How to center the main shaft of a kneading machine

Abstract

To enable a kneader to easily and securely perform centering of a main shaft to a shell.SOLUTION: In a kneader 1 having a main shaft 8 connected with an output shaft 6a extending from a drive part 3 via a joint 7, a plurality of agitation blades 9 coupled integrally for rotation with the main shaft 8, and a circular shell 10 with an inner peripheral surface 10a airtightly covering the plurality of agitation blades 9 with a predetermined radial gap from the plurality of agitation blades 9, at least the lower half of the shell 10 is fixed at a predetermined position of the base 2 of the kneader 1, and in a state that a plurality of circular jigs 20 having the same outline as an inner diameter of the shell 10 is fixed on the main shaft 8 with an axial gap, the spindle 8 is mounted on at least the lower half of the shell 10 to perform centering of the main shaft 8 to the shell 10, and to connect the output shaft 6a with the main shaft 8 with the joint 7 while adjusting a position of the drive part 3 so as to align the output shaft 6a of the drive part 3 with the base 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for centering the main shaft of a kneading machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, kneaders have been known that have a main shaft driven by a drive unit, a plurality of agitating blades connected to the main shaft so as to rotate integrally, and a body with a circular inner circumferential surface that hermetically covers the plurality of agitating blades with a predetermined radial gap between them. Some kneaders of this type have two main shafts arranged in parallel, and it is extremely important to align the main shafts with the body.

[0003] Therefore, the relative positions of the main shaft and the body are determined by measuring the gap between the main shaft and the body.

[0004] For example, the gap inspection device of Patent Document 1 is used to inspect the gap between the blade tip, which is the tip of the blade portion formed on a rotor placed in a kneading chamber, and the inner wall of the kneading chamber (body). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6235379 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the conventional measurement method using a gap gauge, the gap measurement results vary depending on the skill of the person making the measurement, which can lead to misalignment. Misalignment can cause various problems, such as the generation of abnormal noise and reduced mixing efficiency.

[0007] On the other hand, with a gap inspection device such as that described in Patent Document 1, after the stirring blade is installed, a light source must be attached to the stirring blade to inspect the gap, which is cumbersome, and even if it is found that the gap is too large, it is difficult to correct it because the stirring blade has already been installed.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily and reliably center the main shaft relative to the body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention uses a plurality of circular jigs having an outer diameter equal to the inner diameter of the body.

[0010] Specifically, the first invention is directed to a method for centering a main shaft with a body in a kneader having a main shaft driven by a drive unit, a plurality of agitating blades coupled to the main shaft so as to rotate integrally with the main shaft, and a body having a circular inner circumferential surface that hermetically covers the plurality of agitating blades with a predetermined radial gap therebetween, This method is Fixing at least the lower half of the body in place on the base of the kneader; A plurality of circular jigs having the same outer diameter as the inner diameter of the body are fixed to the main shaft at intervals in the axial direction, and the main shaft is placed on at least the lower half of the body to center the main shaft.

[0011] According to the above configuration, by placing multiple circular jigs on the body while they are fixed to the main shaft at intervals, the central axis of the body and the central axis of the main shaft can be aligned, making it possible to easily and reliably center the main shaft relative to the body before fixing the stirring blades to the main shaft.

[0012] In the second invention, in the first invention, The drive unit includes an electric motor and a gearbox. The output shaft of the gear box is connected to the main shaft via a joint while adjusting the position of the gear box relative to the base so that the output shaft of the gear box is aligned with the main shaft.

[0013] According to the above-mentioned configuration, if the main shaft is reliably centered on the body fixed to the base, it becomes extremely easy to center it with the output shaft of the gear box on the drive unit side.

[0014] In a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, The main shaft has a key for fixing the plurality of stirring blades so as to rotate integrally, The circular jigs are fixed to the spindle by fitting the keys into key grooves formed in the circular jigs.

[0015] According to the above configuration, the circular jig can be easily and reliably fixed to the main shaft using the key that fixes the stirring blade, allowing for reliable centering, and after centering, the circular jig can be removed from the main shaft and the key groove of the stirring blade can be fitted into the key.

[0016] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, The wear amount of the body is measured from the gap between the outer peripheral surfaces of the plurality of circular jigs and the inner peripheral surface of the body.

[0017] With the above configuration, the outer diameter of the circular jig is the same as the inner diameter of the normal body, so the portion where the gap occurs has an inner diameter larger than the normal dimension, which indicates that the inner circumferential surface is suffering from wear, deformation, chipping, etc. This not only enables centering, but also makes it possible to take the necessary measures to address any defects on the inner circumferential surface of the body that are revealed by the gap. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of circular jigs having an outer diameter equal to the inner diameter of the body are fixed to the main shaft at intervals in the axial direction and placed on at least the lower half of the body to center the main shaft, thereby enabling easy and reliable centering of the main shaft relative to the body. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a kneader according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2A] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1, showing the fuselage in which the main shaft is disposed. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line IIB-IIB in FIG. 2A. [Figure 3A] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the state in which the lower half of the fuselage is fixed onto the base. [Figure 3B] FIG. 10 is an enlarged right side view showing the state in which the lower half of the fuselage is fixed onto the base. [Figure 4A] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state in which a spindle fitted with a plurality of circular jigs is placed. [Figure 4B] FIG. 10 is an enlarged right side view showing the state in which the spindle fitted with a plurality of circular jigs is placed. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the state in which the output shaft of the gearbox is coupled to the main shaft on the base. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are enlarged views showing the circular jig, in which FIG. 1A is a plan view and FIG. 1B is a right side view. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0021] -Kneader configuration- FIG. 1 shows a mixer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The mixer 1 comprises a base 2 that is placed on the ground of a factory or the like, and a drive unit 3 and a body unit 4 that are each provided at fixed positions on the base 2.

[0022] The drive unit 3 includes, for example, an electric motor 5 and a gearbox 6 to which the driving force of the electric motor 5 is transmitted via an input shaft 6b. In this embodiment, a pair of output shafts 6a extend from the gearbox 6, and a main shaft 8 is connected to each output shaft 6a via a joint 7. The joint 7 is, for example, a spline coupling, and can connect the main shaft 8 and the output shaft 6a by moving them horizontally relative to each other. It is noted that the output shaft 6a of the gearbox 6 and the main shaft 8 may be integral, not separated. The kneader 1 of this embodiment is a twin-shaft continuous kneader in which a pair of output shafts 6a and main shafts 8 are provided in parallel.

[0023] 2A and 2B, the body 4 has a body 10 divided into two halves, an upper part and a lower part, with a circular inner circumferential surface, and the inside of the body 10 is enclosed by a main shaft 8 driven by the drive unit 3, with multiple agitating blades 9 connected to it so that they rotate integrally. The main shaft 8 has, for example, a square pillar-shaped key 8a extending in the axial direction for fixing the multiple agitating blades 9 to rotate integrally.

[0024] In this embodiment, the upper and lower halves of the body 10 are divided by a horizontal plane, and when, for example, the opening / closing handle 11a of the body opening / closing mechanism 11 is rotated, the rotating shaft 11c is rotated via the worm reducer 11b, and the upper body 10 is rotated by a pair of arms 11d connected to the rotating shaft 11c.

[0025] The main shaft 8 is housed in the body 10 in a sealed state so that the inner peripheral surface 10a of the body 10 is spaced a predetermined distance radially from the multiple agitating blades 9. This predetermined distance must be maintained accurately, as the material to be kneaded (not shown) may be kneaded by grinding it between the outer periphery of the agitating blades 9 and the inner peripheral surface 10a of the body 10. For this reason, the centering operation described below is a very important operation.

[0026] - Centering method for the main shaft of a kneading machine - Next, a method for centering the main shaft 8 of the kneader 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0027] First, a plurality of circular jigs 20 are prepared as shown in Figures 4A, 4B, and 6. As shown enlarged in Figure 6, the circular jigs 20 are disk-shaped with an outer diameter equal to the inner diameter of the body 10, and have a main shaft through hole 21 in the center through which the main shaft 8 can be inserted, and this main shaft through hole 21 is formed with a jig-side key groove 22 into which a key 8a is fitted to fix the stirring blade 9 provided on the main shaft 8 so that it rotates integrally. The shape of the circular jig 20 is not limited to this; for example, the jig-side key groove 22 may be absent, or multiple jig-side key grooves 22 may be provided.

[0028] Next, as shown in Figures 3A and 3B, at least the lower half of the body 10 is fixed in place on the base 2 of the kneader 1.

[0029] Next, a plurality of circular jigs 20 are inserted into the spindle 8, and the keys 8a are fitted into the jig-side key grooves 22 and fixed at appropriate intervals in the axial direction. Note that, in a pair of spindles 8, the circular jigs 20 may be offset in the axial direction to prevent them from contacting each other. The number of circular jigs 20 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, three circular jigs 20 are used for one spindle 8.

[0030] Next, as shown in Figures 4A and 4B, with multiple circular jigs 20 fixed to the spindle 8, the spindle 8 is placed on the lower half of the body 10. At this time, the amount of wear on the body 10 is measured from the size of the gap between the outer circumferential surfaces of the multiple circular jigs 20 and the inner circumferential surface 10a of the body 10. For example, if the gap is large only in one area, it is clear that the inner circumferential surface 10a of the body 10 is unevenly worn. In this case, measures such as build-up repair can be performed.

[0031] Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the gearbox 6 is moved horizontally while adjusting its position relative to the base 2 so that the output shaft 6a of the gearbox 6 is aligned with the main shaft 8, and the output shaft 6a and the main shaft 8 are connected via the joint 7.

[0032] In this way, if the main shaft 8 is reliably centered on the body 10 fixed to the base 2, it becomes extremely easy to align it with the output shaft 6a of the gear box 6 on the drive unit 3 side.

[0033] Furthermore, by fitting the jig side key grooves 22 formed on the plurality of circular jigs 20 into the keys 8a of the main shaft 8, the plurality of circular jigs 20 are fixed to the main shaft 8, so that the main shaft 8 can be easily and reliably centered relative to the body 10 before the stirring blades 9 are fixed to the main shaft 8.

[0034] In this embodiment, the circular jig 20 can be easily fixed using the key 8a that fixes the agitator blade 9, allowing for reliable centering. After centering is complete, the circular jig 20 can be removed and the blade-side key groove 9a of the agitator blade 9 can be fitted into the key 8a of the main shaft 8.

[0035] In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the circular jig 20 is the same as the inner diameter of the normal body 10, so in the portion where a gap occurs, the inner diameter of the body 10 is larger than the normal dimension, and it is therefore clear that the inner circumferential surface is suffering from wear, deformation, chipping, or other defects. This not only enables centering, but also allows the size of the gap to be used to determine the necessary measures to address the defects on the inner circumferential surface of the body 10.

[0036] As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of circular jigs 20 having the same outer diameter as the inner diameter of the body 10 are fixed to the main shaft 8 at intervals in the axial direction and placed on at least the lower half of the body 10 to center the main shaft 8, thereby enabling easy and reliable centering of the main shaft 8 with respect to the body 10.

[0037] The above-described embodiments are essentially preferred examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, its applications, or uses.

[0038] For example, even when the main shaft 8 and the output shaft 6a are integral, if the main shaft 8 and the body 10 are similarly centered, the main shaft 8 and the drive unit 3 can be easily connected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1. Mixing machine 2. Bass 3 Drive unit 4. Torso 5 Electric motor 6 Gearbox 6a Output shaft 6b Input shaft 7. Joints 8 spindle 8a key 9 Stirring blade 9a Blade side keyway 10. Torso 10a Inner surface 11. Body opening and closing mechanism 11a Opening and closing handle 11b Worm reducer 11c Pivot shaft 11d Arm 20 Circular Jig 21 Main shaft through hole 22 Jig side keyway

Claims

1. A method for centering a main shaft with respect to a body in a kneader having a main shaft driven by a drive unit, a plurality of agitating blades coupled to the main shaft so as to rotate integrally with the main shaft, and a body having a circular inner circumferential surface that hermetically covers the plurality of agitating blades with a predetermined radial gap therebetween, comprising: Fixing at least the lower half of the body in place on the base of the kneader; A plurality of circular jigs having the same outer diameter as the inner diameter of the body are fixed to the main shaft at intervals in the axial direction, and the main shaft is placed on at least the lower half of the body to perform centering of the main shaft. A method for centering the main shaft of a kneading machine, characterized in that

2. The drive unit includes an electric motor and a gearbox. The output shaft and the main shaft are connected via a joint while adjusting the position of the gearbox relative to the base so that the output shaft of the gearbox is aligned with the main shaft.

2. The method for centering the main shaft of a kneading machine according to claim 1.

3. The main shaft has a key for fixing the plurality of stirring blades so as to rotate integrally, The plurality of circular jigs are fixed to the spindle by fitting the keys into key grooves formed in the plurality of circular jigs.

3. The method for centering the main shaft of a kneading machine according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The wear amount of the body is measured from the gap between the outer peripheral surfaces of the plurality of circular jigs and the inner peripheral surface of the body.

3. The method for centering the main shaft of a kneading machine according to claim 1 or 2.

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