Nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus and nonwoven fabric manufacturing method

Abstract

Provided is a nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus and a nonwoven fabric manufacturing method capable of equally coping with minute dimensional differences while reducing cost in response to various dimensional requirements. The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus includes a die 2 having a nozzle row 20 , a resin supply means 3 supplying the thermoplastic resin to the die 2 , a hot air supply means 8 supplying hot air to a thermoplastic resin extruded from the nozzle row 20 of the die 2 to draw the thermoplastic resin into fibers, and a collector 5 having a conveyor belt 11 , the collector 5 collecting the thermoplastic resin that has been drawn into fibers to form a nonwoven fabric web 12 by the self-fusion property.

1 : A nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus comprising:
 a die having a nozzle row, the nozzle row extruding a thermoplastic resin;   a resin supply means supplying the thermoplastic resin to the die;   a hot air supply means supplying hot air to the thermoplastic resin extruded from the nozzle row of the die to draw the thermoplastic resin into fibers; and   a collector having a conveyor belt, the collector collecting the thermoplastic resin that has been drawn into fibers to form a web by the self-fusion property;   wherein the die is disposed in such a manner that the angle of the die can be changed in a direction inclined relative to a width direction of the web that is perpendicular to a moving direction of the conveyor belt so that a width dimension of the web to be formed can be adjusted to a dimension corresponding to the angle of the die.   
     
     
         2 : The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein a resin inflow port of the die is turnably attached to a resin supply port of the resin supply means so that the angle of the die can be changed by adjusting a turning angle of the attachment. 
     
     
         3 : The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein an attachment structure between the resin inflow port of the die and the resin supply port of the resin supply means is a butt connection structure between flanges and the flanges can be fixed to each other with changing an angle therebetween. 
     
     
         4 : The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the flanges can be fixed to each other with changing the angle therebetween using a quick coupling. 
     
     
         5 : The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the die is provided with slits as the hot air supply means through which hot air is blown out from both sides across the nozzle row. 
     
     
         6 : The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the collector includes a mesh-like conveyor belt and a suction box that sucks air on an upper surface of the belt from a rear surface of the belt, and at least a suction unit of the suction box that faces the die across the conveyor belt is disposed in such a manner that the angle thereof can be changed to a direction inclined relative to the web width direction that is perpendicular to the conveyor belt moving direction. 
     
     
         7 : The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 6 , further comprising an interlocking mechanism that changes at least the angle of the suction unit of the suction box in interlocking with angle change of the die. 
     
     
         8 : A nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus in which a resin inflow port of a die having a nozzle row that extrudes a thermoplastic resin is turnably attached to a resin supply port of a resin supply means, wherein
 an expansion portion having an outer peripheral surface whose diameter expands toward a tip in a fan shape is provided in one of the resin inflow port and the resin supply port,   a recessed portion is provided in the other one of the resin inflow port and the resin supply port, the recessed portion having an inner peripheral surface whose diameter decreases toward a tip and receiving the expansion portion inside thereof to allow the outer peripheral surface to abut on the inner peripheral surface to lock the expansion portion relatively rotatably in a circumferential direction as well as inseparably in an axial direction, and   the resin inflow port of the die is turnably attached to the resin supply port of the resin supply means by a support structure that includes the expansion portion and the recessed portion.   
     
     
         9 : The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the expansion portion is formed on an outer periphery of a tip of a joint tube that constitutes the resin inflow port or an outer periphery of a tip of a resin supply tube that constitutes the resin supply port. 
     
     
         10 : The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the recessed portion includes a flange that is formed on an outer periphery of a tip of a resin supply tube that constitutes the resin supply port or an outer periphery of a tip of a joint tube that constitutes the resin inflow port and a holding cylinder that is disposed in a protruding manner on a tip surface of the flange and has the inner peripheral surface. 
     
     
         11 : The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the outer peripheral surface of the expansion portion is formed in a conical surface and the inner peripheral surface of the recessed portion is formed in a conical hole surface that faces the outer peripheral surface in parallel thereto. 
     
     
         12 : A nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus in which a resin inflow port of a die having a nozzle row that extrudes a thermoplastic resin is turnably attached to a resin supply port of a resin supply means, wherein
 one of the resin inflow port and the resin supply port includes a cylindrical portion and an expansion portion having an outer peripheral surface whose diameter expands on a tip of the cylindrical portion,   a holding body is provided in the other one of the resin inflow port and the resin supply port, the holding body having a recessed portion receiving the expansion portion inside thereof to lock the expansion portion relatively rotatably in a circumferential direction as well as inseparably in an axial direction,   a cylindrical support portion is provided in a region on a tip of the holding body, the cylindrical support portion having an inner peripheral surface that is continuous with an inner surface of the recessed portion and relatively rotatably supports an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion, and   the resin inflow port of the die is turnably supported with respect to the resin supply port of the resin supply means by a support structure that includes the expansion portion and the holding body.   
     
     
         13 : The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein a bearing member is interposed between the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical support portion. 
     
     
         14 : The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein a bearing member is interposed between an outer surface of the expansion portion, the outer surface facing a base end side of the expansion portion, and an inner surface of the recessed portion of the holding body, the inner surface facing a base end side of the recessed portion and being opposed to the outer surface of the expansion portion. 
     
     
         15 : The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein a seal member surrounding a resin flow path is disposed between an outer surface of the expansion portion, the outer surface facing a tip side of the expansion portion, and an inner surface of the recessed portion of the holding body, the inner surface facing a tip side of the recessed portion and being opposed to the outer surface of the expansion portion. 
     
     
         16 : The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein the cylindrical portion is composed of a joint tube that constitutes the resin inflow port or a resin supply tube that constitutes the resin supply port, and the expansion portion is formed on an outer periphery of a tip of the joint tube or an outer periphery of a tip of the resin supply tube. 
     
     
         17 : The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein the holding body includes a flange that is formed on an outer periphery of a tip of a resin supply tube that constitutes the resin supply port or an outer periphery of a tip of a joint tube that constitutes the resin inflow port and a holding cylinder that is disposed in a protruding manner on a tip surface of the flange and has the recessed portion and the cylindrical support portion continuous with the recessed portion. 
     
     
         18 : The nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein the outer peripheral surface of the expansion portion is parallel to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion, and the holding body includes a recessed portion having an inner peripheral surface parallel to the outer peripheral surface of the expansion portion and a cylindrical support portion having an inner peripheral surface whose diameter decreases in a stepwise manner continuously with the recessed portion, the inner peripheral surface being parallel to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion. 
     
     
         19 : A nonwoven fabric manufacturing method comprising:
 preparing a nonwoven fabric manufacturing apparatus, the apparatus includes   a die having a nozzle row, the nozzle row extruding a thermoplastic resin,   a resin supply means supplying the thermoplastic resin to the die,   a hot air supply means supplying hot air to a thermoplastic resin extruded from the nozzle row of the die to draw the thermoplastic resin into fibers, and   a collector having a conveyor belt, the collector collecting the thermoplastic resin that has been drawn into fibers to form a web by the self-fusion property;   disposing the die in such a manner that the angle of the die can be changed in a direction inclined relative to a width direction of the web that is perpendicular to a moving direction of the conveyor belt; and   adjusting a width dimension of the web to be formed to a dimension corresponding to the angle of the die by changing the angle of the die.