JP2009126538A - Sealing device and method for manufacturing tubular container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique capable of ensuring a sufficient welding strength, and enhancing the degree of versatility on design of a shape of an end part of a tubular container. <P>SOLUTION: A sealing device is equipped with a pressing means which is arranged around a seal part to press the seal part while directly applying the heat to the seal part, and a moving means for moving the pressing means in the pressing direction. The pressing means includes a first pressing part having a shape simulating one part of a predetermined shape which presses an area on a fore end side of a tubular container out of the seal part and welds the area, and a second pressing part having a shape simulating the other part of the predetermined shape which presses an area on a base end side out of the seal part by applying the force larger than the pressing force by the first pressing part, welds the area, and cuts the area on the base end side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for sealing an end portion of a tube container formed of a thermoplastic resin.

  As a technique for sealing an end portion of a tube container made of a thermoplastic resin, a heat sealing method in which heat is applied for welding and an ultrasonic method in which welding is performed by frictional heat by ultrasonic vibration are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a contact surface of a heater block that is thermally welded by sandwiching a tube-like container is divided, and each displacement of the divided heater block is detected. According to the technique described in Patent Document 1, the end of the tube container can be sealed by the heater block, and a minute defect of the tube container that occurs during manufacturing can be detected by detecting the displacement of the divided heater block. Can be detected.

Patent Document 2 describes that the end of the tube container is preheated and the end of the preheated tube container is welded by ultrasonic vibration. According to the technique described in Patent Document 2, by preheating the end portion of the tube container and generating in advance stress and distortion due to thermal expansion at the end portion of the tube container, the thermal expansion caused by applying ultrasonic vibration The influence of distortion or the like can be reduced.
Japanese Patent No. 3595031 JP 2000-153814 A

  As a technique for sealing the end of the tube container, a heat sealing method or an ultrasonic method for welding by frictional heat by ultrasonic vibration is known. In the heat sealing method, heat is applied to the end of the tube material, and the melted tube material is pressed to form a seal. In such a conventional heat sealing method, there has been a concern that the melted tube material protrudes left and right or up and down and is not good looking.

  It should be noted that there are few conventional tube containers that have excellent design properties, such as those in which the ends are cut in a straight line. Although there is a demand for improving the design of tube containers, for example, the conventional heat seal method has a problem that the melted tube protrudes, making it difficult to change the shape of the end of the tube container. In addition, the welding strength could not be sufficiently secured. In addition, since the ultrasonic method needs to give a certain vibration to the tube material, there is a limit in forming a particularly fine shape.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is a technique for sealing the proximal end portion of a tube container, ensuring sufficient welding strength, and designing the shape of the proximal end portion of the tube container. It is an object to provide a technique capable of increasing the degree of freedom.

The present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above-described problems. That is, the present invention is a sealing device that seal-forms a seal portion on the proximal end side of a tube container into a predetermined shape, and is disposed around the seal portion, and the seal portion is heated while directly applying heat to the seal portion. Pressing means, and a moving means for moving the pressing means in the pressing direction, wherein the pressing means is a first pressing portion having a shape imitating a part of the predetermined shape, A first pressing portion that presses and welds a region on the tip side of the seal portion, and a second pressing portion having a shape imitating the other portion of the predetermined shape, It has a 2nd press part which presses and applies the force larger than the pressing force by said 1st press part, and cuts the said base end side while pressing the base end side field.

  According to the present invention, sufficient welding strength can be secured by pressing the seal portion of the tube container while directly applying heat to the seal portion by the pressing means. That is, in the present invention, since heat is directly transmitted to the tube material constituting the seal portion, heat is evenly transmitted to the tube material. As a result, the insides of the opposing tube materials can be reliably welded together.

  Moreover, in this invention, it presses, applying a heat | fever equally with respect to a tube raw material with a 1st press part and a 2nd press part, a seal part is welded, and the edge part of a tube is cut | disconnected by a 2nd press part. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a seal pool that occurs when the melted tube material protrudes left and right or up and down. That is, it is possible to form a tube container having a good appearance with no seal accumulation. Furthermore, in the present invention, since welding and cutting can be performed simultaneously without applying vibration as in the ultrasonic method, fine molding, which has been considered difficult with the ultrasonic method, is also possible. For example, the end portion of the tube container corresponding to the shape of the pressing portion can be formed by designing the pressing portion in accordance with a predetermined shape of the desired seal portion. That is, according to this invention, the freedom degree of design of the shape of the seal part of a tube container can be raised.

  The sealing device of the present invention can be suitably used as a sealing device that seal-molds the end of a tube container made of a thermoplastic resin into a predetermined shape. The pressing means is arranged around the seal portion, and is sandwiched and pressed while directly applying heat to the seal portion. The pressing means can be constituted by a block, for example, and a first pressing portion and a second pressing portion in contact with the seal portion can be provided on a surface of the block that is in contact with the tube container. The material of the pressing means is not particularly limited as long as it has thermal conductivity. The heat applied to the seal portion can be supplied by a heat source unit such as a heater. The heat source unit may be incorporated in the pressing unit or provided outside the pressing unit.

  The first pressing portion has a shape imitating a part of the predetermined shape, and presses and welds so that the region on the distal end side of the tube container in the seal portion becomes a part of the predetermined shape. . The part of the predetermined shape is a part of the seal part to be molded, and the other part of the predetermined shape is welded by the second pressing part. The predetermined shape is, for example, a round shape, a mountain shape, or a wave shape, and the shape of the end portion of the tube container can be freely formed by forming the first pressing portion according to the desired predetermined shape. it can.

  Since the second pressing portion has a shape imitating the other portion of the predetermined shape, the second pressing portion is pressed and welded so that the base end side region of the seal portion has a predetermined shape. The first pressing portion and the second pressing portion are configured as linear convex portions protruding in the pressing direction so as to actually contact the sealing portion and press the sealing portion when the pressing means is moved in the pressing direction. can do.

  In the sealing device of the present invention, the second pressing portion can apply a pressing force larger than the pressing force of the first pressing portion to the region on the proximal end side of the seal portion. Thereby, according to the 2nd press part, in addition to welding of a seal part, the base end side of a seal part can be cut | disconnected by a predetermined shape with the pressing force of a pressing direction. As a result, according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of seal accumulation that occurs when the melted tube material protrudes left and right or up and down, which has been a concern in the conventional heat sealing method.

Moreover, in this invention, the length of a seal | sticker part can be changed suitably by adjusting the space | interval of a 1st press part and a 2nd press part. The length of the seal portion is the length of the seal portion from the proximal end to the distal end of the tube container (hereinafter referred to as the seal length). In the present invention, the length of the seal portion can be adjusted by appropriately adjusting the distance between the first pressing portion and the second pressing portion. That is, when it is desired to increase the seal length, the interval between the first pressing portion and the second pressing portion may be increased. In the conventional heat sealing method, the inner sides of the opposing tube materials could not be sufficiently welded to each other, and thus it was considered difficult to freely adjust the seal length, particularly to make it longer. In the present invention, since the inside of the tube material can be surely welded by applying heat directly, such a seal length can be adjusted. For example, a logo of a vendor can be applied to the seal portion, and the design of the tube container can be improved.

  The moving means moves the pressing means in the pressing direction. That is, the moving means changes the pressing means between a pressing state in which the pressing means actually presses the seal portion and a non-pressing state as a preparation state such as setting a tube container. The moving means can be constituted by, for example, an air cylinder that moves the pressing means by air pressure. Further, the moving unit may be configured by appropriately combining a motor as a driving source and a transmission mechanism that transmits a driving force supplied from the driving source to the pressing unit.

  In addition, in this invention, when the said press means moves to a press direction by the said moving means, the said 2nd press part is because the space | interval of this 2nd press part becomes narrower than the space | interval of said 1st press part. A force larger than the pressing force by the first pressing portion may be applied to the base end side region.

  In the present invention, since the interval between the second pressing portions is set to be narrower than the interval between the first pressing portions, a seal portion in which a pressing force larger than the pressing force by the first pressing portion is sandwiched between the second pressing portions. That is, it acts on the region on the proximal end side of the seal portion. As a result, since the force exceeding the pressing force suitable for welding is applied to the base end of the seal portion pressed by the second pressing portion, the seal portion is cut at the base end side of the seal portion, in other words, the base end The side will be crushed and cut.

  The present invention further includes preliminary heat supply means for applying preliminary heat to the tube container, and the pressing means directly heats the sealed portion of the tube container to which preliminary heat has been applied by the preliminary heat supply means. You may make it press this seal part, adding. The preliminary heat is heat applied in advance before the tube container is melted by directly applying heat by the pressing means. The preliminary heat can be appropriately set according to the material of the tube container as a temperature at which the tube container can be made flexible. According to the present invention, it is possible to more effectively perform welding and cutting by applying the preheating and softening the tube container and then pressing the pressing means.

  Further, the present invention further presses the seal portion while cooling the seal portion that has been welded and cut by the pressing of the first pressing portion and the second pressing portion, and the seal portion is pressed into the predetermined shape. The finish pressing means for finish-molding can be further provided. The tube container can be sealed more effectively by pressing again so as to be in a predetermined shape while cooling. In addition, what is necessary is just to design the finishing press means according to a predetermined | prescribed shape, and can be set as the structure similar to the 1st press part mentioned above or the 2nd press part.

Here, in the present invention, the pressing means is composed of two opposing pressing blocks, pressing so as to sandwich the seal portion, and the first pressing portion is a convex provided on each of the two pressing blocks. The first pressing portions projecting in the clamping direction, and the second pressing portion is a protruding portion provided on each of the proximal end sides of the first pressing portions of the two pressing blocks. And it may be made to consist of the opposing 2nd convex part which protruded in the clamping direction. According to the present invention, the seal portion on the proximal end side of the tube container can be seal-molded into a predetermined shape in a planar manner.

  Further, in the present invention, the pressing means includes a plurality of pressing blocks arranged radially from the central axis of the tube container, and the plurality of pressing blocks move toward the central axis to move the tube container. The first pressing part is a convex part provided in each of the plurality of pressing blocks, and is composed of a third convex part protruding in the pressing direction, and the second pressing part is the plurality of pressing parts It is a convex part provided in each of the base end side rather than the 1st convex part of a block, Comprising: You may make it consist of the 4th convex part which protruded in the press direction.

  According to the present invention, the seal portion on the proximal end side of the tube container can be three-dimensionally (three-dimensionally) sealed. The radial arrangement from the central axis of the tube container means the radial arrangement from the inside to the outside of the cylindrical tube container. Of the plurality of pressing blocks, adjacent pressing blocks may be designed so that their surfaces face each other when pressed. For example, when three pressing blocks are arranged radially, each block may have a shape having a corner of about 120 degrees in a cross section orthogonal to the pressing direction on the side in contact with the tube container.

  In addition, this invention can be set as the structure further provided with the cutting | disconnection means which cut | disconnects the one end part of the said seal | sticker part. The cutting means can be constituted by a blade such as a cutter. In the present invention, the proximal end side of the tube container can be cut by the second pressing portion. Therefore, this cutting means can be used as a secondary one. For example, the appearance of the cut portion of the tube container can be further improved by cutting the end portion cut by the second pressing portion with a cutting means made of a sharper object such as a blade.

  Although the sealing device of the present invention has been described above, the present invention may be an invention of a method for manufacturing a tube container having functions and effects equivalent to the above-described sealing device. Therefore, for example, the present invention is a method for manufacturing a tube container, comprising a step of pressing from the periphery of the tube container while directly applying heat to the proximal end side seal portion of the tube container, A first pressing step of pressing and welding a region on the distal end side of the tube container in the seal portion so as to form a part of the predetermined shape, and forming the other part of the predetermined shape In addition, the second pressing step of pressing and welding the region on the base end side of the seal portion by applying a force larger than the pressing force by the first pressing portion and cutting the base end side, It can be set as the manufacturing method of the tube container performed. In addition, this invention is good also as a tube container manufactured with the sealing device and manufacturing method mentioned above.

  According to the present invention, a technique for sealing the proximal end portion of a tube container, which can secure sufficient welding strength and can increase the degree of freedom in designing the shape of the proximal end portion of the tube container. Can be provided.

  Next, an embodiment of a sealing device of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. In the present embodiment, a sealing device that seals an open cylindrical base end portion of a tube container made of a thermoplastic resin will be described as an example. However, the material of the tube container is not particularly limited. The tube container may be either a single layer tube or a laminated tube.

<First embodiment>
(Constitution)
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of the sealing device of the first embodiment. Sealing device 1 of the first embodiment
Comprises a direct heater 51 for applying preliminary heat to the tube container 3, a pair of heater blocks 11 arranged so as to sandwich the tube container 3, and a finish forming block 61 having a cooling function. Each configuration will be described below.

  The direct heater 51 applies preliminary heat to the tube container 3. The preliminary heat can be appropriately set according to the material of the tube container 3 as a temperature that can make the tube container 3 flexible.

  The pair of heater blocks 11 are disposed so as to sandwich the tube container 3, and sandwich and press the seal portion 33 of the tube container 3. FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view centering on the heater block in the sealing device of the first embodiment. The heater block 11 is provided with a crimping plate 10 that protrudes in the clamping direction and contacts the tube container 3. The heater block 11 is supported by a support portion 21, and a pair of pressing plates 22 that sandwich and press the tube container 3 when the tube container 3 is pressed are provided below the support portion 21. The tube container 3 is supported substantially vertically by inserting a cap 32 at the tip into a support hole 24 provided in the tray 23.

  The heater block 11 constitutes a part of the pressing means of the present invention. In this embodiment, the heater block 11 and the pressure plate 10 provided on the inner side in the clamping direction of the heater block 11 are the press of the present invention. Configure the means. The heater block 11 of the present embodiment has a rectangular shape. The heater block 11 can be made of metal. Although the material is not particularly limited, it is preferable that the material is composed of a member having sufficient strength and excellent thermal conductivity.

  A heater 15 for supplying heat necessary for welding the seal portion 33 of the tube container 3 is built in the heater block 11. In the heater block 11 of the present embodiment, the heater 15 is provided below the heater block 11, but the position of the heater 15 is not particularly limited. The attachment position of the heater 15 may be appropriately designed as a position where the heat generated from the heater 15 can be effectively supplied to the heater block 11. The heat generated from the heater 15 may be any temperature as long as the tube container 3 can be melted, and can be appropriately changed depending on the material of the tube container 3.

  The pressure-bonding plate 10 sandwiches and presses the seal portion 33 of the tube container 3 to simultaneously weld and cut the seal portion 33. More specifically, the crimping plate 10 is detachable from the heater block 11, and the first pressing portion 13 and the second pressing portion 12 that protrude inward are respectively provided on the inner surfaces of the pair of crimping plates 10. And are provided. The pressure plate 10 can be made of metal. Although the material is not particularly limited, it is preferable that the material is composed of a member having sufficient strength and excellent thermal conductivity.

  The first pressing portion 13 sandwiches and presses the region on the distal end side of the tube container 3 (region on the lower side in FIG. 2) of the seal portion 33. What is necessary is just to comprise the 1st press part 13 with the metal member which has heat conductivity similarly to the heater block 11 or the crimping | compression board 10. FIG. As a result, heat from the heater 15 provided inside the heater block 11 is transmitted to the crimping plate 10 via the heater block 11, and the seal portion 33 of the tube container 3 is melted by the heat transmitted to the crimping plate 10. The The heat transmitted to the seal portion 33 is directly and uniformly transmitted to the seal portion 33 of the tube container 3, and not only the outside of the seal portion 33 but also the inside of the seal portion 33 is melted. As a result, according to the sealing device 1 of the present embodiment, since the inner side of the seal portion 33 is also melted and pressed so as to be sandwiched, sufficient welding strength can be ensured.

The 2nd press part 12 pinches | interposes and presses the base end side (area | region above the paper surface in FIG. 2) of the tube container 3 among the seal parts 33. FIG. The second pressing portion 12 may be made of metal. In addition, the space | interval of the opposing 2nd press parts 12 is designed narrower than the space | interval of the 1st press parts 13 which oppose. As a result, in the first pressing portion 13, the seal portion 33 is welded, but in the second pressing portion 12, the seal portion 33 is welded and cut. The details of welding and cutting will be described in detail in the description of the operation of the sealing device.

  Here, FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the crimping plate 10. As shown in the figure, the crimping plate 10 is provided with a mountain-shaped first pressing portion 13 and a similar mountain-shaped second pressing portion 12 provided substantially parallel to the first pressing portion 13. The 1st press part 13 and the 2nd press part 12 protrude inside from the surface of the crimping | compression-bonding board 10, as shown in FIG. The crimping plate 10 is configured as a pair, but the left and right crimping plates 10 in FIG. 2 basically have a mountain-shaped first pressing portion 13 and a second pressing portion 12 as shown in FIG. Is provided. However, the protruding height of the first pressing portion 13 on the right side in FIG. 2 is designed to be lower than the first pressing portion 13 on the left side in FIG. 2 so that the interval between the second pressing portions 12 is narrowed. Different.

  The pair of crimp plates 10 described above are connected to the inner side surfaces of the pair of heater blocks 11, and the heater blocks 11 are supported by the pair of support portions 21. The pair of support portions 21 reciprocate in the holding direction and the non-holding direction by an air cylinder (not shown). As a result, the heater block 11 supported by the support portion 21 approaches, and the first pressing portion 13 and the second pressing portion 12 press the seal portion 33 of the tube container 3 to open the proximal end of the tube container 3. Is sealed.

  The pressing plate 22 presses the body portion 31 of the tube container 3 when pressed. More specifically, the presser plate 22 assists the tube container so that it can be easily and reliably welded when the proximal end side of the tube container 3 is welded by the first pressing part 13 and the second pressing part 12. The body 31 is sandwiched. The holding plate 22 is connected to the support portion 21 so that its base end is rotatable so that its tip can escape upward. In addition, a spring is provided at a connection portion between the pressing plate 22 and the support portion 21 and the pressing plate 22 lifted upward when pressed is biased so as to return to a non-pressed state.

  The tube container 3 is placed on the tray 23. Specifically, the tray 23 is provided with a support hole 24 into which the cap 32 at the tip of the tube container 3 can be inserted. The tray 23 can be moved by a driving device (not shown), and when the tube container 3 that needs to be sealed is set on the tray 23, the tray 23 rises to a height at which the first pressing portion 13 and the second pressing portion 12 can be welded. When the welding is completed, the tray 23 is lowered, the sealed tube container 3 is removed, and the tube container 3 that needs to be newly sealed is set.

  The finish forming block 61 has a cooling function, and cools and presses the tube container 3 that has been welded and cut by the heater block 11 by cooling. The finish forming block 61 may have substantially the same configuration as the heater block 11 described above. Specifically, instead of the heater 15 of the heater block 11, a cooling unit that supplies cold heat is provided, and the crimping plate 10 may be provided on the inner side surface of the finish forming block 61 in the same manner as the heater block 11. The cooling unit may be provided outside the finish forming block 61.

(Operation)
Next, operation | movement of the sealing apparatus 1 of this embodiment mentioned above is demonstrated based on drawing. FIG. 4 shows the operating state of the sealing device of the first embodiment. FIG. 4A shows a state before welding. FIG.4 (b) shows the state at the time of welding (at the time of a press). FIG. 4C shows the state after welding.

First, the tube container 3 that needs to be sealed is set on the tray 23 so that the cap 32 faces down. The tray 23 on which the tube container 3 is set rises to a height at which seal molding is possible. Thereby, as shown to Fig.4 (a), a pair of support part 21 is arrange | positioned so that the seal part 33 of the tube container 3 may be clamped. First, preliminary heat is applied by the direct heater 51, and then the first pressing portion 13 and the second pressing portion 12 connected to the heater block 11 are arranged at positions where the seal portion 33 can be sandwiched and pressed. Further, the pressing plate 22 is disposed at a position where the body portion of the tube container 3 can be sandwiched and pressed.

  Next, the pair of support portions 21 are moved in the clamping direction by an air cylinder (not shown). More specifically, as the support portion 21 moves, the heater block 11, the first pressing portion 13, the second pressing portion 12, and the pressing plate 22 connected to the heater block 11 move in the clamping direction. First, the tip of the pressing plate 22 comes into contact with the body portion of the tube container 3, and the cylindrical body portion is gradually crushed. Next, the 1st press part 13 and the 2nd press part 12 press so that the seal | sticker part 33 of the tube container 3 may be inserted | pinched, respectively.

  Here, FIG. 5 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view during pressing. FIG. 5A shows a state immediately before the first pressing portion 13 and the second pressing portion 12 press the seal portion 33. FIG. 5B shows a state where the first pressing portion 13 and the second pressing portion 12 press the seal portion 33. As shown in FIG. 5A, the space between the first pressing portion 13 and the second pressing portion 12 is gradually narrowed as the support portion 21 (not shown) gradually moves in the clamping direction. . Furthermore, when the support part 21 moves in the clamping direction, the first pressing part 13 and the second pressing part 12 press the sealing part 33 of the tube container 3 so as to sandwich it as shown in FIG. At this time, heat necessary for melting the seal portion 33 of the tube container 3 is transmitted to the first pressing portion 13 and the second pressing portion 12 via the heater block 11 and comes into contact with the tube container 3. Thus, this heat is applied to the seal portion 33 of the tube container 3. Here, since the interval between the second pressing portions 12 is set to be narrower than the interval between the first pressing portions 13, the distal end of the seal portion 33 is located on the base end side (the upper side in the drawing) of the seal portion 33. A larger pressing force is applied than the side (the lower side of the drawing). When the support portion 21 is further moved in the clamping direction, the base end side of the seal portion 33 is crushed by the pressing force of the second pressing force 0 and is cut by the line above the second pressing portion 12. In addition, since the pressing force which cuts is not applied to the seal part 33 pressed by the 2nd press part 12, only the welding by a pressing force will be performed.

  When the pressing by the first pressing portion 13 and the second pressing portion 12 is completed, that is, the welding and cutting of the seal portion 33 are completed, the support portion 21 moves in the non-clamping direction as shown in FIG. And the 1st press part 13 and the 2nd press part 12 leave | separate from the tube container 3 with the movement of the support part 21. FIG. Thereafter, the pressing plate 22 that has pressed the body portion 31 of the tube container 3 is also separated from the tube container 3, and the pressing plate 22 lifted upward at the time of pressing returns to the non-pressing state by the urging force.

  Next, the tray 23 in which the tube container 3 is set moves to a finishing molding block 61 having a cooling function, and cooling and molding are performed by the finishing molding block 61.

  Thus, the seal molding of the proximal end side of the tube container 3 is completed. Here, FIG. 6 shows a side view of the tube container 3 after completion of seal molding. FIG. 7 shows a front view of the tube container 3 after completion of seal molding. As shown in FIG. 6, as shown in FIG. 6, the base end of the tube container 3 which has been opened in a cylindrical shape before sealing is sealed. Moreover, in 1st embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7 by using the crimping board 10 provided with the mountain-shaped 1st press part 13 and the 2nd press part 12 shown in FIG. A mold-shaped tube container 3 can be formed.

(effect)
According to the sealing device 1 of the first embodiment described above, the first pressing portion 13 and the second pressing portion 12 are sandwiched and pressed while directly applying heat to the sealing portion 33 of the tube container 3, so that sufficient welding is performed. Strength can be secured. That is, since heat is directly transmitted to the tube material constituting the seal portion 33, heat is evenly transmitted to the tube material. As a result, the inner sides of the opposing tube materials are also reliably welded, and sufficient strength can be ensured. Also, the first pressing portion 13 and the second pressing portion 12 are pressed while applying heat evenly to the tube material to weld the seal portion, and the second pressing portion 12 cuts the end of the tube container 3. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a seal pool that occurs when the melted tube material protrudes left and right or up and down. That is, it is possible to mold the tube container 1 having a good appearance without a seal pool. Furthermore, in the present invention, since welding and cutting can be performed simultaneously without applying vibration as in the ultrasonic method, fine molding, which has been considered difficult with the ultrasonic method, is also possible. That is, a tube container having an excellent design such as a mountain shape can be manufactured in a short time. That is, the degree of freedom in designing the shape of the seal portion of the tube container can be increased.

<Second embodiment>
Next, the sealing device 1 according to the second embodiment will be described. The configuration of the sealing device 1 of the second embodiment is basically the same as that of the sealing device 1 of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the following description, about the structure similar to the sealing apparatus 1 of 1st embodiment, the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol, and shall mainly explain a difference.

  The sealing device 1 of the second embodiment is different from the sealing device 1 of the first embodiment in that it includes a cutter 17 corresponding to the cutting means of the present invention. In the sealing device 1 of the second embodiment, the third pressing portion 14 is provided between the first pressing portion 13 and the second pressing portion 12 of the first embodiment. The point which is designed so that the space | interval of the 2nd press parts 12 may become narrower than the space | interval of the 1st press parts 13 is the same. However, the cutting by the pressing force of the second pressing portion 12 is a preliminary cutting, and the base end of the tube container 3 is formed by cutting with the cutter 17.

  Here, FIG. 8 shows an operating state of the sealing device 1 of the second embodiment. In addition, FIG. 8 expands the 1st press part 13 grade | etc., Among the sealing apparatuses 1 of 2nd embodiment. Therefore, like the sealing device 1 of the first embodiment, the heater block 11 is supported by the support part 21, and the support part 21 is provided with a pressing plate 22. The tube container 3 is placed on the tray 23. FIG. 8A shows a state before welding. FIG.8 (b) shows the state at the time of welding (at the time of a press). FIG. 8C shows a cut state by the cutter 17.

  As shown to Fig.8 (a), in addition to the structure of the sealing apparatus 1 of 1st embodiment mentioned above, the sealing apparatus 1 of 2nd embodiment further has the 3rd press part 14 and the 1st press part 13 and 1st. It is provided between the two pressing parts 12. Since the interval between the second pressing portions 12 is designed to be narrower than the interval between the first pressing portions 13, when the interval between the heater blocks 11 is reduced, the second pressing portion 12 causes the tube container to be 3 is cut off (see FIG. 8B). In the first embodiment, since the proximal end side of the tube container 3 is formed into a mountain shape, the shape of the second pressing portion 12 is a mountain shape. However, in the second embodiment, since the cutting by the second pressing portion 12 is a temporary cutting, the shape of the second pressing portion 12 is simply a straight line, and the first pressing portion 13 and the third pressing portion that form the seal portion 33. The shape of the part 14 was a mountain shape. In accordance with this, the shape of the cutter 17 is also a mountain shape. Here, FIG. 9 shows a plan view of the crimping plate 10a of the second embodiment. As shown in the figure, the crimping plate 10a of the second embodiment is provided with a horizontal linear second pressing portion 12 at the top, and a third pressing portion 14 and a first pressing portion 13 in order from the top. ing.

When the welding and temporary cutting by the crimping plate 10a are completed, the proximal end of the tube container 3 is cut by the cutter 17 (see FIG. 8C). In the present embodiment, the cutter 17 is constituted by a pair of blades and is cut by sandwiching the tube container 3. However, for example, one side may be a flat plate and may be cut by pressing a blade against the flat plate. The cutter 17 may be connected to a support portion 21 to which the heater block 11 is connected, and a dedicated support portion 21 that is movable in the clamping direction is provided separately from the support portion 21 to which the heater block 11 is connected. It may be provided and connected to it.

  Here, Fig.10 (a) shows the front view of the tube container 3 after completion of seal molding. FIG. 10B is a front view of the tube container 3 after the cutting by the cutter 17 is completed. As shown in FIG. 10A, before the cutting by the cutter 17, provisional cutting and sealing of the proximal end of the tube container 3 are completed. After that, the tube is cut by the first pressing portion 13 and the third pressing portion 14 by the substantially dynamic mountain-shaped cutter 17, so that the base end is cut into a mountain shape as shown in FIG. 10 (b). Container 3 is completed.

(effect)
According to the sealing device 1 of the second embodiment described above, the tube container 3 having better appearance can be manufactured by finally cutting the proximal end of the tube container 3 with the cutter 17.

<Third embodiment>
In the sealing device 1 of the first embodiment and the sealing device 1 of the second embodiment described above, the crimping plate 10 is removable from the heater block 11. Therefore, the sealing device 1 of the first embodiment and the sealing device 1 of the second embodiment can freely design the shape of the proximal end of the tube container 3 by changing the crimping plate 10. Here, FIG. 11 shows a plan view of the crimping plate 10b of the third embodiment. As shown in the figure, the crimping plate 10b of the third embodiment is provided such that the corrugated first pressing portion 13 and the corrugated second pressing portion 12 protrude inward. As a result, by applying the crimping plate 10b of the third embodiment to the sealing device 1 of the first embodiment, the tube container 3 in which the base end of the tube container 3 is formed into a corrugated shape can be manufactured. In addition, FIG. 12 shows the front view of the tube container 3 manufactured using the crimping board 10a of 3rd embodiment.

<Fourth embodiment>
FIG. 13: shows the top view of the crimping board 10c of 4th embodiment. As shown in the figure, the crimping plate 10c of the fourth embodiment is provided in such a manner that the mountain-shaped first pressing portion 13 and the mountain-shaped second pressing portion 12 are protruded inward. Common to the pressure-bonding plate 10 of the first embodiment. However, in the crimping plate 10c of the fourth embodiment, the interval between the first pressing portion 13 and the second pressing portion 12 is set wide. As a result, the tube container 3 manufactured using the crimping plate 10c according to the fourth embodiment is formed to have a longer seal length than the tube container 3 manufactured using the crimping plate 10 according to the first embodiment. . FIG. 14 shows a front view of the tube container 3 manufactured using the crimping plate 10c of the fourth embodiment. In addition, a circular circular pressing portion 18 is provided between the first pressing portion 13 and the second pressing portion 12 in the crimping plate 10 c of the fourth embodiment. The interval between the circular pressing portions 18 is designed in the same manner as the interval between the second pressing portions 12. Therefore, a hole is formed in the central portion of the seal portion 33 by pressing with the circular pressing portion 18. This hole can be used as a hook hole 34 used when the tube container 3 is displayed at a store.

<Fifth embodiment>
FIG. 15 is a plan view of the crimping plate 10d of the fifth embodiment. As shown in the figure, the crimping plate 10d of the fifth embodiment is similar to the mountain-shaped first pressing portion 13 in that the mountain-shaped second pressing portion 12 is provided so as to protrude inward. It is common with the crimping plate 10 of one embodiment. However, in the pressure-bonding plate 10 d of the fifth embodiment, the first pressing portion 13 and the second pressing portion 12 are provided with the corrugated unevenness 19 in the cross section. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along AA in FIG. By using the pressure-bonding plate 10d having the wavy unevenness 19 in such a cross-sectional view, it becomes possible to provide the wavy unevenness on the plane of the seal portion 33. In FIG. 16, the opposing crimping plate 10d is indicated by a dotted line.

  FIG. 17: shows the front view of the tube container 3 manufactured using the crimping | compression-bonding board 10d of 5th embodiment. FIG. 18 shows a side view of the tube container 3 manufactured using the crimping plate 10d of the fifth embodiment. As shown in these drawings, it is possible to provide a wave-like unevenness 38 on the plane of the seal portion 33.

<Sixth embodiment>
Next, the sealing apparatus of 6th embodiment is demonstrated. The sealing device 1a of the sixth embodiment is also basically the same as the sealing device 1 of the first embodiment, a direct heater for applying preliminary heat to the tube container 3, a heater block, and a finishing molding block having a cooling function (See FIG. 1). Note that the sealing device 1a of the sixth embodiment is provided with three heater blocks 11a, 11b, and 11c, unlike the sealing device 1 of the first to fifth embodiments. Therefore, this difference will be mainly described.

  FIG. 19 is a plan view of a heater block in the sealing device 1a of the sixth embodiment. These heater blocks 11 a, 11 b, 11 c are arranged radially around the tube container 3 from the central axis (indicated by symbol X) of the tube container 3. The heater blocks 11a, 11b, and 11c are provided with a bent portion 65 on the inner side so that the surfaces of adjacent heater blocks face each other, and the inner angle of the bent portion 65 is designed to be about 120 degrees.

  Since the heater blocks 11a, 11b, and 11c have the same configuration, the heater block 11a will be described as an example. The heater block 11a is provided with a pressure plate 10e. This crimping plate 10e is designed according to the shape of the heater block 11a. That is, it is formed by bending a plate member having thermal conductivity. The crimping plate 10e includes a crimping plate bent portion 75 and two crimping surfaces, and the crimping surface is provided with a first pressing portion 13e and a second pressing portion 12e that protrude in a direction orthogonal to the crimping surface. . FIG. 20 shows a front view of the pressure-bonding plate 10e. As shown in the figure, a first pressing portion 13e and a second pressing portion 12e are provided on each of the crimping surfaces on both sides of the crimping plate bent portion 75, respectively.

  The sealing device of the sixth embodiment can also be configured in the same manner as the sealing device of the first embodiment described above, except that three heater blocks are provided. That is, heaters are built in the heater blocks 11a, 11b, and 11c. Further, the heater blocks 11a, 11b, and 11c can move the heater blocks 11a, 11b, and 11c in the central axis X direction and move in a radial direction opposite to the central axis X by an air cylinder or the like. .

The direct heater 51 and the like for applying preliminary heat to the holding plate 22, the tray 23, and the tube container 3 may have the same configuration as the sealing device 1 of the first embodiment. Further, the finish forming block having a cooling function can have the same shape as the heater blocks 11a, 11b, 11c and the pressure plate 11e described above (see FIG. 19). That is, three finish forming blocks may be provided and arranged radially from the central axis (indicated by symbol X) of the tube container 3 around the tube container 3 as in the heater block 11a shown in FIG. In addition, the three finish forming blocks may be provided with bent portions on the inside so that the surfaces of the adjacent finish forming blocks face each other, and the inner angle of the bent portions may be designed to be about 120 degrees. The finish forming block may be provided with a cooling unit in place of the heater provided inside the heater block 11a and the like. The three finishing molding blocks may be provided with a crimping plate in accordance with the shape of the finishing molding block, and this crimping plate has the shape of a finishing molding block having a bent portion in the same manner as the crimping plate shown in FIG. What is necessary is just to design. In addition, the crimping plate provided in the finish molding block is also composed of, for example, a crimping plate bent portion and two crimping surfaces, as in the heater block crimping plate, and the crimping surface protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the crimping surface The 1st press part and the 2nd press part can be provided.

  FIG. 21 shows an operating state of the sealing device of the sixth embodiment. FIG. 21A shows a state before welding. FIG. 21B shows a state at the time of welding (at the time of pressing). FIG. 21 (c) shows a state after welding. As shown in FIG. 21A, the tube container 3 set on a tray (not shown) is moved to a predetermined position, and preliminary heat is applied. The predetermined position is a state in which three heat blocks 11a, 11b, and 11c are arranged radially around the tube container 3 as shown in FIG.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 21 (b), the heat blocks 11a, 11b, and 11c move toward the central axis X, and the tube container 3 is pressed from the outer three directions by the heat blocks 11a, 11b, and 11c. . When the pressing by the heat blocks 11a, 11b, and 11c is completed, the heat blocks 11a, 11b, and 11c are moved in the radial direction as shown in FIG. Thereafter, cooling and pressing are performed by the finishing molding block by the same procedure as the pressing by the heat blocks 11a, 11b, and 11c.

  Thus, the seal molding of the proximal end side of the tube container 3 is completed. Here, FIG. 22 shows a top view of the tube container 3 after completion of the seal molding. FIG. 23 shows a perspective view of the tube container 3 after completion of seal molding. As shown in the figure, a ridge line P extending in three directions from the central axis X is formed at the base end of the tube container 3, and a three-dimensional seal portion is formed. Thus, according to the sealing apparatus of this embodiment, the seal part of a three-dimensional tube container can be shape | molded. In addition, the tube container of various cross-sectional shapes can be shape | molded by increasing the number of heat blocks.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the sealing device of the present invention is not limited to these, and can include combinations thereof as much as possible. For example, tube containers 3 having various shapes can be manufactured by appropriately combining the crimping plates 10. Further, for example, in the fourth embodiment, a hook hole for display is provided in the seal portion 33, but instead of this, a product name, a company name, etc. may be attached in design with the hook hole.

The block diagram of the sealing device of 1st embodiment is shown. Sectional drawing centering on a heater block is shown among the sealing devices of 1st embodiment. The top view of the crimping board of 1st embodiment is shown. The operation state of the sealing device of a first embodiment is shown. The expanded sectional view at the time of press in the sealing device of a first embodiment is shown. The side view of the tube container after completion of sealing is shown. The front view of the tube container after completion of sealing is shown. The operation state of the sealing device of a second embodiment is shown. The top view of the crimping board 10 of 2nd embodiment is shown. The front view of the tube container after completion of a seal | sticker and the front view of the tube container after completion | finish of the cutting | disconnection by a cutter are shown. The top view of the crimping board of 3rd embodiment is shown. The front view of the tube container manufactured using the crimping board of 3rd embodiment is shown. The top view of the crimping board of 4th embodiment is shown. The front view of the tube container manufactured using the crimping board of 4th embodiment is shown. The top view of the crimping board of 5th embodiment is shown. AA sectional drawing in FIG. 15 is shown. The front view of the tube container manufactured using the crimping board of 5th embodiment is shown. The side view of the tube container manufactured using the crimping board of 5th embodiment is shown. The top view centering on the heater block among the sealing apparatuses of 6th embodiment is shown. The front view of the crimping board of 6th embodiment is shown. The operating state of the sealing apparatus of 6th embodiment is shown. The top view of the tube container after completion of seal molding by the sealing apparatus of 6th embodiment is shown. The perspective view of the tube container 3 after completion of seal molding by the sealing device of 6th embodiment is shown.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Sealing device 3 ... Tube container 10, 10a, 10b, 10c ... Crimp plate 11 ... Heater block 12 ... Second press part 13 ... First press part 14 ... 3rd press part 15 ... heater 21 ... support part 22 ... pressing plate 31 ... trunk | drum 32 ... cap 33 ... seal part 51 ... direct heater 61 ... finish molding block

Claims (8)

A seal device that seal-forms a seal portion on the proximal end side of the tube container into a predetermined shape,
A pressing means disposed around the seal portion and pressing the seal portion while directly applying heat to the seal portion;
Moving means for moving the pressing means in the pressing direction,
The pressing means is
A first pressing portion having a shape imitating a part of the predetermined shape, wherein the first pressing portion presses and welds a region on the tip side of the seal portion; and
A second pressing part having a shape imitating the other part of the predetermined shape, wherein a force larger than the pressing force by the first pressing part is applied to a region on the proximal end side of the seal portion. And a second pressing portion that presses and welds and cuts the base end side. Further comprising preliminary heat supply means for applying preliminary heat to the tube container;
The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing unit presses the sealing portion while directly applying heat to the sealing portion of the tube container to which the preliminary heat is supplied by the preliminary heat supply unit.   Finishing pressing that further presses the seal portion while cooling the seal portion welded and cut by pressing the first pressing portion and the second pressing portion, and finish-molding the seal portion into the predetermined shape. The sealing device according to claim 1, further comprising means. The pressing means is composed of two opposing pressing blocks, pressing so as to sandwich the seal portion,
The first pressing portion is a convex portion provided in each of the two pressing blocks, and includes first opposing convex portions protruding in the clamping direction,
The second pressing portion is a convex portion provided on each of the proximal end sides of the first convex portions of the two pressing blocks, and is composed of opposing second convex portions protruding in the clamping direction. The sealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The pressing means comprises a plurality of pressing blocks arranged radially from the central axis of the tube container,
The plurality of pressing blocks press the tube container by moving toward the central axis,
The first pressing portion is a convex portion provided in each of the plurality of pressing blocks, and includes a third convex portion protruding in the pressing direction,
The said 2nd press part is a convex part provided in each of the base end side rather than the said 1st convex part of these pressure blocks, Comprising: From the 4th convex part which protruded in the press direction from Claim 1 The sealing device according to claim 3. A method of manufacturing a tube container,
A step of pressing from the periphery of the tube container while directly applying heat to the seal portion on the proximal end side of the tube container;
In the pressing step, a first pressing step of pressing and welding a tip side region of the seal portion so as to form a part of the predetermined shape, and forming the other part of the predetermined shape. As described above, a second pressing step of pressing and welding the base end side region of the seal portion by applying a force larger than the pressing force by the first pressing portion and cutting the base end side; The manufacturing method of the tube container by which is performed. It is performed before the step of pressing, further comprising a preliminary heat supply step of applying preliminary heat to the tube container,
The method of manufacturing a tube container according to claim 6, wherein in the pressing step, the seal portion is pressed while directly applying heat to the seal portion of the tube container to which preliminary heat is applied in the preliminary heat supply step.   While cooling the seal portion that has been welded and cut by performing the first pressing step and the second pressing step, the seal portion is further pressed, and the seal portion is finished into the predetermined shape. The manufacturing method of the tube container of Claim 6 or Claim 7 further provided with a finishing press process.

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