JP6282972B2 - Cotton ball and cotton swab manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to improvement of cotton balls and swabs using polyester fibers.

  Cotton swabs are widely used in medical settings and homes, and have a wide range of uses such as collecting bacterial specimens and applying disinfectant. The material of the cotton balls forming these cotton swabs has a great influence on the amount of absorption of the disinfecting liquid in the cotton ball part, for example, when the cotton ball part is immersed in the disinfecting liquid.

  Generally, cotton swabs having cotton balls using polyester fibers are widely used. The fiber material made of rayon or cotton has wrinkles on the surface and has a high liquid absorption rate, but the polyester fiber has no wrinkles on the surface and has a low liquid absorption rate. In this case, if the cotton ball can absorb a large amount of the disinfecting solution, the disinfecting solution can be reliably applied to the affected area with a single application, so that the liquid absorption rate of the polyester fiber is improved conventionally. It was requested.

  In addition, when a cotton ball is soaked in a disinfectant solution to absorb the disinfectant solution and applied to the affected area, the drug component of the disinfectant solution can be efficiently applied without waste, and more of the drug component once absorbed into the cotton ball It is desirable to be released to the affected area.

  However, in the cotton ball part of the conventional rayon or cotton swab, a part of the absorbed chemical component of the disinfectant solution is adsorbed by the cotton ball part, and the adsorbed drug component is absorbed in the cotton ball part. Since it is not released to the outside and does not come into contact with the affected area, it causes a loss, so it has been necessary to take measures such as adjusting the drug concentration of the disinfectant solution in advance.

  However, some people have drug hypersensitivity or allergic diseases to specific disinfectants, and attention is particularly paid to the concentration when used. As described above, if it is possible to improve the current situation of using the amount of drug components more than the amount necessary for the original disinfection, it is possible to reduce the cost of the disinfectant drug, for example, the amount used and the use The concentration can be reduced and the treatment can be performed more safely.

In the case of cotton balls made of polyester fiber, the adsorption rate of the drug component is lower than in the case of cotton balls made of rayon or cotton, but conventionally, the drug adsorption rate of cotton balls made of polyester fiber can be further reduced. It was desired.
From this point of view, the applicant of the present patent investigated patent documents and extracted the following documents.

However, the above Patent Document 1 does not disclose contents such as the amount of absorption of the disinfecting solution and the absorption of the drug component of the disinfecting solution. In Patent Document 2, a fiber-forming resin is used as a sheath part and a polyether block amide copolymer is used as a core part in order to obtain water absorption, and the core part is exposed at a predetermined angle. There is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the cost.
Japanese Patent No. 5220220 Japanese Patent No. 5149118

  Therefore, the present invention is based on such a conventional request, and increases the amount of liquid absorption of the disinfecting liquid and the like in the cotton ball and swab made of polyester fiber and reduces the adsorption rate of the chemical component of the disinfecting liquid. The object is to perform disinfection treatment at low cost.

In order to achieve the above object, in the method for producing a cotton ball and a cotton swab according to the first aspect of the present invention, a card which is subjected to card processing on a polyester fiber which is crimped and cut to a predetermined length. A cotton ball and a cotton swab manufacturing method for manufacturing a cotton ball and a cotton swab having a cotton ball using the sliver by producing a sliver through a treatment step, wherein the polyester fiber has a crystallinity of 38%. Features.

  Some fibers form crystal parts in which molecules are regularly arranged in a part of the molecular structure under certain conditions such as heating and stretching, and examples thereof include polyester. Forming a crystal part in a part of the molecular structure in this way is called crystallization, and the ratio of the crystal part to the sum of the crystal part and the non-crystal part is called crystallinity. In general, it is known that the higher the temperature in heating, the higher the degree of crystallization, and in the case of mechanical stretching with a stretching apparatus, the higher the stretching distance and stretching speed, the higher the degree of crystallization.

  As a means for measuring the crystallinity, for example, there is a method using a DSC (differential scanning calorimeter). It is known that the crystallinity is generally related to the mechanical strength, density, and thermal properties of the polyester fiber.

Therefore, in the manufacturing method of the cotton ball and the cotton swab according to the first aspect of the present invention, the polyester fiber is crystallized by heating, whereby the hardness is increased and the crimp elastic modulus is improved. Moreover, the cotton ball manufactured by the sliver manufactured using the polyester fiber having a crystallinity of 38% improves the liquid absorption amount and reduces the adsorption rate of the disinfecting agent.

In the method for producing a cotton ball and a cotton swab according to the invention of claim 2, the polyester fiber has a crystallinity of 38% by stretching the polyester fiber.

In the method for producing a cotton ball and a cotton swab according to the third aspect of the present invention, the polyester fiber which is crimped and cut to a predetermined length is heated at a temperature at which crystallization occurs for a predetermined time. Cotton balls for producing a sliver through a heat treatment step for carrying out the treatment and a card treatment step for carrying out a card treatment after the heat treatment step, and producing a cotton swab having a cotton ball and a cotton ball using the sliver And a method for producing a cotton swab, wherein the polyester fiber has a crystallinity of 38% , and the polyester fiber constituting the sliver has a crystallinity of 39% or more.

In the method for producing a cotton ball and a cotton swab according to the invention of claim 4, the polyester fiber which is crimped and cut to a predetermined length is heated at a temperature at which crystallization occurs for a predetermined time. A sliver is manufactured through a heat treatment step for performing a treatment, an antistatic treatment step for performing an antistatic treatment after the heat treatment step, and a card processing step for performing a card treatment after the antistatic treatment step is performed, A cotton ball and a cotton swab manufacturing method for manufacturing a cotton ball and a cotton swab having a cotton ball using this sliver, wherein the polyester fiber has a crystallinity of 38% , and the polyester fiber crystals constituting the sliver The degree of conversion is 39% or more.

Therefore, in the method for producing a cotton ball and a cotton swab according to the invention described in claim 3, the polyester fiber having a crystallinity of 38% is heated at a temperature at which crystallization occurs. Experimental results show that by using a sliver made of polyester fibers having a crystallinity of 39% or higher, the amount of liquid absorption is improved and the adsorption rate of the disinfectant is decreased. Yes.

In the manufacturing method of the cotton ball and the cotton swab according to the invention of claim 5, the polyester fiber and the other fiber, which are crimped and cut to a predetermined length, are formed at a predetermined time. A heat treatment step for performing heat treatment at a temperature at which crystallization occurs, an antistatic treatment step for performing antistatic treatment after the heat treatment step, and a card processing step for performing card processing after the antistatic treatment step is performed. And a cotton ball and a cotton swab manufacturing method using the sliver to produce a cotton ball and a cotton swab having a cotton ball, and the crystallinity of the polyester fiber is 38% , Among the blended fibers constituting the sliver, the polyester fiber has a crystallinity of 39% or more.

  In the method for producing a cotton ball and a cotton swab according to the sixth aspect of the invention, the polyester fiber is polyethylene terephthalate.

  In the method for producing a cotton ball and a cotton swab according to claim 7, the surface of the cotton ball is fixed by a surface fixing agent, and the surface fixing agent contains a substance not containing an anionic group. It is characterized by doing.

  Therefore, in the method for producing a cotton ball and a cotton swab according to the seventh aspect of the invention, adsorption of a substance having a cationic group having an adsorption action can be reduced.

  In the manufacturing method of the cotton ball and the cotton swab in the invention according to claim 8, the heat treatment step is characterized by heating at 160 ° C. for 2 hours and cooling after the heat treatment step.

  In the manufacturing method of the cotton ball and the cotton swab in the invention according to claim 9, the heat treatment step includes a first heating step of heating at 160 ° C. for 1 hour, and an hour after the first heat treatment step. And a second heating step of heating at 180 ° C., and cooling after the heat treatment step.

  In the manufacturing method of the cotton ball and the cotton swab according to the inventions of claims 8 and 9, the liquid absorption amount in the cotton ball is improved and the adsorption amount of the chemical component of the disinfecting liquid is reduced.

  In the cotton ball and cotton swab manufacturing method according to the invention of claim 10, the antistatic treatment step is a humidification treatment step.

  In the inventions according to claims 1 to 6 and claims 8 to 10, the liquid absorption amount of cotton balls made of polyester fibers is improved. As a result, for example, when a cotton ball is soaked in a disinfectant, a large amount of the disinfectant can be absorbed, so that a large amount of the disinfectant can be contained at a time and applied to the affected area sufficiently. The treatment work efficiency in the field can be greatly improved.

  As described above, since the liquid absorption amount is improved, the sample can be collected more efficiently by using it for the purpose of collecting a liquid sample. In particular, the inventions according to claims 1 and 2 are low in cost because they do not include a step such as a heating step, and are also suitable as a swab for collecting biological specimens.

In the inventions according to claims 1 to 6 and claims 8 to 10, the adsorption rate of the drug component on the cotton balls of the polyester fibers is reduced, and the loss is reduced.
As a result, the concentration of the drug component can be made lower than before, and the disinfection treatment can be performed with the cost reduced by reducing the amount of the drug component used. In addition, for those who have symptoms such as allergic diseases with respect to the drug component of a specific disinfectant solution, the drug component of the disinfectant solution can be handled at a lower concentration than before, and the safety of disinfection treatment is improved.

  In the method for producing cotton balls and swabs of the invention according to claim 7, the surface fixing agent contains a substance not containing an anionic group, so that it is widely used as a disinfecting drug component. The situation in which the chemical component of the disinfectant having a group is adsorbed by the surface fixing agent on the surface of the cotton ball can be suppressed, and loss is reduced.

  The substance not containing an anionic group may be a substance having a cationic group or a substance having neither an anionic group nor a cationic group. For example, PVC (polyvinyl alcohol) (Chemical Formula 1), methylcellulose (Chemical Formula 2) ) And the like, but is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected.

Moreover, the said surface sticking agent should just contain the substance which does not contain the said anionic group, and may mix and use the substance which has an anionic group.

Examples of the chemical component of the disinfectant having a cationic group include benzalkonium chloride (Chemical Formula 3) and chlorhexidine gluconate (Chemical Formula 4), but are not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected.

  On the other hand, CMC (Carboxymethylcellulose sodium) is a surface fixing agent having a carboxymethyl group which is an anionic group. Such a surface fixing agent having an anionic group is a disinfectant having a cationic group. For example, it is considered that the material is adsorbed by the action of an electric attractive force between the chlorhexidine gluconate and the benzalkonium chloride.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a manufacturing flowchart of (sliver 1), showing an embodiment of a cotton ball according to the present invention and a cotton swab having a cotton ball. 1 shows an embodiment of a cotton ball and a cotton swab having a cotton ball according to the present invention, and is a manufacturing flowchart of (sliver 2). 1 shows an embodiment of a cotton ball and a cotton swab having a cotton ball according to the present invention, and is a manufacturing flowchart of (sliver 3). 1 is a manufacturing flowchart of (sliver 4) showing one embodiment of a cotton ball and a cotton swab having a cotton ball according to the present invention. 1 shows an embodiment of a cotton ball and a cotton swab having a cotton ball according to the present invention, in which (a) is a production flowchart when producing a cotton ball from a sliver. (B) is a manufacturing flowchart at the time of manufacturing a cotton ball from a sliver, and is a process including a washing process and a drying process. (C) is a manufacturing flowchart at the time of manufacturing a cotton swab from a sliver. The result of having measured the crystallinity of the polyester fiber used for the cotton ball which concerns on this invention and the cotton swab which has a cotton ball by DSC (differential scanning calorimeter), and shows the relationship between the heat flow and temperature of each sample. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a process of calculating the crystallinity of each sample from the heat of fusion. It is the figure which showed the process measured by DSC (differential scanning calorimeter) about the cotton ball of the comparative example 3, and the process of calculating a crystallinity from the relationship between heat flow and temperature, and a heat of fusion.

  Hereinafter, a cotton ball and a cotton swab having a cotton ball according to the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments.

(Sliver manufacturing method)
The sliver manufacturing method used for the cotton ball and the cotton swab having the cotton ball according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a card treatment on a polyester fiber that is crimped and cut to a predetermined length. Manufactured through a card processing step.

  The degree of crystallinity of the polyester fiber is 30% or more, and the degree of crystallinity of the polyester fiber is formed to be 30% or more by stretching the polyester fiber. The polyester fiber is polyethylene terephthalate.

  The manufacturing method of the sliver used for the cotton swab which has the cotton ball and cotton ball which concerns on 2nd embodiment in this invention is a predetermined time to the polyester fiber by which the crimp was formed and it was cut and formed to predetermined length. A heat treatment process in which heat treatment is performed at a temperature at which crystallization occurs, an antistatic treatment process in which antistatic treatment is performed after the heat treatment process, and a card process in which card processing is performed after the antistatic treatment process is performed. It is manufactured through processes.

  The polyester fiber has a crystallinity of 30% or more, and the polyester fiber constituting the sliver has a crystallinity of 39% or more. The polyester fiber is polyethylene terephthalate.

  The polyester fiber is polyethylene terephthalate. The predetermined length is not particularly limited, but is about 15 mm to 50 mm. The antistatic treatment process is a humidification treatment process. The heat treatment step includes a cooling step of heating at 160 ° C. for 2 hours and cooling after the heat treatment step. The cooling process is performed by natural cooling.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the antistatic treatment process is a humidification treatment process has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and ionization is performed by corona discharge generated between electrodes as in a voltage application type static eliminator. The antistatic treatment may be performed using the air thus prepared, and may be appropriately selected.

The means for crystallization in the process for producing the polyester fiber used as a raw material is not particularly limited. In general, crystallization is assumed to occur by heating at 120 ° C. or higher, cooling and stretching accompanying the above heating, and may be achieved by any means and combinations thereof.
In general, stretching is performed by using a stretching machine that stretches and crystallizes fibers produced by a spinning machine, and can be used as appropriate.

  The manufacturing method of the sliver used for the cotton ball and the cotton swab having the cotton ball according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes a polyester fiber and other fibers formed by crimping and cutting to a predetermined length. The mixed fiber is subjected to a heat treatment step of performing a heat treatment at a temperature at which crystallization occurs for a predetermined time, an antistatic treatment step of performing an antistatic treatment after the heat treatment step, and the antistatic treatment step. And a card processing step for performing card processing.

  The polyester fiber has a crystallinity of 30% or more, and of the blended fibers constituting the sliver, the polyester fiber has a crystallinity of 39% or more. The polyester fiber is polyethylene terephthalate.

  Examples of the other fibers include natural fibers such as cotton, or chemical fibers such as rayon, nylon, and polypropylene, but are not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected.

  The heat treatment step includes a first heating step of heating at 160 ° C. for 1 hour and a second heating step of heating at 180 ° C. for 1 hour after the first heat treatment step. A cooling process for cooling after the process is included.

  The cotton ball according to the second embodiment and the cotton swab having the cotton ball are the same as the manufacturing method of the sliver used for the cotton ball according to the first embodiment and the cotton swab having the cotton ball, except for the configuration described above. It is.

(Method of manufacturing cotton balls and swabs from sliver)
As shown in FIG. 5 (b), the method for producing a cotton ball from the sliver is performed by winding the sliver produced as described above around a shaft formed of stainless steel or the like in the winding step G, followed by a molding step. After forming a predetermined outer shape while spray-applying the surface fixing agent in H, the surface of the cotton ball is further fixed by the surface fixing agent through the drying step J. Finally, a cotton ball is produced by extracting the shaft.
The surface fixing agent contains a substance that does not contain an anionic group. By applying the surface fixing agent, lint (fluffing) of the cotton balls is suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (c), a hot swab is applied to one end of a swab shaft, and the sliver manufactured as described above is bonded, fixed, and wound. After going through the winding process G, forming a predetermined shape while spraying the surface sticking agent in the forming process H, and then through the drying process J, the surface of the cotton ball is fixed by the surface sticking agent to produce a cotton swab. Is done.

  The method for producing cotton balls and swabs from the sliver may perform a cleaning step E and a drying step F with a chemical solution, an antistatic treatment step (humidification treatment step) and a step of loosening the sliver before the winding step G. .

  The manufacturing method of the cotton ball having the cotton ball and the cotton ball according to the embodiment of the present invention is shown as described above, and the cleaning step of cleaning the sliver with chemicals in advance and the drying step of drying the cleaned sliver Etc. may be included as appropriate.

  The present inventor manufactured a sliver using a polyester fiber having a crystallinity of 30% or more as a raw material polyester fiber, and formed a cotton ball with the sliver, thereby disinfecting compared to a conventional polyester cotton ball. It has been found that the adsorption rate of the pharmaceutical agent is reduced and the water absorption is improved. In addition, cotton balls obtained by forming a sliver after performing predetermined heating at a temperature at which crystallization occurs in the polyester fiber and performing a heat treatment so that the degree of crystallinity of the polyester fiber is 39% or more, Furthermore, it was confirmed that the adsorption rate of the disinfectant was reduced and the water absorption was improved. This will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

  After producing <Comparative Examples 1-3> and different slivers 1 to 4 such as cleaning and heating conditions as follows, cotton balls are formed to produce <Examples 1 to 10> and respective samples. The test was conducted.

(Sliver 1 production example)
As shown in FIG. 1, undergoing a card processing step (card processing step D) on polyethylene terephthalate fibers that have been crimped and cut to a length of 50 mm with a crystallinity of 38%. (Sliver 1).

(Example of manufacturing sliver 2)
As shown in FIG. 2, a polyethylene terephthalate fiber having crimps formed therein and cut to a length of 50 mm with a crystallinity of 38% was heated with hot air of 160 ° C. for 1 hour ( Heat treatment step A1), and heating (heat treatment step A2) for 1 hour after the above heating (heat treatment step A1) (heat treatment step A2), followed by natural cooling (cooling step B) Further, by applying moisture to the polyethylene terephthalate fiber by spraying moisture from the surroundings, the generation of static electricity is suppressed (static prevention treatment step C), and the card treatment is performed in this state (card treatment step D). (Sliver 2).

(Example of manufacturing sliver 3)
As shown in FIG. 3, a polyethylene terephthalate fiber having crimps formed and cut to a length of 50 [mm] having a crystallinity of 38% was heated with hot air of 160 [° C.] for 2 hours ( After the heat treatment step A), natural cooling (cooling step B) is performed, and moisture is sprayed from the surroundings to humidify the polyethylene terephthalate fiber, thereby suppressing the generation of static electricity (antistatic treatment step C). In this state, the card is processed (card processing step D) to be manufactured (sliver 3).

(Example of manufacturing sliver 4)
As shown in FIG. 4, crimped polyethylene terephthalate fibers cut to a length of 50 [mm] having a crystallinity of 38% were heated with hot air of 160 [° C.] for 2 hours (heating) After processing step A), it is naturally cooled (cooling step B), and by further humidifying the polyethylene terephthalate fiber by spraying moisture from the surroundings, the generation of static electricity is suppressed (antistatic processing step C). In this state, it is manufactured by going through card processing (card processing step D) (sliver 4).

<Comparative example 1>
A commercially available cotton ball made of cotton and having a diameter of 20 mm was used as Comparative Example 1.

<Comparative example 2>
As a comparative example 2, a commercially available cotton ball manufactured by a manufacturer different from <Comparative example 1> and made of cotton and having a diameter of 20 [mm] was used.

<Comparative Example 3>
A commercial cotton ball made of polyethylene terephthalate fiber having a crystallinity of 38% in a commercially available state and a length of 50 [mm] and having a diameter of 20 [mm] was used as Comparative Example 3.

<Example 1>
Example 1 is a cotton ball in which the above (sliver 1) is formed through a winding step G and an outer shape having a diameter of 20 [mm] is formed.
<Example 2>
Example 2 uses the above (sliver 2), as shown in FIG. 5 (a), after winding in the winding step G, as a surface fixing agent in the molding step H, PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) aqueous solution 0. This is a cotton ball having an outer shape with a diameter of 20 [mm] formed by spray application of 5 [ml] and dried and fixed in the drying step J.

<Example 3>
Example 3 uses the above (sliver 2), as shown in FIG. 5A, after winding in the winding process G, in the molding process H, as a surface fixing agent, CMC (carboxymethylcellulose sodium) aqueous solution 0 A cotton ball having an outer shape with a diameter of 20 [mm] formed by spray application of .5 [ml] and dried and fixed in the drying step J.

<Example 4>
Example 4 uses the above (sliver 2), as shown in FIG. 5A, after winding in the winding step G, as a surface fixing agent in the molding step H, 0.5 [ml] methylcellulose aqueous solution A cotton ball having an outer shape of 20 mm in diameter formed by spray coating and dried and fixed in the drying step J.

<Example 5>
Example 5 uses the above (sliver 3), as shown in FIG. 5 (a), after winding in the winding step G, as a surface fixing agent in the molding step H, PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) aqueous solution 0. This is a cotton ball having an outer shape with a diameter of 20 [mm] formed by spray application of 5 [ml] and dried and fixed in the drying step J.

<Example 6>
Example 6 uses the above (sliver 3), as shown in FIG. 5 (a), after winding in the winding step G, as a surface fixing agent in the molding step H, CMC (carboxymethylcellulose sodium) aqueous solution 0 A cotton ball having an outer shape with a diameter of 20 [mm] formed by spray application of .5 [ml] and dried and fixed in the drying step J.

<Example 7>
In Example 7, using the above (sliver 3), as shown in FIG. 5 (a), after winding in the winding step G, as a surface fixing agent in the molding step H, 0.5 [ml] methylcellulose aqueous solution was used. A cotton ball having an outer shape of 20 mm in diameter formed by spray coating and dried and fixed in the drying step J.

<Example 8>
In Example 8, the above (sliver 4) was used, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), passed through a cleaning step E with a chemical solution and a drying step F with a dryer, and then wound up in a winding step G, and then molded. A cotton ball formed by forming an outer shape with a diameter of 20 [mm] while spray-applying 0.5 [ml] of a PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) aqueous solution as a surface fixing agent in the process H and drying and fixing in the drying process J .

<Example 9>
Example 9 uses the above (sliver 4), as shown in FIG. 5 (b), passed through a cleaning step E with a chemical solution and a drying step F with a dryer, and then wound in a winding step G, and then molded. A cotton ball that formed an outer shape with a diameter of 20 [mm] while spray-applying 0.5 [ml] CMC (sodium carboxymethylcellulose) as a surface fixing agent in the process H, and dried and fixed in the drying process J is there.

<Example 10>
Example 10 uses the above (sliver 4), as shown in FIG. 5 (b), passed through a cleaning step E with a chemical solution and a drying step F with a dryer, and then wound in a winding step G, and then molded. This is a cotton ball having an outer shape with a diameter of 20 [mm] formed by spraying and applying 0.5 [ml] of a methylcellulose aqueous solution as a surface fixing agent in the process H, followed by drying and fixing in the drying process J.

  The above chemical solution used in the cleaning step E is 1 [L] of warm water of 40 [° C.] 0.1 [ml] of surfactant and 0.5 [ml] of 1 [mol / L] sodium hydroxide. In addition, it is prepared. As the surfactant, Neugen HC manufactured by Daiichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd. is used.

  A cotton ball is generally formed after winding a sliver around a shaft (winding step G), forming an outer shape while spraying a surface fixing agent (molding step H), and then drying and fixing (drying step J). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and there is also a method in which the winding step G and the forming step H in which the outer shape is formed while spraying the surface fixing agent simultaneously with the winding around the shaft are performed in one step. Can be appropriately selected.

  In this example, the degree of crystallinity is measured by using DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimeter: Q2000 manufactured by TA Instruments) to raise the temperature of the sample at 200 [° C./min] and to determine the amount of heat required for melting the crystal. taking measurement.

  Since it is known that the amount of heat required to melt a complete crystal of polyethylene terephthalate is 140.2 [J / g], the crystallinity of the sample is the amount of heat required for melting the crystal of the sample (heat of fusion). Is divided by 140.2 [J / g] and multiplied by 100.

  As shown in the middle part of FIG. 6, as a result of measuring the crystallinity of the sliver 2 as described above, the crystallinity was 40%. Moreover, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 5, as a result of measuring the crystallinity of the sliver 3 in the above manner, the crystallinity was 40%. The sliver 4 is considered to have the same degree of crystallinity as that of the sliver 3 because the heat treatment process affecting the degree of crystallization is under the same conditions as the sliver 3.

As shown in the lower part of FIG. 6, it was confirmed that the crystallinity of the polyethylene terephthalate fiber used as a raw material was 38% in the above measurement procedure.
As shown in FIG. 7, the crystallinity of the sliver constituting the cotton ball of <Comparative Example 3> was also measured and confirmed to be 38%. However, <Comparative Example 3> occurred in the temperature rising process of the measurement because the crystallinity of the polyethylene terephthalate fiber used as the raw material included the amount of heat of fusion of the crystals generated in the temperature rising process of the measurement. A value obtained by subtracting 3.6 [J / g] of the heat of fusion of the crystal was used as the heat of fusion.

The surface sticking agent is used for suppressing the fluffing of the cotton balls and adjusting the shape.
The adjustment method of the aqueous solution of the surface fixing agent used above is shown below.
A PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) aqueous solution was made by Kuraray Co., Ltd .: Kuraray Poval (registered trademark) PVA-117 was added at 10.56 [g] to 1 [L] of water, and heated and mixed at about 100 [° C.].

CMC (Carboxymethylcellulose sodium) aqueous solution is made by Daiichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd .: Serogen PM-250L
1.65 [g] of EC chem was added to 1 [L] of water, and heated and mixed at about 100 [° C.].
The methylcellulose aqueous solution was manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd .: Metroz (registered trademark) 60SH-4000 with 2 [g] added to 1 [L] of water, and heated and mixed at about 100 ° C.

  In order to confirm the liquid absorption amount of the cotton balls of <Comparative Example 1>, <Comparative Example 3>, and <Examples 1 to 10>, the present inventor uses water to confirm the water absorption amount as follows. Went.

(Water absorption test procedure)
<Comparative Example 1>, <Comparative Example 3>, and <Examples 1 to 10> are each prepared with 5 specimens of dry cotton balls, and the dry mass [g] is measured. The dried cotton ball is immersed in water for 10 seconds, and the mass [g] at the time of water absorption after water absorption is measured. The mass obtained by subtracting the mass [g] during drying from the mass during water absorption was taken as the water absorption mass [g]. Of the obtained water absorption masses [g] for 5 specimens, the average value of the water absorption masses [g] for 3 specimens excluding the maximum and minimum values was adopted as the average water absorption mass [g].

(Adsorption rate test procedure)
Cotton balls of <Comparative Examples 2-3> and <Examples 1-3, 5-10> are prepared.
A cotton ball is put in a sample tube, and a disinfectant is added to immerse the cotton ball in a ratio of 10 [ml] to 0.4 [g] of the cotton ball. After sealing with a cap and allowing to stand at room temperature for 3 days, only the disinfectant was separated with care so as not to squeeze the cotton balls, and the absorbance of the sample, which was the absorbance of the disinfectant, was measured.

In addition, blank absorbance measurement of only the disinfectant was performed in advance. A 0.05 [w / v] chlorhexidine gluconate aqueous solution was used as the disinfectant.
In the absorbance measurement, chlorhexidine gluconate has characteristic peaks at two locations near 254 [nm] and 231 [nm]. Therefore, the individual adsorption rate% at each peak is calculated by the following formula, and the average value is calculated. Was adopted as the average adsorption rate%.

(measuring equipment)
UV-visible spectrophotometer (JASCO V-660)
The test results are shown in Table 1 below.

Hereinafter, the average water absorption mass [g] is referred to as the water absorption mass, and the average adsorption rate% is referred to as the adsorption rate.
In Table 1 above, the water absorption mass of <comparative example 1>, which is a commercially available cotton ball made of cotton, is higher than any of the examples, and the cotton cotton ball is compared with the cotton ball made of polyethylene terephthalate. It shows that the amount of water absorption is good. On the other hand, in the comparison of the adsorption rate of chlorhexidine gluconate, the adsorption rate of <Comparative Example 2>, which is also a cotton ball of cotton, is <Examples 1-3>, <Example 5>, and <Example 7>. 10>, the adsorption rate of chlorhexidine gluconate is lower and the cotton balls made of polyethylene terephthalate tend to be superior.

  As shown in Table 1 above, the water absorption mass in a commercial product of <Comparative Example 3> having a crystallinity of 38% is 0.4188 [g]. The water absorption mass [g] of 5> was confirmed to be a significantly large value. This indicates that <Comparative Example 3> and <Examples 1 to 5> are similarly formed from polyethylene terephthalate fibers, but the water absorption is increased and greatly improved. <Examples 1 to 5> are thought to be because water absorption increased due to the use of polyethylene phthalate fibers having a crystallinity of 38%.

  Focusing on the adsorption rate, the adsorption rate of chlorhexidine gluconate in the commercial product of <Comparative Example 3> with a crystallinity of 38% is 11.1%, but in <Example 1>, it is 2.7%. Yes, it can be seen that it has been greatly improved. Furthermore, in <Example 2> which performed the heat processing process, 2.2% is shown, and it turns out that it is improving.

  In <Example 3>, <Example 6>, and <Example 9>, the adsorption rate is larger than in <Comparative Example 3>, but this is CMC (Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium) as a surface fixing agent. CMC (Carboxymethylcellulose sodium) has an anionic group in the molecule, and therefore caused adsorption by chlorhexidine gluconate, which is a disinfectant drug component having a cationic group, by electric suction. Conceivable.

  Moreover, in order to pay attention to the influence of heating, when the examples using the same surface fixing agent were compared, for example, in <Example 2> and <Example 5>, heating was performed at a higher temperature. 2> has a lower adsorption rate. The same applies to the comparison between <Example 3> and <Example 6>.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the crystallinity measured by the DSC crystallinity measurement method in the previous operation is 40% of the above (sliver 2) (middle of FIG. 6), and the above (sliver 3) is crystallized. The degree was 40% (the upper part of FIG. 6).

  As before, the crystallinity of the polyethylene terephthalate fiber used as the raw material was 38%, and the crystallinity of the sliver obtained through a series of treatments was 40%. It means that there was no big change in degree.

  However, as described above, through the heat treatment process in which the heat treatment is performed at a temperature at which crystallization occurs for a predetermined time, the water absorption is improved as shown in Table 1, and the adsorption rate of chlorhexidine gluconate is decreased. A useful effect is obtained.

  In addition, the present inventors tried various heating conditions, and obtained the knowledge that when the crystallinity of the polyethylene terephthalate fiber is increased by heating, it increases up to about 40%, but hardly increases further. ing.

  Therefore, considering that the measurement error of the crystallinity is about 1%, it is considered that the above-described effects can be obtained by increasing the crystallinity by heating until it is at least 39%.

  The present inventor adhered to the polyester fiber before and after the heat treatment step because the adsorption rate of the disinfectant drug component having a cationic group was lowered despite the fact that the crystallinity did not change as described above. It was thought that the fats and oils were related, and <Comparative Example 4> in which the sliver was formed without performing the heat treatment, and <Example 11> and <Example 12> having different heating conditions were as follows. The fat and oil content was measured by a diethyl ether extraction test as shown in FIG.

<Comparative example 4>
By applying moisture to the polyethylene terephthalate fiber that has been crimped and cut to a length of 50 mm with a crystallinity of 38%, the moisture is applied to the polyethylene terephthalate fiber to generate static electricity. The sliver manufactured by performing card processing in the card processing step D in this state was used as <Comparative Example 4>.

<Example 11>
Example 11 is (sliver 2) manufactured by the sliver 2 manufacturing example.

<Example 12>
Example 12 is (sliver 3) manufactured by the sliver 3 manufacturing example.

(Diethyl ether extraction test procedure)
JIS-1096 General Textile Test Method af) The test was conducted under the following conditions with reference to the fat and oil content test method.
Sample: Each sliver of <Comparative Example 2> and <Examples 11 and 12> Sample amount: 3 [g]
Extraction solvent: diethyl ether Extraction solvent amount: 100 [ml]
Heating time: 1.5 hours Each test was performed twice in the manner described above, and the average value is listed in Table 2 below as an oil / fat content%.

  As shown in Table 2, in <Comparative Example 4> in which the heat treatment step was omitted, the fat and oil content% was already a small value, and in comparison with <Examples 11 and 12> in which the heat treatment step was performed, The fat and oil percentage was almost unchanged.

  Therefore, it was found that the effect of improving the water absorption amount and reducing the adsorption rate of the drug having a cationic group was not obtained by changing the fat and oil content%. That is, the sliver was subjected to heat treatment or the like. This suggests that the effect is obtained by increasing the crystallinity of the polyethylene terephthalate fiber to 40%.

  The present inventor made the following confirmation in order to examine the relationship between the concentration of the surface fixing agent and the adsorption rate with respect to the disinfectant having a cationic group.

<Comparative Example 5>
In Comparative Example 5, after winding in the winding step G using (Sliver 3) manufactured by the above sliver 3 manufacturing example, PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) was used as a surface fixing agent in the forming step H with 1 [L of water. The outer shape with a diameter of 20 [mm] is formed while spray-applying 0.5 [ml] of a PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) aqueous solution heated and mixed at about 100 [° C.] in addition to 10.56 [g] A cotton ball dried and fixed in the drying step J was used as Comparative Example 5.

<Example 13>
In Example 13, the sliver 3 produced in the above sliver 3 production example (Sliver 3) was wound in the winding step G as shown in FIG. While adding 21.12 [g] of (polyvinyl alcohol) to 1 [L] of water and heating and mixing at about 100 [° C.], 0.5 [ml] of PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) aqueous solution was spray-coated and a diameter of 20 [ mm], and a cotton ball dried and fixed in the drying step J.

<Example 14>
In Example 14, the sliver 2 produced in the above sliver 2 production example (Sliver 2) was wound in the winding step G as shown in FIG. While adding 31.68 [g] of (polyvinyl alcohol) to 1 [L] of water and spray-coating 0.5 [ml] of a PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) aqueous solution heated and mixed at about 100 [° C.], a diameter of 20 [ mm], and a cotton ball dried and fixed in the drying step J.

  In the above, PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) uses Kuraray Poval (registered trademark) PVA-117.

(Test procedure)
The test procedure was performed according to the above (Adsorption test procedure). The test results are shown in Table 3 below.

  The concentration of the surface fixing agent was blended so as to be doubled in Example 13 and tripled in Example 14 with respect to Comparative Example 5, but almost no difference was observed in the respective adsorption rates. Therefore, it has been shown that the concentration of the surface sticking agent has no correlation with the adsorption rate of chlorhexidine gluconate, which is a disinfecting chemical component.

  The cotton swab according to the present invention and the cotton swab having a cotton ball have industrial applicability because they are manufactured and sold as a single sample or a kit with a disinfectant as a sample collection or medical swab.

Claims (10)

A sliver is manufactured through a card processing step for carding polyester fibers that are crimped and cut to a predetermined length, and a cotton swab having a cotton ball and a cotton ball is manufactured using this sliver. A method for producing cotton balls and swabs,
A method for producing a cotton ball and a cotton swab, wherein the polyester fiber has a crystallinity of 38% . The method for producing cotton balls and swabs according to claim 1, wherein the polyester fiber has a crystallinity of 38% by stretching the polyester fiber. A heat treatment step of performing heat treatment at a temperature at which crystallization occurs for a predetermined time on the polyester fiber which is formed by crimping and cut to a predetermined length;
A cotton ball and a cotton swab manufacturing method of manufacturing a sliver through a card processing step of performing a card processing after the heat treatment step is performed, and manufacturing a cotton ball and a cotton swab having a cotton ball using the sliver. ,
A method for producing a cotton ball and a swab, wherein the polyester fiber has a crystallinity of 38% and the polyester fiber constituting the sliver has a crystallinity of 39% or more. A heat treatment step of performing heat treatment at a temperature at which crystallization occurs for a predetermined time on the polyester fiber which is formed by crimping and cut to a predetermined length;
An antistatic treatment step of performing an antistatic treatment after the heat treatment step;
A manufacturing method of a cotton ball and a cotton swab, in which a sliver is manufactured through a card processing step in which a card processing is performed after the static electricity prevention processing step is performed, and a cotton ball and a cotton swab having a cotton ball are manufactured using the sliver. And
A method for producing a cotton ball and a swab, wherein the polyester fiber has a crystallinity of 38% and the polyester fiber constituting the sliver has a crystallinity of 39% or more. For the blended fiber of polyester fiber and other fibers that are crimped and cut to a predetermined length,
A heat treatment step of performing heat treatment at a temperature at which crystallization occurs over a predetermined time;
An antistatic treatment step of performing an antistatic treatment after the heat treatment step;
A manufacturing method of a cotton ball and a cotton swab, in which a sliver is manufactured through a card processing step in which a card processing is performed after the static electricity prevention processing step is performed, and a cotton ball and a cotton swab having a cotton ball are manufactured using the sliver. And
A method for producing a cotton ball and a cotton swab, wherein the polyester fiber has a crystallinity of 38% and the polyester fiber has a crystallinity of 39% or more of the blended fibers constituting the sliver.   The said polyester fiber is a polyethylene terephthalate, The manufacturing method of the cotton ball and the cotton swab of any one of Claim 4 or 5 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The surface of the cotton ball is fixed by a surface fixing agent, and the surface fixing agent contains a substance not containing an anionic group. Cotton ball and cotton swab manufacturing method.   The said heat processing process heats at 160 degreeC for 2 hours, and cools after the said heat processing process, The manufacturing method of the cotton ball and the cotton swab in any one of Claim 4 to 7 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The heat treatment step includes a first heating step of heating at 160 ° C. for 1 hour and a second heating step of heating at 180 ° C. for 1 hour after the first heat treatment step. The method for producing a cotton ball and a cotton swab according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein cooling is performed after the step. The method for producing a cotton ball and a swab according to any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein the antistatic treatment step is a humidification treatment step.