JPH0892860A - Nonwoven manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To obtain a spunbonded non-woven fabric having a uniform formation with little curling. [Structure] A traction device that applies a high-speed air stream to draw and thin continuous long fibers, collects thinned and further opened long fibers at a collection position to form a nonwoven web, and transfers the web. A non-woven fabric manufacturing apparatus comprising a breathable conveyer, a suction device disposed below the conveyer, and a device for thermocompression bonding the nonwoven web transferred by the conveyer, the upper surface being a perforated plate, both sides A rectifying device having a flat surface and having an angle adjusting mechanism capable of adjusting an inflow angle of air flowing toward the nonwoven web through the perforated plate is provided so as to surround the nonwoven web at a position corresponding to the suction device. An apparatus for manufacturing a non-woven fabric, which is provided near and above the breathable conveyor.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing a nonwoven fabric such as a spunbonded nonwoven fabric. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus for producing a spunbonded non-woven fabric having a uniform formation with little curling.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a method for producing a spunbonded nonwoven fabric, (a) a traction device for applying a high-speed air stream to a continuous long fiber bundle formed by melt-spinning a thermoplastic resin and concentrating it,
(B) A device that applies the same charge to the thinned long fiber bundles and opens the fibers by utilizing the repulsive force between the long fibers. (C) Collects the opened fibers at the collection position. An air permeable conveyor such as a wire mesh conveyor for forming the fibrous web and transferring the web, (d) a suction device arranged below the conveyor, and (e) a non-woven fabric transferred by the air permeable conveyor. Devices have been used that include a device for thermocompressing a woven web to secure the long fibers together. According to this apparatus, since a series of steps from fiber formation to non-woven fabric production can be performed continuously, it has advantages such as low production cost and high production speed, and thus its demand is increasing in recent years. However, it cannot be said that the quality of the obtained non-woven fabric is sufficiently satisfactory, and it is an important subject to obtain a technique for uniform formation.

When continuous filaments are thinned and drawn by a high-speed air-flow pulling device and ejected to be deposited on a collecting surface to obtain a nonwoven web, when the production speed is increased, the nonwoven web on the wire mesh conveyor is formed. As the wire mesh conveyor moves, the non-woven web is curled up because it easily rocks, and it is not possible to obtain a non-woven fabric with a uniform texture. FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings shows an example of a typical burl, in which burr 13 is formed in the upper layer 11 of the nonwoven webs 11, 12 deposited in the upper and lower two layers.

Here, it is considered that when the non-woven web on the wire net conveyor is sucked by the suction device provided at the lower part of the wire net conveyor, the non-woven web adheres to the wire net and no curling occurs. However, if the suction force is small, the non-woven web swings easily, causing blistering.On the other hand, if the suction force is large, excess air around the wire mesh conveyor is also sucked, which causes turbulent airflow, which eventually results. , It is difficult to prevent burr completely. Further, the non-woven web and the wire mesh are likely to come into close contact with each other, and when the non-woven web is separated from the wire mesh conveyor, the non-woven web is peeled off due to being caught on the collecting surface.

As a method of eliminating such inconvenience,
A method of rectifying the air flow around the non-woven web stacking surface by installing a rectifying device on the breathable conveyor has been considered. That is, a traction device that applies a high-speed air stream to draw and thin continuous long fibers, collects thinned and further opened long fibers at a collection position to form a nonwoven web, and transfers the web. A non-woven fabric manufacturing device comprising an air-permeable conveyor, a suction device arranged below the conveyor, and a device for thermocompression bonding the nonwoven web transferred by the conveyor, wherein the upper surface is a perforated plate and both side surfaces are The applicant of the present invention has proposed a non-woven fabric manufacturing apparatus in which a straightening device composed of a flat plate is provided on a breathable conveyor so as to enclose a nonwoven web at a position corresponding to a suction device. (Japanese Patent Application No. 6-087930) This device is a very effective device for preventing blistering up to 120 m / min. However, when the speed exceeds 120 m / min, the effect gradually decreases. I understood.

[0006]

In view of the above situation, an object of the present invention is to provide a non-woven fabric having a uniform formation with little curling even when the speed of the nonwoven web transfer conveyor exceeds 120 m / min. It is to provide a manufacturing apparatus capable of advantageously obtaining

[0007]

The inflow angle of the inflowing air passing through the above-mentioned straightening device and reaching the nonwoven web is 90 ° with respect to the traveling direction of the breathable conveyor, but the speed of the conveyor is almost the same. Up to 120 m / min, non-woven webs rarely curl up. The conveyor speed is 120 m /
As the resistance of the inflowing air increased and the occurrence of blistering increased more and more, the inventors of the present invention, as a result of diligent studies, used a mechanism capable of adjusting the inflowing angle of the inflowing air of the rectifier, It has been found that by making the angle θ formed by the air direction and the traveling direction of the conveyor smaller than 90 °, it becomes possible to manufacture a non-woven fabric with less curling even when the conveyor speed is 120 m / min or more.

The point of the present invention is to install a rectifying device on the breathable conveyor to rectify the air flow around the nonwoven web stacking surface. That is, according to the present invention, a traction device that applies a high-speed air stream to draw and thin continuous long fibers, and collects the thinned and further opened long fibers at a collection position to form a nonwoven web. A non-woven fabric manufacturing apparatus comprising a breathable conveyor for transferring the web, a suction device arranged under the conveyor, and a device for thermocompression bonding the nonwoven web transferred by the conveyor, the upper surface of which is Perforated plate, both sides of which are flat plates, and a rectifying device with an angle adjustment mechanism that can change the angle θ of the inflowing air flow is installed on the breathable conveyor so that the nonwoven web at the position corresponding to the suction device can be inserted. A non-woven fabric manufacturing apparatus is provided.

A non-woven fabric manufacturing apparatus provided with the rectifying device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus for producing a non-woven fabric equipped with a rectifying device of the present invention, which comprises a high-speed air flow traction device 2 for drawing and thinning continuous fibers 1, a thinned and further opened fiber. The fibers are collected at the collecting position 3 to form a non-woven web, and a breathable conveyor 4 such as a wire mesh conveyor for transferring the non-woven web, a suction device 5 arranged below the breathable conveyor 4, an upper surface Is composed of a perforated plate 6 having a suitable thickness l1 and a large number of apertures such as a so-called honeycomb, and a flat plate 7 having heights l2 on both sides and an angle adjusting mechanism 14 for changing the angle θ of the perforated plate 6. And a thermocompression device 9 such as a heating roll for thermocompression-bonding the non-woven web transferred to the breathable conveyor 4 to fix the long fibers to each other. An outline of the angle adjusting mechanism 14 of the rectifying device 8 is shown in FIG. The air inflow angle θ is
It refers to the angle formed by the perpendicular drawn from the upper end of the rectifying device and the air inflow direction.

The essential point of the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is that a rectifying device 8 having a porous plate 6 on the upper surface, flat surfaces 7 on both side surfaces, and an angle adjusting mechanism 14 is provided above the conveyor 4 corresponding to the suction device 5. It is located close to and above the breathable conveyor to surround the nonwoven web being transferred. By installing such a rectifying device 8, the air flow around the non-woven web stacking surface is rectified, and by adjusting the rectifying angle θ even at a conveyor speed of 120 m / min or more, curling of the web is prevented, and the web is uniformly distributed. It is possible to obtain a non-woven fabric 10 having a different texture.

The material of the flat plate used for the side surface of the rectifying device is not limited as long as the side surface can be completely sealed. However, for example, it is preferable to use a transparent material because the nonwoven web on the wire mesh conveyor can be observed.

In the present invention, the shape and material of the perforated plate 6 used for the upper surface of the rectifying device are not particularly limited. For example, the shape of the aperture may be circular, quadrangular, hexagonal, etc., and the material may be any shape that does not deform.
Moreover, the cross-sectional area of the size of each opening is 50 to 500 mm.
² is preferable. If the cross-sectional area exceeds 500 mm ² , the flow regulating effect of the air flow that is rectified from directly above the nonwoven web and descends is remarkably reduced. On the other hand, if the cross-sectional area is less than 50 mm ² , the resistance of the air passing through the openings increases, and turbulence occurs at the open portion of the rectifying device, that is, the inlet of the nonwoven web, causing the nonwoven web to swing. However, burr is likely to occur.
In addition, it is not preferable that the aperture ratio of the perforated plate is extremely large.

The thickness l1 of the perforated plate 6 is 10 to 200.
mm is preferable. When the thickness exceeds 200 mm, the resistance when the air passes through the perforated plate increases as in the case where the cross-sectional area is small, and a turbulent air flow is generated at the open portion of the rectifying device, that is, the sheet inlet, so that the nonwoven web is formed. It swings easily and blisters easily. On the contrary, if the thickness l1 is less than 10 mm, the rectifying effect is remarkably small, and a turbulent air flow enters from above the non-woven web by the suction device at the lower part of the wire netting conveyor, causing blistering. The height of the flat plate 7 on both sides, that is,
The installation height 12 of the perforated plate is preferably 400 mm or less. It is particularly preferably 300 mm or less. If the height l2 exceeds 400 mm, the airflow rectified by the honeycomb is disturbed in the rectification device, which is not preferable. Lower edge of flat plate 7 and conveyor 4
It is preferable to be as close as possible to the upper surface of.

Further, the air inflow angle θ by the angle adjusting mechanism 14 of the rectifying device 8 may be 0 ° when the speed of the wire mesh conveyor is 120 m / min or less, and even if it is intentionally adjusted, it is almost effective in reducing the burr. Absent. However, when the speed of the wire mesh conveyor exceeds 120 m / min, the burr decreases when the air inflow angle is given. It is effective to increase the air inflow angle in proportion to the speed increase of the wire mesh conveyor.
On the other hand, if it is more than °, the burr may increase. Therefore, it is preferable to appropriately select the angle of 0 ° to 45 ° according to the speed of the wire mesh conveyor. The individual honeycombs forming the porous plate are not fixed to each other, and the individual honeycombs have a structure in which they slide with each other, and the honeycombs are held by steel wires or the like stretched between the frames on both sides. The steel wire and the like are fixed to an upper frame 15 and a lower frame 16 which hold a honeycomb, and both ends of the upper frame and the lower frame are constituted by side frames 17 made of the same material. The lower frame 16 is fixed to the flat plate 7. When changing the air inflow angle, the air inflow angle θ can be adjusted by appropriately tilting the upper frame 15 toward the upstream side of the conveyor. That is, the air inflow angle is adjusted by changing the shape of the quadrangle formed by the upper frame 15, the lower frame 16, and the side frame 17 from a rectangle to a parallelogram by moving the upper frame 15 to the upstream side of the conveyor.

[0015]

EXAMPLE A concrete example of the nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described below. Example 1 Using a nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus as shown in FIG. 1, a spun bond nonwoven fabric was manufactured using polypropylene resin as a raw material.
This non-woven fabric manufacturing apparatus is arranged below an extrusion nozzle of a polypropylene resin melt-extruding apparatus, and draws a continuous long fiber 1 by a high-speed air flow to draw and thin the continuous long fiber 1. A wire mesh conveyor for accumulating at the collecting position to form a non-woven web, and a suction device closely arranged below the wire mesh conveyor, and a roll for thermocompressing the non-woven web transferred by the wire mesh conveyor. It consists of

In the non-woven fabric manufacturing apparatus, further, the width is slightly larger than the width of the wire mesh conveyor so that it surrounds the periphery of the non-woven web randomly deposited on the collecting surface, and the length is an opened continuous length. A straightening device was installed that extends from the collection position where the fibers land on the wire mesh conveyor to the vicinity of the point where they are thermocompression bonded by the heating roll. Both sides of this rectifying device are covered with acrylic plates, and the upper surface has a square opening shape, the material is aluminum, the cross-sectional area of each opening is 200 mm 2, and the thickness 11 is 50.
mm honeycomb. This honeycomb was installed so as to be located at l2 = 200 mm from the wire mesh conveyor. The rectification angle θ of the angle adjusting mechanism 14 was set to 0 °. A non-woven web with a basis weight of 24 g / m2 is passed on a wire mesh conveyor that moves at a speed of 100 m / min in this straightening device, and then the upper stage is a hot embossing roll and the lower stage is a smooth roll. The spunbonded nonwoven fabric was manufactured by crimping with a crimping treatment device.

Example 2 A spunbonded nonwoven fabric was produced under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the speed of the wire mesh conveyor was 150 m / min.

Example 3 A spunbonded nonwoven fabric was manufactured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the speed of the wire mesh conveyor was 150 m / min and the air inflow angle θ was 30 °.

Example 4 A spunbonded non-woven fabric was produced under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the speed of the wire mesh conveyor was 180 m / min. (Air inflow angle θ = 0 °)

Example 5 A spunbonded nonwoven fabric was produced under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the speed of the wire mesh conveyor was 180 m / min and the air inflow angle θ was 30 °.

Example 6 A spunbonded nonwoven fabric was manufactured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the speed of the wire mesh conveyor was 180 m / min and the air inflow angle θ was 40 °.

Comparative Example 1 A spunbonded non-woven fabric was produced under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the straightening device was not installed on the wire mesh conveyor. The number of blisters per 1000 m was measured for the spunbonded nonwoven fabrics obtained in Examples 1 to 6 and Comparative Example 1, and this was repeated 10 times to obtain the average value. Table 1 shows the results.

[0023]

[Table 1]

As is clear from the above results, Examples 1 to 1
The spunbonded non-woven fabric obtained in No. 6 was a non-woven fabric having less blisters and a uniform texture as compared with the comparative example.
In Examples 3, 5 and 6, as a result of adjusting the angle of the rectifier,
Furthermore, the burr has decreased. On the other hand, the spunbonded non-woven fabric obtained in Comparative Example 1 was a non-woven fabric having a large amount of curl without the effect of rectifying the air flow around the nonwoven web deposition surface.

[0025]

Industrial Applicability According to the present invention, when continuous filaments are thinned and drawn by a high-speed air flow traction device and ejected and deposited on a collecting surface to obtain a nonwoven web, a honeycomb is formed on the upper surface and a flat plate is formed on the side surface. A rectifying device composed of and is installed on the wire mesh conveyor so as to surround the periphery of the non-woven web randomly collected on the collecting surface, and at the time of high speed operation by providing an angle adjusting mechanism to the rectifying device. The air flow around the non-woven web deposition surface is rectified, and the spunbonded non-woven fabric thus obtained has the effect of producing a non-woven fabric having a uniform texture and less curling.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a non-woven fabric manufacturing process of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a phenomenon in which a nonwoven web is rolled up.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an angle adjusting mechanism of the rectifying device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Continuous Long Fiber 2 High Speed Traction Device 3 Long Fiber Collection Position 4 Breathable Conveyor 5 Suction Device 6 Perforated Plate 7 Flat Plate 8 Straightening Device 9 Thermocompression Bonding Device 10 Nonwoven Fabric 11 Upper Nonwoven Web 12 Lower Nonwoven Web 13 Web Burl 14 Angle adjustment mechanism 15 Upper frame 16 Lower frame 17 Side frame

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A traction device for drawing and thinning continuous long fibers by applying a high-speed air flow, thinned and further opened long fibers are accumulated at a collecting position to form a nonwoven web, and the web is formed. A non-woven fabric manufacturing apparatus comprising an air-permeable conveyor for transporting a non-woven fabric, a suction device arranged under the conveyor, and a device for thermocompression bonding the nonwoven web transported by the conveyor, the upper surface of which is a perforated plate. , A rectifying device whose both sides are formed of flat plates is provided above and adjacent to the breathable conveyor so as to surround the non-woven web at a position corresponding to the suction device, and goes toward the non-woven web through the perforated plate. An apparatus for manufacturing a non-woven fabric, comprising an angle adjusting mechanism capable of adjusting an inflow angle of inflowing air.