JP2011074526A - Method for producing protective sleeve - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method by which a protective sleeve attachable to a component having an irregular shape or an already attached long component can be produced in excellent productivity. <P>SOLUTION: The method for producing the protective sleeve having an opening part continuing in the longitudinal direction is obtained by braiding a fiber yarn by a braider to provide a braided sleeve, cutting up the braided sleeve in the longitudinal direction to afford the opening part, forming the diameter-reduced shape by overlapping the opening parts and holding the shape having the reduced diameter by subjecting the product to heat treatment. The method for producing the protective sleeve includes a step for coating a sizing agent on the braided sleeve and heating and curing the sizing agent. Preferably, the overlapped proportion represented by the proportion of the length of the overlapped part based on the circumferential length of the cross-section of the protective sleeve is not less than 10% and not more than 50% in the method for producing the protective sleeve. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of a protective sleeve used as a mechanical protective sleeve, a converging sleeve, an electrical insulating sleeve, a heat-resistant protective sleeve, etc., for example, in automobiles, home appliances, heavy electrical appliances, etc. The present invention relates to a manufacturing method capable of manufacturing a protective sleeve that can be attached to a shaped part or an already attached long part with excellent productivity.

  Conventionally, as a protective sleeve, a braided sleeve formed by braiding fiber yarns such as glass fibers and resin fibers into a tubular shape is surface-treated with a sizing agent such as a silicone varnish depending on the usage situation. (For example, refer to Patent Documents 1 to 3.) These protective sleeves are arranged on the outer periphery of the bundle of electric wires for protecting or converging the electric wires.

  However, since the protective sleeves as described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 are tube-shaped, it is necessary to cover the wire bundle in advance. For example, after connecting a connector or the like to the electric wire first, the protective sleeve Could not be placed later. On the other hand, various protective sleeves having an opening continuous in the length direction while being tubular have been developed (see, for example, Patent Documents 4 to 7). With these protective sleeves as in Patent Documents 4 to 7, since the electric wire can be inserted into the protective sleeve from the opening, even if the connectors are connected to both ends of the electric wire, the protective sleeve should be arranged later. Can do. Moreover, even when a part of the wires in the wire bundle is branched, the wires can be led out from the opening, so that it is possible to deal with irregularly shaped parts. Further, Patent Document 8 has been filed by the applicant as relating to the present invention.

Japanese Patent No. 3376492: Clave Japanese Patent No. 2875886: Bentley Harris Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-88513: Bentley Harris Japanese Patent No. 2718571: D & N PLC, Bentley Japanese Patent No. 4030585: Bentley-Harris JP-T-2001-508856 Publication: Federal Mogul JP 2007-514068 A: Sofa Nou SA Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-1000085: Krabe

  However, the protective sleeves according to Patent Documents 4 to 7 are a manufacturing method in which a flat woven fabric or the like is heated in a cylindrical shape and formed into a tube shape having an opening. In the case of such a flat woven fabric or the like, there is a possibility that in the stage of heating in a state of being held in a cylindrical shape, the original flat shape may be restored over time if the heating is insufficient. Further, if the heating is excessive, the fibers constituting the protective sleeve are thermally deteriorated or melted. For this reason, it is necessary to strictly control the temperature during heating, which affects productivity.

  The present invention has been made to solve the drawbacks of the prior art, and the object of the present invention is to provide a protective sleeve that can be attached to an irregularly shaped part or an already attached long part. It is providing the manufacturing method which can be manufactured with the outstanding productivity.

In order to achieve the above object, a method for manufacturing a protective sleeve according to claim 1 of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a protective sleeve having an opening continuous in the length direction, and braiding fiber yarns with a string making machine. A braided sleeve, which is formed by cutting the braided sleeve in the length direction to provide the opening, overlapping the openings to reduce the diameter of the protective sleeve, and maintaining the reduced diameter by heat treatment It is.
The method for manufacturing a protective sleeve according to claim 2 is a method for manufacturing a protective sleeve having a continuous opening in the length direction, and a step of braiding fiber yarns with a stringing machine to form a braided sleeve; After applying a sizing agent to the braided sleeve, the step of heat-curing the sizing agent, the step of tearing the braided sleeve in the length direction to provide the opening, and overlapping the opening to protect the protective sleeve And reducing the diameter, and applying heat treatment to maintain the reduced diameter.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing the protective sleeve, the overlapping ratio represented by the ratio of the length of the overlapping portion to the circumferential length of the cross section of the protective sleeve is 10% or more. It is characterized by being 50% or less.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing the protective sleeve, wherein the opening is formed by cutting the braided sleeve in a length direction with a heated blade.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing the protective sleeve, wherein the braided sleeve is cut in the length direction by a laser to provide the opening.

  According to the present invention, since it originally comprises a tubular braided sleeve, the shape does not collapse over time. In addition, since the overlapping is sufficiently formed in the opening, the opening does not open due to bending or pressurization, and the electric wire does not protrude.

It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the apparatus for enforcing the manufacturing method of the protection sleeve of this invention. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the structure of a protection sleeve. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the structure of the protection sleeve of another form. It is a perspective view explaining the example which used the protective sleeve for practical use. It is the schematic explaining a softness | flexibility test. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the structure of a protection sleeve.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an example of an apparatus for carrying out the manufacturing method of the protective sleeve of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the protective sleeve 1 obtained by this apparatus.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a protective sleeve, reference numeral 2 is a braided sleeve, reference numeral 3 is a string making machine, reference numeral 4 is a fiber yarn, reference numeral 5 is a sizing agent tank, reference numeral 6 is a sizing agent throttle, reference numeral 7 is a heating furnace, reference numeral 8 is a guide pulley, 9 is a blade, 10 is a molding furnace, and 11 is a winding device. In the present embodiment, polyester fiber is used as the fiber yarn. An acrylic emulsion was used as the sizing agent.

The flow of the manufacturing process will be described. First, the yarn 4 of polyester multifilament fiber is braided with the braiding machine 3 under the conditions of a braid density of 25 and a braid thickness of 0.50 mm to obtain a braided sleeve 2. Subsequently, the braided sleeve 2 is continuously introduced into the sizing agent tank 5 filled with a sizing agent (a solvent-free and viscosity of 50 cp acrylic emulsion), and the sizing agent is applied excessively. The adhered sizing agent is removed by the sizing agent squeezing 6 made of sponge or the like, and the amount of adhesion is controlled to be 0.011 g · cm ^2. After applying a predetermined amount of the sizing agent in this way, 145 The sizing agent was heat-cured by continuously introducing it into a heating furnace 7 having a length of 1.0 m held at a temperature of ˜165 ° C. The braided sleeve 2 coated and heat-cured in this way. The blade 9 hits the blade 9 through the guide pulley 8 and is torn in the longitudinal direction, and the blade 9 is heated by being energized, whereby the braided sleeve 2 is moved in the longitudinal direction. Continuous open The part 1a is formed to be the protective sleeve 1. Further, in the cylindrical molding furnace 10 whose inner diameter is designed to be 75% of the diameter of the braided sleeve 2, the protective sleeve 1 is heated while being reduced in diameter, The protective sleeve 1 is held at the overlapping shape at an overlapping rate of 30%, and the protective sleeve 1 is wound around the winding device 10. The traveling speed of the protective sleeve 1 or the braided sleeve 2 is about 16 cm / min. Here, the overlay ratio will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 6. It is the ratio of the peripheral length C of the protective sleeve 1 and the length L of the overlapped portion in the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the protective sleeve 1,
Overlay ratio (%) = length L of overlapped portion / perimeter length of protective sleeve 1 × 100
It is represented by

  In the above embodiment, the sizing agent is applied to the protective sleeve 2, but the sizing agent tank 5, the sizing agent squeezing 6 and the heating furnace 7 are omitted and the sizing agent is not applied depending on the application. Also good. Further, even if the sizing agent is applied, it is not necessary to perform the sizing continuously with the braiding as in the above-described embodiment, and the sizing agent may be applied in a separate step after winding. Of course, the sizing agent 2 may be applied and heat-cured after the braided sleeve 2 is cut in the longitudinal direction to form the protective sleeve 1.

  Examples of the fiber yarn include glass fiber, alumina fiber, silica fiber, alumina-silica fiber, carbon fiber and other inorganic fibers, polyethylene terephthalate fiber, polyethylene naphthalate fiber, polyester fiber such as polybutylene terephthalate fiber, polyphenylene sulfide fiber, Examples thereof include synthetic fibers such as aramid fiber, nylon fiber, polyether sulfone fiber, polyether ketone fiber, and tetrafluoroethylene fiber, and fine metal wires such as copper wire, copper alloy wire, and stainless steel wire. These may be appropriately selected in consideration of usage conditions and the like. Of course, you may braid independently and may braid combining multiple types. Further, the thickness of the fiber may be appropriately selected in consideration of the use conditions and the like. In particular, it is preferable to use a mixture of monofilaments and multifilaments in order to improve the sleeve protection function and wiring workability. In this case, the flexibility and shape retention of the protective sleeve can be set by changing the diameter and material of the monofilament. For example, in order to improve the flexibility, it is conceivable to use a monofilament having a small diameter or a flexible nylon fiber. In order to maintain the shape more reliably, it is conceivable to use a monofilament having a large diameter or a polyphenylene sulfide fiber (hereinafter referred to as PPS) having a high rigidity. The diameter of the monofilament may be set according to the required characteristics as described above, but considering the balance of shape retention, flexibility and stringiness, it is 0.10 mm to 1.0 mm. In particular, the range of 0.10 to 0.40 mm is preferable.

  In the present invention, the above-described fiber yarn is braided using a stringing machine. At this time, the braid density is preferably set in the range of 5 to 40, more preferably in the range of 20 to 40. If the braid density is less than 5, the braid will be too coarse, and the mechanical strength (tensile strength, elongation, wear resistance, etc.) of the protective sleeve obtained by the present invention will decrease. On the other hand, if the braid density exceeds 40, when the varnish is applied, the varnish does not sufficiently impregnate the inside of the braid, and the effect of the sizing agent may not be sufficiently exhibited. Furthermore, if the braid density exceeds 40, the weight of the braid increases or the braiding time increases, resulting in a decrease in productivity and cost, and for example, glass fiber yarn is used as the braided yarn. In such a case, fluffing may occur, which may cause poor appearance. The “braid density” as used in the present invention refers to the number of fiber bundle ridges intersecting a mountain or valley between 1 inch (25 mm).

  When a sizing agent is used, it is preferable to use a sizing agent that does not contain an organic solvent and has a viscosity in the range of 10 to 50000 cp. If a sizing agent diluted with an organic solvent is used, the working environment is contaminated by the evaporated organic solvent, which is not preferable. Here, if the viscosity of the sizing agent is less than 10 cp, the coating strength of the sizing agent may be reduced, and the braid may be frayed. On the other hand, if the viscosity exceeds 50000 cp, the sizing agent may not be sufficiently impregnated into the braid when the sizing agent is applied, and the effect of the sizing agent may not be sufficiently exhibited.

Adhesion amount to braid the sizing agent is preferably controlled so as to range from 0.001~0.050g · cm ^2, more preferably, controlled to a range of 0.007~0.020g · cm ² To do. When the adhesion amount of the sizing agent is less than 0.001 g · cm ² , there is a possibility that the braid may be frayed. On the other hand, when the adhesion amount exceeds 0.050 g · cm ² , the appearance state deteriorates and the cost increases.

  Examples of the sizing agent include silicone varnish (liquid silicone rubber), urethane varnish, epoxy varnish, acrylic varnish, unsaturated polyester varnish, amidoimide ester varnish, polybutadiene varnish, polyimide varnish, and acrylic varnish. An emulsion, a urethane-based emulsion, a polyolefin-based emulsion, a vinyl acetate-based emulsion, a polyethylene-based emulsion, a polyester-based emulsion, a styrene-based emulsion, a silicone-based emulsion, and the like can be mentioned without particular limitation. These may be appropriately selected in consideration of usage conditions and the like.

  In the above embodiment, the blade 9 that is heated by being energized is used as the blade 9, but this melts the fiber or the converging agent on the cut surface by tearing while heating. This is for preventing fiber fluff and fraying at the opening 1a. Of course, depending on the type of fiber, it may not be necessary to heat the blade 9. If the blade 9 is rotated at a constant speed along the outer periphery of the braided sleeve, the protective sleeve 1 having a spiral opening 1a can be obtained as shown in FIG. The means for tearing the braided sleeve 2 is not limited to the blade, and the braided sleeve 2 may be torn by, for example, a water cutter, a circular saw, a cutting grindstone, or a laser. Even when it is cut by a laser, the fiber or the converging agent on the cut surface can be melted, so that fiber fluffing and fraying at the opening 1a can be prevented.

  Regarding the overlapping of the openings 1a, the above-described overlapping ratio is preferably 10% or more and 50% or less. If it is less than 10%, the opening 1a may open due to strong bending, pressurization, or the like, and the electric wire or the like stored inside may protrude. On the other hand, if it exceeds 50%, the material cost is wasted, the work of housing the electric wire or the like becomes difficult, and the flexibility tends to be lowered.

  In the case of the protective sleeve 1 obtained in this way, for example, even when covering the electric wire, since the electric wire can be inserted into the protective sleeve from the opening 1a, even if connectors are connected to both ends of the electric wire. A protective sleeve can be placed retrofit. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, even when a part of the electric wires 20 'in the electric wire bundle 20 is branched, it is possible to deal with irregularly shaped parts so that they can be led out from the opening 1a. Can do.

  Further, since the protective sleeve of the present invention is formed into a tube shape by a string making machine, the fiber yarn of the protective sleeve 1 is disposed obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the protective sleeve 1 as shown in FIG. It is configured as follows. The structure of such a fiber yarn is superior in abrasion resistance as compared with a woven fabric formed into a tubular shape, which is composed of warp yarns along the longitudinal direction of the protective sleeve and weft yarns perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the protective sleeve. At the same time, the flexibility is also improved. For wear resistance, the weft thread perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the protective sleeve will be caught and broken from there, so for flexibility, the warp thread along the longitudinal direction of the protective sleeve will be a resistance to bending. It is because it ends.

  The protective sleeve obtained according to the above embodiment is referred to as Example 1, and a fabric formed in a tubular shape under the same fiber density and dimensions as in Example 1 is referred to as Comparative Example 1, and wear resistance. We examined the sex and flexibility. Wear resistance conforms to the JASO-D608-92 blade method, a protective sleeve is fixed on the table, the blade tip is applied, and the blade is worn by reciprocating to a length of 10 mm or more in the sample axis direction. The number of reciprocations until contact with was measured. At this time, the measurement was performed under the conditions of a weight of 510 g, an edge R of 0.125, and a wear rate of 60 times / minute. For flexibility, the sample (protective sleeve 1) is taken so that the measurement distance is 250 mm, the one end is fixed to the fixed base 30 as shown in FIG. 5, and the deflection distance L from the fixed end after 3 minutes is obtained. It was measured

  As shown in Table 1, it was confirmed that the present embodiment is superior in wear resistance and flexibility as compared with the comparative embodiment.

  As for the protective sleeve of Example 1, Examples 2 to 5 were prepared assuming that the overlay ratio was changed as shown in FIG. Moreover, the comparative example 2 was created as what was not heated in the state diameter-reduced without letting the molding furnace 10 pass. About these, wiring handling property, winding openability, electric wire insertion property, and flexibility were evaluated. Wiring handling performance was evaluated based on the working time of the operator with respect to the working efficiency when a protective sleeve was attached to the wire bundle and the wiring was run. The case where wiring work was easy was marked with ◯, the time which required time for wiring work was marked with Δ, and the case where wiring to a narrow place was difficult was marked with X. Winding openability means that the protective sleeve is wound around a mandrel having a diameter 20 times the inner diameter of the protective sleeve, and the opening is opened and the inside is visible at that time. It was. The electric wire insertion property was evaluated based on the work time of the operator with respect to the work efficiency when an electric wire having a protective sleeve inner diameter volume of 80% was inserted into the protective sleeve. The case where an electric wire could be easily inserted was indicated by ◯, the case where it took time to insert an electric wire was indicated by △, and the case where insertion was difficult enough to feel the necessity of a dedicated jig was indicated by ×. The evaluation results are also shown in Table 2.

  As shown in Table 2, all of the protective sleeves according to Example 1 had a winding openability, and the opening did not open even when bent. If it is such, even if it receives bending when inserting an electric wire inside, an internal electric wire does not protrude. On the other hand, since the opening of the protective sleeve according to Comparative Example 2 was completely open, there is a possibility that the inner wire may protrude even if it is slightly bent when the wire is inserted inside. Is. In Examples 4 and 5 in which the overlay ratio exceeds 50%, the flexibility is lower than those in Examples 1 to 3, and the wiring performance is inferior. Therefore, there is a possibility that the use environment is limited, such as use in a place where there is a sufficient work space. Moreover, Examples 4 and 5 are inferior in electric wire insertion property compared with Examples 1 to 3, and it is necessary to devise work such as using a jig when inserting electric wires.

  About the said Example 1, Examples 6-9 were created as what changed the fiber yarn which comprises the protective sleeve 1. FIG. In Example 6, as the fiber yarn, 32 polyester multifilament fibers and 16 nylon monofilament fibers (diameter 0.1 mm) were braided so as to be even. In Example 7, as the fiber yarn, 32 polyester multifilament fibers and 16 nylon monofilament fibers (diameter 0.3 mm) were braided so as to be even. In Example 8, 32 polyester multifilament fibers and 16 PPS monofilament fibers (diameter of 0.1 mm) were braided as fiber yarns. In Example 9, 32 polyester multifilament fibers and 16 PPS monofilament fibers (diameter 0.3 mm) were braided as fiber yarns. About these Examples 6-9, wiring handling property, winding openability, electric wire insertion property, and flexibility were evaluated. The evaluation results are shown in Table 3 together with Example 1.

  As shown in Table 3, the protective sleeves according to any of the examples were excellent in wiring handling property, winding openability, and electric wire insertion property. Among these, those using flexible nylon as the monofilament and those having a monofilament with a reduced diameter had particularly excellent flexibility. In addition, the winding openability was of a level that passed any of the examples. However, when the diameter of the mandrel used in the test was reduced and re-evaluated, the protective sleeve of Example 9 had the most opening. It was confirmed that it was difficult to open, and then the openings were easily opened in the order of the protective sleeves of Example 7 and Example 8, the protective sleeve of Example 6, and finally the protective sleeve of Example 1.

  According to the method for manufacturing a protective sleeve of the present invention, a protective sleeve that can be attached to an irregularly shaped part or an already attached long part can be produced with excellent productivity. The protective sleeve according to this manufacturing method is suitable as a mechanical protective sleeve, a converging sleeve, an electrical insulating sleeve, a heat-resistant protective sleeve, etc., for example, in automobiles, home appliances, heavy electrical equipment, industrial equipment, measuring equipment, medical equipment, etc. Can be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Protective sleeve 2 Braided sleeve 3 String making machine 4 Fiber yarn 5 Convergent tank 6 Convergent constrictor 7 Heating furnace 8 Guide pulley 9 Blade 10 Molding furnace 11 Winding device

Claims (5)

A method for manufacturing a protective sleeve having an opening continuous in the length direction, wherein a braided machine is used to braid fiber yarn to form a braided sleeve, and the braided sleeve is cut in the length direction to provide the opening, A method for manufacturing a protective sleeve, wherein the protective sleeve is formed into a shape having a reduced diameter by overlapping the openings, and the reduced diameter is maintained by heat treatment. A method for producing a protective sleeve having openings that are continuous in the length direction, comprising a step of braiding fiber yarns with a stringing machine to form a braided sleeve, and applying the converging agent to the braided sleeve; Heat-curing, cutting the braided sleeve in the length direction to provide the opening, overlapping the openings to reduce the diameter of the protective sleeve, and reducing the diameter by heat treatment A method of manufacturing a protective sleeve, comprising a step of maintaining a shape. The overlay ratio represented by the ratio of the length of the overlap portion to the cross-sectional perimeter of the protective sleeve is 10% or more and 50% or less. The manufacturing method of the protection sleeve of Claim 2. The method for producing a protective sleeve according to claim 1, wherein the opening is provided by cutting the braided sleeve in a length direction with a heated blade. The method for producing a protective sleeve according to claim 1, wherein the opening is provided by cutting the braided sleeve in a length direction with a laser.

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