Fiber manufacturing apparatus and fiber manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11105017-B2
Application number	US-201815902413-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2018
Priority date	Jan 18, 2017
Publication date	Aug 31, 2021
Grant date	Aug 31, 2021

Abstract

In one embodiment, a fiber manufacturing apparatus has a discharge head which discharges a raw material liquid in which a polymer is dissolved in a solvent toward a collector, and a power source which generates a potential difference between the discharge head and the collector. The fiber manufacturing apparatus further has a recovery device, a cleaning device, and a moving device. The recovery device recovers the raw material liquid to be discharged by the discharge head. The cleaning device cleans the discharge head. The moving device moves the discharge head to any position out of a spinning position where the discharge head and the collector are opposite to each other, a recovery position where the discharge head and the recovery device are opposite to each other, and a cleaning position where the discharge head and the cleaning device are opposite to each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fiber manufacturing apparatus, comprising:
a discharge head configured to discharge a raw material liquid in which a polymer is dissolved in a solvent in a discharging direction toward a collector at a spinning position of the discharge head;
a power source configured to generate a potential difference between the discharge head and the collector;
a recovery belt, provided adjacent to the collector and at the same plane as the collector, configured to receive the raw material liquid to be discharged by the discharge head toward the recovery belt at a recovery position of the discharge head; and
an actuator configured to move the discharge head between the spinning position where the discharge head is configured to discharge the raw material liquid toward the collector and the recovery position where the discharge head is configured to discharge the raw material liquid toward the recovery belt, wherein
the recovery belt and a tip of the discharge head are spaced in the discharging direction, and, at the spinning position, the discharge head is positioned between a collector at each side of the discharge head, and at the recovery position, the discharge head is positioned between a recovery belt at each side of the discharge head and between two cleaning members at each side of the discharge head.

2. The fiber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the actuator is-configured to switch the discharge head between the recovery position and the spinning position.

3. The fiber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a cleaner comprising two cleaning members configured to clean the discharge head, and wherein the actuator is configured to move the discharge head to a cleaning position between the two cleaning members.

4. The fiber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the collector and the recovery belt are arranged on a first plane with respect to a movement direction of the discharge head by the actuator.

5. A fiber manufacturing method, comprising:
placing a discharge head at a recovery position facing toward a recovery belt;
discharging a raw material liquid in which a polymer is dissolved in a solvent in a discharging direction from the discharge head toward the recovery belt at the recovery position of the discharge head;
receiving the raw material liquid discharged from the discharge head at the recovery position by the recovery belt;
moving the discharge head from the recovery position to a spinning position facing toward a collector, the collector being at the same plane as the recovery belt; and
receiving the raw material liquid discharged from the discharge head in the discharging direction at the spinning position with the collector, wherein
the recovery belt and a tip of the discharge head are spaced in the discharging direction, and, at the spinning position, the discharge head is positioned between a collector at each side of the discharge head, and at the recovery position, the discharge head is positioned between a recovery belt at each side of the discharge head and between two cleaning members at each side of the discharge head.

6. The fiber manufacturing method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
cleaning the discharge head by placing the discharge head at the recovery position between the two cleaning members.

7. The fiber manufacturing method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
moving the discharge head from the spinning position to the recovery position.

8. The fiber manufacturing method according to claim 5 , wherein:
the discharging the raw material liquid comprises feeding the raw material liquid to the discharge head by rotating a liquid feeding pump in a normal direction; and
the fiber manufacturing method further comprises rotating the liquid feeding pump in a reverse direction reversing to the normal direction after having received the raw material liquid at the spinning position.

9. A fiber manufacturing method, comprising:
placing a discharge head at a spinning position facing toward a collector;
discharging a raw material liquid in which a polymer is dissolved in a solvent in a discharging direction from the discharge head;
receiving the raw material liquid discharged from the discharge head at the spinning position with the collector;
moving the discharge head from the spinning position to a recovery position facing toward a recovery belt, the recovery belt being at the same plane as the collector; and
receiving the raw material liquid discharged from the discharge head at the recovery position toward the recovery belt with the recovery belt, wherein
the recovery belt and a tip of the discharge head are spaced in the discharging direction, and, at the spinning position, the discharge head is positioned between a collector at each side of the discharge head, and at the recovery position, the discharge head is positioned between a recovery belt at each side of the discharge head and between two cleaning members at each side of the discharge head.

10. The fiber manufacturing method according to claim 9 , wherein:
the discharging the raw material liquid comprises feeding the raw material liquid to the discharge head by rotating a liquid feeding pump in a normal direction; and
the fiber manufacturing method further comprises rotating the liquid feeding pump in a reverse direction reversing to the normal direction after having recovered the raw material liquid at the recovery position.

11. The fiber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein:
the actuator is configured to switch the discharge head between the cleaning position and the spinning position.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Sakamoto Shin
• Sakai Satomi
• Ooba Noriyuki

Classifications

• D01D13/02

  Elements of machines in combination · CPC title

• D01D4/04 Primary

  Cleaning spinnerettes or other parts of the spinnerette packs (cleaning in general B08B) · CPC title

• D01D5/0076

  characterised by the collecting device, e.g. drum, wheel, endless belt, plate or grid (D01D5/0046 takes precedence) · CPC title

• D01D5/0061

  characterised by the electro-spinning apparatus · CPC title

• D01D5/0069

  characterised by the spinning section, e.g. capillary tube, protrusion or pin · CPC title