JP7520344B2 - Pulp molded product manufacturing device and manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a manufacturing device and method for pulp molded products.

A known manufacturing device for pulp molded products is one that produces pulp molded products by layering pulp from a pulp slurry on the surface of a papermaking mold, and then dries the pulp molded product produced on the surface of the papermaking mold (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-316800 JP 2006-45711 A

Pulp molded products produced by the above-mentioned manufacturing equipment have a smooth surface on the side that comes into contact with the surface of the papermaking mold, but the opposite side is relatively rough, making it impossible to produce pulp molded products with smooth surfaces on both the inside and outside sides, which is suitable for food containers.

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to repeatedly and efficiently produce pulp molded products with smooth surfaces on both the inside and outside.

The manufacturing device for pulp molded products according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a first mold and a second mold having an outer peripheral surface and an inner peripheral surface that slidably fit together along a predetermined axial direction to define a variable-volume storage chamber, a pulp slurry supply passage provided in at least one of the first mold and the second mold from outside the mold to a mold surface that defines the storage chamber, a plurality of dewatering passages provided in at least one of the first mold and the second mold from the mold surface to outside the mold, and a mold drive device that drives the first mold and the second mold to be displaceable relative to each other along the predetermined axial direction so as to assume a first mold clamping state in which the volume of the storage chamber is a first volume to receive pulp slurry in the storage chamber, a second mold clamping state in which the volume of the storage chamber is a second volume smaller than the first volume to dewater the pulp slurry, and a mold open state in which the storage chamber is opened.

This configuration allows for the repeated and efficient production of pulp molded products with smooth surfaces on both the inside and outside surfaces.

In the above manufacturing apparatus, preferably, at least one of the first and second molds has a plurality of heated air passages extending from outside the mold to the mold surface.

With this configuration, the compression dehydration process and drying process are performed by the same first and second molds, simplifying the structure of the manufacturing equipment.

In the above manufacturing device, preferably, the second mold has a mold body having a surface that defines the storage chamber, and an outer casing member that includes the inner circumferential surface, has a frame shape that surrounds the outer periphery of the first mold, and is provided so as to be movable in the mold clamping/release direction relative to the mold body with the inner circumferential surface sliding against the outer periphery of the first mold, and the mold body and the outer casing member include opposing surfaces that are mutually attached and detached by mold clamping/release, and an extended recess is formed on the opposing surface of the outer casing member that communicates with the storage chamber and forms a connecting piece portion for continuous molding.

With this configuration, multiple pulp molded products are manufactured in a strip shape joined together by connecting pieces, making it easy to carry out secondary processing such as coating the pulp molded products with a laminate film and transport them for this processing.

In the above manufacturing apparatus, preferably, the first and second molds define a plurality of the storage chambers.

This configuration allows multiple pulp molded products with smooth surfaces on both the inside and outside surfaces to be produced simultaneously with good productivity.

A method for manufacturing a pulp molded product according to one embodiment of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a pulp molded product having a predetermined shape, comprising: a first mold and a second mold having an outer peripheral surface and an inner peripheral surface that slidably fit together along a predetermined axial direction to define a variable-volume storage chamber; a plurality of dewatering passages provided in at least one of the first mold and the second mold so as to extend from the mold surface that defines the storage chamber to the outside of the mold; a plurality of heating fluid passages provided in at least one of the first mold and the second mold so as to extend from the outside of the mold to the mold surface; a first mold clamping state in which the volume of the storage chamber is a first volume to receive pulp slurry in the storage chamber; and a second mold clamping state in which the volume of the storage chamber is a second volume smaller than the first volume to dewater the pulp slurry. The manufacturing method includes a pulp slurry filling process in which the pulp slurry is filled into the storage chamber in the first mold clamping state, a compression and dehydration process in which the pulp slurry in the storage chamber is compressed while being dehydrated by the dehydration passage, and a drying process in which a heated fluid is supplied from the heated fluid passage toward the storage chamber in the second mold clamping state to dry the pulp slurry in the storage chamber and complete the pulp molded product. The manufacturing method includes a mold drive device that drives the first and second molds to be displaceable relative to each other along the specified axial direction so that the storage chamber can be in a mold clamping state and a mold open state in which the storage chamber is opened. The method includes a pulp slurry filling process in which the pulp slurry is filled into the storage chamber in the first mold clamping state, a compression and dehydration process in which the pulp slurry in the storage chamber is compressed while being changed from the first mold clamping state to the second mold clamping state, a drying process in which a heated fluid is supplied from the heated fluid passage toward the storage chamber in the second mold clamping state to dry the pulp slurry in the storage chamber and complete the pulp molded product, and a demolding process in which the pulp molded product is removed from the storage chamber in the mold open state.

This method allows for the efficient and repeated production of pulp molded products with smooth surfaces on both the inside and outside.

The manufacturing device of the present invention can repeatedly and efficiently produce pulp molded products with smooth surfaces on both the inside and outside.

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a pulp molded product manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. A vertical cross-sectional view showing the pulp slurry filling process using the same manufacturing equipment. A vertical cross-sectional view showing the compression dehydration process of the same manufacturing equipment. A vertical cross-sectional view showing drying by the same manufacturing equipment. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the demolding process by the same manufacturing equipment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a food container (pulp molded product) manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus. FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a pulp molded product manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outer shell member used in the manufacturing apparatus; A vertical cross-sectional view showing the pulp slurry filling process using the same manufacturing equipment. A vertical cross-sectional view showing the compression dehydration process of the same manufacturing equipment. A vertical cross-sectional view showing drying by the same manufacturing equipment. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the demolding process by the same manufacturing equipment. FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a compression and dehydration process by a pulp molded product manufacturing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the demolding process by the same manufacturing equipment.

Below, a first embodiment of the pulp molded product manufacturing device according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5.

The pulp molded product manufacturing apparatus 10 of the first embodiment is an apparatus for manufacturing a pulp molded food container 100 (see FIG. 6), and has a lower mold (first mold) 12 and an upper mold (second mold) 14.

As shown in FIG. 6, the food container 100 manufactured by the pulp molded product manufacturing apparatus 10 has a food storage section 102 that defines a rectangular food storage space with an upward opening, and a flange section 104 that extends outward from the upper edge of the food storage section 102. The flange section 104 has a rectangular frame shape in a plan view, and includes two sets of parallel pieces 106A, 106B and 108A, 108B that are parallel to each other and separated by the food storage section 102. The food container 100 is manufactured by the pulp molded product manufacturing apparatus 10 in an inverted state as shown in FIG. 5.

The lower die 12 is fixed on a fixed base 16. The upper die 14 is movable in the vertical direction (in a predetermined axial direction) by a die drive device 18.

The lower mold 12 has an outer peripheral surface 22 that has the same shape as the external shape of the storage chamber 20 described below. The outer peripheral surface 22 is arranged in a shape that is the same as the outer shape of the flange portion 104 of the food container 100 in a plan view, and extends vertically over a predetermined dimension in the up-down direction, i.e., in the mold movement direction.

The lower die 12 further has a horizontal upper surface 24 that is rectangular in plan view and extends along the upper edge of the outer peripheral surface 22, and a convex surface 26 that is rectangular and protrudes upward from the horizontal upper surface 24.

The upper mold 14 has an inner peripheral surface 28 that is the same shape as the outer shape of the storage chamber 20. The inner peripheral surface 28 is arranged in the same shape as the outer shape of the flange portion 104 of the food container 100 in a plan view, extends vertically over a predetermined dimension in the up-down direction, i.e., in the mold movement direction, and fits slidably in the up-down direction on the outer peripheral surface 22 of the lower mold 12.

The upper die 14 further has a horizontal lower surface 30 that extends along the upper edge of the inner peripheral surface 28 and has a rectangular frame shape in a plan view directly facing the horizontal upper surface 24, and a rectangular concave surface 32 that is recessed upward from the horizontal lower surface 30.

The horizontal upper surface 24 and the convex surface 26, and the horizontal lower surface 30 and the concave surface 32 are mold surfaces that define the storage chamber 20 between the lower mold 12 and the upper mold 14. In other words, the storage chamber 20 is defined as a substantially sealed space by the horizontal upper surface 24 and the horizontal lower surface 30 for forming the flange portion 104, and the convex surface 26 and the concave surface 32 for forming the food storage portion 102.

The storage chamber 20 has an outer peripheral surface 22 and an inner peripheral surface 28 where the lower die 12 and the upper die 14 fit together to be able to slide relative to each other in the vertical direction, so that the volume of the storage chamber 20 changes while remaining substantially sealed in response to the vertical displacement of the upper die 14 relative to the lower die 12.

In addition, a seal member 29 made of a rubber-like elastic material is attached to the inner surface 28 to improve the airtightness of the storage chamber 20.

The lower die 12 has a plurality of dewatering passages 34 that open to the die surface (horizontal upper surface 24 and convex surface 26) and extend from the die surface to the outside of the die. Each dewatering passage 34 is connected to a suction pump 42 by a collective drainage passage 38 and an external passage 40 defined by a passage member 36 provided at the bottom of the lower die 12. An opening/closing valve 44 is provided midway in the external passage 40. As a result, the pulp slurry filled in the storage chamber 20 is discharged outside the storage chamber 20 through each dewatering passage 34, the collective drainage passage 38, and the external passage 40 according to the opening and closing of the opening/closing valve 44. The suction pump 42 sucks up the moisture in the pulp slurry in the storage chamber 20 and forcibly drains it.

A wire mesh 27 with a relatively fine mesh and water permeability is stretched over the horizontal upper surface 24 and the convex surface 26 of the lower die 12. The wire mesh 27 has a filtering action that prevents the pulp in the pulp slurry from leaking from the storage chamber 20 through the dewatering passage 34 to the outside.

The upper mold 14 has a pulp slurry passage 46 that runs from outside the mold to the mold surface (concave surface 32) and opens to the mold surface. The pulp slurry passage 46 is connected to a pulp slurry supply source 50 by an external passage 48. The pulp slurry supply source 50 is a supply source of pulp slurry in which pulp is suspended and dispersed in water. An opening/closing valve 52 is provided midway along the external passage 48. As a result, the pulp slurry from the pulp slurry supply source 50 passes through the external passage 48 and the pulp slurry passage 46 and is selectively supplied (filled) into the storage chamber 20 depending on whether the opening/closing valve 52 is opened or closed.

The upper mold 14 is formed with a plurality of heating fluid passages 54 that extend from the outside of the mold to the mold surface (concave surface 32) and open onto the mold surface. Each heating fluid passage 54 is connected to a heating fluid source 62 by a collective heating fluid passage 58 and an external passage 60 defined by a passage member 56 provided on the top of the upper mold 14. The heating fluid source 62 is a supply source of steam, which is a heating fluid. An on-off valve 64 is provided midway through the external passage 60. As a result, the heating fluid of the heating fluid source 62 is selectively supplied (sprayed) to the storage chamber 20 via the external passage 60, collective heating fluid passage 58, and heating fluid passage 54 depending on the opening and closing of the on-off valve 64.

The heating fluid source 62 is connected to the pulp slurry passage 46 by an external passage 61. An on-off valve 64 is provided midway through the external passage 60. As a result, the heating fluid from the heating fluid source 62 is selectively supplied (sprayed) from the pulp slurry passage 46 to the storage chamber 20 via the external passage 61 depending on the opening and closing of the on-off valve 63.

The mold drive device 18 includes a fluid pressure cylinder device and drives the upper mold 14 to be displaceable along an axial direction (mold movement direction) extending vertically relative to the lower mold 12. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the mold drive device 18 displaces the upper mold 14 vertically relative to the lower mold 12 so that the upper mold 14 descends to a first mold clamping state (first lowered position of the upper mold 14) in which the volume of the storage chamber 20 is a first volume to accommodate the required amount (volume) of pulp slurry required to mold the food container 100 in the storage chamber 20, a second mold clamping state (second lowered position of the upper mold 14) in which the volume of the storage chamber 20 is a second volume smaller than the first volume described above to compress and dehydrate the pulp slurry in the storage chamber 20 to mold the food container 100, and a mold open state (upper mold 14 raised position) in which the storage chamber 20 is to be opened, as shown in Fig. 5.

In either the first or second mold clamping state, the storage chamber 20 is substantially sealed because the outer peripheral surface 22 of the lower mold 12 and the inner peripheral surface 28 of the upper mold 14 are engaged as shown in Figures 1 to 4.

Next, we will explain the manufacturing process (method) for the food container 100, which is a pulp molded product, which is automatically controlled using the pulp molded product manufacturing device 10.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, in the initial step, with the on-off valves 52, 63, and 64 fully closed, the upper die 14 is lowered to the first lowered position by the die drive device 18. This places the upper die 14 and the lower die 12 in the first clamped state. Note that in this initial step, it is not necessary to specify the open/closed state of the on-off valve 44.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, in the pulp slurry filling process, in the first mold clamping state, the on-off valve 44 is partially open (half open), the on-off valve 52 is fully open, and the on-off valves 63 and 64 are fully closed. As a result, the pulp slurry is supplied from the pulp slurry supply source 50 to the storage chamber 20 through the pulp slurry passage 46. Because the on-off valve 44 is partially open, some of the moisture in the pulp slurry supplied to the storage chamber 20 is discharged from the dewatering passage 34 to the outside of the storage chamber 20 (outside the mold) by gravity or the suction force of the suction pump 42.

When a predetermined amount of pulp slurry is supplied to the storage chamber 20, the on-off valve 52 is fully closed, and the pulp slurry filling process is completed. The amount of pulp slurry supplied to the storage chamber 20 can be controlled to a predetermined amount by measuring the time that the on-off valve 52 is fully open or by measuring the internal pressure of the storage chamber 20, etc.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, in the compression dewatering process, the on-off valve 44 is fully opened, the on-off valves 52, 63, and 64 are fully closed, and the upper die 14 is lowered to the second lowered position by the die drive device 18. As a result, the upper die 14 and the lower die 12 are in the second die clamping state, and the pulp slurry in the storage chamber 20 is dewatered by each dewatering passage 34 while the pulp slurry is compressed. At this time, forced dewatering is performed by the suction force of the suction pump 42, preventing the pulp slurry from entering the heating fluid passage 54.

During this compression dewatering process, the on-off valve 63 is fully opened, and steam, which is a heating fluid, is supplied from the heating fluid source 62 to the pulp slurry passage 46. As a result, the pulp slurry remaining in the pulp slurry passage 46 is discharged into the storage chamber 20 by the pressure of the steam.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, in the drying process, in the second mold clamping state, the on-off valves 44, 63, and 64 are fully opened, and the on-off valve 52 is fully closed. This causes steam, which is a heating fluid, to be supplied from the heating fluid source 62 to the storage chamber 20 through the pulp slurry passage 46 and each heating fluid passage 54, and the pulp slurry after dehydration in the storage chamber 20, i.e., the pulp, is dried and hardened. In this way, a food container (pulp molded product) 100 is formed from pulp.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, in the demolding process, the upper mold 14 is raised to the raised position by the mold drive device 18 while the on-off valves 52, 63, and 64 are fully closed. This causes the lower mold 12 and the upper mold 14 to enter an open state, and the food container 100 is removed from the storage chamber 20.

As described above, the food container 100 is molded by the lower mold 12 and upper mold 14 that define the storage chamber 20, which is a space of the same shape as the food container 100, in the second mold clamping state, so food containers 100 with smooth surfaces on both the inner and outer sides can be efficiently and repeatedly produced.

Since the compression dehydration process and the drying process are performed using the same lower mold 12 and upper mold 14, the structure of the pulp molded product manufacturing device 10 is simplified, and there is no need to move (transfer) the pulp slurry or the food containers 100 during the compression dehydration process and the drying process, allowing the food containers 100 to be produced efficiently.

Next, a second embodiment of the pulp molded product manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 12. Note that in Figures 7 to 12, parts corresponding to those in Figures 1 to 5 are given the same reference numerals as those in Figures 1 to 5, and their description will be omitted.

The pulp molded product manufacturing apparatus 11 of the second embodiment, like the first embodiment, manufactures the food container 100 shown in FIG. 6.

In the second embodiment, the pulp molded product manufacturing device 11 is configured such that the mold body 15 of the upper mold 14, including the horizontal lower surface 30 and the concave surface 32, and the outer casing member 70, including the inner peripheral surface 28, are separate members.

The outer casing member 70 has a rectangular frame shape that surrounds the outer periphery of the lower mold 12. The outer casing member 70 is guided by the guide posts 72 by fitting into the engagement holes 71 of the multiple guide posts 72 attached to the passage member 36, and is kept in a substantially horizontal state, with the inner peripheral surface 28 in sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface 22 of the lower mold 12, and is movable in the vertical direction, which is the mold clamping/release direction, relative to the lower mold 12. The mold body 15 and the outer casing member 70 include a horizontal lower surface 30 and a horizontal upper surface 76 as opposing surfaces that come into contact with and separate from each other by mold clamping/release.

A compression coil spring 74 is provided for each guide post 72 between the outer casing member 70 and the passage member 36. The guide posts 72 urge the outer casing member 70 upward relative to the passage member 36. In the first mold clamping state, the horizontal upper surface 76 (see FIG. 7) of the outer casing member 70 is pressed against the horizontal lower surface 30 of the mold body 15 in a slightly lowered state against the spring force of the compression coil spring 74, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 9.

As shown in FIG. 8, the right side of the horizontal top surface 76 of the outer casing member 70 has a triangular wave-shaped expanded recess 78 with a depth equivalent to the thickness of the flange portion 104 that communicates with the storage chamber 20. As shown in FIG. 8, the left side of the horizontal top surface 76 of the outer casing member 70 has an expanded recess 80 with a depth equivalent to the thickness of the flange portion 104 that communicates with the storage chamber 20. In other words, the left side of the horizontal top surface 76 of the outer casing member 70 is lower than the other sides by a depth equivalent to the thickness of the flange portion 104.

The expansion recess 78 cooperates with the horizontal lower surface 30 of the upper mold 14 to form a triangular wave-shaped connecting piece portion 110 (see FIG. 8) that is a non-product part for continuous molding outside the parallel piece portion 108B of the flange portion 104 of the food container 100. The expansion recess 80 cooperates with the horizontal lower surface 30 of the upper mold 14 and the connecting piece portion 110 of the previous molded product placed in the expansion recess 80 to form a connecting piece portion 112 (see FIG. 8) for continuous molding that is a non-product part for continuous manufacturing and is continuous with the connecting piece portion 110 as a molding part outside the parallel piece portion 108A of the flange portion 104 of the food container 100.

When the outer shell member 70 transitions from the first mold clamping state to the second mold clamping state, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, it is pushed down against the spring force of the compression coil spring 74 as the upper mold 14 descends, and cooperates with the connecting piece portion 110 of the previously molded food container 100 to maintain a substantially sealed state of the storage chamber 20 without impeding the descent of the upper mold 14.

When the mold is open, the outer shell member 70 returns to its uppermost position (initial position) due to the spring force of the compression coil spring 74, as shown in Figure 12.

Next, we will explain the manufacturing process (method) of the food container 100, which is a pulp molded product, which is performed under automatic control using the pulp molded product manufacturing device 11.

First, as shown in FIG. 7, in the initial step, the previously molded food container 100 is transported to the left in the figure so that the connecting piece portion 110 of the previously molded food container 100 is placed in the expansion recess 80, and after the transport is completed, the upper mold 14 is lowered to the first lowered position by the mold drive device 18 with the on-off valves 52, 63, and 64 fully closed. This places the upper mold 14 and the lower mold 12 in the first mold clamping state. Note that in this initial step, it is not necessary to specify the open/closed state of the on-off valve 44.

In this state, the connecting piece portion 110 placed in the expansion recess 80 itself acts as a sealing element that makes the storage chamber 20 an airtight space. When the food container 100 is initially molded, a rectangular plate-shaped sealing member (not shown) may be placed in the expansion recess 80 to ensure airtightness of the storage chamber 20.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, in the pulp slurry filling process, in the first mold clamping state, the on-off valve 44 is partially open (half open), the on-off valve 52 is fully open, and the on-off valves 63 and 64 are fully closed. As a result, pulp slurry is supplied from the pulp slurry supply source 50 through the pulp slurry passage 46 to the storage chamber 20 and the space formed by the expansion recesses 78 and 80. Because the on-off valve 44 is partially open, some of the moisture in the pulp slurry supplied to the storage chamber 20 is discharged from the dewatering passage 34 to the outside of the storage chamber 20 (outside the mold) by gravity or the suction force of the suction pump 42.

When a predetermined amount of pulp slurry has been supplied to the storage chamber 20, the on-off valve 52 is fully closed and the pulp slurry filling process is completed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10, in the compression dewatering process, the on-off valve 44 is fully opened, the on-off valves 52, 63, and 64 are fully closed, and the upper die 14 is lowered to the second lowered position by the die drive device 18. As a result, the upper die 14 and the lower die 12 are in the second clamped state, and the pulp slurry is compressed while being dewatered by each dewatering passage 34 in the storage chamber 20 and the expansion recesses 78, 80. At this time, forced dewatering is performed by the suction force of the suction pump 42, thereby preventing the pulp slurry from entering the heating fluid passage 54.

During this compression dewatering process, the on-off valve 63 is fully opened, and steam, which is a heating fluid, is supplied from the heating fluid source 62 to the pulp slurry passage 46. As a result, the pulp slurry remaining in the pulp slurry passage 46 is discharged into the storage chamber 20 by the pressure of the steam.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11, in the drying process, in the second mold clamping state, the on-off valves 44, 63, and 64 are fully opened, and the on-off valve 52 is fully closed. This causes steam, which is a heating fluid, to be supplied from the heating fluid source 62 to the storage chamber 20 through the pulp slurry passage 46 and each heating fluid passage 54, and the pulp slurry after dehydration in the storage chamber 20 and the expansion recesses 78, 80, i.e., the pulp, is dried and hardened. In this way, a food container (pulp molded product) 100 is formed from pulp.

At the same time as the food container 100 is molded, the connecting piece 110 is molded integrally with the parallel piece 108B of the flange 104 in the expansion recess 78, and the connecting piece 112 is molded integrally with the parallel piece 108A of the flange 104 in the expansion recess 80, and joined to the connecting piece 110 molded previously.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12, in the demolding process, the upper mold 14 is raised to the raised position by the mold drive device 18 while the on-off valves 52, 63, and 64 are fully closed. This causes the lower mold 12 and the upper mold 14 to enter an open state, and the food container 100 is removed from the storage chamber 20.

This food container 100 is transferred to the left side of the space between the lower mold 12 and the upper mold 14 in the figure to a position where the connecting piece portion 110 can be placed in the expansion recess 80, and then the upper mold 14 descends to the first descending position, returning to the initial process shown in Figure 7 for molding the next food container 100.

In the second embodiment, the food container 100 is molded by the lower mold 12 and the upper mold 14 that define the storage chamber 20 that forms a space of the same shape as the food container 100 in the second mold clamping state, so food containers 100 with smooth surfaces on both the inner and outer sides can be efficiently and repeatedly produced.

In the second embodiment, multiple food containers 100 are manufactured in a strip shape joined together by connecting pieces 110, 112, so that secondary processing such as coating the food containers 100 with a laminate film and transportation for this processing can be easily performed.

The multiple food containers 100 connected together in a strip shape by the connecting pieces 110, 112 are turned into individual food containers 100 by cutting the connecting pieces 110, 112 off from the parallel pieces 108A, 108B.

Next, a third embodiment of the pulp molded product manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 13 and 14. In Figures 13 and 14, parts corresponding to those in Figures 1 to 12 are given the same reference numerals as those in Figures 1 to 12, and their description will be omitted.

In the third embodiment, the outer casing member 70 also has a frame shape that surrounds the outer periphery of the lower mold 12 and contains multiple storage chambers 20 inside. In other words, the multiple storage chambers 20 are located inside the outer casing member 70 and are substantially sealed by fitting with the inner circumferential surface 28.

The manufacturing process for the food container 100 performed using the pulp molded product manufacturing device 11 of embodiment 3 is substantially the same as that of embodiment 2, except that multiple food containers 100 are manufactured simultaneously, so a description thereof will be omitted.

As a result, in embodiment 3, multiple food containers 100 can be manufactured simultaneously using one set of lower mold 12 and upper mold 14, improving the production efficiency of the food containers 100.

The present invention has been described above in terms of its preferred embodiments, but as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, the heating fluid may be a heated gas such as heated air other than steam. The die drive device 18 is not limited to a fluid pressure type, and may be an electric feed screw, a linear motor, or the like. The dewatering passage 34 may be provided in the upper die 14. The pulp slurry passage 46 and the heating fluid passage 54 may be provided in the lower die 12. The shape of the tip edge of the connecting piece portion 110 is not limited to a triangular waveform, and may be a semicircular waveform or a simple straight line.

The pulp molded product manufacturing apparatus and method of the present invention are not limited to the manufacture of food containers 100, but may be used to manufacture food containers of various shapes and various pulp molded products.

Furthermore, not all of the components shown in the above embodiment are necessarily required, and they can be selected as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the suction pump 42 is not required, and the discharge (dehydration) of water from the pulp slurry in the storage chamber 20 may be achieved simply by squeezing out the pulp slurry in the storage chamber 20 in association with compression.

10: Pulp molded product manufacturing apparatus 11: Pulp molded product manufacturing apparatus 12: Lower mold (first mold)
14: Upper mold (second mold)
Reference Signs List 15: Die body 16: Fixed base 18: Die drive device 20: Storage chamber 22: Outer peripheral surface 24: Horizontal upper surface 26: Convex surface 27: Wire mesh 28: Inner peripheral surface 29: Sealing member 30: Horizontal lower surface 32: Concave surface 34: Dewatering passage 36: Passage member 38: Collective drainage passage 40: External passage 42: Suction pump 44: Opening/closing valve 46: Pulp slurry passage 48: External passage 50: Pulp slurry supply source 52: Opening/closing valve 54: Heated fluid passage 56: Passage member 58: Collective heating fluid passage 60: External passage 61: External passage 62: Heated fluid source 63: Opening/closing valve 64: Opening/closing valve 70: Outer shell member 71: Engagement hole 72: Guide post 74: Compression coil spring 76: Horizontal upper surface 78: Expansion recess 80 : Expandable recess 100 : Food container 102 : Food storage section 104 : Flange section 106A : Parallel piece section 106B : Parallel piece section 108A : Parallel piece section 108B : Parallel piece section 110 : Connecting piece section 112 : Connecting piece section

Claims (4)

a first die and a second die having an outer circumferential surface and an inner circumferential surface that are slidably fitted to each other along a predetermined axial direction, thereby defining a variable volume storage chamber;
a pulp slurry supply passage provided in at least one of the first and second dies so as to reach a die surface that defines the storage chamber from outside the die;
A plurality of dewatering passages are provided in at least one of the first and second dies so as to extend from the die surface to the outside of the die;
a plurality of heating fluid passages provided in at least one of the first mold and the second mold so as to extend from the outside of the mold to the mold surface;
The apparatus for manufacturing pulp molded products has a mold drive device that drives the first and second molds to be displaceable relative to each other along the specified axial direction so as to assume a first mold clamping state in which the volume of the storage chamber is set to a first volume to receive pulp slurry in the storage chamber, a second mold clamping state in which the volume of the storage chamber is set to a second volume smaller than the first volume to dehydrate the pulp slurry, and a mold open state in which the storage chamber is opened. The second mold has a mold body having a surface that defines the storage chamber, and an outer casing member that includes the inner circumferential surface, is frame-shaped and surrounds the outer periphery of the first mold, and is provided so as to be movable in the mold clamping/release direction relative to the mold body with the inner circumferential surface sliding against the outer circumferential surface of the first mold, and
The mold body and the outer shell member include opposing surfaces that come into contact with and separate from each other by mold clamping and demolding, and an expanded recess is formed on the opposing surface of the outer shell member that communicates with the storage chamber and forms a connecting piece portion for continuous molding.This is a manufacturing apparatus for pulp molded products as described in claim 1 . 3. The apparatus for manufacturing a molded pulp product according to claim 2 , wherein said first and second molds define a plurality of said storage chambers. A method for manufacturing a pulp molded product having a predetermined shape, comprising the steps of:
A first die and a second die having an outer peripheral surface and an inner peripheral surface that are slidably fitted to each other along a predetermined axial direction to define a variable-volume storage chamber , a pulp slurry supply passage provided in at least one of the first die and the second die so as to reach a mold surface that defines the storage chamber from the outside of the mold, a plurality of dewatering passages provided in at least one of the first die and the second die so as to reach from the mold surface that defines the storage chamber to the outside of the mold, and and a mold drive device that drives the first mold and the second mold to be displaceable relative to each other along the predetermined axial direction so as to assume a first mold clamping state in which the volume of the storage chamber is set to a first volume in order to receive a pulp slurry in the storage chamber, a second mold clamping state in which the volume of the storage chamber is set to a second volume smaller than the first volume in order to dewater the pulp slurry, and a mold open state in which the storage chamber is opened,
a pulp slurry filling step of filling the storage chamber with a pulp slurry in the first mold clamping state;
a compression and dewatering process of changing the first mold clamping state to the second mold clamping state and compressing the pulp slurry in the storage chamber while dewatering the pulp slurry through the dewatering passage;
a drying step of supplying a heated fluid from the heated fluid passage toward the storage chamber in the second mold clamping state to dry the pulp slurry in the storage chamber and complete the pulp molded product;
and a demolding step of removing the pulp-molded article from the storage chamber in the mold open state.

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