Method for manufacturing textile articles

Abstract

To allow a bulky fiber article having high function to be efficiently manufactured in a case of manufacturing a fiber article by combining fibers having different external diameters.SOLUTION: A fiber article manufacturing method has an affixing step to affix a plurality of resin particulates containing a fiberizable macromolecule to a plurality of first fibers, a first treatment step to apply external force to the plurality of first fibers affixed with the plurality of resin particulates so as to decrease gaps between fibers while heating the plurality of first fibers and the plurality of resin particulates, and a second treatment step to form a second fiber having an external diameter set to a value smaller than that of the first fiber and within the range of 30 nm or larger and 1.0 μm or less from the plurality of resin particulates by alleviating the external force, and to form a fiber composite containing the first fiber and the second fiber.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for making a textile article. [Background technology]

[0002] Fiber articles are used, for example, as filtering members for filtering impurities from fluids, and as absorbent members for sanitary products, etc. Patent Document 1 discloses a nonwoven fabric, which is a fiber article containing different types of fibers. This document also discloses a manufacturing method for producing a nonwoven fabric by inserting one type of fiber into the fiber flow of the other type of fiber while spinning and transporting each type of fiber separately. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-116854 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When manufacturing a fiber article containing different types of fibers, for example, by combining fibers with different outer diameters, the functions of each fiber can be expressed, thereby improving the performance of the fiber article. However, it may be difficult to efficiently manufacture such a fiber article having high functionality. This problem becomes more pronounced, for example, when manufacturing a fiber article containing fibers with an extremely fine outer diameter.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to enable efficient production of bulky fiber articles having high functionality when manufacturing fiber articles by combining types of fibers having different outer diameters. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, a manufacturing method for a fiber article according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes an attachment step of attaching a plurality of resin granules containing a fiberizable polymer to a plurality of first fibers; a first processing step of applying an external force to the plurality of first fibers to which the plurality of resin granules have been attached so as to reduce the gaps between the fibers while heating the plurality of first fibers and the plurality of resin granules; and a second processing step of forming a fiber composite containing the first fibers and the second fibers by relaxing the external force to form second fibers from the plurality of resin granules, the second fibers having an outer diameter smaller than that of the first fibers and set to a value in the range of 30 nm or more and 1.0 μm or less.

[0007] According to the above method, by carrying out each of the above steps, a bulky fiber article can be manufactured that contains ultrafine second fibers with an outer diameter set to a value in the range of 30 nm to 1.0 μm and first fibers with an outer diameter larger than that of the second fibers. In addition, since the ultrafine second fibers are combined with the first fibers and the second fibers are supported by the first fibers, a bulkier fiber article can be manufactured than a fiber article manufactured only from the second fibers. In addition, a highly functional fiber article that can exhibit the function of the second fiber for a long period of time can be manufactured. In addition, for example, by forming the second fibers from a plurality of resin granules dispersed and attached to the first fibers, the second fibers can be uniformly dispersed and arranged within the fiber article. Therefore, a fiber article with uniform quality can be manufactured.

[0008] In addition, by carrying out each of the above steps, for example, the above-mentioned fiber article can be efficiently and continuously produced using a single conveying facility. This simplifies the production process and reduces the production cost of the fiber article. As a result, bulky fiber articles having high functionality can be efficiently produced.

[0009] The method may further include a processing step of processing the plurality of first fibers into a sheet-like shape, thereby making it possible to efficiently produce a sheet-like fiber article containing the first fibers and the second fibers.

[0010] In the processing step, a nonwoven fabric may be formed from the plurality of first fibers, thereby making it possible to efficiently manufacture a fiber article using the nonwoven fabric containing the first fibers and the second fibers.

[0011] In the first treatment step, the external force may be applied to the first fibers to which the resin granules are attached by pressing the first fibers with a pair of nip rolls, thereby making it possible to efficiently apply the external force to the first fibers in the first treatment step.

[0012] In the first treatment step, the plurality of first fibers and the plurality of resin granules may be heated by the pair of heated nip rolls. This allows the nip rolls to also function as a heating device for heating the plurality of first fibers and the plurality of resin granules, thereby simplifying the manufacturing apparatus.

[0013] Alternatively, in the first treatment step, the plurality of first fibers may be pressed by a press device to apply the external force to the first fibers to which the plurality of resin granules are attached. Also, in the first treatment step, the plurality of first fibers and the plurality of resin granules may be heated by the heated press device.

[0014] The heating temperature of the first fibers and the resin granules in the first treatment step may be equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the first fibers. Also, the heating temperature of the first fibers and the resin granules in the first treatment step may be in the range of 50°C to 200°C.

[0015] In the impregnation step, a dispersion liquid in which the plurality of resin granules are dispersed may be used. When a dispersion liquid is used, the fluidity of the dispersion liquid makes it easy to impregnate the plurality of resin granules over a wide area of ​​the surface of the first fiber.

[0016] The dispersion may be an aqueous dispersion in which the resin particles are dispersed in water. This allows the dispersion to be produced relatively inexpensively and makes the dispersion easy to handle.

[0017] In the impregnation step, the dispersion liquid detached from the first fibers in the first treatment step may be reused, which can facilitate further reduction in the manufacturing cost of the fiber article.

[0018] In the first treatment step, the external force set to a value of 0.05 MPa or more may be applied to the first fibers to which the resin granules are attached, thereby making it possible to apply a sufficient external force to the resin granules and to easily form the second fibers.

[0019] In the impregnation step, the resin particles may have a lamellar structure, which makes it easier to form second fibers from the resin particles in the second treatment step.

[0020] In the second treatment step, the fiber composite may be formed such that a weight ratio W1 / W2 of a total weight W1 of the first fibers to a total weight W2 of the second fibers and the remaining resin granules is set to a value in the range of 3.00 to 200.00. This allows the first fibers to stably support the second fibers, making it easier for the second fibers to exhibit their functions.

[0021] In the attaching step, the first fibers having an outer diameter set to a value in the range of 5 μm to 50 μm may be used, thereby improving the degree of freedom in designing the fiber article.

[0022] In the attaching step, the first fibers may contain at least one of rayon, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, and cellulose acetate. Also, in the attaching step, the resin granules may contain at least one of polytetrafluoroethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyamide.

[0023] According to the above method, a fiber article containing the first fiber and the second fiber can be efficiently produced. Furthermore, by combining the first fiber and the second fiber, each of which contains a specific material, it is possible to facilitate the performance of each of the functions of the first fiber and the second fiber. Effect of the Invention

[0024] According to each aspect of the present disclosure, when a fiber article is manufactured by combining types of fibers having different outer diameters, a bulky fiber article having high functionality can be efficiently manufactured. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a tow band manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a tow band manufactured by the tow band manufacturing apparatus of FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic diagram of a textile article manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a tow band thermally compressed by the heated nip roll pair of FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a cross-sectional view of a fiber composite (fiber article) produced by the fiber article production apparatus of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for manufacturing textile articles according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for manufacturing a textile article according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Each embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. (First embodiment) The method for manufacturing a fiber article of the first embodiment includes the following attachment step, first processing step, and second processing step. In the attachment step, a plurality of resin granules containing a polymer capable of being fiberized are attached to a plurality of first fibers. In the first processing step, an external force is applied to the plurality of first fibers to which the plurality of resin granules are attached so that the fiber gaps are reduced while the plurality of first fibers and the plurality of resin granules are heated. In the second processing step, the external force is relaxed to form a second fiber from the plurality of resin granules, the second fiber having an outer diameter smaller than that of the first fiber and set to a value in the range of 30 nm to 1.0 μm. In addition, in the second processing step, a fiber composite containing the first fiber and the second fiber is formed. In order to perform the first and second processing steps, in this embodiment, a heated nip roll pair is used as an example. A tow band manufacturing apparatus and a fiber article manufacturing apparatus used in this manufacturing method will be described.

[0027] [Tow band manufacturing equipment] FIG. 1 is an overall view of a tow band manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The tow band manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 spins a filament 61, which is a first fiber, by a dry spinning method. The tow band manufacturing apparatus 1 also produces a yarn 62, an end 63, and a tow band 64 from a plurality of filaments 61. The raw material of the filament 61 can be appropriately selected. As an example, the filament 61 contains at least one of rayon, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, and cellulose acetate. The filament 61 of this embodiment contains cellulose acetate.

[0028] The tow band manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a mixer 2, a filter 3, a spinning unit 4, a dispersion impregnation unit 5, an oil impregnation unit 6, a guide roll R1, a conveying roll pair 7, a crimping device 10, and a drying device 11. The spinning solution 60 used in the tow band manufacturing apparatus 1 is prepared by dissolving flakes such as cellulose diacetate in an organic solvent, for example. When the tow band manufacturing apparatus 1 is driven, the spinning solution 60 is mixed by the mixer 2 and then filtered by the filter 3. The spinning solution 60 that has passed through the filter 3 is discharged from a plurality of spinning holes 15a of a spinneret 15 provided on a spinning tube 14 of the spinning unit 4.

[0029] The periphery of the radiation hole 15a is formed in a predetermined shape (for example, a circle). The diameter of the radiation hole 15a is appropriately set according to, for example, the monofilament fineness (FD) of the filament 61 after production. The spinning solution 60 discharged from each radiation hole 15a is heated by hot air supplied from a drying unit (not shown) into the radiation tube 14, and the organic solvent is evaporated and dried. As a result, a plurality of first fibers (filaments 61) are formed. The spinning method of the filament 61 is not limited, and may be a method other than the dry spinning method (for example, a melt spinning method or a wet spinning method). The spinning method of the filament 61 may be a method that can appropriately obtain the tow band 64.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of filaments 61 that have passed through one spinning tube 14 are impregnated with a dispersion by a dispersion impregnation unit 5. The dispersion impregnation unit 5 impregnates the filaments 61 with a dispersion containing resin granules 66. As an example, the dispersion impregnation unit 5 has a storage section for storing the dispersion, and an impregnation roll that is supported so as to adhere the dispersion in the storage section to the peripheral surface and impregnate the filaments 61. The dispersion in this embodiment is an aqueous dispersion in which a plurality of resin granules 66 are dispersed in water. The dispersion may contain a liquid other than water. This allows the dispersion to be produced relatively inexpensively. In addition, the dispersion can be made easier to handle.

[0031] The resin granules 66 contain a lamellar structure. The lamellar structure referred to here refers to a structure in which the polymer chains that make up the resin of the resin granules 66 are connected and folded. The lamellar structure contained in the resin granules 66 is specifically a fine fiber formed by millions of these polymer chains connected in a ribbon shape. The fine fibers are folded and stored inside the resin granules 66.

[0032] The resin granules 66 are primary particles. A secondary particle is formed by bonding a plurality of the resin granules 66 to each other. When an external force is applied to the secondary particles (in other words, two bonded resin granules 66) so that the resin granules 66 are pulled apart, fine fibers are pulled out from within the resin granules 66, and resin fibers 66a are formed from the resin granules 66. The dispersion liquid of this embodiment contains primary particles made of a plurality of the resin granules 66 dispersed in a solvent. The dispersion liquid application unit 5 applies the dispersion liquid to the filament 61, so that the plurality of the resin granules 66 are dispersed and applied to the surface of the filament 61. As an example, secondary particles of the plurality of the resin granules 66 are applied to the surface of the filament 61.

[0033] As described later, an external force is applied to the filaments 61 to which the resin granules 66 are attached in this manner so as to reduce the inter-fiber gaps while heating the filaments 61 and the resin granules 66, thereby bonding the resin granules 66 attached to the surfaces of different filaments 61 together. In addition, the bonded resin granules 66 are separated from each other by relaxing the external force applied to the filaments 61. As a result, resin fibers 66a are formed (see FIGS. 2, 4, and 5).

[0034] The resin granules 66 of this embodiment may be any resin that is produced by a polymerization reaction and contains a lamellar structure. As an example, the resin granules 66 contain at least one of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyamide. The resin granules 66 of this embodiment contain PTFE.

[0035] The resin granules 66 are set here to have an average particle size in the range of 100 nm to 100 μm (approximately 300 nm, for example). As an example, this average particle size is more preferably in the range of 200 nm to 700 nm, and even more preferably in the range of 250 nm to 400 nm. The average particle size refers to the median diameter (cumulative 50% diameter (D50)) calculated from the measurement results by dynamic light scattering. As an example, the resin granules 66 are molded by paste extrusion molding.

[0036] The filaments 61 that have passed through the dispersion liquid impregnation unit 5 are impregnated with a fiber oil by the oil impregnation unit 6. The filaments 61 that have passed through the oil impregnation unit 6 are guided by a plurality of guide rolls R1 that are guide members, and are bundled together to form a yarn 62. The yarn 62 is transported in a predetermined transport direction P. The yarns 62 are appropriately accumulated or stacked while being transported in the transport direction P. As a result, the yarns 62 are converged to form an end (tow) 63 that is a flat aggregate of the yarns 62. The end 63 is formed by converging the yarns 62 to a predetermined total fineness (TD). The end 63 is transported by a transport roll pair 7 having a pair of transport rolls 8 and 9, and is transported to a crimping device 10.

[0037] The crimping device 10 crimps the filaments 61. As an example, the crimping device 10 has a pair of nip rolls N1, N2 and a stuffing box 18. The pair of nip rolls N1, N2 are arranged with their rotation axes parallel to each other. The pair of nip rolls N1, N2 press the ends 63 with their circumferential surfaces.

[0038] The stuffing box 18 is disposed rearward of the pair of nip rolls N1, N2 in the conveying direction P. The stuffing box 18 has a pair of plate materials C1, C2 having plate surfaces extending in the conveying direction P, and a biasing member 12. The pair of plate materials C1, C2 are disposed such that their plate surfaces face each other with a gap G therebetween, and the gap G decreases from the front to the rear of the stuffing box 18 in the conveying direction P. Ends 63 (multiple filaments 61) that have passed through the pair of nip rolls N1, N2 are conveyed within the gap G.

[0039] The urging member 12 is, for example, a plate material and extends along the plate surface of the plate material C1 in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction P. The urging member 12 is pivotally supported by the plate material C1 at a front end in the conveying direction P so as to be rotatable about an axis Q extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction P along the plate surface of the plate material C1. The urging member 12 is urged toward the plate surface of the plate material C2, and presses an end 63 conveyed between the pair of plate materials C1, C2.

[0040] The end 63 is pressed by the pair of nip rolls N1, N2 between the pair of nip rolls N1, N2. The end 63 is then pushed into the stuffing box 18. The end 63 is pressed against the plate surface of the plate material C2 by the biasing member 12 while being conveyed in a serpentine manner between the plate surfaces of the plate materials C1, C2. The end 63 is pressed into the stuffing box 18 by the pair of nip rolls N1, N2 with a force greater than the force that the end 63 receives from the plate materials C1, C2 and the biasing member 12, so that the end 63 is crimped. The end 63 passes through the crimping device 10 to form a tow band 64 processed into a sheet shape.

[0041] As an example, in the winding device 10, the nip pressure of the pair of nip rolls N1, N2 is set to a value in an appropriate pressure range in order to appropriately crimp the filaments 61 and reduce the amount of dispersion liquid falling off from the filaments 61. The tow band 64 that has passed through the winding device 10 is dried by the drying device 11.

[0042] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a tow band 64 manufactured by the tow band manufacturing apparatus 1 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the tow band 64 has a plurality of crimped filaments 61 and a plurality of resin granules 66 dispersed inside the tow band 64 and supported by the filaments 61. There are fiber gaps between the plurality of filaments 61. The surface of the filament 61 is partially covered with a plurality of resin granules 66. As an example, the plurality of resin granules 66 are supported by the filament 61 in the state of secondary particles bonded to each other. The tow band 64 is formed bulky by the crimped filaments 61.

[0043] The TD and FD of the tow band 64 can be set appropriately. As an example, the FD of the tow band 64 is set to a value in the range of 1.0 to 10.0. For example, from the viewpoint of maintaining a suitable strength of the filament 61 while properly securing the fiber gap, it is desirable that the FD of the tow band 64 is further set to a value in the range of 2.0 to 6.0. As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the sheet-like tow band 64 that has passed through the drying device 11 is compressed and packed in a packing container 19 after being accumulated to become a bale. The packing container 19 in FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional structure.

[0044] [PTFE used as material for resin granules 66] Next, the PTFE used as the material of the resin granules 66 will be described. This PTFE is configured as a polymer that can be made into a fiber. Such PTFE is, for example, a high molecular weight PTFE obtained by emulsion polymerization or suspension polymerization of TFE (tetrafluoroethylene). The high molecular weight PTFE may be at least one of modified PTFE and homo-PTFE.

[0045] The modified PTFE includes TFE and a monomer other than TFE (modified monomer). The modified PTFE is generally one that is uniformly modified by the modified monomer, or one that is modified at the beginning or end of the polymerization reaction, but is not particularly limited. The modified PTFE contains a TFE unit based on TFE and a modified monomer unit based on the modified monomer.

[0046] The modified monomer unit is a part of the molecular structure of the modified PTFE, and is a part derived from the modified monomer. The total monomer unit is derived from all monomers in the molecular structure of the modified PTFE. The modified monomer is not particularly limited as long as it can be copolymerized with TFE.

[0047] The "high molecular weight" of the high molecular weight PTFE referred to here is a molecular weight that is easily fiberized during the production of the tow band 64, and has a long fiber length, and has a standard specific gravity (SSG) of 2.130 or more and 2.230 or less, and has a high melt viscosity so that it does not melt and flow. For details of fiberizable PTFE, see, for example, International Publication No. 2013 / 157647.

[0048] When the resin fibers 66a are formed from the resin granules 66 containing PTFE, the extensibility of the resin fibers 66a is improved by heating the resin granules 66. If the resin fibers 66a have good extensibility, the resin fibers 66a are less likely to be cut when the resin fibers 66a are formed from the resin granules 66. This improves the expression of the resin fibers 66a.

[0049] [Textile manufacturing equipment] Fig. 3 is an overall view of a textile article manufacturing apparatus 20 according to a first embodiment. A packaging container 19 in Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional structure. As shown in Fig. 3, the textile article manufacturing apparatus 20 includes, as an example, a converging ring 21, a first opening unit 22, a turn baffle 23, a second opening unit 24, a pretension roll pair 25, a first opening roll pair 26, a second opening roll pair 27, a third opening unit 28, a heating nip roll pair 29, a conveying roll pair 30, and a winding roll 31.

[0050] The converging ring 21 and the turn baffle 23 guide the bale-shaped tow band 64 raised from the packing container 19 to the first opening unit 22. The first opening unit 22, the second opening unit 24, and the third opening unit 28 open the tow band 64 in its width direction by gas (for example, pressurized air). The pretension roll pair 25, the first opening roll pair 26, and the second opening roll pair 27 apply tension to the tow band 64 in the conveying direction P, and open the tow band 64 in the width direction and the conveying direction P.

[0051] The pretension roll pair 25 has a pair of rolls 32, 33 arranged with their circumferential surfaces facing each other. The first spreading roll pair 26 has a pair of rolls 34, 35 arranged with their circumferential surfaces facing each other. The second spreading roll pair 27 has a pair of rolls 36, 37 arranged with their circumferential surfaces facing each other. As an example, the peripheral surfaces of the rolls 34 to 37 are formed with grooves extending in the circumferential direction, so as to make it easier to spread the tow band 64.

[0052] The heating nip roll pair 29 has a pair of rolls N3 and N4 arranged with their circumferential surfaces facing each other. The heating nip roll pair 29 applies an external force to the filaments 61 to which the resin granules 66 are attached in the tow band 64 so as to reduce the fiber gaps while heating the filaments 61 and the resin granules 66.

[0053] The transport roll pair 30 has a pair of rolls 38, 39 arranged with their circumferential surfaces facing each other. The transport roll pair 30 transports the tow band 64 that has passed through the heating nip roll pair 29 to the winding roll 31 side. The winding roll 31 winds up the tow band 64 that has passed through the transport roll pair 30.

[0054] When the textile article manufacturing apparatus 20 is operated, the tow band 64 pulled up from the packing container 19 is inserted into the converging ring 21 and then spread in the width direction by the first spreading unit 22. The tow band 64 is then guided by the turn baffle 23 to the second spreading unit 24.

[0055] Next, the tow band 64 is further spread in the width direction by the second spreading unit 24. Then, the tow band 64 is inserted between the rolls 32 and 33, between the rolls 34 and 35, and between the rolls 36 and 37 in order. The tow band 64 comes into contact with the rolls 32 to 37. The rotation speed of the pair of rolls 36 and 37 is faster than the rotation speed of the pair of rolls 34 and 35. As a result, the tow band 64 is spread in the conveying direction P and the width direction by the first spreading roll pair 26 and the second spreading roll pair 27 while being given tension in the conveying direction P.

[0056] Here, Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a tow band 64 thermally bonded by the heated nip roll pair 29 in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a fiber composite 67 (fiber article 65) manufactured by the fiber article manufacturing apparatus 20 in Fig. 3. The opened tow band 64 that has passed through the second opening roll pair 27 is introduced into the nip point N5 of the heated nip roll pair 29.

[0057] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, when the tow band 64 passes through the heating nip roll pair 29, a nip pressure is applied as an external force to the filaments 61 to which the resin granules 66 are attached so that the filaments 61 and the resin granules 66 are heated and the fiber gaps are reduced. As a result, the fiber gaps of the filaments 61 are reduced, and the resin granules 66 attached to the filaments 61 are bonded to each other to form higher-order particles of the resin granules 66. Then, the filaments 61 pass through the nip point N5, and the external force is relaxed.

[0058] When the external force is relaxed, tension is applied to the resin granules 66 so as to separate the resin granules 66 that are adhered to each other between the different filaments 61. As a result, the fine fibers folded in the resin granules 66 are stretched, and resin fibers 66a are formed so as to bridge the different filaments 61. As a result, a fiber composite 67 containing the filaments 61 and the resin fibers 66a is formed. In this manner, in this embodiment, by using the heated nip roll pair 29, the resin fibers 66a and the fiber composite 67 can be formed relatively easily.

[0059] In this embodiment, the resin fibers 66a are formed using the heating nip roll pair 29, but the resin fibers 66a may be formed by heating the filaments 61 and the resin granules 66 using a heating device separate from the heating nip roll pair 29. Also, the external force may be applied to the filaments 61 using something other than nip rolls. Therefore, for example, the resin fibers 66a can also be formed by applying nip pressure as the external force to the filaments 61 to which the resin granules 66 are attached from at least one of the first opening roll pair 26 and the second opening roll pair 27 while heating the filaments 61 and the resin granules 66.

[0060] The outer diameter of the resin fibers 66a can be adjusted, for example, by the magnitude of the tension applied to the resin granules 66. For example, by increasing the tension, the outer diameter of the resin fibers 66a can be set small and the length dimension of the resin fibers 66a can be set long. By decreasing the tension, the outer diameter of the resin fibers 66a can be set large and the length dimension of the resin fibers 66a can be set short. By such adjustment, in this embodiment, the outer diameter of the resin fibers 66a can be set to a value in the range of 30 nm to 1.0 μm.

[0061] The fiber composite 67 that has passed through the heating nip roll pair 29 is transported by the transport roll pair 30 and wound up on the winding roll 31. The fiber composite 67 is cut, for example, to a predetermined size to produce a fiber article 65. The resin fiber 66a is supported by the filament 61 while being entangled with the filament 61 inside the fiber article 65. Therefore, even if the resin fiber 66a is significantly thinner than the filament 61, the resin fiber 66a can be supported by the filament 61 while preventing the resin fiber 66a from being cut. Therefore, the function of the resin fiber 66a can be maintained for a long period of time. The resin fiber 66a is arranged so as to be diffused throughout the inside of the tow band 64. The resin granular matter 66 in the fiber article 65 may shrink or disappear in some cases as the resin fiber 66a is formed.

[0062] The fiber article 65 is formed bulkily by a plurality of opened filaments 61 with abundant fiber gaps therein. Therefore, the fiber article 65 has, for example, a soft and pleasant feel. The fiber article 65 is, for example, in a sheet shape. The fiber article 65 may be formed by stacking and pressing a plurality of sheet-shaped fiber composites 67. In this case, for example, the thickness dimension of the fiber article 65 can be easily designed by changing the number of fiber composites 67. The fiber article 65 may also be formed by arranging a plurality of sheet-shaped fiber composites 67 in the width direction. In this case, for example, the width dimension of the fiber article 65 can be easily designed by adjusting the number of fiber composites 67.

[0063] The value of the external force applied to the filaments 61 to form the resin fibers 66a can be set appropriately, and can be, for example, a value of 0.05 MPa or more. When the fiber article 65 is used as a filtering member, it is desirable to apply the external force to the filaments 61 to a value of, for example, 0.10 MPa or more in order to obtain good filtering performance. The upper limit of the external force may be, for example, a value of several tens of MPa or more.

[0064] The heating temperature for heating the filaments 61 and the resin granules 66 to form the resin fibers 66a can be set appropriately, for example, to a temperature in the range of 50° C. to 200° C. This heating temperature can be set based on the characteristics of the resin granules 66 or the resin fibers 66a, for example.

[0065] The heating temperature can be set to, for example, a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the filament 61. When the filaments 61 and the resin granules 66 are heated at such a heating temperature to apply the external force to the filaments 61, the filaments 61 can retain the compressed state due to the external force to some extent even after the external force is relieved. This makes it easier to set the bulkiness of the fiber article 65 to an arbitrary thickness. As an example, when the filaments 61 are cellulose acetate fibers, the glass transition temperature of the filaments 61 is, for example, 70° C. at room temperature of 20° C. and humidity of 65%. Therefore, by setting the heating temperature to 70° C. or higher, for example, a sheet-like fiber article 65 with a small bulkiness can be efficiently manufactured. The heating temperature may also be, for example, lower than the melting point of each material of the filaments 61 and the resin granules 66, or lower than the decomposition temperature of each material.

[0066] As described above, the fiber article 65 is manufactured by a manufacturing method using the tow band manufacturing apparatus 1 and the fiber article manufacturing apparatus 20. This manufacturing method includes an attachment step, a first processing step, and a second processing step.

[0067] The impregnation step is a step of impregnating a plurality of resin granules 66 containing a fiberizable polymer onto the plurality of filaments 61. In the impregnation step of this embodiment, a dispersion liquid containing a plurality of resin granules 66 that contain a lamellar structure and are bonded to one another is impregnated onto the plurality of filaments 61. The first treatment step is a step of applying an external force to the plurality of filaments 61 to which the plurality of resin granules 66 have been impregnated, while heating the plurality of filaments 61 and the plurality of resin granules 66, so as to reduce the interfiber gaps.

[0068] The manufacturing method of this embodiment further includes a processing step of processing the multiple filaments 61 into a sheet shape. As an example, in the first processing step, the multiple filaments 61 are pressed by a pair of nip rolls, thereby applying the external force to the filaments 61 to which the multiple resin granules 66 are attached. As a further example, in the first processing step, the multiple filaments 61 and the multiple resin granules 66 are heated by a pair of heating nip rolls 29.

[0069] In the first treatment step of this embodiment, as an example, the external force set to a value of 0.05 MPa or more is applied to the filaments 61 to which the resin granules 66 are attached. As an example, this nip pressure is applied by the heated nip roll pair 29. In the present embodiment, as an example, the dispersion liquid detached from the filaments 61 in the first treatment step is recovered, and the recovered dispersion liquid is used in the attachment step.

[0070] In the fiber composite 67, the weight ratio W1 / W2 of the total weight W1 of the filaments 61 to the total weight W2 of the resin fibers 66a and the remaining resin granules 66 can be set appropriately. In the second processing step of this embodiment, as one example, a fiber composite 67 is formed in which the weight ratio W1 / W2 is set to a value in the range of 3.00 to 200.00. This allows the resin fibers 66a to be stably supported on the filaments 61 in the fiber article 65, making it easier for the resin fibers 66a to exhibit their functions.

[0071] In the attaching step, the filaments 61 are used whose outer diameter is set to a value in the range of 5 μm to 50 μm, thereby increasing the difference in outer diameter between the first fibers and the second fibers, and improving the degree of freedom in designing the fiber article 65.

[0072] By setting the weight ratio W1 / W2 to a value within the above range, the maximum value of the volume ratio V1 / V2 between the total volume V1 of the filaments 61 (first fibers) and the total volume V2 of the resin fibers 66a (second fibers) and the remaining resin granules 66 becomes 124.0 or less. This makes it possible to appropriately secure fiber gaps inside the fiber article 65, stably hold the resin fibers 66a by the filaments 61, and facilitate the resin fibers 66a to exhibit their functions.

[0073] The length of the filament 61 and the length of the resin fiber 66a can be set appropriately. In the second processing step of this embodiment, a fiber composite 67 is formed in which the length of the filament 61 is longer than the length of the resin fiber 66a. This allows, for example, the filament 61 to be used as a skeleton of a fiber article 65, and the filament 61 to carry the resin fiber 66a, thereby allowing the function of the resin fiber 66a to be stably exhibited.

[0074] As described above, according to the manufacturing method of this embodiment, by performing each of the above steps, a bulky fiber article 65 containing ultrafine resin fibers 66a with an outer diameter set to a value in the range of 30 nm to 1.0 μm and filaments 61 with an outer diameter larger than that of the resin fibers 66a can be manufactured. In addition, since the ultrafine resin fibers 66a are combined with the filaments 61 and the resin fibers 66a are supported by the filaments 61, a bulkier fiber article 65 can be manufactured than a fiber article manufactured using only the resin fibers 66a. In addition, a highly functional fiber article 65 capable of exerting the function of the resin fibers 66a for a long period of time can be manufactured. In addition, for example, by forming the resin fibers 66a using a plurality of resin granular materials 66 dispersed and attached to the filaments 61, the resin fibers 66a can be uniformly dispersed and arranged in the fiber article 65. Thus, a fiber article 65 with uniform quality can be manufactured.

[0075] Moreover, by carrying out each of the above steps, for example, the fiber article 65 can be efficiently and continuously manufactured using a single conveying facility. Therefore, the manufacturing process can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost of the fiber article 65 can be reduced. As a result, a highly functional and bulky fiber article 65 can be efficiently manufactured. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a fiber article 65 having both good bulkiness and porosity, which was previously difficult to achieve, can be relatively easily and efficiently manufactured. Furthermore, a bulky fiber article 65 containing ultrafine fibers with an outer diameter of 1.0 μm or less, which was previously difficult to mass-produce stably, can be successfully manufactured. The manufacturing method of this embodiment also includes a processing step of processing a plurality of filaments 61 into a sheet shape. This allows efficient manufacturing of a sheet-shaped fiber article 65 containing the filaments 61 and the resin fibers 66a.

[0076] In the first treatment step of the present embodiment, as an example, the filaments 61 are pressed by the pair of heated nip rolls 29, thereby applying the external force to the filaments 61 to which the resin granules 66 are attached. This allows the external force to be applied efficiently to the filaments 61 in the first treatment step.

[0077] In the first treatment step, the filaments 61 and the resin granules 66 are heated by the heating nip roll pair 29. This allows the heating nip roll pair 29 to also function as a heating device for heating the filaments 61 and the resin granules 66. This allows the textile article manufacturing apparatus to be simplified. In this embodiment, the heating temperature of the filaments 61 and the resin granules 66 in the first treatment step is set to a temperature in the range of 50°C to 200°C.

[0078] In the attachment step, as an example, a dispersion liquid in which a plurality of resin granules 66 are dispersed is used. When a dispersion liquid is used, the fluidity of the dispersion liquid makes it easy to attach a plurality of resin granules 66 to a wide area of ​​the surface of the filament 61. In the attachment step of this embodiment, the dispersion liquid detached from the filament 61 in the first treatment step is reused. This makes it easier to further reduce the manufacturing cost of the fiber article 65.

[0079] As another example, in the first treatment step, the external force set to a value of 0.05 MPa or more is applied to the filaments 61 to which the resin granules 66 are attached. This allows a sufficient external force to be applied to the resin granules 66, making it easier to form the resin fibers 66a.

[0080] In the attaching step of this embodiment, a plurality of resin granules 66 having a lamellar structure are used, which makes it easier to form resin fibers 66a from the plurality of resin granules 66 in the second treatment step.

[0081] In the second processing step, a fiber composite 67 is formed in which the weight ratio W1 / W2 is set to a value in the range of 3.00 to 200.00. This allows the filament 61 to stably support the resin fiber 66a, making it easier for the resin fiber 66a to exert its function. In the attachment step, as an example, the filament 61 is used, whose outer diameter is set to a value in the range of 5 μm to 50 μm. This increases the difference in outer diameter between the filament 61 and the resin fiber 66a, improving the design freedom of the fiber article 65.

[0082] In the attachment step of this embodiment, filaments 61 containing at least one of rayon, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, and cellulose acetate are used. In the attachment step of this embodiment, resin granules 66 containing at least one of polytetrafluoroethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyamide are used.

[0083] According to the above method, the fiber article 65 containing the filaments 61 and the resin fibers 66a can be efficiently manufactured. Furthermore, by combining the filaments 61 and the resin fibers 66a each containing a specific material, it is possible to facilitate the fulfillment of the respective functions of the filaments 61 and the resin fibers 66a.

[0084] In this embodiment, the process of packaging the tow band 64 manufactured by the tow band manufacturing apparatus 1 in the packaging container 19 is shown. However, the tow band 64 may be introduced into the fiber article manufacturing apparatus 20 without packaging to manufacture the fiber article 65. The configuration of the fiber article manufacturing apparatus 20 is not limited to the above. In addition, as the dispersion liquid used in the attachment step, for example, a slurry containing a relatively large amount of resin granular material 66 may be used.

[0085] The resin granules 66 may be attached to the filament 61 after the yarn 62 or the end 63 is formed. The tow band manufacturing apparatus 1 may also be provided with a powder addition unit that applies the powdered resin granules 66 to the filament 61 instead of the dispersion liquid application unit 5. When a plurality of filaments 61 are processed into a sheet, the application step may be performed either before or after the plurality of filaments 61 are processed into a sheet.

[0086] Next, modified examples of this embodiment will be described. In the first processing step of the first modified example, a press device presses a plurality of filaments 61 (e.g., a plurality of filaments 61 after being opened), thereby applying the external force to the filaments 61 to which a plurality of resin granules 66 are attached. In addition, in the first processing step of the second modified example, the heated press device further heats the plurality of filaments 61 and the plurality of resin granules 66. The textile article 65 can be similarly manufactured by these manufacturing methods. Below, the other embodiments will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0087] Second embodiment FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a fiber article manufacturing apparatus 120 according to a second embodiment. In this embodiment, as an example, a manufactured bale-shaped tow band 164 (without resin granules 66) is used. As shown in FIG. 6, the fiber article manufacturing apparatus 120 includes a plurality of guide members (guide rolls R2 to R7 as an example) arranged in a dispersed manner so as to guide the tow band 164 unwound from the packing container 19 in the conveying direction P, an attachment unit 105 that applies a dispersion liquid to the conveyed tow band 164, and a spreading unit 124 into which the tow band 164 to which the dispersion liquid is applied is introduced. The fiber article manufacturing apparatus 120 also includes a first spreading roll pair 26, a second spreading roll pair 27, a heating device 16, and a nip roll pair 129. The nip roll pair 129 is disposed in the heating device 16 and heated.

[0088] Inside the attachment unit 105, the tow band 164 is guided by the guide rolls R4 and R5 and immersed in the dispersion liquid based on the dip coating method to attach the dispersion liquid. The tow band 164 to which the dispersion liquid is attached in the attachment unit 105 is opened by the opening unit 124, the first opening roll pair 26, and the second opening roll pair 27. The tow band 164 is then introduced into the heating device 16 and preheated while passing through the nip roll pair 129 heated by the heating device 16. This causes the first and second treatment steps to be performed, and the resin fiber 66a and the fiber composite 167 are formed. The fiber composite 167 is cut, for example, to a predetermined dimension to manufacture the fiber article 165. According to this embodiment, for example, the fiber article 165 containing the resin fiber 66a can be efficiently manufactured using the tow band 164 manufactured by the conventional method.

[0089] Third embodiment FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a fiber article manufacturing apparatus 220 according to a third embodiment. In this embodiment, a bale-shaped tow band 164 (without resin granules 66) is used as in the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the manufacturing apparatus 220 includes a short fiber processing device 40, a nonwoven fabric processing device 41, and a heat press device 17.

[0090] The staple fiber processing device 40 cuts the filaments 61 of the tow band 164, which is attached with the dispersion liquid by the attachment unit 105 and guided by the guide rolls R2 to R8, into staple fibers. The nonwoven fabric processing device 41 processes the stapled filaments 61 discharged from the staple fiber processing device 40 into a sheet to form a nonwoven fabric. The nonwoven fabric processing device 41 forms a nonwoven fabric based on, for example, a known nonwoven fabric manufacturing method (for example, a fleece forming method or a fleece bonding method, etc.).

[0091] The heat press device 17 heats and presses the nonwoven fabric discharged from the nonwoven fabric processing device 41. The nonwoven fabric passes through the heat press device 17, whereby the first and second treatment steps are carried out. In this way, a fiber article 265 using the nonwoven fabric is produced.

[0092] Thus, in the processing step of the manufacturing method of the fiber article 265 of this embodiment, a nonwoven fabric is formed from the filaments 61. In addition, in the first processing step, the filaments 61 and the resin granules 66 are heated and pressed. That is, in the first processing step, the filaments 61 are pressed by the heat press device 17, thereby applying the external force to the filaments 61 to which the resin granules 66 are attached. In addition, in the first processing step, the filaments 61 and the resin granules 66 are heated by the heated heat press device 17. This allows the fiber article 265 using the nonwoven fabric, which contains the filaments 61 and the resin fibers 66a, to be efficiently manufactured.

[0093] In addition, the heating device that heats the multiple filaments 61 and the multiple resin granules 66 and the pressing device that applies the external force to the filaments 61 to which the multiple resin granules 66 are attached by pressing the multiple filaments 61 may be configured separately.

[0094] (Confirmation test) A confirmation test was carried out according to the following procedure. Based on the first embodiment, fiber articles 65 were prepared as Examples 1 to 3, in which the filaments 61, which are the first fibers, were made of cellulose acetate and the resin fibers 66a, which are the second fibers, were made of PTFE. In Examples 1 to 3, the heating temperature of the filaments 61 and the resin granules 66 in the first treatment step was changed within a range of 50°C to 100°C.

[0095] Furthermore, fiber articles manufactured by forming the filaments 61 as the first fibers from cellulose acetate and the resin fibers 66a as the second fibers from PTFE were prepared as Comparative Examples 1 and 2. Comparative Example 1 was set up similarly to Examples 1 to 3 except that heating was not performed in the first treatment step. Comparative Example 2 was set up similarly to Examples 1 to 3 except that the first treatment step was not performed.

[0096] A fiber article was prepared as Comparative Example 3 in which the filament 61, which is the first fiber, was made of cellulose acetate, no resin granules 66 were attached to the filament 61, and the filament 61 was heated to 100°C. A fiber article was prepared as Comparative Example 4 in which the filament 61, which is the first fiber, was made of cellulose acetate, no resin granules 66 were attached to the filament 61, and the filament 61 was not heated. In Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4, cellulose acetate with a monofilament fineness (FD) of 2 was used, and the basis weight of the cellulose acetate was 150 g / m 2 The amount of PTFE particles added was set to about 10 wt %. The nip pressure of the heated nip roll pair 29 was set to 0.4 MPa.

[0097] In order to confirm the performance when the obtained fiber articles of Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4 were used as filter members, the collection efficiency (%) was measured. This collection efficiency was measured as the particle collection efficiency when air containing NaCl particles with a particle diameter of 0.4 μm was passed through at a flow rate of 5.3 cm / sec. The test results are shown in Table 1.

[0098] [Table 1]

[0099] As shown in Table 1, it was confirmed that Examples 1 to 3 all had good performance. It was confirmed that, although second fibers were formed in Comparative Examples 1 and 2, the performance as a fiber article was inferior to Examples 1 to 3. It was confirmed that, in Comparative Examples 3 and 4, second fibers were not formed and there was no collection efficiency. From the above, the superiority of Examples 1 to 3 was confirmed.

[0100] Each configuration and their combinations in each embodiment are merely examples, and the configurations may be added, omitted, replaced, and otherwise modified as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments, but is limited only by the claims. In addition, each aspect disclosed in this specification can be combined with any other feature disclosed in this specification. The fiber article of the present disclosure is not limited to a filter member, and may be an article for other uses. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] P Transport direction 17 Heat press equipment (press equipment) 29 Heated nip roll pair (pair of nip rolls) 61 Filament (first fiber) 64, 164 Towband 65, 165, 265 Textile articles 66 Resin granules 66a Resin fiber (second fiber) 67, 167 Fiber composites

Claims

1. an impregnation step of impregnating a plurality of resin granules containing a fiberizable polymer onto a plurality of continuous first fibers while conveying the plurality of first fibers; a first treatment step of applying an external force to the first fibers to which the resin granules are attached so that inter-fiber gaps are reduced while heating the first fibers and the resin granules; A method for manufacturing a fiber article, comprising: a second processing step of forming second fibers from the plurality of resin granules, the second fibers having an outer diameter smaller than that of the first fibers and set to a value in the range of 30 nm or more and 1.0 μm or less, by relaxing the external force, and forming a fiber composite containing the first fibers and the second fibers.

2. The method for producing a fiber article according to claim 1 , further comprising a processing step of processing the plurality of first fibers into a sheet shape.

3. The method for producing a fiber article according to claim 2 , wherein in the processing step, a nonwoven fabric is formed from the plurality of first fibers.

4. A method for manufacturing a fiber article described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the first treatment step, the external force is applied to the first fibers to which the multiple resin granules are attached by pressing the multiple first fibers with a pair of nip rolls.

5. The method for producing a fiber article according to claim 4 , wherein in the first treatment step, the plurality of first fibers and the plurality of resin granules are heated by the pair of heated nip rolls.

6. A method for manufacturing a fiber article described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the first processing step, the external force is applied to the first fibers to which the plurality of resin granules are attached by pressing the plurality of first fibers using a press device.

7. The method for producing a fiber article according to claim 6 , wherein in the first treatment step, the plurality of first fibers and the plurality of resin granules are heated by the heated press device.

8. A method for manufacturing a fiber article described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the heating temperature of the plurality of first fibers and the plurality of resin granules in the first treatment step is a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the first fibers.

9. The method for manufacturing a fiber article according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the heating temperature of the plurality of first fibers and the plurality of resin granules in the first treatment step is in the range of 50°C or higher and 200°C or lower.

10. The method for producing a fiber article according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a dispersion liquid in which the plurality of resin granules are dispersed is used in the impregnation step.

11. The method for producing a fiber article according to claim 10, wherein the dispersion liquid is an aqueous dispersion liquid in which the plurality of resin granules are dispersed in water.

12. The method for producing a fiber article according to claim 10 or 11, wherein in the impregnation step, the dispersion liquid detached from the first fibers in the first treatment step is reused.

13. A method for manufacturing a fiber article described in any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein in the first treatment step, the external force set to a value of 0.05 MPa or more is applied to the plurality of first fibers to which the plurality of resin granules are attached.

14. The method for producing a fiber article according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the plurality of resin particles having a lamellar structure are used in the attaching step.

15. A method for manufacturing a fiber article described in any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein in the second processing step, the fiber composite is formed in such a manner that the weight ratio W1 / W2 of the total weight W1 of the first fibers to the total weight W2 of the second fibers and the remaining resin granules is set to a value in the range of 3.00 or more and 200.00 or less.

16. The method for producing a fiber article according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the first fibers having an outer diameter set to a value in the range of 5 µm or more and 50 µm or less are used in the attaching step.

17. The method for manufacturing a fiber article according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the first fibers contain at least one of rayon, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, and cellulose acetate in the attaching step.

18. The method for producing a fiber article according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the resin granules used in the attaching step contain at least one of polytetrafluoroethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyamide.

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