Binding method and band creasing prevention device using an automatic pallet packaging machine

Abstract

To provide a binding method for binding an article to be bound while preventing band curling habit in an automatic pallet packing machine.SOLUTION: When packing using an automatic pallet packing machine that has an arch erected to surround an article to be bound loaded on a pallet, a band is fed out along the erected arch, and then the band is pulled back, the band is removed from the arch, and the band is tied by wrapping it around the outer periphery of the article to be bound. A surplus band that is not used for bundling is fed in into a band storage pool, and before the next packing process, the fed band is promptly pulled out from the band storage pool and stored in provided flat storage means. As a result, a trouble during packing operation such as clogging of bands and poor binding can be reduced, and efficient automatic packaging operations can be achieved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic pallet strapping machine for winding and tightening the outer periphery of an object to be strapped, such as cardboard, placed on a pallet with a band, and particularly relates to preventing band irregularities such as bending and breaking that occur in the strapping band used.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in packing operations, for example, an automatic strapping machine that loads an object to be strapped, such as cardboard, on a pallet, winds a band made of a thermoplastic resin around the outer periphery of the object to be strapped, and welds and straps it by heating and pressurizing is widely used. In such an automatic strapping machine, an arch for guiding the band is often erected to arrange the band around the object to be strapped.

[0003] In such an automatic strapping machine, after supplying the band along the arch for guiding the band, the supplied band is tightened, and while removing the band from the arch, the band is wound and tightened around the outer periphery of the object to be strapped so as to make one round. Then, the overlapping portion of the band is welded to strap the object to be strapped. At that time, the extra band that has been removed from the arch by tightening and not used for strapping is primarily stored in a band storage pool (hereinafter also referred to as a back pool box) provided in the strapping machine body (see, for example, Patent Document 1). And when performing a new packing operation (banding), the band primarily stored in the band storage pool is pulled out and sent to the arch again. Thereby, it is said that the band can be sent out with less force.

[0004] There is also a proposal for an automatic strapping machine equipped with a mechanism for adjusting the amount of the band pool in the back pool box to an appropriate amount required for each packing (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Thereby, it is said that the feeding of the band is stabilized and the packing operation can be performed without trouble.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-104495 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 07-10117 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] However, if the bands temporarily stored in the band storage pool were simply pulled out and supplied to the band guide arch, it sometimes hindered the smooth supply (feedout) of the bands to the band guide arch or proper bundling.

[0007] The present invention aims to solve the problems of the prior art and to provide a binding method and a band deformation prevention device for an automatic pallet packaging machine that can prevent band deformation, particularly near the leading edge of the band being fed out, so that smooth feeding of the bands into the band guide arch is possible in an automatic pallet packaging machine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the inventors diligently observed and studied the storage conditions of bands temporarily stored in a band storage pool.

[0009] As a result, it was found that when the bands are tightened and sent into the band storage pool, they may collide with the side walls or other parts of the pool, or the bands may overlap or be stored in a complex, curved state. It was found that if bands in this state are sent from the band storage pool to the arch for the next packing operation, band clogging or malfunctions in forward rotation may occur within the arch due to the band's curvature caused by bending and folding.

[0010] Therefore, the inventors realized that in order to prevent the formation of band deformation, it is necessary to minimize the amount of band initially stored in the band storage pool. They also conceived that, in addition to the band storage pool, it is necessary to provide a separate band storage means (flat storage means) that can store the band in a flat state without twisting or other deformations, in order to prevent band deformation.

[0011] This invention was completed based on the aforementioned findings and further investigations. In other words, the gist of this invention is as follows: [1] An arch erected to surround the bundled items loaded on a pallet, and a band dispensing means on the side from which the binding bands are sent to the arch, The pool width is (bandwidth) to (bandwidth + 5mm). In a method of binding objects to be bound using an automatic pallet packaging machine having a band storage pool, A band feeding process in which the band is fed out along the erected arch, A band retraction step involves grasping the tip of the band that has been extended and pulling the band back, A band welding step involves wrapping the band around the outer circumference of the object to be bound so that it encircles the object, while removing the band from the arch, and overlapping the leading end and trailing end of the band and welding the overlapping portion. A band cutting step in which the band is cut at the overlapping portion, It has the ability to bind the objects to be bound, Furthermore, the excess bands that are not used for bundling are sent to the band storage pool in a band retraction step, and the bands sent to the band storage pool , primary storage One end of the aforementioned band From the aforementioned band storage pool drawer, The process of sending the material to a flat storage means, One end of the discharged band is placed in the flat storage means. A method of bundling pallets using an automatic pallet packaging machine, characterized by comprising a band storage step that stores the pallets in a flat state so that they can be pulled back. [2] The method of binding using an automatic pallet packaging machine according to [1], characterized in that the band is made of polypropylene resin. [3] A device for preventing band kinks in a pallet automatic packing machine that automatically binds the objects to be bundled loaded on a pallet with a binding band, an arch erected so as to surround the objects to be bundled, on the side of the arch where the band is sent out, band sending means, a band storage pool, Flat storage means, having, the band sending means is means for sending out the band along the arch, pulling back the sent-out band, and sending the pulled-back band into the band storage pool, and the band storage pool It has a pool width of (band width) to (band width + 5 mm), is a pool for temporarily storing the sent-in band, and further, The flat storage means, the temporarily stored The band is drawn from the aforementioned storage pool. band one part can be stored in a flat state so as to be pullable back, It is a means to do so. characterized in that it is a device for preventing band kinks in a pallet automatic packing machine.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, the amount of the band temporarily stored in the band storage pool provided in the automatic packing machine can be reduced, and a band without band kinks such as bending, breaking, and twisting can be sent out to the arch, reducing troubles in the packing operation such as band jamming and poor binding, achieving an efficient automatic packing operation, and bringing about remarkable industrial effects.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013] [Figure 1] It is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the outline of the band kink prevention device of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is an explanatory diagram showing the outline of an automatic packing machine to which the present invention can be applied. [Figure 3] It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a band sending roll.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] The present invention relates to a bundling method capable of preventing band wrinkles that occur in a bundling band used when performing a bundling operation of automatically bundling an object to be bundled with a pallet automatic bundling machine. In the present invention, it has a (band feeding step), a (band retracting step), a (band winding step), a (band welding step), a (band cutting step), and further includes a (band retracting step) and a (band storage step). Thereby, the object to be bundled can be bundled and band wrinkles generated in the bundling band can be prevented.

[0015] In the present invention, the pallet automatic bundling machine 10 to be used is, as shown in FIG. 2, at least an arch 11 erected so as to surround the object to be bundled 1 loaded on the pallet 7, and a side (main body part 100) that feeds the bundling band 2 to the arch 11. The pallet automatic bundling machine 10 has a band feeding means 4 and a band storage pool 3.

[0016] Furthermore, in the pallet automatic bundling machine 10 used in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, it includes a band storage means 5 (flat storage means 5) as a band wrinkle prevention device. In the band storage means 5 (flat storage means 5), the band primary stored in the band storage pool can be drawn out by the band feeding means 4 and stored in a flat state so that it can be retracted.

[0017] Note that the band 2 is a band made of a thermoplastic resin. Examples of the thermoplastic resin include polypropylene resin. Further, it is preferable that the arch 11 has a U-shaped groove and a holding mechanism (not shown) capable of removably holding the band 2 in the U-shaped groove. There is no need to limit it to a specific holding mechanism, and any known band holding mechanism can be applied.

[0018] First, in the present invention, using the pallet automatic bundling machine 10 having the above-described configuration, the generation of band wrinkles is prevented and the object to be bundled is automatically bundled.

[0019] The present invention has a (band feeding step), a (band retracting step), a (band winding step), a (band welding step), a (band cutting step) in this order, and further includes a (band retracting step) and a (band storage step).

[0020] The following explains each step in detail. (Band delivery process) In the band delivery process, the binding band 2 is pulled out from the band reel 6, passes through the band storage pool 3, and is delivered along the erected arch 11 by the band delivery means 4. The band delivery means 4 has a band clamping means 41 and a band delivery roll 44. As shown in Figure 2, if the band clamping means 41 is a roll (roller), the band can be gripped by the band delivery roll 44 when it is not driven. As an example of the band delivery roll 44, a roll equipped with a driving means and a control means that can be rotated in both forward and reverse directions can be provided. If the roll can be rotated in both forward and reverse directions, it can, for example, have the function of delivering the band by rotating in the forward direction and pulling the band back by rotating in the reverse direction. (Band retraction process) In the band retraction process, after the leading end of the fed-out band 2 reaches a predetermined position, the band leading end is gripped by the band leading end gripping roll 41 (band clamping means), and the band 2 is retracted by the band feeding roll 44 to remove the band 2 from the arch 11. (Band tightening process) In the band tightening process, the band 2 is further pulled back while the band tightening means 45 is used to tighten the band 2 around the outer circumference of the object to be bound 1 so that it encircles the object once. Preferably, the band tightening means 45 is provided so that it moves up and down using a cam 46 to pull the band 2. (Band welding process) In the band welding process, after winding, the leading and trailing ends of band 2 are overlapped. Then, the overlapped portion is welded using the band welding means 42. (Band cutting process) In the band cutting process, the band 2 is cut at the overlapping portion using the band cutting means 43 to tie the object to be tied 1.

[0021] Preferably, this series of packaging steps is carried out using band feeding means 4 (band clamping means 41, band feeding roll 44), band tightening means 45, band welding means 42, and band cutting means 43, which are arranged in the main body 100 of the automatic pallet packaging machine 10, as shown in Figure 2. Needless to say, these band feeding means 4, band welding means 42, band cutting means 43, band tightening means 45, etc., together with the band storage pool 3, are arranged as part of the main body 100 so as to be able to move integrally with the items to be bundled, in order to perform the automatic packaging work advantageously.

[0022] In this invention, after the series of packaging steps described above and before the next series of packaging steps, a (band retraction step) and a (band storage step) are included. This prevents the formation of band kinks in the next series of packaging steps. (Band relocation process) In the band retraction process, the excess band 2 that has been cut and not used for bundling is further pulled back by the band delivery roll 44 and sent to the band storage pool 3 for temporary storage. (Band storage process) In the band storage process, one end of the initially stored band 2 is quickly pulled out from the band storage pool 3 by the band delivery roll 44 and stored in the band storage means 5 in a flat state so that it can be pulled back. Here, the band storage means 5 is a flat storage means that can store the band in a flat state without bending, folding, twisting, etc., in order to prevent the formation of band kinks. The term "flat storage means" here refers to a flat area in which the band can be stored without bending, folding, twisting, etc. For example, in a standard automatic packaging machine, if the arch erected for band guidance has a lower arch 111, the lower arch 111 can be used as the "flat storage means 5".

[0023] Although it varies depending on the type of band used, if band 2 is made of polypropylene resin, it is preferable to first store band 2 in the band storage pool 3 and then send it to the flat storage means 5 if it takes 10 seconds or more from then until the start of the next bundling process.

[0024] Furthermore, by storing one end (a predetermined length of the tip) of the band 2 in the flat storage means 5, the occurrence of bending at the tip of the band is suppressed. In addition, by storing the band 2 in the flat storage means 5, the amount of band stored in the band storage pool 3 is reduced, further decreasing the amount of band deformation such as bending, folding, and twisting, thus reducing problems in the packaging work and improving the efficiency of the packaging work.

[0025] The band creasing prevention device for an automatic pallet packaging machine used in the bundling method of the present invention is a device that can prevent the occurrence of band creasing in the series of packaging processes described above, and preferably comprises a band dispensing means 4, a band storage pool 3, and further comprises a flat storage means 5.

[0026] The band feed roll 44 rotates forward, for example, to feed the band 2 along the arch (band guide arch) 11 attached to the automatic pallet packaging machine 10. Conversely, it rotates in reverse to pull back the band 2, detaching the band 2 that was fed to the arch 11 from the arch 11 and sending it into the band storage pool 3. To enable such operation, it is preferable to equip the band feed roll 44 with a drive means such as a motor that can normally rotate forward and reverse. Furthermore, it is preferable to connect a control means such as a timer to this drive means to adjust the timing of driving the band feed roll 44, the driving time, etc., and to adjust the timing of feeding and pulling back the band, the length of the band to feed and pull back, etc.

[0027] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, it is preferable that the band feeding roll 44 be a combination (41, 44) with another roll so as to sandwich the band 2. From the viewpoint of band feeding, it is preferable that the pair of rolls consist of a urethane roll and a steel roll. In this case, a driving means is provided on at least one of the rolls (the band feeding roll).

[0028] Furthermore, in order to carry out the series of packaging processes described above, it is preferable to have, in addition to the band feed roll 44 described above, a band clamping means 41 for gripping the leading and trailing ends of the band, a band tightening means 45 for tightening the band for winding, a band welding means 42 for overlapping the leading and trailing ends of the wound band and heating and welding the overlapping portion, and a band cutting means 43 for cutting the band at the overlapping portion. It is more preferable that the band clamping means be a clamping means that sandwiches the band between the rolls 41 and 44. It is also preferable that the band welding means have a heating mechanism consisting of a heater and a pressurizing mechanism for pressurizing the heated band, so that the band can be heated to a predetermined temperature, pressurized, cooled, and the overlapping portion can be welded. As for the band cutting means, any commonly used cutting means can be applied as a cutting tool.

[0029] Furthermore, it is preferable to adjust the width of the band storage pool 3 to approximately the band width ~ (band width + 5 mm) so that the bands being fed in do not twist, and so that they can be stored in a loop shape.

[0030] Furthermore, the band storage means 5 is a flat storage means 5 that allows the bands temporarily stored in the band storage pool to be withdrawn and returned by the band delivery means 4, and to be stored in a flat state.

[0031] The present invention will be further described below based on the following examples. [Examples]

[0032] The items to be bundled were assembled using an automatic pallet packaging machine equipped with an arch for band guidance, as shown in Figure 2. Polypropylene resin bands (width: 15 mm) were used as the banding material. The items to be bundled were stacks of cardboard boxes (height: 2000 mm, width: 1500 mm) placed on a pallet.

[0033] The band 2, pulled out from the band reel 6, passed through the band storage pool 3 located in the main body 100 of the automatic packaging machine 10, and was supplied (distributed) along the arch 11 using the band dispensing means 4. Then, after the tip of the band 2 was grasped by the band clamping means, the supplied band 2 was pulled back and released from the arch 11, while the pulled-back band 2 was fed into the band storage pool 3, and it was wrapped tightly around the outer circumference of the object to be restrained 1. The tip and rear ends of the band were overlapped, and the overlapping portion was welded, completing a series of packaging processes to bind the object to be bound 1. Then, the band was cut at the overlapping portion, and the band 2 that was not used for binding (excess band) was fed into the band storage pool 3 for temporary storage.

[0034] Immediately after this series of packaging processes, the band dispensing means 4 (band dispensing roll 44) is driven to pull out a predetermined length (2.6m) of the band 2 from the tip of the band stored in the band storage pool 3, and store it in the flat storage means 5 shown in Figure 1. Before the next packaging process, the bands are stored in the flat storage means 5 until the start of the next bundling process (example of the present invention).

[0035] As a result, in the example of the present invention, no bending of the band occurred, and the band was fed into the arch and the objects to be bound were bound smoothly.

[0036] As a comparative example, the band 2 that had been temporarily stored was not withdrawn from the band storage pool 3, and the next packaging process was carried out after a predetermined time (1 hour) had elapsed.

[0037] In the comparative example where the bands were not stored in a flat storage means, bending and kinking of the bands occurred, preventing smooth supply (feeding) of the bands to the arch, and resulting in a decrease in packaging work efficiency. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 Object to be bound 2 bands 3. Band storage pool 4-band transmission means 41 Band end gripping roll (band clamping means) 42 Band welding means 43 Band cutting means 44 Band Sending Roll 45 Band tightening method 46 Cam 5. Band storage means (flat storage means) 6 Band Reels 7 Palettes 10 Pallet Automatic Packaging Machine 100 Main body 11 Arches 111 Lower arch

Claims

1. A method of binding objects to be bound using an automatic pallet packaging machine having an arch erected to surround the objects to be bound placed on a pallet, a band feeding means on the side that feeds the binding bands to the arch, and a band storage pool with a pool width of (band width) to (band width + 5 mm), A band feeding process in which the band is fed out along the erected arch, A band retraction step involves grasping the tip of the band that has been extended and pulling the band back, A winding step in which the band is removed from the arch and wound around the outer circumference of the object to be bound so as to go all the way around the object to be bound, A band welding process in which the leading edge and the rear end of the band are overlapped and the overlapping portion is welded, A band cutting step in which the band is cut at the overlapping portion, It has the ability to bind the objects to be bound, Furthermore, the process includes a band retraction step of sending any excess band that is not used for bundling to the band storage pool, and a step of withdrawing one end of the band that has been sent to the band storage pool and temporarily stored from the band storage pool and sending it to the flat storage means. A method of bundling using an automatic pallet packaging machine, characterized by comprising a band storage step of storing one end of the discharged band in the flat storage means in a flat state so as to be retractable.

2. A band creasing prevention device for an automatic pallet packaging machine that automatically fastens items to be bundled on a pallet with binding bands, The structure includes an arch erected to surround the object to be bound, and on the side from which the band is fed into the arch, a band feeding means, a band storage pool, and a flat storage means. The band delivery means is a means for delivering the band along the arch, pulling back the delivered band, and sending the pulled-back band to the band storage pool, the band storage pool having a pool width of (band width) to (band width + 5 mm), and is a pool for temporarily storing the delivered band, and further, A band creasing prevention device for an automatic pallet packaging machine, characterized in that the flat storage means is a means that can store one end of the band, which has been temporarily stored and withdrawn from the band storage pool, in a flat state so that it can be retracted.

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