Fiber structure manufacturing apparatus and fiber structure manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11746469-B2
Application number	US-202117331708-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 27, 2021
Priority date	May 29, 2020
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

A fiber structure manufacturing apparatus that includes: a defibration unit that pulverizes and defibrates a raw sheet material that contains fibers; a transportation unit that transports a defibrated material after defibration by the defibration unit; a forming unit that forms a fiber structure from the defibrated material transported by the transportation unit; a temperature acquisition unit that acquires a temperature inside the defibration unit; and a control unit that controls a mass flow of gas that contains the defibrated material transported from the defibration unit in accordance with the temperature acquired by the temperature acquisition unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fiber structure manufacturing apparatus, comprising:
a defibration unit that pulverizes and defibrates a raw sheet material that contains fibers;
a transportation unit that transports a defibrated material after defibration by the defibration unit;
a forming unit that forms a fiber structure from the defibrated material transported by the transportation unit;
a temperature acquisition unit that acquires a temperature inside the defibration unit; and
a control unit that controls a mass flow of gas that contains the defibrated material transported from the defibration unit in accordance with the temperature acquired by the temperature acquisition unit.

2. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit increases the mass flow of the gas that contains the defibrated material transported from the defibration unit when the temperature acquired by the temperature acquisition unit is higher than a predetermined temperature.

3. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the defibration unit includes a rotor that has rotary blades and a stator that has stationary blades and is provided around the rotor, and
the control unit controls a number of revolutions of the rotor.

4. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the forming unit includes a dispersion mechanism that disperses the defibrated material transported by the transportation unit in a gaseous atmosphere, a suction mechanism that sucks the defibrated material dispersed by the dispersion mechanism, and a mesh belt that transports the defibrated material sucked by the suction mechanism, and
the control unit controls a suction force applied by the suction mechanism.

5. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the temperature acquisition unit measures the temperature inside the defibration unit.

6. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein,
based on a measurement value of a temperature at an entrance of the defibration unit and a measurement value of a temperature at an exit of the defibration unit, the temperature acquisition unit acquires the temperature inside the defibration unit.

7. The fiber structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein,
based on a flow rate of the gas at an exit of the defibration unit, the temperature acquisition unit acquires the temperature inside the defibration unit.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Oguchi Yuki

Classifications

• D21B1/08 Primary

  the raw material being waste paper (chemical part D21C5/02); the raw material being rags · CPC title

• B02C7/16

  Driving mechanisms · CPC title

• B02C23/28

  gas moving means being integral with, or attached to, crushing or disintegrating element · CPC title

• B02C25/00

  Control arrangements specially adapted for crushing or disintegrating · CPC title

• D21G1/0253

  Heating or cooling the rolls; Regulating the temperature · CPC title