JP6189394B2 - Manufacturing method of nonwoven fabric with uneven pattern - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a nonwoven fabric, and more particularly to a method for producing a nonwoven fabric with a concavo-convex pattern.

  Nonwoven fabrics used in absorbent articles such as sanitary products and disposable diapers, cleaning products such as wipers, and medical products such as masks are known. In order to impart designability and functionality, the nonwoven fabric may be provided with a pattern with a concavo-convex pattern. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing a nonwoven fabric having a stripe pattern with an uneven pattern.

  In the manufacturing method of Patent Document 1, after the constituent fibers of the fiber web are entangled (first entanglement), a part of the constituent fibers of the fiber web is subjected to water flow on a predetermined support having a regular pattern. Including a step of forming a stripe pattern by rearranging a part of the constituent fibers by entanglement (second entanglement) to express a plurality of stripes having a regular pattern, and the width of each stripe Is 4 mm to 50 mm.

  In the above manufacturing method, first entanglement is performed to form a sheet in which fibers are entangled, then the sheet is placed on a support having an uneven pattern, and the uneven pattern is formed into a sheet by second entanglement. Transcription. However, in the sheet formed by the first entanglement, the fibers are strongly entangled with each other, so that the rearrangement of the fibers is unlikely to occur. Therefore, when the second entanglement is performed with a low-pressure water flow, the rearrangement of the strongly entangled fibers does not proceed sufficiently, and the concavo-convex pattern cannot be formed, or the visibility of the concavo-convex pattern may be reduced. Therefore, in order to transfer the concavo-convex pattern to the sheet formed by the first entanglement, it is necessary to have enough energy to rearrange the strongly entangled fibers. Therefore, the water flow at the second entanglement is performed at a high pressure. There is a need. Thus, in the manufacturing method of patent document 1, energy required in order to manufacture a nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern may become high, and there exists a possibility that production efficiency may become low.

JP 2013-64226 A

  The objective of this invention is providing the manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern which can make production efficiency high, maintaining the visibility of an uneven | corrugated pattern, when manufacturing the nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern from a web. .

According to this invention, it is a method of manufacturing a nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern by processing while conveying a web, Comprising: The process which prepares the web whose fiber density is 4-8 * 10 ^<-2 > g / cm ^{< 3} >, The web is arranged along the surface of the first support having a concavo-convex pattern on the surface, and the first water flow is jetted onto the web, thereby entangled the fibers contained in the web, A step of forming a semi-finished product with a concavo-convex pattern having a concavo-convex pattern existing region to which the concavo-convex pattern has been transferred; and by spraying a second water stream to a region other than the concavo-convex pattern existing region in the semi-finished product with the concavo-convex pattern, A process for producing a nonwoven fabric with a concavo-convex pattern, comprising the steps of interlacing fibers contained in a semi-finished product with a concavo-convex pattern to form a nonwoven fabric with a concavo-convex pattern It is provided.

The degree of freedom of movement of the fibers contained in the web is higher before the web is entangled than after the web is entangled. Therefore, it is easier to transfer the concavo-convex pattern according to the concavo-convex pattern than to transfer the concavo-convex pattern (pattern) after the web is entangled, and to transfer the concavo-convex pattern. As a result, the visibility of the transferred concavo-convex pattern can be increased, and the energy of the first water stream can be reduced, thereby improving the production efficiency. At that time, when the fiber density of the web is kept high within a predetermined range (4 to 8 × 10 ⁻² g / cm ³ ), the fibers are appropriately brought into close contact with each other, and the uneven pattern is transferred to the web. Even if the webs are not entangled in advance, it is possible to prevent the fibers of the webs from being scattered due to the impact of the first water flow and to disturb the formation, that is, it is possible to prevent a decrease in visibility. Further, since the semi-finished product with the uneven pattern is entangled with the second water flow while avoiding the uneven pattern existing area, the nonwoven fabric having an appropriate strength can be manufactured without reducing the visibility of the transferred uneven pattern. .

  In the above method for producing a nonwoven fabric with a concavo-convex pattern, the step of preparing the web may include a step of wetting and dewatering a web in which fibers are laminated with a water flow. In this production method, the web can be thinned by adding water to the web and then dewatered, and a web having a fiber density within a predetermined range can be easily obtained. Moreover, the energy of a 1st water flow can be efficiently transmitted to a web by reducing the water in a web by spin-drying | dehydration.

  In the method for producing a nonwoven fabric with an uneven pattern, in the step of wetting and dewatering the web, the step of placing the web along the surface of the first support and moistening with water, You may dehydrate by attracting | sucking through a support body. In this manufacturing method, after the water is included in the web on the first support, the web is fixed on the uneven pattern by dehydrating by suction through the first support. In this state, the first water stream can be jetted onto the web. Thereby, the energy of the water flow when transferring the uneven pattern to the web can be reduced, and the production efficiency can be improved.

  In the method for producing a nonwoven fabric with an uneven pattern, in the step of forming the nonwoven fabric, the uneven pattern is provided on a second support that does not have the uneven pattern on the surface, different from the first support. A semi-finished product may be arranged, and the second water stream may be sprayed onto the semi-finished product with the uneven pattern. In this manufacturing method, it is possible to achieve both the visibility and strength of the uneven pattern in the nonwoven fabric by separating the first support that is used for both concavo-convex patterning and entanglement and the second support dedicated to entanglement.

  In the method for manufacturing a nonwoven fabric with an uneven pattern, the step of forming the semi-finished product with an uneven pattern includes a plurality of first water nozzles in which the first water stream is arranged along a transport direction in which the web is transported. The injection pressures of the plurality of first water nozzles may be increased as they proceed in the transport direction. In this manufacturing method, by increasing the force of the first water flow stepwise, the formation of the concave-convex pattern can be advanced while suppressing the degree of confounding in the initial jet of the first water flow nozzle, and the first In the jet of the water flow nozzle, the formation of the concavo-convex pattern can be advanced while increasing the degree of entanglement. Thereby, it is possible to achieve both the formation of the concavo-convex pattern and the entanglement of the fibers of the web.

  In the method for producing a nonwoven fabric with an uneven pattern, in the step of forming the semi-finished product with an uneven pattern, the step of injecting the first water flow onto one surface of the web and forming the nonwoven fabric includes the step of forming the nonwoven fabric. Two water streams may be sprayed onto the surface of the semi-finished product with the concavo-convex pattern corresponding to the other surface of the web. In this manufacturing method, a water flow can be sprayed on both the web and the semi-finished product, whereby the web and the semi-finished product can be efficiently entangled with each other.

  In the method for manufacturing a nonwoven fabric with an uneven pattern, the spray pressure of the first water stream may be lower than the spray pressure of the second water stream. In this manufacturing method, since the jet of the first water flow is at a low pressure, the movement of the fibers of the web is reduced. Therefore, the web fibers are less entangled, but the web fibers can be moved delicately and rearranged corresponding to the concavo-convex pattern. That is, it is possible to proceed with the formation of the uneven pattern while suppressing the degree of entanglement. Moreover, since the subsequent injection of the second water flow is at a high pressure, the movement of the semi-finished fibers increases. Therefore, the entanglement between the semi-finished fibers increases, that is, the entanglement can be further advanced. Thereby, the nonwoven fabric which has suitable intensity | strength can be obtained, without reducing the visibility of an uneven | corrugated pattern.

  In the method for manufacturing a nonwoven fabric with an uneven pattern, the first support is disposed on an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical first suction drum that rotates around a horizontal axis, and the semi-finished product with an uneven pattern is In the forming step, the first water flow may be jetted from a position above the axis. In this manufacturing method, the first water flow may be jetted downward or diagonally downward with respect to the first support, and it is not necessary to jet upward or diagonally upward. Therefore, the energy of the first water flow is efficiently applied to the web. Therefore, the injection pressure of the first water flow can be reduced. Thereby, production efficiency can be improved.

  In the above-described method for producing a nonwoven fabric with an uneven pattern, the first support is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical first suction drum that rotates around an axis, and is further downstream in the transport direction than the first suction drum. The second support is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical second suction drum that is disposed on the side and rotates about an axis, and the first suction drum and the second suction drum are mutually connected. And the step of forming the semi-finished product with the concavo-convex pattern is arranged in such a manner that the first surface of the web faces outward. The step of injecting the first water stream onto the first surface of the web while sucking the web onto the first suction drum and holding the web on the surface of the first support to form the nonwoven fabric is as follows. , The semi-finished product with the concave-convex pattern away from the first suction drum so that the surface of the semi-finished product with the concave-convex pattern corresponding to the second surface located on the opposite side of the first surface of the semi-finished product faces outward. The surface of the semi-finished product with the concavo-convex pattern corresponding to the second surface of the web while the product is sucked by the second suction drum and held on the surface of the second support. The axis of the first suction drum may be positioned above the axis of the second suction drum in the vertical direction. In this manufacturing method, when the semi-finished product with an uneven pattern formed by the first suction drum is conveyed to the second suction drum, the width of the sheet of the semi-finished product with an uneven pattern due to the conveyance can be reduced. Thereby, disorder of the pattern on the semi-finished product (nonwoven fabric) with the uneven pattern can be prevented.

  The step of moistening and dewatering the web is dewatered by sucking the web through the first support while the web is moistened by spraying a third water stream through the mesh. You may do it. In this manufacturing method, when a water flow is jetted through the mesh onto the web, the water flow hits the mesh, so that the water pressure of the water flow is reduced and the water flow is widely dispersed and reaches the web. Since the water pressure becomes low and the water flow is widely dispersed without interlacing the constituent fibers of the web by the water flow, the web can be efficiently wetted and the web can be fixed on the uneven pattern.

  According to the present invention, when producing a nonwoven fabric with a concavo-convex pattern from a web, it is possible to increase the production efficiency while maintaining the visibility of the concavo-convex pattern.

It is a figure which shows typically a part of structural example of the manufacturing apparatus used for the manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the cross section of the structural example of the 1st suction drum of a manufacturing apparatus. It is a figure which shows typically a part of cross section of the structural example of the support body of a 1st suction drum. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of the water supply apparatus of a manufacturing apparatus. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of the 1st injection nozzle of a manufacturing apparatus. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of the nozzle hole of a 1st injection nozzle. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of the semi-finished product with an uneven | corrugated pattern. It is a figure which shows typically the cross section of the structural example of the 2nd suction drum of a manufacturing apparatus. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of the 2nd injection nozzle of a manufacturing apparatus. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of the nozzle hole of a 2nd injection nozzle. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of the whole manufacturing apparatus used for the manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows typically a mode that a web is made wet with a water supply apparatus, and it spin-dry | dehydrates with a 1st suction drum. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the mode of the web on the uneven | corrugated pattern when it wets and spin-dry | dehydrates of FIG. It is a figure which shows typically a part of cross section of the structural example of the semi-finished product on a support body. It is a figure which shows typically a part of structural example of the manufacturing apparatus used for the manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

(First embodiment)
First, the manufacturing apparatus used for the manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern is demonstrated.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows a part of a configuration example of a manufacturing apparatus used in a method for manufacturing a nonwoven fabric with an uneven pattern. The manufacturing apparatus 1 forms a semi-finished product 8 with a concavo-convex pattern from the web 7 by processing the web 7 while being conveyed, and finally manufactures a nonwoven fabric 9 with a concavo-convex pattern from the semi-finished product 8 with the concavo-convex pattern It is. As an uneven | corrugated pattern, it has the convex part which protruded from the at least one surface of the web 7, the semi-finished product 8, and the nonwoven fabric 9, the recessed recessed part, the opening penetrated to the other surface, or those combinations, and design property and function The pattern which gives sex is mentioned. The manufacturing apparatus 1 includes an upstream transport device 13, a first suction drum 5, a water supply device 2, a first injection nozzle 3, a second suction drum 6, a second injection nozzle 4, A downstream transport device 14 and a dehydrator 25 are provided.

  The upstream side conveyance device 13 includes an upstream side conveyance belt 13 a and a direction changing roll 12, and the conveyance direction of the web 7 placed on the upstream side conveyance belt 13 a is directed upward by the direction changing roll 12. The web 7 is transferred to the first suction drum 5 after being converted. At this time, the web 7 is conveyed such that the first surface 7a of the web 7 faces the outside of the upstream conveying device 13 and the second surface 7b opposite to the first surface 7a is in contact with the upstream conveying belt 13a. .

  The first suction drum 5 includes a first support body having an uneven pattern on the surface thereof on the outer peripheral surface 5a. The first suction drum 5 is transported from the upstream-side transport device 13 while rotating the first support body about the axis A1. The web 7 that has been sucked is sucked through the first support and is conveyed to the second suction drum 6 while being held on the outer peripheral surface 5a. At this time, the web 7 has the first surface 7a facing the outside of the first suction drum 5 and the second surface 7b facing the inside of the first suction drum 5 so as to be in contact with the outer peripheral surface 5a. It is conveyed along the surface of the first support.

  The water supply device 2 supplies water from the first surface 7 a side to the web 7 held on the outer peripheral surface 5 a of the first suction drum 5 to wet the web 7. The first suction drum 5 sucks water from the second surface 7b side to the wet web 7 to dehydrate the web 7.

  The first injection nozzle 3 injects water (first water flow) from the first surface 7 a side to the web 7 held on the outer peripheral surface 5 a of the first suction drum 5, and the fibers of the web 7 are connected to each other. By pressing the web 7 against the concavo-convex pattern of the first support while entangled with each other, the concavo-convex pattern is transferred to the web 7 to form the semi-finished product 8 with the concavo-convex pattern. In the present embodiment, as the first injection nozzle 3, two first injection nozzles 3-1 and 3-2 are provided in order from the upstream side along the conveyance direction of the web 7. The first suction drum 5 sucks water from the second surface 7b side with respect to the web 7 being entangled and transferred. The semi-finished product 8 is formed with a concavo-convex pattern existing region that is a region where the concavo-convex pattern exists and a concavo-convex pattern non-existence region that is a region where the concavo-convex pattern does not exist.

  The second suction drum 6 includes a second support body on the outer peripheral surface 6a that does not have an uneven pattern on the surface, and the first suction drum 6 rotates while rotating the second support body around the axis A2. The semi-finished product 8 transported from 5 is sucked through the second support and transported to the downstream transport device 14 while being held on the outer peripheral surface 6a. At this time, in the semi-finished product 8, the first surface 8a faces the inner side of the second suction drum 6 and contacts the outer peripheral surface 6a, and the second surface 8b opposite to the first surface 8a is the second suction. It is conveyed along the surface of the second support so as to face the outside of the drum 6. However, the first surface 8 a of the semi-finished product 8 corresponds to the first surface 7 a of the web 7, and the second surface 8 b of the semi-finished product 8 corresponds to the second surface 7 b of the web 7.

  The second injection nozzle 4 does not eject water (second water flow) to the uneven pattern existing region in the semi-finished product 8 held on the outer peripheral surface 6a of the second suction drum 6 and does not eject the uneven pattern. On the other hand, water (second water flow) is sprayed from the second surface 8b side, and the fibers of the semi-finished product 8 are further entangled while maintaining the visibility of the transferred uneven pattern, whereby the nonwoven fabric 9 with the uneven pattern is obtained. Form. In the present embodiment, one second injection nozzle 4 is provided as the second injection nozzle 4.

  The downstream transport device 14 includes a downstream transport belt 14 a, and the non-woven fabric 9 transported by the second suction drum 6 is moved closer to the first suction drum 5 on the substantially upper side of the second suction drum 6. It is received at the position and conveyed to the dehydrator 25 by the downstream conveying belt 14a.

  The dehydrator 25 includes a transport belt 25a and a plurality of suction boxes 25b, and the nonwoven fabric 9 transported from the downstream transport device 14 is transported to the next process equipment by the transport belt 25a, and a plurality of suction boxes are transported. Water is sucked from the nonwoven fabric 9 on the conveyor belt 25a by 25b.

  Hereinafter, the manufacturing apparatus 1 will be specifically described.

  FIG. 2 is a view schematically showing a cross section of a configuration example of the first suction drum 5 of the manufacturing apparatus 1. The first suction drum 5 includes a hollow shaft portion 50 and a cell portion 52 formed outside the hollow shaft portion 50. The hollow shaft portion 50 and the cell portion 52 are formed in a coaxial cylindrical shape with the axis A1 as the central axis. The hollow shaft portion 50 is fixed to a base (not shown) of the manufacturing apparatus 1, and the cell portion 52 is coupled to the hollow shaft portion 50 so as to be rotatable around the axis A1. Thereby, the cell part 52 can be rotated around the fixed hollow shaft part 50.

  A plurality of through holes 53 through which liquid or gas can pass are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cell portion 52, and a support body 54 (first support body) is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cell portion 52. The support body 54 is a cylindrical member having an axis A1 and is fixed to the cell portion 52, and rotates around the axis A1 integrally with the cell portion 52. It can be seen that the first suction drum 5 rotates about the axis A1.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a part of a cross section of a configuration example of the support 54. As shown in FIG. 3, the support body 54 includes a base material 56 and a concavo-convex pattern 55 formed on the surface of the base material 56. The base material 56 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cell portion 52 and has a plurality of mesh-shaped openings through which liquid or gas can pass. The concavo-convex pattern 55 is a concave portion or a convex portion having a pattern shape, and is a convex portion having a predetermined pattern shape in the present embodiment. Here, although the height h of a convex part can be arbitrarily selected by the use of the nonwoven fabric manufactured, the shape of a pattern, etc., 0.1-10 mm is mentioned, for example.

  At this time, it can be seen that the outer peripheral surface of the support 54 constitutes the outer peripheral surface 5 a of the first suction drum 5. That is, it can be said that the first suction drum 5 includes the support 54 having the uneven pattern 55 on the outer peripheral surface 5a.

  A pump (not shown) capable of sucking liquid or gas is connected to the hollow shaft portion 50, and suction pipes 51-1 to 51- are provided on the outer peripheral surface 50a of the hollow shaft portion 50 as shown in FIG. 3 is provided. The suction pipes 51-1 to 51-3 have one end communicating with the internal space 50b of the hollow shaft portion 50 and the other end opened to the cell portion 52 side, whereby the cell portion 52 and the support 54 are interposed. Liquid or gas can be sucked from the opening on the other end side to the hollow shaft portion 50 on the one end side. The suction pipe 51-1 is arranged so that the opening on the other end side faces a position slightly upstream of the top portion 71 on the upper side in the vertical direction on the outer peripheral surface 5 a of the first suction drum 5. The suction pipe 51-2 is disposed so that the opening on the other end side faces a position slightly downstream of the top 71 in the vertical direction on the outer peripheral surface 5a of the first suction drum 5. The suction pipe 51-3 is disposed such that the opening on the other end side faces the position upstream of the opening on the other end side of the suction pipe 51-1 on the outer peripheral surface 5a of the first suction drum 5. ing. In other words, the openings at the other ends of the suction pipes 51-1, 51-2 and 51-3 are opposed positions of the outer peripheral surface 5 a facing the first injection nozzles 3-1, 3-2 and the water supply device 2. Are provided respectively. The openings at the other ends of the suction pipes 51-1, 51-2, and 51-3 have a rectangular shape. In the rectangle, the length of one side parallel to the circumferential direction of the hollow shaft portion 50 is, for example, a length corresponding to the distance that water supplied to the web 7 can move in the circumferential direction, and in the axial direction of the hollow shaft portion 50. The length of the parallel side is slightly smaller than the length of the first suction drum 5.

  Accordingly, the suction pipes 51-1 to 51-3 suck the web 7 being conveyed from the second surface 7b side toward the hollow shaft portion 50 and securely hold the web 7 on the support body 54. Water supplied from the jet nozzles 3-1 and 3-2 and the water supply device 2 to the first surface 7 a of the web 7 is sucked from the second surface 7 b side of the web 7 to the hollow shaft portion 50. Yes.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration example of the water supply device 2 of the manufacturing apparatus 1. However, in the manufacturing apparatus 1, the conveyance direction of the web 7 is MD, and the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction MD of the web 7, that is, the width direction of the web 7 is CD (the same applies in this specification). The water supply device 2 applies water 30 to the first surface 7 a side of the web 7 held on the outer peripheral surface 5 a of the first suction drum 5 to wet the web 7, and between the fibers of the web 7. Fill existing space with water. The water supply device 2 includes, for example, an opening 2a that is linearly provided in a direction parallel to the width direction CD. From the opening 2a as it is without pressurizing low-pressure water sent from a fluid source (not shown). Released as water 30. This water 30 is hung on the web 7 by free fall as it is. The water supply device 2 is arranged so that the water 30 is supplied to the position of the opening of the suction pipe 51-3 on the outer peripheral surface 5a of the first suction drum 5 or slightly upstream thereof.

  Here, since the water supply apparatus 2 is not intended to entangle the fibers of the web 7 with water but to include water in the web 7, the water supply apparatus 2 jets water at a high pressure. Nothing is done, and the web 7 is sprinkled with water. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, water may be freely dropped onto the web 7 from a position in the vicinity of the web 7, or water sprayed by spray may be applied to the web 7.

  The first injection nozzle 3-1 injects water at a position slightly upstream of the top 71 in the vertical direction on the outer peripheral surface 5 a of the first suction drum 5, that is, at the position of the opening of the suction pipe 51-1. It is arranged to do. The first injection nozzle 3-2 is water with respect to the position slightly downstream of the top 71 in the vertical direction on the outer peripheral surface 5 a of the first suction drum 5, that is, the position of the opening of the suction pipe 51-2. It is arranged to inject.

  In other words, the first suction drum 5 is ejected from each of the first spray nozzles 3-1 to 3-2 and the water supply device 2 from a position upstream of a point where the supplied water hits the web 7. The web 7 can be reliably sucked and stably held while sucking water from the first injection nozzles 3-1 to 3-2 and the water supply device 2 for a predetermined range up to the downstream position. Is possible.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration example of the first injection nozzle 3 of the manufacturing apparatus 1. In the present embodiment, as the first injection nozzle 3, two units of the first injection nozzles 3-1 and 3-2 are provided in order from the upstream side along the transport direction MD. Only the first injection nozzle 3-1 on the side is shown, and the other illustrations are omitted. The first injection nozzles 3-1 and 3-2 inject water at a high pressure from the first surface 7 a side of the web 7 to the web 7 held on the outer peripheral surface 5 a of the first suction drum 5. Then, the concavo-convex pattern 40 to which the concavo-convex pattern 55 is transferred is formed on the web 7 and the fibers of the web 7 are entangled. Thereby, the web 7 becomes the semi-finished product 8 with the uneven pattern having the uneven pattern existing region and the uneven pattern non-existing region.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration example of the nozzle holes of the first injection nozzle 3. The member 42 of the first injection nozzle 3 facing the outer peripheral surface 5a of the first suction drum 5 has a plurality of nozzle holes in a row arranged at a linear and constant pitch in a direction CD1 parallel to the width direction CD. 43. The width d1 of the nozzle hole 43 in the direction CD1 in the member 42 is larger than the width d2 of the web 7. The first injection nozzle 3 is configured to inject high-pressure water sent from a fluid source (not shown) from the plurality of nozzle holes 43 over the entire width direction CD of the web 7.

  As the hole diameter of the nozzle hole 43, general specifications of spunlace injection nozzles can be used, and examples thereof include 50 to 200 μm, and preferably 70 to 150 μm. If the hole diameter of the nozzle hole 43 is too small, the nozzle hole may be clogged. When the hole diameter of the nozzle hole 43 is too large, it is difficult to increase the pressure of the water flow, and the energy efficiency is lowered.

  As the pitch of the nozzle holes 43 (distance between the centers of the nozzle holes 43 adjacent to the direction CD1), a general specification of spunlace injection nozzles can be used. Preferably 0.4 to 1.0 mm. If the pitch of the nozzle holes 43 is too small, the pressure resistance of the nozzles may be reduced and may be damaged. If the pitch of the nozzle holes 43 is too large, the entanglement between the fibers becomes insufficient.

  In the present embodiment, the first injection nozzles 3-1 to 3-2 inject a water flow onto the web 7 from a position above the axis A <b> 1 of the first suction drum 5 in the vertical direction. Accordingly, the first injection nozzles 3-1 to 3-2 only have to inject the water flow downward or obliquely downward with respect to the web 7, and do not have to inject upward or obliquely upward. The web 7 can be efficiently transmitted, and the water jet pressure of the first jet nozzles 3-1 to 3-2 can be lowered. Thereby, production efficiency can be further improved.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, the water supply apparatus 2 is arrange | positioned rather than the adjacent 1st injection nozzle 3-1, regarding the perpendicular direction. Thereby, it can suppress reaching the web 7 under the 1st injection nozzle 3-1 along the surface of the web 7 after the water of the water supply apparatus 2 splashes on the web 7. FIG. As a result, it is suppressed that the water sprayed by the first spray nozzle 3-1 collides with the water that has traveled on the surface of the web 7, and the energy of the sprayed water cannot be effectively transmitted to the web 7. it can.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration example of the semi-finished product 8 with the uneven pattern. The semi-finished product 8 includes a concavo-convex pattern existing region 8g having a concavo-convex pattern 40 extending along a direction MD2 parallel to the conveyance direction MD, and a concavo-convex pattern non-existing region 8h having no concavo-convex pattern 40 extending along the direction MD2. Have. In the example of this figure, the uneven pattern non-existing region 8h is formed at both ends and the center of the direction CD2 parallel to the width direction CD, and between the uneven pattern non-existing region 8h at both ends and the central uneven pattern non-existing region 8h. An uneven pattern existing region 8g is formed. In addition, the pattern by the uneven | corrugated pattern 40 of this invention and the uneven | corrugated pattern 55 of the support body 54 is not specifically limited to the pattern of FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a view schematically showing a cross section of a configuration example of the second suction drum 6 of the manufacturing apparatus 1. The second suction drum 6 includes a hollow shaft portion 60 and a cell portion 62 formed outside the hollow shaft portion 60. The hollow shaft portion 60 and the cell portion 62 are formed in a coaxial cylindrical shape with the axis A2 as the central axis. The hollow shaft portion 60 is fixed to a base (not shown) of the manufacturing apparatus 1, and the cell portion 62 is coupled to the hollow shaft portion 60 so as to be rotatable around the axis A2. Thereby, the cell part 62 can be rotated around the fixed hollow shaft part 60.

  A plurality of through holes 63 through which liquid or gas can pass are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cell portion 62, and a support body 64 (second support body) is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cell portion 62. . The support 64 is a cylindrical member having an axis A2 and is fixed to the cell portion 62, and rotates around the axis A2 together with the cell portion 62. As a whole, it can be seen that the second suction drum 6 rotates about the axis A2.

  At this time, it can be seen that the outer peripheral surface of the support 64 constitutes the outer peripheral surface 6 a of the second suction drum 6. That is, it can be said that the second suction drum 6 includes a support 64 that does not have an uneven pattern on the outer peripheral surface 6a.

  A pump (not shown) capable of sucking liquid or gas is connected to the hollow shaft portion 60, and suction pipes 61-1 to 61-61 are provided on the outer peripheral surface 60a of the hollow shaft portion 60 as shown in FIG. -2 is provided. The suction pipes 61-1 to 61-2 have one end communicating with the internal space 60b of the hollow shaft portion 60 and the other end opened to the cell portion 62 side, whereby the cell portion 62 and the support 64 are interposed. Liquid or gas can be sucked from the opening on the other end to the hollow shaft 60 on the one end. The suction pipe 61-1 is arranged so that the opening on the other end side faces a position slightly downstream of the top 74 on the downstream side in the horizontal direction on the outer peripheral surface 6a of the second suction drum 6. The suction pipe 61-2 is disposed such that the opening on the other end side faces the position where the semi-finished product 8 conveyed from the first suction drum 5 contacts the outer peripheral surface 6a of the second suction drum 6. . In other words, the openings at the other ends of the suction pipes 61-1 and 61-2 are opposed positions of the outer peripheral surface 6a facing the semi-finished product 8 that first contacts the second injection nozzle 4 and the second suction drum 6. Are provided respectively. The openings at the other ends of the suction pipes 61-1 and 61-2 have a rectangular shape. In the rectangle, the length of one side parallel to the circumferential direction of the hollow shaft portion 60 is, for example, a length corresponding to the distance that the water supplied to the web 7 can move in the circumferential direction, and in the axial direction of the hollow shaft portion 60. The length of the parallel side is slightly smaller than the length of the second suction drum 6.

  Therefore, the suction unit 61-1 sucks the semi-finished product 8 being transported from the first surface 8a side toward the hollow shaft 60 and securely holds it on the support 64, while the second injection nozzle 4 From the first surface 8a side of the semi-finished product 8, the water sprayed to the second surface 8b of the semi-finished product 8 is sucked into the hollow shaft portion 60.

  The second injection nozzle 4 injects water to a position slightly downstream of the top 74 on the downstream side in the horizontal direction on the outer peripheral surface 6a of the second suction drum 6, that is, to the position of the opening of the suction pipe 61-1. It is arranged like this.

  In other words, the second suction drum 6 has a second range of a predetermined range from a position upstream to a position downstream from the point where the water sprayed from the second spray nozzle 4 hits the semi-finished product 8. The semi-finished product 8 can be reliably sucked and stably held while sucking water from the spray nozzle 4.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration example of the second injection nozzle 4 of the manufacturing apparatus 1. In the present embodiment, one second injection nozzle 4 is provided as the second injection nozzle 4. The second injection nozzle 4 applies high pressure water from the second surface 8b side of the semi-finished product 8 to the uneven pattern non-existing region of the semi-finished product 8 held on the outer peripheral surface 6a of the second suction drum 6. The fibers of the semi-finished product 8 are further entangled with each other. Thereby, the semi-finished product 8 is increased in strength and becomes a nonwoven fabric 9 with an uneven pattern.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration example of the nozzle holes of the second injection nozzle 4. The member 45 of the second injection nozzle 4 facing the outer peripheral surface 6a of the second suction drum 6 has a plurality of nozzle holes arranged in a straight line at a constant pitch in the direction CD2 parallel to the width direction CD. 46 is provided. The width d3 of the nozzle 45 in the direction CD3 in the member 45 is larger than the width d4 of the semi-finished product 8. However, the member 45 does not have the nozzle hole 46 in the region 45a facing the uneven pattern existing region 8g of the semi-finished product 8. The second injection nozzle 4 injects high-pressure water sent from a fluid source (not shown) from the plurality of nozzle holes 46 toward the uneven pattern non-existing region 8h (FIG. 9) of the semi-finished product 8. To the 8 uneven | corrugated pattern presence area | regions 8g (FIG. 9), since the corresponding several nozzle hole 46 does not exist, it is comprised so that water cannot be injected.

  Regarding the hole diameter, pitch (the distance between the centers of the nozzle holes 46 adjacent to the direction CD3), and the distance between the columns (the distance between the centers of the nozzle holes 46 in the column adjacent to the direction MD3), the nozzle holes 46 This is the same as 43.

  In the present embodiment, the second injection nozzle 4 injects a water flow into the semi-finished product 8 from a position vertically above the axis A2 of the second suction drum 6. Accordingly, the second injection nozzle 4 only needs to inject the water flow downward or obliquely downward with respect to the semi-finished product 8 and does not have to inject upward or obliquely upward. Therefore, the water jet pressure of the second jet nozzle 4 can be lowered. Thereby, production efficiency can be further improved.

  The first suction drum 5 and the second suction drum 6 are not in contact with each other, that is, the semi-finished product 8 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface 5a of the first suction drum 5 and the outer peripheral surface 6a of the second suction drum 6. In a state where the sheet can be conveyed without being compressed by being sandwiched between them and spaced apart to some extent, the axes A1 and A2 are arranged so as to be parallel to each other. Accordingly, by rotating the first suction drum 5 and the second suction drum 6 in directions opposite to each other about the respective axes A1 and A2, the semi-finished product 8 held by the first suction drum 5 is obtained. Is delivered to the second suction drum 6 in a state of being moderately tensioned in the length direction (conveyance direction), and can be conveyed from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveyance direction.

  In the present embodiment, the first suction drum 5 and the second suction drum 6 are formed in the same shape and the same size. Therefore, the outer diameter of the first suction drum 5 and the outer diameter of the second suction drum 6 are the same. The diameter is the same as each other. However, each outer periphery diameter of the 1st suction drum 5 and the 2nd suction drum 6 can be made into arbitrary magnitude | sizes according to the use of the nonwoven fabric to manufacture, or a required magnitude | size, for example, about 200-1700mm. Things can be used. Furthermore, regarding the relationship between the rotational speeds of the first suction drum 5 and the second suction drum 6, the conveyance speed of the web 7 and the types of constituent fibers, and the first suction drum 5 and the second suction drum 6. Although it is arbitrarily set depending on the positional relationship or the like, for example, the rotation speed of the second suction drum 6 can be set to a rotation speed of about 1 to 1.1 times the rotation speed of the first suction drum 5.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the second suction drum 6 is arranged so that the axis A2 of the second suction drum 6 is positioned below the axis A1 of the first suction drum 5 in the vertical direction. . The reason is as follows. That is, using the phenomenon that the semi-finished product 8 that has become heavy due to the water injection from the first injection nozzle 3 moves away from the first suction drum 5 by its own weight and moves vertically downward. This is because the product 8 is delivered to the second suction drum 6 without exerting an excessive tensile force on the product 8 and in a state in which the semi-finished product 8 is moderately tensioned. In other words, when the semi-finished product 8 is pulled more than necessary in the conveying direction between the first suction drum 5 and the second suction drum 6 for stable conveyance of the semi-finished product 8, the semi-finished product 8 is pulled by the pulling force. This is because a so-called width entering phenomenon in which 8 expands in the length direction and contracts in the width direction is likely to occur and is prevented.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration example of the entire manufacturing apparatus used in the method for manufacturing a nonwoven fabric with an uneven pattern. In the present embodiment, the manufacturing apparatus 1 further includes a web manufacturing apparatus 20 that manufactures the web 7 on the upstream side of the upstream side conveyance apparatus 13. The web manufacturing apparatus 20 includes a first card machine 21, an airlaid machine 22, and a second card machine 23. The 1st card | curd machine 21 throws in the fiber which comprises the 1st fiber laminated body 7-1 from a feeder, and forms the 1st fiber laminated body 7-1. The air laid machine 22 inputs the fibers constituting the second fiber laminate 7-2 from the feeder to form the second fiber laminate 7-2. The 2nd card machine 23 throws in the fiber which constitutes the 3rd fiber layered product 7-3 from a feeder, and forms the 3rd fiber layered product 7-3. And the web 7 can be formed by laminating | stacking these 1st-3rd fiber laminated bodies 7-1 to 7-3. The web 7 on which the first to third fiber laminates 7-1 to 7-3 are laminated is transferred from the web conveyance belt 11a of the web conveyance device 11 to the upstream conveyance belt 13a of the upstream conveyance device 13.

  In addition, the manufacturing apparatus 1 further includes a dryer 26 for drying the nonwoven fabric 9 from which moisture has been sucked by the dehydrator 25 and heat-sealing the fibers in the nonwoven fabric 9 downstream of the dehydrator 25, and a dryer. 26 is provided with a winder 28 that winds the non-woven fabric 9 carried out. In addition, the nonwoven fabric 9 wound up by the winder 28 is subjected to a predetermined treatment after being unwound and cut, and is used in absorbent articles, cleaning supplies, medical supplies, and the like.

  Next, the manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern is demonstrated.

  The manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric with a concavo-convex pattern includes a web manufacturing process in which the web 7 is manufactured by the web manufacturing apparatus 20, a wetting / dehydrating process in which the web 7 is wetted and dehydrated, and a concavo-convex pattern is transferred while the web 7 is entangled It includes a pre-entanglement / transfer process for forming the semi-finished product 8 and a post-entanglement step for further entanglement of the semi-finished product 8 to form a nonwoven fabric.

  First, in the web manufacturing process, the web 7 is manufactured by the web manufacturing apparatus 20. Here, the web 7 manufactured by the web manufacturing apparatus 20 is a laminate of a plurality of fiber laminates, and is not subjected to the entanglement process for entanglement of fibers. In this embodiment, a fiber laminate formed by the card method, a fiber laminate formed by the airlaid method, and a fiber laminate formed by the card method are used in this order. However, each fiber laminated body which comprises the web 7 can be arbitrarily selected by the use etc. of the nonwoven fabric manufactured. For example, fiber laminates formed by the card method, fiber laminates formed by the airlaid method, fiber laminates formed by the wet method, fiber laminates formed by the spunbond method, fibers formed by the meltblown method A laminate or a fiber laminate formed by other methods can be used.

The fibers of the web 7 can be arbitrarily selected depending on the use of the produced nonwoven fabric. The fiber density of the web 7 is, for example, about 2.8 to 3.5 × 10 ⁻³ g / cm ³ . The basis weight of the web 7 is, for example, about ²⁰ to 70 g / m ² . The thickness of the web 7 is, for example, about 7 to 20 mm. Moreover, the fiber length of the fiber of the web 7 is 1-100 mm, for example, Preferably it is 2-70 mm. The fineness of the fibers of the web 7 is, for example, 0.1 to 6 dtex, and preferably 0.5 to 4 dtex.

  A thermoplastic resin fiber can be used as the fiber of the web 7. Examples of the thermoplastic resin constituting the thermoplastic resin fiber include polyolefin, polyester, polyamide, and acrylic. Examples of the polyolefin include polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polybutylene (PB), and copolymers mainly composed of these. Examples of the polyester include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), and copolymers mainly composed of these. Examples of the polyamide include nylon 6, nylon 6,6, and the like. Examples of acrylic include polyacrylonitrile (PAN). When thermoplastic resin fibers are used, a hydrophilic treatment may be performed. Examples of the hydrophilic treatment include a treatment using a surfactant, a hydrophilic agent, and the like.

  As the fibers of the web 7, other fibers can be used in addition to or instead of the thermoplastic resin fibers. Examples of other constituent fibers include natural fibers (eg, pulp, wool, cotton, etc.), regenerated fibers (eg, rayon, acetate, etc.), inorganic fibers (eg, glass fiber, carbon fiber, etc.), and the like. Non-woven fabrics include core / sheath fibers, side-by-side fibers, island / sea fibers, etc., hollow fibers, flat fibers, Y-shaped fibers, C-shaped fibers, etc., latent crimps Alternatively, three-dimensional crimped fibers of actual crimps, split fibers that are split by a physical load such as water flow, heat, and embossing may be mixed.

  Next, in the wetting / dehydrating step, the web 7 manufactured by the web manufacturing apparatus 20 is transported to the first suction drum 5 by the upstream transport belt 13 a of the upstream transport apparatus 13, and is then transported by the first suction drum 5. It is conveyed to the second suction drum 6 while being sucked and held.

  At this time, the web 7 on the first suction drum 5 is wetted with water by the water supply device 2. Then, the wet web 7 is dehydrated by sucking water by the first suction drum 5. That is, the water filling the space between the fibers of the web 7 is sucked by the suction pipe 51-3 of the first suction drum 5 and is almost removed.

  Here, the pressure of water applied by the water supply device 2 (water pressure when discharged from the opening 2a of the supply device 4) is determined by the thickness of the web 7 and the type of structural fiber. In order to prevent the web 7 from being substantially entangled, it may be greater than 0.1 MPa (atmospheric pressure) and 0.8 MPa or less, preferably greater than 0.1 MPa (atmospheric pressure), and 0.6 MPa. More preferably, it is larger than 0.1 MPa (atmospheric pressure) and 0.5 MPa. About the quantity of the water supplied to the web 7, although it determines with the thickness of the web 7, and the kind of structural fiber, what is necessary is just to wet the web 7, and 100-150 L / min is mentioned.

  In this way, by suppressing the pressure of the water applied from the water supply device 2, the fibers are scattered from the web 7 that has not been entangled with the fibers by the water of the water supply device 2 or the formation is disturbed. Can be prevented.

  FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing how the web 7 is wetted by the water supply device 2 and dehydrated by the first suction drum 5. First, in FIG. 12A, the web 7 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface 5 a of the first suction drum 5. At this time, the web 7 includes a lot of spaces between the fibers, and is in a bulky state, that is, in a thick state. Next, in FIG. 12B, water is poured on the web 7 by the water supply device 2. At this time, the space between the fibers of the web 7 is filled with water, but the bulky state (thick state) remains unchanged. Then, in FIG. 12C, the web 7 is dehydrated by sucking water contained in the web 7 by the first suction drum 5. At this time, since the water contained in the web 7 and the fibers of the web 7 are chemically bonded (hydrogen bonds), the fibers of the web 7 are pulled by the water sucked into the first suction drum 5. Head to the first suction drum 5 side. Alternatively, the fibers of the web 7 are physically pushed by the water sucked into the first suction drum 5 and travel toward the first suction drum 5 side. In this way, the fibers of the web 7 are attracted to the first suction drum 5 side with the movement of water, the space between the fibers of the web 7 is rapidly reduced, and the bulk of the web 7 is reduced as a whole ( By reducing the thickness, the fiber density of the web 7 increases.

The fiber density of the web 7 immediately after being wetted by the water supply device 2 and dehydrated by the first suction drum 5 is about 4 to 8 × 10 ⁻² g / cm ³ . However, the upper limit is preferably 7.5 g × 10 ⁻² / cm ³ , and more preferably 7 × 10 ⁻² g / cm ³ . On the other hand, the lower limit is preferably 4.5 × 10 ⁻² g / cm ³ , and more preferably 5.0 × 10 ⁻² g / cm ³ . If the fiber density is too high, it becomes difficult to move the fibers of the web 7 by the water flow of the first injection nozzle 3 in the subsequent process, the energy of the water flow of the first injection nozzle 3 must be increased, and the production efficiency is increased. descend. If the fiber density is too low, there is an adverse effect such that the fibers of the web 7 are scattered by the impact of the water flow of the first injection nozzle 3 and the formation is disturbed. This fiber density is higher than the fiber density before being processed by the water supply device 2. For example, the basis weight of the web 7 is about ²⁰ to 70 g / m ² , and the thickness of the web 7 is about 0.5 to 0.9 mm.

  In this way, water is supplied from the water supply device 2 to the web 7, and the web 7 is dehydrated by the first suction drum 5, whereby the web 7 is thinned and the fiber density of the web 7 is easily within the predetermined range. Can be increased. Further, since the web 7 is dehydrated and the water contained in the web 7 becomes very small, the energy of water ejected from the first ejection nozzle 3 in the subsequent process can be efficiently transmitted to the web 7.

  Thus, when the fiber density of the web 7 is set to the above predetermined range, the fibers are in close contact with each other, so that the bonds between the fibers are stronger than immediately after the web 7 is formed (but compared with the case where the web 7 is entangled). The bond is weak). For this reason, when the uneven pattern is transferred to the web 7 while the fibers of the web 7 are entangled in the subsequent process, the fibers of the web 7 are scattered by the impact of the water flow sprayed from the first spray nozzle 3. It can suppress that a density becomes non-uniform | heterogenous and the formation of the web 7 is disturbed.

  In particular, when the web 7 is moistened with the water of the water supply device 2 and the web 7 is dehydrated with the first suction drum 5, since no drying treatment is performed, a small amount of water remains between the fibers of the web 7. doing. Therefore, compared with the case where the web 7 is dry, the bonding force between the fibers becomes stronger due to hydrogen bonding between the fibers of the web 7 via water (however, the bonding is less than when the web 7 is entangled). weak). In addition, the fibers on the surface of the web 7 are in a state of sleeping along the surface with almost no fluff. For these reasons, when the web 7 is entangled with the water flow of the first injection nozzle 3, the scattering of the fibers of the web 7 due to the impact of the water flow can be more reliably suppressed.

  FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the state of the web 7 on the uneven pattern 55 in the wetting and dewatering steps of FIG. When the web 7 is arranged on the concave / convex pattern 55 of the support 54, the web 7 is shaped into the concave / convex pattern 55 by being wetted by the water supply device 2 and sucked and dehydrated by the first suction drum 5. A roughly corresponding deformation is performed, whereby a temporary pattern 41 is formed on the web 7. In the temporary pattern 41, there is a gap S between the uneven pattern 55 and the web 7, and it cannot be said that the uneven pattern 55 is transferred to the web 7. However, since the temporary pattern 41 and the concavo-convex pattern 55 have shapes that are generally fitted to each other, the web 7 can be fixed on the concavo-convex pattern 55.

  By forming the temporary pattern 41 on the web 7 in this way, when the water flow is jetted onto the web 7 by the first jet nozzle 3 in the subsequent process, the concave / convex pattern 55 can be transferred to the web 7 with a smaller energy jet. , Production efficiency can be improved. Further, by fixing the web 7 on the concavo-convex pattern 55 using the temporary pattern 41, when the water flow is jetted onto the web 7 by the first jet nozzle 3 in the subsequent process, the web 7 is moved by the jet flow. Can be prevented.

In addition, if the web 7 which has the fiber density (4-8 * 10 ^<-2 > g / cm ^{< 3} >) of the said predetermined range can be prepared separately, said water supply apparatus 2 does not need to be used. In that case, for example, the upstream conveying device 13 supplies the web 7 having the fiber density in the predetermined range to the first suction drum 5 and immediately injects water to the supplied web 7 by the first injection nozzle 3. To do. Thereby, the water supply apparatus 2 can be omitted and production cost can be reduced. In this case, the web manufacturing process and the wetting / dehydrating process can be referred to as a web preparation process because the web 7 having a fiber density within a predetermined range is prepared.

  Subsequently, in the pre-entanglement / transfer process, the web 7 on the first suction drum 5 is sprayed with water by the first injection nozzles 3-1 to 3-2 and the fibers of the web 7 are being entangled. The concavo-convex pattern is transferred onto the web 7. Thereby, the semi-finished product 8 with an uneven | corrugated pattern is formed.

  The jet pressure of the water flow of the first jet nozzles 3-1 to 3-2 becomes higher as the web 7 moves in the transport direction MD. Specifically, the support body having the concavo-convex pattern 55 for the water jet pressure of the first jet nozzle 3-1 (water pressure when discharged from the nozzle hole 43 of the first jet nozzle 3-1) P <b> 11. In order to start the transfer of the concave / convex pattern 55 to the web 7 while starting the entanglement of the web 7 on 54, 1.0 MPa ≦ P11 ≦ 6.0 MPa is preferable. Further, the water jet pressure (water pressure when discharged from the nozzle hole 43 of the first jet nozzle 3-2) P12 of the first jet nozzle 3-2 is determined on the support 54 having the concavo-convex pattern 55. In order to advance the transfer of the concavo-convex pattern 55 to the web 7 while advancing the entanglement of the web 7, 3.0 MPa ≦ P12 ≦ 7.0 MPa is preferable. However, P11 <P12.

  In this way, the entanglement of the fibers is performed by gradually increasing the jet pressure of the water flow of the first jet nozzles 3-1 to 3-2 from the upstream side toward the downstream side along the transport direction MD. It is possible to proceed with the transfer of the concavo-convex pattern while keeping the degree of entanglement low for the initial web 7 with low strength, and for the web 7 whose strength has been increased due to entanglement, the degree of entanglement is increased. In addition, the transfer of the concavo-convex pattern can be further advanced. Thereby, it is possible to achieve both the transfer (formation) of the uneven pattern and the entanglement between the fibers. In other words, by gradually increasing the jet pressure of the water flow from the low pressure to the high pressure, the web 7 will not be damaged such that the high-pressure water flow is suddenly jetted onto the web 7 and the fibers of the web 7 are scattered. However, it is possible to form the uneven pattern with high visibility by gradually transferring the uneven pattern without difficulty.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram schematically showing a partial cross section of a configuration example of the semi-finished product 8 on the support 54. In the semi-finished product 8, the concavo-convex pattern 40 formed by transferring the concavo-convex pattern 55 of the support 54 has no gap S as shown in FIG. 13 between the semi-finished product 8 and the concavo-convex pattern 55. Is formed, that is, a highly concavo-convex pattern 40 is formed.

The degree of freedom of movement of the fibers contained in the web is higher before the web is entangled than after the web is entangled. Therefore, rather than transferring the concavo-convex pattern (pattern) of the support to the web after the web is entangled, the web fiber according to the concavo-convex pattern is more transferred to the web while the web is entangled. It is easy to move, and the uneven pattern can be easily transferred. In the present embodiment, since the concave / convex pattern of the support is transferred to the web 7 while entangled with the web 7, the visibility of the transferred concave / convex pattern can be increased, and the energy of the water flow of the first injection nozzle 3 is increased. Can be reduced, and thus production efficiency can be improved. At that time, by setting the fiber density of the web 7 within a predetermined range (4 to 8 × 10 ⁻² g / cm ³ ), the water flow of the first injection nozzle 3 is transferred when the uneven pattern is transferred to the web 7. It is possible to prevent the fibers of the web 7 from being scattered due to the impact and to disturb the formation. Further, in the semi-finished product 8, the uneven pattern existing area is avoided and the other uneven pattern non-existing area is entangled with the water flow of the second injection nozzle 4, so that the visibility of the transferred uneven pattern is lowered. And a nonwoven fabric having appropriate strength can be produced.

  In particular, the pattern of the concavo-convex pattern 40 is formed so that the upper part of the concavo-convex pattern 55 of the support 54 as shown in FIG. 14 is not exposed to the outside, that is, the through hole is not formed in the semi-finished product 8 (and the nonwoven fabric 9). In some cases, it is necessary to move the fibers of the web 7 particularly delicately. In the present invention, the web 7 that has not been entangled but has a high fiber density is used, and the water injection pressure is initially lowered to entangle the fibers of the web 7 and transfer the uneven pattern. . Specifically, the first injection nozzle 3-1 is made lower than the injection pressures of the subsequent first injection nozzle 3-2 and the second injection nozzle 4. Therefore, before the thickness becomes too thin or the through hole is opened in the upper portion of the uneven pattern 55, the fibers of the web 7 can be moved delicately and the fibers can be rearranged. Thereby, the pattern of the concavo-convex pattern 40 having no through-hole can be formed with good visibility.

  Next, in the post-entanglement step, the semi-finished product 8 transported from the first suction drum 5 is transported to the downstream transport device 14 while being sucked and held by the second suction drum 6.

  At this time, the semi-finished product 8 on the second suction drum 6 is not jetted of water into the uneven pattern existing area by the second injection nozzle 4, and water is injected into the uneven pattern nonexisting area, and the uneven pattern is disturbed. The fibers are further entangled with each other. Thereby, the nonwoven fabric 9 with an uneven | corrugated pattern with improved intensity | strength is formed.

  Concerning the jet pressure of the water flow of the second jet nozzle 4 (water pressure when discharged from the nozzle hole 46 of the second jet nozzle 4-1) P21, the confounding of the uneven pattern non-existing region 8h of the semi-finished product 8 is advanced. Therefore, 5.0 MPa ≦ P21 ≦ 10.0 MPa is preferable. However, P12 ≦ P21.

  Further, when the jet pressure of the water flow of the first jet nozzle 3 is made lower than the jet pressure of the water jet of the second jet nozzle 4, the first jet nozzle 3 is compared with the water jet of the second jet nozzle 4. The movement of the entanglement between the fibers of the web 7 due to the water flow becomes small. Therefore, although there are few entanglements between fibers, a fiber can move delicately according to an uneven | corrugated pattern and it can rearrange. That is, it is possible to proceed with pattern formation while suppressing the degree of entanglement. On the other hand, since the jet pressure of the water flow of the 2nd jet nozzle 4 after that is high, the movement of the entanglement of fibers becomes large. Therefore, the entanglement between the fibers increases, that is, the entanglement can be further advanced. Thereby, the fibers can be entangled so as to have an appropriate sheet strength without reducing the visibility of the pattern.

  In this way, water is not sprayed onto the uneven pattern existing area of the semi-finished product 8 held by the second suction drum 6, and water is sprayed onto the uneven pattern non-existing area, thereby forming the uneven pattern existing area. Without disturbing the concavo-convex pattern, the fibers contained in the semi-finished product 8 can be entangled with each other to increase the strength. That is, the nonwoven fabric 9 with an uneven pattern having an appropriate sheet strength can be produced without reducing the visibility of the transferred uneven pattern.

  The nonwoven fabric 9 with an uneven | corrugated pattern is manufactured as mentioned above.

  The position of the water supply device 2 is not limited to the position shown in FIG. 1, and may be any position as long as the web 7 can supply water before the water is injected from the first injection nozzle 3. It can be provided in the position. For example, the water supply device 2 is positioned at a position near the first surface 7a of the web 7 outside the upstream conveyance device 13 so that water can be supplied to the web 7 being conveyed on the upstream conveyance belt 13a. It may be arranged. In that case, a suction box for sucking water hung on the web 7 is arranged at a position facing the water supply device 2 inside the upstream side conveyance device 13. As a result, the water supply device 2 and the first injection nozzle 3 can be separated, and the water under the first injection nozzle 3 travels along the surface of the web 7 after the water of the water supply device 2 is applied to the web 7. Reaching to 7 can be suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, one water supply device 2 is disposed above the outer peripheral surface 5a of the first suction drum 5, but the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the web 7 is directed from the downstream side to the downstream side. A plurality of water supply devices may be arranged side by side. Thereby, the web 7 can absorb water reliably.

  In the present embodiment, the first injection nozzles 3-1 to 3-2 are respectively arranged at positions as shown in FIG. 1, but these first injection nozzles 3-1 to 3-1 are arranged. About each position of 3-2, if the position which can inject water reliably with respect to the web 7 in the range in which the web 7 is attracted | sucked and hold | maintained by the 1st suction drum 5, it can provide in arbitrary positions. it can. In that case, the positions of the suction pipes 51-1 to 51-2 of the first suction drum 5 are appropriately changed to positions facing the first injection nozzles 3-1 to 3-2.

  Similarly, in the present embodiment, the second injection nozzle 4 is disposed at a position as shown in FIG. 1, but the web 7 is the first for each position of the second injection nozzle 4. As long as the water can be reliably sprayed onto the semi-finished product 8 within the range sucked and held by the second suction drum 6, it can be provided at an arbitrary position. In that case, the position of the suction pipe 61 of the second suction drum 6 is appropriately changed to a position facing the second injection nozzle 4.

  In the present embodiment, there are two first injection nozzles 3 and one second injection nozzle 4, but the number of each injection nozzle is not limited to the above example, and is arbitrary. It can be the number of units. For example, the number of the first injection nozzles 3 may be one, three or more, and the number of the second injection nozzles 4 may be two or more.

  Here, when there are a plurality of the second injection nozzles 4, it is preferable that the injection pressure of the water flow of the plurality of second injection nozzles 4 increases as the semi-finished product 8 moves in the conveyance direction MD. . In this way, when the injection pressures of the plurality of second injection nozzles 4 water flow are gradually increased from the upstream side to the downstream side along the transport direction MD, the entanglement gradually progresses without difficulty and the strength becomes excessive. Can be increased without.

  In the present embodiment, the nozzle holes 43 of the member 42 of the first injection nozzle 3 and the nozzle holes 46 of the member 45 of the second injection nozzle 4 are in a single row, but each nozzle hole row is the same as the above. It is not limited to an example, You may provide multiple rows | lines in direction MD1 and MD2 parallel to conveyance direction MD. In that case, the plurality of nozzle holes 43 and 46 in the plurality of rows are preferably arranged in a staggered manner. As the distance between the rows (the distance between the centers of the nozzle holes 43 in the rows adjacent to the directions MD1 and MD2), general specifications of spunlace injection nozzles can be used. 0.5 mm, preferably 0.3 to 1.0 mm. If the distance between the rows is too small, the pressure resistance of the nozzles is lowered and may be damaged. If the distance between the rows is too large, the entanglement between the fibers becomes insufficient.

  In the present embodiment, the web 7 is composed of a three-layer fiber laminate, but the present invention is not limited to this example. The web 7 may be composed of 1-2 layers of fiber laminates, or may be composed of 4 or more layers of fiber laminates.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 15 is a diagram schematically illustrating a part of a configuration example of a manufacturing apparatus used in the method for manufacturing a nonwoven fabric with a concavo-convex pattern. Compared with the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the manufacturing apparatus 1 includes an upstream transport device 13, a first suction drum 5, a water supply device 2, a first injection nozzle 3, and a second suction drum. 6. The functions of the second injection nozzle 4, the downstream transport device 14, and the dehydrator 25 are substantially the same, but the arrangement of these devices is mainly different as shown in FIG. The differences will be mainly described below.

  In the present embodiment, the water supply device 2 is disposed in the upstream conveyance device 13, and the first suction drum 5 is disposed vertically above the water supply device 2 (and the upstream conveyance device 13), The suction drum 6 is disposed vertically above the first suction drum 5.

  The web 7 is configured such that the first surface 7 a of the web 7 is in contact with the mesh-shaped upstream conveyance belt 13 a of the upstream conveyance device 13 and the second surface 7 b of the web 7 faces the outside of the upstream conveyance device 13. Then, it is transported by the upstream transport device 13. The web 7 is supplied with water from the water supply device 2 to the first surface 7a via the mesh of the upstream side conveyor belt 13a.

  In this case, the water supply device 2 needs to supply water through the mesh from the position below the web 7 toward the web 7 located at the position vertically above. Therefore, it is necessary to inject water at a predetermined water pressure. However, when a water flow is jetted through the mesh onto the web 7, the water flow hits the mesh, so that the water pressure of the water flow decreases and the water flow is widely dispersed and reaches the web 7. Since the water pressure is lowered, the fibers of the web 7 are not entangled by the water flow, and since the water flow is widely dispersed, a wide area of the web 7 can be efficiently moistened.

  Subsequently, the web 7 is transferred (wound up) to the first suction drum 5 in the vicinity of the top on the lower side in the vertical direction of the outer peripheral surface 5 a of the first suction drum 5. Then, the second surface 7 b of the web 7 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface 5 a of the first suction drum 5, and the first surface 7 a of the web 7 faces the outside of the first suction drum 5. Sucked and held by the drum 5. At this time, the position at which water is sprayed onto the web 7 by the water supply device 2 and the position at which the web 7 is wound up by the first suction drum 5 are substantially the same position. The central position of the suction pipe 51-1 that sucks water from the web 7 with the first suction drum 5 may be the same position as the position where water is injected into the web 7 with the water supply device 2, It may be at a position slightly downstream in the transport direction. In the case of the same position, the web 7 is placed on the concave / convex pattern of the support on the first suction drum 5 and water is supplied to the web 7 by the water supply device 2, so the web 7 is fixed to the concave / convex pattern. It can be in the state.

  Two first injection nozzles 3, that is, first injection nozzles 3-1 to 3-2 are provided. The first injection nozzle 3-1 is arranged so that water can be injected to the top of the outer peripheral surface 5 a of the first suction drum 5 on the downstream side in the horizontal direction. The first injection nozzle 3-2 can inject water to a substantially intermediate position between the horizontal downstream apex and the vertical upper apex on the outer peripheral surface 5 a of the first suction drum 5. It is arranged so that it can. Accordingly, the web 7 is jetted with water to the first jet nozzles 3-1 to 3-2 while being sucked and conveyed by the first suction drum 5. Thereby, the semi-finished product 8 with the uneven pattern in which the uneven pattern is transferred while the fibers contained in the web 7 are entangled with each other is formed.

  Subsequently, the semi-finished product 8 is separated from the first suction drum 5 in the vicinity of the top of the first suction drum 5 in the vertical direction and in the vicinity of the top of the second suction drum 6 in the vertical direction. It is wound up on the second suction drum 6. Then, the second surface 8 a of the semi-finished product 8 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface 6 a of the second suction drum 6, and the second surface 8 b of the semi-finished product 8 faces the outside of the second suction drum 6. The suction drum 6 is sucked and held.

  Two second injection nozzles 4, that is, second injection nozzles 4-1 to 4-2 are provided. The second injection nozzle 4-1 can inject water to a substantially intermediate position between the top in the horizontal upstream side and the top in the vertical direction on the outer peripheral surface 6 a of the second suction drum 6. It is arranged so that it can. The first injection nozzle 3-2 is arranged so that water can be injected to the top portion in the vertical direction on the outer peripheral surface 5 a of the first suction drum 5. Therefore, the semi-finished product 8 is sucked and conveyed by the second suction drum 6 and water is jetted to the second jet nozzles 4-1 to 4-2. Thereby, the nonwoven fabric 9 with the uneven | corrugated pattern in which the fiber contained in the semi-finished product 8 was further entangled and the intensity | strength improved was formed.

  Also in this embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  In addition, in each said embodiment and the following Example and comparative example, the basic weight, thickness, and fiber density of fiber sheets, such as a web, are measured or calculated with the following method.

(Fiber sheet basis weight)
The web on the upstream side conveyance device 13 and the web that has been dehydrated by the first suction drum 5 with water applied by the water supply device 2 are cut into a size of 30 cm × 30 cm, respectively, and the mass is measured as a sample. Then, the basis weight of the sample is calculated by dividing the measured mass by the area of the sample. Here, let the value which averaged the basic weight of ten samples be a basic weight of an Example or a comparative example. In addition, the drying process in an atmosphere of 100 ° C. or higher is not particularly performed before the measurement.

(Fiber sheet thickness)
Using a thickness gauge (model FS-60DS manufactured by Daiei Chemical Seiki Seisakusho Co., Ltd.) equipped with a 15 cm ² probe, the web on the upstream-side transport device 13 under measurement conditions of a measurement load of 3 g / cm ² , And the thickness of the web which poured water with the water supply apparatus 2 and was dehydrated with the 1st suction drum 5 is measured. Here, three thicknesses are measured for one measurement sample, and the average value of the three thicknesses is taken as the thickness of the example or the comparative example.

(Fiber sheet density)
The fiber density of the web on the upstream side transport device 13 and the web that has been dehydrated by the first suction drum 5 after being watered by the water supply device 2 is determined by the above method by measuring the fiber sheet weighed by the above method. It is calculated by dividing by the thickness of the fiber sheet.

(Tensile strength and tensile elongation of fiber sheet)
A strip-shaped test piece having a length of 150 mm × width of 25 mm whose longitudinal direction is the web transport direction MD from the web immediately after water is drained by the water supply device 2 and dehydrated by the first suction drum 5, and the longitudinal direction is the web A strip-shaped test piece having a length of 150 mm and a width of 25 mm, which is a CD in the width direction, was cut out to obtain a measurement sample. And, using a tensile tester (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation, Autograph, model AGS-1kNG), a sample for measurement in the transport direction MD and the width direction CD is equipped with a load cell having a maximum load capacity of 50N. For each of the three samples for measurement, the tensile strength and the tensile elongation were measured under the conditions of a distance between chucks of 100 mm and a tensile speed of 100 mm / min. The average values of the tensile strength and tensile elongation of the three measurement samples of the measurement sample in the conveyance direction MD and the width direction CD were taken as the tensile strength and tensile elongation in the conveyance direction MD and the width direction CD, respectively.

  In order to confirm the effect by the manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern of this invention, the comparative experiment which compares production efficiency (energy efficiency) was performed about the manufacturing method which concerns on this invention, and the manufacturing method which does not depend on this invention.

(1) Preparation of sample (1-1) Sample of Example 1 As web 7, PET / fiber density of about 3.0 × 10 ⁻³ g / cm ³ (basis weight of about 30 g / m ² , thickness of about 10 mm) A fiber laminate formed of PP / PET was prepared. Next, in the manufacturing apparatus 1, water is supplied to the web 7 from the water supply apparatus 2 at a water pressure of 0.5 MPa on the first suction drum 5, and then from the first injection nozzles 3-1 and 3-2. Water was supplied to the web 7 at an injection pressure of 3.0 MPa and 6.0 MPa. Thereby, the uneven | corrugated pattern 55 was transcribe | transferred to the web 7 while the fibers of the web 7 were entangled, and the semi-finished product 8 to which the uneven | corrugated pattern presence area | region 40 was attached | subjected was formed. Thereafter, on the second suction drum 6, the injection of water from the second injection nozzle 4 that does not affect the formation of the uneven pattern 40 in the uneven pattern existing region is omitted, and the formed semi-finished product 8 is The nonwoven fabric 9 of Example 1 was used as it was. However, the maximum tensile strength and the maximum tensile elongation immediately after supplying water to the web 7 from the water supply device 2 at a water pressure of 0.5 MPa are 0.091 N / 25 mm and 11.9% in the transport direction MD, respectively. The direction CD was 0.020 N / 25 mm and 0.0501%, respectively.

(1-2) Sample of Comparative Example 1 The same web 7 as in Example 1 was prepared, and in the manufacturing apparatus 1, the concave / convex pattern 55 was not disposed on the support 54 of the first suction drum 5, and the second suction drum The concave / convex pattern 55 was arranged on the support body 64. In the manufacturing apparatus 1 in such a state, water is supplied from the water supply apparatus 2 to the web 7 at a water pressure of 0.5 MPa on the first suction drum 5, and from the first injection nozzles 3-1 and 3-2. Water was supplied to the web 7 at an injection pressure of 3.0 MPa and 6.0 MPa. Thereby, although the fiber of the web 7 was entangled, the semi-finished product without the uneven | corrugated pattern was formed. Thereafter, water was sprayed from the second spray nozzle 4 onto the semi-finished product on the second suction drum 6 at a spray pressure of 9.0 MPa. Thereby, the uneven | corrugated pattern 55 was transcribe | transferred to the semi-finished product, and the nonwoven fabric of the comparative example 1 to which the uneven | corrugated pattern presence area | region was attached | subjected was formed. Therefore, in Comparative Example 1, the concavo-convex pattern was transferred by the second spray nozzle 4 on the second suction drum 6 to the semi-finished product in which the fibers were already entangled. That is, it can be said that Comparative Example 1 is a manufacturing method that does not depend on the present invention. However, the maximum tensile strength and the maximum tensile elongation immediately after supplying water to the web 7 from the water supply device 2 at a water pressure of 0.5 MPa were the same as those in Example 1.

(2) Evaluation of the quality of the concavo-convex pattern (2-1) Evaluation method About the sample of the nonwoven fabric with the concavo-convex pattern (pattern) formed using the manufacturing apparatus 1, the evaluation of the quality of the concavo-convex pattern of the nonwoven fabric is performed by the following method. went. Here, a pattern composed of apertures penetrating the nonwoven fabric was used as the uneven pattern.

First, the sample is read and imaged with a scanner (scanner: Canon image Runner ADVANCE iR-ADVC 5255F, binarization software: SCARA, Inc. USB Digital Scale 1, 1J). In this case, the more appropriately the aperture is formed, the blacker the image. Next, binarization processing is performed on an area of a predetermined area (100 mm × 25 mm = 2500 mm ² ) of a predetermined area including an uneven pattern (an uneven pattern existing area) in the obtained image. Then, in the binarized image, the black portion is defined as an opening portion, that is, a portion where the uneven pattern is formed, and the ratio of the area of the black portion to the predetermined area (2500 mm ² ), that is, the area ratio is obtained. The area ratio of the black portion of the nonwoven fabric was compared with the area ratio of the uneven pattern on the support to determine the quality of the nonwoven fabric. That is, (quality of the concavo-convex pattern of the nonwoven fabric) = (area ratio of the black portion of the nonwoven fabric) / (area ratio of the concavo-convex pattern on the support) × 100 (%). For example, when (non-woven fabric concavo-convex pattern quality) is high, the quality is good and the non-woven concavo-convex pattern is close to the concavo-convex pattern of the support, that is, the visibility is improved.

(2-2) Evaluation result The evaluation result of the quality evaluation of the uneven | corrugated pattern in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 is shown in Table 1 below. However, “the number of black” indicates the number of black portions by the concavo-convex pattern in a predetermined area. “Black total area” indicates the total area of these black portions. “One area” indicates an average area per one of the black portions. “Area ratio” indicates the ratio of the black total area to the predetermined area. “Performance” indicates the “performance of the uneven pattern of the nonwoven fabric” calculated by the above formula.

  As shown in Table 1, the sample of Example 1 has more “total area” in the black portion than the sample of Comparative Example 1, and more “average” area per piece, and “good” is better. I found out. In other words, it can be seen that the concavo-convex pattern is formed with higher visibility in the sample of Example 1 than in the sample of Comparative Example 1.

(3) Production efficiency (energy efficiency)
In Example 1, water is sprayed onto the web 7 from the first spray nozzles 3-1 and 3-2 at spray pressures of 3.0 MPa and 6.0 MPa. Therefore, in Example 1, it can be seen that the first injection nozzle 3 is transferring (and entangled) the concavo-convex pattern with energy corresponding to the injection pressure of 9.0 MPa. On the other hand, in Comparative Example 1, water is injected from the second injection nozzle 4 onto the semi-finished product at an injection pressure of 9.0 MPa. Therefore, in Comparative Example 1, it can be seen that the second injection nozzle 4 is transferring the concavo-convex pattern with energy corresponding to an injection pressure of 9.0 MPa. Therefore, in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, it can be seen that the energy of the water flow supplied from the spray nozzle to form the uneven pattern is substantially the same. At this time, as shown in Table 1, it was found that the concavo-convex pattern was transferred with good quality in the sample of Example 1 as compared with the sample of Comparative Example 1. That is, when transferring the concave / convex pattern with water streams having substantially the same energy, the method of transferring the concave / convex pattern without performing the process of interlacing the fibers (Example 1) performs the process of intertangling the fibers. It was found that the concavo-convex pattern was better than the method of transferring the concavo-convex pattern (Comparative Example 1). In other words, if it is intended to form a concave / convex pattern having the same result, the transfer of the concave / convex pattern without performing the process of confounding the fibers performs the process of confounding the fibers and then the transfer of the concave / convex pattern. The energy of the water stream can be reduced compared to the direction. Therefore, the manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric of the present invention that performs the transfer of the uneven pattern without performing the process of interlacing the fibers is compared with the manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric that performs the transfer of the uneven pattern after performing the process of intertangling the fibers. As a result, production efficiency (energy efficiency) was improved.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Manufacturing apparatus 2 Water supply apparatus 3 1st injection nozzle 4 2nd injection nozzle 5 1st suction drum 6 2nd suction drum 7 Web 8 Semi-finished product 9 Nonwoven fabric

Claims (10)

A method for producing a nonwoven fabric with a concavo-convex pattern by processing while conveying a web,
Preparing a web having a fiber density of 4-8 × 10 ⁻² g / cm ³ ;
The web is arranged along the surface of the first support having a concavo-convex pattern on the surface, and the first water stream is sprayed on the web, thereby entanglement of fibers contained in the web. Forming a semi-finished product with an uneven pattern having an uneven pattern existing region to which the uneven pattern is transferred;
A step of forming a non-woven fabric with a concavo-convex pattern by interlacing fibers contained in the semi-finished product with the concavo-convex pattern by spraying a second water stream to a region other than the concavo-convex pattern existing region in the semi-finished product with the concavo-convex pattern; ,
Comprising
A method for producing a nonwoven fabric with an uneven pattern. The step of preparing the web includes a step of wetting and dewatering a web in which fibers are laminated with a water flow,
The manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern of Claim 1. The step of moistening and dewatering the web is performed by placing the web along the surface of the first support and sucking it through the first support while being moistened with water. ,
The manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern of Claim 2. The step of forming the nonwoven fabric includes disposing the semi-finished product with the concave / convex pattern on a second support that does not have the concave / convex pattern on the surface, different from the first support, Injecting said second water stream into the product;
The manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3. The step of forming the semi-finished product with the concave / convex pattern sprays the first water flow from a plurality of first water flow nozzles arranged along a transport direction in which the web is transported,
The spray pressures of the plurality of first water nozzles increase as the transport direction proceeds.
The manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4. The step of forming the semi-finished product with the uneven pattern includes injecting the first water flow onto one surface of the web,
The step of forming the nonwoven fabric injects the second water flow onto the surface of the semi-finished product with the uneven pattern corresponding to the other surface of the web.
The manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5. The injection pressure of the first water flow is lower than the injection pressure of the second water flow,
The manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 6. The first support is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical first suction drum that rotates around a horizontal axis,
The step of forming the semi-finished product with the concave / convex pattern jets the first water flow from a position above the axis,
The manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4. The first support is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical first suction drum that rotates about an axis,
The second support is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical second suction drum that is disposed downstream of the first suction drum in the transport direction and rotates about an axis.
The first suction drum and the second suction drum are arranged so that they are not in contact with each other and their axes are parallel to each other,
The step of forming the semi-finished product with the concave / convex pattern includes holding the web on the surface of the first support by sucking the web to the first suction drum so that the first surface of the web faces outward. While spraying the first water stream onto the first surface of the web;
The step of forming the non-woven fabric includes the step of forming the first non-woven fabric so that a surface of the semi-finished product with a concavo-convex pattern corresponding to a second surface located opposite to the first surface of the web faces outward. While the semi-finished product with the uneven pattern leaving the suction drum is sucked by the second suction drum and held on the surface of the second support, the second water flow is applied to the second surface of the web. Spray on the surface of the corresponding semi-finished product with uneven pattern,
In the vertical direction, the axis of the first suction drum is located above the axis of the second suction drum.
The manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern of Claim 2. The step of moistening and dewatering the web is dewatered by sucking the web through the first support while the web is moistened by spraying a third water stream through the mesh. ,
The manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric with an uneven | corrugated pattern of Claim 3.

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