JP4681306B2 - Manufacturing method of eye drop container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an improvement in a method for producing an ophthalmic container used for a medical ophthalmic solution.

In medical ophthalmic solutions, it is necessary to control the amount of eye drops to a constant amount.
As a general ophthalmic container capable of controlling the amount of eye drops, an inner plug member of an injection-molded product is fitted and fixed to a cylindrical mouth portion of a molded container body. Forming a conical concave portion with a large bottom and a small-diameter injection hole that controls the amount of liquid droplets that are pushed out from the container main body through the inside and outside at the center of the bottom surface of the concave portion, and the container Screw an injection-molded product cap with a plug-like protrusion to seal the bottomed conical recess of the inner plug member in a fitted state to the male thread formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical mouth of the main unit. What you wear is widely used.

In the case of this eye drop container, due to the presence of a bottomed conical recess formed in the inner plug member and a small-diameter liquid injection hole penetratingly formed at the center of the bottom surface of the recess, the container body is pressed. Although a certain amount of liquid can always be reliably dripped, a mold for injection molding of each of the three members is required, and each member must be cleaned and sterilized, resulting in high manufacturing costs. Become.

On the other hand, an integrally molded container is used as a container capable of reducing the manufacturing cost and maintaining the function as an eye drop container . In this container, a male body formed on the outer peripheral surface on the front end side of a thermoplastic resin container body (commonly called a bottle pack-type container body) filled and sealed simultaneously with blow molding or vacuum molding. A cap, which is integrally formed with a needle-like protrusion for forming a liquid injection hole through the tip of the container body, is detachably screwed into the threaded portion, and tightened one step deeper than the normal closing position of the cap. The liquid injection hole is formed so as to penetrate through the tip of the container main body with the needle-like protrusion of the cap by screwing to the insertion side.

The bottle pack type ophthalmic container has an advantage that the manufacturing cost can be reduced as compared with an ophthalmic container using an injection-molded inner plug member, but the tip of the container main body is shaped like a needle of a cap. Since the liquid injection hole is formed while being pierced by the protrusion, the shape and size of the liquid injection hole will be uneven if the amount of screwing operation from the normally closed position to the tightening side is not performed properly. There is a possibility of causing fluctuations in the amount of droplets extruded from the main body.

  In addition, if the cap is excessively operated from the normal closing position to the tightening side after the liquid injection hole has been formed through the tip of the container body, the needle-like protrusions on the cap are required for each excessive tightening operation. The liquid injection hole will be expanded, and the amount of liquid droplets extruded from the container body may gradually increase.

For this reason, it is necessary to fully explain how to use the eye drop container. However, even if sufficient explanation is given, the cap may be perforated by screwing it appropriately into the tightening side, or the cap may be excessive. Therefore, it has been difficult to reliably avoid the erroneous use as described above.

The present invention was made in view of the circumstances described above, issues of that, without impairing the advantage in manufacturing cost is benefits of bottle pack type container body, the container body as the pressing operation is always a point that provides a method of manufacturing the eye drop container that can reliably instilled a certain amount of liquid.

A first characteristic configuration of the present invention is a manufacturing method of an eye drop container made of a thermoplastic material having a container body having a hollow cylindrical body and a liquid injection cylinder having a smaller outer diameter at the tip. Blow molding or vacuum forming the main body and simultaneously filling the container main body with a liquid, and then sealing, a step of heating the tip of the liquid injection cylinder, and a convex mold on the heated tip Is pressed from the container axial direction, the tip of the liquid injection cylinder is folded back to the inside of the container main body, the bottomed conical recess having a larger inner diameter toward the tip of the liquid injection cylinder, and the liquid injection A step of forming an annular space inside the cylindrical portion around the bottomed conical concave portion in a sealed state, and a step of forming a liquid injection hole in the bottom of the bottomed conical concave portion, It is in the point with.
According to the above characteristic configuration, a container body made of a thermoplastic material (bottle pack type container body) filled with a liquid in a sealed state simultaneously with molding by blow molding, vacuum molding or the like is used . heating the tip, while the sealed state to form the bottomed conical concave portion whose inner diameter as the front end side is pressed against the convex forming die from the container axis direction in the distal end portion becomes larger, the bottomed conical Since a liquid injection hole is formed in the bottom of the concave portion, the number of molds for manufacturing the container body is smaller than that of an eye drop container using an injection-molded inner plug member, and a conical shape with a bottom Due to the presence of the concave portion and the small-diameter liquid injection hole, a constant amount of liquid can always be surely dripped and administered as the container body is pressed.
Therefore, it is only necessary to form a bottomed conical recess and a small-diameter liquid injection hole at the front end portion of the bottle pack type container main body so that the inner plug function is exhibited. Thus, a certain amount of liquid can always be reliably dripped and administered without impairing the superiority in manufacturing cost .

The second characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the liquid injection hole is formed by penetrating a needle-shaped mold from the container axial direction at the bottom of the conical recess having a bottom.

The third characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the needle-shaped mold has a diameter of 0.4 to 0.6 mm.
In other words, the liquid injection hole is preferably small, but if it is too small, it is technically difficult, so it is formed using a needle in the range of φ0.4 mm to φ0.6 mm.

A fourth characteristic configuration of the present invention is a manufacturing method of an eye drop container made of a thermoplastic material having a container main body provided with a hollow cylindrical body and a liquid injection cylinder having a smaller outer diameter at the tip. Blow molding or vacuum forming the container body, and simultaneously filling the container body with a liquid and then sealing it, heating the tip of the liquid injection cylinder, and forming the convex shape on the heated tip The mold is pressed from the container axial direction, the tip of the liquid injection cylinder is folded inside the container body, the inner diameter is larger toward the liquid injection cylinder, and the inner diameter of the tip is 2 to 4 mm. A bottomed conical recess having a length of 5 to 7 mm, and a step of forming an annular space around the bottomed conical recess inside the liquid injection cylinder portion in a sealed state; The needle-shaped molding having a diameter of 0.4 to 0.6 mm at the bottom of the bottomed conical recess The penetrating from container axis direction in point and forming a liquid injection hole.
That is, the depth of the concave portion is preferably as deep as possible, but is preferably in the range of 5 to 7 mm from the technical aspect such as yield and stable inner plug function. When the depth of the concave portion becomes smaller than an appropriate value, the tip of the concave portion, that is, the injection hole is covered with the liquid accumulated by the surface tension in the annular space (liquid reservoir) formed around the concave portion, There arises a problem that the liquid in the liquid pool jumps out through the liquid injection hole by the pressure generated when the container is held by hand. Further, if the depth of the concave portion is larger than an appropriate value, a defect such as a crack in the concave portion is likely to occur during the step of forming the concave portion.

A fifth characteristic configuration of the present invention is a method for producing an ophthalmic container made of polyethylene having a container body provided with a hollow cylindrical body and a liquid injection cylinder having a smaller outer diameter at the tip. A step of filling the container body with a liquid at the same time as blow molding or vacuum forming, and a step of heating the tip of the liquid injection cylinder to 70 to 150 ° C., and a step of heating the tip The convex mold is pressed from the container axial direction, the tip of the liquid injection cylinder is folded back inside the container body, the inner diameter is larger toward the tip, the inner diameter of the tip is 2 to 4 mm, and the depth A bottomed conical recess having a diameter of 5 to 7 mm, and a step of forming an annular space around the bottomed conical recess inside the liquid injection cylinder portion in a sealed state; The bottom of the bottomed conical recess has a diameter of 0.4 to 0.6 mm. The Jo mold through the container axis direction is in that a step of forming a small-diameter instilling hole.
According to the above characteristic configuration, the front end portion of the container body using a polyethylene container body (bottle pack type container body) filled with a liquid in a sealed state simultaneously with molding by blow molding, vacuum molding, or the like Is heated to 70 to 150 ° C., and in the sealed state, a convex mold is pressed against the tip from the container axial direction to form a bottomed conical recess whose inner diameter increases toward the tip. Since the liquid injection hole is formed by penetrating the needle-shaped mold from the container axial direction at the bottom of the bottomed conical recess, the container body is manufactured as compared with the eye drop container using the injection-molded inner plug member. As a result, a small amount of mold is required, and the presence of the bottomed conical recess and the small-diameter liquid injection hole ensures that a constant amount of liquid can always be dripped and administered as the container body is pressed. .
Therefore, it is only necessary to form a bottomed conical recess and a small-diameter liquid injection hole at the front end portion of the bottle pack type container main body so that the inner plug function is exhibited. Thus, a certain amount of liquid can always be reliably dripped and administered without impairing the superiority in manufacturing cost.
The depth of the recess is preferably as deep as possible, but is preferably in the range of 5 to 7 mm from the technical aspect of obtaining a yield and a stable inner plug function. When the depth of the concave portion becomes smaller than an appropriate value, the tip of the concave portion, that is, the injection hole is covered with the liquid accumulated by the surface tension in the annular space (liquid reservoir) formed around the concave portion, There arises a problem that the liquid in the liquid pool jumps out through the liquid injection hole due to the pressure generated when the container is held by hand. Further, if the depth of the concave portion is larger than an appropriate value, a defect such as a crack in the concave portion is likely to occur during the step of forming the concave portion.
Further, the liquid injection hole is preferably small, but if it is too small, it becomes technically difficult. Therefore, the liquid injection hole is formed using a needle in the range of φ0.4 mm to φ0.6 mm.

A sixth characteristic configuration of the present invention is that a step of forming an outer peripheral surface with a molding die having a bowl-shaped molding surface in the liquid injection cylinder portion at the time of molding with the convex molding die.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 shows an eye drop container of the present invention mainly used for medical purposes, and a container main body A made of a flexible thermoplastic material filled with a predetermined amount of a chemical solution simultaneously with blow molding or vacuum molding, and the container It comprises a cap B that is detachably screwed into a male screw portion 5a formed on the outer peripheral surface of the screw cylinder portion 5 of the main body A.

  The container body A includes a circular bottom 1 bent inward, a hollow cylindrical body 2 continuous to the periphery of the container body A, a cylindrical neck 3 continuous to the shoulder 2a of the body 2, An annular stepped portion 4 that bulges outward in the diametrical direction from an upper position of the neck portion 3, a screw cylinder portion 5 having a male screw portion 5a continuous on the upper side thereof, and a liquid injection port 6a continuous on the upper side thereof In addition to the liquid injection cylinder part 6 provided with the above, each of the two parts in the circumferential direction of the neck part 3 and facing each other across the container axis X extends along the container axis X direction. A plate-like rib 3a is integrally formed.

  The liquid injection cylinder portion 6 of the container body A is formed with a bottomed conical concave portion 6b whose inner diameter increases toward the liquid injection port 6a. The bottom of the concave portion 6b has a fingertip of the barrel portion 2 on the bottom surface. A small-diameter liquid injection hole 6c is formed that can control the amount of droplets extruded from the container main body A to a set amount in accordance with the pressing operation.

The depth of the recess 6b is in the range of 2 to 7 mm, preferably in the range of 5 to 7 mm, and most preferably 6 mm, and the diameter (mouth diameter) of the liquid injection port 6a is the liquidity (surface The tension is adjusted within the range of φ2.0 mm to φ4.0 mm according to the tension and viscosity.
In order to make the amount of one drop constant (adjusted within the range of 25 to 50 microliters per drop according to the purpose), in the case of liquidity with a large surface tension, the diameter of the liquid injection port 6a is reduced, When the surface tension is small, the diameter of the liquid injection port 6a is increased.

  Further, the liquid injection hole 6c is formed using a needle having a diameter in the range of φ0.1 mm to φ0.8 mm. The diameter of the needle is preferably small, and is most preferably about φ0.2 mm. However, if it is too small, it becomes technically difficult, so in practice, a needle in the range of φ0.4 mm to φ0.6 mm is used.

  Examples of the thermoplastic material that is a constituent material of the container body A include polyethylene, polyethylene-polypropylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, and the like. The cap B is screwed into the male thread portion 5a of the container body A. When combined, a plug-like projection 8 is integrally formed so as to be fitted into the recess 6b of the container body A and sealed.

Since the manufacturing method of the container main body A before the said recessed part 6b and the injection hole 6c are formed is known in the said technical field, it demonstrates easily.
As shown in FIG. 2 (a), a pair of main molding dies 11 having a first cavity 10 for molding a portion in a range from the annular step 4 to the bottom 1 of the container body A, and a container Extruder head disposed above the pair of sub-molding dies 13 having the second cavity 12 for forming the screw cylinder part 5 and the liquid injection cylinder part 6 of the main body A in an opened state. 14, a barison 15 having a predetermined length, which is an elongated hollow tube-like semi-molten thermoplastic material, is extruded along the vertical direction between the molds 11 and 13.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the main molding die 11 is closed and operated, and the ballison 15 is moved along the molding surface 11a of the main molding die 11 by blowing air or vacuuming. Mold while inflating. In this state, as shown in FIG. 2C, a predetermined amount of liquid (chemical solution) is filled from the drug supply pipe 16.
When this liquid filling step is completed, as shown in FIG. 2 (2), the sub-molding mold 13 is closed and operated, and the molding surface 13a of the sub-molding mold 13 is blown by compressed air blowing action or vacuum action. The ballison 15 is molded while being expanded along with it, and the filled liquid is sealed (enclosed) simultaneously with the molding.

Next, a two- type manufacturing method for forming a bottomed conical recess 6b and a small-diameter injection hole 6c in the injection cylinder 6 which is the tip of the container body A blow-molded or vacuum-formed as described above. Each will be explained. [First Method Manufacturing Method]
In the manufacturing method of the first method shown in FIGS. 3 (a) to 3 (d), a metal convex mold 20 for forming the bottomed conical recess 6b and a metal for forming the liquid injection hole 6c. The needle-shaped mold 21 is used.
The convex mold 20 has a cone-shaped projection 20B that molds a conical recess 6b with a bottom and a bowl-shaped mold that molds the outer peripheral surface of the liquid injection cylinder 6 of the container body A at the tip of the mounting shaft 20A. The needle-shaped mold 21 is formed with a needle-shaped projection 21B that forms a small-diameter liquid injection hole 6c at the tip of the mounting shaft 21A. Formed and configured.

In the manufacturing method of the first method, as shown in FIG. 3A, a part of the liquid injection cylinder portion 6 which is the tip portion of the container main body A is replaced with a first air or halogen lamp, a laser beam or the like. Heat to 70 ° C. to 150 ° C. with heating means C. The heating temperature depends on the material and shape of the container body A, but is preferably a temperature at which the tip of the container body A softens slightly.
In the case where the thermoplastic material of the container body A is a soft resin material such as polyethylene, the tip portion will buckle unless heated, so that at least the portion molded by the convex mold 20 is the first before molding. The heating means C needs to be heated to a temperature that does not buckle .

Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, the convex mold 20 is moved in the container axis X direction while a part of the liquid injection cylinder 6 of the container main body A heated by the first heating means C is not cooled. To the liquid injection cylinder portion 6 of the container main body A, a bottomed conical recess 6b having an inner diameter that increases toward the liquid injection port 6a is formed.
At this time, the burr at the time of blow molding protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the liquid injection cylinder portion 6 of the container main body A can be removed by the flange-shaped molding surface 20C of the convex mold 20.

The convex mold 20 itself is temperature controlled in the range of room temperature to 150 ° C. in accordance with the shape and thickness of the liquid injection cylinder portion 6 of the container body A to be molded. Considering the cooling and solidification of the tip of the liquid injection cylinder 6 as the heating temperature, a temperature as low as possible is desirable.
The convex mold 20 can be easily exchanged according to the liquidity of the liquid to be filled.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D, the needle-shaped mold 21 is placed on the container axis X with respect to the center position of the bottom surface of the recess 6b formed in the liquid injection cylinder 6 of the container main body A. A small-diameter liquid injection hole 6c is formed which can be pressed from the direction and the amount of droplets pushed out from the container main body A can be controlled to a set amount in accordance with the pressing operation by the fingertip of the body portion 2.
In the step of forming the liquid injection hole 6c by the needle-shaped protrusion 21B of the needle-shaped mold 21, a method of working the needle-shaped protrusion 21B with room temperature and a method of working after heating the needle-shaped protrusion 21B are proposed. The The method to be adopted is selected in accordance with the shape of the liquid injection hole 6c to be formed, the shape of the recess 6b, and other conditions such as the shape and material of the container and the manufacturing cost. As the heating temperature when heating is required, the temperature at which the resin of the container material melts at least the needle-like protrusions 21B of the needle-like mold 21 is preferably in the range of 130 ° C to 180 ° C.

The needle-shaped mold 21 is heated by the second heating means D such as high-frequency induction heating, a halogen lamp, or hot air. The mounting shaft 21A that is the root of the needle-shaped mold 21 is cooled by a water jacket, compressed air, or the like. Cooling is performed by means E.
When the needle-shaped mold 21 is cooled to a predetermined temperature, the needle-shaped mold 21 is extracted from the liquid injection cylinder portion 6 of the container main body A formed in a predetermined shape along the container axis X direction. .

  The needle-shaped mold 21 may be subjected to surface treatment such as plating, fluororesin coating, or special plating in order to improve the releasability and releasability of the resin. This surface treatment should be able to withstand high temperatures and not easily peel off.

[Second Method Manufacturing Method]
In the manufacturing method of the second system shown in FIGS. 4 (a) to 4 (d), similarly to the first system, the metal convex mold 20 for forming the bottomed conical recess 6b and the liquid injection hole. A metal needle mold 21 that forms 6c is used.
The convex molding die 20 is configured by forming only a conical molding projection 20B for molding the bottomed conical concave portion 6b at the tip of the mounting shaft 20A. The needle-shaped projection 21B that forms a small-diameter liquid injection hole 6c at the tip of the mounting shaft 21A and the hook-shaped (bell-shaped) molding surface 21C that molds the outer peripheral surface of the liquid injection cylinder 6 of the container body A Further, the base portion 21b of the needle-shaped projection 21B is formed in a conical shape along the recess 6b formed by the cone-shaped projection 20B.

  In the first method, as shown in FIG. 3B, the burr at the time of blow molding protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the liquid injection cylinder portion 6 of the container body A is removed at the time of molding by the convex mold 20. In this second method, as shown in FIG. 4 (c), the burrs at the time of blow molding projecting from the outer peripheral surface of the liquid injection cylinder portion 6 of the container body A during molding by the needle mold 21 are formed. The configuration other than that is the same as that of the first method.

Next, a manufacturing machine used in the manufacturing method of the first method to the second method will be described. As shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 10 , a transport supply means F for mounting and transporting a large number of blown or vacuum formed container main bodies A along a straight supply path; Container feeding means G for conveying the container main body A that has been conveyed along the arc-shaped feeding path from the top, and the shoulder of the container main body A that has been fed from the container feeding means G or its A sandwiching transfer means H for transporting along the arcuate sandwiching and transporting path in a state where the vicinity of the container main body A is sandwiched and prevented from moving in the horizontal direction and at least downward, and the arcuate sandwiching of the sandwiching transporting means H Container sending means J is provided for receiving the processed container main body A transferred along the transfer path and transferring it along the arc-shaped sending path.

Further, the container feeding means G is provided with a first heating means C for heating a part of the liquid injection cylinder portion 6 which is a tip portion of the container main body A, and the holding and conveying means H includes The convex mold 20 or the needle-shaped mold 21 that is selectively attached to the tip of the container body A that is held and transferred by the holding and transferring means H is set at the standby position and the molding position. Of the container main body A that is held and transferred by the pair of holding claws of the holding and transferring means H from the container axis X direction with respect to the tip side portion protruding from the pair of holding claws. Centering means L that is switched between an externally fitted state and a detached standby state is provided, and a needle-like mold that is a mold is disposed in the middle of the arc-shaped pinch transfer path of the pinch transfer means H. 2 1 is an example of a second heating means for heating the high-frequency induction heating means D It is provided.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the transport supply means F is a drive sprocket (see FIG. 5) that is rotatable around a horizontal axis linked to an electric motor 26 at both longitudinal ends of a transport frame 25 attached to the machine frame 24. And a driven sprocket (not shown) that is rotatable around the horizontal axis, and winds an endless carrier 29 that carries and transports a large number of container main bodies A across the sprockets. A pair of left and right conveyance guide plates 30 for conveying and guiding the container main body A on the endless conveyance body 29 are provided.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the container feeding means G is connected to the outer peripheral edge portion of the drive rotating plate 34 driven and rotated around the longitudinal axis in conjunction with the electric motor 33 from the transport supply means F. A plurality of concave holding portions 35 in which the leading container body A to be fed is held in are formed at a constant pitch along the circumferential direction, and the bottom portion of the container body A held in each holding portion 35 A mounting guide plate 36 that receives and guides the transfer and a transfer guide 37 that prevents the container main body A held in each holding portion 35 from moving out in the rotational radial direction outward are provided. .

Wherein the first heating means C, be one that is used during the production of the first type and second type described above, it is configured as follows.
That is, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 , portions of the drive rotating plate 34 of the container feeding means G corresponding to the holding portions 35 (only one place is simplified in the drawing). The compression coil spring 41 lowers the elevating frame 40 provided with a pair of elevating guide shafts 40 a and 40 b that slide in the vertical direction along a pair of through holes 34 a formed through the drive rotating plate 34. And is attached to the upper portion of each lifting frame 40 from the container axis X direction with respect to the base side portion of the liquid injection cylinder portion 6 of the container main body A held by the holding portion 35. A heat shield plate 42 that can be freely fitted is attached.

  Further, the support member 44 on the machine frame 24 side corresponding to the rotational movement locus of the roller 43 provided in the lower part of each lifting frame 40 has a container from the container supply position of the conveyance supply means F to the holding and transfer means H. When transported to and delivered to the delivery position, the heat shield plate 42 is lowered to a heat shielding action posture that is fitted around the base portion of the liquid injection cylinder 6 of the container body A, and the container is supplied from the container delivery position. A cam member 45 that lifts the heat shield plate 42 to a stand-by position spaced upward is resisted against the elastic restoring force of the compression coil spring 41 when being returned to the position.

  Further, in each of the portions corresponding to the holding portions 35 of the drive rotating plate 34 of the container feeding means G, the liquid injection cylinder portion 6 which is the tip portion of the container main body A held by the holding portions 35 is provided. A hot air supply pipe 46 for supplying hot air of 200 ° C. to 500 ° C. is provided to the top of the.

As shown in FIGS. 5 , 7 , and 9 , the pinch transfer means H is an outer peripheral edge portion of a driving rotary plate 51 that is driven and rotated around the longitudinal axis in conjunction with the electric motor 50, and the rotation thereof. In each of a plurality of locations (only one location is simplified in the drawing) separated by a predetermined interval in the direction, a pair of rotatable about a longitudinal axis parallel to the rotational axis of the drive rotating plate 51 The operation shaft 42 is supported, and the upper end portions of both operation shafts 42 are provided with a semicircular arc-shaped holding surface 53a for holding the neck portion 3 as an annular groove portion of the container body A in a fitted state from the horizontal direction. A pair of gripping claws 43 are attached, and a gear 54 that meshes with each other is fitted and fixed to both the operating shafts 42, and an operating arm 55 and a drive rotary plate that are fixed to the lower end of one operating shaft 42. Fluid that opens and closes the pair of gripping claws 43 between the side 51 and the side It is bridged Linda 56.

  Further, the mounting slide guide plate 57 that slides and guides the bottom 1 of the container main body A to be held and transferred to the both holding claws 43 in a mounted state, and the container main body A to be held and transferred to the both holding claws 43. A transfer guide member 58 is provided to prevent the outward movement in the radial direction of the rotation.

When the neck 3 of the container main body A is held by the pair of holding claws 43, the container main body A is prevented from moving in the horizontal direction and at least downward. in conjunction with centering accuracy between the convex forming die 20 or needle-like forming die 2 1 is Tsukegae freely mounted becomes higher, due to the elastic deformation in the container axis X direction of the container body a caused by the pressing of the mold It is possible to suppress a decrease in processing accuracy of the bottomed conical recess 6b and the small-diameter liquid injection hole 6c.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , the switching means K is provided at each of a plurality of locations corresponding to the both holding claws 43 of the drive rotating plate 51 (only one location is shown in the drawing for simplification). The movable frame 60 that is reciprocally moved in the rotational radius direction and the vertical direction is disposed, and shaft attachment ports that open downward are provided at two locations in the rotational radius direction of the distal end side mounting portion 60A of the movable frame 60. The two holder cylinder shafts 62 provided are detachably attached via nuts 63, and the attachment shaft 20A of the convex mold 20 or the needle-shaped mold 21 is attached to the shaft mounting opening of each holder cylinder shaft 62. A nut 61 for selectively holding the mounting shaft 22A of the mounting shaft 21A is selectively screwed.
Further, the elevating block 64 that slidably holds the two horizontal slide shafts 60B of the movable frame 60 includes two vertical slide shafts having different lengths that slide up and down with respect to the drive rotating plate 51. 65, 66 are extended downward, and the lower end portion of the long vertical slide shaft 65 is connected to a lift connecting body 67 slidable along a pair of lift guide shafts 68 provided on the machine frame 24. At the same time, a screw shaft 70 screwed into the center position in the width direction of the elevating connection body 67 is interlocked with an electric motor 69 fixed to the machine frame 24, and is further movable relative to the elevating block 64. A fluid pressure cylinder 71 that slides 60 in the rotational radius direction is attached to the drive rotating plate 51.

Of the two holder cylinder shafts 62, the axis of the first holder cylinder shaft 62 on the short side located inward in the rotational radius direction matches the axis X of the container body A held by the pair of holding claws 43. When the convex mold 20 or the needle mold 21 that is selectively mounted on the second holder cylinder shaft 62 on the long side located inward in the rotational radius direction is operated for molding. The fluid pressure cylinder 71 is controlled to slide to a position where the axis of the second holder cylinder shaft 62 matches the axis X of the container body A held by the pair of holding claws 43.

When the convex mold 20 or the needle mold 21 selectively attached to the holder cylinder shafts 62 is molded, the electric motor 69 is driven to control the movable frame 60 by a predetermined amount. The mold is lowered and the mold is switched from the standby position to the molding position.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 10 , the centering means L is clamped by a pair of clamping claws 43 on the upper part of a movable cylindrical body 75 which is externally slidably moved along the vertical slide shafts 65 and 66. A centering annular body 76 in which a fitting hole 76a is formed to be fitted from the container axis X direction to the screw cylinder portion 5 of the container body A is attached, and the movable cylindrical body 75 and the machine frame 24 side are attached. A fluid pressure cylinder 77 for switching the centering annular body 76 between a centering position where the centering annular body 76 is fitted to the threaded cylindrical portion 5 of the container main body A and a standby position spaced upward is attached.

Wherein the each of the two holder tubular shaft 62, as shown in FIG. 10 (b), the water jacket 80 is formed which constitutes the cooling means E, a water supply connection pipe for supplying the cooling water to the water jacket 80 81 and a drain connection pipe 82 for discharging the cooling water in the water jacket 80 are provided.

  As described above, the container body A, which is filled with the liquid in a sealed state at the same time as the molding, is gripped at or near the shoulder, and the container body A is prevented from moving in the horizontal direction and at least downward. A convex mold 20 that molds the concave portion 6b and the liquid injection hole 6c are formed on the gripping and transporting means H that transports along the path and the tip of the container body A that is gripped and transported by the gripping and transporting means H. When the switching means K for switching the needle-shaped mold 21 to be formed between the standby position and the molding position is provided, the following operations and effects are achieved.

  That is, a container body A (bottle pack type container body) made of a thermoplastic material filled with a liquid in a sealed state at the same time as molding by blow molding or vacuum molding is used. The bottomed conical recess 6b having a larger inner diameter on the tip side and the small-diameter injection hole 6c for controlling the amount of droplets extruded from the container body A to a set amount are directly formed. Compared to an eye drop container using an injection-molded inner stopper member, there are fewer molds for manufacturing the container body, and due to the presence of the bottomed conical recess 6b and the small-diameter injection hole 6c, A constant amount of liquid can always be reliably administered dropwise as the container body A is pressed.

  In addition, the convex mold 20 and the needle mold 21 are switched from the standby position to the molding position with respect to the front end portion of the container main body A which is held and transferred by the holding and transferring means H, thereby forming a conical shape with a bottom. When forming the concave portion 6b and the small-diameter liquid injection hole 6c, the shoulder portion of the container body A or the vicinity thereof is gripped by the gripping transfer means H to prevent the container body A from moving horizontally and at least downward. Therefore, the centering accuracy between the container body A and the convex mold 20 and the needle mold 21 is increased, and the bottomed conical recess 6b caused by the elastic deformation of the container body A in the container axis X direction. And the fall of the processing precision of the small diameter injection hole 6c can be suppressed.

  Accordingly, a bottle pack type container is provided while improving the processing accuracy of the bottomed conical recess 6b and the liquid injection hole 6c for reliably dropping and dispensing a constant amount of liquid as the container body A is pressed. The reduction in manufacturing cost, which is an advantage of the main body A, can be further promoted.

  Further, as described above, in the container main body A which is held and transferred by the holding claw 53 of the holding and transferring means H, the state where the container main body A is externally fitted from the container axis X direction and detached from the tip side portion protruding from the holding claw 53. When the centering means L that is switched to the standby state is provided, the following operations and effects are achieved.

  That is, the container body A and the convex shape are formed by externally fitting the centering means L from the container axis X direction to the distal end side portion of the container body A held by the holding claws 53 of the holding transfer means H. The centering accuracy between the mold 20 and the needle-shaped mold 21 is further increased, and the bottomed conical recess 6b and the liquid injection for reliably injecting a constant amount of liquid as the container body A is pressed. Improvement of the processing accuracy of the hole 6c can be promoted.

  Further, as described above, when the high frequency induction heating means D for heating the mold is provided in the middle of the holding transfer path of the holding transfer means H, the container main body A is continuously moved by the holding transfer means H. The high frequency induction heating means D provided in the middle of the transfer path can be used to rapidly heat the mold to the set heating temperature while promoting the improvement in manufacturing efficiency and processing accuracy. Further improvements can be made.

Sectional front view showing the eye drop container of the present invention (I) to (d) are molding process diagrams by blow molding or vacuum molding of the container body. (A)-(d) is process explanatory drawing which shows the manufacturing method by a 1st system. (A)-(d) are process explanatory drawing which shows the manufacturing method by a 2nd system. Schematic plan view showing an eye dropper manufacturing machine Enlarged cross-sectional view of container feeding means Enlarged sectional view of the gripping transfer means, switching means, and centering means Enlarged view of the main part of the switching means Nail claw drive system diagram (A)-(c) is an expanded sectional view of the principal part which shows the manufacturing process by the 1st system.

A Container body B Cap H Holding / transfer means K Switching means L Centering means X Container shaft core 5a Screw part (male thread part)
6b Concave part 6c Injection hole 20 Convex mold 21 Needle mold 53 Holding nail

Claims (6)

A method for producing an ophthalmic container made of a thermoplastic material having a container body having a hollow cylindrical body and a liquid injection cylinder having a smaller outer diameter at the tip,
The container body is blown or vacuum formed and simultaneously filled with liquid in the container body and then sealed,
Heating the tip of the liquid injection cylinder,
A convex mold is pressed against the heated tip from the container axial direction, the tip of the liquid injection cylinder is folded back to the inside of the container body, and the inner diameter is larger toward the tip of the liquid injection cylinder. A step of forming an annular space in a sealed state in a bottom conical recess, and around the bottomed conical recess in the liquid injection cylinder portion;
And a step of forming a liquid injection hole in the bottom of the bottomed conical recess. The method for producing an eye drop container according to claim 1, wherein the liquid injection hole is formed by penetrating a needle-shaped mold from the container axial direction at the bottom of the bottomed conical recess. The method for producing an eye drop container according to claim 2, wherein the needle-shaped mold has a diameter of 0.4 to 0.6 mm. A method for producing an ophthalmic container made of a thermoplastic material having a container body having a hollow cylindrical body and a liquid injection cylinder having a smaller outer diameter at the tip,
The container body is blown or vacuum formed and simultaneously filled with liquid in the container body and then sealed,
Heating the tip of the liquid injection cylinder,
A convex mold is pressed against the heated tip from the container axial direction, the tip of the liquid injection cylinder is folded back to the inside of the container body, the inner diameter is larger toward the tip of the liquid injection cylinder, and the tip A bottomed conical recess having an inner diameter of 2 to 4 mm and a depth of 5 to 7 mm, and an annular space around the bottomed conical recess inside the liquid injection cylinder Forming in a sealed state; and
And a step of forming a liquid injection hole by penetrating a needle-shaped mold having a diameter of 0.4 to 0.6 mm at the bottom of the bottomed conical recess from the container axial direction. . A method for producing an ophthalmic container made of polyethylene having a container body with a hollow cylindrical body and a liquid injection cylinder having a smaller outer diameter at the tip,
The container body is blown or vacuum formed and simultaneously filled with liquid in the container body and then sealed,
Heating the tip of the liquid injection cylinder to 70 to 150 ° C .;
A convex mold is pressed against the heated tip from the container axial direction, the tip of the liquid injection cylinder is folded back to the inside of the container body, the inner diameter is larger toward the tip, and the inner diameter of the tip is 2 A bottomed conical recess having a depth of 5 to 7 mm, and an annular space around the bottomed conical recess inside the liquid injection cylinder, Forming as it is,
And a step of forming a liquid injection hole by penetrating a needle-shaped mold having a diameter of 0.4 to 0.6 mm at the bottom of the bottomed conical recess from the container axial direction. . The ophthalmic container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a step of forming an outer peripheral surface with a molding die having a bowl-shaped molding surface in the liquid injection cylinder portion during molding by the convex molding die. Manufacturing method.

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