Injection stretch blow molding machine and method for manufacturing hollow molded body

Abstract

Fixation of a container shape of a hollow molded body is not completed during a blow molding process but is completed during an ejection process of an ejection section, thereby shortening an operation time in a stretch blow molding section, and improving the production efficiency of hollow molded bodies by shortening the time required for the blow molding process during a molding cycle. Cooling air is blown into the inside of the hollow molded body disposed in the ejection section in the ejection process C during the blow molding process B in the next molding cycle to cool the hollow molded body disposed in the ejection section to solidify the container shape.

Claims

1. An injection stretch blow molding machine in which an injection molding section, a stretch blow molding section, and an ejection section are provided around a rotation center axis of a rotating plate below the rotating plate having a lower surface to which lip molds for forming an outer peripheral surface of a mouth portion of a preform and for conveying a preform, the rotating plate being configured to stop at every constant rotation angle and ascend and descend, the lip molds corresponding to the injection molding section, the stretch blow molding section, and the ejection section every time the rotating plate rotates at the constant rotation angle and descends, the injection stretch blow molding machine comprising a cooling device capable of blowing cooling into an inside of a hollow molded body which is disposed in the ejection section and whose mouth portion is held by the lip mold, where the cooling device is configured to blow cooling air into the inside of the hollow molded body disposed in the ejection section to cool the hollow molded body disposed in the ejection section to complete fixation of a container shape, the ejection section is provided with a pushing mechanism body, the pushing mechanism body has a rod movable in a vertical direction corresponding to the mouth portion of the hollow molded body disposed in the ejection section, a movement range of a lower end of the rod is set to a range from above the hollow molded body disposed in the ejection section through a position of the mouth portion of the hollow molded body to the inside of the hollow molded body, when the lower end of the rod reaches the position of the mouth portion of the hollow molded body from above the hollow molded body, descending of the rod is temporarily stopped, the lip mold is opened to release holding of the mouth portion of the hollow molded body by the lip mold at the time of descending of the rod after the temporal stop, and the hollow molded body whose holding by the lip mold is released is pushed downward, the rod of the pushing mechanism body is provided with a passage through which cooling air of the cooling device passes with a blow-out port located at the lower end of the rod, and the cooling device blows cooling air from the blow-out port to the inside of the hollow molded body at the latest by the temporal stop of the descending rod.

2. The injection stretch blow molding machine of claim 1, wherein the blow molding of the stretch blow molding section includes an inflating stage of inflating the preform by blowing blow air to form a hollow molded body in a container shape, and a holding stage of holding the hollow molded body subsequent to the inflating stage, and the stretch blow molding section cools the hollow molded body as a pretreatment of the cooling of the hollow molded body by the cooling device in the holding stage in the blow molding.

3. A method for manufacturing a hollow molded body by an injection stretch molding machine in which an injection molding section, a stretch blow molding section, and an ejection section are provided around a rotation center axis of a rotating plate below the rotating plate having a lower surface to which lip molds for forming an outer peripheral surface of a mouth portion of a preform and for conveying a preform, the rotating plate being configured to stop at every constant rotation angle and ascend and descend, the lip molds corresponding to the injection molding section, the stretch blow molding section, and the ejection section every time the rotating plate rotates at the constant rotation angle and descends, so that an injection molding mold is formed in the injection molding section by a mold provided in the injection molding section and a lip mold and a blow molding mold is formed in the stretch blow molding section by a mold provided in the stretch blow molding section and a lip mold, the injection stretch blow molding machine having a molding cycle including: an injection molding process in which the preform is injection molded in the injection molding section corresponding to the lip mold; a blow molding process in which the lip mold holding a high-temperature, soft preform having been injection molded in the injection molding section moves and corresponds to the stretch blow molding section, the lip mold corresponding to the stretch blow molding section disposes the preform in the stretch blow molding section, and a hollow molded body in a container shape is blow-molded by blowing blow air into the preform; an ejection process in which the lip mold holding the hollow molded body having been blow-molded in the stretch blow molding section moves and corresponds to the ejection section, the lip mold corresponding to the ejection section disposes the hollow molded body in the ejection section, and the lip mold corresponding to the ejection section opens to release the hollow molded body therefrom, which processes are sequentially performed, a process progress in the molding cycle being shifted by one step from a process progress in a molding cycle next to the molding cycle, where the injection stretch blow molding machine has a cooling device capable of blowing cooling air into an inside of the hollow molded body which is disposed in the ejection section and whose mouth portion is held by the lip mold, and the cooling device blows cooling air into the inside of the hollow molded body disposed in the ejection section during a blow molding process in the next molding cycle to cool the hollow molded body to solidify the container shape of the hollow molded body, wherein the ejection section is provided with a pushing mechanism body, the pushing mechanism body has a rod movable in a vertical direction corresponding to the mouth portion of the hollow molded body disposed in the ejection section, a movement range of a lower end of the rod is set to a range from above the hollow molded body disposed in the ejection section through a position of the mouth portion of the hollow molded body to the inside of the hollow molded body, when the lower end of the rod reaches the position of the mouth portion of the hollow molded body from above the hollow molded body, descending of the rod is temporarily stopped, the lip mold is opened to release holding of the mouth portion of the hollow molded body by the lip mold at the time of descending of the rod after the temporal stop, and the hollow molded body whose holding by the lip mold is released is pushed downward, the rod of the pushing mechanism body is provided with a passage through which cooling air of the cooling device passes with a blow-out port located at the lower end of the rod, and the cooling device blows cooling air from the blow-out port to the inside of the hollow molded body at the latest by the temporal stop of the descending rod.

4. The method for manufacturing a hollow molded body of claim 3, wherein the blow molding process includes an inflating stage of inflating the preform within a mold of the blow molding mold by blowing blow air to form a hollow molded body in a container shape, and a holding stage of holding the hollow molded body in the blow molding mold subsequent to the inflating stage, the molding cycle is provided with a solidification period of solidifying the container shape in the hollow molded body from the holding stage in the blow molding process to the ejection process in the molding cycle, and in the holding stage in the solidification period, blow air is blown into the hollow molded body held by the blow molding mold to cool the hollow molded body, and in the ejection process in the solidification period, cooling air of the cooling device is blown into the hollow molded body disposed in the ejection section to cool the hollow molded body, thereby completing solidification of the hollow molded body in the solidification period.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of an injection stretch blow molding machine according to the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an ejection section in the embodiment.

(3) FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a lip mold in the embodiment.

(4) FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing molding cycles in which one process is shifted and progressed in the present invention.

(5) FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the process progress of the molding cycle in a conventional manufacturing method and the process progress of the molding cycle in the manufacturing method of the present invention.

(6) FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a conventional injection stretch blow molding machine.

(7) FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an injection stretch blow molding machine when viewed from the side of the injection molding section.

(8) FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the injection stretch blow molding machine when viewed from the side of the ejection section.

(9) FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the layout of the injection molding section, the stretch blow molding section, and the ejection section.

(10) FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the blow molding.

(11) FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a lip mold.

(12) FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the process progress of each molding cycle in a conventional injection stretch blow molding machine.

(13) FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an inflating stage in the blow molding.

(14) FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a holding stage in the blow molding.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

(15) Next, the present invention will be described in detail on the basis of an embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. Incidentally, the portions having the same configurations as those of the conventional example will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

(16) Injection Stretch Blow Molding Machine:

(17) As shown in FIG. 6 similarly to the conventional injection stretch blow molding machine, the injection stretch blow molding machine 1 of the present invention includes an injection molding section 2, a stretch blow molding section 3, and an ejection section 4 disposed below a rotating plate 5 which stops and ascends and descends at every rotation angle of 120 degrees and around a rotation center axis of the rotating plate 5. The injection molding section 2, the stretch blow molding section 3, and the ejection section 4 are disposed on a lower base 12 at intervals of 120 degrees around the rotation center axis of the rotating plate 5.

(18) Like the conventional injection stretch blow molding machine, the rotating plate 5 also has lip molds 7 for forming the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion of a preform and also for conveying the preform on the lower surface thereof. The lip molds 7 are separated and disposed so as to be located at a rotation angle interval of 120 degrees around the rotation center axis of the rotating plate 5. (See FIG. 2)

(19) The lip mold 7 corresponds to the injection molding section 2, the stretch blow molding section 3, and the ejection section 4 each time the rotating plate 5 rotates by 120 degrees and descends. In the injection molding section 2, an injection molding mold 9 is formed by the mold provided in the injection molding section 2 and the lip mold 7, and in the stretch blow molding section 3, a blow molding mold 16 is formed by the mold provided in the stretch blow molding section 3 and the lip mold 7. In the ejection section 4, the lip mold 7 corresponding to the ejection section 4 is opened to release the mouth portion of the hollow molded body, and the rod pushes out the hollow molded body to drop the same onto the slope and transfer it out of the machine.

(20) The injection stretch blow molding machine 1 includes a molding cycle in which an injection molding process A, a blow molding process B, and an ejection process C proceed in this order, similarly to the conventional injection stretch blow molding machine, and the molding cycle is performed to manufacture a hollow molded body. Further, the process progress in the molding cycle is shifted by one step with respect to the process progress in a molding cycle next to the molding cycle, which is the same as the conventional example.

(21) Ejection Section:

(22) In the ejection section 4 of the injection stretch blow molding machine 1 of the present invention, a device for cooling, by using cooling air, the hollow molded body conveyed from the stretch blow molding section 3 on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotating plate and disposed in the ejection section 4 is provided.

(23) FIG. 2 shows a pushing mechanism body 19 which is configured to lie above the slope of the ejection section 4. First, in the pushing mechanism body 19, the takeout unit 17 is assembled to the intermediate base 6. The pushing mechanism body 19 includes abase plate 20 to which upper ends of a plurality of pushing rods 18 are connected and by which the rods 18 are supported so as to hang down. The rod 18 is provided so as to be able to ascend and descend by the takeout unit 17 guiding the base plate 20 to ascend and descend.

(24) The rod 18 itself is correspondingly positioned above the hollow molded body b located in the ejection section 4 so as to be capable of passing inside the lip mold 7 corresponding to the ejection section 4 and the mouth portion of the hollow molded body b held by the lip mold 7, as described in the description of the conventional injection stretch blow molding machine. When the rod 18 descends, the lower end of the rod 18 is positioned corresponding to the inside of the lip mold 7 and the mouth portion of the hollow molded body b. Further, when the rod 18 descends by a predetermined amount, as shown in the figure, an abutting member 21 attached around the outer circumference of the lower end of the rod 18 abuts against the mouth portion of the hollow molded body b, and functions to push the hollow molded body b downward.

(25) In order to move the base plate 20 up and down, a cylinder device 22 is installed in the takeout unit 17. A shaft 23, which is provided in the cylinder device 22 so as to be able to move forward and backward, is connected to the base plate 20. The rod 18 ascends and descends under the operation of the cylinder device 22, and the lower end of the rod 18 is provided to stop temporarily at a set height position described later.

(26) Opening of Lip Mold

(27) Further, a lip mold opening plate 24 for opening the lip mold 7 is attached to each of the side end portions of the base plate 20. The opening of the lip mold 7 by the lip mold opening plate 24 and the movement of pushing the hollow molded body b by the descending rod 18 are associated with each other as follows.

(28) The range of movement of the lower end of the rod 18 is from above the hollow molded body b of the ejection section 4 to the inside of the hollow molded body through the position of the mouth portion of the hollow molded body b. In FIG. 2, the left half shows a state where the rods 18 are in the standby position. The right half shows a state that the lower ends of the rods 18 are positioned while corresponding to the mouth portions of the hollow molded bodies b and being temporarily stopped.

(29) First, the shaft 23 is extended downward by the operation of the cylinder device 22, and the base plate 20 and the rods 18 whose lower ends face the hollow molded bodies b above the hollow molded bodies b descend. When the lower ends of the rods 18 pass through the lip mold 7 and further descend to the height position of the mouth portions of the hollow molded bodies b, the descending of the rods 18 is temporarily stopped. In the temporarily stopped state, the lower ends of the rods 18 are positioned so as to face inward of the hollow molded bodies b. (See right half of FIG. 2)

(30) When the base plate 20 is in the height position at which the rods 18 are temporarily stopped, the lip mold opening plate 24 attached to this base plate 20 does not reach the position of the pair of lip plates 25, each incorporating a half of the lip mold 7, and the lip mold 7 is in the closed state. (See FIG. 3)

(31) When the base plate 20 and the rods 18 whose descending has been temporarily stopped descend again, the lower end of the lip mold opening plate 24 abuts against the abutting portion of the pair of lip plates 25, so that the pair of lip plates 25 is opened. When the pair of lip plates 25 is opened, the halves of the lip mold 7 are separated from each other so that the lip mold 7 is opened. The opening of the lip mold 7 releases the holding of the mouth portions of the hollow molded bodies b.

(32) Further, when the rods 18 descend due to the descending base plate 20, the abutting members 21 abut against the mouth portions of the hollow molded bodies b to push the hollow molded bodies b downward. As a result, the hollow molded bodies b are detached from the lip mold 7.

(33) When the hollow molded bodies b are detached, control is made so that the rods 18 ascend. As the base plate 20 ascends, the lip mold opening plate 24 upwardly moves away from the pair of lip plates 25 which are open, and the rods 18 upwardly moves so that the lower ends of the rods 18 exit the portions of the lip mold 7 upwardly, thereby returning to the standby position.

(34) The lip plates 25 are provided with urging means (not shown) for urging the halves of the lip mold 7 so as to always abut against each other, and when the lip mold opening plate 24 upwardly moves away from the lip plates 25, the pair of lip plates 25 is closed, and the lip mold 7 in a state in which the halves abut against each other is formed, whereby the lip mold 7 returns to the closed state.

(35) Cooling Device:

(36) As shown in FIG. 2, a cooling device 26 is connected to the base plate 20 via a tube member. Then, a passage 28 is provided from the connecting portion of the tube member through the inside of the base plate 20 to each of the rods 18, and further through the inside of the rod 18 to a blow-out port 27 opened at the lower end of the rod 18. The passage 28 is a flow passage through which cooling air fed from the cooling device 26 flows, and the end of the flow passage is the blow-out port 27.

(37) The cooling device 26 cools the hollow molded bodies b by feeding cooling air into the hollow molded bodies b disposed in the ejection section 4, and this cooling completes fixation of the container shape of the hollow molded bodies b.

(38) As described above, the hollow molded bodies b that have moved from the stretch blow molding section 3 are disposed in the ejection section 4, the rods 18 of the pushing mechanism body 19 descend and the lower ends of the rods 18 enter the mouth portions of the hollow molded bodies b, and the lower ends of the rods 18 temporarily stop at the height position of the mouth portions of the hollow molded bodies b. When the descending of the rods 18 temporarily stops, the cooling device 26 feeds the cooling air.

(39) At the time when the cooling device 26 feeds the cooling air, the blow-out port 27 is positioned so as to face the inside of the hollow molded body b. Cooling air is fed into the hollow molded bodies b from the blow-out ports 27 to cool the hollow molded bodies b, thereby completing solidification of the container shape. The cooling air fed into the hollow molded bodies b is discharged to the outside of the hollow molded bodies through a gap formed between the mouth portion of the hollow molded body b and the abutment member 21.

(40) Before the rod 18 descends again, the cooling device 26 stops feeding the cooling air. After stopping the feeding of the cooling air, the above-mentioned opening of the lip mold 7 (release of the holding with respect to the mouth portions of the hollow molded bodies) and the pushing of the hollow molded bodies b by the abutment members 21 (detachment of the hollow molded bodies) are performed.

(41) The cooling air enters the hollow molded bodies b and cools to a temperature at which the fixation of the container shape is completed. Then, the cooling device 26 blows cooling air from the blow-out ports 27 to the hollow molded bodies b positioned at the ejection section 4 from the stretch blow-molding section 3 at the latest by the end of the state in which the descending of the rods 18 is temporarily stopped. However, the stage of starting the feeding of cooling air does not need to be a point in time at which the descending of the rods 18 is temporarily stopped, as described above. It is also possible to feed cooling air when the rods 18 are positioned above the hollow molded bodies b.

(42) As described above, the cooling air may be any cooling air as long as it enters the hollow molded bodies b and cools them to a temperature at which fixation of the container shape is completed. The temperature and the blowing pressure are not particularly limited.

(43) As the temperature and the blowing pressure, for example, the temperature may be −30° C. and the pressure applied for blowing may be 1 MPa (mega pascal), and the temperature may be 30° C. and the pressure may be 2 2 MPa.

(44) Manufacturing Method, Blow Molding Process:

(45) In the injection stretch blow molding machine 1, a plurality of molding cycles are proceeding. The blowing operation of the cooling device 26 which blows cooling air in the ejection section 4 in the ejection process of the molding cycle is performed during the blow molding process in a next molding cycle subsequent to the molding cycle. This is important in the present invention.

(46) In the molding cycle of the injection stretch blow molding machine 1 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, the injection molding process A, the blow molding process B, and the ejection process C proceed in this order. Further, the process progress in the molding cycle is shifted by one step with respect to the process progress in a molding cycle next to the molding cycle. Then, hollow molded bodies are manufactured for each molding cycle.

(47) Also in the blow molding process in each molding cycle for manufacturing the hollow molded body b of the present invention, there are an inflating stage 29 in which blow molding blows blow air in the stretch blow molding section 3 to change the shape of the high-temperature, soft preform to a container shape, and a holding stage 30 in which blow air is continuously blown subsequent to the inflating stage to hold the hollow molded body in the blow molding mold. The inflating stage 29 and the holding stage 30 constitute the blow molding in the blow molding process.

(48) The blow molding is constituted by the inflating stage 29 and the holding stage 30, which is the same as the point in the conventional example. However, in the method for manufacturing the hollow molded body in the above-mentioned conventional injection stretch blow molding machine, solidification of the container shape is completed in the holding stage. That is, solidification of the container shape of the hollow molded body is completed by the blow molding. Therefore, the time required for the blow molding is extended (i.e., the time required for the holding stage is long).

(49) On the other hand, in the method of the present invention, the solidification of the container shape is not completed in the holding stage 30. That is, the hollow molded body b in the solidification incomplete state, which has not reached the completion of solidification of the container shape and whose container shape is stabilized, is molded by the blow molding mold. Then, the hollow molded body b in the solidification incomplete state which has undergone the blow molding process B is conveyed to the ejection section 4, and the ejection section 4 transfers the hollow molded body b to the ejection process C.

(50) Solidification Period:

(51) In the molding cycle of the method of the present invention, there is a solidification period 31 for solidifying the container shape in the hollow molded body from the holding stage 30 in the blow molding process B to the ejection process C in this molding cycle, as shown in FIG. 4.

(52) The end of the solidification period 31 is a point in time at which the blowing of the cooling air by the cooling device 26 is completed. If the end of the blowing of the cooling air is the end of the temporal stop state of the rods 18, the end of the solidification period 31 is the end of the temporal stop state of the rods 18. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 32 denotes a cooling air blowing stage in which the cooling device 26 operates to blow cooling air.

(53) In the solidification period 31 during the ejection process C, cooling air is blown into the hollow molded bodies b from the cooling device 26 as described above. Then, solidification of the container shape of the hollow molded bodies b is completed in the solidification period 31 in the ejection process C performed in the ejection section 4.

(54) As described above, in the present invention, in the holding stage 30 in the solidification period 31 (during the blow molding process B), blow air is blown into the hollow molded bodies held by the blow molding mold to cool the hollow molded bodies, thereby obtaining the hollow molded bodies b in the solidification incomplete state. Further, in the ejection process C in the solidification period 31, the cooling air of the cooling device 26 is blown into the hollow molded bodies in the ejection section 4 to cool the hollow molded bodies, thereby completing solidification of the container shape.

(55) In the present invention, in the blow molding using the blow molding mold, solidification of the container shape of the hollow molded bodies is not completed in the holding stage 30, so that the time required for the blow molding is shortened. Further, in the ejection process C, cooling air is forcibly blown to cool the hollow molded bodies until the solidification of the container shape is completed, so that it is easy to set the cooling time so as not to become long. On the contrary, it is also possible to secure a long cooling time within the time allocated to the ejection process C and within a range that does not affect the operation in the injection molding section or the stretch blow molding section.

(56) Since the time required for blow molding can be shortened, shortening of the time allocated to the blow molding process B in the molding cycle can shorten the time allocated to the injection molding process A and the ejection process C (because the times required for the injection molding process A, the blow molding process B, and the ejection process C in the molding cycle are the same). Therefore, the molding cycle can be shortened, and the efficiency of manufacturing the hollow molded body can be improved.

(57) In the above-described embodiment, the holding stage 30 in the blow molding performed by the stretch blow molding section 3 has been described as having blowing of blow air to perform cooling, but it is possible to perform blow molding in which cooling by blowing blow air is not performed in the holding stage 30. The hollow molded body whose shape has been changed to the container shape may be cooled by allowing it to come into contact with the blow molding mold, and the hollow molded body in a solidification incomplete state may be blow-molded.

(58) FIG. 5 schematically shows a state in which the progress of the molding cycle in the conventional manufacturing method and the progress of the molding cycle in the manufacturing method of the present invention are disposed vertically for comparison. As shown in FIG. 5, since the molding cycle in the manufacturing method of the present invention is shortened, the manufacturing efficiency of the hollow molded body is improved as compared with the conventional technique.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

(59) 1 . . . Injection stretch blow molding machine 2 . . . Injection molding section 3 . . . Stretch blow molding section 4 . . . Ejection section 5 . . . Rotating plate 7 . . . Lip mold 17 . . . Ejection unit 18 . . . Rod 19 . . . Pushing mechanism body 20 . . . Base plate 21 . . . Abutment member 24 . . . Lip mold opening plate 26 . . . Cooling device 27 . . . Blow-out port 28 . . . Passage 29 . . . Inflating stage 30 . . . Holding stage 31 . . . Solidification period A . . . Injection molding process B . . . Blow molding process C . . . Ejection process b . . . Hollow molded body