rotary mixer

Abstract

To provide a rotary type mixer capable of easily cleaning the inside of a rotary vessel and a lifter plate.SOLUTION: A rotary type mixer includes: a rotary vessel 2 including a bottom wall 21 and a peripheral wall 22; a plurality of first lifter plates 5 and second lifter plates 6 extending in an axial direction of the rotary vessel 2 along an inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 22; and at least one ring plate 7 including slits in which the first lifter plates 5 and the second lifter plates 6 fit. The first lifter plates 5 and the second lifter plates 6 are maintained in the rotary vessel 2 by a retainer 9 attached to a tip end of the peripheral wall 22. Each first lifter plate 5 includes at least one first protrusion 52, and each second lifter plate 6 includes at least one second protrusion (61 or 63) at a position different the position of the first protrusion 52 in the axial direction of the rotary vessel 2. The ring plate 7 is held by the first protrusion 52 and the second protrusion from both sides in the axial direction of the rotary vessel 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a rotary mixer. [Background technology]

[0002] Rotary mixers that mix raw materials in a rotary container have been known for some time. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a rotary mixer 100 as shown in FIG. 8. This rotary mixer 100 includes a cylindrical rotary container 110 with a hexagonal cross section and six lifter plates 120 arranged inside the rotary container 110. The six lifter plates 120 are fixed to six flat surfaces of the rotary container 110, respectively.

[0003] Each lifter plate 120 extends in the axial direction of the rotary container 110 along a corresponding flat portion of the rotary container 110. Each lifter plate 120 is fixed to the corresponding flat portion with a plurality of fasteners 130 (bolts and nuts). The rotary container 110 is divided into two halves so that the lifter plates 120 can be easily replaced, and these halves are connected to each other with fasteners. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-267943 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the rotary mixer 100 of Patent Document 1, multiple fixing devices 130 are used to secure each lifter plate 120, so it takes a lot of effort to remove the lifter plate 120 from the rotary container 110 when cleaning the inside of the rotary container 110 and the lifter plate 120.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a rotary mixer in which the inside of the rotary container and the lifter plate can be easily cleaned. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present disclosure provides a rotary mixer comprising: a rotary container including a bottom wall and a peripheral wall; a plurality of first lifter plates and a plurality of second lifter plates extending in the axial direction of the rotary container along the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall and arranged alternately in the circumferential direction of the rotary container; at least one ring plate including slits that fit with the plurality of first lifter plates and the plurality of second lifter plates; and an annular retainer attached to a tip of the peripheral wall and maintaining the plurality of first lifter plates and the plurality of second lifter plates within the rotary container, wherein each of the plurality of first lifter plates includes at least one first convex portion, and each of the plurality of second lifter plates includes at least one second convex portion at a position different from that of the at least one first convex portion in the axial direction of the rotary container, and the ring plate is sandwiched between the first convex portion and the second convex portion from both sides in the axial direction of the rotary container. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, a rotary mixer is provided in which the interior of the rotary container and the lifter plate can be easily cleaned. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a rotary mixer according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. [Figure 4] 4A is a front view of the main part shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line IVB-IVB in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5A is a front view of the engagement plate, and FIG. 5B is a front view of the ring plate. [Figure 6]FIG. 6A is a side view of the first lifter plate, and FIG. 6B is a side view of the second lifter plate. [Figure 7] 10 is a diagram for explaining the engagement structure between the engagement plate and the first lifter plate or the second lifter plate. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional rotary mixer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] 1 and 2 show a rotary mixer 1 according to one embodiment. The rotary mixer 1 is used to uniformly mix raw materials. The raw materials may be a mixture of multiple types of powders, a mixture of multiple types of granules, or a mixture of at least one type of powder and at least one type of granules.

[0011] Specifically, the rotary mixer 1 includes a cylindrical rotating container 2 whose axial direction is oriented horizontally, and a frame 11 that rotatably supports the rotating container 2. The frame 11 includes a base 11a located on the side of the rotating container 2, and a pair of arms 11b and 11c that protrude from the base 11a. The arms 11b and 11c rotatably support the rotating container 2 via bearings 25 and 26. However, the configuration of the frame 11 is not limited to this and can be modified as appropriate.

[0012] An electric motor 41 that rotates the rotary vessel 2 is attached to the base 11a of the frame 11. Bevel gears 42, 43 are respectively provided on the output shaft of the electric motor 41 and on the outer circumferential surface of the rotary vessel 2, and these bevel gears 42, 43 mesh with each other. However, the configuration for rotating the rotary vessel 2 is not limited to this and can be modified as appropriate.

[0013] The rotary vessel 2 includes a bottom wall 21 that is perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotary vessel 2, and a peripheral wall 22 that extends from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall 21 in the axial direction of the rotary vessel 2. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral wall 22 is circular, but the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral wall 22 may also be polygonal.

[0014] In this embodiment, an opening 23 is provided in the center of the bottom wall 21, and the tip of the supply pipe 3 is disposed within this opening 23. A screw 35 is disposed within the supply pipe 3. A support 16 is fixed to the base 11a of the frame 11, and an electric motor 45 for rotating the screw 35 is attached to this support 16. The supply pipe 3 is provided with an inlet 31 that opens upward, and a hopper 32 for feeding raw material is connected to this inlet 31. However, the raw material does not necessarily have to be fed into the rotary vessel 2 using the screw 35, and various feeding methods can be used.

[0015] Furthermore, a bearing 25 and a first closing member 12 that covers the inside of the bearing 25 are fixed to arm 11b of frame 11, and a bearing 26 and a second closing member 13 that covers the inside of the bearing 26 are fixed to arm 11c. In this embodiment, the first closing member 12 is disk-shaped and is integrated with the supply pipe 3. The second closing member 13 is annular and passes through the rotating container 2. A cover 15 that covers the space between the arms 11b and 11c of frame 11 is attached to arms 11b and 11c of frame 11.

[0016] The opening on the opposite side of the bottom wall 21 of the rotary vessel 2 (the opening formed by the tip of the peripheral wall 22) is a discharge port, and the raw materials mixed inside the rotary vessel 2 are discharged from the discharge port. A chute 14 is attached to the second closing member 13 to guide the raw materials discharged from the discharge port of the rotary vessel 2.

[0017] 3, 4A, and 4B, the internal structure of the rotary vessel 2 will be described in detail. For convenience of explanation, the bottom wall 21 side of the rotary vessel 2 in the axial direction may be referred to as the rear, and the discharge port side as the front.

[0018] In this embodiment, the axial direction of the rotary vessel 2 is parallel to the horizontal direction. However, the axial direction of the rotary vessel 2 may be inclined downward or upward from the bottom wall 21 toward the discharge outlet. By inclining the axial direction of the rotary vessel 2 in this manner, the residence time of the raw material in the rotary vessel 2 can be adjusted.

[0019] A plurality of first lifter plates 5 and a plurality of second lifter plates 6 are arranged inside the rotating vessel 2. These first lifter plates 5 and second lifter plates 6 are arranged alternately in the circumferential direction of the rotating vessel 2. In this embodiment, the number of first lifter plates 5 and the number of second lifter plates 6 are three. However, the number of first lifter plates 5 and the number of second lifter plates 6 may be two, or four or more.

[0020] Each first lifter plate 5 extends in the axial direction of the rotary vessel 2 along the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall 22. Similarly, each second lifter plate 6 extends in the axial direction of the rotary vessel 2 along the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall 22.

[0021] In this embodiment, the first lifter plate 5 and the second lifter plate 6 are parallel to the axial direction of the rotary vessel 2. However, the first lifter plate 5 and the second lifter plate 6 may be inclined with respect to the axial direction of the rotary vessel 2 so as to form a spiral.

[0022] In this embodiment, the first lifter plates 5 and the second lifter plates 6 are arranged at equal angular intervals around the circumference of the rotating vessel 2, and rise from the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall 22 toward the central axis of the rotating vessel 2. However, the first lifter plates 5 and the second lifter plates 6 may be arranged at uneven angular intervals, or may rise from the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall 22 toward a position different from the central axis of the rotating vessel 2.

[0023] Two ring plates 7 are also arranged inside the rotary vessel 2. These ring plates 7 determine the relative positional relationship between the first lifter plate 5 and the second lifter plate 6. Each ring plate 7 has an outer diameter that is approximately equal to the inner diameter of the peripheral wall 22 of the rotary vessel 2.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 5B, each ring plate 7 has a slit 71 that opens radially outward and fits into the first lifter plate 5 and the second lifter plate 6. That is, the width of the slit 71 is approximately equal to the thickness of the first lifter plate 5 and the second lifter plate 6. In this embodiment, the two ring plates 7 have the same shape. However, the shapes of the two ring plates 7 may be different from each other.

[0025] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 6A, each first lifter plate 5 has a first convex portion 52 in the center and first low-back portions 51, 53 in the front and rear. As shown in Fig. 6B, each second lifter plate 6 has second convex portions 61, 63 in the front and rear and a second low-back portion 62 in the center. In other words, the second convex portions 61, 63 are located on both sides of the first convex portion 52 in the axial direction of the rotating container 2 (at positions different from the first convex portion 52).

[0026] In this embodiment, the heights of the first low-back portions 51, 53 of the first lifter plate 5 and the height of the second low-back portion 62 of the second lifter plate 6 are all equal. However, with regard to the heights of the first low-back portions 51, 53 of the first lifter plate 5 and the height of the second low-back portion 62 of the second lifter plate 6, one of the heights may be different from the other two heights, or all of the heights may be different.

[0027] The depth of the slits 71 of each ring plate 7 is approximately equal to the height of the first low-back portions 51, 53 of the first lifter plate 5 and the height of the second low-back portion 62 of the second lifter plate 6. In other words, the first low-back portions 51, 53 of the first lifter plate 5 and the second low-back portion 62 of the second lifter plate 6 are inserted into the slits 71 of each ring plate 7.

[0028] In this embodiment, the height of the first protrusion 52 of the first lifter plate 5 from the peripheral wall 22 and the height of the second protrusions 61, 63 of the second lifter plate 6 from the peripheral wall 22 are all equal. However, with regard to the height of the first protrusion 52 of the first lifter plate 5 and the height of the second protrusions 61, 63 of the second lifter plate 6, either one of the heights may be different from the other two heights, or all of the heights may be different.

[0029] A distance A between the first convex portion 52 and the second convex portion 61 and a distance B between the first convex portion 52 and the second convex portion 63 in the axial direction of the rotary vessel 2 are approximately equal to the thickness of the ring plate 7. Therefore, when the first low-back portion 51 of the first lifter plate 5 and the second low-back portion 62 of the second lifter plate 6 are inserted into all of the slits 71 of the front ring plate 7, the ring plate 7 is sandwiched between the first convex portions 52 and the second convex portions 61 from both sides in the axial direction of the rotary vessel 2. Similarly, when the first low-back portion 53 of the first lifter plate 5 and the second low-back portion 62 of the second lifter plate 6 are inserted into all of the slits 71 of the rear ring plate 7, the ring plate 7 is sandwiched between the first convex portions 52 and the second convex portions 63 from both sides in the axial direction of the rotary vessel 2.

[0030] As shown in Figure 4B, the inner diameter of each ring plate 7 is set to be larger than the diameter of a circle passing through the tip of the first convex portion 52 of the first lifter plate 5 and the tip of the second convex portions 61, 63 of the second lifter plate 6, and smaller than the diameter of a circle passing through the tip of the first low-back portions 51, 53 of the first lifter plate 5 and the tip of the second low-back portion 62 of the second lifter plate 6.

[0031] 3 and 4A, a retainer 9 is attached to the tip of the peripheral wall 22 of the rotary container 2. The retainer 9 serves to maintain the first lifter plate 5 and the second lifter plate 6 inside the rotary container 2. In this embodiment, the first lifter plate 5 and the second lifter plate 6 are sandwiched between an annular engagement plate 8 that is pressed against the tip surface of the peripheral wall 22 by the retainer 9 and the bottom wall 21 of the rotary container 2.

[0032] The retainer 9 has an L-shaped cross section and includes a cylindrical portion 91 that covers the tip end of the peripheral wall 22 from the radially outer side, and a flange portion 92 that protrudes radially inward from the front end of the cylindrical portion 91. A male thread 24 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the tip end of the peripheral wall 22, and a female thread 93 that screws into the male thread 24 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 91. The flange portion 92 is a portion that presses the engagement plate 8 against the tip end surface of the peripheral wall 22 so that the engagement plate 8 rotates together with the rotary container 2. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the flange portion 92 is approximately equal to the inner diameter of the peripheral wall 22.

[0033] The engagement plate 8 prevents the first lifter plate 5 and the second lifter plate 6 from rotating relative to the rotary container 2 and also prevents the first lifter plate 5 and the second lifter plate 6 from coming off the rotary container 2. More specifically, the inner diameter of the engagement plate 8 is set smaller than the inner diameter of the peripheral wall 22. As shown in FIG. 5A, the engagement plate 8 is formed with a plurality of notches 81 for engagement with the first lifter plate 5 and the second lifter plate 6. Meanwhile, the front end of the first lifter plate 5 is formed with a notch 54 for engagement with the notch 81 as shown in FIG. 6A, and the front end of the second lifter plate 6 is also formed with a notch 64 for engagement with the notch 81 as shown in FIG. 6B.

[0034] 7, both side surfaces 81a of each notch 81 of the engagement plate 8 abut against both side surfaces of the first lifter plate 5 near the outward surfaces 54a of the cutouts 54, or against both side surfaces of the second lifter plate 6 near the outward surfaces 64a of the cutouts 64. In addition, the bottoms 81b of the notches 81 of the engagement plate 8 are located inside the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 22, and the forward surfaces 54b of the cutouts 54 of the first lifter plate 5 abut against the rear surface of the engagement plate 8 near the bottoms 81b of the corresponding notches 81, or the forward surfaces 64b of the cutouts 64 of the second lifter plate 6 abut against the rear surface of the engagement plate 8 near the bottoms 81b of the corresponding notches 81.

[0035] However, the inner diameter of the flange portion 92 may be set smaller than the inner diameter of the peripheral wall 22, and the first lifter plate 5 and the second lifter plate 6 may be sandwiched between the flange portion 92 and the bottom wall 21 of the rotating container 2. In this case, it is desirable to form grooves or the like in the flange portion 92 for engagement with the first lifter plate 5 and the second lifter plate 6 so as to prevent the first lifter plate 5 and the second lifter plate 6 from rotating relative to the rotating container 2.

[0036] As described above, in the rotary mixer 1 of this embodiment, the ring plate 7, which determines the relative positional relationship between the first lifter plate 5 and the second lifter plate 6, is sandwiched between the first convex portion 52 of the first lifter plate 5 and the second convex portions 61 and 63 of the second lifter plate 6. Therefore, the first lifter plate 5, the second lifter plate 6, and the ring plate 7 can be assembled into a unit simply by combining them. Moreover, since the first lifter plate 5 and the second lifter plate 6 are maintained within the rotary vessel 2 by the retainer 9, the unit consisting of the first lifter plate 5, the second lifter plate 6, and the ring plate 7 can be pulled out of the rotary vessel 2 by removing the retainer 9 from the rotary vessel 2. This allows the interior of the rotary vessel 2 and the first lifter plate 5 and the second lifter plate 6 to be easily cleaned. Furthermore, the ring plate 7 serves to retain the raw materials during mixing within the rotary vessel 2, thereby improving mixing accuracy by extending the retention time.

[0037] Furthermore, between the ring plates 7, the first convex portions 52 of the first lifter plate 5 and the second low-back portions 62 of the second lifter plate 6 are arranged alternately in the circumferential direction, and in front of and behind the ring plates 7, the first low-back portions (51 or 53) of the first lifter plate 5 and the second convex portions (61 or 63) of the second lifter plate 6 are arranged alternately in the circumferential direction, which makes the movement of the raw material more complex and improves mixing accuracy compared to when lifter plates of the same height are arranged circumferentially.

[0038] Moreover, in this embodiment, a screw structure is used to attach the retainer 9 to the tip of the peripheral wall 22, so that the retainer 9 can be attached to or detached from the tip of the peripheral wall 22 of the rotating container 2 simply by rotating the retainer 9 relative to the rotating container 2.

[0039] (Variation) The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0040] For example, the number of ring plates 7 may be three or more. For example, when the number of ring plates 7 is three, another first protrusion may be added to each first lifter plate 5, and another second low portion may be added to each second lifter plate 6.

[0041] Alternatively, the number of ring plates 7 may be one. In this case, the front half of each first lifter plate 5 may be a first low-back portion and the rear half may be a first convex portion, and the front half of each second lifter plate 6 may be a second convex portion and the rear half may be a second low-back portion. However, if at least two ring plates 7 are employed as in the above embodiment or modified example, the ring plates can keep the distance between the first lifter plate 5 and the second lifter plate 6 constant over the entire length.

[0042] (summary) In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a rotary mixer comprising: a rotary container including a bottom wall and a peripheral wall; a plurality of first lifter plates and a plurality of second lifter plates extending in the axial direction of the rotary container along the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall and arranged alternately in the circumferential direction of the rotary container; at least one ring plate including slits that fit with the plurality of first lifter plates and the plurality of second lifter plates; and an annular retainer attached to a tip of the peripheral wall and maintaining the plurality of first lifter plates and the plurality of second lifter plates within the rotary container, wherein each of the plurality of first lifter plates includes at least one first convex portion, and each of the plurality of second lifter plates includes at least one second convex portion at a position different from the at least one first convex portion in the axial direction of the rotary container, and the ring plate is sandwiched between the first convex portion and the second convex portion from both sides in the axial direction of the rotary container.

[0043] According to the above configuration, the ring plate, which determines the relative positional relationship between the first and second lifter plates, is sandwiched between the first convex portion of the first lifter plate and the second convex portion of the second lifter plate. Therefore, simply combining the first and second lifter plates and the ring plate allows them to be assembled into a unit. Furthermore, since the first and second lifter plates are maintained within the rotary container by the retainer, the unit consisting of the first and second lifter plates and the ring plate can be removed from the rotary container by removing the retainer. This allows for easy cleaning of the interior of the rotary container and the first and second lifter plates. Furthermore, the ring plate serves to retain the raw materials during mixing within the rotary container, thereby improving mixing accuracy by extending the retention time.

[0044] In a second aspect, in the first aspect, the at least one ring plate may include at least two ring plates, the at least one second convex portion may include at least two second convex portions located on both sides of the first convex portion in the axial direction of the rotary vessel, and each of the at least two ring plates may be sandwiched between the first convex portion and the second convex portion. With this configuration, the at least two ring plates can keep the distance between the first lifter plate and the second lifter plate constant over the entire length.

[0045] As a third aspect, in the first or second aspect, a male thread may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the tip of the peripheral wall of the rotary container, and the retainer may include a cylindrical portion having a female thread formed on its inner peripheral surface that screws together with the male thread, and a flange portion that protrudes radially inward from one end of the cylindrical portion. With this configuration, the retainer can be attached to or detached from the tip of the peripheral wall of the rotary container simply by rotating the retainer relative to the rotary container. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1 Rotary mixer 2. Rotating vessel 21 Bottom wall 22 Peripheral wall 24 Male thread 5. First lifter plate 52 First convex part 6. Second lifter plate 62 Second convex part 7 Ring Plate 71 Slit 9 Retainer 91 Cylindrical part 92 Flange 93 Female thread

Claims

1. a rotating vessel including a bottom wall and a peripheral wall; a plurality of first lifter plates and a plurality of second lifter plates extending in the axial direction of the rotary container along the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall and arranged alternately in the circumferential direction of the rotary container; at least one ring plate including slits that mate with the plurality of first lifter plates and the plurality of second lifter plates; an annular retainer attached to a tip end of the peripheral wall to maintain the plurality of first lifter plates and the plurality of second lifter plates within the rotary container; Each of the plurality of first lifter plates includes at least one first protrusion, each of the plurality of second lifter plates includes at least one second protrusion at a position different from the at least one first protrusion in the axial direction of the rotary container; the ring plate is sandwiched between the first convex portion and the second convex portion from both sides in the axial direction of the rotary container.

2. the at least one ring plate includes at least two ring plates; the at least one second protrusion includes at least two second protrusions located on both sides of the first protrusion in the axial direction of the rotary container, The rotary mixer according to claim 1 , wherein each of the at least two ring plates is sandwiched between the first convex portion and the second convex portion.

3. a male screw is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the tip of the peripheral wall of the rotary container, 3. The rotary mixer according to claim 1, wherein the retainer includes a cylindrical portion having an internal thread formed on an inner circumferential surface thereof, the internal thread being adapted to threadably mate with the external thread, and a flange portion protruding radially inward from one end of the cylindrical portion.

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