JP7743044B2 - Agitation and rotation device and agitation device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a stirring and rotating device and a stirring device suitable for stirring high-melting-point adhesive materials.

Conventional agitation devices include the agitator described in Patent Document 1. This agitator is equipped with a scraping blade, which rotates and revolves around its axis to scrape and agitate the material inside the agitation vessel while heating it.

When such a mixer is used to mix molten high-melting-point adhesive materials such as candy with particulate solids, the high-melting-point adhesive materials adhere to the scraping blades and the shafts that support them in the rotating part, and the adhesions grow and increase over time.

In particular, the blade pipes that support the scraping blades on the rotating part are made of metal to maintain their strength, as they are subject to resistance from the material being stirred during the scraping and stirring process. For this reason, if a molten high-melting-point adhesive material adheres to the blade pipes, it is easy for it to grow as an adhesion.

Furthermore, the heating and mixing history of this deposit is uneven and insufficient compared to the product itself, and if the peeled off deposit gets mixed into the product, the product quality becomes uneven, which is a problem.

Furthermore, there were problems such as increased cleaning time required to remove deposits from the scraping blades after production was completed, and reduced product yield due to increased deposits.

For this reason, it is essential to suppress the growth of deposits when performing scraping and stirring processes that involve heating high-melting-point adhesive materials.

Furthermore, when high-melting-point adhesive materials are transferred to other mixing devices for further processing, the growth of such deposits can also occur in transfer chutes and other areas where heat from gas heating and the like is difficult to reach, so it is important to similarly suppress the growth of deposits.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-347390

The problem to be solved was that when heated, the adhesive material in its molten state would adhere and easily grow as an attachment.

The present invention provides a stirring and rotating device comprising: a scraper that scrapes and stirs adhesive material in a stirring vessel that is heated from the bottom side in order to suppress the growth of deposits of adhesive material that is in a molten state due to heating; and a metal support rod that supports the scraper on a rotating shaft, the device comprising: a cover tube that forms the outer shell of the support rod, the cover tube being formed from a material that has a relatively low thermal conductivity compared to the support rod , the support rod having a blade support portion at its tip, the scraper being supported by a metal blade mounting plate, the blade mounting plate having a protruding blade side mounting portion that is coupled to the blade support portion in a loose fit state, and the cover tube having a portion that extends integrally with the blade side mounting portion so as to cover the blade support portion as well as the blade side mounting portion .

Because the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, the outer casing of the metal support rod is formed by a cover tube made of a material with relatively low thermal conductivity, and when scraping and stirring adhesive material in a stirring vessel that is heated from the bottom side, the cover tube can suppress the growth of deposits on the metal support rod, including the blade side mounting portion that is loosely connected to the blade support portion.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a stirring device according to a first embodiment, with some parts omitted, as viewed from the front side; FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the first embodiment showing a state in which the scraping blade is attached to the support rod. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the scraping blade attached to the blade mounting plate according to the first embodiment. In Example 2, (A) is a schematic plan view of the agitation processing device equipped with first and second agitation processing sections when intermediate processed material is being transferred, and (B) is a schematic side view of the agitation processing device equipped with first and second agitation processing sections when intermediate processed material is being transferred. In accordance with Example 2, (A) is a schematic plan view of an agitation treatment device having first and second agitation treatment units during drainage, and (B) is a schematic side view of an agitation treatment device having first and second agitation treatment units during drainage.

The present invention achieves its objective of making it possible to suppress the growth of deposits of adhesive material in a molten state upon heating in the following manner.

The stirring and rotating device is provided with a scraper for scraping and stirring adhesive material in a stirring vessel heated from the bottom side, and a metal support rod for supporting the scraper on a rotating shaft, and is provided with a cover tube that forms the outer shell of the support rod, and the cover tube is formed of a material having a relatively low thermal conductivity compared to the support rod , the support rod has a blade support part at its tip, the scraper is supported by a metal blade mounting plate, the blade mounting plate has a protruding blade side mounting part that is joined to the blade support part in a loose fit state, and the cover tube has a part that extends integrally with the blade side mounting part so as to cover the blade support part as well as the blade side mounting part .

The scraper can be a scraping blade, a rod-shaped stirrer, etc.

The adhesive material stirred by the scraper is heated and becomes molten. For example, this can be achieved by stirring granular or lumpy solid material and adhesive material while heating. This can be achieved by obtaining a processed product that is broken down into granules or lumps and coated with a solidified adhesive from the result of this stirring process. The granular or lumpy solid material can be anything that can be coated with adhesive, such as nuts, popcorn, or natto. The adhesive can be anything that can be coated with solid material by stirring, such as caramel, chocolate, or candy.

However, the object to be stirred is not limited to those that require loosening and stirring, as long as it is an adhesive material that is in a molten state when heated. It can also be used to loosen and stir not only the above-mentioned objects, but also other foods, and even medicines, quasi-drugs, herbal medicines, and various other ingredients.

The metal support rod is made of stainless steel pipe material or the like. The support rod only needs to be able to transmit the rotational force from the rotating shaft to the scraper, and can also be made of pipe material or solid material made of metals other than stainless steel.

The cover tube forming the outer shell of the support rod can be realized as a part of the outer shell of the support rod or as the entire outer shell of the support rod.

The term "relatively low thermal conductivity" refers to the relationship between the cover tube and the support rod, and means that the cover tube has a lower thermal conductivity than the support rod.

Even though the thermal conductivity of the cover tube is slightly lower than that of the support rod, there is technical significance in suppressing the growth of deposits compared to when the cover tube is not present and the support rod is completely exposed.

The cover tube is realized by a cover tube made of fluororesin that encases the support rod. However, the cover tube can also be realized by a cover tube made of a material other than fluororesin that has a relatively low thermal conductivity compared to the support rod. The cover tube can also be realized by coating or lining the support rod with fluororesin or another material with a relatively low thermal conductivity.

The support rod has a blade support portion at its tip, the scraper is supported by a metallic blade mounting plate, the blade mounting plate has a protruding blade side mounting portion that is connected to the blade support portion, and the cover tube can be realized to cover the blade side mounting portion including the blade support portion.

The blade-side mounting portion can be freely realized in various forms, such as a plate-like projection that protrudes integrally from the blade mounting plate, or a rod-like projection.

"Covering the blade-side mounting portion" means forming a cover tongue on the cover tube that covers the blade support portion and covering it so that it faces the blade-side mounting portion, but this can also be achieved by simply extending the cover tube.

A mounting plate covering portion is provided to cover the blade mounting plate, and the mounting plate covering portion is realized by a material having a relatively low thermal conductivity compared to the blade mounting plate.

The term "relatively low thermal conductivity" refers to the relationship between the blade mounting plate and the mounting plate covering portion , and means that the mounting plate covering portion has a lower thermal conductivity than the blade mounting plate.

Even though the thermal conductivity of the mounting plate covering portion is slightly lower than that of the blade mounting plate, there is technical significance in suppressing the growth of deposits compared to when the mounting plate covering portion is not present and the blade mounting plate is completely exposed.

The mounting plate covering portion is realized by a cover plate made of fluororesin that covers the back surface of the blade mounting plate. However, the mounting plate covering portion is not limited to a cover plate made of fluororesin as long as it is made of a material that has a relatively low thermal conductivity compared to the blade mounting plate. The mounting plate covering portion can also be realized by a cover made of a material other than fluororesin that has a relatively low thermal conductivity, or by coating or lining the blade mounting plate with fluororesin or another material that has a relatively low thermal conductivity.

The stirring device can be realized as a stirring device that uses the stirring and rotating device, and by rotating the rotary shaft, the scraper is moved in a swiveling motion within a heated stirring vessel via the support rod, thereby scraping and stirring high-melting-point adhesive materials.

The stirring device can be realized as a vertical stirring device equipped with a vertical rotation axis in a vertical stirring vessel, in which the scraper moves and revolves around the vertical axis relative to the stirring vessel.

The agitator can also be realized as an oblique-axis agitator, which has a vertical agitator vessel equipped with a vertically oblique rotation axis, and in which the scraper moves and revolves around the axis that is vertically oblique relative to the agitator vessel.

The stirring device can also be realized as a horizontal stirring device equipped with a horizontal rotation axis in a horizontal stirring vessel, in which the scraper moves in a vertical rotational direction around the horizontal axis relative to the stirring vessel.

The present invention provides a mixing processing device that is provided with a first mixing processing section in which a first mixing section mixes and rotates a first mixing vessel made of metal that is heated from the bottom side, and a second mixing processing section in which a second mixing section mixes and rotates a second mixing vessel, and that performs a first stage of mixing processing on an adhesive material in the first mixing vessel by the first mixing section to produce an intermediate processed product, and that transfers the intermediate processed product from the first mixing processing section to the second mixing processing section and performs a second stage of mixing processing by the second mixing section, and that is provided with a chute for transferring the intermediate processed product from the first mixing processing section to the second mixing processing section, and that the chute is provided with a chute covering section that is formed of metal and has a chute covering section that is formed of a material that has a relatively low thermal conductivity compared to metal, or is formed of a material that has a relatively low thermal conductivity compared to metal.

The chute covering is realized by a fluororesin lining that covers the chute. However, the chute covering is not limited to a fluororesin lining, as long as it is made of a material with a relatively low thermal conductivity compared to metal. The chute covering can also be realized by a cover made of a material other than fluororesin with a relatively low thermal conductivity, or by coating the chute with fluororesin or another material with a relatively low thermal conductivity.

The chute can also be made from a material with relatively low thermal conductivity compared to metal.

The present invention provides a mixing processing apparatus that includes a first mixing processing unit in which a first mixing unit rotates to mix a first mixing vessel made of metal that is heated from the bottom side, and a second mixing processing unit in which a second mixing unit rotates to mix a second mixing vessel, and that performs a first-stage mixing process on an adhesive material in the first mixing vessel by the first mixing unit to produce an intermediate processed product, and that transfers the intermediate processed product from the first mixing processing unit to the second mixing processing unit and performs a second-stage mixing process by the second mixing unit, wherein the first mixing vessel is The first agitator vessel is capable of being tilted to a transfer mode toward the second agitator vessel, and the first agitator vessel has a spout on the second agitator vessel side, and the spout has a spout covering portion formed of a material with a relatively low thermal conductivity compared to the first metallic agitator vessel, or is formed of a material with a relatively low thermal conductivity compared to the first metallic agitator vessel, and in the transfer mode of the first agitator vessel, the intermediate processed product from the previous agitation process is transferred from the spout to the second agitator vessel side by utilizing the tilt of the first agitator vessel.

The spout covering portion is realized by a fluororesin lining that covers the spout. However, the spout covering portion is not limited to a fluororesin lining, as long as it is made of a material that has a relatively low thermal conductivity compared to the metal first stirring vessel. The spout covering portion can also be realized by a cover made of a material other than fluororesin that has a relatively low thermal conductivity, or by coating the spout with fluororesin or another material that has a relatively low thermal conductivity.

The spout can also be made from a material with relatively low thermal conductivity compared to the first stirring vessel, which is made of metal.

[Mixing device]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a stirring device according to a first embodiment, with some parts omitted, as viewed from the front side.

The mixing device 1 in Figure 1 shows the main components of a vertical heating and mixing device. This mixing device 1 mixes a molten high-melting-point adhesive material, such as candy, with a particulate solid.

The stirring device 1 is equipped with a stirring and rotating device 5 for the stirring vessel 3.

The stirring vessel 3 is made of iron, stainless steel, copper, or other materials and is pot-shaped with a dish-shaped bottom. The stirring vessel 3 is supported on a base frame (not shown). A gas heating device (not shown) is mounted on the base frame and positioned below the stirring vessel 3. The bottom of the stirring vessel 3 can be heated by the gas heating device, controlled by a control box.

The agitator rotation device 5 comprises a main agitator drive shaft 9, a revolution box 11, and an agitator drive shaft 13.

The main agitation drive shaft 9 is mounted on the top of the agitation vessel 3 and supported at the tip of the agitation head 15. The main agitation drive shaft 9 is rotated by a geared motor 17, which is the drive unit within the agitation head 15, and is configured to rotate on its own axis. The geared motor 17 is driven and controlled by a control box (not shown).

The revolution box 11 has a box shape that is roughly oval when viewed from above, and its base end is supported by the main agitator drive shaft 9, with its tip end revolving around the main agitator drive shaft 9 as the shaft rotates.

The agitator drive shaft 13 is rotatably supported by a shaft support tube 19 at the tip end of the revolution box 11 and is gear-coupled to the agitator main drive shaft 9.

A plate-shaped agitator swivel unit 21, which serves as a rotating part, is attached to the agitator drive shaft 13. Fluoroplastic scraping blades 27 and 29, which serve as scrapers, are supported on the agitator swivel unit 21 via blade pipes 23 and 25, which serve as metal support rods. Fluoroplastic scraping blade 33, which serves as a scraper, is attached to the shaft support tube 19 via a bent blade pipe 31, which serves as a metal support rod.

The scraping blades 27, 29, and 33 scrape and stir the contents of the stirring vessel 3.

In other words, as the revolution box 11 rotates, the shaft support cylinder 19 revolves around shaft 9, causing the scraping blade 33 to revolve via the blade pipe 31, scraping off solid matter adhering to the sidewall of the mixing vessel 3 due to the adhesive material toward the bottom. At the same time, the rotation and revolution of the mixing drive shaft 13 causes the scraping blades 27 and 29 to revolve at the bottom via the blade pipes 23 and 25, performing a scraping operation. In this way, the solid matter and adhesive material can be effectively mixed and stirred throughout the mixing vessel 3.

The mixing head 15 is rotatably supported on a head support bracket on the base frame side. A hydraulic cylinder device (not shown) is supported between the mixing head 15 and the base frame side. The hydraulic cylinder device is driven and controlled by a control box (not shown). Driving the hydraulic cylinder device rotates the mixing head 15 to retract upward, allowing the mixing vessel 3 to tilt.

The structure and relationship between the vane pipe 23 and scraping blade 27 and the vane pipe 25 and scraping blade 29 are almost identical, so the vane pipe 23 and scraping blade 27 will be explained using Figures 2 to 5, and an explanation of the vane pipe 25 and scraping blade 29 will be omitted.

Figure 2 is a schematic front view of the scraping blade attached to the support rod according to the first embodiment. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in Figure 2 according to the first embodiment. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Figure 3 according to the first embodiment. Figure 5 is a rear view of the scraping blade attached to the blade mounting plate according to the first embodiment.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a scraping blade 27 is attached to the tip of the blade pipe 23.

The vane pipe 23 is formed into a cylindrical shape from stainless steel or the like, with a fluororesin cover member 35 attached to the top and a knuckle portion 37 made of stainless steel or the like attached to the bottom as a vane support. The outer diameter of the knuckle portion 37 is set to be the same as the outer diameter of the vane pipe 23. A stainless steel stopper ring 38 is fixed to the middle of the outer surface of the vane pipe 23 in the axial direction.

The lower part of a mounting shaft 39, made of stainless steel or the like, is inserted into the impeller pipe 23, and this mounting shaft 39 passes through the cover member 35 and protrudes outside the impeller pipe 23. The upper end of the mounting shaft 39 is fitted into a cylindrical body 41 fixed to the stirring and rotating unit 21 as shown in Figure 1, and a pin 43 passes through the cylindrical body 41 and the mounting shaft 39 to prevent the mounting shaft 39 from rotating relative to the cylindrical body 41.

The knuckle portion 37 is fixed to the tip of the blade pipe 23. The knuckle portion 37 is bifurcated to support the scraping blade 27, and has through holes and screw holes for bolt connection distributed between the two branches.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a guide pipe 44 for guiding extension and contraction is installed inside the vane pipe 23. The guide pipe 44 is made of stainless steel or the like and has a guide hole 44a.

The lower end of the mounting shaft 39 fits into the guide hole 44a and is movable along the guide hole 44a. An engaging guide piece 45 is fixed to the lower end of the mounting shaft 39. The guide piece 45 is fitted into the guide hole 44a, restricting rotation around the axis while being guided to move relatively along the guide hole 44a.

A spring retainer 47 is fixed to the mounting shaft 39 on the lid member 35 side. A coil spring 49 is disposed between this spring retainer 47 and the guide pipe 44.

Therefore, when the blade pipe 23 receives an upward thrust from the scraping blade 27 side via the knuckle portion 37, the blade pipe 23 moves upward while the guide hole 44a is guided by the guide piece 45. This movement causes the blade pipe 23 to contract upward relative to the mounting shaft 39. At this time, the coil spring 49 pressed against the guide pipe 44 is received by the spring receiver 47, and the coil spring 49 is compressed.

When the upward thrust on the vane pipe 23 is released, the resilient force of the coil spring 49 is input to the vane pipe 23 via the guide pipe 44, causing the vane pipe 23 to extend relative to the mounting shaft 39.

The scraping blades 27 in Figures 2, 3, and 5 are made of a material, such as fluororesin, which reduces the coefficient of friction with the stirring vessel 3 and has a lower thermal conductivity than metals such as stainless steel. The scraping blades 27 are formed in a plate shape and are approximately rectangular when viewed from the front. The blade tip 27a of the stirring blades 27 is curved to match the curved bottom of the stirring vessel 3.

The back of the scraping blade 27 is supported by a blade mounting plate 51. The blade mounting plate 51 is smaller than the scraping blade 27 and is placed over the center of the upper back of the scraping blade 27, with the scraping blade 27 fastened and fixed in place by two bolts 53.

The blade mounting plate 51 has a blade side mounting portion 55 that is connected to the knuckle portion 37. The blade side mounting portion 55 protrudes upward from the center of the upper edge of the blade mounting plate 51. The blade side mounting portion 55 is inserted into the fork of the knuckle portion 37. A bolt 57 passes through the blade side mounting portion 55 in a loose fit and is threadedly engaged with the knuckle portion 37. The bolt 57 has an enlarged fitting portion 57a outside the knuckle portion 37, and a bolt head is provided on the end surface of the enlarged fitting portion 57a.

The blade pipe 23 includes a support rod covering portion 59 that forms an outer shell. The support rod covering portion 59 is formed of a material that has a relatively low thermal conductivity compared to the blade pipe 23. In this embodiment, the material of the support rod covering portion 59 is a fluororesin.

The support rod covering portion 59 is a cover tube made of fluororesin and formed into a substantially cylindrical shape to enclose the blade pipe 23. The inner diameter of the support rod covering portion 59 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the blade pipe 23. The enclosing of the blade pipe 23 by the support rod covering portion 59 extends from the lower end of the blade pipe 23 to about halfway in the axial direction. However, the support rod covering portion 59 may also be configured to enclose the entire blade pipe 23.

The upper end of the support rod covering portion 59 abuts against the stopper ring 38 .

A pair of cover tongues 59c, 59d are integrally formed and protrude from the lower end of the support rod covering portion 59. The cover tongues 59c, 59d are formed so that their thickness increases radially inward of the support rod covering portion 59, and are flat and closely opposed to the blade-side mounting portion 55. One of the cover tongues 59d is chamfered 59e in accordance with the rake angle of the scraping blade 27. It is also possible to form the lower end of the support rod covering portion 59 into a bottomed shape, and form a slit in the bottom portion through which the blade-side mounting portion 55 passes.

A radial through-hole 59f is formed adjacent to the cover tongue portion 59c in the support rod covering portion 59. The enlarged fitting portion 57a of the bolt 57 is fitted into the through-hole 59f.

The support rod covering portion 59 is positioned in the axial direction by the stopper ring 38 and the fitting enlarged portion 57a.

In this way, the support rod covering portion 59 forms the outer shell of the blade pipe 23. In this state, the support rod covering portion 59 is configured to cover up to the blade side mounting portion 55 including the knuckle portion 37.

However, the range in which the support rod covering portion 59 covers the blade pipe 23 can be freely set.

The blade mounting plate 51 is provided with a mounting plate covering portion 63 that covers it. The mounting plate covering portion 63 is made of a material that has a relatively low thermal conductivity compared to the blade mounting plate 51. In this embodiment, the material of the mounting plate covering portion 63 is a fluororesin. That is, the mounting plate covering portion 63 is a cover plate made of fluororesin that covers the back surface of the blade mounting plate 51. The mounting plate covering portion 63 covers almost the entire back surface of the blade mounting plate 51, as shown in Figures 3 and 5 . The periphery of the mounting plate covering portion 63 is chamfered. The mounting plate covering portion 63 is fastened to the blade mounting plate 51 with two screws 65.

In this embodiment, the blade pipe 25 has a structure similar to the support rod covering portion 59 in FIG. 1, and the blade mounting plate of the scraping blade 29 has a structure similar to the mounting plate covering portion 63 in FIGS.

The outer scraping blade 33 is attached to the blade pipe 31 by a blade mounting plate made of stainless steel or the like, similar to the scraping blades 27 and 29. Therefore, the scraping blade 33 has a similar structure, with the blade mounting plate having a configuration similar to that of the mounting plate cover 63 shown in Figures 3 and 5. However, the scraping blade 33 has a different shape from the scraping blades 27 and 29, and the shape of the blade mounting plate is also different. It goes without saying that the mounting plate cover attached to this differently shaped blade mounting plate is formed in a shape that covers the blade mounting plate.

The blade pipe 31 is not provided with a support rod covering portion because it is disposed at a relatively high position in the agitator vessel 3 and does not come into contact with the material to be treated, such as an adhesive material. However, in a configuration in which the material to be treated adheres to the blade pipe 31, the blade pipe 31 may be provided with a support rod covering portion .

[Stirring drive]
The stirring vessel 3 of the stirring device 1 is heated and controlled by a gas heating device when the stirring and rotating device 5 is in operation. In the stirring device 1, a rotational driving force is transmitted to the main stirring drive shaft 9 via the stirring head 15. When the main stirring drive shaft 9 rotates, the revolution box 11 revolves integrally with the main stirring drive shaft 9 around its axis. This rotation causes the stirring drive shaft 13 to revolve around the center of the stirring vessel 3, which is the axis of the main stirring drive shaft 9.

At the same time, rotational driving force is transmitted from the main agitator drive shaft 9 to the agitator drive shaft 13 via the meshing of gears inside the revolution box 11. This rotational transmission drives the agitator drive shaft 13 to rotate around its axis.

That is, the agitator drive shaft 13 rotates and revolves around the axis of the main agitator drive shaft 9, and the scraping blades 27, 29 move and scrape the bottom of the agitator vessel 3. Furthermore, the outer scraping blade 33 revolves together with the shaft support tube 19 and moves and scrapes the side wall of the agitator vessel 3.

The bottom of the stirring vessel 3 is the direct heat transfer surface, and heat transfer is promoted by scraping with the scraping blades 27, 29, and 33. In particular, renewing the adhesive material on the bottom is highly effective in preventing burning.

[Production of processed material]
First, raw materials of granular or lumpy solid material and adhesive material are charged into the stirring vessel 3 .

When the stirring and rotating device 5 is driven and controlled, the rotation and revolution of the stirring drive shaft 13 causes the blade pipes 23, 25, and 31 to rotate, and the scraping blades 27, 29, and 33 perform scraping and stirring operations. At the same time, the control box operates the gas heating device, which controls the heating of the stirring vessel 3. The raw materials in the stirring vessel 3 are heated and stirred.

When a molten high-melting-point adhesive material such as candy is mixed with particulate solids using this mixing device 1, the high-melting-point adhesive material tends to adhere to the scraping blades 27, 29, 33, etc. and the blade pipes 23, 25, etc. that support them.

At this time, even if a high-melting-point adhesive material adheres to the support rod covering portion 59 and the mounting plate covering portion 63 of the blade pipe 23 and the scraping blade 27, the low thermal conductivity prevents heat from being lost from the high-melting-point adhesive material. In addition, the low coefficient of friction of the support rod covering portion 59 and the mounting plate covering portion 63 prevents the adhered high-melting-point adhesive material from growing as an attachment.

This action is the same for the blade pipe 25 and the support rod covering portion and the mounting plate covering portion of the scraping blade 29, and the mounting plate covering portion of the scraping blade 33.

This prevents the grown deposits from peeling off and contaminating the product, improving product quality.

In addition, the cleaning time required to remove deposits from the blade pipes 23, 25, scraping blades 27, 29, etc. after production is completed can be reduced, and a decrease in product yield can be suppressed.

Figure 6(A) is a schematic plan view of an agitation processing device equipped with first and second agitation processing sections during intermediate processing material transfer, and (B) is a schematic side view of an agitation processing device equipped with first and second agitation processing sections during intermediate processing material transfer. Figure 7(A) is a schematic plan view of an agitation processing device equipped with first and second agitation processing sections during drainage, and (B) is a schematic side view of an agitation processing device equipped with first and second agitation processing sections during drainage.

The agitation processing device 101 in Figures 6 and 7 is used to obtain a processed product in which granular or lumpy solid material is coated with an adhesive and then broken down into granules or lumps. The granular or lumpy solid material can be anything that can be coated with an adhesive, such as nuts, popcorn, or natto. The adhesive can be anything that can coat the solid material by agitation, such as caramel.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the stirring processing device 101 is equipped with first and second stirring processing units 103 and 105. The first stirring processing unit 103 is configured as a vertical heating stirring device, and the second stirring processing unit 105 is configured as a horizontal stirring device.

The first and second agitation processing units 103 and 105 are arranged adjacent to each other. The first agitation processing unit 103 is configured so that the first agitation unit 109 rotates horizontally relative to the first agitation vessel 107. The second agitation processing unit 105 is configured so that the second agitation unit rotates vertically relative to the second agitation vessel 111.

In the first agitation vessel 107, granular or lumped solid material and adhesive material are heated and subjected to a first stage of agitation processing in the first agitation unit 109 to produce an intermediate processed product. The intermediate processed product is transferred from the first agitation vessel 107 to the second agitation vessel 111, where it is cooled and subjected to a second stage of agitation processing in the vertical direction in the second agitation unit. The second stage of agitation processing results in a processed product in which the granular or lumped solid material is coated with the adhesive material and is substantially broken down into particles or lumps.

The first stirring unit 109 has a configuration similar to that of the stirring and rotating device 5 of Example 1, and is equipped with a configuration corresponding to the support rod covering unit 59 (cover tube) and the mounting plate covering unit 63.

The first agitator vessel 107 can be tilted to either a transfer mode toward the second agitator vessel 111 or a cleaning mode. In the transfer mode of the first agitator vessel 107, the tilt of the first agitator vessel 107 is used to transfer intermediate processed material from the previous agitation process to the second agitator vessel 111, and in the cleaning mode of the first agitator vessel 107, the cleaning water inside the first agitator vessel 107 can be discharged.

As shown in Figure 6(B), the mixing head 137 is rotatably supported on a head support bracket 155 on the base frame 117 side. A hydraulic cylinder device 157 is supported between the mixing head 137 and the base frame 117 side. The hydraulic cylinder device 157 is driven and controlled by the control box 126. Driving the hydraulic cylinder device 157 rotates the mixing head 137 to retract upward, allowing the first mixing vessel 107 to tilt.

[Vertical heating and stirring device]
The first agitation processing unit 103 produces an intermediate processed product by a pre-stage agitation process that involves heating granular or lumpy solids, such as nuts, to roast them and sugar to caramelize them.

The first stirring vessel 107 of the first stirring processing section 103 is made of iron, stainless steel, copper, or the like and is pot-shaped, with a dish-shaped bottom at the bottom. A spout 179 is provided on one side of the opening of the first stirring vessel 107.

The spout 179 protrudes outward from the first stirring container 107 toward the second stirring processing section 105 and is slightly tapered. The spout 179 is formed in a gutter shape by a bottom plate and left and right guide plates that rise along the bottom plate.

The spout 179 is made of a metal such as stainless steel, similar to the first agitating vessel 107, and is integrally joined to the first agitating vessel 107. The entire front and back of the spout 179 are lined with, for example, a fluororesin. The fluororesin lining constitutes a spout covering portion made of a material with a relatively low thermal conductivity compared to the stainless steel spout 179. The spout covering portion may also be provided only on the upper surface of the bottom plate and the inner surfaces of the left and right guide plates, as these are areas that come into contact with the intermediate processed material during transport.

The first stirring vessel 107 is supported by a base frame 117 so that it can rotate and tilt. The base frame 117 is constructed in a roughly rectangular shape and has legs at its four corners. The base frame 117 is provided with left and right rotation support members 119 on the side of the second stirring processing unit 111. The rotation support members 119 are formed to include ball bearings and the like. A rotation shaft 121 is supported by the rotation support members 119. The rotation shaft 121 is disposed and supported on the base frame 117.

A gas heating device 125 is provided on the base frame 117 and is positioned below the first stirring vessel 107. The bottom of the first stirring vessel 107 can be heated by the gas heating device 125 under the control of a control box 126.

A hydraulic cylinder device 130 is supported between the base frame 117 and the first agitating vessel 107. The hydraulic cylinder device 130 is driven and controlled by the control box 126. By driving this hydraulic cylinder device 130, the first agitating vessel 107 is tilted toward the second agitating vessel 111 as shown by the dotted line in Figure 6(B).

[Horizontal mixing device]
The second agitation processing unit 105 is configured with a horizontal agitation device, and the intermediate processed product is transferred from the first agitation processing unit 103 to the second agitation processing unit 105, and is cooled and subjected to a subsequent agitation process in the vertical direction by the second agitation processing unit 105. By this subsequent agitation process, a processed product is obtained in which the nuts are coated with caramel and the nuts are loosened almost individually.

The second agitation vessel 111 of the second agitation processing section 105 receives intermediately processed material from the first agitation vessel 107 and is made of iron, stainless steel, copper, or the like. The second agitation vessel 111 has a hopper section 161 integrally attached to the top of a horizontally placed cylindrical section 159. The hopper section 161 forms the top opening of the second agitation vessel 111. The second agitation vessel 111 is supported by a base frame 162 so that it can tilt in both directions around its axis. This tilting movement is performed by controlling a hydraulic cylinder using a control box 169, for example.

The rotating shaft of the second agitator is positioned laterally and rotatably supported at the axial center of the cylindrical portion 159. The rotating shaft is driven to rotate by a drive motor on the control box 169 side. Agitator arms are attached to the rotating shaft at predetermined intervals, and a scraping blade is attached to the tip of each agitator arm.

The scraping blade located in the axial middle of the second agitating vessel 111 is arranged to rotate and scrape the cylindrical portion 159 of the second agitating vessel 111. The tip of this scraping blade is arranged along the axial direction of the second agitating vessel 111, and the tip edge is linear.

The scraping blades on both axial sides of the second agitating vessel 111 are arranged to rotate around the rotation axis to scrape the curved surfaces on both axial sides of the second agitating vessel 111.

In other words, these scraping blades are shaped and positioned to cool and stir the intermediately processed material transferred from the first stirring processing unit 103, solidify the caramel or other sticky material coated on solid matter such as nuts, and stir the material so as to break down each solid matter.

The cylindrical portion 159 of the second stirring vessel 111 is equipped with a cooling fluid jacket 171 on the lower outer periphery. The fluid jacket 171 is connected to a water supply unit via a water supply pipe, and the supply of cooling water from the water supply unit to the fluid jacket 171 can be controlled by the control box 169. The temperature of the cooling water can be changed by controlling the control box 169.

[Shoot]
The agitation treatment device 101 of the second embodiment is provided with a chute 175 between the first and second agitation treatment sections 103 and 105 .

The chute 175 is disposed between the first agitating vessel 107 and the second agitating vessel 111 in a linked relationship. The chute 175 is formed of a metal such as stainless steel and lined with a fluororesin. The fluororesin lining constitutes a chute covering portion formed of a material with a relatively low thermal conductivity compared to the metal chute 175. The chute covering portion is provided over the entire chute 175, but it may also be configured to be provided only in the area that comes into contact with the intermediate processed material during transport.

The chute 175 has a flat chute bottom and chute side walls on both sides. The chute 175 is rotatably supported on a chute frame 178 by a rotation shaft 176. The chute frame 178 faces the first rotation support portion 119 of the base frame 117 of the first mixing processing section 103.

The chute frame 178 is independent of the base frames 117 and 162 of the first and second mixing processing sections 103 and 105. The chute frame 178 can also be moved relative to the first and second mixing processing sections 103 and 105.

As shown in Figures 6(A) and (B), when the agitation processing device 101 transfers intermediate processed material, the chute 175 is tilted downward from the first agitation vessel 107 side to the second agitation vessel 111 side. In this state, the spout 179 of the tilted first agitation vessel 107 is positioned above one end of the chute bottom of the chute 175. The chute side walls are located on both sides of the spout 179 of the first agitation vessel 107, which is positioned above this end of the chute bottom. The tip of the chute bottom of the chute 175, which is tilted downward toward the second agitation vessel 111 side, protrudes beyond the chute side walls and is inserted into the hopper section 161 of the second agitation vessel 111. The chute side walls are located above the hopper section 161.

As shown in Figures 7(A) and (B), when the agitation treatment device 101 is draining water, the chute 175 is rotated on the rotation shaft 176, and is set to tilt downward toward the first agitation vessel 107. In this state, the spout 179 of the tilted first agitation vessel 107 faces the middle of the bottom of the chute 175. The chute side walls are located on both sides of the spout 179 of the first agitation vessel 107, which faces the middle of the bottom of the chute. A detachable cover 180 is attached to the upper end of the slope of the chute 175. The detachable cover 180 prevents wastewater from splashing and is attached as needed when draining water.

[Production of processed material]
First, raw materials of granular or lumpy solid material and adhesive material are charged into the first stirring vessel 107 .

When the first agitator 109 is driven and controlled, the scraping blade rotates and revolves. At the same time, the gas heating device 25 is operated under the control of the control box 126, and the first agitator vessel 107 is heated and controlled. In this state, the first agitator 109 is driven and controlled, and the raw material in the first agitator vessel 107 is heated and agitated, producing an intermediate processed product.

At this time, the support rod covering portion and mounting plate covering portion in the first stirring section 109 prevent the high melting point adhesive material on the blade pipe etc. from growing as an adhesion, as in Example 1, and the same effect can be achieved.

Next, the heating control of the first stirring vessel 107 and the drive control of the first stirring unit 109 are stopped, and the stirring head 137 is rotated to retract the first stirring unit 109 to one side above the first stirring vessel 107.

Next, the hydraulic cylinder device 130 is driven to tilt the first agitating vessel 107 toward the second agitating vessel 111 as shown by the dotted line in Figure 6(B).

In the state shown in Figures 6(A) and (B), the tilting of the first agitating vessel 107 causes the high-melting-point, fluid intermediate processed material in the first agitating vessel 107 to move from the spout 179 along the chute 175, be smoothly received by the hopper section 161, and be transferred into the second agitating vessel 111.

At this time, heating in the gas heating device 25 of the first agitating vessel 107 is performed from the bottom side, and there is a risk that the temperature of the spout 179 and chute 175 will not rise sufficiently. For this reason, if the spout 179 and chute 175 remain made of metal such as stainless steel, the intermediate processed product, which is a mixture of a molten high-melting-point adhesive material and particulate solids in a stirred state, such as candy, will cool and tend to stick together as it moves.

However, since the spout 179 is lined with a spout covering made of fluororesin and the chute 175 is lined with a chute covering made of fluororesin, the thermal conductivity of the surface is lower than that of metals such as stainless steel.

Therefore, even if a high-melting-point adhesive material adheres to the spout 179 or chute 175, the low thermal conductivity prevents heat from being lost from the high-melting-point adhesive material. In addition, the low coefficient of friction of the spout covering portion and the chute covering portion prevents the adhered high-melting-point adhesive material from growing as an attachment.

This prevents the grown deposits from peeling off and contaminating the product, improving product quality.

In addition, the cleaning time required to remove deposits from the spout 179 and chute 175 after production can be reduced, preventing a decrease in product yield.

Once the intermediate product has been transferred into the second agitator vessel 111 as described above, the tilting motion of the first agitator vessel 107 is reversed, and cooling water is supplied from the water supply unit to the fluid jacket 171 through the water supply piping. In this state, the second agitator is driven, and in the second agitator vessel 111, the intermediate product is agitated while being cooled as a secondary agitation process.

During the agitation process in this second agitation vessel 111, the intermediate processed material is agitated and rotated up and down by the agitation rotation of the scraping blade, and the adhesive material coated on the solid material is cooled and solidified, resulting in a processed material that is broken down into particles or lumps.

At this time, because the stirring rotation in the second stirring vessel 111 is in the direction of gravity rather than horizontally, the solids scraped up by the scraping blades fall within the second stirring vessel 111, promoting the separation of the solids as the surface coating gradually solidifies.

When performing continuous batch production, similar operations are carried out continuously.

After production is completed, both the first and second mixing processing units 103 and 105 are cleaned. In particular, the first mixing processing unit 103 must be cleaned by removing any adhesive material or solid matter adhering to the inside of the first mixing vessel 107 or the first mixing unit 109.

When cleaning, the adhesive material is not solidified, so it can be easily dissolved and removed in a short amount of time using hot water.

The cleaning water remaining in the first agitating vessel 107 after the cleaning can be drained easily by tilting the first agitating vessel 107 toward the spout 179 as shown by the dotted line in Figure 7(B).

When draining, the chute 175 is rotated on the rotation shaft 176 and set to tilt downward toward the first agitation vessel 107. In this state, the spout 179 of the tilted first agitation vessel 107 faces the center of the bottom of the chute 175.

In the state shown in Figures 7(A) and (B), the cleaning water discharged from the first agitator vessel 7 strikes the chute 75 from the spout 79 and is guided downward by the chute 75 to complete the discharge. Even if a small amount of adhesive material adheres to the chute 75 due to the transport of intermediate processed material, the contact of the drained water promotes cleaning.

1 Stirring device 3 Stirring vessel 5 Stirring rotation device 21 Stirring rotation part (rotating part)
23, 25 Blade pipe (support rod)
27, 29 scraping blade (scraper)
37 Knuckle part (blade support part)
51 Blade mounting plate 55 Blade side mounting portion 59 Support rod covering portion (cover tube)
63 Mounting plate covering part (cover plate)
67 Support rod covering part
101 Stirring treatment device 103 First stirring treatment unit 105 Second stirring treatment unit 107 First stirring vessel 109 First stirring unit 111 Second stirring vessel 175 Chute 179 Spout

Claims (5)

a scraper for scraping and stirring the adhesive material in the stirring vessel heated from the bottom side;
a metal support rod that supports the scraper on the rotating part;
A stirring and rotating device comprising:
a cover tube that forms an outer shell of the support rod;
The cover tube is formed of a material having a relatively low thermal conductivity compared to the support rod,
The support rod has a blade support portion at its tip,
The scraper is supported on a metal blade mounting plate,
the blade mounting plate includes a protruding blade-side mounting portion that is coupled to the blade support portion in a loose-fit state,
the cover tube has a portion integrally extending to the blade side mounting portion so as to cover the blade support portion and the blade side mounting portion;
Agitation and swirling device. The stirring and rotating device according to claim 1,
The cover tube is made of fluororesin and encloses the support rod.
Stirring and rotating device The stirring and rotating device according to claim 1 ,
a mounting plate covering portion that covers the blade mounting plate,
The mounting plate covering portion is formed of a material having a relatively low thermal conductivity with respect to the blade mounting plate.
Agitation and swirling device. The stirring and rotating device according to claim 3 ,
The mounting plate covering portion is a cover plate made of fluororesin that covers the back surface of the blade mounting plate.
Agitation and swirling device. An agitation device using the agitation and rotation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The scraper is moved in a swiveling motion within the heated stirring vessel via the support rod by the rotation of the rotating part, thereby scraping and stirring the high-melting-point adhesive matter.
Stirring device.