JP7518768B2 - Optical film edge cutting and separation device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an edge cutting and separation device for optical films. Specifically, the device cuts unnecessary edges at both widthwise ends of an optical film with a cutting section, and then separates the cut unnecessary edges from the optical film body to be used in the next process, making it possible to recover the unnecessary edges.

An optical film manufacturing apparatus is an apparatus for manufacturing optical films such as polarizing films. The optical film manufacturing apparatus pulls out a long optical film from a roll-shaped wound body and performs various processes on this optical film as necessary. Taking a polarizing film manufacturing apparatus as an example, generally, as shown in FIG. 1, the polarizer raw material GF sent out from the pay-out roll OR is first cut off at both ends in the width direction by a cutting section (for example, a pay-out cutter jig) not shown, leaving the polarizer body to be used as a product. The polarizer body is subjected to a predetermined process in each of the tanks A to E. In the swelling tank A, for example, the polarizer body is immersed in a pure water bath to be washed and swelled, and in the dyeing tank B, for example, the polarizer body is immersed in a bath containing a dichroic substance such as iodine to adsorb the dichroic substance. Next, in the crosslinking bath C, for example, the polarizer body is crosslinked by immersing it in a bath containing a crosslinking agent, and in the stretching bath D, for example, the polarizer body is stretched to a desired total stretch ratio while being immersed in a bath containing boric acid. Finally, in the cleaning bath E, for example, the polarizer body is immersed in a water washing bath to wash away unnecessary residues such as boric acid that have adhered in the previous treatment. Thereafter, a protective film HF is bonded to the polarizer body via a UV adhesive, and the UV adhesive is cured by UV irradiation. Finally, a surface protective film SF is bonded to the upper protective film HF to form a polarizing film PO, which is then taken up on a take-up roll MR.

When manufacturing long optical film products, the edges at both ends of the width of the original optical film (the polarizer in the above example) are often misshapen or damaged, making them unusable as a product. For this reason, as described above, the unusable edges at both ends of the width of the original optical film are cut from the optical film body by a cutting section. The unnecessary cut edges are collected and discarded.

Conventionally, devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example, are known as edge cutting and separation devices that cut the edges of an optical film to separate it from the optical film body.

As shown in FIG. 33 of Patent Document 1, the apparatus (500) described in Patent Document 1 cuts a long optical film with cutting blades (503a) to (503d), and then separates the cut films using different guide rollers.
However, in the device of Patent Document 1, the cut films are separated using different guide rollers, so the tension applied to each film is different, and there is a risk that the transport of the film after cutting will be unstable. In particular, optical films are thin films, so even a slight difference in tension will cause the film to flutter and become unstable. As a result, there is a risk that one film adjacent to the other in the width direction will ride up on the other film and the two films will stick to each other.

Furthermore, in the device (200) described in Patent Document 2, tension rolls (230), (240) provided upstream and downstream of the cutters (250), (260) which are the cutting sections provide sufficient tension to the optical film (10) so that the optical film (10) can be easily cut at the cutting sections (250), (260).

Furthermore, in the device described in Patent Document 2, both the film body and the unwanted edge portion are hung on a tension roll (240) located downstream of the cutting sections (250), (260).

However, in the device described in Patent Document 2, the tension is not cut on the upstream and downstream sides of the tension roll, so there is a risk that the film body will not be stable after cutting. Also, since the tension roll (i.e., one roll) is configured to apply tension to the film body and the unnecessary edge, the film body and the unnecessary edge can only be guided downward. Therefore, it is not possible to design a pass line such that one of the film body and the unnecessary edge is guided upward and the other is guided downward, which reduces the design freedom of the pass line.
In addition, the reference numerals of the members described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 used in the above description are shown in parentheses to distinguish them from the reference numerals used in the embodiments of the present invention described later.

JP 2012-073576 A JP 2012-131208 A

The present invention has been devised in consideration of the current state of the conventional optical film edge cutting and separation devices described above, and aims to provide an optical film edge cutting and separation device that can stably transport the optical film body after cutting off unnecessary edges at both widthwise ends of a long optical film, and that can improve the design freedom of the path line.

The optical film edge cutting and separation device of the present invention has a cutting section that cuts unnecessary edges at both widthwise ends of a long optical film to separate an optical film main body and the unnecessary edges, and a pair of nip rollers that are arranged downstream of the cutting section and pinch both the optical film main body and the unnecessary edges, and after the optical film main body and the unnecessary edges pass through the nip rollers, the optical film main body and the unnecessary edges are separated, the pair of nip rollers being composed of a drive side nip roller and a driven side nip roller, the optical film main body is hung on one of the drive side nip roller and the driven side nip roller, and the unnecessary edges are hung on the other of the drive side nip roller and the driven side nip roller.
According to the present invention, after the unnecessary edge portion is cut at the cutting section, both the optical film body and the unnecessary edge portion are sandwiched between nip rollers, and then the unnecessary edge portion is separated from the optical film body. Therefore, by separating the unnecessary edge portion after passing through the nip rollers, the tension of the unnecessary edge portion and the tension of the optical film body can be made the same between the cutting section and the nip rollers, and the transport of the film can be stabilized. In other words, since the tension is cut by the nip rollers, the transport of the film between the cutting section and the nip rollers can be stabilized even if the optical film body and the unnecessary edge portion are separated after passing through the nip rollers.
Furthermore, since the optical film body and the unnecessary edge portion after passing through the nip rollers can be guided in desired directions, the degree of freedom in designing the pass line can be improved.

In addition, in the optical film edge cutting and separating device of the present invention, the pair of nip rollers is composed of a drive side nip roller and a driven side nip roller, the optical film main body is hung on one of the drive side nip roller and the driven side nip roller, and the unnecessary edge is hung on the other of the drive side nip roller and the driven side nip roller.
According to the present invention , the optical film body is hung on one of the drive side nip roller and the driven side nip roller, and the unnecessary edge portion is hung on the other of the drive side nip roller and the driven side nip roller, so that the optical film body and the unnecessary edge portion can be transported in different directions, which makes it easier to further improve the design freedom of the path line after passing through the nip rollers.

More preferably, the optical film body is hooked over the driven nip roller and the unwanted edge is hooked over the driven nip roller.
According to the above preferred configuration, the optical film body is hung on the drive side nip roller and the unnecessary edge portion is hung on the driven side nip roller, so that the optical film body and the unnecessary edge portion can be transported in different directions, which makes it easier to further improve the design freedom of the path line after passing through the nip rollers.

More preferably, the unnecessary edge is guided downwards.
According to the above-mentioned preferred configuration, the unnecessary edge portion is hooked on the driven nip roller and guided downward, so that the unnecessary edge portion can fall naturally. As a result, a guide roller or the like for collecting the unnecessary edge portion is not required, and the unnecessary edge portion can be collected at low cost.

Preferably, the optical film further includes a guide member for guiding the unnecessary edge portion outward in the width direction of the optical film.
According to the above-mentioned preferred configuration, a guide member is provided for guiding the unnecessary edge portion to the outside in the width direction of the optical film, so that the unnecessary edge portion can be cut off to the outside in the width direction of the optical film and discarded. Therefore, even when the optical film is transported below the nip rollers, for example, the unnecessary edge portion cut off can be guided to a trash can or the like without coming into contact with the surrounding optical film or the like.

Preferably, the optical film is a polarizer. Even if the optical film is thin like a polarizer, flutters, and is difficult to transport stably, the transport of the optical film body can be stabilized after the unnecessary edges are cut off.

According to the present invention, after unnecessary edges are cut off at the cutting section, the transport of the film can be stabilized, and the design freedom of the path line can be improved.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a flow for producing a polarizing film from an original polarizer sheet. 1 is a side perspective view showing an edge cutting and separating device for an optical film according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front view showing an edge cutting and separating device for an optical film according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a side view showing a schematic diagram of the edge cutting and separating device for an optical film according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3. FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the optical film edge cutting and separating device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the specific configuration of the present invention is not limited to the structure shown in the embodiment, and the present invention includes design changes that do not deviate from the gist of the invention.

Using Figures 2 to 4, we will explain an optical film edge cutting and separating device that cuts and separates an optical film body and unnecessary edges at both widthwise ends thereof in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 2 to 4 are a side perspective view, a front view, and a schematic side view of an optical film edge cutting and separating device for cutting and separating an optical film body and unnecessary edges at both widthwise ends thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the manufacture of optical films, the unusable edges (also called ears) at both ends of the optical film in the width direction cannot be used in the product, so the unnecessary edges at both ends of the optical film in the width direction are cut off at the cutting section. After cutting, the unnecessary edges are collected and discarded. In this embodiment, this cutting process is performed, for example, before the swelling bath A in the series of steps shown in Figure 1.

(Cutting part)
2 to 4, a roll of optical film 10 is unwound from a film roller in the film transport direction. A cutting section 100 is provided in the optical film transport path, and unnecessary edge portions at both widthwise ends of the optical film that cannot be used in products are cut off.

Specifically, the cutting unit 100 is equipped with two cutters 110, 120. These cutters 110, 120 are each provided at a position a predetermined distance inward from the outer edge of the width direction of the optical film 10. In Figures 2 and 4, the cutters 110, 120 are provided below the optical film 10, but they may be provided above the optical film 10. The blades of the cutters 110, 120 come into contact with the optical film 10, so that as the optical film 10 is transported, the unnecessary portions from the outer edge in the width direction to a predetermined distance inward are cut off by the blades of the cutters 110, 120.

The cutters 110 and 120 can be any type capable of cutting optical films, and commercially available cutters may be used.

Due to the above-mentioned configuration of the cutting portion 100, areas of a predetermined width at both ends of the optical film 10 in the width direction are cut off as unnecessary edge portions 30.

(Guide roller)
A plurality of guide rollers 210, 220 are provided downstream in the film transport direction of the cutting section 100. The guide rollers 210, 220 guide both the cut optical film body 20 and the unnecessary edge portion 30 along the film transport direction to a pair of nip rollers 310, 320.

(Nip roller)
A pair of nip rollers 310, 320 are provided downstream of the guide rollers 210, 220 in the film transport direction. The pair of nip rollers 310, 320 is composed of a drive nip roller 310 and a driven nip roller 320. The drive nip roller 310 is a roller that is rotated by a drive motor or the like, and is arranged, for example, upstream of the driven nip roller 320 in the film transport direction. The driven nip roller 320 is a free roller that rotates following the drive nip roller 310, and is arranged downstream of the drive nip roller 310 in the film transport direction. However, the arrangement positions of the drive nip roller 310 and the driven nip roller 320 may be reversed, or the drive nip roller and the driven nip roller may be arranged so as to be perpendicular to the film transport direction (up and down in FIG. 4 ).

The nip rollers 310, 320 are arranged to sandwich both the optical film body 20 and the unnecessary edge portion 30 that have been conveyed by the guide rollers 210, 220 after the unnecessary edge portion 30 has been cut off by the cutters 110, 120. Then, after passing through the nip rollers 310, 320, the optical film body 20 and the unnecessary edge portion 30 are conveyed in different directions. As a result, the unnecessary edge portion 30 is separated from the optical film body 20.

After the unnecessary edge portion 30 is cut off from the optical film 10, the remaining portion becomes the optical film body 20 that is used as a product.

Specifically, the optical film body 20 can be hung on one of the driving side nip roller 310 and the driven side nip roller 320, and the unnecessary edge portion 30 can be hung on the other of the driving side nip roller 310 and the driven side nip roller 320.

In order to facilitate transport of the optical film body 20 to be used as a product, it is preferable to hang the optical film body 20 on the driving side nip roller 310 and hang the unnecessary edge portion 30 on the driven side nip roller 320.

In this way, after being cut by the cutters 110, 120, the unnecessary edge portion 30 and the optical film body 20 are not immediately separated, but are transported together to the nip rollers 310, 320 downstream in the film transport direction. Therefore, by separating the optical film body 20 from the unnecessary edge portion 30 after passing through the nip rollers 310, 320, the tension of the unnecessary edge portion 30 and the tension of the optical film body 20 can be made the same between the cutters 110, 120 and the nip rollers 310, 320, and transport of the film can be stabilized.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 to 4, the optical film body 20 is guided upward and the unnecessary edge portion 30 is guided downward to separate the two. A guide roller 240 is disposed downstream of the pair of nip rollers 310, 320 in the film transport direction, and only the optical film body 20 is transported downstream in the film transport direction by the guide roller 240. The guide roller 240 is disposed above the pair of nip rollers 310, 320. However, the position at which it is disposed is not limited to this. And, since the unnecessary edge portion 30 is hung on the driven nip roller 320, it falls naturally and is collected in an edge collection section 500 such as a trash can.

Of course, it is not only possible for the unwanted edge portion 30 to fall naturally and be collected in the edge portion recovery section 500, but it is also possible, for example, to wind up the unwanted edge portion 30 onto a roll and then dispose of it.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to guiding the optical film body 20 upward and the unnecessary edge portion 30 downward, and the guiding direction is free as long as the optical film body 20 and the unnecessary edge portion 30 are guided in different directions.

With the above configuration, various pass lines can be selected, and there is a high degree of freedom in designing the pass line after passing through the nip rollers 310, 320.

(Guide member)
A pair of guide members (e.g., PP bands (polypropylene bands)) 410, 420 are installed on a support frame (not shown) that supports the nip rollers 310, 320 at positions below the nip rollers 310, 320 as shown in FIG. 2. The pair of guide members 410, 420 are installed so that the extending direction of the pair of guide members 410, 420 forms an angle (is not parallel) with the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the nip rollers 310, 320. Preferably, the pair of guide members 410, 420 are installed so that the extending direction of the pair of guide members 410, 420 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the nip rollers 310, 320. The guide members 410, 420 are respectively arranged below the nip rollers 310, 320 and arranged at the longitudinal end portions of the nip rollers 310, 320.

The optical film body 20 and the unnecessary edge portion 30 that have passed through the nip rollers 310 and 320 are guided in different directions. The unnecessary edge portion 30 is hooked onto a pair of guide members 410 and 420, respectively, and moves away from the optical film body 20.

The pair of guide members 410, 420 guide the cut unnecessary edge portion 30 to the outside in the width direction of the optical film 10 so that the unnecessary edge portion 30 does not interfere with the surrounding rolls or pass lines when the cut unnecessary edge portion 30 is separated from the optical film body 20. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the unnecessary edge portion 30 separated from the optical film body 20 is guided to the outside in the width direction of the film by the guide members 410, 420. Without the guide members 410, 420, the separated unnecessary edge portion 30 may come into contact with, for example, the original roll roller, the guide roller 230, the optical film 10 transported by the guide roller 230, etc., but the guide members 410, 420 prevent the separated unnecessary edge portion 30 from coming into contact with them.

The PP bands as the guide members 410, 420 can be plate-shaped or thin rod-shaped. The guide members 410, 420 may be made of metal, resin, or the like. The guide members 410, 420 may also be conveying rollers that convey the cut unnecessary edge portion 30, for example.

In this embodiment, the optical film 10 is a polarizer. Specifically, it is a raw film such as a polyvinyl alcohol film. The thickness of the polarizer is 1 to 100 μm, and preferably 1 to 20 μm.

Below, the characteristic functions of the optical film edge cutting and separating device of this embodiment are explained.

2 to 4, the rolled optical film 10 is supported by a film support section (not shown) and unwound in the film transport direction. The optical film 10 is cut by cutters 110 and 120 provided in the cutting section 100 into an optical film main body 20 to be used in a product later and an unnecessary edge portion 30.

Furthermore, both the cut optical film body 20 and the unnecessary edge portion 30 are transported downstream in the film transport direction via multiple guide rollers 210, 220 to nip rollers 310, 320.

The nip rollers 310, 320 sandwich both the transported optical film body 20 and the unnecessary edge portion 30, and hook the optical film body 20 onto the driving side nip roller 310 and hook the unnecessary edge portion 30 onto the driven side nip roller 320, thereby separating the unnecessary edge portion 30 from the optical film body 20, and transporting the optical film body 20 and the unnecessary edge portion 30 downstream.

In this embodiment, the optical film body 20 is guided upward, and the unnecessary edge portion 30 is guided downward to be separated. Furthermore, the unnecessary edge portion 30 is guided to the outside in the width direction of the optical film by the PP bands that are the guide members 410, 420. As a result, the unnecessary edge portion 30 is transported to the outside in the width direction of the optical film and in the direction of natural fall, and is collected in an edge portion recovery section 500 such as a trash can.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and includes various modified examples. For example, the above embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all of the configurations described. It is also possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. It is also possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

The present invention is suitable for use in the production of long optical films.

10 Optical film 20 Optical film body 30 Unnecessary edge portion 100 Cutting portion 110 Cutter (cutting portion)
120 Cutter (cutting part)
210, 220, 230, 240 Guide roller 310 Drive side nip roller (nip roller)
320 driven nip roller (nip roller)
410, 420 Guide member 500 Edge recovery section

Claims (5)

a cutting section for cutting unnecessary edge portions at both widthwise ends of the long optical film to separate an optical film main body and the unnecessary edge portions;
a pair of nip rollers disposed downstream of the cutting portion and nipping both the optical film body and the unnecessary edge portion;
After the optical film body and the unnecessary edge portion have passed through the nip rollers, the optical film body and the unnecessary edge portion are separated ;
The pair of nip rollers is composed of a driving nip roller and a driven nip roller,
the optical film body is hung on one of the driving nip roller and the driven nip roller, and the unwanted edge is hung on the other of the driving nip roller and the driven nip roller;
Edge cutting and separating device for optical films. the optical film body is hung on the driving nip roller and the unwanted edge is hung on the driven nip roller;
The edge cutting and separating device for optical films according to claim 1 . The unnecessary edge is guided downward.
The edge cutting and separating device for optical films according to claim 1 . a guide member for guiding the unnecessary edge portion to the outside in the width direction of the optical film;
The edge cutting and separating device for an optical film according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The optical film is a polarizer.
The edge cutting and separating device for an optical film according to claim 1 .

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