CN116685228A

CN116685228A - Production of disposable garments

Info

Publication number: CN116685228A
Application number: CN202180081380.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 伦纳特·哈格尔克维斯特
Original assignee: Triovodranskruna Co
Current assignee: Triovodranskruna Co
Priority date: 2020-10-05
Filing date: 2021-09-30
Publication date: 2023-09-01
Also published as: WO2022073838A1; CA3195036A1; US20230404197A1; EP4225091A1; EP3977882A1; MX2023004015A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a disposable upper body garment having sleeves and a front portion. The method comprises the following steps: feeding the main film in the longitudinal direction; and forming an assembly comprising a first sleeve film and a second sleeve film disposed on an upper surface of the main film. The method further comprises the steps of: for a first garment, the first sleeve film is joined to the main film along a contour defining a sleeve of the first garment, and for a second garment, the second sleeve film is joined to the main film along a contour defining a sleeve of the second garment. After the joining steps, the method includes: stamping through the assembly to define neck openings of the first garment and the second garment; the first garment and the second garment are punched through the assembly along the contours of the first garment and the second garment.

Description

Production of disposable garments

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to the field of garments, and in particular to the manufacture of disposable garments.

Background

Protective garments, such as disposable gowns for medical personnel and patients, may be made from a sheet of flexible material, such as plastic film, which is cut into sections and joined into the desired design. However, a disadvantage of this technique is that the manufacturing process typically involves a large number of complex processing steps, which often require manual intervention and handling.

As the demand for disposable protective garments continues to increase, improved techniques are needed to more efficiently manufacture and reduce manufacturing costs.

Disclosure of Invention

It would be advantageous to achieve a technique that overcomes or at least alleviates the above-mentioned disadvantages. In particular, it is desirable to provide an improved and more cost-effective method for manufacturing disposable garments.

To better address this problem, a method, garment and system having the features defined in the independent claims are provided. Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.

Thus, according to a first aspect, there is provided a method for manufacturing a disposable upper body garment having sleeves and a front portion. According to the method, a first sleeve film and a second sleeve film are provided on respective edge portions of a main film, wherein the edge portions are separated by a centre line extending in a longitudinal direction. The method comprises the following steps: bonding the sleeve film to the main film along at least a portion of the outline defining the sleeve of the garment; and defining at least a portion of the remaining contour of the garment by punching through the films.

In particular, the method may comprise feeding the main film in a longitudinal direction, wherein the first edge portion and the second edge portion of the film are arranged laterally opposite to each other on respective sides of the centre line. An assembly may be formed that includes a first sleeve film and a second sleeve film disposed on an upper surface of the main film, wherein the first sleeve film is disposed on a first edge portion of the main film and the second sleeve film is disposed on a second edge portion of the main film. For the first garment, a first sleeve film may be joined to the main film along at least a portion of a contour defining a sleeve of the first garment. For a second garment, a second sleeve film may be joined to the main film along at least a portion of the outline defining the sleeves of the second garment. Furthermore, the method may comprise the steps of: a neck opening is punched through the assembly to define a garment, and a neck opening is punched through the assembly along the contours of the first garment and the second garment.

According to a second aspect, there is provided a disposable upper body garment manufactured by the method according to the first aspect.

According to a third aspect, there is provided a system for manufacturing a disposable upper body garment according to the first and second aspects.

The inventive concept is based on the following recognition: by arranging the first and second sleeve films on the edge portion of the main film and using these sleeve films to form the sleeves of the final garment, the manufacture of the garment may be more efficient. This aspect may involve several advantages. First, the sleeve film allows for the front portion of the garment to be provided with sleeves in a relatively easy and efficient manner. The sleeve may be formed by joining the sleeve film and the main film along lines defining armpit-to-arm seams and optionally shoulder-to-arm seams of the garment and punching these films at the arm openings to define the contours of the sleeve. This can be done "on the fly" because the membrane modules are fed forward in the longitudinal direction. Second, the dimensions of the sleeve can be easily determined by varying the width of the sleeve film, wherein a wider sleeve film results in a wider sleeve, and vice versa. Thus, the design of the sleeve may be altered by modifying the width of the sleeve film, the location of the joints with the film, and the cuts or perforations defining the contours of the sleeve. Third, garments can be manufactured in roll-to-roll processing, which advantageously allows for improved productivity and reduced waste, especially as compared to processes requiring separate and manual handling of the garment.

In this specification, the term "disposable" may refer to garments that are intended to be thrown away after use. This may also be referred to as a single use or consumable, and should generally be understood as a garment that is not intended to be reused multiple times.

The term "upper body garment" generally refers to a piece of clothing that fits over the upper body, particularly the torso and arms. Garments may also be referred to as gowns or aprons, such as oversleeves (long-sleeved or short-sleeved) aprons. Preferably, the garment is a protective garment, such as a medical garment that provides a barrier between the patient and the professional.

By "film" is understood a material in the form of a thin and flexible sheet, preferably stored and supplied in rolls. The film may be formed, for example, from plastic or paper, or another material that is processed in a manner similar to plastic. Preferably, the film is formed from polyethylene or polylactic acid. The first sleeve film, the second sleeve film, and the main film may be formed of the same material or different materials.

The main or lower film in the assembly may generally be referred to as having an extension in the longitudinal direction (i.e., the feed direction during manufacture) and a width in the transverse direction (i.e., the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction). Similarly, the first sleeve film and the second sleeve film may have an extended length in the longitudinal direction and a width in the transverse direction. Preferably, each of the first sleeve film and the second sleeve film may have a width less than half the width of the main film. In other words, when the first sleeve film and the second sleeve film are arranged on the main film, the first sleeve film and the second sleeve film may be separated by a distance such that a central area of the main film is not covered by either one of the first sleeve film and the second sleeve film.

The layers of the assembly (i.e., the first sleeve film/second sleeve film and the main film) may be selectively joined together in certain areas or along certain lines to form sleeves of the garment. Bonding may be achieved, for example, by the application of pressure or heat. In some examples, the films may be joined by joining or gluing. The bonding may be advantageous because no additional components (such as glue) may be required. Instead, the joint may be formed by heating the material of the film to the melting point.

By "stamping" is generally meant the process of piercing a hole in an assembly. Thus, stamping may result in, for example, perforations (i.e., stamping a row of holes in the assembly so that a portion may be more easily torn off) or cuts (where a portion of the assembly is removed entirely).

By "sleeve" is generally meant that portion of the garment that completely or partially covers the arm of the person. Preferably, the sleeve is configured to completely surround or enclose a portion of the arm (but not necessarily the entire length of the arm). By "front portion" is generally understood the portion of the garment intended to cover the front of the body of the wearer, i.e. the portion arranged in front of the body, completely or partially. However, depending on the intended use, the front portion may also be adapted to be worn behind the body. This aspect allows the production of garments that can be open at the back or at the front. By "neck opening" is generally meant an opening intended to receive the head of a user during use.

According to an embodiment, the first sleeve film and the second sleeve film may be formed of a main film. The sleeve film may be cut from the main film and arranged on the upper surface of the main film to form an assembly, for example in a previous step.

Alternatively, the first sleeve film and the second sleeve film may be formed by folding the main film onto the upper surface thereof. This may be achieved by folding the first and second longitudinal edges of the main film towards the centre of the main film, wherein the longitudinal edges are laterally opposite to each other. Forming the assembly by folding the edges of the primary film is advantageous in that the number of parts involved in the manufacturing process can be reduced. In other words, the sleeve film need not be handled as a separate component. Instead, the sleeve film may be provided by adding a folding step in the process instead of adding a separate film. A further advantage is that the fold line may serve as a junction between the sleeve film and the main film, thereby reducing the coupling. Thus, it may be sufficient to join the sleeve film and the main film together along an under-arm seam (i.e., a seam that continues from the armpit of the sleeve to the arm opening).

Thus, the method may include joining the first sleeve film/second sleeve film to the main film to form an underarm seam, the first sleeve film/second sleeve film having been joined to the main film along the shoulder-to-arm seam. The sleeve opening and front portion of the garment may then be defined by perforating or cutting the assembly.

If the first sleeve film/second sleeve film is not formed by folding the main film, but is provided as a separate film disposed over the main film, these films may also be joined together along an upper arm seam (i.e., a shoulder-to-sleeve opening seam).

According to an embodiment, the first garment and the second garment may be arranged adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction. Preferably, the opening of the sleeve of the first garment is arranged beside the front portion of the second garment, such that both the arm opening and the front portion may be defined by a single common incision or perforated line. With this arrangement, waste can be reduced.

The inventive concept allows continuous, rapid production of garments arranged in alternating patterns in assemblies. In the case where each second garment has sleeves formed from the first sleeve film and the intermediate garment has sleeves formed from the second sleeve film, an alternating, compact and surface-efficient layout may be obtained, allowing for reduced material wastage.

According to an embodiment, the remaining material between successive garments may be cut out of the assembly and removed. Thus, the remaining components may only comprise garments arranged side by side in an alternating manner, wherein the sleeve openings of a first garment are attached to the sides of the body of an adjacent garment. Removing excess material between garments can reduce waste at the user end and allow a large batch of garments to be rolled up and stored in a reduced weight roll.

Alternatively, the garments may be individually separated. This allows the garments to be arranged in a stack rather than a roll.

In an embodiment, an assembly comprising a plurality of garments may be rewound into a roll. Alternatively, the assembly may be folded in the longitudinal direction, after which the roll is formed. Thus, the end product may be a rolled protective gown that facilitates handling and transportation and allows for an improved user experience.

It should be noted that embodiments of the invention relate to all possible combinations of features as recited in the claims. Furthermore, it should be understood that the various embodiments described for the manufacturing method according to the first aspect may be combined with embodiments of the products and systems defined in the second and third aspects.

Drawings

These and other aspects will now be described in more detail, with reference to the appended drawings showing embodiments, wherein:

fig. 1 shows a top view of an assembly comprising a main membrane and two sleeve membranes according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 shows a top view of an assembly comprising a main membrane and two sleeve membranes, in which the contours of two disposable upper body garments have been defined, according to an embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of a system for manufacturing disposable upper body garments according to an embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a schematic side view of a system for manufacturing disposable upper body garments according to an embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a disposable upper body garment according to an embodiment.

All of the figures are schematic, not necessarily to scale, and generally show only the parts necessary in order to elucidate the embodiments, wherein other parts may be omitted or merely suggested. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

Detailed Description

Aspects will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which currently preferred embodiments are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the various aspects to those skilled in the art.

The main film 100 and the first and second sleeve films 110 and 120 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1. During the manufacture of the disposable upper body garment according to the inventive concept, the main film 100, which may be, for example, a plastic film of polyethylene or polylactic acid, may be fed in the longitudinal direction F. The longitudinal direction F may also be referred to as the feed direction. The feeding of the primary film 100 may, for example, form part of a roll-to-roll process in which the primary film 100 may be provided from a roll and rewound after processing to produce an output roll.

The main film 100 may comprise two laterally opposite edge portions 101, 102 or longitudinal portions 101, 102 having an extension in the longitudinal direction F and separated by a centre line C extending along the longitudinal direction F. In addition, the main film 100 has an upper surface and an opposite lower surface facing away from the upper surface.

As indicated in the present figure, the first sleeve film 110 and preferably the second sleeve film 120 may be disposed on the upper surface of the main film 100. The sleeve films 110, 120 may have a similar configuration to the main film 100, except that the width of the sleeve films 110, 120 may be smaller than the width of the main film 100 (as seen in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction F). In this example, the width of each of the sleeve films 110, 120 may be less than half the width of the main film 100, such that when the sleeve films are arranged side-by-side on the main film 100, the sleeve films do not cover the entire width of the main film 100. The first sleeve film 110 may be disposed on or over the first edge portion 110, while the second sleeve film 120 may be disposed on or over the second edge portion 120. As shown in fig. 1, the sleeve films 110, 120 may be arranged to cover the respective edge portions 101, 102 up to the longitudinal edges of the main film 100.

The sleeve films 110, 120 may be formed of the same type of material as the main film 100 (i.e., polyethylene or polylactic acid, for example). In this example, sleeve films 110, 120 are formed from main film 100 by folding the longitudinal edges of main film 100 onto the upper surface of main film 100. Thus, the longitudinal edges indicated in fig. 1 may represent fold lines at which the main film 100 has been folded onto itself.

Fig. 2 illustrates the assembly of fig. 1 after defining a first disposable upper body garment 10 and a second disposable upper body garment 20. According to the present embodiment, the first garment 10 and the second garment 20 have been defined as being side by side in the feeding direction and having been turned upside down relative to each other such that the sleeves 11 of the first garment 10 are formed by the first sleeve film 110 and the sleeves 12 of the second garment 20 are formed by the second sleeve film 120. The first garment 10 and the second garment 20 are arranged adjacent to each other such that the arm openings of the first garment 10 abut the front portion 22 of the second garment 20.

In the case where the sleeve films 110, 120 are formed by folded portions of the main film 100, it may be sufficient to join the sleeve films 110, 120 to the main film 100 along the portions of the contours 13, 23 defining the underarm seams. Due to the folding, the sleeve films 110, 120 have been joined to the main film 100 along a shoulder-to-arm seam. However, if the sleeve films 110, 120 are provided as separate items (i.e., not formed from folded portions of the main film 100), it may also be desirable to join the sleeve films 110, 120 to the main film 100 along a shoulder-to-arm seam.

According to the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the first garment 10 may be defined by joining the first sleeve film 110 to the main film 100 along the portion of the contour 13 corresponding to the underarm seam of the sleeve 11, while the second garment 20 may be defined by joining the second sleeve film 120 to the main film 100 along the portion of the contour 23 corresponding to the underarm seam of the sleeve 21. In a further processing step, the assembly may be punched along the remaining portions of the sleeve contour corresponding to the arm openings 18, 28 of the sleeves 11, 21 and along the contours 16, 26 corresponding to the sides of the front portions 12, 22. In this example, the stamping may cause the remainder of the assembly disposed between adjacent garments 10, 20 to be cut out and removed, and the portions 18, 28 of the outline separating the arm openings from the adjacent garments to be perforated to allow the garments to be separated later, for example by a user. Thus, the assembly may include a series of alternating garments 10, 20 attached to one another by perforations at the arm openings 18, 28. The sleeve films that are not used to form the sleeves of the garment (i.e., the second sleeve film 120 of the first garment 10 and the first sleeve film 110 of the second garment 20) may be stretched during use to form a portion of the front portions 12, 22 of the garment.

The neck openings 14, 24 may be formed by cutting out corresponding portions of the assembly. It should be appreciated that in alternative examples, the neck openings 14, 24 may be defined by perforating the assembly along the contours of the neck openings 14, 24 to allow for removal of material of the neck openings 14, 24 at a later stage, such as by a user.

Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of a system for manufacturing disposable upper body garments according to an exemplary embodiment. The manufacturing process and the final garment may be configured similarly to the embodiments discussed above in connection with fig. 1 and 2. The system 200 may include a feeding mechanism 210 for feeding the main film 100 or the lower film 100 along a longitudinal feeding direction F (indicated by an arrow in fig. 3). The primary film 100 may be provided from a roll, for example, by means of a feed mechanism 210. The feeding mechanism 210 may be further configured to provide a first sleeve film 110 and a second sleeve film 120, which in this embodiment may be provided from a roll as the main film 100.

The sleeve films 110, 120 may be arranged onto the upper surface of the main film 100 by means of a downstream assembly mechanism 220. The assembly mechanism 220 may, for example, comprise a guide means for aligning the first sleeve film 110 with the first laterally opposite edge 101 of the main film 100 and the second sleeve film 120 with the second laterally opposite edge 102 of the main film 100. The final assembly may be similar to the structure shown in fig. 1.

The system 200 may further include a joining tool 230 configured to provide the joining portion 13, 23 defining the sleeves 11, 21 of the garments 10, 20. The joining means 230 may, for example, comprise a rotating cylinder that selectively applies heat to areas of the passing assembly that extend along the contours of the sleeves 11, 12 corresponding to, for example, the armpit seam and the shoulder-to-arm seam.

The assembly may also pass through a cutting tool 240 for cutting out the neck openings 14, 24. The cutting tool 240 may, for example, comprise a rotating cylinder configured to stamp out the portion of the assembly defining the neck opening 14, 24. In addition, the cutting tool 240 may be further configured to also cut out the area of the assembly that is disposed between two adjacent garments 10, 20. Thus, as the assembly passes the cutting tool 240, a plurality of garments 10, 20 may be obtained that engage one another at the interface between the arm opening and the lower portion of the front portion 12, 22.

A punching tool 250 may be added to the system 200 to provide a perforated profile defining the arm openings 18, 28 of the sleeves 11, 21. The punching tool 250 may be configured similarly to the cutting tool 240 and thus include a rotating drum to facilitate cutting the assembly as it passes.

It should be noted that the cutting tool 240 and the punching tool 250 above may be provided as two structurally distinct devices along the processing line, or as an integrated tool capable of defining both the neck openings 14, 24 and the contours of the garments 10, 20. Accordingly, cutting tool 240 and punching tool 250 may refer to a single tool (e.g., a punching tool) for cutting out the neck opening 14, 24 and the remainder between garments 10, 20. In addition, such tools may also be configured to perforate the assembly along the arm openings 18, 28, or to trim the assembly to separate the garments 10, 20 from one another.

The end product may then be fed to a finishing mechanism 260 where it may be folded along a centerline and rewound into an output roll, for example.

Fig. 4 shows a top view of a system 200 according to an embodiment, which may be configured similarly to the system illustrated in connection with fig. 3. Thus, the system may comprise: a feeding mechanism 210 for feeding the main film 100 in the longitudinal direction of the film; an assembly mechanism 220 for arranging the sleeve films 110, 120 on the respective edge portions 101, 102 of the main film 100; joining means 230 for joining the sleeve films 110, 120 to the main film 100 to define sleeves 13, 23; and a stamping or cutting tool 240 for defining the neck opening 14, 24 and at least a portion of the remaining contour of the garment 10, 20. The stamping tool 240 may, for example, be configured to cut out the neck portion 14, 24, and the portion between the garments 10, 20 (indicated by the cross-hatched area in fig. 4). Finally, the assembly may be stored on a roll by means of a collation mechanism 260.

The difference from the embodiment discussed above in connection with fig. 1 may be that the first sleeve film 110 and the second sleeve film 120 according to the present embodiment may be formed by folding the edges 101, 102 of the main film 100 onto the upper surface of the main film 100. This may be performed by the assembly mechanism 220, which may thus be a folding mechanism 220 providing similar components as those illustrated in connection with fig. 1. After the main film 100 is folded, an assembly is formed in which the first sleeve film 110 and the second sleeve film 120 cover edge portions of the main film 100 and are spaced apart from each other along a center line extending in the longitudinal direction of the main film 100. Accordingly, it may be sufficient that the sleeve films 110, 120 have been joined to the main film 100 along the upper seam (i.e., shoulder-to-arm seam) by folding, and thus, the joining tool 230 applies the joining joint to the under-arm seam (i.e., armpit-to-arm seam).

Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing disposable upper body garments having sleeves and a front portion, similar to the garments described with reference to fig. 1-4. The method may include: feeding 1 a main film in a longitudinal direction; forming 2 an assembly comprising a first sleeve film and a second sleeve film, the first sleeve film and the second sleeve film being arranged on an upper surface of the main film, and more specifically such that the first sleeve film is arranged on a first longitudinal edge portion of the main film and the second sleeve film is arranged on a second edge portion of the main film. This may be achieved, for example, by folding the longitudinal edges of the main film to its upper surface. Furthermore, the method may comprise: joining 3 the first sleeve film to the main film along a contour defining a sleeve of the first garment; and joining 4 the second sleeve film to the main film along the outline defining the sleeve of the second garment; cutting out neck openings of the first garment and the second garment; and punching 6 the assembly along the contour of the first garment and the second garment. In some examples, the method may include removing 7 a remaining portion of the assembly disposed between the first garment and the second garment. In an optional step, the assembly may be folded 8 in the longitudinal direction, after which the assembly is rolled 9 into an output roll.

Those skilled in the art realize that the present invention is not limited in any way to the preferred embodiments described above. For example, the joining and stamping may be performed in a different sequence, wherein the contour of the garment is defined prior to joining the seam, or in the same processing step, such as by perforating or stamping the assembly. Furthermore, in addition to joining the sleeves, the contours may be defined by perforations alone, cutting alone, or a combination of both. Further, variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. Any reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a disposable upper body garment (10, 20) having sleeves (11, 21) and a front portion (12, 22), the method comprising:

feeding (1) a main film (100) along a longitudinal direction (F), the film having transversely opposite first and second longitudinal edge portions (101, 102) separated by a centre line (L) extending along the longitudinal direction;

forming (2) an assembly comprising a first sleeve film (110) and a second sleeve film (120), the first sleeve film and the second sleeve film being arranged on an upper surface of the main film, wherein the first sleeve film is formed by folding a first edge portion of the main film onto the upper surface of the main film, and wherein the second sleeve film is formed by folding a second edge portion of the main film onto the upper surface of the main film;

for a first garment, joining (3) the first sleeve film to the main film along a contour (13) defining a sleeve of said first garment,

for a second garment, joining (4) the second sleeve film to the main film along a contour (23) defining sleeves of said second garment;

punching (5) through the assembly to define neck openings (14, 24) of the first garment and the second garment; and

the assembly is punched (6) along the contours (16, 26) of the first and second garments.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

joining the first sleeve film/second sleeve film to the main film to form an underarm seam;

a first sleeve film is punched through the first sleeve film and the main film to define the sleeve opening and the front portion.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

joining the first sleeve film/second sleeve film to the main film to form an underarm seam and a shoulder-to-arm seam;

4. The method according to any of the preceding claims,

wherein the first garment and the second garment are arranged adjacent to each other along the longitudinal direction.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising removing (7) a remaining portion of the assembly arranged between the first garment and the second garment.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising separating the first garment and the second garment from each other.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising:

folding (8) the assembly along the longitudinal direction; and

the folded assembly is rolled up (9) into a roll.

8. A disposable upper body garment made by the method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A system (200) for manufacturing disposable upper body garments having sleeves and a front portion, the system comprising:

a feeding mechanism (210) for feeding a main film in a longitudinal direction, the film having first and second transversely opposed longitudinal edge portions separated by a centerline extending in the longitudinal direction;

an assembly mechanism (220) configured to arrange the first sleeve film and the second sleeve film on the upper surface of the main film by folding the first edge portion and the second edge portion onto the upper surface of the main film to form a first sleeve film and a second sleeve film, respectively;

joining means (230) configured to join the first sleeve film to the main film along a contour defining a sleeve of a first garment and to join the second sleeve film to the main film along a contour defining a sleeve of a second garment;

a cutting tool (240) configured to cut out neck openings of the first garment and the second garment; and

a punching tool (250) configured to punch through the assembly along the contours of the first garment and the second garment.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the joining tool comprises a rotatable drum.

11. The system according to any one of claims 9 to 11, further comprising a finishing mechanism (260) for folding and winding the assembly.