JPH047132A - Stopper-fixing method and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a stopper to be welded to a vessel, while heat is generated at the boundary surface between the stopper and the vessel by a method in which the stopper is temporarily fixed to the vessel, and the vibration energy of ultrasonic wave is applied is parallel to any one contact surface of the vessel and the stopper through a vibration resonant body. CONSTITUTION:The ultrasonic wave vibration-direction (direction C) of a vibrating horn 17 is made parallel to the contact surface of a vessel 1 and a stopper i.e. to the extending direction of a stopper-brim 5 and a hole-covering part 9. Accordingly, the longitudinal wave-vibration from a vibrating horn 17 is not transmitted directly from the rectangular direction to the stopper-brim 5 and the hole-covering part 9, and it is transmitted in the state parallel to their extending direction. Consequently, the longitudinal wave vibration is not directly given to the stopper-brim 5 and the hole-covering part 9, whereby so called pin holes do not occur at the part. P in holes are apt to occur especially at thin wall part 8, but such anxiety is removed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for attaching a cap to a container containing a liquid such as milk, juice, alcohol or other soft drinks. In particular, the present invention relates to a method and a device for welding a spout to a container by generating heat at the contact surface between the spout and the container through a resonator using ultrasonic vibrations.

[Prior Art] It has been widely practiced in the past to attach a plug to a container containing various liquid contents.

It is also already known that such a plug is attached using a vibration resonator that resonates with ultrasonic vibrations, a so-called vibration horn.

Conventionally, as a method of fixing a spout using a vibrating horn,
There are following methods. That is, as shown in Figure 4,
A spout hole 3 for inserting a spout 2 is previously provided in a rectangular cylindrical container 1 (usually referred to as a sleeve) with a thermoplastic resin film adhered to the inside. The spout 2 is temporarily attached to the container 1 by inserting the spout 2 into the container 1. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5, the vibrating horn 4 disposed outside the container 1 is moved toward the container in the direction of arrow A and brought into contact with the spout 2 (indicated by the chain line). The vibrating horn 4 amplifies and transmits energy as a resonator and heats the interface between the spout 2 and the container 1, so that the spout 2 becomes closer to the container 1.
is welded or fixed to the inside of the Reference numeral 26 denotes an anvil serving as a receiving jig for receiving the spout 2.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As shown in FIG. 3, the spout 2 includes a collar portion 5 that is welded to the container 1, a spout base portion 6 that is integral with the collar portion, and a spout base portion 6 that is integral with the collar portion. Cap 7 screwed to spout base 6
It is generally formed by

In addition, in a so-called pull-open type spout, a hole shielding portion 9 defined by an annular thin-walled portion 8 is provided integrally with the collar portion 5 and the spout base 6. This closes the plug hole 3 (FIG. 4) provided in the container 1. When draining the liquid contained inside the container 1 to the outside, the cap 7 screwed onto the spout base 6 is removed from the spout base 6, and the cap 7, which is provided integrally with the hole shielding part 9, is removed from the spout base 6. Hook the pull-out ring 10 on your finger and pull it outward.

Then, the hole shielding part 9 is separated from the plug base 6 with the thin walled part 8 as a boundary and pulled out to the outside, and the hole shielding part 9 is separated from the plug base 6 and pulled out to the outside.
Figure 4) is uncovered. In this way, the liquid content can be taken out through the plug hole 3.

In the conventional plug fixing method described above, the vibrating horn 4
The direction of the ultrasonic vibration is perpendicular to the contact surface between the spout 2 and the container 1, as shown by arrow B-B in FIG. The direction was perpendicular to the plane containing the plane. Therefore, the ultrasonic vibration of the vibrating horn 4 becomes a longitudinal wave and is transmitted to the hole shielding part 9 from the right angle direction.
As a result, there was a risk that minute through holes, so-called pinholes, would be formed in the hole shielding part 9, particularly in the thin walled part 8. If this pinhole is formed, there is a risk that bacteria or the like may be mixed into the liquid inside the container 1 or that the liquid may leak, which is undesirable.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems in the conventional spout fixing method, and even when the pull-open type spout is welded to a container, pinholes are generated in the hole shielding part. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method and device for fixing a spout without causing problems.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the cap fixing method according to the present invention temporarily attaches the cap to a container, and applies ultrasonic vibration energy to the container and the container through a vibration resonator. A spout fixing method in which heat is generated at the interface between the spout and the container by applying it to at least one side of the spout, and this heat generation welds the spout to the container, the method comprising: is parallel to the contact surface between the container and the spout.

Further, the spout fixing device according to the present invention includes a vibration resonator for ultrasonic vibration, and the vibration resonator is brought into contact with at least one of the container and the spout temporarily attached to the container. This is a spout fixing device for welding a spout to a container using the above method, and the vibration resonator is characterized in that it vibrates in a direction parallel to the contact surface between the container and the spout.

[Function] The vibration energy of the ultrasonic wave is transferred to the vibration resonator (vibration horn 17
), generating intense heat at the contact surfaces of the spout (2) and the container (1). This heat causes the spout to be welded, or fixed, to the container.

The vibration direction of the vibration resonator is set to be parallel to the contact surface between the container and the spout, which are in contact with each other due to temporary attachment. Therefore, parts of the spout that are susceptible to ultrasonic vibrations, such as the spout collar (5), or
If it is a so-called pull-open type spout, the spout hole of the container (
3), the longitudinal wave vibration caused by the ultrasonic vibration is no longer applied directly from the right angle direction to the hole shielding part (9) etc. for shielding the hole shielding part (9), etc., but the vibration is simply applied in the direction in which they extend.

[Example] FIG. 1 shows a main part of an example of a container manufacturing apparatus using a spout fixing device according to the present invention.

In the figure, a container 1, for example, a rectangular cylindrical sleeve 1, is transported along a transport rail 22 in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper by a transport device 12 having claws 11. Above the conveyance device 12, an ultrasonic welding device 14 supported by a frame 13 is provided.
are fixedly placed. This ultrasonic welding device 14 includes a converter 15, a booster 16, and a vibration horn 17 as a vibration resonator. The vibration horn 17 is driven by mechanical vibrations from the converter 15 via the booster 16, amplifies the vibrations in the vertical direction in the figure as indicated by arrow C, transmits the vibrations to the plug 2, and generates heat.

At the bottom of this vibrating horn 17, as shown in FIG.
An annular protrusion 18 is formed, which is placed laterally with respect to the vibration direction (direction C). When the spout 2 is welded, this annular protrusion 18 is
The back surface (left side surface) of the collar portion 5 of the spout 2 comes into contact with.

In FIG. 1, a cylindrical plug receiving jig 24 is provided on the right side of the annular projection 18. This receiving jig 24 is
Driven by a drive device (not shown), it reciprocates in the left-right direction (direction of the arrow) in the figure, and moves to a retracted position shown by a solid line,
The position is displaced between the receiving position shown by the chain line. Receiving jig 2
A recess 25 having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the cap 7 of the spout 2 is provided at the left end of the spout 4 . When the receiving jig 24 moves to the receiving position (dashed line), the spout cap 7 is stored inside the recess 25, and the left end surface of the receiving jig 24 contacts the side surface of the container 1 under a predetermined pressure.

A sleeve elevating device 19 is disposed below the conveying device 12 and at a position facing the ultrasonic welding device 14 . This sleeve lifting device 19 includes an air cylinder 20
and the actuator rod 20 of the air cylinder 2°
Push up rod 21 and push down rod 2 attached to a
3.

The sleeve 1 is conveyed by the conveyance device 12 and brought to a position below the ultrasonic welding device 14, but before being brought to this position, the sleeve 1 is placed as shown by the chain arrow in FIG. Then, the plug 2 is attached, that is, inserted, from the inside to the outside, into the plug hole 3 previously provided in the opening at the tip. As the plug 2, a pull-open type plug shown in FIG. 3 is used.

The operation of the above device will be explained below.

In FIG. 1, when the sleeve 1 carried by the conveying device 12 is carried to a position below the ultrasonic welding device 14,
Movement of the sleeve 1 is stopped. Thereafter, the air cylinder 20 is actuated to move the push-up port rad 21 upward, thereby lifting the sleeve 1 to the position shown by the chain line. In this state, the flange 5 of the plug 2 is connected to the vibrating horn 17.
(See FIG. 3).

Thereafter, the receiving jig 24 is moved to the left and set at the receiving position (dashed line), and the spout collar 5 is inserted through the side wall of the container 1.
is pressed against the annular projection 18 and therefore against the vibrating horn 17.

In this state, vibration energy due to the ultrasonic waves is transmitted to the spout collar 5 through the vibration horn 17, generating heat at the contact surface with the container 1, and as a result, the collar 5 is welded to the inner wall of the container 1.

When the welding is completed, the receiving jig 24 moves back to the right and is set to the retracted position M (solid line). Then, the air cylinder 20 is actuated to lower the push rod 23, thereby lowering the sleeve 1 to the transport rail 22. After that, the sleeve 1 is carried around by the conveying device 12 for the next process.
For example, the liquid filling process for filling liquids such as alcoholic beverages (
(not shown).

As can be understood from the above description, according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
C direction) is parallel to the contact surface E between the container 1 and the spout 2, that is, to the extending direction of the spout collar 5 and the hole shielding portion 9.

Therefore, the longitudinal vibration from the vibrating horn 17 is not directly transmitted to the spout collar 5 and the hole shielding part 9 in a direction perpendicular to it, but in a state parallel to the direction in which they extend. As a result, longitudinal wave vibrations are no longer directly applied to the spout brim 5 and the hole shielding portion 9, and so-called pinholes are no longer generated in these portions. In particular, although there was a greater possibility of pinholes occurring in the thin portion 8 than in the past, this embodiment eliminates such concerns.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to one embodiment, the present invention is not limited to that embodiment.1 For example, in the above embodiment, the ultrasonic welding device 14 is fixedly arranged, and the sleeve 1 is The sleeve 1 is moved to the ultrasonic welding device 14 to weld the spout, but instead of this, the sleeve 1 is fixed in position within the conveying device 12 and the sleeve 1 is moved to the ultrasonic welding device 14. It can also be configured to move toward the sleeve 1.

Although the part of the vibrating horn 17 that contacts the plug 2 is an annular protrusion 18, in some cases, such a protruding part may not be provided and the side surface of the vibrating horn 17 may simply be brought into contact with the plug 2. You can also do it. Further, even when a protrusion is provided, it does not necessarily have to be formed in an annular shape.

In the above embodiment, the case where the spout 2 is temporarily attached from the inside of the container 1 was given as an example (Fig. 114), but it is also possible to apply a container manufacturing method in which the spout 2 is temporarily attached from the outside of the container 1. The present invention can be applied.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, longitudinal waves caused by ultrasonic vibrations of the vibration resonator are not directly applied to the spout flange or the hole shielding portion of the spout from the right angle direction. Pinholes no longer appear in them.

In particular, when a so-called pull-open type spout is to be fixed, as in the spout fixing device according to claim 4, there is a possibility that pinholes may occur in the thin wall portion of the spout. However, according to the present invention, there is almost no need to worry about this.

In the plug fixing device according to the sixth aspect, the distance between the receiving jig and the plug, for example, the distance G in FIG. 3, can be set to be extremely small.

As a result, after performing the plug fixing process, the plug hole (fourth
This eliminates the inconvenience that the area around the container (see reference numeral 3 in the figure) swells up and spoils the appearance of the container. Conventionally, an ultrasonic welding device was disposed outside the container, so a vibrating horn was located at a location corresponding to the receiving jig in the present invention. Since the vibrating horn vibrates, the distance between the vibrating horn and the spout cap cannot be made very close, and therefore swelling tends to occur around the spout hole.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the main parts of a container manufacturing apparatus to which an example of the spout fixing device according to the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the main parts of an example of a vibration resonator, and FIG. 3 is a disguised FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing how the spout is temporarily attached, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional spout fixing method. 1... Container, 2... Spout, 3... Spout hole, 5...
- Spout brim, 6... Spout base, 7... Spout cap, 8... Spout thin part, 9... Hole shielding part, 10...
・Extraction ring, 15...Ultrasonic converter, 1
6... Ultrasonic booster, 17... Vibration horn, 18
...Annular projection, 24...Receiving jig figure figure figure

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] (1) A spout is temporarily attached to a container, and ultrasonic vibration energy is applied to at least one of the container and the spout through a vibration resonator, so that the spout and the container are connected. In a cap fixing method in which heat is generated at the interface between the container and the cap and the cap is welded to the container, the vibration direction of the vibration resonator is parallel to the contact surface between the container and the cap. Characteristic spout fixing method. (2) Spout fixing that has a vibration resonator for ultrasonic vibration and welds the spout to the container by bringing the vibration resonator into contact with at least one of the container and the spout temporarily attached to the container. A spout fixing device, wherein the vibration resonator vibrates in a direction parallel to a contact surface between the container and the spout. (3) The spout fixing device according to claim 2, wherein the portion of the vibration resonator that contacts the spout is set at a position horizontal to the vibration direction of the vibration resonator. Device. (4) In the spout fixing device according to claim 2, the spout has a hole-shielding portion defined by a thin-walled portion, and the hole-shielding portion is removed from the spout with the thin-walled portion as a boundary. A spout fixing device characterized by: (5) In the spout fixing device according to claim 2, the container is formed into a cylindrical shape and further includes a spout hole into which a spout can be inserted, and the spout is welded to the container. It has a brim, a spout base integral with the brim, and a cap screwed to the spout base, and the spout is inserted from the inside of the container into the spout hole with the cap side first. A spout fixing device characterized in that it is inserted and temporarily attached to a container with the collar portion in contact with the inner wall of the container. (6) In the spout fixing device according to claim 2, the vibration resonator is disposed inside the container, and a receiving jig for receiving the spout and the container that comes into contact with the vibration resonator is provided on the outside of the container. A spout fixing device characterized by: