Sheet manufacturing apparatus and sheet manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018237992-A1
Application number	US-201515516496-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 16, 2015
Priority date	Jan 13, 2015
Publication date	Aug 23, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A sheet manufacturing apparatus having a heating/compressing unit configured to form a sheet by heating and compressing material including fiber and resin, the heating/compressing unit including a first rotating body that rotates, and a second rotating body that rotates in contact with the first rotating body, and holding, heating, and compressing material by the first rotating body and the second rotating body; and the sheet manufacturing apparatus including a heating unit that heats the outside surface of at least one of the first rotating body and second rotating body.

First claim

1 . A sheet manufacturing apparatus having a heating/compressing unit configured to heat and compress material including fiber and resin and form a sheet,
the heating/compressing unit including a first rotating body that rotates, and a second rotating body that rotates in contact with the first rotating body, the sheet manufacturing apparatus holding, heating, and compressing the material by the first rotating body and the second rotating body; and comprising a heating unit that heats the outside surface of at least one of the first rotating body and second rotating body.

2 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 1 , wherein:
the first rotating body and second rotating body are rollers; the heating unit is a heat roller with an internal heat source; and the heat roller contacts the outside surface of at least one of the first rotating body and the second rotating body.

3 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 1 , wherein the diameter of the heat roller is smaller than the diameter of the first rotating body or second rotating body that the heat roller contacts.

4 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 1 , wherein there are multiple heat rollers.

5 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 1 , wherein the thermal conductivity of the first rotating body is less than the thermal conductivity of the second rotating body; and
the heating unit heats the outside surface of the first rotating body.

6 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 1 , wherein:
the first rotating body is a belt; and the heating unit heats the outside surface of the first rotating body.

7 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 1 , wherein the temperatures of the first rotating body and the second rotating body are mutually different when forming the sheet.

8 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 1 , wherein the temperature difference of the first rotating body and the second rotating body when forming the sheet is 10° C. or more.

9 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 1 , wherein the hardness of the first rotating body is less than the hardness of the second rotating body.

10 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 2 , wherein the hardness of the first rotating body is less than or equal to the hardness of the second rotating body by 40 points or more on the Asker-C hardness scale.

11 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 1 , wherein the temperature of the first rotating body is greater than the temperature of the second rotating body by 10° C. or more when forming the sheet.

12 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described claim 1 , further comprising:
a control unit for controlling the temperature of the heating unit.

13 . A sheet manufacturing apparatus configured to form a sheet by heating and compressing material containing fiber and resin, comprising:
a roller pair including a first roller and a second roller with greater thermal conductivity than the first roller for holding, heating, and compressing material by the first roller and second roller; a heating unit for heating the outside surface of the first roller; and a control unit for controlling the temperature of the heating unit.

14 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 13 , wherein:
the first roller is a roller including foam rubber; and the second roller is a roller with greater hardness than the first roller.

15 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 12 , wherein:
the control unit controls the temperature of the heating unit so that the surface temperature of the outside surface of the first roller on the upstream side in the material conveyance direction is constant.

16 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 13 , wherein:
the heating unit comprises multiple heat rollers configured to heat the outside surface of the first roller; and the control unit controls the temperature of one of the multiple heat rollers.

17 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 16 , wherein:
the heat roller that is temperature-controlled by the control unit is a roller located close to the position where material is nipped in the direction of rotation of the first roller.

18 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 15 , further comprising:
a detection unit that detects the surface temperature of the outside surface of the first roller; the control unit controlling the temperature of the heat roller based on an average temperature of the surface temperatures of the outside surface of the first roller detected by the detection unit during a specific period of time.

19 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 15 , wherein:
the control unit determines the target temperature of the heat roller based on the target temperature of the outside surface of the first roller, and the difference between the current temperature of the heat roller and the current temperature of the outside surface of the first roller.

20 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 15 , wherein:
the control unit determines the heat of the heat roller based on the difference between the target temperature and the current temperature of the outside surface of the first roller.

21 . The sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 15 , wherein:
the control unit determines the target temperature of the heat roller based on the last target temperature of the heat roller, and the difference between the target temperature and the current temperature of the first roller.

22 . A sheet manufacturing method that uses a sheet manufacturing apparatus described in claim 15 , and comprises:
a step of controlling the temperature of the heating unit so that the surface temperature of the outside surface of the first roller on the upstream side in the material conveyance direction is constant; and a step of holding, heating, and compressing material by the first roller and the second roller.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Nagai Yoshiyuki
• Tanaka Hiroshi

Classifications

• D04H1/732

  by fluid current, e.g. air-lay · CPC title

• D04H1/60

  the bonding agent being applied in dry state, e.g. thermo-activatable agents in solid or molten state, and heat being applied subsequently · CPC title

• D21G1/028 Primary

  using electrical means · CPC title

• D06C15/02

  between co-operating press or calender rolls · CPC title

• D21G1/0286

  Regulating the axial or circumferential temperature profile of the roll · CPC title