Sheet manufacturing apparatus and sheet manufacturing method

Abstract

The invention provides a sheet manufacturing apparatus and a sheet manufacturing method. The sheet manufacturing method is characterized in that a web in which fibers are stacked is wetted, the web is conveyed downstream in a state in which the web is pressed against a first roller by a pressing roller, and after the web is nipped by a conveyance roller downstream of the first roller, the web is conveyed downstream of the conveyance roller. The pressing roller is separated from the first roller and the web to stretch the web, and the wetted web is dried by the heated first roller to manufacture a sheet.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a sheet manufacturing apparatus and a sheet manufacturing method. Background Art

[0002] In Patent Document 1, there is disclosed a sheet manufacturing apparatus that forms a sheet while continuously conveying a sheet material formed by stacking fibers by heating and pressing the sheet material using a pair of heating and pressing rollers.

[0003] However, in the sheet manufacturing apparatus of Patent Document 1, downstream of the heating and pressing roller in the sheet conveying direction, the formed sheet is dried to shrink, so that the sheet is liable to be deformed such as wrinkled.

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-204821 Summary of the Invention

[0005] The sheet manufacturing apparatus includes: a stacking unit that forms a sheet material by stacking a material containing fibers; a forming unit that forms the sheet material into a sheet by pressing and heating the sheet material; a control unit, the forming unit having: a first roller that heats the sheet material and the sheet; a second roller that sandwiches the sheet material between the second roller and the first roller; a winding roller that is disposed downstream of the first roller in the conveying direction of the sheet and winds the sheet around the first roller; a pressing roller that presses the sheet wound around the first roller against the first roller; a pressing roller moving unit that changes the position of the pressing roller, and the control unit controls the pressing roller moving unit based on the position of the leading end, which is one end on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the sheet.

[0006] The sheet manufacturing method is a sheet manufacturing method of forming a sheet material formed by stacking a material containing fibers into a sheet by pressing and heating the sheet material, and includes the following operations: forming the sheet material into the sheet by rotating the first roller while sandwiching the sheet material between the heated first roller and the second roller; conveying the sheet downstream in the conveying direction of the sheet while the sheet wound around the first roller is pressed against the first roller by the pressing roller in the pressing position, and in the sheet manufacturing method, the position of the pressing roller is changed based on the temperature of the first roller, the rotation state of the first roller, and the position of the leading end, which is one end on the downstream side of the sheet. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] Figure 1It is a schematic side view showing the sheet manufacturing apparatus according to Embodiment 1.

[0008] Figure 2 It is a schematic side view showing the forming part included in the sheet manufacturing apparatus.

[0009] Figure 3 It is a schematic side view showing the manner in which the forming part included in the sheet manufacturing apparatus forms a sheet material into a sheet.

[0010] Figure 4 It is a flow chart showing the leading edge passing process.

[0011] Figure 5 It is a schematic side view showing the forming part during the preheating operation in the leading edge passing process.

[0012] Figure 6 It is a schematic side view showing the forming part during the preheating operation in the leading edge passing process.

[0013] Figure 7 It is a schematic side view showing the forming part during the production of the leading edge of the sheet material in the leading edge passing process.

[0014] Figure 8 It is a schematic side view showing the forming part during the production of the leading edge of the sheet material in the leading edge passing process.

[0015] Figure 9 It is a schematic side view showing the forming part during the preparatory conveyance of the sheet material and the sheet in the leading edge passing process.

[0016] Figure 10 It is a schematic side view showing the forming part when the sheet is wound around the first roller in the leading edge passing process.

[0017] Figure 11 It is a schematic side view showing the forming part when the pressing roller is separated from the sheet in the leading edge passing process.

[0018] Figure 12 It is a schematic side view showing the forming part when the pressing roller comes into contact with the sheet again in the leading edge passing process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described based on the embodiments. In the following embodiments, as the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 for manufacturing sheets P1, P2, and P3 from a material containing fibers, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 for recycling waste paper and the like in a dry manner will be exemplified and described with reference to the drawings. The sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present invention is not limited to the dry type and may also be a wet type. In the present embodiment, the dry type means a method in which the process of mainly fibrillating waste paper is carried out in air such as the atmosphere and not in a liquid.

[0020] In the respective drawings, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components, and repeated descriptions are omitted. In addition, in this specification, "identical", "the same", and "simultaneous" do not only refer to completely identical cases. For example, in this specification, it is assumed that "identical", "the same", and "simultaneous" include cases that are the same under conditions taking into account measurement errors. Further, for example, in this specification, it is assumed that "identical", "the same", and "simultaneous" include cases that are the same under conditions taking into account manufacturing differences of components.

[0021] Further, for example, in this specification, it is assumed that "identical", "the same", and "simultaneous" include cases that are the same within a range not impairing functions. Thus, for example, "the dimensions of the two are the same" means that, taking into account measurement errors and manufacturing differences of components, the dimensional difference between the two is within ±5% of the dimension of one of them, and particularly preferably within ±3%.

[0022] In the respective drawings, X, Y, and Z represent three mutually orthogonal spatial axes. In this specification, the directions along these axes are defined as the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction. When specifying the orientation, the positive direction is set as "+", and the negative direction is set as "-", and the positive and negative signs are used together in the direction notations. The orientation pointed by the arrow notation in each drawing is set as the + direction, and the opposite direction of the arrow notation is set as the - direction for explanation.

[0023] The Z-axis direction represents the direction of gravity, the +Z direction represents vertically upward, and the -Z direction represents vertically downward. The plane including the X-axis and the Y-axis is defined as the X-Y plane, the plane including the X-axis and the Z-axis is defined as the X-Z plane, and the plane including the Y-axis and the Z-axis is defined as the Y-Z plane for explanation. The X-Y plane becomes a horizontal plane. Regarding the three spatial axes of X, Y, and Z for which the positive and negative directions are not defined, they are explained as the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis.

[0024] The X-axis direction is the horizontal direction along the installation surface which is the horizontal plane on which the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 is installed. The Y-axis direction is the horizontal direction along the installation surface on which the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 is installed. The Z-axis direction is the normal direction with respect to the installation surface on which the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 is installed, and is the height direction of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1.

[0025] In the following description, the +Z direction is sometimes referred to as "upward", and the -Z direction is sometimes referred to as "downward". In the following description, the target side in the conveying direction of the raw material, the sheet W, and the sheet P1, etc. in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 is sometimes referred to as "downstream", and the side in the backward conveying direction is referred to as "upstream". In the following description, one end on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the sheet W and the sheet P1, etc. is sometimes referred to as "front end". For the convenience of illustration, the sizes of the respective components are made different from the actual situation.

[0026] 1. Embodiment 1

[0027] As Figure 1 shown, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 of 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 on a frame (not shown).

[0028] In the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1, when viewed from the side in the -X direction, the first unit group 101, the third unit group 103, and the second unit group 102 are arranged in a manner that faces from the -Y direction toward the +Y direction. In Figure 1 it, the directions in which the waste paper C, the sheet W, the sheets P1, P2, P3, the strip pieces S, and the useless end materials, etc. move are shown by white hollow arrow marks.

[0029] The sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 manufactures the sheet P3 from the waste paper C which is a material containing fibers. According to the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, since the sheet P3 can be manufactured from the waste paper C, the amount of waste paper C discarded can be reduced by recycling the waste paper C. Therefore, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs) such as the target 12 "ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns".

[0030] The waste paper C is conveyed from the first unit group 101 to the second unit group 102 via a pipe 21 that crosses inside the third unit group 103. After the waste paper C is defibrated, etc. in the second unit group 102 to become fibers, it is formed into a mixture containing a binder material, etc. The mixture is conveyed to the third unit group 103 via a pipe 24. After the mixture is formed into the sheet W in the third unit group 103, it is formed into a belt-shaped sheet P1. The belt-shaped sheet P1 is cut in the first unit group 101 to become the sheet P3.

[0031] The first unit group 101 includes a buffer tank 13, a metering supply section 15, a confluence section 17, and a pipe 21. In the first unit group 101, these structures are arranged in the above-mentioned order from upstream to downstream. The first unit group 101 also includes a first cutting section 81, a second cutting section 82, a tray 84, and a shredding section 86.

[0032] The first cutting section 81 and the second cutting section 82 cut the strip-shaped sheet P1 into sheets P3 of a predetermined shape. The first unit group 101 has a water supply section 67. The water supply section 67 is a water storage tank. The water supply section 67 supplies humidifying water to the first humidifying section 65 and the second humidifying section 66 described later through water supply pipes (not shown).

[0033] The waste paper C is input from the raw material input port 11 into the buffer tank 13. The waste paper C contains fibers such as cellulose and is, for example, pieces of shredded waste paper. Inside the buffer tank 13, humidified air is supplied from the second humidifying section 66 provided in the third unit group 103.

[0034] After the defibrated waste paper C is temporarily stored in the buffer tank 13, it is conveyed to the metering supply section 15 according to the operation of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1. The sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 may be provided with a shredder for shredding the waste paper C etc. on the upstream side of the buffer tank 13.

[0035] The metering supply section 15 has 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 section 17. The metering supply section 15 measures the waste paper C in the meter 15a by each predetermined mass and supplies it to the downstream confluence section 17 using the supply mechanism.

[0036] In the meter 15a, any metering mechanism of digital type and analog type can be applied. Specifically, as the meter 15a, physical sensors such as load sensors, and spring scales or balances etc. can be cited. In the present embodiment, a load sensor is used as the meter 15a. The predetermined mass for which the meter 15a measures the waste paper C is, for example, about several g to several tens of g.

[0037] In the supply mechanism, a vibratory feeder etc. can be applied. The supply mechanism may also be a structure included in the meter 15a.

[0038] The metering and supply of the waste paper C in the metering supply section 15 is a batch process. The supply of the waste paper C from the metering supply section 15 to the confluence section 17 is intermittently carried out. The metering supply section 15 may have multiple meters 15a, and may also make the multiple meters 15a work at staggered times to improve the metering efficiency.

[0039] In the confluence section 17, the shredded pieces of the strip-shaped pieces S supplied from the shredding section 86 are made to converge and mixed with the waste paper C supplied from the metering supply section 15. The strip-shaped pieces S and the shredding section 86 will be described later. The waste paper C mixed with the shredded pieces then flows from the confluence section 17 into the pipe 21.

[0040] The pipe 21 conveys the waste paper C from the first unit group 101 to the second unit group 102 by means of an air flow generated by a blower (not shown).

[0041] The second unit group 102 includes a defibrator 30 as a dry defibrator, a separator 40, a pipe 23, a mixing section 91, and a pipe 24. In the second unit group 102, these structures are arranged in the above-mentioned order from upstream to downstream. The second unit group 102 also includes a recovery section 95, a compressor 97, a power supply section 99, a pipe 25 connected to the separator 40, and an air flow pipe 451.

[0042] The waste paper C conveyed through the pipe 21 flows into the defibrator 30. The defibrator 30 defibrates the waste paper C supplied from the metering supply section 15 in a dry manner to turn it into fibers. In the defibrator 30, a mechanical defibrating mechanism or the like that uses mechanical force to disassemble the waste paper C can be applied. By the defibrator 30, the entangled fibers contained in the paper sheets in the waste paper C are disassembled and become a defibrated material containing fibers, and are then conveyed to the separator 40.

[0043] Since the defibrator 30 of the present embodiment defibrates the waste paper C in a dry manner to turn it into fibers, compared with the wet defibrating method that performs defibrating in water, the amount of water used and the amount of drainage can be reduced. Therefore, the defibrator 30 of the present embodiment can contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs) such as Goal 6 "Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all". The defibrator 30 of the present embodiment can contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs) such as Goal 14 "Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development".

[0044] According to the defibrator 30 of the present embodiment, since there is no need to dry the defibrated material, the amount of carbon dioxide generated in the process of defibrating the waste paper C can be reduced. Therefore, the defibrator 30 of the present embodiment can contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs) such as Goal 13 "Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts".

[0045] Separator 40 differentiates the defibrillated fibers. Specifically, separator 40 removes the components in the fibers that are useless in the production of sheet P3. Separator 40 differentiates the longer fibers and the shorter fibers. Since the shorter fibers may cause a reduction in the strength of sheet P3, they are screened out and excluded in separator 40. Separator 40 also excludes the color materials and additives contained in waste paper C, etc. Separator 40 is of the disk type.

[0046] Inside separator 40, humidified air is supplied from the second humidifying section 66 of the third unit group 103.

[0047] The shorter fibers and the like in the defibrillated fibers are excluded and are conveyed to the mixing section 91 via pipe 23 by the air flow generated by a blower (not shown) disposed at the front end of the air flow pipe 451. The unnecessary components such as the shorter fibers and the color materials are discharged from pipe 25 to the recovery section 95.

[0048] Mixing section 91 mixes the binder material, etc. with the fibers in the air to form a mixture. Although not shown in the figure, mixing section 91 includes a flow path for conveying the fibers, a fan, a hopper, a supply pipe, and a valve.

[0049] The hopper communicates with the flow path of the fibers via the supply pipe. The valve is provided in the supply pipe between the hopper and the flow path. The hopper supplies the binder material such as starch into the flow path. The valve adjusts the quality of the binder material supplied from the hopper to the flow path. Thereby, the mixing ratio of the fibers and the binder material is adjusted.

[0050] In addition to the above structure for supplying the binder material, mixing section 91 may also have the same structure for supplying color materials or additives, etc.

[0051] The fan of mixing section 91 conveys the fibers downstream by the generated air flow while mixing the binder material, etc. into the air to form a mixture. The mixture flows from mixing section 91 into pipe 24.

[0052] Recovery section 95 includes a filter (not shown). The filter filters out the unnecessary components such as the shorter fibers conveyed by the air flow from pipe 25.

[0053] Compressor 97 generates compressed air. In the above filter, clogging may sometimes occur due to fine particles and the like in the unnecessary components. By spraying the compressed air generated by compressor 97 onto the filter, the attached particles can be blown away to clean the filter.

[0054] The power supply unit 99 has a power supply device (not shown) that supplies 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. A control unit 5 is provided in the power supply unit 99. The control unit 5 is electrically connected to each component of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 and comprehensively controls the operations of these components.

[0055] The control unit 5 may include one or more processors that execute various processes according to a program, one or more dedicated hardware circuits such as an application specific integrated circuit that executes at least a part of the various processes, or a combination thereof. The processor includes a CPU, and memories such as a RAM and a ROM. The memories store program codes or instructions configured to cause the CPU to execute processes. The memories, that is, computer-readable media, include all readable media that can be accessed by a general or dedicated computer.

[0056] The third unit group 103 stacks and compresses a fiber-containing mixture to form a belt-shaped sheet P1 as recycled paper. The third unit group 103 has a stacking 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.

[0057] 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 forming unit 70 are arranged in the above order from upstream to downstream.

[0058] The second humidifying unit 66 is arranged below the first humidifying unit 65.

[0059] The stacking unit 50 stacks a mixture containing fibers supplied from the separator 40 by air flow and gravity to form a sheet W. The stacking unit 50 has a drum member 53, a blade member 55 provided inside the drum member 53, a housing 51 that houses the drum member 53, and a suction unit 59. The mixture is introduced into the inside of the drum member 53 from the pipe 24.

[0060] The first conveying unit 61 is arranged below the stacking unit 50. The first conveying unit 61 has a first conveyor belt 61a and a supporting roller 31 that supports the first conveyor belt 61a. The suction unit 59 faces the drum member 53 across the first conveyor belt 61a in the direction along the Z axis.

[0061] The blade member 55 is located inside the drum member 53 and is rotationally driven 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 lower-facing side of the drum member 53. The drum member 53 allows particles such as fibers and mixtures, which are smaller than the size of the openings in the sieve net, to pass from the inside to the outside.

[0062] The mixture is stirred by the blade member 55 rotating inside the drum member 53 and is released to the outside of the drum member 53. Inside the drum member 53, humidified air is supplied from the second humidifying unit 66.

[0063] The suction unit 59 is disposed below the drum member 53. The suction unit 59 sucks the air inside the housing 51 through a plurality of holes in the first conveyor belt 61a. Thereby, an air current is generated that causes the mixture to accumulate on the first conveyor belt 61a. The plurality of holes in the first conveyor belt 61a allow air to pass through and make it difficult for fibers and adhesive materials contained in the mixture to pass through. Thus, the mixture released to the outside of the drum member 53 is sucked downward together with the air. The suction unit 59 is a suction device such as a blower.

[0064] The mixture is dispersed in the air inside the housing 51 and, by gravity and the air current generated by the suction unit 59, accumulates on the upper surface of the first conveyor belt 61a to form a sheet W.

[0065] The first conveyor belt 61a is a seamless belt and is supported by the support rollers 31. The first conveyor belt 61a rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the -X direction by the rotation of the support rollers 31. Figure 1 Thus, the mixture continuously accumulates on the first conveyor belt 61a to form the sheet W. The sheet W contains a large amount of air and is thus soft and swollen. The first conveying unit 61 conveys the formed sheet W downstream by the rotation of the first conveyor belt 61a.

[0066] The second conveying unit 62 conveys the sheet W instead of the first conveying unit 61 downstream of the first conveying unit 61. The second conveying unit 62 peels the sheet W from the upper surface of the first conveyor belt 61a and conveys the sheet W toward the forming unit 70. The second conveying unit 62 is located above the conveying path of the sheet W and is disposed slightly upstream of the starting point on the return side of the first conveyor belt 61a. A part of the +Y direction of the second conveying unit 62 and the -Y direction of the first conveyor belt 61a overlap in the vertical direction.

[0067] The second conveying unit 62 includes a second conveyor belt 62a, a plurality of rollers 32, and a suction mechanism (not shown). A plurality of holes through which air passes are provided in the second conveyor belt 62a. The second conveyor belt 62a is supported by the plurality of rollers 32 and rotates by the rotation of the rollers 32.

[0068] The second conveying unit 62 generates a negative pressure by the suction mechanism, so that the upper surface above one surface of the sheet W is adsorbed on the lower surface of the second conveyor belt 62a. By rotating the second conveyor belt 62a in this state, the sheet W is adsorbed on the second conveyor belt 62a and conveyed downstream.

[0069] A cleaning unit 201 is provided in a region that starts from the overlapping portion of the first conveying unit 61 and the second conveying unit 62 and extends under the first conveying unit 61 and the second conveying unit 62. In the cleaning unit 201, there are provided brush rollers or the like for removing residual fibers attached to the first conveyor belt 61a and the second conveyor belt 62a.

[0070] A fiber conveying pipe 22 for conveying the residual fibers recovered in the cleaning unit 201 to the defibrator 30 is connected to the cleaning unit 201. Specifically, the cleaning unit 201 is connected to the defibrator 30 via the fiber conveying pipe 22, the confluence portion 17, and the pipe 21.

[0071] The confluence portion 17 is connected to the buffer tank 13, the fiber conveying pipe 22, and the defibrator 30. The residual fibers recovered in the cleaning unit 201 flow into the defibrator 30 through the fiber conveying pipe 22, the confluence portion 17, and the pipe 21. A rotary valve 56 is provided on the fiber conveying pipe 22, which rotates the blades to move the residual fibers falling from above downward.

[0072] The residual fibers recovered by the cleaning unit 201 are conveyed to the defibrator 30 via the fiber conveying pipe 22. Thus, it is possible to suppress the situation where the user removes the residual fibers attached to the first conveyor belt 61a and the second conveyor belt 62a, that is, to perform maintenance. Thus, the amount of residual fibers discarded as waste can be reduced, and waste of raw materials can be suppressed.

[0073] The first humidifying unit 65 humidifies the fiber-containing sheet W stacked in the stacking unit 50 of the third unit group 103. Specifically, the first humidifying unit 65 is, for example, a mist-type humidifier that supplies mist M from below to the sheet W conveyed by the second conveying unit 62 for humidification. The first humidifying unit 65 is disposed below the second conveying unit 62 and faces the sheet W conveyed by the second conveying unit 62 in the direction along the Z axis. In the first humidifying unit 65, a humidifying device such as an ultrasonic type can be applied, for example.

[0074] The moisture content of the sheet W supplied with moisture in the first humidifying unit 65 is, for example, 12 mass% or more and 40 mass% or less. By humidifying the sheet W with the mist M, the function of starch as an adhesive material can be promoted, and the strength of the sheet P3 can be improved accordingly.

[0075] Since the first humidifying unit 65 humidifies the sheet W from below, the falling of water droplets from the mist onto the sheet W is prevented. Since the first humidifying unit 65 humidifies from the side opposite to the contact surface between the second conveyor belt 62a and the sheet W, the adhesion of the sheet W to the second conveyor belt 62a is reduced. The second conveying unit 62 conveys the sheet W toward the forming unit 70.

[0076] The forming unit 70 forms the humidified sheet W into a belt-shaped sheet P1 by pressurizing and heating it. The forming unit 70 has a pair of processing rollers 71, which is composed of a first roller 72 capable of heating the sheet W and the sheet P1, and a second roller 73 arranged so as to be able to pinch the sheet W between the first roller 72.

[0077] The first roller 72 and the second roller 73 rotate while pressurizing and heating the sheet W in a state of pinching the sheet W, thereby forming the sheet W into the sheet P1 and sending the sheet P1 out downstream in the conveying direction. The detailed structure of the forming unit 70 will be described later.

[0078] By passing through the forming unit 70, the sheet W reduces the air enclosed therein starting from a state rich in air and soft, and the fibers are bonded to each other by an adhesive material such as starch, and then formed into a belt-shaped sheet P1. The belt-shaped sheet P1 is conveyed toward the first unit group 101 by a pair of conveying rollers 79 provided downstream of the pair of processing rollers 71 and the winding roller 74.

[0079] The second humidifying unit 66 is arranged below the first humidifying unit 65. In the second humidifying unit 66, a vaporizing type humidifying device can be applied. As the vaporizing type humidifying device, for example, a device that ventilates a wetted non-woven fabric or the like to vaporize moisture to generate humidified air can be cited.

[0080] 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 inside of the buffer tank 13, the separator 40, and the roller member 53 of the stacking unit 50. Specifically, humidified air is supplied from the second humidifying unit 66 to the above-mentioned area through a plurality of pipes (not shown). The humidified air suppresses the charging of waste paper C, fibers, etc. in the above-mentioned respective structures, thereby suppressing the adhesion to the components caused by such static electricity.

[0081] The drainage section 68 is a drainage tank. The drainage section 68 collects and stores the water that has become old after being used in the first humidifying section 65, the second humidifying section 66, etc. The drainage section 68 can be detached from the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 as needed to discard the accumulated water.

[0082] The belt-like sheet P1 conveyed to the first unit group 101 reaches the first cutting section 81 after passing through the sheet detection sensor 87. The sheet detection sensor 87 is used to judge whether the sheet P1 has reached the conveying roller pair 79. The first cutting section 81 cuts the belt-like sheet P1 in a direction crossing the conveying direction, for example, in the direction along the X-axis. The belt-like sheet P1 is cut into single-sheet-like sheets P2 in the first cutting section 81. The single-sheet-like sheets P2 are conveyed from the first cutting section 81 to the second cutting section 82.

[0083] The second cutting section 82 cuts the single-sheet-like sheet P2 in the conveying direction, for example, in the direction along the Y-axis. Specifically, the second cutting section 82 cuts near the two sides in the direction along the X-axis in the single-sheet-like sheet P2. Thereby, the single-sheet-like sheet P2 becomes a sheet P3 having a predetermined shape such as A4 size or A3 size, for example.

[0084] In the second cutting section 82, when cutting the single-sheet-like sheet P2 into the sheet P3, strip pieces S as end materials are generated. The strip pieces S are conveyed in the substantially -Y direction and reach the shredding section 86 which is a shredder. The shredding section 86 shreds the strip pieces S and supplies them as shredded pieces to the converging section 17. A mechanism for measuring the shredded pieces of the strip pieces S and supplying them to the converging section 17 may be provided between the shredding section 86 and the converging section 17.

[0085] The sheet P3 is conveyed substantially upward and gathered on the tray 84. In this way, the sheet P3 is manufactured in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1. The sheet P3 can be used as a substitute for, for example, copy paper.

[0086] Next, the detailed structure of the forming section 70 will be described. In the present embodiment, since starch is used as the adhesive material to form the sheet P1, it is necessary to supply moisture to the sheet material W containing starch. Therefore, since the amount of moisture in the sheet material W is large, for example, when evaporating the moisture from the formed sheet P1, wrinkles and the like are likely to occur, and it becomes difficult to maintain the smoothness of the sheet P1.

[0087] Therefore, in addition to the above-described processing roller pair 71, the forming section 70 further includes a winding roller 74, a pressing mechanism 75 having a pressing roller 762, and a peeling section 78 (refer to Figure 2)。The winding roller 74 is disposed downstream of the first roller 72 in the conveying direction to wind the sheet P1 around the first roller 72. The pressing roller 762 of the pressing mechanism 75 is disposed so as to be able to press the sheet P1 wound around the first roller 72 against the first roller 72.

[0088] As Figure 2 , Figure 3 shown, the respective rotation axes of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 constituting the processing roller pair 71 are arranged along the X-axis direction. As Figure 3 shown, the first roller 72 is disposed on the -Z direction side of the conveying path for conveying the sheet W. In Figure 2 , Figure 3 , the contact surface of the sheet W with the second conveyor belt 62a is denoted as the second surface Fb, and the surface on the opposite side of the second surface Fb and the surface on the side humidified by the first humidifying unit 65 are denoted as the first surface Fa. In Figures 1 to 3 , the surface of the sheet P1 on the same side as the second surface Fb of the sheet W is denoted as the second surface Fb, and the surface of the sheet P1 on the same side as the first surface Fa of the sheet W is denoted as the first surface Fa.

[0089] The second roller 73 is disposed on the +Z direction side of the conveying path. The rotation axis of the second roller 73 is located on the +Z direction side and -Y direction side with respect to the rotation axis of the first roller 72. The forming unit 70 includes a second roller displacement unit (not shown) capable of moving the second roller 73 to the Figure 2 , Figure 3 shown clamping position and a clamping release position (not shown). The clamping position is a position where the sheet W can be clamped between the first roller 72 and the second roller 73. The clamping release position is a position located in a direction away from the first roller 72 with respect to the clamping position, so that the sheet W cannot be clamped between the first roller 72 and the second roller 73.

[0090] The first roller 72 is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown). The second roller 73 is a driven roller that is not driven by a drive motor but is linked to the rotation of the first roller 72. For example, in a state where the second roller 73 is in contact with the first roller 72, when the first roller 72 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the -X direction, the second roller 73 rotates clockwise.

[0091] The width dimension of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 along the X-axis is larger than the width dimension of the conveyed sheet W and the formed sheet P1 along the X-axis. Thus, the entire region of the sheet W along the X-axis can be clamped by the first roller 72 and the second roller 73.

[0092] In the present embodiment, it is configured such that the surface of the first roller 72 is harder than the surface of the second roller 73. Specifically, the first roller 72 is made of metal, and the second roller 73 is made of metal and rubber covering its surface.

[0093] More specifically, the first roller 72 includes, for example, a hollow metal core 72c made of aluminum, iron, stainless steel, etc. On the surface of the first roller 72, a surface layer 72s made of a fluororesin, such as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), is provided. As the fluororesin, PFA (tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkoxy vinyl ether copolymer), FEP (tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer), ETFE (tetrafluoroethylene-ethylene copolymer), etc. can be used.

[0094] Alternatively, on the surface of the first roller 72, a surface layer 72s made of silicone resin or the like can also be provided. By providing the surface layer 72s, the non-adhesiveness to the sheet W and the thin film P1 can be improved. By providing the surface layer 72s, the wear and damage of the metal core 72c can be suppressed. The first roller 72 of the present embodiment has an outer diameter of, for example, 130 mm.

[0095] The second roller 73 includes, for example, a hollow metal core 73c made of aluminum, iron, stainless steel, etc. The surface of the metal core 73c is covered by an elastic layer 73e made of silicone rubber or polyurethane rubber as the rubber.

[0096] The hardness of the elastic layer 73e is preferably 10 or more and 35 or less in rubber hardness A, and more preferably 20 or more and 30 or less in rubber hardness A. The rubber hardness is the hardness of the A-type hardness tester specified in JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) K6253-3:2012 (Vulcanized rubber and thermoplastic rubber - Method for obtaining hardness - Part 3: Hardness of hardness testers).

[0097] The thickness of the elastic layer 73e is preferably 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less, and more preferably 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less. The surface of the elastic layer 73e is covered by a fluororesin layer or a surface layer 73s made of a hose containing a fluororesin.

[0098] As the fluororesin, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) and PFA (tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkoxy vinyl ether copolymer) can be used. As other fluororesins, FEP (tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer), ETFE (tetrafluoroethylene-ethylene copolymer), etc. can be used. By providing the surface layer 73s, the non-adhesiveness to the sheet W and the thin film P1 can be improved. By providing the surface layer 73s, the wear and damage of the elastic layer 73e can be suppressed.

[0099] By using the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 to press the sheet W, the sheet W will be compressed and thinned in the thickness direction, and thus the fiber density in the sheet W can be increased. The pressure acting on the sheet W by the pinch pressure achieved by the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 is preferably 0.1 MPa or more and 15 MPa or less, more preferably 0.2 MPa or more and 10 MPa or less. The pressure acting on the sheet W by the pinch pressure achieved by the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 is further preferably 0.4 MPa or more and 8 MPa or less.

[0100] According to such a pressure range, the deterioration of fibers can be suppressed, so that the defibrated product after defibrating the produced sheets P1 and P3 can be used as a raw material, and the sheet P1 with better strength can be manufactured again. The second roller 73 of the present embodiment is composed of, for example, a metal core 73c with a diameter of 96 mm, an elastic layer 73e with a thickness of 2 mm, and a surface layer 73s. Therefore, the second roller 73 of the present embodiment has an outer diameter of 100 mm.

[0101] When pressing the sheet W by pinch pressure, the pressing load of the second roller 73 against the first roller 72 is in the range of 1000 N to 4000 N, and is set to 2500 N, for example.

[0102] As Figure 2 、 Figure 3 shown, as the heating mechanism, heaters 72h and 73h for heating are respectively built in the first roller 72 and the second roller 73. As the heaters 72h and 73h, halogen heaters can be used, for example. The surface temperatures of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 are detected by temperature detection parts 72t and 73t. The temperature detection parts 72t and 73t can be either non-contact temperature sensors or contact temperature sensors having contact parts in contact with the surfaces of the temperature detection objects.

[0103] Based on the surface temperatures of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 obtained by the temperature detection parts 72t and 73t, the driving of the heaters 72h and 73h is controlled. Thereby, the surface temperatures of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 can be maintained at the set temperatures. For example, the set temperature of the surface of the first roller 72 is preferably 100 °C or more and 130 °C or less, and the set temperature of the surface of the second roller 73 is preferably 80 °C or more and 100 °C or less.

[0104] Since the forming part 70 simultaneously performs pressing and heating on the sheet W through the processing roll pair 71, the productivity of the sheet P1 can be improved. Since the forming part 70 simultaneously performs pressing and heating on the sheet W, the structure of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 can be simplified.

[0105] The moisture contained in the sheet W evaporates after the temperature rises, and the thickness of the sheet W becomes thinner, thereby increasing the fiber density. In addition to raising the temperature of the moisture and starch by heat and increasing the fiber density by pressure, the starch gelatinizes, thus becoming a state in which multiple fibers can be bonded to each other via the gelatinized starch after moisture evaporation.

[0106] The hardness of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 constituting the processing roller pair 71 of the present embodiment is different. As Figure 3 shown, when the sheet W is clamped by the first roller 72 and the second roller 73, the surface of the second roller 73 at the clamping position is in a state of being stably indented due to the pressing force of the first roller 72.

[0107] Thereby, a fixed clamping length Ln can be maintained, so that the pressure in the clamping portion An is stabilized. Since the sheet W can be pressurized and heated in this state, the fibers in the sheet W can be effectively made into a state where they can be bonded, and thus a smooth thin sheet P1 can be formed.

[0108] The clamping portion An refers to the pressurizing portion where the sheet W is pressurized by the first roller 72 and the second roller 73, and the clamping length Ln is the dimension in the conveying direction of the sheet W in the clamping portion An. The clamping length Ln is the length dimension from the clamping start position to the clamping end position of the sheet W generated by the first roller 72 and the second roller 73. For example, the clamping length Ln in the present embodiment is in the range of 6 mm to 16 mm, and is set to 10 mm, for example. The clamping length Ln is formed as a substantially fixed dimension along the X-axis direction of the clamping portion An.

[0109] Since the sheet W in the clamping portion An is clamped by the first roller 72 and the second roller 73, the moisture given to the sheet W is difficult to be discharged to the outside. Therefore, the downstream side in the conveying direction of the clamping portion An is in a state where the moisture of the thin sheet P1 is more and softer, so that the thin sheet P1 is likely to be deformed due to the stress during conveying, and there is a possibility of generating wrinkles or the like.

[0110] Therefore, in the present embodiment, on the surface of the first roller 72, a hanging portion Aw for evaporating moisture from the formed thin sheet P1 is provided downstream of the clamping portion An. The hanging portion Aw is a portion of the surface of the first roller 72 that is downstream of the clamping end position of the clamping portion An and contacts the first surface Fa of the thin sheet P1 wound around the first roller 72.

[0111] One end on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the hanging portion Aw is located on the +Z direction side which is above with respect to the lowermost end in the surface of the first roller 72. Therefore, when the sheet P1 is heated by the first roller 72 in the hanging portion Aw, the air near the surface of the first roller 72 on the -Y direction side compared with the lowermost end is also heated by the first roller 72.

[0112] The surface of the second roller 73 is located on the +Z direction side which is vertically above the hanging portion Aw. Therefore, when the sheet P1 is heated by the first roller 72 in the hanging portion Aw, the air near the surface of the second roller 73 on the +Y direction side compared with the lowermost end is also heated by the second roller 73.

[0113] By this heated air, it is possible to expect heating also from the second surface Fb side near one end on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the sheet P1 hung on the hanging portion Aw.

[0114] In order to form the hanging portion Aw on the surface of the first roller 72, a hanging roller 74 is provided in the forming portion 70. The hanging roller 74 is provided downstream of the processing roller pair 71 in the conveying direction. The hanging roller 74 hangs the sheet P1 formed by the processing roller pair 71 on the first roller 72.

[0115] The rotation axis of the hanging roller 74 is arranged along the X-axis direction. The width dimension of the hanging roller 74 along the X-axis is longer than the width dimension of the conveyed sheet P1 along the X-axis. The outer diameter of the hanging roller 74 in the present embodiment is in the range of 6 mm to 40 mm, and is set to 20 mm, for example.

[0116] A conveying roller pair 79 (refer to Figure 1 ) is provided downstream of the hanging roller 74. During the conveyance of the sheet P1, the control unit 5 controls the driving of the conveying roller pair 79 and the processing roller pair 71 to apply tension to the sheet P1.

[0117] As a result, through the conveyance realized by the conveying roller pair 79 and the processing roller pair 71, a hanging portion Aw for hanging the sheet P1 formed in the clamping portion An is formed on the first roller 72. Thus, it is possible to perform the pressing and heating of the sheet W in the clamping portion An and the heating of the sheet P1 in the hanging portion Aw in parallel.

[0118] By heating the sheet P1 in the winding portion Aw achieved by the first roller 72 from the first surface Fa side, the drying of the sheet P1 can be promoted to evaporate the moisture contained in the sheet P1. By evaporating the moisture contained in the sheet P1, the generation of deformation or wrinkles caused by the stress during conveyance can be suppressed. Further, in the winding portion Aw, the sheet P1 is in a state where the fibers are sufficiently bonded to each other via the gelatinized starch.

[0119] The winding length Lw, which is the length dimension in the conveyance direction of the winding portion Aw, is set such that the amount of moisture contained in the sheet P1 wound around the winding portion Aw reaches below the equilibrium moisture content by the heating achieved by the first roller 72. Thereby, the deformation and conveyance failure at the downstream of the conveyance direction of the sheet P1 formed by the forming unit 70 can be suppressed. For example, the winding length Lw in the present embodiment is in the range of 50 mm to 100 mm and is set to 75 mm, for example. The equilibrium moisture content means the moisture content when the amount of moisture contained in members such as the sheet P1 reaches an equilibrium state with the atmosphere in the air at a fixed temperature and humidity.

[0120] On the other hand, during the process in which the moisture content of the sheet P1 wound around the winding portion Aw reaches the equilibrium moisture content, wrinkles and other deformations caused by the shrinkage during moisture evaporation sometimes occur on the sheet P1. Therefore, in the forming unit 70 of the present embodiment, a pressing mechanism 75 including a pressing roller 762 is provided. The pressing roller 762 is disposed at a position facing the winding portion Aw in the conveyance path.

[0121] By heating the sheet P1 achieved by the first roller 72, moisture evaporates from the second surface Fb of the sheet P1 in the winding portion Aw. When the gaps between the second roller 73 and the pressing roller 762 and between the pressing roller 762 and the winding roller 74 are small, it becomes difficult to evaporate the moisture from the sheet P1 in the winding portion Aw.

[0122] The outer diameter of the pressing roller 762 is set so as to ensure the above-mentioned gaps. As a result, the outer diameter of the pressing roller 762 is set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the second roller 73 for ensuring the clamping length Ln. In the present embodiment, the pressing mechanism 75 includes pressing rollers 761 and 763 in addition to the pressing roller 762. The pressing mechanism 75 in the present embodiment includes a plurality of pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763.

[0123] In this case, if the gaps among the above-mentioned gaps, pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are small, it will be difficult to evaporate the moisture from the sheet P1 in the hanging portion Aw. The outer diameters of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are set in such a way as to ensure the gaps among the above-mentioned gaps, pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763. As a result, the outer diameters of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the second roller 73. The outer diameters of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 in the present embodiment are the same outer diameter.

[0124] The plurality of pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are arranged in this order from the upstream at intervals in the conveying direction. The pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are arranged between the processing roller pair 71 and the hanging roller 74 in the conveying path. The pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are arranged at positions facing the hanging portion Aw in the conveying path.

[0125] The pressing mechanism 75 includes a pressing roller moving portion 77 capable of moving the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 in a direction in which the distance between the pressing rollers and the surface of the first roller 72 changes.

[0126] The pressing roller moving portion 77 includes a pressing roller holding portion 77h that holds the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763. By driving and controlling the pressing roller moving portion 77 by the control unit 5, the pressing roller holding portion 77h moves in the Y-axis direction. The pressing roller holding portion 77h is provided in such a way that it can move in the Y-axis direction while holding the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763. By moving the pressing roller holding portion 77h in the Y-axis direction, the positions of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 relative to the first roller 72 can be changed.

[0127] The pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are held by the pressing roller holding portion 77h in such a way that they can move in a direction in which the distance between the pressing rollers and the surface of the first roller 72 changes. The respective rotation axes of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are held by the pressing roller holding portion 77h in a state where they are pressed by the spring 77p in a direction approaching the surface of the first roller 72.

[0128] The spring 77p in the present embodiment is, for example, a compression coil spring. For example, it is assumed that the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are in contact with the sheet P1 wound around the first roller 72. In this case, the respective rotation axes of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 move in a direction away from the surface of the first roller 72.

[0129] In this case, the spring 77p deforms in the compressed direction, thereby generating a pressing load that presses each rotation axis of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 in the direction approaching the surface of the first roller 72. The greater the deformation amount of the spring 77p in the compressed direction, the greater the pressing load that presses each rotation axis of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 in the direction approaching the surface of the first roller 72 becomes.

[0130] According to this structure, it is possible to change the pressing load with which the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 press the sheet P1 against the first roller 72 by changing the position of the pressing roller holding portion 77h. In other words, the pressing roller moving portion 77 includes a spring 77p that changes the pressing load with which the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 press the sheet P1 against the first roller 72.

[0131] The pressing roller moving portion 77 moves the pressing roller holding portion 77h that holds the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 between the separation position B2, the pressing position B1, and the intermediate position B3.

[0132] When the pressing roller holding portion 77h is located at the separation position B2 (refer to Figure 2 , Figure 5 , Figure 11 ), the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are separated from the first roller 72 and the sheet P1 wound around the first roller 72. The pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 held by the pressing roller holding portion 77h located at the separation position B2 are referred to as "the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 in the separation position B2".

[0133] The pressing position B1 (refer to Figure 3 ) is the position of the pressing roller holding portion 77h when the sheet P1 is conveyed by the processing roller pair 71 and the conveying roller pair 79 (refer to Figure 1 ).

[0134] The pressing roller holding portion 77h located at the pressing position B1 is on the +Y direction side with respect to the pressing roller holding portion 77h located at the separation position B2. The pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 held by the pressing roller holding portion 77h located at the pressing position B1 are referred to as "the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 in the pressing position B1".

[0135] The pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 in the pressing position B1 move in a direction away from the surface of the first roller 72 by contacting the sheet P1. As a result, a pressing load is generated to press the sheet P1 by the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 against the winding portion Aw of the first roller 72. In the present embodiment, the pressing load when the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 in the pressing position B1 press the sheet P1 is set between 10 N and 100 N, and is set to 61 N, for example.

[0136] By positioning the pressing roller holding portion 77h at the pressing position B1, a clamping portion Au is formed. Each clamping portion Au is a portion for pressing the sheet P1 by each of the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 and the first roller 72. The clamping length Lu (not shown) is the dimension in the conveying direction of the sheet P1 in the clamping portion Au.

[0137] Each clamping length Lu is the length dimension from the clamping start position of the sheet P1 generated by each of the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 and the first roller 72 to the clamping end position. The clamping length Lu is formed as a substantially fixed length dimension along the X-axis direction of the clamping portion Au.

[0138] The clamping portion Au of the pressing roller 762 is located on the downstream side with respect to the center of the winding portion Aw in the conveying direction. The clamping portion Au of the pressing roller 761 is located on the upstream side with respect to the center of the winding portion Aw in the conveying direction. The clamping portion Au of the pressing roller 763 is located on the downstream side with respect to one end on the downstream side of the winding portion Aw and the center of the clamping portion Au of the pressing roller 762 in the conveying direction.

[0139] The rotation axes of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are arranged along the X-axis direction. The pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are arranged on the -Y direction side of the conveying path for conveying the sheet P1. Therefore, the isolation position B2 is set at a position away from the pressing position B1 in the -Y direction. Therefore, the pressing roller moving portion 77 of the pressing mechanism 75 is arranged on the -Y direction side of the isolation position B2.

[0140] The pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are driven rollers that are not driven by a drive motor but are linked to the rotation of the first roller 72. When the first roller 72 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the -X direction, the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 rotate clockwise.

[0141] The width dimension along the X-axis of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 is larger than the width dimension along the X-axis of the sheet P1 wound around the first roller 72. Thus, each of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 can press the entire area of the sheet P1 along the X-axis against the winding portion Aw of the first roller 72. In the present embodiment, the width dimension along the X-axis of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 is the same as the width dimension along the X-axis of the first roller 72.

[0142] The pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 include, for example, shafts 76c made of a metal such as aluminum, iron, or stainless steel. The surface of the shaft 76c is covered with an elastic layer 76e made of a rubber such as silicone rubber or polyurethane rubber.

[0143] The lower the rubber hardness of the elastic layer 76e, the larger the proportion of the clamping portion Au in the winding portion Aw. When the proportion of the clamping portion Au in the winding portion Aw becomes large, it becomes difficult to evaporate moisture from the sheet P1 in the winding portion Aw.

[0144] Therefore, the rubber hardness of the elastic layer 76e is set such that the moisture content in the sheet P1 wound around the winding portion Aw reaches below the equilibrium moisture content by the heating achieved by the first roller 72.

[0145] As a result, the rubber hardness of the elastic layer 76e of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 is set to be higher than the rubber hardness of the elastic layer 73e of the second roller 73 that is flexibly set to ensure the clamping length Ln. The rubber hardness of the elastic layer 76e of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 in the present embodiment is the same. The hardness of the elastic layer 76e is preferably 40 or more and 70 or less in rubber hardness A, and more preferably 50 or more and 60 or less in rubber hardness A.

[0146] The thickness of the elastic layer 76e is preferably 1 mm or more and 4 mm or less, and more preferably 1 mm or more and 2 mm or less. The surface of the elastic layer 76e is covered with a fluororesin layer or a surface layer 76s made of a hose containing a fluororesin.

[0147] As the fluororesin, PFA (tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkoxy vinyl ether copolymer), PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) can be used. As other fluororesins, FEP (tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer), ETFE (tetrafluoroethylene-ethylene copolymer), etc. can be used. By providing the surface layer 76s, the non-adhesiveness to the sheet W and the sheet P1 can be improved. By providing the surface layer 76s, the wear and damage of the shaft 76c can be suppressed.

[0148] The sheet P1 is formed by pressing and heating the sheet W in the clamping portion An. Therefore, the pressing loads of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 that press the sheet P1 against the first roller 72 can also be smaller than the pressing load of the second roller 73 that presses the sheet W against the first roller 72. In the present embodiment, the pressing loads of the respective pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are in the range of 20 N to 80 N, and are set to 60 N, for example.

[0149] As a result, the pressure acting on the sheet P1 by pressing the sheet P1 against the first roller 72 by the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 is smaller than the pressure acting on the sheet W by clamping the sheet W by the processing roller pair 71.

[0150] The pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 of the present embodiment are constituted by, for example, a shaft 76c having a diameter of 10 mm, an elastic layer 76e having a thickness of 2 mm, and a surface layer 76s formed of a PFA hose having a thickness of 50 μm. Therefore, the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 of the present embodiment have an outer diameter of 14 mm. The clamping length Lu in the clamping portion Au formed by the respective pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 and the first roller 72 is 0.5 mm to 3 mm. In addition, although it is preferable that the outer diameters of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are the same across the width direction from the viewpoint of preventing wrinkles from occurring, a portion having a smaller outer diameter may be locally provided on the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763. In this case, as the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763, for example, a form such as a stepped roller or a split roller can also be used.

[0151] The intermediate position B3 (refer to Figures 6 to 10 ) is the position of the pressing roller holding portion 77h when the sheet P1 is conveyed by the processing roller pair 71 and the sheet P1 is not conveyed to the conveying roller pair 79. The intermediate position B3 (refer to Figures 6 to 10 ) is the position of the pressing roller holding portion 77h when the leading end of the sheet P1 passes between the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 and the first roller 72 in the leading end passing process described later.

[0152] The pressing roller holding portion 77h is located at the intermediate position B3 before the leading end of the sheet P1 in the leading end passing process reaches the conveying roller pair 79 (refer to Figure 1 ). The pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 held by the pressing roller holding portion 77h located at the intermediate position B3 are referred to as "the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 in the intermediate position B3".

[0153] The pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 at the intermediate position B3 move in a direction away from the surface of the first roller 72 by contacting the sheet P1, thereby generating a pressing load for pressing the sheet P1 against the winding portion Aw of the first roller 72 by the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763.

[0154] It is assumed that the leading end of the sheet P1 enters between the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 and the first roller 72 by being conveyed by the processing roller pair 71. At this time, the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 are preferably in a state where they are easily moved in a direction away from the first roller 72 following the entry of the leading end of the sheet P1 into the clamping portion Au. It is assumed that when being conveyed by the processing roller pair 71 and not being conveyed to the conveying roller pair 79, the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 are in contact with the sheet P1. In this case, if the pressing load when the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 at the pressing position B1 are in contact with the sheet P1 acts on the sheet P1, deformation such as wrinkles may occur on the sheet P1.

[0155] Therefore, the pressing load when the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 at the intermediate position B3 are in contact with the sheet P1 is set to be smaller than when the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 are at the pressing position B1. Therefore, the intermediate position B3 is located between the isolation position B2 and the pressing position B1 in the Y-axis direction.

[0156] In the present embodiment, the pressing load when the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 at the intermediate position B3 are in contact with the sheet P1 is set to be 0.01 N or more and less than 10 N. The smaller the pressing load when the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 are in contact with the sheet P1, the smaller the amount by which the elastic layer 76e of the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 and the sheet P1 are compressed.

[0157] Therefore, for example, it is assumed that the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 at the intermediate position B3 are in contact with the sheet P1. The position of the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 at the intermediate position B3 at this time is located on the -Y direction side compared to the position when the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 at the pressing position B1 are in contact with the sheet P1.

[0158] For example, it is assumed that the sheet P1 is clamped between the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 at the intermediate position B3 in contact with the first roller 72 and the first roller 72. The pressing load acting on the sheet P1 therefrom is smaller than the pressing load acting on the sheet P1 by pressing the first roller 72 against the sheet P1 by the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 at the pressing position B1.

[0159] The peeling unit 78 is disposed in the conveying path between the winding portion Aw of the first roller 72 and the winding roller 74. The peeling unit 78 includes a thin plate-shaped peeling plate. The width dimension of the peeling plate along the X-axis is larger than the width dimension of the sheet P1 wound around the first roller 72 along the X-axis. By bringing the front end of the peeling plate into contact with the surface of the first roller 72, the sheet P1 wound around the winding portion Aw is peeled off from the surface of the first roller 72.

[0160] The peeling unit 78 includes a peeling plate moving unit (not shown) that can move to a contact position C1 (see Figure 3 ) where the peeling plate contacts the surface of the first roller 72, and a retracted position C2 (see Figure 2 ) where the peeling plate is separated from the surface of the first roller 72. The movement of the peeling plate is implemented by the drive control of the peeling plate moving unit achieved by the control unit 5.

[0161] The control unit 5 forms the sheet W into the sheet P1 by controlling the forming unit 70 to pass the sheet W through the clamping portion An and the winding portion Aw formed on the conveying path. When forming the sheet W into the sheet P1, the control unit 5 controls the driving of the heaters 72h and 73h to maintain the surface temperatures of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 at the set temperatures. When forming the sheet W into the sheet P1, the control unit 5 controls the driving of the second roller displacement unit to position the second roller 73 at the clamping position.

[0162] When forming the sheet W into the sheet P1, the control unit 5 controls the driving of the conveying roller pair 79 and the first roller 72 to apply tension to the sheet P1. At this time, the first roller 72 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the -X direction. When forming the sheet W into the sheet P1, the control unit 5 controls the driving of the pressing roller moving unit 77 to position the pressing roller holding portion 77h at the pressing position B1. When forming the sheet W into the sheet P1, the control unit 5 controls the driving of the peeling plate moving unit to position the peeling plate at the retracted position C2.

[0163] Next, with reference to the Figure 4 flowchart shown, the front-end passing process executed by the control unit 5 when the front ends of the sheet W and the sheet P1 pass through the forming unit 70 during the formation of the sheet P1 will be described. In the present embodiment, when the front ends of the sheet W and the sheet P1 pass through the forming unit 70, the process flow in the front-end passing process executed by the control unit 5 corresponds to the sheet manufacturing method.

[0164] In the leading edge passing process, the control unit 5 controls the pressing roller moving unit 77 based on the temperatures of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73, the rotation state of the first roller 72, and the positions of the leading edges of the sheet W and the thin film P1. Thereby, in the leading edge passing process, the control unit 5 changes the positions of the pressing roller holding unit 77h and the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763.

[0165] For example, assume that the thin film manufacturing apparatus 1 is in a state just after startup or in a standby state. At this time, since the heaters 72h and 73h are not driven, the temperatures of the surfaces of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 do not reach the set temperature. At this time, since the first roller 72 is not driven, it does not rotate. At this time, the second roller 73 is located at the nip release position. At this time, the pressing roller holding unit 77h that holds the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 is located at the separation position B2. At this time, the peeling unit 78 is located at the retracted position C2. Here, a case where the leading edge passing process is performed from this state will be described.

[0166] In step S110, the control unit 5 performs a preheating operation. In the preheating operation, the control unit 5 drives the heaters 72h and 73h to raise the temperatures of the surfaces of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73. Next, the control unit 5 controls the second roller displacement unit to move the second roller 73 from the nip release position to the nip position. Next, as Figure 5 shown, the control unit 5 rotates the first roller 72 counterclockwise when viewed from the -X direction side. Thereby, the second roller 73 rotates clockwise when viewed from the -X direction side.

[0167] When the temperatures of the surfaces of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 are detected by the temperature detection units 72t and 73t and reach the set temperature, the control unit 5 drives and controls the pressing roller moving unit 77 and the peeling unit moving unit. Thereby, as Figure 6 shown, the pressing roller holding unit 77h that holds the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 moves to the intermediate position B3, and the peeling unit 78 moves to the contact position C1.

[0168] In other words, after the first roller 72 is rotating and the temperatures of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 reach the set temperature, the control unit 5 brings the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 into contact with the first roller 72. When the process of step S110 ends, the control unit 5 transfers the process to step S120.

[0169] In step S120, the control unit 5 creates the leading edge in the leading edge passing process of the sheet W. Specifically, the control unit 5 as Figure 7As shown, the first roller 72 rotates clockwise when viewed from the -X direction side. As a result, the second roller 73 at the clamping position rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the -X direction side. Next, the control unit 5 drives the second conveying unit 62 (refer to Figure 1 ), and thereby conveys the front end of the sheet W downstream in the conveying direction.

[0170] As a result, as Figure 8 indicated by the white hollow arrow marks in, the front end of the sheet W is wound and folded by the rotating first roller 72. By folding the front end of the sheet W, the front end of the sheet W passing through the process is produced.

[0171] During the execution of the process in step S120, the temperatures of the surfaces of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 are maintained at the set temperature. When the process in step S120 ends, the control unit 5 transfers the process to step S130.

[0172] In step S130, the control unit 5 performs preparatory conveyance of the sheet W and the thin sheet P1. Specifically, as Figure 9 shown, the control unit 5 rotates the first roller 72 counterclockwise when viewed from the -X direction side. As a result, the second roller 73 at the clamping position rotates clockwise when viewed from the -X direction side. By the rotating first roller 72 and the second roller 73, the front end of the sheet W passing through the process is conveyed to the clamping portion An, and is further formed into the thin sheet P1 with the front end passing through the process.

[0173] The front end of the thin sheet P1 with the front end passing through the process passes between the rotating first roller 72 and the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 at the intermediate position B3. As a result, as Figure 10 shown, the thin sheet P1 with the front end passing through the process is hung on the hanging portion Aw of the first roller 72. In other words, the control unit 5 hangs the thin sheet P1 on the first roller 72 in a state where the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 are in contact with the hanging portion Aw.

[0174] Moreover, by the rotating first roller 72 and the second roller 73, that is, the rotating processing roller pair 71, the control unit 5 conveys the thin sheet P1 with the front end passing through the process downstream in the conveying direction. As a result, the thin sheet P1 with the front end passing through the process is conveyed toward the conveying roller pair 79 via the hanging roller 74.

[0175] During the execution of the process in step S130, the temperatures of the surfaces of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 are maintained at the set temperature. When the process in step S130 ends, the control unit 5 transfers the process to step S140.

[0176] In step S140, the control unit 5 confirms whether the leading end of the sheet P1 being processed at the leading end has been detected by the sheet detection sensor 87. When the sheet detection sensor 87 detects the sheet P1, the control unit 5 determines that the sheet P1 has reached the conveying roller pair 79. When the sheet detection sensor 87 does not detect the sheet P1, the control unit 5 determines that the sheet P1 has not reached the conveying roller pair 79.

[0177] When the sheet detection sensor 87 detects the sheet P1, step S140 becomes YES, and the control unit 5 transfers the process to step S150. When the sheet detection sensor 87 does not detect the sheet P1, step S140 becomes NO, and the control unit 5 continues to detect the sheet P1 in step S140.

[0178] During the execution of the process in step S140, the temperatures of the surfaces of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 are maintained at the set temperature. The conveyance of the sheet P1 in step S140 is performed by the rotation of the processing roller pair 71.

[0179] When transferring the process to step S150, the control unit 5 conveys the sheet P1 by rotating the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 until the leading end of the sheet P1 reaches the conveying roller pair 79. In addition, at an arbitrary timing before the sheet P1 reaches the conveying roller pair 79, the control unit 5 rotates the conveying roller pair 79 in the direction of conveying the sheet P1 downstream in the conveying direction.

[0180] In step S150, the control unit 5 executes the movement of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 to the separation position B2. In other words, the control unit 5 changes the positions of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 based on the position of the leading end of the sheet P1. Specifically, the control unit 5 drives and controls the pressing roller moving unit 77 and the peeling unit moving unit based on the position of the leading end of the sheet P1 detected in step S140.

[0181] Thus, as Figure 11 shown, the control unit 5 moves the pressing roller holding unit 77h that holds the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 to the separation position B2, and moves the peeling unit 78 to the avoidance position C2.

[0182] If, on the other hand, after the leading end of the sheet P1 reaches the conveying roller pair 79, the control unit 5 causes the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 to separate from the sheet P1 wound around the first roller 72. Since the conveying speed achieved by the conveying roller pair 79 is faster than the conveying speed achieved by the processing roller pair 71, the sheet P1 is stretched by causing the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 to separate from the sheet P1 wound around the first roller 72. By heating in the stretched state, it is possible to suppress the conveyance of the sheet P1 that has been deformed such as wrinkled. Preferably, the control unit 5 positions the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 at the separation position B2 for a predetermined time, for example, two seconds or more.

[0183] During the execution of the process in step S150, the conveyance of the sheet P1 achieved by the rotation of the processing roller pair 71 and the conveying roller pair 79 is continuously performed. When the process in step S150 ends, the control unit 5 transfers the process to step S160.

[0184] In step S160, the control unit 5 performs the movement of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 to the pressing position B1. Specifically, the control unit 5 drives and controls the pressing roller moving unit 77. Thus, as Figure 12 shown, the control unit 5 moves the pressing roller holding unit 77h that holds the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 to the pressing position B1.

[0185] If, on the other hand, in step S160, the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 that have separated from the sheet P1 for a predetermined time are brought into contact with the sheet P1 wound around the first roller 72 again. When the process in step S160 ends, the control unit 5 ends the leading end passing-through process.

[0186] During the execution of the process in step S160, the conveyance of the sheet P1 achieved by the rotation of the processing roller pair 71 and the conveying roller pair 79 is continuously performed. During the execution of the process in step S160, the temperatures of the surfaces of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 are maintained at the set temperature. Assume that in this state, the leading end of the sheet P1 reaches the conveying roller pair 79. In this case, the control unit 5 presses the sheet P1 wound around the first roller 72 against the first roller 72 by the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 in the pressing position B1.

[0187] After the leading end passing-through process, by continuing the conveyance of the sheet P1 achieved by the rotation of the processing roller pair 71 and the conveying roller pair 79, the sheet P1 formed from the sheet material W by the forming unit 70 is conveyed toward the first unit group 101.

[0188] As described above, according to the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 and the sheet manufacturing method according to Embodiment 1, the following effects can be obtained.

[0189] The sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 includes: a stacking unit 50 that forms a web W by stacking a fiber-containing material; a forming unit 70 that forms the web W into a sheet P1 by pressing and heating the web W; and a control unit 5. The forming unit 70 includes: a first roller 72 that heats the web W and the sheet P1; a second roller 73 that sandwiches the web W between the second roller 73 and the first roller 72. The forming unit 70 includes a winding roller 74 that is disposed downstream of the first roller 72 in the conveying direction of the sheet P1 and winds the sheet P1 around the first roller 72. The forming unit 70 includes pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 that press the sheet P1 wound around the first roller 72 against the first roller 72. The forming unit 70 includes a pressing roller moving unit 77 that changes the positions of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763. The control unit 5 controls the pressing roller moving unit 77 based on the position of the leading end, which is one end on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the sheet P1.

[0190] Thereby, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the sheet P1 is deformed such as wrinkled or the conveyance of the sheet P1 is poor when the leading end of the sheet P1 is conveyed. As a result, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the sheet P1 formed by the forming unit 70 is deformed such as wrinkled. Thereby, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the conveyance of the sheet P1 formed by the forming unit 70 is poor.

[0191] The pressing roller moving unit 77 includes a spring 77p that changes the pressing load with which the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 press the sheet P1 against the first roller 72. Thereby, by controlling the pressing roller moving unit 77, it is possible to change the pressing load with which the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 press the sheet P1 against the first roller 72.

[0192] The method for manufacturing a sheet is a sheet manufacturing method in which a sheet material W is pressurized and heated to form it into a sheet P1, and the sheet material W is formed by stacking a material containing fibers. The sheet manufacturing method includes the following operations: the sheet material W is formed into the sheet P1 by rotating the first roller 72 while clamping the sheet material W between the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 after being heated. The sheet manufacturing method includes the following operation: the sheet P1 wound around the first roller 72 is pressed against the first roller 72 by the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 at the pressing position B1. The sheet manufacturing method includes the following operation: in this state, the sheet P1 is conveyed downstream in the conveying direction for conveying the sheet P1. In the sheet manufacturing method, the positions of the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 are changed based on the temperature of the first roller 72, the rotation state of the first roller 72, and the position of the front end, which is one end on the downstream side of the sheet P1.

[0193] Thereby, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of wrinkles or other deformations on the sheet P1 or poor conveyance of the sheet P1 when the front end of the sheet P1 is conveyed. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of wrinkles or other deformations on the sheet P1 formed by the forming unit 70. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of poor conveyance of the sheet P1 formed by the forming unit 70.

[0194] It is assumed that the first roller 72 is rotating, the temperature of the first roller 72 is the set temperature, and the front end of the sheet P1 has reached the conveying roller pair 79 that conveys the sheet P1 downstream of the first roller 72. In this case, the sheet manufacturing method presses the sheet P1 wound around the first roller 72 against the first roller 72 by the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 at the pressing position B1.

[0195] Thereby, the sheet P1 applied with tension is conveyed in a state of being pressed against the first roller 72 by the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 at the pressing position B1. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of wrinkles or other deformations on the sheet P1 formed by the forming unit 70. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of poor conveyance of the sheet P1 formed by the forming unit 70.

[0196] It is assumed that the first roller 72 is rotating and the temperature of the first roller 72 becomes the set temperature. In this case, in the sheet manufacturing method, the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 are brought into contact with the first roller 72. Thereby, it is possible to bring the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 into contact with the first roller 72 before the front end of the formed sheet P1 reaches the winding portion Aw of the first roller 72.

[0197] In the sheet manufacturing method, the sheet P1 is wound around the first roller 72 in a state where the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are in contact. Thus, by guiding the leading end of the formed sheet P1 with the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763, the sheet P1 is wound along the surface of the first roller 72. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of wrinkles or other deformations on the sheet P1 when the sheet P1 is wound around the first roller 72. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of poor conveyance of the sheet P1 formed by the forming unit 70.

[0198] It is assumed that the leading end of the sheet P1 reaches the conveying roller pair 79 that conveys the sheet P1 downstream of the first roller 72. In this case, in the sheet manufacturing method, the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are separated from the sheet P1 wound around the first roller 72. Thereafter, in the sheet manufacturing method, the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are brought into contact with the sheet P1 wound around the first roller 72 again.

[0199] Thereby, wrinkles and other deformations occurring on the sheet P1 before the sheet P1 reaches the conveying roller pair 79 can be eliminated. Thereafter, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of wrinkles and other deformations on the sheet P1 formed by the forming unit 70 by bringing the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 into contact with the sheet P1 wound around the first roller 72 again. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of poor conveyance of the sheet P1 formed by the forming unit 70.

[0200] It is assumed that the leading end of the sheet P1 is clamped between the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 in contact with the first roller 72 and the first roller 72. The pressing load acting on the sheet P1 at this time is smaller than the pressing load acting on the sheet P1 by pressing the first roller 72 toward the sheet P1 with the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 at the pressing position B1.

[0201] Thereby, compared with the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 and the first roller 72 at the pressing position B1, the leading end of the sheet P1 more easily enters between the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 and the first roller 72. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of wrinkles or other deformations on the sheet P1 when the sheet P1 is wound around the first roller 72. Also, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of wrinkles or other deformations on the sheet P1 in a state where the sheet P1 is not conveyed to the conveying roller pair 79. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of poor conveyance of the sheet P1 formed by the forming unit 70.

[0202] Although the sheet manufacturing device 1 involved in the above-mentioned embodiment 1 of the present disclosure is based on the structure described above, it is of course possible to implement partial structural changes or omissions within the scope of the main purpose of the present disclosure. In addition, the above-mentioned embodiment 1 and other embodiments described below can be combined with each other within the scope of technical non-contradiction. Other embodiments are described below.

[0203] In the first embodiment, the nip Au of the pressing roller 762 may be located at the center of the hanging portion Aw in the conveying direction of the sheet P1. In this case, the hanging portion Aw may be equally divided into four sections in the conveying direction by the nip Au of the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763.

[0204] In the above-mentioned Embodiment 1, the forming section 70 may not include the three pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763. The forming section 70 may include any two of the three pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763, or any one of them. Alternatively, if the gap between the pressing rollers can be ensured, the forming section 70 may include four or more pressing rollers. When the forming section 70 includes one pressing roller 762, the nip Au of the pressing roller 762 may be located at the center of the winding portion Aw in the conveying direction of the sheet P1.

[0205] In the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the forming section 70 may also include an intermediate support portion for reducing the deflection generated on the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 at the pressing position B1. For example, the intermediate support portion may be a rotating roller that contacts a position on the surface of the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 that is opposite to the clamping portion Au across the rotation axis of the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763. The rotating roller may also contact a position on the surface of the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 that is the center in the X-axis direction. The rotating roller may also be a driven roller that is linked to the rotation of the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763 by contacting the surfaces of the pressing rollers 761, 762, 763.

[0206] In the above-mentioned first embodiment, the outer diameters of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 may not be the same. For example, the outer diameters of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 may be different from each other. For example, the outer diameters of two of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 may be the same, and the outer diameter of the other one may be different. In this case, for example, the outer diameters of the pressing rollers 762 and 763 may be the same, and the outer diameter of the pressing roller 761 may be smaller than the outer diameters of the pressing rollers 762 and 763.

[0207] In the above-described Embodiment 1, the rubber hardness of the elastic layers 76e of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 may not be the same. For example, the rubber hardness of the elastic layers 76e of the respective pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 may be different from each other. For example, the rubber hardness of the elastic layers 76e of two of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 may be the same, and the rubber hardness of the other one elastic layer 76e may be different. In this case, for example, the rubber hardness of the elastic layers 76e of the pressing rollers 761 and 762 may be the same, and the rubber hardness of the elastic layer 76e of the pressing roller 763 may be lower than the rubber hardness of the elastic layers 76e of the pressing rollers 761 and 762.

[0208] In the above-described Embodiment 1, the pressing loads of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 that press the sheet P against the first roller 72 may not be the same. In this case, the pressing loads of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 that press the sheet P1 against the first roller 72 are also set to be smaller than the pressing load of the second roller 73 that presses the sheet W against the first roller 72. For example, the pressing loads of the respective pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 may be different from each other. For example, the pressing loads of two of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 may be the same, and the pressing load of the other one may be different. In this case, for example, the pressing loads of the pressing rollers 761 and 763 may be the same, and the pressing load of the pressing roller 762 may be higher than the pressing loads of the pressing rollers 761 and 763.

[0209] In the above-described Embodiment 1, the forming unit 70 may also include a guiding unit that guides the leading end of the sheet P1 peeled off from the first roller 72 through the peeling unit 78 downstream in the conveying direction during the leading-end passing process. The guiding unit may be provided on the forming unit 70 so as to be movable to a guiding position for guiding the leading end of the sheet P1 and a standby position away from the first roller 72. In this case, for example, in Figure 4 the step S110 of the leading-end passing process shown, the control unit 5 moves the guiding unit to the guiding position. Moreover, after the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are moved to the pressing position B1 in step S160, the control unit 5 positions the guiding unit at the standby position.

[0210] Thereby, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of dew condensation on the guiding unit due to the temperature change of the atmosphere of the first roller 72. The timing for moving the guiding unit from the guiding position to the standby position during the leading-end passing process may be the same as the timing for moving the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 to the separated position B2 in step S150.

[0211] In the above-described Embodiment 1, as long as a pressing load for pressing the sheet P1 by the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 can be generated, the spring 77p does not have to be a compression coil spring. For example, the spring 77p can also be a tension coil spring. In this case, for example, a rod that supports the respective rotation shafts of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 at one end is provided. The rod is supported on the pressing roller holding portion 77h so as to be rotatable about an axis along the X axis. One hook of the tension coil spring is hooked on the other end of the rod. The other hook of the tension coil spring is hooked on the pressing roller holding portion 77h. Thereby, the respective rotation axes of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are biased in a direction approaching the surface of the first roller 72.

[0212] In the above-described Embodiment 1, as long as a pressing load for pressing the sheet P1 by the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 can be generated by the compression deformation of the elastic layer 76e, the spring 77p may not be provided. In this case, the respective rotation axes of the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 may also be movable in a direction in which the distance between the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 and the first roller 72 changes, and may not be held by the pressing roller holding portion 77h.

[0213] In the leading end threading process in the above-described Embodiment 1, as long as the sheet P1 can be wound around the winding portion Aw, the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 at the intermediate position B3 may not contact the sheet P1. In this case, for example, the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 at the intermediate position B3 may be located at a position separated from the winding portion Aw by the thickness of the sheet P1.

[0214] In the leading end threading process in the above-described Embodiment 1, the pressing load when the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 contact the sheet P1 may also be the same as when the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 are in the pressing position B1. In this case, it is assumed that the leading end of the sheet P1 is clamped between the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 in contact with the first roller 72 and the first roller 72. The pressure acting on the sheet P1 at this time becomes the same as the pressure acting on the sheet P1 by pressing the first roller 72 toward the sheet P1 by the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 in the pressing position B1.

[0215] In this case, in the leading end threading process, the control unit 5 may not position the pressing roller holding portion 77h at the intermediate position B3. In this case, for example, in Figure 4 In step S110 of the leading end threading process shown, the control unit 5 brings the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 at the pressing position B1 into contact with the first roller 72.

[0216] In the front-end passing process in the above-described Embodiment 1, even if the temperatures of the surfaces of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 do not reach the set temperature, the control unit 5 can drive and control the pressing roller moving unit 77 and the peeling unit moving unit. In this case, in the preheating operation, the control unit 5 drives the heaters 72h and 73h to raise the temperatures of the surfaces of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73. Moreover, for example, the control unit 5 predicts the time required until the temperatures of the surfaces of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 reach the set temperature.

[0217] Based on the predicted time required until the set temperature is reached, the control unit 5 drives and controls the pressing roller moving unit 77 and the peeling unit moving unit before the temperatures of the surfaces of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 reach the set temperature. As a result, the pressing roller holding unit 77h moves to the intermediate position B3, and the pressing rollers 761, 762, and 763 come into contact with the first roller 72 whose surface temperature has reached the set temperature. In addition, the peeling unit 78 moves to the contact position C1, and the front end of the peeling plate comes into contact with the first roller 72 whose surface temperature has reached the set temperature. Thereby, the time required for the preheating operation in the front-end passing process can be shortened.

[0218] Reference Signs

[0219] 1…Sheet manufacturing apparatus; 5…Control unit; 11…Raw material inlet; 13…Buffer tank; 15…Quantitative supply unit; 15a…Meter; 17…Confluence unit; 21, 23, 24, 25…Pipes; 22…Fiber conveying pipe; 30…Defibrator; 31…Mounting roller; 32…Roller; 40…Separator; 50…Stacking unit; 51…Housing; 53…Drum component; 55…Vane component; 59…Suction unit; 61…First conveying unit; 61a…First conveyor belt; 62…Second conveying unit; 62a…Second conveyor belt; 65…First humidifying unit; 66…Second humidifying unit; 67…Water supply unit; 68…Drainage unit; 70…Forming unit; 71…Processing roll pair; 72…First roll; 72c…Metal core; 72h…Heater; 72s…Surface layer; 72t…Temperature detection unit; 73…Second roll; 73c…Metal core; 73e…Elastic layer; 73h…Heater; 73s…Surface layer; 74…Hanging roll; 75…Pressing mechanism; 76c…Shaft; 76e…Elastic layer; 76s…Surface layer; 77…Pressing roll moving unit; 77h…Pressing roll holding unit; 77p…Spring; 78…Peeling unit; 79…Conveying roll pair; 81…First cutting unit; 82…Second cutting unit; 84…Tray; 86…Chopping unit; 91…Mixing unit; 95…Recovery unit; 97…Compressor; 99…Power supply unit; 101…First unit group; 102…Second unit group; 103…Third unit group; 201…Cleaning unit; 451…Airflow pipe; 761, 762, 763…Pressing rolls; An…Clamping part; Au…Clamping part; Aw…Hanging part; B1…Pressing position; B2…Isolation position; B3…Intermediate position; C1…Contact position; C2…Avoidance position; Fa…First surface; Fb…Second surface; Ln…Clamping length; Lu…Clamping length; Lw…Hanging length; P1, P2, P3…Sheets; S110, S120, S130, S140, S150, S160…Steps.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a thin sheet, characterized in that: stacking the fiber-containing material to form a web, Wetting the formed web, The web is conveyed downstream while the web is pressed against the first roller by the pressing roller. After the web is clamped by a conveying roller downstream of the first roller, the pressing roller is separated from the first roller and the web to stretch the web, and The wetted web is dried by the heated first roller to produce a thin sheet.

2. The method for producing a thin sheet according to claim 1, wherein: According to the fact that the leading end of the web has reached the pair of conveying rollers conveying the web on the downstream side of the first roller, The web wound around the first roller is pressed against the first roller by the pressing roller.

3. The method for producing a thin sheet according to claim 1, wherein: measuring the temperature of the first roller, When the first roller is rotating and the temperature of the first roller reaches a set temperature, The web is passed through the pressing roller and pressed against the first roller.

4. The method for producing a thin sheet according to claim 1, wherein: After the pressing roller is separated from the web, the web is pressed against the first roller by the pressing roller.

5. The method for producing a thin sheet according to claim 4, wherein: The pressing load before the pressing roller leaves is smaller than the pressing load after the pressing roller leaves.

6. A sheet manufacturing device, characterized in that: have: an accumulation section that forms a web by accumulating a material containing fibers; a humidifying section for moistening the formed web; a forming section that forms a sheet from the web, The forming part has: a first roller that heats the wetted web to dry the web; a conveying roller, which clamps and conveys the web downstream of the first roller; a pressing roller for pressing the web toward the first roller, The pressing roller presses the web toward the first roller during a period from before the front end of the web reaches the position of the pressing roller until the conveying roller pinches the web. The pressing roller is separated from the first roller and the web after the conveying roller has nipped and pressed the web.

7. The sheet manufacturing device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The forming unit includes a spring configured to change a pressing load with which the pressing roller presses the sheet against the first roller.

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