JP2000212868A - Nonwoven fabric, its formation, and cushion body and sheet for vehicle using the same nonwoven fabric - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a nonwoven fabric capable of recycling, especially improved in fatigue resistance and provide a forming method of the nonwoven fabric and obtain a cushion material made of fibers and a sheet for vehicles using the nonwoven fabric enabling lightening of the raw materials. SOLUTION: This method for forming a nonwoven fabric comprises steps for carrying out thermoforming (heat treatment A) of a fiber polymer composed of a main fiber (fiber A), a binder fiber having high softening point (fiber B) and a binder fiber having low softening point (fiber C) at a temperature lower than the softening point of the fiber A and not lower than the softening point of the fiber B and thermoforming (heat treatment B) accompanied by compression at a temperature lower than the softening point of the fiber C having a softening point not higher than the softening point of the fiber B. The nonwoven fabric obtained by the above method is subjected to thermoforming (forming C) in the shape of finally formed cushion body at a temperature not lower than the softening point of the fiber C and lower by at least 30 deg.C than the softening point of the fiber B to provide the objective cushion body and sheet for vehicles.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is applicable to, for example, a vehicle seat such as an automobile, and is recyclable, and particularly has an improved settling, a nonwoven fabric which can be additionally molded, a method of molding the same, and a cushion using the nonwoven fabric. The present invention relates to a body and a vehicle seat.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, polyurethane (PU) foam has been used as a cushion material for vehicle seats, a mat material for bedding, and a cushion material such as a cushion. However, polyurethane materials generate nitrogen-containing gas during combustion, and because fluorocarbon gas is used during production,
Problems have begun to be pointed out from the standpoint of environmental protection.

A cushioning material using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-35047 as an alternative material to the polyurethane foam material. A cushioning material using a polyester fiber having such a low-melting-point polyester fiber as an adhesive component, when used in a vehicle seat used under severe conditions, tends to cause settling, and is difficult to continuously use. There is no specific proposal considering recycling.

As means for reducing the occurrence of settling, a method using a urethane-based binder for polyester short fibers (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-84906) and a method using a polyamide-based binder for polyester short fibers (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-84906).
No. 309398) and those using a polyphenylsulfide (PPS) fiber as a binder for an aromatic polyamide (aramid) fiber (JP-A-2-26975).
JP-A No. 2000-214, etc., but those using such a urethane-based binder, polyamide-based binder or PPS cannot be recycled.

On the other hand, in a vehicle such as an automobile, when a fiber cushion material is used, the density can be reduced as compared with the urethane cushion material, so that the material can be reduced in weight and the fuel efficiency of the automobile can be improved. Is one of the major issues for

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and to make it possible to recycle, in particular, to improve non-woven fabric with improved settling resistance, a method of molding the same, and to reduce the weight of the material. It is another object of the present invention to provide a fiber cushion material and a vehicle seat using the nonwoven fabric, which can also achieve the following.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems The inventors of the present invention have studied to solve the above-mentioned problems, and as a result, when forming a nonwoven fabric, a compression is performed so that the thickness of the finally obtained nonwoven fabric is larger than the compression thickness. By performing the heat treatment, a nonwoven fabric with improved settling is provided.Furthermore, by mixing two types of binder fibers in the fibers constituting the nonwoven fabric, it has been found that a nonwoven fabric with improved settling can be formed again.
The present invention has been made.

The method of forming a nonwoven fabric according to the first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a fiber polymer composed of a main fiber (fiber A), a binder fiber having a high softening point (fiber B) and a binder fiber having a low softening point (fiber C) is used. Thermoforming (heat treatment A) at a temperature below the softening point of A and above the softening point of fiber B, followed by thermoforming with compression at a temperature below the softening point of fiber C, which is a softening point lower than the softening point of fiber B ( A step of performing a heat treatment B).

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming a non-woven fabric according to the first aspect, wherein the fiber aggregate has polyester as a main component and the fiber A has 0 to 90% by weight.
5 to 95% by weight of fiber B containing all or a part of a component having a low softening point at least 20 ° C. lower than fiber A, and fiber C containing all or a part of a component having a softening point lower than fiber B at least 50 ° C. From 5 to 95% by weight.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming a nonwoven fabric according to the second aspect, wherein the fiber A has a fineness of 0.5 to 10,000 denier and a fiber length of 30 to 100 mm.
The fiber B has a fiber diameter of 1 to 10,000 denier and a fiber length of 30 to 100 mm, and the fiber C has a fiber diameter of 1 to 100
It is characterized by having a denier of 00 and a fiber length of 30 to 100 mm.

In a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the method of forming a nonwoven fabric according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the obtained nonwoven fabric has a thickness of 10% which is compressed by the heat treatment B.
The thickness is 5% or more.

[0012] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the method of forming a nonwoven fabric according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the obtained nonwoven fabric has a thickness of 30% compressed by the heat treatment B.
It is characterized by having a thickness of 0% or more.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming a nonwoven fabric, comprising the steps of:
The thermoforming is carried out at a temperature of at least 20 ° C. of the softening point and at least the softening point of the fiber B.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a nonwoven fabric, comprising the steps of:
Thermoforming with compression at a temperature of at least 20 ° C. below the softening point.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a nonwoven fabric, wherein the atmosphere temperature is 30 ° C. or more in the heat treatment B according to any one of the first to seventh aspects.

The method for forming a nonwoven fabric according to the ninth aspect is characterized in that, in the heat treatment B according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the ambient temperature is 60 ° C. or higher.

In a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the method of forming a nonwoven fabric according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein humidification or steam is added to the nonwoven fabric during the heat treatment, or a humidified or steam atmosphere is added. It is characterized in that heat treatment is performed in the inside.

The nonwoven fabric according to the eleventh aspect is the nonwoven fabric according to the first to eleventh aspects.
The molding is performed by the molding method described in any one of the above items.

A cushion body according to a twelfth aspect is obtained by thermoforming (molding) the nonwoven fabric according to the eleventh aspect at a temperature higher than the softening point of the fiber C and at least 30 ° C. lower than the softening point of the fiber B. C).

The cushion body according to the thirteenth aspect is obtained by thermoforming (molding) the nonwoven fabric according to the eleventh aspect at a temperature higher than the softening point of the fiber C and at least 60 ° C. lower than the softening point of the fiber B. C).

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the cushion body according to the twelfth or thirteenth aspect, wherein humidification or steam is added to the cushion body during molding, or molding is performed in a humidified or steam atmosphere. I do.

A vehicle seat according to a fifteenth aspect is manufactured using the cushion body according to any one of the twelfth to fourteenth aspects in part or in whole.

The fiber aggregate used in the method for forming a nonwoven fabric of the present invention is composed of a main fiber (fiber A), a high melting point binder fiber (fiber B) and a low melting point binder fiber (fiber C). With such a configuration, re-formation can be performed. Specifically, by using such a fibrous body, recycling by fiber opening can be facilitated.

It is necessary that the fiber aggregate to be a nonwoven fabric contains polyester as a main component. Among the synthetic fibers, polyester is suitable for the final molded product, for example, it is necessary to be a thermoplastic synthetic fiber in that the molding of the cushion material is performed by thermoforming, and furthermore, the circulation amount is large and inexpensive, This is because it is preferable from the viewpoint of mechanical strength. Examples of the polyester that can be used in the present invention include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), and polyethylene naphthalate (PE).
N), polybutylene naphthalate (PBN), polyethylene isophthalate (PEI), polybutylene isophthalate (PBI), poly ε-caprolactone (PCL)
And the like, in which the ethylene glycol component of PET is replaced by another different glycol component (for example, polyhexamethylene phthalate (PHT)), or the terephthalic acid component is replaced by another different dibasic acid component (polyhexaethylene). Methylene isophthalate (PHI), polyhexamethylene naphthalate (PHN)) and the like. Further, copolymerized polyesters containing these polyesters as constituent units, for example, PBT and polytetramethylene glycol (PTM)
A copolymer having a main repeating unit made of polyester, such as a block copolymer with G), a copolymer of PET and PEI, a copolymer of PBT and PBI, and a copolymer of PBT and PCL are also used. be able to.

The above fiber assembly contains 0 to 90% by weight of fiber A, 5 to 95% by weight of fiber B containing all or a part of a component having a lower softening point at least 20 ° C. than fiber A, and 5% to 95% by weight of fiber B. At least 50 ° C. comprises 5-95% by weight of fiber C containing all or a part of a component having a low softening point.

The fiber A is a fiber containing polyester as a main component, and the above-mentioned fibers can be used.
It is blended at a ratio of about 90% by weight. 90% by weight of fiber A
If the amount exceeds the range, it becomes difficult to maintain the shape of the final molded product, for example, the cushion body, and the object cannot be achieved.

Fiber B is at least 20 times greater than fiber A
C is a fiber containing all or a part of a component having a low softening point, and is blended in a fiber aggregate at a ratio of 5 to 95% by weight. By blending the fiber B and performing the heat treatment B, the final molded article, for example, the cushion body can be provided with set resistance.

If the content of the fiber B in the fiber aggregate is less than 5% by weight, the effect of improving the settling cannot be sufficiently obtained, and if it exceeds 95% by weight, the compounding amount of the fiber C becomes insufficient and the sheet shape becomes insufficient. Cannot be molded. In addition, at least 20
C. contains all or a part of the component having a low softening point. The component having a softening point at least 20 ° C. lower than that of the fiber A is, for example, P when the fiber A is made of PET, PEN, or the like.
Examples include BT, PCL, PBI, and the like, and copolymers composed of these. The term “partially included” means that the cross-sectional shape of the fiber B is a composite fiber of a resin composed of two or more kinds of components such as a core-sheath type and a side-by-side type, or components having different molecular weights. The softening point is lowered by at least 20 ° C., because if the softening point is higher than this, the fiber A may start to soften.

At the same time, the fiber C is a fiber containing all or a part of a component having a softening point lower than that of the fiber B by at least 50 ° C., and is blended in a fiber aggregate at a ratio of 5 to 95% by weight. This fiber C is a non-woven cloth having a set resistance performance,
It is necessary for molding into a final molded article, for example, a cushion body. By including a low melting point binder in the fiber assembly, after once molding at high temperature and imparting anti-settling performance,
Reforming can be performed at a low temperature. The binder fiber can be formed into a final molded product, for example, a cushion body because the fiber can be bonded to each other if it contains one type of binder fiber. Can be performed again without losing the anti-settling performance.

If the content of the fiber C in the fiber assembly is less than 5% by weight, it becomes difficult to form the cushion as a cushion, and if it exceeds 95% by weight, the amount of the binder fiber increases and the cushion itself becomes hard. In addition, since the amount of the fiber B is reduced, a sufficient anti-settling effect cannot be obtained. Further, at least 50 ° C. lower than the fiber B contains all or a part of a component having a softening point lower than the fiber B. The component having a softening point lower than the fiber B by at least 50 ° C. is, for example, PET, PEI when the fiber B is made of PBT. A copolymer of
There are copolymers of PET and PCL. The term “partially included” means that the fiber C has a cross-sectional shape of a resin composite fiber composed of two or more components such as a core-sheath type or a side-by-side type or a component having a different molecular weight, like the fiber B. The reason for lowering the softening point by at least 50 ° C. is a difference in the softening point necessary for imparting the anti-settling effect in the heat treatment B. If the softening point is higher than this, the anti-settling effect is not effectively exhibited.

In the fiber assembly, the fiber A has a fineness of 0.5
The fiber B has a fiber length of 30 to 100 mm and a fiber diameter of 1 to 10,000 denier and a fiber length of 3 to 10,000 denier.
0 to 100 mm, and the fiber C has a fiber diameter of 1 to 10,000.
It is configured such that the denier is 30 to 100 mm in fiber length and the density of the final molded product is 0.01 to 0.3 g / cm ³ .

The fineness of the fiber A is preferably 0.5 denier or more, which is not suitable because it is difficult to produce finer fibers, it is difficult to supply fibers stably, and the cost is increased. Moreover, it becomes difficult to mix with other fibers B, and it becomes difficult to obtain a uniform fiber aggregate. On the other hand, the fineness of the fiber A must be 10000 denier or less, which means that the thicker fiber has a significantly reduced fiber joining point, becomes unsuitable for obtaining sufficient rigidity, and has the effect of the main molding. It becomes difficult to be.

It is necessary that the fiber length is in the range of 30 to 100 mm from the viewpoint of the mechanical strength of the fiber assembly. Fibers having a fiber length of less than 30 mm are inferior to the production of nonwoven fabrics, and fibers having a fiber length of more than 100 mm are difficult to disperse uniformly in a fiber aggregate, and are not a sufficient material for seeking high-quality stability.

As the binder fibers (fibers B and C), fibers having a fineness of 1 to 10,000 denier and a fiber length of 30 to 100 mm are used. Binder fibers having a fineness of less than 1 denier are uncommon and costly. Further, the binder fibers themselves are settled during heat molding, are hardly mixed with the fiber A, and it is difficult to obtain a uniform fiber aggregate. On the other hand, if it exceeds 10,000 denier, the number of fibers is relatively reduced due to the use of thick fibers, so that the number of fiber joints is significantly reduced, and it becomes difficult to maintain the shape.

The fiber length of the binder fiber is 3 to 100 mm
Is necessary in terms of the mechanical strength of the fiber assembly. Fibers having a fiber length of less than 30 mm are inferior to the production of nonwoven fabrics, and fibers having a fiber length of more than 100 mm are difficult to disperse uniformly in a fiber aggregate, and are not a sufficient material for seeking high-quality stability.

In the thermoforming of the fiber assembly, first, the fiber A
Thermoforming (heat treatment A) at a temperature lower than the softening point of the fiber B and higher than the softening point of the fiber B, and thermoforming with heat compression (heat treatment B) at a temperature lower than the softening point of the fiber C. It is necessary that the resulting nonwoven is larger than the compressed thickness. In heat treatment A, the two types of binder fibers contained in the nonwoven fabric are both melted, and the fibers are bonded to each other to form a nonwoven fabric. Heat treatment B is necessary to improve the set resistance of the obtained nonwoven fabric, and this operation makes it possible to provide a low set nonwoven fabric.

In the heat treatment A, preferably, the fiber A
Thermoforming at a temperature of at least 20 ° C. or lower and a softening point of the fiber B or higher. Above the softening point of fiber A, fiber A
Until the final molded product, for example, a shaped fiber as a cushion material, becomes impossible. On the other hand, if the fiber B is less than the softening point, only the fiber C alone melts, so that not only the joining becomes insufficient, but also the heat treatment B and the forming C afterwards cannot obtain a sufficient anti-settling effect.

In the heat treatment B, preferably, the fibers C
Molding with compression is performed at a temperature of at least 20 ° C. below the softening point of The heat treatment B is for imparting settling resistance by molding with compression. Here, if compression is performed at a temperature higher than the softening point of the fiber C, the fiber C is formed into a compressed thickness, and the anti-settling performance is not improved. In addition, the softening point of the fiber C is 20 ° C.
The reason why the molding is preferably performed below is that at a higher temperature, the melting of the fiber C starts and the fiber C is molded. Furthermore, unless the ambient temperature at which the heat treatment B is performed is 30 ° C. or higher, it is difficult to obtain the anti-settling effect. Desirably heat treatment B at an ambient temperature of 60 ° C. or more
, The processing time can be reduced.

Further, in the method for forming a nonwoven fabric of the present invention, the obtained nonwoven fabric has a thickness of 1% compressed by the heat treatment B.
Must be at least 05% thick. If it is less than 105%, the effect of improving the set resistance is not obtained, which is not preferable. Preferably, the nonwoven fabric obtained by the heat treatment B is shaped so as to be 300% or more at the time of compression, whereby the effect of improving settling can be enhanced.

Preferably, the thermoforming is performed by humidifying or adding steam to the nonwoven fabric, or in a humidifying or steam atmosphere. By doing so, heat treatment,
The anti-settling effect can be efficiently provided in a short time. When the treatment time is the same, the anti-settling effect is more excellently obtained, and the compression set is further improved.

Next, the non-woven fabric is thermoformed to obtain a final molded product.
For example, molding (C) for obtaining a cushion body is performed using fibers C
Above the softening point and at least 30 ° C. below the softening point of the fiber B
It must be formed into the shape of the final molded article at low temperatures. If the softening point is not higher than the softening point of the fiber C, the fiber C does not melt and cannot be formed into a final molded product, for example, a cushion body. Also,
Unless the temperature is at least 30 ° C. lower than the softening point of the fiber B, not only the softening of the fiber B starts but also the anti-settling effect is lost. Preferably at least 6 of the softening point of fiber B
By performing the forming C at a low temperature of 0 ° C., the forming can be performed while maintaining the anti-settling effect.

The apparent density of the final molded article obtained is 0.
01 to 0.3 g / cm ³ . By setting it in this range, the cohesiveness and hardness of the fiber as the cushion body can be satisfied. The apparent density was calculated by measuring the weight of the cushion body and measuring the apparent volume with a ruler.

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

In the above-mentioned molding C, humidification or steam is added to the cushion material, or molding is performed in a humidified or steam atmosphere, whereby the anti-settling performance can be further improved.

As described above, the cushion material using the nonwoven fabric of the present invention and the vehicular component of the cushion material can improve the settling resistance and also improve the ride 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.

[0046]

Next, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are schematic sectional views of the molding chamber.
2 shows a thermoforming method of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a conventional thermoforming method. As shown in FIG. 1, in the forming in the present invention, two chambers of a heat treatment chamber A 10 and a heat treatment chamber B 11 are provided, and a compression conveyor 16 is provided in the heat treatment chamber B. Both the heat treatment chamber A and the heat treatment chamber B have an air supply pipe 18 and an exhaust pipe 19, respectively. The transfer section of the transfer conveyor 12 in each molding chamber includes a wire mesh 13 and a large number of holes 14, so that the air fed from the air supply pipe 18 to the molding chamber flows from the upper part of the molding chamber to the lower part. Heat treatment B
The transfer section of the compression conveyor 16 of the chamber 11 also includes a wire net 13 and a large number of holes 14 similarly to the transfer conveyor.

FIG. 2 shows a thermoforming chamber according to a conventional thermoforming method. The thermoforming chamber has one chamber, and has a transfer conveyor 12 and a forming roller 15.

Next, a method for forming the nonwoven fabric of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The fiber assembly 1 is transferred to the heat treatment room A by the transfer conveyor 14, and hot air having a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point of the fibers B and C, preferably steam, for example, hot air of 230 ° C. is blown from the air supply pipe 18; It passes through the fiber assembly from the upper part of the room A, passes through the holes 14 of the wire mesh 13 of the transfer conveyor, and is discharged from the lower part of the heat treatment room A to the outside through the exhaust pipe 19. Forming roller 1
5, the non-woven fabric 2 having passed through the heat treatment A is obtained.

Next, the nonwoven fabric is transferred to the heat treatment B chamber 11 and blows hot air having a softening point of the fiber C or lower, preferably steam, for example, hot air or steam at 70 ° C., thereby heating the nonwoven fabric 2. The nonwoven fabric 3 is obtained by being compressed by the compression molding roller 16 and recovering to a thickness larger than the thickness compressed by its own repulsive force. The amount of recovery after compression can be controlled by adjusting the thickness of the nonwoven fabric after heat treatment A, the temperature of the heat treatment B chamber, the compression thickness in heat treatment B, the treatment time of heat treatment B, and the like.

A method of forming a final molded product, for example, a cushion body, using the nonwoven fabric 3 obtained after the heat treatment B will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 are schematic cross-sectional views of the mold. FIG. 3 shows a state before the mold is opened, FIG. 4 shows a state during the mold closing, and FIG. 5 shows a state after the mold is opened. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the molding die used in the present invention includes an upper die 30 and a lower die 40 each having molding surfaces 31 and 41 for forming cavities having a final molded product volume by closing the die. ing. The upper mold 30 is attached to the lower mold 40 via a support shaft (not shown) so as to be movable (see the arrow in FIG. 3), and the mold can be closed and opened by the movement.

The upper die 30 comprises an upper die body 32 having a box shape with a lower surface opening, and an upper pressing member 33 which covers the lower surface of the main body and forms a molding surface 31. Upper pressing member 33
Is formed of a punching metal having many holes 34. The chamber 35 in the upper die 30 formed by the upper die main body 32 and the upper die pressing member 33 has an air supply pipe 3
6 are connected. The lower mold 40 has a box-shaped lower mold body 42 having an upper surface opening, and a molding surface 4 that covers the upper surface of the body.
1 and a lower pressurizing member 43 forming the first pressurizing member 43. The lower pressing member 43 has a large number of holes 44 similarly to the upper pressing member 43.
It is formed of a punching metal having An exhaust pipe 46 is connected to a chamber 45 in the lower die 40 formed by the lower die body 42 and the lower die pressing member 43.

Next, a case where a cushion body is formed by using the above-mentioned mold will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of nonwoven fabrics 3 are laminated on the molding surface 41 of the lower mold 40 that is opened as shown in FIG. 3. For example, when the thickness of the nonwoven fabric is 50 mm, Four sheets and six sheets are arranged at the end portions.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper mold 30 is closed with the lower mold 40. Then, for example, hot air at 165 ° C. and preferably steam are pressure-fed to the chamber 35 from the air supply pipe 36 of the upper die 30. The hot air introduced into the upper chamber 35 of the upper mold 30 blows out from the hole 34 of the upper mold pressing member 33 into the cavity, and heats the nonwoven fabric 4 compressed to the thickness of the final molded product.

The hot air that has passed through the nonwoven fabric 4
The lower chamber 45 enters the lower chamber 45 through the hole 44 of the lower pressure member 43 and is discharged to the outside through the exhaust pipe 46. Thus, the chambers 35 and 45 of the upper mold 30 and the lower mold 40 become hot air chambers, and heat the nonwoven fabric 4. The heating is performed by heating and compressing for a predetermined time, for example, 15 minutes at a temperature in the mold of 120 to 130 ° C. By this heating and compression, the nonwoven fabric 3
It is formed into the shape of the cushion body 5.

Next, FIG. 5 shows that after the molding is completed, the mold is opened, and the cushion material 2 is molded into the cushion body 5 of the final molding die.

FIG. 6 shows an example in which an automobile seat cushion 6 is manufactured using the cushion body 5 obtained by the main molding.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and the following examples, but can be modified without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the heat compression is performed so that the thickness becomes 50% with respect to the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric in the heat treatment B. However, if the compression direction is applied, the molding can be performed in the width direction. Further, molding by a combination of these is also possible.

The non-woven fabric 3 to be put or placed in the mold is not limited to the shape of the laminate, but any of the shapes subjected to the main heat treatments A and B, such as cotton, block, etc. It is also possible to use. Furthermore, in order to shorten the processing time, it is also effective to pre-heat the fiber assembly 1 to around the temperature of the molding chamber and to put it into the molding chamber.

[0059]

The present invention will be described with reference to the following examples and comparative examples.

Example 1 In order to make the average apparent density of the final molded product (cushion body) 0.025 g / cm ³ , H38F having a fineness of 6 denier and a fiber length of 50 mm was used as the fiber A.
80% by weight (manufactured by Nippon Ester Co., Ltd.), 10% by weight of CF31 (manufactured by Nippon Ester Co., Ltd.) having a fiber length of 2 denier and 50 mm in fiber length, and 4080 having a fiber length of 2 denier and 50 mm in fiber length as fiber C. (Nippon Ester Co., Ltd.
Was produced using 10% by weight of a heat treatment A, and as shown in FIG.
30 ° C., processing time 10 minutes, humidity atmosphere DRY,
Then, the heat treatment B was performed at a temperature of 70 ° C. in the heat treatment B room and a treatment time of 1 hour.
5 minutes, humidity 50% R. H. Compressed thickness 25 mm, thickness 50 mm, average apparent density 0.01
A nonwoven fabric of 25 g / m ² was obtained. Next, as shown in FIG.
The obtained non-woven fabric having a thickness of 50 mm was laminated on four sheets in the general part and six pieces in the end part.
Performed at 5 ° C. to obtain a cushion body having an average apparent density of 0.025 g / cm ³ .

[0060]

Example 2 Exactly the same as Example 1 except that the ratio of the constituent fibers was 90% by weight of fiber A, 5% by weight of fiber B, 5% by weight of fiber C, and the treatment time of heat treatment B was 20 minutes. To obtain a cushion body.

[0061]

Example 3 Exactly the same as Example 1 except that 7080 (manufactured by Nippon Ester Co., Ltd.) was used as fiber C, the softening point difference between fibers B and C was 60 ° C., and the temperature of molding C was 215 ° C. To obtain a cushion body.

[0062]

Example 4 Example 8 was repeated except that 2080 (manufactured by Nippon Ester Co., Ltd.) was used as the fiber B, the softening point difference between the fibers A and B was 45 ° C., and the softening point difference between the fibers B and C was 95 ° C. A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in 1.

[0063]

Example 5 7080 (manufactured by Nippon Ester Co., Ltd.) was used as fiber B, the softening point difference between fibers AB was 90 ° C., the softening point difference between fibers B and C was 50 ° C. A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the treatment temperature was 215 ° C.

[0064]

Example 6 Cushioning was performed in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the compression thickness of heat treatment B was 47 mm, the recovery rate after compression in heat treatment B was 105%, and the processing time of heat treatment B was 20 minutes. I got a body.

[0065]

Example 7 Except that the compression thickness of the heat treatment B was 16 mm, the recovery rate after compression in the heat treatment B was 300%, and the processing time of the heat treatment B of the heat treatment B was 10 minutes, the same as in Example 1 To obtain a cushion body.

[0066]

Example 8 Example 1 was repeated except that the temperature in the heat treatment B room was set to 90 ° C. and the processing time for the heat treatment B was set to 10 minutes.
A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as described above.

[0067]

Example 9 A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the temperature of the heat treatment B in the heat treatment B was 30 ° C., and the treatment time of the heat treatment B was 20 minutes.

[0068]

Example 10 A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1, except that the humidity of the heat treatment B in the heat treatment B was set to DRY, and the treatment time of the heat treatment B was set to minutes.

[0069]

Embodiment 11 Heat treatment A room humidity of heat treatment A is 50%
R. H. The cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the processing time of the heat treatment B was changed to 10 minutes.

[0070]

Example 12 A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the temperature in the mold for the cushion body of Form C was 190 ° C., which was 30 ° C. lower than the softening point of the fiber B.

[0071]

Example 13 In order to set the density of the final molded article (cushion body) to 0.01 g / cm ³ , the processing time of the heat treatment B was set to 5 minutes, and a nonwoven fabric having an average apparent density of 0.005 g / m ² was obtained. In the same manner as in Example 1, a cushion body was obtained.

[0072]

Embodiment 14 In order to set the density of the final molded product (cushion body) to 0.3 g / cm ³ , the processing time of the heat treatment B was set to 3 hours.
A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the nonwoven fabric had an average apparent density of 0.15 g / m ² at 0 minutes.

[0073]

Comparative Example 1 As a conventional general thermoformed product, as shown in FIG. 2, a non-woven fabric having a thickness of 50 mm was obtained only by heat treatment A, and a heat treatment B was not performed. A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in 1.

[0074]

Comparative Example 2 Fiber C was converted to 2080 (Nippon Ester Co., Ltd.)
A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the softening point difference between the fibers B and C was set to 15 ° C., and the temperature in the cushion body forming die of Form C was set to 205 ° C.

[0075]

Comparative Example 3 A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the compression thickness of heat treatment B was 50 mm, and the recovery rate after compression in heat treatment B was 100%.

[0076]

Comparative Example 4 A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the temperature of the heat treatment B in the heat treatment B was set to 110 ° C. and the treatment time was set to 10 minutes.

[0077]

Comparative Example 5 Example 1 except that the temperature in the mold for the cushion body of Form C was set to 215 ° C., which is 5 ° C. lower than the softening point of the fiber B.
A cushion body was obtained in exactly the same manner as described above.

(Test Example) A compression set test was performed on the cushion bodies obtained in Examples 1 to 14 and Comparative Examples 1 to 5 in accordance with the compression set test method of JIS-K6382. Was measured. Table 1 shows the test results.

[0079]

[Table 1]

The results shown in Table 1 show that the compression set of the molded article of Comparative Example 1 obtained by the conventional molding method was 30%.
% Or more were indicated by x, and it was judged that the present molding method had no effect. 15% or more with improved compression set 3
Those with 0% or less are marked with ○, and those with significantly improved less than 15% are marked with ◎. Table 1 shows that the cushion bodies manufactured in the examples have improved compression set values. Further, from Table 1, in the comparative example, it could not be obtained as a cushion body, and the value of the strain rate was only about the same as the conventional product.

[0081]

As described above, the nonwoven fabric produced by the molding method of the present invention, and the cushion body and the vehicle seat using the nonwoven fabric can have particularly improved compression set and recyclability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a heat treatment method according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a conventional general heat treatment method.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a method of forming a cushion body according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a method for forming a cushion body according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a method for forming a cushion body according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of a vehicle seat according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fiber aggregate 2 Non-woven fabric which completed heat treatment A 3 Non-woven fabric which completed heat treatment B 4 Non-woven fabric which completed conventional heat treatment 5 Non-woven fabric which had been formed C 6 Cushion body which completed C formation 7 For vehicles using a cushion body Sheet 10 Heat treatment room A 11 Heat treatment room B 12 Indoor transfer conveyor 13 Conveyor upper wire net 14 Conveyor upper hole 15 Forming roller 16 Compression forming roller 17 Outside transfer conveyor 18 Air supply pipe 19 Exhaust pipe 20 Conventional forming chamber 30 Upper mold 31 Upper die forming surface 32 Upper die main body 33 Upper pressing member 34 Upper die forming surface hole 35 Upper die chamber 36 Air supply pipe 40 Lower die 41 Lower die forming surface 42 Lower die main body 43 Lower die pressing member 44 Lower die forming surface hole 45 Lower Type chamber 46 Exhaust pipe

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A fiber polymer comprising a main fiber (fiber A), a high softening point binder fiber (fiber B) and a low softening point binder fiber (fiber C) is mixed with a fiber polymer having a softening point lower than that of fiber A and Thermoforming at a temperature above the softening point (heat treatment A)
And then a fiber C having a softening point lower than that of the fiber B
A process of performing thermoforming with compression (heat treatment B) at a temperature lower than the softening point of the nonwoven fabric. 2. The method for forming a nonwoven fabric according to claim 1, wherein the fiber aggregate is mainly composed of polyester, the fiber A is contained in an amount of 0 to 90% by weight, and all components having a softening point lower than that of the fiber A by at least 20 ° C. Alternatively, the fiber C is characterized by comprising 5 to 95% by weight of the fiber B partially containing the fiber B and 5 to 95% by weight of the fiber C containing all or a part of the component having a softening point lower by at least 50 ° C. than the fiber B. Nonwoven fabric molding method. 3. The method for forming a nonwoven fabric according to claim 2, wherein the fiber A has a fineness of 0.5 to 10,000 denier and a fiber length of 30 to 100 mm, and the fiber B has a fiber diameter of 1 to 1000.
The fiber length is 30 to 100 mm with 0 denier and the fiber length is 30 to 100 m with the fiber diameter of 1 to 10000 denier.
m. 4. The method for forming a nonwoven fabric according to claim 1, wherein the obtained nonwoven fabric has a thickness of 105% or more of the thickness compressed by the heat treatment B. Molding method. 5. The method for forming a nonwoven fabric according to claim 1, wherein the obtained nonwoven fabric has a thickness of 300% or more of the thickness compressed by the heat treatment B. Molding method. 6. The non-woven fabric according to claim 1, wherein thermoforming is performed at a temperature of at least 20 ° C. of the softening point of the fiber A and at least the softening point of the fiber B. Molding method. 7. The method for forming a nonwoven fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein thermoforming accompanied by compression is performed at a temperature of at least 20 ° C. or less of the softening point of the fiber C. 8. The method for forming a nonwoven fabric according to claim 1, wherein the atmosphere temperature is 30 ° C. or higher. 9. The method for forming a nonwoven fabric according to claim 1, wherein the atmosphere temperature is 60 ° C. or higher. 10. The method for forming a nonwoven fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein humidification or steam is added to the nonwoven fabric during heat treatment, or heat treatment is performed in a humidified or steam atmosphere. Nonwoven fabric molding method. 11. A non-woven fabric formed by the forming method according to claim 1. 12. The non-woven fabric according to claim 11, which is obtained by thermoforming (molding C) into a final molded cushion at a temperature higher than the softening point of the fiber C and at least 30 ° C. lower than the softening point of the fiber B. Cushion body. 13. A non-woven fabric according to claim 11, which is obtained by thermoforming (forming C) into a final molded cushion at a temperature higher than the softening point of the fiber C and at least 60 ° C. lower than the softening point of the fiber B. Cushion body. 14. The cushion body according to claim 12, wherein humidification or steam is added to the cushion body during molding, or molding is performed in a humidified or steam atmosphere. 15. A vehicle seat manufactured by partially or entirely using the cushion body according to any one of claims 12 to 14.