Settsu Corporation

Hitachi Zosen Corporation

Seiichi Yonekawa

Koichi Yoshida

Shigeru Miyawaki

Masatoshi Tohbo

Shinji Aoki

Eiji Koyanagi

Masahiro Takeda

Katsuhiro Yamaji

Hidetoshi Hirata

Kiyohisa Ueda

The invention provides an apparatus for compressively molding cushioning material using a quadrangular cylindrical molding box having an end side closed by a receiver mold, whereas the other end of said molding box receives supply of dry raw material consisting of fiberized paper or pulp by a volume corresponding to several times the actual volume of a molded body. A compressive mold inserted from the other end of the molding box is shifted to one-end side of the molding box to compress supplied raw material between a receiver mold. Simultaneously, a core member is retreated to a predetermined position of said one-end side in association with the shifting movement of the compressive mold. As a result, the core portion having thin thickness and the interior of the core member can securely be compressed and molded with even density.

Method and apparatus for compressively molding cushioning material made

This invention provides a paper molded cushion having a sufficient shock absorbing ability without substantial deformation during the drying process even if the shape of the cushion is very complex. The process comprises the steps of mechanically fluffing waste paper or pulp, adding a proper amount of adhesive to the fluffed paper of pulp, mixing uniformly, casting the mixture in a mold having water drainage small apertures thereof, heating said mold with the mixture therein by dielectric heating or microwave heating, thereby drying the molded paper cushion to a predetermined water content level and taking out the molded paper cushion from the mold. It is also possible to heat and dry the molded paper product under reduced pressure conditions for accelerating the water evaporation or to add a small amount of foamable synthetic plastic particles with the adhesive for making voids inside the molded paper cushion; consequently, the weight of the paper cushion is effectively reduced and the shock absorbing ability is increased. Further if the shape of the product is complex, the mold is divided into plurality of cross-sectional layer parts corresponding to the cross-section of the desired shape and the molded paper parts are assembled with adhesives to form the final shape of the paper cushion.

Method of producing a cushion from waste paper or pulp

Growing community of inventors

Ashiya, Japan

Seiichi Yonekawa