JP3380943B2 - Syringe manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for manufacturing a syringe (syringe), and more particularly to a device for manufacturing a syringe (syringe) while carrying the syringe in a carrier. The present invention relates to a syringe manufacturing apparatus that manufactures a syringe by performing various processes such as plugging and filling. 2. Description of the Related Art In a filling device or the like for performing capping after filling a container or the like with a liquid, each container is stably conveyed and accurately positioned. Is generally accommodated in a carrier for transporting containers, and various processing steps are performed while transporting the interior of the filling device. [0003] For example, in "Article processing method and apparatus" described in JP-A-6-293431, the "bottle transport line 16 connects the bottle fixing device 3 (carrier) holding the bottle 1 to the bottle aligning and feeding machine 11". From filling machine 13
Is transported to the boxing machine 15 via the rotating transporting device 13A and the rotating transporting device 14A of the cap mounting machine 14, and the bottle fixing device 3 from which the bottle 1 has been taken out by the boxing machine 15 is returned to the bottle aligning and feeding machine 11. Thus, the bottle fixing device 3 is circulated and conveyed. " Like the device in this publication,
When filling and capping a normal bottle, it is not necessary to invert the bottle in the middle of a plurality of processing steps, so once it is housed in a carrier, it is taken out after completing various processing steps Up to one carrier. In an apparatus for manufacturing a syringe (syringe), a syringe (in this specification, a state before filling and stoppering are performed to complete a syringe is referred to as a syringe, and a syringe after completion is referred to as a syringe. Has a shape that cannot stand on its own, and therefore must always be accommodated in a carrier and transported unless it is gripped by a handling mechanism or the like. Here, the shape of a conventionally used injection cylinder will be briefly described with reference to FIG. The syringe barrel 12 has a cylindrical long main body 12.
b, a needle attachment port 12a having a thin cylindrical opening provided at the tip (upper end in the figure), and a large-diameter opening into which a plunger rod is inserted when later used as a syringe (syringe) 12d (the lower end in the figure), and the opening 12 on the side where the plunger rod is inserted.
A flange 12c is formed around d. [0005] When filling a liquid medicine into the injection cylinder 12 having the above-mentioned shape, first, a cap is plugged into the injection needle mounting port 12a with the injection needle mounting port 12a facing downward, and the mounting port 12a is inserted. After filling, the filling nozzle is inserted from the opening 12d on the side where the plunger rod is inserted, facing upward, to perform filling. Thereafter, a gasket is plugged from the plunger rod insertion side opening 12d to completely seal the inside of the syringe barrel 12. Therefore, the step of filling the liquid medicine must be performed in an upright state with the injection needle mounting port 12a facing downward and the plunger rod insertion side opening 12d facing upward (in this specification, the injection needle mounting port is used). 1
The state in which the 2a side faces downward is in the upright state, and the injection needle mounting port 12
A state in which a is directed upward is referred to as an inverted state). Therefore, conventionally, all steps such as filling and stoppering are performed while the inside of the syringe manufacturing apparatus is transported in a state where the injection cylinder 12 is erected. The syringe 12 is filled with a drug solution, a gasket is plugged from the opening 12d side, and a plunger rod is fitted into the opening 12d side to complete a syringe. When this syringe is used as a syringe, an injection needle is attached to the injection needle attachment port 12d, and a plunger rod is pushed in to inject the liquid medicine filled therein into a human body or the like. [0007] When the plunger rod is pushed in as described above, silicon is conventionally applied to the inner surface of the syringe 12 so that the plunger rod can slide smoothly on the inner surface of the syringe. It is applied. This silicon coating step is performed by the injection needle mounting port 12a as described above.
If it is performed in an erect state in which the body faces downward, there is a possibility that the silicone applied to the inner surface may hang down and flow into the thin needle attachment port 12a to be clogged. The present invention has been made in order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, and the injection needle mounting port faces upward so that there is no danger of the clogging of the injection needle mounting port even when the silicone applied to the inner surface of the injection tube flows out. It is an object of the present invention to provide a syringe manufacturing apparatus in which a silicon coating process is performed in an inverted state, and thereafter, the device is turned upside down so as to perform a filling process and the like. [0009] A syringe manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is an apparatus for manufacturing a syringe by performing silicone coating, dry sterilization, filling, and other processes on the syringe, wherein the syringe is The carrier for housing and transporting the container is formed into a shape that can be held in two states: a state in which the injection needle mounting port of the injection cylinder is directed downward, and a state in which the injection needle mounting port is directed upward, and the silicon coating step is completed. From later to the dry sterilization process, transport while holding the needle attachment port facing upwards,
Thereafter, the syringe is turned upside down and the processing is carried out with the injection needle mounting port being directed downward. In the syringe manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, first, a silicon coating process is performed with the injection needle mounting port facing upward, and then the injection needle mounting port is maintained in a state where the injection needle mounting port faces upward. Insert into a carrier and perform dry sterilization during transport. After that, remove the syringe from the carrier and turn it over,
With the injection needle mounting port facing downward, the needle is inserted again into the same carrier, and filling and other processing are performed during transport. In this manner, one type of carrier can be used for both transporting the syringe barrel in the upright state and transporting it in the inverted state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to illustrated embodiments.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example of a carrier 10 for transporting a syringe used in a syringe manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a syringe 12 inserted into the carrier 10 and transported. In addition, while the syringe 12 is held in the carrier 10 and is conveyed through a syringe manufacturing apparatus to be described later, a syringe is manufactured by sequentially filling and stoppering the liquid medicine. As described above, the syringe barrel 12 includes a long cylindrical main body 12b,
An injection needle attachment port 12a having a thin cylindrical opening provided at its tip (upper end in FIG. 1), and a large-diameter opening 12d into which a plunger rod is inserted when later used as a syringe (syringe). And a flange 12c is formed around the opening 12d on the plunger rod insertion side. The carrier 10 for carrying a syringe barrel has a circular outer shape, and a stepped syringe barrel insertion hole 14 penetrating vertically therethrough is formed therein. The injection-tube insertion hole 14 has a small-diameter hole 14a on the lowermost side, into which the injection-needle mounting port 12a of the injection tube 12 fits with a gap therebetween.
A medium-diameter hole 14b having a slightly larger inner diameter than the outer diameter of the cylindrical main body 12b is further provided at the uppermost portion with a large-diameter hole 14 having a slightly larger inner diameter than the outer diameter of the flange 12c of the syringe barrel 12.
c is formed. Therefore, when the syringe 12 is inserted into the carrier 10 in a state where the syringe 12 is inverted (a state in which the injection needle mounting port 12a faces upward as shown in FIG. 1), the syringe 12 is moved to the outer end surface of the flange 12c. The lower end surface 12e in FIG. 1 is supported on the step portion 14e between the large-diameter hole 14c and the medium-diameter hole 14b of the transport carrier 10. In addition, a state in which the injection cylinder 12 is erected (a state in which the injection needle mounting port 12a faces downward as shown in FIG. 2).
Then, when inserted into the carrier 10 for transport, the syringe 1
2, a shoulder 12f between the cylindrical main body 12b and the injection needle mounting port 12a has a medium-diameter hole 14
b and the small diameter hole 14a. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the syringe 12 is filled with a drug solution and stoppered while the syringe 12 is being inserted into the carrier 10 for transportation or while being moved while being taken out of the carrier 10 for transportation. FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing a syringe manufacturing apparatus that manufactures a syringe by performing various processes described above, wherein the syringe 12 is carried into the manufacturing apparatus by a supply conveyor (not shown) while being supported by a tray or the like. In the ant layer 20, a predetermined number of pieces are taken out by a take-out means provided with a robot hand or the like, and sent to the inside of the washing machine 22 in a state of being laid down. Note that the posture of the injection cylinder 12 at the time of cleaning is not necessarily limited to the sideways state, and may be an inverted state or the like. The syringe 12 washed in the washing machine 22 is
Subsequently, it is sent to the silicon coating device 24. In the silicon coating device 24, the device is gripped by a handling device (not shown) to be in an inverted state (a state in which the injection needle mounting port 12 a faces upward), and is first moved above the draining air nozzle. Here, when the injection cylinder 12 is lowered or the air nozzle is raised, the draining nozzle is inserted from the large-diameter opening 12d on the side of the flange 12c facing downward, and air is blown into the inside to perform the previous step. The remaining water is removed by the washing. Next, from the silicon injection nozzle which was moved above the silicon injection nozzle in the inverted state and similarly inserted into the inside of the injection cylinder 12,
Silicon is sprayed and applied to the inner wall surface. Thereafter, the nozzle is further moved above the blow-off air nozzle, and similarly, air is blown into the nozzle from the nozzle inserted into the syringe 12, and the silicon applied to the inner wall surface by the silicon spray nozzle is injected into the syringe. 12 is thinly stretched to be uniform over the entire inner surface. The injection cylinder 12 is designed to be delivered from the handling device on the introduction side to another handling device on the discharge side while the silicon coating is being performed. It is discharged onto a discharge conveyor 26 running on the side of the silicon coating device by a discharge handling device. Note that the silicon coating device 24 is not limited to the above configuration, and may have another configuration. On the discharge side conveyor 26, the carrier 10 for transporting the above-mentioned syringe barrels is continuously transported, and each syringe barrel 1 is in an inverted state in which silicon is applied (injection needle mounting). It is inserted into the transport carrier 10 with the opening 12a facing upward). Syringe 12
When the flange 12c is inserted downward into the carrier 10 in an inverted state, as shown in FIG.
1c (the lower end in FIG. 1)
Wide step 14 between the large-diameter hole 14c and the medium-diameter hole 14b
Since the injection cylinder 12 is supported on the e, it is transported in a stable state. As described above, the injection cylinder 12 housed in the transport carrier 10 in an inverted state is provided with the conveyor 28 arranged orthogonal to the downstream end of the discharge side conveyor 26.
Is carried into the tunnel type dry sterilizer 30 together with the transport carrier 10. The syringe 12 dried and sterilized by passing through the tunnel is transported by the carrier 10.
It is sent to the withdrawal reversing device 32 while being housed inside. In the extraction reversing device 32, the syringe 12 is gripped by a grip mechanism (not shown) or the like, and
And the tube 12 is turned upside down so that the injection needle mounting port 12a faces downward and the flange 12c side opening 12d faces upward. After being removed from the transport carrier 10,
The inverted syringe 12 is turned upright with the opening 12d on the side of the flange 12c facing upward, and is delivered to a rotary conveying means 34 such as a star wheel. This rotary conveying means 34
Then, the surface 12g of the inner side of the flange 12c (on the side of the cylindrical main body 12b) of the injection cylinder 12 is rotatably conveyed while being supported and suspended from below. The injection cylinder 12, which has been turned upright by the extraction reversing device 32 and delivered to the rotary transport means 34, is rotatably transported while being suspended while being supported by the lower surface 12g side of the flange 12c, and is subsequently transported. It is delivered to the rotary luer cap stopper device 36. In this luer cap tapping device 36, a luer cap supplied from a lure cap feeder (not shown) is plugged into the injection needle mounting port 12a facing downward. Subsequently, the next rotating conveyance means 38
And is sent to the rotary top cap stopper 40 in a suspended state. In the top cap stopper device 40, the top cap supplied from the top cap supply device (not shown) is connected to the injection needle mounting port 1.
It is plugged from the outside of the luer cap 2a. In the upright position, the lower surface 1 of the flange 12c
The luer cap and the top cap are sequentially plugged into the downwardly facing injection needle mounting port 12a while being rotatably transported in a suspended state with the 2g side being supported.
The injection cylinder 12 in which 2a is sealed is transferred to a rotary type insertion device 44 via the next rotary conveying means 42. The carrier 10 from which the syringe 12 has been extracted and emptied by the extraction reversing device 32 is conveyed below the syringe 12 to be processed while being rotationally conveyed. The injection cylinder 12 is inserted in an upright state into the empty carrier 10 conveyed below. FIG. 2 shows a case where such an injection cylinder 12 is inserted in the upright state into the carrier for transport.
The cylindrical main body 12b of the injection cylinder 12 and the injection needle mounting port 12a
Between the shoulders 12f of the carrier 10 and the medium-diameter hole 1
4b and the small-diameter hole 14a. The cylindrical main body 12b is held by being surrounded by the inner wall surface of the medium-diameter hole 14b with a slight gap therebetween. Therefore, the injection cylinder 12 is transported in an extremely stable state. The syringe 12 which has been re-inserted into the carrier 10 in an upright state is sent to a filling machine 50 via a rotary carrying means 46 and a carrying conveyor 48, and the filling nozzle of the filling machine 50 is moved upward. Flange 1c side opening 1
It is inserted from 2d and the inside is filled with a chemical solution. After the filling of the medicinal solution is completed, the injection cylinder 12 is then moved to another rotating and conveying means 5.
The gasket sent to the gasket tapping machine 54 through the nozzle 2 and supplied from a gasket feeder (not shown) is driven into the opening 12d on the upper flange 12c side. In this gasket tapper 54, a thin pin is inserted between the gasket and the inner wall of the syringe barrel 12 to provide a slight gap in order to release the air in the syringe barrel 12 when driving the gasket. It has become. The injection cylinder 12 having the gasket plugged in the opening 12d is further delivered to the conveyor 58 via the rotary conveying means 56 and carried into the vacuum plugging machine 60.
In the vacuum stopper 60, first, the inside of the vacuum chamber is set to a weak vacuum state, and the gasket is pushed out and removed once by the pressure difference between the syringe 12 and the inside of the vacuum chamber.
Next, the inside of the syringe 12 is evacuated by evacuating the inside of the vacuum chamber, and then stoppering is performed again. After that, the inside of the vacuum chamber is returned to the atmospheric pressure, so that the gasket is pressed into the vicinity of the level of the liquid medicine filled in the syringe 12. The syringe completed after the completion of the vacuum tapping is
After that, it is unloaded from the vacuum stopper 60 by the unloading conveyor 62 while being held and held in the carrier 10 for transport. At the downstream side of the carry-out conveyor 62, a syringe is taken out of the carrier 10 by a syringe take-out means (not shown). The removed syringe is sent to a post-process such as a plunger rod mounting device and a labeler. On the other hand, the transport carrier 10 from which the syringe has been taken out by the syringe take-out means and has become empty, is returned via the return conveyor 64 to the silicon coating apparatus 2.
4 is returned to the conveyor 26 that runs on the discharge side, and again, the handling mechanism (not shown) of the silicon coating device 24 causes the injection cylinder 12 having its inner surface coated with silicon in an inverted state to remain in the inverted state. Inserted. As described above, in the syringe manufacturing apparatus, the silicon coating step in the silicon coating apparatus 24 is performed in a state where the injection cylinder 12 is inverted, that is, the injection needle mounting port 12a.
With face up. Since the filling of the liquid medicine into the syringe 12 is performed in the upright state, that is, with the injection needle mounting port 12a facing downward and the large opening 12d on the flange 12c side facing upward, the first half process and the second half are performed. Must be inverted between the steps. Moreover,
Since the injection cylinder 12 is unstable and cannot be transported independently, it is necessary to insert and support it in the carrier when transporting and performing various processing steps. Therefore, in the above embodiment, one transport carrier 10 is configured to be able to be inserted even when the syringe barrel 12 is in the upright or inverted state, and the syringe barrel 12 is inverted in the first half process and the second half process. They are transported by the same transport carrier 10. Therefore, the cost is lower than when the syringe is transported using two types of carriers, the upright carrier and the inverted carrier, and the carrier 10 is easy to handle. In addition, when circulating and using two types of carriers, a circulation path having separate return conveyors and the like must be provided, and the manufacturing apparatus becomes complicated and large, and a large space is required. Although the cost was high, one type of carrier 10
, The erecting conveyance and the inverted conveyance are combined, so that only one circulation path including the return conveyor 64 and the like is required, the structure of the entire apparatus is simplified, and the apparatus is compact, so that the cost is reduced. In addition, a syringe can be manufactured efficiently. In the above-described embodiment, the flanged syringe 12 provided with a flange 12c on the outer periphery on the side of the opening 12d into which the plunger rod is fitted, and the carrier 10 which accommodates and transports the syringe 12 are described. Although the case where the syringe is manufactured using is described, it is not limited to such a syringe 12 and the carrier 10,
For example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, even a syringe barrel 112 without a flange is similarly accommodated and transported in one type of carrier 110 in two postures, an upright state and an inverted state. In the meantime, a syringe can be manufactured by performing processing such as filling and stoppering. In this example, the injection cylinder 112 has a cylindrical main body 112b, an injection needle mounting port 112a at both ends thereof, and an opening 112d into which a plunger rod is fitted. On the other hand, the carrier 110 has a small-diameter through-hole 114a on the bottom side into which the injection needle mounting port 112a of the injection cylinder 112 is loosely fitted, and the injection cylinder 112 above the small-diameter through-hole 114a.
And a large-diameter hole 114b having a diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical main body 112b. The cylinder 112 is inverted (see FIG. 4) and upright (see FIG. 5).
(See Reference). As described above, according to the present invention, in a device for manufacturing a syringe by applying silicon coating, drying sterilization, filling and other processes to the syringe, the syringe is accommodated. The carrier to be conveyed has a shape that can be held in two states: a state in which the injection needle mounting port of the syringe barrel is directed downward, and a state in which the injection needle mounting port is directed upward, and is dried and sterilized after the completion of the silicon coating step. Until the process, the syringe is held and transported with the injection needle mounting port facing upward, and thereafter, the processing is performed with the syringe barrel turned upside down and transported with the injection needle mounting port pointing downward. Accordingly, it is possible to perform a filling and stoppering process while accommodating and transporting the syringe barrel in the syringe manufacturing apparatus by using one type of transport carrier. Therefore, the number of carriers may be a half as compared with the case where two types of carriers are used, and the cost is low.
Moreover, handling of the carrier is easy. Further, the carrier transport path can be simplified as compared with the case where two types of carriers are used, and can be shortened as a whole. Further, the configuration of the manufacturing apparatus can be simplified, and the installation space is small and the space can be saved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which a syringe is inserted and supported in an inverted posture in a syringe carrier for use in a syringe manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the syringe is inserted and supported in an upright posture in the syringe transport carrier. FIG. 3 is a simplified plan view showing a configuration of a syringe manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which an injection cylinder having a different shape from the above embodiment is inserted and supported in an inverted posture in a carrier having a different configuration. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the injection cylinder of FIG. 4 is inserted and supported in an upright posture in the same carrier. [Description of Signs] 10 Carrier 12 for transporting syringe barrel 12 Syringe barrel 12a Injection needle attachment port 24 for syringe barrel Silicon coating device 30 Dry sterilizer 50 Filling machine

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-62-194866 (JP, A) JP-A-62-278137 (JP, A) JP-A-3-256903 (JP, A) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A61M 5/178 B67C 3/24

Claims (1)

(1) In a syringe manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a syringe by performing silicone coating, drying sterilization, filling, and other processes on the syringe, a carrier for accommodating and transporting the syringe. Has a shape that can be held in two states, that is, a state in which the injection needle mounting port of the injection cylinder is directed downward and a state in which the injection needle mounting port is directed upward. Syringe manufacturing characterized in that the syringe is held and transported with the injection needle mounting port facing upward, and thereafter, the processing is performed with the syringe barrel turned over and transported with the injection needle mounting port pointing downward. apparatus.