JP2019065411A - Sheet production apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a sheet production apparatus capable of easily adjusting the rigidity of a sheet produced by the sheet production apparatus.SOLUTION: The sheet production apparatus comprises: a first material supply part that supplies a first material comprising a first fiber; a second material supply part that supplies a second material comprising a second fiber having a shorter average length than the first fiber, and a control part that controls operations of the first material supply part and the second material supply part. The sheet production apparatus has a first mode to supply the first material from the first material supply part and a second mode to supply the second material from the second material supply part as modes to perform control. The control part selects one mode from the first mode and the second mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet manufacturing apparatus.

  In recent years, awareness of the environment has been heightened, and it has been required not only to reduce the amount of paper used but also to recycle used paper (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

  Patent Document 1 discloses a sheet having a defibrating unit that defibrates waste paper, a separating unit that separates foreign matter from the defibrated material disintegrated by the defibrating unit, and a defibrated material from which the foreign matter has been removed. There is disclosed a sheet manufacturing apparatus having a forming unit for forming a sheet. With this sheet manufacturing apparatus, waste paper can be reused as recycled paper.

  Generally, recycled paper made from used paper has a tendency that pulp fiber length tends to be relatively short, paper strength (stiffness of paper) tends to decrease, and paper powder tends to be generated. is there.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 2, the decrease in paper strength is prevented by providing an alkali-degradable biodegradable resin layer on the surface of the recycled paper containing recycled pulp, that is, the paper strength is adjusted, and There is disclosed a technology for suppressing the occurrence of

JP, 2014-208925, A JP, 2006-104622, A

  However, in the sheet manufacturing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, when there is variation in the paper strength of the waste paper to be input, variation occurs in the disintegration rate and the deposition rate, and it is difficult to keep the thickness of the deposit uniform. . For this reason, the paper strength of the recycled paper may vary, which makes it difficult to adjust the paper strength of the recycled paper.

Further, as described in Patent Document 2, the step of providing the alkali-degradable biodegradable resin layer on the surface of the recycled paper is relatively complicated.
As described above, it is difficult to adjust the paper strength of recycled paper, and a complicated process is required.

  One of the objects according to some aspects of the present invention is to provide a sheet manufacturing apparatus capable of easily adjusting the rigidity of a sheet manufactured by the sheet manufacturing apparatus.

  The present invention has been made to solve at least a part of the above-mentioned problems, and can be realized as the following aspects.

A sheet manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a first material supply unit for supplying a first material including a first fiber;
A second material supply unit for supplying a second material including a second fiber whose average length is shorter than the average length of the first fibers;
And a control unit that controls the operation of the first material supply unit and the second material supply unit.

  In this way, manufacturing is performed with a simple configuration in which the operation of the first material supply unit and the second material supply unit is controlled to set (select) which material of the first material and the second material to use. The sheet can have the desired stiffness. That is, the stiffness of the sheet can be easily adjusted.

In the sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, as a mode for performing control, a first mode for supplying the first material from the first material supply unit, and a second mode for supplying the second material from the second material supply unit Have a mode and
Preferably, the control unit selects one mode from the first mode and the second mode.

  This makes it possible to select whether to manufacture a sheet having a relatively high rigidity or a sheet having a relatively low rigidity.

  In the sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable to have a third mode in which material is supplied from both the first material supply unit and the second material supply unit as a mode in which control is performed.

  Thereby, the supply amount (supply ratio) of the first material and the second material can be adjusted in multiple steps. Therefore, the stiffness of the manufactured sheet can be adjusted in multiple steps.

In the sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, preferably, the control unit sets an execution mode in accordance with the stiffness of the sheet to be manufactured.
This allows the sheet to be manufactured to have a set stiffness.

  In the sheet manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, in the third mode, the control unit supplies the first material from the first material supply unit, and the second material from the second material supply unit. It is preferable to repeat alternately the supply 2nd state.

  Thereby, in the surface direction of the manufactured sheet material, rigidity can be made as uniform as possible.

  In the sheet manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, in the third mode, the control unit performs a first supply amount of the first material in the first state, and a second supply amount of the second material in the second state. Is preferably adjustable.

  Thereby, the supply amount (supply ratio) of the first material and the second material can be adjusted in multiple steps. Therefore, the stiffness of the manufactured sheet can be adjusted in multiple steps.

In the sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, preferably, the control unit determines the first supply amount and the second supply amount according to the rigidity of the sheet to be manufactured.
This allows the sheet to be manufactured to have a set stiffness.

  In the sheet manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, in the third mode, the control unit controls the first material in the first state according to the average length of the first fibers and the average length of the second fibers. It is preferable that the timing of supply and the timing of supply of the second material in the second state be adjustable.

  This makes it possible to make the rigidity as uniform as possible in the plane direction of the manufactured sheet.

In the sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the first material and the second material are sheet materials,
Preferably, the control unit adjusts the first supply amount and the second supply amount based on the number of sheets.
Thereby, adjustment of the rigidity of the sheet | seat manufactured can be performed by easy control.

In the sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable to have a defibrating unit that defibrates the sheet material.
Thereby, even if it uses a sheet material as a raw material, a sheet can be manufactured.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a sheet manufacturing apparatus (first embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view sequentially showing steps performed by the sheet manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the sheet manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing a first mode performed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing a second mode performed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing a third mode executed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing a third mode executed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing a third mode executed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the control operation performed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing a third mode executed by the control unit included in the sheet manufacturing apparatus (second embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view schematically showing the second web. FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing a second web.

  Hereinafter, the sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail based on the preferred embodiments shown in the attached drawings.

First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a sheet manufacturing apparatus (first embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view sequentially showing steps performed by the sheet manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the sheet manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing a first mode performed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing a second mode performed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing a third mode executed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing a third mode executed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing a third mode executed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the control operation performed by the control unit shown in FIG.

  In the following, for convenience of explanation, the upper side of FIG. 1 is referred to as "upper" or "upper", the lower side is referred to as "lower" or "lower", the left side is "left" or "upstream side", and the right side is It may be said "right" or "downstream".

  The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a first raw material supply unit 11A (first material supply unit) for supplying a raw material M1A (first material) containing the first fibers, and an average length longer than the average length of the first fibers. Second raw material supply unit 11B (second material supply unit) for supplying a raw material M1B (second material) containing a second fiber having a short length, a first raw material supply unit 11A (first material supply unit), and a second raw material And a control unit 3 that controls the operation of the supply unit 11B (second material supply unit).

  In this manner, the operation of the first raw material supply unit 11A and the second raw material supply unit 11B is controlled to set (select) which material of the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B to use. The sheet S can be made to have a desired stiffness, i.e. the stiffness of the sheet S can be easily adjusted.

  The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 includes the raw material supply unit 11, the crushing unit 12, the defibrating unit 13, the sorting unit 14, the first web forming unit 15, the subdivision unit 16, and the like. A part 17, a loosening part 18, a second web forming part 19, a sheet forming part 20, a cutting part 21 and a stocking part 22 are provided. The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 further includes a humidifying unit 231, a humidifying unit 232, a humidifying unit 233, a humidifying unit 234, a humidifying unit 235, a humidifying unit 236, and the control unit 3. The control unit 3 controls the operation of each part of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the sheet manufacturing method is performed by the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100, and a raw material supply process, a crushing process, a fibrillation process, a sorting process, and 1 web forming process, parting process, mixing process, loosening process, second web forming process, sheet forming process, and cutting process.

Hereinafter, the configuration of each part provided in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described.
The raw material supply part 11 is a part which performs the raw material supply process (refer FIG. 2) which supplies the raw material M1 to the crushing part 12. As shown in FIG. The raw material M1 is, for example, in the form of a sheet made of a fiber-containing material containing fibers (cellulose fibers).

  Here, the raw material M1 refers to a raw material M1A or a raw material M1B actually supplied from the raw material supply unit 11, or a generic name of the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B.

  Moreover, although the raw material M1 (raw material M1A, raw material M1B) is waste paper, ie, a used sheet, in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be an unused sheet. In addition, what is necessary is just what makes cellulose (cellulose in a narrow sense) as a main component and makes a fibrous form with a compound as a cellulose fiber, and also contains hemicellulose and lignin besides cellulose (cellulose in a narrow sense) Good.

  Moreover, the raw material supply part 11 has 1st raw material supply part 11A (1st material supply part) and 2nd raw material supply part 11B (2nd material supply part). This will be described in detail later.

  The crushing part 12 is a part which performs the crushing process (refer FIG. 2) which crushes the raw material M1 supplied from the raw material supply part 11 in air (in air). The crushing unit 12 has a pair of crushing blades 121 and a chute 122 (hopper).

  The pair of coarse crushing blades 121 can rotate the raw material M1 between them in a direction opposite to each other to coarsen, that is, cut the raw material M1 into coarse pieces M2. The shape and size of the coarse fragments M2 are preferably suitable for the defibrating treatment in the defibrating unit 13. For example, the length of one side is preferably a small piece of 100 mm or less, and a small piece of 10 mm to 70 mm Is more preferred.

  The chute 122 is disposed below the pair of crushing blades 121 and has, for example, a funnel shape. Thus, the chute 122 can receive the coarse fragments M2 that have been crushed and dropped by the crushing blade 121.

  Further, above the chute 122, the humidifying unit 231 is disposed adjacent to the pair of coarse crushing blades 121. The humidifying unit 231 humidifies the coarse fragments M2 in the chute 122. The humidifying unit 231 has a filter (not shown) containing water, and by passing air through the filter, a vaporization type (or hot air vaporization type) that supplies humidified air with increased humidity to the coarse debris M2 It consists of a humidifier. By supplying the humidified air to the coarse fragments M2, the coarse fragments M2 can be prevented from adhering to the chute 122 etc. by static electricity.

  The chute 122 is connected to the defibrating unit 13 via a pipe 241 (flow path). The coarse fragments M2 collected in the chute 122 pass through the pipe 241 and are transported to the defibrating unit 13.

  The defibrating unit 13 is a portion that performs a defibrating step (see FIG. 2) of disaggregating the coarse fragments M2 (fiber-containing material including fibers) in air (in air), that is, in a dry manner. By the defibrating process in the defibrating unit 13, the defibrated product M3 can be generated from the coarse fragments M2. Here, "disintegrate" refers to loosening the coarse fragments M2 formed by binding a plurality of fibers into one fiber. And this disentangled thing becomes disentangled material M3. The shape of the defibrated material M3 is linear or band-like. In addition, the defibrated materials M3 may be present in a state of being entangled and in a lump, that is, in a state of forming a so-called "dama".

  For example, in the present embodiment, the defibrating unit 13 is an impeller mill having a rotor rotating at high speed and a liner located on the outer periphery of the rotor. The coarse fragments M2 flowing into the defibrating unit 13 are defibrated by being sandwiched between the rotor and the liner.

  Further, the defibrating unit 13 can generate a flow (air flow) of air from the coarse crushing unit 12 to the sorting unit 14 by the rotation of the rotor. Thereby, the coarse fragments M2 can be sucked from the pipe 241 to the defibrating unit 13. In addition, after the defibration treatment, the defibrated material M3 can be sent to the sorting unit 14 through the pipe 242.

  The defibrating unit 13 also has a function of separating substances such as resin particles attached to the defibrated product M3 (coarse fragments M2), coloring materials such as ink and toner, and anti-smearing agents from fibers.

  As described above, the sheet S (recycled paper) is manufactured even if the sheet material before disentanglement is used as the material M1 by having the fibrillation unit 13 that disintegrates the material M1 (sheet material). Can.

  The defibrating unit 13 is connected to the sorting unit 14 via a pipe 242 (flow path). The defibrated material M 3 (fiber-containing material after fibrillation) passes through the pipe 242 and is conveyed to the sorting unit 14.

  In the middle of the pipe 242, a blower 261 is installed. The blower 261 is an air flow generating device that generates an air flow toward the sorting unit 14. Thus, the delivery of the defibrated material M3 to the sorting unit 14 is promoted.

  The sorting unit 14 is a part that performs a sorting step (see FIG. 2) of sorting the defibrated material M3 according to the length of the fiber. In the sorting unit 14, the defibrated material M3 is sorted into the first sorted material M4-1 and the second sorted material M4-2 larger than the first sorted material M4-1. The first sorted product M4-1 has a size suitable for the subsequent production of the sheet S. The second sorted product M4-2 includes, for example, those having insufficient defibration and those in which the defibrated fibers are excessively aggregated.

  The sorting unit 14 has a drum unit 141 and a housing unit 142 for housing the drum unit 141.

  The drum unit 141 is a screen formed in a cylindrical shape and is a sieve that rotates around its central axis. The defibrated material M3 flows into the drum portion 141. And, by rotation of the drum portion 141, the defibrated material M3 smaller than the mesh size of the mesh is selected as the first sorted material M4-1, and the defibrillated material M3 having a size larger than the mesh size is The second sorted product M4-2 is sorted.

The first sorted matter M4-1 falls from the drum unit 141.
On the other hand, the second sorted matter M4-2 is sent out to the pipe 243 (flow path) connected to the drum portion 141. The pipe 243 is connected to the pipe 241 at the opposite side (downstream side) to the drum portion 141. The second sorted product M4-2 which has passed through the pipe 243 joins the coarse fragments M2 in the pipe 241 and flows into the defibrating unit 13 together with the coarse fragments M2. As a result, the second sorted product M4-2 is returned to the defibrating unit 13 and disintegrated with the coarse fragments M2.

  In addition, the first sorted matter M4-1 from the drum unit 141 disperses in air and falls, and travels to the first web forming unit 15 (separation unit) located below the drum unit 141. The 1st web formation part 15 is a portion which performs the 1st web formation process (refer to Drawing 2) which forms the 1st web M5 from the 1st sorted matter M4-1. The first web forming unit 15 has a mesh belt (separation belt) 151, three tension rollers 152, and a suction unit 153 (suction mechanism).

  The mesh belt 151 is an endless belt, on which the first sorted matter M4-1 is deposited. The mesh belt 151 is wound around three tension rollers 152. Then, by the rotational driving of the tension roller 152, the first sorted material M4-1 on the mesh belt 151 is conveyed to the downstream side.

  The first sorted matter M4-1 has a size equal to or larger than the opening of the mesh belt 151. Thereby, the passage of the mesh belt 151 is restricted, and therefore, the first sorted matter M4-1 can be deposited on the mesh belt 151. In addition, since the first sorted matter M4-1 is transported to the downstream side together with the mesh belt 151 while being deposited on the mesh belt 151, it is formed as a layered first web M5.

  Further, the color material CM is mixed with the first sorted product M4-1. The color material CM is smaller than the opening of the mesh belt 151. Thereby, the color material CM passes the mesh belt 151 and falls further downward.

  The suction unit 153 can suction air from below the mesh belt 151. As a result, the color material CM having passed through the mesh belt 151 can be suctioned together with air.

  The suction unit 153 is connected to the collection unit 27 via a pipe 244 (flow path). The color material CM sucked by the suction unit 153 is collected by the collection unit 27.

  A pipe 245 (flow path) is further connected to the recovery unit 27. Further, a blower 262 is installed in the middle of the pipe 245. By the operation of the blower 262, a suction force can be generated in the suction unit 153. This promotes the formation of the first web M5 on the mesh belt 151. The first web M5 has the color material CM removed. Further, the color material CM passes through the pipe 244 by the operation of the blower 262 and reaches the recovery unit 27.

  The housing portion 142 is connected to the humidifying portion 232. The humidifying unit 232 is configured of a vaporization type humidifier similar to the humidifying unit 231. Thus, the humidified air is supplied into the housing portion 142. The humidified air can humidify the first sorted matter M4-1, and thus can prevent the first sorted matter M4-1 from adhering to the inner wall of the housing portion 142 by electrostatic force.

  A humidifying unit 235 is disposed downstream of the sorting unit 14. The humidifying unit 235 is configured of an ultrasonic humidifier that sprays water. As a result, water can be supplied (humidified) to the first web M5, whereby the water content of the first web M5 is adjusted. By this adjustment, the adsorption of the first web M5 to the mesh belt 151 by electrostatic force can be suppressed. Thereby, the first web M5 is easily peeled off from the mesh belt 151 at a position where the mesh belt 151 is folded back by the stretching roller 152.

  The dividing unit 16 is disposed downstream of the humidifying unit 235. The subdivision unit 16 is a portion that performs a dividing step (see FIG. 2) of dividing the first web M5 separated from the mesh belt 151. The subdivided portion 16 has a propeller 161 rotatably supported and a housing portion 162 for housing the propeller 161. Then, the first web M5 can be divided by the first web M5 being caught in the rotating propeller 161. The divided first web M5 becomes a subdivided body M6. Further, the subdivided body M6 descends in the housing portion 162.

  The housing portion 162 is connected to the humidifying portion 233. The humidifying unit 233 is configured of a vaporization type humidifier similar to the humidifying unit 231. Thus, humidified air is supplied into the housing portion 162. The humidified air can also prevent the subdivision body M6 from adhering to the propeller 161 and the inner wall of the housing portion 162 by electrostatic force.

  The mixing unit 17 is disposed downstream of the subdivision unit 16. The mixing part 17 is a part which performs the mixing process (refer FIG. 2) which mixes the subdivision M6 and resin P1. The mixing unit 17 includes a resin supply unit 171, a pipe (flow passage) 172, and a blower 173.

  The pipe 172 connects the housing portion 162 of the subdivided portion 16 and the housing portion 182 of the loosening portion 18 and is a flow path through which the mixture M7 of the subdivided body M6 and the resin P1 passes.

  A resin supply unit 171 is connected in the middle of the pipe 172. The resin supply unit 171 has a screw feeder 174. By driving the screw feeder 174 to rotate, the resin P1 can be supplied to the tube 172 as powder or particles. The resin P1 supplied to the pipe 172 is mixed with the subdivision M6 to form a mixture M7.

  In addition, although resin P1 makes fibers bind in a later step, for example, a thermoplastic resin, a curable resin, etc. can be used, but it is preferable to use a thermoplastic resin. Examples of the thermoplastic resin include AS resin, ABS resin, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyolefin such as ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), modified polyolefin, acrylic resin such as polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyethylene Polyesters such as terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, nylon 6, nylon 46, nylon 66, nylon 610, nylon 612, nylon 11, nylon 12, nylon 6-12, nylon 6-66, etc. polyamide (nylon), polyphenylene ether, polyacetal , Polyether, polyphenylene oxide, polyetheretherketone, polycarbonate, polyphenylene sulfide, thermoplastic polyimide, polyetherimide, aromatic polyimide Various thermoplastic elastomers such as liquid crystal polymers such as esters, styrenes, polyolefins, polyvinyl chlorides, polyurethanes, polyesters, polyamides, polybutadienes, trans polyisoprenes, fluoro rubbers, chlorinated polyethylenes, etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more selected from these. Preferably, polyester or a resin containing this is used as the thermoplastic resin.

  In addition to the resin P1, for example, a colorant for coloring fibers, an aggregation inhibitor for suppressing aggregation of fibers and aggregation of the resin P1, and the like may be supplied from the resin supply unit 171. And the like may contain a flame retardant or the like for making it hard to burn. In addition, vegetable materials such as starch may be used.

  Further, a blower 173 is installed in the middle of the pipe 172 on the downstream side of the resin supply unit 171. The blower 173 can generate an air flow toward the loosening unit 18. By this air flow, the subdivided body M6 and the resin P1 can be stirred in the pipe 172. Thus, the mixture M7 can flow into the loosening portion 18 in a state in which the subdivisions M6 and the resin P1 are uniformly dispersed. In addition, the subdivision M6 in the mixture M7 is loosened in the process of passing through the pipe 172 and becomes finer and fibrous.

  The loosening portion 18 is a portion of the mixture M7 which performs the step of loosening the entangled fibers (see FIG. 2). The loosening unit 18 includes a drum unit 181 and a housing unit 182 for housing the drum unit 181.

  The drum unit 181 is a screen formed in a cylindrical shape, and is a sieve that rotates about its central axis. The mixture M7 flows into the drum portion 181. Then, by rotating the drum unit 181, fibers and the like smaller than the mesh openings of the mixture M7 can pass through the drum unit 181. At that time, the mixture M7 will be loosened.

  Further, the mixture M 7 loosened by the drum unit 181 is dispersed in air and falls, and travels to the second web forming unit 19 located below the drum unit 181. The second web forming unit 19 is a portion that performs a second web forming step (see FIG. 2) of forming a second web M8 from the mixture M7. The second web forming unit 19 has a mesh belt 191 (separation belt), a tension roller 192, and a suction unit 193 (suction mechanism).

  The mesh belt 191 is an endless belt, on which the mixture M7 is deposited. The mesh belt 191 is wound around four tension rollers 192. Then, the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 is conveyed to the downstream side by the rotational drive of the tension roller 192.

  Also, most of the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 has a size larger than the opening of the mesh belt 191. As a result, the mixture M7 is restricted from passing through the mesh belt 191, and can therefore be deposited on the mesh belt 191. Further, the mixture M <b> 7 is conveyed downstream together with the mesh belt 191 while being deposited on the mesh belt 191, and is thus formed as a layered second web M <b> 8.

  The suction unit 193 can suction air from below the mesh belt 191. This allows the mixture M7 to be sucked onto the mesh belt 191, thereby promoting the deposition of the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191.

  A pipe 246 (flow path) is connected to the suction unit 193. Further, a blower 263 is installed in the middle of the pipe 246. By the operation of the blower 263, suction can be generated at the suction portion 193.

  The housing portion 182 is connected to the humidifying portion 234. The humidifying unit 234 is configured of a vaporization type humidifier similar to the humidifying unit 231. Thus, humidified air is supplied into the housing portion 182. By the humidified air, the inside of the housing portion 182 can be humidified, and therefore, the mixture M7 can be suppressed from adhering to the inner wall of the housing portion 182 by electrostatic force.

  A humidifying unit 236 is disposed downstream of the loosening unit 18. The humidifying unit 236 is configured by an ultrasonic humidifier similar to the humidifying unit 235. Thus, the second web M8 can be supplied with water, and the water content of the second web M8 can be adjusted. By this adjustment, the adsorption of the second web M8 to the mesh belt 191 by electrostatic force can be suppressed. As a result, the second web M 8 is easily peeled off from the mesh belt 191 at the position where the mesh belt 191 is folded back by the tension roller 192.

  A sheet forming unit 20 is disposed downstream of the second web forming unit 19. The sheet forming unit 20 is a portion that performs a sheet forming process (see FIG. 2) of forming the sheet S from the second web M8. The sheet forming unit 20 includes a pressure unit 201 and a heating unit 202.

  The pressing unit 201 has a pair of calendar rollers 203, and can press the second web M8 without heating between them. This increases the density of the second web M8. Then, the second web M8 is conveyed toward the heating unit 202. One of the pair of calendar rollers 203 is a main driving roller driven by the operation of a motor (not shown), and the other is a driven roller.

  The heating unit 202 has a pair of heating rollers 204, and can heat and press the second web M8 between them. By this heating and pressing, in the second web M8, the resin P1 is melted, and the fibers are bonded to each other through the melted resin P1. Thus, the sheet S is formed. Then, the sheet S is conveyed toward the cutting unit 21. Note that one of the pair of heating rollers 204 is a main driving roller driven by the operation of a motor (not shown), and the other is a driven roller.

  The cutting unit 21 is disposed downstream of the sheet forming unit 20. The cutting unit 21 is a portion that performs a cutting process (see FIG. 2) for cutting the sheet S. The cutting unit 21 includes a first cutter 211 and a second cutter 212.

  The first cutter 211 cuts the sheet S in a direction intersecting the sheet S conveyance direction.

  The second cutter 212 cuts the sheet S in the direction parallel to the conveyance direction of the sheet S on the downstream side of the first cutter 211.

  By cutting the first cutter 211 and the second cutter 212, a sheet S having a desired size can be obtained. Then, the sheet S is conveyed further downstream and accumulated in the stock unit 22.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 3 includes a CPU 31 (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit 32 (a memory, a hard disk, etc.).

  The CPU 31 controls the operation of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100. Further, the CPU 31 controls each unit based on various programs stored in the storage unit 32.

  The storage unit 32 is configured of, for example, a rewritable non-volatile memory. The storage unit 32 stores various programs such as a program related to sheet production, and the various programs are executed by the CPU 31.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the operation unit 4 has a monitor 41 and an operation button 42. The monitor 41 is formed of, for example, a liquid crystal display, and a setting screen (not shown) for setting each part of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 is displayed.

  The operation button 42 may be a dedicated button, may be a button on the keyboard, or may be set (formed) on the touch panel of the monitor 41 configured by a liquid crystal display.

  The communication between the operation unit 4 and the control unit 3 may be wired or wireless, or may be performed via the Internet or the like. The communication between the raw material supply unit 11 and the control unit 3 may be either wired or wireless, or may be performed via the Internet or the like.

  When the operator operates the operation button 42 while watching the monitor 41, various settings can be performed on the setting screen.

  Further, in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100, by operating the operation unit 4, as described below, the stiffness of the manufactured sheet S can be selected in multiple steps.

  In the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100, the rigidity of the sheet S to be manufactured can be adjusted, and the sheet S having a desired rigidity, that is, the set rigidity can be obtained. Hereinafter, this configuration will be described.

  In the present specification, “stiffness” refers to the strength including the strength of bending stiffness of the sheet (the strength of the so-called “waist”), difficulty in tearing the sheet, and the like. The stiffness also depends on the average length of the fibers, the thickness of the sheet, and the content and type of the resin P1, but in the present specification, it will be described simply as depending on the average length of the fibers.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the raw material supply unit 11 includes a first raw material supply unit 11A (first material supply unit) and a second raw material supply unit 11B (second material supply unit). The first raw material supply unit 11A is loaded with the raw material M1A (first material) as paper, and the second raw material supply unit 11B is loaded with the raw material M1B (second material) as paper.

  The raw material M1A, which is paper, and the raw material M1B, which is paper, have different average fiber lengths, and the average length of the fibers of the raw material M1A is longer than the average length of the fibers of the raw material M1B. For this reason, the paper of the raw material M1A has a relatively high stiffness, and the paper of the raw material M1B has a relatively low stiffness.

  In addition, "average length" of the fiber in this specification can be made into the average value of the length of the fiber of arbitrary numbers measured by the transmission electron microscope (TEM), for example. Moreover, "long" and "short" are relative ones comparing the fiber of the raw material M1A with the fiber of the raw material M1B. The difference in the average length of the fibers of the raw material M1A and the fibers of the raw material M1B is expressed, for example, by the number of times the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 manufactures (regenerates) or the like.

  Further, in the following, the paper of the raw material M1A and the paper of the raw material M1B have substantially the same thickness and size (size in plan view). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the paper of the raw material M1A and the paper of the raw material M1B may have different conditions such as thickness or size.

  Furthermore, each raw material M1A stocked in the 1st raw material supply part 11A may be the same thickness and size altogether, and may contain the thing of different thickness and size in part.

  The first raw material supply unit 11A and the second raw material supply unit 11B are electrically connected to the control unit 3, and the operation thereof is controlled. Each of the first raw material supply unit 11A and the second raw material supply unit 11B has a stock unit for stocking paper and a drive source such as, for example, a motor. By energizing the drive source, the raw material M1A or the raw material M1B is provided. Can be delivered one by one. The control unit 3 controls (energizes) the first raw material supply unit 11A and the second raw material supply unit 11B according to the stiffness set by the operator.

  The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 has a first mode, a second mode, and a third mode as modes in which the control unit 3 executes control. The programs in each of these modes are stored in the storage unit 32.

(1st mode)
As shown in FIG. 4, the first mode is a mode in which the raw material M1A is supplied only from the first raw material supply unit 11A. That is, the first mode is a mode in which the supply of the raw material M1B from the second raw material supply unit 11B is omitted.

  In this first mode, since only the raw material M1A including fibers (first fibers) having a relatively long average length is supplied to the defibrating unit 13, the average length of the fibers of the defibrated material M3 becomes relatively long. Thus, the average length of the fibers of the sheet S is relatively long. As a result, in the first mode, a sheet S having a relatively high rigidity can be manufactured.

  In the present embodiment, in the first mode, the raw material M1A is supplied to the crusher 12 at predetermined time intervals. That is, in the first mode, the raw material M1A is supplied to the crusher 12 at a constant speed.

(Second mode)
As shown in FIG. 5, the second mode is a mode in which the raw material M1B is supplied only from the second raw material supply unit 11B. That is, the second mode is a mode in which the supply of the raw material M1A from the first raw material supply unit 11A is omitted.

  In this second mode, since only the raw material M1B including fibers (second fibers) having a relatively short average length is supplied to the defibrating unit 13, the average length of the fibers of the defibrated material M3 becomes relatively short. Therefore, the average length of the fibers of the sheet S becomes relatively short. As a result, in the second mode, the sheet S having a relatively low rigidity can be manufactured.

  The first fiber and the second fiber are the same material. That is, the first fiber and the second fiber are fibers of the same material.

  Further, in the second mode, the raw material M1B is supplied to the crushing unit 12 at predetermined time intervals in the second mode. That is, in the second mode, the raw material M1B is supplied to the crusher 12 at a constant speed.

  Thus, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 performs, as a mode for performing control, a first mode for supplying the raw material M1A (first material) from the first raw material supply unit 11A (first material supply unit), and a second raw material supply And a second mode for supplying the raw material M1B (second material) from the unit 11B (second material supply unit), and the control unit 3 selects one mode from the first mode and the second mode. Thus, for example, depending on the setting of the stiffness of the sheet S input by the operator, it is possible to select whether to manufacture the sheet S having a relatively high stiffness or to manufacture the sheet S having a relatively low stiffness.

(3rd mode)
As shown in FIGS. 6-8, as a mode for executing control, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a first raw material supply unit 11A (first material supply unit) and a second raw material supply unit 11B (second material supply unit). Have a third mode of supplying material from both That is, the third mode is a mode in which the sheet S is manufactured using both the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B. Thereby, it is possible to manufacture the sheet S having the rigidity between the rigidity of the sheet S manufactured in the first mode and the rigidity of the sheet S manufactured in the second mode.

  In the third mode, the first state for supplying the raw material M1A, the second state for supplying the raw material M1B, and the state for supplying the first material and the second material simultaneously or at different times are supplied. obtain.

  Further, in the third mode, the control unit 3 supplies the raw material M1A (first material) from the first raw material supply unit 11A (first material supply unit), and the second raw material supply unit 11B (second material supply unit). It repeats alternately with the 2nd state which supplies raw material M1B (2nd material) from material supply part.

  Thus, in the first web M5 on the mesh belt 151, the defibrated material with relatively long average fiber length and the defibrated material with relatively short average fiber length are in the conveyance direction of the first web M5. Will be arranged alternately along the Then, when these defibrated materials reach the mesh belt 191, that is, in the second web M8 on the mesh belt 191, the same state (trend) is further alleviated. As a result, the stiffness of each sheet of paper (sheet S) obtained can be made uniform. Further, even in a single sheet of obtained paper (sheet S), uneven distribution of the portion with high rigidity and the portion with low rigidity can be prevented as much as possible.

  Further, the control unit 3 adjusts the rigidity of the sheet S to be manufactured in multiple stages by adjusting the first supply amount of the raw material M1A and the second supply amount of the raw material M1B based on the setting input by the operator. can do. Hereinafter, this will be described, but as an example, the case where adjustment is possible in five stages will be described. In the following, “A rank”, “B rank”, “C rank”, “D rank”, and “E rank” are listed in descending order of stiffness of the sheet S.

  The sheet S of “A rank” is manufactured in the first mode described above (see FIG. 4), and the sheet S of “E rank” is manufactured in the second mode described above (see FIG. 5).

  As shown in FIG. 7, the sheet S of “B rank” is manufactured in the third mode with the supply ratio of the raw material M1A to the raw material M1B set at 2: 1.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the sheet S of “C rank” is manufactured in the third mode with the supply ratio of the raw material M1A to the raw material M1B set at 1: 1.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the sheet S of “D rank” is manufactured in the third mode with the supply ratio of the raw material M1A to the raw material M1B set at 1: 2.

  When the operator operates the operation unit 4 to select “A rank”, “B rank”, “C rank”, “D rank” and “E rank”, the control unit 3 selects the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B. Determine the supply volume with Thereby, a sheet S having a desired stiffness can be manufactured. That is, the control unit 3 determines the supply amount (first supply amount) of the raw material M1A and the supply amount (second supply amount) of the raw material M1B according to the rigidity of the sheet S to be manufactured. Thereby, the sheet S to be manufactured can have the set stiffness.

  As described above, in the third mode, the control unit 3 controls the first supply amount of the raw material M1A (first material) in the first state and the second supply amount of the raw material M1B (second material) in the second state. Each can be adjusted. Thereby, the supply ratio of the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B can be adjusted in multiple steps. Therefore, the stiffness of the sheet S to be manufactured can be adjusted in multiple steps.

  The “supply ratio” refers to the supply amount (number of sheets) of raw material M1A in one first state and the supply of raw material M1B in one second state in a configuration in which the first state and the second state are alternately repeated. It says the ratio of quantity (number of sheets). Further, the ratio of the sum (sum) of the supply amounts of the raw materials M1A in each first state to the sum (sum) of the supply amounts of the raw materials M1B in each second state may be a “supply ratio”.

  The raw material M1A (first material) and the raw material M1B (second material) are sheet materials, and the control unit 3 adjusts the first supply amount and the second supply amount based on the number of sheet materials. As a result, adjustment of the stiffness of the manufactured sheet can be performed by simple control of setting the number of sheets.

  Further, in the third mode, in the third mode, the supply of the raw material M1A in the first state and the supply of the raw material M1B in the second state are performed at regular intervals. That is, regardless of each mode, the raw material M1A or the raw material M1B is supplied to the crusher 12 at a constant rate.

  Next, the control operation of the control unit 3 until the supply of the raw material M1A or the raw material M1B is started will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, in step S101, the operator uses the operation unit 4 to select (input) the stiffness of the sheet S to be manufactured. In the present embodiment, as an example, the above-mentioned “A rank”, “B rank”, “C rank”, “D rank” and “E rank” are selected.

  Next, in step S102, the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode are selected according to the rank selected in step S101.

  As described above, when "A rank" is selected, the first mode is selected, and when "E rank" is selected, the second mode is selected, "B rank", "C rank" and " If one of the D ranks is selected, the third mode is selected.

  Thus, the control unit 3 sets the mode to be executed according to the stiffness of the sheet S to be manufactured. Thereby, the sheet S to be manufactured can have the set stiffness.

  Then, in step S103, it is determined whether the selected mode is the third mode. If the selected mode is the first mode or the second mode, the process proceeds to step S105 described later.

  When the selected mode is the third mode, the supply ratio of the raw material M1A to the raw material M1B is determined in step S104. The determination of the supply ratio can be performed based on, for example, the table of the supply ratio and the rank stored in advance in the storage unit 32.

  Then, the supply of the raw material M1A or the raw material M1B is started with the setting determined up to step S104 (step S105).

  As described above, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the present invention includes the first raw material supply unit 11A (first material supply unit) for supplying the raw material M1A (first material) containing the first fibers, and the first fiber supply unit. Second raw material supply unit 11B (second material supply unit) for supplying raw material M1B (second material) containing second fibers having a short average length, first raw material supply unit 11A (first material supply unit), and first 2) A control unit 3 that controls the operation of the raw material supply unit 11B (second material supply unit). Thus, the operation of the first raw material supply unit 11A and the second raw material supply unit 11B is controlled to set which material of the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B to use, and the sheet S to be manufactured can be manufactured. It can be made to have the desired stiffness, ie the stiffness of the sheet S can be easily adjusted.

  In particular, conventionally, as a method of adjusting the rigidity of the sheet S, for example, the step of providing an alkali-degradable biodegradable resin layer on the surface of the recycled paper has been performed. Since this complicated process can be omitted, the rigidity of the sheet S can be easily adjusted.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing a third mode executed by the control unit included in the sheet manufacturing apparatus (second embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view schematically showing the second web. FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing a second web.

  Hereinafter, the second embodiment of the sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to these drawings, but differences from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described, and the same matters will not be described.

  The present embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the control operation in the third mode is different.

  FIG. 10 shows, as an example, supply timings of the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B at the time of manufacturing the sheet S of "B rank" in the third mode.

  Among the two timing charts shown in FIG. 10, the upper timing chart is a timing chart for supplying the raw material M1A or the raw material M1B at a constant speed as described in the first embodiment.

  When the raw material M1A or the raw material M1B is supplied at a constant rate, the following phenomenon may occur if the difference in the average lengths of the fibers of the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B is relatively large. In addition, the difference of the average length of the fiber of the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B can be estimated from the frequency | count of regeneration of the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B, for example, and is taken as the information which the operator knows beforehand.

  For example, the raw material M1B containing fibers having a relatively short average length tends to pass through the drum portion 181 of the loosening portion 18 faster than the raw material M1A containing fibers having a relatively long average length. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 12, the defibrated material of the raw material M1B is formed with a portion overlapping excessively with the defibrated material of the raw material M1A on the mesh belt 191 and a portion with little overlapping, and the thickness of the second web M8 May be uneven. When passing through the sheet forming unit 20 in this state, unevenness occurs in the rigidity of the obtained sheet S. In FIG. 12, the horizontal direction in the drawing is the transport direction of the second web M8 (the same applies to FIG. 11).

  Therefore, as shown in the lower timing chart of the two timing charts shown in FIG. 10, the timing at which the raw material M1B is supplied in the second state is set later than the supply timing in the above upper timing chart. And Thus, as shown in FIG. 11, the thickness of the second web M8 on the mesh belt 191 can be made as uniform as possible. By passing through the sheet forming portion 20 in this state, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of unevenness in the rigidity of the obtained sheet S.

  In the present embodiment, although the configuration for adjusting the timing of supplying the raw material M1B in the second state has been described, the timing of supplying the raw material M1A in the first state may be adjusted. The configuration may be adjusted.

  As described above, in the third mode, the control unit 3 supplies the raw material M1A (first material) in the first state according to the average length of the first fibers and the average length of the second fibers, The timing with which the raw material M1B (second material) is supplied in the second state can be adjusted. Thereby, the rigidity can be made as uniform as possible in the plane direction of the manufactured sheet S.

  As mentioned above, although the sheet manufacturing apparatus of this invention was described about embodiment of illustration, this invention is not limited to this. Moreover, each part which comprises a sheet | seat manufacturing apparatus can be substituted by the thing of arbitrary structures which can exhibit the same function. Also, any component may be added.

  The sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention may be a combination of any two or more configurations (features) of the above-described embodiments.

  Moreover, although the said each embodiment demonstrated the case where a 1st material and a 2nd material were a sheet material (paper), in this invention, it is not limited to this, For example, a 1st material and a 2nd material It may be a defibrated material in a fiberized state. In this case, the crushing part and the defibrating part can be omitted. In addition, the first material and the second material may be crushed and crushed. In this case, the crushing part can be omitted.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the number of sheets in each first state is the same in the third mode, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the numbers may be different. Moreover, although the number of sheets in each 2nd state was the same, it is not limited to this by this invention, You may differ, respectively.

  Moreover, although the said each embodiment demonstrated the structure which adjusts the supply amount (supply ratio) of a 1st material and a 2nd material with number of sheets, it is not limited to this in this invention, For example, it is a structure adjusted with weight. It may be. In this case, when the first and second materials are sheet materials, the rigidity can be accurately adjusted even if the size and thickness are different, and the first and second materials are broken up. Even if it is an object or a coarse object, the rigidity can be adjusted accurately.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the operator has described the configuration in which the rank of stiffness of the sheet to be manufactured is selected. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode It may be a configuration to select. Further, the supply ratio (supply amount) of the first material and the second material in the third mode may be selected.

  In addition, when a plurality of types of fibers of different materials are respectively contained in the first material and the second material, fibers of the same material are used as the first fiber and the second fiber, and the average length of the first fibers and the second fiber Make a comparison with the average length of

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Sheet manufacturing apparatus, 3 ... Control part, 31 ... CPU, 32 ... Storage part, 4 ... Operation part, 41 ... Monitor, 42 ... Operation button, 11 ... Raw material supply part, 11A ... 1st raw material supply part, 11B ... Second raw material supply unit, 12: crushing unit, 121: crushing blade, 122: chute, 13: defibrating unit, 14: sorting unit, 141: drum unit, 142: housing unit, 15: first web forming unit , 151: mesh belt, 152: tension roller, 153: suction portion, 16: subdivision portion, 161: propeller, 162: housing portion, 17: mixing portion, 171: resin supply portion, 172: tube, 173: blower, 174: screw feeder, 18: loosening portion, 181: drum portion, 182: housing portion, 19: second web forming portion, 191: mesh belt, 192: stretching roller, 193: suction portion Reference Signs List 20 sheet forming unit 201 pressurizing unit 202 heating unit 203 calendar roller 204 heating roller 21 cutting unit 211 first cutter 212 second cutter 22 stock unit 231 ... Humidifying part 232: Humidifying part 233: Humidifying part 234: Humidifying part 235: Humidifying part 236: Humidifying part 241: Tube 242: tube 243: tube 244: tube 245: tube 246 ... tube, 261 ... blower, 262 ... blower, 263 ... blower, 27 ... recovery part, CM ... color material, M1 ... raw material, M1A ... raw material, M1 B ... raw material, M2 ... coarse fragments, M3 ... disintegrates, M4- 1 ... 1st sort thing, M 4-2 ... 2nd sort thing, M 5 ... 1st web, M 6 ... subdivision, M 7 ... mixture, M 8 ... 2nd web, S ... sheet

Claims (10)

A first material supply for supplying a first material comprising a first fiber;
A second material supply unit for supplying a second material including a second fiber whose average length is shorter than the average length of the first fibers;
And a control unit configured to control operations of the first material supply unit and the second material supply unit. As a mode for executing control, it has a first mode for supplying the first material from the first material supply unit and a second mode for supplying the second material from the second material supply unit,
The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit selects one mode from the first mode and the second mode.   The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a third mode in which material is supplied from both the first material supply unit and the second material supply unit as a mode in which control is performed.   The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit sets a mode to be executed according to stiffness of a sheet to be manufactured.   In the third mode, the control unit alternates between a first state of supplying the first material from the first material supply portion and a second state of supplying the second material from the second material supply portion. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, which is repeated.   In the third mode, the control unit can adjust the first supply amount of the first material in the first state and the second supply amount of the second material in the second state. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to any one of 3 to 5.   The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit determines the first supply amount and the second supply amount according to the stiffness of a sheet to be manufactured.   In the third mode, the control unit is configured to supply the first material in the first state according to the average length of the first fibers and the average length of the second fibers, and the second The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the timing at which the second material is supplied in the state is adjustable. The first material and the second material are sheet materials,
The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control unit adjusts the first supply amount and the second supply amount based on the number of the sheet material.   The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: a fibrillation unit configured to disintegrate the sheet material.

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