Roller transfer application method and application device for hot-melt adhesive

Abstract

In a roller transfer application method for a hot-melt adhesive, a coater head having a slot in a direction towards an axis center of a pattern roller is provided to face a pattern surface of the pattern roller; and by supplying hot-melt adhesive, which is supplied from a hot-melt adhesive supply device, in a thin-film state to a pattern top surface of the pattern roller, thin-film hot-melt adhesive is thus only supplied to the top surfaces of protrusions of the pattern roller. By opening an on-off-type hot-melt adhesive supply control valve, which is attached to the coater head, at a timing that an adhesive opening (the slot) on the bottom surface of the coater head faces application zones on the pattern surface of the pattern roller, the hot-melt adhesive is supplied only to the top surfaces of the pattern roller protrusions.

Claims

1. A roller transfer application method for a hot-melt adhesive, the method comprising: providing a pattern roller, which has a patterned surface including a plurality of protrusion surfaces, and a coater head, which is coupled to a hot-melt adhesive feeder and has a slot groove that extends in an axial direction of the pattern roller and has an opening facing the pattern surface of the pattern roller; feeding the hot-melt adhesive from the hot-melt adhesive feeder into the coater head; feeding, in a thin film state, the hot-melt adhesive directly from the opening of the slot groove only onto the plurality of protrusion surfaces of the pattern roller; and transferring the hot-melt adhesive from the plurality of the protrusion surfaces to a surface of an application substrate.

2. The roller transfer application method according to claim 1, wherein a clearance between the plurality of protrusion surfaces of the pattern roller and the opening of the slot groove is between 0.015 mm to 0.05 mm.

3. The roller transfer application method according to claim 1, wherein the pattern surface of the pattern roller has an application zone corresponding to at least one protrusion surface of the plurality of protrusion surfaces and at least one recess defined by the plurality of protrusion surfaces and has a non-application zone without protrusion surfaces of the plurality of protrusion surfaces, and further comprising: providing an ON/OFF hot-melt adhesive feed control valve; actuating the ON/OFF hot-melt adhesive feed control valve to feed the hot-melt adhesive to the coater head when the opening of the slot groove is facing the application zone of the pattern roller; and actuating the ON/OFF hot-melt adhesive feed control valve to not feed the hot-melt adhesive to the coater head when the opening of the slot groove is facing the non-application zone of the pattern roller.

4. The roller transfer application method according to claim 1, further comprising feeding the hot-melt adhesive through the coater head to the opening of the slot groove.

5. The roller transfer application method according to claim 1, wherein a width of the slot groove is 0.2 mm, wherein a height of least one protrusion surface of the plurality of protrusion surfaces is 1 mm, and wherein the plurality of protrusion surfaces have a linear shape, have a square shape, have an S shape, or a combination thereof.

6. The roller transfer application method according to claim 1, wherein feeding the hot-melt adhesive directly from the opening of the slot groove forms a layer of hot-melt adhesive having a thickness of 5 microns to 30 microns on at least one protrusion surface of the plurality of protrusion surfaces of the pattern roller.

7. A roller transfer application method for a hot-melt adhesive, the method comprising: feeding the hot-melt adhesive from a hot-melt adhesive feeder to a coater head, wherein the coater head comprises a slot groove that extends in an axial direction of a pattern roller and the slot groove defines an opening facing the pattern roller, and wherein the hot-melt adhesive accumulates in the slot groove; dispensing, in a thin film state, the hot-melt adhesive directly from the opening of the slot groove to only a plurality of protrusion surfaces of the pattern roller; and transferring the hot-melt adhesive from the plurality of protrusion surfaces to a surface of an application substrate.

8. The roller transfer application method according to claim 7, further comprising feeding the hot-melt adhesive through the coater head to the slot groove to accumulate the hot-melt adhesive in the slot groove.

9. The roller transfer application method according to claim 7, wherein a clearance between the opening of the slot groove and at least one protrusion surface of the plurality of protrusion surfaces of the pattern roll is 0.015 mm to 0.05 mm.

10. The roller transfer application method according to claim 7, wherein a width of the opening of the slot groove is 0.2 mm, and wherein the width of the opening of the slot groove is configured such that hot-melt adhesive is only fed to the plurality of protrusion surfaces.

11. The roller transfer application method according to claim 7, wherein dispensing the hot-melt adhesive forms a layer of hot-melt adhesive having a thickness of 5 microns to 30 microns on at least one protrusion surface of the plurality of protrusion surfaces of the pattern roller.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a roller transfer application device for a hot-melt adhesive, showing a first embodiment of the invention of the present patent application.

(2) FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a coater head.

(3) FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the coater head.

(4) FIGS. 4(a) to 4(e) are partial plan views of a pattern roll surface, showing an embodiment of a protrusion pattern of a pattern roll.

(5) FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) are views showing a principle of the invention of the present application and explaining the timing of applying a hot-melt adhesive to the pattern roll surface by the coater head, wherein FIG. 5(a) is a sectional schematic view and FIG. 5(b) is a partial plan view.

(6) FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) are views explaining the timing of completing application of the hot-melt adhesive to protrusions, wherein FIG. 6(a) is a sectional schematic view and FIG. 6(b) is a partial plan view.

(7) FIG. 7 is a developed view of a roller face of a pattern roller in a second embodiment, showing distribution of an application zone and a non-application zone.

(8) FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pattern roller.

(9) FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a roller transfer application device for a hot-melt adhesive, showing the second embodiment of the invention of the present patent application.

(10) FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of a hot-melt adhesive controller in ON actuation.

(11) FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of the hot-melt adhesive controller in OFF actuation.

(12) FIG. 12 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 1 of a known roller transfer application device for a hot-melt adhesive.

EMBODIMENTS TO CARRY OUT INVENTION

(13) A roller transfer application method for a hot-melt adhesive according to the first aspect of the invention of the present patent application and a roller transfer application device for a hot-melt adhesive according to the third aspect of the invention of the present patent application will be described based on a first embodiment of the present patent application shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.

(14) A hot-melt adhesive HM fed from a hot-melt adhesive feeder 10 is applied to protrusion surfaces of a pattern surface of a pattern roller 1 in which protrusions 2 and recesses 3 are formed.

(15) An application substrate M1 sandwiched between the pattern roller 1 in which the protrusions and the recesses are formed and an impression roller 4 and brought into pressure contact with the pattern roller 1 and the impression roller 4 is moved.

(16) The hot-melt adhesive HM applied to the protrusion surfaces of the pattern roller is transferred from the protrusion surfaces of the pattern roller to a surface of an application substrate A1 by moving the application substrate A1 sandwiched between the pattern roller 1 and the impression roller 2 and brought into pressure contact with the pattern roller 1 and the impression roller 2.

(17) An application substrate A2 having a surface applied with the adhesive and a bonded material B are bonded to each other by a pair of nip rolls 5 and 5.

(18) A coater head 11 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is mounted to the hot-melt adhesive feeder 10. A gun module 21 having a valve mechanism and a manifold 22 having a heating hose receiving hole 24 are provided continuously with the coater head 11. The heating hose receiving hole 24 of the manifold 22 communicates with the hot-melt adhesive feeder (not shown) including an adhesive tank and a pressure pump, via a heating hose connected to the heating hose receiving hole 24.

(19) Thus, the hot-melt adhesive fed to the heating hose receiving hole 24 of the manifold 22 by the hot-melt adhesive feeder (not shown) is fed to an adhesive inlet 15 of the coater head 11 via the valve mechanism 6 of the gun module 21.

(20) A slot groove (adhesive hole) 12 has a shape of a slit in an axial direction of the pattern roller and having a narrow section. An opening 12a at a lower end of the slot groove 12 faces a pattern face of the pattern roller 1, and a small clearance is formed between the opening 12a and the protrusion surface 2 of the pattern roller 1.

(21) FIGS. 4(a) to 4(e) each show an example of distribution of the protrusion surfaces 2 of the pattern roll 1 in a protruding face pattern view.

(22) In FIG. 4(a), protruding straight lines P and recessed straight lines (blank lines) Q exist alternately in an application traveling line direction (). In a direction (a longitudinal direction of the slid groove) orthogonal to the application traveling line direction (), the same line exists. In other words, the protruding straight lines P exist at constant intervals in the application traveling line direction ().

(23) In FIG. 4(b), protruding circles R are arranged in a staggered arrangement. In FIG. 4(c), protruding squares S are arranged in a lattice-like arrangement. In each arrangement, recessed portions (blank portions) Q exist in both of the application traveling line direction () and the orthogonal direction (the longitudinal direction of the slit groove).

(24) In (d) and (c) FIGS. 4(d) and 4(e), successively repeated graphics T or U in which protruding face portions and recessed face portions are mixed alternately are arranged successively in the application traveling line direction ().

(25) Next, application operation according to the first aspect of the invention of the present patent application will be described.

(26) A principle of the invention of the present patent application is as follows. The slot groove (adhesive hole) 12 of the coater head is a hole which has an extremely narrow width (set by the thickness of a shim plate) and which is long in a direction orthogonal to a substrate carrying direction. Accordingly, the hot-melt adhesive fed through the slot groove forms a full application face at an extremely small film thickness (5 microns () to 30) on the surface of the pattern roller (see FIG. 6).

(27) Next, the hot-melt adhesive facing the recesses of the pattern roll is drawn and integrated into the hot-melt adhesive facing and adhering to the protrusions of the pattern roll. As a result, the hot-melt adhesive is applied only to the protrusion surfaces and does not adhere to the recesses. In other words, the hot-melt adhesive is applied only to the protrusion surfaces (see FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b)).

(28) The case in which the full application face is formed at an extremely small film thickness (5 to 30) on the surface of the pattern roll is described in FIGS. 5(a) to 6(b). However, when the slot groove (adhesive hole) 12 of the coater head has an even narrower width (e.g., when the thickness of the shim plate inserted between left and right half coater head bodies for forming the slot groove (adhesive hole) 12 of the coater head is 0.2 mm) and when the protrusion surfaces are in contact with the opening of the slot groove (adhesive hole) 12 of the coater head or a clearance between the protrusion surfaces and the opening is extremely small, an outflow of the adhesive through the slot groove (adhesive hole) 12 of the coater head is small and the adhesive exudes. The hot-melt adhesive adheres only to the protrusion surfaces in the surface of the pattern roll and does not adhere to the recesses.

(29) Moreover, since a set position of the coater head can be freely selected from a 360-degree range with respect to a peripheral face of the pattern roller, it is effective to set the opening in an upward oriented range in the above-described case.

(30) When the present invention is carried out, the hot-melt adhesive is likely to adhere to the surfaces of the recesses 3 in a case where a discharge amount of the hot-melt adhesive is large, for example, a case where the total area of surfaces of the recesses 3 of the pattern roller increase.

(31) As a countermeasure to the above, it is necessary to reduce the discharge amount of the hot-melt adhesive.

(32) Means of reducing the discharge amount of a hot-melt adhesive HM-2 is to increase a rotation speed of the pattern roller in response to increase in the total area of the recess pattern surfaces of the pattern roller with respect to the total area of the protrusion pattern surfaces of the pattern roller, and as a result, to respond to the increase in the recess pattern surfaces of the pattern roller with reduction in the discharge time of the hot-melt adhesive.

(33) Further, the discharge amount of the hot-melt adhesive can be changed by the following condition changes, and set values are suitably selected.

(34) 1. The discharge amount of the adhesive from a slot die can be changed by a rotation speed of an adhesive feed pump of the hot-melt adhesive feeder.

(35) 2. Adjustment of the small clearance between the protrusion pattern surfaces of the pattern roller and the opening of the adhesive hole of the slot die.

(36) 3. A temperature of a hot-melt feed path of the hot-melt adhesive feeder.

(37) 4. The width of a section of the adhesive in the slot die.

Effective Example 1

(38) A protrusion and recess pattern: straight protrusions are arranged at constant intervals in a rotating direction and throughout the width in an axial direction.

(39) The protrusions and recesses are arranged alternately in the rotating direction at intervals of 7.2 mm.

(40) The width of each of the protrusions is 1 mm.

(41) The height of each of the protrusions is 1 mm.

(42) The application face on the application substrate: application straight lines having the width of 1 mm at intervals of 7.2 mm in a traveling direction of the application line.

(43) The film thickness of the application face: 5 to 30.

(44) The opening of the slit (adhesive hole) of a bottom face of the slot die: a rectangle of 90 mm0.2 mm.

(45) The rotation speed of an adhesive feed pump of the hot-melt adhesive feeder: 19 rpm.

(46) The clearance between the protrusion pattern surface of the pattern roller and the opening of the adhesive hole of the slot die: 0.015 to 0.05 mm.

(47) The temperature of the hot-melt feed path of the hot-melt adhesive feeder: 160 C.

(48) A temperature of the pattern roller: 130 C. to 60 C.

Effective Example 2

(49) The protrusion and recess pattern: the circular protrusions are arranged in the staggered arrangement.

(50) The protrusions and the recesses are arranged alternately at intervals of 4 mm in the axial direction.

(51) The protrusions and the recesses are arranged alternately at intervals of 5 mm in the rotating direction.

(52) A diameter of each of the protrusions: 2 mm.

(53) The height of each of the protrusions: 1 mm.

(54) The application face on the application substrate: application straight lines having the width of 40 mm at intervals of 5 mm in the traveling direction of the application line.

(55) The film thickness of the application face: 5 to 30.

(56) The opening of the slit (adhesive hole) of the bottom face of the slot die: a rectangle of 90 mm0.2 mm.

(57) The rotation speed of the adhesive feed pump of the hot-melt adhesive feeder: 10 rpm.

(58) The clearance between the protrusion pattern surface of the pattern roller and the opening of the adhesive hole of the slot die: 0.015 to 0.05 mm.

(59) The temperature of the hot-melt feed path of the hot-melt adhesive feeder: 160 C.

(60) The temperature of the pattern roller: 130 C. to 65 C.

(61) The above-described effective examples each describe an example of the application conditions, and do not describe restrictive conditions.

(62) Next, an example of application conditions for an application failure will be described.

Reference Example 1

(63) In the first embodiment, when the rotation speed of the pattern roller was 38 rpm, a part of the hot-melt adhesive came in contact with the surfaces of the recesses, and the application failure was caused.

Reference Example 2

(64) In a second embodiment, when the rotation speed of the adhesive feed pump of the hot-melt adhesive feeder was 30 rpm and the clearance between the protrusion pattern surface of the pattern roller and the opening of the adhesive hole of the slot die was 0.1 mm, a part of the hot-melt adhesive came in contact with the surfaces of the recesses, and the application failure was caused.

(65) In view of the above-described cases, in order to apply the hot-melt adhesive only to the protrusion pattern surfaces of the pattern roller according to the present invention, it is estimated that the clearance between the protrusion pattern surface of the pattern roller and the opening of the adhesive hole of the slot die is preferably set to be extremely small or almost nonexistent, and the film thickness of the application face is preferably set to be extremely small.

(66) Hereinafter, the second aspect and the third aspect of the invention of the present patent application will be described based on the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 to 11.

(67) In the second embodiment, an application zone X including protrusions and recesses and a non-application zone Y without the protrusion are formed in a rotating direction of a pattern roller on the roller surface of the pattern roller in the first embodiment. In other words, an application face of a substrate is formed to obtain such distribution of protrusion surfaces 2 that one or more application zones X where the protrusion surfaces 2 are scattered and one or more non-application zones Y without the protrusion surface 2 are mixed in a vertical direction of the substrate (a traveling direction of the substrate) (see FIG. 7).

(68) When a hot-melt adhesive in a thin film state is fed to the roller surface of the pattern roller, the hot-melt adhesive in a thin film state is fed only to the application zone X of the roller surface of the pattern roller.

(69) The hot-melt adhesive is fed only to the application zone X of the pattern roller by performing opening actuation of an ON/OFF hot-melt adhesive feed control valve 20 to which a coater head is attached, at the timing of an adhesive opening of a bottom face of the coater head to face the application zone X of the pattern face of the pattern roller (see FIG. 8).

(70) The hot-melt adhesive discharged through the adhesive opening of the coater head is fed only to the application zone of the roller surface of the pattern roller.

(71) With reference to FIGS. 9 to 11, the ON/OFF hot-melt adhesive feed valve 20 will be described.

(72) A gun module 21 and a manifold 22 are attached to a coater head 11 as shown in the figure, and the hot-melt adhesive fed to a heating hose receiving hole 24 of the manifold 22 is fed to the coater head 11 via a passage 25 and a passage 26. A valve element 27 is included in a valve chest 23 of the gun module 21. Consequently, communication between the passage 26 and the passage 25 is openable and closable by movement of the valve element 27.

(73) A valve element action portion 27A is inserted into the valve chest 23 of the gun module 21, and a closing (OFF) operation air intake port 28 and an opening (ON) operation air intake port 29 are provided in an upper portion of the gun module 21. A heater 32 is mounted to each of the coater head 11, the gun module 21, and the manifold 22, and the fed hot-melt adhesive is heated to the set temperature range. In FIG. 9, a heating hose is denoted by reference sign 33, and a hot-melt adhesive feed source (including a hot-melt adhesive tank and a feed pump) is denoted by reference sign 34.

(74) A solenoid valve 30 controls feeding of operating air to the closing (OFF) operation air intake port 28 and the opening (ON) operation air intake port 29 from an operating air source 31.

(75) FIG. 12 shows a state in which the hot-melt adhesive is fed by opening (ON) actuation of the ON/OFF hot-melt adhesive feed valve 20, and FIG. 13 shows a state in which the feeding of the hot-melt adhesive is stopped by closing (OFF) actuation of the ON/OFF hot-melt adhesive feed valve 20.

(76) The opening (ON) actuation is performed corresponding to the application zone of the pattern roller by computer-controlling the solenoid valve 30. Consequently, the hot-melt adhesive is fed at the timing of the application zone X to face the coater head.

(77) Even when each of the protrusion surfaces 2 is a square surface of 5 mm5 mm or a circle surface of 5 mm , the application zone X becomes 10 cm or more, and thereby the first embodiment is applied. Consequently, it becomes possible to apply the hot-melt adhesive only to the protrusion surfaces.

(78) By stopping the feed of the hot-melt adhesive from the coater head in the roller transfer application to the applied area (non-application zone Y) where only the recess surface exists and feeding the hot-melt adhesive from the coater head in the roller transfer application to the applied area (application zone X) where the recess surfaces and the protrusion surfaces are mixed, it is possible to apply the hot-melt adhesive in thin film states only to the protruding faces to thereby obtain a desired application face.

(79) Further, there is an effect of enabling stable application for a long period of time with the application amount once set, and in the case of changing the application amount, enabling an easy change of the application amount by change of an adhesive feed pressure.

(80) Moreover, the hot-melt adhesive can be fed only to the protrusion pattern surfaces of the pattern roller only with the application means by the coater head, without the necessity of a smoother roller and other additional devices. Thereby, there is an effect of facilitating cost reduction and maintenance by simplification of the device.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

(81) The invention of the present patent application prevents dispersion of a hot-melt adhesive when the hot-melt adhesive is applied to a pattern roller face of a design coating application device of the related art, in a manufacturing system for fluid absorber products (sanitary napkins, disposal diapers, and the like), and contributes to improvement of a work environment and also development of manufacturing of this type of application device.