Packaging filling machine

Abstract

To provide a packaging filling machine that does not require a gear for transmitting a driving force from a driving source in a sealing roller, has good sealing performance and sealing speed, and can easily manufacture a wide variety of packages.SOLUTION: A packaging filling machine comprises a vertical sealing device welding packaging materials in a longitudinal direction while superimposing and feeding the same, a filling device that fills a filling portion formed between the packaging materials with contents, and a horizontal sealing device 100 for intermittently welding the packaging materials in a width direction and continuously manufactures packages filled with contents. The horizontal sealing device 100 has drive sources 130a and 130b provided on a pair of horizontal seal rollers 110a and 110b, respectively, located sandwiching the packaging materials therebetween and capable of individually switching the drive of each horizontal seal roller and adjusting the rotation speed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a packaging and filling machine that continuously produces packages filled with contents, and that includes a vertical sealing device that overlaps and feeds packaging material while welding it longitudinally, a filling device that fills contents into a filling section formed between the packaging material, and a horizontal sealing device that intermittently welds the packaging material in the width direction. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a packaging and filling machine has been widely used that joins the longitudinal ends of a long strip of material to form a cylindrical shape (vertical sealing), then fills the contents into a bag-like interior and seals it (horizontal sealing).

[0003] On the other hand, packaging that packages small amounts of contents that require hygiene control, such as food or medicine, in single-use quantities and that also have an attractive appearance are in widespread use, and in order to make the contents more hygienic and easier to remove, a fold-open package is well known, for example, as described in JP-B-55-36552 (Patent Document 1), in which a filling section is formed between a vertically rigid, flat, strip-shaped packaging material (sheet) and a soft packaging material (flexible sheet) attached to one side of the sheet, and the vertically rigid, flat, strip-shaped packaging material has an opening section that can be opened by breaking it, and the package is opened simply by folding the package, allowing the contents to be dispensed by the pressure caused by the folding.

[0004] In addition, JP 2015-101370 A (Patent Document 2) presents a tear-open structure for a tear-open package having a thick portion having a hardness allowing it to be folded in half, a pair of thin bodies which are thinner and more flexible than the thick portion, a storage portion formed between the opposing surfaces of the pair of thin bodies for storing the contents, and a foil-like sealing material which is broken when the thick portion is folded, and which allows the contents to be removed from the package by tearing and opening a portion of the package in which the contents are enclosed. It is described that the sealing material is made of a thin foil such as aluminum foil, stainless steel foil, copper foil, iron foil, or a resin film made of polyvinylidene chloride.

[0005] When producing such a package, various types of packaging materials, such as thin film materials and thick sheet materials, are used, and therefore it is necessary to adjust the distance between the sealing rollers according to the thickness, etc. of the materials.

[0006] However, conventional packaging and filling machines, as described in, for example, Patent Application No. 2006-43612 (JP Patent Publication No. 2007-223614: Patent Document 3) and Patent Application No. 2009-52860 (JP Patent Publication No. 2009-143629: Patent Document 4) previously filed by the applicant, performed vertical and horizontal sealing by transmitting the driving force from a drive source to a pair of sealing rollers using gears and rotating them synchronously, which required adjustment of the gear meshing (gearing).

[0007] Therefore, when trying to produce packages using thick packaging material, the first prerequisite is to attach gears to each sealing roller that match the appropriate roller spacing and rotation speed according to the thickness of the packaging material.In addition, each time production begins, it is necessary to carry out the complicated task of aligning the sealing position mainly by visual inspection to ensure that the sealing position is appropriate after the packaging material has been passed between the sealing rollers, which is particularly time-consuming when trying to produce a variety of packages with a single packaging and filling machine. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 55-36552 [Patent Document 2] JP 2015-101370 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2007-223614 A [Patent Document 4] JP 2009-143629 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The present invention aims to provide a packaging and filling machine that does not require a gear to transmit driving force from a driving source to the sealing roller, has good sealing performance and sealing speed, and makes it easy to produce a variety of packages. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The packaging filling machine of the present invention, which has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, is a packaging filling machine that comprises a vertical sealing device that overlaps and feeds packaging material while welding it in the longitudinal direction, a filling device that fills contents into a filling section formed between the packaging material, and a horizontal sealing device that intermittently welds the packaging material in the width direction, and continuously produces packages filled with contents, and is characterized in that the horizontal sealing device has a drive source that is provided individually on a pair of horizontal sealing rollers arranged to sandwich the packaging material, and is capable of individually switching the drive and adjusting the rotation speed of each horizontal sealing roller.

[0011] According to the above invention, in the packaging manufacturing apparatus, by providing a drive source for each horizontal seal roller of a pair of horizontal seal rollers, gears for transmitting the drive force from the drive source to each horizontal seal roller are not required. Therefore, there is no need for complicated preparations such as attaching gears to each seal roller that match the appropriate horizontal seal roller spacing and rotation speed according to the thickness of the packaging material being used, or adjusting the gear meshing (gearing). This is not only highly financially and time-efficient, but also allows the packaging material to be easily horizontally sealed at an appropriate feed speed and feed amount, so a packaging and filling machine with excellent sealing performance and sealing speed can be provided.

[0012] In addition, when the lateral sealing device is provided with a support shaft arranged in a direction perpendicular to the pair of lateral sealing rollers and supports the pair of lateral sealing rollers in a space-adjustable and parallel manner, it is possible to adjust the roller spacing to an appropriate value depending on, for example, the thickness of the packaging material, and when setting the packaging material, the roller spacing can be first widened and then narrowed to a predetermined roller spacing after the packaging material has passed through.

[0013] In addition, when one of the pair of horizontal sealing rollers is fixed to the support shaft and the support shaft is moved back and forth in the axial direction by a drive source attached to the support shaft, the pair of horizontal sealing rollers can be moved closer to or farther apart, and pressure can be applied by bringing the pair of horizontal sealing rollers closer to each other during horizontal sealing, thereby improving sealing performance.

[0014] In addition, if the horizontal sealing device has an up-and-down movement mechanism that moves the pair of horizontal sealing rollers back and forth in the vertical direction, the time that the horizontal sealing rollers are in contact with the packaging material (sealing time) can be long, making it possible to perform reliable sealing, and the horizontal sealing rollers can move back and forth smoothly and continuously in the vertical direction at high speed, making it possible to handle high-speed transport of packaging film.Since there is no play like in a cam mechanism, there is less vibration, and it is also easy to control the speed to change between sealing and returning.

[0015] Furthermore, when the horizontal sealing device is provided with a support shaft arranged in a direction perpendicular to the pair of horizontal seal rollers and supporting the pair of horizontal seal rollers in parallel with the spacing adjustable, and is provided with a vertical movement mechanism for reciprocating the horizontal seal rollers in the vertical direction, and the vertical movement mechanism comprises a fixed base, a drive source fixed to a position on the fixed base above the horizontal sealing device and having its rotating shaft as a crank shaft, a movable base arranged below the fixed base and capable of reciprocating in the vertical direction and supporting the support shaft, a counterweight arranged above the fixed base and reciprocating symmetrically with the movable base, and a pair of connecting rods connecting the crank shaft to the movable base and the crank shaft to the counterweight, respectively, the vertical movement mechanism is configured as a crank mechanism, thereby enabling continuous reciprocating movement in the vertical direction smoothly and at high speed, thereby being able to handle high-speed transport of the packaging film, and has the advantages of less vibration as there is no play like in a cam mechanism, and easy control to change the speed between sealing and returning.

[0016] In addition, the movable base and the counterweight each have a slide member that is C-shaped in cross section, and when the movable base and the counterweight reciprocate in the vertical direction by combining and sliding the slide member on a slide surface that is H-shaped in cross section on a slide rail that protrudes from the fixed base and extends vertically, smooth vertical movement is possible, and combining multiple sets of slide members and slide rails can further improve stability, which is particularly desirable.

[0017] In addition, when the vertical sealing device has a drive source that is provided individually for each pair of vertical sealing rollers arranged on either side of the packaging material and that can individually switch the drive and adjust the rotation speed of each vertical sealing roller, the vertical sealing device as well as the horizontal sealing device do not require gears to transmit the drive force from the drive source to each vertical sealing roller.This means that there is no need for complicated preparations such as attaching gears to each sealing roller that match the appropriate vertical seal roller spacing and rotation speed according to the thickness of the packaging material being used, or for adjusting the gear meshing (gearing), which is not only financially and time-efficient, but also allows the packaging material to be vertically sealed easily at an appropriate feed speed and feed amount, making it possible to provide a packaging and filling machine that has excellent sealing performance and sealing speed.

[0018] Furthermore, when the packaging material consists of a pair of packaging materials, the drive source provided individually for each sealing roller makes it possible to individually switch the drive and adjust the rotation speed of each sealing roller, making it possible to rotate synchronously as well as asynchronously.By adjusting the feed speed and feed amount of the pair of packaging materials, welding with fine adjustments can be made, and problems due to differences in feed speed between the front and back of the packaging material can be effectively prevented.

[0019] In addition, when the pair of packaging materials differ from each other in at least one of thickness, hardness, or material, various types of packaging bodies can be manufactured by combining them, and even in this case, the driving of each of the sealing rollers can be switched and the rotation speed can be adjusted individually, so that not only synchronous rotation but also asynchronous rotation is possible, and by adjusting the feed speed and feed amount of the pair of packaging materials, welding with fine adjustments is possible, and defects due to differences in feed speed between the front and back of the packaging materials can be effectively prevented. In other words, it is possible to synchronize the feed speeds so that no misalignment occurs, and it is also possible to ensure the filling capacity by making the feed speed of one packaging material somewhat faster than the feed speed of the other packaging material, allowing for some bending. Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, by providing a separate drive source for each pair of horizontal seal rollers, gears are no longer needed to transmit the drive force from the drive source to each horizontal seal roller. As a result, there is no need for complicated preparations such as attaching gears to each seal roller that match the appropriate horizontal seal roller spacing and rotation speed according to the thickness of the packaging material being used, or adjusting the gear meshing (gearing). This is not only financially and time-efficient, but also allows the packaging material to be easily horizontally sealed at an appropriate feed speed and feed amount, so a packaging and filling machine with excellent sealing performance and sealing speed can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a packaging and filling machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a simplified configuration diagram showing characteristic parts of the packaging and filling machine shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2A and 2B are diagrams showing sheet materials used in the packaging and filling machine shown in FIG. 1, where (a) is a plan view showing the sheet material, and (b) is a plan view showing a narrow sheet material. [Figure 4] 2A and 2B are an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a package produced by the packaging and filling machine shown in FIG. 1 . [Diagram 5] 2 is a perspective view showing a vertical sealing device in the packaging and filling machine shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 2 is a plan view showing a horizontal sealing device in the packaging and filling machine shown in FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a perspective view showing a horizontal sealing device in the packaging and filling machine shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 8] 2 is a front view showing a transverse sealing device in the packaging and filling machine shown in FIG. 1 with some parts removed. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] Fig. 1 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of the configuration of a packaging and filling machine 1 according to the present embodiment, and Fig. 2 shows extracted characteristic parts of the packaging and filling machine 1. This packaging and filling machine 1 is an apparatus suitable for continuously manufacturing packages in which a filling section is formed by overlapping the back faces of a pair of packaging materials 20, 30, each of which is made of a packaging material 30 made of a thick, flat resin sheet material 31 having thermoplasticity and a packaging material 20 made of a thin, strip-shaped film material 21, and thermally welding the back faces of the pair of packaging materials 20, 30 so as to surround the periphery, and filling the contents therein. In this embodiment, a case in which a packaging body 4 having an opening portion 310 is manufactured will be described.

[0024] The packaging body 4 is a conventionally known product formed by heat-welding a thinner and more flexible strip-shaped packaging material 20 to a flat, thick strip-shaped packaging material 30 having a perforation 311 (see Figure 3(a)) that serves as an opening portion 310, and filling and sealing the contents 43 in the filling portion 42 formed therebetween.

[0025] In this embodiment, the width of the sheet material 31 constituting the packaging material 30 (and the film material 21 constituting the packaging material 20) is formed to a width sufficient to simultaneously produce two rows of packages in the width direction, but it may also be a narrower sheet material 32 sufficient to produce one row of packages in the width direction (see Figure 3(b)).

[0026] The two-dot chain lines in Figs. 3(a) and (b) indicate the cut-out positions when cutting the package 4 from the package with the contents sealed therein.

[0027] Incidentally, other than the packaging body 4 having the aforementioned opening portion 310, the present invention can also be implemented in a packaging and filling machine that manufactures packaging bodies from which the contents can be removed by an opening device such as breaking, cutting or peeling.

[0028] The film material 21 constituting the packaging material 20 is a thin and flexible material, and therefore can be used as a raw material roll pre-wound around the drum 200. As for the packaging material 30, the sheet material 31 has a certain degree of flexibility and can be rolled up, and therefore can be used as a raw material roll pre-wound around the drum 300 in the same manner as the thinner packaging material 20.

[0029] The material constituting the sheet materials 31, 32 is preferably a thermoplastic resin having a certain degree of thickness and hardness, such as polyethylene terephthalate.

[0030] In the packaging manufacturing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, two guide rollers 202, 203 are provided between the drum 200 and a feed roller 201 that pays out the packaging material 20 from the drum 200, and three guide rollers 204, 205, 206 are provided behind the feed roller 201.

[0031] Between the drum 300 and a feed roller 301 that feeds the packaging material 30 from the drum 300, three guide rollers 302, 303, and 304 are provided.

[0032] By arranging the feed rollers 201, 301 and the guide rollers 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 302, 303, 304, 305 in this manner, the packaging material 30 is less likely to be subjected to stress, particularly during feeding of the packaging material 30, and can be fed stably.

[0033] The unwound packaging materials 20, 30 are then overlapped by a pair of pulleys 5a, 5b and fed in the longitudinal direction.

[0034] Furthermore, the drums 200, 300 themselves may be rotated to unwind the packaging materials 20, 30 wound around the drums 200, 300, and the rotation speed may be adjustable.

[0035] 2, the process of manufacturing a package in the packaging and filling machine 1 will be described. The packaging and filling machine 1 of this embodiment uses a pair of packaging materials 20, 30 that are overlapped and fed in the longitudinal direction (vertically fed downward as shown in the figure) by a pair of pulleys 5a, 5b. Long The sealing device is provided with vertical sealing rollers 6a, 6b as a vertical sealing device 6 that seals the pair of cylindrical packaging materials 20, 30 in the width direction, horizontal sealing rollers 110a, 110b as a horizontal sealing device 100 that intermittently welds the pair of cylindrical packaging materials 20, 30 in the width direction, a nozzle 7 as a filling device that fills the filling section 42 formed between the pair of packaging materials 20, 30 by the vertical sealing device 6 and the horizontal sealing device 100 with the contents, cooling rollers 8a, 8b below it that cool the horizontal sealing position by the horizontal sealing device 100, and roll cutters 9a, 9b as a cutting device that cuts the packaging materials at the horizontal sealing position.

[0036] In FIG. 2, symbols H1 and H2 are preheaters that preheat the welded portions of the packaging materials 20 and 30 during transport, and symbol 41 is a continuous packaging body in which packaging bodies are sealed lengthwise and widthwise before being cut and the contents are sealed.

[0037] The cooling rollers 8a and 8b are not essential, and the cooling rollers 8a and 8b may be omitted. The cutting process by the cutting device does not have to be a continuous process in one filling machine, and the continuous packaging body may be made into a completed product at one time, and then the cutting process may be performed by any cutting device such as a punch and die type punching machine.

[0038] In addition, in this embodiment, the pair of vertical sealing rollers 6a, 6b and the pair of horizontal sealing rollers 110a, 110b described above are equipped with heaters as heating devices only on the vertical sealing roller 6a and the horizontal sealing roller 110a on the thinner packaging material 20 side, and a method is adopted in which welding is performed by heating from the packaging material 20 side.

[0039] This is because the inventors of the present application have found through experiments that the sealing work can be completed more efficiently in a shorter time by heating the thinner packaging material 20 and fusing it to the thicker packaging material 30. Of course, if both the vertical sealing rollers 6a, 6b and / or the horizontal sealing rollers 110a, 110b are equipped with heaters whose drive can be switched and whose heat amount can be varied, the versatility of the materials for the packages to be manufactured will be expanded.

[0040] As for the welding method, not only heat sealing but also various other welding methods such as impulse sealing and ultrasonic sealing can be used.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the vertical sealing device 6 in the packaging and filling machine 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in this figure, in this embodiment, the pair of vertical sealing rollers 6a, 6b that form the vertical sealing device 6 are each provided with a drive source 60a, 60b that can individually switch the drive and adjust the rotation speed, so that the drive of each vertical sealing roller 6a, 6b can be switched and the rotation speed can be adjusted individually, making it possible to adjust the feed speed and feed amount of the packaging materials 20, 30, and enabling welding with fine adjustments.

[0042] In this embodiment, the vertical sealing roller 6a consists of three rollers: a left roller 61a, a central roller 62a, and a right roller 63a, and the vertical sealing roller 6b similarly consists of three rollers: a left roller 61b, a central roller 62b, and a right roller 63b.

[0043] In this way, by using multiple rollers, it is possible to perform vertical sealing in multiple places at the same time, so that multiple rows of packages can be produced at the same time using wide sheet material 31.

[0044] The central rollers 62a, 62b share a rotation axis with the left rollers 61a, 61b, and are configured so that their axial positions can be adjusted by support members 64a, 64b.

[0045] The drive sources 60a, 60b are required to be capable of controlling the position, speed, and amount of rotation accurately. For example, a servo motor is preferable, but other conventionally known drive sources can be used.

[0046] The driving sources 60a are provided on the left and right sides of the vertical seal roller 6a in the axial direction, respectively. The driving sources 60b are provided on the left and right sides of the vertical seal roller 6b in the axial direction, respectively. Therefore, a total of four driving sources 60a and 60b are provided.

[0047] The rotating shaft of the driving source 60a and the rotating shaft of the vertical seal roller 6a are linked by a gear 65a attached to the rotating shaft of the driving source 60a and a gear 66a attached to the rotating shaft of the vertical seal roller 6a, and the rotating shaft of the driving source 60b and the rotating shaft of the vertical seal roller 6b are linked by a gear 65b attached to the rotating shaft of the driving source 60b and a gear 66b attached to the rotating shaft of the vertical seal roller 6b.

[0048] In this manner, in this embodiment, the rotation axes of each drive source 60a, 60b and the vertical seal rollers 6a, 6b are different, and the drive force is transmitted via gears, but it goes without saying that the rotation axis of each drive source 60a, 60b may coincide with the rotation axis of the vertical seal rollers 6a, 6b.

[0049] It is preferable that the sealing surfaces (outer circumferential surfaces) of the left roller 61a, the central roller 62a, and the right roller 63a constituting the vertical seal roller 6a are knurled to improve the sealing performance.

[0050] In addition, in order to adjust the rotation speed of the pair of vertical seal rollers 6a, 6b, it is preferable to adjust the feed speed and feed amount of the packaging materials 20, 30 by using a registration mark sensor or image processing (not shown).

[0051] In the conventional invention described above, gears that rotate together with the vertical seal rollers were used, and these gears were meshed with each other to transmit the power output from a single drive source, causing each vertical seal roller to rotate synchronously. However, by providing a separate drive source (the drive sources 60a, 60b) for each vertical seal roller 6a, 6b in this manner, gears are no longer necessary to transmit the drive force from the drive source to each vertical seal roller. As a result, there is no need to attach gears to each seal roller that match the appropriate vertical seal roller spacing and rotation speed according to the thickness of the packaging material being used, and there is no need to adjust the gear meshing (gearing), making it possible to easily seal the packaging material at an appropriate feed speed and feed amount.

[0052] Furthermore, it is possible to rotate asynchronously as well as synchronously, and by switching the drive and adjusting the rotation speed, it is possible to effectively prevent vertical sealing defects, and by adjusting the feed speed and feed amount, it is possible to perform welding with fine adjustments, and not only can adjustments be made as necessary when a pair of the same packaging materials are used, but also effectively prevents problems caused by differences in the feed speeds of the front and back of the packaging materials when a pair of packaging materials with at least one different thickness, hardness, or material are used. In other words, it is possible to synchronize the feed speeds so that no misalignment occurs, and it is also possible to ensure the filling capacity by making the feed speed of one packaging material somewhat faster than the feed speed of the other packaging material, allowing for some deflection.

[0053] Figure 6 is a plan view showing the horizontal sealing device 100 in the packaging and filling machine 1, Figure 7 is an oblique view showing the horizontal sealing device 100 in the packaging and filling machine 1, Figure 8 is a front view showing the horizontal sealing device 100 in the packaging and filling machine 1 with part of the counterweight member that constitutes the counterweight 180, the bearing portion 142 that supports the crankshaft 141 via bearing 143, and the support body 144 that supports the crankshaft 141 via bearing 145 removed, and Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in Figure 8.

[0054] As shown in these figures, the horizontal sealing device 100 comprises a pair of horizontal sealing rollers 110a, 110b arranged on either side of the pair of packaging materials 20, 30, four support shafts 120 arranged in a direction perpendicular to the pair of horizontal sealing rollers 110a, 110b and supporting the pair of horizontal sealing rollers 110a, 110b in parallel and with adjustable spacing, first drive sources 130a, 130b each individually provided in the axial direction of the pair of horizontal sealing rollers 110a, 110b and capable of individually switching the drive and adjusting the rotation speed of each horizontal sealing roller 110a, 110b, and an up-down movement mechanism 140 which uses a crank shaft 141 to reciprocate the pair of horizontal sealing rollers 110a, 110b in the up-down direction.

[0055] The up-down movement mechanism 140 comprises a fixed base 150 fixedly arranged inside the case body 10 of the packaging and filling machine 1, a second drive source 160 fixed to a position on the fixed base 150 above the horizontal sealing device 100 and having the crankshaft 141 as its rotation axis, a movable base 170 arranged below the fixed base 150 and capable of reciprocating in the vertical direction and supporting each of the support shafts 120, a counterweight 180 arranged above the fixed base 150 and reciprocating symmetrically with the movable base 170, and a pair of connecting rods 191, 195 connecting the crankshaft 141 to the movable base 170 and the crankshaft 141 to the counterweight 180, respectively.

[0056] By configuring the up-and-down movement mechanism as a crank mechanism in this manner, it is possible for it to move up and down continuously reciprocally smoothly and at high speed, making it possible to handle the high-speed transport of packaging film.It has the advantages of having less vibration as there is no play as with a cam mechanism, and it is also easy to control the speed to change between sealing and returning.

[0057] The horizontal seal roller 110a is supported by the support shafts 120, 120 by fixing fixing parts 111, 111 provided on both ends of the horizontal seal roller 110a to the pair of support shafts 120, 120, one above the other and one below the other. The horizontal seal roller 110b is supported by the support shafts 120, 120 by inserting the support shafts 120 into sleeve parts 112, 112 provided on both ends of the horizontal seal roller 110b.

[0058] In this way, the horizontal sealing rollers 110a, 110b are supported in parallel and with adjustable spacing by the support shafts 120, 120 inserted through the fixed base 150 in the thickness direction.This makes it possible to adjust the roller spacing to an appropriate level depending on, for example, the thickness of the packaging materials 20, 30, or to first widen the roller spacing when setting the packaging materials 20, 30 and then narrow the roller spacing to a predetermined level after the packaging materials 20, 30 have passed through.

[0059] Furthermore, the support shaft 120, 120 protruding across the fixed base 150 on the opposite side of the pair of horizontal sealing rollers 110a, 110b is provided with a third drive source 121, 121 consisting of an air cylinder, and this third drive source 121, 121 moves the support shaft 120, 120 back and forth in the axial direction, enabling the horizontal sealing roller 110a fixed to the support shaft 120, 120 to be moved closer to or farther away from the horizontal sealing roller 110b. During horizontal sealing, the pair of horizontal sealing rollers 110a, 110b can be brought close to each other and pressurized, improving sealing performance.

[0060] In this embodiment, the sleeve portions 112, 112 are fixed to the movable base 170, and the strength is improved in preparation for vertical movement.

[0061] The first driving sources 130a, 130b and second driving source 160 are required to be capable of controlling the position, speed, and amount of rotation accurately. For example, a servo motor is preferable, but other conventionally known driving sources can be used.

[0062] In the conventional invention, gears that rotate together with the horizontal seal rollers were used, and these gears were meshed with each other to transmit the power output from a single drive source, causing each horizontal seal roller to rotate synchronously. However, by providing a separate drive source (the first drive sources 130a, 130b) for each horizontal seal roller 110a, 110b in this manner, gears are no longer necessary to transmit the drive force from the drive source to each horizontal seal roller. As a result, there is no need to attach gears to each seal roller that match the appropriate horizontal seal roller spacing and rotation speed according to the thickness of the packaging material being used, and there is no need to adjust the gear meshing (gearing), making it possible to easily seal the packaging material at an appropriate feed speed and feed amount.

[0063] Furthermore, not only synchronous rotation but also asynchronous rotation is possible, and by switching the drive and adjusting the rotation speed, it is possible to effectively prevent poor lateral sealing, and by adjusting the feed speed and feed amount, welding with fine adjustments is possible, and not only can adjustments be made as necessary when a pair of the same packaging materials are used, but also problems caused by differences in the feed speeds of the front and back of the packaging materials when a pair of packaging materials differing in at least one of thickness, hardness, or material are used can be effectively prevented. In other words, it is possible to synchronize the feed speeds so that no misalignment occurs, and it is also possible to ensure the filling capacity by making the feed speed of one packaging material somewhat faster than the feed speed of the other packaging material, allowing for some deflection.

[0064] The movable base 170 has a slide member 171 that is C-shaped in cross section, and by combining and sliding the slide member 171 with a slide surface 152 that is H-shaped in cross section on a slide rail 151 that protrudes from the fixed base 150 and extends vertically, the movable base 170 can move back and forth in the vertical direction along the slide rail 151.

[0065] In addition, the counterweight 180 has a slide member 181 with a C-shaped cross section, and by combining and sliding the slide member 181 with a slide surface 154 with an H-shaped cross section on a slide rail 153 that protrudes from the fixed base 150 and extends vertically, the counterweight 180 can reciprocate up and down along the slide rail 153.

[0066] In this embodiment, three slide members 171 are provided on the movable base 170 side, and three slide rails 151 are provided corresponding to the slide members 171 .

[0067] Further, two slide members 181 are provided on the counterweight 180 side, and two slide rails 153 are provided corresponding to the respective slide members 181 .

[0068] As described above, provision of a sliding mechanism consisting of multiple sets of sliding members and sliding rails for the movable base 170 and the counterweight 180 allows smooth vertical movement, which is particularly desirable. However, the present invention can also be implemented without any problems even if at least one of the movable base 170 and the counterweight 180 is provided with a cantilever-type sliding mechanism consisting of only one set of sliding members and sliding rails.

[0069] The connecting rod 191 has one end journaled to the crank pin 146 of the crankshaft 141 via a bearing 192 , and the other end journaled to the movable base 170 via a bearing 193 and a connector 194 .

[0070] One end of the connecting rod 195 is journalled to the crank pin 147 of the crankshaft 141 via a bearing 196 , and the other end is journalled to the counterweight 180 via a bearing 197 and a connector 198 .

[0071] Then, by driving the second driving source 160 to rotate the crankshaft 141, the pair of connecting rods 191, 194 journaled on the crankshaft 141 move, so that the movable base 170 and the counterweight 180 constitute a reciprocating crank mechanism (vertical movement mechanism 140) that moves up and down while being in vertically symmetrical positions with respect to each other across the crankshaft 141. Therefore, even if the movable base 170 is moved up and down at high speed by the vertical movement mechanism 140, the counterweight 180 moves symmetrically to maintain the weight balance, so that the movable base 170 can be operated in a stable state without generating unnecessary vibrations.

[0072] In this embodiment, the counterweight 180 is formed from a plurality of counterweight members, which has the advantage that the weight can be accurately adjusted according to the weight of the movable base 170 and the speed of its up and down movement, and that internal inspection and maintenance can be easily performed.

[0073] In the embodiment of the present invention, the pair of packaging materials constituting the package is described as being different in thickness, hardness, and material, but it is also possible to use a pair of packaging materials having the same thickness, hardness, and material. When a pair of packaging materials is used, a separate drive source is provided for each of the pair of horizontal seal rollers (and the pair of vertical seal rollers), eliminating the need for gears to transmit the drive force from the drive source to each seal roller. This eliminates the need to attach gears to each seal roller that match the appropriate seal roller spacing and rotation speed according to the thickness of the packaging material used, and eliminates the need to adjust the gear meshing (gearing). This allows the packaging material to be easily sealed at an appropriate feed speed and feed amount, resulting in advantages of excellent sealing properties and sealing speed, and the ability to rotate asynchronously as well as synchronously, allowing welding with fine adjustments by adjusting the feed speed and feed amount.

[0074] The packaging material constituting the package may be a single strip of packaging material that is folded over. Even when a single strip of packaging material is folded over, each of the pair of horizontal seal rollers (and the pair of vertical seal rollers) is provided with its own drive source, eliminating the need for gears to transmit the drive force from the drive source to each seal roller, and therefore eliminating the need to attach gears to each seal roller that match the appropriate vertical seal roller spacing and rotation speed according to the thickness of the packaging material used, eliminating the need to adjust the gear meshing (gearing), and allowing the packaging material to be easily sealed at an appropriate feed speed and feed amount, resulting in the advantages of excellent sealing properties and sealing speed.

[0075] As described above, according to the present invention, by providing a separate drive source for each pair of horizontal sealing rollers (and a pair of vertical sealing rollers), gears are no longer necessary to transmit the drive force from the drive source to each sealing roller. This means that there is no need for complicated preparations such as attaching gears to each sealing roller that match the appropriate sealing roller spacing and rotation speed according to the thickness of the packaging material being used, or for adjusting the gear meshing (gearing), which is not only financially and time-efficient, but also allows the packaging material to be easily sealed at an appropriate feed speed and feed amount, making it possible to provide a packaging and filling machine with excellent sealing performance and sealing speed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1 Packaging and filling machine, 4 Packaging body, 5a, 5b Pulley, 6 Vertical sealing device, 7 Nozzle, 8a, 8b Cooling roller, 9a, 9b Roll cutter, 20 Packaging material, 21 Film material, 30 Packaging material, 31, 32 Sheet material, 41 Continuous packaging body, 100 Horizontal sealing device, 110a, 110b Horizontal sealing roller, 111 Fixed part, 112 Sleeve part, 120 Support shaft, 130a, 130b First driving source, 141 Crank shaft, 142 Bearing part, 143 Bearing, 144 Support body, 145 Bearing, 150 Fixed base, 151 Slide rail, 152 Slide surface, 153 Slide rail, 154 Slide surface, 160 Second driving source, 170 Movable base, 171 Slide member, 180 Counterweight, 181 Slide member, 191 connecting rod, 192 bearing, 193 bearing, 194 connecting tool, 195 connecting rod, 196 bearing, 197 bearing, 198 connecting tool, 200 drum, 201 feed roller, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 guide roller, 300 drum, 301 feed roller, 302, 303, 304, 305 guide roller, 310 opening part, 311 perforation, H1, H2 preheater

Claims

1. A packaging and filling machine that continuously produces packages filled with contents, comprising: a vertical sealing device that overlaps packaging materials and feeds them vertically downward while welding them in the longitudinal direction; a filling device that fills a filling section formed between the packaging materials with contents; and a horizontal sealing device that intermittently welds the packaging materials in the width direction, The vertical sealing device, A pair of vertical seal rollers disposed on either side of the packaging material; A drive source is provided for each of the pair of vertical seal rollers, and is capable of switching the drive of each vertical seal roller and adjusting the rotation speed thereof individually; having The horizontal sealing device, A pair of horizontal seal rollers arranged to sandwich the packaging material; A support shaft is disposed in a direction perpendicular to the pair of horizontal seal rollers, is fixed to one of the pair of horizontal seal rollers, and supports the pair of horizontal seal rollers in a space-adjustable manner and in parallel; A drive source is provided for each of the pair of horizontal seal rollers, and the drive of each horizontal seal roller can be switched and the rotation speed can be adjusted individually, so that each of the horizontal seal rollers can rotate synchronously or asynchronously; A drive source that is attached to the support shaft and that can move the support shaft back and forth in the axial direction to move the pair of horizontal seal rollers closer to and away from each other when manufacturing the package. A vertical movement mechanism for reciprocating the pair of horizontal seal rollers in the vertical direction; having A packaging and filling machine characterized by the above.

2. The driving source attached to the support shaft moves the support shaft back and forth in the axial direction to bring the pair of lateral seal rollers close to each other and apply pressure during lateral sealing.

2. The packaging and filling machine according to claim 1.

3. 3. The packaging and filling machine according to claim 1, wherein the support shaft is disposed so as to intersect with an axis of the transverse seal roller that is not fixed to the support shaft.

4. A packaging and filling machine as described in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that one of the horizontal seal rollers is fixed to the support shaft by fixing fixing portions provided on both ends of the roller to the support shaft, and the other horizontal seal roller is supported on the support shaft by inserting the support shaft into sleeves provided on both ends of the roller.

5. 5. A packaging and filling machine as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that the up-down movement mechanism comprises a fixed base, a drive source fixed to the fixed base at a position above the horizontal sealing device and having its rotating shaft as a crankshaft, a movable base arranged below the fixed base and capable of reciprocating in the vertical direction and supporting the support shaft, a counterweight arranged above the fixed base and reciprocating symmetrically with the movable base, and a pair of connecting rods respectively connecting the crankshaft to the movable base and the crankshaft to the counterweight.

6. The packaging and filling machine described in claim 5, characterized in that the movable base and the counterweight each have a slide member with a C-shaped cross section, and the movable base and the counterweight reciprocate in the vertical direction by combining and sliding the slide member on a slide surface that has an H-shaped cross section on a slide rail that protrudes from the fixed base and extends vertically.

7. 7. A packaging and filling machine according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, wherein the packaging material is a pair of packaging materials.

8. 8. The packaging and filling machine according to claim 7, wherein the pair of packaging materials differ from each other in at least one of thickness, hardness, and material.

Images