Sealing device and sealing control method

Abstract

This invention provides a sealing device and its control method that facilitates the optimization of sealing conditions, is environmentally friendly, and achieves energy savings. [Solution] The control unit 16 of the heat sealing device 10 combines a temperature parameter related to the sealing temperature at which the heater block 11 melts the packaging material so that it can be welded, a pressure parameter related to the sealing pressure when the heater block clamps the melted packaging material, and a timing parameter related to the sealing time from when the heater block closes until the packaging material is welded and opened, to form a unique temperature profile for each packaging material. In addition, packaging material data unique to each of the multiple packaging materials is prepared, and a packaging material parameter bank containing multiple such packaging material data is provided. As a result, when the control unit specifies one of the packaging material data from the packaging material parameter bank, it is possible to form a temperature profile optimized for the packaging material identified based on that packaging material data and perform heat sealing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sealing device and a method for controlling the seal in the sealing device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, the packaging conditions of each packaging machine have been finely adjusted according to the factory where it is installed, the size and type of the packaging bag used, the product to be packaged in the packaging bag, and other usage conditions. Similarly, an initial setting operation for finely adjusting the seal conditions is also performed on the sealing device incorporated in the packaging machine. The seal conditions are mainly determined by three elements regarding the packaging material constituting the packaged product: the seal temperature for melting the synthetic resin film material constituting the packaging material, the seal pressure for bonding the melted film materials to each other at a predetermined pressure, and the seal time from melting the film material to bonding and integrating it. The initial setting work starts with roughly estimating the seal temperature and seal pressure at which the film material melts and integrates. Further, regarding the seal conditions, for example, elements related to the composition of the film material, such as whether the film material is composed of several laminated synthetic resin films, whether a metal foil such as aluminum or paper is adhered to the synthetic resin film layer, or whether it is composed of a single synthetic resin film monolayer, in addition to the thickness of each layer, the total thickness of the film material, the temperature in the factory where it is installed, the temperature of the packaged product manufactured from the packaging material, and other elements are taken into account, and work is carried out to optimize the seal conditions. The process of optimizing sealing conditions begins by setting multiple sealing conditions with slightly different values ​​for each of the three elements: sealing temperature, sealing pressure, and sealing time. The packaging material is then actually sealed according to each sealing condition, and the single sealing condition that yielded the best seal is narrowed down to. Based on this single sealing condition, multiple heat sealing trials are performed, and fine adjustments are made to the values ​​of each element related to that single sealing condition. This process determines a highly reproducible sealing condition—in other words, an optimized sealing condition for the sealing device incorporated into a specific packaging machine—that can reproduce the best sealing process even under changes in ambient temperature, factory temperature, and the number of items processed by the packaging machine. This process of optimizing sealing conditions typically involves first assembling the packaging machine at the manufacturing plant to determine its performance, then disassembling the machine, reassembling it at the customer's factory where it will be used, and then having a skilled worker responsible for adjusting the machine repeatedly conduct trials over several days to several weeks based on their experience and intuition to ensure the sealing device operates stably throughout the year. This process adjusts the sealing conditions specific to the packaging material used for the product, tailored to the customer's factory and operating conditions. After the packaging machine is operational at the customer's factory, the customer's staff, who have received training on how to use the machine from the aforementioned skilled worker, are responsible for daily maintenance. Furthermore, if the packaging material changes due to a change in the product, the staff member in charge repeatedly conducts trials over several days to several weeks to determine the sealing conditions specific to the new packaging material, similar to the process described above. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] No citation [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] As described above, optimizing the sealing conditions for a sealing device requires repeated trials and fine-tuning over a long period, from the time the packaging machine is delivered to the factory where it will be operated until it is actually put into operation. Therefore, the process from delivery to operation is extremely time-consuming. Furthermore, because the optimization process involves repeated trials, a large amount of packaging material is discarded with each trial, and the amount of thermal energy consumed during each trial is enormous. Furthermore, since the optimization process relies on the experience and intuition of skilled workers, as mentioned above, if an inexperienced worker performs the optimization, they may misjudge the process, resulting in welding defects where the packaging material melts too much or doesn't melt completely. As a result of inexperienced workers repeatedly experiencing welding defects during the optimization process, the adjustment work becomes more difficult, and it becomes difficult to arrive at the optimal sealing conditions, leading to an unnecessarily long trial and adjustment period. Furthermore, optimization work involves setting new sealing conditions for the new packaging material if there are changes in the packaging specifications, such as switching from one type of packaging to another. This requires the customer's staff, rather than the manufacturer's skilled workers, to perform the adjustments related to the sealing conditions, often without prior experience. This can lead to the disposal of even more packaging materials and the consumption of significant thermal energy.

[0005] Therefore, the problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a sealing device that facilitates the optimization of sealing conditions, takes environmental protection into consideration, and achieves energy saving, and also to provide a sealing control method related to said sealing device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The sealing device according to claim 1 comprises at least one pair of sealers that are heated to a predetermined temperature and seal film-like packaging materials together or by welding the packaging materials to another packaging body, An opening / closing mechanism that presses the opposingly positioned sealers in opposing directions with a predetermined pressure and opens and closes them at a predetermined timing, The system includes a control unit that controls the temperature of the sealer and controls the operation of the opening and closing mechanism according to a predetermined temperature profile, which is configured by combining a temperature parameter related to the sealing temperature at which the sealer melts the packaging material so that it can be welded, a pressure parameter related to the sealing pressure when the sealer clamps the melted packaging material, and a timing parameter related to the sealing time from when the sealer closes until it welds the packaging material and opens. When one packaging data is selected from a packaging parameter bank consisting of multiple packaging data pre-registered in a predetermined storage area, Based on the packaging data read from the storage area, the control unit determines the values ​​of the seal temperature related to the temperature parameter, the seal pressure related to the pressure parameter, and the seal time related to the timing parameter, and forms the temperature profile optimized for the packaging material. The control unit is characterized in that, according to the temperature profile, it heats the sealer to the sealing temperature, clamps the packaging material with the sealing pressure, and opens and closes the sealer at a predetermined timing related to the sealing time to seal the packaging material.

[0007] The sealing device according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the storage area is a cloud server virtually configured on the internet.

[0008] The sealing device according to claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 2, the packaging data registered in the packaging parameter bank can be updated within the cloud server.

[0009] The sealing device according to claim 4 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the sealer is a heater block composed of a substantially rectangular metal prism having opposing sealing surfaces.

[0010] The sealing device according to claim 5 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the sealer has a horn that vibrates ultrasonically in a predetermined frequency band and an anvil that is positioned opposite the horn.

[0011] The sealing device described in claim 6 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, it is configured to be able to supply a predetermined instantaneous current to the sealer.

[0012] The sealing device according to claim 7 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the sealer is configured to conduct a predetermined high-frequency induced current.

[0013] The sealing device according to claim 8 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, a plurality of pairs of sealers are provided, and the number of times the opening and closing mechanism opens and closes per unit time is variable, thereby allowing adjustment of the number of packaged products manufactured per unit time by sealing the packaging material.

[0014] The sealing device according to claim 9 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, a preheating unit is provided near the sealer for heating the portion of the packaging material to be sealed by the sealer to a predetermined temperature before sealing.

[0015] The sealing device according to claim 10 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, a cooling unit is provided near the sealer for cooling the portion of the packaging material to be sealed by the sealer to a predetermined temperature after sealing.

[0016] The sealing control method according to claim 11 is a sealing method for packaging materials that controls a sealing process in which film-like packaging materials are sealed to each other or to another packaging body by welding, according to a predetermined temperature profile, The temperature profile is configured by combining a temperature parameter related to the sealing temperature at which the packaging material is melted so that it can be welded, a pressure parameter related to the sealing pressure at which the melted packaging material is pressed, and a timing parameter related to the sealing time at which the packaging material is melted and pressed, based on at least physical property data relating to the structure and composition of the film material constituting the packaging material and packaging material data specific to the packaging material, including the thickness of the film material and three-dimensional data relating to the portion of the packaging material to be sealed. When one packaging data is selected from a packaging parameter bank consisting of multiple packaging data pre-registered in a predetermined memory area, Based on the specified packaging data, the values ​​of the seal temperature related to the temperature parameter, the seal pressure related to the pressure parameter, and the seal time related to the timing parameter are determined, and the temperature profile optimized for the packaging material is formed. The sealing process is characterized by comprising a dissolution step of melting the packaging material according to the temperature profile, and a crimping step of pressing the melted packaging materials together or pressing the packaging material to another packaging body according to the temperature profile. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the sealing device of the present invention, a temperature parameter related to the sealing temperature at which the sealer melts the packaging material so that it can be welded, a pressure parameter related to the sealing pressure when the sealer clamps the melted packaging material, and a timing parameter related to the sealing time from when the sealer closes until the packaging material is welded and opened are combined to form a predetermined temperature profile that can identify the packaging material. Furthermore, packaging material data that can identify each of the multiple packaging materials is prepared, and a packaging material parameter bank is formed consisting of these multiple packaging material data. As a result, when one of the packaging material data is selected from the packaging material parameter bank, a temperature profile optimized for the packaging material identified based on that packaging material data is formed, and the packaging material is sealed according to that temperature profile. As a result, for the sealing devices included in the packaging machines installed at various locations, if the packaging materials used are the same, the same sealing conditions can be applied. Therefore, the sealing conditions for a single type of packaging material can be easily set, and the optimization work for the sealing conditions can be easily carried out. Furthermore, since the optimization work can be easily carried out, environmental protection can be considered by reducing the packaging materials consumed in the trials related to the sealing process. By reducing the number of such trials, the consumption of thermal energy can be suppressed, and energy conservation can be achieved.

[0018] Preferably, a storage area in which a packaging material parameter bank is registered in advance is configured virtually on the Internet as a cloud server, and the packaging material data in the packaging material parameter bank can be updated. As a result, for the sealing devices included in the packaging machines to be installed at various locations, if the packaging materials used are the same, the sealing conditions can be downloaded from the cloud server and used. Therefore, the sealing conditions used in a factory with similar conditions where a packaging machine was installed earlier can be applied as an initial value. Thus, the sealing conditions for a single type of packaging material can be easily set, and the optimization work for the sealing conditions can be easily carried out. Furthermore, since the optimization work can be easily carried out, environmental protection can be considered by reducing the packaging materials consumed in the trials related to the sealing process. By reducing the number of such trials, the consumption of thermal energy can be suppressed, and energy conservation can be achieved. Furthermore, by associating the new sealing conditions applied to the sealing device included in the newly installed packaging machine with the packaging material data, the packaging material data can be updated. Based on the updated packaging material data, the sealing conditions can be further generalized, and the sealing conditions can be adjusted to facilitate the optimization work.

[0019] More preferably, the sealing device according to the present invention may be any sealing device configured to heat and melt the sealed portion of the packaging material, press-bond them to each other to integrate them, and then fix them upon cooling, such as a heat-sealing device including a metal heater block having sealing surfaces facing each other, an ultrasonic sealing device including a horn that vibrates with ultrasonic waves in a predetermined frequency band and an anvil disposed opposite to the horn, an impulse sealing device configured to energize a predetermined instantaneous current to a sealer and heat the sealer by the instantaneous current and a high voltage applied to the sealer to melt the sealed portion of the packaging material, or a high-frequency sealing device configured to energize a predetermined high-frequency induction current to a sealer to generate a high-frequency electromagnetic field in the vicinity of the sealer and heat and melt the inside of the sealed portion of the packaging material.

[0020] Even more preferably, a plurality of sealers are provided, and when the packaging capacity of a packaging machine incorporating the sealing device, for example, a gripper for gripping a packaging bag is provided in a plurality of two or three, etc., accordingly, whether a plurality of sealers seal a plurality of packaging materials in one sealing process or the number of times the opening and closing mechanism opens and closes per unit time can be set freely, and the number of manufactured packaging products per unit time produced by sealing the packaging material can be adjusted freely. Further, it is preferable to provide a preheating section near the sealer to preheat the sealed portion of the packaging material to a predetermined temperature in the previous stage of the sealing process, or to provide a cooling section near the sealer to cool the sealed portion of the packaging material to a predetermined temperature in the subsequent stage of the sealing process. As a result, regarding the implementation ability of the sealing device and the configuration of the sealing device, in addition to the elements related to the optimization work of the sealing conditions, for the sealing device provided in the packaging machine to be installed at each location, if the packaging material to be used is the same and the implementation ability or configuration is similar, similar sealing conditions can be applied. Therefore, the sealing conditions for one packaging material can be easily set, and the optimization work of the sealing conditions can be easily performed. Furthermore, since the optimization work can be easily performed, environmental protection can be considered by reducing the packaging material consumed in the trials related to the sealing process, and energy saving can be realized by suppressing the consumption of thermal energy by reducing the number of trials.

[0021] According to the sealing control method of the present invention, a predetermined temperature profile is formed based on packaging data specific to the packaging materials to be sealed by welding film-like packaging materials to each other or to another packaging body, and a sealing process is performed consisting of a melting step in which the packaging materials are melted and a pressing step in which the melted packaging materials are pressed together or to another packaging body. This allows for easy setting of optimal sealing conditions for a given packaging material, based on a temperature profile formed using data specific to that packaging material. Therefore, energy savings can be achieved and sealing quality improved by performing the sealing process according to these optimized conditions. Furthermore, when a single packaging data is selected from a packaging parameter bank consisting of multiple packaging data pre-registered in a predetermined memory area, the values ​​of the temperature parameter related to the sealing temperature at which the packaging material is melted to a weldable state, the pressure parameter related to the sealing pressure applied to the melted packaging material, and the timing parameter related to the sealing time for melting and applying pressure to the packaging material are determined, thereby determining a temperature profile optimized for that packaging material. This allows the same sealing conditions to be applied to the sealing control method for sealing devices installed in packaging machines at various locations, provided the same packaging material is used. This improves the reproducibility of sealing conditions for a single packaging material and facilitates the optimization of those sealing conditions. Furthermore, because the optimization process is simplified, the amount of packaging material consumed in trial sealing processes is reduced, contributing to environmental protection. Reducing the number of trials also reduces thermal energy consumption, resulting in energy savings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0022] [Figure 1] This is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the sealing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of the sealing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart illustrating the control method of the sealing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of DSC analysis used in the control method of the sealing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a DSC analysis of a packaging material used in the sealing device according to the first embodiment, before peak separation. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a package material used in the sealing device according to the first embodiment after peak separation following DSC analysis. [Example 1]

[0023] An embodiment of the sealing device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the sealing device according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the sealer in the sealing device according to this embodiment.

[0024] As an example of a sealing device according to the present invention, a heat sealing device is shown below in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the heat sealing device 10 consists of a pair of heater blocks 11, 11 with their sealing surfaces 12 facing each other, a heat source 13 for heating the heater blocks 11, an opening / closing mechanism 15 equipped with arms 14, 14 that can move toward and away from the heater blocks 11, 11 supported at their tips, and a control unit 16 that controls the temperature of the heater blocks 11 and the operation of the opening / closing mechanism 15. The heat sealing device 10 uses a heater block 11 heated by a heat source 13 to sandwich the overlapping portions of heat-sealable packaging materials between the sealing surfaces 12, thereby enabling it to, for example, seal the opening of a packaging bag B, form a pillow-type packaging bag into a cylindrical shape, or weld and seal a film-like packaging material to the periphery of a packaging container.

[0025] In addition to the heat sealing device 10 exemplified in this embodiment, the present invention is also applicable to ultrasonic sealing devices, impulse sealing devices, or high-frequency sealing devices. The ultrasonic sealing device replaces the heater block 11 with a horn that vibrates ultrasonically in a predetermined frequency band and an anvil positioned opposite the horn. The horn and anvil sandwich the portion of the packaging material to be sealed, the horn applies vibrational energy related to ultrasonic vibration to the portion to be sealed, melting the portion to be sealed by frictional heating, and the horn presses the portion to be sealed against the anvil to integrate them and seal the object. The impulse sealing device has a sealer configured to conduct a predetermined instantaneous current, instead of a heater block 11. When an instantaneous current is passed through the sealer, a high voltage is applied to the sealer by the instantaneous current, causing the sealer to heat up instantaneously, heating the area to be sealed, melting the area to be sealed, and the sealer then sandwiches and integrates the area to be sealed to create a seal. The high-frequency sealing device has a sealer configured to conduct a predetermined high-frequency induced current, instead of a heater block 11. When a high-frequency induced current is passed through the sealer, a high-frequency electromagnetic field is formed near the sealer by the current, causing the atoms constituting the sealed portion to vibrate and generate heat, resulting in the sealing portion melting. At this time, the sealer can seal the portion by sandwiching and integrating it with the portion to be sealed. Thus, even when using ultrasonic sealing devices, impulse sealing devices, or high-frequency sealing devices, the sealer is configured to heat the portion of the packaging material to be sealed, melt the portion to be sealed, and then clamp and press it together to create a unified seal. Therefore, the sealing control method described later can be applied.

[0026] The heater block 11 is composed of a pair of columnar metal members. On the surfaces of the heater blocks 11, 11 facing each other, a flat sealing surface 12 is formed that protrudes forward. The sealing surface 12 is processed as desired to match the packaging material to be sealed, for example, a smooth surface without irregularities, or a surface with predetermined grooves. On the side opposite the sealing surface 12, as shown in Figure 1, a first through-hole is provided into which a heat source 13 can be fitted along the sealing surface 12. The heat source 13 is pressed and fixed into the first through-hole by a retaining bolt (not shown) from the side opposite the sealing surface of the heater block 11 toward the sealing surface side. This allows the heat source 13 to be pressed toward the sealing surface side within the through-hole and made to fit tightly. Alternatively, a heat conductor 17 having a predetermined thermal conductivity may be placed between the heat source 13 and the sealing surface 12 to ensure that the sealing surface 12 is heated quickly and uniformly. Furthermore, while the heater block 11 in this embodiment is preferably made of iron, it is not limited to iron, and any metal with high thermal conductivity, such as copper, can be appropriately selected. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the configuration is not limited to heating both of the pair of heater blocks 11 with a heat source 13. Alternatively, the heat source 13 may be placed on one of the heater blocks 11, and the other heater block may not have a heat source 13, so that only one heater block is heated. Or, a cooling device may be placed on the other heater block, so that one block is a heating block and the other block is a heat dissipation block capable of dissipating or cooling the sealing surface 12.

[0027] The heater blocks 11, 11 are provided with a second through-hole in addition to the first through-hole into which the heat source 13 is fitted, and the first temperature sensor 18 is fitted into the second through-hole. The first temperature sensor 18 is composed of a thermocouple with a heat sensing element (not shown) at its tip that can detect the amount of heat near the sealing surface 12. This allows the first temperature sensor 18 to detect the amount of heat conducted and diffused from the heat source 13 toward the sealing surface 12. The first temperature sensor outputs a sealing surface temperature signal related to the temperature of the sealing surface 12, based on the amount of heat detected by the thermocouple in the heat detection unit, to the control unit 16, as shown in Figure 2.

[0028] The heat source 13 consists of a cartridge heater. The cartridge heater consists of a heating element made by winding a heating wire such as nichrome wire around a heat-conductive core rod, and a cylindrical case that houses the heating element. A thin film of heat conductor may be attached to the outer surface of the cylindrical case. The heating element has a second temperature sensor 19 capable of detecting the amount of heat generated by the heating element. The second temperature sensor 19 is also preferably a thermocouple, similar to the first temperature sensor 18. This allows the second temperature sensor 19 to detect the amount of heat applied to the heater block 11 by the energized heating element. The second temperature sensor 19 outputs a heat source temperature signal related to the temperature of the heat source, based on the amount of heat detected by the thermocouple, to the control unit 16, as shown in Figure 2. The heat detection unit provided in the first temperature sensor 18 or the second temperature sensor 19 is preferably composed of a thermocouple, but is not limited to this, and can be any device capable of detecting heat quantity or temperature based on said heat quantity.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, the control unit 16 receives the sealing surface temperature signal of the heater block and the heat source temperature signal related to the heating element of the heat source. The control unit 16 is configured to automatically form a temperature profile comprising multiple parameters, each set to a predetermined value, based on packaging data specific to the packaging material to be sealed. Based on the formed temperature profile, the control unit 16 is configured to control the temperature of the heater block 11 and the operation of the opening / closing mechanism 15 according to the sealing surface temperature signal and heat source temperature signal fed back from the heater block 11. Here, packaging data refers to data that includes at least physical property data relating to the structure and composition of the film material constituting the packaging material, as well as three-dimensional data relating to the thickness of the film material and the sealed portion of the packaging material. Physical property data refers to data such as the raw materials and composition of the film material used for packaging, whether it is a single-layer material consisting of one film, or a laminated material composed of multiple thin films, and if it is a laminated material, whether it consists of an easily meltable layer made of synthetic resin that melts during sealing, and a difficult-to-melt layer made of synthetic resin with a high melting point that does not melt during sealing, such as metal foil such as aluminum, or paper. Three-dimensional data refers to data relating to the thickness of the film material, and if the film material is a laminate, data relating to the thickness of each layer, as well as data relating to incidental elements other than the film material to be sealed, such as synthetic resin tape being attached or parts where the film material is folded and its thickness is increased. Furthermore, the temperature profile is a reference dataset used by the control unit 16 when controlling the temperature of the heater block 11 and the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing mechanism 15. The temperature profile contains preset parameter values ​​necessary for correcting and determining whether the sealing surface temperature related to the sealing surface temperature signal fed back from the heater block 11 is the heat source temperature related to the heat source temperature signal, when the control unit 16 controls the temperature of the heater block 11 and the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing mechanism 15. These preset parameters mainly include a temperature parameter related to the sealing temperature at which the heater block 11 melts the packaging material so that it can be welded, a pressure parameter related to the sealing pressure when the heater block 11 clamps the melted packaging material, and a timing parameter related to the sealing time from when the opening and closing mechanism 15 closes the heater block 11 until it welds the packaging material and opens the heater block 11. By controlling the temperature of the heater block 11 and the operation of the opening and closing mechanism 15 based on the values ​​of at least these three parameters, the heat sealing device 10 can perform optimized heat sealing for a given packaging material.

[0030] The packaging data is stored in a predetermined storage area and is configured to be readable to the control unit 16 according to the packaging material to be sealed. In this embodiment, the predetermined storage area is a cloud server 20 virtually provided on the internet to which the packaging machine incorporating the heat sealing device 10 is connected. However, it is not limited to the cloud server 20, and it is preferable to be able to arbitrarily select a storage medium such as memory or hard disk provided in the heat sealing device 10, or a memory card configured to be insertable and removable from the heat sealing device 10, depending on the specifications of the heat sealing device 10. As shown in Figure 3, a packaging parameter bank 21 is formed on the memory area described above. The packaging parameter bank 21 is configured by pre-registering and storing multiple packaging data. Depending on the packaging to be sealed, the control unit 16 reads the packaging data from the packaging parameter bank, and based on that packaging data, the values ​​related to temperature parameters, pressure parameters, and timing parameters are automatically set, and a temperature profile combining these parameters is automatically set within the control unit 16. This makes it possible to provide a versatile heat sealing device 10 that allows settings to be arbitrarily changed according to the packaging material, rather than a conventional heat sealing device that is specialized for only one type of packaging material and has optimized sealing temperature and sealing pressure. Furthermore, by using a memory card or a cloud server and the internet, even if the specifications of the packaging material change or if new packaging materials are updated, the packaging data related to those new packaging materials can be easily added to the heat sealing device 10.

[0031] Preferably, a preheating unit (not shown) may be installed upstream of the heater block 11 along the transport path through which the packaging material is transported on the packaging machine, or a cooling unit (not shown) may be installed downstream of the heater block 11. The preheating section is configured to preheat the packaging material and packaged products to a predetermined temperature before heat sealing. This allows the portion of the packaging material to be sealed, which is sandwiched between the heater blocks 11, to be kept at a constant temperature. This prevents the seal from becoming unstable due to ambient temperatures such as the ambient temperature in the factory and the temperature of the packaged products, and ensures stable seal quality for the portion to be sealed. The cooling unit is configured to cool the packaging material and packaged product after heat sealing within a predetermined time. This allows for control of the seal strength of the sealed portion by varying the cooling time of the sealed portion, for example, by rapidly cooling the sealed portion of the molten packaging material or by slowly cooling the sealed portion in a manner similar to natural heat dissipation.

[0032] A control method for the heat sealing device 10 having the above configuration will be described with reference to the attached drawings. Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic of the control method for the heat sealing device according to this embodiment.

[0033] As shown in Figure 3, the control unit 16 of the heat sealing device 10 has pre-registered device data. The equipment data consists of at least data relating to the configuration of the packaging machine and the heat sealing device 10, and data relating to the ambient temperature measured by the heat sealing device 10.

[0034] The configuration data includes values ​​related to the processing capacity of the packaging machine and the heat sealing device 10. Specifically, this includes, for example, the number of packaged products that the packaging machine can produce per unit time, such as 20 to 70 per minute, and, in relation to this production number, the number of items that the heat sealing device can process per unit time. This includes, for example, the number of grippers 30 that the packaging machine has, whether it is one set of grippers 30 that grip the packaging bags, or a double gripper configured by arranging two sets of grippers 30 side by side, or three or more sets of grippers arranged side by side, and the number of heater blocks 11 that are arranged side by side in accordance with the number of grippers 30. Furthermore, other data related to the configuration includes data relating to the sealing surface 12 of the heater block 11 that clamps the sealed portion of the packaging material. The data relating to the sealing surface 12 includes a numerical value relating to the area of ​​the sealing surface 12, and a numerical value relating to the load of surface pressure applied to the packaging material when the heater block 11 clamps the packaging material, depending on the shape of the mesh formed on the sealing surface 12, such as a smooth surface without irregularities or a grooved surface with predetermined lines. More preferably, the heat sealing device 10 may be provided with a preheating section, which may specify to what temperature the sealed portion of the packaging material is preheated to, or a cooling section may be provided, which may specify to what temperature the sealed portion of the packaging material is cooled and within what time.

[0035] The ambient temperature data includes values ​​related to the ambient temperature surrounding the heat sealing device, such as the ambient temperature inside the factory where the packaging machine and heat sealing device are installed, and the temperature of the packaged product before it is transferred to the heat sealing device. Preferably, the ambient temperature data is configured to acquire the constantly changing ambient temperature at predetermined intervals. The above equipment data is data related to the initial values ​​used when setting the temperature parameters, pressure parameters, and timing parameters when automatically setting the temperature profile. By combining the equipment data pre-registered in the control unit 16 with packaging material-specific packaging data separately acquired by the control unit 16, a predetermined packaging material-specific temperature profile optimized for the heat sealing device 10 can be formed.

[0036] The control unit 16 controls the amount of heat applied by the heat source 13 to the heater block 11 according to the seal surface temperature obtained from the first temperature sensor 18 positioned between the heater block 11 and the seal surface 12, and the heat source temperature detected by the second temperature sensor 19 provided on the heat source 13, and performs processing related to the heating control of the heater block 11. For this reason, the first temperature sensor 18 outputs a seal surface temperature signal related to the seal surface temperature to the control unit 16, and the second temperature sensor 19 outputs a heat source temperature signal related to the heat source temperature to the control unit 16.

[0037] The control unit 16 compares the heat source temperature signal obtained from the second temperature sensor 19 of the heat source 13 with the seal surface temperature signal obtained from the first temperature sensor 18 near the seal surface 12 to determine whether to heat the seal surface 12 or wait for heat to dissipate from the seal surface 12, and performs processing to control the amount of heat from the heat source 13 or the temperature based on that amount of heat. As a criterion for this determination process, a temperature profile with multiple parameters set to predetermined values ​​based on packaging data specific to the packaging material to be sealed is used. Packaging material-specific data, as described above, consists of physical property data and three-dimensional data. Physical property data includes data relating to the structure and composition of the film material constituting the packaging material, and more specifically, data including the raw materials and composition of the film material, whether it is a single-layer material consisting of one film, or a laminated material consisting of laminated thin films, and if it is a laminated material, whether it has an easily meltable layer made of synthetic resin that melts when sealed, and a difficult-to-melt layer made of synthetic resin with a high melting point that does not melt at that time, such as aluminum or other metal foil or paper, and numerical values. Three-dimensional data includes data relating to the thickness of the film material and the part of the packaging material to be sealed, and more specifically, the thickness of the film material, and if the film material is a laminated material, numerical values ​​relating to the thickness of each layer, and also data relating to incidental elements other than the film material to be sealed, such as synthetic resin tape being attached or parts where the film material is folded to increase its thickness. A packaging parameter bank, comprising multiple such packaging data sets, is stored in a virtual cloud server 20 on the internet, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. A single piece of packaging data read from the packaging parameter bank 21 is downloaded from the cloud server 20 and imported into the control unit 16. As described above, the temperature profile refers to a reference dataset used by the control unit 16 when controlling the temperature of the heater block 11 and the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing mechanism 15. This parameter mainly consists of temperature parameters, pressure parameters, and timing parameters. By combining the values ​​related to each of these parameters for each packaging material to be sealed, a data set specific to that packaging material and optimized for that material can be formed. Note that the parameters are not limited to the three parameters of temperature, pressure, and timing described below, and other parameters may also be used.

[0038] The temperature parameter is a value related to the sealing temperature at which the heater block 11 melts the packaging material so that it can be welded. The sealing temperature is initially determined based on physical property data related to the packaging material data, and this initial value is corrected based on three-dimensional data before being applied to the temperature parameter. Here, the physical property data is composed of values ​​obtained by a predetermined thermal analysis method, separately from the heat sealing device 10 according to this embodiment. It is known that there are multiple methods for thermal analysis depending on the physical properties of the substance being detected. In this example, various numerical values ​​obtained from thermal analysis using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), which can detect the heat flow difference with a reference substance and perform transitions such as melting, glass transition, and crystallization of the sample, as well as examine reactions, thermal history, and measure specific heat capacity, are used as physical property data. A differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) is a device that applies a constant amount of heat per unit time to a reference substance and a sample, capturing the thermophysical properties of the sample relative to the reference substance as a temperature difference, and measuring endothermic and exothermic reactions due to changes in the state of the sample. Thermophysical property measurement using a DSC is known as a measurement method that can understand not only the reaction of simply heating and melting a film material, but also the phase transition and crystallization of the film material. According to DSC thermophysical property measurements, for example, in the case of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a general-purpose crystalline polymer, a DSC curve like the one shown in Figure 4 can be obtained. On the graph, the horizontal axis is temperature (T), the vertical axis is heat flow (mW), and the melting point is Tm. The DSC curve shows the process of heating from the room temperature in the measurement chamber as a reference. That is, according to the DSC curve shown in Figure 4, when thermal energy is applied to the PET film material being measured from room temperature, the PET film material melts when it exceeds the melting point Tm of 257.8°C, and the total amount of thermal energy that must be applied until the PET film material melts is 36.1 mJ / mg. At this time, good welding can be achieved by applying a predetermined pressure to the PET film material. Thus, by using DSC analysis, it is possible to obtain data specific to each packaging material indicating how much thermal energy should be applied from the heated heater block 11 to optimally weld the packaging material to be sealed.

[0039] Here, taking a laminated film material used for packaging as an example, in which the parts to be sealed are stacked in several layers, when the parts to be sealed are placed facing each other, the opposing layers are easily meltable layers that can be easily sealed by melting with little thermal energy, and multiple layers of difficult-to-melt layers, which require a lot of thermal energy to melt and play a role in maintaining the shape of the packaging material, are stacked on top of these easily meltable layers. When this is subjected to DSC analysis, a single graph with an ambiguous melting point Tm is output, as shown in Figure 5. This is because the melting point Tm differs depending on the material constituting each layer, the easily melted layer and the difficult-to-melt layer, and these are superimposed in the output. If a dispersion process is performed on the analysis result by multiplying it by a specific coefficient to separate the melting point Tm for each material constituting each layer and convert it into discrete values, then, as shown in Figure 6, the melting points Tm0, Tm1, Tm2, ​​and Tm3 can be obtained for each layer constituting the film material, in order from the lowest temperature. The multiple melting points Tm obtained from these DSC analyses are linked to each material constituting each layer, collected as physical property data to be included in the packaging data, and registered in the packaging parameter bank. The control unit 16 then automatically determines the temperature parameter related to the sealing temperature based on the melting point Tm of the desired constituent material to be melted from among the multiple melting points Tm included in the physical property data, the total thickness of the entire film material related to the packaging material included in the three-dimensional data, and the thickness of the easily melted layer and the difficult-to-melt layer, respectively.

[0040] The control unit 16 controls the temperature of the heater block 11 based on the determined temperature parameters, taking into account the temperature of the packaged product to be heated, the ambient temperature of the factory, and the sealing surface temperature and heat source temperature fed back from the heater block 11. This allows the control unit 16 to maintain the sealing surface temperature of the heater block 11 at a temperature optimized for the packaging material to be sealed, thereby melting the easily meltable layer of the packaging material so that it can be welded. Furthermore, after the temperature parameter is set in the control unit 16, it is continuously corrected moment by moment by incorporating not only the numerical value related to the sealing surface temperature or heat source temperature fed back from the heater block 11, but also numerical values ​​related to the ambient temperature around the sealed part of the packaging material, such as the temperature of the packaged product and the ambient temperature in the factory where the packaging machine equipped with the heat sealing device is installed. In other words, when the heater block 11 or the packaged product is cold, or when the factory is cold, more heat needs to be applied to the packaging material, so more thermal energy is required to maintain the sealing surface temperature. Conversely, when the heater block or the packaged product is hot, or when the factory is warm, less heat needs to be applied to the packaging material, so less thermal energy is required to maintain the sealing surface temperature. Thus, with respect to the melting point Tm of the easily meltable layer, the temperature parameter is not a fixed value, but a value that can be corrected according to temperature changes such as the temperature of the heater block, packaged product, or heat sealing device, the factory room temperature, and the ambient temperature.

[0041] The pressure parameter is a value related to the sealing pressure when the heater block 11 clamps and welds the molten packaging material. The sealing pressure is the surface pressure when the sealing surface 12 of the heater block 11 clamps the part of the packaging material to be sealed, and is the load applied per unit area. The sealing pressure differs depending on the area of ​​the sealing surface 12, the shape of the sealing surface side such as whether the sealing surface 12 is smooth or has grooves, and the contact area between the sealing part of the packaging material and the sealing part, such as whether the packaging material is folded to form a step, or whether tape or the like is inserted into the sealing part to make it easy to open, or whether the inserted tape or the like creates a step in the sealing part. The surface pressure of the sealing surface 12 is measured in advance and registered in the storage area of ​​the control unit 16 or cloud server 20, etc., linked to data related to the model number of the heater block 11 and the shape of the packaging bag formed from the packaging material. Thus, the pressure parameter is a value set according to the sealing surface 12 of the heater block 11, or the sealed portion of the packaging material or packaging bag.

[0042] The timing parameter is a value related to the sealing time during which a series of sealing processes take place, from when the opening / closing mechanism 15 closes the heater block 11, when the heater block 11 welds the packaging material, when sealing pressure is applied to the packaging material to weld it, and when the opening / closing mechanism 15 opens the heater block. The sealing time is determined by multiplying a predetermined coefficient by three-dimensional data of packaging material, which includes the total thickness of the packaging material to be sealed, the thickness of the easily meltable layer using easily meltable synthetic resin, etc., and the thickness of the difficult-to-melt layer using difficult-to-melt synthetic resin, metal foil, paper, etc., temperature parameters such as correction values ​​based on the sealing temperature that melts the part of the packaging material to be sealed and the actual temperature of the heater block 11, and pressure parameters in which the sealing surface 12 of the heater block 11 clamps the packaging material. This is based on equipment data consisting of data related to the configuration of the packaging machine and the heat sealing device 10, and data related to the ambient temperature measured by the heat sealing device 10. Furthermore, after the timing parameters are set in the control unit 16, they are continuously corrected moment by moment by incorporating data related to the ambient temperature around the sealed portion of the packaging material, which is measured by the heat sealing device 10, such as the temperature of the packaged product and the ambient temperature inside the factory where the packaging machine equipped with the heat sealing device 10 according to this embodiment is installed. In other words, when the heater block 11 or the packaged product is cold, or when the factory is cold, a larger amount of heat needs to be applied to the packaging material, so more thermal energy is required to maintain the seal surface temperature. Conversely, when the heater block 11 or the packaged product is hot, or when the factory is warm, less heat needs to be applied to the packaging material, so less thermal energy is required to maintain the seal surface temperature. Thus, the timing parameter is a value determined based on the respective values ​​of the temperature parameter and the pressure parameter, and is further corrected according to a temperature parameter that has values ​​that can be corrected according to temperature changes such as the temperature of the heater block 11, the sealing surface 12, the packaged product, or the heat sealing device 10, the room temperature of the factory, the ambient temperature, etc.

[0043] The control unit 16 compares the seal surface temperature signal obtained from the first temperature sensor 18 located near the seal surface 12 with the heat source temperature signal obtained from the second temperature sensor 19 of the heat source 13, using the temperature profile, which includes the above-mentioned values ​​for temperature, pressure, and timing parameters, as a reference. The control unit 16 determines whether the heat source 13 should heat the seal surface 12 or wait for heat to dissipate from the seal surface 12, controls the amount of thermal energy that the heat source 13 applies to the heater block 11, and controls the seal surface temperature based on the amount of thermal energy. This allows the control unit 16 to perform control processing to maintain a predetermined temperature that is optimal for sealing the heater block 11's sealing surface 12 to fuse film-like packaging materials together or to other packaging materials. Furthermore, the control unit, based on the temperature of the sealing surface 12 monitored by the sealing surface temperature signal and the heat source temperature signal, and the above-mentioned temperature profile, controls the sealing time from when the opening / closing mechanism 15 closes the heater block 11 and the sealing surface 12 of the heater block 11 welds the film-like packaging materials together or to other packaging materials, until the opening / closing mechanism 15 opens the heater block 11, in relation to the process of controlling the sealing surface temperature based on the amount of thermal energy applied by the heat source 13 to the heater block 11. As a result, the control unit 16 can perform a sealing process optimized for the heater block 11 to melt the easily meltable layer on the sealed portion of the packaging material and weld the packaging materials together or to other packaging materials.

[0044] The sealing process consists of a melting process and a pressing process, both performed by a heater block 11 that maintains a constant temperature on the sealing surface 12. Throughout the entire sealing process, the control unit 16 controls the opening and closing operation of the opening / closing mechanism 15 according to the timing parameters of the temperature profile. The melting process is a process in which the sealing surface 12 of the heater block 11, which is maintained at a predetermined temperature according to the temperature parameters of the temperature profile, sandwiches and melts the portion of the packaging material to be sealed. The crimping process is a process in which the opening / closing mechanism 15 presses the sealing surface 12 of the heater block 11 in opposing directions according to the pressure parameters of the temperature profile, thereby integrating the sealed portion of the melted packaging material. Through a sealing process involving a melting step and a compression step, the heater block 11 can weld the sealed portion of the packaging material.

[0045] Furthermore, in addition to the temperature, pressure, and timing parameters mentioned above, if a preheating step is provided before the heat sealing step using a heater block to preheat the packaging material to a predetermined temperature, preheating parameters for the preheating step may also be provided. Similarly, if a cooling step is provided after the heat sealing step to rapidly cool the sealed portion of the packaging material, cooling parameters for the cooling step may also be provided. The preheating parameter is a value used to correct how much thermal energy is applied to the packaging material before the heat sealing process, based on the ambient temperature around the heat sealing device 10 and the temperature of the packaging material, during the preheating process to heat up to a predetermined preheating temperature. By incorporating the preheating parameter into the temperature profile, the range of change in thermal energy applied to the packaging material in the sealing process following the preheating process is reduced and quantified, so the values ​​of the temperature parameter and timing parameter are corrected compared to a sealing process without preheating. The cooling parameter is a value that corrects how much thermal energy is absorbed or dissipated from the packaging material after the heat sealing process, by detecting the ambient temperature around the heat sealing device 10 and the temperature of the packaging material during the cooling process to cool the sealed portion of the packaging material after the heat sealing process. By incorporating the cooling parameter into the temperature profile, the processing items change, such as whether to absorb or dissipate thermal energy using a cooler in the cooling process following the sealing process, so the values ​​of the temperature parameter and timing parameter are corrected compared to when the packaging material is allowed to cool naturally after the sealing process.

[0046] As described above, the temperature profile, which includes temperature parameters, pressure parameters, and timing parameters, as well as preheating parameters and cooling parameters, is compared with the measured temperature of the heater block 11 based on the seal surface temperature signal and heat source temperature signal input to the control unit 16. At this time, based on the result of comparing the temperature profile with the measured temperature, if the measured temperature exceeds a predetermined threshold which is the upper or lower limit of the allowable range set based on the value set in the initial temperature profile, the values ​​related to each parameter are corrected and a corrected temperature profile is formed. In this manner, the control unit 16 maintains the heater block 11 at a predetermined corrected temperature based on the corrected temperature profile obtained by feeding back the measured temperature of the heater block 11, and corrects the control related to the opening and closing operation of the opening / closing mechanism 15 according to the corrected temperature of the heater block. Since the corrected temperature profile corrects the timing parameters of the temperature profile, the opening and closing operation of the opening / closing mechanism 15 related to the entire sealing process is corrected. Furthermore, in the melting process, the heater block 11, maintained at a predetermined corrected temperature according to the corrected temperature parameters corrected by the corrected temperature profile, performs a process of sandwiching and melting the part of the packaging material to be sealed, and in the crimping process, the opening / closing mechanism 15 presses the heater block 11 in opposing directions according to the corrected pressure parameters corrected by the corrected temperature profile, and integrates the melted part of the packaging material to be sealed.

[0047] Furthermore, the temperature profile and corrected temperature profile are not limited to being used by the control unit 16 to feed back and control the temperature of the heater block 11, but may also be collected by the cloud server 20 via the internet. A packaging parameter bank 21 is formed on the cloud server 20, which stores multiple pieces of packaging-specific packaging data. For each piece of packaging data stored in the packaging parameter bank 21, a temperature profile and a corrected temperature profile related to the heat sealing device 10 incorporated into a predetermined packaging machine are linked, classified and stored in the packaging parameter bank 21, and big data is formed for each predetermined piece of packaging data, taking into account the installation conditions, operating conditions, etc., of the heat sealing device 10 and each parameter related to the temperature profile or corrected temperature profile. This allows, for example, the extraction of temperature parameters related to the seal temperature from big data related to the collected temperature profile or corrected temperature profile, and the acquisition of a corrected seal temperature related to the corrected temperature profile obtained from actual measurements when the heat sealing device 10 incorporated into the packaging machine at the factory is actually in operation, relative to the initial value of the seal temperature related to the temperature profile based on physical property data determined through DSC analysis for each predetermined packaging material. Since the corrected temperature profile is linked to the packaging data stored in the packaging parameter bank 21, the initial value of the seal temperature set under ideal conditions and the corrected seal temperature obtained by actually operating the heat sealing device 10 under various conditions become data that can be used very effectively when heat sealing the same packaging material with the same type of heat sealing device 10. By feeding this data back to the heat sealing devices 10 incorporated into each packaging machine connected to the cloud server 20, it is possible to obtain an initial value for the sealing temperature based on the physical properties data of the packaging material, and an appropriate correction value for the sealing temperature of a heat sealing device 10 with similar environmental conditions such as factory size and ambient temperature. In this way, big data related to the correction temperature profile is formed, and by updating the correction value related to the sealing temperature, the reproducibility of heat sealing can be improved regardless of the installation location of the heat sealing device 10, enabling stable sealing. By improving the reproducibility of heat sealing, even inexperienced workers can perform optimization work that minimizes sealing defects, just like skilled workers, thus shortening the trial and adjustment period. Furthermore, even if the specifications of the packaging material change, the packaging data related to the new sealing conditions can be downloaded and applied from the packaging parameter bank 21 in the cloud server 20, further shortening the trial and adjustment period and reducing the amount of packaging material wasted, thereby saving energy. Furthermore, even if the usage conditions and temperature conditions of a specific synthetic resin film material used for packaging become strictly restricted in the future from an environmental protection standpoint, appropriate sealing conditions can be easily provided by applying a large amount of accumulated correction data to the initial values ​​of the physical property data obtained by DSC analysis of the film material.

[0048] In the heat sealing device 10 according to this embodiment, in order to appropriately control the temperature of the sealing surface 12 of the heater block 11, the control unit 16 reads packaging material-specific packaging data from a predetermined storage area and automatically sets a temperature profile based on the packaging material data. The temperature profile is configured by setting values ​​related to the temperature parameter for the heater block 11 to appropriately melt the packaging material, the pressure parameter for the heater block 11 to appropriately integrate the packaging material, and the sealing time and sealing timing parameter related to the series of sealing processes in which the heater block 11 melts, integrates, and releases the packaging material, in a predetermined combination for each packaging material. This makes it possible to easily optimize the sealing conditions for the packaging material by minimizing the adjustment work required for each heat sealing device 10 when using the same type of heat sealing device 10 and the same packaging material. Furthermore, among such sealing conditions, values ​​that change depending on the sealing of the packaging material, such as the processing capacity of the packaging machine equipped with the heat sealing device 10, the ambient temperature of the factory where the packaging machine is installed, and the temperature of the packaged product, are used to form a corrected temperature profile that includes corrected values ​​obtained by correcting the initial settings of each parameter related to the temperature profile, based on the sealing surface temperature signal and heat source temperature signal input from the heater block 11 to the control unit 16. This corrected temperature profile is then fed back to the temperature control of the heater block 11 and the opening and closing operation control of the opening and closing mechanism 15. As a result, even after optimization work is performed, the temperature of the heater block 11, which changes moment by moment, is monitored based on the feedback-received sealing surface temperature signal and heat source temperature signal, and the monitoring status is fed back to finely control the temperature of the heater block 11, thereby preventing the heater block 11 from overheating the sealed portion of the packaging material or causing welding defects due to insufficient heating.

[0049] Furthermore, according to the heat sealing device 10 of this embodiment, the packaging material used in the packaging machine is subjected to DSC analysis in advance to measure and calculate the peak temperature at which the packaging material begins to melt. These temperature values ​​are then stored in a packaging material parameter bank 21 on the cloud server 20. As a result, packaging machines or heat sealing devices 10 installed in various locations and factories can connect to the cloud server 20 via the internet and easily obtain packaging material data for the desired packaging material from the packaging material parameter bank 21, which contains a wealth of packaging material data. Therefore, the optimization work of the heat sealing device 10 can be performed with a consistent quality regardless of the skill level of the workers, and the reproducibility of heat sealing for a given packaging material can be improved.

[0050] Furthermore, the heat sealing device 10 according to this embodiment is not limited to a configuration incorporated into a packaging machine, but can also be applied to machines that manufacture packaging bags from film-like packaging materials, such as bag-making machines and bag-making and packaging machines. Moreover, it can be applied not only to horizontal sealing devices that seal across the packaging material or seal the opening of the packaging bag, but also to vertical sealing devices that overlap both ends of the film-like packaging material in the width direction, seal the overlapping portion, and shape it into a cylindrical form. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0051] 10... Heat sealing device, 11... Heater block, 12... Sealing surface, 13... Heat source, 14... Arm, 15... Opening / closing mechanism, 16... Control unit, 17... Heat conductor, 18... First temperature sensor, 19... Second temperature sensor, 20... Cloud server, 21... Packaging material parameter bank B...Packaging bag.

Claims

1. A sealer that is heated to a predetermined temperature and seals film-like packaging materials together or to other packaging materials by welding them together, An opening / closing mechanism that presses the opposingly positioned sealers in opposing directions with a predetermined pressure and opens and closes them at a predetermined timing, The system includes a control unit that controls the temperature of the sealer and controls the operation of the opening and closing mechanism according to a predetermined temperature profile, which is configured by combining a temperature parameter related to the sealing temperature at which the sealer melts the packaging material so that it can be welded, a pressure parameter related to the sealing pressure when the sealer clamps the melted packaging material, and a timing parameter related to the sealing time from when the sealer closes until it welds the packaging material and opens. When one packaging data is selected from a packaging parameter bank consisting of multiple packaging data pre-registered in a predetermined storage area, Based on the packaging data read from the storage area, the control unit determines the values ​​of the seal temperature related to the temperature parameter, the seal pressure related to the pressure parameter, and the seal time related to the timing parameter, and forms the temperature profile optimized for the packaging material. A sealing device characterized in that, according to the temperature profile, the control unit heats the sealer to the sealing temperature, clamps the packaging material with the sealing pressure, and opens and closes the sealer at a predetermined timing related to the sealing time to seal the packaging material.

2. The sealing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the storage area is a cloud server virtually configured on the internet.

3. The sealing device according to claim 2, characterized in that the packaging data registered in the packaging parameter bank can be updated within the cloud server.

4. The sealing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the sealer is a heater block composed of a roughly rectangular metal prism having opposing sealing surfaces.

5. The sealing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the sealer has a horn that vibrates ultrasonically in a predetermined frequency band and an anvil positioned opposite the horn.

6. The sealing device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is configured to allow a predetermined instantaneous current to be passed through the sealer.

7. The sealing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the sealer is configured to conduct a predetermined high-frequency induced current.

8. The sealing device according to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of pairs of sealers are provided, and the number of times the opening and closing mechanism opens and closes per unit time is variable, thereby allowing adjustment of the number of packaged products manufactured per unit time by sealing the packaging material.

9. The sealing device according to claim 1, characterized in that a preheating unit is provided near the sealer for heating the portion of the packaging material to be sealed by the sealer to a predetermined temperature before sealing.

10. The sealing device according to claim 1, characterized in that a cooling unit is provided near the sealer for cooling the portion of the packaging material to be sealed by the sealer to a predetermined temperature after sealing.

11. A sealing control method for packaging materials, which controls a sealing process in which film-like packaging materials are sealed to each other or to other packaging materials by welding, according to a predetermined temperature profile, The temperature profile is configured by combining a temperature parameter related to the sealing temperature at which the packaging material is melted so that it can be welded, a pressure parameter related to the sealing pressure at which the melted packaging material is pressed, and a timing parameter related to the sealing time at which the packaging material is melted and pressed, based on at least physical property data relating to the structure and composition of the film material constituting the packaging material and packaging material data specific to the packaging material, including the thickness of the film material and three-dimensional data relating to the portion of the packaging material to be sealed. When one packaging data is selected from a packaging parameter bank consisting of multiple packaging data pre-registered in a predetermined memory area, Based on the specified packaging data, the values ​​of the seal temperature related to the temperature parameter, the seal pressure related to the pressure parameter, and the seal time related to the timing parameter are determined, and the temperature profile optimized for the packaging material is formed. A sealing control method characterized by performing a sealing process comprising a dissolution step of melting the packaging material according to the temperature profile, and a crimping step of pressing the melted packaging materials together or pressing the packaging material to another packaging body according to the temperature profile.

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