JPH04272849A - Method and device for manufacturing fiber-reinforced thermoplastic-resin multilayer laminated board - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a means continuously manufacturing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic-resin laminated board. CONSTITUTION:A fiber sheet 11 drawn out of a fiber shelf 6 and aligned by an aligner 10 is brought into contact with a thermoplastic resin fed onto a lower belt 15 from a die 14 connected to an extruder in an impregnating apparatus 3, and held between the lower belt 15 and an upper belt 16 and passed among heated rolls 17-22, thus impregnating the sheet with the resin, then manufacturing a fiber-reinforced resin sheet. The sheet is wound on a winder 5, thus producing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic-resin sheet. Previously manufactured sheets or laminated boards are superposed on both upper and lower surfaces or either one surface of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic-resin sheet through an edge position control mechanism from a paying-out gear 27 in the sheet, and a multilayer laminated board is produced continuously by laminating unifying rolls 28.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for continuously manufacturing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin multilayer laminate in which continuous fibers are impregnated with a thermoplastic resin.

0002

[Prior art and its problems] A method for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate in which fibers are impregnated with a thermoplastic resin is to stack a plurality of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheets and put them into a mold for molding. , so-called matched die molding, and autoclave molding, which is pressurized and molded under vacuum.

However, there is a problem in that long plates cannot be manufactured due to restrictions on the size of the molding equipment.

0004

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin multilayer board that overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art described above. That is, in a method for obtaining a long-sized fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin multilayer board, a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet that has already been manufactured is added to a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet in a high temperature state immediately after coming out of a hot melt impregnation device. A resin sheet or a laminate containing the sheet is thermally bonded and integrated using the heat of the resin sheet from either the upper or lower sides of the sheet, or either side, and is reinforced with fibers. A method and apparatus for continuously manufacturing a thermoplastic resin multilayer laminate are provided.

[0005]

DETAILED DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The reinforcing fibers used in the present invention include a plurality of fibers known as rovings, yarns, and tows, which are aggregates of filaments constituting the fibers. It is sufficiently long and has sufficient strength to pull against the molten thermoplastic resin coating under the conditions of use. Preferred materials include:
Examples include glass fibers, carbon fibers, and highly elastic synthetic resin fibers, but inorganic fibers such as silicon carbide fibers, alumina fibers, titanium fibers, boron fibers, and metal fibers such as stainless steel fibers can also be used.

[0006] The synthetic fiber is preferably surface-treated to have adhesive properties with the thermoplastic resin to be impregnated, and further, it is necessary that properties such as strength do not change at the melting temperature of the thermoplastic resin used. . Examples of synthetic fibers include aramid fibers (registered trademark "Kepler") and the like.

[0007] Depending on the thermoplastic resin used, the glass fibers and carbon fibers may be coated with a surface treatment agent such as a silane-based or titanium-based coupling agent on the fiber surface in order to improve adhesion with the resin. is preferred. Further, it is preferable for handling to use a sizing agent so that the rovings and tows do not unravel during handling.

[0008] In the present invention, a plurality of continuous fibers are arranged in parallel in one direction, for example in the machine direction, are spread in the width direction while being controlled so as not to cross each other, and are adjusted to an appropriate thickness to form a sheet. is formed. Specifically, continuous fibers are wound around multiple bobbins, and the fibers are unwound from each bobbin while applying an appropriate tension, and are arranged in a line with an appropriate width in the machine direction in a sieve-like shape. Preferably, the material is arranged in a sheet through a machine.

The thickness of the sheet depends on the thickness of the fibers used, but can be controlled by the widthwise arrangement and density of the rovings and tows. Since the thickness accuracy affects the variation in the impregnated state, it is preferably within ±10% of the target thickness. In particular, if the thickness is in the range of 10 μm to 1000 μm, the fibers will not break, the resin will have good impregnation, and there will be few voids.
No molding defects occur.

[0010] In the sheet thus obtained, it is necessary that uniform tension be applied to each roving or tow so that the rovings or tows do not cross each other.

Next, in impregnating the sheet with a thermoplastic resin, the thermoplastic resin used is polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, high density polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, polycarbonate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene terephthalate, polysulfone, polyether sulfone, polyether ether ketone,
Polyimide and the like are used, but the material is not limited thereto. When using these resins, it is preferable to dry them in advance.

[0012] The thermoplastic resin is melted in an extruder, extruded from a die provided at the tip of the extruder, and applied to the heated surface of, for example, a lower belt. The resin temperature is determined according to the characteristics of each resin so as to form a uniform resin coating. The width of the resin coating film may be equal to or greater than the width of the fiber sheet, and the thickness of the coating film is adjusted to an appropriate thickness corresponding to the thickness of the fiber sheet. This thickness is a value determined experimentally based on the target setting of the resin content in the finally obtained fiber-reinforced resin sheet. On the other hand, since the thickness accuracy greatly affects the resin content in the width direction, it is preferably ±10% with respect to the set thickness, and more preferably,
It is best within ±5%.

[0013] In this manner, the fiber sheet is applied with a resin coating and is pressed against a roll via, for example, a lower belt, and impregnation of the resin into the fibers is started. Impregnation is achieved by the resin coating passing between the filaments that make up the fiber sheet and reaching the back surface of the fiber sheet.

The resin-coated fiber sheet is then pressed between upper and lower belts, for example, by one or more heated rolls to improve impregnation, and then pulled out from the impregnating device. The temperature of these heating rolls is above the softening point of the resin to be impregnated. In this specification, the softening point refers to the lowest temperature that can be measured using a melt index measuring device under a load of 5 kg. The fiber content of the fiber sheet thus obtained is usually 60 to 90% by weight.

[0015] The resin constituting the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet immediately after being drawn out from the impregnating device has a softening point or higher, and in this state, the pre-manufactured fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet is drawn out from the impregnating device. It is possible to continuously manufacture laminates by stacking the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet from either the upper or lower sides, or either side, and passing it between a pair of laminating rolls to bond them under heat. . In this case, the material to be stacked is not limited to fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheets, and already laminated plates may be used.

[0016] The lamination roll is preferably coated with a resin such as polytetrafluoroethylene or polyether ether ketone, or a ceramic coating in order to prevent resin from adhering to the roll surface. In addition, in order to achieve complete lamination, the laminating rolls require a direct heat source such as an electric heater or induction heating, or an indirect heat source such as hot air, so that the laminating rolls can be brought to a temperature appropriate to the resin being processed. In this step, it is preferable to provide an edge position control mechanism so that the sheets are automatically overlapped so that the fiber-reinforced sheets to be overlapped do not shift. In order to prevent heat radiation from the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet immediately after it has been pulled out from the impregnating device, an insulating wall should be provided from the impregnating device exit to the lamination roll, or a furnace should be installed to actively heat the sheet. Providing this is preferable because it promotes the integration of the resin sheets. Furthermore, it is more preferable to supplementally heat the gaps between each resin sheet with a heat source such as hot air or a far-infrared heater just before the inlet of the laminating rolls, since this promotes the integration of the resin sheets.

[0017] A single layer of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet can be easily rolled up, but if a laminate is thick, it cannot be easily rolled up, so it is preferable to add a function for cutting to a regular length in addition to a winding mechanism.

Next, details of the present invention will be explained with reference to representative embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the manufacturing apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention comprises a fiber feeding section 1, a supply section 2, a resin impregnating section 3, a lamination uniting section 4, and a take-off section 5.

The fiber feeding section 1 has the function of feeding out the necessary number of continuous fibers 8 wound around a plurality of bobbins 7 attached to the pedestal 6. Continuous fibers 8 are arranged horizontally by guide rolls 9, and arranged by an alignment machine 10 to have arbitrary fiber spacing and arbitrary thickness to form a fiber sheet 11.
form. The aligning machine 10 is a picture frame with a large number of steel wires stretched over it, and the continuous fibers 8 are aligned by passing through the gaps between the steel wires one by one.

Next, the tension of the fiber sheet 11 is controlled to be uniform over the entire width by a tension adjustment roll 13 having a brake 12, and the fiber sheet 11 is supplied to the resin-impregnated section 3. The surface of the tension adjustment roll 13 is preferably made of rubber or the like so that the tension can be easily adjusted by frictional resistance. There is no particular restriction on the tension, as long as the fiber sheet 11 is not disturbed among the fibers during the impregnation process of the resin-impregnated portion 3. The fiber sheet 11 enters the resin-impregnated section 3, where a thermoplastic resin plasticized by an extruder (not shown) is passed through a die 14 and brought into contact with a lower belt 15 whose surface is coated with a thin film of the resin. It is then pressed against the heating roll 17 via the belt 15 to impregnate the resin, and then applied to the heating roll 1 via the upper belt 16.
8, the resin is further impregnated with the heating roll 19 via the lower belt 15, and then the impregnation step is completed. Dies 14 and 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 2
3 is heated to a temperature corresponding to the melt viscosity of the thermoplastic resin used, and suitable heating methods include a heat transfer heater or an induction heating roll. Note that the rolls 24 and 25 are used to adjust the tension of the belt and do not need to be heated.

Each pair of rolls facing each other, rolls 17 and 20, rolls 18 and 21, and rolls 19 and 22, is equipped with a mechanism that can adjust the spacing between them, and the type of reinforcing fiber used and the content of the reinforcing fiber can be adjusted. The interval can be changed depending on the rate.

The two rolls 19 and 22 are driven by a motor 26, and each roll rotates at the same circumferential speed, and the upper and lower belts are conveyed by the rotation of these rolls. Next, the fiber-reinforced resin sheet 11 obtained in this manner is transferred to a take-up roll 32 driven by a drive motor 34 of the take-off section 5.
The sheet is taken up while applying tension, wound around a winding shaft 33, and used as a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet for lamination.

[0025] The fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet for lamination prepared as described above or the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin multilayer laminate obtained by the method described below is mounted on the unwinding machine 27 in the lamination integration section 4. Then, the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet coming out of the resin-impregnated section 3 is guided onto both sides or one side of the top or bottom of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet, and passed through the lamination roll 28 to be laminated and integrated. An edge position control 29 is provided so that the fiber-reinforced resin sheet unwound from the unwinding roll and the fiber-reinforced resin sheet from the impregnated part overlap each other without shifting. The heat retaining device 30 is a furnace using an electric heater or the like as a heat source to prevent the temperature of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet from decreasing due to heat radiation, and is particularly effective when handling thermoplastic resins having a high softening point. Auxiliary heat source 31
is just before the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet is integrated,
It blows heat into the gaps between sheets to promote integration, and is particularly effective when dealing with thermoplastic resins that have a high softening point. The fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate thus obtained is taken up while applying tension by the take-up roll 32 of the take-up section 5 and wound around the take-up shaft 33.

[0026] If the laminate is thick or the laminate is too rigid to be rolled up, a length cutting machine 35 is used.

[0027]

[Examples] The present invention will be explained below with reference to Examples.

Example 1 The specifications of each part of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 are as follows: number of bobbins is 100, extruder is 30 mmφ, width of rolls 17 to 25 is 400 mm, roll diameter is 240 mm, and thickness of upper and lower belts 15 and 16 is 0.6.
mm, width 350 mm was used. Heat rolls 17 and 2
3, the gaps between 18 and 21, and between 19 and 22 were adjusted so that the gap between the upper belt and the lower belt was 0.4 mm. Glass fibers (filament diameter 13 μm, 1800 filaments bundled) were used as the continuous fibers, and polypropylene resin was used as the thermoplastic resin. The continuous fibers fed out from the 100 bobbins were aligned to form a fiber sheet with a width of 200 mm. On the other hand, a polypropylene resin heated and melted at 200° C. in an extruder was applied from a coat hanger die to a lower belt moving at a speed of 2 m/min on a roll 23 heated to 230° C. to a coating thickness of 100 μm. The fiber sheet with a tension of 100 kg is sandwiched between upper and lower belts 15 and 16 and passed between rolls 17 to 22 heated to 230°C in the state shown in FIG. 1 to inject polypropylene into the fiber sheet. The operation was continued while impregnating the sheet with resin and winding up the fiber-reinforced resin sheet on the take-up roll 34. Next, the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet accumulated on the take-up roll is attached to the unwinding machine 27, and the laminated and integrated unit 4
A laminate was continuously produced by heating the laminating roll 28, which was guided to the upper and lower surfaces of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet and whose surface was treated with polytetraethylene fluoride, to integrate the lamination by heating it to 80 degrees. In this case, the heat retaining device 30 and the auxiliary heat source 31 were not used.

Example 2 Polyether ether ketone resin was used instead of polypropylene resin, carbon fiber (filament diameter 7 μm, number of bundled filaments 6000) was used instead of glass fiber, extruder temperature was 380°C, roll temperature was 400°C, and heat preservation was performed. The temperature of the device 30 is 380°C, the laminating integrated roll 28 has a surface treated with ceramics, the temperature is heated to 160°C, the auxiliary heat source 31 is set to 360°C, the laminate is not rolled up,
A continuous laminate was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the length cutting machine 35 was used.

[0030]

According to the present invention, a long fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate can be continuously obtained without using molding equipment such as a press.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view showing one embodiment of the invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Fiber feeding section 2 Supply section 3 Resin impregnation section 4 Lamination integration section 5 Taking-off section 6 Frame 7 Bobbin 8 Continuous fiber 9 Guide roll 10 Aligning machine 11 Fiber sheet 12 Brake 13 Tension adjustment roll 14 Die 15 Lower belt 16 Upper belt 17 ~23 Heating rolls 24~25 Belt tension adjustment roll 26 Drive motor 27 Unwinding machine 28 Laminated integrated roll 29 Edge position controller 30 Heat retention device 31 Auxiliary heat source 32 Pulling roll 33 Drive motor 34 Drive motor 35 Standard length cutting machine

Claims (2)

[Claims] Claim 1: A reinforcing fiber is hot-melt impregnated with a thermoplastic resin,
In a method for continuously manufacturing fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheets, the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheets that have already been manufactured or A method for producing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin multilayer laminate, which comprises integrating a laminate including the sheet by thermally adhering it from either the upper or lower surfaces of the sheet. [Claim 2] Hot-melt impregnation of a reinforcing fiber with a thermoplastic resin,
In an apparatus that continuously manufactures fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheets, the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet that has already been manufactured or An apparatus for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin multilayer laminate, characterized by having means for thermally bonding and integrating a laminate including the sheet from either the upper or lower surfaces of the sheet. .