Fiber structure manufacturing device and fiber structure manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a fiber structure manufacturing device and a fiber structure manufacturing method, which can increase quality of a molded body.SOLUTION: A fiber structure manufacturing device comprises: an accumulation part to generate an accumulated body by accumulating fibrillated matter of a material including fibers and a binding material to bond fibers with each other; a preheating part to preheat the accumulated body; a molding part to generate a molded body by heating and pressurizing the accumulated body preheated by the preheating part; and a cooling part to cool the molded body generated by the molding part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] A fiber structure manufacturing apparatus is known that includes a coarse crushing section that coarsely crushes waste paper, a storage section that stores the coarsely crushed pieces obtained in the coarse crushing section, a defibration section that defibrates the coarsely crushed pieces discharged from the storage section, a deposition section that deposits the defibrated material obtained in the defibration section on a flat surface to form a web, a heating and pressurizing section (forming section) that heats and pressurizes the deposited web, a cutting section that cuts the sheet formed in the heating and pressurizing section into a predetermined shape, and a sheet recovery section that recovers the obtained sheet.

[0003] The heating and pressing unit has a pair of heating and pressing members, which sandwich the pile from both sides and apply pressure to it while heating it. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-7246 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the waste paper processing device described in Patent Document 1, when heating and pressing is performed by the heating and pressing unit, depending on the conditions of the heating and pressing, for example, the surface properties of the sheet (molded body) may deteriorate due to insufficient melting or uneven diffusion of the binder resin contained in the web, or the generation of air bubbles due to excessive moisture content, resulting in minute irregularities on the surface, which may lead to a decrease in sheet quality. In particular, when heating and pressing are performed quickly at high temperature and pressure, such defects are likely to occur. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes a depositing section that deposits a mixture of defibrated material containing fibers and a binder that binds the fibers together to generate a deposit; A preheating unit that preheats the deposit; a molding section for generating a molded body by heating and pressurizing the deposit preheated by the preheating section; and a cooling section that cools the formed body produced by the forming section.

[0007] The method for producing a fiber structure of the present invention includes a depositing step of depositing a mixture of defibrated material containing fibers and a binder that binds the fibers together to generate a deposit; a preheating step of preheating the deposit; a molding step of heating and pressurizing the deposit preheated in the preheating step to produce a molded body; and a cooling step of cooling the molded body produced in the molding step. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the upstream portion of a fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the downstream portion of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [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 binder supplied from the additive supply unit shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a fiber structure manufacturing apparatus and a fiber structure manufacturing method of the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0010] <Embodiment> Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an upstream portion of a fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a downstream portion of a fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a binder supplied from an additive supply unit shown in Fig. 1.

[0011] 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". The left side of Fig. 2 may be referred to as "left" or "left side", and the right side may be referred to as "right" or "right side". Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram, and the positional relationship, direction, size, etc. of each part of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 are not limited to those shown. In Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, 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 finely divided body M6, the mixture M7, the second web M8, and the sheet S are transported, that is, the direction indicated by the arrow, is also referred to as the transport direction. In Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the tip side of the arrow is also referred to as the "downstream side" in the transport direction, and the base end side of the arrow in Fig. 1 is also referred to as the "upstream side" in the transport direction.

[0012] The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in Fig. 1 is a fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 that produces a sheet S, which is an example of a fiber structure, from a raw material M1, which is waste paper such as used copy paper. Note that the fiber structure manufactured by the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 is not limited to the sheet S, and may be a block-shaped one.

[0013] 1 and 2, 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 recovery section 27, a fine dividing section 16, a mixing section 17, a dispersing section 18, a second web forming section (accumulating section) 19, a preheating section 4, a forming section 20, a cooling section 5, a cutting section 21, and a stock section 22. These sections are generally arranged in sequence from the upstream side to the downstream side of the material transport path.

[0014] The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 also includes a humidifier section 231, a humidifier section 232, a humidifier section 233, a humidifier section 234, a humidifier section 235, and a humidifier section 236. In addition, the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 also includes a blower 173, a blower 261, a blower 262, and a blower 263.

[0015] In addition, in the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100, a raw material supply process, a coarse crushing process, a defibrating process, a sorting process, a first web forming process, a cutting process, a mixing process, a loosening process, a second web forming process (stacking process), a pre-heating process, a molding process, a cooling process, and a cutting process are carried out in this order.

[0016] The configuration of each part 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] In addition to the above, raw material M1 may be natural fibers such as rayon, cupra, lyocell, cotton, hemp, wool, cashmere, silk, and feathers, or chemical fibers such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), acrylic, polyester, nylon, polyester / nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, and urethane.

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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.

[0020] The chute 122 is disposed below the pair of crushing blades 121 and has, for example, a cone or 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.

[0021] 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.

[0022] The chute 122 is connected to the defibrating unit 13. The coarse crushed pieces M2 collected by the chute 122 are supplied to the defibrating unit 13 via a pipe 241.

[0023] 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."

[0024] Furthermore, the defibrating unit 13 can generate an air flow from the defibrating unit 13 toward the sorting unit 14, i.e., an airflow, by the rotation of a rotor (not shown). This allows the coarse fragments 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.

[0025] A pipe 242 is connected to the downstream side of the defibrating unit 13. A blower 261 consisting of, for example, a turbo fan is installed midway through the pipe 242. The blower 261 is an airflow generating device that 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. Due to its structure, the defibrating unit 13 smoothly passes through and is defibrated, and 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 defibrating process. The blower 261 may be installed upstream of the defibrating unit 13.

[0026] 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 the sheet S. On the other hand, the second sorted material M4-2 includes, for example, material that is insufficiently defibrated or material in which defibrated fibers are excessively aggregated.

[0027] The sorting unit 14 has a drum unit 141 and a housing unit 142 that houses the drum unit 141.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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 are rotated, the first sorted material M4-1 on the mesh belt 151 is transported downstream.

[0032] 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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] A mixing section 17 is disposed downstream of the subdivision section 16. The mixing section 17 is a section in which a mixing step is performed to mix the subdivision bodies M6 with an additive. The mixing section 17 has an additive supply section 171, a pipe 172, and a blower 173.

[0042] The pipe 172 connects the housing portion 162 of the subdivision portion 16 and the housing 182 of the dispersion portion 18, and is a flow path through which the mixture M7 of the subdivision bodies M6 and the additive passes.

[0043] An additive supply unit 171 is connected to the middle of the pipe 172. The additive supply unit 171 has a housing portion 170 in which an additive is accommodated, and a screw feeder 174 provided in the housing portion 170. By rotation of the screw feeder 174, the additive in the housing portion 170 is pushed out from the housing portion 170 and supplied into the pipe 172. The additive supplied into the pipe 172 is mixed with the fragmented bodies M6 to become a mixture M7.

[0044] Here, examples of additives supplied from the additive supply unit 171 include a binder that bonds fibers together, a colorant that colors fibers, an aggregation inhibitor that inhibits aggregation of fibers, a flame retardant that makes fibers less flammable, a paper strength enhancer that enhances the paper strength of the sheet S, and the like, and one or more of these can be used in combination. In the following, as an example, a case where the additive is a binder P1 will be described. By including the binder P1 that bonds fibers together in the additive, the strength of the sheet S can be increased.

[0045] Examples of the binder P1 include natural product-derived components such as starch, dextrin, glycogen, amylose, hyaluronic acid, kudzu, konjac, potato starch, etherified starch, esterified starch, natural gum paste, fiber-derived paste, seaweed, and animal protein, and resin materials such as various polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, acrylic resins, polyesters such as polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene terephthalate, thermoplastic resins such as polyamide, and various thermoplastic elastomers, and one or more selected from these can be used in combination. In particular, it is preferable that the binder P1 is composed of a resin material or has a resin material as the main component.

[0046] The form (shape) of the binder P1 supplied from the additive supply unit 171 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, fibrous, granular, powdery, scaly, needle-like, or a mixture of two or more of these. Also, other forms may be included.

[0047] In this embodiment, the binder P1 is fibrous. In other words, the binder P1 is composed of resin fibers. This allows the binder P1 to easily entangle with the fibers contained in the fragments M6, and allows for uniform and good mixing. In addition, the fibrous binder P1 is thermally melted more quickly than other shapes of the same volume, and therefore can quickly, uniformly, and well bind the fibers contained in the second web M8 together in the subsequent molding process.

[0048] The constituent material, shape (straight, curved, etc.), structure (layer structure, etc.), length, thickness, and other dimensions of the resin fiber binder P1 are not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, examples include those described below.

[0049] 4, the binder P1 made of resin fibers P0 has a two-layer structure including a core material 61 and a coating layer 62 that coats the outer periphery of the core material 61. The melting point of the material constituting the coating layer 62 is preferably lower than the melting point of the material constituting the core material 61.

[0050] The combination of constituent materials of the core material 61 and the covering layer 62 is not particularly limited, and examples of the combination of core material 61 / covering layer 62 include polypropylene / polyethylene, polyester / polyethylene, high melting point polypropylene / low melting point polypropylene, polyester / polypropylene, polyamide / polyethylene, etc.

[0051] The average fiber length of the resin fibers P0 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 sheet S obtained.

[0052] In this way, the resin fiber P0 is preferably configured to have a core material 61 and a coating layer 62 that coats the outer periphery of the core material 61 and has a melting point lower than that of the core material 61. This makes it possible to more significantly exhibit the above-mentioned effects of forming the binder P1 from the resin fiber P0. In particular, the core material 61 can ensure sufficient strength, while the coating layer 62 can satisfactorily perform the function of the binder P1 that bonds the fibers of the defibrated material together. This makes it possible to necessary and sufficiently increase the strength of the obtained sheet S.

[0053] The binder P1 preferably contains fibrous materials (resin fibers P0) in an amount of 67% by weight or more, and more preferably 85% by weight or more, based on the total weight of the binder P1.

[0054] In addition, a blower 173 is installed in the middle of the pipe 172 downstream of the additive supply section 171. The action of a rotating section such as a blade of the blower 173 promotes mixing of the fragmented bodies M6 and the binder P1. In addition, the blower 173 can generate an airflow toward the dispersion section 18. This airflow can agitate the fragmented bodies M6 and the binder P1 in the pipe 172. As a result, the mixture M7 is transported to the dispersion section 18 in a state in which the fragmented bodies M6 and the binder P1 are uniformly dispersed. In addition, the fragmented bodies M6 in the mixture M7 are loosened in the process of passing through the pipe 172, becoming finer fibrous.

[0055] The blower 173 is electrically connected to the control device 28, and the operation thereof is controlled by the control device 28. By adjusting the airflow rate of the blower 173, the amount of air sent into the drum 181 can be adjusted.

[0056] Although not shown in the figure, the end of pipe 172 on the drum 181 side is branched into two, and the branched ends are each connected to an inlet port (not shown) formed on the end face of drum 181.

[0057] 1 is a section that performs a disintegration process for disintegrating and releasing entangled fibers in the mixture M7. The dispersion section 18 has a drum 181 that introduces and releases the defibrated mixture M7, and a housing 182 that houses the drum 181.

[0058] 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.

[0059] 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, and the operation of the drive source is controlled by the control device 28.

[0060] 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.

[0061] Furthermore, the mixture M7 discharged from the drum 181 falls while being dispersed in the air, and heads toward the second web forming unit 19 located below the drum 181. The second web forming unit 19 is a deposition unit that performs a second web forming step, i.e., a deposition step, in which the mixture M7 of the defibrated material M3 and the binder P1 is deposited to generate a second web M8, which is a deposit. The second web forming unit 19 has a mesh belt 191, a tension roller 192, and a suction unit 193.

[0062] 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.

[0063] 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-shaped member.

[0064] 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 prevents the mixture M7 from passing through the mesh belt 191, and therefore the mixture M7 can be accumulated on the mesh belt 191. Moreover, the mixture M7 is transported downstream together with the mesh belt 191 while being accumulated on the mesh belt 191, and is thus formed as a layered second web M8.

[0065] 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.

[0066] 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.

[0067] 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.

[0068] The total amount of moisture added to the humidifying units 231 to 236 is preferably, for example, 0.5 parts by mass or more and 20 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the material before humidification.

[0069] FIG. 2 shows the downstream portion of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100, that is, the preheating section 4, the forming section 20, the cooling section 5, the cutting section 21 and the stock section 22.

[0070] Although not shown, the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 has a material transport path formed so that the second web M8 or sheet S (these may be collectively referred to as "material" in this specification) passes through a second web forming section (accumulation section) 19, a preheating section 4, a forming section 20, a cooling section 5, a cutting section 21, and a stock section 22 in sequence, and a plurality of transport rollers are installed along the transport path for transporting the material from the upstream side to the downstream side. The transport rollers are driven by a motor (not shown). The motor for driving the transport rollers is electrically connected to a control device 28 via a motor driver (not shown), and the control device 28 controls the energization conditions to control the rotation speed, operation timing, etc. of each transport roller.

[0071] 2, a preheating section 4 is provided downstream of the second web forming section 19. The preheating section 4 is a section that executes a preheating step of preheating the second web M8 prior to heating and pressurizing in the molding section 20.

[0072] The preheating unit 4 has a chamber 41, a heat source 42, and a fan 43 serving as an air blower. The heat source 42 and the fan 43 are disposed inside the chamber 41.

[0073] The chamber 41 has a space S0 for preheating the second web M8, and an intake port 411 and an exhaust port 412 communicating with the space S0.

[0074] The inlet 411 is located on the upstream side of the chamber 41 and is a portion through which the second web M8 is taken into the space S0. The outlet 412 is located on the downstream side of the chamber 41 and is a portion through which the preheated second web M8 is discharged from the space S0. The second web M8 taken in from the inlet 411 is preheated while passing through the space S0 and is discharged from the outlet 412.

[0075] The inlet 411 and the outlet 412 are arranged to overlap when viewed from the transport direction of the second web M8, i.e., when viewed from the left side of Fig. 2. This allows the second web M8 to pass through the space S0 in a flat state and to be preheated without being folded.

[0076] The heat source 42 is disposed in the upper part of the space S0, i.e., on the upper surface side of the second web M8. The heat source 42 is formed, for example, of an electric heating wire that generates heat when electricity is applied. As shown in Fig. 3, the heat source 42 is electrically connected to the control device 28. The control device 28 controls the electricity application conditions, thereby controlling the operation timing, heating temperature, etc. of the heat source 42.

[0077] The fan 43 is disposed on the upper surface side of the second web M8 and below the heat source 42. The fan 43 rotates to blow air downward, i.e., toward the second web M8 in the space S0. The operation of the fan 43 can blow air heated by the heat source 42 toward the second web M8. That is, the fan 43 can supply hot air to the second web M8. This allows the second web M8 to be preheated.

[0078] The fan 43 may be disposed above the heat source 42. The heat source 42 and the fan 43 may be disposed in the lower part of the space S0, i.e., on the lower surface side of the second web M8. The heat source 42 and the fan 43 may be disposed on the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the second web M8, respectively. In these cases, the fan 43 may be integrated with the heat source 42 or may be omitted.

[0079] 3, the fan 43 is electrically connected to the control device 28. The control device 28 controls the energization conditions, thereby controlling the operation timing, airflow amount, etc. of the fan 43.

[0080] In this manner, the preheating unit 4 has the fan 43 as an air blower that supplies hot air to the second web M8 as the pile, thereby making it possible to efficiently preheat the second web M8.

[0081] The preheating unit 4 is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration, and may include, for example, a light irradiation unit that irradiates energy rays such as laser light, a ceramic heater, a hot water circulation type heating device, a high-frequency induction heating device, a high-frequency dielectric heating device, or the like.

[0082] The heating temperature in the preheating section 4 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 50° C. or higher and 250° C. or lower, and more preferably 60° C. or higher and 180° C. or lower.

[0083] The heating time by the preheating unit 4 is not particularly limited, but is preferably from 5 seconds to 200 seconds, and more preferably from 10 seconds to 80 seconds.

[0084] By carrying out the preheating under such conditions, the preheating can be carried out satisfactorily prior to the heating and pressurizing in the molding section 20. This allows the binder P1 to be melted more reliably during the heating and pressurizing in the molding section 20, and allows the fibers to be more uniformly and reliably bonded to each other. As a result, the quality of the sheet S can be improved.

[0085] Moreover, the preheating section 4 preferably performs preheating so that the moisture content of the second web M8 is 3% by weight or less, and more preferably performs preheating so that the moisture content is 1.5% by weight or less. When the moisture in the second web M8 evaporates instantly during heating and pressurization in the molding section 20, minute cavities (air bubbles) are likely to occur in the areas where the moisture was present, and these cavities may cause a deterioration in the quality of the sheet S, particularly the surface properties. Therefore, by performing preheating so that the moisture content of the second web M8 is 3% by weight or less, it is possible to prevent or suppress the occurrence of minute cavities on the surface of the sheet S during heating and pressurization in the molding section 20, which is the next process, and as a result, the surface properties of the sheet S become good, and the quality of the sheet S can be further improved.

[0086] During preheating in the preheating section 4, it is preferable that the binder P1 made of a resin material in the second web M8 reaches a state where the temperature exceeds the glass transition point, the softening point (softened state), or the melting point begins to occur.

[0087] Moreover, in the preheating section 4, it is preferable that the heating temperature is lower than the heating temperature in the forming section 20, or the heating time is shorter than the heating time in the forming section 20, or both are satisfied. This makes it possible to produce a high-quality sheet S by efficiently performing preheating while reducing the total amount of thermal energy applied to the second web M8.

[0088] A forming unit 20 is provided downstream of the preheating unit 4. The forming unit 20 is a section that performs a forming step of heating and pressurizing the second web M8 to generate a sheet S, which is a formed body obtained by compressing the second web M8.

[0089] The molding section 20 has a heating and pressurizing block 201A and a heating and pressurizing block 201B. The heating and pressurizing block 201A is disposed on one side of the second web M8, i.e., the upper side. The heating and pressurizing block 201B is disposed on the other side of the second web M8, i.e., the lower side.

[0090] The heating and pressurizing block 201A and the heating and pressurizing block 201B are configured to be capable of moving toward and away from each other. When the heating and pressurizing block 201A and the heating and pressurizing block 201B are in a state where they are close to each other, they apply heat and pressure to the second web M8 to generate a sheet S of the second web M8. When the heating and pressurizing block 201A and the heating and pressurizing block 201B are separated from each other, the heating and pressurizing is released. When the heating and pressurizing block 201A and the heating and pressurizing block 201B are in a state where they are separated from each other, the second web M8 can be transported downstream.

[0091] Heating and pressurizing block 201A is connected to lifting motor 202A, and heating and pressurizing block 201B is connected to lifting motor 202B. As shown in Fig. 3, each of lifting motors 202A and 202B is electrically connected to control device 28 via a motor driver (not shown), and control device 28 controls the energizing conditions to thereby control the movement direction (upward, downward), pressing force, operation timing, etc. of heating and pressurizing block 201A and heating and pressurizing block 201B.

[0092] The heating and pressurizing block 201A and the heating and pressurizing block 201B each have a heat source 203A, 203B such as an electric heater, and the second web M8 can be heated in the close state (pressurized state) by operating the heat sources 203A and 203B. This makes it possible to obtain a molded body of the second web M8.

[0093] 3, heat source 203A and heat source 203B are electrically connected to control device 28. Control device 28 controls the energization conditions, thereby controlling the operation timing, heating temperature, etc. of heat source 203A and heat source 203B.

[0094] The heat sources 203A and 203B may be provided only in either the heating and pressurizing block 201A or the heating and pressurizing block 201B.

[0095] The pressure applied by heating and pressurizing block 201A and heating and pressurizing block 201B is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.5 MPa or more and 15 MPa or less, and more preferably 2 MPa or more and 8 MPa or less.

[0096] The heating temperature by heating and pressurizing block 201A and heating and pressurizing block 201B is not particularly limited, but is preferably 50°C or higher and 250°C or lower, and more preferably 60°C or higher and 180°C or lower.

[0097] The heating time by heating and pressurizing block 201A and heating and pressurizing block 201B is not particularly limited, but is preferably from 10 seconds to 200 seconds, and more preferably from 50 seconds to 150 seconds.

[0098] By applying heat and pressure under such conditions, the second web M8 is produced, and the sheet S is produced. That is, in the second web M8, the binder P1 melts and then diffuses, and the fibers are bound to each other via the molten binder P1. In this way, the sheet S is formed.

[0099] In addition, since the second web M8 supplied to the molding section 20 is in a preheated state by the preheating section 4, the binder P1 in the second web M8 melts and diffuses more quickly and more reliably during heating and pressurization by the molding section 20. This allows the fibers to be more satisfactorily bonded to each other, and a higher quality sheet S can be produced.

[0100] The above-mentioned preferable heating conditions and pressurizing conditions in the forming section 20 are suitable conditions because preheating is performed by the preheating section 4. Therefore, by combining preheating in the preheating section 4 under the above-mentioned conditions with forming in the forming section 20 under the above-mentioned conditions, a sheet S with excellent surface properties and excellent quality can be produced.

[0101] The cooling section 5 is provided downstream of the molding section 20. The cooling section 5 is a section where a cooling step is carried out.

[0102] As described above, in the sheet S produced in the molding section 20, the binder P1 in the second web M8 melts due to heating and pressurization, and diffuses into the gaps between the fibers to bind the fibers together, but the molten binder P1 quickly solidifies due to cooling in the cooling section 5, and the fibers are fixed together, that is, the positional relationship between the fibers is fixed. As described above, good surface properties are obtained by pressurizing and heating the sheet S after preheating, and the good surface properties can be fixed and maintained as they are by subsequent cooling of the sheet S. This makes it possible to further improve the quality of the sheet S produced.

[0103] The cooling unit 5 has cooling blocks 51A and 51B which are cooling members. The cooling blocks 51A and 51B are pressed against the sheet S to cool the sheet S. The cooling block 51A is disposed on one surface side of the sheet S, i.e., on the upper surface side. The cooling block 51B is disposed on the other surface side of the sheet S, i.e., on the lower surface side.

[0104] The cooling blocks 51A and 51B are configured to be capable of moving toward and away from each other. The cooling blocks 51A and 51B come into contact with the sheet S in a close state and perform cooling. The cooling blocks 51A and 51B stop the cooling by moving away from each other, allowing the sheet S to be transported downstream.

[0105] Cooling block 51A is connected to lift motor 52A, and cooling block 51B is connected to lift motor 52B. As shown in Fig. 3, each of lift motors 52A and 52B is electrically connected to control device 28 via a motor driver (not shown), and control device 28 controls the energization conditions to thereby control the movement direction (upward, downward), pressing force, operation timing, etc. of cooling block 51A and cooling block 51B.

[0106] Furthermore, cooling block 51A and cooling block 51B each have cooling source 53A and cooling source 53B, which are composed of a refrigerant pipe and a refrigerant supply source installed, for example, inside or outside the cooling block, and can cool sheet S in the close state (pressurized state) by operation of cooling sources 53A and 53B. Examples of the refrigerant supply source include those having an air blower, a liquid supply pump, and a compressor.

[0107] 3, cooling sources 53A and 53B are electrically connected to control device 28. Control device 28 controls the energization conditions of the refrigerant supply sources, thereby controlling the operation timing, cooling temperature, cooling rate, and the like of cooling sources 53A and 53B.

[0108] The cooling sources 53A and 53B may be provided in only one of the cooling blocks 51A and 51B.

[0109] The cooling method of the cooling unit 5 may be any of air cooling, water cooling, and oil cooling. Also, the cooling source may be omitted.

[0110] The pressure applied by cooling block 51A and cooling block 51B is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.01 MPa or more and 10 MPa or less, and more preferably 0.5 MPa or more and 5 MPa or less.

[0111] The cooling rate by cooling block 51A and cooling block 51B is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.2°C / sec or more and 10°C / sec or less, more preferably 0.5°C / sec or more and 8°C / sec or less, and even more preferably 1°C / sec or more and 5°C / sec or less.

[0112] By cooling under such conditions, it is possible to remove residual stress in the sheet S and improve the quality of the sheet S. In addition, it is possible to shorten the cycle time for manufacturing the sheet S, which contributes to improving productivity.

[0113] The cooling unit 5 cools the sheet S by pressing the cooling blocks 51A and 51B, which serve as cooling members, against the sheet S, which is a formed body. This allows the sheet S to be cooled efficiently.

[0114] The cooling rate by the cooling unit 5 is preferably 0.2° C. / sec or more and 10° C. / sec or less, which allows efficient cooling of the sheet S and shortens the cycle time for manufacturing the sheet S, thereby contributing to improved productivity.

[0115] As shown in Fig. 2, a cutting unit 21 is provided downstream of the cooling unit 5. The cutting unit 21 is a section that performs a cutting process to cut the sheet S. The cutting unit 21 has a cutter 211 that cuts the sheet S in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the sheet S, particularly in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The cutter 211 operates at a predetermined timing to cut the sheet S, thereby making it possible to obtain a sheet S of a desired length (the length in the left-right direction in Fig. 2).

[0116] In addition to the above, the cutting section 21 may be provided with a cutting section for removing unnecessary portions on both side edges of the sheet S in the width direction, so that the width of the sheet S is adjusted.

[0117] The cutter 211 has a drive source (not shown) such as a motor or a solenoid. As shown in Fig. 3, the drive source of the cutter 211 is electrically connected to the control device 28. The control device 28 controls the energization conditions, thereby controlling the operation timing of the cutter 211, etc.

[0118] A sheet S having a desired shape and size is obtained by such cutting in the cutting unit 21. Then, this sheet S is further conveyed downstream and accumulated in the stock unit 22.

[0119] As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 28 includes a control unit 281, a storage unit 282, and a communication unit 283.

[0120] 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 also has various functions, such as a function to control the driving of each part of the apparatus related to sheet manufacturing.

[0121] The control unit 281 controls the energization conditions of the lifting motors 202A, 202B, 52A, and 52B so that the heating and pressurizing blocks 201A and 201B and the cooling blocks 51A and 51B contact the second web M8 or the sheet S at the same timing. This allows the production and transportation of the sheet S, etc. to be performed smoothly and efficiently.

[0122] Furthermore, the control unit 281 stops the operation of the conveying unit when the heating and pressurizing blocks 201A, 201B and the cooling blocks 51A, 51B are in contact with the second web M8 or the sheet S, and starts the conveying unit when the contact is released. By repeating such an operation, the sheet S can be produced well by batch processing.

[0123] In the present invention, the above-mentioned steps in the production of the sheet S are not limited to being performed in a batch process. For example, the heating and pressurizing blocks 201A and 201B can be replaced with heating and pressurizing rollers. Also, the cooling blocks 51A and 51B can be replaced with cooling rollers. In this way, by performing heating and pressurizing and cooling with rollers, a series of steps in the production of the sheet S can be performed continuously, that is, the sheet S can be produced by performing a continuous process.

[0124] The storage unit 282 stores a program related to the sheet manufacturing as described above. The program includes the operating conditions of each unit such as the second web forming unit (accumulating unit) 19, the preheating unit 4, the forming unit 20, the cooling unit 5, the cutting unit 21, and the stock unit 22, in particular the material conveying speed, preheating conditions such as preheating temperature and preheating time, pressurizing conditions, heating conditions such as heating temperature and heating timing, cooling conditions such as cooling temperature and cooling timing, cutting timing of the sheet S, and the like.

[0125] In the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100, each of the steps of the raw material supply step, coarse crushing step, defibrating step, sorting step, first web forming step, dividing step, mixing step, loosening step, second web forming step (stacking step), preheating step, molding step, cooling step, and cutting step can be executed under desired conditions according to a predetermined program, thereby enabling the sheet S to be manufactured quickly, with high dimensional accuracy, and with good reproducibility.

[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. Furthermore, the control unit 281 and the memory unit 282 may, for example, be integrated into one 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.

[0128] In this manner, in the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100, the second web M8 is preheated, and then heated and pressurized to produce the sheet S, and thereafter the sheet S is cooled. With this configuration, the binder P1 in the second web M8 melts and diffuses more quickly and reliably during heating and pressurization by the molding section 20. Therefore, in the obtained sheet S, the fibers can be bonded better and stronger, and the surface properties of the sheet S are also improved. Furthermore, by cooling the sheet S, residual stress in the sheet S can be removed, and the quality of the sheet S can be further improved.

[0129] As described above, the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 includes the second web forming section 19 as a depositing section that deposits the mixture M7 of the defibrated material M3 of a fiber-containing material and the binder P1 that binds the fibers together to generate the second web M8, the preheating section 4 that preheats the second web M8, the molding section 20 that heats and pressurizes the second web M8 preheated by the preheating section 4 to generate the sheet S as a molded body, and the cooling section 5 that cools the sheet S generated by the molding section 20. In this way, by performing preheating prior to the generation of the sheet S, molding by heating and pressing in the molding section 20 can be performed quickly and satisfactorily, and the state of good surface properties can be fixed and maintained by the subsequent cooling of the sheet S. This allows the quality of the sheet S (molded body) to be improved.

[0130] The fiber structure manufacturing method of the present invention includes a depositing step of depositing a mixture M7 of defibrated material M3 of a fiber-containing material and a binder P1 that binds the fibers together to generate a second web M8 as a deposit, a preheating step of preheating the second web M8, a molding step of heating and pressurizing the second web M8 preheated in the preheating step to generate a sheet S as a molded body, and a cooling step of cooling the sheet S generated in the molding step. In this way, by performing preheating prior to the generation of the sheet S, heating and pressurizing in the molding step can be performed quickly and more satisfactorily, and the good surface texture state can be fixed and maintained by cooling the sheet S thereafter. This improves the quality of the sheet S (molded body).

[0131] The heating temperature by the preheating unit 4 is preferably 50° C. or more and 250° C. or less, and the heating time is preferably 5 seconds or more and 200 seconds or less, thereby enabling the second web M8 to be preheated uniformly and sufficiently.

[0132] The preheating section 4 performs preheating so that the moisture content of the second web M8 supplied from the second web forming section 19, which is a depositing section, is 3% by weight or less. This improves the surface properties of the sheet S obtained in the forming section 20, and as a result, the quality of the sheet S can be improved.

[0133] Although the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus and the fiber structure manufacturing method of the present invention have been described above with reference to the illustrated embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto, and each part and each step constituting the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus and the fiber structure manufacturing method can be replaced with any configuration or step that can exert a similar function. In addition, any configuration or step may be added to the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus and the fiber structure manufacturing method.

[0134] Furthermore, the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus may omit the raw material supply unit 11 and the crushing unit 12. In this case, a supply unit for supplying crushed pieces M1 as the raw material M2 is provided.

[0135] Furthermore, the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus may omit the raw material supply unit 11, the crushing unit 12, and the defibrating unit 13. In this case, a supply unit that supplies defibrated material M3 as raw material M1 is provided. [Explanation of symbols]

[0136] 4...preheating section, 5...cooling section, 11...raw material supply section, 12...crushing section, 13...defibrating section, 14...screening section, 15...first web forming section, 16...fragmenting section, 17...mixing section, 18...dispersing section, 19...second web forming section, 20...shaping section, 21...cutting section, 22...stock section, 27...recovery section, 28...control device, 41...chamber, 42...heat source, 43...fan, 51A...cooling block, 51B...cooling block, 52A...lifting motor, 52B...lifting Motor, 53A...cooling source, 53B...cooling source, 61...core material, 62...covering layer, 100...fiber structure manufacturing apparatus, 121...crushing blade, 122...chute, 141...drum portion, 142...housing portion, 151...mesh belt, 152...tension roller, 153...suction portion, 161...propeller, 162...housing portion, 170...housing portion, 171...additive supply portion, 172...pipe, 173...blower, 174...screw feeder, 181... drum, 182... housing, 191... mesh belt, 192... tension roller, 193... suction section, 201A... heating and pressurizing block, 201B... heating and pressurizing block, 202A... lifting motor, 202B... lifting motor, 203A... heat source, 203B... heat source, 211... cutter, 231... humidification section, 232... humidification section, 233... humidification section, 234... humidification section, 235... humidification section, 236... humidification section, 241... tube, 242... tube, 24 3...pipe, 244...pipe, 245...pipe, 246...pipe, 261...blower, 262...blower, 263...blower, 281...control unit, 282...storage unit, 283...communication unit, 411...inlet, 412...outlet, M1...raw material, M2...coarsely crushed pieces, M3...defibrated material, M4-1...first sorted material, M4-2...second sorted material, M5...first web, M6...fragmented body, M7...mixture, M8...second web, P0...resin fiber, P1...binder, S...sheet, S0...space

Claims

1. a depositing section that deposits a mixture of defibrated material containing fibers and a binder that binds the fibers together to generate a deposit; A preheating unit that preheats the deposit; a molding section for generating a molded body by heating and pressurizing the deposit preheated by the preheating section; a cooling section for cooling the molded body produced by the molding section.

2. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the preheating section has a blower for supplying hot air to the pile.

3. 2. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating temperature in the preheating section is 50° C. or more and 250° C. or less, and the heating time is 5 seconds or more and 200 seconds or less.

4. 2. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the preheating section performs preheating so that the moisture content of the deposit supplied from the depositing section is 3% by weight or less.

5. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the binder is in a fibrous form.

6. 6. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cooling section cools the formed body by pressing a cooling member against the formed body.

7. 6. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cooling rate by the cooling section is 0.2° C. / sec or more and 10° C. / sec or less.

8. a depositing step of depositing a mixture of defibrated material containing fibers and a binder that binds the fibers together to generate a deposit; a preheating step of preheating the deposit; a molding step of heating and pressurizing the deposit preheated in the preheating step to produce a molded body; a cooling step of cooling the molded body produced in the molding step.

Images