JP7467959B2 - Fiber structure manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a crushing device, a defibrating device, and a fiber structure manufacturing device.

In recent years, dry sheet manufacturing equipment that uses as little water as possible has been proposed. This type of sheet manufacturing equipment is known to include, for example, a crushing section that crushes fibrous materials, a defibrating section that refines the crushed pieces produced in the crushing section, a deposition section that analyzes the defibrated material produced in the defibrating section, and a molding section that molds the material deposited by the deposition section.

Of these, an example of a coarse crushing unit is a shredder as described in Patent Document 1. The shredder in Patent Document 1 includes a guide chute into which sheets are fed, a cutting mechanism with a rotating blade that cuts the fed sheets, and a waste bin that stores the cut pieces.

JP 2015-134329 A

However, depending on various conditions, such as the amount of charge on the sheet, the sheet that is fed into the guide chute may stick to the guide chute. If the sheet sticks to the guide chute, several sheets may be fed to the cutting mechanism together. Depending on the extent of this, there is a risk of a paper jam in the cutting mechanism or a high load being placed on the Schroeder cutting motor.

The crushing device of the present invention comprises a crushing unit for crushing a material containing fibers,
A guide section having a guide surface for guiding the falling material to the crushing section;
and a gas ejection section having an ejection port for ejecting gas toward the guide surface.

The defibration device of the present invention comprises:
and a defibration unit that defibrates the crushed pieces crushed by the crushing device.

The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus of the present invention comprises: the defibrator of the present invention;
a depositing section that deposits the defibrated material produced by the defibrator;
and a shaping section for shaping the deposit produced in the deposition section.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a fiber structure manufacturing apparatus including a crushing device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the positional relationship of each part of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, as viewed vertically from above. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the positional relationship of each part of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, as viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the crushing device shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a view seen from the direction of arrow B in FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the crushing device shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a crushing device according to the second embodiment.

The crushing device, defibration device, and fiber structure manufacturing device of the present invention will be described in detail below based on preferred embodiments shown in the attached drawings.

First Embodiment
Fig. 1 is a schematic side view showing a fiber structure manufacturing apparatus equipped with a crushing device according to a first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic view for explaining the positional relationship of each part of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus shown in Fig. 1, as viewed from vertically above. Fig. 3 is a schematic view for explaining the positional relationship of each part of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus shown in Fig. 1, as viewed from the direction of arrow A in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the crushing device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a view from the direction of arrow B in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of the crushing device shown in Fig. 1.

For ease of explanation, in the following, the three mutually orthogonal axes are referred to as the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis, as shown in Figures 2 to 5. The x-y plane including the x-axis and y-axis is horizontal, and the z-axis is vertical. The direction in which the arrows of each axis point is referred to as "+", and the opposite direction as "-". The upper sides of Figures 1, 3, 4, and 5 are sometimes referred to as "top" or "upper", and the lower sides as "bottom" or "lower".

Note that FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram, and the positional relationships of the various parts of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 are significantly different from those shown in the figure. In addition, in each figure, the direction in which the raw material M1, coarse fragments M2, defibrated material M3, first sorted material M4-1, second sorted material M4-2, first web M5, finely divided body M6, mixture M7, second web M8, sheet S, and sheet S1 are transported, i.e., the direction indicated by the arrow, is also referred to as the transport direction. The tip side of the arrow is also referred to as the upstream side of the transport direction, and the base side of the arrow is also referred to as the downstream side of the transport direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 roughly crushes and defibrates the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 described below, mixes with a binding material, deposits the mixture, and molds the deposit in the molding section 20 to obtain a molded body.

The molded body manufactured by the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 may be, for example, in the form of a sheet like recycled paper, or in the form of a block. The density of the molded body is not particularly limited, and it may be a molded body with a relatively high fiber density like a sheet, a molded body with a relatively low fiber density like a sponge, or a molded body with a mixture of these characteristics.

In the following, the raw material M1 will be described as used or unnecessary waste paper, and the molded body to be produced will be a sheet S of recycled paper.

The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a raw material supply section 11, a coarse crushing device 12 of the present invention, a defibrating section 13, a sorting section 14, a first web forming section 15, a subdivision section 16, a mixing section 17, a dispersion section 18, a second web forming section 19 which is a deposition section, a molding section 20, a cutting section 21, a stock section 22, a recovery section 27, and a control section 28 which controls the operation of these sections. The coarse crushing device 12 and the defibrating section 13 constitute the defibrating device 10 of the present invention.

The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 also includes a humidifier unit 231, a humidifier unit 232, a humidifier unit 233, a humidifier unit 234, a humidifier unit 235, and a humidifier unit 236. In addition, the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 also includes a blower 261, a blower 262, and a blower 263.

In addition, in the fiber structure manufacturing device 100, a raw material supply process, a coarse crushing process, a defibration process, a sorting process, a first web formation process, a cutting process, a mixing process, a loosening process, a second web formation process, a sheet formation process, and a cutting process are carried out in this order.

The configuration of each part will be described below.
The raw material supply unit 11 is a part that performs a raw material supplying process of supplying the raw material M1 to the crushing device 12. The raw material M1 is a sheet-like material made of a fiber-containing material including cellulose fibers. The cellulose fibers may be fibrous and contain cellulose as a compound as the main component, and may contain hemicellulose and lignin in addition to cellulose. The raw material M1 may be in any form, such as woven fabric or nonwoven fabric. The raw material M1 may be, for example, recycled paper produced by disintegrating waste paper and regenerating it, or synthetic paper such as Yupo paper (registered trademark), or it may not be recycled paper. In this embodiment, the raw material M1 is used or unnecessary waste paper.

The crushing device 12 is a part that performs a crushing process in which the raw material M1 supplied from the raw material supply unit 11 and the cutting waste cut in the cutting unit 21 described later are crushed in air, such as in the atmosphere, to generate crushed pieces M2. The configuration of the crushing device 12 will be described in detail later. The crushed pieces M2 generated by the crushing device 12 pass through a pipe 241 and are transported to the defibration unit 13.

The defibrating unit 13 is a section that performs the defibrating process in which the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are defibrated in the air, i.e., in a dry manner. The defibrating process in this defibrating unit 13 makes it possible to produce defibrated material M3 from the coarsely crushed pieces M2. Here, "defibrating" refers to untangling the coarsely crushed pieces M2, which are made up of multiple fibers bound together, into individual fibers. This untangled material becomes the defibrated material M3. The shape of the defibrated material M3 is linear or band-like. Furthermore, the defibrated material M3 may exist in a state where it is entangled with other pieces to form lumps, i.e., in a state where it forms so-called "lumps."

In this embodiment, the defibrating unit 13 is composed of an impeller mill having a rotating blade that rotates at high speed and a liner located on the outer periphery of the rotating blade. The coarsely crushed pieces M2 that flow into the defibrating unit 13 are sandwiched between the rotating blade and the liner and defibrated.

The defibrating unit 13 can generate an air flow, i.e., an air current, from the crushing device 12 toward the sorting unit 14 by rotating the rotary blade. This allows the coarsely crushed pieces M2 to be sucked into the defibrating unit 13 from the pipe 241. After the defibrating process, the defibrated material M3 can be sent to the sorting unit 14 via the pipe 242.

A blower 261 is installed midway through the pipe 242. The blower 261 is an airflow generating device that generates an airflow toward the sorting section 14. This promotes the sending of the defibrated material M3 to the sorting section 14.

The sorting section 14 is a section that carries out a sorting process in which the defibrated material M3 is sorted according to the length of the fibers. In the sorting section 14, the defibrated material M3 is sorted into a first sorted material M4-1 and a second sorted material M4-2 that is larger than the first sorted material M4-1. The first sorted material M4-1 has a size suitable for the subsequent production of the sheet S. It is preferable that the average length of the first sorted material M4-1 is 1 μm or more and 30 μm or less. On the other hand, the second sorted material M4-2 includes, for example, insufficiently defibrated material and material in which defibrated fibers are excessively aggregated together.

The sorting unit 14 has a drum unit 141 and a housing unit 142 that houses the drum unit 141.

The drum section 141 is a sieve that is composed of a cylindrical mesh body and rotates around its central axis. The defibrated material M3 flows into this drum section 141. Then, as the drum section 141 rotates, defibrated material M3 that is smaller than the mesh opening is sorted as the first sorted material M4-1, and defibrated material M3 that is larger than the mesh opening is sorted as the second sorted material M4-2.
The first sorted item M4-1 falls from the drum section 141.

Meanwhile, the second sorted material M4-2 is sent to pipe 243 connected to the drum section 141. Pipe 243 is connected to pipe 241 on the side opposite to the drum section 141, i.e., the upstream side. The second sorted material M4-2 that passes through this pipe 243 merges with the coarsely crushed pieces M2 inside pipe 241 and flows into the defibration section 13 together with the coarsely crushed pieces M2. As a result, the second sorted material M4-2 is returned to the defibration section 13 and is defibrated together with the coarsely crushed pieces M2.

The first selected object M4-1 that falls from the drum section 141 falls while dispersing in the air, and heads toward the first web forming section 15 located below the drum section 141. The first web forming section 15 is a section that carries out the first web forming process, which forms the first web M5 from the first selected object M4-1. The first web forming section 15 has a mesh belt 151, three tension rollers 152, and a suction section 153.

The mesh belt 151 is an endless belt on which the first sorted material M4-1 is accumulated. This mesh belt 151 is looped around three tension rollers 152. As the tension rollers 152 rotate, the first sorted material M4-1 on the mesh belt 151 is transported downstream.

The size of the first sorted material M4-1 is equal to or larger than the mesh size of the mesh belt 151. This restricts the passage of the first sorted material M4-1 through the mesh belt 151, and therefore allows it to accumulate on the mesh belt 151. Furthermore, the first sorted material M4-1 is transported downstream together with the mesh belt 151 while being accumulated on the mesh belt 151, and is therefore formed as a layered first web M5.

The first sorted material M4-1 may also contain dust, dirt, etc. Dust, for example, may be generated by crushing or defibration. Such dust, dirt, etc. will be collected in the collection section 27, which will be described later.

The suction unit 153 is a suction mechanism that sucks in air from below the mesh belt 151. This allows dust and dirt that has passed through the mesh belt 151 to be sucked in together with the air.

The suction unit 153 is also connected to the collection unit 27 via a tube 244. The dust and dirt sucked by the suction unit 153 is collected in the collection unit 27.

A pipe 245 is further connected to the collection section 27. A blower 262 is installed midway along the pipe 245. By operating the blower 262, a suction force can be generated in the suction section 153. This promotes the formation of the first web M5 on the mesh belt 151. This first web M5 has been removed of dust and dirt. By operating the blower 262, the dust and dirt pass through the pipe 244 and reach the collection section 27.

The housing portion 142 is connected to the humidifier portion 232. The humidifier portion 232 is composed of an evaporative humidifier. This allows humidified air to be supplied into the housing portion 142. This humidified air can humidify the first sorted item M4-1, and therefore can also prevent the first sorted item M4-1 from adhering to the inner wall of the housing portion 142 due to electrostatic forces.

A humidifying section 235 is disposed downstream of the sorting section 14. The humidifying section 235 is configured with an ultrasonic humidifier that sprays water. This allows moisture to be supplied to the first web M5, and thus the moisture content of the first web M5 is adjusted. This adjustment makes it possible to suppress adhesion of the first web M5 to the mesh belt 151 due to electrostatic force. As a result, the first web M5 is easily peeled off from the mesh belt 151 at the position where the mesh belt 151 is folded back by the tension roller 152.

The subdivision section 16 is disposed downstream of the humidification section 235. The subdivision section 16 is a section that performs a cutting process to cut the first web M5 peeled off from the mesh belt 151. The subdivision section 16 has a rotatably supported propeller 161 and a housing section 162 that houses the propeller 161. The first web M5 can be cut by the rotating propeller 161. The cut first web M5 becomes a fragmented body M6. The fragmented body M6 descends inside the housing section 162.

The housing part 162 is connected to the humidifier part 233. The humidifier part 233 is configured as an evaporative humidifier similar to the humidifier part 231. This allows humidified air to be supplied into the housing part 162. This humidified air can also prevent the fragmented body M6 from adhering to the propeller 161 and the inner wall of the housing part 162 due to electrostatic forces.

A mixing section 17 is disposed downstream of the subdivision section 16. The mixing section 17 is a section that performs the mixing process of mixing the subdivision body M6 and the resin P1. This mixing section 17 has a resin supply section 171, a pipe 172, and a blower 173.

The pipe 172 connects the housing portion 162 of the subdivision section 16 to the housing portion 182 of the dispersion section 18, and is a flow path through which the mixture M7 of the subdivision body M6 and the resin P1 passes.

A resin supply unit 171 is connected to the middle of the tube 172. The resin supply unit 171 has a screw feeder 174. By rotating the screw feeder 174, the resin P1 can be supplied to the tube 172 as a powder or particles. The resin P1 supplied to the tube 172 is mixed with the fragmented body M6 to become a mixture M7.

Resin P1 is a bonding material that bonds the fibers together in a later process, and can be, for example, a thermoplastic resin or a curable resin, but it is preferable to use a thermoplastic resin. Examples of thermoplastic resins include polyolefins such as AS resin, ABS resin, polyethylene, polypropylene, and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, modified polyolefins, and acrylic resins such as polymethyl methacrylate, polyesters such as polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polybutylene terephthalate, polyamides such as nylon 6, nylon 46, nylon 66, nylon 610, nylon 612, nylon 11, nylon 12, nylon 6-12, and nylon 6-66, liquid crystal polymers such as polyphenylene ether, polyacetal, polyether, polyphenylene oxide, polyether ether ketone, polycarbonate, polyphenylene sulfide, thermoplastic polyimide, polyetherimide, and aromatic polyester, and various thermoplastic elastomers such as styrene-based, polyolefin-based, polyvinyl chloride-based, polyurethane-based, polyester-based, polyamide-based, polybutadiene-based, trans-polyisoprene-based, fluororubber-based, and chlorinated polyethylene-based, and one or more selected from these may be used in combination. Preferably, the thermoplastic resin is polyester or one containing it.

In addition to the resin P1, the resin supply unit 171 may supply, for example, a colorant for coloring the fibers, an aggregation inhibitor for inhibiting aggregation of the fibers and the resin P1, a flame retardant for making the fibers less flammable, a paper strength enhancer for increasing the paper strength of the sheet S, and the like. Alternatively, these may be preliminarily contained in the resin P1 to form a composite, which is then supplied from the resin supply unit 171.

A blower 173 is also installed in the middle of the pipe 172, downstream of the resin supply section 171. The blower 173 has a rotating part, such as a blade, which mixes the fragments M6 and the resin P1. The blower 173 can also generate an airflow toward the dispersion section 18. This airflow can agitate the fragments M6 and the resin P1 inside the pipe 172. This allows the mixture M7 to flow into the dispersion section 18 with the fragments M6 and the resin P1 uniformly dispersed. The fragments M6 in the mixture M7 are also loosened as they pass through the pipe 172, becoming finer fibers.

The dispersion section 18 is a section that performs a disentangling process to disentangle the entangled fibers in the mixture M7. The dispersion section 18 has a drum section 181 and a housing section 182 that houses the drum section 181.

The drum section 181 is a sieve that is composed of a cylindrical mesh and rotates around its central axis. The mixture M7 flows into the drum section 181. As the drum section 181 rotates, fibers and other components of the mixture M7 that are smaller than the mesh openings can pass through the drum section 181. At that time, the mixture M7 is loosened.

The housing portion 182 is connected to the humidifier portion 234. The humidifier portion 234 is configured as an evaporative humidifier similar to the humidifier portion 231. This allows humidified air to be supplied into the housing portion 182. This humidified air can humidify the inside of the housing portion 182, and therefore can also prevent the mixture M7 from adhering to the inner wall of the housing portion 182 due to electrostatic forces.

The mixture M7 loosened by the drum section 181 falls while dispersing in the air, and heads toward the second web forming section 19 located below the drum section 181. The second web forming section 19 is a section that carries out the second web forming process, which forms the second web M8 from the mixture M7. The second web forming section 19 has a mesh belt 191, a tension roller 192, and a suction section 193.

The mesh belt 191 is an endless belt on which the mixture M7 is accumulated. This mesh belt 191 is looped around four tension rollers 192. As the tension rollers 192 rotate, the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 is transported downstream.

Moreover, most of the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 is larger than the mesh openings of the mesh belt 191. This prevents the mixture M7 from passing through the mesh belt 191, and therefore allows it to accumulate on the mesh belt 191. As the mixture M7 accumulates on the mesh belt 191, it is transported downstream together with the mesh belt 191, and is formed as a layered second web M8.

The suction section 193 is a suction mechanism that sucks air from below the mesh belt 191. This allows the mixture M7 to be sucked onto the mesh belt 191, thereby facilitating the deposition of the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191.

A pipe 246 is connected to the suction unit 193. A blower 263 is installed midway through this pipe 246. By operating this blower 263, a suction force can be generated in the suction unit 193.

A humidifying section 236 is disposed downstream of the dispersion section 18. The humidifying section 236 is configured with an ultrasonic humidifier similar to the humidifying section 235. This allows moisture to be supplied to the second web M8, and thus the moisture content of the second web M8 is adjusted. This adjustment makes it possible to suppress adhesion of the second web M8 to the mesh belt 191 due to electrostatic force. As a result, the second web M8 is easily peeled off from the mesh belt 191 at the position where the mesh belt 191 is folded back by the tension roller 192.

The total amount of moisture added to humidifiers 231 to 236 is preferably, for example, 0.5 parts by mass or more and 20 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of the material before humidification.

A forming section 20 is disposed downstream of the second web forming section 19. The forming section 20 is a section that performs the sheet forming process of forming a sheet S from the second web M8. This forming section 20 has a pressure section 201 and a heating section 202.

The pressure applying section 201 has a pair of calendar rollers 203, and can apply pressure to the second web M8 between the calendar rollers 203 without heating it. This increases the density of the second web M8. Note that the degree of heating at this time is preferably, for example, such that the resin P1 is not melted. The second web M8 is then transported toward the heating section 202. Note that one of the pair of calendar rollers 203 is a driven roller that is driven by the operation of a motor (not shown), and the other is a driven roller.

The heating section 202 has a pair of heating rollers 204, and can apply pressure to the second web M8 while heating it between the heating rollers 204. Furthermore, the heating section 202 functions as a transport section that transports the web M8 downstream. This heating and pressurizing melts the resin P1 in the second web M8, and the fibers are bonded together via the molten resin P1. This forms a sheet S. The sheet S is then transported toward the cutting section 21. One of the pair of heating rollers 204 is a driven roller that is driven by the operation of a motor (not shown), and the other is a driven roller.

The cutting section 21 is located downstream of the forming section 20. The cutting section 21 is a section that performs the cutting process to cut the sheet S. This cutting section 21 has a first cutting section 211 and a second cutting section 212.

The first cutting section 211 cuts the sheet S in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the sheet S, particularly in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.

The second cutting section 212 is downstream of the first cutting section 211 and cuts the sheet S in a direction parallel to the conveying direction of the sheet S. This cutting is performed by removing unnecessary portions from both side edges of the sheet S, i.e., the edges in the +y-axis direction and the -y-axis direction as shown in FIG. 3, to adjust the width of the sheet S, and the cut and removed portions are called "selvages." Hereinafter, this cut and removed portion will be referred to as sheet S1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the second cutting section 212 has a first cutting unit 213 that cuts the end of the sheet S in the +y-axis direction, and a second cutting unit 214 that cuts the end of the sheet S in the -y-axis direction. The first cutting unit 213 and the second cutting unit 214 are arranged in this order from the +y-axis side at a distance. Since the first cutting unit 213 and the second cutting unit 214 have the same configuration, the first cutting unit 213 will be representatively described below.

The first cutting unit 213 has two rotary blades 215. The rotary blades 215 are arranged side by side along the z-axis via the transport path of the sheet S. Each rotary blade 215 is disk-shaped and arranged with its thickness direction oriented along the y-axis direction. The outer edge of the rotary blade 215 is a sharp cutting edge, and can cut the sheet S along the transport direction when it passes between the rotary blades 215.

The sheet S1 is formed by the second cutting section 212. As described below, the sheet S1 is supplied to the crushing device 12 and becomes crushed pieces M2. Meanwhile, the sheet S of the desired shape and size is transported further downstream and accumulated in the stock section 22.

Each of the components of the fiber structure manufacturing device 100 described above is electrically connected to the control unit 28. The operation of each of these components is controlled by the control unit 28.

The control unit 28 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 281 and a memory unit 282. The CPU 281 can, for example, perform various judgments and issue various commands.

The memory unit 282 stores various programs, such as a program for manufacturing the sheet S.

The control unit 28 may be built into the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100, or may be provided in an external device such as an external computer. The external device may communicate with the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 via a cable or the like, may communicate wirelessly, or may be connected to a network such as the Internet via the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100.

The CPU 281 and the memory unit 282 may be integrated, for example, and configured as a single unit, or the CPU 281 may be built into the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 and the memory unit 282 may be provided in an external device such as an external computer, or the memory unit 282 may be built into the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 and the CPU 281 may be provided in an external device such as an external computer.

Next, the positional relationship of each part of the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described.
2 and 3, the fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 has a housing 50 that houses the above-mentioned components. The crushing device 12, the defibrating unit 13, the sorting unit 14, the first web forming unit 15, the dividing unit 16, the mixing unit 17, the dispersing unit 18, the second web forming unit 19, the molding unit 20, and the cutting unit 21 are installed inside the housing 50. The raw material supply unit 11 is installed outside the housing 50 on the +y-axis side of the housing 50. The stock unit 22 is installed outside the housing 50 on the -x-axis side of the housing 50.

As shown in FIG. 2, the crushing device 12 is installed at a position offset toward the +y-axis side and the -x-axis side in the housing 50. The defibrating section 13 is installed on the -y-axis side of the crushing device 12. The sorting section 14, the first web forming section 15, and the fragmenting section 16 are installed on the +x-axis side of the defibrating section 13. The mixing section 17 is installed on the +x-axis side of the sorting section 14, the first web forming section 15, and the fragmenting section 16. The dispersion section 18 and the second web forming section 19 are installed on the +y-axis side of the mixing section 17. The forming section 20 is installed on the -x-axis side of the dispersion section 18 and the second web forming section 19. The cutting section 21 is installed on the -x-axis side of the forming section 20. The sheet S that has passed through the cutting section 21 is transported to the -x-axis side and discharged to the outside of the housing 50, i.e., to the stock section 22.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cutting unit 21 is installed on the +z-axis side of the crushing device 12. As a result, the pieces cut by the second cutting unit 212 of the cutting unit 21, i.e., the sheet S1, fall downward and are supplied to the crushing device 12. This allows the sheet S1 to be crushed again together with the raw material M1, thereby increasing the yield.

The sheet S1 is cut in the second cutting section 212 while the sheet S is under tension, so that the sheet S1 is curved and bent in the thickness direction. As shown in FIG. 5, the ends of the sheet S1 are held by the first cutting unit 213 and the second cutting unit 214, respectively, so that the sheet S1 is further bent in the thickness direction due to gravity. Once cut, the two sheets S1 fall directly toward the crushing section 3.

Next, the crushing device 12 will be described.
As shown in Figures 3 to 6, the crushing device 12 has a crushing section 3 that crushes the raw material M1 and the sheet S1, a guide section 4 that guides the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 to the crushing section 3, and a gas ejection section 5.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the coarse crushing section 3 has a pair of coarse crushing blades 31 and a chute 32. The pair of coarse crushing blades 31 rotate in opposite directions to each other, and can coarsely crush the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 between them, i.e., cut them into coarsely crushed pieces M2. The pair of coarse crushing blades 31 are cylindrical or cylindrical in shape and extend in the x-axis direction. The pair of coarse crushing blades 31 are also arranged side by side in the y-axis direction.

The shape and size of the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are preferably suitable for the defibration process in the defibration section 13, and are preferably small pieces with a side length of 100 mm or less, and more preferably pieces with a side length of 10 mm or more and 70 mm or less.

As shown in FIG. 3, the chute 32 is installed on the -z axis side of the pair of coarse crushing blades 31. The chute 32 is funnel-shaped. This allows it to receive the coarsely crushed pieces M2. In addition, a pipe 241 is connected to the chute 32. The pipe 241 connects the chute 32 to the defibrating unit 13. This allows the coarsely crushed pieces M2 to be transported to the defibrating unit 13 via the pipe 241.

As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the guide section 4 is a chute installed vertically above the crushing section 3, i.e., on the +z-axis side. The guide section 4 has wall sections 41, 42, 43, and 44. Furthermore, by joining these wall sections 41, 42, 43, and 44 together, an opening 4A is formed on the +z-axis side, and an opening 4B is formed on the -z-axis side.

Opening 4A is an inlet for introducing raw material M1 and sheet S1. On the other hand, opening 4B is an outlet for discharging raw material M1 and sheet S1.

Wall portion 41 and wall portion 42 are disposed opposite each other in the y-axis direction. Wall portion 41 is located on the +y-axis side, and wall portion 42 is located on the -y-axis side. Wall portion 43 and wall portion 44 are disposed opposite each other in the x-axis direction. Wall portion 43 is located on the +x-axis side, and wall portion 44 is located on the -x-axis side.

The inner surfaces of the walls 41 to 44 form guide surfaces 440 that guide the falling raw material M1 and sheet S1 to the coarse crushing section 3. The guide surfaces 440 have a first guide surface 411, a second guide surface 421, a third guide surface 431, and a fourth guide surface 441. The inner surface of the wall 41 is the first guide surface 411, the inner surface of the wall 42 is the second guide surface 421, the inner surface of the wall 43 is the third guide surface 431, and the inner surface of the wall 44 is the fourth guide surface 441. The falling raw material M1 and sheet S1 come into contact with any of the first guide surface 411 to the fourth guide surface 441 and are guided to the opening 4B while sliding.

The walls 41 and 42 are inclined in opposite directions. The walls 41 and 42 are inclined so that the distance between them decreases as they move toward the -z axis. In other words, the first guide surface 411 and the second guide surface 421 are inclined so that the distance between them decreases vertically downward, that is, toward the -z axis. This makes it possible to more effectively guide the raw material M1 and sheet S1 that have fallen into the guide section 4 to the coarse crushing section 3.

In this way, the guide surface 440 has a first guide surface 411 and a second guide surface 421 that are vertically above the coarse crushing section 3 and face each other through the coarse crushing section 3. The first guide surface 411 and the second guide surface 421 are inclined so that the distance between them decreases vertically downward. This makes it possible to more effectively guide the raw material M1 and sheet S1 that have fallen into the guide section 4 to the coarse crushing section 3.

Next, the gas ejection portion 5 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the device includes a gas ejection unit main body 52 having an ejection port 51 for ejecting gas, a supply pipe 53, a blower 54, a humidifier 55, and a charge remover 56.

The jetting unit body 52 has an inner cavity 520 and is configured as a block-shaped box whose outer shape extends in the y-axis direction. The jetting unit body 52 is installed on the +z-axis side and the -x-axis side of the guide unit 4. Specifically, the jetting unit body 52 is installed on the +z-axis side of the wall 44. Furthermore, the wall 521 on the +x-axis side of the jetting unit body 52, i.e., the wall 521 on the guide unit 4 side, is inclined with respect to the y-z plane. Furthermore, the wall 521 is inclined so as to face inside the guide unit 4, i.e., so as to face the guide surface 440 side.

The wall portion 521 is also provided with an outlet 51. The outlet 51 is formed as a through hole that penetrates the wall portion 521 in the thickness direction. In other words, the inner cavity 520 and the outside of the outlet body 52 are in communication with each other via the outlet 51. As described above, the wall portion 521 is inclined so as to face the guide surface 440, so the outlet 51 ejects gas toward the guide surface 440.

As shown in FIG. 4, a total of 12 ejection ports 51 are provided, six of which are located at positions offset toward the +y-axis side, i.e., at positions corresponding to the first guide surface 411, and six of which are located at positions offset toward the -y-axis side, i.e., at positions corresponding to the second guide surface 421. The six ejection ports 51 on the first guide surface 411 side are arranged in a matrix of three ejection ports x two rows, and the six ejection ports 51 on the second guide surface 421 side are also arranged in a matrix of three ejection ports x two rows.

The blower 54 is connected to the ejection unit main body 52 via a supply pipe 53. The supply pipe 53 is connected to the +y-axis side of the ejection unit main body 52. By operating the blower 54, gas is supplied to the inner cavity 520 of the ejection unit main body 52 via the supply pipe 53, and the gas is ejected from each ejection port 51. As shown in FIG. 6, the blower 54 is electrically connected to the control unit 28, and its operation is controlled by the control unit 28.

Since raw material M1 and sheet S1 are in the form of sheets, if their main surfaces stick to the guide surface 440 while falling, they may remain in that position. In addition, depending on the amount of charge on raw material M1 and sheet S1, they may be more likely to stick to the guide surface 440. If raw material M1 or sheet S1 sticks to the guide surface 440, several pieces of raw material M1 or sheet S1 may be supplied to the crushing section 3 together. Depending on the extent of this, raw material M1 or sheet S1 may clog the crushing section 3. Even if it does not clog, quantitativeness is impaired.

In response to this, the coarse crushing device 12 has a gas ejection section 5 that ejects gas from an ejection port 51 toward the guide surface 440. As a result, even if the main surfaces of the falling raw material M1 and sheet S1 attempt to adhere to the guide surface 440, they can be physically detached by air pressure. This allows the raw material M1 and sheet S1 to be effectively guided to the coarse crushing section 3.

In addition, the sticking of the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 can be prevented or suppressed, resulting in excellent quantitative performance. Therefore, the crushing device 12 of the present invention is suitable for producing the sheet S, and a high-quality sheet S can be obtained.

In addition, if the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 contain cellulose fibers, this is advantageous because they tend not to become charged when cut by the cutting section 21 and not to stick to the guide surface 440.

The material, sheet S1, is a strip of scraps formed by cutting off the edges of sheet S as it is being conveyed. As described above, when sheet S is cut, it is cut under tension, so sheet S1 is curved and bent in the thickness direction. This shape makes it more difficult for the main surface of sheet S1 to come into close contact with guide surface 440. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent or suppress sheet S1 from sticking to guide surface 440.

In addition, since the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 share the crushing device 12, the device configuration of the fiber structure manufacturing device 100 can be simplified.

As shown in FIG. 5, the gas outlet 51 ejects gas from a vertically upward direction diagonally downward. That is, the gas is ejected from the outlet 51 in a direction having a vector component that is directed from a vertically upward direction to a vertically downward direction. This effectively promotes the falling of the raw material M1 and the sheet S1. This more effectively prevents or inhibits the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 from sticking to the guide surface 440.

As shown in FIG. 5, sheet S1 is formed by cutting sheet S transported in the -x-axis direction, and therefore moves in a direction having a vector component pointing in the -x-axis direction while falling. In contrast, gas outlet 51 ejects gas from vertically above diagonally downward, and the ejection direction has a vector component pointing in the +x-axis direction. In other words, the ejection direction and the falling direction are opposite to each other, in other words, they each have a vector component that is a counter direction.

In this way, the material sheet S1 falls into the crushing section 3 while moving in a direction intersecting the vertical direction, and the direction in which the gas is ejected from the nozzle 51 is a direction having a vector component in the opposite direction to the direction in which the sheet S1 moves in the direction intersecting the vertical direction. This makes it possible to effectively change the posture of the sheet S1 while it is falling or sliding on the guide surface 440. This makes it possible to effectively prevent or suppress the sheet S1 from sticking to the guide surface 440.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the nozzle 51 ejects gas intermittently. In other words, it is preferable that the control unit 28 switches the power supply to the blower 54 ON and OFF over time. This allows for lower power consumption compared to when gas is ejected continuously. Also, it is possible to effectively prevent or suppress the formation of stagnant air in the guide unit 4. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent or suppress the sticking of the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 to the guide surface 440.

The method is not limited to switching the power supply to the blower 54 on and off over time. For example, the gas may be intermittently ejected by providing a throttle valve in each flow path and adjusting the opening.

Even if the gas ejection section 5 is configured to eject gas continuously, the same effect as above can be obtained by varying the amount of gas ejected or by changing the direction of the gas ejection over time.

As shown in FIG. 6, a humidifier 55 is connected to the supply pipe 53, i.e., between the ejection unit main body 52 and the blower 54. This allows the gas ejected from the ejection port 51 to be humidified.

The humidity of the gas emitted from the nozzle 51 is preferably 50% RH or more and 80% RH or less, and more preferably 55% RH or more and 65% RH or less. This allows the moisture content of the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 to be appropriately adjusted. Therefore, when the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 slide along the guide surface 440, static electricity is generated and the amount of charge is effectively prevented from increasing excessively. If the humidity of the gas emitted from the nozzle 51 is too low, the effect of humidification is reduced. On the other hand, if the humidity of the gas emitted from the nozzle 51 is too high, depending on the environmental temperature of the raw material M1 and the sheet S1, condensation may occur on the guide surface 440 or the surface of the raw material M1 and the sheet S1, and the effect of the present invention may be reduced due to condensation.

The humidifying section 55 may be of either the vaporization type or ultrasonic type, but the ultrasonic type is preferable. This allows, for example, a moisturizing agent to be dissolved in the liquid in the humidifying section 55. By dissolving the moisturizing agent, the gas ejected from the ejection port 51 is ejected together with the moisturizing agent. This allows the moisture content of the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 to be maintained at a sufficient level. This effectively prevents the amount of charge of the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 from increasing excessively when the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 slide along the guide surface 440.

Humectants include, but are not limited to, diethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, 1,3-butylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 2-ethyl-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, 2-methyl-2-propyl-1,3-propanediol, 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propanediol, 3-methyl-1,3-butanediol, 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol, 3-methyl-1,5-pentanediol, 2-methylpentane-2,4-diol, trimethylolpropane, and glycerin.

As shown in FIG. 6, a charge removal unit 56 is connected midway along the supply pipe 53, i.e., between the ejection unit main body 52 and the blower 54. The charge removal unit 56 is composed of, for example, an ionizer. The charge removal unit 56 emits ions into the supply pipe 53 that remove static electricity from the raw material M1 and the sheet S1. This reduces the amount of charge on the raw material M1 and the sheet S1. This effectively prevents or suppresses the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 from sticking to the guide surface 440 due to the effect of static electricity.

The static electricity removal unit 56 is not limited to the above configuration, and may be configured, for example, to connect the guide unit 4 to earth.

In this way, the gas ejection section 5 has a charge removal section 56 that reduces the amount of charge on the raw material M1 and the sheet S1, which are the materials. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of charge on the raw material M1 and the sheet S1. This effectively prevents or suppresses the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 from sticking to the guide surface 440 due to the effects of static electricity.

The guide surface 440 is preferably plated to suppress static electricity. There are no particular limitations on the plating as long as it has a relatively high electrical conductivity, and examples of the plating include nickel plating, copper plating, and gold plating. Of these, nickel plating is preferable. In addition to suppressing an increase in the amount of static electricity, nickel plating also provides an anti-rust effect. Therefore, even if the humidity of the air from the nozzle 51 is relatively high, rusting of the guide portion 4 can be prevented or suppressed.

As described above, the crushing device 12 includes the crushing section 3 for crushing the raw material M1 and the sheet S1, which are materials containing fibers, the guide section 4 having the guide surface 440 for guiding the falling raw material M1 and the sheet S1 to the crushing section 3, and the gas ejection section 5 having the ejection port 51 for ejecting gas toward the guide surface 440. With this configuration, gas can be ejected toward the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 falling while being guided by the guide surface 440. Therefore, even if the main surfaces of the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 are in close contact with and try to stick to the guide surface 440, the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 can be physically detached by air pressure, and the sticking of the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 can be effectively prevented or suppressed. As a result, the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 can be smoothly guided to the crushing section 3. In addition, since the sticking is prevented, it is possible to effectively prevent or suppress several sheets of the raw material M1 or the sheet S1 from being supplied to the crushing section 3 together, and the quantitative supply is excellent. Therefore, when applied to the fiber structure manufacturing device 100, the quality of the fiber structure can be improved.

In this embodiment, the gas ejection section 5 is described as being provided above the wall section 44, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The gas ejection section 5 may be provided on the wall section 41, on the wall section 42, on the wall section 43, or in a combination of two or more of these.

The defibration device 10 also includes a coarse crushing device 12 and a defibration section 13 that defibrates the coarsely crushed pieces M2 crushed by the coarse crushing device 12. As described above, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are supplied from the coarse crushing device 12 to the defibration section 13 with excellent quantitative accuracy, so the defibrated material M3 is also produced with excellent quantitative accuracy.

The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus 100 also includes a defibrator 10, a second web forming section 19 which is a deposition section that deposits the defibrated material M3 produced by the defibrator 10, and a forming section 20 which forms the second web M8 which is the deposition produced by the second web forming section 19. As a result, as described above, the defibrated material M3 is supplied in a quantitative manner, thereby improving the quality of the obtained fiber structure.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a crushing device according to the second embodiment.

The second embodiment of the crushing device, defibration device, and fiber structure manufacturing device of the present invention will be described below with reference to these figures. The differences from the previous embodiment will be mainly described, and similar points will not be described.

As shown in FIG. 7, a supply port 422 is provided in the wall 42 of the guide section 4. The supply port 422 is formed of a through hole that penetrates the wall 42 in the y-axis direction, and is an inlet that introduces the raw material M1 discharged from the raw material supply section 11 into the inside of the guide section 4.

This configuration allows the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 to be introduced into different parts of the guide section 4. This allows both the raw material M1 and the sheet S1 to more reliably fall onto the guide surface 440.

The above describes the crushing device, defibrating device, and fiber structure manufacturing device of the present invention in the illustrated embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this, and each part constituting the crushing device, defibrating device, and fiber structure manufacturing device can be replaced with any configuration that can perform the same function. In addition, any configuration may be added.

The crushing device, defibration device, and fiber structure manufacturing device of the present invention may also be a combination of any two or more of the configurations and features of each of the above embodiments.

100...fibrous structure manufacturing apparatus, 3...coarse crushing section, 4...guide section, 4A...opening, 4B...opening, 5...gas ejection section, 10...defibration device, 11...raw material supply section, 12...coarse crushing device, 13...defibration section, 14...sorting section, 15...first web forming section, 16...fragmentation section, 17...mixing section, 18...dispersion section, 19...second web forming section, 20...molding section, 21...cutting section, 22...stock section, 27...recovery section, 28...control section, 31...coarse crushing blade, 32...chute, 41...wall section, 42...wall section, 43...wall section, 44...wall portion, 50...casing, 51...spray nozzle, 52...spray portion main body, 53...supply pipe, 54...blower, 55...humidification portion, 56...static charge removal portion, 141...drum portion, 142...housing portion, 151...mesh belt, 152...tension roller, 153...suction portion, 161...propeller, 162...housing portion, 171...resin supply portion, 172...pipe, 173...blower, 174...screw feeder, 181...drum portion, 182...housing portion, 191...mesh belt, 19 2... tension roller, 193... suction section, 201... pressure section, 202... heating section, 203... calendar roller, 204... heating roller, 211... first cutting section, 212... second cutting section, 213... first cutting unit, 214... second cutting unit, 215... rotary blade, 231... humidification section, 232... humidification section, 233... humidification section, 234... humidification section, 235... humidification section, 236... humidification section, 241... tube, 242... tube, 243... tube, 244... tube, 245... tube, 246... tube, 261... tube Lower, 262...blower, 263...blower, 281...CPU, 282...storage unit, 411...first guide surface, 421...second guide surface, 422...supply port, 431...third guide surface, 440...guide surface, 441...fourth guide surface, 520...inner cavity, 521...wall, M1...raw material, M2...coarsely crushed pieces, M3...defibrated material, M4-1...first sorted material, M4-2...second sorted material, M5...first web, M6...fragmented body, M7...mixture, M8...second web, S...sheet, S1...sheet, P1...resin

Claims (4)

A crushing device for crushing a fibrous material to produce crushed pieces;
a defibration unit that defibrates the coarsely crushed pieces to generate defibrated material;
a depositing section that deposits the defibrated material on a belt to form a deposit;
a forming section for applying pressure and heat to the pile to form a sheet;
A fiber structure manufacturing apparatus including a cutting unit that cuts the sheet,
the cutting section has a rotary blade that cuts an edge of the sheet along a conveying direction in which the sheet is conveyed, the cut edge becomes the material,
The crushing device is
A crushing unit for crushing the material;
a guide section that guides the material cut by the rotary blade and dropped to the coarse crushing section and has a guide surface formed of an inclined surface ;
a gas ejection unit having an ejection port that ejects gas toward the guide surface ,
The guide unit is provided at a position downstream of the cutting unit in the conveying direction and vertically above the crushing unit,
the gas blowing portion is disposed at an upper portion of the guide portion and at a downstream side in the conveying direction,
A fiber structure manufacturing apparatus characterized in that the gas is ejected obliquely downward from the ejection port, by providing the ejection port in a wall portion that is provided in the gas ejection section and inclined obliquely downward. The guide surface has a first guide surface and a second guide surface that are vertically above the crushing unit and face each other across the crushing unit,
2. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first guide surface and the second guide surface are inclined such that the distance between them decreases vertically downward. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gas outlet intermittently ejects the gas. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gas ejection section has a charge removing section for reducing an amount of charge on the material.

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