Apparatus for producing sheet

Abstract

To provide an apparatus for producing a sheet suppressing accumulation of fiber between a defibrating machine and a separator.SOLUTION: An apparatus for producing a sheet 1 includes: a defibrating machine 30 having a defibrating blade 500, and a discharging duct 391 and configured for defibrating a material with the defibrating blade 500, and discharging a defibrated product containing fibers from the discharging duct 391; a separator 40 having an introduction duct 409, and a separation filter 431 and configured for introducing the defibrated product from the introduction duct 409 and separating fibers from the defibrated product with the separation filter 431 to take out; a deposition part 50 for depositing the fibers fed from the separator 40 to form a web W; and a forming part 70 for pressing the web W to form a sheet P1, where the separator 40 is disposed right under the defibrating machine 30, and a tip end of the introduction duct 409 and a tip end of the discharge duct 391 are disposed so as to face one another.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet manufacturing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known an apparatus for manufacturing sheets and the like using fibers obtained by defibrating waste paper and the like. Some of such apparatuses are equipped with a separation mechanism for separating defibrated fibers from unnecessary fibers. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a fibrous body manufacturing apparatus equipped with a defibrating device and a sorting unit. Patent Document 2 discloses a fibrous body depositing apparatus equipped with a defibrating unit and a separating device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-18829 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2020-121294 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a problem that fibers and the like are easily retained between the defibrating mechanism and the separation mechanism. In detail, since the defibrating mechanism has a rotating member, vibrations are easily generated during operation. In order to suppress the propagation of the above vibrations to the separation mechanism, it is common to connect the defibrating mechanism and the separation mechanism with a flexible pipe. In this case, steps are likely to occur in the internal path at the connection point between the defibrating mechanism and the flexible pipe, and at the connection point between the flexible pipe and the separation mechanism. There is a possibility that fibers and the like will be retained around these steps. Retention of fibers can destabilize the fiber supply state and lead to a deterioration in the quality of the manufactured sheet. In other words, there has been a demand for a sheet manufacturing device that suppresses retention of fibers between the defibrating mechanism and the separation mechanism. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The sheet manufacturing apparatus is a sheet manufacturing apparatus that manufactures a sheet from a material containing fibers, and is equipped with: a defibrator that has a defibrating blade and a discharge duct, and defibrates the material with the defibrating blade and discharges the defibrated material containing the fibers from the discharge duct; an introduction duct and a separation filter, and the defibrated material is introduced from the introduction duct, and a disk-type separator that separates and extracts the fibers from the defibrated material with the separation filter; a deposition section that deposits the fibers supplied from the separator with an airflow to form a web; and a sheet forming section that compresses the web to form the sheet, and the separator is disposed directly below the defibrator, and an end of the introduction duct of the separator and an end of the discharge duct of the defibrator are disposed opposite each other. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a sheet manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of a fiberizer and a separator. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a defibrator and a separator. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a detailed configuration of a fiberizer. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the flow of waste paper and defibrated fibers. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the configuration of a first separation chamber. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a second separation chamber. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the arrangement of a first separation chamber and a second separation chamber relative to a rotating member. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of a first plate, a second plate, and a buffer member. [Figure 12] FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of the first gasket and the second gasket. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an airtight structure between an exhaust duct and an inlet duct. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] In the following embodiment, a sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 that recycles pieces of paper such as waste paper in a dry manner is exemplified as a sheet manufacturing apparatus that manufactures a sheet from a material containing fiber, and will be described with reference to the drawings. The sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to being of a dry type, and may be of a wet type. In this specification, the term "dry type" refers to being carried out in air such as the atmosphere, rather than in a liquid.

[0008] In each of the following figures, XYZ axes are attached as mutually orthogonal coordinate axes, the direction indicated by each arrow is the + direction, and the direction opposite to the + direction is the - direction. The Z axis is an imaginary axis along the vertical direction, with the +Z direction being the upward direction and the -Z direction being the downward direction. The -Z direction is the direction in which gravity acts. In addition, in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1, the side ahead in the conveying direction of the raw material, web, sheet, etc. is sometimes referred to as the downstream side, and the side going upstream in the conveying direction is sometimes referred to as the upstream side. For convenience of illustration, the sizes of each component are made different from the actual size.

[0009] As shown in Fig. 1, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a first unit group 101, a second unit group 102, and a third unit group 103. The first unit group 101, the second unit group 102, and the third unit group 103 are supported by a frame (not shown). In Fig. 1, the directions in which waste paper C, sheets P3, slit pieces S, unnecessary scraps, etc. move are indicated by outlined arrows.

[0010] The sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 manufactures a sheet P3 from recycled paper C, which is a material containing fibers. In the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1, a first unit group 101, a third unit group 103, and a second unit group 102 are arranged from the -Y direction toward the +Y direction in a side view from the -X direction.

[0011] The waste paper C is transported from the first unit group 101 to the second unit group 102 via a pipe 21 that crosses inside the third unit group 103. The waste paper C is then defibrated and turned into fibers in the second unit group 102, and made into a mixture containing a binder and the like. The mixture is transported to the third unit group 103 via a pipe 24. The mixture is made into a web W in the third unit group 103, and is then formed into a belt-shaped sheet P1. The belt-shaped sheet P1 is cut in the first unit group 101 to become a sheet P3.

[0012] The first unit group 101 has a buffer tank 13, a constant quantity supply unit 15, a junction unit 17, and a pipe 21. In the first unit group 101, these components are arranged in the above order from upstream to downstream. The first unit group 101 also has a first cutting unit 81, a second cutting unit 82, a tray 84, and a shredding unit 86. The first cutting unit 81 and the second cutting unit 82 cut the strip-shaped sheet P1 into a sheet P3 of a predetermined shape. The first unit group 101 also has a water supply unit 67. The water supply unit 67 is a water storage tank. The water supply unit 67 supplies water for humidification to each of the first humidifying unit 65 and the second humidifying unit 66, which will be described later, through a water supply pipe (not shown).

[0013] Waste paper C is fed into the buffer tank 13 from the raw material feed port 11. The waste paper C contains fibers such as cellulose, and is, for example, pieces of shredded waste paper. Humidified air is supplied to the inside of the buffer tank 13 from the second humidifier 66 provided in the third unit group 103.

[0014] The waste paper C to be defibrated is temporarily stored in the buffer tank 13, and then transported to the fixed-quantity supply unit 15 in accordance with the operation of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1. The sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 may be equipped with a shredder upstream of the buffer tank 13 that shreds the waste paper C and the like.

[0015] The fixed-quantity supply unit 15 has a weighing device 15a and a supply mechanism (not shown). The weighing device 15a weighs the mass of the waste paper C. The supply mechanism supplies the waste paper C weighed by the weighing device 15a to the downstream junction 17. That is, the fixed-quantity supply unit 15 weighs the waste paper C by a predetermined mass using the weighing device 15a, and supplies the waste paper C to the downstream junction 17 using the supply mechanism.

[0016] The weighing device 15a may be a digital or analog weighing mechanism. Specifically, the weighing device 15a may be a physical sensor such as a load cell, a spring scale, or a balance. In this embodiment, a load cell is used as the weighing device 15a. The predetermined mass of the waste paper C weighed by the weighing device 15a is, for example, several grams to several tens of grams.

[0017] The feeding mechanism may be a known technique such as a vibration feeder, etc. The feeding mechanism may be included in the weighing device 15a.

[0018] The weighing and supply of the waste paper C in the quantitative supply unit 15 is a batch process. That is, the supply of the waste paper C from the quantitative supply unit 15 to the junction 17 is performed intermittently. The quantitative supply unit 15 may have a plurality of weighing devices 15a, and the weighing efficiency may be improved by operating the plurality of weighing devices 15a at staggered times.

[0019] At the junction 17, the waste paper C supplied from the quantitative supply unit 15 is joined and mixed with the fine pieces of the slit pieces S supplied from the shredding unit 86. The slit pieces S and the shredding unit 86 will be described later. The waste paper C mixed with the fine pieces flows from the junction 17 into the pipe 21.

[0020] The pipe 21 conveys the waste paper C from the first unit group 101 to the second unit group 102 by an air current generated by a blower (not shown).

[0021] The second unit group 102 has a defibrator 30, which is a dry type defibrator, a separator 40, piping 23, a mixer 91, and piping 24. In the second unit group 102, these components are arranged in the above order from upstream to downstream. The second unit group 102 also has a collection section 95, a compressor 97, a power supply section 99, and piping 25 and air flow piping 451 connected to the separator 40.

[0022] The waste paper C transported through the pipe 21 flows into the defibrator 30. The defibrator 30 defibrates the waste paper C supplied from the fixed amount supply unit 15 into fibers in a dry manner. A known defibration mechanism can be applied to the defibrator 30. The defibrator 30 untangles tangled fibers contained in the pieces of waste paper C to form defibrated material containing fibers, which is transported to the separator 40. Details of the defibrator 30 will be described later.

[0023] The separator 40 separates the defibrated fibers. More specifically, the separator 40 removes components contained in the fibers that are unnecessary for the production of the sheet P3. That is, the separator 40 separates relatively long fibers from relatively short fibers. Relatively short fibers may cause a decrease in the strength of the sheet P3, so they are selected and removed by the separator 40. The separator 40 also removes coloring materials and additives contained in the waste paper C. The separator 40 is a disk type. The separator 40 will be described in detail later.

[0024] Humidified air is supplied to the inside of the separator 40 from the second humidifying section 66 of the third unit group 103.

[0025] The defibrated fibers, from which relatively short fibers and the like have been removed, are transported to the mixer 91 via the pipe 23 by an airflow generated by a blower (not shown) disposed at the tip of the airflow pipe 451. Unnecessary materials such as relatively short fibers and coloring materials are discharged from the pipe 25 to the recovery section 95.

[0026] The mixer 91 mixes the fibers with a binder and the like in the air to produce a mixture. Although not shown, the mixer 91 includes a flow path through which the fibers are transported, a fan, a hopper, a supply pipe, and a valve.

[0027] The hopper communicates with the fiber flow path via a supply pipe. A valve is provided in the supply pipe between the hopper and the flow path. The hopper supplies a binder such as starch into the flow path. The valve adjusts the mass of the binder supplied from the hopper to the flow path. This adjusts the mixture ratio of the fiber and the binder.

[0028] The mixing section 91 may have a similar configuration for supplying a coloring material, an additive, and the like, in addition to the above-mentioned configuration for supplying the binder.

[0029] The fan of the mixer 91 generates an air current that transports the fibers downstream while mixing the fibers with the binder and other materials in the air to form a mixture. The mixture flows from the mixer 91 into the pipe 24.

[0030] The collecting section 95 includes a filter (not shown) that filters out unnecessary materials such as relatively short fibers carried through the pipe 25 by the air current.

[0031] The compressor 97 generates compressed air. The filter may become clogged with fine particles of unwanted matter. The compressed air generated by the compressor 97 can be blown against the filter to blow away the particles adhering to the filter, thereby cleaning the filter.

[0032] The power supply unit 99 has a power supply device (not shown) that supplies power to the control unit 5 and the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1. The power supply unit 99 distributes power supplied from an external source to each component of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1. The control unit 5 is electrically connected to each component of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 and performs integrated control of the operation of these components.

[0033] The third unit group 103 piles up the mixture containing fibers, compresses it, and forms it into a belt-shaped sheet P1, which is recycled paper. The third unit group 103 has a pile-up section 50, a first conveyor section 61, a second conveyor section 62, a first humidifier section 65, a second humidifier section 66, a drainage section 68, and a forming section 70, which is a sheet forming section.

[0034] In the third unit group 103, from upstream to downstream, the deposition section 50, the first transfer section 61, the second transfer section 62, the first humidifying section 65, and the forming section 70 are arranged in the above order. The second humidifying section 66 is arranged below the first humidifying section 65.

[0035] The deposition unit 50 deposits the mixture containing fibers supplied from the separator 40 by airflow and gravity to form a web W. The deposition unit 50 has a drum member 53, a blade member 55 installed in the drum member 53, a housing 51 that accommodates the drum member 53, and a suction unit 59. The mixture is taken into the drum member 53 from the piping 24.

[0036] A first transport unit 61 is disposed below the deposition unit 50. The first transport unit 61 has a mesh belt 61a and five tension rollers (not shown) that tension the mesh belt 61a. The suction unit 59 faces the drum member 53 with the mesh belt 61a therebetween in the direction along the Z axis.

[0037] The blade member 55 is located inside the drum member 53 and is rotated by a motor (not shown). The drum member 53 is a semi-cylindrical sieve. A mesh functioning as a sieve is provided on the downward-facing side of the drum member 53. The drum member 53 allows particles such as fibers and mixtures that are smaller than the size of the mesh openings of the sieve to pass from the inside to the outside.

[0038] The mixture is discharged to the outside of the drum member 53 while being agitated by the rotating blade member 55 inside the drum member 53. Humidified air is supplied from a second humidifying section 66 to the inside of the drum member 53.

[0039] The suction unit 59 is disposed below the drum member 53. The suction unit 59 sucks air from inside the housing 51 through a plurality of holes in the mesh belt 61a. This generates an airflow that deposits the mixture on the mesh belt 61a. The plurality of holes in the mesh belt 61a allow air to pass through but prevent fibers and binders contained in the mixture from passing through. As a result, the mixture discharged to the outside of the drum member 53 is sucked downward together with the air. The suction unit 59 is a known suction device such as a blower.

[0040] The mixture is dispersed in the air within the housing 51 and is deposited on the upper surface of the mesh belt 61a by gravity and the air current generated by the suction section 59 to become the web W.

[0041] The mesh belt 61a is an endless belt that is stretched around five tension rollers. The mesh belt 61a rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 1 due to the rotation of the tension rollers. As a result, the mixture is continuously deposited on the mesh belt 61a, and a web W is formed. The web W contains a relatively large amount of air and is soft and inflated. The first conveying section 61 conveys the formed web W downstream by the rotation of the mesh belt 61a.

[0042] The second conveying section 62 is downstream of the first conveying section 61 and conveys the web W in place of the first conveying section 61. The second conveying section 62 peels the web W from the upper surface of the mesh belt 61a and conveys it toward the forming section 70. The second conveying section 62 is disposed above the conveying path of the web W and slightly upstream of the starting point of the return side of the mesh belt 61a. The +Y direction of the second conveying section 62 and the -Y direction of the mesh belt 61a partially overlap in the vertical direction.

[0043] The second conveyor 62 includes a transport belt, a plurality of rollers, and a suction mechanism (not shown). The transport belt has a plurality of holes for allowing air to pass through. The transport belt is stretched around a plurality of rollers and rotates with the rotation of the rollers.

[0044] In the second conveying section 62, the upper surface of the web W is attracted to the lower surface of the transport belt by the negative pressure generated by the suction mechanism. When the transport belt rotates in this state, the web W is attracted to the transport belt and conveyed downstream.

[0045] The first humidifying section 65 humidifies the web W including fibers deposited in the depositing section 50 of the third unit group 103. In detail, the first humidifying section 65 is, for example, a mist type humidifier, and humidifies the web W transported by the second transport section 62 by supplying mist M from below. The first humidifying section 65 is disposed below the second transport section 62 and faces the web W transported by the second transport section 62 in the direction along the Z axis. A known humidifying device, for example, an ultrasonic type, can be used as the first humidifying section 65.

[0046] Moisturizing the web W with the mist M promotes the function of the starch as a binder, improving the strength of the sheet P3. In addition, since the web W is humidified from below, drops of the mist are prevented from falling onto the web W. Furthermore, since the web W is humidified from the opposite side of the contact surface between the transport belt and the web W, sticking of the web W to the transport belt is reduced. The second transport section 62 transports the web W to the forming section 70.

[0047] The forming section 70 has processing rollers 71 and 72. The processing rollers 71 and 72 compress the web W containing fibers and form it into a belt-shaped sheet P1. The processing rollers 71 and 72 form a pair, and each of them has an electric heater built-in and has the function of increasing the temperature of the roller surface.

[0048] The processing rollers 71 and 72 are each a substantially cylindrical member. The rotation axis of the processing roller 71 and the rotation axis of the processing roller 72 are arranged along the X-axis. With respect to the transport path of the web W, the processing roller 71 is arranged substantially above, and the processing roller 72 is arranged substantially below.

[0049] The processing roller 72 is rotated by an actuator such as a stepping motor. The processing roller 71 is not driven by a motor or the like, but is a driven roller that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the processing roller 72. The processing roller 71 rotates in the opposite direction to the processing roller 72 when viewed from the side in the -X direction.

[0050] The web W is sandwiched between the treatment roller 71 and the treatment roller 72 and sent downstream while being heated and pressurized. That is, the web W is continuously passed through the forming section 70 and press-formed while being heated. By using the treatment rollers 71 and 72 as a pair of forming members, the web W can be efficiently heated and pressurized.

[0051] By passing through the forming section 70, the web W, which is in a soft state containing a relatively large amount of air, has the air contained therein reduced and the fibers are bound together by the binder, so that the web W is formed into a belt-shaped sheet P1. The belt-shaped sheet P1 is transported to the first unit group 101 by a transport roller (not shown).

[0052] The second humidifier 66 is disposed below the first humidifier 65. A known evaporative humidifier can be used for the second humidifier 66. An example of an evaporative humidifier is one that blows air onto a moistened nonwoven fabric or the like to evaporate moisture and generate humidified air.

[0053] The second humidifying section 66 humidifies a predetermined area of ​​the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1. The predetermined area is one or more of the buffer tank 13, the separator 40, and the inside of the drum member 53 of the accumulation section 50. Specifically, humidified air is supplied to the above-mentioned area from the second humidifying section 66 through a plurality of pipes (not shown). In each of the above-mentioned configurations, the humidified air suppresses electrostatic charge on the waste paper C, fibers, etc., and suppresses adhesion of these materials to members due to static electricity.

[0054] The drainage unit 68 is a drainage tank. The drainage unit 68 is used in the first humidifying unit 65 and the second humidifying unit 66, etc., and collects and stores old moisture. The drainage unit 68 can be removed from the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 as necessary, and the stored water can be discarded.

[0055] The strip-shaped sheet P1 transported to the first unit group 101 reaches the first cutting section 81. The first cutting section 81 cuts the strip-shaped sheet P1 in a direction intersecting the transport direction, for example, along the X-axis. The strip-shaped sheet P1 is cut into single sheets P2 at the first cutting section 81. The single sheets P2 are transported from the first cutting section 81 to the second cutting section 82.

[0056] The second cutting section 82 cuts the single sheet P2 in the conveying direction, for example, in the direction along the Y axis. More specifically, the second cutting section 82 cuts the vicinity of both sides of the single sheet P2 in the direction along the X axis. As a result, the single sheet P2 becomes a sheet P3 of a predetermined shape, for example, A4 size or A3 size.

[0057] When the second cutting section 82 cuts the single-cut sheets P2 into sheets P3, slit pieces S, which are scraps, are generated. The slit pieces S are transported in the approximately -Y direction to reach the shredding section 86, which is a shredder. The shredding section 86 shreds the slit pieces S into small pieces and supplies them to the junction 17. A mechanism for weighing the small pieces of the slit pieces S and supplying them to the junction 17 may be provided between the shredding section 86 and the junction 17.

[0058] The sheet P3 is conveyed substantially upward and accumulated on the tray 84. In this manner, the sheet P3 is manufactured by the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1. The sheet P3 can be used as a substitute for, for example, copy paper.

[0059] As shown in Fig. 2, the defibrator 30 and the separator 40 are aligned along the Z axis, and the separator 40 is disposed directly below the defibrator 30. In Fig. 2, the configuration downstream of the piping 25 and the configuration on the blower side of the air flow piping 451 are omitted from the illustration.

[0060] The defibrator 30 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped exterior 399. Inside the exterior 399, a main body 301 of the defibrator 30 including the defibrator blades, which will be described later, is housed.

[0061] A drive unit 387 is attached to the +X direction of the exterior 399. The drive unit 387 includes an electric motor (not shown) for the defibrator 30, and drives the defibrating blade via a drive belt 389 to rotate.

[0062] 3, the defibrator 30 has a main body 301 and an exhaust duct 391. The main body 301 includes a defibrating blade 500, a housing portion 351, and a screen member 321. The screen member 321 covers the defibrating blade 500, and the housing portion 351 covers the screen member 321.

[0063] The defibrator 30 defibrates waste paper C, which is a material containing fibers, using the defibrator blades 500 to produce defibrated material containing fibers.

[0064] The discharge duct 391 is disposed below the defibrator blade 500. The discharge duct 391 protrudes downward from the main body 301 of the defibrator 30. The defibrated material is discharged from the discharge duct 391 to the separator 40 below. Since the discharge duct 391 protrudes downward, gravity can be used to discharge the defibrated material from the discharge duct 391.

[0065] The separator 40 has an introduction duct 409, a housing 410, a rotating member 423, and a separation filter 431. The separator 40 separates and extracts fibers, which are the raw material for the sheet P3, from the defibrated material by the rotating member 423 and the separation filter 431.

[0066] A first separation chamber 411 consisting of a front portion 411a and a rear portion 411b, and a second separation chamber 412 are provided inside the housing 410. In the housing 410, the first separation chamber 411 is disposed in approximately the +Y direction, and the second separation chamber 412 is disposed in approximately the -Y direction. Below the housing 410, a pipe 25 and an air flow pipe 451 are disposed.

[0067] The introduction duct 409 of the separator 40 protrudes upward from the housing 410 of the separator 40. The upper end of the introduction duct 409 and the lower end of the discharge duct 391 in the defibrator 30 are disposed opposite to each other in the direction along the Z axis. The upper part of the introduction duct 409 communicates with the inside of the discharge duct 391, and the lower part communicates with the first separation chamber 411 of the housing 410. Therefore, the flow of the defibrated material from the discharge duct 391 to the introduction duct 409 becomes smoother, and the retention of fibers and the like can be further suppressed.

[0068] The first separation chamber 411 includes a front portion 411a and a rear portion 411b. The front portion 411a and the rear portion 411b are arranged in a direction along the Z axis. The front portion 411a is disposed above the rear portion 411b. A rotating member 423 and a separation filter 431 are disposed at the boundary between the front portion 411a and the rear portion 411b.

[0069] In the separator 40, the defibrated material is introduced from the introduction duct 409 to the front part 411a of the first separation chamber 411. The introduction duct 409 is disposed above the rotating member 423 and the separation filter 431. This makes it possible to utilize gravity to introduce the defibrated material from the introduction duct 409 to the front part 411a.

[0070] Pipe 25 is connected to the lower part of rear part 411b. Rear part 411b communicates with the inside of pipe 25. Air flow pipe 451 is disposed in the -Y direction of pipe 25. The inside of air flow pipe 451 communicates with the inside of second separation chamber 412.

[0071] As shown in Fig. 4, the pipe 21 is connected to the upper part in the -Y direction of the main body 301 of the defibrator 30. Waste paper C is introduced from the pipe 21 through the supply port 314 into the defibrating chamber 311 inside the screen member 321.

[0072] The defibrating blade 500 has a rotating blade 503 and a rotating shaft 501. The rotating shaft 501 is a shaft member that extends along the Y-axis. The defibrating blade 500 has a rotationally symmetric shape with respect to a central axis AR of the rotating shaft 501. The central axis AR also extends along the Y-axis.

[0073] The rotary blade 503 is housed in the defibrating chamber 311. The rotary shaft 501 protrudes in the +Y direction and the -Y direction from the defibrating chamber 311. The +Y direction and the -Y direction of the rotary shaft 501 are rotatably supported by the corresponding bearing parts 302, respectively.

[0074] The rotary blade 503 is driven by the drive unit 387 and rotates about the central axis AR in the defibrating chamber 311. By the rotation of the rotary blade 503, the waste paper C is shredded and defibrated in a dry manner to become defibrated material containing fibers.

[0075] The recovery chamber 312 is disposed surrounding the defibrating chamber 311. The recovery chamber 312 is a space surrounded by the screen member 321 and the housing portion 351.

[0076] As shown in Fig. 5, the defibrating blade 500 includes a base 502 in addition to the above-mentioned rotating shaft 501 and rotating blade 503. The base 502 is a substantially cylindrical member, and the height direction of the cylinder is along the Y axis. The rotating blade 503 is made up of multiple blades that radially protrude from the base 502 in a side view from the +Y direction. The defibrating blade 500 rotates in a rotation direction CR around a central axis AR as the rotation center.

[0077] As shown in Fig. 6, a screen member 321 is disposed so as to cover the multiple rotary blades 503. Note that a portion of the screen member 321 is not shown in Fig. 6.

[0078] The waste paper C contains cellulose fibers. In the defibrating chamber 311, the waste paper C is broken into small pieces by the rotation of the rotary blade 503, and the small pieces are further turned into defibrated material containing fibers.

[0079] The screen member 321 has a plurality of holes in an area corresponding to the rotary blade 503. Each of the plurality of holes allows fibers generated by the defibration of waste paper C to pass through, but does not allow small pieces of waste paper C in the process of being defibrated or tangled fibers to pass through.

[0080] As shown in Fig. 7, in a side view from the +Y direction, the screen member 321 covers the outside of the defibrating blade 500, and the housing part 351 covers the outside of the screen member 321. In Fig. 7, the flow of defibrated material generated from waste paper C is indicated by dashed arrows. In addition, in the following explanation of Fig. 7, the state viewed from the side from the +Y direction will be described unless otherwise specified.

[0081] The screen member 321 is circular, and the housing portion 351 is substantially circular. An exhaust duct 391 is connected to the lower part of the housing portion 351.

[0082] The center of the screen member 321 approximately coincides with the central axis AR of the defibrating blade 500. The position corresponding to the center of the housing part 351 is offset slightly downward with respect to the central axis AR. The space of the collection chamber 312 is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom.

[0083] Waste paper C (not shown) is introduced into the defibrating chamber 311 from the supply port 314 and is turned into defibrated material by the defibrating blade 500. The defibrated material passes through the screen member 321 and flows from the defibrating chamber 311 into the collection chamber 312. In the collection chamber 312, the defibrated material moves downward toward the discharge duct 391. The defibrated material is then discharged downward from the discharge duct 391.

[0084] As shown in Fig. 8, the defibrated material is introduced from the discharge duct 391 to the introduction duct 409 as indicated by the white arrow. The introduction duct 409 communicates with a front part 411a of a first separation chamber 411 located below. A rotating member 423 and a separation filter 431 are installed between the front part 411a and a rear part 411b below the front part 411a.

[0085] The rotating member 423 is disposed above the separation filter 431. The defibrated material that flows into the front section 411a is temporarily blocked by the separation filter 431. The above-mentioned piping 25 is disposed below the rear section 411b. Although not shown, the piping 25 is provided with a suction mechanism that sucks air from the exhaust duct 391 to the rear section 411b. As a result, the air in the exhaust duct 391 and the front section 411a is sucked into the rear section 411b.

[0086] Separation filter 431 is a mesh member that is substantially circular in plan view from above. Separation filter 431 is fixed to rotating member 423. Rotating member 423 has a substantially circular outer shape in plan view from above. Rotating member 423 is disposed in housing 410 and is rotatable together with separation filter 431.

[0087] The second separation chamber 412 is disposed approximately in the -Y direction of the first separation chamber 411. The rotating member 423 and the separation filter 431 are exposed to the inside of the first separation chamber 411 and also to the inside of the second separation chamber 412. The rotating member 423 is driven by an electric motor (not shown) for the separator 40 (not shown) to rotate between a region exposed to the first separation chamber 411 and a region exposed to the second separation chamber 412.

[0088] 9, in second separation chamber 412, front part 412a is disposed above air flow piping 451, and rear part 412b is disposed above front part 412a. Rotating member 423 and separation filter 431 are installed between front part 412a and rear part 412b.

[0089] The airflow pipe 451 communicates with the inside of the front part 412a. A blower (not shown) is disposed at the end of the airflow pipe 451. The blower blows air into the front part 412a through the airflow pipe 451. The airflow passes through the separation filter 431 and flows to the rear part 412b, and further flows downstream from the pipe 23.

[0090] As shown in Fig. 10, the rotating member 423 includes an outer frame portion 424, spoke portions 426, and a center shaft portion 428. In addition to the rotating member 423, Fig. 10 also illustrates a separation filter 431, a first separation chamber 411, and a second separation chamber 412. Note that in Fig. 10, the areas corresponding to the first separation chamber 411 and the second separation chamber 412 are indicated by dashed lines.

[0091] In a plan view from above, the central shaft portion 428 is circular, and the outer frame portion 424 is circular ring-shaped. The outer frame portion 424 is supported by the central shaft portion 428 via eight spoke portions 426. The rotating member 423 rotates about a rotation center O by being driven by the electric motor described above. The rotation of the rotating member 423 rotates the spoke portions 426 of the rotating member 423 and the separation filter 431.

[0092] The defibrated material introduced into the first separation chamber 411 is blocked by the +Z direction surface of the separation filter 431. The blocked defibrated material then moves together with the spoke parts 426 of the rotating member 423. At this time, short fibers and particulate impurities in the defibrated material pass through the separation filter 431 by the suction of the suction mechanism, and are sucked into the rear part 411b (not shown) and removed.

[0093] On the other hand, the long fibers in the defibrated material that do not pass through the separation filter 431 move to the second separation chamber 412 while remaining on the upper surface of the separation filter 431 due to the rotation of the rotating member 423.

[0094] As described above, in the second separation chamber 412, an airflow originating from the blower is generated, which flows from the front section 412a through the rear section 412b to the piping 23. The long fibers in the defibrated material are blown upward from above the separation filter 431 to the upper side of the rear section 412b by the airflow, and are transported downstream from the piping 23. In this manner, the fibers to be used as the material for the sheet P3 are separated from other unnecessary portions.

[0095] 11, in the defibrator 30, the defibrating blade 500 is rotationally driven by the drive unit 387, which easily generates vibrations. In the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1, the distance between the discharge duct 391 and the inlet duct 409 is short, and no flexible piping or the like is interposed. Therefore, the vibrations of the defibrator 30 are easily transmitted to the separator 40. In contrast, in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1, the transmission of vibrations to the separator 40 is suppressed by the configuration described below.

[0096] The sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a first plate 201 and a second plate 202. The first plate 201 and the second plate 202 are both substantially rectangular plate-like members with their main surfaces aligned along the XY plane. Between the defibrator 30 and the separator 40, the first plate 201 is disposed above the defibrator 30 side, and the second plate 202 is disposed below the separator 40 side.

[0097] The drive unit 387 and exterior 399 of the defibrator 30 are placed and fixed on the upper surface of the first plate 201. The introduction duct 409 of the separator 40 is supported on the lower surface of the second plate 202. Although not shown in the figure, the housing 410 of the separator 40 is fixed to the second plate 202 via a subframe or the like.

[0098] The first plate 201 is not fixed to the frame of the second unit group 102, but is supported by the second plate 202 via four buffer members 215. The second plate 202 is supported by the frame of the second unit group 102 via a member not shown.

[0099] The two support members 213 are fixed to the second plate 202. Each support member 213 is not fixed to each of the two buffer members 215. The upper part of each of the four buffer members 215 is fixed to the first plate 201, and the lower part is fixed to the second plate 202. Thus, the first plate 201 and the second plate 202 are connected via the four buffer members 215.

[0100] The buffer member 215 has a thickness in the direction along the Z-axis, is made of an elastic body such as rubber, and attenuates vibrations generated by the defibrator 30. The thickness of the buffer member 215 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, about 30 mm. The support member 213 is a slender rail-shaped member that is aligned along the Y-axis, and is made, for example, by sheet metal processing from a metal plate or the like.

[0101] As shown in Fig. 12, the two support members 213 are disposed along the Y axis. Here, in Fig. 12, the first plate 201 is indicated by a dashed line.

[0102] Specifically, each support member 213 is disposed to correspond to two short sides of the first plate 201. The four buffer members 215 are disposed on each support member 213, two at a time, lined up along the X-axis.

[0103] The above-mentioned configuration suppresses the propagation of vibrations generated from the defibrator 30 to the separator 40. This suppresses the effect of vibrations on the separator 40, improving the accuracy of sorting the defibrated material in the separator 40. Note that the number, shape, and arrangement of the buffer members 215 and the support members 213 are not limited to those described above.

[0104] 13, a first gasket 231 is disposed between the exhaust duct 391 and the second plate 202. A second gasket 232 is disposed between the second plate 202 and the inlet duct 409.

[0105] The first gasket 231 and the second gasket 232 are ring-shaped members in a plan view from above. The first gasket 231 has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape, and the second gasket 232 has a substantially circular cross-sectional shape. The cross-sectional shapes of the first gasket 231 and the second gasket 232 are not limited to the above shapes, and may be, for example, substantially circular, substantially rectangular, polygonal, elliptical, or irregular.

[0106] The first gasket 231 and the second gasket 232 are formed of a material such as rubber having elasticity. The defibrated material flowing through the exhaust duct 391 and the inlet duct 409 may be moist due to humidification. Therefore, it is preferable to use a material that is not easily hydrolyzed for the first gasket 231 and the second gasket 232.

[0107] The discharge duct 391 is not fixed to the second plate 202. The defibrator 30 is supported by the second plate 202 via the first plate 201 and the four buffer members 215, etc. Therefore, the edge of the lower tip of the discharge duct 391 is pressed downward against the first gasket 231.

[0108] The inlet duct 409 is also not fixed to the second plate 202. As described above, the housing 410 of the separator 40 is fixed to the second plate 202 via a subframe or the like. The edge of the upper tip of the inlet duct 409 is pressed upward against the second gasket 232.

[0109] 14, exhaust duct 391 and inlet duct 409 are not in contact with each other. Because exhaust duct 391 is pressed downward, first gasket 231 is slightly crushed and deformed between exhaust duct 391 and second plate 202. Because inlet duct 409 is pressed upward, second gasket 232 is slightly crushed and deformed between inlet duct 409 and second plate 202.

[0110] The first gasket 231 and the second gasket 232 maintain airtightness between the discharge duct 391 and the introduction duct 409. This prevents fibers and the like from leaking out from the internal path of the defibrated material from the defibrator 30 to the separator 40. In addition, the vibration of the defibrator 30 is suppressed from propagating to the separator 40 via the discharge duct 391 and the introduction duct 409.

[0111] According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0112] This can prevent fibers and the like from stagnating between the defibrator 30 and the separator 40. Specifically, the separator 40 is disposed directly below the defibrator 30, and the tip of the introduction duct 409 faces the tip of the discharge duct 391. In other words, since the discharge duct 391 of the defibrator 30 and the introduction duct 409 of the separator 40 are disposed close to each other, a relatively long, curved piping such as a flexible piping is not required between the two. This eliminates steps in the internal path between the defibrator 30 and the separator 40. Therefore, it is possible to provide a sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 that prevents fibers and the like from stagnating. [Explanation of symbols]

[0113] Reference Signs List 1...sheet manufacturing apparatus, 30...defibrator, 40...separator, 50...stacking section, 70...forming section as sheet forming section, 201...first plate, 202...second plate, 215...buffering member, 231...first gasket, 232...second gasket, 301...main body, 391...discharge duct, 409...inlet duct, 410...housing, 431...separation filter, 500...defibrator blade, C...waste paper as material containing fibers, P1...belt-shaped sheet, P3...sheet, W...web.

Claims

1. A sheet manufacturing apparatus for producing a sheet from a material containing fibers, comprising: a defibrator having a defibrating blade and a discharge duct, defibrating the material with the defibrating blade and discharging a defibrated material containing the fibers from the discharge duct; a disk-type separator having an introduction duct and a separation filter, in which the defibrated material is introduced from the introduction duct and the separation filter separates and takes out the fibers from the defibrated material; a depositing section for depositing the fibers supplied from the separator by airflow to form a web; a sheet forming unit that compresses the web to form the sheet, The separator is disposed directly below the fiberizer, A sheet manufacturing apparatus, wherein an end of the inlet duct of the separator and an end of the discharge duct of the defibrator are disposed to face each other.

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

3. a first gasket is disposed between the exhaust duct and the second plate; A second gasket is disposed between the second plate and the inlet duct, The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first gasket and the second gasket maintain airtightness between the exhaust duct and the inlet duct.

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

5. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the inlet duct of the separator is disposed above the separation filter and protrudes upward from a housing of the separator.

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