Method, apparatus, and system for production of a stretched film

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9316773-B2
Application number	US-201214385207-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2012
Priority date	Mar 19, 2012
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

In a stretching zone (Z 2 ) included in a plurality of zones for performing temperature control for heating or cooling of a film, the plurality of zones being arranged in the conveyance direction of the film, the film is stretched in a direction tilted in relation to the width direction of the film. The film is heated by a heating unit ( 11 ) having a heating region (H) positioned facing the conveyed film and positioned along a direction intersecting at an intersection angle φ with the conveyance direction in the plane of the film, in at least one zone including the stretching zone (Z 2 ) and positioned further downstream in the conveyance direction from the stretching zone (Z 2 ). At this time the intersection angle φ of the heating region (H) is adjusted in accordance with the orientation direction of the film stretched in the stretching zone (Z 2 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for production of a stretched film, involving stretching a film in a direction oblique to a width direction in a stretching zone included in a plurality of zones arranged in a film transport direction where temperature control is performed to heat or cool the film,
the method comprising:
a heating step of heating the film by a heating portion having a heating region, the heating region being located in at least one of the stretching zone and any zone located on a downstream side thereof with respect to a transport direction so as
to face the film being transported and in addition
to extend along a direction intersecting the transport direction at an intersection angle φ in a plane of the film; and

an adjusting step of adjusting the intersection angle φ of the heating region according to an orientation direction of the film stretched in the stretching zone.

2. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in the adjusting step, the intersection angle φ of the heating region is adjusted such that the orientation direction of the stretched film is substantially parallel to the intersection direction of the heating region with respect to the film transport direction.

3. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in the adjusting step, the intersection angle φ of the heating region is adjusted in a fashion coordinated with movement, in accordance with the orientation direction of the stretched film, of a partition wall having a gap through which the film can pass and provided between the zone where the heating portion is arranged and a zone on an upstream side of said zone.

4. The method according to claim 3 ,
wherein the partition wall moves substantially parallel to the orientation direction of the stretched film.

5. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in the stretching zone, both end portions of the film in the width direction are held by respective holding members, the film is transported while the holding members are moved, and the film transport direction is changed meanwhile, so that the film is stretched in the direction oblique to the width direction.

6. The method according to claim 5 ,
wherein, in the stretching zone, the film is obliquely stretched while the film is transported at a speed of 15 m/min. to 150 m/min.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the intersection angle φ of the heating region is measured relative to a width direction of the film in a plane of the film.

8. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the heating region of the heating portion is formed by arranging at least one stick-form lamp heater such that a longitudinal direction thereof runs along a direction intersecting the film transport direction at an intersection angle φ, and the adjusting step includes adjusting the intersection angle φ of the longitudinal direction of the at least one stick-form lamp heater.

9. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the heating region of the heating portion is formed by arranging a plurality of stick-form lamp heaters parallel to one another such that a longitudinal direction thereof runs along the film transport direction and in addition that a direction of a line through ends of at least two of the lamp heaters runs along a direction intersecting the film transport direction at an intersection angle φ, and the adjusting step includes adjusting the intersection angle φ of the longitudinal direction of the at least two of the lamp heaters.

10. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the heating region of the heating portion is formed by arranging a panel heater such that a side edge thereof runs along a direction intersecting the film transport direction at an intersection angle φ, and the adjusting step includes adjusting the intersection angle φ of the side edge of the panel heater.

11. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the heating portion comprises:
a punched plate nozzle in which a plurality of blowout holes are formed two-dimensionally to blow out hot air therethrough; and
a wind shield plate having an opening extending in one direction, the wind shield plate being provided on a blowout-hole side of the punched plate nozzle so as to shield, in a region other than the opening, part of the hot air blown out through the plurality of blowout holes, and
wherein the heating region is formed by arranging the wind shield plate such that the one direction in which the opening extends runs along a direction intersecting the film transport direction at an intersection angle φ, and the adjusting step includes adjusting the intersection angle φ of the one direction in which the opening extends.

12. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the heating portion comprises:
a slit nozzle in which a single blowout hole is formed to blow out hot air therethrough; and
a wind shield plate having an opening extending in one direction, the wind shield plate being provided on a blowout-hole side of the slit nozzle so as to shield, in a region other than the opening, part of the hot air blown out through the blowout hole, and
wherein the heating region is formed by arranging the wind shield plate such that the one direction in which the opening extends runs along a direction intersecting the film transport direction at an intersection angle φ, and the adjusting step includes adjusting the intersection angle φ of the one direction in which the opening extends.

13. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the heating portion comprises a slit nozzle having as the heating region a slit extending in one direction so as to heat the film by blowing out hot air through the slit, and
wherein the slit nozzle is arranged such that the one direction in which the slit extends runs along a direction intersecting the film transport direction at an intersection angle φ, and the adjusting step includes adjusting the intersection angle φ of the one direction in which the slit extends.

Assignees

• Inagaki Shinji
• Hojo Daisuke
• Hatakeyama Shimpei
• Ueno Daisuke
• Nanbu Hiroshi
• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Inagaki Shinji
• Hojo Daisuke
• Hatakeyama Shimpei
• Ueno Daisuke
• Nanbu Hiroshi

Classifications

• B29C55/12 Primary

  biaxial · CPC title

• B29K2001/08

  Cellulose derivatives · CPC title

• B29L2007/008

  Wide strips, e.g. films, webs · CPC title

• B29K2023/38

  Polymers of cycloalkenes, e.g. norbornene or cyclopentene · CPC title

• G02B5/3083 Primary

  Birefringent or phase retarding elements (G02B5/3008, G02B5/3016 take precedence; systems for polarisation control G02B27/286; manufacturing phase modulating patterns by lithographic processes G03F7/001) · CPC title