JP2016150454A - Sheet manufacturing apparatus, sheet manufacturing method and used paper processor - Google Patents

Abstract

A sheet manufacturing apparatus capable of manufacturing a sheet with high whiteness is provided.
A sheet manufacturing apparatus includes: a supply unit that supplies a raw material containing fibers; an acquisition unit that acquires information about a printed region of the raw material supplied from the supply unit; and the printing from the raw material A cutting portion that cuts at least a part of the region; and a forming portion that forms a sheet using the raw material from which the printing region has been cut.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet manufacturing apparatus, a sheet manufacturing method, and a used paper processing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a paper recycling apparatus that defibrates waste paper and forms the paper with the defibrated material has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-144819 A

  However, in the above apparatus, for example, when old paper having a large printing area is defibrated to form paper, there is a problem that paper with low whiteness is formed.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

  Application Example 1 A sheet manufacturing apparatus according to this application example includes a supply unit that supplies a raw material including fibers, and an acquisition unit that acquires information related to a printed region of the raw material supplied from the supply unit. And a cutting part that cuts out at least a part of the printing area from the raw material, and a molding part that forms a sheet using the raw material from which the printing area has been cut.

  According to this structure, the printing area | region of a raw material is cut out, and a sheet | seat is shape | molded using the raw material of the remaining part. That is, a sheet is formed using a raw material with a smaller printing area. Thereby, paper with high whiteness can be manufactured.

  Application Example 2 The acquisition unit of the sheet manufacturing apparatus according to the application example described above is characterized in that the printing area is acquired by reading a symbol that is printed in advance on the raw material and indicates the printing area.

  According to this configuration, if a symbol such as a QR code (registered trademark) or a barcode associated with a print area is printed on the raw material at the same time as the print data such as characters and images, printing on the raw material is possible. The area can be easily acquired.

  Application Example 3 The acquisition unit of the sheet manufacturing apparatus according to the application example acquires the print area from read data obtained by scanning the raw material.

  According to this configuration, for example, even if a symbol such as a QR code (registered trademark) indicating a print area is not printed on the raw material, the print area can be acquired from the scan data.

  Application Example 4 In the sheet manufacturing apparatus according to the application example described above, the sheet manufacturing apparatus includes a chopping portion that chops the cut print region portion.

  According to this configuration, even if there is confidential information or the like in the excised part, the part is shredded, so that leakage of confidential information or the like can be prevented.

  Application Example 5 In the sheet manufacturing apparatus according to the application example described above, the information related to the print area includes a print area where characters are printed and an image print area where images are printed. .

  According to this configuration, it is possible to distinguish an image (image) print region that is inappropriate for forming a sheet with high whiteness from other regions (non-print region or print region).

  Application Example 6 In the sheet manufacturing apparatus according to the application example described above, it is possible to switch whether or not the print area is used as a raw material for forming the sheet.

  According to this configuration, when a sheet with high whiteness is formed according to the whiteness (specification) of the sheet, the printing area is not used, and only the non-printing area is used as a raw material. When a good sheet is formed, waste of raw materials can be suppressed by using the non-printing area and the printing area as raw materials.

  [Application Example 7] In the sheet manufacturing method according to this application example, a raw material containing fibers is supplied, information on a printed printing area of the supplied raw material is acquired, and at least one of the printing areas is obtained from the raw material. A sheet is formed using the raw material from which the printing area has been cut off.

  According to this structure, the printing area | region of a raw material is cut out, and a sheet | seat is shape | molded using the raw material of the remaining part. That is, a sheet is formed using a raw material with a smaller printing area. Thereby, paper with high whiteness can be manufactured.

  Application Example 8 A used paper processing apparatus according to this application example includes an acquisition unit that acquires information relating to a print area printed from supplied used paper, and a cutting unit that cuts out at least a part of the print area from the used paper And an accommodating portion for accommodating a part of the cut out waste paper.

  According to this configuration, when manufacturing a product using waste paper as a raw material, for example, recycled paper or a heat insulating material, a printing portion that is not suitable as a raw material is cut out in advance, thereby reducing the burden on the sheet manufacturing apparatus. Can do.

  Application Example 9 In the used paper processing apparatus according to the application example described above, the used paper processing apparatus includes a shredder portion that shreds a part of the cut waste paper, and the waste paper piece shredded by the shredder portion is stored in the storage portion. It is characterized by accommodating.

  According to this configuration, even if there is confidential information or the like in the excised part, the part is shredded, so that leakage of confidential information or the like can be prevented.

Schematic which shows the structure of the sheet manufacturing apparatus concerning 1st Embodiment. Schematic which shows the structure of the used paper processing part concerning 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an operation method of a used paper processing unit according to the first embodiment. The flowchart which shows the control method of the sheet manufacturing apparatus concerning 1st Embodiment. Schematic which shows the structure of the used paper processing part concerning 2nd Embodiment. 9 is a flowchart showing a control method for a sheet manufacturing apparatus according to Modification 1;

  Hereinafter, first and second embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the scale of each member or the like is shown differently from the actual scale so as to make each member or the like recognizable.

(First embodiment)
First, the configuration of the sheet manufacturing apparatus will be described. The sheet manufacturing apparatus is based on a technique for forming a raw material (defibrated material) Pu such as a pure pulp sheet or used paper into a new sheet Pr, for example. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a supply unit that supplies a raw material including fibers, an acquisition unit that acquires information on a printed region of the raw material supplied from the supply unit, and at least a printing region from the raw material. A cutting part for cutting a part, a forming part for forming a sheet using a raw material from which a printing area is cut, and the like are provided. In addition, the sheet manufacturing method according to the present embodiment supplies a raw material containing fibers, acquires information related to a printed printing area of the supplied raw material, cuts at least a part of the printing area from the raw material, and performs printing. The sheet is formed using the raw material from which the region has been excised. In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which the sheet Pr is formed using the used paper Pu on which the information related to the print area of the used paper Pu is printed in advance. Hereinafter, the configuration of the sheet manufacturing apparatus will be specifically described.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a sheet manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a supply unit 10, a used paper processing unit 300, a crushing unit 20, a defibrating unit 30, a classification unit 40, and a sorting unit 50 that form a forming unit. , An additive charging unit 60, a deposition unit 70, a heating and pressing unit 120, and the like. And the control part 2 which controls these members is provided.

  The supply unit 10 supplies used paper Pu or the like as a raw material to the used paper processing unit 300. The supply unit 10 includes, for example, a tray 11 that accumulates and stores a plurality of used paper Pu, and an automatic feed mechanism 12 that can continuously input the used paper Pu in the tray 11 to the used paper processing unit 300. The used paper Pu supplied to the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 is, for example, A4 size paper that is currently mainstream in offices.

  The used paper processing unit 300 includes an acquisition unit 310 that acquires information related to a printed region of used paper Pu as a raw material supplied from the supply unit 10, and a cutting unit 320 that cuts out at least a part of the printed region from the raw material. It is equipped with. Further, a first roller pair 330 and a second roller pair 340 capable of conveying the used paper Pu to the crushing unit 20 side and supporting the used paper Pu are disposed. The detailed configuration of the used paper processing unit 300 will be described later.

  The crushing unit 20 cuts the used paper Pu supplied from the used paper processing unit 300 into several centimeter square paper pieces. The crushing unit 20 includes a crushing blade 21 and constitutes an apparatus in which the cutting width of a normal shredder blade is widened. Thereby, the supplied used paper Pu can be easily cut into pieces of paper. Then, the divided coarsely crushed paper is supplied to the defibrating unit 30 via the pipe 201.

  The defibrating unit 30 defibrates a material containing fibers in the air. Specifically, the defibrating unit 30 includes a rotating blade (not shown) that rotates, and performs defibrating to loosen the crushed paper supplied from the crushing unit 20 into fibers. In this application, what is defibrated by the defibrating unit 30 is referred to as a defibrated material, and what has passed through the defibrating unit 30 is referred to as a defibrated material. In addition, the defibrating unit 30 of the present embodiment performs defibrating in a dry manner in the air. As a result of the defibrating process of the defibrating unit 30, the printed ink, toner, and the material applied to the paper such as the anti-bleeding material become fibers of several tens of μm or less (hereinafter referred to as “ink particles”). And separate. Therefore, the defibrated material that comes out from the defibrating unit 30 is fibers and ink particles obtained by defibrating a piece of paper. The airflow is generated by the rotation of the rotary blade, and the fibers defibrated via the pipe 202 are carried on the airflow and conveyed to the classification unit 40 in the air. In addition, you may provide separately the airflow generator which produces | generates the airflow for conveying the fiber disentangled in the defibrating part 30 via the piping 202 to the classification part 40 as needed.

  The classifying unit 40 classifies the introduced material by airflow. In this embodiment, the defibrated material as the introduced material is classified into ink particles and fibers. The classifying unit 40 can classify the conveyed defibrated material into ink particles and fibers by applying a cyclone, for example. Note that other types of airflow classifiers may be used instead of the cyclone. In this case, as an airflow classifier other than the cyclone, for example, an elbow jet or an eddy classifier is used. The airflow classifier generates a swirling airflow, which is separated and classified by the difference in centrifugal force received depending on the size and density of the defibrated material, and the classification point can be adjusted by adjusting the speed and centrifugal force of the airflow. . As a result, the ink particles can be divided into relatively small and low density ink particles and fibers larger than the ink particles and high density.

  The classifying unit 40 of the present embodiment is a tangential input type cyclone, and includes an introduction port 40a into which an introduced material is introduced from the defibrating unit 30, a cylinder portion 41 with the introduction port 40a attached in a tangential direction, and a lower portion of the cylinder portion 41. The conical part 42 that follows, the lower outlet 40b provided at the lower part of the conical part 42, and the upper exhaust port 40c for discharging fine powder provided at the upper center of the cylindrical part 41 are configured. The diameter of the conical portion 42 decreases toward the lower side in the vertical direction.

  In the classification process, the airflow on which the defibrated material introduced from the introduction port 40a of the classification unit 40 is changed into a circumferential motion by the cylindrical part 41 and the conical part 42, and is subjected to centrifugal force and classified. Then, the fibers larger than the ink particles and having a high density move to the lower outlet 40b, and the relatively small and low density ink particles are led to the upper exhaust port 40c as fine powder together with air. Then, ink particles are discharged from the upper exhaust port 40 c of the classification unit 40. Then, the discharged ink particles are collected in the receiving unit 80 via the pipe 206 connected to the upper exhaust port 40c of the classifying unit 40. On the other hand, a classified product containing fibers classified through the pipe 203 from the lower outlet 40b of the classifying unit 40 is conveyed toward the sorting unit 50 in the air. From the classification unit 40 to the sorting unit 50, it may be transported by an air current when it is classified, or may be transported from the classification unit 40 located above to the sorting unit 50 located below by gravity. Note that a suction part or the like for efficiently sucking the short fiber mixture from the upper exhaust port 40c may be disposed in the upper exhaust port 40c, the pipe 206, or the like of the classification unit 40. Classification is not exactly divided at a certain size or density. Further, it is not exactly divided into fibers and ink particles. Among the fibers, relatively short fibers are discharged from the upper exhaust port 40c together with the ink particles. A relatively large ink particle is discharged from the lower outlet 40b together with the fiber.

  The sorting unit 50 sorts the classified product (defibrated material) including the fibers classified by the classifying unit 40 through the sieve unit 51 having a plurality of openings. More specifically, the classified product including the fibers classified by the classifying unit 40 is sorted into a passing material that passes through the opening and a residue that does not pass through the opening. The sorting unit 50 according to the present embodiment includes a mechanism for dispersing the classified material in the air by rotational movement. Then, the passing material that has passed through the opening by sorting by the sorting unit 50 is transported from the passing material transport unit 52 to the deposition unit 70 side via the pipe 204. On the other hand, the residue that has not passed through the opening due to the sorting by the sorting unit 50 is returned to the defibrating unit 30 again as the defibrated material via the pipe 205. Thereby, the residue is reused (reused) without being discarded.

  The passing material that has passed through the opening by sorting by the sorting unit 50 is conveyed in the air to the deposition unit 70 via the pipe 204. The sorting unit 50 may be transported from the sorting unit 50 to the deposition unit 70 by a blower (not shown) that generates an air flow, or may be transported by gravity from the sorting unit 50 located above to the deposition unit 70 located below. Between the sorting unit 50 and the deposition unit 70 in the pipe 204, an additive feeding unit for adding an additive such as a binder resin (for example, a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin) to the passing material to be conveyed. 60 is provided. In addition to the binder resin, for example, a flame retardant, a whiteness improver, a sheet strength enhancer, a sizing agent, an absorption modifier, a fragrance, a deodorizer, and the like can be added as the additive. These additives are stored in the additive storage unit 61 and are charged from the charging port 62 by a charging mechanism such as a screw feeder.

  The depositing unit 70 allows a material containing fibers to be deposited, and deposits at least a part of the defibrated material defibrated by the defibrating unit 30 in the air. Specifically, the depositing unit 70 forms a web W by depositing using a material containing fibers and binder resin introduced from the pipe 204, and has a mechanism for uniformly dispersing the fibers in the air. I have. Further, the depositing unit 70 has a moving unit that deposits the defibrated material as a deposit (web W) while moving. The moving unit of the present embodiment includes a tension roller 72 and an endless mesh belt 73 on which a mesh stretched by the tension roller 72 is formed. The mesh belt 73 rotates (moves) in one direction when at least one of the stretching rollers 72 rotates. In addition, the web W concerning this embodiment says the structure form of the object containing a fiber and binder resin. Therefore, even when the shape or the like changes during heating, pressurizing, cutting, or conveying the web, the web is shown.

  First, as a mechanism for uniformly dispersing the fibers in the air, a forming drum 71 into which the fibers and the binder resin are charged is disposed in the deposition unit 70. Then, by rotating the forming drum 71, the binder resin (additive) can be uniformly mixed in the passing material (fiber). The forming drum 71 is provided with a screen having a plurality of small holes. Then, the forming drum 71 is driven to rotate so that the binder resin (additive) is uniformly mixed in the passing material (fiber), and the fiber and the mixture of the fiber and the binder resin that have passed through the small holes are uniformly mixed in the air. Can be dispersed.

  A mesh belt 73 is disposed below the forming drum 71. In addition, a suction device 75 as a suction unit that generates an airflow directed vertically downward is provided below the forming drum 71 via a mesh belt 73. The suction device 75 can suck the fibers dispersed in the air onto the mesh belt 73.

  The fibers and the like that have passed through the small hole screen of the forming drum 71 are deposited on the mesh belt 73 by the suction force of the suction device 75. At this time, by moving the mesh belt 73 in one direction, it is possible to form a web W that includes fibers and a binder resin and is deposited in a long shape. By continuously dispersing from the forming drum 71 and moving the mesh belt 73, a continuous belt-like web W is formed. The mesh belt 73 may be made of metal, resin, or non-woven fabric, and may be any material as long as fibers can be deposited and an air stream can pass therethrough. Note that if the mesh hole diameter of the mesh belt 73 is too large, fibers enter between the meshes, resulting in unevenness when the web W (sheet) is formed. On the other hand, if the mesh hole diameter is too small, the suction device 75. It is difficult to form a stable airflow. For this reason, it is preferable to adjust the hole diameter of a mesh suitably. The suction device 75 can be configured by forming a sealed box with a window of a desired size opened under the mesh belt 73, and sucking air from other than the window to make the inside of the box have a negative pressure from the outside air.

  The web W formed on the mesh belt 73 is transported according to the transport direction (the white arrow in the figure) by the rotational movement of the mesh belt 73. On the upper side of the mesh belt 73, an intermediate conveyance unit 90 as a peeling unit is disposed. The web W is peeled off from the mesh belt 73 by the intermediate conveyance unit 90 and conveyed to the pressure unit 110 side. That is, it has a peeling part (intermediate conveyance part 90) for peeling the deposit (web W) from the moving part (mesh belt 73), and the peeled deposit (web W) can be conveyed to the pressurizing part 110. The intermediate conveyance unit 90 is configured to be able to convey the web W while sucking the web W vertically upward (the direction in which the web W is separated from the mesh belt 73). The intermediate conveyance unit 90 is disposed vertically apart from the mesh belt 73 (in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the web W), and a part of the intermediate conveyance unit 90 is shifted downstream in the conveyance direction of the web W. Are arranged. The conveyance section of the intermediate conveyance unit 90 is a section from the tension roller 72a on the downstream side of the mesh belt 73 to the pressure unit 110.

  The intermediate transport unit 90 includes a transport belt 91, a plurality of stretching rollers 92, and a suction chamber 93. The conveyor belt 91 is an endless mesh belt on which a mesh stretched by a stretch roller 92 is formed. Then, at least one of the plurality of stretching rollers 92 rotates, so that the conveyor belt 91 rotates (moves) in one direction.

  The suction chamber 93 is disposed inside the transport belt 91, has a hollow box shape having an upper surface and four side surfaces in contact with the upper surface, and a bottom surface (a surface facing the transport belt 91 positioned below). Is open. The suction chamber 93 includes a suction unit that generates an air flow (suction force) in the suction chamber 93. Then, by driving the suction part, the internal space of the suction chamber 93 is sucked and air flows from the bottom surface of the suction chamber 93. As a result, an air flow is generated toward the upper side of the suction chamber 93, and the web W can be sucked from above the web W to adsorb the web W to the conveyance belt 91. The conveyor belt 91 moves (circulates) as the stretching roller 92 rotates, and can convey the web W toward the pressure unit 110. Further, the suction chamber 93 is disposed at a downstream position where the mesh chamber 73 partially overlaps with the suction device 75 when viewed from above, and the web W on the mesh belt 73 is placed in the suction chamber. It can be peeled off from the mesh belt 73 at a position opposite to 93 and attracted to the conveyor belt 91. The tension roller 92 rotates so that the conveyance belt 91 moves at the same speed as the mesh belt 73. If there is a difference in speed between the mesh belt 73 and the conveyor belt 91, the web W can be prevented from being pulled and broken or buckled by setting the same speed.

  A pressurizing unit 110 is disposed on the downstream side of the intermediate conveyance unit 90 in the conveyance direction of the web W. The pressure unit 110 includes a pair of pressure rollers 111 and 112 and pressurizes the web W being conveyed. For example, the pressurizing unit 110 pressurizes the web W so as to have a thickness of about 1/5 to 1/30 of the thickness of the web W formed by the deposition unit 70. Thereby, the strength of the web W can be improved.

  A heating and pressurizing unit 120 is disposed on the downstream side of the pressurizing unit 110 in the conveyance direction of the web W. The heating and pressurizing unit 120 heats and presses the web W as a deposit deposited in the depositing unit 70 and binds the fibers included in the web W through a binding resin. The heating and pressing unit 120 according to the present embodiment includes a pair of heating rollers 121 and 122. A heating member such as a heater is provided at the center of the rotating shaft of the heating rollers 121 and 122, and the web W being conveyed is heated by passing the web W between the pair of heating rollers 121 and 122. Can be pressurized. The web W is heated and pressurized by the pair of heating rollers 121 and 122, so that the binder resin is melted and easily entangled with the fibers, and the fiber interval is shortened and the contact point between the fibers is increased.

  As the cutting unit 130 for cutting the web W, the first cutting unit 130a for cutting the web W along the conveyance direction of the web W intersects the conveyance direction of the web W on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the heating and pressing unit 120. A second cutting portion 130b that cuts the web W is disposed in the direction of cutting. The first cutting unit 130 a is, for example, a slitter, and cuts according to a predetermined cutting position in the web W conveyance direction. The second cutting unit 130b is, for example, a rotary cutter, and cuts the continuous web W into a single sheet according to a cutting position set to a predetermined length. Thereby, a sheet Pr (web W) having a desired size is formed. The cut sheets Pr are stacked on the stacker 160 or the like. In addition, you may comprise so that the web W may be wound up with a winding roller, without cutting, the web W. With the above configuration, the sheet Pr can be manufactured in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1.

  In addition, the sheet | seat concerning the said embodiment mainly says what used the thing containing fibers, such as used paper and a pure pulp, as a raw material, and was made into the sheet form. However, the shape is not limited to that, and may be a board shape or a web shape (or a shape having irregularities). The raw material may be plant fibers such as cellulose, chemical fibers such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and polyester, and animal fibers such as wool and silk. In the present application, the sheet is divided into paper and non-woven fabric. The paper includes a thin sheet form, and includes recording paper for writing and printing, wallpaper, wrapping paper, colored paper, Kent paper, and the like. Nonwoven fabrics are thicker or lower in strength than paper and include nonwoven fabrics, fiber boards, tissue paper, kitchen paper, cleaners, filters, liquid absorbents, sound absorbers, cushioning materials, mats, and the like.

  In the present embodiment, the used paper mainly refers to printed paper. However, if used as a raw material, it is regarded as used paper regardless of whether it is used.

  Next, the configuration of the used paper processing unit according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of the used paper processing unit, and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an operation method of the used paper processing unit.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the used paper processing unit 300 includes an acquisition unit 310, a cutting unit 320, a storage unit 370, and the like, and further includes a shredding unit 360.

  The acquisition unit 310 acquires information related to a print area printed from the supplied used paper Pu. In the present embodiment, for the used paper Pu supplied from the supply unit 10 in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1, information related to the print area Pt printed on the used paper Pu is acquired. Here, the used paper Pu supplied to the used paper processing unit 300 is obtained by printing characters, images, and the like on the printed surface of the used paper Pu as shown in FIG. That is, the used paper Pu supplied to the used paper processing unit 300 has a print region Pt that has already been subjected to print processing. And the acquisition part 310 is comprised so that the information which concerns on the printing area | region Pt of used paper Pu can be acquired. In the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 310 can acquire information related to the print region Pt by reading the symbol Sb indicating the print region Pt of the used paper Pu.

  The symbol Sb is, for example, a one-dimensional code such as a barcode or a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark). Such a symbol Sb is printed in advance on the used paper Pu. In this case, when characters, images, etc. are printed on the printer in a state before the used paper Pu, for example, print data is transmitted from the personal computer to the printer. Print on paper based. At this time, the print data transmitted from the personal computer includes data for printing the symbol Sb associated with the character to be printed on the paper and the information on the print area Pt of the image. The symbol Sb is printed together with the image and the like.

Here, as shown in FIG. 3A, the information related to the print area Pt includes a print area P1 where characters are printed and an image print area P2 where images are printed. The characters in the print area P1 include kanji, hiragana, alphanumeric characters, symbols, various foreign language characters, and the like. In addition, the image in the image print region P2 includes various figures, designs, patterns, paintings, photographs, and the like. The information related to the print area Pt includes a coordinate value that is a starting point (P ₀ (0, 0) in FIG. 3B) for specifying the print area P1 and the image print area P2. The print area P1 and the image print area P2 are each defined by coordinate values based on the coordinate values as starting points. Thereby, the print area P1 and the image print area P2 can be distinguished (identified). Note that areas other than the printing area Pt in the used paper Pu are distinguished (identified) as non-printing areas NP. Note that the information related to the print area Pt can be generated by various printer control languages. In addition, the printer side to which the print data is transmitted has a function of interpreting the transmitted print data. Based on the transmitted print data, a character, an image, or a symbol at a specified position (area) is provided. Sb is printed. Note that the printing position of the symbol Sb on the paper is not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, printing is performed at one corner of four corners of paper (for example, A4 size paper).

  The acquisition unit 310 is an image capturing device or the like that can read the symbol Sb, and is connected to the control unit 2. In the present embodiment, two acquisition units 310 (310a, 310b) are arranged corresponding to each side of the used waste paper Pu to be supplied. Thereby, it is possible to read the symbol Sb printed on any one surface of the supplied used paper Pu. Then, data obtained by reading the symbol Sb printed on the used paper Pu by the acquiring unit 310 is transmitted to the control unit 2, and the control unit 2 calculates the position (area) of characters and images printed on the used paper Pu. Is done. That is, as shown in FIG. 3B, coordinate data corresponding to the print area Pt on the used paper Pu is output.

FIG. 3B shows coordinate data in the image data (used paper image data IPu). The origin P ₀ (0, 0) and the data printing area IPt in the used paper image data IPu corresponding to the printing area Pt of the used paper Pu. Is shown. Further, a data print area IP1 corresponding to the print area P1 and a data image print area IP2 corresponding to the image print area P2 are shown. Specifically, the data print area IPt corresponding to the print area Pt is surrounded by coordinate values of four points (Xa, Ya), (Xa, Yc), (Xc, Yc), and (Xc, Ya). Expressed as a region. The data print area IP1 corresponding to the print area P1 in the print area Pt is (Xa, Ya), (Xa, Yc), (Xb, Yc), (Xb, Yb) (Xc, Yb), (Xc, It is expressed as an area surrounded by the coordinate values of the six points of Ya). The data image print area IP2 corresponding to the image print area P2 in the print area Pt has coordinate values of four points (Xb, Yb), (Xb, Yc), (Xc, Yc), and (Xc, Yb). Represented as an enclosed area.

  The excision part 320 excises at least a part of the printing area Pt from the used paper Pu. The cutting unit 320 of the present embodiment is a laser cutter that cuts out the used paper Pu by irradiation with laser light, for example. In this case, it is preferable to mount a galvano scanner for scanning the laser beam as a laser optical mechanism. The cut section 320 is located above the used paper Pu and is disposed so as to face the printing area Pt of the used paper Pu. The used paper Pu is irradiated with laser light in a state where the used paper Pu is supported by the first roller pair 330 and the second roller pair 340, and a part of the used paper Pu is cut out. In this embodiment, a part of the used paper Pu is cut out by irradiating laser light along each coordinate value. In addition, in order to convey the cut used paper Pu to the crushing unit 20 by the first roller pair 330 and the second roller pair 340, it is necessary to leave four edge portions of the used paper Pu. For this reason, when the four edge portions of the used paper Pu and the print region Pt overlap, a portion excluding the four edge portions is cut out.

  Further, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 is configured to be able to switch whether or not to use the printing region P1 as a raw material for forming the sheet Pr (web W). That is, for example, when the printing area P1 is not used as a raw material for forming the sheet Pr (web W), as shown in FIG. 3C, it corresponds to the printing area Pt (the printing area P1 and the image printing area P2). Cut out the part to be cut. As a result, the sheet Pr (web W) is formed using the portion remaining after cutting, that is, the waste paper Pu having only the non-printing area NP as a raw material. When the printing area P1 is used as a raw material for forming the sheet Pr (web W), only the portion corresponding to the image printing area P2 is cut out from the printing area Pt as shown in FIG. As a result, the sheet Pr (web W) is formed using the portion remaining after cutting, that is, the waste paper Pu having the non-printing area NP and the printing area P1 as a raw material. As described above, by making it possible to select a portion of the used paper Pu that is a raw material for forming the sheet Pr (web W), the sheet Pr can be manufactured by a method suitable for the whiteness (specification) of the sheet Pr to be formed. it can.

  In the present embodiment, an air blow 325 that is located above the used paper Pu and capable of ejecting compressed air toward the printing area Pt of the used paper Pu is disposed. By ejecting compressed air from the air blow 325 onto a portion of the used paper Pu cut by the cutting section 320, the portion cut from the used paper Pu can be easily separated.

  The shredding part 360 shreds a part of the cut out waste paper Pu. The shredder 360 includes a shredder blade 361 and has a device configuration in which, for example, the cutting width of a normal shredder blade is widened. Thereby, the part cut out from the used paper Pu is shredded into several centimeter square paper pieces. In the present embodiment, a funnel-shaped stack that collects a part of the used paper Pu cut by the cutting unit 320 below the first roller pair 330 and the second roller pair 340 that support the used paper Pu to be cut. A portion 369. The stacking unit 369 has an opening 362, and a part of the used paper Pu cut out by the cutting unit 320 is stacked in the opening 362. The chopping blade 361 of the chopping portion 360 is disposed below the opening 362. Thereby, a part of the used paper Pu cut out efficiently can be shredded.

  The accommodating part 370 accommodates a part of the cut out used paper Pu. In addition, in this embodiment, it is comprised so that the used paper piece shredded by the shredder part 360 may be accommodated. The accommodating part 370 is arrange | positioned under the shredding part 360, and it is comprised so that the waste paper piece shredded by the shredding part 360 can be accommodated by falling under its own weight.

  Next, a control method for the sheet manufacturing apparatus will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control method of the sheet manufacturing apparatus. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. In detail, the control method concerning a used paper processing part is mainly demonstrated.

  First, in step S11, information related to the print area Pt printed on the supplied used paper Pu is acquired. Specifically, the acquisition unit 310 is driven to read a symbol Sb (for example, a two-dimensional code) printed on the used paper Pu. Data read by the acquisition unit 310 is transmitted to the control unit 2.

  Next, in step S12, based on the transmitted data, the calculation of the data print area IPt corresponding to the print area Pt printed on the used paper Pu is executed. The transmitted data includes a print area P1 on which characters and the like are printed as information relating to the print area Pt, and an image print area P2 on which an image and the like are printed (see FIG. 3A). Data print area IPt corresponding to the print area P1, data print area IP1 corresponding to the print area P1, data image print area IP2 corresponding to the image print area P2, and data non-print area INP corresponding to the non-print area NP. Each is identified, and each data area is calculated as coordinate data.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3B, based on the starting point P ₀ (0, 0), the data print area IPt has coordinates (Xa, Ya), (Xa, Yc), (Xc, Yc). , (Xc, Ya). The data print area IP1 is calculated as an area surrounded by coordinates (Xa, Ya), (Xa, Yc), (Xb, Yc), (Xb, Yb) (Xc, Yb), (Xc, Ya). . The data image print area IP2 is calculated as an area surrounded by coordinates (Xb, Yb), (Xb, Yc), (Xc, Yc), (Xc, Yb). The data non-printing area INP is calculated as an area other than the area surrounded by the coordinates (Xa, Ya), (Xa, Yc), (Xc, Yc), (Xc, Ya) of the data printing area IPt. .

  Next, in step S13, the ablation region is selected. Specifically, it is selected whether to cut out the print area Pt (print area P1 and image print area P2) or only the image print area P2.

  For example, when it is selected that the print area Pt (the print area P1 and the image print area P2) is to be excised, the print area Pt is excised in step S14. Specifically, the first roller pair 330 and the like are driven to transport the used paper Pu to be cut. Then, the used paper Pu is supported by the first roller pair 330 and the second roller pair 340. Then, the excision part 320 is driven. At this time, the area surrounded by the coordinates (Xa, Ya), (Xa, Yc), (Xc, Yc), and (Xc, Ya) for specifying the data printing area IPt corresponding to the printing area Pt is drawn as a single stroke. Then, the used paper Pu is irradiated with laser light. Thereby, as shown in FIG.3 (c), the printing area | region Pt is excised. That is, the used paper Pu remaining only in the non-printing area NP is formed. Then, the sheet Pr (web W) is formed using the used paper Pu in which only the non-printing area NP remains.

  On the other hand, if it is selected that the image print area P2 is to be excised, the image print area P2 is excised in step S14. Specifically, the first roller pair 330 and the like are driven to transport the used paper Pu to be cut. Then, the used paper Pu is supported by the first roller pair 330 and the second roller pair 340. Then, the excision part 320 is driven. At this time, the region surrounded by the coordinates (Xb, Yb), (Xb, Yc), (Xc, Yc), (Xc, Yb) specifying the data image printing region IP2 corresponding to the printing region Pt is drawn with one stroke. In this way, the used paper Pu is irradiated with laser light. Thereby, as shown in FIG.3 (d), the image printing area | region P2 is excised. That is, the used paper Pu in which the non-printing area NP and the printing area P1 remain is formed. Then, the sheet Pr (web W) is formed using the used paper Pu in which the non-printing area NP and the printing area P1 remain.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  According to this configuration, a part of the print area Pt of the supplied used paper Pu is cut out, and the sheet Pr (web W) is formed using the remaining used paper Pu. Thereby, since the used paper Pu in a state where the printing area Pt is smaller is used, a sheet Pr (web W) with high whiteness can be manufactured. Further, the portion to be cut of the used paper Pu can easily acquire the print region Pt (print region P1 or image print region P2) by reading the symbol Sb printed on the used paper Pu. Furthermore, according to the specification concerning the whiteness of the sheet Pr (web W) to be manufactured, it is possible to select whether to cut out the printing region Pt or only the image printing region P2, and the raw material can be used efficiently. .

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the configuration of the sheet manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, a different part from the configuration of the first embodiment, that is, the configuration of the used paper processing unit will be described, and the configuration other than the used paper processing unit according to the present embodiment is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment. Description is omitted.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the used paper processing unit. As shown in FIG. 5, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1a of the present embodiment includes a used paper processing unit 300a, and the used paper processing unit 300a includes an acquisition unit 311, a cutting unit 320, a storage unit 370, a shredding unit 360, and the like. have.

  The acquisition unit 311 acquires information related to a print area printed from the supplied used paper Pu. Specifically, the acquisition unit 311 is a scanner, is connected to the control unit 2, and is configured to acquire the print region Pt from read data obtained by scanning used paper Pu as a raw material. The acquisition unit 311 may be configured to move (scan) with respect to the used paper Pu, or may be configured to move the used paper Pu with respect to the acquiring unit 311 to perform scanning.

  In the present embodiment, two acquisition units 311 (311a, 311b) are arranged corresponding to each surface of the used waste paper Pu to be supplied. As a result, the print region Pt can be acquired even if characters, images, etc. are printed on one or both sides of the used waste paper Pu. Then, the data obtained by reading the printed portion printed on the used paper Pu by the acquiring unit 311 is transmitted to the control unit 2, and the control unit 2 calculates the position (area) of characters and images printed on the used paper Pu. Is done. Specifically, a data print area IPt corresponding to the print area Pt, a data print area IP1 corresponding to the print area P1, and a data image print area IP2 corresponding to the image print area P2 are respectively calculated as coordinate data. The The non-printing area NP is calculated as an area other than the data printing area IPt corresponding to the printing area Pt. The calculation method of the data printing area IPt corresponding to the printing area Pt, the data printing area IP1 corresponding to the printing area P1, the data image printing area IP2 corresponding to the image printing area P2, and the data non-printing area INP is described in the first embodiment. The explanation is omitted because it is the same as.

  Moreover, since the structure of the cutting part 320, the shredding part 360, and the accommodating part 370 is the same as that of the structure which concerns on 1st Embodiment, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Next, a control method for the sheet manufacturing apparatus will be described. Here, a description will be given with reference to FIGS. In detail, the control method concerning a used paper processing part is mainly demonstrated.

  First, in step S11, information related to the print area Pt printed on the supplied used paper Pu is acquired. Specifically, the acquisition unit 311 is driven, the used paper Pu is scanned, and the entire printing surface of the used paper Pu including the printing region Pt is read. Data read by the acquisition unit 311 is transmitted to the control unit 2.

  Next, in step S12, based on the transmitted data, the calculation of the data print area IPt corresponding to the print area Pt printed on the used paper Pu is executed. Since the calculation method is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description is omitted.

  Next, in step S13, the ablation region is selected. Specifically, it is selected whether to cut out the print area Pt (print area P1 and image print area P2) or only the image print area P2.

  For example, when it is selected that the print area Pt (the print area P1 and the image print area P2) is to be excised, the excision unit 320 is driven in step S14 to excise the print area Pt. On the other hand, when it is selected that the image print region P2 is to be excised, in step S14, the excision unit 320 is driven to excise the image print region P2. Since the excision method is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description is omitted.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  For example, even if a symbol such as a QR code (registered trademark) indicating the print area Pt is not printed on the used paper Pu, the print area Pt can be acquired from the scan data.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment. A modification will be described below. Modifications may be combined.

  (Modification 1) In the used paper processing unit 300a of the second embodiment, the print area Pt is acquired based on the scan data obtained by scanning the used paper Pu by the acquiring unit 311. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, if there is a symbol indicating the print area Pt on the used paper Pu, the acquisition unit 311 may read the symbol and acquire the print area Pt. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control method of the sheet manufacturing apparatus according to this modification. Mainly shows the control method of the used paper processing unit.

  First, in step S21, information related to the print region Pt printed on the supplied used paper Pu is acquired. Specifically, the acquisition unit 311 is driven, the used paper Pu is scanned, and the entire printing surface of the used paper Pu including the printing region Pt is read. Data read by the acquisition unit 311 is transmitted to the control unit 2.

  Next, in step S22, it is determined whether or not there is a symbol. That is, it is determined whether or not the symbol associated with the information of the print area Pt has been read. When there is a symbol (Yes), the process proceeds to step S23, and when there is no symbol (No), the process proceeds to step S25.

  In step S23, the data print area IPt corresponding to the print area Pt printed on the used paper Pu is calculated based on the read symbol data. Since the calculation method is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description is omitted.

  Next, in step S24, the ablation region is selected. Specifically, it is selected whether to cut out the print area Pt (print area P1 and image print area P2) or only the image print area P2 (see FIG. 3). Next, in step S27, the excision unit 320 is driven to excise the selected region.

  On the other hand, if there is no symbol in step S22 (No), in step S25, calculation of the data print area IPt corresponding to the print area Pt printed on the used paper Pu is executed based on the read scan data. . Since the calculation method is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description is omitted.

  Next, in step S26, the ablation region is selected. Specifically, it is selected whether to cut out the print area Pt (print area P1 and image print area P2) or only the image print area P2 (see FIG. 3). Next, in step S27, the excision unit 320 is driven to excise the selected region.

  In this way, even when the used paper Pu having a symbol indicating the print region Pt and the used paper Pu having no symbol are mixed, information relating to the print region Pt can be stably acquired.

  (Modification 2) In the above-described embodiment, the three areas of the printing paper P1, the image printing area P2, and the non-printing area NP are identified in the used paper Pu. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, a plurality of areas may be calculated according to a threshold value such as a printing rate on the used paper Pu, and a cut area may be arbitrarily selected. In this way, the raw material can be used without waste according to the final whiteness of the sheet Pr (web W) to be manufactured.

  (Modification 3) In the above embodiment, the excision region is rectangular, but it is not limited to this. For example, any shape such as a triangle, a trapezoid, a pentagon, a hexagon, an octagon, a circle, and an ellipse may be used. Moreover, you may cut off by providing R shape in the corner | angular part in a cutting | disconnection area | region. Even if it does in this way, the effect similar to the said effect can be acquired.

  (Modification 4) In the said embodiment, although the laser cutter was used as the cutting part 320, it is not limited to this. For example, a mechanical cutter may be used. Even if it does in this way, the effect similar to the said effect can be acquired.

  (Modification 5) In the above embodiment, the configuration of the used paper processing unit 300 (300a) as one of the configurations of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 (1a) has been described. However, the used paper processing unit 300 (300a) is configured as a single unit. An apparatus, that is, an acquisition unit that acquires information related to a printing area printed from supplied used paper, a cutting unit that cuts at least a part of the printing area from used paper, and a container that stores a part of the cut used paper And used paper processing apparatus 300 (300a) having a portion. Further, the waste paper processing apparatus 300 (300a) has a shredding part that shreds a part of the cut waste paper, and is configured to accommodate the waste paper piece shredded by the shredding part in the accommodation part. Also good. In this way, since the selected area in the used paper Pu can be cut out in advance, the used paper Pu in a state in which a printing portion that is not suitable as a raw material is cut out can be supplied to the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 (1a). Therefore, the burden on the apparatus can be reduced.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1a ... Sheet manufacturing apparatus, 2 ... Control part, 10 ... Supply part, 20 ... Roughing part, 21 ... Roughing blade, 30 ... Defibration part, 40 ... Classification part, 50 ... Sorting part, 60 ... Additive Input unit, 70 ... deposition unit, 90 ... intermediate transport unit, 110 ... pressurizing unit, 120 ... heating and pressing unit, 130 ... cutting unit, 160 ... stacker, 300, 300a ... used paper processing unit (used paper processing device), 310 , 311 ... acquisition unit, 320 ... excision part, 325 ... air blow, 330 ... first roller pair, 340 ... second roller pair, 360 ... shredding part, 370 ... housing part.

Claims (9)

A supply unit for supplying raw materials including fibers;
An acquisition unit for acquiring information relating to a printed region of the raw material supplied from the supply unit;
An excision part for excising at least a part of the printing region from the raw material;
A sheet forming apparatus configured to form a sheet using the raw material from which the printing area has been cut. In the sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1,
The acquisition unit acquires the printing area by reading a symbol preliminarily printed on the raw material and indicating the printing area. In the sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1,
The sheet producing apparatus, wherein the obtaining unit obtains the print area from read data obtained by scanning the raw material. In the sheet manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A sheet manufacturing apparatus having a chopping portion for chopping the cut print region portion. In the sheet manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The information relating to the printing area includes a printing area where characters are printed and an image printing area where images are printed. In the sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5,
It is possible to switch whether or not to use the print area as a raw material for forming the sheet. Supply raw materials including fiber,
Obtaining information related to the printed printing area of the supplied raw material,
Excising at least a portion of the printed area from the raw material;
A sheet manufacturing method comprising forming a sheet using the raw material from which the printing area has been cut. An acquisition unit for acquiring information relating to a print area printed from the supplied used paper;
An excision part for excising at least a part of the print area from the waste paper;
A used paper processing apparatus, comprising: a storage unit configured to store a part of the cut out used paper. The used paper processing apparatus according to claim 8,
Having a shredded portion for shredding a portion of the excised waste paper,
A used paper processing apparatus, wherein the used paper pieces shredded by the shredding unit are housed in the housing unit.

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