Pouch manufacturing method and pouch intermediate

Abstract

To provide a pouch manufacturing method and a pouch intermediate capable of simplifying a device configuration of a pouch manufacturing device.SOLUTION: A pouch manufacturing method includes: preparing a pouch intermediate 20A assembled with a spout opening 28 formed separately from a spout insertion hole 32; and putting a spout 70 into a pouch from the spout opening 28, allowing a flange 72 to be opposed to an inside surface of a spout attachment film 30, thermally fusing the flange 72 to the spout attachment film 30 after arranging the spout 70 with respect to a pouch intermediate 20A in a state that a pour-out cylindrical part 31 is projected to a pouch outside via the spout insertion hole 32, and plugging the spout opening 28.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a pouch and a pouch intermediate. [Background technology]

[0002] It has been known to use spout-equipped pouches, which have a spout attached as a pouring outlet to a pouch body formed by heat-welding a plurality of resin films, as containers for storing liquid contents such as drinking water or liquid detergent. Also known as such spout-equipped pouches is one in which the spout is attached to the pouch body in such a manner that the flange of the spout is heat-welded to the inner surface of the spout-attaching film, with the pouring tubular portion of the spout protruding outside the pouch through a spout insertion hole formed in the spout-attaching film (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-024490 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Generally, when manufacturing such pouches, a method is used in which a group of raw film rolls, which is made up of multiple long pieces of raw film rolls each having multiple planned pouch areas, is subjected to various heat welding processes to form seals for bag making, and then the group of raw film rolls is cut along the boundary lines between the planned pouch areas to separate into individual pouches.Even in the case of spout-equipped pouches such as those disclosed in Patent Document 1, a spout is attached to a spout-attaching film while the group of raw film rolls is in the form of a long piece of raw film during manufacturing, and after various heat welding processes such as those described above are performed, the group of raw film rolls is cut along the boundary lines between the planned pouch areas to separate into individual pouches.

[0005] However, when spout-equipped pouches are manufactured by the above-mentioned method, unlike pouches made of only a film which can be handled flat after the spouts have been attached to the spout-attached film, complex handling is required which differs from the case of manufacturing pouches made of only a film, for example, it is necessary to control the spouts and the raw film that will become the spout-attached film so as not to hinder heat welding when heat welding is performed between the films. As a result, the configuration of the pouch manufacturing apparatus becomes complex, increasing construction costs, and there has been a problem that it is sometimes difficult to make a profit in relation to sales from the manufacture and sale of spout-equipped pouches, particularly when the planned number of spout-equipped pouches to be produced is small.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention is intended to solve these problems, and has as its object to provide a pouch manufacturing method and a pouch intermediate that can simplify the device configuration of a pouch manufacturing device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A pouch manufacturing method of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a spout-equipped pouch by heat-welding a flange of a spout to an inner surface of a spout-mounted film of a pouch body and attaching the spout to the pouch body in a state where a tubular pouring portion of the spout protrudes outside the pouch through a spout insertion hole formed in the spout-mounted film, the method comprising the steps of: preparing a pouch intermediate having the spout insertion hole and a spout opening formed separately from the spout insertion hole; inserting the spout into the pouch through the spout opening; placing the spout on the pouch intermediate so that the flange faces the inner surface of the spout-mounted film and the tubular pouring portion protrudes outside the pouch through the spout insertion hole; and then heat-welding the flange to the spout-mounted film and closing the spout opening. The pouch body has left and right side films that are heat-sealed to the spout-mounted film by left and right connection seals, and the spout opening is an unsealed portion in the state of the pouch intermediate body where a part of the connection seal is not heat-sealed. This solves the above problem. Further, a pouch manufacturing method of the present invention is a pouch manufacturing method for manufacturing a spout-attached pouch by heat-welding a flange of a spout to an inner surface of a spout-mounted film of a pouch body and attaching the spout to the pouch body in a state where a tubular pouring portion of the spout protrudes outside the pouch through a spout insertion hole formed in the spout-mounted film, the method comprising the steps of: preparing a pouch intermediate having the spout insertion hole and a spout opening formed separately from the spout insertion hole; inserting the spout into the pouch through the spout opening; and heat-welding the spout flange to the inner surface of the spout-mounted film and attaching the spout to the pouch intermediate in a state where the tubular pouring portion protrudes outside the pouch through the spout insertion hole. After the spout is positioned, the flange is heat-sealed to the spout-mounted film and the spout opening is blocked; the pouch body has left and right side films that are heat-sealed to the spout-mounted film by left and right connecting seals; the pouch intermediate is folded so that the left side portion of the spout-mounted film is overlapped facing the left side film and the right side portion of the spout-mounted film is overlapped facing the right side film; with the flange interposed and positioned between the overlapped spout-mounted film and the side films, the flange is heat-sealed to the spout-mounted film and the spout opening is blocked, thereby solving the problem. The pouch intermediate of the present invention is a pouch intermediate for a spout-equipped pouch, in which a flange of a spout is heat-welded to an inner surface of a spout-mounted film of a pouch body, and the spout is mounted on the pouch body in a state in which a pouring tube portion of the spout protrudes outside the pouch through a spout insertion hole formed in the spout-mounted film, Left and right side films heat-sealed to the spout-mounted film by left and right connection seals; The spout insertion hole and the spout opening formed separately from the spout insertion hole are provided. The spout opening is an unsealed portion where a part of the connection seal is not heat-sealed. This solves the above problem. Furthermore, the pouch intermediate of the present invention is a pouch intermediate for a pouch body of a spout-attached pouch in which a flange of a spout is heat-welded to the inner surface of a spout-attaching film of the pouch body and the spout is attached to the pouch body with the tubular pouring portion of the spout protruding outside the pouch through a spout insertion hole formed in the spout-attaching film, the pouch intermediate comprising left and right side films heat-welded to the spout-attaching film by left and right connecting seals, the spout insertion hole, and a spout opening formed separately from the spout insertion hole, and the pouch intermediate is folded so that the left portion of the spout-attaching film is overlapped facing the left side film and the right portion of the spout-attaching film is overlapped facing the right side film, and is disposed with the flange interposed between the overlapped spout-attaching film and the side films, thereby solving the above-mentioned problem. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the invention of claim 1, a spout is placed into a pouch through a spout opening of a pouch intermediate formed separately from the spout insertion hole, and the spout is placed on the pouch intermediate with the flange facing the inner surface of the spout-mounted film and the pouring tube portion protruding to the outside of the pouch through the spout insertion hole.After that, the flange is heat-sealed to the spout-mounted film and the spout opening is closed, thereby manufacturing a pouch with a spout.This eliminates the need to handle the spout-mounted film in the form of a raw film with a spout attached, which is difficult to handle, and therefore simplifies the configuration of the pouch manufacturing apparatus. Furthermore, by adopting a configuration in which the spout is inserted into the pouch through a spout opening in the pouch intermediate formed separately from the spout insertion hole, it is possible to improve the design freedom in terms of the attachment mode of the spout to the pouch intermediate, various spout designs such as flange diameter, etc. Furthermore, since the spout opening is an unsealed portion where part of the connection seal formed on the side of the spout-mounted film in which the spout insertion hole is formed is not heat-welded, the spout can be easily inserted into the pouch through the spout opening with the flange facing the inner surface of the spout-mounted film and the pouring tube portion protruding outside the pouch through the spout insertion hole.

[0009] Claim 2 According to the invention, since unsealed portions are formed on both the left and right connecting seals, the spout opening can be easily opened when attaching the spout to the pouch intermediate, making it easy to attach the spout. Claim 3According to the invention, a temporary welded portion is formed in the state of the pouch intermediate by heat welding the spout-mounted film and the side film together in part of the area to be heat-sealed when closing the unsealed portion that functions as the spout opening.This makes it possible to easily adjust the degree of opening of the spout opening, and therefore it is possible to adjust the ease with which the spout can be inserted into the pouch intermediate through the spout opening, and the ease with which the spout can be removed when placed inside the pouch intermediate. Claim 4 According to the invention, the left-right width of the temporary welded portion is formed to be narrower than the left-right width of the area to be heat-welded, so it is possible to prevent the temporary welded portion from being formed to protrude from the connection seal (area to be heat-welded) in the final manufactured product, thereby lowering the requirements for accuracy in the formation position of the temporary welded portion and reducing the manufacturing burden. Claim 5 According to the invention, the pouch intermediate is folded so that the left portion of the spout-mounted film is overlapped facing the left side film and the right portion of the spout-mounted film is overlapped facing the right side film, and with the flange disposed between the overlapped spout-mounted film and the side film, the flange is heat-sealed to the spout-mounted film and the spout opening is closed. As a result, with the spout attached to the pouch intermediate, the flange is sandwiched between the overlapped spout-mounted film and the side film, preventing the spout from falling off from the pouch intermediate and suppressing movement of the flange, allowing the heat-sealing process to heat-seal the flange to the spout-mounted film in a stable state. Claim 6According to the invention, when the pouch intermediate is folded, the left and right side films have valley-folded folds formed at the boundaries between the opposing areas that overlap and face the spout-mounted film and the adjacent areas that are adjacent to the opposing areas, which makes it easier to maintain the spout-mounted film and the side films facing each other, and therefore makes it possible to more reliably prevent the flange sandwiched between the spout-mounted film and the side films from falling off or moving when the spout is attached to the pouch intermediate. Claim 7 According to the invention, the flange is heat-sealed to the spout-mounted film and the spout opening is closed in a state in which the pouch intermediate is attached to an intermediate support having a film support part that supports the overlapping portion of the spout-mounted film and the side film facing each other from the outer surface side of the side film. This stabilizes the state of the overlapping portion of the spout-mounted film and the side film facing each other, and the heat-sealing process of the flange to the spout-mounted film and the process of closing the spout opening can be carried out in a stable state. Claim 8 According to the invention, the film support portion is formed with a holding slit through which the side film is inserted and held, so that the state of the side film can be stabilized when the pouch intermediate is attached to the intermediate support tool, and therefore the heat welding process of the flange to the spout-attaching film and the process of sealing the spout opening can be carried out in a stable state. Claim 9 According to the invention, the region to be heat-sealed when closing the unsealed portion that functions as the spout opening is located outside the film support portion and is not supported by the film support portion when the pouch intermediate is attached to the intermediate support tool. This makes it possible to stabilize the state of the pouch intermediate by attaching it to the intermediate support tool, while sandwiching the region to be heat-sealed with the heat-sealing tool to perform heat-sealing, thereby ensuring reliable heat-sealing of the region to be heat-sealed. Claim 10According to the invention, the pouch intermediate attached to the intermediate support is transported along the transport path, the flange is heat-welded to the spout-attached film in a spout welding area provided halfway along the transport path, and the spout opening is blocked in an opening blocking area provided halfway along the transport path.By attaching the pouch intermediate to the intermediate support, the state of the pouch intermediate is stabilized, and by applying force to the intermediate support, it is also possible to perform various handling operations such as moving and stopping the pouch intermediate attached to the intermediate support, so that handling of the pouch intermediate can be easily performed. Claims 11 and 12 According to the invention, a pouch intermediate of a pouch body for a spout-equipped pouch is provided, in which a spout flange is heat-welded to the inner surface of the spout-mounted film of the pouch body and the spout is attached to the pouch body with the spout insertion hole formed in the spout-mounted film so that the pouring tube portion of the spout protrudes outside the pouch, and the pouch intermediate of the pouch body is provided with a spout insertion hole and a spout opening formed separately from the spout insertion hole. This allows the spout to be placed into the pouch through a spout opening in the pouch intermediate formed separately from the spout insertion hole, and after the spout is placed on the pouch intermediate with the flange facing the inner surface of the spout-mounted film and the pouring tube portion protruding to the outside of the pouch through the spout insertion hole, the flange can be heat-sealed to the spout-mounted film and the spout opening can be closed.This eliminates the need to handle the spout-mounted film in the form of a raw film with the spout attached, which is difficult to handle, and simplifies the configuration of the pouch manufacturing apparatus. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a spouted pouch according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing each film that constitutes the spouted pouch. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a pouch intermediate and a spout. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing each film constituting the pouch intermediate. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a pouch manufacturing apparatus. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing how a pouch intermediate is attached to an intermediate support tool. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing each unit of the pouch manufacturing apparatus. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing each unit of the pouch manufacturing apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] A pouch manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. [10 spouted pouches (final product)]

[0012] First, the spouted pouch 10, which is the final product manufactured by the pouch manufacturing method of this embodiment, will be described below.

[0013] The spouted pouch 10 is used to store liquid contents such as drinking water or liquid detergent, and as shown in FIG. 1, when in use, the pouch is placed with its bottom facing downwards and the liquid contents are poured out from a spout 70 attached to the side of the pouch body 20.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the spout-equipped pouch 10 comprises a pouch body 20 formed into a bag shape by heat-welding flexible films 30, 40, and 50 to form a bag-making seal portion, an inner film 60 placed inside the pouch body 20, and a spout 70 attached to the pouch body 20.

[0015] The pouch body 20 is configured as a so-called horizontal gusset-type pouch with gusset portions formed on both sides, and as shown in Figures 1 and 2, has a spout-mounted film 30 with a spout 70 attached, two side films 40 connected to the spout-mounted film 30 by first connection seals 22 formed on both the left and right sides of the spout-mounted film 30, and a second film 50 arranged opposite the spout-mounted film 30 across the content liquid storage section 21 and connected to the side films 40 by second connection seals 23 formed on both the left and right sides.

[0016] Each of the films 30, 40, 50, 60 is formed as a resin film having a heat-sealed layer on at least one surface thereof, and is arranged so that the heat-sealed layers face each other at the locations where they are heat-sealed to each other. In FIG. 2, the heat-sealed regions of the films 30, 40, 50, and 60 are indicated by solid areas.

[0017] 1 and 3, spout-mounted film 30 is formed as a side film facing sideways (horizontally), and has flange welding region 31, which is disposed opposite flange 72 of spout 70 and is heat-welded to (at least a part of) flange 72, as shown in Fig. 2, and spout insertion hole 32, which is formed to penetrate through the film in the thickness direction and through which tubular pouring portion 71 of spout 70 is inserted. Flange welding region 31 is formed in an annular shape on the outer periphery of spout insertion hole 32 so as to surround spout insertion hole 32, as shown in Fig. 2.

[0018] 1 and 2, the pouch body 20 has a first connection seal 22 formed by heat-sealing both the left and right sides of the spout-mounted film 30 to the side film 40, a second connection seal 23 formed by heat-sealing both the left and right sides of the second film 50 to the side film 40, a top seal 24 formed by heat-sealing the films 40, 60 at a position corresponding to the top of the pouch body 20 facing the bottom seal 25 across the content liquid-accommodating section 21, a bottom seal 25 formed by heat-sealing the films 40, 60 at a position corresponding to the pouch bottom of the pouch body 20, and an intermediate seal 26 formed by heat-sealing the side film 40 to the inner film 60. These seals 22 to 26 constitute a bag-making seal section.

[0019] As shown in Figure 2, the connecting seals 22, 23 each have a strip-shaped seal base 22a, 23a extending in the vertical direction, a first inclined portion 22b, 23b formed on the upper side of the seal base 22a, 23a, and a second inclined portion 22c, 23c formed on the lower side of the seal base 22a, 23a. As shown in Fig. 2, the seal bases 22a, 23a have inner edges that extend linearly in the vertical direction. As shown in Fig. 2, the first inclined portions 22b, 23b have inner edges that are inclined relative to the vertical direction (45° in this embodiment) so as to move inward in the left-right direction as they extend upward. As shown in Fig. 2, the second inclined portions 22c, 23c have inner edges that are inclined relative to the vertical direction (45° in this embodiment) so as to move inward in the left-right direction as they extend downward.

[0020] Furthermore, at predetermined locations (for example, location A shown in FIG. 1) on both sides of pouch body 20 where the gusset portions are formed, films 30, 40 are partially removed to form areas where side films 40 are heat-sealed together. This prevents side films 40 from separating at the predetermined locations (for example, location A shown in FIG. 1).

[0021] The spout 70 is made of a synthetic resin or the like, and is formed so as to be attachable to the pouch body 20, and functions as a spout for pouring out the liquid content when attached to the pouch body 20. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, spout 70 is attached to spout-mounted film 30 at a position lower than the center in the vertical direction of spout-mounted film 30 so as to protrude laterally from spout-mounted film 30. It should be noted that only a portion of the spout 70 is shown in FIG.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, the spout 70 has a pouring tube portion 71 and a flange 72 (which in this embodiment is formed integrally with the pouring tube portion 71), and when attached to the pouch body 20, the flange 72 is heat-welded to the inner surface of the spout-mounting film 30, and the spout 70 is attached to the pouch body 20 with the pouring tube portion 71 protruding outside the pouch through the spout insertion hole 32.

[0023] The inner film 60 is formed as a rectangular (or nearly rectangular) flexible resin film having a heat-sealed layer on at least one side thereof, and as can be seen from Figures 1 and 2, it is folded in half and placed inside the pouch body 20 (content liquid storage section 21), with predetermined locations heat-sealed to the side film 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the inner film 60 has a plurality of film perforations formed in the form of holes penetrating through the film in the thickness direction.

[0024] Furthermore, at the area where the films 40 and 60 overlap in the bag-making seal section on the top side of the spouted pouch 10, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a handle hole 27 is formed through the area where the films 40 and 60 overlap, allowing the user to hold the spouted pouch 10 with their hand or fingers. [Pouch intermediate 20A]

[0025] Next, the following describes pouch intermediate 20A, which is an intermediate of pouch main body 20 in the process of manufacturing spout-equipped pouch 10. Here, the configuration of pouch intermediate 20A is the same as that of the above-described pouch main body 20 except for some configurations, so below, only the differences between pouch main body 20 and pouch intermediate 20A will be described, and a description of configurations other than the differences will be omitted.

[0026] First, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pouch intermediate 20A is formed with a spout opening 28 in addition to the spout insertion hole 32 for inserting the spout cylindrical portion 71 of the spout 70 therethrough. In the state of pouch intermediate 20A, the only openings formed in pouch intermediate 20A (openings that communicate between the inside and outside of the pouch) are spout insertion hole 32 and spout opening .

[0027] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the spout opening 28 is an opening for inserting the spout 70 into the pouch intermediate 20A, and in this embodiment, when the pouch intermediate 20A is in its state, the unsealed portion of the first connection seal 22 that has not been heat-welded functions as the spout opening 28. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the unsealed portions that function as spout openings 28 are formed in both the left and right first connection seals 22 at positions to the sides of the spout insertion holes 32. The unsealed portion may be formed on only one of the left and right first connection seals 22, but if it is formed on both the left and right first connection seals 22, it becomes easier to open the spout opening 28 when attaching the spout 70 to the pouch intermediate 20A, making it easier to attach the spout 70.

[0028] As shown in Figure 4, the pouch intermediate 20A has a heat-sealed area 28a that is to be heat-sealed when closing the unsealed portion that functions as the spout opening 28 in the opening closing process described below, and a temporary welding portion 28b is formed in part of this heat-sealed area 28a by heat-sealing the spout-mounted film 30 and the side film 40 together while the pouch intermediate 20A is in its state. By forming such a temporary welded portion 28b, it is possible to easily adjust the degree of opening of the spout opening 28, and therefore it is possible to adjust the ease with which the spout 70 can be inserted into the pouch intermediate 20A through the spout opening 28, and the ease with which the spout 70 can be removed when placed in the pouch intermediate 20A (and in an unwelded state). In addition, since this temporary welding portion 28b is a portion that is subjected to double heat welding, when the spout-equipped pouch 10 is in a state where the intended heat welding area 28a is heat-welded, traces 28c of the temporary welding portion 28b will remain, as shown in Figure 2. 4, the left-right width of the temporary welded portions 28b is preferably set narrower than the left-right width of the regions to be heat-welded 28a (the left-right width of the first connection seal 22) to facilitate alignment during heat welding. That is, if the left-right width of the temporary welded portions 28b and the left-right width of the regions to be heat-welded 28a were set the same, and the temporary welded portions 28b were to be formed in a position that was shifted inward in the left-right direction during formation of the temporary welded portions 28b, the temporary welded portions 28b would end up protruding from the first connection seal 22 (regions to be heat-welded 28a) in the final manufactured product. However, by forming the left-right width of the temporary welded portions 28b narrower than the left-right width of the regions to be heat-welded 28a, it is possible to prevent the temporary welded portions 28b from protruding as described above, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the requirement for precision in the positioning of the temporary welded portions 28b. From the same viewpoint, it is preferable to form the temporary welding portion 28b at a position on the outer side in the left-right direction of the region 28a to be thermally welded, as shown in FIG. 2 and 4, the heat-welding planned region 28a is a region where the spout-mounted film 30 and the side film 40 are heat-welded to form the first connection seal 22 (seal base portion 22a).

[0029] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the left side film 40 has a facing region 41a that faces and overlaps with the left portion 30a of the spout-mounted film 30 when the pouch intermediate 20A is folded, and the right side film 40 has a facing region 41b that faces and overlaps with the right portion 30b of the spout-mounted film 30 when the pouch intermediate 20A is folded. As can be seen from Figures 3 and 4, the left and right side films 40 each have a folded portion 43 formed at the boundary between the opposing regions 41a, b and the adjacent region 42 adjacent to the opposing region 41 when in the state of the pouch intermediate 20A, which is folded so as to form a valley fold when viewed from the outside of the pouch (a folding process has been applied to maintain the folded state).

[0030] The pouch intermediate 20A may be produced by known means (pouch production equipment) such as cutting a film or heat welding the film at predetermined locations. [Pouch manufacturing equipment 100]

[0031] Next, the pouch manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described below.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 5, the pouch manufacturing apparatus 100 includes an intermediate support 110 that supports the pouch intermediate 20A with the spout 70 attached, a transport unit 120 that transports the intermediate support 110 along a transport path 121, a spout pre-welding unit 130, a spout welding unit 140, a cooling unit 150, an opening closing unit 160, a cooling unit 170, and a control unit (not shown) consisting of a personal computer or PLC having a CPU or the like that controls each part of the pouch manufacturing apparatus 100.

[0033] The intermediate support 110 is used to mount and support the pouch intermediate 20A with the spout 70 attached, and as shown in Figures 6 and 7, it is equipped with legs 111 and a film support portion 112 formed on the legs 111 for supporting the overlapping portion of the spout-mounted film 30 and the side film 40 facing each other (and the spout 70) from the outer surface side of the side film when the pouch intermediate 20A with the spout 70 attached is mounted. As shown in FIG. 6, film support portion 112 is formed with holding slits 113 for inserting and holding side films 40 of pouch intermediate 20A. In addition to the above, as shown in FIG. 6, intermediate support 110 is formed with leaf spring 114 and retaining portion 115 for holding pouch intermediate 20A with spout 70 attached.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 5, the conveying unit 120 conveys the pouch intermediate 20A with the spout 70 attached (in this embodiment, the pouch intermediate 20A attached to the intermediate support 110), and in this embodiment, is composed of a roller conveyor, various air cylinders that move and stop the intermediate support 110, and various guides that guide the intermediate support 110 along the conveying path 121. In addition, the specific form of the conveying unit 120 may be any form other than those described above, as long as it is capable of conveying the pouch intermediate 20A with the spout 70 attached along the conveying path 121, such as a form using belt drive or air conveyance, or a form consisting of a combination of multiple different drive means.

[0035] As shown in Figure 5, the conveying path 121 is provided with, from the upstream side, an entrance area 121a for feeding the pouch intermediate 20A attached to the intermediate support 110 into the conveying path 121 (conveying unit 120), a spout pre-welding area in which the spout pre-welding unit 130 is installed, a spout welding area in which the spout welding unit 140 is installed, a cooling area in which the cooling unit 150 is installed, an opening blocking area in which the opening blocking unit 160 is installed, a cooling area in which the cooling unit 170 is installed, and an exit area 121b for transporting the pouch intermediate 20A attached to the intermediate support 110 out of the conveying path 121 (conveying unit 120).

[0036] 5, the conveying path 121 is provided in a ring shape to circulate the intermediate support 110 (to which the pouch intermediate 20A or the like is attached), and the entrance area 121a and the exit area 121b are provided adjacent to each other (or as the same area), which allows the same worker to load and unload the intermediate support 110 from the same position. The specific form of the conveying path 121 is not limited to the above-mentioned ring shape, and may be set arbitrarily depending on the embodiment.

[0037] In addition, in this embodiment, the conveying unit 120 is designed to intermittently move the pouch intermediate 20A so that each process is performed in each processing area (spout pre-welding area, spout welding area, cooling area, opening closing area, cooling area) while the pouch intermediate 20A is stopped, but the conveying unit 120 may also be designed to move the pouch intermediate 20A continuously.

[0038] As shown in Figures 5 and 8, the spout temporary welding unit 130 performs a spout temporary welding process to heat-weld the flange 72 to the spout-mounted film 30, and is composed of a metal heat welding tool (heat welding bar) 131 having a press surface for heat welding, a heater for heating the heat welding tool 131, etc.

[0039] As shown in Figures 5 and 8, the spout welding unit 140 performs a spout welding process to heat-weld the flange 72 to the spout-mounted film 30, and is composed of a metal heat-welding tool 141 having a press surface for heat welding, a heater for heating the heat-welding tool 141, etc.

[0040] As shown in Figures 5 and 8, the cooling unit 150 performs a cooling process to cool the areas that have been heat-sealed by the spout welding unit 140, thereby fixing the heat welding, and is composed of a metal cooling tool (cooling bar) 151 having a press surface for cooling, and cooling means for cooling the cooling tool 151 using cooling water or the like.

[0041] As shown in Figures 5 and 9, the opening closing unit 160 performs an opening closing process to close the spout opening 28, and is composed of a metal heat-welding tool 161 having a press surface for heat welding, a heater for heating the heat-welding tool 161, etc.

[0042] As shown in Figures 5 and 9, the cooling unit 170 performs a cooling process to cool the areas that have been heat-sealed by the opening blocking unit 160, thereby fixing the heat welding, and is composed of a metal cooling tool 171 having a press surface for cooling, and cooling means for cooling the cooling tool 171 using cooling water or the like. [Pouch manufacturing method]

[0043] Next, the pouch manufacturing method of this embodiment will be described below.

[0044] The pouch manufacturing method of this embodiment is for manufacturing a spout-equipped pouch 10, and involves preparing the above-mentioned pouch intermediate 20A, attaching a spout 70 to the prepared pouch intermediate 20A, and mounting the pouch intermediate 20A with the attached spout 70 on an intermediate support 110. Thereafter, the pouch intermediate 20A (and spout 70) mounted on the intermediate support 110 is fed into the conveying path 121 of the pouch manufacturing apparatus 100 and conveyed, and the flange 72 is heat-welded to the spout-mounted film 30 in the spout welding area, and the spout opening 28 is blocked in the opening blocking area.

[0045] Each step of the pouch manufacturing method will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

[0046] First, when attaching spout 70 to pouch intermediate 20A, as can be seen from Figures 3 and 4, pouch intermediate 20A is folded so that left portion 30a of spout-mounted film 30 is overlapped facing left side film 40 and right portion 30b of spout-mounted film 30 is overlapped facing right side film 40, and spout 70 is inserted into the pouch from one side of spout opening 28, and flange 72 is interposed between the overlapped spout-mounted film 30 and side film 40 so that flange 72 faces the inner surface of spout-mounted film 30, and spout 70 is placed on pouch intermediate 20A with pouring tube portion 71 protruding outside the pouch through spout insertion hole 32.

[0047] When spout 70 is attached to this pouch intermediate 20A, flange 72 is sandwiched between the overlapping spout-mounted film 30 and side film 40, preventing spout 70 from falling off pouch intermediate 20A and suppressing movement of spout 70, allowing a heat welding process to be performed in a stable state to heat-weld flange 72 to spout-mounted film 30.

[0048] In addition, since the fold portions 43 are formed in the left and right side films 40, it becomes easier to maintain the spout-mounted film 30 and the side films 40 facing each other, which more reliably prevents the flange 72 sandwiched between the spout-mounted film 30 and the side films 40 from falling off or moving.

[0049] Next, when attaching pouch intermediate 20A to intermediate support 110, as shown in Figure 7, the overlapping portion of spout-attached film 30 and side film 40, with flange 72 of spout 70 interposed inside, is placed on film support portion 112 of intermediate support 110, and side film 40 is inserted from the side through retaining slit 113 formed in film support portion 112, and pouch intermediate 20A is attached to intermediate support 110 in a state in which the portions other than the above, such as side film 40, are positioned in a position not supported by film support portion 112 (below film support portion 112).

[0050] When this pouch intermediate 20A is attached to the intermediate support 110, as shown in Figure 7, the overlapping portion of the spout-mounted film 30 and the side film 40 facing each other rests on the film support portion 112, and the side film 40 is positioned and held in the holding slit 113 of the film support portion 112, thereby preventing the pouch intermediate 20A from falling off the intermediate support 110. Furthermore, by supporting only the areas that are to be subjected to the respective processes described below (spout pre-welding process, spout welding process, cooling process, opening closing process, cooling process) by the film support section 112, and positioning the other areas (side film 40, etc.) in positions that are not supported by the film support section 112, each of the above processes can be carried out smoothly.

[0051] As described above, each of the processes described below (spout pre-welding process, spout welding process, cooling process, opening closing process, cooling process) is performed by attaching the pouch intermediate 20A to the intermediate support 110 and supporting the overlapping portion of the spout-mounted film 30 and the side film 40 facing each other (and the spout 70) from the outer surface side of the side film 40 by the film support portion 112 of the intermediate support 110.

[0052] Next, in the entrance area 121a, the pouch intermediate 20A (and the spout 70) attached to the intermediate support tool 110 is put into the conveying path 121 (conveying unit 120).

[0053] In this embodiment, the above-mentioned process of attaching spout 70 to pouch intermediate 20A, the process of mounting pouch intermediate 20A to intermediate support 110, and the process of loading pouch intermediate 20A mounted on intermediate support 110 onto conveying unit 120 are all performed manually by workers, but at least a portion of each of these processes may be performed using machinery.

[0054] Next, the pouch intermediate 20A attached to the intermediate support 110 is transported to the downstream spout pre-welding area, where the spout pre-welding unit 130 performs a spout pre-welding process in which the flange 72 of the spout 70 is pre-welded to the spout-mounted film 30 while positioning the flange 72 relative to the spout-mounted film 30 (heat-welding the flange 72 to the spout-mounted film 30 in a portion of the flange welding area 31). In this spout temporary welding process, as shown in FIG. 8, heat welding is performed by pressing a heat welding tool 131 against a part of the flange welding area 31 from the outer surface side of the spout-mounted film 30 (upper side in FIG. 8).

[0055] Next, the pouch intermediate 20A attached to the intermediate support 110 is transported to the downstream spout welding area, and the spout welding unit 140 performs a spout welding process in the flange welding region 31 to heat-weld the flange 72 to the spout-mounted film 30. In this spout welding process, as shown in FIG. 8, heat welding is performed by pressing a heat welding tool 141 against the entire flange welding region 31 from the outer surface side of the spout-mounted film 30 (upper side in FIG. 8).

[0056] Next, the pouch intermediate 20A attached to the intermediate support 110 is transported to the downstream cooling area, where the cooling unit 150 performs a cooling process to cool the area that has been heat-sealed by the spout welding unit 140. In this cooling process, as shown in FIG. 8, cooling is performed by pressing a cooling tool 151 against the entire flange welding region 31 from the outer surface side of the spout-mounted film 30 (upper side in FIG. 8).

[0057] Here, in the spout pre-welding process, spout welding process, and cooling process described above, as shown in Figure 8, the portion of the spout-mounted film 30 where the heat-welding tool 131, 141 or the cooling tool 151 is pressed is supported by the film support portion 112 of the intermediate support tool 110 from the outer surface side of the side film 40 (the lower side of the drawing in Figure 8).

[0058] Next, the pouch intermediate 20A attached to the intermediate support 110 is transported to the downstream opening closing area, where the opening closing unit 160 performs an opening closing process to close the spout opening 28. Specifically, in the opening closing process, the spout-mounted film 30 and the side film 40 are heat-sealed in the intended heat-sealing area 28a of the left and right first connection seals 22, thereby closing the unsealed portions of the left and right first connection seals 22 that functioned as the spout openings 28. Here, when the pouch intermediate 20A is attached to the intermediate support tool 110, the regions 28a to be heat-sealed of the left and right first connection seals 22 are located outside (protruding from) the film support part 112 and are not supported by the film support part 112. Then, in the opening closing process, the regions 28a to be heat-sealed are sandwiched by the heat-sealing tool 161 from both the outer surface side of the spout-mounted film 30 (upper side in FIG. 9) and the outer surface side of the side film 40 (lower side in FIG. 9), and are heat-sealed.

[0059] Next, the pouch intermediate 20A attached to the intermediate support 110 is transported to the downstream cooling area, where the cooling unit 170 performs a cooling process to cool the area that has been heat-sealed by the opening closing unit 160. In this cooling process, similar to the opening closing process described above, the area to be cooled (region 28a to be heat-sealed and subjected to heat sealing treatment) is located outside film support part 112 and is not supported by film support part 112 when pouch intermediate 20A is attached to intermediate support tool 110. In this cooling process, similar to the opening closing process described above, the area to be cooled (region 28a to be heat-sealed and subjected to heat sealing treatment) is sandwiched by cooling tool 171 from both the outer surface side of spout-mounted film 30 (upper side in FIG. 9 ) and the outer surface side of side film 40 (lower side in FIG. 9 ) and is cooled.

[0060] Next, the pouch intermediate 20A attached to the intermediate support tool 110 is transported to the downstream exit area 121b, and in this exit area 121b, is manually carried out from the transport path 121 (transport unit 120) by an operator.

[0061] Next, after the intermediate support tool 110 is carried out from the transport unit 120, various processes such as a process for removing the spout-equipped pouch 10 (or the pouch intermediate 20A) from the intermediate support tool 110 and an inspection process are performed depending on the embodiment.

[0062] In the above-described embodiment, the opening blocking process (opening blocking process, cooling process) is described as being performed as a downstream process of the spout welding process (spout pre-welding process, spout welding process, cooling process), but conversely, the spout welding process may be performed as a downstream process of the opening blocking process.

[0063] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the spout temporary welding process is performed, but the spout temporary welding process does not necessarily have to be performed.

[0064] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims. Furthermore, spouted pouch 10 may be constructed by arbitrarily combining the respective configurations of the above-described embodiments and the modified examples described below.

[0065] For example, when using, displaying, or transporting, the spouted pouch 10 may be operated while housed in an outer case (not shown), or the spouted pouch 10 may be operated without being housed in an outer case (not shown).

[0066] As for specific embodiments of the films 30, 40, 50, and 60, any film having a heat-sealable layer made of an olefin such as low-density polyethylene or polypropylene, or a polyester such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) on at least one side may be a single heat-sealable layer, or any layer may be laminated on the heat-sealable layer. Any material may be used to form the laminate, and any desired layer may be formed by laminating known polyesters such as PET or PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), polypropylene, polyamide, polyethylene, aluminum foil, etc. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the pouch body 20 is described as being formed from four films, i.e., films 30, 40, and 50. However, the specific aspects of the pouch body 20, such as the number of films constituting the pouch body 20, are not limited to the above, and for example, a gusset film for the bottom may be separately provided at a position corresponding to the bottom of the pouch. Also, the inner film 60 may not be provided. In the above-described embodiment, the spouted pouch 10 is a large-capacity pouch with a capacity of 2 to 5 L. The spout 70 is also configured such that the outer diameter of the flange 72 is 50 to 70 mm. However, the size of the spouted pouch 10 and the spout 70 is not limited to this and may be set arbitrarily depending on the embodiment.

[0067] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, spout opening 28 for inserting spout 70 into pouch intermediate 20A has been described as being configured as an unsealed portion of first connection seal 22 that is not heat-sealed, but the specific form of spout opening 28 may be any as long as it is formed separately from spout insertion hole 32 in the state of pouch intermediate 20A. For example, an unsealed portion of top seal 24 or bottom seal 25 that is not heat-sealed, or a hole formed in side film 40 or second film 50, etc. may be used as spout opening 28. Even in this case, as in the above-described embodiment, an opening sealing process such as heat sealing can be performed to close spout opening 28 during the pouch manufacturing method.

[0068] Furthermore, although terms indicating up and down such as "top," "bottom," and "side" are used in this specification, these terms do not limit the orientation of spouted pouch 10 when it is displayed, transported, etc. For example, when it is displayed, transported, etc., spouted pouch 10 may be placed on a placing surface with its side or top facing down. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 10 ··· Pouch with spout 20 Pouch body 20A ··· Pouch intermediate 21 Content liquid storage section 22 First connecting seal 22a Seal base 22b... 1st slope part 22c... 2nd slope 23 Second connecting seal 23a Seal base 23b... 1st slope part 23c... 2nd slope 24 Top seal 25 Bottom seal 26 Intermediate seal 27 · · Handle hole 28 Spout opening 28a: Heat welding area 28b Temporary welding part 28c... trace 30 Spout mounting film 30a...Left side part 30b...Right side part 31 Flange welding area 32 Spout insertion hole 40 Side film 41a... Opposing area 41b...Opposing area 42 Adjacent Area 43 ... bending part 50 ··· 2nd Film 60 ··· Inner film 70 ··· Spout 71 ··· Pour cylinder part 72 ··· Flange 100 ··· Pouch manufacturing equipment 110 Intermediate support 111... Legs 112 Film support part 113 Retaining slit 114 Leaf spring 115 ··· Retaining part 120 Transport unit 121 Transport path 121a Entrance area 121b Exit Area 130 ··· Spout temporary welding unit 131 ··· Heat welding tool 140 Spout welding unit 141 ··· Heat welding tool 150 Cooling Unit 151 Cooling equipment 160 Opening Closure Unit 161 ··· Heat welding tool 170 Cooling Unit 171 Cooling equipment

Claims

1. A pouch manufacturing method for manufacturing a spout-equipped pouch, in which a flange of a spout is heat-welded to an inner surface of a spout-mounted film of a pouch body, and a spout is attached to the pouch body in a state in which a pouring tube portion of the spout protrudes outside the pouch through a spout insertion hole formed in the spout-mounted film, preparing a pouch intermediate having the spout insertion hole and a spout opening formed separately from the spout insertion hole; The spout is inserted into the pouch through the spout opening, and the flange is opposed to the inner surface of the spout-mounted film, and the spout is placed on the pouch intermediate in a state in which the pouring tube portion protrudes outside the pouch through the spout insertion hole. The flange is heat-sealed to the spout-mounted film and the spout opening is closed, The pouch body includes left and right side films that are heat-sealed to the spout-mounted film by left and right connection seals, A pouch manufacturing method, characterized in that the spout opening is an unsealed portion where part of the connection seal is not heat-sealed in the state of the pouch intermediate.

2. 2. The pouch manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the unsealed portions are formed on both the left and right connecting seals.

3. the pouch intermediate has a region to be heat-sealed when the unsealed portion that functions as the spout opening is closed, 3. The pouch manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein a temporary welding portion is formed in a portion of the intended heat welding area by heat welding the spout-mounting film and the side film together in the state of the pouch intermediate.

4. 4. The pouch manufacturing method according to claim 3, wherein the left-right width of the temporary welding portion is formed to be narrower than the left-right width of the region to be heat-sealed.

5. A pouch manufacturing method for manufacturing a spout-equipped pouch, in which a flange of a spout is heat-welded to an inner surface of a spout-mounted film of a pouch body, and a spout is attached to the pouch body in a state in which a pouring tube portion of the spout protrudes outside the pouch through a spout insertion hole formed in the spout-mounted film, preparing a pouch intermediate having the spout insertion hole and a spout opening formed separately from the spout insertion hole; The spout is inserted into the pouch through the spout opening, and the flange is opposed to the inner surface of the spout-mounted film, and the spout is placed on the pouch intermediate in a state in which the pouring tube portion protrudes outside the pouch through the spout insertion hole. The flange is heat-sealed to the spout-mounted film and the spout opening is closed, The pouch body includes left and right side films that are heat-sealed to the spout-mounted film by left and right connection seals, a pouch intermediate body is folded so that a left portion of the spout-mounted film is overlapped facing the left side film and a right portion of the spout-mounted film is overlapped facing the right side film, and the flange is disposed between the overlapped spout-mounted film and the side film, and the flange is heat-sealed to the spout-mounted film and the spout opening is closed.

6. the left side film has an opposing region that faces and overlaps with the left side portion when the pouch intermediate is folded, the right side film has an opposing region that faces and overlaps with the right side portion when the pouch intermediate is folded, 6. The pouch manufacturing method according to claim 5, wherein, in the state of the pouch intermediate, each of the left and right side films has a valley-folded fold portion formed at the boundary between the opposing region and an adjacent region adjacent to the opposing region, the fold portion having a valley-folded shape when viewed from outside the pouch.

7. 7. The pouch manufacturing method according to claim 5, wherein the flange is heat-sealed to the spout-mounting film and the spout opening is closed in a state in which the pouch intermediate is attached to an intermediate support tool having a film support part that supports the overlapping part of the spout-mounting film and the side film facing each other from the outer surface side of the side film.

8. 8. The pouch manufacturing method according to claim 7, wherein the film support portion is formed with a holding slit through which the side film is inserted and held.

9. The spout opening is an unsealed portion of the connection seal that is not heat-welded in the state of the pouch intermediate, the pouch intermediate has a region to be heat-sealed when the unsealed portion that functions as the spout opening is closed, The pouch manufacturing method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, when the pouch intermediate is attached to the intermediate support tool, the intended heat-welding area is located outside the film support portion and is not supported by the film support portion.

10. The pouch intermediate body attached to the intermediate body support tool is transported along a transport path; In a spout welding area provided in the middle of the conveying path, the flange is heat-welded to the spout-mounted film, 10. The pouch manufacturing method according to claim 7, wherein the spout opening is blocked by an opening blocking area provided midway along the conveying path.

11. A pouch intermediate of a spout-equipped pouch, in which a flange of a spout is heat-welded to an inner surface of a spout-mounted film of a pouch body, and the spout is mounted on the pouch body in a state in which a pouring tube portion of the spout protrudes outside the pouch through a spout insertion hole formed in the spout-mounted film, The spout-mounted film has left and right side films heat-sealed to the spout-mounted film by left and right connection seals, the spout insertion hole, and a spout opening formed separately from the spout insertion hole, The spout opening is an unsealed portion of the connection seal that is not heat-sealed.

12. A pouch intermediate of a spout-equipped pouch, in which a flange of a spout is heat-welded to an inner surface of a spout-mounted film of a pouch body, and the spout is mounted on the pouch body in a state in which a pouring tube portion of the spout protrudes outside the pouch through a spout insertion hole formed in the spout-mounted film, The spout-mounted film has left and right side films heat-sealed to the spout-mounted film by left and right connection seals, the spout insertion hole, and a spout opening formed separately from the spout insertion hole, The pouch intermediate is characterized in that the left portion of the spout-mounted film is overlapped facing the left side film and the right portion of the spout-mounted film is overlapped facing the right side film, and the flange is disposed between the overlapped spout-mounted film and the side films.

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