JP2003131347A - Sealing device and method for sealing packaging body - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the productivity as well as the packaging quality by automating the working process of squeezing and tightly packing the contents into a film packaging body while deaerating and the working process of welding and sealing the gathered part of the film packaging body. SOLUTION: The device is equipped with a tool horn 3 to weld and seal the opening of the film packaging body 7 by the heat generating effect by ultrasonic vibration, an anvil 4 to mount the gathered part 72 in the opening side of the film packaging body 7, a bundling means 5 disposed in the content side of the anvil 4 so as to bundle the film packaging body 7, and a straining means 6 disposed in the side opposite to the content side of the anvil 4 so as to strain the film packaging body 7 in the direction opposite to the content.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sealing device and a method for sealing a package, and more particularly to a case where the opening of the film package is placed over the tool horn while the contents are squeezed into the film package and densely filled. The present invention relates to a sealing device that seals by welding by the heat generation effect of sound wave vibration and a sealing method for a package.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various sealing devices and techniques relating to a method for sealing a package have been devised and provided. Among these techniques, there is a technique of welding and sealing the bag mouth in which the contents are put together and bundled without using a stopper such as a plastic piece or an aluminum wire. For example, JP-A-63
In "-272637," Packaging body and manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus therefor ", a technique capable of obtaining a packaging body in which the strength of the fusion zone is improved by welding a film that is a packaging body together with a reinforcing film is disclosed. ing.

Further, in "Cylindrical wrapping body, its manufacturing method and its manufacturing apparatus" in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-165713, a film is folded and ultrasonically welded so as to sandwich a vertical seal portion of the film, and thereby the film is formed. There is disclosed a technique capable of obtaining a sealing portion that is uniformly pressed.

However, in any of the techniques for welding the ends of the film package, the film package is easily broken or pinholes are formed at the boundary between the melted part and the non-melted part of the film package. The thickness of the package may be very thin. In such a case, the physical strength of the film package was locally reduced and the film package was torn over time, and the sealing property could not be secured.

To address this problem, the inventor of the present invention filed a patent application 200
No. 0-324382, a package excellent in sealing property by forming a semi-molten part for preventing the thickness of the film package from becoming extremely thin between the melted part and the non-melted part of the film package. And the technology of its manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method.

[0006] By using this technique, even if the contents of the film package are block meat, cheese, lightly pickled pickles, dog food, etc. at the time of manufacturing loin ham, sealing can be easily and surely performed. Further, even if the content is an aquatic product, leakage of water can be prevented.

By the way, since the contents are usually put into a film package having an opening upward by using gravity fall, air exists above the contents. Therefore, when the film package is hermetically sealed, air is degassed and the contents are hermetically sealed in the film package.

[0008]

However, if the air in the film package is manually deaerated and the contents are densely packed, a great amount of labor is spent on the work and the productivity cannot be improved. There was a problem.

Further, if the contents are densely filled by hand, the air inside the film package is degassed, and when the contents are squeezed into the film wrap, the squeezing force is not stable and the filling degree of the contents is high. However, there was a problem in that the quality of the packaging deteriorated and the packaging quality deteriorated.

The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the work of squeezing the contents into the film package while degassing and densely filling the film package and the welding and sealing of the converging portion of the film package. An object of the present invention is to provide a sealing device and a packaging body sealing method capable of automating operations collectively, improving productivity, and improving packaging quality.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, the sealing device according to the first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the opening of the film package containing the contents is heated by the ultrasonic vibration of the tool horn. A sealing device for welding and sealing, in which the opening side of the film package is converged and placed, a bundling means provided on the anvil, for bundling the film package, and the film package, And a pulling means for pulling the contents in the film package in a direction in which the contents are densely packed by the bundling means.

By doing so, the work of squeezing the contents into the film package while degassing it and filling it tightly and the process of welding and sealing the focusing portion of the film package can be automated together.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the sealing device according to the first aspect, the bundling means is provided with a grooved guide movably provided on the side wall surface of the contents of the anvil, and the anvil. And the wall surface provided with the grooved guide. In this way, the bundling means can be brought close to the focusing portion of the film package,
The filling degree of the contents in the film package can be increased.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the sealing device according to the first or second aspect, a fixing device for fixing the tension means to the opening side of the film package, and the opening of the film package. And a pulling device for pulling the side in the direction of the close packing. By doing so, the structure of the pulling means can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the sealing device according to the third aspect, the pulling device pulls the opening side of the film package. With this configuration, the opening side of the film package can be pulled in the direction in which the contents are packed tightly by the bundling means.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the sealing device according to the fourth aspect, the tensioning device is disposed between facing fixed rollers on which the opening side of the film package is placed and between these fixed rollers. And a vertically movable roller that pushes down the film package. In this case, the vertically movable roller moves substantially at the center of the pulling means, which is suitable for safety.

The invention according to a sixth aspect is the above-mentioned first to fifth aspects.
The sealing device according to any one of the above 1 through 3 is configured to include a cutting unit that cuts a tip portion of the focusing portion. In this way, the excess film package on the opening side can be efficiently cut.

Further, the invention of a method for sealing a package according to claim 7 is to seal the package by welding and sealing the opening side of the film package containing the contents by the heat generated by ultrasonic vibration of the tool horn. A method for bundling the opening side of the film package with a bundling means, and by pulling the opening side of the film package, the content in the film package is narrowed down by the bundling means, and the content is A method comprising a step of closely packing an object into the film package, and a step of closely packing the contents into the film package and then focusing and fusion-sealing the opening side of the film package. There is.

As described above, the present invention is also effective as a method of sealing a package, in which the contents of the film package are squeezed while being degassed and densely filled, and the converging portion of the film package is welded and sealed. The work to do can be done collectively.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, an embodiment of the sealing device in the present invention will be described.

"Seal Device" FIG. 1 is a schematic view for explaining the structure of the main part of the embodiment of the seal device according to the present invention. In the figure, the sealing device 1 is
The ultrasonic oscillator 2, the tool horn 3 protruding from the ultrasonic oscillator 2, the anvil 4 arranged below the tool horn 3, the grooved guide 51 forming the bundling means 5, and the pulling means 6 It consists of and. In addition, for easy understanding,
The columns supporting the ultrasonic oscillator 2 and the pulling means 6 are omitted.

The anvil 4 is, as shown in FIG.
Wall surfaces 42 into which the tool horn 3 is fitted are formed on both sides of the anvil upper surface 41 in the width direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, the anvil upper surface 41 is chamfered on both sides in the longitudinal direction, and is formed shorter than the lateral width of the tool horn 3. By doing so, the welded part of the film package 7 can be formed by the melted part and the semi-melted parts on both sides thereof, and the sealing strength can be improved.

The method of focusing the film package 7 is as follows.
Although there are twist focusing, fold focusing, squeezing focusing to the central portion, etc., the sealing device 1 of the present embodiment does not particularly limit the focusing method. In other words, regardless of the way of focusing, the focusing portion 72 of the film package 7 is fixed to the anvil upper surface 4
It suffices if it is placed on No. 1.

<Bundling Means> The bundling means 5 of this embodiment is
As shown in FIG. 2, the contents side of the anvil 4 (contents 71
The grooved guide 51 is provided on the end face of the anvil 4 on the opposite side of the anvil 4 and the wall surfaces 42 formed on both sides of the anvil 4.

The grooved guide 51 is formed with a groove 52 into which the film wrapping body 7 is pushed in from the front side, and the wall surface 42 facing the groove 52 bundles the film wrapping body 7 in a deaerating manner. A bundling means 5 for forming the bundling means 5 is configured. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of the portion of the bundling means 5 for bundling the film packages 7 has the groove 5 at the distance between the opposing wall surfaces 42.
It is the area multiplied by the groove width of 2.

Further, in the present specification, "bundling the film package" means that the bundled part of the film package 7 allows the air 73 above the content 71 to pass to the opening side. About not to leak to the opening side,
It means bundling. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of the portion of the bundling means 5 for bundling the film packages 7 is selected according to the type of the contents 71.

Accordingly, when the opening side of the film package 7 bundled by the bundling means 5 is pulled, the air 73 above the content 71 is first degassed, and then the bundling means 5 leaks the content 71. Since the film package 7 is pulled so that it does not exist,
Can be packed tightly.

The "predetermined angle range" means that when the grooved guide 51 is rotated so that the groove 52 faces the uppermost side, the tip 53 of the guide below the groove 52 is the wall surface 4.
2 refers to the range from the angle located on the front side of the wall surface 2 and below the upper surface of the wall surface 42 to the angle at which the groove 52 is parallel to the upper surface 41 of the anvil. In this way, the film package 7 can be easily pushed between the groove 52 and the wall surface 42.

Preferably, an elastic body such as a spring 54 is used to urge the grooved guide 51 in the counterclockwise direction, and in this way, when the film package 7 is pushed into the groove 52. Since the inlet of the groove 52 appears on the upper surface of the wall surface 42, workability can be improved.

When the film package 7 is pushed into the groove 52 and the grooved guide 51 is rotated so as to be parallel to the anvil upper surface 41, as shown in FIG. Wall surface 4 facing the groove 52 of the grooved guide 51
The bundling unit 72 of the film package 7 is placed on the anvil 4 while being bundled by 2. Further, the grooved guide 5 does not return due to the weight of the contents 71 in the film package 7 and the contact force between the film package 7 and the wall surface 42 even if the grooved guide 5 is biased.

As described above, since the bundling means 5 is brought close to the converging portion 72 of the film wrapping body 7, the distance from the bundled portion of the film wrapping body 7 to the portion to be sealed by welding is shortened, and the film wrapping is performed. The body 7 can be welded and sealed while the contents 71 are more closely packed.

The bundling means 5 of the present invention is not limited to the above structure, and although not shown, the bundling means 5 may be moved vertically while keeping the groove 52 horizontal. The effect of can be obtained.

<Pulling Means> As shown in FIG. 1, the pulling means 6 is provided on the side opposite to the contents of the anvil 4, and in the present embodiment, the first side for fixing the opening side of the film package 7. The fixing device 61 and the contents 71 in the film package 7.
Is pulled by the bundling means 5 in a direction in which it is densely packed (hereinafter, abbreviated as an opposite content side as appropriate).

The first fixing device 61 is used for the film package 7
, A concave member 61b that fits the convex member 61a with the film package 7 sandwiched therebetween, and a concave member 61a.
It is composed of an air cylinder 61c for moving b in the vertical direction. In this way, the first fixing device 61
Fixes the film package 7 with the convex member 61a and the concave member 61b engaged with each other.
It can be firmly fixed without increasing the pressing force of. The height of the upper surface of the convex member 61a is substantially the same as that of the upper surface 41 of the anvil, and the opening side of the film package 7 can be easily set.

The pulling device 62 is arranged between the anvil 4 and the first fixing device 61, and a pair of facing fixing rollers 63 on which the opening side of the film package 7 is placed, and between the fixing rollers 63. It is provided with a vertically movable roller 64 that pushes down the film package 7.

The pair of fixed rollers 62 has a structure in which the rollers are rotatable, and the height of the roller upper surface is substantially the same as that of the anvil upper surface 41 so that the film package 7 can be easily placed on the roller upper surface. .

The vertically movable roller 64 faces downward between the fixed rollers 63 facing each other, and the air cylinder 64
It is attached to a and moves up and down. The vertically movable roller 64 is structured to be positioned above the fixed roller 63 in the original state, whereby the film package 7 can be easily placed on the fixed roller 63.

The operating pressure of the air cylinder 64a can be adjusted by the squeezing pressure adjusting means 81, and is set by the hardness of the film package 7, the state of bundling, the viscosity of the contents 71, and the like. Therefore, the film package 7
The operating pressure of the air cylinder 64a may be adjusted by the throttle pressure adjusting means 81 according to the contents 71, and by doing so, the optimum and stable filling degree can be selected.

That is, since the air cylinder 64a is not provided with a stopper for controlling the lowering position, when the vertically movable roller 64 is lowered, the air cylinder 64a comes into contact with the film package 7 and its reaction force balances with the operating pressure. Move 7 down. Therefore, when the filling degree is increased, the throttle pressure adjusting means 81 is adjusted to set the operating pressure high, and when the filling degree is decreased, the operating pressure is similarly set low.

As described above, by constructing the pulling means 6 with the first fixing means 61 and the pulling device 62, the structure of the pulling means 6 can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. be able to. In addition, the tension device 62 is
Since the up-and-down movable roller 64 moves in the up-and-down direction at substantially the central portion of the pulling means 6, it is suitable for safety.

The pulling means 6 has a construction in which the pulling device 62 pulls the opening side of the film package 7.
The configuration is not limited to this. For example, although not shown, the pulling means may be composed of a fixing device that fixes the opening side of the film package 7 and a pulling device that pulls the fixing device to the side opposite to the contents side. However, the opening side of the film package can be pulled.

Further, the sealing device 1 is provided with a second fixing device 65 for fixing the pulled film package 7 between the fixing roller 63 on the content side and the anvil 4. The second fixing device 65 includes a convex member 65 a on which the film package 7 is placed and a convex member 6 sandwiching the film package 7.
5a and a recessed material 65b that fits together, and an air cylinder 65c that vertically moves the recessed material 65b.

The second fixing device 65 fixes the film package 7 in the pulled state after the vertically movable roller 64 pulls the film package 7, and the contents 71 are tightly packed in the film package 7. Keep filled.

Although not shown, the controller 8 includes an air cylinder 21 for moving the ultrasonic oscillator 2 and the ultrasonic oscillator 2 in the vertical direction, and air cylinders 61c, 64a.
It is composed of a relay circuit, a sequencer circuit, etc. for controlling ON / OFF of 65c. By doing so, the ultrasonic oscillator 2, and the air cylinders 21, 61c, 64a, 65c are controlled by simply pressing the start switch (not shown) once, and the one cycle operation described later is automatically executed. be able to.

The sealing device 1 having the above structure is used as follows. The contents 71 are contained in the film package 7 whose tip is not opened. The film package 7 may be a film containing a resin as a main component, and may be a single layer or a multilayer. A thermoplastic resin is generally used as the resin, but the resin is not limited to this.

For example, as the resin of the film package 7, vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, polyester, polystyrene, methacrylate, polyvinyl alcohol, polyurethane, polyacetal, AS (acrylonitrile + styrene), ABS ( Acrynitrile + butadiene + styrene), acetate, diacetate, triacetate,
Polycarbonate, tetron, etc. can be used.

The contents 71 are generally food products such as block meat, cheese, lightly pickled pickles, and dog food at the time of manufacturing loin ham, but are not limited to food products.
For example, clay for crafts may be film-wrapped. Further, since the contents 71 are normally put in the film package 7 with the opening facing upward by using gravity drop,
The air 73 mainly exists above the contents 71.

The squeezing pressure adjusting button 81 is set according to the film package 7 and the contents 71. For example, when the contents 71 are clay, the operating pressure of the air cylinder 64a is set high, and When the content 71 is a water product or the like, the operating pressure of the air cylinder 64a is set low.

Film package 7 containing the above contents 71
Are placed on the product table 82. Since the product table 82 is inclined so that the tip of the film package 7 faces downward, the air 73 can be collected above the contents 71.

Subsequently, the film package 7 on the opening side is
It is pushed into the groove 52 of the grooved guide 51, and is further pushed between the wall surfaces 42 of the anvil 4 while rotating the grooved guide 51 (see FIG. 1). In this way, the sealing device 1 does not need to perform a wasteful holding operation because the converging part 72 of the film packaging body 7 is placed on the anvil 4 when the film packaging bodies 7 are bundled by the bundling means 5. Productivity can be improved.

Next, the opening side of the film package 7 is placed on the convex member 65a of the second fixing device 65, the fixing roller 63, and the convex member 61a of the first fixing device 61.

Next, when the operator turns on the start switch, the control device 8 activates the first fixing means 61 to lower the recessed member 61b. Then, the first fixing means 61 fixes the convex member 61 a and the concave member 61 b so as to sandwich the film package 7.

Subsequently, the controller 8 causes the vertically movable roller 6 to move.
4 is moved down, and the film package 7 is moved downward.
At this time, when the vertically movable roller 64 moves the film package 7 downward, the fixed roller 63 rotates and the film package 7 can be smoothly moved to the opposite side of the contents.

When the film package 7 moves to the opposite side of the contents, the film package 7 on the contents side of the grooved guide 51 is
The air 73 staying inside is discharged to the opening side and moved until there is no air pool (see FIG. 3). And
When the film package 7 is not squeezed until the contents 71 are densely packed, the film package 7 is further pulled with the bundling means 5 preventing the contents 71 from leaking.

Next, when the film package 7 is further pulled and squeezed in the state where the film package 7 is densely filled with the contents 71, the vertical movable roller 64 stops descending. Here, when the filling degree of the contents 71 is low, the operating pressure of the air cylinder 64a is increased by the throttle pressure adjusting means 81, and conversely, when the filling degree of the contents 71 is high, the throttle pressure adjusting means 81 is used. The filling degree of the contents 71 can be adjusted by lowering the operating pressure of the air cylinder 64a.

Next, the controller 8 causes the second fixing means 65 to
Is operated to lower the concave member 65b. Then, the second fixing means 65 fixes the convex member 65a and the concave member 65b so as to sandwich the film package 7 (see FIG. 4). Thereby, it is possible to prevent the pulling means 6 from continuously pulling the film packaging body 7, and when the focusing portion 72 is welded and sealed, the opening side of the film packaging body 7 is cut from the molten focusing portion 72. It is possible to prevent problems.

Next, the controller 8 causes the first fixing means 61 to
The concave member 61b and the vertically movable roller 64 are raised. Then, the ultrasonic oscillator 2 is oscillated and then the tool horn 3 is lowered to weld and seal the focusing portion 72 of the film package 7 (see FIG. 5). Here, the welding pressure of the tool horn 3 is
The amount of the film package 7 can be adjusted by the main adjusting means 82. Further, since the lower position of the tool horn 3 can be set by the stopper 22, the anvil upper surface 41
The distance between the tool horn 3 and the tool horn 3 can be accurately set. When the welding and sealing of the film package 7 is completed, the tool horn 3 and the concave portion 65b rise.

Further, it is preferable to provide a cutter 9 for cutting the film package 7 after the welding and sealing on the side opposite to the content side of the anvil 4, and by doing so, the extra film package 7 is automatically provided. Can be cut. In addition,
The cutter 9 is driven by an air cylinder 91 controlled by the control device 8. Then, the operator takes out the fusion-sealed film package 7, removes the cut film package 7 on the opening side, and ends the operation of one cycle.

As described above, in the sealing device 1 of the present embodiment, the film package 7 containing the contents 71 is automatically squeezed and squeezed to densely fill the contents 71 before the film The converging portion 72 of the package 7 can be welded and sealed, and the productivity can be improved.

Further, the sealing device 1 has the throttle pressure adjusting means 8
Since the air 73 inside the film package 7 is degassed and the contents 71 are narrowed down by the operating pressure controlled by 1, the problem of the packaging quality such that the narrowing force is stable and the filling degree of the contents 71 varies can be prevented. You can

Further, in the sealing device 1 of the present embodiment, the semi-molten portion which is not completely melted does not have an extremely thin film package 7 and is continuously connected to the melted portion. It is possible to prevent problems such as breakage and pinholes at the boundary of the non-melted portion.

The control device 8 of the sealing device 1 automatically executes the above series of operations when the start switch is turned on by using the position sensor and the timer, but an operation switch is provided for each operation. Of course, it is okay.

Next, the method of sealing the package of the present invention will be described. "Packaging Body Sealing Method" The present invention is also effective as a packaging body sealing method, in which the opening side of the film packaging body 7 whose main component is the resin containing the contents 71 is ultrasonically treated by the tool horn 3. A method for sealing a package by fusion-sealing by heat generated by vibration, which comprises bundling the opening side of a film package 7 with a bundling means 5 and pulling the opening side of the film package 7 to form a film package 7 The contents 71 are squeezed by the bundling means 5 and the contents 71 are closely packed in the film package 7 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

Next, after the contents 71 are squeezed into the film package 7 and densely packed, the focusing part 72 that focuses the opening side of the film package 7 is welded and sealed (see FIG. 5).

As described above, according to the method for sealing a package of the present invention, the work of squeezing the contents 71 into the film package 7 while degassing and densely filling the film package 7 and the welding of the converging portion 72 of the film package 7 are performed. The sealing work can be performed collectively.

[0066]

As described above, according to the sealing device and the method for sealing a package of the present invention, the work of squeezing the contents into the film package while degassing and densely filling the film package, and the focusing part of the film package. The work of welding and sealing can be collectively automated to improve productivity. Further, since the air inside the film package is degassed and the contents are narrowed down by the operating pressure controlled by the squeezing pressure adjusting means, it is possible to prevent the problems regarding the packaging quality such that the narrowing force is stable and the filling degree of the contents varies. be able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view for explaining a structure of a main part in an embodiment of a sealing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view for explaining the structure of the main part of the bundling means of the sealing device according to the present invention,
(A) is a side view before mounting the film package,
(B) is a front view before mounting the film package,
(C) has shown the front view after mounting a film package.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view for explaining a degassing state in the embodiment of the sealing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view for explaining a state where the contents are densely filled in the embodiment of the sealing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view for explaining a state of welding and sealing in the embodiment of the sealing device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Sealing device 2 Ultrasonic oscillator 3 tool horn 4 anvil 5 bundling means 6 Tension means 7 Film packaging 8 control device 21 Air cylinder 22 Stopper 41 anvil top 42 wall 51 Grooved guide 52 groove 53 tip 54 spring 61 First Fixing Device 61a convex member 61b Recess material 61c air cylinder 62 tension device 63 Fixed roller 64 up and down movable rollers 64a air cylinder 65 Second fixing device 65a convex member 65b Recessed material 65c air cylinder 71 contents 72 Focusing unit 73 air 81 Throttle pressure adjusting means 82 product stand 83 Main pressure adjusting means

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A sealing device for welding and sealing an opening of a film package containing contents by heat generated by ultrasonic vibration of a tool horn, wherein the opening side of the film package is focused and placed. An anvil that is provided, a bundling means that is provided on the anvil and that bundles the film packaging body, and a pulling means that pulls the film packaging body in a direction in which the contents inside the film packaging body are densely packed by the bundling means. A sealing device comprising: 2. The bundling means comprises a grooved guide movably provided on an end face of the anvil on the content side, and wall surfaces formed on both sides of the anvil.
Sealing device described. 3. The pulling means comprises a fixing device for fixing the opening side of the film package and a pulling device for pulling the opening side of the film package in the direction of closely packing. The sealing device according to 1 or 2. 4. The sealing device according to claim 3, wherein the pulling device pulls the opening side of the film package. 5. The pulling device comprises a fixed roller which faces the opening side of the film package, and a vertically movable roller which is arranged between the fixed rollers and pushes down the film package. Item 4. The sealing device according to item 4. 6. The sealing device according to claim 1, further comprising a cutting unit that cuts a tip portion of the focusing portion. 7. A sealing method for a package, wherein the opening side of the film package containing the contents is welded and sealed by the heat generation effect of ultrasonic vibration of a tool horn, wherein the opening side of the film package is While bundling with a bundling means, by pulling the opening side of the film package, the content in the film package is squeezed by the bundling means, the step of densely filling the content in the film package, After closely packing the contents into the film package,
A method of sealing a package by converging and welding and sealing the opening side of the film package.