JPH0331343B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention is a method for manufacturing bags used for storing medical instruments and sterilizing them using gas such as ethylene oxide gas from a single long sheet. This invention relates to a folding device for both side edges of a sheet, which is used when manufacturing sheets in two rows.

(Prior art) The bags used for gas sterilization mentioned above have a gas-permeable tape such as a paper filter sandwiched between the sealing part and gas-permeable parts such as holes and cuts in the film of the sealing part to prevent bacteria from entering. This allows gases for sterilization to pass through while preventing sterilization.

On the other hand, as a general method for manufacturing bags, it is well known that a long sheet is rolled up, both ends are sealed together, and the bags are manufactured by sealing the sheets at approximately right angles to the direction of travel. . In this case, the bags are manufactured in a row. There is also a method of manufacturing bags in two rows by stacking and sealing two sheets side edges together and also providing a seal in the center, and a method of manufacturing bags in two rows by sealing tube-shaped sheets near the center. Methods for manufacturing are also well known.

By the way, on the same day as the present application, the present applicant has developed a technology for producing the gas sterilization bags described above in two rows by folding both ends of a single long sheet almost to the center and sealing the center. Patent application (name: "Bag making machine")
did. This bag making machine continuously manufactures gas sterilization bags using easily cutable tape, such as paper filters, without causing any tape breakage, etc., and with high precision. This technique will be explained below with reference to the drawings.

That is, FIGS. 2A and 2B of the drawings are an explanatory plan view and an explanatory front view of the bag making machine, and FIGS. 3A to 3F are explanatory views for explaining each corresponding process.
Note that in all drawings, arrows indicate the direction in which the sheet travels.

In FIGS. 2a and 2b, numeral 1 indicates a long sheet, specifically a plastic film made of polypropylene or polyamide. First, in step A, this film is pulled out from the winding, and at the same time, the paper filter tape 2 coated with a sealant on one side is also pulled out from the two windings.

Thereafter, the film 1 is inserted between the carriage and the surface plate 3, and both ends are folded into the center of the film by guide plates (step B). After this process, as shown in FIG. 3B, both ends of the film 1 are folded around the center of the film 1 so as to surround the two surface plates 3, and both ends of the film 1 are folded in this way. A paper filter 2 is present at a position slightly away from. At this time, the paper filter 2 is inserted between the films 1.

After that, center sealing is performed using a preheating heater 4 and a sealing roller 5. (Step C). Center sealing is a process of sealing both folded ends of the film 1 near its center and to the paper filter 2.

Next, after being cooled by a cooling roll 6, perforations are made by a roller 7 formed with perforation blades (step C'). ′, but in any case, this step
After C', the structure is as shown in FIG. 3C. In addition, in FIG. 3C, a large number of dots indicate the center seal portion 12 sealed in step B. This center seal part 12, perforation 1
1. To explain the positional relationship of the paper filter 2,
An explanatory sectional view of FIG. 4 is shown. In FIG. 4, the bag is inflated for convenience of explanation. Both ends of the film 1 are folded in and sealed near the center of the film 1. At this time, the paper filter 2 is also sealed to the film 1 with a sealant applied to one side of the paper filter 2, and its position is is on the inside of perforation 11 and is designed to close this perforation 11.

Thereafter, in step X, the process proceeds to the next step via the dancer roll 9. The process before this dancer roll 9 moves continuously, and the process after that moves intermittently, but both the continuous drive mechanism and the intermittent drive mechanism are omitted from illustration. This is because any of the drive mechanisms may be any known one, and is actually known. In the present invention, "continuous" is used only when the film 1 moves at a substantially constant speed without interruption (without stopping), and therefore does not include intermittent movement in which movement and stopping are repeated.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a tension roll for transporting the film 1 and paper filter 2 at a constant speed during continuous transport.

In the next step D, the folded part (side) of the film 1 is heated by the crease heater 21 to make the film 1 have a crease. Seal in direction. This seal will be referred to as a bottom seal hereinafter, and numeral 22 indicates this bottom seal device, and the portion marked with many dots in FIG. 2D indicates the bottom seal portion 13.

In step E, the cutting blade device 23 makes a V-shaped cut 14 facing toward the storage section of the bag. This cut 14 is made in the center seal portion 12 at both ends of FIG. 3E.

In step F, the two cutters 24 cut the center portion of the film 1. The cutting line is V above.
The tape-like film 15 cut out from the center is removed with a blower (not shown) while cutting the film so as to cover the cut 14 in the shape of a letter. A V-notch is formed in the bag formed at this time from the V-shaped cut 14. Then, it is taken up by a take-up roll (F').

The last step (Y) is to cut the formed bag with cutter 25.
This is the process of cutting and stacking the bags into individual bags.

This bag is for storing medical tools such as injection needles, and the paper filter 2 and perforations 11
is provided for gas sterilization using ethylene oxide or the like.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) By the way, the folding process of this film 1 is the fifth step.
It looks like the explanatory diagram in the figure.

That is, the folding device requires a folding mechanism consisting of a running platform 26, a surface plate 3, and a guide plate 32, and the film 1 traveling along the guide rolls is placed on the surface plate 3 shaped like a ski plate. Go under,
Both ends thereof are folded in along the guide plate 32, preheated with a preheating heater (not shown), and sealed with a heat seal roll 5. On the other hand, the paper filter 2 is inserted between the folded films through the hollow guiding member 31.

As can be seen from this figure, two surface plates 3 are required. This is because if these two sheets are integrated, seal perforation using the roll 5 will not be possible.

Further, the surface plate 3 cannot be fixed to the apparatus at a position after the position where the film 1 is folded.
This is because the film 1 covers all four sides.

Therefore, it is necessary to fix the two surface plates 3 from above using pipes or the like at a position before the film 1 is folded. In FIG. 5, a pipe or the like is connected to a bolt or the like and fixed to an upper device.

Note that the guide member 31 of the paper filter 2 requires a separate fixing member, but this is omitted in the figure.

However, as the traveling speed of the film 1 increases, stress is generated inward because the film 1 is folded, but the surface plate can only be fixed from above with a pipe or the like at the position before folding. Therefore, it cannot cope with this stress, and the position of the surface plate shifts inward at the leading end in the direction of travel of the film 1.
For this reason, folding of the film 1 cannot be performed with high precision.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a guide roll for guiding a long sheet onto a running platform, a running platform, and a guide roll that is arranged slightly apart on the running platform. , two surface plates fixed to the device from above, two guide plates that are sandwiched between the two surface plates and the traveling platform, and are folded in on both sides of the sheet and overlapped near the center of the sheet. Provided is a folding device consisting of a folding device characterized in that two surface plates are opened toward the sheet traveling direction when not in operation, and absorb stress on the surface plates generated as the sheet travels. This enables precise folding.

The folding device of the present invention has the following features, except that the two surface plates are open toward the direction of travel when not in operation.
Same as explained above.

The surface plate 3 is a metal plate having the shape of a ski plate, as explained in FIG.

FIG. 1 of the drawings is a plan view for explaining the positional relationship of the surface plate 3, and as can be seen from the drawing, it is open toward the direction in which the sheet advances. In the figure, the arrow indicates the direction in which the sheet travels.

The opening angle of the surface plate varies depending on the weight and speed of the sheet, but 10 degrees or less is sufficient. When the device is in operation, the surface plates do not open due to the stress of the sheet, and the two surface plates need to be completely parallel, so the opening angle should be set from this point of view.

(Effects of the Invention) The present invention is as described above, and since the surface plate is open, the stress of the sheet can be absorbed and the sheet can be folded with high precision.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings are all explanatory diagrams for explaining the present invention or the technology aimed at by the present invention. Figure 1 is an explanatory plan view for explaining the positional relationship of the surface plates, and Figures 2 a and b are explanatory diagrams.
Figure 3 is a plan view and front view showing the bag manufacturing equipment, Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram explaining each process, Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram explaining the positional relationship of the center seal, perforation, and paper filter, and Figure 5 is It is an explanatory view showing the operation of the folding device. 1...Sheet (film), 2...Paper filter,
3... Surface plate, 32... Guide plate, 5... Seal roll, 2
6... Traveling base, 11... Perforation, 12, 13... Seal portion, 14... Cut, 15... Film.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A guide roll that guides the long sheet onto the running platform, a running platform, two surface plates placed slightly apart from each other on the running platform and fixed to the device from above, and the two surface plates. It is a folding device consisting of two guide plates that are sandwiched between the sheet and the traveling table, and that fold in both sides of the sheet and overlap it near the center of the sheet. A folding device characterized in that the facing side is open.