JP3521810B2 - Method of forming fiber cushion body, fiber cushion body and vehicle seat using fiber cushion body - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fiber cushion body and a method for molding the same, and a vehicle seat using the fiber cushion body. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for molding a fiber cushion body having excellent durability and a fiber cushion. The present invention relates to a body and a vehicle seat using the fiber cushion body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a cushion body made of a fibrous elastic body has been developed as a cushion pad for a vehicle seat. The drawback of the cushion body made of such a fibrous elastic body is that
It is inferior in durability to conventional foams and is easily set.

From this background, as a means for improving the durability of the fiber cushion body, for example, polyester short fibers and urethane type binder fibers are used (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 4 (1998) -43977).
No. -84906), one using a polyamide-based binder fiber (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-156559), and another by substituting materials.

Further, as a method for molding the fiber cushion body, for example, JP-A-5-329937 and JP-A-6-
There are methods described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 14195, etc., and these are known as methods for saving labor in a molding process and improving product quality.

[0005]

However, the conventional fiber cushion body as described above has a problem that it cannot be said that it has sufficient durability as compared with an ordinary urethane foam and that it is easily set. ing. On the other hand, a method for improving the durability of the fiber cushion body by devising a molding method is not known at present.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and to devise a molding method that has not been studied in the past, thereby forming a fiber cushion body having excellent durability and a fiber cushion body. Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat using the fiber cushion body.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above object, the inventors of the present invention have found that a nonwoven fabric composed of opened raw cotton and / or polyester fibers obtained by chipping strands is mainly made of polyester. Fiber A as an ingredient
It is found that the above object can be achieved by adding the low softening point binder fiber B to the fiber A, and introducing the nonwoven fabric into a molding die and treating it in a specific two-step molding process. The invention was completed.

That is, in the method for molding a fiber cushion body of the present invention, a nonwoven fabric composed of opened raw cotton and / or polyester fibers obtained by chipping strands is used as the main component fiber, and the softening point of the main component fiber is The following three steps using the binder fiber having a temperature lower than 20 ° C. as a raw material, and the following (1) step: The opened raw cotton and / or the nonwoven fabric in which the strands are made into chips are put into a molding die to obtain a fiber cushion body to be obtained. While maintaining a volume larger than the volume of the desired shape, preforming is performed by heating the binder fiber to a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point of the binder fiber, and (2) step: after cooling to a temperature lower than the softening point of the binder fiber, It is compressed to a volume smaller than the volume of the shape and cured as it is to promote crystallization of the fiber bonding surface in the fibrous web or nonwoven fabric. (3) Step: Next, mold opening Was carried out, the fiber cushion body molded by this repulsive force of the self-color, characterized in that it comprises the step of forming a desired shape.

Further, in a preferred embodiment of the method for molding a fiber cushion body of the present invention, in the raw material of the fiber cushion body, a nonwoven fabric made of opened fiber and / or polyester fibers obtained by chipping strands is mainly polyester. The fiber A as a component and the binder fiber B having a softening point lower than that of the fiber A by 20 ° C. or more, and the weight ratio A: B thereof is in the range of 0: 100 to 95: 5. To do.

Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment of the method for forming a fiber cushion body of the present invention, the preforming of the step (1) is performed at a volume of 105 to 200% by volume with respect to the volume of the desired shape, and 5 to cure the process to the volume of the desired shape
It is characterized in that the volume is 0 to 95% by volume. Further, the preforming of the step (1) is performed at 110 to 150% by volume with respect to the volume of the desired shape, and the curing of step (2) is performed at a volume of 60 to 90% by volume with respect to the volume of the desired shape. It is characterized by

Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment of the method for molding a fiber cushion body of the present invention, the curing temperature in the step (2) is 30 ° C. or higher and 20 ° C. or higher lower than the softening point of the binder fiber. It is characterized by being temperature.

A preferred embodiment of the fiber cushion body of the present invention is characterized in that, in the step (2), it is cured while humidifying or adding steam.

Furthermore, the fiber cushion body obtained by the present invention is characterized in that the sag resistance is less than 10%.

The vehicle seat of the present invention is characterized in that the fiber cushion body obtained by the molding method of the present invention is used in part or in whole.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION First, the fiber cushion body of the present invention will be described with reference to examples. The fiber cushion body of the present invention contains, as a main component, a nonwoven fabric obtained by chipping open cotton and / or strands containing low softening point binder fibers. Since the fiber cushion body of the present invention contains the specified raw cotton and / or chipped non-woven fabric, the mechanical strength can be improved and the recovery at the time of release can be appropriately performed.

Here, as the raw cotton and / or the chipped non-woven fabric used as the material of the fiber cushion body of the present invention, those made of synthetic fibers can be used, and particularly fibers containing polyester as a main component are used. It is preferable. Polyester fiber is suitable in terms of flowability and mechanical strength, and is advantageous because it has high cost performance.

Examples of the polyester include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and polyethylene naphthalate (P).
EN), polybutylene naphthalate (PBN), polyethylene isophthalate (PEI), polybutylene isophthalate (PBI), poly ε-caprolactone (PCL)
In addition to the above, the ethylene glycol component of PET is replaced with another glycol component (eg, polyhexamethylene terephthalate (PHT)), or the terephthalic acid component is replaced with another different dibasic acid component (polyhexamethylene isophthalate). Examples thereof include phthalate (PHI) and polyhexamethylene naphthalate (PHN).

Further, copolymerized polyesters containing these polyesters as constituent units, for example, block copolymers of PBT and polytetramethylene glycol (PTMG), copolymers of PET and PEI, copolymers of PBT and PBI, PBT. It is also possible to use a copolymer of PCL and PCL, and a copolymer having a main repeating unit of polyester can be preferably used.

Further, as a typical example of the above-mentioned raw cotton and / or chipped non-woven fabric, a core-sheath type composed of polyester A as a main component and fiber A added as needed and binder fiber B having a low softening point Alternatively, mention may be made of a side-by-side type fibrous web or nonwoven fabric.

The above-mentioned fibrous web or nonwoven fabric contains no fiber A.
˜95 wt%, 5 to 100 wt% of fiber B having a lower softening point at least 20 ° C. than fiber A, and 5 to 100 wt% of fiber C containing at least 50 ° C. of a component having a low softening point all or partly. And 95% by weight.

The fiber A is a fiber containing polyester as a main component, and the above-mentioned fibers can be used. The fiber A is blended in the fiber web or the nonwoven fabric at a ratio of 0 to 95% by weight. When the amount of the fiber A is more than 95% by weight, it becomes difficult to maintain the shape of the final molded product, for example, the cushion body, and the purpose cannot be achieved.

The fiber B is at least 20 times larger than the fiber A.
℃ has a low softening point, 5-10 in the fibrous web or nonwoven fabric.
It is blended in a proportion of 0% by weight. By blending the fiber B and performing the heat treatment B, it is possible to impart the settling resistance to the final molded product, for example, the cushion body.

If the content of the fiber B in the fiber assembly is less than 5% by weight, the effect of improving the permanent set cannot be sufficiently obtained. Also,
The softening point is lower at least 20 ° C. than the fiber A, and the softening point is lower at least 20 ° C. than the fiber A. The softening point is lowered by at least 20 ° C. because if the softening point becomes higher than this, softening of the fiber A may start.

Further, as the above-mentioned raw cotton, it is possible to use one that has been opened by a card random webber or an air-laid system. The opened raw cotton can be put into the mold by blowing or suction. The chipped non-woven fabric can be obtained by cutting a strand formed using a spinning machine or the like. At this time, if heat treatment is performed in advance to melt the binder fibers and bond the fibers to each other, the shape of the chip is maintained and handling becomes easy.

The fiber cushion body of the present invention described above can be obtained by the molding method of the present invention described below, but it has excellent durability and a sag resistance of less than 10%.
This sag resistance is a permanent decrease in the thickness of the fiber cushion body that occurs after the molded fiber cushion body is pressed for 22 hours under the conditions of the JSAE tail mold 68 kgf at 36 ° C. and a humidity of 90% for 22 hours. It means the degree of strain, and is represented by the following equation (1) Settling resistance (%) = (thickness reduced after the test / thickness before the test) × 100 (1).

Further, the vehicle seat of the present invention is obtained by using the above-mentioned fiber cushion body of the present invention, and the whole or a part thereof is composed of the cushion body of the present invention.

Next, a method for molding the fiber cushion body of the present invention will be described. Since the fiber cushion body of the present invention is molded through a specific two-stage molding process, crystallization of the fiber bonding surface is promoted, the repulsive force of the fiber cushion body itself is adjusted, and a desired shape is obtained. Easy to implement.

1 to 5 are cross-sectional views showing a molding step in the molding method of the present invention, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a charging mode of each molding material in a mold open state, and FIG. 3 shows a mold closing. Then
FIG. 4 shows the above-mentioned (1) step of performing preforming and cooling in a volume larger than the volume of the desired shape by blowing hot air, and FIG. 2 shows the step (2).

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, when the step (1) is shifted to the step (2), at least one molding surface 11, 21 of the upper mold 10 and the lower mold 20 moves, The volume ratio of the mold is changed. Further, FIG. 5 shows a state in which the mold body is opened and, at the same time, a desired shape is formed by the repulsive force of the molded fiber cushion body itself.

First, the structure of the molding die will be described.
1 to 5, the molding die used in the molding method of the present invention includes an upper die 10 and a lower die 20, which are the upper die support shaft 15
Further, the mold can be moved up and down via the lower mold support shaft 25, and by this movement, mold closing and mold opening are executed. Further, in the molding method of the present invention, the pre-molding is performed in a volume larger than the volume of the desired shape of the final molded product (1) step, and is cured for a certain time while being compressed in the volume smaller than the volume of the desired shape (2). Since it is necessary to change the volume in the mold in order to execute the process, in the above-mentioned molding mold, at least one molding surface of the upper mold 10 and the lower mold 20 is supported by the support shaft 16 or 26 penetrating the mold bodies 10 and 20. 11, 2
It is possible to move 1. In the present invention, the weaving machine 30 or the non-woven fabric tank is set on the tip of the die, so that only the lower die is allowed to move.

Here, the upper mold has a box-shaped upper mold main body 10 having a lower surface opening and a molding surface 11 covering the lower surface of the main body. The molding surface 11 is formed by a pressing member made of punching metal having a large number of holes 12. In addition, a chamber 13 in the upper mold formed by the upper mold body 10 and the molding surface 11
An air supply pipe 14 is connected to the. On the other hand, the lower mold has a box-shaped lower mold main body 20 having an upper surface opening and a molding surface 21 covering the lower surface of the main body. The molding surface 21 is formed by a pressurizing member made of punching metal having a large number of holes 22 as in the case of the upper mold, and a chamber 23 in the upper mold formed by the upper mold body 20 and the molding surface 21 has an exhaust pipe. 24 are connected.

Although FIGS. 1 to 5 show a mode in which the volume ratio is changed by one molding die and the steps (1) and (2) are executed, the volume is previously determined in the present study. It is, of course, possible to prepare separate molds different from each other and perform the preforming and curing in the steps (1) and (2) respectively.

Next, a specific operation for forming a fiber cushion body using the above-mentioned forming die will be described. First, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, raw cotton and / or chipped non-woven fabric is put into a mold. As a method for charging, blowing, suction, or the like can be performed. However, when the chipped non-woven fabric is put in, the chipped non-woven fabric having a density smaller than the density of the desired final product is put in.

Next, hot air having a temperature capable of melting the low softening point fiber is sent into the upper mold chamber 13 from the upper mold air supply pipe 14. The hot air introduced into the upper mold chamber 13 is jetted into the cavity from the holes 12 of the upper mold pressing member to remove the fibrous web or nonwoven fabric 2 compressed to a volume larger than the volume of the desired shape, for example, 120% by volume. To heat.

At this time, the hot air passing through the raw cotton and / or the chipped non-woven fabric 2 enters the lower chamber 23 through the holes 22 on the molding surface of the lower mold, and is discharged to the outside through the exhaust pipe 24. For example, hot air at 180 to 200 ° C. may be blown into the molding die for 3 minutes for heating. After heating, the supply of hot air is stopped, or at least 20 ° C. lower than the softening point of the binder fiber contained in the raw cotton and chipped non-woven fabric 2 is blown, and the binder fiber is cooled for a predetermined time until completely solidified, (1) Complete the process.

Next, the molding surfaces 11, 21 of at least one of the upper mold 10 and the lower mold 20 are moved and compressed to a volume smaller than the volume of the desired shape, for example, 80% by volume, and the mold temperature is set to 110 ° C., for example. Hold and perform a curing step to promote crystallization of the fibers (see Figure 4). At this time, curing may be performed while flowing hot air, humidified air, or steam as necessary.

Thereafter, the molding die is opened and the fiber cushion body 3 is released to obtain a cushion pad 4 which is an example of a final molded product having a desired shape (see FIG. 5). At this time, the compressed fiber cushion body 3 in the mold is restored to the volume of the desired shape by the repulsive force of the fiber cushion body 3 at the same time as the mold release, and becomes the cushion pad 4.

In the present invention, in the step (1) described above, it is desirable to carry out preforming with a volume of 105 to 200% by volume, and more preferably 110 to 150% by volume with respect to the volume of the desired shape. 105% by volume of the above preforming
If the volume is less than the above range, the desired thickness of the desired shape may not be obtained after curing in the step (2), which is not preferable. Further, if the above-mentioned preforming is performed in a volume exceeding 200% by volume, the compression rate in the step (2) becomes too large, and it is difficult to obtain the desired thickness of the desired shape, which is not preferable.

On the other hand, in the curing step (2), the volume of the desired shape is 50 to 95% by volume, more preferably 60%.
It is desirable to mold to a volume of ˜90% by volume. Here, the volume after curing is 50% by volume with respect to the volume of the desired shape.
If it is less than the above range, it is difficult to obtain a desired shape, which is not preferable. Further, if the volume after curing exceeds 95% by volume with respect to the volume of the desired shape, the effect of improving the durability in the curing step will be lessened, and at the time of release from the mold, the repulsive force of the fiber cushion itself will reduce the desired shape. It is not preferable because the volume may become larger than that of

The recovery state of the fiber cushion body when released from the mold is influenced by the material used, the density of the material, the preforming temperature in the step (1), and the curing temperature in the step (2). Therefore, it is preferable to adjust the volume ratio in the steps (1) and (2) within the above range by changing the volume ratio according to the desired shape and the volume thereof.

The curing temperature in step (2) of the present molding method is preferably 30 ° C. or higher and at least 20 ° C. lower than the softening point of the binder fiber B. If the temperature during curing is less than 30 ° C., it is considered that crystallization of the fibers does not proceed sufficiently and sufficient durability may not be obtained, which is not preferable. In addition, unless curing is performed at a temperature lower than the softening point of the binder fiber B by 20 ° C. or more, the fiber B may be softened and crystallization may be inhibited, and sufficient durability may not be obtained. It is not preferable because it exists.

Further, in the step (2), it is possible to cure while humidifying or adding steam. Curing while adding humidification and steam can promote crystallization,
It becomes possible to carry out the curing treatment in a shorter time.

[0043]

The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the following Examples and Comparative Examples, but the present invention is not limited to these. In the following examples and comparative examples, the desired shape of the final molded product (cushion pad) has a general part thickness of 100 mm and an end part thickness of 1 mm.
An example designed to be 50 mm is shown (see FIG. 5).

Examples 1 to 6 below show examples in which opened raw cotton is used. (Example 1) As fiber A, fineness 6 denier, fiber length 5
80% by weight of 1 mm polyester fiber (trade name: H38F manufactured by Nippon Ester Co., Ltd.), as fiber B, a polyester binder fiber having a core-sheath structure with a fineness of 2 denier and a fiber length of 51 mm (trade name: Nippon Ester Co., Ltd. )
2080% by weight of the product 7080) was blended and passed through a card random webber to obtain an opened raw cotton.

The obtained raw cotton was blown into the mold together with air as shown in FIG. Next, heat air at 190 ° C for about 3
After flowing for 1 minute, hot air at 70 ° C. was further flowed for 1 minute to cool to below the softening point of the binder fiber. The volume ratio of the mold in step (1) is 12 with respect to the volume of the final molded product.
It was set to 0% by volume. Next, in step (2), while maintaining the mold temperature at 70 ° C. as shown in FIG. 3, the volume ratio of the mold was reduced to 80% by volume with respect to the volume of the final molded product, and curing was performed for 10 minutes. After curing, the mold was opened, and at the same time, the molded product was restored to the intended final molded product volume as shown in FIG. 4, and the fiber cushion body of this example was obtained.

Example 2 The same as Example 1 except that the volume ratio of the step (1) was 140% by volume with respect to the volume of the final molded product and the volume ratio of the step (2) was 60% by volume. The operation was repeated to obtain the fiber cushion body of this example.

(Embodiment 3) The cooling condition of the step (1) is set to 40.
C., the volume ratio in the step (1) was 70% by volume with respect to the volume of the final molded product, and the mold temperature was 40 ° C., except that the same operation as in Example 1 was repeated to obtain the fiber cushion body of this example. Obtained.

(Embodiment 4) The volume ratio of the step (1) is 150% by volume with respect to the volume of the final molded product, and the cooling condition is 100.
℃, (2) volume ratio of step 90% by volume, mold temperature 100 ℃
The same operation as in Example 1 was repeated except that the above was obtained to obtain the fiber cushion body of this example.

(Example 5) The volume ratio of the step (1) was 120% by volume with respect to the volume of the final formed crystal, and the cooling condition was 100.
℃, (2) volume ratio of step 90% by volume, mold temperature 100 ℃
Then, the same operation as in Example 1 was repeated except that curing was performed while flowing steam at 100 ° C. to obtain a fiber cushion body of this example.

Example 6 (1) The volume ratio of the step is 120% by volume with respect to the volume of the final molded product, and the cooling condition is 100.
C., the volume ratio of the step (2) was 80% by volume, the mold temperature was 70.degree. C., and the procedure was the same as in Example 1 except that curing was performed while flowing humidified air at 70.degree. A fiber cushion body was obtained.

Examples 7 to 12 below show examples in which a chipped non-woven fabric is used. (Example 7) As fiber A, fineness 6 denier, fiber length 5
80% by weight of 1 mm polyester fiber (trade name: H38F manufactured by Nippon Ester Co., Ltd.), as fiber B, a polyester binder fiber having a core-sheath structure with a fineness of 2 denier and a fiber length of 51 mm (trade name: Nippon Ester Co., Ltd. )
2080% by weight of the product 7080) is mixed and the binder fiber is melted after forming a strand using a spinning machine 170
Heat treatment was performed at ℃ to 190 ℃ to bond the fibers. The strand having the fibers bonded to each other was cut into about 10 mm and made into chips. In addition, although the cross-sectional shape of the strand is a true circle having a diameter of 10 mm in this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape and size of the tip are not particularly limited. However, the size range is from a cube with one side of 5 mm to one side.
It may be any three-dimensional body whose shape is not specified and falls within the range of a cube of 5 mm. In a too small three-dimensional body,
In addition to slowing down the line speed and increasing costs, handling becomes troublesome. On the contrary, in a large three-dimensional body, there is a possibility that the cavity between the chips becomes large and the surface condition becomes rough, which may affect the sitting quality and the durability performance. Further, the chip density is 0.015 g / cm <SUP> 3 </ SU
Adjusted to P>.

The obtained chip was blown into the mold together with air as shown in FIG. Next, after blowing hot air of 190 ° C. for about 3 minutes, hot air of 70 ° C. was further flown for 1 minute to cool to below the softening point of the binder fiber. The volume ratio of the mold in step (1) is 1 with respect to the volume of the final molded product.
It was set to 20% by volume. Next, in the step (2), while maintaining the mold temperature at 70 ° C. as shown in FIG. 4, the volume ratio of the mold was reduced to 80% by volume with respect to the volume of the final molded product, and curing was performed for 10 minutes. After curing, at the same time as opening the mold,
The molded product was recovered to the intended volume of the final molded product as shown in FIG. 4, and the fiber cushion body of this example was obtained.

Example 8 The same as Example 7 except that the volume ratio of the step (1) was 140% by volume with respect to the volume of the final molded product and the volume ratio of the step (2) was 60% by volume. The operation was repeated to obtain the fiber cushion body of this example.

(Embodiment 9) The cooling condition in the step (1) is set to 40.
C., the volume ratio in step (1) was 70% by volume with respect to the volume of the final molded product, and the mold temperature was 40 ° C., except that the same operation as in Example 7 was repeated to obtain the fiber cushion body of this example. Obtained.

(Embodiment 10) The volume ratio of the step (1) is 150% by volume with respect to the volume of the final molded product, and the cooling condition is 100.
℃, (2) volume ratio of step 90% by volume, mold temperature 100 ℃
The same operation as in Example 7 was repeated except that the above was obtained to obtain the fiber cushion body of this example.

(Embodiment 11) The volume ratio of the step (1) is 120% by volume with respect to the volume of the final molded product, and the cooling condition is 100.
℃, (2) volume ratio of step 90% by volume, mold temperature 100 ℃
Then, the same operation as in Example 7 was repeated except that curing was performed while flowing steam at 100 ° C. to obtain a fiber cushion body of this example.

(Example 12) The volume ratio of the step (1) was 120% by volume with respect to the volume of the final molded product, and the cooling condition was 100.
C., the volume ratio of the step (2) was 80% by volume, the mold temperature was 70.degree. C., and the same operation as in Example 7 was repeated except that curing was performed while flowing humidified air at 70.degree. A fiber cushion body was obtained.

Comparative Example 1 The same as Example 1 except that only the step (1) was performed, the volume ratio was 100% by volume with respect to the volume of the final molded product, and the cooling condition was hot air 70 ° C. for 3 minutes. The operation was repeated to obtain the fiber cushion body of this example.

(Comparative Example 2) The volume ratio was set to 100% by volume with respect to the volume of the final molded product, and after preforming in step (1), the mold temperature was kept at 70 ° C while the volume ratio was kept at 100% by volume. The same operation as in Example 1 was repeated except that the curing was performed for 10 minutes to obtain the fiber cushion body of this example.

Comparative Example 3 The same as Example 7 except that only the step (1) was performed, the volume ratio was 100% by volume with respect to the volume of the final molded product, and the cooling condition was hot air 70 ° C. for 3 minutes. The operation was repeated to obtain the fiber cushion body of this example.

(Comparative Example 4) After performing the pre-molding of the step (1) with the volume ratio to 100% by volume with respect to the volume of the final molded product, the mold temperature was kept at 70 ° C while the volume ratio was 100% by volume. However, the same operation as in Example 7 was repeated except that curing was performed for 10 minutes to obtain a fiber cushion body of this example.

Table 1 shows the volume ratios, heating conditions, curing conditions and the like in the steps (1) and (2) of the above examples.

(Durability Test Method) For the fiber cushion bodies obtained in Examples 1 to 12 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4, JSA was used.
E-butt type, 68 Kgf under the condition of 36 ℃, 90% humidity 2
After loading for 2 hours, the difference between the thickness of the fiber cushion body before the durability test and after the durability test was measured, and the sag resistance according to the above formula (1) was evaluated. The obtained results are also shown in Table 1.

[0064]

[Table 1]

From Table 1, it can be seen that the fiber cushion bodies of Examples 1 to 12 have a thickness change of 10 mm even before and after the durability test.
When it was less than 10, the sag resistance was less than 10%, and it was revealed that it had excellent durability. On the other hand, in the fiber cushion bodies of Comparative Examples 1 and 3 molded only in the step (1), a thickness reduction of 15 mm or more was observed before and after the durability test, and the sag resistance was 15% or more. Also, (1) step, (2)
In Comparative Examples 2 and 4 in which both the steps were preformed and cured at a volume ratio of 100% by volume, 10 to 15 mm before and after the durability test.
The thickness was reduced and the sag resistance was 10 to 15%.
Since the curing step is performed, the durability is slightly improved as compared with Comparative Example 1, but it is clear that the durability is inferior to Examples 1 to 6 in which molding is performed while changing the volume ratio.

[0066]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, the unwoven fabric in which the opened raw cotton and / or the strand containing the binder fiber is made into chips is treated in a specific two-step molding process, so that the settling property is improved. It is possible to provide a fiber cushion body having excellent durability, a method for molding the same, and a vehicle seat using the fiber cushion body.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a molding material is installed in a mold open state in an embodiment of a method for molding a fiber cushion body of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing step (1) in the embodiment of the method for molding the fiber cushion body of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing step (2) in the embodiment of the method for molding the fiber cushion body of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state where the fiber cushion body recovers to a desired shape after the step (2) in the embodiment of the method for molding the fiber cushion body of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing step (3) in the embodiment of the method for molding the fiber cushion body of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Opened raw cotton 2 Chipped non-woven fabric 3 Fiber cushion body 4 preformed at a predetermined volume ratio in step (1) 4 Fiber cushion body 5 cured at a predetermined volume ratio in step (2) 5 Desired shape Final molded product 10 having upper mold body 11 upper mold molding surface 12 upper mold punching metal hole 13 upper mold chamber 14 air supply pipe 15 spindle 16 for moving the upper mold up and down 16 moving the upper mold forming surface up and down Support shaft 17 for upper mold forming surface 20 Lower mold body 21 Lower mold forming surface 22 Lower mold punching metal hole 23 Lower mold chamber 24 Exhaust pipe 25 Support shaft 26 for moving the lower mold up and down 26 Lower mold Spindle 27 for moving the molding surface up and down 27 Support member for lower mold surface 30 Opening machine 31 Storage tank for chipped non-woven fabric

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP 2000-107470 (JP, A) JP 8-49152 (JP, A) JP 7-126973 (JP, A) International Publication 97/002377 ( WO, A1) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) D04H 1/00-18/00 B68G 7 / 02,7 / 06 A47C 27/12

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A main component fiber is a non-woven fabric made of polyester fibers obtained by chipping opened raw cotton and / or strands, and the softening point of the main component fiber is 20 ° C.
A method for forming a fiber cushion body, which comprises using the above-mentioned low binder fiber as a raw material and performing the following three steps. Step (1): The opened raw cotton and / or strands of non-woven fabric are put into a molding die, and the binder is retained while maintaining a volume larger than the volume of the desired shape of the fiber cushion body to be obtained. Pre-molding is performed by heating to above the softening point of the fiber, and (2) step: after cooling to a temperature below the softening point of the binder fiber, it is compressed to a volume smaller than the volume of the desired shape and cured as it is. Crystallization of the fiber bonding surface in the fibrous web or nonwoven fabric is promoted. (3) Step: Next, mold opening is performed, and the fiber cushion body molded thereby forms a desired shape by its own repulsive force. 2. In the raw material of the fiber cushion body,
A nonwoven fabric made of opened polyester fibers and / or polyester fibers obtained by chipping strands has a fiber A containing polyester as a main component and a softening point of 2 with respect to the fiber A.
The method for molding a fiber cushion body according to claim 1, wherein the fiber cushion body is composed of binder fibers B having a temperature lower than 0 ° C. and a weight ratio A: B thereof is in the range of 0: 100 to 95: 5. 3. The preforming of the step (1) is performed at a volume of 105 to 200% by volume with respect to the volume of the desired shape, and the curing of the step (2) is performed by 50 to 95 with respect to the volume of the desired shape.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the operation is performed with a volume of volume%.
A method for forming the fiber cushion body described. 4. The preforming of the step (1) is performed at a volume of 110 to 150% by volume with respect to the volume of the desired shape, and the curing of the step (2) is performed at 60 to 90 volume with respect to the volume of the desired shape. The method for molding a fiber cushion body according to claim 3, wherein the molding is performed with a volume of%. 5. The curing temperature in the step (2) is 3
The method for molding a fiber cushion body according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the temperature is 0 ° C or more and is 20 ° C or more lower than the softening point of the binder fiber. 6. The method for molding a fiber cushion body according to claim 1, wherein in the step (2), curing is performed while adding humidification or steam. 7. The fiber cushion body has a sag resistance of 10 or less.
Izu claims 1-6, wherein less than%
A fiber cushion body obtained by the molding method according to any one of the items . 8. A vehicle seat, characterized in that a part or all of the fiber cushion body obtained by the molding method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is used.