WO2019106964A1

WO2019106964A1 - Method for manufacturing non-woven fabric and device for manufacturing non-woven fabric

Info

Publication number: WO2019106964A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/037472
Authority: WO
Inventors: 鈴木　裕一; 良太河守; 弘志一色; 雅人中野; 龍一原田
Original assignee: ユニ・チャーム株式会社
Priority date: 2017-11-30
Filing date: 2018-10-05
Publication date: 2019-06-06
Also published as: CN110892105A; JP6843035B2; JP2019099937A; CN110892105B

Abstract

Provided is an energy-saving and space-saving manufacturing method with which it is possible to manufacture a non-woven fabric of which the bulkiness is recovered in a substantially uniform manner in the thickness direction. This manufacturing method involves heating a non-woven fabric (1) that has a first surface (1a) and a second surface (1b) reverse thereto to recover bulkiness, and thereby manufacturing a bulkiness-recovered non-woven fabric. The manufacturing method is provided with: a heating step for heating, through use of a heating roll, the first surface of a non-woven fabric wound such that the first surface comes in contact with the outer circumferential surface (11a) of the heating roll (11) while the non-woven fabric is conveyed in a conveyance direction (MD); and a blowing step for blowing hot air against and heating the second surface through use of a hot air blowing unit (21) in a region of the non-woven fabric where the first surface is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the heating roll and being heated.

Description

Nonwoven fabric manufacturing method and nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a non-woven fabric and an apparatus for manufacturing a non-woven fabric.

Nonwoven fabrics used in absorbent articles such as disposable diapers and sanitary napkins, cleaning products such as wipers, medical products such as masks, etc. are known. It is known that the bulk of the non-woven fabric is reduced when the non-woven fabric is subjected to a load in the thickness direction by being wound up in a roll shape or the like. There is known a method of recovering the bulk of such non-woven fabric by heating.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of increasing the bulk of the non-woven fabric by blowing hot air on the non-woven fabric on the suction box substantially perpendicularly. Further, in Patent Document 2, a method of recovering the bulk of the non-woven fabric by winding the non-woven fabric so that one surface and the other surface are in contact with one heating roller and the other heating roller arranged opposite to each other Is disclosed. Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a method of increasing the thickness of the non-woven fabric by spraying hot air substantially perpendicularly to the non-woven fabric on a flat plate or a roll or simultaneously spraying the non-woven fabric from both sides of the non-woven fabric. . Further, Patent Document 4 discloses a method of recovering the bulk of the non-woven fabric by blowing hot air along one surface of the non-woven fabric and then blowing it along the other surface. .

JP 2004-137655 A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-339761 WO 2010/47292 JP, 2015-78463, A

In Patent Document 1, since the hot air penetrates the non-woven fabric from one side to the other side in the thickness direction, the non-woven fabric is heated for bulk recovery, ie, it is expanded while the non-woven fabric is pressed against the conveyor belt and crushed. , Is preventing the recovery of bulk. Then, since the hot air is continuously blown to the non-woven fabric in the transport direction, the bulging force and the squeezing force in the thickness direction cancel each other on the surface and in the inside of the non-woven fabric, and the bulk is difficult to recover sufficiently. There is a possibility that it will be difficult to perform bulk recovery approximately uniformly in the thickness direction due to complicated collision inside the non-woven fabric. In Patent Document 2, a heating medium does not enter the inside of the non-woven fabric like hot air, but the surface of the non-woven fabric which is in contact with the heating roll is heated, and the heat is conducted through the fibers. Therefore, it is likely that the portion close to the heating roll is likely to be bulk-recovered, and the portion far from the heating roll is unlikely to be bulk-restored, and it may be difficult to substantially bulk-restore in the thickness direction. In patent documents 3 and 4, it is necessary to always heat and supply a large amount of air for hot air, and also the equipment becomes large, so there are problems in terms of energy saving and space saving. In the production of non-woven fabric, a technique is desired that is energy-saving, space-saving, and capable of producing a non-woven fabric that has been recovered substantially uniformly in the thickness direction.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a non-woven fabric capable of manufacturing non-woven fabric which is energy-saving and space-saving and is substantially bulk-recovered in the thickness direction in manufacturing non-woven fabric. It is.

The production method of the present invention is as follows. (1) Heating a non-woven fabric having a longitudinal direction, a width direction and a thickness direction, and having a first surface which is one surface in the thickness direction and a second surface which is the other surface, to recover bulk. A manufacturing method for manufacturing the non-woven fabric with bulk recovery, wherein the non-woven fabric is wound such that the first surface is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of a heating roll while being transported in the transport direction along the longitudinal direction. In the heating step of heating the first surface with the heating roll, and in the area of the nonwoven fabric where the first surface is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the heating roll and is heated, the second portion with the hot air blowing portion And b) spraying a surface with hot air to heat the surface.

In this manufacturing method, the second surface side of the nonwoven fabric in the thickness direction is heated while the nonwoven fabric wound around the outer peripheral surface of the heating roller is heated by the heating roller from the first surface side (lower side) in the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric. It heats with the hot air of the hot air blowing part from (the upper side). That is, since the heating roll heats at least the lower part of the non-woven fabric and the hot air enters the inside of the non-woven fabric and heats the part from the upper to the lower, it is necessary for bulk recovery throughout the non-woven fabric thickness direction. Enough heat to be supplied.
Here, the hot air enters the interior from the upper surface (second surface) of the non-woven fabric, reaches the lower surface (first surface), and is then reflected by the outer peripheral surface of the heating roll in contact with the lower surface. , It is considered to stay inside the non-woven fabric. Therefore, since the hot air (air) does not penetrate the nonwoven fabric, the bulk recovery of the nonwoven fabric is unlikely to be impeded by the hot air, and the nonwoven fabric can be easily bulk recovered substantially uniformly in the thickness direction. Also, since the heat is transferred to the fibers of the non-woven fabric before it reaches the lower surface of the non-woven fabric, it can be at a relatively low temperature. However, since the hot air is heated by the heating roll when it is reflected on the surface of the heating roll, it can stay inside the non-woven fabric at a somewhat high temperature. As a result, it is possible to maintain a relatively high temperature state in the region where the hot air does not approach but the heat of the hot air remains, in addition to the region where the hot air directly enters in the non-woven fabric.
Thus, in the non-woven fabric 1, not only the area to which the hot air is blown but also the area to which the hot air is not blown (the area where the blowing is finished) can maintain the high temperature in a wide range in the thickness direction. Such a state is generally maintained in the area heated by the heating roll, so in the nonwoven fabric, the state in which the temperature is generally high in the thickness direction is relatively long in the longitudinal direction (conveying direction) It can be maintained. Thereby, bulk recovery can be performed substantially uniformly in the thickness direction.
However, the reason for heating the non-woven fabric with the heating roll instead of the heating plate is as described below. When the non-woven fabric is wound around the heating roll, the portion (first surface) in contact with the heating roll is deformed so as to have a relatively high fiber density, the heat of the heating roll is easily transmitted to the non-woven fabric, and the portion not in contact with the heating roll This is because the (second surface) is deformed so as to have a relatively low fiber density, and hot air can be easily taken into the non-woven fabric.
And in this manufacturing method, the nonwoven fabric which has sufficient volume can be manufactured by carrying out bulk recovery of the nonwoven fabric. At this time, since the present manufacturing method only needs to include a heating step by at least one heating roll and a spraying step by at least one hot air blowout part, it can be realized with energy saving and space saving.
That is, according to the present manufacturing method, it is possible to manufacture a non-woven fabric which has been bulk-restored substantially uniformly in the thickness direction with energy saving and space saving.

In the present invention, (2) in the spraying step, at least a part of a region of the non-woven fabric heated by the heating roller by a cover member disposed downstream of the hot air blowing portion in the transport direction. The manufacturing method as described in said (1) including the covering process which covers the above may be sufficient.
In this manufacturing method, by providing the above-mentioned cover member, the cover member can suppress the dissipation of air in contact with the upper surface of the non-woven fabric, and the heat which tries to escape from the non-woven fabric by the convection of air can be reduced. It can be trapped in the air near the surface. As a result, the upper portion of the non-woven fabric is kept warm by the air in the vicinity and becomes difficult to cool, so the upper portion of the non-woven fabric can be maintained at a relatively high temperature. Therefore, within the area where the lower part of the non-woven fabric is heated by the heating roll, the area from the upper side to the lower side of the non-woven fabric is compared even in the area where the hot air is not blown Temperature can be maintained, and bulk recovery of the non-woven fabric can be promoted more effectively. Thereby, bulk recovery of the non-woven fabric can be carried out substantially uniformly in the thickness direction.

In the present invention, (3) in the blowing step, a plurality of hot air blowout portions are arranged along the transport direction on the second surface in the area heated by the heating roll of the non-woven fabric. The manufacturing method as described in said (1) may be sufficient including the process which sprays.
In the present manufacturing method, hot air is blown to the second surface of the non-woven fabric by the plurality of hot air blowout portions. Therefore, a plurality of regions in the upper part of the non-woven fabric where the temperature tends to decrease can be heated to a high temperature by the hot air. Therefore, in the area where the lower part of the non-woven fabric is heated by the heating roll, the upper part of the non-woven fabric can also hold the high temperature at least in a plurality of areas. Bulk recovery can be advanced more effectively. Thus, the nonwoven fabric can be bulk recovered substantially uniformly in the thickness direction.

This invention may be the manufacturing method as described in said (3) in which the characteristic of the hot air to which (4) above-mentioned hot air blowout part blows mutually differs.
In the present manufacturing method, the characteristics of the hot air of the plurality of hot air blowout portions are different from each other. The characteristics of the hot air include, for example, the temperature of the hot air, the flow rate of the hot air, the angle of the hot air to the non-woven fabric, the on / off timing of the hot air, and the like. Therefore, it is possible to blow hot air to the non-woven fabric so that the non-woven fabric can recover its bulk appropriately according to the conveyance speed of the non-woven fabric and the characteristics of the non-woven fabric (fiber density, fiber diameter, material, etc.). Depending on the direction, bulk recovery can be made substantially uniformly.

In the present invention, (5) in the spraying step, the heating roller of the non-woven fabric is heated by a plurality of cover members disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction in each of the plurality of hot air blowout portions The manufacturing method according to (3) or (4) above may be included, including another coating step covering at least a part of the region.
In the present manufacturing method, the cover member is provided on the downstream side of each of the plurality of hot air blowout portions. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the dissipation of air in contact with the upper surface of the non-woven fabric by the cover member in the area where the hot air from each of the plurality of hot air blowout parts is not sprayed (the area where spraying is finished). Thereby, in a wider area, the heat escaping from the non-woven fabric by the convection of air can be retained in the air near the upper surface of the non-woven fabric, so in a wider area the upper portion of the non-woven fabric is compared Temperature can be maintained. Therefore, in the area | region where the lower part is heated with the heating roll among nonwoven fabrics, since the upper part can also hold | maintain a comparatively high temperature, bulk recovery of the nonwoven fabric can be carried out substantially uniformly by the thickness direction.

The present invention further includes (6) after the spraying step, another spraying step of spraying hot air at another hot air blow-out portion on the first surface in the region heated by the heating roll in the nonwoven fabric. The method according to any one of (1) to (5) may be used.
The bulk recovery method can not be said to be the same for bulk recovery by a heating roll and bulk recovery by hot air. Therefore, in the state where the first surface of the non-woven fabric is heated by the heating roll and the second surface is heated by the hot air, the uniformity of the bulk recovery of the non-woven fabric in the thickness direction is high, but there may be room for improvement. Therefore, in the present manufacturing method, hot air is blown to both the second surface and the first surface of the non-woven fabric to recover bulk. Thus, the nonwoven fabric can be bulk recovered substantially uniformly in the thickness direction.

(7) In the non-woven fabric wound so that the second surface is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of another heating roll positioned downstream of the heating roll in the transport direction, the non-woven fabric is heated by the heating roll The method further includes another heating step of heating the second surface in the second region with the other heating roller, and the second spraying step is performed on the outer circumferential surface of the other heating roller of the non-woven fabric. The method according to the above (6) may include the step of blowing hot air to the first surface at the other hot air blow-out portion in the area where the surface is in contact and is heated.
In the present manufacturing method, the non-woven fabric is wound substantially in an S shape around the heating roll and the other heating roll. Then, on the first heating roll side, the non-woven fabric is heated by the heating roll on the first side, heated by the hot air on the second side, and heated by the heating roll on the second side on the other heating roll side. The first surface is heated by hot air. As described above, since both sides of the non-woven fabric are bulk recovered using the heating roll and the hot air, the bulk recovery state of the non-woven fabric on the first surface side and the second surface side is substantially the same. You can do the same. As a result, the nonwoven fabric can be bulk recovered substantially more uniformly in the thickness direction.

In the present invention, (8) in the other blowing step, the other heating member of the non-woven fabric is heated by the other heating member by the other cover member disposed downstream of the other hot air blowing portion in the conveying direction. The manufacturing method according to the above (7), which may include another coating step covering at least a part of the region being treated.
In the present manufacturing method, the other cover member described above is provided. Therefore, the dissipation of the air in contact with the upper surface of the non-woven fabric can be suppressed by the other cover member, whereby the heat which tries to escape from the non-woven fabric by the convection of air is contained in the air near the upper surface of the non-woven fabric. You can fasten it. As a result, the upper portion of the non-woven fabric is kept warm by the air in the vicinity and becomes difficult to cool, so the upper portion of the non-woven fabric can be maintained at a relatively high temperature. Therefore, the bulk recovery of the non-woven fabric can be more effectively promoted, and the non-woven fabric can be bulk recovered substantially uniformly in the thickness direction.

The present invention (9) is characterized in that, in the blowing step, the other hot-air blowout is arranged along the transport direction on the first surface in the area heated by the other heating roll of the non-woven fabric. And a plurality of other cover members disposed on the downstream side of the transport direction in each of the plurality of other hot air blow-out portions in the plurality of other hot air blow-out portions including the part; The manufacturing method according to (7) above, which may include the step of covering at least a part of the area heated by the other heating roll.
In the present manufacturing method, hot air is blown to the first surface of the non-woven fabric by a plurality of other hot air blowout portions. Therefore, a plurality of regions of the upper portion of the non-woven fabric, the temperature of which tends to decrease, can be raised to a high temperature by hot air. Therefore, the upper portion of the first surface of the non-woven fabric can also maintain a high temperature in at least a plurality of regions. Furthermore, another cover member is provided downstream of each of the plurality of other hot air blowouts. Therefore, in the area where the application of the hot air from each of the plurality of other hot air blowouts ends (the area where the hot air is not sprayed), the cover member suppresses the dissipation of air in contact with the upper surface of the first surface of the non-woven fabric. Can. Thereby, in a wider range, the heat which is intended to escape from the non-woven fabric by air convection can be retained in the air near the upper surface of the non-woven fabric. As a result, the upper portion of the first surface of the non-woven fabric can be maintained at a relatively high temperature in a wider range. Therefore, within the heated area of the non-woven fabric, not only the lower part of the non-woven fabric but also the upper part can hold relatively high temperature, and the bulk recovery of the non-woven fabric is more effectively achieved. You can go ahead. Thus, the nonwoven fabric can be bulk recovered substantially uniformly in the thickness direction.

The present invention further comprises (10) blowing hot air to a position downstream of the position at which the non-woven fabric and the heating roll start to contact when the hot air is blown to the non-woven fabric by a hot air blow-off portion. It may be the manufacturing method according to any one of the above.
In the present manufacturing method, the hot air blow-out portion (on the downstream side of the position where the heating roll (including other heating rolls) starts heating the non-woven fabric (the most upstream position in the transport direction in the heated area) Hot air is blown to the non-woven fabric with other hot air blowouts). Therefore, hot air can be supplied from the upper side of the non-woven fabric in a state in which the temperature of the lower portion (heating roll side) of the non-woven fabric is high. As a result, the temperature decrease of the hot air in the non-woven fabric can be suppressed, so that the non-woven fabric can be bulk recovered substantially more uniformly in the thickness direction.

The manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is (11) a nonwoven fabric having a longitudinal direction, a width direction and a thickness direction and having a first surface which is one surface in the thickness direction and a second surface which is the other surface. A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing the non-woven fabric bulk-recovered by heating, comprising: a heating roll and a hot-air blow-out portion provided opposite to the outer peripheral surface of the heating roll, and recovering the bulk of the non-woven fabric When the heating roll is transported in the transport direction along the longitudinal direction, the heating roll heats the first surface of the non-woven fabric wound so that the first surface is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the heating roll. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hot air blowing portion blows and heats the second surface in a region of the non-woven fabric in which the first surface is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the heating roll and is heated. .
Since the present manufacturing apparatus can execute the manufacturing method described in the above (1), the same effects as those of the manufacturing method can be exhibited.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a non-woven fabric capable of manufacturing non-woven fabric which is energy-saving and space-saving and can recover bulk substantially uniformly in the thickness direction in manufacturing non-woven fabric.

It is a figure showing typically the example of composition of the manufacturing device concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a figure which illustrates typically the effect of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of the manufacturing method which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which illustrates typically the effect of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of the manufacturing method which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of the manufacturing method which concerns on 4th Embodiment.

The manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method which manufacture the bulk-restored nonwoven fabric are demonstrated. The bulk recovered nonwoven may be used in disposable diapers, absorbent articles such as incontinence pads and sanitary napkins, medical supplies such as masks, cleaning supplies such as wipers, and the like.

However, as the non-woven fabric to be bulk-recovered, there is no particular limitation as long as it is a non-woven fabric having bulk recovery property where bulk is recovered by heating. Examples of the bulk recovery non-woven fabric include an air through non-woven fabric, an air-laid non-woven fabric, a needle punched non-woven fabric, and a spun lace non-woven fabric. A nonwoven fabric may be comprised by one type of nonwoven fabric, and may be comprised by the laminated body on which one type or several types of nonwoven fabrics were laminated | stacked. The non-woven fibers are not particularly limited, and examples thereof include polyolefin-based and polyester-based fibers, or composite fibers thereof. Examples of polyolefin fibers include fibers such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polybutylene (PB), and copolymers based on these. Examples of polyester fibers include fibers such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), and copolymers based on these. Examples of composite fibers include fibers of core / sheath structure such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) / polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) / polyethylene (PE).

The basis weight and the fiber length, width and thickness (before bulk recovery) of the non-woven fabric are not particularly limited as long as bulk recovery is possible. The basis weight of the non-woven fabric is, for example, 5 to 200 g / m ² , the fiber length of the fibers is, for example, 1 to 100 mm, and the width is, for example, 100 to 1000 mm. The thickness of the non-woven fabric before bulk recovery includes, for example, 0.2 mm to 20 mm, and the thickness after bulk recovery includes, for example, 0.5 mm to 50 mm.

Hereinafter, the manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method which concern on embodiment are demonstrated concretely.

First Embodiment
First, a first embodiment of a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a bulk-restored nonwoven fabric will be described. FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a configuration example of a manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. The manufacturing apparatus 10 is supplied with the non-woven fabric 1 whose bulk is reduced by receiving a load in the thickness direction, and the non-woven fabric 2 is bulk-recovered by heating the non-woven fabric 1 and recovering bulk. The non-woven fabric 1 has a longitudinal direction, a width direction and a thickness direction, and has a first surface 1a which is one surface in the thickness direction and a second surface 1b which is the other surface. The non-woven fabric 1 is unrolled from, for example, the non-woven fabric raw fabric NR wound up in a roll shape by the drive roll DR1 and a transfer roll (not shown). Then, the non-woven fabric 1 is transported in the transport direction MD along the longitudinal direction of the non-woven fabric 1 by another transport roll (not shown) or the direction changing roll FR1 and supplied to the manufacturing apparatus 10.

The manufacturing apparatus 10 includes a heating roll 11 and a hot air blowout unit 21. When recovering the bulk of the nonwoven fabric 1, the heating roller 11 transports the nonwoven fabric 1 wound so that the first surface 1 a is in contact with the outer peripheral surface 11 a of the heating roller 11 in the transport direction MD. The first surface 1a of the The hot air blowing portion 21 is provided to face the outer peripheral surface 11 a of the heating roll 11. When recovering the bulk of the non-woven fabric 1, the hot-air blow-out portion 21 applies heat to the second surface 1 b in the area of the non-woven fabric 1 in which the first surface 1 a abuts on the outer peripheral surface 11 a of the heating roll 11 and is heated. Spray and heat. Specifically, it is as follows.

The heating roll 11 internally includes a heating unit (not shown) such as an electric heater, and heats the outer peripheral surface 11a to a predetermined temperature by the heating unit. When recovering the bulk of the non-woven fabric 1, the heating roll 11 rotates around the rotation axis A to transport the non-woven fabric 1 wound around the outer peripheral surface 11 a in the transport direction MD along the circumferential direction of the heating roll 11 Do. Here, a region of the outer peripheral surface 11 a where the outer peripheral surface 11 a of the heating roll 11 and the nonwoven fabric 1 are in contact with each other is referred to as a heating region 12. The heating area 12 has an upstream end of an area where the outer peripheral surface 11a and the non-woven fabric 1 contact, that is, a heating start point as a position 13, and a downstream end of an area where the outer peripheral surface 11a and the non-woven fabric 1 contact, that is, heating This is an area where the end point is the position 14. Then, the heating roll 11 heats the first surface 1 a of the non-woven fabric 1 in the heating area 12 to recover bulk.

The temperature of the outer peripheral surface 11a is preferably lower than the melting point of the fibers of the non-woven fabric 1 and as high as possible from the viewpoint of bulk recovery, for example, 60% or more and 95% or less of the melting point . The temperature of the outer peripheral surface 11a depends on the type of fiber, but is, for example, 110 ° C. to 125 ° C. The outer diameter and width of the heating roll 11 can be any size depending on the application of the non-woven fabric 1, the required width, etc. For example, the outer diameter is 200 to 1000 mm and the width 200 to 2000 mm. The peripheral speed of the heating roll 11 can be set to any speed according to the outer peripheral diameter of the heating roll 11, the transport speed of the non-woven fabric 1, etc. For example, 50 m / min. To 500 m / min. Can be mentioned. The peripheral speed is preferably the same as or slightly faster than the transport speed of the nonwoven fabric 2 after bulk recovery (example: within 5% of the speed difference).

The hot air blowing portion 21 is provided to face the outer peripheral surface 11 a of the heating roll 11. The hot air blow-out portion 21 is supplied with heated air or heats supplied air, and the heated air which is the heated air is transferred to a predetermined area 15 in the heating area 12 of the outer peripheral surface 11 a of the heating roll 11. It blows out toward the head. However, the upstream side of the heating area 12 is a first area 12a and the downstream side is a second area 12b, with the upstream end of the predetermined area 15 in the transport direction MD as a boundary. That is, the second area 12 b includes the predetermined area 15. Therefore, the first area 12 a is an area heated only by the heating roll 11. The predetermined area 15 of the second area 12 b is an area heated by the hot air of the hot air blowing portion 21 in addition to the heating of the heating roll 11. Areas other than the predetermined area 15 in the second area 12b are areas which are not directly heated by the hot air in addition to the heating of the heating roll 11, but are affected by the hot air. When recovering the bulk of the non-woven fabric 1, the hot-air blow-out portion 21 blows hot air onto the second surface 1 b of the non-woven fabric 1 located above the predetermined region 15 in the heating area 12 of the heating roll 11 to heat it. Let

The predetermined area 15 where the hot air blow-out portion 21 blows the hot air is not limited in position or size within the heating area 12. The predetermined area 15 is, for example, an area of an arbitrary length in the heating area 12 in the transport direction MD, that is, in the circumferential direction of the heating roll 11. In the example of FIG. 1, the predetermined area 15 is an area of a predetermined width at the center of the heating area 12. The predetermined width may be, for example, the width of the outlet of the hot air outlet 21 or about twice the width of the outlet. On the other hand, the predetermined region 15 is longer than the width of the nonwoven fabric 1 along the rotational axis A direction of the heating roll 11 and narrower than the width of the heating roll 11, for example, in the transverse direction CD perpendicular to the transport direction MD It is an area of the same width. The shape of the predetermined region 15 is not particularly limited as long as the hot air spreads over the entire nonwoven fabric 1 in the width direction of the nonwoven fabric 1 and may be continuous or intermittent. In the example of FIG. 1, it is an area in which a rectangular elongated in the transverse direction CD is bent along the surface of the heating roll 11.

The hot air blow-out portion 21 is not particularly limited as long as it can blow hot air, but examples thereof include a hot air nozzle (not shown) capable of blowing hot air. The hot air nozzle has, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped manifold that extends longer than the nonwoven fabric 1 in the transverse direction CD, and a plurality of nozzle holes for blowing hot air on the surface of the manifold facing the outer peripheral surface 11 a of the heating roll 11 ( Not shown is an open configuration. The plurality of nozzle holes includes, for example, a configuration arranged linearly and at a constant pitch along the transverse direction CD, and the rows of the nozzle holes are arranged in two rows spaced in the transport direction MD. It may be a plurality of rows above. The shape of the nozzle hole is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a circle, and may be an ellipse or a (square) rectangle. The size (crossing area) of the nozzle holes and the number of the nozzle holes are appropriately selected depending on the flow rate of the required hot air, the width of the heating roll 11, the width of the non-woven fabric 1, and the like. For example, when the nozzle hole is circular, the diameter of the nozzle hole may be, for example, 1 to 20 mm, and the pitch of the nozzle holes (the distance between the center of the nozzle holes adjacent to the transverse direction CD) may be, for example, 2 to 40 mm. The number of nozzle holes may be 2 to 40 in the transverse direction CD. For example, when the nozzle holes are in a plurality of rows, the pitch between the rows (the distance between the centers of the nozzle holes adjacent in the transport direction MD) is, for example, 2 to 40 mm. The blowing angle of the hot air of the hot air blowing portion 21 is not particularly limited, but, for example, from the viewpoint of allowing the majority (eg, 90% or more) of the hot air to enter the nonwoven fabric 1, the incident angle to the outer peripheral surface 11 a of the heating roll 11 90 ° ± 20 ° is preferred.

The temperature of the hot air when reaching the non-woven fabric 1 is preferably lower than the melting point of the fibers of the non-woven fabric 1 and as high as possible from the viewpoint of bulk recovery, for example, 60% or more of the melting point , 95% or less. Therefore, it is preferable that the temperature of the hot air in the hot air blow-out portion 21 is higher than the above-described preferable temperature range by the temperature at which the hot air drops from the hot air blow-out portion 21 to the non-woven fabric 1. The temperature of the hot air at the time of reaching the non-woven fabric 1 depends on the type of fiber, but is, for example, 110 ° C. to 125 ° C. The temperature of the hot air in the hot air blow-out portion 21 depends on the configuration of the hot air blow-out portion 21 and the type of fibers, but may be, for example, 140 ° C. to 160 ° C. The flow rate of blowing hot air depends on the width, basis weight, etc. of the non-woven fabric 1, but for example, 50 L / min. To 2000 L / min. Can be mentioned.

The bulk-restored nonwoven fabric 1, that is, the nonwoven fabric 2, is transported in the transport direction MD by the direction change roll FR <b> 2, the drive roll DR <b> 2 and other transport rolls (not shown).

Next, a first embodiment of a method for producing a bulk-recovered nonwoven fabric will be described with reference to FIG. The manufacturing method comprises a heating step and a spraying step. In the heating step, the heating roll 11 heats the first surface 1 a of the nonwoven fabric 1 wound so that the first surface 1 a abuts on the outer circumferential surface 11 a of the heating roll 11 while being conveyed in the conveyance direction MD. In the blowing step, the second surface 1 b is heated by blowing hot air by the hot air blowing portion 21 in a region where the first surface 1 a is in contact with the outer peripheral surface 11 a of the heating roll 11 and is heated. . Below, it shows concretely.

The non-woven fabric 1 is an air-through non-woven fabric using, for example, fibers of a core / sheath structure of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) / polyethylene (PE), and is wound in a roll and prepared as a non-woven fabric NR. At this time, the nonwoven fabric 1 receives a load in the thickness direction, and the bulk of the nonwoven fabric is reduced. The non-woven fabric 1 is fed out by the drive roll DR1 and the transport roll, and is transported in the transport direction MD along the longitudinal direction of the non-woven fabric 1 by another transport roll and the direction changing roll FR1 and supplied to the manufacturing apparatus. The non-woven fabric 1 is continuously transported in the transport direction MD, so in the following, the treatment of any part of the non-woven fabric 1 will be described as the process of the non-woven fabric 1.

In the heating step of the present embodiment, (the part of) the non-woven fabric 1 is conveyed to reach the position 13 which is the upstream end of the heating area 12 of the heating roll 11. Thus, when the first surface 1 a of the non-woven fabric 1 starts to contact the outer peripheral surface 11 a of the heating roll 11, the portion on the first surface 1 a side of the non-woven fabric 1 starts to be heated by the heating roll 11. Thereafter, while the nonwoven fabric 1 is further conveyed on the first region 12 a of the heating roll 11, the first surface 1 a of the nonwoven fabric 1 continues to be in contact with the first region 12 a. Therefore, in the first region 12a, the non-woven fabric 1 is heated only by the heating roll 11 in the portion on the first surface 1a side (lower side) in the thickness direction, and the bulk recovers from that portion.

Next, in the spraying step of the present embodiment, the nonwoven fabric 1 is further transported to reach the predetermined area 15 in the second area 12 b of the heating area 12. Thereby, the hot air blown out from the hot air blowout part 21 is supplied to the second surface 1b of the non-woven fabric 1 and enters the inside of the non-woven fabric 1, whereby the part on the second surface 1b side of the non-woven fabric 1 is heated by the hot air . Therefore, the non-woven fabric 1 is heated in the predetermined area 15 by the hot air of the hot air blowout portion 21 with the second surface 1 b side (upper side) in the thickness direction and the inner side thereof. The portions on the side of the first surface 1a (lower side) are heated, and the bulk is further recovered from those portions.

Then, when the non-woven fabric 1 is further conveyed and passes the predetermined area 15 in the second area 12 b of the heating area 12, the hot air of the hot air blowout unit 21 is not supplied to the second surface 1 b of the non-woven fabric 1. However, the hot air supplied to the non-woven fabric 1 in the predetermined area 15 enters the interior of the non-woven fabric 1 from the second surface 1 b and radiates heat while reaching the first surface 1 a, and then heated by the outer peripheral surface 11 a of the heating roll 11 While being reflected, it is reflected and remains in the nonwoven fabric 1 as air of a somewhat high temperature. Therefore, in the second region 12 b, the non-woven fabric 1 is heated by the air inside the non-woven fabric 1 at a portion inside the second surface 1 b side (upper side) in the thickness direction. The parts on the surface 1a side (lower side) are heated, and the bulk is further recovered from those parts.

Then, the non-woven fabric 1 is conveyed to a position 14 which is the downstream end of the heating area 12 of the heating roll 11. As a result, the first surface 1 a of the non-woven fabric 1 is separated from the outer peripheral surface 11 a of the heating roll 11, whereby the portion on the first surface 1 a side of the non-woven fabric 1 is not heated by the heating roll 11. By this stage, the nonwoven fabric 1 has a substantially sufficient bulk recovery. After that, due to residual heat remaining inside the non-woven fabric 1, the bulk may be recovered more.

As described above, the bulk of the non-woven fabric 1 is recovered, whereby the non-woven fabric 1 recovered in bulk, that is, the non-woven fabric 2 is manufactured. The manufactured nonwoven fabric 2 is transported in the transport direction MD by the direction change roll FR2, the drive roll DR2 and other transport rolls (not shown), and is processed in the subsequent article manufacturing process.

The effects of the above manufacturing apparatus 10 and the manufacturing method using the same will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating the operation and effect of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 (a) shows the case of this embodiment, FIG. 2 (b) shows the case of heating with hot air but not heating with a roll, and FIG. 2 (c) shows the case of heating with roll but not heating with hot air Indicates the case.
As shown in FIG. 2A, in the manufacturing apparatus 10 and the manufacturing method, the non-woven fabric 1 wound on the outer peripheral surface 11a of the heating roller 11 is heated by the heating roller 11 from the first surface 1a side in the thickness direction. The heating is performed by the hot air of the hot air blowing portion 21 from the side of the second surface 1 b in the thickness direction. That is, since the heating roll 11 heats at least the lower portion of the nonwoven fabric 1 and the hot air enters the interior of the nonwoven fabric 1 and heats the portion from the upper side to the lower side, the entire nonwoven fabric 1 in the thickness direction A sufficient amount of heat necessary for bulk recovery can be supplied.
Therefore, by the heating of the heating roll 11, a high temperature can be maintained at least in the lower region of the non-woven fabric 1 (example: "region RHA" in the figure). On the other hand, the hot air enters the inside from the upper surface (second surface 1b) of the non-woven fabric 1 and reaches the lower surface (first surface 1a), and then the surface of the heating roll 11 in contact with the lower surface ( It is considered that the light is reflected by the outer peripheral surface 11 a) and stays inside the non-woven fabric 1. Therefore, since hot air (air) does not penetrate the nonwoven fabric 1, the situation where bulk recovery of the nonwoven fabric 1 is hindered by the pressure of the hot air can be suppressed. Furthermore, the hot air lowers the temperature by heat exchange with the fibers of the non-woven fabric until it reaches the lower surface of the non-woven fabric 1, but it is heated while being reflected by the surface of the heating roll 11, so It can stay inside the non-woven fabric 1. As a result, in the non-woven fabric 1 region where the hot air enters directly and in the region where the hot air does not enter but the heat of the air of the hot air remains (example: "area JHA" in the figure), the temperature remains relatively high. it can.
Thus, in the non-woven fabric 1, not only the area to which the hot air is blown but also the area to which the hot air is not blown (the area where the blowing is finished) can maintain the high temperature in a wide range in the thickness direction. And since such a state is generally maintained in the area heated by the heating roll 11, in the nonwoven fabric 1, a state in which the temperature is generally high in the thickness direction is the longitudinal direction (conveyance direction MD) Can be maintained in a relatively long area. Thereby, bulk recovery can be performed substantially uniformly in the thickness direction.
Here, the reason for heating the nonwoven fabric 1 not with a heating plate but with a heating roll is as follows. When the nonwoven fabric 1 is wound around the heating roller, the portion (first surface) in contact with the heating roller is deformed so as to have a relatively high fiber density, and the heat of the heating roller can be easily transmitted to the nonwoven fabric. On the other hand, the portion (second surface) which is not in contact with the heating roll is deformed so as to have a relatively low fiber density, and hot air can be easily taken into the non-woven fabric. Therefore, when the nonwoven fabric 1 is heated by the heating roll instead of the heating plate, the heating by the heating roll and the heating by the hot air act more effectively.
And in this manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method, the nonwoven fabric which has sufficient volume can be manufactured by carrying out bulk recovery of the nonwoven fabric. At this time, the present manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method can be realized with energy saving and space saving since the manufacturing process and the manufacturing method only need to include a heating process by at least one heating roll and a spraying process by at least one hot air blowout unit.
That is, according to the present manufacturing method, it is possible to manufacture a non-woven fabric which has been bulk-restored substantially uniformly in the thickness direction with energy saving and space saving.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2B, although the heating is performed by the hot air of the hot air blowing portion 121, when the heating is not performed by the roll 111, the heating of the nonwoven fabric 101 is only the hot air. Therefore, since the temperature of the portion on the first surface 101a side of the non-woven fabric 101 is low, even when hot air is supplied from the second surface 101b side, it is cooled when it is reflected by the outer peripheral surface 111a of the roll 111. As a result, the region (for example, the region indicated by JHAc in the figure) having a relatively high temperature due to the heat of the hot air in the non-woven fabric 101 has a thickness direction and a longitudinal direction (conveyance direction MD) as compared with the case of FIG. ) Both become smaller. Therefore, the temperature distribution in the thickness direction becomes large, and it may be difficult to bulk recover substantially uniformly in the thickness direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2C, when heating is performed by the roll 111 but heating is not performed by the hot air of the hot air blowout portion, the heating of the non-woven fabric 101 is only the roll 111. Therefore, the temperature rises in the portion on the first surface 101a side of the non-woven fabric 101, and the region where the temperature is relatively high (for example, the region shown by JHAc in the figure) is maintained, but the temperature is too low in the portion on the second surface 101b side Not high. Therefore, the temperature distribution in the thickness direction becomes large, and it may be difficult to bulk recover substantially uniformly in the thickness direction.

According to the present manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method, it is possible to manufacture a non-woven fabric which is energy-saving and space-saving and is bulk-recovered substantially uniformly in the thickness direction in the manufacture of the non-woven fabric.

Second Embodiment
A second embodiment of a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a bulk-recovered nonwoven fabric will be described. FIG. 3 is a view schematically showing a configuration example of a manufacturing apparatus 10a according to the second embodiment. The present manufacturing apparatus 10a is different from the manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment in that a cover member 22 is provided to cover at least a part of the heating area 12. The differences will be mainly described below.

The cover member 22 is disposed on the downstream side of the hot air blowout portion 21 in the transport direction MD along the outer peripheral surface 11a while being separated from the outer peripheral surface 11a of the heating roll 11 (cylindrical shape). The cover member 22 is arc-shaped when viewed in the cross direction CD, and can be viewed as a part of the side of the cylinder as a whole. The cover member 22 is provided so as to cover at least a part of the second area 12 b of the heating area 12, but may be provided so as to cover the entire second area 12 b. It may be provided to cover at least a part of the area 12a. The larger the covered area, the higher the effect (described later, such as the heat retention effect) of the cover member 22 can be enhanced. Moreover, in the example shown to a figure, although the cover member 22 has a clearance gap with the hot-air blowing part 21, it is not necessary to have a clearance gap. When there is no gap, the effect of the cover member 22 can be further enhanced.

Next, a second embodiment of a manufacturing method for manufacturing a bulk-recovered nonwoven fabric will be described with reference to FIG. The manufacturing method of the present embodiment is provided with a covering step of covering at least a part of the heating area 12 of the non-woven fabric 1 with the cover member 22 as compared with the manufacturing method according to the first embodiment. They differ in that they The differences will be mainly described below.

The covering step is performed after the hot air blowing step, and the region heated by the heating roll 11 in the nonwoven fabric 1 after the hot air has entered by the cover member 22 (nonwoven fabric 1 on the second region 12b excluding the predetermined region 15) Covering at least a part of the The covering step includes the case where the cover member 22 is provided in advance in the heating area 12 and the nonwoven fabric 1 is conveyed to and passed through the heating area 12 including the cover member 22.

The effects of the above-described manufacturing apparatus 10a and a manufacturing method using the same will be described. The manufacturing apparatus 10a and the manufacturing method described above can achieve the same effects as the manufacturing apparatus 10 and the manufacturing method of the first embodiment, but can further achieve the following effects. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating the operation and effect of the present embodiment. The present manufacturing apparatus 10a and the manufacturing method cover the cover member 22 covering a part or the whole of the second region 12b of the heating roll 11 in a region (a region excluding the predetermined region 15) where the hot air is not directly blown. Have. In other words, the present manufacturing apparatus 10a and the manufacturing method include the step of covering the area of the non-woven fabric 1 which is heated by the heating roll 11 and not directly sprayed with the hot air with the cover member 22. Therefore, the dissipation of the air in contact with the upper surface of the non-woven fabric 1 can be suppressed by the cover member 22 and the heat to escape from the non-woven fabric 1 by the convection of air is retained in the air near the upper surface of the non-woven fabric 1 be able to. Therefore, since the upper part of the nonwoven fabric 1 is kept warm by the air in the vicinity and becomes difficult to cool, the upper part of the nonwoven fabric 1 can be maintained at a relatively high temperature. As a result, it is possible to enlarge the high temperature portion (example: area JHA) in the thickness direction by the hot air or air thereof, and to enlarge the area JHA in the transport direction MD accordingly. Therefore, in the heated area of the non-woven fabric 1, even in the area where the hot air is not blown, the lower part of the non-woven fabric 1 (example: area RHA) has a high temperature at the heating roll 11, and The upper to lower parts can also hold relatively high temperatures. As a result, bulk recovery of the non-woven fabric can be more effectively advanced in the longer region in the transport direction MD, and bulk recovery of the non-woven fabric can be substantially uniform in the thickness direction.

Third Embodiment
A third embodiment of a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a bulk-restored nonwoven fabric will be described. FIG. 5 is a view schematically showing a configuration example of a manufacturing apparatus 10b according to the third embodiment. The present manufacturing apparatus 10 b is different from the manufacturing apparatus 10 a according to the second embodiment in that it includes a plurality of hot air blowout portions 21 and further includes a plurality of cover members 22. The differences will be mainly described below.

The manufacturing apparatus 10 b is further provided with a plurality of hot air blowout portions 21 provided opposite to the outer peripheral surface of the heating roll 11 and arranged at intervals along the transport direction MD. In the example of FIG. 5, the hot air blowing portion 21-1 is disposed on the upstream side of the heating area 12, and the hot air blowing portion 21-2 is disposed on the downstream side. Each of the hot air blowout portions 21-1 and 21-2 blows hot air to the second surface 1b in the region of the non-woven fabric 1 which is heated by the heating roll 11. Specifically, the hot air blowing portion 21-1 blows the hot air to a portion of the non-woven fabric 1 located on the predetermined area 15-1 in the second area 12b. The hot air blowing portion 21-2 blows the hot air to the portion of the non-woven fabric 1 located on the predetermined area 15-2 in the third area 12c. However, the third area 12 c is an area adjacent to the downstream side of the second area 12 b in the heating area 12. The predetermined areas 15-1 and 15-2 are areas of the upstream ends of the second area 12b and the third area 12c, respectively.

The plurality of hot air blow-out portions 21 can be made to differ in the characteristics of the hot air blown to each other. However, the characteristics of the hot air include, for example, the temperature of the hot air, the flow rate of the hot air, the angle of the hot air to the non-woven fabric 1, and the on / off timing of the hot air. Therefore, it is possible to blow hot air to the non-woven fabric 1 so that the non-woven fabric 1 can be appropriately bulk recovered depending on the transport speed of the non-woven fabric 1, the characteristics of the non-woven fabric 1 (fiber density, fiber diameter, material and the like). Thereby, bulk recovery of the nonwoven fabric 1 can be carried out substantially uniformly by thickness direction. In the present embodiment, the hot air blowout portions 21-1 and 21-2 have the same characteristics of the hot air.

Furthermore, the manufacturing apparatus 10 b further includes a plurality of cover members 22 on the downstream side in the transport direction MD of each of the plurality of hot air blowout portions 21. In the example of FIG. 5, the cover member 22-1 is disposed downstream of the hot air blow-out portion 21-1, and the cover member 22-2 is disposed downstream of the hot air blow-out portion 21-2. Each of these cover members 22-1 and 22-2 covers at least a part of the heated area of the nonwoven fabric 1, particularly the area where the hot air is not directly blown out. In particular, the cover member 22-1 is disposed so as to cover the region between the hot air blow-out portion 21-1 and the hot air blow-out portion 21-2, whereby bulk recovery continues without the nonwoven fabric 1 being cooled halfway Are configured to occur.

Next, a third embodiment of a manufacturing method for manufacturing a bulk-recovered non-woven fabric will be described with reference to FIG. The manufacturing method according to the present embodiment includes the step of blowing hot air to the nonwoven fabric 1 with the plurality of hot air blowout portions 21 as compared with the manufacturing method according to the second embodiment, and the nonwoven fabric 1 after being blown with hot air It differs in that it has a process of covering with a plurality of cover members 22. The differences will be mainly described below.

In the spraying step, the non-woven fabric 1 heated in the first area 12 a of the heating area 12 is further transported to reach the predetermined area 15-1 in the second area 12 b of the heating area 12. As a result, the hot air blown out from the hot air blowout portion 21-1 is supplied to the second surface 1b of the non-woven fabric 1, enters the interior of the non-woven fabric 1, and heats the interior from the portion on the second surface 1b side of the non-woven fabric 1. . Therefore, in the predetermined area 15-1, the nonwoven fabric 1 is heated from both sides in the thickness direction by the hot air of the hot air blowing portion 21-1 and the heating roll 11, and the bulk is recovered.
Thereafter, the non-woven fabric 1 is further conveyed, passes through the predetermined area 15-1 of the second area 12b of the heating area 12, and the hot air from the hot air blowing portion 21-1 is not supplied to the second surface 1b of the non-woven fabric 1. However, since the air of the hot air supplied to the non-woven fabric 1 in the predetermined region 15-1 is heated by the heating roll 11 and reflected and remains in the non-woven fabric 1, the non-woven fabric 1 is the non-woven fabric 1 in the second region 12b. It is heated by the internal air and the heating roll 11, and the bulk recovers.

Then, the nonwoven fabric 1 is further transported to reach a predetermined area 15-2 in the third area 12c of the heating area 12. As a result, the hot air blown out from the hot air blow-out portion 21-2 is supplied to the second surface 1b of the non-woven fabric 1, enters the interior of the non-woven fabric 1, and heats the interior from the portion on the second surface 1b side of the non-woven fabric 1. . Therefore, in the predetermined region 15-2, the nonwoven fabric 1 is heated from both sides in the thickness direction by the hot air blowing portion 21-2 and the heating roll 11, and the bulk is further recovered.
Thereafter, the non-woven fabric 1 is further conveyed, passes through the predetermined region 15-2 of the third region 12c of the heating region 12, and the hot air from the hot air blowout portion 21-2 is not supplied to the second surface 1b of the non-woven fabric 1. However, since the air of the hot air supplied to the non-woven fabric 1 in the predetermined region 15-2 is heated and reflected by the heating roll 11 and remains in the non-woven fabric 1, the non-woven fabric 1 is the non-woven fabric 1 in the third region 12c. It is heated by the internal air and the heating roll 11, and the bulk recovers.

Next, the non-woven fabric 1 is transported to reach the position 14 which is the downstream end of the heating region 12 of the heating roll 11 in the transport direction MD, and is separated from the outer peripheral surface 11 a of the heating roll 11. As a result, the nonwoven fabric 1 is not heated by the heating roll 11, but by this stage the nonwoven fabric 1 has a substantially sufficient bulk recovery.

In the present manufacturing apparatus 10 b and the manufacturing method, hot air is blown to the second surface 1 b of the non-woven fabric 1 by the plurality of hot air blowing portions 21 aligned along the transport direction MD. Therefore, a plurality of regions of the upper portion of the non-woven fabric 1 where the temperature tends to decrease can be heated to a high temperature by hot air. Therefore, in the region of the non-woven fabric 1 heated by the heating roller 11, the lower portion of the non-woven fabric 1 is at a higher temperature by the heating roller 11, and the inside of the non-woven fabric 1 is also at a higher temperature. Can be held at least in a plurality of regions along the transport direction MD. Therefore, bulk recovery can be advanced more effectively in the substantially entire part in the thickness direction of the nonwoven fabric 1. Thereby, bulk recovery of the nonwoven fabric 1 can be carried out substantially uniformly by thickness direction.

Furthermore, in the manufacturing apparatus 10 and the manufacturing method, the cover member 22 is provided on the downstream side of each of the plurality of hot air blowout portions 21. Therefore, in the area where the application of the hot air from each of the plurality of hot air blowout parts 21 (the area where the hot air is not sprayed), the dissipation of the air in contact with the upper surface of the non-woven fabric 1 can be suppressed by the plurality of cover members 22 it can. Thereby, the heat which is going to escape from the non-woven fabric 1 by the convection of air can be retained in the air near the upper surface of the non-woven fabric 1, and the upper portion of the non-woven fabric 1 in a wider range of the transport direction MD It can be kept at a relatively high temperature. Therefore, the nonwoven fabric 1 can be maintained at a high temperature in a wider range in the transport direction MD, and bulk recovery of the nonwoven fabric 1 can be more effectively advanced to bulk recover the nonwoven fabric 1 substantially uniformly in the thickness direction. Can.

Fourth Embodiment
A fourth embodiment of a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a bulk-recovered nonwoven fabric will be described. FIG. 6 is a view schematically showing a configuration example of a manufacturing apparatus 10c according to the fourth embodiment. The present manufacturing apparatus 10c is different from the manufacturing apparatus 10a according to the second embodiment in that a plurality of sets of heating rolls, a hot air blowout portion and a cover member are arranged in series. The manufacturing apparatus 10c can be viewed as two manufacturing apparatuses 10a being arranged in series. The differences will be mainly described below.

The manufacturing apparatus 10 c includes the heating roll 11, the hot air blowing portion 21, the cover member 22, the other heating roll 31 located downstream of the heating roll 11, and the other hot air blowing portion 41 that blows the hot air to the heating roll 31. And another cover member 42 covering the heating roll 31. The configurations of the heating roll 11, the hot air blowout portion 41 and the cover member 42 are the same as the configurations of the heating roll 11, the hot air blowout portion 21 and the cover member 22.

The heating roll 11 and the heating roll 31 are not in contact with each other, and convey the non-woven fabric 1 between the outer peripheral surface 11 a of the heating roll 11 and the outer peripheral surface 31 a of the heating roll 31 without conveying it. The heating roll 11 and the heating roll 31 are disposed at predetermined intervals such that the rotation axes A1 and A2 are parallel to each other. Therefore, the heating rolls 11 and 31 are rotated in opposite directions around the respective rotation axes A1 and A2, and the nonwoven fabric 1 held by the heating roll 11 is appropriately tensioned in the conveyance direction MD. 31 and can be transported from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction MD. At this time, it can be seen that the nonwoven fabric 1 is S-shaped on the heating rolls 11 and 31.
In the present embodiment, the heating roller 11 and the heating roller 31 are formed to have the same shape and size, and therefore the outer diameter of the heating roller 11 and the outer diameter of the heating roller 31 are equal to each other. Furthermore, the relationship between the rotational speeds (or peripheral speeds) of the heating roll 11 and the heating roll 31 is arbitrarily set according to the transport speed of the non-woven fabric 1, the type of fibers, and the positional relation between the heating roll 11 and the heating roll 31. Ru. For example, the rotational speed of the heating roll 31 can be set to about 1 to 1.1 times the rotational speed of the heating roll 11. The heating roll 31 is disposed such that the rotation axis A2 of the heating roll 31 is positioned above the rotation axis A1 of the heating roll 11 in the vertical direction. Thereby, the space in the vertical direction can be effectively used to reduce the space occupied by the manufacturing apparatus 10c in the horizontal direction. In addition, the heat (high temperature air) dissipated from the heating roll 11 can reach the heating roll 31 to suppress the temperature drop of the heating roll 31.

Next, a fourth embodiment of a manufacturing method for manufacturing a bulk-recovered nonwoven fabric will be described with reference to FIG. In the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, as compared with the manufacturing method according to the second embodiment, after performing the spraying process from the second surface 1b side of the nonwoven fabric, the spraying process is further performed from the first surface 1a side of the nonwoven fabric. It differs in the point to do. The differences will be mainly described below.

The first surface 1 a of the nonwoven fabric 1 is covered with the cover member 22 while the second surface 1 b of the nonwoven fabric 1 is sprayed with the hot air of the hot air blowing portion 21 in the first heating step and the blowing step (similar to the second embodiment). The bulk of the non-woven fabric 1 is recovered by heating with the heating roll 11. Thereafter, the position of the downstream end of the heating area 12 is further conveyed through the fourth area 12 d adjacent to the downstream side of the second area 12 b in the heating area 12, which is further conveyed and not covered by the cover member 22. It reaches 14 and is delivered to the heating roll 31. Then, the surface of the non-woven fabric 1 in contact with the outer peripheral surface 31a of the heating roll 31 changes from the first surface 1a to the second surface 1b, and the first surface 1a is exposed.

Subsequently, the next heating step and the blowing step are performed by the heating roll 31 and the hot air blowing portion 41. The heating process and the spraying process in the heating area 32 (including the area 33 from the position 33 to the position 34, the first area 32a, the second area 32b, and the predetermined area 35) in the heating roll 31 are the first heating process and the spraying process described above. The second embodiment is the same as the second embodiment.
Next, the non-woven fabric 1 is conveyed to reach the position 34 which is the downstream end of the heating area 32 and separates from the outer peripheral surface 31 a of the heating roll 31. As a result, although the nonwoven fabric 1 is not heated by the heating roll 31, since the nonwoven fabric 1 is also blown with hot air from the first surface 1a by this stage, substantially sufficient bulk recovery is achieved in the nonwoven fabric 1.

The bulk recovery method is not the same for the bulk recovery by the heating roll and the bulk recovery by the hot air. Therefore, in the state where the first surface 1a of the non-woven fabric 1 is heated by the heating roll 11 and the second surface 1b is heated by the hot air of the hot air blowing portion 21, the uniformity of bulk recovery in the thickness direction of the non-woven fabric 1 is high. There may be room for improvement. Therefore, in the present manufacturing apparatus 10c and the manufacturing method, the nonwoven fabric 1 is wound in an S shape around the heating roll 11 and the heating roll 31 (S-shaped hooking). Then, the first surface 1a of the non-woven fabric 1 is heated by the heating roll 11, and the second surface 1b is heated by the hot air of the hot air blowing portion 21. Then, the second surface 1b of the non-woven fabric 1 is further heated by the heating roll 31. The first surface 1 a is heated by the hot air of the hot air blowing portion 41. That is, both surfaces of the non-woven fabric 1 are heated by heating rolls and heated by the hot air from the hot-air blow-out portion to bulk recover the non-woven fabric 1. Therefore, the bulk recovery state can be made substantially the same for the portion on the first surface 1 a side and the portion on the second surface 1 b side of the nonwoven fabric 1. Thus, the nonwoven fabric can be bulk recovered substantially uniformly in the thickness direction.

In the manufacturing apparatus 10c and the manufacturing method, a cover member 42 is further provided. Therefore, the dissipation of the air in contact with the upper surface of the non-woven fabric 1 can be suppressed by the other cover member 42, whereby the heat for escaping the non-woven fabric by the convection of air can be air in the vicinity of the upper surface of the non-woven fabric. It can be kept inside. As a result, the upper portion of the nonwoven fabric 1 can be maintained at a relatively high temperature. Therefore, the bulk recovery of the non-woven fabric 1 can be advanced more effectively, and the non-woven fabric 1 can be bulk recovered substantially uniformly in the thickness direction.

The manufacturing apparatus 10 c may further include one or more hot air blowout portions (not shown) aligned along the downstream side of the hot air blowout portion 21 and / or the hot air blowout portion 41 although not shown. Therefore, the manufacturing method is performed on the second surface 1 b of the non-woven fabric 1 on the outer peripheral surface 11 a of the heating roll 11 and / or on the first surface 1 a of the non-woven fabric 1 on the outer peripheral surface 31 a of the heating roll 31 You may provide the process of blowing a hot air by a blowing part.
In that case, a plurality of regions of the upper portion of the non-woven fabric 1 where the temperature tends to decrease can be heated to a high temperature by hot air. Therefore, high temperature can be maintained in at least a plurality of regions of the upper portion of the second surface 1b of the nonwoven fabric 1 and / or the upper portion of the first surface 1a.

Although not shown, the manufacturing apparatus 10c may include other cover members on the downstream side of each of the one or more hot air blowout portions in addition to the cover member 22 and / or the cover member 42. Therefore, the manufacturing method may include the step of covering at least a part of the heated region of the nonwoven fabric 1 with the plurality of cover members.
In that case, heat radiation from the second surface 1b and / or the first surface 1a of the non-woven fabric 1 is made more in the area where the application of the hot air from each of the plurality of other hot air blowouts ends (the area where the hot air is not sprayed). It can be suppressed in a wide range. Thereby, the upper part of the second surface 1b and / or the first surface 1a of the non-woven fabric can be maintained at a relatively high temperature to promote the bulk recovery of the non-woven fabric 1 more effectively. Bulk recovery can be made substantially uniform according to the thickness direction.

In the above embodiment, when the hot air of the hot air blow-out portion 41 is blown onto the first surface 1 a of the non-woven fabric 1, the non-woven fabric 1 is wound around the heating roll 31. However, the hot air of the hot air blowing portion 41 may be blown to the first surface 1 a of the non-woven fabric 1 without bringing the non-woven fabric 1 into a state of being wound around the heating roll 31. As the method, for example, when the non-woven fabric 1 is separated from the heating roll 11 and the first surface 1 a of the non-woven fabric 1 is exposed, the second surface 1 b of the non-woven fabric 1 is supported by some jig. There is a method in which the hot air is blown to the surface 1a at the hot air blowing portion.
Also in this case, in the present manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method, since hot air is blown not only to the second surface 1 b of the nonwoven fabric 1 but also to the first surface 1 a, bulk recovery of the nonwoven fabric 1 is substantially uniform in the thickness direction. be able to.

As a preferable mode of each of the above embodiments, the hot air blowing portion (21/41) blows hot air on one surface (the second surface 1b / the first surface 1a) of the nonwoven fabric 1 with the hot air blowing portion (21/41). When heating, the predetermined distance downstream of the position (13/33) at which the other surface (first surface 1a / second surface 1b) of the non-woven fabric 1 starts heating with the heating roll (11/31). Hot air is blown to the side position for heating.
Therefore, hot air can be supplied from the upper side of the non-woven fabric 1 in a state in which the temperature of the lower portion of the non-woven fabric 1 (the heating roll (11/31) side) is high. Since the temperature fall of the hot air in the nonwoven fabric 1 can be suppressed by this, the nonwoven fabric 1 can carry out bulk recovery of the nonwoven fabric 1 more nearly substantially uniformly in the thickness direction.

The configurations or techniques described in the embodiments can be combined with each other as long as no technical contradiction arises. For example, even if a hot air blow-out portion is added, a cover member is added, or one or more types of manufacturing apparatuses of the

manufacturing apparatuses

10, 10a, 10b, and 10c are arranged in series, Good. The bulk recovery of the non-woven fabric progresses as the number of the hot-air blowout portion, the cover member, and the manufacturing apparatus increases, and the non-woven fabric can be bulk-recovered more substantially uniformly in the thickness direction.

For example, the manufacturing apparatuses 10a (FIG. 3) of the two second embodiments can be arranged in series so as to invert the non-woven fabric, to provide the manufacturing apparatus 10c (FIG. 6) of the fourth embodiment. Similarly, the configurations of the manufacturing apparatuses 10b (FIG. 5) of the two third embodiments are arranged in series so as to invert the non-woven fabric, and the manufacturing apparatus of another embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "manufacturing apparatus 10d" (Not shown). The manufacturing apparatus 10d can also be viewed as an apparatus in which two hot air blowout portions are added to the manufacturing apparatus 10c (FIG. 6) of the fourth embodiment. Alternatively, similarly, the configuration of the manufacturing apparatus 10a (FIG. 3) of the second embodiment and the configuration of the manufacturing apparatus 10b (FIG. 5) of the third embodiment may be arranged in series so as to invert the non-woven fabric. A manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, also referred to as "manufacturing apparatus 10e"; not shown) may be used. The manufacturing apparatus 10e can also be viewed as an apparatus in which one hot air blowout unit and one cover member are added to the manufacturing apparatus 10c (FIG. 6) of the fourth embodiment.

In each of the above-described embodiments and the following Examples and Comparative Examples, the basis weight and thickness of the non-woven fabric are measured or calculated by the following method.
(Basic weight of non-woven fabric)
The non-woven fabric is cut into a size of 30 cm × 30 cm, and the mass is measured as a sample. Then, the measured mass is divided by the area of the sample to calculate the basis weight of the sample. Here, a value obtained by averaging the basis weights of ten samples is taken as the basis weight of the example or the comparative example. In addition, the drying process in an atmosphere of 100 ° C. or higher is performed before the measurement.
(Thickness of non-woven fabric)
Thickness of nonwoven fabric before and after bulk recovery under measurement condition of measurement load of 3 g / cm ² using thickness gauge (made by Daiei Kagaku Seiki Mfg. Co., Ltd .: model FS-60DS) equipped with a 15 cm ² measuring element Measure Here, thickness of three places is measured about one sample for measurement, and let an average value of thickness of those three places be a thickness of an example or a comparative example.
(Density of nonwoven fabric)
The fiber density of the nonwoven fabric before and after bulk recovery is calculated by dividing the basis weight of the nonwoven fabric determined by the above method by the thickness of the nonwoven fabric determined by the above method.

In order to confirm the effects of the apparatus and method for manufacturing bulk-restored nonwoven fabric according to the present invention, the bulk recovery is performed without using the nonwoven fabric (example) recovered using the manufacturing apparatus and method according to the present invention. A comparative experiment was conducted to compare the degree of bulk recovery for the nonwoven fabric (comparative example).

(1) Sample As the non-woven fabric before bulk recovery, an air-through non-woven fabric using fibers of core / sheath structure of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) / polyethylene (PE) and having a basis weight of 27 gsm and a thickness of 0.37 mm used.
(1-1) Example 1
The sample of Example 1 is processed using the manufacturing apparatus 10d in which the configurations of the manufacturing apparatus 10b (FIG. 5) of the two third embodiments are arranged in series so as to reverse the nonwoven fabric, and the nonwoven fabric before bulk recovery is processed. And However, the temperature of the heating roll: 110 ° C., the temperature of the hot air at the hot air blowing part: 160 ° C., the flow rate of the hot air at each hot air blowing part: 250 L / min, the total supply of hot air: 1000 L / min (250 L / min × 4 Stand), and the conveyance speed of the nonwoven fabric: 300 m / min.
(1-2) Example 2
The nonwoven fabric before bulk recovery was processed using the manufacturing apparatus 10c (FIG. 6) of the fourth embodiment to obtain a sample of Example 2. However, the temperature of the heating roll, the temperature of the hot air at the hot air blowout portion, the flow rate of the hot air at each hot air blowout portion, and the conveyance speed of the non-woven fabric are the same as in Example 1, and the total supply amount of hot air is 500L / min (250L / min × 2).
(1-3) Example 3
The same as Example 1 except that the conveyance speed of the non-woven fabric was 100 m / min.
(1-4) Example 4
The same as Example 2 except that the conveyance speed of the non-woven fabric was 100 m / min.
(1-5) Comparative Example 1
The non-woven fabric before bulk recovery was used as the sample of Comparative Example 1.
(1-6) Comparative Example 2
The non-woven fabric before bulk recovery was treated using the production apparatus 10 d in a state in which all the cover members were removed, and the sample of Comparative Example 2 was obtained. However, the temperature of hot air at the hot air blowout portion, the flow rate of hot air at each hot air blowout portion, the total supply amount of hot air, and the conveyance speed of the non-woven fabric were the same as in Example 1, and the temperature of the heating roll was 20 ° C.
(1-7) Comparative Example 3
The non-woven fabric before bulk recovery was treated using the manufacturing apparatus 10 d to obtain a sample of Comparative Example 3. However, the temperature of hot air at the hot air blowout portion, the flow rate of hot air at each hot air blowout portion, the total supply amount of hot air, and the conveyance speed of the non-woven fabric were the same as in Example 1, and the temperature of the heating roll was 20 ° C.
(1-8) Comparative Example 4
The nonwoven fabric before bulk recovery was processed using the manufacturing apparatus 10 c to obtain a sample of Comparative Example 4. However, the temperature of the hot air at the hot air blowout part, the flow rate of the hot air at each hot air blowout part, and the conveyance speed of the non-woven fabric are the same as in Example 1, the temperature of the heating roll is 20 ° C., and the total supply of hot air is 500 L / min ( 250 L / min x 2).
(1-9) Comparative Example 5
The nonwoven fabric before bulk recovery was processed using the manufacturing apparatus 10 d to obtain a sample of Comparative Example 4. However, the temperature of the heating roll and the conveyance speed of the non-woven fabric were the same as in Example 1, and the flow rate of the hot air at each hot air blowout portion was 0 L / min (no hot air).

(2) Evaluation of bulk recovery (2-1) Evaluation method The thickness of the non-woven fabric before bulk recovery and the thickness of the samples of Examples 1 to 2 and Comparative Examples 1 to 5 were measured according to the method of measuring the thickness of the non-woven fabric described above. It measured and compared and judged that bulk recovery effect is high, so that thickness was thick. In particular, for samples exceeding a predetermined reference value (exemplified: 0.8 mm in this example), it was judged that bulk recovery was sufficient, and therefore bulk recovery was substantially uniform in the thickness direction.

(2-2) Evaluation Results The evaluation results of Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Examples 1 to 5 are shown in Table 1 below.
As shown in Table 1, the samples of Comparative Examples 2 to 4 were compared based on the nonwoven fabric before bulk recovery of Comparative Example 1. As a result, compared with bulk recovery (thickness: 1.10 times) when using only hot air, bulk recovery (thickness: 1.16 to 1.19 times) when using hot air and a cover member It was found that the thickness was thicker, that is, the effect of bulk recovery was higher. Moreover, the samples of Comparative Examples 3 and 5 were compared based on the nonwoven fabric before bulk recovery of Comparative Example 1. As a result, compared with bulk recovery (thickness: 1.18 times) when using hot air and a cover member, bulk recovery (thickness: 1.62 times) when using a heating roll and a cover member It turned out that thickness became thicker, ie, the effect of bulk recovery was high. In addition, it was found that the heating roll had a higher effect of bulk recovery than hot air. However, the samples of Comparative Examples 2 to 5 did not exceed the predetermined reference value of 0.8 mm in any case. That is, in bulk recovery only by heating with a heating roll or bulk recovery only by heating of hot air, even if a cover member is added, bulk is not sufficiently recovered so as to satisfy a predetermined reference value.

On the other hand, the sample of Example 1 and the sample of Comparative Example 3 were compared on the basis of the nonwoven fabric before bulk recovery of Comparative Example 1. As a result, in the sample of Example 1, bulk recovery was achieved as the thickness was more than twice (2.57 times), while in the sample of Comparative Example 3, the thickness stopped at about 1.19 times. . Similarly, the sample of Example 2 and the sample of Comparative Example 4 were compared based on the nonwoven fabric before bulk recovery of Comparative Example 1. As a result, in the sample of Example 2, bulk recovery was achieved as the thickness was more than doubled (2.41 times), while in the sample of Comparative Example 4, the thickness stopped at about 1.16 times. . Furthermore, the samples of Examples 1 and 2 and the sample of Comparative Example 5 were compared based on the nonwoven fabric before bulk recovery of Comparative Example 1. As a result, in the samples of Examples 1 and 2, bulk recovery is achieved as the thickness exceeds 2 times (2.57, 2.41 times), while in the sample of Comparative Example 5, the thickness is 1. It stopped at around 62 times. Therefore, it was found that the method using the hot air and the heating roll is very effective in bulk recovery. In addition, when the transport speed was reduced (Examples 3 and 4), the degree of bulk recovery was further improved (3.97 times, 3.68 times), and it was found to be more effective. And since the samples of Examples 1 to 4 exceeded the predetermined reference value (0.8 mm), they were sufficiently recovered in bulk, and thus it was judged that the bulk difference was recovered substantially uniformly in the thickness direction. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Non-woven fabric 1a 1st surface 1b 2nd surface 11 heating roll 11a outer peripheral surface 21 hot air blowout part MD conveyance direction

Claims

By heating a non-woven fabric having a longitudinal direction, a width direction, and a thickness direction and having a first surface which is one surface in the thickness direction and a second surface which is the other surface, bulk recovery is performed. A method of manufacturing the recovered non-woven fabric, comprising
Heating the first surface of the non-woven fabric which is wound such that the first surface is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the heating roll while being conveyed in the conveying direction along the longitudinal direction;
A blowing step of blowing and heating hot air to the second surface in a hot air blowout section in a region where the first surface is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the heating roll and is heated among the non-woven fabric;
Equipped with
Production method.
The spraying step is
A covering step of covering at least a part of a region of the non-woven fabric heated by the heating roll by a cover member disposed downstream of the hot air blowout portion in the transport direction;
The method according to claim 1.
The spraying step is
Blowing a hot air onto the second surface of the non-woven fabric in the area heated by the heating roll, the plurality of hot air blow-out sections including the hot air blow-out section being aligned in the transport direction;
The method according to claim 1.
The plurality of hot air blowout parts have different characteristics of the hot air to be blown from each other,
The method according to claim 3.
The spraying step is
Another covering step of covering at least a part of a region of the non-woven fabric heated by the heating roll by a plurality of cover members disposed on the downstream side of the transport direction in each of the plurality of hot air blowout portions Including
The manufacturing method of Claim 3 or 4.
After the spraying step, another blowing step of blowing hot air at another hot air blowing portion onto the first surface in the area heated by the heating roller in the nonwoven fabric is provided.
The manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
In the non-woven fabric wound so that the second surface is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of another heating roll positioned downstream of the heating roll in the transport direction, the second in the area heated by the heating roll The method further comprises another heating step of heating the surface with the other heating roll,
Said other spraying process is
A step of blowing hot air onto the first surface at the other hot air blow-out portion to heat the first non-woven fabric in a region where the second surface is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the other heating roll and is heated. including,
The manufacturing method of Claim 6.
Said other spraying process is
Another covering step covering at least a part of the area heated by the other heating roll of the non-woven fabric by the other cover member disposed downstream of the other hot air blowout portion in the conveying direction including,
The method according to claim 7.
The spraying step is
Hot air is applied to the first surface of the non-woven fabric in the area heated by the other heating roller, at a plurality of other hot air blowout portions including the other hot air blowout portions aligned in the transport direction. Spraying process,
At least a part of the area heated by the other heating roll of the non-woven fabric by the plurality of other cover members disposed on the downstream side of the transport direction in each of the plurality of other hot air blowout portions Including a covering step
The method according to claim 7.
When hot air is blown to the non-woven fabric at a hot air blow-out portion, the hot air is blown to a position downstream of the position at which the non-woven fabric and the heating roll start to contact with each other.
The manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
The non-woven fabric bulk-recovered by heating a non-woven fabric having a longitudinal direction, a width direction, and a thickness direction, and having a first surface which is one surface in the thickness direction and a second surface which is the other surface. Manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing
A heating roll, and a hot air blow-out portion provided opposite to the outer peripheral surface of the heating roll;
Equipped with
When recovering the bulk of the non-woven fabric,
The heating roll heats the first surface of the non-woven fabric wound so that the first surface is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the heating roll while being transported in the transport direction along the longitudinal direction.
The hot air blowing portion blows and heats the second surface in a region of the non-woven fabric in which the first surface is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the heating roll and is heated.
manufacturing device.