Method for producing polymer tube containing liquid and being sealed at constant intervals and apparatus for producing polymer tube

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10865002-B2
Application number	US-201815941309-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2018
Priority date	Mar 31, 2017
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

Provided are a method and an apparatus for extruding into a tube and filling the tube at a high speed and simultaneously sealing the tube. Specifically provided is a method for producing a polymer tube, containing a liquid therein and being sealed at constant intervals, the method including an extrusion step of continuously melt-extruding a polymer material through a die into at least one tube, while feeding a liquid into the tube to obtain at least one liquid-containing tube; and sealing step of discontinuously pressing the at least one liquid-containing tube between a pair of pressurizing members at constant intervals to cause pressure-bonding before the tube solidifies, while continuously taking up the extruded tube.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing a polymer tube, containing a liquid therein and being sealed at constant intervals, the method comprising:
an extrusion step of continuously melt-extruding a polymer material through a die into at least one tube, while feeding a liquid into the at least one tube to obtain at least one liquid-containing tube; and
a sealing step of discontinuously pressing the at least one liquid-containing tube between a pair of pressurizing members at constant intervals to cause pressure-bonding before the at least one tube solidifies, while continuously taking up the discontinuously pressed at least one tube,
wherein the pair of pressurizing members is a pair of rotary horns, each horn having a protrusion, and in the sealing step, the at least one liquid-containing tube is discontinuously pressed between the protrusions of the rotary horns which rotate at a peripheral speed equal to a constant speed of taking up the discontinuously pressed at least one tube to transfer the discontinuously pressed at lease one tube in a direction of taking up the discontinuously pressed at least one tube.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one tube is two tubes and in the sealing step, the two liquid-containing tubes are discontinuously pressed to cause pressure-bonding for sealing and thereby simultaneously connecting the two liquid-containing tubes with each other.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one tube is two tubes connected by an interconnecting web and in the sealing step.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one tube is two tubes connected by an interconnecting web whose faces oppose to the rotary horns; one of the rotary horns has a blade which protrudes radially higher than the protrusion on a circumference of the one of the rotary horns and in the sealing step, and the blade cuts the web to form notches in a longitudinal direction except at locations where the two tubes are pressed, keeping the two liquid-containing tubes connected by the web having the notches.

Assignees

• Shinetsu Chemical Co

Inventors

• Saguchi Ryuichi
• Kaji Tomoaki
• Naruse Masahiko

Classifications

• B65B2220/24

  Cooling filled packages · CPC title

• B29C48/13

  Articles with a cross-section varying in the longitudinal direction, e.g. corrugated pipes · CPC title

• B65B65/006

  Multiple parallel packaging lines · CPC title

• B65B9/24

  the tubes being formed in situ by extrusion · CPC title

• B65B61/02

  for perforating, scoring {, slitting,} or applying code or date marks on material prior to packaging {(scoring ampoules B65B3/006)} · CPC title