DEFIBRATION DEVICE

The present application is based on, and claims priority from JP Application Serial Number 2023-056448, filed Mar. 30, 2023, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a defibration device.

2. Related Art

A sheet manufacturing device including a coarse crushing section that coarsely crushes waste paper, a defibration section that defibrates small coarsely crushed pieces obtained in the coarse crushing section, an accumulation section that accumulates a defibrated material obtained in the defibration section on a flat surface, a heating and pressing section that heats and presses an accumulated web, a cutting section that cuts a sheet obtained in the heating and pressing section into a predetermined shape, and a sheet collecting section that collects the obtained sheet is known.

For example, a defibration device as described in JP-A-2020-158944 can be used as the defibration section in the sheet manufacturing device. The defibration device in JP-A-2020-158944 includes a casing having a supply port and a discharge port, and a rotating portion that rotates within the casing. The rotating portion includes a diffusion vane that is provided on a side surface of the rotating portion and that diffuses a supplied material, which is the coarsely crushed pieces, and a defibration blade that is provided on the side surface of the rotating portion and that defibrates the diffused material. The material supplied from the supply port is diffused by the diffusion vane and defibrated by the defibration blade.

However, in the defibration device described in JP-A-2020-158944, the material is supplied from the supply port in a direction orthogonal to a rotation axis of the rotation portion, and thus, there is a possibility that the material is transferred, for example, in the form of lumps, toward the defibration blade without being sufficiently diffused by the diffusion vane. In this case, the material may not be able to be satisfactorily defibrated, or it may take a long time to defibrate the material.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a defibration device includes: a casing having a supply port through which small pieces containing fibers are supplied and a discharge port through which defibrated materials of the small pieces are discharged; a rotator rotatably installed in the casing; and a pipe body which is coupled to the supply port and from which the small pieces are ejected into the casing The rotator includes at least one diffusion vane provided at a side portion of the rotator that faces the supply port and diffusing the small pieces ejected from the pipe body, and at least one defibration blade provided on an outer periphery portion of the rotator and defibrating the small pieces, and a pipe axis direction of the pipe body intersects a rotation track of the diffusion vane when the rotator rotates.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a configuration view schematically illustrating a sheet manufacturing device including a defibration device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the defibration device illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a rotator included in the defibration device illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, a defibration device of the present disclosure will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Embodiments

FIG. 1 is a configuration view schematically illustrating a sheet manufacturing device including a defibration device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the defibration device illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a rotator included in the defibration device illustrated in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 2 (a cross-sectional top view of the defibration device). FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 2 (a cross-sectional front view of the defibration device).

In the following description, upper sides in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 5 may be expressed as “above”, “over”, or “upper side”, and lower sides in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 5 may be expressed as “below”, “under”, or “lower side”. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration view, and a positional relationship, orientations, sizes, and the like of parts of a sheet manufacturing device 100 are not limited to those illustrated in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, a direction in which coarsely crushed pieces M2, defibrated materials M3, a first sorted material M4-1, a second sorted material M4-2, a first web M5, subdivided bodies M6, a mixture M7, a second web M8, and recycled paper S are transported, that is, a direction indicated by an arrow, is also referred to as a transport direction. A tip side of the arrow in FIG. 1 is also referred to as “downstream” in the transport direction, and a base end side of the arrow in FIG. 1 is also referred to as “upstream” in the transport direction.

In FIGS. 2 to 5, three mutually orthogonal axes, an X axis, a Y axis, and a Z axis, are set. Among the three axes, the Z-axis direction indicates a vertical direction, and an X-Y plane indicates a horizontal plane. On the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis, directions indicated by arrows in the drawings are referred to as “+sides”, and the opposite directions are referred to as “−sides”.

The sheet manufacturing device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 is a sheet manufacturing device 100 that generates the sheet-like recycled paper S from a raw material M1 that is waste paper such as used copy paper, for example.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the sheet manufacturing device 100 includes a raw material supply section 11, a coarse crushing section 12, a defibration device 13 of the present disclosure, a sorting section 14, a first web forming section 15, a subdividing section 16, a mixing section 17, a dispersing section 18, a second web forming section 19, a forming section 20, a cutting section 21, a stock section 22, and a collecting section 27.

The sheet manufacturing device 100 further includes a humidifying portion 231, a humidifying portion 232, a humidifying portion 233, a humidifying portion 234, a humidifying portion 235, and a humidifying portion 236. The sheet manufacturing device 100 further includes a blower 261, a blower 262, and a blower 263.

The sheet manufacturing device 100 executes a raw material supply process, a coarse crushing process, a defibrating process, a sorting process, a first web forming process, a dividing process, a mixing process, an untangling process, a second web forming process, a sheet forming process, and a cutting process in this order.

Hereinafter, a configuration of each part will be described. The raw material supply section 11 is a section that performs the raw material supply process of supplying the raw material M1 to the coarse crushing section 12. The raw material M1 is a sheet-like material made of a fiber-containing material containing cellulose fibers. The cellulose fibers may be anything that has a fibrous shape and whose main component is a cellulose compound (cellulose in the narrow sense), and may also contain hemicellulose or lignin in addition to cellulose (cellulose in the narrow sense). Moreover, the raw material M1 may be in any form, such as woven fabric or non-woven fabric. The raw material M1 may be, for example, recycled paper manufactured by defibrating waste paper, or synthetic paper such as YUPO (registered trademark) paper, and does not have to be recycled paper.

The coarse crushing section 12 is a section that performs the coarse crushing process of crushing the raw material M1 supplied from the raw material supply section 11 in the air such as the atmosphere. The coarse crushing section 12 includes a pair of coarse crushing blades 121 and a chute 122.

The pair of coarse crushing blades 121 can rotate in opposite directions to coarsely crush the raw material M1 between the pair of coarse crushing blades 121, that is, cut the raw material M1 into the coarsely crushed pieces M2. The shape or size of the coarsely crushed pieces M2 may be suitable for defibrating processing in the defibration device 13. As for the shape of the coarsely crushed pieces M2, for example, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 may be small pieces with a square planar shape, small pieces with a rectangular planar shape, and especially small pieces with a strip-like planar shape. In the following description, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are also referred to as small pieces.

As for the size of the coarsely crushed pieces M2, for example, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 may be small pieces with an average length of one side of 100 mm or less, and more specifically, may be small pieces with an average length of one side of 3 mm or more and 70 mm or less. The shape of the small pieces may be other than square or rectangular. Further, the thickness of the coarsely crushed pieces M2 may be 0.07 mm or more and 0.10 mm or less.

The chute 122 is disposed below the pair of coarse crushing blades 121, and has, for example, a funnel shape. Thereby, the chute 122 can receive the fallen coarsely crushed pieces M2 coarsely crushed by the coarse crushing blades 121.

Further, the humidifying portion 231 is disposed adjacent to the pair of coarse crushing blades 121 above the chute 122. The humidifying portion 231 humidifies the coarsely crushed pieces M2 in the chute 122. The humidifying portion 231 includes a filter (not illustrated) containing moisture, and is implemented by an evaporative (or warm air) humidifier that supplies humidified air with increased humidity to the coarsely crushed pieces M2 by passing the air through the filter. Since the humidified air is supplied to the coarsely crushed pieces M2, it is possible to prevent the coarsely crushed pieces M2 from adhering to the chute 122 or the like due to static electricity.

The chute 122 is coupled upstream of the defibration device 13 via a pipe body 6. That is, a downstream end portion of the pipe body 6 is coupled to a supply port 311 of the defibration device 13 illustrated in FIG. 2. The coarsely crushed pieces M2 collected in the chute 122 pass through the pipe body 6 and are transported to the defibration device 13.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the defibration device 13 is a section that performs the defibrating process of defibrating the coarsely crushed pieces M2 in the air, that is, in a dry manner. The defibrated materials M3 can be generated from the coarsely crushed pieces M2 by performing the defibrating process in the defibration device 13. Here, “defibrating” refers to untangling the coarsely crushed pieces M2 in which a plurality of fibers are bound one by one. A material obtained by untangling the coarsely crushed pieces M2 is the defibrated material M3. The defibrated material M3 has a linear shape or band shape. The defibrated materials M3 may exist in a state of being entangled with each other in such a way as to form a lump, that is, a state in which the defibrated materials M3 form a so-called “clump”.

The defibration device 13 can generate an air flow, that is, an air current, from the coarse crushing section 12 toward the sorting section 14 by operation of the blower 261 to be described later, and rotation of a rotator 5. Thereby, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 can be introduced from the pipe body 6 toward upstream of the defibration device 13, and after the defibrating process, the defibrated materials M3 can be sent to the sorting section 14 via a pipe 242.

The pipe 242 is coupled downstream of the defibration device 13. The blower 261 implemented by, for example, a turbo fan, is installed in the middle of the pipe 242. The blower 261 is an air flow generation device that generates an air flow toward the sorting section 14. Thereby, introduction of the coarsely crushed pieces M2 into the defibration device 13 and sending of the defibrated materials M3 to the sorting section 14 can be smoothly performed. As will be described later, the defibration device 13 has a structure that allows smooth passage and defibration of the coarsely crushed pieces M2 as a raw material, and the operation of the blower 261 installed downstream of the defibration device 13 further facilitates the passage and defibration of the coarsely crushed pieces M2 in the defibration device 13. The blower 261 may be installed upstream of the defibration device 13.

The sorting section 14 is a section that performs the sorting process of sorting the defibrated materials M3 according to a fiber length. In the sorting section 14, the defibrated materials M3 are sorted into the first sorted material M4-1 and the second sorted material M4-2 having a greater fiber length than the first sorted material M4-1. The first sorted material M4-1 has a size suitable for the subsequent manufacturing of the recycled paper S. On the other hand, the second sorted material M4-2 includes, for example, an insufficiently defibrated material and a material in which defibrated fibers are excessively aggregated.

The sorting section 14 includes a drum portion 141 and a housing portion 142 that houses the drum portion 141.

The drum portion 141 is a sieve that is implemented by a cylindrical mesh body and rotates around its central axis. The defibrated materials M3 flow into the drum portion 141. Then, as the drum portion 141 rotates, the defibrated material M3 smaller than a mesh opening is sorted as the first sorted material M4-1, and the defibrated material M3 larger than the mesh opening is sorted as the second sorted material M4-2. The sorting section 14 does not have to be installed when the defibration device 13 is provided with a mesh body for sorting the defibrated materials M3.

The first sorted material M4-1 falls from the drum portion 141. On the other hand, the second sorted material M4-2 is sent to a pipe 243 coupled to the drum portion 141. An end portion of the pipe 243 on the opposite side to the drum portion 141, that is, a downstream end portion of the pipe 243, is coupled to the middle of the pipe body 6. The second sorted material M4-2 that has passed through the pipe 243 joins the coarsely crushed pieces M2 in the pipe body 6, and flows into the defibration device 13 together with the coarsely crushed pieces M2. Thereby, the second sorted material M4-2 is returned to the defibration device 13 and is defibrated together with the coarsely crushed pieces M2.

The first sorted material M4-1 fallen from the drum portion 141 falls while being dispersed in the air, and heads toward the first web forming section 15 positioned below the drum portion 141. The first web forming section 15 is a section that performs the first web forming process of forming the first web M5 by using the first sorted material M4-1. The first web forming section 15 includes a mesh belt 151, three tension rollers 152, and a suction portion 153.

The mesh belt 151 is an endless belt, and the first sorted material M4-1 is accumulated on the mesh belt 151. The mesh belt 151 is wound around the three tension rollers 152. The first sorted material M4-1 on the mesh belt 151 is transported downstream by rotation of the tension rollers 152.

The first sorted material M4-1 has a size larger than an opening of the mesh belt 151. Therefore, the first sorted material M4-1 is restricted from passing through the mesh belt 151, and can thus be accumulated on the mesh belt 151. The first sorted material M4-1 is formed into the layered first web M5 by being accumulated on the mesh belt 151 and transported downstream together with the mesh belt 151.

Further, there is a possibility that the first sorted material M4-1 contains, for example, dust and dirt. The dust and dirt may be generated, for example, by coarse crushing or defibration. Such dust and dirt are collected by the collecting section 27 to be described later.

The suction portion 153 is a suction mechanism that sucks air from below the mesh belt 151. Thereby, the dust and dirt passing through the mesh belt 151 can be sucked together with the air.

The suction portion 153 is coupled to the collecting section 27 via a pipe 244. The dust and dirt sucked by the suction portion 153 are collected by the collecting section 27.

A pipe 245 is further coupled to the collecting section 27. The blower 262 is installed in the middle of the pipe 245. A suction force can be generated in the suction portion 153 by operation of the blower 262. Thereby, the formation of the first web M5 on the mesh belt 151 is facilitated. As a result, the dust and dirt in the first web M5 are removed. In addition, the dust and dirt pass through the pipe 244 and reach the collecting section 27 by the operation of the blower 262.

The housing portion 142 is coupled to the humidifying portion 232. The humidifying portion 232 is implemented by an evaporative humidifier. As a result, humidified air is supplied into the housing portion 142. The humidified air can humidify the first sorted material M4-1, and can therefore also prevent the first sorted material M4-1 from adhering to an inner wall of the housing portion 142 due to an electrostatic force.

The humidifying portion 235 is disposed downstream of the sorting section 14. The humidifying portion 235 is implemented by an ultrasonic humidifier that sprays water. Thereby, it is possible to supply moisture to the first web M5, and therefore, the amount of moisture of the first web M5 is adjusted. The adjustment can prevent adsorption of the first web M5 to the mesh belt 151 due to an electrostatic force. Thereby, the first web M5 easily peels off the mesh belt 151 at a position where the mesh belt 151 is folded back on the tension roller 152.

The subdividing section 16 is disposed downstream of the humidifying portion 235. The subdividing section 16 is a section that performs the dividing process of dividing the first web M5 that has peeled off the mesh belt 151. The subdividing section 16 includes a rotatably supported propeller 161 and a housing portion 162 that houses the propeller 161. The rotating propeller 161 can divide the first web M5. The subdivided bodies M6 are obtained by dividing the first web M5. Furthermore, the subdivided bodies M6 fall in the housing portion 162.

The housing portion 162 is coupled to the humidifying portion 233. The humidifying portion 233 is implemented by an evaporative humidifier. As a result, humidified air is supplied into the housing portion 162. The humidified air can also prevent the subdivided bodies M6 from adhering to the propeller 161 or an inner wall of the housing portion 162 due to an electrostatic force.

The mixing section 17 is disposed downstream of the subdividing section 16. The mixing section 17 is a section that performs the mixing process of mixing the subdivided bodies M6 and an additive. The mixing section 17 includes an additive supply portion 171, a pipe 172, and a blower 173.

The pipe 172 couples the housing portion 162 of the subdividing section 16 and a housing 182 of the dispersing section 18, and is a flow path through which the mixture M7 of the subdivided bodies M6 and the additive passes.

The additive supply portion 171 is coupled to the middle of the pipe 172. The additive supply portion 171 includes a housing portion 170 housing the additive, and a screw feeder 174 provided within the housing portion 170. When the screw feeder 174 rotates, the additive in the housing portion 170 is pushed out of the housing portion 170 and supplied into the pipe 172. The additive supplied into the pipe 172 is mixed with the subdivided bodies M6 to form the mixture M7.

Here, examples of the additive supplied from the additive supply portion 171 include a binder for binding fibers together, a coloring agent for coloring fibers, an agglomeration inhibitor for suppressing agglomeration of fibers, a flame retardant for making fibers and the like less combustible, and a paper strength enhancer for increasing a paper strength of the recycled paper S, and one or more of the additives can be used in combination. Hereinafter, a case in which the additive is a binder P1 will be described as an example. When the additive contains a binder that binds fibers together, the strength of the recycled paper S can be increased.

Examples of the binder P1 include components derived from natural sources such as starch, dextrin, glycogen, amylose, hyaluronic acid, kudzu, konjac, potato starch, etherified starch, esterified starch, natural gum paste, fiber-induced paste, seaweed, and animal protein, polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylic acid, and polyacrylamide, and any one selected therefrom or a combination of two or more selected therefrom can be used. The binder P1 may be a component derived from natural sources, and more specifically, may be starch. For example, thermoplastic resins such as various polyolefins, acrylic resins, polyvinyl chlorides, polyesters, and polyamides, various thermoplastic elastomers, and the like can also be used.

The blower 173 is installed in the middle of the pipe 172 downstream of the additive supply portion 171. An operation of a rotating portion such as a vane of the blower 173 facilitates mixing of the subdivided bodies M6 and the binder P1. Further, the blower 173 can generate an air flow toward the dispersing section 18. The air flow allows the subdivided bodies M6 and the binder P1 to be stirred within the pipe 172. Thereby, the mixture M7 is transported to the dispersing section 18 in a state in which the subdivided bodies M6 and the binder P1 are uniformly dispersed. In addition, the subdivided bodies M6 in the mixture M7 are untangled and transformed into finer fibrous forms in a process of passing through the pipe 172.

The blower 173 is electrically coupled to a control device 28, so that an operation of the blower 173 is controlled. The amount of air sent into a drum 181 can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of air blown by the blower 173.

Although not illustrated, an end portion of the pipe 172 adjacent to the drum 181 is bifurcated, and the bifurcated end portions are coupled to respective inlets (not illustrated) formed on an end surface of the drum 181.

The dispersing section 18 illustrated in FIG. 1 is a section that performs the untangling process of untangling and releasing the entangled fibers in the mixture M7. The dispersing section 18 includes the drum 181 that introduces and releases the mixture M7, which is a defibrated material, and a housing 182 that houses the drum 181.

The drum 181 is a sieve that is implemented by a cylindrical mesh body and rotates around its central axis. When the drum 181 rotates, fibers and the like smaller than a mesh opening in the mixture M7 can pass through the drum 181. In this case, the mixture M7 is untangled and released together with the air. That is, the drum 181 functions as a releasing portion that releases the material containing fibers.

The drum 181 is coupled to a drive source (not illustrated), and rotates by a rotational force output from the drive source. The drive source is electrically coupled to the control device 28, so that an operation of the drive source is controlled.

The housing 182 is coupled to the humidifying portion 234. The humidifying portion 234 is implemented by an evaporative humidifier. As a result, humidified air is supplied into the housing 182. The humidified air can humidify the inside of the housing 182, and can therefore also prevent the mixture M7 from adhering to an inner wall of the housing 182 due to an electrostatic force.

The mixture M7 released from the drum 181 falls while being dispersed in the air, and heads toward the second web forming section 19 positioned below the drum 181. The second web forming section 19 is a section that performs the second web forming process of forming the second web M8 which is an accumulation of the mixture M7. The second web forming section 19 includes a mesh belt 191, tension rollers 192, and a suction portion 193.

The mesh belt 191 is a mesh member, and is an endless belt in the illustrated configuration. The mixture M7 dispersed and released by the dispersing section 18 is accumulated on the mesh belt 191. The mesh belt 191 is wound around four tension rollers 192. The mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 is transported downstream by rotation of the tension rollers 192.

Although the mesh belt 191 is used as an example of the mesh member in the illustrated configuration, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the mesh member may have a flat plate shape, for example.

Further, most of the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 has a size larger than an opening of the mesh belt 191. Therefore, the mixture M7 is restricted from passing through the mesh belt 191, and can thus be accumulated on the mesh belt 191. The mixture M7 is formed into the layered second web M8 by being accumulated on the mesh belt 191 and transported downstream together with the mesh belt 191.

The suction portion 193 is a suction mechanism that sucks air from below the mesh belt 191. Thereby, it is possible to suck the mixture M7 onto the mesh belt 191, so that the accumulation of the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 is facilitated.

A pipe 246 is coupled to the suction portion 193. The blower 263 is installed in the middle of the pipe 246. A suction force can be generated in the suction portion 193 by operation of the blower 263.

The humidifying portion 236 is disposed downstream of the dispersing section 18. The humidifying portion 236 is implemented by an ultrasonic humidifier, similarly to the humidifying portion 235. Thereby, it is possible to supply moisture to the second web M8, and therefore, the amount of moisture of the second web M8 is adjusted. The adjustment can prevent adsorption of the second web M8 to the mesh belt 191 due to an electrostatic force. Thereby, the second web M8 easily peels off the mesh belt 191 at a position where the mesh belt 191 is folded back on the tension roller 192.

The total amount of moisture added to the humidifying portions 231 to 236 may be, for example, 0.5 parts by mass or more and 20 parts by mass or less, based on 100 parts by mass of the material before humidification.

The forming section 20 is disposed downstream of the second web forming section 19. The forming section 20 is a section that performs the sheet forming process of forming the recycled paper S by using the second web M8. The forming section 20 includes a pressing portion 201 and a heating portion 202.

The pressing portion 201 includes a pair of calender rollers 203, and can press the second web M8 without heating the second web M8 between the calender rollers 203. By doing so, a density of the second web M8 is increased. The heating may be performed, for example, in such a way as not to melt the binder P1. The second web M8 is then transported toward the heating portion 202. One of the pair of calender rollers 203 is a driving roller driven by operation of a motor (not illustrated), and the other is a driven roller.

The heating portion 202 includes a pair of heating rollers 204, and can press the second web M8 while heating the second web M8 between the heating rollers 204. Since the heating and pressing are performed, the binder P1 is melted within the second web M8, and the fibers are bound to each other by the melted binder P1. As a result, the recycled paper S is formed. Then, the recycled paper S is transported toward the cutting section 21. One of the pair of heating rollers 204 is a driving roller driven by the operation of the motor (not illustrated), and the other is a driven roller.

The cutting section 21 is disposed downstream of the forming section 20. The cutting section 21 is a section that performs the cutting process of cutting the recycled paper S. The cutting section 21 includes a first cutter 211 and a second cutter 212.

The first cutter 211 cuts the recycled paper S in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the recycled paper S, particularly in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the recycled paper S.

The second cutter 212 is positioned downstream of the first cutter 211 and cuts the recycled paper S in a direction parallel to the transport direction of the recycled paper S. The cutting is performed to adjust a width of the recycled paper S by removing unnecessary portions from both end portions of the recycled paper S in a width direction.

The recycled paper S having a desired shape and size can be obtained by performing such cutting using the first cutter 211 and the second cutter 212. The recycled paper S is then transported further downstream and accumulated in the stock section 22.

Each part included in such a sheet manufacturing device 100 is electrically coupled to the control device 28. The operation of each part is controlled by the control device 28.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the control device 28 includes a control unit 281, a storage unit 282, and a communication unit 283.

The control unit 281 includes at least one processor and executes various programs stored in the storage unit 282. For example, a central processing unit (CPU) can be used as the processor. In addition, the control unit 281 has various functions such as a function of controlling driving of each part of the device related to sheet manufacturing, such as a function of controlling the driving of the blower 261 in the sheet manufacturing device 100, and a function of controlling driving of a motor M to be described later.

When the control unit 281 performs control to supply power to the blower 261 and the motor M, the blower 261 and the motor M are driven to rotate at a predetermined timing and a predetermined rotation speed. The blower 261 and the motor M may be driven substantially at the same time. By doing so, smooth passage of the raw material through the defibration device 13 and satisfactory defibrating processing are facilitated.

The storage unit 282 stores, for example, a program related to sheet manufacturing. For the refining of the raw material by the defibration device 13, a program related to an operation sequence including conditions such as operation timings and rotation speeds of the blower 261 and the motor M is stored.

The communication unit 283 is implemented by, for example, an input/output (I/O) interface, and communicates with each part of the sheet manufacturing device 100. The communication unit 283 has a function of communicating with a computer or server (not illustrated) via a network, for example.

The control device 28 may be built in the sheet manufacturing device 100, or may be provided in an external device such as an external computer. Further, the control unit 281 and the storage unit 282 may be integrated as one unit, for example. Alternatively, the control unit 281 may be built in the sheet manufacturing device 100 and the storage unit 282 may be provided in an external device such as a computer, or the storage unit 282 may be built in the sheet manufacturing device 100 and the control unit 281 may be provided in an external device such as an external computer.

Next, a configuration of the defibration device 13 will be described. As illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5, the defibration device 13 is a device that defibrates the supplied coarsely crushed pieces M2 as a raw material to generate the defibrated materials M3 and discharges the defibrated materials M3.

In the defibration device 13 installed in the sheet manufacturing device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, the second sorted material M4-2 is also mixed together with the coarsely crushed pieces M2 as the introduced raw material, but the amount of the second sorted material M4-2 in the raw material is smaller than the amount of the coarsely crushed pieces M2, and thus, hereinafter, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are described as the introduced raw material.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the defibration device 13 includes a casing 3, a mesh member 4 installed inside the casing 3, the rotator 5 rotatably installed inside the casing 3, and the motor M that rotates the rotator 5. The coarsely crushed pieces M2 introduced into the casing 3 are defibrated when passing between an outer periphery portion of the rotating rotator 5 and the mesh member 4, and become the defibrated materials M3.

The casing 3 has the supply port 311 through which the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are supplied, and a discharge port 321 through which the generated defibrated materials M3 are discharged to the outside of the casing 3. The casing 3 is a box-shaped member having an internal space S0 that houses the mesh member 4 and the rotator 5.

An external shape of the casing 3 is a rectangular shape. The casing 3 includes a front wall portion 31 positioned on a +X-axis side, a back wall portion 32 positioned on a −X-axis side, an upper wall portion 33 positioned on a +Z-axis side, a lower wall portion 34 positioned on a −Z-axis side, a side wall portion 35 positioned on a +Y-axis side, and a side wall portion 36 positioned on a −Y-axis side.

The front wall portion 31 has the supply port 311 implemented by a through-hole. The downstream end portion of the pipe body 6 is coupled to the supply port 311. Thereby, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 can be ejected from the pipe body 6 into the casing 3 to supply the coarsely crushed pieces M2.

The lower wall portion 34 has the discharge port 321 implemented by a through-hole. An upstream end portion of the pipe 242 is coupled to the discharge port 321. Thereby, the defibrated materials M3 generated by the defibration device 13 are transported downstream, that is, transported to the sorting section 14 via the pipe 242. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the front wall portion 31 and the back wall portion 32 rotatably support a shaft 50 of the rotator 5 via bearings 71 and 72. A through-hole is provided in each of the front wall portion 31 and the back wall portion 32, and the shaft 50 of the rotator 5 is inserted through each through-hole. A rotation axis O of the shaft 50 is arranged in a direction parallel to the X axis.

An end portion of the shaft 50 adjacent to the back wall portion 32 protrudes from the back wall portion 32 toward the −X-axis side, and the motor M is coupled to the protruding portion. A rotational force output by the motor M can cause the shaft 50 to rotate, thereby rotating the rotator 5.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the rotator 5 includes the shaft 50 and a rotor 51 fixed to an outer periphery of the shaft 50. The rotor 51 includes a plurality of plate-shaped blades 52 arranged in an X-axis direction and a diffusion vane forming member 53. The diffusion vane forming member 53 and the plurality of blades 52 are inserted and fixed onto the shaft 50 while being arranged in this order from the +X-axis side. When the rotator 5 rotates, an air flow toward the supply port 311, an outer peripheral side of the rotor 51, and the discharge port 321 can be formed.

The diffusion vane forming member 53 is a disc-shaped member in which a plurality of diffusion vanes 531 are formed. The diffusion vane forming member 53 includes two plate members fixed in an overlapping manner, that is, a first plate 53A and a second plate 53B. The first plate 53A and the second plate 53B are arranged in this order from the −X-axis side. The first plate 53A supports and fixes the second plate 53B. The second plate 53B includes the diffusion vanes 531.

In the present embodiment, each diffusion vane 531 is formed by cutting in the second plate 53B and bending the cut portion toward the +X-axis side. Thereby, a shape of the diffusion vane 531, formation positions of the diffusion vanes 531, and the number of diffusion vanes 531 to be formed can be freely selected. Furthermore, a bending direction and a bending angle of the diffusion vane 531 can be adjusted, and a diffusion ability of the diffusion vane 531 can be adjusted depending on the size of the coarsely crushed pieces M2.

The diffusion vanes 531 are positioned on the +X-axis side of the entire rotor 51. In other words, the diffusion vanes 531 are provided on a side of the rotator 5 that is adjacent to the supply port 311.

Each diffusion vane 531 has a plate shape and is arranged with a thickness direction along a circumferential direction of the shaft 50. In other words, the diffusion vanes 531 are arranged radially in a radial direction of the rotator 5 around the shaft 50.

Six diffusion vanes 531 are provided, and the diffusion vanes 531 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the shaft 50. The diffusion vanes 531 have a function of radially diffusing the coarsely crushed pieces M2 ejected from the pipe body 6 into the casing 3 by rotation. Thereby, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are evenly diffused toward an outer peripheral side.

However, the configuration of the diffusion vanes 531 is not limited thereto, and the diffusion vane 531 may be implemented by a plate piece bonded to the diffusion vane forming member 53.

In the illustrated configuration, the number of diffusion vanes 531 is six, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the number of diffusion vanes 531 may be, for example, from one to five, or seven or more. Further, a plurality of types of diffusion vanes 531 having different shapes, sizes, installation angles, and the like may be provided.

The blade 52 is a plate material having an outer periphery portion on which protrusions 520 forming defibration blades 521 are provided. The blades 52 arranged in the X-axis direction are inserted onto the shaft 50 in a state in which main surfaces of the blades 52 are bonded to each other. The protrusions 520 are provided radially, that is, at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the shaft 50. Thirteen protrusions 520 are provided in one blade 52. However, the number of protrusions 520 is not limited to thereto. The number of protrusions 520 may be from one to twelve or may be fourteen or more.

The blades 52 are arranged in such a way that the protrusions 520 overlap each other in a direction along the rotation axis O. The overlapping protrusions 520 form the defibration blade 521. The defibration blade 521 is positioned on an outer periphery portion of the entire rotor 51. In other words, a plurality of defibration blades 521 are provided along the outer periphery portion of the rotator 5 at predetermined intervals. The defibration blade 521 is further spaced a predetermined distance from the mesh member 4 provided on an outer periphery of the defibration blade 521, and rotates without contacting the mesh member 4.

According to such a configuration, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 diffused by the diffusion vanes 531 move toward the outer periphery due to a centrifugal force, cross over an outer periphery of the first plate 53A toward the −X-axis side, enter between adjacent defibration blades 521, and are further defibrated by a rotational force of each defibration blade 521. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, fibers sufficiently defibrated and untangled one by one pass through the mesh member 4 provided on an outer periphery of the rotator 5, pass through a space S1 between the mesh member 4 and an inner peripheral surface of the casing 3, and head toward the discharge port 321.

The mesh member 4 is a member formed into a ring shape by bending and deforming a band-shaped mesh body in a thickness direction thereof. An edge of the mesh member 4 on the −X-axis side is fixed to an inner surface of the casing 3, that is, an inner surface of the back wall portion 32. Further, an outer periphery portion of the mesh member 4 is fixed to the inner surface of the casing 3 while being spaced apart from the inner surface of the casing 3. Only sufficiently defibrated fibers can pass through an opening of the mesh member 4. The coarsely crushed pieces M2 that are insufficiently defibrated are positioned on an inner side of the mesh member 4, that is, positioned adjacent to the defibration blade 521, without passing through the mesh member 4, and are defibrated between the mesh member 4 and the defibration blade 521 until the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are sufficiently defibrated.

A rotation speed of the rotator 5 during defibration is not particularly limited, and may be 1000 rpm or more and 300000 rpm or less, and more specifically, may be 3000 rpm or more and 15000 rpm or less.

With such a configuration, the defibration device 13 can defibrate the coarsely crushed pieces M2 supplied into the casing 3 and discharge the defibrated materials M3. Here, when the diffusion of the coarsely crushed pieces M2 by the diffusion vanes 531 is insufficient, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 may be unevenly distributed at a part of an outer periphery portion of the rotor 51 in the circumferential direction, or the coarsely crushed pieces M2 may be transferred in the form of lumps toward the defibration blade 521. In such a case, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 may stay in the form of lumps in a space corresponding to the internal space S0, or may cause local clogging. That is, hitherto, because the coarsely crushed pieces M2 introduced into the defibration device were not sufficiently diffused, defibration was not satisfactorily performed or excessive time was required to generate the defibrated materials M3 in some cases, which is problematic.

On the other hand, the defibration device 13 can solve the above problem with the following configuration. Hereinafter, details thereof will be described.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the supply port 311 is provided in the front wall portion 31, and the downstream end portion of the pipe body 6 is coupled to the supply port 311 from the +X-axis side. The downstream end portion of the pipe body 6 includes a nozzle 61 having an ejection port 610. The ejection port 610 is provided at an eccentric position with respect to the shaft 50. In the present embodiment, the ejection port 610 is provided at a position shifted from the shaft 50 by a predetermined distance toward the −Y-axis side.

An extension line of a pipe axis O6 of the nozzle 61 intersects a rotation track 54 of the diffusion vane 531 when the rotator 5 rotates.

The rotation track 54 of the diffusion vane 531 is a set of positions where each diffusion vane 531 exists when the rotator 5 rotates, and is a ring-shaped region including each diffusion vane 531 when viewed from a +X-axis direction as illustrated in FIG. 5. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the rotation track 54 of the diffusion vane 531 is thick enough to include each diffusion vane 531 in the X-axis direction.

Most of the coarsely crushed pieces M2 move along the pipe axis O6 in the nozzle 61, and thus, a direction along the pipe axis O6 of the nozzle 61, that is, the extension line of the pipe axis O6, can be called a direction in which the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are ejected into the casing 3. The pipe axis O6 is a line passing through the center of an inner cavity of the nozzle 61. In the present embodiment, the pipe axis O6 is inclined in such a way as to be closer to the rotation axis O on the −X-axis side. As a result, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 can be ejected once toward the center of the rotator 5 through the ejection port 610 of the nozzle 61 and then diffused by the diffusion vane 531, so that it is possible to prevent or suppress the coarsely crushed pieces M2 from directly heading toward the defibration blade 521 and to more reliably and uniformly diffuse the coarsely crushed pieces M2.

Since the extension line of the pipe axis O6 of the nozzle 61 intersects the rotation track 54 of the diffusion vane 531 when the rotator 5 rotates, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are ejected into a region where the diffusion vane 531 rotates. Then, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are uniformly diffused to an outer periphery side by the diffusion vane 531, cross over the outer periphery of the first plate 53A toward the −X-axis side, and are transferred toward the defibration blade 521. When the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are transferred toward the defibration blade 521, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are evenly dispersed toward the outer periphery of the rotor 51 and are uniformly defibrated by each defibration blade 521. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or suppress the coarsely crushed pieces M2 from being transferred in the form of lumps toward the defibration blade 521, and it is possible to favorably and quickly defibrate the coarsely crushed pieces M2.

As described above, the defibration device 13 includes the casing 3 having the supply port 311 through which the coarsely crushed pieces M2, which are small pieces containing fibers, are supplied and the discharge port 321 through which the defibrated materials M3 of the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are discharged, the rotator 5 rotatably installed in the casing 3, and the pipe body 6 which is coupled to the supply port 311 and through which the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are ejected into the casing 3. The rotator 5 includes at least one diffusion vane 531 provided at a side portion of the rotator 5 that faces the supply port 311, and diffusing the coarsely crushed pieces M2 ejected from the pipe body 6, and at least one defibration blade 521 provided on the outer periphery portion of the rotator 5 and defibrating the coarsely crushed pieces M2, and the direction along the pipe axis O6 of the pipe body 6 intersects the rotation track 54 of the diffusion vane 531 when the rotator 5 rotates. Therefore, it is possible to more uniformly diffuse the coarsely crushed pieces M2 before defibrating the coarsely crushed pieces M2, and it is thus possible to favorably and quickly defibrate the coarsely crushed pieces M2.

The direction along the pipe axis O6 of the pipe body 6 is not limited to the illustrated direction, and may be any direction as long as it intersects the rotation track 54 of the diffusion vane 531 when the rotator 5 rotates.

In the present embodiment, a configuration has been described in which defibration is performed using the strip-like coarsely crushed pieces M2 as a raw material, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the shape of the coarsely crushed pieces M2 may be other shapes such as a scale shape.

Although the nozzle 61 has been described as a part of the pipe body 6, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the nozzle 61 may be a part of the casing 3. That is, the nozzle 61 may be formed integrally with the front wall portion 31 of the casing 3. In this case, the direction along the pipe axis O6 of the pipe body 6 coupled to the nozzle 61 intersects the rotation track 54 of the diffusion vane 531 when the rotator 5 rotates.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 4, an end portion of the nozzle 61 that is adjacent to the ejection port 610 enters the internal space S0 of the casing 3 and is coupled thereto. Thereby, a distance between the ejection port 610 and the diffusion vane 531 can be adjusted to a relatively short distance. Therefore, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 can be more reliably ejected toward the rotation track 54 on which the diffusion vane 531 rotates, resulting in more uniform and favorable diffusion of the coarsely crushed pieces M2, which in turn contributes to more satisfactory defibration.

The pipe body 6 may be coupled to the supply port 311 in such a way that the supply port 311 and the ejection port 610 are on the same plane.

In FIG. 5, a shape of the ejection port 610 is illustrated by a line with alternating long and short dashes. The ejection port 610 has an elongated shape extending along the rotation track 54 of the diffusion vane 531. In the illustrated configuration, the ejection port 610 is provided in an arc shape from an 8 o'clock position to a 10 o'clock position when the rotator 5 is viewed from the +X-axis side. With such a configuration, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 can be supplied through the ejection port 610 along the rotation track 54 of the diffusion vane 531. Therefore, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 can be diffused more efficiently and favorably by the diffusion vane 531. As a result, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 can be defibrated more favorably and quickly.

In this way, the ejection port 610 has an elongated shape extending along the rotation track 54. Thereby, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 can be diffused more efficiently and favorably by the diffusion vane 531.

L2<L1, in which L1 is a length of the ejection port 610 of the pipe body 6 along the rotation track 54, and L2 is a distance between the diffusion vanes 531 in a direction along the rotation track 54, that is, an average distance between adjacent diffusion vanes 531 in the direction along the rotation track 54. Thereby, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 ejected through the ejection port 610 can collide with the diffusion vane 531 more reliably, regardless of the rotation speed of the rotator 5. Therefore, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 can be diffused more efficiently and favorably by the diffusion vane 531. As a result, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 can be defibrated more favorably and quickly.

L2/L1 may be 0.1 or more and 0.9 or less, and more specifically, may be 0.2 or more and 0.8 or less. Thereby, the uniformity and speed of diffusion of the coarsely crushed pieces M2 by the diffusion vane 531 can be further improved.

In this way, a plurality of diffusion vanes 531 are provided while being spaced apart from each other along the rotation track 54, and the length L1 of the ejection port 610 of the pipe body 6 along the rotation track 54 is greater than the distance L2 between the diffusion vanes 531 in the direction along the rotation track 54. Thereby, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 can be diffused more efficiently and favorably by the diffusion vane 531.

The present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration, and a configuration in which L1=L2 or a configuration in which L1<L2 may be adopted. In these cases, the same effect as in a case in which L2<L1 can be obtained by sufficiently increasing the rotation speed of the rotator 5.

Further, L3<L4, in which L4 is a length of the diffusion vane 531 in the radial direction of the rotator 5, and L3 is a length of the ejection port 610 in the radial direction of the rotator 5. Thereby, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 ejected through the ejection port 610 can collide with the diffusion vane 531 more reliably. Therefore, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 can be diffused more efficiently and favorably by the diffusion vane 531.

As described above, the length L4 of the diffusion vane 531 in the radial direction of the rotator 5 is greater than the length L3 of the ejection port 610 in the radial direction of the rotator 5. Thereby, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 can be diffused more efficiently and favorably by the diffusion vane 531.

At least one of the diffusion vanes 531 may satisfy L3≥L4.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the inner cavity of the nozzle 61 has a substantially similar cross-sectional shape along the pipe axis O6. Further, a cross-sectional area of the inner cavity of the nozzle 61 gradually decreases from upstream to downstream, that is, toward the ejection port 610, and is smallest at the ejection port 610. With such a configuration, an air flow flowing through the inner cavity of the nozzle 61 can increase in flow velocity as it moves toward the ejection port 610. Therefore, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 can be diffused more efficiently and favorably by the diffusion vane 531.

In this way, a cross-sectional area of an inner cavity of the pipe body 6 decreases toward the ejection port 610. Thereby, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 can be diffused more efficiently and favorably by the diffusion vane 531.

The pipe body 6 may have a portion where the cross-sectional area of the inner cavity is the same along the pipe axis O6, or may have a portion where the cross-sectional area of the inner cavity increases toward the ejection port 610.

Further, a portion 612 of an inner surface of the nozzle 61 that is farthest from the rotation axis O of the rotator 5, that is, the portion 612 positioned on the −Y-axis side of the inner surface of the nozzle 61, is inclined with respect to the rotation axis O. The portion 612 is inclined toward the rotation axis O as it goes toward the −X-axis side.

Further, a portion 611 of the inner surface of the nozzle 61 that is closest to the rotation axis O of the rotator 5, that is, the portion 611 positioned on the +Y-axis side of the inner surface of the nozzle 61, is inclined with respect to the rotation axis O. The portion 611 is inclined in the same direction as the portion 612, that is, in a direction toward the rotation axis O as it goes toward the −X-axis side.

θ1<θ2, in which θ2 is an inclination angle of the portion 612 with respect to the rotation axis O, and θ1 is an inclination angle of the portion 611 with respect to the rotation axis O. Thereby, the pipe axis θ6 can be inclined toward the rotation axis O as it goes toward the ejection port 610. Thereby, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 can be ejected toward the center of the rotator 5. As a result, it is possible to prevent or suppress the coarsely crushed pieces M2 from directly heading toward the defibration blade 521, resulting in more uniform and favorable diffusion of the coarsely crushed pieces M2, which in turn contributes to more satisfactory defibration.

As described above, θ1<θ2, in which θ1 is the inclination angle, with respect to the rotation axis O of the rotator 5, of the portion 611 of the inner surface of the pipe body 6 that is closest to the rotation axis O, and θ2 is the inclination angle, with respect to the rotation axis O of the rotator 5, of the portion 612 of the inner surface of the pipe body 6 that is farthest from the rotation axis O. As a result, the coarsely crushed pieces M2 can be ejected once toward the center of the rotator 5 through the ejection port 610 and then diffused by the diffusion vane 531, so that it is possible to prevent or suppress the coarsely crushed pieces M2 from being directly delivered to the defibration blade 521 and to more uniformly and favorably diffuse the coarsely crushed pieces M2.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described configuration, a configuration in which θ2<θ1 or a configuration in which θ1=θ2 may be adopted.

Hereinabove, the defibration device of the present disclosure has been described with reference to the illustrated embodiment, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and each part of the defibration device can be replaced with any configuration that can perform the same function. Moreover, an arbitrary component may be added to the defibration device.

Further, in the sheet manufacturing device, the raw material supply section 11 and the coarse crushing section 12 may be omitted. In this case, the sheet manufacturing device includes a coarsely crushed piece supply section that supplies coarsely crushed pieces in place of the raw material supply section 11 and the coarse crushing section 12.

DEFIBRATION DEVICE

Information

Publication Number

Date Filed

Date Published

Inventors

Original Assignees

CPC

International Classifications

Abstract

Description

Claims

Priority Claims (1)