JPH01200946A - Method and apparatus for preparing straw - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ensure the reliability of function for preventing the invasion of the open air and falling and to stably supply a product, by forming a groove to a base material straw in the axial direction thereof by the application of lateral pressing force and thermoplastic deformation and forming protruding parts to the side parts thereof by partial pinching. CONSTITUTION:A long base material straw 10 made of polyethylene is forcibly fed by drawing rollers 13, 13 and receives lateral pressure by the press rollers through a guide sleeve to become a shape expanding in an up-and-down direction. A groove 5 having a predetermined length is formed to the straw 10 by the support action of receiving rollers, the application of pressing force due to the pushing-in by the push-in fins 21 of a press rollers 20 and thermoplastic deformation by an electric heater and the out of roundness of a general part is corrected by a correction roller to feed out the straw. Further, projections 4, 4' are formed to the straw in the vicinity of the parts spaced apart from the groove 5 by a predetermined distance as stoppers by the application of the pressing force due to pinching action of the projections 32, 32 of the pinching rollers 31, 31 provided to the lateral parts of protruding part molding rollers in a protruding part molding part and thermoplastic deformation due to an electric heater.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The disclosed technology belongs to the technical field of manufacturing straws that are attached to the sides of packs of packaged beverages such as milk and soft drinks.

<Summary> The invention of this application feeds a long material straw made of synthetic resin such as polyethylene by a pull-in roller from one end of the manufacturing device, This invention relates to a straw manufacturing method in which a different diameter portion such as a protrusion is formed by applying a pressing force to a straw and thermoplastic deformation, and a manufacturing device directly used in the method. Two sets of forming rollers are provided between the drawn-in roller and the sending-out roller pivotally supported at the tip, and one or two grooves are formed laterally along the longitudinal direction, and a knob is formed on either the front or rear of the groove. A straw that is cut at a predetermined length by forming a protrusion on the stroker by the action.
This invention relates to a manufacturing method and apparatus.

<Prior art> As is well known, as people's lifestyles have improved, their eating habits have become more diverse, and meals are not limited to just the traditional foods eaten at home or in restaurants, but also include so-called snacks and fast food. Light snacks such as
In addition, pull-top cans sold through coin vending machines on station platforms and stands, and packaged beverages that contain beverages in cube-shaped paper packs are rapidly gaining popularity due to their instant nature and ease of post-processing. Beverage-type feeding formats containing sufficient calories, nutrients, etc. are becoming increasingly popular.

Therefore, when consuming this kind of beverage, the standard type of drink that is poured into a cup or the like is still used, but it has been improved in terms of instantness, easy handling, and hygiene. Direct suction through a straw has been widely used since then.

Long straws of 10 cm or more are used for regular drinking at home or in restaurants, but when drinking the packaged beverages mentioned above, straws with bonds on the side of the pack, vertically or diagonally, are used. Paste short strips along the line,
When inhaling, the mainstream type is to remove the I-low from the pack and use the diagonal end of the tip to pierce the thin film that seals the suction hole of the pack and expose it to the inside. It is becoming.

Since packs are generally small enough to be handled in the palm of the hand, they are shorter than the longer straws used in homes and restaurants.
As shown in the figure, it has been a common conventional practice to mass-produce straws 3 made of polyethylene or the like, in which a drinking port 1 and a piercing port 2 are integrally opened.

However, as mentioned above, the length of the seed straw 3 is limited due to restrictions such as pasting it on the pack, and therefore, the seed straw 3 is made to pierce the thin film of the suction hole of the pack with the piercing opening 2 and expose the inside for suction. When sucking from spout 1,
As shown in Fig. 17, the straw 3 has a straight shape, so if it accidentally falls into the pack, it cannot be taken out. A straw 31 having a stopper 4 integrally molded on the side surface, which was devised by several applicants as a prior invention, has come to be put into practical use.

However, when sucking a packaged beverage using a straw 31 with a stopper 4 as shown in FIG. When the pack is sucked, the inner diameter of the pierced hole in the thin film that seals the suction hole and the outer diameter of the throats match in terms of penetration resistance r1, which prevents outside air from entering the pack. This can cause negative pressure to occur inside the pack as you inhale, causing the pack to deform into a concave shape, or if you take a breath while inhaling, outside air can suddenly enter through the straw and make abnormal noises. There was a problem with the drink suddenly gushing out.

Therefore, the applicant's earlier invention (for example, JP-A-61
-10434 Publication) A straw 32 as shown in Fig. 15 has been devised, and a groove 5 along the longitudinal direction is formed in the shank portion of the straw 32 to seal the suction hole. When the thin film is pierced with the puncture opening 2 to expose the inside for suction, a minute clearance is formed by the concave groove 5 on the side of the suction hole, and the outside air is allowed to enter through this clearance, thereby reducing the negative effects associated with suction. Pack deformation and abnormal noise due to pressure,
Techniques for preventing sudden gushing of beverages have also been put into practical use.

Therefore, the straw 32 as shown in FIG.
If the stopper 4 shown in Fig. 16 is provided, the straw will be further prevented from falling into the pack, and the straw will be fully functional. As shown in Figures 12, 13, and 14, we have created a straw that is equipped with a concave groove 5 for inlet of outside air and a protrusion 4 of a stopper between the suction opening 1 and the piercing opening 2. -33 was put into practical use.

Therefore, the demand for the seed straw 33 is rapidly increasing because it can reliably prevent troubles such as falling into the pack, noise caused by negative pressure, deformation, and drink gushing when drinking a packaged drink. , a stable mass production system has become desirable.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, with the development of the wrist draw 32.31 shown in box 15.16 above by the applicant, the straw 32, which is provided with the concave groove 5 or the protrusion 4, has been developed. Although the Yamahiko system of 31 is basically guaranteed, the seed straw is
Due to the flexible nature of the straw material and the diameter of the straw, which is only a few millimeters, it is not possible to produce the straw 33 shown in Figure 12.13 as a trial sample. As shown in Figure 12, the concave part 5 and the convex part 4 have close contact relationships, so it is said that a mass production system with good quality, high precision, and stable accuracy cannot be established. There was an inconvenience.

<Object of the Invention> The object of the invention of this application is to provide a bag 1 to
Based on the premise that we have established the production technology for the grooves and the protrusions, we have taken the production problems of rows as technical issues to be solved, and we have also designed the delicate points of the relationship between the grooves and the protrusions. It is possible to stably guarantee the reliability of the outside air infiltration function and fall prevention function, and it is possible to stably supply high-precision products according to the design. It is an object of the present invention to provide an excellent method for producing straws that will benefit the field of technical application, as well as an apparatus for direct use in the method.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the structure of the invention of this application, which is based on the above-mentioned claims, is to solve the above-mentioned problems. For the pull-in roller pivotally supported on the supply side,
A long material straw made of synthetic resin or the like is fed, and the material straw drawn in by the drawing roller is deformed into an elliptical cross section by a pair of equal suppression rollers, and one bulging side is It is supported by a receiving roller, and the material is stroked by the pressing fins of the pressure roller provided on the side facing the receiving roller, and by the application of pressing force from the side and thermoplastic deformation by the heater built into the forming roller. A concave groove of a predetermined size is formed along the axial direction on the side surface of the forming roller, and the side of the convex forming roller of the side pinch roller facing opposite to the material straw sent out from the forming roller. By applying a pressing force and thermoplastic deformation by a heater built into the forming roller, a series of concave grooves and convexities are formed at a predetermined interval by pinch-forming protrusions that meet at a predetermined distance in the concave groove after forming. A straightening roller corrects the deformed part, a cutter cuts and forms a piercing opening for the thin film seal that seals the suction opening of the pack, and a delivery roller transports it to the next stage of processing. This was achieved by taking technical measures to

<Example> Next, an example of the invention of this application will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11 with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14. Note that the same parts as those in the drawings from FIG. 15 onwards will be described using the same reference numerals.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.2, 6 is a straw manufacturing device that forms the center of one of the gist of the invention of this application, and is composed of a molding section 7, a bulging section 8, and a storage section 9. The molded part γ is a concave groove 5 and a protrusion 4 on the shank of the straw 33.
．． 4 is performed on the raw material straw 10.

A long material straw 10 made of a predetermined resin such as polyethylene is placed near the base of the frame 11 of the molding section 7.
A guide sleeve 12 is fixedly installed to receive the guide sleeve supplied from an extrusion molding machine (not shown), and on the exit side of the guide sleeve 12, a pair of retracting rollers 13 and 13 are arranged at the center of its circumferential surface with an outer diameter equal to the outer diameter of the raw material straw. Circumference of semicircular cross section! The material straw 10, which is formed with M14 and is pivotally supported by a bearing 15 and is fed at a predetermined speed to a drive mechanism (not shown), is sent out to the next forming roller.

An idle sleeve 16 having a rectangular cross-section is provided next to the drawing roller 13.13, and the exposed midway portion of the sleeve 16 is filled with water for the sake of illustration in FIG. 1.2. However, three stages of pressing rollers 17, 17, shown in Fig. 3.4, each pair on the left and right, are pivotally supported on the frame, and sequentially apply a three-stage squeezing action to the material straw 10. A vertically bulging portion 8 is formed with respect to the raw material straw 10.

On the sides of these pressure rollers 17, 17..., the boxes 3.4 and 5.6.7 are displayed at the top.
As shown in the figure, the pressure roller 20 has fan-shaped push-in fins 21.21 integrally on its circumferential portion, and a shaft 22 is pivotally supported on the frame 11. , the shaft 22 is provided with a slip ring 23.23, and a second
As shown in the figure, in sliding contact with the brush 25 of the current collector 24,
As shown in FIG. 7, the heating effect of an electric heater 26 installed in a ring shape in the pressure roller 20 is electrically performed, and @22 is connected to the frame 1 by a bearing 27.
It is pivoted to 1.

As shown in FIG. 5, a receiving roller 28 is provided on the side facing the pressure roller 20 and on the side of the pressure rollers 17, 17, . . . to form a first stage forming roller.

Thus, the retraction roller 13.1 is inserted into the guide sleeve 16.
As shown in FIG.
8 prevents it from expanding downward, and on the upper side, a concave groove 29 having a cross section U is formed by pressing fins 21 of a pressure roller 20.

Therefore, at this stage, the groove 5 shown in FIGS. 12 to 15 is formed into the groove 29 through the application of lateral pressing force from the vertical direction and thermoplastic deformation by the heater 26.

After forming the groove 5 by applying pressing force and thermoplastic deformation, the roundness of the general portion other than the groove 29 is also destroyed after the feeding action from the pressing rollers 17, 17... Although not shown in Fig. 1.2 for convenience of illustration, correction rollers 30 and 30 as shown in Fig. 3.4 are installed afterwards to correct the perfect roundness of the general part. It is designed to correct the degree.

A molding portion of the convex portion 4.4 is provided following the molding portion of the recessed groove 5, and there, the pressure roller 2 of the recessed groove forming roller 2 is provided.
0 is followed by a side pinch roller 3 of another convex forming roller.
1.31 as shown in Figure 1.2 and Figure 8.9,
The shaft 22' is provided on the top and bottom of the frame 1.
One pressing roller 17' is pivotally supported on one bearing 24'.

A circumferential groove 14' for the material straw 10 is provided at the center of the side pick roller 31 and has a semicircular cross section, and a pair of protrusions 32 and 32 are synchronized with each other at a predetermined pitch. An electric heater 26 is installed inside the side pinch roller 31.
The brushes 25', 25' of the current collector 24' are in sliding contact with the slip rings 23', 23' provided on the shaft 22', heating the heater 26', and the protrusion 32 is heated. .32 gives a pinching action to the side of the material straw 10 in the vicinity of the concave groove 5, and by applying the pressing force and thermoplastic deformation, the protrusion 4.4 can be formed as a stopper. It is being done.

Therefore, each circumferential groove 14 of the side pick roller 31.31
' is a material, formed to have an inner diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of S1 to S10, and as shown in FIG. 10, each protrusion 32
．． 32 pinches the side of the raw material straw 10, and by its pressing force and thermoplastic deformation by the electric heater 26', a protrusion 4.4 having a semicircular shape in plan view can be formed as a stopper. .

And the convex forming roller 31.31 of the side pinch roller
A feed-out roller 34.34 is provided at the rear stage via a guide sleeve 33, and has circumferential grooves 14" and 1" having semicircular cross sections.
The material is molded with 5 concave grooves and 4.4 protrusions at 4'! - The row 10 is guided to the final stage guide sleeve 35.

A rotary cutter 38 with a front blade 36 and a front blade 37 is provided at the rear of the guide sleeve 35, and the molded material straw 10 is cut into the suction opening 1 and the piercing opening 2 as shown in FIG. Both ends are cut and molded.

The guide sleeve 12' formed and cut into the shape shown in FIG.
．． 39 and conveyed to a predetermined storage section by the competition t40 of the storage section 9.

Incidentally, numeral 41 is a cushion spring for vibration absorption in the storage section 9.

In the straw manufacturing apparatus 7 having the above-described structure, the elongated raw material straw 10 made of polyethylene or the like is fed to the guide sleeve 12 of the molding section, and is forcibly drawn and fed by the drawing rollers 13 and 13, Through the sleeve 16, it receives side pressure from the pressure rollers 17, 17, and is shaped to bulge in the vertical direction.The support roller 28 acts as a support, and the pushing fins 21 of the pressure roller 20 apply pressure by pushing, and the electric heater A concave groove 5 of a predetermined length is formed through thermoplastic deformation by the straightening roller 30.3.
0, the roundness of the general part is corrected and sent out, and in the convex forming section, the side pinch roller 31 of the convex forming roller
．． The projections 32 and 32 of 31 form the projections 4 through the application of a pinch force and thermoplastic deformation by the electric heater 26'.
．． 4 is formed as a stopper in the vicinity of a predetermined distance of the concave groove 5, and the feed roller 3 passes through the guide sleeve 12'.
4 from the guide sleeve 35 to the rotary cutter 3
8, the suction opening 1 and the piercing opening 2 are cut and formed, and the belt conveyor 39, 39 of the bulging part 8 conveys it to the conveyor 40 of the storage part 9.

In this way, the structure of the F[joint part between the concave groove 5 and the protrusion 4.4 is reliably formed from the flexible material straw 10 as previously designed, and the pack straw 33 is continuously formed. It will be mass-produced and a production system will be established that guarantees a stable supply with high precision.

It should be noted that the embodiments of the invention of this application are of course not limited to the above-mentioned small embodiment. Various embodiments can be adopted, such as providing an optical sensor or the like.

In addition, in terms of design changes, the groove forming rollers can be arranged in two stages to form a pair of grooves facing each other, or only one protrusion can be formed instead of a pair. Of course.

<Effect of the invention> As described above, according to the invention of this application, basically the 12th to 14th
As shown in the figure, straws mainly used for packaged beverages have a concave groove that allows outside air to enter the pack while drinking, and a protrusion that acts as a stopper to prevent the straw from falling into the pack. In addition, when the relationship between the groove and the protrusion is delicate, flexible synthetic resin such as polyethylene can be used! Since straws with concave grooves and protrusions can be manufactured from raw materials such as straws as designed with high precision and in a stable mass production system, the increasing supply of straws with concave grooves and protrusions is stable. Moreover, since a mass production system is guaranteed, it can be provided at a low cost, which is an excellent effect.

Therefore, since the formation of the grooves and the protrusions is performed through the application of pressing force from the side and thermoplastic deformation, even though the grooves and the protrusions are formed in separate processes, there is no mutual interaction between the grooves and the protrusions. The advantage is that it can be manufactured without adversely affecting the molding and without deforming the circular cross section of the crotch.

In the manufacturing device, a pair of forming rollers for the concave grooves and protrusions are pivotally supported on the frame, and the forming roller for the concave grooves includes a squeezing roller that performs a squeezing action, a pressure roller that has pushing fins, and a pressure roller that has pressing fins. By being composed of opposing supports (prolers), one of the receiving rollers receives and supports the expansion of the material straw in the vertical direction by the pressure roller, and the expansion of the lateral pressure by the suppression roller and the pushing by the pressure roller. The pressing action of the fins has the excellent effect of reliably forming grooves along the axial direction even in the slender straw material.

In addition, the convex forming roller is equipped with a pair of side pinch rollers that apply side pressure force to the material straw and perform thermoplastic deformation, so that the material is not simply convexed, but has a pinching function due to the squeezing action. Because it is possible to form a flange type protrusion in the shape of an ear against the straw,
This has the effect of being able to reliably form the protrusions without being affected by the formation of the concave grooves.
Even at the mouth, there is an effect that the straw can be reliably prevented from falling from the drinking spout into the bag.

In addition, since the device is equipped with a concave groove forming roller and a convex forming roller in one frame, it can be assembled together with the device or forming device into one plant unit, and the initial assembly can be completed easily. (The effect is that it is easy to maintain not only the performance but also maintenance during running.

Furthermore, since the device can be made as simple as possible, there is an effect that there is no need to have a large impact on the product in terms of cost.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 14 are detailed explanatory diagrams of the invention of this application,
Fig. 1 is a side view of the manufacturing device, Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, Fig. 3 is a schematic plan view of the groove forming part, Fig. 4 is a side view of the same, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross section of the groove forming part. Fig. 6 is a side view of the pressure roller, Fig. 7 is a partial sectional view thereof, Fig. 8 is a side view and a half sectional view of the protrusion forming part, and Fig. 9 is a side view of the protrusion forming part. , 1st
Figure 0 is an enlarged sectional view of the convex molded part, Figure 11 is a perspective view of the raw material straw after convex molding, Figure 12 is a perspective view of the straw, Figure 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same, and Figure 14. is Figure 12 X IV
-X IV sectional view, Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a concave grooved straw based on the conventional technology, Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the protruding straw, and Fig. 17 is a perspective view of a conventional straight type straw. It is a diagram. 10...Material straw 14, 5...Different diameter part, 33.
・Straw 15・・・Concave groove, 4：Protrusion, 13
...Pull-in roller, 34...Feed-out roller,
11... Frame, 26.26'... Heater,
20.31... Forming roller, 17... Pressing roller, 28... Receiving roller, 21... Pushing fin, 20... Pressure roller, 20.28... Concave groove forming roller, 31 ...Side grip roller Applicant: Toyo Cap Manufacturing Co., Ltd. 1■

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In a straw manufacturing method in which portions of different diameters are formed at predetermined intervals while feeding a long material straw through the application of lateral pressing force and thermoplastic deformation, lateral pressing force is applied to the material straw. A concave groove along the axial direction of the material straw is formed by thermoplastic deformation, and a protrusion due to a partial pinch is formed on the side of the material straw by applying a lateral pressing force and thermoplastic deformation in either the front or rear process. A straw manufacturing method characterized by the following. (2) In an apparatus for manufacturing a straw that has a predetermined length and has a groove extending along the longitudinal direction along the middle of the groove and a protrusion on either the front or back side of the groove, the material straw is pivotally supported on a frame. A pair of forming rollers with a built-in heater are pivotally supported on the frame between a pull-in roller and a feed-out roller, and one forming roller has a pressing roller, a receiving roller located on the side of the pressing roller, and a pressing fin for the material straw. A straw manufacturing apparatus characterized in that the other forming roller is a convex forming roller as a side pinching roller for the raw material straw.