JPH0412822A - Injection and orientation blow molding of vessel and its device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To omit the cleaning process of vessels and to simplify its system by incorporating the bottle-filling process with the material to be filled and cap-fitting process into the molded object-taking out process in the injection and orientation blow molding of the vessels. CONSTITUTION:An injection molding means, a temperature-regulating means, an orientation blow molding means and the mold releasing part of a molded object are successively arranged along the transferring path of the plural pairs of neck dies fixed to a rotary plate, and a filling part and a stopper-applying part are provided adjacently to the mold releasing part of molded objects. At a prescribed position of the mold-releasing part of molded objects, a vertically transferring member 30 is moved to the height of the bottle B-taking out position held in the neck die 810, and a horizontally transferring member 40 is advanced. The lower part of the neck of the bottle B is gripped with the chuck 66 of a vessel-holding member 60, and the neck die 810 is released, and then the bottle B is pulled out by lowering the vertically transferring member 30. The horizontally transferring member 40 and a vessel- holding member 60 are retracted, and the vertically transferring member 30 is raised, whereby the bottle B is filled with the material to be filled through a nozzle 18. Next, the bottle B is lowered on a belt conveyer 28, and a chuck 66 is released, and then the bottle is sent to a stopper-applying part, and a cap is fitted thereto.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for injection stretch blow molding of a container, by which the container can be filled with a material to be filled, such as a beverage, immediately after molding.

[Prior Art] When filling materials such as carbonated drinks, oils, or detergents into plastic containers, the container is generally cleaned before the filling operation in order to remove dust, bacteria, etc. that have adhered to the container. things are being done.

This is because container manufacturing and filling are usually done in different factories, or even in the same factory but in separate locations, so dust and bacteria are generated during transportation of the containers. There is a high possibility that the containers will adhere to each other, and in many cases, it is necessary to perform a cleaning process while the containers are being transported.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above, in the conventional system, a cleaning process is required between the plastic container molding process and the filling process, and the separation system becomes complicated and complicated. There was no limit to increasing the size of the product, and there seemed to be a limit to improving production efficiency.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for injection stretch blow molding of a container, which does not require a cleaning step and can perform molding and filling with high productivity in a series of steps.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The method of the present invention includes circulating and transferring a plurality of sets of neck molds that hold the neck portions of the parison at least in the parison injection molding process, the parison stretch blow molding process, and the molded product removal process. In the injection stretch blow molding method for a container, which performs a molding process of , - cycles, the molded product removal step includes: a filling step of filling a container as a molded product with a substance to be filled; and a plugging step of attaching a cap to the container; The present invention relates to a method for injection stretch blow molding of containers, the method comprising:

The apparatus of the present invention carries out a -cycle molding process by circulating and transporting a plurality of sets of neck molds that hold neck portions of the parison through at least the parison injection molding means, the parison stretch blow molding means, and the molded product removal means. In an injection stretch blow molding apparatus for containers, the molded product retrieving means includes a molded product release section that separates and holds the molded product from the stretch blow molding means as the neck mold is transferred; A filling part that evacuates the molded product held by the neck mold from the circulation transfer path of the neck mold and fills the container, which is the molded product, with a material to be filled, and a cap for the container filled with the material to be filled by this filling part. An apparatus for injection stretch blow molding of containers, comprising: a stopper for attaching a stopper;

[Function] According to the method of the present invention, the molded product removal step, which is the final stage of injection stretch blow molding of a container, includes a filling step of filling the molded container with a material to be filled and a plugging step of attaching a cap to the container. By incorporating this, it becomes possible to immediately fill the container with the material to be filled, which can be cleaned immediately after molding. the result,
The container cleaning step can be omitted, simplifying the system and improving productivity.

Further, according to the apparatus of the present invention, by providing the molded product removal means with the filling part and the plugging part for the material to be filled, operations from molding the container to filling the material to be filled can be carried out efficiently and continuously. It is possible to provide a device that is both flexible and compact.

[Example] Next, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory plan view schematically showing an example of an injection stretch blow molding apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory front view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

The illustrated apparatus includes, for example, an injection molding means 100 with a screw injection molding machine A. Temperature adjustment means 200 for adjusting the temperature of the molded product. The stretch blow molding means 300 and the molded product release unit 400 are sequentially arranged along the rotary plate 800, in other words, along the transfer path of the plurality of neck molds fixed to the rotary plate 800, and the molding A filling part 500 and a plugging part 600 are provided adjacent to the product mold release part 400, and these molded product mold release parts 400. The filling part 500 and the plugging part 600 constitute a molded product removal means 700.

3 and 4 are a front explanatory view and a side explanatory view showing the configuration of the filling section 500. FIG.

The filling unit 500 has a frame 12 fixedly installed on the top of the base 10,
By providing fixing plates 14a and 14b at the middle and upper stages of this frame 12, the entire framework is constructed.

The upper fixed plate 14b is equipped with a tank 16 for temporarily storing the material to be filled, and the middle fixed plate 14a
A plurality of filling nozzles 18 are fixed in parallel to each other, and the tank 16 and the filling nozzles 18 are connected by a pipe 20. Also, on the base 10 is a filling nozzle 18.
A belt conveyor 28 is provided below the belt conveyor 28, and the other end of the belt conveyor 28 is connected to the stopper 6 as shown in FIG.
It passes through the lower part of 00 and is further extended.

Two pairs of guide rods 22, 22, etc. are erected and fixed between the upper surface of the base 10 and the middle fixed plate 1.4a,
These guide rods 22, 22... have vertical conveying members 3
0 (described in detail later) is movably provided. Further, the base 10 and the fixed plate 14a are provided with rotating shafts 26a, 26b in the horizontal direction.
Vertical conveyor belts 2424 are attached between each end of 6b. A motor M capable of forward and reverse rotation is mounted on the fixed plate 14a, and its output shaft and the rotating shaft 26b are connected by a belt, so that the transport heald 24 can reciprocate in the vertical direction by driving the motor M. It is composed of

As shown in FIG. 7, the vertical conveyance member 30 is fixed to a part of the conveyance heald 24 via a belt connecting body 39, so that it cannot move up and down as the conveyance belt 24 moves. become.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a horizontal conveying member 40 is attached to the vertical conveying member 30.
A container holding member 60 is further provided on the distal end side.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory plan view showing an enlarged main part of the filling part 500, FIG. 6 is an explanatory cross-sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory right side view of FIG.

The vertical conveyance member 30 has a substantially U-shaped overall shape, and includes a pair of arms 34.34 and these arms 34.34.
a connecting body 38 that interconnects the proximal ends of the slide cylinders 32, 32, . It is composed of. A guide rail 36a is provided on the upper surface of one arm 34 (left side).
A guide rail 36 is provided on the side of the other arm 34 (right side).
b are provided respectively. Furthermore, arm 34.
At the lower side of 34, there is a rack 34a having teeth on the lower surface,
34a are installed respectively.

The horizontal conveyance member 40 is connected to the arm 3 of the vertical conveyance member.
4. Arm 42 with an abbreviated cross-section arranged along 34
．． 42, and kite rails 44a 44b are cut at the ends of these arms 4242. One arm 42 (left side) is the slide body 4.
6, 48 to one arm 34 of the vertical conveyance member 30, that is, as shown in FIG. The slide IIJ is engaged with the kite rail 36a.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, roller mounting plates 42a, 42a are formed protrudingly from the lower portions of both ends of each arm 42, and a roller R is rotatably supported on each of these roller mounting plates 42a. has been done. Here, the roller R9R located on the proximal end side (backward) is supported by a rotating shaft 50 inserted through the center of the roller R9R, as shown in FIG.
A is rotatably supported via a hair ring. Furthermore, pinions 50a, 50a are provided at both ends of this rotating shaft 50, and these pinions 50a,
50a is a rack 34 formed on the vertical conveyance member 30;
a, 34a are arranged so as to mesh with each other.

Between the rollers R, R, belts 54, 54 are provided along each arm 42, as shown in FIG. Although not shown, in order to prevent slippage between the roller R and the belt 54, the circumferential surface of the roller R and the belt 54 are
The inner peripheral surface is formed with concavities and convexities that can engage with each other.

Further, the connecting body 38 constituting the vertical conveying member 30 is provided with an air cylinder 52, and the tip of the rod 52a is connected to the arm 42 of the horizontal conveying member 40 via a mounting plate 52b. Therefore, by driving the air cylinder 52, the horizontal conveying member 40 can be reciprocated along the axial direction of the arm 42.

The container holding member 60 includes an arm 62.62 arranged along the arm 42.42 of the horizontal conveying member 40;
A connecting body 64 that connects the distal ends of these arms 62 and 62.
and a plurality of chucks 66, 66, .

Slide bodies 62a, 62a having an abbreviated cross section are provided on the base end side of the arms 62.62, and these slide bodies 6
The lower ends of 2a and 62a are connected to the guide rails 44a and 44.
b, respectively, so that the entire container holding member 60 can be slid back and forth.

Further, belt connecting bodies 68, 68 each having an angular cross-section are attached to the proximal ends of the arms 62, 62, and a part of the belt 54 is fixed to the tip thereof.

Next, vertical conveyance member 30. The operation of the horizontal conveyance member 40 and the container holding member 60 will be explained.

■ Movement of the vertical conveyance member 30 As shown in FIG. 4, when the motor M is driven and its output shaft rotates forward or reverse, the conveyance heald 24 connected to the motor M moves upward or downward, and At the same time, the vertical conveying member 30 fixed to the conveying belt 24 via the belt connecting body 39 moves upward or downward. Note that the movement range of the vertical conveyance member 30 can be defined by a position detection means (not shown) or the like.

■ Movement of the horizontal conveyance member 40 As shown in FIG. 5, the horizontal conveyance member 40 is guided by the guide rails 36a and 36b and moves forward at a predetermined stroke as the cylinder rod 52a moves forward or backward by the drive of the air cylinder 52. Or retreat.

■ Movement of the container holding member 60 As shown in FIG.
Since the pinion 50a provided on the rotating shaft 50 meshes with the rotating shaft 50, the rotating shaft 50 rotates as the horizontal conveying member 40 moves, and the rollers R, R rotate in conjunction with this. As a result, the belt 54 wound around the roller R moves, and as a result, the container holding member 60 fixed to the belt 54 via the belt connecting body 68 moves to the guide rail 44a.
, 44b.

That is, when the horizontal conveyance member 40 moves forward, the pinion 50a rotates in the direction of arrow D1 in FIG. moves counterclockwise in FIG. 7, and the container holding member 60 moves forward. Conversely, when the horizontal moving member 40 moves backward, the pinion 50a rotates in the direction of arrow D2 in FIG.
7, the belt 54 moves clockwise in FIG. 7, and the container holding member 60 moves rearward.

The operation of the entire device will be explained below.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the parison molded in the parison injection molding means 100 is held in the neck mold and adjusted to a temperature suitable for stretch blow molding in the next step, the temperature adjustment means 200. Subsequently, the molded bottle B is stretch-molded into a predetermined shape by the stretch-blow molding means 300 and released from the blow mold, and is further transferred to the molded product mold release section 400 by movement of the neck mold. after that,
The molded bottle B is taken out by the filling section 500 and filled with the material to be filled, and then a cap is attached by the stoppering section 600, completing a series of molding and filling steps.

Next, the operation in the filling section 500 will be explained in detail based on FIG. 4.

In the state shown in the figure, the molded bottle B is held by the neck die 810 at a predetermined position of the molded product release section 400. The taking out and filling of the molded bottle B is carried out according to the following steps (1) to (2). Incidentally, the movement locus of the tip end T of the container holding member 60 is shown in FIG.

■ First, the vertical conveying member 30 is moved to the height of the take-out position of the molded bottle B, and by advancing the horizontal conveying member 40, the container holding member 60 is advanced to the take-out position shown by the chain line in FIG. (See arrow A in Figure 8),
The lower part of the neck of the molded bottle B is gripped by the chuck 66.

(2) Next, the neck mold 8]0 is opened, and at the same time, the vertical conveyance member 30 is slightly lowered to remove the molding hole B from the neck mold 810 (see arrow B in FIG. 8).

(2) Next, by retracting the horizontal conveying member 40, the container holding member 60 is retracted to a predetermined position (see arrow C in FIG. 8). Then, the vertical conveying member 30 is raised (the eighth
(see the arrow in the figure), the material to be filled in the tank 16 is filled into the molded bottle B via the filling nozzle 18. Note that the filling amount of the material to be filled can be set to a specified amount using a sensor provided at the tip of the filling nostle.

- When filling is completed, the vertical conveyance member 30 is lowered (see arrow E in Fig. 8), and when the formed bottle B touches the ground on the belt conveyor 28, the chuck 66 is released and the formed bottle B is removed. . Then, the formed bottle B is conveyed to the next stoppering process by the belt conveyor 28.

(2) The vertical conveying member 30 is raised again to the height of the removal position (see arrow F in FIG. 8), and the next cycle is repeated by proceeding to the operation (2) above.

As described above, the filling section 5 is located opposite the molded product release section 400.
00 and immediately fill the molded bottle B with the material to be filled immediately after molding, it is possible to omit the cleaning process of the molded bottle B. As a result, the molding and filling system can be simplified and productivity can be improved. Significant improvements can be achieved and the device can be made more compact and its footprint reduced.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible.

For example, the mechanism for retracting the molded bottle B from the transfer path of the neck die 810 is not limited to the forward and backward movement mechanism using the horizontal conveyance member 40 as in the above embodiment, but a mechanism using rotational movement may also be used. Of course.

In addition, in the present invention, the molded product release part 400° filling part 5
By installing the molded product removal means 700, which is composed of the molded product removal means 700 and the plugging part 600, preferably in a clean air booth, it is possible to remove the molded product from the product to be filled, such as a fruit juice drink, which generally requires heat sterilization during filling. Filling can be carried out without requiring the heat sterilization step.

In other words, how many juices? The material to be filled, such as No. 4, is usually heated to about 80 to 95°C for the purpose of sterilization during filling.

However, polyethylene terephthalate resin, which is a typical plastic container, has a heat resistance temperature of about 70 degrees Celsius, and if the above-mentioned heated material is filled directly into the container, the container will shrink due to the heat and the appearance will change. You will lose money. To avoid this situation, the molded container is usually left in a heated blow mold for a certain period of time to heat set the resin, or the neck of the container is whitened (crystallized). By doing so, the shrinkage of the resin is suppressed.

However, if such a special molding method is adopted, the molding efficiency will inevitably decrease, and the equipment will also be special.
Manufacturing costs will increase.

However, by installing the device of the present invention in a clean air booth as described above, it is possible to keep the molded container in an extremely clean condition, and therefore fruit juice drinks, etc. that normally require heat sterilization do not need to be sterilized. Therefore, it is possible to significantly improve productivity and reduce costs.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, there is provided a method and an apparatus for injection stretch blow molding of a container, which can perform molding and filling with high productivity in a series of steps without requiring a cleaning step of the molded container. I can do it.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 are a plan view and a front view schematically showing the entire apparatus of the present invention, FIGS. 3 and 4 are a front view and a side view showing the structure of the filling section, 5 is an explanatory plan view showing an enlarged main part of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 and 4; FIG. 6 is an explanatory cross-sectional view along Vl-Vl in FIG. 5;
The figure is an explanatory view of the right side of the apparatus shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing the movement locus of the tip of the container holding member. 100... Parison injection molding means, 200... Temperature adjustment means, 300... Stretch blow molding means, 400... Molded product release section, 500... Filling section, 600
... Plug portion, 700... Molded product removal means, 10...
Base, 12... Frame, 18... Filling nostle, 30...
Vertical conveyance member, 34... Arm, 40... Horizontal conveyance member, 42... Arm, 52... Air cylinder,
60... Container holding member, 62... Arm, 66...
・Chuck, B... Molded bottle. Agent Patent attorney Inoue - (2 others) Fig.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) Container injection in which a single cycle of molding process is carried out by circulating and transporting multiple sets of neck molds that hold the neck of the parison in at least the parison injection molding process, the parison stretch blow molding process, and the molded product removal process. In the stretch blow molding method, the step of taking out the molded product includes: a filling step of filling a container serving as a molded product with a substance to be filled; and a plugging step of attaching a cap to the container. Molding method. (2) Injection of a container in which one cycle of molding process is carried out by circulating a plurality of neck molds that hold the neck portion of the parison through at least the parison injection molding means, the parison stretch blow molding means, and the molded product removal means. In the stretch blow molding apparatus, the molded product retrieval means includes a molded product release section that separates and holds the molded product from the stretch blow molding means as the neck mold is transferred, and a molded product release section that separates and holds the molded product from the neck mold in the molded product release section. a filling part that evacuates the held molded product from the neck-shaped circulation transfer path and fills the container, which is the molded product, with a material to be filled; and a stopper that attaches a cap to the container filled with the material by this filling part. An apparatus for injection stretch blow molding of containers, comprising: (3) In the device according to claim (2), the filling part has a chuck mechanism that can be opened and closed, and a container holding member that holds and removes the container; and a container holding member that is connected to the container holding member and moves forward and backward or rotates. a conveyance member having a movable movement mechanism and for retracting the container held by the container holding member to a predetermined position from a neck-shaped circulation transfer path; and a nozzle for filling the container with the substance at the predetermined position. and an injection stretch blow molding apparatus for containers.