JPH0343382B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing fiber bundles, and in particular to hollow fibers with permselectivity used in ultrafiltration, dialysis, reverse osmosis, etc., or optical fibers. The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing fiber bundles such as hollow fibers.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, monofilament or multifilament continuous fibers that are continuously produced are skeined into hexagonal skeins 100 shown in FIG. 15 to form thick annular fiber bundles 101, respectively. After wrapping the convergence tape 102 around both ends of each side, the fiber bundle 101 is cut at the outside 103 of the convergence tape 102.
A fiber bundle 104 shown in FIG. 16 was obtained (see, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-30057). The above fiber bundle 10
4, for example, in the case of a hollow fiber having permselectivity, the open end of the hollow fiber is temporarily sealed with an adhesive, the fiber is housed in a cylindrical casing, and the end of the hollow fiber and the inner wall of the casing are sealed with polyurethane or the like. The membrane module was then sealed with an adhesive, and the adhesive-sealed portion was cut (at this time, the wrapped portion of the convergence tape was removed) to form an open end of the hollow fiber, resulting in a membrane module.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above-mentioned prior art, since the annular fiber bundle 101 shown in FIG. 15 is kept wound around the skeins 100 for a long time, 10
The fiber bundle 101 wound around the portion 5 has a curl. Therefore, this portion has to be discarded as waste yarn, resulting in poor yield.

In addition, after cutting the first part on the skein 100, the tension is released and the remaining fibers hang down, making the cutting process difficult. Each end 10 of 104
6 is likely to become uneven or have a tendency to be cut. In other words, since accurate cutting cannot be performed, it is difficult to obtain fiber bundles 104 of uniform quality. Moreover, such a fiber bundle 104 may make it difficult to accommodate the fiber bundle in a cylindrical casing, or its quality may deteriorate.

On the other hand, a fiber bundle fixing member for fixing the fiber bundle is provided at each corner of the skein frame, and the fiber bundle is cut with a knife between the two fiber bundle fixing members, and the cut fiber bundle is dropped. Cutting devices are known (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-91863).

In this fiber bundle cutting device, as in the conventional example described above, the portion of the fiber bundle fixed by the fiber bundle fixing member of the skein frame must be discarded as waste yarn, and therefore the yield is poor.

Further, the portion of the fiber bundle (waste thread portion) fixed by the fiber bundle fixing member remains on the fiber bundle fixing member as it is even after cutting, and therefore, a waste thread removal operation is required. Therefore, manufacturability is poor.

Moreover, each cut hollow fiber is light, so
The air resistance it experiences while falling causes it to fall unstable. Therefore, each hollow fiber is likely to be scattered, making it difficult to converge the fibers.

As a means for solving such problems, a method for producing fiber bundles described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 175519/1980 has been known. In this conventional manufacturing method, first, a plurality of continuously flowing hollow fibers are gripped by first gripping pieces in the vicinity of both sides of a cutting point, and are horizontally cut into a set length while being pulled together. Next, the vicinity of both ends of the cut hollow fibers are gripped by a second gripping piece inside the first gripping piece, and the hollow fibers are conveyed to a receiving member below. By repeating these operations, a large number of hollow fibers are accumulated.

According to this conventional manufacturing method, since the hollow fibers are gripped by the first gripping pieces near both sides of the cutting location, the cutting workability is good and the cutting can be performed accurately. Furthermore, since the yarn is not wound into a skein, relatively little portion is removed as waste yarn, and the yield is slightly improved. Furthermore, instead of dropping the hollow fibers, the hollow fibers are gripped by the second gripping piece,
Since the hollow fibers are conveyed to the receiving member below, the problem of fiber scattering does not occur.

However, in order to transport cut hollow fibers,
Since the second gripping piece grips the inner side of the first gripping piece, it is inevitable that some of the many hollow fibers gripped by the second gripping piece will be damaged, and the damaged portion will become longer. Therefore, the amount of yarn to be discarded as waste yarn is not sufficiently reduced, and therefore the yield is not improved any further.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for producing uniform fiber bundles with good yield and productivity, and by facilitating the cutting and bundling of hollow fibers. It is an object.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the manufacturing method of the present invention involves sandwiching and gripping a plurality of continuously flowing hollow fibers near both sides of a cutting point. A large number of hollow fibers are accumulated by repeating the process of plastically deforming the hollow fibers, pulling the held hollow fibers and cutting them into a set length in a horizontal state, and releasing the grip on the cut hollow fibers and letting them fall. and a step of fixing at least one end of the large number of accumulated hollow fibers to each other in a state where the ends are bundled into a predetermined shape.

Further, the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes a pair of cutting devices, a large number of buckets, a transfer device, a focusing device, and a fixing device. The pair of cutting devices reciprocate in the flow direction of the hollow fibers, and are equipped with a cutter and a pincher, and pinch the continuously flowing hollow fibers with the cutter near both sides of the cut point by the cutter. The hollow fibers are alternately cut with the cutter while plastically deforming and alternately drawing the hollow fibers toward their tips. The above transfer device is
A large number of buckets are transported where the cut hollow fibers fall and accumulate. The focusing device radially focuses the transported fiber bundles in the bucket, and the fixing device fixes at least one end of the plurality of hollow fibers to each other in the focused state.

[Effect]

According to the method of this invention, the flowing hollow fibers are first cut to a set length while being pulled together, and then the cut hollow fibers are accumulated and the ends of the hollow fibers are fixed together, which is different from the conventional method. Unlike,
Since there is no need to wind the fiber into a skein, there is no risk of curling the hollow fiber.

Furthermore, since the portion where the hollow fibers are sandwiched is plastically deformed, the hollow portion is crushed and the plurality of hollow fibers are bitten into each other and integrated at the sandwiched portion.
Therefore, since one lightweight hollow fiber falls in a state where it is integrated into multiple pieces, the posture at the time of the fall is stable and the hollow fibers are less likely to be scattered.

Further, according to the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, a pair of cutting devices each including a cutter and a pincher for pinching the hollow fibers near both sides of the cut point by the cutter are provided, and the cutting devices alternately cut the hollow fibers. From there, the fibers can be continuously cut into lengths.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, as an example, hollow fibers having permselectivity (hereinafter referred to as fibers) used in artificial kidneys and the like will be described. In FIG. 1, which shows an outline of the manufacturing method of the present invention, f is one or more fibers that are continuously manufactured or taken out from a bobbin, such as cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, ethylene-vinyl alcohol, polyacrylonitrile. , polymethyl methacrylate,
It is a fiber made of polysulfone, etc. In addition, in this example, the fiber f is a thermoplastic resin.

A is a cutting process, in which the fibers f continuously flowing in the direction of arrow B are pulled together and cut into a set length in a horizontal state. C is an accumulation process, in which a large number of cut fibers f are stacked. D is a forming step, which consists of a step Da in which both ends of the accumulated fiber bundle F are bundled into a predetermined shape in the radial direction, and a step Db in which the ends of the bundled fibers F are fixed together. In FIG. 1, while the fiber bundle F is being rotated in the direction of the arrow E, the adhesive d is sprayed from a nozzle and applied to both end faces Fa of the fiber bundle F, thereby fixing the ends of the fiber bundle F to each other. To fix both ends of the fiber bundle F, tape or a rubber band may be wound around the ends of the bundled fiber bundle F. Further, in FIG. 1, both ends of the fiber bundle are bundled and fixed, but in the case of the fiber bundle F for external pressure overload, only one end is fixed. G is a take-out process, which is a process to take out the fiber bundle F to the next process. K is a boxing process, in which the taken out fiber bundle F is packed into a box b.

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the manufacturing apparatus, and FIG. 3 shows a plan view thereof. In FIG. 3, the manufacturing apparatus mainly includes a feeding device 1 that continuously feeds a large number of fibers f in the direction of arrow B, and a pair of left and right feeding devices that draw the continuously flowing fibers f and cut them into a set length. cutting devices 2 and 3, a large number of buckets 4 in which the fibers f cut to a set length are accumulated, a transfer device 5 for transporting the buckets 4 shown in FIG. 2, and a convergence device 6 for fixing the fiber bundle F. , a coating (fixing) device 89, and a take-out device 9.

In FIG. 3, the feeding device 1 includes a guide roller 11 and a dancer roller 12 that swings in the vertical direction.

The cutting devices 2 and 3 have the same structure and are symmetrical to each other, and each includes a vertical feed device 21, 31, a slide block 22, 32 reciprocated in the vertical direction by the vertical feed device 21, 31, and a slide block 22, 32 shown in FIG. It mainly consists of cam devices 23, 33, pinchers 24, 34 shown in FIG. 3, cutters 25, 35, and removal devices 26, 36. Figure 4 shows the cutting device 2 on the left.
In the figure, the clipper 24 is mainly shown, and in the cutting device 3 on the right side, the cutter 35 and the brushing device 36 are mainly shown.

The vertical feeding devices 21 and 31 in FIG.
Its threaded rods 21b, 31b and guide rod 21
c, 31c are fixed to the device frame 88 in the axial direction, and the slide blocks 22, 32,
The threaded rods 21b, 31b are inserted through and connected to stepping motors or servo motors 21a, 31a. The slide blocks 22, 32 are reciprocated in the vertical direction by the vertical feeding devices 21, 31. The cam devices 23 and 33 in FIG. 4 are mounted on rails 23a and 33a extending in the transverse direction, respectively.
Inverted T-shaped cam bases 23b and 33b are provided to be able to reciprocate in the lateral direction by the operation of gill cylinders 23c and 33c. The above cam base 23b, 3
Heater cams 23d, 33d and aperture cam 2 are installed in 3b.
3e, 33e and brushing cams 23f, 33f are provided in a protruding manner.

The above-mentioned pincher 24, cutter 35 and brushing device 3
6 are the sliding rods 24a and 35a, respectively.
and cam rollers 24c, 35c, and 36c, which are inserted into slide blocks 22, 32 and slidably supported in the lateral direction, and rotatably supported by brackets 24b, 35b, and 36b.
rolls along each of the cams 23d, 33e and 33f. Coil springs 24d, 35d and 36d are provided between the slide blocks 22 and 32 and the brackets 24b, 35b and 36b, and are connected to the cam rollers 24c, 35c and 36.
c to each cam 23d, 33e and 33d, respectively.
Pressing to the side.

In this embodiment, the cutter 35 has a fiber f
It is equipped with a hot plate 37 that thermally melts and cuts the hot plate 37.
It may be equipped with a knife instead. The above hot plate 37
is fixed to the tip of the sliding rod 35a, and is T-shaped, with the tip 37a having a thin wall as shown in FIG.

Reference numeral 38 denotes a discharging member, which is formed into two prongs, and its tip portions 38a, 38a are connected to the tip portion 37 of the hot plate 37.
It is close to both side surfaces 37b of the rod 37a and is fixed to the tip of the sliding rod 36a shown in FIG. This cleaning member 3
8 is provided with a U-shaped notch 38b that comes into contact with the fibers and brushes them off.

In the clipping machine 24, a pair of mutually symmetrical racks 24e, 24e are fixed to the tip of a sliding rod 24a, and a pinion 24 is attached to the racks 24e, 24e.
f and 24f are engaged. The above pinion 24
f and 24f are engaged with each other and are rotatably supported by the slide block 22. These pinions 24f, 24f have arms 24g, 24
As shown in FIG. 3, sandwich members 29A and 29B are provided at the hot plate 27 via g.

In FIG. 5, the sandwich members 29A, 29B are
Two mutually parallel flat plates 29Ab, 29Bb are integrally formed on the bases 29Aa, 29Ba, and these flat plates 29Ab, 29Bb engage with each other vertically. The flat plates 29Ab, 29Ab, 29Bb, and 29Bb are provided with guide portions 29Ac and 29Bc cut out in a V shape, and sandwich portions 29Ad and 29Bd cut out in a U shape. In other words, the pincher 24 pinches the fiber f by the pinching portions 29Ad and 29Bd near both sides of the cut point on the hot plate 27, thereby plastically deforming it.

Reference numerals 20 and 30 in FIG. 3 are sandwiching plates, which are fixed coaxially with the pinions 24f and 24f in FIG. 4, and are composed of two upper and lower plates each having an L-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. This pinching plate 20 is used to sandwich the fiber f when the pinching members 29A and 29B in FIG. 5 sandwich the fiber f, so that the tip side fa of the cut fiber f in FIG. Prevent it from sagging.

In FIG. 2, a primary reservoir 40 is provided directly below the fibers f to be cut, receives the fibers f falling after being cut, and counts them with a detector (not shown). A shutter 40a is provided at the lower part of the primary reservoir 40, and the opening operation of the shutter 40a causes the fibers f to fall into the secondary reservoir 41. This secondary storage device 41 stores the fallen fibers f for several times, and is similar to the shutter 40a.
1a is provided.

The bucket 4 is connected to the chain 51 of the transfer device 5.
A large number of them are fixed at equal pitches P, as shown in Figure 3.
The fiber f is divided into two parts in the axial direction. Reference numeral 42 denotes an end aligning device that taps lightly to align the ends of the fibers f that become uneven during falling or transportation. The edge alignment device 42 includes a pair of air cylinders 42a.
A disk 42b is fixed to the inside of the holder, and as shown in FIG.
It is provided in the bucket cart 4 at the accumulation position Pa and the intermediate position Pb.

The transfer device 5 includes a pair of buckets 4 in FIG.
A four-thread chain 51 for fixing is engaged with four driving sprockets 52 and a driven sprocket 53 shown in FIG. 2 to form an endless chain. This transfer device 5 is driven by a drive motor (not shown) that rotates in forward and reverse directions.
is connected to the drive sprocket 52 at the right end, and is an intermittent drive system that moves the chain 51 by pitch P, and when not feeding, the drive motor is rotated in small forward and reverse directions to move the bucket 4 left and right through the chain 51. It's shaking.

The convergence device 6 converges the fiber bundle F in the bucket 4, which has been transferred to the convergence position Pc, into a predetermined shape in the radial direction. The lower part 60 is a main cylinder, and its left end 60a is rotatably fixed to the device frame 88. Reference numeral 61 denotes an L-shaped lower arm, which is rotatably supported by the gear support plate 62 around a fulcrum 61a, and one end 61b of which is rotatably fixed to the right end 60b of the rod of the main cylinder 60. There is. 63 is a link whose upper end 63a is rotatably fixed to the lower arm 61, and slides up and down along a guide hole 64a of a guide plate 64 fixed to the device frame 88.

65 on the right is a sub cylinder, its lower end 65
a is rotatably fixed to the device frame 88. An upper arm 66 is rotatably supported by the gear support plate 62 about a fulcrum 66a, and one end 66b of the upper arm is rotatably fixed to the upper end 65b of the sub-cylinder 65. A cam plate 67 is fixed to the upper arm 66. 68 is a link whose upper end 68a is rotatably fixed to the upper arm 66. 69A, 69B, 6
Gears 9C and 69D are rotatably supported by the gear support plate 62. The gear 69A is fixed to the lower arm 61 and rotates together with the lower arm 61. A gear pin 69Da is provided on the gear 69D to protrude toward the cam plate 67, and the cam surface 69 of the cam plate 67
7a. This gear 69D is connected to the cam plate 67
It is connected so that it can rotate freely relative to.

70 is a guide rod whose upper and lower ends are fixed to the device frame 88, and whose lower end 63 of the links 63, 68
A lower unit 71 and an upper unit 72, which are rotatably fixed to the guide rods 70 and 68b, are slidably provided on the guide rod 70, respectively. Lower unit 71 and upper unit 72 of the focusing device 6
are respectively changed from the waiting state at the lower end position Pca and upper end position Pcb in Fig. 7 to the focusing position in Fig. 8.
They match at Pc, and then rise to the upper end position Pcb in FIG. 9, and here, after rotating the fiber bundle F in the direction of arrow E as shown in FIG. 10, as shown in FIG.
The lower unit 71 returns to the lower end position Pca.

The upper and lower units 72 and 71 are provided with a focusing plate 73 shown in FIG. 12 that focuses the fiber bundle, and a half gear 74 that rotates the collected fiber bundle. A gear box 75 is provided on the plate 71a of the lower unit 71 in FIG. 13, and a guide roller 76 is fixed to the gear box 75. The half gear 74 has a guide hole 74a in which a guide roller 76 slides, and is rotatably supported by the lower unit 71. As shown in FIG. 12, the focusing plate 73 is formed by providing a substantially V-shaped notch 73a in a disc, and is fixed to the half gear 74. The upper unit 72 in FIG. 2 also has a similar structure to the lower unit 71.

Focusing plate 73 and half gear 7 in FIG.
4 are arranged in three pairs, one above the other, as shown in FIG. The half gears 74 have their end faces 74b in FIG.
The upper three half gears 74 in Figure 4 have the same shaft 7
Three gears 78 fixed to gear 7 are in mesh. 79 is a drive gear, a drive motor (not shown)
The driving force of this drive motor rotates the matched half gear 74 via the driven gear 80 and the gear 78. The drive motor, gears 78, 79, 80, and shaft 77 are configured to move up and down simultaneously with the upper unit 72 in FIG.

The coating device 89 in FIG. 2 is for discharging and coating the adhesive d on both end faces Fa of the fiber bundle F in a cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. They are fixed to the device frame 88 shown in the figure, and are provided in pairs as shown in FIG.

The take-out device 9 takes out the fiber bundle F coated with the adhesive from the bucket 4 at the take-out position Pd in FIG. 2, and packs it into a box b, thereby taking out the bundle F to the next process. . This extraction device 9
A motor (not shown) is installed in the pair of rails 90.
It has an endless chain 91 driven by. Reference numeral 92 denotes a transverse table, which reciprocates in the horizontal direction with the rotation of the chain 91, and an elevating rod 93 that moves up and down in the vertical direction passes through the transverse table 92.
Reference numeral 94 denotes a hand section, which is provided at the lower part of the lifting rod 93, and as shown in FIG. Move to direction H and pick up bundle F. Note that 95 is a lifting motor.

Next, the operation will be explained.

First, the air cylinder 2 of the cam device 23 in FIG.
3c contracts, and the cam base 23b moves to the right end along the rail 23a, as shown in FIG.
On the other hand, the slide block 22 moves downstream in the flow direction B of the fibers f as the threaded rod 21b rotates in the normal direction due to the normal rotation of the stepping motor 21a in FIG. During this movement, the cam roller 24c in FIG. 4 comes into sliding contact with the aperture cam 23e, thereby causing the sliding rods 24a, 24a to move to the right against the coil spring 24d. With this movement, the racks 24e and 24e are moved to the pinion 24.
Move to the right while rotating f and 24f. With the rotation of the pinions 24f, 24f, the pinching member 2
9A and 29B rotate around pinions 24f and 24f from the position indicated by the dashed line to the position indicated by the solid line, and
As shown in the figure, two flat plates 29Ab and two flat plates 2
9Bb are in sliding contact with each other to grip the fiber f while applying pincer force to the fiber f. That is, one of the pinchers 24 holds the fiber f at the first position P1 set upstream in the flow direction B of the fiber f in FIG.
Grasp and hold near both sides of the cut point. As a result, the hollow portion of the fiber f is crushed and plastically deformed in the vicinity of the above (sandwiched portion). At the same time, the sandwiching plate 20 shown in FIG. 2 closes, and the fiber f
Support it by lightly pinching it.

The pincher 24 (see FIG. 4) of the left cutting device 2 that grips the fiber f moves to a second position P2 set downstream in the flow direction B of the fiber f in FIG. This movement draws the fiber f. During this movement, the pinching members 39A and 39B of the cutting device 3 on the right side in FIG. 4 return to the first position P1 in FIG. So, pull this.

After the right-hand cutting device 3 in FIG. 4 has pinched the fibers, before the left-hand cutting device 2 reaches the second position P2 (see FIG. 1), the left-hand cutting device 2 The cam roller 25c shown in FIG. 3 is in sliding contact with the heater cam 23d, and the hot plate 25c as shown in FIG.
7 advances to the right side and heat-cuts the fiber f in a horizontal state at the second position P2 in FIG. By this thermal cutting, the ends of the many fibers f are thermally welded to each other. Immediately after the hot plate 27 shown in FIG. 6 advances to the right, the cam roller 26c shown in FIG. 2 comes into sliding contact with the sweeping cam 23f shown in FIG. 4, and the sweeping member 28 shown in FIG. The letter-shaped notch 28b is close to the fiber. On the other hand, the hot plate 27 retreats to the left in FIG. 6 along the heater cam 23d in FIG. 4 by the spring force of a coil spring (not shown).
During this retreat, the fibers that are thermally cut and adhered to the hot plate 27 and move to the left together with the hot plate 27 come into contact with the U-shaped notch 28b of the blowing member 28 and are brushed off.

After this, the air cylinder 23c in FIG. 4 is extended, the cam base 23b is retracted to the left, and the rack 2
As 4e retreats to the left, the clamping member 2
9A, 29B and the clamping plates 20 in FIG. 3 open as shown in the dashed lines in FIG. 4 and in FIG. 2, respectively. As a result, the cut fiber f in FIG.
After being released from the grip and falling into the primary reservoir 40 of FIG. 2 and counted, both end surfaces thereof are tapped lightly by the edge aligning device 42 and positioned in the axial direction.

On the other hand, the cutting device 2 on the left side is operated by the stepping motor 21a shown in FIG.
The fiber f is returned to a position slightly upstream from the position P1, and the fiber f is sandwiched again at the first position P1. After this interpolation, the third
The cutting device 3 on the right side of the figure is in the second position P in FIG.
In step 2, the fiber f is thermally cut. That is, both cutting devices 2 and 3 shown in FIG. 2 cut the fibers f alternately.

Fiber f positioned within the primary reservoir 40
When the shutter 40a is opened, the particles fall into the secondary reservoir 41, where they are repositioned in the axial direction, and after the number of falls reaches m, the shutter 41a is opened and the accumulation position Pa is moved. It falls into Bucket 4. This dropping into the bucket 4 is repeated a predetermined number of times n, and a predetermined number of fibers f, in the case of this embodiment, 30×m×n fibers f are accumulated. Further, the secondary storage device 41 includes a bucket 4
receives the fibers f falling from the primary reservoir 40 while it is moving, and after the movement of the bucket 4 is completed, the shutter 41a is opened and the fibers f are dropped all together into the next bucket 4.

The collected fiber bundles F are intermittently transported by the pitch P by the transport device 5 from the intermediate position Pb to the convergence position Pc. At each stop position, the drive motor of the transfer device 5 slightly rotates in forward and reverse directions, causing the bucket 4 to swing slightly from side to side, thereby preventing the fibers F from being biased inside the bucket 4. , store them evenly. On the other hand, at the stacking position Pa and the intermediate position Pb, the air cylinder 42a of the edge aligning device 42 shown in FIG. By tapping lightly, axial misalignment that occurs during dropping and transportation is corrected.

When the bundle F is transferred to the focusing position Pc shown in FIG. 2, the focusing device 6 moves the lower unit 71 to the lower end position Pca by the extending main cylinder 60 shown in FIG.
At this time, the upper unit 72 is stopped at the upper end position Pcb due to the contracted sub-cylinder 65. From this state, the main cylinder 60 contracts, the lower arm 61 rotates, and the link 63 moves to the guide plate 6 in FIG.
The lower unit 71 shown in FIG. 8 moves up toward the focusing position Pc.
Along with this, the gears 69A...69D rotate as shown by the arrows, the gear pin 69Da also rotates counterclockwise, and the cam surface 67a of the cam plate 67
The cam plate 67 and the upper arm 66 fixed thereto are brought into contact with the upper unit 7 while being in contact with Da and being restrained.
It rotates counterclockwise due to the weight of the cylinder 2 and the expansion of the sub cylinder 65. In other words, the upper unit 72 includes gears 69A...69D, gear pins 69
By Da and the cam plate 67, the lower unit 71
descends in sync with the As a result, the upper and lower units 7
2 and 71 match at the focusing position Pc, and the first
The bundle F in the figure is focused in the radial direction at three locations. At the time of this matching, in the upper and lower units 72 and 71 of FIG. 8, the end surfaces 74b of the half gears 74 of FIG. 12 come into contact with each other, and the guide holes 74a thereof communicate with each other.

Thereafter, the main cylinder 60 in FIG.
It contracts further against its own weight, such as 2. Due to this contraction, the lower unit 71 moves up to the upper end position Pcb while pushing up the upper unit 72 and stops. At this time, the gear pin 69Da rotates counterclockwise together with the gear 69D, while the cam plate 67 rotates clockwise together with the upper arm 66, resulting in the state shown in FIG. After the above-mentioned rise, the drive gear 7 in Fig. 14
9 is rotationally driven by a drive motor, and the three matching half gears 74 are rotated through the gears 80, 78 and the shaft 77, while the guide hole 74a in FIG. 13 is in sliding contact with the guide roller 76. Rotate as shown in Figure 10. During this rotation, from the coating device 89 in FIG. 3, as shown in the coating process Db in FIG.
Adhesive d is discharged and applied to both end faces Fa of bundle F. At this time, both end faces Fa are set in the vertical plane direction. After the above application, the focusing plate 73 shown in FIG. 10 further rotates, and eventually the applied adhesive d (see FIG. 1) hardens and the bundle F is formed into a predetermined cylindrical shape.

After this curing, air is supplied so that the main cylinder 60 shown in FIG. 11 is expanded, while the sub cylinder 65 is contracted. As a result, the lower unit 71 is lowered and the bundle F is placed in the bucket cart 4. At this time, the gear pin 69Da also rotates clockwise.

The bucket cart 4 on which the formed bundle F is placed is intermittently transferred from the convergence position Pc to the take-out position Pd by the transfer device 5 shown in FIG. After this transfer, the elevating rod 93 of the ejecting device 9 descends from directly above the ejecting position Pd, the hand portion 94 moves inward H in the axial direction in FIG. 3, and then the elevating rod 93 rises. As a result, the bundles F are taken out from the bucket 4, and moved in the direction of the box b in FIG. 2 by the rotation of the chain 91, so that the bundles F are lined up in the boxes b and packed into boxes.

After this, the bundle F is attached to a container for the artificial kidney (not shown).
The end portion is adhered and fixed to the inner wall of the container, and the portion sandwiched between flat plates 29Ab and 29Bb in FIG. 5 is cut and removed.

In the above configuration, the present invention cuts the fibers f in FIG. 1 to a set length while drawing them together, and then, after accumulating the cut fibers f, the ends of the fibers f are fixed together, so that it is not necessary to use the conventional method. There is no need to wind it into a skein. Moreover, since the fibers f are dropped and accumulated, there is no need to grasp and convey a portion other than the portions pinched by the pinchers 24, 34. Therefore, the portion that becomes waste yarn can be reduced, so that the yield is improved.

Further, since the fiber f is gripped near both sides of the cutting point by the scissors 24 shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to cut the fiber at the cutting point while it is stretched straight. Therefore, since the cutting workability is good and the cutting can be performed accurately, the uniform fiber bundle F shown in FIG. 1 can be manufactured.

Further, since the fibers f are cut in a horizontal state, the fibers f that are released from the grip and fall are accumulated in the primary reservoir 40 in FIG. 2 in an orderly manner.

By the way, since the single fiber f cut to the predetermined length shown in FIG. 1 is light, there may be a problem that it falls unstable due to the air resistance it receives while falling. Here, in the present invention, since a large number of fibers f are pinched by the pincher 24 shown in FIG. Unify at the pinched points. Therefore, since one lightweight fiber f falls in a state where it is integrated into many fibers, the posture at the time of the fall is stabilized.
In particular, when the fibers f are thermally cut by the hot plate 27, the ends of the fibers f are welded to each other, and their falling becomes more stable.

Furthermore, since the fibers f are pinched and plastically deformed near the cut point as described above, the openings at both ends are closed, so there is no risk of foreign matter getting into the interior. Therefore, for example, when used as an element of an artificial kidney, not only can a high-quality product be supplied, but also the adhesive d applied to both end faces Fa in Fig. 1 or the bundle F can be used artificially. There is no risk that the adhesive fixed to the kidney container will accidentally enter the hollow part of the fiber f.

Further, since the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention has a pair of cutting devices 2 and 3 as shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to continuously cut the continuously flowing fibers f, thereby improving productivity. Are better.

By the way, in this embodiment, by swinging the bucket 4 shown in FIG. 2, the fibers f are evenly stored in the bucket 4 without being biased, thereby facilitating the subsequent convergence process. Also, by taking out the bundle F from the bucket cart 4 at the swinging focusing position Pc and forming the bundle F outside the bucket cart 4, the bundle that is restrained by the upper and lower units 72 and 71 during the forming process can be removed. F is prevented from contacting the bucket 4.

In addition, fibers, especially hollow fibers with permselectivity, have low bending rigidity, that is, they are weak, so when the fiber f is lifted by the three lower focusing plates 73 in FIG. There may be a problem that the plate 73 hangs down or falls between the plates 73. Here, the focusing device 6
As shown in the figure, the focusing plates 73 of the upper and lower units 72 and 71 meet at the focusing position Pc, that is, they lift the bundle F placed in the bucket cart 4 in a focused state. Therefore, since the fibers are lightly pressed in the radial direction by the upper and lower focusing plates 73, they are also restrained in the axial direction, so there is no risk of vertical sagging or falling.

By the way, when the adhesive d is discharged and applied to both end surfaces Fe of the bundle F in FIG.
A possible problem is that it sag downward along Fa. Here, the bundle F is rotated in the direction of arrow E with both end faces Fa set in the vertical direction. Therefore, when the initially applied adhesive d starts to drip downward, the dripping point moves above the original application point due to the above rotation, so that it is possible to prevent the adhesive d from dripping. Instead, the adhesive d can be evenly distributed over the end face Fa.

In addition, in the manufacturing apparatus shown in this example,
When changing the cutting length of the fiber f, a computer controls the timing of forward and reverse rotation of the stepping motors 21a and 31a shown in FIG. , 71 or the like may be provided to adjust the axial position.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the manufacturing method of the present invention, since a plurality of hollow fibers are sandwiched and held near both sides of the cutting point, the workability of cutting is good and accurate cutting is possible. Moreover, since the sandwiched part is plastically deformed, the hollow part is crushed and the lightweight 1
Since many hollow fibers of the book fall together, there is no risk of the hollow fibers being scattered when the book falls. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a uniform fiber bundle, and the productivity is good.

In addition, since the continuously flowing hollow fibers are cut while being pulled together, there is no need to wrap the hollow fibers around the skein.Furthermore, since the cut hollow fibers are dropped, it is possible to grip a different part from the part to be gripped when cutting. There's no need to. Therefore, the portion that becomes waste yarn is reduced, so that the yield is sufficiently improved.

Further, according to the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the manufacturing method of the present invention can be realized and fibers can be continuously cut.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic process diagram showing an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a front view showing the entire manufacturing apparatus of the invention, Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof, and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the cutting device. A top view, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the spacing machine, the hot plate, and the sweeping member, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the hot plate and the sweeping member, and FIG. 7 is a standby state of the focusing device. Figure 8 is a process diagram showing the matching state, Figure 9 is a process diagram showing the raised state, Figure 10 is the process diagram showing the rotation state of the focusing plate, and Figure 11 is the process diagram showing the lower unit in the lowered state. Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the focusing plate and half gear, Fig. 13 is a process diagram shown.
The figure is the same plan view, and Figure 14 shows the focusing device shown in Figure 3.
15 and 16 show a conventional method of manufacturing a fiber bundle, FIG. 15 is a plan view of a circular fiber bundle wound into a skein, and FIG. 16 is a plan view of the fiber bundle. It is. 2, 3... Cutting device, 4... Bucket, 5...
Transfer device, 6...Focusing device, 24, 34...Pincher, 25, 35...Cut, 89...Fixing device,
A... Cutting process, B... Arrow (flow direction),
C...Accumulating process, Da...Fixing process, F
...Fiber bundle, Fa...end face, d...adhesive, f...
...(hollow) fiber, P1...first position, P2...
Second position.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. By pinching and grasping a plurality of continuously flowing hollow fibers near both sides of the cutting point, the pinched portions are plastically deformed, and the hollow fibers are drawn horizontally while being pulled together. a step of cutting the cut hollow fibers to a set length; a step of accumulating a large number of hollow fibers by repeatedly releasing the grip on the cut hollow fibers and letting them fall; A method for manufacturing a fiber bundle, comprising the step of fixing the ends of the fiber bundle in a state in which the fiber bundle is bundled into a predetermined shape. 2 The end face of the fiber bundle bundled into a predetermined shape is set in the vertical direction, and the end face is fixed by applying an adhesive to the end face while rotating the fiber bundle in the radial direction. A method for producing a fiber bundle. 3 It reciprocates in the direction of flow of a plurality of continuously flowing hollow fibers, pinches the hollow fibers to the extent that they are plastically deformed near both sides of the cut point by the cutter, and alternately moves toward the tip of the hollow fibers. a pair of cutting devices that alternately cut the hollow fibers with the cutter while pulling; a large number of buckets into which the cut hollow fibers fall and accumulate; and a transfer device that transports the large number of buckets. , a fiber bundle comprising a focusing device that focuses the transported fiber bundle in the bucket into a predetermined shape in the radial direction, and a fixing device that fixes at least one end of the plurality of hollow fibers to each other in this focused state. manufacturing equipment. 4 The pair of cutting devices are arranged opposite to each other on both sides of the hollow fiber, and the pincher of one of the cutting devices cuts the hollow fiber at a first position set on the upstream side in the flow direction of the hollow fiber. The fibers are held in place and moved to a second position set on the downstream side in the flow direction of the hollow fibers, and the cutter of one of the cutting devices cuts the hollow fibers at the second position. 4. The fiber bundle manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the pincher of the other cutting device returns to the first position to pinch the hollow fibers before cutting.