JP2001171000A - Method and apparatus for continuously manufacturing oriented sheet - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To develop a manufacturing method for stably and efficiently obtaining a sheet having an excellent orienting accuracy capable of accurately controlling its length under the control of its width. SOLUTION: The method for continuously manufacturing an oriented sheet comprises the steps of grasping both ends of the sheet in a width direction through a plurality of pairs of gripper group 1, 2 while conveying a lengthy sheet 4 in its lengthwise direction, heating the sheet 3 under the control of the sheet width through a running base 12 for supporting the grippers, and changing the sheet length of the grasped part by altering a pitch in the sheet lengthwise direction between the grippers through a guide hole 13 provided at the base and a conveying means 14 of the base.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention can efficiently produce a sheet having excellent orientation accuracy by changing the length under the regulation of the width.
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus suitable for producing a stretched film, a retardation plate, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Along with the improvement in quality of a liquid crystal display device, a retardation plate used for optical compensation or the like, or a heat-shrinkable film used for controlling a retardation when forming the retardation plate is stretched. There is a problem of improving the orientation of the film or the like. This is because variations in the orientation cause variations in retardation and shrinkage characteristics.

Conventionally, as a method of changing the dimensions by stretching or shrinking the sheet length, a roll stretching machine using a convergence difference between rolls, a simultaneous biaxial stretching machine using a link mechanism, and the like are known. In order to perform the alignment treatment accurately and stably, control in which one of the length direction and the width direction is prioritized is required. However, the roll stretching machine described above has a problem that the sheet width and the sheet width change in size, and it is difficult to perform the orientation treatment accurately and stably. Further, in the simultaneous biaxial stretching machine, the sliding portion of the link mechanism is worn out, and the control accuracy of the sheet length is easily reduced.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to develop a manufacturing method capable of stably and efficiently obtaining a sheet having excellent orientation accuracy by controlling the length accurately under the regulation of the width.

[0005]

The present invention is directed to a traveling platform that supports a gripping tool by transporting a long sheet in its length direction, gripping both ends in the sheet width direction via a plurality of pairs of gripping tools. The sheet is heated under the control of the sheet width via the guide portion, and the pitch between the guide hole provided in the traveling table and the gripping tool via the conveying means of the traveling table in the sheet length direction is changed. And a method for continuously producing an oriented sheet, characterized by changing the sheet length.

[0006]

According to the present invention, it is possible to stably and efficiently obtain a sheet having excellent orientation accuracy by precisely changing the dimension of the sheet length under the control of the sheet width.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In a continuous manufacturing method according to the present invention, both ends in the sheet width direction are gripped via a plurality of pairs of grippers while a long sheet is conveyed in the longitudinal direction. The sheet is heated under the control of the sheet width via the traveling table to be supported, and the pitch in the sheet length direction between the guide hole provided in the traveling table and the gripping tool via the conveying means of the traveling table is changed. The orientation sheet is continuously obtained by changing the sheet length of the grip portion.

[0008] The above method is implemented by, for example, changing the pitch in the sheet length direction between the gripping tools by supporting a plurality of pairs of gripping tools for gripping both ends in the sheet width direction and supporting the gripping tools in a one-to-one correspondence. It can be performed by an apparatus including at least a traveling platform having a guide hole for carrying out, a transporting unit of the traveling platform, and a heating unit for heating a sheet at a portion gripped by the gripping tool group.

FIGS. 1 (plan view) and 2 (side view) show examples of the above apparatus. Reference numerals 1 and 2 denote a left and right pair of placement zones of gripping tools, 3 denotes a heating means, and 4 denotes a sheet. In the left and right arrangement zones 1 and 2, a plurality of pairs of grippers 11 are arranged in a combination of left and right 1 and 2 to grip both ends in the width direction of the sheet as illustrated in FIG. Is formed.

Each of the gripping tools 11 is independently fixedly supported by a traveling platform 12 having a guide hole 13 formed therein, and each traveling platform is transported as a transport means through the guide hole 13 as illustrated in FIG. Connected by pins 14a of the chain 14,
It travels on a series of traveling rails 5 via rollers 15 held inside by the transporting force of a transport chain. Therefore, the distance between the pair of grippers on the left and right is fixed by the regulation of the traveling platform via the traveling rail,
The length in the sheet width direction is kept constant.

As shown in FIG. 3, the transport chain 14 is moved by being restrained by a series of guide rails 6, and the guide rail has a shape of a series of guide grooves in which the transport chain 14 is mounted. Alternatively, the movement shape of the transport chain is controlled. The pins 14a of the transport chain 14 are slidably engaged with the guide holes 13 of the traveling platform, and the guide holes are formed as communication holes in the sheet width direction as in the example of FIG.

Accordingly, in the illustrated example, the movement shape of the transport chain 14 is controlled through the shape of the guide groove of the guide rail 6, and the position of the pin 14a is adjusted through the guide hole 13 in the sheet width direction as illustrated in FIG. , It is possible to change the distance between the traveling tables in the sheet conveying direction while maintaining the distance between the traveling tables forming a pair in the sheet width direction constant via the traveling rails 5, whereby the distance between the grippers can be changed. Can be changed in the sheet length direction.

That is, the distance between the pins 14a of the chain is not changed and is maintained at a constant value.
By moving the conveying chain in the sheet width direction through the guide hole as exemplified in the above, the conveying chain can be inclined in the sheet length direction. ) Can be changed in the sheet length direction in the relationship of A cos θ.

Thus, the interlocking mechanism between the traveling platform 12 and the transport chain 14 via the guide holes 13 and the pins 14a functions as a pitch control mechanism that can change only the pitch between the grippers in the sheet length direction. It is possible to control the pitch and the change form between the gripping tools by the angle of the tilt angle θ and the direction of the tilt via the pin position of the chain.

By the way, as shown in FIG.
The distance between the gripping tools can be increased from Acosθ to A by changing the tilt angle θ from the state of holding to the direction in which the inclination angle θ is eliminated (parallel to the sheet conveyance direction), at a rate of 1 / cosθ per each pin. A stretching treatment can be performed. Also, as shown in FIG. 6B, the distance between the grippers is changed from A to Acos θ by changing from a state parallel to the sheet conveying direction (inclination angle θ = 0) to a direction having the inclination angle θ.
The contraction processing can be performed at the ratio of cos θ per each pin.

Therefore, according to the above-described apparatus, the long sheet 4 is transported in the length direction (arrow) as shown in FIG. The left and right ends of a part of the long sheet in the sheet width direction are gripped through a plurality of pairs of gripping tools arranged in the left and right placement zones 1 and 2, and the sheet width is reduced via a traveling platform that supports the gripping tools. It can regulate and prevent the dimensional change.

In addition, while controlling the sheet width as described above, the sheet at the gripped portion by the gripper group is heated via the heating means 3, and under the heating, the sheet between the gripper via the guide hole of the traveling platform and the pin of the transport chain is heated. The oriented sheet can be obtained by changing the pitch in the sheet length direction and changing the sheet length of the gripped portion.

In the above-mentioned apparatus, the sheets which are successively introduced are sequentially gripped by an appropriate method such as a method in which the traveling table fixed to the gripper is rotated via a traveling rail or the like in accordance with an endless belt, and the sheet length is measured. By varying, continuous production can be achieved.

In the above description, the gripping tool, the heating means, the traveling system of the traveling platform, etc. are, for example, a gripping system using a clip, a heating system via an oven, a commercially available linear guide, etc., so that the running performance is smooth and the rattling is less likely to occur. An appropriate method such as a method according to the related art can be adopted. 3 and 4 show an example of the arrangement in the arrangement zone 1, the support traveling mechanism is also provided in the arrangement zone 2 so that the gripper faces the arrangement zone 1 so as to face the arrangement tool.

As described above, the method according to the present invention adjusts the orientation state of the polymer molecules and the like forming the sheet by shrinking or elongating the sheet length under the control of the sheet width, thereby reducing the variation in the orientation state. The purpose of the present invention is to stably obtain a highly-oriented sheet, and in addition to obtaining an oriented state, it is also possible to obtain an oriented state by removing the oriented state.

Accordingly, the long sheet to be processed by the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, in order to obtain a retardation plate, a heat-shrinkable film or another oriented sheet, a non-oriented sheet or a uniaxial sheet is used. A suitable sheet such as a pre-orientated sheet by a suitable method such as a biaxial or biaxial method can be treated.

The thickness of the sheet to be processed is not particularly limited, and may be an appropriate thickness depending on the purpose of use. Generally less than 1 mm, especially 1-800 μm,
In particular, the thickness is 5 to 500 μm. The sheet to be processed may be a single layer material, or may be a multi-layered sheet such as a sheet obtained by bonding a heat-shrinkable film that imparts a contraction force to a sheet to be processed or a sheet obtained by laminating a plurality of sheets to be processed. It may be a layered product.

Further, there is no particular limitation on the material forming the sheet to be processed, and it may be made of an appropriate material according to the purpose of use and the like. Generally a thermoplastic resin,
In particular, a sheet made of a material having excellent light transmittance is to be processed, but a sheet provided with a metal foil or a metal deposited film can also be processed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory plan view of an example of a manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory side view of the apparatus example.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory sectional view of a gripping mechanism.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a connecting gripper.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of pitch control.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a change in sheet length.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2: gripper placement zone 11: gripper 12: traveling platform (13: guide hole) 14: transport chain (14a: pin) 15: roller 3: heating means 4: long sheet 5: traveling rail 6: Guide rail

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Shinichi Sasaki 1-1-2 Shimohozumi, Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture Nitto Denko Corporation (72) Inventor Koichi Sugano 1-1-2 Shimohozumi, Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture Nitto Denko Corporation (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Yoshimi 1-1-2 Shimohozumi, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka Nitto Denko Corporation F-term (reference) 4F210 AA00 AE01 AG01 QA02 QC02 QG01 QG18 QL08

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A sheet width that is conveyed in a lengthwise direction while holding both ends in a sheet width direction via a plurality of pairs of gripping tools and a traveling platform that supports the gripping tools. The sheet length of the grip portion is changed by heating the sheet under the regulation of and changing the pitch in the sheet length direction between the guide hole provided in the traveling table and the gripping tool via the transporting means of the traveling table. A continuous method for producing an oriented sheet. 2. A plurality of pairs of gripping tools for gripping both ends in the sheet width direction, and guide holes for supporting the gripping tools in a one-to-one correspondence and changing a pitch in the sheet length direction between the gripping tools. An apparatus for manufacturing an oriented sheet, comprising at least a traveling platform having: a traveling platform, a transport unit for the traveling platform, and a heating unit configured to heat a sheet at a portion gripped by the gripping tool group.