Cutting device

Abstract

To provide an easily adjustable parting device of a packaging filling machine, improved in manufacturing speed.SOLUTION: The parting device of a packaging filling machine has a die-cutting part 110 comprising a punch and a die arranged sandwiching a continuous package after filled with a content, a reciprocating mechanism 130 reciprocating the die-cutting part 110 along the longitudinal direction of a packaging material, and a longitudinally moving mechanism 170 die-cutting by making the punch and the die of the die-cutting part 110 come close / separate and overlapping in the longitudinal direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a separating device used when separating packages filled with contents that are continuously produced in a packaging and filling machine into individual packages. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, packaging and filling machines have been widely used that are capable of continuously producing packages by welding overlapping, long pieces of packaging material in the longitudinal direction (vertical sealing), intermittently welding the packaging material in the width direction (horizontal sealing), and filling the filling section formed between the packaging material with contents.

[0003] In this packaging and filling machine, the package after being filled with the contents remains a continuous package, so it needs to be divided into individual packages using a cutting device. For example, a rotary cutter type cutting device such as that shown in JP 2016-216058 A (Patent Document 1) is commonly used.

[0004] However, this rotary cutter type dividing device has a dividing blade on at least one of a pair of rollers placed between the filled continuous packaging body, and divides the continuous packaging body at specified intervals as it is fed to form individual packaging bodies.

[0005] This required precise adjustment of the blade alignment and careful adjustment to the appropriate roller spacing, which was particularly time-consuming when the packaging material being used was thick or hard.

[0006] Furthermore, in a rotary cutter-type cutting device, when attempting to make the corners of a packaging body rounded, it is common to use a cutter with an integrated blade made by a manufacturing method such as a corroded blade or a carved blade to prevent the creation of seams at the blade; however, such integrated blades have the problem that they are relatively expensive and relatively inferior in durability compared to separate blades.

[0007] Also, instead of the rotary cutter type cutting device, a cutting device of a type in which a punch and a die are overlapped to perform punching, as shown in, for example, JP-A-2-258506 (Patent Document 2), is known.

[0008] Such a punch-type dividing device has the advantage that it can easily divide packages that are relatively thick and hard, and can have rounded corners depending on the shape of the die.

[0009] However, in a conventional cutting device such as that shown in Patent Document 2, the continuously moving package must be temporarily stopped at the punching position during punching.

[0010] Therefore, there has been a demand for a packaging and filling machine that uses a cutting device that is easy to adjust and can improve the production speed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0011] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2016-216058 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2-258506 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] An object of the present invention is to provide a cutting device for a packaging and filling machine which is easy to adjust and enables an improvement in the production speed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] The present invention, which has been made to solve the above problems, provides a cutting device that includes a vertical sealing device that overlaps and feeds long packaging materials while welding them in the longitudinal direction, a horizontal sealing device that intermittently welds the packaging materials in the width direction, and a filling device that fills contents into filling sections formed between the packaging materials, and is used in a packaging and filling machine that continuously produces packages filled with contents when dividing the continuously produced packages into individual packages, The punching unit is characterized by comprising a punch and a die arranged on either side of the continuous packaging body after the contents have been filled, a reciprocating mechanism for moving the punching unit along the longitudinal direction, and a forward / backward movement mechanism for overlapping the punch and die of the punching unit to perform punching.

[0014] According to the above-mentioned cutting device, while continuously producing packages filled with contents, the punching section reciprocates in accordance with the feed speed of the continuous packages, punching is performed by the punching section to divide them into individual packages, i.e., continuous punching is possible by box action, so there is no need to precisely adjust the distance between the rollers as with a rotary cutter, and the packages can be punched while being fed without pausing, making it possible to provide an excellent cutting device that achieves both ease of adjustment and improved production speed.

[0015] The forward / rearward movement mechanism further comprises a drive source, a crankshaft connected to a drive shaft of the drive source, and a connecting rod connecting the crank portion and the punch, In the case of a crank mechanism in which the crank shaft is rotated by driving the drive source and the punch moves back and forth toward and away from the die, continuous punching can be performed by the reliable and powerful force of the crank mechanism.

[0016] Furthermore, the reciprocating mechanism is a ball screw mechanism including a drive source, a screw shaft connected to the drive source, and a nut portion fixed to the punching portion and attached to the screw shaft so as to be reciprocatable in the axial direction of the screw shaft, When the driving source is driven to rotate the screw shaft and the punching portion fixed to the nut portion reciprocates along the longitudinal direction, the reciprocating motion can be performed smoothly with a relatively simple structure using a ball screw mechanism.

[0017] The cutting device further comprises a fixed base having a vertically extending slide rail protruding therefrom, and a movable base having the punching portion mounted thereon and a C-shaped cross-sectional slide member protruding therefrom; By combining and sliding the slide member on the H-shaped cross-sectional slide surface of the slide rail, when the movable base reciprocates on the slide rail, the reciprocating motion of the ball screw mechanism is supplemented, and the reciprocating motion can be performed in a very stable condition.

[0018] Furthermore, it is particularly desirable if the packaging material has a positioning mark and the driving source can be controlled by detecting the positioning mark using a detection means to prevent misalignment of the cutting position, since this can avoid cutting failure.

[0019] Furthermore, when the packaging materials are a pair of packaging materials that differ in at least one of the thickness, hardness, or material, it is possible to produce various types of packaging bodies by combining them.In this case, too, since the cutting device performs cutting by punching, even combinations of packaging materials with similar thicknesses or hardnesses can be easily cut.

[0020] Furthermore, if the packaging and filling machine is equipped with a pulling device consisting of a pair of pulling rollers and a drive source installed below the cutting device, which sandwich the packaging material, slack can be eliminated and punching can be performed reliably and beautifully. Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to the present invention, packages filled with contents can be continuously produced while the punching section is moved back and forth in accordance with the feed speed of the continuous packages, and the punching section punches and divides the packages into individual packages, i.e., continuous punching is possible by box action, so there is no need to precisely adjust the distance between the rollers as with a rotary cutter, and the packages can be punched while they are being fed without pausing, providing an excellent cutting device that achieves both ease of adjustment and improved production speed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a packaging and filling machine equipped with a cutting device 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 front view showing a cutting device in the packaging and filling machine shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 2 is a perspective view showing a cutting device in the packaging and filling machine shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 7] 2 is a partial side view showing a cutting device in the packaging and filling machine shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 8] 2 is a partial plan view showing a cutting device in the packaging and filling machine shown in FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0024] Fig. 1 shows in vertical section the configuration of a packaging and filling machine 1 incorporating a cutting device 100 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.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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)).

[0027] In addition, the dotted lines in Figures 3(a) and (b) indicate the punching positions when the packaging body 4 is separated by the separating device 100 from the packaging body in which the contents are sealed, the symbol 312 (polka dot pattern mesh portion) indicates the sealing positions of the packaging body 4 (the vertical sealing position by the vertical sealing means 6 and the horizontal sealing position by the horizontal sealing means 7), and the symbol 313 is a positioning mark for adjusting the sealing position and the separating position.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] The unwound packaging materials 20, 30 are then overlapped by a pair of pulleys 5a, 5b and fed in the longitudinal direction.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 2, a manufacturing process of the package in the packaging and filling machine 1 will be described. The packaging and filling machine 1 of this embodiment includes vertical sealing rollers 6a, 6b as a vertical sealing device 6 that welds in the width direction 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, horizontal sealing rollers 7a, 7b that intermittently weld the pair of cylindrical packaging materials 20, 30 in the width direction, a nozzle 8 as a filling device that fills the filling portion 42 formed between the pair of packaging materials 20, 30 by the vertical sealing device 6 and the horizontal sealing device 7 with the contents, cooling rollers 9a, 9b below the nozzle 8 that cool the horizontal sealing position by the horizontal sealing device 7, a dividing device 100 that divides the continuous package 41 after the vertical and horizontal sealing is completed, and a pulling device 11 that pulls the pair of packaging materials 20, 30 to apply tension.

[0037] 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 the packaging bodies are sealed lengthwise and widthwise before being cut and the contents are sealed.

[0038] The cooling rollers 9a and 9b are not essential, and the cooling rollers 9a and 9b may be omitted.

[0039] In addition, in this embodiment, the pair of vertical sealing rollers 6a, 6b and the pair of horizontal sealing rollers 7a, 7b described above are equipped with heaters as heating devices only on the vertical sealing roller 6a and the horizontal sealing roller 7a 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.

[0040] 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 7a, 7b are provided 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] In this embodiment, the pair of vertical sealing rollers 6a, 6b that form the vertical sealing device 6 are each equipped with a drive source that can individually switch the drive and adjust the rotation speed, so that the drive of each of the vertical sealing rollers 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.

[0043] In addition, in order to adjust the rotational 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 that detects the positioning mark 313 as a detection means or image processing (not shown).

[0044] In this embodiment, the pair of horizontal sealing rollers 7a, 7b that form the horizontal sealing device 7 are each equipped with a drive source that can individually switch the drive and adjust the rotation speed, so that the drive of each of the horizontal sealing rollers 7a, 7b 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.

[0045] In addition, in order to adjust the rotational speed of the pair of horizontal sealing rollers 7a, 7b, it is preferable to adjust the feed speed and feed amount of the packaging materials 20, 30 by using a registration mark sensor that detects the positioning mark 313 as a detection means or image processing (not shown).

[0046] Figure 5 is a front view showing the cutting device 100 in the packaging and filling machine 1, Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the cutting device 100 in the packaging and filling machine 1, Figure 7 is a side view showing the cutting device 100 in the packaging and filling machine 1, and Figure 8 is a plan view showing the cutting device 100 in the packaging and filling machine 1.

[0047] As shown in these figures, the cutting device 100 has a punching section 110 consisting of a punch 121 and a die 122 arranged on either side of the pair of packaging materials 20, 30, a reciprocating mechanism 130 for moving the punching section 110 up and down reciprocally in the longitudinal direction (the up and down direction in Figure 5), and a front-to-back movement mechanism 170 for moving the punch 121 and the die 122 constituting the punching section 110 closer to, farther away from, and overlapping each other in the front-to-back direction to perform punching.

[0048] The reciprocating mechanism 130 has a first drive source 150 whose rotating shaft is a screw shaft 151, a nut portion 122 attached to the screw shaft 151 and capable of reciprocating in the axial direction of the screw shaft 141, and a movable base 160 which carries the punching portion 110 and is fixed to the nut portion 142 and capable of reciprocating in the axial direction of the screw shaft 151 (the up and down direction in Figure 5).

[0049] The first driving source 150 is fixed to a position above the punching section 110 on a fixed base 140 that is fixedly disposed inside the case body 10 of the packaging and filling machine 1.

[0050] The reciprocating mechanism 130 employs a ball screw mechanism in which, by driving the first driving source 150, the screw shaft 151, which is a rotating shaft, rotates, and the nut portion 142, a movable base 160 fixed to the nut portion 142, and the punching portion 110 mounted on the movable base 160 reciprocate integrally in the axial direction of the screw shaft 151 (the up and down direction in FIG. 5).

[0051] By configuring the reciprocating mechanism 130 using a ball screw mechanism in this manner, it can be continuously reciprocated smoothly and at high speed in the vertical direction, which is the axial direction of the screw shaft (the vertical direction in Figure 5), thereby enabling the high-speed transport of packaging film to be handled. The ball screw mechanism allows for smooth up-and-down reciprocating movement with a relatively simple structure.

[0052] The forward / backward movement mechanism 170 has a second drive source 180 having a crankshaft 181 attached to a rotating shaft, and a connecting rod 190 having one end 191 connected to the crankshaft 181 and the other end 192 connected to the punch 120.

[0053] The front-rear movement mechanism 170 employs a crank mechanism in which, by driving the second driving source 180, the crank shaft 181 attached to a rotating shaft rotates, and the connecting rod 190 reciprocates in the front-rear axial direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 7 ), which is the direction in which the punch 121 moves toward and away from the die 122.

[0054] By configuring the forward and backward movement mechanism 170 as a crank mechanism in this manner, it can be continuously reciprocated in the forward and backward direction (left and right direction in Figure 7) which is the direction in which the punch and die approach and separate smoothly and at high speed, making it possible to handle high-speed transport of packaging film.Since there is no play as with a cam mechanism, there is little vibration, and it is possible to perform continuous punching with reliable and powerful force in a space-saving manner.

[0055] The movable base 160 has a slide member 161 with a C-shaped cross section, and by combining and sliding the slide member 151 with a slide surface 142 which has an H-shaped cross section on a slide rail 141 which protrudes from the fixed base 140 and extends vertically, the movable base 160 can reciprocate up and down along the slide rail 141.

[0056] In this embodiment, two slide members 161 are provided on the movable base 160 side, and two slide rails 141 are provided corresponding to the slide members 161 .

[0057] In this way, by providing the movable base 160 with a slide mechanism consisting of two sets of slide members and slide rails, smooth reciprocating up and down movement is possible, which is particularly desirable. However, even if a slide mechanism consisting of only one set of slide members and slide rails, i.e., a cantilever type slide mechanism, is provided, Therefore, the present invention can be implemented without any problems.

[0058] In addition, the pulling device 11 for pulling and applying tension to the pair of packaging materials 20, 30 comprises pulling rollers 11a, 11b arranged on either side of the pair of packaging materials 20, 30, and a third drive source 11c for driving the pulling rollers 11a, 11b.

[0059] The pulling rollers 11a, 11b are fitted with gears (not shown) that mesh with each other, and the driving force of one driving source (third driving source 11c) is transmitted through the gears, causing them to rotate in unison.

[0060] By using this pulling device 11 to pull the pair of packaging materials 20, 30 downward to remove slack, punching can be performed reliably and neatly by the cutting device 100.

[0061] The first driving source 150, the second driving source 180 and the third driving source 11c 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 this embodiment, the position, speed, and amount of rotation of the first driving source 150, the second driving source 180, and the third driving source 11c can be freely controlled individually, and it is possible to adjust the speed of the reciprocating up and down movement (ball screw mechanism) by the reciprocating mechanism 130, the speed of the back and forth movement (crank mechanism) by the back and forth movement mechanism 170, and the pulling speed by the pulling device 11.

[0063] Furthermore, by using a detection means (not shown) such as a registration mark sensor that detects the positioning mark 313 on the packaging material 30 or image processing, the position, speed and amount of rotation of the first driving source 150, the second driving source 180 and the third driving source 11c can be controlled to adjust the feeding speed of the packaging material, thereby preventing misalignment of the cutting position and avoiding cutting failure.

[0064] In the embodiment of the present invention, the pair of packaging materials constituting the package are described as being different in thickness, hardness and material, but the pair of packaging materials may be the same in thickness, hardness and material. Also, the packaging material constituting the package may be a single strip-shaped packaging material folded over, such as a so-called three-sided sealed bag.

[0065] Furthermore, the filling and packaging machine 1 of this embodiment is a vertical packaging and filling machine which fills and packages the contents while transporting the packaging materials 20, 30 vertically, and the cutting process by the cutting device 100 involves punching while the continuous packaging body 41 is fed vertically (up and down), but for example, the cutting process by the cutting device 100 may also involve punching while the continuous packaging body 41 is fed horizontally. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1 Packaging and filling machine, 4 Packaging body, 5a, 5b Pulley, 6 Vertical sealing device, 6 a, 6b vertical seal roller, 7 horizontal seal device, 7a, 7b horizontal seal roller roller, 8 nozzle, 9a, 9b cooling roller, 10 case body, 11 pull Tensioning device, 11a, 11b tension roller, 11c third driving source, 20 Packaging material, 21 Film material, 30 Packaging material, 31 Sheet material, 32 Sheet material, 41 continuous packaging body, 42 filling section, 100 cutting device, 110 punching part, 121 punch, 122 die, 130 reciprocating mechanism, 140 fixed base, 141 slide rail, 142 slide surface, 150 first driving source, 15 1 screw shaft, 152 nut portion, 160 movable base, 161 slide member, 170 forward / rearward movement mechanism, 180 second driving source, 181 crankshaft, 190 Connecting rod, 191 one end, 192 other end, 200 drum, 201 feet Draw rollers, 202, 203, 204, 205 Guide rollers, 206 Ga Id roller, 300 Drum, 301 Feed roller, 302, 303 ,304,305 guide roller, 310 opening part, 311 perforation, 3 12 Seal position, 313 Positioning mark, H1 Preheater, H2 Preheater heater

Claims

1. A packaging and filling machine includes a vertical sealing device which overlaps and feeds long packaging materials while welding them in the longitudinal direction, a horizontal sealing device which intermittently welds the packaging materials in the width direction, and a filling device which fills contents into filling sections formed between the packaging materials, and which continuously produces packages filled with contents. The dividing device is used when dividing the continuously produced packages into individual packages in the packaging and filling machine, a punching section consisting of a punch and a die arranged to sandwich the continuous package filled with the contents; a reciprocating mechanism for moving the punching section along the longitudinal direction; a fixed base having a slide rail extending in the vertical direction protruding therefrom; a movable base on which the punching section is mounted and from which a slide member protrudes; and a forward and backward movement mechanism for overlapping the punch and die of the punching section to perform punching; The reciprocating mechanism includes: a ball screw mechanism including a first driving source, a screw shaft connected to the first driving source, and a nut portion fixed to the movable base and attached to the screw shaft so as to be reciprocable in an axial direction of the screw shaft, wherein the screw shaft rotates and the nut portion reciprocates in the longitudinal direction by driving the first driving source; The slide member having a C-shaped cross section is combined with a slide surface of the slide rail having an H-shaped cross section, and the slide member is slid in the vertical direction while restricting movement of the slide member in directions other than the vertical direction, so that the movable base reciprocates up and down on the slide rail. A cutting device characterized by the above.

2. The forward / backward movement mechanism includes: a second drive source; a crankshaft connected to a drive shaft of the second drive source; and a connecting rod connecting the crankshaft and the punch, 2. The cutting device according to claim 1, further comprising a crank mechanism that rotates the crank shaft by driving the second drive source, and moves the punch toward and away from the die in a reciprocating manner.

3. 3. The cutting device according to claim 1, wherein a positioning mark is provided on the packaging material, and a detection means detects the positioning mark to control the drive source and prevent misalignment of the cutting position.

4. 4. The cutting device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the packaging material is a pair of packaging materials which are different from each other in at least one of thickness, hardness and material.

5. 5. The cutting device according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the packaging and filling machine is provided with a pulling device consisting of a pair of pulling rollers arranged below the cutting device to sandwich the packaging material therebetween and a drive source.

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