GB2527740A

GB2527740A - Manufacturing method

Info

Publication number: GB2527740A
Application number: GB1408692.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Neil William Burnside
Original assignee: BURNSIDES MARKETING AIDS Ltd
Current assignee: BURNSIDES MARKETING AIDS Ltd
Priority date: 2014-05-16
Filing date: 2014-05-16
Publication date: 2016-01-06
Anticipated expiration: 2034-05-16
Also published as: GB2527740B; GB201408692D0

Abstract

A method of cutting a plurality of items (10, fig 21) from a sheet of material 12. The method comprises making a partial first cut 18 which extends only part way through first side 16 of the sheet and is spaced a short distance outwardly from the actual outer edge of the finished items. A complete second cut (30, figure 12) is then provided from the second side (28, figure 13) of the sheet material, extending all the way through and corresponding to the actual outer edge of the finished items. Providing the first cut enables the coating to be applied to the first side, while with the second cut extending wholly through the sheet, a single clean cut is provided around the item. This is in contrast to previous arrangements which often exhibited a line corresponding to the depth of any partial cuts. A finished item of the proposed method thereby appears to be high quality, whilst also being inexpensive to manufacture.

Description

Manufacturing Method This invention concerns a method of manufacturing, and particularly a method of manufacturing a plurality of items from a sheet of material, items made by this method, and especially keyrings made by this method.

Currently keyrings and tags are widely used in a range of areas. In the motor trade for instance, it is very common to supply one or more keyrings when a vehicle is purchased to identify the source of the vehicle and provide a reminder to purchasers of the vehicle as to the source of the vehicle. For such keyrings it is desirable for the keyring to be aesthetically pleasing and to appear of high quality, whilst also be inexpensive to manufacture.

One type of keyring is cut from a sheet of material, such as for instance aluminium. Conventionally the finish of the edge of such keyrings is not always particularly smooth. Furthermore, during manufacture a significant amount of handling of the product is often required, using for instance racks to receive the individual keyrings during the different manufacturing stages.

According to the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a plurality of items from a sheet of material, the method including making a first cut into one side of the sheet of material, the first cut extending only part way into the sheet of material and extending around the outer edge of the items when finished, but being spaced a short distance outwardly from the actual outer edge of the finished items, providing a second cut into the other side of the sheet of material, the second cut extending wholly through the sheet of material to separate the items from the remainder of the sheet of material, with the second cut corresponding to the actual outer edge of the items.

The first cut may be spaced between 0.1 and 1 mm outwardly from the actual outer edge of the items when finished, and may be spaced between 0.2 and 0.8 mm, and more specifically between 0.3 and 0.6 mm.

A design may be printed onto the one side of the sheet of material at locations corresponding to the items prior to making of the first cut.

A design may be printed onto the other side of the sheet of material in locations corresponding to the items prior to making of the second cut.

The designs may be printed by a digital printer, and preferably a high resolution digital printer. Guide markings may be printed onto the sheet of material for use during further manufacturing steps.

The first cut may extend for up to 90% of the depth of the sheet material, and may extend for between a quarter and a half of the depth of the sheet material.

A coating of a settable material may be applied to the parts of the sheet material on the one side corresponding to the items, and the coating may be applied after the first cut has been made.

The coating may be of a resin, which resin may be translucent or transparent.

A removable laminate support layer may be applied onto the one side of the sheet material prior to the making of the second cut, which support layer retains the cut items in position relative to the remainder of the sheet of material for a required period after the second cut has been made.

Prior to or when the first cut is made, one or more guide holes may be cut into the sheet of material to facilitate further manufacturing steps being carried out on the sheet material.

The sheet of material may be of metal and may be of aluminium.

Alternatively the sheet of material may be of a plastics material and may be of an acrylic.

The sheet of material may be less than 25 mm thick, may be between 1 and 6 mm thick, and more particularly between 2 and 5 mm thick.

The invention further provides an item made by a method according to any of the preceding thirteen paragraphs.

The invention still further provides a keyring made by a method according to any of said preceding thirteen paragraphs.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of part of a first side of a sheet of material at a first stage of a manufacturing process according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view of part of a sheet of material at a second stage of a manufacturing process according to the invention; Fig. 3 is a more detailed view of part of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view through part of a sheet of material at a second stage of a manufacturing process according to the invention; Fig. 5 is a similar view to Fig. 2 but at a third stage of a manufacturing process according to the invention; Fig. 6 is a similar view to Fig. 3 but at a third stage of a manufacturing process according to the invention; Fig. 7 is a similar view to Fig. 4 but at a third stage of a manufacturing process according to the invention; Fig. 8 is a similar view to Fig. 2 but at a fourth stage of a manufacturing process according to the invention; Fig. 9 is a similar view to Fig. 3 but at a fourth stage of a manufacturing process according to the invention; Fig. 10 is a similar view to Fig. 4 but at a fourth stage of a manufacturing process according to the invention; Fig. 11 is a similar view to Fig. 1 but of the other side of a sheet of material at a fifth stage of a manufacturing process according to the invention; Fig. 12 is a similar view to Fig. 2 but of the other side of a sheet of material at a sixth stage of a manufacturing process according to the invention; Fig. 13 is a similar view to Fig. 3 but of the other side of a sheet of material at a sixth stage of a manufacturing process according to the invention; Fig. 14 is a similar view to Fig. 4 but with a sheet of material inverted and at a sixth stage of a manufacturing process according to the invention; Fig. 15 is a similar view to Fig. 5 but of the other side of a sheet of material at a seventh stage of a manufacturing process according to the invention; Fig. 16 is a more detailed view of part of Fig. 15; Fig. 17 is a similar view to Fig. 14 but at a seventh stage of a manufacturing process according to the invention; Fig. 18 is a similar view to Fig. 12 but at an eighth stage of a manufacturing process according to the invention; Fig. 19 is a more detailed view similar to Fig. 18; Fig. 20 is a similar view to Fig. 14 but at an eighth stage of a manufacturing process according to the invention; Fig. 21 is a perspective view of an item made from a manufacturing process according to the invention, at a final ninth stage.

The drawings show different stages in the manufacture of a keyring 10 as illustrated in Fig. 21. Fig. 1 shows a first stage with a sheet 12 of material, which in this instance is 3mm thick aluminium. A plurality of first patterns 14 are printed on a first side 16 of the sheet 12 using a high resolution digital printer. The first patterns 14 are printed in a grid to maximise the best usage of the sheet 12. Guide markings (not shown) are printed onto the sheet 12, for instance towards each corner thereof, to be detected during other manufacturing stages to ensure correct alignment of the sheet 12.

In a second stage as shown in Figs. 2 to 4, a first cut 18 is provided around each of the first patterns 14 to a depth of approximately 1mm into the first side 16. The first cut 18 is made by a digital cutting machine and is located approximately 0.5mm outside of the actual required outer edge of the pads of the sheet 12 which are to form the keyrings 10.

The cutting machine reads the guide markings with a camera to ensure correct alignment of the first cuts 18 relative to the first patterns 14. After the first cuts 18 have been made, the cutting machine provides a cut through the sheet 12 corresponding to the guide markings, to provide a positional guide when the sheet 12 is turned over.

Figs. 5 to 7 show a third stage in which a clear first coating 20 is applied onto the first patterns 14. The first coating 20 is provided by a settable resin 22 which is dripped onto the first patterns 14.

In a fourth stage as shown in Figs. 8 to 10, once the resin 22 has set, a removable laminate backing sheet 24 is provided on the first side 16 to cover the first patterns 14.

In a fifth stage as shown in Fig. 11, the sheet 12 is turned over and second patterns 26 are printed onto the other second side 28 of the sheet 12, in locations corresponding to the first patterns 14.

In a sixth stage as shown in Figs. 12 to 14, a second cut 30 is made by the cutting machine from the second side 28 to extend wholly through the sheet 12 to provide a plurality of fobs 32 as shown, with a main body 34 and a loop 36 extending therefrom. Whilst the fobs 32 are fully cut away from the remainder of the sheet 12, they are held in position by the backing sheet 24.

In a fifth stage as shown in Figs. 15 to 17, a second coating 38 is applied onto the second patterns 26, in a similar manner to the first coating 20.

Once the resin in the second coating 38 is dry the fobs 32 can be pressed out as shown particularly in Figs. 18 to 20, away from the remainder of the sheet 12, and off the backing sheet 24. A ring 40 can then be attached to the loop 36 in a conventional manner as shown in Fig. 21.

There is thus described a method of manufacturing a keyring, and a keyring manufactured by this method, with a number of advantageous features. The use of digital printing enables a wide range of different designs to be applied, and for any required number of keyrings or other items to be made, with the design being readily changeable on the printer.

Providing the first cut enables the coating to be applied thereto, but with the second cut extending wholly through the sheet, a single clean cut is provided around the fob, as opposed to previous arrangements which often had a line corresponding to the depth of any partial cuts. Retaining the fobs together on the sheet using for instance the backing sheet, means that all operations can be carried out on a single sheet, with the sheet only having to be turned over once during the manufacturing process. With the two cuts and the two coatings, a keyring with a very pleasing finish and appearance can be produced.

Whilst the above described example relates to a keyring, it is to be realised that processes according to the invention can be used to make a wide range of different products.

Also, a number of modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For instance the sheet of material may be made of a different material such as another metal or a plastics material such as an acrylic. The sheet may be of a different thickness, and could be up to 25 mm thick. The first cut could be to a different depth, for instance up to 90% of the sheet thickness, and could be spaced outwardly to a different distance relative to the second cut.

It may not always be required to apply a settable coating, or this may take a different form and be made of a different material. In general such a coating will be transparent, or at least translucent to enable the patterns to be visible.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method of manufacturing a plurality of items from a sheet of material, the method including making a first cut into one side of the sheet of material, the first cut extending only part way into the sheet of material and extending around the outer edge of the items when finished, but being spaced a short distance outwardly from the actual outer edge of the finished items, providing a second cut into the other side of the sheet of material, the second cut extending wholly through the sheet of material to separate the items from the remainder of the sheet of material, with the second cut corresponding to the actual outer edge of the items.
2. A method according to claim 1, in which the first cut is spaced between 11) 0.1 and 1 mm outwardly from the actual outer edge of the items when r'-15 finished. LtD

0
3. A method according to claim 2, in which the first cut is spaced between cf 0.2 and 0.8 mm outwardly from the actual outer edge of the items when finished.
4. A method according to claim 3, in which the first cut is spaced between 0.3 and 0.6 mm outwardly from the actual outer edge of the items when finished.
5. A method according to any of the preceding claims, in which a design is printed onto the one side of the sheet of material at locations corresponding to the items prior to making of the first cut.
6. A method according to any of the preceding claims, in which a design is printed onto the other side of the sheet of material in locations corresponding to the items prior to making of the second cut.
7. A method according to claims 5 or 6, in which the designs are printed by a digital printer.
8. A method according to claim 7, in which the designs are printed by a high resolution digital printer.
9. A method according to any of the preceding claims, in which guide markings are printed onto the sheet of material for use during further manufacturing steps.
10. A method according to any of the preceding claims, in which the first cut extends for up to 90% of the depth of the sheet material.
11. A method according to claim 10, in which the first cut extends for -15 between a quarter and a half of the depth of the sheet material. LtD

0
12. A method according to any of the preceding claims, in which a coating of a settable material is applied to the pads of the sheet material on the one side corresponding to the items.
13. A method according to claim 12, in which the coating is applied after the first cut has been made.
14. A method according to claims 12 or 13, in which the coating is of a resin.
15. A method according to claim 14, in which the resin is translucent or transparent.
16. A method according to any of the preceding claims, in which a removable laminate support layer is applied onto the one side of the sheet material prior to the making of the second cut, which support layer retains the cut items in position relative to the remainder of the sheet of material for a required period after the second cut has been made.
17. A method according to any of the preceding claims, in which prior to or when the first cut is made, one or more guide holes are cut into the sheet of material to facilitate further manufacturing steps being carried out on the sheet material.
18. A method according to any of the preceding claims, in which the sheet of material is of metal.
19. A method according to claim 18, in which the sheet of material is aluminium. IC)-15
20. A method according to any of claims 1 to 17, in which the sheet of IC) material is of a plastics material.cf
21. A method according to claim 20, in which the sheet of material is of an acrylic.
22. A method according to any of the preceding claims, in which the sheet of material is less than 25 mm thick.
23. A method according to claim 22, in which the sheet of material is between 1 and 6 mm thick.
24. A method according to claim 23, in which the sheet of material is between 2 and 5 mm thick.
25. An item made by a method according to any of the preceding claims.
26. A keyring made by a method according to any of said claims 1 to 24.
27. A method of manufacturing a plurality of items from a sheet of material, the method being substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
28. An item substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
29. A keyring substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
30. Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter disclosed herein, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same LU invention as any of the preceding claims. *-15LCD r