JP2022029548A - Manufacturing method of sheet-like mask - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a manufacturing method of a sheet-like mask in which positional deviation of a functional member is difficult to occur and which has a good appearance.SOLUTION: In a manufacturing method of a sheet-like mask, a composite member 34 is transported so that transportation speed of the composite member on an upstream side becomes slower than transportation speed of the composite member in an outer shape seal part forming step. During a period from a double-folding step to the outer shape seal part forming step, the composite member 34 is pinched by a first roll 51a and a second roll 51b. Portions of the composite member 34, in which functional members 33 are present, pass through small diameter parts 511 in the first roll 51a and the second roll 51b, and both side regions of the portions of the composite member 34, in which the functional members 33 are present, pass through large diameter parts 512 in the first roll 51a and the second roll 51b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a sheet-shaped mask.

Conventionally, as a mask that covers the wearer's mouth and nose, a sheet-shaped mask having a mask body formed of a sheet-shaped material such as a non-woven fabric is known. For example, the applicant has previously proposed a method for manufacturing a sheet-shaped mask including a mask body having a folded structure (see Patent Document 1). In this sheet-shaped mask, heating elements are arranged at symmetrical positions across the fold line in the mask body, and heat is generated from the heating elements when the mask is in use.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-183342

In the sheet-shaped mask described in Patent Document 1, there is a difference in thickness between the portion of the mask body in which the heating element is present and the portion in which the heating element is not present. The reason for this is that the heating element is generally in a bulky state containing powder of an oxidizable metal such as iron powder. Therefore, in the process of manufacturing the sheet-shaped mask through the two-folding step, the thickness difference due to the presence of the heating element also occurs in the sheet-shaped mask being conveyed during the manufacturing process. This difference in thickness contributes to bending, straining, and friction of the sheet-shaped mask being transported during manufacturing. These events hinder the accurate production of the sheet-like mask and the production of the sheet-like mask having a good appearance.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a sheet-shaped mask that can eliminate the drawbacks of the above-mentioned prior art.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention includes a mask body having a structure in which a sheet-like member having a functional member between a first sheet and a second sheet is folded in half and the opposing portions are joined to each other in an outer shape sealing portion. It is a method of manufacturing a shape mask.
A coating portion forming step of applying an adhesive to one surface of a band-shaped first sheet that is continuously transported to form a coating portion, and a coating portion forming step.
In the first bonding step of adhering the functional member to the coating portion,
After the first bonding step, a second bonding step of superimposing and adhering the band-shaped second sheet on the surface side of the band-shaped first sheet on which the functional member is arranged,
In the bi-folding process of folding the composite member formed by the second bonding step in half in the width direction,
The outer seal portion forming step of joining the opposing portions of the composite member folded in half to form the outer seal portion, and the outer seal portion forming step.
After the outer shape sealing portion forming step, the composite member is cut, and the mask main body is cut out.
The composite member is transported so that the transport speed of the composite member on the upstream side of the external seal portion forming step is slower than the transport speed of the composite member in the outer shape seal portion forming step.
Between the two-folding step and the outer shape sealing portion forming step, the composite member is sandwiched by a pressing portion composed of a first roll and a second roll.
Both the first roll and the second roll have a small diameter portion having a relatively small diameter in the central region in the axial direction and a pair of large diameter portions having a relatively large diameter in the lateral region in the axial direction. A stepped roll with a diameter
The first roll and the second roll are arranged so that the small diameter portions and the large diameter portions of the rolls face each other.
When the composite member is pressed by the pressing portion, the portion of the composite member in which the functional member is present passes through the small diameter portion of the first roll and the second roll, and the composite member is provided with the small diameter portion. Both sides of the portion where the functional member is present pass through the large diameter portion of the first roll and the second roll so that the both side portions are sandwiched by the large diameter portion. The above-mentioned problems are solved by providing a method for manufacturing a sheet-shaped mask.

According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, in the process of manufacturing a sheet-shaped mask including a heat-generating body and other functional members, the functional members are less likely to be misaligned, and a sheet-shaped mask having a good appearance is manufactured. Can be done.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a sheet-shaped mask manufactured by the method for manufacturing a sheet-shaped mask of the present invention, and FIG. 1A is a perspective view when the sheet-shaped mask has a three-dimensional shape. FIG. 1B is a plan view of the sheet-shaped mask, and FIG. 1C is a plan view of the sheet-shaped mask in an unfolded state. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1 (b). FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a manufacturing apparatus preferably used in the method for manufacturing a sheet-shaped mask of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the composite member to be conveyed after the outer shape sealing portion forming step according to the method for manufacturing a sheet-shaped mask of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a compression unit provided in the device shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view in the process of manufacturing a sheet-shaped mask using the apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6 in a paper spliced state. FIG. 9 is a plan view in the process of manufacturing a sheet-shaped mask using the apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. 9 in a paper spliced state. FIG. 12 is a graph showing the measurement results of the degree of misalignment of the heating element and the volatility of tension in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1.

Hereinafter, the method for producing a sheet-shaped mask of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings based on the preferred embodiment thereof. In the method for manufacturing the sheet-shaped mask 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the sheet-shaped member 3 having the functional member 33 between the first sheet 31 and the second sheet 32 is folded in half, and the portions facing each other are formed. This is a method of manufacturing a sheet-shaped mask 1 including a mask main body 2 having a structure in which the outer shape sealing portion 5 is joined to each other.

An example of the sheet-shaped mask manufactured by the method for manufacturing the sheet-shaped mask of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 (b). As shown in FIG. 1A, the sheet-shaped mask 1 shown in FIG. 1B includes a mask body 2 that can be deformed into a three-dimensional shape, preferably a cup shape.

In the mask main body 2, the sheet-like member 3 (see FIG. 1 (c)) is folded in half along the bi-folded portion 4. In the bi-folding portion 4, in the bi-folding step described later, the strip-shaped composite member 34, which is the original fabric of the sheet-shaped member 3, is bent along the bi-folding scheduled portion 31a set in the central portion in the width direction thereof. It is formed. Further, in the sheet-shaped member 3 folded in half, the portions facing each other by folding in half are joined to each other in the outer shape sealing portion 5 (see FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b)). The outer shape sealing portion 5 is formed along the outer edge portion of the mask main body 2 in a plan view (see FIG. 1B) when the flat mask main body 2 is viewed from the normal direction of the surface. The outer shape sealing portion 5 is formed so as to be located above and below the bi-folded portion 4 of the mask main body 2, while the sheet-shaped members 3 facing each other are located on the opposite side of the bi-folded portion 4. Has an open outer edge 6 that is not joined. Then, the shape of the mask body 2 can be deformed into a cup shape by moving the open outer edge portions 6 away from each other and deforming the mask body 2 so that a space is formed between the sheet-shaped members 3 facing each other. It is possible (see FIG. 1 (a)). The sheet-shaped mask 1 may be composed of only the mask main body 2, or may be provided with an ear hook portion (not shown) for being worn by hanging on the ear on the mask main body 2. The ear hook portion may be provided by forming a slit in the mask main body 2 into which an ear can be inserted, and an ear hook member such as a separate string or a sheet member having a slit formed may be joined to the mask main body 2. May be provided.

The sheet-like member 3 in the mask main body 2 may be folded in half so that either the first sheet 31 or the second sheet 32 is on the inner side, but in the examples shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), the sheet-like member 3 may be folded in half. In the intermittent coating portion forming step or the continuous coating portion forming step described later, the first sheet 31 side on the side to which the adhesives 71 and 72 are applied is the outside, and the second sheet 32 side on the opposite side is the inside. ing.
The shape of the mask main body 2 is not particularly limited, but in the example shown in FIG. 1, the mask main body 2 has a line-symmetrical shape with the center line CL1 in the direction along the bi-folded portion 4 as the axis of symmetry. There is. Further, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the center line CL1 is a line passing through the center of the intermittent coating portion 41 in the transport direction of the composite member 34, as shown in FIG. 3 described later.

As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet-shaped member 3 has a first sheet 31, a second sheet 32, and a functional member 33 arranged between both sheets 31, 32. An adhesive (not shown) is applied to one side of the first sheet 31, and the functional member 33 and the second sheet 32 are adhered to one side of the first sheet 31 via the adhesive. ing. As the adhesive, various known adhesives and the like can be used, and it is preferable to use a hot melt type adhesive.
The shape of the sheet-shaped member 3 is not particularly limited, but in the example shown in FIG. 1, the sheet-shaped member 3 in the unfolded state has a line-symmetrical plan view shape with the planned bi-folded portion 31a as the axis of symmetry. ing.

Any sheet material can be used as the first sheet 31 and the second sheet 32, and for example, a fiber sheet made of a fiber material such as a non-woven fabric, a woven cloth, or a knitted cloth, a resin film, and a fiber sheet and a resin film. A laminated material, a composite material of these and a net-like member, or the like can be used, but a composite material of a non-woven fabric or a non-woven fabric and another member such as a resin film or a net-like member is preferable. Examples of the nonwoven fabric include air-through nonwoven fabrics, spunbonded nonwoven fabrics, meltblown nonwoven fabrics, spunlaced nonwoven fabrics, and the like, and may have a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure.
The first sheet 31 and the second sheet 32 can use any material depending on the design of the product, and may be a breathable sheet or a non-breathable sheet, respectively, and may have elasticity. It may be non-stretchable. When a heating element having a high vapor dissipating property is used as the functional member, the sheet of the first sheet 31 and the second sheet 32 that is arranged on the inner surface side of the mask body 2 may be breathable. , It is preferable from the viewpoint that the action of the emitted steam is efficiently applied to the body of the user of the sheet-shaped mask.
Examples of the elastic sheet include a sheet containing elastic fibers as constituent fibers, a sheet containing elastic filaments, a sheet exhibiting elasticity due to a structure such as rubber knitting, and the like.

It is preferable that at least one of the first sheet 31 and the second sheet 32 is preferably formed containing heat-sealing fibers. Examples of the heat-bondable fiber include polyolefin fibers such as polyethylene, polypropylene and polyvinyl alcohol, polyester fibers, polyethylene-polypropylene composite fibers, polyethylene-polyester composite fibers, low melting point polyester-polyester composite fibers, and the fiber surface is hydrophilic. Examples thereof include polyvinyl alcohol-polyethylene composite fibers and polyvinyl alcohol-polyethylene composite fibers, which are the properties of the fibers. When a composite fiber is used, either a core-sheath type composite fiber or a side-by-side type composite fiber can be used. These heat-fusing fibers may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

Examples of the functional member 33 include a heating element containing a heat-generating composition, a holder for a cooling sensation agent, a fragrance, and the like. The sheet-shaped mask 1 has a heating element containing a heat-generating composition as a functional member 33. As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the heating element 33 has a breathable sheet 33a, a non-breathable sheet 33b, and a heat generating composition 33c arranged between these sheets 33a and 33b. The heating element 33 is preferably arranged so that the breathable sheet 33a is located on the second sheet 32 side.

The exothermic composition 33c preferably contains an oxidizable metal, a carbon component and water. As the metal to be oxidized, a metal that generates heat of oxidation reaction is preferably used, and examples thereof include one or more powders and fibers selected from iron, aluminum, zinc, manganese, magnesium, and calcium. Among them, iron is preferable from the viewpoint of handleability, safety, manufacturing cost, storage stability and stability, and iron powder is particularly preferable. Examples of the iron powder include reduced iron powder and atomized iron powder. The particle size of the particles of the metal to be oxidized can be, for example, about 0.1 to 300 μm.
The carbon component has at least one function of water retention ability, oxygen supply ability, and catalytic ability, and it is preferable that the carbon component has at least one of these functions. As the carbon component, for example, one or more selected from activated carbon, acetylene black, and graphite can be used. Among these, activated carbon is more preferably used from the viewpoint of easily adsorbing oxygen when wet and keeping the water content in the heating element constant.
The heat-generating composition 33c further contains a water-retaining material, and is preferably excellent in vapor dissipation. Examples of the water-retaining material include high-absorbent polymer (SAP), starch, zeolite, pearlite, vermiculite and the like.

Next, as an embodiment of the method for manufacturing the sheet-shaped mask of the present invention, the method for manufacturing the above-mentioned sheet-shaped mask 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 11.
The method for manufacturing the sheet-shaped mask 1 of the present embodiment includes a coating portion forming step, a first bonding step, a second bonding step, a two-folding step, an outer shape sealing portion forming step, and a cutting step. .. FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a manufacturing apparatus 100 used in the method for manufacturing the sheet-shaped mask 1 of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the coating portion forming step, the adhesive is applied to one surface of the band-shaped first sheet that is continuously conveyed to form the coating portion. The coating portion forming step preferably includes an intermittent coating portion forming step and a continuous coating portion forming step.

In the process of forming the intermittent coating portion, as shown in FIG. 3, the adhesive 71 is transferred to the central region of the width direction Y orthogonal to the transport direction X on one surface of the band-shaped first sheet 31 to be continuously transported. The intermittent coating portion 41 is formed by intermittently applying the coating. The intermittent coating portion 41 is formed intermittently in the central region of the strip-shaped first sheet 31 in the width direction Y along the transport direction X of the first sheet 31 so as to have an interval between them. The intermittent coating portion 41 can be formed continuously or intermittently in the width direction Y of the strip-shaped first sheet 31. The coating pattern of the adhesive 71 in the intermittent coating portion 41 is not particularly limited, and may be applied to the entire area of the intermittent coating portion without gaps, or may be applied in a striped shape, a dot shape, a fiber shape, a grid shape, a mesh shape, or a checkered pattern. It may be patterned, annular, or the like.
The plan view shape of the intermittent coating portion 41 is not particularly limited, but in the illustrated example, the intermittent coating portion 41 has a line-symmetrical plan view shape with the bi-folded portion of the first sheet 31 as the axis of symmetry. ing.

In the continuous coating portion forming step, as shown in FIG. 3, the adhesive 72 is applied to the end region in the width direction Y on one surface of the strip-shaped first sheet 31 to form the continuous coating portion 42. The continuous coating portion 42 conveys the first sheet 31 to each of the two end regions located on both sides of the central region where the intermittent coating portion 41 is formed in the width direction Y of the strip-shaped first sheet 31. It is formed continuously along the direction X.

Either of the steps of forming the intermittent coating portion and the step of forming the continuous coating portion may be performed first, or may be performed at the same time. Further, the adhesives 71 and 72 to be applied in the intermittent coating portion forming step and the continuous coating portion forming step may be the same or different. In this embodiment, the intermittent coating portion forming step and the continuous coating portion forming step are simultaneously performed by the coating portion 11 provided in the manufacturing apparatus 100, and the same adhesives 71 and 72 are applied to one surface of the first sheet. As the coating unit 11, for example, a coating device such as a coater type, a gravure type, a letterpress type, a bead type, or a spray type can be used.

In the first bonding step, as shown in FIG. 3, a functional member 33 such as a heating element (hereinafter referred to as “heating element 33”) is bonded to the coating portion formed in the coating portion forming step. For example, the heating element 33 can be adhered to the intermittent coating portion 41. Specifically, the heating element 33 is arranged on one surface side of the first sheet 31, and a part or the entire surface of the heating element 33 facing the first sheet 31 is adhered to the intermittent coating portion 41. In this embodiment, a portion including the central portion of the heating element 33, more preferably the entire surface of one side of the heating element 33 is adhered to the intermittent coating portion 41.

The second bonding step is performed after the first bonding step. In the second bonding step, as shown in FIG. 3, the strip-shaped second sheet 32 is superposed on the surface side of the strip-shaped first sheet 31 on which the heating element 33 is arranged, and the first sheet 31 and the second sheet are superposed. 32 is adhered via the continuous coating portion 42. It is preferable that the first sheet 31 and the second sheet 32 are overlapped so that the central portions in the width direction Y overlap each other so that the first and second sheets 31 and 32 are overlapped with each other in a plan view. Further, it is preferable that the first sheet 31 and the second sheet 32 have substantially the same length in the width direction Y, and in the second bonding step, both side edges of the first sheet 31 in the width direction Y and the second sheet 31 are second. It is preferable to stack the sheets 31 and 32 so that the both side edges of the sheet 32 in the width direction Y overlap each other in a plan view.
By the second bonding step, a band-shaped composite member 34 in which the heating element 33 is intermittently held in the transport direction X is formed between the band-shaped second sheet 32 and the band-shaped first sheet 31.
The composite member 34 is a member corresponding to the sheet-shaped member 3 in the manufactured sheet-shaped mask 1.

In the bi-folding step, as shown in FIG. 3, the composite member 34 formed in the second bonding step is folded in half in the width direction Y. The position of the two-folded portion in the two-folded step coincides with the position of the two-folded portion 4 in the manufactured sheet-shaped mask 1. In this embodiment, the bi-folding step is performed by the bi-folding guide 12 provided in the manufacturing apparatus 100. The bi-fold guide 12 has an inverted trapezoidal shape in a side view thereof, and has an upper end edge 12a and a lower end edge 12b located above and below in the vertical direction Z. Further, the bi-fold guide 12 is arranged so that its main surface is along the vertical direction Z. In the present embodiment, in the bi-folding step, the lower end edge 12b of the bi-fold guide 12 is brought into contact with the central region of the composite member 34 in the width direction Y from the second sheet 32 side to form a bi-fold base point, and then the composite member is formed. By raising the end regions 34s and 34s on both sides of the width direction Y of 34 until they are in a state along the vertical direction Z, preferably parallel to the vertical direction Z, two along the transport direction X of the composite member 34. Folded.

In the outer shape seal portion forming step, as shown in FIG. 3, the outer shape seal portion 5 is formed on the composite member 34 folded in half in the two-fold step. The outer shape sealing portion 5 is formed by sealing the portions of the composite member 34 that have been folded in half so as to face each other due to the folding in half.
The external seal portion 5 is formed in front of and behind each of the intermittent coating portions 41 in the transport direction X of the composite member 34 folded in half, and the external seal portion 5 is in front of the intermittent coating portion 41 in a plan view of the composite member 34. It has a front seal portion located at the center and a rear seal portion located behind the intermittent coating portion 41.
Examples of the sealing means for forming the outer shape sealing portion 5 include heat welding, ultrasonic welding, high frequency welding and the like. In this embodiment, the outer shape seal portion forming step is performed by the outer shape seal portion forming portion 13 of the manufacturing apparatus 100.

As shown in FIG. 4, the external seal portion 5 is a composite member 34 from the viewpoint of deforming the mask body 2 into a shape along the nose and chin to form a sheet-shaped mask having a good fit to the three-dimensional shape of the face. It is preferable that the distance between the front seal portion 5a and the rear seal portion 5b decreases toward the bi-folded portion 34a in the width direction Y. In the outer seal portion 5 shown in FIG. 4, both the front seal portion 5a and the rear seal portion 5b are intermittently applied from the bi-folded portion 34a side of the composite member 34 toward the end region 34s side of the composite member 34. It is inclined in a direction away from the portion 41. More specifically, the front seal portion 5a is inclined forward in the transport direction X from the bi-fold portion 34a side toward the end region 34s side, and the rear seal portion 5b is inclined from the bi-fold portion 34a side. It is inclined rearward in the transport direction X toward the end region 34s side. The front seal portion 5a and the rear seal portion 5b may be formed line-symmetrically or asymmetrically with the center line CL1 (see FIG. 1) as the axis of symmetry.

The cutting step is performed after the outer shape seal portion forming step. In the cutting step, the composite member 34 is cut to cut out the individual mask main body 2. Specifically, the composite member 34 is cut along the outer seal portion 5 at a position outside the outer seal portion 5 (that is, on the side folded in half 34a) and adjacent to the outer seal portion 5. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the cutting step is performed by the cutting device 14. As the cutting device 14, for example, a rotary cutter provided with cutter rolls 14a and anvil rolls 14b facing each other can be used.

The mask main body 2 cut out by the cutting step may be used as it is as a sheet-shaped mask 1, or may be made into a sheet-shaped mask 1 by adding a slit for ear hooking or an ear hooking member to the mask main body 2 by post-processing. Further, instead of post-processing, between the second bonding process and the two-folding process, an ear hook member that can be separated to the left and right or a pair of left and right ear hook members are joined to the portion to be cut out as the mask body 2. It is also possible to provide a joining process of the members.

In the method for manufacturing the sheet-shaped mask 1 of the present embodiment, both end regions 34s of the composite member 34 shown in FIG. 4 in the width direction Y are continuously sealed between the folding step and the outer shape sealing portion forming step. It is preferable to have a temporary fixing process. The temporary fixing step can be performed by the temporary fixing device 15 provided in the manufacturing apparatus 100 as shown in FIG. Specifically, the temporary fastening device 15 continuously seals both end portions 34s of the composite member 34 folded in half in the transport direction X to form the temporary fastening seal portion 34c (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The temporary fastening seal portion 34c is preferably formed between the side edge 42e of the continuous coating portion 42 and the side edge 34e of the composite member 34. By performing the temporary fastening step, the composite member 34 can be temporarily fastened in a folded state, so that the composite member 34 can be stably maintained in the folded state in the subsequent steps of the double folding step. It is possible to further prevent the members constituting the manufactured sheet-shaped mask 1 from being displaced or the sheet-shaped mask 1 from being twisted.

As shown in FIG. 4, the temporary fastening seal portion 34c is a portion on the side opposite to the bi-folded portion 34a side in the width direction Y of the composite member 34 folded in half by the bi-folding step, and which is not later cut out as the mask main body 2. It is preferable to form the mask because it can prevent foreign matter from entering the inside of the product part and it can be efficiently collected without the members falling apart when the mask body is cut out and then treated as waste.

In the temporary fixing step, the means for sealing both ends 34s of the composite member 34 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include ultrasonic welding, heat welding, high frequency welding, etc. Among these, deformation of the sheet material due to heat is caused. Ultrasonic welding is preferable from the viewpoint of suppression.

As shown in FIG. 3, the method for manufacturing the sheet-shaped mask 1 of the present embodiment follows the transport direction X while transporting the composite member 34 folded in half between the two-folding step and the outer shape sealing portion forming step. It is preferable to have a twisting step of twisting around the axis with the direction as the axial direction. The twisting step is preferably performed after the temporary fastening step described above is completed. In the twisting step, the composite member 34 folded in half is 90 degrees in the transport direction X so that the side surfaces 35 thereof face from both sides in the horizontal direction to the top and bottom in the vertical direction Z. It is preferable to rotate it.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the composite member 34 is introduced between the pair of vertical guide rolls 16a and 16a, and the composite member 34 is sandwiched between the pair of endless belts 16c and 16c while being paired. By transporting the composite member 34 between the horizontal guide rolls 16b and 16b, the composite member 34 is rotated 90 degrees around the axis of the twist with the direction along the transport direction X as the axial direction of twisting.

The target sheet-shaped mask 1 can be obtained by the manufacturing method as described above. By the way, in the above-mentioned manufacturing method, for the purpose of stable transport of the composite member 34, it is advantageous to transport the composite member 34 while pinching it by a pinching portion composed of a pair of rolls. The manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 may be provided with one or more pinching portions. In the manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in the figure, three pressure-holding portions, a first pressure-holding portion 51, a second pressure-holding portion 52, and a third pressure-holding portion 53, are provided. The first pressing portion 51 is provided in the folding process. The second pressing portion 52 is provided on the upstream side of the first pressing portion 51. Specifically, the second pressing portion 52 is provided at a position immediately before the folding process is performed. The third pinching portion 53 is provided on the upstream side of the second pinching portion 52. Specifically, a third pressing portion 53 is provided at the confluence portion between the first sheet 31 and the second sheet 32.

The pressing portions 51, 52, and 53 are so-called nip rolls. A typical nip roll is composed of two smoothing rolls having a constant diameter. On the other hand, in the manufacturing method of the present invention, a general nip roll is not used, but a special nip roll is used to pinch and transport the composite member 34. Hereinafter, the nip roll used in this manufacturing method will be described.

A heating element 33 is arranged on the composite member 34. The heating element 33 is a thick and bulky member containing powder of an oxidizable metal and the like. Therefore, the thickness of the composite member 34 is significantly different between the portion where the heating element 33 is present and the portion where the heating element 33 is not present. In particular, when the composite member 34 is folded in half in the folding process, the two heating elements 33 are overlapped (see FIG. 2), so that the portion where the heating element 33 exists and the heating element 33 exist. The difference in thickness between the non-existing part and the non-existent part becomes more remarkable. When the composite member 34 having such a thickness difference is pressed by using a general nip roll, that is, two smooth rolls having a constant diameter, the composite member 34 is caused by the thickness difference of the composite member 34. The sheets 31 and 32 constituting the above may be bent or distorted, or resistance due to friction may occur. As a result, the tension of the composite member 34 in the transport process tends to fluctuate, which causes the position shift of the heating element 33. Since the heating element 33 is bonded to the first sheet 31 and / or the second sheet 32 with an adhesive as described above, an absolute misalignment occurs with respect to the first sheet 31 and the second sheet 32. do not have. The misalignment here means that the entire composite member 34 including the heating element 33 and the first and second sheets 31, 32 unintentionally advances to the upstream side or the downstream side due to a fluctuation in tension or the like. It means that the actual forming position of the external seal portion shifts from the planned position to the upstream side or the downstream side. If the position of the heating element 33 does not shift, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), the position of the heating element 33 is vertically symmetrical with respect to the center line CL1, whereas the position of the heating element 33 shifts. When this occurs, the arrangement position of the heating element 33 becomes vertically asymmetric with respect to the center line CL1. This contributes to the deterioration of the appearance of the sheet-shaped mask. Therefore, in the present invention, a pair of rolls composed of the first roll 51a and the second roll 51b having the shape shown in FIG. 5 is arranged in the first pressing portion 51. As shown in the figure, both the first roll 51a and the second roll 51b are stepped rolls.

In both the first roll 51a and the second roll 51b, the small diameter portion 511 having a relatively small diameter in the central region in the axial direction and the lateral region in the axial direction have a relatively large diameter. It is provided with a pair of large diameter portions 512.
The width of the small diameter portion 511 in the first roll 51a and the width of the small diameter portion 511 in the second roll 51b are the same. Further, the width of the large diameter portion 512 in the first roll 51a and the width of the large diameter portion 512 in the second roll 51b are the same. The diameter of the small diameter portion 511 in the first roll 51a and the diameter of the small diameter portion 511 in the second roll 51b may be the same or different. The diameter of the large diameter portion 512 in the first roll 51a and the diameter of the large diameter portion 512 in the second roll 51b may be the same or different.
When the first roll 51a and the second roll 51b are arranged so that their axes are parallel to each other and the small diameter portions 511 and the large diameter portions 512 of the rolls 51a and 51b face each other, as shown in FIG. , A space S is created between the peripheral surfaces of the small diameter portions 511 of the rolls 51a and 51b. Each of the rolls 51a and 51b is connected to a drive source (not shown), and the rotational force from the drive source is transmitted so that the rolls 51a and 51b can rotate along the transport direction X.

The method of pinching the composite member 34 by the first pinching portion 51 provided with the first roll 51a and the second roll 51b is as follows. When the composite member 34 is pressed by the first pressing portion 51, the portion of the composite member 34 where the heating element 33 is present passes through the small diameter portion 511 of the rolls 51a and 51b. This portion is a thick portion of the composite member 34. At the same time, both sides of the composite member 34 where the heating element 33 is present, that is, the portions where the heating element 33 is not present in the composite member 34 pass through the large diameter portions 512 of the rolls 51a and 51b on both sides. The region is pinched by the large diameter portion 512. Both sides of the heating element 33 are small parts of the composite member 34.

The length L1 of the small diameter portion 511 along the axial direction so that the portion of the composite member 34 where the heating element 33 exists can smoothly pass through the small diameter portion 511 of the first roll 51a and the second roll 51b (FIG. FIG. 5) is preferably longer than the length of the heating element 33 in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction X.

When the composite member 34 is pressed by the first pressing portion 51 in the above manner, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the portion of the composite member 34 where the heating element 33, which is a thick portion, is present is present. Since it passes through the space S generated between the peripheral surfaces of the small diameter portions 511 of the rolls 51a and 51b, it is unlikely that a large resistance is generated during the passage. On the other hand, since the thickness of both side regions of the portion of the composite member 34 where the heating element 33 is present is small, the large diameter portions 512 of the rolls 51a and 51b are sandwiched between the rolls 51a and 51b without causing a large resistance. As a result, the sheets 31 and 32 constituting the composite member 34 are less likely to be bent or distorted, and resistance due to friction is less likely to occur. Therefore, the fluctuation of the tension applied to the composite member 34 during the transportation of the composite member 34 is suppressed, the positional deviation of the heating element 33 is effectively prevented, and the finally obtained sheet-shaped mask 1 has a good appearance. It will be a thing.

The above-mentioned advantages become more remarkable when joining the strip-shaped first sheet 31 or the second sheet. The first sheet or the second sheet is processed by feeding out a roll-shaped raw fabric, and when the raw fabric is consumed, it is necessary to replace it with the next new raw fabric. At this time, the operation of joining the end portion of the old raw fabric being conveyed and the tip end portion of the new original fabric with a joining member such as a splicing tape and continuously conveying the sheet is generally called "paper joint" or simply "joint".
The state when the first sheet 31 or the second sheet is connected will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the strip-shaped first sheet 31 is joined by another first sheet 31'. In the figure, a state in which another first sheet 31'to be newly used is joined to the outer surface of the first sheet 31 previously used via a splicing tape ST is shown. In this state, the number of members constituting the composite member 34 is larger than that in the state shown in FIG. 7 described above, so that the thickness of the portion where the heating element 33 is present is increased by that amount. There is. Even in such a case, the increase in thickness is absorbed by the space S generated between the peripheral surfaces of the small diameter portions 511 of the rolls 51a and 51b, so that the locations where the sheets 31 and 31'are joined. Can suppress an increase in resistance when passing through the first pressing portion 51.

From the viewpoint of reducing the resistance when the composite member 34 is pressed by the first pressing portion 51, the distance between the peripheral surfaces of the small diameter portions 511 of the rolls 51a and 51b is set to D1, and the composite member in a folded state is set to D1. When the thickness at the site where the heating element 33 is present in 34 is T1, the value of T1 / D1 is preferably 0.8 or more, more preferably 0.85 or more, and 0.9 or more. It is more preferable to have. Further, the value of T1 / D1 is preferably less than 1, more preferably 0.97 or less, and even more preferably 0.95 or less. Further, the value of T1 / D1 is preferably 0.8 or more and less than 1, more preferably 0.85 or more and 0.97 or less, and further preferably 0.9 or more and 0.95 or less. The thickness T1 is a value measured using a pneumatic regulator under a state where a pressure of 0.2 MPa is applied to the composite member 34 in a folded state.

The above has been described for the first pinching section 51, and then the second pinching section 52 and the third pinching section 53 will be described. Since the configuration of the third pinching portion 53 is the same as the configuration of the second pinching portion 52, the description of the second pinching section 52 will be replaced with the description of the third pinching section 53.

Similar to the first pressing portion 51 described above, the second pressing portion 52 includes a first roll 52a and a second roll 52b, both of which are made of stepped rolls, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. There is. Each of the rolls 52a and 52b has a small diameter portion 521 having a relatively small diameter in the central region in the axial direction and a pair of large diameters having a relatively large diameter in the lateral region in the axial direction. It is provided with a unit 522. Each of the rolls 52a and 52b is connected to a drive source (not shown), and the rotational force from the drive source is transmitted so that the rolls 52a and 52b can rotate along the transport direction X.

The method of pinching the composite member 34 by the second pinching portion 52 provided with the first roll 52a and the second roll 52b, which are stepped rolls, is as follows. As described above, since the second pressing portion 52 is arranged immediately before the folding process, the composite member 34 passing through the second pressing portion 52 is in a state before being folded in half. That is, the composite member 34 has two rows of heating elements R and R composed of a plurality of heating elements 33 intermittently arranged along the transport direction X along the width direction Y. When the composite member 34 in such a state is pressed by the second pressing portion 52, the portions where the two heating elements 33 juxtaposed along the width direction Y are present are the first roll 52a and the second roll. It is made to pass through the small diameter portion 521 in 52b. At the same time, the portion of the composite member 34 in which the heating element 33 does not exist in both side regions in the width direction Y passes through the large diameter portion 522 in the first roll 52a and the second roll 52b so that the portion has a large diameter. It is made to be pinched by the portion 522.

In order to allow the portion of the composite member 34 where the two heating elements 33 juxtaposed along the width direction Y are present to smoothly pass through the small diameter portion 521 of the first roll 52a and the second roll 52b. The length L2 (see FIG. 9) of the small diameter portion 521 along the axial direction may be made longer than the sum of the lengths of the two heating elements 33 in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction X and the distance between the heating elements 33. preferable.

When the composite member 34 is pressed by the second pressing portion 52 in the above manner, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the composite member 34 is juxtaposed along the width direction Y, which is a thick portion of the composite member 34. Since the portion where the two heating elements 33 are present passes through the space created between the peripheral surfaces of the small diameter portion 521, a large resistance is unlikely to occur during the passage. On the other hand, in the composite member 34, the portion where the heating element 33 does not exist in both side regions in the width direction Y has a small thickness, so that the composite member 34 is pinched by the large diameter portions 522 in each of the rolls 52a and 52b without causing a large resistance. To. As a result, the sheets 31 and 32 constituting the composite member 34 are less likely to be bent or distorted, and resistance due to friction is less likely to occur. Therefore, the fluctuation of the tension applied to the composite member 34 during the transportation of the composite member 34 is suppressed, the positional deviation of the heating element 33 is effectively prevented, and the finally obtained sheet-shaped mask 1 has a good appearance. It will be a thing.

The above-mentioned advantages become more remarkable when joining the strip-shaped first sheet 31 or the second sheet. This has been described above with reference to FIG. 8, but will be described with reference to FIG. 11 just in case. FIG. 11 shows a state in which the strip-shaped first sheet 31 is joined by another first sheet 31'. In the figure, a state in which another first sheet 31 ′ to be newly used is joined to the outer surface of the first sheet 31 previously used via a splicing tape ST is shown. In this state, the number of members constituting the composite member 34 is larger than that in the state shown in FIG. 10, so that the thickness of the portion where the heating element 33 is present is increased by that amount. Even in such a case, the increase in thickness is absorbed by the space S generated between the small diameter portions 521 in each of the rolls 52a and 52b, so that the portion where the sheets 31 and 31'is connected is the second. It is possible to suppress an increase in resistance when passing through the pinching portion 52.

From the viewpoint of reducing the resistance when the composite member 34 is pressed by the second pressing portion 52, the distance between the small diameter portions 521 in each of the rolls 52a and 52b is set to D2, and the composite member 34 in the state before being folded in half. When the thickness at the site where the heating element 33 is present is T2, the value of T2 / D2 is preferably 0.8 or more, more preferably 0.85 or more, and 0.9 or more. Is even more preferable. Further, the value of T2 / D2 is preferably less than 1, more preferably 0.97 or less, and even more preferably 0.95 or less. Further, the value of T2 / D2 is preferably 0.8 or more and less than 1, more preferably 0.85 or more and 0.97 or less, and further preferably 0.9 or more and 0.95 or less. The thickness T2 is a value measured using a pneumatic regulator under a state where a pressure of 0.2 MPa is applied to the composite member 34 in the state before being folded in half.

As described above, the apparatus 100 used in the present manufacturing method is provided with three pressing portions of the first to third pressing portions 51, 52, 53 as the pressing portions, and the result of the study by the present inventor. From the viewpoint of preventing the position shift of the heating element, the composite member 34 is pressed by a pair of stepped rolls, that is, the first pressing portion 51 is used between the folding step and the outer shape sealing portion forming step. Turned out to be the most effective. In particular, it has been found that it is very effective to sandwich the composite member 34 with a pair of stepped rolls in the process of performing the folding process. Therefore, in the manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1, if the rolls constituting the first pressing portion 51 are a pair of stepped rolls, the rolls constituting the second pressing portion 52 and the third pressing portion 53 are It may be a normal pair of anvil rolls. However, from the viewpoint of keeping the tension applied to the composite member 34 during transportation as constant as possible and minimizing the occurrence of misalignment of the heating element 33, the rolls constituting the second pinching section 52 and the third pinching section 53 are formed. Also, it is desirable to have a pair of stepped rolls.

The "between the two-folding process and the outer shape sealing portion forming step" is a process from the time when the composite member 34 is started to be folded in half to the completion of the formation of the outer shape sealing portion. As described above, a temporary fastening step and a twisting step may be performed between the bi-folding step and the outer shape sealing portion forming step, but the first pressing portion may be provided in the bi-folding step during transportation. It is advantageous because the tension applied to the composite member 34 of the above is less likely to fluctuate.

Each of the rolls constituting the first to third pressing portions 51, 52, and 53 described above is connected to a drive source (not shown), and the rotational force from the drive source is transmitted to the transport direction X. It can rotate along. Therefore, by controlling the rotation speed of each roll, the transport speed of the composite member 34 can be adjusted, and the tension applied to the composite member 34 can be adjusted. The adjustment of the tension applied to the composite member 34 contributes to the stable transport of the composite member 34, which in turn leads to the suppression of the occurrence of misalignment of the heating element 33. As a result of the examination by the present inventor from this viewpoint, the composite member 34 is transported so that the transport speed V2 of the composite member 34 in the bi-folding process is slower than the transport speed V1 of the composite member 34 in the outer shape sealing portion forming step. It turned out to be advantageous to do. In particular, when V1 is 100, it is preferable to transport the composite member 34 so that V2 is 99.5 or more and 99.9 or less, and the composite member 34 is 99.6 or more and 99.8 or less. It is more preferable to carry it.

Further, it is also possible to transport the composite member 34 so that the transport speed V3 of the composite member 34 upstream of the first bonding step is slower than the transport speed V2 of the composite member in the bi-folding process. It is advantageous from the viewpoint of stable transportation. In particular, when V1 is 100, it is preferable to transport the composite member 34 so that V3 is 98.6 or more and 99.4 or less, and the composite member 34 is 98.8 or more and 99.2 or less. It is more preferable to carry it.

The present manufacturing method may include an image measurement step of measuring the arrangement position of the heating element 33 on the composite member 34 by image processing after the external seal portion forming step. In order to perform the image measurement step, in the manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1, the image pickup means 60 is arranged at a position downstream from the outer shape seal portion forming step, and the sheet-shaped mask 1 is photographed by the image pickup means 60. The captured data is image-processed by an image processing device (not shown), and the position of the heating element 33 in the sheet-shaped mask 1 is measured.

It is advantageous to measure the position of the heating element 33 in the sheet-shaped mask 1 in combination with the defective product discharging process performed downstream of the image measuring process. Specifically, in the image processing apparatus, it is determined whether the arrangement position of the heating element 33 measured in the image measurement step is within the allowable range or out of the allowable range with respect to the appropriate arrangement position. .. When it is determined that the arrangement position of the heating element 33 is out of the allowable range with respect to the proper arrangement position, the image processing apparatus captures an emission signal for discharging the corresponding sheet-shaped mask to the outside of the production line. It is transmitted to a defective product discharging unit (not shown) installed downstream of the means 60. This effectively prevents defective products from being mixed into the product.

In relation to performing the image measurement step, it is also advantageous to control the transport speed of the composite member 34 according to the arrangement position of the heating element 33 measured in the image measurement step. The transport speed of the composite member 34 is the rotation speed of the driving means (for example, the first to third pressing portions 51, 52, 53, etc.) of the composite member 34 provided in the manufacturing apparatus 100, which is emitted from the image processing device. It can be adjusted by receiving a signal. Specifically, if the position of the heating element 33 arranged on the sheet-shaped mask 1 is too biased to the downstream side with respect to the center line CL1 (see FIG. 1), the transport speed can be increased. It is advantageous. On the other hand, if the position of the heating element 33 is too biased to the upstream side with respect to the center line CL1 (see FIG. 1), it is advantageous to reduce the transport speed.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the preferred embodiment thereof, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the case where a heating element is used as the functional member is taken as an example, but the use of a functional member other than the heating element is not hindered at all.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail by way of examples. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to such examples.

[Example 1]
A sheet-shaped mask was manufactured using the manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in FIG.
A pair of stepped rolls were used in the pressing portions 51, 52, and 53.
In each of the pressing portions 51, 52, 53, the ratio of the thickness at the portion where the heating element is present in the composite member in the folded state to the distance between the peripheral surfaces of the small diameter portions in the pair of stepped rolls. Was 0.91.
The relationship between the transport speed V1 of the composite member in the external seal portion forming step, the transport speed V2 of the composite member in the bi-folding step, and the transport speed V3 of the composite member 34 upstream from the first bonding step is when V1 is 100. In addition, V2 was set to 99.8 and V3 was set to 99.0.
The degree of misalignment of the heating element in the sheet-shaped mask thus obtained was evaluated by measuring the amount of deviation from the center line CL1 shown in FIG. 1 (b). Further, the tension of the composite member during transportation was measured at the position between the first pressing portion 51 and the second pressing portion 52 in FIG. 3, and the volatility was calculated. The fluctuation rate is a value defined by the standard deviation / mean value. The standard deviation calculation section is 1 minute before and after the paper splicing (2 minutes in total), and the average value calculation section is 2 minutes after the paper splicing. did. The results are shown in FIG.

[Comparative Example 1]
In Example 1, a combination of a pair of anvil rolls having a constant diameter was used for the first pressing portion 51. Other than that, the degree of misalignment of the heating element and the volatility of tension were measured in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shown in FIG.

As is clear from the results shown in FIG. 12, in Example 1, the fluctuation in tension during transporting the composite member is smaller than in Comparative Example 1, and as a result, the position of the heating element is less likely to shift. You can see that it is.

1 Sheet-shaped mask 2 Mask body 4 Folded part 5 External seal part 31 1st sheet 32 2nd sheet 33 Functional member (heating element)
34 Composite member 41 Intermittent coating part 42 Continuous coating part 51 First compression part 51a First roll (stepped roll)
51b 2nd roll (stepped roll)
52 2nd pinching part 53 3rd pinching part 71,72 Adhesive X Transport direction Y Width direction of 1st sheet Z Vertical direction

Claims (7)

Manufacture of a sheet-shaped mask including a mask body having a structure in which a sheet-shaped member having a functional member between the first sheet and the second sheet is folded in half and the facing portions are joined to each other in the outer sealing portion. It ’s a method,
A coating portion forming step of applying an adhesive to one surface of a band-shaped first sheet that is continuously transported to form a coating portion, and a coating portion forming step.
In the first bonding step of adhering the functional member to the coating portion,
After the first bonding step, a second bonding step of superimposing and adhering the band-shaped second sheet on the surface side of the band-shaped first sheet on which the functional member is arranged,
In the bi-folding process of folding the composite member formed by the second bonding step in half in the width direction,
The outer seal portion forming step of joining the opposing portions of the composite member folded in half to form the outer seal portion, and the outer seal portion forming step.
After the outer shape sealing portion forming step, the composite member is cut, and the mask main body is cut out.
The composite member is transported so that the transport speed of the composite member on the upstream side of the external seal portion forming step is slower than the transport speed of the composite member in the outer shape seal portion forming step.
Between the two-folding step and the outer shape sealing portion forming step, the composite member is sandwiched by a pressing portion composed of a first roll and a second roll.
Both the first roll and the second roll have a small diameter portion having a relatively small diameter in the central region in the axial direction and a pair of large diameter portions having a relatively large diameter in the lateral region in the axial direction. A stepped roll with a diameter
The first roll and the second roll are arranged so that the small diameter portions and the large diameter portions of the rolls face each other.
When the composite member is pressed by the pressing portion, the portion of the composite member in which the functional member is present passes through the small diameter portion of the first roll and the second roll, and the composite member is provided with the small diameter portion. Both sides of the portion where the functional member is present pass through the large diameter portion of the first roll and the second roll so that the both side portions are sandwiched by the large diameter portion. A method for manufacturing a sheet-shaped mask. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the composite member is pressed by the pressing portion in the two-folding step. The production according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the composite member is transported so that the transport speed of the composite member in the two-folding step is slower than the transport speed of the composite member in the outer shape seal portion forming step. Method. The production according to claim 3, wherein the composite member is transported so that the transport speed of the composite member upstream of the first bonding step is slower than the transport speed of the composite member in the two-folding step. Method. The manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an image measurement step of measuring the arrangement position of the functional member in the composite member by image processing after the outer shape seal portion forming step. The manufacturing method according to claim 5, wherein the transport speed of the composite member is controlled according to the arrangement position of the functional member measured in the image measurement step. When the arrangement position of the functional member measured in the image measurement step is out of the permissible range with respect to the proper arrangement position, the sheet-shaped mask having the functional member which is out of the permissible range is produced on the production line. The manufacturing method according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising a defective product discharging process for discharging to the outside.

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