JP5818129B2 - Impulse seal device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an impulse seal device, and more particularly to an improvement in a fixing structure of a heater wire attached to a sealer base.

  One of the sealing devices for sealing the packaging film is an impulse sealing device. In this impulse sealer, a sealer base equipped with a heater wire such as a nichrome wire and a pressure bar are arranged to face each other. At least one of the sealer base and the pressure bar is disposed so as to be movable toward and away from the opponent. The impulse sealing apparatus having such a configuration interposes the film to be sealed between the sealer base and the pressure bar, and moves the above approach to sandwich the film between the sealer base and the pressure bar. A large current is instantaneously applied to generate heat to a state where heat bonding is possible, and the film is heat sealed by heat conduction. The heater wire is fixed at both ends with respect to the sealer base, and the surface thereof is covered with a heat-resistant glass cloth tape or the like. Thereby, between the both ends of a heater wire, it is in the state where it affixed on the sealer stand with the glass cloth tape, and was fixed. This type of impulse sealing device is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 and the like.

JP-A-6-247424

  After the film is heated and sealed, the sealer platform separates from the film. At this time, since the film and the surface of the sealer base in contact with the film (actually glass cloth tape) are in a lightly bonded state, the surface is also pulled by the film when the film leaves. The force which tries to peel off from the sealer stand works. However, when the glass cloth tape is firmly covered with the conventional glass cloth tape, the glass cloth tape is firmly adhered to the sealer base, so that the glass cloth tape and the heater wire are prevented from peeling off from the sealer base. it can.

  Recently, however, there has been a demand for bonding with a film having a thickness of about 0.3 mm by impulse sealing. Then, the sealer table and the pressure bar are sandwiched between two thick films, and if the sealing process is attempted in a short time, the sealing temperature is 250 ° C. or more, for example. It will be necessary to set it to a high temperature. Then, since it exceeds the heat resistant temperature of the glass cloth tape, it cannot be fixed with the glass cloth tape. In addition, there is a problem that the replacement frequency increases because of deterioration in a short period.

  For this reason, the heater wire is fixed to the sealer base only at both ends of the heater wire, and the heater wire and the sealer stand are only in contact between the two ends, so the heater is removed when the film separates after sealing. Lines also stick to the film. Therefore, in particular, since the central portion in the axial direction of the sealer base is away from both ends fixing the heater wire, there is a problem that the central portion is lifted from the sealer base. In addition, there is also a problem that the glue on the adhesive layer of the glass cloth tape protrudes and adheres to the film as foreign matter.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the impulse seal device of the present invention is (1) both ends of the heater wire are fixed to the sealer base, and the heater wire parts other than the fixed part can be separated from the sealer base. a impulse sealing apparatus be disposed, a fixing member for fixing the middle portion of the heater wire in position of the sealer stage is provided, the intermediate portion of the heater wire due to the fixing member, for holding the sealer stage ones Assuming If it does in this way, a heater wire will be fixed to a sealer stand also in the middle predetermined position with the both ends. Therefore, the distance from the fixing position of both ends to the position fixed by the fixing member is shortened, and the heater wire can be firmly fixed. Therefore, even if the heater wire that is lightly bonded to the film after heat sealing is urged together with the film in a direction away from the sealer base, it is not peeled off because it is firmly fixed to the sealer base as described above.

Based on the above premise , a concave portion is formed at a predetermined position on the mounting surface of the heater wire of the sealer base, and the fixing member is a holding member inserted and fixed in the concave portion, and an intermediate portion of the heater wire is formed. and be fixed sandwiched between said restraining the member said recess. This is preferable because an intermediate portion of the heater wire is sandwiched between the holding member and the recess and firmly fixed. Further, the impulse seal device in which both ends of the heater wire are fixed to the sealer base, wherein a recess is formed at a predetermined position of the mounting surface of the heater wire of the sealer base, and the heater wire is disposed along the recess. In addition, a restraining member may be inserted and fixed into the recess from above the heater wire.

Furthermore the present invention, the restraining member is formed of a conductive material, the current flowing through the heater wire when energized is to flow into the restraining member. It can suppress that an electric current flows into the site | part curved along the recessed part of a heater wire, and can suppress generating heat | fever in the site | part along the said recessed part. (2) It is more preferable to use a material having a higher conductivity than the heater wire as the restraining member. (3) The said sealer stand is equipped with the heat resistant insulator on the surface, and it is good to arrange | position the said heater wire on the surface of the insulator.

(4) before Symbol heater wire may be split at the intermediate portion. Since a current flows through the suppression member during energization, the heater wire may not be connected in the region where the suppression member is present, and a configuration in which the suppression member is divided at an intermediate portion can be employed. That is, when the insulator is arranged on the surface of the main body of the conductive material and the recess is formed in the insulator, the depth of the recess is made equal to the thickness of the insulator. A body made of a conductive material is exposed. In this case, one continuous heater wire is used, and when the heater wire comes into contact with the exposed surface of the main body, it is electrically conducted there. However, even in that case, current does not flow to the main body (sealer base) side when current is applied because current flows on the holding member side, but the part that divides the middle part of the heater wire and faces the exposed surface By preventing the heater wire from being present, the heater wire and the sealer base can be more reliably insulated.

  (5) The holding member may be attached to the sealer base with a fixing screw formed of an insulating material. Even when the sealer base is made of a conductive material, it is possible to suppress conduction between the holding member and the sealer base via the fixing screw.

  (6) The fixing member may be formed of a permanent magnet attached to the sealer base. As the permanent magnet, a neodymium magnet having a strong magnetic force can be preferably applied. It is preferable to provide a plurality of permanent magnets because the heater wire can be fixed more reliably.

  Even if the heater wire is placed on the sealer stand and the film is in direct contact with the heater wire, the heater wire is fixed to the sealer stand at least at one or both ends of the heater wire. When the heater wire that is lightly bonded with the film is urged away from the sealer base together with the film, the heater wire will not peel off from the sealer base. Therefore, it can cope with a high temperature seal.

1 is an overall view showing a preferred embodiment of an impulse seal device according to the present invention. It is a principal part enlarged view. It is the disassembled perspective view which expanded the principal part. It is a principal part enlarged view which shows a modification. It is a principal part enlarged view which shows a modification. It is a general view which shows other suitable embodiment of the impulse seal device which concerns on this invention.

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an impulse seal device according to the present invention. The impulse seal device 10 is mounted on a PTP packaging machine or other packaging machines. More specifically, it is mounted on a film splicing device (sometimes referred to as “film splicer”) in a film supply device of a packaging machine. In other words, the film splicing device connects the leading end of the spare packaging film to the end portion of the packaging film when all of the packaging film being supplied to the packaging machine main body is fed out, so that the spare packaging The film is supplied continuously to the packaging machine main body after the current packaging film. An impulse seal device is used to connect the two packaging films. This type of impulse seal device is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-137909.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the impulse sealer 10 has a sealer base 11 having a heater wire 12 mounted on the surface thereof and a pressure bar 13 facing each other at a predetermined interval. In this embodiment, the sealing film 11 and the pressure bar 13 are also set up in the up-down direction as shown in the figure because the sealing process is performed at the place where the packaging film 20 is conveyed in the up-down direction. . The packaging film 20 moves in the space between the sealer base 11 and the pressure bar 13.

  The sealer base 11 is attached to the base 14. The base 14 is linked to the cylinder 15 on the surface opposite to the mounting surface of the sealer base 11. By operating the cylinder 15, the base 14 reciprocates in the horizontal direction. Following the reciprocation of the base 14, the sealer base 11 also moves, and moves toward / away from the pressure bar 13. That is, at the time of normal packaging processing, the sealer base 11 is positioned at the illustrated standby position, and the packaging film 20 is smoothly transported in a non-contact state with both the sealer base 11 and the pressure bar 13. When sealing and connecting two packaging films, the two packaging films 20 are arranged between the sealer base 11 and the pressure bar 13. In this state, the cylinder 15 is actuated to move the sealer base 11 forward (move to the left in the figure), and sandwich the two packaging films 20 with the pressure bar 13 with a predetermined pressure. In this state, a large current is instantaneously supplied to the heater wire 12 to cause the heater wire 12 to generate heat, and the two packaging films 20 are heated while being pressurized and heat-sealed. After that, the cylinder 15 is operated in the reverse direction, and the sealer base 11 is moved backward to return to the original standby position. Then, the packaging film 20 is separated from the sealer base 11 (heater wire 12) and the pressure bar 13, and thereafter the film is supplied for normal packaging processing. Such a basic configuration is the same as that of a conventional impulse seal device.

  In addition, since the film thickness of the packaging film 20 (to be sealed) used in the present embodiment is 0.3 mm, which is thicker than a normal film, the amount of heat generated in the heater wire 12 is high accordingly (for example, 250 ° C.). ) Is temperature controlled.

  The heater wire 12 is composed of, for example, a nichrome wire, and the shape thereof is a belt shape having a predetermined width as shown in FIGS. On the other hand, since the sealer base 11 is usually made of metal, an insulator 16 is attached to the surface of the sealer base 11 in order to prevent the current supplied to the heater wire 12 from flowing to the sealer base 11 side. The heater wire 12 is disposed on the surface of the body 16. That is, the surface of the insulator 16 constitutes the attachment surface of the heater wire 12 of the sealer base 11. Further, in the present embodiment, in response to increasing the heat generation amount of the heater wire 12 as described above, the insulator 16 has heat resistance in which an alumina insulating layer is provided on the front surface of the aluminum plate. It is supposed to be. The insulator 16 is divided into two in the longitudinal direction by a later-described recess 16a, and an end surface facing the recess 16a is formed obliquely so that the aluminum base material is exposed.

  In the present embodiment, both ends of the heater wire 12 are fixed to attachment members 23 arranged at both ends of the sealer base 11 with screws 22. The mounting member 23 is urged by a spring 24 in a direction to move toward the axially central side of the sealer base 11. As a result, the heater wire 12 is fixed at both ends and the center, and maintains a state in which the heater wire 12 is in contact with the surface of the sealer base 11 (insulator 16) in a tensioned state using the urging force of the spring 24.

  Then, a recess 16 a is formed at the axial center position of the insulator 16. Along with this, the central portion 12a of the heater wire 12 disposed on the surface of the insulator 16 also extends along the concave portion 16a. A restraining member 17 having an outer shape (substantially isosceles trapezoidal cross section) matching the surface shape of the recess 16a is prepared, and the restraining member 17 is mounted in the recess 16a. The holding member 17 is screwed and fixed to the sealer base 11 with a fixing screw 18. As a result, the central portion 12 a of the heater wire 12 is fixed by the holding member 17. The fixing screw 18 is formed of an insulating material such as resin.

  In addition, although the center part 12a of the heater wire 12 is along the recessed part 16a, it is not necessary to always contact with the bottom face part of the recessed part 16a. That is, as described above, both ends of the heater wire 12 are urged outward by the urging force of the spring 24. In this state, since the central portion 12a of the heater wire 12 is restrained by the restraining member 17, the central portion 12a contacts the surface of the restraining member 17 and bypasses the recess 16a. Therefore, the surface of the sealer base 11 and the heater wire 12 can be brought into non-contact by setting the thickness of the holding member 17 to be shorter than the depth of the concave portion 16a. Then, the heater wire 12 and the sealer base 11 are not short-circuited. Therefore, there is no problem even if the bottom surface of the recess 16a and the surface of the sealer base 11 are exposed. However, for safety, it is preferable to place an insulator on the surface of the sealer base 11 exposed in the recess 16a.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a circular opening 12 b is formed at a predetermined position of the central portion 12 a of the heater wire 12. The opening 12 b is positioned above the screw hole for the fixing screw 18 provided in the sealer base 11 when the heater wire 12 is attached to the sealer base 11. The diameter of the opening 12b is made slightly larger than the diameter of the screw hole. Further, a through hole 17 a penetrating vertically is also formed in the center of the holding member 17. The through-hole 17a is set to be a fool hole with respect to the screw portion of the fixing screw 18, and a step portion having an enlarged diameter for accommodating the head of the fixing screw 18 is formed on the upper portion. Accordingly, the fixing screw 18 is fixed in a state where the heater wire 12 and the holding member 17 are positioned so that the opening 12b and the through hole 17a are positioned on the screw hole of the sealer base 11.

  Further, the holding member 17 is made of a conductive material having better conductivity than the heater wire 12 such as stainless steel, copper, or aluminum. In addition, it is preferable that the restraining member 17 has a higher strength. In that respect, stainless steel is most preferable, and then copper is preferably used. In a state where the heater wire 12 is sandwiched between the restraining member 17 and the sealer base 11, both side surfaces 17c of the restraining member 17 are in surface contact with the heater wire 12, and the upper surface 17d of the restraining member 17 and the heater wire 12 are flush with each other. Furthermore, both end edges 17b of the upper surface 17d come close to (contact with) the heater wire 12. Therefore, the holding member 17 and the heater wire 12 are electrically connected.

  During energization, a current flows from one end of the heater wire 12 to the other end. An opening 12b is formed in the central portion 12a of the heater wire 12, and both sides of the opening 12b have a narrow width and a high resistance value at that portion. On the other hand, at the position of the central portion 12a of the heater wire 12, a holding member 17 that is entirely formed of a conductive material is disposed thereon. Therefore, the current flowing from one end of the heater wire 12 during energization flows through the restraining member 17 without flowing through the central portion 12a of the heater wire 12 curved along the recess 16a, and the opposite heater wire 12 is exposed. It reaches the part and finally flows out from the other end of the heater wire 12.

  Therefore, since current does not flow through both sides of the opening 12b of the central portion 12a of the heater wire 12 having a high resistance value, heat generation at the portion can be suppressed. The holding member 17 is thicker than the heater wire 12 and has a larger cross-sectional area with respect to the direction in which the current flows, and the resistance value of the portion is reduced due to the high conductivity. Therefore, heat is not generated up to a temperature sufficient for heat sealing in the section where the holding member 17 is installed. Therefore, the packaging film 20 is not sealed at the portion where the holding member 17 is in contact, but the impulse sealing device 10 is mounted on the film splicing device as described above. Absent.

  In this embodiment, the surface of the heater wire 12 is exposed, and the heater wire 12 directly contacts the packaging film 20 at the time of sealing. When the packaging film 20 separates after sealing, the heater wire 12 also tries to stick to the packaging film 20. However, since the central portion 12 a of the heater wire 12 is fixed by the holding member 17, the heater wire 12 is sealed. It can suppress that it peels from the base 11. FIG.

  FIG. 4 shows a main part of a modification of the fixing structure by the holding member 17. As described above, the current flowing from one end of the heater wire 12 when energized flows through the suppressing member 17 and reaches the other end of the heater wire 12. Therefore, at the place where the restraining member 17 is disposed, it is not always necessary to configure the sealer base 11 from one end to the other as long as the restraining member 17 and the heater wire 12 are connected.

  Therefore, in this modification, as shown in FIG. 4, the heater wire is not provided on the bottom surface side of the holding member 17. That is, assuming the configuration of the above-described embodiment, the central portion that is restrained by the restraining member 17 of the heater wire 12 is cut out and divided at the intermediate portion of the heater wire 12. In other words, the heater wire 12 is composed of two heater wire elements 12'12 ", and one end of each of the heater wire elements 12 ', 12" is attached to both ends of the sealer base 11 with screws (not shown). The other end portion 12c is sandwiched and fixed between the side surface 17c of the holding member 17 and the concave portion 16a.

  Furthermore, the insulator 30 is disposed on the surface of the sealer base 11 exposed at the bottom surface of the recess 16a. Thereby, it can block | prevent reliably that the suppressing member 17 and the sealer stand 11 contact, and conduct | electrically_connect. Of course, in the modified example using the two heater wire elements 12 'and 12 ", a configuration in which the insulator 30 is not disposed may be used. The other configurations are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, and corresponding members include The same reference numerals are given and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 5 shows still another modification example based on the modification example of FIG. In this modification, a bent portion (convex portion) 16b is provided on the inner side surface of the recess portion 16a, and a bent portion (recess portion) 17f is also provided on the side surface 17c of the holding member 17 in accordance with the bent portion 16b. Since the other end 12c of the heater wire 12 is sandwiched in a state of being bent along the bent portions 16 and 17c, it is more firmly fixed and can be prevented from coming off. In addition, about the same structure as FIG. 4, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

In the embodiment described above, the place fixed by the holding member 17 is one place of the central portion 12a, but may be fixed at a plurality of places. In particular, when the total length of the sealer base 11 (heater wire 12) becomes longer, it is preferable to fix at a plurality of locations accordingly.
In the embodiment described above, the sealer base 11 is moved, but the pressure bar 13 side may be moved, or both may be moved.

  In the embodiment and the modification described above, the insulator 16 is provided because the sealer base 11 is made of a conductive member such as metal. However, the insulator 16 can be set by appropriately setting the material of the sealer base. It is also possible to take an embodiment in which no is provided. Further, the surface of the sealer base 11 is flattened to form the concave portion 16a in the center of the insulator 16, but a concave portion is formed at an appropriate position as the surface shape of the sealer base 11, and an insulating coating is applied to the surface of the sealer base 11. Or a sheet-like insulating sheet may be arranged.

  FIG. 6 shows an embodiment using a permanent magnet as the fixing member. That is, the neodymium permanent magnets 32 are installed on the sealer base 11 at a plurality of locations along the axial direction, and the heater wire 12 is attracted and fixed by the magnetic force of the neodymium permanent magnets 32. By doing in this way, the distance from the fixing position of the both ends of the heater wire 12 to the position fixed with the permanent magnet 32 becomes short, and the heater wire 12 can be fixed firmly. Therefore, even if the heater wire 12 that is lightly bonded to the packaging film 20 after heat sealing is urged away from the sealer base 11 together with the packaging film 20, the heater wire 12 is firmly fixed to the sealer base 11 as described above. It is not peeled off. Furthermore, since the neodymium permanent magnet 32 is conductive, for example, the exposed surface (contact surface with the heater wire 12) is covered with an insulating material. Of course, the entire surface of the neodymium permanent magnet 32 may be covered with an insulating material, or an insulating member may be interposed between the neodymium permanent magnet 32 and the heater wire 12. Further, an insulation treatment is performed on the site where the neodymium permanent magnet 32 is mounted on the sealer base 11 (an insulating coating is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the recess where the neodymium permanent magnet 32 is mounted, or the recess serving as the mounting site is formed of resin, etc. ), The neodymium permanent magnet 32 and the heater wire 12 may be brought into direct contact with each other.

  In this embodiment, the neodymium permanent magnet 32 generates a large magnetic force and can firmly fix the heater wire 12. However, other permanent magnets may of course be used. Further, in the present embodiment, the cylinder 31 is also provided on the pressure bar 13 side, and both the pressure bar 13 and the sealer base 11 are moved toward and away from each other, but either one may be moved. good. Other configurations are the same as those of the above-described embodiment and modification, and corresponding members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Moreover, it can implement by combining suitably each embodiment and the modification which were mentioned above. That is, a fixing structure by the holding member 17 and a fixing structure of the heater wire 12 by a permanent magnet may be used in combination.

  In each of the above-described embodiments and modifications, an example in which the present invention is applied to an apparatus corresponding to one having a high seal temperature has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a seal used for a normal seal temperature as in the past is used. It may be realized as a measure.

  Moreover, although each embodiment and the modification mentioned above demonstrated the example which applied the impulse seal device to the film splicing device of the packaging machine, it does not prevent installing other than the film splicing device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Impulse seal apparatus 11 Sealer stand 12 Heater wire 13 Pressurization bar 16 Insulator 17 Holding member 18 Fixing screw 32 Neodymium permanent magnet

Claims (6)

Both ends of the heater wire are fixed to a sealer base, and the part of the heater wire other than the fixed part is an impulse seal device arranged to be separated from the sealer base ,
Providing a fixing member for fixing an intermediate portion of the heater wire at a predetermined position of the sealer base;
The fixing member holds the intermediate part of the heater wire on the sealer base ,
Forming a recess at a predetermined position on the mounting surface of the heater wire of the sealer base;
The fixing member is a holding member that is inserted and fixed in the recess,
The intermediate portion of the heater wire is fixed by being sandwiched between the holding member and the recess ,
The impulse seal device according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the restraining member is made of a conductive material, and a current flowing through the heater wire when energized flows through the restraining member. The impulse sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the holding member is made of a material having a higher conductivity than the heater wire. The impulse sealer according to claim 1, wherein the sealer base includes a heat-resistant insulator on a surface thereof, and the heater wire is disposed on the surface of the insulator.   The impulse sealer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heater wire is divided at the intermediate portion.   The impulse sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the holding member is attached to the sealer base with a fixing screw formed of an insulating material.   The impulse sealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the fixing member includes a permanent magnet attached to the sealer base.

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