JP2007160888A - Molded board manufacturing device/method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a molded board manufacturing device which increases the strength of a molded board as a whole by modifying an entire matted object and modify the matted objects of various shapes at a low cost, and and also to provide a molded board manufacturing method. <P>SOLUTION: This molded board manufacturing device is equipped with: a compressed conveyance means which compresses the matted object in the wall thickness direction and conveys the compressed matted object; and an electrical discharge means which has at least one pair of electrodes arranged holding the compressed and conveyed matted object in between, in the wall thickness direction and discharges electricity to the matted object continuously or intermittently. The whole matted object is modified by discharging electricity to the matted object in the wall thickness direction by the electrical discharge means. The compressed and conveyed matted object is continuously or intermittently processed by electrical discharge in the conveyance direction by the continuous or intermittent electrical discharge of the electrical discharge means to the compressed and conveyed matted object. Thus the matted objects of various shapes are modified at a low cost. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a molded board in which a mat body formed by mixing and laminating a matrix material and a resin binder material is heated and pressed. The molded board manufactured by the apparatus and method of the present invention can be preferably used as an interior material of a vehicle or a building, for example.

  Molded boards used as interior materials for vehicles and buildings are obtained by heating and pressing a mat body formed by laminating a matrix material and a resin binder material into a predetermined shape. By heating, the resin binder material contained in the mat body is melted, and the matrix materials are bonded to each other. The mat body heated and melted by pressurization is molded into a predetermined shape, and a molded board is obtained. As the matrix material, a material in which a wood material, a resin, or the like is formed into a powder shape, a fiber shape, a chip shape, or the like is generally used. As the resin binder material, generally, a thermoplastic resin, a thermosetting resin or the like formed in a powder form, a fiber form, a chip form or the like is used.

  By the way, depending on the combination of the matrix material and the resin binder material, the molten resin binder material may not be sufficiently adapted to the matrix material. For example, when a wood material is used as the matrix material and polypropylene is used as the resin binder material, the wood material has a hydrophilic group, whereas the polypropylene has a hydrophobic group, so the wettability of both is poor. Therefore, in this case, the matrix materials cannot be firmly bonded to each other by the resin binder material, and the obtained molded board is inferior in strength. In particular, when forming a molded board thinly, that is, when forming a molded board with a low basis weight, it is difficult to sufficiently secure the strength of the molded board.

  By the way, in recent years, a technique has been proposed in which glow discharge is performed on a mat body including a matrix material made of a wood element piece and a resin binder material to modify the surface of the mat body (for example, see Patent Document 1). According to the method for modifying a mat body introduced in Patent Document 1, glow discharge is performed on the surface of the mat body as a target in a discharge chamber set at a low pressure. The discharge chamber is usually filled with a non-reactive gas. By performing glow discharge on the surface of the mat body in the discharge chamber, various functional groups such as OH groups and COOH groups are introduced into the matrix material and resin binder material exposed to the mat body, and the matrix material and resin binder material Hydrophilicity can be increased. That is, the surface of the mat body can be modified. On the surface of the modified mat body, the wettability between the matrix material and the resin binder material is increased, so that the adhesive strength between the matrix material and the resin binder material on the surface of the molded board is increased, and a molded board having excellent surface strength can be obtained. .

However, since glow discharge needs to be performed in the discharge chamber, it is suitable for batch processing but unsuitable for continuous processing. Therefore, it has been difficult to continuously perform glow discharge on a large mat body. Further, since the size of the mat body that can be accommodated in the discharge chamber is limited, it is difficult to perform glow discharge on a large mat body. Since batch processing is more expensive than continuous processing, there is a problem that it is difficult to modify the mat body at low cost.
JP 10-305410 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can improve the strength of the entire molded board by modifying the entire mat body, and can be modified at low cost for various shaped mat bodies. An object is to provide a manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method.

  The forming board manufacturing apparatus according to the first invention for solving the above-mentioned problems includes a mat body forming means for forming a mat body by mixing and laminating a matrix material and a resin binder material, and compressing the mat body in the thickness direction. It has a compressing and conveying means that conveys the compressed mat body and at least a pair of electrodes arranged with the mat body being compressed and conveyed in the thickness direction, and discharges continuously or intermittently to the mat body. And a forming means for forming a forming board by heating and pressing the discharged mat body.

The molded board manufacturing apparatus of the first invention preferably includes any one of the following configurations (1) to (5). It is preferable to include a plurality of the following configurations (1) to (5).
(1) The interval between the electrodes of the discharge means is 8 mm or less.
(2) The compression conveying means includes at least one compression roller having a pair of roller bodies that sandwich two opposing surfaces of the mat body in the thickness direction.
(3) The compression conveying means includes a plurality of the compression rollers arranged in the mat body conveying direction, and a gap between the roller bodies constituting the same compression roller is gradually increased in the mat body conveying direction. Has a smaller part.
(4) At least one of the compression rollers constitutes the discharge means.
(5) A plurality of the compression rollers constitute the discharging means.

  The method for producing a molded board according to the second invention for solving the above-mentioned problem is a method for producing a molded board using any of the above-described molded board production apparatuses, and using the mat body forming means, The mat body is formed by mixing and laminating a matrix material and the resin binder material to form the mat body, and the mat body is compressed while compressing the mat body in the thickness direction using the compression conveying means. A compressing and conveying step for conveying the body, a discharging step for discharging the mat body compressed and conveyed in the thickness direction continuously or intermittently using the discharging means, and the forming means. And a molding step of heating and pressurizing the mat body after the discharging step to form a molding board.

The method for producing a molded board according to the second invention preferably comprises any of the following configurations (6) to (11). It is desirable to include a plurality of the following configurations (6) to (11).
(6) The interval at which the discharging means discharges is 8 mm or less.
(7) The matrix material is made of at least one selected from a wood material, a resin, a carbon compound, and glass.
(8) The matrix material is fibrous.
(9) The resin binder material is fibrous.
(10) The matrix material includes kenaf fibers.
(11) The resin binder material includes thermoplastic resin fibers.

  In the molding board manufacturing apparatus of the first invention, the mat body is compressed by the compression conveying means. And it discharges to the thickness direction of a mat body by the electrode of the discharge means arrange | positioned on both sides of the mat body compressed and conveyed in the thickness direction. The discharge means has at least a pair of electrodes and discharges continuously or intermittently to the mat body being compressed and conveyed. The discharge referred to in the present invention is a concept including the above-described glow discharge, corona discharge, plasma discharge and the like. Since the discharging means discharges continuously or intermittently, the mat body being compressed and conveyed can be discharged continuously or intermittently along the conveying direction. For this reason, the mat bodies having various shapes can be modified. For example, when discharging the mat body inside the discharge chamber using a method such as glow discharge, two small openings are provided in the discharge chamber. Then, the mat body is transported to the mat body in the discharge chamber continuously or intermittently while being conveyed into and out of the discharge chamber through the opening. For this reason, regardless of the size of the discharge chamber, the mat bodies of various sizes can be discharged continuously or intermittently. Therefore, compared with the case where the mat body is subjected to the discharge process by the batch process as described above, the mat bodies having various shapes can be modified at a low cost. In addition, for example, when discharging under atmospheric pressure using a method such as corona discharge, a discharge chamber is unnecessary, so that a larger mat body can be modified at a lower cost. In addition, by discharging in the thickness direction of the mat body, various functional groups are introduced not only on the surface of the mat body but also on the matrix material and resin binder material present inside, so that wetting between the matrix material and the resin binder material occurs. Sexuality is enhanced. Therefore, since the entire mat body can be modified while continuously producing the mat body, the mat body can be efficiently produced and the resulting molded board is excellent in the overall strength. It is considered that by discharging in the thickness direction of the mat body, plasma generated by the discharge reaches the inside of the mat body through the gap between the matrix material and the resin binder material.

  In the molded board manufacturing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the electric power applied to the discharge means is small, a phenomenon of stable discharge is observed when the mat body is sandwiched with electrodes arranged at intervals of 8 mm or less. . Therefore, it is preferable to compress the mat body to a thickness of 8 mm or less by the compressing and conveying means at the time of discharging at low power.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the space | interval of the electrodes which make a pair is 1 mm-8 mm. Desirably, it is 1 mm to 5 mm.

  In the case where the molding board manufacturing apparatus of the first invention includes the configuration (1), since the discharge process can be performed more stably with a small amount of power, the entire mat body can be more reliably modified.

  In the case where the molded board manufacturing apparatus of the first invention includes the configuration (2), there is an advantage that the mat body can be modified at a lower cost. This is because the compression / conveying means can have a simple structure by using a compression roller capable of both compressing and conveying the mat body.

  In the case where the molding board manufacturing apparatus of the first invention includes the configuration (3), there is an advantage that the entire mat body can be more reliably modified. This is because the thickness of the mat body can be controlled more precisely because the mat body can be compressed stepwise to a predetermined thickness. In addition, there is an advantage that the load applied to the compressing / conveying means is reduced as compared with the case where the mat body is rapidly compressed into a thin wall.

  In the case where the molding board manufacturing apparatus of the first invention includes the configuration (4), there is an advantage that the mat body can be modified at a lower cost. By constituting the discharging means from a part of the compressing and conveying means, the number of parts of the forming board manufacturing apparatus can be reduced and the manufacturing process can be shortened.

  In the case where the molding board manufacturing apparatus of the first invention includes the configuration (5), there are advantages in that the manufacturing loss when the mat body is modified can be reduced and the entire mat body can be more reliably modified. By forming the discharge means with a plurality of compression rollers, the mat body can be discharged in multiple stages. For this reason, the discharge output in each compression roller can be reduced, the electric power applied to the mat body at a time can be reduced, and the formation of a burning hole or the like in the mat body during discharge can be prevented. For this reason, the mat body can be modified at a lower cost. Furthermore, by discharging the mat body in multiple stages, the entire mat body can be discharged uniformly. Therefore, the entire mat body can be more reliably modified.

  The method for producing a molded board according to the second aspect of the invention is a method for producing a molded board using any one of the above-described molded board production apparatuses. Therefore, the strength of the entire molded board can be improved by modifying the entire mat body. In addition, various shapes of mat bodies can be modified at low cost.

  When the method for producing a molded board according to the second aspect includes the configuration (6), the entire thickness direction of the mat body can be discharged uniformly with a small amount of electric power, and the entire mat body can be reliably modified.

  In the case where the method for producing a molded board according to the second invention comprises the configuration (7), the matrix material can be reliably modified by electric discharge.

  When the method for manufacturing a molded board according to the second aspect includes the configuration (8), the entire mat member can be more reliably modified. This is because when the matrix material is in a fibrous form, the surface area of the matrix material is increased, and a sufficient gap between the matrix materials can be secured, so that the plasma generated by the discharge reliably reaches the inside of the mat body.

  When the method for manufacturing a molded board according to the second aspect includes the configuration (9), the entire mat member can be more reliably modified. Because the resin binder material has a fibrous shape, the surface area of the matrix material is increased and the gap between the resin binder materials can be sufficiently secured, so that the plasma generated by the discharge reliably reaches the inside of the mat body. is there.

  In the case where the method for producing a molded board according to the second invention comprises the configuration (10), the matrix material can be more reliably modified. Kenaf fiber, which is a kind of wood material, has high hydrophilicity and can be modified together with the resin binder material, thereby improving the adhesion performance. Furthermore, kenaf, which is a raw material for kenaf fiber, is an annual grass and is easy to grow. Kenaf fibers have a relatively long fiber length. For this reason, petroleum-derived resources can be reduced by using kenaf fibers.

  In the case where the method for producing a molded board according to the second invention comprises the configuration (11), the resin binder material can be more reliably modified. The thermoplastic resin fiber is improved in hydrophilicity by electric discharge treatment and can be easily melted in the pre-molding step and the main molding step, so that the molded product can be easily molded and handled.

Discharge in the present invention is a general term for discharge methods called glow discharge, corona discharge, plasma discharge, etc., and by any discharge method, various functional groups are introduced into the matrix material or resin binder material, and the entire mat material Can be modified. For example, since corona discharge is performed in the air, functional groups derived from reactive gases such as O ₂ and N ₂ present in the air are introduced into the matrix material and the resin binder material. According to glow discharge, since discharge is performed in the discharge chamber, functional groups derived from reactive gases such as O ₂ and N ₂ existing in the reaction chamber and inside the mat body are introduced into the matrix material and the resin binder material.

  In the modified mat material, the same functional group is introduced into the matrix material and the resin binder material, and the hydrophilicity (wetting property) between the matrix material and the resin binder material becomes the same. When the mat material after modification is heated to melt the resin binder material, the matrix material and the resin binder material are firmly bonded. Therefore, even when the matrix material and the resin binder material before modification are inferior in wettability, the matrix materials can be firmly bonded to each other by the resin binder material, and the resulting molded board has excellent strength.

  As the matrix material and the resin binder material which are the raw materials of the mat body, various materials capable of introducing various functional groups by discharge treatment can be selected. The matrix material and the resin binder material can be used in various shapes such as powder, chip, and fiber, but it is preferable to use a fiber material. This is because by making the matrix material or the resin binder material into a fibrous shape, the surface area of the matrix material or the resin binder material can be increased, and a sufficient gap can be secured. Further, since the fibrous matrix material and the resin binder material are entangled with each other, there is an advantage that a mat material or a molded board having excellent strength and handling properties can be obtained.

  For example, as the matrix material, at least one selected from a wood material, a resin, a carbon compound, and glass is preferably used.

  As the woody material, it is preferable to use materials derived from woody plants or herbaceous plants containing lignocelluloses, celluloses and the like. Specific examples include bast fibers such as kenaf fiber, hemp fiber, flax fiber, roselle fiber, ramie fiber, jute fiber, hemp fiber, oil palm fiber, coconut fiber, and sugarcane fiber. Woody materials are preferably used because of their low cost and relatively high strength. In particular, kenaf fibers are preferably used because they contain a large amount of lignocellulose, are excellent in compressive strength, and have a low specific gravity. In addition, kenaf is easy to grow on an annual grass, so there is an advantage that raw material costs can be reduced.

  Various materials can be selected as the resin material, the carbon compound, and the glass depending on the strength required for the molded board. For example, glass wool or carbon fiber is preferably used because of its high strength.

  As the resin binder material, either a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin may be used. Examples of the thermoplastic resin include acrylic resin, polylactic acid resin, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate. Examples of the thermosetting resin include an epoxy resin, a phenol resin, and an unsaturated polyester resin. In order to reduce the use of petroleum resources or facilitate the disposal of the wooden molded body, it is particularly preferable to use a resin material obtained from a non-petroleum resource or a biodegradable resin as a binder.

  Examples of biodegradable resins include chemically modified starch resins, cellulose resins, and aliphatic polyesters. Chemically modified starch resins are represented by starch esters and starch ethers. Examples of the starch ester include highly substituted esterified starch, esterified vinyl ester graft polymerized starch, and esterified polyester graft polymerized starch. Examples of the starch ether include etherified vinyl ester graft polymerized starch and etherified polyester graft polymerized starch. In addition, polyester graft polymerized starch may be used.

  Examples of the cellulose resin include acetyl cellulose, acetyl butyl cellulose, acetyl propionyl cellulose, and benzylated cellulose.

  Examples of the aliphatic polyester include an aliphatic glycol / polybasic acid polyester having a known structure and a polylactic acid-based aliphatic polyester (so-called polylactic acid resin). Polylactic acid resin is particularly preferably used because of its relatively high strength and excellent biodegradability.

  When a thermoplastic resin is selected as the resin binder material, the molding process can be divided into two stages, a preliminary molding process and a main molding process. In other words, once the mat body is pre-molded and then main-molded, the mat body-forming process, the compression conveyance process, the discharge process, and the pre-molding process and the main molding process can be carried out in different places, respectively. There is an advantage that the line can be designed freely.

  The mat body forming means mixes and laminates a matrix material and a resin binder material by a known method such as an airlay method, a fleece method, or a card method. Further, the mat body forming means may be provided with an entanglement device that entangles the matrix material and the resin binder material by a method such as a needle punch method.

  Hereinafter, the manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of the molding board of this invention are demonstrated based on drawing.

Example 1
FIGS. 1 to 3 are explanatory views schematically showing the molding board manufacturing apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view schematically showing a mat body forming means, a compressing and conveying means, and a discharging means, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are explanatory views schematically showing a forming means. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part schematically showing the compression conveying means and the discharging means.

  Hereinafter, the manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus of the molding board of Example 1 are demonstrated in order of a process.

(Matte body forming process)
50 parts by weight of kenaf fiber and 50 parts by weight of polypropylene (PP) fiber were mixed and laminated to obtain a mixed material for a mat body. Kenaf fiber is a matrix material, and PP is a resin binder material. The mat body was obtained by laminating the mixed materials in the procedure described below using the mat body forming means 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the mat body forming means 1 includes a fiber defibrating device 2, a hopper 3, a fiber depositing device 4, and an entanglement device 5. The fiber defibrating device 2, the hopper 3, the fiber depositing device 4, and the entanglement device 5 have a known structure.

  First, a mixed material composed of kenaf fibers and PP fibers was continuously fed into the fiber defibrating apparatus 2. The fiber defibrating apparatus 2 contains a first defibrating apparatus 6. The first defibrating device 6 has a roller shape, and a comb-like protrusion is formed on the outer peripheral surface. The first defibrating device 6 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. The mixed material that has been put into the fiber defibrating apparatus 2 and has reached the outer peripheral surface of the first defibrating apparatus 6 is conveyed to the hopper 3 adjacent to the fiber defibrating apparatus 2 by the rotation of the first defibrating apparatus 6. The first defibrating device 6 was pulled and loosened.

  The hopper 3 includes a blower 7, a second defibrating device 8, a first transport device 9, and a pressing device 10. The second defibrating device 8 has substantially the same shape as the first defibrating device 6, and rotates counterclockwise in FIG. The mixed material conveyed from the fiber defibrating apparatus 2 to the hopper 3 was pneumatically conveyed by the blower 7 and reached the second defibrating apparatus 8. The mixed material that has reached the second defibrating device 8 is crushed and loosened by the second defibrating device 8, and below the second defibrating device 8 as the second defibrating device 8 rotates. Dropped on the first transfer device 9 arranged in the box. The 1st conveying apparatus 9 consists of a belt conveyor. A roller-shaped pressing device 10 is disposed on the upper portion of the first conveying device 9. The mixed material dropped on the first transport device 9 was pressed against the upper surface of the first transport device 9 by the pressing device 10 and transported. The mixed material transported by the first transport device 9 reached the fiber deposition device 4 adjacent to the hopper 3.

  The fiber deposition device 4 is an air-lay type device, and includes a suction device 11 that sucks air inside the device, a transport roller 12 that transports the mixed material inside the device, and transports the mixed material into and out of the fiber deposition device 4. And a second transfer device 13. The suction device 11 includes a suction pump, and the second transport device 13 includes a mesh belt conveyor. The suction device 11 is disposed below the second transport device 13. The mixed material that reached the fiber deposition device 4 and was transported to the transport roller 12 and reached the vicinity of the suction device 11 was sucked by the suction device 11 together with the air inside the device toward the lower side of the second transport device 13. The air passes through the second transport device 13 and is discharged to the outside of the suction device 11, but the mixed material does not pass through the second transport device 13, and therefore the mixed material remains on the upper surface of the second transport device 13. The laminated body 15 was obtained. The laminate 15 laminated on the upper surface of the second transport device 13 was transported to the entanglement device 5 adjacent to the fiber deposition device 4.

  The entanglement device 5 is a needle punch type device and includes a needle 16 that repeatedly pierces the laminated body 15 in the thickness direction. A protrusion (not shown) is formed on the needle 16, and the laminated body 15 pierced (needle punched) by the needle 16 is entangled with each other to form a mat body 18. In the method for manufacturing a molded board of Example 1, the mat body 18 was subjected to needle punching twice with a needle depth of 1 to 3 mm.

The mat body 18 was obtained by the mat body forming process described above. The obtained mat body 18 has a breaking elongation in the MD direction (longitudinal direction, the left-right direction in FIG. 1) and a breaking elongation in the TD direction (direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction) of 30 mm or more, and the basis weight (unit area) Per weight) was 1900 g / m ² and the wall thickness was 30 mm. The mat body 18 obtained in the mat body forming process of the first embodiment has a long shape continuously formed by the fiber defibrating apparatus 2, the hopper 3, the fiber deposition apparatus 4, and the entanglement apparatus 5. .

(Compression conveyance process, discharge process)
The mat body 18 obtained in the mat body forming step was modified by using the compressing and conveying means and the discharging means. In the molded board manufacturing apparatus of the first embodiment, the compressing and conveying means and the discharging means are integrated. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the compressing and conveying means 20 includes ten compression rollers (21 to 30) arranged in the conveying direction of the mat body 18 (left and right direction in FIGS. 1 and 4). . Each of the compression rollers (21 to 30) includes a roller body (upper roller 31) disposed above the transport space that transports the mat body 18, and a roller body (lower roller 32) disposed below the transport space. The belt body 33 is provided. The upper roller 31 and the lower roller 32 make a pair and sandwich the mat body 18 conveyed in the conveyance space in the thickness direction. The upper roller 31 has a cylindrical roller base (not shown) made of stainless steel and an elastic layer having a thickness of 5 mm that covers the outer peripheral surface of the roller base. Similar to the upper roller 31, the lower roller 32 includes a cylindrical roller base (not shown) made of stainless steel and an elastic layer (not shown) having a thickness of 5 mm covering its outer peripheral surface.

  Each upper roller 31 is connected to an unillustrated motor (upper motor) and rotates counterclockwise in FIGS. 1 and 4. Each lower roller 32 is connected to a motor (lower motor) (not shown), and each lower roller 32 rotates clockwise in FIGS. 1 and 4. Each of the lower rollers 32 is connected by a stainless steel belt body 33 that is formed in a mesh shape and has an annular shape. That is, the lower roller 32, the motor, and the belt body 33 constitute a belt conveyor.

  Each compression roller (21-30) comprises the apparatus for corona discharge which consists of known structures. Specifically, each upper roller 31 is connected to a power supply device having a transformer and a power source (not shown), and constitutes a working electrode of the corona discharge device. Each lower roller 32 is connected to a ground (not shown). In the molding board manufacturing apparatus of Example 1, the upper roller 31 and the lower roller 32 constitute a pair of electrodes, and corona discharge is continuously performed between the pair of electrodes.

  The first compression roller 21 and the first compression roller in the molding board manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment are directed from the upstream side (left side in FIG. 4) to the downstream side (right side in FIG. 4) in the conveying direction of the mat body 18. 2 compression roller 22, 3rd compression roller 23, 4th compression roller 24, 5th compression roller 25, 6th compression roller 26, 7th compression roller 27, 8th compression roller 28, 9th compression roller 29, 10th compression This is called a roller 30. In the molding board manufacturing apparatus of Example 1, the distance between each upper roller 31 and the belt body 33 is 8 mm from the first compression roller 21 to the tenth compression roller 30.

  Each compression roller is discharged in the thickness direction with respect to the mat body 18 by the upper roller 31, the power feeding device, the lower roller 32, and the ground. As for the 1st compression roller 21-the 10th compression roller 30, the space | interval of the upper side roller 31 and the belt body 33 is 8 mm or less. In the molded board manufacturing apparatus of the first embodiment, the first compression roller 21 to the tenth compression roller 30 constitute a discharging unit. That is, in the molded board manufacturing apparatus of Example 1, the compressing and conveying means 20 and the discharging means are integrated.

  In the molding board manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment, the upper roller 31, the upper motor, the lower roller 32, the lower motor, the power feeding device, the ground, and the belt body 33 constitute the compression rollers (21 to 30). The compression rollers (21 to 30) convey the mat body 18 and compress it in the thickness direction by the upper roller 31, the upper motor, the lower roller 32, the lower motor, and the belt body 33. That is, the compression rollers (21 to 30) constitute the compression conveyance means 20.

  The compression conveyance process and the discharge process in the manufacturing method of the molding board of Example 1 are demonstrated below.

  When the mat body 18 obtained in the mat body forming process reaches the compressing and conveying means 20 (discharge means), the mat body 18 enters the gaps between the upper rollers 31 and the lower rollers 32. The mat body 18 was compressed while being conveyed with the upper surface and the lower surface sandwiched between the upper roller 31 and the lower roller 32. In the method for manufacturing a molded board of Example 1, the speed at which the mat body 18 was conveyed by the compression conveying means 20 was 5 m / min. Further, in the compression rollers (21 to 30), the upper roller 31 and the lower roller 32 form a pair of electrodes, and corona discharge is continuously performed between the pair of electrodes. Therefore, the mat body 18 was continuously subjected to corona discharge in the thickness direction while being compressed and conveyed by the compression rollers (21 to 30). The mat body 18 was discharged continuously along the longitudinal direction, that is, the transport direction, by performing corona discharge while transporting the mat body 18 by the compressing and transporting means 20. At this time, the electric power applied to each upper roller 31 which is a working electrode was 800W. For reference, the capacity of each transformer was 4 kW.

  The mat body 18 was subjected to corona discharge at intervals of 8 mm or less in the thickness direction when passing through the first compression roller 21 to the tenth compression roller 30 as discharge means. Therefore, in the method of manufacturing the molded board of Example 1, the surface and the inside of the mat body 18 were modified when the mat body 18 passed between the first compression roller 21 to the tenth compression roller 30.

(Forming process Pre-forming process)
The molding process in the method for producing a molded board of Example 1 includes two processes, a preliminary molding process and a main molding process. The pre-forming step is a step of forming the general-purpose shape by heating and pressurizing the mat body 18 that has been discharged. As shown in FIG. 2, the preforming means 35 used in the preforming step is adjacent to the third transport device 36 disposed on the most upstream side in the transport direction of the mat body 18 and the third transport device 36. It has a preheating device 37, a compression conveyance device 38 adjacent to the preheating device 37, and a fourth conveyance device 39 adjacent to the compression conveyance device 38. Each of the third transport device 36 and the fourth transport device 39 has two feed rollers (an upper feed roller 40 and a lower feed roller 41) arranged above and below the transport space for transporting the mat body 18. The upper feed roller 40 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. The lower feed roller 41 rotates clockwise in FIG. The third transport device 36 and the fourth transport device 39 transport the mat body 18 from the left side to the right side in FIG. The preheating device 37 has a pair of contact heaters 43 arranged above and below the transfer space. The compression / conveyance device 38 includes a group of rollers 44 arranged in the conveyance direction of the mat body 18 above and below the conveyance space.

  In the preforming process, the mat body 18 that has undergone the compression and transport process and the discharge process is transported by the third transport device 36 and the fourth transport device 39, and heated and compressed by the preheating device 37 and the compression transport device 38. , And cooled. Specifically, the mat body 18 was heated at 200 ° C. for 50 seconds by the preheating device 37 and compressed while being naturally cooled by the compression / conveyance device 38. In the molding board manufacturing apparatus of the first embodiment, a cutting device (not shown) is disposed adjacent to the fourth transport device 39. A long preform 45 obtained by the preforming means 35 was cut into a predetermined size by a cutting device to obtain a short preform 46 (so-called preboard). The preboard 46 obtained in the preforming step had a thickness of 3.5 mm.

(Molding process Main molding process)
The main forming step is a step in which the pre-board 46 obtained in the pre-forming step is again heated and pressed to be formed into a predetermined shape. As shown in FIG. 3, the main molding means 47 used in the main molding process shapes the main heating device 48 that heats the preboard 46 while conveying the preboard 46 and the preboard 46 heated by the main heating device 48 into a predetermined shape. And a manipulator 49 that conveys the pre-board 46 heated by the heating device 48 to the shaping mold 50.

  In the main forming step, the pre-board 46 obtained in the pre-forming step is heated at 200 ° C. for 60 seconds with the main heating device 48 and is transported to the shaping die 50 by the manipulator 49 within 30 seconds after heating. Cold pressing was performed with a mold 50.

The molding board of Example 1 was obtained by the mat body forming process, the compression conveying process, the discharging process, the preforming process, and the main molding process. Table 1 shows the physical properties of the molded board of Example 1. In Table 1, the physical properties of the molded boards of Examples 2 to 7 and Reference Examples 1 and 2 described later are also shown.

(Example 2)
The manufacturing method of the molding board of Example 2 is the same as the manufacturing method of the molding board of Example 1 except that polylactic acid (PLA) is used instead of PP as the resin binder material. The molding board manufacturing apparatus used in the molding board manufacturing method of Example 2 is the same as the molding board manufacturing apparatus of Example 1.

(Example 3)
The method for manufacturing a molded board according to the third embodiment uses the compression conveying means 20 including the same number of compression rollers as the first embodiment. The principal part enlarged view which represents typically the compression conveyance means and discharge means of Example 3 is shown in FIG. In the method of manufacturing the molded board of Example 3, the mat body 18 is discharged by five compression rollers, and the distance between the upper roller 31 and the lower roller 32 in the compression roller (between the upper roller 31 and the belt body 33). The method is the same as that of the molded board manufacturing method of the first embodiment except that there is a portion in which the distance) gradually decreases along the conveying direction of the mat body 18. In the molded board manufacturing apparatus of Example 3, the mat body 18 was compressed by gradually changing the distance between the upper roller 31 and the belt body 33 to 30 mm to 8 mm between the first compression roller 21 to the fifth compression roller 25. . Between the sixth compression roller 26 and the tenth compression roller 30, the intervals between the upper roller 31 and the belt body 33 are all 8 mm, and the mat body 18 is discharged.

Example 4
The method for manufacturing a molded board according to the fourth embodiment uses the compression conveying means 20 having the same number of compression rollers as the first embodiment. The method of manufacturing the molded board of Example 4 is the same as the method of manufacturing the molded board of Example 3 except that the mat body 18 is discharged by three compression rollers. The molded board manufacturing apparatus of Example 4 compressed the mat body 18 by gradually changing the distance between the upper roller 31 and the belt body 33 to 30 mm to 8 mm between the first compression roller 21 to the seventh compression roller 27. . Between the eighth compression roller 28 and the tenth compression roller 30, the intervals between the upper roller 31 and the belt body 33 are all 8 mm, and the mat body 18 is discharged.

(Example 5)
The method for manufacturing a molded board according to the fifth embodiment uses the compression conveying means 20 having the same number of compression rollers as the first embodiment. The method of manufacturing the molded board of Example 5 is the same as the method of manufacturing the molded board of Example 3 except that the mat body 18 is discharged by two compression rollers. The molding board manufacturing apparatus of Example 5 compressed the mat body 18 by gradually changing the distance between the upper roller 31 and the belt body 33 to 30 mm to 8 mm between the first compression roller 21 to the eighth compression roller 28. Between the ninth compression roller 29 to the tenth compression roller 30, the intervals between the upper roller 31 and the belt body 33 are all 8 mm, and the mat body 18 is discharged.

(Example 6)
The method for manufacturing a molded board according to the sixth embodiment uses the compression conveying means 20 having the same number of compression rollers as the first embodiment. The method of manufacturing the molded board of Example 6 is the same as the method of manufacturing the molded board of Example 3 except that the mat body 18 is discharged with one compression roller. The molding board manufacturing apparatus of Example 6 compressed the mat body 18 by gradually changing the distance between the upper roller 31 and the belt body 33 to 30 mm to 8 mm between the first compression roller 21 to the ninth compression roller 29. . In the tenth compression roller 30, the distance between the upper roller 31 and the belt body 33 is set to 8 mm, and the mat body 18 is discharged.

(Example 7)
The method of manufacturing the molded board of Example 7 is the same as the method of manufacturing the molded board of Example 6 except that PLA is used as the resin binder material instead of PP. The molding board manufacturing apparatus of the seventh embodiment is the same as the molding board manufacturing apparatus of the sixth embodiment.

(Reference Example 1)
In the method for manufacturing a molded board of Reference Example 1, the compression conveying means 20 includes 10 compression rollers whose interval between the upper roller 31 and the lower roller 32 (interval between the upper roller 31 and the belt body 33) is 30 mm or more. The method for producing the molded board of Example 1 is the same as that of Example 1 except that PLA is used instead of PP as the resin binder material. In the molding board manufacturing apparatus of Reference Example 1, the compression conveying means 20 includes ten compression rollers (first compression roller 21 to tenth compression roller 30). The intervals between the upper roller 31 and the belt body 33 are all 30 mm from the first compression roller 21 to the tenth compression roller 30.

(Reference Example 2)
The method of manufacturing the molded board of Reference Example 2 includes the compression conveying means 20 including three compression rollers in which the distance between the upper roller 31 and the lower roller 32 (the distance between the upper roller 31 and the belt body 33) exceeds 8 mm. The method is the same as the method for manufacturing the molded board of Example 1 except that it is used. In the molding board manufacturing apparatus of Reference Example 2, the compression conveyance device 20 includes three compression rollers (first compression roller 21 to third compression roller 23). The intervals between the upper roller 31 and the belt body 33 are all 15 mm from the first compression roller 21 to the third compression roller 23.

(Evaluation of each molded board)
As shown in Table 1, the molded boards of Examples 1 to 7 and Reference Examples 1 to 2 have substantially the same thickness, basis weight, and density. However, the molded board of Examples 1-7 is excellent in the maximum bending load, bending strength, bending elastic modulus, and bending elasticity (gradient) compared with the molded board of Reference Examples 1-2. In the manufacturing method of the molding board of Examples 1-7, it is considered that the mat body 18 is compressed by the compressing and conveying means 20 and discharged at intervals of 8 mm or less in the thickness direction of the mat body by the discharging means. . That is, in the molded boards of Examples 1 to 7, the wettability between the matrix material and the resin binder material was enhanced as compared with the molded boards of Reference Examples 1 and 2, and the matrix materials were firmly adhered to each other by the resin binder material. It is done.

  In addition, in the discharge process in the manufacturing method of the shaping | molding board of Examples 1-7, generation | occurrence | production of plasma was confirmed and it was suggested that the plasma by corona discharge has reached the inside of the mat body 18. From this, it can be seen that the entire mat body 18 can be more reliably modified with less electric power by discharging with a discharge means at intervals of 8 mm or less in the thickness direction of the mat body 18.

  In the embodiment, when the discharge means has a plurality of electrodes, the distance between the electrodes (the distance between the upper roller 31 and the belt body 33) is constant. You may make it become small gradually along 18 conveyance directions.

  Further, in the molding board manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of the embodiment, the discharging means and the compressing and conveying means 20 are integrated, but the discharging means and the compressing and conveying means 20 may be separate. Further, the discharge means and the forming means may be integrated. For example, the discharge means may be provided on the most upstream side of the preforming means 35 in the mat body conveying direction. Or you may provide a discharge means between the preheating apparatus 37 of the preforming means 35, and the compression conveyance apparatus 38. FIG. You may provide a discharge means in the downstream of a mat | matte body conveyance direction rather than the compression conveyance means 20. FIG. In any case, when the matrix material and the resin binder material are modified by receiving electric discharge, the wettability of both is improved, and a molded board in which the matrix materials are firmly bonded to each other by the resin binder material is obtained.

It is explanatory drawing which represents typically the mat body formation means, the compression conveyance means, and the discharge means in the manufacturing apparatus of the shaping | molding board of Example 1. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which represents typically the shaping | molding means in the manufacturing apparatus of the shaping | molding board of Example 1. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which represents typically the shaping | molding means in the manufacturing apparatus of the shaping | molding board of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part schematically showing a compression transport unit and a discharge unit in the molded board manufacturing apparatus of Example 1. FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a main part schematically showing a compression transport unit and a discharge unit in the molded board manufacturing apparatus of Example 3.

Explanation of symbols

1: mat body forming means, 18: mat body, 20: compression conveying means, 21-30: compression roller, 35: pre-forming means, 46: preboard, 47: main forming means

Claims (13)

A mat body forming means for mixing and laminating a matrix material and a resin binder material to form a mat body;
Compression transport means for compressing the mat body in the thickness direction and transporting the compressed mat body;
A discharge means having at least a pair of electrodes arranged sandwiching the mat body being compressed and transported in the thickness direction, and discharging the mat body continuously or intermittently;
And a molding means for forming the molding board by heating and pressurizing the mat body that has been discharged.   The forming board manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an interval between the electrodes of the discharging means is 8 mm or less.   3. The molding board manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the compression conveying unit includes at least one compression roller having a pair of roller bodies that sandwich two opposing surfaces of the mat body in a thickness direction.   The compression conveying means includes a plurality of the compression rollers arranged in the mat body conveying direction, and a gap between the roller bodies constituting the same compression roller is a portion that gradually decreases in the mat body conveying direction. The manufacturing apparatus of the shaping | molding board of Claim 3 which has these.   The forming board manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the compression rollers constitutes the discharging means.   The forming board manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of the compression rollers constitutes the discharging means. A method for producing a molded board using the molded board production apparatus according to claim 1,
A mat body forming step of forming the mat body by mixing and laminating the matrix material and the resin binder material using the mat body forming means;
A compressing and conveying step of compressing the mat body in the thickness direction and conveying the compressed mat body using the compressing and conveying means;
Using the discharge means, a discharge step of discharging continuously or intermittently in the thickness direction with respect to the mat body being compressed and conveyed;
And a molding step of forming the molding board by heating and pressurizing the mat body after the discharging step using the molding means.   The method for manufacturing a molded board according to claim 7, wherein an interval at which the discharging means discharges is 8 mm or less.   The method for manufacturing a molded board according to claim 7, wherein the matrix material is made of at least one selected from a woody material, a resin, a carbon compound, and glass.   The method for manufacturing a molded board according to claim 7, wherein the matrix material has a fibrous shape.   The said resin binder material is a manufacturing method of the shaping | molding board of Claim 7 which makes | forms fibrous form.   The method for manufacturing a molded board according to claim 7, wherein the matrix material includes kenaf fibers.   The said resin binder material is a manufacturing method of the shaping | molding board of Claim 7 containing a thermoplastic resin fiber.

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