FIBER BODY PRODUCTION APPARATUS AND FIBER BODY PRODUCTION METHOD

Abstract

A fiber body production apparatus includes a forming mechanism that forms a mixture, a pressing unit that transports the mixture while pressing the mixture, a peeling blade that peels the mixture from the pressing unit, a cleaner that cleans the pressing unit, and a shaping mechanism that shapes the mixture, after a rear end of the mixture passes through the pressing unit, the pressing unit is reversely rotated to move foreign matter adhering to the peeling blade to the pressing unit, after the roller is reversely rotated by a predetermined amount, the pressing unit is rotated forward to transport the foreign matter, compress the foreign matter on the pressing unit, and cause the compressed foreign matter to pass between the peeling blade and the pressing unit, and the cleaner removes the transported foreign matter from the pressing unit.

Claims

1. A fiber body production apparatus comprising: a forming mechanism that forms a mixture containing fibers and a binder; a roller that is rotated forward to transport the mixture while pressing the mixture; a peeling blade that peels the mixture from the roller; a cleaner that cleans the roller at a position where the mixture does not pass; and a shaping mechanism that shapes the mixture peeled from the roller to produce a fiber body in which the fibers are bonded by the binder, wherein after a rear end of the mixture passes through the roller, the roller is reversely rotated to move foreign matter adhering to the peeling blade to the roller, after the roller is reversely rotated by a predetermined amount, the roller is rotated forward to transport the foreign matter, compress the foreign matter, and cause the compressed foreign matter to pass between the peeling blade and the roller, and the cleaner removes the transported foreign matter from the roller.

2. The fiber body production apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the roller transports the mixture while pressing the mixture and heats the mixture to a temperature equal to or higher than a bonding temperature at which the binder is bonded.

3. The fiber body production apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the roller compresses the foreign matter with a pressing force larger than a pressing force with which the roller transports the mixture while pressing the mixture.

4. The fiber body production apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the roller compresses and transports the foreign matter at a transport speed that is higher than a transport speed at which the roller transports the mixture while pressing the mixture.

5. The fiber body production apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the peeling blade is movable between a first position where the mixture is able to be peeled from the roller and a second position further away from the roller than the first position, is located at the first position when the foreign matter adhering to the peeling blade is moved to the roller, and is located at the second position when the foreign matter passes between the peeling blade and the roller.

6. The fiber body production apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaner is movable between a cleaning position where the roller is cleaned and a standby position further away from the roller than the cleaning position, and the roller is located at the standby position when the roller is reversely rotated.

7. The fiber body production apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaner is a felt roller that performs cleaning in contact with the roller.

8. A fiber body production method comprising: forming a mixture containing fibers and a binder; transporting the mixture while pressing the mixture with a roller that is rotated forward; peeling the mixture from the roller with a peeling blade; cleaning the roller with a cleaner at a position where the mixture does not pass; and shaping the mixture peeled from the roller to produce a fiber body in which the fibers are bonded by the binder; wherein after a rear end of the mixture passes through the roller, the roller is reversely rotated to move foreign matter adhering to the peeling blade to the roller, after the roller is reversely rotated by a predetermined amount, the roller is rotated forward to transport the foreign matter, compress the foreign matter on the roller, and cause the compressed foreign matter to pass between the peeling blade and the roller, and the cleaner removes the foreign matter from the roller.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view illustrating a fiber body production apparatus.

[0008] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view illustrating a state immediately after a pressing step is started in a pressing unit.

[0009] FIG. 3 is a schematic side view illustrating a state during the pressing step in the pressing unit.

[0010] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view illustrating a state when the pressing step is ended in the pressing unit.

[0011] FIG. 5 is a schematic side view illustrating a state during a cleaning step in the pressing unit.

[0012] FIG. 6 is a schematic side view illustrating a state during the cleaning step in the pressing unit.

[0013] FIG. 7 is a schematic side view illustrating a state during the cleaning step in the pressing unit.

[0014] FIG. 8 is a plan view of a peeling blade included in the fiber body production apparatus.

[0015] FIG. 9 is a side view of the peeling blade included in the fiber body production apparatus.

[0016] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a fiber body production method.

[0017] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the cleaning step in the fiber body production method.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

First Embodiment

[0018] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described based on embodiments. In the following embodiments, as a fiber body production apparatus for manufacturing fiber bodies P1, P2, and P3 from a material containing fibers, a fiber body production apparatus 1 for recycling paper pieces of used paper or the like in a dry process will be exemplified and described with reference to the drawings. The process of the fiber body production apparatus 1 of the present disclosure is not limited to a dry process and may be a wet process. In the present embodiment, the dry process mainly means that a process of detangling used paper into individual fibers is not performed in a liquid but is performed in air such as the atmosphere.

[0019] In each figure, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. In the present specification, same, identical, and simultaneous do not only refer to being exactly the same. For example, in the present specification, same, identical, and simultaneous include a case of being the same in consideration of a measurement error. In addition, for example, in the present specification, same, identical, and simultaneous include a case of being the same in consideration of manufacturing variation of members.

[0020] In addition, for example, in the present specification, same, identical, and simultaneous include a case of being the same as long as a function is not impaired. Therefore, for example, the dimensions of both are the same means that the difference in dimensions between the two is within 5% of one dimension, particularly preferably within 3% in consideration of a measurement error and manufacturing variations of members.

[0021] In each of the drawings, X, Y, and Z represent three spatial axes that are orthogonal to each other. In the present specification, directions along these axes are referred to as an X-axis direction, a Y-axis direction, and a Z-axis direction. When specifying a direction, a positive direction is +, a negative direction is , and by using the positive and negative signs together in the direction notation, the direction in which the arrow points in each drawing will be described as a + direction, and the direction opposite to the arrow will be described as a direction.

[0022] The Z-axis direction indicates a gravity direction, a +Z direction indicates a vertically upward direction, and a Z direction indicates a vertically downward direction. A plane including the X-axis and the Y-axis is described as an X-Y plane, a plane including the X-axis and the Z-axis is described as an X-Z plane, and a plane including the Y-axis and the Z-axis is described as a Y-Z plane. The X-Y plane is a horizontal plane. Three spatial axes of X, Y, and Z that do not limit the positive direction and the negative direction will be described as an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis.

[0023] The X-axis direction is a horizontal direction along an installation surface which is a horizontal surface on which the fiber body production apparatus 1 is installed. The Y-axis direction is a horizontal direction along the installation surface on which the fiber body production apparatus 1 is installed. The Z-axis direction is a normal direction with respect to the installation surface on which the fiber body production apparatus 1 is installed and is a height direction of the fiber body production apparatus 1.

[0024] In the following description, the +Z direction may be referred to as upward, and the Z direction may be referred to as downward. In the following description, in the fiber body production apparatus 1, a destination in a transport direction of a raw material, a mixture, a fiber body, and the like may be referred to as downstream, and a side going back in the transport direction may be referred to as upstream. For convenience of illustration, the size of each member is different from the actual size.

[0025] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the fiber body production apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a first unit group 101, a second unit group 102, and a third unit group 103. The first unit group 101, the second unit group 102, and the third unit group 103 are supported by a frame (not illustrated).

[0026] In the fiber body production apparatus 1, the first unit group 101, the third unit group 103, and the second unit group 102 are arranged from a-Y direction toward a +Y direction in a side view in a-X direction. In FIG. 1, directions in which used paper C, a mixture W, the fiber bodies P1, P2, and P3, slit pieces S, unnecessary scraps, and the like move are indicated by white arrows.

[0027] The fiber body production apparatus 1 produces the fiber body P3 from the used paper C which is a material containing fibers. According to the fiber body production apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, since the fiber body P3 can be produced from the used paper C, it is possible to reduce a waste amount of the used paper C by recycling the used paper C. Therefore, the fiber body production apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can contribute to achievement of the goal 12 ensure sustainable consumption production patterns in the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the like.

[0028] The used paper C is transported from the first unit group 101 to the second unit group 102 through a pipe 21 that extends across the third unit group 103. The used paper C is subjected to defibration or the like in the second unit group 102 to form defibrated fibers G, and then a binder K is added to form a mixture material K1. The mixture material K1 is transported to the third unit group 103 through a pipe 24. The mixture material K1 is formed into the mixture W in the third unit group 103 and then formed into the strip-shaped fiber body P1. The strip-shaped fiber body P1 is cut into the fiber body P3 in the first unit group 101. The binder K used in the present embodiment is a thermal bonding resin that is melted by heat to be bonded.

[0029] The first unit group 101 includes a buffer tank 13, a fixed-quantity supply unit 15, a merging unit 17, and the pipe 21. In the first unit group 101, these components are arranged in this order from upstream to downstream. The first unit group 101 also includes a first shaping mechanism 81, a second shaping mechanism 82, a tray 84, and a shredding unit 86.

[0030] The first shaping mechanism 81 and the second shaping mechanism 82 are shaping mechanisms for cutting the strip-shaped fiber body P1 into the fiber body P3 having a predetermined shape. The first unit group 101 has a water supply unit 67. The water supply unit 67 is a water storage tank. The water supply unit 67 supplies water for humidification to each of a first humidification unit 65 and a second humidification unit 66 described later through a water supply pipe (not illustrated).

[0031] The used paper C is put into the buffer tank 13 through a raw material input port 11. The used paper C contains fibers such as cellulose and is, for example, pieces of shredded used paper. Humidified air is supplied into the buffer tank 13 from the second humidification unit 66 of the third unit group 103.

[0032] The used paper C to be defibrated is temporarily stored in the buffer tank 13 and is then transported to the fixed-quantity supply unit 15 according to the operation of the fiber body production apparatus 1. The fiber body production apparatus 1 may include a shredder for shredding the used paper C or the like upstream of the buffer tank 13.

[0033] The fixed-quantity supply unit 15 includes a weighing device 15a and a supply mechanism (not illustrated). The weighing device 15a weighs a mass of the used paper C. The supply mechanism supplies the used paper C weighed by the weighing device 15a to the merging unit 17 located downstream. The fixed-quantity supply unit 15 weighs the used paper C for each predetermined mass by the weighing device 15a and supplies the used paper C to the merging unit 17 located downstream by the supply mechanism.

[0034] In the present embodiment, a load cell is used as the weighing device 15a. The predetermined mass for which the used paper C is weighed by the weighing device 15a is, for example, approximately several grams to several tens of grams.

[0035] A vibration feeder or the like can be applied to the supply mechanism. The supply mechanism may be included in the weighing device 15a.

[0036] The weighing and supply of the used paper C in the fixed-quantity supply unit 15 is batch processing. The supply of the used paper C from the fixed-quantity supply unit 15 to the merging unit 17 is intermittently performed. The fixed-quantity supply unit 15 may include a plurality of weighing devices 15a, and the plurality of weighing devices 15a may be operated at different times to improve the weighing efficiency.

[0037] In the merging unit 17, shredded pieces of the slit pieces S supplied from the shredding unit 86 are merged and mixed with the used paper C supplied from the fixed-quantity supply unit 15. The slit pieces S and the shredding unit 86 will be described later. The used paper C mixed with the shredded pieces flows from the merging unit 17 into the pipe 21.

[0038] Through the pipe 21, the used paper C is transported from the first unit group 101 to the second unit group 102 using airflow generated by a blower (not illustrated).

[0039] The second unit group 102 includes a defibrator 30 which is a dry type defibrator, a separator 40, a pipe 23, a mixing unit 91, and the pipe 24. In the second unit group 102, these components are arranged in this order from upstream to downstream. The second unit group 102 also includes a collection unit 95, a compressor 97, a power supply unit 99, a pipe 25 connected to the separator 40, and an airflow pipe 451.

[0040] The used paper C transported through the pipe 21 flows into the defibrator 30. The defibrator 30 defibrates the used paper C supplied from the fixed-quantity supply unit 15 in a dry process to produce the defibrated fibers G. A mechanical defibrating mechanism or the like that untangles the used paper C by mechanical force can be applied to the defibrator 30. Entangled fibers contained in the paper pieces of the used paper C are untangled by the defibrator 30 to form the defibrated fibers G, and the defibrated fibers G are transported to the separator 40.

[0041] The separator 40 separates the defibrated fibers G that have been defibrated. Specifically, the separator 40 removes components, contained in the defibrated fibers G, unnecessary for manufacturing the fiber bodies P1, P2, and P3. The separator 40 separates relatively long fibers from relatively short fibers. Since relatively short fibers may cause a decrease in the strength of the fiber bodies P1, P2, and P3, the relatively short fibers are sorted and removed by the separator 40. The separator 40 also removes coloring materials and additives contained in the used paper C. The separator 40 is of a disk type using a disk filter.

[0042] Humidified air is supplied to the inside of the separator 40 from the second humidification unit 66 of the third unit group 103.

[0043] The collection unit 95 includes a filter (not illustrated). The filter filters out components unnecessary for manufacturing the fiber bodies P1, P2, and P3 transported by airflow through the pipe 25, that is, unnecessary components such as relatively short fibers.

[0044] The compressor 97 generates compressed air. The above-described filter may be clogged with fine particles and the like of the unnecessary components. The filter can be cleaned by blowing compressed air generated by the compressor 97 onto the filter to blow off adhering particles.

[0045] Relatively short fibers and the like are removed from the defibrated fibers G, and the defibrated fibers G are transported to the mixing unit 91 through the pipe 23 by airflow generated by a blower (not illustrated) disposed at a leading end of the airflow pipe 451. Unnecessary components such as relatively short fibers and a coloring material are discharged from the pipe 25 to the collection unit 95.

[0046] The mixing unit 91 mixes the defibrated fibers G with the binder K in air to form the mixture material K1. Although not illustrated, the mixing unit 91 includes a fan, a hopper, a supply pipe, and a valve, which are not illustrated, in addition to a flow path through which the defibrated fibers G are transported.

[0047] The hopper is in communication with the flow path of the defibrated fibers G through the supply pipe. The valve is provided in the supply pipe between the hopper and the flow path. The hopper supplies the binder K into the flow path. The valve adjusts a mass of the binder K supplied from the hopper to the flow path. As a result, a mixing ratio of the defibrated fibers G and the binder K is adjusted.

[0048] In addition to the above-described configuration for supplying the binder K, the mixing unit 91 may include a similar configuration for supplying a coloring material, an additive, or the like.

[0049] The fan of the mixing unit 91 mixes the binder K and the like in air to form the mixture material K1 while transporting the defibrated fibers G downstream by generated airflow. The mixture material K1 flows into the pipe 24 from the mixing unit 91.

[0050] The power supply unit 99 includes a power supply device (not illustrated) that supplies power to the fiber body production apparatus 1. The power supply unit 99 distributes electric power supplied from the outside to each component of the fiber body production apparatus 1. The power supply unit 99 is provided with a control unit 5. The control unit 5 is electrically connected to each component of the fiber body production apparatus 1 and integrally controls the operation of these components.

[0051] The control unit 5 may include one or more processors that execute various processes in accordance with a program, one or more dedicated hardware circuits such as an application specific integrated circuit that executes at least some of the various processes, or a combination thereof. The processor includes a CPU and a memory such as a RAM and a ROM, and the memory stores program codes or instructions configured to cause the CPU to execute processes. The memory, that is, a computer readable medium includes any readable medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or dedicated computer.

[0052] In the third unit group 103, the mixture material K1 accumulates and is pressed to be formed into the strip-shaped fiber body P1 which is recycled paper. The third unit group 103 includes a forming mechanism 50, a first transport unit 61, a second transport unit 62, the first humidification unit 65, the second humidification unit 66, a drainage unit 68, and a pressing unit 70 which is a forming unit.

[0053] In the third unit group 103, the forming mechanism 50, the first transport unit 61, the second transport unit 62, the first humidification unit 65, and the pressing unit 70 are arranged in this order from upstream to downstream. The second humidification unit 66 is located below the first humidification unit 65.

[0054] The forming mechanism 50 forms the mixture W by accumulating the mixture material K1 supplied from the separator 40 by airflow and gravity. The forming mechanism 50 includes a drum member 53, a blade member 55 installed in the drum member 53, a housing 51 accommodating the drum member 53, and a suction unit 59. The mixture material K1 is taken into the drum member 53 from the pipe 24.

[0055] The first transport unit 61 is disposed below the forming mechanism 50. The first transport unit 61 includes a first transport belt 61a and a plurality of tension rollers 31 for stretching the first transport belt 61a. The suction unit 59 faces the drum member 53 with the first transport belt 61a interposed therebetween in a direction along the Z-axis.

[0056] The blade member 55 is located inside the drum member 53 and is rotationally driven by a motor (not illustrated). The drum member 53 is a semicylindrical sieve. A mesh having a function of a sieve is provided on a side surface of the drum member 53 facing downward. The drum member 53 allows the mixture material K1 smaller than the size of the mesh of the sieve to pass from the inside to the outside.

[0057] The mixture material K1 is discharged to the outside of the drum member 53 while being stirred by the rotating blade member 55 in the drum member 53. Humidified air is supplied from the second humidification unit 66 to the inside of the drum member 53, and moisture is added to the mixture material K1. By adding moisture to the mixture material K1, it is possible to prevent the mixture material K1 from adhering to an inner wall of the drum member 53 and prevent the mixture material K1 from agglomerating together. In addition, a humidification amount of the second humidification unit 66 may be increased to positively apply moisture to the mixture material K1 and accumulate the mixture material K1 on the first transport belt 61a.

[0058] The suction unit 59 is disposed below the drum member 53. The suction unit 59 suctions air inside the housing 51 through a plurality of holes included in the first transport belt 61a. As a result, airflow for accumulating the mixture material K1 on the first transport belt 61a is generated. The plurality of holes in the first transport belt 61a allows air to pass therethrough, but does not allow the defibrated fibers G, the binder K, and the like contained in the mixture material K1 to pass therethrough easily. Therefore, the mixture material K1 discharged to the outside of the drum member 53 is sucked downward together with air. The suction unit 59 is a suction device such as a blower.

[0059] The mixture material K1 is dispersed in air in the housing 51 and accumulates on an upper surface of the first transport belt 61a by gravity and airflow generated by the suction unit 59 to become the mixture W.

[0060] The first transport belt 61a is an endless belt and is stretched by the tension rollers 31. The first transport belt 61a rotates forward in a counterclockwise direction when viewed in the X direction in FIG. 1 by the rotation of the tension rollers 31. As a result, the mixture material K1 continuously accumulates on the first transport belt 61a, and the mixture W is formed. The mixture W contains a relatively large amount of air and is soft and swollen. The first transport unit 61 transports the formed mixture W downstream by the rotation of the first transport belt 61a.

[0061] The second transport unit 62 transports the mixture W downstream of the first transport unit 61, in place of the first transport unit 61. The second transport unit 62 peels the mixture W from an upper surface of the first transport belt 61a and transports the mixture W toward the pressing unit 70. The second transport unit 62 is disposed above a transport path of the mixture W and slightly upstream of a starting point on a return side of the first transport belt 61a. The second transport unit 62 in the +Y direction and the first transport belt 61a in the Y direction partially overlap with each other in a vertical direction.

[0062] The second transport unit 62 includes a second transport belt 62a, a plurality of rollers 32, and a suction mechanism (not illustrated). The second transport belt 62a is provided with a plurality of holes through which air passes. The second transport belt 62a is stretched over the plurality of rollers 32 and is rotated by the rotation of the rollers 32.

[0063] The second transport unit 62 causes an upper surface as one surface of the mixture W to be attracted to a lower surface of the second transport belt 62a by a negative pressure generated by the suction mechanism. In this state, as the second transport belt 62a rotates, the mixture W is attracted to the second transport belt 62a and transported downstream.

[0064] A cleaning unit 201 is provided in a region extending from a portion where the first transport unit 61 and the second transport unit 62 overlap with each other to a portion below the first transport unit 61 and the second transport unit 62. The cleaning unit 201 is provided with a brush roller or the like for removing remaining fibers adhering to the first transport belt 61a and the second transport belt 62a.

[0065] The remaining fibers collected by the cleaning unit 201 are transported to the defibrator 30 through a transport pipe 22, the merging unit 17, and the pipe 21. As a result, it is possible to suppress removing of the remaining fibers adhering to the first transport belt 61a and the second transport belt 62a, that is, performing maintenance by a user. As a result, it is possible to reduce the amount of remaining fibers to be discarded as waste and to suppress the raw material being wasted.

[0066] The first humidification unit 65 humidifies the mixture W accumulated by the forming mechanism 50 of the third unit group 103. Specifically, the first humidification unit 65 is, for example, a mist type humidifier and humidifies the mixture W transported by the second transport unit 62 by supplying mist M from below. The first humidification unit 65 is disposed below the second transport unit 62 and faces the mixture W transported by the second transport unit 62 in the direction along the Z-axis. For example, an ultrasonic humidification device or the like can be applied to the first humidification unit 65. The humidified air suppresses charging of the used paper C, fibers, and the like in each of the above-described components and suppresses adhesion of the used paper C, fibers, and the like to members due to static electricity.

[0067] The pressing unit 70 presses and heats the humidified mixture W to form the strip-shaped fiber body P1. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pressing unit 70 includes a first roller 72 that can heat the mixture W and is driven by a motor (not illustrated) and a second roller 73 that is rotated in a driven manner with respect to the first roller 72. The second roller 73 is movable between a separation position and a nip position by a moving mechanism (not illustrated). The first roller 72 corresponds to a roller.

[0068] The first roller 72 and the second roller 73 transport the fiber body P1 downstream in the transport direction while pressing and heating the mixture W in a nipped state and forming the mixture W into the fiber body P1. At this time, the first roller 72 is rotated in an A direction which is a counterclockwise direction when viewed in the X direction, and the second roller 73 is rotated in a clockwise direction. The rotation of the first roller 72 in the A direction is referred to as forward rotation, and the rotation of the first roller 72 in a-A direction opposite to the A direction is referred to as reverse rotation.

[0069] The pressing unit 70 heats the fiber body P1 to a temperature equal to or higher than a bonding temperature of the binder K, so that the binder K is melted and bonded, and the fibers contained in the mixture W are bonded to each other. For example, when a thermal bonding resin using polyethylene is used as the binder K, the heating temperature is preferably 100 C. or more and 150 C. or less. The mixture W in which the fibers are bonded to each other by the binder K has high strength. The pressing unit 70 may have any form as long as it can press and heat the mixture W and transport the fiber body P1 downstream in the transport direction. As in the present embodiment, a pair of rollers combining the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 may be used, or a combination of the first roller 72 and a flat or curved plate may be used.

[0070] The pressing unit 70, that is, the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 are rollers that rotate forward so as to transport the mixture W while pressing the mixture W. When the mixture W is transported while being pressed by the pressing unit 70, the amount of air contained in the mixture W is reduced from a state where the mixture W contains a relatively large amount of air and is soft, and the fibers are bound to each other by the binder K to be formed into the strip-shaped fiber body P1.

[0071] A winding roller 74 is disposed downstream of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73, and a pair of transport rollers 79 is disposed downstream of the winding roller 74. The fiber body P1 is transported from a nip point between the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 to the pair of transport rollers 79 via the winding roller 74 and transported to the first unit group 101 by the pair of transport rollers 79.

[0072] The fiber body production apparatus 1 includes a peeling blade 76. The peeling blade 76 is located downstream of the nip point between the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 in the transport direction of the fiber body P1.

[0073] As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, the peeling blade 76 includes a shaft portion 761 extending in the X-axis direction and a rectangular blade portion 762 attached to the shaft portion 761. A plurality of rectangular slits 763 extending in the +Z direction is arranged in the X-axis direction at a +Z side end portion of the blade portion 762. Further, a motor (not illustrated) is connected to the shaft portion 761, and the peeling blade 76 is rotatable around the shaft portion 761 as a rotation axis. Therefore, the peeling blade 76 is movable between a first position where a leading end of the blade portion 762 is close to the first roller 72 and a second position where the leading end of the blade portion 762 is further away from the first roller 72 than the first position. The first position is a position where the mixture W can be peeled from the first roller 72, and the second position is a position further away from the first roller 72 than the first position. The first position is not limited to a position close to the first roller 72 and may be a position in contact with the first roller 72 or a position slightly away from the first roller 72 as long as the mixture W can be peeled.

[0074] As illustrated in FIG. 2, at the start of production, the peeling blade 76 is located at the first position near the first roller 72. The peeling blade 76 peels a leading end of the fiber body P1 formed by the pressing unit 70 from the first roller 72 rotating forward in the A direction and guides the fiber body P1 toward the winding roller 74. After being wound around the winding roller 74, the fiber body P1 is transported to the first unit group 101 by the pair of transport rollers 79.

[0075] After the leading end of the fiber body P1 is nipped by the pair of transport rollers 79, the fiber body P1 is peeled from the first roller 72 by a tensile force without the peeling blade 76. Therefore, after the leading end of the fiber body P1 is nipped by the pair of transport rollers 79, the peeling blade 76 moves to the second position as illustrated in FIG. 3.

[0076] As illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4, the fiber body production apparatus 1 includes a cleaner 77. The cleaner 77 is disposed at a position where the fiber body P1 and the mixture W do not pass. The cleaner 77 comes into contact with the first roller 72 and plays a role of removing and cleaning foreign matter E such as a fiber residue adhering to a surface of the first roller 72. The cleaner 77 removes the foreign matter E adhering to the surface of the first roller 72 from the first roller 72, whereby normal transport of the fiber body P1 can be prevented from being hindered.

[0077] As illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5, the cleaner 77 includes a cleaning roller portion 771, an arm portion 772, a shaft portion 773, and an arm shaft 774. The cleaning roller portion 771 is a cylindrical roller rotatable around the X-axis and the shaft portion 773 parallel to the X-axis. In addition, the cleaning roller portion 771 is a felt roller having a surface to which a felt material for cleaning in contact with the first roller 72 is attached. In addition, when a motor (not illustrated) drives the shaft portion 773, the shaft portion 773 can be rotated in a D direction which is a counterclockwise direction when viewed in the X direction. A length of the cleaning roller portion 771 in the X-axis direction is longer than a width of the first roller 72 in the X-axis direction. As the felt material attached to the surface of the cleaning roller portion 771, a chemical fiber such as an acrylic fiber or a nylon fiber, cotton, or the like is used.

[0078] The shaft portion 773 serving as a rotation shaft of the cleaning roller portion 771 is connected to the arm shaft 774 via the arm portion 772. The arm shaft 774 is rotatable by a drive unit (not illustrated). Therefore, the cleaner 77 is rotatable around the arm shaft 774 to be movable between a cleaning position where the cleaner 77 cleans the first roller 72 and a standby position where the cleaner 77 is further away from the first roller 72 than the cleaning position.

[0079] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the winding roller 74 is provided downstream of the first roller 72 in the transport direction of the fiber body P1. The winding roller 74 is provided so that the fiber body P1 formed by the pressing unit 70 is wound around the first roller 72 by a predetermined distance from the nip position. The fiber body P1 is wound around a surface of the first roller 72 to form a wound portion Aw that is in contact with the surface of the first roller 72. By forming the wound portion Aw, it is possible to secure a longer time during which the fiber body P1 is in contact with the first roller 72. By securing a longer time during which the fiber body P1 is in contact with the first roller 72, the binder K melted by heating can be uniformly spread to every corner of the fiber body P1.

[0080] A rotation shaft of the winding roller 74 is arranged in a direction along the X-axis. A width of the winding roller 74 along the X-axis is longer than a width of the fiber body P1 to be transported along the X-axis.

[0081] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a plurality of pairs of transport rollers 79 is provided downstream of the winding roller 74. The control unit 5 controls driving of each pair of transport rollers 79 and the pressing unit 70 so that the fiber body P1 is tensioned during the transport of the fiber body P1.

[0082] The second humidification unit 66 is located below the first humidification unit 65. An evaporation type humidification device can be applied to the second humidification unit 66. Examples of the evaporation type humidification device include a device that evaporates moisture by blowing air onto a wet non-woven fabric or the like to generate humidified air.

[0083] The second humidification unit 66 humidifies a predetermined region of the fiber body production apparatus 1. The predetermined region is one or more of the buffer tank 13, the separator 40, and the inside of the drum member 53 of the forming mechanism 50. Specifically, humidified air is supplied from the second humidification unit 66 to the above-described region through a plurality of pipes (not illustrated). The humidified air suppresses charging of the used paper C, fibers, and the like in each of the above-described components and suppresses adhesion of the used paper C, fibers, and the like to members due to static electricity.

[0084] The drainage unit 68 is a drainage tank. The drainage unit 68 collects and stores old moisture that has been used in the first humidification unit 65, the second humidification unit 66, and the like. The drainage unit 68 can be removed from the fiber body production apparatus 1 as necessary to discard the accumulated water.

[0085] The strip-shaped fiber body P1 transported to the first unit group 101 reaches the first shaping mechanism 81. The first shaping mechanism 81 cuts the strip-shaped fiber body P1 in a direction intersecting with the transport direction, for example, in the X-axis direction. The strip-shaped fiber body P1 is cut into the cut fiber body P2 by the first shaping mechanism 81. The cut fiber body P2 is transported from the first shaping mechanism 81 to the second shaping mechanism 82.

[0086] The second shaping mechanism 82 cuts the cut fiber body P2 in the transport direction, for example, in the direction along the Y-axis. Specifically, the second shaping mechanism 82 cuts the vicinity of both sides in the direction along the X-axis in the cut fiber body P2. As a result, the cut fiber body P2 becomes the fiber body P3 having a predetermined shape such as an A4 size or an A3 size. The first shaping mechanism 81 and the second shaping mechanism 82 constitute a shaping mechanism and shape the mixture W peeled from the first roller 72 by the peeling blade 76 to produce the fiber body P3 in which the defibrated fibers G are bonded by the binder K.

[0087] When the cut fiber body P2 is cut into the fiber body P3 in the second shaping mechanism 82, the slit pieces S which are end materials are generated. The slit pieces S are transported substantially in the Y direction and reach the shredding unit 86 which is a shredder. The shredding unit 86 shreds the slit pieces S into shredded pieces and supplies the shredded pieces to the merging unit 17. A mechanism for weighing the shredded pieces of the slit pieces S and supplying the shredded pieces to the merging unit 17 may be provided between the shredding unit 86 and the merging unit 17.

[0088] The fiber body P3 is transported substantially upward and accumulated on the tray 84. As described above, the fiber body P3 is manufactured by the fiber body production apparatus 1. The fiber body P3 can be applied as a substitute for copy paper, for example.

[0089] Since the mixture W supplied from the forming mechanism 50 to the pressing unit 70 is in a state where the binder K does not function, that is, a cotton-like state where the bonding between the fibers is weak, the fibers are scattered and adhere to a surface of the blade portion 762 as the foreign matter E as illustrated in FIG. 4 during a forming step by the pressing unit 70. When the foreign matter E accumulates on the surface of the blade portion 762, the foreign matter E is entangled with the leading end of the fiber body P1 formed by the pressing unit 70 and hinders the fiber body P1 from reaching the winding roller 74 through a normal path. When the fiber body P1 does not reach the winding roller 74 through a normal path, normal transport is hindered, and a transport defect may occur. In order to solve these problems, in the present embodiment, a cleaning step (step S6) described later is executed.

[0090] According to FIG. 10, the content of a fiber body production method (step S1 to step S5) of the fiber body P3 by the fiber body production apparatus 1 and the cleaning step (step S6) will be described. The following operation is controlled by the control unit 5.

[0091] Step S1 is a defibrating step. In the defibrating step, the used paper C input from the raw material input port 11 is weighed for each predetermined mass and supplied to the defibrator 30, the used paper C is defibrated in a dry process by the defibrator 30, components unnecessary for manufacturing the fiber body P3 are removed by the separator 40, and relatively long fibers are separated by the disk filter. The resulting defibrated fibers G are supplied to a mixing step.

[0092] Step S2 is the mixing step. In the mixing step, the defibrated fibers G are mixed with the binder K in air in the mixing unit 91 to form the mixture material K1. The mixing unit 91 weighs a mass of the binder K and adjusts the mixing ratio with the defibrated fibers G to a desired ratio. The resulting mixture material K1 is supplied to an accumulating step S3.

[0093] Step S3 is an accumulating step. In the accumulating step, the mixture material K1 supplied from step S2 is accumulated on the first transport belt 61a by airflow and gravity in the forming mechanism 50 to form the mixture W.

[0094] Step S4 is a pressing step. In the pressing step, the mixture W formed in step S3 is pressed and heated in the pressing unit 70. By passing through the pressing unit 70, the mixture W, which is in a soft state containing a relatively large amount of air, is formed into the strip-shaped fiber body P1 in which the contained air is reduced and the fibers are bonded to each other by the binder K. As illustrated in FIG. 2, at the start of production, the peeling blade 76 is located at the first position close to the first roller 72, peels the leading end of the fiber body P1 formed by the pressing unit 70 from the first roller 72 rotating forward in the A direction, and guides the fiber body P1 toward the winding roller 74.

[0095] Step S5 is a shaping step. In the shaping step, the fiber body P1 formed in step S4 is cut by the first shaping mechanism 81 in a direction intersecting with the transport direction, that is, in the direction along the X-axis. The strip-shaped fiber body P1 is cut into the cut fiber body P2 by the first shaping mechanism 81 and is transported to the second shaping mechanism 82. The second shaping mechanism 82 cuts the cut fiber body P2 in the transport direction, that is, in the direction along the Y-axis. Specifically, the second shaping mechanism 82 cuts the vicinity of both sides in the direction along the X-axis in the cut fiber body P2 to form the fiber body P3 having a predetermined shape.

[0096] Step S6 is a cleaning step. In the cleaning step, the foreign matter E adhering to the peeling blade 76 is moved to the first roller 72, and the foreign matter E moved to the first roller 72 is removed by the cleaner 77. The cleaning step is executed after the production of the fiber body P3 (step S1 to step S5). When a rear end of the mixture W passes through the pressing unit 70, and all the produced fiber body P3 is accommodated in the tray 84, the control unit 5 executes step S6. At this time, the first roller 72 is assumed to be stopped.

[0097] As illustrated in FIG. 11, the cleaning step will be described in detail. FIG. 4 illustrates a state of the pressing unit 70, the peeling blade 76, and the cleaner 77 immediately before step S6 is executed. The rotation of the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 is stopped, the second roller 73 is located at the nip position, the peeling blade 76 is located at the second position, the cleaner 77 is located at the standby position, and the mixture W and the fiber body P1 are not pressed, heated, or transported.

[0098] Next, the cleaning step included in step S6 will be described.

[0099] In step S11, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the control unit 5 moves the cleaner 77 to the cleaning position. Specifically, the control unit 5 drives the drive unit (not illustrated) of the cleaner 77 to rotate the arm shaft 774 and moves the cleaning roller portion 771 to the cleaning position where the cleaning roller portion 771 comes into contact with the first roller 72.

[0100] In step S12, the control unit 5 rotates the motor (not illustrated) to drive the shaft portion 773 and rotate the cleaning roller portion 771 in the D direction. By rotating the cleaning roller portion 771 in the D direction, the relative speed with respect to the first roller 72 is increased in step S18 described later, and the ability to remove the foreign matter E is improved.

[0101] In step S13, the control unit 5 drives a motor drive unit (not illustrated) of the peeling blade 76 to rotate the shaft portion 761 and move the leading end of the blade portion 762 to the first position close to the first roller 72.

[0102] In step S14, the control unit 5 drives the motor (not illustrated) of the first roller 72 to reversely rotate the first roller 72 in the A direction. By reversely rotating the first roller 72, the foreign matter E on the blade portion 762 moves from the blade portion 762 to the first roller 72 because the blade portion 762 is located at the first position close to the first roller 72. The blade portion 762 is provided with the slits 763. Since the slits 763 are provided, a contact area between the foreign matter E and the first roller 72 increases, and the foreign matter E can be effectively moved to the first roller 72. By moving the foreign matter E accumulating on the surface of the blade portion 762 to the first roller 72, it is possible to prevent the foreign matter E from being entangled with the leading end of the fiber body P1 formed by the pressing unit 70. By preventing the foreign matter E from being entangled with the leading end of the fiber body P1, normal transport of the fiber body P1 can be prevented from being hindered. At this time, the second roller 73 may be separated or may be located at the nip position.

[0103] An amount of reverse rotation of the first roller 72 in the A direction in step S14 is less than 360. This is because when the first roller 72 is reversely rotated by 360 or more, the foreign matter E adhering to the first roller 72 may adhere again to the peeling blade 76. When the second roller 73 is located at the nip position, the second roller 73 is rotated in a driven manner with respect to the rotation of the first roller 72.

[0104] In step S15, the control unit 5 stops the driving of the motor (not illustrated) of the first roller 72 to stop the rotation of the first roller 72. At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the foreign matter E that has moved from the blade portion 762 to the first roller 72 remains adhering to the first roller 72.

[0105] In step S16, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the control unit 5 drives the motor drive unit (not illustrated) of the peeling blade 76 to rotate the shaft portion 761 and move the leading end of the blade portion 762 to the second position separated from the first roller 72.

[0106] In step S17, the control unit 5 controls the moving mechanism (not illustrated) to move the second roller 73 to the nip position.

[0107] In step S18, the control unit 5 drives the motor (not illustrated) of the first roller 72 to rotate the first roller 72 forward in the A direction. As illustrated in FIG. 7, since the foreign matter E adhering to the first roller 72 is compressed by the first roller 72 and the second roller 73, the foreign matter E passes between the peeling blade 76 located at the second position and the first roller 72, is transported to the cleaning roller portion 771, and is removed by the cleaning roller portion 771. At this time, the control unit 5 rotates the first roller 72 forward by 360 or more. By rotating the first roller 72 forward by 360 or more, the entire region on the first roller 72 can be cleaned by the cleaning roller portion 771. By removing the foreign matter E on the first roller 72, it is possible to prevent the foreign matter E from adhering to the fiber body P1 and to prevent deterioration of the quality of the fiber body P3.

[0108] A pressing force with which the first roller 72 and the second roller 73 compress the foreign matter E, that is, a pressing force with which the pressing unit 70 compresses the foreign matter E is desirably larger than a pressing force with which the pressing unit 70 feeds the fiber body P1 downstream in the transport direction while forming the mixture W into the fiber body P1. In addition, a transport speed at which the pressing unit 70 compresses and transports the foreign matter E is preferably higher than a transport speed at which the pressing unit 70 transports the fiber body P1 while compressing the fiber body P1. The foreign matter E adhering to the first roller 72 can be compressed in a short time by making the transport speed at which the pressing unit 70 compresses and transports the foreign matter E higher than the transport speed at which the pressing unit 70 transports the fiber body P1 while compressing the fiber body P1.

[0109] In step S19, the control unit 5 stops the driving of the motor (not illustrated) of the first roller 72 to stop the rotation of the first roller 72.

[0110] In step S20, the control unit 5 stops the driving of the motor (not illustrated) of the cleaner 77 to stop the rotation of the cleaning roller portion 771.

[0111] In step S21, the control unit 5 drives a motor drive unit (not illustrated) of the cleaner 77 to rotate the arm shaft 774 and moves the cleaning roller portion 771 to the standby position where the cleaning roller portion 771 does not come into contact with the first roller 72. As described above the cleaning step is completed.

[0112] While the fiber body production apparatus 1 stops the production of the fiber body P1, the foreign matter E floating in the fiber body production apparatus 1 may adhere to the peeling blade 76 or the first roller 72. Therefore, the cleaning step may be executed at the start of production of the fiber body P1. The cleaning operation is preferably executed both at the start of production and at the end of production. The cleaning operation at the end of production is executed after the rear end of the mixture W passes through the first roller 72. In addition, the cleaning operation at the start of production is an operation executed after the end of the previous production. Therefore, the cleaning operation at the start of production can also be included in the operation executed after the rear end of the mixture W has passed through the first roller 72.

[0113] By producing the fiber bodies P1, P2, and P3 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the foreign matter E from hindering the normal transport of the fiber body P1 and to stably produce the fiber bodies P1, P2, and P3.

Second Embodiment

[0114] As a modification, starch can be used as the binder K used in the first embodiment. When starch is used as the binder K, similarly to the first embodiment, the defibrated fibers G and the binder K using starch are mixed in the mixing unit 91 to form the mixture material K1.

[0115] When the fiber bodies P1, P2, and P3 are formed using the binder K using starch, the defibrating step S1, the accumulating step S3, the shaping step S5, and the cleaning step S6 of the fiber body production method illustrated in FIG. 10 are the same as in the first embodiment.

[0116] In the mixing step S2, the defibrated fibers G are mixed with the binder K using starch in air in the mixing unit 91 to form the mixture material K1 using starch. The mixing unit 91 weighs a mass of the binder K using starch and adjusts the mixing ratio with the defibrated fibers G to a desired ratio. The mixture material K1 using starch is supplied to the accumulating step S3.

[0117] In the pressing step S4, the mixture W using starch formed in step S3 is pressed and heated in the pressing unit 70. Since the mixture W using starch is pressed and heated simultaneously, temperatures of moisture and starch are increased by the heat, the fiber density is increased by the pressure, the starch is gelatinized, and then the moisture is evaporated, whereby a plurality of fibers is bonded to each other through the gelatinized starch. Further, since the moisture is evaporated, and the fiber density is increased by the pressure, a plurality of fibers is bonded by hydrogen-bonding, and the fiber body P1 is formed by the binder K using starch. The minimum temperature required for the heating corresponds to a bonding temperature.

[0118] According to the present embodiment, it is possible to stably produce the fiber bodies P1, P2, and P3 by preventing the foreign matter E from hindering normal transport of the fiber body P1 while using a naturally-derived binder.

[0119] The fiber body production apparatus 1 and the fiber body production method according to the first embodiment and the second embodiment of the present disclosure are basically configured as described above, but it is of course possible to change or omit a portion of the configuration without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, fibers other than used paper, such as cotton and wool, may be used as the fibers, and materials other than resin and starch may be used as the binder. The produced fiber body P3 is not limited to recycled paper and may be used for various applications such as boards and ornaments.

[0120] In the present embodiment, the cleaning step is started after all the produced fiber body P3 is accommodated in the tray 84. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the cleaning step may be started after the rear end of the mixture W passes through the pressing unit 70. That is, any one of step S5 and step S6 described above may be executed first, or step S5 and step S6 may be executed simultaneously in parallel.

[0121] In addition, in the cleaning step, the foreign matter E may be compressed while the first roller 72 is reversely rotated in the A direction. That is, step S17 may be executed between step S13 and step S14. However, considering the possibility that the foreign matter E may swell after being compressed, it is desirable to compress the foreign matter E while the first roller 72 is rotated forward in the A direction.

[0122] Further, the peeling blade 76 may be fixed. In this case, the peeling blade 76 and the first roller 72 may be brought close to each other to such an extent that the mixture W can be peeled off, and the peeling blade 76 and the first roller 72 may be separated from each other to such an extent that the compressed foreign matter E can pass therebetween.