JP2008303503A - Apparatus and method for producing nonwoven fabric - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for producing a nonwoven fabric by which the dispersion of weight in the width direction can be reduced, and to provide a method for producing the nonwoven fabric by using the apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The apparatus for producing the nonwoven fabric includes (A) two or more nozzles capable of extruding spinning dope, (B) a porous material having through holes larger than the outer diameter of each of the nozzles, (C) a moving means capable of moving each of the nozzles and/or the porous material, (D) an applying means capable of drawing and fiberizing the spinning dope by applying an electric field to the spinning dope, and (E) a collecting body capable of directly accumulating the fibers. Each nozzle is inserted into the through hole of the perforated material, and the tip of each nozzle is arranged so as to be present on the same plane as the opposite surface of the nozzle side surface or so as to protrude therefrom. The method for producing the nonwoven fabric uses the apparatus for producing the nonwoven fabric, and moves each of the nozzles and/or the perforated material when accumulating the fibers. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a nonwoven fabric production apparatus and a nonwoven fabric production method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a simple nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus capable of manufacturing a nonwoven fabric with a small basis weight variation by an electrospinning method, and a nonwoven fabric manufacturing method using the manufacturing apparatus.

  If the fiber diameter of the fibers that make up the nonwoven fabric is small, the fiber diameter of the fibers that make up the nonwoven fabric is excellent because it has excellent performance such as separation performance, liquid retention performance, wiping performance, concealment performance, insulation performance, or flexibility. Is preferably small. As a method for producing a nonwoven fabric composed of such ultrafine fibers having a small fiber diameter, the spinning dope is discharged from a nozzle, and an electric field is applied to the discharged spinning dope to draw the spinning dope so as to make ultrafine fibers and then directly collect the fibers. A so-called electrospinning method for forming a nonwoven fabric is known.

  When manufacturing a nonwoven fabric by such an electrospinning method, there was a problem that productivity was poor when the number of nozzles was one as a result of a small amount of spinning solution discharged. Therefore, the applicant of the present application has proposed means for improving productivity by using two or more nozzles. That is, “a supply means having two or more spinning stock solution supply portions arranged in a straight line and capable of supplying a spinning stock solution, and can be drawn and fiberized by applying an electric field to the spinning stock solution supplied by the supply means. An application means, a collector that can directly accumulate the fibers, and an insulator that is present on the outer side of both spinning stock solution supply portions located at the end in the width direction of the collector. , An apparatus for manufacturing a fiber assembly "(Patent Document 1). According to this manufacturing apparatus, the productivity could be improved, but a difference between the amount of fiber immediately below the spinning stock solution supply unit and the amount of fiber between the spinning stock solution supply unit was likely to occur, and the fabric weight variation in the width direction was likely to occur. there were. Patent Document 1 also discloses that the nozzle or the collector is reciprocally swung in the width direction of the collector. However, when the reciprocating is swung, the nozzle or the collector is inevitably stopped once, so The amount of fibers at the time of stopping increased, and the effect of reducing the basis weight variation in the width direction was not sufficient.

JP 2005-264353 A (Claim 3, paragraph number 0036, etc.)

  An object of this invention is to provide the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus which can further reduce the above-mentioned fabric weight variation in the width direction, and the manufacturing method of a nonwoven fabric using the apparatus.

  The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention includes: (a) two or more nozzles capable of discharging the spinning dope, (b) a porous material having a through hole larger than the outer diameter of the nozzle, and (c) each nozzle. And / or moving means capable of moving the porous material, (d) an applying means capable of applying an electric field to the spinning dope to draw and fiberize, and (e) a collector capable of directly collecting the fibers. A non-woven fabric manufacturing apparatus comprising the porous material, wherein each nozzle is inserted into a through-hole, and a tip of each nozzle is disposed so as to be the same as or projecting from a surface opposite to the nozzle side surface of the porous material. Non-woven fabric manufacturing apparatus. "

  The invention according to claim 2 of the present invention is the “nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the porous material is electrically conductive and further includes means for applying a voltage to the porous material”. .

  The invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is “the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the apparatus is a moving means capable of moving each nozzle or porous material in a circular shape.” It is.

  The invention according to claim 4 of the present invention is “the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a gas supply means to the through hole of the porous material. It is.

  The invention according to claim 5 of the present invention is as follows: "The gas supply means supports (1) each nozzle and can supply a spinning stock solution to each nozzle; (2) the support supply member and the porous material; 5. The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, comprising: a covering material having a space between the closed spaces, and (3) a gas supply device capable of supplying a gas to the closed space. .

  The invention according to claim 6 of the present invention is “the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the coating material is stretchable and only one of the nozzles and the porous material can be moved. It is.

  The invention according to claim 7 of the present invention is as follows. “Using the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, a spinning stock solution is discharged from each nozzle, and an electric field is applied to the spinning stock solution to draw and form fibers directly. The method for producing a nonwoven fabric, wherein the nozzles and / or the porous material are moved when producing the nonwoven fabric by accumulating. "

  The invention according to claim 8 of the present invention is “the method for producing a nonwoven fabric according to claim 7, wherein the porous material is conductive and a voltage is applied to the porous material”.

  The invention according to claim 9 of the present invention is "the method for producing a nonwoven fabric according to claim 7 or 8, wherein each nozzle or porous material is moved in a circular shape."

  The invention according to claim 10 of the present invention is “the method for producing a nonwoven fabric according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein gas is supplied to the through hole of the porous material”.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, by moving each nozzle and / or porous material, the electric field strength formed between each nozzle and the porous material mainly in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the nozzle. Since the fibers formed by being ejected from the nozzle are affected by the modulation of the electric field strength, the fibers fly while swinging and accumulate on the collector, so that a nonwoven fabric with reduced basis weight variation can be manufactured. It is.

  The invention according to claim 2 of the present invention is an apparatus that includes a voltage applying means for the porous material and can adjust the electric field strength, and thus can manufacture a non-woven fabric with a further reduced basis weight variation.

  In the invention according to claim 3 of the present invention, each nozzle or porous material can be moved in a circular shape, and since each nozzle or porous material does not stop once, a non-woven fabric with further reduced basis weight variation can be produced. Device.

  In the invention according to claim 4 of the present invention, gas can be supplied to the through hole of the porous material, and when the nozzle is biased to one of the through holes, the gas easily flows through the large gap portion and flows through the small gap portion. Due to the difficulty, a difference in gas flow velocity occurs. As the nozzles or the porous material move, the gap changes, thereby changing the portion where the gas flow velocity difference occurs. This is an apparatus capable of producing a non-woven fabric with reduced variation. In addition, the gas can be efficiently supplied to the periphery of the nozzle by flowing the gas through the through hole, and the fiberization is promoted by quickly removing the volatilized solvent from the spinning dope, thereby improving the productivity. The effect of doing.

  The invention according to claim 5 of the present invention is an apparatus that can efficiently supply gas to the through hole because the space between the support supply member and the porous material is a closed space.

  In the invention according to claim 6 of the present invention, since only one of each nozzle or porous material can be moved, it is easy to control the flying of the fiber, and an apparatus capable of manufacturing a nonwoven fabric with reduced basis weight variation. It is.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the electric field strength formed between each nozzle and the porous material mainly in the direction perpendicular to the length direction of the nozzle by moving each nozzle and / or the porous material. In order to cause modulation, the fibers formed by being ejected from the nozzle fly while shaking under the influence of the modulation of the electric field strength, and accumulate on the collecting body, so that a nonwoven fabric with reduced basis weight variation can be manufactured.

  The invention according to claim 8 of the present invention is a method capable of producing a nonwoven fabric with a further reduced basis weight variation because the electric field strength can be adjusted.

  The invention according to claim 9 of the present invention is a method in which each nozzle or porous material is moved in a circular shape, and since each nozzle or porous material does not stop once, a nonwoven fabric with a further reduced basis weight variation can be produced.

  In the invention according to claim 10 of the present invention, by supplying gas to the through hole of the porous material, not only the modulation of the electric field intensity but also the effect of the modulation of the air current is received, so that a nonwoven fabric with a further reduced basis weight variation is manufactured. It can be done. The gas can be efficiently supplied to the periphery of the nozzle by flowing the gas through the through hole, and the fiberization is promoted by quickly removing the solvent volatilized from the spinning dope, so the productivity is also high. .

  The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus and nonwoven fabric manufacturing method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a conceptual cross-sectional view of the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a top view showing the positional relationship between through holes and nozzles.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes a group of nozzles 1 arranged in a row that can discharge a spinning dope. Thus, since the nozzle group 1 is provided, the productivity of the nonwoven fabric can be increased. In FIG. 1, a support supply member 2 that supports the nozzle group 1 and can supply the spinning solution to each nozzle is provided. The support supply member 2 is connected to the spinning dope storage unit, and the spinning solution is supplied from the spinning dope storage unit to the support supply member 2 and supplied to each nozzle via the support supply member 2 and discharged.

  In FIG. 1, the nozzle group 1 is composed of seven nozzles, but the number thereof is not particularly limited as long as it is two or more so as to be excellent in productivity. In addition, the nozzle group 1 is arranged in one row, but it may be arranged in a grid having two or more nozzle rows, in a staggered manner having two or more nozzle rows, or randomly. Although they may be arranged and are not particularly limited, they are preferably arranged in a lattice or zigzag pattern at an equal pitch so as to easily reduce the variation in weight per unit area.

  There are no particular restrictions on the nozzle material, outer diameter, inner diameter, etc., but all nozzles are made of the same material so that fibers of the same fiber diameter can be easily spun, and the inner diameter and outer diameter of all nozzles are the same. It is preferable. Further, it is preferable that the nozzle lengths are all the same so that the influence of the modulation of the electric field strength can be made the same. Furthermore, the nozzles do not have to be supported by the support supply member, and each nozzle may be directly connected to the spinning dope storage part.

  Examples of the spinning stock solution storage unit include a syringe, a stainless steel tank, a plastic tank, or a resin bag made of vinyl chloride resin or polyethylene resin. For example, a syringe pump, a tube pump, a magnet type The spinning dope can be supplied to the support supply member 2 using a micro gear pump, a micro pump, a dispenser, or the like. Moreover, the support supply member 2 can be comprised from a pipe | tube or an internal hollow board. The support supply member 2 can be made of any material such as metal or plastic as long as a voltage can be applied to the spinning dope.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes a porous material 3 having a through hole 3 a, and moving means is connected to the porous material 3, so that the porous material 3 is moved by moving the porous material 3. By changing the position of each nozzle, it is possible to cause modulation of the electric field strength formed between each nozzle and the porous material 3 mainly in the direction perpendicular to the length direction of the nozzle. The fibers formed by ejection fly while shaking under the influence of the modulation of the electric field strength and accumulate on the collector, so that a nonwoven fabric with reduced basis weight variation can be manufactured.

  The direction of flying by the modulation of the electric field strength is determined by the potential relationship between the porous material 3 and each nozzle, and therefore the flight direction cannot be determined uniquely, but as shown in FIG. When a conductive material is used, a potential lower than that of the nozzle is applied by a second high-voltage power supply to provide a potential difference between the porous material 3 and each nozzle, and the porous material 3 is moved linearly, FIG. As shown in (a), when the nozzle 1a approaches the left side of the through hole 3a on the paper surface, the electric field strength on the left side (L) of the nozzle 1a is stronger than the electric field strength on the right side (R) of the nozzle 1a. The fiber flies so as to be swung to the left. Thereafter, when the nozzle 1a approaches the right side of the through-hole 3a on the paper surface as shown in FIG. 2B due to the movement of the porous material 3, the electric field strength on the right side (R) of the nozzle 1a is higher than that of the nozzle 1a. Since it is stronger than the electric field strength on the left side (L), the fiber flies to be swayed to the right side. Thus, since the fiber flies while moving to the left and right by the movement of the porous material 3, a nonwoven fabric with reduced basis weight variation can be manufactured.

  Thus, since the relative position of the nozzle in the through hole is changed by the movement of the porous material 3, the through hole 3a is larger than the outer diameter of the nozzle. More specifically, the diameter of the through hole 3a is preferably 5 mm or more larger than the outer diameter of the nozzle, and more preferably 10 mm or more. It is because the movement range of the porous material 3 cannot fully be ensured that it is less than 5 mm. On the other hand, if the diameter of the through-hole 3a exceeds 100 mm, the degree of fiber swaying based on the modulation of the electric field becomes small, so that it is preferably 100 mm or less, and more preferably 50 mm or less. In particular, when a gas is passed through the through hole 3a as described later, the diameter of the through hole 3a is preferably 100 mm or less because the fluctuation of the fiber due to the difference in the flow velocity of the airflow is reduced. In addition, when the shape of a through-hole is not circular, it means the diameter when the area is converted into a circle.

  In addition, the porous material 3 may have the number of nozzles corresponding to the number of the through-holes 3a one-to-one, or one-to-one correspondence such as having one through-hole 3a for two nozzles. It does not have to be. However, it is preferable that the nozzles and the through holes 3a have a one-to-one correspondence so that the influence of the modulation of the electric field intensity on the fibers formed by ejection from each nozzle can be made the same. Similarly, it is preferable that the sizes of the through holes 3a are all the same, and all have the same shape so that the influence of the modulation of the electric field strength on the fibers formed by ejection from each nozzle can be made the same. Moreover, it is preferable that it is the through-hole 3a in which the positional relationship of a nozzle and the through-hole 3a is the same also in any nozzle. The shape of the through hole 3a is preferably circular, but may be a polygon such as an ellipse, an ellipse, or a rectangle.

Further, the porous material 3 in FIG. 1 is conductive (the resistance value measured at the farthest points of the porous material is 10 ⁹ Ω or less, preferably 10 ⁶ Ω or less), and the porous material 3 is supplied with a second high-voltage power source (voltage application). Means) is connected, a voltage can be applied to the porous material 3. When the second high-voltage power supply is connected in this way, the intensity of the electric field to be modulated can be adjusted, so that a nonwoven fabric with a further reduced basis weight variation can be manufactured. An example of such a conductive porous material 3 is a metal plate.

  Unlike the porous material of FIG. 1, a non-conductive porous material may be used. In this case, even if no voltage is applied to the porous material, the porous material is charged to a value close to the potential of the first high-voltage power source by the first high-voltage power source (applying means) for applying an electric field to the spinning dope. Since the electric field strength is modulated by moving the porous material, the same effects as when a voltage is applied to the porous material are obtained. An example of such a non-conductive porous material is a plastic plate. Even when the porous material is conductive, the same effects as those of the non-conductive porous material can be obtained if no voltage is applied to the porous material.

  It should be noted that the porous material 3 may be conductive or non-conductive, as long as it has a thickness capable of maintaining its form without warping during movement, and the thickness is not particularly limited.

  In the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, each nozzle described above is inserted into each through-hole 3 a of the porous material 3, and the tip of each nozzle projects from the opposite surface of the nozzle side surface of the porous material 3. Thus, the electric field modulated by the porous material 3 can be applied to the formed fibers without depositing the fibers formed and deposited on the porous material 3 from each nozzle. The degree of protrusion is the distance between the nozzle tip and the collector 5, the distance between the porous material 3 and the collector 5, the electric field strength, or the distance between the nozzle tip and the porous material 3, the nozzle tip and the porous material 3. Is not particularly limited, but is preferably up to 30 mm so that the modulated electric field can be easily applied, and can easily modulate the electric field. In order to prevent adhesion of fibers to the fiber, the thickness is most preferably 5 to 20 mm. Unlike FIG. 1, even if the tip of each nozzle is located on the same plane as the opposite side of the nozzle side surface of the porous material 3, the fibers to be formed are not deposited on the porous material 3, An electric field modulated by the porous material 3 can be applied to the formed fibers.

  As described above, the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes the means for moving the porous material 3, thereby causing modulation of the electric field strength formed between each nozzle and the porous material 3, and being discharged from the nozzle. By acting on the formed fiber, it can be accumulated on the collector while shaking the fiber. The movement of the porous material 3 by this moving means is, for example, a linear reciprocating movement other than the direction orthogonal to the width direction of the collector 5 (preferably linearly reciprocating in the width direction of the collector 5), a circular movement, an ellipse Movement (preferably the width direction and the major axis direction of the collecting body 5 coincide), oval movement (preferably the width direction and the major axis direction of the collecting body 5 coincide), polygonal movement such as a rectangle (capturing) For example, when the porous material 3 reciprocates linearly, it is swayed in the same direction as the reciprocating direction of the porous material. The fibers fly, and when the porous material 3 moves in a circle, the fibers also fly while shaking in a circle. Among these, the circular movement is preferable because the porous material 3 does not stop once but easily moves at a constant speed, and the variation in weight per unit area can be further reduced. The moving means may be moved not only two-dimensionally but also three-dimensionally, that is, in the length direction of the nozzle.

  As this moving means, for example, in the case of one-dimensional movement such as linear reciprocating movement, for example, a ball screw type linear motion device or the like can be provided at one end of the porous material 3. In the case of two-dimensional movement, for example, one end of each of the two arms is fixed to the porous material 3 so as not to move, and the other end of the arm can be moved to a different base. In the case of three-dimensional movement, it is carried out by moving up and down in the length direction of the nozzle together with the moving means as described above. Can do.

  In FIG. 1, the porous material 3 is moved by the moving means, but each nozzle may be moved in addition to the porous material 3 or instead of the porous material 3. However, when each nozzle is moved quickly, the spinning solution adheres to the periphery of the nozzle tip due to the influence of the airflow that the tip of each nozzle receives from the side, and the spinning state may be disturbed, causing nozzle clogging. Therefore, it is preferable to move only the porous material 3.

  In the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, a voltage can be applied to the spinning dope in the support supply member by the first high-voltage power supply, and the catch facing the nozzle group 1 and being spaced apart. Since the collecting body 5 is installed, a potential difference is generated between the nozzle and the collecting body 5, and an electric field is applied to the spinning dope so that it can be drawn and fiberized. In FIG. 1, an electric field is formed by applying a voltage to the spinning stock solution in the support supply member and grounding the collector 5. However, while grounding the spinning stock solution in the support supply member, An electric field may be formed by applying a voltage, or an electric field may be formed by applying a voltage so as to provide a potential difference, although a voltage is applied to both the spinning solution and the collector in the support and supply member. The electric field varies depending on the fiber diameter, the distance between the nozzle and the collection body 5, the solvent of the spinning dope, the viscosity of the spinning dope, and is not particularly limited, but is 0.2 to 5 kV / cm. Is preferred. When the electric field strength exceeds 5 kV / cm, there is a tendency that dielectric breakdown of air tends to occur. When the electric field strength is less than 0.2 kV / cm, there is a tendency that the spinning dope is not sufficiently stretched and hardly forms a fiber shape.

In the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of this invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the flat collection body 5 which can integrate | stack a fiber directly is provided. However, the collector 5 does not have to be flat as long as it can directly collect fibers. For example, a nonwoven fabric or a woven fabric made of a conductive material such as metal or carbon or a non-conductive material such as an organic polymer. A knitted fabric, a net, a drum, or a belt can be used as the collecting body 5. In some cases, a liquid such as water or an organic solvent can be used as the collector 5. When the collector 5 is used as the other electrode, the collector 5 is preferably made of a conductive material (for example, made of metal) having a volume resistivity value of 10 ⁹ Ω · cm or less. On the other hand, when the conductive material is disposed as the counter electrode behind the collector 5 as viewed from the nozzle side, the collector 5 does not necessarily need to be made of a conductive material. As in the latter case, when the counter electrode is disposed behind the collector 5, the collector 5 and the counter electrode may be in contact with each other or may be separated from each other.

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, the nozzle group 1, the support / supply member 2, the porous material 3, and the collector 5 can be housed in a container. Thus, when accommodated in a container, volatilization of the solvent volatilized from the spinning dope can be prevented and reused in some cases. Moreover, while storing in a container as mentioned above and the gas supply apparatus is connected to the container, the environment in a container is made into a desired environment (for example, desired relative humidity) by supplying desired gas. Therefore, it is easy to produce a desired nonwoven fabric, for example, the fiber diameter is uniform. Further, when the container is stored in the container as described above, it is preferable to connect an exhaust device to the container. When electrospinning is performed, the solvent vapor concentration in the container becomes higher, the evaporation of the solvent is suppressed, and the fiber diameter tends to vary. In the worst case, the vapor concentration of the solvent is increased. Saturation is reached and electrostatic spinning becomes difficult, but such a situation can be avoided by discharging the gas.

  Examples of the “gas supply device” include a propeller fan, a sirocco fan, an air compressor, or a blower. Examples of the “exhaust device” include a fan installed at the exhaust port. When gas is supplied to the container by the gas supply device, the same amount of gas as the supply amount can be discharged simply by providing an exhaust port.

  Since the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus in FIG. 1 of this invention consists of the above structures, a nonwoven fabric can be manufactured as follows. First, the spinning solution is supplied from the spinning solution storage unit to the support supply member 2, and the spinning solution is supplied to each nozzle through the support supply member 2 and discharged from each nozzle. At this time, a voltage is applied to the spinning dope from the first high-voltage power source, and since the collector 5 is installed, an electric field is formed between the spinning dope and the collector 5, The spinning dope discharged by the action of the electric field is drawn and fiberized. At the same time, since a voltage is applied to the porous material 3 from the second high-voltage power source, an electric field is formed between the porous material 3 and the nozzle, and the porous material 3 moves by the moving means, and the through hole 3a of the nozzle. Since the position at the position changes, the electric field formed between the porous material 3 and the nozzle is modulated. Therefore, the fiber flies while shaking under the influence of the electric field to be modulated, and accumulates on the collecting body, whereby a non-woven fabric with small basis weight variation can be manufactured. As described above, when the porous material 3 is moved in a circular shape by the moving means, the porous material 3 does not stop once but can be easily moved at a constant speed, so that the variation in weight per unit area can be further reduced.

  In addition, the movement range of the nozzle in the through-hole 3a is on the circumference of a virtual circle having a radius of 2 mm with the center of the through-hole 3a as the center, or an area outside the area and an area not in contact with the inner circumference of the through-hole 3a. Is preferred. This is because when the movement range is less than 2 mm in radius, the influence of the modulation of the electric field becomes insignificant, and it tends to be difficult to shake the fiber, and as a result, the effect of reducing the basis weight variation is not so much. Moreover, it is because an electric field is not generated between the porous material 3 and the nozzle when in contact with the inner periphery of the through hole 3a.

  Moreover, it is preferable that a voltage value differs from a 1st high voltage power supply so that the fiber applied by the 2nd high voltage power supply to the porous material 3 may be ejected and the fiber to be formed may fluctuate and fly in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle. The voltage difference formed by the second high-voltage power source is preferably such that the electric field strength between the nozzle and the porous material 3 is 0 to 25 kV / cm when the nozzle and the porous material 3 are closest to each other. This is because if the electric field strength exceeds 25 kV / cm, sparking is likely to occur due to gas breakdown. Even when the voltage difference is 0 V, the uneven distribution of the nozzle changes the electric field strength in the surrounding space (the space between the porous material 3 and the collector 5) around the nozzle and is discharged. Since the formed fiber receives lateral force and flies while shaking, it is possible to manufacture a non-woven fabric with small variation in basis weight.

  The moving speed of the porous material 3 is determined in consideration of the relationship with the moving speed of the collecting body, the discharge amount of the spinning solution from the nozzle, and the distance between the nozzle and the collecting surface of the collecting body. Alternatively, when the time required to go around and return to the starting point is defined as 1 Hz (hertz), it is preferably 0.1 to 100 Hz (hertz). If it is slower than 0.1 Hz (Hertz), the effect of reducing the basis weight variation tends to be insufficient, and particularly when the moving speed of the collector is high, the effect of reducing the basis weight variation tends to be insufficient. Even if it is faster than 100 Hz (Hertz), the effect of shaking the fiber tends to be reduced, and the effect of reducing the basis weight variation tends to be insufficient, so 0.5 to 10 Hz (Hertz) is more preferable.

  Another nonwoven fabric production apparatus and nonwoven fabric production method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a conceptual perspective sectional view of the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of the present invention. The non-woven fabric manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 3 covers the space between the support and supply member 2 and the porous material 3 with a coating material 6, and sets the space between the support and supply member 2 and the porous material 3 as a closed space. The non-woven fabric manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1 has exactly the same configuration except that a gas supply apparatus capable of supplying gas to the apparatus is provided. Thus, in the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 3, since the gas can be supplied between the support supply member 2 and the porous material 3 and the gas can be supplied, the supplied gas passes only through the through hole 3 a of the porous material 3. Then flow toward the collector. At this time, if the nozzle 1a is biased to one of the through holes 3a, the gas tends to flow through the large gap and difficult to flow through the small gap. Since the position of the nozzle 1a changes, the airflow is also modulated with the change. Therefore, since the fiber is affected by the modulation of the air flow in addition to the modulation of the electric field strength, a nonwoven fabric with less variation in basis weight can be produced. For example, when the porous material 3 moves in a straight line and the nozzle 1a approaches the left side of the through hole 3a on the paper surface as shown in FIG. 2A, the electric field on the left side (L) of the nozzle 1a. Not only is the intensity stronger than the electric field intensity on the right side (R) of the nozzle 1a, but also gas is more likely to pass through the right side (R) than the nozzle 1a and less likely to pass through the left side (L). Due to the synergistic effect, the fiber flies to sway to the left. Thereafter, when the nozzle 1a is moved to the right side of the through hole 3a on the paper surface as shown in FIG. 2B due to the movement of the porous material 3, the electric field strength on the right side (R) of the nozzle 1a is higher than the nozzle 1a. In addition to being stronger than the electric field strength at the left side (L), the gas is more likely to pass through the left side (L) than the nozzle 1a and less likely to pass through the right side (R). The fiber flies to sway to the right.

  Furthermore, the gas can be efficiently supplied to the periphery of the nozzle by flowing the gas through the through hole 3a in this way, and the fiberization can be promoted by quickly removing the solvent volatilized from the spinning dope. For this reason, the discharge amount is increased and the productivity is improved. In the electrospinning method, the importance of temperature control and humidity control of the spinning atmosphere is recognized. However, since temperature-and-humidity-controlled gas can be effectively supplied around the nozzle, the temperature and humidity are controlled. There is also an effect that it is possible to reduce the energy required for controlling.

  The covering material 6 is not particularly limited as long as the space between the support / supply member 2 and the porous material 3 can be a closed space. Since only one of the nozzles can be moved, it is easy to control the flying of the fibers, and it is easy to manufacture a nonwoven fabric with reduced basis weight variation. In particular, it is preferable to move only the porous material 3 because it is possible to prevent the spinning state from being disturbed by the movement of the nozzle. As such a stretchable covering material 6, for example, the material itself has stretchability, such as rubber, or the distance between the support supply member 2 and the porous material 3, such as a bellows structure. A long and surplus part can be cited to have elasticity. Thus, the “closed space” means that gas cannot pass through other than the through hole 3a of the porous material 3 and the connection portion with the gas supply device.

  The gas supply device is not particularly limited as long as it can supply gas to the above-described closed space, and examples thereof include a propeller fan, a sirocco fan, an air compressor, and a blower. In addition, the gas supplied from the gas supply device is not particularly limited, but air is preferable from the viewpoint of handleability and production cost. Moreover, the nonwoven fabric with a uniform fiber diameter can be manufactured by controlling temperature and humidity of gas uniformly.

  The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus in FIG. 3 of the present invention can have the same configuration as that of the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus in FIG. 1 except for the configuration as described above. Moreover, the completely same modification as the modification demonstrated about the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1 can be made.

  The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus in FIG. 3 is a gas supply means in which the space between the support supply member 2 and the porous material 3 is closed by the covering material 6, but is not such a gas supply means. A method of supplying gas by a gas supply device after enclosing a space between the support supply member 2 and the porous material 3 to some extent even if not a space, and a space between the support supply member 2 and the porous material 3 are completely eliminated. Even if it is the method of supplying gas with a gas supply apparatus without enclosing, there exists the same effect.

  Since the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus in FIG. 3 of the present invention has the above-described configuration, the nonwoven fabric can be manufactured as follows. First, the spinning solution is supplied from the spinning solution storage unit to the support supply member 2, and the spinning solution is supplied to each nozzle through the support supply member 2 and discharged from each nozzle. At this time, a voltage is applied to the spinning dope from the first high-voltage power source, and since the collector 5 is installed, an electric field is formed between the spinning dope and the collector 5, The spinning dope discharged by the action of the electric field is drawn and fiberized. At the same time, since a voltage is applied to the porous material 3 from the second high-voltage power source, an electric field is formed between the porous material 3 and the nozzle, and the porous material 3 moves by the moving means, and the through hole 3a of the nozzle. Since the position at the position changes, the electric field formed between the porous material 3 and the nozzle is modulated. Further, the space between the support supply member 2 and the porous material 3 is a closed space by the covering material 6, and gas is supplied to the closed space, and the porous material 3 is moved by the moving means, and the nozzle Since the position in the through hole 3a changes, the flow velocity difference of the airflow is modulated. Therefore, the fiber flies while shaking under the influence of the electric field to be modulated and the airflow, and accumulates on the collecting body, whereby a non-woven fabric with small basis weight variation can be manufactured. When the porous material 3 is moved in a circular shape by the moving means, the porous material 3 does not stop once but can be easily moved at a constant speed, so that the variation in basis weight can be further reduced.

  The supply of the gas to the through hole 3a of the porous material 3 may be appropriately determined in consideration of the gas flow rate in the through hole, the evaporation amount of the solvent from the spinning solution discharged from the nozzle, and the like. A flow rate of 0.1 L / min to 50 L / min per book is preferable.

  Moreover, the moving range of the nozzle in the through-hole 3a, the voltage application by the 2nd high voltage power supply to the porous material 3, and the moving speed of the porous material 3 can be the same as the case where the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1 is used.

In FIG. 1, FIG. 3 or other non-woven fabric manufacturing apparatuses, the same spinning dope as in the prior art can be used. For example, polyethylene glycol, partially saponified polyvinyl alcohol, fully saponified polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid, polyacrylonitrile, polymethacrylic acid, polymethyl methacrylate, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyamide, polyimide, polyethylene, polypropylene, etc. Water, acetone, methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, tetrahydrofuran, dimethyl sulfoxide, 1,4-dioxane, pyridine, N, N-dimethylformamide, N, N-dimethylacetamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, acetonitrile , Formic acid, toluene, benzene, cyclohexane, cyclohexanone, carbon tetrachloride, methylene chloride, chloroform, trichloroethane Emissions, ethylene carbonate, diethyl carbonate, can be used after dissolved in a solvent such as propylene carbonate. The viscosity is preferably in the range of 10 to 6000 mPa · s, more preferably in the range of 20 to 5000 mPa · s. This is because if the viscosity is less than 10 mPa · s, the solvent does not evaporate and the fiber tends not to be formed, and if the viscosity exceeds 6000 mPa · s, the spinning dope becomes difficult to be drawn and tends to be a fiber. The “viscosity” refers to a value at a shear rate of 100 s ⁻¹ measured at a temperature of 25 ° C. using a viscosity measuring device.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

Example 1
(Preparation of spinning dope)
A spinning stock solution (viscosity: 1050 mP · s) in which polyacrylonitrile having a weight average molecular weight of about 500,000 was dissolved in N, N-dimethylformamide so as to have a concentration of 10.5 mass% was prepared.

(Preparation of non-woven fabric production equipment)
A manufacturing apparatus as shown in FIG. 3 was prepared. More specifically, a manufacturing apparatus having the following configuration was prepared.
(1) Spinning stock solution storage unit: Plastic syringe having an internal volume of 200 ml and capable of quantitative supply.
(2) Support / supply member 2: An aluminum plate provided with a cavity (vertical × width × height = 50 mm × 210 mm × 5 mm) inside which a spinning solution can be supplied to each nozzle. Connected to the first high-voltage power supply using copper wire.
(3) Connection between the spinning dope storage part and the support supply member 2: Connection with a polytetrafluoroethylene tube having an inner diameter of 6 mm.
(4) Nozzle group 1: 103 stainless steel nozzles having an outer diameter of 1 mm, an inner diameter of 0.4 mm, and a length of 20 mm are fixed to the support supply member 2 in a staggered manner at equal pitches in the front, rear, left and right directions as shown in FIG.
(5) Porous material 3: An aluminum plate having a thickness of 5 mm having 103 circular through-holes 3a each having a diameter of 8 mm and the center of each nozzle coinciding with the center of each through-hole 3a. No second high-voltage power supply is connected. A linear motion device (= moving means, manufactured by Oriental Motor Co., Ltd., model EZHS3A-50 (trade name: EZ limo) is connected to the aluminum plate.
(6) Arrangement of porous material 3: Each nozzle is inserted into the through hole 3 a so that the tip of each nozzle protrudes 5 mm from the opposite surface of the nozzle side surface of the porous material 3.
(7) Coating material 6: A chloroprene rubber sheet having a thickness of 0.5 mm.
(8) Installation of the covering material 6: The supporting and supplying member 2 and the porous material 3 are covered to form a closed space.
(9) Collecting body 5: 500 mm wide conveyor covered with conductive polytetrafluoroethylene.
(10) Installation of the collecting body 5: Grounded and installed so that the collecting surface of the collecting body 5 is located at a position 100 mm away from the tip of each nozzle.
(11) Container: In a rectangular parallelepiped container having a length of 700 mm, a width of 1500 mm, and a height of 1500 mm, a spinning portion and a collector 5 in which a support supply member 2 to which a nozzle group 1 is fixed and a porous material 3 are coated with a covering material 6 are disposed. Installation.
(12) Air supply device: A blower capable of supplying air to the upper wall of the container and the closed space is connected.
(13) Exhaust device: Natural exhaust is possible by providing an exhaust port on the bottom of the container.

(Manufacture of non-woven fabric)
Fibers were accumulated under the following conditions to produce a nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of about 2 g / m ² .
(A) Discharge amount per nozzle: 0.2 cc / min (b) Voltage applied by the first high-voltage power supply: 15 kV (electric field strength: 1.5 kV / cm)
(C) Voltage applied by the second high-voltage power supply: None (d) Movement condition of the porous material 3: Amplitude 5 mm, movement speed 2 Hz, linearly reciprocating in a direction that coincides with the width direction of the collector 5 ( E) Movement condition of the collector 5: 50 mm / min (f) Air supply condition to the container: Air at a temperature of 25 ° C. and a humidity of 23% is supplied at 4 m ³ / min.
(G) Air supply to enclosed space: None (h) Exhaust condition: Natural exhaust

(Example 2)
A non-woven fabric having a basis weight of about 2 g / m ² is manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that air at a temperature of 25 ° C. and a humidity of 23% is supplied to the enclosed space at a flow rate of 50 L / min. did.

(Example 3)
The porous material 3 is replaced with an aluminum plate, except that an acrylic plate having a thickness of 5 mm and having 103 circular through holes 3 a having a diameter of 8 mm whose center coincides with the center of each through hole 3 a is used. In the same manner as in Example 1, a nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of about 2 g / m ² was produced.

Example 4
A non-woven fabric having a basis weight of about 2 g / m ² is manufactured in the same manner as in Example 3 except that air at a temperature of 25 ° C. and a humidity of 23% is supplied to the enclosed space at a flow rate of 50 L / min. did.

(Example 5)
A second high-voltage power source is connected to the aluminum plate that is the porous material 3 and a voltage of 13 kV is applied by the second high-voltage power source (the electric field between the nozzle and the porous material 3 when the nozzle and the porous material 3 are closest to each other). A nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of about 2 g / m ² was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the strength was 20 kV / cm.

(Example 6)
A non-woven fabric with a basis weight of about 2 g / m ² is manufactured in the same manner as in Example 5 except that air at a temperature of 25 ° C. and a humidity of 23% is supplied to the enclosed space at a flow rate of 50 L / min. did.

(Example 7)
A nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of about 5 g / m ² was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 2 except that the discharge amount per nozzle was 0.5 cc / min.

(Example 8)
The basis weight is 2 g / m ^{2 in the same} manner as in Example 4 except that the center of the through hole of the acrylic plate as the porous material 3 is moved two-dimensionally at a moving speed of 1 Hz so as to draw a circle with a radius of 3 mm. A non-woven fabric of a degree was produced. In addition, while fixing one end of two resin arms (length: 300 mm) so as not to move to one side in the major axis direction of the porous material 3, the other ends of the arms are respectively connected to different disks. Each disk was connected so as to be rotatable, and each disk was rotated in a completely synchronized manner by one motor, whereby the porous material 3 was circularly moved in a two-dimensional manner.

Example 9
The basis weight is 2 g / m ^{2 in the same} manner as in Example 6 except that the center of the through hole of the aluminum plate which is the porous material 3 is moved two-dimensionally at a moving speed of 1 Hz so as to draw a circle with a radius of 3 mm. A non-woven fabric of a degree was produced. The movement of the porous material 3 was performed in the same manner as in Example 8.

(Example 10)
The linear motion device connected to the porous material 3 is connected to the support supply member 2, the porous material 3 is fixed, and the support supply member 2 has an amplitude of 5 mm and a moving speed of 2 Hz. A non-woven fabric having a basis weight of about 2 g / m ² was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that it was reciprocated one-dimensionally in a direction that coincided with the direction.

(Example 11)
A nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of about 5 g / m ² was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the discharge amount per nozzle was 0.5 cc / min.

(Comparative Example 1)
A nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of about 2 g / m ² was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the aluminum plate as the porous material 3 was not installed. When light was transmitted from one side of this non-woven fabric and the non-woven fabric was observed from the other side, the vertical streak could be clearly observed.

(Comparative Example 2)
A non-woven fabric having a basis weight of about 2 g / m ² was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the aluminum plate as the porous material 3 was not moved and was kept fixed. When light was transmitted from one side of this non-woven fabric and the non-woven fabric was observed from the other side, the vertical streak could be clearly observed.

(Comparative Example 3)
A nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of about 2 g / m ² was produced in the same manner as in Example 10 except that the production apparatus from which the porous material 3 and the covering material 6 were removed was used. When light was transmitted from one side of this non-woven fabric and the non-woven fabric was observed from the other side, the vertical streak could be clearly observed.

(Evaluation of non-woven fabric)
Samples 1 to 11 were cut from the region of the central portion 15 cm of the nonwoven fabric produced according to Examples 1 to 11 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3 in the traveling direction of the collecting body 5 into a 1 cm rectangle in the width direction of the collecting body 5. After collecting 15 samples, the mass of each sample was measured and converted from this mass to a basis weight (g / m ² ) to evaluate the basis weight distribution. The results are shown in Table 1.

  From the comparison between Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 in Table 1, the fabric weight per unit area of the nonwoven fabric is reduced by moving the porous material. From the comparison between Example 1 and Example 2, gas is passed through the through hole. In addition, the basis weight variation of the nonwoven fabric is further reduced by comparing the examples, and the comparison between Example 1 and Example 5 shows that the basis weight variation of the nonwoven fabric is further reduced by applying a voltage to the porous material. 7, by supplying gas to the through-holes, the amount of spinning solution discharged can be increased, so that the productivity of the nonwoven fabric can be increased, comparison between Example 4 and Example 8 and Example 6 From comparison with Example 9, it was found that when the movement of the porous material is circular, the basis weight variation of the nonwoven fabric is further reduced.

Conceptual sectional view of the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of the present invention Top view showing the positional relationship between the through hole and the nozzle Conceptual perspective sectional view of another nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of the present invention Arrangement diagram of nozzle support and supply member in embodiment 1

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Nozzle group 1a Nozzle 2 Support supply member 3 Porous material 3a Through-hole 4 Nonwoven fabric 5 Collecting body 6 Covering material

Claims (10)

(B) two or more nozzles capable of discharging the spinning dope, (b) a porous material having a through hole larger than the outer diameter of the nozzle, and (c) movement capable of moving the nozzles and / or the porous material. Means, (d) an application means capable of applying an electric field to the spinning dope to draw and fiberize, and (e) a non-woven fabric manufacturing apparatus comprising a collector capable of directly collecting the fibers, wherein the porous material is A non-woven fabric manufacturing apparatus, wherein each nozzle is inserted into a through-hole, and the tip of each nozzle is disposed so as to be the same as or protrude from the opposite surface of the nozzle side surface of the porous material. 2. The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the porous material is electrically conductive, and further comprises a voltage applying means for the porous material. The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle or the porous material is a moving means capable of moving in a circular shape. The non-woven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising gas supply means for the through hole of the porous material. A gas supply means (1) a support supply member that supports each nozzle and can supply a spinning undiluted solution to each nozzle; (2) a covering material in which a space between the support supply member and the porous material is a closed space; 3) The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a gas supply device capable of supplying gas to the enclosed space. 6. The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the covering material is stretchable and only one of each nozzle or porous material can be moved. When the nonwoven fabric production apparatus according to claim 1 is used to produce a nonwoven fabric by discharging a spinning stock solution from each nozzle and directly collecting fibers formed by applying an electric field to the spinning stock solution and stretching the fibers. A method for producing a nonwoven fabric, wherein the nozzle and / or the porous material is moved. The method for producing a nonwoven fabric according to claim 7, wherein the porous material is electrically conductive, and a voltage is applied to the porous material. The method for producing a nonwoven fabric according to claim 7 or 8, wherein each nozzle or porous material is moved in a circular shape. The method for producing a nonwoven fabric according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein gas is supplied to the through hole of the porous material.

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