JP2023063100A - Fiber assembly and method for producing fiber assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a fiber assembly that achieves both a gap in the thickness direction of the fiber assembly and a secured space area in the gap part, in a fiber assembly comprising a plurality of arranged fibers.SOLUTION: The present invention comprises: a group of warp yarns made of a polymeric material on the main surface of a support sheet and having a plurality of warp yarns extending in a first direction arranged along a second direction crossing the first direction; and a group of weft yarns made of a polymeric material and having a plurality of weft yarns extending in the second direction arranged along the first direction, and having a plurality of contact portions and non-contact portions of the warp group with the weft group, the contact portion being a region where the warp yarns and the weft yarns are integrated, a release treatment being applied to the main surface of the support sheet, the line width of the warp yarn being 1 to 10 μm, the line width of the weft yarn being 10 to 80 μm, the distance between adjacent warp yarns being narrower than the distance between adjacent weft yarns, the weft yarn group being laminated in the thickness direction where two or more weft yarns crosses the first direction and the second direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present disclosure relates to a fiber assembly including a plurality of intersecting fibers and a method of manufacturing the fiber assembly.

In recent years, fiber substrates have attracted attention as scaffolds for culturing biological tissues and microorganisms. In particular, when directional growth of biological tissues and microorganisms is observed, it is desirable that the fibers constituting the fiber base material are arranged in a certain direction, and the fibers are arranged so as to go around the peripheral surface of the winding rotor. There is known a method of increasing alignment by depositing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-79460

However, although the fiber assembly manufacturing method described in Patent Document 1 has excellent fiber alignment, the gap in the thickness direction is narrow, which is a factor in the amount of fragile bodies (for example, biological tissue and microorganisms) retained. rice field.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a fiber assembly that achieves both a gap in the thickness direction of the fiber assembly containing fine and highly arranged fibers and a space area in the gap portion. do.

The fiber assembly according to the present disclosure is made of a polymer material on the main surface of the support sheet, and a plurality of warp yarns extending in a first direction are arranged along a second direction that intersects the first direction. and a weft yarn group made of a polymer material and made of a plurality of weft yarns extending in the second direction and arranged along the first direction, the warp yarn group and the weft yarn group It has a plurality of contact portions and non-contact portions, and the contact portion is a region where the warp and weft yarns are integrated, and the main surface of the support sheet is subjected to release treatment, and the warp line The width is 1 to 10 μm, the line width of the weft yarn is 10 to 80 μm, the distance between adjacent warp yarns is narrower than the distance between adjacent weft yarns, and the weft yarn group is composed of two or more weft yarns. are laminated in the thickness direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction.

According to the fiber assembly according to the present disclosure, it is possible to ensure both the gap in the thickness direction of the fiber assembly and the space area of the gap portion.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic diagram illustrating a case where the main surface of the fiber assembly according to Embodiment 1 has a pattern in which the warp yarn group has only a high fiber density and a weft yarn group has a pattern in which only the fiber density is sparse. . FIG. 1-2 is a schematic diagram showing a first contact area in the case of FIG. 1-1; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an enlarged example of a case where the main surface of the fiber assembly according to Embodiment 1 has a pattern of dense and sparse fiber densities in the warp group and a pattern of only sparse fiber density in the weft group. be. FIG. 2-2 is a schematic diagram showing a first contact area in the case of FIG. 2-1; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an enlarged example of a cross section of a part of the first contact portion region of the fiber assembly according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an enlarged example of a cross section of a part of the first contact portion region of the fiber assembly according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a cutting line when individual pieces are cut from the fiber aggregate according to Embodiment 1 to actually use portions. FIG. 5B is a perspective view showing a part of the operation of pressing and adhering the frame to the portion cut into pieces in FIG. 5A; 5B is a perspective view after peeling the frame of FIG. 5B from the support sheet; FIG. FIG. 5D is a perspective view of the self-supporting fiber group adhered to the opening surface of the container through the frame in FIG. 5C. 4 is a flow chart of each step in the method for manufacturing a fiber assembly according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a first attaching step and a second attaching step in the manufacturing method of the fiber assembly according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a first attachment step and a second attachment method in the method of manufacturing a fiber assembly according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a first fiber forming step in the method for manufacturing a fiber assembly according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a second fiber forming step in the method for manufacturing a fiber assembly according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a third fiber forming step in the method for manufacturing a fiber assembly according to Embodiment 1;

The fiber assembly according to the first aspect is formed on the main surface of the support sheet, is made of a polymeric material, and has a plurality of warp yarns extending in a first direction in a second direction intersecting the first direction. and a group of weft threads made of a polymer material and extending in the second direction, the group of warp threads being arranged along the first direction. and a plurality of contact portions and non-contact portions with the weft yarn group, and the contact portion is a region where the warp yarn and the weft yarn are integrated, and the main surface of the support sheet is subjected to a release treatment, The line width of the warp yarn is 1 to 10 μm, the line width of the weft yarn is 10 to 80 μm, the distance between adjacent warp yarns is narrower than the distance between adjacent weft yarns, and the weft yarn group is Two or more weft threads are laminated in the thickness direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction.

In the fiber assembly according to the second aspect, in the first aspect, the two or more weft yarns laminated in the thickness direction are partially integrated by being fused to each other, even if they overlap in the thickness direction. good.

In the fiber assembly according to the third aspect, in the first or second aspect, the thermoplastic resin may be the main component of the polymeric material.

In the method for manufacturing a fiber assembly according to the fourth aspect, a supply nozzle for supplying fibers made of a polymer material to a support sheet that is cylindrically wound around a rotating body and fixed is rotated in the direction of the rotation axis. A method for producing a fiber assembly according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein a group of arranged fibers is arranged by spinning the fibers substantially parallel while moving, and the fiber assembly is wound around a rotating body. By synchronizing the cycle of the rotating body with the timing of the movement of the supply nozzle by a sensor attached substantially linearly in the gap between the opposite ends of the supporting sheet in the circumferential direction, a single yarn can be thickened. It includes at least a step of forming a group of yarns arranged while being piled up in multiple directions.

A method for manufacturing a fiber assembly according to a fifth aspect comprises the steps of: attaching a support sheet to the outer peripheral surface of a rotating body so as to wind it; rotating the rotating body about a rotating shaft; forming a first fiber group in which a plurality of first fibers are arranged so as to circulate around the peripheral surface of a cylindrical support sheet by relatively moving the first supply nozzle along the direction of the rotation axis; A step of cutting the first fiber group in the portion facing the wound support sheet and removing the first fiber group from the rotating body together with the supporting sheet, and rotating the supporting sheet removed from the rotating body together with the first fiber group by 90°. and by rotating the rotating body about the rotating shaft and relatively moving the second supply nozzle for supplying the raw material liquid of the second fibers along the direction of the rotating shaft, forming a second fiber group in which a plurality of second fibers are arranged on the first main surface of the support sheet so as to cross the first fiber group and surround the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body; A step of cutting the second fiber group in the opposing portion, removing the first fiber group and the second fiber group together with the support sheet from the rotating body, and removing the support sheet removed from the rotating body together with the first fiber group and the second fiber group. a step of rotating the rotating body by 90° and winding it around the rotating body; forming a third fiber group in which a plurality of third fibers are arranged on the first main surface of the support sheet so as to intersect with the second fiber group and surround the outer peripheral surface of the rotor; The third fiber group at the portion facing the wound support sheet is cut, the first fiber group, the second fiber group, and the third fiber group are removed from the rotating body together with the support sheet, and the first fiber group and the second fiber group are removed together with the support sheet. a step of obtaining a fiber assembly in which the group and the third fiber group are formed, and in the step of forming the second fiber group, attenuating the relative movement speed of the second supply nozzle along the direction of the rotation axis. Alternatively, a plurality of the second fibers may be applied in the thickness direction, the second supply nozzle may be accelerated, and the next second fiber may be applied at intervals.

A method for manufacturing a fiber assembly according to a sixth aspect is the method according to the fifth aspect, wherein the timing for switching the relative speed of the second supply nozzle from attenuation to acceleration is determined by the support sheet wound around the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body. You may make it correspond to the clearance part between the both ends which oppose in the circumferential direction.

Hereinafter, a fiber assembly manufacturing apparatus and a fiber assembly manufacturing method according to embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected about the substantially same member in drawing.

(Embodiment 1)
<Fiber assembly>
1-1, 1-2, 2-1 and 2-2 show a pattern in which the fiber density of the warp group is only dense or dense in the main surface of the fiber assembly 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an enlarged example of each case having a sparse pattern and having a pattern in which the fiber density of the weft group is only sparse. For convenience, the direction in which the weft yarns constituting the weft yarn group 103 extend is the X direction, the direction in which the warp yarns constituting the warp yarn groups 102-1 and 102-2 extend is the Y direction, and the main part of the fiber assembly 100 The direction perpendicular to the XY plane is the Z direction.
The fiber assembly 100 according to Embodiment 1 is made of a polymer material on the main surface of the support sheet 101, and a plurality of warp threads extending in the first direction (Y direction) are arranged in the first direction (Y direction). Warp yarn groups 102-1 and 102-2 arranged along a second direction (X direction) intersecting the direction), and a plurality of warp yarn groups 102-1 and 102-2 made of a polymer material and extending in the second direction (X direction) and a weft yarn group 103 in which the weft yarns are arranged along the first direction (Y direction). The fiber assembly 100 also has a plurality of contact portions 30 and non-contact portions between the warp yarn groups 102-1 and 102-2 and the weft yarn group 103. As shown in FIG. The contact portion is a region where the warp yarn and the weft yarn are integrated. Further, the main surface of the support sheet 101 is subjected to mold release treatment. Further, the line width of the warp yarn is 1 to 10 μm, and the line width of the warp yarn is 10 to 80 μm. The distance between adjacent warp yarns is smaller than the distance between adjacent weft yarns. In the weft yarn group 103, two or more weft yarns are laminated in the thickness direction (Z direction) intersecting the first direction (Y direction) and the second direction (X direction).

The fiber assembly 100 according to Embodiment 1 is composed of a support sheet 101, and a warp group A102-1, a weft group 103, and a warp group B102-2 arranged on the main surface thereof.

<Support sheet>
From the side close to the main surface of the support sheet 101, the warp group A102-1, the weft group 103, and the warp group B102-2 are laminated in order, and the line width of the yarn is wider than the warp group A102-1 and the warp group B102-2. The yarn group 103 is thicker, and the fiber density of the weft yarn group 103 is sparse than the warp yarn group A102-1 and the warp yarn group B102-2.
The support sheet 101 is made of a PET film having a thickness of 75 μm, and its main surface is subjected to release treatment (not shown) with a fluorine material. The reason why a release-treated film is used for the support sheet 101 will be described in detail in the manufacturing method of the fiber assembly described later.

<Warp yarn group and weft yarn group>
Polystyrene is used as a polymeric material for the warp group A102-1, the weft group 103, and the warp group B102-2.
The materials of the warp group A102-1, the weft group 103, and the warp group B102-2 can be used to prepare a support by a spinning method as described later, have thermoplasticity, and can be melted by heating and spun. Any material is acceptable. Materials for warp group A102-1, weft group 103, and warp group B102-2 include not only polystyrene but also polylactide (PLA), poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), polyglycolide (PGA), lactic acid-glycolic acid. Examples include, but are not limited to, copolymers (PLGA). Further, for example, in order to give a certain conductivity, an inorganic filler may be dispersed in a material containing a polymer as a main component. The same material may be used or different materials may be combined.

In addition, as will be described later, it is necessary to integrate the contact portions of the warp group A 102-1, the warp group B 102-2 and the weft group 103, but the candidate materials listed here exhibit thermoplasticity and are integrated by heat fusion. also satisfied.
The term "integrated" as used herein means that the upper and lower yarns are not thermally fused to form an interface, rather than the upper and lower yarns are in contact with each other at the contact portion to form an interface.

<Line width of warp yarn group and weft yarn group>
The line width of the warp group A102-1 and the warp group B102-2 is, for example, 4 μm, and the line width of the weft group 103 is, for example, 50 μm.
The line width of the warp group A102-1 and the warp group B102-2 means the average thickness of the cross section perpendicular to the length direction of the raw yarn. For example, when used as a scaffold for culturing cells as a biological tissue on a lattice formed by warp groups 102-1 and 102-2 and weft group 103, from the viewpoint of cell adhesion, warp groups A102-1 and B102 The line width of −2 is desirably 1 μm to 10 μm, and may be 1 μm to 5 μm, 2 μm to 4 μm, and the like.
The line width of the weft group 103 means the average thickness of the cross section perpendicular to the length direction of the raw yarn. As will be described later, in the weft yarn group 103, two or more weft yarns are laminated in order to secure a gap in the thickness direction. Therefore, from the viewpoint of securing and maintaining the gap, the line width of the weft group 103 is desirably 10 μm to 80 μm, and may be 20 μm to 70 μm, 30 μm to 60 μm, and the like.

The warp yarns forming the warp yarn group A102-1 and the warp yarn group B102-2 may have different diameters in the range of 1 μm to 10 μm, and the weft yarns forming the weft yarn group 103 may have different diameters from 10 μm to 80 μm. In addition, the same diameter is used in consideration of the planar uniformity of the lattice formed by the warp yarn group A102-1, the weft yarn group 103, and the warp yarn group B102-2 and ensuring the strength of the contact portion by substantially flattening with thermal fusion described later. may

<Gap spacing between warp and weft groups>
Next, the gap between the warp group A 102-1, the warp group B 102-2 and the weft group 103 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1-1, 1-2, 2-1 and 2-2.

FIG. 1-1 illustrates a pattern in which the distance between adjacent warp yarns and the distance between adjacent weft yarns are constant in warp yarn group A 102-1, warp yarn group B 102-2, and weft yarn group 103. there is 1-2 shows the division of the first contact area A in the case of FIG. 1-1.
The gap between the warp yarns of the warp yarn group A102-1 and the warp yarn group B102-2 in FIG. 1-1 is, for example, 20 μm, and the gap between the weft yarns of the weft yarn group 103 is, for example, 600 μm. .

FIG. 2-1 illustrates a case where the distance between weft yarns adjacent to warp yarn group A102-1 and warp yarn group B102-2 is constant, but the distance between adjacent warp yarns has two patterns. . FIG. 2-2 shows the division of the first contact area A in the case of FIG. 2-1.
The pattern with a short interval between adjacent warp yarns in warp group A102-1 and warp group B102-2 in FIG. The gap between each warp yarn is 1000 μm.

Here, the gap distance means the average distance between the edges of adjacent yarns in the direction perpendicular to the length direction of the raw yarn.
The gap in the portion with a high fiber density is, for example, when used as a scaffold for culturing cells as a biological tissue on the yarn formed by the warp group A102-1 and the warp group B102-2, both on the yarn and between the yarns 5 μm to 100 μm, preferably 5 μm to 50 μm, 5 μm to 30 μm, and the like.
From the viewpoint of securing a space area, the gap between the portions where the fiber density is high is desirably 100 μm to 2000 μm, and may be 200 μm to 2000 μm, 500 μm to 2000 μm, and the like.

<First Contact Area>
Next, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an enlarged example of a cross section of a portion of the first contact portion region A in the fiber assembly according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG.
The average thickness t of the contact portion 30 between the warp yarn A12-1, the warp yarn B12-2, and the weft yarn 13 of the fiber assembly 100 according to the first embodiment is equivalent to 100 μm, for example.
Here, the average thickness t of the contact portion means the average sum of the thickness of the warp yarn and the thickness of the weft yarn in the contact portion 30 where the warp yarn group and the weft yarn group are integrated.

In order to secure the gap between the warp yarn group A102-1 and the warp yarn group B102-2, two or more weft yarns 13 are laminated in the thickness direction (Z direction) and integrated by a spinning method and heat treatment as described later. It is better to increase the thickness of the contacting part.

Next, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an enlarged example of a cross section of a portion of the first contact portion region A of the fiber assembly according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. The permissible range of displacement of the contact portion will be described with reference to this figure.
As described above, two or more weft yarns 13 are laminated in the thickness direction and integrated by a spinning method and a heat treatment, which will be described later. As shown in the figure, the cross section of the thread is approximately circular (represented by the dotted line in the figure) before being integrated. )think of. In this case, the angle between the line connecting the centers of the threads and the plane is θ, and in consideration of structural stability, θ is preferably 45° to 135°, 60° to 120°, 85° to 105°. ° etc. may be used. In addition, the area where θ is in the range of 45° to 135° is in the range of 80% to 100% of the first contact portion area A on the main surface in FIGS. 1-2 and 2-2. desirable from this point of view.

Next, FIGS. 5A to 5D are schematic diagrams showing modes of adhering a fiber group to a container via a frame from the fiber assembly according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram showing a cutting line 601 when individual pieces are cut from the fiber assembly 100 according to Embodiment 1 to actually use portions. FIG. 5B is a perspective view showing a part of the operation of pressing and adhering the frame 602 to the portion cut into pieces in FIG. 5A. 5C is a perspective view after peeling the frame 602 of FIG. 5B from the support sheet 101. FIG. FIG. 5D is a perspective view of the fiber group 604 self-supporting through the frame 602 in FIG. 5C adhered to the opening surface of the container 603.
An adhesive layer (not shown) is applied to the surface of the frame body 602 facing the main surface of the support sheet 101 having the warp group A102-1, the weft group 103, and the warp group B102-2. When the frame 602 is peeled off after pressing the frame 602 against the support sheet 101, the fiber group 604 composed of the warp yarn groups 102-1 and 102-2 and the weft yarn group 103 can be transferred to the adhesive layer of the frame 602. becomes.

In Embodiment 1, polystyrene is used for the container 603, and the fiber group 604 is thermocompression bonded to the opening surface of the container 603 and adhered to the container 603. However, the thermocompression bonding may not be performed, for example, via an adhesive. It can be glued.

<Manufacturing method of fiber assembly>
FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the method for manufacturing a fiber assembly according to the first embodiment.
(1) In the first embodiment, the supporting sheet is attached so as to be wound around the outer peripheral surface of the rotor (S1).
(2) Then, the rotor is rotated about the rotation axis. At this time, for example, by relatively moving the supply nozzle that supplies the first fibers (or the raw material liquid thereof) along the direction of the rotation axis, the plurality of first fibers circulates around the peripheral surface of the cylindrical support sheet. A first fiber group having a high degree of arrangement is formed (S2).

(3) Next, the first fiber group at the portion facing the wound support sheet is cut, and the first fiber group is removed from the rotating body together with the support sheet (S3).
(4) Next, for example, the support sheet removed from the rotating body together with the first fiber group is rotated by 90° and attached to the rotating body so as to be wound (S4). That is, the support sheet is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body so that the direction in which the first fibers of the first fiber group on the supporting sheet extend is different from the winding direction of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body.
Here, the support sheet can be deformed without applying an excessive load to the first fiber group due to its flexibility, so that it can be handled without impairing the arrangement of the first fiber group.

(5) Next, the rotor is rotated about the rotation axis. At this time, for example, by relatively moving the supply nozzle that supplies the second fibers (or the raw material liquid thereof) along the direction of the rotation axis, the plurality of second fibers are spread on the first main surface of the support sheet. A second fiber group is formed by intersecting with the fiber group and circulating around the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body (S5).

(6) Next, the second fiber group at the portion facing the wound support sheet is cut, and the first fiber group and the second fiber group are removed from the rotating body together with the support sheet (S6).
(7) Next, for example, the support sheet removed from the rotating body together with the first fiber group and the second fiber group is rotated by 90° and attached to the rotating body so as to be wound (S7).

(8) Next, the rotor is rotated about the rotation axis. At this time, for example, by relatively moving a supply nozzle that supplies the third fibers (or its raw material liquid) along the direction of the rotation axis, the plurality of third fibers are spread over the first main surface of the support sheet. A third fiber group is formed by intersecting with the fiber group and circulating around the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body (S8).
(9) Finally, the third fiber group at the portion where the support sheet is wound and faces is cut, and the first fiber group, the second fiber group, and the third fiber group are removed together with the support sheet from the rotating body, and are highly arranged. A fiber assembly in which the first, second, and third fiber groups having properties are formed is obtained (S9).

<Manufacturing device for fiber assembly>
Next, a fiber assembly manufacturing apparatus for embodying the above-described fiber assembly manufacturing method according to the first embodiment will be described.
Details of an example of the first mounting step (S1), the second mounting step (S4), and the third mounting step (S7) according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the perspective view of FIG. 7 and the cross-sectional view of FIG. do.
As described above in the first attachment step (S1), the support sheet 101 is attached to the elongated rotor 41 via the fixing tape 60 .

The support sheet 101 is positioned along the side surfaces of a plurality of ring-shaped guide members 90 concentrically circumscribing the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body in the directions indicated by the black arrows in FIG. is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body while regulating the

Furthermore, a sensor 92 is fixed to the outside of the rotor 41 to detect the position of the gap 85 and synchronize the number of rotations of the rotor 41 with the relative movement of the supply nozzles 31, 71 and 73, which will be described later.

Although polyethylene terephthalate (PET) having a thickness of 75 μm is used for the support sheet 101 in this embodiment, the material is not particularly limited, and resins such as polyester and polyimide, and rubbers such as silicone rubber may be used. It may be set according to the properties of the first fiber group and/or the second fiber group, and the thickness is, for example, 20 μm or more and 260 μm or less when the material is PET so that both self-supporting property and flexibility can be achieved. It's okay.

In the fixing tape 60, thin film silicone resin/polypropylene (PP) having a thickness of 50 μm was used as the adhesive layer/base layer, but the materials are not particularly limited to those described above. Acrylic resin, urethane resin, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, etc. may be used for the adhesive layer. Resins such as polyimide and polyamide may be used as the base layer, but the thickness of the base layer is determined from the viewpoint of not impairing the arrangement of the first fiber group, the second fiber group, and the third fiber group of S2, S5, and S8. It is desirable to be 100 μm or less.

Also, although the guide member 90 is made of polyurethane with a thickness of 200 μm, the material is not particularly limited, and resins such as polyimide and polyamide may be used. As for the thickness, as shown in FIG. 8, it is desirable that the thickness is equal to or greater than the thickness of the support sheet 101 in view of the ease of regulating the position of the support sheet 101 .

Here, as described in the first attachment step (S1), the second attachment step (S4), and the third attachment step (S7), when the support sheet 101 is attached by being pressed against the fixing tape 60, the support sheet The corner of 101 and the notch 80 of the guide member are adjacent. In other words, since the corners of the support sheet 101 and the guide members are not adjacent to each other, the corners of the support sheet 101 can be easily pressed perpendicularly against the fixing tape 60, and fixability can be ensured.

In addition, the first fiber group, the second fiber group, and the third fiber group (not shown) described above in the description of the first removal step (S3), the second removal step (S6), and the third removal step (S9) ) on the rotating body, the notch 80 of the guide member and the gap 85 between the end surfaces of the support sheet fixed on the adhesive member must be aligned in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotating body. It can be realized by being co-linear.

Details of an example of the first fiber group forming step (S2) according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the perspective view of FIG.

As described above in the description of the first fiber group forming step (S2), on the main surface of the support sheet 101 attached to the rotating body 41 via the fixing tape 60, the supply nozzles 31 corresponding to the support sheet 101 are filled. While applying the applied raw material liquid 21A, the rotating body is rotated to relatively move the supply nozzle 31 along the axial direction. As a result, the first fibers 21 are arranged so as to wrap around the peripheral surface of the tubular support sheet, forming the first fiber group 11 having an average fiber diameter of 4 μm and a fiber interval of 20 μm.

Further, the average fiber diameter and fiber spacing of the arranged first fiber group 11 are not particularly limited, and may be appropriately set according to the application.

Here, the average fiber diameter is the average value of fiber diameters. The diameter of the fiber is the diameter of the cross section perpendicular to the length direction of the fiber, and if the cross section is not circular, the maximum diameter may be regarded as the diameter. The width in any direction may be considered the diameter of the fiber.
The average fiber diameter is, for example, the average value of diameters at arbitrary points of arbitrary 10 fibers contained in the fiber assembly. That is, the average fiber diameter is the number average value of the diameter of each fiber.

The raw material liquid 21A is filled with a molten liquid of the raw material of the first fibers 21, and in the first embodiment, a solution obtained by melting polystyrene (PS) is used.

The raw material of the first fiber is not particularly limited, and the material that can be spun is not limited to polystyrene, as long as it has thermoplasticity and can be melted by heating and spun. Examples include polylactide (PLA), poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), polyglycolide (PGA), lactic acid-glycolic acid copolymer (PLGA), and the like.

In addition, the raw material is not limited to a single polymer, and inorganic fillers may be dispersed in a material containing a polymer as a main component, for example, in order to provide a certain level of conductivity.

Next, in order to maintain a high degree of alignment, the heating body 91 may be used to heat the rotary body 41 as appropriate, thereby promoting adhesion between the first fibers 21 and the support sheet 101 .

Details of an example of the second fiber group forming step (S5) according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the perspective view of FIG.

As described above in the second fiber group forming step (S5), on the main surface of the support sheet 101 attached to the rotating body 41 via the fixing tape 60, the supply nozzles 71 are filled with the support sheet 101. While applying the raw material liquid 61A, the rotor is rotated to relatively move the supply nozzle 71 along the axial direction. As a result, a plurality of second fibers 61 (for example, two) are laminated in the thickness direction so as to circulate through the first fiber group 11 on the support sheet and intersect with the first fiber group 11. A second fiber group 51 having a fiber spacing of 600 μm is formed from yarns having an average diameter of 50 μm.

Here, regarding the relative movement of the supply nozzle 71 on the support sheet 101 along the direction of the rotation axis, in the portion where a plurality of (for example, two) are laminated in the thickness direction, the movement speed of the supply nozzle 71 is set to two in the same row. The movement speed of the supply nozzle 71 is accelerated in the case where the next fiber is applied to the portion straddling the fibers, that is, the interval is left open.
Since it is desirable that the timing for switching from attenuation to acceleration is at the gap 85 , the sensor 92 synchronizes the movement of the supply nozzle 71 with the cycle of the rotor 41 .
This corresponds to the gap 85 between opposite ends in the circumferential direction of the support sheet 101 wound around the rotator so that the variation in the application of the raw material liquid at the timing when the moving speed of the supply nozzle 71 switches from attenuation to acceleration. This is to ensure the quality of arrangement on the support sheet 101.

Moreover, the average fiber diameter and fiber spacing of the second fiber group 51 to be arranged are not particularly limited, and may be appropriately set according to the application.

The raw material liquid 61A is filled with a molten liquid of the raw material of the second fibers 61, and in the first embodiment, a solution of molten polystyrene (PS) is used.

The raw material of the second fiber is not particularly limited, and the spinnable material is not limited to polystyrene, as long as it has thermoplasticity and can be melted by heating and spun. Examples include polylactide (PLA), poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), polyglycolide (PGA), lactic acid-glycolic acid copolymer (PLGA), and the like.

In addition, the raw material is not limited to a single polymer, and inorganic fillers may be dispersed in a material containing a polymer as a main component, for example, in order to provide a certain level of conductivity.

Next, in order to maintain a high degree of alignment, the heating member 91 may be used to heat the rotary member 41 as appropriate, thereby promoting adhesion between the second fibers 61 and the first fiber group 11 .

Details of an example of the third fiber group forming step (S8) according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the perspective view of FIG.

As described above in the description of the third fiber group forming step (S8), on the main surface of the support sheet 101 attached to the rotating body 41 via the fixing tape 60, the supply nozzles 73 are filled with the support sheet 101. While applying the raw material liquid 81A, the rotating body is rotated to move the supply nozzle 73 relatively along the axial direction. As a result, the third fibers 83 are arranged so as to wrap around the peripheral surface of the tubular support sheet, forming the third fiber group 81 having an average fiber diameter of 4 μm and a fiber interval of 20 μm.

Moreover, the average fiber diameter and fiber spacing of the third fiber group 81 to be arranged are not particularly limited, and may be appropriately set according to the application.

Here, the average fiber diameter is the average value of fiber diameters. The diameter of the fiber is the diameter of the cross section perpendicular to the length direction of the fiber, and if the cross section is not circular, the maximum diameter may be regarded as the diameter. The width in any direction may be considered the diameter of the fiber.
The average fiber diameter is, for example, the average value of diameters at arbitrary points of arbitrary 10 fibers contained in the fiber assembly. That is, the average fiber diameter is the number average value of the diameter of each fiber.

The raw material liquid 81A is filled with a molten liquid of the raw material of the third fibers 83, and in the first embodiment, a solution of molten polystyrene (PS) is used.

The raw material of the third fiber is not particularly limited, and the spinnable material is not limited to polystyrene, as long as it has thermoplasticity and can be melted by heating and spun. Examples include polylactide (PLA), poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), polyglycolide (PGA), lactic acid-glycolic acid copolymer (PLGA), and the like.

In addition, the raw material is not limited to a single polymer, and inorganic fillers may be dispersed in a material containing a polymer as a main component, for example, in order to provide a certain level of conductivity.

Finally, in order to maintain a high degree of arrangement, the heating member 91 may be used to heat the rotating member 41 appropriately to promote adhesion between the third fiber group 81 and the second fiber group 51. good.

According to the fiber assembly and the method for manufacturing the fiber assembly of the present disclosure, it is possible to secure both a gap in the thickness direction of the fiber assembly containing thin and highly arranged fibers and a space area in the gap portion, and various applications. can be applied to

100 Fiber assembly 101 Support sheet 102-1 Warp yarn group A
102-2 Warp yarn group B
103 Weft yarn group A First contact area 12-1 Warp yarn A
12-2 warp thread B
13 Weft yarn 30 Contact portion 601 Cutting line 602 Frame 603 Container 604 Fiber group S1 First attaching step S2 First fiber group forming step S3 First removing step S4 Second attaching step S5 Second fiber group forming step S6 Second removing Step S7 Third attaching step S8 Third fiber group forming step S9 Third removing step 41 Rotating body 60 Fixing tape 80 Notch 85 Gap 90 Guide member 91 Heating body 92 Sensor 31 Supply nozzle 21A Raw material liquid 21 First fiber 11 First fiber group 71 Supply nozzle 61A Raw material liquid 61 Second fiber 51 Second fiber group 73 Supply nozzle 81A Raw material liquid 83 Third fiber 81 Third fiber group

Claims (6)

a warp group formed by arranging a plurality of warp threads made of a polymer material and extending in a first direction along a second direction intersecting the first direction on the main surface of the support sheet;
a group of weft threads made of a polymeric material and formed by arranging a plurality of weft threads extending in the second direction along the first direction;
with
Having a plurality of contact portions and non-contact portions between the warp group and the weft group,
The contact portion is a region where the warp yarn and the weft yarn are integrated,
A release treatment is applied to the main surface of the support sheet,
The line width of the warp yarn is 1 to 10 μm, and the line width of the weft yarn is 10 to 80 μm,
The distance between adjacent warp threads is narrower than the distance between adjacent weft threads,
In the weft yarn group, two or more weft yarns are laminated in a thickness direction that intersects the first direction and the second direction,
fiber assembly. The two or more weft threads laminated in the thickness direction are partially integrated by being fused to each other and overlap in the thickness direction.
The fiber assembly according to claim 1. The fiber aggregate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the polymeric material is mainly composed of a thermoplastic resin. A supply nozzle that supplies fibers made of a polymer material moves in the direction of the axis of rotation against a support sheet that is cylindrically wound around a rotating body and fixed, and the fibers are arranged by spinning in parallel. A method for producing a fiber assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a group of fibers consisting of
Synchronization of the cycle of the rotating body and the timing of movement of the supply nozzle by a sensor attached substantially linearly in a gap between opposite ends of the support sheet wound around the rotating body in the circumferential direction. By this, at least a step of forming a group of yarns by arranging a plurality of single yarns in the thickness direction,
A method for producing a fiber assembly. A step of attaching the support sheet so as to be wound around the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body;
By rotating the rotating body about the rotating shaft and relatively moving the first supply nozzle for supplying the raw material liquid of the first fibers along the direction of the rotating shaft, a plurality of first fibers are formed into a tubular support sheet. A step of forming a first fiber group arranged so as to surround the peripheral surface of
a step of cutting the first fiber group in the portion facing the support sheet while winding, and removing the first fiber group together with the support sheet from the rotating body;
a step of rotating the support sheet removed from the rotating body together with the first fiber group by 90° and attaching the support sheet so as to be wound around the rotating body;
By rotating the rotating body about the rotating shaft and relatively moving the second supply nozzle for supplying the raw material liquid of the second fibers along the direction of the rotating shaft, the plurality of second fibers are spread on the support sheet. A step of forming a second fiber group on the first main surface so as to intersect the first fiber group and surround the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body;
a step of cutting the second fiber group in the portion facing the wound support sheet, and removing the first fiber group and the second fiber group together with the support sheet from the rotating body;
a step of rotating the support sheet removed from the rotating body together with the first fiber group and the second fiber group by 90° and attaching the support sheet so as to be wound around the rotating body;
By rotating the rotating body about the rotating shaft and relatively moving the third supply nozzle for supplying the raw material liquid of the third fibers along the direction of the rotating shaft, the plurality of third fibers are spread on the support sheet. a step of forming a third fiber group arranged on the first main surface so as to intersect with the second fiber group and surround the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body;
The third fiber group at the portion facing the wound support sheet is cut, the first fiber group, the second fiber group, and the third fiber group are removed together with the support sheet from the rotating body, and a step of obtaining a fiber assembly in which one fiber group, the second fiber group, and the third fiber group are formed;
including
In the step of forming the second fiber group,
Attenuating the speed at which the second supply nozzle is relatively moved along the direction of the rotation axis to apply a plurality of the second fibers in the thickness direction;
accelerating the second feed nozzle to apply the next second fiber at intervals;
A method for producing a fiber assembly. 6. The timing of switching the relative speed of said second supply nozzle from attenuation to acceleration corresponds to a gap between opposite ends of said support sheet wound around the outer peripheral surface of said rotor in the circumferential direction. The method for producing the fiber assembly according to 1.

Images