US 11,891,722 B2
Screw feeder and fiber structure manufacturing apparatus
Katsuhito Gomi, Nagano (JP); and Yuki Oguchi, Nagano (JP)
Assigned to Seiko Epson Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on May 10, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/315,392.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-083824 (JP), filed on May 12, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0355604 A1, Nov. 18, 2021
Int. Cl. D01B 9/00 (2006.01); B65G 33/08 (2006.01); B01F 27/90 (2022.01); B01F 27/17 (2022.01)
CPC D01B 9/00 (2013.01) [B01F 27/90 (2022.01); B65G 33/08 (2013.01); B01F 27/17 (2022.01); D10B 2211/01 (2013.01)] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A fiber structure manufacturing apparatus, comprising:
a dry defibrator that pulverizes and defibrates a raw material that contains fibers;
a transportation unit that transports a defibrated material after defibration by the dry defibrator;
a material supply unit that supplies a material to the transportation unit;
a fiber structure forming unit that forms a fiber structure from the defibrated material transported by the transportation unit, wherein
the material supply unit includes
a case that includes a material putting-in portion through which a fluff material is put in and a material putting-out portion through which the fluff material is put out below the material putting-in portion; and
a screw that includes a rotational shaft and a blade portion, the rotational shaft being provided rotatably inside the case, the blade portion being spirally mounted on the rotational shaft; wherein
the screw is rotated with repeated alternation of a slope-down direction in which the blade portion slopes downward spirally in a vertical direction and a slope-up direction in which the blade portion slopes upward spirally in the vertical direction.