JP2004292959A - Method for producing fiber laminate and apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To rapidly and uniformly carry out dispersion of fibers in a drum for continuously producing a fiber laminate having a uniform density and a stable form in an in-line system. <P>SOLUTION: An apparatus for producing the fiber laminate is designed to pneumatically transport opened fibers 2, disperse the fibers 2 in a rotating drum 10 perforated with small holes and protrude the fibers from the small holes 10a of the drum 10 and collect the protruded fibers 2 with suction force of a vacuum conveyor 27 running under the drum 10 and laminate the collected fibers on the vacuum conveyor 27. A turning member 20 (20A to 20D) guiding the fibers 2 together with air and turning the fibers so as to move in the direction to the interior of the drum while rotating the fibers in the same direction as or the opposite direction to that of the drum 10 when the fibers 2 are pneumatically transported in the drum 10 is installed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing a fiber laminate that is optimal as a disposable absorbent article.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, the defibrated fibers are air-conveyed and dispersed in a rotating small-hole drum, and are projected from the small holes of the drum. The fibers are projected by the suction force of a vacuum conveyor traveling below the drum. There is a method and an apparatus for producing a fiber laminate in which fibers are collected and laminated on a vacuum conveyor (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0003]
The defibrated fibers are transported straight into the rotating drum by air in the direction of the rotation axis, and the fibers in the drum are agitated by a needle cylinder to evenly disperse the fibers.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent No. 2519204 [0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above Patent Document 1, since it is difficult to disperse the fibers quickly and uniformly in the drum, a fiber mass is formed, and the amount of protrusion of the fibers from the small holes of the drum varies, and the fiber laminate has The density becomes uneven and the form becomes unstable.
[0006]
Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a rectangular hole is formed in a drum and a needle cylinder provided inside is rotated at a speed significantly higher than the speed of fiber flow in order to increase the protrusion of long fibers. However, if a physical method such as a needle cylinder is used to disperse the fibers or scrape the fibers attached to the inside of the drum, the fibers will crimp more than necessary, the fibers will bend There is a possibility that the fibers may be damaged, for example, they may be bulky or easily entangled to form a fiber mass. That is, in Patent Literature 1, although the amount of protrusion of the fiber increases, it is not possible to sufficiently achieve uniform dispersion of the fiber so as not to generate a fiber lump.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and in order to continuously produce in-line a fiber laminate having a uniform density and a stable form, dispersion of fibers is performed quickly and uniformly in a drum. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for producing a fiber laminate which are devised in the following.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, claim 1 of the present invention is to disperse the defibrated fibers by air and disperse them in a rotating small-perforated drum, and to project the fibers from the small holes of the drum. By a suction force of a vacuum conveyor running below, in a method of manufacturing a fiber laminate in which the protruding fibers are collected and laminated on the vacuum conveyor,
When the fibers are conveyed into the drum by air, the fibers are guided together with air, and the fiber is rotated so as to move in the back direction of the drum while rotating in the same or opposite direction as the drum. It is intended to provide a manufacturing method.
[0009]
It is preferable that the fiber is pneumatically conveyed into the drum from both sides of the drum.
[0010]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the defibrated fibers are conveyed by air into a rotating small-perforated drum and dispersed, and are projected from the small holes of the drum. By force, in a fiber laminate manufacturing apparatus that was to collect the protruding fibers and to stack them on a vacuum conveyor,
When the fibers are conveyed into the drum by air, a turning member is provided that guides the fibers together with the air and turns so as to move in the same direction as the drum or in the opposite direction so as to move in the depth direction of the drum. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for producing a fiber laminate.
[0011]
It is preferable that the turning member is provided on both sides of the drum.
[0012]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the turning member may be a spiral baffle member provided in a duct that conveys the fibers into the drum by air.
[0013]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the turning member may be a spiral duct for conveying the fibers into the drum by air.
[0014]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the swirling member blows air toward the back of the drum in the same direction as the rotation direction of the drum or in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the drum. It can be configured to be combined with a drum end member having an ejection hole.
[0015]
As described in claim 8, it is preferable that the small hole of the drum is countersunk in a dish shape on the inner surface side.
[0016]
As in claim 9, the fiber laminate is preferably a disposable absorbent article.
[0017]
Function and Effect of the Invention
According to the manufacturing method of the first aspect of the present invention, when the fibers are air-conveyed into the drum, the fibers are guided together with the air, and are moved in the back direction of the drum while rotating in the same direction as the drum or in the opposite direction. By this swirling, the swirling flow allows the fibers to be quickly and uniformly dispersed in the drum.
[0018]
As a result, a fiber mass cannot be formed in the drum, and the amount of protrusion of the fiber from the small hole of the drum does not vary, so that a fiber laminate having a uniform density and a stable form can be continuously produced in-line. become.
[0019]
Further, when the fibers are conveyed into the drum by air from both sides of the drum (claim 2), a large amount of fibers are dispersed quickly and uniformly in the drum, and the amount of protrusion of the fibers from the small holes of the drum increases. Therefore, the production time of the fiber laminate is greatly reduced.
[0020]
According to the manufacturing apparatus of the third aspect of the present invention, when the fibers are air-conveyed into the drum, the fibers are guided together with the air by the revolving member, and are rotated in the same direction as the drum or in the opposite direction to the back of the drum. By rotating the fibers so as to move, the swirling flow causes the fibers to be quickly and uniformly dispersed in the drum, so that the same effect as in claim 1 can be obtained.
[0021]
Further, when the turning members are provided on both sides of the drum (claim 4), the same effect as that of claim 2 can be obtained.
[0022]
Furthermore, a spiral baffle plate member (Claim 5), a spiral duct (Claim 6), a duct for conveying air straight in the direction of the rotation axis into the rotating drum, and an air ejection hole are provided. In any combination with the drum end member (claim 7), the structure is simple, the durability is good, and the fibers can be swirled with air reliably.
[0023]
Further, when the inner surface side of the small hole of the drum is counter-sunk in a dish shape (claim 8), the fiber conveyed by air is guided by the inclination of the dish portion, smoothly projects from the small hole, and also projects from the small hole. The unreacted fibers are guided by the inclination of the dish portion and smoothly returned into the drum, so that they are less likely to be caught in the small holes and are less likely to be clogged.
[0024]
If the fiber laminate is a disposable absorbent article (Claim 9), an ultra-thin disposable absorbent article having a uniform density and a stable form (eg, sanitary napkins, diapers for children, diapers for adults) Can be easily and inexpensively and continuously produced in-line.
[0025]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0026]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional front view of a main part of an apparatus for manufacturing a disposable absorbent article 1 (see FIG. 7) which is a fiber laminate, and FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG.
[0027]
The manufacturing apparatus is provided with a perforated drum 10 (a fibrillation rotor ... see FIG. 5 (a)) in which a number of small holes 10a are formed on the outer periphery. The drum 10 has, for example, an outer diameter of about 450 mm, a length of about 390 mm, an inner diameter of the small hole 10a of about 2.5 to 3 mm, and a narrow width (for example, 390 mm) of a disposable absorbent article (fiber laminate). The body 1 is set to a size suitable for continuous in-line production, but is not limited to these dimensions.
[0028]
As shown in detail in FIG. 5B, the inside of the small hole 10a is countersunk in a dish shape. If the inner surface side of the small hole 10a is countersunk in a dish shape in this way, the air-conveyed fiber (length: about 2 to 5 mm) 2 described later is guided by the inclination of the dish portion 10b, and from the small hole 10a. The fibers 2 that are smoothly projected (see arrow a) and are not projected from the small holes 10a are guided by the inclination of the dish portion 10b and returned smoothly into the drum 10 (see arrow b), and are thus small. 10a is less likely to be caught and clogging is less likely. In the past, in order to prevent clogging of the small holes 10a, it was necessary to frequently scrape off the clogged fibers 2 with a needle cylinder provided in the drum 10, but as in this embodiment Only by forming the dish portion 10b in the small hole 10a, clogging can be prevented for a long period of time.
[0029]
The small hole 10a having the dish portion 10b can be applied to a drum as described in Patent Document 1 described above. In addition, the small hole 10a may have a straight shape as described in Patent Document 1 described above.
[0030]
A pair of left and right cylindrical ducts 11 (L, R) are arranged on both left and right sides of the drum 10, and fit into the inside flange portions 11 a of the respective ducts 11 (L, R) from both sides into the drum 10. The support ring members 12 are fixed by bolts 13, respectively.
[0031]
A bearing 15 is interposed between the outer periphery of each of the support ring members 12 and the inner periphery of a pulley 14 fixed to both ends of the drum 10, and the drum 10 is linked by an electric motor 16 shown in FIG. The belt 17 is rotated continuously in one direction (counterclockwise L in FIGS. 2 and 6) at a high speed (for example, about 1200 rpm).
[0032]
The introduction ducts 18 (L, R) are connected to the left and right ducts 11 (L, R) from the tangential direction at positions offset from the center C of the drum 10 on the opposite side in the rotation direction, and these introduction ducts 18 (L, R) are connected to each other. At the same time, the fibers 2 are pneumatically conveyed from both sides into the drum 10 from the ducts 18 (L, R) via the respective ducts 11 (L, R).
[0033]
The positions of the left and right ducts 11 (L, R) are adopted when guiding the fiber 2 together with air and turning it so as to move in the depth direction of the drum 10 while rotating in the same direction L as the drum 10. However, when the fiber 2 is guided together with air and rotated so as to move in the depth direction of the drum 10 while rotating in the opposite direction R to the drum 10, the fiber 2 is located on the same side as the rotation direction with respect to the center C of the drum 10. At the offset position, the introduction ducts 18 (L, R) may be connected from the tangential direction. In short, the introduction ducts 18 (L, R) may be connected in a tangential direction at a position offset to any side from the center C of the drum 10.
[0034]
A turning member 20 is provided in each of the ducts 11 (L, R). As shown in detail in a first example in FIG. 3A, the revolving member 20 is constituted by a spiral (screw feeder) baffle plate member 20A, and as shown by an arrow m, the fiber 2 together with air. Is guided and rotated so as to move in the depth direction of the drum 10 while rotating in the same direction L as the drum 10.
[0035]
3B, the center of the baffle plate member 20A is supported by the baffle plate support shaft 21 and has a circumferential angle of about 3/4 (about 270 degrees) when viewed in the axial direction. The fiber 2 is plate-shaped and spirally curved in a side view, and is guided into the drum 10 while being swirled with air along the side surface of the baffle plate member 20A.
[0036]
Since the radius of rotation of the baffle plate member 20A becomes smaller as it approaches the center of rotation, the fibers 2 are less likely to be dispersed. Therefore, by providing the baffle plate support shaft 21, the fibers 2 are separated from the center of rotation so as to be easily dispersed. It is also possible to use the baffle plate support shaft 21 as a hollow shaft and introduce a water-absorbing resin (SAP) into the drum 10 from this hollow shaft.
[0037]
As shown in detail in a second example in FIG. 3C, the revolving member 20 can be constituted by a spirally twisted duct 20B.
[0038]
With this configuration, the spiral duct 20B guides the fiber 2 together with air as shown by the arrow m, and rotates in the same direction L as the drum 10 to move in the depth direction of the drum 10. It is to let.
[0039]
As shown in detail in a third example in FIG. 4, the turning member 20 includes a duct 20 </ b> C that conveys the fibers 2 straight into the drum 10 in the rotation axis direction (see an arrow c), and the air in the rotation direction of the drum 10. L and a drum end member 20D having an ejection hole 20a inclined so as to eject in the same direction as L toward the back of the drum (see arrow d). The ejection hole 20a may be straight, and air may be supplied to the ejection hole 20a from an inclined nozzle.
[0040]
With this configuration, the fibers 2 are straightly conveyed from the duct 20C into the drum 10 in the direction of the rotation axis, and the fibers 2 are guided together with the air ejected in an inclined state from the ejection holes 20a in the same direction as the drum 10. While rotating to L, the drum 10 is turned so as to move in the depth direction of the drum 10.
[0041]
In each of the turning members 20, while rotating the fiber 2 in the same direction L as that of the drum 10 together with the air, the fiber 2 is turned so as to move in the depth direction of the drum 10. R (see FIG. 3A) may be rotated so as to move in the depth direction of the drum 10 while rotating.
[0042]
FIG. 6 is an overall side view of a manufacturing facility for the disposable absorbent article 1.
[0043]
A foundation support 26 is erected on the floor 25, and the drum 10 is supported on the upper part of the foundation support 26 so as to rotate counterclockwise L by the electric motor 16.
[0044]
Below the drum 10, a vacuum conveyor 27 is disposed so as to run from right to left.
[0045]
The outer periphery of the drum 10 is covered with a wind tunnel (cover) 28, and a lower opening 28 a of the wind tunnel 28 faces above the vacuum conveyor 27, and an intake port 28 b is provided at an upper part of the wind tunnel 28. I have.
[0046]
On the right side of the drum 10, a roll of the lower carrier sheet 29 and a roll of the upper carrier sheet 30 are arranged. The lower carrier sheet 29 is guided below the drum 10 and pulled out onto the vacuum conveyor 27. At the same time, the upper carrier sheet 30 is drawn out so as to be guided over the drum 10 and to be overlapped with the lower carrier sheet 29 on the left side of the vacuum conveyor 27.
[0047]
According to the manufacturing equipment, while the drum 10 is rotated counterclockwise L by the electric motor 16, the fibers are simultaneously introduced into the drum 10 from both sides from the introduction duct 18 (L, R) through the duct 11 (L, R). 2 will be pneumatically conveyed.
[0048]
At this time, since the turning member 20 including the spiral (screw feeder) baffle plate member 20A is provided in the duct 11 (L, R), the fiber 2 is guided together with the air, and the drum 2 is driven. While rotating in the same direction L (or the opposite direction R) as the drum 10, the drum 10 is turned so as to move in the depth direction of the drum 10. Due to this swirling flow, the fibers 2 are quickly and uniformly dispersed in the drum 10 and the fibers 2 project from the small holes 10 a of the drum 10.
[0049]
Then, the protruding fibers are collected by the suction force of the vacuum conveyor 27 traveling below the drum 10, and are stacked on the lower carrier sheet 29 of the vacuum conveyor 27. The hot melt adhesive 31 (see FIG. 7) is applied onto the lower carrier sheet 29 before lamination of the fibers 2 so that the fibers 2 are bonded.
[0050]
Thereafter, the upper carrier sheet 30 is superimposed on and bonded to the laminated fibers 2 (see FIG. 7C), and the disposable absorbent article 1 is wound into a roll while being continuously manufactured.
[0051]
As described above, the swirling flow by the swirling members 20 (20A to 20D) allows the fibers 2 to be quickly and uniformly dispersed in the drum 10, so that fiber lump cannot be formed in the drum 10 and The protrusion amount of the fiber 2 from the small hole 10a does not vary, and the disposable absorbent article 1 having a narrow width (for example, 50 to 500 mm) having a uniform density and a stable shape can be continuously manufactured.
[0052]
Further, the fibers 2 are pneumatically conveyed into the drum 10 from both sides of the drum 10, so that a large amount of fibers are dispersed quickly and uniformly in the drum 10, and the fibers 2 project from the small holes 10 a of the drum 10. Since the amount increases, the manufacturing time of the disposable absorbent article 1 is greatly reduced.
[0053]
Further, each of the turning members 20 (20A to 20D) has a simple structure and good durability, and can surely turn the fiber 2 together with air.
[0054]
Furthermore, since the swivel members 20 (20A to 20D) are basically provided, the present invention can be applied by slightly modifying existing equipment.
[0055]
FIG. 6 shows a structure in which the disposable absorbent article 1 is wound up in a roll while being continuously manufactured. As shown schematically in FIG. (See FIG. 7 (d)), the ultra-thin disposable absorbent article 1 having a uniform density and a stable form can be continuously produced simply and inexpensively in-line. .
[0056]
Further, as schematically shown in FIG. 7B, if the pattern drum 32 is provided, the fibers 2 can be sent out while being intermittently stacked on the lower carrier sheet 29.
[0057]
Although the above embodiments have been described on the premise that the absorbent is mainly manufactured in the disposable absorbent article 1, a surface material (skin side sheet) and a diffusion layer (second sheet) can also be manufactured. .
[0058]
And in the case of a surface material or a diffusion layer, as shown in FIG. 6, it may be wound into a roll and then introduced into a production line, or as shown in FIG. Can also be incorporated.
[0059]
In the case of the absorber, as the fibers 2, fibers obtained by mixing defibrated pulp fibers as main fibers and synthetic fibers (heat-fusible fibers, water-absorbing fibers, etc.) are used, and the fiber length is 1 to 7 mm. (More preferably 2 to 5 mm).
[0060]
In the case of the surface material, the fibers 2 are mainly hydrophilic fibers (rayon or the like) and hydrophobic fibers (polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, nylon, polyamide, or the like) hydrophilized with a surfactant. It is formed by heat treatment or bonding with a binder. In this case, for example, an oven for heat treatment or an embossing roll can be provided at the junction of the carrier sheets 29 and 30 in FIG.
[0061]
In the case of the surface material, the fibers 2 having a fineness of 0.5 to 3.5 decitex are mainly used, and in the case of the diffusion layer, preferably, the fineness (4.0 to 80 detex) is larger than that of the surface material. More preferably, the fiber 2 having a fineness of 5.0 to 50 decitex is preferable.
[0062]
In the surface material and the diffusion layer, a fiber length of 10 to 30 mm (more preferably, 15 to 25 mm) is mainly used. In this case, the size and shape of the small hole 10a of the drum 10 may be appropriately selected.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional front view of a main part of an apparatus for manufacturing a disposable absorbent article.
FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG.
3A is a perspective view of a first example of a turning member, FIG. 3B is a side view of a baffle plate member, and FIG. 3C is a perspective view of a second example of a turning member.
4A is a perspective view of a turning member according to a third example, FIG. 4B is a front view of a main part, and FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view.
5A is a front view of a drum, and FIG. 5B is an enlarged sectional view of a small hole.
FIG. 6 is an overall side view of a manufacturing facility for disposable absorbent articles.
FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b) are schematic side views of facilities for manufacturing disposable absorbent articles, respectively, and FIGS. 7 (c) and (d) are cross-sectional views of the disposable absorbent articles.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 disposable absorbent articles (fiber laminates)
2 Fiber 10 Drum 10a Small hole 10b Plate 11 (L, R) Duct 16 Electric motor 18 (L, R) Introductory duct 20 (A to D) Swivel member 27 Vacuum conveyor

Claims (9)

In the rotating small-hole drum, the defibrated fibers are conveyed by air and dispersed, and are projected from the small holes of the drum.The suction fibers of the vacuum conveyor running below the drum remove the projected fibers. In a method for producing a fiber laminate that was collected and laminated on a vacuum conveyor,
When the fibers are conveyed into the drum by air, the fibers are guided together with air, and the fiber is rotated so as to move in the back direction of the drum while rotating in the same or opposite direction as the drum. Production method. The method for producing a fiber laminate according to claim 1, wherein the fibers are pneumatically conveyed into the drum from both sides of the drum. In the rotating small-hole drum, the defibrated fibers are conveyed by air and dispersed, and are projected from the small holes of the drum.The suction fibers of the vacuum conveyor running below the drum remove the projected fibers. In a fiber laminate manufacturing apparatus that was collected and laminated on a vacuum conveyor,
When the fibers are conveyed into the drum by air, a turning member is provided that guides the fibers together with the air and turns so as to move in the same direction as the drum or in the opposite direction so as to move in the depth direction of the drum. Characteristic fiber laminate manufacturing equipment. The apparatus for manufacturing a fiber laminate according to claim 3, wherein the turning member is provided on both sides of the drum. The apparatus for manufacturing a fiber laminate according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the revolving member is a spiral baffle plate member provided in a duct that conveys the fibers into the drum by air. The apparatus for manufacturing a fiber laminate according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the swirling member is a spiral duct that conveys the fibers into the drum by air. A drum end member having a duct for conveying the fibers straight into the drum in the direction of the rotation axis and a jet hole for jetting air toward the back of the drum in the same direction as the rotation direction of the drum or in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the drum; The apparatus for producing a fiber laminate according to claim 3 or 4, wherein The apparatus for producing a fiber laminate according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the small holes of the drum are countersunk in a dish shape on an inner surface side. The method and apparatus for producing a fiber laminate according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the fiber laminate is a disposable absorbent article.

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