Sheet manufacturing device

Abstract

To prevent a risk of incapability of normally cutting a part including either one of both ends in a width direction of a raw sheet while being transported by a raw material supply part.SOLUTION: A sheet manufacturing device 100 includes: a raw material supply part 11 for supplying a raw sheet M1 containing fibers to a coarsely crushing part 12 by transporting the raw sheet in a transportation direction; the coarsely crushing part 12 having coarsely crushing blades 121, 122 rotating around rotational axes A121, A122, and coarsely crushing the raw sheet M1 supplied from the raw material supply part 11; a defibrating part 13 for defibrating roughly crushed pieces M2 generated by the coarsely crushing part 12; an accumulation part 30 for accumulating fibrillated materials M3 generated by the defibrating part 13; and a heating and pressurizing part 20 for forming a second web M8 into a sheet S by heating and pressurizing the second web M8 generated by the accumulation part 30. The rotational axes A121, A122 are inclined with respect to a width direction La of the raw sheet M1 orthogonal to the transportation direction when the raw sheet is transported by the raw material supply part 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a sheet manufacturing apparatus including a raw material supplying section, a first crushing section which is an example of a crushing section, a defibrating section, a depositing section, and a heating and pressurizing section. The raw material supplying section supplies a raw material sheet containing fibers. The first crushing section has a rotating first crushing blade and crushes the raw material sheet supplied from the raw material supplying section. The defibrating section defibrates the crushed pieces produced in the first crushing section. The heating and pressurizing section applies heat and pressure to the deposit produced in the depositing section to mold it into a sheet. In addition, the rotation axis of the first crushing blade is arranged parallel to the width direction of the raw material sheet when it is transported by the raw material supplying section toward the first crushing section. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-038477 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the arrangement of the first crushing blade of the first crushing section in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that a portion including either of both ends in the width direction of the raw material sheet when transported by the raw material supply section may not be cut properly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The sheet manufacturing apparatus comprises a raw material supplying unit that supplies a raw material sheet containing fibers to a coarse crushing unit by transporting the raw material sheet along a transport direction, the coarse crushing unit having a coarse crushing blade that rotates around a rotation axis and coarsely crushes the raw material sheet supplied from the raw material supplying unit, a defibrating unit that defibrates the coarsely crushed pieces produced in the coarse crushing unit, a deposition unit that deposits the defibrated material produced in the defibrating unit, and a heating and pressurizing unit that heats and pressurizes the deposit produced in the deposition unit to form the deposit into a sheet, and the rotation axis is inclined with respect to the width direction of the raw material sheet when transported by the raw material supplying unit, which is perpendicular to the transport direction. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a sheet manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship of each part of the sheet manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing the area surrounded by the dashed line in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a top view showing a raw material supply unit and a crushing unit according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] An enlarged view of part D5 shown in Figure 4. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the crushing unit according to the first embodiment as viewed from the direction along the B-axis direction. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a top view showing an example of the arrangement of a raw material supply unit and a crushing unit. [Figure 9] An enlarged view of part D9 shown in Figure 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the crushing unit according to the second embodiment as viewed from the direction along the Y-axis. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described based on the embodiments. In each drawing, the same members are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions are omitted. In this specification, "same", "same", and "simultaneous" do not only mean that they are completely the same. For example, in this specification, "same", "same", and "simultaneous" include cases where they are the same taking into account measurement errors. Also, for example, in this specification, "same", "same", and "simultaneous" include cases where they are the same taking into account manufacturing variations of members.

[0008] In addition, for example, in this specification, "the same," "the same," and "the same time" include cases where they are the same to the extent that their functions are not impaired. Therefore, for example, "their dimensions are the same" means that, taking into account measurement errors and manufacturing variations of parts, the difference in dimensions between the two is within ±5% of the other dimension, and more preferably within ±3%.

[0009] In each figure, X, Y, and Z represent three spatial axes that are mutually orthogonal. In this specification, the directions along these axes are defined as the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction. When specifying a direction, the positive direction is defined as "+" and the negative direction as "-", and the direction is expressed using both positive and negative signs, with the direction indicated by the arrow in each figure being the + direction and the opposite direction of the arrow being the - direction.

[0010] The Z-axis direction indicates the direction of gravity, the +Z direction indicates the vertical upward direction, and the -Z direction indicates the vertical downward direction. Furthermore, the plane including the X-axis and Y-axis is described as the XY plane, the plane including the X-axis and Z-axis as the XZ plane, and the plane including the Y-axis and Z-axis as the YZ plane. The XY plane is also a horizontal plane. Furthermore, the three spatial axes of X, Y, and Z, which are not limited to positive and negative directions, will be described as the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis.

[0011] The X-axis direction is the width direction of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100. The X-axis direction is the horizontal direction along the installation surface, which is a horizontal plane on which the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 is installed.

[0012] The Y-axis direction is the longitudinal direction of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 in which the various units, such as the raw material supply unit 11 and the crushing unit 12, provided in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 are arranged. The Y-axis direction is the horizontal direction along the installation surface on which the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 is installed.

[0013] The Z-axis direction is a normal direction to the installation surface on which the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 is installed, and is a height direction of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100. In the following description, the +Z direction may be referred to as "upward" and the -Z direction may be referred to as "downward."

[0014] 1. Embodiment 1 As shown in Fig. 1, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 manufactures a sheet S from a raw material sheet M1. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram created to explain a series of processes from manufacturing the sheet S from the raw material sheet M1. Therefore, the positional relationship of each part of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 in Fig. 1 may differ from the actual positional relationship. First, the overall configuration of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described.

[0015] 1 and 2, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a raw material supply section 11, a crushing section 12, a defibrating section 13, a sorting section 14, a first web forming section 15, a fine dividing section 16, and a mixing section 17. The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 also includes a refining section 18, a second web forming section 19, a heating and pressurizing section 20, a cutting section 21, a discharge section 22, a downstream crushing section 29, a recovery section 27, a control section 28, and a casing 50.

[0016] The refining unit 18 and the second web forming unit 19 form a depositing unit 30. Of these units, all units except for the raw material supply unit 11 and the discharge unit 22 are housed in a casing 50 as shown in Fig. 2. The control unit 28 may be housed inside the casing 50 or may be installed outside.

[0017] 2, the casing 50 has an inlet 51A for introducing the raw material sheet M1 and an outlet 52B for discharging the sheet S. The raw material sheet M1 supplied from the raw material supply unit 11 is introduced into the casing 50 from the inlet 51A and is formed into a sheet S through a process described below. The formed sheet S is then discharged to the discharge unit 22 outside the casing 50 via the outlet 52B.

[0018] The raw material supply section 11, the crushing section 12, the defibrating section 13, the sorting section 14, the first web forming section 15, the dividing section 16 and the mixing section 17 are each electrically connected to the control section 28, which controls their operation. In addition, the disintegrating section 18, the second web forming section 19, the heating and pressurizing section 20, the cutting section 21, the discharge section 22, the downstream crushing section 29 and the recovery section 27 are each electrically connected to the control section 28, which controls their operation.

[0019] 1, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 includes humidifiers 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, and 236, and blowers 261, 262, and 263. The humidifiers 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, and 236 and the blowers 261, 262, and 263 are electrically connected to a control unit 28, and their operations are controlled by the control unit 28.

[0020] In addition, in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100, a raw material supplying process, a first crushing process, a defibrating process, a sorting process, a first web forming process, a cutting process, and a mixing process are performed in this order. In addition, in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100, following the mixing process, a loosening process, a second web forming process, a heating and pressurizing process, a cutting process, a second crushing process, and a discharging process are performed in this order. Note that the second crushing process and the discharging process may be performed simultaneously, or either one may be performed first. The configuration of each part will be described below.

[0021] 1 and 2, the raw material supplying section 11 is a section that performs a raw material supplying step of supplying a raw material sheet M1 to the crushing section 12. The raw material sheet M1 is a sheet-like material made of a fiber-containing material including cellulose fibers. The cellulose fibers may be any fiber-like material containing cellulose as a compound as the main component, and may contain hemicellulose and lignin in addition to cellulose.

[0022] The raw material sheet M1 may be in any form, such as woven fabric or nonwoven fabric. In this embodiment, the raw material sheet M1 is a rectangular piece of used or unnecessary waste paper, but it may also be recycled paper produced by disintegrating waste paper and regenerating it. Alternatively, the raw material sheet M1 may be synthetic paper such as Yupo paper (registered trademark), or it does not have to be recycled paper.

[0023] 2, the raw material supply unit 11 has a casing 110, a stock unit 111 housed in the casing 110, and a supply mechanism 113. The casing 110 is disposed outside the casing 50, i.e., on the +Y direction side of the casing 50. The casing 110 is fixed to a side wall on the +Y direction side of the casing 50. The casing 110 also has a discharge port 112 provided on a side wall on the -Y direction side of the casing 110, for discharging the raw material sheet M1.

[0024] The stock section 111 is a section for stacking and stocking the raw material sheet M1 in the Z-axis direction. The raw material sheet M1 stored in the stock section 111 is fed out of the stock section 111 one by one by a feed mechanism 113. The fed raw material sheet M1 is supplied to the inside of the casing 50, i.e., the coarse crushing section 12, via the discharge port 112 and the inlet port 51A.

[0025] The supply mechanism 113 transports the raw material sheet M1 from the stock unit 111 located upstream in the transport direction toward the coarse crushing unit 12 located downstream in the transport direction. In other words, the raw material supply unit 11 transports the raw material sheet M1 along the transport direction to supply the raw material sheet M1 to the coarse crushing unit 12. As shown in Fig. 3, the supply mechanism 113 has an upstream guide member 114, a downstream guide member 116, a supply roller 115, and a supply motor (not shown).

[0026] The upstream guide member 114 forms a transport path on the stock unit 111 side of the transport path along which the raw material sheet M1 is transported from the stock unit 111 to the coarse crushing unit 12. The transport path on the stock unit 111 side formed by the upstream guide member 114 extends in the Y-axis direction. That is, the transport direction of the raw material sheet M1 on the transport path on the stock unit 111 side is perpendicular to the X-axis direction.

[0027] The downstream guide member 116 is provided on the -Y direction side of the upstream guide member 114, downstream of the transport path formed by the upstream guide member 114. The downstream guide member 116 forms a transport path on the coarse crushing unit 12 side of the transport path along which the raw material sheet M1 is transported from the stock unit 111 toward the coarse crushing unit 12. The transport path on the coarse crushing unit 12 side formed by the downstream guide member 116 is curved when viewed from a direction along the X-axis direction, and the extension direction changes from the -Y direction to the -Z direction toward the coarse crushing unit 12. In addition, the transport direction of the raw material sheet M1 in the transport path on the coarse crushing unit 12 side is perpendicular to the X-axis direction.

[0028] The supply rollers 115 rotate with the raw material sheet M1 sandwiched between a pair of rotating rollers, thereby transporting the raw material sheet M1 downstream in the transport direction indicated by the arrow. The rotation of the supply rollers 115 is controlled by the control unit 28 controlling the drive of the supply motor.

[0029] The crushing unit 12 is a section that performs a first crushing step of crushing the raw material sheet M1 supplied from the raw material supply unit 11 in air, such as in the atmosphere. As shown in Figures 3 to 6, the crushing unit 12 has crushing blades 121 and 122, fixed blades 123 and 124, and a chute 129. The crushing unit 12 is a so-called shredder.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 3, the coarse crushing blades 121, 122 rotate around rotation axes A121, A122, respectively. The coarse crushing blades 121, 122 rotate in opposite directions (see arrows in Fig. 3). As a result, the coarse crushing blades 121, 122 rotate with the raw material sheet M1 conveyed from the raw material supply unit 11 sandwiched therebetween, thereby drawing in the raw material sheet M1 in the drawing-in direction (see the hollow arrow in Fig. 7). The coarse crushing blades 121, 122 then coarsely crush the raw material sheet M1 between them, i.e., cut it into coarsely crushed pieces M2.

[0031] 3 to 6, the chute 129 is disposed below the crushing blades 121, 122 and a crushing blade 291 of the downstream crushing section 29 described later, and has a funnel shape that opens upward. This allows the chute 129 to receive the crushed pieces M2 that are crushed by the crushing blades 121, 122 and drop, and the crushed pieces Ms that are crushed by the crushing blade 291 and drop.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1, a humidifier 231 is disposed above the chute 129 adjacent to the pair of coarse crushing blades 121, 122. The humidifier 231 humidifies the coarsely crushed pieces M2, Ms in the chute 129. The humidifier 231 is composed of a warm air evaporation type humidifier having a filter (not shown) that contains moisture. The humidifier 231 passes air through the filter, thereby supplying humidified air with increased humidity to the coarsely crushed pieces M2, Ms. Supplying the humidified air to the coarsely crushed pieces M2, Ms can prevent the coarsely crushed pieces M2, Ms from adhering to the chute 129, etc., due to static electricity.

[0033] The chute 129 is connected to the defibrating unit 13 via a pipe 241. The coarse crushed pieces M2, Ms collected in the chute 129 pass through the pipe 241 and are transported to the defibrating unit 13.

[0034] The defibrating unit 13 is a part that performs a defibrating process in which the coarsely crushed pieces M2, Ms are defibrated in the air, i.e., in a dry manner. The defibrating process in the defibrating unit 13 can generate a defibrated material M3 from the coarsely crushed pieces M2, Ms. Here, "defibrating" refers to untangling the coarsely crushed pieces M2, Ms, 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, i.e., in a state where it forms so-called "lumps."

[0035] In this embodiment, for example, the defibrating unit 13 is configured with an impeller mill having a rotary blade that rotates at high speed and a liner located on the outer periphery of the rotary blade. The coarse fragments M2, Ms that flow into the defibrating unit 13 are sandwiched between the rotary blade and the liner and defibrated.

[0036] Furthermore, the defibrating unit 13 can generate an air flow from the crushing unit 12 toward the sorting unit 14, i.e., an airflow, by the rotation of the rotary blades. This allows the coarsely crushed pieces M2, Ms to be sucked into the defibrating unit 13 from the pipe 241. Furthermore, after the defibrating process, the defibrated material M3 can be sent to the sorting unit 14 via the pipe 242.

[0037] A blower 261 is provided in the middle of the pipe 242. The blower 261 is an airflow generating device that generates an airflow toward the screening unit 14. This promotes the sending out of the defibrated material M3 to the screening unit 14.

[0038] The sorting unit 14 is a section that performs a sorting process in which the defibrated material M3 is sorted according to the length of the fibers. 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 that is larger than the first sorted material M4-1. The first sorted material M4-1 has a size suitable for the subsequent production of the sheet S. It is preferable that the average length is 1 μm or more and 30 μm or less. On the other hand, the second sorted material M4-2 includes, for example, insufficiently defibrated material and material in which defibrated fibers are excessively aggregated.

[0039] The sorting unit 14 has a drum unit 141 and a housing unit 142 that houses the drum unit 141.

[0040] 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 the 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.

[0041] The first sorted material M4-1 falls from the drum section 141. Meanwhile, the second sorted material M4-2 is sent out to a pipe 243 connected to the drum section 141. The pipe 243 is connected to the pipe 241 on the opposite side to the drum section 141, i.e., the upstream side. The second sorted material M4-2 that passes through the pipe 243 merges with the coarsely crushed pieces M2, Ms in the pipe 241 and flows into the defibrating section 13 together with the coarsely crushed pieces M2, Ms.

[0042] As a result, the second sorted material M4-2 is returned to the defibration section 13 and is defibrated together with the coarsely crushed pieces M2, Ms. In addition, the first sorted material M4-1 that has fallen from the drum section 141 falls while being dispersed in the air, and heads toward the first web forming section 15 located below the drum section 141.

[0043] The first web forming unit 15 is a unit in which a first web forming step is performed to form 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.

[0044] The mesh belt 151 is an endless belt on which the first selected material M4-1 is accumulated. The mesh belt 151 is stretched around three tension rollers 152. As the tension rollers 152 are rotated, the first selected material M4-1 on the mesh belt 151 is transported downstream.

[0045] 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.

[0046] 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 defibrating. Such dust or dirt is collected in the collection unit 27, which will be described later.

[0047] The suction unit 153 is a suction mechanism that sucks in air from below the mesh belt 151. This makes it possible to suck in the dust and dirt that has passed through the mesh belt 151 together with the air. The suction unit 153 is also 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.

[0048] A pipe 245 is further connected to the collection unit 27. A blower 262 is installed midway along 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. The first web M5 is one from which dust and dirt have been removed. By operating the blower 262, the dust and dirt pass through the pipe 244 and reach the collection unit 27.

[0049] The housing unit 142 is connected to the humidifier unit 232. The humidifier unit 232 is configured as an evaporative humidifier similar to the humidifier unit 231. This allows humidified air to be supplied into the housing unit 142. The first sorted item M4-1 can be humidified by this humidified air. This can also prevent the first sorted item M4-1 from adhering to the inner wall of the housing unit 142 due to electrostatic force.

[0050] The 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. 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.

[0051] 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.

[0052] The housing part 162 is connected to the humidifier part 233. The humidifier part 233 is configured with an evaporation type humidifier similar to the humidifier part 231. As a result, humidified air is supplied into the housing part 162. This humidified air can also suppress adhesion of the fragmented bodies M6 to the propeller 161 and the inner wall of the housing part 162 due to electrostatic force.

[0053] A mixing section 17 is disposed downstream of the subdivision section 16. The mixing section 17 is a section that performs a mixing process of mixing the fragmented bodies M6 and the resin P1. The mixing section 17 has a resin supply section 171, a pipe 172, and a blower 173. The pipe 172 connects the housing section 162 of the subdivision section 16 and the housing section 182 of the disintegration section 18. The pipe 172 is a flow path through which the mixture M7 of the fragmented bodies M6 and the resin P1 passes.

[0054] A resin supply unit 171 is connected to the middle of the pipe 172. The resin supply unit 171 has a screw feeder 174. The screw feeder 174 is driven to rotate, so that the resin P1 can be supplied as powder or particles to the pipe 172. The resin P1 supplied to the pipe 172 is mixed with the fragmented bodies M6 to become a mixture M7.

[0055] The resin P1 is used to bond the fibers together in a later step, and may be, for example, a thermoplastic resin, a curable resin, etc., but it is preferable to use a thermoplastic resin. For example, the thermoplastic resin may be AS resin, ABS resin, polyolefin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), modified polyolefin, etc.

[0056] Examples of thermoplastic resins include acrylic resins such as polymethyl methacrylate, polyesters such as polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polybutylene terephthalate, etc. Examples of thermoplastic resins include polyamides (nylons) such as nylon 6, nylon 46, nylon 66, nylon 610, nylon 612, nylon 11, nylon 12, nylon 6-12, and nylon 6-66.

[0057] Examples of the thermoplastic resin include polyphenylene ether, polyacetal, polyether, polyphenylene oxide, polyether ether ketone, polycarbonate, polyphenylene sulfide, thermoplastic polyimide, polyetherimide, and liquid crystal polymers such as aromatic polyester.

[0058] Examples of the thermoplastic resin include various thermoplastic elastomers such as styrene-based, polyolefin-based, polyvinyl chloride-based, polyurethane-based, polyester-based, polyamide-based, polybutadiene-based, trans-polyisoprene-based, fluororubber-based, and chlorinated polyethylene-based. The resin P1 may be one or a combination of two or more selected from the above-mentioned thermoplastic resins. It is preferable to use polyester or a material containing polyester as the resin P1.

[0059] In addition, the materials supplied from the resin supply unit 171 may include, for example, a colorant for coloring the fibers, an aggregation inhibitor for inhibiting aggregation of the fibers and aggregation of the resin P1, and the like, in addition to the resin P1. Also, for example, in addition to the resin P1, a flame retardant for making the fibers less flammable, a paper strength enhancer for enhancing the paper strength of the sheet S, and the like may be included. Alternatively, these may be incorporated in the resin P1 in advance to form a composite, and the composite may be supplied from the resin supply unit 171.

[0060] Further, a blower 173 is installed in the middle of the pipe 172 downstream of the resin supply unit 171. The fragmented bodies M6 and the resin P1 are mixed by the action of a rotating part such as a blade of the blower 173. The blower 173 can generate an airflow toward the refining unit 18. The airflow can agitate the fragmented bodies M6 and the resin P1 in the pipe 172. This allows the mixture M7 to flow into the refining unit 18 in a state in which the fragmented bodies M6 and the resin P1 are uniformly dispersed. Furthermore, the fragmented bodies M6 in the mixture M7 are refinished in the process of passing through the pipe 172, becoming finer fibrous.

[0061] The disentanglement unit 18 is a unit that performs a disentanglement step of disentangling entangled fibers in the mixture M7. The disentanglement unit 18 has a drum unit 181 and a housing unit 182 that houses the drum unit 181.

[0062] The drum section 181 is a sieve that is composed of a cylindrical mesh body and rotates around its central axis. The mixture M7 flows into the drum section 181. As the drum section 181 rotates, fibers and the like of the mixture M7 that are smaller than the mesh openings can pass through the drum section 181. At that time, the mixture M7 is loosened.

[0063] The housing part 182 is connected to the humidifier part 234. The humidifier part 234 is configured with an evaporation type humidifier similar to the humidifier part 231. As a result, humidified air is supplied into the housing part 182. The inside of the housing part 182 can be humidified by this humidified air. Therefore, it is also possible to suppress the mixture M7 from adhering to the inner wall of the housing part 182 due to electrostatic force.

[0064] Furthermore, the mixture M7 loosened by the drum section 181 falls while being dispersed in the air, and heads toward the second web forming section 19 located below the drum section 181. The second web forming section 19 is a section where a second web forming step is carried out to form a second web M8 from the mixture M7. The second web forming section 19 has a mesh belt 191, a tension roller 192, and a suction section 193.

[0065] The mesh belt 191 is an endless belt on which the mixture M7 is accumulated. The mesh belt 191 is wound around four tension rollers 192. The mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 is transported downstream by the rotation of the tension rollers 192.

[0066] Moreover, most of the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 has a size equal to or larger than the mesh openings of the mesh belt 191. This restricts the mixture M7 from passing through the mesh belt 191, and allows it to accumulate 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 formed as a layered second web M8. The second web M8 is an example of a deposit generated in the second web forming unit 19.

[0067] The suction unit 193 is a suction mechanism that sucks air from below the mesh belt 191. This makes it possible to suck the mixture M7 onto the mesh belt 191. This promotes the accumulation of the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191.

[0068] A pipe 246 is connected to the suction unit 193. A blower 263 is installed midway through the pipe 246. By operating the blower 263, the suction unit 193 can generate a suction force.

[0069] The refining unit 18 and second web forming unit 19 constitute the depositing unit 30 that deposits the defibrated material M3 produced in the defibrating unit 13.

[0070] The humidifying section 236 is disposed downstream of the refining 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. 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.

[0071] The total amount of moisture added from the humidifying section 231 to the humidifying section 236 is preferably, for example, 0.5 parts by mass to 20 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the material before humidification.

[0072] A heating and pressing unit 20 is disposed downstream of the second web forming unit 19. The heating and pressing unit 20 is a unit that performs a heating and pressing step of forming a sheet S from the second web M8 by heating and pressing the second web M8. The heating and pressing unit 20 has a pressing unit 201 and a heating unit 202.

[0073] The pressurizing unit 201 has a pair of calender rollers 203, and can pressurize the second web M8 between the calender rollers 203 without heating it. This increases the density of the second web M8. Note that the degree of pressure at this time is preferably, for example, such that the resin P1 is not melted. Then, the second web M8 is transported toward the heating unit 202. Note that one of the pair of calender rollers 203 is a driven roller driven by the operation of a motor (not shown), and the other is a driven roller.

[0074] The heating section 202 has a pair of heating rollers 204, and can apply pressure to the second web M8 while heating it between the heating rollers 204. By this heating and pressurization, the resin P1 melts in the second web M8, and the fibers are bonded to each other via the molten resin P1. This forms a sheet S. Then, this sheet S is transported toward the cutting section 21. Note that one of the pair of heating rollers 204 is a driven roller driven by the operation of a motor (not shown), and the other is a driven roller. Note that a heat press molding machine, a hot plate, a hot air blower, an infrared heater, a flash fixing device, etc. can be used as the heating section 202.

[0075] The cutting unit 21 is disposed downstream of the heating and pressurizing unit 20. The cutting unit 21 is a portion that performs a cutting step of cutting the sheet S. The cutting unit 21 has a first cutting unit 211 and a second cutting unit 212.

[0076] The first cutting section 211 cuts the sheet S in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the sheet S, particularly in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.

[0077] The second cutting section 212 is downstream of the first cutting section 211 and cuts the sheet S in a direction parallel to the conveying direction of the sheet S. This cutting is to remove unnecessary excess portions from both side ends in the width direction intersecting with the conveying direction of the sheet S, thereby adjusting the width of the sheet S. The excess portions cut and removed are so-called "selvages" and will be referred to as excess pieces Ss below.

[0078] The second cutting section 212 has a pair of cutting units 213 (see FIG. 3) that cut both side end portions in the width direction of the sheet S, i.e., the end portions in the +X direction and the -X direction. The pair of cutting units 213 are disposed at a predetermined distance apart in the X-axis direction.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 3, the cutting unit 213 has two rotary blades 215. The rotary blades 215 are arranged side by side along the Z-axis direction via the conveying path of the sheet S. The rotary blades 215 rotate around a rotation axis A215 along the X-axis direction. Each rotary blade 215 is disk-shaped and arranged with its thickness direction along the X-axis direction. The outer edge of the rotary blade 215 is a sharp cutting edge, and when the sheet S passes between the rotary blades 215, it can cut the sheet S along the Y-axis direction. This forms a selvedge, that is, a surplus piece Ss. The surplus piece Ss cut by the second cutting section 212 falls and is supplied to the downstream coarse crushing section 29 located below the second cutting section 212.

[0080] In this way, the cutting unit 21 has a first cutting unit 211 that cuts the sheet S in the X-axis direction, and a second cutting unit 212 that cuts the excess portion of the sheet S in the Y-axis direction. This makes it possible to adjust the length and width of the sheet S to the desired dimensions.

[0081] The downstream crushing section 29 is a section that performs a second crushing step of crushing the dropped surplus pieces Ss in air, such as the atmosphere.

[0082] The pair of crushing blades 291 each rotate around a rotation axis A291 along the X-axis direction. Each crushing blade 291 has a columnar or cylindrical shape extending in the X-axis direction. By rotating in opposite directions, each crushing blade 291 can crush the excess pieces Ss between them, that is, cut them into crushed pieces Ms. The shape and size of the crushed pieces Ms are preferably suitable for defibration processing in the defibration unit 13, and for example, are preferably small pieces with a side length of 100 mm or less, and more preferably small pieces with a side length of 10 mm or more and 70 mm or less.

[0083] The coarsely crushed pieces Ms generated by the downstream crushing unit 29 drop into the chute 129 and are supplied to the defibrating unit 13. This allows the surplus generated by size adjustment of the sheet S to be reused as raw material. In addition, the downstream crushing unit 29 is provided vertically above the chute 129. Therefore, the generated coarsely crushed pieces Ms naturally fall into the chute 129 and are supplied to the defibrating unit 13.

[0084] 2, the sheet S whose width and length have been adjusted to the desired dimensions by the cutting unit 21 is transported to the discharge unit 22 via the discharge port 52B of the casing 50. The discharge unit 22 is a part that executes the discharge process, and has a casing 220, a stock unit 221 provided within the casing 220, a transport mechanism 222, and a paper discharge tray 223 provided outside the casing 220, i.e., on the +Y direction side.

[0085] The casing 220 is installed on the +Y direction side of the casing 50 and on the +Z direction side of the casing 110 of the raw material supply unit 11. The casing 220 is fixed to the outer surface of the side wall on the +Y direction side of the casing 50. The casing 220 has an inlet 224 provided in the wall on the -Y direction side and an outlet 225 provided in the wall on the +Y direction side.

[0086] The sheet S cut by the cutting unit 21 is discharged from the discharge port 52B of the casing 50 and introduced into the casing 220 from the inlet 224. Then, the sheet S is transported by the transport mechanism 222 to either the stock unit 221 or the discharge tray 223. The discharge unit 22 has a switching unit (not shown) that switches whether the transport mechanism 222 transports the sheet S to the stock unit 221 or the discharge tray 223.

[0087] The transport mechanism 222 is composed of a plurality of rollers 226, and each roller 226 is disposed on a transport path toward the stock unit 221 and a transport path toward the paper discharge tray 223, respectively.

[0088] The discharge tray 223 is a plate-shaped member. The sheets S discharged onto the discharge tray 223 are stored in a stacked state.

[0089] Each of the components of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 described above is electrically connected to a control unit 28. The operation of each of these components is controlled by the control unit 28. As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 28 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 281 and a storage unit 282. The CPU 281 can perform, for example, various types of judgments and various types of commands. The storage unit 282 stores, for example, various programs such as a program for manufacturing a sheet S.

[0090] The control unit 28 may be built in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100, or may be provided in an external device such as an external computer. The external device and the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 may be connected by wire or wirelessly, or may be connected via a network such as the Internet.

[0091] Also, the CPU 281 and the storage unit 282 may be integrated together to form a single unit. Also, for example, the CPU 281 may be built into the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100, and the storage unit 282 may be provided in an external device such as an external computer. Also, for example, the storage unit 282 may be built into the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100, and the CPU 281 may be provided in an external device such as an external computer.

[0092] Next, the positional relationship of each part of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described. As shown in Fig. 2, each part of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 described above is housed in a casing 50. Note that Fig. 2 shows only the main parts of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100, and other parts are omitted. The casing 50 has a lower stage 50A located on the -Z direction side of a virtual line K along the Y-axis direction, and an upper stage 50B located on the +Z direction side of the virtual line K.

[0093] The lower tier 50A houses the crushing unit 12, downstream crushing unit 29, defibrating unit 13, sorting unit 14, and mixing unit 17. The defibrating unit 13, sorting unit 14, and mixing unit 17 are arranged in this order from the +Y direction side. The defibrating unit 13 is biased toward the +Y direction side, and the mixing unit 17 is biased toward the -Y direction side.

[0094] Furthermore, in the lower tier 50A, the crushing unit 12 and the downstream crushing unit 29 are installed on the +Z direction side of the defibrating unit 13. The crushing unit 12 and the downstream crushing unit 29 are arranged in this order from the +Y direction side.

[0095] The raw material supply unit 11 is installed at a position corresponding to the lower tier 50A on the outside of the casing 50. That is, the raw material supply unit 11 is installed on the +Y direction side of the crushing unit 12 and the defibrating unit 13 on the outside of the casing 50.

[0096] The upper stage 50B houses the deposition unit 30, the heating and pressurizing unit 20, and the cutting unit 21. The deposition unit 30, the heating and pressurizing unit 20, and the cutting unit 21 are arranged in this order from the -Y direction side. The cutting unit 21 is biased toward the +Y direction side, and the deposition unit 30 is biased toward the -Y direction side.

[0097] Further, the discharge unit 22 is disposed at a position corresponding to the upper stage 50B on the outside of the casing 50. That is, the discharge unit 22 is disposed on the outside of the casing 50 on the +Y direction side of the cutting unit 21.

[0098] In this manner, in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100, the raw material supply unit 11 and the discharge unit 22 are configured to be installed on one side in the Y-axis direction of the casing 50, i.e., on the +Y direction side. The raw material supply unit 11 is disposed vertically below the discharge unit 22, and the coarse crushing unit 12 is disposed vertically below the cutting unit 21.

[0099] In such a sheet manufacturing apparatus 100, the raw material sheet M1 supplied from the raw material supply unit 11 is first supplied to the lower section 50A of the casing 50. In the lower section 50A, the raw material sheet M1 passes through the coarse crushing section 12, the defibrating section 13, the screening section 14, and the mixing section 17 to become a mixture M7. The mixture M7 then moves to the upper section 50B of the casing 50, passes through the deposition section 30, the heating and pressurizing section 20, and the cutting section 21, and is discharged from the upper section 50B of the casing 50 as a sheet S.

[0100] Then, the sheet S discharged from the casing 50 is discharged by the discharge unit 22. That is, the raw sheet M1 is supplied from the +Y direction side of the lower tier 50A, moves to the upper tier 50B on the -Y direction side of the lower tier 50A, is folded back in the +Y direction, and is discharged from the upper tier 50B in the +Y direction as a sheet S. In other words, the raw sheet M1 becomes the sheet S by following a conveying path that has the lower tier 50A as an outward path and the upper tier 50B as a return path.

[0101] Next, the crushing blades 121, 122 and the fixed blades 123, 124 of the crushing section 12 will be described in detail. In Fig. 4, Fig. 5, Fig. 7 to Fig. 9, the raw material sheet M1 is shown by a two-dot chain line. In Fig. 7, for the sake of explanation, the shape of the raw material sheet M1 curved along the conveying path conveyed toward the crushing section 12 is shown as a shape along the AZ plane. In addition, the width direction La of the raw material sheet M1 when conveyed to the raw material supply section 11 is the direction in which the solid line indicated as "La" extends in Figs. 4, 5, 8, and 9.

[0102] The AB coordinate system shown on the XY plane in Figures 4 and 5 is an orthogonal coordinate system. The A-axis direction is a direction that intersects with the X-axis direction. The A-axis direction is a direction in which the rotation axes A121 and A122 of this embodiment extend. The B-axis direction is a direction that is perpendicular to the A-axis direction. In the following description, the direction in which the rotation axes A121 and A122 extend may be referred to as the A-axis direction.

[0103] When specifying the direction in the A-axis direction and the B-axis direction, the positive direction is "+" and the negative direction is "-", and the direction is expressed using both positive and negative signs, with the direction indicated by the arrow in each drawing being the + direction and the opposite direction of the arrow being the - direction. In this embodiment, the A-axis direction is inclined so that the +A direction side is located closer to the -Y direction than the -A direction side.

[0104] As shown in Fig. 3 to Fig. 6, the rotating shaft A121 and the rotating shaft A122 are arranged in parallel with a gap therebetween. A pair of shaft members with the rotating shafts A121 and A122 as their axes are rotatably provided in the crushing section 12. A plurality of crushing blades 121 are arranged with gaps along the A-axis direction on the shaft member with the rotating shaft A121 as its axis. A plurality of crushing blades 122 are arranged with gaps along the A-axis direction on the shaft member with the rotating shaft A122 as its axis. By rotating the pair of shaft members with the rotating shafts A121 and A122 as their axes, the plurality of crushing blades 121 and 122 rotate around the rotating shafts A121 and A122 as their rotation centers.

[0105] The crushing blades 121, 122 of this embodiment are so-called cross-cut type rotary blades. Therefore, a plurality of protruding blades 125 for cutting the raw material sheet M1 in the A-axis direction intersecting with the pull-in direction are provided at intervals on the outer periphery of each crushing blade 121, 122. The crushing blades 121, 122 are arranged such that the protruding blade 125 provided on one of the crushing blades 121, 122 fits between the other of the adjacent crushing blades 121, 122.

[0106] The fixed blades 123, 124 are arranged at intervals along the A-axis direction. Each of the multiple fixed blades 123 is arranged between adjacent crushing blades 121, and the fixed blades 123 and the crushing blades 121 are arranged alternately along the A-axis direction. The multiple fixed blades 123 are also arranged to face each other and the crushing blades 122 fixed to a shaft member whose axis is the rotation shaft A122.

[0107] The multiple fixed blades 124 are each disposed between adjacent crushing blades 122, and the fixed blades 124 and the crushing blades 122 are disposed alternately along the A-axis direction. In addition, the multiple fixed blades 124 are disposed so as to face each other with the crushing blades 121 fixed to a shaft member whose axis is the rotation shaft A121.

[0108] The multiple crushing blades 121, 122 rotate about the rotation axes A121, A122, and the crushing blades 121, 122 pull in the raw material sheet M1 transported from the raw material supply unit 11 in the pull-in direction. While pulling in the raw material sheet M1 in the pull-in direction, the alternately arranged crushing blades 121, 122 cooperate to cut the raw material sheet M1 in the pull-in direction. As a result, the raw material sheet M1 is cut into strips whose dimension in the direction perpendicular to the pull-in direction is the same as the thickness dimension Da of the crushing blades 121, 122.

[0109] Also, while cutting the raw material sheet M1 in a direction along the pull-in direction, the protruding blade 125 of the coarse crushing blade 122 opposed to the fixed blade 123 and the protruding blade 125 of the coarse crushing blade 121 opposed to the fixed blade 124 cooperate to cut the raw material sheet M1 in a direction intersecting the pull-in direction. As a result, the raw material sheet M1 is cut into coarsely crushed pieces M2 whose dimension in the direction perpendicular to the pull-in direction is the same as the thickness dimension Da of the coarse crushing blades 121, 122 and whose dimension in the pull-in direction is smaller than the dimension Lm (see FIG. 7) of the raw material sheet M1.

[0110] The shape and size of the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are preferably suitable for defibration processing in the defibration unit 13. The coarsely crushed pieces M2 are preferably small pieces with a side length of 100 mm or less, and more preferably small pieces with a length of 10 mm to 70 mm. In this embodiment, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 generated by crushing the raw material sheet M1 in the coarse crushing unit 12 are small pieces with a dimension of 3 mm in the direction perpendicular to the drawing direction and a dimension of 30 mm in the drawing direction, for example.

[0111] The cutting of the raw material sheet M1 in the direction intersecting with the pull-in direction is preferably performed in a state where both sides of the portion to be cut in the direction intersecting with the pull-in direction are sandwiched between the coarse crushing blades 121, 122. If both sides of the portion to be cut in the direction intersecting with the pull-in direction are not sandwiched between the coarse crushing blades 121, 122, there is a risk that the cutting of the raw material sheet M1 in the direction intersecting with the pull-in direction will not be performed normally.

[0112] 8 and 9, for example, the rotation axes A121 and A122 are arranged parallel to the width direction La of the raw material sheet M1 when it is transported to the raw material supplying section 11. The width direction La of the raw material sheet M1 when it is transported to the raw material supplying section 11 is perpendicular to the transport direction of the raw material sheet M1 when it is transported to the raw material supplying section 11. In this case, when the raw material sheet M1 is cut, the pulling direction of the raw material sheet M1 due to the rotation of the crushing blades 121 and 122 becomes the same as the transport direction of the raw material sheet M1 when it is transported by the raw material supplying section 11.

[0113] In this case, the portion including both ends in the width direction of the raw material sheet M1 transported between the crushing blades 121, 122 is cut without the outer end in the width direction being sandwiched between the crushing blades 121, 122, as shown in Fig. 9. As a result, the portion including either end in the width direction of the raw material sheet M1 is not properly cut in the direction intersecting the pull-in direction, and there is a risk that the cut piece will be long in the pull-in direction.

[0114] In addition, there is a risk that this long cut piece will get caught on the coarse crushing blades 121, 122 or the fixed blades 123, 124. In addition, if other cut coarsely crushed pieces M2 remain on this long cut piece caught on the coarse crushing blades 121, 122, the fixed blades 123, 124, etc., there is a risk that the path of the coarsely crushed pieces M2 heading toward the chute 129 will be clogged.

[0115] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7, the rotation axes A121, A122 are provided between the crushing blades 121, 122 so that the raw material sheet M1 enters while being inclined with respect to the rotation axes A121, A122. This reduces the frequency with which the raw material sheet M1 is not properly cut in the direction intersecting the pull-in direction in a portion including either of both ends in the width direction of the raw material sheet M1. This reduces the frequency with which long cut pieces long in the pull-in direction are generated in a portion including either of both ends in the width direction of the raw material sheet M1.

[0116] This reduces the frequency with which the long cut pieces get caught on the coarse crushing blades 121, 122 or the fixed blades 123, 124. This reduces the frequency with which the path of the coarse crushed pieces M2 heading toward the chute 129 gets clogged due to other cut coarse crushed pieces M2 staying on the long cut pieces caught on the coarse crushing blades 121, 122, the fixed blades 123, 124, etc.

[0117] In this case, the edge of the leading edge of the raw material sheet M1 and the rotation axes A121, A122 form an acute angle θs. The angle θs is set so that the offset dimension Ds between the leading edge and trailing edge of the raw material sheet M1 in the A-axis direction is larger than the thickness dimension Da of the crushing blades 121, 122. As a result, a portion including either end of the raw material sheet M1 in the width direction is cut into crushed pieces M2 smaller than the dimension Lm of the raw material sheet M1.

[0118] Specifically, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, the rotation axes A121 and A122 along the XY plane are inclined with respect to the X axis. Therefore, in the conveying direction, the distance from the end roller of the supply roller 115 in the +X direction to the space between the crushing blades 121 and 122 is different from the distance from the end roller of the supply roller 115 in the -X direction to the space between the crushing blades 121 and 122. The X axis direction is a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the raw material sheet M1 when conveyed by the raw material supply unit 11. The X axis direction is an example of the width direction La of the raw material sheet M1 when conveyed by the raw material supply unit 11.

[0119] As a result, the timing at which the leading edge in the +X direction of the raw material sheet M1 transported to the raw material supplying section 11 enters between the coarse crushing blades 121, 122 differs from the timing at which the leading edge in the -X direction enters between the coarse crushing blades 121, 122. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7, the leading edge in the -X direction (see Fig. 4) of the raw material sheet M1 transported to the raw material supplying section 11 enters between the coarse crushing blades 121, 122 before the leading edge in the +X direction (see Fig. 4).

[0120] This allows the raw material sheet M1 to enter between the above-mentioned coarse crushing blades 121, 122 in an inclined position. In this embodiment, the rotation axes A121, A122 are aligned along the XY plane, so that the direction in which the raw material sheet M1 is pulled in by the coarse crushing blades 121, 122 is vertically downward. This makes it difficult for the cut pieces including the coarsely crushed pieces M2 to remain on the coarse crushing blades 121, 122, the fixed blades 123, 124, etc.

[0121] The angle θa between the X-axis and the rotation axes A121, A122 is desirably set within a range in which the raw material sheet M1 can be pulled in by the rotation of the crushing blades 121, 122. For example, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the rotation axes A121, A122 along the XY plane are inclined with respect to the X-axis. In this case, a difference occurs between the distance in the Y-axis direction from the end of the tip of the raw material sheet M1 in the +X direction to the rotation axis A122 and the distance from the end of the tip of the raw material sheet M1 in the -X direction to the rotation axis A122.

[0122] In this case, for example, the angle θa is set so that this difference is smaller than the radius of the crushing blades 121, 122. In this embodiment, the angle θa is set to 3 degrees, taking into consideration the dimension Lm of the raw material sheet M1, the conveying accuracy of the supply mechanism 113, the dimensional variation of each member of the crushing section 12, and the like.

[0123] As described above, according to the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0124] The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a raw material supplying unit 11 that supplies a raw material sheet M1 containing fibers to a crushing unit 12 by conveying the raw material sheet M1 along a conveying direction. The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 also includes a crushing unit 12 having crushing blades 121, 122 that rotate around rotation axes A121, A122, and that crushes the raw material sheet M1 supplied from the raw material supplying unit 11. The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 also includes a defibrating unit 13 that defibrates the coarsely crushed pieces M2 generated in the crushing unit 12. The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 also includes a depositing unit 30 that deposits the defibrated material M3 generated in the defibrating unit 13. The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 also includes a heating and pressurizing unit 20 that heats and pressurizes the second web M8 generated in the depositing unit 30 to form the second web M8 into a sheet S. The rotation axes A121 and A122 are inclined with respect to the width direction La of the raw material sheet M1 when it is transported to the raw material supply unit 11, which is perpendicular to the transport direction.

[0125] This reduces the frequency with which the raw material sheet M1 is not cut normally in a portion including either of both ends in the width direction of the raw material sheet M1. This reduces the frequency with which long cut pieces that are long in the pull-in direction are generated in a portion including either of both ends in the width direction of the raw material sheet M1. This reduces the frequency with which these long cut pieces are caught by the crushing blades 121, 122, etc. This reduces the frequency with which the path of the crushed pieces M2 heading toward the chute 129 is clogged due to other cut coarse pieces M2 remaining on these long cut pieces caught by the crushing blades 121, 122 and the fixed blades 123, 124 ... allows coarsely crushed pieces M2 suitable for defibration processing to be supplied to the defibration section 13, allowing the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 to manufacture sheets S with stable quality.

[0126] When the gravity direction is set as the Z axis, and the X axis and the Y axis are set as mutually perpendicular axes that are perpendicular to the Z axis, the width direction La of the raw material sheet M1 when transported by the raw material supply unit 11 is along the X axis. The rotation axes A121 and A122 are along an XY plane that includes the X axis and the Y axis, and are inclined with respect to the X axis. This makes it possible to realize a sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 that can satisfactorily generate coarsely crushed pieces M2 in the coarse crushing unit 12, without complicating the transport form of the raw material sheet M1 from the raw material supply unit 11 toward the coarse crushing unit 12 and the configuration of the coarse crushing unit 12.

[0127] 2. Embodiment 2 As shown in Fig. 10, in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment, the direction in which the rotation axes A121, A122 in the crushing section 12 extend is different from that of the rotation axes A121, A122 in the first embodiment. In Fig. 10, the raw material sheet M1 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. For the sake of explanation, Fig. 10 illustrates the shape of the raw material sheet M1 curved along the conveying path conveyed toward the crushing section 12 as it is conveyed along the XZ plane. The width direction La of the raw material sheet M1 when conveyed to the raw material supplying section 11 is the direction in which the solid line indicated as "La" in Fig. 10 extends.

[0128] Other configurations of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment are the same as those of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, including the raw material supply unit 11. Therefore, also in the second embodiment, the width direction La of the raw material sheet M1 when transported by the raw material supply unit 11 is perpendicular to the transport direction of the raw material sheet M1 when transported by the raw material supply unit 11 and is along the X-axis. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same numbers, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0129] In this embodiment, the rotation axes A121 and A122 are inclined with respect to the X-axis along the XZ plane. This reduces the frequency with which the raw material sheet M1 is not properly cut in the direction intersecting the pull-in direction (see the white arrow in FIG. 10) in a portion including either of both ends in the width direction of the raw material sheet M1. This reduces the frequency with which a long cut piece that is long in the pull-in direction is generated in a portion including either of both ends in the width direction of the raw material sheet M1.

[0130] This reduces the frequency with which the long cut pieces get caught on the coarse crushing blades 121, 122 or the fixed blades 123, 124. This reduces the frequency with which the path of the coarse crushed pieces M2 heading toward the chute 129 gets clogged due to other cut coarse crushed pieces M2 staying on the long cut pieces caught on the coarse crushing blades 121, 122, the fixed blades 123, 124, etc.

[0131] In this case, the edge of the leading edge of the raw material sheet M1 and the rotation axes A121, A122 form an acute angle θs. The angle θs is set so that the offset dimension Ds between the leading edge and trailing edge of the raw material sheet M1 in the direction in which the rotation axes A121, A122 extend is greater than the thickness dimension Da of the crushing blades 121, 122. As a result, a portion including either of both ends in the width direction of the raw material sheet M1 is cut into crushed pieces M2 smaller than the dimension Lm of the raw material sheet M1.

[0132] As described above, according to the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0133] When the gravity direction is set as the Z axis, and the X axis and the Y axis are set as mutually perpendicular axes that are perpendicular to the Z axis, the width direction La of the raw material sheet M1 when transported by the raw material supply unit 11 is along the X axis. The rotation axes A121 and A122 are inclined relative to the X axis along an XZ plane that includes the X axis and the Z axis. This makes it possible to realize a sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 that can satisfactorily generate coarsely crushed pieces M2 in the coarse crushing unit 12, without complicating the transport form of the raw material sheet M1 from the raw material supply unit 11 toward the coarse crushing unit 12 and the configuration of the coarse crushing unit 12.

[0134] The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the above embodiment of the present disclosure is basically configured as described above, but it is of course possible to modify or omit a part of the configuration without departing from the gist of the present disclosure. In addition, the above embodiment and other embodiments described below can be combined with each other to the extent that they are not technically inconsistent. Other embodiments will be described below.

[0135] In the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the rotation axes A121, A122 of the crushing unit 12 do not have to be inclined in a direction in which the +A side of the rotation axes A121, A122 is located in the -Y direction from the -A side. For example, the rotation axes A121, A122 may be inclined in a direction in which the +A side of the rotation axes A121, A122 is located in the +Y direction from the -A side.

[0136] In the above-mentioned second embodiment, the rotation axes A121, A122 of the crushing unit 12 do not have to be inclined in a direction in which the +X side of the rotation axes A121, A122 is located in the -Z direction from the -X side. For example, the rotation axes A121, A122 may be inclined in a direction in which the +X side of the rotation axes A121, A122 is located in the +Z direction from the -X side.

[0137] In the above embodiment, the rotation axes A121 and A122 do not have to be aligned along either the XY plane or the XZ plane as long as they are inclined with respect to the width direction La of the raw material sheet M1 when it is transported by the raw material supply unit 11. For example, in this case, the rotation axes A121 and A122 may be inclined with respect to the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis.

[0138] In the above embodiment, the shaft member having the rotation shaft A121 as its axis and the multiple crushing blades 121 may be integrally configured. In this case, the crushing blade 121 has a shaft portion having the rotation shaft A121 as its axis. Also, in this case, the crushing blade 121 is provided in the crushing unit 12 so as to be rotatable around the rotation shaft A121. Also, the shaft member having the rotation shaft A122 as its axis and the multiple crushing blades 122 may be integrally configured. In this case, the crushing blade 122 has a shaft portion having the rotation shaft A122 as its axis. Also, in this case, the crushing blade 122 is provided in the crushing unit 12 so as to be rotatable around the rotation shaft A122. [Explanation of symbols]

[0139] Reference Signs List 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...loosening section, 19...second web forming section, 20...heating and pressurizing section, 21...cutting section, 22...discharge section, 27...recovery section, 28...control section, 29...downstream crushing section, 30...accumulation section, 50...casing, 50A...lower section, 50B...upper section, 51A...inlet, 52B...outlet, 100...sheet manufacturing apparatus, 110...casing, 111...stock section, 112...outlet, 113...supply mechanism , 114...upstream guide member, 115...supply roller, 116...downstream guide member, 121, 122...crushing blade, 123, 124...fixed blade, 125...thrust blade, 129...chute, 141...drum portion, 142...housing portion, 151...mesh belt, 152...tension roller, 153...suction portion, 161...propeller, 162...housing portion, 171...resin supply portion, 172...pipe, 173...blower, 174...screw feeder, 181...drum portion, 182...housing portion, 191...mesh Belt, 192... tension roller, 193... suction section, 201... pressure section, 202... heating section, 203... calendar roller, 204... heating roller, 211... first cutting section, 212... second cutting section, 213... cutting unit, 215... rotary blade, 220... casing, 221... stock section, 222... conveying mechanism, 223... paper discharge tray, 224... inlet, 225... outlet, 226... roller, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236... humidification section, 241, 242, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 248, 249, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, 257, 258, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 264, 265, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279, 280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288, 289, 290, 291, 292, 293, 294, 295, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 6...pipe, 261, 262, 263...blower, 281...CPU, 282...memory unit, 291...crushing blade, A121, A122...rotating shaft, A215...rotating shaft, A291...rotating shaft, Da...thickness dimension, Ds...shift dimension, La...width direction, Lm...dimension, M1...raw material sheet, M2, Ms...coarsely crushed pieces, M3...defibrated material, M4-1...first sorted material, M4-2...second sorted material, M5...first web, M6...fine body, M7...mixture, M8...second web, P1...resin, S...sheet, Ss...surplus pieces, θa...angle, θs...angle.

Claims

1. a raw material supply section that supplies a raw material sheet containing fibers to the crushing section by conveying the raw material sheet along a conveying direction; The crushing unit has a crushing blade that rotates around a rotation axis and crushes the raw material sheet supplied from the raw material supply unit; A defibration unit that defibrates the coarsely crushed pieces generated in the crushing unit; a depositing unit that deposits the defibrated material produced in the defibrator unit; a heating and pressurizing unit that heats and pressurizes the deposit generated in the depositing unit to form the deposit into a sheet; Equipped with The rotation axis is inclined with respect to a width direction of the raw material sheet when the raw material sheet is conveyed by the raw material supply unit, the width direction being perpendicular to the conveying direction. Sheet manufacturing equipment.

2. When the gravity direction is set as the Z axis, and the X and Y axes are set as axes perpendicular to the Z axis and perpendicular to each other, The width direction of the raw material sheet when being conveyed by the raw material supply unit is aligned along the X-axis, The rotation axis is along an XY plane including the X-axis and the Y-axis and is inclined with respect to the X-axis. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. When the gravity direction is set as the Z axis, and the X and Y axes are set as axes perpendicular to the Z axis and perpendicular to each other, The width direction of the raw material sheet when being conveyed by the raw material supply unit is aligned along the X-axis, The rotation axis is along an X-Z plane including the X-axis and the Z-axis and is inclined with respect to the X-axis. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 .

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