Packaging Auxiliary Unit

Abstract

To provide a packaging auxiliary unit capable of preventing the upper edge of a laminate from curling up and realizing high-quality packaging. The folding device includes a rear folding member 50 that folds the packaging sheet Sa from the upper edge of the laminate W toward the upper surface, and a rear edge pressing member 60 that presses the upper edge of the laminate W from above. Then, while the rear edge pressing member 60 is pressing the upper edge of the back side of the laminate W, the rear folding member 50 starts folding the packaging sheet Sa from the upper edge of the back side of the laminate W toward the upper surface.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This invention relates to a packaging device that packages a stack of multiple products stacked vertically in a packaging sheet, and more particularly to a packaging auxiliary unit that is incorporated in the packaging device to prevent the upper edge of the stack from curling up. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventional packaging devices are known, for example, from the configurations disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2. Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a pile (B) is pressed from above by a compression receiving plate (3) and a wrapping guide (2) moves along the upper surface of the pile (B) to fold the packaging sheet (A).

[0003] Patent document 2 also discloses a configuration in which a stack of laminated products (W) is pressed from above by a press plate (321) and folding rollers (341, 342) move along the upper surface of the stack of laminated products (W) to fold the sheet (S).

[0004] However, the inventions disclosed in each patent document were created from the viewpoint of packaging the laminate (pile / bundle of laminated products) in a compressed state to prevent the laminate from losing its shape, and no consideration was given to the viewpoint of preventing the upper edge of the laminate from curling up.

[0005] Therefore, for example, when packaging a large-sized laminate, the upper edge of the laminate may be positioned outside the compression receiving plate (3) of Patent Document 1 or the press plate (321) of Patent Document 2, and the laminate may be packaged in an uncompressed state. In such a case, the upper edge of the laminate may be packaged in a rolled-up state, which may result in a deterioration in packaging quality.

[0006] In particular, laminated products such as polypropylene heavy-duty bags tend to have edge portions that curl up, and the treatment of these edge portions during packaging has a significant effect on packaging quality. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-330509 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 5240484 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an object to provide a packaging auxiliary unit that can package stacked materials while preventing the top edge of the stacked materials from curling up. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a packaging auxiliary unit to be incorporated in a packaging device that packages a stack of multiple products stacked vertically with a packaging sheet, the unit comprising: a folding member that folds the packaging sheet from the upper edge of the stack toward the upper surface; and an edge pressing member that presses the upper edge of the stack from above; The edge pressing member presses the upper edge of the stack, and the folding member starts folding the packaging sheet from the upper edge of the stack toward the upper surface.

[0010] According to the present invention, when the folding member folds the packaging sheet from the upper edge of the stack toward the upper surface, the edge pressing member presses the upper edge of the stack, thereby preventing the upper edge of the stack from rolling over.

[0011] Furthermore, it is preferable that the present invention be configured so that, while the edge pressing member is pressing the upper edge of the laminate, the edge pressing member and the folding member sandwich the packaging sheet, and then the folding member begins folding the packaging sheet from the upper edge of the laminate toward the upper surface. With this configuration, the folding member continuously takes over from the edge pressing member to press the upper edge of the stack, thereby progressing the folding of the packaging sheet, thereby making it possible to reliably prevent the upper edge of the stack from curling up.

[0012] The edge pressing member may be configured to press from above the upper surface of the stack on the inner side of the upper edge, and then move toward the upper edge to press the upper edge. By configuring it in this manner, after the upper surface of the stack is handled to prevent the upper edge from floating up, the edge pressing member presses the upper edge of the stack, thereby making it possible to prevent the upper edge of the stack from curling up with even higher reliability.

[0013] Here, it is preferable to further provide an upper surface pressing member that presses the upper surface of the laminate from above, and when the edge pressing member moves toward the upper edge of the laminate, the upper surface of the laminate is pressed from above by the upper surface pressing member. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the stack from shifting sideways or collapsing when the edge pressing member moves toward the upper edge of the stack. Effect of the Invention

[0014] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the upper edge of the stack from curling up, thereby achieving high-quality packaging. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a process diagram for explaining an overview of a packaging device in which a packaging auxiliary unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is incorporated. [Diagram 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a packaging auxiliary unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views illustrating the operation of the packaging auxiliary unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of the packaging auxiliary unit, following FIG. 3. FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of the packaging auxiliary unit, following FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of the packaging auxiliary unit, subsequent to FIG. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a process diagram for explaining an outline of a packaging device in which a packaging auxiliary unit according to this embodiment is incorporated. In this embodiment, the downstream side along which the laminate is transported is referred to as the front side (or front portion side), and the upstream side is referred to as the back side (or rear portion side).

[0017] The packaging device shown in FIG. 1 is a packaging device that has the function of packaging a stack of multiple products stacked vertically in a packaging sheet through the following processes. First, a packaging sheet S cut into a rectangular shape is automatically supplied and placed at a sheet supply position 11 (sheet supply step S1). Next, a stack W to be packaged is placed on the packaging sheet S placed at the sheet supply position 11 (stack placement step S2). This step may be performed automatically or manually by an operator, depending on the capabilities of the packaging device.

[0018] When the laminate W is placed on the wrapping sheet S, the laminate W descends, and in the process of the descending movement, the wrapping sheet S is folded onto the front and back sides of the laminate W. Next, the wrapping sheet Sa extending beyond the upper edge of the back side of the laminate W is folded onto the upper side of the laminate W, and the laminate W is pushed forward along the conveying track. In the process of pushing out this laminate W, the wrapping sheet S extending beyond the upper edge of the front side of the laminate W is folded onto the upper side of the laminate W. In this way, the laminate W is wrapped around the body (wrapping wrapping process S3).

[0019] The packaging auxiliary unit according to this embodiment is incorporated in a section that executes this body wrap packaging step S3.

[0020] Next, the overlapping portions of the upper surface of the packaging sheet S wrapping the laminate W are secured with adhesive tape 100 (upper surface attachment step S4). Thereafter, the packaging sheet (referred to as edge portions Sc) extending from both sides of the laminate W are folded (edge ​​portion folding step S5), and the folded edge portions Sc are secured with adhesive tape 100 (edge ​​portion attaching step S6). The laminate W thus overwrapped is discharged along a conveying track.

[0021] 1 is an example of a process executed by a packaging device called an overwrapping packaging device, and the process may differ depending on the system configuration of the packaging device. However, the packaging auxiliary unit according to this embodiment is incorporated into a packaging device having a body wrap packaging process.

[0022] Next, the configuration and operation of the packaging auxiliary unit according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view that shows a schematic configuration of the packaging auxiliary unit according to this embodiment, and FIGS. 3 to 6 are cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of the packaging auxiliary unit. In addition, in the laminate W shown in Figs. 2 to 6, the right side is the front side (or front portion) and the left side is the back side (or rear portion).

[0023] As shown in Fig. 2, the packaging device is provided with an upper guide 10 and a bottom guide 20, and a sheet supply position 11 for placing a packaging sheet S is set in the upper upper guide 10. The upper guide 10 forms a flat area mainly for supplying the packaging sheet S and for placing a laminated material W on the upper surface of the supplied packaging sheet S. In addition, the bottom guide 20 forms a horizontal conveying track for sequentially conveying the packaging sheet S and the laminated material W to form a packaged form.

[0024] The central portion of the sheet supply position 11 in the upper guide 10 is a rectangular opening 12, and the loading table 30 is raised and placed in this opening 12. The loading table 30 is driven to rise and fall in the direction of arrow a in FIG. 2 by an elevator (lifting machine) not shown, and at the lowered position, the upper surface is placed on approximately the same plane as the conveying surface of the bottom guide 20.

[0025] The front and rear edges of the opening 12 in the upper guide 10 form folding edges 13 for folding the packaging sheet S onto the front and rear sides of the stack W as the loading table 30 descends.

[0026] The bottom guide 20 is provided with a pusher 40 (pushing member), and the packaging sheet S and laminate W placed on the upper surface of the loading table 30 are pushed out by this pusher 40 along a horizontal conveying track formed in the bottom guide 20.

[0027] In addition, a rear folding member 50 is attached to the pusher 40. The rear folding member 50 has a function of folding the packaging sheet Sa extending beyond the upper edge of the back side of the laminate W from the upper edge of the back side of the laminate W toward the upper surface. In this embodiment, the rear folding member 50 constitutes the "folding member" of the present invention. The pusher 40 and the rear folding member 50 reciprocate along a horizontal conveying track formed in the bottom guide 20 in the direction of the arrow b in FIG.

[0028] Further, facing the upper surface of the loading table 30, there are provided above it a rear edge pressing member 60, a front edge pressing member 70 and an upper surface pressing member 80. As shown in FIG. The rear edge pressing member 60 moves up and down in the direction of arrow c in Fig. 2, and also moves back and forth a short distance in the direction of arrow d in Fig. 2 (front-to-back direction) at its lowering end. Similarly, the front edge pressing member 70 moves up and down in the direction of arrow e in Fig. 2, and also moves back and forth a short distance in the direction of arrow f in Fig. 2 (front-to-back direction) at its lowering end. Furthermore, the top surface pressing member 80 moves up and down in the direction of arrow g in Fig. 2.

[0029] The rear edge pressing member 60 has the function of pressing the upper edge of the rear side of the stack W placed on the upper surface of the loading table 30, thereby preventing the stack W from rolling up.

[0030] In addition, the front edge pressing member 70 has the function of pressing the upper edge of the front side of the stack W placed on the upper surface of the loading table 30, thereby preventing the stack W from rolling up.

[0031] Furthermore, the upper surface pressing member 80 has the function of pressing the central portion of the upper surface of the stack W placed on the upper surface of the loading table 30, thereby preventing the stack W from shifting sideways or collapsing.

[0032] A front folding member 90 is provided on the horizontal conveying track of the bottom guide 20 downstream of the area where the loading table 30 moves up and down. The front folding member 90 has a function of folding the packaging sheet Sb extending beyond the upper edge of the front side of the laminate W from the upper edge of the front side of the laminate W toward the upper surface. In this embodiment, the front folding member 90 is freely rotatable in the direction of the arrow h in Figure 2, and is configured to elastically press the upper surface of the laminate W pushed out by the pusher 40 with an appropriate biasing force. The packaging sheet Sb extending beyond the upper edge of the front side of the stack W pushed out by the pusher 40 is pressed by the front folding member 90 and folded onto the upper surface of the stack W.

[0033] Next, the operation of the packaging auxiliary unit according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 3(a), the loading table 30 is raised and positioned at the opening 12 of the upper guide 10, and the packaging sheet S is automatically supplied and placed at the sheet supply position 11, and the packaging sheet S is cut into a rectangular shape of preset dimensions. 3(b), the laminate W is placed on the upper surface of the placement table 30 with the packaging sheet S sandwiched therebetween. In this embodiment, the laminate W is placed manually by an operator, but a mechanism for automatically placing the laminate W on the upper surface of the placement table 30 may also be provided.

[0034] Next, as shown in FIG. 3(c), the rear edge pressing member 60, the front edge pressing member 70, and the top surface pressing member 80 are each lowered to press the top surface of the laminate W, and the rear edge pressing member 60 and the front edge pressing member 70 are moved horizontally in opposite directions so that the rear edge pressing member 60 presses the upper edge of the back side of the laminate W, and the front edge pressing member 70 presses the upper edge of the front side of the laminate W.

[0035] Here, the upper surface pressing member 80 presses the central portion of the laminate W. The rear edge pressing member 60 first presses the region inside (closer to the center) of the upper edge of the back side of the laminate W, and the front edge pressing member 70 presses the region inside (closer to the center) of the upper edge of the front side of the laminate W.

[0036] Then, by moving the rear edge pressing member 60 horizontally backward from this position, the top surface of the laminate W is pressed toward the upper edge of the back side, eliminating curling of that portion of the laminate W. Similarly, by moving the front edge pressing member 70 horizontally forward, the top surface of the laminate W is pressed toward the upper edge of the front side, eliminating curling of that portion of the laminate W.

[0037] Prior to this operation, the upper surface pressing member 80 presses the upper surface of the stack W, so that even if there is a squeezing action by the rear edge pressing member 60 and the front edge pressing member 70, there is no risk of the stack W shifting sideways or collapsing.

[0038] Next, as shown in FIG. 4(a), the loading table 30 is lowered together with each of the pressing members, the rear edge pressing member 60, the front edge pressing member 70, and the top surface pressing member 80, to place the laminate W on the horizontal conveying track of the bottom guide 20. In the process of lowering the placement table 30, the packaging sheet S is folded onto the front and back sides of the stack W.

[0039] 4(b), the pusher 40 and the rear folding member 50 move forward along the horizontal conveying track of the bottom guide 20. This movement causes the rear folding member 50 to approach the rear edge pressing member 60, sandwiching the packaging sheet Sa that extends beyond the upper edge of the back side of the stack W. Then, immediately after that, as shown in FIG. 4(c), the rear edge pressing member 60 moves horizontally forward and the rear folding member 50 moves further forward, folding the packaging sheet Sa extending beyond the upper edge of the back side of the laminate W from the upper edge of the back side of the laminate W toward the upper surface.

[0040] With this action, the rear edge pressing member 60 prevents the upper edge of the back side of the laminate W from turning over, and then the rear folding member 50 begins to continuously fold the packaging sheet S onto the upper surface, so that the packaging sheet S can be folded onto the upper surface without the upper edge of the back side of the laminate W turning over.

[0041] At the same time that the rear edge pressing member 60 moves horizontally forward, the front edge pressing member 70 also moves horizontally backward (see FIG. 4(c)). After that, as shown in FIG. 5(a), each pressing member of the rear edge pressing member 60, the front edge pressing member 70, and the top surface pressing member 80 rises and moves away from the top surface of the stack W.

[0042] The pusher 40 and the rear folding member 50 move further forward. This movement of the rear folding member 50 causes the packaging sheet S to be folded from the back side onto the top surface of the laminate W (see FIG. 5(b)). Furthermore, the pusher 40 comes into contact with the back surface of the laminate W and pushes out the laminate W. During this pushing out operation, as shown in FIG. 5(c), the packaging sheet Sb extending beyond the top edge of the front side of the laminate W comes into contact with the front folding member 90 and is folded into the top surface side of the laminate W. In this way, the laminate W is wrapped around the body.

[0043] The pusher 40 transports the laminate W along the horizontal transport track of the bottom guide 20 to the working position of the upper surface attachment step S4 shown in Fig. 1. At this working position, as shown in Fig. 6(a), the overlapping portion of the packaging sheet S wrapped around the laminate W is secured with an adhesive tape.

[0044] 6(b), the pusher 40 and the rear folding member 50 move backward along the horizontal conveying track of the bottom guide 20 and return to their original standby positions. After the pusher 40 and the rear folding member 50 have passed, the front folding member 90 rotates to enter a standby state. Furthermore, the loading table 30 is raised and placed in the opening 12 of the upper guide 10 in preparation for the next packaging cycle.

[0045] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications and variations are possible as necessary. For example, the front edge pressing member 70 may be configured to press the upper edge of the front side of the laminate W until just before the laminate W is pushed out by the pusher 40. With this configuration, the front edge pressing member 70 prevents the upper edge of the front side of the laminate W from turning over, and then the front folding member 90 continuously begins folding the packaging sheet S onto the upper surface, so that the packaging sheet S can be folded onto the upper surface without the upper edge of the front side of the laminate W turning over. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] W: Laminate S: Packaging sheet 10: Upper guide 11: Sheet supply position 12: Opening 13: Folded edge 20: Bottom guide 30: Placement table 40: Pusher (extrusion member) 50: Rear fold-in member 60: Rear edge pressing member 70: Front edge pressing member 80: Upper surface pressing member 90: Front fold-in member

Claims

1. A packaging auxiliary unit to be incorporated in a packaging device that packages a stack of multiple products stacked in a vertical direction with a packaging sheet, A folding member that folds the packaging sheet from the upper edge of the laminate toward the upper surface; and an edge pressing member that presses the upper edge of the stack from above, A packaging auxiliary unit characterized in that, while the edge pressing member is pressing the upper edge of the stack, the folding member begins folding the packaging sheet from the upper edge of the stack toward the upper surface.

2. The packaging auxiliary unit according to claim 1, characterized in that after the edge pressing member and the folding member sandwich the packaging sheet while the edge pressing member is pressing the upper edge of the laminate, the folding member begins folding the packaging sheet from the upper edge of the laminate toward the upper surface.

3. The packaging auxiliary unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the edge pressing member moves from a state in which it presses the upper surface of the stack on the inner side of the upper edge of the stack from above toward the upper edge, thereby pressing the upper edge.

4. Further, an upper surface pressing member is provided to press the upper surface of the stack from above, 4. The packaging auxiliary unit according to claim 3, wherein the upper surface pressing member is configured to press the upper surface of the stack from above when the edge pressing member moves toward the upper edge of the stack.

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