JP2003033586A - Cushion material, production method thereof and production apparatus used therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bendable cushion material which is excellent in water and air permeability and in resistance to heat and durability with a higher dimensional stability by reducing the difference in density between a portion with a higher density of a cut part and a portion with a lower density of a flat part in an uneven section of the bendable cushion material for facilitating the application of bendability with a smaller bending rigidity while minimizing the loss of resilience under a compression load applied across the thickness thereof. SOLUTION: The cushion material is a laminate of non-woven fabrics respectively comprising matrix fibers and binder fibers and a mutual fusion is made between the layers thereof so as to form a shape of an accordion.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cushioning material made of a non-woven fabric, a cushioning material suitable for use in floors and chairs, and particularly for cushioning materials for bed mats, a method of manufacturing the same, and a manufacturing apparatus therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a nonwoven fabric made of synthetic fibers is often used as a cushioning material for bed mats, furniture and the like. These non-woven fabrics are in a state in which fibers having a relatively high melting point, such as polyester fibers, and fibers having a lower melting point are opened, carded after blending to form a web, and the web is further laminated by a crosslay. It is produced by subjecting the fibers to heat fusion by continuously performing heat treatment with infrared rays or far infrared rays.

However, in the manufacturing process as described above, the web formed by carding is laminated along the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric. Therefore, the fiber direction in the nonwoven fabric is perpendicular to the thickness direction. That is, since the fibers are in a state of lying in the non-woven fabric, the elasticity characteristic originally possessed by the fibers is not utilized, and there is a problem that the cushion material has a small resilience when a compressive load is applied in the thickness direction and a large settling. Existed.

In the conventional cushioning material, after the webs are laminated, the fibers are continuously heat-sealed by infrared rays or far infrared rays to prepare the cushioning material. However, in this case, although the degree of thermal fusion is large in the surface portion directly irradiated with infrared rays or far infrared rays, the degree of thermal fusion is high as the surface portion goes from the surface portion to the central portion when the density is high or the thickness is large. Becomes smaller. Therefore, the degree of heat fusion in the nonwoven fabric becomes non-uniform, and it becomes impossible to obtain an appropriate texture as a cushion material. For this reason, it was difficult to fabricate a high density or large thickness.

The invention described in JP-A-5-3894 is
After stacking the webs, the webs are compressed and held between the upper and lower plates, placed in a steam oven, and steam is introduced. Further, the upper and lower plates are provided with blades having a depth of about 10 to 20 mm at intervals of 20 to 50 mm on the surfaces in contact with the non-woven fabric, and the incisions are provided on the non-woven fabric surface by the blades, and the bending that can follow the bending of the body is performed. Although there is a bed having a function, this has a problem in durability and cushioning property because the cut portion has a high density portion and the flat portion has a low density portion. (Fig. 6)

In the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-215984, a random web constituted by crimped staples is subjected to needle processing to be processed into a flat plate shape, and at the same time formed into a corrugated plate shape to retain its shape and to be stretchable. There is a stretchable mattress characterized in that it is covered with a cloth member having and is sewn in the longitudinal direction. Since this expandable mattress is formed in a corrugated plate shape as a flat plate, there is a drawback that the bendability is rather poor because the cuts that bend are deeply adhered to each other. (Figure 7)

[0007]

Conventionally, the fiber direction in a non-woven fabric laminated along the thickness direction is perpendicular to the thickness direction. That is, since the fibers lie in the non-woven fabric, the elasticity characteristic originally possessed by the fibers is not utilized, and when the cushioning material is subjected to a compressive load in the thickness direction, the resilience is small and the settling is large. The object of the present invention is to reduce the difference in density between the high density portion of the cut portion of the uneven portion of the cushioning material having flexibility and the low density portion of the flat portion,
Even if a compressive load is applied in the thickness direction, the fatigue is small and
Since the bending rigidity is small, it is easy to add flexibility, and it has excellent water permeability and breathability, and also has good dimensional stability, heat resistance, durability, and elasticity. It is an object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method in which supply and control of the density and thickness of such cushioning material are free.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present inventors have completed the present invention by researching the selection, blending, and manufacturing methods of the materials constituting the absorber. That is, the invention according to claim 1 is
The cushioning material is a cushioning material in which a nonwoven fabric composed of matrix fibers and binder fibers is laminated, and each layer is fused to each other, and has an accordion shape. Further, the invention according to claim 2 is the cushion material according to claim 1, wherein the non-woven fabric has different compositions on the front and back sides and / or the center. Further, claim 3
The invention according to claim 2, wherein the matrix fiber is 20 times / 2.
The cushioning material according to claim 1 or 2, which contains 5% or more of highly crimped cotton having a crimp of 5 cm or more. The invention according to claim 4 is the cushion material, wherein the cushion material expands and contracts by 3 cm or more per 180 cm in length. Further, the invention according to claim 5 is the cushion material, wherein the pitch of the accordion shape of the cushion material is 10 mm to 150 mm. The invention according to claim 6 is the cushioning material, wherein the density of the cushioning material is different in the longitudinal direction.

Further, these cushion materials are claimed in claim 7.
It is manufactured by the invention according to. That is,
A web obtained by mixing and carding matrix fibers and binder fibers is needle-punched and / or heat-treated into a non-woven fabric, and the non-woven fabric is laminated and sandwiched between two rollers, and the web outlet is supported at a constant pressure. However, it is manufactured by a method for manufacturing a cushion material, which is manufactured by extruding between upper and lower plates to form an accordion shape and then heat-bonding the layers to each other by heat treatment.

A method of manufacturing these cushioning materials is manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8. That is, two pushing rollers (1) for laminating and feeding non-woven fabrics are provided, a baffle plate (2) for supporting the non-woven fabrics at a constant pressure is provided at the exit of the non-woven fabric, and an adjusting plate (upper and lower two plates) 3), it is manufactured by a cushion material manufacturing apparatus provided with a take-up box (4) for heat treatment or a caterpillar type take-up machine (9).

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The nonwoven fabric of the present invention will be described below. It should be noted that the present embodiment is merely an example of the embodiment, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

When a synthetic fiber is used as the matrix fiber which is a raw material of the cushioning material of the present invention, the kind of the polymer is not particularly limited. For example, use aromatic polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, aliphatic polyesters such as polylactic acid and polycaprolactone, polyolefins such as polypropylene and polyethylene, polyamides such as nylon 6 and nylon 66, and copolymers thereof. can do. Also, a mixture of two or more kinds of these fibers may be used.

Natural fibers can also be used as the matrix fibers. In this case, cellulose, wool, cotton,
Silk etc. can be used. Also, a mixture of two or more kinds of these fibers may be used. Of course, the above synthetic fibers and natural fibers may be mixed and used.

20 fibers / 2.5 cm for matrix fiber
It is preferable to contain high crimped cotton having the above crimps in an amount of 5% or more and 60% or less. By containing the above-described highly crimped cotton, the entanglement of fibers in the web becomes strong. When the entanglement of the fibers in the web is strong, the shape retention force and dimensional stability of the product after molding are improved. If it is less than 5%, the entanglement is not enough and 6
If it is 0% or more, the shrinkage of the non-woven fabric becomes large when high crimping is exhibited, which is not preferable in manufacturing. More preferably, 15%
It is preferably 40% or less. Particularly, when the cushion material is subjected to high temperature sterilization by steam, the conventional cushion material manufactured using binder fiber having a melting point of 110 ° C. is easily deformed by heat. Cushion material has strong entanglement, so the cushioning product has good dimensional stability, heat resistance, and durability. Further, the highly crimped cotton has a strong elastic elasticity like a spring, and gives the nonwoven fabric after molding elasticity and stretchability. As an example of the highly crimped cotton, “C81” (2.2 by Unitika Fiber Co., Ltd.)
dtex, 51 mm), "A81" (2.2 dtex,
51 mm) and the like.

The matrix fiber preferably contains a fiber having a fineness of 5 dtex or more. Preferably 5 to 3
It is 0 dtex, more preferably 13 to 20 dtex. When it is 5 dtex or more, the non-woven fabric has a large porosity, so that appropriate water permeability and air permeability can be obtained. For this reason,
After using a bed mat or the like, water can be drained quickly during washing, so that the time can be shortened. Further, it is possible to quickly evaporate the washing water even in the drying step after washing.

The binder fiber used in the present invention is usually made of synthetic fiber and has a melting point or softening point lower than that of the matrix fiber. After the matrix fiber and the binder fiber are mixed, heat treatment is performed at a temperature at which only the component of the binder fiber is melted (softened), whereby the fibers in the nonwoven fabric are stabilized, and the cushioning property and stability of the cushion material are obtained.

The binder fiber is not particularly limited in kind as long as it has a lower melting point (softening point) than the polymer used in the matrix fiber in part or in whole. For example, aromatic polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, aliphatic polyesters such as polylactic acid and polycaprolactone,
Polyolefins such as polypropylene and polyethylene, polyamides such as nylon 6 and nylon 66, and copolymers thereof can be used. Also,
A mixture of two or more kinds of these fibers may be used.

The binder fiber may be a single component fiber composed of the above polymer, but a sheath component having a low melting point polymer,
It is more preferable to use a sheath-core type conjugate fiber having a polymer having a higher melting point as the core component, since the heat fusion function can be achieved while maintaining the supporting function of the core component. As the sheath component of the core-sheath type composite fiber, in particular,
Although it is preferable to use low melting point polyesters, polyesters of this type include aliphatic dicarboxylic acids such as adipic acid and sebacic acid, aromatic dicarboxylic acids such as phthalic acid, isophthalic acid and naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, and / or hexahydroterephthalic acid, Contains a predetermined number of alicyclic dicarboxylic acids such as hexahydroisophthalic acid and aliphatic or alicyclic diols such as diethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and paraxylylene glycol. It is a copolymerized ester to which an oxyacid such as an acid is added, and examples thereof include a polyester obtained by copolymerizing terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol with isophthalic acid and 1,6-hexanediol.

Examples of such heat-fusible fibers include melty manufactured by Unitika Fiber Co., which has a usual polyethylene terephthalate polymer as a core component and a low melting point copolymerized polyethylene terephthalate polymer as a sheath component.
It is not limited to these. The melting point of the low melting point sheath component is 1
60 ° C. is preferable from the viewpoint of heat resistance and durability, but according to the present invention, even if the melting point of the low melting point sheath component is 110 ° C., it is more heat resistant than conventional products against treatment such as high temperature disinfection with steam. Excellent durability.

The mixing ratio of the binder fiber is preferably 5 to 70%. Within this range, sufficient moldability can be maintained during molding, and a cushioning property with a soft tactile feel can be obtained as a cushioning material, which is preferable.

These matrix fibers and binder fibers are different from the random web constituted by the crimped staple of the invention described in JP-A-10-215984, and a card web subjected to opening, blending, and carding is used, for example. First, a needle punching treatment and / or a primary heat treatment with far infrared rays is performed to obtain a nonwoven fabric.

The cushion material made of the nonwoven fabric of the present invention is
After non-woven fabrics are laminated and molded into an accordion shape, heat treatment is performed to fuse the layers to each other, so that the fiber directions in the non-woven fabrics are mostly parallel to the thickness direction, and the compressive load is applied to the cushion material. Even if applied, the resilience is large, and it is possible to reduce the fatigue.

Further, since the fiber direction in the nonwoven fabric is mostly parallel to the thickness direction, the bending rigidity becomes small.
Therefore, when it is used as a bed mat, there is an advantage that it is easy to give flexibility to the body line during molding.

Also, by laminating non-woven fabrics and molding them into an accordion shape, spring-like expansion and contraction characteristics can be obtained.

Next, the cushioning material manufacturing apparatus of the present invention and the manufacturing method using the manufacturing apparatus will be described in detail.

(Nonwoven Fabric Manufacturing Apparatus) An example of a cushion material manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the cushion material manufacturing apparatus has a roller (1) for pushing in a nonwoven fabric obtained by needle-punching and / or heat-treating a card web that has been opened, blended, and carded, and the nonwoven fabric coming out of the pushing roller is constant. Baffle plate (2) that is pulled down while pressing it, adjusting plate (3) of the introduction part that is formed into an accordion shape, take-up box (4) for heat-treating the accordion-shaped nonwoven fabric that has come out,
Is mainly composed. In the figure, (5) and (6) are non-woven fabrics subjected to needle punching and / or heat treatment, and (7) is a non-woven fabric formed in an accordion shape.

2, 3 and 4 show application examples of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a take-up box (4) for heat-treating a accordion-shaped nonwoven fabric that has come out, along with a baffle plate (2) that pulls the nonwoven fabric coming out from the pushing roller with a constant pressure, along with a film, spunbond, etc. 8) A device that runs along. FIG. 3 shows an apparatus in which an online heat treatment machine (10) is used in place of a take-up box (4), a film or a spun bond (8), using a caterpillar type take-up machine (9). FIG. 4 shows an example of a device (11) that divides the caterpillar-type take-up machine (9) into three parts and changes the take-up speed for each zone. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the take-up box (4) for heat-treating the accordion-shaped nonwoven fabric that has come out is placed over the steam pot (12) for heat-treatment.

(Nonwoven fabric manufacturing method) First, the matrix fiber and the binder fiber are opened, mixed, and carded into a web, and then needle punched and / or heat-treated. This heat treatment is performed by dry heat such as a conventional far infrared ray or hot air circulation type heater to temporarily fuse the fibers in the web. The conditions of temperature and time are appropriately determined depending on the types of matrix fiber and binder fiber used.

(Production Example of Nonwoven Fabric) For example, a hollow structure type polyester fiber having a side-by-side structure and exhibiting self-crimping property (fineness 15 dtex, fiber length 51 mm).
70% by weight, highly crimped polyester fiber C81 (fineness 2.
20% by weight of 8 dtex, fiber length 51 mm), 10% by weight of a core-sheath type composite fiber having a sheath melting point of 110 ° C. (fineness 2.2 dtex, fiber length 51 mm), and mixed with a card and a card through a cross layer. Create a web. This web may be entangled with fibers by performing needle punching lightly from one side. The stronger the fibers are entangled, the more the product stretches and the resilience improves.
Use a far infrared dryer to convey this web at a conveyor speed of 2 m /
Minutes, the upper plate heater temperature is 300 ° C, and the lower plate heater temperature is 330 ° C.
g / m ² , the total thickness of the fiber assembly is 35 mm, and the density is 25.
A non-woven fabric having a good elasticity of 7 kg / m ³ was obtained.

(Manufacturing Method of Cushion Material) The nonwoven fabrics (5) and (6) manufactured in the above manufacturing example are laminated as shown in FIG. 1 and sandwiched between two extrusion rollers (1) (area A),
The non-woven fabric coming out of the pushing roller is blocked by the baffle plate (2).
Then, the accordion is molded into an accordion shape by pressing it with a certain pressure while pushing it out between the upper and lower two plates of the adjusting plate (3) of the introduction part. (Region B) The number of nonwoven fabrics to be laminated at this time can be appropriately selected from two or more depending on the purpose. In addition, the pressure and the take-up speed of the baffle plate (2) at this time are selected to be suitable for the conditions such as the density of the web, the basis weight, and the width. The ejected nonwoven fabric is accumulated in the adjusting plate (3) at the introduction portion at a speed slower than the speed of being extruded by the two extrusion rollers (1), so that the nonwoven fabric itself is buckled under pressure from above and below, resulting in an accordion shape. become. In the method of sandwiching between two plates with blades according to the invention described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-3894, the density of the blade portions becomes high and the surface layer portion between them has a low density, so that the bending The degree was less than that of the present invention, and the settling was not better than that of the present invention. (Fig. 6)

Further, according to the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-215984, a random web constituted by crimped staples is subjected to needle processing to be processed into a flat plate shape and formed into a corrugated plate shape. Many of the parts adhered and had poor flexibility. (Figure 7)

The accordion-shaped nonwoven fabric (7) is taken into a take-up box (4) for heat treatment. (C area) At this time, the baffle plate (2) as shown in FIG.
At the same time, a spun bond or a perforated film (8) may be taken along the upper and lower plates of the take-off box (4) and the non-woven fabric. Then, heat treatment is performed to fuse the layers of the non-woven fabrics to each other. This heat treatment may be performed in a batch with a setter such as a steam pot (FIG. 5), or may be performed on-line as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Due to the hardness and resilience of the product, it is preferable to carry out in batch with a setter such as a steam kettle. More preferably, the air in the setter is removed with a vacuum pump before setting with steam, so that a uniform and excellent cushioning material can be obtained. In this way, a nonwoven fabric is obtained in which the fiber direction in the nonwoven fabric is mostly parallel to the thickness direction of the cushion material. (Figure 8)

When a steam pot is used, it is hermetically sealed and decompressed, and then high-pressure high-temperature moist-heat steam is fed. The temperature of heat setting is a temperature at which the low melting point component melts and the high melting point component does not melt. By this treatment, heat can be transferred to the inside of the non-woven fabric, the low melting point component is melted in every corner of the non-woven fabric, and is substantially fused at the contact points with the high melting point component. Further, even if several sheets are stacked and processed, the vapor can penetrate into the inside of the sheets and a uniform heat setting can be performed.

At this time, the wet heat treatment conditions such as temperature, time, and degree of vacuum may be appropriately determined for the wet heat treatment using the steam pot or online. According to this method, the entire nonwoven fabric is heated uniformly and a cushion material having an arbitrary density can be obtained. For example, even if the basis weights of the webs are the same, when several non-woven fabrics are stacked in this way, cushioning materials of different quality can be easily manufactured by stacking non-woven fabrics with different fiber densities and functionalities. be able to. A high-density cushioning material can be obtained by increasing the number of laminated layers or changing the compression rate. Also,
The pitch of the accordion shape can be arbitrarily set by the speed and pressure when the web is extruded from the two rollers.

The pitch of the accordion shape is 10 mm to
150 mm is preferable. In this range, the cushioning material is easily bent and the cushion material also extends by 3 cm or more per 180 cm in length.

The cushion material of the present invention preferably has an average thickness of 5 mm or more in the main body portion excluding the special portions of the end portion and the mounting portion during use. Average thickness is 5mm
The above is preferable because sufficient cushioning properties as a cushioning material can be maintained and a feeling of fixation and stability can be obtained.

The average density is 0.005-0.2 g /
It is preferably cm ³ . Within this range, a sufficient cushioning property as a cushioning material can be maintained, and a feeling of fixation and stability can be obtained, which is preferable.

The cushioning material of the present invention can be wholly or partially covered with a mesh woven or knitted fabric. Covering not only strengthens the surface of the cushioning material, but can also be expected to prevent peeling and fluff. Also, the effect of facilitating the work of packing the cushion material in the side ground can be expected due to the reduction of the surface friction. In addition, the term “side fabric” as used herein refers to a plain sheet, or a bag-like sheet that has been subjected to makeup such as dyeing or printing, and is a portion that comes into direct contact with the skin.

The material of the woven or knitted material used for covering is not particularly limited. Examples of the covering method include a method of sewing on the surface of the cushion material with a sewing machine.

(Production Example of Cushion Material) Two pieces of the non-woven fabric (width 90 cm, length 3.6 m, thickness 35 mm, density 25.7 kg / m ³ ) obtained in the non-woven fabric production example are laminated as shown in FIG. Sandwiched between the two extrusion rollers (1) (area A), and the non-woven fabric coming out from the extrusion rollers,
The baffle plate (2) is pulled while holding it with 294 N (30 kgf), and is drawn between the upper and lower two plates of the adjusting plate (3) of the introduction part to be molded into an accordion shape (region B). The resulting non-woven fabric has an accordion shape.
The non-woven fabric is taken into a take-off box (4) having a length of 180 cm for heat treatment. (Region C) The take-up box (4) containing the accordion-shaped non-woven fabric is put into the steam kettle (12), and the inside is 13.3 kP.
After reducing the pressure to a (100 Torr) or less,
A steam of 8 kPa or more was introduced and the wet heat treatment was performed for a predetermined time. The plate of the box for compressing and holding the laminated nonwoven fabrics is preferably a perforated plate. By heat-treating in this manner, the inner layer portion is evenly fused, and the product having a good texture and an excellent appearance can be efficiently obtained. The cushion material made in this way has a density of 45.
kg / m ³ , thickness 80 cm, width 90 cm, length 180 c
In the case of a cushioning material having flexibility of 50 m and an uneven shape pitch of 50 mm, there is little difference in density between the high density portion of the cut portion of the uneven portion and the low density portion of the flat portion, and even if a compressive load is applied in the thickness direction. In addition to small settling, excellent water permeability and breathability, good dimensional stability, excellent heat resistance and durability,
It had elasticity.

[0041]

Example (Method of measuring sag and evaluation method) A sample having a width of 400 mm, a length of 400 mm and a thickness of 80 mm is prepared. The sample was compressed from the upper surface with a 200 mmφ disk to 50% of the initial thickness, and the hysteresis loss rate was measured. The evaluation is ◯ when the hysteresis loss rate is less than 60%, and Δ when it is 60% or more and less than 80%.
% Or more was defined as x.

(Heat resistance measurement method and evaluation method) A sample having a width of 150 mm, a length of 150 mm and a thickness of 80 mm is prepared. This sample is put in a steam setter and treated at 105 ° C. for 5 minutes. Dimensional change before and after processing,
The surface hardness was measured. The evaluation shows that the dimensional change is the area (width 15
If the rate of change (%) of 0 mm x length 150 mm ((1- (area after treatment ÷ area before treatment)) x 100) is less than 5%, ◯ is given, and 5% or more is given as x. The rate of change in thickness (%) (((thickness after treatment / thickness before treatment) -1) x 1
If 00) is less than 5%, it is evaluated as ◯, and 5% or more is evaluated as x.
Further, the absolute value (%) of the rate of change of surface hardness is (((surface hardness after treatment / surface hardness before treatment) -1) × 100) is 20
If it was less than%, it was evaluated as ◯, and 20% or more was evaluated as x.

(Bending rigidity measuring method and evaluation method) The sample has a width of 100 mm, a length of 1000 mm and a thickness of 80 m.
Prepare m. It was measured by the irregular method of JISL1085. The sample was placed on the table and slid in the horizontal direction, and the moving distance (L) from the table surface of one end of the sample was measured when one end of the sample came out of the end of the table by 500 mm. In the evaluation, if the moving distance L was 200 mm or more, it was evaluated as ◯, and if it was less than 200 mm, it was evaluated as x. Figure 9

(Measurement Method and Evaluation Method of Water Permeability) The sample has a width of 1000 mm, a length of 1800 mm and a thickness of 80 m.
Prepare m. The sample weight is measured and used as the weight before immersion. After immersing this sample in water for 10 minutes,
Slowly pull up and leave on wire mesh for 5 minutes. After this,
The weight of the sample is measured, and the weight is measured after the immersion. The amount of water held by the sample is calculated from the weight before immersion and the weight after immersion by the following formula. Amount of water held by sample (kg) = Weight after immersion (k
g) -Weight before immersion (kg) In the evaluation, if the amount of water held by the sample is less than 80.0 kg, the sample was evaluated as ◯, and 80.0 kg or more was evaluated as x.

(Measurement Method and Evaluation Method of Air Permeability) A sample is cut into a piece having a width of 60 mm, a length of 60 mm and a thickness of 80 mm. The air permeability of this was measured with a KES-F8AP1 Frazier air permeability meter manufactured by Kato Tech. When the air permeability is 60 cc / cm ² / s or more, the evaluation is ○, 60 cc / c
Less than m ² / s was defined as x.

(Peeling / fluff measurement method and evaluation method)
A sensory test was conducted by visually observing the surface of the sample. The evaluation was evaluated as ◯ when peeling or fluff was hardly observed on the surface, and as x when considerably observed.

Example 1 70% by weight of a hollow structure type polyester fiber having a side-by-side structure and a self-crimping property (fineness 15 dtex, fiber length 51 mm), highly crimped polyester fiber C81 (fineness made by Unitika Fiber Co., Ltd.) 2.8 dtex,
Polyester fiber (fiber fineness: 2.2 dtex, fiber having a fiber length of 51 mm) of 20% by weight, which is a core-sheath type composite fiber and has a melting point of about 140 ° C. lower than that of the regular mechanically crimped polyester fiber 51 mm long) 10
A card web is prepared by blending 1% by weight and carding, and needle punching is lightly applied only to the surface layer portion of the fiber assembly, and the basis weight is 900 g / m ² and the total thickness of the fiber assembly is 3
A non-woven fabric having a density of 55.7 and a density of 25.7 kg / m ³ was produced.

Then, two non-woven fabrics were laminated, sandwiched between pressing rollers, and subjected to wet heat treatment with steam in an accordion shape by the above-mentioned manufacturing method to obtain a cushion material in which the respective layers were fused to each other. This cushioning material has a small density difference between the high density portion of the cut portion of the uneven portion that imparts flexibility and the low density portion of the flat portion, and the settling is small even when a compressive load is applied in the thickness direction, Since the bending rigidity is small, it is easy to impart flexibility, and it has excellent water permeability and breathability, and also has excellent dimensional stability, heat resistance, durability, and elasticity. .

Example 2 70% by weight of hollow structure type polyester fiber (fineness 15 dtex, fiber length 51 mm) having a side-by-side structure and exhibiting self-crimping property, highly crimped polyester fiber C8
20% by weight of 1 (fineness 2.8 dtex, fiber length 51 mm), a core-sheath type composite fiber having a melting point of about 140 ° C. lower than that of the regular mechanically crimped polyester fiber (Fineness 2.2 dt
ex, fiber length 51 mm) 10% by weight of cotton is mixed and carded to produce a card web, which is subjected to uniform primary heat treatment by ordinary hot air circulation over the entire fiber assembly to give a basis weight of 700 g / m ² , fiber assembly. A non-woven fabric A having a total body thickness of 35 mm and a density of 20 kg / m ³ was prepared.

80% by weight of a hollow structure type polyester fiber (fineness 15 dtex, fiber length 51 mm) having a side-by-side structure and exhibiting self-crimping property, and a core-sheath type composite fiber constituting the sheath portion thereof. The melting point of the fiber is about 140 than that of regular mechanically crimped polyester fiber.
20% by weight of polyester fiber (fineness: 2.2 dtex, fiber length: 51 mm) lower by 0 ° C. is mixed and carded to produce a card web, and the entire fiber assembly is subjected to uniform primary heat treatment by normal hot air circulation. Basis weight 700g / m
² , the total thickness of the fiber aggregate is 35 mm and the density is 20 kg / m ^3.
A non-woven fabric B was prepared.

60% by weight of a hollow structure type polyester fiber having a side-by-side structure and a self-crimping property (fineness 15 dtex, fiber length 51 mm), deodorant, antibacterial acrylic fiber manufactured by Kanebo Synthetic Fiber Co., Ltd. Biosafe "
(Fineness 2.2 dtex, fiber length 51 mm) 20% by weight,
Polyester fiber (fineness 2.2 dte), which is a core-sheath type composite fiber and has a melting point of about 140 ° C. lower than that of the regular mechanically crimped polyester fiber
(x, fiber length 51 mm) 20% by weight is mixed and carded to produce a card web, and the uniform primary heat treatment by normal hot air circulation is applied to the entire fiber assembly, and the basis weight 4
00 g / m ² , the total thickness of the fiber assembly is 25 mm and the density is 1
A 6 kg / m ³ non-woven fabric C was prepared.

Next, these three non-woven fabrics were laminated in the order of non-woven fabric A, non-woven fabric C, and non-woven fabric B, and sandwiched by a pressing roller, and the pressure and the take-up speed at the time of taking up the baffle plate (2) were increased by the above-mentioned manufacturing method. The accordion shape with a smaller pitch in the central portion in the longitudinal direction and a higher density than both ends by increasing the pressure at the time of taking-up and making the take-up speed slower at the time of the middle part in the zone of three divisions in the vertical direction I got a thing. This accordion-shaped material was subjected to a secondary heat treatment with steam by wet heat to obtain a cushion material in which the layers were mutually fused. This cushioning material has a small density difference between the high density portion of the cut portion of the uneven portion that imparts flexibility and the low density portion of the flat portion, and the settling is small even when a compressive load is applied in the thickness direction, When used as a bed mat, since the pitch in the central part in the longitudinal direction corresponding to the waist is small and the density is high, the body pressure is evenly distributed and comfortable for sleeping, strong repulsion, excellent water permeability, breathability, and It had excellent odor performance, antibacterial performance, good dimensional stability, excellent heat resistance and durability, and also excellent elasticity.

Comparative Example 1 After a card web having the same composition as in Example 1 was laminated, it was compressed and held between plates having two upper and lower blades, placed in a steam pot, and a cushion material was produced by introducing steam. did. Blades having a depth of 15 mm were provided at intervals of 50 mm on the surfaces of the upper and lower plates contacting the non-woven fabric, and notches were provided on the non-woven fabric surface by the blades, and a flexible cushioning material was manufactured by the notches. (Fig. 6)

[0054]

[Table 1]

[0055]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, the settling is small even when a compressive load is applied, and since the bending rigidity is small, it is easy to provide flexibility, the density difference of the gudge portion is small, and further the elasticity is provided. This cushioning material has excellent water permeability and breathability, and its density and thickness can be freely controlled.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an example of a cushion material manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an application example of the cushion material manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an application example of the cushion material manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an application example of the cushion material manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5: Steam kettle (12) for heat treating the take-off box (4).

FIG. 6 is a conceptual sectional view of a bed of the invention described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-3894.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional conceptual view of an expandable mattress according to the invention described in JP-A-10-215984.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual sectional view of the cushioning material of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram of a method for measuring bending rigidity.

[Explanation of symbols] (1) Extrusion roller (2) Baffle plate (3) Adjustment plate (4) Collection box (5), (6) Non-woven fabric (7) Non-woven fabric with an accordion shape in the stacking direction (8) Spunbond, perforated film, etc. (9) Caterpillar type pick-up machine (10) Online heat treatment machine (11) Device that varies the take-up speed for each zone (12) Steam pot

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 3B096 AB00 AD06 BA01 BA02                 4L047 AA13 AA19 AB09 BA03 BA09                       CA05 CA15 CC06 CC16

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A cushioning material in which a non-woven fabric composed of matrix fibers and binder fibers is laminated, wherein each layer is fused to each other and is in an accordion shape. 2. The cushion material according to claim 1, wherein the non-woven fabric has different compositions on the front and back sides and / or the center. 3. The matrix fibers are 20 / 2.5.
The cushion material according to claim 1 or 2, which contains 5% or more of highly crimped cotton having a crimp of cm or more. 4. The cushion material has a length of 180 cm.
The cushion material according to claim 1, wherein the cushion material expands and contracts by 3 cm or more. 5. The cushion material according to claim 1, wherein the accordion-shaped pitch of the cushion material is 10 mm to 150 mm. 6. The cushion material according to claim 1, wherein the density of the cushion material is different in the longitudinal direction. 7. A non-woven fabric obtained by needle punching and / or heat-treating a web obtained by mixing and carding matrix fibers and binder fibers, laminating the non-woven fabrics and sandwiching them between two rollers, and the exit of the webs. A method of manufacturing a cushioning material in which layers are mutually fused by heat treatment after being formed into an accordion shape by being extruded between upper and lower plates while being supported by a constant pressure. 8. A non-woven fabric comprising two pushing rollers (1) for stacking and feeding the non-woven fabric, a baffle plate (2) for supporting the non-woven fabric at a constant pressure, and two upper and lower plates. An apparatus for manufacturing a cushion material, which comprises an adjusting plate (3), a take-up box (4) for heat treatment, or a caterpillar type take-up machine (9).