Dry Sheet Manufacturing Apparatus for Surface Roughness Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The paper manufacturing process using the traditional wet method consumes significant energy and water, requires large infrastructure, and struggles to control the roughness feeling of the final sheet product effectively.
Innovation Solution
A sheet manufacturing apparatus that includes a fibrillating unit, an additive supply unit, a mixing unit, a depositing unit, and a control unit to adjust the granularity of the sheet surface by controlling the supply amount of additives, rotation velocities of rotating units, and suction forces, allowing for precise control over the roughness feeling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the traditional wet paper making method is used, then paper sheets can be manufactured with fibers intertwined and bound, but a large amount of water needs to be used and dehydration or drying is required, consuming significant energy and time
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the fundamental parameter of the manufacturing process from wet to dry. Instead of using water as the medium for fiber suspension and deposition, the invention uses air to transport and deposit fibrous material. This parameter change eliminates the need for energy-intensive dehydration and drying steps while maintaining the ability to form sheet structures with intertwined fibers.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the wet mechanical system (water-based suspension, filtration, and pressing) with a pneumatic system. Air currents are used to transport fibrous material through classification units and deposit it onto forming surfaces, substituting the traditional water-based mechanical processes with a dry pneumatic approach that eliminates the need for drying.
2Manufacturing precision
If the traditional wet paper making method is used, then paper sheets can be manufactured, but a large amount of water needs to be used requiring appropriate processing as discharge water
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the medium parameter from liquid (water) to gas (air). By using air instead of water to transport and deposit fibers, the process eliminates water consumption and the associated environmental burden of discharge water processing, while still achieving effective sheet formation through controlled air currents and deposition mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention substitutes the water-based transport and deposition system with a pneumatic system. Air currents replace water flows for material transport, and air deposition replaces water filtration and draining, thereby eliminating the need for water processing infrastructure and discharge water treatment.
3Manufacturing precision
If the traditional wet paper making method is used, then paper sheets can be manufactured, but an apparatus used for the paper making method often requires large-scale utility and infrastructure such as water, power, and drainage facilities, making it difficult to reduce the size of the apparatus
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the operational environment from water-based to air-based, which fundamentally reduces infrastructure requirements. By using air instead of water, the process eliminates the need for large-scale water supply, wastewater treatment, and drainage facilities, allowing the apparatus to be compact and suitable for decentralized production locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the complex water-based infrastructure system with a simplified pneumatic system. Instead of requiring water supply networks, drainage facilities, and water treatment systems, the invention uses air currents that can be generated by compact blowers or fans, significantly reducing the scale and complexity of required infrastructure.
4Adaptability or versatility
If various conditions of classification unit, mixing unit, depositing unit, and forming unit are changed, then characteristics such as thickness and density of sheet can be changed, but it is difficult to control the roughness feeling of the sheet to a predetermined state
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by introducing a dedicated roughness control unit that specifically addresses surface roughness without affecting other sheet characteristics. This unit can selectively modify the surface properties of the deposited material, allowing independent control of roughness feeling while maintaining control over thickness, density, and other sheet characteristics through the other units.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the sheet manufacturing process into distinct functional units, including a specific roughness control function. By separating roughness control from the general deposition and forming processes, the invention enables precise control of surface roughness as an independent parameter, allowing better achievement of predetermined roughness states without compromising other sheet properties.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the stable production of sheets with desired roughness feelings while reducing energy consumption and infrastructure requirements by operating in a dry process, allowing for quick adjustments and efficient production.
Implementation Method 1
a suction mechanism that sucks the deposited material to the mesh belt
Data Source
AI summary
The sheet manufacturing apparatus includes a fibrillating unit that fibrillates a raw material including fibers in a gas, an additive supply unit that supplies an additive, a mixing unit including a first rotating unit that mixes a fibrillated matter fibrillated by the fibrillating unit and the additive supplied by the additive supply unit, a depositing unit that deposits a mixture mixed by the mixing unit, a web forming unit including a mesh belt that transports a deposited material deposited by the depositing unit and a suction mechanism that sucks the deposited material to the mesh belt, and a control unit that changes granularity of a surface of the sheet by controlling at least one of a supply amount per unit time from the additive supply unit, a rotation velocity of the first rotating unit of the mixing unit, and a suction force of the suction mechanism.