JP2004107674A - Method for softening melamine-based resin foam - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To modify a melamine-based resin foam to have softly deformable toughness. <P>SOLUTION: The melamine-based resin foam is obtained by determining a compression ratio (t/T) and compressing the foam at the rate, wherein the melamine-based resin foam is modified into a sheet having softly deformable toughness by heating the compressed melamine-based resin foam at a specific temperature range at which the melamine-based resin foam is shaped into a soft sheet having a thickness (t) and loses restoring force to recover to the initial thickness (T), of the melamine-based resin foam. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

The present invention relates to a method for softening a melamine-based resin foam, and more particularly, a method for softening a melamine-based resin foam in which the melamine-based resin foam is modified to have a toughness capable of being flexibly deformed. It is about.

Cloth cloth, disposable paper products, etc. are generally used as cleaning tools for cleaning furniture such as cupboards, tables or desks, and OA equipment, and include ceramic or metal tableware, bathtubs, and the like. As a cleaning tool for cleaning bath articles such as a wash basin, a sponge made of urethane foam resin or the like is widely and practically used. Houseworkers wipe off the object to be cleaned by dry wiping, or impregnate the cleaning tool with water or a cleaning liquid, and then wipe off dirt on the object to be cleaned.

In many cases, depending on the cleaning tool in a dry state, dust or the like on the surface to be cleaned can be easily wiped off, but dust such as a fine recess on the surface to be cleaned or a gap between wood fibers, or stubbornly. The adhered dirt and the like are difficult to sufficiently remove, and if the dirt is forcibly removed, abrasion or the like may be generated on the surface to be cleaned. In contrast, a cleaning tool impregnated with an appropriate amount of water or a cleaning liquid may be able to relatively easily remove such dirt. However, the water or cleaning liquid remaining on the surface to be cleaned is likely to appear on the surface to be cleaned as a wiping mark after drying, and dry wiping or the like for eliminating such wiping marks will be required again.

A cleaning tool made of a melamine-based resin foam has been proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-128137 as a cleaning tool that can solve such disadvantages. According to the publication, the melamine-based resin foam has a density of 5 to 50 kg / m ³ , a tensile strength of 0.6 to 1.6 kg / cm ² , an elongation at break of 8 to 20%, and a number of cells of 80 to 300 cells / It is made of a porous body having an open cell structure having physical properties of 25 mm. To the melamine-based resin foam, if necessary, 3 to 60 parts by weight of an anionic surfactant or a cleaning aid is added. Since the melamine-based resin foam is a relatively hard and brittle material, fine particles are separated from the cleaning tool surface by friction when rubbing the surface to be cleaned. The exfoliated particles function as a kind of abrasive, and exhibit a polishing action of removing dirt in the concave portion of the surface to be cleaned or removing dirt adhered stubbornly.

Here, the area and the form of the object to be cleaned are various, and the cleaning tool is deformed according to the form of the cloth to be cleaned, such as a sufficient width and length, foldable deformability, and further, the form of the surface to be cleaned. It is desirable to have possible flexibility and the like.

  However, the cleaning tool made of the melamine-based resin foam is a relatively fragile and hard material that is easily cracked, and has a relatively small size having a thickness of at least about 15 to 20 mm (for example, a dishwashing sponge). Etc.), and the melamine-based resin foam does not have toughness that can be flexibly deformed. For this reason, in a cleaning tool made of a melamine-based resin foam, it is difficult to secure the deformability of the foldable cleaning tool and the flexibility of the cleaning tool that can be deformed in accordance with the shape of the surface to be cleaned as desired. is there.

Thus, the melamine-based resin foam cleaning tool is folded and stored or carried, immersed in water or a cleaning solution, and then twisted or squeezed, or removes a variety of dirt on a cleaning object according to the movement of a finger. It cannot be applied to the rag-like usability such as wiping.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for softening a melamine-based resin foam in which the melamine-based resin foam is modified so as to have toughness capable of being flexibly deformed. To provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention sets a compression ratio (t / T) and compresses the melamine-based resin foam at the compression ratio,
The melamine-based resin foam is formed into a flexible sheet having a thickness (t), and is compressed in a predetermined temperature range where the restoring force of the melamine-based resin foam that restores to the initial plate thickness (T) is lost. A method for softening a melamine-based resin foam, characterized in that the melamine-based resin foam is heated to thereby transform the melamine-based resin foam into a sheet having a toughness that can be flexibly deformed. .

According to the configuration of the present invention, while compressing the melamine-based resin foam at a preset compression ratio (t / T), heating the melamine-based resin foam in a predetermined temperature range, a relatively thick plate body The melamine-based resin foam molded as above is shaped into a relatively thick sheet. The melamine-based resin foam is reduced in thickness (T) by a compressive force and is heated.After releasing the compressive force, the melamine-based resin foam formed into a flexible sheet having a thickness (t) is compressed. It remains on the mold. Since the sheet-like material compressed to the thickness (t) in this way is a flexible sheet-like material, it is apparent that the sheet-like material tends to be restored to the initial thickness (T) more or less over time. Since the object has lost the restoring force for restoring to the initial thickness (T) by the heating under compression, it is naturally stabilized in the state restored to the appropriate thickness. The melamine-based resin foam that has undergone such a process exhibits toughness that can be flexibly deformed.

不 織布 The nonwoven fabric manufactured according to the softening method of the above configuration has convenience when stored or carried. Sheets of softened melamine-based resin foam are twisted or squeezed after being immersed in water or a cleaning solution, or wiped with dirt from various cleaning objects in response to movement of fingers. Can be used in usage. Therefore, the softening method of the present invention is suitable for mass production of such cleaning tools.

In the thermal compression molding method utilizing the properties of a melamine-based resin foam, which is a thermosetting resin, the melamine-based resin foam is thermally cured and the thickness is set to a thickness (t / T) equivalent to a compression ratio (t / T). ) A hard plate fixed to () is formed. On the other hand, in the present invention, as a result, the thickness of the foam decreases, but the present invention does not aim at reducing the thickness (compression) of the foam itself. That is, the important point for the present invention is not to obtain a hard molded plate having a thickness (t) equivalent to the compression ratio by compressing the melamine-based resin foam at a predetermined compression ratio (t / T). On the contrary, it is to soften a melamine resin foam. For this reason, in the present invention, the melamine-based resin foam in a compressed state is heated in a temperature range in which the melamine-based resin foam is formed into a flexible sheet. This temperature range is also a temperature range in which the restoring force of the melamine-based resin foam that recovers to the initial plate thickness (T) is lost. Immediately after the release of the compressive force, the melamine-based resin foam that has been modified into a soft state maintains the state of being shaped to the thickness (t), but with the passage of time, the thickness is more or less reduced to some extent. Restore. However, since the melamine-based resin foam heated at the time of compression has lost the restoring force for restoring the initial plate thickness (T), the melamine resin foam is naturally stabilized in a state where the thickness has been restored to some extent. As can be easily understood, the thickness after stabilization is smaller than the initial plate thickness (T) and larger than the thickness (t) corresponding to the compression ratio (t / T). And this thickness becomes the thickness of the nonwoven fabric mentioned later.

According to the above configuration of the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for softening a melamine-based resin foam in which the melamine-based resin foam is modified so as to have toughness capable of being flexibly deformed.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an uneven pattern is formed on one or both surfaces of the melamine-based resin foam.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a relatively thin sheet is laminated on one surface of the melamine-based resin foam.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the melamine-based resin foam receives a compressing action and a heating action at the same time. In another embodiment of the present invention, the melamine-based resin foam is subjected to a heating action after being subjected to a compression action. Preferably, the compression ratio of the melamine-based resin foam is set in the range of 1/2 to 1/5. If desired, a concavo-convex pattern is formed on the melamine-based resin foam upon compression of the foam. The melamine-based resin foam is, as is known, a resin foam molded article produced from a melamine-formaldehyde resin obtained by a reaction of melamine and formaldehyde, and a foaming agent component, and the melamine-based resin foam itself is For example, it has already been put to practical use as a heat insulating material for buildings.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a method for softening a melamine-based resin foam according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1 (A), a melamine-based resin foam plate 1 is inserted between an upper die 2 and a lower die 3 of a press machine. The melamine-based resin foam constituting the plate 1 has a density of 5 to 50 kg / m ³ (JIS K6401), a tensile strength of 0.6 to 1.6 kg / cm ² (JIS K6301), and an elongation at break of 8 to 20% (JIS K6301). ), A porous body having an open cell structure having physical properties of 80 to 300 cells / 25 mm (JIS K6402).

The upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3 constitute a mold of a press machine, and include a heating element (not shown) such as an electric resistance heating wire. The heating element heats the lower and upper surfaces of the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3 to a predetermined temperature range. The drive unit of the press machine descends the upper die 2 as shown by the arrow. The upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3 compress the plate 1 as shown in FIG. 1B, and the plate 1 is compressed from a thickness T to a thickness t. The compression ratio t / T is set in the range of 1/2 to 1/5. For example, a melamine-based resin foam having a plate thickness T of 15 mm is compressed to a thickness t of 5 mm.

The plate body 1 is reduced in thickness by compression plastic deformation due to press compression force, and is heated by the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3 and loses the restoring force to the initial sheet thickness T. Therefore, after the upper mold 2 returns to the initial ascent position, the nonwoven fabric 10 formed into a sheet having a thickness t is left on the lower mold 3.

(4) If desired, an uneven shape such as an embossed pattern or a linear pattern is formed on both or one of the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3. The concavo-convex shape formed on the lower surface of the upper mold 2 forms a corresponding concavo-convex pattern on the upper surface of the nonwoven fabric 10, and the concavo-convex shape formed on the upper surface of the lower mold 3 forms a corresponding concavo-convex pattern on the lower surface of the nonwoven fabric 10. Shape.

Hereinafter, the nonwoven fabric for cleaning manufactured according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a nonwoven fabric manufactured according to the softening method of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a usage form of the nonwoven fabric illustrated in FIG. 2.

(2) As shown in FIG. 2, the nonwoven fabric 10 is formed into a square cloth having a plane size equivalent to that of a general cloth. On the upper surface of the nonwoven fabric 10, a mesh (FIG. 2A), a narrow parallel line (FIG. 2B), a wide parallel line (FIG. 2C), a large number of small circles (FIG. 2D) or a continuous needle-like pattern (FIG. 2E). Various uneven patterns 11 are formed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the user supplies water or a washing liquid to the nonwoven fabric 10 like a normal cloth, and the nonwoven fabric 10 is rolled and squeezed (FIG. 3A) or folded and squeezed (FIG. 3B) to obtain a desired wettability. The surface of the object to be cleaned, such as furniture, is wiped off by the nonwoven fabric 10 having the following. The user also cleans the soiled nonwoven fabric 10 with water, as in a normal cloth, and then stores it naturally dried.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a hand-cleaner-type cleaning tool using the nonwoven fabric 10.
The nonwoven fabric 10 is wound in a roll shape as shown in FIG. 4 (A), and the roll 12 of the nonwoven fabric 10 is attached to the attachment 20 of the cleaning tool 30 (FIG. 4D) as shown in FIG. 4 (B). Is done. As shown in FIG. 4 (C), the attachment 20 is composed of a pair of resin or metal holding arms 22 pivotally opened and closed by hinges 21. Each free end of the holding arm 22 has a protrusion and a protrusion insertion. It is provided with a detachable fitting means 23 such as a boss. An intermediate portion of the holding arm 22 slightly bulges outward, and fitting means 25 such as a protrusion and a protrusion insertion boss which can be disengageably engaged with each other form a pair on the inner surface of the bulging portion. Formed. A pair of circular through holes 15 through which the fitting means 25 can be inserted are formed in the center of the wound material 12. By inserting the fitting means 25 into the through hole 15 and locking the fitting means 23, the wound material 12 can be held by the attachment 20, as shown in FIG.

ア The attachment 20 holding the wound material 12 is mounted on a resin or metal cleaning tool 30 shown in FIG. The cleaning tool 30 includes a holding portion 31 that can accommodate the attachment 20, and a handle 32 that extends integrally from the holding portion 31. The attachment 20 attached to the holding portion 31 slightly protrudes below the holding portion 31, and the roll 12 is exposed below the holding portion 31. The user can perform the cleaning operation by gripping the handle 32 with his fingers and applying the exposed portion of the roll 12 to the surface to be cleaned.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view and a perspective view showing another nonwoven fabric 10 manufactured according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 5A, the nonwoven fabric 10 is attached to both surfaces of the sheet-shaped core material 14 with an adhesive or the like. As the core material 14, a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, a synthetic resin sheet, a synthetic resin film, or the like can be suitably used. As shown in FIG. 5B, an uneven pattern 11 such as an embossed pattern may be formed on the surface of the nonwoven fabric 10. In this case, different patterns can be formed on each surface of the nonwoven fabric 10.

The nonwoven fabric 10 is formed into a square cloth having a plane size equivalent to that of a general cloth, and is used as a dry wipe or a water wipe (FIG. 5C). As another use form, the wound material 12 of the nonwoven fabric 10 may be attached to the cleaning tool 30 by the attachment 20 (FIG. 6D).

6 and 7 are a perspective view and a sectional view showing still another nonwoven fabric 10 manufactured according to the present invention.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the nonwoven fabric 10 is sewn on the back surface of the woven fabric 41 to constitute a handy wiper type cleaning tool 40. The woven fabric 41 forms a bag into which fingers can be inserted. The user's finger is inserted into the finger insertion opening 42 of the woven fabric 41, and the nonwoven fabric 10 moves on the surface to be cleaned in accordance with the movement of the hand and cleans it.

不 織布 The nonwoven fabric 10 shown in FIG. 7 is formed into a size that can be attached to the tip of a finger, and constitutes a finger-type cleaning tool 40. A band-like elastic body 43 such as woven cloth, rubber, or thermoplastic elastomer is attached to the nonwoven fabric 10, and an insertion port 44 into which the tip of a finger can be inserted is formed on the back surface of the nonwoven fabric 10. The user inserts the tip of the finger into the insertion slot 44. The nonwoven fabric 10 moves on the surface to be cleaned in accordance with the movement of the finger, and cleans the surface.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view and a sectional view showing a glass wiper type cleaning tool to which the nonwoven fabric 10 can be attached.
The nonwoven fabric 10 shown in FIG. 8 covers the tip of the cleaning tool 50. The cleaning tool 50 includes an extendable handle portion 51, and an expandable sphere 52 having a plurality of slits 53 is attached to a tip portion of the handle portion 51. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the sphere 52 deforms in accordance with the forward and backward movements of the rod 51, and expands or contracts in diameter. The nonwoven fabric 10 covers the sphere 52 as shown in FIG. The user grips the handle portion 51, applies the nonwoven fabric 10 on the sphere 52 to the surface to be cleaned, and cleans the surface to be cleaned.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a handy mop type cleaning tool 60 to which the nonwoven fabric 10 can be attached.
The cleaning tool 60 includes a handle 61 that can be gripped by a finger, a shaft member 62 having a circular cross section that can be inserted into a circular hole 64 of the handle 61, and a cap 63 that can be fitted to the tip of the shaft member 62. Be composed. As shown in FIG. 9A, the shaft member 62 has an enlarged outer peripheral surface 65 capable of supporting the nonwoven fabric 10, and a sawtooth-shaped groove 66 extending substantially in the axial direction is formed at the top of the shaft member 62. .

延長 Extended portions 17 are formed on each side edge of the nonwoven fabric 10. The extension 17 has a length substantially the same as the entire length of the groove 66. The nonwoven fabric 10 is wound around the outer peripheral surface 65 as shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C, and the extended portion 17 is inserted into the groove 66 and held in the groove 66.

FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are perspective views showing another form of cleaning tool using the nonwoven fabric 10.
FIG. 10 shows cleaning tools 70 and 75 which hold the rod-shaped nonwoven fabric 10 in a dispensable manner. The cleaning tool 70 shown in FIG. 10A has a slot 72 extending in the longitudinal direction, and the movable pusher 71 penetrates the slot 72. The nonwoven fabric 10 projecting slightly forward from the opening 73 extends into the cleaning tool 70 from the front end opening 73. By moving the pushing tool 71 forward, the nonwoven fabric 10 is pushed forward.

On the other hand, the cleaning tool 75 shown in FIG. 10B includes a circular casing 76, a shaft 77 fixed to the center of the casing 76, and a rotary pushing tool 78 disposed in front of the shaft 77. The nonwoven fabric 10 projecting slightly forward from the opening 73 extends into the cleaning tool 70 from the front end opening 79 and orbits upward along the outer periphery of the shaft 77. The pusher 78 has a serration on the outer peripheral surface capable of engaging with the nonwoven fabric 10, and the nonwoven fabric 10 is pushed forward from the opening 79 in accordance with the rotation of the pusher 78.

The plate-type cleaning tool 80 shown in FIG. 11 is made of an integrally molded product made of wood or resin, and has a handle portion 81 which can be gripped by fingers, and a substantially rectangular enlarged support plate 82 connected to the tip of the handle portion 81. Is provided. The flat-plate-shaped nonwoven fabric 10 is adhered to the upper surface of the enlarged support plate 82. The user grips the handle portion 81, applies the nonwoven fabric 10 to the surface to be cleaned, and cleans the surface to be cleaned.

FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 are perspective views showing the nonwoven fabric 10 shaped into a disk shape or a triangular shape.
The nonwoven fabric 10 shown in FIG. 12A is shaped into a disk as a whole. The circumferential edge portion 18 of the nonwoven fabric 10 is raised upward, and the central portion of the nonwoven fabric 10 has a form slightly depressed from the circumferential edge portion 18. The nonwoven fabric 10 is held by a circular cleaning tool 90 having a handle 91.

As shown in FIG. 12B, the base end of the handle 91 is connected to a ring member 92 via a hinge 96, and the ring member 92 is pivotally attached to a disk-shaped holding member 94 via a hinge 93. . The holding member 94 has substantially the same form as the nonwoven fabric 10, and the nonwoven fabric 10 is superimposed on the lower surface of the holding member 94. By pivoting the ring member 92 about the hinge 93, the nonwoven fabric 10 is sandwiched between the ring member 92 and the outer peripheral edge 95 of the holding member 94 as shown in FIG. The user grips the handle 91 to apply the nonwoven fabric 10 to the surface to be cleaned, and cleans the surface to be cleaned.

不 織布 The nonwoven fabric 10 shown in FIG. 13 is formed into a triangular shape as a whole. The peripheral portion 18 of the nonwoven fabric 10 protrudes upward, and the central portion of the nonwoven fabric 10 is located at a position slightly depressed from the peripheral portion 18. The nonwoven fabric 10 is held by a triangular cleaning tool 90 having a handle 91.

両 端 Both ends of the handle 91 are fixed to the holding member 94. The holding member 94 has substantially the same form as the nonwoven fabric 10, and the nonwoven fabric 10 is superimposed on the lower surface of the holding member 94. A triangular annular band plate 92 is locked to the outer peripheral edge 95 of the holding member 94 from below the nonwoven fabric 10. The peripheral portion 18 of the nonwoven fabric 10 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral portion 95 and the strip 94. The user grips the handle 91 to apply the nonwoven fabric 10 to the surface to be cleaned, and cleans the surface to be cleaned.

As described above, the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications or changes may be made within the scope of the present invention described in the claims. It goes without saying that it is possible.

For example, the thickness, shape, external dimensions, usage pattern, etc. of the nonwoven fabric 10 can be appropriately changed in design according to the purpose of use.

According to the present invention, the melamine-based resin foam can be modified so as to have toughness capable of being flexibly deformed.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the metal mold | die for press processing which shows the softening method of the melamine type resin foam which concerns on suitable embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which illustrates the nonwoven fabric manufactured by the softening method of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a use form of the nonwoven fabric illustrated in FIG. 2. It is a perspective view which shows the handy cleaner type cleaning tool which can attach a nonwoven fabric. It is sectional drawing and a perspective view which show the other nonwoven fabric manufactured by the softening method of this invention. It is the perspective view and sectional drawing which show the handy wiper type cleaning tool using nonwoven fabric. It is a perspective view which shows the finger-type cleaning tool which used the nonwoven fabric. It is the perspective view and sectional drawing which show the glass wiper type cleaning tool which can attach a nonwoven fabric. It is a perspective view which shows the handy mop type cleaning tool which can attach a nonwoven fabric. It is a perspective view which shows the cleaning tool which used the nonwoven fabric. It is a perspective view showing other cleaning tools using a nonwoven fabric. It is a perspective view which shows the nonwoven fabric shaped in the disk form. It is a perspective view showing the nonwoven fabric shaped in a triangular form.

Explanation of reference numerals

1 plate (melamine resin foam)
2 Upper die 3 Lower die 10 Non-woven fabric 20 Attachment 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 75, 80, 90 Cleaning tool

Claims (4)

A compression ratio (t / T) is set to compress the melamine-based resin foam at the compression ratio,
The melamine-based resin foam is formed into a flexible sheet having a thickness (t), and is compressed in a predetermined temperature range where the restoring force of the melamine-based resin foam that restores to the initial plate thickness (T) is lost. A method for softening a melamine-based resin foam, characterized by heating the melamine-based resin foam according to (1), thereby converting the melamine-based resin foam into a sheet-like material having toughness that can be flexibly deformed. 2. The method for softening a melamine resin foam according to claim 1, wherein the melamine resin foam is heated while being compressed.   The method for softening a melamine-based resin foam according to claim 1, wherein the melamine-based resin foam is heated after being compressed. The method for softening a melamine-based resin foam according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the compression ratio is set in a range of 1/2 to 1/5.

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