Powder processing device

Abstract

To provide a powder processing device which can secure accuracy of a powder combination ratio in a powder processing container and inhibits unprocessed powder from remaining therein.SOLUTION: A powder processing device 1 includes: a powder processing container 2 having a space to process a powder therein; and a rotary mechanism 3 which rotates in the powder processing container 2 to process the powder. The rotary mechanism 3 includes: a shaft member 31 inserted into the powder processing container 2; a rotary part 32 which is provided at the shaft member 31 and rotates in the powder processing container 2; a bearing member 33 supporting the base end side of the shaft member 31; and a case member supporting the bearing member 33. An air seal mechanism 4 is provided between the rotary part 32 and the bearing member 33 at the shaft member 31. An exhaust port 5 for exhausting air flowing from the air seal mechanism 4 is formed at the power processing container 2. A filter 53 is provided along an inner surface of the powder processing container 2 at the exhaust port 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a powder processing apparatus that processes powder using a rotation mechanism. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a powder processing apparatus having a structure in which powder inside a container is processed by a rotation mechanism (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-86017 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a powder processing apparatus equipped with an air seal mechanism according to the prior art, a chute is provided in the powder processing container as an exhaust section for the gas flowing into the powder processing container by the air seal mechanism, and a filter provided in the chute separates the powder from the exhaust air and discharges it outside the powder processing apparatus. In this case, the filter is often attached to the top of the chute.

[0005] In the above configuration, some of the powder blown up from the powder processing container into the chute during powder processing may adhere to the inner surface of the chute or the filter. In this case, the powder does not return from the chute or filter to the powder processing container, which causes the accuracy of the powder blend ratio in the powder processing container to decrease. In addition, the powder that adheres to the inner surface of the chute or the filter is not processed in the powder processing container, which causes unprocessed powder to remain.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and the problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a powder processing device that can ensure the accuracy of the powder blend ratio in the powder processing container by preventing powder from escaping from the powder processing container, while also preventing unprocessed powder from remaining in the container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Means for solving the above problems will be described below.

[0008] The powder processing apparatus of the present invention is a powder processing apparatus comprising a powder processing container having a space therein for processing powder, and a rotating mechanism for processing powder by rotating inside the powder processing container, wherein the rotating mechanism comprises an axial member inserted into the powder processing container, a rotating part provided on the axial member and rotating inside the powder processing container, a bearing member supporting the base end side of the axial member, and a case member supporting the bearing member, wherein the axial member is provided with an air seal mechanism between the rotating part and the bearing member, and the powder processing container is formed with an exhaust port for discharging air flowing in from the air seal mechanism, and a filter is provided in the exhaust port along the inner surface of the powder processing container.

[0009] In the powder processing apparatus, it is preferable that a filter fitting to which the filter is welded is fixed to the exhaust port.

[0010] In the powder processing apparatus, it is preferable that a filter fitting is provided at the exhaust port, and the filter is sandwiched between the exhaust port and the filter fitting.

[0011] In the powder processing apparatus, it is preferable that the shaft member of the rotation mechanism penetrates through the powder processing container.

[0012] In addition, the powder processing apparatus preferably further comprises a second rotation mechanism that is provided opposite to the rotation mechanism and is inserted inside the powder processing container to rotate.

[0013] In addition, in the powder processing apparatus, it is preferable that the air seal mechanism includes a cylindrical member into which the shaft member is inserted and which is disposed closer to the tip of the shaft member than the bearing member, elastic seal members are interposed between both axial end faces of the cylindrical member and the case member, the cylindrical member has a communication hole connecting the inner surface and the outer surface, and the air seal mechanism causes gas to flow from the outside to the inside of the cylindrical member through the communication hole and causes gas to flow out to the tip side of the shaft member through the gap between the inner surface of the cylindrical member and the outer surface of the shaft member, thereby preventing the flow of powder from inside the powder processing container to the bearing member. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the powder processing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to ensure the accuracy of the powder blending ratio in the powder processing container and to prevent unprocessed powder from remaining. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a powder processing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an upper portion of a powder processing container according to a modified example. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing an assembly configuration of a filter according to a modified example. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a shaft seal structure in the powder processing apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] First, a powder processing apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The powder processing apparatus 1 is an apparatus for processing powders used as medicines and foods. The powder processing apparatus 1 performs any of powder-related processing such as drying, pulverization, classification, mixing, and surface treatment of the powder contained inside a powder processing container 2.

[0017] 1, the powder processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a powder processing container 2 having an internal space for processing powder, a rotation mechanism 3 for processing powder by rotating inside the powder processing container 2, an air seal mechanism 4, and a second rotation mechanism 6. The powder processing container 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape with its central axis horizontal, and is provided with an inlet for inputting powder and an outlet for discharging powder.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, the rotation mechanism 3 includes a shaft member 31 that is inserted into the powder processing container 2 from one side (the left side in Figure 1) of the powder processing container 2, a rotating part 32 that is provided at the tip side of the shaft member 31 and rotates inside the powder processing container 2, bearing members 33 / 33 that support the base end side of the shaft member 31, and case members (bearing case 34 and seal case 35).

[0019] The bearing case 34 is a case member that supports the bearing members 33-33, and the seal case 35 is a case member that supports the air seal mechanism 4. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the plate material 23 that constitutes the powder processing container 2 also functions as a case member for the air seal mechanism 4.

[0020] The rotating part 32 comprises a cylindrical shaft extending along the rotation axis and a plurality of rod-shaped impact members protruding radially from the surface of the shaft. The shape of the rod-shaped impact members is arbitrary, but it is also possible to form them in the shape of a knife edge with a wedge-shaped cross section.

[0021] A second rotation mechanism 6 is provided in the powder processing container 2 on the other side opposite to the rotation mechanism 3. The second rotation mechanism 6 includes a second shaft member 61 inserted into the powder processing container 2, and a second rotation part 62 provided on the tip side of the second shaft member 61 and rotating inside the powder processing container 2. The second rotation part 62 includes arms extending radially in the radial direction of the cylinder of the powder processing container 2, and a stirring member connected to the arms and extending parallel to the central axis while approaching the inner wall of the powder processing container 2.

[0022] It is also possible to configure the powder processing apparatus 1 without providing the second rotation mechanism 6, and to configure the shaft member 31 of the rotation mechanism 3 to penetrate the powder processing container 2. That is, the shaft member 31 may be configured to penetrate the powder processing container 2 from one surface to the other surface.

[0023] In the powder processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, an air seal mechanism 4 is provided on a shaft member 31 between a rotating part 32 and a bearing member 33. The air seal mechanism 4 includes a cylindrical member 41 into which the shaft member 31 is inserted and which is provided on the tip side of the shaft member 31 relative to the bearing member 33, as shown in Figs.

[0024] 6, the cylindrical member 41 is a stainless steel member through which the shaft member 31 is inserted and which is provided in the vicinity of the bearing member 33. In this embodiment, the dimension of the gap between the outer surface of the shaft member 31 and the inner surface of the cylindrical member 41 is set to be 0.01 mm or more and 0.1 mm or less, more preferably 5 μm to 100 μm.

[0025] 1, in the powder processing apparatus 1, the space in which the cylindrical member 41 is provided is connected to an air pump P. Inflow air Ai, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 7, can be made to flow from the air pump P around the cylindrical member 41. Note that the shaft seal structure according to the present invention can also be configured to allow a gas other than air, such as nitrogen, to flow.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 7, elastic seal members 42 are inserted between the axial end faces of the cylindrical member 41 and the seal case 35 / plate member 23. The cylindrical member 41 has a communication hole 41a that communicates the inner surface with the outer surface. The air seal mechanism 4 allows gas to flow from the air pump P through the communication hole 41a from the outside to the inside of the cylindrical member 41, and allows gas to flow out to the tip side of the shaft member 31 through the gap between the inner surface of the cylindrical member 41 and the outer surface of the shaft member 31 (outflowing air Ao shown by the arrow in Fig. 7). This prevents powder from flowing in from the inside of the powder-processing container 2 to the bearing member 33 side.

[0027] In the air seal mechanism 4 employed in the powder processing apparatus 1, a cylindrical member 41 is held inside a case member so as to be displaceable relative to the case member. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7, a seal member 42, which is an elastic O-ring, is provided on both axial end faces of the cylindrical member 41. This allows the cylindrical member 41 to be displaceable relative to the case member and the shaft member 31.

[0028] As described above, by passing gas (air in this embodiment) between the inner surface of the cylindrical member 41 and the outer surface of the shaft member 31, a gap is formed between the inner surface of the cylindrical member 41 and the outer surface of the shaft member 31. At this time, the gap between the inner surface of the cylindrical member 41 and the outer surface of the shaft member 31 is maintained due to the viscosity of the air, and since the cylindrical member 41 is held by the seal member 42 so as to be displaceable relative to the case member and the shaft member 31, the cylindrical member 41 moves in conjunction with the shaft member 31 even when the shaft member 31 vibrates.

[0029] That is, in this embodiment, even if the shaft member 31 vibrates due to high speed rotation, it is possible to prevent contact between the inner surface of the cylindrical member 41 and the outer surface of the shaft member 31. As described above, according to the seal structure of this embodiment, the cylindrical member 41 is structured to be able to move in conjunction with the shaft member 31, so that the size of the gap between the outer surface of the shaft member 31 and the inner surface of the cylindrical member 41 can be set smaller than in the past, making it possible to reduce the amount of air used.

[0030] Moreover, according to the air seal mechanism 4 employed in the powder processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the amount of air used can be reduced, thereby saving energy and at the same time reducing the filter area for processing the air blown into the inside of the powder processing apparatus 1. Furthermore, the amount of exhaust when reducing the pressure inside the powder processing apparatus 1 during vacuum drying can be reduced, making it possible to reduce the capacity of the vacuum pump.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 1, an exhaust port 5 for discharging air that has flowed in from the air seal mechanism 4 is formed on the upper side of the powder processing container 2. In addition, as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the exhaust port 5 is composed of a filter member 51 and an exhaust member 54.

[0032] The filter member 51 is constructed by welding a filter 53 to a filter metal fitting 52. The filter member 51 is assembled to the powder processing container 2 by fixing the filter metal fitting 52 to the fixing portion 21 of the powder processing container 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the filter 53 is provided along the inner surface of the powder processing container 2.

[0033] The filter may be attached as shown in Figures 4 and 5. That is, the filter member 151 may be composed of a filter metal fitting 152 and a filter 153, and the filter 153 may be sandwiched between the clamping part 22 of the powder processing container 2 and the filter metal fitting 152.

[0034] The filters 53 and 153 used in this embodiment can be of any type, such as filters using cloth, paper, or nonwoven fabric, sintered wire mesh filters made of multiple wire meshes glued together, porous sintered metal filters, etc. If the filter itself has strength, such as a sintered wire mesh filter or a porous filter, a retainer is not necessary, but if the filter itself is not strong, such as cloth or paper, a configuration is adopted in which the filter is reinforced using a retainer or the like.

[0035] As described above, in the powder processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the filters 53, 153 are provided along the inner surface of the powder processing container 2. This prevents powder from being blown up from the top of the powder processing container 2 during powder processing. In other words, the powder can be retained in the powder processing container 2, which prevents the accuracy of the powder blending ratio inside the powder processing container 2 from decreasing and prevents unprocessed powder from remaining.

[0036] Furthermore, in the powder processing device 1 according to this embodiment, the amount of air used in the air sealing mechanism 4 can be reduced, making it possible to make the area of ​​the filters 53 / 153 more compact and suppressing the amount of powder adhering to the filters 53 / 153. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1 Powder processing device 2 Powder processing container 3 Rotation mechanism 4 Air seal mechanism 5 Exhaust port 6 Second rotating mechanism 21 Fixed part 22 Clamping part 23 Plate material (case material) 31 shaft member 32 rotating part 33 Bearing materials 34 Bearing case (case material) 35 Seal case (case material) 41 Cylindrical member 41a Communication hole 42 Sealing material 51 Filter material 52 Filter fitting 53 Filter 54 Exhaust parts 61 second shaft member 62 second rotating portion 151 Filter material 152 Filter fitting 153 Filters Ai Incoming air Ao Outgoing air P Air Pump

Claims

1. A powder processing apparatus comprising a powder processing container having a space for processing powder therein, and a rotation mechanism for processing powder by rotating inside the powder processing container, the rotation mechanism includes a shaft member inserted into the powder processing container, a rotating portion provided on the shaft member and rotating inside the powder processing container, a bearing member supporting a base end side of the shaft member, and a case member supporting the bearing member; an air seal mechanism is provided between the rotating portion and the bearing member of the shaft member; The powder processing container is provided with an exhaust port for discharging the air that has flowed in through the air seal mechanism, A powder processing apparatus, wherein a filter is provided at the exhaust port along an inner surface of the powder processing container.

2. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a filter fitting to which the filter is welded is fixed to the exhaust port.

3. A filter fitting is provided at the exhaust port, The powder processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the filter is sandwiched between the exhaust port and the filter fitting.

4. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the shaft member of the rotation mechanism is provided to penetrate the powder processing container.

5. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a second rotation mechanism that is provided opposite to the rotation mechanism and is inserted into the powder processing container to rotate.

6. the air seal mechanism includes a cylindrical member into which the shaft member is inserted and which is provided closer to a tip end of the shaft member than the bearing member, an elastic seal member is interposed between each of the axial end faces of the cylindrical member and the case member; The cylindrical member has a communication hole that communicates between the inner surface and the outer surface, 6. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air seal mechanism prevents powder from flowing from inside the powder processing container to the bearing member by flowing gas from the outside to the inside of the cylindrical member through the communicating hole and flowing gas out to the tip side of the shaft member through the gap between the inner surface of the cylindrical member and the outer surface of the shaft member.

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