Fiber structure manufacturing device

Abstract

To provide a fiber structure manufacturing device capable of uniformly mixing a defibrated product and resin fibers and increasing quality of a fiber structure.SOLUTION: A fiber structure manufacturing device comprises: a defibrated product supply part to supply a defibrated product obtained by defibrating a material containing fibers; a resin supply part to supply resin fibers; a mixing part to produce a mixture by mixing the defibrated product and the resin fibers; a depositing part to produce deposits by depositing the mixture; and a molding part to produce a fiber structure by molding the deposits. The resin supply part comprises: a segmentation part to produce a resin fiber segmentalized body by segmentalizing a lump of cotton-like resin fibers; a quantitative supply part to quantitatively supply the resin fiber segmentalized body produced by the segmentation part; a loosening part to decrease density of the resin fiber segmentalized body by loosening the resin fiber segmentalized body supplied from the quantitative supply part; and a transfer part to transfer the cotton-like resin fibers loosened by the loosening part to the mixing part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing a fiber structure. [Background technology]

[0002] A fiber structure manufacturing device is known that includes a coarse crushing section that coarsely crushes waste paper, a defibrating section that defibrates the coarsely crushed pieces obtained in the coarse crushing section, a supply section that supplies a binder to the defibrated cellulose fiber material obtained in the defibrating section, a mixing section that mixes the defibrated material and the binder to produce a mixture, a deposition section that deposits the mixture on a flat surface, and a forming section that heats and pressurizes a web made of the deposited mixture to form it into a sheet.

[0003] The binder supplied by the supply unit may be a powdered resin or a fibrous resin. In this case, the supply unit may be an automatic cotton supply amount control device as described in Patent Document 1. This automatic cotton supply amount control device is configured to weigh a cotton-like fiber mass and discharge a cotton-like fiber mass of a target weight. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-3537 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when such an automatic cotton supply amount control device is applied to the supply section of the above-mentioned fiber structure manufacturing apparatus, the cellulose fiber clumps and the resin fiber clumps are mixed in the mixing section. In this case, the cellulose fiber clumps and the resin fiber clumps are mixed as they are without being loosened, so that the fibers are not sufficiently dispersed and mixed with each other. As a result, the strength of the obtained fiber structure becomes uneven, leading to a deterioration in the quality of the fiber structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus of the present invention comprises: a defibrated material supplying unit that supplies defibrated material obtained by defibrating a fiber-containing material; a resin supplying section for supplying resin fibers; a mixing section that mixes the defibrated material and the resin fibers to generate a mixture; a depositing section for depositing the mixture to form a deposit; a molding section for molding the deposit to produce a fiber structure; The resin supply unit includes: a fragmentation unit that fragments the flocculent resin fiber mass to generate fragmented resin fiber bodies; a quantitative supply unit that supplies a quantitative amount of the resin fiber fragments produced in the fragmentation unit; a refining unit that refining the resin fiber fragments supplied from the quantitative supply unit to reduce the density of the resin fiber fragments; and a transfer section that transfers the cotton-like resin fibers disintegrated in the disintegrating section to the mixing section. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the resin supply section and the mixing section shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the resin fibers supplied from the resin supply unit shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a mass of cotton-like resin fibers. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a resin fiber fragment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the disentangled resin fibers. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a fiber structure manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0009] <Embodiment> Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a resin supply section and a mixing section shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of resin fibers supplied from the resin supply section shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a mass of cotton-like resin fibers. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a resin fiber fragment. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing disentangled resin fibers.

[0010] In the following, the upper side of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 may be referred to as "upper" or "upper side", and the lower side may be referred to as "lower" or "lower side". Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 are schematic configuration diagrams, and the positional relationship, orientation, size, etc. of each part of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 are not limited to those shown in the drawings.

[0011] In addition, in Figure 1, the direction in which the coarsely crushed pieces M2, the defibrated material M3, the first sorted material M4-1, the second sorted material M4-2, the first web M5, the fine pieces M6, the mixture M7, the second web M8, and the recycled paper S are transported, i.e., the direction indicated by the arrow, is also referred to as the transport direction.

[0012] 1 is also referred to as the "downstream side" in the conveying direction, and the base end side of the arrow in Fig. 1 is also referred to as the "upstream side" in the conveying direction. The same applies to Fig. 2.

[0013] The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in Fig. 1 is an apparatus for manufacturing a fiber structure from a raw material M1, which is waste paper such as used copy paper. In the following, recycled paper S will be described as an example of the fiber structure. However, the fiber structure is not limited to this configuration, and may have other shapes such as a block shape.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a raw material supply section 11, a coarse crushing section 12, a defibrating section 13, a sorting section 14, a first web forming section 15, a fine division section 16, a resin supply section 4, a mixing section 17, a dispersion section 18, a deposition section 19, a molding section 20, a cutting section 21, a storage section 22, and a recovery section 27.

[0015] The defibrated material supplying unit 9 is made up of the defibrated material supplying unit 13, the sorting unit 14, the first web forming unit 15, and the fragmenting unit 16. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 produces recycled paper S by mixing the defibrated material (fragmented body M6) supplied by the defibrated material supplying unit 9 and the resin fibers (loosened resin fibers P2 shown in Figs. 2 and 7) supplied by the resin supplying unit 4, and sequentially stacking and forming the mixture.

[0016] The configuration of each part of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described below. The raw material supplying section 11 is a section that performs a raw material supplying step of supplying raw material M1 to the crushing section 12. This raw material M1 is a sheet-like material made of a fiber-containing material including cellulose fibers. The cellulose fibers may be fibrous and contain cellulose as a compound as the main component, and may contain hemicellulose and lignin in addition to cellulose. The raw material M1 may be in any form, such as woven fabric or nonwoven fabric. The raw material M1 may be, for example, recycled paper produced by disintegrating waste paper and regenerating it, or synthetic paper such as Yupo paper (registered trademark), or it may not be recycled paper.

[0017] The crushing unit 12 is a section that performs a crushing step of crushing the raw material M1 supplied from the raw material supply unit 11 in air such as the atmosphere. The crushing unit 12 has a pair of crushing blades 121 and a chute 122.

[0018] The pair of crushing blades 121 rotate in opposite directions to each other, and can crush the raw material M1 between them, that is, cut it into crushed pieces M2. The shape and size of the crushed pieces M2 are preferably suitable for defibration processing in the defibration unit 13. Examples of the shape of the crushed pieces M2 include small pieces with a square planar shape, rectangular pieces, and particularly small pieces with a strip shape. The size of the crushed pieces M2 is preferably small pieces with an average side length of 100 mm or less, and more preferably small pieces with an average side length of 3 mm or more and 70 mm or less. The shape of the small pieces may be other than square or rectangular. The thickness is preferably 0.07 mm or more and 0.10 mm or less.

[0019] The chute 122 is disposed below the pair of crushing blades 121 and has, for example, a funnel shape. This allows the chute 122 to receive the coarsely crushed pieces M2 that have been crushed by the crushing blades 121 and dropped.

[0020] Moreover, above the chute 122, a humidifying section 231 is disposed adjacent to the pair of coarse crushing blades 121. The humidifying section 231 humidifies the coarsely crushed pieces M2 in the chute 122. This humidifying section 231 is configured as an evaporation type humidifier that has a moisture-containing filter (not shown) and supplies humidified air with increased humidity to the coarsely crushed pieces M2 by passing air through the filter. By supplying the humidified air to the coarsely crushed pieces M2, it is possible to suppress adhesion of the coarsely crushed pieces M2 to the chute 122 and the like due to electrostatic forces.

[0021] The chute 122 is connected to the upstream side of the defibrating unit 13 via a pipe 241. The coarse fragments M2 collected in the chute 122 pass through the pipe 241 and are transported to the defibrating unit 13.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the defibrating unit 13 is a section that performs a defibrating process in which the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are defibrated in the air, i.e., in a dry manner. The defibrating process in this defibrating unit 13 makes it possible to generate a defibrated material M3 from the coarsely crushed pieces M2. Here, "defibrating" refers to untangling the coarsely crushed pieces M2, which are made up of multiple fibers bound together, into individual fibers. This untangled material becomes the defibrated material M3. The shape of the defibrated material M3 is linear or band-like. The defibrated material M3 may also be present in a state where it is entangled with other pieces to form a mass, that is, in a state where it forms so-called "lumps."

[0023] Furthermore, the defibrating unit 13 can generate an air flow from the crushing unit 12 toward the sorting unit 14, i.e., an airflow, by the rotation of a rotor (not shown). This allows the coarsely crushed pieces M2 to be introduced from the pipe 241 to the upstream side of the defibrating unit 13, and after defibration processing, the defibrated material M3 can be sent to the sorting unit 14 via the pipe 242.

[0024] A pipe 242 is connected to the downstream side of the defibrating unit 13. A blower 261 that generates an airflow by, for example, rotating a rotary blade is installed in the middle of the pipe 242. The blower 261 generates an airflow toward the sorting unit 14. This promotes the introduction of the coarsely crushed pieces M2 into the defibrating unit 13 and the sending out of the defibrated material M3 to the sorting unit 14. As will be described later, the defibrating unit 13 has a structure that allows the coarsely crushed pieces M2, which are the raw material, to pass through and be defibrated smoothly, but the operation of the blower 261 installed downstream of the defibrating unit 13 promotes the passage of the coarsely crushed pieces M2 within the defibrating unit 13 and the defibration process. The blower 261 may be installed upstream of the defibrating unit 13.

[0025] The sorting unit 14 is a section that performs a sorting process in which the defibrated material M3 is sorted according to the fiber length. In the sorting unit 14, the defibrated material M3 is sorted into a first sorted material M4-1 and a second sorted material M4-2 having a fiber length longer than that of the first sorted material M4-1. The first sorted material M4-1 has a size suitable for the subsequent production of recycled paper S. On the other hand, the second sorted material M4-2 includes, for example, material that is insufficiently defibrated and material in which defibrated fibers are excessively aggregated together.

[0026] The sorting unit 14 has a drum unit 141 and a housing unit 142 that houses the drum unit 141.

[0027] The drum part 141 is a sieve composed of a cylindrical mesh body and rotates around its central axis. The defibrated material M3 flows into this drum part 141. Then, as the drum part 141 rotates, the defibrated material M3 smaller than the mesh opening is sorted as the first sorted material M4-1, and the defibrated material M3 larger than the mesh opening is sorted as the second sorted material M4-2.

[0028] The first sorted item M4-1 falls from the drum portion 141. Meanwhile, the second sorted material M4-2 is sent out to a pipe 243 connected to the drum section 141. The end of the pipe 243 opposite the drum section 141, i.e., the downstream end, is connected midway through the pipe 241. The second sorted material M4-2 that passes through this pipe 243 merges with the coarsely crushed pieces M2 inside the pipe 241 and flows into the defibrating section 13 together with the coarsely crushed pieces M2. As a result, the second sorted material M4-2 is returned to the defibrating section 13 and is defibrated together with the coarsely crushed pieces M2.

[0029] The first selected object M4-1 that has fallen from the drum unit 141 falls while being dispersed in the air, and heads toward the first web forming unit 15 located below the drum unit 141. The first web forming unit 15 is a section that carries out a first web forming step of forming a first web M5 from the first selected object M4-1. The first web forming unit 15 has a mesh belt 151, three tension rollers 152, and a suction unit 153.

[0030] The mesh belt 151 is an endless belt on which the first sorted material M4-1 is accumulated. The mesh belt 151 is wound around three tension rollers 152. As the tension rollers 152 rotate, the first sorted material M4-1 on the mesh belt 151 is transported downstream.

[0031] The size of the first sorted material M4-1 is equal to or larger than the mesh size of the mesh belt 151. This restricts the passage of the first sorted material M4-1 through the mesh belt 151, and therefore the first sorted material M4-1 can be piled up on the mesh belt 151. Furthermore, the first sorted material M4-1 is transported downstream together with the mesh belt 151 while being piled up on the mesh belt 151, and is thus formed as a layered first web M5.

[0032] In addition, the first sorted material M4-1 may contain, for example, dust or dirt. Dust or dirt may be generated, for example, by crushing or defibration. Such dust or dirt will be collected in the collection section 27, which will be described later.

[0033] The suction unit 153 is a suction mechanism that sucks air from below the mesh belt 151. This makes it possible to suck in dust and dirt that has passed through the mesh belt 151 together with the air.

[0034] In addition, the suction unit 153 is connected to the collection unit 27 via a pipe 244. The dust and dirt sucked by the suction unit 153 is collected in the collection unit 27.

[0035] A pipe 245 is further connected to the collection unit 27. A blower 262 is installed in the middle of the pipe 245. By operating the blower 262, a suction force can be generated in the suction unit 153. This promotes the formation of the first web M5 on the mesh belt 151. Dust and dirt are removed from this first web M5. By operating the blower 262, the dust and dirt pass through the pipe 244 and reach the collection unit 27.

[0036] The housing part 142 is connected to the humidifier part 232. The humidifier part 232 is configured with an evaporative humidifier. This allows humidified air to be supplied into the housing part 142. The first sorted object M4-1 can be humidified by this humidified air, and therefore, the first sorted object M4-1 can be prevented from adhering to the inner wall of the housing part 142 due to electrostatic force.

[0037] A humidifying section 235 is disposed downstream of the sorting section 14. The humidifying section 235 is configured with an ultrasonic humidifier that sprays water. This allows moisture to be supplied to the first web M5, and thus the moisture content of the first web M5 is adjusted. This adjustment makes it possible to suppress adhesion of the first web M5 to the mesh belt 151 due to electrostatic force. As a result, the first web M5 is easily peeled off from the mesh belt 151 at the position where the mesh belt 151 is folded back by the tension roller 152.

[0038] The segmentation unit 16 is disposed downstream of the humidification unit 235. The segmentation unit 16 is a section that performs a segmentation step of segmenting the first web M5 peeled off from the mesh belt 151. The segmentation unit 16 has a rotatably supported propeller 161 and a housing portion 162 that houses the propeller 161. The rotating propeller 161 can segment the first web M5. The segmented first web M5 becomes segmented bodies M6. The segmented bodies M6 move down inside the housing portion 162.

[0039] The housing part 162 is connected to the humidifier part 233. The humidifier part 233 is configured by an evaporation type humidifier. This allows humidified air to be supplied into the housing part 162. This humidified air can also prevent the fragmented bodies M6 from adhering to the propeller 161 and the inner wall of the housing part 162 due to electrostatic force.

[0040] A resin supplying section 4 that performs a resin supplying step is connected to the downstream side of the segmenting section 16. The resin fibers P supplied from the resin supplying section 4 are supplied to the mixing section 17. The mixing section 17 is a section that performs a mixing step of mixing the segmented bodies M6 with additives to generate a mixture M7. The configurations of the resin supplying section 4 and the mixing section 17 will be described in detail later.

[0041] The pipe 172 of the mixing section 17 is branched into two at the end on the drum 181 side, and the branched ends are each connected to an inlet (not shown) formed on the end surface of the drum 181.

[0042] 1 is a section that performs a dispersion process in which entangled fibers in the mixture M7 are loosened and dispersed in the air. The dispersion section 18 has a drum 181 that introduces and discharges the defibrated mixture M7, and a housing 182 that contains the drum 181.

[0043] The drum 181 is a sieve that is composed of a cylindrical mesh body and rotates around its central axis. As the drum 181 rotates, fibers and the like of the mixture M7 that are smaller than the mesh openings can pass through the drum 181. At that time, the mixture M7 is loosened and discharged together with air. That is, the drum 181 functions as a discharge section that discharges the material including fibers.

[0044] The drum 181 is connected to a drive source (not shown) and rotates by a torque output from the drive source. The drive source is electrically connected to the control device 28 shown in FIG. 3, and the operation of the drive source is controlled by the control device 28.

[0045] Furthermore, the housing 182 is connected to the humidifier 234. The humidifier 234 is configured as an evaporative humidifier. This allows humidified air to be supplied into the housing 182. The inside of the housing 182 can be humidified by this humidified air, and therefore, it is also possible to prevent the mixture M7 from adhering to the inner wall of the housing 182 due to electrostatic force.

[0046] The mixture M7 discharged from the drum 181 falls while being dispersed in the air, and heads toward the deposition section 19 located below the drum 181. The deposition section 19 is a section where a second web forming step is performed in which the mixture M7 is deposited to form a second web M8, which is a deposit. The deposition section 19 has a mesh belt 191, a tension roller 192, and a suction section 193.

[0047] The mesh belt 191 is a mesh member, and in the illustrated configuration, is configured as an endless belt. The mixture M7 dispersed and discharged by the dispersion unit 18 is accumulated on the mesh belt 191. The mesh belt 191 is wound around four tension rollers 192. The mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 is transported downstream by the rotational drive of the tension rollers 192.

[0048] In the illustrated configuration, the mesh belt 191 is used as an example of the mesh member, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the mesh member may be, for example, a flat plate-like member.

[0049] Moreover, most of the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 has a size equal to or larger than the mesh openings of the mesh belt 191. This restricts the passage of the mixture M7 through the mesh belt 191, and therefore the mixture M7 can be accumulated on the mesh belt 191. Moreover, while being accumulated on the mesh belt 191, the mixture M7 is transported downstream together with the mesh belt 191, and is thus formed as a layered second web M8.

[0050] The suction unit 193 is a suction mechanism that sucks air from below the mesh belt 191. This allows the mixture M7 to be sucked onto the mesh belt 191, thereby facilitating the accumulation of the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191.

[0051] A pipe 246 is connected to the suction unit 193. A blower 263 is provided midway through the pipe 246. By operating the blower 263, the suction unit 193 can generate a suction force.

[0052] A humidifying section 236 is disposed downstream of the dispersion section 18. The humidifying section 236 is configured with an ultrasonic humidifier similar to the humidifying section 235. This allows moisture to be supplied to the second web M8, and thus the moisture content of the second web M8 is adjusted. This adjustment makes it possible to suppress adhesion of the second web M8 to the mesh belt 191 due to electrostatic force. This allows the second web M8 to be easily peeled off from the mesh belt 191 at the position where the mesh belt 191 is folded back by the tension roller 192.

[0053] The total amount of moisture added from the humidifying units 231 to 236 is preferably, for example, 0.5 parts by mass to 20 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the material before humidification.

[0054] A forming section 20 is disposed downstream of the stacking section 19. The forming section 20 is a section that performs a sheet forming process for forming recycled paper S from the second web M8. The forming section 20 has a pressure section 201 and a heating section 202.

[0055] The pressurizing section 201 has a pair of calender rollers 203, and can pressurize the second web M8 between the calender rollers 203 without heating it. This increases the density of the second web M8. When heating, the degree of heating is preferably, for example, such that the resin fibers P are not melted. Then, the second web M8 is transported toward the heating section 202. One of the pair of calender rollers 203 is a driven roller driven by the operation of a motor (not shown), and the other is a driven roller.

[0056] The heating section 202 has a pair of heating rollers 204, and can apply pressure to the second web M8 while heating it between the heating rollers 204. This heating and pressurization melts the resin fibers P in the second web M8, and the fibers are bonded to each other via the molten resin fibers P. This forms the recycled paper S. Then, this recycled paper S is transported toward the cutting section 21. Note that one of the pair of heating rollers 204 is a driven roller driven by the operation of a motor (not shown), and the other is a driven roller.

[0057] The cutting unit 21 is disposed downstream of the forming unit 20. The cutting unit 21 is a section that performs a cutting process to cut the recycled paper S. The cutting unit 21 has a first cutter 211 and a second cutter 212.

[0058] The first cutter 211 cuts the recycled paper S in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the recycled paper S, particularly in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.

[0059] The second cutter 212 is downstream of the first cutter 211 and cuts the recycled paper S in a direction parallel to the transport direction of the recycled paper S. This cutting is to remove unnecessary portions on both side edges in the width direction of the recycled paper S to adjust the width of the recycled paper S.

[0060] The recycled paper S having a desired shape and size is obtained by cutting with the first cutter 211 and the second cutter 212. Then, the recycled paper S is transported further downstream and accumulated in the stock section 22.

[0061] Next, the configurations of the resin supplying section 4 and the mixing section 17 will be described. 2, the resin supplying unit 4 has a function of supplying resin fibers P as a binder that binds the fibers of the fragmented body M6, which is the defibrated material. The resin supplying unit 4 includes a fragmenting unit 41, a quantitative supplying unit 42, a refining unit 43, and a transporting unit 44.

[0062] The fragmentation unit 41 fragments a mass P0 of the cotton-like resin fibers P shown in Fig. 5 to generate a plurality of resin fiber fragments P1 as shown in Fig. 6. The fragmentation performed by the fragmentation unit 41 is to divide one mass P0 to generate, for example, about 3 to 1000 resin fiber fragments P1.

[0063] The size, weight, density, etc. of each resin fiber fragment P1 fragmented from the lump P0 are preferably as uniform as possible, but may have a certain degree of deviation. For example, among the resin fiber fragments P1 fragmented from one lump P0, the difference between the maximum size (diameter) or weight and the minimum size (diameter) or weight can be preferably 1.2 to 200 times, more preferably 2 to 50 times.

[0064] The density ρ0 of the resin fiber P in the lump P0 and the density ρ1 of the resin fiber P in the resin fiber fragment P1 are, for example, 0.05 g / cm 3 on average. 3 More than 2.0g / cm 3 It is about the following.

[0065] The constituent material, structure (layer structure, etc.), and dimensions such as length and thickness of the resin fibers P are not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, they are as described below.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 4, the resin fiber P has a two-layer structure including a core material 101 and a coating layer 102 that coats the outer periphery of the core material 101 and has a melting point lower than that of the core material 101.

[0067] The combination of the constituent materials of the core material 101 and the covering layer 102 is not particularly limited, and examples of the combination of the core material 101 / covering layer 102 include polypropylene / polyethylene, polyester / polyethylene, high melting point polypropylene / low melting point polypropylene, polyester / polypropylene, polyamide / polyethylene, etc.

[0068] The average fiber length of the resin fibers P is not particularly limited, and is preferably, for example, 0.5 mm or more and 100 mm or less, and more preferably 3 mm or more and 80 mm or less, which can increase the strength of the recycled paper S.

[0069] In this way, the resin fiber P has a core material 101 and a coating layer 102 that coats the outer periphery of the core material 101 and has a melting point lower than that of the core material 101. This allows the core material 101 to ensure sufficient strength, while the coating layer 102 can satisfactorily function as a binder that bonds the fibers of the defibrated material together. Therefore, the strength of the recycled paper S can be effectively increased.

[0070] However, the present invention is not limited to this structure, and the resin fiber P may have a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure of three or more layers. In addition, the materials or combinations of materials constituting the layers of the resin fiber P and the magnitude relationship of the melting points are not particularly limited.

[0071] 2, the segmentation unit 41 has two rotors 411 and a housing 412 that houses both rotors 411. A supply port 415 that supplies a mass P0 of cotton-like resin fibers P into the housing 412 is provided at the top of the housing 412.

[0072] Rotating body 411 has a shaft 413 and a plurality of blades 414 provided on the outer periphery of shaft 413. A plurality of blades 414 are provided along the radial direction of shaft 413 and a plurality of blades 414 are provided along the longitudinal direction of shaft 413.

[0073] One end of each rotating body 411 is rotatably supported by a bearing (not shown) on a housing 412. The rotating bodies 411 are arranged apart from each other such that the blades 414 of adjacent rotating bodies 411 overlap in the longitudinal direction of the shaft 413.

[0074] The upper rotor 411 among the rotors 411 is connected to a motor MT1 and rotates about its axis by the rotation drive of the motor MT1. Each rotor 411 also has a gear (not shown) provided on the outer portion of the housing 412, and rotates in opposite directions in cooperation with each other by meshing of the gears.

[0075] 3, the motor MT1 is electrically connected to the control device 28 via a motor driver (not shown). The control device 28 controls the energization conditions of the motor driver, so that the motor MT1 rotates at the desired timing and rotation speed.

[0076] As each rotor 411 rotates, the mass P0 of the cotton-like resin fiber P introduced into the housing 412 is cut and fragmented by the blades 414 to generate the fine resin fiber fragments P1. As will be described later, the fine resin fiber fragments P1 are more suitable for fixed supply than the mass P0.

[0077] The number of rotors 411 may be one or three or more. The rotation axis of rotor 411 may be arranged in the vertical direction. Both rotors 411 may rotate independently. In this case, the rotation directions of both rotors 411 may be the same or opposite to each other.

[0078] The housing 412 has a supply port 415 through which the lump P0 of the resin fibers P is supplied, and a discharge port 416 through which the resin fiber fragments P1 are discharged. An upstream end of a pipe 417 is connected to the discharge port 416. The lump P0 of the resin fibers P may be automatically supplied from the supply port 415, or may be manually supplied from the supply port 415 by an operator.

[0079] In this manner, the fragmentation unit 41 has at least one rotor 411 (two in this embodiment) having a plurality of blades 414, and a housing 412 that houses the rotor 411, and as the rotor 411 rotates, the lump P0 of the cotton-like resin fibers P is cut and fragmented by the blades 414. This allows the lump P0 of the resin fibers P to be processed in a manner more suitable for supplying a fixed amount.

[0080] The resin fiber fragments P1 produced by the fragmenting unit 41 are discharged from a discharge port 416 and transferred to the constant amount supply unit 42 via a pipe 417.

[0081] The quantitative supply unit 42 has a function of supplying a fixed amount of the resin fiber fragments P1. The fixed amount of supply performed by the quantitative supply unit 42 means stably discharging a predetermined amount of the resin fiber fragments P1 while measuring the resin fiber fragments P1. In this embodiment, the quantitative supply unit 42 intermittently discharges the resin fiber fragments P1 in predetermined amounts. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the quantitative supply unit 42 may be configured to continuously discharge the resin fiber fragments P1.

[0082] The quantitative supply unit 42 has a storage unit 421 that stores the resin fiber fragments P1, and a measuring unit 422 that measures the resin fiber fragments P1.

[0083] The storage section 421 has a container 423 and an opening / closing section 424 provided at the bottom of the container 423. The container 423 has an inlet 429 provided at the top of the container 423 and connected to the downstream end of the pipe 417, and a discharge outlet 425 provided at the bottom of the container 423 for discharging the fine resin fiber bodies P1. The discharge outlet 425 is provided with the opening / closing section 424.

[0084] The container 423 may be provided with an agitating blade for agitating the produced fine resin fiber bodies P1.

[0085] The opening / closing unit 424 adjusts the opening degree of the discharge port 425 and is composed of, for example, an electromagnetic valve, a shutter, etc. In this embodiment, the opening / closing unit 424 is configured to switch between an open state and a closed state of the discharge port 425. In the open state, the resin fiber fragments P1 are discharged from the discharge port 425 of the container 423 and supplied to the measuring unit 422, and in the closed state, the resin fiber fragments P1 are not discharged from the discharge port 425 and the supply of the resin fiber fragments P1 to the measuring unit 422 is stopped.

[0086] The opening / closing unit 424 may be configured to adjust the opening degree of the exhaust port 425 in multiple steps or continuously.

[0087] 3, the drive source of the opening / closing unit 424 is electrically connected to the control device 28, and the control device 28 controls the conditions for supplying electricity to the opening / closing unit 424, thereby controlling the opening and closing conditions of the opening / closing unit 424. Under the control of the control device 28, the timing of the opening and closing states of the opening / closing unit 424 and the length of time for which it is in the open state are adjusted, whereby the storage unit 421 can intermittently discharge the resin fiber fragments P1 from the discharge port 425.

[0088] The weighing unit 422 includes a conveyor belt 426 , a pair of rollers 427 , and a load measuring unit 428 .

[0089] The conveyor belt 426 is an endless belt that is wound around a pair of rollers 427 that are spaced apart from each other, and receives on its upper surface the fine resin fiber material P1 discharged from the discharge outlet 425 and conveys it toward the refining section 43, which will be described later. When the conveyed fine resin fiber material P1 reaches the left end of the conveyor belt 426 in FIG. 2, it falls downward and is supplied to the pipe 417.

[0090] One of the pair of rollers 427 is a driven roller that is driven by the operation of a motor MT2, and the other is a driven roller. The conveying speed of the conveyor belt 426 is determined by the rotation speed of the motor MT2.

[0091] 3, the motor MT2 is electrically connected to the control device 28 via a motor driver (not shown). The control device 28 controls the energization conditions of the motor driver, so that the motor MT2 rotates at the desired timing and rotation speed.

[0092] A single batch of the resin fiber fragments P1 is intermittently fed onto the conveyor belt 426, and when that batch is fed to the pipe 417, the next batch of the resin fiber fragments P1 is fed, and this process is repeated thereafter. The operation timing and rotation speed of the motor MT2 are set to realize such an operation.

[0093] The load measuring unit 428 has a function of measuring the load applied to the conveyor belt 426. In this embodiment, the load measuring unit 428 supports the upstream roller 427 of the two rollers 427, and measures the load (weight) applied to the conveyor belt 426 via the roller 427.

[0094] The load measuring unit 428 is composed of, for example, a load cell, and is electrically connected to the control device 28 as shown in Fig. 3. The measurement result detected by the load measuring unit 428, i.e., information on the load, is transmitted to the control device 28 as an electrical signal in real time.

[0095] The control device 28 determines the load on the conveyor belt 426 based on the information (electrical signal) received from the load measuring unit 428. The load on the conveyor belt 426 increases or decreases according to the weight of the resin fiber fragments P1 supplied onto the conveyor belt 426. This allows the control device 28 to determine the weight of one supply of resin fiber fragments P1.

[0096] The control device 28 adjusts the timing of opening and closing the opening / closing part 424 and the length of time for which the opening / closing part 424 is in the open state based on the weight of the resin fiber fragments P1. This will be described in detail below.

[0097] When the weight of one batch of resin fiber fragments P1 is within a predetermined numerical range, the control device 28 opens the opening / closing section 424 at a predetermined timing, and closes the opening / closing section 424 after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0098] On the other hand, if the weight of one batch of resin fiber fragments P1 is outside the predetermined numerical range, the time for which the opening / closing unit 424 is open is adjusted. For example, if the weight of one batch of resin fiber fragments P1 is below the lower limit of the predetermined numerical range, the time for which the opening / closing unit 424 is open is lengthened, and if the weight of one batch of resin fiber fragments P1 is above the upper limit of the predetermined numerical range, the time for which the opening / closing unit 424 is open is shortened.

[0099] In these cases, the degree of opening of opening / closing section 424 when opening / closing section 424 is in the open state is constant.

[0100] Such an adjustment is made, for example, based on data showing the relationship between the supply amount of the resin fiber fragments P1 and the time for which the open state is maintained. After obtaining the weight of one supply of the resin fiber fragments P1, the control device 28 refers to the data and determines the time for which the open state is maintained. The data is a calibration curve, a table, an arithmetic expression, etc., which are stored in the storage unit 282 and are read out as appropriate and used for arithmetic processing.

[0101] By the control device 28 performing such feedback control, the quantitativeness of the weight of the resin fiber fragments P1 supplied to the pipe 417 can be improved. In particular, in the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100, the fragmentation section 41 fragments the mass P0 of the resin fibers P to generate the resin fiber fragments P1, and a quantitative supply is performed based on the weight of the fragmented resin fiber fragments P1. With this configuration, it is possible to mitigate the increase or decrease in the weight of one batch of the resin fiber fragments P1 caused by adjusting the length of time that the opening / closing section 424 is in the open state. Therefore, the supply amount of the resin fiber fragments P1 can be adjusted with higher accuracy. As a result, the resin supply section 4 can exhibit excellent quantitativeness, and the quality of the recycled paper S can be improved.

[0102] In addition, the volume of the resin fiber fragments P1 may be measured, and a fixed amount may be supplied based on the measurement results. Since there is a certain correlation between the weight and volume of the resin fiber fragments P1, the same effect as above can be obtained when a fixed amount is supplied based on the measurement results of the volume of the resin fiber fragments P1.

[0103] Moreover, the control device 28 does not need to perform the feedback control as described above. That is, the control device 28 may be configured to control the opening and closing of the opening / closing unit 424 at a predetermined timing. In this case, the load measurement unit 428 can be omitted.

[0104] The fine resin fiber bodies P1 supplied by the quantitative supply unit 42 are supplied to the refining unit 43 through a pipe 417.

[0105] The refining section 43 refining the resin fiber fragments P1 to reduce the density of the resin fiber fragments P1. The refining section 43 has a first air flow agitator 431. The first air flow agitator 431 is composed of a blower having a rotating blade therein, and has an intake port 432 for taking in the resin fiber fragments P1 and an exhaust port 433 for discharging the generated refinished resin fibers P2.

[0106] The first air current agitator 431 has a motor MT3 that rotates the rotary blades of the blower. As shown in Fig. 3, the motor MT3 is electrically connected to the control device 28 via a motor driver (not shown). The control device 28 controls the energization conditions of the motor driver, so that the motor MT3 rotates at the desired timing and rotation speed.

[0107] When the rotating blades installed in the first air flow agitator 431 rotate due to the operation of the motor MT3, an air flow is generated, and the resin fiber fragments P1 are sucked in through the intake port 432 and taken into the first air flow agitator 431. The resin fiber fragments P1 taken in through the intake port 432 are further agitated by the air flow generated by the rotation of the rotating blades. This causes the resin fiber fragments P1 to be loosened into a cotton-like state. That is, the volume of the voids inside the resin fiber fragments P1 increases, the density of the resin fiber fragments P1 decreases, and the loosened resin fibers P2 shown in FIG. 7 are generated. The loosened resin fibers P2 generated are discharged from the discharge port 433.

[0108] The density ρ2 of the resin fiber P in the disintegrated resin fiber P2 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.001 g / cm 3 More than 0.5g / cm 3 It is preferable that the density is 0.008 g / cm or less. 3 More than 0.1g / cm 3 It is more preferable that the ratio is equal to or less than 1. This allows the resin fibers P and the fibers of the fragmented bodies M6 to be mixed more satisfactorily.

[0109] The density of the resin fiber P in the resin fiber fragment P1 is A (g / cm 3 ), and the density of the resin fiber P of the disintegrated resin fiber P2 is B (g / cm 3 ), B / A is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.01 or more and 0.5 or less, more preferably 0.01 or more and 0.4 or less, and even more preferably 0.03 or more and 0.3 or less.

[0110] If the strength of the loosening in the loosening section 43 is high, B / A may fall below the lower limit, which may increase damage to the resin fibers P. If the resin fibers P are severely damaged, they may be cut and shortened, or cracks or branches may occur in the fibers, which may reduce the strength of the resulting recycled paper or make it unstable.

[0111] On the other hand, if the loosening strength in the loosening section 43 is low, B / A may exceed the above upper limit value. In this case, although the damage to the resin fibers P is small, depending on the state of the resin fiber fragments P1, particularly the value of the density A, the effect of loosening may not be sufficient.

[0112] Therefore, by setting B / A in the above range, it is possible to better disperse and mix the resin fibers P and the fibers of the fragmented bodies M6 while suppressing damage to the resin fibers P. As a result, a high-quality recycled paper S is obtained, that is, a recycled paper S having good surface properties with suppressed unevenness in strength and thickness and little surface roughness or waviness.

[0113] The loosened resin fiber P2 produced by the first air flow agitator 431 is discharged from the discharge port 433 and transferred to the mixing section 17 by the transfer section 44. The transfer section 44 has a pipe 441, the upstream end of which is connected to the discharge port 433 of the first air flow agitator 431, and the downstream end of which is connected to the middle of the pipe 172 of the mixing section 17. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, at the boundary between the transfer section 44 and the mixing section 17, the pipe 172 and the pipe 441 form a bifurcated branch pipe such as a T-shaped pipe, a Y-shaped pipe, or a T-shaped pipe, and a connection section 170 is provided where the pipe 441 and the pipe 172 are connected so that the internal flow paths merge with each other.

[0114] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mixing section 17 includes a pipe 172 and a second air flow agitator 173 .

[0115] The pipe 172 connects the housing portion 162 of the segmented portion 16 shown in FIG. 1 with the housing 182 of the dispersion portion 18, and is a flow path through which the mixture M7 of the segmented bodies M6 and the resin fibers P passes.

[0116] Further, a second air current agitator 173 is installed in the middle of the pipe 172 at a position downstream of the connection part 170. The second air current agitator 173 is configured of a blower having a rotating blade therein, similar to the first air current agitator 431, and has a motor MT4 that drives the rotating blade.

[0117] 3, the motor MT4 is electrically connected to the control device 28 via a motor driver (not shown). The control device 28 controls the energization conditions of the motor driver, so that the motor MT4 rotates at the desired timing and rotation speed.

[0118] The loosened resin fiber P2 supplied into the pipe 172 via the pipe 441 of the resin supply section 4 merges with the fragmented body M6 sent from the upstream side of the pipe 172 to become a mixture M7, and this mixture M7 is further transported downstream within the pipe 172 and passes through the second air flow agitator 173.

[0119] The fragmented bodies M6 and the loosened resin fibers P2 contained in the mixture M7 are air-flow agitated by air currents generated by the rotation of the rotary blades in the second air current agitator 173. As a result, the fragmented bodies M6 and the loosened resin fibers P2 contained in the mixture M7 are each further loosened, and the cellulose fibers constituting the fragmented bodies M6 and the resin fibers P0 constituting the loosened resin fibers P2 are uniformly dispersed and mixed, and the mixture in this state is transported to the dispersion section 18 for the next process.

[0120] The mixer 17 also has a second airflow agitator 173 that agitates the mixture M7 by airflow agitation. This allows the cellulose fibers that make up the fragmented bodies M6 and the resin fibers P that make up the loosened resin fibers P2 to be uniformly dispersed and mixed. As a result, the strength and thickness of each part of the manufactured fiber structure, i.e., the recycled paper S, become more uniform, and the surface properties become better, improving the quality.

[0121] Each of the components of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 is electrically connected to a control device 28. The operation of each of these components is controlled by the control device 28.

[0122] As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 28 includes a control unit 281, a storage unit 282, and a communication unit 283.

[0123] The control unit 281 has at least one processor and executes various programs stored in the storage unit 282. For example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be used as the processor. The control unit 281 has a function of performing various controls related to sheet production, such as a function of controlling the operation of each part of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100, for example, the opening / closing unit 424, and motors MT1, MT2, MT3, and MT4.

[0124] As described above, the control unit 281 controls the operation of the opening / closing unit 424 based on the measurement result of the load measurement unit 428 .

[0125] The memory unit 282 stores programs for executing the various functions described above, as well as data indicating the relationship between the resin fiber fragments P1 and the time for which the opening / closing portion 424 is maintained in the open state.

[0126] The communication unit 283 is composed of, for example, an I / O interface, and communicates with each unit of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100. In addition, the communication unit 283 has a function of communicating with a computer or server (not shown), for example, via a network.

[0127] The control device 28 may be built into the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100, or may be provided in an external device such as an external computer.

[0128] Furthermore, the control unit 281 and the memory unit 282 may, for example, be integrated and configured as a single unit, or the control unit 281 may be built into the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 and the memory unit 282 may be provided in an external device such as an external computer, or the memory unit 282 may be built into the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 and the control unit 281 may be provided in an external device such as an external computer.

[0129] In these cases, the external device may be connected to each part of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 via a network such as the Internet or an intranet.

[0130] As described above, the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 includes the defibrated material supplying section 9 which supplies the fragmented bodies M6 which are an example of a defibrated material obtained by defibrating a fiber-containing material, the resin supplying section 4 which supplies the resin fibers P, the mixing section 17 which mixes the fragmented bodies M6 and the resin fibers P to produce a mixture M7, the deposition section 19 which deposits the mixture M7 to produce a second web M8 which is a deposit, and the molding section 20 which molds the second web M8 to produce a fiber structure. The resin supplying section 4 includes a fragmenting section 41 which fragments a mass P0 of cotton-like resin fibers P to produce resin fiber fragments P1, a quantitative supplying section 42 which supplies a quantitative amount of the resin fiber fragments P1 produced in the fragmenting section 41, a loosening section 43 which loosens the resin fiber fragments P1 supplied from the quantitative supplying section 42 to reduce the density of the resin fiber fragments P1, and a transfer section 44 which transfers the cotton-like resin fibers P loosened in the loosening section 43 to the mixing section 17. This allows the fragmented bodies M6 as defibrated material and the fragmented resin fiber bodies P1 to be mixed uniformly. In particular, the cellulose fibers and the resin fibers P can be dispersed and mixed uniformly at the fiber level beyond the fragmented body level. Therefore, the strength and thickness of each part of the manufactured fiber structure, i.e., the recycled paper S, becomes more uniform, and the surface properties become good, improving the quality.

[0131] As described above, the loosening unit 43 has the first air flow agitation device 431 that loosens the resin fiber fragments P1 by air flow agitation. This makes it possible to effectively loosen the resin fibers P while reducing damage to the resin fibers P.

[0132] However, the configuration is not limited to this, and the loosening unit 43 may be configured to loosen the fine resin fiber bodies P1 by rotating an agitating member such as a rotating blade.

[0133] As described above, the density of the resin fiber in the resin fiber fragment P2 is A (g / cm 3 ), and the density of the cotton-like resin fiber P disentangled in the disentanglement unit 43 is B (g / cm 3), B / A is 0.01 or more and 0.5 or less. This allows the resin fibers P to be sufficiently loosened without being damaged in the loosening section 43, and allows the resin fibers P to be more satisfactorily dispersed and mixed with the fibers of the fragmented body M6. As a result, high-quality recycled paper S with uniform strength and thickness and excellent surface properties is obtained.

[0134] Although the embodiment of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus of the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and each component constituting the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus can be replaced with any component capable of exerting the same function. In addition, any component may be added to the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus.

[0135] Furthermore, the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus may omit the raw material supply unit 11 and the crushing unit 12. In this case, the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus may be provided with a coarsely crushed fragment supply unit that supplies coarsely crushed fragments, instead of the raw material supply unit 11 and the crushing unit 12. [Explanation of symbols]

[0136] 4...resin supply section, 9...defibrated material supply section, 11...raw material supply section, 12...crushing section, 13...defibrating section, 14...sorting section, 15...first web forming section, 16...fragmenting section, 17...mixing section, 18...dispersing section, 19...accumulating section, 20...molding section, 21...cutting section, 22...stock section, 27...recovery section, 28...control device, 41...fragmenting section, 42...quantitative supply section, 43...loosening section, 44...transport section, 100...fibrous structure manufacturing device, 101...core material, 102...covering layer, 121...crushing blade, 122...chute, 141...drum section, 142... Housing portion, 151...mesh belt, 152...tension roller, 153...suction portion, 161...propeller, 162...housing portion, 170...connection portion, 172...pipe, 173...second air flow agitator, 181...drum, 182...housing, 191...mesh belt, 192...tension roller, 193...suction portion, 201...pressurizing portion, 202...heating portion, 203...calender roller, 204...heating roller, 211...first cutter, 212...second cutter, 231...humidifying portion, 232...humidifying portion, 233... Humidification section, 234...humidification section, 235...humidification section, 236...humidification section, 241...pipe, 242...pipe, 243...pipe, 244...pipe, 245...pipe, 246...pipe, 261...blower, 262...blower, 263...blower, 281...control section, 282...storage section, 283...communication section, 411...rotating body, 412...casing, 413...shaft, 414...blade, 415...supply port, 416...discharge port, 417...pipe, 421...storage section, 422...measuring section, 423...container, 424...opening / closing section, 425...discharge port, 426...conveyor belt , 427...roller, 428...load measuring section, 429...intake port, 431...first air flow agitator, 432...intake port, 433...discharge port, 441...pipe, M1...raw material, M2...coarsely crushed pieces, M3...defibrated material, M4-1...first sorted material, M4-2...second sorted material, M5...first web, M6...fine pieces, M7...mixture, M8...second web, MT1...motor, MT2...motor, MT3...motor, MT4...motor, P...resin fiber, P0...lump, P1...fine resin fiber pieces, P2...loosely disintegrated resin fiber, S...recycled paper

Claims

1. a defibrated material supplying unit that supplies defibrated material obtained by defibrating a fiber-containing material; a resin supplying section for supplying resin fibers; a mixing section that mixes the defibrated material and the resin fibers to generate a mixture; a depositing section for depositing the mixture to form a deposit; a molding section for molding the deposit to produce a fiber structure; The resin supply unit includes: a fragmentation unit that fragments the flocculent resin fiber mass to generate fragmented resin fiber bodies; a quantitative supply unit that supplies a quantitative amount of the resin fiber fragments produced in the fragmentation unit; a refining unit that refining the resin fiber fragments supplied from the quantitative supply unit to reduce the density of the resin fiber fragments; a transfer section that transfers the cotton-like resin fibers disintegrated in the disintegrating section to the mixing section.

2. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the loosening section has a first air flow agitation device that loosens the resin fiber fragments by air flow agitation.

3. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the mixing section has a second air flow agitating device that agitates the mixture by air flow agitation.

4. The density of the resin fiber in the resin fiber fragments is A (g / cm ３ ), and the density of the cotton-like resin fibers disintegrated in the disintegration section is B (g / cm ３ 4. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when B / A is 0.01 or more and 0.5 or less, B / A is 0.01 or more and 0.5 or less.

5. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fragmentation section has at least one rotating body having a plurality of blades and a housing that houses the rotating body, and as the rotating body rotates, the cotton-like mass of resin fibers is broken up and fragmented by the blades.

6. 4. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the resin fiber has a core material and a coating layer that coats an outer periphery of the core material and has a melting point lower than that of the core material.

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