JP2003339440A - Brush and manufacturing method for it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a brush where bristles constituting a brush part are planted accurately and with high density at very small mutual spaces and a method for manufacturing the brush at low cost and with high quality. <P>SOLUTION: A sea-island structure bristle 3 where an island fiber 1 constituting an island part is embedded in the resin inside constituting a sea part 2 is used for at least a part of bristles planted on the planted surface of the head part. The sea part 2 of the sea and island structure bristles is dissolved to expose the inside island fiber 1, and the exposed island fiber 1 is taken as a brush part for brushing. This manufacturing method includes a process of using the sea-island structure bristle 3 singly or collecting an arbitrary number of bristles to form a bristle bundle 4, and fusing or fixing on end part of the bristle bundle by melting the other end of the bristle bundle, a process of dissolving and removing the sea component 2 of the brush part of the bristle bundle 4, each one end of which is fused and fixed to expose the inside island fiber 1, and a process of planting the end of the fused and fixed side of the bristle bundle 3 whose island fiber is exposed on the planting surface of the head part 10 of the brush by heat fusion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a brush in which bristles forming a brush portion are accurately and densely arranged with a small mutual spacing, and a method for manufacturing the brush.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The flat wire flocking method conventionally known in brush manufacturing is suitable for flocking bristles in various positions in flocking holes of about 30 holes. However, since the hair tufts are planted one by one by the hair transplanter, when a large number of tufts are planted at very small intervals, the productivity is significantly reduced. Furthermore, due to the structure of the flocking machine, if the tufts are too close to each other, physical interference between the tufts adjacent to the tufting position and the tufting machine parts cannot be avoided, and there is a risk that the tufts of the adjacent tufts may be knocked down during the tufting. Yes, it was very difficult to secure the appearance quality.
Further, since the pitch between the flocked holes is narrow, it is necessary to shorten the flat wire, and as a result, the flocked strength is likely to be lowered. Further, since a large number of flat wires are driven, the impact resistance strength of the head tends to decrease.

In Japanese Patent Publication No. 11-500946, hairs for plastics are used, and hairs are individually planted in close contact with each other so that they do not contact each other. Brushes are shown. In the case of this brush, an efficient manufacturing technique for precisely positioning the bristles at a small distance, which is the most difficult to manufacture, has not been shown. When manufacturing this brush by the conventional in-mold molding method, it is necessary to make a cassette mold with holes corresponding to the number of hair bundles, and to manufacture a cassette mold for a hair bundle with an extremely small hole diameter. Even difficult. In addition, since it is necessary to set a certain amount of hair in each hair bundle hole at a small interval, the production efficiency is low, and further, the specification of the brush portion and the hair supplying portion in the production process are reduced. It took a great deal of labor and time to eliminate mechanical troubles.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 11-500932 includes a rubber-elastic support having at least one notch for accommodating a bristle bundle, and a support notch cross-section at the end of the bristle bundle on the fixed side. A brush having a thicker portion than the above is pressed into a notch of a support to form a brush, and a method for manufacturing the brush is described. In the case of this brush and its manufacturing method, there are problems that the bristle tufting strength is low, the productivity is remarkably low as in the case of the flat wire flocking method, and the capital investment is large.

JP-A-3-99604 discloses a brush using sea-island structure bristles. In the case of this brush, the composite fiber stands up from the root, strengthens the stiffness of the brush, and since the tip part consists of the island fiber part excluding the sea component, the cleaning effect of the details is high and the feel of the object to be cleaned is also soft . The purpose of this brush is to achieve both the bristles of the brush and the fine cleaning effect. Therefore, the composite fiber part of the sea-island structure stands from the root of the brush base, and the island fiber part is exposed only at the tip part. In the case of this brush, a large number of brushes were not made to stand accurately from the head surface at a slight interval.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-322821 discloses that
2 made of polyamide resin in the sea made of polyester resin
~ Sea-island type composite fibers in which five islands are scattered are flocked on a flocking table, and the composite fibers have a composite part consisting of an island part and a sea part for a certain length from the flocking base, and the tip is an island. A brush in which only two parts are exposed and two to five core bristles are formed in a predetermined length is shown. Also in the case of this brush, a bristle portion for a composite structure having a constant length (7 to 11 mm) from the head surface was required, and a large number of hair bundles could not be accurately forested from the head surface at a slight interval.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is a brush in which the bristles constituting the brush portion are accurately and densely planted at a small mutual interval. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing this brush at low cost and with high quality.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the brush of the present invention has at least a part of the bristles planted on the flocked surface of the head part, and an island part inside the resin forming the sea part. Using the sea-island structure bristles in which the constituent island fibers are embedded, the sea part of the sea-island structure bristles is melted to expose the inner island fibers, and the exposed island fibers are used as the brush portion. In the case of a brush having such a configuration, the island fibers that form the brush portion are accurately and densely arranged at the thickness intervals of the melted sea portion, and the brush has excellent brushing effect and contact feeling. .

A transparent resin is used for the island fibers of the sea-island structure hair, and a desired pattern such as a desired picture or character is formed between the contact surface between the root of the hair and the head of the head. Insert a design sheet that draws or draw a desired pattern such as a picture or letter on the surface of the head flocking surface that is in contact with the root end surface of the implanted hair or the root end surface of the hair to be flocked If applied, the pattern applied to the root part of the bristles will be visible on the brush tip due to the fiber action of the transparent island fibers constituting the brush part,
This is more preferable in terms of brush design.

The first aspect of the present invention for producing the above brush
(A) The sea-island structure bristles are bundled individually or together with other bristles in an arbitrary number into bristles, and one end of the bristles is melted by melting one end of the bristles. (B) a step of dissolving and removing the sea component of the portion of the hair bundle having one end fused and fixed to form the brush to expose the island fibers inside, (c) an island fiber And a step of flocking the end portion of the exposed bunch on the fusing and fixing side to the flocked surface of the head portion of the brush by heat fusing.

The second manufacturing method of the present invention for manufacturing the above-mentioned brush is (a) bristles for sea-island structure which are bundled individually or together with other bristles in an arbitrary number to form bristles. The process of dissolving and removing the sea component at one end of the bundle by a predetermined length to expose the island fibers inside, (b) melting the exposed island fiber portions to form spherical bulges at the tips of each island fiber. The step of (c) embedding the spherical bulge portion of the hair bundle into the hair-implanted surface of the head of the brush by insert molding, and (d) melting and removing the sea component of the portion of the hair bundle into which the hair is to be brushed. A step of exposing the inner island fibers and using the exposed island fibers as a brush portion.

The sea-island structure bristles referred to in the present invention mean that, as shown in FIG. 1 (a), one or a plurality of island fibers 1 are unevenly distributed in the vicinity of the central portion, and the island fibers 1 are surrounded by the fibers. This refers to hairs coated with a resin material that constitutes the sea portion 2. It is desirable that the sea-island structure bristles are composed of two or more kinds of materials, the island fibers embedded therein are preferably polyamide resin such as nylon having high chemical resistance, and the sea part is a resin easily soluble. Polyester resins such as polybutylene terephthalate are preferred.

In particular, when the brush to be manufactured is a toothbrush, the diameter of the island fibers is preferably 0.03 to 0.5 mm, and the number of island fibers may be arbitrarily set in the range of 1 to 3000 according to the specifications. At this time, it is preferable that the island fibers are concentrated near the center of the bristles for controlling the distance between the brushes. In the present invention, since the sea portion is used as a gap between the island fibers,
The diameter of the sea-island structure bristles may be set arbitrarily in consideration of this. For example, when it is assumed that the island fibers have a diameter of 0.6 mm at the center of the bristle and the distance between the island fiber groups between adjacent sea-island structure hairs is 0.4 mm, The diameter may be 1.0 mm. With respect to brush products other than toothbrushes, the diameter may be arbitrarily set according to the purpose.

The cross-sectional shape of the sea-island structure hair is generally circular, but may be any other shape such as polygonal or star-shaped. However, in order to arrange the distance between each island fiber group uniformly, circles, squares, hexagons, etc.
It is desirable to have a shape in which the bristles can regularly adhere to each other. Further, the bristle length of the brush head portion of the island fibers constituting the brush from the flocked surface is, for example, 5 to 15 m in the case of a toothbrush.
About m is preferable. Regarding other brush products, any length may be set according to the purpose.

When the sea-island structure hair is colored, the part to be finally used as the brush is the island fiber part.
Any color may be applied only to the island fibers. Only when it is desired to color the base of the head part, the sea part may be colored.

The sea-island structure bristles do not have to be used for all the bristles that are planted on the bristling surface of the head portion, but may be used for at least a part of them, and may be selected according to the purpose. In the case of in-mold molding or heat fusion, the bristles may be bundled by inserting an arbitrary number of bristles into a die or the like having a hole in the bristles or the shape of each brush. The collected hair bundles may all have the same hair bundle cross-sectional shape and hair bundle size, but may also have a circular shape, a polygonal shape such as a triangle or a square, or any other shape.
The size of the hair bundle may be set according to the specification from 0.05 mm to the entire brush range to be planted on the head portion, or a combination of hair bundles with different diameters may be used. In the case of in-mold molding or heat fusion, it is desirable to supply the bristle continuously from an endless reel or to use a long bristle bundle.

For fixing the bristles, in the case of separately manufacturing a brush portion such as in-mold molding or heat fusion, one end of the bundle of bundles of bundles or the aggregate of brushes is basically melted by heat,
It is desirable to bond them.

The fixing to the head portion may be performed by insert molding, heat fusion or adhesion, fitting to the head portion, etc., after the above-mentioned fusion bonding. Further, in in-mold molding or the like, in order to further enhance the hair bundle holding force at the head portion, a part of the sea portion at one end of the collected hair bundle is melted and removed, and the exposed island fibers take root in the head portion. In such a state, it may be fixed by a method such as insert molding. In order to further increase the hair bundle holding force, it is advisable to fuse the exposed tips of the island fibers with heat or the like to form spherical bulges and then fix them by insert molding or the like.

The sea-island structure hair basically uses only the island fiber portion inside as a brush. This can be easily done by dissolving and removing the sea part of the bristles from the head surface to the tip of the brush and exposing the island fiber part. When the sea portion is a polyester resin, it is desirable to use an alkaline solution such as NaOH or an acid such as sulfuric acid as a dissolution solution, and it is desirable to heat these dissolution solutions in order to further improve the production efficiency. In order to accurately control the distance between the brushes (island fibers), it is desirable that the sea part buried in the head part is not dissolved as much as possible. The processing of the brush by dissolving the sea portion may be performed before or after fixing the hair to the head portion, and those having high production efficiency may be selected. After the partial dissolution of the sea, it is desirable to wash the dissolution solution with water or the like and then dry it.

The brush profile of the brush manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present invention can be trimmed with a cutter after the hair is transplanted like a brush by a flat wire type hair transplant method. By pressing one end of the hair with the profile-forming mold, it is possible to easily form a complicated profile before the flocking. In the hair tip processing, these hair tips can be processed into various shapes such as rounded, tapered shape, and spatula shape according to the purpose.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, each embodiment described below shows an example when the present invention is applied to manufacture of a toothbrush.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment. The first embodiment is a manufacturing method utilizing a heat fusion method, and first, as shown in FIG. 1 (a), an island fiber 1 made of nylon having a diameter of 0.2 mm is used as the center of hair. The three island fibers 1 are unevenly distributed in the part, and the three island fibers 1 are surrounded by a polybutylene terephthalate resin to form the sea portion 2 and the sea island structure hair 3 having a diameter of 1.0 mm is prepared. As shown in FIG. 1 (b), 500 bristles corresponding to all the brushes on the bristling surface of the head part of the toothbrush are bundled into one bunch 4.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1 (c), a hair bundle 4 in which 500 sea-island structure hairs 3 have been bundled is inserted into a brush bristle patterning die 5, and the shape of the bristle bristle is applied to the head portion. After being adjusted to, for example, 14m specified in the design specifications
Cut to m length.

Then, as shown in FIG. 1 (d), one end of the cut hair bundle 4 is moved by about 2 mm at about 500.degree.
It melts in a non-contact manner using the heating plate 6 of No. 1 and forms a molten mass 7 at one end thereof. As a result, the sea-island structure hairs 3 forming the hair bundles 4 are welded and fixed to each other.

Then, as shown in FIG. 1 (e), the hair bundle 4
1 to the non-fixed end side opposite to the molten mass 7 of
The polybutylene terephthalate constituting the sea portion 2 of the sea-island structure hair 3 is dissolved and removed by immersing the high-concentration NaOH solution bath 8 heated at 20 ° C. for about 30 minutes. As a result, in each sea-island structure hair 3 forming the hair bundle, the sea portion 2 is removed and the island fiber 1 inside is exposed, as shown in FIG. 1 (f). This exposed island fiber 1 becomes the brush of the toothbrush.

Next, after the island fibers 1 to be the brushes are completely exposed and washed and dried, the head portion 10 of the toothbrush handle 9 is provided with a heater 11 as shown in FIG. 1 (g).
Etc. to thermally fuse them. Then, after trimming the brush portion made of the island fiber 1 into a flat cutting profile,
The tip portion of each island fiber 1 is rounded to obtain a toothbrush as a finished product.

The toothbrush thus obtained is a toothbrush in which the island fibers 1 constituting the brush portion are extremely accurately and densely packed. Therefore, the toothbrush has an extremely excellent brushing effect and a very comfortable touch.

In the heat fusion process of FIG. 1 (g),
If the design sheet 12 on which the desired pattern such as a picture or a letter is applied is sandwiched and fused on the bottom of the fused portion of the head portion 10 of the toothbrush handle 9, the pattern such as the picture or the letter applied to the design sheet 12 is fused. By the fiber action of the bristles, they become visible on the tip of the brush and can be seen as a more beautiful toothbrush.

[Second Embodiment] The second embodiment is the same as the method for producing the same except that the specifications of the sea-island structure hair to be used are different and that the hair is dissolved with a concentrated sulfuric acid solution. Since it is the same as the first embodiment, the illustration of each processing step is omitted.

In the case of the second embodiment, first, an island fiber made of nylon having a diameter of 0.2 mm is attached to the center of the bristle.
Prepare a 1.5 mm diameter sea-island structure hair that is unevenly distributed and has a sea part made of polybutylene terephthalate around it, and bundle 100 sea-island structure hair and set it in the center of the brush-implanted pattern type. Then, 200 pieces of sea-island structure hair with a diameter of 1.0 mm in which three island fibers with a diameter of 0.5 mm are unevenly distributed in the center of the hair on both sides are set, and one hair consisting of a total of 300 hairs. Make a bunch.

Next, this hair bundle is cut into a length of 14 mm, and one end 2 mm is melted in a non-contact manner using a hot plate at about 500 ° C., and the hair constituting the hair bundle is melted into a molten mass. Fix by fusion.

Then, the non-fixed end side opposite to the molten mass is immersed in a concentrated sulfuric acid solution tank (120 ° C.) for about 30 minutes to the root of the hair to dissolve the sea part (polyethylene terephthalate) of each sea-island structure hair. Remove to expose the island fibers inside.

Next, after washing and drying with the island fiber portion to be the brush completely exposed, the head portion of the toothbrush handle is thermally fused with a heater or the like.

Then, after the brush portion made of the island fibers is trimmed to a flat cutting profile, the tip end portion of each island fiber is rounded to obtain a finished toothbrush. Mr. D Since the toothbrush according to the second embodiment uses two types of sea-island structure bristles, the bristles in the central row of the brush portion are strong,
Both sides are soft brush parts. Therefore, the toothbrush has a strong bristling property, and is excellent in contact feeling and a feeling of actual cleaning.

[Third Embodiment] Also in this third embodiment, except that the specifications of the sea-island structure hair to be used are different,
Since the manufacturing method is the same as that of the first embodiment, the illustration of each processing step is omitted.

In the case of the third embodiment, first, an island fiber made of nylon having a diameter of 0.2 mm is provided at the center of the bristle.
This unevenly distributed hair for sea-island structure with a diameter of 1.0 mm provided with a sea part made of polybutylene terephthalate around it,
Prepare normal nylon hair with a diameter of 0.2 mm. Then, a mixture of these sea-island structure bristles and nylon bristles is used as a bristles, and after collecting 700 bristles corresponding to all the bristles of the toothbrush head, the bristles are inserted into a bristling pattern pattern type, The shape is adjusted to a flocked pattern shape on the head portion and cut into a length of 14 mm.

Next, one end 2 mm is melted in a non-contact manner using a hot plate at about 500 ° C., and the hairs are welded and fixed by a molten mass.

Next, the non-fixed end side opposite to the molten mass is immersed in a high-concentration NaOH solution tank (120 ° C.) for about 30 minutes to the root of the hair to dissolve and remove the sea part (polyethylene terephthalate), Expose the island fibers.

Then, the island fiber portion to be the brush is completely exposed and washed and dried, and is thermally fused to the handle head portion. Finally, the brush is trimmed into a mountain cutting profile and rounded. Obtain the toothbrush of the present invention.

The toothbrush according to the third embodiment is
Since two types of bristle having different properties from sea-island structure bristle and normal nylon bristle are used, the toothbrush is excellent in interdental penetration and is comfortable to hit.

[Fourth Embodiment] FIG. 2 shows a fourth embodiment. The fourth embodiment is a manufacturing method using an in-mold molding method, and first, as shown in FIG.
As shown in Fig. 3, three island fibers 1 made of nylon having a diameter of 0.2 mm are unevenly distributed in the central portion of the bristle, and the three island fibers 1 are surrounded by a polybutylene terephthalate resin to form a sea portion 2. A sea-island structure hair 3 having a diameter of 1.0 mm is prepared, and the required number (80 to 200) of the sea-island structure hair 3 is bundled to form a hair bundle 4, as shown in FIG. 2B.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2 (c), a hole (5 in the illustrated example) is formed in accordance with the flocking pattern on the toothbrush head.
A cassette mold 13 for in-mold molding having holes is prepared, and the hair bundle 4 is inserted into each hole of the cassette mold 13. And, each hair bundle 4 is, for example, 14 mm
2d, one end 3 mm is dissolved and removed in a high-concentration NaOH solution tank (120 ° C.) as shown in FIG. 2 (d). As a result, the sea portion 2 of each sea-island structure hair 3 forming the hair bundle is removed, and the island fiber 1 inside is exposed.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2 (e), the exposed tips of each of the island fibers 1 are melted in a non-contact manner using a hot plate 6 at about 500 ° C., and a spherical bulge 14 is formed at the tip. After forming, as shown in FIG. 2 (g), the cassette mold 13
Is set in the insert molding die 15, and the molten resin forming the toothbrush handle is injected with the spherical bulge portion 14 of the island fiber 1 facing the inside of the head portion, and the handle portion, neck portion, and head portion are formed, Each hair bundle 4 is embedded and fixed in the handle head portion.

Then, the in-mold molded toothbrush handle 9 is taken out from the insert molding die 15,
As shown in FIG. 2 (h), the non-fixed end side of the hair bundle 4 is immersed in a high-concentration NaOH solution tank 16 heated to 120 ° C. near the root for about 30 minutes to form each hair bundle 4 sea island. The sea portion 2 of the structural hair 3 is dissolved and removed. As a result, the sea portion 2 of each sea-island structure bristle 3 is removed, and the island fibers 1 inside are exposed, and the exposed island fibers 1 become the brush portion of the toothbrush.

Next, after the island fibers 1 in the portion to be the brush are completely exposed, they are washed and dried, the tip of the brush portion is trimmed into a flat-cut profile, and further, the sharpening of the tips is performed by mechanical polishing. A tapered toothbrush is obtained as a finished product.

In the case of the toothbrush according to the fourth embodiment, by tapering the bristle tips, interdental penetration is extremely high, and since each island fiber stands accurately and densely, It is a toothbrush with a brushing effect and a pleasant touch.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a toothbrush has been described. The object to which the present invention is applied is not limited to toothbrushes, but can be applied to other brushes such as a hairdressing brush, a makeup brush, a clothes brush, and a hairbrush.

[0048]

As described above, according to the toothbrush of the present invention, the island fibers constituting the brush portion are accurately and densely arranged at the thickness intervals of the melted sea portion, and the cleaning effect is obtained. It is a brush that is high in touch and very comfortable to touch.

In particular, when all the brushes are formed of sea-island structure bristles, a plurality of island fibers (bunch of bunch) gathered for each sea-island structure bristles over the entire area of the brush to form a brush which stands at evenly small intervals. . Therefore, the number of hairs for one hair bundle is 2
It is possible to provide a brush that provides a fairly uniform and high-quality contact feeling as compared with a conventional brush using a flat wire type flocking method having about 0 to 40 hairs and a distance between bristles of about 1 mm. Further, since the brushes can be uniformly arranged without being biased, it is possible to efficiently clean every corner of the gap.

According to the brush manufacturing method of the present invention,
By embedding the island fibers in the head portion in an arbitrary cross-sectional shape, it is possible to provide a brush having a higher hair bundle holding force as compared with the conventional brush manufacturing method by the in-mold molding method. Furthermore, sea-island structure bristles can be manufactured inexpensively with existing equipment, and the pitch between bristles to be flocked can be easily controlled by changing the bristles diameter and the number of island fibers, which is complicated. Moreover, an elaborate brush can be manufactured at low cost. Furthermore, since no special equipment is required for bundling and fixing the hair and the sea partial melting process, the cost can be reduced.

Further, the greater the number of hair bundles to be flocked, the higher the production efficiency will be as compared with the flat wire flocking method, and the easier the production operation will be as compared with the conventional in-mold molding method or heat fusion method. is there.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A to 1G are process charts showing a first embodiment when a brush manufacturing method of the present invention is applied to a toothbrush.

2A to 2H are process charts showing a second embodiment when the brush manufacturing method of the present invention is applied to a toothbrush.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 island fiber 2 sea part 3 Sea Island Structure Hair 4 hair bundle 5 Brush implantation pattern type 6 hot plate 7 molten mass 8 NaOH solution tank 9 toothbrush handle 10 head 11 heater 12 design sheets 13 cassette mold 14 Spherical bulge 15 Insert Mold 16 NaOH solution tank

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A sea-island structure hair in which at least a part of the hairs transplanted on the flocked surface of the head portion is embedded with an island fiber forming an island portion inside a resin forming a sea portion, and the sea-island structure is used. A brush characterized by exposing the inside island fibers by dissolving the sea part of the bristles, and using the exposed island fibers as a brush portion. 2. The method for manufacturing a brush according to claim 1, wherein (a) a bunch of sea-island structure bristles are bundled alone or together with other bristles to form a bunch, and one of the bristles is Step (b) of fusing and fixing one end of the hair bundle by melting the end of the hair bundle by melting and removing the sea component of the portion of the hair bundle of which the one end is fused and fixed A step of exposing the island fibers (c), a step of flocking the end portion of the bunch of the exposed island fibers on the fusion-fixed side to the head flocking surface of the brush by heat fusion. Brush manufacturing method. 3. The method for manufacturing a brush according to claim 1, wherein (a) a bunch of sea-island structure bristles are bundled individually or together with other bristles in an arbitrary number, and one of the bristles is The step of dissolving and removing the sea part component at the end by a predetermined length to expose the island fiber inside (b) The step of melting the exposed island fiber portion to form a spherical bulge at the tip of each island fiber (c) Step of implanting the spherical bulging portion of the hair bundle by insert molding in the hair-implanted surface of the brush head portion (d) Melting and removing the sea component of the portion of the hair bundle that becomes the brush to expose the inner island fibers And a step of using the exposed island fiber as a brush portion.