Glass fiber manufacturing method and glass fiber manufacturing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a method for producing a glass fiber by which a cake can be formed at a desired position in a collet.SOLUTION: The manufacturing method of the glass fiber includes a first winding step of forming a first cake 41 by winding a glass strand S formed by bundling glass filaments F by a gathering shoe 14 around a first collet 19 while traversing the glass strand S by a traverse 16, a replacement step of replacing the first collet 19 arranged at a winding position with a second collet after the completion of the first winding step, a second winding step of forming a second cake by winding the glass strand S around the second collet, and a control step of controlling a position of the gathering shoe 14 in its own axial direction in the second winding step based on a first measurement value A corresponding to a position of a first end part 41a of the first cake 41 and a second measurement value B corresponding to a position of a second end part 41b of the first cake 41 before the second winding step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, a method for manufacturing glass fibers includes a method in which a glass strand formed by a gathering shoe is traversed by a traverse and wound around a collet to form a cylindrical cake (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this method for manufacturing glass fibers, a wire traverse having a shaft and a wire is used as the traverse. Then, when a cake is formed, the collet positioned at the winding position is replaced with the next collet on which a cake has not been formed, thereby enabling successive cakes to be formed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-137222 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described glass fiber manufacturing method, a glass strand is formed by gathering a group of glass filaments with a gathering shoe. If the axial position of the gathering shoe deviates from a predetermined position, the cake wound on the collet may deviate from the desired axial position on the collet. The cake's deviation from the desired axial position on the collet may result in the cake coming into contact with other objects, such as an adjacent cake.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a glass fiber manufacturing method and a glass fiber manufacturing apparatus that enable cakes to be formed at desired positions on a collet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] [1] A method for manufacturing glass fibers that solves the above-mentioned problems includes a first winding step of winding a glass strand, formed by gathering a group of glass filaments using a gathering shoe, onto a first collet arranged at a winding position while traversing the glass strand using a traverse to form a cylindrical first cake; a replacement step of replacing the first collet arranged at the winding position with a second collet after the first winding step is completed; and a second winding step of winding the glass strand onto the second collet arranged at the winding position while traversing the glass strand using the traverse to form a cylindrical second cake, wherein the first cake has a first end portion and a second end portion located at both ends in its axial direction, and the method further includes a control step of controlling, before the second winding step, the position of the gathering shoe along its axial direction in the second winding step based on a first measurement value corresponding to the position of the first end portion and a second measurement value corresponding to the position of the second end portion.

[0007] According to this method, the position of the gathering shoe along its own axial direction in the second winding process is controlled based on a first measurement value corresponding to the position of the first end of the first cake produced immediately before and a second measurement value corresponding to the position of the second end of the first cake, thereby making it possible to position the gathering shoe at a predetermined position in the second winding process and thus to form the second cake at a desired position on the second collet.

[0008] [2] In the method for producing glass fibers described in [1] above, a target position that is desired to be the center position of the first cake in the first collet may be set as a reference position, the first measurement value may be set as the length from the reference position to the first end, and the second measurement value may be set as the length from the reference position to the second end, and in the control step, the first measurement value and the second measurement value may be compared, and if either of them is larger, the gathering shoe may be moved in a direction that reduces the difference.

[0009] According to this method, a target position on the first collet that is to be the center position of the first cake is set as a reference position, and the first measurement value is the length from the reference position to the first end, and the second measurement value is the length from the reference position to the second end.The first measurement value and the second measurement value are then compared, and if either is larger, the gathering shoe is moved in the direction that reduces the difference, so that the second cake is formed at the desired position on the second collet.

[0010] [3] In the glass fiber manufacturing method described in [1] above, a target position that is desired to be the center position of the first cake in the first collet may be set as a reference position, the first measurement value may be set as the length from the reference position to the first end, and the second measurement value may be set as the length from the reference position to the second end, and in the control step, the first measurement value and the second measurement value may be compared, and if the difference between them exceeds an allowable reference value, the gathering shoe may be moved in a direction that reduces the difference.

[0011] According to this method, a target position on the first collet that is intended to be the center position of the first cake is set as a reference position, the first measurement value is the length from the reference position to the first end, and the second measurement value is the length from the reference position to the second end.The first measurement value and the second measurement value are then compared, and if the difference between them exceeds an allowable reference value, the gathering shoe is moved in a direction that reduces the difference, thereby forming the second cake at the desired position on the second collet.Furthermore, if the difference between the first measurement value and the second measurement value is equal to or less than the allowable reference value, unnecessary operations such as fine movement of the gathering shoe can be suppressed.

[0012] [4] In the method for producing glass fibers according to any one of [1] to [3] above, the first measurement value and the second measurement value may be measured by a sensor, and the position of the gathering shoe may be controlled by a control unit connected to the sensor and receiving the first measurement value and the second measurement value from the sensor.

[0013] According to this method, the sensor measures a first measurement value corresponding to the position of the first end and a second measurement value corresponding to the position of the second end. Then, the controller controls the position of the gathering shoe along its axial direction based on the first and second measurements input from the sensor. Thus, the second cake is automatically formed at the desired position on the second collet.

[0014] [5] A glass fiber manufacturing apparatus that solves the above-mentioned problem includes a gathering shoe that gathers glass filaments to form a glass strand, a traverse that moves the glass strand back and forth in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the glass strand, a first collet that, while positioned at a winding position, winds the glass strand that has passed through the traverse to form a cylindrical first cake, and a second collet that, after the first cake has been formed, is positioned at the winding position by replacing the first collet that has been positioned at the winding position, and that, while positioned at the winding position, winds the glass strand that has passed through the traverse to form a cylindrical second cake. The first cake has a first end and a second end, respectively, located at both ends in its axial direction, and the apparatus includes a sensor that measures a first measurement value corresponding to the position of the first end and a second measurement value corresponding to the position of the second end, and a control unit that is connected to the sensor and controls the position of the gathering shoe along its axial direction based on the first measurement value and the second measurement value input from the sensor.

[0015] According to this configuration, the sensor measures a first measurement value corresponding to the position of the first end and a second measurement value corresponding to the position of the second end. Then, the control unit controls the position of the gathering shoe along its axial direction based on the first and second measurement values ​​input from the sensor. Thus, the second cake is automatically formed at the desired position on the second collet. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the glass fiber manufacturing method and glass fiber manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the cake can be formed at a desired position on the collet. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an apparatus for producing glass fibers according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing a part of the glass fiber manufacturing apparatus of one embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing a glass fiber manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating a method for producing glass fibers according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a front view illustrating a method for producing glass fibers according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a glass fiber manufacturing method and a glass fiber manufacturing apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the drawings, for the sake of convenience, some of the components may be shown exaggerated or simplified. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios of each part may differ from the actual ratios.

[0019] (Overall configuration of glass fiber manufacturing apparatus 11) 1, the glass fiber manufacturing apparatus 11 includes a bushing 12, an applicator 13, a gathering shoe 14, a drive device 15, and a traverse 16. The glass fiber manufacturing apparatus 11 also includes a rotation device 18, a first collet 19, a second collet 20, a sensor 21, and a control unit 22.

[0020] The bushing 12 is a box-shaped container having a plurality of nozzles below it, into which molten glass is supplied and from which a plurality of glass filaments F are drawn downward. Note that Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a group of the glass filaments F, i.e., a group of glass filaments F. In other words, Fig. 1 illustrates only the outermost portions of the glass filaments F, and illustrates the range through which the glass filaments F pass.

[0021] The applicator 13 has a drive roller and is a device that applies a sizing agent to the glass filaments F. The gathering shoe 14 is shaped so that its diameter decreases toward the center in its axial direction, and is a device that gathers and bundles the group of glass filaments F to which the sizing agent has been applied, to form a glass strand S. The glass filaments F and the glass strand S are made of, for example, E-glass (general-purpose alkali-free glass), A-glass (alkali-resistant glass), C-glass (acid-resistant alkali-lime-containing glass), D-glass (low-dielectric-constant glass), S-glass (high-strength, high-elasticity glass), T-glass (high-strength, high-elasticity glass), H-glass (high-dielectric-constant glass), etc.

[0022] The driving device 15 is drivingly connected to the gathering shoe 14. The driving device 15 is capable of moving the gathering shoe 14 along the axial direction of the gathering shoe 14, that is, along a horizontal first direction X1 (see FIG. 2).

[0023] The traverse 16 is a wire traverse having a shaft 16a extending along a horizontal first direction X1 (see FIG. 2) that intersects with the extension direction of the glass strand S, and two wires 16b connected to the shaft 16a. Note that each figure shows the shape of the wire 16b schematically. The shape and number of wires 16b are not particularly limited, and may be, for example, one wire or three or more wires. The traverse 16 is configured to allow the glass strand S passing through it to move back and forth along the first direction X1.

[0024] The rotation device 18 is a device for replacing the first collet 19 arranged at the winding position with the second collet 20. The rotation device 18 includes a disk-shaped rotating body 31, two cylindrical mounting shafts 32 protruding from one surface 31a of the rotating body 31, and a partition plate 33 protruding from the surface 31a and separating the two mounting shafts 32.

[0025] The two mounting shafts 32 are provided parallel to each other and are arranged on the surface 31a at positions that are point-symmetrical about the rotation axis of the rotating body 31. A first collet 19 is attached to one of the mounting shafts 32 closer to the traverse 16, and a second collet 20 is attached to the other mounting shaft 32. Note that Fig. 1 illustrates a state in which the first collet 19 is attached to one of the mounting shafts 32 closer to the traverse 16, i.e., a state in which the first collet 19 is arranged in the winding position.

[0026] The first collet 19, positioned at the winding position, rotates about the mounting shaft 32, thereby winding up the glass strand S that has passed through the traverse 16. In this embodiment, a bobbin 34, such as a paper tube, is attached to the first collet 19, and the glass strand S is wound onto the first collet 19 via the bobbin 34. Attaching the bobbin 34 is preferable because it makes it easier to remove the first cake 41 formed on the first collet 19, but this is not necessarily limited to this. The glass strand S may also be wound directly onto the first collet 19 without attaching the bobbin 34. The glass strand S is wound onto the first collet 19 while being traversed by the traverse 16, thereby forming the cylindrical first cake 41. Note that FIGS. 1 and 2 show a state in which the winding of the glass strand S onto the first collet 19 is completed and the first cake 41 has been formed.

[0027] 3, after the first cake 41 is formed, the second collet 20 is placed at the winding position by replacing the first collet 19 that is placed at the winding position. Specifically, after the first cake 41 is formed, the rotating body 31 of the rotating device 18 is rotated 180° about the rotation axis, so that the second collet 20 is placed at the winding position. At this time, the first collet 19 on which the first cake 41 has been formed is placed at the standby position where the second collet 20 was originally placed.

[0028] The second collet 20, which is positioned at the winding position, rotates about the mounting shaft 32, thereby winding up the glass strand S that has passed through the traverse 16. Similar to the first collet 19, the second collet 20 of this embodiment is fitted with a bobbin 34, such as a paper tube, and the glass strand S is wound onto the second collet 20 via the bobbin 34. The glass strand S is wound onto the second collet 20 while being traversed by the traverse 16, thereby forming a cylindrical second cake 42. FIG. 3 illustrates a state before winding of the glass strand S onto the second collet 20 begins, and before the second cake 42 is formed. The second cake 42 that is subsequently formed on the second collet 20 is schematically illustrated in two-dot chain lines in FIG. 3.

[0029] The first cake 41, which is placed in the standby position, is removed together with the bobbin 34 from the first collet 19. Thereafter, by repeating the above-described operation, the first cake 41 is again formed on the first collet 19. In other words, after the first cake 41 is removed from the first collet 19 in the state shown in FIG. 3, the second collet 20 described above functions as the first collet 19, and the first collet 19 functions as the second collet 20.

[0030] (Configuration of Sensor 21) 2, the sensor 21 measures a first measurement value A and a second measurement value B. The sensor 21 of this embodiment includes, for example, a camera, and measures the first measurement value A and the second measurement value B from image data captured by the camera.

[0031] Specifically, the first cake 41 has a first end 41a (the right end in FIG. 2) and a second end 41b (the left end in FIG. 2) located at both ends of its axial direction. In this embodiment, a target position that is intended to be the center position of the first cake 41 in the first collet 19 is set as the reference position Z. In other words, the reference position Z is a position that is intended to be the axial center position of the first cake 41 in the first collet 19 when the first cake 41 is formed. In this embodiment, the first measurement value A is the length from the reference position Z to the first end 41a (the right end in FIG. 2). The second measurement value B is the length from the reference position Z to the second end 41b (the left end in FIG. 2). That is, the sensor 21 measures the first measurement value A, which is the length from the reference position Z to the first end 41a, and the second measurement value B, which is the length from the reference position Z to the second end 41b.

[0032] (Configuration of control unit 22) The control unit 22 is connected to the sensor 21 and controls the position of the gathering shoe 14 along its axial direction based on the first measurement value A and the second measurement value B input from the sensor 21. The control unit 22 of this embodiment drives the drive device 15 to control the position of the gathering shoe 14 after the winding of the glass strand S onto the first collet 19 is completed and before the winding of the glass strand S onto the second collet 20 starts.

[0033] The control unit 22 compares the first measurement value A with the second measurement value B, and if either of them is larger, moves the gathering shoe 14 in a direction that reduces the difference between them. For example, the control unit 22 compares the first measurement value A with the second measurement value B, and if the first measurement value A, i.e., the measurement value on the right in FIG. 2, is larger, moves the gathering shoe 14 in a direction that reduces the difference between them, i.e., to the left in FIG. 2. Furthermore, for example, the control unit 22 compares the first measurement value A with the second measurement value B, and if the second measurement value B, i.e., the measurement value on the left in FIG. 2, is larger, moves the gathering shoe 14 in a direction that reduces the difference between them, i.e., to the right in FIG. 2. Preferably, the control unit 22 of this embodiment compares the first measurement value A with the second measurement value B, and moves the gathering shoe 14 so that the difference between them becomes zero.

[0034] (Glass fiber manufacturing method and its function) The glass fiber manufacturing method of this embodiment is carried out using the glass fiber manufacturing apparatus 11 described above.

[0035] The glass fiber manufacturing method includes a “first winding step,” a “replacing step,” and a “second winding step.” Furthermore, the glass fiber manufacturing method of this embodiment includes a “control step.”

[0036] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, in the first winding process, the glass strand S is traversed by a traverse 16 and wound around a first collet 19 arranged at a winding position to form a cylindrical first cake 41.

[0037] 3, in the replacement process, after the first winding process is completed, the first collet 19 placed at the winding position is replaced with the second collet 20. Specifically, the rotor 31 of the rotation device 18 is rotated 180° around the rotation axis, thereby placing the second collet 20 at the winding position.

[0038] Next, in the second winding step, the glass strand S is traversed by the traverse 16 and wound around the second collet 20 disposed at the winding position, thereby forming a cylindrical second cake 42.

[0039] The control step is performed before the second winding step. In the control step, the position of the gathering shoe 14 along its axial direction in the second winding step is controlled based on a first measurement value A corresponding to the position of the first end 41a and a second measurement value B corresponding to the position of the second end 41b. In this embodiment, the first measurement value A and the second measurement value B are measured by the sensor 21, and the position of the gathering shoe 14 is controlled by the control unit 22, which is connected to the sensor 21 and to which the first measurement value A and the second measurement value B are input from the sensor 21. Specifically, in the control step, the driving device 15 moves the gathering shoe 14 along the first direction X1.

[0040] More specifically, in the control process of this embodiment, the first measurement value A and the second measurement value B are compared, and if either of them is larger, the gathering shoe 14 is moved in the direction that reduces the difference.

[0041] For example, as shown in Fig. 4, when a first measurement value A is compared with a second measurement value B and the first measurement value A is found to be larger, the gathering shoe 14 is moved in a direction (leftward in the figure) that reduces the difference before the second winding process, as shown in Fig. 5. Through these processes, a second cake 42 (see Fig. 3) is formed.

[0042] (Effects of this embodiment) Next, the effects of the above embodiment will be described below. (1) The position of the gathering shoe 14 along its axial direction in the second winding process is controlled based on a first measurement value A corresponding to the position of the first end 41a of the first cake 41 that was produced immediately before, and a second measurement value B corresponding to the position of the second end 41b. This allows the gathering shoe 14 to be positioned at a predetermined position in the second winding process, and ultimately allows the second cake 42 to be formed at a desired position in the second collet 20. As a result, for example, it is possible to prevent the second cake 42 from coming into contact with other objects.

[0043] (2) A target position that is to be the center position of the first cake 41 on the first collet 19 is set as the reference position Z, and the first measurement value A is set as the length from the reference position Z to the first end 41a, and the second measurement value B is set as the length from the reference position Z to the second end 41b. Then, the first measurement value A and the second measurement value B are compared, and if either of them is larger, the gathering shoe 14 is moved in the direction that reduces the difference, so that the second cake 42 is formed at the desired position on the second collet 20.

[0044] (3) The sensor 21 measures a first measurement value A corresponding to the position of the first end 41a and a second measurement value B corresponding to the position of the second end 41b. Then, the control unit 22 controls the position of the gathering shoe 14 along its own axial direction based on the first measurement value A and the second measurement value B input from the sensor 21. Thus, the second cake 42 is automatically formed at a desired position on the second collet 20.

[0045] (Example of change) This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0046] In the above embodiment, the control process compares the first measurement value A with the second measurement value B, and if either of them is larger, moves the gathering shoe 14 in the direction that reduces the difference between them, but this is not limited to this.

[0047] For example, in the control process, the first measurement value A and the second measurement value B may be compared, and if the difference between them exceeds an allowable reference value, the gathering shoe 14 may be moved in a direction that reduces the difference. In other words, in the control process, the first measurement value A and the second measurement value B may be compared, and if the difference between them is equal to or less than the allowable reference value, the gathering shoe 14 may not be moved. In this way, unnecessary movements such as small movements of the gathering shoe 14 can be suppressed.

[0048] In addition, in the above embodiment, the first measurement value A is the length from the reference position Z to the first end 41a, and the second measurement value B is the length from the reference position Z to the second end 41b, but this is not limited to this, and the first measurement value A and the second measurement value B may be controlled as other values. For example, while using the first measurement value and the second measurement value as position information, the position of the gathering shoe 14 in the second winding process may be controlled depending on the result of comparing the center position of the first measurement value and the second measurement value with the reference position Z.

[0049] The glass fiber manufacturing method of the above embodiment is described as being performed using the glass fiber manufacturing apparatus 11, but is not limited to this and may be performed using other manufacturing apparatuses. Specifically, for example, in the above embodiment, the position of the gathering shoe 14 is controlled by the sensor 21 and the control unit 22 to which the first measurement value A and the second measurement value B are input from the sensor 21, but is not limited to this. For example, the first measurement value A and the second measurement value B may be measured manually. Also, for example, the position of the gathering shoe 14 may be controlled manually.

[0050] 1 to 5, the sensor 21 is illustrated below the first collet 19 and the second collet 20, but this is not limiting and the sensor 21 may be located in another position. Also, the sensor 21 in the above embodiment includes a camera and measures the first measurement value A and the second measurement value B from image data captured by the camera, but the sensor 21 may be configured in another way as long as it can measure the first measurement value A and the second measurement value B.

[0051] The embodiments and modifications disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects, and the present invention is not limited to these examples. That is, the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and it is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 11. Glass fiber manufacturing equipment 14 Gathering Shoes 16 Traverse 19 The First Colette 20 The Second Colette 21 Sensors 22 Control Unit 41 First Cake 41a first end 41b second end 42 Second Cake A. First measurement B. Second measurement F glass filament S Glass Strand Z reference position

Claims

1. a first winding step of winding a glass strand obtained by gathering a group of glass filaments by a gathering shoe onto a first collet disposed at a winding position while traversing the glass strand by a traverse, thereby forming a cylindrical first cake; a replacing step of replacing the first collet arranged at the winding position with a second collet after the first winding step is completed; a second winding step of winding the glass strand onto the second collet disposed at the winding position while traversing the glass strand by the traverse to form a cylindrical second cake; A method for producing glass fibers comprising: the first cake has a first end and a second end located at opposite ends in its axial direction, and a control step of controlling, before the second winding step, a position of the gathering shoe along its axial direction in the second winding step based on a first measurement value corresponding to the position of the first end and a second measurement value corresponding to the position of the second end. Glass fiber manufacturing method.

2. A target position to be the center position of the first cake in the first collet is set as a reference position, The first measurement value is a length from the reference position to the first end, The second measurement value is the length from the reference position to the second end, In the control step, the first measurement value and the second measurement value are compared, and if either one is larger, the gathering shoe is moved in a direction that reduces the difference between the first measurement value and the second measurement value. The method for producing the glass fiber according to claim 1 .

3. A target position to be the center position of the first cake in the first collet is set as a reference position, The first measurement value is a length from the reference position to the first end, The second measurement value is the length from the reference position to the second end, In the control step, the first measurement value and the second measurement value are compared, and if the difference between the first measurement value and the second measurement value exceeds an allowable reference value, the gathering shoe is moved in a direction in which the difference becomes smaller. The method for producing the glass fiber according to claim 1 .

4. a sensor measures the first measurement value and the second measurement value, and a control unit connected to the sensor and receiving the first measurement value and the second measurement value from the sensor controls the position of the gathering shoe; The method for producing the glass fiber according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. a gathering shoe that gathers the glass filaments to form a glass strand; a traverse that reciprocates the glass strand in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the glass strand; a first collet disposed at a winding position for winding the glass strand that has passed through the traverse to form a cylindrical first cake; a second collet that is disposed at the winding position by replacing the first collet disposed at the winding position after the first cake is formed, and that, while disposed at the winding position, winds up the glass strand that has passed through the traverse to form a cylindrical second cake; A glass fiber manufacturing apparatus comprising: the first cake has a first end and a second end located at opposite ends in its axial direction, a sensor that measures a first measurement in response to a position of the first end and a second measurement in response to a position of the second end; a control unit connected to the sensor and configured to control a position of the gathering shoe along its axial direction based on the first measurement value and the second measurement value input from the sensor; A glass fiber manufacturing apparatus comprising:

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