JPH1059593A - Width expanding device for web - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve uniformity of a width expanded web by providing a control mechanism to move first group and second group width expanding plates in the axial direction so that an axial directional distance successively widens according to a rotary position and successively narrows from there. SOLUTION: A web is pulled by a delivery pinch roller, and is delivered from a roller, and is guided to a rotary width expanding mechanism 28 through a guide roller. The rotary width expanding mechanism 28 has plural width expanding plates 52 and 54 arranged in parallel around a shaft 50 so that the traveling web can contact with the shaft 50. A first group width expanding plate 52 can rotate around the shaft 50, and can move in the axial direction, and a second group width expanding plate 54 is separately arranged in the axial direction to the first group width expanding plate 52, and can be rotated around the shaft 50, and can be moved in the axial direction of the shaft 50. As a result, an inexpensive, small, easily handling and highly reliable device can be obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a web widening apparatus for widening a running web in a lateral direction.

[0002] There is a method in which a longitudinally stretched film is provided with a number of longitudinally long crevices (cuts) to form a split web, and the split web is widened in a lateral direction to produce a laminated nonwoven fabric. The first type of laminated nonwoven fabric is obtained by laminating two layers of a widened split web vertically and horizontally. A second type of laminated nonwoven is obtained by laminating a widened split web with another web, for example, a transverse slit web having long transverse cuts. Non-woven fabrics using such widened split webs are known under the trade name of Warif, etc., are lightweight, have breathability and dimensional stability, and are widely used as non-woven fabrics alone or as non-woven fabric reinforcing materials for other materials. It is used.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art As a method for widening a web, there are a cross guider for pulling both end portions of the web outward, a curved rubber roll, an expander roll having a large number of horizontally expanding and contracting rubber elements arranged in a cylindrical shape, It is known to use a curved contact bar, a screw roll having a screw groove formed in a cylindrical surface, or the like. However, in these methods, it is difficult to obtain a high magnification, and the uniformity of the widened web is not good. Furthermore, even if the properties of the web change during widening, such changes cannot be accommodated during operation.

The web widening apparatus described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 46-43275 uses a plurality of coil springs arranged at a predetermined pitch in the running direction of the web and each extending in the lateral direction. These coil springs gradually extend in the lateral direction while moving in the running direction of the web. The web is widened laterally on a coil spring.
This widening device can perform uniform widening at a high widening magnification.

[0005]

However, since this widening device is configured to move a plurality of coil springs in the running direction of the web and in the lateral direction, the structure is relatively complicated, and the cost is high. There was a problem in achieving high speed. In addition, this widening device cannot obtain a wide web, and cannot cope with a lightweight web. In addition, the operation requires skilled workers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a web widening apparatus which can achieve a high widening magnification, has good uniformity of a widened web, and can be constructed relatively inexpensively.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A web widening device according to the present invention includes a rotary widening mechanism including a shaft and a plurality of widening plates disposed parallel to and around the shaft such that the running web can contact the web. A first pair of widening plates of the rotary widening mechanism rotatable about the shaft and movable in the axial direction, the first widening plate comprising at least a pair of cross guiders engageable with each end of the running web. A group of widening plates, and a second group of widening plates that are axially separated from the first group of widening plates and are rotatable about the axis and axially movable. The rotation widening mechanism further includes a first group and a second group of widening plates such that the axial distances of the corresponding first group and second group of widening plates are gradually increased according to the rotational position and then gradually reduced. A control mechanism that can move the And it is characterized in Mukoto.

In this configuration, it has been found that the rotary widening mechanism can widen the central portion of the web well. Also, the cross guider can widen the web to a desired width, but the width of the central portion of the web is not sufficient. Therefore, when the rotary widening mechanism and the cross guider are arranged and used in series, the web can be widened with a uniform fit over the entire width of the web. Moreover, by adjusting the control mechanism (cam device) of the rotary widening mechanism, it is possible to easily adjust the fluctuation of the widening due to the type and properties of the web. Adjustment of the control mechanism (cam device) can be performed during operation of the widening device. This effect is significantly different from other similar expander rolls and screw rolls.

[0009] Preferably, the control mechanism can be configured so that the widening plates of the first group and the second group can be moved symmetrically in the axial direction. Further, the control mechanism can be configured so that the axial movement distances of the widening plates of the first group and the second group can be moved separately.

The first and second groups of widened plates have curved surfaces that generally form a substantially circular surface. Or the first
The widening plates of the group and the second group have flat surfaces forming a substantially regular polygonal surface as a whole. Preferably, the control mechanism comprises a cam mechanism. The rotation widening mechanism may include a third group of a plurality of widening plates rotatable around the shaft and immovable in the axial direction between the first group of widening plates and the second group of widening plates. it can.

A cross guider is a device for pulling both ends of a running web outward. For example, a cross guider includes a pair of rolls sandwiching both ends of a running web.
In this case, the axis of one roll and the axis of the other roll of the cross guider are arranged at an angle such that they are coplanar and slightly open toward the center of the running web.

Heating means for heating the running web is provided in the running path of the web. Further, a non-rotating guide rod is provided in the traveling path of the web. Further, a detecting means for detecting the width of the widened web may be included in the traveling path of the web, and the control mechanism may be controlled in accordance with an output of the detecting means.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a widening device 10 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the widening device 10 of FIG. 1 and 2, the web spreading device 10 has a frame (not shown). The widening device 10 includes an unwinding machine (only the shaft is shown) 16 for supporting a roll 14 on which the web 12 is wound, a pair of unwinding pinch rolls 18, a guide roll 20,
22, a tension control sensor roll 24 disposed between the guide rolls 20 and 22, and an annealing chamber 26.
And a rotation widening mechanism 28. For example, a commercially available slat expander or webster from Toyo Kikai Tsusho Co., Ltd. can be used as the rotary widening mechanism 28.

The web 12 is a feeding pinch roll 18.
Is pulled out from the roll 14, and is guided to the rotary widening mechanism 28 through the guide rolls 20 and 22. At this time, the web 12 is connected to the tension control sensor roll 24.
Is controlled to a constant tension by controlling the speed of the feeding pinch roll 18. Annealing chamber 2
Numeral 6 is a duct including a fan and a heater, which blows hot air onto the running web to eliminate distortion and unevenness of the web 12 passing through the annealing chamber 26.
To make the properties uniform.

When the web 12 is wound and stored on the roll 14, the web 12 may be unevenly wound and may not be uniformly widened. When used, widening unevenness can be eliminated. In addition, when the web 12 is widened, a slack may be generated at the edge. However, such a slack is prevented by performing a heat treatment mainly on the edge of the web 12 before or during the widening. can do. Also,
Heat treatment of the entire web 12 at the final stage of the widening is effective in removing the distortion of the entire web 12 and homogenizing the texture. The annealing chamber 26 may not be used depending on the type, properties, and enlargement ratio of the web 12 in some cases.

The widening device 10 further includes a guide rod 3 which does not rotate.
0, two pairs of cross guiders 32 and guide rolls 3
4, 38, 42, a pinch roll 36, and an annealing roll 40. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rotary widening mechanism 28 includes a shaft 50 and a plurality of widening plates 52, 54 arranged in parallel around the shaft 50 so that the running web can contact. The first group of widening plates 52
The second group of widening plates 54 are rotatable about the shaft 50 and can move in the axial direction, and the second group of widening plates 54 are axially separated from the first group of widening plates 52, and about the shaft 50. It is rotatable in the direction of arrow B in FIGS.
It can move in the 0 axis direction.

The first group of widening plates 52 and the second group of widening plates 5
4 have the same shape. As shown in FIG. 5, the first group of widening plates 52 and the second group of widening plates 54
It has a curved surface that generally forms a substantially circular surface. In this case, each of the widening plates 52 and 54 is formed as a widening plate having an arc cross-sectional shape. The webs 12 can be arranged with varying contact angles as indicated by O, O ', O "with respect to the first group of widening plates 52 and the second group of widening plates 54.

As a variation, the first group of widening plates 52
As shown in FIG. 6, each of the widening plates 54 of the second group has a flat surface that forms a substantially regular polygonal surface as a whole. In this case, each widening plate 52, 54 is formed as a rectangular widening plate.

The first group of widening plates 52 and the second group of widening plates 5
4 moves in the axial direction while rotating, and moves the widening plates 52 of the first group and the widening plate 54 of the second group in the axial direction, so that the widening plates 52 and 54 corresponding to the axial direction.
Are gradually increased in accordance with the rotational position, and then gradually decreased. For example, in FIG. 4, the distance between the first group of widened plates 52 and the second group of widened plates 54 located on the upper side in the axial direction is minimum, and The axial distance between the two groups of widening plates 54 is maximized.

A first group of widening plates 52 located on the upper side of FIG.
The widening plate 54 of the first group is located at the rotation position a in FIGS. 5 and 6, and the widening plate 52 of the first group located on the lower side of FIG.
5 and 6, the widening plate 54 of the second group is at the rotation position e in FIGS. 5 and 6, the rotational position a,
The distance in the axial direction gradually increases as b, c, and d, and the distance in the axial direction decreases gradually as the rotational positions e, f, g, h, i, and j.

3 and 4, a cylinder 56 is rotatably supported on a shaft 50 via a bearing in order to enable such a configuration. A longitudinal groove is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 56, and the first group of widened plates 52 and the second group of widened plates 54 are longitudinally grooved on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 56 via their supports 52 a and 54 a. Is slidably inserted in the longitudinal direction. The widening plate 52 of the first group and the widening plate 54 of the second group
6 is rotatably supported together with the cylinder 56 so as not to fall out of the groove in the longitudinal direction of the outer peripheral surface.

The first group of widening plates 52 and the second group of widening plates 5
4 has cam followers 52a and 54a at the outer end. The cam devices 58 and 60 are attached to the shaft 50 so that the inclination angles are variable. Each of the cam devices 58 and 60 is
2, 64, the inclination angle can be adjusted. The actuators 62 and 64 are controlled by a computer (not shown) according to a signal from a width detection sensor of the web 12 or the like.

If the size of the cam devices 58 and 60 is increased, the first
The maximum distance in the axial direction of the widening plate corresponding to the axial direction of the widening plate 52 of the group and the widening plate 54 of the second group can be increased. Usually, the two cam devices 58, 60 can be moved simultaneously to move the first group of widening plates 52 and the second group of widening plates 54 symmetrically in the axial direction. However, it is also possible to separately move the two cam devices 58 and 60 to separately move the axial movement distances of the first group of widening plates 52 and the second group of widening plates 54.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a modification of the rotary widening mechanism 28. FIG. FIGS. 7 and 8 show a first group of widened plates 52 and a second group which are rotatable and axially movable as in the previous example.
A first group of widening plates 52;
And a third group of a plurality of widening plates 53 rotatable about the shaft 50 and axially immovable between the second group of widening plates 54. The widening plate 52 of the first group and the widening plate 54 of the second group are shown in FIG.
4 and reciprocated by cam means similar to the cam devices 58 and 60 in FIG. It should be noted that other cam means than those shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 can be used. Further, the cam means is provided with the first and second groups of widening plates 52, 5
4 can also be arranged inside. Each widening plate 5 in FIG.
The widening plates 2, 53 and 54 are curved widening plates as in FIG. 5, and the widening plates 52, 53 and 54 in FIG. 8 are flat widening plates as in FIG.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are views showing an example of the cross guider 32. FIG. The cross guider 32 is basically a pair of parallel rolls 6 sandwiching the end of the running web 12.
0 and 62. However, the axis 60a of one roll 60 and the axis 62a of the other roll 62 are arranged at an angle α so as to slightly open toward the center of the running web 12 in the same plane.

At least one of the rolls 60, 62 is made of a resilient material, and the end of the web 12 is nipped by the rolls 60, 62. In the portion, a gap of not less than twice and not more than 30 times the thickness of the web 12 is formed. If the inner end sides of these rolls 60, 62 are tightly pressed together, the portion of the web 12 that is nipped by these rolls 60, 62 will not be able to expand the fiber spacing in the lateral direction and these The portion immediately inside the web 12 that is nipped by the rolls 60 and 62 is subjected to a large lateral widening force, making it easier for the web 12 to tear vertically at the boundary of the nip. These problems can be solved by arranging these rolls 60 and 62 at an angle to each other as described above.

One roll 60 of the cross guider 32 is mounted at a fixed position on the body 64, and the other roll 62 is movably supported by the pneumatic diaphragm 66 and the arm 68 toward or away from the one roll 60. . Further, the other roll 62 is regulated by the arm 70 to move in a plane including the axes of the two rolls 60 and 62.

The cross guider 32 has a web 1
2 is provided with a pneumatic sensor 72 for detecting the end of
Air is constantly discharged to a position corresponding to the end of the web 12, and when the end of the web 12 reaches the position of the air hole 74 by the pulling action of the cross guider 32, the air flow is shut off and the sensor is activated. Activating the pneumatic diaphragm 66 by moving an air valve (not shown) to temporarily open the nip so that the end of the web 12 is again nipped as soon as the end of the web is separated from the sensor unit, 12 is widened to a desired constant width. In order to detect the width of the web 12, a pneumatic sensor 7 is required.
In addition to 2, for example, a contact sensor or a photoelectric sensor can also be used. As another example of the cross guider 32, a disk type, a belt type, or the like can be used.

FIG. 11 shows a split web 12 as an example of the web 12 used, and FIG. 12 shows a split web 12a after the split web 12 of FIG. 11 has been widened by the widening device of FIGS. is there. The split web 12 is obtained by stretching the film in the longitudinal direction and splitting the film so that a long crack is formed in the stretching direction.

FIG. 13 shows a slit web 12 as an example of the web 12 to be used, and FIG. 14 shows a slit web 12a after the slit web 12 of FIG. 13 is widened by the widening device of FIGS. is there. The slit web 12 is obtained by, for example, slitting a film in a longitudinal direction and stretching the film in a slit direction.

Next, the operation of the widening device 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described for the case where the split web 12 shown in FIG. 11 is used. The split web 12 was obtained by stretching a three-layer structure film of high-density polyethylene at the center and low-density polyethylene on both sides to form a film having a thickness of 30 to 70 μm, and then splitting. The web 12 having a width of 600 mm unwound from the web roll 14 begins to spread from the tension control sensor roll 24, and then spreads at a substantially constant spreading angle β while rotating and widening the mechanism 28.
Drive towards. By contact with the web 12, the rotation widening mechanism 28 rotates.

The axial reciprocating stroke of the widening plates 52 and 54 of the rotary widening mechanism 28 is about 30 mm, and the direct widening of the web 12 in the rotary widening mechanism 28 is not so large. However, since the portion of the web 12 before entering the rotary widening mechanism 28 is pulled by the preceding web 12 and starts to spread from the tension control sensor roll 24, the widening is accumulated in the rotary widening mechanism 28, and the widening amount is 30 mm. It is getting bigger. On the other hand, since the fibers of the web 12 are skewed as the web is widened, the width of the web 12 is reduced due to the running tension, and the web 12 is set at a widening magnification that balances the two.

If a sufficient distance is provided between the tension control sensor roll 24 and the rotary widening mechanism 28, a considerable widening magnification can be obtained. For example, in the case of the split web 12, a 3 times widening magnification can be easily achieved. However, since the central portion of the web 12 tends to be greatly widened in the rotation widening mechanism 28, the width expansion ratio is limited to about 2 times at the position of the rotation widening mechanism 28 in order to make the eye contact uniform. It is better to widen further. Therefore, the width of the web 12 is 600 m at the position of the tension control sensor roll 24.
m is 1200 at the position of the rotary widening mechanism 28.
mm. The divergence angle β greatly depends on the type and properties of the web 12, and if it is excessive, the mesh at the central portion is too open and the web 12 is easily torn. In the case of the split web 12, the spread angle β is suitably 10 degrees or less.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rotary widening mechanism 28
After that, there is a guide rod 30 which does not rotate, and the running direction of the web 12 is largely bent by the guide 30. In such a case, conventionally, it is common to use a turn roll that rotates at the position of the guide 30. Then, since the web 12 comes into contact with the surface of the turn roll in a stationary state, a static friction acts thereon, and the web 12 does not easily slide in the axial direction of the turn roll. And the width does not increase as shown by the broken line in FIG.

For this reason, the width must be widened within a relatively short distance between the turn roll and the cross guider 32, and the widening angle becomes too large to cause excessive force. Guider 32
Must be increased, and the device becomes large. If the guide rod 30 does not rotate, the friction coefficient between the web 12 and the guide 30 is significantly reduced, and the web 12 and the guide 30 slide on the web 12 and the guide rod in the axial direction and continuously spread as indicated by the solid line.

This is because the tension control sensor roll 24
This is always true when it is necessary to provide a guide roll between the guide roller 32 and the cross guider 32, and a non-rotating guide rod may be provided instead of the guide roll. Thus, the web 12 is finally widened to about four times from the guide rod 30 through the cross guider 32, and the widening distortion is removed by the annealing roll 40, and at the same time, the uniform widened web is well fitted by the heat shrinkage action of the fiber. It becomes 12 and it is sent to the next process.

Depending on the web 12, the spread of the web 12 immediately before the cross guider 32 becomes too small or too large due to the fluctuation of the property or the tension, the interaction with the on / off operation of the cross guider 32, or the like. In some cases, the web 12 may come off the cross guider 32 or the width of the web 12 may be significantly uneven. In this case, a web width sensor 80 may be provided between the rotation widening mechanism 28 and the cross guider 32, or the frequency of turning on and off the cross guider 32 may be detected to automatically adjust the widening action of the rotation widening mechanism 28. . The web width sensor 80 may be a sensor suitable for the target web, such as a contact sensor, a photoelectric sensor, an image sensor, or an airflow sensor. In addition, depending on the web, it may be effective to use a device having a widening action, such as a screw roll, a bowl roll, or an arc bar (R bar) in combination.

[0038]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to obtain a reliable web widening device which is much cheaper, smaller and easier to handle than conventional widening devices.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a web widening apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the widening device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the rotary widening mechanism of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the rotary widening mechanism of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an arrangement of a widening plate of the rotary widening mechanism of FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of the arrangement of the widening plate of the rotary widening mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a view showing another example of the rotary widening mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a view showing still another example of the rotary widening mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing the cross guider shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 10 is a side view of the cross guider of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a view showing an example of a split web used in the widening apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 12 is a view showing a split web after widening.

FIG. 13 is a view showing an example of a slit web used in the widening device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 14 is a view showing a slit web after widening.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Web widening apparatus 12 ... Web 14 ... Tension control sensor roll 26 ... Annealing chamber 28 ... Rotary widening mechanism 30 ... Non-rotating guide rod 32 ... Cross guider 40 ... Annealing roll 50 ... Shaft 52, 53, 54 ... Widening plate 56 ... cylinder 58, 60 ... cam device 60, 62 ... roll

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A rotating widening mechanism including a shaft and a plurality of widening plates disposed parallel to and around the shaft such that the running web can contact the shaft, and engageable with each end of the running web. A plurality of widening plates of the rotary widening mechanism, the first widening plates being rotatable about the shaft and capable of moving in the axial direction; and the first group of widening plates. A second member axially separated from and rotatable about the axis and capable of moving in the axial direction.
A widening plate of the group, the rotating widening mechanism further comprising a first widening plate and a second widening plate such that an axial distance of a corresponding one of the widening plates of the first group and the second group gradually increases according to the rotational position and then narrows sequentially. And a control mechanism capable of moving a second group of widening plates in the axial direction. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control mechanism is capable of moving the first and second groups of widening plates symmetrically in the axial direction. 3. The web widening apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control mechanism is capable of separately moving the axial movement distances of the first group and the second group of widening plates. 4. The web spreading device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second groups of widening plates have curved surfaces that generally form a substantially cylindrical surface. 5. The web widening device according to claim 1, wherein said first and second groups of widening plates have flat surfaces which form a substantially regular polygonal surface as a whole. 6. The web widening device according to claim 1, wherein the control mechanism comprises a cam device. 7. The rotation widening mechanism includes a third group of a plurality of widening plates rotatable about the shaft and axially immovable between the first group of widening plates and the second group of widening plates. The web widening device according to claim 1, wherein: 8. The web spreading device according to claim 1, wherein the cross guider comprises a pair of rolls sandwiching an end of the running web. 9. The cross guider is arranged at an angle such that the axis of one roll and the axis of the other roll are coplanar and slightly open toward the center of the running web. The web widening device according to claim 8, wherein: 10. The web widening apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a heating means for heating the running web is provided in a running path of the web. 11. The web widening device according to claim 1, wherein a guide rod that does not rotate is provided in a running path of the web. 12. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising detecting means for detecting a width of the widened web in a running path of the web, wherein the control mechanism is controlled in accordance with an output of the detecting means. Item 2. A web widening device according to Item 1. 13. The web widening device according to claim 1, wherein an on / off frequency of the cross guider is detected, and the control mechanism is controlled according to the detected on / off frequency.