Cutting High-Concentration Hydrogel Sheets Without Blade Adhesion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for cutting high-concentration hydrogel sheets face issues with adhesion to cutting blades and clogging, leading to inefficient production of hydrogel particles, particularly due to the sheets' high temperature and undulating form, which affects the quality and performance of the final water-absorbent resin particles.
Innovation Solution
A process involving cutting the continuous high-concentration hydrogel sheet lengthwise while it is still in a high-temperature state, followed by continuous disintegration using a suitable disintegrator, where the supply rate of cut pieces matches the disintegrator's capabilities, preventing adhesion and clogging, and optimizing the cutting method with meshing blades and adhesion prevention measures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the high-concentration hydrogel sheet is cut using conventional cutting blades, then the sheet can be divided into pieces, but the hydrogel adheres to the cutting blades causing clogging and operational stoppages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary substance (water or steam) between the hydrogel sheet and the cutting blade to prevent direct contact and adhesion. The water/steam acts as a mediator that reduces the adhesive force between the hot hydrogel and the blade surface, allowing continuous cutting without clogging or operational stoppages.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and temperature parameters of the cutting blade by introducing water or steam. This parameter change creates a protective layer that prevents adhesion, transforming the cutting process from direct contact to indirect contact through the water/steam medium.
2Ease of operation
If the hydrogel sheet is cooled before cutting to prevent adhesion, then blade adhesion is reduced, but the production time increases and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by introducing water or steam onto the cutting blade just before and during the cutting process. This preliminary protective measure prevents adhesion from occurring in the first place, eliminating the need for extended cooling periods and maintaining high production efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of changing the temperature parameter of the hydrogel sheet by cooling it, the patent changes the surface condition parameter of the cutting blade by applying water or steam. This alternative parameter change achieves adhesion prevention without the time-consuming cooling step.
3Ease of manufacture
If the hydrogel sheet is cut while in undulating form, then the cutting process is simplified, but the sheet adheres to blades and clogs the cutting mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces water or steam as an intermediary substance between the undulating hydrogel sheet and the cutting blade. This mediator prevents the hydrogel from adhering to the blade surface during cutting, eliminating clogging while maintaining the simplicity of cutting the sheet in its undulating form without requiring additional flattening steps.
4Productivity
If the cutting speed is increased to improve productivity, then more sheets can be processed, but adhesion to blades increases and clogging occurs more frequently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces water or steam as a continuous intermediary during high-speed cutting. This mediator creates a protective barrier that prevents adhesion even at increased cutting speeds, allowing the system to maintain high productivity without the penalty of increased clogging or blade contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent ensures continuous application of water or steam during the cutting process to maintain uninterrupted adhesion prevention. This continuous protective action allows the cutting operation to proceed without stoppages for cleaning or maintenance, sustaining high productivity throughout the process.
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 approach enables efficient cutting and disintegration of hydrogel sheets without adhesion, resulting in high-quality hydrogel particles with improved water absorption performance and reduced production costs by maintaining the sheet's integrity and preventing re-adhesion.
Implementation Method 1
foaming-expansion due to boiling during the polymerization
Implementation Method 2
foaming-expansion due to boiling during the polymerization
Implementation Method 3
by subsequent shrinkage
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to make it possible that: a high-concentration hydrogel sheet, which is suitable for production of high-performance water-absorbent resin particles, is cut efficiently without involving the adhesion to such as cutting-blades; and the subsequent disintegration operation is also successfully carried out; and hydrogel particles excellent in the quality and performances are efficiently produced. As a means of achieving this object, the process according to the present invention for production of hydrogel particles is a process for production of the hydrogel particles 14 from a high-concentration hydrogel sheet 10 and comprises: a step (a) of cutting a continuous sheet 10 of a crosslinked high-concentration hydrogel polymer of 50 to 80 weight % in solid component concentration every 10 to 100 cm lengthwise of the continuous sheet 10 while running it lengthwise, thereby obtaining cut pieces 12; and a step (b) of continuously supplying the cut pieces 12 (obtained from the step (a)) to a continuous disintegrator 40 to continuously carry out disintegration and discharge under conditions where the supply amount of the cut pieces 12 and the disintegrating and discharging abilities of the continuous disintegrator 40 satisfy (supply amount)≦(disintegrating and discharging abilities), thereby obtaining the hydrogel particles 14.