Heat insulation pad manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a heat insulation pad that can be suitably used and by using the heat insulation pad on the roll ironer as one of a linen product cleaning device, ensure reduction of large amount of felt sheets, which are periodically generated by operating a roll ironer and should be disposed of, efficient operation of the device, energy conservation, and safety of an operator.SOLUTION: A heat insulation pad comprises: a pad body 110 produced also for the purpose of recycling so as to have prescribed thickness and dimensional shape after cleaning and drying a felt sheet for linen product pressure welding, which was used by being once wound around a rotary roll of a roll ironer as one of a linen product cleaning device; a heat insulating pad cover 120 that covers one surface of the pad body and peripheral edge of a thick part and vicinity of peripheral edge of the other surface; and a heat insulating sheet-like magnet 130 fitted to a prescribed position of the pad cover that covers the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the other surface of the pad body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an insulating heat-retaining pad and a method for manufacturing the same, which are suitable for use in facilities and manufacturing equipment that perform high-temperature processing inside, and in particular, can be used in roll ironers, which are one type of cleaning equipment for linen products, to reduce the enormous amount of felt sheets that must be discarded periodically during the operation of the roll ironer, and thereby realize efficient operation of the equipment, energy savings, and further ensuring the safety of workers. [Background technology]

[0002] Cleaning and replacing so-called linen products, such as sheets and pillowcases, used daily in hotels, inns, and other large-scale lodging facilities (hereinafter, these and related items are collectively referred to as "linen products") is carried out through a large-scale process that differs from the way ordinary household items are washed. In addition, a roll ironer is known as a device that handles one of these large-scale processes and is used to smooth out wrinkles in washed and dried linen products to make them neat (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The actual process for cleaning the linen products used daily in the above-mentioned hotels, inns, and other large-scale accommodation facilities is as follows: First, the large amount of linen products to be cleaned, such as sheets and pillow covers, are collected and transported to a linen product incineration plant, followed by large-scale washing machines, water wringers, dryers, finishing machines for removing stains and smoothing out wrinkles using high-temperature pressure welding, a machine for folding the cleaned linen products, and finally transportation from the incineration plant to the source of the linen products before cleaning.

[0004] As can be understood from this, large amounts of linen products must be transported from each of the many accommodation facilities scattered throughout the area to a single linen cleaning facility, where the dirty linen products must be cleaned quickly and efficiently, including in appearance, and then transported back to each of the accommodation facilities within a set time frame.

[0005] In terms of days of the week, the amount of linen products to be cleaned increases on weekends, and the amount of linen products to be cleaned is especially large during long weekends and winter holidays such as New Year's, summer holidays such as Obon, Golden Week, etc. In recent years, with the rapid expansion of inbound demand, the amount of linen products to be cleaned tends to be extremely large not only during the aforementioned off-peak period, but also during periods when many tourists visit Japan during individual long holidays in various countries.

[0006] However, if these periods are avoided, the amount of linen products brought to the linen product incineration plant will be small, and if the scale of the linen product incineration plant is expanded to meet the need to clean the above-mentioned large amount of linen products in a short period of time, the equipment maintenance costs and labor costs during periods and times when the equipment is not in operation will become a burden, so such linen product incineration plants cannot be easily expanded, and when a large amount of linen products must be cleaned in a short period of time, the cleaning work must be completed within a relatively short takt time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 61-020599 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] One example of equipment that performs high-temperature processing inside is a roll ironer, which is one type of equipment for linen products (see Patent Document 1 mentioned above). As is clear from the contents of Patent Document 1, this roll ironer has a heating device with a curved surface in which a heating element is embedded, and multiple rotating rolls that rotate while pressing, for example, a linen product against the curved surface of this heating device, and each of the multiple rotating rolls has a felt sheet in the form of a sheet-like, breathable elastic body wrapped around its periphery.

[0009] The role of this felt sheet is to apply a uniform pressing force to the entire linen product through the elastic felt sheet for finishing stain / wrinkle removal wrapped around the outer circumference of the roll when the dried linen product is introduced into the roll ironer to stretch it overall and remove wrinkles, and to steam-remove dirt that was not removed during the washing process, thereby bringing the linen product closer to its new condition.

[0010] In order for the felt sheets to reliably perform their role in the finishing ironing process of such linen products after washing, it is essential to remove the used felt sheets wrapped around the rolls and replace them with new felt sheets after the roll ironer has been running for a certain period of time.

[0011] This is because, while the roll ironer is operating for a certain period of time, the felt sheet is constantly ventilated with high-temperature steam while being pressed against the entire linen product, stretching the linen product overall and removing wrinkles, while also removing any dirt remaining on the linen product using the felt sheet. As a result, the breathability of the felt sheet itself decreases depending on the length of time the felt sheet is used, and instead of removing dirt from the linen product, this dirt adheres to the felt sheet.

[0012] Furthermore, continued use of such felt sheets will cause the performance and quality of the felt sheets themselves to deteriorate, and during the subsequent stretching process to remove wrinkles, which is an important final process for linen products after washing and drying, the felt sheets will be unevenly (locally) crushed or partially soiled, causing localized wrinkles and stains on the linen products passing through the roll ironer.

[0013] For this reason, if the felt sheets wound around the outer circumference of each roll of the roll ironer, which is a large-scale piece of equipment as described above, are replaced and the used felt sheets are discarded, in practice a large amount of felt sheets will be discarded, which brings into question the viewpoints of resource conservation and the environmental degradation that accompanies such disposal.

[0014] In addition to the above, the following problem frequently occurs: Specifically, as mentioned above, during periods when there are a large number of guests staying at hotels and inns, a large amount of linen products must be delivered to the linen product manufacturing factory, the cleaning work must be completed in a short time, and the finished high-quality products must be transported to the hotels and inns and returned by a set time.

[0015] Therefore, when feeding linen products into the cleaning equipment, a large amount is fed in batches for each lot and sent to each cleaning process. In this case, nail clippers and other foreign objects may be mixed in with the linen products, and it is practically difficult to detect all such foreign objects and remove them before feeding them into the cleaning equipment due to the time factor based on the large amount of cleaning objects and limited cleaning time mentioned above.

[0016] In addition, when introducing a linen product before it is smoothed and pressed into a roll ironer, the guide tape is usually cut with scissors and wrapped around the roll so that the linen product can be smoothly fed along the chest surface of the roll ironer to the inlet. If the guide tape is continued to be used in this state, too much wax will adhere to the guide tape, causing slippage between the roll and the tape, and the linen product will not rotate at the same speed as the roll, causing it to be pulled back and become wrinkled, so the guide tape must be replaced periodically.

[0017] The guide tape is cut to a specified length and wound around a roll, but under conditions such as those described above where a large amount of linen products must be cleaned within a specified short period of time, when an operator cuts the guide tape with scissors, they may inadvertently drop the scissors and have them get into the linen product inlet of the roll ironer.

[0018] In this case, as with the nail clippers mentioned above, metallic foreign objects other than linen products are forcibly sent along the surface of the roll ironer's chest, causing damage to parts of the felt sheets that could otherwise be used without replacement.

[0019] If the roll ironer is continued to operate in this condition, wrinkles and other imperceptible marks will appear in the linen products that are brought out after the finishing cleaning process, significantly reducing the finishing quality of the linen product cleaning.

[0020] Therefore, if such unexpectedly wrinkled linen products are removed before the felt sheets need to be replaced, it is assumed that a metallic foreign object such as a nail clipper or scissors as described above has entered through the inlet of the roll ironer, and the operation of the equipment must be stopped and all of the felt sheets wound around each roll must be replaced, and in some cases the metallic cushion springs wound between the inside of the felt sheets and the outer surface of the rolls must also be replaced.

[0021] For the above reasons, even if it is not time to replace the felt sheets, all of the felt sheets that are not yet clogged and can still be used and that are wound on the roll must be removed and discarded due to the above-mentioned unexpected factors, resulting in a large loss cost and additional cost for disposal.

[0022] The object of the present invention is to provide an insulating heat-retaining pad and a manufacturing method thereof that are suitable for use in facilities and manufacturing equipment that perform high-temperature process treatments inside, and in particular, that can be used in roll ironers, which are one type of cleaning equipment for linen products, to reduce the huge amount of felt sheets that must be discarded periodically during the operation of the roll ironer, and thereby achieve efficient operation of the equipment, energy savings, and the safety of workers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0023] In order to solve the above problems, the heat insulating pad according to claim 1 of the present invention is The pad body is made by recycling a felt sheet for pressing linen products, which is once wound around a rotating roll of a roll ironer, which is one of the cleaning equipment for linen products, and then cleaning and drying it to a specified thickness and size and shape, and a heat-resistant pad cover that covers one surface of the pad body, a peripheral edge of the thickness portion, and the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the other surface; The pad cover has a heat-resistant sheet magnet attached at a predetermined position on the pad cover which covers the area near the peripheral edge of the other surface of the pad body.

[0024] The heat insulating pad according to claim 2 of the present invention is the heat insulating pad according to claim 1, The pad body is made up of a number of pad body elements having insulating and heat-retaining properties stacked on top of each other, and at least one of the pad body elements is made from a felt sheet for pressing linen products that was once wound around a rotating roll in a roll ironer, which is one of the cleaning equipment for linen products, and then washed and dried to a specified thickness and shape, for the purpose of recycling.

[0025] The method for producing the heat insulating pad according to claim 3 of the present invention is as follows: A first step of removing a felt sheet for pressing linen products from a rotating roll of a roll ironer, which is one of cleaning equipment for linen products; a second step of washing and then drying the felt sheet removed by the first step; a third step of preparing a pad body having a predetermined thickness and external dimensions using the washed and dried felt sheet obtained in the second step; The method is characterized by including a fourth step of covering one surface of the pad body, the peripheral edge of the thickness portion, and the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the other surface with a heat-resistant pad cover to join the two together, and of attaching a heat-resistant sheet-shaped magnet to a predetermined position of the pad cover covering the area near the peripheral edge of the other surface of the pad body.

[0026] The method for producing a heat insulating pad according to claim 4 of the present invention is the method for producing a heat insulating pad according to claim 3, The pad body created in the third process is composed of a number of pad body elements having insulating and heat-retaining properties stacked on top of each other, and at least one of the pad body elements is made from a felt sheet for pressing linen products that was once wound around a rotating roll in a roll ironer, which is one of the cleaning equipment for linen products, and then washed and dried to a specified thickness and size and shape, thereby also serving as a recycled material. Effect of the Invention

[0027] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an insulating heat-retaining pad and a manufacturing method thereof which are suitable for use in facilities and manufacturing equipment that perform high-temperature process treatments internally, and in particular, when used in roll ironers, which are one type of cleaning equipment for linen products, can be suitably used to reduce the huge amount of felt sheets that must be discarded periodically during the operation of the roll ironer, and thus achieve efficient operation of the equipment, energy savings, and the safety of workers. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a heat insulating pad according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen obliquely from the front. [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view of the heat insulating pad shown in FIG. 1, seen obliquely from behind. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of the heat insulating pad shown in FIGS. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the heat insulating pad shown in FIGS. [Diagram 5] 5 is a side view of the structure of the heat-insulating warm pad shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, taken along the longitudinal direction, showing a cross-section of a part of the central portion. FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a side view showing the heat insulating pad shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 along the short side direction. [Figure 7]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view for easily understanding the structure of the pad body of the heat-insulating pad according to this embodiment and the heat-insulating pad according to a modified example thereof, with the middle portion omitted by a wavy line over the entire longitudinal direction. [Figure 8] These are drawings for explaining the manufacturing of the pad body of the insulating heat-retaining pad of the present invention, and include an explanatory diagram (Figure 8(a)) showing the general configuration of a roll ironer installed in the finishing process at a linen product cleaning factory, an explanatory diagram (Figure 8(b)) showing a part of the roll body of the roll ironer shown in Figure 8 in more detail than Figure 8, and a diagram showing generally a guide roll used in the final process of removing wrinkles and stains after washing and drying of linen products. More specifically, this is an explanatory diagram (Figure 8(c)) that shows a guide tape that sandwiches the linen product in the finishing process between each roll body of the roll ironer and the linen product being introduced into the roll ironer to remove final stains and wrinkles when introducing the linen product into the roll ironer, sending the linen product into the roll ironer at a constant feed speed and guiding the linen product from the inlet of the roll ironer to the inlet of the roll ironer without causing wrinkles, and scissors that are used when replacing this guide tape (to cut it to a constant length). [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the various facilities in a linen cleaning plant, from the entrance for linen products to be cleaned to the exit for cleaned linen products. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] Hereinafter, the embodiment of the heat insulating pad and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiment is merely one exemplary form that exhibits the effects of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the contents of this embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible within the scope in which the effects of the present invention can be exhibited.

[0030] In addition, the following explanation uses the term "linen product cleaning," but this term is used in a broader sense to include both "washing linen products" and "finishing linen products," which involves ironing with a roll ironer to remove wrinkles and stains from the final product. In addition, in the following explanation, sheets and pillowcases used in hotels, inns, and other accommodation facilities for many people are given as typical examples of linen products, but this is not limited to these, and it should be noted that this also includes sheets and pillowcases used in large hospitals with a large number of beds for inpatients, and sheets and pillowcases used in environments where they are inevitably prone to getting dirty.

[0031] In the following description, the term "linen cleaning factory" is used, which means the same thing as the "linen product supply factory" commonly used in this industry, and is used solely for the convenience of facilitating understanding of the invention. In other words, it should be emphasized that the "linen cleaning factory" and the general "linen product supply factory," as well as the "linen product cleaning process" and the "linen product supply process," mean substantially the same thing.

[0032] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a heat insulating pad according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as viewed obliquely from the front. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the heat insulating pad shown in FIG. 1, as viewed obliquely from the rear. FIG. 3 is a front view of the heat insulating pad shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a rear view of the heat insulating pad shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a side view of the structure of the heat insulating pad shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, as viewed from the side along the longitudinal direction, showing a part of the central part in cross section. FIG. 6 is a side view of the heat insulating pad shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, shown along the transverse direction. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the heat insulating pad according to this embodiment and the heat insulating pad according to its modified example, with the middle part omitted by a wavy line over the entire longitudinal direction, for easy understanding.

[0033] In addition, the left hand shown by the dotted line on the left side of Figures 1 to 6 is shown for reference so that the heat-insulating pad 100 can be imagined as actually being held in the hand, but it goes without saying that the heat-insulating pad is not limited to this size, width, length, thickness, etc.

[0034] A heat-insulating heat-retaining pad 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as "heat-insulating heat-retaining pad 100") comprises a pad body 110, a heat-resistant pad cover 120 which covers the thickness of the pad body 110, the entire one side and the peripheral edge and vicinity of the other side so as not to be separated from the pad body 110, and heat-resistant sheet magnets 131, 132 (130) attached to predetermined positions of the heat-resistant pad cover 120. Note that although the number of heat-resistant sheet magnets is two here, it goes without saying that there is no problem if the number is any more than this number.

[0035] The pad body 110 is made of recycled felt material that has a predetermined thickness and shape after washing and drying a felt sheet 900 (see FIG. 8) for pressing linen products that was once wound around rotating rolls 51, 52, 53, ... of a roll ironer 50, which is one of the cleaning equipment for linen products. The above-mentioned predetermined thickness refers to a thickness that can fully exert the effect of the heat insulating material of the present invention, which is described throughout the entire section of the embodiment of the invention in this specification.

[0036] In this embodiment, the felt sheets 910, 920 (900) wrapped twice around the rotating roll of the roll ironer 50 are peeled off, and the outer portion is not used, and the inner portion of the felt sheet 910 is washed and dried and then used.

[0037] However, the use of the felt sheet 900 is not limited to this. If the outer felt sheet 900 is not excessively dirty or damaged, this outer felt sheet 900 may also be actively washed and dried to be used in the pad body 110 of the present invention as a recycled felt regenerated pad 110 with a high fiber density.

[0038] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the pad body 110 has a sandwich structure, with a sheet-like glass wool 151 having a thickness of about 40 mm in the middle, and on both sides of this, the above-mentioned recycled sheet-like felt regenerated pads 111, 112 (110) having a thickness of about 6 mm to 8 mm.

[0039] On the other hand, instead of having a sandwich structure as in this embodiment, the pad body 110 may be formed by stacking several layers of sheet-like recycled felt pads 110 made from recycled felt sheets 910 (920) in close contact with each other (see Figs. 7(b) and (c)). Alternatively, only one thick recycled felt pad may be used as the pad body 110 depending on the form of use (see the cross-sectional portion of Fig. 5).

[0040] As for the material of the pad, the polyester pad or Conex (registered trademark) pad used when wrapped around the outer circumference of the roll ironer 50 is removed from the roll and, without changing the material itself, goes through a cleaning and drying process to increase the fiber density of the pad itself, actively reduce the air permeability, and improve the insulation and heat retention properties.Then, it is made into a recycled felt sheet (regenerated product) and used as a new pad body 110.

[0041] The heat-resistant pad cover 120 covers the entire surface and peripheral edge of one side of the pad body 110, and the area near the peripheral edge of the other side, and is integrated with the pad body 110 so that they do not separate from each other. The heat-resistant pad cover 120 is made of silicon-coated glass cloth. The heat-resistant pad cover 120 is sewn near its peripheral edge and near its central area with a shape-retaining thread 140 so that it is firmly bonded and integrated with the pad body 110, thereby reliably preventing the heat insulating pad 100 from losing its shape.

[0042] The material for the shape-retaining thread 140 may be any material that fulfills the role of the heat insulating pad 100 in actual use over a long period of time, such as thread made of Teflon (registered trademark). Alternatively, instead of using such sewing thread, the inside of the heat-resistant pad cover 120 and the outside of the pad body 110 that comes into contact with it may be integrated with a heat-resistant adhesive or the like so that they do not peel off from each other.

[0043] In addition, on the peripheral edge of the other surface side of the pad body 110 of the heat-resistant pad cover 120, heat-resistant sheet magnets 131, 132 (130) in the form of a heat-resistant rubber sheet are firmly attached at a predetermined position with an adhesive such as a silicone sealant (not shown).

[0044] In addition, a part of each of the rubber sheet-like heat-resistant sheet magnets 131, 132 (130) is also attached to the exposed surface of the pad body 110 with a silicone sealant so as to adhere firmly (see FIG. 4). This allows the heat insulating pad to be firmly fixed to the metal outer part of the high-temperature equipment by magnetic attraction.

[0045] As described above, an important part of the heat insulating pad of the present invention is that the pad body 110 is made of recycled felt sheets that are made to have a predetermined thickness and dimensions after washing and drying the felt sheets 900 for pressing linen products that were once wound around the rotating rolls 51, 52, and 53 of the roll ironer 50, which is one of the cleaning equipment for linen products. In this embodiment, the rotating rolls are introduced as three rotating rolls 51, 52, and 53, but the number is not limited to this number, and the roll ironer 50 may be equipped with more rotating rolls.

[0046] Furthermore, by undergoing this washing and drying process, the fiber density of the pad itself is increased, thereby actively reducing the breathability, and as a result, the recycled felt regenerated pad 110 has significantly improved insulation and heat retention properties compared to the felt sheet 900 wound around the rotating rolls 51, 52, and 53 of the conventional roll ironer 50, and is then used as a new pad body 110 after being made into a recycled product.

[0047] In this way, the felt sheet 900, which would normally have to be discarded, can be reused as a recycled felt material with high fiber density and excellent insulating and heat-retaining properties, for the pad body 110 of the insulating and heat-retaining pad 100, which is a completely different use from previous uses, and is an outstanding feature of the present invention.

[0048] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the pad body of the heat-insulating pad according to this embodiment and the heat-insulating pad according to this modified example, with the intermediate portion omitted by a wavy line over the entire longitudinal direction, for easy understanding.

[0049] Fig. 7(a) shows a state in which three heat insulating sheets, a felt recycled pad 111, a sheet-like glass wool 151, and a felt recycled pad 112, are stacked together to form a pad body 110. Also, Fig. 7(b) shows a state in which the pad body 110 is formed by stacking the felt recycled pad 111, the felt recycled pad 112, and the felt recycled pad 113, which are the same type, stacked together, unlike Fig. 7(a). Also, Fig. 7(c) shows a state in which the pad body 110 is formed by stacking four felt recycled pads, the felt recycled pad 111 to the felt recycled pad 114, which are made of the same material, stacked together, as in Fig. 7(b).

[0050] In this way, the pad body 110 may be composed of one recycled felt sheet if the number of sheets constituting it is sufficient thickness as shown in Fig. 5, or may be laminated by selecting an appropriate number of sheets as shown in Fig. 7(b) and Fig. 7(c) depending on the usage form and place of the heat insulating pad 100. Alternatively, different types of heat insulating sheets may be sandwiched between recycled felt sheets as shown in Fig. 7(a).

[0051] In other words, the pad body 110 according to the present invention can exhibit the effects of the present invention regardless of the shape of the pad body 110, as long as at least one of the pad body 110 is a regenerated felt sheet recycled according to the present invention.

[0052] Next, a procedure for manufacturing a recycled felt pad constituting the pad body by effectively utilizing used felt sheets peeled off from the roll body 51, 52, 53, ... of the roll ironer (chest roll) 50 will be described. The used felt sheets 900 (920 or 910 and 920 in some cases) peeled off from the roll body 51, 52, 53, ... are laid flat and shampooed using a polisher. Then, they are rinsed and dehydrated using a water washer, and dried using a stationary dryer. After that, as a finishing process, the dried recycled felt pad is laid flat and dirt and dust are removed using a carpet cleaner.

[0053] By going through these steps, the air permeability of the dried recycled felt pad 110 is significantly reduced compared to the air permeability of the used felt sheet 900 peeled off from the roll body 51, 52, 53, ..., and accordingly, the heat insulating and heat retaining properties of the recycled felt pad 110 are significantly improved.

[0054] As described above, used felt sheets 900 that were conventionally disposed of as industrial waste are recycled to produce recycled felt pads 110 with reduced air permeability and excellent insulation and heat retention, and then, as shown in FIG. 5 or in FIG. 7, multiple sheets of recycled felt pads 110 are stacked on top of each other, and the entire surface and periphery of one surface and the vicinity of the periphery of the other surface are covered with silicon glass cloth 120 and sewn with a thread to prevent deformation, thereby integrating the thermal insulation and heat retention pad shape shown in each drawing so as to maintain it for a long period of time during use, and sheet-like rubber magnets having suitable heat resistance and durability are attached to the specified locations mentioned above.

[0055] In this way, the felt sheets 900 that have become used after a certain period of use in the roll ironer 50, which would normally have to be disposed of in large quantities periodically as industrial waste, causing adverse effects both in terms of cost and the environment, can be regenerated (recycled) and put to effective use, allowing a large number of insulating and heat-retaining pads 100 to be produced that are excellent in terms of cost and insulation and heat retention, and these can be reused in a way that fulfills a different purpose than their original purpose, particularly in linen product disposal plants, which will be described later.

[0056] Next, the structure of the chest roll 50, which is an important device directly related to the present invention and is used in the finishing process, which is the final stage of the cleaning process for linen products, will be described with reference to the drawings. As mentioned above, the sheet elements used in the pad body of the heat-insulating and warm pad 100 of the present invention are felt sheets wrapped around the outer periphery of the roll body of the chest roll, which are replaced periodically or irregularly when some kind of malfunction occurs. These should normally be discarded, but they are recycled after being subjected to a specified washing and drying process to reduce their air permeability and improve their heat insulation and warmth retention.

[0057] Therefore, in order to properly appreciate the advantages of the present invention, it is important to understand the structure of this chest roll, so an example of a typical chest roll structure will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0058] Fig. 8(a) is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the chest roll 50 with the device housing part covering it removed. More specifically, Fig. 8(a) is a diagram for explaining the manufacturing of the pad body 110 of the heat insulating pad 100 according to the present invention, and is an explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of the roll ironer 50 installed in the finishing process at a linen product disposer.

[0059] The chest roll 50 introduced here comprises three roll bodies 51, 52, 53 arranged horizontally at a predetermined distance from each other in the direction of their respective axes, a chest iron section 55 provided on the lower part of the roll bodies 51, 52, 53 and forming a linen product cleaning final process passing section between each roll body 51, 52, 53 through which linen products are passed as a final finishing process to remove dirt, creases, etc., a superheated steam supply section 56 provided at a predetermined position of the chest iron section 55 and supplying superheated steam at a fairly high temperature of approximately 170°C to the linen product cleaning final process passing section, a drain section 57 which automatically drains water after the superheated steam cools and becomes moisture so as not to reduce the heating effect of the superheated steam, and a guide tape circulating feed mechanism 59 for allowing linen products to pass through the linen product cleaning final process passing section at a predetermined feed speed.

[0060] Also, at the left end of the drawing, there is provided an input belt 58 that sends the linen products dried in the dryer to the chest roll 50, and an inlet 50a that introduces the linen products to the linen product cleaning final process passing section. Also, at the right end of the drawing, there is formed an outlet 50b that takes out the superheated steam supplied into the chest roll and the linen products from which wrinkles and dirt have been finally removed by passing between the roll body and the iron surface of the chest iron part while being pressed between them.

[0061] Figure 8(b) is a schematic diagram showing an enlarged view of one of the three roll bodies 51, 52, and 53 provided on the chest roll 50 shown in Figure 8(a) and the chest iron portion 55 provided at the bottom of this roll body, which forms a linen product cleaning final process passing section.

[0062] The roll bodies 51, 52, and 53 are made of steel and have numerous holes formed therein. As shown in the drawings, a fan 54 is provided on the side of the roll bodies 51, 52, and 53 to extract steam from the surface of the linen product during finishing through the numerous holes in the roll bodies 51, 52, and 53.

[0063] A long, tape-like spring sheet 800 is wound around the outer periphery of the roll bodies 51, 52, and 53, and serves as a metallic cushion. A felt sheet 900 made of felt is provided on the outer periphery of the spring sheet 800, wound twice from the inside to the outside. As for the material of the felt sheet, as mentioned above, one that uses 100% heat-resistant Conex (registered trademark) or one that constitutes a polyester pad is used.

[0064] In addition, in order to ensure consistently high quality in the linen product cleaning and finishing process, it is essential that the felt sheets 900 in the form of roll pads, which are wound around the outer periphery of each roll body 51, 52, 53 via metal cushion spring sheets 800, be replaced with new felt sheets on both the inside and outside of the roll pads periodically, as described above, or irregularly if a metal foreign object such as nail clippers or scissors is mistakenly introduced into the roll ironer 50.

[0065] Fig. 8(c) is a schematic perspective view showing the guide tape provided on the chest roll 50 shown in Fig. 8(a) and (b) in a three-dimensional manner with respect to the roll body. More specifically, Fig. 8(c) is a schematic view showing a guide tape 700 used in the final process of removing wrinkles and stains from linen products after washing and drying.

[0066] More specifically, this is an explanatory diagram that shows a guide tape 700, which sandwiches the linen product undergoing the finishing process between each roll body of the roll ironer 50 and the linen product being introduced into the roll ironer 50 to remove final stains and wrinkles when the linen product is introduced into the roll ironer 50, and sends the linen product into the roll ironer 50 at a constant feed speed to guide the linen product from the inlet 50a to the inlet 50b of the roll ironer 50, together with scissors 750 that cut the guide tape to a constant length.

[0067] 8(a), the guide tape 700 is circulated by the guide tape feeding and circulating mechanism 59, and the linen product is pressed by the roll bodies 51, 52, 53 and the iron surface of the chest iron part 55 while being supplied with superheated steam to the linen product cleaning final process passing section, and is passed sequentially from the inlet 50a to the outlet 50b of the chest roll 50 at a predetermined feed speed without clogging. This ensures the removal of wrinkles and dirt from the linen product in the final process.

[0068] In addition, the guide tape feed circulating feed mechanism 59 is equipped with an adjustment mechanism (not shown) that occasionally shifts the position of the guide tape 700 left or right relative to the axis of the roll bodies 51, 52, 53 to prevent a depression (see Figure 8(c)) from being created in the roll pad 900 due to the guide tape 700 continuing to contact only one point on the roll pad 900 and causing this depression to deepen and result in relative slippage between the guide tape 700 and the linen product.

[0069] In addition, as shown in the drawing, after a predetermined period of use as described above, the guide tape 700 is periodically replaced with a new guide tape 700 by an operator using scissors as shown diagrammatically in the drawing to cut the guide tape 700 so as not to cause deformation such as dents in part of the roll pad.

[0070] From the above explanation, it can be seen that the chest roll 50 is quite large and generates a lot of heat when it is operated. In other words, it can be understood that the chest roll 50 is a kind of huge iron used to remove wrinkles and dirt from linen products in the final process of cleaning linen products installed in a very large-scale linen product cleaning factory.

[0071] With the above-described structure, in order to improve the efficiency of the cleaning work for linen products, the number of roll bodies 51, 52, 53 of the chest roll 50 can be increased to lengthen the time of contact with the chest iron surface, thereby speeding up the processing process and further improving the efficiency of the process.

[0072] However, the overall length of the chest roll 50 is reduced, and the installation space of the chest roll 50 in the factory is increased. The amount of heat generated by the superheated steam also increases. In addition, the heat generated by the superheated steam is dissipated from the inside of the device itself to the outside of the device through heat dissipation to the surrounding atmosphere inside and outside the factory, or through heat transfer by thermal convection.

[0073] The heat transfer from the surrounding atmosphere leads to the diffusion of heat into the atmosphere, which has an undesirable effect on the urgent issue of preventing global warming in recent years. In addition, it leads to a deterioration of the working environment for workers due to the rise in temperature inside the linen product manufacturing factory.

[0074] In addition, for the reasons mentioned above, there are also problems specific to situations in which the roll pad 900 of the chest roll 50 needs to be replaced periodically or irregularly due to some malfunction, such as when nail clippers get mixed into the linen product or when scissors 750 are accidentally introduced into the chest roll when replacing the guide tape 700.

[0075] From the above, it can be seen that the amount of used roll pad 900, i.e., the felt sheets that make it up, becomes enormous, and when disposing of these corresponding felt sheets, not only is it undesirable from the viewpoint of resource conservation, but also that a considerable amount of energy is required to process the used felt sheets, which also has an undesirable impact on the urgent issue of preventing global warming in recent years, and therefore it can be seen that the solution of such problems by the present invention is extremely significant.

[0076] Next, the inventors conducted a verification experiment to confirm the superiority of the present invention, and the outline of the experimental results will be described as Example 1. In the following description, the above-mentioned reference symbols will be omitted as appropriate for the convenience of explanation. EXAMPLES

[0077] The polyester pads and Conex (registered trademark) pads used when wrapping them around the outer circumference of a roll ironer are removed from the roll as is, and without changing the material itself, they are put through a cleaning and drying process to increase the fiber density of the pad itself, actively reducing its air permeability, and improving its insulation and heat retention properties.Then, after recycling, they are turned into regenerated felt components (regenerated products) and used as new pad bodies.

[0078] Specifically, the pad body has a sandwich structure, with a sheet of glass wool about 40 mm thick in the middle, sandwiched between the above-mentioned recycled felt regenerated pads about 6 mm to 8 mm thick on both sides.

[0079] The heat-resistant pad cover is made of silicon-coated glass cloth, and is firmly bonded to the pad body to prevent it from losing its shape, and the vicinity of its peripheral portion and the vicinity of its central region are sewn with a shape-preventing thread to reliably prevent the heat insulating pad from losing its shape.

[0080] Furthermore, a heat-resistant rubber sheet-like magnet was firmly attached at a predetermined position on the peripheral edge of the other surface of the pad body of the heat-resistant pad cover using silicone sealant.

[0081] Using these steps, we created several heat insulating pads measuring approximately 22 cm in length, 31 cm in width, and 4 cm in thickness as examples of the present invention. We then arranged each of the heat insulating pads in three locations on the top surface of the roll ironer, which becomes particularly hot, and secured them with a magnetic sheet to prevent them from shifting.

[0082] Next, the roll ironer was actually operated and the surface temperature of the upper surface of the roll ironer was measured by thermography while it was in operation. As a result, it was confirmed from the temperature distribution in the thermography image that the surface temperature of the upper surface of the roll ironer in the parts where the heat insulating pads were not attached reached about 70°C, but in each part where the heat insulating pads were attached, the surface temperature was less than 50°C.

[0083] In other words, the area where the insulating and heat-retaining pad of the present invention is attached has a temperature drop of approximately 30% compared to the area where it is not attached, meaning that the insulating and heat-retaining pad of the present invention prevents heat from diffusing to the surrounding area of ​​the roll ironer, and it has been confirmed that the insulating and heat-retaining pad of the present invention has an excellent energy-saving effect by being able to maintain the required temperature of the roll ironer itself through insulation and heat retention without wasting energy.

[0084] Next, Example 2 will be described below as a further evaluation test relating to the present invention. EXAMPLES

[0085] In Example 2, two forms of heat insulating pads according to the present invention were tested and evaluated as Thermo Cover 1 and Thermo Cover 2. The formula used as the evaluation criteria was taken from Example 3-8 "Thermal insulation of a resin extrusion molding machine" on the following website. The URL of the website is as follows: <Reference> ECCJ Energy Conservation Center http: / / www.eccj.or.jp / audit / fact_guide10 / factory_g.pdf Case 3-8 Insulation of a resin extrusion molding machine (1-1) The measurement results of Thermo Cover 1 were used as the evaluation criteria and the conditions were entered based on the above calculation formula. (1-2) Amount of heat dissipated before insulation ·Surface temperature T…67.5(°C) Ambient temperature b...35.0(°C) Surface orientation coefficient a...3.26 ·External emissivity ε…0.94 Dissipated heat Q68...490(W / m 2 ) Breakdown of dissipated heat: Convection 253 (W / m 2 ), radiation 237 (W / m 2 ) (1-3) Amount of heat dissipated after insulation ·Surface temperature T…49.4(°C) ·Ambient temperature…35.0(°C) Surface orientation coefficient a...3.26 ·External emissivity ε…0.94 Dissipated heat Q49...188(W / m 2 ) Breakdown of dissipated heat: Convection 91 (W / m 2 ), radiation 96 (W / m 2 ) Equipment operation status (conditions for consideration) Operating time: 3,120 hours / year ·Fuel used…heavy oil -Thermal efficiency η…90% (1-4) Estimation of the effect of heat retention Measures (heat retention) area A…12.05 (m 2 ) Heat dissipation before insulation Q68...490(W / m 2 ) Heat dissipation after insulation Q49...188 (W / m 2 ) Qw=Q49-Q68=-(minus)302(W / m 2 ) Reduced heat Qj×A / η×h…-(minus) 45,437 (MJ / year) Heavy fuel oil: 1,242 liters CO2 emissions: -3.4 (tons / year) Energy saving effect: -62%(%) (1-5) Environmental testing conditions Heavy oil as fuel (liters / unit)…Primary energy (kJ / unit)…39,093, Secondary energy (kJ / unit)…36,586, CO2 emission factor (kg-CO2 / unit)…2.770 (2-1) The measurement results of Thermo Cover 2 were used as the evaluation criteria and the conditions were entered based on the above calculation formula. (2-2) Amount of heat dissipated before insulation ·Surface temperature T=67.5(°C) Ambient temperature b=35.0(°C) Surface orientation coefficient a=3.26 ·External emissivity ε=0.94 Dissipated heat Q68 = 490 (W / m 2 ) Breakdown of dissipated heat: Convection = 253 (W / m 2 ) radiation=237(W / m 2 ) (2-3) Amount of heat dissipated after insulation ·Surface temperature T=49.0(°C) Ambient temperature b=35.0(°C) Surface orientation coefficient a=3.26 ·External emissivity ε=0.94 Dissipated heat Q49 = 182 (W / m 2 ) Breakdown of dissipated heat: Convection = 88 (W / m 2 ), radiation=3(W / m 2 ) Equipment operation status (conditions for consideration) Operating time: 3,120 hours / year Heavy oil used as fuel Thermal efficiency η=90%(%) (2-4) Estimation of the effectiveness of heat retention measures ·(Heat insulation) area A=1205(m 2 ) Heat dissipation before insulation Q68 = 490 (W / m 2 ) Radiant heat after insulation Q49 = 182 (W / m 2 ) Qw=Q49-Q68=-(minus)308(W / m 2 ) Reduced heat Qj×A / n×h…-(minus) 46,341 (MJ / year) Fuel (heavy oil)…-(minus) 1,267 (liters) CO2 emissions: -3.5 (tons / year) Energy saving effect: -63% · Primary energy of heavy oil as fuel (liter) (kJ / unit)…39,093 · Low calorific value…36,586 CO2 emission factor (kg-CO2 / unit)…2.770 (3) Results from the evaluation test of Example 2 Of the eight roll ironers in total, one was measured this time, and calculations were made on the energy-saving effects of installing insulation material on the upper thermo roof of the roll ironer and using the insulation pad related to this invention to keep it warm. Based on the above-mentioned "Estimated insulation effect of the equipment surface," it was found that the following effects could be expected per roll ironer. (3-1) Reduction in heavy oil use as fuel: -1,267 liters (l) / year (3-2) CO2 emissions reduction: -3.5 tons (t) / year (3-3) Initial cost of insulation material…Thermo Cover 2…174,000 yen / year (4) Conclusions Based on the Evaluation Test of Example 2 The results of the above evaluation tests showed that although the size and surface temperatures of the roll ironers vary, if all eight roll ironers are insulated using the insulating and heat-retaining pads of this invention, it is possible to expect a reduction in fuel running costs of approximately eight times the amount mentioned above.

[0086] Next, based on Figure 9, we will explain the process of transporting linen products used in hotels, inns, and other accommodation facilities to a linen product cleaning factory, where they undergo a series of cleaning processes and are delivered to the hotels, inns, and other accommodation facilities as clean, wrinkle-free, and stain-free linen products.

[0087] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing each facility in a linen waste disposal plant in the order of the processes. In this figure, the facilities corresponding to each process are shown separately as a block diagram, but in reality, these facilities are often configured as one facility that is appropriately combined. For example, the washing machine for linen products and the product compressor for dehydration may be integrated into one device, and further, the product compressor for dehydration and the product dryer may be integrated into one device to configure these facilities.

[0088] The linen cleaning plant is also equipped with a steam boiler to efficiently generate high-temperature steam and supply it to the cleaning process of linen products, as well as a steam header that acts as a supply steam distributor to supply the steam generated by the steam boiler to each device that requires it through a superheated steam supply pipe. In addition, a flash steam generator is also installed to supply flash steam to the roll ironer in the finishing process.

[0089] First, a large amount of linen products before cleaning is brought into the factory, and then the linen products before washing are fed into a pre-washed linen product input / lot sorting device 10 at once, and then the linen products are sorted into the amount of linen products that can be washed in one go by lot, and the linen products for each lot are transported to a washing machine 20 by a lot transport device 15.

[0090] Then, after the washing machine 20 washes the linen products that can be washed once in sequence, the linen products that have been washed once are placed in the dehydration device 30. After the water contained in the washed linen products is dehydrated in the dehydration device 30, the dehydrated linen products for each lot are placed in the drying device 40.

[0091] After one lot of linen products has been dried in the drying device 40, an operator spreads each of the dried lot of linen products onto the roll ironer 50, the structure of which has already been described above as the chest roll 50, and then introduces the leading end of the linen products through the inlet 50a of the roll ironer 50, where final finishing such as removing wrinkles and dirt is performed inside the roll ironer 50.

[0092] Next, the linen product as the finished product after removing wrinkles and dirt is taken out from the outlet 50b of the roll ironer 50 and introduced into a folding device 60, where it is folded to a size suitable for transport as a clean, clean linen product to the hotel, inn, or other accommodation facility from which it was delivered.

[0093] 9, from the approximate center to the right side, there are shown a boiler 70 and a flash steam generator 80, which are indispensable high-temperature heat source generating devices in a linen product manufacturing factory, and further to the right of them, a steam header 90. Also, to the left of the boiler 70, there is shown a wastewater treatment recycling device 95.

[0094] The superheated steam having a high temperature and a large amount of heat generated by the boiler 70, the flash steam generator 80, and the steam header 90 is supplied via superheated steam supply pipes 71, 81, and 91 to the roll ironer 50 and the drying device 40, which are particularly in need of a heat source such as superheated steam, among the series of linen product cleaning devices mentioned above.

[0095] After washing, drying, and removing wrinkles and stains, the completely clean linen products are folded into a size that can be used again at the hotel, inn, or other accommodation facility and then loaded onto a transport vehicle such as a truck, which is then transported and delivered to the hotel, inn, or other accommodation facility from which the uncleaned linen products were collected.

[0096] In addition, if wrinkles or dirt remain on the linen product discharged from the outlet 50b of the roll ironer 50, or if the felt sheet 900 of the roll ironer 50 has been used for a predetermined period of time, or if foreign objects such as nail clippers or scissors mentioned above have been mistakenly taken into the roll ironer 50 even before the predetermined period of time has elapsed, and wrinkles, dirt or other abnormalities are found on the linen product to be finished discharged from the outlet 50b, then all of the used felt sheets 900 wrapped around the outer peripheral surfaces of the multiple roll bodies of the roll ironer 50, i.e., the chest roll 50 mentioned above, are peeled off and replaced with new felt sheets 900.

[0097] In the past, the usual post-processing procedure for this was to dispose of all of the felt sheets 900 after use as industrial waste. However, in the present invention, the large amount of felt sheets 900 are not disposed of as industrial waste, but are washed and dried again to recycle and effectively utilize the reusable recycled felt members for the pad body 110 of the heat-insulating thermal pad 100 of the present invention.

[0098] Next, a part of the gist of the present invention will be described. The heat insulating pad according to the present invention is taut in order to prevent such heat diffusion from occurring in the equipment shown in Fig. 9, which generates particularly high temperatures, raising the temperature inside the factory, and at the same time, causing the equipment's operating efficiency to decrease due to the release of this heat, resulting in the need to keep using extra fuel.

[0099] In other words, the advantages of the present invention can be realized by insulating and keeping the equipment warm by tacking the insulation pads in the areas where heat diffusion is particularly likely to occur. Also, by attaching the insulation pads to dangerous areas where the equipment itself becomes very hot and workers may accidentally touch them and get burned, such as the inlet and outlet of the linen products and the area around the dryer inlet, unexpected accidents during work can be prevented and the workers can always remember that these areas are very hot and dangerous. This allows the workers who have been working to be aware of the dangerous areas at a glance when a new worker starts a new task to be alerted in advance and prevent unexpected accidents from occurring.

[0100] In addition, the superheated steam supply pipes 71, 81, and 91 indicated by thick black lines in Figure 9 are supply pipes for supplying heated steam supplied from a high-temperature heat source to equipment that uses this steam to perform the work process that it is responsible for. Since heated steam is constantly supplied while the linen cleaning device is in operation, this piping section becomes very hot.

[0101] For example, in the above-mentioned superheated steam supply pipes 71, 81, 91, a linen cleaning worker or a maintenance worker at a linen manufacturing factory may accidentally touch the high-temperature superheated steam supply pipes 71, 81, 91 due to an unexpected fall, and be burned, but by wrapping a heat insulating pad around the area where such an accident may occur, it is possible to prevent such an unexpected accident from occurring. The areas where the heat insulating pads are arranged in the present invention are shown by fine dots in FIG. 9 as examples.

[0102] In addition, the parts indicated by fine dots as an example mainly correspond to equipment and piping that reach high temperatures, and by using the insulating heat-retaining pad of the present invention, operating efficiency (combustion efficiency) can be improved, fuel costs can be reduced, and energy can be saved. In addition, the rise in ambient temperature within the linen product manufacturing factory can be suppressed, thereby simplifying and reducing the costs of air conditioning equipment, improving the working environment for factory workers, and preventing factory workers and equipment maintenance workers from accidentally touching parts that correspond to high-temperature equipment and piping, thereby preventing unexpected burns and injuries, and illustrating other areas where safety measures can be taken.

[0103] However, apart from the above-mentioned cases, the protective gear may also be attached in advance as cushioning material for safety equipment to prevent such incidents from occurring in places in the working environment of a worker, such as in a factory, that have protruding parts that could be bumped into and injured.

[0104] In addition to the above, the following will explain the advantages of the present invention. Due to the abnormal weather caused by global warming in recent years, it has become commonplace for the midsummer season to experience long periods of extremely hot weather. Furthermore, the number of days with extremely high daytime temperatures is increasing not only in midsummer but also in early summer and the lingering summer heat.

[0105] As a result, the number of people suffering from heat stroke is increasing not only outdoors but also indoors where the air conditioning is not working properly. In addition to the problems caused by abnormal weather due to global warming, which has become rapidly apparent in recent years, the value of our country as a tourism-oriented country has been widely recognized both at home and abroad in recent years, and as a result, the number of domestic and international tourists increases rapidly during the midsummer tourist season, and the frequency of use of hotels, inns, and other accommodation facilities also increases sharply, and the amount of linen products that need to be cleaned at factories also increases sharply at this time.

[0106] This means that the linen product manufacturing factory must operate all of its equipment at full capacity, which inevitably maximizes the amount of heat generated by the heat-generating parts of the linen product incineration factory, as shown by the fine dotted areas in Figure 9. As a result, the ambient temperature in the linen product incineration factory also rises to an extreme level that the factory's air conditioning equipment cannot handle. At the same time, the workers in the linen product incineration factory must clean a large amount of linen products quickly and efficiently and ship them to the source as cleaned products within a limited time, which increases the physical burden of the work that must be done quickly.

[0107] If such cleaning work continues in a hurry in the atmosphere of the factory where the temperature has risen considerably, there is a risk that the number of workers who suddenly become ill with heat stroke symptoms due to being placed in an environment similar to that of indoor heat stroke described above will increase. In addition, there is a concern that workers may suddenly lose consciousness due to excessive work in the high temperature atmosphere of the factory, and collapse towards the hot equipment, resulting in a serious accident.

[0108] Therefore, as a measure to avoid such an occurrence, if the insulating and heat-retaining sheet of the present invention is installed over a wide area in the area shown by the fine dots in Figure 9, it is possible to minimize heat diffusion and heat radiation from these devices (equipment) into the factory.

[0109] As a result, by fully utilizing the operating capacity of the existing air conditioning equipment, it is possible to avoid the sudden rise in temperature within the factory as described above, and even when work in the factory is very busy, the adverse effects on the body caused by the high temperature of the surrounding atmosphere can be minimized, creating a safe and secure working environment in which it is easy to continue working.

[0110] The insulating and heat-retaining pads of the present invention are small enough to be held in one hand, as illustrated by the dotted lines in Figures 1 to 7. Therefore, by arranging a large number of insulating and heat-retaining pads like a patchwork or square plate puzzle in the fairly large high-temperature generating area within the factory shown by fine dots in Figure 9 according to the layout of each device in each linen product cleaning factory, it is possible to realize an effective safety environment that corresponds to the layout of individual equipment and work areas that differ from one linen product cleaning factory to another.

[0111] With reference to the configuration in Fig. 9, the merits of the present invention claimed by the applicant (inventor) are finally described below. Using the applicant's own technology, aramid fiber Conex (registered trademark) is processed into belts, felt pads, and covers as parts for roll ironers, which are devices used for specific purposes, and the length, width, etc. are supplied to suit each manufacturer.

[0112] The lifespan of the felt pad, Conex (registered trademark) pad, is generally limited to 6 to 24 months of operation. This is because the breathability of the felt pad, which should have been used in the roll ironer for such a long period of operation, inevitably decreases over time. In addition, there are irregular cases where metal products such as nail clippers are mixed in with the linen product, or scissors used for periodically cutting and replacing the guide tape of the roll ironer are mistakenly mixed in with the roll device, causing the felt pad to become severely damaged, and it is necessary to replace it immediately.

[0113] If we were to dispose of all the large amounts of felt pads replaced as industrial waste, we would have to solve various problems, such as the labor involved, disposal costs, consideration to prevent environmental degradation, etc. However, the air permeability of the felt pads, which have already been used for a long period of time and have become unusable due to a decrease in air permeability, is further decreased by undergoing the cleaning and drying processes.

[0114] Therefore, by using recycled felt pads that have been subjected to the above-mentioned washing and drying processes for the pad body of the insulating and heat-retaining pad of the present invention, which has improved insulating and heat-retaining properties, various problems associated with disposal as industrial waste as described above can be solved.

[0115] In other words, it is possible to improve the thermal efficiency, particularly in the linen waste disposal plant shown in FIG. 9, while also saving fuel and lowering the room temperature in the plant, thereby improving the working environment for workers.

[0116] In addition, in the linen product manufacturing factory shown in Figure 9, in order to prevent workers from accidentally touching hot equipment, accidentally falling while working or maintaining the equipment and pressing their bodies against a hot part, or accidentally grabbing a pipe for supplying high-temperature superheated steam, which could lead to unexpected burns or accidents in the workplace, if such parts are covered in advance with the insulating heat-retaining pads of the present invention, the workers will not suffer unexpected burns and can continue their linen product cleaning work with peace of mind in a safe working environment.

[0117] In particular, when it comes to cleaning linen products, considering the special circumstances of weekends, long holidays, and the like, when there is a concentrated increase in the amount of work due to the concentration of guests at hotels, inns, and accommodation facilities, the delivery period for this work is limited and workers have to hurriedly carry out the cleaning work of linen products at such times, but it can be understood that the above-mentioned effects can be enhanced by thoroughly installing the insulating heat-retaining pads of the present invention in all high-temperature generating areas of the linen product cleaning factory.

[0118] In addition, due to the recent shortage of workers and the advent of an aging society, even when such work is performed by workers who are almost beginners and are not accustomed to cleaning linen products or elderly people who are not able to do the work, the present applicant (inventor) strongly asserts that the present invention has the special advantage of being able to maintain a safe working environment throughout the linen product cleaning factory shown in Figure 9, while preventing global warming by saving energy in the linen product cleaning factory itself, and by not disposing of large amounts of felt pads as industrial waste, it can achieve resource conservation and prevention of environmental deterioration.

[0119] The following points should be further emphasized: In the above explanation, metal objects such as nail clippers and scissors were given as examples of foreign objects that are mistakenly mixed into linen products and introduced into the roll ironer, but in addition to these, small electrical appliances such as the remote controls for the televisions and air conditioners of these accommodations, and even glass ashtrays, may be mixed in with the linen sheets brought in from hotels and inns. Similarly, in addition to scalpels, scissors, and forceps, the linen products brought in from hospitals may also contain used aluminum foil used to wrap pill-shaped medicines.

[0120] A preferable countermeasure would be to detect and remove such foreign objects in linen products at the initial input stage of the linen cleaning process using a metal detector, etc., but linen products generally contain a lot of moisture, such as wet towels, and metal detectors frequently malfunction. If the equipment had to be stopped every time the metal detector malfunctioned and the linen products were inspected for foreign objects at the input stage, it would be extremely difficult to perform efficient continuous cleaning work.

[0121] Therefore, stopping the linen product introduction process every time a metal detector detects something and checking for the presence of foreign objects is not realistic in terms of efficiently carrying out the linen product cleaning process (the linen product washing and finishing process). Therefore, the current situation is such that it is unavoidable to change the metal detection threshold value to weaken the detection accuracy of the metal detector and prevent frequent stoppages of the equipment operation in the process equipped with the metal detection function.

[0122] For this reason, it is currently unavoidable that some foreign matter will be mixed in. However, if such foreign matter is overlooked in linen products during the initial input process, it will remain mixed in and enter the roll ironer in the final finishing process, regardless of the washing process, compression wringing process, and drying process, and will damage the felt sheet wrapped around the roll body.

[0123] As is clear from its original purpose, this felt sheet is wound around a roll to remove wrinkles from linen products while adding superheated steam as a final finishing touch to the linen products, and is pulled with considerable tension in the axial direction of the roll. Therefore, even a small crack or dent like this in the felt sheet will cause the tensile stress to concentrate in that area, causing the crack in the felt sheet to expand from that area or causing that area to quickly peel off from the roll body.

[0124] For the above reasons, it is clear that in the busy season for cleaning linen products, in order to increase the efficiency of cleaning linen products, the felt sheets must be replaced irregularly and frequently in the final finishing process of removing wrinkles and dirt using a roll ironer, exceeding the conventional regular replacement frequency, as a result of the need to increase the operating efficiency. This clearly leads to the serious problem of the generation of a large amount of used felt sheets after replacement and the need to dispose of them as industrial waste.

[0125] From the above viewpoint, according to the present invention, the large amount of felt sheets that are inevitably generated can be reused through special washing and drying processes to reduce the air permeability and improve the insulation and heat retention properties, and then used as recycled felt components for the material of the heat insulating and heat retaining sheets related to the present invention, thereby manufacturing a large amount of heat insulating and heat retaining sheets at low cost. It can be understood that this can be used to reduce the amount of heat generated by high-temperature equipment installed in linen product cleaning factories (factories that include all the processes of washing, drying, and finishing linen products) themselves, thereby contributing greatly to energy conservation and fuel cost reduction, and to a safer and more comfortable working environment for workers. [Explanation of symbols]

[0126] 10 Lot sorting device 15 Lot transport device 20 Washing Machine 30 Dehydration equipment 40 Drying equipment 50 Roll Ironer (Chest Roll) 50a Inlet 50b outlet 51, 52, 53 Rotating roll (roll body) 54 Fans 55 Chest iron section 56 Superheated steam supply section 57 Drain section 58 Feeding Belt 59 Guide tape circulation mechanism 60 Folding device 70 Boiler 71 Superheated steam supply pipe 80 Flash steam generator 81 Superheated steam supply pipe 90 Steam Header 91 Superheated steam supply pipe 95 Wastewater treatment recycling equipment 100 Insulation pad 110 Pad body (recycled felt pad) 111, 112, 113, 114, ... Felt Recycled Pad (Element) 120 Heat-resistant pad cover (silicon glass cloth) 131,132(130) Heat-resistant sheet magnet 140 Shape-preserving thread 151 Glass wool sheet 700 Guide Tape 750 Scissors 800 Spring seat 910,920(900) Felt sheet

Claims

1. A pad body is a felt sheet for pressing linen products that is once wound around a rotating roll of a roll ironer, which is one of the cleaning equipment for linen products, and is then washed and dried to a specified thickness and shape, thereby creating a pad body that can also be recycled; a heat-resistant pad cover that covers one surface of the pad body, a peripheral edge of the thickness portion, and the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the other surface; A heat insulating pad, comprising a heat resistant sheet magnet attached at a predetermined position on the pad cover which covers the area near the peripheral edge of the other surface of the pad body.

2. The pad body is composed of a plurality of pad body elements having insulating and heat-retaining properties stacked on top of each other, and at least one of the pad body elements is a felt sheet for pressing linen products that was once wound around a rotating roll of a roll ironer, which is one of the cleaning equipment for linen products, and then washed and dried to a specified thickness and size and shape, thereby creating a recycled version of the insulating and heat-retaining pad described in claim 1.

3. A first step of removing a felt sheet for pressing linen products from a rotating roll of a roll ironer, which is one of cleaning equipment for linen products; a second step of washing and then drying the felt sheet removed in the first step; A third step of producing a pad body having a predetermined thickness and external dimensions using the washed and dried felt sheet obtained in the second step, which also serves as a recycling step; A method for manufacturing an insulating heat-retaining pad, comprising the steps of covering one side of the pad body, the peripheral edge of the thickness portion, and the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the other side with a heat-resistant pad cover to join the two together, and a fourth step of attaching a heat-resistant sheet-shaped magnet at a predetermined position on the pad cover covering the area near the peripheral edge of the other side of the pad body.

4. The method for manufacturing an insulating and heat-retaining pad as described in claim 3, characterized in that the pad body created in the third step is composed of a plurality of pad body elements having insulating and heat-retaining properties stacked on top of each other, and at least one of the pad body elements is a felt sheet for pressing linen products that was once wound around a rotating roll of a roll ironer, which is one of the cleaning equipment for linen products, and then washed and dried to a specified thickness and size and shape, thereby serving as a recycling method.

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