JP7252157B2 - Fiber ball assembly and method for manufacturing fiber ball assembly - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to manufacturing a fiber ball assembly including a plurality of first fiber balls and a plurality of second fiber balls, and a fiber ball assembly including a plurality of first fiber balls and a plurality of second fiber balls Regarding the method.

BACKGROUND ART Feathers of goose, duck, etc. have a soft texture, are light in weight and excellent in heat retention, and are therefore used as a filling material for winter clothing and winter bedding. However, in recent years, the cost of feathers has risen against the background of a decrease in the supply of feathers and the speculation of feathers. There is also some pressure against the commercial use of feathers from an animal welfare standpoint.

As a substitute for feathers, the development of artificial materials made from chemical fibers is progressing. Examples of the artificial material include board batting, grain batting, tear batting, and the like.
Grain batting, for example, the mixed batting described in Patent Document 1 is a mixed batting composed of two or more types of fibers, and the variation in the blend ratio of the two or more types of fibers obtained from the formula: maximum blend ratio value−minimum blend ratio value is within 10% by mass.

JP 2018-111913 A

In the first place, it is difficult to reproduce the soft feeling of feathers in board batting.
In addition, although the grain filling disclosed in Patent Document 1 is bulkier than the plate filling, there is still room for improvement in providing a feather-like soft texture.
Furthermore, although the torn batting can easily reproduce the soft feel of feathers, it requires a manual process in its manufacture, and there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of manufacture. In addition, tear-off batting requires agitation and tends to cause clogging when an automatic down-filling machine is used, which is problematic from the viewpoint of workability.
Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a fiber ball assembly that has a soft texture and excellent workability.

The present disclosure discloses a fiber ball assembly including a plurality of first fiber balls and a plurality of second fiber balls, wherein the plurality of first fiber balls constitute the plurality of first fiber balls The first fibers contain polytrimethylene terephthalate fibers in an amount of 50% by mass or more, and the plurality of second fiber balls contain polytrimethylene terephthalate fibers as the second fibers constituting the plurality of second fiber balls. Does not contain or contains less than 50% by mass, wherein the plurality of first fiber balls has a smaller average volume than the plurality of second fiber balls, and the first fibers have a shorter average fiber length than the second fibers We have found a fiber ball assembly characterized by having a long length and a small average fiber diameter.

The fiber ball assembly of the present disclosure has a soft feel and excellent workability.

Specifically, the present disclosure relates to the following aspects.
[Aspect 1]
A fiber ball aggregate including a plurality of first fiber balls and a plurality of second fiber balls,
The plurality of first fiber balls contains 50% by mass or more of polytrimethylene terephthalate fiber as the first fibers constituting the plurality of first fiber balls,
wherein the plurality of second fiber balls do not contain polytrimethylene terephthalate fibers or contain less than 50% by mass of polytrimethylene terephthalate fibers as the second fibers constituting the plurality of second fiber balls;
the plurality of first fiber balls having a smaller average volume than the plurality of second fiber balls;
The first fibers have a shorter average fiber length and a smaller average fiber diameter than the second fibers,
The above-mentioned fiber ball assembly, characterized by:

The fiber ball assembly includes a predetermined plurality of first fiber balls and a predetermined plurality of second fiber balls. The first plurality of fiber balls has a smaller average volume than the second plurality of fiber balls, ie, their size is relatively small.

The polytrimethylene terephthalate fiber contained in the plurality of first fiber balls in an amount of 50% by mass or more is a chemical fiber excellent in stretchability, shape stability and flexibility. The plurality of relatively small first fiber balls are likely to enter the gaps between the plurality of relatively large second fiber balls, and the plurality of first fiber balls that have entered the gaps have the elasticity, The fiber ball aggregate including the plurality of first fiber balls and the plurality of second fiber balls has high bulkiness (fill power), exhibiting cushioning properties resulting from shape stability and flexibility. It becomes easier and can exhibit a soft texture close to feathers.

Further, the plurality of first fiber balls enter the gaps between the plurality of second fiber balls, so that the plurality of second fiber balls are easily separated by a predetermined distance, and the plurality of second fiber balls are easily separated. It is easy to suppress the entanglement and agglomeration. As a result, the fiber ball assembly can be easily filled into clothes, bedding, etc. using an automatic down-filling machine, and is excellent in workability.
As described above, the fiber ball assembly has a soft texture and excellent workability.

[Aspect 2]
The fiber ball assembly according to aspect 1, wherein the average fiber length of the first fibers is 20 to 80% of the average fiber length of the second fibers.

In the fiber ball assembly, the average fiber length of the first fibers and the average fiber length of the second fibers have a predetermined relationship. Therefore, the size of the first fiber balls tends to be smaller than the size of the second fiber balls, and the plurality of first fiber balls tends to have a size that easily enters the gaps between the plurality of second fiber balls, The above fiber ball aggregate tends to have a soft texture. In addition, since the first fiber balls are less likely to get entangled with the second fiber balls, the fiber ball aggregate can be easily filled into clothing, bedding, etc. using an automatic down filling machine. Excellent workability.

Furthermore, from the viewpoint of manufacturing the fiber ball aggregate, since the average fiber length of the first fibers and the average fiber length of the second fibers have a predetermined relationship, the first fibers constituting the first fiber balls and the , the second fibers constituting the second fiber balls are filled into the ball machine at the same time, and the first fiber balls and the second fiber balls are easily formed at the same time.

[Aspect 3]
The fiber ball assembly according to aspect 1 or 2, wherein the first fibers have an average fiber length of 10 to 50 mm, and the second fibers have an average fiber length of 40 to 100 mm.

In the fiber ball assembly, the average fiber length of the first fibers and the average fiber length of the second fibers are within a predetermined range. Therefore, the size of the first fiber balls tends to be smaller than the size of the second fiber balls, and the plurality of first fiber balls tends to have a small size that easily enters the gaps between the plurality of second fiber balls. , the above-mentioned fiber ball aggregate tends to have a soft texture.

In addition, since the plurality of first fiber balls are likely to have a small size that easily enters the gaps between the plurality of second fiber balls, the plurality of second fiber balls are likely to be spaced apart by a predetermined distance, The entanglement and agglomeration of the plurality of second fiber balls is likely to be suppressed. As a result, the fiber ball assembly can be easily filled into clothes, bedding, etc. using an automatic down-filling machine, and is excellent in workability.

[Aspect 4]
The fiber ball assembly according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein the average fiber diameter of the first fibers is 20 to 80% of the average fiber diameter of the second fibers.

In the fiber ball assembly, the average fiber diameter of the first fibers and the average fiber diameter of the second fibers have a predetermined relationship. Therefore, the first fiber balls tend to be smaller than the second fiber balls, and the plurality of first fiber balls tend to have a small size that easily enters the gaps between the plurality of second fiber balls. The aggregate tends to have a soft texture. In addition, since the first fiber balls are less likely to get entangled with the second fiber balls, the fiber ball aggregate can be easily filled into clothes, bedding, etc. Excellent in nature.

Furthermore, from the viewpoint of manufacturing a fiber ball aggregate, since the average fiber diameter of the first fibers and the average fiber diameter of the second fibers have a predetermined relationship, the first fibers constituting the plurality of first fiber balls The fibers and the second fibers forming the plurality of second fiber balls are simultaneously filled into the ball machine, thereby facilitating the formation of the first fiber balls and the second fiber balls at the same time.

In addition, since the plurality of first fiber balls are likely to have a small size that easily enters the gaps between the plurality of second fiber balls, the plurality of second fiber balls are likely to be spaced apart by a predetermined distance, The entanglement and agglomeration of the plurality of second fiber balls is likely to be suppressed. As a result, the fiber ball aggregate can be easily filled into clothing, bedding, etc. using an automatic down-filling machine, and the fiber ball aggregate is excellent in workability.

[Aspect 5]
The fiber ball assembly according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of first fiber balls has an average volume of 1/30 to 1/3 of the plurality of second fiber balls.

In the fiber ball assembly, the average volume of the plurality of first fiber balls and the average volume of the plurality of second fiber balls have a predetermined relationship. Therefore, the plurality of first fiber balls can easily enter the gaps between the plurality of second fiber balls, and the fiber ball assembly can easily have a soft texture.

In addition, since the plurality of first fiber balls can easily enter the gaps between the plurality of second fiber balls, the plurality of second fiber balls can be easily separated by a predetermined distance, and the plurality of second fiber balls can be easily separated. It is easy to suppress the balls from entangling with each other and agglomerating. As a result, the fiber ball aggregate can be easily filled into clothing, bedding, etc. using an automatic down-filling machine, and the fiber ball aggregate is excellent in workability.

[Aspect 6]
The plurality of first fiber balls has an average volume of 0.01 (cm ³ /piece) or more and less than 0.50 (cm ³ /piece), and the plurality of second fiber balls has an average volume of 0.50 The fiber ball assembly according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, having an average volume of 2.00 (cm ³ /piece) or more and 2.00 (cm ³ /piece) or less.

In the fiber ball assembly, the average volume of the plurality of first fiber balls and the average volume of the plurality of second fiber balls are within a predetermined range. Therefore, the plurality of first fiber balls can easily enter the gaps between the plurality of second fiber balls, and the fiber ball assembly has a soft texture.

In addition, since the plurality of first fiber balls can easily enter the gaps between the plurality of second fiber balls, the plurality of second fiber balls can be easily separated by a predetermined distance, and the plurality of second fiber balls can be easily separated. It is easy to suppress the balls from entangling with each other and agglomerating. As a result, the fiber ball aggregate can be easily filled into clothing, bedding, etc. using an automatic down-filling machine, and the fiber ball aggregate is excellent in workability.

[Aspect 7]
The average volume of the plurality of first fiber balls: MV ₁ (cm ³ /piece) is given by the following formula:
_MV1 = _V1 / _n1
[V ₁ (cm ³ /g) is the bulkiness (cm ³ /g) of the plurality of first fiber balls, and n ₁ (balls/g) is the number of the plurality of first fiber balls per 1 g. is]
is represented by
The average volume of the plurality of second fiber balls: MV ₂ (cm ³ /piece) is given by the following formula:
_MV2 = _V2 / _n2
[V ₂ (cm ³ /g) is the bulkiness (cm ³ /g) of the plurality of second fiber balls, and n ₁ (balls/g) is the number of the plurality of second fiber balls per 1 g. is]
represented by
The fiber ball assembly according to any one of aspects 1-6.
The fiber ball assembly is excellent in soft texture and workability.

[Aspect 8]
The fiber ball aggregate contains the plurality of first fiber balls and the plurality of second fiber balls at a ratio of 20 to 60 parts by mass and 80 to 40 parts by mass based on a total of 100 parts by mass. The fiber ball assembly according to any one of aspects 1 to 7, comprising:

Since the fiber ball assembly contains the plurality of first fiber balls and the plurality of second fiber balls in a predetermined ratio, the fiber ball assembly is excellent in soft texture and workability.

[Aspect 9]
The fiber ball assembly according to any one of aspects 1 to 8, wherein the fiber ball assembly has a bulkiness of 100 to 400 (cm ³ /g).
The fiber ball assembly has a predetermined bulkiness and a soft texture.

[Aspect 10]
The fiber ball assembly according to any one of aspects 1 to 9, wherein the plurality of second fiber balls contain 50% by mass or more of polyethylene terephthalate fibers as the second fibers.

In the fiber ball assembly, the plurality of second fiber balls contain a predetermined amount of strong and lightweight polyethylene terephthalate fibers as the second fibers. The polyethylene terephthalate fiber is lightweight, has excellent processability, and can exhibit a soft texture, so that the fiber ball assembly has a soft texture and is easy to work with.

In addition, from the viewpoint of manufacturing a fiber ball aggregate, polyethylene terephthalate fibers tend to be easily mixed with other fibers. The first fiber and the second fiber (polyethylene terephthalate fiber) are filled into the ball machine at the same time, and the first fiber ball and the second fiber ball are easily formed at the same time.

[Aspect 11]
A garment comprising the fiber ball assembly according to any one of aspects 1-10.
The clothing has a soft texture.

[Aspect 12]
A bedding comprising the fiber ball aggregate according to any one of aspects 1 to 10.
The bedding has a soft texture.

[Aspect 13]
A method for manufacturing a fiber ball aggregate including a plurality of first fiber balls and a plurality of second fiber balls,
First fibers constituting a plurality of first fiber balls and second fibers constituting a plurality of second fiber balls are simultaneously filled into a ball machine, and the plurality of first fibers are composed of the first fibers. forming a fiber ball and the plurality of second fiber balls composed of second fibers;
The first fiber contains 50% by mass or more of polytrimethylene terephthalate fiber,
the second fibers contain no or less than 50% by weight of polytrimethylene terephthalate fibers;
the plurality of first fiber balls having a smaller average volume than the plurality of second fiber balls;
The first fibers have a shorter average fiber length and a smaller average fiber diameter than the second fibers,
The above manufacturing method, characterized in that:

The above manufacturing method is excellent in manufacturing efficiency because two types of fiber balls (a plurality of first fiber balls and a plurality of second fiber balls) having different fiber configurations and average volumes can be simultaneously formed. In addition, the fiber ball assembly produced by the above method has a soft texture and excellent workability.

The fiber ball assembly of the present disclosure will now be described in detail.
A fiber ball assembly of the present disclosure includes a plurality of first fiber balls and a plurality of second fiber balls.
In this specification, the plurality of first fiber balls and the plurality of second fiber balls may be collectively referred to simply as "fiber balls".

The plurality of first fiber balls contain polytrimethylene terephthalate fibers (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "PTT fibers") as the first fibers constituting the plurality of first fiber balls in an amount of 50% by mass or more, It preferably contains 70% by mass or more, more preferably 80% by mass or more, even more preferably 90% by mass or more, and even more preferably 95% by mass or more. As a result, the plurality of first fiber balls tend to have excellent stretchability, shape stability and flexibility, and the fiber ball aggregate has a soft texture and tends to have excellent workability.
As the first fiber, the upper limit of the PTT fiber is 100% by mass.

The PTT fiber contains preferably 25 mol% or more and 25 mol% or more, more preferably 35 mol% or more and 35 mol% or more, and still more preferably 40 mol% of a terephthalic acid skeleton and a 1,3-propanediol skeleton, respectively. and 40 mol % or more, and even more preferably 45 mol % or more and 45 mol % or more. As a result, the plurality of first fiber balls tend to have excellent stretchability, shape stability and flexibility, and the fiber ball aggregate has a soft texture and tends to have excellent workability. The upper limits of the terephthalic acid skeleton and 1,3-propanediol skeleton in the PTT fiber are 50 mol % and 50 mol %, respectively.

PTT fibers can have other polyhydric carboxylic acid backbones and polyhydric alcohol backbones.
Examples of the polyvalent carboxylic acid skeleton include aliphatic dicarboxylic acid skeletons (e.g., oxalic acid skeleton, adipic acid skeleton, etc.), alicyclic dicarboxylic acid skeletons (cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid skeleton, etc.), aromatic dicarboxylic acid skeletons (isophthalic acid skeleton, etc.), acid skeleton, sodium sulfoisophthalic acid skeleton, etc.).

Examples of the polyhydric alcohol skeleton include aliphatic glycol skeletons (ethylene glycol skeleton, 1,2-propylene glycol skeleton, butylene glycol skeleton, tetramethylene glycol skeleton, etc.), alicyclic glycol skeletons (cyclohexane glycol skeleton, etc.), and the like. is mentioned.
The polyhydric carboxylic acid skeleton and the polyhydric alcohol skeleton are dihydric carboxylic acid and dihydric alcohol, respectively, from the viewpoint that the plurality of first fiber balls tend to be excellent in stretchability, shape stability and flexibility. is preferred.

The plurality of first fiber balls may contain other fibers such as synthetic fibers in addition to PTT fibers as the first fibers. Examples of the synthetic fibers include polyolefin-based polymers such as polyethylene or polypropylene; polyester-based polymers such as terephthalate-based polymers such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate, polypentylene terephthalate; polyamide-based Examples include fibers formed from polymers such as nylon 6 or nylon 6,6; acrylic polymers; polyacrylonitrile polymers; modified products thereof, or combinations thereof.

The plurality of second fiber balls do not contain PTT fibers as the second fibers constituting the plurality of second fiber balls, or contain less than 50% by mass, preferably 40% by mass or less, more preferably less than 40% by mass of PTT fibers. 30% by weight or less, more preferably 20% by weight or less, and even more preferably 10% by weight or less. As a result, the plurality of second fiber balls tend to have a soft texture, and the fiber ball aggregate tends to have a soft texture.

The plurality of second fiber balls preferably contain polyethylene terephthalate fibers (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "PET fibers") as the second fibers in an amount of preferably 50% by mass or more, more preferably 60% by mass or more, more preferably 60% by mass or more. contains at least 70% by weight, even more preferably at least 80% by weight, and even more preferably at least 90% by weight. As a result, the plurality of second fiber balls tend to have a soft texture due to the polyethylene terephthalate fibers, and the fiber ball aggregate tends to have a soft texture.
The upper limit of the PET fibers in the plurality of second fiber balls is 100% by mass.
The plurality of second fiber balls can contain, as the second fibers, other fibers described in the section of the plurality of first fiber balls.

The plurality of first fiber balls are used as the first fibers, and the plurality of second fiber balls are used as the second fibers. fibers (functional fibers) having heat-generating properties, heat-generating properties, light-generating properties, heat-retaining properties, and the like.
Examples of the heat-generating fibers include far-infrared radiating fibers such as Kodenshi (registered trademark) manufactured by Farbest Co., Ltd.
Examples of the heat storage fibers include VOLCALOFT (registered trademark) of Helly Hansen (registered trademark).
Description of other functional fibers is omitted because they are well known.

The plurality of first fiber balls has an average volume smaller than that of the plurality of second fiber balls, and preferably 1/30 to 1/3, more preferably 1/3, of the plurality of second fiber balls. It has an average volume of 20 to 1/6, more preferably 1/15 to 1/8. As a result, the fiber ball aggregate has a soft feel and is easy to work with.

The plurality of first fiber balls is preferably 0.01 (cm ³ /piece) or more, more preferably 0.03 (cm ³ /piece) or more, still more preferably 0.05 (cm ³ /piece) or more, Even more preferably, it has an average volume of 0.07 (cm ³ /piece) or more, and even more preferably 0.08 (cm ³ /piece) or more. Also, the plurality of first fiber balls is preferably less than 0.50 (cm ³ /piece), more preferably 0.40 (cm ³ /piece) or less, still more preferably 0.30 (cm ³ /piece). below, even more preferably 0.20 (cm ³ /piece) or less, and even more preferably 0.15 (cm ³ /piece) or less. As a result, the fiber ball aggregate has a soft feel and is easy to work with.

The plurality of second fiber balls is preferably 0.50 (cm ³ /piece) or more, more preferably 0.70 (cm ³ /piece) or more, still more preferably 0.80 (cm ³ /piece) or more, Even more preferably, it has an average volume of 0.90 (cm ³ /piece) or more, and even more preferably 1.00 (cm ³ /piece) or more. The plurality of second fiber balls is preferably 2.00 (cm ³ /piece) or less, more preferably 1.80 (cm ³ /piece) or less, and still more preferably 1.70 (cm ³ /piece). below, even more preferably 1.60 (cm ³ /piece) or less, and even more preferably 1.50 (cm ³ /piece) or less. As a result, the fiber ball aggregate has a soft feel and is easy to work with.

In this specification, the magnitude of the average volume of the plurality of first fiber balls and the average volume of the plurality of second fiber balls can be determined visually.
As used herein, the value for the average volume of fiber balls is measured as follows.
(1) Bulkiness: V (cm ³ /g) is calculated according to JIS L 1903:2017 "Feather test method", "8.3.2 Volume measurement method".
(2) Calculate the number of fiber balls per 1 g for which the bulkiness (cm ³ /g) was measured: n (pieces/g).
(3) Average volume: MV (cm ³ / piece), the following formula:
MV=V/n
Calculated by

The plurality of first fiber balls can have any bulkiness depending on the application of the fiber ball aggregate of the present disclosure, preferably 70 to 200 (cm ³ /g), more preferably 90 to 180 (cm 3 /g). cm ³ /g), more preferably 110 to 160 (cm ³ /g), and even more preferably 120 to 150 (cm ³ /g). As a result, the fiber ball aggregate has a soft feel and is easy to work with. The method for measuring bulkiness is as described above.

The plurality of second fiber balls can have any bulkiness depending on the application of the fiber ball aggregate of the present disclosure, preferably 100 to 240 (cm ³ /g), more preferably 120 to 220 (cm 3 /g). cm ³ /g), more preferably 140-200 (cm ³ /g), and even more preferably 150-190 (cm ³ /g). As a result, the fiber ball aggregate has a soft feel and is easy to work with.

The fiber ball assembly of the present disclosure can have any bulkiness depending on its use, preferably 100 to 400 (cm ³ /g), more preferably 130 to 350 (cm ³ /g), More preferably, it has a bulkiness of 160 to 300 (cm ³ /g). As a result, the fiber ball aggregate tends to have a soft texture.

The first fibers have a shorter average fiber length than the second fibers. The first fibers preferably have an average fiber length of 10 mm or greater, more preferably 15 mm or greater, even more preferably 20 mm or greater, and even more preferably 25 mm or greater. Also, the first fibers preferably have an average fiber length of 50 mm or less, more preferably 45 mm or less, even more preferably 40 mm or less, and even more preferably 35 mm or less. As a result, the plurality of first fiber balls tend to have a size that allows them to easily enter the gaps between the plurality of second fiber balls, and the fiber ball aggregate tends to have a soft texture.

The second fibers have a longer average fiber length than the first fibers. The second fibers preferably have an average fiber length of 40 mm or greater, more preferably 50 mm or greater, even more preferably 55 mm or greater, and even more preferably 60 mm or greater. Also, the second fibers preferably have an average fiber length of 100 mm or less, more preferably 90 mm or less, even more preferably 80 mm or less, and even more preferably 70 mm or less. As a result, the plurality of first fiber balls tend to have a size that allows them to easily enter the gaps between the plurality of second fiber balls, and the fiber ball aggregate tends to have a soft texture.

The average fiber length of the first fibers is preferably less than 100%, more preferably 20-80%, even more preferably 25-70%, and even more preferably 30-60% of the average fiber length of the second fibers. be. As a result, the plurality of first fiber balls tend to have a size that allows them to easily enter the gaps between the plurality of second fiber balls, and the fiber ball aggregate tends to have a soft texture.

As used herein, the average fiber length of the fiber balls is measured as follows.
(1) From the fiber ball, 100 fibers are arbitrarily extracted, and the fiber length of the 100 fibers is measured according to "A7.1 Measurement of fiber length" in Annex A of JIS L 1015:2010. .1 Method A (standard method) "Method for measuring the length of individual fibers on a graduated glass plate".
(2) A simple average of the fiber lengths of 100 fibers is adopted as the average fiber length.

The first fibers have a smaller average fiber diameter than the second fibers. In addition, the average fiber diameter of the first fibers is preferably less than 100%, more preferably 20 to 80%, even more preferably 25 to 70%, and even more preferably 30 to 60% of the average fiber diameter of the second fibers. is. As a result, the plurality of first fiber balls tend to have a size that allows them to easily enter the gaps between the plurality of second fiber balls, and the fiber ball aggregate tends to have a soft texture.

The size of the average fiber diameter can be visually determined using a microscope or the like when the fiber ball has a single fiber diameter.
When the average fiber diameter is to be measured, for example, when the fiber ball contains a plurality of fiber types having different fiber diameters, the average fiber diameter is obtained by photographing the fiber ball with an electron microscope and randomly selecting from the photographed images. It is measured by measuring the diameter of 100 cellulose nanofibers and averaging them.

The fiber ball assembly preferably comprises 20 to 60 parts by mass and 80 to 40 parts by mass, more preferably 80 to 40 parts by mass, based on 100 parts by mass of the plurality of first fiber balls and the plurality of second fiber balls. is in proportions of 25-55 parts and 75-45 parts by weight, more preferably 30-50 parts and 70-50 parts by weight, and even more preferably 35-45 parts and 65-55 parts by weight. As a result, the fiber ball assembly has a soft feel and is easy to work with.

The fiber ball assembly of the present disclosure is not particularly limited. For example, a plurality of first fiber balls are manufactured using a known ball machine, and a plurality of second fiber balls are manufactured using a known ball machine. After that, it can be formed by mixing a plurality of first fiber balls and a plurality of second fiber balls.

Also, the fiber ball assembly of the present disclosure can be manufactured using the following steps.
- The first fibers constituting the plurality of first fiber balls and the second fibers constituting the plurality of second fiber balls are simultaneously filled into a ball machine, and the plurality of second fibers composed of the first fibers are filled. A step of forming one fiber ball and the plurality of second fiber balls composed of second fibers (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "forming step")

The first fibers contain 50% by mass or more of PTT fibers, the second fibers contain no or less than 50% by mass of PTT fibers, and the plurality of first fiber balls comprise the plurality of first fibers. Having a smaller average volume than the two-fiber balls, the first fibers have a shorter average fiber length and a smaller average fiber diameter than the second fibers.

The forming step can be performed, for example, using a ball machine known in the art, such as HAI JIN MACHINERY, Changsh Hitec Machinery, and the like.

The forming step, for example, partially conforms to the method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-178304. The two fibers can be laminated onto the feed lattice to form a laminate, and the laminate fed to a baller to form a plurality of first fiber balls and a plurality of second fiber balls.

The first fibers forming the plurality of first fiber balls have a shorter average fiber length and a smaller average fiber diameter than the second fibers forming the plurality of second fiber balls. A plurality of first fiber balls, which are difficult to mix with the two fibers and are composed of the first fibers, and a plurality of second fiber balls, which are composed of the second fibers, are formed.

First fibers can include fibers listed herein, specifically PTT fibers, as well as other fibers. In that case, the other fibers preferably have an average fiber length of 80-120%, and more preferably 90-110% of the PTT fibers and preferably 80-120%, and more preferably 90-110% of the PTT fibers. It is preferred to have an average fiber diameter of 110%. This makes it easier to simultaneously form the plurality of first fiber balls and the plurality of second fiber balls.

Second fibers can include fibers listed herein, such as PET fibers, as well as other fibers. In that case, the other fibers are preferably 80-120%, and more preferably 90-110% of the average fiber length of the PET fibers and preferably 80-120%, and more preferably 90-110% of the PET fibers. It is preferred to have an average fiber diameter of 110%. This makes it easier to simultaneously form the plurality of first fiber balls and the plurality of second fiber balls.

The fiber ball assembly of the present disclosure can be used without particular limitation in fields where feathers are used as substitutes for feathers, such as clothing (for example, clothes, shoes, etc.), bags, bedding, and the like. .
Examples of the clothing include winter clothing (eg, down jackets, coats, mufflers, pants, hats, gloves), sportswear (eg, ski wear, snowboard wear), and the like.
Examples of the bedding include futons, pillows, sleeping bags, lap blankets, and the like.

The present disclosure will be described below using examples, but the present disclosure is not limited to these examples.
[Example 1]
First fibers forming a plurality of first fiber balls and second fibers forming a plurality of second fiber balls were prepared as follows.
<First fiber>
Composition: Polytrimethylene terephthalate (containing 50 mol% and 50 mol% of terephthalic acid skeleton and 1,3-propanediol skeleton, respectively)
Fiber length: 30mm
Fineness: 3.3dtex

<Second fiber>
Composition: polyethylene terephthalate (containing 50 mol% and 50 mol% of terephthalic acid skeleton and ethylene glycol skeleton, respectively)
Fiber length: 64mm
Fineness: 7.0dtex

A ball machine manufactured by HAI JIN MACHINERY is charged with the laminate of the first fiber and the second fiber to form a plurality of first fiber ball Nos. 1 and a plurality of second fiber balls No. 1; Fiber ball assembly No. 1 including 1 was formed.
Fiber ball assembly no. The bulkiness of No. 1 is shown in Table 1.

Fiber ball assembly no. 1 to a plurality of first fiber ball Nos. 1 and a plurality of second fiber balls No. 1; 1 and their bulkiness and average volume were measured. Table 1 shows the results.

Using an automatic down-filling machine, fiber ball aggregate No. 1 was packed into a jacket of a general shape to form a plurality of jackets, and fiber ball assembly No. 1 was formed. 1 clogging did not occur.
Moreover, the formed jacket had a texture similar to that of a down-filled jacket.

Claims (12)

A fiber ball aggregate including a plurality of first fiber balls and a plurality of second fiber balls,
The plurality of first fiber balls contain 50% by mass or more of polytrimethylene terephthalate fiber as the first fibers constituting the plurality of first fiber balls,
wherein the plurality of second fiber balls do not contain polytrimethylene terephthalate fibers or contain less than 50% by mass of polytrimethylene terephthalate fibers as the second fibers constituting the plurality of second fiber balls;
The plurality of first fiber balls have an average volume of 1/30 to 1/3 of the plurality of second fiber balls,
The first fibers have a shorter average fiber length and a smaller average fiber diameter than the second fibers,
The fiber ball assembly, characterized by: 2. The fiber ball assembly according to claim 1, wherein the average fiber length of the first fibers is 20-80% of the average fiber length of the second fibers. 3. The fiber ball assembly according to claim 1, wherein the average fiber length of the first fibers is 10-50 mm, and the average fiber length of the second fibers is 40-100 mm. The fiber ball assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the average fiber diameter of the first fibers is 20-80% of the average fiber diameter of the second fibers. The plurality of first fiber balls has an average volume of 0.01 (cm ³ /piece) or more and less than 0.50 (cm ³ /piece), and the plurality of second fiber balls has an average volume of 0.50 The fiber ball assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , having an average volume of 2.00 (cm ³ /piece) or more and 2.00 (cm ³ /piece) or less. The average volume of the plurality of first fiber balls: MV ₁ (cm ³ /piece) is given by the following formula:
_MV1 = _V1 / _n1
[V ₁ (cm ³ /g) is the bulkiness (cm ³ /g) of the plurality of first fiber balls, and n ₁ (balls/g) is the number of the plurality of first fiber balls per 1 g. is]
is represented by
The average volume of the plurality of second fiber balls: MV ₂ (cm ³ /piece) is given by the following formula:
_MV2 = _V2 / _n2
[V ₂ (cm ³ /g) is the bulkiness (cm ³ /g) of the plurality of second fiber balls, and n ₁ (balls/g) is the number of the plurality of second fiber balls per 1 g. is]
represented by
The fiber ball assembly according to any one of claims 1-5 . The fiber ball aggregate contains the plurality of first fiber balls and the plurality of second fiber balls at a ratio of 20 to 60 parts by mass and 80 to 40 parts by mass based on a total of 100 parts by mass. The fiber ball assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , comprising The fiber ball assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein said fiber ball assembly has a bulkiness of 100 to 400 (cm ³ /g). The fiber ball assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the plurality of second fiber balls contain polyethylene terephthalate fibers in an amount of 50 mass% or more as the second fibers. A garment comprising the fiber ball assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9 . A bedding comprising the fiber ball assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9 . A method for manufacturing a fiber ball aggregate including a plurality of first fiber balls and a plurality of second fiber balls,
First fibers constituting a plurality of first fiber balls and second fibers constituting a plurality of second fiber balls are charged into a ball machine at the same time, and the plurality of first fibers are composed of the first fibers. forming a fiber ball and the plurality of second fiber balls composed of second fibers;
The first fiber contains 50% by mass or more of polytrimethylene terephthalate fiber,
the second fibers contain no or less than 50% by weight of polytrimethylene terephthalate fibers;
The plurality of first fiber balls have an average volume of 1/30 to 1/3 of the plurality of second fiber balls,
The first fibers have a shorter average fiber length and a smaller average fiber diameter than the second fibers,
The manufacturing method, characterized in that: