JP2022118925A - Apparatus for manufacturing tow prepreg, and method for manufacturing tow prepreg - Google Patents

Abstract

To suppress the generation of a scattering resin during carrying of a tow prepreg.SOLUTION: An apparatus 10 for manufacturing a tow prepreg T comprises: a resin impregnation unit 2 for impregnating a reinforcing fiber bundle F with a resin P; carrying rollers 20 for carrying the tow prepreg, formed by impregnating the reinforcing fiber bundle F with the resin, along circumferential surfaces of the carrying rollers; and a winding bobbin 21 for winding the tow prepreg T. The winding bobbin 21 can rotate around a rotation axis 21a that extends in a direction B orthogonal to a carrying direction A of the tow prepreg T, and can reciprocally move in the direction B orthogonal to the carrying direction A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus and a tow prepreg manufacturing method.

Molded articles made of fiber-reinforced resin materials are widely used in various fields because they are lightweight and have excellent strength. Such a molded product is usually manufactured by laminating sheet-like substrates called prepregs, in which reinforcing fibers are impregnated with a matrix resin, and thermosetting the resin by applying pressure and heat to form a shape. . As prepregs, there are sheet-shaped sheet prepregs in which multiple reinforcing fibers are arranged in parallel in one direction and impregnated with matrix resin, and finer prepregs in which multiple reinforcing fiber bundles are impregnated with matrix resin. Wide tow prepregs are known.

Patent Document 1 describes an invention relating to a tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing tow prepreg. The tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 obtains a tow prepreg by conveying a reinforcing fiber bundle along an oiling roller whose outer peripheral surface is coated with a resin, and then conveys the tow prepreg along a plurality of conveying rollers. The tow prepreg is wound on a take-up bobbin.

As shown in FIG. 5(a), in such a tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus, normally, a traverse is provided in the vicinity of the winding bobbin 101, in which the tow prepreg T is reciprocated by a predetermined width in a direction along the rotation axis 101a of the winding bobbin 101. A traverse mechanism with guides 102 is provided. A pair of support rollers 103 are arranged to face each other on the traverse guide 102 , and the tow prepreg T to be transported is supported by the pair of support rollers 103 . As a result, the tow prepreg T is wound on the winding bobbin 101 at a predetermined winding angle while reciprocating along the rotation axis 101a of the winding bobbin 101 together with the traverse guide 102 .

A touch roller 104 is provided between the winding bobbin 101 and the traverse guide 102 . As the touch roller 104 rotates while applying a predetermined pressure to the winding bobbin 101, the tow prepreg T is wound on the winding bobbin 101 in a smooth state.

JP 2017-74699 A

By the way, the tow prepreg T is impregnated with resin in a state in which a plurality of (for example, about 36,000) reinforcing fibers are aligned, and has a thin strip shape (for example, about 10 mm in width and about 0.15 mm in thickness). . Therefore, when the tow prepreg T is reciprocated in the direction along the rotation axis of the winding bobbin 101, the force from the support roller 103 acts on the traverse guide 102 to press the widthwise edge of the tow prepreg T. do. As a result, the tow prepreg T is easily deformed in the width direction, and its quality may not be stable.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, in order to convey the tow prepreg T in such a state that the main surface is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the support roller 103, the guide roller 106 upstream of the traverse mechanism is It is conceivable to dispose in a state in which the direction of the rotation axis is twisted by 90°. This suppresses deformation of the tow prepreg T in the width direction. However, in this case, it is necessary to untwist the tow prepreg T by 90° between the support roller 103 and the touch roller 104, and it is necessary to mount the guide roller 107 on the traverse guide 102 for that purpose. As a result, the number of transport rollers for transporting the tow prepreg T is increased.

Here, as the tow prepreg T, a case in which reinforcing fiber bundles impregnated with epoxy resin, which is a thermosetting resin, is conveyed will be described. Since the epoxy resin is viscous, the epoxy resin tends to adhere to the outer peripheral surfaces of the transport rollers (the guide rollers 106, the support rollers 103, etc.) while the tow prepreg T is being transported.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, when the tow prepreg T is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the guide roller 106, a part of the epoxy resin in the tow prepreg T may be peeled off. Then, the viscous epoxy resin peeled off and adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the guide roller 106 is stretched like a string between it and the conveyed tow prepreg T to become a string-like resin Pf. . When the guide roller 106 rotates further and the stringy resin Pf exceeds its elongation limit, the stringy resin Pf is torn off and scattered in the air to become the scattering resin Ps or fall. Further, when the guide roller 106 rotates at high speed, part of the resin in the tow prepreg T may be scattered around the guide roller 106 and become the scattered resin Ps. Such scattering resin Ps can also occur in the support roller 103 and other transport rollers as well. Furthermore, when the tow prepreg T being transported is reciprocated in the direction along the rotating shaft 101a of the winding bobbin 101 together with the traverse guide 102, the tow prepreg T may be vibrated to generate the scattered resin Ps.

As shown in FIG. 6, the generated scattered resin Ps adheres to, for example, an arm 108 that supports the guide roller 106, a structural member such as a frame 109 constituting the tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus, or the side surface of the guide roller 106. It becomes a cured resin Pc. The cured resin Pc may drop due to vibration or the like during transportation of the tow prepreg T, and if it drops onto the winding bobbin 101, it will be mixed in the tow prepreg T as a foreign matter.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the tow prepreg T mixed with the cured resin Pc, a portion of the tow prepreg T in the width direction may run over the cured resin Pc. In the portion that runs over the cured resin Pc, stress concentration occurs in the portion where there is no reinforcing fiber bundle or resin, and voids are generated in the tow prepreg T. As shown in FIG. In addition, sagging occurs in the reinforcing fiber bundle in the portion that does not run over the cured resin Pc. As a result, if the tow prepreg T in which the cured resin Pc is mixed is used to mold a molded product, voids may occur in the molded product, which may lead to deterioration of the product quality of the molded product.

Such a problem is not limited to epoxy resin, but is a common situation that occurs when tow prepregs impregnated with other thermosetting resins or thermoplastic resins having a certain degree of viscosity are also conveyed.
The present invention has been made to solve such conventional problems, and its object is to suppress the occurrence of resin scattering during transportation of tow prepreg.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes a resin impregnating section that impregnates a reinforcing fiber bundle with a resin, and a tow prepreg formed by impregnating the reinforcing fiber bundle with a resin along its peripheral surface. and a winding bobbin for winding the tow prepreg. It is provided so as to be able to reciprocate in a direction perpendicular to the direction.

According to the above configuration, the winding bobbin is provided so as to be able to reciprocate in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the tow prepreg. You don't have to move it in any direction. This eliminates the need for a traverse mechanism having a traverse guide for reciprocating the tow prepreg. This makes it possible to reduce the number of transport rollers for transporting the tow prepreg.

In addition, since the number of conveying rollers is reduced, it is possible to suppress generation of resin that is torn off from the tow prepreg and scattered in the air. In addition, by suppressing the generation of the scattered resin, the generation of the cured resin is suppressed, and the contamination of the tow prepreg with foreign matter can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the loss of resin from the tow prepreg can be reduced, the resin content Rc (%) of the tow prepreg impregnated with a predetermined amount of resin can be stabilized.

In order to solve the above problems, the method for producing a tow prepreg of the present invention is a method for producing a tow prepreg by impregnating a reinforcing fiber bundle with a resin while conveying the reinforcing fiber bundle. a transporting step of transporting the tow prepreg along transport rollers; and a winding step of winding the transported tow prepreg around a winding bobbin. In the take-up step, the winding bobbin is reciprocally moved in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the tow prepreg is conveyed.

According to the above configuration, the number of conveying rollers in the conveying process can be reduced compared to the conventional tow prepreg manufacturing method in which the tow prepreg is moved in the direction orthogonal to its own conveying direction. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the generation of the resin that is torn off from the tow prepreg and scattered in the air. In addition, by suppressing the generation of the scattered resin, the generation of the cured resin is suppressed, and the contamination of the tow prepreg with foreign matter can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the loss of resin from the tow prepreg can be reduced, the resin content Rc (%) of the tow prepreg impregnated with a predetermined amount of resin can be stabilized.

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of scattering resin during transportation of tow prepreg.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic partial schematic diagram of the tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment, (a) is a side view, (b) is a top view. A top view of a Nelson roller. The figure explaining the turn position of a winding bobbin. (a), (b) is a figure explaining the cross-sectional shape of a winding bobbin. (a) and (b) are schematic partial schematic diagrams of a portion for winding tow prepreg in a conventional tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus. FIG. 10 is a view for explaining the state of generation of stringy resin and scattering resin on the downstream side of a conventional conveying roller and adhesion of cured resin to a supporting member; FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a state in which cured resin is mixed in tow prepreg;

A tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus 10 embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. The tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus 10 is an apparatus for manufacturing a tow prepreg by conveying reinforcing fiber bundles and impregnating them with a resin.

The type of reinforcing fiber bundles constituting the tow prepreg is not particularly limited, and conventionally known reinforcing fibers can be used. Examples of reinforcing fibers include carbon fibers, glass fibers, and aramid fibers. Further, conventionally known thermoplastic resins and thermosetting resins can be used as the resin with which the reinforcing fiber bundles are impregnated. Examples of thermoplastic resins include polyethylene resins and polypropylene resins. Examples of thermosetting resins include epoxy resins and phenol resins. Here, a case of manufacturing a tow prepreg in which carbon fibers are impregnated with an epoxy resin will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), a tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus 10 (hereinafter referred to as apparatus 10) includes an unwinding section 1, a resin-impregnated section 2, a conveying section 3, and a winding section 4. ing.
The unwinding section 1 includes a yarn supplying bobbin 11 around which a carbon fiber bundle F as a reinforcing fiber bundle is wound, and a plurality of guide rollers 12 for conveying the carbon fiber bundle F pulled out from the yarn supplying bobbin 11. . The carbon fiber bundle F pulled out from the yarn supplying bobbin 11 is transported to the resin impregnating section 2 along the outer peripheral surfaces of the plurality of guide rollers 12 . The carbon fiber bundle F is in a state of being spread and aligned to some extent by the time it is conveyed to the resin-impregnated section 2 . Here, in the apparatus 10, the direction in which the carbon fiber bundles F are conveyed is called a conveying direction A, and the upstream side and the downstream side of the apparatus 10 are defined based on the conveying direction A. 1A and 1B corresponds to the upstream side of the device 10, and the right side corresponds to the downstream side of the device 10. FIG. Moreover, the vertical direction of FIG. 1A defines the vertical direction of the device 10 .

The resin impregnating section 2 includes an oiling roller 13 for applying an epoxy resin P (hereinafter referred to as resin P) to the conveyed carbon fiber bundle F. As shown in FIG. A resin tank 14 is arranged below the oiling roller 13 . The resin tank 14 is a box-shaped member that contacts the bottom of the oiling roller 13 . A storage space for storing the resin P is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the oiling roller 13 and the lower and side walls of the resin tank 14 . The oiling roller 13 passes through the resin P stored in the resin tank 14 in a part of the rotation trajectory of its outer peripheral surface and causes the resin P to adhere to the outer peripheral surface, thereby reducing the supply of the resin P from the resin tank 14 . receive.

The resin impregnation section 2 also includes a resin heat retaining section and a liquid feed pump (not shown) for supplying the resin P to the resin tank 14 . The resin P kept at a constant temperature in the resin heat retaining section is supplied to the resin tank 14 via the liquid feed pump. Thereby, the resin P in the resin tank 14 is stored while maintaining a constant liquid surface position.

The oiling roller 13 is arranged at a position where its outer peripheral surface contacts the conveyed carbon fiber bundle F, and is configured to rotate along the conveying direction A of the carbon fiber bundle F. The rotation speed of the oiling roller 13 is controlled so that the amount of the resin P applied to the carbon fiber bundles F from the resin tank 14 becomes a predetermined target value. The resin P supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the oiling roller 13 is adjusted to have a predetermined thickness by a scraper (not shown) disposed on the side of the oiling roller 13 . As a result, the carbon fiber bundle F sent to the oiling roller 13 is impregnated with the resin P supplied onto the oiling roller 13, and becomes a tow prepreg T having a predetermined resin content Rc (%).

The carbon fiber bundle F has a strip shape in which a plurality of carbon fibers are aligned in an open state. Therefore, in the carbon fiber bundle F conveyed along the outer peripheral surface of the oiling roller 13, the surface on the oiling roller 13 side is the application surface Ta coated with the resin P, while the oiling roller 13 is on the opposite side. The surface becomes a non-application surface Tb on which the resin P is not applied. Since the resin P is viscous, the coating surface Ta of the tow prepreg T that has passed through the oiling roller 13 is coated with the viscous resin P, and the coating surface Ta is in a highly viscous state. . On the other hand, the resin P is impregnated in a state of soaking from the application surface Ta to the non-application surface Tb side, but not much resin P exudes from the non-application surface Tb. has a low viscosity.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a plurality of transport rollers 20 for transporting the tow prepreg T are arranged in the transport section 3 on the downstream side of the oiling rollers 13 . In the apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the conveying rollers 20 are composed of a Nelson roller 15, a dancer roller 16, and a lateral oscillation suppression roller 17 in order from the upstream side.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 2, the Nelson roller 15 is composed of a pair of rotating rollers arranged vertically in the device 10 . Of the pair of rotating rollers, the one provided above is a drive roller 15a that is connected to a drive source (not shown) and driven with a predetermined rotational torque, and the one provided below is driven by the rotation of the drive roller 15a. driven roller 15b that rotates by By controlling the rotational torque of the drive roller 15a, the transport speed and tension of the carbon fiber bundle F and the tow prepreg T can be adjusted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the driving roller 15a and the driven roller 15b are arranged parallel to a horizontal plane extending in the conveying direction A of the tow prepreg T, and are arranged so that their rotation axes extend non-parallel to each other. there is The driven roller 15b is arranged such that its rotating shaft extends in a direction B perpendicular to the conveying direction A of the tow prepreg T. As shown in FIG. The angle θ between the rotation axis of the drive roller 15a and the rotation axis of the driven roller 15b is set to be, for example, about 5 to 15 degrees.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 2, the tow prepreg T conveyed from the resin impregnating section 2 is supplied from below the driven roller 15b provided below, and is fed to the driving roller 15a provided above. transported towards. The tow prepreg T is conveyed so as to be stretched between the driven roller 15b and the driving roller 15a a plurality of times, and then conveyed toward the dancer roller 16 from the driven roller 15b provided below.

The dancer roller 16 adjusts the tension on the tow prepreg T by a tension control mechanism by adjusting its position. Due to the tension control by the dancer roller 16, the side swing suppression roller 17 rotates together with the toe prepreg T at a predetermined speed in a free state. Thereby, the conveying speed and tension of the carbon fiber bundle F and the tow prepreg T can be adjusted. It should be noted that the conveying speed and tension of the tow prepreg T may be adjusted only by controlling the rotational torque of the driving roller 15a of the Nelson roller 15 or controlling the tension of the dancer roller 16 alone.

The lateral swing suppression roller 17 is provided at the most downstream position of the conveying section 3 , that is, at a position immediately before the winding section 4 . The lateral oscillation suppression roller 17 of this embodiment has a shape in which a radially recessed groove 17a is formed on its outer peripheral surface. The width of the groove 17a in the direction B orthogonal to the conveying direction A is slightly larger than the width of the tow prepreg T. As shown in FIG. As a result, the transported tow prepreg T is arranged in the groove 17a, and the movement (horizontal deflection) of the tow prepreg T in the direction B orthogonal to the transport direction A is restricted.

As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the winding section 4 has a support roller 18, a touch roller 19, and a winding bobbin 21 which are provided downstream of the lateral oscillation suppression roller 17. As shown in FIGS.
The support roller 18 is sized to fill the gap between the lateral oscillation suppression roller 17 and the touch roller 19 . Further, the support roller 18 is positioned so as to fill the gap between the lateral oscillation suppression roller 17 and the touch roller 19 . This suppresses play in the tow prepreg T being conveyed. The tow prepreg T conveyed from the lateral oscillation suppression roller 17 is conveyed toward the winding bobbin 21 while being restricted from moving in the direction B orthogonal to the conveying direction A. As a result, the tow prepreg T is conveyed to the set target position on the winding bobbin 21 .

The touch roller 19 is positioned close to the winding bobbin 21 so as to press the tow prepreg T against the outer peripheral surface of the winding bobbin 21 with a predetermined pressure. As a result, the conveyed tow prepreg T is wound on the outer peripheral surface of the winding bobbin 21 in a smooth state.

The support roller 18 and the touch roller 19 are configured to be reciprocally movable together with the winding bobbin 21 in a direction B perpendicular to the conveying direction A of the tow prepreg T. As shown in FIG. That is, the winding unit 4 including the support roller 18, the touch roller 19, and the winding bobbin 21 constitutes a traverse mechanism (bobbin traverse mechanism) that reciprocates in the direction B orthogonal to the transport direction A. As a result, the conveyed tow prepreg T is wound on the outer peripheral surface of the winding bobbin 21 at a predetermined winding angle.

A motor (not shown) serving as a bobbin driving section is provided in the vicinity of the winding bobbin 21 in the winding section 4 that constitutes the bobbin traverse mechanism. The bobbin driving section rotates the winding bobbin 21 around its own rotating shaft 21a at a predetermined rotational speed, and moves the winding section 4 by a predetermined movement stroke in a direction B orthogonal to the conveying direction A of the tow prepreg T. drive to reciprocate with The rotational speed of the winding bobbin 21, the movement stroke (traverse width) of the winding section 4, the turn position of the tow prepreg T on the winding bobbin 21, and the like are input from a control section (not shown) as initial values for the bobbin driving section. .

As indicated by the solid line in FIG. 3, in the bobbin traverse mechanism mounted on the device 10 of the present embodiment, adjustment is made so that the movement stroke of the winding bobbin 21 in the direction B perpendicular to the conveying direction A fluctuates. .

Here, as shown in FIG. 1(b), the winding width of the tow prepreg T to be wound around the winding bobbin 21 is defined as a width W. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 shows the locus of movement of the tow prepreg on the winding bobbin in a conventional tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus that winds the tow prepreg on the winding bobbin while moving the tow prepreg in a direction B orthogonal to its own conveying direction A. is shown. In the conventional tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus, the tow prepreg always reciprocates on the winding bobbin over the entire length of the width W set in advance. In other words, the turn positions of the tow prepreg are present at both ends of the width W. As shown in FIG.

On the other hand, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 3, in the device 10 of the present embodiment, the turn position of the tow prepreg T on the winding bobbin 21 varies within the preset width W. . Specifically, the bobbin driving section moves the turn position of the tow prepreg T on the winding bobbin 21 from the central position N of the width W to the position of the stroke width S1 in one direction and the stroke width S2 in the other direction. Position, the position of stroke width S3 in one direction, the position of stroke width S4 in the other direction, the position of stroke width S5 in one direction, the position of stroke width S6 in the other direction, the position of stroke width S7 in one direction. The winding unit 4 is reciprocated so as to move to a position of stroke width S8 in the other direction, a position of stroke width S9 in one direction, and a position of stroke width S10 in the other direction.

These stroke widths S1 to S10 are input to the bobbin drive section from a control section (not shown) as the movement stroke (traverse width) of the winding section 4 and the turn position of the tow prepreg T on the winding bobbin 21 . In this embodiment, the stroke widths S1 and S6 are 50% of W/2, the stroke widths S2 and S7 are 90% of W/2, the stroke widths S3 and S8 are 80% of W/2, the stroke widths S4, S5, S9 and S10 are set to 100% of W/2. Winding of the tow prepreg T onto the winding bobbin 21 is performed by sequentially repeating stroke widths S1 to S10.

Thus, in the device 10 , the carbon fiber bundle F pulled out from the yarn supplying bobbin 11 is conveyed while being guided by the guide rollers 12 . A predetermined amount of resin P supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the oiling roller 13 is applied to the carbon fiber bundle F to form a tow prepreg T. As shown in FIG. After being transported by the Nelson roller 15, the dancer roller 16, and the lateral vibration suppression roller 17, the film is wound on the winding bobbin 21 driven by the bobbin traverse mechanism.

Next, the operation of the device 10 of the above embodiment will be described.
In the unwinding section 1, the carbon fiber bundle F pulled out from the yarn supplying bobbin 11 at a predetermined conveying speed is conveyed along the outer peripheral surface of the guide roller 12 under a predetermined tension. The carbon fiber bundle F is wound around the yarn supplying bobbin 11 in an open and aligned state. , are conveyed while maintaining the opened and aligned state.

In the resin impregnating section 2, one surface of the carbon fiber bundle F transported along the outer peripheral surface of the oiling roller 13 is coated with the resin P supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the oiling roller 13 to form a tow prepreg T. Since the oiling roller 13 is controlled so that the impregnation amount of the resin P into the carbon fiber bundles F from the resin tank 14 becomes a predetermined target value, the carbon fiber bundles F are conveyed in an aligned state. A certain amount of resin P is applied to the carbon fiber bundle F, and the resin content Rc (%) is controlled to a predetermined value.

As shown in FIG. 2 , one of the transport rollers 20 forming the transport section 3 is the Nelson roller 15 . The tow prepreg T coated with the resin P by the oiling roller 13 is supplied from below the driven roller 15b provided below. Therefore, the surface of the tow prepreg T in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the driven roller 15b serves as the non-applied surface Tb of the oiling roller 13 on which the resin P is not applied. On the non-application surface Tb, much of the resin P applied to the application surface Ta does not seep out, and the viscosity is low. Therefore, even if the non-application surface Tb comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the driven roller 15b, the resin P is less likely to adhere to the outer peripheral surface of the driven roller 15b. The generation of stringy resin Pf due to

Further, in the Nelson roller 15, the driving roller 15a and the driven roller 15b are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction. can do. At this time, the non-application surface Tb of the tow prepreg T comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the upper drive roller 15a as well. As described above, when the tow prepreg T is conveyed by the Nelson rollers 15, the non-application surface Tb of the tow prepreg T is in contact with both the outer peripheral surfaces of the drive roller 15a and the driven roller 15b. The generation of the stringy resin Pf is suppressed, and thus the generation of the scattering resin Ps is suppressed.

In the Nelson roller 15, the rotation shafts of the driving roller 15a and the driven roller 15b extend non-parallel to each other. In the Nelson roller 15 having such a shape, the tow prepreg T transported from the oiling roller 13 and reaching one end of the driven roller 15b enters from a direction perpendicular to the driven roller 15b. Also, the tow prepreg T conveyed from the driven roller 15b enters from a direction perpendicular to the drive roller 15a. In this way, the tow prepreg T, which goes around the Nelson roller 15 multiple times, enters from a direction perpendicular to the drive roller 15a and the driven roller 15b, and is conveyed from the other end of the driven roller 15b toward the dancer roller 16. be done.

Since the tow prepreg T enters at right angles to the driving roller 15a and the driven roller 15b and is rotated multiple times, the position where the tow prepreg T is pulled out at the other end of the driven roller 15b shifts left and right. Also, the blur is converged during the rotation between the driving roller 15a and the driven roller 15b. As a result, the position at which the tow prepreg T is inserted at one end of the driven roller 15b is prevented from shifting from side to side (horizontal swing).

The tow prepreg T transported from the Nelson roller 15 is also transported to the dancer roller 16 with the non-application surface Tb in contact with the outer peripheral surface thereof. Therefore, even in the dancer roller 16, generation of the stringy resin Pf is suppressed, and generation of the scattering resin Ps is suppressed.

The tow prepreg T conveyed from the dancer roller 16 is arranged in the groove 17 a of the lateral oscillation suppression roller 17 . As a result, the tow prepreg T is conveyed while its movement (horizontal swing) in the direction B perpendicular to the conveying direction A is restricted.

A winding unit 4 that constitutes a bobbin traverse mechanism reciprocates in a direction B perpendicular to the direction A in which the tow prepreg T is conveyed. Therefore, the tow prepreg T immediately before the winding portion 4 is likely to swing sideways in the direction B. As shown in FIG. In this respect, the Nelson roller 15 suppresses lateral swing at the position where the tow prepreg T enters at one end of the driven roller 15b, and the lateral swing suppression roller 17 also suppresses lateral swing. This suppresses the generation of the scattered resin Ps.

In the winding unit 4 , the film is wound on the winding bobbin 21 while being pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the winding bobbin 21 while being pressed by the touch roller 19 . Since the touch roller 19 and the winding bobbin 21 reciprocate in the direction B orthogonal to the conveying direction A of the tow prepreg T, the tow prepreg T is wound on the winding bobbin 21 in a smooth state at a predetermined winding angle. .

In the apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, by adopting the bobbin traverse mechanism, not only the winding bobbin 21 around which the tow prepreg T is wound, but also the entire winding section 4 on which the support roller 18 and the touch roller 19 are mounted is moved. I am letting Further, the winding unit 4 is also equipped with device components such as a motor as a bobbin driving unit. Therefore, by adopting the bobbin traverse mechanism, the overall weight of the moving parts is increased. Further, as the winding amount of the tow prepreg T increases, the weight of the winding bobbin 21 itself also increases.

The bobbin traverse mechanism that moves the heavy winding part 4 has a large inertia. Therefore, an excessive load is applied to the device 10 unless an acceleration/deceleration region is provided in the turn portion when the winding unit 4 is reciprocated. However, if an acceleration/deceleration region is provided in the turn portion, it becomes impossible to make an acute-angle turn as indicated by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4A, the winding bobbin 21 around which the tow prepreg T is wound has an hourglass-shaped cross section. Such a phenomenon becomes more conspicuous as the transport speed of the tow prepreg T increases. In addition, the larger the winding amount of the winding bobbin 21 and the larger the length of the winding bobbin 21 in the width direction, the more noticeable the phenomenon.

In this regard, in the apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the turn position of the tow prepreg T on the winding bobbin 21 is varied within a preset width W, and the position of the turn portion is changed by rotating the winding bobbin 21. It is shifted in the direction along the axis 21a. Therefore, an increase in the amount of winding at the turn portion is suppressed, and the amount of winding is constant at any position along the rotating shaft 21 a of the winding bobbin 21 . As a result, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the take-up bobbin 21 around which the tow prepreg T is wound has a rectangular cross-sectional shape.

The tow prepreg T wound on the winding bobbin 21 is wound with the coated surface Ta and the non-coated surface Tb in contact with each other. The viscous resin P applied to the application surface Ta also adheres to the abutted non-application surface Tb, and the inside of the tow prepreg T is impregnated. In this manner, the resin P is applied to both surfaces of the tow prepreg T, and the tow prepreg T adjusted to the predetermined resin content Rc (%) is obtained.

Next, the effects of the tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus 10 of the above embodiment will be described.
(1) In the device 10, the winding bobbin 21 for winding the tow prepreg T is rotatable around a rotation axis extending in a direction B perpendicular to the conveying direction A of the tow prepreg T and in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction A. B is movably provided.

Therefore, it is not necessary to move the tow prepreg T in the direction B orthogonal to the transport direction A thereof, unlike the conventional tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus. A traverse mechanism having a traverse guide 102 as shown in FIG. 5 is not required, and a plurality of support rollers 103 on the traverse guide 102, guide rollers 107 for changing the orientation of the tow prepreg T, and the like are not required. It is possible to reduce the number of conveying rollers for conveying the tow prepreg T, thereby reducing the locations where the stringy resin Pf is generated. Thereby, generation of the scattered resin Ps can be suppressed.

(2) In the bobbin traverse mechanism, compared to a conventional traverse mechanism (fiber traverse mechanism) that moves the tow prepreg T in a direction B orthogonal to its own conveying direction A, lateral swinging of the tow prepreg T can be suppressed. .

This also suppresses the generation of the scattered resin Ps during the transportation of the tow prepreg T.
(3) The winding bobbin 21 is adjusted so that the stroke widths S1 to S10 in which it moves in the direction B orthogonal to the direction A in which the tow prepreg T is conveyed are varied. The turn position of the tow prepreg T on the winding bobbin 21 fluctuates within a width W set in advance.

Therefore, an increase in the winding amount of the tow prepreg T at the turn position of the winding bobbin 21 is suppressed. A fixed amount of winding can be obtained at any position along the rotating shaft 21 a of the winding bobbin 21 . It is possible to suppress the fiber density from increasing only at a specific portion of the winding bobbin 21, and to equalize the fiber density of the entire winding bobbin 21.

Further, even if the reciprocating speed (traverse speed) of the winding bobbin 21 is increased, the winding amount can be averaged at any position along the rotating shaft 21a of the winding bobbin 21 .

(4) The turn position of the tow prepreg T on the winding bobbin 21 fluctuates, and the winding amount of the tow prepreg T becomes uniform in the direction along the rotation axis 21a of the winding bobbin 21.
Therefore, it is easy to manufacture the winding bobbin 21 with a large winding amount and the winding bobbin 21 with a long length in the direction along the rotating shaft 21a.

(5) In the resin impregnating section 2 of the device 10, one surface of the carbon fiber bundle F is coated with the resin P supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the oiling roller 13. As shown in FIG. Then, the tow prepreg T is conveyed so that the non-application surface Tb side of the tow prepreg T contacts the driving roller 15 a and the driven roller 15 b of the Nelson roller 15 . The non-application surface Tb side of the tow prepreg T is also in contact with the dancer roller 16 on the downstream side of the Nelson roller 15 .

Therefore, the viscous resin P is less likely to adhere to the outer peripheral surfaces of the driving roller 15a and the driven roller 15b, and the generation of stringy resin Pf between the outer peripheral surfaces of the driving roller 15a and the driven roller 15b is suppressed. Also, the dancer roller 16 is the same. This suppresses the generation of the scattered resin Ps.

(6) On the upstream side of the take-up bobbin 21, there is provided a lateral oscillation suppression roller 17 that restricts the movement of the tow prepreg T in the direction B perpendicular to the direction A in which the tow prepreg T is conveyed. A concave streak 17 a is formed in the lateral swing suppression roller 17 . The conveyed tow prepreg T is arranged in the groove 17a, and the movement (lateral deflection) of the tow prepreg T in the direction B perpendicular to the conveying direction A is restricted.

Therefore, the tow prepreg T can be transported to a target position when wound on the winding bobbin 21 . The occurrence of a phenomenon (twill drop) in which the tow prepreg T falls off from both ends of the winding bobbin 21 in the direction along the rotating shaft 21a is suppressed. In addition, generation of scattered resin Ps due to lateral swinging of the tow prepreg T is suppressed.

(7) The apparatus 10 includes, as one of the transport rollers 20 in the transport section 3, a Nelson roller 15 consisting of a pair of drive roller 15a and driven roller 15b whose rotation axes extend non-parallel to each other.

Therefore, even if the tow prepreg T on the upstream side of the take-up bobbin 21 is subjected to a force swinging in the direction B perpendicular to the conveying direction A when the tow prepreg T is wound, the tow will not move to the upstream side of the Nelson roller 15 . Transmission of the movement of the prepreg T is suppressed. This makes it difficult for the tow prepreg T to be swung in the direction B orthogonal to the transport direction A on the upstream side of the Nelson rollers. Generation of scattered resin Ps due to lateral shaking of the tow prepreg T is suppressed.

(8) Since the generation of the scattered resin Ps from the tow prepreg T is suppressed, the generation of the cured resin Pc that adheres to and hardens on the structural members constituting the device 10, the conveying rollers, etc. is suppressed.
Therefore, contamination of the cured resin Pc into the tow prepreg T is suppressed, and deterioration in product quality of a molded product molded using the tow prepreg T can be suppressed.

(9) The resin content Rc (%) of the tow prepreg T can be easily managed since the generation of the scattered resin Ps is suppressed. A tow prepreg T with a targeted resin content Rc (%) can be produced, and a molded product with stable product quality can be molded.

(10) If the amount of the resin P torn off from the tow prepreg T increases, the waste of the resin P increases. . In this respect, the apparatus 10 of the above-described embodiment is advantageous in terms of cost since waste of the resin P can be suppressed.

(11) Since generation of the scattered resin Ps can be suppressed, adhesion of the scattered resin Ps to the device 10 and generation of the cured resin Pc can be suppressed.
Therefore, the trouble and frequency of cleaning for removing the scattered resin Ps and cured resin Pc adhering to the device 10 can be reduced. Workability for maintenance can be improved.

(12) In the device 10 of the above embodiment, the resin impregnation unit 2 supplies the resin P to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating oiling roller 13, and conveys the carbon fiber bundles F along the outer peripheral surface of the oiling roller 13. Resin impregnation is performed by a kiss coating method in which the resin P is impregnated by

Therefore, the resin P can be applied to the carbon fiber bundles F with a uniform thickness. It is possible to suppress unevenness in the amount of resin applied.
The above embodiment can be modified as follows. It should be noted that the above embodiment and the following modified examples can be applied in combination with each other within a technically consistent range.

- In the tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus 10 of the above-described embodiment, the oiling roller 13 is arranged as the resin impregnating section 2 that applies the resin to the carbon fiber bundles F, but the configuration of the resin impregnating section 2 is not limited to this. For example, a discharge nozzle connected to a resin tank may be arranged above the transport path of the tow prepreg T, and a constant amount of resin P may be discharged onto one surface of the tow prepreg T from the discharge nozzle. In this case, the resin P ejected from the ejection nozzle is applied to the upper surface side of the tow prepreg T being conveyed. Therefore, the Nelson roller 15 may be arranged below the transport path of the tow prepreg T, and the tow prepreg T may be transported from above the drive roller 15a provided above. In this way, the application surface Ta of the resin P can be prevented from coming into contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the drive roller 15a and the driven roller 15b. Also, the dancer roller 16 may be arranged so that the tow prepreg T is conveyed in contact with its upper side.

- In the apparatus 10 of the above-described embodiment, the resin-impregnated portion 2 is impregnated with the resin P of a so-called kiss coating method. The configuration of the resin-impregnated portion 2 is not limited to this, and a bucket method or a dip method in which the carbon fiber bundles F are immersed in the resin P may be used. In this case, compared with the case of the kiss coating method, the amount of resin scattering on the conveying roller 20 is reduced, but in the device 10 that employs the bobbin traverse mechanism, the resin scattering is suppressed in comparison with the device with the fiber traverse mechanism. can do.

- The Nelson roller 15 can be omitted. By adopting the bobbin traverse mechanism, it is possible to suppress the scattering of resin as compared with a device with a fiber traverse mechanism.
- Nelson roller 15 may arrange driven roller 15b above and driving roller 15a below.

- The number of turns of the tow prepreg T conveyed along the Nelson rollers 15 is not particularly limited. From the viewpoint of suppressing the runout of the tow prepreg T on the upstream side of the Nelson roller 15, it is preferable that the number of turns is two or more.

- The number of guide rollers 12 provided in the unwinding section 1 is not particularly limited.
- As the transport rollers 20 of the transport unit 3, known feed rollers, nip rollers, or the like may be arranged. For example, the feeding speed of the tow prepreg T may be controlled by a feed roller or a nip roller. Also, the feed roller and the nip roller may be arranged as the guide roller 12 of the unwinding section 1 .

- The device 10 may have a configuration other than that described in the above embodiment. For example, a shielding plate may be provided on the upstream side of the winding section 4 to suppress scattering of the scattering resin Ps toward the winding bobbin 21 side.

- The turn position of the tow prepreg T on the winding bobbin 21 is not limited to that of the above embodiment. If it fluctuates within the preset width W, it can be set appropriately. For example, stroke widths S1 and S6 are 70% of W/2, stroke widths S2 and S7 are 40% of W/2, stroke widths S3 and S8 are 90% of W/2, and stroke widths S4, S5, S9, and S10. may be set to 100% of W/2. Further, the stroke width is not limited to repetition of 10 patterns of stroke widths S1 to S10, but may be repetition of 6 patterns, repetition of 12 patterns, or the like, and the number of repetitions is not particularly limited. Furthermore, an irregular pattern may be set instead of repeating the regular pattern.

In the above embodiment, the stroke widths S1 to S10 are input from the control section to the bobbin drive section as the movement stroke (traverse width) of the winding section 4 and the turn position of the tow prepreg T on the winding bobbin 21. . The method of setting the stroke widths S1 to S10 is not limited to this.

- The configuration for driving the unwinding unit 1, the resin impregnating unit 2, the conveying unit 3, and the winding unit 4 of the device 10 is not particularly limited, and can be set as appropriate.
Next, technical ideas that can be grasped from the above embodiment and modifications will be described below.

(a) A resin impregnating portion for impregnating a reinforcing fiber bundle with a resin, a conveying roller for conveying a tow prepreg formed by impregnating the reinforcing fiber bundle with a resin along the peripheral surface of the tow prepreg, and a winding for winding the tow prepreg. A tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus provided with a take-up bobbin, wherein the winding bobbin is rotatable around a rotation axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the tow prepreg and moves in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The conveying roller is composed of a Nelson roller consisting of a pair of rotating rollers whose respective rotating shafts extend non-parallel to each other. A tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus, wherein the reinforcing fiber bundle is conveyed along the outer peripheral surface.

(b) a resin-impregnated portion for impregnating a reinforcing fiber bundle with a resin, a conveying roller for conveying a tow prepreg formed by impregnating the reinforcing fiber bundle with a resin along the peripheral surface of the tow prepreg, and a winding for winding the tow prepreg; A tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus provided with a take-up bobbin, wherein the winding bobbin is rotatable around a rotation axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the tow prepreg and moves in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The conveying roller is composed of a Nelson roller consisting of a pair of rotating rollers whose respective rotating shafts extend non-parallel to each other. A tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus characterized by applying a resin to one surface of a reinforcing fiber bundle.

A... Conveying direction B... Direction orthogonal to the conveying direction F... Carbon fiber bundle (reinforcing fiber bundle)
P... Resin S1 to S10... Stroke width (moving stroke)
T... Tow prepreg Ta... Application surface Tb... Non-application surface 2... Resin-impregnated part 10... Tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus 15... Nelson roller (conveyance roller)
16...Dancer roller (conveyance roller)
17... Lateral swing suppression roller (conveyance roller)
20... Conveying roller 21... Winding bobbin 21a... Rotating shaft

Claims (6)

A resin impregnating part for impregnating a reinforcing fiber bundle with a resin, a conveying roller for conveying a tow prepreg formed by impregnating the reinforcing fiber bundle with a resin along the peripheral surface of the tow prepreg, and a winding bobbin for winding the tow prepreg. A tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus comprising:
The take-up bobbin is rotatable around a rotation axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the tow prepreg is conveyed, and is reciprocally movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the tow prepreg is conveyed. Prepreg manufacturing equipment. 2. The tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said take-up bobbin is adjusted such that a movement stroke in a direction perpendicular to said conveying direction varies. 3. The tow according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a lateral vibration suppression roller provided upstream of the winding bobbin for restricting movement of the tow prepreg in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction. Prepreg manufacturing equipment. A tow prepreg manufacturing method for manufacturing a tow prepreg by impregnating a resin while conveying a reinforcing fiber bundle,
an impregnation step of impregnating the reinforcing fiber bundle with a resin to obtain the tow prepreg;
a conveying step of conveying the tow prepreg along conveying rollers;
a winding step of winding the transported tow prepreg onto a winding bobbin;
A method of manufacturing a tow prepreg, wherein, in the winding step, the winding bobbin is reciprocally moved in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the tow prepreg. 5. The tow prepreg manufacturing method according to claim 4, wherein, in the winding step, adjustment is made so that a moving stroke of the winding bobbin in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction is varied. 6. The tow prepreg is conveyed in the conveying step along, as the conveying roller, a lateral oscillation suppression roller that restricts movement of the tow prepreg in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction. 3. The method for producing tow prepreg according to .

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