Method for manufacturing processed film, method for manufacturing recycled resin raw materials, method for manufacturing recycled film, and film processing apparatus

Abstract

The present invention provides a manufacturing method for producing a processed film from which the functional layer has been thoroughly removed from a tubular film. [Solution] The method for manufacturing a processed film provided herein includes preparing a film roll around which a tubular film containing a functional layer and having a sealed portion where both ends in the width direction are overlapped and sealed in the longitudinal direction is wound; unwinding the tubular film from the film roll; cutting the tubular film unwound from the film roll in the longitudinal direction; unfolding the tubular film cut in the longitudinal direction into a sheet to obtain a sheet film; and manufacturing a processed film by removing the functional layer from the sheet film.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a processed film, a method for manufacturing a recycled resin raw material, a method for manufacturing a recycled film, and a film processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] [[ID=1D]] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for recycling a recycled resin raw material from a roll-shaped resin film such as unused inventory. In Patent Document 1, after the ink layer is removed from such a resin film, a recycled resin raw material is produced. Further, in Patent Document 1, examples of the resin film wound in a roll shape include a sheet (single sheet) film and a tubular film before being attached to a container such as a PET bottle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In many film products, various functional layers such as a printing layer, a matte layer, a protective layer, a slip layer, a barrier layer, a light-shielding layer, an ultraviolet absorption layer, a metal film, an easy-adhesion layer, a release layer, an antistatic layer, and a conductive layer are laminated on a resin film body. When manufacturing recycled products using waste materials of such films, various components contained in the functional layers may deteriorate the quality of the recycled products. For example, when transparency is required for the recycled product, the colorant contained in the printing layer may reduce the transparency of the recycled product. Therefore, when recycling waste materials of films, it may be important to firmly remove the functional layers from the waste materials of the films in advance. However, removing the functional layers from a tubular film has not conventionally been easy.

[0005] [[ID=3B]] An object of the present invention is to produce a processed film from which the functional layer has been thoroughly removed from a tubular film. Another object of the present invention is to produce a recycled resin raw material with less foreign matter contamination originating from the functional layer using such a processed film, and further to produce a recycled film with less foreign matter contamination originating from the functional layer using such a recycled resin raw material. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a film processing apparatus suitable for producing such a processed film. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Item 1. Prepare a film roll in which a tubular film is wound, which includes a functional layer and has a sealed portion where both ends in the width direction are overlapped and sealed in the longitudinal direction, Unwinding the tubular film from the film roll, Cutting the tubular film unwound from the film roll in the longitudinal direction, The tubular film, cut in the longitudinal direction, is unfolded into a sheet to obtain a sheet-like film. To manufacture a treated film by removing the functional layer from the aforementioned sheet-like film. A method for manufacturing a processed film, including

[0007] Item 2. Cutting the tubular film in the longitudinal direction includes cutting the tubular film in the longitudinal direction at or near the sealing portion. A method for manufacturing the treated film described in item 1.

[0008] Item 3. Cutting the tubular film in the longitudinal direction includes removing the sealing portion from the tubular film. A method for manufacturing the treated film described in item 2.

[0009] Item 4. Transporting the tubular film unwound from the film roll in a flat, folded state, The process involves transporting the flattened cylindrical film while unfolding it into a three-dimensional shape, The tubular film, which is in a three-dimensionally unfolded state, is transported and then folded flat again. It further includes, Folding the tubular film flat again means folding the tubular film, which is in a three-dimensionally unfolded state, flat again so that the sealing portion is aligned with one end of the tubular film in the width direction when it is folded flat again. Cutting the tubular film in the longitudinal direction means cutting the tubular film, which has been folded flat again, in the longitudinal direction at or near the seal portion aligned with one end in the width direction. A method for manufacturing a treated film as described in item 2 or 3.

[0010] Item 5. Manufacturing recycled resin raw materials using the treated film manufactured by any of the manufacturing methods described in Items 1 to 4 as a starting material. A method for producing recycled resin raw materials, including those mentioned above.

[0011] Item 6. Manufacturing a recycled film using the recycled resin raw material produced by the manufacturing method described in Item 5 as at least part of the raw material. A method for manufacturing recycled film, including the following.

[0012] Item 7. An unwinding unit for unwinding a tubular film from a film roll on which a tubular film is wound, which includes a functional layer and has a sealed portion where both ends in the width direction are overlapped and sealed in the longitudinal direction, A cutting section for cutting the tubular film unwound from the film roll in the longitudinal direction, A spreading section that unfolds the tubular film cut in the longitudinal direction into a sheet, A film processing apparatus equipped with [a specific feature]. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to produce a processed film from which a functional layer has been firmly removed from a tubular film. Further, a recycled resin raw material with less foreign matter contamination derived from the functional layer can be produced using such a processed film, and furthermore, a recycled film with less foreign matter contamination derived from the functional layer can be produced using such a recycled resin raw material. Also, a film processing apparatus suitable for producing such a processed film is provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] [Figure 1] A block diagram schematically showing a resource recycling system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] A cross-sectional view of a waste film according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] A side view showing an example of a processing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] A plan view of the unfolding device included in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] A perspective view of the periphery of the position adjustment mechanism included in FIGS. 3 and 4. [Figure 6] A cross-sectional view of a waste film cut by a cutting mechanism according to an embodiment. [Figure 7A] A cross-sectional view of a waste film cut by a cutting mechanism according to a modification. [Figure 7B] A cross-sectional view of a waste film cut by a cutting mechanism according to another modification. [Figure 7C] A cross-sectional view of a waste film cut by a cutting mechanism according to yet another modification.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and their description will not be repeated. Also, the drawings are schematically drawn with appropriate omissions or exaggerations of the subject for easy understanding.

[0016] [1. Configuration of the Resource Recycling System] In recent years, marine pollution caused by plastic waste has become a global problem. Resource recycling is attracting attention as a means of addressing such problems. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a resource recycling system S1 that uses the method for manufacturing the processed film 2, the method for manufacturing recycled resin raw material 3, and the method for manufacturing the recycled film 4 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, in the resource recycling system S1, waste film (hereinafter referred to as "waste film") 1 is recycled and recycled resin raw material 3 is manufactured. Various resin products can be manufactured from the recycled resin raw material 3, for example, new film (hereinafter referred to as "recycled film") 4 can be manufactured. The waste film 1 is a packaging material in the form of film or label that can be used in various fields such as food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, medical products, chemicals, cosmetics, toiletries, industrial products, and agricultural products. The recycled film 4 can also be a similar packaging material.

[0017] Although not limited to this, the waste film 1 is, for example, a heat-shrinkable film in its state before heat shrinkage. In this case, the waste film 1 may be, for example, a uniaxially oriented film that shrinks mainly in the width direction (TD; Transverse Direction). The heat shrinkage rate of the waste film 1 in the main shrinkage direction can be appropriately selected depending on the application, but it is preferably 30% or more, and more preferably 50% or more, when immersed in 90°C hot water for 10 seconds.

[0018] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the waste film 1 according to this embodiment. The waste film 1 has a resin film body 11 and functional layers 12 and 13 laminated on both sides of the film body 11, respectively. The film body 11 is transparent or translucent, although it is not limited to these. The functional layers 12 and 13 are, for example, a printing layer, a matte layer, a protective layer (e.g., an overcoat layer, a hardcoat layer, etc.), a smooth layer (e.g., an innercoat layer, an antiblocking layer, etc.), a barrier layer, a light-shielding layer, an ultraviolet-absorbing layer, a metal film, an easy-adhesion layer, a release layer, an antistatic layer, a conductive layer, etc. Of these, the printing layer is a layer for applying a pattern to the film body 11 and contains a coloring component (colorant) such as ink. The pattern consists of, for example, a design, letters, symbols (e.g., a barcode), or a combination thereof. The printing layer is formed, for example, by using a gravure printing plate.

[0019] The waste film 1 is, for example, unused, intermediate processed, leftover, defective, prototype, or discarded film. The waste film 1 is, for example, waste film used for packaging the target product. The waste film 1 includes, as at least one of the functional layers 12, 13, a printed layer on which information about the target product is printed. The waste film 1 is formed into a tubular shape and is used to cover containers such as plastic containers, glass containers, and paper containers from the outside, thereby packaging the container. If the waste film 1 is a heat-shrinkable film, it shrinks when heated and is attached to the container by, for example, conforming to the outer surface of the container along its outer shape. The waste film 1 is formed into a tubular shape by overlapping both ends of a sheet-like film in the width direction (TD) and sealing the overlapped portion in the longitudinal direction (MD; Machine Direction). Therefore, the waste film 1 has a sealed portion SP extending in the longitudinal direction. The sealed portion SP is the part where both ends of the sheet-like film in the width direction are overlapped and sealed in the longitudinal direction. The waste film 1 is a long, tubular film that is wound up for storage and handling purposes and managed in the form of a film roll R1. When the tubular waste film 1 is wound up on the film roll R1, it is folded flat.

[0020] The thickness of the film body 11 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the application, but is preferably 10 μm or more, more preferably 12 μm or more, and even more preferably 15 μm or more. Furthermore, the thickness of the film body 11 is preferably 60 μm or less, more preferably 50 μm or less, and even more preferably 40 μm or less. The film body 11 may be a single layer or a multilayer. The film body 11 may contain layers mixed with different types of resin. Furthermore, the film body 11 may contain multiple layers, each containing a different type of resin. Furthermore, each layer constituting the film body 11 may contain components other than resin. Each layer constituting the film body 11 may contain various additives. Examples of additives include antiblocking agents, heat stabilizers, antioxidants, ultraviolet absorbers, light stabilizers, lubricants, antistatic agents, flame retardants, antibacterial agents, and fluorescent whitening agents.

[0021] Examples of the types of resins contained in the film body 11 include polyolefin resins, polystyrene resins, polyamide resins, and polyester resins. Examples of polyolefin resins include polypropylene, polyethylene, and cyclic polyolefin resins. Examples of polypropylene resins include binary or ternary random copolymers with propylene as the main component and ethylene, butene, and α-olefin as copolymer components. Specifically, α-olefins are preferably composed of ethylene, 1-butene, 1-hexene, 1-octene, etc., and may contain two or more types of α-olefins. Furthermore, the polypropylene resin may be a mixture of different propylene-α-olefin random copolymers. Examples of polyethylene resins include branched low-density polyethylene resins, linear low-density polyethylene resins, high-density polyethylene resins, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, ionomer resins, or mixtures thereof. Also, copolymers of ethylene and α-olefins are used. Examples of α-olefins include propylene, 1-butene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 4-methyl-1-pentene, and 1-octene. The copolymer may be a random copolymer or a block copolymer. Examples of cyclic polyolefin resins include (a) copolymers of ethylene or propylene with cyclic olefins (e.g., norbornene and its derivatives, or tetracyclododecene and its derivatives), (b) ring-opened polymers of the cyclic olefin or copolymers with α-olefins, (c) hydrogenated polymers of (b), and (d) graft-modified products of (a) to (c) using unsaturated carboxylic acids and their derivatives. The above-mentioned cyclic olefins are not particularly limited, and specific examples include norbornene, 6-methylnorbornene, 6-ethylnorbornene, 5-propylnorbornene, 6-n-butylnorbornene, 1-methylnorbornene, 7-methylnorbornene, 5,6-dimethylnorbornene, 5-phenylnorbornene, and 5-benzylnorbornene.Examples of polystyrene resins include homopolymers of styrene monomers and copolymers consisting of styrene monomers and other monomers (conjugated dienes, aliphatic unsaturated carboxylic acid esters, etc.). Specifically, these include aromatic vinyl hydrocarbon-conjugated diene copolymers, mixed resins of aromatic vinyl hydrocarbon-conjugated diene copolymers and aromatic vinyl hydrocarbon-aliphatic unsaturated carboxylic acid ester copolymers, and rubber-modified impact-resistant polystyrene. More specifically, these include styrene-butadiene copolymers, styrene-isoprene copolymers, styrene-isoprene-butadiene copolymers, styrene-acrylic copolymers, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers, acrylonitrile-styrene copolymers, general-purpose polystyrene (GPPS), and highly branched polystyrene. Examples of polyamide resins include aliphatic polyamides, aromatic polyamides, amorphous polyamides, and polyamide elastomers. Examples of the above-mentioned aliphatic polyamides include aliphatic nylon and its copolymers, specifically polycapramide (nylon-6), poly-ω-aminoheptanoic acid (nylon-7), poly-ω-aminononanoic acid (nylon-9), polyundecaneamide (nylon-11), polylauryl lactam (nylon-12), polyethylenediamine adipamide (nylon-2,6), polytetramethylene adipamide (nylon-4,6), polyhexamethylene adipamide (nylon-6,6), polyhexamethylene sevacamide (nylon-6,10), polyhexamethylene dodecamide (nylon-6,12), polyoctamethylene adipamide (nylon-8,6), polydecamethylene adipamide (nylon-10,8), etc. Examples of polyester resins include those obtained by condensation polymerization of a dicarboxylic acid component and a diol component. The types of dicarboxylic acid components mentioned above are not particularly limited, and examples include terephthalic acid, o-phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, succinic acid, adipic acid, sebacic acid, azelaic acid, octyl succinic acid, cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid, naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, itaconic acid, decamethylenecarboxylic acid, their anhydrides, and lower alkyl esters.The types of diol components listed above are not particularly limited, and include ethylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, diethylene glycol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, dipropylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-butanediol, 2,3-butanediol, neopentyl glycol (2,2-dimethylpropane-1,3-diol), 1,2-hexanediol, 2,5- Examples include aliphatic diols such as hexanediol, 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol, 3-methyl-1,3-pentanediol, 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol, and polytetramethylene ether glycol; 2,2-bis(4-hydroxycyclohexyl)propane; alkylene oxide adducts of 2,2-bis(4-hydroxycyclohexyl)propane; and alicyclic diols such as 1,4-cyclohexanediol and 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol.

[0022] The thickness of each of the functional layers 12 and 13 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the application, but is preferably 1 μm to 15 μm, more preferably 2 μm to 10 μm, and even more preferably 5 μm to 8 μm. Each of the functional layers 12 and 13 may be a single layer or a multilayer. The functional layers 12 and 13 may be the same type of layer or different types of layers. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the functional layers are laminated on both sides of the film body 11, but the functional layers may be laminated on only one side of the film body 11. That is, one of the functional layers 12 or 13 may be omitted.

[0023] Referring again to Figure 1, the resource recycling system S1 comprises a processing device 10, a recycled resin raw material 3 manufacturing device 20, and a film manufacturing device 30. Figure 3 is a side view showing an example of the processing device 10. In terms of how to use the processing device 10, first, a film roll R1 on which waste film 1 is wound is prepared and set in the processing device 10. Next, the waste film 1 is unwound from the film roll R1, the unwound waste film 1 is processed, and processed film 2 is manufactured. The processed film 2 is obtained by removing the functional layers 12 and 13 from a sheet-like film 1A which is obtained by unfolding the tubular waste film 1 into a sheet-like shape.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, the processing apparatus 10 comprises a spreading device 40 and a removal device 50. The spreading device 40 is a device that cuts the tubular waste film 1 unwound from the film roll R1 in the longitudinal direction and spreads the longitudinally cut waste film 1 into a sheet shape to obtain a sheet-like film 1A. Since the waste film 1 is cut in the longitudinal direction, the sheet-like film 1A is also a long film similar to the waste film 1. The removal device 50 is a device that obtains a processed film 2 by removing the functional layers 12 and 13 from the sheet-like film 1A. The functional layers 12 and 13 are removed to prevent a decrease in the functionality of the recycled resin raw material 3 and the recycled film 4 manufactured from the recycled resin raw material 3 by mixing them with the recycled resin raw material 3. Typically, the processed film 2 does not have the functional layers 12 and 13 and consists only of the film body 11, but some of the functional layers 12 and 13 may remain.

[0025] In the resource recycling system S1, the manufacturing device 20 further produces recycled resin raw material 3 from the processed film 2. The manufacturing device 20 uses the processed film 2 produced by the processing device 10 as the starting material to produce recycled resin raw material 3. Recycled resin raw material 3 is a resin raw material obtained by processing the processed film 2 into a shape that is easy to handle when producing recycled film 4 from the processed film 2. Specifically, recycled resin raw material 3 can be in the form of fluff 3a, pellets 3b, powder 3c, granules 3d, etc. There is a type of pellet 3b that is produced by heating and melting the raw material and then solidifying it, but granules 3d are different from such types of pellets 3b; they are lumps that are compressed and solidified without heating and melting the powdered raw material. Furthermore, recycled resin raw materials 3, such as fluff 3a, powder 3c, or granules 3d, which are manufactured without heating and melting the raw materials, may be more susceptible to thermal degradation than recycled resin raw materials 3, such as the pellets 3b described above, which are manufactured by heating and melting the raw materials and then solidifying them, because they do not undergo excessive thermal history such as heating and melting during processing.

[0026] The processed film 2 can be processed into fluff 3a by, for example, using a known crusher, shredder, cutter, etc., to finely chop the processed film 2. The size (area) of fluff 3a is 500 mm². 2 The following is preferable: 300mm 2 The following is more preferable: 200mm 2 The following is even more preferable: 100 mm 2 The following are particularly preferable.

[0027] The processed film 2 can be processed into pellets 3b using, for example, a known resin pellet manufacturing machine. For example, fluff 3a can be supplied to an extruder, heated and melted in the extruder, then extruded through a die, and the extruded material can be cut into an appropriate shape to produce pellets 3b. Note that pellets 3b may be manufactured not only from the processed film 2 (fluff 3a) but also from virgin resin raw materials and / or chemically recycled resin raw materials (hereinafter referred to as virgin resin raw materials, etc.). In this case, virgin resin raw materials, etc., are supplied to the extruder in addition to fluff 3a.

[0028] The processed film 2 can be processed into powder 3c by, for example, the following method. First, the fluff 3a is immersed in a suitable solvent to dissolve the resin components contained in the fluff 3a in the solvent, thereby generating a solution containing the resin components. Then, the resin components are precipitated by cooling the solution, mixing it with a poor solvent, and / or heating the solution to evaporate the solvent. After that, the precipitated resin components is dried to produce powder 3c.

[0029] The processed film 2 can be processed into granules 3d, for example, by drying the resin component precipitates described above while stirring them under vacuum. Alternatively, the granules 3d can also be manufactured using a known granulator. In this case, the resin component precipitates or powder 3c described above can be fed into the granulator.

[0030] In the resource recycling system S1, recycled film 4 is further manufactured from recycled resin raw material 3 by the film manufacturing apparatus 30. The film manufacturing apparatus 30 is a device that manufactures recycled film 4 using recycled resin raw material 3 manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus 20. Known film formation methods can be used as processing methods for recycled film 4. For example, recycled resin raw material 3 may be supplied to an extruder, heated and melted in the extruder, and then extruded from a die. In this case, a laminated film can be manufactured by co-extrusion. After molding, the recycled film 4 may be stretched as appropriate to impart heat shrinkability and processed into a heat shrinkable film. In addition, functional layers such as functional layers 12 and 13 may be appropriately laminated onto the recycled film 4. The recycled film 4 is also typically a long sheet-like film, and from the viewpoint of storage and handling, it is preferable to wind it up and manage it in the form of a film roll R4.

[0031] The recycled film 4 may be manufactured using not only recycled resin raw material 3 but also virgin resin raw material, etc. In this case, for example, virgin resin raw material, etc., is supplied to the extruder in addition to recycled resin raw material 3. The recycled film 4 can be constructed in the same way as the film body 11 contained in the waste film 1 in terms of material, layer structure, and thickness, etc. Therefore, the above description of the film body 11 also applies to the recycled film 4. The recycled film 4 may be single-layered or multi-layered. If the recycled film 4 is multi-layered, recycled resin raw material 3 may be used in at least one layer contained in the recycled film 4, and at least another layer may be composed only of virgin resin raw material, etc., among virgin resin raw material, etc. and recycled resin raw material 3.

[0032] [2. Configuration of the processing equipment] Referring again to Figure 3, the configuration of the processing apparatus 10 will be described in detail. The unfolding apparatus 40 included in the processing apparatus 10 comprises an unwinding machine (an example of an unwinding section) 61, a winding machine 62, guide rollers 60, a position adjustment mechanism 70, a cutting mechanism (an example of a cutting section) 80, and an unfolding mechanism 90. The unwinding machine 61 is located at the uppermost part of the unfolding apparatus 40 and is a device that unwinds the waste film 1 from the film roll R1. The unwinding machine 61 has a shaft that rotatably holds the film roll R1. When the film roll R1 set on the shaft of the unwinding machine 61 rotates, the waste film 1 is unwound from the unwinding machine 61 and transported downstream. Numerous guide rollers 60 are installed in the transport path. At least some of the guide rollers 60 may be drive rollers. The waste film 1 is transported to the winding machine 62 located at the lowermost part of the unfolding apparatus 40, guided by these guide rollers 60. In this process, the tubular waste film 1 is processed into a sheet-like film 1A by passing through a position adjustment mechanism 70, a cutting mechanism 80, and a unfolding mechanism 90. The sheet-like film 1A is wound into a film roll R1A by a winding machine 62. The winding machine 62 has an axis (typically a drive axis) that rotatably holds the film roll R1A. In this embodiment, however, the unfolding device 40 is a device that processes tubular or sheet-like films while transporting them roll to roll.

[0033] Figure 4 is a plan view of the unfolding device 40 included in Figure 3. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the cylindrical waste film 1 unwound from the film roll R1 of the unwinding machine 61 is transported in a flat folded state (in other words, in a compressed state inside the cylinder) and reaches the position adjustment mechanism 70. The position adjustment mechanism 70 adjusts the circumferential position of the sealing portion SP in the waste film 1 in the flat folded state, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

[0034] Specifically, first, the position adjustment mechanism 70 unfolds the waste film 1, which is transported in a flat, folded state, into a three-dimensional shape. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the area around the position adjustment mechanism 70. As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the position adjustment mechanism 70 has a cylindrical member 71. A guide roller 60 (hereinafter referred to as 60A) is positioned directly upstream of the cylindrical member 71 (directly below in the examples of Figures 3 to 5). The waste film 1, which is wrapped around the guide roller 60A in a flat state, passes through the guide roller 60A and then covers the cylindrical member 71 from the outside, and is transported along the outer surface of the cylindrical member 71. That is, the cylindrical member 71 is inserted into the inner space of the waste film 1. As a result, the waste film 1, which was folded flat, unfolds into a three-dimensional cylindrical shape along the outer shape of the cylindrical member 71 (in other words, the inner space of the cylinder expands). In Figures 3 to 5, the portion of each element covered by the waste film 1 is shown by a dotted line. In Figures 4 and 5, for ease of explanation, the sealing portion SP is colored darker than the other portions of the waste film 1. Note that in Figures 4 and 5, the sealing portion SP on the upstream side of the cylindrical member 71 is not shown because it is located on the lower surface of the flatly folded waste film 1.

[0035] The position adjustment mechanism 70 folds the waste film 1, which is transported in a three-dimensionally unfolded state along the outer shape of the cylindrical member 71, flat again. A molding member 72 for flattening the waste film 1 is fixed directly downstream of the cylindrical member 71 (directly above in the examples of Figures 3 to 5). The molding member 72 is flat and positioned in a plane containing the central axis of the cylindrical member 71, and has a shape that is generally symmetrical with respect to the central axis of the cylindrical member 71. At the downstream end of the cylindrical member 71, the molding member 72 has a width less than or equal to the diameter of the cross-section of the cylindrical member 71, and widens as it moves away from the downstream end of the cylindrical member 71. The maximum width of the molding member 72 is wider than the diameter of the cross-section of the cylindrical member 71. The width of the molding member 72 referred to here is the width in the direction perpendicular to the central axis of the cylindrical member 71. In the examples shown in Figures 3 to 5, the molding member 72 is generally V-shaped, with the apex end of the V-shape roughly aligned with the center of the downstream opening of the cylindrical member 71. After passing through the cylindrical member 71, the waste film 1 is placed over the molding member 72 so as to cover it from the outside, and is transported along the outer surface of the molding member 72. That is, the molding member 72 is inserted into the inner space of the waste film 1. As a result, the waste film 1, which was unfolded into a three-dimensional cylindrical shape, is folded flat again along the outer shape of the molding member 72 (in other words, the inner space of the cylinder is compressed).

[0036] As described above, the molding member 72 folds the waste film 1, which is in a three-dimensionally unfolded state, flat again by aligning it with its own flat outer shape. At this time, the sealing portion SP of the waste film 1 is aligned with one end of the molding member 72 in the width direction. As a result, the sealing portion SP is aligned with one end of the waste film 1 in the width direction when it is folded flat again. Thus, the circumferential position of the sealing portion SP on the waste film 1 in the flat folded state is changed before and after passing through the position adjustment mechanism 70. In the example in Figure 5, the sealing portion SP is located on the lower side of the waste film 1 before passing through the position adjustment mechanism 70 and is not present near one end of the waste film 1 in the width direction when it is folded flat. However, after passing through the position adjustment mechanism 70, the sealing portion SP is located at one end of the waste film 1 when it is folded flat.

[0037] To enable the alignment of the seal portion SP as described above, the transport path TL1 is configured to be rotatable approximately around the central axis of the cylindrical member 71 (see arrow in Figure 4). The transport path TL1 is a transport path for the waste film 1 upstream of the cylindrical member 71, including the unwinding machine 61 and the guide roller 60A. The rotation angle of the transport path TL1 can be set arbitrarily. The transport path TL1 is adjusted and fixed at an angle such that, as the waste film 1 unwound from the film roll R1 passes through the cylindrical member 71 and then through the molding member 72, the seal portion SP advances along one end of the molding member 72 in the width direction. In other words, the rotation angle of the transport path TL1 relative to the cylindrical member 71 (i.e., relative to the molding member 72 fixed downstream thereof) is set to match the position of the seal portion SP in the waste film 1 as it is wound on the film roll R1.

[0038] It is preferable that the cylindrical member 71 and the molded member 72 fixed downstream thereof have a certain amount of weight so that they are not dragged along by the waste film 1 being transported around them and move (including rotate) in the longitudinal, widthwise, and circumferential directions. For example, it is preferable to make the cylindrical member 71 and / or the molded member 72 out of a metal with a high specific gravity, or to insert a weight into the inner space of the cylindrical member 71. The cylindrical member 71 may be a solid cylindrical member.

[0039] A guide roller 60 (hereinafter referred to as 60B) is positioned directly downstream of the molding member 72. The waste film 1, which has been folded flat again along the outer shape of the molding member 72, passes through the molding member 72 and is then wrapped around the guide roller 60B. After passing through the guide roller 60B, the waste film 1 is transported further downstream in its flat folded state and reaches the cutting mechanism 80. The central axis of the guide roller 60B and the width direction of the molding member 72 are positioned approximately parallel.

[0040] The cutting mechanism 80 cuts the waste film 1 that has passed through the position adjustment mechanism 70 in the longitudinal direction. The cutting mechanism 80 can be configured as arbitrarily as long as it can cut the waste film 1, and for example it may be configured to have a blade, or it may be a laser cutter, ultrasonic cutter, welding machine, etc. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the waste film 1 cut in the width direction by the cutting mechanism 80, and the cut surface CS of the waste film 1 is shown by a dotted line. In this embodiment, as shown in the figure, the cutting mechanism 80 cuts the waste film 1 along the longitudinal direction near the seal portion SP so as to remove the seal portion SP from the waste film 1. In this embodiment, the waste film 1 that reaches the cutting mechanism 80 is a flat, folded cylindrical waste film, and the seal portion SP is positioned at one end in the width direction. Therefore, the cutting mechanism 80 is located downstream of the guide roller 60B at the position where the seal portion SP passes, that is, near one end in the width direction of the waste film 1. The cutting mechanism 80 cuts the waste film 1, which has been folded flat again, along its longitudinal direction near the seal portion SP that is aligned to one end in the width direction. After the waste film 1, from which the seal portion SP has been removed, passes through the cutting mechanism 80 and is transported further downstream in a flat folded state until it reaches the unfolding mechanism 90. Meanwhile, the cut seal portion SP is preferably wound up and recovered by a winding machine 85 located directly downstream of the cutting mechanism 80.

[0041] The unfolding mechanism 90 unfolds the waste film 1, which has been cut longitudinally and then folded flat, in a double-folded state (i.e., folded in half in the width direction), in the width direction to form a sheet. This yields a sheet-like film 1A. Here, "sheet-like" means a single-layer structure that is not double-folded. The unfolding mechanism 90 has a triangular plate 91, which is a roughly triangular board. A guide roller 60 (hereinafter referred to as 60C) is positioned directly upstream of the triangular plate 91. For example, the triangular plate 91 is roughly an isosceles triangle, and is positioned at an inclination with respect to the vertical direction such that the base BL of the isosceles triangle is roughly horizontal and the vertex P of the isosceles triangle is below the base BL. Also, for example, the guide roller 60C extends in a direction roughly perpendicular to the base BL, directly below the vertex P of the triangular plate 91. The waste film 1, which has been folded in half in the width direction immediately after passing through the cutting mechanism 80, is wrapped around the guide roller 60C. The guide rollers 60C are, for example, a pair of guide rollers through which the waste film 1, folded in half in the width direction, passes. Immediately after passing through the guide rollers 60C, the folded portion of the waste film 1 is aligned with the vertex P of the triangular plate 91. Subsequently, the waste film 1 is guided by the triangular plate 91 and unfolds into a sheet-like shape, gradually covering the triangular plate 91 with a wider area as it moves from the vertex P towards the base BL. The sheet-like film 1A thus unfolded into a single layer is then transported further downstream in its unfolded state. The unfolding mechanism 90 with the above configuration can be constructed, for example, by driving a folding machine that folds a long film in half while transporting it in the reverse direction (i.e., so that the transport direction of the film is reversed).

[0042] After passing through the unfolding mechanism 90, the sheet-like film 1A is preferably smoothed out by the wrinkle-smoothing mechanism 92. The wrinkles referred to here are folds formed at both ends in the width direction of the waste film 1 when it was wound on the film roll R1, due to the tubular waste film 1 being wound flat on the film roll R1 for a long period of time. For example, the wrinkle-smoothing mechanism 92 can be configured as a pair of rollers positioned in the transport path of the sheet-like film 1A and pressing down on the vicinity of both ends of the sheet-like film 1A in the width direction. These rollers are positioned opposite, for example, a guide roller 60 (which may be a non-rotating member whose surface the sheet-like film 1A is transported along, rather than a rotating roller), and sandwich the sheet-like film 1A between them and the guide roller 60. At the same time, the axes of these rollers are inclined with respect to the axis of the guide roller 60, and force is applied to pull the vicinity of both ends of the sheet-like film 1A outward in the width direction. As a result, the sheet-like film 1A is stretched in the width direction, and the wrinkles in the sheet-like film 1A are smoothed out.

[0043] As the wrinkle-removing mechanism 92, instead of the above example, various wrinkle-removing rollers can be used, which are arranged in the transport path of the sheet-like film 1A and around which the sheet-like film 1A is wound. Examples of wrinkle-removing rollers include brush rollers, stretch ring rollers, concave rollers, and curved rollers. A brush roller is a roller on which brushes extending radially are implanted on the outer surface of the roller, and when the film comes into contact with the brushes, the brushes tilt outward in the width direction of the roller, thereby removing wrinkles. A stretch ring roller is composed of a number of stretch rings (made of TPE, silicone, etc.) arranged in the width direction on the outer surface of the roller, and when the film comes into contact with the stretch rings, a number of hook-shaped stretch elements arranged in the circumferential direction within the stretch rings tilt outward in the width direction, thereby removing wrinkles. A concave roller is a roller with an inverted crown shape, where the diameter widens from the center to both ends in the width direction. As the difference in outer diameter increases from the center to both ends, the peripheral speed of the film increases, and wrinkles are smoothed out as the film is pulled toward both ends. A curved roller is a roller that is curved in an arc shape along the width direction so that the roller axis protrudes convexly in the direction of film travel at the center in the width direction. It has a structure in which many spools with ball bearings built into them are arranged in the width direction on the curved axis. Wrinkles are also smoothed out as the film passing over the surface of a curved roller is pulled toward the outside in the width direction.

[0044] The sheet-like film 1A, having passed through the unfolding mechanism 90 (and preferably the wrinkle-removing mechanism 92), is wound up by the winding machine 62 to become a film roll R1A. The film roll R1A is recovered from the winding machine 62 and set in the unwinding machine 63, which supplies the sheet-like film 1A to the removal device 50. The unwinding machine 63 is located upstream of the removal device 50, and the winding machine 64 is located downstream of the removal device 50. The unwinding machine 63 has a shaft that rotatably holds the film roll R1A. When the film roll R1A set on the shaft of the unwinding machine 63 rotates, the sheet-like film 1A is unwound from the unwinding machine 63 and transported downstream. Numerous guide rollers 65 are installed in the transport path. At least some of the guide rollers 65 may be drive rollers. The sheet-like film 1A is transported to the winding machine 64 while being guided by these guide rollers 65. In this process, the sheet-like film 1A passes through the removal device 50, where it is processed into a treated film 2 from which the functional layers 12 and 13 have been removed. The treated film 2 is wound into a film roll R2 by a winding machine 64. The film roll R2 is then supplied to a manufacturing device 20, where recycled resin raw material 3 is produced. The winding machine 64 has an axis (typically a drive axis) that rotatably holds the film roll R2. In this embodiment, however, the removal device 50, together with the unwinding machine 63, the winding machine 64, and the guide roller 65, constitutes a system that processes sheet-like film while conveying it roll to roll.

[0045] The removal device 50 is configured to remove the functional layers 12 and 13 from the sheet-like film 1A by, for example, physical, chemical, or both. Examples of physical methods include using tools such as abrasive rollers, files, metal rotating brushes, rotating blades, scrapers, belt sanders, and blasting devices (including wet blasting devices) to remove the functional layers 12 and 13 from the film body 11 by mechanical action such as rubbing, scraping, or peeling. These tools are placed in the transport path for the sheet-like film 1A. Examples of chemical methods include immersing the sheet-like film 1A in a solution containing a solvent capable of dissolving the functional layers 12 and 13, or applying such a solution to the sheet-like film 1A.

[0046] [3. Features] In the above embodiment, the tubular waste film 1 is cut longitudinally by the unfolding device 40 and unfolded in the width direction to become a sheet-like film 1A. This sheet-like film 1A is then targeted for removal of the functional layers 12 and 13 by the removal device 50. However, when attempting to remove the functional layers 12 and 13 from the tubular waste film 1, it can be difficult to remove the functional layers 12 and 13 located on the inner surface of the tube, for example. On the other hand, when removing the functional layers 12 and 13 from the sheet-like film 1A, the functional layers 12 and 13 are exposed to the outside, making it possible to remove them efficiently. In the above embodiment, since the functional layers 12 and 13 are removed from the sheet-like film 1A, a processed film 2 from which the functional layers 12 and 13 have been thoroughly removed from the tubular waste film 1 can be manufactured. Furthermore, using such processed film 2, recycled resin raw material 3 with less foreign matter contamination originating from functional layers 12 and 13 can be manufactured, and then recycled film 4 with less foreign matter contamination originating from functional layers 12 and 13 can be manufactured using such recycled resin raw material 3. The recycled film 4 can be made into a packaging material such as a cylindrical label used to cover plastic containers, etc., by, for example, providing a printed layer with a design on the recycled film 4, overlapping both ends in the width direction (TD), and sealing the overlapped portion in the longitudinal direction (MD) to form a cylinder.

[0047] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the sealing portion SP is removed by the cutting mechanism 80. The sealing portion SP is a portion where both ends in the width direction of the film are overlapped and sealed, with one end of the film covering the functional layers 12 and 13 on the surface of the other end. Therefore, in the sealing portion SP, it may be more difficult to remove the functional layers 12 and 13 by the subsequent removal device 50 compared to other portions (portions where the film is not overlapped). In this embodiment, however, since the sealing portion SP is removed in advance, the subsequent removal device 50 can efficiently remove the functional layers 12 and 13 from the sheet-like film 1A.

[0048] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the position adjustment mechanism 70 adjusts the position of the sealing portion SP included in the waste film 1, so that the sealing portion SP is aligned with one end of the waste film 1 in the width direction when it is folded flat. As a result, the cutting mechanism 80 can easily cut the waste film 1 near the sealing portion SP.

[0049] [4. Variant] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the following modifications are possible. Furthermore, the gist of the following modifications can be combined as appropriate.

[0050] [4-1] The processing apparatus 10 may include a heat shrinkage mechanism that heat-treats and heat-shrinks the sheet-like film 1A before the functional layers 12 and 13 are removed in the removal apparatus 50. The heat treatment here includes methods such as sandwiching the sheet-like film 1A between heating rollers, immersing it in hot water, passing it through a hot air tunnel, and blowing steam onto it. Furthermore, a drying apparatus may be provided downstream of the heat shrinkage mechanism to dry the sheet-like film 1A after heat shrinkage. Such a heat shrinkage mechanism and drying apparatus may be arranged, for example, between the unfolding mechanism 90 and the winding machine 62, or between the unwinding machine 63 and the removal apparatus 50.

[0051] [4-2] In the above embodiment, the cutting mechanism 80 cut the waste film 1 along its longitudinal direction near the seal portion SP so that the seal portion SP is removed (see Figure 6). However, the cutting mechanism 80 may also cut the waste film 1 along its longitudinal direction at a position overlapping the seal portion SP so that the seal portion SP remains on the waste film 1 (see Figure 7A), or it may also cut the waste film 1 along its longitudinal direction near the seal portion SP so that the seal portion SP remains on the waste film 1 (see Figure 7B). In this case, the waste film 1, which has passed through the position adjustment mechanism 70 and been folded flat again, is cut along its longitudinal direction at or near the seal portion SP, which is aligned to one end in the width direction. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 7C, the waste film 1 may be cut along its longitudinal direction at a position away from the seal portion SP (a position other than the seal portion SP or its vicinity). Note that in the example of Figure 7C, the seal portion SP is not located at one end in the width direction of the waste film 1. As shown in the example in Figure 7C, if the cut surface CS of the waste film 1 is not set to a specific position such as the sealing portion SP or its vicinity, the position adjustment mechanism 70 may be omitted.

[0052] [4-3] In the above embodiment, the cutting mechanism 80 cuts the waste film 1 longitudinally near one end in the width direction, but it is not limited to this example, and may be configured to cut at any position in the circumferential direction of the waste film 1.

[0053] [4-4] In the above embodiment, the sheet-like film 1A was wound onto the winding machine 62, then set onto the unwinding machine 63, and supplied to the removal device 50. However, the winding machine 62 and the unwinding machine 63 may be omitted, and the sheet-like film 1A that has passed through the unfolding mechanism 90 may be supplied directly to the removal device 50. In other words, the process from the unwinding machine 61 to the winding machine 64 may be done using a roll-to-roll method. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0054] 1. Waste film 1A Sheet-like film 11 Film body 12, 13 Functional Layers 2. Processed film 3 Recycled resin raw materials 3a Fluff 3b Pellet 3c powder 3d granules 4. Recycled film 10 Processing equipment 20. Manufacturing equipment for recycled resin raw materials 30 Film manufacturing equipment 40 Deployment device 50 Removal device 60, 60A~60C, 65 Guide Roller 61,63 Unwinding machine 62,64 Winder 70 Position adjustment mechanism 71 Cylindrical member 72 Molded Members 80 Cutting Mechanism 85 Winder 90 Deployment mechanism 91 Triangular version 92 Wrinkle-removing mechanism TL1 transport path SP seal section CS cut surface P vertex BL bottom S1 Resource Recycling System R1, R1A, R2, R4 film rolls

Claims

1. A film roll is prepared in which a tubular film is wound, which includes a functional layer and has a sealed portion where both ends in the width direction are overlapped and sealed in the longitudinal direction. Unwinding the tubular film from the film roll, Cutting the tubular film unwound from the film roll in the longitudinal direction, The tubular film, cut in the longitudinal direction, is unfolded into a sheet to obtain a sheet-like film. To manufacture a treated film by removing the functional layer from the aforementioned sheet-like film. A method for manufacturing a processed film, including

2. Cutting the tubular film in the longitudinal direction includes cutting the tubular film in the longitudinal direction at or near the sealing portion. A method for producing a treated film according to claim 1.

3. Cutting the tubular film in the longitudinal direction includes removing the sealing portion from the tubular film. A method for producing a treated film according to claim 2.

4. The tubular film unwound from the film roll is transported in a flat, folded state, The process involves transporting the flattened cylindrical film while unfolding it into a three-dimensional shape, The tubular film, which is in a three-dimensionally unfolded state, is transported and then folded flat again. It further includes, Folding the tubular film flat again means folding the tubular film, which is in a three-dimensionally unfolded state, flat again so that the sealing portion is aligned with one end of the tubular film in the width direction when it is folded flat again. Cutting the tubular film longitudinally means cutting the tubular film, which has been folded flat again, longitudinally at or near the seal portion aligned with one end in the width direction. A method for manufacturing a treated film according to claim 2 or 3.

5. A recycled resin raw material is produced using the treated film produced by the manufacturing method described in any one of claims 1 to 3 as a starting material. A method for producing recycled resin raw materials, including

6. A recycled film is manufactured using the recycled resin raw material produced by the manufacturing method described in claim 5 as at least a part of the raw material. A method for manufacturing recycled film, including the following.

7. An unwinding unit for unwinding a tubular film from a film roll on which a tubular film is wound, which includes a functional layer and has a sealed portion where both ends in the width direction are overlapped and sealed in the longitudinal direction, A cutting section for cutting the tubular film unwound from the film roll in the longitudinal direction, A spreading section that unfolds the tubular film cut in the longitudinal direction into a sheet, A film processing apparatus equipped with [a specific feature].

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