Meltblowing device

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a meltblowing device including a supplying wheel set for feeding a polymer wire, a fuse region below the supplying wheel set, and a nozzle module below the fuse region. The supplying wheel set includes a first supplying wheel and a second supplying wheel opposite to each other. The fuse region includes a wire channel, an air channel, a heating module, and a heating element. The wire channel is configured to collect the polymer wire. The air channel is disposed outside of the wire channel, and a high pressure air may enter the air channel from the end thereof adjacent to the supplying wheel set. The heating module is disposed outside of the air channel and configured to heat the high pressure air. The heating element is disposed on the side away from the supplying wheel set and configured to form the polymer wire into a fused polymer. The nozzle module includes a nozzle, which is configured to spray the fused polymer to form meltblown fibers.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to a meltblown apparatus, and more particularly to a meltblown apparatus for forming meltblown fibers. [Previous Technology]

[0002] For textiles with complex shapes or undulating surfaces, such as footwear or close-fitting garments, the manufacturing process includes cutting multiple layers of fabric and heat-setting the cut fabric to form a composite structure. However, the alignment of multiple layers of fabric increases the difficulty of cutting, leading to a decrease in product yield. Furthermore, solvents are often used in the alignment process to assist in fabric forming, and these solvents can easily remain in the textile, causing negative effects. Therefore, how to enable fibers to directly form textiles with complex shapes to improve manufacturing yield, and how to avoid the use of solvents in the manufacturing process, are important issues in this field. [Summary of the Invention]

[0003] This disclosure provides a meltblown apparatus using a hot-melt method, which can be applied to form meltblown fibers in fabrics.

[0004] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the meltblown apparatus includes a feed roller assembly, a molten wire zone, and a nozzle. The feed roller assembly is used to feed polymer wires and includes a first feed roller and a second feed roller disposed opposite to each other. The molten wire zone is disposed below the feed roller assembly and includes a wire channel, an air channel, a heating module, and a heating element. The wire channel is used to receive polymer wires. The air channel is located outside the wire channel, and high-pressure air enters the air channel from one end of the air channel adjacent to the feed roller assembly. The heating module is located outside the air channel and is used to increase the temperature of the high-pressure air. The heating element is disposed on the side of the molten wire zone away from the feed roller assembly and is used to form molten polymer from the polymer wires. The nozzle is disposed below the molten wire zone and includes a nozzle for spraying molten polymer to form meltblown fibers.

[0005] In some embodiments, when the first feed wheel has a first rotation direction and the second feed wheel has a second rotation direction, the polymer wire enters the wire channel from the feed wheel assembly.

[0006] In some embodiments, when the first feed wheel has a second rotation direction and the second feed wheel has a first rotation direction, the polymer wire leaves the wire channel toward the feed wheel assembly.

[0007] In some embodiments, the air channel includes a spiral conduit surrounding the wire channel, and the heating module surrounds the spiral conduit.

[0008] In some embodiments, the air passage further includes a straight pipe between the spiral pipe and the nozzle, the straight pipe connecting the spiral pipe and the nozzle.

[0009] In some embodiments, the nozzle includes an air outlet for an air passage, the air outlet being located on both sides of the nozzle orifice.

[0010] In some embodiments, the nozzle includes a plurality of spray holes arranged in a straight line.

[0011] In some embodiments, the melt index of the polymer filament is between 100 g / 10 min and 3000 g / 10 min.

[0012] In some embodiments, the meltblown device further includes cooling fins located outside the heating module.

[0013] In some embodiments, the meltblown apparatus further includes a heat insulation layer located between the heating element and the heating module.

[0014] According to the above embodiments of this disclosure, since the meltblown apparatus of this disclosure controls the feeding of polymer wire by means of a wire feed roller assembly, the meltblown apparatus can control the spraying rate of molten polymer in real time, thus forming meltblown fibers with clearly defined distribution breakpoints and avoiding residue. In addition, the meltblown apparatus of this disclosure sends high-pressure air into the air channel from one end adjacent to the wire feed roller assembly, thereby cooling the polymer wire adjacent to the wire feed roller assembly and avoiding affecting the feeding efficiency of the wire feed roller assembly.

Implementation Method

[0016] To achieve the different features of the mentioned subject matter, the following disclosure provides many different implementations. Specific examples of components, values, configurations, etc., are described below to simplify this disclosure. Of course, these are merely examples and not limiting. For example, in the following description, forming a first feature on or above a second feature may include implementations where the first and second features are formed in direct contact, and may also include implementations where an additional feature is formed between the first and second features such that the first and second features do not need to be in direct contact.

[0017] Furthermore, this document may use spatial relative terms such as "below," "under," "lower," "above," "upper," etc., to facilitate the description of the relationship between an element or feature and another element or feature as shown in the figure. In addition to the orientations shown in the figure, spatial relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation. The device may be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other directions), and the spatial relative descriptive symbols used herein may be interpreted accordingly.

[0018] This disclosure provides a meltblown apparatus, which includes a feed roller assembly for controlling the feeding of polymer filaments. This allows the meltblown apparatus to control the formation of meltblown fibers in real time, thereby forming meltblown fibers with clearly defined distribution breakpoints and avoiding polymer residue. The meltblown apparatus also includes an air channel, in which high-pressure air enters from one end adjacent to the feed roller assembly. This high-pressure air cools the polymer filaments adjacent to the feed roller assembly, preventing the feed roller assembly from failing to feed the polymer filaments smoothly. The high-pressure air in the air channel is heated by a heating module, ensuring that the high-pressure air reaching the nozzle is at a sufficiently high temperature to facilitate the formation of meltblown fibers at the nozzle.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a meltblown apparatus 10. The meltblown apparatus 10 includes a feed zone 100, a molten wire zone 200 disposed below the feed zone 100, and a nozzle 300 disposed below the molten wire zone 200. Specifically, a polymer wire 400 enters the meltblown apparatus 10 from the feed zone 100. The polymer wire 400 sequentially passes through the feed zone 100 and the molten wire zone 200 to form molten polymer. The molten polymer is then formed into meltblown fibers on a collecting element 500 by the nozzle 300.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, the feed area 100, the filament area 200, and the nozzle 300 are located coaxially, thereby simplifying the path of the meltblown device 10 in forming the polymer filament 400 into meltblown fibers. In addition, the coaxial feed area 100, filament area 200, and nozzle 300 can make the meltblown device 10 lightweight, so that when the meltblown device 10 is combined with a mobile device (e.g., a robotic arm), it will not affect the mobility of the mobile device.

[0021] The feed area 100 includes a feed roller assembly 110 for feeding polymer wire 400. Specifically, the feed roller assembly 110 includes a first feed roller 112 and a second feed roller 114 disposed opposite to the first feed roller 112. A gap exists between the first feed roller 112 and the second feed roller 114, such that the polymer wire 400 is fed to the fuse area 200 through the gap between the first feed roller 112 and the second feed roller 114. In some embodiments, the first feed roller 112 and the second feed roller 114 may each have a groove (not shown) disposed on their side, wherein the groove may be configured to hold the polymer wire 400 between the two feed rollers, so that the feed roller assembly 110 can feed the polymer wire 400 more stably.

[0022] Since the feed roller assembly 110 directly delivers the polymer wire 400, the meltblown device 10 does not require additional pipelines for feeding, thus increasing the mobility of the meltblown device 10. The use of the feed roller assembly 110 instead of pipelines for feeding also avoids supply interruptions caused by pipeline bends, thereby maintaining stable meltblown fiber formation. Furthermore, the feed roller assembly 110 delivers the solid-type polymer wire 400 to the melting zone 200, eliminating the need for additional solvents to dissolve the polymer material, thereby increasing process safety.

[0023] In some embodiments, the first feed wheel 112 and the second feed wheel 114 clamp the polymer wire 400, such that the rotating first feed wheel 112 and the second feed wheel 114 can advance or push the polymer wire 400 away from the molten wire zone 200. Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the meltblown device 10 in meltblown operation. As shown in Figure 1, when the first feed wheel 112 has a first rotation direction D1 and the second feed wheel 114 has a second rotation direction D2, the polymer wire 400 is affected by the rotation direction of the feed wheel assembly 110 and enters the molten wire zone 200 from the feed wheel assembly 110. The polymer wire 400 entering the molten wire zone 200 forms meltblown fibers on the collecting element 500 by the nozzle 300.

[0024] In contrast, Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the meltblown device 10 in Figure 1 when meltblowing has stopped. As shown in Figure 2, when the first feed wheel 112 has a second rotation direction D2 and the second feed wheel 114 has a first rotation direction D1, the polymer wire 400 moves away from the wire channel 202 toward the feed wheel assembly 110. In other words, the polymer wire 400 moves away from the molten wire zone 200 toward the feed wheel assembly 110. Since the polymer wire 400 stops entering the molten wire zone 200, the molten polymer in the nozzle 300 is no longer squeezed by the polymer wire 400, so the nozzle 300 stops spraying meltblown fibers.

[0025] As described above, the meltblown device 10 can control the feeding of polymer wire 400 by controlling the rotation direction of the feed roller assembly 110, thereby controlling whether meltblown fibers are formed. When the feed roller assembly 110 rotates in the forward direction (i.e., feeding polymer wire 400 into the molten wire zone 200), the meltblown device 10 forms meltblown fibers. When the feed roller assembly 110 rotates in the reverse direction (i.e., stopping feeding polymer wire 400 into the molten wire zone 200), the meltblown device 10 can immediately stop forming meltblown fibers without leaving any residue. When the feed roller assembly 110 rotates in the forward direction again, the meltblown device 10 can form meltblown fibers again. Therefore, the meltblown device 10 including the feed roller assembly 110 can form meltblown fibers with clearly defined distribution breaks, allowing the meltblown fibers to be locally sprayed onto the collecting element 500. For example, a pre-cut base fabric (such as shoe material, underwear, or mask) can be placed on the collecting element 500. The meltblown device 10 can then spray meltblown fibers according to the shape of the base fabric without spraying them outside the designated area. In other words, the meltblown device 10, which can be started and stopped instantly, avoids the difficulty of alignment between the base fabric and the meltblown fibers, thereby increasing the flexibility of the meltblown device 10.

[0026] In some embodiments, the molten polymer formed by the polymer filament 400 has a low viscosity, such that when the feed reel assembly 110 rotates, the polymer filament 400 fed to the molten wire zone 200 is sufficient to push the molten polymer away from the nozzle 300 to form meltblown fibers. For example, the melt flow index (MI) of the polymer filament 400 at 190°C can be between 100 g / 10 min and 3000 g / 10 min. In some embodiments, the polymer filament 400 suitable for the feed reel assembly 110 may include thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE), or hot melt thermoplastic polyurethane (TPUHM).

[0027] In some embodiments, the feed area 100 may include a wire base 120 located above the feed reel assembly 110, such that the polymer wire 400 is aligned with the feed reel assembly 110. Specifically, the wire base 120 may have a hole for receiving the polymer wire 400, and this hole is aligned with the gap between the first feed reel 112 and the second feed reel 114. When the polymer wire 400 passes through the wire base 120, the polymer wire 400 directly enters the gap between the first feed reel 112 and the second feed reel 114, thereby avoiding bending of the polymer wire 400.

[0028] The fuse zone 200 includes a wire channel 202, an air channel 204 located outside the wire channel 202, a heating module 210 located outside the air channel 204, and a heating element 216 disposed on the side of the fuse zone 200 away from the wire feed reel 110. Specifically, the wire channel 202 is used to receive polymer wire 400 from the wire feed reel 110. The air channel 204 surrounds the outside of the wire channel 202, such that the high-pressure air in the air channel 204 can affect the state of the polymer wire 400 in the wire channel 202.

[0029] As shown in Figure 1, low-temperature, high-pressure air enters the air channel 204 from one end of the adjacent wire feed reel 110 along arrow 205. When the low-temperature, high-pressure air enters the air channel 204, the air channel 204 of the adjacent wire feed reel 110 can reduce the temperature around the inlet of the wire channel 202, thereby cooling the polymer wire 400 between the wire feed reel 110 and the wire channel 202. Therefore, the polymer wire 400 of the adjacent wire feed reel 110 will not soften due to the high temperature of other parts of the molten wire zone 200. In other words, the polymer wire 400 of the adjacent wire feed reel 110 can maintain sufficient rigidity, allowing the wire feed reel 110 to smoothly feed the polymer wire 400 into the molten wire zone 200, thereby increasing the feeding efficiency of the wire feed reel 110.

[0030] The heating module 210 of the fused wire zone 200 surrounds a portion of the outer side of the air channel 204, thereby heating the high-pressure air in the air channel 204. When the low-temperature high-pressure air passes through the air channel 204 near the heating module 210, the temperature of the high-pressure air increases, forming high-temperature high-pressure air. The high-temperature high-pressure air continues to advance along the air channel 204 and enters the nozzle 300. The high-pressure air supplied to the nozzle 300 by the air channel 204 helps the nozzle 300 spray molten polymer to form meltblown fibers. Furthermore, the high-temperature high-pressure air heated by the heating module 210 can maintain the required high temperature of the nozzle 300, preventing the high-pressure air from prematurely cooling the molten polymer at the nozzle 300. For example, the heating module 210 can heat the high-pressure air to between 140°C and 250°C. In some embodiments, the fused wire zone 200 may include cooling fins 214 located on the stabilizer 212, wherein the cooling fins 214 are located outside the heating module 210 to assist in cooling the heating module 210.

[0031] Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the meltblown device 10 in Figure 1 along the section AA′. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the wire channel 202, air channel 204, and heating module 210 form a coaxial multi-layered distribution. The energy provided by the heating module 210 is mainly absorbed by the high-pressure air in the air channel 204, causing the temperature of the high-pressure air to rise. The energy provided by the heating module 210 may indirectly heat the polymer wire 400 in the wire channel 202, causing the polymer wire 400 to soften initially before forming molten polymer. In some embodiments, the position of the heating module 210 and the inlet of the wire channel 202 may be a distance apart, so that the heating module 210 does not soften the polymer wire 400 in a position adjacent to the wire feed reel 110, and therefore does not affect the feeding of the wire feed reel 110.

[0032] In some embodiments, the air passage 204 may include a spiral conduit 206 surrounding the wire passage 202, wherein the spiral conduit 206 extends from the side of the fuse zone 200 adjacent to the wire feed reel 110 to the side adjacent to the nozzle 300. The heating module 210 surrounds the spiral conduit 206, such that the low-temperature, high-pressure air becomes high-temperature, high-pressure air after passing through the spiral conduit 206. In some embodiments, the air passage 204 may further include a straight conduit 208 between the spiral conduit 206 and the nozzle 300. The straight conduit 208 connects the spiral conduit 206 and the nozzle 300 to deliver the heated high-temperature, high-pressure air into the nozzle 300.

[0033] The heating element 216 of the fused zone 200 surrounds the wire channel 202 to form the polymer wire 400 into molten polymer. In some embodiments, the fused zone 200 may include a heat insulation layer 218 located between the heating element 216 and the heating module 210. The heat insulation layer 218 can block the temperature of the heating element 216, thereby preventing the polymer wire 400 adjacent to the feed reel 110 and the high-pressure air in the air channel 204 adjacent to the feed reel 110 from being affected by the heating element 216.

[0034] The molten polymer formed from the polymer filament 400 then enters the nozzle 300 to form meltblown fibers. According to one embodiment of this disclosure, Figure 4A shows an enlarged schematic diagram of the nozzle 300 in Figure 1. As shown in Figures 1 and 4A, the nozzle 300 includes a nozzle 302 for spraying molten polymer. The molten polymer exits the meltblown apparatus 10 through orifices 304 of the nozzle 302, thereby forming meltblown fibers. In some embodiments, the nozzle 302 may include a plurality of orifices 304. Figure 4B shows an enlarged bottom view of the nozzle 302 according to one embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 4B, the nozzle 302 may include a plurality of orifices 304 arranged in a straight line, thereby increasing the efficiency of meltblown fiber formation.

[0035] In some embodiments, the nozzle 300 may include air outlets 306 of the air passage 204, wherein the air outlets 306 are located on both sides of the nozzles 304. As shown in Figure 4A, when the nozzle 302 sprays molten polymer, high-pressure air can advance from the straight conduit 208 to the air outlets 306 along the direction of arrow 205. The high-pressure air exiting from the air outlets 306 can disperse the molten polymer, causing the molten polymer to form meltblown fibers with a uniform fiber fineness. For example, when the pressure of the high-pressure air is between 1 kg / cm² and 3 kg / cm², the fiber fineness of the meltblown fibers can be between about 2 micrometers and 10 micrometers, and its fiber uniformity can be between about 85% and 95%. In some embodiments where the nozzle 302 includes a plurality of nozzles 304 arranged in a straight line, the air outlets 306 may be slits located on both sides of the plurality of nozzles 304, so that high-pressure air can be blown onto the plurality of nozzles 304 simultaneously.

[0036] It is worth noting that when the meltblown device 10 stops meltblowing as shown in Figure 2, high-pressure air continues to enter the meltblown device 10 through the air channel 204 along the direction of arrow 205 and exits through the air outlet 306. Since high-pressure air is continuously sprayed from the air outlet 306, the meltblown device 10 can start spraying molten polymer at any time and form meltblown fibers with uniform fiber fineness by means of high-pressure air.

[0037] According to the above-described embodiments of this disclosure, the feed roller assembly of the meltblown device controls the conveying direction and quantity of the polymer wire, enabling the meltblown device to control the formation of meltblown fibers in real time, thereby forming meltblown fibers with clearly defined distribution breakpoints to achieve the effect of localized spraying of meltblown fibers. The air channel of the meltblown device inputs low-temperature, high-pressure air from one end adjacent to the feed roller assembly, allowing the low-temperature, high-pressure air to cool the polymer wire adjacent to the feed roller assembly, thus smoothly conveying the polymer wire to the melting zone. The heating module of the meltblown device heats the low-temperature, high-pressure air in the air channel into high-temperature, high-pressure air, so that the high-temperature, high-pressure air entering the nozzle helps to form meltblown fibers with low fineness and high uniformity.

[0038] The foregoing outlines some features of the embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the viewpoints of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art should understand that they can readily use this disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures to achieve the same purpose and / or the same advantages as the embodiments described herein. Those skilled in the art should also understand that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of this disclosure, and that various changes, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0015] The various aspects of this disclosure can be best understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, according to standard industrial methods, the various features are not drawn to scale. In practice, the dimensions of the various features may be increased or decreased arbitrarily for clarity of discussion. Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a meltblown apparatus in meltblowing according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the meltblown apparatus in Figure 1 when meltblowing is stopped, according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the meltblown apparatus in Figure 1 along section AA', according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 4A shows an enlarged schematic diagram of the nozzle in Figure 1 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 4B shows an enlarged bottom view of the nozzle according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Biomaterial Storage]

[0040] Domestic storage information (please note in order of storage institution, date, and number): None. International storage information (please note in order of storage country, institution, date, and number): None.

Claims

1. A meltblown apparatus, comprising: A feed reel assembly for conveying polymer wires, the feed reel assembly including a first feed reel and a second feed reel disposed opposite to each other; The molten wire zone, located below the feed reel assembly, includes: a wire channel for receiving the polymer wire; an air channel located outside the wire channel, wherein high-pressure air enters the air channel from one end adjacent to the feed reel assembly; a heating module located outside the air channel for increasing the temperature of the high-pressure air; a heating element located on the side of the molten wire zone away from the feed reel assembly for forming the polymer wire into molten polymer; and a nozzle located below the molten wire zone, the nozzle including a nozzle for spraying the molten polymer to form meltblown fibers.

2. The meltblown apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polymer wire enters the wire channel from the wire feeder assembly when the first feeder wheel has a first rotation direction and the second feeder wheel has a second rotation direction.

3. The meltblown apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein when the first feed wheel has the second rotation direction and the second feed wheel has the first rotation direction, the polymer wire leaves the wire channel toward the feed wheel assembly.

4. The meltblown apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the air channel includes a spiral conduit surrounding the wire channel, and the heating module surrounds the spiral conduit.

5. The meltblown apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the air passage further comprises a straight conduit between the spiral conduit and the nozzle, the straight conduit connecting the spiral conduit and the nozzle.

6. The meltblown apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nozzle includes an air outlet of the air passage, the air outlet being located on both sides of the nozzle orifice.

7. The meltblown apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nozzle comprises a plurality of nozzles arranged in a straight line.

8. The meltblown apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the melt index of the polymer wire is between 100 g / 10 min and 3000 g / 10 min.

9. The meltblown apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising cooling fins located outside the heating module.

10. The meltblown apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a heat insulation layer located between the heating element and the heating module.

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