Miniaturization device

Abstract

To provide a miniaturization device capable of performing smooth and favorable miniaturization processing.SOLUTION: A miniaturization device comprises: a casing that has an inlet and an outlet for raw materials; a first rotor unit that is housed on the inlet side within the casing, has a first blade and rotates about a first rotation shaft; a second rotor unit that is housed on the outlet side within the casing, has a second blade and rotates about a second rotation shaft independently of the first rotor unit; and a drive unit that rotationally drives the first rotor unit and the second rotor unit, respectively.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] There is known a sheet manufacturing apparatus that includes a crushing section that crushes waste paper roughly, a defibrating section that defibrates the coarsely crushed pieces obtained in the crushing section, a depositing section that deposits the defibrated material obtained in the defibrating section on a flat surface, a heating and pressurizing section that heats and pressurizes the deposited web, a cutting section that cuts the sheet obtained in the heating and pressurizing section into a predetermined shape, and a sheet collecting section that collects the obtained sheet.

[0003] The defibrating section can be, for example, a turbo-type pulverizer as described in Patent Document 1. The turbo-type pulverizer of Patent Document 1 has a casing with a raw material inlet and a pulverized product outlet, a liner attached to the inner surface of the casing, and a rotor that rotates within the casing. Raw material introduced into the casing through the raw material inlet is pulverized as it passes between the rotating rotor and the liner, and the resulting pulverized material is discharged from the pulverized product outlet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-276916 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the turbo mill described in Patent Document 1, the gap between the rotor and the liner is relatively narrow, and depending on conditions such as the size and amount of raw material, the raw material may not smoothly enter between the rotor and the liner and may become stuck in front of the rotor. If this sticking occurs, the raw material cannot be smoothly and satisfactorily ground, and depending on the degree of material stagnation, it may be necessary to stop the device and interrupt the grinding. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The micronization device of the present invention comprises: a casing having a raw material inlet and outlet; a first rotor unit that is housed in the casing on the side of the inlet, has a first blade, and rotates around a first rotation axis; a second rotor unit that is housed in the casing on the side of the outlet, has second blades, and rotates about a second rotation axis independently of the first rotor unit; and a drive unit that drives the first rotor unit and the second rotor unit to rotate. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a sheet manufacturing apparatus including a micronization device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the micro-fining apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a graph showing the rotation speeds of the first rotor section and the second rotor section. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the micropatterning device according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The micropatterning apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0009] First Embodiment Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a sheet manufacturing apparatus equipped with a micronization device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the micronization device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 2, showing a transverse cross-sectional view of the first rotor unit. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Fig. 2, showing a transverse cross-sectional view of the second rotor unit. Fig. 5 is a graph showing the rotation speeds of the first rotor unit and the second rotor unit.

[0010] In the following, the upper side of FIG. 1 may be referred to as "top" or "upper," and the lower side as "lower" or "belower." Furthermore, the left side of FIGS. 2 and 6 may be referred to as "left," and the right side as "right." Furthermore, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram, and the relative positions, orientations, sizes, etc. of the various components of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 are not limited to those shown. Furthermore, in FIG. 1, the directions in which the coarse fragments M2, defibrated material M3, first sorted material M4-1, second sorted material M4-2, first web M5, finely divided material M6, mixture M7, second web M8, and recycled paper S are transported, i.e., the directions indicated by the arrows, are also referred to as the transport direction. Furthermore, the tip end of the arrow in FIG. 1 is also referred to as the "downstream side" in the transport direction, and the base end of the arrow in FIG. 1 is also referred to as the "upstream side" in the transport direction.

[0011] The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a sheet manufacturing apparatus that produces recycled paper S in sheet form from raw material M1, which is waste paper such as used copy paper.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a raw material supply section 11, a coarse crushing section 12, a micronizing device 13 of the present invention, a sorting section 14, a first web forming section 15, a fine dividing section 16, a mixing section 17, a dispersion section 18, a second web forming section 19, a molding section 20, a cutting section 21, a storage section 22, and a recovery section 27.

[0013] The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 also includes a humidifying section 231, a humidifying section 232, a humidifying section 233, a humidifying section 234, a humidifying section 235, and a humidifying section 236. In addition, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 also includes a blower 261, a blower 262, and a blower 263.

[0014] In addition, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 carries out a raw material supply process, a coarse crushing process, a defibrating process, a sorting process, a first web forming process, a dividing process, a mixing process, a discharging process, a stacking process, a sheet forming process, and a cutting process in this order.

[0015] The configuration of each part will be explained below. The raw material supply unit 11 is a part that performs a raw material supply step of supplying raw material M1 to the crushing unit 12. This raw material M1 is a sheet-like material made of a fiber-containing substance containing cellulose fibers. Note that cellulose fibers are any fibrous fibers whose main component is cellulose (cellulose in the narrow sense) as a compound, and may contain hemicellulose and lignin in addition to cellulose (cellulose in the narrow sense). Furthermore, the raw material M1 may be in any form, such as woven fabric or nonwoven fabric. Furthermore, the raw material M1 may be, for example, recycled paper made by disintegrating waste paper and regenerating it, or synthetic paper such as Yupo paper (registered trademark), or it does not have to be recycled paper.

[0016] The crushing unit 12 is a part that performs a crushing step in which the raw material M1 supplied from the raw material supply unit 11 is crushed in air such as the atmosphere. The crushing unit 12 has a pair of crushing blades 121 and a chute 122.

[0017] The pair of crushing blades 121 rotate in opposite directions to each other, thereby crushing the raw material M1 between them, i.e., cutting it into crushed pieces M2. The shape and size of the crushed pieces M2 are preferably suitable for defibration processing in the pulverizer 13. Examples of the shape of the crushed pieces M2 include small pieces with a square planar shape, rectangular pieces, and particularly small pieces with a strip shape. The size of the crushed pieces M2 is preferably small pieces with an average side length of 100 mm or less, and more preferably small pieces with an average side length of 3 mm or more and 70 mm or less. The shape of the small pieces may be other than square or rectangular. The thickness is preferably 0.07 mm or more and 0.10 mm or less.

[0018] The chute 122 is disposed below the pair of crushing blades 121 and is, for example, funnel-shaped, so that the chute 122 can receive the coarsely crushed pieces M2 that have been crushed by the crushing blades 121 and dropped.

[0019] Moreover, above the chute 122, a humidifying section 231 is disposed adjacent to the pair of coarse crushing blades 121. The humidifying section 231 humidifies the coarsely crushed pieces M2 inside the chute 122. This humidifying section 231 is configured as an evaporation type (or warm air evaporation type) humidifier that has a moisture-containing filter (not shown) and supplies humidified air with increased humidity to the coarsely crushed pieces M2 by passing air through the filter. By supplying humidified air to the coarsely crushed pieces M2, it is possible to prevent the coarsely crushed pieces M2 from adhering to the chute 122, etc. due to electrostatic force.

[0020] The chute 122 is connected to the upstream side of the micronization device 13 via a pipe 241. That is, the downstream end of the pipe 241 is connected to the inlet 31 of the micronization device 13. The coarsely crushed pieces M2 collected in the chute 122 pass through the pipe 241 and are transported to the micronization device 13.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the pulverization device 13 is a part that performs a defibration step in which the coarse fragments M2 are defibrated in the air, i.e., in a dry manner. By the defibration process in this pulverization device 13, it is possible to generate defibrated material M3 from the coarse fragments M2. Here, "defibration" refers to untangling the coarse fragments M2, which are made up of multiple fibers bonded together, into individual fibers. This untangled material becomes the defibrated material M3. The shape of the defibrated material M3 is linear or strip-like. Furthermore, the defibrated material M3 may exist in a state where it is entangled with other pieces and forms a mass, that is, in a state where it forms so-called "lumps."

[0022] Furthermore, the pulverizing device 13 can generate an air flow from the crushing section 12 toward the sorting section 14, that is, an airflow, by rotation of the rotor 5 described below. This allows the coarsely crushed pieces M2 to be introduced from the pipe 241 to the upstream side of the pulverizing device 13, and after defibration processing, the defibrated material M3 can be sent to the sorting section 14 via the pipe 242.

[0023] A pipe 242 is connected to the downstream side of the micronization device 13. A blower 261, which is composed of, for example, a turbo fan, is installed midway through the pipe 242. The blower 261 is an airflow generating device that generates an airflow toward the sorting section 14. This promotes the introduction of the coarse fragments M2 into the micronization device 13 and the delivery of the defibrated material M3 to the sorting section 14. As will be described later, the micronization device 13 is structurally designed to smoothly pass through and defibrate the coarse fragments M2, which are the raw material, and operation of the blower 261 installed downstream of the micronization device 13 promotes the passage of the coarse fragments M2 within the micronization device 13 and the defibration process. The blower 261 may also be installed upstream of the micronization device 13.

[0024] The sorting unit 14 is a section that carries out a sorting process in which the defibrated material M3 is sorted according to fiber length. In the sorting unit 14, the defibrated material M3 is sorted into a first sorted material M4-1 and a second sorted material M4-2 having a fiber length longer than that of the first sorted material M4-1. The first sorted material M4-1 has a size suitable for the subsequent production of recycled paper S, and its average fiber length is as described above. On the other hand, the second sorted material M4-2 includes, for example, material that is insufficiently defibrated or material in which defibrated fibers have excessively aggregated together.

[0025] The sorting unit 14 has a drum unit 141 and a housing unit 142 that houses the drum unit 141.

[0026] The drum part 141 is a sieve made up of a cylindrical mesh body that rotates around its central axis. The defibrated material M3 flows into this drum part 141. As the drum part 141 rotates, defibrated material M3 that is smaller than the mesh openings is sorted as first sorted material M4-1, and defibrated material M3 that is larger than the mesh openings is sorted as second sorted material M4-2.

[0027] The first sorted item M4-1 falls from the drum section 141. Meanwhile, the second sorted material M4-2 is sent to a pipe 243 connected to the drum section 141. The end of the pipe 243 opposite the drum section 141, i.e., the downstream end, is connected to the middle of the pipe 241. The second sorted material M4-2 that has passed through this pipe 243 merges with the coarsely crushed fragments M2 in the pipe 241 and flows into the refinement device 13 together with the coarsely crushed fragments M2. As a result, the second sorted material M4-2 is returned to the refinement device 13 and is defibrated together with the coarsely crushed fragments M2.

[0028] The first sorted material M4-1 that has fallen from the drum unit 141 disperses in the air as it falls, heading toward the first web forming unit 15 located below the drum unit 141. The first web forming unit 15 is a unit that carries out the first web forming step of forming the first web M5 from the first sorted material M4-1. The first web forming unit 15 has a mesh belt 151, three tension rollers 152, and a suction unit 153.

[0029] The mesh belt 151 is an endless belt on which the first sorted material M4-1 accumulates. The mesh belt 151 is looped around three tension rollers 152. As the tension rollers 152 rotate, the first sorted material M4-1 on the mesh belt 151 is transported downstream.

[0030] The size of the first sorted material M4-1 is equal to or larger than the mesh openings of the mesh belt 151. This restricts the first sorted material M4-1 from passing through the mesh belt 151, and therefore the first sorted material M4-1 can be accumulated on the mesh belt 151. Furthermore, the first sorted material M4-1 is transported downstream together with the mesh belt 151 while being accumulated on the mesh belt 151, and is therefore formed as a layered first web M5.

[0031] Furthermore, the first sorted material M4-1 may contain, for example, dust and dirt. Dust and dirt may be generated, for example, by crushing or defibrating. Such dust and dirt will be collected in the collection unit 27, which will be described later.

[0032] The suction unit 153 is a suction mechanism that sucks air from below the mesh belt 151. This allows dust and dirt that has passed through the mesh belt 151 to be sucked in together with the air.

[0033] Furthermore, suction unit 153 is connected to collection unit 27 via pipe 244. Dust and dirt sucked by suction unit 153 are collected in collection unit 27.

[0034] 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. Dust and dirt are removed from this first web M5. By operating the blower 262, the dust and dirt pass through the pipe 244 and reach the collection unit 27.

[0035] The housing 142 is connected to the humidifying section 232. The humidifying section 232 is configured as an evaporative humidifier. This allows humidified air to be supplied into the housing 142. This humidified air can humidify the first sorted items M4-1, thereby preventing the first sorted items M4-1 from adhering to the inner wall of the housing 142 due to electrostatic force.

[0036] A humidifying unit 235 is disposed downstream of the sorting unit 14. The humidifying unit 235 is configured with an ultrasonic humidifier that sprays water. This allows moisture to be supplied to the first web M5, thereby adjusting the moisture content of the first web M5. 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.

[0037] The dividing unit 16 is disposed downstream of the humidifying unit 235. The dividing unit 16 is a section that performs a dividing step of dividing the first web M5 peeled off from the mesh belt 151. The dividing unit 16 has a rotatably supported propeller 161 and a housing unit 162 that houses the propeller 161. The rotating propeller 161 can divide the first web M5. The divided first web M5 becomes divided bodies M6. The divided bodies M6 descend within the housing unit 162.

[0038] The housing 162 is connected to the humidifier 233. The humidifier 233 is configured as an evaporative humidifier. This allows humidified air to be supplied into the housing 162. This humidified air can also prevent the fragmented bodies M6 from adhering to the propeller 161 or the inner wall of the housing 162 due to electrostatic force.

[0039] A mixing section 17 is disposed downstream of the dividing section 16. The mixing section 17 is a section where a mixing step of mixing the divided bodies M6 with an additive is performed. The mixing section 17 has an additive supply section 171, a pipe 172, and a blower 173.

[0040] The pipe 172 connects the housing 162 of the subdivision section 16 and the housing 182 of the dispersion section 18, and is a flow path through which the mixture M7 of the subdivision bodies M6 and the additive passes.

[0041] An additive supply unit 171 is connected to the middle of the pipe 172. The additive supply unit 171 has a housing unit 170 in which an additive is accommodated, and a screw feeder 174 provided in the housing unit 170. By the rotation of the screw feeder 174, the additive in the housing unit 170 is pushed out of the housing unit 170 and supplied into the pipe 172. The additive supplied into the pipe 172 is mixed with the pulverized body M6 to form a mixture M7.

[0042] Here, examples of additives supplied from the additive supply unit 171 include binders that bind fibers together, colorants that color fibers, aggregation inhibitors that inhibit fiber aggregation, flame retardants that make fibers less flammable, paper strength agents that increase the strength of the recycled paper S, defibrated materials, etc., and one or more of these can be used in combination. Below, as an example, a case where the additive is binder P1 will be described. By including a binder that binds fibers together in the additive, the strength of the recycled paper S can be increased.

[0043] Examples of the binder P1 include naturally occurring ingredients such as starch, dextrin, glycogen, amylose, hyaluronic acid, kudzu, konjac, potato starch, etherified starch, esterified starch, natural gum glue, fiber-derived glue, seaweed, and animal protein, as well as polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylic acid, and polyacrylamide. One or more selected from these can be used in combination, but naturally occurring ingredients are preferred, and starch is more preferred. Also usable are thermoplastic resins such as various polyolefins, acrylic resins, polyvinyl chloride, polyesters, and polyamides, as well as various thermoplastic elastomers.

[0044] In addition to the binder P1, the additives supplied from the additive 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 binder P1, a flame retardant for making the fibers etc. less flammable, a paper strength enhancer for increasing the paper strength of the recycled paper S, etc. Alternatively, these may be preliminarily incorporated into the binder P1 to form a composite, which is then supplied from the additive supply unit 171.

[0045] A blower 173 is installed in the pipe 172 downstream of the additive supply unit 171. The action of a rotating part such as a blade of the blower 173 promotes mixing of the fragmented bodies M6 and the binder P1. The blower 173 can also generate an airflow directed toward the dispersion unit 18. This airflow can agitate the fragmented bodies M6 and the binder P1 within the pipe 172. As a result, the mixture M7 is transported to the dispersion unit 18 in a state in which the fragmented bodies M6 and the binder P1 are uniformly dispersed. The fragmented bodies M6 in the mixture M7 are also loosened as they pass through the pipe 172, becoming finer fibers.

[0046] The blower 173 is electrically connected to the control device 28, and its operation is controlled by the control device 28. The amount of air sent into the drum 181 can be adjusted by adjusting the airflow rate of the blower 173.

[0047] Although not shown, the end of pipe 172 on the drum 181 side is branched into two, and the branched ends are each connected to an inlet port (not shown) formed on the end face of drum 181.

[0048] 1 is a section that performs a discharging step of loosening and discharging entangled fibers in the mixture M7. The dispersing section 18 has a drum 181 that introduces and discharges the defibrated mixture M7, and a housing 182 that houses the drum 181.

[0049] Drum 181 is a sieve made of a cylindrical mesh body that rotates around its central axis. As drum 181 rotates, fibers and the like in mixture M7 that are smaller than the mesh openings can pass through drum 181. At that time, mixture M7 is loosened and released together with air. In other words, drum 181 functions as a release section that releases material containing fibers.

[0050] The drum 181 is connected to a drive source (not shown) and rotates by the torque output from the drive source. The drive source is electrically connected to the control device 28, which controls the operation of the drive source.

[0051] Furthermore, housing 182 is connected to humidifier 234. Humidifier 234 is configured as an evaporative humidifier. This allows humidified air to be supplied into housing 182. This humidified air can humidify the inside of housing 182, and therefore, it is also possible to prevent mixture M7 from adhering to the inner wall of housing 182 due to electrostatic force.

[0052] The mixture M7 discharged from the drum 181 falls while being dispersed in the air, and heads toward the second web forming unit 19 located below the drum 181. The second web forming unit 19 is a section where a deposition step is carried out in which the mixture M7 is deposited to form a second web M8, which is a deposit. The second web forming unit 19 has a mesh belt 191, a tension roller 192, and a suction unit 193.

[0053] The mesh belt 191 is a mesh member, and in the illustrated configuration, is configured as an endless belt. The mixture M7 dispersed and discharged by the dispersion unit 18 is deposited on the mesh belt 191. The mesh belt 191 is wound around four tension rollers 192. The rotation of the tension rollers 192 transports the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 downstream.

[0054] In the illustrated configuration, a mesh belt 191 is used as an example of a mesh member, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a flat plate-shaped member may also be used.

[0055] Furthermore, most of the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 has a size equal to or larger than the mesh openings of the mesh belt 191. This prevents the mixture M7 from passing through the mesh belt 191, and therefore allows the mixture M7 to be deposited on the mesh belt 191. Furthermore, the mixture M7 is transported downstream together with the mesh belt 191 while being deposited on the mesh belt 191, and is therefore formed as a layered second web M8.

[0056] The suction unit 193 is a suction mechanism that sucks air from below the mesh belt 191. This allows the mixture M7 to be sucked onto the mesh belt 191, thereby facilitating the deposition of the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191.

[0057] 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.

[0058] A humidifying section 236 is disposed downstream of the dispersion section 18. The humidifying section 236 is configured with an ultrasonic humidifier similar to the humidifying section 235. This allows moisture to be supplied to the second web M8, thereby adjusting the moisture content of the second web M8. 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.

[0059] The total amount of water added to the humidifying units 231 to 236 is preferably, for example, 0.5 parts by mass or more and 20 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of the material before humidification.

[0060] A forming unit 20 is disposed downstream of the second web forming unit 19. The forming unit 20 is a section where a sheet forming process is carried out to form recycled paper S from the second web M8. The forming unit 20 has a pressure applying unit 201 and a heating unit 202.

[0061] The pressure applying unit 201 has a pair of calender rollers 203, and can apply pressure to the second web M8 between the calender rollers 203 without heating it. This increases the density of the second web M8. When heating, the degree of heating is preferably such that the binder P1 does not melt. The second web M8 is then transported toward the heating unit 202. One of the pair of calender rollers 203 is a driven roller driven by the operation of a motor (not shown), and the other is a driven roller.

[0062] The heating section 202 has a pair of heating rollers 204, and can apply pressure to the second web M8 while heating it between the heating rollers 204. This heating and pressurizing melts the binder P1 in the second web M8, and the fibers are bound together via this molten binder P1. This forms the recycled paper S. The recycled paper S is then transported toward the cutting section 21. One of the pair of heating rollers 204 is a drive roller driven by the operation of a motor (not shown), and the other is a driven roller.

[0063] The cutting unit 21 is disposed downstream of the forming unit 20. The cutting unit 21 is a part that performs a cutting step of cutting the recycled paper S. The cutting unit 21 has a first cutter 211 and a second cutter 212.

[0064] The first cutter 211 cuts the recycled paper S in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the recycled paper S, particularly in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recycled paper S.

[0065] The second cutter 212 is located downstream of the first cutter 211 and cuts the recycled paper S in a direction parallel to the conveying direction of the recycled paper S. This cutting removes unnecessary portions from both side edges in the width direction of the recycled paper S to adjust the width of the recycled paper S.

[0066] The recycled paper S having the desired shape and size is obtained by cutting with the first cutter 211 and the second cutter 212. The recycled paper S is then transported further downstream and accumulated in the stock section 22.

[0067] Each of the components of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 is electrically connected to a control device 28. The operation of each of these components is controlled by the control device 28.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 28 includes a control unit 281, a storage unit 282, and a communication unit 283.

[0069] The control unit 281 has at least one processor and executes various programs stored in the storage unit 282. As the processor, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be used.

[0070] The control unit 281 has various functions, such as a function to control the driving of each unit of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 related to sheet manufacturing, for example, a function to control the driving of the blower 261. In addition, with regard to the driving control of the micronization device 13, the control unit 281 has a function to control the driving of the first motor 200A and the second motor 200B shown in FIG.

[0071] The control unit 281 controls the energization of the first motor 200A and the second motor 200B, causing the first motor 200A and the second motor 200B to rotate at a predetermined timing and a predetermined rotation speed, respectively.

[0072] The storage unit 282 stores, for example, a program related to sheet manufacturing, etc. With regard to the pulverization of the raw material by the pulverization device 13, a program related to an operation sequence including conditions such as the operation timing and rotation speed of the first motor 200A and the second motor 200B is stored.

[0073] The communication unit 283 is configured by, for example, an I / O interface, and communicates with each unit of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100. The communication unit 283 also has a function of communicating with a computer or server (not shown) via, for example, a network.

[0074] The control device 28 may be built into the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100, or may be provided in an external device such as an external computer. Furthermore, the control unit 281 and the storage unit 282 may be integrated into one unit, for example, or the control unit 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, or the storage unit 282 may be built into the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 and the control unit 281 may be provided in an external device such as an external computer.

[0075] Next, the configuration of the micropatterning device 13 will be described. As shown in Figure 2, the pulverization device 13 pulverizes the supplied raw material and discharges the pulverized material. In this embodiment, the pulverization device 13 is a defibration device that defibrates the supplied coarse fragments M2 to produce defibrated material M3.

[0076] In the refining device 13 provided in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in Figure 1, the second sorted material M4-2 is mixed together with the coarse crushed pieces M2 as the introduced raw material, but since the amount of the second sorted material M4-2 in the raw material is small compared to the coarse crushed pieces M2, the introduced raw material will be described below as the coarse crushed pieces M2.

[0077] 2, the pulverization device 13 has a casing 3, a liner 4 arranged on the inner surface of the casing 3, a first rotor unit 51 and a second rotor unit 52 rotatably installed inside the casing 3, a first motor 200A that rotates and drives the first rotor unit 51, and a second motor 200B that rotates and drives the second rotor unit 52. The coarse fragments M2 are defibrated when they pass between the outer periphery of the rotating rotor 5 and the liner 4, becoming defibrated material M3.

[0078] The casing 3 has an inlet 31 for feeding the coarse fragments M2 into the casing 3, and an outlet 32 ​​for discharging the produced defibrated material M3 to the outside of the casing 3. The casing 3 is a cylindrical member having an internal space S0 that houses the liner 4, the first rotor part 51, and the second rotor part 52.

[0079] The feed inlet 31 is provided on the side near the left end of the casing 3. The feed inlet 31 is provided in a cylindrical shape that protrudes radially outward from the casing 3. The feed inlet 31 is connected to the downstream end of the pipe 241 shown in FIG. 1, and the coarsely crushed pieces M2 generated in the crushing section 12 are fed into the casing 3 from the feed inlet 31 via the pipe 241.

[0080] The discharge outlet 32 ​​is provided on the side near the right end of the casing 3. The discharge outlet 32 ​​is provided in a cylindrical shape protruding radially outward from the casing 3. The discharge outlet 32 ​​is connected to the upstream end of the pipe 242 shown in FIG. 1, and the produced defibrated material M3 is discharged from the discharge outlet 32 ​​to the outside of the casing 3 and transported to the sorting unit 14 via the pipe 242.

[0081] The inlet 31 and the outlet 32 ​​are located at the same position in the circumferential direction of the casing 3. However, this is not limiting, and the positions where they are formed may be shifted by a predetermined angle or on opposite sides.

[0082] The casing 3 also has partition plates 33 and 34 provided in the internal space S0. Partition plate 33 is provided on an extension of the inlet 31, with its thickness direction aligned with the first shaft member 50A and the second shaft member 50B. Partition plate 34 is provided on an extension of the outlet 32, with its thickness direction aligned with the first shaft member 50A and the second shaft member 50B. Partition plates 33 and 34 are arranged substantially parallel to each other.

[0083] By providing the partition plate 33, the coarse fragments M2 fed from the feed port 31 can be guided to the vicinity of the first shaft member 50A. Therefore, the effects of the present invention, which will be described later, can be more reliably obtained. Furthermore, by providing the partition plate 34, the generated defibrated material M3 can be effectively guided to the discharge port 32. Therefore, the discharge of the defibrated material M3 can be carried out more smoothly.

[0084] The liner 4 is a cylindrical member arranged around the entire inner surface of the cylindrical portion of the casing 3. The central axis of the liner 4 is coaxial with a first rotation axis O1 and a second rotation axis O2, which will be described later. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the outer peripheral surface of the liner 4 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the casing 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the axial length of the liner 4 is long enough to encompass a first blade 511 and a second blade 521, which will be described later. The liner 4 is made of a hard material such as metal.

[0085] As shown in Fig. 3, teeth 41 are formed on the inner periphery of the liner 4. The teeth 41 are provided along the circumferential direction of the liner 4 and have a plurality of protrusions 411 that protrude inward. The protrusions 411 also extend along the central axis of the liner 4, i.e., the left-right direction of the casing 3. Each protrusion 411 has the same protrusion height and has an apex 412 at its tip in the protruding direction.

[0086] When the coarsely crushed pieces M2 pass between the outer periphery of the rotating rotor 5 and the teeth 41, they collide with the teeth 41 and are defibrated, producing defibrated material M3.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 2, the rotor 5 has a first rotor portion 51 and a second rotor portion 52 located adjacent to the right side of the first rotor portion 51. The first rotor portion 51 rotates around a first rotation axis O1, and the second rotor portion 52 rotates around a second rotation axis O2. In this embodiment, the first rotation axis O1 and the second rotation axis O2 are located coaxially. However, this configuration is not limited thereto, and the first rotation axis O1 and the second rotation axis O2 may be offset from each other or may have a predetermined angle therebetween.

[0088] The first rotor section 51 and the second rotor section 52 rotate in the same direction. However, this is not limiting, and the first rotor section 51 and the second rotor section 52 may be configured to rotate in opposite directions to each other, or may be configured to rotate in opposite directions to each other over time.

[0089] 2 and 3, the first rotor section 51 has a first shaft member 50A, a plurality of first blades 511 arranged radially around the first shaft member 50A, a side plate 54 located on the left side of each of the first blades 511, and a side plate 56 located on the right side of each of the first blades 511. Each of the first blades 511 is fixed by the side plate 54 and the side plate 56, and is arranged at equal angular intervals along the circumferential direction of the first rotor section 51.

[0090] The first shaft member 50A is elongated and extends in the left-right direction, penetrating the left side wall of the casing 3. The central axis of the first shaft member 50A coincides with the first rotation axis O1. The first shaft member 50A is rotatably supported by the casing 3 via a bearing (not shown), and its left end portion protruding outside the casing 3 is connected to the output shaft of the first motor 200A. When current is applied to the first motor 200A, the first motor 200A is driven to rotate, and the first shaft member 50A rotates in a predetermined direction. A first reducer (not shown) may be installed between the output shaft of the first motor 200A and the first shaft member 50A.

[0091] A side plate 54 and a side plate 56 are fixed to the first shaft member 50A and spaced apart from each other. The side plates 54 and 56 are disk-shaped and each have a through-hole (not shown) at the center through which the first shaft member 50A is inserted and fixed.

[0092] In this embodiment, there are eight first blades 511. Each first blade 511 is plate-shaped, and each main surface is arranged in a direction along the radial direction of the casing 3 and the rotor 5. A right end surface 512 of each first blade 511 is fixed to a left surface 561 of the side plate 56. A left end surface 513 of each first blade 511 is fixed to a right surface 541 of the side plate 54. The number of first blades 511 is not limited to eight.

[0093] 2 and 4, the second rotor section 52 has a second shaft member 50B, a plurality of second blades 521 arranged radially around the second shaft member 50B, a side plate 53 located on the left side of each second blade 521, and a side plate 55 located on the right side of each second blade 521. Each second blade 521 is fixed by the side plate 53 and the side plate 55, and is arranged at equal angular intervals along the circumferential direction of the second rotor section 52.

[0094] The second shaft member 50B is elongated and extends in the left-right direction, penetrating the right side wall of the casing 3. The center axis of the second shaft member 50B coincides with the second rotation axis O2. The second shaft member 50B is rotatably supported by the casing 3 via a bearing (not shown), and its right end portion protruding outside the casing 3 is connected to the output shaft of the second motor 200B. When current is applied to the second motor 200B, the second motor 200B is driven to rotate, and the second shaft member 50B rotates in a predetermined direction. A second reducer (not shown) may be installed between the output shaft of the second motor 200B and the second shaft member 50B.

[0095] A side plate 53 and a side plate 55 are fixed to the second shaft member 50B and spaced apart from each other. The side plates 53 and 55 are disk-shaped and each have a through-hole (not shown) at the center through which the second shaft member 50B is inserted and fixed.

[0096] In this embodiment, there are eight second blades 521. Each second blade 521 is plate-shaped, and each main surface is arranged in a direction along the radial direction of the casing 3 and the rotor 5. A right end surface 522 of each second blade 521 is fixed to a left surface 551 of the side plate 55. A left end surface 523 of each second blade 521 is fixed to a right surface 531 of the side plate 53. The number of second blades 521 is not limited to eight.

[0097] The first shaft member 50A and the second shaft member 50B are coaxially arranged, with adjacent ends spaced apart. The side plates 53 and 56 are also spaced apart. This configuration allows the first rotor section 51 and the second rotor section 52 to rotate independently of each other.

[0098] In this embodiment, the first rotor section 51 and the second rotor section 52 each have a cantilevered support structure relative to the casing 3, but this is not limited to this, and one or both of the first rotor section 51 and the second rotor section 52 may also have a doubly supported support structure relative to the casing 3.

[0099] As the first rotor section 51 and the second rotor section 52 each rotate, an airflow is generated from the inlet 31 toward the outlet 32. The coarsely crushed pieces M2 introduced from the inlet 31 ride on this airflow and pass between the rotating first blades 511 and the liner 4, where they are defibrated, and then pass between the rotating second blades 521 and the liner 4, where they are defibrated into finer pieces. In other words, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are defibrated between the rotating rotor 5 and the liner 4 by passing through the path R shown in Figure 2. More specifically, the defibration process is carried out in two stages: by the first rotor section 51, which rotates under predetermined conditions as described below, and by the second rotor section 52, which rotates under predetermined conditions as described below.

[0100] In this embodiment, the first blades 511 have the same shape and size, and the second blades 521 have the same shape and size. However, this is not limiting, and at least one of the first blades 511 may have a different shape or size from the others, and at least one of the second blades 521 may have a different shape or size from the others.

[0101] Furthermore, the first blades 511 and the second blades 521 are arranged in the same pattern when viewed in the axial direction of the first shaft member 50A and the second shaft member 50B. In this embodiment, the first blades 511 and the second blades 521 have the same shape, size, number, and arrangement pattern. However, this configuration is not limited to this. For example, the first blades 511 and the second blades 521 may have different sizes or dimensions, different numbers, or different circumferential arrangement patterns. For example, the axial length of the first blade 511 in the first shaft member 50A and the second shaft member 50B may be shorter or longer than the axial length of the first shaft member 50A and the second shaft member 50B of the second blade 521. Also, the radial length of the first blade 511 in the rotor may be shorter or longer than the radial length of the second blade 521.

[0102] The first blade 511 and the second blade 521 are made of a hard material such as metal. It is preferable that the first blade 511 and the second blade 521 are made of the same material, but this is not a limitation.

[0103] Here, the gap between the outer periphery of the first blade 511 and the liner 4 is set to be relatively narrow. For this reason, in the past, depending on the type, composition, size, input amount, and other conditions of the raw material to be pulverized (defibrated), the raw material could stagnate or locally clog in the space corresponding to the space S3 between the input port 31 and the first rotor section 51. In other words, there was a problem in that the raw material (coarsely crushed pieces M2) could not smoothly move between the outer periphery of the rotor 5 and the liner 4, which could hinder continued good defibration. In contrast, the pulverization device 13 of the present invention has the following configuration to solve the above problem and achieve smooth and good pulverization processing, i.e., defibration processing.

[0104] 2, the micronization device 13 has a drive unit 200 that rotates and drives the first rotor unit 51 and the second rotor unit 52. The drive unit 200 has a first motor 200A and a second motor 200B.

[0105] The first motor 200A is located on the left side of the casing 3, and the second motor 200B is located on the right side of the casing 3.

[0106] The first rotor unit 51 and the second rotor unit 52 each have a motor driver (not shown). The type of the first rotor unit 51 and the second rotor unit 52 is not particularly limited, and examples include DC motors, AC motors, three-phase AC motors, and servo motors, from which an appropriate motor can be selected and used. The first motor 200A and the second motor 200B may rotate in one direction or may be capable of rotating forward and reverse.

[0107] The driving unit 200 may include the control unit 281 and the storage unit 282 of the control device .

[0108] As described above, the first rotor portion 51 and the second rotor portion 52 can rotate independently of each other. The control device 28 can control the first motor 200A and the second motor 200B to be driven under different conditions.

[0109] As a suitable example of such control, when the average rotational speed of the first rotor unit 51 is V1 and the average rotational speed of the second rotor unit 52 is V2, the drive unit 200 drives the first rotor unit 51 and the second rotor unit 52 to rotate so that V2 > V1 is satisfied. That is, the control device 28 controls the energization conditions of the first motor 200A and the second motor 200B so that V2 > V1 is satisfied. Specifically, V2 > V1 can be achieved by making the rotational speed of the output shaft of the first motor 200A slower than the rotational speed of the output shaft of the second motor 200B.

[0110] Furthermore, when the drive unit 200 has the above-mentioned first reducer and second reducer, even if the first motor 200A and the second motor 200B rotate at the same speed, V2>V1 can be achieved by appropriately setting the reduction ratio A1 of the first reducer and the reduction ratio A2 of the second reducer, i.e., A1>A2.

[0111] The faster the rotation speed of the first rotor section 51, the more likely it is that the coarse fragments M2 fed into the first rotor section 51 will remain in the space S3, causing localized clogging. In contrast, by driving the first rotor section 51 and the second rotor section 52 to rotate so that V2 > V1 is satisfied, it is possible to prevent or suppress the coarse fragments M2 from remaining in the space S3, and to smoothly transfer the coarse fragments M2 between the outer periphery of the first blade 511 and the liner 4. As a result, the defibration process can be carried out smoothly and efficiently.

[0112] In this way, when the average rotational speed of the first rotor unit 51 is V1 and the average rotational speed of the second rotor unit 52 is V2, the drive unit 200 drives and rotates the first rotor unit 51 and the second rotor unit 52 so as to satisfy V2>V1. This makes it possible to prevent or suppress the accumulation of coarsely crushed fragments M2, and enables the defibration process, which is an example of a pulverization process, to be carried out smoothly and efficiently.

[0113] In addition, the drive unit 200 may be configured to drive the first rotor unit 51 and the second rotor unit 52 to rotate so that V2 = V1 is satisfied, or may be configured to drive the first rotor unit 51 and the second rotor unit 52 to rotate so that V1 > V2 is satisfied.

[0114] Although there are no particular limitations on V1 / V2, it is preferable that it is 0.1 or more and 0.9 or less, and more preferable that it is 0.2 or more and 0.75 or less. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent or suppress the retention of coarsely crushed fragments M2, and allows the defibration process to be carried out more smoothly and efficiently.

[0115] In this way, the drive unit 200 drives and rotates the first rotor unit 51 and the second rotor unit 52 so that V1 / V2 satisfies 0.1 or more and 0.9 or less. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent or suppress the accumulation of coarsely crushed fragments M2, and allows the pulverization process, especially the defibration process, to be carried out more smoothly and efficiently.

[0116] V1 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 100 rpm or more and 9000 rpm or less.

[0117] V2 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1000 rpm or more and 10000 rpm or less.

[0118] By setting V1 and V2 within the above numerical ranges, V1 / V2 can be easily set within a preferred numerical range, and it is possible to prevent the accumulation of coarsely crushed fragments M2 while also achieving efficient defibration processing.

[0119] The driving unit 200 preferably rotates the first rotor unit 51 and the second rotor unit 52 according to a speed pattern as shown in Fig. 5. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the rotation speed of the first rotor unit 51 changes over time, while the rotation speed of the second rotor unit 52 is constant over time.

[0120] The first rotor section 51 rotates with regularity between the maximum rotation speed Vmax and the minimum rotation speed Vmin, i.e., the rotation speed changes (increases and decreases) in a predetermined cycle T. With this configuration, when the rotation speed of the first rotor section 51 is the minimum rotation speed Vmin or a value close to it, the coarse fragments M2 can be easily introduced to the outer periphery of the first rotor section 51, and when the rotation speed of the first rotor section 51 is the maximum rotation speed Vmax or a value close to it, the coarse fragments M2 can be efficiently defibrated. In other words, it is possible to prevent the coarse fragments M2 from accumulating and to perform an efficient defibration process at the same time.

[0121] 5, Vmax is the same as the rotation speed of the second rotor portion 52, i.e., V2. Vmax / V2 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.4 or more and 1.6 or less, and more preferably 0.6 or more and 1.4 or less.

[0122] Furthermore, Vmin / Vmax is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.5 or more and 1.7 or less, and more preferably 0.7 or more and 1.5 or less.

[0123] Vmax is not particularly limited, but is preferably 400 rpm or more and 16,000 rpm or less.

[0124] Vmin is not particularly limited, but is preferably 200 rpm or more and 27200 rpm or less.

[0125] By setting Vmax and Vmin within the above numerical ranges, Vmin / Vmax can be easily set within a preferred numerical range, and it is possible to prevent the coarse fragments M2 from accumulating while also achieving efficient defibration processing.

[0126] Furthermore, the period T of the change in rotation speed of the first rotor section 51 is not particularly limited, but is preferably from 1 to 10 seconds, and more preferably from 2 to 9 seconds, which makes it possible to prevent the coarse fragments M2 from accumulating and to perform efficient defibration processing at the same time.

[0127] On the other hand, since the rotation speed of the second rotor section 52 is constant over time and is configured to rotate at a relatively fast speed, the fiberization process can be performed efficiently in the second rotor section 52, and therefore the fiberization process can be performed efficiently, smoothly, and well by the rotor 5 as a whole.

[0128] In this way, the drive unit 200 drives the first rotor unit 51 to rotate so that the rotation speed of the first rotor unit 51 changes over time, and drives the second rotor unit 52 to rotate so that the rotation speed of the second rotor unit 52 remains constant over time. This makes it possible to prevent the coarse fragments M2 from accumulating and to perform efficient defibration processing at the same time.

[0129] In addition, the drive unit 200 may drive the first rotor unit 51 to rotate so that the rotation speed of the first rotor unit 51 remains constant over time, and may drive the second rotor unit 52 to rotate so that the rotation speed of the second rotor unit 52 remains constant over time.

[0130] In addition, the drive unit 200 may drive the first rotor unit 51 to rotate so that the rotational speed of the first rotor unit 51 remains constant over time or changes over time, and may drive the second rotor unit 52 to rotate so that the rotational speed of the second rotor unit 52 changes over time.

[0131] Even in these cases, the above-mentioned preferred values ​​can be applied to the values ​​of V1, V2, V1 / V2, Vmax, Vmin, Vmin / Vmax, etc.

[0132] As described above, the milling device 13 includes a casing 3 having an inlet 31 and an outlet 32 ​​for the coarsely crushed fragments M2 as raw material; a first rotor unit 51 housed in the casing 3 on the inlet 31 side, having a first blade 511, and rotating around a first rotation axis O1; a second rotor unit 52 housed in the casing 3 on the outlet 32 ​​side, having a second blade 521, and rotating around a second rotation axis O2 independently of the first rotor unit 51; and a drive unit 200 that drives the rotation of the first rotor unit 51 and the second rotor unit 52. This allows the rotation speeds of the first rotor unit 51 and the second rotor unit 52, whether or not there is a speed change, and the speed change pattern to be independently set. This allows the coarsely crushed fragments M2 introduced into the casing 3 to be adjusted so that they smoothly move to the outer periphery of the rotor 5, particularly toward the first blade 511 of the first rotor unit 51. As a result, the defibration process, which is an example of a micronization process, can be carried out smoothly and satisfactorily, and the defibration process can be carried out efficiently.

[0133] In this embodiment, a configuration has been described in which strip-shaped coarsely crushed pieces M2 are used as the raw material for pulverization, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the shape of the raw material may be, for example, scale-like, cotton-like, pellet-like, granular, or powder-like. Also, while the raw material has been described as being a raw material containing fiber, i.e., paper, the present invention is not limited to this, and the raw material may not contain fiber.

[0134] The type of raw material in the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, food such as grains, seeds, medicines, feed, fertilizers, industrial raw materials, industrial products, building materials, etc. Therefore, the present invention is a device for finely pulverizing raw materials, and serves as a defibration means for defibrating raw materials containing fibers into fine fibers, and as a crushing means for finely crushing non-fibrous raw materials.

[0135] The drive unit 200 also has a first motor 200A that rotates and drives the first rotor unit 51, and a second motor 200B that rotates and drives the second rotor unit 52. This makes it possible, by the simple method of adjusting the conditions for supplying current to the first motor 200A and the second motor 200B, to adjust the coarse fragments M2 introduced into the casing 3 so that they smoothly move to the outer periphery of the rotor 5, particularly to the first blade 511 side of the first rotor unit 51, and enables the defibration process, which is an example of a pulverization process, to be carried out smoothly, well, and efficiently.

[0136] Second Embodiment FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the micropatterning device according to the second embodiment.

[0137] A second embodiment of the micropatterning apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 6. The following mainly describes the differences from the first embodiment, and omits a description of the commonalities.

[0138] The pulverization device 13 of this embodiment is a defibration device similar to the first embodiment, and is provided in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 6, this pulverization device 13 has a casing 3, a liner 4 arranged on the inner surface of the casing 3, a first rotor unit 51 and a second rotor unit 52 rotatably installed inside the casing 3, and a drive unit 200 that drives and rotates the first rotor unit 51 and the second rotor unit 52, respectively.

[0139] 6, the drive unit 200 has one third motor 200C, a first transmission unit 7, a second transmission unit 8, and a shaft 9 connected to the output shaft of the third motor 200C. The third motor 200C has a configuration similar to that of the first motor 200A and the second motor 200B described in the first embodiment.

[0140] The first transmission unit 7 is disposed on the left side of the casing 3 and includes a pulley 71 , a pulley 72 , and an end belt 73 .

[0141] Pulley 71 is fixed to a position on the outer periphery of shaft 9 that is close to third motor 200C. Pulley 72 is fixed to a portion on the outer periphery of first shaft member 50A that is located outside casing 3. Pulleys 71 and 72 are located at the same position in the left-right direction of FIG. 6, i.e., in the longitudinal direction of shaft 9.

[0142] An end-S belt 73 is wound around the pulleys 71 and 72. Teeth are formed on the inside of the end-S belt 73, and these teeth mesh with teeth on the outer peripheries of the pulleys 71 and 72. When the shaft 9 is rotated by operation of the third motor 200C, the pulley 71 rotates, and the pulley 72 also rotates in the same direction via the end-S belt 73. As a result, the first shaft member 50A rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the shaft 9, and the first rotor portion 51 rotates.

[0143] The second transmission part 8 is disposed on the right side of the casing 3 and includes a pulley 81, a pulley 82, and an end S belt 83.

[0144] Pulley 81 is fixed to the end of the outer periphery of shaft 9 that is distal to third motor 200C. Pulley 82 is fixed to the outer periphery of second shaft member 50B, at a portion that is located outside casing 3. Pulleys 81 and 82 are located at the same position in the left-right direction of FIG. 6, i.e., in the longitudinal direction of shaft 9.

[0145] An end-S belt 83 is wound around the pulleys 81 and 82. Teeth are formed on the inside of the end-S belt 83, and these teeth mesh with teeth on the outer peripheries of the pulleys 81 and 82. When the shaft 9 is rotated by operation of the third motor 200C, the pulley 81 rotates, and the pulley 82 also rotates in the same direction via the end-S belt 83. As a result, the second shaft member 50B rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the shaft 9, and the second rotor portion 52 rotates in synchronization with the first rotor portion 51.

[0146] Pulley 71 and pulley 81 have the same outer diameter. Pulley 72 and pulley 82 both have a larger outer diameter than pulley 71. Pulley 72 and pulley 82 also have different outer diameters, with pulley 72 having a larger outer diameter than pulley 82.

[0147] Therefore, when the reduction ratio of the first transmission unit 7 is A3 and the reduction ratio of the second transmission unit 8 is A4, it is possible to make A3 > A4. As a result, the rotational speed of the first rotor unit 51 can be made slower than the rotational speed of the second rotor unit 52. That is, similar to the first embodiment, the drive unit 200 can drive the first rotor unit 51 and the second rotor unit 52 to rotate so as to satisfy V2 > V1. This makes it possible to prevent or suppress the coarse fragments M2 from accumulating in the space S3, and to smoothly transfer the coarse fragments M2 between the outer periphery of the first blade 511 and the liner 4. As a result, the defibration process can be carried out smoothly, well, and efficiently.

[0148] In particular, in this embodiment, the first rotor section 51 and the second rotor section 52 are driven to rotate by a single third motor 200C, which makes it possible to achieve low power consumption and simplify the device configuration and reduce its weight.

[0149] In this embodiment as well, the preferred values ​​listed in the first embodiment can be applied to the values ​​of V1, V2, V1 / V2, etc.

[0150] It should be noted that A3>A4 can also be achieved by making the outer diameters of the pulleys 72 and 82 equal and the outer diameters of the pulleys 71 and 81 different, thereby achieving the same effect as above.

[0151] In this embodiment, a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) can be applied to the first transmission unit 7 formed by pulleys 71 and 72. In this case, V1 can be changed by operating the CVT. In particular, as described in the first embodiment, V1 can be changed over time, and V1 and V2 can have the same pattern as shown in Fig. 5. A CVT can also be applied to the second transmission unit 8.

[0152] When a CVT is applied to at least one of the first transmission unit 7 and the second transmission unit 8, and V1 or V2 is changed over time, the preferred values ​​listed in the first embodiment can be applied to the values ​​of Vmax, Vmin, Vmin / Vmax, etc.

[0153] As described above, the drive unit 200 has a third motor 200C, a first transmission unit 7 that transmits the rotational force output by the third motor 200C to the first rotor unit 51, and a second transmission unit 8 that transmits the rotational force output by the third motor 200C to the second rotor unit 52. This reduces power consumption, simplifies the device configuration, and reduces weight, while making it possible to adjust the coarse fragments M2 introduced into the casing 3 so that they smoothly move to the outer periphery of the rotor 5, particularly to the first blade 511 side of the first rotor unit 51. Therefore, the defibration process, which is an example of a fine pulverization process, can be performed smoothly and well, and the defibration process can be performed efficiently.

[0154] In the micronization device 13 of this embodiment, the first transmission unit 7 and the second transmission unit 8 are not limited to having a rotational force transmission mechanism consisting of a pulley and an endless belt, but may, for example, each be configured to have a plurality of meshing gears and to rotate and drive the first rotor unit 51 and the second rotor unit 52 at the desired reduction ratios A3 and A4.

[0155] Although the microfabrication device of the present invention has been described above with reference to the illustrated embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these, and each component of the microfabrication device can be replaced with any component that can perform the same function. Furthermore, any component may be added to the microfabrication device. Furthermore, the microfabrication device of the present invention may be a combination of the features of each embodiment.

[0156] Furthermore, the raw material supply unit 11 and the crushing unit 12 may be omitted from the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100. In this case, the sheet manufacturing apparatus includes a crushed piece supply unit that supplies crushed pieces instead of the raw material supply unit 11 and the crushing unit 12.

[0157] Furthermore, the micronization device of the present invention is not limited to being provided in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100, but may be provided in other devices, equipment, systems, etc., or may exist independently. [Explanation of symbols]

[0158] 3...casing, 4...liner, 5...rotor, 7...first transmission section, 8...second transmission section, 9...shaft, 11...raw material supply section, 12...crushing section, 13...refining device, 14...screening section, 15...first web forming section, 16...fragmenting section, 17...mixing section, 18...dispersing section, 19...second web forming section, 20...shaping section, 21...cutting section, 22...stock section, 27...recovery section, 28...control device, 31...feeding port, 32...discharge port, 33...partition plate, 34...partition plate, 41...teeth, 50A...first shaft member, 50B...second shaft member, 51...first rotor section, 52...second rotor section, 53...side plate, 54...side Plate, 55...side plate, 56...side plate, 71...pulley, 72...pulley, 73...end S belt, 81...pulley, 82...pulley, 83...end S belt, 100...sheet manufacturing apparatus, 121...crushing blade, 122...chute, 141...drum section, 142...housing section, 151...mesh belt, 152...tension roller, 153...suction section, 161...propeller, 162...housing section, 170...housing section, 171...additive supply section, 172...pipe, 173...blower, 174...screw feeder, 181...drum, 182...housing, 191...mesh Belt, 192... tension roller, 193... suction unit, 200... drive unit, 200A... first motor, 200B... second motor, 200C... third motor, 201... pressure unit, 202... heating unit, 203... calendar roller, 204... heating roller, 211... first cutter, 212... second cutter, 231... humidification unit, 232... humidification unit, 233... humidification unit, 234... humidification unit, 235... humidification unit, 236... humidification unit, 241... pipe, 242... pipe, 243... pipe, 244... pipe, 245... pipe, 246... pipe, 261... blower, 262... blower, 263... blower, 281... control section, 282...storage section, 283...communication section, 411...protrusion, 412...top, 511...first blade, 512...end surface, 513...end surface, 521...second blade, 522...end surface, 523...end surface, 531...surface, 541...surface, 551...surface, 561...surface, M1...raw material, M2...coarsely crushed pieces, M3...defibrated material, M4-1...first sorted material, M4-2...second sorted material, M5...first web, M6...fine pieces, M7...mixture, M8...second web, O1...first rotating shaft, O2...second rotating shaft, P1...binder, R...path, S...recycled paper, S0...internal space, S3...space, T...period, Vmax...maximum rotation speed,Vmin: minimum rotation speed,

Claims

1. a casing having a raw material inlet and outlet; a first rotor unit that is housed in the casing on the side of the inlet, has a first blade, and rotates around a first rotation axis; a second rotor unit that is housed in the casing on the side of the outlet, has second blades, and rotates about a second rotation axis independently of the first rotor unit; a drive unit that drives the first rotor unit and the second rotor unit to rotate, respectively.

2. 2. The micronization device according to claim 1, wherein when the average rotational speed of the first rotor unit is V1 and the average rotational speed of the second rotor unit is V2, the drive unit drives the first rotor unit and the second rotor unit to rotate so that V2 > V1 is satisfied.

3. 3. The micro-fining apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the driving unit rotates the first rotor unit and the second rotor unit so that V1 / V2 satisfies 0.1 to 0.

9.

4. The micronization device described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the drive unit rotates and drives the first rotor unit so that the rotational speed of the first rotor unit changes over time, and rotates and drives the second rotor unit so that the rotational speed of the second rotor unit remains constant over time.

5. 4. The micro-fining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit includes a first motor that rotates the first rotor unit and a second motor that rotates the second rotor unit.

6. The micronization device described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the driving unit has a third motor, a first transmission unit that transmits the rotational force output by the third motor to the first rotor unit, and a second transmission unit that transmits the rotational force output by the third motor to the second rotor unit.

Images