JPH025455B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a plasma density adjusting device capable of changing the plasma density in a device for treating fabric with low-temperature plasma.

Traditionally, industrial fabrics such as woven fabrics, knitted fabrics, and non-woven fabrics are processed continuously, for example, in the process before dyeing, by removing water-repellent impurities attached to the fabric fibers or by making them hydrophilic so that the dye solution can be easily applied to the fabric. There is a scouring process for penetration, and a finishing process after dyeing to impart properties such as flexibility, water repellency, antistatic, antifouling, and water absorption, but both processes were performed in water.

For example, in the scouring process, fabrics containing cotton are coated with an alkaline scouring aid such as caustic soda or soda ash, and then steamed at around 100°C for 20 minutes or more or boiled in an aqueous solution containing alkali and scouring aids to make them water repellent. In order to make the impurities solubilized in water, and then to remove the chemicals adhering to the treated fabric and the solubilized impurities, it was necessary to repeatedly wash the fabric with water and then dry it after washing with water. .

In addition, in the finishing process, it is necessary to apply a finishing agent dissolved or dispersed in water and then pass it through a dryer to evaporate and remove the moisture. was necessary.

However, with such treatment means, the cost of the treatment chemicals is high, a large amount of heat is required to cause the chemicals to react with the fabric, and furthermore, in the case of the scouring process, the residual liquid contained in the treated fabric, Alternatively, a large number of water washers are required to remove impurities and/or deposits, a large amount of water resources are required to be supplied to each of these washers, and a device is required to dispose of the washed waste liquid. Currently, processing of fabrics requires a large amount of water resources, heat energy equipment, etc., which is expensive. Furthermore, since the waste liquid discharged from washing machines inevitably contains chemicals, problems such as waste liquid pollution arise, and the treatment of the waste liquid also requires large equipment costs, personnel costs, etc. However, it lacked economic efficiency, especially in the textile processing industry.

For this reason, it has recently been proposed to treat textile products such as fabrics in a low-temperature plasma atmosphere to obtain, for example, desizing, scouring effects, or finishing effects on the fabrics. (hereinafter simply referred to as plasma) During treatment, if the plasma atmosphere in the fabric transport path in the reactor, that is, the plasma density, is non-uniform, it is natural that the plasma treatment on the fabric will be non-uniform. However, for example, if the plasma atmosphere is uniform with respect to the fabric transfer surface, a phenomenon may occur in which the plasma reactivity at the center in the width direction of the transfer fabric is weakened relative to the edges on both sides. However, when continuous plasma treatment is applied to a fabric in the width direction, there is a problem in that the plasma reaction is uneven in the width direction.

The present invention was made in order to solve such problems, and the plasma atmosphere in the plasma reactor, that is, the plasma density at the center in the width direction of the fabric being transferred in the reactor, is It is an object of the present invention to provide a plasma density adjusting device that can easily adjust the plasma density to be higher than the plasma density acting on the plasma.

The present invention will be explained in detail below based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a reactor capable of continuous treatment, and the reactor 1 has an inlet 3 for continuously introducing the fabric 2 to be subjected to low-temperature plasma treatment into the reactor 1.
A discharge port 4 is provided to continuously discharge the fabric in the reactor 1. Also, this introduction port 3
Although it is possible to continuously insert the fabric into each of the outlet port 4 and the outlet port 4, the inside of the reactor 1 is kept under vacuum (0.1~
10Torr, preferably 0.5 to 2Torr) are provided with sealing mechanisms 5 and 6.
Such sealing mechanisms 5 and 6 can seal the inlet and outlet of the reactor 1 by using a known sealing mechanism developed by the present inventors. Furthermore, inside this reactor 1, a low-temperature plasma treatment mechanism is provided. One of the high-frequency generating electrodes 7 is supplied with high-frequency waves from an oscillator (not shown) installed outside the reactor 1, and the other is connected to the ground electrode 8. Electrode 8 is grounded. The above-mentioned high-frequency generating electrode 7 is formed in a plane with a wire mesh or a porous metal plate, and the ground electrode 8 has a structure as shown in FIG. (The shape may be the opposite shape.)

The earth electrode 8 has a base frame 8 ₁ , and this base frame 8 ₁ is rotatably supported by a support shaft 8 ₂ parallel to the direction of movement of the fabric. On this base frame ₈₁ , a large number of electrode rods ₈₃ each curved into a substantially arcuate shape are arranged at regular intervals in the fabric transport direction. Both ends of each of these electrode rods 8 ₃ are rotatably supported by the base frame 8 ₁ .
Furthermore, a gear ₈₅ that meshes with the screw rod ₈₄ is attached to one end thereof, and by being driven by the screw rod ₈₄ and the pulse motor ₈₆ , each electrode rod ₈₃ is moved simultaneously. It is rotated. Reference numeral ₈₇ is a screw rod that can rotate the base frame ₈₃ about the support shaft ₈₂ , and this screw rod ₈₇ can be rotated by a pulse motor ₈₈ . There is. 9 is a gas nozzle made of an insulating material for blowing out gas toward the entire surface of the high-frequency generating electrode 7; 10 is an intake duct made of an insulating material formed to surround the ground electrode 8; It is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown). Reference numeral 11 denotes a fabric guide roll disposed within the reactor 1, and this guide roll 11 allows the fabric to be transferred into a fabric passage 12 formed between the upper and lower pair of electrodes 7 and 8. .

The above is the configuration of this embodiment.Next, to describe its function, first, a vacuum pump (not shown) is used.
After reducing the pressure in the reactor 1 to a degree of vacuum of 0.5 to 5 Torr, air, oxygen, or other gas is supplied into the reactor 1 from the gas nozzle 9 to reduce the vacuum in the reactor 1. Adjust so that the temperature is approximately 1 Torr. Therefore, a high frequency power source (not shown)
A higher frequency, for example 3.56 MHz, is supplied to the high frequency generation electrode to generate plasma. In the atmosphere of the plasma thus generated and the gas excited by this plasma, that is, the fabric passage 1 between the electrodes 7 and 8.
By moving the fabric 2 into the electrodes 2, low-temperature plasma acts on the fabric 2, making the fabric hydrophilic. However, the plasma density generated between the electrodes 7 and 8 is , is determined by the distance between the electrodes 7 and 8. For example, if you want to increase the plasma density applied to the center of the fabric 2,
If the arcuate electrode rod ₈₃ is rotated by driving the pulse motor ₈₆ and its central portion is brought closer to the other electrodes 7, the plasma reactivity at the central portion in the width direction of the transferred fabric is high and the plasma reactivity is high at the central portion in the width direction. The middle rare processing problem mentioned above can be solved. Furthermore, by rotating the base frame ₈₁ of the electrode 8 using a pulse motor ₈₈ , the plasma density at both edges in the width direction of the fabric can be adjusted, and uniform plasma treatment can be achieved over the entire surface of the fabric. It is achievable. In the drawings of this embodiment, the electrode rod ₈₃ is formed into a pronounced arcuate shape, but in reality, the degree of curvature of this arcuate shape is slightly eccentric, about 1 to several mm.

As described above, the present invention provides a low-temperature plasma processing apparatus equipped with a pair of electrodes spaced apart within a reactor, in which at least one electrode is arranged in a planar manner using a large number of arcuate electrode rods. Furthermore, since each electrode rod is a plasma density adjusting device held rotatably around the rod axis, the width of the fabric to be plasma treated can be adjusted by rotating the electrode rod. It is possible to change the plasma density at the center in the direction, and this has the effect of eliminating the middle-heavy phenomenon of plasma treatment on fabrics.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings all show embodiments of the device according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is an explanatory sectional view of the entire device, and FIG.
The figure is a perspective view of the electrode. 1... Reactor, 2... Fabric, 3... Inlet, 4
... Outlet port, 5, 6 ... Seal mechanism, 7, 8 ...
Electrode, 8 ₁ ... Base frame, 8 ₂ ... Support shaft, 8 ₃ ... Electrode rod, 8 ₄ ... Screw rod, 8 ₅ ... Gear, 8 ₆ , 8 ₈ ...
Pulse motor, 8 ₇ ... Screw rod, 9 ... Gas nozzle, 10 ... Intake duct, 11 ... Guide roll, 12 ... Fabric passage.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a low-temperature plasma processing apparatus equipped with a pair of electrodes spaced apart within a reactor, at least one of the electrodes is constructed by disposing a large number of arcuate electrode rods in a planar manner, and further A plasma density adjusting device characterized in that each electrode rod is held rotatably about the rod axis.