JP2000175938A - Medical glove and manufacture of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable molding a complicated shape medical glove, to improve its design property, to manufacture the medical glove by which the sense of touch is not disturbed while keeping a strength and to make it easily treated in the case of manufacturing by injection-molding the glove through the use of thermoplastic resin and also blow-molding it. SOLUTION: Work in each process is executed by rotating a turn table. Metallic holding fixtures 9 constituted to be freely opening/closing possible are arranged on the loner surface of the turn table and a preform and the medical glove molded by the preform are held in the fixtures 9. The preform 21 is transferred to an stretching blow process by rotating the turn table. The preform 21 transferred to the stretching blow process is transferred to a taking- out process after being molded into the glove and the glove is removed from the metallic holding fixtures in the taking-out process.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to medical gloves and a method for manufacturing medical gloves.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a raw material for medical gloves, a hand-shaped mold is immersed in a solution tank containing natural rubber latex and molded into a desired thickness. Since the cured latex has tackiness, the glove manufactured by this method is applied with a powder for releasing or facilitating wearing, and the glove is removed from the mold. Alternatively, as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2530096, a glove is known in which a glove is formed in multiple layers, and the inside of the glove is formed of a material having low adhesiveness to improve the releasability of the glove.

[0003]

In the conventional manufacturing method, since the medical glove is formed by the dipping method, the thickness of the film is almost constant as a whole. In the immersion method, in order to immerse the original mold in liquid rubber latex,
The original mold uniformly contacts the rubber latex, and it is difficult to control the thickness of the formed film. In addition, in the immersion method, the tip becomes thick due to the influence of gravity, and the sensation of the fingertip of the wearer of the medical glove is disturbed. In addition, in order to obtain a predetermined thickness, it is necessary to repeat the dipping and drying steps. For this reason, it is difficult to adjust the rubber thickness, and it is necessary to keep the rubber latex at a constant temperature in order to form a film having a constant thickness. Management is required. When using latex rubber, a vulcanization step is required,
Large-scale manufacturing equipment is required.

[0004] Further, in order to adopt a configuration in which rubber latex is adhered to an original mold and a solidified film is removed from the original mold,
The medical gloves composed of the rubber latex are sticky, require labor for handling, and the medical gloves manufactured by the original mold need to have a shape that is easier to remove than the original mold. Also, in the method disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2530096, it is necessary to repeat the steps of dipping, drying and washing.

[0005]

As means for solving the above problems, medical gloves are manufactured by injection molding and blow molding with a thermoplastic resin. A medical glove is manufactured by compression molding and blow molding with a thermoplastic resin. A medical glove is manufactured by injection molding and compression molding with a thermoplastic resin, followed by blow molding. As the above-mentioned thermoplastic resin, it is possible to use a thermoplastic resin such as a styrene-butadiene resin, a polyolefin resin, a polyester resin, a polyvinyl chloride resin, a polyurethane resin, a polyamide resin, and an ionomer.

[0006]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a preform molding process for manufacturing a medical glove, FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a preform, and FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing a stretch blow molding process for manufacturing a medical glove. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a take-out process of manufacturing a medical glove.

1 to 4, a method for manufacturing a medical glove according to the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, a case where polyurethane rubber is used as the elastic material will be described. As the polyurethane rubber used in the present embodiment, any polyurethane rubber that exhibits elasticity, tensile strength, and aging resistance that can be used as medical gloves and that can be injected and extruded may be used. For example, thermoplastic elastomers are polystyrene,
Polyolefin, polybutadiene, polyester, silicone rubber, nitrile rubber, polychloroprene,
It is possible to use polyethylene, nylon, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyester,
Polyamide or the like can be used. As the polyurethane rubber, it is possible to use a polyether-based, polycarbonate-based or copolymerized ether-carbonate polyurethane resin in which the main part of the polyurethane resin is used.

The present embodiment is characterized in that a medical glove is formed from a thermoplastic resin, and the type of the thermoplastic resin is not limited. The manufacturing process of the medical glove according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a preform process, a stretch blow process, and a removal process. The temperature at the time of injection molding of the polyurethane rubber is 180 to 250 ° C., and the temperature at the time of extrusion molding is 180 to 250 ° C.

On a turntable (not shown), a holding metal fitting 9 to be described later is formed at a position corresponding to a preform process, a stretch blow process, and a take-out process. By rotating the turntable, processing in each step can be performed. On the lower surface of the turntable, there is provided the holding fitting 9 which is configured to be openable and closable. The holding fitting 9 includes a preform 21 and a preform 21.
The medical glove 41 formed by the molding is held. In the preform step, the upper part of the preform 21 is held by the holding metal fitting 9 and the preform 21 is transferred to the stretching blow step by rotating the turntable. The preform 21 transferred to the stretching blow step is formed into a medical glove 41 and then transferred to the removal step. In the removal step, the medical glove 41 is removed from the holding fitting 9. By rotating the turntable as described above, processing can be performed in each processing step, the manufacturing time of the medical glove 41 can be reduced, and the manufacturing efficiency of the medical glove 41 can be improved.

In the preform step, as shown in FIG. 1, an upper mold 7, a lower mold 8, and a holding mold 9 constitute a pre-molding mold 6. An extruder 10 is provided below the lower mold 8 and a hopper 11
Is provided. Granular or powdery polyurethane rubber is introduced from the hopper 11 into the extruder 10. A screw portion 12 is provided inside the extruder 10, and the polyurethane rubber introduced from the hopper 11 is compressed and melted by rotating the screw portion 12. The polyurethane rubber is extruded by a predetermined amount while being subjected to a large shear by the rotation of the screw unit 12 by the screw unit 12. An inlet 13 is formed in front of the screw portion 12, and the polyurethane rubber melted through the inlet 13 is extruded into the pre-mold 6.

The polyurethane rubber extruded from the extruder 10 is supplied to the upper mold 7, the lower mold 8 and the holding mold 9.
The preform 21 of the medical glove is formed by injection into the preforming mold 6 constituted by In this configuration, the shape of the preform 21 may be any shape as long as it is suitable for forming a medical glove, and can be changed according to the purpose such as the shape and thickness of the medical glove to be formed. Not limited to examples. Further, the pre-molding die 6 is configured so as to be able to adjust the temperature distribution of the pre-molding die 6, to extend a portion to be extended when the preform 21 is formed, and not to extend a portion that does not need to be extended. ing. In addition, since the polyurethane rubber is injected into the pre-molding die 6, the spatial expansion of the polymer constituting the polyurethane rubber increases, the intermolecular interaction increases, and strength such as abrasion resistance can be improved. . Alternatively, the orientation of the polymer constituting the polyurethane rubber is improved, the interaction between molecules is improved, and strength such as abrasion resistance can be improved. In the polyurethane rubber, since a site having a strong polarity existing in a constituent molecular chain causes a hydrogen bond, a bridge structure is formed between the molecules by the site where the hydrogen bond is generated, and the polyurethane rubber exhibits rubber elasticity. Therefore, at room temperature, it exhibits rubber-like elasticity.

By performing the above-described steps, as shown in FIG. 2, the preform 21 is formed by removing the upper mold 7 and the lower mold 8. The upper part of the preform 21 is held by the holding fitting 9, and the preform 21 proceeds to the next step, ie, the stretch blow step. The tip of the preform 21 is formed thick in a state where a medical glove is formed. For this reason, in the next stretch blow step, the portion of the medical glove to which the nail at the tip of the medical glove contacts can be made thick.

In the stretching blow step, the preform 2
1 is inserted into a blow mold 31 as shown in FIG.
A blower 32 is inserted into the preform 21. The shape of one side of the medical glove is engraved on each of the blow molds 31, and the shape of the medical glove can be configured by combining the blow molds 31. Gas is blown out from the blower 32 inserted into the preform 21, and the preform 21 is pressed against the blow mold 31. For this reason, the preform 21 is a blow mold 31.
Molded into the shape of a medical glove engraved on In this step, it is also possible to adjust the extending portion of the preform 21 by adjusting the direction in which the gas is blown from the blower 32. Further, in a state where a certain portion of the preform 21 is heated to a high temperature, a gas is blown out by the blower 32 so that the portion is extended from other portions and the wall thickness can be adjusted.

According to the above configuration, the thickness of the formed medical glove can be adjusted, and the shape of the medical glove can be formed in a complicated manner because it is pressed against the blow mold 31 by gas from inside. In addition, by adjusting the temperature distribution of the preform 21, the thickness of the medical glove formed from the preform can be adjusted.

Next, as shown in FIG.
Is removed, and the upper part of the medical glove 41 formed in the stretching blow step is held by the holding metal fitting 9, and is moved to the removal step. In the removal step, the holding fitting 9 is removed. Since the medical glove 41 can be held by the holding metal 9 and can be transferred while being held by the holding metal 9, the preform process,
The stretching blow step and the removal step can be performed continuously. Further, since a thermoplastic polyurethane rubber is used, the cross-linking step can be omitted. For this reason, the production efficiency can be improved, and the properties of the polyurethane rubber can be easily managed. In the above configuration, it is also possible to manufacture the medical glove 41 by performing blow molding simultaneously with injection molding of the thermoplastic resin.

As described above, since the medical glove 41 is injection-molded using a thermoplastic polyurethane rubber, the strength of the medical glove 41 can be improved, and the surface smoothness can be improved. It is also possible to have. Further, since the drying step required when using the conventional latex rubber is not required, the medical glove 41 is not required.
Can improve the production efficiency, and can be mass-produced. Since there is no tackiness after molding, handling of the medical glove 41 is easy. In addition, the thickness of the medical glove 41 can be partially freely configured, and the design can be improved.
Further, by using helium gas when the gas is blown out by the blower 32 during manufacturing, it is possible to perform a pinhole inspection in parallel with the manufacturing process.

In the above embodiment, as a method of manufacturing a medical glove, a method of injection molding a thermoplastic resin to form a preform and manufacturing a medical glove by blow molding have been described. In addition to compression molding to form a preform, a method for producing a medical glove by blow molding is also possible. Further, it is also possible to manufacture a medical glove by injection molding of a thermoplastic resin, molding of a preform, compression molding of the preform, and blow molding.

In a case where a thermoplastic resin is compression-molded to form a preform and a medical glove is manufactured by blow molding, the thermoplastic resin is introduced into a compression molding die, and heated and compressed in the molding die. As a result, the viscosity of the thermoplastic resin decreases, the fluidity increases, and the thermoplastic resin is pressed against a mold by a molding pressure, whereby the thermoplastic resin is molded into a mold shape. Thus, a preform is formed, and the preform is blow-molded to produce a medical glove. The process of the blow molding is the same as in the above embodiment. Further, in the above configuration, it is also possible to manufacture a medical glove by simultaneously performing compression molding and blow molding of a thermoplastic resin.

In the above configuration, since the thermoplastic resin itself is introduced into the molding die and then heated and compressed, a gate portion does not occur due to the introduction of the thermoplastic resin. Therefore, the tip of the medical glove can be easily molded. The thickness of the tip can be easily adjusted. Further, since the thermoplastic resin is stretched in all directions by compression, a difference in strength depending on the direction of the preform can be eliminated. For this reason, when the preform is blow-molded, the portions where equal pressure is applied can be stretched equally. Therefore, the thickness of the film can be easily adjusted, and the moldability can be improved. In addition, the molded article has low adhesiveness and can improve the handling of the preform and the medical glove.

Injection molding of a thermoplastic resin,
When molding a preform and compression molding the preform, and then manufacturing a medical glove by blow molding, first, the thermoplastic resin is melted and injected into a mold to form a preform by injection molding. Is done. Thereafter, the preform formed by injection molding is compression-stretched by compression molding, and the preform obtained in this step is blow-molded to obtain a medical glove. Further, in the above configuration, it is possible to manufacture a medical glove by simultaneously performing injection molding and compression molding of the thermoplastic resin, and simultaneously performing blow molding.

In the above configuration, since the preform is formed by injection molding and compression molding, the design of the shape of the preform can be improved. For this reason, the design of the medical glove formed by the preform can be improved. In addition, by adjusting the directionality of the strength of the preform generated by injection molding and the directionality of the strength of the preform generated by compression molding, the directionality of the strength of the preform formed by injection molding and compression molding is adjusted. It is possible. Thereby, the directionality of the strength of the medical glove obtained by blow molding can be adjusted, and the variety of shapes that can be molded can be improved. The stretch ratio of the preform can be partially adjusted with respect to the pressure during blow molding, whereby the thickness of the film can be easily adjusted and the occurrence of pinholes can be suppressed. For this reason, it is possible to improve the strength by adjusting the thickness of the film of the medical glove and increasing the thickness of the film at the site where strength is required. Further, since the shape can be configured from the outside by the mold, the design of the medical glove can be improved. The steps of drying and vulcanizing medical gloves can be omitted, and the production efficiency can be improved. Further, since the compression molding is performed after the injection molding, the gate portion generated by the injection molding can be eliminated, and the tip portion of the medical glove can be easily formed, and the thickness of the tip portion can be reduced. The thickness can be easily adjusted.

[0022]

As described above, the present invention has the following advantages. As described in claim 1, a medical glove is manufactured by injection molding and blow molding with a thermoplastic resin, so that a medical glove having a complicated shape can be molded, and the design of the medical glove can be improved. Can be improved. Further, since a preform having a complicated shape can be formed by injection molding, the thickness of the film of the medical glove can be partially adjusted. Thus, a portion requiring strength can be configured to be thick. For this reason, it is possible to manufacture a medical glove that maintains strength and does not hinder the senses. Further, the molded medical glove has no adhesiveness, the medical glove can be easily removed from the mold, and the medical glove can be easily handled at the time of manufacturing. Since the surface smoothness can be improved, the surface configuration of the medical glove can be variously configured, and a glossy product can be formed. In addition, since the drying step can be omitted, the manufacturing time of the medical glove can be shortened, and the materials required for molding the medical glove can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, since a medical glove is manufactured by compression molding and blow molding with a thermoplastic resin, a gate portion does not occur due to the introduction of the thermoplastic resin. Can be easily formed, and the thickness of the tip can be easily adjusted. Further, since the thermoplastic resin is stretched in all directions by compression, a difference in strength depending on the direction of the preform can be eliminated. When the preform is blow-molded, portions where equal pressure is applied can be stretched equally. Therefore, the thickness of the film can be easily adjusted, and the moldability can be improved. Further, the molded article has low adhesiveness, and can improve the handling of the preform and the medical glove. The molded medical glove has no tackiness, the medical glove can be easily removed from a molding die, and the medical glove can be easily handled during manufacture. Since the surface smoothness can be improved, the surface configuration of the medical glove can be variously configured. In addition, materials necessary for molding the medical glove can be reduced, the manufacturing process can be simply performed, and the cost can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, medical gloves are manufactured by injection molding, compression molding, and blow molding with a thermoplastic resin, so that the design of the shape of the preform can be improved. . For this reason, the design of the medical glove formed by the preform can be improved. In addition, by adjusting the directionality of the preform strength generated by injection molding and the directionality of the preform strength generated by compression molding, the strength directionality of the preform formed by injection molding and compression molding can be adjusted. It is. Thereby, the directionality of the strength of the medical glove obtained by blow molding can be adjusted, and the variety of shapes that can be molded can be improved. With respect to the pressure during blow molding, the stretch ratio of the preform can be partially adjusted, whereby
The thickness of the film can be easily adjusted, and the occurrence of pinholes can be suppressed. For this reason, it is possible to improve the strength by adjusting the thickness of the film of the medical glove and increasing the thickness of the film at the site where strength is required. Further, since the shape can be configured from the outside by the mold, the design of the medical glove can be improved. The steps of drying and vulcanizing medical gloves can be omitted, and the production efficiency can be improved. In addition, since compression molding is performed after injection molding, the gate portion generated by injection molding can be eliminated, and the tip of the medical glove can be easily molded, and the thickness of the tip can be increased. Can be easily adjusted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a preform molding step for manufacturing medical gloves.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a preform.

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing a stretch blow molding process for manufacturing a medical glove.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a removal step of manufacturing a medical glove.

[Explanation of symbols]

 7 Upper die 8 Lower die 9 Holding die 21 Preform 31 Blow die 41 Medical gloves

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A medical glove and a method for manufacturing a medical glove, wherein the medical glove is manufactured by injection molding and blow molding with a thermoplastic resin. 2. A medical glove and a method for manufacturing a medical glove, wherein the medical glove is manufactured by compression molding and blow molding with a thermoplastic resin. 3. A medical glove and a method for manufacturing a medical glove, which are manufactured by injection molding, compression molding, and blow molding with a thermoplastic resin.