How to regenerate fiber

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for recovering fibers from offcuts of unlined, lined and / or moulded carpeting and / or woven multi-layer composite backing, in particular from offcuts of passenger compartment or luggage compartment carpeting in the field of automotive manufacturing.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for regenerating fibers from scraps of unbacked, backed, and / or molded carpet fabrics, and / or scraps of backing material for woven multilayer composite materials, particularly scraps of cabin carpet material or cargo area carpet material in the automotive manufacturing sector. [Background technology]

[0002] Most passenger compartment carpet materials used in the automotive industry consist of an outermost layer (practical layer), a carpet base with a different backing material, and insulation. Flat needle felt, velour, and tufting are particularly used as such carpet bases.

[0003] PA6.6, PA6, PP, rPA, and rPET are primarily used as yarn materials for tufted carpeting, while PET, PET / PP, PP, PA / PET, and rPET are primarily used as fiber materials for velour and flat-needle felt carpeting. The tufting backing in tufting applications is primarily made of PET / PP, PET / coPET, or PET / PA. Fiber binders include, in particular, EVA and PE for tufted carpeting, SBR latex or acrylate for velour and flat-needle felt carpeting, and sheets, nonwoven fabrics, adhesives (hot melt), thermoplastic materials (primarily PE), and thermal adhesives for velour and flat-needle felt carpeting (Klieverik; Patent Document 1). Furthermore, binder fibers, EVA, or thermoplastic dispersions are increasingly being used. Coatings primarily contain PE or PP, not only as an adhesive layer for the base nonwoven fabric but also for reinforcement.

[0004] Backing materials (mainly sound-absorbing and / or reinforcing nonwoven fabrics) typically consist of PET and mixed fiber nonwoven fabrics. PE / PA and PE / PA / PE sheets are used as sealing or damping sheets, while PE / PA / PE+PET is used as a sheet-like nonwoven fabric.

[0005] Depending on the sound absorption requirements, so-called heavy sheets are also used.

[0006] Between the top layer and the body floor there is an insulating layer, in particular a PUR foam or nonwoven structure. The foam is firmly bonded to the top layer (foam bonding) and the nonwoven structure is also firmly bonded to the top layer (usually adhesive bonding), although simple overlapping is also used.

[0007] Today, approximately 6% of carpet fabric production and up to 30% of floor carpet production is waste material (external trimmings).

[0008] Offcuts from the production of flat needle felt and velour (glue-free, uncoated) are typically reprocessed, often shredded and recycled into textile processing.

[0009] Offcuts from the production of passenger compartment carpet materials and luggage compartment carpet materials are usually used for combustion (thermal recycling) and are also used, for example, to produce floor coverings for equestrian arenas (Patent Documents 2 and 3).

[0010] In vehicle manufacturing, after forming into passenger compartment carpeting and luggage compartment carpeting and backing, no reprocessing / additional processing is carried out on the high-quality fiber material of carpeting and backing offcuts (external trimming offcuts).

[0011] Both offcuts from the production of flat needle felt and velour (without adhesive, no coating or only trace amounts) and sound absorbing / reinforcing nonwovens (individual nonwovens; unlined and unformed fabrics) are reprocessed.

[0012] Also, for example, there are methods and apparatus for separating individual layers or fibers of carpet fabric from the overall composite material. In the prior art, methods and apparatus used for this purpose include:

[0013] Shredding: Patent documents 4 to 6

[0014] Separation (also for tufted carpets): Patent Documents 7 to 20, Patent Document 21 (by heating), Patent Document 22 (by heating), Patent Document 23 (by heating), and Patent Document 24 (by water bath method)

[0015] Solvent-based processing: Patent Document 25

[0016] The extrusion method for recycling offcuts (glued and coated carpets and possibly carpets with backing) is known: Patent Documents 26 and 27

[0017] Coating / Composite Further Processing => Extrusion Coating Patent documents 28 to 30

[0018] A shredding device for fibrous starting material and a method for chopping and recycling the scraps, without specifying the scraps, is described in patent document 31. The material to be separated into fibers is fed by a feeding device of a rotating shredding drum with shredding blades and is processed by a downstream nonwoven fabric forming means consisting of a perforated drum with an evacuated interior space.

[0019] Patent document 32 describes a method for reprocessing plastic-coated fiber materials, particularly plastic-backed woven fabric floor covers, to regenerate the woven fibers and plastic contained therein. This method has the following steps: -The material to be reprocessed into small pieces, approximately 5x5 to 10x10 mm 2 and mixing the pieces with water to create a pumpable bulk; - grinding the pieces in a mill to form a pulp; - dewatering and drying the pulp, -Mechanical separation of the fibers from the resulting plastic granules.

[0020] Furthermore, an apparatus for implementing this method is described, which is characterized by the following configuration. - A shredding device consisting of vertical and horizontal blades for materials to be reprocessed, - At least one intermediate piece storage device and conveying device having a weighing device downstream, - At least one stirring tank for producing a suspension of small pieces, - At least one mill for converting a suspension of small pieces into pulp, - A classification apparatus having a dryer located downstream, - It has at least one mechanical separation device for separating fibers from the obtained plastic granules, The component stirring tank, mill, and classification apparatus are connected to each other by shuttable, transparent pipes.

[0021] US Pat. No. 5,699,499 relates to a method and apparatus for converting textile offcuts into industrially usable products, in particular continuous yarns of non-oriented or low-temperature oriented synthetic polymerized or polycondensed products.

[0022] On the one hand, in the prior art for reprocessing carpeting offcuts, the methods and apparatuses described therein are very complicated, and the "recycled goods" finally produced are very expensive. On the other hand, offcuts (exterior trimmings) of passenger compartment carpeting or luggage compartment carpeting obtained, particularly in the automotive supply industry, - backing and shaped carpet + base nonwoven + optional sealing or reinforcing sheet - are not reprocessed. Thus, the fibers contained therein are not reused. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0023] [Patent Document 1] European Patent No. 1 598 476 [Patent Document 2] German Patent No. 101 47 676 [Patent Document 3] European Patent No. 1,285,997 [Patent Document 4] German Patent Application Publication No. 100 52 262 Specification [Patent Document 5] German Patent Application Publication No. 19621916 [Patent Document 6] European Patent Application Publication No. 0740001 [Patent Document 7] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0068865 [Patent Document 8] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0115075 [Patent Document 9] US Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0327858 [Patent Document 10] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0321383 [Patent Document 11] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0102138 [Patent Document 12] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0112790 [Patent Document 13] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0176006 [Patent Document 14] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0368171 [Patent Document 15] International Publication No. 2016 / 106024 [Patent Document 16] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012 / 0291601 [Patent Document 17] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0231030 Specification [Patent Document 18] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012 / 0149284 [Patent Document 19] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012 / 0037734 [Patent Document 20] US Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0251545 [Patent Document 21] US Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0057379 [Patent Document 22] US Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0112727 [Patent Document 23] European Patent Application Publication No. 3 141 366 [Patent Document 24] US Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0174517 [Patent Document 25] US Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0075848 [Patent Document 26] German Patent No. 43 11 708 [Patent Document 27] US Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0322231 [Patent Document 28] US Patent Application Publication No. 2011 / 0244172 [Patent Document 29] International Publication No. 2017 / 004494 [Patent Document 30] US Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0344281 [Patent Document 31] DE 29 12 158 A1 [Patent Document 32] DE 41 21 024 A1 [Patent Document 33] German Patent No. 2003 398 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0024] The present invention aims to provide a method for recovering fibers from unlined, lined and moulded offcuts, in particular from offcuts of passenger compartment or luggage compartment carpeting for motor vehicles, and for recycling them primarily into industrial products, in particular nonwovens (airlaid webs, needlepunched webs, Struto webs) and thermal insulation materials (pads, moulded nonwoven parts, fibre flock parts).

[0025] The method according to the invention makes it possible to recycle fibers from carpeting and backing offcuts (external trimmings) after forming and backing of passenger compartment and luggage compartment carpeting materials in automobile manufacturing and to recycle them primarily into nonwoven materials and sound insulation components. [Means for solving the problem]

[0026] In a first embodiment of the present invention, the object is to provide a method for recovering fibers from offcuts of unbacked, backed and / or moulded carpeting and / or offcuts of woven multi-layer composite backings, in particular offcuts of passenger compartment carpeting or luggage compartment carpeting in automobile manufacturing, comprising: 1. The scrap material is cut lengthwise and widthwise by a cutting device to obtain a desired size, particularly at least 100 x 100 mm 2 Cut into 2. The cut scraps are chopped in a first shredding step using one or two roller feeders; 3. Roughly separating the fibers from dust and powdery debris; 4. The separated fibers are weighed and stored as needed; 5. The fibers are optionally wet or steam treated, in particular in an air-conditioned room; 6. subjecting the fibers to at least one subsequent second chopping step; 7. The obtained fibers are used for nonwoven fabrics or sound insulation parts in automobile manufacturing. This is achieved by a method characterized by: More specifically, the method for regenerating fibers comprises:Unlined, lined, and / or molded carpeting scraps and / or woven multi-layer composite backing scraps That is, Method for recovering fibers from scraps of passenger compartment carpet material or luggage compartment carpet material in automobile manufacturing In , 1. The scrap material is cut into a desired size by cutting it vertically and horizontally with a cutting device; The cut scraps are transported by a first conveyor belt to an intermediate storage facility having a vertical spiked dratis, a width-adjustable shaft forming a discharge cylinder, and a second conveyor belt. 2. The cut end material is conveyed from the second conveyor belt to the roller feeder of the first shredder, The first shredding step uses a roller feeder to chop the material. 3. Roughly separating the fibers from dust and powdery debris; 4. The first shredder moves the already shredded scraps to a shaft weighing device equipped with a continuous conveyor scale that can measure weight using a capacitive capacitor. 5 The separated fibers are weighed and Savings Stored in the warehouse, 6. The separated fibers are subjected to a wet or steam treatment in an air-conditioned room; 7 subjecting the fibers to at least one subsequent second chopping step; 8 The obtained fibers are used for nonwoven fabrics or sound insulation parts in automobile manufacturing. It has a process. Also, the method of regenerating fibers is In a method for regenerating fibers from scraps of unbacked, backed, and / or molded carpet fabrics, and / or scraps of backing material for woven multilayer composite materials in automobile manufacturing, 1a. Feeding the scrap material to four feeding cylinders of a roller feeder, adjusting the distance between the feeding cylinders to suit the scrap material to be used therein; 2a. The scrap material is coarsely crushed, weighed, and stored, and then continuously fed to at least a first roller feeder; 3. Roughly separating the fibers from dust and powdery debris during milling; 4. Weighing and storing the separated fibers, and then feeding them to at least one further chopping step; 5. A process for using the obtained fibers in nonwoven fabrics or sound insulation parts in automobile manufacturing, The separated fibers are subjected to a wet or steam treatment in an air-conditioned room, The cut scraps are transported by a conveyor belt to an intermediate storage facility which has a vertical spiked dratis, a width-adjustable shaft forming a discharge cylinder, and a conveyor belt. The remaining scraps are transported from the conveyor belt to the roller feeder of the first shredder, and the first shredder then moves the already shredded scraps to a shaft weighing device equipped with a continuous conveyor scale that can measure weight using a capacitive capacitor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0027] The method of the present invention makes it possible to reuse fibers from carpeting and backing offcuts (external trimming offcuts) after forming into passenger compartment carpeting and luggage compartment carpeting and after backing in automobile manufacturing, and to reuse them mainly in nonwoven materials and sound insulation components. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows the method of the present invention in a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of the method of the present invention with pre-grinding and pre-opening. [Figure 3] Outline trimming offcuts in the production of passenger compartment carpets after forming the multi-layer composite material and punching and cutting it. [Figure 4] The separated fibers were reused to produce floor carpet insulation in a fiber flocking process. A portion of this insulation is shown. [Figure 5] The fibers were reused to produce insulation for passenger cabin carpets using a fiber flocking process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] Unlined, lined and / or moulded carpeting offcuts and / or backed offcuts of woven multi-layer composites, particularly trimmings and punched offcuts from passenger compartment or luggage compartment carpeting in automotive manufacturing, are placed on a chopping support table in a range of sizes. The weight variations in the input can be quite large in terms of thickness (mm) and fibre orientation (MD / CD) of the material.

[0030] If a roller feeder is used instead of a tray feeder, the inlet dimension to the chopping roller is larger (for example, for a roller diameter of 104 mm, the free distance for the fiber composite material, i.e. the clamping point to the chopping roller, is about 52 mm), which creates more space for the material, regardless of longitudinal or transverse feed and thickness.

[0031] This results in a better input to the first shredding roller.

[0032] The metal carding clothing (mounting) is preferably located on the feed roller and has the advantage of providing considerable support, which prevents so-called "needle-through", i.e., the needle penetrating and drawing in long debris uncontrollably.

[0033] The feed rollers can be adjusted to a distance (gap distance) that is dependent on the material, and the distance to the first shredding roller can be varied, either mechanically or by means of a setting motor.

[0034] It is also important to mount rollers, preferably on (upwardly movable) spring seats, in order to compensate for unevenness of the material fed in.

[0035] As with any such supply system, safety measures can be addressed through metal monitoring and mechanical overload control.

[0036] Preferably, before the second chopping step the fibres are wet or steam treated or treated in an air-conditioned room.

[0037] In the case of three chopping rollers without pre-comminuted input material, the configuration of FIG. 1 is preferably shown.

[0038] The advantage in this case is that the shredding rollers 2, 3 can be more easily adjusted. The closer the distance between the shredding rollers 2, 3 and the tray, the better the quality will be.

[0039] This means that no unusable material (plastic, wood, etc.) is introduced into the process downstream of the feeder (first shredding device).

[0040] As a result, mainly dust is obtained below the roller feeders of the shredding devices 2,3.

[0041] FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of the method of the present invention with pre-grinding and pre-opening.

[0042] Unlined, lined and / or moulded carpeting offcuts and / or lined offcuts of woven multi-layer composites, in particular trimmings and punched offcuts obtained from passenger compartment or luggage compartment carpeting in automobile manufacturing, are fed into the cutting equipment according to its characteristics. The cutting process is carried out both longitudinally and transversely, so that defined pieces, in particular pieces of at least 100 x 100 mm, are cut. 2 The distance between the cutting knives can be constant or variable.

[0043] The cut off material is transported to an intermediate storehouse by means of a conveyor belt, for example, which comprises a vertical spike grate, a width-adjustable shaft forming a discharge cylinder, and a belt.

[0044] The conveyor belt transports the scrap to the roller feeder of the first shredder, which transfers the already chopped scrap to a shaft weigher with a continuous conveyor scale that can measure weight using capacitance capacitors.

[0045] A quantity per unit time or quantity per unit is monitored by the conveyor scale, which ensures that the correct quantity is always delivered to the second shredder. Again, before the second shredding, the fibers may be wetted or steamed, or treated in an air-conditioned room.

[0046] Standardized manufacturing results in consistent fiber opening, and therefore consistent quality.

[0047] The system is also more adaptable to different starting material qualities.

[0048] Separate pre-opening and fine-opening allows for better adjustment of the mechanical settings, lower power and energy consumption, and optimised roller pin placement. The "pre-shredding quality" can therefore be selectively influenced depending on the scrap structure.

[0049] The inventive concept can also be designed as a continuous system, ie, a system in which fibers can be continuously passed through the equipment.

[0050] In this case as well, the entire system is controlled solely by the conveyor. The essential requirement for this is to design the feeding mechanism, and ideally, by enabling control over the drive of the shredding rollers 2 and 3, it is possible to design the system to selectively adjust the length of the shredded fibers.

[0051] The essential essence of the present invention is therefore to provide, on the one hand, a method for separating compressed, bonded and partially coated fiber materials from woven material composites (passenger compartment carpeting and luggage compartment carpeting), and, on the other hand, a method for reprocessing / re-processing high-quality fiber materials, for example, for nonwovens (airlaid fleece, needle-punched fleece, Struto fleece) and thermal insulation materials (padding, nonwoven molded parts, fiber flock parts).

[0052] The present invention has advantages in saving new raw materials / materials, saving energy, and reducing the burden on the environment.

[0053] Furthermore, costs, both in terms of materials and personnel, are significantly reduced compared to the prior art.

[0054] Taking thermal recycling (combustion) into consideration, it is possible to almost completely utilize the scraps. [Example]

[0055] In the manufacturing of cabin carpet material, which is produced by molding a multilayer composite material and then punching and cutting it, the trimming scraps of the outer shape consist of the following material structure, as shown in Figure 3.

[0056] 20% BiCo (composite) fiber, PE / PA / PE sheet (100 μm), and recycled sandwich substrate nonwoven fabric (900 g / m 2, PET / PP / BiCo) bonded 560g / m 2 PET carpeting.

[0057] The chopping was carried out by applying the method according to the invention of FIG. 2 with pre-crushing and pre-opening.

[0058] By crushing the scraps fed in, it was possible to find suitable settings for processing after the first shredding.

[0059] The material discharged from the shaft weigher could be fed to the shredders 2 and 3 via the conveyor scale in a specified manner.

[0060] A conveyor scale controlled production.

[0061] If the weight on the conveyor scale deviates + or - (for example, within a 50% range), the feed is adjusted accordingly.

[0062] The feedback control system was designed to match the speed of the upstream system as well.

[0063] Therefore, the separated fibers (see Figure 3) were reused to produce floor carpet insulation in a fiber flocking process. A portion of this insulation can be seen in Figure 4.

[0064] The insulation was tested according to the requirements of the automotive industry, specifically for TVOC, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, odor, fogging, and mechanical and thermal requirements.

[0065] All requirements were met.

[0066] Further tests were carried out on the following material configurations: 560 g / m 2 PET carpeting, 120 g / m 2 Latex, 120g / m 2 PE coating and recycled sandwich base nonwoven fabric (900g / m2 , PET / PP / BiCo).

[0067] It was revealed that latex can also be separated from the fibers by the method of the present invention. The latex dripped out in the form of particles.

[0068] Here too, the fibers (Figure 5) were reused in the manufacture of insulation material for guest room carpets using the fiber floc method.

[0069] All tests met the requirements of the automotive industry. It is noteworthy that emission limits were adhered to despite the latex bonding of the carpet.

Claims

1. 1. A method for recovering fibers from offcuts of passenger compartment carpeting or luggage compartment carpeting in automobile manufacturing, which offcuts are unbacked, backed, and / or molded carpeting and / or woven multi-layer composite backing, comprising:

1. The scrap material is cut into a desired size by cutting it longitudinally and transversely with a cutting device, and the cut scrap material is transported by a first conveyor belt to an intermediate storage facility having a vertical spike lattice, a width-adjustable shaft forming a discharge cylinder, and a second conveyor belt; 2. The cut scraps are transported from the second conveyor belt to the roller feeders of the first shredder, and are chopped in the first shredding process using two roller feeders; 3. Roughly separating the fibers from dust and powdery debris; 4. The scrap material already chopped by the first shredder is transferred to a shaft weigher having a continuous conveyor scale capable of measuring weight by capacitance capacitors; 5. The separated fibers are weighed and stored; 6. The separated fibers are subjected to a wet or steam treatment in an air-conditioned room; 7. Subjecting the fibers to at least one subsequent second chopping step; 8. A step of using the obtained fibers for nonwoven fabrics or sound insulation parts in automobile manufacturing. A method characterized by:

2. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein offcuts of unbacked, backed and / or moulded carpeting and / or offcuts of woven multi-layer composite backing material are used, the offcuts being from passenger compartment carpeting or luggage compartment carpeting in automobile manufacturing.

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