JPH03119159A - Device for preparing hollow fiber film knitted fabric - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To fold back a hollow fiber at the ear portion of the prepared knitted fabric by allowing a hollow fiber-feeding member to travel around right and left hollow fiber-guiding members without crossing the follow fiber while the synchronously vertically reciprocating hollow fiber-guiding members and latch needles are twice vertically moved. CONSTITUTION:Hollow fiber-guiding members 1, 1', 2, 2' and latch needles 3, 3', 4, 4' are synchronously vertically reciprocated. While both the members are twice vertically moved, a hollow fiber-guiding member 10 is traveled around right and left hollow fiber-guiding members to form the second knitted stitches without crossing with each other. Each time the transversely swung hollow fiber 11 forms the warp knitted stitches, the hollow fiber 11 is wound on the right and felt hollow fiber-guiding members and inserted into each knitted stitch as a weft to form a knitted fabric having a prescribed width.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention manufactures hollow fiber membrane modules used in the fields of artificial lungs, artificial dialysis, plasmapheresis, pure water production, gas filtration, and for cleaning water purifiers, etc. The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing a hollow fiber membrane suitable for.

(Prior art) In general, a hollow fiber membrane module is manufactured by cutting a bundle of hollow fiber membranes into a predetermined length, storing them in a container, and fixing the ends of the hollow fiber membranes to the container with epoxy resin, urethane resin, etc. Produced by. However, if the openings at the ends of the hollow fiber membranes are fixed in an open state, resin will enter through the openings and the membrane module will become unusable. The method used is to fix the hollow fiber membrane in a temporarily sealed state, and after fixing, cut the fixed part to leave the eastern end of the hollow fiber membrane open.

In addition to the method described above, a method for producing a hollow fiber membrane module may include, for example, producing a bundle as a knitted fabric, and an example of an apparatus for producing the knitted fabric is a Russell knitting machine.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) Among the conventional techniques, in the method of bundling hollow fiber membranes, processing costs during temporary sealing during membrane module production,
There were problems with the reliability of the temporary sealing, the disturbance of the bundle of hollow fiber membranes during fixation, and the reliability of fixation.

That is, although the temporary sealing part is a part that is discarded when the membrane module is completed, it is an indispensable part in the temporary sealing process, and extra material costs and processing costs have to be incurred. In addition, it is difficult to determine whether the temporary sealing has been performed without any problems at the time of the temporary sealing, and the quality of the temporary sealing can only be determined by observing the cut surface of the fixing part after the membrane module is manufactured. Furthermore, the openings of some hollow fiber membranes may be blocked by the fixing resin, making it impossible to secure the required membrane area for the membrane module, and sometimes the membrane modules that have been manufactured must be discarded as defective products. It disappears.

In addition, in this method, since a bundle of hollow fiber membranes is stored in a container, there is a need for a force 1 to neatly align the bundle of hollow fiber membranes and store them in the container. The disadvantage is that the ends of the hollow fiber membranes are buried in the fixing resin, and as a result, the hollow fiber membranes cannot be used effectively.

Furthermore, since the hollow fiber membranes are used as a bundle, the hollow fiber membranes are often packed relatively densely, and the fixing resin may fall during fixation and enter between the hollow fiber membranes in the center of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. As a result, there is a drawback that defective products are likely to occur due to poor fixation.

On the other hand, most methods for forming bundles of hollow fiber membranes include winding the hollow fiber membranes several tens to hundreds of times around a rectangular, hexagonal, or octagonal frame to obtain a bundle. be. In this method, before cutting to obtain a bundle, it is necessary to bundle the single fibers of the hollow fiber membranes forming the bundle with paper or thread so that they do not fall apart, which is troublesome to handle.

Furthermore, this total method has problems such as a limited number of bundles of hollow fiber membranes that can be obtained in one round, and extremely low production efficiency.

On the other hand, for example, an attempt was made to manufacture a hollow fiber membrane module using a Russell knitting machine, but in this knitting machine, the spacing between the latch needles that determine the spacing for warp yarns is usually about 1.6 mm, and the movement width of the weft yarns was also limited. The upper limit is said to be around 16■ at most. For this reason, it has been found that it is impossible to produce knitted fabrics in which the length of the weft is increased using conventional Russell knitting machines.

Means for Solving Problem 4) In view of the current situation, the inventors of the present invention have arrived at the present invention as a result of intensive study on a method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module that does not have the above-mentioned drawbacks.

That is, the present invention comprises a hollow fiber membrane guide member that moves up and down and is erected at a predetermined distance from side to side, and a hollow fiber membrane supply member that runs around the hollow fiber membrane guide member on a plane without intersecting with each other. , consisting of a latch needle that is located in the running path and moves up and down, and a warp supply member that is disposed substantially above the latch needle and supplies warp threads to the latch needle, the hollow fiber membrane guide member and the latch needle. is KIif during one round of the hollow fiber membrane supply member.
A hollow fiber membrane knitted fabric manufacturing apparatus is constructed which is characterized by making two reciprocations at fJ intervals, and this is used as a means to solve the above-mentioned problems.

(Function) The hollow fiber membrane guide member and the latch needle reciprocate up and down in synchronization. While these two members move up and down twice, the hollow fiber membrane supplying member goes around the left and right hollow fiber membrane guide members without crossing each other on a plane.

Therefore, the second stitch is formed during this cycle, and each time the hollow fiber membrane is swung from side to side, it is wound around the left and right hollow fiber membrane guide members alternately every time a warp stitch is formed, and each stitch is It is inserted as a weft to knit a knitted fabric of a predetermined width.

(Examples) Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to illustrated examples.

The figures relate to typical embodiments of the present invention; Figure 1 shows an overview of knitting in a hollow fiber membrane knitted fabric manufacturing apparatus, and Figure 2 shows a hollow fiber membrane supplying member of the present invention when the apparatus is viewed from above. It shows the route of a certain traverse guide.

In FIG. 1, (1, i') and (2, 2') are approximately 50 to j00 Dtm, preferably 5
These are rod-shaped guide bars, which are the hollow fiber membrane guide members of the present invention, which are vertically provided at intervals of 0 to 500 mm, and are moved up and down by a drive mechanism (not shown).

Inside these left and right guide bars (1, 1'), (2, 2'), there are two latch needles (15'), (4, 4'), respectively.
) are arranged vertically in parallel. A pair of two latch needles each (
(56') and (4,4') are trick plays respectively)
It moves up and down along the groove formed at 5.5', and moves up and down in synchronization with the up and down movement of the guide bars (t1') and (2°2').

Above each latch needle (3, 3'), (a, a'), a corresponding number of warp supply guides (6'), (suf/) are arranged, and each latch needle (45'), ( When the threads (a, a') are at the top dead center position, the warp threads (a8'), (9,
9').

1Q is a traverse guide that guides the stitches of the warp yarns with the weft yarns (referred to as intermembrane membrane groups) 11 of the hollow fiber membrane module in the present invention, and the traverse guides 10 are connected to each guide bar (1 ,'1), (2,
2') and travels on the plane without crossing.

Therefore, the traverse guide 10 passes from the point in the center of the drawing to the hook side of the latch needle Δ'3' on the left side and passes through the two guide bars 1. '1 and run on the opposite side of the latch needle 3.5', and then move the latch needle 4, 4' located on the right side of the drawing.
Pass through the opposite side of the hook, go around the two guide bars 2.2', and attach the same latch needle 4. It travels on the hook side of '4 and reaches the above point A, completing one round.

On the other hand, while this traverse guide 10 is running,
The guide bars (1, 1'') and (2, 2') and the latch needles (43') and (4, 4') move up and down synchronously.

To explain the timing with reference to FIG. 2, when the traverse guide 10 is at point A in the center of the drawing, the guide bar (
1,1'), (2,2') and latch needle (h3'), (4,
4') have all descended to the lowest point (bottom dead center), and from the time the traverse guide 10 passes the same point, the guide bars (1, 1'), (2, 2') and the latch needle (4
3'\(4,4') all start to rise and when the traverse guide 10 passes the guide bar 1', the tips of all the guide bars (1,1'\(2,2') After that, all guide bars (1, 1'), (2, 2') and all latch needles (5'), (4°4') continue to rise to the left. A certain guide bar 1.'1 reaches its lowest point (top dead center) K at a time B.

Then, the traverse guide 10 is located at 1'lfj point B.
When passing the guide bar (i, 1'), (2, 2'
) and the latch needles (15') and (4, 4') also start descending, and continue descending until the traverse guide 10 reaches the 0 point, at which point it becomes the lowest point (death point).

Next f, from the point when the traverse guide 10 passes the 0 point, the guide bar (1, 1'L (2, 2') and the latch needle (43')
), (4, 4') all start to rise, and when the traverse guide 10 meets the guide bar 2, the tips of all the guide bars (1, 1') and (2, 2') will touch the traverse guide 10. All guide bars (1, 1'), (2°2') and all latch needles (h3'), (4,4') continue to rise to the right. It reaches its maximum position (top dead center) at the midpoint of the guide bars (2, 2'). Then, when the traverse guide 10 passes this intermediate point, the guide bars (1, 1'), (2, 2
”) and the latch needles (3, 3'), (4, 4') also begin to descend, and the traverse guide 10 continues to descend until it reaches point A, reaching the lowest point (bottom dead center) at point A. .

At each turn of the traverse guide 10, all the guide bars (i, i'), (2, 2') and all the latch needles (43'
), (4, a') will move up and down twice.

In Figures 1 and 2, 12.15 indicates the left and right latch needles (3, 3
'), (4,4') is a fixed guide provided to prevent the latch from jumping up when rising.
Reference numerals 12' and 13' designate rod-shaped fixed protrusion bars that project horizontally from the tip of each fixed guide 12.13. The protruding bars 12', 13' are the left and right latch needles (3, 3'), (
4,4"l and left and right guide bars (1,1"), (2,2
Since the book is protruded so as to cross the upper surface of the trick plate 5 between the needles (3, 3') as much as possible,
), (4°4').

In the above configuration, the hollow fiber membrane group 1 is supplied from above.
1 is a traverse guide 10 that runs in the left and right direction,
It is wrapped from the outside around either the left or right guide bar, which is rising at the same time. At this time, the other guide bar is fully raised, but it is not involved in any way as a guide for the hollow fiber membrane group 11, and the hollow fiber membrane tI# replaces the one guide bar when it is raised next time.
11 and guide it.

Also, at this time, all latch needles (43'χ(a,
a') is also at the top dead center position, and above it the respective warp supply guides (6, 6'), (7, 7') move slightly on the plane.
It reciprocates in a U-shape to wind and supply the warp threads (as') and (29') to each hook.

When the hollow fiber membrane group 11 is wound around one guide bar, all guide bars (1, 1'), (2, 2') and all latch needles (3, 3'), (4, 4') descend. Start.

To explain these movements in detail with reference to FIG. 3, FIG. 3 shows the relative positions of each member at the time when the hollow fiber membrane group 11 reaches point D from point 0. The curve indicated by the middle two-dot chain line is the travel path of the traverse guide 10.

Now, when the traverse guide 10 is at the 0 point, the left and right guide bars (1, 1'), (2, 2') and the latch needle (3
, 3'), (4, 4") are at the lowest position (bottom dead center). When the traverse guide 10 passes the 0 point, all guide bars (1, 1'), (2, 2") and latch needle (43'
), (4,4') start to rise. The example in FIG. 3 shows the point in time when the traverse guide 10 passes through the 0 point, goes around the guide bar 2 on the front right side from the outside, and reaches an intermediate point with the guide bar 2' on the rear right side. At this point, the hollow fiber membrane group 11 guided by the movement of the traverse guide 10 passing through the arrow A + B → 0 in the previous stage of N is partially inserted into the stitches (A'→B' part), and a part is on the left side. When the guide bars 1', 1 and the latch needle 3.3' are lowered, there is a busy transition between the latch needle 3.3' and the warp thread 8.8', and the area becomes B'→C, and the left guide The hollow fiber membrane group 11 is wound around the bars 1 and I' and guided to the guide bar 2 on the right hand side.

As a result, it is passed over the warp loop formed in the previous stage of the hollow fiber membrane group 11/fi in the uppermost stage, and is inserted into the middle of the stitch and knitted when forming the warp loop in the next stage.

When forming a stitch, the hollow fiber membrane group 11 wound around the guide bar 2.2' descends together with the guide bar 2.2', but the fixed guide guide 1 disposed below the hollow fiber membrane travel path
3 and the fixed protrusion bar 15' (Fig. 2) K prevent the hollow fiber membrane group 11 from moving downward, and only the guide bar 2.2' descends, and the hollow fiber membrane group 11 moves away from the guide bar 2.2'. It comes off.

At this time, the latch needle (3, 3'), (4, 4')
also descends to form a stitch. FIG. 4 shows the latch needle 3 in its representative state. Figure a shows the state when the latch needle 3 is at the top dead center, and the latch needle 3 is at the top dead center.
The warp is wound around the hook 14 by the warp supply guide, and the warp loop 16 formed in the previous stage is wound below the latch 15 hanging down at this time. The hollow fiber membrane group 11 is inserted into a space surrounded by the warp 8 wound around the hook 14, the warp loop 16, and the main body of the latch needle 3.

In the same figure, the loop 1 formed in the previous stage when the subclap needle 3 descends
6 shows a state in which the latch 15 is lifted and the hook 14 is closed. At this time, the guide bar also descends at the same time, and the hollow fiber membrane group 11 comes off the guide bar. Figure C shows a state where the latch needle 3 has further descended and is just before reaching the bottom dead center, and a new warp loop 16 is formed.

Figure d shows the latch needle 3 in the middle of its ascent, and at this time the next stage hollow fiber membrane group 11 is passed above the warp loop 11.

In this way, a hollow fiber membrane knitted fabric is continuously formed.

Now, in order to form a knitted fabric, the hollow fiber membrane group 11, which is the weft, and the warp yarns (a8') and (9,9'') K need a minimum tension, and furthermore, the formed knitted fabric A minimum tension is also required to take up the warp.These tensions change to some extent during knitting, but especially in the device of the present invention, the tension decreases.At that moment, the warp If the tension prevails, unless the hollow fiber membrane group 11 is supported by some means, the hollow fiber membrane group 11 will be drawn into the groove of the trick plate rod 5'.

The fixed protrusion bar 12'13' is connected to the left and right guide bars (1, 1
), (2, 2') from entering the groove of the trick plate 5.5'. It is preferable that the distance between the bar → and the trick plate groove be short.

Also, the heights of the force guide bars (1, 1'), (2, 2') and latch needles (6'), (4, 4') are determined by the balance between the guide bar and the latch needle. Although the setting can be made as appropriate, in order to prevent the hollow fiber membrane group 11 that has come off the guide bar from coming into contact with the latch needle, the height of the tip of the latch needle is usually set lower than the height of the tip of the guide bar. It is preferable to set

As is clear from the above explanation, each guide bar (1,
11), (42') Since the hollow fiber membrane group comes into contact with the fixed guides 12.13 and the fixed projection bars 12' and 13', in order to avoid damage to the hollow fiber membrane group 11 as much as possible, It is preferable that the surfaces of these members be smooth, and therefore, for example, those made of ceramics can be used.

Also, multiple guide bars (1, 1'), (2, 2')
It is preferable that the hollow fiber M group 11 be disposed so that it can be smoothly removed when the hollow fiber M group 11 is lowered. Therefore, for example 2
When placing a pair of guide bars (1, 1'\(2, 2') on the left and right, as shown in Fig. It is best to place it in the inner part 1.

In the above embodiment, the guide bar (1,1"), (2°2'
) are placed on each side, but basically it is sufficient to have one on each side, and in some cases there may be three or more on each side. However, if you place one on each side,
It is necessary to secure sufficient space for arranging the latch needle in the portion of the traverse guide 10 surrounded by the travel path. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, two latch needles are arranged on the left and right sides.
However, each can be set to an arbitrary number of one or more.

Generally, when making a wide knitted fabric, it is preferable to increase the number of latch needles to increase the number of warp threads, and the spacing between each latch needle is set appropriately. Furthermore, by arranging a plurality of these mechanisms side by side in the transverse direction, it is possible to obtain a plurality of knitted fabrics at the same time.

The fixed guides 12 and 13 have two functions: removing the hollow fiber membrane from the guide bar and preventing the latch of the latch needle from jumping up, and are plate-shaped as shown in Fig. 1. It may also be a rod-shaped object processed as shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, the side side 12a of the fixed guide serves to remove the hollow fiber membrane from the guide bar, and the front side 121) prevents the latch needle from jumping up. In addition, these fixed guides 12 and 13 may be arranged so that the above two functions are separated and divided into two elements each having each function. The hollow fiber membrane group 11 comes off from the guide bar when it comes off, but because there is a distance between the guide bar and the latch needle, the hollow fiber membrane group 11 that comes off from the guide bar does not come into direct contact with the latch needle. .

(Effects of the Invention) As described above in detail, according to the apparatus of the present invention, the hollow fiber membrane is not cut at the selvage part, the folds are continuous, and a hollow fiber membrane knitted fabric can be obtained extremely efficiently. I can do it. In addition, by appropriately setting the knitting width, it is possible to easily obtain a hollow fiber membrane knitted fabric of any width, and the hollow fiber membrane knitted fabric obtained in this way can be made into a bundle of hollow fiber membranes by the conventional total reeling method. It is extremely easy to handle compared to .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the knitting state of a hollow fiber membrane knitted fabric by a typical embodiment of the present invention, FIG.
The figure is an enlarged perspective view of the main part of the knitted part in Figure 1,
The figure is an explanatory diagram of the stitch forming process during the same knitting. Explanation of main parts of the figure 1.1', 2.2'...Guide bars 3.3', 4
．． 4'...Latch needles 8.8', 9.9'...Warp thread 10...Traverse guide 11...Hollow fiber membrane group Figure 2 Figure 1 Figure 4 (a) (b) (C) +Cl)

Claims (1)

[Claims] A hollow fiber membrane guide member that moves up and down and is erected at a predetermined interval from side to side; a hollow fiber membrane supply member that runs around the hollow fiber membrane guide member on a plane without intersecting; and It consists of a latch needle that is located in the path and moves up and down, and a warp supply member that is disposed almost above the latch needle and supplies warp threads to the latch needle, and the hollow fiber membrane guide member and the latch needle are connected to the hollow fiber membrane guide member and the latch needle. A hollow fiber membrane knitted fabric manufacturing apparatus characterized in that the yarn membrane supply member makes two synchronous reciprocations during one round.