EP3556922B1 - Device for thermal treatment of a textile web - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a device for the thermal treatment of a textile web, i. Dryer or thermobonder, comprising at least one drum with a perforated jacket surface, the jacket of which can be at least partially wrapped by a web of material, with a structural shell that has a plurality of openings and / or patterns can be pulled onto the jacket of the drum.

The thermal treatment process for a textile web made of nonwoven or nonwoven includes hot air drying or hot air consolidation in a through-flow dryer, in which a heated gas, for example air, flows through the web and dries or solidifies it. For drying or consolidating textile webs, dryers or thermal bonders are known in which one or more drums are arranged in a housing. A textile web is fed to the dryer through an opening in the dryer chamber by wrapping it around a large part of the circumference of the drum and then guided around the next drum and / or removed from the dryer chamber again. During the wrapping of the drum, the material web is treated in that either fresh air blown in flows through the material web and the drum and absorbs the moisture from the material web, or a thermal one due to the hot air or the hot gas Solidification of the web occurs because its fibers, for example made of polyamide, at least partially fuse with one another, or the web is treated with hot steam.

Usually, a smooth, unstructured fleece is produced that can be used, for example, as topsheets for panty liners. If the product type needs to be changed and the fleece needs to be structured, the metallic structure shell on the drum needs to be changed. The height of the structuring in the fleece depends on the thickness of the outer surface of the structural shell. However, changing the structural shells is very time-consuming, since the entire structural shell has to be removed from the drum along the longitudinal axis. Depending on the working width, the structural shell can have a diameter of up to 4 m and a length of up to 4.5. This is very time-consuming and labor-intensive and the thermal bonder is not available for a longer period of time due to the conversion measure, since parts of the housing may have to be removed. According to the current state of the art, the structural shell consists of a metallic, relatively stiff cylinder jacket that is pushed over the drum.

The EP 0841424 A1 discloses a perforated suction drum for hydroentangling a fleece with a perforated or structured shell, which is designed as a microfine sheet metal, with strip-shaped beams being arranged at a distance from one another between the structured shell and the suction drum.

The object of the invention is to develop a device for the thermal treatment of a textile web, having at least one drum with a perforated jacket surface, the jacket of which can be at least partially wrapped by a web. The replacement of the structural shell should be simplified and take place in the shortest possible time.

This object is achieved on the basis of a device for the thermal treatment of a textile web according to the preamble of claim 1 with the characterizing features.

The subclaims represent advantageous embodiments.

The invention relates to a device for the thermal treatment of a textile web, i. Dryer or thermobonder, comprising at least one drum with a perforated jacket surface, the jacket of which can be at least partially wrapped by a web of material, with a structural shell that has a plurality of openings and / or patterns can be pulled onto the jacket of the drum.

The invention is characterized in that the structural shell is designed as a band of limited width, which is wound around the drum with a large number of turns. In contrast to a conventional structural shell, which as a thin cylindrical hollow body can have a diameter of up to 4 m and a width of up to 4.5 m, a long band of limited width can be produced more cost-effectively than endless material. In addition, the structural shell can be assembled as a belt without dismantling the drum housing, which means that production changes are possible without lengthy downtimes.

With a further advantage, the band has a first and a second longitudinal edge which touch or overlap each time it is wrapped around the drum. This creates a closed surface where the adjacent longitudinal edges are not reflected in the web.

A preferred embodiment provides that the tape has a limited length, and the beginning and the end of the tape can each be fastened to the drum with at least one fastening point. There is therefore no overlap of the belt, as with an endless belt.

It is also advantageous that the band has a width of 5 cm to 30 cm. This means that the tape can be wound onto a roll and its weight and dimensions are so manageable that a single The fitter can pull this onto the drum by himself using a clamping device. The width of the belt in this area allows great flexibility for drums of different diameters and widths.

The first is preferably releasably or non-releasably connectable to the second longitudinal edge at least in sections. This can be done by stapling, welding or stitching, with continuous fastening along the entire longitudinal edge being possible, but not necessary. A regular fastening, which is offset in short sections relative to the adjacent longitudinal edges, is repeated, for example, three to four times on the circumference of the drum, may be sufficient.

In a first embodiment, the device for the thermal treatment of the material web can have a tensioning roller around which the belt is wrapped at the same time as the drum, its distance from the drum being adjustable. This means that the belt can be installed without great effort, the longitudinal edges can be aligned with one another and the tensioning roller can then be operated to tension the structural shell.

In an alternative embodiment, the tape can be shrunk onto the drum, in which case the tape can only be removed from the drum in a destructible manner.

A wire is preferably arranged on or in at least one longitudinal edge of the belt, which wire extends without interruption over the entire length of the belt. This avoids overstretching the tape during assembly and at the same time prevents the longitudinal edge from bulging.

It is advantageous that both longitudinal edges of the tape have a reduced thickness, which is complementary in the case of an overlapping arrangement complete a full cross-section. The geometry of the reduced thickness can be any, for example wedge-shaped or in the form of a remote shoulder or step. Since the drum and the belt stretch when the Thermobonder is in operation, this can counteract an enlargement of the gaps on the longitudinal edges. Clogging of the gap or sticking of the fibers to this gap can thus be reduced.

A shoulder or a wedge-shaped reduction of the cross section on the upper side of the belt can be arranged on a first longitudinal edge, and the complementary shoulder or wedge can be arranged on the lower side of the belt on the second longitudinal edge, or vice versa.

A fastening element, with which the longitudinal edges can be fastened to one another, can preferably be arranged or integrated at regular intervals in the overlapping area of the longitudinal edges.

Alternatively, the first longitudinal edge can also be connected to the second longitudinal edge in a form-fitting manner, so that a zipper effect can be used here for assembly and disassembly.

Figur 1:

eine schematische Darstellung durch den Querschnitt eines Trockners oder Thermobonders nach dem Stand der Technik;

Figur 2:

eine erste schematische Schnittdarstellung durch den Querschnitt eines erfindungsgemäßen Trockners oder Thermobonders;

Figur 3:

eine weitere Darstellung auf die erste Ausführungsform des Trockners oder Thermobonders;

Figur 4:

eine weitere Darstellung auf eine zweite Ausführungsform des Trockners oder Thermobonders;

Figur 5:

eine Seitenansicht auf eine Strukturschale mit einer Warenbahn, die als umlaufendes Band ausgebildet ist;

Figur 5a:

eine Draufsicht auf die Strukturschale nach Figur 5, die als umlaufendes Band ausgebildet ist;

Figur 6:

eine weitere Seitenansicht auf eine Strukturschale mit einer Warenbahn, die als umlaufendes Band ausgebildet ist;

Figur 6a:

eine Draufsicht auf die Strukturschale nach Figur 6, die als umlaufendes Band ausgebildet ist;

Figur 7:

einen Querschnitt durch eine weitere Ausführungsform eines umlaufenden Bandes.

Further measures improving the invention are shown in more detail below together with the description of a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention with reference to the figures. Show it:

Figure 1:

a schematic representation through the cross section of a dryer or thermobonder according to the prior art;

Figure 2:

a first schematic sectional illustration through the cross section of a dryer or thermal bonder according to the invention;

Figure 3:

a further representation of the first embodiment of the dryer or thermobonder;

Figure 4:

a further representation of a second embodiment of the dryer or thermobonder;

Figure 5:

a side view of a structural shell with a material web which is designed as a circumferential belt;

Figure 5a:

a top view of the structural shell according to Figure 5 , which is designed as a revolving belt;

Figure 6:

a further side view of a structural shell with a material web which is designed as a circumferential belt;

Figure 6a:

a top view of the structural shell according to Figure 6 , which is designed as a revolving belt;

Figure 7:

a cross section through a further embodiment of a circulating belt.

Fig. 1 shows a hot air dryer or thermal bonder in omega design according to the prior art. The web 1 to be dried runs in the inlet area 4 via a guide drum 2 into the dryer, wraps around the air-permeable drum 5 in a clockwise direction and runs out of the dryer again via a further guide drum 3. The web 1 can consist of a pre-consolidated fleece made of fibers or filaments. The web 1 is often a pile of loose staple fibers coming from a carding machine. The pile can be transported from the card to the drum 5 on a conveyor belt. The guide drum 2 can be designed as a suction drum and transports the loose pile to the drum 5 of the dryer or thermal bonder. The return drum 3 can also be designed as a suction drum in order to cool the thermally bonded fleece or the dried web of material again with ambient air. The drum 5 and the two idler drums 2, 3 are arranged in a housing 7 into which hot air is introduced via means not shown. The hot air flows through the web 1, dries it or heats the web 1 to the melting temperature of the binding fiber or other bicomponent fibers, and is sucked off by a fan (not shown) arranged at the end of the drum 5. The drum 5 is placed under negative pressure, so that different flow conditions occur in the dryer. In order to structure the web 1, a structure shell 10, which can contain a large number of openings or patterns, is drawn onto the drum 5. The structural shell 10 usually consists of a fine sheet metal into which the pattern has been lasered. Alternatively, there is also wire mesh with a corresponding pattern. These structural shells are pushed on as thin hollow cylindrical bodies along the longitudinal axis of the drum 5. With a width of the web of 2.5 to 5.5 m, part of the dryer housing often has to be dismantled, which is associated with longer downtimes.

According to the inventive embodiments of Figures 2 to 3 the structural shell 10 is designed as a flexible element made of a thermally resilient material, which is guided around the drum 5, guided out of the housing 7 of the dryer or thermobonder and deflected by a pulley 3. This structural shell 10 is made in one piece and consists of a tape 11 which is wound around the drum 5 in many turns. The structural shell 10 can be tensioned or relaxed by means of the adjustable tensioning roller 9, which significantly facilitates the exchange of the structural shell 10. This structural shell 10 also has a large number of openings or patterns, so that the material web 1 which leaves the dryer or thermal bond has a perforated or patterned surface. Depending on the configuration of the system in connection with the fiber composition of the material web 1, the pattern can affect only one surface of the material web 1, or both surfaces.

The structural shell 10 consists of a band 11 of limited width, which is wound around the drum 5 in many turns, the longitudinal edges 11a, 11b of the band 11 either touching one another or overlapping. The advantage lies in the easy assembly, since the dryer housing does not have to be dismantled. At the beginning or end of the assembly process, one or two seams or fastening points 12 are created, with which the belt 11 is fastened to itself in the form of an endless belt or to the drum 5. So that this seam or the fastening points 12 are not depicted in the web 1, the drum 5 has a greater width TB than the working width AB of the system or the width of the web 1.

Depending on the drum size and working width, the belt 11 is preferably between 5 and 30 cm wide and can be stored rolled up on a roll and provided for assembly. With a drum width of 5 m, there are between 100 and 17 turns, whereby the working width can then be between 4.9 m to 4.4 m. The material used for the band 11 can be a metal in the form of a wire mesh, or a glass fabric band, for example made of PTFE or a heat-resistant plastic. Textile bands 11 are also possible. The tapes 11 can have a raised, patterned surface which is stamped into the web 1 like a watermark and which reduce the thickness of the web 1 at this point. Alternatively, the pattern 13 can be let into or integrated into the belt 11 in the form of openings, with a thickening or concentration of fibers which are not completely bound at these points.

Figure 3 shows an embodiment with an adjustable tensioning roller 9 with which the tape 11 can be tensioned after the drum 5 has been wrapped. Here, too, the belt 11 is fastened to the drum 5 with two fastening points 12. The usable working width AB is smaller than the available drum width TB. In this embodiment, the tension on the belt 11 is generated by the adjustability of the tensioning roller 9. According to the embodiments of Figures 3 and 4th the sampling of the band 11 can be done regularly or irregularly. It can be seen here that the first longitudinal edge 11a lies against the second longitudinal edge 11b after the drum 5 has been wrapped.

Figure 4 shows a further embodiment with a band 11 as a pattern-giving structural shell 10, which was wound around the drum 5 in turns. The belt 11 is fastened to the drum 5 with two fastening points 12, so that the usable working width AB is smaller than the available drum width TB. Here, too, after each wrapping around the drum 5, the first longitudinal edge 11a rests against the second longitudinal edge 11b. In this exemplary embodiment, a band 11 made of a slightly shrinking material, for example a film, can be used that is held on the drum 5 due to its shrinkage tension. This tape 11 is to be used as a one-time solution and can only be removed from the drum 5 in a destructive manner. Alternatively, the band 11 can also be designed to be removable, in that the fastening points 12 are made detachable. Depending on the size of the drum 5 and the length of the belt 11, a tensioning element must be used that can be fixed in place within the drum housing or on an edge of the drum 5.

The Figures 5 and 5a show a woven tape 11 with a printed pattern 13 in the form of hemispheres, which are pressed into the web 1 as a recess during thermal bonding. The woven band 11 can consist of a heat-resistant textile or be formed from a metallic material. At least one longitudinal edge 11a of the band 11 can be reinforced with an integrated wire 16 so that bulging can be avoided. Both longitudinal edges 11a, 11b of the band 11 can preferably be reinforced with a wire 16. The wire 16 also has the function of preventing elongation during operation.

The band 11 after the Figures 6 and 6a can be produced from a heat-resistant plastic and has a large number of regular or irregular patterns 13 in the form of squares which at least partially penetrate or completely penetrate the band 11. Between the patterns 13, a plurality of openings 14 can be arranged in a regular or irregular arrangement, which are designed, for example, as micro-openings and penetrate the strip 11. The pattern 13, which in this exemplary embodiment penetrate the strip 11, results in a nub structure with raised points or surfaces for the web 1. The surface structure of the material web 1 can be influenced with the micro-openings, since the fibers at least partially penetrate into the openings 14 and thus the surface of the material web 1 becomes more structured and rougher. The feel of the web 1 becomes rougher. Also the tape 11 according to this embodiment can be reinforced on one or both longitudinal edges 11a, 11b with a wire 16 which is preferably integrated into the band 11.

Figure 7 shows two adjacent bands 11 which overlap in the edge area. For this purpose, each band 11 has a first shoulder 11c on its upper side along a first longitudinal edge 11a, and a second shoulder 11c on its lower side along its second longitudinal edge 11b. The longitudinal edges 11a, 11b can thus have a reduced thickness, which complement each other in the case of strips 11 arranged next to one another to form a full cross section. The shoulders 11c are arranged so that they are complementary to one another that a partial overlap arises, so that the top and bottom of the adjacent strips 11 act on the web 1 essentially without interruption with a closed and flat surface. In the area of the overlapping shoulders 11c, the strips 11 lying next to one another can be fastened to one another, for example by means of a fastening element 15 in the form of a pin or a clip (not shown). The fastening element 15 as a pin can be part of a band 11 and, for example, fixedly arranged on a longitudinal edge 11a, 11b or fastened in one piece with this. The associated opening can then already be integrated into the pin spacings on the other longitudinal edge 11a, 11b in the remaining cross-section, or it can be produced during assembly. Alternatively, depending on the material, the bands 11 can also be fastened to one another at least at regular intervals in points by means of sewing, stapling, fusing or welding. An uninterrupted connection is usually not necessary. A connection using a pin seam is also possible. The necessary tension on the belt 11 can then according to the embodiment of FIG Figures 2 and 3 through the tension pulley 9 be applied, or according to the embodiment of Figure 4 by thermal shrinkage. In this exemplary embodiment, the wire 16 is integrated into a longitudinal edge 11a of the belt 11 and thus causes this longitudinal edge 11a of the belt 11 to rest more on the drum 5.

As an alternative to this exemplary embodiment, the longitudinal edges 11a, 11b of the band 11 can also be designed so that, for example, rectangular or round projections engage in rectangular or round openings and the bands are connected to the longitudinal edges 11a, 11b in a form-fitting manner, similar to a zipper. The patterns 13 can be integrated into the form fit of the longitudinal edges 11a, 11b. Since the optimal circumference is not always achieved with each winding of the tape 11 around the drum 5, since the tape 11 is then either too tight or too loose, the thermal tension compensation or the tensioning roller 9 can be used to compensate for perfect contact with the drum 5 be generated.

The embodiment of the invention is not limited to the preferred exemplary embodiment specified above. Rather, a number of variants are conceivable which make use of the solution shown even in the case of fundamentally different designs. All of the features and / or advantages emerging from the claims, the description or the drawings, including structural details or spatial arrangements, can be essential to the invention both individually and in a wide variety of combinations.

Reference number

1

Web

2

Tail pulley

3

Tail pulley

4th

Inlet area

5

drum

6

Screen mesh

7th

casing

8th

Longitudinal axis

9

Tension pulley

10

Structural shell

11

tape

11a

first long edge

11b

second long edge

11c

paragraph

12

Attachment point

13

template

14th

openings

15th

Fastener

16

wire

TB

Drum width

FROM

Working width

Claims (12)

1. A dryer or thermobonder for thermally treating a continuous web of textile material (1), including at least one cylinder (5) having a perforated casing surface, around the casing thereof a continuous web of material (5) can at least partially loop, and with a structured shell (10), wherein the structured shell (10) is fittable onto the casing of the cylinder (5), and the structured shell (10) includes a plurality of openings and/or patterns,
   characterized in that the structured shell (10) is formed as a band (11) of limited width, which with a plurality of windings is wound around the cylinder (5), wherein the band (11) includes a first and a second longitudinal edges (11a, 11b), which contact each other or overlap at each loop around the cylinder (5).
2. The dryer or thermobonder according to claim 1, characterized in that the band (11) has a limited length, and the beginning and the end of the band (11) are attachable to the cylinder (5) with at least one respective attachment point (12).
3. The dryer or thermobonder according to any of the claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the band (11) has a width of 5 cm to 30 cm.
4. The dryer or thermobonder according to claim 1, characterized in that the first longitudinal edge is releasably or non-releasably connectable to the second longitudinal edge (11a, 11b) at least section-wise.
5. The dryer or thermobonder according to any of the aforementioned claims, characterized in that the band (11) with the cylinder (5) loops around a tensioning roller (9), the distance thereof to the cylinder (5) being adjustable.
6. The dryer or thermobonder according to any of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the band (11) is shrunk onto the cylinder (5).
7. The dryer or thermobonder according to any of the aforementioned claims, characterized in that a wire (16), which without any interruption extends over the entire length of the band (11), is disposed at or in at least one longitudinal edge (11a, 11b) of the band (11).
8. The dryer or thermobonder according to any of the aforementioned claims, characterized in that both longitudinal edges (11a, 11b) of the band (11) include a reduced thickness, which, complementary to an overlapping arrangement, complement to a full cross-section.
9. The dryer or thermobonder according to claim 8, characterized in that a shoulder (11c) at the upper side of the band (11) is disposed at a first longitudinal edge (11a), and at the second longitudinal edge (11b) is disposed a shoulder (11c) at the underside of the band (11).
10. The dryer or thermobonder according to any of the claim 8 to 9, characterized in that an attachment element (15) is disposed in the overlapping area of the longitudinal edges (11a, 11b).
11. The dryer or thermobonder according to any of the claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the first longitudinal edge (11a) is positively connectable to the second longitudinal edge (11b).
12. The dryer or thermobonder according to any of the aforementioned claims, characterized in that the band (11) consists of a heat-resistant material, such as sheet metal, metal fabric, glass fabric tape, plastic material or textile material.

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