Sheet manufacturing apparatus and defibrating unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9644316-B2
Application number	US-201615219920-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 26, 2016
Priority date	Oct 9, 2013
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

A sheet manufacturing apparatus includes a defibrating unit and a sheet forming unit. The defibrating unit includes a rotating unit and a housing, and is configured to carry out a dry-type defibrating process by rotating the rotating unit. The housing includes a cover portion and a fixing unit attached to the cover portion and spaced apart from the rotating unit in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the rotating unit so as to form a gap between the rotating unit and the fixing unit. The sheet forming unit is configured to form a sheet by accumulating defibrated material. The rotating unit includes a rotor having protruding sections on an outer circumference of the rotor, and a feeding blade arranged on a side section of the rotor on a side of an input section for the defibration object and configured to generate a flow of air.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet manufacturing apparatus comprising:
a defibrating unit including a rotating unit and a housing that relatively rotatably supports the rotating unit, the housing including a cover portion and a fixing unit that is attached to the cover portion and is spaced apart from the rotating unit in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the rotating unit so as to form a gap between the rotating unit and the fixing unit, the defibrating unit being configured to carry out a dry-type defibrating process on defibration object by rotating the rotating unit; and
a sheet forming unit configured to form a sheet by accumulating at least a portion of defibrated material on which the dry-type defibrating process is carried out,
the rotating unit including a rotor that has a plurality of protruding sections on an outer circumference of the rotor, and a feeding blade that is arranged on a side section of the rotor on a side of an input section for the defibration object and configured to generate a flow of air.

2. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the sheet forming unit includes a heating unit configured to heat the defibrated material that has been accumulated.

3. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the sheet forming unit includes a pressurizing unit configured to pressurize the defibrated material that has been accumulated.

4. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the sheet forming unit includes a moisture adding unit configured to add moisture to the defibrated material that has been accumulated.

5. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a first sieving unit configured to screen the defibrated material, the first sieving unit being arranged downstream in a transfer direction of the defibrated material relative to the defibrating unit and upstream in the transfer direction relative to the sheet forming unit, and
a second sieving unit configured to deposit the defibrated material that has been screened at the first sieving unit, the second sieving unit being arranged downstream in the transfer direction relative to the first sieving unit and upstream in the transfer direction relative to the sheet forming unit.

6. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising
a resin supplying unit arranged between the first sieving unit and the second sieving unit in the transfer direction and configured to supply resin to bind the defibrated material to each other.

7. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a resin supplying unit configured to supply resin to the defibrated material that has been dry-defibrated at the defibration unit.

8. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising
a first sieving unit configured to screen the defibrated material, and
a second sieving unit configured to deposit the defibrated material that has been screened at the first sieving unit, wherein
the resin supplying unit is configured to supply the resin to the defibrated material that has been screened at the first sieving unit, and the second sieving unit is configured to deposit the defibrated material and the resin.

9. A defibrating unit configured to carry out a dry-type defibrating process on defibration object by rotating a rotating unit, the defibrating unit comprising:
the rotating unit including a rotor that has a plurality of protruding sections on an outer circumference of the rotor, and a feeding guide that is arranged on a side section of the rotor on a side of an input section for the defibration object and configured to guide the defibration object to the rotor; and
a housing relatively rotatably supporting the rotating unit, the housing including a cover portion and a fixing unit that is attached to the cover portion and is spaced apart from the rotating unit in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the rotating unit so as to form a gap between the rotating unit and the fixing unit.

10. The defibrating unit according to claim 9 , wherein
the feeding guide has a surface extending in a direction intersecting a rotating direction of the rotor.

11. A defibrating unit configured to carry out a dry-type defibrating process on defibration object by rotating a rotating unit, the defibrating unit comprising:
the rotating unit including a rotor that has a plurality of protruding sections on an outer circumference of the rotor, and an air flow generator that is arranged on a side section of the rotor on a side of an input section for the defibration object and configured to generate a flow of air to introduce the defibration object to the rotor; and
a housing relatively rotatably supporting the rotating unit, the housing including a cover portion and a fixing unit that is attached to the cover portion and is spaced apart from the rotating unit in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the rotating unit so as to form a gap between the rotating unit and the fixing unit.

12. The defibrating unit according to claim 11 , wherein
the air flow generator has a surface extending in a direction intersecting a rotating direction of the rotor.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Higuchi Naotaka
• Yamagami Toshiaki
• Abe Nobumasa

Classifications

• D21H17/20

  Macromolecular organic compounds · CPC title

• D21B1/06 Primary

  by dry methods · CPC title

• B02C4/10

  with a roller co-operating with a stationary member · CPC title

• B02C4/286

  Feeding devices · CPC title

• B02C4/30

  Shape or construction of rollers · CPC title