JP2000107470A - Molding method for cushion material and cushion body and vehicle seat - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cushion material suited for a vehicle seat that is recyclable, improved in resistance to flatting to less permanent setting and can be made lightweight. SOLUTION: When inputting or installing a fiber aggregate made up of a nonwoven fabric or a textile in a mold and molding a cushion material by compression molding, the fiber aggregate is molded in dies 10 and 20 that form a cavity Ca with a volume smaller than the volume of a cushion material obtained as a final molded product for example, dies 10, 20 that form a cavity Ca whose volume is 5 to 95 vol.% of that of the final molded product.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention is applied to, for example, cushioning materials for vehicles such as automobiles and is recyclable.
In particular, the present invention relates to a cushion material forming method suitable for forming a fiber cushion material having improved set resistance and excellent set resistance, a cushion body, and a vehicle seat.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, polyurethane (PU) foam has been used as a cushion material for a vehicle seat, a mat material for bedding, a cushion, or the like.

[0003] However, since this material contains N as a constituent, it generates a nitrogen-containing gas at the time of combustion or uses chlorofluorocarbon gas at the time of production.
It has begun to be pointed out as a problem from the standpoint of environmental protection.

Therefore, as an alternative material to polyurethane,
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET: polyester)
One using fibers is disclosed in JP-A-57-35047.

[0005]

However, such a cushioning material using a polyester fiber having a low-melting-point polyester fiber as an adhesive component causes sagging in a vehicle seat or the like used under severe conditions. It is difficult to use because it is easy, and there is no specific proposal considering recycling.

On the other hand, as means for reducing the occurrence of sag, a polyester short fiber as a main pad is bonded with a urethane-based binder (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-8 / 1994).
No. 4906) or a polyester short fiber which is the main component which is point-joined with a polyamide-based binder (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
No. 309398), or an aromatic polyamide (aramid) fiber in which polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) short fiber is used as a binder to bond between fibers (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
No. 26975) has been devised, but the use of urethane, polyamide or PPS has not been solved in terms of recycling.

On the other hand, in a vehicle such as an automobile, the use of a fiber cushion material makes it possible to reduce the density as compared with a urethane cushion material, which leads to a reduction in the weight of the material. This is a major issue for improving fuel efficiency.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and is intended to be recyclable, in particular, to have improved set resistance and reduced set. It is another object of the present invention to provide a fiber cushion material, a cushion body, and a vehicle seat that can be reduced in weight.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming a cushion material, wherein a material is charged or placed in a mold, and the cushion material is formed by compression. It is characterized in that the molding is performed with a mold having a smaller volume than the volume of the cushion material obtained as a final molded product.

In the embodiment of the method for molding a cushion material according to the present invention, as described in claim 2, the cushion material is molded in a mold having a volume of 5 to 95 vol% of the volume of the final molded product. It is characterized by doing.

Similarly, in an embodiment of the cushioning material forming method according to the present invention, as described in claim 3, the cushioning material is formed in a mold having a volume of 10 to 80 vol% of the volume of the final molded product. It is characterized by doing.

Similarly, an embodiment of the cushioning material forming method according to the present invention is characterized in that a nonwoven fabric or a fibrous body is used as a material.

[0013] Similarly, in an embodiment of the method for molding a cushion material according to the present invention, as a material, the volume of the final molded product is 110 to 40 as the material.
A non-woven fabric or a fibrous body having a volume of 0 vol% is used.

Similarly, in an embodiment of the cushioning material forming method according to the present invention, as a material, the volume of the final molded product is 120 to 30 as the material.
A non-woven fabric or a fibrous body having a volume of 0 vol% is used.

[0015] Similarly, an embodiment of the method of molding a cushion material according to the present invention is characterized in that the nonwoven fabric or the fibrous body used as the material is made of synthetic fibers. I have.

Similarly, in an embodiment of the cushioning material forming method according to the present invention, as described in claim 8, the nonwoven fabric or the fibrous body used as the material is made of a fiber mainly composed of polyester. It is characterized by doing.

Similarly, in the embodiment of the cushioning material forming method according to the present invention, as described in claim 9, the nonwoven fabric or the fibrous body used as the material is made of a fiber A containing polyester as a main component. It is characterized in that the fiber B is composed of 5 to 100% by weight of 95% by weight, and at least 20 ° C. lower than the fiber A by a fiber B partially or wholly having a component having a lower softening point.

Similarly, in an embodiment of the cushioning material forming method according to the present invention, as described in claim 10, the nonwoven fabric or the fibrous body has a softening point of the fiber A or lower and a softening point of the fiber B or higher. Characterized in that it is a fiber assembly thermoformed in the above.

Similarly, in an embodiment of the method for forming a cushion material according to the present invention, as described in claim 11, the fiber aggregate has a density of 0.0025 to 0.15.
g / cm ³ , and the fibers constituting the fiber assembly have a fineness of 0.5 to 10,000 denier and a fiber length of 30 to 10
0 mm fiber A is 0 to 95 wt%, and at least 20 [deg.] C. lower than the fiber A contains some or all components having a low softening point. Fineness: 1 to 10,000 denier, fiber length: 30 to 100 m
m of the fiber B is composed of 5 to 100 wt%.

Similarly, in an embodiment of the method for molding a cushioning material according to the present invention, as described in claim 12, the temperature is not lower than 30 ° C. and at least 20 ° C. lower than the softening point of the fiber B. It is characterized by being thermoformed.

Similarly, in an embodiment of the cushioning material forming method according to the present invention, the fiber assembly is formed by humidifying or adding steam to the fiber assembly at the time of forming. It is characterized by having.

The cushion body according to the present invention is characterized in claim 1.
As described in the fourth aspect, the present invention is characterized in that it is manufactured by the cushion material forming method according to any one of the first to thirteenth aspects.

The vehicle seat according to the present invention is characterized in claim 1.
As described in the fifth aspect, the present invention is characterized in that the cushion body according to the fourteenth aspect is manufactured using part or all of the cushion body.

[0024]

The method for forming a cushion material, the cushion body and the vehicle seat according to the present invention have the above-mentioned construction. In order to improve the sag resistance and reduce the sag, The cushion material is molded in a mold having a smaller volume than the volume of the final molded product.

As described above, when the cushion material is formed by charging or placing the material in the mold and performing compression, the molding is performed using a mold having a smaller volume than the cushion material obtained as the final molded product. Thereby, sag resistance is improved, and a cushion material with less sag is formed.

In one embodiment, when molding the cushion material, the cushion material can be molded in a mold having a volume of 5 to 95 vol% of the volume of the final molded product. In this case, if it is attempted to compress the mold with a volume of less than 5 vol% of the volume of the final molded product, it tends to be difficult to obtain the shape of the final molded product, which is not preferable. In addition, 95 vol%
It is not preferable to mold in an excessive volume mold because the effect of improving sag resistance tends not to be obtained. And more preferably, the final molded product has a volume of 10 to 80 v
By performing molding in a mold having a volume of ol%, the effect of improving sag resistance can be further enhanced.

Next, in order to enable recycling, it is desirable that the molding material of the present invention be made of a nonwoven fabric or a fibrous body. That is, by using a nonwoven fabric or a fibrous body, it is possible to obtain a fibrous body again by opening the molded article using a fiber opening machine or the like at the time of recycling.

In molding the cushion material, the material to be charged or placed in the mold is one volume of the final molded product.
A non-woven fabric or a fibrous body thermoformed in a volume of 10 to 400 vol% can be used. That is,
When the thermoformed nonwoven fabric or fibrous body is molded into a cushion material, the volume of the final molded product is 110 vol.
%, The dimensions (thickness, etc.) of the desired final molded product tend to be unobtainable. Also,
When molding to a volume exceeding 400 vol%, the amount of compression is considerably large and compression tends to be difficult, which is not preferable. More preferably, by performing molding on a nonwoven fabric or a fibrous body having a volume of 120 to 300 vol% of the volume of the final molded product, the width of the opening of the molding die can be reduced, and the effect of the molding process can be effectively achieved. Will be obtained.

Further, the non-woven fabric or the fibrous body used for molding the cushion material may be made of synthetic resin fibers (synthetic fibers). Then, from the viewpoint of forming the cushion material by thermoforming, it is desirable to use thermoplastic synthetic fibers. Examples of the synthetic fibers in this case include aliphatic polyamide (PA) fibers such as nylon 66, polyester fibers such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) fibers, polyether ether ketone (PEEK) fibers, and the like. And a combination of these fibers.

Among the synthetic fibers, polyester fibers are suitable from the viewpoints of flowability, mechanical strength and the like, and have high cost performance. The polyester in the present invention includes, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), and polybutylene naphthalate (PB).
N), polyethylene isophthalate (PEI), polybutylene isophthalate (PBI), polyεcaprolactone (PCL), and the like, in which the ethylene bricol component of PET is replaced by another different glycol component (for example, polyhexamethylene Terephthalate (PHT)),
Alternatively, a terephthalic acid component substituted with another different dibasic acid component (polyhexamethylene isophthalate (P
HI), polyhexamethylene naphthalate (PHN))
And so on. Further, a copolyester containing these polyesters as a constituent unit, for example, a block copolymer of PBT and polytetramethylene glycol (PTMG),
A copolymer in which the main repeating unit is a polyester, such as a copolymer of PET and PEI, a copolymer of PBT and PBI, and a copolymer of PBT and PCL may be used.

The fiber aggregate used for molding the cushioning material is a synthetic fiber A containing polyester or the like as a main component.
The fiber B having a softening point lower than that of the fiber A by at least 20 ° C. at a temperature of at least 20 ° C. may be constituted by 5 to 100 wt%. In this case, the fiber A is a synthetic fiber mainly composed of polyester or the like, and is contained in the fiber aggregate in a range of 0 to 95%.
The ratio of the fibers A in the fiber assembly is desirably 0 to 95 wt%. That is, if the mixing ratio is higher than this, it tends to be difficult to maintain the shape of the cushion body.

Further, the fiber B is at least two times larger than the fiber A.
0 ° C. is a fiber containing a part or all of a component having a low softening point (hereinafter, also referred to as a binder fiber).
It is blended at a ratio of 00 wt%. This means that some blending of fibers that can impart moldability to the cushion body is necessary. When this cushion body is used for a vehicle seat such as an automobile, it is necessary that the cushion body can be formed into a seat shape. Further, in order to maintain the shape, it is necessary to mix a binder fiber. Then, at the time of heat molding, the binder fiber is softened and adhered in a state where the fiber A is constrained in the shape of the mold, so that a fine surface shape can be maintained.

The binder fiber has a softening point of fiber A
It is desirable that the temperature is lower by at least 20 ° C. The reason for this is the difference in the softening point of the fiber itself, which is the minimum necessary for obtaining a product by heating and press-forming while maintaining the shape of the fiber assembly. If the difference in softening point is less than this, the entire fiber tends to soften, which is not preferable.

It is more preferable that the nonwoven fabric or the fibrous body used in the molding method of the present invention is a fiber aggregate thermoformed at a softening point of the fiber A or lower and a softening point of the fiber B or higher. That is, if the softening point of the fiber A exceeds the softening point, the fiber A is softened to the fiber A, and the shape of the cushion material tends to be unable to be maintained. It tends to be impossible to maintain the shape of the cushion material. In addition, if the thermoformed fiber is not used, the material is not charged into the mold or the input or installation method at the time of installation may be complicated, whereas the thermoforming is performed beforehand. By using fibers, simple material introduction or installation becomes possible.

The fiber aggregate used in the molding method of the present invention has a density of 0.0025 to 0.15 g / cm ³ , and the fibers constituting the fiber aggregate have a fineness (fiber diameter) of 0.5 to 10
000 denier, fiber length: 30-100 mm fiber A
And a fiber B (binder fiber) having a fineness (fiber diameter) of 1 to 10,000 denier and a fiber length of 30 to 100 mm.

This fiber aggregate has a density of 0.002
It is desirable that as in the range of 5~0.15g / cm ^3, the density becomes not obtained tends satisfactory repulsion when it is molded as a cushion member is less than 0.0025 g / cm ^3, density It is not preferable to use a fiber aggregate of more than 0.15 g / cm ^{3 in view of} an increase in material cost and an increase in the weight of parts.

The fiber A has a fineness of 0.5 to 10
It is preferable to use a fiber having a denier of 000 denier and a fiber length of 30 to 100 mm. The fineness of the fiber A is preferably 0.5 denier or more, and it is difficult to produce a finer fiber than this. Yes, it is not preferable because stable supply of fibers is difficult and the cost tends to increase.
In addition, it becomes difficult to mix with other fibers B, and it tends to be difficult to obtain a uniform fiber aggregate. The fineness of the fiber A is preferably not more than 10,000 denier. In the case of a thicker fiber, the number of bonding points of the fiber is significantly reduced, which tends to be unsuitable for obtaining sufficient rigidity. Further, it is difficult to obtain the effect of the molding of the present invention.

Further, the fiber length of the fiber A is 30 to 10
It is desirable that the thickness be in the range of 0 mm, and it is desirable that the thickness be in the above range from the viewpoint of the mechanical strength of the fiber assembly. When the fiber length is less than 30 mm, the productivity of the nonwoven fabric tends to be inferior, and when the fiber length is more than 100 mm, it is difficult to uniformly disperse the fibers in the fiber aggregate. Tend not to be a sufficient material.

The fiber B (binder fiber) has a fineness of 1
It is preferable to use fibers having a denier of 1 to 10,000 denier and a fiber length of 30 to 100 mm. At this time, the fiber diameter of the binder fiber is preferably 1 denier or more. This is unusual and increases the cost, the binder fiber itself is set at the time of heat molding, becomes hard to mix with the fiber A, and it tends to be difficult to obtain a uniform fiber aggregate. Also,
It is preferable that the fineness of the binder fiber be 10,000 denier or less. By using a thicker fiber, the number of fibers is relatively reduced, so that the number of fiber joints is significantly reduced, and it is difficult to maintain the shape. It tends to be. Further, the fiber length of the binder fiber is 30 to 100 m.
m, it is preferable to be in the above range from the viewpoint of the mechanical strength of the fiber assembly, and in the case of fibers having a fiber length of less than 30 mm, the productivity of the nonwoven fabric is reduced. Inferior, if the fiber exceeds 100 mm, it is difficult to uniformly disperse the fiber in the fiber aggregate, and the material tends to be insufficient for obtaining high-quality stability.

In forming the cushion material, it is desirable to perform thermoforming at a temperature of 30 ° C. or higher and at least 20 ° C. lower than the softening point of the fiber B. By performing thermoforming in this temperature range, the sag when the cushion material is removed from the mold is further improved. At this time, 30
If the temperature is lower than 20 ° C., the molding time for obtaining the effect of thermoforming is long, which is not preferable, and if the temperature exceeds 20 ° C. lower than the softening point of the fiber B, the softening of the binder fiber starts. It tends to be molded into the shape of the mold, and the desired final molded article tends not to be obtained.

Further, in the molding method of the present invention, when the cushioning material is molded, the fiber aggregate is humidified or added with steam to be molded, so that the sag can be further improved.

Next, the application of the cushion material formed by the cushion material forming method according to the present invention to a vehicle component will be described. In the cushion material using the fiber assembly, sufficient resistance to sag is ensured. Is important from the viewpoint of required performance. There is also a need to improve riding comfort when used in vehicles such as automobiles. Further, from the viewpoint of the recyclability of the product, the use of the fiber aggregate enables easy recycling.

When the cushion body is used as a vehicle seat, if polyester is used as the skin material, 100% of the polyester including the cushion body is made of polyester, which is advantageous in terms of recycling.

The method of molding a cushioning material according to the present invention has the above-described structure, and involves a so-called shape memory process, and includes a step 1 shown in FIG.
In FIG. 6, the material M is put or placed between the upper mold Mu and the lower mold Md, and the shape memory is obtained by clamping the upper mold Mu and the lower mold Md in step 2 shown in FIG. In the step 3 shown in FIG. 6 (C), the upper mold Mu and the lower mold Md are separated from each other, and at the same time, the cushion body Cu expands due to the repulsive force and has a required shape. Become.

Therefore, the cushion body manufactured in this manner is different from the cushion body manufactured by the conventional method in that the compression set ((%) = [(A−
B) / A] × 100) is greatly improved, and the sag resistance is remarkably excellent.

Also, by using as a vehicle seat,
Recycling of vehicle parts becomes remarkably easy.

[0047]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention.
This will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIGS. 1 to 4 are cross-sectional explanatory views showing the basic structure of a molding die. FIG. 1 shows a state before mold opening molding, FIG. 2 shows a state during mold closing molding, and FIG. Shows the state during mold closing molding in general (conventional) thermoforming,
FIG. 4 shows a state after the mold opening molding.

As shown in the figure, the mold used in the present invention has a cavity C having a volume smaller than the volume of the final molded product due to closing of the mold, for example, a volume of 50 vol%.
a (see FIG. 2). The upper mold 10 can be moved relative to the lower mold 20 via a support shaft (not shown) (FIG. 1).
(In the direction of arrow Y in the middle) so that the mold can be closed and opened by its movement.

The upper die 10 comprises an upper die body 12 having a box shape with a lower surface opening, and an upper pressing member 13 which covers the lower surface of the main body and forms a molding surface 11. This upper pressing member 1
Reference numeral 3 denotes a punching metal having a large number of holes 14. Then, the upper die body 12 and the upper pressing member 1
3 and the upper chamber 1 in the upper mold 10
An air supply pipe 16 is connected to 5.

On the other hand, the lower die 20 has a box-shaped lower die body 22 having an upper surface opening, and a molding surface 21 which covers the upper surface of the lower die body 22.
And a lower pressing member 23 that forms The lower pressing member 23 has a large number of holes 24 like the upper pressing member 13.
It is formed of a punching metal having An exhaust pipe 26 is provided in a lower chamber 25 in the lower mold 20 formed by the lower mold body 22 and the lower pressing member 23.
Are connected.

Next, a case where a cushion material is formed using the above-described mold will be described. As shown in FIG.
A plurality of fiber aggregates 1 are laminated on the molding surface 21 of the lower mold 20 with the mold opened, for example, when the thickness of the fiber aggregate 1 is 5
At the time of 0 mm, four sheets are placed at the middle part of the final molded product and six sheets are placed at the end part.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper mold 10 is lowered with respect to the lower mold 20 to close the mold. And upper mold 1
For example, hot air and steam at 90 ° C. are pumped into the upper chamber 15 from the air supply pipe 16. Here, the hot air introduced into the upper chamber 15 of the upper mold 10 blows out from the hole 14 of the upper pressing member 13 into the cavity Ca, and the fiber compressed to, for example, 50 vol% of the thickness of the final molded product. The assembly 2 is heated.

The hot air that has passed through the fiber assembly 2 flows through the holes 24 of the lower pressing member 23 of the lower mold 20 through the lower chamber 2.
5 and is discharged outside through an exhaust pipe 26. Thereby, both chambers 15, 2 of the upper mold 10 and the lower mold 20 are provided.
Reference numeral 5 denotes a hot air chamber for heating the fiber assembly 2. Then, heating and pressing are performed for a predetermined time, for example, at a temperature in the mold of 60 to 80 ° C. for 15 minutes. By this heating and pressing, the fiber aggregate 2 is formed into a cushion material shape.

On the other hand, FIG. 3 shows the shape during thermoforming by a molding die in general (conventional) thermoforming. In this case, the pressurizing members 13 and 23 of the upper die 10 and the lower die 20 are used. The volume of the cavity Ca to be formed is set as the volume of the final molded product, and the temperature of the hot air is set to be equal to or higher than the softening point of the binder fiber, and the fiber assembly 3 is molded.

Next, in FIG. 4, after the molding is completed, the cushion material is molded into a final molding die by opening the mold to form the cushion body 4.

In FIG. 5, the cushion body 4 obtained here is shown.
The example which produced the sheet | seat 5 for motor vehicles (vehicles) using was shown.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and examples described later, but can be modified without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the volume is 50
Although the case where the pressing and pressurizing is performed so as to be vol% is shown, it is also possible to perform the forming in the width direction as long as the volume decreases. Molding by a combination of these is also possible.

The fiber assembly 1 to be put into or placed in the mold is not limited to a laminate. In addition, as long as it is a thermoformed product, it is also possible to use one having a shape such as a cotton ball or a block.

Furthermore, in order to shorten the processing time, the fiber assembly 1 which has been preheated to a temperature near the inside of the molding die in advance can be charged or placed in the mold.

[0061]

According to the method for molding a cushioning material of the present invention, as described in claim 1, when the cushioning material is molded by charging or placing a material in a mold and performing compression. Since it is molded in a mold with a smaller volume than the cushion material obtained as a molded product, it is extremely excellent that it is possible to mold cushion material with improved sag resistance and less sag The effect is brought about.

And, as described in claim 2,
By shaping in a mold having a volume of 5 to 95 vol.% Of the volume of the final part, the shape of the final part can be obtained and also the improvement in sag resistance can be realized. Excellent effect is brought.

Further, as described in the third aspect, the improvement in sag resistance can be further enhanced by molding in a mold having a volume of 10 to 80 vol% of the volume of the final molded article. Significantly improved effect.

Further, as described in claim 4, by using a non-woven fabric or a fibrous body as the material,
By opening the molded article using a fiber opening machine or the like at the time of recycling, the molded article can be obtained again as a fibrous body, so that an extremely excellent effect that recycling is possible is brought about.

Further, as described in claim 5, as a material, the volume of the final molded product is 110 to 400 v
The use of non-woven fabrics or fibrous bodies having a volume of ol% has a remarkably excellent effect that it is possible to mold to the required final molded article size without excessively increasing the compression amount.

Further, as described in claim 6, as a material, the volume of the final molded product is 120 to 300 v.
By using a non-woven fabric or a fibrous body having a volume of ol%, the width of the opening of the molding die can be reduced, and a remarkably excellent effect that the effect of the molding treatment becomes more effective is provided.

Further, as described in the seventh aspect, the nonwoven fabric or the fibrous body used as the material is made of synthetic fibers, whereby a cushioning material having a moderate elasticity and a small set can be obtained. Is obtained.

And, as described in claim 8,
When the nonwoven fabric or the fibrous body used as the material is composed of fibers containing polyester as a main component, a remarkably excellent effect is obtained in that the material is easily distributed or available and is preferable in terms of mechanical strength. .

Further, as described in claim 9, the nonwoven fabric or the fibrous body used as the material contains 0 to 95% by weight of the fiber A whose main component is polyester and has a softening point at least 20 ° C. lower than that of the fiber A. By configuring the fiber B containing part or all of the low component at 5 to 100 wt%, it becomes easy to maintain the shape of the cushion body using the cushion material, and the vehicle such as an automobile When applied to an application sheet, a remarkably excellent effect that a fine surface shape can be maintained is brought about.

Further, as described in claim 10,
The nonwoven fabric or the fibrous body is below the softening point of the fiber A and the fiber B
It is possible to prevent the softening of the fiber A and to generate the bonding point between the fibers by the softening of the fiber B by making the fiber aggregate thermoformed at a softening point or higher. By using a fiber assembly that has been thermoformed in advance, there is a remarkable excellent effect that the material is not put into the mold, or it is possible to simplify the input or installation method at the time of installation. Brought.

Further, as described in claim 11, the fiber aggregate has a density of 0.0025 to 0.15 g /
cm ³ and the fibers constituting the fiber assembly have a fineness of:
0.5 to 10000 denier, fiber length: 30 to 100m
m of the fiber A is 0 to 95 wt%, and the fineness including part or all of the component having a lower softening point at least 20 ° C. than the fiber A is:
By forming the fiber B having a denier of 1 to 10,000 and a fiber length of 30 to 100 mm at 5 to 100 wt%, the cushion can be made to have an appropriate density without increasing the material cost and weight. When formed as a body, it is possible to have a sufficient repulsive force, and it is possible to obtain a remarkably excellent effect that a fiber aggregate having uniform and sufficient rigidity can be obtained.

Further, as described in claim 12, by thermoforming at a temperature of 30 ° C. or higher and at least 20 ° C. lower than the softening point of the fiber B, the cushion material is removed from the mold. On removal, a significantly better effect is achieved in that the set is further improved.

Further, as set forth in claim 13, it is possible to further improve set by humidifying or adding steam to the fiber assembly during molding. Significantly improved effect.

According to the cushion body of the present invention, as described in claim 14, the cushion body is manufactured by the cushion material forming method according to any one of claims 1 to 13. A remarkable effect that it is possible to provide a cushion body having excellent sag property and having little sag is provided.

According to the vehicle seat according to the present invention, as described in claim 15, the cushion body according to claim 14 is manufactured using part or all of the cushion body. A remarkable effect is provided that it is possible to provide a vehicle seat that is excellent in sag and has little sag.

[0076]

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be described below together with comparative examples, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to only such examples.

(Example 1) The volume ratio of the cavity of the molding die to the final molded product: 50 vol%, the volume ratio of the fiber assembly to the final molded product: 200 vol%, the temperature in the molding die: 70 ° C., the processing time: 15 min . Humidity atmosphere: dry condition, fineness: 6 denier, fiber length: about 50 mm
80% by weight of polyester fiber A, fineness: 2 denier, fiber length: about 50 mm, and softening point 9 higher than fiber A
A fiber composed of 20% by weight of a polyester fiber B lower by 0 ° C. and having a density of 0.015 g / cm ³ and a thickness of 50 mm is compressed into four fiber assemblies in the middle and six at the end. After molding, average apparent density: 0.03 g /
A cushion of cm ³ was obtained.

(Example 2) The volume ratio of the cavity of the molding die to the final molded product: 10 vol%, the processing time: 10
min. A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the above conditions were satisfied.

(Example 3) The volume ratio of the cavity of the molding die to the final molded product: 80 vol%, processing time: 20
min. A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the above conditions were satisfied.

Example 4 Density is 0.025 g / cm ³
Volume ratio of final fiber assembly of fiber aggregate: 120 vo
1%, processing time: 10 min. A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the above conditions were satisfied.

Example 5 A volume ratio of a fiber assembly having a density of 0.01 g / cm ³ to a final molded product was 300 vol.
%, Processing time: 20 min. A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the above conditions were satisfied.

(Example 6) A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the mixing ratio of the fibers in the fiber assembly was changed to 0 wt% of the fiber A and 100 wt% of the fiber B.

Example 7 A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the compounding ratio of the fibers in the fiber assembly was set to 95 wt% of the fiber A and 5 wt% of the fiber B.

(Example 8) Temperature in mold: 40 ° C, Processing time: 30 min. A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the above conditions were satisfied.

Example 9 Temperature in Mold: 140 ° C. lower than the softening point of fiber B by 30 ° C., Processing time: 10 min. A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the above conditions were satisfied.

(Example 10) Treatment humidity: 50% RH
H. , Processing time: 10 min. A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the above conditions were satisfied.

(Comparative Example 1) As a conventional general thermoformed product,
Volume ratio of mold cavity to final molded product: 1
00 vol%, volume ratio of the fiber assembly to the final molded product: 200 vol%, temperature in the mold: 60 ° C., treatment time: 1 min. , Humidity atmosphere: Under dry conditions, the fiber composition of the fiber assembly was exactly the same as in Example 1 to obtain a cushion body.

(Comparative Example 2) The volume ratio of the cavity of the mold to the final molded product: 3 vol%, processing time: 10 m
in. A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the above conditions were satisfied.

Comparative Example 3 A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the volume ratio of the cavity of the molding die to the final molded product was 100 vol%.

(Comparative Example 4) A volume ratio of a fiber aggregate having a density of 0.03 g / cm ³ with respect to a final molded product: 100 vol
%, Except that the cushion body was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, but the thickness of the final molded product was reduced and molding was not possible.

(Comparative Example 5) A density of 0.006 g / cm ³
Volume ratio of final fiber assembly of the fiber assembly: 500 vo
An attempt was made to produce a cushion body in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the amount was set to 1%, but the thickness of the final molded article was increased and molding was not possible.

(Comparative Example 6) Compounding ratio of fiber A: 100 wt
An attempt was made to produce a cushion in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the percentage was changed to%, but the shape of the cushion could not be maintained.

(Comparative Example 7) A cushion body was prepared in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the softening point of fiber B was 15 ° C lower than that of fiber A. Did not.

Comparative Example 8 Temperature in mold: 25 ° C., Processing time: 60 min. A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the above conditions were satisfied.

(Comparative Example 9) In-mold temperature: 160 ° C. lower than the softening point of binder fiber by 10 ° C., processing time: 10 m
in. An attempt was made to produce a cushion body in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the thickness was changed, but the thickness of the final molded product was reduced and molding was not possible.

Comparative Example 10 Density of Fiber Assembly: 0.0
An attempt was made to mold the cushion body at 02 g / cm ³ , but the thickness of the fiber assembly became large, and the fiber assembly could not be arranged in the mold, and the cushion body could not be molded.

Comparative Example 11 Density of Fiber Assembly: 0.2
An attempt was made to mold the cushion body at g / cm ³ , but the resulting cushion body was too hard to use as a cushion body.

(Test Example) The following tests were performed on the cushion bodies obtained in the above Examples and Comparative Examples.

Test Example 1 (Compression Permanent Set Test) Measurement of the compression set ratio of the samples obtained by the methods of the above Examples and Comparative Examples using the compression set test method defined by JIS K 6382. (See Fig. 7)
Was performed.

Test Example 2 (Hardness Test) For the samples obtained by the methods of the above Examples and Comparative Examples, using the hardness test method established in JIS K 6382, the hysteresis loss rate was obtained from the obtained results. Was calculated.

The test results are shown in Tables 1 and 2.

[0102]

[Table 1]

[0103]

[Table 2]

In the results shown in Tables 1 and 2, when the compression set of the molded article of Comparative Example 1 obtained by the conventional molding method was more than 33%, it is indicated by x, and the molded article of Comparative Example 1 was not effective. It was judged. In addition, those having an improved compression set of 15% or more and 33% or less were evaluated as ○, and markedly improved 1
Those with less than 5% are indicated by ◎. Further, the hysteresis loss rate of Comparative Example 1 was 50% or more.
And less than 50% were indicated by ○.

As shown in Tables 1 and 2, the cushion bodies manufactured in Examples have particularly improved compression set values, and also have improved hysteresis loss rates.

The comparative examples manufactured with specifications outside the scope of the claims from Tables 1 and 2 could not be obtained as a cushion body, and the value of the compression set was only about the same as that of the conventional product. Did not.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory longitudinal sectional view showing a state before mold opening molding in a molding method according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory longitudinal sectional view showing a state during mold closing molding in the molding method according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory longitudinal sectional view showing a state during mold closing molding in a conventional general molding method.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory longitudinal sectional view showing a state after mold opening molding in a molding method according to the present invention and a conventional general molding method.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory perspective view showing an example of a vehicle seat according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the state of shape memory molding in three steps (A), (B), and (C).

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a compression set.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 fiber assembly 2 fiber assembly molded in cavity smaller than final molded product volume 3 fiber aggregate molded in cavity of final molded product volume 4 cushion body in final molded product shape 5 vehicle Sheet 10 for upper die 11 Upper die forming surface 12 Upper die main body 13 Upper pressing member 14 Upper die forming surface hole 15 Upper chamber 16 Air supply pipe 20 Lower die 21 Lower die forming surface 22 Lower die main body 23 Lower pressing member 24 Lower die Molding surface hole 25 Lower chamber 26 Exhaust pipe

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A material having a smaller volume than a volume of a cushion material obtained as a final molded product, when a cushion material is molded by charging or placing a material in a mold and performing compression. Method of forming cushion material. 2. The method of molding a cushioning material according to claim 1, wherein the molding is performed with a mold having a volume of 5 to 95% by volume of the final molded product. 3. 10 to 80 vol% of the volume of the final molded product
The molding method of a cushioning material according to claim 1, wherein the molding is performed using a mold having a volume of. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a nonwoven fabric or a fibrous body is used as the material. 5. As a material, the volume of the final molded article is 110.
The method for forming a cushion material according to claim 4, wherein a nonwoven fabric or a fibrous body having a volume of ~ 400 vol% is used. 6. As a material, 120 of the volume of the final molded article is used.
The method for forming a cushion material according to claim 4, wherein a nonwoven fabric or a fibrous body having a volume of ~ 300 vol% is used. 7. The method for forming a cushion material according to claim 4, wherein the nonwoven fabric or the fibrous body used as the material is made of synthetic fibers. 8. The method for forming a cushion material according to claim 7, wherein the nonwoven fabric or the fibrous body used as the material is made of a fiber containing polyester as a main component. 9. A non-woven fabric or a fibrous body used as a material, wherein the fiber A containing polyester as a main component is 0 to 95 wt%.
The method of molding a cushion material according to claim 8, wherein the fiber B is composed of 5 to 100 wt% of the fiber B containing a part or all of a component having a lower softening point at least 20C than the fiber A. 10. The fiber assembly according to claim 7, wherein the nonwoven fabric or the fibrous body is a fiber assembly thermoformed at a softening point of the fiber A or lower and at a softening point of the fiber B or higher. Cushion material molding method. 11. The fiber aggregate has a density of 0.0025 to 0.0025.
0.15 g / cm ³ , and the fibers constituting the fiber assembly had a fineness of 0.5 to 10,000 denier and a fiber length of 30.
Fiber A of ％ 100 mm is 0 to 95 wt%, and at least 20 ° C. lower than the fiber A, includes a part or all of components having a low softening point. Fineness: 1 to 10,000 denier, fiber length: 30 to 1
The method for forming a cushion material according to claim 10, wherein the fiber B of 00 mm is constituted by 5 to 100 wt%. 12. The method for forming a cushion material according to claim 9, wherein the thermoforming is performed at a temperature of 30 ° C. or higher and at least 20 ° C. lower than the softening point of the fiber B. 13. The fiber assembly is formed by humidifying or adding steam during molding.
3. The method for forming a cushion material according to 2. 14. A cushion body produced by the cushion material forming method according to claim 1. Description: 15. A vehicle seat manufactured by partially or entirely using the cushion body according to claim 14.