Bag-making filling and packaging machine

Abstract

To provide a bag making, filling and packaging machine capable of avoiding interference between a zipper piece and a zipper tape without peeling off the zipper piece stuck to a packaging material.SOLUTION: A packaging machine 1 comprises: a packaging material feeder 3 (feed-out device) that feeds out the packaging material W along a feed-out path 7; a zipper attachment device 9 that conveys a zipper piece Z to a predetermined attachment position P on the feed-out path 7 and attaches the zipper piece Z to the packaging material W in a state where feeding is stopped; a packaging material moving device that moves the packaging material W between a normal state in which the zipper piece Z can be attached to the packaging material W at the predetermined attachment position P and a retracted state in which the zipper piece Z attached to the packaging material W are retracted from the predetermined attachment position P; and a control device 8 that drives and controls the packaging material moving device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a form-fill-seal machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known technology relating to a form-fill-seal packaging machine equipped with a zipper application device. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a form-fill-seal packaging machine equipped with a zipper application device that cuts a zipper tape with a cutter to form zipper pieces, and then transports the zipper pieces to a predetermined application position on a payout path and applies them to packaging material. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-69624 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a form-fill-seal machine such as that described in Patent Document 1, operation of the machine may be temporarily stopped while a zipper strip is attached to the packaging material. When the machine is restarted, a process may be performed in which the zipper tape is unwound, cut, and removed by the required length to initially align a new zipper strip of a specified length, which is transported to the specified attachment position and attached. In this process, the zipper strip already attached to the packaging material and the zipper tape being removed in the process may interfere with each other, causing the packaging material to shift position and meander. While it is possible for an operator to manually peel and remove the zipper strip already attached to the packaging material, this is undesirable from a safety perspective and would result in a waste of resources.

[0005] The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and its purpose is to provide a bag-making, filling, and packaging machine that can avoid interference between zipper pieces and zipper tape without peeling off the zipper pieces attached to the packaging material. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the bag form, fill and seal machine of the present invention is a bag form, fill and seal machine that forms packaging material into a bag shape and fills it with a filling material, and is equipped with a feeding device that feeds out the packaging material along a feeding path, a zipper application device that transports a zipper piece to a predetermined application position on the feeding path and applies the zipper piece to the packaging material when feeding is stopped, a packaging material moving device that moves the packaging material between a normal state in which the zipper piece can be applied to the packaging material at the predetermined application position and a retracted state in which the zipper piece applied to the packaging material is retracted from the predetermined application position, and a control device that drives and controls the packaging material moving device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the bag making, filling and packaging machine of the present invention, the packaging material moving device can retract the zipper piece attached to the packaging material from the specified attachment position, thereby making it possible to avoid interference between the zipper piece and the zipper tape without peeling off the zipper piece attached to the packaging material. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a vertical bag making, filling and packaging machine equipped with a zipper application device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a part of the operation of feeding out the zipper tape, cutting the zipper tape, and feeding the zipper piece Z. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a packaging material moving device. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing some of the components of the packaging material moving device. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the area surrounded by the dashed line in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are side views showing the operation of the packaging material moving device. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between bag length and attachment position. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the packaging machine when removing the seam of the zipper tape. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a vertical form-fill-seal packaging machine equipped with a zipper application device of the embodiment. The vertical form-fill-seal packaging machine 1 (hereinafter referred to as "packaging machine 1") is equipped with a bag-making tube 2, a packaging material feeder 3 (feeding device), a vertical sealing device 4, a horizontal sealing device 5, a control device 8, and a zipper application device 9. Each component of the packaging machine 1 is supported by a main body frame (not shown). In the following description, "frame members (not shown)" refers to frame members fixed to the main body frame.

[0010] The packaging machine 1 is supplied with a filling material, such as a powdered or solid material such as food, to be filled into bags F. The bag-forming tube 2 extends vertically and receives the filling material through a hopper (not shown) connected to its upper end. Alternatively, a filling tube extending vertically and connected to a hopper may be disposed within the bag-forming tube 2, and the filling material may be supplied to the bag-forming tube 2 via the filling tube. A former 6 is attached to the bag-forming tube 2, and a payout path 7 extends from the former 6 to the packaging material roll WR. A packaging material tension adjustment unit 7a is located midway along the payout path 7, using multiple dancer rollers to adjust the tension of the packaging material W along the path. A zipper piece Z (see FIG. 2) supplied from a zipper application device 9 is temporarily attached to the packaging material W at a predetermined attachment position P midway along the payout path 7 by welding.

[0011] The packaging material feeders 3 are arranged below the formers 6, one on each side of the bag-formed tube 2. Each packaging material feeder 3 has an endless suction belt that adsorbs the packaging material W onto the suction belt, and as the suction belt travels, pays out the packaging material W downward along the outer periphery of the bag-formed tube 2. As a result, the packaging material W, such as a heat-sealable film, is paid out from the packaging material roll WR along the payout path 7 and is guided downward along the outer periphery of the bag-formed tube 2 while being formed into a cylindrical shape that surrounds the bag-formed tube 2 by the formers 6. At this time, a lap portion is formed in the packaging material W, with both side edges of the cylindrical packaging material W overlapping each other in a predetermined shape.

[0012] The vertical sealing device 4 is disposed adjacent to the packaging material W on the outer peripheral surface of the bag-forming tube 2 and opens and closes relative to the bag-forming tube 2, heat-sealing the lapped portion of the packaging material W with a pair of heater blocks. The horizontal sealing device 5 is located below the bag-forming tube 2 and forms a horizontal seal on the packaging material W by sandwiching and heat-sealing the packaging material W with a pair of openable and closable heater blocks, and then cuts the packaging material W with a cutter. Adjacent to the pair of heater blocks of the horizontal sealing device 5 are a pair of zipper heater blocks 5z that finally attach a zipper piece Z to the packaging material. The pair of zipper heater blocks 5z open and close separately from the pair of heater blocks of the horizontal sealing device 5. As a result, when a horizontal seal is formed on the packaging material W, the zipper piece Z is finally attached by welding to the inner surface of the cylindrically formed packaging material W by the pair of zipper heater blocks 5z. This closes the top and bottom ends of the cut packaging material W, and a zippered bag F filled with a content is formed. The zipper piece Z is provided at a position corresponding to the opening position of the bag F.

[0013] The control device 8 is a control device that performs overall control of the packaging machine 1, and is configured to include input / output devices, memory devices (ROM, RAM, non-volatile RAM, etc.), a central processing unit (CPU), etc. The control device 8 controls the various devices and equipment provided in the packaging machine 1, such as the packaging material feeder 3, the vertical sealing device 4, the horizontal sealing device 5, and the zipper application device 9, in accordance with various settings input via the input / output devices.

[0014] (Zipper piece) FIG. 2(a) is a front view of zipper piece Z, and FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in (a). FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of zipper piece Z. Zipper piece Z has a male zipper piece ZA and a female zipper piece ZB. Male zipper piece ZA has a mating convex portion ZAt extending in the longitudinal direction and a male flange portion ZAf extending from mating convex portion ZAt to one side in the lateral direction (width direction). Female zipper piece ZB has a mating recess ZBu extending in the longitudinal direction and female flange portions ZBf extending from mating recess ZBu to both sides in the lateral direction (width direction). The male zipper piece ZA and the female zipper piece ZB form a mating portion Za by mating their respective mating convex portions ZAt and mating concave portions ZBu, thereby forming an integral zipper piece Z. The male flange portion ZAf and the female flange portion ZBf of the zipper piece Z are welded to the opposing inner surfaces of the bag F. At both longitudinal ends of the zipper piece Z, there are formed compressed portions Zb formed by compressing the mating portion Za, and crushed portions Zc formed by further crushing and welding the central portions of the compressed portions Zb. Such zipper pieces Z are formed by cutting the zipper tape T at the centers Zd of the crushed portions Zc.

[0015] (Zipper attaching device) In the zipper application device 9, the zipper tape T supplied from the supply device 10 is redirected toward the payout path 7 by a direction changing section 11, and then an end welding device 12 forms a compressed section Zb and a crushed section Zc on the zipper tape T. The zipper tape T is cut by a cutting device 13 to form zipper pieces Z. The zipper pieces Z are positioned at application positions P on the packaging material W by a payout and conveyance device 14, and the welding device 15 (see FIG. 7) temporarily attaches the zipper pieces Z to the packaging material W by thermocompression. In the following description, one of the horizontal directions in which the zipper tape T moves is referred to as "direction X," and the other horizontal direction perpendicular to direction X is referred to as "direction Y." The direction perpendicular to direction X and direction Y is the up-down direction.

[0016] The supply device 10 rotates and feeds the zipper roll ZR, around which the zipper tape T is wound, using an electric motor (not shown). The zipper tape T fed from the zipper roll ZR is also fed by a feed conveying device 14 (described later). The tension of the zipper tape T within the movement path is adjusted by a zipper tension adjusting unit 10a, which adjusts the positions of multiple path rollers (not shown) that form the movement path of the zipper tape T. After passing through the zipper tension adjusting unit 10a, the zipper tape T is twisted between multiple direction change rollers (not shown) of a direction changing unit 11, thereby changing its movement direction by 180 degrees.

[0017] The edge welding device 12 is provided downstream of the direction change unit 11. The edge welding device 12 is an ultrasonic device having an ultrasonic head 121 and an anvil (not shown) arranged opposite each other with the zipper tape T sandwiched therebetween. The edge welding device 12 is driven and controlled by the control device 8, and generates ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic head 121 while pressing and clamping the zipper tape T between the ultrasonic head 121 and the anvil, thereby forming the above-mentioned compressed portions Zb and crushed portions Zc in the zipper tape T. The compressed portions Zb and crushed portions Zc are formed at intervals corresponding to the length of the zipper piece Z by intermittently feeding out the zipper tape T.

[0018] The cutting device 13 is provided downstream of the end welding device 12. The cutting device 13 has a knife 131 that is movable vertically, a drive device (not shown) that moves the knife 131, and a clamping member 132 (FIG. 3) that clamps the zipper tape T when the zipper tape T is cut by the knife 131. The cutting device 13 is driven and controlled by the control device 8, and cuts the zipper tape T at predetermined lengths using the knife 131. In this embodiment, the end welding device 12 and the cutting device 13 are configured so that their relative positions in the direction X can be adjusted, allowing the length of the zipper piece Z to be easily adjusted.

[0019] The unwinding and conveying device 14 has a unwinding member 141 and a conveying member 142. The unwinding member 141 is a mechanism for intermittently unwinding the zipper tape T at a length of the zipper piece Z according to the product specifications of the bag F. The unwinding member 141 includes gripping claws for gripping the tip of the zipper tape T and an air chuck for opening and closing the gripping claws, and is configured to be movable along the direction X by power from, for example, an electric motor. The conveying member 142 is a mechanism for conveying the zipper piece Z after cutting to the joining position P. The conveying member 142 includes gripping claws for gripping the zipper piece Z and an air chuck for opening and closing the gripping claws, and is configured to be movable along the direction X by power from, for example, an electric motor. The control device 8 controls the driving of the unwinding member 141 and the conveying member 142.

[0020] (feeding, cutting and transporting operations) 3(a) to 3(e) are explanatory diagrams showing a part of the operation of feeding out the zipper tape T, cutting the zipper tape T, and feeding the zipper piece Z. In Fig. 3, the members with dotted patterns indicate a state in which they are gripping the zipper tape T or the zipper piece Z, and the members with white color indicate a state in which they are not gripping the zipper tape T or the zipper piece Z. Note that Figs. 3(a), 3(b), 3(c), and 3(e) show a state in which the feeding out of the packaging material W is stopped.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3(a), the control device 8 grips the leading end of the zipper tape T before cutting with the feeding member 141 and moves it downstream, positioning the zipper tape T at the cutting position Pc by the cutting device 13 (a position overlapping the leading end position of the knife 131 when viewed from above). As described above, the feeding length of the zipper tape T corresponds to the length of the zipper piece Z. At this time, the zipper tape T is placed on the clamping member 132 of the cutting device 13. At the same time, the control device 8 grips the zipper piece Z that was previously cut with the conveying member 142 and moves it downstream, positioning it at the attachment position P. The attachment position P is determined so that the center of the packaging material W in the width direction and the center of the zipper piece Z in the longitudinal direction coincide with each other. As shown in Fig. 1, an edge sensor E is provided near the packaging material W to detect the meandering of the packaging material W at its edge, and based on the detection result of the edge sensor E, the control device 8 controls the conveying member 142 so that the longitudinal center of the zipper piece Z coincides with the widthwise center of the packaging material W. Note that if the position of the vertical seal portion of the bag F is not located in the center of the bag F as shown in Fig. 1, the attachment position P of the zipper piece Z to the packaging material W is also positioned at a position on the packaging material W that corresponds to this. Thereafter, the control device 8 temporarily attaches the zipper piece Z to the packaging material W using the welding device 15.

[0022] Next, as shown in Fig. 3(b), the control device 8 causes the clamping member 132 of the cutting device 13 to grip the zipper tape T, releases the grip of the zipper tape T by the feeding member 141, and releases the grip of the zipper piece Z by the conveying member 142. Next, as shown in Fig. 3(c), the control device 8 causes the cutting device 13 to cut the zipper tape T to form the next zipper piece Z. The clamping member 132 of the cutting device 13 is in a state of clamping the leading end of the zipper tape T and the zipper piece Z after the cut. At this time, the control device 8 moves the feeding member 141 upstream to a position where it can grip the new leading end of the zipper tape T after the cut, and moves the conveying member 142 upstream to a position where it can grip the new zipper piece Z.

[0023] Next, as shown in FIG. 3(d), the control device 8 causes the unwinding member 141 to grip the leading end of the zipper tape T and the conveying member 142 to grip the zipper piece Z, and then releases the clamping member 132 of the cutting device 13 from gripping the zipper tape T and the new zipper piece Z. During this time, the control device 8 also unwinds the packaging material W to a position corresponding to the attachment position P (see dashed line) of the next zipper piece Z, and again stops the unwinding of the packaging material W. The control device 8 then returns to the process of FIG. 3(a). During the above process, the edge welding device 12 may form the compressed portion Zb and the crushed portion Zc in the zipper tape T while the movement of the zipper tape T is fixed (between FIGS. 3(b) and 3(d)). As a result, the zipper tape T is sequentially positioned at the cutting position Pc by the cutting device 13, and new zipper pieces Z are sequentially positioned at the attachment position P by the payout and conveyance device 14, and the zipper pieces Z are welded to the attachment position P.

[0024] (packaging material moving device) In the packaging machine 1 configured as described above, operation may be temporarily stopped with the zipper piece Z attached to the packaging material W. When the packaging machine 1 is restarted, a process may be performed in which the zipper tape T is unwound, cut, and removed by the required length to initially align a new zipper piece Z of a predetermined length transported to the attachment position P. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 3( e), the unwound conveying device 14 must move a predetermined range of the zipper tape T toward the packaging material W and then the cutting device 13 must cut it at least once. In this case, the zipper piece Z already attached to the packaging material W may interfere with the cut portion of the zipper tape T that is removed in the process, potentially shifting the position of the packaging material W and causing it to meander. While it is conceivable for an operator to manually peel off and remove the zipper piece Z already attached to the packaging material W, performing this manual operation within the device is undesirable from a safety perspective and would result in a waste of resources.

[0025] Therefore, the packaging machine 1 of this embodiment is provided with a packaging material moving device 20 to avoid the above-mentioned interference. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the packaging material moving device 20. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing some of the components of the packaging material moving device 20. Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the area surrounded by the dashed line in Fig. 5, viewed from direction Y. Fig. 7 is a side view showing the operation of the packaging material moving device 20.

[0026] The packaging material moving device 20 includes a path fluctuating roller 21, a lever support member 22, an inner lever 23, an outer lever 24, rotating shafts 25 and 26, a support frame 30, a guide frame 40, and a lever drive device 50. The path fluctuating roller 21 is one of the path rollers that form the feeding path 7 downstream of a predetermined attachment position P in the feeding direction of the packaging material W. As shown in Figures 1 and 7, the path fluctuating roller 21 extends in the width direction (direction X) of the packaging material W and comes into contact with the upper surface of the packaging material W.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the lever support members 22 are disposed one by one on the outer side of the path fluctuation rollers 21 in the width direction. Each lever support member 22 is provided with a roller-shaped protrusion 22t extending inward in the width direction. Rotating shafts 25, 26 extending parallel to the path fluctuation rollers 21 are rotatably suspended between the lever support members 22. As shown in FIG. 6, the rotating shaft 25 penetrates the lever support member 22 and extends outward in the width direction. A pinion gear 26a is provided on the rotating shaft 26 on the inner side of the lever support member 22 in the width direction. One of the lever support members 22 (referred to as "lever support member 221" as appropriate) is provided with a handle 22h for manually rotating the rotating shaft 26.

[0028] The inner levers 23 are attached to both ends of the path fluctuation roller 21 on the widthwise inner side of the lever support member 22, respectively, and rotatably support the path fluctuation roller 21. The outer lever 24 is disposed on the widthwise outer side of the other lever support member 22. The outer lever 24 is provided with a roller-shaped protrusion 24t that extends outward in the widthwise direction. Each of the inner levers 23 and outer levers 24 is fixed to a rotation shaft 25 and rotates together with the rotation shaft 25.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 4, the support frame 30 has a first frame 31 and a second frame 32 that are spaced apart from each other in the width direction and arranged facing each other. The first frame 31 and the second frame 32 are connected to each other by a connecting member 33. Two path rollers R1 and R2 that form a feeding path 7 for the packaging material W are rotatably suspended between the first frame 31 and the second frame 32. As shown in FIG. 7, the path rollers R1 and R2 are arranged adjacent to the path fluctuation roller 21 on the feeding path 7. The first frame 31 and the second frame 32 are arranged near both ends of the path fluctuation roller 21, specifically, between the lever support member 22 and the inner lever 23 in the width direction. The first frame 31 and the second frame 32 each have a groove 34 formed as a through-hole extending in the vertical direction. A rack gear 35 that extends in the vertical direction adjacent to the groove 34 and has a plurality of teeth is provided on the inner surface of the first frame 31 and the second frame 32.

[0030] The lever support member 22 is disposed on the outside of the first frame 31 and the second frame 32, and the protrusion 22t of the lever support member 22 is rotatably fitted into the groove 34. The rotating shaft 26 protrudes to the outside of the first frame 31 and the second frame 32 through the groove 34. However, the pinion gear 26a provided on the rotating shaft 26 is configured to mesh with the rack gear 35, as shown in FIG. 4. As a result, when the handle 22h is manually rotated, the pinion gear 26a and the rack gear 35 convert the rotational motion of the rotating shaft 26 into linear motion in the vertical direction. As a result, the path fluctuation roller 21, the lever support member 22, the inner lever 23, the outer lever 24, and the rotating shafts 25 and 26 can all be moved along the groove 34. As described above, the groove 34 that indirectly supports the path fluctuation roller 21 so that it can move freely along the direction (second direction) in which the vertical distance between the path fluctuation rollers R1 and R2 changes, the rack gear 35 extending along the groove 34, and the pinion gear 26a that can move freely along the groove 34 together with the path fluctuation roller 21 form a position adjustment mechanism 60 that adjusts the vertical height of the path fluctuation roller 21.

[0031] The lever support member 221 is also provided with a gripper 22g and a nut 22n (FIG. 5) as a mechanism for fixing the vertical position of the lever support member 221 relative to the first frame 31. The gripper 22g is rotatably attached to the lever support member 221 and is the part that an operator grips. The nut 22n is the part that clamps the first frame 31 between itself and the lever support member 221 and is connected to the gripper 22g. The nut 22n is configured to be switchable between a position where it clamps the first frame 31 between itself and the lever support member 221 and a position away from the first frame 31, depending on the rotational position of the gripper 22g. This allows the operator to manually operate the gripper 22g to fix the lever support member 221 (i.e., the entire path fluctuation roller 21, lever support member 22, inner lever 23, outer lever 24, and rotation shafts 25 and 26) relative to the first frame 31 at any position along the groove 34.

[0032] Furthermore, an indicator 36 extending in the vertical direction near the groove 34 is provided on the outer surface of the first frame 31. The indicator 36 has a scale engraved on it that indicates the overall height position of the path variation roller 21, lever support member 22, inner lever 23, outer lever 24, and rotating shafts 25, 26 that move along the groove 34 as described above. The lever support member 221 is provided with an indicator 22a that indicates the position of the indicator 36. With this configuration, the operator can easily adjust the height of the lever support member 221 by visually checking the indicator 22a and the indicator 36.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 4, the guide frame 40 is disposed outside the second frame 32 and facing the second frame 32. The guide frame 40 is movable relative to the support frame 30 in direction Y. A groove 41 extending in the vertical direction is formed in the guide frame 40, and the protrusion 24t of the outer lever 24 is rotatably fitted into the groove 41. During normal operation of the packaging machine 1, the guide frame 40 is disposed in a position where the groove 41 and the above-mentioned groove 34 are aligned.

[0034] 7, the lever drive device 50 has a plate member 52 attached to the tip of a piston rod 51a extending from an air cylinder 51. The plate member 52 is attached to the guide frame 40 via a pair of upper and lower legs 53. Each leg 53 is slidably supported by a frame member (not shown) via a bearing 54 (for example, a linear bushing).

[0035] (Operation of packaging material moving device) The operation of the packaging material moving device 20 will be described with reference to Figure 7. As shown in Figure 7(a), when the piston rod 51a of the air cylinder 51 is extended, the outer lever 24 is configured to maintain a substantially vertical position (a state in which the groove 34 of the support frame 30 and the groove 41 of the guide frame 40 shown in Figure 4 are aligned). At this time, the packaging material W is in a normal state in which the zipper piece Z can be attached to the packaging material W at a predetermined attachment position P. During normal operation of the packaging machine 1, the packaging material W is fed out and the zipper piece Z is supplied by the zipper attachment device 9 in this normal state.

[0036] On the other hand, when the process of cutting and removing the necessary length of zipper tape T for initial alignment after the packaging machine 1 resumes operation as described above is performed, the control device 8 retracts the piston rod 51a to move the guide frame 40 to the left in the figure, as shown in FIG. 7(b). This causes the protrusion 24t of the outer lever 24 to move upward within the groove 41 of the guide frame 40, and the outer lever 24 rotates clockwise around the rotation shaft 25 relative to the lever support member 22. Accordingly, the inner lever 23 connected to the rotation shaft 25 also rotates clockwise, causing the path fluctuation roller 21 to move diagonally downward and pulling the packaging material W further downward. As a result, the packaging material W enters a retracted state in which the zipper piece Z is retracted downstream in the payout direction (left side in the figure) from the predetermined attachment position P. This makes it possible to avoid interference between the cut portion of the zipper tape T and the zipper piece Z attached to the packaging material W. The cut portion of the zipper tape T that has avoided interference with the zipper piece Z is not welded to the packaging material W by the welding device 15, but is placed on the packaging material W, and then falls from above the packaging material W to the bottom of the packaging machine 1.

[0037] As described above, the lever support member 22, the inner lever 23, the outer lever 24, the rotating shafts 25 and 26, the support frame 30, and the guide frame 40 constitute a support mechanism 70 that supports the path fluctuation roller 21 so that it is movable along a first direction (the rotation direction of the inner lever 23 and the outer lever 24) as a predetermined direction that pulls the packaging material W downstream so that it changes from the normal state to the retracted state. The lever drive device 50 constitutes a drive device that moves the path fluctuation roller 21, supported by the support mechanism 70, along the first direction.

[0038] When the initial alignment process is complete, the control device 8 extends the piston rod 51a as shown in Figure 7(a). Because tension is applied to the packaging material W by the packaging tension adjustment unit 7a shown in Figure 1, the zipper piece Z on the packaging material W moves again upstream in the payout direction (to the right in the figure) and returns to the attachment position P. This allows the packaging machine 1 to resume normal operation, and the cut portion of the zipper tape T placed on the packaging material W falls from above the packaging material W to the bottom of the packaging machine 1.

[0039] (Adjusting the packaging material path length according to the bag length) Next, adjustment of the path length of the packaging material W according to the length of the bag F as a product will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the length of the bag F and the attachment position P. First, as shown in Fig. 8(a), when the length of the bag F to be manufactured, that is, the portion WF of the packaging material W that will become the bag F, is length a, the zipper piece Z is attached to the packaging material W at the attachment position P every time the packaging material W is fed out by length a. The path length from the attachment position P to the cutting position of the packaging material W in the horizontal sealing device 5 at this time is defined as the first path length L1.

[0040] Next, as shown in Figure 8(b), suppose that the length of the bag F to be manufactured is changed from a to a (> a) length. In this case, the number of portions WF that will become the bag F included in the first path length L1 changes, and the position P1 where the zipper piece Z should be attached in the portion WF that will become the bag F no longer matches the predetermined attachment position P. Therefore, in response to the change in the length of the bag F from a to b, it is necessary to change the second path length L2, which is longer than the first path length L1, as shown in Figure 8(c), so that the position P1 matches the predetermined attachment position P.

[0041] Therefore, the packaging material moving device 20 of this embodiment has the position adjustment mechanism 60, as described above. Specifically, by configuring the path fluctuation roller 21 to be movable along the groove 34, the vertical height of the path fluctuation roller 21 can be adjusted within the length of the groove 34, as shown by the solid arrow in FIG. 7( a). The more the path fluctuation roller 21 is moved downward, the longer the length over which the path fluctuation roller 21 pulls the packaging material W, thereby making it possible to relatively lengthen the path length. On the other hand, the more the path fluctuation roller 21 is moved upward, the shorter the length over which the path fluctuation roller 21 pulls the packaging material W, thereby making it possible to relatively shorten the path length. In this way, the groove 34 can be considered a portion that indirectly supports the path fluctuation roller 21 so that it can move freely along the second direction (vertical direction) in which the packaging material W is pulled. This makes it easy to accommodate changes in the length of the bags F.

[0042] (Zipper tape seam elimination) A zipper roll ZR is generally formed by connecting multiple zipper tapes T. Therefore, the entire zipper roll ZR includes a seam Ts (see FIG. 1 ) between the zipper tapes T, and the portion including the seam Ts needs to be removed so as not to be attached to the bag F. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1 , the zipper application device 9 of this embodiment includes a seam detection device 16 that detects the seam Ts of the zipper tape T. The seam detection device 16 may be any device capable of detecting the seam tape connecting the zipper tapes T, and may be, for example, a sensor that detects light. That is, if the zipper tape T is made of a transparent material, the seam tape can be made of a material that is difficult for light to transmit, and the sensor can detect the difference in light transmittance between the zipper tape T and the seam tape, thereby detecting the seam Ts. When the seam detection device 16 detects the seam Ts, it outputs the detection result to the control device 8.

[0043] When the detection result of the seam Ts is input from the seam detection device 16, the control device 8 operates the packaging machine 1 including the packaging material moving device 20 as follows. Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the packaging machine 1 when removing the seam Ts of the zipper tape T. Note that during the operation shown in Figure 9, the feeding of the packaging material W is stopped. Furthermore, when the portion of the zipper tape T including the seam Ts is fed to the cutting device 13, the cutting device 13 cuts it into a zipper piece Zs including the seam Ts (see steps ST4 to ST6).

[0044] The control device 8 transports a predetermined number of previous zipper segments Zs including the seam Ts to the attachment position P using the transport member 142 (step ST1). The "predetermined number" is determined depending on the distance between the seam detection device 16 and the attachment position P. If it is sufficient to remove only the zipper segments Zs including the seam Ts, the "predetermined number" is one. Next, the control device 8 controls the operation of the welding device 15 to temporarily attach the zipper segments Z to the packaging material W (step ST2). At this time, the packaging material W is in the normal state described above. Note that if the feeding of the packaging material W has stopped with the zipper segment Z attached to the packaging material W when the seam detection device 16 detects the seam Ts, steps ST1 and ST2 are unnecessary.

[0045] Next, the control device 8 opens the welding device 15 and releases the grip of the zipper piece Z by the conveying member 142 (step ST3). The control device 8 also sets the packaging material moving device 20 to the state shown in Fig. 7(b), for example, and moves the portion of the packaging material W to which the zipper piece Z is attached from the attachment position P downstream in the payout direction (to the left in the figure) as indicated by the solid arrow (step ST3). This places the packaging material W in the retracted state described above.

[0046] Next, the control device 8 causes the conveying member 142 to convey the zipper piece Zs to be rejected to the attachment position P (step ST4), and releases the conveying member 142 from gripping the zipper piece Z (step ST5). At this time, the zipper piece Zs is placed on the packaging material W at the attachment position P. The "zipper piece Zs to be rejected" includes at least the "zipper piece Zs including the seam Ts" and "plurality of zipper pieces Zs" that are cut sequentially from a predetermined length of zipper tape T before and after the "zipper piece Zs including the seam Ts."

[0047] Next, the control device 8 places the packaging material moving device 20 in the state shown in Figure 7(a), for example, and returns the packaging material W to its original position on the upstream side in the payout direction (right side in the figure) as indicated by the solid arrow (step ST6). When the packaging material W is returned to the upstream side of the payout path 7 in this way, the zipper pieces Z placed on the packaging material W move upstream together with the packaging material W. In this embodiment, because the portion of the packaging material W that is upstream of the attachment position P in the payout direction extends downward, the zipper pieces Zs fall from on the packaging material W to the bottom of the packaging machine 1 and are removed. Thereafter, the control device 8 repeats the processes of steps ST4 to ST6 until all of the predetermined number of zipper pieces Zs have been removed.

[0048] In addition, the operations of steps ST3 to ST6 in Figure 9 may also be performed when performing a process of cutting and removing the zipper tape T to the required length after the packaging machine 1 described above has resumed operation (these operations can be performed by replacing the zipper piece Zs with the cut portion of the zipper tape T after the packaging machine 1 described above has resumed operation).

[0049] As described above, the packaging machine 1 of this embodiment comprises a packaging material feeder 3 (feed-out device) that feeds out packaging material W along the feed-out path 7, a zipper attachment device 9 that transports zipper piece Z to a predetermined attachment position P on the feed-out path 7 and attaches the zipper piece Z to the packaging material W when the feeding is stopped, a packaging material moving device 20 that moves the packaging material W between a normal state in which the zipper piece Z can be attached to the packaging material W at the predetermined attachment position P and a retracted state in which the zipper piece Z attached to the packaging material W is retracted from the predetermined attachment position P, and a control device 8 that drives and controls the packaging material moving device 20.

[0050] With this configuration, the packaging material moving device 20 can move the zipper piece Z attached to the packaging material W away from the predetermined attachment position P. Therefore, according to the packaging machine 1 of the embodiment, it is possible to avoid interference between the zipper piece Z and the zipper tape without peeling off the zipper piece Z attached to the packaging material W.

[0051] The packaging material moving device 20 also includes a path variation roller 21 that forms the payout path 7 downstream of the predetermined attachment position P, a support mechanism 70 that supports the path variation roller 21 so that it is movable along a first direction (predetermined direction) that pulls the packaging material W downstream from the normal state to the retracted state, and a lever drive device 50 that moves the path variation roller 21 supported by the support mechanism 70 along the first direction. With this configuration, the packaging material W can be moved between the normal state and the retracted state using the path variation roller 21, which is one of the path rollers that form the payout path 7.

[0052] The support mechanism 70 also includes a position adjustment mechanism 60 that adjusts the position of the path fluctuation roller 21 so that the path length of the payout path 7 downstream from the predetermined attachment position P can be changed in accordance with the length of the bag F to be manufactured. This configuration makes it easy to change the path length of the packaging material W downstream from the attachment position P. As a result, even if the length of the bag F is changed, it is possible to align the position P1 where the zipper piece Z should originally be attached with the predetermined attachment position P.

[0053] The position adjustment mechanism 60 also includes a groove 34 that supports the path fluctuation roller 21 so as to be movable in a direction (second direction) in which the vertical distance (linear distance) between the path fluctuation roller 21 and two path rollers R1, R2 arranged adjacent to the path fluctuation roller 21 on the payout path 7 changes, a rack gear 35 that extends along the groove 34, and a pinion gear 26a that is movable along the groove 34 together with the path fluctuation roller 21. This configuration allows the position adjustment mechanism 60 to have a simple configuration.

[0054] The zipper applying device 9 also has a seam detection device 16 that detects seam Ts of the zipper tape that will become the zipper piece Z, and when seam detection device 16 detects seam Ts of the zipper tape, the control device 8 stops the feeding of the packaging material W before the zipper piece Zs including the seam Ts is transported to the predetermined applying position P, and causes the packaging material moving device 20 to retract the packaging material W. This configuration makes it possible to avoid interference between the zipper piece Zs including the zipper tape seam Ts and zipper pieces Z already applied to the packaging material W, and to remove the zipper piece Zs including the zipper tape seam Ts.

[0055] Although the description of the embodiment is now complete, aspects of the present invention are not limited to this embodiment. For example, in this embodiment, the packaging material W is pulled to the retracted state by moving the path fluctuation roller 21 in the first direction, but the packaging material moving device 20 may be any device that can move the packaging material W between the normal state and the retracted state.

[0056] In this embodiment, the packaging material W is moved between the normal state and the retracted state by moving the path fluctuation roller 21 in the first direction (the direction in which the inner lever 23 and the outer lever 24 rotate). However, the packaging material W may also be moved between the normal state and the retracted state by moving the path fluctuation roller 21 in the second direction (the up-down direction). [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1. Packaging machine (vertical form-fill-seal machine) 3 Packaging material feeder (feeding device) 7. Payout path 8 Control Device 9 Zipper attachment device 16 Seam detection device 20 Packaging material moving device 21 Path change roller 22, 221 Lever support member 23 Inner lever 24 Outer lever 25, 26 Rotation axis 26a pinion gear 30 Support Frame 34 Groove 35 rack gear 40 Guide Frame 41 Groove 50 Lever drive device 60 Position adjustment mechanism 70 Support mechanism F bag P Prescribed attachment position Ts seam W packaging material Z, Zs zipper pieces

Claims

1. A form-fill-seal packaging machine that forms packaging material into a bag shape and fills it with a filling material, a feeding device that feeds the packaging material along a feeding path; a zipper attaching device that conveys a zipper piece to a predetermined attachment position on the feeding path and attaches the zipper piece to the packaging material in a state where feeding is stopped; a packaging material moving device that moves the packaging material between a normal state in which the zipper piece can be attached to the packaging material at the predetermined attachment position and a retracted state in which the zipper piece attached to the packaging material is retracted from the predetermined attachment position; a control device that drives and controls the packaging material moving device; A form-fill-seal machine comprising:

2. The packaging material moving device is a path variation roller that forms the payout path downstream of the predetermined attachment position; a support mechanism that supports the path variation roller so as to be movable along a predetermined direction that pulls the packaging material downstream so as to change from the normal state to the retracted state; a drive device that moves the path variation roller supported by the support mechanism along the predetermined direction; The bag form, fill and seal machine according to claim 1, comprising:

3. 3. The bag form-fill-seal packaging machine according to claim 2, wherein the support mechanism includes a position adjustment mechanism that adjusts the position of the path fluctuation roller so that the path length of the payout path downstream from the predetermined attachment position can be changed according to the length of the bags to be manufactured.

4. The position adjustment mechanism includes: a groove for supporting the path variation roller so that the path variation roller can move in a direction in which a distance between the path variation roller and a path roller disposed adjacent to the path variation roller on the payout path changes; a rack gear extending along the groove; a pinion gear that is movable along the groove together with the path varying roller; The form-fill-seal packaging machine according to claim 3, further comprising:

5. The zipper attaching device has a seam detection device that detects seams of the zipper tape that will become the zipper pieces, When the seam of the zipper tape is detected by the seam detection device, the control device stops feeding of the packaging material before the zipper piece including the seam is transported to the predetermined attachment position, and causes the packaging material to be in the retracted state by the packaging material moving device. The bag form-fill-seal packaging machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

Images