Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46D—MANUFACTURE OF BRUSHES
  • A46D1/00—Bristles; Selection of materials for bristles
  • A46D1/02—Bristles details
  • A46D1/023—Bristles with at least a core and at least a partial sheath
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D01—NATURAL OR MAN-MADE THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING
  • D01F—CHEMICAL FEATURES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBON FILAMENTS
  • D01F8/00—Conjugated, i.e. bi- or multicomponent, artificial filaments or the like; Manufacture thereof
  • D01F8/04—Conjugated, i.e. bi- or multicomponent, artificial filaments or the like; Manufacture thereof from synthetic polymers
  • D01F8/14—Conjugated, i.e. bi- or multicomponent, artificial filaments or the like; Manufacture thereof from synthetic polymers with at least one polyester as constituent
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46D—MANUFACTURE OF BRUSHES
  • A46D1/00—Bristles; Selection of materials for bristles
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46D—MANUFACTURE OF BRUSHES
  • A46D1/00—Bristles; Selection of materials for bristles
  • A46D1/02—Bristles details
  • A46D1/0238—Bristles with non-round cross-section
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46D—MANUFACTURE OF BRUSHES
  • A46D1/00—Bristles; Selection of materials for bristles
  • A46D1/02—Bristles details
  • A46D1/0261—Roughness structure on the bristle surface
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46D—MANUFACTURE OF BRUSHES
  • A46D1/00—Bristles; Selection of materials for bristles
  • A46D1/02—Bristles details
  • A46D1/0292—Bristles having split ends
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D01—NATURAL OR MAN-MADE THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING
  • D01F—CHEMICAL FEATURES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBON FILAMENTS
  • D01F8/00—Conjugated, i.e. bi- or multicomponent, artificial filaments or the like; Manufacture thereof
  • D01F8/04—Conjugated, i.e. bi- or multicomponent, artificial filaments or the like; Manufacture thereof from synthetic polymers
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D01—NATURAL OR MAN-MADE THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING
  • D01F—CHEMICAL FEATURES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBON FILAMENTS
  • D01F8/00—Conjugated, i.e. bi- or multicomponent, artificial filaments or the like; Manufacture thereof
  • D01F8/04—Conjugated, i.e. bi- or multicomponent, artificial filaments or the like; Manufacture thereof from synthetic polymers
  • D01F8/06—Conjugated, i.e. bi- or multicomponent, artificial filaments or the like; Manufacture thereof from synthetic polymers with at least one polyolefin as constituent
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D01—NATURAL OR MAN-MADE THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING
  • D01F—CHEMICAL FEATURES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBON FILAMENTS
  • D01F8/00—Conjugated, i.e. bi- or multicomponent, artificial filaments or the like; Manufacture thereof
  • D01F8/04—Conjugated, i.e. bi- or multicomponent, artificial filaments or the like; Manufacture thereof from synthetic polymers
  • D01F8/12—Conjugated, i.e. bi- or multicomponent, artificial filaments or the like; Manufacture thereof from synthetic polymers with at least one polyamide as constituent
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46B—BRUSHES
  • A46B2200/00—Brushes characterized by their functions, uses or applications
  • A46B2200/10—For human or animal care
  • A46B2200/1066—Toothbrush for cleaning the teeth or dentures

Definitions

• the invention relates to a monofilament with reduced secondary binding forces from at least two co-extruded polymers for the production of bristles or interdental cleaners which can be slit essentially in the axial direction by the action of mechanical forces. Furthermore, the invention is directed to a method for producing bristles or interdental cleaners from such monofilaments and to bristle products with such bristles or to interdental cleaners.
• Bristles for bristle products of any kind for example brushes for personal and dental care, household brushes, technical brushes, brushes and the like, are today predominantly made of polymers by extruding the polymer melt to form endless monofilaments, stretching and possibly stabilizing the monofilaments. Such monofilaments are then turned into the desired length by cutting the bristles receive. As a rule, the monofilaments, like the
• Bristles circular cylindrical cross section.
• bristles with other, e.g. oval or polygonal cross section known.
• the monofilament is then extruded with an appropriate profile.
• bristles in many cases it is desirable to use bristles in a fibrous, in particular fine-fibrous structure at the end of use. This applies, for example, to those bristle products which are used to apply media to surfaces or the like. are determined, e.g. Brush. Even if a fluffy structure is desired, the bristle must be fine-grained. In recent times, findings have also become established in dental medicine, according to which conventional toothbrush bristles are inadequate in their cleaning action, since they do not penetrate into the fine fissures of the tooth surface, but slide over it. The same applies to the cleaning effect in the interdental area.
• the polymer molecules are oriented in the longitudinal direction of the monofilament.
• the primary binding forces acting in the longitudinal direction ensure high tensile strength.
• the longitudinal orientation of the molecules also brings the desired bending elasticity.
• the so-called secondary binding forces namely the forces transverse to the molecular extension, are sufficiently large to prevent the monofilament or the bristle from being frayed or fanned out.
• a bristle (WO97 / 1 830), which has a core and a jacket, which are produced by coextrusion of two different polymers.
• the core material is removed mechanically or chemically to form a recessed pocket which is to hold dentifrices or paint.
• flags are described, which are obtained by shredding the material of the jacket, insofar as it extends above the core. This shredding is also done in the conventional way by means of knives and therefore leads to the same irregular structures.
• bristles have been proposed, in particular for toothbrushes, which consist of a large number of thin fibers similar to textile fibers and a sheath enveloping the fibers (DE 94 08 268 Ul). Coat and Fibers can also be co-extruded as filaments. After cutting to the bristle length, the sheath at the end of the bristle on the use side is removed by mechanical processing or cutting, so that the fibers are exposed over a short length. Apart from the complex manufacture of such bristles, they can only be used to a limited extent. The sudden change in the bending behavior at the transition from the fibers to the jacket is particularly disadvantageous. If such bristles are used in applicators, it can be used
• Interdental cleaners can also be formed from bristle-like monofilaments, which, however, should be structured on their surface. This is achieved, for example, by flocking.
• the invention is based on the object of proposing a monofilament composed of at least two common extruded polymers which is suitable for producing slotted bristles or interdental cleaners with reproducible strength properties and flags or slots which can be defined in terms of number, shape and dimensions. Furthermore, the invention is intended to propose a method for producing bristles or interdental cleaners from such monofilaments.
• a monofilament solving this problem is characterized according to the invention in that it has at least two. Polymers in a geometrically regular arrangement with boundary layers running essentially in the axial direction, in which the reduced secondary binding forces prevail.
• the monofilament has a matrix of the polymer determining the physical and chemical properties of the bristle or of the interdental cleaner, and that the second polymer is embedded in the matrix in the form of thin layers.
• the second polymer itself can form the boundary layer with reduced secondary binding forces.
• bristles can be produced whose flags have the favorable properties of conventional bristles.
• there are no fines or only a small amount during splitting so that the bristle does not have to be subjected to extensive cleaning processes.
• Defined flagged bristles or defined slotted monofilaments for interdental cleaners are obtained, in which further splitting or slitting can be avoided.
• the polymer of the matrix can be a copolymer or a polymer mixture.
• the advantages mentioned above are optimally achieved, in particular, if the thin layers contain a proportion of the polymer of the matrix. In this case, the polymer or the bristle tears open at the weakest point, namely approximately in the middle of the thin layers, but the adhesion of the remaining layers is due to the polymer corresponding to the matrix. proportion of the resulting neighboring flags is large enough to avoid the formation of fine particles.
• the thin layers preferably have a thickness of a few ⁇ m. Practical extrusion tests have shown that such thin layers can be coextruded with the polymer of the matrix.
• the two polymers can be present in approximately equal proportions in the thin layers.
• the specific design of the geometry is determined by the desired properties of the bristle or the interdental cleaner.
• the thin layers in the matrix can extend to the circumference of the monofilament, so that the monofilament can be slit or split with relatively little force.
• the thin layers in the matrix end at a distance from the circumference of the monofilament.
• a somewhat greater force is required, but it is advantageous here that the resulting flags also consist of the matrix material in the edge region, that is to say they have the same wear properties as the coat of the bristle or the flags.
• the matrix of the monofilament can have a third polymer embedded in the matrix, which primarily serves to influence the strength properties of the flags that are created.
• the monofilament can usually have a circular shape, but also a shape that deviates from the circular shape Have cross-section.
• Polygonal cross-sections are to be mentioned here in particular, which are more effective in cleaning than round cross-sections.
• the thin layers can run out to the corners of the polygonal cross section, so that relatively sharp edges with an edge angle of less than 90 ° arise.
• the thin layers can also run out to the surfaces of the polygonal cross-section, in which case edges with an edge angle in the range of 90 ° can then be realized.
• the matrix consists of polyamide and the thin layers consist of a polyolefin, in particular polypropylene or polyethylene.
• This material pairing has sufficient secondary binding forces at the interfaces to prevent untimely tearing or slitting during processing and use of the bristles.
• the polymer composite breaks when there is a strong and targeted application of force.
• the process according to the invention for producing bristles from the monofilament described above is distinguished according to the invention in that the at least two polymers are coextruded to form the monofilament, the monofilament is stretched and optionally stabilized, the monofilament is cut to the desired length of the bristles and the Bristle is split at its use end by the action of mechanical forces across the bristle axis over a limited length along the boundary layers.
• both bristle and interdental cleaners can be manufactured in such a way that the at least two polymers are coextruded to form the monofilament, and that the monofilament after extrusion, ner stretching and, if appropriate, stabilization by the action of mechanical forces transverse to the monofilament axis . locally limited length is slit along the boundary layers.
• fisure-like slots can be formed on the jacket of the monofilament, which slots can be used to hold media.
• dental care products or dental medicine or antibacterial preparations are particularly suitable.
• the monofilament interdental cleaner on the jacket gets an increased roughness due to the slitting.
• Interdental cleaners of any length can be produced from the aforementioned monofilament.
• the same measure can of course also be carried out on the bristle cut to length from the monofilament.
• the location of the slit and the extent of the slit can be matched to the length of the bristle in order to either avoid splitting the bristle end or to promote it in a targeted manner. For example, only the bristle end can be split.
• the slots on the jacket can be used to further split the bristle.
• the monofilament is compressed in the axial direction during or after the action of the mechanical forces.
• the longitudinally slotted areas or the webs delimiting the slits on Monofilament jacket bulged outwards.
• the mechanical forces are preferably applied to most of the circumference of the monofilament or bristle to ensure that all boundary layers of the polymers are acted upon.
• the monofilament is split or the bristles split preferably by impact forces. Instead, squeezing or torsional forces can also be brought into effect. These forces can be applied to the cut bristle or simultaneously to groups of bristles, e.g. on bristle bundles, before or after their attachment to the bristle carrier of the brush.
• the bristles are preferably rounded at their ends on the use side. This can happen before and / or after splitting.
• the multiple ends resulting after the splitting are provided with a marking which visually indicates the usable length. This signals to the user that the wear properties change abruptly after the bristle has worn down to the mark, that is to say after the split ends have worn, since the substantially more rigid cross-section of the entire bristle then comes into effect.
• the split ends are also getting shorter and thus mechanically more aggressive. Such a display is particularly advisable when it comes to toothbrushes, body care brushes or the like. acts.
• FIG. 6 is a view of a bristle with a split end on the usage side
• FIG. 7 is a view of a bristle or a
• Fig. 8 shows another variant of a
• FIG. 9 is a view of an interdental cleaner in a modified version.
• the monofilament 1 according to FIG. 1 has a circular cross section and is produced by coextruding at least two polymers. It consists of a matrix 2 made of a polymer that determines the properties of the bristle and in geometric form — in this case in the form of a cross — embedded thin layers 3, which consist of another polymer or a mixture with the polymer of matrix 2. In the area of the thin layers 3 or the interfaces to the matrix 2, the secondary binding forces, that is to say the binding forces transverse to the longitudinal extent of the monofilament, are greatly reduced. In the embodiment shown, the thin ones run
• polymers for the matrix 2 include amides (PA) in question, while the thin layers 3 consist, for example, of a polymer mixture PA / PP or PA / PE.
• PA amides
• the thin layers 3 are embedded in the matrix 2 in the form of a three-armed star, while FIG. 3 shows a monofilament 1 with a polygonal, namely triangular cross section.
• the embedded thin layers which also extend outwards from the center, run out in the corners of the polygon. Instead, they can of course end up on the areas between the corners.
• the matrix 2 of the monofilament 1 is a further one of several possible polymers extruded in such a way that it is completely embedded in the matrix.
• it can be thread-like structures 5 which, after the bristle has been produced and split or slotted, influence the bending behavior or the strength of the flags which are formed.
• Fig. 5 shows a flat rectangular monofilament 1, in which the thin layers 3 are laid out in a grid, so that a plurality of essentially rectangular flags can be generated from the monofilament.
• 8 finally shows a monofilament cross-section, in which the matrix 2 consists of four identical outer parts with the cross-section of circular sectors and a central core, which are delimited by correspondingly extending thin layers 3.
• a bristle 6 is shown schematically, which consists of a monofilament, for example according to FIG. 2, is produced by cutting to length and is split by the action of mechanical forces on its end on the usage side, so that individual flags 7 are formed, the shape of which corresponds to the shape of the regions of the monofilament forming the matrix 2.
• flags 7 There are as many flags as the matrix 2 is broken down by thin layers 3.
• the length of use of the flags can be optically marked, for example, by the cross line shown in FIG. 6.
• the mechanical forces on the outer surface of a monofilament are brought into effect at regular intervals or in the case of a cut bristle at a distance from the end on the use side. Due to the thickness of the layers and the size of the force and / or the frequency / frequency of their application, it can be achieved that the jacket of the monofilament or the bristle 6 tears open only to a locally limited length and slots 8, 9 and 10 are formed. These slots are approximately in alignment, namely in the areas formed by the thin layers 3. In this version, the slots at the bristle end tear open to form flags. As the bristle wears down, the flags constantly replicate.
• a monofilament according to FIG. 7 can also serve as an interdental cleaner ("floss”) in any length, the slots being able to accommodate dentifrices, antiseptics or antibactericides.
• an interdental cleaner it is also advisable to compress the monofilament axially, as shown in FIG. 9, so that the webs 10 delimiting the slots from the matrix polymer bulge outwards.
• the matrix 2 or the polymer forming it can in the individual cross-sectional parts delimited by the thin layers may be of different colors.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Brushes (AREA)
• Multicomponent Fibers (AREA)
• Artificial Filaments (AREA)
• Spinning Methods And Devices For Manufacturing Artificial Fibers (AREA)

Priority Applications (9)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Related Child Applications (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=7847605

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (18)

Cited By (5)

Families Citing this family (10)

Citations (6)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 1997
  • 1997-11-05 DE DE19748733A patent/DE19748733A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 1998
  • 1998-03-11 UA UA2000063237A patent/UA57814C2/uk unknown
  • 1998-11-03 EP EP98962315A patent/EP1030937B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-11-03 PL PL98340384A patent/PL194178B1/pl unknown
  • 1998-11-03 RU RU2000114248/12A patent/RU2197572C2/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1998-11-03 CN CN98810857A patent/CN1105198C/zh not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-11-03 KR KR1020007004754A patent/KR100568958B1/ko not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1998-11-03 JP JP2000519637A patent/JP2001522948A/ja active Pending
  • 1998-11-03 TR TR2000/01242T patent/TR200001242T2/xx unknown
  • 1998-11-03 ES ES98962315T patent/ES2219925T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-11-03 BR BR9813195-8A patent/BR9813195A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1998-11-03 TW TW087118289A patent/TW440615B/zh not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1998-11-03 DE DE59811434T patent/DE59811434D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-11-03 CA CA002308848A patent/CA2308848A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-11-03 WO PCT/EP1998/006954 patent/WO1999024649A1/de not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1998-11-03 AU AU17533/99A patent/AU749645B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1998-11-04 EG EG136798A patent/EG21972A/xx active
  • 1998-11-04 ZA ZA9810077A patent/ZA9810077B/xx unknown
  • 1998-11-05 AR ARP980105574A patent/AR010957A1/es active IP Right Grant

Patent Citations (6)

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