JP2011120619A - Soft capsule manufacturing method for performing printing in sheet stage and manufacturing device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new manufacturing method capable of manufacturing a soft capsule having laser printing efficiently at a low cost no matter what shape is the complete shape of the soft capsule. <P>SOLUTION: The method of manufacturing a capsule includes supplying outer coat sheets S between a pair of die rolls 31 in a facing state, bonding the outer coat sheets S with each other by the butting action of the die rolls 31, supplying contents N to the outer coat sheets S to the bonding, and covering the contents N by an outer coat part 2 made of the outer coat sheet S. The outer coat sheet S is irradiated with a laser beam oscillated from a laser marker machine 15 before receiving bonding by the pair of die rolls 31, and appropriate marking M to be executed on the soft capsule 1 is executed beforehand in the stage of the outer coat sheet S before being molded into the capsule. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a soft capsule widely used for "medicine", "special health food", "so-called health food", etc., and in particular, letters, pictures, marks, numbers, symbols, figures on the surface of the capsule In order to obtain a soft capsule printed with a laser beam, etc. (collectively referred to below as marking), a soft capsule having a laser print can be obtained regardless of the completed shape of the soft capsule. The present invention relates to a novel manufacturing method that can obtain the soft capsule at a much more efficient and low cost.

For example, soft capsules widely used in “medicine”, “special health foods”, “so-called health foods” and the like are usually given appropriate markings indicating the manufacturer, drug symbols, etc. In applying such marking, printing (engraving) using a laser beam has been rapidly spreading in recent years (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
Conventionally, printing on the surface of a soft capsule using a laser beam (laser printing) is performed one by one on a soft capsule that has been encapsulated and sufficiently dried, as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 above. Laser printing has become common technical knowledge. However, this method has the following problems.

First, laser printing on soft capsules is possible only after the capsules that have been encapsulated are fully dried (usually, it takes a drying time of about 24 hours). The time and manufacturing cost were enormous.
Also, since soft capsules are usually spindle-shaped (oval), laser printing can be performed in a relatively easy manner, so laser printing can also be performed by an automatic machine, depending on the final shape of the soft capsules. Some of them are difficult to mechanically align. In this case, first, it is necessary to manually align the soft capsules, and efficient laser printing by an automatic machine may not be performed.

  An example of a capsule that is difficult to mechanically align is a soft capsule 1 ′ containing a cosmetic liquid as shown in FIG. 6, for example. The soft capsule 1 ′ shown in FIG. 6 has an overall shape in which a smaller protrusion b is added almost in the middle of a substantially heart-shaped main body a, and a cosmetic liquid such as an emulsion is contained in the capsule once. It is a thing. And when using the emulsion etc. which are the contents N, one part (the small protrusion b in this case) of soft capsule 1 'is torn off, the opening part c is formed, and the contents N (emulsion etc.) from here To take out.

  Therefore, the overall shape of the soft capsule 1 ′ is required to have a shape in which the contents N easily flow out (easy to take out) when the remaining portion (main body portion a) is pushed after the small protrusion b is torn off. In addition, while securing a certain degree of strength and durability (performance capable of withstanding humidity, temperature change, some change over time, etc.) as a whole capsule, other parts (substantially heart-shaped body part) The weakened state must be maintained by making it thinner or thinner than a), and the ease of tearing of the part must be taken into consideration.

  For this reason, in such a special soft capsule 1 ′, the shape, structure, and the like are more complicated than those of a normal spindle-shaped capsule (this capsule is referred to as a “deformed product” in the present specification). It is extremely difficult to align mechanically, and laser printing by an automatic machine (a method that does not depend on manual operation for alignment) could not be performed. Of course, if such a deformed product is manually aligned, it is possible to perform laser printing after that, but it requires a great deal of labor for alignment, so total workability and productivity including the alignment process are required. However, when it was mass-produced, it was not profitable.

  In other words, some conventional methods for laser printing on completed soft capsules are extremely difficult to perform laser printing (efficient laser printing) depending on the final capsule shape. . In the past, as mentioned above, laser printing on soft capsules after production has been common knowledge, so if you want to perform laser printing on a deformed product, first of all, how should this deformed product be handled? The focus of development tended to be on alignment.

JP-A-5-58025 JP 2008-279060 A

  The present invention has been made in recognition of such a background, and has conventionally been considered as a technical common sense, and is a method of performing laser printing on a soft capsule that has been encapsulated and sufficiently dried. From the fundamentals, the soft capsule manufacturing process, that is, by performing laser printing while the outer shell of the soft capsule is still in the sheet state, the soft capsule with laser printing can be obtained regardless of the completed shape of the soft capsule. The present invention relates to a novel manufacturing method that can be obtained efficiently and at low cost.

  First, a soft capsule manufacturing method for performing printing at a sheet stage according to claim 1 supplies an outer sheet in a face-to-face relationship between a pair of die rolls, and attempts to bond the outer sheet by a butting action of the die roll. According to the method, the contents are supplied to the skin sheet, and a soft capsule containing the contents inside the skin portion made of the skin sheet is manufactured. The laser beam emitted from the laser marker machine is irradiated, and appropriate markings to be applied to the soft capsule are applied in advance at the stage of the skin sheet before capsule molding.

  Further, in the soft capsule manufacturing method for performing printing at the sheet stage according to claim 2, in addition to the requirement of claim 1, the irradiation of the outer cover sheet with laser light is performed by using laser light oscillated from a laser marker machine, It is characterized in that it is once reflected by a reflecting plate and this reflected light is irradiated almost perpendicularly onto the outer sheet.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the requirements of the first or second aspect, the die roll has a molding recess on the surface corresponding to the completed shape of the soft capsule. A pocket for accommodating the contents is formed in the outer sheet by deforming the outer sheet along the molding recess, and the rotation of the die roll is performed in advance at the stage of the outer sheet. The markings applied to are controlled so as to match the molding recesses of the die roll.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a soft capsule manufacturing apparatus that performs printing in a sheet stage, wherein a sheet forming portion that forms a substantially constant thickness outer shell sheet from a molten outer shell raw material and a pair of die rolls are brought into contact with each other between die rolls. A capsule forming part responsible for joining the outer skin sheet supplied in the state of being joined together, and a content supply part for supplying the contents to the outer skin sheet as the outer skin sheet is joined. In an apparatus for producing a coated soft capsule, this apparatus is provided with a laser marker machine that irradiates a laser beam before the outer sheet formed by the sheet forming section is transferred between a pair of die rolls. The outer sheet is laser-printed with appropriate markings to be formed on each soft capsule at the sheet stage before capsule molding. Those comprising as a feature that it has a so that.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a soft capsule manufacturing apparatus that performs printing in a sheet stage. In addition to the requirements of the fourth aspect, the laser marker machine includes a reflecting plate, and the laser beam reflected by the reflecting plate. Is characterized in that it irradiates the skin sheet substantially perpendicularly.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the requirements of the fourth or fifth aspect, the die roll has a molding recess formed on the surface thereof in accordance with the completed shape of the soft capsule. The outer skin sheet is formed with a pocket portion for accommodating the contents by being deformed along the molding recess, and the capsule molding portion is rotated by the die roll. A control mechanism is provided for controlling the rotation of the die roll so that the marking that has been laser-printed at the stage of the skin sheet matches the molding recess of the die roll. is there.

First, according to the first or fourth aspect of the present invention, since the present invention is printing or engraving by laser light irradiation, it is extremely hygienic, unlike engraving (printing), and engraved marking. Will not disappear, and can greatly contribute to the subsequent product management and safety management (so-called traceability).
Further, in the present invention, since the capsule shell is still laser-printed at the sheet-like stage, that is, before the encapsulation, laser printing can be efficiently performed regardless of the final shape of the soft capsule. That is, in the present invention, laser printing is performed during the soft capsule manufacturing process, and therefore laser printing can be performed regardless of the completed shape of the soft capsule. By the way, conventional laser printing was performed on the capsules that had been encapsulated and sufficiently dried, so the total production time and cost of soft capsules including laser printing were enormous. It was something. However, in the present invention, since laser printing is performed in the capsule manufacturing process, the manufacturing cost, the manufacturing time, the mechanical equipment cost, etc. can be greatly reduced as compared with the conventional method.
Note that the present invention (a method for producing soft capsules capable of performing mechanical laser printing without being affected by the completed shape of the capsule) also has the effect of preventing illegal duplicates (so-called pirated copies). . In other words, when this type of product is accepted by the user, a large number of replicas imitating it may be available on the market, but imitators are not only genuine products but also genuine products when making replica products. It is common to imitate exactly the same state up to the markings attached to (they are so-called dead copies, which are often indistinguishable to ordinary users at first glance). However, in the case of a deformed product capsule, even if the shape can be imitated relatively easily, if the imitation product is to be marked with the same marking as the genuine product, the imitator must first do it by hand. Since counterfeit products must be aligned, and this takes excessive labor and labor, it is not profitable. Therefore, the realization of this method is thought to contribute to the prevention of dead copy.

  According to the invention of claim 2 or 5, since the laser beam is irradiated on the outer sheet once by the reflected light reflected by the reflecting plate, the irradiation distance (from the oscillation position where the laser beam is emitted) The total distance until the outer sheet is irradiated via the reflector is easily set to an appropriate value. Moreover, since the reflecting plate is provided, it is possible to accurately irradiate the target irradiation position (required irradiation position) from a substantially orthogonal direction of the outer skin sheet. Thus, by providing a reflecting plate, an appropriate irradiation form can be easily adopted according to the outer skin sheet (posture) being transferred.

  According to the invention described in claim 3 or 6, since the marking applied at the stage of the outer sheet is controlled to rotate the die roll so as to match the molding recess of the die roll, the marking is almost accurately applied to each soft capsule. Can be applied.

It is the perspective view which shows the soft capsule manufacturing apparatus (filling machine) which performs printing in a sheet | seat stage of this invention, and is a perspective view which expands and shows a mode that laser printing is performed to an outer skin sheet. It is a front view which shows the manufacturing apparatus (filling machine) of this invention. It is the front view of the filling machine which provided the laser marker machine on the opposite side (near the sheet forming part of the left side) from the case of Drawings 1 and 2, and the projection figure which looked at this filling machine from the side. It is a front view which shows a mode that a soft capsule is manufactured with a pair of die roll, and explanatory drawing which shows an example of the marking printed by laser on the outer skin sheet. Since a flat capsule sheet swells and a soft capsule is formed, it is an explanatory view showing an example of marking that is laser-printed on the coat sheet in consideration of its surface shape (bend) in advance. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the unusual shape goods which were difficult to perform laser printing by an automatic machine conventionally.

The mode for carrying out the present invention includes one described in the following embodiments, and further includes various methods that can be improved within the technical idea.
In the description, first, the basic structure of the soft capsule 1 to be manufactured in the present invention will be described, and then an example of an apparatus for manufacturing the soft capsule 1 (a soft capsule manufacturing apparatus that performs printing at the sheet stage, which is the present invention apparatus). Will be described. Next, while explaining the operation mode of the apparatus, a soft capsule manufacturing method that performs printing at the sheet stage, which is the method of the present invention, will be described.

[Basic structure of soft capsule]
The basic structure of the soft capsule 1 is formed by coating a content N such as a chemical solution with an outer skin portion 2 as shown in FIGS.
Here, as the contents N, materials for appropriate purposes such as foods, seasonings (seasoning oils), cosmetics, bathing agents, miscellaneous goods (toys, adhesives, etc.) can be used in addition to pharmaceuticals. In addition, the encapsulated state (accommodating state) includes a liquid form, a gel form, a granular body, or a state in which these are appropriately mixed, for example, a powder-containing suspension in which powder is mixed in a liquid. Is possible. In the following description, a case where the liquid content N is mainly stored will be described.
On the other hand, the outer skin part 2 can be made of animal-derived gelatin as a base material, and can also contain plant-derived starch as a main component. Incidentally, when starch is the main component, λ carrageenan, metal salt, dextrin, plasticizer, water, and the like are blended in addition. In the present invention, the soft capsule 1 in which an appropriate marking M (“ABC” corresponds to the marking M in FIGS. 1 and 4) is applied to the surface of the outer skin portion 2 is a manufacturing object.

[About manufacturing equipment]
Next, an apparatus of the present invention for manufacturing such a soft capsule 1 (a soft capsule manufacturing apparatus 10 that performs printing in a sheet stage, hereinafter simply referred to as a filling machine 10) will be described. As the filling machine 10, a conventional rotary die type automatic soft capsule manufacturing machine can be diverted (followed), and as an example, as shown in FIG. 1, it is a raw material for forming a molten outer shell material (a raw material material for forming the outer skin portion 2). 2A) is formed into a sheet having an appropriate thickness, and the molded skin sheet S is joined together so that the contents N are encapsulated by the skin sheet S. It comprises a molding unit 12, a content supply unit 13 that feeds the content N in accordance with the joining of the skin sheet S, and a capsule take-out unit 14 that takes out the formed soft capsule 1 from the filling machine 10.
In the present invention, the outer sheet S formed by the sheet forming unit 11 is irradiated with laser light to give an appropriate marking M, that is, the outer cover 2 is still formed (processed) in a capsule shape. A major feature is that laser printing is performed in the previous sheet-like stage. For this reason, even a deformed product as shown in FIG. 6 can be efficiently laser-printed, and as a result, the soft capsule 1 (modified product) having the marking M can be efficiently obtained (can be mass-produced). Is.

Hereinafter, each component of the filling machine 10 will be described.
First, the sheet forming unit 11 will be described. This is a part that solidifies and forms the melted skin raw material 2A in a sheet shape, and supplies two molded skin sheets S to the joined portion (between a pair of die rolls) in a joined state. A pair is provided on the left and right with the capsule forming part 12 in between.
The sheet forming unit 11 includes a spreader box 21 that discharges the melted skin raw material 2A in a sheet state having a substantially constant thickness, and a casting drum 22 that cools the skin sheet S discharged from the spreader box 21. The outer sheet S is formed into a sheet having an appropriate thickness while being gradually cooled while being cooled to an appropriate temperature.

  Here, the laser marker machine 15 that irradiates the outer sheet S formed in the sheet forming unit 11 with laser light will be described. The laser marker machine 15 applies (marks) an appropriate marking M to the outer sheet S with laser light. The important point here is that, as described above, laser printing is performed at the stage of the skin sheet S before the skin part 2 is formed into a capsule shape. In other words, the skin sheet S is still sufficiently dried. Laser printing is performed at an unclear stage.

Conventionally, in order to perform laser printing on a capsule, it was naturally considered that a solid irradiation target actually existed, or in a state where the target capsule was completed, laser light was applied to the capsule. It is thought that the idea (ideology) of irradiating was a common sense of technology. In this respect, the present invention has been reviewed from the fundamental point of view of the object of irradiation, and the skin sheet S before being encapsulated is used as the object of irradiation.
Also, in conventional laser printing, because the completed capsule is targeted for irradiation, even when marking M on a deformed product, the development perspective does not go to the irradiation target itself (how to grasp / concept the irradiation target), It seems that the ideology (focus on research) has turned toward how to arrange the deformed products. Of course, in the conventional method, the soft capsule manufacturing process and the laser printing process are considered to be completely different processes, and this is also considered to be one of the major factors that did not come up with the technical idea of fusing them.

The outer sheet S is irradiated with the laser beam while the outer sheet S formed by the sheet forming unit 11 is transferred (irradiated) to the capsule forming unit 12, and the irradiation is performed during the transfer of the outer sheet. This is performed on the lower surface of S. This is because the surface that hits the capsule surface (outside) in the final soft capsule 1 state becomes the lower surface of the outer skin sheet S that is being transferred.
In this embodiment, a CO ₂ laser marker machine is used as the laser marker machine 15 as an example, but other laser marker machines, in particular, a gas laser marker machine can be used.

  Further, in this embodiment, in order to irradiate the outer sheet S with the laser beam, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the reflector plate 16 is used and the laser beam emitted (oscillated) from the laser marker machine 15 is used. Once reflected by the reflecting plate 16, the reflected light (laser light) is irradiated (applied) to the outer sheet S. Further, in this embodiment, as shown in the same drawing, the reflector 16 (reflecting surface) is installed obliquely when viewed from both the front and side surfaces by the mounting bracket 17, whereby the laser marker machine 15. The laser beam emitted from can be applied almost perpendicularly to the outer skin sheet S being transferred. Of course, with this reflector 16, the laser marker machine 15 that is usually fixed and installed is not moved in particular, so that the irradiation distance of the laser beam (from the oscillation position to the outer sheet S (actual irradiation site) via the reflector 16) is achieved. It is also possible to set the total distance) to an appropriate value. If such a setting can be adopted without providing the reflecting plate 16, it is possible to directly irradiate the outer sheet S (lower surface) with laser light emitted from the laser marker machine 15 for printing. is there.

In addition, the width dimension (laser range) in which laser light is actually applied to the skin sheet S is naturally set smaller than the width dimension of the skin sheet S. As an example, the width dimension of the skin sheet S is When it is about 125 mm, the laser range is about 77.5 mm.
In addition, the laser beam irradiation (laser beam oscillation from the laser marker machine 15) to the outer sheet S is intermittently performed at substantially constant timing, and the laser beam irradiation interval (oscillation interval) is mainly set. It is set by the rotational speed of the die roll, the interval between the molding recesses formed on the die roll, and the like.
Reference numeral 18 in the figure denotes a laser operation panel (monitor), and an operator can change various settings relating to laser irradiation (for example, laser range, irradiation timing and irradiation time, laser light intensity, etc.). It can be done as appropriate, and various settings can be confirmed on the panel.

In addition, the outer sheet S is always pulled in the transfer direction during the manufacture of the soft capsule 1 and tension is applied in this direction. Therefore, the marking M applied at the outer sheet S is removed from the molding recess of the die roll at the bonding stage. There is concern about a slight shift. However, such a deviation can be eliminated by the following method.
First, in this embodiment, since the outer sheet S immediately after being peeled off from the casting drum 22 is subjected to laser printing, a slight transfer is performed from here until the capsule forming part 12 (between a pair of die rolls). There is time, and such a shift can be a concern. Therefore, if the laser marker machine 15 is provided in the vicinity of the capsule forming portion 12 and the outer sheet S is laser-printed immediately before reaching between the pair of die rolls, the above-described misalignment can be minimized (or practically not a problem). It can be resolved by a reasonable amount).

  Further, before the outer sheet S is joined by the die roll, the marking M applied to the outer sheet S is detected by a sensor or the like, and the die roll is moved by a servo motor or the like so that the marking M and the molding recess of the die roll always coincide. It is also possible to control the rotation. In the present specification, a sensor for detecting such a shift, a servo motor, and the like are collectively referred to as a control mechanism. Incidentally, in the conventional filling machine, the supply timing of the contents N is synchronized with the rotation of the die roll, so that the feeding of the outer sheet S (that is, the position of the marking M) cannot be synchronized with the rotation of the die roll. It can be considered relatively easy.

  Further, since the soft capsule 1 is usually provided with the marking M only on one side, that is, the marking M is often at one place, the laser marker machine 15 is also used in the left and right sheet forming portions 11 in this embodiment. On the other hand, it is provided on either side. Specifically, in FIGS. 1 and 2, a laser marker machine 15 is provided in the vicinity of the sheet forming portion 11 on the right side, and laser printing is performed only on the right outer sheet S. On the other hand, in FIG. 3, a laser marker machine 15 is provided in the vicinity of the left sheet forming portion 11 opposite to this, and laser printing is performed only on the left outer sheet S. Of course, when marking M is applied to both sides (two places) of the capsule, one laser marker machine 15 is provided in the vicinity of the left and right sheet forming portions 11 and laser printing is performed on the outer sheet S on both the left and right sides. Is also possible.

  As described above, the outer sheet S is subjected to laser printing until it is sent from the sheet forming unit 11 to the capsule forming unit 12 (between a pair of die rolls), and several rollers are zigzag-shaped during this transfer. pass. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as an example, a drawing roller 25 for separating the outer sheet S from the casting drum 22 is provided immediately before the position where the laser beam irradiation is received, and is separated from the outer sheet S. Two oil rollers 26 for attaching mold oil are provided after laser light irradiation. The two oil rollers 26 are provided in order to apply a thin release oil (short / medium chain saturated fatty acid, hardened oil, etc.) to the front and back of the outer sheet S, and from the die (die roll). The peelability of the capsules is improved, and the capsules immediately after production are prevented from adhering to each other. Thereafter, the outer sheet S is further transferred to the capsule forming part 12 via the feed roller 27, and such transfer of the outer sheet S is in a state where the outer sheet S has an appropriate water content. Thus, in consideration of reaching the capsule forming part 12 (between a pair of die rolls), the transfer mode (for example, transfer length or the like) is determined.

Next, the capsule forming part 12 will be described. As an example, as shown in FIG. 4, this includes a pair of left and right die rolls 31 as main members, and one of these die rolls 31 is fixed, and the other is configured to be able to approach and separate from the fixed die roll 31. .
Each die roll 31 is provided with a molding recess 32 having an appropriate shape on its surface and a molding projection 33 on its peripheral edge. For example, a soft capsule 1 having a substantially spindle shape or a substantially spheroid shape is provided. In the case of molding, the molding recess 32 can be formed in an oval shape with a recessed central portion. However, as described above, since tension is always applied to the outer sheet S during the capsule production in the capsule manufacturing direction, after completion, the outer sheet S tends to contract in the opposite direction (longitudinal direction of the outer sheet S). In particular, in the case of a capsule mainly composed of starch, the shrinkage after the capsule molding is larger than in the case where gelatin is a major component). Therefore, the molding recess 32 is formed in consideration of this shrinkage. Is. The pair of die rolls 31 are rotated in a state where the molding protrusions 33 are substantially matched to each other, so that the outer sheet S supplied to the nesting state is drawn between the die rolls 31 while being brought into contact with each other in a timely manner. (Joining) is performed.

In the present embodiment, since the liquid N is assumed as the content N to be accommodated (covered) in the outer skin portion 2, the injection pressure (hydraulic pressure) when the content N is fed toward the outer skin S ), The outer sheet S can be expected to be deformed along the molding recess 32. Therefore, it is considered that the pocket portion P for receiving the contents N can be naturally formed in the outer sheet S with the supply (delivery) of the contents N without taking a particularly positive measure.
Of course, it is possible to positively form the pocket portion P in the outer sheet S before the contents N are supplied, and this is, for example, the suction hole 34 shown in FIG. That is, in this case, the outer sheet S sent between the die rolls 31 is actively sucked by the suction from the suction holes 34 formed in the bottom of each molding recess 32, and the contents N are received. The pocket portion P is curved in advance.
As another form of positively forming the pocket portion P, for example, the pocket portion P can be formed by embossing the outer sheet S before the contents N are supplied. is there. Incidentally, regarding the mechanism for sucking the outer sheet S to form the pocket portion P, the present applicant has already applied for a patent and has obtained a patent (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2111257: Japanese Patent No. 3211148 Encapsulated gelatin capsule, method for producing the same, and apparatus for producing the same ”).

  Further, for example, when the soft capsule 1 having a substantially spindle shape or a substantially spheroid shape is obtained, it is considered that when the pocket portion P is formed, a portion corresponding to the center of the soft capsule 1 swells (extends) the most. For this reason, when performing laser printing on the outer sheet S, it is possible to apply the marking M in consideration of the surface shape of the soft capsule 1 (the expansion state of the outer sheet S). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, since the central portion of the soft capsule 1 swells (extends) the most, the marking M on the portion is preliminarily laser-printed in advance and is applied to both ends of the long axis of the soft capsule 1. By gradually printing the marking M gradually as it approaches, the marking M as a whole can be substantially the same size in a capsule-shaped state.

Next, the content supply unit 13 will be described. This is to supply the contents N such as liquid to the outer sheet S before the completion of the sewing around the capsule in accordance with the bonding of the outer sheet S. Is a projecting segment 41 formed so as to sufficiently enter between the die rolls 31 (see FIG. 4).
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 as an example, the content supply unit 13 is provided with a stock solution hopper 42 at the top, and stores the stock solution (contents N) therein. A pump unit 43 is provided below the undiluted solution hopper 42. The pump unit 43 is appropriately combined with a plurality of plungers, and the contents N are injected from a plurality of paths at a predetermined timing, pressure, etc. It is discharged from the segment 41 to the outer sheet S (the outer sheet S joined by the left and right die rolls 31) via the delivery pipe 44.

  Next, below the die roll 31, the capsule extraction part 14 which takes out the shape | molded soft capsule 1 is demonstrated. Since the soft capsule 1 after molding often fits in the molding recess 32 of the die roll 31, for example, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4, such a soft capsule 1 is provided so as to contact the die roll 31. While scraping off with the scraping brush 51, the soft capsule 1 scraped off is conveyed and taken out to the front surface of the filling machine 10 by a pair of forward conveyors 52 provided along the rotational axis direction of the die roll 31 (see FIG. 1). Further, as shown in FIG. 1 as an example, a blank sheet S ′ after the soft capsule 1 is punched is sandwiched between both sides and fed downward as it is between the pair of forward conveyors 52. Is adjustable). The free roller 53 is configured such that the soft capsule 1 remaining on the blank sheet S ′ can be discharged onto one of the forward conveyors 52 in consideration of the fact that the soft capsule 1 may remain on the blank sheet S ′. It is preferable that Moreover, after the soft capsule 1 is conveyed to the front surface of the filling machine 10 by the advance conveyor 52, it is transferred to another conveyor 54 and sent to the next drying step.

[About manufacturing method]
The soft capsule manufacturing apparatus 10 (filling machine 10) that performs printing in the sheet stage of the present invention has the basic structure as described above. Hereinafter, while describing the mode of manufacturing the soft capsule 1 using the filling machine 10, In addition, a soft capsule manufacturing method that performs printing at the sheet stage, which is the method of the present invention, will be described.
In producing the soft capsule 1, first, an appropriate outer skin raw material 2 </ b> A is stored in the spreader box 21 in a molten state that is uniformly mixed and dispersed. Thereafter, the skin raw material 2A is discharged onto a casting drum 22 from a slit formed in a lower portion in the spreader box 21 and is formed into a sheet. Then, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outer sheet S (outer raw material 2A) discharged from the spreader box 21 is rotated to, for example, nearly 360 degrees (approximately one rotation) while being placed on the casting drum 22. Thereafter, the film is peeled off from the casting drum 22 by the drawing roller 25.

The skin sheet S peeled off from the casting drum 22 is then subjected to laser printing while being transferred to the capsule forming unit 12 (while being transferred to the drawing roller 25 to the oil roller 26 in this embodiment).
Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the laser printing is performed by irradiating the laser beam from the lower side of the outer sheet S that is being transferred. This is because the lower surface of the outer skin sheet S hits the outer surface of the soft capsule 1.
In the present embodiment, the laser beam oscillated from the laser marker machine 15 is not directly applied to the outer sheet S, but is once reflected by the reflecting plate 16, and then the reflected light is applied to the outer sheet S. To do.
Further, the laser beam irradiation (laser light oscillation from the laser marker machine 15) to the outer sheet S is intermittently performed at substantially constant timing, and the laser light irradiation interval (oscillation interval) is mainly set. The rotational speed of the die roll 31 and the interval between the molding recesses 32 formed in the die roll 31 are set.

  The outer sheet S on which appropriate markings M have been applied by laser light irradiation then pass alternately through the two oil rollers 26 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Thereby, the skin sheet S is thinly coated with release oil (short / medium chain saturated fatty acid, hardened oil, etc.) on both sides. In addition, application | coating of mold release oil is for improving the peelability from the metal mold | die (die roll 26) in the capsule molding part 12, and preventing adhesion of the capsules immediately after manufacture. Thereafter, the outer sheet S is further fed to the capsule forming part 12 via the feed roller 27 (see FIGS. 1, 2, and 4).

  In the capsule forming part 12, the two skin sheets S are fed in a state of being interlaced between a pair of die rolls 31 as shown in FIG. 4 as an example with the marking M applied to at least one of the skin sheets S. At the same time, the content N is supplied from the segment 41 located above the segment 41 at a predetermined timing. That is, the two skin sheets S supplied to the die roll 31 are individually stitched around the capsule (around the molding recess 32) one by one by the abutting action of a large number of molding protrusions 33 provided on the peripheral surface thereof. go. At this time, the outer sheet S is subjected to a pressure of, for example, about 150 to 200 kg by the molding protrusion 33, and the stitched portion is effectively stitched.

In the capsule forming part 12, it is desirable that the encapsulation M is performed in a state where the marking M applied to the outer sheet S coincides with the forming recess 32 of the die roll 31 as much as possible. For that purpose, for example, a method can be adopted in which the laser marker machine 15 is provided in the vicinity of the capsule forming unit 12 and laser printing is performed on the outer sheet S immediately before reaching between the pair of die rolls 31. In addition to this, or before the outer sheet S is joined by the die roll 31, the marking M applied to the outer sheet S is detected by a sensor or the like, and the marking M and the molding recess 32 of the die roll 31 always match. As described above, a method of controlling the rotation of the die roll 31 with a servo motor or the like can also be adopted.
Then, the soft capsule 1 in which the surrounding sewing has been completed is taken out from the molding recess 32, the blank sheet S ′, etc. as described above, and then dried. In this drying, a tumbler dryer (rotary drum dryer) is generally used due to the shape and properties of the soft capsule 1.

  As described above, the present invention does not perform laser printing on capsules that have been sufficiently dried after encapsulation, but incorporates a laser printing process into the soft capsule manufacturing process itself, and performs laser printing at the stage of the outer sheet S. It is. For this reason, it does not wait for drying when performing laser printing, and it is very effective in the point that it can respond to the soft capsule 1 of any shape (can perform efficient laser printing).

  The present invention can be used not only in the fields of “pharmaceuticals”, “specialized health foods”, “so-called health foods” and foods, but also in industrial fields such as those containing industrial preparations, for example, by selecting the contents Can do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Soft capsule 2 Outer part 2A Outer raw material 10 Soft capsule manufacturing apparatus (filling machine)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Sheet shaping | molding part 12 Capsule shaping | molding part 13 Contents supply part 14 Capsule taking-out part 15 Laser marker machine 16 Reflecting plate 17 Mounting bracket 18 Laser operation panel 21 Spreader box 22 Casting drum 25 Pull-out roller 26 Oil roller 27 Feed roller 31 Die roll 32 Molding recess 33 Molding projection 34 Suction hole 41 Segment 42 Stock solution hopper 43 Pump unit 44 Delivery pipe 51 Scraping brush 52 Forward conveyor 53 Free roller 54 Conveyor a Main body b Small projection c Opening M Marking N Contents P Pocket S Outer sheet S 'Blank sheet

Claims (6)

The outer skin sheet is supplied between the pair of die rolls in a face-to-face contact state, and the outer sheet is joined by the butt action of the die roll, and the contents are supplied to the outer skin sheet in accordance with the joining. In a method of manufacturing a soft capsule containing contents inside,
The outer skin sheet is irradiated with a laser beam oscillated from a laser marker machine before being joined by a pair of die rolls, and appropriate markings applied to the soft capsule in advance at the stage of the outer skin sheet before capsule molding. A soft capsule manufacturing method for performing printing at a sheet stage, characterized by being applied.
The irradiation of the laser beam to the outer skin sheet is characterized in that the laser light oscillated from the laser marker machine is once reflected by a reflecting plate, and this reflected light is irradiated to the outer skin sheet almost vertically. The soft capsule manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein printing is performed in a sheet stage.
The die roll is formed with a molding concave portion corresponding to the completed shape of the soft capsule on the surface, and a pocket portion for accommodating contents is formed by deforming the outer skin sheet along the molding concave portion. Is formed on the sheet,
The soft capsule for performing printing at the sheet stage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotation of the die roll is controlled so that the marking applied in advance at the stage of the outer sheet matches the molding recess of the die roll. Production method.
A sheet molding section for forming a substantially constant thickness of the outer shell sheet from the molten outer shell raw material;
Capsule molding part responsible for joining the outer sheet supplied between the die rolls by the butt action of the pair of die rolls;
A content supply unit that supplies the content to the outer sheet as the outer sheet is joined,
In an apparatus for producing a soft capsule whose contents are covered by a skin part made of a skin sheet,
This apparatus is provided with a laser marker machine for irradiating a laser beam until the outer sheet formed by the sheet molding unit is transferred between a pair of die rolls,
A soft capsule manufacturing apparatus for performing printing in a sheet stage, wherein the outer sheet is laser-printed with appropriate markings to be formed on each soft capsule in the sheet stage before capsule molding.
5. The printing in the sheet stage according to claim 4, wherein the laser marker machine comprises a reflecting plate, and irradiates the outer sheet with the laser beam reflected by the reflecting plate substantially perpendicularly. Soft capsule manufacturing device that performs.
The die roll is formed with a molding concave portion corresponding to the finished shape of the soft capsule on the surface, and the outer skin sheet is deformed along the molding concave portion to accommodate the contents. Is formed,
The capsule molding part is provided with a control mechanism for controlling the rotation of the die roll. By this control mechanism, the markings that have been laser-printed at the stage of the outer sheet are aligned with the molding recesses of the die roll. 6. The soft capsule manufacturing apparatus for performing printing at a sheet stage according to claim 4, wherein rotation is controlled.

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