JPH10258219A - Production of hollow fiber filter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide sufficient centrifugal force even at a low rotation speed, improve the productivity, and at the same time miniaturize an apparatus itself. SOLUTION: A housing base member 1 having a length two times as long as the desired length and filled with hollow fiber bundles 2 is rotated on the center in the longitudinal direction and an adhesive 8 injected into the housing base member 1 is moved to both end parts of the housing base member 1 by utilizing the centrifugal force and then hardened to stick and fix the hollow fiber bundles 2 in both end parts of the housing base member 1 to and in the housing base member 1 by the adhesive. After that, the housing base member 1 is cut at approximately the center in the longitudinal direction and the cut parts are treated for pressure-joining to seal the other opened ends of the resultant hollow fiber bundles 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for producing a hollow fiber filter used for cleaning a replacement fluid to be used, for example, when rehydrating a patient. The present invention relates to a method for producing a hollow fiber filter suitable for use in a fiber filter.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, when replenishing a patient with nutrition or medicine, the replenisher used is cleaned with a hollow fiber filter.
As this type of hollow fiber filter, for example, a hollow fiber filter 5 shown in FIG.
0 is used. In the hollow fiber filter 50, a bundle of hollow fibers (hereinafter, referred to as a hollow fiber bundle) 52 is loaded in a cylindrical housing 51, and one end 52a of the hollow fiber bundle 52 is connected to the housing 51. One end 51a
Is fixed with an adhesive to form a sealing portion 56.

[0003] The end 51a of the housing 51 has
Replacement fluid introduction port 54 for introducing replacement fluid into housing 51
Is fitted and fixed, and a filtrate discharge port 55 for discharging the filtrate in the housing 51 is formed so as to protrude. Furthermore, the other end 52 of the hollow fiber bundle 52 located inside the other end 51 b of the housing base material 51.
A sealing portion 57 is formed in b by an appropriate method.

Conventionally, such a hollow fiber filter 50 is manufactured by rotating the hollow fiber bundle 52 one by one around a longitudinal center of a housing 51 of a desired length in which the hollow fiber bundle 52 is loaded, and provided at the center, not shown. The adhesive in the tank is supplied from the filtrate discharge port 55 through a tube or the like to the housing 51.
And the adhesive is moved to the end 51 a of the housing 51 by using the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the housing 51.

[0005] The adhesive transferred to the end 51a is cured to form a sealing portion 56, between the hollow fibers of the hollow fiber bundle 52 and between the hollow fiber bundle 52 and the housing 51.
The gap is adhesively fixed. Thereafter, the sealing portion 56 is cut to form an opening at the end 52 a of the hollow fiber bundle 52, and a cap 53 is fitted and fixed to the end 51 a of the housing 51. Sealing part 5 on 52b
By forming 7, the hollow fiber filter 50 is manufactured.

[0006]

However, in the method of manufacturing the hollow fiber filter 50, when the length of the housing 51 is short, a sufficient centrifugal force cannot be obtained, and the sealing portion 56 has a poor seal. As a result, the yield of products is reduced, and one rotation operation is required for each housing, resulting in a reduction in production efficiency.

That is, when the housing 51 is rotated, if the centrifugal force is small, the adhesive does not enter between the hollow fibers and the sealing property of the sealing portion 56 by the adhesive decreases, so that the centrifugal force must be increased. To rotate the housing 51 at a high rotation speed, a complicated rotation mechanism is necessary. In particular, when the length of the housing 51 is short, a mechanism that provides a higher rotation speed is required. However, in such a device that provides high-speed rotation, since the device itself is large and complicated, it is difficult to practically adopt the device, and it is easy to cause sealing failure and the like. Become.

In order to increase the centrifugal force at the time of rotation of the housing, a plurality of housings are arranged around the rotation shaft of the turntable, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-52522. A partition forming apparatus that forms a partition (sealing portion) at the end of the housing has also been proposed. However, even in this device, a clamp mechanism for fixing the housing on the rotary table is required, and the rotary mechanism, such as an increase in the weight of the rotary table, becomes complicated,
There is a problem that the size of the apparatus cannot be avoided.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to obtain sufficient centrifugal force even at a low rotation speed, thereby improving productivity and reducing the size of the apparatus itself. An object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a hollow fiber filter that can be achieved.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a housing base material having a length approximately twice as long as a desired length and loaded with a hollow fiber bundle is provided. By rotating about the center of the direction, the adhesive injected into the housing base material is moved to the both ends of the housing base material by using the centrifugal force and hardened, so that both ends of the housing base material are hardened. The hollow fiber bundle and the housing base material are bonded and fixed, and thereafter, the housing base material is cut at substantially the center in the longitudinal direction, and the cut portion is subjected to a pressure treatment to seal one opening of the hollow fiber. And

[0011] With this configuration, the housing base material having a length approximately twice as long as required is rotated around the center in the longitudinal direction in a state where the hollow fiber bundle is loaded. The adhesive is injected. The adhesive moves to both ends of the housing base material by centrifugal force, and adhesively fixes and seals the hollow fiber bundle at both ends of the housing base material and the housing base material. The housing base material is cut at a central portion in the longitudinal direction, the cut portion is subjected to a pressure treatment to seal the opening of the hollow fiber, and a cap is fitted and fixed to the end fixed with an adhesive. Thereby, a hollow fiber filter having a housing of a desired length is manufactured.

Since the housing base material is formed to have a long length, the centrifugal force acting on both ends can be increased, and the occurrence of sealing failure and the like can be prevented. Can be manufactured, and the productivity is improved. Further, since a large centrifugal force can be obtained with respect to the number of rotations, the size of the apparatus itself can be reduced, for example, the rotation mechanism is simplified.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic process diagram showing a manufacturing method according to the present invention. First, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a hollow fiber bundle 2 composed of a plurality of hollow fibers is inserted into a housing base 1, and both ends 2 a and 2 b of the hollow fiber bundle 2 project from the both ends 1 a and 1 b of the housing base 1 by a predetermined length. And load it.

The housing substrate 1 is formed as shown in FIG. 2, and has a total length L of the length L1 of the housing 11 of the hollow fiber filter to be manufactured (see FIG. 1 (f)).
Is set to approximately twice as large as. A tapered portion 4 is formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of both end portions 1a and 1b of the housing base material 1. The tapered portion 4 is a fitting portion with a cap 3 described later. Through holes 5 that can form discharge ports are respectively formed.

As shown in FIG. 1 (b), the other end of an adhesive supply path 7 composed of a straw, a tube, and the like, one end of which is connected to a tank 6, is connected to a pair of through holes 5 of the housing base material 1. I do. The position of the tank 6 in FIG. 1B is schematically shown, and the rotation center O of the housing base material 1 is shown.
A liquid adhesive 8 made of, for example, urethane or the like is accommodated in the tank 6 at an appropriate position above the housing 1 so as not to hinder the rotation of the housing base material 1. In this state, the housing base 1 is rotated at the center O1 at the center in the longitudinal direction.
And rotate it in the direction of arrow a.

When the rotation speed of the housing base material 1 reaches a predetermined rotation speed, the adhesive is supplied from the tank 6 through the adhesive supply passage 7 into the both ends 1a and 1b of the housing base material 1 through the through holes 5. A predetermined amount of 8 is injected. The adhesive 8 moves in the direction of the end portions 1a and 1b due to the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the housing base material 1, and moves between the outer peripheral surfaces of the hollow fibers of the hollow fiber bundle 2 located in the both end portions 1a and 1b and the hollow. It enters between the outer peripheral surface of the yarn bundle 2 and the inner surface of the housing base material 1.

When the adhesive 8 cures, as shown in FIG. 1 (c), the ends 2a,
2b and the inner surface of the housing substrate 1 are adhered and fixed, and sealing portions 9 are formed at both ends 1a and 1b of the housing substrate 1 (that is, both ends 2a and 2b of the hollow fiber bundle 2). When the sealing portion 9 is formed, the portion of the sealing portion 9 of the housing base 1 is cut as shown by the arrow B, and the opening surfaces of the hollow fibers are formed at both ends 2a and 2b of the hollow fiber bundle 2 respectively.

Then, as shown in FIG. 1 (d), the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the housing substrate 1 is cut as shown by an arrow C. By this cutting, the hollow fiber bundle 2 is also cut and divided so as to correspond to each of the divided housings 11 (FIG. 1).
(See (e)), and an opening surface of the hollow fiber is formed on the end face of the sealing portion 9 at one end 12a of the hollow fiber bundle 12.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1 (e), the cut portion of each housing 11 having the hollow fiber bundle 12 is pressure-bonded to the other end 12b of the hollow fiber bundle 12 to form a sealing portion 16
To form In this crimping process, if the entire diameter is reduced by crimping, a gap is formed between the crimped portion and the inner surface of the housing 11 and it becomes difficult to form a good sealing portion 16. , 11b
For example, the opening surface of the hollow fiber bundle 2 is flatly pressed by applying a pair of pressing plates 15 made of, for example, a metal plate and sandwiching the same.

At the time of the pressure bonding, an appropriate treatment such as injection of an adhesive or local application of heat is performed as necessary. The housing 11 is preferably formed of a soft PVC tube or the like, which is easy to be flat and resistant to crushing in the longitudinal direction, which can be securely clamped during centrifugation.

When the opening at the end 12b of the hollow fiber bundle 12 is sealed, the cap 3 having a replacement fluid introduction port formed at one end 11a of the housing 11 is fitted as shown in FIG. By fixing and fixing a port member (not shown) capable of forming a filtrate discharge port to the through hole 5, a hollow fiber filter as shown in FIG. 3, for example, is manufactured.

[0022]

Next, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples.

Example 1 In Example 1, the total length L of the housing substrate 1 was set to 280 mm using a soft PVC tube, the number of revolutions was set to 700 rpm, and urethane was used as the adhesive 8.
After the adhesive 8 is cured, the center in the longitudinal direction of the housing base material 1 is cut, and the housing 11 is pressure-bonded to produce 20 hollow fiber filters. (Defective rate = 0%).

Comparative Example 1 Comparative Example 1 was set under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the total length of the housing was 140 mm. Then, after the housing was rotated one by one and the adhesive was cured, the housing was pressure-bonded to produce 20 hollow fiber filters. As a result, ten defects such as sealing defects occurred (a defect rate = 50%). ).

As is clear from this defective rate, the first embodiment
According to the manufacturing method of (1), the number of defects is 0%, and it is possible to significantly reduce the number of defects as compared with Comparative Example 1. This is because the centrifugal force f is f =
(L: length of a perpendicular from the object to the rotation axis) × (m: mass) × (ω: angular velocity around the rotation axis). Housing 11
This is because by setting the distance to about two lines, l in the above equation can be increased.

That is, since the mass m in the above formula is constant with the mass of the adhesive 8, the length l of the perpendicular is increased by using the housing base 1 having a length approximately twice that of the housing 11. As a result, the angular velocity ω (rotation speed) at which the same centrifugal force can be obtained can be reduced.

As described above, according to the method of manufacturing the hollow fiber filter of the above embodiment, the housing substrate 1 having the total length L substantially twice the length of the housing 11 of the hollow fiber filter to be manufactured is obtained. Both ends 1a, 1b of the housing substrate 1 are rotated around the center in the longitudinal direction.
Can increase the centrifugal force acting on the motor, and the number of rotations for obtaining a predetermined centrifugal force can be reduced.

As a result, the housing 1 to be manufactured
Even if the length of 1 is short, a sufficient centrifugal force can be obtained at a low rotation speed, and the adhesive 8 can favorably enter between the hollow fibers and between the hollow fiber bundle 2 and the housing 11, Occurrence of a defect such as a defective seal of the sealing portion 9 can be prevented, and the product yield can be improved.

Further, since the housing base 1 is rotated to form the sealing portion 9 and then cut at substantially the center in the longitudinal direction,
Two housings 11 can be manufactured by one rotation operation, so that production efficiency can be improved. From these, it becomes possible to improve the productivity of the hollow fiber filter.

Further, since it can be easily coped with by changing the setting of the length of the housing to be rotated, it can be used without making a great improvement to the conventional manufacturing apparatus, and
A complicated clamping mechanism and a high-speed rotation mechanism for the housing base 1 are not required, so that the manufacturing apparatus can be downsized and an inexpensive manufacturing apparatus can be obtained.

In the above embodiment, the case where the hollow fiber filter is used for purifying replacement fluid has been described. For example, a hollow fiber filter for purifying bacteria and the like from raw water, concentration and purification of fruit juice, protein, saccharides, etc. Of course, it can be used for a hollow fiber filter for recovery, a hollow fiber filter for filtering an aqueous solution or an organic liquid, a hollow fiber filter for treating industrial wastewater, and the like.

Further, the shape of the housing of the hollow fiber filter, the shape of the cap and the structure for fixing the hollow fiber filter to the housing, the method of sealing the end of the hollow fiber and the structure thereof in the above embodiment are also examples. It goes without saying that various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0033]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention,
A housing base material having a length approximately twice as long as a desired housing length is rotated about the center in the longitudinal direction thereof, and cut at a substantially center of the housing base material after the adhesive is hardened. As a result, a sufficient centrifugal force can be obtained even at a low rotational speed, so that the productivity can be improved and the size of the manufacturing apparatus can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic process diagram of a method for producing a hollow fiber filter according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an example of the housing base material.

FIG. 3 is a half sectional view of a single-sided opening type hollow fiber filter.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Housing base 1a, 1b end part 2 Hollow fiber bundle 2a, 2b end part 3 Cap 5 Through hole 6 Tank 7 Adhesive supply path 8 Adhesive 9 Sealing part 11 Housing 11a, 11b End part 12 Hollow fiber bundle 12a, 12b End part 15 Press plate 16 Sealing part 50 Hollow fiber filter

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A housing base material having a length approximately twice as long as desired and loaded with a bundle of hollow fibers is rotated about a center in the longitudinal direction, and the centrifugal force is used to make use of the housing base material. By moving the adhesive injected into the material to both ends of the housing base material and curing the adhesive, the hollow fiber bundles at both end parts of the housing base material and the housing base material are bonded and fixed, and then the housing base material is removed. A method of manufacturing a hollow fiber filter, comprising cutting at substantially the center in the longitudinal direction and pressure-treating the cut portion to seal one opening of the hollow fiber bundle.