JP2013144425A - Stretching apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a stretching apparatus that can shorten the distance of a feed passage allowing a base material to run and reducing the size of a heat treatment chambers.SOLUTION: A plurality of the heat treatment chambers 14 housing a pair of left and right inclined second tenter rails 30L and 30R are arranged in the x-axis direction and installed in the y-axis direction to be shifted from each other.

Description

  The present invention relates to a stretching apparatus for stretching an orientation axis of a substrate such as a film in an oblique direction.

  Conventionally, a stretching apparatus has been proposed that stretches the orientation axis of a substrate such as a film in an oblique direction. The stretching device has a tenter device and a heat treatment chamber. The tenter device grips both sides of the base material with clips attached to a pair of left and right tenter chains at predetermined intervals, and travels along a conveyance path in the heat treatment chamber. The orientation axis is stretched in an oblique direction while heating the substrate.

  As a conventional tenter device, for example, a first tenter device has been proposed in which the speed of the left tenter chain and the right tenter chain is changed to extend the orientation axis obliquely with respect to the base material (Patent Document). 1-4).

  In addition, a second tenter device has been proposed in which a pair of left and right tenter rails on which a pair of left and right tenter chains travels are bent to tilt the orientation axis with respect to the base material (see Patent Document 5).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-311823 JP 2006-256064 A JP 2009-143208 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-9912 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-9542

  In the first tenter device described above, the speeds of the pair of left and right tenter chains are merely different. Therefore, if the orientation axis is inclined by 45 °, the length of the conveyance path by the pair of left and right tenter chains is increased. There was a problem of having to.

  Further, in the second tenter device, since the pair of left and right tenter chains are bent, there is a problem that the size of the heat treatment chamber covering the pair of left and right tenter chains is increased.

  Accordingly, in view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a stretching apparatus that can shorten the distance of a conveyance path for traveling a base material and can reduce the size of a heat treatment chamber.

The present invention is a stretching apparatus for the base material having a transport path on an xy plane in an xy orthogonal coordinate system and having a tenter device that travels a long base material along the transport path,
The tenter device is
A pair of left and right tenter rails;
A pair of left and right endless tenter chains traveling on the pair of left and right tenter rails;
A plurality of pairs of left and right clips provided at predetermined intervals on the pair of left and right tenter chains, and gripping the base material from both left and right sides;
Driving means for moving the clips respectively provided on the pair of left and right tenter chains from the carry-in port to the carry-out port of the base material;
Have
The pair of left and right tenter rails are obtained by sequentially connecting a plurality of left and right pair of partial tenter rails,
The odd-numbered pair of left and right partial tenter rails are parallel tenter rails having the same width as the exit and the entrance, and are installed parallel to the x-axis of the xy orthogonal coordinate system,
The even-numbered pair of left and right partial tenter rails is an enlarged inclined tenter rail whose exit width is larger than the width of the inlet, and one enlarged inclined tenter rail of the pair of left and right enlarged inclined tenter rails Is (θ−α) ° with respect to the x-axis (where 0 ° <θ ° <45 °, 0 ° <α ° <30 °, and θ ° is the center position in the width direction of the substrate). The other expanded inclined tenter rail is installed so as to incline (θ + β) ° (where 0 ° <β ° <30 °) with respect to the x-axis. Stretching device.

Further, the present invention is the substrate stretching apparatus having a transport path on an xy plane in an xy orthogonal coordinate system and having a tenter device that travels a long base material along the transport path. ,
The tenter device is
A pair of left and right tenter rails;
A pair of left and right endless tenter chains traveling on the pair of left and right tenter rails;
A plurality of pairs of left and right clips provided at predetermined intervals on the pair of left and right tenter chains, and gripping the base material from both left and right sides;
Driving means for moving the clips respectively provided on the pair of left and right tenter chains from the carry-in port to the carry-out port of the base material;
Have
The pair of left and right tenter rails are obtained by sequentially connecting a plurality of left and right pair of partial tenter rails,
The odd-numbered pair of left and right partial tenter rails are reduced tenter rails in which the width of the outlet is reduced from the width of the inlet,
The even-numbered pair of left and right partial tenter rails are expanded inclined tenter rails whose exit width is larger than the width of the inlet, and one expanded inclined tenter rail of the pair of left and right expanded inclined tenter rails Is (θ−α) ° with respect to the x-axis (where 0 ° <θ ° <45 °, 0 ° <α ° <30 °, and θ ° is the center position in the width direction of the substrate). The other expanded inclined tenter rail is installed so as to incline (θ + β) ° (where 0 ° <β ° <30 °) with respect to the x-axis. Stretching device.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to shorten the distance of the conveyance path on which the substrate travels and to reduce the size of the heat treatment chamber.

It is a top view of the tenter apparatus in the extending | stretching apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the several heat processing chamber in a drawing apparatus similarly. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view seen from the side of the heat processing chamber. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view of the heat processing chamber seen from the front. It is a top view of the tenter apparatus in the extending | stretching apparatus of Embodiment 2. 10 is a plan view of a heat treatment chamber in Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a top view of the tenter apparatus in the extending | stretching apparatus of Embodiment 3.

  Hereinafter, the elongated substrate stretching apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In this embodiment, the film F is used as a long substrate. As this film F, thermoplastic resins, such as a polymer film used for a polarizing plate, are mentioned. Examples of the polymer include polyvinyl alcohol, polycarbonate, cellulose acylate, polysulfone and the like. In addition, the film F may be polyester, polyethersulfone, polystyrene, polyolefin, polyvinyl alcohol, cellulose acetate, polyvinyl chloride, polymethyl methacrylate, polyarylate, polyamide, or the like. Further, the film F has an ultraviolet absorbing function like a film treated with an ultraviolet absorbing material such as a salicylic acid ester compound, a benzophenol compound, a benzotriazole compound, a cyanoacrylate compound, or a nickel complex compound. It may be a thing.

Embodiment 1

  The elongate substrate stretching apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The stretching apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is intended to provide an orientation axis h tilted at an inclination angle φ = 45 ° with respect to the long film F. Note that the inclination angle φ of the orientation axis h is merely an example, and the inclination angle may be 0 ° <φ ° <90 °.

  The stretching apparatus 10 includes a tenter apparatus 12 as shown in FIG. 1 and a heat treatment chamber 14 as shown in FIG. Hereinafter, each device will be described in order. In the following description, it is assumed that the transport path of the stretching apparatus 10 is provided on the xy plane in the xy orthogonal coordinate system, and the film F travels on the xy plane (on the horizontal plane).

(1) Configuration of Tenter Device 12 First, the tenter device 12 in the stretching device 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The tenter device 12 includes a pair of left and right tenter rails 16L and 16R along the film F conveyance path.

  An inlet sprocket 18L is provided at the inlet of the left tenter rail 16L, and an outlet sprocket 20L is provided at the outlet side. An endless tenter chain 22L is stretched over the inlet sprocket 18L and the outlet sprocket 20L. The tenter chain 22L is provided with a clip 24L for gripping the left ear portion of the film F at predetermined intervals. In FIG. 1, the description of the clip 24L is partially omitted. The inlet sprocket 18L is driven by a motor 26L.

  Similarly, the right tenter rail 16R is provided with an inlet sprocket 18R and an outlet sprocket 20R, and an endless tenter chain 22R is spanned between the inlet sprocket 18R and the outlet sprocket 20R. A clip 24R for holding the right ear portion of the film F is attached to the tenter chain 22R at predetermined intervals. In FIG. 1, the description of the clip 24R is partially omitted. The inlet sprocket 18R is driven by a motor 26R.

  The left tenter rail 16L is composed of three partial tenter rails, a first tenter rail 28L, a second tenter rail 30L, and a third tenter rail 32L.

  The first tenter rail 28L, which is the first partial tenter rail on the left side, is a parallel tenter rail having the same inlet and outlet width, is parallel to the x-axis in the xy orthogonal coordinate system, and is second from the inlet sprocket 18L. A conveyance path to the start end of the tenter rail 30L is configured.

  The second tenter rail 30L, which is the second partial tenter rail on the left side, is an enlarged inclined tenter rail whose outlet width is larger than the inlet width, and is inclined by (θ + β) ° with respect to the x axis. A conveyance path from the terminal end of the rail 28L to the start end of the third tenter rail 32L is configured. Note that (θ + β) ° will be described later.

  The third tenter rail 32L, which is the third partial tenter rail on the left side, is a parallel tenter rail having the same inlet and outlet width, is parallel to the x-axis, and extends from the end of the second tenter rail 30L to the outlet sprocket. Conveys up to 20L.

  The right tenter rail 16R is composed of a first tenter rail 28R, a second tenter rail 30R, and a third tenter rail 32R, which are three partial tenter rails.

  The first tenter rail 28R, which is the first partial tenter rail on the right side, is a parallel tenter rail having the same inlet and outlet width, is parallel to the x axis, and extends from the inlet sprocket 18R to the start end of the second tenter rail 30R. The conveyance path to the section is configured.

  The second tenter rail 30R, which is the second partial tenter rail on the right side, is an enlarged inclined tenter rail whose outlet width is larger than the inlet width, and is inclined (θ−α) ° with respect to the x-axis. A conveyance path is formed from the end portion of the first tenter rail 28R to the start end portion of the third tenter rail 32R. Note that (θ−α) ° will be described later.

  The third tenter rail 32R, which is the third partial tenter rail on the right side, is a parallel tenter rail having the same inlet and outlet width, is parallel to the x axis, and extends from the end of the second tenter rail 30R to the outlet sprocket. A conveyance path up to 20R is configured.

  The distance between the pair of left and right first tenter rails 28L and 28R is set so that the width dimension of the film F is W1 while the film F is held by the pair of left and right clips 24L and 24R. On the other hand, the distance between the pair of left and right third tenter rails 32L and 32R is set such that the width of the film F is W2 in a state where the film F is gripped by the pair of left and right clips 24L and 24R. W2 is 1.1 to 1.5 times W1. Thus, the width dimension on the inlet side of the pair of left and right second tenter rails 30L and 30R is W1, and the width dimension on the outlet side is W2.

  An inclination angle with respect to the x-axis of the center line C in the width direction of the film F when traveling on the pair of left and right second tenter rails 30L and 30R is θ ° (0 ° <θ ° <45 °). This θ ° is preferably set to 5 ° to 30 °, more preferably 15 °.

  Further, the center line C of the film F in the width direction is centered on the center line C so that the distance from the left ear part is W2 / 2, and the distance from the center line C to the right ear part is also W2 / 2. The inclination angle of the second tenter rail 30L is set to (θ + β) °, and the inclination angle of the second tenter rail 30R is set to (θ−α) °. However, 0 ° <α ° <30 ° and 0 ° <β ° <30 °.

  Next, regarding the pair of left and right clips 24L and 24R, when the moving speed of the clip 24L is v2 and the moving speed of the clip 24R is v1, v1 is 1 to 15% faster than v2, preferably 5% faster. Further, the motor 26L and the motor 26R drive the pair of left and right tenter chains 22L and 22R.

(2) Reason why the orientation axis h is inclined Next, the reason why the orientation axis h is inclined will be described. The length of the first tenter rail 28L and the first tenter rail 28R is a1, the length of the second tenter rail 28L is (a2 + b), the length of the second tenter rail 30R is a2, and the third tenter rail 32L The length of the third tenter rail 32R is a3.

  First, a comparison with Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-9912) will be described. In Patent Document 4, the distance between the pair of left and right tenter rails is widened toward the carry-out port side, and the speed of one clip is made faster than the speed of the other clip so that the orientation axis h is inclined. In the method of Patent Document 4, the center line C of the film F is always parallel to the x axis. Therefore, in order to incline the orientation axis h, the configuration in which the width of the film F is widened does not have an effect of inclining the orientation axis h, and the inclination angle of the orientation axis h is determined only by the speed difference between the left and right clips.

  On the other hand, since the center line C of the film F in the pair of left and right second tenter rails 30L and 30R in the present embodiment is inclined by θ ° with respect to the x-axis direction, the clip 24R moving at the moving speed v1 In addition to the speed difference of the clip 24L moving at a slower moving speed v2, the orientation axis h can be inclined by the inclination angle θ, so that it is shorter than the length of the conveyance path of Patent Document 4. The orientation axis h can be further inclined in the conveyance path.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the second tenter rail 30L is inclined by (θ + β) °, and the second tenter rail 30R is inclined by (θ−α) °. Therefore, the length (a2 + b) of the second tenter rail 30L is longer than the length a2 of the second tenter rail 30R. The clip 24R moves on the second tenter rail 30L having a short length at the moving speed v1, and the clip 24L moves on the second tenter rail 30L having a long length at the moving speed v2 that is slower than the moving speed v1. In addition, a difference in the length of the rail is generated, the difference between the clips 24L and 24R reaching the third tenter rails 32L and 32R is increased, and the orientation axis h is further inclined. That is, when there is no difference in rail length as in Patent Document 4, only the speed difference is reflected in the inclination of the orientation axis h. However, as in this embodiment, the difference in rail length is also different from the orientation axis h. Since it is reflected in the tilt, the orientation axis h tilts faster as described above, and the transport path can be shortened.

  Further, the reason why the orientation axis h is inclined will be described in detail. The time tL for the clip 24L to move from the carry-in port to the carry-out port can be expressed by the following equation (1).

tL = (a1 + a2 + b + a3) / v2 (1)

The time tR for the clip 24R to move from the carry-in port to the carry-out port can be expressed as the following equation (2).

tR = (a1 + a2 + a3) / v1 (2)

Therefore, the distance K1 from the carry-in side when the clip 24R reaches the carry-out port to the clip 24L can be expressed by the following equation (3).

K1 = v1 × tL = (a1 + a2 + b + a3) (v1 / v2) (3)

The distance K2 from the carry-out port to the clip 24L can be expressed by the following equation (4) using equation (3).

K2 = (a1 + a2 + b + a3) −K1

= (A1 + a2 + b + a3)-(a1 + a2 + b + a3) (v1 / v2)

= {(V1-v2) a1 + (v1-v2) a2 + (v1-v2) a3 + v1 * b} / v1 (4)

Here, if {(v1−v2) a1 + (v1−v2) a2 + (v1−v2) a3} / v1 = K3, Expression (4) can be expressed as the following Expression (5).

K2 = K3 + b (5)

To tilt the orientation axis h by 45 °,

W2 = K2 = K3 + b (6)

It becomes. K3 is the same as the value calculated by the speed difference of the conventional first tenter device. In this embodiment, the conveyance path can be shortened by a distance b in addition to K3.

Furthermore, paying attention to the inclination angles (θ + β) and (θ−α) of the second tenter rails 28L, 28R,

(A2 + b) cos (θ + β) = a2 × cos (θ−α) (7)

It becomes. When formula (7) is transformed with respect to b,

b = a2 × {cos (θ−α) / cos (θ + β) −1} (8)

It becomes. Substituting equation (8) into equation (6),

W2 = K3 + a2 × {cos (θ−α) / cos (θ + β) −1} (9)

It becomes. Therefore, the parameters a1, a2, a3, θ, α, β are determined so as to satisfy this equation (9).

  However, at the end portions of the second tenter rails 28L and 28R, the distance from the center line C to the left ear part of the film F and the distance from the center line C to the right ear part are respectively equal to W2 / 2. Determine α and β.

(3) Configuration of Heat Treatment Chamber 14 Next, the configuration of the heat treatment chamber 14 in the stretching apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the heat treatment chambers 14 are arranged side by side along the x-axis direction to accommodate the tenter device 12, and each heat treatment chamber 14 is located at the position of the pair of left and right first tenter rails 28 </ b> L and 28 </ b> R. It is installed along the x-axis direction. At the positions of the pair of left and right second tenter rails 30L and 30R, the heat treatment chambers 14 are installed along the x-axis direction and are sequentially shifted along the y-axis direction, as seen from the plane as shown in FIG. In the state, the heat treatment chamber 14 is installed in a staircase shape. At the position of the pair of left and right third tenter rails 32L, 32R, each heat treatment chamber 14 is installed along the x-axis direction.

  The structure of each heat treatment chamber 14 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The heat treatment chamber 14 has a casing 34 having a heat insulating structure. An inlet 36 through which the film F passes is opened on the inlet side of the casing 34, and an outlet 38 is opened on the outlet side. The casing 34 is continuously provided as described above, and the outlet 38 is connected to the inlet 36 of the next heat treatment chamber 14. An exhaust port 58 is provided on the ceiling surface of the casing 34.

  A pair of left and right heating fans 48 are provided above the conveyance path in the casing 34, and an upper duct 40 is disposed between them. On the lower surface of the upper duct 40, an upper nozzle 42 projects downward at predetermined intervals. A slit-shaped upper outlet 44 is provided at the lower end of the upper nozzle 42. The slit-shaped upper outlet 44 is provided along the width direction of the film F. The upper nozzle 42 on the inlet side of the casing 34 is inclined so as to blow hot air inward, and the upper nozzle 42 on the outlet side is also inclined so as to blow hot air inward. Upper air ducts 46, 46 are provided from both the left and right sides of the upper duct 40, and are connected to a pair of left and right heating fans 48, 48.

  On the other hand, a lower duct 50 is provided below the transport path, and a lower nozzle 52 projects upward from the upper surface of the lower duct 50 at predetermined intervals. A slit-like lower outlet 54 along the width direction of the film F is opened at the upper end of the lower nozzle 52. From the left and right sides of the lower duct 50, a pair of left and right lower air ducts 56, 56 are provided and connected to a pair of left and right heating fans 48, 48.

(4) Operating State of Stretching Device 10 Next, the operating state of the stretching device 10 including the tenter device 12 and each heat treatment chamber 14 will be described.

  The operation state of the tenter device 12 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the film F is carried from the carry-in port of the tenter device 12. In this case, the traveling direction of the film F is carried in along the x-axis direction. The left and right ears of the loaded film F are held by the clips 24L and 24R attached to the pair of left and right first tenter chains 28L and 28R, and the film F travels along the conveyance path. As shown in FIG. 2, when the film F is carried in from the carry-in port of the tenter device 12, the film F is carried into the first heat treatment chamber 14 in the plurality of heat treatment chambers 14, and the carry-out port of the tenter device 12. When it is unloaded, it is unloaded from the last heat treatment chamber 14.

  First, when the film F is traveling on the pair of left and right first tenter rails 28L and 28R, the width direction of the film F is always W1, but the moving speed v2 of the clip 24R is higher than the moving speed v1 of the clip 24L. Since it is fast, the orientation axis h of the film F is gradually inclined. That is, at the time of carry-in, the inclination of the orientation axis h with respect to the center line C of the film F was φ ° = 90 °, but this φ ° becomes gradually smaller.

  Next, when the film F reaches the pair of left and right second tenter rails 30L and 30R, in addition to the inclination of the orientation axis h due to the speed difference between the moving speed v1 and the moving speed v2, the inclination angle (θ + β ) ° and the inclination difference (θ−α) ° of the second tenter rail 30R, the film F is stretched in the width direction, and the inclination of the orientation axis h due to the angle difference of the inclination angle is added. The slope of h increases.

  Finally, when the film F reaches the pair of left and right third tenter rails 32L and 32R, the film F travels again along the x-axis direction, and the orientation axis h is inclined due to the speed difference between the moving speed v1 and the moving speed v2. At the carry-out port, the orientation axis h is φ ° = 45 °.

  Thus, in the pair of left and right first tenter rails 28L and 28R, the orientation axis h is inclined by the speed difference between the moving speed v1 and the moving speed v2, and in the pair of left and right second tenter rails 30L and 30R, the speed difference is In addition, the orientation axis h further tilts due to the difference in tilt angle between the second tenter rails 30L and 30R, and the orientation axis h further tilts due to the speed difference in the third tenter rails 32L and 32R. Therefore, conventionally, the orientation axis h can be tilted along a transport path shorter than the length of the transport path for tilting the orientation axis h by 45 °. For example, the length of the conveyance path, which conventionally required 40 m along the x-axis direction, can be realized at 20 m.

  The operation state of the heat treatment chamber 14 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  A pair of left and right heating fans 48, 48 sucks air and heats it to blow hot air. The hot air passes through the pair of left and right upper air ducts 46 and 46 and the lower air ducts 56 and 56 and reaches the upper duct 40 and the lower duct 50. Hot air that has reached the upper duct 40 is blown out from the upper blowing port 44 to the upper surface of the film F through the upper nozzle 42. The hot air reaching the lower duct 50 is blown out from the lower blowout port 54 to the lower surface of the film F through the lower nozzle 52. As a result, heat treatment is performed on the film F that is moved by being gripped by the pair of left and right clips 24L and 24R in the heat treatment chamber 14. The hot air hitting the film F is exhausted from the exhaust port 58.

  Each heat treatment chamber 14 heats room temperature to a predetermined temperature set in advance, and blows hot air on the upper and lower surfaces of the film F. In this case, the room temperature is maintained at, for example, 10 to 20 ° C. higher than the glass transition temperature (for example, 120 to 170 ° C.) of the film F, and the film F that is running is heated so that the orientation axis h is inclined. In addition, it controls so that it may become predetermined | prescribed temperature for every heat processing chamber 14 divided into plurality.

  As described above, the orientation axis h can be inclined to 45 ° while the film F carried into the stretching apparatus 10 is subjected to heat treatment.

(5) Effects According to the first embodiment, in addition to the speed difference between the moving speeds of the left and right clips 24L and 24R in the second tenter rails 30L and 30R, the inclination angles of the pair of left and right second tenter rails 30L and 30R are Since they are different, the orientation axis h can be tilted more and the width can be expanded. Therefore, the conveyance path can be shortened.

  Further, since the room temperature is controlled for each heat treatment chamber 14 with respect to the heat treatment chamber 14, more accurate heat treatment can be performed on the film F.

  The heat treatment chamber 14 is provided along the pair of left and right tenter rails 16L and 16R, and is shifted along the y-axis direction at the position of the pair of right and left second tenter rails 30L and 30R. By providing the plurality of heat treatment chambers 14, the installation area can be reduced.

  Further, since the film F carry-in port is carried in along the x-axis direction and is also carried out along the x-axis direction on the carry-out side, the film F manufacturing apparatus provided before and after the film F can be easily connected. be able to. That is, the film F can be manufactured if the directions of the guide roller or the like for running the film F are all provided along the x-axis direction.

Embodiment 2

  Next, the extending | stretching apparatus 10 in Embodiment 2 is demonstrated based on FIG.5 and FIG.6. The same structures and components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. The stretching apparatus 10 of this embodiment includes a tenter apparatus 12 and a heat treatment chamber 14 as in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the devices 12 and 14 will be described in order.

  In the following description, it is assumed that the transport path of the stretching apparatus 10 is provided on the xy plane in the xy orthogonal coordinate system, and the film F travels on the xy plane (on the horizontal plane). In addition, the stretching apparatus 10 aims to provide an orientation axis h with an inclination angle φ = 45 ° with respect to the long film F. In addition, the inclination angle φ of the orientation axis h is merely an example, and it may be 0 ° <φ <90 °.

(1) Configuration of Tenter Device 12 First, the tenter device 12 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The tenter device 12 has a pair of left and right tenter rails 16L and 16R along the film F conveyance path.

  The pair of left and right tenter rails 16L and 16R are a pair of left and right first tenter rails 161L and 161R, second tenter rails 162L and 162R, which are seven partial tenter rails, and seventh tenter rails 167L and 167R. It is made up of.

  The first tenter rails 161L and 161R, which are a pair of left and right first partial tenter rails, are parallel tenter rails, and have the same inlet width and outlet width. Further, it is parallel to the x-axis in the xy coordinate system, and constitutes a transport path from the inlet sprockets 18L, 18R to the start end portions of the pair of left and right second tenter rails 162L, 162R.

  The second tenter rails 162L and 162R, which are a pair of left and right second partial tenter rails, are enlarged inclined rails having a larger outlet width than the inlet width, and the end portions of the first tenter rails 161L and 161R. To the start end of the third tenter rails 163L and 163R. The left second tenter rail 162L is inclined by (θ + β) ° with respect to the x axis, and the right second tenter rail 162R is inclined by (θ−α) ° with respect to the x axis. θ is set to an angle that tilts the orientation axis, and α and β are the dimension from the center line C to the left ear part and the dimension from the center line C to the right ear part at the exit of the pair of left and right enlarged inclined tenter rails. It is set to be equal.

  The third tenter rails 163L and 163R, which are a pair of left and right third partial tenter rails, are parallel tenter rails, which are parallel to the x-axis, and extend from the end portions of the second tenter rails 162L and 162R to the fourth tenter rail 164L. , 164R to the starting end.

  The fourth tenter rails 164L and 164R, which are a pair of left and right fourth partial tenter rails, are enlarged inclined tenter rails, from the end portions of the third tenter rails 163L and 163R to the start ends of the fifth tenter rails 165L and 165R. The conveyance path is configured. The left fourth tenter rail 164L is inclined by (θ + β) ° with respect to the x axis, and the right fourth tenter rail 164R is inclined by (θ−α) ° with respect to the x axis.

  The fifth tenter rails 165L and 165R, which are a pair of left and right fifth partial tenter rails, are parallel tenter rails, which are parallel to the x-axis and extend from the end of the fourth tenter rails 164L and 164R to the sixth tenter rail 166L. , 166R to the starting end.

  The sixth tenter rails 166L and 166R, which are a pair of left and right sixth partial tenter rails, are enlarged inclined tenter rails, from the end portions of the fifth tenter rails 165L and 165R to the start ends of the seventh tenter rails 167L and 167R. The conveyance path is configured. The left sixth tenter rail 166L is inclined by (θ + β) ° with respect to the x axis, and the right sixth tenter rail 166R is inclined by (θ−α) ° with respect to the x axis.

  The seventh tenter rails 167L and 167R, which are the seventh partial tenter rails, are parallel tenter rails having the same width of the inlet and the width of the outlet, and are parallel to the x-axis, and are parallel to the sixth tenter rails 166L and 166R. A conveyance path is formed from the end portion to the outlet sprockets 20L and 20R.

  In the tenter device 12 of the present embodiment, the moving speed of the pair of left and right clips 24L and 24R traveling on the pair of left and right tenter rails 16L and 16R is the same as in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, this moving speed is assumed to be “v”.

(2) Reason why the orientation axis h is inclined Next, the reason why the orientation axis h is inclined by the tenter device 12 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the first tenter rails 161L and 161R, the third tenter rails 163L and 163R, the fifth tenter rails 165L and 165R, and the seventh tenter rails 167L and 167R are parallel tenter rails. Further, since the moving speed v of the pair of left and right clips 24L and 24R is the same, the orientation axis h does not tilt and the width does not increase.

  Next, the second tenter rails 162L and 162R, the fourth tenter rails 164L and 164R, and the sixth tenter rails 166L and 166R are enlarged inclined tenter rails. Further, the pair of left and right clips 24L and 24R move at the same moving speed v. Therefore, the width of the film F is widened, and the orientation axis h is inclined according to the inclination θ ° in the center line C of these three enlarged inclined tenter rails. Specifically, the orientation axis h is inclined 3 × θ ° from the carry-in port to the carry-out port. In the present embodiment, since the purpose is to incline the orientation axis by 45 ° as described above, θ = 15 °, and the orientation axis h is inclined by 15 ° between the pair of left and right second tenter rails 162L and 162R. The tenter rails 164L and 164R are inclined by 30 °, and the sixth tenter rails 166L and 166R are inclined by 45 °. In addition, regarding the width dimension of the film F at the exit of the pair of right and left enlarged inclined tenter rails, α and β are set so that the dimension from the center line C to the left ear part is equal to the dimension from the center line C to the right ear part. Since it is set, the orientation axis h is inclined and spreads symmetrically.

(3) Configuration of Heat Treatment Chamber 14 The configuration of the heat treatment chamber 14 in the stretching apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The heat treatment chambers 14 are installed side by side along the x-axis direction in order to accommodate the tenter device 12. The heat treatment chambers 14 are arranged at the positions of the first, third, fifth, and seventh tenter rails that are parallel tenter rails. Are installed along the x-axis direction. In addition, at the positions of the second tenter rail, the fourth tenter rail, and the sixth tenter rail, which are a pair of left and right enlarged inclined tenter rails, each heat treatment chamber 14 is installed along the x-axis direction and along the y-axis direction. The twelve heat treatment chambers 14 are installed in a staircase shape when viewed from above.

  The structure of each heat treatment chamber 14 is the same as that of the heat treatment chamber 14 of the first embodiment.

(4) Operating State of Stretching Device 10 Next, the operating state of the stretching device 10 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the film F is carried in from the carry-in port of the tenter device 12. The traveling direction of the film F is carried in along the x-axis direction. The left and right ears of the loaded film F are held by the clips 24L and 24R that move at the same moving speed v attached to the pair of left and right first tenter chains 161L and 161R, and the film F moves along the conveyance path. . When the film F is traveling on the pair of left and right first tenter rails 161L and 161R, the width direction of the film F is always W1, and the moving speed v of the pair of left and right clips 24L and 24R is the same. At the time of carry-in, the film travels while the inclination of the orientation axis h is φ = 90 ° with respect to the center line C of the film F.

  Next, when the film F reaches the second tenter rails 162L and 162R which are a pair of left and right enlarged inclined tenter rails, the film F is stretched in the width direction and the orientation axis h is inclined by 15 °.

  Similarly, in the parallel tenter rail, the orientation axis h is not inclined, and the film F is not stretched in the width direction. In the enlarged inclined tenter rail, the orientation axis h is inclined by θ °, and the film F is stretched in the width direction.

  Finally, when the film F reaches the pair of left and right seventh tenter rails 167L and 167R, the film F travels along the x-axis direction, and the orientation axis h becomes φ = 45 ° at the carry-out port.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, when the film F is carried in from the carry-in port of the tenter device 12, it is carried into the first heat treatment chamber 14 and is carried out from the carry-out port of the tenter device 12 for the final heat treatment. It is unloaded from the chamber 14.

(5) Effect According to the second embodiment, in the three enlarged inclined tenter rails, the pair of left and right clips 24L and 24R move at the same moving speed v, so that the orientation axis h can be inclined and enlarged in the width direction.

  Further, the heat treatment chamber 14 is provided along the pair of left and right tenter rails 16L and 16R, and at the positions of the pair of left and right enlarged inclined tenter rails, the heat treatment chamber 14 is provided by being shifted along the y-axis direction, thereby providing a plurality of heat treatment chambers. Even if the chamber 14 is installed, the installation area can be reduced.

  Further, since the film F carry-in port is carried in along the x-axis direction and is also carried out along the x-axis direction on the carry-out side, the film F manufacturing apparatus provided before and after the film F can be easily connected. be able to. That is, if all the directions of the roller etc. which drive the film F are provided along the x-axis direction, the film F can be manufactured.

Embodiment 3

  Next, the extending | stretching apparatus 10 of Embodiment 3 is demonstrated based on FIG.

  The difference between the present embodiment and the second embodiment resides in a pair of left and right tenter rails 16L and 16R in the tenter device 12. In the second embodiment, the first tenter rails 161L and 161R, the third tenter rails 163L and 163R, the fifth tenter rails 165L and 165R, and the seventh tenter rails 167L and 167R are all parallel tenter rails. The form is as follows.

  The pair of left and right first tenter rails 261L and 261R are a pair of left and right parallel tenter rails as in the second embodiment.

  However, the other pair of left and right third tenter rails 263L, 263R, the fifth tenter rails 265L, 265R, and the seventh tenter rails 267L, 267R are a pair of left and right reduced tenter rails.

  A pair of left and right eighth tenter rails 268L and 268R, which are parallel tenter rails, are provided after the pair of left and right seventh tenter rails 267L and 267R.

  The “left and right pair of reduced tenter rails” have an exit width smaller than the entrance width, and the ratio of the entrance width to the exit width is 0.7 to 0.95. This reduction ratio is determined based on the enlargement ratio, which is the ratio of the width of the entrance and the width of the exit, and the material of the film F in the previous-stage enlarged inclined tenter rail. For example, when the enlargement ratio of the enlargement inclination tenter rail is 1.5, the reduction ratio is set to 0.8.

  There are two kinds of reduction methods for the reduction tenter rail.

  In the first type, the width of the film F is reduced symmetrically about the center line C as shown in FIG.

  The second type is that the (θ + β) side where the inclination angle of the enlarged inclination tenter rail is large is greatly reduced also on the reduction tenter rail, and the reduction rate is small on the reduction tenter rail when the inclination angle is small (θ−α). To do.

  When the film F is conveyed by the pair of left and right reduced tenter rails, the film F spreading in the width direction is slightly relaxed in the width direction. This is because the relaxation of the orientation axis of the film F and the expansion in the width direction can be performed more smoothly by performing such relaxation while being heat-treated. This differs depending on the material of the film F.

  In the tenter device 12 as well, the pair of left and right first tenter rails 261L and 261R on the carry-in side and the eighth tenter rails 268L and 268R on the carry-out side use parallel tenter rails. This makes it easy to connect to other manufacturing apparatuses.

Example of change

(1) Modification 1
Modification 1 will be described.

  In the second embodiment, the seven partial tenter rails are connected in order, but the number is not limited to this, and the number is not limited as long as the enlarged inclined tenter rails and the parallel rails are connected in this order. However, the parallel tenter rail is used only for the first partial tenter rail connected to the carry-in port and the last partial tenter rail connected to the carry-out port.

(2) Modification example 2
Modification 2 will be described.

  Also in Embodiment 3, eight partial tenter rails are connected in order, but the number is not limited to this, and the number is not limited as long as the enlarged inclined tenter rails and the reduced rails are connected in this order. However, the parallel tenter rail is used only for the first partial tenter rail connected to the carry-in port and the last partial tenter rail connected to the carry-out port.

(3) Modification 3
A third modification will be described.

  In the first embodiment, the pair of left and right clips 24L and 24R are moved at different speeds, but may be moved at the same movement speed v. In this case, the orientation axis h is inclined by the inclination θ of the enlarged inclined rails 30L and 30R.

(4) Modification 4
Modification 4 will be described.

  In the second and third embodiments, the speed of the pair of left and right clips L and 24R is not set to the same moving speed v, but the left clip 24L is moved at the moving speed v2 as in the first embodiment, and the right clip 24R is moved. Move at the moving speed v1. However, v1> v2. As a result, the orientation axis h can be inclined more greatly than when the pair of left and right clips 24L and 24R are moved at the same moving speed v.

(5) Modification 5
Modification 5 will be described.

  In each of the above embodiments, the film F has been described as the base material, but a base material other than the film F may be used instead.

(6) Others Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

F ... film, 10 ... stretching device, 12 ... tenter device, 14 ... heat treatment chamber, 16L, 16R ... tenter rail, 22L, 22R ... tenter chain, 24L, 24R ... Clip, 28L, 28R ... 1st tenter rail, 30L, 30R ... 2nd tenter rail, 32L, 32R ... 3rd tenter rail, 42 ... upper nozzle, 48 ... heating fan, 52 ... lower nozzle,

Claims (14)

a stretching apparatus for the base material having a transport path on an xy plane in an xy orthogonal coordinate system and having a tenter device that travels a long base material along the transport path;
The tenter device is
A pair of left and right tenter rails;
A pair of left and right endless tenter chains traveling on the pair of left and right tenter rails;
A plurality of pairs of left and right clips provided at predetermined intervals on the pair of left and right tenter chains, and gripping the base material from both left and right sides;
Driving means for moving the clips respectively provided on the pair of left and right tenter chains from the carry-in port to the carry-out port of the base material;
Have
The pair of left and right tenter rails are obtained by sequentially connecting a plurality of left and right pair of partial tenter rails,
The odd-numbered pair of left and right partial tenter rails are parallel tenter rails having the same width as the exit and the entrance, and are installed parallel to the x-axis of the xy orthogonal coordinate system,
The even-numbered pair of left and right partial tenter rails is an enlarged inclined tenter rail whose exit width is larger than the width of the inlet, and one enlarged inclined tenter rail of the pair of left and right enlarged inclined tenter rails Is (θ−α) ° with respect to the x-axis (where 0 ° <θ ° <45 °, 0 ° <α ° <30 °, and θ ° is the center position in the width direction of the substrate). The other expanded inclined tenter rail is installed so as to incline (θ + β) ° (where 0 ° <β ° <30 °) with respect to the x-axis. Stretching device. a stretching apparatus for the base material having a transport path on an xy plane in an xy orthogonal coordinate system and having a tenter device that travels a long base material along the transport path;
The tenter device is
A pair of left and right tenter rails;
A pair of left and right endless tenter chains traveling on the pair of left and right tenter rails;
A plurality of pairs of left and right clips provided at predetermined intervals on the pair of left and right tenter chains, and gripping the base material from both left and right sides;
Driving means for moving the clips respectively provided on the pair of left and right tenter chains from the carry-in port to the carry-out port of the base material;
Have
The pair of left and right tenter rails are obtained by sequentially connecting a plurality of left and right pair of partial tenter rails,
The odd-numbered pair of left and right partial tenter rails are reduced tenter rails in which the width of the outlet is reduced from the width of the inlet,
The even-numbered pair of left and right partial tenter rails is an enlarged inclined tenter rail whose exit width is larger than the width of the inlet, and one enlarged inclined tenter rail of the pair of left and right enlarged inclined tenter rails Is (θ−α) ° with respect to the x-axis (where 0 ° <θ ° <45 °, 0 ° <α ° <30 °, and θ ° is the center position in the width direction of the substrate). The other expanded inclined tenter rail is installed so as to incline (θ + β) ° (where 0 ° <β ° <30 °) with respect to the x-axis. Stretching device. A plurality of heat treatment chambers for performing heat treatment on the base material traveling by the tenter device;
The heat treatment chambers are arranged side by side along the x-axis direction so as to accommodate the pair of left and right tenter rails,
Each of the heat treatment chambers storing the pair of left and right enlarged inclined tenter rails is installed by shifting in the y-axis direction according to the inclination of the pair of left and right inclined tenter rails.
The stretching apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The drive means makes the moving speed v1 of the one pair of left and right clips faster than the moving speed v2 of the other clip;
The stretching apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The moving speed v1 of the one clip is 1% to 15% faster than the moving speed v2 of the other clip.
The stretching apparatus according to claim 4. The drive means moves the pair of left and right clips respectively at the same moving speed v0.
The stretching apparatus according to claim 2. k extended tenter rails (where k> = 1),
When the tilt angle φ of the orientation axis of the substrate is φ ≦ k × θ,
The stretching apparatus according to claim 6. The first pair of left and right partial tenter rails at the carry-in port and the last pair of left and right partial tenter rails at the carry-out port are a pair of left and right parallel tenter rails having the same width of the exit and the width of the entrance. is there,
The stretching apparatus according to claim 2, 6 or 7. The inclination θ = 5 ° to 30 °,
The stretching apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8. The xy plane is a horizontal plane;
The stretching apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9. Regarding the width dimension of the base material at the exit of the pair of left and right enlarged inclined tenter rails, the dimension from the center line of the base material to one ear part and the dimension from the center line of the base material to the other ear part are: equal,
The stretching apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10. Each of the heat treatment chambers
An upper nozzle and a lower nozzle that blow hot air from above and below on the traveling base material;
Heating air blowing means for heating air and blowing air to the upper nozzle and the lower nozzle;
The stretching apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: Each heating air blowing means controls the room temperature to a predetermined temperature for each heat treatment chamber,
The stretching apparatus according to claim 12. The base material is a film, and the room temperature is controlled to a temperature higher by 0 ° C. to 30 ° C. than the glass transition temperature;
The stretching apparatus according to claim 12.

Images