Processing equipment

Abstract

To provide a bag making machine in which workability for an operator is improved by means of inputting processing data by the operator with minimum panel operation, the processing data corresponding to designs of various envelopes, and input operation is simple and easy for the operator, thereby being suitable even for small lot operations.SOLUTION: The processing device includes: a conveying section that conveys paper; a folding line forming section that forms a folding line along a conveying direction to the paper conveyed by the conveying section; and a folding-back section that folds back the paper at the folding line formed by the folding line forming section, the processing device being configured for the folding line forming section and the folding-back section to be movable integrally in a width direction orthogonal the conveying direction of the paper.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing device for media such as paper, and more particularly to a bag making machine that folds media such as paper to make envelopes. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a bag making machine (for example, Patent Document 1) that folds a medium such as paper to make envelopes has a folding section (first folding section) that folds a glue substitute piece of the envelope paper back onto the envelope body (rear surface section), and the envelope paper is transported to the folding section, where a folding plate rotates to fold back the glue substitute piece and apply glue to the top surface of the folded back glue substitute piece. Next, the envelope with the glue applied is transported to the folding section (second folding section) of the flap (front surface section), and the flap (front surface section) is folded back and pressed against the glue substitute piece to which the glue has been applied, so that the glue substitute piece is attached to the flap. In addition, in the bag making machine, before the adhesive substitute portion is folded back on the envelope paper supplied to the device, a crease (fold) is first formed at the boundary between the envelope body and the adhesive substitute portion by a fold line forming section (second crease processing section) so that the adhesive substitute portion can be neatly folded back onto the envelope body.

[0003] The fold line forming section forms a vertical crease parallel to the paper feed direction. The fold line forming section is made up of a pair of crease blades arranged opposite each other in the width direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction. The folding section is made up of a pair of folding devices arranged opposite each other in the width direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction.

[0004] In the bag making machine, the operator must manually adjust the processing positions individually according to the various envelope designs to be produced before processing. Examples of the processing positions include the crease position formed by the fold line forming unit and the folding position of the adhesive substitute piece formed by the folding unit. As mentioned above, the crease position and the folding position of the adhesive substitute piece each require adjustment in pairs (two locations). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] WO2019043760A1 publication Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As mentioned above, the bag making machine requires manual adjustment of the processing positions for various envelope designs, which makes the adjustment process complicated and difficult for the operator to understand, and takes time. For this reason, the bag making machine tends to be used only for large-lot production.

[0007] Bag making machines that can automatically adjust the processing position have also been proposed, in which the operator inputs processing data such as the crease position and the folding position of the glue substitute piece in advance via a panel operation, and the fold line forming portion and the folding-back portion are automatically placed in predetermined positions according to the processing data. However, even in this case, when the operator inputs the processing data via a panel operation, the operator must individually input the processing data such as the crease position and the folding position of the glue substitute piece, making the input operation complicated and difficult for the operator to understand, and the input work takes time.

[0008] To provide a bag making machine that improves the operator's workability by allowing the operator to input processing data corresponding to various envelope designs with a minimum of panel operations, and that makes input operations simple and easy for the operator to understand, thereby making it suitable for small-lot work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is a processing device that includes a conveying unit that conveys paper, a fold line forming unit that forms a fold along the conveying direction on the paper conveyed by the conveying unit based on information regarding the fold line formation position of the paper received by a user's input operation on a receiving unit, and a folding unit that folds the paper along the fold formed by the fold line forming unit, wherein the fold line forming unit and the folding unit are configured to be movable integrally in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the paper.

[0010] The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the processing device of claim 1, it has a holding member that holds the fold line forming portion and the folding portion together, and a moving portion that moves the fold line forming portion in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the paper, and is configured so that the fold line forming portion and the folding portion can move together in the width direction as the moving portion moves the fold line forming portion.

[0011] The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the processing device of claim 1, it has a holding member that holds the fold line forming portion and the folding portion together, and a moving portion that moves the holding member in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the paper, and is configured so that the fold line forming portion and the folding portion can move together in the width direction as the moving portion moves the holding member.

[0012] The invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that, in the processing device described in any one of claims 1 to 3, the fold formation position in the fold line formation section and the folding position in the folding section are arranged on the same line in the conveying direction of the paper.

[0013] The invention described in claim 5 is 2 or claims 3 In the processing device according to the present invention, a pressing section is provided that presses the fold line of the folded-back paper, and the pressing section is connected to the holding member To be protected It is characterized by being held.

[0014] The invention described in claim 6 is 2, claim 3 or 6. The processing device according to claim 5, further comprising an application unit for applying adhesive to the paper, the application unit being configured to apply adhesive to the holding member. To be protected It is characterized by being held.

[0015] The invention described in claim 7 is characterized in that, in the processing apparatus described in claim 6, the application section is further provided with a fine adjustment means that can finely adjust the widthwise position of the application section after the holding member is moved.

[0016] The invention described in claim 8 is characterized in that, in the processing device described in any one of claims 1 to 7, it is provided with a reception unit that receives input operations from a user, a memory unit that stores information regarding the fold line formation position of the paper received by the reception unit, and a control unit that processes the paper based on the information stored in the memory unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the invention described in claim 1, the fold line forming section and the folding back section are configured to be movable integrally in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveying direction, so that the operator can adjust the position of either the fold line forming section or the folding back section together based on either one of them, thereby saving the operator the trouble of making adjustments.

[0018] According to the invention of claim 2, the fold line forming portion and the folded-back portion are integrally held by the holding member, so that the fold line forming portion and the folded-back portion can be reliably moved integrally. Also, since the fold line forming portion and the folded-back portion are configured to be movable integrally in the width direction as the fold line forming portion moves, the positions of the fold line forming portion and the folded-back portion can be adjusted together based on either one of the fold line forming portion and the folded-back portion, which saves the operator the trouble of making adjustments.

[0019] According to the invention of claim 3, the fold line forming portion and the folded-back portion are integrally held by the holding member, so that the fold line forming portion and the folded-back portion can be reliably moved integrally. Also, since the fold line forming portion and the folded-back portion are configured to be movable integrally in the width direction in accordance with the movement of the holding member, the positions of the fold line forming portion and the folded-back portion can be adjusted together based on either one of the fold line forming portion and the folded-back portion, thereby saving the operator the trouble of making adjustments.

[0020] According to the invention described in claim 4, the fold formation position in the fold line formation section and the folding position in the folding section are arranged on the same line in the paper conveying direction, so that the glue substitute piece portion can be folded back from the fold with high precision.

[0021] According to the invention of claim 5, the pressing portion is a holding member To be protected Because it is held, The pressing portion together with the holding member The position can be adjusted, which saves the operator the trouble of making adjustments.

[0022] According to the invention of claim 6, the application part is a holding member To be protected Because it is held, The application part and the holding member The position can be adjusted, which saves the operator the trouble of making adjustments.

[0023] According to the invention described in claim 7, the application part is provided with a fine adjustment means that can finely adjust the widthwise position of the application part after adjustment by moving the holding member, so that the adjustment position is flexible and convenient for the operator.

[0024] According to the invention described in claim 8, information regarding the position of the fold line on the paper is stored in the memory unit of the device, and the next time the paper can be processed based on the information stored in the memory unit, thereby reducing the adjustment time for the operator. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a bag making machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2]2 is a plan view showing the state of paper processed by the bag making machine of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a plan view showing the state in which the paper in FIG. 2 has been folded. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a Western-style envelope in the middle of being produced. [Figure 5] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating states before and after folding back the folding plate at the first folding portion. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a front view showing one configuration of the turn-back coating unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a first folding device. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a turn-around coating unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a fine adjustment means for the application unit. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing how the paper is processed at the second folding section. [Figure 11] 11 is a diagram showing the state of processing the paper following FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 12] 12 is a diagram showing the state of processing the paper following FIG. 11. FIG. [Figure 13] 13 is a diagram showing the state of processing of paper following FIG. 12. FIG. [Figure 14] This is a comparison table for inputting processing data on the panel. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of a moving unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a bag making machine 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Bag making machine 10 includes, in order from the upstream side in the conveying direction, a paper feed unit 1, a first crease processing unit 2, a second crease processing unit 4, a first folding unit 3, a pressing unit 85, a coating unit 5, a second folding unit 6, a pressure unit 8, and a paper discharge unit 7 in an apparatus body 10A.

[0027] A typical "Western-style envelope" is a horizontally long rectangle with a sealing opening formed on the long side. When producing a Western-style envelope using a bag making machine 10, glue is applied to the folded-over glue strips 103 on both sides of the rear surface 102 of a sheet of paper 100, and the front surface 101 is folded over and pressed against the glue strips 103, as shown in Figure 4.

[0028] Specifically, the bag making machine 10 produces Western-style envelopes 90 by processing flat paper 100 shown in Figure 2(a) as shown in Figures 2(b) and 2(c) while transporting it in the F direction.

[0029] The paper 100 is made up of a front surface 101, a rear surface 102, glue substitute pieces 103 (folded-back portions) extending from both sides of the rear surface 102, and a rearmost surface 104. As shown in FIG. 2(b), the paper 100 is folded along a first fold 111 which is the boundary between the rear surface 102 and the glue substitute pieces 103, and then as shown in FIG. 2(c), it is folded along a second fold 112 which is the boundary between the front surface 101 and the rear surface 102. Glue is applied to the surface of the glue substitute piece 103 folded back along the first fold 111. Then, both edges of the front surface 101 folded back along the second fold 112 are joined to the glue substitute pieces 103. The first fold 111 is aligned with the conveyance direction. The second fold 112 is along a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction (ie, the width direction).

[0030] The finished product may be the Western-style envelope 90 shown in Fig. 2(c), but the Western-style envelope 90 shown in Fig. 2(c) may also be processed as shown in Fig. 3 while being conveyed in the F' direction, so that the rearmost face 104 is further folded at a third fold 113, which is the boundary between the rear face 102 and the rearmost face 104. With this configuration, after the contents are inserted into the envelope, when sealing it with tape or glue, the crease will allow the rearmost face 104 to be neatly sealed to the folded-back front face 101.

[0031] [Paper feed section 1] The paper feed section 1 has an air paper feed unit 12 of an air suction belt type, an elevator type paper feed tray 11 that rises and falls depending on the amount of paper loaded, and a pair of transport rollers 81 that transports the paper sent out by the air paper feed unit 12 further downstream in the transport direction. Also, the air paper feed unit 12 is provided with a sensor 22 that detects when the uppermost sheet of paper loaded on the paper feed tray 11 is sucked onto the lower surface of the air paper feed unit 12, and a sensor 21 that detects the upper limit position of the uppermost sheet of paper loaded on the paper feed tray 11.

[0032] In addition to conveying roller pair 81, bag making machine 10 is equipped with six other conveying roller pairs 82, 38, 851, 86, 87, and 88. The six conveying roller pairs form conveying surface 200 along which paper 100 is conveyed, and conveying surface 200 is flush with the paper from air paper feed unit 12 to conveying roller pair 88. Also, sensors 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28 are arranged on conveying surface 200 along which paper is conveyed, to detect the passage of paper at each position (to detect double feed). Each sensor is, for example, an optical transmission sensor.

[0033] [First crease processing part 2] As shown in Figure 1, the first crease processing unit 2 is composed of an upper mold with a convex upper portion and a lower mold with a concave lower portion, and is configured to form horizontal creases in the direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction as second fold 112 and third fold 113 in the paper 100. A known mechanism can be used for the crease processing unit 2. The paper processed in the crease processing unit 2 is transported by a transport roller pair 82 to the second crease processing unit 4 downstream in the transport direction. [Second crease processing part 4] The second crease processing unit 4, which functions as a fold line forming unit for forming a crease (fold) at the boundary between the rear surface portion 102 and the glue substitute portion 103 of the paper sheet 100, is configured as shown in FIG. 1. The crease blade 83 is comprised of an upper blade with a rounded periphery and a convex portion formed on the outer periphery, and a lower blade with a rounded periphery and a concave portion formed on the outer periphery. The blades 4a and 4b are arranged at two locations in the width direction, perpendicular to the conveyance direction, to form vertical creases along the first fold 111 (two locations) of the paper sheet 100 in the paper conveyance direction. The second crease processing unit 4 may be configured such that a conveyance roller is installed between 4a and 4b to ensure paper conveyance force during creasing. The crease blade 83 may also be comprised of an upper blade with a rounded periphery and a concave portion formed on the outer periphery, and a lower blade with a rounded periphery and a convex portion formed on the outer periphery.

[0034] [First fold 3] Fig. 8 is an overall plan view of the folding application unit 9 (9a, 9b) including the first folding section 3 as a folding section that folds the glue substitute piece portion 103 of the paper sheet 100 to the rear surface portion 102. The first folding section 3 is made up of 3a and 3b arranged opposite each other on both sides in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction, as shown in Fig. 8, as a folding means for the left and right glue substitute piece portions 103 of the paper sheet 100. The first folding sections 3a and 3b have a left-right symmetrical configuration.

[0035] Fig. 7 shows first folding unit 3b, which has folding plate 32 that rotates around rotation shaft 31 that extends along the conveying direction. Also, upper guide plate 36 is provided above lower guide plate 33 with a predetermined gap therebetween, and a pair of conveying rollers 38 (drive roller 381 and driven roller 382) that convey paper 100 conveyed on lower guide plate 33 downstream. Note that Fig. 7 omits the rotation shafts of drive roller 381 and driven roller 382 and other drive mechanisms. Also, first folding unit 3a has the same configuration as first folding unit 3b, and therefore description thereof will be omitted here.

[0036] As the folding means, the first folding portions 3a and 3b are arranged opposite each other on both sides of the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveying direction. Therefore, in the case of paper having folding portions at two locations on both sides of the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveying direction, the adhesive substitute piece portion 103 can be folded at two locations simultaneously in one paper conveyance, which improves workability.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 5(a), the first folding section 3a (3b) has a folding plate 32 that rotates around a rotation shaft 31 that extends along the conveying direction. It also has an upper guide plate 36 above the lower guide plate 33 with a predetermined gap therebetween, and a pair of conveying rollers 38 (a drive roller 381 and a driven roller 382) that convey the sheet 100 conveyed on the lower guide plate 33 further downstream. The lower guide plate 33 has a notch formed in the nip between the rollers. At the folding position where the glue substitute piece 103 of the sheet is folded, the glue substitute piece 103 of the sheet 100 is placed on the folding plate 32 positioned outward in the width direction as shown in FIG. 5(a). By rotating the folding plate 32 in the R5 direction as shown in FIG. 5(b), the glue substitute piece 103 of the sheet 100 can be folded inward so as to be superimposed on the surface of the rear surface 102 via the upper guide plate 36 as shown in FIG. 5(c).

[0038] As a result of the above, the main body portion (rear surface portion 102) of the paper is held between a pair of upper and lower guide plates (36, 33) while the folded portion of the paper (glue substitute piece portion 103) is folded back onto the upper surface of the upper guide plate, thereby preventing wrinkles from occurring at the fold portion of the paper during processing, and further ensuring the accuracy of the fold position when folding the glue substitute piece portion 103.

[0039] After the paper has been folded at the first folding section 3 to form the glue substitute piece 103, the folding plate 32 is retracted by a predetermined angle in the R6 direction, as shown in Figure 5(d), and then the paper is transported by the transport roller pair 38 to the pressing section 85 downstream in the transport direction.

[0040] [Pressing part 85] The pressing unit 85 is composed of a pair of conveying rollers 851, and conveys the paper 100 conveyed to the pressing unit 85 by the pair of conveying rollers 38 while pressing the fold 111 after the glue substitute piece 103 of the paper 100 has been folded back between the nip of the pair of conveying rollers 851, thereby strengthening the fold of the glue substitute piece 103. The pressing unit 85 may be configured, for example, by a spring or the like to press the upper roller, which is a driven roller, against the lower roller, which is a drive roller, with a predetermined pressure. The pressing unit 85 is composed of 85a and 85b, which are arranged at two positions in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction.

[0041] [Application part 5] The applicator 5, which applies glue, adhesive, etc. to the paper, consists of a pair of applicators 5a and 5b arranged opposite each other on either side of the width of the paper, perpendicular to the paper transport direction. Applicators 5a and 5b have a symmetrical configuration.

[0042] Each of the application units 5a and 5b has a nozzle unit 511, a vertical drive mechanism (not shown), etc. The nozzle unit 511 is capable of applying glue to the paper being transported at a predetermined timing.

[0043] [Fold-over coating unit 9] The folding application unit 9 is a single unit that includes multiple mechanisms enclosed by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, including the aforementioned second crease processing section 4, first folding section 3, pressing section 85, and application section 5. The folding application unit 9 performs a series of processes on the paper 100: forming a crease (fold) at the boundary between the rear surface 102 of the paper 100 and the glue substitute piece 103 in the second crease processing section 4; folding back the glue substitute piece 103 in the first folding section 3; pressing the folded back section in the pressing section 85; and then applying glue to the top surface of the folded back glue substitute piece 103 in the application section 5. The paper 100 that has undergone the series of processes in the folding application unit 9 is transferred to the second folding section 6, which will be described later, where the front surface 101 is folded back and pressed against the glue substitute piece 103 to create a Western-style envelope (finished product).

[0044] FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of the turn-around coating unit 9. The turn-around coating units 9a and 9b are configured to be movable on lead screw shafts 531 and 532 in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction by moving units 55a and 55b of a lead screw mechanism (described later), respectively, depending on the processing position (here, lead screw nuts 54 and guide shafts 591 and 592 are not shown). Pulleys 5811 and 5812 are integrally formed with the lead screw shafts 531 and 532, and are rotated by transmitting driving force to the pulleys 5811 and 5812. Rotation of the pulley 5811 rotates the lead screw shaft 531, moving the turn-around coating unit 9a in the width direction. Rotation of the pulley 5812 rotates the lead screw shaft 532, moving the turn-around coating unit 9b in the width direction. In this embodiment, the holding members 50, 50 in the folding application units 9a, 9b integrally hold the second crease processing portions 4a, 4b, the first folding portions 3a, 3b, the pressing portions 85a, 85b, and the application portions 5a, 5b in predetermined positions.

[0045] The pair of turning-back coating units 9a, 9b have a symmetrical configuration and basically have the same configuration, so one of the turning-back coating units 9 will be explained and an explanation of the other turning-back coating unit 9 will be omitted. In the drawings, common reference numerals are used to designate members that are common to both units.

[0046] The folding application unit 9a is configured as shown in FIG. 6. The fold line forming section (second crease processing section 4a) and the folding section (first folding section 3a) are configured to be movable together in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction. Specifically, the folding application unit 9a includes a holding member 50 that holds the second crease processing section 4a and the first folding section 3a together, and a moving section 55a that moves the second crease processing section 4a in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction. Alternatively, the folding application unit 9a may be configured so that the second crease processing section 4a and the first folding section 3a can be moved together in the width direction as the moving section 55a moves the holding member 50. This configuration allows the positions of the fold line forming section and the folding section to be adjusted together based on either one of them, thereby reducing the operator's adjustment time and effort. Furthermore, since the crease formation position in the second crease processing portion 4a and the folding position in the first folding portion 3a are arranged on the same line in the paper transport direction, the glue substitute piece can be folded back from the crease with high precision.

[0047] Alternatively, the pressing portion 85a may be held integrally by the holding member 50, and may be moved integrally in the width direction as the moving portion 55a moves the holding member. This allows for collective position adjustment, further reducing the operator's adjustment effort. The pressing portion 85a is positioned at a predetermined distance on the same line in the paper conveyance direction as the fold formation position in the second crease processing portion 4a and the folding position in the first folding portion 3a.

[0048] In addition, in Figure 6, the drive shaft 831 of the crease blade 83 in the second crease processing section 4a, the drive shaft 301 of the conveying roller pair in the first folding section 3a, and the drive shaft 852 of the pressing roller pair 85 in the pressing section 85a only show the insertion positions of the drive shafts, and the drive shafts themselves are omitted.

[0049] Alternatively, an applicator 5a may be provided to apply glue, adhesive, or the like to the paper, and the applicator 5a may be held integrally with the holding member 50, so that the applicator 5a moves widthwise as the holding member 50 is moved by the moving unit 55a. This allows for collective position adjustment, saving the operator the trouble of making adjustments.

[0050] Applicator part 5a further includes fine adjustment means 51 that can finely adjust the widthwise position of applicator part 5a after moving holding member 50. This allows for flexibility in the adjustment position, which is convenient for the operator.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 9, the fine adjustment means 51 has a base plate 514 integrally formed with the holding member 50, and the applicator body 513 is attached to the base plate 514 so as to be movable in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction. The applicator body 513 has a threaded hole (pre-drilled hole), and the base plate 514 has a slot in the width direction. The operator can loosen the fine adjustment screw 512 to move the applicator body 513 in the width direction by the distance of the slotted hole. The nozzle unit 511 is integrally attached to the applicator body 513. The tip of the nozzle unit 511 in the applicator 5a is positioned a predetermined distance from the same line in the paper conveyance direction as the fold formation position in the second crease processing unit 4 and the folding position in the first folding unit 3. The predetermined distance refers to the distance from the line between the fold formation position and the folding position to the position where glue or the like is applied to the envelope flap.

[0052] Preferably, it is most effective if the holding member 50 holds the second crease processing portion 4, the first folding portion 3, the pressing portion 85, and the application portion 5 all integrally in predetermined positions.

[0053] Next, the moving section 55 that moves the holding member 50 in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveying direction will be described.

[0054] Figure 15 is a plan view showing the configuration of the moving section 55a of the folding coating unit 9a. A lead screw mechanism is disposed in the moving section 55a to move the folding coating unit 9a in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction. The lead screw mechanism has a lead screw shaft 531 rotatably supported at both ends between frames 18a and 18b via bearings 19a and 19b, and a lead screw nut 54 that engages with the lead screw shaft 531. The lead screw nut 54, which is integrally attached to the bottom of the holding member 50 (nut mounting plate 52 in Figure 6), is moved axially by a stepping motor 57 via a transmission belt 56.

[0055] Specifically, the driving force for moving the turning application unit 9a (holding member 50) in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction F is transmitted as follows: When the stepping motor 57 operates (forward or reverse), the first pulley 5811 rotates via the second pulley 582 attached to the motor shaft and the transmission belt 56. The lead screw shaft 531 is connected to the first pulley 5811, so that the driving force is transmitted to the lead screw shaft 531. When the lead screw shaft 531 rotates, the lead screw nut 54 engaged with the lead screw shaft 531 moves axially, and the turning application unit 9a (holding member 50a) attached integrally to the lead screw nut 54 can move left and right in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction F.

[0056] 15, the folded application unit 9a (holding member 50) is supported by guide shafts 591 and 592 so as to be slidable in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction F. The guide shafts 591 and 592 are threaded on both end surfaces of the shafts, and are screwed to the frames 18a and 18b.

[0057] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned moving section 55a, the lead screw nut 54 is attached to the bottom of the holding member 50, and the moving section 55a is configured to move the holding member 50 in the width direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction, but the lead screw nut 54 may also be attached directly to the second crease processing section 4a, and the second crease processing section 4a may be configured to move in the width direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction.

[0058] [Second fold 6] The second folding section 6 is a paper folding device that folds flat paper 100 while transporting it along the transport surface 200, and is equipped with a first pair of transport rollers 86 arranged upstream in the paper transport direction, a second pair of transport rollers 87 arranged downstream in the paper transport direction, a switching gate plate 63 installed between the two roller pairs, and a folding plate 62 arranged above the switching gate plate 63.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 10, the switching gate plate 63 is rotatable around a support shaft 631 and can be switched between a first guide position where it interferes with the transported paper 100 and guides the leading edge of the paper 100 upward so that it passes over the upper surface of the upper roller 871 of the second transport roller pair 87, and a second guide position where it guides the paper 100 in a substantially horizontal direction toward the nip portion 873 of the second transport roller pair 87. The folding plate 62 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction while remaining in a substantially horizontal state, and can be switched between a folding position where it is close to the switching gate plate 63 located at the second guide position, and a retracted position where it is retracted a predetermined distance from the switching gate plate.

[0060] [Pressure unit 8] The pressure applying section 8 is composed of an upper die 8a that can move up and down and a fixed lower die 8b, and by sandwiching the folded portion of the paper 100 that has been folded in the second folding section 6 between the upper die and the lower die, further pressure is applied to make the folded portion stronger.

[0061] [Paper output section 7] The paper discharge section 7 has a pair of conveying rollers 88 and a paper discharge tray 71. The pair of conveying rollers 88 is provided to operate as a discharge roller. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the pair of conveying rollers 88 is disposed near the second pair of conveying rollers 87 of the second folding section 6 and downstream in the conveying direction. The paper discharge tray 71 is inclined obliquely upward from a position below the conveying surface 200 and downstream in the conveying direction.

[0062] Next, the operation of the bag making machine 10 having the above-described configuration will be described.

[0063] First, the paper 100 shown in Fig. 2 is placed on the paper feed tray 11. At this time, the front surface portion 101 is positioned downstream in the conveying direction. Then, a switch (not shown) is turned on to start operation.

[0064] (1) In FIG. 1, the topmost sheet 100 on the sheet feed tray 11 is sent toward the pair of conveying rollers 81 while being attracted to the air suction belt in the air sheet feed unit 12. After the sheet 100 is handed over to the pair of conveying rollers 81, the pair of conveying rollers 81 further conveys the sheet 100 downstream in the conveying direction. The sheet then passes through the first crease processing unit 2. At this time, the first crease processing unit 2 is activated to form creases at the second fold 112 and the third fold 113 of the sheet 100. This makes it easier for the front surface 101 to be folded back toward the rear surface 102. Also, the rearmost surface 104 is easier to be folded back toward the folded front surface 101.

[0065] (2) The paper sheet 100 conveyed by the conveying roller pair 82 from the first crease processing unit 2 passes through the second crease processing unit 4. At this time, the first folds 111 (two locations on the left and right in the width direction) of the paper sheet 100 are located directly below the crease blades 83 (round blades) of the second crease processing unit 4, which are installed in two locations in the width direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction. Then, the second crease processing unit 4 operates to form a crease on the first fold 111. This makes it easier for the glue substitute pieces 103 (two locations on the left and right in the width direction) to fold inward.

[0066] (3) The paper sheet 100 on which a crease has been formed by the second crease processing unit 4 stops at the first folding unit 3. By forming a crease in advance at the fold (111) when folding the glue substitute piece portion 103 of the paper, it is possible to ensure the accuracy of the fold processing position when folding the glue substitute piece portion 103.

[0067] 5, the first folding section 3 includes, in addition to the basic configuration of folding back the glue substitute piece portion 103 by the folding plate 32, an upper guide plate 36 installed above the lower guide plate 33 with a predetermined gap therebetween, and a pair of conveying rollers 38 (a drive roller 31 and a driven roller 382) that convey the paper 100 conveyed on the lower guide plate 33 further downstream. Note that the lower guide plate 33 has a notch formed in the nip portion of the pair of conveying rollers 38.

[0068] In FIG. 5(a), the folding plate 32 of the folding device 3a (3b) of the first folding section 3 is positioned on the outside in the width direction, and the glue substitute pieces 103 on both sides of the paper 100 are placed on the folding plate 32 (placement position).

[0069] Next, in Figure 5(b), the folding plate 32 rotates in the R5 direction toward the inner upper guide plate 36, causing the glue substitute piece portion 103 to be folded inward at the creased first fold 111 and overlapped on the rear surface portion (main body portion) 102 via the upper guide plate 36 (overlapping position), as shown in Figure 5(c).

[0070] 5(d), the folding plate 32 rotates in a direction R6 away from the outer lower guide plate 33. Then, the pair of conveying rollers 38 (a drive roller 381 and a driven roller 382) conveys the sheet of paper 100, with the glue substitute piece 103 folded back, downstream in the conveying direction. By rotating the folding plate 32 by at least a predetermined angle in the direction R6 away from the lower guide plate 33 before starting to convey the sheet of paper 100, the sheet of paper after folding can be smoothly conveyed downstream in the sheet conveying direction from the folding position without being interfered with by the folding plate 32 or the pair of upper and lower guide plates 36, 33.

[0071] In the above-mentioned Figures 5(a) to 5(d), when the folding plate 32 folds the glue substitute piece portion 103 of the paper, the control means stops the drive of the pair of conveying rollers 38 (drive roller 381 and driven roller 382) at the folding position, stops the conveyance of the paper 100, and controls the folding of the glue substitute piece portion 103 of the paper 100 while holding the main body portion 102 of the paper 100 between the pair of conveying rollers 38.

[0072] According to the above, the adhesive substitute piece 103 of the paper is folded while the rear surface portion 102 of the paper is held between the pair of conveying rollers 38. Therefore, it is possible to further ensure the accuracy of the fold position when folding the adhesive substitute piece 103.

[0073] (4) The paper 100 with the glue substitute piece 103 folded back is transported downstream in the transport direction by the pressing unit 85 and passes through the coating unit 5. The pressing unit 85 is composed of a pair of transport rollers 851, and by transporting the paper that has been transported to the pressing unit 85 by the transport roller pair 38, while pressing the fold 111 after the glue substitute piece 103 of the paper has been folded back between the nip of the transport roller pair 851, the fold of the glue substitute piece 103 is made strong.

[0074] In the application unit 5, when the glue substitute pieces 103 on both sides of the folded-back sheet of paper 100 begin to pass, the nozzle units 511 installed at two locations in the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction move downward and come into contact with the surfaces of the glue substitute pieces 103, and when the passage of the glue substitute pieces 103 finishes, the nozzle units 511 move upward and separate from the surfaces of the glue substitute pieces 103. This allows glue to be applied to the surfaces of the folded-back glue substitute pieces 103. The folded-back glue substitute pieces 103 pass through the nozzle unit 511 while being pressed by or after being pressed by the pair of conveying rollers 85 located upstream of the nozzle unit 511 in the conveying direction. This allows the nozzle unit 511 to stably apply glue.

[0075] In one embodiment, the mechanical parts up to the second crease processing part 4 (fold line forming part), the first folding part 3 (fold back part), the pressing part 85 and the coating part 5 described above in (2) to (4) are all integrally held at predetermined positions on the holding member 50. The holding member 50 has a moving part 55 that moves the holding member 50 in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction, and as the moving part 55 moves the holding member 50, the second crease processing part 4 (fold line forming part), the first folding part 3 (fold back part), the pressing part 85 and the coating part 5 can move integrally in the width direction.

[0076] Therefore, when an operator inputs and sets the widthwise positions (position data) of each of the mechanical parts from the operation panel, as shown in Fig. 14 (presently implemented technology), it is only necessary to input position data for the "crease position (L, R)", and there is no need to input the remaining "flap folding position", "pressing position", and "glue application position" (because each mechanical part is mechanically positioned in advance in the holding member 50 based on the crease position), saving the operator the trouble of making adjustments. Conventionally, as shown in Fig. 14 (prior art), an operator had to input all of the position data.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 8, the adjustment of each mechanism part in accordance with the position data is performed by counting the number of steps of the stepping motor 57 to adjust the distance that the light shielding plate 46 moves in the width direction, with the position where the light shielding plate 46 shields the photointerrupter 45 being set as the reference position.

[0078] The apparatus includes a reception unit that receives input operations from a user, a storage unit that stores information (position data) related to the fold line formation position of the paper sheet received by the reception unit, and a control unit that processes the paper sheet based on the information stored in the storage unit. Therefore, the processing information (position data) can be called from the history information stored in the storage unit and used for the current processing, thereby reducing the adjustment time for the operator.

[0079] (5) In Figure 10, the second folding section 6 is a paper folding device that folds flat paper 100 while transporting it along a transport surface 200, and is equipped with a first pair of transport rollers 86 arranged upstream in the paper transport direction, a second pair of transport rollers 87 arranged downstream in the paper transport direction, a switching gate plate 63 installed on the paper transport surface 200 between the two roller pairs, a folding plate 62 arranged opposite the switching gate plate 63, and a control means (not shown) that controls the operation of the entire device.

[0080] The switching gate plate 63 is switchable between a first guide position where it interferes with the transported paper 100, bending the paper transport direction outward from the paper transport surface 200, and guiding the leading edge of the paper 100 toward one roller surface of the second transport roller pair 87, and a second guide position where it guides the paper 100 along the paper transport surface 200 toward the nip portion 873 of the second transport roller pair 87.

[0081] The folding plate 62 is configured to be movable toward the switching gate plate 63 while remaining in a substantially horizontal state, and is switchable between a folding position in which it is close to the switching gate plate 63 disposed at the second guide position, and a retracted position in which it is retracted at a predetermined distance from the switching gate plate 63,

[0082] The control means uses the switching gate plate 63 arranged in the first guide position to guide the leading edge of the paper 100 being transported so that it passes a predetermined distance toward one of the roller surfaces of the second conveying roller pair 87, and then switches the switching gate plate 63 to the second guide position, and then controls the leading edge of the paper 100 to be folded back along one of the roller surfaces of the second conveying roller pair 87 by lowering the folding plate 62 arranged in the retracted position in an approximately horizontal state so as to sandwich the paper 100 on the switching gate plate 63.

[0083] Specifically, as an example, the steps are processed sequentially as shown below.

[0084] The sheet of paper 100, with glue applied to the glue substitute piece 103, is transported by the transport roller pair 85 to the second folding section 6 (in the direction F). At this time, the switching gate plate 63 is set to the first guide position, facing upward toward the second transport roller pair 87. Therefore, as shown in Figure 10, the sheet of paper 100 is guided upward by the switching gate plate 63 so that the leading edge of the sheet of paper 100 passes over the upper surface of the upper roller 871 of the second transport roller pair 87, and transport is temporarily stopped when the position of the second fold 112 of the sheet of paper 100 reaches the folding position (a position directly below the end 621 of the folding plate 62). During this time, the folding plate 62 maintains its retracted position.

[0085] In addition, the upper roller 861 of the first conveying roller pair 86 is set to a width dimension that does not contact the surface of the glue substitute piece portion 103, so the glue applied to the glue substitute piece portion 103 of the paper 100 in the aforementioned application section 5 does not adhere to the first conveying roller pair 86.

[0086] Next, as shown in FIG. 11, the bending plate 62 is maintained in the retracted position, and the switching gate plate 63 is moved to the second guide position (substantially horizontal position).

[0087] 12, the folding plate 62, which is positioned in the retracted position, is lowered in a substantially horizontal state to the folding position so as to sandwich the paper 100 on the switching gate plate 63, thereby folding back the front surface 101 of the paper 100 from the second fold 112 along the surface of the upper roller 871 of the second conveying roller pair 87. At this time, the distance between the switching gate plate 63 and the folding plate 62 after it has been lowered is configured to ensure at least a gap large enough to convey the paper between the folding plate 62 and the switching gate plate 63. For example, a gap of approximately 1 mm is ensured.

[0088] As a result, the folding mechanism does not require a paper insertion space (a branch path) or a stopper, making it possible to construct a simple and inexpensive device without complicating the structure. Furthermore, the control means automatically adjusts the folding position to suit various folding specifications, providing a paper folding device with good operability. Furthermore, the folded-back glue substitute portion is prevented from wrinkling, and even during folding, glue does not adhere to the inside of the folding mechanism, such as the stopper, which could adversely affect the quality of the finished product.

[0089] Next, as shown in FIG. 13 , the folding plate 62 descends to fold the front surface 101 of the sheet 100. The first conveyor roller pair 86 then conveys the folded-back leading edge 105 of the sheet toward the nip 873 of the second conveyor roller pair 87. The nip 873 of the second conveyor roller pair 87 then sandwiches the folded-back leading edge 105 and conveys the sheet in the F direction, thereby pressing and folding the folded-back leading edge 105. The entire front surface 101 is then folded back onto the surface of the rear surface 102, with both edges of the front surface 101 joined to the adhesive substitute pieces 103. This completes the Western-style envelope 90. The sheet 100 continues to be conveyed in the F direction until the rearmost surface 104 of the sheet 100 passes through the nip 863 of the first conveyor roller pair 86 by a predetermined distance. At this time, the paper 100 is transported (while being guided by both plates) through the gap between the folding plate 62 and the switching gate plate 63. This allows the paper 100 to be reliably delivered to the pressing section by the nip section 873 of the second transport roller pair 87 at the next stage without wrinkles or the like occurring.

[0090] According to the above, after the leading edge of the paper is folded back by lowering the folding plate, the folded leading edge of the paper is pressed and folded by the nip portion 873 of the second conveying roller pair 87, so that the paper can be reliably folded.

[0091] (6) The paper sheet 100 that has been folded in the second folding section 6 is transported to the pressure applying section 8. The pressure applying section 8 is composed of an upper die 8a that can move up and down and a fixed lower die 8b, and by sandwiching the folded portion of the paper sheet 100 that has been folded in the second folding section 6 between the upper die and the lower die, further pressure is applied to strengthen the folded portion.

[0092] (7) The paper 100 that has been pressurized by the pressurizing unit 8 is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 71 by the pair of transport rollers 88, and the series of operations of the bag making machine 10 in this embodiment is completed.

[0093] It is clear that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and that within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention, the present embodiment may be modified as appropriate in addition to the modifications suggested in the present embodiment. Furthermore, the number, position, shape, etc. of the components are not limited to the present embodiment, and the number, position, shape, etc. of the components may be any number, position, shape, etc. suitable for implementing the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] F Conveying direction R Rotation direction 2. First crease processing section 3 First fold (folded part) 4 2nd crease processing part (broken line forming part) 5. Application section 6 Second fold 9. Turn-around application unit 10 Bag making machine 10A Device body 31 Rotation axis 32 Folding Plate 33 Lower guide plate 35 driven roller 36 Upper guide plate 38 conveying roller pair 50 Retaining member 85 Pressing part 100 sheets 101 Front section 102 Rear part 103 Glue substitute piece 104 Last part 105 Folded section 106 Folded section 111 First fold 112 Second fold 113 Third fold

Claims

1. A processing device having a conveying unit that conveys paper, a fold line forming unit that forms a fold along the conveying direction on the paper conveyed by the conveying unit based on information regarding the fold line formation position of the paper received by a user's input operation on a receiving unit, and a folding unit that folds the paper along the fold formed by the fold line forming unit, characterized in that the fold line forming unit and the folding unit are configured to be movable integrally in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the paper.

2. 2. The processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a holding member that integrally holds the fold line forming portion and the folding portion, and a moving unit that moves the fold line forming portion in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the paper, wherein the fold line forming portion and the folding portion are integrally configured to be movable in the width direction as the moving unit moves the fold line forming portion.

3. 2. The processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a holding member that integrally holds the fold line forming portion and the folding portion, a moving portion that moves the holding member in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the paper, and the fold line forming portion and the folding portion are configured to be integrally movable in the width direction as the moving portion moves the holding member.

4. 4. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein a fold forming position in the fold line forming section and a folding position in the folding section are arranged on the same line in a conveying direction of the paper.

5. 4. The processing device according to claim 2, further comprising a pressing section that presses the fold of the folded-back paper, the pressing section being held by the holding member.

6. 6. The processing device according to claim 2, further comprising an application section for applying adhesive to the paper, the application section being held by the holding member.

7. 7. The processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the coating unit further comprises fine adjustment means for finely adjusting the position of the coating unit in the width direction after the holding member has moved.

8. 8. The processing device according to claim 1, further comprising: a reception unit that receives input operations from a user; a memory unit that stores information regarding the fold line formation position of the paper sheet received by the reception unit; and a control unit that processes the paper sheet based on the information stored in the memory unit.

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