JP3094498B2 - Manufacturing method of hollow fiber type fluid separation device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for producing a hollow fiber type fluid separation apparatus using hollow fibers having selective permeability.

More specifically, hollow fibers using hollow fibers having selective permeability widely used in fluid separation treatments and concentration treatments such as dialysis, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, liquid-gas exchange and gas-gas exchange. The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a thread type fluid separation device.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Hollow fiber type fluid separation devices using hollow fibers are used in a wide variety of applications such as industrial fields such as water treatment and medical fields such as blood treatment, and in particular, water purifiers, artificial kidneys, and artificial lungs. Demand is increasing significantly.

[0004] In general, in a fluid separation device using hollow fibers, a number of hollow fibers are bundled to form a bundled yarn, and after the bundled yarn is inserted into a cylindrical case, the inside of the bundled yarn is bonded with an adhesive. At the same time, the bonding between the hollow fibers and between the bundled yarn and the cylindrical case is performed simultaneously, and after the adhesive is solidified, the bundled yarn is cut in the cross-sectional direction at the position where the open end of the hollow fiber is obtained. Used.

Further, as a method of reliably reducing the adhesion failure of the obtained hollow fiber type fluid separation, in many cases, the cylindrical case into which the bundled yarn is inserted is rotated in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. Adhesion using centrifugal force is performed. In this case, the adhesive enters the inside of the hollow fiber from the open end of the hollow fiber.

A method for suppressing the intrusion of the adhesive into the hollow fiber is described in, for example, JP-A-61-11111 and JP-A-62-269709.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-11111 discloses that
Fitting the ends of the hollow fibers into two end walls arranged at the opposite ends of the outer cylindrical case so that the ends of the hollow fibers are released for free flow through the hollow fibers, An outer cylindrical case contains a bundle of hollow fibers, and each end of the cylindrical case with the bundle of hollow fibers disposed therein is surrounded by an injection mold, into which the two adjacent ends are located. The wall material is provided in a liquid state that penetrates into and around the hollow fiber so that this penetration can open the hollow fiber opening by cutting between surfaces that define the respective penetration depth. And producing a device wherein the penetration into the hollow fibers is controlled in such a way that it is less than around the hollow fibers. That is, in the method of storing the bundled hollow fibers in a cylindrical case and fixing the ends of the hollow fibers with an adhesive, by applying a positive pressure to the inside of the cylindrical case, And a method for controlling the difference in penetration depth of the adhesive around the hollow fiber is described.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-269709 discloses that a plurality of hollow fibers are bundled and stored in a cylindrical case.
When fixing the end of the hollow fiber to the case with an adhesive, put the cylindrical case containing the hollow fiber open at one end or both ends into a pressure-resistant container, and pressurize the inside of the cylindrical case to a constant pressure with gas. An adhesive is injected into the opening at the end of the hollow fiber, and after the opening at the end of the hollow fiber is closed with the adhesive, the pressure in the case is reduced to reduce the internal pressure of the hollow fiber from the external pressure of the hollow fiber. A method is described in which the end of a hollow fiber bundle is fixed so that the pressure difference is maintained until the adhesive is sufficiently solidified.

The methods described in the above-mentioned JP-A-61-11111 and JP-A-62-269709, specifically, when the adhesive is introduced and solidified while rotating the cylindrical case, While introducing the adhesive and solidifying the adhesive, the cylindrical case is continuously rotated at a high speed, and the gas pressure in the cylindrical case is set to a high pressure when the adhesive is introduced, a low pressure when the adhesive is solidified, and a hollow fiber. The internal pressure is made higher than the external pressure of the hollow fiber.

[0010] When the adhesive is introduced while rotating the cylindrical case, the adhesive enters inside from the open end of the hollow fiber. Part of the adhesive that has intruded into the inside of the hollow fiber oozes out from the end of the hollow fiber due to the low gas pressure in the cylindrical case. Only the center part is retracted while the remaining part remains.

After the adhesive is completely solidified in the above state, the bundled yarn is cut in the cross-sectional direction.

However, the cutting of the bundle yarn is performed at a position where the inside of the hollow fiber is not closed by the adhesive and the adhesive exists on the outer periphery of the hollow fiber.
When observed in detail, it can be seen that the remaining adhesive is adhered to the inner peripheral surface of the end portion of all or a part of the hollow fiber in the cut surface.

[0013] In the case of the hollow fiber to which the residual adhesive is adhered, the inner diameter of the hollow fiber is small, and the smoothness of the processing liquid flowing inside the hollow fiber is impaired. Pressure variation, causing a significant decrease in capacity.

Particularly, in the case of hemodialysis in the medical field, precise precision is required. However, there is a type in which the residual adhesive causes a residual blood or a clotting phenomenon, and the hollow fiber is blocked, so that it is completely unusable. There was a problem that some devices could not be provided.

On the other hand, in the case of cutting the bundled yarn, if a portion where no adhesive is left inside the hollow fiber is cut, a large amount of the vicinity of the end of the hollow fiber is cut, and the hollow fiber is cut and removed. There are many hollow fibers and adhesives, and also, by cutting a large amount near the end of the hollow fibers as described above, it becomes too short in relation to the length of the cylindrical case,
In some cases, it becomes impossible to put the product into practical use, and there is a problem that all such short products become waste and the yield with respect to the raw materials is extremely reduced.

Further, in the cutting of the bundled yarn, the outer periphery of the hollow fiber forming the bundled yarn is completely closed by the adhesive after cutting the hollow fiber to a state where no residual adhesive is present inside the hollow fiber. Incompletely bundled yarns with such pinholes cannot be used in fluid separation devices, especially hemodialysis devices, and must be disposed of. In addition to this, there is a problem that observation workability is extremely low because the detailed observation needs to be carefully performed.

[0017]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems in the conventional method for manufacturing a hollow fiber type fluid separation device, to obtain a high performance hollow fiber type fluid separation device and to manufacture the same. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a hollow fiber type fluid separation device capable of reducing the generation of defective products, that is, the amount of waste, and improving the yield of raw materials.

[0018]

The structure of the present invention is as follows.
In the method for manufacturing a hollow fiber type fluid separation device, a plurality of hollow fibers are bundled to form a bundled yarn, the bundled yarn is inserted into a cylindrical case, and the cylindrical case into which the bundled yarn is inserted is bonded with an adhesive. An adhesive is introduced into the cylindrical case while being fixed to the injection device and rotating the cylindrical case in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction using the device, and the end of the bundled yarn is bonded. Then, after the adhesive is solidified, the adhesive is not present inside the hollow fiber, and at a position where the adhesive is present on the outer periphery of the end of the hollow fiber, the bundled yarn is cut in the cross-sectional direction. A method for producing a hollow fiber type fluid separation device to be obtained, wherein an adhesive is introduced while rotating the cylindrical case, and when solidifying, the gas pressure in the cylindrical case and the rotation of the cylindrical case The speed is changed stepwise or sequentially, and when introducing the adhesive, the gas pressure is increased. Force, the rotation speed is set to low rotation, and when the adhesive is solidified, the gas pressure is set to low pressure and the rotation speed is set to high rotation. 2) The method for manufacturing a hollow fiber type fluid separation device according to the above (1), wherein the hollow fiber type fluid separation device is a hemodialysis device.

[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a hollow fiber type fluid separation device obtained by the method of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an adhesive injection in a process of manufacturing the hollow fiber type fluid separation device using the method of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the device. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the gas pressure and the rotation speed in the method according to the present invention and the conventional method. FIG. 4 is a schematic partially enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing a state of a hollow fiber type fluid separation device in an embodiment of the method according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 shows a state of a hollow fiber type fluid separation device in a comparative example according to the conventional method. It is a general | schematic partial expansion longitudinal cross-sectional view shown.

The hollow fiber type fluid separation device shown in FIG. 1 is an artificial kidney dialyzer, and a bundled yarn in which a hollow fiber 2 is bundled inside a cylindrical case 1 substantially in parallel with the axial direction of the cylindrical case. 3
In the vicinity of the end of each hollow fiber 2 of the bundled yarn 3, the outer periphery is closed by an adhesive 4 without closing the hollow portion of the hollow fiber 2. A header cap 6 provided with a blood inlet 5 is provided at one end, and a header cap 8 provided with a blood outlet 7 is provided at the other end. The cylindrical case 1 is provided with a dialysate inlet 9 near the end of the cylindrical case 1 and near the header cap 8, and a dialysate outlet 10 near the header cap 6, respectively. ing.

The blood that has flowed in from the blood inlet 5 passes through the hollow portion of the hollow fiber 2 forming the bundle thread 3 and flows in from the dialysate inlet 9 and passes through the outer periphery of the hollow fiber 2 and passes through the outer periphery of the hollow fiber 2. The waste is dialyzed by the dialysate flowing out of the outlet 10 and flows out of the blood outlet 7.

In the process of manufacturing the hollow fiber type fluid separation device, an adhesive is injected using an adhesive injection device 11 shown in FIG. The bundled yarn 3 is inserted into the inside of the cylindrical case 1, and the casting caps 20 </ b> A and 20 </ b> B are attached to both ends of the cylindrical case 1.

The adhesive injection device 11 includes an adhesive introduction pipe 12, a bearing 13, injection nozzles 14A and 14B, a drive unit 16, a pressure adjustment mechanism 17, a rotation adjustment mechanism 18, a drive shaft 19, and an adhesive supply mechanism 21. Is provided.

The cylindrical case 1 to which the casting caps 20A and 20B are attached is held by a rotary cylindrical case holder 15, and the dialysate inlet 9 and dialysate outlet 10 of the cylindrical case 1 are connected to the injection nozzle 14A. , 14B. The inside of the cylindrical case 1 is connected to a pressure adjusting mechanism 17 via injection nozzles 14A and 14B.

The rotary cylindrical case holder 15 is provided with a drive shaft 1.
9 and rotated by the drive unit 16. The rotation of the drive unit 16 or the drive shaft 19 is controlled by the rotation adjustment mechanism 1.
8, the rotation speed is adjusted.

The cylindrical case 1 by the pressure adjusting mechanism 17
The internal pressure is adjusted by the rotation adjusting mechanism 18 in conjunction with the rotation speed.

The introduction of the adhesive is extruded by an adhesive supply mechanism 21, and the adhesive introduction pipe 12, the injection nozzles 14A, 14
B is supplied into the rotating cylindrical case 1.

When introducing the adhesive while rotating the cylindrical case, the pressure adjusting mechanism 17 and the rotation adjusting mechanism 18 are used.
As shown in FIG. 3, the gas pressure (P1) in the cylindrical case 1 (two-dot chain line) and the rotational speed of the cylindrical case 1 (S
1) (solid line) is changed stepwise or sequentially, and when introducing the adhesive, the gas pressure (P1) is set to a high pressure (HP), the rotation speed (S1) is set to a low speed (LS), and a specified amount of the adhesive is introduced. After that, the pressure (P1) in the cylindrical case 1 is reduced, and the rotation speed (S1) of the cylindrical case 1 is increased to a high speed (H
S), the gas pressure (P1) is maintained at a low pressure (LP), and the rotational speed (S1) of the cylindrical case 1 is maintained at a high speed (HS) until the adhesive introduced into the cylindrical case 1 is completely solidified. I do.

As described above, the rotational speed and the pressure of the cylindrical case 1 are flexibly controlled so as to cause a clear difference between the time of introducing the adhesive and the time of solidifying the adhesive.
As shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to manufacture a hollow fiber type fluid separation device in which the remaining adhesive does not adhere to the inside 22 of the hollow fiber 2 and does not narrow the inner diameter of the hollow fiber. The penetration length h of the adhesive 4 until the adhesive hardens can be kept substantially constant. Therefore, it is easy to set the positions X1-X2 to be cut in the post-process, and the adhesive 4 does not exist in the inside 22 of the hollow fiber 2 after cutting, so that a narrowed portion due to the adhesive 4 does not occur. .

In particular, in the case of a hollow fiber type fluid separation device having a length used for an artificial kidney, when introducing the adhesive, the gas pressure in the cylindrical case is increased to a high pressure of 1.1 to 1.8 kg / cm ² . By controlling the rotation speed of the cylindrical case to a low rotation of 300 to 900 rpm, the intrusion of the adhesive into the hollow fiber is suppressed, and after the adhesive is injected and both ends of the hollow fiber are closed, The gas pressure is reduced stepwise or sequentially from 0.7 kg / cm ² to atmospheric pressure, and the rotation speed is from 1,100 to 1,800 rpm.
With a high rotation of m 2, the adhesive inside the hollow fiber and the adhesive between the hollow fibers become flat. That is, the intrusion of the adhesive that intrudes into the hollow fiber is suppressed, and the intrusion length h is reduced to 3
Maintained at 10 to 10 mm, the adhesive does not adhere to the inside of the hollow fiber and the inside of the hollow fiber is not narrowed. Furthermore, the penetration of the adhesive between the hollow fibers becomes uniform, and a sealing failure due to insufficient penetration of the adhesive does not occur, so that a uniform hollow fiber type fluid separation device can be efficiently manufactured.

On the other hand, in the method according to the present invention, the rotational speed at the time of introducing the adhesive and the rotational speed at the time of solidifying the adhesive are not increased, and the rotational speeds of both are set to the speed (S2) (dashed line) in FIG. 5), the adhesive 4 adheres to the inside 22 of the hollow fiber 2 as shown in FIG.
Even after cutting X4, the inside 22 of the end of the hollow fiber 2 is narrowed by the adhesive 4, and it is difficult to obtain a uniform product.

The method of controlling the gas pressure of the cylindrical case and the rotation speed of the cylindrical case may be changed continuously and sequentially, or may be changed in several steps.

The pressure balance between the inside and the outside of the hollow fiber in the case of centrifugal molding in which the adhesive is injected while rotating the cylindrical case 1 may be determined, for example, as described in JP-A-53-13.
Reference can be made to a calculation formula described in Japanese Patent No. 5892.

[0034]

EXAMPLE 1 An adhesive injection device of the type shown in FIG. 2 was used. Polymethyl methacrylate with an inner diameter of 0.2 mm (PM
MA) Made 16,500 hollow fibers, 45mm inside diameter, 220mm length
Was sealed in a polystyrene (PS) cylindrical case, the adhesive injection device was sealed, and the pressure was increased to 1.4 kg / cm ² using compressed air. Next, after rotating at 700 rpm, the two-component reactive polyurethane resin is injected into the adhesive supply mechanism, and is introduced into the cylindrical case via the adhesive introduction pipe and the injection nozzle by the adhesive supply mechanism. The tube was guided toward the casting cap by centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the cylindrical case. About 1
Five seconds later, the pressure in the adhesive injection device was reduced using a pressure adjusting mechanism, and the rotation speed of the cylindrical case was increased.
When the pressure finally reached the atmospheric pressure, the rotation speed was set to a high rotation speed of 1,400 rpm. During this period, the pressure and the rotation speed are adjusted while the pressure and the rotation speed are adjusted so as to keep the length of penetration of the adhesive into the hollow fiber approximately constant for about 5 seconds (the pressure in FIG. 3 is increased). (P1)
(Shown by two-dot chain line) and speed (S1) (solid line)). After the polyurethane resin was sufficiently solidified, the rotation was stopped and the end of the hollow fiber was cut in the longitudinal direction. As a result, the hollow fiber had the form shown in FIG. The thickness at the outer periphery of the end was about 28 mm, and the penetration length h of the adhesive into the hollow fiber was as small as about 6 mm. Also,
As a result of performing a detailed inspection by cutting X1-X2 shown in FIG.
The inner wall of the hollow fiber of the adhesive part of the hollow fiber type fluid separation device keeps a clean surface without being wet with the adhesive, and no pinhole is seen in the adhesive filled around the end of the hollow fiber. Was.

Comparative Example 1 The rotation speed from the start of the introduction of the adhesive to the solidification of the polyurethane resin was set to a constant speed of 1050 rpm, and the injection of the adhesive was carried out under the same conditions as in Example 1 for other conditions. (The speed (S2) in FIG. 3 (indicated by a dashed line)).
After the polyurethane resin was sufficiently solidified, the rotation was stopped and the end of the hollow fiber was cut in the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 5, X3-X4 shown in FIG. As a result, the hollow fiber inner wall of the adhesive portion of the hollow fiber type fluid separation device was wet with the adhesive, the inner diameter was narrowed, and the smoothness was impaired. As a result of performing a reflux experiment using bovine blood using this hollow fiber type fluid separation apparatus, a phenomenon was found in which blood clots and residual blood occurred and blood did not flow smoothly.

[0036]

According to the method of the present invention, the residual adhesive does not adhere to the inside of the hollow fiber, and the inner diameter of the hollow fiber is not narrowed. Therefore, a hollow fiber type fluid separation device which does not impair the smoothness of the processing fluid flowing inside the hollow fiber and does not cause a reduction in performance due to a variation in the flow of the processing fluid between the hollow fibers and a variation in the pressure of the processing fluid. Can be provided. In particular, in the case of hemodialysis in the medical field where denseness is required, it is possible to efficiently manufacture a hollow fiber type fluid separation device free from residual blood or coagulation due to a residual adhesive.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a hollow fiber type fluid separation device obtained by a method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of an adhesive injection device in a process of manufacturing a hollow fiber type fluid separation device using the method according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a relationship between a gas pressure and a rotation speed in a method according to the present invention and a conventional method.

FIG. 4 is a schematic partially enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing a state of a hollow fiber type fluid separation device in a method according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic partial enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing a state of a hollow fiber type fluid separation device in a conventional method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Cylindrical case 2 ... Hollow fiber 3 ... Converging thread 4 ... Adhesive 5 ... Blood inlet 6 ... Header cap 7 ... Blood outlet 8 ... Header cap 9 ... Dialysate inlet 10 ... Dialysate outlet 11 ... Adhesive injection device 12 ... Adhesive introduction tube 13 ... Bearing 14A, 14B ... Injection nozzle 15 ... Rotating cylindrical case holding unit 16 ... Drive unit 17 ... Pressure adjustment mechanism 18 ... Rotation adjustment mechanism 19 ... Drive shaft 20A, 20B ... Note Mold cap 21 ... Adhesive supply mechanism 22 ... Internal HP ... High pressure LP ... Low pressure HS ... High speed LS ... Low speed P1 ... Pressure S1 ... Speed S2 ... Speed

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method for manufacturing a hollow fiber type fluid separation device, comprising the steps of: bundling a plurality of hollow fibers into a bundled yarn, inserting the bundled yarn into a cylindrical case, and inserting the bundled yarn into the tube. The cylindrical case is fixed to an adhesive injection device, and while the cylindrical case is rotated in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction using the device, an adhesive is introduced into the cylindrical case, and the bundled yarn is introduced. After the adhesive is solidified and the adhesive is solidified, the adhesive yarn does not exist inside the hollow fiber, and the adhesive yarn is present on the outer periphery of the end of the hollow fiber. A method for manufacturing a hollow fiber type fluid separation device obtained by cutting in the direction, introducing an adhesive while rotating the cylindrical case,
Upon solidification, the gas pressure in the cylindrical case and the rotation speed of the cylindrical case are changed stepwise or sequentially,
The hollow fiber is characterized in that when introducing the adhesive, the gas pressure is set to a high pressure and the rotation speed is set to low rotation, and when the adhesive is solidified, the gas pressure is set to a low pressure and the rotation speed is set to high rotation. Method for manufacturing a fluid separation device. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hollow fiber type fluid separation device is a hemodialysis device.