JP2003301061A - Foam, and method of producing foam - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a foam which is simply disposable at a low cost when it becomes useless, and a method of producing the foam. <P>SOLUTION: The foam 100A is produced by kneading a mixture obtained by adding talc to a foaming material containing 40 wt.% polypropylene and 60 wt.% corn starch as a nonresin component at a specific weight ratio with water with the use of an extrusion molding machine, and subjecting the kneaded product to steam foaming. This foam 100A can be disposed as the general garbage because the content of the nonresin component is ≥50 wt.% based on the total weight, and thus can be simply disposed at a low cost. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a foam and a method for producing the foam.

[0002]

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, when packing precision equipment such as electronic devices and electronic parts, or perishable items such as fruits in a corrugated cardboard box or the like for transportation, put a cushioning material together with these devices, The cushioning material protects these devices and the like from external impacts. After the transportation is completed and the internal devices and the like are taken out, the cushioning material is disposed of as waste (garbage) unless it is reused for transportation or the like. On the other hand, foam is often used as such a cushioning material. The foam is, for example, a foam material containing a resin component such as polypropylene that is foamed to form small voids called cells inside.

[0003]

However, since such a foam usually contains at least 50% by weight or more of a resin component such as polypropylene, which cannot be disposed of as general waste, it is disposed of as a waste. In this case, it must be recycled as resin (plastic) according to the regulations of the Container Recycling Law. Therefore, in order to recycle, it is necessary to take measures such as preparing a special facility and entrusting disposal to the outside, which is very expensive and troublesome. It should be noted that such a problem similarly occurs not only in the above-mentioned cushioning material but also in all foams used for other purposes such as a heat insulating material.

An object of the present invention is to provide a foam and a method for producing the foam which can be easily disposed of at a reduced cost when they are no longer needed.

[0005]

A foam 10 according to the present invention.
0A is a resin component 2A that cannot be disposed of as general waste.
A foamed material including a foamed material 1 having a foaming material and a foaming fluid 41 for foaming the foamed material, wherein the foamed material contains less than 50% by weight of the resin component and is disposed as general waste. 50% by weight or more of non-resin component possible 1
It is characterized in that it will be 00% by weight.

[0006] Here, the resin component that cannot be disposed of as general waste refers to general plastics such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (P).
P), polyamide (6 nylon, 6,6 nylon, etc .; P
A), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), biodegradable plastics such as polylactic acid and the like can be mentioned.
In addition, with non-resin components that can be disposed of as general waste,
It is a component that excludes metals such as aluminum and steel, paper such as paper packs and corrugated board, glass, and plastics that are subject to recycling. In other words, it is a component that is not subject to recycling under the Container Recycling Law and can be disposed of as general waste. The foaming fluid is, for example, a fluid such as water or oil.

Since the content of the non-resin component in the foam material constituting the foam of the present invention is 50% by weight or more of the whole, the main component thereof is the non-resin component which can be disposed of as general waste. Therefore, in the container recycling method, the foam of the present invention does not correspond to plastic. Moreover, since the non-resin component is a component that can be disposed of as general waste, it does not correspond to other recycling targets such as metal and glass. Therefore, when the foam is no longer needed, it can be disposed of as general waste, and there is no need to take special measures for recycling, so that the cost can be suppressed and the disposal can be facilitated.

Further, since such a foamed material has flexibility due to the voids formed inside the resin, it can be suitably used as a cushioning material for sensitive equipment, fruits and the like which are easily damaged. Further, since such a foam has a relatively high specific heat, it can be suitably used as a heat insulating material.

The resin component is preferably polypropylene. Here, polypropylene is superior to other resin components in processability, mechanical suitability, recyclability, and the like. Therefore, with such a structure, it is possible to easily manufacture a foam that can be easily recycled.

The non-resin component is preferably a vegetable material. Here, as the plant-based material, for example, cellulose which is a fiber of a plant, or a plant-derived material such as starch such as corn starch can be adopted. When such a plant-based material is used, the non-resin component can be obtained relatively easily and inexpensively, so that the production cost can be reduced and the production can be facilitated.

Here, starch can be used as the plant material. In such a case, since starch is relatively inexpensive and easily available among plant materials, it is possible to further reduce the production cost and facilitate the production.

Paper may be used as the plant material. Here, as the paper, for example, a postage stamp that has been used or defective, or an unnecessary paper such as an edge portion of the cut paper can be used. In such a case, since originally unnecessary paper is used as a raw material, the manufacturing cost of the foam can be reduced. In addition, the paper is 5
When it becomes 0% by weight or more and becomes the main component, this time,
It will be necessary to recycle the foam as paper. Therefore, it is preferable to specify the composition by considering that the main component of the foam does not fall under the above-mentioned recycling target including paper. However, recycling as paper has an advantage that it is less troublesome than recycling as plastic.

Further, the foam may be formed in a plate shape. In such a case, since a certain degree of rigidity is secured in addition to flexibility, it can be suitably used, for example, as a partition plate or the like for individually partitioning fruits or vegetables, or a heat insulating material.

The foam may be formed in a tubular shape having a predetermined length. Here, the predetermined length is not particularly limited, but for example, a range of about 3 to 15 cm can be adopted.
With this configuration, for example, even when it is used as a cushioning material for packing precision equipment, it can be arranged without a gap, and the precision equipment inside can be reliably protected.

In the method for producing a foam according to the present invention, a foam material containing less than 50% by weight of a resin component and 50% by weight or more of a non-resin component is added to 100% by weight of water, which is a fluid for foaming. Is kneaded and steam-foamed to produce a foam.

According to the present invention as described above, the foam produced by kneading and foaming the respective raw materials is a non-resin component whose main component is disposable as general waste. For this reason,
This foam does not correspond to a component to be recycled under the Container Recycling Law. Therefore, since the foam can be treated as general waste, it can be easily disposed of at a low cost. In addition, since the foam has flexibility due to the voids formed inside, the foam can be suitably used as a cushioning material for sensitive equipment and fruits that are easily damaged. Furthermore, since the foam has a relatively high specific heat, it can be suitably used as a heat insulating material.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a foam body 100A according to the present invention. The foamed body 100A according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, is obtained by foaming a foamed material using water as a foaming fluid.
It is a foam having voids (cells) formed inside. The foam 100A is formed in a plate shape having a predetermined size.

Such a foam 100A is manufactured by using the extruder 11. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the extrusion molding machine 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the extrusion molding machine 11 heats and melts the foamed material 1 containing a thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene, and extrudes the foamed material 1 into a predetermined shape to mold it.
It is a machine that forms a foam with voids inside it.
Raw material tank 20 to which foam material 1 is supplied, and silo 30
Fluid tank 40, cylinder 50, heater 60
The screw 70 disposed in the cylinder 50, the die 80, the belt conveyor 90, and the temperature of the die 80 at 16
The temperature control device 100 which adjusts to the range of 0 degreeC-220 degreeC is provided.

Here, the foam material 1 comprises a base material 2 as a main component and an additive 3 for adjusting so that uniform voids are formed in the base material 2. The base 2 is 40% by weight of polypropylene 2A as powder which is a resin component and 60% by weight of powdered corn starch 2B which is a non-resin component.
Contains and. The melting point of polypropylene 2A is 160 ° C. As the polypropylene 2A, other shapes such as pellets other than powder may be adopted.
Additive 3 is talc 3A added at a predetermined weight ratio to base 2.

Here, the resin component is a general plastic and cannot be disposed of as general waste. The non-resin component is a component excluding the components to be recycled such as metal, paper, glass, and plastic, and is not a component to be recycled under the Container Recycling Law and can be disposed of as general waste. . The additive is a foaming regulator added to adjust the foaming condition when foaming the foamed material.

The raw material tank 20 comprises a first tank 21 to which polypropylene 2A is supplied, and a second tank 22 to which cornstarch 2B and talc 3A are supplied and which stores a uniform mixture thereof.

The silo 30 temporarily stores the respective raw materials 2A, 2B, 3A supplied from the raw material tank 20, and stores a preset predetermined amount of each raw material 2A, 2B, 3A in the cylinder 5
It is automatically supplied to 0. This silo 30
Includes a first silo 31 connected to the first tank 21 via a pipe 30A, and a second silo 32 connected to the second tank 22 via a pipe 30B.

The first silo 31 temporarily accommodates the polypropylene 2A, and the polypropylene 2A is placed in the cylinder 5
The silo main body 33 has a mortar-shaped taper, and a side surface portion 33A of the silo main body 33 is intermittently hit and vibrated to vibrate. Since the polypropylene 2A has a relatively high fluidity, a configuration without the vibration mechanism 34 is also possible.

The vibrating mechanism 34 includes a motor 341 and a cam 342 attached to the motor 341. The cam 342 rotates in response to the driving of the motor 341, and the tip 342A of the cam 342 has the tip 342A of the silo main body 33. Side part 3
Strike 3A periodically. As a result, the silo body 33
Since the side surface portion 33A of the vibrates, for example, the silo body 3
Even if the polypropylenes 2A are adhered to each other in 3, the adherences are released, and the polypropylene 2A falls along the mortar-shaped taper and moves to the cylinder 50 side.

The second silo 32 temporarily stores the cornstarch 2B and the talc 3A, and supplies these raw materials 2B,
3A is supplied into the cylinder 50, and includes the same silo body 33 and vibration mechanism 34 as those described above.

The fluid tank 40 contains water 4 which is a foaming fluid.
The water 41 is stored in the cylinder 50 and is supplied into the cylinder 50 through the pipe 40A connected to the path between the silo 30 and the screw 70. The cylinder 50 includes the foam material 1 supplied from the silo 30 and the fluid tank 4
It is of a hollow box shape that accommodates water 41 supplied from 0, and includes a cylinder body 51 and a cylinder body 51 shown in FIG.
And a discharge unit 52 located on the left side in the middle.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of the cylinder 50 and the die 80. As shown in FIG. 3, the cylinder body 51 has an elliptical opening 51 for discharging the kneaded material A (FIG. 1) which is a kneaded material of the raw materials 1 and 41.
A, and four bolt holes 51B in total, two each on the upper and lower sides of the opening 51A. In the discharge part 52,
The opening 51A and the four bolt holes 51B are exposed, and a fitting hole 52A for fitting a part of the die 80 is formed.

Returning to FIG. 2, the heater 60 is the cylinder 5
The six heater bodies 61 (61A to 61F) attached to the respective locations 50A to 50F of the cylinder 50 are independently heated at six locations 50A to 50F.
And these six heater bodies 61 (61A to 61F)
And a control unit 62 for controlling the respective temperatures.

Specifically, the cylinder 50 has six locations 50A.
.About.50F are 6 in order from the right side in FIG.
The temperature is set for each stage. The temperature setting varies depending on the raw material used, the water content in the raw material, the weather conditions, and the like. (1) 1st place 50A: 80 ° C (initial temperature) (2) 2nd place 50B: 145 ° C (3) 3rd place 50C: 185 ° C (4) 4th place 50D: 175 ° C (5) 5th place 50E: 170 ° C. (6) Sixth place 50F: 230 ° C. (final temperature) The heater main body 61 displays the set temperature of each place 50A to 50F and the actually measured temperature.

The screw 70 kneads the foam material 1 and the water 41 supplied into the cylinder 50, and mixes the kneaded material A.
Of the two screw main bodies 71, 72.
And a drive unit 73 for rotating these two screw main bodies 71, 72 to form a biaxial structure.

The two screw bodies 71 and 72 are arranged adjacent to each other in the cylinder 50 so as to be substantially parallel to each other. Threads 71A and 72A are formed on the two screw bodies 71 and 72, respectively. These threads 71A and 72A face the same direction. The drive unit 73 includes two screw main bodies 7 in a direction in which they approach each other.
1, 72 is rotated. Therefore, kneading material A
When the two screw bodies 71, 72 are rotated in the same direction by the drive of the drive unit 73 in the cylinder 50 supplied with, the kneading material A is conveyed to the discharge unit 52 side by the threads 71A, 72A. Will be.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the die 80 has a function of forming a void in the kneading material A discharged from the discharge portion 52 of the cylinder 50 to form a foam B, and molding the foam B. The first block 81 is a metal member having a function to perform, and includes a first block 81 composed of four members, and a second block 83 attached to the discharge side of the first block 81.

The first block 81 has a fitting projection 811 fitted into the fitting hole 52A of the discharge portion 52 of the cylinder 50,
The rectangular parallelepiped first block body 812 is provided. In the first block body 812, a plurality of small holes 82A having the same diameter are formed on the surface opposite to the fitting convex portion 811. The diameter of each small hole 82A is 2.0 mm.

Here, FIG. 4 shows the first block body 812.
9 is a front view showing a surface opposite to the fitting convex portion 811 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, these plurality of eyelets 82A
When defining a rectangular portion 812A formed wide in the horizontal direction, which is one direction orthogonal to the extrusion direction, the positions S of the four vertices of the rectangular portion 812A and the long sides of the rectangular portion 812A are evenly distributed. It is formed at a divided position T and a diagonal intersection point U in a rectangle X composed of four positions adjacent to each other. That is, these plural small holes 82A
Are distributed and arranged so that the areas and shapes of the triangles defined by the adjacent three small holes 82A are equal to each other. The rectangular portion 812A has a shape corresponding to the extruded shape.

Further, returning to FIG. 3, the first block body 8
In FIG. 12, four bolt insertion holes 812B are formed on the upper and lower sides of the rectangular portion 812A, two bolt insertion holes 812B in total at two positions corresponding to the four bolt holes 51B of the cylinder body 51.

The second block 83 is for forming a void in the kneading material A and molding a foam B having a predetermined cross section. The second block 83 includes a plate-shaped base portion 831 attached to the first block 81, and a hollow box-shaped molding portion 832 formed in the base portion 831 and having a certain length dimension in the extrusion direction. Prepare

In the base portion 831, a position corresponding to the plurality of small holes 82A of the first block 81, that is, a rectangular opening portion 831A corresponding to the rectangular portion 812A is formed. In the base portion 831 of the third block 83,
Four notches 83B are formed on the upper and lower sides of the opening 831A at positions corresponding to the four bolt insertion holes 812B of the first block 81.

In the box-shaped molding portion 832, a supply-side opening portion 832A is formed on the surface on the side of the opening portion 831A at a position corresponding to the opening portion 831A. Further, the supply side opening 832 is provided on the surface facing the surface on the opening 831A side.
An emission side opening 832B having the same shape as A is formed.
Further, the molded portion 832 is configured such that a box-shaped upper surface 832Z is detachable, and by removing the upper surface 832Z, the inside is exposed and can be easily cleaned.

In the die 80 as described above, the blocks 81 and 83 are respectively provided with the notches 83B, the bolt insertion holes 812B and the bolt holes 51B which correspond to each other.
A bolt 86 of a book is inserted and fixed to the cylinder 50.

Returning to FIG. 2, the belt conveyor 90 has an opening 83 on the injection side of the second block 83 that constitutes the die 80.
The foam B discharged from 2B is conveyed and the foam B is roughly cut. Although illustration is omitted, a press roller for adjusting the thickness of the product and a rough cutting cutter are provided on the conveyance path of the belt conveyor 90. This rough cutting cutter adjusts the width of the product by the conveyor speed of the belt conveyor 90, and is provided with a cooling fan for cooling the foam B and a cutting device for cutting the foam B. With these devices, the foam B is stored in a predetermined box after being configured as a final product. The final product stored in this box is appropriately enclosed in a bag or the like and shipped as a product.

Next, the procedure for manufacturing the foam 100A will be described. <1> While each vibration mechanism 34 strikes the side surface portion 33A of the silo body 33 with the tip of the cam 342, a predetermined amount of polypropylene 2A from the first silo 31 and a predetermined amount of raw material 2B from the second silo 32, 3A is supplied into the cylinder 50. On the other hand, a predetermined amount of water 41 from the fluid tank 40
Is supplied to the raw material supply path between the screw 70 and the silo 30.

<2> Each raw material 2A, 2B, 3A and water 41 supplied to the screw 70 portion in the cylinder 50 are
The kneading is performed by the rotation of the screw 70, and the kneaded material A is conveyed to the die 80 side. At this time, the polypropylene 2A is heated by the heater 60 and has a melting point of 1
When it becomes 60 ° C. or higher, that is, when it is carried to the position after the third location 50C, it melts completely. Other raw materials 2
B and 3A are uniformly dispersed in the melted polypropylene 2A.

On the other hand, the water 41 is heated by the heater 60, but since the first location 50A of the cylinder 50 is set at 80 ° C., it is not completely vaporized at this first location 50A, Most of it remains liquid. After that, in the position after the second location 50B, it is heated to the vaporization temperature or higher and vaporized to become water vapor.
Then, due to the pressurized atmosphere between the raw material conveyed later and the die 80, it is condensed. As a result, the kneading material A contains water in a state where the water vapor and the liquid are mixed.

<3> The kneading material A discharged from the cylinder 50 by the rotation of the screw 70 is adjusted to a predetermined temperature by the temperature controller 100, and a plurality of small holes 82A formed in the first block 81 Extruded as an elongated shape.

<4> At this time, the elongated kneading material A that has passed through the small holes 82A is rapidly decompressed and explosively foams to form a plurality of elongated foamed bodies B corresponding to the plurality of small holes 82A. Since the plurality of small holes 82A are evenly arranged as described above, these elongated foamed bodies B are in close contact with each other without any gap and integrated.

Here, the volume of the water 41, which is the foaming fluid, becomes 1200 times when it is vaporized. The water 41 in the kneading material A is required in a large excess because it dissolves the hydrophilic component of the additive added to cause uniform foaming and causes sufficient steam explosion (foaming). On the other hand, adding excess water 41 in this way
To remove latent heat when it is extruded from the die 80 and evaporated,
In some cases, the water vapor in the foamed tissue returns to liquid water, and the liquefied water 41 may reduce the volume of the foam B, and the tissue may shrink, resulting in insufficient foam. The energy absorbed at this time is 2.26 MJ.
/ Kg (539 kcal / kg converted). Therefore, in order to secure the absorbed energy, the die 80 is continuously heated by the temperature controller 100 to promote the vaporization of the water 41 and suppress the shrinkage of the foam B.

Extrusion of the kneading material A from the die 80
The pressure is set by the die 80 when the foaming fluid is water 41.
It is necessary to keep as follows according to the set temperature of. ・ Set temperature 160 ℃: 0.618 MPa (6.3kgf / cm²Was also converted
More) ・ Set temperature 170 ℃: 0.795 MPa (8.1kgf / cm²Was also converted
More) ・ Set temperature 180 ℃: 1.000 MPa (10.2kgf / cm²Converted
Thing) ・ Set temperature 190 ℃: 1.255 MPa (12.8 kgf / cm²Converted
Thing) If the foaming fluid is not water, the extrusion pressure
1.28 MPa (13 kgf / cm ²Converted to)
There is a need.

<5> This integrated foam B has a base 8
The forming portion 83 of the second block 83 is provided through the opening portion 831A of 31 and the supply side opening portion 832A of the forming portion 832.
2 is supplied. <6> The foam B supplied into the molding portion 832 is as shown in FIG.
As shown in (4), it is formed in a plate shape having a rectangular cross section while being carried to the injection side opening 832B, and is extruded and molded to the outside through the injection side opening 832B.

<7> The plate-shaped continuous foam B discharged from the injection side opening 832B is conveyed by the belt conveyor 90. The conveyed foam member B is appropriately cut into a foam 100A. The foam 100A is manufactured by the above procedure.

According to this embodiment as described above, the following effects are obtained. (1) Since the main component is a non-resin component that can be disposed of as general waste, the foam 100A does not correspond to a component to be recycled under the Container Recycling Law. For this reason, the resin foam material B can be handled as general waste, which can be easily disposed of while suppressing the cost. At this time, since the content of the resin component is smaller than that of a general foamed material, when incinerated, the calorific value is small and black smoke or the like is not generated, so that the environment can be protected. Further, with the above-mentioned composition, it is possible to manufacture the foam 100A that can be sufficiently used as an actual product.

(2) Since such a foamed body 100A has flexibility due to the voids formed inside, it can be suitably used as a cushioning material for sensitive equipment, fruits and the like which are easily damaged. Further, since the foam 100A has a relatively high specific heat, it can be suitably used as a heat insulating material.

(3) Polypropylene 2A was adopted as the resin component, but this polypropylene 2A is superior to other resin components in processability, mechanical suitability, recyclability, etc., and thus can be easily recycled. Foam 100A
Can be manufactured easily.

(4) Since the plant material which is easily available and inexpensive is adopted as the raw material, the manufacturing cost of the foam 100A can be reduced and the manufacturing thereof can be facilitated. At this time, since starch cornstarch was used as the plant-based material, the foam 100A can be manufactured more easily.

(5) Since the foamed body 100A has a plate shape, it is possible to secure a certain degree of rigidity in addition to flexibility, and for example, it is suitable for a partition plate for individually partitioning fruits and vegetables, and a heat insulating material. Can be used. Further, since the resin foam material B has sufficient resilience and insolubility in water, it can be sufficiently used as a cushioning material for packaging.

(6) Water 41 supplied into the cylinder 50
Is heated step by step by the heater 60 as the screw 70 is conveyed, so that it is not affected by the rapid expansion change of the water 41, etc., compared to the case where it is heated to the vaporization temperature or more at once, and the tank of the water 41 is Backflow to the 40 side can be prevented. In addition, water 4 is added to the supply path between the screw 70 and the silo 30.
Since it is configured to supply 1, the water 41 is not directly supplied to the screw 70 in the cylinder 50, and is not affected by the change of the water 41 in the cylinder 50. Therefore, the backflow of the water 41 to the tank 40 side is prevented. It can be prevented further. Since the backflow to the tank 40 side can be prevented as described above, the foam B having stable quality can be efficiently manufactured.

(7) Even if water 41, which is easily available, is used as a raw material, it is possible to prevent the backflow of water 41 by heating in six steps. Therefore, the foam B having stable quality can be efficiently manufactured at low cost.

(8) By vibrating mechanism 34, silo 31,
Since the side surface portion 33A is vibrated intermittently by striking the side surface portion 33A of 32, each silo 31, 32
The sticking of the raw materials 2A, 2B, 3A inside can be eliminated, and the powdery raw materials 2A, 2B, 3A can be smoothly supplied into the cylinder 50. At this time, the cam 342 is attached to the motor 341, and the cam 342 is rotated by the drive of the motor 341.
The vibration mechanism 34 can be configured simply by merely arranging so that the tip ends of the side surfaces 33A of the silos 31 and 32 are struck.

(9) The heater 60 is one control unit 62,
Since the heating temperatures of the six locations 50A to 50F of the cylinder 50 can be adjusted at the same time, the temperature adjustment is easy. Further, in the heater 60, since the temperature of the cylinder 50 can be adjusted in 6 stages,
It is possible to manufacture a higher quality foam B by appropriately changing it in accordance with the situation and environment at the time of manufacture.

(10) Since the plurality of small holes 82A are formed in the first block 81 at the above-mentioned predetermined positions, the quality of the shape and the like of the foam B can be easily stabilized. On this occasion,
Since the diameter of the small hole 82A is set to 2.0 mm, it is possible to better foam and form a stable shape.

(11) Since the temperature of the die 80 is adjusted to a temperature between 160 ° C. and 220 ° C. by the temperature control device 100, unnecessary shrinkage can be suppressed and reliable foaming can be achieved. Body B can be manufactured.

(12) In the first block 81, the fitting protrusion 8 that fits into the fitting hole 52A of the discharge portion 52 of the cylinder 50.
Since 11 is provided, it is possible to prevent the first block 81 from coming off or shifting from the discharge portion 52. Further, there is an advantage that vapor escape due to high pressure can be prevented.

(13) In the second block 83, the molding section 8
Since the 32 has a certain length in the extrusion direction, the foam B in the molding portion 832 can be sufficiently molded.

(14) In the second block 83, the upper surface 83
The 2Z can be attached and detached, and the inside can be easily cleaned after manufacturing.

(15) Since the screw 70 has the twin shafts 71 and 72, the foam material 1 and the water 41 can be kneaded more uniformly than in the case of the single shaft, and the quality of the foam B after extrusion molding is improved. Can be stabilized.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The foam body 110 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is different from the foam body 100A according to the first embodiment only in the shape, and the constituent components and blending are exactly the same. Therefore, the same or corresponding components as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing the foam 110 according to the present invention. The foam 110 is a cylindrical foam having voids (cells) formed therein as shown in FIG. Such a foam 110 can be manufactured by the same procedure using the substantially same extruder 11 as in the first embodiment. Specifically, the die 80 can be manufactured by the same procedure by removing the die 80, attaching a block having a circular opening in cross section, and cutting the block with an appropriate length. Therefore, the description of the manufacturing procedure is omitted.

According to this embodiment, the first embodiment
In addition to the effects of (1) to (4) and (6) to (15), there are the following effects. (16) Since the foam 110 has a cylindrical shape, it can be arranged without gaps even when used as a cushioning material for packing precision equipment,
The internal precision equipment can be protected reliably.

[Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The foam 120 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is different from the foams 100A and 110 according to the first and second embodiments only in the shape, and the constituent components and blending are exactly the same. For this reason,
The same or corresponding components as those of the first and second embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing the foam 120 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the foam body 120 is a prismatic foam body having voids (cells) formed therein.

The foam 120 as described above can be manufactured by the same procedure using the extruder 11 which is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. Specifically, the same procedure is performed by removing the die 80, installing a block having a plurality of small holes with openings having a circular cross section and arranging in a grid pattern, and cutting the block with an appropriate length. Can be manufactured in. Therefore,
The description of the manufacturing procedure is omitted.

According to this embodiment, the following effects are obtained in addition to the effects (1) to (4) and (6) to (15) of the first and second embodiments. (17) Since the foam 120 has a prismatic shape, it has sufficient rigidity in addition to flexibility, and thus can be suitably used as, for example, a partition plate for individually partitioning fruits and vegetables, and a heat insulating material. .

[Fourth Embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The fourth embodiment is different from the first to third embodiments in the mixing of raw materials and some points accompanying it. Specifically, in the fourth embodiment, instead of the cornstarch 2B as the non-resin component used in the first to third embodiments, starch is mixed with paper such as a postage stamp which is regarded as a defective product. The paper grains processed into pellets are blended in an amount corresponding to the blended amount of the corn starch 2B of each of the above-described embodiments. Further, the additive 3A blended in each of the above embodiments is not added here. Further, since the pellet is formed with high fluidity, the vibration mechanism 34 is not driven. The above points are the differences from the above embodiments. The extrusion molding machine 11 may be used as the extrusion molding machine, and the shape of the molded product may be any shape (plate shape, cylindrical shape, prismatic shape) of each of the above embodiments. Also in this embodiment, the same effect as that of each of the above embodiments can be obtained.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes modifications and improvements as long as the object of the present invention can be achieved. For example,
Although polypropylene 2A is adopted as the resin component, the present invention is not limited to this, and other resin components such as polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and biodegradable plastic may be used. Although talc 3A is used as an additive, it is not limited to this.

Although the plant material is used as the non-resin component, the present invention is not limited to this, and other components which are non-resin components can be used. At this time, stamps and cornstarch 2B were used as the vegetable material, but the invention is not limited to this, and crushed paper and other starches such as potatoes can also be used. In addition, other vegetable materials such as dietary fiber other than paper and starch can be used. In addition, the specific structure, shape, and the like at the time of carrying out the present invention may be other structures and the like as long as the object of the present invention can be achieved.

[0075]

According to the invention described in claim 1, when the foam is no longer needed, it can be disposed of as general waste, so that no special measures for recycling need be taken, so that the cost is reduced. It has the effect of suppressing and easily disposing.

According to the second aspect of the invention, there is an effect that a foam which can be easily recycled can be easily manufactured.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the plant material which is a non-resin component can be obtained relatively easily and inexpensively, so that the production cost can be reduced and the production can be facilitated. The effect is that you can do it.

According to the invention described in claim 4, among the plant materials, it is relatively inexpensive and can be easily obtained. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the production cost and facilitate the production. There is an effect.

According to the invention described in claim 5, since originally unnecessary paper is used as a raw material, there is an effect that the manufacturing cost of the foam can be reduced.

According to the invention described in claim 6, since a certain degree of rigidity is ensured in addition to the flexibility, it is suitable for, for example, a partition plate for individually partitioning fruits and vegetables, and a heat insulating material. It has the effect of being usable.

According to the invention described in claim 7, even when it is used as a cushioning material for packing precision equipment, it can be arranged without a gap, and there is an effect that the precision equipment inside can be surely protected.

According to the invention of claim 8, it does not correspond to a component to be recycled in the Container Recycling Law.
Therefore, since the foam can be treated as general waste, there is an effect that the cost can be suppressed and the waste can be easily disposed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a foam according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an extrusion molding machine according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an enlarged part of the extruder.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a die constituting the extrusion molding machine.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing a foam according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a foam according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Foaming Material 2A Polypropylene 2B as Resin Component Corn Starch 11 as Plant Material as Non-resin Component 11 Extruder 41 Water as Foaming Fluid 100A Plate-shaped Foam 110 Cylindrical Foam 120 Foam of Square Pillar

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 4F074 AA02 AA03 AA24 BA34 CA22                       CC04Y DA32 DA33                 4F212 AA01 AA11 AA50 AB02 AD06                       AG20 UA09 UB01 UF01 UF05                       UF21 UG07

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A foam comprising a foam material having a resin component which cannot be disposed of as general waste, and a foaming fluid for foaming the foam material, wherein the foam material is A foam characterized by comprising less than 50% by weight of a resin component and 50% by weight or more of a non-resin component which can be disposed of as general waste, and is 100% by weight. 2. The foam according to claim 1, wherein the resin component is polypropylene. 3. The foam according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the non-resin component is a plant material. 4. The foam according to claim 3, wherein the vegetable material is starch. 5. The foam according to claim 3, wherein The foam material, wherein the plant-based material is paper. 6. The foam according to claim 1, wherein the foam is formed into a plate shape. 7. The foam according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the foam is formed into a tubular shape having a predetermined length. 8. A foaming material containing less than 50% by weight of a resin component and 50% by weight or more of a non-resin component to 100% by weight, and water as a foaming fluid is kneaded to steam-foam. A method for producing a foam, which comprises producing a foam.