Abstract: The present invention provides a nanofiber manufacturing method and a nanofiber manufacturing device. A solution 25 in which a polymer is dissolved in a solvent is supplied from a distal end of a nozzle 16 to form a Taylor cone 44 at a distal end opening 16b. By applying a voltage between the solution 25 and a collector 50 using a power supply portion 62, an electrospinning jet 45 is sprayed from the Taylor cone 44 to the collector 50. At the start or stop of electrospinning, a blocking member 48 is inserted into a spraying area 42 of the electrospinning jet 45 such that an unstable electrospinning jet or unstable nanofibers are received. A product is not manufactured from an unstable electrospinning jet formed at the start or stop of electrospinning, and the manufacturing of a defective product is prevented.

Abstract: The present invention provides a nanofiber manufacturing method and a nanofiber manufacturing device. A solution 25 in which a polymer is dissolved in a solvent is supplied from a distal end of a nozzle 16 to form a Taylor cone 44 at a distal end opening 16b. By applying a voltage between the solution 25 and a collector 50 using a power supply portion 62, an electrospinning jet 45 is sprayed from the Taylor cone 44 to the collector 50. At the start or stop of electrospinning, a blocking member 48 is inserted into a spraying area 42 of the electrospinning jet 45 such that an unstable electrospinning jet or unstable nanofibers are received. A product is not manufactured from an unstable electrospinning jet formed at the start or stop of electrospinning, and the manufacturing of a defective product is prevented.

Abstract: In a tenter dryer, while a film is dried, the stretch or the relaxation of the film are made. The tenter dryer includes first-third drying chambers for independently controlling the drying conditions and a shiftable stretch/relaxation device for making the stretch and the relaxation of the film with holding the film. When the stretch/relaxation device holds four edges, cutter blades provided in a drying nozzle cut the film to sheet films. Then while holding the film, the stretch/relaxation device moves between the first-third drying chambers in which drying conditions are previously controlled.

Abstract: A casting film is made by casting dope including polymer and solvent on a casting drum whose surface is cooled. The casting film becomes to have a self-supporting property by cooling solidification, and then peeled as a wet film from the casting drum. The wet film is fed into a pin tenter in which both side edges of the wet film is held by plural pins. The wet film is dried while conveyed through the pin tenter, to become a film. Next, the film having predetermined X-ray diffraction intensity is fed into a clip tenter. While the film whose both side edges are held by clips is conveyed, it is stretched in the width direction thereof at a stretch rate in a range of 15% to 40%, to control molecular orientation in the film.

Abstract: A clip to hold the film has a clip body, a flapper, a press slider and a rail mount. A pair of the press sliders is located in both sides of the flapper. A coil spring presses the press slider upward. A pair of entrance side film release members, provided in the tenter entrance, presses the press slider downward to press the lateral edge portions of the film by the press sliders. At the film hold position, the flapper rotates from a release position to a hold position to hold the film, and the flapper is kept at the hold position by a torsion spring. The flapper holds the film 26 after the press slider holds the lateral edge portions of the film, so the flapper can hold the film even when the lateral edge portions of the film are curled.

Abstract: Side edge portions of a film in which a content of a remaining solvent is at least 30 wt. % are contacted to side parts of first-third rollers with suctioning through suction ducts. Thus a middle portion between the side edge portions is not contacted to the rollers, and the film is transported toward a tenter device in accordance with the rotation of the rollers. In the rollers, each side part of the rollers has a larger diameter of a middle part. At least one of intervals between the neighboring rollers is from 1 mm to 200 mm, and the lapping angle is from 1° to 180°. Toward the middle part of the film, and air is fed in a roller side. The obtained film doesn't have any neither crumples, wrinkle, curl and the like, and foreign materials are hardly adhered. Therefore the continuous film production can be made stably.

Abstract: In a stretching area of a tenter, a film is stretched in a Z2 direction. The film has a residual solvent level of not less than 0.03 wt. % and not greater than 10 wt. %. Out of the stretching area, the film enters a relaxing area to relax the film at a predetermined relaxation rate Y (%). Surface temperatures Tp, Ts, Th (° C.) and the relaxation rate Y are controlled to satisfy an expression of 6?{(? 1/12)×Tp}+{(??)×Ts}+{(?)×Th}+Y?18, where Tp is the temperature of the film five seconds before entering the stretching area, Ts is the temperature of the film at the center in a film transfer direction of the stretching area, and Th is the temperature of the film five seconds after departing the stretching area.

Abstract: Dope is cast onto a moving casting drum to form a casting film. After being cooled to be solidified, the casting film is peeled as a wet film from the casting drum. A residual amount of solvent in the casting film at the time of peeling it from the casting drum is denoted by W. In a first tenter, while being dried, the wet film is stretched in its width direction to form an intermediate film. Before the residual amount of solvent in the wet film reaches (W-100) wt %, the wet film is widened in its width direction such that the increased width is not less than 105% and not more than 130% of the width before the width increasing. The intermediate film is stretched and widened in its width direction in the second tenter such that the increased width is not less than 110% and not more than 160% of the width before the width increasing. Thus, it is possible to produce a film having optical properties in which Re is high and a value of Rth/Re is decreased in comparison with conventional films.

Abstract: In a first tenter, a wet film is stretched at an average atmospheric temperature of not less than 70° C. and not more than 115° C. until its residual solvent content is reduced to 25 wt. %. Thus, an intermediate film is produced. Then, in the first tenter, the intermediate film is dried at an average atmospheric temperature of not less than 40° C. and not more than 90° C. so as to reduce the residual solvent content to 10 wt. % or more and less than 25 wt. %. Thereafter, the intermediate film is conveyed to a second tenter. In the second tenter, the intermediate film having the residual solvent content of at most 10 wt. % is stretched at an atmospheric temperature set at not less than 160° C. and not more than 195° C. Thus, a film having a low Rth/Re, a high Re, and a low haze is produced.

Abstract: In a first zone of a tenter section, damp air is applied to side edge portions of a TAC film, thereby providing the TAC film with a water content profile in which water content decreases from the side edge portions toward a center portion. This water content profile causes the TAC film to have a birefringence profile in which a birefringence decreases from the side edge portions toward the center portion. The TAC film is stretched in a width direction while the side edge portions are being held with clips. Due to a low flexibility at the side edge portions during the stretching process, the birefringence of the TAC film increases such that an increase in the birefringence becomes larger from the side edge portions toward the center portion. A difference of the birefringence in the width direction before the stretching process compensates a difference of the increase in the birefringence in the width direction after the stretching process. The water content of the TAC film is then evaporated.

Abstract: A TAC film has a thickness profile in which its thickness decreases from side edge portions toward a center portion. The TAC film has a retardation profile in which its in-plane retardation Re decreases from the side edge portions toward the center portion. The retardation profile is caused by the thickness profile. In a tenter section, the TAC film is stretched in a width direction while the side edge portions are being held. A difference of increase in the in-plane retardation Re of the film in the width direction after the stretching is compensated by a difference of the in-plane retardation Re of the film in the width direction before the stretching.

Abstract: A dope is prepared from TAC, solvent and the like. The dope is cast from a casting die (31) onto a belt (34) to form a casting film (69). The casting film (69) is peeled as a wet film (74) from the belt (34). The wet film (74) is transported to a tenter device (35), in which both side edge portions are clipped by tenter clips (100). The content of the remaining solvent in the wet film 74 is determined to 100 wt. % on dry basis. The tenter clips (100) (temperature, 40° C.) has a support surface (100a) for supporting the side edge portion of the wet film 74 thereon. A surface tension of the support surface (100a) is 3.1×10?2 N/m, a surface roughness Ra of the support surface (100a) is 0.3 ?m, and a surface hardness of the holding surface (100a) is 700 Hv. Therefore, the adhesion of the foreign materials is reduced. The wet film (74) is dried with stretching in the widthwise direction by the tenter device (35), so as to obtain a TAC film (82).

Abstract: A dope containing a retardation controller, cellulose ester, and a solvent is prepared. In a first film producing apparatus, the dope is cast onto a casting drum whose surface is cooled to form a casting film in a gel state. The casting film is peeled off from the casting drum, and the peeled casting film is dried until a residual solvent amount reaches 10 wt. %. Cellulose ester contained in the casting film is crystallized by heating the casting film to a temperature of not less than 170° C. and not more than 250° C., and the casting film is stretched in the width direction. Thus, a film is produced. An absolute value |P1| of a degree of orientation of the polymer in the in-plane direction of the produced film satisfies 0?|P1|?0.050.

Abstract: A dope is cast onto a drum. A casting film is cooled and solidified by the drum. The casting film is peeled as a film containing a solvent. The peeled film is guided to a tenter. In the tenter, in a first drying step, the film is dried by dry air from an air duct while being stretched in the width direction in a state that side edge portions of the film are held by pins. Thereafter, in a second drying step, the film is dried while tension is applied to the film in the width direction. A first ratio calculated by (a moving speed of the pins)/(a rotation speed of the drum), a second ratio calculated by L2/L1, and a third ratio calculated by L3/L2 satisfy 0.94?(the first ratio)/{(the second ratio)·(the third ratio)}?0.97.

Abstract: A casting film is made by casting dope including polymer and solvent on a casting drum whose surface is cooled. The casting film becomes to have a self-supporting property by cooling solidification, and then peeled as a wet film from the casting drum. The wet film is fed into a pin tenter in which both side edges of the wet film is held by plural pins. The wet film is dried while conveyed through the pin tenter, to become a film. Next, the film having predetermined X-ray diffraction intensity is fed into a clip tenter. While the film whose both side edges are held by clips is conveyed, it is stretched in the width direction thereof at a stretch rate in a range of 15% to 40%, to control molecular orientation in the film.

Abstract: A solution casting process for producing cellulose triacetate (TAC) film is provided. Bead of dope, which includes cellulose triacetate and solvent, is cast on to a rotating supporting drum, to form self-supporting cast film. The self-supporting cast film is stripped from the supporting drum. The self-supporting cast film is dried while the self-supporting cast film being stripped is fed by feed rollers, to form the cellulose triacetate film. A surface temperature of the feed rollers is set equal to or lower than 0° C. The self-supporting cast film upon being stripped has modulus of longitudinal elasticity equal to or more than 450,000 Pa.

Abstract: Cellulose triacetate film is produced by a solution casting process. Dope, which includes cellulose triacetate and mixed solvent with methyl acetate, is cast on a rotary drum in a form of bead by use of a flow casting die, to form gel film. When a self-supporting characteristic of the gel film becomes higher than one limit value, the gel film is stripped from the rotary drum by use of a stripping roller, to obtain the cellulose triacetate film. During the casting step, a surface of the rotary drum is cooled at ?10° C. or lower.

Abstract: The present invention provides a solvent casting process which comprises casting a dope which is a solution containing at least one kind of a polymer from a casting die onto a casting support, stripping off from the casting support and drying, wherein the force necessary for stripping off the dope from the die lip end of the casting die is 40 g/cm or smaller. According to the present invention, the employment of the foregoing constitution prevents the formation of the slugs at lateral edge portions of the dope because the cast dope would not adhere to the die lip end portion of the casting die. As a result, because a breaking down of the film would not occur without washing the apparatus, an efficient production of a film having superior evenness in the flatness can be achieved.

Abstract: Side edge portions of a film in which a content of a remaining solvent is at least 30 wt. % are contacted to side parts of first-third rollers with suctioning through suction ducts. Thus a middle portion between the side edge portions is not contacted to the rollers, and the film is transported toward a tenter device in accordance with the rotation of the rollers. In the rollers, each side part of the rollers has a larger diameter of a middle part. At least one of intervals between the neighboring rollers is from 1 mm to 200 mm, and the lapping angle is from 1° to 180°. Toward the middle part of the film, and air is fed in a roller side. The obtained film doesn't have any neither crumples, wrinkle, curl and the like, and foreign materials are hardly adhered. Therefore the continuous film production can be made stably.

Abstract: In a tenter dryer, while a film is dried, the stretch or the relaxation of the film are made. The tenter dryer includes first-third drying chambers for independently controlling the drying conditions and a shiftable stretch/relaxation device for making the stretch and the relaxation of the film with holding the film. When the stretch/relaxation device holds four edges, cutter blades provided in a drying nozzle cut the film to sheet films. Then while holding the film, the stretch/relaxation device moves between the first-third drying chambers in which drying conditions are previously controlled.