Sheet manufacturing apparatus

Abstract

The present invention provides a sheet manufacturing apparatus for suppressing retention of fibers between a defibrator and a separator. A sheet manufacturing device (1) is provided with: a defibrating machine (30) which has a defibrating blade (500) and a discharge duct (391), defibrates a material by means of the defibrating blade (500), and discharges defibrated materials including fibers from the discharge duct (391); a separator (40) that has an introduction duct (409) from which the defibrated material is introduced, and a separation filter (431) that separates and takes out fibers from the defibrated material by means of the separation filter (431); a stacking unit (50) that stacks the fibers supplied from the separator (40) to form a web (W); and a forming unit (70) that compresses the web (W) to form a sheet (P1), the separator (40) being disposed directly below the defibrator (30), and the leading end of the introduction duct (409) and the leading end of the discharge duct (391) being disposed so as to face each other.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a thin sheet manufacturing device. Background Art

[0002] There has long been a known apparatus for manufacturing sheets and the like using fibers obtained by defibration of waste paper and the like. Among such apparatuses, there are apparatuses having a separation mechanism for screening the defibrated fibers and unnecessary components. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a fiber body manufacturing apparatus having a defibration device and a screening unit. In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a fiber body stacking apparatus having a defibration unit and a separation device.

[0003] However, in the devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, there is a problem that fibers and the like are easily retained between the defibration mechanism and the separation mechanism. Specifically, since the defibration mechanism has a rotating part, it is easy to vibrate during operation. In order to suppress the propagation of the above-mentioned vibration to the separation mechanism, it is very common to use a flexible pipe to connect the defibration mechanism and the separation mechanism. In this case, it is easy to produce a height difference in the internal path at the connection point between the defibration mechanism and the flexible pipe, and the connection point between the flexible pipe and the separation mechanism. There is a possibility that fibers and the like are retained around these height differences. The retention of fibers will make the supply state of the fibers unstable, and sometimes lead to a reduction in the quality of the manufactured thin sheets. That is, a thin sheet manufacturing device that suppresses the retention of fibers between the defibration mechanism and the separation mechanism is required.

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-18829

[0005] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-121294 Summary of the invention

[0006] The sheet manufacturing device uses a material containing fibers to manufacture sheets, and comprises: a defibrator having a defibrator blade and a discharge pipe, and the material is defibrated by the defibrator blade, and the defibrated material containing the fibers is discharged from the discharge pipe; a separator, which is a disc type and has an introduction pipe and a separation filter, the defibrated material is introduced into the separator from the introduction pipe, and the separator uses the separation filter to separate and take out the fibers from the defibrated material; a stacking section, which stacks the fibers supplied from the separator through an air flow to form a sheet; a sheet forming section, which compresses the sheet to form the sheet, and the separator is arranged directly below the defibrator, and the top end of the introduction pipe of the separator and the top end of the discharge pipe of the defibrator are arranged opposite to each other. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a sheet manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment.

[0008] Figure 2 It is a perspective view showing the configuration of the defibrator and the separator.

[0009] Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic structure of the defibrator and the separator.

[0010] Figure 4 It is a cross-sectional view showing the detailed structure of the defibrator.

[0011] Figure 5 It is a perspective view showing the appearance of the rotating blade etc.

[0012] Figure 6 It is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the defibration chamber and the screen member.

[0013] Figure 7 It is a cross-sectional view showing the flow of waste paper and defibrated fibers.

[0014] Figure 8 It is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the configuration of the first separation chamber.

[0015] Fig. 9 It is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the second separation chamber.

[0016] Fig.10 It is a plan view showing the arrangement of the first separation chamber and the second separation chamber relative to the rotating member.

[0017] Fig.11 It is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the first plate, the second plate, and the buffer member.

[0018] Fig.12 It is a plan perspective view showing the arrangement of the buffer component.

[0019] Fig.13 It is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of the first gasket and the second gasket.

[0020] Fig.14 It is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the airtight structure between the exhaust pipe and the inlet pipe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In the following embodiments, a sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 for regenerating paper sheets such as waste paper in a dry manner is exemplified as a sheet manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing sheets from a material containing fibers, and is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to a dry method, but may also be a wet method. In addition, in this specification, a dry method refers to a process that is not performed in a liquid but is performed in air such as the atmosphere.

[0022] In the following drawings, the XYZ axes are marked as mutually orthogonal coordinate axes, and the direction indicated by each arrow mark is set as the + direction, and the direction opposite to the + direction is set as the - direction. The Z axis is an imaginary axis along the vertical direction, the +Z direction is set as the upper direction, and the -Z direction is set as the lower direction. The -Z direction is the direction in which gravity acts. In addition, in the sheet manufacturing device 1, the target side of the conveying direction of the raw material, the sheet, and the sheet is sometimes referred to as the downstream, and the side of the retracing conveying direction is referred to as the upstream. For the convenience of illustration, the size of each component is different from the actual situation.

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a first unit group 101, a second unit group 102, and a third unit group 103. The first unit group 101, the second unit group 102, and the third unit group 103 are supported by a frame (not shown). Figure 1 In the figure, the directions in which the waste paper C, the thin sheet P3, the thin strips S, and the useless end materials etc. move are shown by white hollow arrow marks.

[0024] The sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 manufactures a sheet P3 using waste paper C as a fiber-containing material. In the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1, the first unit group 101, the third unit group 103, and the second unit group 102 are arranged from the -Y direction toward the +Y direction when viewed from the side from the -X direction.

[0025] The waste paper C is transported from the first unit group 101 to the second unit group 102 via the pipe 21 that crosses the third unit group 103. The waste paper C is defibrated in the second unit group 102 to become fibers, and then formed into a mixture containing a binder and the like. The mixture is transported to the third unit group 103 via the pipe 24. The mixture is formed into a web W in the third unit group 103, and then formed into a strip-shaped sheet P1. The strip-shaped sheet P1 is cut in the first unit group 101 to become a sheet P3.

[0026] The first unit group 101 has a buffer tank 13, a quantitative supply unit 15, a confluence unit 17, and a pipe 21. In the first unit group 101, these structures are arranged in the above order from the upstream to the downstream. In addition, the first unit group 101 also has a first cutting unit 81, a second cutting unit 82, a tray 84, and a shredding unit 86. The first cutting unit 81 and the second cutting unit 82 cut the strip-shaped sheet P1 into a sheet P3 of a predetermined shape. In addition, the first unit group 101 has a water supply unit 67. The water supply unit 67 is a water storage tank. The water supply unit 67 supplies water for humidification to the first humidification unit 65 and the second humidification unit 66 described later, respectively, using a water supply pipe not shown in the figure.

[0027] Waste paper C is fed into the buffer tank 13 from the material inlet 11. The waste paper C contains fibers such as cellulose and is, for example, shredded waste paper. Humidified air is supplied to the buffer tank 13 from the second humidifying unit 66 included in the third unit group 103.

[0028] The defibrated waste paper C is temporarily stored in the buffer tank 13 and then conveyed to the fixed quantity supply unit 15 according to the operation of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1. The sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 may include a pulverizer for shredding the waste paper C and the like on the upstream side of the buffer tank 13.

[0029] The fixed quantity supply unit 15 includes a meter 15a and a supply mechanism (not shown). The meter 15a measures the mass of the waste paper C. The supply mechanism supplies the waste paper C measured in the meter 15a to the downstream confluence unit 17. That is, the fixed quantity supply unit 15 measures the waste paper C at each predetermined mass in the meter 15a, and supplies the waste paper C to the downstream confluence unit 17 by the supply mechanism.

[0030] Any digital or analog measuring mechanism can be used in the measuring device 15a. Specifically, physical sensors such as load cells, spring balances, and balances can be cited as the measuring device 15a. In this embodiment, a load cell is used as the measuring device 15a. The predetermined mass of the waste paper C measured by the measuring device 15a is, for example, several grams to several tens of grams.

[0031] As the supply mechanism, a known technique such as a vibration feeder can be applied. The supply mechanism may be a structure included in the weighing device 15a.

[0032] The measurement and supply of waste paper C in the quantitative supply unit 15 is a batch process. That is, the supply of waste paper C from the quantitative supply unit 15 to the confluence unit 17 is intermittently performed. The quantitative supply unit 15 may include a plurality of weighing devices 15a, and the plurality of weighing devices 15a may be operated at different times to improve the efficiency of measurement.

[0033] In the confluence section 17, the shredded pieces of the sliver pieces S supplied from the shredder section 86 are merged with and mixed with the waste paper C supplied from the fixed quantity supply section 15. The sliver pieces S and the shredder section 86 will be described later. The waste paper C mixed with the shredded pieces flows from the confluence section 17 into the pipe 21.

[0034] The pipe 21 conveys the waste paper C from the first unit group 101 to the second unit group 102 by an airflow generated by a blower (not shown).

[0035] The second unit group 102 has a defibrator 30 as a dry defibrator, a separator 40, a pipe 23, a mixing unit 91, and a pipe 24. In the second unit group 102, these structures are arranged in the above order from upstream to downstream. In addition, the second unit group 102 also has a recovery unit 95, a compressor 97, a power supply unit 99, a pipe 25 connected to the separator 40, and an airflow pipe 451.

[0036] The waste paper C conveyed by the pipe 21 flows into the defibrator 30. The defibrator 30 defibrates the waste paper C supplied from the fixed quantity supply unit 15 in a dry manner to form fibers. In the defibrator 30, a known defibrator mechanism can be applied. In the defibrator 30, the fibers entangled in the paper pieces of the waste paper C are disassembled to form a defibrated material containing fibers, which is conveyed to the separator 40. The details of the defibrator 30 will be described later.

[0037] The separator 40 separates the defibrated fibers. Specifically, the separator 40 removes the components contained in the fibers that are useless in the manufacture of the sheet P3. That is, the separator 40 separates the longer fibers from the shorter fibers. Since the shorter fibers may reduce the strength of the sheet P3, they are screened out and excluded in the separator 40. In addition, the separator 40 also excludes the color materials and additives contained in the waste paper C. The separator 40 is a disc type. The details of the separator 40 will also be described later.

[0038] The humidified air is supplied to the separator 40 from the second humidifying section 66 of the third unit group 103 .

[0039] Shorter fibers and the like are removed from the defibrated fibers and are transported to the mixing section 91 via the pipe 23 by an airflow generated by a blower (not shown) disposed at the top of the airflow pipe 451. Unnecessary components such as shorter fibers and color materials are discharged to the recovery section 95 via the pipe 25.

[0040] The mixing unit 91 mixes the binder material and the like with the fibers in the air to form a mixture. Although not shown in the figure, the mixing unit 91 includes a flow channel for conveying the fibers, a fan, a hopper, a supply pipe, and a valve.

[0041] The hopper is connected to the fiber flow channel via a supply pipe. A valve is provided in the supply pipe between the hopper and the flow channel. The hopper supplies adhesive materials such as starch into the flow channel. The valve adjusts the mass of the adhesive material supplied from the hopper to the flow channel. Thus, the mixing ratio of the fiber and the adhesive material is adjusted.

[0042] The mixing unit 91 may include a similar structure for supplying a coloring material, an additive, etc., in addition to the above-mentioned structure for supplying the binder.

[0043] The fan of the mixing unit 91 generates an airflow to transport the fibers downstream and mix the binder and the like into the air to form a mixture. The mixture flows from the mixing unit 91 into the pipe 24 .

[0044] The recovery unit 95 includes a filter (not shown). The filter removes unnecessary components such as short fibers conveyed from the pipe 25 by the airflow.

[0045] The compressor 97 generates compressed air. The filter may be clogged by fine particles of unnecessary components. The compressed air generated by the compressor 97 is blown onto the filter to blow away the attached particles and clean the filter.

[0046] The power supply unit 99 includes a control unit 5 and a power supply device (not shown) for supplying power to the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1. The power supply unit 99 distributes the power supplied from the outside to each component of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1. The control unit 5 is electrically connected to each component of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1, and comprehensively controls the operation of these components.

[0047] The third unit group 103 accumulates and compresses the mixture containing fibers to form a strip-shaped sheet P1 as recycled paper. The third unit group 103 includes an accumulation unit 50, a first conveying unit 61, a second conveying unit 62, a first humidifying unit 65, a second humidifying unit 66, a drainage unit 68, and a forming unit 70 as a sheet forming unit.

[0048] In the third unit group 103 , the stacking unit 50 , the first conveying unit 61 , the second conveying unit 62 , the first humidifying unit 65 , and the shaping unit 70 are arranged in the above order from upstream to downstream.

[0049] The accumulation unit 50 accumulates the mixture including the fibers supplied from the separator 40 by airflow and gravity to form a web W. The accumulation unit 50 includes a drum member 53, a blade member 55 provided in the drum member 53, a housing 51 for housing the drum member 53, and a suction unit 59. The mixture is introduced into the drum member 53 from the pipe 24.

[0050] The first conveyor 61 is disposed below the stacking unit 50. The first conveyor 61 includes a mesh belt 61a and five extension rollers (not shown) for extending the mesh belt 61a. The suction unit 59 faces the roller member 53 via the mesh belt 61a in the direction along the Z axis.

[0051] The blade member 55 is located inside the drum member 53 and is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown). The drum member 53 is a semi-cylindrical sieve. A net having the function of a sieve is provided on the side of the drum member 53 facing downward. The drum member 53 allows particles such as fibers and mixtures that are smaller than the size of the opening of the sieve net to pass from the inside to the outside.

[0052] The mixture is stirred by the blade member 55 rotating in the drum member 53 and released to the outside of the drum member 53. The inside of the drum member 53 is supplied with humidified air from the second humidifying unit 66.

[0053] The suction unit 59 is arranged below the roller member 53. The suction unit 59 sucks the air in the housing 51 through the multiple holes of the mesh belt 61a. Thus, an airflow is generated to deposit the mixture on the mesh belt 61a. The multiple holes of the mesh belt 61a allow air to pass through, and it is difficult for fibers and adhesive materials contained in the mixture to pass through. Thus, the mixture released to the outside of the roller member 53 is sucked downward together with the air. The suction unit 59 is a well-known suction device such as a blower.

[0054] The mixture is dispersed in the air in the housing 51 , and is deposited on the upper surface of the mesh belt 61 a to form a web W by gravity and the airflow generated by the suction unit 59 .

[0055] The mesh belt 61a is an endless belt and is stretched by five stretching rollers. The mesh belt 61a is stretched by the self-rotation of the stretching rollers. Figure 1 The first conveying unit 61 conveys the formed web W to the downstream through the rotation of the web belt 61a.

[0056] The second conveying unit 62 conveys the web W instead of the first conveying unit 61 at the downstream of the first conveying unit 61. The second conveying unit 62 peels the web W from the surface above the mesh belt 61a and conveys the web W toward the forming unit 70. The second conveying unit 62 is located above the conveying path of the web W and is arranged slightly upstream of the starting point of the return side of the mesh belt 61a. The +Y direction of the second conveying unit 62 and the -Y direction of the mesh belt 61a partially overlap in the vertical direction.

[0057] The second conveying unit 62 includes a conveyor belt (not shown), a plurality of rollers, and a suction mechanism. The conveyor belt is provided with a plurality of holes for allowing air to pass through. The conveyor belt is stretched over a plurality of rollers and rotated by the rotation of the rollers.

[0058] The second conveying unit 62 uses the negative pressure generated by the suction mechanism to suck the upper surface of the web W onto the lower surface of the conveyor belt. By rotating the conveyor belt in this state, the web W is sucked onto the conveyor belt and conveyed downstream.

[0059] The first humidifying section 65 humidifies the web W containing fibers accumulated in the accumulation section 50 of the third unit group 103. Specifically, the first humidifying section 65 is, for example, a mist humidifier, which supplies mist M from below to the web W conveyed by the second conveying section 62 for humidification. The first humidifying section 65 is arranged below the second conveying section 62 and is opposite to the web W conveyed by the second conveying section 62 in the direction along the Z axis. In the first humidifying section 65, for example, a known humidifying device such as an ultrasonic type can be applied.

[0060] By using the mist M to humidify the web W, the function of starch as a bonding material can be promoted, thereby improving the strength of the sheet P3. In addition, since the humidification is performed from below relative to the web W, water droplets from the mist are prevented from falling onto the web W. Furthermore, since the humidification is performed from the opposite side of the contact surface between the conveyor belt and the web W, the adhesion of the web W to the conveyor belt is reduced. The second conveyor 62 conveys the web W to the forming section 70.

[0061] The forming section 70 includes process rollers 71 and 72. The process rollers 71 and 72 compress the web W containing fibers to form the web W into a strip-shaped sheet P1. The process rollers 71 and 72 form a pair and each of the process rollers 71 and 72 has an electric heater built therein to increase the temperature of the roller surface.

[0062] The process rollers 71 and 72 are substantially cylindrical members. The rotation axes of the process rollers 71 and 72 are arranged along the X axis. With respect to the conveying path of the web W, the process rollers 71 are arranged substantially above, and the process rollers 72 are arranged substantially below.

[0063] The processing roller 72 is driven to rotate by an actuator such as a stepping motor. The processing roller 71 is not driven by a motor or the like, but is a driven roller that rotates in conjunction with the processing roller 72. The processing roller 71 rotates in the opposite direction to the processing roller 72 when viewed from the side in the -X direction.

[0064] The web W is fed downstream while being heated and pressurized while being sandwiched between the processing rollers 71 and 72. That is, the web W continuously passes through the forming section 70 and is press-formed while being heated. By using the processing rollers 71 and 72 as a pair of forming members, the web W can be efficiently heated and pressurized.

[0065] The web W passes through the shaping unit 70 , whereby the air contained therein is reduced from an air-rich and soft state, and the fibers are bonded together by the bonding material, thereby being shaped into a strip-shaped sheet P1 . The strip-shaped sheet P1 is conveyed to the first unit group 101 by conveying rollers (not shown).

[0066] The second humidifying unit 66 is disposed below the first humidifying unit 65. A known vaporization humidifying device can be applied to the second humidifying unit 66. Examples of the vaporization humidifying device include a device that allows air to pass through a wet nonwoven fabric or the like to vaporize moisture to generate humidified air.

[0067] The second humidifying unit 66 humidifies a predetermined area of ​​the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1. The predetermined area refers to one or more of the buffer tank 13, the separator 40, and the inside of the drum member 53 of the stacking unit 50. Specifically, humidified air is supplied to the above-mentioned area from the second humidifying unit 66 via a plurality of pipes (not shown). The humidified air suppresses the charging of waste paper C and fibers in the above-mentioned structures, thereby suppressing the adhesion to the components caused by these static electricity.

[0068] The drain unit 68 is a drain tank. The drain unit 68 collects and stores water that has been used and aged in the first humidifying unit 65 and the second humidifying unit 66. The drain unit 68 can be removed from the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 as needed to discard the accumulated water.

[0069] The strip-shaped sheet P1 conveyed to the first unit group 101 arrives at the first cutting unit 81. The first cutting unit 81 cuts the strip-shaped sheet P1 in a direction intersecting the conveying direction, for example, in a direction along the X axis. The strip-shaped sheet P1 is cut into single sheets P2 in the first cutting unit 81. The single sheets P2 are conveyed from the first cutting unit 81 to the second cutting unit 82.

[0070] The second cutting unit 82 cuts the single sheet P2 in the conveying direction, for example, in the direction along the Y axis. Specifically, the second cutting unit 82 cuts the single sheet P2 near the sides along the direction of the X axis. Thus, the single sheet P2 becomes a sheet P3 of a predetermined shape such as A4 size or A3 size.

[0071] When the single sheet P2 is cut into sheets P3 in the second cutting section 82, thin strips S are produced as end materials. The thin strips S are transported in the substantially -Y direction and reach the shredder section 86 as a pulverizer. The shredder section 86 shreds the thin strips S and supplies the shredded pieces to the confluence section 17. Between the shredder section 86 and the confluence section 17, a mechanism for measuring the shredded pieces of the thin strips S and supplying them to the confluence section 17 may be provided.

[0072] The sheet P3 is conveyed substantially upward and collected on the tray 84. In the above manner, the sheet P3 is manufactured by the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1. The sheet P3 can be used as a substitute for copy paper or the like, for example.

[0073] like Figure 2 As shown, the defibrator 30 and the separator 40 are arranged along the Z axis, and the separator 40 is arranged directly below the defibrator 30. Figure 2 In the figure, the structure downstream of the pipe 25 and the structure on the blower side of the air flow pipe 451 are omitted.

[0074] The defibrator 30 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped package 399. Inside the package 399, a main body 301 of the defibrator 30 including a defibrator blade described later and the like is housed.

[0075] A driving unit 387 is additionally provided in the +X direction of the package 399. The driving unit 387 includes an electric motor (not shown) for the defibrator 30, and drives the defibrator blade to rotate via a driving belt 389.

[0076] like Figure 3 As shown, the defibrator 30 has a main body 301 and a discharge duct 391. The main body 301 includes a defibrillating blade 500, a housing 351, and a screen member 321. The screen member 321 covers the defibrillating blade 500, and the housing 351 covers the screen member 321.

[0077] The defibrator 30 defibrates the waste paper C, which is a fiber-containing material, with the defibration blades 500 to obtain a defibrated product containing fibers.

[0078] The discharge duct 391 is arranged below the defibration blade 500. The discharge duct 391 protrudes downward from the main body 301 of the defibration machine 30. The defibrated material is discharged from the discharge duct 391 to the separator 40 below. Since the discharge duct 391 protrudes downward, gravity can be used to discharge the defibrated material from the discharge duct 391.

[0079] The separator 40 includes an introduction duct 409, a frame 410, a rotating member 423, and a separation filter 431. The separator 40 uses the rotating member 423 and the separation filter 431 to separate and take out fibers that will become the raw material of the sheet P3 from the defibrated material.

[0080] A first separation chamber 411 and a second separation chamber 412, which are formed by a front portion 411a and a rear portion 411b, are provided inside the frame 410. The first separation chamber 411 is arranged in a substantially +Y direction, and the second separation chamber 412 is arranged in a substantially -Y direction in the frame 410. The pipe 25 and the airflow pipe 451 are arranged below the frame 410.

[0081] The introduction duct 409 of the separator 40 protrudes upward from the frame 410 of the separator 40. The top end of the introduction duct 409 and the top end of the discharge duct 391 in the defibrator 30 are arranged opposite to each other in the direction along the Z axis. The top of the introduction duct 409 is connected to the inside of the discharge duct 391, and the bottom is connected to the first separation chamber 411 of the frame 410. Therefore, the flow of the defibrated material from the discharge duct 391 to the introduction duct 409 is smoother, so that the retention of fibers and the like can be further suppressed.

[0082] The first separation chamber 411 includes a front portion 411a and a rear portion 411b. The front portion 411a and the rear portion 411b are arranged in the direction along the Z axis. The front portion 411a is arranged above the rear portion 411b. A rotating member 423 and a separation filter 431 are provided at the boundary between the front portion 411a and the rear portion 411b.

[0083] In the separator 40, the defibrated material is introduced into the front portion 411a of the first separation chamber 411 from the introduction duct 409. The introduction duct 409 is disposed above the rotating member 423 and the separation filter 431. Thus, gravity can be used to introduce the defibrated material from the introduction duct 409 into the front portion 411a.

[0084] The pipe 25 is connected to the lower part of the rear part 411b. The rear part 411b is connected to the inside of the pipe 25. The airflow pipe 451 is arranged in the -Y direction of the pipe 25. The inside of the airflow pipe 451 is connected to the inside of the second separation chamber 412.

[0085] like Figure 4 As shown, the pipe 21 is connected to the upper part of the −Y direction of the main body 301 of the defibrator 30. The waste paper C is introduced from the pipe 21 through the supply port 314 into the defibration chamber 311 which is the inside of the screen member 321.

[0086] The defibration blade 500 includes a rotation blade 503 and a rotation shaft 501. The rotation shaft 501 is a shaft member extending along the Y axis. The defibration blade 500 has a rotationally symmetrical shape with respect to the central axis AR of the rotation shaft 501. The central axis AR also extends along the Y axis.

[0087] The rotating blade 503 is accommodated in the defibration chamber 311. The rotating shaft 501 protrudes in the +Y direction and the -Y direction from the defibration chamber 311. The rotating shaft 501 is rotatably supported by the corresponding bearings 302 in the +Y direction and the -Y direction.

[0088] The rotary blade 503 is driven by the driving unit 387 and rotates about the central axis AR in the defibration chamber 311. The rotation of the rotary blade 503 causes the waste paper C to be shredded and defibrated in a dry manner to form a defibrated material containing fibers.

[0089] The recovery chamber 312 is arranged so as to surround the defibrination chamber 311. The recovery chamber 312 is a space surrounded by the screen member 321 and the casing portion 351.

[0090] like Figure 5 As shown, the defibration blade 500 includes a base 502 in addition to the above-mentioned rotation shaft 501 and the rotation blade 503. The base 502 is a substantially cylindrical component, and the height direction of the cylinder is along the Y axis. When the rotation blade 503 is viewed from the side in the +Y direction, it is composed of a plurality of blades protruding radially from the base 502. The defibration blade 500 rotates in the rotation direction CR with the central axis AR as the rotation center.

[0091] like Figure 6 As shown, the screen member 321 is arranged in a manner to cover the plurality of rotating blades 503. Figure 6 A portion of the screen member 321 is omitted in the figure.

[0092] The waste paper C contains cellulose fibers. In the defibration chamber 311, the waste paper C is broken into pieces by the rotation of the rotary blade 503, and further, the pieces are turned into defibrated matter containing fibers.

[0093] The screen member 321 has a plurality of holes in the region corresponding to the rotating blade 503. The plurality of holes allow fibers generated by defibration of the waste paper C to pass through, but do not allow fragments of the waste paper C or entangled fibers in the process of defibration to pass through.

[0094] like Figure 7 As shown, when viewed from the side in the +Y direction, the screen member 321 covers the outside of the defibrillating blade 500, and the housing portion 351 covers the outside of the screen member 321. Figure 7 In FIG. 1 , the flow of the defibrated material generated by the waste paper C is indicated by the dotted arrows. Figure 7 In the description, unless otherwise specified, the description is based on the state of side observation from the +Y direction.

[0095] The mesh member 321 is circular, and the housing portion 351 is substantially circular. A discharge pipe 391 is connected to the lower portion of the housing portion 351 .

[0096] The center of the screen member 321 is substantially consistent with the central axis AR of the defibration blade 500. The position corresponding to the center of the housing 351 is slightly offset downward with respect to the central axis AR. The space of the recovery chamber 312 is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom.

[0097] Waste paper C (not shown) is introduced into the defibration chamber 311 from the supply port 314 and becomes defibrated material by passing through the defibration blade 500. The defibrated material passes through the screen member 321 and flows from the defibration chamber 311 into the recovery chamber 312. In the recovery chamber 312, the defibrated material moves downward toward the discharge duct 391. Then, the defibrated material is discharged downward from the discharge duct 391.

[0098] like Figure 8 As shown, the defibrated material is introduced from the discharge duct 391 to the introduction duct 409 in the manner indicated by the white hollow arrow. The introduction duct 409 is connected to the front portion 411a of the first separation chamber 411 located below. A rotating member 423 and a separation filter 431 are provided between the front portion 411a and the rear portion 411b below the front portion 411a.

[0099] The rotating member 423 is arranged above the separation filter 431. The defibrated material flowing into the front portion 411a is temporarily intercepted by the separation filter 431. The above-mentioned piping 25 is arranged below the rear portion 411b. Although not shown in the figure, a suction mechanism for sucking air from the exhaust duct 391 to the rear portion 411b is provided in the piping 25. Thus, the air in the exhaust duct 391 and the front portion 411a is sucked to the rear portion 411b.

[0100] The separation filter 431 is a substantially circular mesh member when viewed from above. The separation filter 431 is fixed to the rotating member 423. The rotating member 423 has a substantially circular shape when viewed from above. The rotating member 423 is located in the frame 410 and is configured to rotate together with the separation filter 431.

[0101] The second separation chamber 412 is arranged substantially in the -Y direction of the first separation chamber 411. The rotating member 423 and the separation filter 431 are exposed inside the first separation chamber 411 and also exposed inside the second separation chamber 412. The rotating member 423 is driven by an unillustrated electric motor for the separator 40, so that it rotates in the area exposed in the first separation chamber 411 and the area exposed in the second separation chamber 412.

[0102] like Fig. 9 As shown, in the second separation chamber 412, the front portion 412a is arranged above the air flow pipe 451, and the rear portion 412b is arranged above the front portion 412a. The rotating member 423 and the separation filter 431 are provided between the front portion 412a and the rear portion 412b.

[0103] The airflow pipe 451 is connected to the interior of the front portion 412a. A blower (not shown) is arranged at the end of the airflow pipe 451. The blower blows air into the front portion 412a via the airflow pipe 451. The airflow passes through the separation filter 431 and flows to the rear portion 412b, and further flows downstream from the pipe 23.

[0104] like Fig.10 As shown, the rotating member 423 includes an outer frame portion 424, a spoke portion 426, and a central shaft portion 428. Fig.10 In addition to the rotating member 423, the separation filter 431, the first separation chamber 411, and the second separation chamber 412 are also shown. Fig.10 In FIG. 4 , regions corresponding to the first separation chamber 411 and the second separation chamber 412 are indicated by dotted lines.

[0105] When viewed from above, the central axis 428 is circular, and the outer frame 424 is circular. The outer frame 424 is supported by the central axis 428 via eight spokes 426. The rotating member 423 is driven by the electric motor to rotate around the rotation center O. The rotation of the rotating member 423 causes the spokes 426 of the rotating member 423 and the separation filter 431 to rotate.

[0106] The defibrated material introduced into the first separation chamber 411 is intercepted by the surface of the separation filter 431 in the +Z direction. Then, the intercepted defibrated material moves together with the spoke portion 426 of the rotating member 423. At this time, the shorter fibers and particulate impurities in the defibrated material are sucked by the suction mechanism, thereby passing through the separation filter 431 and being sucked toward the rear portion 411b (not shown) and removed.

[0107] On the other hand, the longer fibers in the defibrated material that have not passed through the separation filter 431 are moved to the second separation chamber 412 while being carried on the upper surface of the separation filter 431 due to the rotation of the rotating member 423 .

[0108] As described above, in the second separation chamber 412, an airflow from the blower is generated, which flows from the front portion 412a to the rear portion 412b to the pipe 23. The longer fibers in the defibrated material are blown up from the separation filter 431 to the top of the rear portion 412b by the airflow, and are transported downstream from the pipe 23. In this way, the fibers used as the material of the sheet P3 and other unnecessary components can be screened.

[0109] like Fig.11 As shown, in the defibrator 30, since the defibrator blade 500 is driven to rotate by the driving unit 387, vibration is easily generated. In the sheet manufacturing device 1, the distance between the discharge pipe 391 and the introduction pipe 409 is short, and there is no flexible piping, etc. Therefore, the vibration of the defibrator 30 is easily transmitted to the separator 40. In this regard, in the sheet manufacturing device 1, the transmission of vibration to the separator 40 is suppressed by the structure described below.

[0110] The sheet manufacturing device 1 includes a first plate 201 and a second plate 202. The first plate 201 and the second plate 202 are both substantially rectangular plate-shaped members, and the main surface is along the XY plane. Between the defibrator 30 and the separator 40, the first plate 201 is arranged above the defibrator 30 side, and the second plate 202 is arranged below the separator 40 side.

[0111] The driving unit 387 and the package 399 of the defibrator 30 are placed and fixed on the upper surface of the first plate 201. The introduction pipe 409 of the separator 40 is supported by the lower surface of the second plate 202. Although not shown in the figure, the frame 410 of the separator 40 is fixed to the second plate 202 via a sub-frame or the like.

[0112] The first plate 201 is not fixed to the frame of the second unit group 102, but is supported on the second plate 202 via four buffer members 215. The second plate 202 is supported on the frame of the second unit group 102 via a member not shown.

[0113] The two support members 213 are fixed to the second plate 202. Each support member 213 and each of the two buffer members 215 are not fixed. In each of the four buffer members 215, the upper part thereof is fixed to the first plate 201, and the lower part thereof is fixed to the second plate 202. Thus, the first plate 201 and the second plate 202 are connected together via the four buffer members 215.

[0114] The buffer member 215 has a thickness in the direction along the Z axis and is formed of an elastic body such as rubber to attenuate the vibration generated by the defibrator 30. The thickness of the buffer member 215 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, about 30 mm. The support member 213 is a relatively elongated rail-shaped member along the Y axis, and is made of, for example, a metal plate by metal plate processing.

[0115] like Fig.12 As shown, the two support members 213 are arranged along the Y axis. Fig.12 In FIG. 2 , the first plate 201 is indicated by a dotted line.

[0116] Specifically, each support member 213 is disposed corresponding to two short sides of the first plate 201. Four buffer members 215 are arranged two by two on each support member 213 along the X-axis.

[0117] The above structure suppresses the propagation of the vibration generated by the defibrator 30 to the separator 40. As a result, the influence of the vibration on the separator 40 is suppressed, and the accuracy of screening the defibrated material in the separator 40 is improved. In addition, the number, method, and arrangement of the buffer member 215 and the support member 213 are not limited to the above description.

[0118] like Fig.13 As shown, a first gasket 231 is disposed between the discharge pipe 391 and the second plate 202. A second gasket 232 is disposed between the second plate 202 and the introduction pipe 409.

[0119] The first gasket 231 and the second gasket 232 are annular components when viewed from above. The first gasket 231 has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape, and the second gasket 232 has a substantially circular cross-sectional shape. In addition, the cross-sectional shapes of the first gasket 231 and the second gasket 232 are not limited to the above shapes, and may be substantially circular, substantially rectangular, polygonal, elliptical, or indefinite shapes, for example.

[0120] The first gasket 231 and the second gasket 232 are formed of elastic materials such as rubber. The defibrated material flowing through the discharge duct 391 and the introduction duct 409 may be humidified. Therefore, it is preferable to use a material that is difficult to be hydrolyzed for the first gasket 231 and the second gasket 232.

[0121] The discharge duct 391 is not fixed to the second plate 202. The defibrator 30 is supported by the second plate 202 via the first plate 201 and four buffer members 215. Therefore, the edge of the lower tip of the discharge duct 391 is pressed downward by the first gasket 231.

[0122] The introduction duct 409 is also not fixed to the second plate 202. As described above, the frame 410 of the separator 40 is fixed to the second plate 202 via a sub-frame or the like. The upper tip edge of the introduction duct 409 is pressed upward against the second gasket 232.

[0123] like Fig.14 As shown, the discharge pipe 391 is not connected to the inlet pipe 409. Since the discharge pipe 391 is pushed downward, the first sealing gasket 231 is slightly squeezed and deformed between the discharge pipe 391 and the second plate 202. Since the inlet pipe 409 is pushed upward, the second sealing gasket 232 is slightly squeezed and deformed between the inlet pipe 409 and the second plate 202.

[0124] The first gasket 231 and the second gasket 232 can maintain airtightness between the discharge duct 391 and the inlet duct 409. As a result, fibers and the like are prevented from flowing out in the internal path of the defibrated material from the defibrator 30 to the separator 40. In addition, the vibration of the defibrator 30 is suppressed from being propagated to the separator 40 via the discharge duct 391 and the inlet duct 409.

[0125] According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0126] Between the defibrator 30 and the separator 40, the retention of fibers and the like can be suppressed. Specifically, the separator 40 is arranged directly below the defibrator 30, and the top of the inlet pipe 409 is opposite to the top of the outlet pipe 391. That is, since the outlet pipe 391 of the defibrator 30 and the inlet pipe 409 of the separator 40 are arranged in a manner close to each other, there is no need to provide a relatively long curved pipe such as a flexible pipe between the two. Thus, the height difference is eliminated in the internal path between the defibrator 30 and the separator 40. Therefore, a sheet manufacturing device 1 that suppresses the retention of fibers and the like can be provided.

[0127] Explanation of symbols

[0128] 1…sheet manufacturing device; 30…defibrator; 40…separator; 50…stacking section; 70…forming section as sheet forming section; 201…first plate; 202…second plate; 215…buffer member; 231…first gasket; 232…second gasket; 301…main body; 391…discharge duct; 409…introduction duct; 410…frame; 431…separation filter; 500…defibrator blade; C…waste paper as material containing fibers; P1…strip-shaped sheet; P3…sheet; W…material sheet.

Claims

1. A sheet manufacturing device, which uses a material containing fibers to manufacture a sheet, and comprises: A defibrator having a defibration blade and a discharge duct, wherein the material is defibrated by the defibration blade and the defibrated material containing the fibers is discharged from the discharge duct; A separator, which is a disc type and has an introduction pipe and a separation filter, the defibrated material is introduced into the separator from the introduction pipe, and the separator separates and takes out the fibers from the defibrated material by using the separation filter; an accumulation section that accumulates the fibers supplied from the separator through an air flow to form a web; a sheet forming section which compresses the material sheet to form the sheet, The separator is arranged directly below the defibrator. The leading end of the introduction duct of the separator and the leading end of the discharge duct of the defibrator are arranged to face each other.

2. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: have: a first plate on which the defibrating machine is fixed; a second plate on which the separator is supported, A buffer member is arranged between the first plate and the second plate. The first plate and the second plate are connected together via the buffer member.

3. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: A first sealing gasket is arranged between the discharge pipe and the second plate, A second sealing gasket is arranged between the second plate and the introduction pipe. The first gasket and the second gasket maintain airtightness between the discharge pipe and the introduction pipe.

4. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The discharge duct of the defibrator is arranged below the defibrator blade and protrudes downward from a main body of the defibrator.

5. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: The introduction duct of the separator is arranged above the separation filter and protrudes upward from a frame of the separator.

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