JP5927936B2 - Elastic body unit and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an elastic body unit and a manufacturing method thereof.

  Conventionally, as an elastic unit in which a thermoplastic elastomer member is fixed to a sheet-like member, the thermoplastic elastomer is dissolved in a solvent to form an adhesive, and the adhesive is applied to the sheet-like member to form the thermoplastic elastomer member and the sheet-like member. There are those with bonded members. Also, there is a type in which a thermoplastic elastomer member is injected and bonded to a sheet-like member after the sheet-like member is set in a mold. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-339484 A

  However, since the elastic body unit of Patent Document 1 applies an adhesive in which a thermoplastic elastomer is dissolved in a solvent and adheres it to the sheet-like member, the solvent contained in the adhesive volatilizes during the operation of applying the adhesive. As a result, the viscosity of the adhesive increases, so that it is difficult for the adhesive to enter the fine irregularities of the adhesive surface of the sheet-like member, and there is a problem in that the adhesive force is reduced. Further, in the method of fixing the thermoplastic elastomer member to the sheet-like member by insert molding, the size, shape and heat resistance of the sheet-like member can be restricted because the sheet-like member is set in the mold. There is a problem that it is expensive to manufacture the mold.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is excellent in fixing force when fixing a thermoplastic elastomer member to a sheet-like member, and there is no restriction on the size, shape, and heat resistance of the sheet-like member. An object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive elastic unit and a method for manufacturing the same.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an elastic unit in which a thermoplastic elastomer member having elasticity is fixed to a sheet-like member having a plurality of through holes, wherein the thermoplastic elastomer member is the sheet-like member. A first step of contacting one side of the member, a second step of passing the thermoplastic elastomer member through the through hole to form the protruding portion protruding to the other side of the sheet-like member, and the through hole A third step of connecting at least two adjacent projecting portions projecting from .

The second problem-solving means of the present invention is the third step, wherein a heat plate having a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point of the thermoplastic elastomer member is brought into contact with the protruding portion protruding to the other side of the sheet-like member. This is a manufacturing method in which the protrusions are connected by heating and melting .

When the elastic body unit of the present invention fixes the thermoplastic elastomer member to the sheet-like member,
The thermoplastic elastomer member has a protruding portion that protrudes to the other side of the sheet-like member, and the protruding portion has an excellent fixing force because at least two adjacent protruding portions are connected to each other. There are no restrictions on the size, shape, and heat resistance of the member, and it is less expensive than the conventional one.

  In the method of manufacturing an elastic body unit, the first step of bringing the thermoplastic elastomer member into contact with one side of the sheet-like member, and passing the thermoplastic elastomer member through the through-hole, Since the manufacturing method includes a second step of forming the protruding portion protruding to the other side and a third step of connecting at least two adjacent protruding portions protruding from the through hole, thermoplasticity When the elastomer member is fixed to the sheet-like member, an elastic body unit that is excellent in fixing force and has no restrictions on the size, shape, and heat resistance of the sheet-like member can be manufactured.

  In addition, since an adhesive containing a volatile solvent is not used, the solvent does not volatilize and an exhaust facility necessary for the bonding work place is unnecessary. Furthermore, a drying facility for drying the adhesive is not necessary. Therefore, the manufacturing process can be simplified and the manufacturing cost is low.

  Moreover, the elastic body unit can be used as a mattress that is less expensive than the conventional one.

It is sectional drawing of the mattress explaining embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of an elastic body unit, (a) is a top view, (b) is a side view. It is explanatory drawing before a thermoplastic elastomer member and a sheet-like member contact | abut, (a) is sectional drawing, (b) is a bottom view. It is explanatory drawing which made the thermoplastic elastomer member protrude on the other side of a sheet-like member, (a) is sectional drawing, (b) is a bottom view, (c) is an enlarged view of the A section. It is explanatory drawing which fixes the thermoplastic elastomer member and the said sheet-like member which were heat-melted, (a) is sectional drawing, (b) is a bottom view, (c) is an enlarged view of the B section.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a mattress 100 illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. The mattress 100 includes three elastic body units 1, a base portion 2, a quilt portion 3, a front fabric portion 4, a bottom fabric portion (not shown), and the like. A concave portion is provided in the vicinity of the upper center of the base portion 2, and three elastic body units 1 are inserted into the concave portion. The upper part and the side part of the base part 2 in which the elastic body unit 1 is inserted are covered with a quilt part 3. The upper part and the side part of the quilt part 3 are covered with a top cloth part 4, a bottom cloth part (not shown) is provided on the lower side of the base part 2, and the top cloth part 4 and the bottom cloth part are connected with a fastener (not shown). Has been. The quilt portion 3, the front fabric portion 4, and the bottom fabric portion (not shown) form the exterior of the mattress 100. The base part 2 and the quilt part 3 are made of foamed urethane, and the top cloth part 4 and the bottom cloth part (not shown) are made of synthetic fiber fabric. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of the elastic body unit 1 ( a) is a plan view, and (b) is a side view. The elastic body unit 1 includes a flat plate-shaped pedestal portion 5, a large number of columnar members 6 erected on the flat plate of the pedestal portion 5, and a cover 7 that covers the whole. The pedestal portion 5 is formed of urethane foam, and the columnar member 6 is formed of a low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin molded product. The low-hardness elastomer resin molded product used in the embodiment is a styrene-based elastomer resin molded product, which is a molded product containing oil in a styrene-based base polymer. As the material of the thermoplastic elastomer member, a styrene elastomer resin is used, but an elastomer resin such as urethane or ethylene may be used. The columnar members 6 of the embodiment are cylindrical and arranged in a staggered manner, but the shape and arrangement are not particularly limited.

  3A and 3B are explanatory views before the low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 (thermoplastic elastomer member) and the stainless steel wire mesh 9 (sheet-like member) come into contact with each other. FIG. 3A is a sectional view, and FIG. It is. (A) is a state before the low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 comes into contact with a stainless mesh 9 having a mesh size of about 4 mm. (B), the low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 for fixing to the stainless steel wire mesh 9 is located in the center part of the stainless steel wire mesh 9. In the embodiment, a stainless steel wire mesh is used as the sheet-like member, but a metal or a resin plate may be used, and the material is arbitrary. However, the softening point of the sheet-like member must be higher than the softening point of the thermoplastic elastomer member to be assembled.

  4A and 4B are explanatory views in which the low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 is protruded on the opposite surface 12 (the other side of the sheet member) of the stainless steel wire mesh 9, wherein FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. (C) is an enlarged view of the A part. (A) The low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 is in contact with a 5-mesh stainless steel wire mesh 9 at the contact surface 11 (one side of the sheet member) and passes between the meshes of the stainless steel wire mesh 9 (through hole 9a). A plurality of projecting portions 13 are formed by projecting toward the opposite surface 12 located opposite to the contact surface 11. In (b), a plurality of low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin members 8 are filled in the central portion of the stainless steel wire mesh 9. The hardness of the material used as the thermoplastic elastomer member is preferably Asker FP1 to JIS A40. If it is smaller than Asker FP1, there is a risk of causing a problem that the three-dimensional shape cannot be maintained as an elastic body. If it is larger than JIS A40, there is a possibility that a problem that the displacement along the body shape of the user cannot be made occurs when used as a mattress. (C) is filled with the low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 between the meshes of the stainless steel wire mesh 9, and protrudes toward the opposite surface 12 to form a plurality of protrusions 13.

  FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory views for fixing the thermoplastic elastomer member heated and melted to the sheet-like member, wherein FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view, FIG. 5B is a bottom view, and FIG. 5C is an enlarged view of a portion B. . In (a), the protruding portion 13 of the low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 protruding from the stainless wire mesh 9 is heated and melted by the hot plate 10 to be uniform. In (b), a low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 fixed to the central part of the stainless steel wire mesh 9 is located. In (c), the protruding portion 13 of the low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 protruding to the opposite surface 12 side is heated and melted uniformly, and is fixed to the stainless steel wire mesh 9 by the connecting portion 14. Note that at least one of the low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin members 8 protruding toward the opposite surface 12 may be connected by being heated and melted and fixed to the stainless steel wire mesh 9.

  Below, the manufacturing method of the elastic body unit by embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

  In FIG. 4, the low hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 is brought into contact with the stainless steel wire mesh 9 at the contact surface 11, and further pressed in the C direction so that the low hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin is placed on the opposite surface 12 side of the stainless steel wire mesh 9. The member 8 is protruded to form a plurality of protrusions 13. Since the low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 is softened when heated, it may be easily projected to the opposite surface 12 side of the stainless steel wire mesh 9. Here, when the thermoplastic elastomer resin member is molded, an uneven shape is formed on the surface to be brought into contact with the sheet-like member, and the thermoplastic elastomer resin member is formed when this portion is penetrated through the through-hole of the sheet-like member. The hardness need not be low.

  In FIG. 5, a hot plate 10 having a temperature of 150 ° C. or higher, which is equal to or higher than the softening point of the low hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8, is brought into contact with the opposite surface 12 side of the stainless steel wire mesh 9, thereby protruding the low hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8. The protrusion 13 is heated and melted uniformly. By this process, at least two adjacent protrusions 13 are joined by melting to form a connecting part 14. Thereafter, the hot plate 10 is allowed to cool to the softening point or less in a state where the hot plate 10 is in contact with the protruding portion 13, and the low hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 and the stainless steel wire mesh 9 are fixed to each other to remove the hot plate 10. The thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 and the stainless steel wire mesh 9 are fixed. As described above, a plurality of the low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 and the stainless steel wire mesh 9 fixed are manufactured to manufacture an elastic unit.

  Next, effects of the elastic body unit, the mattress, and the manufacturing method thereof according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The elastic body unit 1 of the present invention has a protruding portion 13 of the low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 that protrudes to the opposite surface 12 side of the stainless wire mesh 9 when the low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 is fixed to the stainless wire mesh 9. Since at least one or more of them are connected by heating and melting, they have excellent fixing force, are not restricted in the size, shape and heat resistance of the stainless steel wire mesh 9, and are less expensive than conventional ones.

  In the method of manufacturing the elastic body unit 1, the first step of bringing the low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 into contact with the contact surface 11 of the stainless steel wire mesh 9, and the low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 to the stainless steel wire 9 A second step of forming the protruding portion 13 protruding through the plurality of through holes 9a and protruding from the opposite surface 12 of the stainless steel wire mesh 9, and at least two adjacent protruding portions 13 protruding from the through holes 9a. A third step of connecting the elastic body unit, and when fixing the low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 to the stainless steel wire mesh 9, the fixing power is excellent, the size of the stainless steel wire mesh 9, The elastic body unit 1 with no restriction in shape and heat resistance can be manufactured.

  In addition, since an adhesive containing a volatile solvent is not used, the solvent does not volatilize and an exhaust facility necessary for the bonding work place is unnecessary. Furthermore, a drying facility for drying the adhesive is not necessary. Therefore, the manufacturing process can be simplified, the assembly time is shortened, and the manufacturing cost is low.

The elastic body unit of the present invention is composed only of the low-hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member 8 and the stainless steel wire mesh 9 as compared with the case where the adhesive is used, which is partially hardened by the hardening of the adhesive application portion. Therefore, it has flexibility and excellent overall cushioning properties.

  This fixing method can fix thermoplastic elastomer resin members individually, so it can be fixed even if the shape of the thermoplastic elastomer resin member is different, and it can be melted even if thermoplastic elastomer resin members of different materials are mixed It is.

  Moreover, it can be used as a cheap mattress provided with the elastic body unit 1 as compared with the conventional one.

  Although the mattress was described in the embodiment, the elastic body unit of the present invention can be used as a wheelchair, a seat laid on a seat portion of an automobile, and the like. The mattress can be used while attached to a bed, or it can be used alone as a nursing seat.

1 Elastic body unit 8 Low hardness thermoplastic elastomer resin member (thermoplastic elastomer member)
9 Stainless steel wire mesh (sheet-like member)
9a Through hole 10 Hot plate 11 Contact surface (one side of sheet-like member)
12 Opposite side (the other side of the sheet-like member)
13 Protruding part 14 Connecting part

Claims (2)

In the method of manufacturing an elastic body unit in which a thermoplastic elastomer member having elasticity is fixed to a sheet-like member having a plurality of through holes,
  A first step of bringing the thermoplastic elastomer member into contact with one side of the sheet-like member;
  A second step of forming the protruding portion that protrudes to the other side of the sheet-like member by passing the thermoplastic elastomer member through the through hole;
  And a third step of connecting at least two adjacent protruding portions protruding from the through hole. In the third step, the protruding portion protruding to the other side of the sheet-like member is brought into contact with a hot plate having a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point of the thermoplastic elastomer member, thereby heating and melting the protruding portion. The method for producing an elastic body unit according to claim 1, wherein:

Images