded electronic device integrating a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, etc. A sensor 39 is connected to the input side of the control unit 38, and the feed unit 21 is connected to the output side of the control unit 38. This control unit 38 has a temporary stop function that temporarily stops the feeding of the primary processing object 11S by the feeding unit 21 of the first part 20 when the height detected by the sensor 39 exceeds a predetermined height.

[0072] The above-mentioned predetermined height is set as a criterion for determining whether or not to temporarily suspend the feeding of the primary processing object 11S by the feed section 21, and specifies the upper limit height of the secondary processing object 11SA to be stacked (retained) in the accumulator 31. For example, the predetermined height is set to a height corresponding to the vertical position of the downstream end of the first placement surface 23a of the first conveyor 23.

[0073] An example of the pause function will now be described. Control unit 38 determines whether the height of secondary processing objects 11SA stacked in accumulator 31 exceeds a predetermined height based on the detection signal of sensor 39. When the predetermined height is exceeded, control unit 38 outputs a control signal C1 to instruct feeding unit 21 to pause. In response to control signal C1, feeding unit 21 pauses the feeding of primary processing objects 11S.

[0074] When the height of secondary processing objects 11SA stacked in accumulator 31 falls below a predetermined height while feeding unit 21 is temporarily stopped, control unit 38 outputs a control signal C2 to instruct feeding unit 21 to resume feeding. In response to the control signal C2, feeding unit 21 resumes feeding of primary processing objects 11S.

[0075] In the processing method for processing the blank sheet 11S by the processing device 40' in FIG. 4, in addition to the processing method described above in item [1-4], an accumulation step by the accumulator 31 is performed. In the accumulating step, the objects 11SA to be secondary processed that are sequentially discharged from the first part 20 are stacked in the thickness direction, and the objects 11SA to be secondary processed are sequentially fed out. In addition, this processing method includes a height detection process of the secondary processing object using the above-mentioned sensor 39, and a temporary suspension process of temporarily stopping the feeding of the primary processing object 11S by the feed section 21 of the first part 20 when the height of the secondary processing object 11SA exceeds a predetermined height in the detection process.

[0076] In the above processing device 40' and processing method, since the accumulator 31 is provided in the second part 30, mutual interference between the secondary processing objects 11SA transported continuously in the second part 30' can be suppressed. In this case, in order to suppress mutual interference between the secondary processing objects 11SA transported continuously, it is not necessary to make the primary speed of the first part 20 and the secondary speed of the second part 30' different, and the primary speed and the secondary speed can be made equal. Accordingly, it is not necessary to make the section lengths (primary section length, secondary section length) of the primary section 27 of the first processing section 22 and the secondary section 37 of the second processing section 32 different in order to reinforce the adhesive strength. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the primary speed and the secondary speed are different, it is possible to improve the processability with a simple configuration.

[0077] Furthermore, in the above-described processing device 40' and processing method, when the height of the secondary processing objects 11SA stacked in the accumulator 31 exceeds a predetermined height, the feeding of the primary processing objects 11S by the feed section 21 of the first part 20 is temporarily stopped. This makes it possible to control so that an appropriate amount of paper is fed to the second part 30. This further reduces mutual interference between the secondary processing objects 11SA.

[0078] In addition, in the above processing device, the first part and the second part are arranged in an L-shape, but the first part and the second part are not limited to being arranged in an L-shape and may be arranged in a straight line (I-shape). In this case, a mechanism may be provided at the upstream end of the second part to change the position of the secondary processing object discharged from the first part by rotating it 90° in a top view from the first position to the second position. The secondary dimension along which a pair of second flange sheets extend along a second direction in the secondary processing object may be set longer than the primary dimension along which a pair of first flange sheets extend along a first direction in the primary processing object. Furthermore, the bottom surface 1 of the container body 11 is not limited to a rectangular shape, but may be a square shape. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 1 Bottom part 3 First side part 3a edge 4 Corner 5 Second side part 5a edge 7 First flange 9 Second flange 10 containers 11 Container body 13 Joint surface part 17 First protruding piece 19 Second protruding piece 11S Blank sheet (for primary processing) 1S bottom sheet 3S First side sheet 5S Second side sheet 7S First flange seat 9S Second flange seat 12S Second joint surface sheet 13S First joint surface sheet 17S First protruding piece sheet 19S Second protruding piece sheet 11SA Secondary processing target 11SB Semi-finished products 20 Part 1 21 Feed section 22 First processing department 23 First Conveyor 23a First mounting surface 24 First Prehold Section 25 First heating section 26 First hold section 27 Primary Section 30,30′ Second part 31 Accumulator 31a Third placement surface 32 Second processing section 33 Second Conveyor 33a Second mounting surface 34 Second Prehold Section 35 Second heating section 35A primary heating section 35B Secondary heating section 36 Second hold section 37 Secondary Section 38 Control Unit 39 Sensors 40,40′ Processing equipment 70S First extension area 71S First fold region 90S 2nd extension area 91S Second fold area C1 Control Signal C2 Control Signal D1 Primary direction D2 Secondary direction

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing a pair of first sheet pieces extending in a first direction and along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in a flat blank sheet having a paper base material with a heat seal layer provided on at least one surface thereof and to be folded and formed into a three-dimensional container, and a pair of second sheet pieces extending in the second direction and along the first direction in the blank sheet, the apparatus comprising: a first part having a first processing section that sequentially transports the blank sheet to be primarily processed along the second direction by a first conveyor while placing the blank sheet on a first placement surface, folds each of the pair of first sheet pieces in the primary processing object along a first fold line along the second direction in a direction in which the one sides face each other, and heat-seals the first sheet pieces with the heat-seal layer; a second processing section for folding each of the pair of second sheet pieces in the secondary processing object along a second fold line along the first direction in a direction in which the one sides face each other and heat-sealing the pair of second sheet pieces in the secondary processing object while conveying the pair of second sheet pieces in the secondary processing object, in a state in which the pair of first sheet pieces are folded along the first fold line in the first processing section, on a second placement surface and by a second conveyor along the first direction, and for heat-sealing the pair of second sheet pieces in the secondary processing object, the pair of second sheet pieces being folded along a second fold line along the first direction in a direction in which the one sides face each other and heat-sealing the pair of second sheet pieces with the heat-sealing layer; and The processing device is characterized by the above.

2. A primary direction in which the primary processing object is transported in the first part and a secondary direction in which the secondary processing object is transported in the second part are set to be perpendicular to each other.

2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1,

3. A secondary speed, which is a speed at which the secondary processing object is transported by the second conveyor of the second part, is set to be faster than a primary speed, which is a speed at which the primary processing object is transported by the first conveyor of the first part.

3. The processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that

4. A secondary section length along the conveying direction of a secondary section in which the secondary processed object is heated in the second processing section in the second part is set to be longer than a primary section length along the conveying direction of a primary section in which the primary processed object is heated in the first processing section in the first part.

4. The processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

5. A secondary dimension, which is a dimension in which the second sheet piece extends along the second direction in the secondary processing object, is set shorter than a primary dimension, which is a dimension in which the first sheet piece extends along the first direction in the primary processing object.

4. The processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

6. The first part has a feed section in which the primary processed objects are stacked and which sequentially feeds the primary processed objects to the first processing section along the second direction, The second section has an accumulator in which the objects to be processed are stacked and which sequentially delivers the objects to the second processing section along the first direction.

2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1 .

7. A sensor for detecting a height of the secondary processing objects stacked in the accumulator; and a control unit that temporarily stops the feeding of the primary processing object by the feeding unit of the first part when the height detected by the sensor exceeds a predetermined height.

7. The processing apparatus according to claim 6.

8. A method for processing a pair of first sheet pieces extending in a first direction and extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in a flat blank sheet having a paper base material with a heat seal layer provided on at least one surface thereof and to be folded and formed into a three-dimensional container, and a pair of second sheet pieces extending in the second direction and extending along the first direction in the blank sheet, the method comprising the steps of: a first processing step in which the blank sheet to be subjected to primary processing is placed on a first placement surface and conveyed along the second direction by a first conveyor while folding each of the pair of first sheet pieces in the object to be primary processed along a first fold line along the second direction in a direction in which the one sides face each other and heat-seal the blank sheets with the heat seal layer; a second process in which the secondary processing object in which the pair of first sheet pieces are folded at the first fold lines in the first process is placed on a second placement surface and transported along the first direction by a second conveyor, in which the second processing unit folds each of the pair of second sheet pieces in the secondary processing object at a second fold line along the first direction and heat-welds the pair of second sheet pieces with the heat seal layer, and performs secondary processing continuously downstream of the first processing unit in the transport direction. The processing method is characterized by the above.

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