Sheet manufacturing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9637860-B2
Application number	US-201514678494-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 3, 2015
Priority date	Apr 9, 2014
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

A sheet manufacturing apparatus includes a defibrating unit configured to defibrate a stock material including fibers, a screening unit configured to allow a defibrated material that has been defibrated at the defibrating unit to pass through a plurality of openings, and a forming unit configured to form a sheet by using a passed material that has passed through the openings. The screening unit has a sieve unit having the openings, and a transferring unit that is located below the sieve unit and with which the cross-sectional area of an internal space in a horizontal direction decreases going downward.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet manufacturing apparatus comprising:
a defibrating unit configured to defibrate a stock material including fibers;
a screening unit including
a housing,
a sieve unit having a plurality of openings configured to allow passage of a defibrated material that has been defibrated at the defibrating unit, the sieve unit having a drum-shape and being rotatably supported by the housing,
a transferring unit located in a first direction relative to the housing and the sieve unit and configured to transfer a passed material that has passed through the openings, the transferring unit having an inner surface that defines an internal space in which the passed material is transferred, a cross-sectional area of the internal space in a second direction decreasing as being apart from the housing in the first direction, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction and the axial direction of rotation of the sieve unit, and
a blowing unit configured to blow air into the internal space of the transferring unit, the blowing unit having an air outlet located closer to the housing unit than a middle section in the first direction of the transferring unit; and

a forming unit configured to form a sheet by using the passed material that has been transferred by the transferring unit.

2. The sheet manufacturing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
the blowing unit is configured to blow the air such that the air generates an air flow that swirls through the internal space of the transferring unit.

3. The sheet manufacturing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
the screening unit has a plurality of blowing units configured to blow the air into the internal space of the transferring unit.

4. The sheet manufacturing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
the housing unit covers the sieve unit such that the openings are included in an interior thereof,
a size of a cross-section of the internal space of an upper side end in the first direction in the transferring unit is greater than a size of a cross-section of an internal space of a lower side end in the first direction in the housing unit.

5. The sheet manufacturing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
the transferring unit has a protruding section located further outward than the housing unit in at least the second direction, and an air outlet of the blowing unit is arranged at the protruding section.

6. The sheet manufacturing apparatus as set forth in claim 5 , wherein
the protruding section has a plate shape, contacts the housing, and is arranged between the housing and the transferring unit in the first direction.

7. The sheet manufacturing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
the housing unit includes a plurality of side walls defining an interior portion to accommodate the sieve unit, and includes an opening portion to allow passage of the passed material that has pass through the openings toward the transferring unit, and
a length in the second direction of the opening portion is smaller than a length in the second direction of a portion of the internal space of the transferring unit, and the portion of the internal space is disposed closest to the housing in the first direction.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Miyazawa Kazuma

Classifications

• D21D5/06

  Rotary screen-drums · CPC title

• D21D5/24 Primary

  in cyclones · CPC title

• B27N3/04

  from fibres · CPC title

• B07B1/26

  with additional axial or radial movement of the drum · CPC title