Sheet manufacturing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9617103-B2
Application number	US-201514635092-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2015
Priority date	Mar 7, 2014
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

A sheet manufacturing apparatus includes: a first transport unit that causes a first transport belt to circle around so as to transport a web; and a second transport unit that is disposed with a part thereof shifted from the first transport unit toward the downstream side in a transport direction of the web, sucks the web in a direction in which the web is spaced from the first transport belt, and transports the web. The second transport unit includes a suction chamber which is positioned on an inner side of a second transport belt circling around and of which an inner space is sucked by a suction unit such that the web is adsorbed onto the second transport belt. The suction unit is positioned on the outer side of the second transport belt in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the web along the surface of the web.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet manufacturing apparatus that forms a sheet using a web, the apparatus comprising:
an accumulation unit that accumulates the web containing at least a fiber on a first transport belt;
a first transport unit that causes the first transport belt to circle around so as to transport the web; and
a second transport unit that is spaced from the first transport unit in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the web, is disposed with a part thereof shifted from the first transport unit toward a downstream side in a transport direction of the web, and sucks the web in a direction in which the web is spaced from the first transport belt and transports the web,
the second transport unit including a suction unit that generates a suction force, a second transport belt that circles around, and a suction chamber which is positioned in an inner side of the second transport belt circling around and of which an inner space is sucked by the suction unit, the suction unit creating suction inside the suction chamber to suck the web onto the second transport belt,
the second transport unit having a surface which faces toward the first transport belt and having a plurality of holes arranged on the surface such that each of the holes penetrates from the surface to the inner space in a perpendicular direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the web,
the suction unit being positioned on an outer side of the second transport belt in a suction direction that is orthogonal to the perpendicular direction and that is orthogonal to the transport direction of the web along the surface of the web,
a plurality of pairs of adjacent holes of the holes being arranged on the surface, the adjacent holes being arranged in the suction direction,
a first pair of the adjacent holes having a first center-to-center distance in the suction direction between the first pair, a second pair of the adjacent holes having a second center-to-center distance in the suction direction between the second pair, the first pair being positioned closest to the suction unit among the plurality of the pairs, the second pair being positioned farthest from the suction unit among the plurality of the pairs, the first center-to-center distance being greater than the second center-to-center distance.

2. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the holes on a side closer to the suction unit have a smaller ratio of opening of the holes per unit area on the surface than that of the holes on a side farther from the suction unit.

3. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the plurality of holes are a plurality of holes provided in a current plate disposed in the suction chamber.

4. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the plurality of holes are a plurality of holes disposed in the second transport belt.

5. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the suction chamber includes a plurality of walls defining the inner space, and the walls has two side walls that are arranged opposite to each other in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction along the surface of the web, and at least one of the two side walls has an opening portion that communicates with the suction unit.

6. A sheet manufacturing apparatus that forms a sheet using a web, the apparatus comprising:
an accumulation unit that accumulates the web containing at least a fiber on a first transport belt;
a first transport unit that causes the first transport belt to circle around so as to transport the web; and
a second transport unit that is spaced from the first transport unit in a perpendicular direction, is disposed with a part thereof shifted from the first transport unit toward a downstream side in a transport direction of the web, and sucks the web in a direction in which the web is spaced from the first transport belt and transports the web, the perpendicular direction being perpendicular to the transport direction,
the second transport unit including a suction unit that generates a suction force, a second transport belt that circles around, and a suction chamber which is positioned in an inner side of the second transport belt circling around and of which an inner space is sucked by the suction unit, the suction unit creating suction inside the suction chamber to suck the web onto the second transport belt, and
the second transport unit having a surface which faces toward the first transport belt and having a plurality of holes arranged on the surface such that each of the holes penetrates from the surface to the inner space in the perpendicular direction,
the suction unit being positioned on an outer side of the second transport belt and arranged, relative to the second transport belt, in a suction direction that is orthogonal to the transport direction of the web and that is orthogonal to the perpendicular direction,
a plurality of pairs of adjacent holes of the holes being arranged on the surface, the adjacent holes being arranged in the suction direction,
a first pair of the adjacent holes having a first center-to-center distance in the suction direction between the first pair, a second pair of the adjacent holes having a second center-to-center distance in the suction direction between the second pair, the first pair being positioned closest to the suction unit among the plurality of the pairs, the second pair being positioned farthest from the suction unit among the plurality of the pairs, the first center-to-center distance being greater than the second center-to-center distance.

7. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the suction chamber includes a plurality of walls defining the inner space, and the walls has two side walls that are arranged opposite to each other in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction and the perpendicular direction, and at least one of the two side walls has an opening portion that communicates with the suction unit.

8. A sheet manufacturing apparatus that forms a sheet using a web, the apparatus comprising:
an accumulation unit that accumulates the web containing at least a fiber on a first transport belt;
a first transport unit that causes the first transport belt to circle around so as to transport the web; and
a second transport unit that is spaced from the first transport unit in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the web, is disposed with a part thereof shifted from the first transport unit toward a downstream side in a transport direction of the web, and sucks the web in a direction in which the web is spaced from the first transport belt and transports the web,
the second transport unit including a suction unit that generates a suction force, a second transport belt that circles around, and a suction chamber which is positioned in an inner side of the second transport belt circling around and of which an inner space is sucked by the suction unit, the suction unit creating suction inside the suction chamber to suck the web onto the second transport belt,
the second transport unit having a surface which faces toward the first transport belt and having a plurality of holes arranged on the surface such that each of the holes penetrates from the surface to the inner space in a perpendicular direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the web,
the suction unit being positioned on an outer side of the second transport belt in a suction direction that is orthogonal to the perpendicular direction and that is orthogonal to the transport direction of the web and parallel to the surface of the web,
a plurality of pairs of adjacent holes of the holes being arranged on the surface, the adjacent holes being arrange

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Higuchi Naotaka
• Fujita Shigeo

Classifications

• D01G25/00 Primary

  Lap-forming devices not integral with machines specified above (forming mats or batts of continuous filaments for non-woven fabrics D04H) · CPC title

• B65H2301/44735

  suction belt · CPC title

• B65H20/10 Primary

  by a feed band against which web is held by fluid pressure, e.g. suction or air blast · CPC title

• B65H2406/3223

  details of the openings in the belt, e.g. shape, distribution · CPC title

• D21B1/06 Primary

  by dry methods · CPC title