JP4987351B2 - Stir processing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an agitation processing apparatus that performs processing such as mixing, granulation, or coating of powder particles in the field of manufacturing pharmaceuticals, chemicals, foods, agricultural chemicals, feeds, cosmetics, fine chemicals, and the like.

In this type of agitation processing apparatus, normally, a stirring blade for stirring and mixing powder particles is disposed at the bottom of the processing container, and a crushing blade called a cross screw (or chopper) is disposed at the side of the processing container. (For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 below).
JP-A-5-236 JP-A-5-115766

  The clearance between the lower edge of the stirring blade and the bottom inner surface of the processing vessel depends on the particle size and physical properties of the material to be processed, the supply amount and physical properties of additive liquid (binder liquid, film liquid, etc.), and other operating conditions. Accordingly, it is necessary to adjust to the optimum size, but in the conventional apparatus, the vertical position of the stirring blade with respect to the rotation drive shaft is adjusted by a spacer to adjust the clearance. For this reason, each time the clearance is initially set or changed, an operation of attaching and detaching the stirring blade to the rotary drive shaft is required, which is complicated.

  In addition, when cleaning the inside of the processing container, there are many cases where the lower edge of the stirring blade and the deposit on the rear side with respect to the rotation direction and the deposit around the bottom of the processing container cannot be sufficiently washed away.

  An object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily adjust the clearance between the lower edge of the stirring blade and the inner surface of the bottom of the processing vessel.

  Another object of the present invention is to enhance the cleaning effect.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a processing container in which a granular material as an object to be processed is accommodated, a stirring blade rotatably disposed at the bottom of the processing container, a lower edge of the stirring blade, and a processing And a clearance adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the clearance between the inner surface of the bottom of the container in a variable manner, and the clearance adjustment mechanism can adjust the raising / lowering position of the stirring blade with respect to the inner surface of the bottom of the processing container in a stepless manner. with the clearance can be adjusted by the variable steplessly during the processing while maintaining the rotation state of the stirring blade, it has a large the clearance than when processing the object to be processed, and a stirring blade in the cleaning solution Provided is an agitation processing apparatus characterized in that an agitation blade can be raised to a predetermined position at the time of washing that can be rotated .

By the clearance adjustment mechanism, the raising and lowering position of the stirring blade with respect to the bottom inner surface of the processing vessel is adjusted steplessly, and the clearance between the lower edge of the stirring blade and the bottom inner surface of the processing vessel is adjusted steplessly, Without removing the agitating blade from the rotation drive shaft, while processing the workpiece , while maintaining the rotating state of the agitating blade, the clearance is adjusted to the particle size, physical properties, and addition of the granular material that is the workpiece. It can be easily and accurately adjusted to an optimum size according to the supply amount and physical properties of the liquid (binder liquid, membrane liquid, etc.) and other operating conditions. In addition, the clearance adjustment mechanism raises the stirring blade to an optimal predetermined cleaning position according to the cleaning conditions, and performs cleaning while rotating in the cleaning liquid , so that the lower edge of the stirring blade and the periphery of the bottom of the processing vessel The deposits can be washed off effectively .

The said structure WHEREIN: It is preferable that a clearance adjustment mechanism can raise a stirring blade to the validation position which has the said clearance larger than the time of washing | cleaning. Thus, the state after washing can be easily and reliably confirmed by raising the stirring blade to the optimum validation position without attaching or detaching the stirring blade to / from the rotary drive shaft.

For example, by collecting cleaning liquid inside the processing container and rotating it at the cleaning position to perform cleaning, deposits around the lower edge of the stirring blade and the bottom of the processing container can be effectively washed off. At that time, the cleaning liquid is accumulated in the processing container, and the stirring blade is rotated in the rotation direction during operation (forward rotation), or is rotated in the opposite direction to the operation (reverse rotation), or the forward rotation and the reverse rotation are appropriately performed. It may be repeated. Thereby, the deposit | attachment adhering to the inner surface of a processing container, a stirring blade, etc. can be wash | cleaned cleanly. In particular, by performing washing while rotating the agitating blade forward and backward, deposits on the back side of the agitating blade which are difficult to be removed by normal washing can be effectively washed off.

  Furthermore, the present invention includes a processing container in which an object to be processed is stored, a stirring blade rotatably disposed at the bottom of the processing container, and an exhaust unit having a solid-gas separation filter. Provides a stirring device provided inside the processing vessel.

By the clearance adjustment mechanism, the raising and lowering position of the stirring blade with respect to the bottom inner surface of the processing vessel is adjusted steplessly, and the clearance between the lower edge of the stirring blade and the bottom inner surface of the processing vessel is adjusted steplessly, Without removing the agitating blade from the rotary drive shaft, the clearance is easily adjusted to the optimum size according to the operating conditions while maintaining the rotating state of the agitating blade during processing of the workpiece. It can be adjusted well. In addition, the clearance adjustment mechanism raises the stirring blade to an optimal predetermined cleaning position according to the cleaning conditions, and performs cleaning while rotating in the cleaning liquid , so that the lower edge of the stirring blade and the periphery of the bottom of the processing vessel The deposits can be washed off effectively .

Also, if the clearance adjustment mechanism can raise the stirring blade to the validation position having the clearance larger than that at the time of cleaning, the stirring blade can be moved to the optimum validation position without attaching or detaching the stirring blade to the rotation drive shaft. The state after washing can be confirmed easily and reliably.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the agitation processing apparatus according to this embodiment.

  The lower part of the processing container 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom 2a and side parts 2b, and the outer surface side is covered with a jacket 3 from the bottom part 2a to the upper part of the side part 2b. Between the inner surface of the jacket 3 and the outer surface of the processing container 2 covered with the jacket 3 is a flow path of a heating medium, for example, heated water, and the heated water controlled to a predetermined temperature is circulated through the flow path. Thus, the processing container 2 can be heated to a predetermined temperature.

  An upper end of the side portion 2b of the processing container 2 is opened, and a lid 3 constituting an upper portion of the processing container 2 is attached to the opening portion so as to be freely opened and closed by an appropriate opening / closing mechanism (not shown). The lid 3 is provided with an insertion port 4 for inserting a liquid supply means (not shown) such as a spray nozzle, and an exhaust part 5 for exhausting the air in the processing container 2. Further, although not shown, a hot air supply port, an inspection window, an insertion port for the cleaning liquid supply means, and the like are installed in the lid 3 as necessary.

  A stirring blade 7 is rotatably disposed on the bottom 2a of the processing container 2. The agitating blade 7 is rotated while maintaining a slight clearance between the inner surface of the bottom portion 2a and the inner surface of the side portion 2b (three in the example shown in FIG. 2), and a plurality of blade portions 7a. Is connected to the head portion 7b.

  Further, a cross screw (crushing blade) 6 is disposed on the side portion 2 b of the processing container 2. The cross screw 6 receives rotational power from the motor 8 and the speed reducer 9 and rotates around the horizontal axis.

  As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 3, the rotational drive shaft 7 c of the stirring blade 7 is connected to the head 7 b portion and penetrates the bottom portion 2 a downward in the vertical direction and is connected to the speed reducer 10. The clearance between the lower edge of the blade portion 7a of the stirring blade 7 and the inner surface of the bottom portion 2a of the processing container 2 can be variably adjusted by a clearance adjustment mechanism described below.

  In this embodiment, the lower portion 7 c 1 of the rotational drive shaft 7 c is inserted into the hollow output shaft 10 a of the speed reducer 10 and connected by the slide spline portion 11. Rotational power from a drive motor (not shown) is input from the hollow output shaft 10a of the speed reducer 10 to the rotary drive shaft 7c via the slide spline portion 11, whereby the stirring blade 7 rotates. Further, the rotational drive shaft 7c can be moved up and down (sliding) in the vertical direction with respect to the hollow output shaft 10a by the slide spline portion 11.

  The rotary drive shaft 7c (and the stirring blade 7) can be driven up and down by, for example, the servo motor 12 and the ball screw device 13. Moreover, the guide of the raising / lowering movement of the rotational drive shaft 7c can be performed by the guide rail 14 on the fixed side and the guide 15 movable along the guide rail 14, for example. The rotary drive shaft 7c is rotatably mounted on a sleeve 16 to which a guide 15 is fixed by a bearing (not shown), and relative movement with respect to the sleeve 16 is restricted in the vertical direction. A ball nut 13 a of the ball screw device 13 is fixed to the guide 15. When the servo motor 12 is actuated, the screw shaft 13b of the ball screw device 13 is rotated, whereby the rotation drive shaft 7c is moved up and down along the guide rail 14 together with the guide 15 and the sleeve 16.

  The raising / lowering position of the rotation drive shaft 7c (and the stirring blade 7) can be adjusted steplessly to an arbitrary position by rotation control of the servo motor 12. Thereby, the clearance between the lower edge of the blade portion 7a of the stirring blade 7 and the inner surface of the bottom portion 2a of the processing vessel 2, the particle size and physical properties of the object to be processed, additive liquid (binder liquid, film agent liquid, etc.) Can be easily adjusted to an optimum size according to the supply amount, physical properties, and other operating conditions. For example, the clearance is usually about 1 mm, but the clearance (position of the stirring blade 7) can be adjusted in units of 0.1 mm by rotation control of the servo motor 12. It is also possible to obtain the clearance value from the control data of the servo motor 12 and display the value on the monitor display.

  The stirring blade 7 is driven up and down not only when the clearance is adjusted to the optimum value during operation (when processing the object to be processed), but also during cleaning and validation after cleaning. At the time of cleaning, for example, the stirring blade 7 is raised to a position where the clearance is about 5 mm. During validation, it interferes with the cross screw 6 so that it is easy to check the inner surface of the bottom 2a of the processing vessel 2, the lower edge side of the blade portion 7a of the stirring blade 7 and the back side in the rotational direction (during operation), etc. The stirring blade 7 is greatly raised within the range not to be used.

  The raising and lowering movement of the stirring blade 7 at least during clearance adjustment and cleaning is performed within the operating range (connection range) of the slide spline portion 11 that connects the rotary drive shaft 7c and the hollow output shaft 10a. That is, the power transmission path from the drive source (motor) to the stirring blade 7 is maintained in the connected state during and after the up-and-down movement. Accordingly, the clearance can be finely adjusted by changing the raising / lowering position of the stirring blade 7 while maintaining the operation state not only before the operation starts but also during the operation (when processing the workpiece). . During cleaning, the cleaning liquid is stored in the processing container 2 and the stirring blade 7 is raised to a predetermined position, and the stirring blade 7 is rotated in the rotation direction during operation (forward rotation). Rotate in the opposite direction (reverse rotation), or repeat forward rotation and reverse rotation as appropriate, to cleanly clean the deposits (object to be processed and solidified additive liquid) adhering to the inner surface of the processing vessel 2 and the stirring blade 7 can do. Since cleaning is performed by rotating the stirring blade 7 up to a predetermined position, deposits such as the vicinity of the bottom 2a of the processing vessel 2 and the vicinity of the lower edge of the stirring blade 7 that are difficult to be removed by normal cleaning are also effective. Can be washed off. Further, by performing washing while rotating the agitating blade 7 forward and backward, the deposits on the back side of the blade portion 7a which is difficult to be removed by normal washing can be effectively washed off. During the validation, the stirring blade 7 is not driven to rotate, so that the connected state of the slide spline portion 11 may be released at the rising position of the stirring blade 7.

  FIG. 4 shows an enlarged peripheral portion of the exhaust portion 5. In this embodiment, the exhaust part 5 is stored in the filter 5a, the exhaust chamber 5b into which the gas (air) separated by the filter 5a flows, the air tank 5c in which the compressed air is stored, and the air tank 5c. The main component is a nozzle 5d that blows out the compressed air that has been discharged by a pulse jet and removes fine powder and the like adhering to the filter medium of the filter 5a. An intermediate chamber 5e is provided between the air tank 5c and the exhaust chamber 5b, and an exhaust pipe 5f and an operation valve (electromagnetic valve) 5g are provided in the intermediate chamber 5e. The operation valve 5g is connected to the air tank 5c and the nozzle 5d. The air that has been separated into solid and gas by the filter 5a and flows into the exhaust chamber 5b is discharged to the outside of the processing container 2 through the exhaust pipe 5f. Further, when the operation valve 5g opens and closes at a predetermined timing, the compressed air accumulated in the air tank 5c is ejected from the nozzle 5d as a pulse jet.

  The filter 5a may be a woven filter called a bag filter, a porous metal material, or a ceramic material, but in this embodiment, a pleated breathable resin sheet or the like (filter material) is formed into a cylinder. A cartridge type filter that is held in a retainer in the form of a cartridge is used.

  The exhaust unit 3 is installed on the lid 3, and the filter 5 a protrudes from the inner surface of the lid 3 into the processing container 2. As a result, the proportion of fine powder that rises mixed with the airflow in the processing container 2 adheres to the inner surface of the lid 3, particularly the inner surface around the installation position of the exhaust unit 5. Further, at the time of cleaning, the cleaning liquid is accumulated in the processing container 2 to a level where the filter 5a is immersed in the cleaning liquid, and the cleaning is performed by rotating the stirring blade 7 in the same manner as described above, thereby simultaneously cleaning the filter 5a. be able to.

  The agitation processing apparatus of this embodiment is often used for granulation processing of granular materials. The object to be processed put into the processing container 2 is agitated and mixed by the rotation of the stirring blade 7, and an additive liquid (binder liquid or the like) is sprayed or dropped onto the object to be processed from a liquid supply means such as a spray nozzle. The particles to be processed are wetted and agglomerated by this additive solution, and are agglomerated, dried and grown to particles of a predetermined diameter (granulation). The nodules produced by the excessive aggregation of the particles are crushed by the rotating cross screw 6 and rectified to a predetermined particle diameter.

  In addition, the stirring processing apparatus of this invention can also be comprised with the form which abbreviate | omitted said cross screw (crushing blade | wing) 6. FIG.

1 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating an overall configuration of a stirring processing apparatus according to an embodiment. It is the figure which looked at the inside of a processing container from the upper part. It is a partially expanded sectional view which shows the peripheral part of a stirring blade and its rotation drive shaft. It is a partially expanded sectional view which shows an exhaust part.

Explanation of symbols

2 Processing Vessel 2a Bottom 7 Stirring Blade 7c Rotation Drive Shaft 12 Servo Motor 13 Ball Screw Device 14 Guide Rail 15 Guide

Claims (2)

A processing container in which a granular material as an object to be processed is stored, a stirring blade rotatably disposed at the bottom of the processing container, and a lower edge of the stirring blade and an inner surface of the bottom of the processing container With a clearance adjustment mechanism that allows variable and adjustable clearance,
The clearance adjustment mechanism is capable of adjusting the elevation position of the stirring blade with respect to the inner surface of the bottom of the processing container in a stepless manner, and maintaining the rotation state of the stirring blade during processing of the workpiece without stepping the clearance. together can be adjusted by the variable, the have a large the clearance than when processing the object to be treated, and possible is increasing the stirring blade the stirring blade to a predetermined position when the rotatable wash in the wash liquor An agitation processing apparatus characterized by the above.   The agitation processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the clearance adjustment mechanism can raise the agitation blade to a validation position having the clearance larger than that during cleaning.

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