Fiber Web Forming Layout for Thickness Uniformity Across Width
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheet manufacturing apparatuses face challenges in reducing thickness variations in the web, leading to uneven sheet quality, particularly when processing wide-width materials.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus incorporates a supply section, a supply direction change section, a reducer section, and an accumulation section to control the movement and distribution of fibers, using a combination of mechanical and airflow management to uniformly form the web, with a control system adjusting airflow rates to minimize thickness variations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If material is supplied from above the center in the width direction of the rotating body, then the material can be supplied to the accumulation section, but the variation in thickness of the web increases in the width direction
Solution Approach 1:
The supply section is divided into multiple supply units arranged along the width direction of the rotating body. Each supply unit supplies material to a specific region, enabling independent control of material distribution across the width. This segmentation allows thickness uniformity to be improved by adjusting each supply unit's contribution rather than relying on a single centralized supply point.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the supply section are designed with different supply characteristics. The supply units are positioned and configured to provide localized material distribution tailored to each width position. This local quality approach ensures that material is distributed more uniformly across the width direction, reducing thickness variation while maintaining appropriate supply intensity at each location.
2Productivity
If the moving speed of the material is high, then productivity is improved, but the thickness variation in the web increases
Solution Approach 1:
The supply section incorporates adjustable supply units that can dynamically modify their supply rate based on position and operational conditions. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the system to maintain high overall productivity while locally optimizing material distribution to minimize thickness variation. The supply characteristics can be changed in real-time to balance speed and uniformity requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The supply system allows independent adjustment of supply parameters for each supply unit, including supply rate, angle, and position. By changing these parameters across different width positions, the system achieves uniform thickness distribution even at high material supply rates. The ability to modify supply parameters locally compensates for the thickness variation that would otherwise occur at high speeds.
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
This configuration effectively reduces thickness variations in the web, ensuring a more uniform and consistent sheet production by managing fiber distribution and airflow, thereby improving sheet quality.
Implementation Method 1
a supply member that changes a movement direction of the mixture and decreases a movement speed of the mixture; and a forming section that accumulates the mixture to form a web
Implementation Method 2
a supply direction change section that changes a movement direction of the material supplied from the supply section
Implementation Method 3
a reducer section that is disposed downstream of the supply direction change section and decreases a movement speed of the material
Implementation Method 4
an accumulation section that is disposed downstream of the reducer section and accumulates the material to form a web
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A sheet manufacturing apparatus includes a pipe that supplies a material containing fibers, a supply direction change section that changes a movement direction of the material supplied from the pipe, a reducer section that is disposed downstream of the supply direction change section and decreases a movement speed of the material, and an accumulation section that is disposed downstream of the reducer section and accumulates the material to form a web.