Sheet manufacturing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9890005-B2
Application number	US-201615353937-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2016
Priority date	Mar 7, 2014
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

A sheet manufacturing apparatus includes a first transport unit, a second transport belt disposed with a part thereof shifted from the first transport unit toward the downstream side in a transport direction of the web, a suction chamber positioned in an inner side of the second transport belt and configured to create suction inside the suction chamber to suck the web onto the second transport belt, and a current plate positioned inside of the suction chamber to adjust an air current. The current plate has a plurality of holes, and is spaced apart from a surface of the second transport belt such that the air current is diffused between the current plate and the surface of the second transport belt to achieve a uniform suction force in a width direction of the second transport belt.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet manufacturing apparatus that forms a sheet using a web, the apparatus comprising:
an accumulation unit configured to accumulate the web containing at least a fiber on a first transport belt;
a first transport unit configured to cause the first transport belt to circle around so as to transport the web;
a second transport belt that is spaced from the first transport unit in a perpendicular direction perpendicular to a surface of the web, and is disposed with a part thereof shifted from the first transport unit toward a downstream side in a transport direction of the web;
a suction unit positioned on an outer side of the second transport belt in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the web;
a suction chamber positioned in an inner side of the second transport belt which circles around the suction chamber, the suction unit being configured to create suction inside the suction chamber to suck the web onto the second transport belt; and
a current plate positioned inside of the suction chamber to adjust an air current, the current plate having a plurality of holes,
the current plate being spaced apart from a surface of the second transport belt such that the air current is diffused between the current plate and the surface of the second transport belt, and the holes on a side closer to the suction unit having 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, to achieve a uniform suction force in a width direction of the second transport belt.

2. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the current plate is disposed parallel to the surface of the second transport belt.

3. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
at least one hole of the holes on the side closer to the suction unit is smaller in size than at least one hole of the holes on the side farther from the suction unit.

4. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the holes on the side closer to the suction unit have a greater center-to-center distance of the holes adjacent to each other in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the web along the surface of the web than the holes on the side farther from the suction unit.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Higuchi Naotaka
• Fujita Shigeo

Classifications

• B65H2301/44735

  suction belt · CPC title

• B65H2406/322

  Suction distributing means · CPC title

• 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

• D21F1/526

  consisting of endless moving belts · CPC title

• B65H2406/351

  facing the surface of the handled material · CPC title