JP2722056B2 - Buffer material and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to various containers,
The present invention relates to a cushioning material in a box for electronic devices and home appliances, a cushioning material called a so-called loose cushioning material, and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, as this kind of cushioning material, there has been one made of expanded polystyrene. When this foam polystyrene cushioning material becomes unnecessary after use and is discarded,
When incinerated, high temperatures are generated and the furnace walls of the incinerator are damaged, and when incinerated, they are not decomposed and it is difficult to secure a landfill.

[0003] Therefore, in recent years, a buffer material using a raw material containing starch as a main component has appeared. This buffer material containing starch as a main component does not generate high temperatures even when subjected to combustion treatment, and does not damage the incinerator. It has become something.

[0004]

However, since the above-mentioned conventional cushioning material is manufactured using a raw material mainly composed of completely gelatinized starch, gelatinization of the raw material in the barrel of the extruder is performed. Large-scale extruder with excellent kneading and extruding function (for example, a twin-screw extruder), because the kneading and extruding cannot be performed smoothly due to excessive adhesion to the screw.
Had to use. However, it is burdensome for the user to purchase a large-scale extruder, which is reflected in the manufacturing cost and increases the price of the cushioning material. Therefore, this kind of cushioning material is manufactured by a specialized manufacturer and sold to users as bags. However, also in this case, the cushioning material has a problem that the bulkiness is higher than the weight, so that the distribution cost is increased, and it is necessary to secure a storage place for the cushioning material, which increases the storage cost.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cushioning material which can be manufactured by using a simplified extruder without requiring a large-scale extruder excellent in kneading and extruding function, and a method of manufacturing the same. It was done as.

[0006]

Therefore, the buffering material of the present invention comprises a raw material containing starch having a pregelatinized degree adjusted to 40 to 80% as a main component and having a water content of 10 to 15% by weight.
It is extruded and foamed into a string while being pressurized and heated, and further cut into an appropriate shape.

Further, the method of manufacturing a cushioning material according to the present invention comprises:
The raw material whose starch is adjusted to a degree of pregelatinization of 40 to 80% and whose water content is 10 to 15% by weight is continuously pushed into the die attached to the tip of the barrel by rotating a screw in the barrel. It is extruded and foamed into a string while being pressurized and heated inside the die, and further cut into an appropriate shape by a cutter.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a cushioning material of the present invention and a method of manufacturing the same will be described in detail with reference to the drawings shown as embodiments.

The cushioning material of the present invention is produced by a production apparatus as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and comprises a starch having a pre-gelatinized degree as a main component and a low water content. In the barrel, the screw is continuously pushed into the inside of the die attached to the tip of the barrel by the rotation of the screw, extruded and foamed into a string while pressing and heating inside the die, and further cut into an appropriate shape such as a pellet. .

[0010] Here, the starch whose degree of pregelatinization is adjusted is obtained by subjecting a crystalline raw starch (β-starch) produced by ordinary plants to photosynthesis by a suitable heat treatment using a commercially available twin-screw extruder. The raw starch is more susceptible to chemical action than raw starch.

As the raw starch, various starches such as corn starch, potato starch, tapioca starch and sake bran can be used, and the content can be 50 to 100% by weight. Sake bran is effective in reducing raw material costs. Further, when the degree of pregelatinization of the starch is preferably 40 to 80%, more preferably 50 to 70%, the viscosity in the barrel can be suppressed to an appropriately low level in the case of extrusion foaming.

The raw material may be a mixture of polyvinyl alcohol, a cell regulator, an auxiliary additive, and the like, if necessary, with a water content as low as about 10 to 15% by weight. And Polyvinyl alcohol can have a content of 0 to 20% by weight. The foam control agent can be selected from calcium carbonate, eggshell powder, shell powder, and talc, and its content can be 0 to 2% by weight. The auxiliary additives can be selected from vegetable fats and oils, sake bran, gluten, soy protein, dried egg white, potato pulp, wood flour, waste paper powder, pulp, wheat glue, corn fiber, and the content thereof. The amount can be from 0 to 10% by weight. These auxiliary additives can increase the water resistance and rigidity of the produced cushioning material.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a cushioning material according to the present invention has a kneading screw 2 inside a barrel 1 and a heater 3 at the tip of the barrel 1. The die 4 provided is attached. In addition, a feeder 5 is provided at an upper position of the barrel 1 for supplying a fixed amount of a raw material having starch having a pre-gelatinized degree as a main component and a low water content to the barrel 1. Further, a cutting machine 6 for a foam molded product which is extruded in a string shape from the die 4 is provided in front of the die 4 of the barrel 1.

The barrel 1 has an inner diameter of about 50 to 70 mm and a length of about 2 to 3 times the inner diameter, which is very short as compared with a barrel used in an ordinary extruder. It is assumed that a bearing 7 is installed on one side. In addition, the barrel 1 can be made very short because a groove (not shown) is inserted in the barrel inner surface in the longitudinal direction to improve the material transfer efficiency by rotating the kneading screw 2 and to improve the material transfer efficiency. Is heated just before extrusion, so that no steam is generated by heating in the barrel 1, it is not necessary to completely seal the inside of the barrel 1, and the viscosity of the raw material is also reduced in the barrel 1. This is because kneading and extrusion can be performed smoothly.

The kneading screw 2 has a screw portion 2a at a front portion thereof positioned in the barrel 1, a rod portion 2b at a rear portion supported by the bearing 7, and a rear end of the rod portion 2b is driven by an inverter. It is connected to the main motor 8 whose speed is controlled.

The heater 3 includes a die 4 as shown in FIG.
The material is heated just before being extruded as a band heater that can be wound around the outer periphery of the material. This is because, when the raw material is heated while being kneaded and extruded by the kneading screw 2 in the barrel 1, steam is generated from the raw material and the viscosity of the raw material increases, and the raw material is caught by the kneading screw 2, and the kneading and extruding can be smoothly performed. Because it is not.

As shown in FIG. 6, the feeder 5 is provided with an extrusion screw 10 below the hopper 9, and the raw material supplied from the hopper 9 is guided by the extrusion screw 10 to form one end of the barrel 1. Into the hopper 11 provided at the upper position of the kneading screw 2
A fixed amount is supplied into the barrel 1. The extrusion screw 10 has a front screw portion 10a located in the upper open barrel 12, supports a rear rod portion 10b on a bearing 13, and further controls the rear end of the rod portion 10b by an inverter. Connected to the feeder motor 14 to be driven.

The cutting machine 6 is a pelletizer for cutting a foamed product extruded in a string form from the die 4 of the barrel 1 into a pellet shape as shown in FIG. It has four rotating cutting blades 15. The cutting blade 15 is rotatably supported by a bearing 16 and has a rear end connected to a distal end of a rod 18 connected to a pelletizer motor 17.

In the cushioning material manufacturing apparatus constructed as described above, the raw material containing starch whose α-degree of gelatinization is adjusted to 40 to 80% as a main component and having a water content of 10 to 15% by weight is first fed to a feeder. 5 is supplied to the hopper 9. next,
The raw material is guided by the screw 10 of the feeder 5, is introduced into the hopper 11 of the barrel 1, and is supplied into the barrel 1 at a constant rate. And this raw material supplied quantitatively,
Kneaded in a barrel 1 by a kneading screw 2 and a die 4
Heated by the heater 3 just before being extruded from the resin, the resin is extruded and foamed in a string shape. Further, the foam molded product extruded in a string shape is cut into a pellet shape by the cutting blade 15 of the cutting machine 6 to be a finished product.

[0020]

The cushioning material of the present invention has a degree of pregelatinization of 40 to 8
The main component is starch adjusted to 0% and the water content is 10%.
Since the raw material used is up to 15% by weight, during extrusion foaming, the degree of viscosity can be kept appropriately low in the barrel of the extruder, and extrusion foaming becomes smooth, so that simplification is achieved. It can be manufactured using a suitable extruder. Therefore, the cushioning material of the present invention does not increase the manufacturing cost.

Further, the method for producing a cushioning material according to the present invention comprises:
Since a simplified extruder can be used, there is no burden on the user to purchase the extruder, and the manufacturing cost of the cushioning material does not increase. Further, it is possible to manufacture only a necessary amount of cushioning material at a necessary place at a necessary place. Therefore, the user does not need to purchase or store the bulky cushioning material, and the distribution cost and the storage cost are not increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a manufacturing apparatus used for manufacturing a cushioning material of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main part of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a heater provided in the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a main part of a feeder provided in the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a main part of a cutting machine provided in the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Barrel 2 Kneading screw 4 Die 6 Cutting machine

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A starch having a degree of pregelatinization adjusted to 40 to 80%.
Raw material whose main component is water content of 10 to 15% by weight
The material is extruded and foamed into a string while applying pressure and heating,
A cushioning material characterized by being appropriately cut. 2. A starch having a degree of pregelatinization adjusted to 40 to 80%.
Raw material whose main component is water content of 10 to 15% by weight
Material is continuously barreled by rotating the screw in the barrel.
Push into the inside of the die attached to the tip of the
Extruded and foamed into a string while applying pressure and heating, and then to a cutting machine
Manufacture of cushioning material characterized by being cut into more appropriate shapes
Method.