JP3407422B2 - Non-woven fabric manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing a nonwoven fabric such as a spunbonded nonwoven fabric. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus for producing a spunbonded nonwoven fabric having a uniform formation with less curl. 2. Description of the Related Art Spunbonded nonwoven fabrics can be produced by (a) a traction device that applies a high-speed airflow to a continuous filament bundle that is melt-spun and bundled from a thermoplastic resin to draw and reduce the length;
(B) A device that applies the same electric charge to the thinned long fiber bundle and opens the fiber using repulsive force between the long fibers. (C) Accumulates the opened fibers at the collection position. A gas permeable conveyor, such as a wire mesh conveyor, for forming and transferring the fibrous web; (d) a suction device disposed below the conveyor; and (e) a suction device transferred by the gas permeable conveyor. An apparatus having an apparatus for thermocompressing a woven web and fixing the long fibers to each other is used. According to this apparatus, a series of steps from fiber formation to non-woven fabric production can be performed continuously, so that the production cost is low, and the production speed is high. However, it is difficult to say that the quality of the obtained nonwoven fabric is sufficiently satisfactory, and it is an important task to obtain a technique for uniform formation. [0003] The continuous filaments are drawn and thinned by a high-speed airflow traction device, ejected and deposited on a collecting surface to obtain a nonwoven web. When the production speed is increased, the nonwoven web on the wire mesh conveyor becomes large. Since the nonwoven web is easily swung due to the movement of the wire mesh conveyor, the nonwoven web is curled, and a nonwoven fabric having a uniform formation cannot be obtained. FIG. 2 shows a typical example of a curl, in which curl 13 occurs in the upper layer 11 of the nonwoven webs 11, 12 deposited on the upper and lower layers. Here, it is considered that when the nonwoven web on the wire mesh conveyor is sucked by a suction device provided below the wire mesh conveyor, the nonwoven web is brought into close contact with the wire mesh and no curling occurs. However, if the suction force is small, the nonwoven web will swing easily, causing curl.On the other hand, if the suction force is large, the excess air around the wire mesh conveyor will also be sucked, causing turbulence. It is difficult to completely prevent curl. In addition, the nonwoven web and the wire mesh easily adhere to each other, so that when the nonwoven web is separated from the wire mesh conveyor, the nonwoven web is caught on the collecting surface and an unfavorable phenomenon occurs in which the nonwoven web is separated. [0005] As a method of solving such inconvenience,
There has been considered a method of rectifying airflow around a nonwoven web deposition surface by installing a rectifying device on a permeable conveyor. That is, a traction device that applies a high-speed air flow to draw and narrow continuous continuous fibers, and collects the thinned and opened filaments at a collection position to form a nonwoven web and transfers the web. A nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus comprising a breathable conveyor, a suction device disposed below the conveyor, and a device for thermocompression bonding the nonwoven web transferred by the conveyor, wherein the upper surface is a perforated plate, and both side surfaces are The present applicant has proposed an apparatus for manufacturing a nonwoven fabric in which a straightening device formed of a flat plate is provided on a breathable conveyor so as to enclose a nonwoven web at a position corresponding to a suction device. (Japanese Patent Application No. 6-087930) This device is extremely effective in preventing curling up to 120 m / min. However, when this speed exceeds approximately 120 m / min, the effect gradually decreases. I understood. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above situation, an object of the present invention is to provide a non-woven web having a uniform ground even if the speed of the conveyor is more than 120 m / min. It is an object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing apparatus capable of advantageously obtaining a nonwoven fabric in a combined manner. [0007] The inflow angle of the inflow air that passes through the above-described flow straightening device and reaches the nonwoven web is 90 ° with respect to the traveling direction of the permeable conveyor. Up to speeds of approximately 120 m / min, nonwoven webs are less likely to curl. The speed of the conveyor is 120 m /
When the air flow was further increased, the resistance of the inflow air increased and the occurrence of curling gradually increased.However, the inventors have conducted intensive studies. By making the angle θ formed between the air direction and the traveling direction of the conveyor smaller than 90 °, it has been found that even at a conveyor speed of 120 m / min or more, it is possible to produce a nonwoven fabric with less curl. [0008] The gist of the present invention is to rectify the airflow around the nonwoven web deposition surface by installing a rectifying device on a permeable conveyor. That is, according to the present invention, a traction device for applying a high-speed airflow to stretch and thin continuous continuous fibers, and forming a nonwoven web by accumulating the thinned and further opened long fibers at a collecting position. A nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus comprising a breathable conveyor for transferring the web, a suction device disposed below the conveyor, and a device for thermocompression bonding the nonwoven web transferred by the conveyor, A rectifier with a perforated plate, both sides made of a flat plate, and equipped with an angle adjusting mechanism so that the angle θ of the inflowing air flow can be changed, is placed on a breathable conveyor so as to bite the nonwoven web at a position corresponding to the suction device. An apparatus for producing a nonwoven fabric is provided. Hereinafter, a nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus provided with the rectifying device of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus for manufacturing a nonwoven fabric provided with the rectifying device of the present invention. The apparatus includes a high-speed airflow traction device 2 for drawing and narrowing a continuous fiber 1, a lengthened and opened fiber. Fibers are collected at a collection position 3 to form a nonwoven web, and a permeable conveyor 4 such as a wire mesh conveyor for transferring the nonwoven web, a suction device 5 disposed below the permeable conveyor 4, and an upper surface. Is composed of a perforated plate 6 having a moderate thickness l1, such as a so-called honeycomb, and having a large number of openings, and a flat plate 7 having both sides having a height l2, and an angle adjusting mechanism 14 for changing the angle θ of the perforated plate 6. And a hot-pressing device 9 such as a heating roll for fixing the non-woven web transferred to the air-permeable conveyor 4 by thermo-compression to fix the long fibers to each other. FIG. 3 schematically shows the angle adjusting mechanism 14 of the rectifier 8. The air inflow angle θ is
It refers to the angle formed by the vertical line lowered from the upper end of the rectifier and the air inflow direction. The point of the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is that a rectifying device 8 having a perforated plate 6 on the upper surface, flat surfaces 7 on both side surfaces, and an angle adjusting mechanism 14 is provided above the conveyor 4 corresponding to the suction device 5. It is provided in the vicinity of and above the air permeable conveyor so as to surround the nonwoven web being conveyed. By installing such a rectifying device 8, the airflow around the nonwoven web deposition surface is rectified, and even at a conveyor speed of 120 m / min or more, the rectification angle θ is adjusted to prevent the web from being turned up and uniform. The nonwoven fabric 10 having a proper texture can be obtained. The material of the flat plate used for the side surface of the rectifier is not limited as long as the side surface can be completely sealed. However, for example, it is preferable to use a transparent material because a nonwoven web on a wire mesh conveyor can be observed. In the present invention, the aperture shape and material of the perforated plate 6 used on the upper surface of the rectifier are not particularly limited. For example, the shape of the opening may be any shape such as a circle, a square, or a hexagon, and the material may be any shape as long as the shape does not change.
The cross-sectional area of the size of each hole is 50 to 500 mm.
^Two are preferred. If the cross-sectional area exceeds 500 mm ² , the rectifying effect of the airflow which is rectified right above the nonwoven web and descends is significantly reduced. Conversely, if the cross-sectional area is less than 50 mm ² , the resistance when air passes through the opening increases, and turbulence occurs at the open portion of the rectifier, that is, at the entrance of the nonwoven web, causing the nonwoven web to swing. And it is easy to bend.
Further, it is not preferable that the perforated plate has an extremely large aperture ratio. The thickness l1 of the perforated plate 6 is 10 to 200.
mm is preferred. When the thickness exceeds 200 mm, the resistance when air passes through the perforated plate increases as in the case where the cross-sectional area is small, and turbulence is generated at the open portion of the rectifying device, that is, at the sheet entrance, and the nonwoven web is formed. Swinging and curling easily occur. Conversely, if the thickness l1 is less than 10 mm, the rectifying effect is extremely small, and turbulent air flows from above the nonwoven web by the suction device below the wire mesh conveyor, causing curling. The height of the flat plate 7 on both sides, that is,
The installation height l2 of the perforated plate is preferably 400 mm or less. In particular, it is preferably 300 mm or less. If the height l2 exceeds 400 mm, the airflow rectified by the honeycomb is undesirably disturbed in the rectifier. Lower end of flat plate 7 and conveyor 4
Is preferably as close as possible to the upper surface of the substrate. The air inflow angle θ by the angle adjusting mechanism 14 of the rectifying device 8 may be 0 ° when the speed of the wire mesh conveyor is 120 m / min or less. Absent. However, when the speed of the wire mesh conveyor exceeds 120 m / min, the curling is reduced when an air inflow angle is given. It is effective to increase the air inflow angle in proportion to the speed increase of the wire mesh conveyor.
If it is more than °, the curling may increase on the contrary. Therefore, it is preferable to appropriately select an angle of 0 ° to 45 ° according to the speed of the wire mesh conveyor. The individual honeycombs constituting the perforated plate are not fixed to each other, and the individual honeycombs have a structure in which they slide with each other, and the honeycombs are held by steel wires stretched between frames on both sides. The steel wire and the like are fixed to an upper frame 15 and a lower frame 16 that hold the honeycomb, and both ends of the upper frame and the lower frame are configured by side frames 17 made of the same material. The lower frame 16 is fixed to the flat plate 7. When changing the air inflow angle, the air inflow angle θ can be adjusted by appropriately tilting the upper frame 15 toward the upstream side of the conveyor. That is, the air inflow angle is adjusted by changing the shape of the square formed by the upper frame 15, the lower frame 16, and the side frame 17 from a rectangle to a parallelogram by moving the upper frame 15 to the upstream side of the conveyor. Hereinafter, specific examples of the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described. Example 1 Using a nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus as shown in FIG. 1, a spunbonded nonwoven fabric was manufactured using a polypropylene resin as a raw material.
This nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus includes a pulling device 2 disposed below an extrusion nozzle of a melt extruder for polypropylene resin for drawing and narrowing continuous filaments 1 by high-speed airflow, and catching filaments that have been further refined and opened. A wire mesh conveyor for forming a nonwoven web by collecting at a collecting position and transferring a nonwoven fabric, a suction device arranged in proximity to the wire mesh conveyor, and a roll for thermocompression bonding the nonwoven web transferred by the wire mesh conveyor. It is composed of In the above nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus, the width is slightly larger than the width of the wire mesh conveyor, and the length is a continuous length of the opened fiber so as to surround the periphery of the nonwoven web randomly deposited on the collecting surface. A rectifier was installed that extended from the collection position where the fibers landed on the wire mesh conveyor to near the point where the fibers were thermocompressed by the heating roll. Both sides of this rectifier are covered with an acrylic plate, the upper surface has a square opening shape, the material is aluminum, the cross-sectional area of each opening is 200 mm2, and the thickness l1 is 50.
mm. This honeycomb was set so as to be located at l2 = 200 mm from the wire mesh conveyor. The rectification angle θ of the angle adjustment mechanism 14 was set to 0 °. A non-woven web having a basis weight of 24 g / m2 passes on a wire mesh conveyor moving at a speed of 100 m / min in the rectifier, and thereafter, a partial heat is obtained in which the upper stage is a hot embossing roll and the lower stage is a smooth roll. Crimping was performed by a crimping treatment device to produce a spunbonded nonwoven fabric. Example 2 A spunbonded nonwoven fabric was manufactured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the speed of the wire mesh conveyor was changed to 150 m / min. Example 3 A spunbonded nonwoven fabric was produced under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the speed of the wire mesh conveyor was 150 m / min and the air inflow angle θ was 30 °. Example 4 A spunbonded nonwoven fabric was manufactured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the speed of the wire mesh conveyor was set to 180 m / min. Example 5 Spunbonded nonwoven fabric was manufactured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the speed of the wire mesh conveyor was 180 m / min and the air inflow angle θ was 30 °. . Example 6 A spunbonded nonwoven fabric was manufactured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the speed of the wire mesh conveyor was set to 180 m / min and the air inflow angle θ was set to 40 °. Comparative Example 1 A spunbonded nonwoven fabric was manufactured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the rectifier was not installed on a wire mesh conveyor. With respect to the spunbonded nonwoven fabrics obtained in Examples 1 to 6 and Comparative Example 1, the number of curls per 1000 m was measured, and this was repeated ten times to obtain an average value. Table 1 shows the results. [Table 1] As is clear from the above results, Examples 1 to
The spunbonded nonwoven fabric obtained in 6 was less curled than the comparative example, and an excellent nonwoven fabric with uniform formation was obtained.
In Examples 3, 5, and 6, as a result of adjusting the angle of the rectifier,
Furthermore, the curl has been reduced. On the other hand, the spunbonded nonwoven fabric obtained in Comparative Example 1 did not have the effect of rectifying airflow around the nonwoven web deposition surface, and was a nonwoven fabric with many curls. According to the present invention, a continuous long fiber is drawn and thinned by a high-speed airflow traction device, and is ejected and deposited on a collecting surface to obtain a nonwoven web. A rectifying device composed of a flat plate on the side surface is installed on a wire mesh conveyor so as to surround the nonwoven web randomly accumulated on the collecting surface, and the rectifying device is provided with an angle adjusting mechanism to increase the height. Even during the speed operation, the airflow around the nonwoven web deposition surface is rectified, and thus the obtained spunbonded nonwoven fabric has an effect of obtaining a nonwoven fabric with less curl and excellent uniform formation.

[Brief description of the drawings] FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a nonwoven fabric manufacturing process of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a phenomenon of curling of a nonwoven web. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of an angle adjusting mechanism of the rectifier. [Explanation of symbols] 1 Continuous filament 2 High-speed traction device 3 Long fiber collection position 4 Breathable conveyor 5 Suction device 6 perforated plate 7 flat plate 8 Rectifier 9 Thermocompression bonding equipment 10 Non-woven fabric 11 Upper nonwoven web 12 Lower layer non-woven web 13 Web Turning 14 Angle adjustment mechanism 15 Upper frame 16 Lower frame 17 Side frame

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-50-152065 (JP, A) JP-A-5-132844 (JP, A) JP-A-6-108356 (JP, A) JP-A-7-107 145546 (JP, A) JP-A-52-66775 (JP, A) JP-A-52-8178 (JP, A) JP-A-7-207564 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-188091 (JP, U) Patent 3223698 (JP, C1) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) D04H 1/00-18/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims 1] A traction device for applying continuous high-speed airflow to draw and reduce continuous filaments, and to collect and reduce the filaments that have been refined and opened at the collection position. Nonwoven fabric manufacturing, comprising a permeable web for forming a woven web and transferring the web, a suction device arranged below the conveyor, and a device for thermocompression bonding the nonwoven web transferred by the conveyor A device, wherein a rectifying device having a perforated plate on the upper surface and a flat plate on both side surfaces is provided near and above the air-permeable conveyor so as to surround the nonwoven web at a position corresponding to the suction device, An apparatus for manufacturing a nonwoven fabric, comprising: an angle adjusting mechanism that can adjust an inflow angle of air flowing toward a nonwoven web through a perforated plate.