JP5638351B2 - Resin drying apparatus and resin drying method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technique for drying a molding material such as granular, powdery or pellet-shaped resin, and relates to, for example, a resin drying apparatus and a resin drying method having a structure in which a resin is stratified in a treatment tank.

  In resin molding such as injection molding, a granular, powdery or pellet-shaped resin is used as a molding material. If moisture adheres to the resin, the moisture causes a change in color tone or the like in the molded product, causing defective molding. For this reason, resin drying before molding is indispensable for improving product quality and improving yield. For example, low-temperature drying in which the molding material is heated under reduced pressure is used for this resin drying.

With respect to this resin drying, there is known one in which a plurality of heater units are installed and conduction heat is added to the resin from each heater unit (for example, Patent Document 1). The hopper body loaded with the resin is divided into a base part and a cylinder container, and by connecting the base part and the cylinder container with a hinge part, the cylinder container is tilted around the hinge part, and the base part is A structure that can be opened is known (for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2001-322119 A JP 2004-144313 A

  By the way, in a large-sized apparatus that performs a large amount of drying treatment, the diameter of the drying treatment tank and the length (height) in the axial direction increase. The stratification guide installed in the treatment tank holds the resin in the treatment tank in a stratified state, but it is necessary to place the tip of the resin at the center of the treatment tank in order to allow the resin to flow out uniformly when the resin is discharged. . If the treatment tank becomes longer in the axial direction, advanced assembly technology is required for positioning and welding the stratification holding guide at the center of the treatment tank. Further, if the diameter of the treatment tank is increased, it is necessary to redesign the number of heater units installed.

  The stratification holding guide is installed at the center of the processing tank in order to hold the resin material in a stratified state and first in and out of the resin, and is supported by the lid of the processing tank via a heater unit that heats the resin. For so-called material change to change the heating resin and maintenance of the processing tank, the heater unit and the stratification holding guide are raised and pulled out of the processing tank, and maintained at the raised position to clean and check the heater unit and stratification holding guide, Parts replacement etc. are performed.

  The longer the treatment tank, the longer the heater unit that supports the stratification holding guide. If the stratification holding guide supported by the lid of the treatment tank via the heater unit is not maintained in the vertical direction from the lid, there may be a deviation from the center of the discharge outlet of the treatment tank. . If there is a bias in the gap between the inner wall surface of the treatment tank and the stratification holding guide, a large amount of material flows on the wide gap side, resulting in a bias in the uniform resin flow and the resin stratification state. In order to prevent such an inconvenience, it is necessary to improve component accuracy and installation accuracy such as vertical maintenance and processing accuracy of the heater unit including the stratification holding guide. Achieving such accuracy is costly.

  In the configuration in which the stratification holding guide is separated from the heater unit, it is necessary to take out the stratification holding guide from the processing tank after the heater unit is raised and pulled out from the processing tank in maintenance such as material change and cleaning. Even if a take-out jig is used, it is deep in a large-capacity treatment tank, and it is very troublesome to take out the stratification holding guide.

  Further, in the structure in which the treatment tank is divided into the base part and the cylinder container, the stratification holding guide on the base part side can be easily taken out if the treatment tank is separated into the base part and the cylinder container as necessary. On the other hand, the number of parts of the processing tank increases due to the equipment for maintaining airtightness and the open / close structure.

  With respect to such a problem, Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not disclose or suggest the problem, and do not disclose or suggest a configuration for solving the problem.

  Therefore, an object of the resin drying apparatus of the present invention is to improve assemblability and maintainability.

Another object of the resin drying apparatus of the present invention is to increase the capacity of resin drying.

The resin drying apparatus of the present invention that achieves the above object is provided with a processing tank having a resin loaded therein and having a discharge port in a bottom surface portion, a lid that opens and closes the processing tank, and a free joint provided, the processing tank a single or a plurality of the heater unit is installed within, a separate member and the heater unit, hanging with removal can be connected through the universal joint to the heater unit, supported by the processing tank And stratification means for maintaining the resin in the treatment tank in a stratified state.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the resin drying apparatus, preferably, the stratification means or the treatment tank is provided with a seating section, and the seating section positions and places the stratification means at the center of the discharge port. May be.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the resin drying apparatus, preferably, the heater unit supporting the stratification means may be installed in a central portion of the processing tank.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the resin drying apparatus, preferably, the heater unit is divided into a plurality of parts, and the stratification means is supported by a heater unit installed in the center of the treatment tank. Good.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the resin drying apparatus, preferably, the stratification means may be inserted into the treatment tank in a suspended state from the heater unit and installed at a predetermined position of the heater unit. .

  In order to achieve the above object, in the resin drying apparatus, preferably, the stratification means is pulled out from the processing tank while being suspended from the heater unit, and separated from the heater unit outside the processing tank. But you can.

In order to achieve the above object, in the resin drying apparatus, preferably, the stratification means includes a stratification part including an inclined surface part gradually approaching the conical wall part of the treatment tank from the upper side,
A cone that is gradually made smaller than the maximum width portion of the stratified portion set smaller than the inner diameter of the conical wall surface portion of the processing tank and sets an interval for allowing the resin to pass between the conical wall surface portion of the processing tank. May be provided.

Resin drying method of the present invention to achieve the above object, the stratification means is another member and a single or a plurality of the heater unit is installed in the treatment tank, the heater unit via a universal joint to the heater unit comprises Removably connected and suspended , and supporting the processing tank, and loading the resin into the processing tank, the resin in the processing tank is put into a stratified state by the stratification means installed in the processing tank Maintaining the step, depressurizing the treatment tank, drying the resin by heat generation of the heater unit, and maintaining the layer in a stratified state by the stratification means, And a process of discharging from the discharge port.

  According to the resin drying apparatus or the resin drying method of the present invention, any of the following effects can be obtained.

  (1) Since the stratification means is suspended from the heater unit, the stratification means can be maintained in a vertical state, and the stratification means can be positioned at the center of the discharge port of the processing tank.

  (2) In the stratification means maintained in the vertical state, the resin in the treatment tank can be maintained in the stratification state, and the resin in the stratification state can be uniformly discharged from the discharge port.

  (3) Even if the treatment tank is large and the treatment tank is deep, if the heater unit is lifted from the treatment tank, the stratification means can be pulled out in conjunction with it, so maintenance such as cleaning and parts replacement can be performed. It can be done easily. Maintenance costs can be reduced.

(4) Even if the treatment tank is enlarged, the stratification means is supported in a suspended state from the heater unit, so that the structure is simple and can be realized at low cost, and mass treatment of resin drying can be facilitated.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows an example of the processing tank part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the support structure of the heater unit of a cover part. It is a figure which shows an example of the support structure of a stratification guide. It is sectional drawing which shows the drawer state of a heater unit and a stratification guide. It is a figure which shows the drooping state and installation state of a stratification guide seeing from a front. It is a figure which shows the drooping state and installation state of a stratification guide seeing from a side surface. It is a figure which shows an example of the resin drying apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a control apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a process sequence. It is a figure which shows an example of the maintenance of the resin drying apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the support form of the stratification guide which concerns on other embodiment. It is a figure which shows the stratification guide which concerns on other embodiment.

[First Embodiment]

  1st Embodiment is disclosing the processing tank part of the resin drying apparatus. 1 and 2 will be referred to for this processing tank section. FIG. 1 shows an example of the processing tank section, and FIG. 2 shows an example of the heater unit support structure. The configurations shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are examples, and the present invention is not limited to such configurations.

  This processing tank 2 is an example of a processing tank section of the resin drying apparatus of the present invention, and is installed in a resin drying apparatus 4 (for example, FIG. 7) described later, and is a granular, powdery or pellet-shaped resin 6 (for example, FIG. 7) is a tank for drying under reduced pressure. As shown in FIG. 1, the treatment tank 2 has a body portion 8 and a conical bottom portion 10. The trunk | drum 8 is a cylindrical cylinder, for example, and the cone-shaped bottom part 10 comprises a cone-shaped bottom part. In the treatment tank 2 as an example, the body portion 8 and the conical bottom portion 10 are integrally formed of a metal material such as stainless steel.

  A flange portion 12 is formed on the upper portion of the body portion 8, and a lid portion 14 is installed on the upper surface of the flange portion 12. The lid portion 14 constitutes an opening / closing means for opening and closing the body portion 8 of the treatment tank 2. A standing wall portion 13 is provided at the periphery of the flange portion 12, and the lid portion 14 is positioned by the standing wall portion 13. The lid portion 14 is provided with a packing 16 which is an example of a sealing means, and the adhesion with the flange portion 12 is maintained by the packing 16. An inlet 18 for loading the resin 6 into the processing tank 2 is formed at the center of the lid 14, and an outlet 20 for discharging the dried resin 6 at the center of the conical bottom 10. Is formed.

  A first stratification guide 22 is installed on the lower surface side of the lid portion 14 as stratification generation means. The stratification guide 22 is a guide for generating a stratified state by causing the resin 6 introduced from the introduction port 18 to scatter radially to accumulate the resin 6 in the treatment tank 2. The stratification guide 22 shown in FIG. 1 includes a conical portion 24 and a cylindrical portion 26. The conical portion 24 has a conical surface that descends from the center of the introduction port 18 toward the inner wall side of the processing tank 2. The cylindrical portion 26 is the same diameter portion extended from the maximum diameter portion of the conical portion 24. For example, a plurality of brackets 28 are formed on the cylindrical portion 26 as fixing and supporting means, and the end portions of the brackets 28 are fixed around the introduction port 18 of the lid portion 14 by fixing means such as screws 29. . The cone portion 24 is positioned at the center of the introduction port 18 at the tip, and the central axis of the conical surface of the cone portion 24 is positioned at the center of the introduction port 18.

  A heater unit 30 is installed in the stratification guide 22 in the direction of the central axis of the treatment tank 2, and a plurality of heater units 32 are installed around the heater unit 30. The proximity interval between the heater unit 30 and the heater unit 32 and the proximity interval between the heater units 32 are set to the same interval or an approximate interval. The heater unit 30 is attached to the lid portion 14 via the stratification guide 22 and the bracket 28, whereas each heater unit 32 is directly connected to the lid portion 14 and surrounds the heater unit 30. . Each of the heater units 30 and 32 includes a heater pipe 34 at the center, and a plurality of radiating fins 36 around the heater pipe 34. For example, a heater section 38 such as a ceramic heater is installed in the heater pipe 34. Accordingly, the lid portion 14 constitutes a support means for supporting the stratification guide 22 and the heater units 30 and 32.

  Each heater unit 32 penetrates the heater pipe 34 through the lid portion 14 and is arranged at a predetermined angular interval concentrically with the introduction port 18 as shown in FIG. 2, for example. The upper portion of each heater pipe 34 is locked with a locking plate 40 disposed in the lid portion 14, and the locking plate 40 is fixed to the lid portion 14 with a wing nut 42, for example.

  And in the heater unit 30 arrange | positioned in the center of the processing tank 2, the upper end of each radiation fin 36 is being fixed to the cylindrical part 26 of the stratification guide 22, as shown in FIG. A suspension tool 44 is fixed to the lower end of the heater pipe 34 of the heater unit 30 as an example of a support member for the stratification means. The suspension tool 44 has a suspension hole 46, and the second stratification guide 50 is suspended from the suspension hole 46 via a suspension ring 48.

  The stratification guide 50 is an example of a stratification generation unit and a stratification holding unit of the resin 6 in the treatment tank 2. That is, when the resin 6 is loaded, the stratification guide 50 receives and scatters the resin 6 radially falling from the stratification guide 22 side on the upper side, and stratifies the resin 6 on the bottom side of the processing tank 2. For this reason, the portion of the stratification guide 50 that contacts the falling resin 6 is formed larger than the stratification guide 22. When the loading of the resin 6 is completed, the stratification guide 50 stacks the post-added resin 6 on the resin 6 previously added to the treatment tank 2 and maintains the stratified state according to the charging order. Further, when the resin 6 is discharged, the pre-filled resin 6 is discharged from the discharge port 20 without breaking the stratified state of the resin 6. That is, the stratification guide 50 enables stratification generation of the resin 6, stratification retention and first-in, and first-out resin discharge.

  In order to realize this function, the stratification guide 50 integrally includes, for example, an upper cone portion 52 as a first cone portion and a lower cone portion 54 as a second cone portion. The upper cone portion 52 is an inclined surface portion that gradually approaches the inner wall surface of the cone-shaped bottom portion 10 from the height position on the body portion 8 side of the treatment tank 2 from the upper side. The upper conical portion 52 is larger in diameter than the diameter of the cylindrical portion 26 of the stratification guide 22, and the inclination angle is steeper than that of the stratification guide 22. Further, the lower conical portion 54 is formed by an inclined surface portion that is gradually reduced in diameter from the maximum diameter portion of the conical portion 24, and a concentric cylindrical space 56 having the same width between the conical bottom portion 10 of the processing tank 2. Is set. This interval 56 constitutes a resin passage.

  A plurality of seats 58 are installed in the interval 56. In this embodiment, the seats 58 are radially formed on the lower cone portion 54 of the stratification guide 50 at predetermined angular intervals. Each seating portion 58 has the same width as the interval 56 described above, and the lower cone portion 54 of the stratification guide 50 is seated on the inner wall surface of the conical bottom portion 10 of the processing tank 2 while maintaining the interval 56 described above. Yes. In addition, the stratified guide 50 in the suspended state is positioned at a predetermined position in the processing tank 2, that is, at a horizontal position with the discharge port 20 as a center by providing the plurality of seating portions 58.

  The support structure of the stratification guide 50 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows the above-described support structure in an enlarged manner. FIG. 3A shows the suspension ring when viewed from the front, and FIG. 3B shows the side surface thereof.

  A screw portion 60 of the hanging tool 44 is fixed to the lower end of the heater pipe 34 of the heater unit 30, and a nut 62 for preventing loosening is attached to the screw portion 60. The suspension hole 46 is attached to the suspension ring 48 and is attached to the suspension hole 66 of the suspension tool 64 on the stratification guide 50 side. A stratification guide 50 is suspended and supported by the heater unit 30 by suspending tools 44 and 64 and a suspending ring 48. Therefore, the stratification guide 50 is suspended by the suspension ring 48 and is suspended, and can swing as indicated by broken lines A and B in FIG.

  With reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, the stratification guide 50 is pulled up and positioned. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the heater units 30 and 32 and the stratification guide 50 are pulled up. 5 and 6 show the positioning of the stratification guide.

  As described above, the stratification guide 50 suspended from the lid 14 together with the stratification guide 22 can be detached from the processing tank 2 together with the lid 14 as shown in FIG. That is, when the lid 14 is removed from the processing tank 2 and raised, the stratification guide 50 can be pulled out from the processing tank 2 together with the heater unit 30 supported by the lid 14, and cleaning, replacement of parts, etc. are performed outside the processing tank 2. Maintenance can be performed.

  Further, since the stratification guide 50 is a separate member from the heater unit 30 and is merely connected by the hanging ring 48, the stratification guide 50 drawn out from the processing tank is detached from the heater unit 30, and is cleaned and replaced. The maintenance such as the above can be performed, and the simplification thereof is achieved.

As shown in FIG. 4, the stratification guide 50 is suspended in a suspended state so as to be swingable by the heater unit 30 fixed to the lid portion 14 together with the stratification guide 22. For this reason, when installing in the processing tank 2, as shown to A of FIG. 5, even if the inclination of angle (theta) ₁ has arisen seeing from the front of the hanging ring 48, the centerline of the stratification guide 50 is made vertical by gravity. The state can be maintained, and the center of the discharge port 20 on the processing tank 2 side can be matched. Thereby, even if the lid 14 side is horizontally installed in the processing tank 2, for example, even if an error occurs in the verticality of the stratification guide 22 and the heater unit 30, as shown in FIG. The stratification guide 50 can be positioned and installed at a predetermined position of the treatment tank 2 where the degree is maintained.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6A, the center line of the stratification guide 50 can be maintained in a vertical state by gravity even when the angle θ ₂ is inclined when viewed from the side of the suspension ring 48, and the processing tank 2 side The center of the outlet 20 can be matched. That is, even if there is an error in the verticality of the stratification guide 22 or the heater unit 30, the stratification guide 50 is positioned at a predetermined position in the processing tank 2 as shown in FIG. 6B regardless of the vertical inclination direction. And can be installed.

  The features and advantages of the first embodiment are as follows.

  (1) Even if the heater unit 30 and the hanging tool 44 are deviated from the center of the discharge port 20, the stratified guide 50 in a suspended state that can swing can be positioned at the center of the discharge port 20 by receiving gravity. , Positioning and installation become easy. Even if the processing tank 2 becomes deep like a large machine, the horizontal position and the center position of the stratification guide 50 can be easily adjusted.

  (2) There is a restriction for adjusting the horizontal position and the center position of the stratification guide 50 and for attaching / detaching it in response to a request for forming the processing tank 2 deeply for processing of a large capacity and reducing the installation area. Therefore, the treatment tank 2 can be deepened, and a large-sized drying apparatus with a reduced installation area can be realized.

  (3) Even if the heater pipe 34 of the heater unit 30 is extended and lengthened, the stratification guide 50 can be installed by using the suspension ring 48 attached to the tip portion thereof. In the above embodiment, since the stratification guide 50 is configured separately from the heater unit 30 and a separate member, the heater unit 30 can be lengthened and can contribute to an increase in the capacity of the processing tank 2.

  (4) The stratification guide 50 configured as a stratification means for the resin 6 may be configured as a separate member from the heater unit 30 that is a heat dissipation means, and may be disposed at the center of the treatment tank 2. Can be This weight reduction can facilitate cleaning and maintenance.

  (5) In order to hang vertically from the lid 14 of the long heater unit 30, advanced processing technology and welding technology are required, but the stratification guide 50 is suspended by the suspension ring 48. The heater unit 30 does not need to be vertically integrated, and can be easily installed at the center of the discharge port of the processing tank 2 even if some welding displacement occurs. The suspending ring 48 can maintain the verticality of the stratification guide 50 separately from the heater unit 30.

  (6) The hanger 44 is screwed into the heater pipe 34 of the heater unit 30 by threading. A suspending tool 64 is attached to the upper end of the stratification guide 50. Hanging holes 46 and 66 are formed in these two metal fittings, and a hanging ring 48 is attached. The suspension holes 46 and 66 have a diameter larger than the wire diameter of the suspension ring 48, and the suspension ring 48 can freely move the stratification guide 50 and hang down in a swinging state.

  (7) Even if the accuracy of attaching the heater unit 30 to the lid portion 14 is low, the stratification guide 50 is pulled out from the processing tank 2 together with the heater unit 30 from the processing tank 2 by disassembly, cleaning, etc. The stratification guide 50 can be positioned and installed with high accuracy in the center of the two.

  (8) After the heater unit 30 is exposed to the outside of the processing tank 2 by cleaning or the like, it can be easily and accurately installed on the processing tank again. That is, since the stratification guide 50 suspended from the heater unit 30 has a degree of freedom of installation, the seating portion 58 is simply aligned with the inclined wall surface of the conical bottom portion 10 of the processing tank 2, so that the center of the discharge port 20 can be obtained. The center of the stratification guide 50 can be installed in alignment. In this embodiment, a joint structure using the hanging ring 48 is used, but a joint having a degree of freedom such as a ball joint may be used.

  (9) The lid portion 14 is positioned on the peripheral wall (the standing wall portion 13) of the flange portion 12 on the processing tank 2 side, and is installed at a predetermined position. As a result, the introduction port 18 in the lid portion 14 can be positioned at the center of the processing tank 2. An introduction port 18 for the resin 6 is formed at the center of the lid portion 14, and a plurality of brackets 28 are fixed to the lower surface side of the lid portion 14 with screws 29.

  (10) On the upper surface of the lid portion 14, the heater portion 38 of the heater unit 32 that penetrates the lid portion 14 is fixed by a locking plate 40 and a thumbscrew 42. That is, the heater unit 32 can be detached and replaced by removing the locking plate 40 on the upper surface of the lid portion 14 with the thumbscrew 42.

[Second Embodiment]

  The second embodiment is a resin drying apparatus using a processing tank unit having the above-described stratified guide support structure. This resin drying apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 shows an example of a resin drying device, and FIG. 8 shows an example of a control device.

  The resin drying apparatus 4 shown in FIG. 7 is an example of the resin drying apparatus according to the present invention, and includes a processing tank 2 at the center. The resin 6 is supplied to the processing tank 2, and the resin 6 that has undergone a drying process is processed into the processing tank 2. The resin drying treatment system to supply to the demand point from is configured.

  Resin 6 for resin molding has various forms, such as granular form, powder form, or pellet form. In this embodiment, resin pellets 70 are used as the molding resin. The resin pellets 70 are guided from the pellet tank 72 to the treatment tank 2 and dried, and then supplied to the injection molding machine 74.

  A pipe 78 extending from the replenishment hopper 76 is inserted into the pellet tank 72. A blower 84 as suction means is connected to the supply hopper 76 through a pipe line 82 provided with an opening / closing valve 80. A pipe 86 is connected to the blower 84, and an open / close valve 88 is provided in the pipe 86, and an open / close valve 92 is provided in the pipe 90 branched from the pipe 86 and is opened. A pipe line 94 is branched into the pipe line 82, and an open / close valve 96 is provided in the pipe line 94. In such a configuration, when the on-off valves 88 and 96 are closed and the on-off valves 80 and 92 are opened and the blower 84 is driven, the air in the replenishment hopper 76 is released to the outside air through the pipelines 82, 86 and 90, and the replenishment hopper 76 is depressurized. For this reason, the resin pellets 70 are sucked into the supply hopper 76 from the pellet tank 72 through the pipe line 78 and loaded. The replenishment hopper 76 is provided with a filter 98 that separates the air and the resin pellets 70 to prevent the sucked resin pellets 70 from flowing out to the pipe line 82 side.

  Below the replenishment hopper 76, a first shutter device 100 and a resin detection cylinder 102 for detecting the presence or absence of the resin pellet 70 are installed as an example of an opening / closing means. The shutter device 100 is provided with a shutter plate 104 that opens and closes the bottom of the replenishment hopper 76. The shutter plate 104 is opened and closed by a cylinder device 106 as a driving means, for example. A proximity switch 108 is installed in the resin detection cylinder 102 as an example of means for electrically or optically detecting whether or not the resin pellet 70 is loaded to a predetermined height.

  As described above, the processing tank 2 is a processing means for drying the resin pellets 70 in a dry state suitable for resin molding. In the processing, the processing tank 2 itself is sealed and decompressed, and the heater unit described above is used. 30 and 32 are used as heating means.

  A vacuum pump 112, which is a decompression unit, is connected to the lid portion 14 of the processing tank 2 through a conduit 110. A plurality of heaters 114 are provided as heating means on the outer wall portion of the processing tank 2, and a temperature sensor 116 for detecting the heating temperature is provided. The heater 114 is installed to dry the resin pellets 70 in the vicinity of the tank wall of the processing tank 2 and is disposed up to the vicinity of the discharge port 20 of the processing tank 2. In this resin drying apparatus 4, the stratification guide 50 is separated from the heater units 30 and 32, and is installed at the bottom of the processing tank 2 using a seating portion 58. In such a configuration, if the heater 114 is used as the heating means on the stratification guide 50 side, the amount of heat on the bottom surface side of the processing tank 2 can be supplemented. For example, a rubber heater or the like is used as the heater 114. Inside the processing tank 2, heater units 30 and 32 are installed as a plurality of heating means supported by the lid portion 14. The heater units 30 and 32 are provided with a heater unit 30 in the center, and a plurality of heater units 32 are positioned and attached to the lid portion 14 so as to obtain a uniform conduction heat distribution.

  Since the stratification guides 22 and 50 installed in the processing tank 2 are as described above, the description thereof is omitted. The stratification guide 22 at the upper part stratifies the falling resin pellets 70 in a radial manner. The stratification guide 50 on the lower side of the heater unit 30 stratifies the resin pellets 70 in the form of being sequentially stacked in the processing tank 2, and prevents partial stratification failure while preventing the vertical flow. Further, the stratified guide 50 prevents the inconvenience such as the depression and discharge of the central portion of the laminated resin pellets 70 at the time of discharge, and sequentially discharges from the lower layer side.

  A second shutter device 118 is installed on the bottom side of the processing tank 2 as means for opening and closing the discharge port 20 and means for holding the processing tank 2 in an airtight state. In this embodiment, in the shutter device 118, two shutter plates 120 and 122 are slidably mounted with a gap therebetween, and the shutter plate 120 is selectively opened and closed by the cylinder device 124 and the shutter plate 122 is opened and closed by the cylinder device 126. can do. That is, if the shutter plates 120 and 122 are simultaneously opened, the resin pellet 70 can be discharged from the discharge port 20 of the processing tank 2. If the shutter plate 120 is closed during the discharge, the resin pellet 70 may be sandwiched between the shutter plate 122 and the necessary airtightness may be impaired. However, if the shutter plate 122 is closed after the resin plate 70 is prevented from dropping by the shutter plate 120, the airtightness of the processing tank 2 can be maintained by the shutter plate 122. That is, the shutter plate 120 functions to prevent the resin pellets 70 from being discharged, and the shutter plate 122 functions to keep the processing tank 2 airtight.

  A storage tank 128 is installed below the processing tank 2 via a shutter device 118, and the resin pellets 70 discharged from the processing tank 2 can be temporarily retained in the storage tank 128. A blower 84 is connected to the storage tank 128 via a pipe 86, and a supply hopper 132 on the injection molding machine 74 side is connected via a pipe 130. A pipe 94 is connected to the supply hopper 132. Has been. That is, if the on-off valves 80 and 92 are closed, the on-off valves 88 and 96 are opened, and the blower 84 is driven to lower the pressure of the supply hopper 132, the pressurized air is fed into the storage tank 128 through the pipe 86. The resin pellet 70 in the storage tank 128 can be supplied to the supply hopper 132 through the conduit 130. The supply hopper 132 is provided with a filter 134 that separates the air and the resin pellets 70 to prevent the resin pellets 70 that flow into the pipe 94 side from entering. The supply hopper 132 is provided with a proximity switch 136 as means for detecting the presence or absence of the resin pellet 70.

  According to such a configuration, the resin pellets 70 loaded in advance in the pellet tank 72 are supplied from the pellet tank 4 to the supply hopper 76. The resin pellet 70 is guided to the processing tank 2 by opening the shutter device 100. The processing tank 2 is loaded with resin pellets 70 until detected by the proximity switch 108 of the resin detection cylinder 102. The vacuum pump 112 is driven to evacuate the processing tank 2, and the processing tank 2 is depressurized to a predetermined low pressure, that is, vacuumed, and the heater 114 and the heater units 30 and 32 are fed to generate heat. Thereby, the resin pellet 70 is heated and the drying process of the resin pellet 70 is performed for the predetermined time. After the drying process, after releasing the vacuum of the processing tank 2, the resin pellet 70 dried from the processing tank 2 can be dropped into the storage tank 128 by opening the shutter device 118. The resin pellets 70 in the storage tank 128 can be supplied to the supply hopper 132 of the injection molding machine 74 by pressurized air from the blower 84. The presence or absence of the resin pellet 70 can be detected by the proximity switch 136, and the injection molding machine 74 is supplied with a required amount of the resin pellet 70. The injection molding machine 74 that has received the dried resin supply performs resin molding.

  Next, the control device 140 of the resin drying device 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows an example of the control device of the resin drying device 4. In FIG. 8, the same parts as those in FIG.

  A control device 140 shown in FIG. 8 constitutes an electrical control means of the resin drying device 4 including electric heat control of the treatment tank 2. The heater 114, the heater unit 30, and the plurality of heater units 32 are connected to the power supply unit 144 via the switching unit 142. A control unit 146 is connected to the switching unit 142 and the power supply unit 144.

  The switching unit 142 corresponds to the arrangement pattern of the heater units 30 and 32 together with the power supply to the heater 114, and the power supply unit 144 and the heater units 30 and 32 to be supplied in order to obtain a desired conduction heat distribution by selecting a power supply target. This switch is used to switch the connection. This switch can be composed of a relay or the like.

  The power supply unit 144 can be configured with a DC power supply, an AC power supply, a pulse power supply, or the like. And the control part 146 can be comprised with a sequence control circuit or a program control circuit, and can use a microcomputer etc. as a control means.

  The control unit 146 is connected to the switching valves 80, 88, 92, 96, the blower 84, the drive unit of the shutter devices 100, 118, the proximity switches 108, 136, the drive unit of the vacuum pump 112, and the temperature sensor 116. Therefore, the control unit 146 takes in the switch outputs of the proximity switches 108 and 136 and the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 116. The control output of the control unit 146 is output to the switching valves 80, 88, 92, 96, the blower 84, the drive unit of the shutter devices 100, 118, and the drive unit of the vacuum pump 112.

  In such a configuration, a conduction heat distribution corresponding to various conditions such as the capacity of the processing tank 2 and the shape of the resin pellet 70 to be dried is formed. For example, the conduction heat distribution is supplied by supplying power to every other heater unit 32. Can be formed. As a result, the resin pellets 70 in the processing tank 2 can be uniformly dried without being biased, and efficient processing can be performed.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 9, the drying process using the resin drying apparatus 4 will be described. FIG. 9 shows an example of the processing procedure of the drying process.

  This processing procedure is an example of the drying processing method of the present invention. In the processing procedure shown in FIG. 9, the assembly process of the processing tank 2 (step S11), the loading and stratification process of the resin pellet 70 (step S12), the drying process (step S13), and the discharging process of the resin pellet 70 (step S14). include.

  (a) Assembly process of processing tank 2 (step S11)

  This assembly process includes a process in which the single or plural heater units 30 and 32 and the stratification guide 50 installed in the processing tank 2 are suspended from the heater unit 30 and supported by the processing tank 2.

  (b) Loading of resin pellet 70 and stratification process (step S12)

  In this loading and stratification process, resin pellets 70 are loaded into the processing tank 2, and the resin pellets 70 in the processing tank 2 are stratified by the stratification guide 22 and the stratification guide 50 installed in the processing tank 2. The state is maintained by the stratification guide 50.

  (c) Drying process (step S13)

  In this drying process, the processing tank 2 is depressurized by the vacuum pump 112. The resin pellets 70 are evenly heated by the heat generated by the heater units 30 and 32 under reduced pressure, and the resin pellets 70 are dried.

  (d) Discharge process of resin pellet 70 (step S14)

  In this discharge process, the process proceeds to discharge processing based on a switch signal from the proximity switch 136 on the injection molding machine 74 side. In discharging the resin pellets 70, the dried resin pellets 70 are discharged from the discharge port 20 on the bottom surface of the treatment tank 2 while the resin pellets 70 are maintained in a stratified state by the stratification guide 50. Thereby, the resin pellet 70 is supplied to the injection molding machine 74 side.

[Third Embodiment]

  The third embodiment discloses assembly and maintenance of the processing tank unit. The third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 shows the lifting device and its operation. The configuration illustrated in FIG. 10 is an example, and the present invention is not limited to such a configuration.

  The cylinder lifting / lowering device 150 is used for installation, assembly, disassembly and the like of the processing tank unit 152 of the resin drying device 4, and is used for lifting / lowering the heating unit and the stratification unit together with the lid unit 14 from the processing tank 2. The resin drying apparatus 4 treatment tank 152 can be separated into a fixed mechanism 152A including the treatment tank 2 and the shutter device 118 and a movable mechanism 152B including the lid 14 and the stratification guide 50. The cylinder lifting / lowering device 150 is a maintenance unit of the resin drying device 4 and is installed adjacent to the processing tank unit 152.

  10 includes a cylinder portion 154, a piston portion 156, and a pressurizing device 158. A piston portion 156 is installed in the cylinder portion 154 so as to be able to advance and retract, and a pressure device 158 is connected to the cylinder portion 154. The pressurizing device 158 may be either air pressure or hydraulic pressure. The piston 156 can be moved up and down by pressurization or decompression from the pressurization device 158. The plunger 160 connected to the piston 156 can receive a driving force for raising and lowering or fixing from the piston 156 and can be raised, lowered or stopped. For example, the above-described control device 140 is connected to the pressurizing device 158 to the control means, and the piston 156 can be controlled to rise, descend or stop.

  A bracket 162 is attached to the plunger 160, a chuck portion 164 is provided at the tip of the bracket 162, and the chuck portion 164 is attached to and detached from the lid portion 14. The lid portion 14 and the chuck portion 164 may be fixed at all times, or may be attached and detached as necessary.

  With such a configuration, as shown by an arrow A in FIG. 10, the movable mechanism portion 152 </ b> B including the lid portion 14 is pulled up from the processing tank 2 by the cylinder lifting device 150, or the movable mechanism section 152 </ b> B is guided to the processing tank 2. Thus, the movable mechanism portion 152B can be installed in the processing tank 2.

  The lid 14, the heater units 30 and 32, and the stratification guides 22 and 50 pulled up from the processing tank 2 can be easily cleaned and replaced with parts outside the processing tank 2. In addition, the processing tank 2 can perform maintenance such as inspection and cleaning in the state where the movable mechanism portion 152B is removed. The stratification guide 50 can be removed from the heater unit 30 at the portion of the suspension ring 48 and can be replaced, cleaned, or the like. In addition, the heater units 30 and 32 can be removed or replaced from the lid portion 14, and the operation can be easily performed.

  The features and advantages of this embodiment are as follows.

  (1) The resin drying device 4 is separated into a fixing mechanism portion 152A on the processing tank 2 side and a movable mechanism portion 152B on the lid portion 14 side, and the movable mechanism portion 152B can be moved up and down by a cylinder lifting device 150. Inspection, cleaning, replacement, and the like of each component such as the processing tank 2, the heater units 30, 32, the stratification guide 50, and the like can be easily performed.

  (2) The raising / lowering control of the cylinder lifting / lowering device 150 can be performed by the control device 140 described above, and the maintenance can be speeded up and simplified.

  (3) If the cylinder elevating device 150 is used, the movable mechanism portion 152B including the lid portion 14 side can be easily raised and lowered, and the labor of the operator can be reduced.

  (4) The cylinder lifting / lowering device 150 may be installed in the vicinity of the resin drying device 4 or may be moved as necessary by providing a movable mechanism and shared by the plurality of resin drying devices 4.

  (5) The cylinder lifting device 150 may be replaced with another lifting mechanism such as a chain block.

[Other Embodiments]

  (1) In the above embodiment, the stratification guide 50 is suspended from the heater unit 30 using the suspension ring 48, but the present invention is not limited to this. Any structure may be used as long as the stratified guide 50 is suspended so as to be swingable. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, a coupling 176 in which two rings 170 and 172 are connected by a wire 174 may be used. Good. Also with such a configuration, the stratification guide 50 can be suspended so as to be swingable, and the stratification guide 50 in a suspended state can be installed at a predetermined position in the processing tank 2.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the stratification guide 50 is formed of a hollow body, but is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 12, a heater 178 may be installed on the stratification guide 50 and power may be supplied to the heater 178 from the heater unit 30 side. With such a configuration, the resin pellet 70 stratified at the center of the conical bottom portion 10 can be heated from the stratification guide 50, and the drying process can be speeded up and made uniform.

As described above, the most preferable embodiment and the like of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above description, and is described in the claims or disclosed in the specification. It goes without saying that various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art based on the above gist, and such modifications and changes are included in the scope of the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used as a resin drying technique that contributes to speeding up and efficiency of resin drying, and is useful because maintenance properties such as cleaning and inspection of processing tanks and stratification means are enhanced.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Processing tank 4 Resin drying apparatus 6 Resin 8 Body part 10 Conical bottom part 14 Lid part 18 Inlet 20 Outlet 24 Conical part 26 Column part 28 Bracket 30, 32 Heater unit 34 Heater pipe 38 Heater part 44, 64 Hanging tool 46, 66 Suspension hole 48 Suspension ring 50 Stratification guide 52 Upper cone part 54 Lower cone part 56 Spacing 58 Seating part 70 Resin pellet 72 Pellet tank 150 Cylinder lifting device

Claims (8)

A treatment tank loaded with resin and having a discharge port on the bottom surface;
A single or a plurality of heater units installed in the treatment tank , provided with a free joint , attached to a lid that opens and closes the treatment tank,
A separate member and the heater unit, said hanging with removal can be connected via a universal joint to the heater unit, supported by the processing tank, to maintain the resin in the processing bath to the stratified state Stratification means;
A resin drying apparatus comprising: The resin drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stratification means or the processing tank includes a seating portion, and the seating portion positions and places the stratification means at the center of the discharge port. The heater unit is a resin drying device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is placed in the center portion of said processing tank to support the stratified means. The resin according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the heater unit is divided into a plurality of parts, and the stratification means is supported by a heater unit installed in the center of the processing tank. Drying equipment. The stratification means, wherein is inserted into the processing bath are suspended from the heater unit, the resin dried as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is installed at a predetermined position of the heater unit apparatus. The stratified unit, the pulled out to the heater unit from the processing bath in a hanging state, according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is separated from the heater unit in the processing bath outside Resin dryer. The stratification means includes
A stratification part comprising an inclined surface part gradually approaching the conical wall part of the treatment tank from the upper side;
A cone that is gradually made smaller than the maximum width portion of the stratified portion set smaller than the inner diameter of the conical wall surface portion of the processing tank and sets an interval for allowing the resin to pass between the conical wall surface portion of the processing tank. And
The resin drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , further comprising: The stratification means is another member and a single or a plurality of the heater unit is installed in the processing bath, hanging together removably coupled to the heater unit via a universal joint to the heater unit comprises the processing bath Supporting the process,
Loading the treatment tank with resin, and maintaining the resin in the treatment tank in a stratified state by the stratification means installed in the treatment tank;
Depressurizing the treatment tank and drying the resin by heat generation of the heater unit;
Discharging the dried resin from the outlet of the bottom surface of the treatment tank in a state where the stratification means maintains the stratification state;
A resin drying method comprising:

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