Labeled container manufacturing equipment

Abstract

To reliably suck dust removed from a container and improve a yield greatly.SOLUTION: A labeled container manufacturing device is provided with label heating chambers 20 and 30 for heating a label L and attaching to a container X, a transport path 11 for transporting the container to the label heating chambers 20 and 30, a dust removal mechanism 60 for removing dust from the container X by blowing gas onto the container X transported to a dust removal area Z set up to the label heating chambers 20 and 30 on the transport path 11, and a dust suction mechanism 70 for sucking dust removed from the container X. The dust suction mechanism 70 includes a pair of opening members 71 sandwiching the transport path 11 and having a suction port 70h that opens toward the transport path 11, and a first guide plate 81 extending from the suction port 70h in a direction away from the dust removal area Z.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a labeled container manufacturing apparatus for attaching labels to containers. [Background technology]

[0002] One such type of labeled container manufacturing apparatus, as shown in Patent Document 1, is configured to transport a container with a shrink label attached to it into a label heating chamber, heat it, and attach the label to the container by thermally shrinking the label.

[0003] In such devices, if dirt or dust (hereinafter referred to as dust) adheres to a container, the product will be defective if a label is attached in that state. Therefore, some devices are configured to blow air onto the container before it is transported to the label heating chamber to remove dust from the container.

[0004] However, even if dust is removed from the container in this manner, there is a problem in that the dust may float in the air and adhere to the label again due to, for example, static electricity, ultimately resulting in defective products. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-4091 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Therefore, in the process of arriving at the present invention, the inventors of the present invention intermediately developed a configuration in which a horn-shaped suction port is directed toward the container onto which air is blown, thereby sucking in the dust removed from the container.

[0007] However, even if such a horn-shaped suction port is used, it is not possible to significantly improve the yield in practice, and conversely, it has been found that the dust cannot be sufficiently sucked in.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and its main objective is to significantly improve yield by making it possible to more reliably suck up the dust removed from the container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In other words, the labeled container manufacturing apparatus of the present invention comprises a label heating chamber in which a label is heated and attached to a container, a transport path for transporting the containers to the label heating chamber, a dust removal mechanism for removing dust from the containers by blowing gas at the containers transported to a dust removal area set up to the label heating chamber on the transport path, and a dust suction mechanism for sucking in the dust removed from the containers, wherein the dust suction mechanism is characterized in that it has a pair of opening members that sandwich the transport path and have suction ports formed therein that open toward the transport path, and a first guide plate extending from the suction port in a direction away from the dust removal area.

[0010] In the labeled container manufacturing device configured in this manner, the first guide plate extends from the suction port in a direction away from the dust removal area, so that an airflow can be generated that flows toward the suction port along the first guide plate while drawing in not only the air within the dust removal area but also the air outside the dust removal area. This makes it possible to more reliably suck in the dust removed from the containers, greatly improving the yield.

[0011] Incidentally, if the force of the dust moving along the first guide plate toward the suction port is too strong, there is a risk that the dust will pass through the suction port and flow out to the rear side of the opening member. Therefore, it is preferable that the dust suction mechanism further includes a second guide plate that sandwiches the suction port between itself and the first guide plate and extends from the suction port in a direction approaching the dust removal area. With this configuration, the flow of dust that passes through the suction port and attempts to flow out to the rear side of the opening member can be blocked by the first guide plate, and such dust can be sucked into the suction port.

[0012] It is preferable that the first guide plate is disposed in front of the suction port and has a communicating hole facing the suction port, and that the first guide plate and the second guide plate are integrally formed. With this configuration, the first guide plate and the second guide plate are integrally formed, and therefore the assembly of these guide plates to the opening member is easy.

[0013] Furthermore, if the dust moving along the first guide plate toward the suction port has too much force, it may pass through the suction port and flow out above or below the suction port. Therefore, it is preferable that the dust suction mechanism further has at least one of an upper plate or a lower plate that is provided above or below the first guide plate and the second guide plate and closes the space surrounded by the first guide plate and the second guide plate. With this configuration, the flow of dust that passes through the suction port and attempts to flow upward or downward can be blocked by the upper plate or lower plate, and such dust can be sucked into the suction port.

[0014] In order to increase the volume of airflow along the first guide plate toward the suction port, it is preferable that the length from the base end to the tip end of the first guide plate is longer than the length from the base end to the tip end of the second guide plate.

[0015] In order to suck in dust more reliably, it is preferable that the pair of opening members be provided on the upstream side and downstream side of the dust removal area, respectively.

[0016] In order to increase the suction force of the suction port, it is preferable that the suction port has a slit shape extending in the vertical direction.

[0017] In order to reliably remove dust adhering to the container, it is preferable that the dust removal mechanism has a nozzle provided on each of the four sides of the container transported to the dust removal area.

[0018] In order to more reliably remove dust, it is preferable that the dust removal mechanism removes static electricity from the container by bombarding the container with ions. Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention configured in this manner, the dust removed from the container can be more reliably sucked in, and the yield can be significantly improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a labeled container manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment; [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of a labeled container manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a preheating chamber according to the embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a main heating chamber of the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a dust suction mechanism according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a dust suction mechanism according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a dust suction mechanism according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Hereinafter, one embodiment of a labeled container manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] <Device configuration> As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the labeled container manufacturing apparatus 100 of this embodiment manufactures labeled containers by attaching a label L to a container X, and specifically includes a conveying mechanism 10 that conveys the container X as the label attachment object, and label heating chambers 20, 30 that heat the label L. The label L is, for example, a heat-shrinkable, light-transmitting film made of resin or the like, and is a shrink label here. The container X is, for example, made of resin, glass, or metal, and is a PET bottle here.

[0023] The conveying mechanism 10 conveys the container X to the label heating chambers 20 and 30. Specifically, the conveying mechanism 10 includes a conveying path 11, such as an endless belt, on which the container X is placed, and a driving unit 12, such as a motor, for moving the conveying path 11.

[0024] The label heating chambers 20, 30 heat the label L covering the container X, thereby thermally shrinking the label L and attaching it to the container X. In this embodiment, a plurality of label heating chambers 20, 30 are provided, specifically, two pre-heating chambers 20 and a main heating chamber 30 provided downstream of the two pre-heating chambers 20.

[0025] The preheating chamber 20 is a chamber in which the label L is preheated to cause it to shrink slightly or to make it easy to shrink, and as shown in FIG. 3, it is equipped with a first housing 21 whose interior is formed as a preheating space 2S, and a preheating chamber heating mechanism 22 that generates high-temperature gas for heating the label L.

[0026] The first housing 21 has an opening for carrying in and out the container X, and hot air is sent into the preheating space 2S from air holes 21h formed in the side walls. To explain in more detail, for example, punching metal is provided on the inner wall surfaces of the left wall 213 and the right wall 214, which face each other in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction among the side walls of the first housing 21. As a result, a large number of air holes 21h are formed in the inner wall surfaces of the left wall 213 and the right wall 214, and high-temperature air is blown out from these air holes 21h.

[0027] The preheating chamber heating mechanism 22 heats air supplied by, for example, a pressure-feeding mechanism (not shown) to a high temperature, and specifically includes a heater 221 such as a finned cartridge heater. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, a supply space 2P to which pressure-feeding air is supplied is provided above the preheating space 2S in the first housing 21, and a plurality of heaters 221 are arranged in a staggered pattern in this supply space 2P (see Fig. 2).

[0028] The main heating chamber 30 is a chamber in which the label L is heated to a higher temperature than in the pre-heating chamber 20, thermally shrunk, and attached to the container X. As shown in FIG. 4, the main heating chamber 30 is equipped with a second housing 31 whose interior is formed as a heating space 3S, and a heating mechanism 32 for the heating chamber that generates high-temperature gas to further heat the label L.

[0029] The second housing 31 has an opening for carrying in and out the container X, and air is sent into the heating space 3S through a plurality of ventilation holes 31h formed in the side wall. More specifically, each ventilation hole 31h has a slit shape extending along the height direction of the container X, and is formed in the left wall 313 and the right wall 314 from the lower end to above the center in the inner wall surface.

[0030] The heating mechanism 32 for the heating chamber heats air supplied by, for example, a pressure-feeding mechanism (not shown) to a high temperature, and specifically includes a heater 321 such as a cartridge heater with fins. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 4, above the heating space 3S in the second housing 31, a supply space 3P to which the pressure-feeding air is supplied is provided, and a plurality of heaters 321 are arranged in a staggered pattern in this supply space 3P.

[0031] As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the labeled container manufacturing apparatus 100 of this embodiment is provided with a label covering mechanism 40 that is provided upstream of the heating chamber and covers the container X with a label L. This label covering mechanism 40 cuts one label L from the label material by a cutter 42 while feeding a label material in which a large number of labels L are connected in a long shape by a plurality of rollers 41. Then, the cut tubular label L is passed through a cylindrical body 43 called a mandrel and opened, and is dropped onto the container X transported below the mandrel to cover it. However, the labeled container manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the present invention does not necessarily need to be provided with the label covering mechanism 40, and an operator may manually cover the container X with the label L.

[0032] 1 and 2, the labeled container manufacturing apparatus 100 has a dust removal area Z set between the label heating chambers 20 and 30 on the conveying path 11. This dust removal area Z is an area for removing dust such as dirt and dirt from the containers X before they are covered with the labels L, and is set to a size where at least one container X can be placed. The dust removal area Z here is set to a size where multiple containers X can be placed, and specifically, is set within a housing arranged upstream of the label covering mechanism 40.

[0033] 1 and 2, a guide unit 50 is provided above the dust removal area Z to sandwich the container X between the guide unit 50 and the transport path 11 to prevent the container X from falling over. Specifically, the guide unit 50 is, for example, an endless belt against which the upper part of the container X comes into contact, and is provided in the housing described above. However, the specific embodiment of the guide unit 50 is not limited to this and may be modified as appropriate.

[0034] In such a configuration, the labeled container manufacturing apparatus 100 of this embodiment further includes a dust removal mechanism 60 that removes dust adhering to the container X transported to the dust removal area Z, as shown in Figure 5, and a dust suction mechanism 70 that sucks up the dust removed by this dust removal mechanism 60.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 5, the dust removal mechanism 60 blows gas onto a container X transported to a dust removal area Z to remove dust from the container X, and specifically includes a nozzle 61 that sprays air and a blower (not shown) that supplies air to the nozzle 61.

[0036] The nozzle 61 is provided so that the direction, height, etc. can be changed, and specifically, it is attached to the tip of, for example, a flexible pipe 62 through which air flows from a blower (not shown).

[0037] Furthermore, the dust removal mechanism 60 of this embodiment also functions as a static eliminator that removes static electricity from the container X by bombarding the container X with ions. This dust removal mechanism 60 is configured to apply a voltage to an electrode needle (not shown) provided in a pipe 62 to generate a corona discharge, and to release ions generated by this corona discharge from a nozzle 61 toward the container X by airflow or electrostatic force.

[0038] In this embodiment, a pair of nozzles 61 are provided on either side of the transport path 11, and the pair of nozzles 61 are disposed on the upstream side and downstream side of the dust removal mechanism 60. That is, a nozzle 61 is provided on each of the four sides of the container X transported to the dust removal area Z.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 5, the dust suction mechanism 70 sucks up the dust removed by the above-mentioned dust removal mechanism 60, and specifically, has an opening member 71 having a suction port 70h that opens toward the conveying path 11, and a suction pump (not shown) that generates negative pressure at this suction port 70h.

[0040] In this embodiment, a pair of opening members 71 are provided to sandwich the transport path 11, and these pair of opening members 71 are disposed on the upstream side and downstream side of the dust removal mechanism 60. That is, a dust opening member 71 is provided on each of the four sides of the container X transported to the dust removal area Z.

[0041] These opening members 71 are formed with slit-shaped suction ports 70h extending along the vertical direction, and are arranged outside the nozzles 61 described above. That is, a pair of opening members 71 is arranged further upstream than the pair of nozzles 61 arranged on the upstream side, and a pair of opening members 71 is arranged further downstream than the pair of nozzles 61 arranged on the downstream side. The opening members 71 are configured so that the orientation of the suction ports 70h can be changed, and specifically, are rotatable around a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction.

[0042] 5 and 6, the dust suction mechanism 70 of the present embodiment has a first guide plate 81 extending from the suction port 70h in a direction away from the dust removal area Z.

[0043] The first guide plate 81 is a flat plate extending in the vertical direction along the suction port 70h, and generates an air current that flows along the first guide plate 81 toward the suction port 70h.

[0044] The first guide plate 81 of the present embodiment is attached to, for example, a side surface of the opening member 71 and disposed in front of the suction port 70h, and has an elongated communication hole 81h formed therein facing the suction port 70h. With this configuration, air is guided along the first guide plate 81 to the communication hole 81h, passes through this communication hole 81h, and is sucked in through the suction port 70h.

[0045] More specifically, the first guide plate 81 attached to the upstream opening member 71 extends obliquely toward the upstream side from the opening direction D of the suction port 70h, and the first guide plate 81 attached to the downstream opening member 71 extends obliquely toward the downstream side from the opening direction D of the suction port 70h. Note that the opening direction D of the suction port 70h referred to here is a direction perpendicular to the suction port 70h.

[0046] In addition, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the dust suction mechanism 70 of this embodiment has a second guide plate 82 that sandwiches the suction port 70h between itself and the above-mentioned first guide plate 81 and extends from the suction port 70h in a direction approaching the dust removal area Z.

[0047] The second guide plate 82 is a flat plate extending in the vertical direction along the suction port 70h, and blocks the air that flows along the first guide plate 81 and passes through the suction port 70h. The second guide plate 82 in this embodiment is attached to, for example, the side surface of the opening member 71, and is formed integrally with the first guide plate 81 here. More specifically, the second guide plate 82 attached to the opening member 71 on the upstream side extends obliquely toward the downstream side from the opening direction D of the suction port 70h, and the second guide plate 82 attached to the opening member 71 on the downstream side extends obliquely toward the upstream side from the opening direction D of the suction port 70h. The second guide plate 82 is shorter than the first guide plate 81, in other words, the length from the base end 811 to the tip end 812 of the first guide plate 81 is longer than the length from the base end 821 to the tip end 822 of the second guide plate 82.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 6, the dust suction mechanism 70 of this embodiment further has an upper plate 83 that is provided above the first guide plate 81 and the second guide plate 82 and closes the space surrounded by the first guide plate 81 and the second guide plate 82.

[0049] The upper plate 83 is flat and blocks air that flows along the first guide plate 81, passes through the suction port 70h, and tries to escape above the suction port 70h. More specifically, the upper plate 83 is generally triangular in plan view and has a first side 831 along the upper side of the first guide plate 81, a second side 832 along the upper side of the second guide plate 82, and a third side 833 connecting the tip 812 of the first guide plate 81 and the tip 822 of the second guide plate 82. The upper plate 83 of this embodiment is integrally formed with the first guide plate 81 and the second guide plate 82.

[0050] Furthermore, the dust suction mechanism 70 of this embodiment further has a bottom plate 84 that is provided below the first guide plate 81 and the second guide plate 82 and closes the space surrounded by the first guide plate 81 and the second guide plate 82, as shown in FIG.

[0051] The bottom plate 84 is flat and blocks air that flows along the first guide plate 81, passes through the suction port 70h, and tries to escape below the suction port 70h. More specifically, the bottom plate 84 is generally triangular in plan view and has a first side 841 along the lower side of the first guide plate 81, a second side 842 along the lower side of the second guide plate 82, and a third side 843 connecting the tip 812 of the first guide plate 81 and the tip 822 of the second guide plate 82. The bottom plate 84 of this embodiment is integrally formed with the first guide plate 81 and the second guide plate 82.

[0052] <Effects of this embodiment> According to the labeled-container manufacturing apparatus 100 configured in this manner, the first guide plate 81 extends from the suction port 70h in a direction away from the dust removal area Z, so that an airflow can be generated that flows toward the suction port 70h along the first guide plate 81 while drawing in not only the air inside the dust removal area Z but also the air outside the dust removal area Z. This makes it possible to more reliably suck in the dust removed from the containers X, greatly improving the yield.

[0053] Furthermore, the dust suction mechanism 70 sandwiches the suction port 70h between itself and the first guide plate 81, and further has a second guide plate 82 extending from the suction port 70h in a direction approaching the dust removal area Z. Therefore, even if the dust moving toward the suction port 70h (communicating hole 81h) along the first guide plate 81 has a strong force, the dust can be prevented from passing through the suction port 70h (communicating hole 81h) and flowing out to the back side of the opening material 71, and such dust can also be sucked into the suction port 70h.

[0054] Furthermore, the dust suction mechanism 70 further has an upper plate 83 and a lower plate which close the space surrounded by the first guide plate 81 and the second guide plate 82. As a result, similar to the second guide plate 82 described above, even if the force of dust moving along the first guide plate 81 toward the suction port 70h (communication hole 81h) is strong, the dust can be prevented from passing through the suction port 70h (communication hole 81h) and flowing upward or downward, and such dust can also be sucked into the suction port 70h.

[0055] Furthermore, since the length from the base end 811 to the tip end 812 of the first guide plate 81 is longer than the length from the base end 821 to the tip end 822 of the second guide plate 82, the airflow along the first guide plate 81 toward the suction port 70h can be made to have a larger flow rate.

[0056] In addition, a pair of opening members 71 are provided on the upstream and downstream sides of the dust removal area Z, and the suction ports 70h are slit-shaped extending in the vertical direction, so that sufficient suction force can be obtained and dust can be sucked in more reliably.

[0057] In addition, since the dust removal mechanism 60 functions as a static eliminator that removes static electricity from the container X, dust adhering to the container X can be reliably removed even in seasons or environments with low humidity, for example.

[0058] <Other Modified Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0059] For example, in the embodiment described above, the first guide plate 81 and the second guide plate 82 are integrally formed, but as shown in Fig. 7, the first guide plate 81 and the second guide plate 82 may be separate from each other and attached to different side surfaces of the opening member 71. In this case, it is not necessary to form the communication hole 81h in the first guide plate 81, and the first guide plate 81 can be manufactured more easily.

[0060] Further, in the above embodiment, the dust suction mechanism 70 has a first guide plate 81, a second guide plate 82, an upper plate 83, and a bottom plate 84, but it is sufficient that the dust suction mechanism 70 has at least the first guide plate 81, and some or all of the second guide plate 82, the upper plate 83, and the bottom plate 84 do not have to be provided.

[0061] Furthermore, although the dust removal mechanism 60 in the above embodiment blows air into the container, it may also be a mechanism that blows gas other than air, such as nitrogen or argon. Also, the dust removal mechanism 60 is not limited to one that emits ions, and various types of mechanisms may be used.

[0062] Furthermore, the label heating chambers 20 and 30 are not limited to those that heat the label L with hot air, but may be those that heat the label L with steam, superheated steam, or hot air containing steam or superheated steam.

[0063] In addition, although a plurality of label heating chambers 20, 30 are provided in the above embodiment, it is sufficient that at least one label heating chamber 20, 30 is provided.

[0064] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 100 Labeled container manufacturing equipment X...Container L···Label Z Dust removal area 11. Transport path 20 Label heating chamber (preheating chamber) 30 Label heating chamber (main heating chamber) 40 Label covering mechanism 50 Guide section 60 Dust removal mechanism 61 Nozzle 70 Dust suction mechanism 70h...Suction port 71 Opening material 81 ···First Signboard 82 2nd Information Board 83 Upper plate 84...bottom plate

Claims

1. a label heating chamber for heating the label and attaching it to the container; a conveying path for conveying the container to the label heating chamber; a dust removing mechanism for blowing gas onto the container conveyed to a dust removing area provided on the conveying path before the label heating chamber, thereby removing dust from the container; a dust suction mechanism for sucking in the dust removed from the container; The dust suction mechanism is a pair of opening members sandwiching the transport path and each having a suction port opening toward the transport path; a first guide plate extending from the suction port in a direction away from the dust removal area, A labeled container manufacturing apparatus, wherein the pair of opening members are installed on the upstream and downstream sides of the dust removal area in the conveying direction.

2. The dust suction mechanism is The labeled container manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a second guide plate that sandwiches the suction port between itself and the first guide plate and extends from the suction port in a direction approaching the dust removal area.

3. the first guide plate is disposed in front of the suction port and has a communication hole facing the suction port; 3. The labeled-container manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first guide plate and the second guide plate are integrally formed.

4. The dust suction mechanism is 4. The labeled container manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising an upper plate disposed above the first guide plate and the second guide plate and closing a space enclosed by the first guide plate and the second guide plate.

5. A labeled container manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the length from the base end to the tip end of the first guide plate is longer than the length from the base end to the tip end of the second guide plate.

6. The labeled-container manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the suction port is shaped like a slit extending in the vertical direction.

7. 7. The labeled container manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dust removal mechanism has a nozzle provided on each of the four sides of the container transported to the dust removal area.

8. 8. The labeled container manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dust removing mechanism removes static electricity from the container by bombarding the container with ions.

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