JP7618902B2 - Processing Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a processing device for media such as paper. More specifically, it relates to a bag making machine that folds media such as paper to make envelopes.

Conventionally, a bag making machine (e.g., Patent Document 1) that folds a medium such as paper to make an envelope has a folding section (first folding section) that folds a glue substitute piece of the envelope paper back onto the envelope body (rear surface section), and the envelope paper is transported to the folding section, where a folding plate rotates to fold back the glue substitute piece and apply glue to the top surface of the folded back glue substitute piece. Next, the envelope with the glue applied is transported to the folding section (second folding section) of the flap (front surface section), and the flap (front surface section) is folded back and pressed against the glue substitute piece to which glue has been applied, so that the glue substitute piece is affixed to the flap. In addition, in the bag making machine, the envelope paper fed to the device is first folded over at the boundary between the envelope body and the glue substitute piece by the fold line forming section (second crease processing section) before the glue substitute piece is folded over so that the glue substitute piece can be neatly folded over onto the envelope body.

The fold line forming section forms a vertical crease parallel to the paper transport direction. The fold line forming section is made up of a pair of crease blades arranged opposite each other on both sides in the width direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction. The folding section is made up of a pair of folding devices arranged opposite each other on both sides in the width direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction.

In the bag making machine, the operator must manually adjust the processing positions individually according to the various designs of the final envelopes before processing. The processing positions are, for example, the crease position of the fold line forming section and the folding position of the glue substitute piece by the folding back section. As mentioned above, the crease position and the folding back position of the glue substitute piece each require a pair (two locations) of adjustments.

WO2019043760A1 publication

As described above, in the bag making machine, since it is necessary to manually adjust the processing positions according to the various envelope designs, the adjustment work is complicated and difficult for the operator to understand, and takes time. For this reason, the bag making machine tends to be used only for large lot operations .

Bag making machines that can automatically adjust the processing position have also been proposed, in which the operator inputs processing data such as the crease position and the fold-back position of the glue substitute piece in advance by operating a panel, and the fold line forming portion and the fold-back portion are automatically placed in predetermined positions according to the processing data. However, even in this case, when the operator inputs the processing data by operating a panel, the processing data such as the crease position and the fold-back position of the glue substitute piece must be input individually, making the input operation complicated and difficult for the operator to understand, and the input work takes time.

To provide a bag making machine which improves the operator's workability by allowing the operator to input processing data corresponding to various envelope designs with a minimum of panel operations, and which allows the operator to easily and easily input data, thereby making the machine suitable for small-lot production .

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 provides a processing device having a conveying unit that conveys flat paper used to produce envelopes , a fold line forming unit that forms a crease along the conveying direction on the paper conveyed by the conveying unit, and a folding unit that folds the paper at the crease formed by the fold line forming unit, the processing device having a reception unit that accepts input operations by a user, a memory unit that stores information regarding the fold line formation position of the paper accepted by the reception unit, and a control unit that processes the paper based on the information stored in the memory unit, wherein the fold line forming unit and the folding unit are configured to be movable integrally in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the fold line formation position in the fold line forming unit and the folding position in the folding unit are arranged on the same line in the conveying direction.

The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the processing apparatus described in claim 1, it has a holding member that holds the fold line forming portion and the folding back portion together, and has a moving portion that moves the fold line forming portion in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and is configured so that the fold line forming portion and the folding back portion can move together in the width direction as the moving portion moves the fold line forming portion.

The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that, in the processing apparatus described in claim 1, it has a holding member that holds the fold line forming portion and the fold back portion together, and a moving portion that moves the holding member in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and is configured so that the fold line forming portion and the fold back portion can move together in the width direction as the holding member is moved by the moving portion.

The invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that, in the processing device described in claim 2 or claim 3, a pressing section is provided for pressing the fold of the folded-over paper, the pressing section is further held integrally on the holding member, and the pressing section is configured to be able to move integrally in the width direction as the holding member is moved by the moving section.

The invention according to claim 5 provides a processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4 ,
The present invention is characterized in that an application section is provided for applying adhesive to the paper, the application section is further integrally held by the holding member, and the application section is configured to be able to move integrally in the width direction as the holding member is moved by the moving section.

The invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that, in the processing apparatus described in claim 5 , the application section is further provided with a fine adjustment means capable of finely adjusting the widthwise position of the application section after the holding member is moved.

According to the invention described in claim 1, the fold line forming portion and the fold back portion are configured to be movable integrally in the width direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction, so that the operator can adjust the position of either the fold line forming portion or the fold back portion together based on either one of them, thereby reducing the effort required for the operator to make adjustments.
Furthermore, information regarding the position at which the fold lines are formed on the paper can be stored in the memory section of the device, and the next time the paper can be processed based on the information stored in the memory section, thereby reducing the adjustment time required by the operator.

According to the invention described in claim 2, the fold line forming portion and the folded back portion are integrally held by the holding member, so that the fold line forming portion and the folded back portion can be reliably moved integrally. In addition, since the fold line forming portion and the folded back portion are configured to be movable integrally in the width direction as the fold line forming portion moves, the positions of the fold line forming portion and the folded back portion can be adjusted together based on either one of them, which saves the operator the trouble of making adjustments.

According to the invention described in claim 3, the fold line forming portion and the folded back portion are integrally held by the holding member, so that the fold line forming portion and the folded back portion can be reliably moved integrally. In addition, since the fold line forming portion and the folded back portion are configured to be movable integrally in the width direction as the holding member moves, the positions of the fold line forming portion and the folded back portion can be adjusted together based on either one of them, which saves the operator the trouble of making adjustments.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the pressing portions are further integrally held by the holding member, the positions can be adjusted collectively, and the operator can be relieved of the trouble of making adjustments.

According to the invention as set forth in claim 5 , since the application parts are further integrally held by the holding member, the positions of the application parts can be adjusted collectively, and the operator can be relieved of the trouble of making adjustments.

According to the invention described in claim 6 , the application part is provided with a fine adjustment means that can finely adjust the widthwise position of the application part after adjustment by moving the holding member, so that the adjustment position is flexible and convenient for the operator.

1 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a bag making machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a plan view showing a state of paper being processed by the bag making machine of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which the paper of FIG. 2 has been folded. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a Western-style envelope in the middle of being produced. 11A to 11C are diagrams showing the state before and after folding back the folding plate at the first folding portion. FIG. 4 is a front view showing one configuration of the turn-back coating unit. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a first folding device. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a turn-around coating unit. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a fine adjustment means for the application part. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing how the paper is processed at a second folding portion. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the state of processing of paper following FIG. 10 . FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the state of processing of paper following FIG. 11 . FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the state of processing of paper following FIG. 12. This is a comparison table for inputting processing data via the panel. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of a moving section.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a bag making machine 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The bag making machine 10 includes, in order from the upstream side in the conveying direction, a paper feed section 1, a first crease processing section 2, a second crease processing section 4, a first folding section 3, a pressing section 85, a coating section 5, a second folding section 6, a pressure section 8, and a paper discharge section 7 in an apparatus body 10A.

A typical "Western-style envelope" has a horizontally long rectangular shape with a sealing opening formed on the long side. When making a Western-style envelope using a bag making machine 10, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, glue is applied to the folded-back glue substitute pieces 103 on both sides of the rear surface 102 of the paper 100, and the front surface 101 is folded back and pressed against the glue substitute pieces 103.

Specifically, the bag making machine 10 processes the flat paper 100 shown in FIG. 2(a) in the manner shown in FIG. 2(b) and FIG. 2(c) while conveying the paper in the F direction to produce a Western-style envelope 90.

The paper 100 is composed of a front surface portion 101, a rear surface portion 102, glue substitute pieces 103 (folded portions) that protrude from both sides of the rear surface portion 102, and a rearmost surface portion 104. As shown in FIG. 2(b), the paper 100 is folded at a first fold 111 that is the boundary between the rear surface portion 102 and the glue substitute piece 103, and as shown in FIG. 2(c), the paper 100 is folded at a second fold 112 that is the boundary between the front surface portion 101 and the rear surface portion 102. Glue is applied to the surface of the glue substitute piece 103 folded at the first fold 111. Then, both edges of the front surface portion 101 folded at the second fold 112 are joined to the glue substitute piece 103. The first fold 111 is aligned with the conveying direction. The second fold 112 runs along a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction (i.e., the width direction).

The final product may be the Western-style envelope 90 of FIG. 2(c), but the Western-style envelope 90 shown in FIG. 2(c) may be processed as shown in FIG. 3 while being conveyed in the F' direction, so that the rearmost face 104 is further folded at a third fold 113, which is the boundary between the rear face 102 and the rearmost face 104. With this configuration, when the contents are inserted into the envelope and then the envelope is sealed with tape or glue, the rearmost face 104 can be neatly sealed to the folded-over front face 101 because of the crease.

[Paper Feeding Unit 1]
The paper feed section 1 has an air suction belt type air paper feed unit 12, an elevator type paper feed tray 11 that rises and falls depending on the amount of paper stacked, and a transport roller pair 81 that transports the paper sent out by the air paper feed unit 12 further downstream in the transport direction. In addition, the air paper feed unit 12 is provided with a sensor 22 that detects when the topmost paper sheet stacked on the paper feed tray 11 is sucked to the bottom surface of the air paper feed unit 12, and a sensor 21 that detects the upper limit position of the topmost paper sheet stacked on the paper feed tray 11.

In addition to the conveying roller pair 81, the bag making machine 10 is equipped with six other conveying roller pairs 82, 38, 851, 86, 87, and 88. The six conveying roller pairs form a conveying surface 200 along which the paper 100 is conveyed, and the conveying surface 200 is flush with the paper from the air paper feed unit 12 to the conveying roller pair 88. In addition, sensors 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28 are arranged on the conveying surface 200 along which the paper is conveyed, to detect the passage of the paper at each position (detect double feed). Each sensor is, for example, an optical transmission sensor.

[First crease processing portion 2]
1, the first crease processing unit 2 is composed of an upper mold with a convex upper portion and a lower mold with a concave lower portion, and is configured to form horizontal creases in a direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction as the second fold 112 and the third fold 113 of the paper 100. A known mechanism can be used as the crease processing unit 2. The paper processed in the crease processing unit 2 is transported by a transport roller pair 82 to the second crease processing unit 4 downstream in the transport direction.
[Second crease processed portion 4]
The second crease processing section 4, which serves as a folding line forming section for forming a crease (fold) at the boundary between the rear surface section 102 and the glue substitute piece section 103 of the paper 100, is composed of an upper blade 83 having a round blade shape and a convex portion formed on the outer periphery, and a lower blade having a round blade shape and a concave portion formed on the outer periphery, and is composed of 4a and 4b arranged at two locations in the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, so as to form a vertical crease along the paper conveying direction at the first fold 111 (two locations) of the paper 100. The second crease processing section 4 may be configured to secure the conveying force of the paper during crease processing by installing a conveying roller between 4a and 4b. The crease blade 83 may be composed of an upper blade having a round blade shape and a concave portion formed on the outer periphery, and a lower blade having a round blade shape and a convex portion formed on the outer periphery.

[First folding portion 3]
Fig. 8 is an overall plan view of the folding application unit 9 (9a, 9b) including the first folding section 3 as a folding section that folds the glue substitute piece portion 103 of the paper 100 to the rear surface portion 102. The first folding section 3 is made up of 3a and 3b arranged opposite to each other on both sides in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveying direction as shown in Fig. 8, as a folding means for the left and right glue substitute piece portions 103 of the paper 100. The first folding sections 3a and 3b have a symmetrical configuration.

Figure 7 shows the first folding section 3b, which has a folding plate 32 that rotates around a rotation axis 31 along the conveying direction. In addition, an upper guide plate 36 is provided above the lower guide plate 33 with a specified gap, and a pair of conveying rollers 38 (a drive roller 381 and a driven roller 382) are provided to convey the paper 100 conveyed on the lower guide plate 33 downstream. Note that the rotation axis of the drive roller 381 and the driven roller 382 and other driving mechanisms are omitted in Figure 7. In addition, the first folding section 3a has the same configuration as the first folding section 3b, so a description thereof will be omitted here.

As a folding means, the first folding portions 3a and 3b are arranged opposite each other on both sides of the width direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction. Therefore, in the case of paper that has folding portions at two locations on both sides of the width direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction, the glue substitute piece portion 103 can be folded at two locations simultaneously with one paper transport, which improves workability.

As shown in FIG. 5(a), the first folding section 3a (3b) has a folding plate 32 that rotates around a rotation axis 31 along the conveying direction, and further includes an upper guide plate 36 with a predetermined gap above the lower guide plate 33, and a pair of conveying rollers 38 (a driving roller 381 and a driven roller 382) that convey the paper 100 conveyed on the lower guide plate 33 further downstream. In addition, the lower guide plate 33 has a notch formed in the nip portion of the roller pair. At the folding processing position where the glue substitute piece 103 of the paper is folded, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the glue substitute piece 103 of the paper 100 placed on the folding plate 32 in a state positioned outside in the width direction can be folded back inward so as to overlap the surface of the rear surface portion 102 via the upper guide plate 36, as shown in FIG. 5(c), by rotating the folding plate 32 in the R5 direction.

As a result of the above, the main body of the paper (rear surface portion 102) is held between a pair of upper and lower guide plates (36, 33) while the folded portion of the paper (glue substitute piece portion 103) is folded back onto the upper surface of the upper guide plate, which prevents wrinkles from forming at the fold of the paper during processing and ensures the accuracy of the fold position when folding the glue substitute piece portion 103.

After the paper has been folded at the first folding section 3 to remove the glue substitute piece 103, the folding plate 32 retreats a specified angle in the direction R6, as shown in Figure 5(d), and the paper is then transported by the transport roller pair 38 to the pressing section 85 downstream in the transport direction.

[Pressing portion 85]
The pressing section 85 is composed of a pair of conveying rollers 851, and conveys the paper 100 conveyed to the pressing section 85 by the pair of conveying rollers 38 while pressing the fold 111 after the glue substitute piece 103 of the paper 100 is folded back between the nip of the pair of conveying rollers 851, thereby strengthening the fold of the glue substitute piece 103. The pressing section 85 may be configured, for example, by a spring or the like to press the upper roller, which is a driven roller, against the lower roller, which is a driving roller, with a predetermined pressure. The pressing section 85 is composed of 85a and 85b arranged at two positions in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveying direction.

[Application unit 5]
The coating unit 5, which coats the paper with glue, adhesive, etc., is made up of a pair of coating units 5a, 5b arranged opposite each other on either side of the width direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction. The coating units 5a and 5b have a symmetrical configuration.

Each of the application units 5a and 5b has a nozzle unit 511 and a vertical drive mechanism (not shown). The nozzle unit 511 is also capable of applying glue to the paper being transported at a predetermined timing.

[Flip-over coating unit 9]
The folding application unit 9 is configured as one unit with a plurality of mechanisms surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, and includes the above-mentioned second crease processing section 4, first folding section 3, pressing section 85, and application section 5. The folding application unit 9 performs a series of processes on the paper 100, such as forming a crease (fold) at the boundary between the rear surface section 102 of the paper 100 and the glue substitute piece section 103 at the second crease processing section 4, folding back the glue substitute piece section 103 at the first folding section 3, pressing the folded back section at the pressing section 85, and then applying glue to the top surface of the folded back glue substitute piece section 103 at the application section 5. The paper 100 that has been subjected to the series of processes in the folding application unit 9 is transferred to the second folding section 6 described later, where the front surface section 101 is folded back and pressed against the glue substitute piece section 103 to create a Western-style envelope (delivered product).

Figure 8 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of the turn-around coating unit 9. The turn-around coating units 9a and 9b are configured to be movable on the lead screw shafts 531 and 532 in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveying direction by the moving parts 55a and 55b in the lead screw mechanism described later, respectively, depending on the processing position (here, the lead screw nuts 54 and the guide shafts 591 and 592 are not shown). Pulleys 5811 and 5812 are integrally formed on the lead screw shafts 531 and 532, and are rotated by transmitting a driving force to the pulleys 5811 and 5812. The rotation of the pulley 5811 rotates the lead screw shaft 531, and the turn-around coating unit 9a moves in the width direction, and the rotation of the pulley 5812 rotates the lead screw shaft 532, and the turn-around coating unit 9b moves in the width direction. In this embodiment, the holding members 50, 50 in the folding application units 9a, 9b integrally hold the second crease processing parts 4a, 4b, the first folding parts 3a, 3b, the pressing parts 85a, 85b, and the application parts 5a, 5b in predetermined positions.

The pair of turn-around application units 9a, 9b have a symmetrical configuration, and since the two are basically configured in the same way, one of the turn-around application units 9 will be explained, and an explanation of the other turn-around application unit 9 will be omitted. In addition, in the drawings, common reference symbols are used for components that are common to both.

The folding application unit 9a is configured as shown in FIG. 6. The fold line forming section (second crease processing section 4a) and the folding back section (first folding section 3a) are configured to be movable integrally in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveying direction. In detail, the folding back application unit 9a has a holding member 50 that holds the second crease processing section 4a and the first folding section 3a integrally, and has a moving section 55a that moves the second crease processing section 4a in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveying direction. Alternatively, the folding back application unit 9a may be configured to be movable integrally in the width direction as the holding member 50 moves by the moving section 55a. According to this, the positions of the fold line forming section and the folding back section can be adjusted together based on either one of them, so that the operator can save time and effort required for adjustment. Furthermore, the crease formation position in the second crease processing section 4a and the folding position in the first folding section 3a are positioned on the same line in the paper transport direction, so the glue substitute piece can be folded back from the crease with high precision.

The pressing portion 85a may also be held integrally by the holding member 50, and may be configured to move integrally in the width direction as the holding member is moved by the moving portion 55a. This allows the positions to be adjusted all at once, further reducing the amount of work required for the operator to make adjustments. The pressing portion 85a is positioned at a predetermined distance on the same line in the paper transport direction as the crease formation position in the second crease processing portion 4a and the fold back position in the first folding portion 3a.

In addition, in FIG. 6, the drive shaft 831 of the crease blade 83 in the second crease processing section 4a, the drive shaft 301 of the conveying roller pair in the first folding section 3a, and the drive shaft 852 of the pressing roller pair 85 in the pressing section 85a are shown only as insertion positions of the drive shafts, and the drive shafts themselves are omitted.

In addition, an applicator 5a may be provided to apply glue, adhesive, etc. to the paper, and the applicator 5a may be held integrally by the holding member 50, and may be configured to move integrally in the width direction as the holding member 50 moves by the moving part 55a. This further allows the positions to be adjusted collectively, saving the operator the trouble of making adjustments.

The application unit 5a is further equipped with a fine adjustment means 51 that can finely adjust the widthwise position of the application unit 5a after the holding member 50 has moved. This allows for flexibility in the adjustment position and is convenient for the operator.

As shown in FIG. 9, the fine adjustment means 51 is attached to a base plate 514 formed integrally with the holding member 50 so that the application unit body 513 can be moved in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveying direction. A screw (pre-drilled hole) is formed in the application unit body 513, and a long hole is formed in the width direction in the base plate 514. The operator can loosen the fine adjustment screw 512 to move the application unit body 513 in the width direction by the amount of the long hole. The nozzle unit 511 is integrally attached to the application unit body 513. The tip position of the nozzle unit 511 in the application unit 5a is located a predetermined distance away from the same line in the paper conveying direction as the crease formation position in the second crease processing unit 4 and the turn-back position in the first folding unit 3. The predetermined distance refers to the distance from the line between the crease formation position and the turn-back position to the application position of glue or the like to the flap of the envelope.

It is most effective if the holding member 50 holds the second crease processing section 4, the first folding section 3, the pressing section 85, and the application section 5 integrally in predetermined positions.

Next, we will explain the moving section 55 that moves the holding member 50 in the width direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction.

Figure 15 is a plan view showing the configuration of the moving section 55a of the turn-over coating unit 9a. A lead screw mechanism is arranged in the moving section 55a to move the turn-over coating unit 9a in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveying direction. The lead screw mechanism has a lead screw shaft 531, both ends of which are rotatably supported between the frames 18a and 18b via the bearings 19a and 19b, and a lead screw nut 54 that engages with the lead screw shaft 531. The lead screw nut 54, which is integrally attached to the bottom of the holding member 50 (nut mounting plate 52 in Figure 6), is moved in the axial direction by the stepping motor 57 via the transmission belt 56.

In detail, the driving force for moving the turn-around application unit 9a (holding member 50) in the width direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction is transmitted as follows. When the stepping motor 57 operates (forward or reverse), the first pulley 5811 rotates via the second pulley 582 attached to the motor shaft and the transmission belt 56. The first pulley 5811 is connected to the lead screw shaft 531, so that the driving force is transmitted to the lead screw shaft 531. When the lead screw shaft 531 rotates, the lead screw nut 54 engaged with the lead screw shaft 531 moves in the axial direction, and the turn-around application unit 9a (holding member 50a) attached integrally to the lead screw nut 54 can move left and right in the width direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction F.

As shown in FIG. 15, the folding application unit 9a (holding member 50) is supported by guide shafts 591 and 592 so that it can slide freely in the width direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction F. The guide shafts 591 and 592 are screwed to the frames 18a and 18b by threading both end faces of the shafts.

In addition, in the above-mentioned moving part 55a, the lead screw nut 54 is attached to the bottom of the holding member 50, and the moving part 55a is configured to move the holding member 50 in the width direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction, but the lead screw nut 54 may be attached directly to the second crease processing part 4a, and the second crease processing part 4a may be configured to move in the width direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction.

[Second folding portion 6]
The second folding section 6 is a paper folding device that folds a flat sheet of paper 100 while transporting it along a transport surface 200, and is equipped with a first pair of transport rollers 86 arranged upstream in the paper transport direction, a second pair of transport rollers 87 arranged downstream in the paper transport direction, a switch gate plate 63 installed between the two roller pairs, and a folding plate 62 arranged above the switch gate plate 63.

As shown in FIG. 10, the switching gate plate 63 can rotate around the support shaft 631 and can be switched between a first guide position where it interferes with the transported paper 100 and guides the leading edge of the paper 100 upward so that it passes over the upper surface of the upper roller 871 of the second transport roller pair 87, and a second guide position where it guides the leading edge of the paper 100 in a substantially horizontal direction toward the nip portion 873 of the second transport roller pair 87. The folding plate 62 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction while remaining in a substantially horizontal state, and can be switched between a folding position close to the switching gate plate 63 placed in the second guide position, and a retracted position where it retracts at a predetermined distance from the switching gate plate.

[Pressure unit 8]
The pressure applying section 8 is composed of an upper die 8a that can move up and down and a fixed lower die 8b, and by clamping the folded portion of the paper 100 that has been folded in the second folding section 6 between the upper and lower dies, further pressure is applied to make the folded portion stronger.

[Paper ejection section 7]
The paper discharge section 7 has a pair of conveying rollers 88 and a paper discharge tray 71. The pair of conveying rollers 88 is provided to operate as a discharge roller. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 1, the pair of conveying rollers 88 is disposed near and downstream in the conveying direction of the second pair of conveying rollers 87 of the second folding section 6. The paper discharge tray 71 is inclined obliquely upward from a position below the conveying surface 200 and toward the downstream in the conveying direction.

Next, the operation of the bag making machine 10 described above will be explained.

First, the paper 100 shown in FIG. 2 is placed on the paper feed tray 11. At this time, the front surface portion 101 is located downstream in the conveying direction. Then, a switch (not shown) is turned on to start operation.

(1) In FIG. 1, the topmost sheet of paper 100 on the paper feed tray 11 is sent toward the pair of transport rollers 81 while being attracted to the air suction belt in the air paper feed unit 12. After the sheet of paper 100 is handed over to the pair of transport rollers 81, the pair of transport rollers 81 transports the sheet of paper further downstream in the transport direction. The sheet then passes through the first crease processing unit 2. At that time, the first crease processing unit 2 operates to form creases at the second fold 112 and the third fold 113 of the sheet of paper 100. This makes it easier for the front surface 101 to be folded back toward the rear surface 102. Also, it makes it easier for the rearmost surface 104 to be folded back toward the folded front surface 101.

(2) The paper 100 transported by the transport roller pair 82 from the first crease processing unit 2 passes through the second crease processing unit 4. At this time, the first folds 111 (two locations, one on the left and one on the right in the width direction) of the paper 100 are located directly below the crease blades 83 (round blades) of the second crease processing unit 4, which are installed in two locations in the width direction perpendicular to the transport direction. The second crease processing unit 4 then operates to form a crease in the first fold 111. This makes it easier for the glue substitute pieces 103 (two locations, one on the left and one on the right in the width direction) to fold inward.

(3) The paper 100 with a crease formed by the second crease processing unit 4 stops at the first folding unit 3. By forming a crease in advance at the crease (111) when folding the glue substitute piece portion 103 of the paper, it is possible to ensure the accuracy of the crease processing position when folding the glue substitute piece portion 103.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the first folding section 3, in addition to the basic configuration of folding back the glue substitute piece portion 103 by the folding plate 32, there is an upper guide plate 36 installed above the lower guide plate 33 with a predetermined gap, and a pair of transport rollers 38 (drive roller 31 and driven roller 382) that transport the paper 100 transported on the lower guide plate 33 further downstream,. In addition, a notch is formed in the nip portion of the pair of transport rollers 38 in the lower guide plate 33.

In FIG. 5(a), the folding plate 32 of the folding device 3a (3b) of the first folding section 3 is positioned on the outside in the width direction, and the glue substitute pieces 103 on both sides of the paper 100 are placed on the folding plate 32 (loading position).

Next, in FIG. 5(b), the folding plate 32 rotates in the R5 direction toward the inner upper guide plate 36, whereby the glue substitute piece 103 is folded back inward at the creased first fold 111 and overlapped on the rear surface portion (main body portion) 102 via the upper guide plate 36 as shown in FIG. 5(c) (overlapping position).

Then, in FIG. 5(d), the folding plate 32 rotates in a direction R6 away from the outer lower guide plate 33. Then, the pair of transport rollers 38 (drive roller 381 and driven roller 382) transports the paper 100 with the glue substitute piece 103 folded back downstream in the transport direction. By rotating the folding plate 32 at least a predetermined angle in a direction R6 away from the lower guide plate 33 before starting to transport the paper 100, the paper after folding can be transported smoothly toward the downstream side of the folding position in the paper transport direction without being interfered with by the folding plate 32 or the pair of upper and lower guide plates 36, 33.

In the above-mentioned Figures 5(a) to 5(d), when the folding plate 32 folds the glue substitute piece portion 103 of the paper, the control means stops driving the pair of conveying rollers 38 (drive roller 381 and driven roller 382) at the folding position, stops the conveyance of the paper 100, and controls the folding of the glue substitute piece portion 103 of the paper 100 while holding the main body portion 102 of the paper 100 between the pair of conveying rollers 38.

As described above, the adhesive substitute piece 103 of the paper is folded while the rear surface portion 102 of the paper is held between the pair of transport rollers 38. Therefore, it is possible to further ensure the accuracy of the fold position when folding the adhesive substitute piece 103.

(4) The paper 100 with the glue substitute piece 103 folded back is transported downstream in the transport direction by the pressing unit 85 and passes through the coating unit 5. The pressing unit 85 is composed of a pair of transport rollers 851, and the fold 111 of the glue substitute piece 103 of the paper transported to the pressing unit 85 by the transport roller pair 38 is pressed between the nip of the transport roller pair 851 while transporting the paper, after the glue substitute piece 103 of the paper has been folded back, thereby strengthening the fold of the glue substitute piece 103.

In the application section 5, when the glue substitute piece 103 on both sides of the folded back sheet of paper 100 starts to pass, the nozzle section 511 installed at two locations in the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction moves downward and contacts the surface of the glue substitute piece 103, and when the passage of the glue substitute piece 103 ends, the nozzle section 511 moves upward and separates from the surface of the glue substitute piece 103. This causes glue to be applied to the surface of the folded back glue substitute piece 103. The folded back glue substitute piece 103 passes through the nozzle section 511 while being pressed or after being pressed by the conveying roller pair 85 located upstream of the nozzle section 511 in the conveying direction. Therefore, the glue application work by the nozzle section 511 can be performed stably.

As described in (2) to (4) above, the second crease processing section 4 (fold line forming section), the first folding section 3 (fold back section), the pressing section 85 and the application section 5 are all held integrally at predetermined positions on the holding member 50 in one embodiment. The holding member 50 has a moving section 55 that moves in the width direction perpendicular to the paper conveying direction, and the second crease processing section 4 (fold line forming section), the first folding section 3 (fold back section), the pressing section 85 and the application section 5 are configured to be able to move integrally in the width direction as the holding member 50 is moved by the moving section 55.

Therefore, when an operator inputs and sets the widthwise positions (position data) of each of the mechanical parts from the operation panel, as shown in FIG. 14 (embodied technology), it is sufficient to input position data for only the "crease position (L, R)" and there is no need to input the remaining "flap folding position," "pressing position," and "glue application position" (because each mechanical part is mechanically positioned in advance in the holding member 50 based on the crease position), saving the operator the trouble of making adjustments. Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 14 (conventional technology), the operator had to input all of the position data.

As shown in Figure 8, the adjustment of each mechanism in accordance with the position data is performed by counting the number of steps of the stepping motor 57, with the light shielding plate 46 integrally provided with the turn-around coating unit 9 and the distance the light shielding plate 46 moves in the width direction relative to the reference position where it shields the photointerrupter 45.

The system includes a reception unit that receives input operations from the user, a storage unit that stores information (position data) related to the fold line formation position of the paper received by the reception unit, and a control unit that processes the paper based on the information stored in the storage unit. Therefore, the processing information (position data) can be called up from the history information stored in the storage unit and used for the current processing, shortening the adjustment time for the operator.

(5) In FIG. 10, the second folding section 6 is a paper folding device that folds flat paper 100 while transporting it along a transport surface 200, and includes a first transport roller pair 86 arranged upstream in the paper transport direction, a second transport roller pair 87 arranged downstream in the paper transport direction, a switching gate plate 63 installed on the paper transport surface 200 between the two roller pairs, a folding plate 62 arranged opposite the switching gate plate 63, and a control means (not shown) that controls the operation of the entire device.

The switching gate plate 63 can be switched between a first guide position where it interferes with the transported paper 100, bending the paper transport direction away from the paper transport surface 200 and guiding the leading edge of the paper 100 toward one of the roller surfaces of the second transport roller pair 87, and a second guide position where it guides the paper 100 along the paper transport surface 200 toward the nip portion 873 of the second transport roller pair 87,

The folding plate 62 is configured to be movable toward the switching gate plate 63 while remaining in a substantially horizontal state, and can be switched between a folding position close to the switching gate plate 63 arranged in the second guide position, and a retreated position at a predetermined distance from the switching gate plate 63,

The control means uses the switching gate plate 63 arranged in the first guiding position to guide the leading edge of the paper 100 being transported so that it passes a predetermined distance toward one of the roller surfaces of the second transport roller pair 87, then switches the switching gate plate 63 to the second guiding position, and then controls the folding plate 62 arranged in the retracted position to be lowered in a substantially horizontal state to the folding position so as to sandwich the paper 100 on the switching gate plate 63, thereby folding the leading edge of the paper 100 back along one of the roller surfaces of the second transport roller pair 87.

Specifically, as an example, the process is carried out in the following order:

The paper 100 with glue applied to the glue substitute piece 103 is transported to the second folding section 6 (in the direction F) by the transport roller pair 85. At this time, the switching gate plate 63 is set to face upward toward the second transport roller pair 87 as the first guide position. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the paper 100 is guided upward by the switching gate plate 63 so that the leading edge of the paper 100 passes over the upper surface of the upper roller 871 of the second transport roller pair 87, and transport is temporarily stopped when the position of the second fold 112 of the paper 100 reaches the folding position (the position directly below the end 621 of the folding plate 62). During this time, the folding plate 62 maintains its waiting position.

The upper roller 861 of the first conveying roller pair 86 is set to a width dimension that does not contact the surface of the glue substitute piece portion 103, so that the glue applied to the glue substitute piece portion 103 of the paper 100 in the application section 5 described above does not adhere to the first conveying roller pair 86.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11, the folding plate 62 is maintained in the retracted position while the switching gate plate 63 is moved to the second guide position (approximately horizontal position).

Next, as shown in FIG. 12, the folding plate 62, which is disposed in the retracted position, is lowered to the folding position in a substantially horizontal state so as to sandwich the paper 100 on the switching gate plate 63, thereby folding back the front surface 101 of the paper 100 from the second fold 112 along the surface of the upper roller 871 of the second conveying roller pair 87. At this time, the distance at which the switching gate plate 63 approaches the folding plate 62 after it has been lowered is configured so that at least a gap large enough to convey the paper is secured between the folding plate 62 and the switching gate plate 63. For example, a gap of about 1 mm is secured.

As a result of the above, the paper folding mechanism does not need to be provided with a paper insertion space (diverter path) or a stopper, so it can be constructed simply and inexpensively without complicating the structure. In addition, the control means automatically adjusts the folding position to suit various folding specifications, so a paper folding device with good operability can be provided. Furthermore, wrinkles are prevented from forming in the folded back glue substitute piece, and even when folding, glue does not adhere to the inside of the folding mechanism such as the stopper, which would adversely affect the quality of the finished product.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13, the folding plate 62 is lowered to fold the front surface 101 of the paper 100, and then the first conveying roller pair 86 conveys the folded tip 105 of the paper after the leading edge of the paper is folded toward the nip 873 of the second conveying roller pair 87, and the folded tip 105 of the paper is pressed and folded by being sandwiched between the nip 873 of the second conveying roller pair 87 and conveyed in the F direction. Then, the entire front surface 101 is folded back to match the surface of the rear surface 102, and at that time, both edges of the front surface 101 are joined to the glue substitute piece 103. This results in a Western-style envelope 90. The paper 100 is conveyed in the F direction until the rearmost surface 104 of the paper 100 passes through the nip 863 of the first conveying roller pair 86 by a predetermined amount. At this time, the paper 100 is transported through the gap between the folding plate 62 and the switching gate plate 63 (while being guided by both plates). This allows the paper 100 to be delivered to the pressing section by the nip portion 873 of the second transport roller pair 87 in the next stage without causing wrinkles or the like.

As described above, the leading edge of the paper is folded back by lowering the folding plate, and then the folded leading edge of the paper is pressed and folded by the nip portion 873 of the second conveying roller pair 87, so that the paper can be reliably folded.

(6) The paper 100 that has been folded in the second folding section 6 described above is transported to the pressure section 8. The pressure section 8 is composed of an upper die 8a that can move up and down and a lower die 8b that is stationary, and applies further pressure to the folded portion of the paper 100 that has been folded in the second folding section 6 by sandwiching it between the upper and lower dies, thereby strengthening the folded portion.

(7) The paper 100 that has been pressurized by the pressure unit 8 is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 71 by the pair of conveying rollers 88, completing the series of operations of the bag making machine 10 in this embodiment.

It is clear that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and that within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention, this embodiment may be modified as appropriate in ways other than those suggested in this embodiment. Furthermore, the number, position, shape, etc. of the components are not limited to this embodiment, and may be any number, position, shape, etc. that is suitable for implementing the present invention.

F: conveying direction R: rotation direction 2: first crease processing section 3: first folding section (folding back section)
4 Second crease processing part (broken line forming part)
Reference Signs List 5 Coating section 6 Second folding section 9 Folding coating unit 10 Bag making machine 10A Apparatus body 31 Rotating shaft 32 Folding plate 33 Lower guide plate 35 Driven roller 36 Upper guide plate 38 Pair of conveying rollers 50 Holding member 85 Pressing section 100 Paper 101 Front surface section 102 Rear surface section 103 Adhesive substitute piece section 104 Rearmost surface section 105 Folding section 106 Folding section 111 First fold 112 Second fold 113 Third fold

Claims (6)

A processing device having a conveying unit that conveys flat paper used to make envelopes , a fold line forming unit that forms a crease along the conveying direction on the paper conveyed by the conveying unit, and a folding unit that folds the paper along the crease formed by the fold line forming unit, the processing device having a reception unit that accepts input operations by a user, a memory unit that stores information related to the fold line formation position of the paper received by the reception unit, and a control unit that processes the paper based on the information stored in the memory unit, wherein the fold line forming unit and the folding unit are configured to be integrally movable in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the fold line formation position in the fold line forming unit and the folding position in the folding unit are arranged on the same line in the conveying direction. The processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a holding member that holds the fold line forming section and the fold back section together, a moving section that moves the fold line forming section in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and is configured so that the fold line forming section and the fold back section can move together in the width direction as the moving section moves the fold line forming section. The processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a holding member that holds the fold line forming section and the fold back section together, a moving section that moves the holding member in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and is configured so that the fold line forming section and the fold back section can move together in the width direction as the moving section moves the holding member. The processing device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that a pressing part that presses the fold of the folded paper is held integrally by the holding member. The processing device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that an application section for applying adhesive to the paper is integrally held by the holding member. 6. The processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the coating section further comprises a fine adjustment means capable of finely adjusting a position of the coating section in the width direction after the holding member is moved.

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