JP6765136B2 - Flexible tube manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a flexible tube manufacturing apparatus for extruding a flexible tube formed by coating the outer surface of a blade with a resin.

In a medical institution, a tube-shaped medical device called a catheter is used for injecting a drug solution, a contrast medium, or the like into a predetermined part of a patient's living body or taking out a body fluid or the like in the living body. Since this catheter is inserted into the living body through a bent blood vessel or the like, the insertion tip is required to have flexibility so that it can easily bend along the bent portion of the blood vessel or the like without damaging the blood vessel or the like. On the other hand, the portion of the catheter that is not inserted into the living body is required to have appropriate rigidity so that the catheter can be easily operated. Therefore, various catheter manufacturing devices have been proposed in which the hardness is gradually changed along the length direction so that the tip portion is soft and the hand side is hard.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a flexible tube manufacturing apparatus including a mixing valve capable of changing the mixing ratio of the first resin and the second resin. Patent Document 1 describes the confluence of the flow path for supplying the first resin from the mixing valve to the die and the flow path for supplying the second resin from the mixing valve to the die, or the die side of the confluence. Is described in a configuration in which a resin mixing portion for mixing the first resin and the second resin is provided, and uneven mixing of the first resin and the second resin can be suppressed.

Japanese Patent No. 61448662

When the resin layer covering the flexible tube is composed of a mixture of two types of resin and the characteristics of the resin layer are changed along the length direction of the flexible tube by changing the mixing ratio of the two types of resin, the resin As described in Patent Document 1, it is preferable that the two types of resins can be mixed evenly in order to smooth the change in the characteristics of the layer. In addition, the resin flow path from the mixing valve to the die so that the mixing ratio of the two types of resin can be changed with good response and the length of the portion where the mixing ratio of the two types of resin changes can be freely adjusted. Is preferably short. In the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the flow path from the mixing valve to the die tends to be long due to the provision of the resin mixing portion, there is room for improvement in the configuration of the resin mixing portion. In addition, flexible tubes used as tubes for catheters and endoscopes are also required to have dimensional stability, that is, to have a uniform outer diameter. As described above, when molding the resin layer of the flexible tube while changing the mixing ratio of the two types of resins, there are various requirements to be considered.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing apparatus suitable for manufacturing a flexible tube in which the mixing ratio of two types of resins constituting the resin layer changes continuously.

The present invention relates to a flexible tube manufacturing apparatus for extrusion molding a flexible tube. The flexible tube manufacturing apparatus includes a die for extruding resin onto the surface of the blade wire, a resin supply unit capable of supplying the first resin and a second resin different from the first resin to the die, and a motor. The die is a tubular member having a through hole through which the blade wire is inserted, and is connected to a tubular first member having a first open end into which the blade wire is inserted and a first member so that the blade wire can be inserted. A tubular member having a second open end to be fed out, including an annular second member having an outermost diameter larger than the outer diameter of the first member, and a groove on the outer surface surrounding the first member of the tubular member. The inner mold and the second member are surrounded by a predetermined gap between the inner mold having a tubular shape and the outer surface of the inner mold and the outer surface of the second member, respectively. The outer surface of the blade wire drawn out from the open end of No. 2 includes an outer mold having an extrusion port for extruding the resin supplied to the gap. The outer mold, the inner mold, and the tubular member are arranged so that their respective central axes are coaxial, and the tubular member is fixed. The resin supply unit supplies the first resin and the second resin to the die in a state where the motor rotates the inner mold around the central axis.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a manufacturing apparatus suitable for manufacturing a flexible tube in which the mixing ratio of two types of resins constituting the resin layer changes continuously.

Horizontal sectional view which shows the schematic structure of the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. Enlarged view of the tip of the die shown in FIG. Front view of the first cylinder shown in FIG. Sectional view taken from the IV-IV line shown in FIG. Cross-sectional view seen from the VV line shown in FIG. Front view of the second cylinder shown in FIG. Sectional view seen from the VII-VII line shown in FIG. A development view of the outer surface of the second cylinder shown in FIG. Sectional drawing of the first valve shown in FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the method of adjusting a resin mixture ratio using the mixing valve shown in FIG. A vertical sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a flexible tube manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment. Front view of the first cylinder shown in FIG. Sectional view seen from the XIII-XIII line shown in FIG. Sectional view taken from the IVX-IVX line shown in FIG. Cross-sectional view seen from the XV-XV line shown in FIG. Front view of the second cylinder shown in FIG. Sectional view taken from the XVII-XVII line shown in FIG. A development view of the outer surface of the second cylinder shown in FIG. Sectional drawing of the mixing valve which concerns on 2nd Embodiment Explanatory drawing which shows the method of adjusting a resin mixture ratio using the mixing valve shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. In the following description, an example in which the present invention is applied to a flexible tube manufacturing apparatus in which a blade (net tube) is provided on the outer surface of an inner layer tube which is a resin layer and the blade is further covered with an outer layer tube which is a resin layer. explain. An example of such a flexible tube is a catheter shaft. However, the catheter shaft is only an example of a flexible tube, and the present invention is also applicable to a flexible tube manufacturing apparatus for other purposes such as a flexible tube used for an endoscope.

(First Embodiment)
<Structure of flexible tube manufacturing equipment>
FIG. 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a flexible tube manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a tip end portion of the die shown in FIG.

The flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 300 includes a die 71, a first extruder 2a, a second extruder 2b, a mixing valve 3, and a motor 4. The flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 300 is fixed on a predetermined pedestal or the like via a pedestal. Although not shown, a supply device for supplying the blade wire 5 and a take-up device for taking out the extruded flexible tube 6 are appropriately provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 300. Provided. The blade wire 5 is conveyed from the rear side to the front side of the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 300 in the left direction in FIGS. 1 and 2. Here, the blade wire 5 is in a state where a blade (net tube) is provided on the inner layer tube and a core wire (guide wire) is inserted through the hollow portion of the inner layer tube. The flexible tube 6 is provided with an outer layer tube on the surface of the blade wire 5, and a catheter shaft can be obtained by extracting the core wire of the blade wire after molding the outer layer tube.

The die 71 is a mold for extruding resin onto the outer surface of the blade wire 5, and includes an inner mold 77, an outer mold 78, and a tubular member 79. The inner mold 77, the outer mold 78, and the tubular member 79 are arranged so that their central axes are coaxial with each other. Hereinafter, the central axis of the inner die 77, the outer die 78, and the tubular member 79 will be referred to as the shaft AX ₁ .

The tubular member 79 is a tubular member having a through hole 74 for inserting the blade wire 5 from the rear end 83a to the front end 83b. The rear end 83a is an open end for inserting the blade wire 5, and the front end 83b is an open end for feeding out the blade wire 5. The tubular member 79 includes a tubular first member 81 including a rear end 83a and an annular second member 82 connected to the first member 81 and including a front end 83b. The first member 81 and the second member 82 may be integrally formed of the same material, or may be combined with different members. The outer diameter of the first member 81 is substantially constant, and the first member 81 is housed in the inner mold 77 in a state of penetrating the inner mold 77 described later. The outermost diameter of the second member 82 is larger than the outer diameter of the first member 81, and in the present embodiment, the second member 82 is outward from the connection portion with the first member 81 toward the front end 83b. It has a tapered shape with a narrowed diameter, and further has a cylindrical surface having a substantially constant outer diameter in a predetermined range in _one direction of the axis AX from the connection portion with the first member 81. Predetermined range of the portion from the rear end 83a of the tubular member 79 is fixed to the housing 20, rotation around the axis AX ₁ of the tubular member 79 is restricted.

The housing 20 for fixing the tubular member 79 is provided with a through hole 21 coaxial with the shaft AX ₁ and continuous with the through hole 74 of the tubular member 79. A path for passing the blade wire 5 is formed by the through hole 21 of the housing 20, the through hole 74 of the tubular member 79, and the extrusion port 75 of the outer mold 78.

The inner mold 77 is a tubular member having a through hole extending along the shaft AX ₁ . The first member 81 of the tubular member 79 described above is inserted into the through hole of the inner mold 77. The inner mold 77 surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the first member 81 and is arranged adjacent to the second member 82 of the tubular member 79 in the axis AX ₁ direction. The outer peripheral surface of the first member 81 of the tubular member 79 and the inner peripheral surface of the through hole of the inner mold 77 are sliding surfaces that can slide with each other. Further, the end surface of the inner mold 77 on the front end 83b side and the end surface on the rear end 83a side of the second member 82 are sliding surfaces that can slide with each other. That is, the inner mold 77 is rotatably supported around the shaft AX ₁ by the tubular member 79 fixed to the housing 20. A spirally extending groove 70 is formed on the outer surface of the inner mold 77. The groove 70 is provided for kneading the resin supplied to the resin flow path provided between the inner mold 77 and the outer mold 78. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a predetermined range from the end surface of the inner mold 77 on the front end 83b side and a predetermined range from the end surface of the tubular member 79 on the rear end 83a side of the second member 82. The portion of is configured to have substantially the same outer diameter.

The outer mold 78 is a member having a hollow portion corresponding to the outer shape of the second member 82 of the inner mold 77 and the tubular member 79. At the front end of the outer mold 78, an extrusion port 75 for extruding the resin is provided on the outer surface of the blade wire 5 that is fed forward. In the hollow portion of the outer mold 78, the second member 82 and the inner mold 77 of the tubular member 79 are housed adjacent to each other in order from the extrusion port 75 side, and the outer surface of the second member 82 and the outer mold 78 are accommodated. A predetermined gap is formed between the inner surface of the inner die 77 and the outer surface of the inner die 77 and the inner surface of the outer die 78. This gap functions as a flow path for the resin that guides the resin discharged from the mixing valve 3 to the extrusion port 75.

The first extruder 2a and the second extruder 2b are, for example, screw extruders, which melt resin pellets and extrude them from a discharge port at the tip at a constant speed. The first resin and the second resin are supplied to the first extruder 2a and the second extruder 2b, respectively. The first resin and the second resin differ in at least one characteristic such as hardness, tensile strength, elongation, tensile elastic modulus, and bending strength. The molten resin discharged from the first extruder 2a and the second extruder 2b is supplied to the mixing valve 3 described later, adjusted to a predetermined mixing ratio by the mixing valve 3, and supplied to the die 71.

The mixing valve 3 is a member capable of changing the mixing ratio of the two types of resins extruded from the first extruder 2a and the second extruder 2b. The mixing valve 3 according to the present embodiment is composed of a separate first valve 11 and a second valve 12. The first valve 11 and the second valve 12 each include a valve body 16 having a cylindrical shape that can rotate around the shaft AX _2, and a valve case 17 that rotatably accommodates the valve body 16. In the examples of FIGS. 1 and 2, the central axes of the first valve 11 and the second valve 12 are arranged so as to be coaxial, but the arrangement of the first valve 11 and the second valve 12 Is not limited to this.

The valve body 16 is composed of a hollow first cylinder 31 and a second cylinder 32 housed in the first cylinder 31 and fixed to the first cylinder 31. The details of the first cylinder 31 and the second cylinder 32 will be described later. Inside the valve case 17, a cylindrical space having substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the valve body 16 is provided, and the valve body 16 is housed in this space. The valve body 16 is rotatably supported around the shaft AX ₂ while sliding the outer peripheral surface of the valve body 16 and the inner peripheral surface of the valve case 17 in a state of being housed inside the valve case 17. .. Further, the valve body 16 is connected to a drive mechanism 18 such as a motor. The drive mechanism 18 rotates the valve body 16 around the shaft AX ₂ under the control of a control device (not shown). The first valve 11 and the second valve 12 can change the mixing ratio of the first resin and the second resin supplied to the die 71 according to the rotation position of each valve body 16. The details of the mixing valve 3 will be described later.

The first extruder 2a, the second extruder 2b, and the mixing valve 3 described above constitute a resin supply unit capable of supplying the first resin and the second resin to the die 71.

The motor 4 is connected to the inner mold 77 of the die 71, and the inner mold 77 can be rotated around the shaft AX ₁ under the control of a control device (not shown).

At the time of extrusion molding of the flexible tube 6, the blade wire 5 inserted from the through hole 21 of the housing 20 passes through the through hole 74 of the tubular member 79 as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is pulled out from the extrusion port 75 of the outer mold 78 to the front of the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 300. The blade wire 5 drawn from the extrusion port 75 of the outer die 78 is continuously conveyed in the left direction in FIGS. 1 and 2 by being taken up by a taking device (not shown). While transporting the blade wire 5, the first resin discharged from the first extruder 2a and / or the second resin discharged from the second extruder 2b is die through the mixing valve 3. By supplying the resin to the resin flow path of 71, the resin is extruded to the outer surface of the blade wire 5 passing through the extrusion port 75, and the flexible tube 6 in which the blade wire 5 is coated with the resin layer (outer layer tube) is formed.

In the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 300 according to the present invention, the resin is supplied to the die 71 in a state where the inner mold 77 is rotated around the shaft AX ₁ by the motor 4. Since the outer surface of the inner mold 77 is provided with a spiral groove 70, the resin supplied to the resin flow path between the outer surface of the inner mold 77 and the inner surface of the outer mold 78 is the shaft AX of the inner mold 77. _{As it} rotates around _one , it is extruded toward the extrusion port 75 while being kneaded. Therefore, the two types of resin supplied to the die 71 are at the contact position between the supply point (the discharge port of the first valve 11 and the second valve 12) and the second member 82 of the inner mold 77 and the tubular member 79. Will be actively homogenized between. When extruding a flexible tube in which the characteristics (for example, hardness) of the resin layer gradually change along the longitudinal direction, it is necessary to change the mixing ratio of the two types of resin with extrusion. In the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 300 according to the present invention, since the two types of resins are kneaded in the resin flow path by the rotation of the inner mold 77, uneven mixing of the two types of resins is eliminated and the characteristics of the resin layer are improved. Can be changed continuously and smoothly along the longitudinal direction of.

In the present embodiment, since both the resin extrusion and the resin kneading can be performed in the die 71, compared with the case where a mixing screw or the like for resin kneading is provided in addition to the resin extrusion die. The length and volume of the flow path from the mixing point of the two types of resin (in the present embodiment, the most upstream portion of the resin flow path provided in the die 71) to the extrusion port 75 can be reduced. Therefore, in the mixing valve 3, the response from switching the mixing ratio of the two types of resin to the actual change of the mixing ratio of the resin extruded from the extrusion port 75 is improved, or the mixing ratio of the resin changes. You can adjust the length. Further, since the amount of the resin flow path in the die 71 can be reduced, the amount of resin discarded from the production of one flexible tube to the production of the next flexible tube can be reduced.

The outer layer of the blade wire 5 is composed of a braided layer or a wound layer of a wire such as a metal wire or a resin fiber, and a fine wire having a diameter of less than 1 mm is used as the wire. To. In order to prevent damage to the outer layer of the blade wire 5, in a general flexible tube extrusion molding device, the inner mold through which the blade wire 5 is inserted is used in a fixed state. In the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 300 according to the present invention, in order to rotate the inner mold 77, a tubular member 79 fixed inside the inner mold 77 is provided, and the blade wire 5 is passed through the through hole 74 of the tubular member 79. There is. That is, the mold housed inside the outer mold 78 is formed so as to have a double tube structure composed of the inner mold 77 and the tubular member 79. Since rotation of the tubular member 79 around the axis AX ₁ is prohibited, damage to the blade wire 5 is prevented even when the inner mold 77 is rotated.

However, when the resin is extruded on the surface of the blade wire 5 while rotating the inner mold with a general extrusion molding apparatus not provided with the tubular member according to the present embodiment, the resin is pushed while rotating as the inner mold rotates. Since it is extruded from the outlet, the resin extruded on the surface of the blade wire 5 may form a spiral extrusion mark depending on the hardness and flow characteristics of the resin used. In the present embodiment, a second member 82 of the tubular member 79 that is fixed to the housing 20 and does not rotate is arranged on the extrusion port 75 side inside the outer mold 78. Even if the resin kneaded by the rotation of the inner mold 77 rotates with the rotation of the inner mold 77, the rotation is restricted when passing through the flow path between the fixed second member 82 and the outer mold 78. It is rectified. Since the rotation of the resin extruded from the extrusion port 75 to the surface of the blade wire 5 is suppressed, the outer diameter of the extruded flexible tube 6 can be made uniform.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to realize a flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 300 suitable for manufacturing a flexible tube in which the mixing ratio of the two types of resins constituting the resin layer is continuously changed. The flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment can be used for manufacturing various flexible tubes having a resin layer on the outermost surface, and in particular, a portion where the mixing ratio of the resin changes, such as a catheter or a tube for an endoscope. It is suitable for manufacturing a flexible tube in which the uniformity of the resin, the accuracy of the change in the mixing ratio of the resin, and the dimensional stability are all important.

The die 71 described above is preferably used in combination with the mixing valve 3 according to the first embodiment or the second embodiment. Although the details will be described later, the mixing valves according to the first embodiment and the second embodiment are both in the flow path of the first resin from the first extruder 2a to the die 71 and in the second extrusion. It is possible to suppress pressure fluctuations in the flow path of the second resin from the machine 2b to the die 71, and the rate of change in the mixing ratio of the two types of resin constituting the resin layer (outer layer tube) and the outer diameter dimension of the resin layer. It is characterized in that the accuracy can be improved. When the die 71 described above is combined with the mixing valve 3 according to the first embodiment or the second embodiment, the two types of resins supplied to the die 71 can be uniformly kneaded, so that the molded flexible tube can be formed. It is possible to improve the rate of change of the mixing ratio of the resins constituting the resin layer and the accuracy of the outer diameter dimension of the resin layer, and to continuously and smoothly change the mixing ratio of the resin layer along the longitudinal direction of the flexible tube 6. it can.

<Details of the mixing valve according to the first embodiment>
Hereinafter, the details of the mixing valve 3 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 10.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the first cylinder shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken from the IV-IV line shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken from the VV line shown in FIG.

The first cylinder 31 is a cylindrical member in which one end (lower end in FIG. 3) is open and the other end is closed, and a cylindrical space having substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the second cylinder 32 is inside. By providing 33, the peripheral wall portion 34 is formed. The first cylinder 31 is formed, for example, by cutting metal.

The first cylinder 31 is provided with a plurality of through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j that penetrate the peripheral wall portion 34 in the radial direction. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j have the same shape and the same inner diameter, and their respective central axes are located at a height h1 from the lower end of the first cylinder 31. Is located, each central axis extends in the radial direction of the first cylinder 31, and is provided at a constant pitch in the circumferential direction of the first cylinder 31 so that the central angle formed by the adjacent central axes is constant. Has been done. The resin discharged from the first extruder 2a or the second extruder 2b is supplied to these through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j. In the first valve 11, the opening formed on the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 34 by providing the through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j corresponds to the "first opening". Further, in the second valve 12, the opening formed on the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 34 by providing the through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j corresponds to the "second opening".

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a discharge groove 35 having a width in the vertical direction is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first cylinder 31 with a height h2 from the lower end of the first cylinder 31 as the center. ing. Further, a through hole 36 is formed inside the discharge groove 35 so as to penetrate the peripheral wall portion 34 in the radial direction of the first cylinder 31. The discharge groove 35 and the through hole 36 are used for discharging (disposal) unnecessary resin that is not supplied to the die 71 to the outside.

6 is a front view of the second cylinder shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view seen from the VII-VII line shown in FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view shown in FIG. It is a development view of the outer surface of the cylinder of 2. In FIG. 8, small circles are shown inside the grooves 45 and 46 with thin lines, but these circles do not indicate the structure provided in the second cylinder 32, and the second cylinder 32 is not shown. When the cylinder 32 is inserted into the first cylinder 31 and positioned, the positions where the inner openings of the through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j provided in the first cylinder 31 are opposed to each other are arranged. Represents.

The second cylinder 32 is a member having a substantially cylindrical shape. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, an elongated hole 39 extending from one end (lower end in FIGS. 6 and 7) to a predetermined height is provided inside the second cylinder 32 along the central axis. .. The elongated hole 39 functions as a resin supply path for supplying resin to the die 71. Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, grooves 45 and 46 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the second cylinder 32. Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the second cylinder 32 is provided with an inflow path 40 extending from the inside of the groove 45 to the elongated hole 39. The inflow path 40 is a flow path for feeding the resin supplied to the groove 45 into the elongated hole 39. The second cylinder 32 is also formed, for example, by cutting metal.

The groove 45 has a vertical width from the lower end of the second cylinder 32 about the level of the height h1, and is composed of a portion extending in the circumferential direction of the second cylinder 32. In a state where the second cylinder 32 is inserted into the space 33 inside the first cylinder 31 and positioned, as shown in FIG. 8, the openings inside the through holes 41a to 41j of the first cylinder 31 are open. It is arranged to face the portion extending in the circumferential direction of the groove 45.

The groove 46 has a vertical width from the lower end of the second cylinder 32 about the level of the height h1, and extends in the circumferential direction of the second cylinder 32 and the axial direction of the second cylinder 32. It has a portion extending from the lower end of the second cylinder 32 to the position of the height h2. In a state where the second cylinder 32 is inserted into the space 33 inside the first cylinder 31 and positioned, as shown in FIG. 8, the openings inside the through holes 42a to 42j of the first cylinder 31 are open. It is arranged to face the portion extending in the circumferential direction of the groove 46. Further, the lower end of the portion extending in the axial direction of the groove 46 is the first cylinder 31 shown in FIG. 3 in a state where the second cylinder 32 is inserted into the space 33 inside the first cylinder 31 and positioned. It is arranged to face the through hole 36.

In a state where the valve body 16 is formed by combining the first cylinder 31 and the second cylinder 32, the grooves 45 and 46 formed in the second cylinder 32 have through holes provided in the first cylinder 31. The resin is supplied through any of 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j. The groove 45 connected to the elongated hole 39 via the inflow path 40 functions as a resin supply path, and the groove 46 connected to the through hole 36 and the discharge groove 35 of the first cylinder 31 is a resin discharge path. Functions as. This point will be described later.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the first valve shown in FIG. FIG. 9 corresponds to a cross-sectional view of a position along the AA'line shown in FIG.

The first valve 11 shown in FIG. 9 has a valve body 16 in which a second cylinder 32 is inserted inside the first cylinder 31 and both are fixed, and the valve body 16 is inserted into the accommodation space inside the valve case 17. Is. As described above, the accommodation space inside the valve case 17 is formed in a cylindrical shape substantially the same as the outer peripheral surface of the valve body 16 (first cylinder 31), and the valve body 16 has the outer peripheral surface thereof and the valve case. It is rotatable about the axis AX ₂ while sliding with the inner peripheral surface of 17.

When assembling the valve body 16, as described above, the inner openings of the through holes 41a to 41j of the first cylinder 31 face the groove 45 of the second cylinder 32, and the through holes 42a of the first cylinder 31 The rotational position of the second cylinder 32 with respect to the first cylinder 31 is positioned so that the inner opening of ~ 42j faces the groove 46 of the second cylinder 32 (see FIGS. 3 to 8). When the first cylinder 31 and the second cylinder 32 are fixed by positioning in this way, the following flow paths are formed in the valve body 16.
(1) Resin supply path to the die:
Flow path from through holes 41a to 41j to elongated hole 39 via groove 45 and inflow path 40 (2) Resin discharge path to the outside:
Flow path from through holes 42a to 42j to discharge groove 35 via grooves 46 and through holes 36

On the other hand, the valve case 17 is formed with a supply path 50 as shown in FIG. The supply path 50 is a groove-shaped flow path that is connected to the flow path 51 to which the resin discharged from the extruder is supplied and extends over a predetermined range in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface of the valve case 17. It is composed of 52. The flow path 52 of the supply path 50 is formed at a position facing the through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j of the first cylinder 31.

The length of the flow path 52 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the valve case 17 in the circumferential direction is set so as to be able to communicate with a predetermined number of through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j. .. In the present embodiment, the flow path 52 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the valve case 17 has a length capable of supplying resin to half of the total of the through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j (10 in the present embodiment). It is set to.

Although the details will be described later, when the valve body 16 is rotated around the shaft AX ₂ , the positional relationship between the flow path 52 and the through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j changes. As described above, the through holes 41a to 41j are connected to the resin discharge path, and the through holes 42a to 42j are connected to the resin supply path to the die 71. Therefore, if the positional relationship between the flow path 52 and the through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j changes by the rotation angle corresponding to one through hole, the number of through holes communicating with the flow path 52 does not change. The ratio of the number of through holes connected to the resin discharge path to the number of through holes connected to the resin supply path changes. That is, by rotating the valve body 16, the distribution ratio of the resin supplied to the resin supply path to the die and the resin discharged to the outside can be changed. In the present embodiment, the number of through holes to which the flow path 52a can supply resin at the same time, the number of through holes 41a to 41j connected to the resin supply path, and the number of through holes 42a to 42j connected to the resin discharge path are any. Since the value is 10, the distribution ratio of the resin supplied to the resin supply path to the die and the resin discharged to the outside can be controlled in 11 steps in the range of 0:10 to 10: 0.

The configuration of the second valve 12 shown in FIG. 1 is the same as the configuration of the first valve 11, and the cross section of the position along the BB'line shown in FIG. 1 is also shown in FIG. Since they are the same, the repeated description of the second valve 12 will be omitted.

<Operation of mixing valve>
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of adjusting the resin mixing ratio using the mixing valve shown in FIG. 10 (a) to 10 (d) show a cross section corresponding to a position along the AA'line of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 10 (e) to 10 (h) are the BB'lines of FIG. The cross section corresponding to the position along the line is shown. For convenience in illustration, it is omitted appropriately sign of through-holes, in each figure, in a counterclockwise direction about the axis AX _2, are aligned through holes 41a~41j and 42A～42j. Further, in FIG. 10, the parts with the same hatching refer to the same member, and the description of the reference numerals is omitted as appropriate.

[State 1-1]
First, FIG. 10A shows a state in which the flow path 52 of the first resin communicates with all of the through holes 42a to 42j of the first cylinder 31. In this state, all of the first resin supplied from the first extruder 2a through the flow path 52 flows from the through holes 42a to 42j of the first cylinder 31 to the groove 46 of the second cylinder 32. It is discharged (discarded) to the outside through the through hole 36 and the discharge groove 35 (see FIGS. 3 to 8) of the first cylinder 31.

The rotation positions of the valve bodies 16 of the first valve 11 and the second valve 12 are the number of through holes connected to the flow path 52 to which the first resin is supplied and the number of through holes to which the second resin is supplied. It is controlled in synchronization so that the number of through holes connected to the flow path 52 is a fixed number (10 in this embodiment). Here, the number of through holes to which the flow path 52 can simultaneously supply the resin is n (n is a positive integer), and the number of through holes communicating with the flow path 52 in the first valve 11 is m (n). m is a positive integer). When the distribution ratio of the resin in the first valve 11 is m: (nm), the distribution ratio of the resin in the second valve 12 is (nm): m. The valve 11 and the second valve 12 are controlled respectively. The resin distribution ratio is "the ratio of the amount of resin supplied to the die 71 to the amount of resin discharged to the outside".

When the valve body 16 of the first valve 11 is in the rotation position shown in FIG. 10 (a), the valve body 16 of the second valve 12 is arranged in the rotation position shown in FIG. 10 (e). In this state, the flow path 52 to which the second resin is supplied communicates with all of the through holes 41a to 41j of the first cylinder 31. Therefore, all of the second resin supplied from the second extruder 2b through the flow path 52 flows from the through holes 41a to 41j of the first cylinder 31 to the groove 45 of the second cylinder 32, and the second It is supplied to the die 71 through the inflow path 40 and the elongated hole 39 (see FIGS. 3 to 8) of the cylinder 32 of the above.

That is, when the first valve 11 and the second valve 12 are controlled as shown in FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (e), all the first resin is discharged to the outside and the second resin is discharged. Since all of them are supplied to the die 71, the mixing ratio of the first resin and the second resin in the die 71 is 0:10.

[State 1-2]
Next, (b) in FIG. 10, from the state of FIG. 10 (a), the valve element 16 of the first valve 11, corresponding to the through-holes 2 duty counterclockwise direction about the axis AX ₂ Shows the state rotated by an angle. As described above, the flow path 52 has a length capable of communicating with 10 continuous through holes in the circumferential direction. Therefore, when the rotation is performed by an angle corresponding to the two through holes, the communication between the two through holes 42i and 42j in the most counterclockwise direction and the flow path 52 is released, and the eight through holes 31 of the first cylinder 31 are disconnected. Through holes 42a to 42h and two continuous through holes 41i and 41j communicate with the flow path 52.

In this state, of the first resin supplied from the first extruder 2a through the flow path 52, a part (supplied first resin) supplied to the through holes 42a to 42h of the first cylinder 31. 8/10) flows into the groove 46 of the second cylinder 32, then is discharged to the outside, and the remaining part (2 / of the supplied first resin) supplied to the through holes 41i and 41j. 10) flows into the groove 45 of the second cylinder 32 and flows into the elongated hole 39 through the inflow path 40.

When the valve body 16 of the first valve 11 is in the rotation position shown in FIG. 10 (b), the valve body 16 of the second valve 12 is arranged in the rotation position shown in FIG. 10 (f). In this state, the flow path 52 to which the second resin is supplied communicates with the eight through holes 41c to 41j of the first cylinder 31 and the two continuous through holes 42a and 42b. Of the second resin supplied from the second extruder 2b through the flow path 52, a part (8/10 of the supplied second resin) supplied to the through holes 41c to 41j of the first cylinder 31. ) Flows from the through holes 41c to 41j of the first cylinder 31 to the groove 45 of the second cylinder 32, and is supplied to the elongated hole 39 through the inflow path 40 of the second cylinder. Of the second resin supplied from the flow path 52, the remaining part (2/10 of the supplied second resin) supplied to the through holes 41a and 41b of the first cylinder 31 is the second. Flows into the groove 46 of the cylinder 32, and is discharged to the outside through the through hole 36 and the discharge groove 35 of the first cylinder 31.

That is, when the first valve 11 and the second valve 12 are controlled as shown in FIGS. 10 (b) and 10 (f), 10 penetrations communicating with the flow path 52 of the first valve 11 The die 71 is a first resin supplied to two of the holes and a second resin supplied to eight of the ten through holes communicating with the flow path 52 of the second valve 12. Is supplied to. The remaining resin supplied is discharged to the outside. Therefore, when each valve body 16 is located at the rotation position shown in FIGS. 10 (b) and 10 (f), the mixing ratio of the first resin and the second resin is 2: 8.

[State 1-3]
Next, FIG. 10 (c) corresponds to the valve body 16 of the first valve 11 corresponding to three through holes in the counterclockwise direction about the axis AX ₂ from the state of FIG. 10 (b). Shows the state rotated by an angle. As described above, the flow path 52 has a length capable of communicating with 10 continuous through holes in the circumferential direction. Therefore, when the three through holes 42f to 42h are rotated by an angle corresponding to the three through holes, the communication between the three through holes 42f to 42h and the flow path 52 is released, and the five through holes 42a to 42e of the first cylinder 31 and Five continuous through holes 41f to 41j communicate with the flow path 52.

In this state, of the first resin supplied from the first extruder 2a through the flow path 52, a part (supplied first resin) supplied to the through holes 42a to 42e of the first cylinder 31. 5/10) flows into the groove 46 of the second cylinder 32, then is discharged to the outside, and the remaining part (5 / of the supplied first resin) supplied to the through holes 41f to 41j. 10) flows into the groove 45 of the second cylinder 32 and flows into the elongated hole 39 through the inflow path 40.

When the valve body 16 of the first valve 11 is in the rotation position shown in FIG. 10 (c), the valve body 16 of the second valve 12 is arranged in the rotation position shown in FIG. 10 (g). In this state, the flow path 52 to which the second resin is supplied communicates with the five through holes 41f to 41j of the first cylinder 31 and the five through holes 42a to 42e continuous thereto. Among the second resin supplied from the second extruder 2b through the channel 52, 5/10 through-hole 41f~41j part supplied to the (supplied second resin in the first cylinder 31 ) Flows from the through holes 41f to 41j of the first cylinder 31 to the groove 45 of the second cylinder 32, and is supplied to the elongated hole 39 through the inflow path 40 of the second cylinder. Of the second resin supplied from the flow path 52, the remaining part (5/10 of the supplied second resin) supplied to the through holes 42a to 42e of the first cylinder 31 is the second. Flows into the groove 46 of the cylinder 32, and is discharged to the outside through the through hole 36 and the discharge groove 35 of the first cylinder 31.

That is, when the first valve 11 and the second valve 12 are controlled as shown in FIGS. 10 (c) and 10 (g), 10 penetrations communicating with the flow path 52 of the first valve 11 The die 71 is composed of a first resin supplied to five of the holes and a second resin supplied to five of the ten through holes communicating with the flow path 52 of the second valve 12. Is supplied to. The remaining resin supplied is discharged to the outside. Therefore, when each valve body 16 is located at the rotation position shown in FIGS. 10 (c) and 10 (g), the mixing ratio of the first resin and the second resin is 5: 5.

[State 1-4]
Next, (d) in FIG. 10, corresponds from the state of (c) in FIG. 10, the valve body 16 of the first valve 11, the through hole 5 duty counterclockwise direction about the axis AX ₂ Shows the state of being rotated by the angle to be used. As described above, the flow path 52 has a length capable of communicating with 10 continuous through holes in the circumferential direction. Therefore, when the through holes 42a to 42e are rotated by an angle corresponding to five through holes, the communication between the through holes 42a to 42e and the flow path 52 is released, and the ten through holes 41a to 41j of the first cylinder 31 are connected to the flow path 52. Communicate with.

In this state, in this state, all of the first resin supplied from the first extruder 2a through the flow path 52 flows into the groove 45 of the second cylinder 32 and into the elongated hole 39 through the inflow path 40. Inflow.

When the valve body 16 of the first valve 11 is in the rotation position shown in FIG. 10 (d), the valve body 16 of the second valve 12 is arranged in the rotation position shown in FIG. 10 (h). In this state, the flow path 52 to which the second resin is supplied communicates with the through holes 42a to 42j of the first cylinder 31. Therefore, all of the second resin supplied from the second extruder 2b through the flow path 52 flows into the groove 46 of the second cylinder 32, and passes through the through hole 36 and the discharge groove 35 of the first cylinder 31. , Is discharged to the outside.

That is, when the first valve 11 and the second valve 12 are controlled as shown in FIGS. 10 (d) and 10 (h), all the first resin is supplied to the die 71 and the second resin is used. Is discharged to the outside, so that the mixing ratio of the first resin and the second resin in the die 71 is 10: 0.

In addition, in FIG. 10, an example in which the mixing ratio of the first resin and the second resin was set to 0:10, 2: 8, 5: 5, 10: 0 was typically described, but the valve body 16 It is also possible to mix at other mixing ratios between 0:10 and 10: 0, depending on the rotational position of. Further, the mixing ratio can be adjusted in an arbitrary range by appropriately increasing or decreasing the number of through holes.

As described above, in the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment, in the mixing valve 3, the first valve is formed by changing the amount of resin supplied to the die 71 and the amount of resin discharged to the outside. The first resin in the die 71, while maintaining a constant total of the amount of the first resin supplied from the 11 to the die 71 and the amount of the second resin supplied from the second valve 12 to the die 71. The mixing ratio of the resin 1 and the resin 2 can be changed. When the resin layer (outer layer tube) of the flexible tube is extruded while rotating the valve bodies 16 of the first valve 11 and the second valve 12, the first resin and the second resin constituting the resin layer are formed. The mixing ratio of can be changed continuously. For example, when resins having different hardnesses are used as the first resin and the second resin, the hardness of the resin layer can be gradually increased or decreased from one end side to the other end side of the catheter shaft. Therefore, according to the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to manufacture a catheter shaft in which the characteristics of the resin layer such as hardness naturally change along the length direction as compared with the conventional manufacturing method. ..

Further, as a method of changing the mixing ratio of the resin, a method of adjusting the discharge amount (volume) per unit time by changing the rotation speed of the screws and gear pumps of the first extruder and the second extruder can be considered. .. However, when the rotation speed of the screw or gear pump is changed, the pressure of the resin remaining in the resin flow path or the die fluctuates. Therefore, the amount of resin extruded from the die may fluctuate, or the mixing ratio of the resin supplied to the die may not be changed accurately. Therefore, when the resin mixing ratio is controlled by adjusting the extrusion speeds of the first extruder and the second extruder, the rate of change of the mixing ratio of the two types of resins constituting the resin layer and the rate of change There is a problem that the accuracy of the outer diameter dimension of the resin layer is lowered. In particular, if the hardness or outer diameter of a catheter having an outer diameter of about 0.5 to 1.8 mm, such as a vascular catheter, fluctuates from the design value, the ability to follow the flexion of the blood vessel when inserted into the blood vessel and The operability of the catheter may deteriorate. On the other hand, in the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment, the first resin and the second resin are obtained by changing the distribution ratio (ratio of supply amount to discharge amount) of the first resin and the second resin. Since the mixing ratio of the resin is changed, it is not necessary to change the extrusion speeds of the first extruder and the second extruder. Therefore, it is possible to suppress pressure fluctuations in the flow path of the first resin from the first extruder 2a to the die 71 and in the flow path of the second resin from the second extruder 2b to the die 71. Therefore, the volume fluctuation of the resin extruded from the extrusion port of the die 71 can be suppressed, and the mixing ratio of the first resin and the second resin can be controlled with good response. Therefore, the two types of resins constituting the resin layer are mixed. It is possible to improve the rate of change of the ratio and the accuracy of the outer diameter dimension of the resin layer.

(Second Embodiment)
<Structure of flexible tube manufacturing equipment>
FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment.

The flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 400 according to the present embodiment includes a die 71, a first extruder (not shown), a second extruder (not shown), a mixing valve 30, and a motor 4. .. A first resin and a second resin, which are different from each other, are supplied to the mixing valve 30 from a first extruder and a second extruder (not shown), respectively. The flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 400 is fixed on a predetermined pedestal or the like via a pedestal. Although not shown in the present embodiment, on the upstream side and the downstream side of the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 400, a supply apparatus for supplying the blade wire 5 to the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 400 and an extruded flexible tube are provided. A pick-up device or the like for picking up 6 is appropriately provided.

The die 71 included in the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 400 includes an inner die 77, an outer die 78, and a tubular member 79 similar to those described in the first embodiment. Similar to the first embodiment, the inner mold 77 is rotatably supported by the first member 81 of the tubular member 79, and is rotatable about the shaft AX ₁ by the rotational force of the motor 4. Further, although not shown, the outer surface of the inner mold 77 is provided with a spiral groove (not shown) for kneading the molten resin as in the first embodiment (FIG.). 2). The outer mold 78 surrounds the inner mold 77 so as to form a predetermined gap from the outer surface of the inner mold 77, and has an extrusion port for extruding the resin at the front end. The tubular member 79 is a tubular member having a through hole through which the blade wire 5 is inserted, and is a tubular first member including an open end for inserting the blade wire 5 as described in the first embodiment. Includes 81 and an annular second member 82 that is connected to the first member 81 and includes an open end for feeding out the blade wire 5. Inside the outer mold 78, the first member 81 is housed in the inner mold 77, and the second member 82 is arranged adjacent to the inner mold 77. Similar to the first embodiment, the tubular member 79 is fixed to the housing 20 and the rotation of the tubular member 79 around the axis AX ₁ is restricted.

Also in this embodiment, at the time of extrusion molding of the flexible tube, the resin is supplied to the die 71 in a state where the inner mold 77 is rotated around the shaft AX ₁ by the motor 4. Since the outer surface helical grooves (not shown) in the inner mold 77 is provided, in accordance with the rotation around the axis AX ₁ of the inner mold 77, a resin flow path between the outer surface and the inner surface of the outer die 78 of the inner mold 77 The resin supplied to the above is extruded from the extrusion port 75 while being kneaded. Therefore, even with the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 400 according to the present embodiment, when the resin layer of the mixed resin output flexible tube in which the two types of resins are mixed is molded, the two types of resins can be made uniform.

<Details of the mixing valve according to the second embodiment>
In the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 400 according to the present embodiment, the configuration of the mixing valve 30 is different from that of the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 300 according to the first embodiment. More specifically, in the first embodiment, the mixing valve 3 is composed of two sets of valve bodies 16 and a valve case 17 (that is, a first valve 11 and a second valve 12). In the present embodiment, the mixing valve 30 is composed of one valve body 26 and one valve case 27. Hereinafter, the details of the mixing valve 30 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 20.

12 is a front view of the first cylinder shown in FIG. 11, FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view seen from the XIII-XIII line shown in FIG. 12, and FIG. 14 is an IVX shown in FIG. It is a cross-sectional view seen from the −IVX line, and FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view seen from the XV-XV line shown in FIG.

The mixing valve 30 includes a valve body 26 and a valve case 27 that rotatably accommodates the valve body 26. The valve body 26 is composed of a hollow first cylinder 61 and a second cylinder 62 housed in the first cylinder 61 and fixed to the first cylinder 61. The details of the first cylinder 61 and the second cylinder 62 will be described later. Inside the valve case 27, a cylindrical space having substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the valve body 26 is provided, and the valve body 26 is housed in this space. The valve body 26 is rotatably supported around the shaft AX ₂ while sliding the outer peripheral surface of the valve body 26 and the inner peripheral surface of the valve case 27 in a state of being housed inside the valve case 27. .. Further, the valve body 26 is connected to a drive mechanism 18 such as a motor (see FIG. 11). The drive mechanism 18 rotates the valve body 26 about the shaft AX ₂ under the control of a control device (not shown). The mixing valve 30 can change the mixing ratio of the first resin and the second resin supplied to the die 71 according to the rotation position of the valve body 26.

The first cylinder 61 is a cylindrical member having one end (lower end in FIG. 12) open and the other end closed, and is a cylindrical space having a shape substantially the same as the outer shape of the second cylinder 62 inside. By providing 33, the peripheral wall portion 34 is formed. The first cylinder 61 is formed, for example, by cutting metal.

The first cylinder 61 is provided with a plurality of through holes 41a to 41j, 42a to 42j, 43a to 43j, and 44a to 44j that penetrate the peripheral wall portion 34 in the radial direction.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j have the same shape and the same inner diameter, and their respective central axes are located at a height h3 from the lower end of the first cylinder 61. Is located, each central axis extends in the radial direction of the first cylinder 61, and further, intermittently at a constant pitch in the circumferential direction of the first cylinder 61 so that each central axis forms a constant angle. It is provided. The first resin discharged from the first extruder is supplied to the through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j. The opening formed on the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 34 by providing the through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j corresponds to the "first opening".

Further, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, the through holes 43a to 43j and 44a to 44j have the same shape and the same inner diameter as the through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j, and have the same shape and inner diameter as those of the first cylinder 61. Each central axis is located at a height h4 from the lower end, each central axis extends in the radial direction of the first cylinder 61, and the first central axis forms a constant angle. The cylinder 61 is provided at a constant pitch in the circumferential direction. A second resin discharged from the second extruder is supplied to the through holes 43a to 43j and 44a to 44j. The opening formed on the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 34 by providing the through holes 43a to 43j and 44a to 44j corresponds to the "second opening".

Further, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 15, a discharge groove 35 having a width in the vertical direction is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first cylinder 61 about a position at a height h5 from the lower end of the first cylinder 61. ing. Further, through holes 36a and 36b are formed inside the discharge groove 35 so as to penetrate the peripheral wall portion 34 in the radial direction of the first cylinder 61. These discharge grooves 35, through holes 36a and 36b are used for discharging (disposal) unnecessary resin that is not supplied to the die to the outside.

16 is a front view of the second cylinder shown in FIG. 11, FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view seen from the XVII-XVII line shown in FIG. 16, and FIG. 18 is a sectional view shown in FIG. It is a development view of the outer surface of the cylinder of 2. In FIG. 18, small circles are shown inside the grooves 47 to 46 with thin lines, but these circles do not indicate the structure provided in the second cylinder 62, and the second cylinder 62 is not shown. When the cylinder 62 is inserted into the first cylinder 61 and positioned, the inside of the through holes 41a to 41j, 42a to 42j, 43a to 43j, 44a to 44j provided in the first cylinder 61. It represents the position where the openings are arranged facing each other.

The second cylinder 62 is a member having a substantially cylindrical shape. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, an elongated hole 39 extending from one end (lower end in FIGS. 16 and 17) to a predetermined height is provided inside the second cylinder 62 along the central axis. .. The elongated hole 39 functions as a resin supply path for supplying resin to the die 71. Further, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 18, a plurality of grooves 45 to 48 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the second cylinder 62. Further, as shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, the second cylinder 62 has an inflow path 40a reaching from the inside of the groove 48 to the elongated hole 39 and an inflow path 40b reaching from the inside of the groove 45 to the elongated hole 39. And are provided. The inflow path 40a is a flow path for feeding the first resin supplied to the groove 48 into the elongated hole 39, and the inflow path 40b is for feeding the second resin supplied to the groove 45 into the elongated hole 39. It is a flow path of. The second cylinder 62 is also formed, for example, by cutting metal.

The groove 47 has a vertical width from the lower end of the second cylinder 62 about the level of the height h3, and extends in the circumferential direction of the second cylinder 62 and the axial direction of the second cylinder 62. It has a portion extending from the lower end of the second cylinder 62 to a position at a height h5. In a state where the second cylinder 62 is inserted into the space 33 inside the first cylinder 61 and positioned, as shown in FIG. 18, the openings inside the through holes 41a to 41j of the first cylinder 61 are open. It is arranged to face the portion extending in the circumferential direction of the groove 47. Further, the lower end of the portion extending in the axial direction of the groove 47 is the first cylinder 61 shown in FIG. 12 in a state where the second cylinder 62 is inserted into the space 33 inside the first cylinder 61 and positioned. It is arranged to face the through hole 36a.

The groove 48 has a vertical width from the lower end of the second cylinder 62 about the level of the height h3, and is composed of a portion extending in the circumferential direction of the second cylinder 62. In a state where the second cylinder 62 is inserted into the space 33 inside the first cylinder 61 and positioned, as shown in FIG. 18, the openings inside the through holes 42a to 42j of the first cylinder 61 are open. It is arranged to face the portion extending in the circumferential direction of the groove 48.

In a state where the valve body 26 is formed by combining the first cylinder 61 and the second cylinder 62, the grooves 47 and 48 formed in the second cylinder 62 have through holes provided in the first cylinder 61. The first resin is supplied through any of 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j. Specifically, the groove 47 functions as a discharge path for the first resin, and the groove 48 functions as a supply path for the first resin. This point will be described later.

The groove 45 has a vertical width from the lower end of the second cylinder 62 about the level of the height h4, and is composed of a portion extending in the circumferential direction of the second cylinder 62. In a state where the second cylinder 62 is inserted into the space 33 inside the first cylinder 61 and positioned, as shown in FIG. 18, the openings inside the through holes 43a to 43j of the first cylinder 61 are open. It is arranged to face the portion extending in the circumferential direction of the groove 45.

The groove 46 has a vertical width from the lower end of the second cylinder 62 about the level of the height h4, and extends in the circumferential direction of the second cylinder 62 and the axial direction of the second cylinder 62. It has a portion extending from the lower end of the second cylinder 62 to a position at a height h5. In a state where the second cylinder 62 is inserted into the space 33 inside the first cylinder 61 and positioned, as shown in FIG. 18, the openings inside the through holes 44a to 44j of the first cylinder 61 are open. It is arranged to face the portion extending in the circumferential direction of the groove 46. Further, the lower end of the portion extending in the axial direction of the groove 46 is the first cylinder 61 shown in FIG. 12 in a state where the second cylinder 62 is inserted into the space 33 inside the first cylinder 61 and positioned. It is arranged to face the through hole 36b.

In a state where the valve body 26 is formed by combining the first cylinder 61 and the second cylinder 62, the grooves 45 and 46 formed in the second cylinder 62 have through holes provided in the first cylinder 61. The second resin is supplied through any of 43a to 43j and 44a to 44j. Specifically, the groove 45 functions as a supply path for the second resin, and the groove 46 functions as a discharge path for the second resin. This point will be described later.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the mixing valve according to the second embodiment. More specifically, FIG. 19A corresponds to a cross-sectional view of a position along the AA'line of FIG. 11, and FIG. 11B corresponds to a position along the BB'line of FIG. Corresponds to the cross-sectional view of. For convenience in illustration, are omitted appropriately sign of the through hole, in (a) of FIG. 19, similar to FIG. 13, in a counterclockwise direction about the axis AX _2, through holes 41a~41j and 42a~42j are aligned, in (b) of FIG. 19, similar to FIG. 14, in a counterclockwise direction about the axis AX _2, it is aligned through holes 43a~43j and 44A～44j.

In the mixing valve 30 shown in FIG. 11, a valve body 26 formed by inserting a second cylinder 62 inside the first cylinder 61 and fixing the relative rotation of the two is inserted into the accommodation space inside the valve case 27. It was done. As described above, the accommodation space inside the valve case 27 is formed in a cylindrical shape substantially the same as the outer peripheral surface of the valve body 26 (first cylinder 61), and the valve body 26 has the outer peripheral surface thereof and the valve case. It is rotatable about the axis AX ₂ while sliding with the inner peripheral surface of 27.

When assembling the valve body 26, as described with reference to FIG. 18, the inner openings of the through holes 41a to 41j of the first cylinder 61 face the groove 47 of the second cylinder 62, and the first cylinder 61 The inner opening of the through holes 42a to 42j faces the groove 48 of the second cylinder 62, and the inner opening of the through holes 43a to 43j of the first cylinder 61 faces the groove 45 of the second cylinder 62. Further, the rotation position of the second cylinder 62 with respect to the first cylinder 61 is set so that the opening inside the through holes 44a to 44j of the first cylinder 61 faces the groove 46 of the second cylinder 62. It is positioned (see FIGS. 12-18). When the first cylinder 61 and the second cylinder 62 are fixed by positioning in this way, the following flow paths are formed in the valve body 26.
(1) Resin supply path for the first resin die:
Flow path from the through holes 42a to 42j to the elongated hole 39 via the groove 48 and the inflow path 40a (2) Resin discharge path to the outside of the first resin:
Flow path from through holes 41a to 41j to discharge groove 35 via grooves 47 and through holes 36a (3) Resin supply path for the second resin die:
Flow path from through holes 43a to 43j to the elongated hole 39 via the groove 45 and the inflow path 40b (4) Resin discharge path to the outside of the second resin:
Flow path from through holes 44a to 44j to discharge groove 35 via grooves 46 and through holes 36b

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 19, supply paths 50a and 50b are formed in the valve case 27. The supply path 50a is connected to the flow path 51a to which the resin discharged from the first extruder is supplied and the flow path 51a, and has a groove shape extending over a predetermined range in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface of the valve case 17. It is composed of the flow path 52a of the above. The flow path 52a of the supply path 50a is formed at a position facing the through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j of the first cylinder 61. Further, the supply path 50b is connected to the flow path 51b to which the resin discharged from the first extruder is supplied and the flow path 51b, and extends over a predetermined range in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface of the valve case 17. It is composed of a groove-shaped flow path 52b. The flow path 52b of the supply path 50b is formed at a position facing the through holes 43a to 43j and 44a to 44j of the first cylinder 61.

The lengths of the flow paths 52a and 52b provided on the inner peripheral surface of the valve case 27 are set so as to be able to communicate with the same number of through holes. In the present embodiment, the flow path 52a provided on the inner peripheral surface of the valve case 27 supplies the first resin to half of the total of the through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j (10 in the present embodiment). It is set to a possible length. Similarly, the flow path 52b provided on the inner peripheral surface of the valve case 27 can supply the second resin to half of the total of the through holes 43a to 43j and 44a to 44j (10 in this embodiment). It is set to the length. As shown in FIG. 19, when the flow paths 52a of the first resin and the through holes 41a to 41j are in communication with each other, the flow paths 52b of the second resin and the through holes 43a to 43j are connected to each other. The rotation positions of the through holes and the flow paths 52a and 52b about the axis AX ₂ are set so as to communicate with each other.

Although the details will be described later, when the valve body 26 is rotated around the shaft AX ₂ , the positional relationship between the flow path 52a and the through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j changes. As described above, the through holes 41a to 41j are connected to the resin discharge path, and the through holes 42a to 42j are connected to the resin supply path to the die 71. Therefore, when the positional relationship between the flow path 52a and the through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j changes, the number of through holes communicating with the flow path 52a does not change, but among the through holes communicating with the flow path 52a, the resin The ratio between the number of holes connected to the discharge path and the number of through holes connected to the resin supply path changes. That is, by rotating the valve body 26, the distribution ratio of the first resin discharged to the outside and the first resin supplied to the resin supply path to the die 71 can be changed. In the present embodiment, the number of through holes to which the flow path 52a can simultaneously supply the first resin, the number of through holes 41a to 41j connected to the resin discharge path, and the number of through holes 42a to 42j connected to the resin supply path. Since both are 10, the distribution ratio of the first resin discharged to the outside and the first resin supplied to the resin supply path to the die is set in 11 steps in the range of 0:10 to 10: 0. Can be controlled to.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the through holes 43a to 43j and 44a to 44j are provided in the same valve body 26, when the valve body 26 is rotated around the shaft AX ₂ , the flow path 52b and the through holes 43a to The positional relationship with 43j and 44a to 44j also changes at the same time. As described above, the through holes 43a to 43j are connected to the resin supply path to the die, and the through holes 44a to 44j are connected to the resin discharge path. Therefore, when the positional relationship between the flow path 52b and the through holes 43a to 43j and 44a to 44j changes, the number of through holes communicating with the flow path 52b does not change, but among the through holes communicating with the flow path 52b, the resin The ratio of the number of holes connected to the supply path to the number of through holes connected to the resin discharge path changes. That is, by rotating the valve body 26, the distribution ratio of the second resin supplied to the resin supply path to the die and the second resin discharged to the outside can be changed. In the present embodiment, the number of through holes to which the flow path 52b can simultaneously supply the second resin, the number of through holes 43a to 43j connected to the resin supply path, and the number of through holes 44a to 44j connected to the resin discharge path. Since each of the above is 10, the distribution ratio of the second resin supplied to the resin supply path to the die and the second resin discharged to the outside is synchronized with the distribution of the first resin described above. It can be controlled in 11 steps in the range of 10: 0 to 0:10.

In the present embodiment, a part of the valve body 26 provided with through holes 41a to 41j and 42a to 42j and a part of the valve case 27 provided with the flow path 52a are provided with a first resin in the resin supply path and the resin supply path. A first valve that distributes to the resin discharge path is configured. Further, a second resin is supplied to the resin supply path in the other part of the valve body 26 provided with the through holes 43a to 43j and 44a to 44j and the other part of the valve case 27 provided with the flow path 52b. And a second valve that distributes to the resin discharge path is configured. As described above, when both the first valve and the second valve are composed of the same valve body 26 and the same valve case 27, the rotation of the valve body 26 about one axis AX ₂ causes the valve body 26 to rotate. Since the distribution ratio in the first valve and the distribution ratio in the second valve can be changed in synchronization with each other, the mixing ratio of the first resin and the second resin can be easily controlled.

<Operation of mixing valve>
FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of adjusting the resin mixing ratio using the mixing valve shown in FIG. 20 (a) to 20 (d) show cross sections corresponding to positions along the CC'line of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 10 (e) to 10 (h) are the DD' lines of FIG. The cross section corresponding to the position along the line is shown. For convenience in illustration, it is omitted appropriately sign of through-holes, in each figure, in a counterclockwise direction about the axis AX _2, are aligned through holes 41a~41j and 42A～42j. Further, in FIG. 10, the parts with the same hatching refer to the same member, and the description of the reference numerals is omitted as appropriate.

[State 2-1]
First, FIG. 20A shows a state in which the flow path 52a of the first resin communicates with all of the through holes 41a to 41j of the first cylinder 61. In this state, the first resin supplied from the first extruder through the flow path 52a flows from the through holes 41a to 41j of the first cylinder 61 to the groove 47 of the second cylinder 62, and is the first. It is discharged to the outside of the mixing valve 30 through the through hole 36a of the cylinder 61 and the discharge groove 35 (see FIG. 12), and is not supplied to the die 71.

In this state, as shown in FIG. 20 (e), the flow path 52b of the second resin communicates with all of the through holes 43a to 43j of the first cylinder 61. Therefore, all of the second resin supplied from the second extruder through the flow path 52b flows from the through holes 43a to 43j of the first cylinder 61 to the groove 45 of the second cylinder 62, and the second It is supplied to the die 71 through the inflow path 40b of the cylinder 62 and the elongated hole 39 (see FIGS. 16 to 18).

That is, when the valve body 26 is located at the rotation position shown in FIGS. 20 (a) and 20 (d), all the first resin is discharged and all the second resin is supplied to the die 71. The mixing ratio of the resin and the second resin is 0:10.

[State 2-2]
Next, FIG. 20 (b) shows a state in which the valve body 26 is rotated clockwise about the axis AX ₂ by an angle corresponding to two through holes from the state of FIG. 20 (a). Is shown. As described above, the flow path 52a has a length capable of communicating with 10 continuous through holes in the circumferential direction. Therefore, when the rotation is performed by an angle corresponding to the two through holes, the communication between the two through holes 41a and 41b in the most clockwise direction and the flow path 52a is released, and the eight penetrations of the first cylinder 61 are released. The holes 41c to 41j and the two continuous through holes 42a and 42b communicate with the flow path 52a of the first resin.

In this state, of the first resin supplied from the first extruder through the flow path 52a, a part (of the supplied first resin) supplied to the through holes 41c to 41j of the first cylinder 61. 8/10) flows into the groove 47 of the second cylinder 62 and is then discharged to the outside of the mixing valve 30, but the remaining part (supplied first) supplied to the through holes 42a and 42b. 2/10) of the resin of the above flows into the groove 48 of the second cylinder 62 and flows into the elongated hole 39 through the inflow path 40a.

At this time, the rotation positions of the second resin flow path 52b and the valve body 26 are also shifted by two through holes. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 20 (f), the second resin flow path 52b is It communicates with the eight through holes 43c to 43j of the first cylinder 61 and the two through holes 44a and 44b continuous thereto. Of the second resin supplied from the second extruder through the flow path 52b, a part of the second resin supplied to the through holes 43c to 43j of the first cylinder 61 (8/10 of the supplied second resin). Flows from the through holes 43c to 43j of the first cylinder 61 to the groove 45 of the second cylinder 62, and is supplied to the elongated hole 39 through the inflow path 40b of the second cylinder. Of the second resin supplied from the flow path 52b, the remaining part (2/10 of the supplied second resin) supplied to the through holes 44a and 44b of the first cylinder 61 is the second. Flows into the groove 46 of the cylinder 62, and is discharged to the outside of the mixing valve 30 through the through hole 36b and the discharge groove 35 of the first cylinder 61.

That is, when the valve body 26 is located at the rotation position shown in FIGS. 20 (b) and 20 (f), the first resin supplied to two of the ten through holes communicating with the flow path 52a and the first resin. The second resin supplied to eight of the ten through holes communicating with the flow path 52b is supplied to the elongated holes 39 of the second cylinder 62, mixed in the elongated holes 39, and the die 71. Is supplied to. The remaining resin supplied is discharged to the outside. Therefore, when the valve body 26 is located at the rotation position shown in FIGS. 20 (b) and 20 (f), the mixing ratio of the first resin and the second resin is 2: 8.

[State 2-3]
Next, FIG. 20 (c) shows a state in which the valve body 26 is rotated clockwise about the axis AX ₂ by an angle corresponding to three through holes from the state of FIG. 20 (b). Is shown. As described above, the flow path 52a has a length capable of communicating with 10 continuous through holes in the circumferential direction. Therefore, when the three through holes 41c to 41e are rotated by an angle corresponding to the three through holes, the communication between the three through holes 41c to 41e and the flow path 52a is released, and the five through holes 41f to 41j of the first cylinder 61 and Five continuous through holes 42a to 42e communicate with the flow path 52a of the first resin.

In this state, of the first resin supplied from the first extruder through the flow path 52a, a part (of the supplied first resin) supplied to the through holes 41f to 41j of the first cylinder 61. 5/10) flows into the groove 47 of the second cylinder 62 and is then discharged to the outside of the mixing valve 30, but the remaining part (supplied first) supplied to the through holes 42a to 42e. 5/10) of the resin flows into the groove 48 of the second cylinder 62 and flows into the elongated hole 39 through the inflow path 40a.

At this time, the rotation positions of the second resin flow path 52b and the valve body 26 are also displaced by three through holes, so that the first resin flow path 52a and the through holes 41f to 41j of the first cylinder 61 and In a state where five continuous through holes 42a to 42e are in communication with each other, as shown in FIG. 20 (g), the second resin flow path 52b has five of the first cylinder 61. Through holes 43f to 43j and five continuous through holes 44a to 44e are communicated with each other. Of the second resin supplied from the second extruder through the flow path 52b, a part of the second resin supplied to the through holes 43f to 43j of the first cylinder 61 (5/10 of the supplied second resin). Flows from the through holes 43f to 43j of the first cylinder 61 to the groove 45 of the second cylinder 62, and is supplied to the elongated hole 39 through the inflow path 40b of the second cylinder. Of the second resin supplied from the flow path 52b, the remaining part (5/10 of the supplied second resin) supplied to the through holes 44a to 44e of the first cylinder 61 is the second. Flows into the groove 46 of the cylinder 62, and is discharged to the outside of the mixing valve 30 through the through hole 36b and the discharge groove 35 of the first cylinder 61.

That is, when the valve body 26 is located at the rotation position shown in FIGS. 20 (c) and 20 (g), the first resin supplied to five of the ten through holes communicating with the flow path 52a and the first resin. The second resin supplied to 5 of the 10 through holes communicating with the flow path 52b is supplied to the elongated holes 39 of the second cylinder 62, mixed in the elongated holes 39, and the die 71. Is supplied to. The remaining resin supplied is discharged. Therefore, when the valve body 26 is located at the rotation position shown in FIGS. 20 (c) and 20 (g), the mixing ratio of the first resin and the second resin is 5: 5.

[State 2-4]
Next, FIG. 20D shows a state in which the valve body 26 is rotated clockwise about the axis AX ₂ by an angle corresponding to five through holes from the state of FIG. 20C. Is shown. As described above, the flow path 52a has a length capable of communicating with 10 continuous through holes in the circumferential direction. Therefore, when the through holes 41f to 41j are rotated by an angle corresponding to five through holes, the communication between the through holes 41f to 41j and the flow path 52a is released, and all of the ten through holes 42a to 42j in the most counterclockwise direction are released. It communicates with the flow path 52a of the first resin. In this state, the first resin supplied from the first extruder through the flow path 52a flows from the through holes 42a to 42j of the first cylinder 61 to the groove 48 of the second cylinder 62, and is the second. It flows into the elongated hole 39 through the inflow path 40a of the cylinder 62.

In this state, as shown in FIG. 20 (h), the flow path 52b of the second resin and all of the through holes 44a to 44j of the first cylinder 61 are communicated with each other. Therefore, all of the second resin supplied from the second extruder through the flow path 52a flows from the through holes 44a to 44j of the first cylinder 61 to the groove 46 of the second cylinder 62, and the first It is discharged to the outside of the mixing valve 3 through the through hole 36b and the discharge groove 35 of the cylinder 61.

Therefore, when the valve body 26 is located at the rotation position shown in FIGS. 20 (d) and 20 (h), all the first resin is supplied to the die 71 and all the second resin is discharged, so that the first resin is discharged. The mixing ratio of the resin and the second resin is 10: 0.

In addition, in FIG. 20, an example in which the mixing ratio of the first resin and B was set to 0:10, 2: 8, 5: 5, 10: 0 was typically described, but at the rotation position of the valve body 26, Depending, it is also possible to mix at other mixing ratios between 0:10 and 10: 0. Further, the mixing ratio can be adjusted in an arbitrary range by appropriately increasing or decreasing the number of through holes.

As described above, in the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 400 according to the present embodiment, among the through holes communicating with the first resin flow path 52a, the number a of the through holes communicating with the resin discharge path , The ratio of the number b of the through holes communicating with the resin supply path (long hole 39) for supplying the resin to the die 71, and the through holes communicating with the second resin flow path 52b. , The ratio of the number c of the through holes communicating with the resin supply path (long hole 39) for supplying the resin to the die 71 and the number d of the through holes communicating with the resin discharge path is equal ( a, b, c, d are integers greater than or equal to 0). In other words, regardless of the rotation angle of the valve body 26, the number of through holes used for supplying the first resin and the number of through holes used for discharging the second resin always match. , The number of through holes used for discharging the first resin and the number of through holes used for supplying the second resin are always the same. Further, since the number of through holes communicating with the flow path 52a of the first resin is equal to the number of through holes communicating with the flow path 52b of the second resin, the resin supply path (long hole 39). ) Is constant (that is, the sum of the number b of the through holes and the number c of the through holes described above).

Since it is configured in this way, if the distribution ratio of the first resin and the second resin is changed according to the rotation angle of the valve body 26, the supply amount of the first resin to the elongated hole 39 is increased by the amount. Since the supply amount of the second resin is reduced, the mixing ratio of the first resin and the second resin can be changed. Therefore, in the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 400 according to the present embodiment, in the mixing valve 3, the amount of the first resin supplied from the first valve 11 to the die 71 and the amount of the first resin supplied from the second valve 12 to the die 71. The mixing ratio of the first resin and the second resin in the die 71 can be changed while keeping the total with the amount of the second resin supplied constant. When the resin layer (outer layer tube) of the flexible tube is extruded while rotating the valve bodies 16 of the first valve 11 and the second valve 12, the first resin and the second resin constituting the resin layer are formed. The mixing ratio of can be changed continuously. For example, when resins having different hardnesses are used as the first resin and the second resin, the hardness of the resin layer can be gradually increased or decreased from one end side to the other end side of the catheter shaft. Therefore, according to the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus 400 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to manufacture a catheter shaft in which the characteristics of the resin layer such as hardness naturally change along the length direction as compared with the conventional manufacturing method. ..

(Other variants, etc.)
In each of the above embodiments, an example in which the present invention is applied to a flexible tube manufacturing apparatus has been described, but the configuration of the mixing valve and the manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is flexible for other uses such as an endoscope tube. It can also be applied to tube manufacturing equipment.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, an example in which a catheter shaft is extruded using resins having different hardnesses as two different types of resins has been described, but the two types of resins have different characteristics, not limited to hardness. You can use the one you have. For example, it is also possible to manufacture an outer layer tube in which colors gradually change from the tip to the hand side by using resins having different colors as the two types of resins.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the valve case may be appropriately divided into a plurality of blocks so that grooves and flow paths can be easily formed.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, there are 20 through holes (first opening) for supplying the first resin and 20 through holes (second opening) for supplying the second resin. Although the example in which the number of through holes is provided has been described, the number of through holes is not particularly limited and may be N (N is a positive integer).

Further, in each of the above embodiments, half of each of the through hole (first opening) for supplying the first resin and the through hole (second opening) for supplying the second resin. An example has been described in which (10 pieces) are communicated with the resin supply path and the other half (10 pieces) are communicated with the resin discharge path, but the present invention is not limited to this. When the number of through holes (first openings) for supplying the first resin is N (N is a positive integer), m (where m is an integer smaller than N) through holes. Is communicated with the resin supply path, and the remaining (Nm) pieces may be communicated with the resin discharge path. In this case, of the N through holes (second openings) for supplying the second resin, m through holes are communicated with the resin discharge path, and the remaining (Nm) are resin. It suffices if it is connected to the supply channel. When N is an even number and m is N / 2, the number of through holes communicating with the resin supply path is equal to the number of through holes communicating with the resin discharge path, so the resin is mixed within the range of 0 to 100%. The ratio can be adjusted. However, when m is not N / 2, the adjustable range of the mixing ratio is narrowed, but it is possible to adjust the mixing ratio within a limited range. For example, when there are 10 through holes for supplying the first resin and 5 through holes for discharging, and 5 through holes for supplying the second resin and 10 through holes for discharging. , The mixing ratio of the first resin and the second resin can be adjusted in the range of 10:00 to 5: 5.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the supply path provided in the valve case is a through hole (first opening) for supplying the first resin or a through hole (first opening) for supplying the second resin. It is configured to have a length that allows communication with half of the second opening), but is not limited to this. A through hole (first opening) for supplying the first resin to the first cylinder and a through hole (second opening) for supplying the second resin to the first cylinder are provided, respectively. When the total number is N (N is a positive integer), the number of through holes to which the resin can be supplied to the supply path of the valve case may be less than N.

Further, the flexible tube obtained by the manufacturing apparatus according to each of the above embodiments has a structure in which the surface of the blade is coated with a resin layer, and is composed of a mixture of two types of resins in which the resin layers covering the blade are different from each other. It is a plastic. As described above, in the flexible tube manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the mixing ratio is controlled by controlling the distribution ratio of each of the two types of resin (the ratio of the amount of resin supplied to the mixing valve to the amount of resin discarded). Since it can be changed gradually, the mixing ratio of the two types of resins constituting the resin layer changes continuously from one end to the other end of the flexible tube, not stepwise. Therefore, in the flexible tube obtained by the manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the hardness does not change abruptly with the change of the resin ratio, and the hardness can be gradually changed.

The present invention can be used as a device for manufacturing flexible tubes such as catheter shafts used for manufacturing medical catheters and tubes used for endoscopes.

2a First extruder 2b Second extruder 3 Mixing valve 4 Motor 5 Blade wire 6 Flexible tube 11 First valve 12 Second valve 16 Valve body 17 Valve case 18 Drive mechanism 26 Valve body 27 Valve case 30 Mixing Valve 31 1st cylinder 32 2nd cylinder 34 Peripheral wall 35 Discharge groove 39 Long hole 41-44 Through hole 45-48 Groove 52 Flow path 71 Die 77 Inner die 78 Outer die 79 Tubular member 70 Groove 74 Through hole 75 Push Exit

Claims (7)

A flexible tube manufacturing device for extrusion molding of flexible tubes.
A die that extrudes resin onto the surface of the blade wire,
A resin supply unit capable of supplying the first resin and a second resin different from the first resin to the die,
Equipped with a motor
The die
A tubular member having a through hole through which the blade wire is inserted, the first tubular member having a first open end into which the blade wire is inserted, and the blade wire connected to the first member. A tubular member having a second open end to which the first member is fed, and including an annular second member having an outermost diameter larger than the outer diameter of the first member.
A tubular inner mold that surrounds the first member of the tubular member and has a groove on the outer surface.
Surrounding the inner mold and the second member so as to form a predetermined gap between the outer surface of the inner mold and the outer surface of the second member, from the second open end of the tubular member. The outer surface of the drawn blade wire includes an outer mold having an extrusion port for extruding the resin supplied to the gap.
The outer mold, the inner mold, and the tubular member are arranged so that their respective central axes are coaxial.
The tubular member is fixed and
The resin supply unit is a flexible tube manufacturing apparatus that supplies the first resin and the second resin to the die in a state where the motor rotates the inner mold around a central axis. The resin supply unit
The first extruder that discharges the first resin and
A second extruder that discharges the second resin, and
The first aspect of the present invention includes a mixing valve capable of changing the mixing ratio of the first resin discharged from the first extruder and the second resin discharged from the second extruder. The flexible tube manufacturing apparatus described. The mixing valve is
A first valve capable of changing the first distribution ratio, which is the ratio of the amount of the first resin supplied to the die and the amount of the first resin discharged to the outside.
A second valve capable of changing the second distribution ratio, which is the ratio of the amount of the second resin supplied to the die and the amount of the second resin discharged to the outside, is included.
The mixing valve has a constant amount of the sum of the amount of the first resin supplied from the first valve to the die and the amount of the second resin supplied from the second valve to the die. By changing the first distribution ratio and the second distribution ratio while maintaining the mixing ratio, the mixing ratio of the first resin and the second resin is increased or increased with the extrusion molding of the flexible tube. The flexible tube manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the amount is reduced. The first valve is
A cylindrical first valve body that can rotate around the central axis,
A first case having a slidable inner peripheral surface with the outer peripheral surface of the first valve body and slidably accommodating the first valve body inside the inner peripheral surface is included.
The second valve is
A second cylindrical valve body that can rotate around the central axis,
A second case having a slidable inner peripheral surface with the outer peripheral surface of the second valve body and accommodating the second valve body in a slidable and rotatable manner inside the inner peripheral surface is included.
The first valve body has N first openings (where N is a positive integer) arranged at equal angles in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the first valve body. Provided,
The second valve body is provided with N second openings having the same shape as the first opening, which are arranged at equal angles in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the second valve body. Be,
Of the first openings, m continuous in the circumferential direction (where m is a positive integer smaller than N) are used to supply the first resin to the die. (Nm) of the first openings that communicate with the first resin supply path and are continuous with the m first openings for discharging the first resin to the outside. Communicate with the first resin discharge path,
Of the second openings, m second openings continuous in the circumferential direction communicate with the second resin discharge passage for discharging the second resin to the outside, and the m second openings are communicated with each other. The (Nm) number of second openings continuous with the second opening of the second opening communicates with the second resin supply path for supplying the second resin to the die.
In the first case, the first resin discharged from the first extruder is supplied to n (where n is a positive integer smaller than N) of the first openings. A possible first supply is provided,
The second case is provided with a second supply unit capable of supplying the second resin discharged from the second extruder to the n second openings.
The number of first openings communicating with both the first supply section and the first resin supply path, and communicating with both the second supply section and the second resin supply path. The flexible tube manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sum of the number of the second openings is n. The number of the first openings communicating with the first resin supply path, the number of the first openings communicating with the first resin discharge path, and the first from the first supply section. The number of the first openings to which the resin is supplied is equal to
The number of the second openings communicating with the second resin supply path, the number of the second openings communicating with the second resin discharge path, and the second from the second supply section. The flexible tube manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the number of the second openings to which the resin is supplied is equal to that of the second opening. The mixing valve has a cylindrical valve body that can rotate around a central axis and an inner peripheral surface that can slide with the outer peripheral surface of the valve body, and the valve body slides inside the inner peripheral surface. A single valve with a rotatably accommodating case,
Both the first valve and the second valve are composed of the same valve body and case.
A part of the valve body is provided with N first openings (where N is a positive integer) arranged at equal angles along the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the valve body.
The other part of the valve body is provided with N second openings having the same shape as the first opening, which are arranged at equal angles on the outer peripheral surface of the valve body in the circumferential direction. ,
Of the first openings, m continuous in the circumferential direction (where m is a positive integer smaller than N) are resin supply paths for supplying resin to the die. (Nm) of the first openings continuous with the m first openings communicate with the resin discharge path for discharging the resin to the outside.
Of the second openings, m second openings continuous in the circumferential direction communicate with the resin discharge path and are continuous with the m second openings (Nm). The second opening communicates with the resin supply path.
In the case
With the first supply unit capable of supplying the first resin discharged from the first extruder to the first opening of n pieces (where n is a positive integer smaller than N). ,
A second supply unit capable of supplying the second resin discharged from the second extruder to the n second openings is provided.
The number of first openings communicating with both the first supply section and the resin supply path, and the second opening communicating with both the second supply section and the resin supply path. The flexible tube manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sum with the number of the above is n. The number of the first openings communicating with the resin supply path, the number of the first openings communicating with the resin discharge path, and the first resin being supplied from the first supply section. Equal to the number of first openings
The number of the second openings communicating with the resin supply path, the number of the second openings communicating with the resin discharge path, and the second resin being supplied from the second supply section. The flexible tube manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the number of the second openings is equal to that of the second opening.

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