JP7152004B2 - Material supply device and material supply method - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a material supply device and a material supply method. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus and method for metering multiple types of materials and introducing them into a subsequent apparatus.

Conventionally, in order to introduce powders (powder and/or granules, hereinafter simply referred to as "granules") to a subsequent device, each material constituting the powders is supplied to a conveying device. , may be conveyed along the conveying direction by the conveying device. At the downstream end of the conveying device in the conveying direction, the material is transferred to the following device. A conveying device used for such applications is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1.

Patent Literature 1 describes the use of a vibrating feeder as a conveying device for weighing and conveying granular materials. This type of vibrating feeder has a conveying trough, as also described in US Pat. The granules put into the trough for transportation are transported in the transportation direction by repeating vibrations having an amplitude obliquely upward with respect to the transportation direction.

JP-A-7-179216

When conveying powder in the conveying direction using a vibrating feeder as described above, depending on the properties of the powder (particle size, hygroscopicity, deliquescence, electrification, etc.), the inner surface of the conveying trough may be affected by the powder. In some cases, particles tended to adhere. If a portion of the granular material adheres to the inner surface of the conveying trough, material loss will occur and the mixing ratio of the mixed material will be inaccurate.

This type of problem becomes particularly conspicuous in the following cases. That is, in some cases, a mixed material obtained by mixing a main material such as a resin with a sub-material such as a pigment in a much smaller amount than the main material is used in a post-process such as extrusion molding. When a vibrating feeder as described above is simply used to produce such a mixed material, the pigment (secondary material) having a particle size smaller than that of the main material tends to adhere particularly to the inner surface of the conveying trough. Therefore, it is easily lost during transportation. Moreover, if part of the pigment, which is originally contained in a small amount, is lost during transportation, there is a risk that the overall compounding ratio of the mixed material will greatly deviate from the desired value.

Patent Document 1 also describes that a scraper that reciprocates along the bottom surface of the vibrating feeder is used as a measure for preventing material loss. However, these measures alone are not always sufficient to suppress the material loss of secondary materials as described above. It would also be more desirable if material loss could be reduced without providing an additional member such as a scraper.

The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances as described above, and an object of the present invention is to enable the introduction of the secondary material while minimizing material loss, and to improve the blending of the primary material and the secondary material in the subsequent equipment. An object of the present invention is to provide a material supply device and a material supply method capable of bringing the ratio close to a desired state.

In order to solve the above problems, the first invention of the present application provides a material supply device that includes a conveying device, a main material supply device, and a secondary material supply device. The conveying device places a primary material, which is powder or granules, and at least one secondary material, which is powder or granules, having a weight ratio smaller than that of the main material, on a conveying surface. It is conveyed along the conveying direction, which is the longitudinal direction. The main material supply device is positioned on an upstream end side of the conveying surface in the conveying direction, and supplies the main material. The secondary material supply device is positioned at an intermediate portion of the transport surface in the transport direction, and supplies a fixed amount of the secondary material . The main material supply device supplies a part of the main material placed on the conveying surface, and then supplies the remaining part of the main material after removing the part of the main material. The secondary material supply device supplies the secondary material after the primary material supply device supplies the part of the primary material and before the primary material supply device supplies the remainder. All of the material is fed on top of said portion of said main material.

According to a second invention of the present application, in the material supply device according to the first invention, the conveying device is a vibrating feeder having an oscillator for vibrating the conveying surface.

According to a third invention of the present application, in the material supply device according to the first invention or the second invention, the main material supply device and the secondary material supply device are constant supply devices that supply a constant amount of material.

In a fourth invention of the present application, in the material supply device according to any one of the first invention to the third invention, the material supply device reaches the end of the transport surface on the downstream side in the transport direction. The primary material and said secondary materials drop from this downstream end and are provided to a subsequent mixing device. Moreover, this mixing device mixes the main material and the sub-material by stirring.

In a fifth invention of the present application, in the material supply device according to any one of the first invention to the fourth invention, the secondary material includes a first secondary material and a second secondary material. The second secondary material has a smaller weight ratio to the primary material than the first secondary material and is of a different type than the first secondary material. Further, the secondary material supply device has a first secondary material supply device and a second secondary material supply device. The first secondary material supply device is positioned above a first position, which is an intermediate portion of the transport surface in the transport direction, and supplies a fixed amount of the first secondary material. The second secondary material supply device is positioned above a second position on the transport surface that is downstream of the first position in the transport direction, and supplies a fixed amount of the second secondary material.

According to a sixth invention of the present application, in the material supply device according to the fifth invention, the first secondary material is an additive that imparts a specific function to the material. Also, the second sub-material is a pigment that colors the material.

According to a seventh invention of the present application, in the material supply device according to any one of the first invention to the sixth invention, the main material is polyvinyl chloride.

In an eighth aspect of the present application, in the material supply device according to any one of the first aspect to the seventh aspect, the weight ratio of one of the secondary materials to the main material is greater than 0% by weight, and , 10% by weight or less.

A ninth invention of the present application is to place a main material, which is a powder or granules, and at least one secondary material, which is a powder or granules, having a weight ratio smaller than that of the main material, on a conveying surface, and convey the material. To provide a material feeding method for conveying along a conveying direction, which is the longitudinal direction of a surface, and introducing it into a subsequent device. This material supply method includes the following steps a), b), and d) to f). In a), a portion of the main material is fed onto the conveying surface at the upstream end of the conveying surface in the conveying direction. In b), the main material supplied in a) is conveyed so that the main material spreads over at least an intermediate portion of the conveying surface in the conveying direction. In d), after b), the entire secondary material is placed on the primary material at the intermediate portion of the conveying surface and supplied. In e), after d), the remaining part of the main material excluding the part is supplied to the end of the conveying surface on the upstream side in the conveying direction. In f), after said e), all of said primary material and said secondary material on said conveying surface are conveyed and sent to said subsequent device.

In the tenth invention of the present application, the material supply method according to the ninth invention includes the following step c). In c), the conveying surface is once stopped after b). Also, the step d) is performed during the state c).

According to an eleventh invention of the present application, in the material supply method according to the ninth or tenth invention, the steps a) to f) are performed as a batch process.

According to the first to eleventh inventions of the present application, the secondary material can be introduced in a state in which material loss is kept to a minimum, and the compounding ratio of the primary material and the secondary material in the subsequent apparatus can be brought close to the desired state. can.

In particular, according to the first invention of the present application, the secondary material can be supplied so as to be placed on the primary material on the conveying surface. After that, if the main material is further supplied to the conveying surface and the main material is conveyed along the conveying direction, the secondary material is suppressed from adhering to the conveying surface, and the auxiliary material is moved downstream in the conveying direction. It can be transported to the edge. Therefore, the primary material and the secondary material can be supplied to a subsequent device (for example, a mixing device) while suppressing the loss of the secondary material that conventionally adheres to the conveying surface and is lost during transportation. As a result, the primary and secondary materials can be blended in more accurate weight ratios than ever before.

In particular, according to the second invention of the present application, when the sub-material is placed on the main material and conveyed downstream in the conveying direction, the sub-material is dispersed in the conveying direction due to the vibration. Thereby, the particles of the secondary material can be preliminarily separated from each other before being supplied to a subsequent device (for example, a mixing device). Therefore, in a subsequent device or the like, it becomes easier to obtain a mixed material in which the main material and the sub-material are evenly distributed.

In particular, according to the third invention of the present application, it is possible to introduce each material by a constant amount. Therefore, it becomes easier to mix the main material and the submaterial at a desired weight ratio.

In particular, according to the fourth aspect of the present application, the risk of secondary materials being distributed in dead zones (for example, corners) in the stirring vessel of the mixing device is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to mix the main material and the sub-material well by stirring.

In particular, according to the fifth invention of the present application, the conveying device is stopped at a time when it is estimated that the main material supplied from the main material supplying device has spread over the entire conveying surface, for example, under the control of the control unit. In this state, the first sub-material and the second sub-material can be placed on the main material and supplied. In this case, the distance from the second position to the downstream end in the transport direction is shorter than the distance from the first position to the downstream end in the transport direction. Here, the smaller the weight ratio of the secondary material, the more likely it is to affect the overall compounding ratio if it adheres to the conveying surface and is lost. In this regard, in this configuration, the second secondary material, which has a smaller weight ratio, has a shorter transport distance to the subsequent device than the first secondary material, so the risk of loss during transport is reduced. As a result, it becomes easier to bring the final compounding ratio of the mixed material closer to the desired state.

Here, since pigments generally have smaller particle diameters than additives, they tend to adhere to the conveying surface, etc., and are likely to be lost during conveyance. In this regard, according to the sixth invention of the present application, the pigment is placed on the main material and supplied at a position downstream of the additive in the conveying direction. As a result, the transport distance of the pigment to the subsequent device can be shortened, and the fear of losing the pigment during transport can be reduced. As a result, it becomes easier to obtain a mixed material in which the main material, additive, and pigment are blended in a desired weight ratio.

A mixed material containing polyvinyl chloride as a main material and containing appropriate additives, pigments, etc. as secondary materials is in high demand in plastic molding. In this regard, according to the seventh invention of the present application, it becomes easy to manufacture such a highly versatile mixed material with an accurate weight ratio (distribution).

According to the eighth invention of the present application, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the secondary material having a small weight ratio will adhere to the conveying surface or the like during conveyance and be lost. As a result, it is possible to prevent the compounding ratio of each material from deviating significantly from the desired value.

According to the ninth invention of the present application, it is possible to transport the secondary material to the downstream end in the transport direction so as to place the secondary material on the main material while suppressing the secondary material from adhering to the transport surface. . As a result, the primary material and secondary material can be supplied to a subsequent device (for example, a mixing device) while suppressing the loss of the secondary material that conventionally adheres to the transport surface and is lost during transport. As a result, the primary and secondary materials can be blended in more accurate weight ratios than ever before.

In particular, according to the tenth invention of the present application, for example, even when a method of vibrating the conveying surface is adopted as the conveying method, the conveying surface can be temporarily stopped when the auxiliary material is supplied to the conveying surface. , it becomes easy to supply a fixed amount of the secondary material. That is, it is possible to prevent the supply amount of the secondary material from becoming unstable due to the influence of vibration or the like.

In particular, according to the eleventh invention of the present application, when the subsequent device is a device that performs batch processing such as a mixing device, each material is also introduced in a batch manner, thereby smoothly introducing the main material and the sub-material. be able to. In particular, when the subsequent device is a mixing device, it becomes easier to mix the primary material and the secondary material more reliably than when introducing the materials in a continuous process.

It is a schematic side view of the material supply apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a schematic plan view of the material supply apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a material supply device according to the present embodiment. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of the process corresponded to 1 batch in the material supply method which concerns on this embodiment.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<1. Outline of material supply device>
The material supply device 100 according to the present embodiment supplies a mixed material containing resin as a main material to subsequent devices as a pre-process when molding resin products by various methods such as extrusion molding and injection molding. used for

Here, the "(mixed) material" of the present embodiment includes polyvinyl chloride, which is a powdery substance as a main material, and additives and pigments, which are powdery substances as secondary materials.

The additive of this embodiment is introduced as a "first secondary material". Additives are added to give a specific function to the mixed material (material). By way of example, the additive can be a UV inhibitor or an antioxidant. The weight ratio of the additive is smaller than that of the main material. Specifically, in this embodiment, the weight ratio of the additive to the main material is greater than 0.1 wt% and less than 10 wt%.

The pigment of this embodiment is introduced as a "second submaterial". Pigments are added to color the mixed material (material). By way of example, the pigment can be ultramarine or azurite. The weight ratio of the pigment to the main material is even smaller than the weight ratio of the additive to the main material. In this embodiment, the weight ratio of pigment to main material is 0.1% by weight or less. However, the weight ratio of the pigment to the main material is greater than 0% by weight.

The above-described main material (resin material), additive, and pigment are each introduced into the transport surface 110a of the material supply device 100 according to the present embodiment by a constant amount, and are introduced in the longitudinal direction of the transport surface 110a. Conveyed along the conveying direction. The main material, additive, and pigment that have reached the downstream end in the transport direction on the transport surface 110 a are supplied (introduced) to the subsequent mixing device 103 . That is, the material supply device 100 weighs each material contained in the mixed material and supplies it to the transport surface 110a, transports the supplied material along the transport surface 110a, and delivers it to the subsequent device.

<2. Configuration of material supply device>
Below, the structure of the material supply apparatus 100 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated with reference to FIG.1 and FIG.2. FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the material supply device 100. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the material supply device 100. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the material supply device 100 mainly includes a vibrating feeder (conveyor) 10, a main material supply device 20, a secondary material supply device 30, and a controller 40. As shown in FIG.

<2-1. Configuration of Conveying Device>
The vibrating feeder 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is an embodiment of the "conveyor". The vibrating feeder 10 is a device that vibrates the planar conveying surface 110a to convey the granular material on the conveying surface 110a along the longitudinal direction (conveying direction) of the conveying surface 110a. The conveying surface 110a of this embodiment is arranged substantially horizontally. As shown in FIG. 1, the vibrating feeder 10 has a trough 11, an elastic member 12, a pedestal 13, a motor 14, and an eccentric member 15. As shown in FIG.

The trough 11 is a member for accommodating the supplied granular material (main material and secondary material) and conveying it in the conveying direction. The trough 11 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing that is vertically thin. Trough 11 includes bottom portion 110 , side portion 112 and lid portion 113 . The bottom portion 110 of the trough 11 is a substantially rectangular flat plate elongated in the transport direction. The upper surface of the bottom surface portion 110 serves as a conveying surface 110a on which the granular material is placed.

The side portions 112 extend upward from each side (four sides) of the rectangular shape of the bottom portion 110 . The side portions 112 form a front surface, a pair of left and right side surfaces, and a rear surface of the trough 11 . In this embodiment, the front surface of the trough 11 is arranged on the downstream side in the conveying direction, and the rear surface of the trough 11 is arranged on the upstream side in the conveying direction. A through hole (not shown) passing through the plate surface is provided at the front end portion of the bottom portion 110 of the trough 11 .

The lid portion 113 is a substantially rectangular plate-like member that closes the trough 11 from above. As shown in FIG. 2, the lid portion 113 is provided with a plurality of through holes 113a passing through the plate surface along the conveying direction in plan view. The plurality of through-holes 113a are arranged in a line on the imaginary straight line L extending in the conveying direction at the widthwise central portion of the lid portion 113 . A through-hole 113b is provided through the plate surface at the end of the lid portion 113 on the upstream side in the conveying direction.

The elastic member 12 shown in FIG. 1 supports the trough 11 so as to vibrate. The elastic member 12 elastically deforms according to the change in the position of the trough 11 . The frame 13 is a structure that supports the trough 11 from below with the elastic member 12 interposed therebetween. The mount 13 is installed, for example, on the floor of a factory.

The motor 14 is a drive source driven to vibrate the trough 11 . The eccentric member 15 is a member whose center of gravity is deviated from the rotation axis. Rotational power of the motor 14 is transmitted to the eccentric member 15 . A combination of the motor 14 and the eccentric member 15 constitutes an "oscillating section" according to the present embodiment.

In the vibrating feeder 10 configured as described above, when the motor 14 is rotationally driven, the eccentric member 15 rotates, and the trough 11 is vibrated obliquely upward with respect to the conveying direction. In other words, the trough 11 is imparted with a vibrating force F directed forward and upward by driving the oscillator. The direction of the vibratory force F is indicated by thin arrows in FIG. Each particle of the granules in the trough 11 receives pressure directed forward and upward by the vibrating force F, thereby repeating small movements. As a result, the granular material is conveyed through the trough 11 toward the downstream side in the conveying direction.

<2-2. Configuration of main material supply device>
The main material supply device 20 is a device for supplying the trough 11 with a fixed amount of polyvinyl chloride powder as the main material. As shown in FIG. 1 , the main material supply device 20 has a hopper 21 that accommodates (stores) the main material and a discharge section 22 that discharges the main material from the hopper 21 . The main material supply device 20 is a supply device that supplies the material that drops from the hopper 21 by its own weight to a subsequent device (here, the vibrating feeder 10). A discharge valve such as a butterfly valve is used as the discharge part 22 of the main material supply device 20 of the present embodiment. In addition to this, various well-known mechanisms can be adopted for the discharge unit 22, and for example, a screw-type or table-type feeder may be used for constant supply.

The main material supply device 20 is positioned above the upstream end (in this embodiment, the rear end) in the transport direction of the trough 11 (transport surface 110a). The lower end portion of the main material supply device 20 is connected to the upstream end portion of the trough 11 in the conveying direction through the through hole 113b of the lid portion 113 described above.

<2-3. Configuration of secondary material supply device>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the secondary material supply device 30 has first secondary material supply devices 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d, 31e, 31f, and 31g, and a second secondary material supply device 32. As shown in FIGS. The seven first secondary material supply devices 31a, 31b, . The second secondary material supply device 32 is a device for feeding a fixed amount of pigment powder or granular material as the second secondary material into the trough 1 .

Each of the first secondary material supply devices 31a, 31b, ..., 31g and the second secondary material supply device 32 includes a hopper 310 (320) that stores secondary materials and a It has a delivery portion 311 (321) for delivery. These secondary material supply devices 31 and 32 measure the materials that drop from the hopper 310 (320) under their own weight, and supply a certain amount of them to the subsequent device (here, the vibrating feeder 10). It is a device. Various types of well-known mechanisms can be employed as the delivery units 311 (321) of the secondary material supply devices 31 and 32. For example, a screw-type or table-type feeder can be employed.

As shown in FIG. 1, these secondary material supply devices 31 and 32 are positioned above the middle portion of the trough 11 (conveying surface 110a) in the conveying direction. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, a plurality of secondary material supply devices 31 and 32 are arranged in a zigzag manner along the transport direction.

More specifically, the first secondary material supply device 31 is arranged above the first position P1, which is the middle portion of the transport surface 110a in the transport direction. The seven first sub-material supply devices 31a, 31b, . The seven first sub-material supply devices 31a, 31b, . The seven first secondary material supply devices 31a, 31b, . The first secondary material supply device 31 that supplies the secondary material with the largest weight ratio may be located upstream of the first secondary material supply device 31 that supplies the secondary material with the smallest weight ratio. Among the materials, those whose weight ratios do not change significantly do not necessarily have to be arranged in order from the upstream side.

The second sub-material supply device 32 is arranged above a second position P2, which is a position downstream of the first position P1, in the middle of the conveying direction of the conveying surface 110a. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, one second secondary material supply device 32 forms a staggered arrangement together with the seven first secondary material supply devices 31 described above.

The layout of the secondary material supply devices 31 and 32 will be described in more detail. The hoppers 310 (320) of (32) are distributed to the left and right across the imaginary straight line L and arranged. As shown in FIG. 1, the hoppers 310 (320) of the sub-material supply devices 31 (32) adjacent to each other in the conveying direction partially overlap each other when viewed from the side.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the hoppers 310 (320) for containing secondary materials are rationally arranged in a zigzag pattern in the space above the lid portion 133 . Therefore, it is possible to increase the capacity of the hopper 310 (320) while keeping the dimension of the trough 11 in the conveying direction short, and to feed many types of main materials and sub-materials in a single conveyance. As a result, it is possible to reduce the frequency of filling of the main material and sub-material by the operator, and to achieve high efficiency. In addition, the number of processing steps for supplying the mixed material can be reduced, and efficiency is improved in this respect as well.

<2-4. Configuration of Control Unit>
The control unit 40 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 is a means for controlling the operation of the vibrating feeder 10, the primary material supply device 20, and the secondary material supply device 30. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 shows each part electrically connected to the control part 40 in a block diagram. The control unit 40 of this embodiment has a processor such as a CPU, a memory, a circuit board, and the like. The control unit 40 is electrically connected to the motor 14 of the vibrating feeder 10, the discharge unit 22 of the main material supply device 20, and the delivery unit 311 (321) and weighing unit (not shown) of the sub material supply device 30, respectively. It is Also, the controller 40 is electrically connected to the timer 41 . A timer 41 is used to estimate the material distribution on the conveying surface 110a. The control unit 40 temporarily reads out a program stored in the memory, and the circuit board performs arithmetic processing based on the program, thereby controlling the operation of each unit described above. As a result, the cooperation of the above-described hardware and software enables the vibration of the trough 11 (conveyance surface 110a) of the vibrating feeder 10 in the material supply device 100 and its stop, the supply and stop of the main material/sub-material, and the like. , proceed under total control.

<2-5. Configuration of Subsequent Device>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a hopper 102 and a mixing device 103 are provided at the rear stage of the material supply device 100 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the hopper 102 is arranged below the downstream end of the trough 11 in the transport direction. The upper end of the hopper 102 is connected to the through hole of the front end of the trough 11 via a vertically extending passage 104 . As a result, the granular materials that have reached the end of the trough 11 on the downstream side in the conveying direction fall through the through holes and passages 104 and are supplied to the hopper 102 . A shutter 105 that can be opened and closed is provided at the bottom of the hopper 102 . As will be described later, when one batch of powder (main material and secondary material) is stored in the hopper 102, the shutter 105 is opened and the powder is supplied to the subsequent mixing device 103 all at once. be.

A mixing device 103 is arranged below the hopper 102 . The mixing device 103 has a stirring vessel 103a and stirring blades 103b. The stirring tank 103a is capable of accommodating powder particles therein. The stirring blade 103b is rotatably provided at the bottom of the stirring tank 103a, and by rotating, stirs and mixes the granular materials in the stirring tank 103a. The mixing device 103 performs batch processing for mixing powders.

<3. Material supply method>
Below, the material supply method which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated in detail. In this material supply method, a resin material as a main material and additives and pigments as submaterials are quantitatively supplied to the conveying surface 110a, conveyed along the conveying direction, and introduced into subsequent devices. is. The material supply method of the present embodiment is performed using the material supply device 100 described above.

Below, the flow of processing performed by the control unit 40 to realize the material supply method according to the present embodiment will be described in order with reference to FIG. 4 .

First, at the start of processing, the vibrating feeder 10 is kept stationary. In this state, the control unit 40 operates the main material supply device 20 to supply part of the main material onto the conveying surface 110a of the trough 11 (step S101). More specifically, in step S<b>101 of the present embodiment, approximately half of the main material for one batch is fed into the trough 11 . As a result, part of the main material is placed on the conveying surface 110a at the end of the trough 11 on the upstream side in the conveying direction.

After step S101, the controller 40 supplies power to the motor 14 of the vibrating feeder 10 to start vibrating the trough 11 (step S102). As a result, each particle of the main material placed on the conveying surface 110a in step S101 receives the excitation force F and gradually moves toward the downstream side in the conveying direction. Note that the timer 41 monitors (measures) the elapsed time from the start of the vibration of the transport surface 110a in step S102.

After step S102, the control unit 40 receives signals from the timer 41 moment by moment, and repeats determination as to whether or not the first predetermined time has elapsed since the start of vibration of the transport surface 110a (steps S103, No). Note that this "first predetermined time" is a period until the main material reaches the middle of the conveying direction of the conveying surface 110a, more specifically, at least below the area where the secondary material supply devices 31 and 32 are arranged. refers to the time it takes to The first predetermined time is obtained by calculation, for example, based on numerical values such as the amplitude and period of vibration currently set in the vibrating feeder 10 and the feed amount of the main material.

In step S103, when it is determined that the first predetermined time has passed since the start of vibration of the conveying surface 110a (step S103, Yes), the control unit 40 cuts off the power supply to the motor 14 of the vibrating feeder 10. Then, the vibration of the trough 11 is temporarily stopped (step S104). As a result, the conveying surface 110a stops, and the particles of the main material stop moving in the conveying direction. In this state, the primary material spreads over at least the area below the area where the secondary material supply devices 31 and 32 are arranged on the conveying surface 110a. In other words, in the above state, the main material is laid out so as to cover the first position P1 and the second position P2 of the conveying surface 110a.

After step S104, while the vibration of the trough 11 remains stopped, the control unit 40 operates the first secondary material supply device 31 and the second secondary material supply device 32 to supply the additive and the secondary material as secondary materials. The entire amount of the pigment for one batch is quantitatively supplied into the trough 11 (step S105). As a result, all of the additives and pigments are placed on the main material on the conveying surface 110a in the middle of the trough 11 in the conveying direction.

After step S105, the control section 40 operates the main material supply device 20 to supply the remaining portion of the main material into the trough 11 (step S106). That is, in step S106 of the present embodiment, the remainder of the main material for one batch, excluding about half of the above, is fed into the trough 11 . As a result, the remaining portion of the main material is supplied to the conveying surface 110a at the end of the trough 11 on the upstream side in the conveying direction.

In step S101, the main material supply device 20 may supply the entire amount of the main material for one batch in advance to the upper portion of the trough 11 or a temporary hopper provided in communication with the upper portion of the trough 11. . Even in this case, by dividing the operating time of the trough 11 into two stages, part of the main material (for example, about half) is conveyed in the first predetermined time, and the remaining main material is transferred to the trough after step S105. 11 will be transported from the upstream side.

After step S106, the control unit 40 supplies power to the motor 14 of the vibrating feeder 10 to resume vibrating the trough 11 (step S107). As a result, the main material placed on the conveying surface 110a at the time of step S104 and the sub-materials (additives and pigments) placed on the main material at step S105 are subsequently transferred to the conveying surface 110a. While being pushed downstream in the conveying direction by the main material supplied by the main material, it moves toward the end on the downstream side. In other words, the primarily supplied main material and the sub-material placed thereon are pushed downstream in the conveying direction by the secondarily supplied main material. At this time, the secondary material is transported to the downstream end in the transport direction while being dispersed above the primary material due to vibration while substantially maintaining a state of being placed on the primary material. Therefore, the secondary material is less likely to adhere to the conveying surface 110 a that is the bottom surface of the trough 11 . As a result, it is possible to reduce material loss during the transportation of the secondary material. The granular material (main material and secondary material) that has reached the downstream end of the conveying direction of the conveying surface 110 a falls into the hopper 102 in sequence. At this time, since the shutter 105 of the hopper 102 is closed, the powder gradually accumulates in the hopper 102 .

After step S107, the control unit 40 receives the signal from the timer 41 moment by moment, and repeats the judgment as to whether or not the second predetermined time has elapsed since the vibration of the transport surface 110a was resumed (steps S108, No). It should be noted that this “second predetermined time” refers to the time it takes for all (the total amount) of the main material and sub-materials supplied to the conveying surface 110 a to be sent to the subsequent hopper 102 . The second predetermined time is obtained by calculation, for example, based on numerical values such as the amplitude and period of vibration currently set in the vibrating feeder 10 and the feed amounts of the primary material and the secondary material.

In step S108, when it is determined that the second predetermined time has elapsed since the vibration of the conveying surface 110a was resumed (step S108, Yes), the control unit 40 cuts off the power supply to the motor 14 of the vibrating feeder 10. to stop the vibration of the trough 11 (step S109). This completes the processing of one batch for introducing the material into subsequent equipment.

With the flow as described above, the quantitative supply of the primary material and the secondary material and the transportation to the subsequent equipment proceed as a batch process. When these processes are completed, the hopper 102 is filled with one batch of primary and secondary materials. When it is confirmed by a weighing device (not shown) or the like mounted on the hopper 102 that one batch of the main material and sub-materials has been filled, the shutter 105 at the bottom of the hopper 102 is opened to allow the subsequent mixing device 103 to proceed. , a primary material and a secondary material are introduced. At this time, the secondary material is filled into the stirring tank 103a of the mixing device 103 while being vertically sandwiched between the primary supplied main material and the secondary supplied main material. Therefore, the possibility that the sub-material will enter the dead zone (the area where the stirring does not occur sufficiently, for example, the corner of the stirring tank 103a) in the stirring tank 103a is reduced. As a result, it is possible to prevent the secondary material, which is contained in a relatively small amount, from being densely distributed in a part of the mixed material.

As described above, the material supply device 100 according to this embodiment includes the vibrating feeder (conveyor) 10, the main material supply device 20, the secondary material supply device 30, and the control section 40. The control unit 40 operates the secondary material supply device 30 when it is estimated that the main material has spread over at least the middle portion of the conveying surface 110a as a result of operating the primary material supply device 20 and the vibrating feeder 10 .

As a result, the secondary material can be supplied so as to be placed on the primary material on the conveying surface 110a (step S105). After that, the main material is further supplied to the conveying surface 110a (step S106), and the main material is conveyed along the conveying direction (step S107). As a result, the secondary material can be transported to the downstream end in the transport direction while suppressing the secondary material from adhering to the transport surface 110a. Therefore, while suppressing the loss of the secondary material that conventionally adheres to the inner surface of the trough and is lost during transportation, the main material and the secondary material are supplied to the subsequent device (the mixing device 103 in this embodiment). be able to. As a result, the primary and secondary materials can be blended in more accurate weight ratios than ever before.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the “conveying device” is the vibrating feeder 10 . As a result, when the sub-material is placed on the main material and conveyed downstream in the conveying direction, the sub-material is dispersed in the conveying direction due to the vibration. As a result, the particles of the secondary material can be preliminarily separated from each other before being supplied to the subsequent device (the mixing device 103 in this embodiment). Therefore, in a subsequent device or the like, it becomes easier to obtain a mixed material in which the main material and the sub-material are evenly distributed.

Moreover, in this embodiment, a mixing device 103 is provided as a subsequent device to the material supply device 100 . According to the material supply method of the present embodiment, the risk of secondary materials being distributed in dead zones (for example, corners) in the stirring tank 103a of the mixing device 103 is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to mix the main material and the sub-material well by stirring.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the secondary material includes an additive (first secondary material) and a pigment (second secondary material). A first secondary material supply device 31 that supplies an additive is arranged above the first position P1. A second sub-material supply device 32 for supplying pigment is arranged above the second position P2.

As a result, under the control of the control unit 40, the vibrating feeder (conveying device) 10 is operated at a time when it is estimated that the main material supplied from the main material supplying device 20 has spread over substantially the entire conveying direction of the conveying surface 110a, for example. While stopped, the first secondary material and the second secondary material can be fed over the primary material. In this case, the distance from the second position P2 to the downstream end in the transport direction is shorter than the distance from the first position P1 to the downstream end in the transport direction. As a result, the following effects can be expected. That is, the smaller the weight ratio of the secondary material, the more likely it is to affect the overall compounding ratio if it adheres to the conveying surface 110a or the like and is lost. In other words, the loss of even a small amount of the secondary material having a small weight ratio causes the compounding ratio to deviate greatly from the desired value. In this regard, in this configuration, the pigment (second submaterial) having a smaller weight ratio is conveyed to the subsequent mixing device 103 by a shorter distance than the additive (first submaterial). Risk of loss is reduced. This makes it easier to bring the final compounding ratio of the mixed material closer to the desired state.

Further, in the material supply method according to the present embodiment, part of the main material is primarily supplied (step S101), and in a state where the main material is spread over at least the middle portion of the conveying direction of the conveying surface 110a, the conveying surface 110a is once stopped (step S104). Then, while the conveying surface 110a is kept stationary, all of the secondary materials are placed on the main material in the middle of the conveying surface 110a (step S105). After that, the remaining amount of the main material is supplied secondarily (step S106), and the entire amount of the main material and sub-materials is sent to the subsequent device (hopper 102).

As described above, in the present embodiment, the conveying surface 110a is temporarily stopped (step S104) when the submaterial is supplied to the conveying surface 110a, thereby facilitating the quantitative supply of the submaterial. That is, it is possible to prevent the supply amount of the secondary material from becoming unstable due to the influence of vibration or the like.

In this embodiment, the secondary material supply device 30 and the trough 11 (lid A vibration absorbing member 39 is provided at a connecting portion of the portion 113) with the through hole 113a. The vibration absorbing member 39 of the present embodiment is a bellows-shaped member having elasticity in the vertical direction. This makes it possible to supply the trough 11 with a precise amount of secondary material. As shown in FIG. 1, a bellows-shaped vibration absorbing member 29 similar to that described above is also provided at the connecting portion between the main material supply device 20 and the trough 11 .

<4. Variation>
Although exemplary embodiments of the invention have been described above, the invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

In the above embodiment, the conveying device is a vibrating feeder, but it is not necessarily limited to this. Instead of the above, the conveying device may be a screw conveyor, a belt conveyor, or the like.

In the above embodiment, the conveying surface 110a of the trough 11 is generally horizontal, but it is not necessarily limited to this. Alternatively, the transport surface 110a may be inclined with respect to the transport direction.

Although the material supply method described above is performed as a batch process, it is not necessarily limited to this. That is, the material supply method may be performed by continuous processing.

In the above embodiment, the main material is powdered polyvinyl chloride, but the present invention is not limited to this. As the main material, various other resin materials may be used, and furthermore, various materials other than resin may be used.

In the above embodiment, the number of the first sub-materials is seven, but the number is not limited to six or less, or eight or more. Similarly, there may be two or more types of second submaterials.

Also, the secondary material does not necessarily include both the first secondary material and the second secondary material. For example, only one type of additive or only one type of pigment may be introduced together with the main material (resin material).

The same type of secondary material may be supplied from each of two or more secondary material supply devices 30 to the conveying surface 110a. Also, a plurality of types of secondary materials may be sequentially supplied using one secondary material supply device 30 . The secondary material supply device 30 may be of a capacitive type that does not have a weighing unit.

In the above embodiment, the device subsequent to the material supply device 100 is the mixing device 103 (and the hopper 102), but it is not limited to this, and various known devices (for example, a drying device, etc.) are installed in the subsequent stage. can be provided.

In the material supply method of the above embodiment, instead of steps S101 and S102, after starting the vibration of the trough 11, part of the main material is supplied onto the conveying surface 110a of the trough 11 (primary supply). ). In that case, the timer 41 may monitor the elapsed time from the start of supply of the main material.

Also, the detailed configuration and layout of each part may be different from those shown in the drawings of the present application. For example, the driving source of the conveying device may not necessarily be the motor 14 . Also, the layout of the material supply device 30 does not necessarily have to be staggered.

10 Vibration feeder (conveyor)
14 Motor (Oscillator)
20 main material supply device 30 secondary material supply device 31 first secondary material supply device 32 second secondary material supply device 100 material supply device 103 mixing device (subsequent device)
P1 First position P2 Second position

Claims (11)

A main material that is powder or granules and at least one secondary material that is powder or granules having a weight ratio smaller than that of the main material are placed on a conveying surface and conveyed in the longitudinal direction of the conveying surface. a conveying device for conveying along a direction;
a main material supply device positioned on the upstream end side of the conveying surface in the conveying direction and supplying the main material;
a secondary material supply device positioned at an intermediate portion of the transport surface in the transport direction to supply a fixed amount of the secondary material ;
with _
The main material supply device is
After supplying a portion of the main material placed on the conveying surface, supplying the remainder of the main material excluding the portion,
The secondary material supply device is
After the main material supply device supplies the part of the main material and before the main material supply device supplies the remainder, all of the secondary material is supplied to the main material. feeding over said portion of material;
Material feeder. The material supply device according to claim 1,
A material supply device, wherein the transport device is a vibrating feeder having an oscillator that vibrates the transport surface. The material supply device according to claim 1 or claim 2,
A material supply device, wherein the main material supply device and the secondary material supply device are fixed quantity supply devices that supply a constant amount of material. The material supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The material supply device drops the main material and the secondary material that have reached the end of the conveying surface on the downstream side in the conveying direction from the downstream end and supplies them to a subsequent mixing device;
The mixing device is a material supply device that mixes the primary material and the secondary material by stirring. The material supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The secondary material is
a first secondary material;
a second secondary material that has a weight ratio to the primary material that is smaller than that of the first secondary material and that is a different type of material from the first secondary material;
including
The secondary material supply device is
a first secondary material supply device positioned above a first position, which is an intermediate portion of the transport surface in the transport direction, for supplying a fixed amount of the first secondary material;
a second secondary material supply device located above a second position on the transport surface, which is downstream in the transport direction from the first position, and supplying a fixed amount of the second secondary material;
A material supply device. The material supply device according to claim 5,
The first secondary material is an additive that imparts a specific function to the material,
The material supply device, wherein the second sub-material is a pigment that colors the material. The material supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The material supply device, wherein the main material is polyvinyl chloride. The material supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
1. A material supply device, wherein the weight ratio of the secondary material of 1 to the primary material is greater than 0% by weight and equal to or less than 10% by weight. A main material that is powder or granules and at least one secondary material that is powder or granules having a weight ratio smaller than that of the main material are placed on a conveying surface and conveyed in the longitudinal direction of the conveying surface. A material feeding method that conveys along a direction and introduces it into a subsequent device,
a) supplying a portion of the main material on the conveying surface at an upstream end of the conveying surface in the conveying direction;
b) conveying the main material supplied in the above a) so that the main material spreads over at least an intermediate portion of the conveying surface in the conveying direction;
d) after b), supplying all of the secondary material on top of the primary material at the intermediate portion of the conveying surface;
e) after d), supplying the remaining part of the main material excluding the part at the end of the conveying surface on the upstream side in the conveying direction;
f) after said e), conveying all of said primary material and said secondary material on said conveying surface to said subsequent equipment;
Material supply method. A material supply method according to claim 9,
c) after b), once the conveying surface is stationary;
Said d) is a material supply method performed during said state of c). The material supply method according to claim 9 or 10,
A material supply method, wherein the steps a) to f) are performed as a batch process.

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