Resin recovery method and resin recovery system
The method of crushing and sieving resin products from harnesses using a crusher and a non-overlapping sieve system addresses the inefficiency of resin recovery, achieving cost-effective and labor-saving resin extraction.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- HONDA MOTOR CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-10-24
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-15
AI Technical Summary
The laborious and costly process of removing resin products from harnesses, such as connectors and base members, hinders efficient recycling.
A method involving crushing resin products into pieces using a crusher with a rotating striking part, followed by sieving through a specially configured sieving device with non-overlapping sieve holes and vibrational assistance, to separate resin pieces from harnesses.
Efficient recovery of resin from harnesses by minimizing harness entanglement and ensuring resin pieces pass through sieves while harnesses are retained, thereby reducing labor and costs.
Smart Images
Figure 2026079758000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a method and a system for recovering resin from a harness with a resin product.
Background Art
[0002] Conventionally, efforts have been continuously made for the purpose of mitigating or reducing the impact of climate change. Toward this realization, research and development of technologies related to recycling of resins and the like have been carried out.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] Among various harnesses used for electrical wiring, communication wiring, etc., there are those with resin products such as connectors and base members. For workers to remove resin products one by one from these harnesses and recover the resin is laborious and also leads to an increase in recycling costs.
[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to efficiently recover resin from a harness with a resin product.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0006] The inventors of the present invention have found that if the resin products attached to the harness are crushed into resin pieces and then the harness and the resin pieces are applied to a predetermined screening device, the resin can be efficiently recovered, and thus the present invention has been achieved. The present invention is the following resin recovery method (1) to (7) and resin recovery system (8).
[0007] (1) A resin recovery method for recovering resin from a harness with a resin product attached, which is a harness with a resin product attached, A crushing step in which the resin product harness is fed into a crusher having a striking part that rotates around a predetermined axis, and the resin product is crushed into resin pieces by the striking part, A sieving device having an upper sieve and a lower sieve located below it, comprising a sieving step of feeding the harness and the resin piece into the sieve from above the upper sieve, A recovery step for recovering the resin pieces that have passed through the upper sieve and the lower sieve, A resin recovery method that includes [specific components].
[0008] In the crushing process, the resin product is crushed into resin pieces by the impact mechanism. This allows for efficient removal of the resin product from the harness. On the other hand, the harness is flexible and therefore difficult to crush by the impact mechanism.
[0009] In the sieving process, the harnesses and resin pieces are fed into a sieving device and subjected to sieving. At this time, because the harnesses are long and slender, their lower ends tend to come into contact with the lower sieve while they are passing through the sieving holes of the upper sieve. As a result, the harnesses tend to get stuck in this state and have difficulty passing through the lower sieve. On the other hand, the resin pieces, after passing through the sieving holes of the upper sieve, tend to pass through the lower sieve as well.
[0010] Therefore, in the recovery process, resin can be efficiently recovered by collecting the resin fragments that have passed through the upper and lower sieves.
[0011] (2) In a top view, each sieve hole of the upper sieve does not overlap with any of the sieve holes of the lower sieve. The resin recovery method described in (1) above.
[0012] With this configuration, the lower end of the harness passing through the upper sieve is more likely to come into contact with parts of the lower sieve other than the sieve holes. As a result, the harness becomes less likely to pass through the lower sieve.
[0013] (3) In a top view, the upper sieve has sieve holes in a predetermined first region, while it does not have sieve holes in a predetermined second region. In a top view, the lower sieve does not have sieve holes in the first region, but has sieve holes in the second region. The resin recovery method described in (2) above.
[0014] In this configuration, when viewed from above, the first region containing the sieve holes of the upper sieve does not overlap with the second region containing the sieve holes of the lower sieve, making it more difficult for harness pieces to pass through the sieve holes of the lower sieve.
[0015] (4) In a top view, the second region is an annular region surrounding the first region from the outside. The resin recovery method described in (3) above.
[0016] According to this configuration, resin fragments that pass through the sieve holes in the first region of the upper sieve and fall into the first region of the lower sieve can more easily reach the second region R2 surrounding the first region, thereby making it easier for them to reach the sieve holes of the lower sieve.
[0017] (5) The sieving device is equipped with a vibrating device that vibrates the upper sieve and the lower sieve on both sides in the rotational direction with respect to the vertical axis, In the sieving process, the harness and the resin pieces are sieved by vibrations from the vibrating device. The resin recovery method described in (4) above.
[0018] In this configuration, resin pieces that fall from the sieve holes in the first region of the upper sieve into the lower sieve are guided outward, i.e., towards the second region, by centrifugal force caused by vibrations on both sides in the rotational direction with the vertical axis as the axis. This makes it easier to guide these resin pieces into the sieve holes of the lower sieve.
[0019] (6) In the sieving process, a cylindrical body opening in the vertical direction is placed on the first region of the upper sieve, and the harness and the resin pieces are fed into the sieving device by putting them into the cylindrical body. The resin recovery method according to any one of (3) to (5) above.
[0020] According to this configuration, the harness and the resin pieces can be efficiently guided to the sieve holes of the upper sieve.
[0021] (7) Before the crushing step, a cutting step of cutting the harness into a plurality of harness pieces is included. In the cutting step, the harness is cut so that the length of the harness piece with the resin product is longer than the distance between the upper sieve and the lower sieve. In the crushing step, the harness piece with the resin product is put into the crusher. The resin recovery method according to any one of (1) to (6) above.
[0022] In the cutting step, by cutting the harness into a plurality of harness pieces, it is possible to make it difficult for the harness to get caught in the striking part. Therefore, the output of the crusher can be suppressed. Moreover, in this cutting step, the harness is cut so that the length of the harness piece with the resin product is longer than the distance between the upper sieve and the lower sieve. Therefore, in the sieving step, it is possible to ensure that the lower end of the harness piece abuts against the lower sieve while the harness piece is passing through the sieve holes of the upper sieve.
[0023] (8) A resin recovery system for recovering resin from a resin-attached harness as a harness with a resin product, A crusher having a striking part that rotates around a predetermined axis, and when the resin-attached harness is input, the resin product is crushed into resin pieces by the striking part to remove the resin product from the harness, A sieving device having an upper sieve and a lower sieve provided below it, and when the harness and the resin pieces are input, the harness stays above the lower sieve and the resin pieces pass through the upper sieve and the lower sieve, A resin recovery system comprising.
[0024] According to the system configuration described above, method (1) can be implemented. As a result, resin can be efficiently recovered from harnesses with resin products. [Effects of the Invention]
[0025] As described above, according to the method in (1) and the system in (8), resin can be efficiently recovered from harnesses with resin products. Furthermore, according to the methods in (2) to (7) that refer to (1), additional effects can be obtained. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0026] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing the resin recovery system of this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing a crusher. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing a sieving device. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the upper and lower sieves. [Figure 5] This is a top view showing the upper and lower sieves. [Figure 6] This is a front cross-sectional view showing the upper and lower sieves, specifically a cross-section along the line fg6-fg6 in Figure 5. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0027] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited in any way to the following embodiments and can be implemented with appropriate modifications without departing from the spirit of the invention.
[0028] [First Embodiment] The resin recovery system 40 shown in Figure 1 is a system for recovering resin from a harness 90 with resin products 95 attached, which is a harness 92 to which resin products 95 such as connectors are attached. The harness 92 is, for example, a corrugated tube or copper wire. The resin product 95 is a resin product made of hard resin, such as a connector or circuit board component. More specifically, examples of resins contained in the resin product 95 include polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyamide (PA), and polypropylene (PP).
[0029] This resin recovery system 40 includes a crusher 20 and a sieving device 30.
[0030] The crusher 20 shown in Figure 2 is a cross-flow shredder or the like used to remove the contents from the casing. This crusher 20 comprises a storage container 22, a rotating body 24, multiple striking parts 25, and a discharge port 28. Hereafter, the centerline of the crusher 20 will be referred to as "centerline CL2". More specifically, this centerline CL2 is the centerline of the storage container 22.
[0031] The containment container 22 is a cylindrical container with the length of the center line CL2 as the vertical direction. The rotating body 24 is rotatably mounted at the center of the bottom of the containment container 22, around the center line CL2 as its axis. Each striking part 25 is a chain or the like, with one end attached to the rotating body 24. Thus, each striking part 25 rotates together with the rotating body 24 around the center line CL2 as its axis within the containment container 22. In this embodiment, the length of each striking part 25 is approximately 400 mm.
[0032] As shown in Figure 3, the sieving device 30 comprises a housing 32, an upper sieve 33, a lower sieve 34, and a vibrating device 39. Hereinafter, the centerline of the sieving device 30 will be referred to as "centerline CL3". More specifically, centerline CL3 is the centerline of the housing 32.
[0033] As shown in Figure 4, both the upper sieve 33 and the lower sieve 34 are circular in shape when viewed from above, with their centers positioned on the center line CL3. As shown in Figure 3, the housing 32 is a bottomed cylindrical container with the length of the center line CL3 as the vertical direction, and it opens upwards. The upper sieve 33 is fixed to the upper end of the housing 32 in a manner that closes the opening. The lower sieve 34 is fixed to the middle of the housing 32 in the vertical direction. Therefore, the lower sieve 34 is located below the upper sieve 33. In this embodiment, the distance Gp between the upper sieve 33 and the lower sieve 34 shown in Figure 4 is approximately 150 mm. As shown in Figure 3, an outlet 36 is provided on the side of the part of the housing 32 located below the lower sieve 34.
[0034] As shown in Figure 5 below, in a top view, a predetermined circular region centered on the center line CL3 is referred to as the "first region R1". In this embodiment, the diameter of this first region R1 is approximately 180 mm. In the following, in a top view, a predetermined annular region surrounding the first region R1 is referred to as the "second region R2". That is, both the inner and outer edges of this annular second region R2 are circles centered on the center line CL3. In this embodiment, the diameter of the inner edge of this second region R2 is approximately 230 mm.
[0035] As shown in Figure 4, the upper sieve 33 has sieve holes 33h in the first region R1, but does not have sieve holes 33h in the region including the second region R2. On the other hand, the lower sieve 34 does not have sieve holes 34h in the region including the first region R1, but has sieve holes 34h in the second region R2. Therefore, in the top view shown in Figure 5, each sieve hole 33h of the upper sieve 33 does not overlap with any of the sieve holes 34h of the lower sieve 34.
[0036] More specifically, in this embodiment, both the upper sieve 33 and the lower sieve 34 shown in Figure 4 are constructed based on the same sieve. The mesh size of the sieve is, for example, about 10 mm. The upper sieve 33 has an annular mesh 33e in a top view, located outside the first region R1, that is, in the region including the second region R2. Therefore, the upper sieve 33, including this mesh 33e, does not have sieve holes 33h in regions other than the first region R1, that is, in the region including the second region R2. On the other hand, the lower sieve 34 has a circular mesh 34e in a top view, located inside the second region R2, that is, in the region including the first region R1. Therefore, the lower sieve 34, including this mesh 34e, does not have sieve holes 34h in regions other than the second region R2, that is, in the region including the first region R1.
[0037] The vibrating device 39 shown in Figure 3 is configured to vibrate integrally with the housing 32, the upper sieve 33, and the lower sieve 34, on both sides in the rotational direction Dr around the center line CL3. Multiple springs 38 are attached between the vibrating device 39 and the housing 32 to allow relative vertical movement of the housing 32 relative to the vibrating device 39.
[0038] Next, the resin recovery method of this embodiment, which is performed using the resin recovery system 40 described above, will be explained. As shown in Figure 1, the resin recovery method includes a cutting step S1, a crushing step S2, a sieving step S3, and a recovery step S4.
[0039] First, in the cutting process S1, the worker cuts each of the multiple harnesses 92 into multiple harness pieces 92p. At this time, the length L of the harness piece 92p with the resin product 95 attached is set to be approximately 500 mm. Thus, the length of the harness piece 92p with the resin product 95 attached is longer than the distance Gp (approximately 150 mm) between the upper sieve 33 and the lower sieve 34 shown in Figure 4. Note that "harness piece 92p" can be read as "harness" since it refers to the cut harness 92. Also, "harness piece 92p with resin product 95 attached" can be read as "harness with resin product attached".
[0040] Next, in the crushing process S2 shown in Figure 1, the worker puts the harness pieces 92p with the resin product 95 attached into the crusher 20. On the other hand, the harness pieces 92p without the resin product 95 attached are disposed of or otherwise disposed of without being put into the crusher 20.
[0041] Subsequently, in the crushing process S2, the worker operates the crusher 20 shown in Figure 2. This causes the rotating body 24 to rotate together with the multiple striking parts 25. The striking parts 25 then crush each resin product 95 into multiple resin pieces 95p. Most of these resin pieces 95p flow into the discharge port 28 and are discharged from the discharge port 28. After that, the worker stops the operation of the crusher 20 and removes as many harness pieces 92p as possible from the storage container 22 for disposal, etc. Then, the worker pours the remaining mixture of harness pieces 92p and resin pieces 95p from the storage container 22 into the discharge port 28.
[0042] Subsequently, in the sieving process S3 shown in Figure 1, an operator feeds the harness pieces 92p and resin pieces 95p discharged from the discharge port 28 into the sieving device 30. At this time, as shown in Figure 3, a cylindrical body 31 with an opening in the vertical direction is placed on the first region R1 of the upper sieve 33. By feeding the harness pieces 92p and resin pieces 95p into the cylindrical body 31, a mixture of harness pieces 92p and resin pieces 95p is fed into the sieving device 30.
[0043] Subsequently, in the sieving process S3, the worker performs the sieving operation by operating the vibrating device 39. At this time, as shown in Figure 6, most of the resin pieces 95p pass through the sieving holes 33h of the upper sieve 33 and the sieving holes 34h of the lower sieve 34 in sequence and fall downward. As a result, most of the resin pieces 95p flow into the discharge port 36 shown in Figure 3 and are discharged from the discharge port 36. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6, most of the harness pieces 92p, while passing through the sieving holes 33h of the upper sieve 33, have their lower ends come into contact with the sealing 34e of the lower sieve 34. In other words, the lower ends of the harness pieces 92p come into contact with the part of the lower sieve 34 where there are no sieving holes 34h. As a result, most of these harness pieces 92p remain above the lower sieve 34.
[0044] Subsequently, in the recovery process S4 shown in Figure 1, the worker recovers the resin fragments 95p discharged from the discharge port 36 of the sieving device 30. On the other hand, the harness fragments 92p that remain between the upper sieve 33 and the lower sieve 34 are disposed of or otherwise treated.
[0045] The configuration and effects of this embodiment are summarized below.
[0046] As shown in Figure 2, in the crushing process S2, the resin product 95 is crushed into resin pieces 95p by the striking unit 25. This allows the resin product 95 to be efficiently removed from the harness piece 92p. On the other hand, the harness piece 92p is flexible and therefore difficult to crush by the striking unit 25.
[0047] In the subsequent sieving process S3 shown in Figure 6, the harness pieces 92p and resin pieces 95p are fed into the sieving device 30 and subjected to sieving. At this time, because the harness piece 92p is long and slender, its lower end easily comes into contact with the lower sieve 34 while it is passing through the sieving holes 33h of the upper sieve 33. As a result, the harness piece 92p tends to remain in this state and has difficulty passing through the lower sieve 34. On the other hand, the resin piece 95p, after passing through the sieving holes 33h of the upper sieve 33, also easily passes through the sieving holes 34h of the lower sieve 34.
[0048] Therefore, in the subsequent recovery process S4, the resin can be efficiently recovered by recovering the resin fragments 95p that have passed through the upper sieve 33 and the lower sieve 34.
[0049] In the top view shown in Figure 5, each sieve hole 33h of the upper sieve 33 does not overlap with any of the sieve holes 34h of the lower sieve 34. As a result, as shown in Figure 6, the harness 92 that has passed through the upper sieve 33 is more likely to come into contact with parts of the lower sieve 34 other than the sieve holes 34h. This makes it more difficult for the harness 92 to pass through the lower sieve 34.
[0050] Specifically, in the top view shown in Figure 5, the upper sieve 33 has sieve holes 33h in the first region R1, but does not have sieve holes 33h in the second region R2. On the other hand, the lower sieve 34 does not have sieve holes 34h in the first region R1, but does have sieve holes 34h in the second region R2. In this way, in the top view, the first region R1 where the sieve holes 33h of the upper sieve 33 are located does not overlap with the second region R2 where the sieve holes 34h of the lower sieve 34 are located, making it more difficult for the harness piece 92p to pass through the sieve holes 34h of the lower sieve 34.
[0051] More specifically, in the top view shown in Figure 5, the second region R2 is an annular region surrounding the first region R1. As a result, resin fragments 95p that pass through the sieve holes 33h in the first region R1 of the upper sieve 33 shown in Figure 4 and fall into the first region R1 of the lower sieve 34 can more easily reach the second region R2 surrounding the first region R1, thereby making it easier for them to reach the sieve holes 34h of the lower sieve 34.
[0052] As shown in Figure 3, the sieving device 30 includes a vibrator 39 that vibrates the upper sieve 33 and the lower sieve 34 in both rotational directions Dr about the vertical axis. In the sieving process S3, the vibration by the vibrator 39 causes the harness pieces 92p and resin pieces 95p to be sieved. As a result, the resin pieces 95p that fall from the sieve holes 33h in the first region R1 of the upper sieve 33 into the lower sieve 34 are guided outward, i.e., towards the second region R2, by the centrifugal force caused by the vibration in both rotational directions Dr about the vertical axis. This makes it easier to guide these resin pieces 95p into the sieve holes 34h of the lower sieve 34.
[0053] In the sieving process S3, a cylindrical body 31 with an opening in the vertical direction is placed on the first region R1 of the upper sieve 33 shown in Figure 3. The mixture of harness pieces 92p and resin pieces 95p is then placed into the cylindrical body 31. This allows the mixture of harness pieces 92p and resin pieces 95p to be efficiently guided into the sieve holes 33h of the upper sieve 33.
[0054] In the cutting process S1 shown in Figure 1, the harness 92 is cut into multiple harness pieces 92p, making it less likely for the harness 92 to get entangled in the striking section 25 shown in Figure 2. This allows the output of the crusher 20 to be suppressed. To more reliably obtain this effect, it is preferable that the length L of the harness piece 92p be 2.0 times or less the length of the striking section 25, and more preferably 1.5 times or less.
[0055] Furthermore, in the cutting process S1 shown in Figure 1, the harness 92 is cut such that the length L of the harness piece 92p to which the resin product 95 is attached is longer than the distance Gp between the upper sieve 33 and the lower sieve 34 shown in Figure 6. As a result, in the sieving process S3 shown in Figure 6, it is possible to ensure that the lower end of the harness piece 92p contacts the lower sieve 34 while the harness piece 92p is being inserted through the sieve hole 33h of the upper sieve 33. To obtain this effect more reliably, it is preferable to make the length L of the harness piece 92p 1.5 times or more the distance Gp, and more preferably 2.0 times or more.
[0056] [Other embodiments] The embodiments described above can be modified as follows, for example. If there is no concern that the harness 92 will get entangled in the striking section 25 even if the cutting step S1 shown in Figure 1 is eliminated, the cutting step S1 may be eliminated and the harness 90 with the resin product attached may be fed directly into the crusher 20.
[0057] Unlike the case shown in Figure 5, in a top view, for example, the sieve holes 33h of the upper sieve 33 and the sieve holes 34h of the lower sieve 34 may be arranged alternately in sequence so that each sieve hole 33h of the upper sieve 33 does not overlap with any of the sieve holes 34h of the lower sieve 34. However, preferably, as shown in Figure 5, the first region R1 where the sieve holes 33h of the upper sieve 33 are located does not overlap with the second region R2 where the sieve holes 34h of the lower sieve 34 are located. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0058] 20 Crusher 25 Hitting Department 30 Sieve device 31. Cylindrical body 33 Upper sieve 33h Sieve holes of the upper sieve 34 Lower sieve 34h Sieve holes of the lower sieve 39 Vibration device 40 Resin recovery system 90 Harness with resin products 92 Harness 92p harness piece 95 Resin products 95p resin piece Gp: Spacing between the upper and lower sieves. Length of harness piece with L resin product attached R1 1st area R2 2nd area S1 Cutting process S2 crushing process S3 Sieving process S4 Recovery Process
Claims
1. A resin recovery method for recovering resin from a harness with a resin product attached, which is a harness with a resin product attached, A crushing step in which the resin product harness is fed into a crusher having a striking part that rotates around a predetermined axis, and the resin product is crushed into resin pieces by the striking part, A sieving device having an upper sieve and a lower sieve located below it, comprising a sieving step of feeding the harness and the resin piece into the sieve from above the upper sieve, A recovery step for recovering the resin pieces that have passed through the upper sieve and the lower sieve, A resin recovery method that includes [specific components].
2. In a top view, each sieve hole of the upper sieve does not overlap with any of the sieve holes of the lower sieve. The resin recovery method according to claim 1.
3. In a top view, the upper sieve has sieve holes in a predetermined first region, while it does not have sieve holes in a predetermined second region. In a top view, the lower sieve does not have sieve holes in the first region, while it has sieve holes in the second region. The resin recovery method according to claim 2.
4. In a top view, the second region is an annular region surrounding the first region from the periphery. The resin recovery method according to claim 3.
5. The sieving device includes a vibrating device that vibrates the upper sieve and the lower sieve on both sides in the rotational direction with the vertical axis as the axis, In the sieving process, the harness and the resin pieces are sieved by vibrations from the vibrating device. The resin recovery method according to claim 4.
6. In the sieving process, a cylindrical body with an opening in the vertical direction is placed on the first region of the upper sieve, and the harness and the resin pieces are fed into the sieving device by placing them into the cylindrical body. The resin recovery method according to claim 3.
7. Prior to the crushing step, the process includes a cutting step in which the harness is cut into multiple harness pieces. In the cutting step, the harness is cut such that the length of the harness piece to which the resin product is attached is longer than the distance between the upper sieve and the lower sieve. In the crushing step, the harness piece with the resin product attached is fed into the crusher. The resin recovery method according to claim 1.
8. A resin recovery system for recovering resin from a harness with a resin product attached, which is a harness with a resin product attached, A crusher having a striking part that rotates around a predetermined axis, which, when a harness with a resin product attached is fed into it, crushes the resin product into resin pieces with the striking part to remove the resin product from the harness, A sieving device having an upper sieve and a lower sieve located below it, wherein when the harness and the resin piece are fed in, the harness remains above the lower sieve, and the resin piece passes through the upper and lower sieves, A resin recovery system equipped with [the following features].