Sheet manufacturing apparatus, and sheet manufacturing method

A sheet manufacturing apparatus comprising:

• a rotatable, foraminous drum unit;
• a web forming unit configured to form a web using material including fiber that has passed through the holes in the drum unit;
• and
• a material supply conduit having a connector that connects to the drum unit, and carries material including fiber into the drum unit by air flow;
• the internal sectional area of the connector being greater than the internal sectional area of the material supply conduit on the upstream side of the connector.

A sheet manufacturing apparatus comprising:

• a rotatable, foraminous drum unit;
• a web forming unit configured to form a web using material including fiber that has passed through the holes in the drum unit;
• an air flow generator that produces an air flow to carry material including fiber;
• and
• a material supply conduit configured to carry material including fiber into the drum unit by the air flow produced by the air flow generator;
• the material supply conduit having a first part with an inside of a first sectional area, and
• a second part with an inside of a second sectional area that is larger than the first sectional area, and
• the second part is disposed closer to the drum unit than the air flow generator.

A sheet manufacturing apparatus comprising:

• a rotatable, foraminous drum unit;
• a web forming unit configured to form a web using material including fiber that has passed through the holes in the drum unit;
• and
• a material supply conduit configured to carry material including fiber into the drum unit by air flow;
• the material supply conduit having a first supply conduit,
• a second supply conduit branching from the first supply conduit at a junction, and connecting to the drum unit at one end of the axis of rotation, and
• a third supply conduit branching from the first supply conduit at the junction, and connecting to the drum unit at the other end of the axis of rotation;
• the second supply conduit and third supply conduit having, at the end closer to the drum unit than the junction, a part where the internal sectional area is greater than the sectional area of the interface between the first supply conduit and the junction.

A sheet manufacturing method comprising:

• a step of supplying material including fiber by air flow into a rotatable, foraminous drum unit;
• and
• a step of forming a web using material including fiber that has passed through the holes in the drum unit;
• the step of supplying material including fiber into the drum unit supplying the material into the drum unit by an air flow of a second velocity that is slower than the first velocity after conveying the material by an air flow of a first velocity.