Nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method using the same

Abstract

To provide a nonwoven fabric manufacturing device and a manufacturing method, which hardly cause vibration or noise and can improve productivity.SOLUTION: A nonwoven fabric manufacturing device comprises: a nozzle head supporting unit 20 that supports a nozzle head 30 on which a plurality of nozzles 34 is provided; a first rotation drive part 40 that rotates the nozzle head supporting unit 20 in a horizontal plane; a counter balancer 70 to cancel inertial force caused by rotation of the nozzle head supporting unit 20; and a second rotation drive part 50 to rotate the counter balancer 70 with the phase differing by 180° in a horizontal plane with respect to the nozzle head supporting unit 20. When the counter balancer 70 rotates in the phase differing by 180° with respect to the nozzle head supporting unit 20, the inertial force due to the rotation of the nozzle head supporting unit 20 is cancelled, therefore, vibration and noise do not occur on the whole of the nonwoven fabric manufacturing device. Consequently, high-speed motion becomes possible and efficiency of nonwoven fabric production can be improved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method using the same, and more particularly to a nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method using a hydroentanglement method (also known as a spunlace method) to manufacture a nonwoven fabric. [Background technology]

[0002] When high-pressure water jets are sprayed from above onto the piled cotton-like fibers, the fibers become entangled and form a sheet-like nonwoven fabric. This manufacturing method is called hydroentanglement. An example of a manufacturing device using the hydroentanglement method is the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0003] In the above-mentioned conventional technology, a nozzle header equipped with a plurality of downward-opening fluid injection nozzles is provided directly above a conveyor that transports fibrous sheet material at a constant speed, and the water jet ejected from this nozzle header is ejected in a circular path onto the fibrous sheet material on the conveyor. Rotating the nozzle header and the jet of water also swirls, which is said to be effective in firmly entangling the fibers and preventing the appearance of ridge-like lines on the surface of the nonwoven fabric, giving it a matte pattern and achieving a smooth surface.

[0004] However, the nozzle header used in the above-mentioned conventional technology is a heavy component consisting of a large number of nozzles, making it extremely difficult to operate it under uniform conditions for a long period of time and to prevent vibration and noise, making it difficult to maintain and manage the equipment.

[0005] Therefore, the invention of Patent Document 2 was proposed. In this prior art, a support for loading and transporting a fibrous web for hydroentangling reciprocates perpendicular to the transport direction, and a high-pressure water jet is sprayed from above the moving web for hydroentangling to three-dimensionally entangle the fibers that make up the web. To reciprocate the support, a roll that feeds the support is configured to reciprocate in the axial direction.

[0006] However, this conventional technology consumes unnecessary power because it reciprocates a heavy roll, and also causes vibration and noise throughout the manufacturing equipment. Furthermore, the vibration and noise become more pronounced as the manufacturing speed increases, hindering productivity improvements. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 55-62256 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-33251 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus that is less susceptible to vibration and noise and that can increase productivity, and a manufacturing method using the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of the first invention is a manufacturing apparatus that sprays a water flow from a nozzle onto a fiber web being conveyed to entangle the fibers of the fiber web and manufacture a nonwoven fabric, and is equipped with a nozzle head support unit that supports a nozzle head having a plurality of nozzles, a first rotation drive unit that rotates the nozzle head support unit in a horizontal plane, a counter balancer that cancels out the inertial force caused by the rotation of the nozzle head support unit, and a second rotation drive unit that rotates the counter balancer in a state where the phase is different by 180° in the horizontal plane from the nozzle head support unit. The first swivel drive unit comprises two left and right rotary shafts rotated by a drive source and first eccentric shaft portions formed on parts of the rotary shafts, and the first eccentric shaft portions are inserted into bearing bosses provided at both ends of the nozzle head support unit. The second swivel drive unit comprises a second eccentric shaft portion formed on another part of the rotary shaft, and the second eccentric shaft portion has a maximum eccentric position that is 180° out of phase with the first eccentric shaft portion in the horizontal plane, and is inserted into bearing bosses provided at both ends of the counter balancer. Characterized by 。 No. 2 The nonwoven fabric manufacturing method of the present invention comprises the steps of: Using the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1,This is a manufacturing method for producing a nonwoven fabric by spraying a water flow from a nozzle onto a fiber web being conveyed, thereby entangling the fibers of the fiber web, characterized in that a nozzle head support unit that supports a nozzle head having a plurality of nozzles is rotated in a horizontal plane, and a counter balancer that cancels out the inertial force caused by the rotation of the nozzle head support unit is rotated in a state where its phase is 180° different from that of the nozzle head support unit in the horizontal plane. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] No. 1 According to the invention, the nozzle head support unit and counter balancer are rotated together by the first and second eccentric shafts provided on the rotating shaft, and since the maximum eccentric positions of the first and second eccentric shafts are 180° out of phase with each other in the horizontal plane, the rotation of the counter balancer can cancel out the inertial force caused by the rotation of the nozzle head support unit. This makes it less likely that vibrations or noise will occur in the entire nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus. This allows for high-speed operation and improves the efficiency of nonwoven fabric production. No. 2 According to the invention, the counterbalancer is rotated 180° out of phase with the nozzle head support unit in the horizontal plane to cancel out the inertial force caused by the rotation of the nozzle head support unit. As a result, the entire nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus does not generate vibration or noise, making high-speed operation possible and increasing the efficiency of nonwoven fabric production. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus A according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is an explanatory diagram of a first revolving drive unit 40 and a second revolving drive unit 50 in the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus A of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view of a nozzle head support unit 20 and a water absorption box 60 in the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus A of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 10 is an explanatory diagram of the water flow receiving hole 62 of the water absorption box 60 and the water flow y jetted from the nozzle 34. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (manufacturing equipment) The basic configuration of a nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus A (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as manufacturing apparatus A) according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 is the vertical frame on the left side, 2 is the vertical frame on the right side, and 3 is the horizontal frame that connects the upper ends of the left and right vertical frames 1 and 2. These vertical frames 1 and 2 and horizontal frame 3 form a gate-shaped frame. An electric motor 4 is installed on the top of the left vertical frame 1, a gearbox 7 is installed on the left end of the horizontal frame 3, and a gearbox 8 is installed on the right end of the horizontal frame 3. The output shaft of the electric motor 4 is connected to the input side of the gearbox 7, and a common drive shaft 5 is connected between the two gearboxes 7, 8.

[0013] Gearboxes 7 and 8 convert rotation on the horizontal axis into rotation on the vertical axis. A left-side rotating shaft 11 is connected to the gearbox 7 via an arbitrary joint. The upper end of this rotating shaft 11 is connected to the left vertical frame 1 by a support arm 13 that houses a bearing. The lower end of the rotating shaft 11 is connected to the left vertical frame 1 by a support arm 14 that also houses a bearing. With this power transmission structure, when the electric motor 4 rotates, the rotating shaft 11 rotates around a vertical axis.

[0014] A right-side rotating shaft 12 is connected to the gearbox 8 via an arbitrary joint. The upper end of this rotating shaft 12 is connected to the right vertical frame 2 by a support arm 15 that houses a bearing. In addition, the lower end of the rotating shaft 12 is connected to the right vertical frame 2 by a support arm 16 that also houses a bearing. With this power transmission structure, when the electric motor 4 rotates, the rotating shaft 12 rotates around a vertical axis.

[0015] A nozzle head support unit 20 is disposed between the left and right vertical frames 1 and 2. The nozzle head support unit 20 consists of a support bar 21 and a nozzle head 30. The support bar 21 is a beam material that suspends the nozzle head 30, and has a length that is approximately the same as the left-right width dimension (also called the face length) of the nozzle head 30. The left and right ends of the support bar 21 are connected to the left and right rotating shafts 11 and 12 via a first rotating drive unit 40 and a second rotating drive unit 50, which will be described in detail later.

[0016] In the present invention, the support bar 21 shown in FIG. 1 may have any structure as long as it has the function of suspending the nozzle head 30, and can perform that function.

[0017] The nozzle head 30 is suspended from both the left and right ends of the support bar 21 via support blocks 22, 22. These support blocks 22, 22 are connecting members for lowering the height position of the nozzle head 30. Any block structure may be used as long as it can function as a connecting member.

[0018] In the present invention, the suspension structure using support blocks 22, 22 is not essential, and nozzle head 30 may be directly connected to support bar 21, or both ends of nozzle head 30 may be directly connected to first rotary drive unit 40 and second rotary drive unit 50. These mechanical structures may be configured arbitrarily as long as they can perform their intended functions.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the cross-sectional structure of the nozzle head 30 has a head box 31, inside which are formed, from top to bottom, a water passage 32, a pressure reservoir 33, and a nozzle . Above the head box 31, a pipe 35 for supplying high-pressure water is placed. High-pressure water supplied from a pipe 35 passes through a water passage 32 and a pressure water reservoir 33, and is then ejected downward from a nozzle 34 in the form of a thin column of high-pressure water.

[0020] In this embodiment, a large number of nozzles 34 are arranged in a staggered pattern. The number of nozzles 34 is greater than the number of water flow receiving holes 62, which will be described later, but is not limited to this and may be selected as necessary for water flow interlacing. The nozzles 34 are also not limited to a staggered arrangement and can be arranged in any pattern. The hole diameter of the nozzle 34 shown in the figure is 0.1 mm, but is not limited to this, and nozzles with hole diameters larger or smaller than 0.1 mm are also included in the present invention.

[0021] The first rotation drive unit 40 that rotates the nozzle head support unit 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2(C) shows the rotation shaft 11, Fig. 2(A) is a view seen from the arrow A, and Fig. 2(B) is a view seen from the arrow B. The first swivel drive unit 40 is provided above the support arms 14 on the left and right rotating shafts 11, 12. The structure of the first swivel drive unit 40 on the right rotating shaft 12 is similar to that on the left rotating shaft 11, so the following description will focus on the first swivel drive unit 40 on the left rotating shaft 11 as a representative example.

[0022] The first swivel drive unit 40 is constructed using an eccentric shaft portion 41 (marked with dots for clarity) formed on the rotating shaft 11, and a bearing 42 is fitted on the outer periphery of this eccentric shaft portion 41, and the bearing 42 is fitted into bearing bosses 43 attached to both ends of the support bar 21. There are no particular limitations on the structure of the eccentric shaft portion 41, and it may be one that is integrated with the shaft portion of the rotating shaft 11, or it may be an eccentric sleeve that is inserted and fixed onto the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 11. In the case of a structure in which a sleeve is inserted, the rotating shaft 11 itself in the first revolving drive portion 40 can be made to have the same diameter and shape, so no difference in peripheral speed occurs and it is possible to suppress heat generation.

[0023] In this embodiment, the maximum eccentricity of the eccentric shaft portion 41 relative to the axis of the rotating shafts 11 and 12 is 4 mm. Therefore, when the rotating shafts 11 and 12 rotate, the nozzle head support unit 20 rotates. This rotation is an orbital motion about the vertical center line C in FIG. 1. When viewed from the front of the entire manufacturing apparatus A, this orbital motion appears to be a swinging motion in the left-right direction, but in reality it is a circular motion when viewed from above. When the nozzle head support unit 20 makes a pivoting motion as described above, the nozzle head 30 itself, which is a component thereof, also pivots in a horizontal plane, describing a circle with a diameter of 8 mm.

[0024] 3, a water absorption box 60 is disposed on the underside of the nozzle head 30. The water absorption box 60 is a tank-like container, and is connected to any drainage pipe. A plurality of water flow receiving holes 62 are formed in the top plate 61 of the water absorption box 60 to receive the water sprayed from the nozzles 34. The product of the number of water flow receiving holes 62 and the hole area is the opening area, and the ratio of this opening area to the upper area of ​​the top plate 61 is the opening ratio. This opening ratio is selected within a range that can adequately absorb the amount of water sprayed from all of the nozzles 34.

[0025] FIG. 4(A) shows the water flow receiving holes 62 formed in the top plate portion 61 of the water absorption box as viewed from above. There are many water flow receiving holes 62, which are arranged in a staggered pattern. A staggered pattern has the advantage of allowing a large opening ratio, but the present invention is not limited to this staggered pattern, and any shape can be selected.

[0026] In the illustrated embodiment, the diameter of the water flow receiving hole 62 is 10 mm, but this is not limitative. The present invention also includes water flow receiving holes 62 with diameters larger or smaller than 10 mm to match the swirl diameter of the nozzle 34.

[0027] In this embodiment, as described above, the nozzle head 30 revolves in a circle with a diameter of 8 mm, so that the water streams (indicated by arrows y) jetted from the nozzles 34 trace a swirling path with a diameter of 8 mm, as shown in Figure 4(B), and the swirling paths of adjacent water streams y overlap each other. The jetted water streams y are received by a large number of water stream receiving holes 62, as shown in Figure 4(C). In this embodiment, the opening ratio of the water stream receiving holes 62 is appropriate, so that almost all of the jetted water streams y are absorbed by the water intake box 60.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 3, a conveyor belt 71 for conveying the fibrous web w is disposed on the upper surface of the water absorption box 60. This conveyor belt 71 is porous, using a wire mesh or the like, so the water flow sprayed by the nozzle 34 passes through downward. This water flow entangles the fibrous web w on the conveyor belt 71.

[0029] 1 and 2, the counter balancer 70 will be described. The counter balancer 70 is disposed between the left and right vertical frames 1, 2 and above the nozzle head support unit 20. The second swivel drive unit 50 is provided below the support arms 13, 15 of the left and right rotating shafts 11, 12. The structure of the second swivel drive unit 50 on the rotating shaft 11 is similar to that on the rotating shaft 12, so the following description will focus on the second swivel drive unit 50 on the rotating shaft 11 as a representative example.

[0030] The second swivel drive unit 50 is constructed using an eccentric shaft portion 51 (marked with dots for clarity) formed on the rotating shaft 11, and a bearing 52 is fitted to the outer periphery of this eccentric shaft portion 51, and the bearing 52 is fitted to bearing bosses 53 attached to both ends of the counter balancer 70. There are no particular limitations on the structure of the eccentric shaft portion 51, and it may be one that is integrated with the shaft portion of the rotating shaft 11, or it may be an eccentric sleeve that is inserted and fixed onto the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 11. In the case of a structure in which a sleeve is inserted, the rotating shaft 11 itself in the second revolving drive portion 50 can be made to have the same diameter and shape, so no difference in peripheral speed occurs and it is possible to suppress heat generation.

[0031] In the first and second swivel drive units 40 and 50, when the left and right rotary shafts 11 and 12 rotate, the counter balancer 70 also rotates along a trajectory in a horizontal plane due to the rotation of the eccentric shaft unit 51. This rotation is also a revolution about the vertical center line C in Figure 1. Furthermore, this revolution also appears as a swinging motion in the left-right direction when viewed from the front of the entire manufacturing apparatus A, but in reality it is a circular motion when viewed in a plan view. As can be easily seen by comparing Figure 2 (A) and Figure 2 (B), the maximum eccentric position of the eccentric shaft portion 51 in the second swivel drive unit 50 is 180° out of phase with the maximum eccentric position of the eccentric shaft portion 41 in the first swivel drive unit 40 in a plan view. This means that the rotational movement of the counter balancer 70 either precedes or follows the rotational movement of the nozzle head support unit 20 by 180° in phase.

[0032] As described above, when the counter balancer 70 rotates in a phase that is 180° out of phase with the nozzle head support unit 20 in the horizontal plane, the inertial force caused by the rotation of the nozzle head support unit 20 can be canceled out.

[0033] (Manufacturing method) The manufacturing method of this embodiment is a manufacturing method in which a water flow is sprayed from a nozzle onto a fiber web being transported, entangling the fibers of the fiber web to produce a nonwoven fabric, and is carried out using the manufacturing apparatus described above. In the manufacturing method of this embodiment, the nozzle head support unit 20 that supports the nozzle head 30 is rotated in a horizontal plane, and the counter balancer 70, which cancels out the dynamic inertia caused by the rotation of the nozzle head support unit 20, is rotated in a state where its phase is 180° different from that of the nozzle head support unit 20 in the horizontal plane.

[0034] As described above, by rotating the counter balancer 70 in a horizontal plane with a phase difference of 180° relative to the nozzle head support unit 20, it is possible to cancel out the inertial force caused by the rotation of the nozzle head support unit 20. As a result, the entire nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus A does not generate vibrations or noise.

[0035] Therefore, this manufacturing method enables high-speed operation and improves the efficiency of nonwoven fabric production. In addition, since the entire nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus A does not generate vibration or noise, there is no unnecessary energy consumption, and energy conservation effects can be achieved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] A Nonwoven fabric manufacturing equipment 1,2 vertical frame 3 Horizontal frame 20 Nozzle head support unit 21 Support bar 30 nozzle head 34 nozzles 40 First slewing drive unit 50 Second slewing drive unit 70 Counterbalancer

Claims

1. A manufacturing apparatus for producing a nonwoven fabric by spraying a water flow from a nozzle onto a fiber web being conveyed to entangle the fibers of the fiber web, a nozzle head support unit that supports a nozzle head having a plurality of the nozzles; a first rotation drive unit that rotates the nozzle head support unit in a horizontal plane; a counterbalancer for canceling out an inertial force caused by the rotation of the nozzle head support unit; a second rotation drive unit that rotates the counter balancer in a state where the counter balancer is out of phase with the nozzle head support unit by 180° in a horizontal plane, The first swivel drive unit is Two left and right rotation shafts rotated by a drive source; a first eccentric shaft portion formed on a part of the rotary shaft, the first eccentric shaft portion is inserted into bearing bosses provided at both ends of the nozzle head support unit, The second swivel drive unit is a second eccentric shaft portion formed at another portion of the rotary shaft, The second eccentric shaft portion has a maximum eccentric position that is 180° out of phase with the first eccentric shaft portion in a horizontal plane, and is inserted into bearing bosses provided at both ends of the counter balancer. A nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus characterized by the above.

2. A manufacturing method using the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of claim 1, in which a water flow is sprayed from a nozzle onto a fiber web being conveyed, thereby entangling the fibers of the fiber web to manufacture a nonwoven fabric, a nozzle head support unit that supports the nozzle head having the plurality of nozzles is rotated in a horizontal plane; A counter balancer for canceling the inertial force caused by the rotation of the nozzle head support unit is rotated in a state where its phase is different by 180° in the horizontal plane from that of the nozzle head support unit. A method for producing a nonwoven fabric.

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