Fiber structure manufacturing apparatus, fiber structure manufacturing method, and fiber structure

A fiber structure manufacturing method, comprising:

• defibrating a fiber raw material that contains fibers by pulverization;
• transporting a defibrated material after defibration, and mixing a melting material into the defibrated material that is being transported;
• forming a fibrous web by causing a mixture of the defibrated material and the melting material to accumulate on a belt;
• supplying, by a sheet supplying roller, a shape retainer sheet on the belt or to the fibrous web, the sheet supplying roller being disposed upstream relative to the belt in a transport direction of the shape retainer sheet, or downstream relative to the belt in a transport direction of the fibrous web;
• raising nap on a surface of the shape retainer sheet before the surface of the shape retainer sheet contacts with the fibrous web;
• and
• forming a fiber structure by heating and pressing the fibrous web after the shape retainer sheet is supplied.

A fiber structure manufacturing method, comprising:

• defibrating a fiber raw material that contains fibers by pulverization;
• transporting a defibrated material after defibration, and mixing a melting material into the defibrated material that is being transported;
• forming a fibrous web by causing a mixture of the defibrated material and the melting material to accumulate on a surface of a first shape retainer sheet while the first shaped retainer sheet is disposed on a belt, the surface of the first shape retainer sheet having raised nap;
• supplying, by a sheet supplying roller, a second shape retainer sheet to an opposite surface side of the fibrous web such that a surface of the second shape retainer sheet comes into contact with the fibrous web, the opposite surface side being opposite of a surface side at which the first shape retainer sheet is disposed, the sheet supplying roller being disposed downstream relative to the belt in a transport direction of the fibrous web;
• raising nap on the surface of the second shape retainer sheet before the surface of the second shape retainer sheet comes into contact with the fibrous web;
• and
• forming a fiber structure by heating and pressing the fibrous web sandwiched between the nap-raised surface of the first shape retainer sheet and the nap-raised surface of the second shape retainer sheet.