Defibrating apparatus and fiber body manufacturing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023036674-A1
Application number	US-202217814846-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 26, 2022
Priority date	Jul 28, 2021
Publication date	Feb 2, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A defibrating apparatus includes: a defibrating chamber; a discharge path that communicates with the defibrating chamber, and receives the defibrated material discharged from the defibrating chamber; a discharge pipe that discharges the defibrated material through the discharge path; a discharge section that interconnects the discharge path and the discharge pipe; a circular annular screen that defines the defibrating chamber; housings having an outer circumferential wall provided at an interval from the screen, configured to form the discharge path; and a plurality of through-holes provided in the screen, the plurality of through-holes interconnecting the defibrating chamber and the discharge path. The discharge section is provided in the outer circumferential wall, and opened toward the screen.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A defibrating apparatus comprising:
a rotational body rotatable around a center at an axis of a rotational shaft; a defibrating chamber that stores the rotational body which when rotated, causes a defibrated material to be formed from a raw material containing fibers; a supply pipe that supplies the raw material to the defibrating chamber; a discharge path that communicates with the defibrating chamber and receives the defibrated material discharged from the defibrating chamber; a discharge pipe that receives an applied negative pressure to discharge the defibrated material through the discharge path; a discharge section that interconnects the discharge path and the discharge pipe; a circular annular wall that is provided at an interval from the rotational body in a radial direction of the rotational body, and that defines the defibrating chamber; a housing that forms the discharge path by surrounding an outside of the annular wall in a circumferential direction; a plurality of through-holes provided in the annular wall, the plurality of through-holes interconnecting the defibrating chamber and the discharge path; an outer circumferential wall in an annular shape, the outer circumferential wall being included in the housing and provided at an interval from the annular wall in the radial direction, wherein the discharge section is provided in the outer circumferential wall, and opened toward the annular wall.

2 . The defibrating apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the interval between the outer circumferential wall and the annular wall decreases as a distance from the discharge section increases in the circumferential direction of the annular wall.

3 . The defibrating apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of through-holes are distributed in the circumferential direction of the annular wall.

4 . The defibrating apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the rotational body is stored in the defibrating chamber so that the axis intersects a vertical direction, and the discharge section is provided at a lowest position of the outer circumferential wall.

5 . The defibrating apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein a number of communication holes provided per unit area in a region RD is less than the number in a region ERD, where the region RD is a region surrounded by a virtual line segment LD in the annular wall, the virtual line segment LD being a line segment which is perpendicular to the axis and connects the axis and an opening edge of the discharge section, the region ERD is a region other than the region RD in the annular wall, and the communication holes are among the plurality of through-holes having a same shape, and interconnect the defibrating chamber and the discharge path.

6 . The defibrating apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the number of the communication holes provided per unit area in a region RN is greater than the number in a region ERN, where the region RN is a region with a smallest value of the interval between the annular wall and the outer circumferential wall in the annular wall, and the region ERN is a region other than the region RN in the annular wall.

7 . The defibrating apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the region RD is not provided with the communication holes.

8 . The defibrating apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a side wall that defines the defibrating chamber, wherein the side wall includes a supporting unit that supports the rotational shaft, and a supply unit that interconnects the supply pipe and the defibrating chamber, and the supply unit is opened at a position further away from the discharge section than from the axis in the side wall.

9 . A fiber body manufacturing apparatus comprising:
the defibrating apparatus according to claim 1 ; a web former that forms a web by accumulating the defibrated material discharged from the discharge pipe; and a fiber body former that forms a fiber body including the fibers by binding the fibers contained in the web.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Omagari Naoko

Classifications

• D21B1/06 Primary

  by dry methods · CPC title

• D04H1/732

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

• Y02W30/64

  Paper recycling · CPC title