JP2008078524A - Wiper and manufacturing method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wiper for a clean room which holds superior water-absorption rate and wiping ability, wherein the amount of produced lint is small, and will not form bubbles. <P>SOLUTION: A laminated body of the wiper is formed of a water-absorbing nonwoven layer which is constituted of water-absorbing fibers made of a thermoplastic water-absorbing resin of copolymerized polyalkyleneglycol and a water-absorbing nonwoven layer which comprises water-absorbing fibers, made of a thermoplastic water-absorbing resin. The degree of exposure to the wiping surface of the laminate of the water-absorbing fibers is specified. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wiper for wiping off dust and the like, in particular, a precision machine represented by a large-scale integrated circuit, electronic device, electronic component, liquid crystal, optical system, etc. in which minute dust, dust, fibrous scraps, etc. are avoided The present invention relates to a wiper that is suitably used in a clean room or process in which the environment is controlled in a manufacturing process of parts, electronic parts, etc., a manufacturing process of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, etc., an aseptic room, a food-related manufacturing process, etc. Is.

  Piwer products used in clean rooms and other environments where the environment is managed and indoors are required to have special performance necessary for maintaining the environment. In particular, it is required that the generation of minute dust, dust, fibrous scraps, material fragments, and the like (hereinafter collectively referred to as lint) be small. As is well known, contamination in clean rooms and lint brought in are often caused by the workers themselves and the items used by the workers, so they are special for items such as work clothes and wipers. Attention is being paid and improvements are continuing.

  One potential source of particulate contamination in a clean room is a wiper that is used in a wiping operation normally performed in the clean room. For example, when manufacturing and assembling semiconductors and integrated circuits, it is widely used not only for wiping off dirt in the work process, but also for cleaning the surfaces of various equipment and equipment, and cleaning the inner surfaces of walls and rooms. A wiper is used. In these operations, in order to prevent the release and divergence of lint from the wiper to the surrounding environment, various devices have been devised for the wiper used in a room where the environment is controlled, such as a clean room.

  At present, as a clean room wiper, a clean room wiper using a cupra ammonium method rayon continuous long-fiber nonwoven fabric, which is a regenerated cellulose continuous long-fiber nonwoven fabric, is often used. In this wiper, the surface of the nonwoven fabric is composed of continuous long fibers, and the single fibers do not easily fall off, so there is little lint, and the water absorption, antistatic properties, and chemical resistance that are the characteristics of cellulose are excellent.

  However, since it swells with water and elongates with low stress, handling properties when wet are insufficient, and cellulose fibers tend to fibrillate due to wear stress and tend to cause lint. Further, since there is no thermoplasticity, there has been a problem that fiber dropping from the cut surface of the wiper cannot be prevented by thermal bonding.

  On the other hand, as a thermoplastic fiber, a knit wiper using a polyester fiber and a clean room wiper using a melt blown nonwoven fabric of polyolefin fibers such as “Crew” (trademark) manufactured by Kimberly Clark are known. Since synthetic fibers such as polyolefin fibers have low water absorption, hydrophilic processing with a surfactant or the like is required. Examples of hydrophilic processing of synthetic fibers include methods of surface-covering synthetic fibers with hydrophilic substances, methods of attaching alkyl phosphate metal salts, methods of changing the surface or cross-sectional shape of fibers, and imparting porosity to fibers. And a method using a core-sheath type mixed fiber having a mixture of a polyalkylene oxide-modified product or this modified product and polyamide or polyester as a sheath component. However, the method of covering the synthetic fiber with a hydrophilic substance and the method of attaching an alkyl phosphate metal salt improve the water absorption, but the surfactant treated when wiping with an organic solvent or the like is used. There was a problem of elution. In addition, the method of changing the surface or cross-sectional shape of the fiber and the method of imparting porosity are disadvantageous in terms of cost because it requires post-processing and a special manufacturing method. Furthermore, although the method using the polyalkylene oxide modified product is excellent in water absorption, the dimensional stability is poor, the polyalkylene oxide modified product is poor in spinnability, and the core-sheath type fiber structure and other thermoplastic resins are used. There was a problem that it would be difficult to make fibers unless the fibers were mixed.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a wiper that is particularly excellent in lint-free properties and exhibits a strong affinity for water, such as water absorption, hydrophilicity, and water swellability, and a method for producing the wiper.

As a result of diligent studies to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have laminated a water-absorbing nonwoven fabric layer composed of water-absorbing fibers copolymerized with polyalkylene glycol and a thermoplastic long-fiber nonwoven fabric to absorb water. Wiper that has both lint-free and water-absorbing properties while dramatically improving water absorption and maintaining high strength. And the present invention has been achieved.
That is, the present invention is as follows.

(1) A wiper made of a laminated nonwoven fabric in which a nonwoven fabric layer (A) made of thermoplastic hydrophobic fibers and a nonwoven fabric layer (B) made of thermoplastic water-absorbing fibers are laminated and integrated. The wiper characterized by the surface exposure degree represented by the following (1) formula to the surface of this laminated nonwoven fabric in the range of 35-300.

Water absorption fiber surface exposure = {second layer weight / (first layer weight + second layer weight)} / (first layer weight) × 100 (1) Formula First layer weight: first layer loose water fiber layer (A) Weight per unit area (g / m ² )
Second layer basis weight: second layer water-absorbent fiber layer (B) basis weight (g / m ² )
(2) The thermoplastic hydrophobic water-soluble fiber is a long fiber manufactured by a spunbond method, and the thermoplastic water-absorbing fiber is a fiber made of a thermoplastic water-absorbing resin obtained by copolymerizing polyalkylene glycol. The wiper according to (1), wherein the wiper is provided.
(3) The thermoplastic water-absorbing fiber is made of a copolymer of polyester having polytetramethylene terephthalate as a main component and polyalkylene glycol, and the copolymerization amount of polyalkylene glycol is 5 to 90% by weight. The wiper according to (1) or (2), wherein
(4) The wiper according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the nonwoven fabric layer (A) is further laminated on the nonwoven fabric layers (A) and (B).
(5) The wiper according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the water-absorbing nonwoven fabric layer (B) is formed by a melt blow method.
(6) The wiper according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the amount of wet-back of the laminated nonwoven fabric is 3.0 g or less and the liquid absorption speed is 10 seconds / 5 ml or less.
(7) A method for producing a wiper in which a nonwoven fabric layer (B) made of a thermoplastic water-absorbing fiber is laminated and integrated on a nonwoven fabric layer (A) made of a thermoplastic hydrophobic fiber, the laminate of the water-absorbing fibers Manufacture of a wiper characterized by adjusting the basis weight of the nonwoven fabric layers (A) and (B) so that the surface exposure represented by the following formula (1) on the nonwoven fabric surface is in the range of 35 to 300 Method.

Water-absorbing fiber surface exposure = {second layer basis weight / (first layer basis weight + second layer basis weight)} / (first layer basis weight) × 100 (1) Formula First layer basis weight: hydrophobic fiber layer (A) basis weight (G / m ² )
Second layer basis weight: Water absorbent fiber layer (B) basis weight (g / m ² )
(8) The nonwoven fabric made of the thermoplastic hydrophobic fiber is a nonwoven fabric produced by a spunbond method, and the nonwoven fabric made of the thermoplastic water-absorbing fiber uses a thermoplastic water-absorbent resin copolymerized with polyalkylene glycol, The method for manufacturing a wiper according to (7), wherein the method is a non-woven fabric manufactured by a melt-blowing method, and the non-woven fabric is laminated and then integrated by partial thermocompression bonding by heat embossing.
(9) The method for producing a wiper according to (7) or (8), wherein the nonwoven fabric layer (A) is further laminated on the nonwoven fabric layers (A) and (B).

  According to the present invention, the surface layer has a nonwoven fabric composed of thermoplastic hydrophobic long fibers, and the water absorbent fibers are appropriately exposed on the nonwoven fabric surface of the back layer laminated and integrated with the nonwoven fabric composed of specific water absorbent fibers. For this reason, it is compatible with both lint-free properties and water retention during wiping without the addition of surfactants, etc., and there is no eluate from the solvent used during wiping, and the strength when wet It is possible to provide a wiper that is small in drop and excellent in handleability.

  In addition, the thermoplastic water-absorbing fiber used in the present invention collects fibers on a moving web collecting surface by, for example, a melting method as compared with conventionally used cellulosic fibers. It is possible to laminate water-absorbing fibers on-line at high speed by the method, and further laminate and integrate by hot embossing. Since these laminations are composite by fusion bonding, cellulose by fiber entanglement such as spunlace method There is an advantage that both lint-free property and productivity can be improved as compared with the composite with the system fiber.

The water-absorbing nonwoven fabric layer used in the present invention is composed of water-absorbing fibers, and the water-absorbing fibers are composed of a water-absorbing resin having water-absorbing properties. The water-absorbing property of this water-absorbing resin is such that the moisture absorption rate is 40% at a relative humidity of 80% and the moisture retention rate is 7% or more, and the water retention rate is 15% or more. % Or more and a water retention rate of 20% or more.
The moisture absorption rate of the present invention is defined as the moisture absorption rate in accordance with the 8.9 moisture content measurement method of the JIS L1096 general fabric test method and the equilibrium moisture content at a temperature of 40 ° C. and a relative humidity of 80%.

Moreover, the water retention rate evaluated the water retention of the nonwoven fabric by the water retention rate shown by following formula (1). First, the sample was conditioned at a temperature of 20 ° C. and a relative humidity of 65% for 24 hours to measure the weight W1 (g), then immersed in tap water at a temperature of 20 ° C. for 24 hours, taken out, and centrifuged. After dehydration at 3500 rpm for 5 minutes, the weight W2 (g) was measured, and the water retention rate T0 (%) was determined by the following formula (1).
Water retention ratio T0 (%) = [(W2-W1) / W1] × 100 (1)
The water-absorbing resin is a resin comprising a copolymer of polyester and polyethylene glycol having polytetramethylene terephthalate as a main component, and the copolymerization amount of polyethylene glycol is 5 to 90% by weight, preferably 10% to 80%. In particular, the range of 30 to 60 wt% is suitable.
The melt viscosity of this copolymer is not particularly limited, but in order to obtain fibers by a conventional spunbond method or melt blow method, from the viewpoint of productivity, the melt viscosity at a shear rate of 1000 seconds ⁻¹ is from 100 to 100. It is preferable to use those in the range of 10,000 poise. When the viscosity of the water-absorbent resin is within this range, it is particularly easy to make ultrafine fibers by the melt blow method, and an ultrafine fiber nonwoven fabric having water absorption can be obtained. In this case, fiber diameter of ultrafine fibers is preferably in a range of from 0.5 to 5 [mu] m, although the basis weight of the nonwoven fabric may range from 1.0~100g / ^{m 2,} the low basis weight range (2 to 10 g / ^{m 2} However, a stable nonwoven fabric can be obtained.

Although the fineness of the fiber used for a water-absorbing nonwoven fabric layer changes with the manufacturing methods, 0.01-25 dtex is preferable and the range of 0.05-15 dtex is more preferable.
Examples of the resin constituting the thermoplastic hydrophobic nonwoven fabric layer (hereinafter, may be abbreviated as thermoplastic nonwoven fabric layer) include polyester polymers, polyamide polymers, polyolefin polymers, and blends thereof. .

  Examples of the polyolefin polymer include polypropylene, low density polyethylene, and high density polyethylene. As for polypropylene, it may be synthesized by a general Ziegler-Natta catalyst or may be synthesized by a single site active catalyst typified by metallocene. Examples of polyethylene include linear low density polyethylene, low density polyethylene, and high density polyethylene. Further, it may be a copolymer of polypropylene and polyethylene or a polymer obtained by adding polyethylene or other additives into polypropylene.

Examples of the polyamide polymer include nylon 4, nylon 6, nylon 46, nylon 66, nylon 11, nylon 12, nylon MXD6 (polymetaxylene adipamide). Furthermore, these nylon-based copolymers or a mixture thereof may be used.
Examples of the polyester-based polymer include polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate, and biodegradable polyester. Furthermore, a copolymer mainly composed of these polyesters or a mixture thereof may be used.
The thermoplastic nonwoven fabric layer may be a mixed fiber in which the above water-absorbing resin is mixed, a core-sheath with the water-absorbing resin, or a joint type composite fiber as long as the object of the present invention is not impaired. The melt viscosity of the thermoplastic resin used for the nonwoven fabric is not particularly limited. However, in order to obtain fibers by a conventional spunbond method or melt blow method, the melt viscosity at a shear rate of 1000 seconds ⁻¹ is required from the viewpoint of productivity. It is preferable to use those in the range of 100 to 10,000 poise.

  The fineness of the fibers of the thermoplastic nonwoven fabric layer is 0.05 to 20 dtex, preferably 0.5 to 15 dtex. If the fineness is less than 0.5 dtex, sufficient fabric strength may not be obtained.

  In addition, the water-absorbing fiber and the thermoplastic nonwoven fabric layer of the present invention include other commonly used additive components, for example, impact modifiers such as various elastomers, crystal nuclei, and the like within a range that does not impair the object of the present invention. Agents, anti-coloring agents, antioxidants such as hindered phenols and hindered amines, mold release agents such as ethylenebisstearylamide and higher fatty acid esters, heat-resistant agents such as copper compounds represented by copper halides, epoxy compounds and plasticizers Additives such as lubricants, weathering agents, flame retardants, and colorants can be added.

  In the present invention, the cross section of the water-absorbing fiber and the thermoplastic nonwoven fabric layer may be a circular or elliptical shape, a polygonal shape such as a triangle or a square, or an irregular cross-sectional shape such as a flat shape or a hollow shape, and is arbitrarily set according to the required characteristics. can do.

  In the present invention, a polyester-based or polyolefin-based, which is a hydrophobic long fiber, is desirable so that the amount of rewetting that is a performance related to wiping property is 3.0 g or less. In order to ensure quick water absorption and to reduce the amount of rewetting, a polyester type is more preferable.

In this invention, the content rate to the laminated body of a water absorbing fiber is specified by the water-absorbing fiber surface exposure degree, and this exposure degree is represented by the following Formula.

Water-absorbing fiber surface exposure = {second layer basis weight / (first layer basis weight + second layer basis weight)} / (first layer basis weight) × 100
First layer basis weight: first layer hydrophobic fiber layer (A) basis weight (g / m ² )
Second layer basis weight: second layer water-absorbent fiber layer (B) basis weight (g / m ² )

  In this invention, the water absorption fiber surface exposure degree to the thermoplastic nonwoven fabric surface (1st layer surface) of one side is 35-300, More preferably, it is 50-200. If this value is less than 35, the speed at which the liquid is absorbed by the wiper is slow, and sufficient liquid absorption performance as a wiper cannot be obtained. In addition, if it exceeds 300, the liquid absorption speed is sufficiently fast, but the amount of rewetting increases, and when used as a wiper, the liquid returns to the wiping surface again, and the liquid reattaches to the wiping surface. Insufficient wipeability.

This water-absorbing fiber surface exposure is a value related to the water absorption speed of the wiper and the liquid remaining prevention property (wiping property) on the wiping surface. These water-absorbing performances are affected by the weight ratio between the water-absorbing fibers and the thermoplastic fiber nonwoven fabric layer on the wiping surface and the degree to which the water-absorbing fibers are exposed on the surface. When the surface weight of the surface thermoplastic fiber nonwoven fabric layer is large with respect to the water-absorbent fibers, the water-absorbent fiber surface exposure degree becomes excessively low, the water absorption rate is slow, and quick liquid absorbency cannot be obtained. Conversely, if the surface area of the surface nonwoven fabric layer is small, the water-absorbing fiber surface exposure will be excessive and the liquid absorption will be fast, but the amount of wetting and returning to the wiping surface will be large, and the liquid will remain on the wiping surface. Decreases.
The inventors of the present invention appropriately control the water-absorbing fiber surface exposure described above is a contradictory performance of liquid absorption, that is, quick liquid absorption speed, good wiping property, that is, low wetting back amount. It is found that it is important to achieve both a low liquid residue on the wiping surface, and the basis weight of the nonwoven fabric of the (A) layer and the (B) layer is adjusted so that the degree of exposure is 35 to 500. Thus, the problem of the present invention has been solved.

  The liquid absorption rate of the laminate in the present invention is preferably 10 seconds / 5 ml or less, more preferably 4 seconds / 5 ml or less. Further, the wetting return amount of the laminate is preferably 3.0 g or less, more preferably 2.0 g or less. Although the characteristics of both are contradictory, it is important that the characteristics of both are within this range. That is, it is particularly preferable that the rewetting amount is 3.0 g or less and the liquid absorption rate is 10 seconds / 5 ml or less, and more preferably, the rewetting amount is 2.0 g or less and the liquid absorption rate is 4 seconds / 5 ml or less.

  FIG. 1 shows the results of measuring the water-absorbing fiber content, the wet-back amount and the liquid-absorbing rate for a laminate (Example) of a hydrophobic fiber nonwoven fabric (A) and a water-absorbent fiber nonwoven fabric (B) having various basis weights. Although (Example) is plotted, the liquid absorption rate decreases rapidly when the water absorption fiber content is 10% or less, but becomes almost constant when the content is 15% or more. On the other hand, it was found that the rewetting amount increased as the water absorption fiber content increased, but there was no clear correlation (correlation coefficient 60%). Further, it was found that there is no correlation in the range of the amount of rewetting of 3.0 g or less, which is an effective index for clean room wiper applications, and the water absorption fiber content is not an effective parameter.

  The present inventors further examined the correlation between the water-absorbing fiber content and the amount of wet-back, and the amount of wet-back, which is an index indicating the wiping property, that is, the amount of liquid remaining on the surface, is It was found that the basis weight of the surface first layer, that is, the content of the water-absorbing fibers and the ratio of the basis weight of the nonwoven fabric of the first layer (water absorbent fiber surface exposure) are important factors. That is, when the data of FIG. 1 is plotted using a parameter of “water absorption fiber surface exposure” in consideration of the basis weight of the first layer in addition to the water absorbent fiber content, as shown in FIG. Was found to show a clear correlation (correlation coefficient 95%). Therefore, by selecting the basis weight of the hydrophobic nonwoven fabric and the water-absorbing nonwoven fabric so that the numerical value of this parameter falls within a specific range, it has become possible to produce a nonwoven fabric laminate in which the water absorption speed and the amount of wetting back are balanced.

  In FIG. 2, the liquid absorption speed and the amount of wetting return are clearly incompatible with the water absorption fiber surface exposure. When the water absorption fiber surface exposure is less than 35, the liquid absorption speed increases rapidly. It can be seen that the water absorption performance deteriorates. Moreover, it can be said that when the water-absorbing fiber surface exposure increases, the amount of wetting back increases almost linearly and the wetting-back performance decreases. Therefore, it is important to set the water-absorbing fiber surface exposure so that the liquid absorption speed and the wetting return amount are in an appropriate range. In the present invention, when the range is defined as 35 to 300, the liquid absorption speed and the wetness are determined. It was found that a wiper with a balance between the return amount was obtained.

  The water-absorbing nonwoven fabric used in the present invention is obtained by using a specific water-absorbing fiber, and the production method thereof is that of each nonwoven fabric laminated so that the water-absorbing fiber surface exposure is in the specific range as described above. Except for selecting the basis weight, a conventionally known method can be arbitrarily adopted and there is no particular limitation.

  The water-absorbing nonwoven fabric layer and the hydrophobic nonwoven fabric layer made of a thermoplastic resin can be laminated by a spun bond method represented by a spunbond method and a melt blow method, a dry method such as carding or airlaid, or a wet method such as a papermaking method. Any method such as the method may be used.

  Furthermore, as a method of adhering or entwining a web made of hygroscopic fibers with a nonwoven fabric layer made of a thermoplastic resin, a thermal bonding method such as a calender method or a through air heating method, and a water absorbent nonwoven fabric layer using an adhesive Any method such as a chemical bonding method for bonding a nonwoven fabric layer made of a thermoplastic resin, a needle punching method, a hydroentanglement method, a stitch bonding method, or the like may be used.

  Non-woven fabrics obtained by the spunbond method, melt-blowing method, and lamination of these are made by directly forming long fibers without passing through short fibers, so there is no loss of short fibers due to breakage of the bonding part. It is most suitable as a wiper for use.

As the structure of the nonwoven fabric laminate in the present invention, it is sufficient that at least one nonwoven fabric layer made of water-absorbing fibers and a hydrophobic nonwoven fabric layer made of a thermoplastic resin are laminated, and the number of layers to be laminated is particularly limited. Although it is not a thing, when the restrictions and productivity of an installation are considered, it is preferable that it is 3-5 layers.
Further, the outer layers are composed of a hydrophobic nonwoven fabric (preferably a long-fiber nonwoven fabric) made of a thermoplastic resin, and a nonwoven fabric layer made of water-absorbing fibers is arranged as an intermediate layer, and three or more layers of nonwoven fabrics are laminated online. It is preferable that it is the nonwoven fabric laminated body which becomes.

  By adopting such a structure, the water absorbent fibers contained in the intermediate layer exhibit excellent water absorption, and at the same time, it is possible to provide a laminate in which the water absorbent fibers are removed and the cloth strength when wet is reduced. it can. Furthermore, when the surface layer is a hydrophobic long-fiber nonwoven fabric layer, it is particularly suitable as a wiper for a clean room, and the wiped liquid moves from the hydrophobic long-fiber nonwoven fabric layer on the surface to the water-absorbing fiber layer on the intermediate layer, and on the surface. Since no liquid remains, a wiper for a clean room having excellent wiping performance with no liquid remaining on the wiping surface and no wiping lines remaining can be obtained.

  When a three-layer laminated structure as described above is formed on-line, the effect of protruding water-absorbing fibers to the outer layer is likely to occur due to lamination, the degree of exposure is improved, and the water absorption speed can be further improved. Become. In that case, it is preferable that the ratio of the water-absorbing fibers to the total weight of the laminate is 5 to 70% in order to prevent a decrease in strength when wet.

  As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a water-absorbing nonwoven fabric is deposited on a web collecting surface on which a spunbond nonwoven fabric made of a thermoplastic resin is moved (S layer), and water-absorbing fibers formed by a melt blown method are directly deposited thereon. (M layer), a spunbond nonwoven fabric made of a thermoplastic resin is directly deposited thereon (S layer), and a water-absorbent nonwoven fabric laminate in which the laminate is pressure-bonded by heat embossing treatment can be mentioned. When a water-absorbing nonwoven fabric is used for the M layer of such an SMS-structured nonwoven fabric, ensuring water absorption in the M layer, maintaining strength with the S layer, improving wear resistance, preventing fuzz, soft texture, etc. A synergistic effect of the M layer and the S layer is exhibited, and a preferable laminated nonwoven fabric is obtained. The number of layers can be adjusted appropriately according to the application.

For fiber formation of a hydrophobic nonwoven fabric layer made of a thermoplastic water-absorbing nonwoven fabric and a thermoplastic resin, melt spinning may be performed using a spinneret that is usually used. The spun yarn is cooled and then stretched, and the web is collected on a conveyor to obtain a fabric by an arbitrary method.
Furthermore, the water-absorbent nonwoven fabric laminate of the present invention may be subjected to other conventional post-processing, for example, addition of an antistatic agent, dyeing, water-repellent processing, etc., as long as the object of the present invention is not impaired. May be applied.

  Further, the shape, form, basis weight, etc. of the water-absorbent nonwoven fabric laminate of the present invention can be arbitrarily set according to the required characteristics. It is possible to print, dye, and coat the water-absorbing nonwoven fabric laminate, and there is no problem even if different types of materials, manufacturing methods and products are combined.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
Measurement methods, evaluation methods, etc. are as follows.
<Lint-free properties>
A sample with a size of 20 cm square is suspended in a measurement container, and the number of lint generated from the sample is measured with a light scattering particle measuring instrument (partial counter, KC-03, manufactured by Lion Co., Ltd.) while hitting with a rotating rod. Then, dust generation from the sample was evaluated by the total number of particles of 0.3 to 5 microns displayed on the counter.
The nonwoven fabric may contain a component that is easily eluted in water, such as a surfactant, depending on the production method. The following foaming test qualitatively evaluated the impurity content of the nonwoven fabric.
<Bubbling test evaluation method>
Preparation: Condition the sample overnight in a constant temperature room. (20 ° C, 65% RH)
B) Put 150 cc of pure water into a beaker.
B) Put 5g of the sample after humidity adjustment in 150cc of pure water and soak for 5 minutes.
C) After 5 minutes, stir while shaking the beaker for 1 minute.
D) Collect 60 cc of liquid from the above beaker into a 100 cc cylinder.
E) Cover the cylinder by hand and shake it up and down 20 times.
F) Stand the cylinder for 1 minute and check the foaming state to determine the foaming property.
The determination was made according to the following criteria.
○: No bubbles on the wall surface, with no bubbles, or almost no bubbles are noticeable and thin streaky bubbles remain on the liquid surface.
X: A layer clearly showing bubbles is formed on the liquid surface, and bubbles are also attached to the wall surface of the cylinder.

<Water absorption magnification>
The water absorption of the nonwoven fabric was evaluated by the water absorption magnification represented by the following formula (1). First, a 20 cm square sample was conditioned for 24 hours in an atmosphere having a temperature of 20 ° C. and a relative humidity of 65%, and the weight W1 (g) was measured, and then immersed in tap water at a temperature of 20 ° C. for 30 minutes. The weight W2 (g) after being taken out and suspended at one place for 1 minute was measured, and the water absorption capacity T0 was determined by the following formula (1).
Water absorption magnification T0 (times) = [(W2-W1) / W1] (1)
<Water absorption speed>
Using a sample having a size of 12.5 mm × 12.5 mm, the speed at which the sample absorbs 5 ml of water was determined. Measurement is performed in accordance with EDANA law.
<Wipeability>
The wiping property when the liquid is wiped with the wiper is good when the liquid is absorbed by the sample and is less likely to be wetted and discharged by the load. Wettability was measured by the following method according to the Edana method.
Wetting and rebounding property: A 12.5mm x 12.5mm sample was placed on a filter paper containing 3.4 times its own weight of water.
Place the dried filter paper on top of it, and then place a 3.5 kg weight on top of it for 2 minutes to measure the amount of wetting back to the upper filter paper.
<Intrinsic Viscosity of Polyester> It was measured by a conventional method using orthochlorophenol as a solvent and a sample concentration of 1 g / 100 cc and a temperature of 35 ° C.
<Melt Flow Rate> Melt flow rate (MFR) was measured according to the method described in JIS K 7210.
[Example 1]

Polyethylene terephthalate resin (PET) having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.70 is supplied to a conventional melt spinning apparatus, uniformly melted and mixed at 290 ° C., melt-spun from a spinneret having a spinning hole with a circular cross section, and a speed of 4500 m / min. To obtain a polyethylene terephthalate fiber of 2.0 dtex. The obtained polyethylene terephthalate fiber was spread and dispersed to form a surface first layer web having a basis weight of 30 g / m ² .
Next, a copolyester resin of polytetramethylene terephthalate and polyethylene glycol having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.92 and a polyethylene glycol copolymerization ratio of 45% by weight is supplied to a conventional melt blow melt spinning apparatus, and uniform at 270 ° C. The mixture was melt-mixed and melt-spun from a spinneret having a spinning hole having a circular cross section to obtain a water-absorbing fiber layer web having an intermediate layer weight of 4 g / m ² made of water-absorbing fibers of 2.5 μm. This water absorbent fiber layer web had a moisture absorption rate of 11% at 40 ° C. and a relative humidity of 80%, and a water retention rate of 85%.
The obtained water-absorbing web was sandwiched between surface third layer webs made of polyethylene terephthalate fibers having a basis weight of 30 g / m ² and heated at 165 ° C. between a rectangular pattern embossed (crimp area ratio 11.4%) roll and a flat roll. And a flat roll were partially thermocompression bonded at a linear pressure of 180 N / cm to prepare a nonwoven fabric of 64 g / m ² . Table 1 shows the physical properties of the obtained nonwoven fabric.

The surface-exposed degree of the water-absorbing fiber is 39, and the water absorption magnification and the wetting return amount are substantially the same as those of Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 described later, but the water absorption speed is 3.5 seconds / 5 ml. Compared to Example 1 and Comparative Example 2, the performance was significantly improved. In this example, even if there was little exposure of the water-absorbing fiber to the surface, a sufficient water absorption rate was obtained. Furthermore, compared with the comparative example 5, the amount of lint generation and the degree of foaming were small, and it was favorable as a wiper for a clean room.
[Examples 2 to 8]

The laminated nonwoven fabric of Examples 2-8 was created like Example 1 except having changed the structure of the laminated nonwoven fabric into the conditions shown in Table 1. Table 1 shows the physical properties of the obtained nonwoven fabric.
The surface exposure of the water-absorbent fibers is in the range of 50 to 200, and even when compared with Example 1, the water absorption rate is 3 seconds / 5 ml or less, the performance is further improved, and the rewetting amount is 2 g or less. It was a wiper for a clean room that satisfies both the water absorption speed and the amount of wet return.
[Example 9]

A laminated nonwoven fabric of Example 9 was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the configuration of the laminated nonwoven fabric was changed as shown in Table 1. Table 1 shows the physical properties of the obtained nonwoven fabric. Table 1 shows the physical properties of the obtained nonwoven fabric.
The surface-exposed degree of the water-absorbent fibers was 267, and the water absorption rate was improved to 2.6 seconds / 5 ml or less, but the wetting return amount was 3.0 g. Compared with Comparative Examples 3-4, although the water absorption speed | rate was comparable, it was a wiper for clean rooms excellent in the wiping property with little amount of wet return and few liquids to a wiping surface.
[Comparative Examples 1-2]

Except for changing the configuration of the laminated nonwoven fabric as shown in Table 1, a laminated nonwoven fabric having a surface exposure of 30 or less was produced in Comparative Examples 1 and 2 in the same manner as in Example 1. Table 1 shows the physical properties of the obtained nonwoven fabric. Although the amount of wetting back was as small as 0.8 g, the water absorption rate was 12 to 22 seconds / 5 ml, the liquid water absorption rate was slow, and it was insufficient as a clean room wiper.
[Comparative Examples 3 to 4]

Comparative Example 3 having a surface exposure degree of 333 of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Example 4 of 500 were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the configuration of the laminated nonwoven fabric was changed as shown in Table 1. Table 1 shows the physical properties of the obtained nonwoven fabric. The water absorption speed is as good as 1.8 seconds / 5 ml and 2.5 seconds / 5 ml, but the amount of wetting back is as large as 3.6 g (Comparative Example 3) and 4.7 g (Comparative Example 4), and the liquid remains unwiped. The amount was too large to be used as a clean room wiper.
[Comparative Example 5]

Table 1 shows the performance of “Crew” (trademark) manufactured by Kimberly Clark, which is commercially available as a wiper for a clean room. The water absorption rate was slower than in the Examples, the amount of rewetting was large, and the water absorption as a wiper was inferior. In addition, because it is made of ultrafine fibers only and weak ultrafine fibers are exposed on the surface, it generates a large amount of lint, and water absorption is imparted by a water-absorbing agent, resulting in poor foaming and is not suitable as a clean room wiper. It was enough.
[Comparative Example 6]

A wiper was prepared using 100% cotton spunlace (“Cot Ace” (trademark) manufactured by Nisshinbo Co., Ltd., basis weight 60 g / m ² ) instead of the laminated nonwoven fabric. The performance is shown in Table 1.

  The wiper using the thermoplastic water-absorbing fiber of the present invention does not require post-processing for imparting water absorption, and particularly has no lint-free properties necessary for clean rooms and no foaming due to the falling off of the surfactant. This is a wiper that is advantageous in terms of surface, and that can control both the water absorption speed and the amount of wetting back depending on the surface exposure of the water-absorbent fibers, and has a small decrease in strength when wet, and is excellent in handleability. Therefore, precision machinery parts represented by large-scale integrated circuits, electronic devices, electronic parts, liquid crystals, optical systems, etc., manufacturing processes for electronic parts, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, etc., aseptic rooms, food-related manufacturing It can be said that it is a clean room wiper that is used effectively in the process.

The figure which shows the relationship between water absorption and wiping property and a water absorption fiber content rate. The figure which shows the relationship between a water absorption and wiping property, and a water absorption fiber surface exposure degree.

Claims (9)

A wiper comprising a laminated nonwoven fabric in which a nonwoven fabric layer (A) comprising thermoplastic hydrophobic fibers and a nonwoven fabric layer (B) comprising thermoplastic water-absorbing fibers are laminated and integrated, the laminated nonwoven fabric of the water-absorbing fibers The wiper characterized by the surface exposure degree represented by following (1) Formula to the surface being the range of 35-300.

Water-absorbing fiber surface exposure = {second layer weight / (first layer weight + second layer weight)} / (first layer weight) × 100 (1) Formula first layer weight: first layer loose water fiber layer (A) Weight per unit area (g / m ² )
Second layer basis weight: second layer water-absorbent fiber layer (B) basis weight (g / m ² ) The thermoplastic hydrophobic water-based fiber is a long fiber produced by a spunbond method, and the thermoplastic water-absorbing fiber is a fiber made of a thermoplastic water-absorbing resin obtained by copolymerizing polyalkylene glycol. The wiper according to claim 1, characterized in that:
The thermoplastic water-absorbing fiber is made of a copolymer of a polyester mainly composed of polytetramethylene terephthalate and a polyalkylene glycol, and the copolymerization amount of the polyalkylene glycol is 5 to 90% by weight. The wiper according to claim 1 or 2.   The wiper according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the nonwoven fabric layer (A) is further laminated on the nonwoven fabric layers (A) and (B).   The wiper according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the water-absorbing nonwoven fabric layer (B) is formed by a melt blow method.   The wiper according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the amount of wetting return of the laminated nonwoven fabric is 3.0 g or less and the liquid absorption speed is 10 seconds / 5 ml or less. A method for producing a wiper in which a nonwoven fabric layer (B) made of thermoplastic water-absorbing fibers is laminated and integrated on a nonwoven fabric layer (A) made of thermoplastic hydrophobic fibers, wherein the water-absorbing fibers are applied to the surface of the laminated nonwoven fabric. A method for producing a wiper comprising adjusting the basis weight of the nonwoven fabric layers (A) and (B) so that the surface exposure represented by the following formula (1) is in the range of 35 to 300.

Water-absorbing fiber surface exposure = {second layer basis weight / (first layer basis weight + second layer basis weight)} / (first layer basis weight) × 100 (1) formula first layer basis weight: hydrophobic fiber layer (A) basis weight (G / m ² )
Second layer basis weight: Water absorbent fiber layer (B) basis weight (g / m ² )
  The nonwoven fabric composed of the thermoplastic hydrophobic fibers is a nonwoven fabric produced by a spunbond method, and the nonwoven fabric composed of the thermoplastic water-absorbing fibers is a thermoplastic water-absorbing resin copolymerized with polyalkylene glycol, and is melt-blown. The method for manufacturing a wiper according to claim 7, wherein the non-woven fabric is manufactured, and the non-woven fabric is laminated and then integrated by partial thermocompression bonding by a heat embossing process.   The method for producing a wiper according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the nonwoven fabric layer (A) is further laminated on the nonwoven fabric layers (A) and (B).

Images