191. Since the mixture M7 is transported downstream with the mesh belt 191 in a state where the mixture is accumulated on the mesh belt 191, the mixture is formed as the layered web M8.

The suction portion 193 is a suction mechanism that sucks air from below the mesh belt 191. Accordingly, the mixture M7 can be sucked onto the mesh belt 191, and thus the accumulation of the mixture M7 onto the mesh belt 191 is promoted.

A pipe 246 is coupled to the suction portion 193. Further, the blower 264 is installed in the middle of the pipe 246. By the operation of the blower 264, a suction force can be generated at the suction portion 193.

The humidifying section 236 is disposed downstream of the loosening section 18. The humidifying section 236 includes an ultrasonic humidifier. Accordingly, moisture can be supplied to the web M8, and thus the amount of moisture of the web M8 is adjusted. By the adjustment, adsorption of the web M8 to the mesh belt 191 due to electrostatic force can be suppressed. Accordingly, the web M8 is easily peeled off from the mesh belt 191 at a position where the mesh belt 191 is folded back by the tension roller 192.

The total content of moisture added from the humidifying section 231 to the humidifying section 236 is preferably 0.5 parts by mass or more and 20 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the material before humidification, for example.

The sheet forming section 20 is disposed downstream of the web forming section 19. The sheet forming section 20 performs a sheet forming process of forming the sheet S from the web M8. The sheet forming section 20 has a pressurizing portion 201 and a heating portion 202.

The pressurizing portion 201 includes a pair of calender rollers 203 and can pressurize the web M8 between the calender rollers 203 without heating the web M8. Accordingly, the density of the web M8 is increased. As an extent of the heating in this case, for example, it is preferable that the binder P1 is not melted. The web M8 is transported toward the heating portion 202. Note that, one of the pair of calender rollers 203 is a main driving roller which is driven by the operation of a motor (not shown), and the other is a driven roller.

The heating portion 202 is used when a thermoplastic resin is used as a binder. The heating portion 202 includes a pair of heating rollers 204 and can pressurize the web M8 between the heating rollers 204 while heating the web M8. By the heat and pressurization, the binder P1 is melted in the web M8, and the fibers are bound to each other via the melted binder P1. Accordingly, the sheet S is formed. The sheet S is transported toward the cutting section 21. Note that, one of the pair of heating rollers 204 is a main driving roller which is driven by the operation of the motor (not shown), and the other is a driven roller.

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

The first cutter 211 cuts the sheet S in a direction that intersects with the transport direction of the sheet S, particularly in a direction orthogonal thereto.

The second cutter 212 cuts the sheet S in a direction parallel to the transport direction of the sheet S downstream of the first cutter 211. The cutting is a process of removing unnecessary portions at both ends of the sheet S, that is, the ends in the +y axis direction and the −y axis direction to adjust the width of the sheet S. In addition, the portion that has been removed by the cutting is referred to as a so-called “edge”.

By cutting the first cutter 211 and the second cutter 212 as described above, the sheet S having a desired shape and size can be obtained. The sheet S is transported further downstream and accumulated in the stock section 22.

Next, the separation device 1 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the separation device 1 includes the raw material supply section 11, the coarse crushing section 12, the defibrating section 13, the separation section 10, the weight detection section 8, and the controller 28 described above. The separation section 10 includes a rotating member 3 having a mesh 31, a first ejection portion 4 that ejects and supplies the defibrated material M3 with air onto the mesh 31, a first suction portion 5 that sucks a part of the defibrated material M3 on the mesh 31, a second ejection portion 6 that ejects air to the defibrated material M4 generated by suction, a second suction portion 7 that sucks and collects the defibrated material M4, and a motor (not shown). Further, the rotating member 3, the second ejection portion 6, and the second suction portion 7 constitute a collection section that collects the defibrated material M4 that is a material remaining on a first surface 311.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating member 3 includes the mesh 31 that has a circular shape in plan view, and a support member 32 that supports the mesh 31.

The mesh 31 has the first surface 311 and a second surface 312 in a front and back relationship. In the present embodiment, the first surface 311 is an upper surface facing vertically upward, and the second surface 312 is a lower surface facing vertically downward.

The mesh 31 can be, for example, a linear body knitted in a net shape, or a disc-shaped member provided with a plurality of through-holes. Among the fibers of the defibrated material M3 supplied onto the first surface 311 of the mesh 31, the fibers longer than the size of the opening of the mesh 31 remain on the mesh 31, that is, are accumulated on the mesh, and the fibers shorter than the size of the opening of the mesh 31 or minute foreign matter such as coloring materials pass through the mesh 31. Then, by setting the opening of the mesh 31 to a desired size, for example, fibers having a length suitable for sheet manufacturing can be selectively left.

The support member 32 has a function of supporting the mesh 31 to maintain the flat shape of the mesh 31. In the present embodiment, the support member 32 supports the mesh 31 from the first surface 311 side of the mesh 31. The mesh 31 and the support member 32 are at least partially fixed, and when the support member 32 is rotated by the operation of a motor (not shown), the mesh 31 is rotated together with the support member.

As shown in FIG. 3, the support member 32 includes a ring-shaped frame body 321 that supports the edge of the mesh 31, a central support portion 322 that supports the center portion of the mesh 31, and a plurality of rod-like coupling portions 323 that couple the frame body 321 and the central support portion 322 to each other.

In the present embodiment, the coupling portion 323 has a straight bar shape in which the cross-sectional shape is a quadrangular prism shape. In other words, the coupling portion 323 is an elongated member extending across the mesh 31 from the center portion to the outer peripheral portion. Further, in the present embodiment, four coupling portions 323 are provided radially, that is, at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the mesh 31. The shape of the coupling portion 323 is not limited to the above-described configuration, for example, any shape such as a round bar shape may be used.

Such a rotating member 3 is coupled to a motor (not shown) that is a driving portion, and can rotate around a central axis O by the operation of the motor (not shown). The motor (not shown) is configured so that the rotation speed is variable depending on the energization condition, and the operation of the motor is controlled by the controller 28. In the present embodiment, the rotating member 3 rotates in the arrow direction in FIG. 3, that is, in the clockwise direction when viewed from the first surface 311 side.

The first ejection portion 4 is installed on the first surface 311 side of the mesh 31. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the first ejection portion 4 is installed on the right side of the central axis O of the mesh 31 when viewed from the −y axis side toward the +y axis direction. The first ejection portion 4 is coupled to the downstream end of the pipe 242 and includes a first ejection port 41 at a position facing the first surface 311 of the mesh 31. With the air flow generated by the blower 261, the first ejection portion 4 ejects the defibrated material M3 together with the air flowed through the first ejection port 41 toward the mesh 31 from above, that is, toward the second surface 312 from the first surface 311 side. Accordingly, the defibrated material M3 can be supplied and accumulated on the first surface 311 of the mesh 31.

The first ejection port 41 is installed away from the first surface 311 of the mesh 31. Accordingly, the defibrated material M4 accumulated on the first surface 311 of the mesh 31 can move with the rotation of the mesh 31.

The first ejection port 41 has a shape where an opening surface thereof extends along the circumferential direction of the mesh 31. That is, the first ejection port 41 has a shape having a circular arc 411 located on the center side of the mesh 31, a circular arc 412 closer to the outer peripheral side of the circular arc 411, and a line segment 413 and a line segment 414 which couple the ends of the circular arcs to each other, in plan view of the opening surface of the first ejection port 41. The circular arc 411 and the circular arc 412 are provided in the circumferential direction of the mesh 31, and the circular arc 412 is longer than the circular arc 411. Further, the line segment 413 and the line segment 414 are arranged in this order from the front in the rotation direction of the mesh 31, and are provided in the radial direction of the mesh 31.

By supplying the defibrated material M3 from the first ejection port 41 having such a shape onto the first surface 311 of the mesh 31, the defibrated material M3 can be supplied and accumulated in the rotation direction of the mesh 31.

The first suction portion 5 is provided on the second surface 312 side of the mesh 31 and on the opposite side of the first ejection portion 4 via the mesh 31. The first suction portion 5 includes a first suction port 51, and is installed at a position where the first suction port 51 overlaps the first ejection port 41 when viewed from the direction of the central axis O of the mesh 31. Further, the first suction portion 5 is coupled to the blower 262 via a pipe 245, and air can be sucked from the first suction port 51 by the operation of the blower 262. Further, the collection section 27 formed of, for example, a filter is provided upstream of the pipe 245 from the blower 262. Accordingly, the fiber or the foreign matter sucked by the first suction portion 5 can be captured and collected.

The first suction port 51 has a shape where an opening surface thereof extends along the circumferential direction of the mesh 31. That is, the first suction port 51 has a shape having a circular arc 511 located on the center side of the mesh 31, a circular arc 512 closer to the outer peripheral side than the circular arc 511, and a line segment 513 and a line segment 514 which couple the ends of the circular arcs to each other, in plan view of the opening surface of the first suction port 51. The circular arc 511 and the circular arc 512 are provided in the circumferential direction of the mesh 31, and the circular arc 512 is longer than the circular arc 511. Further, the line segment 513 and the line segment 514 are arranged in this order from the front in the rotation direction of the mesh 31, and are provided in the radial direction of the mesh 31.

In other words, the first suction port 51 which is a suction port has a shape having a portion whose opening width increases from the center portion of the mesh toward the outer peripheral side thereof. The defibrated material M3 or the defibrated material M4 on the mesh 31 moves at a higher movement speed in the circumferential direction of the mesh 31 as it goes to the outer peripheral side of the mesh 31. However, with the above configuration, the defibrated material M3 or the defibrated material M4 can be sufficiently sucked even on the outer peripheral side. Note that, the opening width in this case refers to the length in the direction along the circular arc 511 or the circular arc 512.

By sucking the defibrated material M3 from the first suction port 51, the defibrated material M3 accumulated in the rotation direction of the mesh 31 can be sucked via the mesh 31. Therefore, suction can be performed according to the shape of the accumulated material of the defibrated material M3 accumulated on the mesh 31, and the removal of foreign matter and the removal of short fibers in the defibrated material M3 can be performed uniformly.

The second ejection portion 6 is installed on the second surface 312 side of the mesh 31 and at a position different from the first suction portion 5, that is, in front of the first suction portion 5 in the rotation direction of the mesh 31. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the second ejection portion 6 is installed on the left side of the central axis O of the mesh 31 when viewed from the +y axis side toward the −y axis side. The second ejection portion 6 includes a second ejection port 600 at a position facing the second surface 312 of the mesh 31. The second ejection portion 6 is coupled to the blower 263 via a pipe 243, and an air flow can be generated by the operation of the blower 263 and the air can be ejected from the second ejection port 600. Further, the second ejection port 600 ejects the air from the second surface 312 side of the mesh 31 toward the defibrated material M4 on the first surface 311 via the mesh 31. Accordingly, the defibrated material M4 on the mesh 31 can be peeled off from the first surface 311 of the mesh 31. Accordingly, the defibrated material M4 can be effectively collected by suction by the second suction portion 7 which will be described later.

The configuration of the second ejection port 600 will be described in detail later.

The second suction portion 7 is installed on the first surface 311 side of the mesh 31 and at a position different from the first ejection portion 4, that is, in front of the first ejection portion 4 in the rotation direction of the mesh 31. The second suction portion 7 has a second suction port 71 at a position facing the first surface 311 of the mesh 31, and is installed at a position where the second suction port 71 overlaps the second ejection port 600 when viewed from the direction of the central axis O of the mesh 31. The second suction portion 7 is coupled to the upstream end of the pipe 172 of the mixing section 17. Further, the air flow is generated by the operation of the blower 173 provided in the middle of the pipe 172, and suction can be performed from the second suction port 71. Accordingly, the defibrated material M4 peeled off from the mesh 31 by the second ejection portion 6 can be sucked and collected, and the defibrated material M4 can be sent out downstream, that is, to the mixing section 17.

The second suction port 71 is installed away from the first surface 311 of the mesh 31. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the suction force of the second suction portion 7 from inhibiting the rotation of the mesh 31, which contributes to the smooth rotation of the mesh 31.

The second suction port 71 has a shape in which an opening surface thereof curves along the circumferential direction of the mesh 31. That is, the second suction port 71 has a shape having a circular arc 711 located on the center side of the mesh 31, a circular arc 712 closer to the outer peripheral side than the circular arc 711, and a line segment 713 and a line segment 714 which couple the ends of the circular arcs to each other, in plan view of the opening surface of the second suction port 71. The circular arc 711 and the circular arc 712 are provided in the circumferential direction of the mesh 31, and the circular arc 712 is longer than the circular arc 711. Further, the line segment 713 and the line segment 714 are arranged in this order from the front in the rotation direction of the mesh 31, and are provided in the radial direction of the mesh 31.

By sucking the defibrated material M4 on the mesh 31 from the second suction port 71 having such a shape, the defibrated material M4 can be collected in the rotation direction of the mesh 31.

In this way, the second suction portion 7 functions as a collection suction portion that sucks and collects the defibrated material M4 that is a material accumulated on the first surface 311 of the mesh 31. The collection by suction is performed, so that the defibrated material M4 can be collected without contact, and damage to the defibrated material M4 can be reduced.

By such a separation device 1, the defibrated material M3 becomes the defibrated material M4 which contains a fiber equal to or longer than a desired length and from which foreign matter is removed, and is transported downstream to form the sheet S with high quality.

The controller 28 shown in FIG. 1 includes a central processing unit (CPU) and a storage. For example, the CPU can make various determinations and various commands.

The storage stores various programs, such as a program related to foreign matter separation or a program for manufacturing the sheet S.

The controller 28 may be built in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 or may be provided in an external device such as an external computer. In this case, the communication between the external device and the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 may be wireless communication or wired communication.

Further, for example, the CPU and the storage may be integrated as a single unit, the CPU may be built in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 and the storage may be provided in an external device such as an external computer, or the storage may be built in the sheet manufacturing apparatus and the CPU may be provided in an external device such as an external computer.

Next, the shape of a nozzle 60 of the second ejection portion 6 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the nozzle 60 includes the second ejection port 600 and is composed of a hollow body having a tube axis O6. The second ejection port 600 has an elongated shape, and in the present embodiment, has a rectangular shape in plan view of its opening surface. The nozzle 60 is disposed such that the second ejection port 600 extends along the radial direction of the rotating member 3.

Also, the nozzle 60 includes a first portion 61 and a second portion 62. The first portion 61 and the second portion 62 are arranged downward in this order from the second ejection port 600 side.

The first portion 61 is a portion in which the cross-sectional area of a lumen 600A is reduced toward the second ejection port 600. The cross-sectional shape of the lumen 600A has an elongated shape, and in the present embodiment, has a rectangular shape.

The first portion 61 has an inner surface 61A, an inner surface 61B, an inner surface 61C, and an inner surface 61D. The inner surface 61A and the inner surface 61C face each other, and the inner surface 61B and the inner surface 61D face each other. The inner surface 61A and the inner surface 61C form long sides of the cross-sectional shape of the lumen 600A. The inner surface 61B and the inner surface 61D form short sides of the cross-sectional shape of the lumen 600A.

In addition, the inner surface 61A and the inner surface 61C are each formed of an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the tube axis O6. The inner surface 61A and the inner surface 61C are inclined in a direction of approaching as the second ejection port 600 is approached. This allows the cross-sectional area of the lumen 600A to decrease toward the second ejection port 600.

In the present embodiment, the inner surface 61A and the inner surface 61C are each formed of a flat surface. Accordingly, a rate of gradual reduction of the cross-sectional area of the lumen