Apparatus and method for manufacturing three-dimensional netted structure

1. An apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional netted structure, the apparatus comprising:

a mouthpiece to extrude a filament assembly comprising continuous filaments downward;

a chute located below said mouthpiece, said chute being inclined so that a width of said chute becomes narrower downward and toward the center of said filament assembly, and a through hole being formed at a center of said chute;

a water supplying unit for supplying cooling water to cool said filament assembly downward on a surface of said chute;

a water-permeable sheet for covering at least a part of the surface of said chute;

fixing members for fixing said water-permeable sheet to said chute; and

a pair of drawing-down units located below said chute for conveying the three-dimensional netted structure ejected downward from said chute in water;

wherein:

said cooling water is supplied to the surface of said chute and is contacted with a surface of said filament assembly to form loops, to contact adjacent continuous filaments to each other, and to entangle adjacent continuous filaments with each other in said filament assembly;

a water level in a tank is above a lower end of said chute; and

said chute contacts and compresses an entire surface of said filament assembly that is in parallel to a direction in which the filament assembly is extruded.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said water supplying unit is located above said water-permeable sheet, and said cooling water spreads and flows on an upper surface of said water-permeable sheet.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said water supplying unit is located above said chute and below said water-permeable sheet, said cooling water is supplied to a space between said chute and said water-permeable sheet to form a lower cooling water layer, said cooling water permeates to an upper surface of said water-permeable sheet to form an upper cooling water layer and flow.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said fixing members fix said water-permeable sheet to said chute at an upper part and a lower part of said chute.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said chute comprises a pair of opposing longitudinal chutes located below said mouthpiece along a width direction of said filament assembly and vertical to a thickness direction of said filament assembly and a pair of opposing lateral chutes located below said mouthpiece along the thickness direction of said filament assembly and vertical to said pair of opposing longitudinal chutes, and said through hole has a rectangular shape.

6. A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional netted structure, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) setting a water level in a tank above a lower end of a chute;

(b) extruding a filament assembly comprising continuous filaments downward;

(c) flowing cooling water onto a water-permeable sheet located on said chute and subsequently into said tank;

(d) letting an entire surface of said extruded filament assembly free-fall onto said chute and said water-permeable sheet and guiding them along a slope of said chute towards the center of said chute, and letting an entire surface of said extruded filament assembly that is parallel to a direction in which the filament assembly is extruded be compressed by said chute; and

(e) drawing the three-dimensional netted structure flowing down from said chute and said water-permeable sheet by drawing-down units.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising the steps of (f) preventing said water-permeable sheet from moving by fixing the water-permeable sheet at an upper part and a lower part of said chute.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said chute comprises separated chutes.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said chute is made of an integral single plate.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said through hole has a cross-section in a shape of an R.

11. An apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional netted structure, the apparatus comprising:

a mouthpiece for extruding a filament assembly downward, the filament assembly comprising continuous filaments;

a pair of longitudinal chutes located below said mouthpiece, said pair of longitudinal chutes being inclined and a distance between said pair of longitudinal chutes becoming narrower downward;

a pair of lateral chutes located below said mouthpiece, said pair of lateral chutes being inclined and a distance between said pair of lateral chutes becoming narrower downward;

a pair of water supplying units disposed above said pair of longitudinal chutes, respectively;

a pair of water-permeable sheets disposed on said pair of longitudinal chutes, respectively;

a water tank;

a pair of fixing members disposed on said water-permeable sheets; and

a pair of drawing-down units located below said pair of longitudinal chutes and said pair of lateral chutes;

wherein:

said pair of longitudinal chutes is parallel to and spaced with respect to each other;

said pair of lateral chutes is parallel to and spaced with respect to each other;

said pair of longitudinal chutes is perpendicular to said pair of lateral chutes, wherein said pair of longitudinal chutes and said pair of lateral chutes are arranged to enclose a rectangular hole;

said pair of water supplying units is for supplying cooling water to cool the filament assembly when the filament assembly is dropped on surfaces of said pair of longitudinal chutes, and said cooling water is supplied to said surfaces of said pair of longitudinal chutes and said pair of lateral chutes and is contacted with a surface of the filament assembly to form loops, to contact adjacent continuous filaments to each other, and to entangle adjacent continuous filaments with each other in the filament assembly;

said pair of drawing-down units is submerged in water in said water tank and is for conveying the filament assembly downward from said pair of longitudinal chutes and said pair of lateral chutes into the water;

said pair of water-permeable sheets covers surfaces of said pair of longitudinal chutes;

said pair of fixing members fixes said water-permeable sheets to said pair of longitudinal chutes; and

lower ends of said pair of longitudinal chutes and said pair of lateral chutes are submerged in the water in said water tank.