Classifications

• • 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
  • A46D1/023—Bristles with at least a core and at least a partial sheath
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46D—MANUFACTURE OF BRUSHES
  • A46D1/00—Bristles; Selection of materials for bristles
  • A46D1/02—Bristles details
  • A46D1/0276—Bristles having pointed ends
• • 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
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46D—MANUFACTURE OF BRUSHES
  • A46D1/00—Bristles; Selection of materials for bristles
  • A46D1/04—Preparing bristles
  • A46D1/05—Splitting; Pointing

Definitions

• the invention relates to bristles, in particular for toothbrushes, their production method and corresponding brushware, wherein the bristles in the longitudinal direction at least two jointly extruded filaments of different materials.
• Toothbrush bristles typically consist of polyester or nylon monofilaments, that is, plastic filaments which are extruded, drawn and fixed.
• Nylon bristles are flexible, easily deformable and especially water absorbent. They must therefore be designed relatively thick, so that given flexibility requirements can be achieved. This requires rounding the bristle ends to prevent injury to the gums.
• polyester bristles made of, for example, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and / or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) have a low water absorption rate and good durability properties.
• PBT polybutylene terephthalate
• PET polyethylene terephthalate
• these bristles usually do not meet the requirements of elasticity or bending stiffness. They are typically too stiff and inflexible and can thus lead to damage to the gums.
• EP 1 234 525 B1 discloses a process for the production of toothbrushes with highly conical bristles.
• polyester monofilament bristles are immersed in corrosive chemicals until the immersed portion of the monofilaments is completely eroded. This eventually leads to a tapered bristle end.
• the chemically sharpened ends of the bristle are attacked and subject to massive damage due to the etching process.
• the etching process thus produces a high reject rate which adversely affects the production costs.
• the tapered bristles made of a monofilament due to the eroded lateral surface have a low durability and an already too low flexural rigidity.
• the shape of the tapered bristles is essentially determined solely by the etching process and can not be designed according to predetermined requirements.
• the present invention is therefore based on the object of providing tapered bristles, in particular for toothbrushes, with freely selectable geometry and improved elasticity properties. Furthermore, the invention has for its object to optimize a manufacturing or processing method for such bristles under production rational aspects.
• the bristle according to the invention has in the longitudinal direction at least two jointly extruded filaments of different materials and is characterized in that the cross-sectional area of at least one of the two filaments decreases towards the free end of the bristle.
• at least one of the at least two coextruded filaments changes its geometry in the region of the bristle end.
• the two extruded filaments consist of different materials, such as polyester and polyamide, which can be subjected to a material-selective machining process to form the bristle according to the invention.
• both the flexurally elastic properties of the bristle and its geometric configuration, in particular in the region of the bristle ends, can be designed almost as desired.
• the cross-sectional area of the at least one filament steadily decreases toward the free end of the bristle.
• a steady decrease in the cross-sectional area is accompanied by a continuously decreasing lateral surface and a continuously decreasing diameter of this bristle filament. Sharp corners or edges, the characteristics of discontinuously extending lateral surfaces or surfaces are thus avoided in an advantageous manner. The risk of injury to sensitive areas within the oral cavity, such as the gums, can thus be lowered advantageously.
• the cross-sectional area of the free end of the bristle is substantially determined by the at least one other filament.
• its cross-sectional area is substantially constant in the longitudinal direction of the bristles.
• the at least one filament at the free end of the bristle has a cross-sectional area of zero, so that the total cross section of the bristle at the free end of the bristle is determined essentially by the remaining at least other filament.
• the entire bristle can better meet the given elasticity or bending stiffness requirements correspond.
• the bristle according to the invention is not chemically sharpened at its end of the filament and therefore also not attacked or otherwise damaged.
• the at least one other filament is at least partially radially enclosed by the at least one filament.
• this core sheathing finally tapers, until at the free end of the bristle only the other filament forming the bristle core remains and forms a tapered bristle cross section.
• the at least other filament e.g. the core filament is wider in the axial direction than the one filament, e.g. the sheath filament extends.
• the free end of the bristle is therefore formed only by that filament whose cross-sectional area does not change substantially.
• a plurality of filaments not changing in cross-section are regularly distributed over the cross-section of the bristle and are surrounded at least partially in the radial direction by the at least one filament whose cross-sectional area has a change towards the bristle end.
• a configuration can ultimately be formed at the bristle end that forms a plurality of individual filaments separated by gaps.
• fiian ment arrangements are for example for the inclusion of dentifrices or dental or antibacterial preparations of advantage.
• the at least other filament is rounded or rounded at its free end.
• the filaments forming the free end of the bristle thus have essentially no edges which could lead to injuries in the oral cavity.
• the at least two filaments have a different elasticity and / or a different bending stiffness.
• the elasticity and / or bending stiffness properties of the bristle can be adjusted specifically to a predetermined level.
• the at least one filament can be removed by means of an etchant, in particular a chemical etchant, such as sodium hydroxide, sulfuric acid or formic acid, wherein the at least other filament is substantially resistant to the respective chemical etchant.
• an etchant in particular a chemical etchant, such as sodium hydroxide, sulfuric acid or formic acid
• the free end of the bristle can be processed material selectively using a chemical etching process.
• almost any elasticity properties of the bristle ends and correspondingly versatile bristle end geometries can be realized by any arrangement and geometry of individual filaments.
• polyamide and / or polyester is provided as material for the filaments.
• These materials have different elasticity and stiffness properties. Furthermore, only one of these materials is attacked by the chemicals intended for a chemical etching process, such as, for example, sodium hydroxide solution, sulfuric acid or formic acid, while the respective other material is substantially resistant to the chemical.
• Nylon, PA 6.6, PA 6.10 and PA 6.12 are particularly suitable as the polyamide, while the polyester is essentially PET and / or PBT.
• the invention relates to a method for producing or processing bristles, in particular toothbrush bristles, which have in the longitudinal direction at least two jointly extruded filaments of different materials.
• the method is characterized in that at least one of the filaments in the region of the free end of the bristles is at least partially removed by means of a chemical etching process.
• the at least one other filament is essentially resistant to the chemical used in the chemical etching process and corrodes at most to a negligible extent in the chemical etching process.
• At least one filament which is substantially resistant to the etchant is exposed at least partially, preferably in the region of the free end, by means of the etching process.
• the parameters of the etching process such as immersion depth of the bristle ends in the chemical and their residence time in the chemical are preferably determined by the shape and the geometry, in particular to the radial dimensions of the filaments adapted. In this way, the etching process can be optimized so that the at least one filament in the region of the free end of the bristle are completely removed, so that there at least the other filaments can be substantially exposed.
• the bristle core is formed by a resistant to the chemical used filament, which is radially enclosed by the corroded filaments in the etching process as a sheath.
• the sheath of the multi-filament bristle surrounding the inner bristle core is removed in the chemical etching process in such a way that it tapers conically toward the bristle end. Consequently, only the bristle sheath tapers, while a bristle core that is chemically undamaged extends beyond the end of the bristle sheath.
• the etching process is universally applicable to a variety of different arrangements of different filaments.
• the free ends of a plurality of filaments preferably arranged regularly and spaced from one another, can also be exposed. This ultimately allows even the cost-effective and chemical production of slots that can be used to hold media.
• the production of bristles with split, consisting of several individual filaments, use-side end on a chemical and therefore cost-effective way is possible.
• the bristle ends are rounded or rounded after the etching process by means of grinding.
• the bristles are fixed before the etching process on a bristle carrier provided for the bristles, in particular on a toothbrush head.
• the bristles are already in front of the processing of the bristle end etching and grinding process at its predetermined position on the brush head and no longer need to be attached to the etching of this, which would be associated with a much higher cost, since the tapered at their ends formed bristles should be treated with greater care.
• the fixation of the bristles on the bristle head prior to processing of the bristle ends in particular enables a simplified production of complicated Taftgeometrien of bristles on the bristle carrier.
• the invention therefore relates to bristles of any kind, but in particular to toothbrushes with a bristle carrier, on which the multi-filament and tapered bristles according to the invention are arranged.
• FIG. 1 shows a cross section through a two-filament bristle in cross-section A-A
• FIG. 2 shows the double-filament bristle according to FIG. 1 in longitudinal section
• FIG. 3 shows a multi-filament bristle in cross section
• FIG. 4 shows a bristle with segmented filaments
• Figure 5 is a bristle with external filaments
• FIG. 6 shows a bristle end with a plurality of exposed filaments.
• a bristle 1 in particular the bristle of a toothbrush, is shown schematically in cross-section.
• the bristle 1 here consists of two filaments 2, 3 different material, which are extruded, stretched and fixed together.
• the one filament 2 forms an inner core of the bristle 1, while the other filament 3 surrounds the inner filament 2 as a sheath.
• the inner filament is made of polyamide, such as nylon, while the outer filament 3 is polyester.
• the originally cylindrical shell 3 is removed material selectively, while the resistant to the chemical bristle core 2 compared to its (not shown) basic state unchanged Geometry preserves.
• the polyester filament 3 forming the bristle jacket is etched away by immersion in the chemical such that the jacket 3 of the bristle, before reaching the free end of the bristle, tapers conically with a cross-sectional area which steadily decreases toward the bristle end.
• this material-selective etching process has the advantage that the inner core 2 of the bristle is in no way damaged by the etching process. This still has a required flexural rigidity and can be easily sharpened or rounded mechanically in subsequent process steps. Furthermore, due to the material-selective etching of the bristle end, it is ensured that a predetermined minimum thickness of the bristle end can not be undershot, so that the risk of breakage or uncontrolled break-off is reliably counteracted.
• FIG. 3 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a multi-filament bristle 4.
• a plurality of filaments 6, which consist of the same material, are arranged regularly and spaced apart, distributed over the cross-section of the bristle 4.
• the spaces between the filaments 6 are filled with the filament 5, which is removed by the chemical used in the etching process.
• the filament 5 can also be completely removed at the free end of the bristle, so that the individual filaments 6 remain with a smaller diameter, which are suitable for receiving material in the filament interspaces as well as for penetration into the smallest interdental spaces.
• FIG. 4 shows a further embodiment of a bristle 7, which has segments of different filaments 8, 9 arranged radially symmetrically in cross section.
• all the filaments 8, 9 extend in each case from the center of the bristle to the edge of the bristle.
• Figure 5 shows another example of a bristle end in which individual filaments 12 of one material are disposed adjacent and spaced apart at the periphery of the bristle while the other filament 11 fills the core region of the bristle.
• the filament 11 is partially removed by the etching process, so that the individual bristle filaments 12 are at least partially exposed and thus form a spread-open end of the bristle 10.
• FIG. 6 shows a schematic side view of a further bristle end 13, which has different filaments 14, 15, which are preferably detached from one another by means of a chemical etching process and thus form a fanned-out bristle end.
• the filaments 14, 15 consisting of different materials can be provided by means of a further, not explicitly shown filament, such as e.g. in the manner of the filament 11 shown in Figure 5, are first held together, which is finally removed in the etching process, so that ultimately the fan-like structure shown in Figure 6 is formed at the end of the bristle.

Landscapes

• Brushes (AREA)
• Chemical Or Physical Treatment Of Fibers (AREA)
• Treatments For Attaching Organic Compounds To Fibrous Goods (AREA)
• Yarns And Mechanical Finishing Of Yarns Or Ropes (AREA)
• Multicomponent Fibers (AREA)

Priority Applications (7)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=38134639

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (13)

Cited By (13)

Families Citing this family (13)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2006
  • 2006-03-16 DE DE102006012004A patent/DE102006012004A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2007
  • 2007-01-26 JP JP2008558659A patent/JP2009529612A/ja active Pending
  • 2007-01-26 BR BRPI0709398-5A patent/BRPI0709398A2/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2007-01-26 MX MX2008011496A patent/MX2008011496A/es not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2007-01-26 EP EP07703053.4A patent/EP1993399B1/de active Active
  • 2007-01-26 CA CA002645152A patent/CA2645152A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-01-26 CN CNA2007800093042A patent/CN101404912A/zh active Pending
  • 2007-01-26 AU AU2007224819A patent/AU2007224819A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-01-26 WO PCT/EP2007/000664 patent/WO2007104381A1/de not_active Ceased
  • 2007-01-26 RU RU2008140938/12A patent/RU2008140938A/ru not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2007-01-26 US US12/293,011 patent/US20090094770A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-01-26 KR KR1020087022155A patent/KR20090006067A/ko not_active Ceased
• 2008
  • 2008-08-20 ZA ZA200807199A patent/ZA200807199B/xx unknown

Patent Citations (4)

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