Packaging device

Abstract

To provide a packaging device capable of forming a package allowing easy taking-out of a packaging object.SOLUTION: A packaging device 1 comprises: a first supply part R1 and a second supply part R2 supplying a sheet-like packaging material F continued in a supply direction; and a package processing part 40 which sandwiches a packaging object between a first packaging material F1 being the packaging material F supplied from the first supply part R1 and a second packaging material F2 being the packaging material F supplied from the second supply part R2, and which packages the packaging object by jointing the first packaging material F1 to the second packaging material F2. Perforation forming means 50 forming perforation in the packaging material F, is provided between at least one of the first supply part R1 and the second supply part R2, and the package processing part 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a packaging machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a packaging device is known in which two film rolls that supply film sheets as packaging material are attached to a supply section, the item to be packaged is sandwiched between two film sheets supplied from the two film rolls, and the film sheets are welded together to create a package (Patent Document 1, etc.). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-074977 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] If one tries to tear the film sheet by hand to open a package created by the packaging device described in Patent Document 1 in order to remove a packaged item contained within, there is a risk that the package will bend and the packaged item contained within will also break and be damaged. This problem is not limited to cases where the packaging material is a film sheet. If the package is made by sandwiching an object to be packaged between two pieces of packaging material and joining the two pieces of packaging material, the same problem may occur when removing the object to be packaged. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a packaging device including a first supply unit and a second supply unit that supply a sheet-like packaging material that is continuous in a supply direction, and a packaging processing unit that performs a packaging process in which an object to be packaged is sandwiched between a first packaging material that is the packaging material supplied from the first supply unit and a second packaging material that is the packaging material supplied from the second supply unit, and the first packaging material and the second packaging material are joined together to package the object to be packaged. The packaging device includes a perforation forming means that forms perforations in the packaging material between at least one of the first supply unit and the second supply unit and the packaging processing unit, and the first packaging material and the second packaging material are pulled out from the first supply unit and the second supply unit, respectively, as the object to be packaged moves within the device while pushing a joint portion on the tip side where the first packaging material and the second packaging material are previously joined. The perforation forming means includes a rotary perforation blade that forms perforations in a rotational direction, and the rotary perforation blade comes into contact with the packaging material and rotates together with the movement of the packaging material that is pulled out by the movement of the object to be packaged. The position of the rotary perforation blade in the width direction can be changed in the width direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the packaging material that moves as the packaging material is pulled out. It is characterized by the above. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, a package can be created in which the packaging material has perforations, and this package can be easily opened by hand by cutting the packaging material at the perforations, which has the excellent effect of creating a package from which the packaged item can be easily removed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, the same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in each drawing will be given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted as appropriate. Also, the dimensions of the members in each drawing will be enlarged or reduced as appropriate to facilitate understanding. Also, some of the members that are not important for explaining the embodiment will be omitted in each drawing.

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a packaging device according to the present invention will be described.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a packaging machine 1 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing an outline of the packaging machine 1 shown in FIG. The packaging machine 1 creates a package by sandwiching an advertising bundle S, which is an object to be packaged, between two films F (F1, F2) supplied from two film rolls R (R1, R2) and welding them at a welding unit 40. Furthermore, the packaging machine 1 includes a perforation forming unit 50, which is a perforation forming means for putting perforations in the upper film F1 supplied from the upper film roll R1.

[0011] The packaging machine 1 packages A4-sized advertising bundles, and the A4-sized advertising bundle S is inserted into the device through an insertion port 2 so that the short side of the A4-sized advertising bundle S is parallel to the width direction (the X-axis direction in Figure 1). The insertion slot 2 is provided with a guide plate 2a that guides the bottom surface and both widthwise sides of the advertisement stack S to be inserted, making it easy for the user to insert it manually. In this embodiment, the advertisement stack S is inserted manually by the user, but instead of the guide plate 2a, a device that automatically supplies the advertisement stack S one portion at a time may be connected for automatic supply.

[0012] The inserted advertising stack S is transported through the device in the direction of arrow "α" in FIG. 1 with its upper and lower sides sandwiched between the films F (F1, F2) pulled out from the upper film roll R1 above it and the lower film roll R2 below it. The film F around the advertising stack S is heat-sealed to form a package, and the package is then discharged from the discharge outlet 9 and stacked sequentially on the packaged item tray 4.

[0013] An operation panel 45 is provided on one end in the width direction of the upper surface of the packaging machine 1. The operation panel 45 functions as an input unit that accepts various inputs from the user for operating the packaging machine 1, and also functions as a display unit that displays various information within the packaging machine 1. A power switch 46 that turns on the packaging machine 1 is provided on the other end in the width direction of the upper surface of the packaging machine 1.

[0014] 2, the insertion opening 2 is formed on the left side of the packaging machine 1. Inside the insertion opening 2, there is a welding section 40 including a welding and cutting heater 5, front and rear end welding receiving tables 44, a side welding heater 41, a side welding receiving table 42, an upper conveyor belt 34, a lower conveyor belt 35, etc.

[0015] The insertion opening 2 is normally blocked by a shutter 3. The shutter 3 is rotatable about a shutter fulcrum 3a, and is biased in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2 by a biasing means (not shown), so that the lower end of the shutter 3 is in a state of being pressed against the front and rear end welded receiving base 44 provided below it (it is also possible to use the weight of the shutter as a pressure contact without providing a biasing means). When the advertisement bundle S is inserted, the shutter 3 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2 by the tip of the advertisement bundle S, and a gap is formed between the front and rear end welded receiving base 44. The advertisement bundle S enters the gap and is further inserted in the rightward direction in FIG. 2.

[0016] The welding and cutting heater 5 is disposed above the front and rear end welding receiving bases 44. The welding and cutting heater 5 is configured to be movable between a standby position shown in FIG. 2 and a welding position where its lower end reaches the front and rear end welding receiving bases 44 by a drive mechanism (not shown). The welding and cutting heater 5 is made of lightweight aluminum or aluminum alloy with good thermal conductivity, and its lower end is formed at an acute angle. A rubber heater (not shown) is baked and fixed to the welding and cutting heater 5, and the welding and cutting heater 5 can be heated by passing electricity through this rubber heater. In addition, a thermistor is attached to measure the temperature of the welding and cutting heater 5.

[0017] 2, an upper film roll R1 is disposed above the welding and cutting heater 5, and a lower film roll R2 is disposed below the heater 5. The upper film roll R1 will be described below, but the configuration of the lower film roll R2 and its support structure are the same as those of the upper film roll R1.

[0018] The upper film roll R1 is a long film (upper film F1) wound around an upper paper tube R1a. The upper paper tube shaft 6A coaxially supports the upper paper tube R1a from the inside. The upper film F1 has a width in the direction from the front side to the back side of the figure (hereinafter referred to as the width direction), and the upper paper tube R1a has the same width as the upper film F1. The width is formed to be slightly longer than the length (210 [mm]) of the short side of the A4 size advertisement stack S inserted from the insertion slot 2.

[0019] Adjacent to the end face of the upper film roll R1 in the width direction, an upper paper tube guide 7A formed in a plate shape parallel to the end face of the upper film roll R1 is erected. An upper guide slit 7aA extending downward from the upper end is formed in the upper paper tube guide 7A, and the upper paper tube shaft 6A is inserted into this upper guide slit 7aA. Furthermore, an upper film support roller 8A is provided to support the upper film roll R1 from below.

[0020] The upper paper tube guides 7A are of the same shape and stand on both sides of the width of the upper film roll R1. The support ring of the upper paper tube shaft 6A supports the inner surface of the upper paper tube R1a, so that the upper paper tube shaft 6A and the upper film roll R1 are supported so as to be coaxial. The upper paper tube shaft 6A is formed longer in the width direction than the distance between the two upper paper tube guides 7A, and both ends are inserted into the upper guide slits 7aA. When the remaining amount of the upper film roll R1 decreases and the roll diameter becomes smaller, the position of the upper paper tube shaft 6A descends, but the outer surface of the upper film roll R1 maintains a state of contact with the upper film support roller 8A.

[0021] The packaging machine 1 also has a lower paper tube shaft 6B, a lower paper tube guide 7B and a lower film support roller 8B in the lower film roll R2, which are configured similarly to the upper paper tube shaft 6A, upper paper tube guide 7A and upper film support roller 8A in the upper film roll R1.

[0022] An upper film F1 is pulled out from the upper film roll R1 and hung on an upper first film guide 31 and an upper second film guide 32, with its leading edge positioned below the welding and cutting heater 5. A lower film F2 is pulled out from the lower film roll R2 and hung on a lower film guide 33, with its leading edge positioned below the welding and cutting heater 5. The leading edges of the two upper and lower films (F1, F2) have been welded together in advance in the previous packaging process, forming a welding line Fx.

[0023] To the right of the welding and cutting heater 5 and the front and rear end welding receiving table 44 in the figure, there are provided an upper conveyor belt 34 and a lower conveyor belt 35 that convey the advertisement bundle S inserted from the insertion opening 2 together with the film (F1, F2). The upper conveyor belt 34 and the lower conveyor belt 35 are both arranged in pairs in the width direction, and the interval between them is configured to be shorter than the width of the advertisement bundle S (length in the X-axis direction in the figure), so that the upper conveyor belt 34 can sandwich the advertisement bundle S from above, and the lower conveyor belt 35 can sandwich the advertisement bundle S from below and convey it to the right in the figure (hereinafter, the direction in which this advertisement bundle S is conveyed is referred to as the "conveying direction"). A driving force is applied from the conveying motor M1 to the lower conveying downstream pulley 36, which is one of the pulleys around which the lower conveyor belt 35 is hung, via a lower belt drive transmission mechanism 37 composed of a toothed belt, a toothed pulley, gears, etc. In addition, a driving force is also applied from the conveying motor M1 via an upper belt drive transmission mechanism (not shown) to the upstream conveying downstream pulley 38, which is one of the pulleys around which the upper conveying belt 34 is looped. That is, when the conveying motor M1 rotates, a driving force is applied to both the upper conveying belt 34 and the lower conveying belt 35, and the two conveying belts (34, 35) move endlessly.

[0024] Two side welding heaters 41 are provided, one on each side in the width direction (outside in the width direction) of the upper conveyor belt 34. Two side welding receiving tables 42 are provided, one on each side in the width direction (outside in the width direction) of the lower conveyor belt 35, at positions facing the side welding heaters 41. The side welding heaters 41 and the side welding receiving tables 42 are formed long along the conveying directions of the upper conveyor belt 34 and the lower conveyor belt 35, respectively.

[0025] Each of the two side welding heaters 41 is made of lightweight aluminum or aluminum alloy with a rubber heater baked in, and has an acute angle at the bottom, just like the welding and cutting heater 5. A thermistor for measuring temperature is also attached.

[0026] The widthwise distance between the two side welding heaters 41 is longer than the width of the advertising stack S, and shorter than the width of the two films (F1, F2). Both side welding heaters 41 can be lowered by a drive mechanism (not shown) until their lower ends reach the side welding receiving base 42. With this configuration, the films (F1, F2) can be welded on both sides of the advertising stack S in the widthwise direction.

[0027] 2, a discharge outlet 9 is formed for discharging a package containing the advertisement bundle S. In order to detect the leading or trailing end of the advertisement bundle S on the transport path of the advertisement bundle S from the insertion opening 2 to the discharge outlet 9, a first sensor D1 is provided upstream of the welding and cutting heater 5 in the transport direction, and a second sensor D2 is provided downstream of the welding and cutting heater 5 in the transport direction. Furthermore, a third sensor D3 is provided near the discharge outlet 9.

[0028] In the packaging machine 1, based on a detection signal generated by three sensors (D1, D2, D3) detecting the advertisement bundle S as the packaging object, a heater actuator that moves the welding and cutting heater 5 and the side welding heater 41 up and down, a conveying motor M1, and two brake mechanisms (not shown) are driven and controlled based on a predetermined timing. The brake mechanisms are mechanisms that apply brakes to the rotation of the film support rollers 8 (8A, 8B) that come into contact with the outer circumferences of the two film rolls R (R1, R2).

[0029] When the advertisement bundle S is inserted from the insertion port 2 and the first sensor D1 detects the leading end of the advertisement bundle S, the brakes of the two brake mechanisms are released and the conveying motor M1 starts to drive. As a result, the two films (F1, F2) whose welding lines Fx are pressed by the inserted advertisement bundle S are unwound from their respective film rolls (R1, R2). The advertisement bundle S, which enters the device while pressing the welding lines Fx, is conveyed by the upper conveying belt 34 and the lower conveying belt 35 while sandwiched between the two films (F1, F2). The two films (F1, F2) are pulled by this conveying force, and are further unwound from their respective film rolls (R1, R2).

[0030] The advertisement bundle S sandwiched between the two films is conveyed to the right in FIG. 2 by the upper conveyor belt 34 and the lower conveyor belt 35, and a predetermined time after the second sensor D2 detects the rear end of the advertisement bundle S, the conveyor motor M1 is stopped, and then the brakes of the two brake mechanisms are turned ON. Next, the conveyor motor M1 is stopped to stop the upper conveyor belt 34 and the lower conveyor belt 35, and the heater actuator is driven to lower the welding and cutting heater 5 and the side welding heater 41. The welding and cutting heater 5 and the side welding heater 41 are lowered and moved from the standby position to the welding position, and the two films (F1, F2) are sandwiched between the welding and cutting heater 5 and the front and rear end welding receiving table 44, and between the side welding heater 41 and the side welding receiving table 42, and the two films (F1, F2) are thermally welded.

[0031] Thereafter, the side welding heater 41 is raised to the standby position, the driving of the conveying motor M1 is restarted to restart the endless movement of the upper conveying belt 34 and the lower conveying belt 35, and the conveying of the advertisement bundle S is restarted by the upper conveying belt 34 and the lower conveying belt 35. At this time, the welding and cutting heater 5 is at the welding position on the upstream side of the advertisement bundle S, so the two films (F1, F2) are cut at this welding position. Through these operations, the films (F1, F2) are welded on the rear end side and both sides of the advertisement bundle S, and the rear end side is cut at the welding position to create a package. The front end side of the advertisement bundle S has already been welded with two films (F1, F2) during the previous packaging process to form a welding line Fx, so that a package is created in which the periphery of the advertisement bundle S is welded and sealed.

[0032] Even after the package is created, the conveying motor M1 continues to drive, and when the third sensor D3 detects the passage of the rear end of the advertising stack S forming the package, the driving of the conveying motor M1 is stopped and the welding and cutting heater 5 is raised to the standby position. The advertising stack S, whose rear end has passed the detection position of the third sensor D3, is discharged from the discharge port 9 in the form of a package and loaded onto the package tray 4.

[0033] Next, the perforation forming section 50 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the perforation forming section 50 includes a perforation blade unit 10 having a perforation blade 11, and a perforation blade opposing roller 17. As shown in FIG. 1, the perforation blade opposing roller 17 is part of the upper paper tube guide 7A and is supported rotatably about an opposing roller rotation shaft 17a relative to an opposing roller holding portion 70 that protrudes downstream in the conveying direction. The perforation blade unit 10 is attached to a unit holding casing 71 fixed to the upper surface of the housing of the main body of the packaging machine 1. The sewing blade unit 10 comprises a lower casing 15 and an upper casing 16, and a portion of the sewing blade 11, which is a rotary sewing blade, and a portion of the sewing blade holding lever 12, which rotatably holds the sewing blade 11, are exposed from the casing.

[0034] 3 is an enlarged oblique view of the perforation forming section 50, showing the perforation blade unit 10 with the upper casing 16 removed, the unit holding casing 71, and the perforation blade opposing roller 17, as viewed from the upper left rear of FIG. 1. 1 and 3, the sewing blade holding lever 12 is held by the lower casing 15 so as to be rotatable about the lever pivot shaft 13. One end of the sewing blade pressure spring 14 arranged in the sewing blade unit 10 is fixed to a spring support plate 14a protruding inward from the lower casing 15, and the other end is fixed to the sewing blade holding lever 12. The biasing force of the sewing blade pressure spring 14 to compress acts on the sewing blade holding lever 12, causing it to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 1 about the lever pivot shaft 13. As a result, the sewing blade 11 held by the sewing blade holding lever 12 comes into contact with the sewing blade facing roller 17 so as to apply pressure thereto.

[0035] The sewing blade 11 can be moved toward and away from the blade-opposing roller 17 by rotating the blade-holding lever 12. The blade unit 10 includes a lever lock mechanism (not shown) that fixes the position of the blade-holding lever 12 when the blade 11 is separated from the blade-opposing roller 17. By pushing downward the lever operating portion 12a of the blade-holding lever 12 that protrudes from the opening 15a of the lower casing 15 to the outside of the casing, the blade 11 is separated from the blade-opposing roller 17, and the position of the blade-holding lever 12 is fixed by the lever lock mechanism. When the lock release lever 19 shown in FIG. 3 is pushed downward, the position fixed by the lever lock mechanism is released, and the blade-holding lever 12 is rotated by the biasing force of the blade-pressurizing spring 14, and the blade 11 is brought into pressure contact with the blade-opposing roller 17. In this manner, by operating the blade holding lever 12 and the lock release lever 19 , the blade 11 can be manually moved toward and away from the blade facing roller 17 .

[0036] In the packaging machine 1, when the upper film roll R1 is attached, the lever operating portion 12a of the perforation blade holding lever 12 is pressed down to fix the perforation blade 11 in a state separated from the perforation blade facing roller 17. Then, the upper film F1 pulled out from the upper film roll R1 to be attached is wound around the perforation blade facing roller 17, sandwiched between the portion facing the upper film support roller 8A, and wound around the upper first film guide 31 and the upper second film guide 32, thereby attaching the upper film roll R1. Since no welding line Fx is formed between the leading edge of the upper film F1 and the leading edge of the lower film F2 immediately after the film roll R is attached, the leading edge of the upper film F1 and the leading edge of the lower film F2 are joined by a joining means such as cellophane tape. Then, in order to form the welding line Fx, a test packaging object is inserted at least once to perform test packaging.

[0037] After the film roll R is attached, when the lock release lever 19 shown in Figure 3 is pressed down, the perforation blade 11 comes into pressure contact with the perforation blade opposing roller 17, and the blade portion of the perforation blade 11, which has blade portions and groove portions formed alternately on its circumference, punches holes in the upper film F1 that is wrapped around the perforation blade opposing roller 17. In this state, an object to be packaged is inserted and the upper film F1 is pulled out from the upper film roll R1, which rotates the perforation blade facing roller 17 and the perforation blade 11. The rotating perforation blade 11 forms a dashed perforation in the upper film F1 that is parallel to the moving direction of the upper film F1.

[0038] The upper film F1 on which perforations have been formed by the perforation blade 11 passes through the nip between the upper film support roller 8A and the upper film roll R1, is guided by the upper first film guide 31 and the upper second film guide 32, and reaches a welding section where the films F are welded together by the welding and cutting heater 5 and the side welding heater 41. Then, the advertising bundle S is sandwiched between the two films F (F1, F2) that have reached the welding section, and the two films F are welded together to create a package with perforations on its surface. The package is then discharged from the discharge port 9 and loaded onto the package tray 4.

[0039] Fig. 4 shows examples of packages Pk created by the packaging machine 1. Fig. 4(a) is an example of a package Pk with perforations CL, and Fig. 4(b) is an example of a package Pk without perforations CL. The package Pk shown in Fig. 4 is formed by sandwiching an advertising bundle S between an upper film F1 and a lower film F2 and welding the four sides. The welding points on the four sides include a downstream welding line Fx1 formed by the welding and cutting heater 5 during the previous packaging process, and an upstream welding line Fx2 formed by the welding and cutting heater 5 during the packaging process of the advertising bundle S shown in Fig. 4. In addition, there is a rear welding line F3 formed by the side welding heater 41 on the rear side in Fig. 2, and a front welding line F4 formed by the side welding heater 41 on the front side in Fig. 2.

[0040] Furthermore, in the package Pk shown in FIG. 4(a), a perforation CL is formed in the upper film F1 above the advertisement stack S (on the front side in FIG. 4). The film F on which the perforations CL are formed can be easily cut at the perforations by pulling in the opposite direction along the perforations, and the advertisement bundle S, which is the packaged object, can be easily removed from the opening formed by cutting the perforations.

[0041] The packaging machine 1 can perform packaging processing even when the lever operating portion 12a of the perforation blade holding lever 12 is pressed down to separate the perforation blade 11 from the perforation blade facing roller 17. The package Pk created in this state does not have a perforation CL, as shown in FIG. 4(b). In this way, by moving the perforation blade 11 toward and away from the perforation blade opposing roller 17, the packaging machine 1 can produce both a package Pk with perforations as shown in Figure 4(a) and a package Pk without perforations as shown in Figure 4(b).

[0042] As shown in Fig. 3, the lower casing 15 of the perforation blade unit 10 has elongated holes 18 extending in the width direction (a direction parallel to the X-axis in Fig. 3) in the sheet metal portion that fixes the perforation blade unit 10 to the unit holding casing 71. The perforation blade unit 10 can be fixed to the unit holding casing 71 by passing unit fixing screws 72 through each of the two elongated holes 18 and tightening the unit fixing screws 72 into round holes provided in the wall of the unit holding casing 71.

[0043] The fixed position of the perforation blade unit 10 relative to the unit holding casing 71 can be changed in the width direction within the range of the length of the elongated hole 18. By changing the width direction position of the perforation blade unit 10, the width direction position of the perforation blade 11 relative to the upper film F1 can be changed, and the width direction (left-right direction in FIG. 4) position of the perforation CL in the package Pk can be changed. Furthermore, the portion of the perforation blade facing roller 17 that the perforation blade 11 comes into contact with will be worn down with repeated use. In such a case, by changing the fixing position of the perforation blade unit 10 in the width direction, the position of the perforation blade facing roller 17 that the perforation blade 11 comes into contact with will also move in the width direction, allowing the perforation blade 11 to come into contact with the portion that has not been worn down.

[0044] The perforation blade opposing roller 17 may be a uniform roller in the axial direction (width direction parallel to the X-axis), but in this embodiment, the portion that comes into contact with the perforation blade 11 is a soft roller portion 171, and both outer sides in the axial direction are hard roller portions 172. By making the part that comes into contact with the perforation blade 11 a highly flexible soft roller portion 171, it can function like a cutting mat and form good perforations. Also, if the soft roller portion 171 becomes worn down due to repeated use, by making the soft roller portion 171 only replaceable, it becomes unnecessary to replace the entire perforation blade opposing roller 17. The blade facing roller 17 has a flexible roller portion 171 in which the fixed position of the blade unit 10 can be changed by moving the blade 11 within the range of the long hole 18 . When the perforation blade 11 has a wide range of displacement and can move across the entire width direction, it is preferable that the entire perforation blade facing roller 17 be made of the soft roller portion 171 .

[0045] In the packaging machine 1 of the above-described embodiment, the approach and separation of the perforation blade 11 and its position in the width direction are changed by manual operations, but they may be changed automatically using a driving means and a control means. In a configuration in which the perforation blade 11 is manually moved toward and away from the package Pk, the perforations CL are formed over the entire area in the conveying direction as shown in FIG. 4(a). On the other hand, if the perforation blade 11 is configured to automatically move in and out, it is possible to control the perforation CL to be formed in part of the transport direction of the package Pk by moving the blade in and out according to the timing of insertion of the package object.

[0046] In addition, in the case where the widthwise position of the side welding heater 41 can be changed depending on the width of the object to be packaged, the widthwise position of the perforation blade 11 may be automatically controlled so that the perforation CL is formed widthwise inward of the side welding heater 41.

[0047] The packaging machine 1 described above is configured to form perforations in the upper film F1 by a perforation forming means. As a configuration for forming perforations in the film F, which is the packaging material, a similar perforation forming means may be disposed in the moving path of the lower film F2 to form perforations in the lower film F2. Furthermore, perforation forming means may be provided in the moving paths of the upper film F1 and the lower film F2, respectively, to form perforations in both the upper and lower films F, thereby creating a package Pk having perforations CL on both the front and back sides.

[0048] In the packaging machine 1 described above, the perforation forming means uses a rotary perforation blade that clamps the film F between itself and a perforation blade opposing roller 17 and rotates in accordance with the movement of the film F, thereby forming perforations CL along the movement direction of the film F. The perforation forming means may be one in which a linearly arranged perforation blade extending in the width direction is brought into contact with the film F to form the perforations. Examples of a configuration in which such a linear perforation blade is brought into contact with the film F include a guillotine method in which the perforation blade is brought into contact with and separated from the film F in the packaging direction, and a bladed roller method in which a perforation blade is attached to the surface of a roller whose rotation axis extends in the width direction, and the roller is rotated to bring the perforation blade into contact with the film F. Furthermore, a rotary perforation blade that moves in the width direction while being in contact with the film F that is stopped for welding or the like may be used. However, these perforation forming means require the movement of a perforation blade to form perforations in the film F, and therefore require a drive means for moving the perforation blade. In contrast, the perforation forming means of the packaging machine 1 described in the embodiment forms perforations using a perforation blade 11 that rotates as the film F moves, so no driving means is required for moving the perforation blade that forms the perforations.

[0049] In the packaging machine 1, it is desirable to be able to use a plurality of types of film sheets as the film F, for example, with different thicknesses. However, the control of each part for good welding differs for different types of film F. For example, various control conditions, such as the minimum temperature required for welding, the time for which side welding heater 41 is in contact with side welding receiving stand 42, and the control timing of the brake mechanism, differ between a film thickness of 20 [μm] and a film thickness of 30 [μm]. In conventional packaging devices that overlap two sheets of film to package items, a serviceman or other maintenance personnel would input settings for the control conditions of each part so that the appropriate packaging process, including welding, could be performed depending on the type of film sheet, and the user would then use the device with the settings input to perform the packaging process. Therefore, if a user wanted to perform packaging processing using different types of film sheets, such as films of different thicknesses, the user had to either call a maintenance manager to change the settings, or purchase a new packaging device and have the different settings input.

[0050] In contrast, the packaging machine 1 of this embodiment is configured to store six control condition settings input by a service technician, allowing the user to select the required setting from the six stored settings and perform packaging processing. As an example, two of the six settings that can be stored are a setting suitable for a film thickness of 20 [μm] and a setting suitable for a film thickness of 30 [μm]. In this way, when a user performs a packaging process using a film roll R of 20 [μm] and then loads a film roll R of 30 [μm] to perform packaging, the user can perform the appropriate packaging process simply by selecting the setting suitable for a film thickness of 30 [μm] from the stored settings.

[0051] The control conditions to be set include the following: These include, but are not limited to, the welding time of the welding and cutting heater 5, the welding time of the side welding heater 41, the time from when the second sensor D2 detects the rear end of the advertising stack S to when the conveying motor M1 is stopped, the time from when the conveying motor M1 is restarted after welding, the set temperature of the welding and cutting heater 5, the set temperature of the side welding heater 41, the ON / OFF timing of the upper and lower brake mechanisms, the operating amount of the welding and cutting heater 5, the operating amount of the side welding heater 41, etc. The settings of these control conditions are input by a serviceman according to the type of film, such as the film thickness and material, and the user can select the desired setting. This allows the user to easily select the setting according to the type of film, and enables good packaging processing even when the type of film is different. The control condition settings are not limited to those input by a serviceman, but may be input and stored by the user according to his / her preferences. Furthermore, the number of settings that can be stored and selected is not limited to six.

[0052] Other than being equipped with the perforation forming section 50 of the packaging machine 1, any known configuration can be used, for example, the one described in JP 2017-074975 A can be used, but is not limited to this. In addition, the packaging machine 1 described above has a horizontal conveyance configuration in which the advertising bundle S, which is the packaging object, is wrapped in a resin film, which is the packaging material, while being transported in the horizontal direction, but the packaging device equipped with the perforation forming means according to the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as in the packaging device described in JP 2016-37302 A, it may have a vertical conveyance configuration in which the packaging object is wrapped while being transported from above to below. The packaging material for packaging the packaged object is not limited to resin film. Even if the packaging material is made of a different material, forming perforations makes it easier to remove the packaged object wrapped in the packaging material.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the case where the packaging object to be packaged by the packaging machine 1 is an advertisement bundle S has been described, but the packaging object is not limited to this. For example, it may be a plate-shaped object such as a newspaper, a piece of paper, a book, a catalog, or a plastic sheet. In addition to the plate-shaped object, a non-plate-shaped packaging object such as shampoo in a container or a ballpoint pen may be packaged. Furthermore, a non-plate-shaped packaging object may be placed on top of a plate-shaped packaging object and inserted into the insertion port 2 of the packaging machine 1 to create a package Pk enclosing these. For example, it is conceivable to insert a novelty item related to the advertisement, such as a ballpoint pen, or a sample product such as shampoo, placed on top of the advertisement bundle S into the insertion port 2 to create a package Pk enclosing an item in the advertisement. Furthermore, the package Pk created by the packaging machine 1 can also be used as direct mail. By forming perforations in the packaging material that forms the direct mail to make it easier to open, the opening rate of the direct mail can be improved.

[0054] The above description is merely an example, and each of the following aspects provides unique effects.

[0055] [Aspect 1] The present invention relates to a packaging device such as a packaging machine 1 that includes a first supply unit such as an upper film roll R1 and a second supply unit such as a lower film roll R2 that supply packaging material such as a sheet-like film F that is continuous in the supply direction, and a packaging processing unit such as a welding unit 40 that performs a packaging process to package the packaging object by sandwiching the packaging object such as an advertising bundle S between a first packaging material such as an upper film F1 that is a packaging material supplied from the first supply unit and a second packaging material such as a lower film F2 that is a packaging material supplied from the second supply unit and joining the first packaging material and the second packaging material by welding or the like, and that includes a perforation forming means such as a perforation forming unit 50 that forms perforations in the packaging material between at least one of the first supply unit and the second supply unit and the packaging processing unit. This allows the creation of packages with perforations in the packaging material, which can be easily opened by hand by cutting the packaging material at the perforations, making it possible to create packages from which the packaged items can be easily removed.

[0056] In the packaging machine 1 of this embodiment, the perforation forming unit 50 is disposed in the film F supply process from the upper film roll R1 to the welding unit 40. Since the perforations CL are applied to the film F before covering the packaging object, the perforations CL can be formed in the film F at the portion overlapping the upper surface of the packaging object as shown in FIG. 4(a) without damaging the packaging object. Furthermore, even in a packaging device that uses a single film for packaging, rather than a packaging material sandwiched between two long films, a perforation forming means can be disposed between the film supply unit and the packaging processing unit to create a package in which perforations are formed in the portion of the packaging material that overlaps the packaging object.

[0057] [Aspect 2] In the packaging device of aspect 1, the packaging processing section is characterized in that it packages the object to be packaged by linearly joining the first packaging material and the second packaging material at the front and rear of the direction of movement of the object to be packaged (the downstream and upstream sides in the conveying direction, etc.) and at both outer sides in the width direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the object to be packaged (the rear and front sides in the width direction, etc.) (downstream welding line Fx1, upstream welding line Fx2, rear welding line F3, front welding line F4). This makes it possible to realize a configuration in which an item to be packaged is packaged with two sheets of packaging material.

[0058] [Aspect 3] In the packaging device of the first or second aspect, the packaging material is a resin film sheet, and the packaging processing section joins the first packaging material and the second packaging material by welding. According to this, it is possible to realize a configuration in which two sheets of packaging material are joined by welding to package an object to be packaged.

[0059] Aspect 4 In a packaging device according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, the perforation forming means includes a rotary perforation blade such as perforation blade 11 that forms perforations in the rotational direction, and the rotary perforation blade is characterized in that it comes into contact with the packaging material and rotates in unison with the movement of the packaging material. According to this, a driving means for forming the perforations is not required. Also, if perforations are made in the width direction perpendicular to the moving direction, there is a possibility that the packaging material may tear at the perforations when pulled by the packaging processing unit, but by forming perforations along the moving direction of the packaging material, it is possible to prevent the packaging material being torn at the perforations when pulled by the packaging processing unit.

[0060] Aspect 5 In the packaging device of aspect 4, the rotary perforation blade is characterized in that it is movable between a contact position where it contacts the packaging material and a retracted position where it does not contact the packaging material. This makes it possible to produce both packages with perforations formed in the packaging material and packages without perforations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1: Packaging machine 4: Packaging tray 5: Welding and cutting heater 10: Perforation blade unit 11: Perforation blade 12: Sewing blade holding lever 17: Perforation blade facing roller 34: Upper conveyor belt 35: Lower conveyor belt 40: Welded part 41: Side welding heater 50: Perforation forming section CL: Perforation F: Film F1: Top film F2: Lower film Pk:Package R: Film roll R1: Upper film roll R2: Lower film roll S: Advertising bundle

Claims

1. a first supply section and a second supply section for supplying a continuous sheet-shaped packaging material in a supply direction; a packaging processing section that performs a packaging process for packaging the object to be packaged by sandwiching the object between a first packaging material that is the packaging material supplied from the first supply section and a second packaging material that is the packaging material supplied from the second supply section and joining the first packaging material and the second packaging material, a perforation forming means for forming a perforation in the packaging material between at least one of the first supply unit and the second supply unit and the packaging processing unit; a joint portion at a leading end side where the first packaging material and the second packaging material are joined, the object to be packaged moves through the device while pushing the joint portion, whereby the first packaging material and the second packaging material are drawn out from the first supply portion and the second supply portion, respectively; The perforation forming means includes a rotary perforation blade that forms perforations in a rotational direction, and the rotary perforation blade comes into contact with the packaging material and rotates in conjunction with the movement of the packaging material that is pulled out by the movement of the packaging object, A packaging device, characterized in that the position of the rotary perforation blade in a width direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the packaging material that moves as the packaging material is pulled out can be changed.

2. 2. The packaging device of claim 1, A packaging device comprising a rotary perforation blade contact / separation mechanism for switching between a state in which the rotary perforation blade is in contact with the packaging material and a state in which the rotary perforation blade is spaced from the packaging material.

3. In the packaging device according to claim 1 or 2, The packaging processing unit is a packaging device characterized by packaging the object to be packaged by linearly joining the first packaging material and the second packaging material at the front and rear of the object in the direction of movement and at both outer sides in the width direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the object to be packaged.

4. The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The packaging material is a resin film sheet, The packaging device is characterized in that the packaging processing unit joins the first packaging material and the second packaging material by welding.

Images