WO2017095346A2

WO2017095346A2 - Production of αντi bacterial effect thinned copper plates suitable in form to the contact surface of objects and application method thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2017095346A2
Application number: PCT/TR2016/050367
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bahattin AGADAY
Original assignee: Dokuz Eylul Universitesi Rektorlugu
Priority date: 2015-11-30
Filing date: 2016-10-04
Publication date: 2017-06-08
Also published as: WO2017095346A3

Abstract

The invention is related to the production methods of antibacterial copper plates and application of cutting and shaping said plates in suitable geometry in order to be fitted furniture for hygiene purposes.

Description

PRODUCTI ON OF ANTI BACTERI AL EFFECT THI NNED COPPER PLATES SUI TABLE I N FORM TO THE CONTACT SURFACE OF OBJECTS AND APPLI CATI ON METHOD

THEREOF

Technical Field of the I nvention

The invention is related to the production methods of antibacterial copper plates and the application of cutting and shaping said plates in suitable geometry in order to be fitted over furniture/objects for hygiene purposes.

Known State of the Art (Prior Art)

The application frequency and the duration of effectiveness of the present antibacterial products have necessitated the search for alternatives. I n the recent years although silver and nano silver has been seen as a good alternative, they were not preferred as they cannot be used extensively as they are expensive, they cannot be applied to all kinds of surfaces and they have adhesion problems.

Copper casting products for antibacterial usage are not cost effective and this limits their extensive consumption. They cannot be applied to present furniture. Moreover they are not preferred as their physical characteristics (endurance, insulation, corrosive resistance, wearing down, dissolution etc.) do not meet the desired criteria.

Another copper surface forming method is coating. The surfaces that are formed by the method of coating, are also limited as the technique does not apply to all objects in terms of form, and as it cannot be applied on surfaces such as plastic, glass, Bakelite and marble. The system is expensive when compared to the developed technique.

The contact surfaces of objects and furniture play an important role (door handles, toilet lids, faucets etc.) in relation to infectious diseases as they have a germ carrier effect. Furniture or object surfaces made of copper or alloys have antibacterial properties. Copper comes second in terms of its antibacterial effect following silver. However as silver is quite expensive this has brought about the possible usage of copper and copper alloys for antibacterial purposes. The strong termination effect of copper is carried out in two hours and its effect is continuous. I n many universities and clinics objects that are produced from copper and copper alloys are being tested. Microbial copper alloys have been entered into EPA records and a test standard has been developed in ASTM. Sinks, armatures, banisters, toilets, keyboards etc. made of copper have already been produced.

These objects are made of copper completely or by coating metals and plastics with copper. The surface core cubic crystal structure of copper makes it possible to be shaped at room temperature. The singular or fabrication usage of sections in present furniture's and semi- finished products is possible. Alloys having 60% or more copper have antibacterial effect (20) and zinc and nickel are alloys that are frequently used. Studies that have been carried out (22) show that copper were successful against many bacteria types, on contact surfaces within two to three hours. On the other hand these products seldom caused dermatitis allergy (21 ). I n the recent years products that have been produced from copper and copper alloys (EPA460 describes Cu alloy types) have been attracting attention because of their cost and their continuous effect and they have been the subject of many research and applications. The production of contact products carrying bacterial risk (toilets, sinks, banisters, steering wheels, door handles, keyboards, buttons, armatures, tables, hand tools, kitchenware handles etc.) made of copper and copper alloys are limited but are still being produced nevertheless.

The entire production of said objects from copper may lead to waste of resources as such products are extensively used. Moreover the as the cost of the products are high, the method is prevented from becoming widespread, and this limits the struggle against infection from becoming prevalent.

Another widespread application is copper coating. However not all objects are suitable technically for coating (size, insulation, unsuitable form, wear resistance etc). Especially wooden and ceramic materials and glass are problematic. Moreover adsorption strength and coating defects and thicknesses are another problem. Coating is generally a method that is difficult to be applied to objects that are used. Although strip type copper film sheets are produced as rolls, a product thereof which is self adhesive and ready to use and which is directly used for this aim (antibacterial characteristics) has not been encountered.

The patent documents of the known state of the art numbered EP 2573198 A1 , CN102909909 (A), JP201309991 , JP2012040798 (A) have been found to be similar to said invention.

• EEP2573198 A1 : The invention is related to a copper alloy in silver colour, having an antibacterial surface. The product has been developed by targeting to have a copper alloy, which looks like white in colour, and said copper alloy does not cause an allergic reaction following contact.

• CN102909909 (A): The invention is related to a stainless steel film having antibacterial properties comprising copper and cerium on its surface.

· JP201309991 : It has been aimed to provide antibacterial characteristics by impregnating various materials with a solution that has been formed by the dissolution of suitable metals in an acid medium in order to produce antibacterial plates.

• JP2012040798 (A): The invention describes the intense coating of antibacterial metals using the vapour deposition coating technique in order to form a paper surface.

Brief Description of the I nvention and its Aims

The method that has been developed relates to the cutting of copper plates and folios with a die cutting method such that they can be coated on the contact surfaces of objects, where the copper plate and folios are refined in a rolling mill and processed (embossed, mini pleats, orifices) such that they can take the shape of a contact surface, in order to obtain ready to use antibacterial products made of copper. While the product is produced as self adhesive for two dimension surfaces, they can be applied to other three dimensional objects as pre-formed parts. The product has several commercial advantages as it is easy to be used, it can be renewed, it can be applied on all kinds of surfaces, it can be applied only to the contact surface rather than a whole object, it is durable against contact erosion, it is aesthetic and suitable to be shaped. The advantages of the developed product are as follows;

It can cover only the usage area instead of heavy material.

It is cheaper in comparison to other materials as it does not have to cover the whole product and it can be used on certain areas.

- Special workmanship is not required during application and dismantling. The product can be practically applied to present objects/furniture.

It is easy to be replaced. I n other applications the whole coating/ cover needs to be replaced.

It is easy to be used on decorative forms.

- It can be used when needed.

It can be suitably used on fabrication production with conveyor systems

It is possible for it to be produced in three dimensional shell forms specific to a product. It has advantages of colour, durability, homogenous distribution, and macro applications according to coating systems.

- The copper and copper alloy plates can be processed and their surface coverage capabilities can be increased.

Cost and technical advantages can be provided by applying the material to the contact surface only, instead of a whole object/furniture.

As they are not nanosized and plating, they can be recycled.

- It provides aesthetic advantage in terms of colour and size for each part of an object.

It does not need to be applied to limited materials such as coating but it can be applied on all kinds of materials (plastic, glass, ceramics etc.)

It can be provided as yellow or white in colour, or as rigid or soft material according to the type of the area it shall be applied to.

- It is portable and it can be used when needed.

Shaped products can be used to be fabricated on several products via automation (Ceramics, surfaces of sippers, arch support for shoes, insulation plates, handles /holding sections of sports equipment etc.)

It is practical and easy to be used and it can be applied quickly.

- It is more than tenfold advantageous in terms of packaging and delivery costs in comparison to similar systems as it only comprises the basic surface. The thin plate forms, provide hundred times more advantage as less material is used in comparison to a copper armature.

It provides low volume advantage when being delivered in packaged form. Other competitive products are higher in weight and volume.

- It is considerably cheaper in cost, in comparison to a material being produced from copper, rather than an object being covered by this material.

It provides antibacterial characteristics by being applied to the contact surfaces of materials used due to their physical characteristics (steel, plastic, ceramic, plastic, glass).

Definition of the Figures I llustrating the I nvention

Fig. 1 . [Exemplary moulds for three dimensional surfaces

Fig. 2. Exemplary moulds for two dimensional surfaces

Fig. 3. Production flow scheme Definitions of the parts/ sections/ aspects forming the invention

1. Product with antibacterial surface formed of copper and copper alloys (show arch exemplary mould)

2. Coaster (which protects the area having adhesive characteristics on one side, silicon based coaster, surface plate)

3. Antibacterial surface protection film (protection film which prevents the copper top surface from becoming dirty up to the usage area)

4. [Exemplary mould for toilet seat lids

5. General protection area (having a contact surface which is contacted by a palm)

6. Light switch exemplary mould (with fingertip contact area)

7. [Exemplary moulds for multi pieced products

8. Exemplary moulds for three dimensional products with silicon filling

9. Exemplary moulds for copper surfaces with insulation filling

10. Adhesion of copper films (copper formed surfaces which stick from the filling base, and which adhere to the insulation filling with tabs of 1/3 thickness)

11. USB memory case exemplary mould (antibacterial copper having shell fitting, in three dimensional shape, shaped with a forming mould). Detailed Description of the I nvention

Minimum 62% copper and metal alloys comprising one or more of chromium, nickel, tin, aluminium, zinc and silver in combination besides copper having antibacterial effective composition are melted and are turned into thin plates in rolling mills, according to the invention. The thicknesses of the plates are selected to be between 0,02mm - 2mm. The copper plates are processed as straight, expanding or cracked form embossing and are produced as ready to use rolls. This structure enables easy shaping especially for three dimensional forms. On the other hand, copper based parts that have been cut in suitable forms suitable to the contact surface geometry of objects are coated with acrylic based adhesives and are then covered with a surface separation insulation material therefore having ready to use products that are specific to the surface of a product (door handle, toilet bowl lid etc.). As many objects have three dimensional contact surfaces, mini embossed patterns, spheres, pleats and orifices are created on the copper plate surface in order to properly cover the surface of such products, thereby enabling the product to be shed easily. Moreover three dimensional copper shells are formed using blowing or plastering techniques for standard objects. The surfaces that are formed encompass the contact surface of the object only and therefore are formed of quite thin layer. This is a cheap copper surface production method. The application is a practical method which can be applied to all kinds of insulation and conductive surfaces. During usage, it is easy to be replaced in case it wears down or in case any other reason. It can be applied to objects during production on a production line and the production of decorative surfaces (embossed with filling) can be easily carried out using three dimensional shaping. The product is applied in two basic steps. One of them is that the user applies the copper parts that have been shaped according to the contact surface of an object, having adhesive properties, to the related surface. The products that have been shaped using plastering, blowing techniques for three dimensional products are attached to the related surface using rivets, screws, fitting, silicon and adhesives. The second application is for factory production, where the surfaces of decoration, insulation products and tiles are coated with copper. The two dimensional plate surface of the product can be processed (expanding with or without holes, pleats, orifices, and semi-sphere) and can be produced in forms which can easily cover the contact surfaces of complicated objects and it is ready to use and can be applied as one of the sides of the product has adhesive properties. It can be applied to the contact surfaces of all kinds of materials such as plastic, ceramics, glass and wood etc, due to its usage conditions, according to the targeted application. Product variety is provided by means of cold shaping, ageing, and alloy pigmenting (for example white cu alloy), and products which are both decorative and durable against wear can be provided. Antibacterial copper products can be categorized differently in accordance with the target market. For example only one product may be used in the tourism sector (the lid of the toilet bowl), however in houses, handle type contact areas such as, door handles, armatures, closet handles, toilet bowl lid, hair dryer, pans, combs, pens etc, can be applied with the product.

The system can be used on all kinds of products within any sector, however the surfaces where bacterial development risks are high, are prioritized.

Some of the products in some sectors are follows:

- Medical Field: stretchers, handle parts of beds, tables, chairs, floor coating, sinks, trolleys, sides of stretchers, door handles, banisters and test oven plates.

Household products: Toilet bowl lids, door handles, closet handles, handles of ovens and refrigerators, device control buttons, hairbrushes, vacuum cleaners, holding parts of hair dryers.

Sides of couches, armatures, balcony rails, handles of kitchen utensils, bathroom hooks, soles of slippers, vehicle doors, baby cribs.

Three dimensional functional surfaces having silicon, plaster, insulation, wooden polyester filling.

Public areas: School bags, doors, banisters, handles of public transportation vehicles, holding bars provided on chairs in public transportation vehicles, handles or contact surfaces in children's parks.

Agriculture and animal breeding: Silos for storing seeds, water containers, carrying cases, live contact areas.

Sports equipment, bicycles, handles of public transportation vehicles, palm contact products such as shovels, hand tools etc.

- Products related to fingertip contact areas (The frame around the keyboard keys can be provided as copper and the inner section is filled with silicon).

Claims

1. Thinned copper plate production method having antibacterial effects, characterized in that it comprises the following process steps;

· Melting metal alloys comprising at least 62% copper and at least a metal selected from chrome, nickel, tin, aluminium, zinc and silver optionally,

• The alloy is converted into thin plates in rolling mills following melting,

• The plates are processed as straight, expanded and cracked form embossments and then are formed into rolls.

· The copper based parts are cut in forms that are suitable to the contact surface geometry of objects,

• Following this, these parts are coated with acrylic based adhesives and the surfaces thereof are covered with isolating material, in order to obtain special ready to use products.

2. Thinned copper plate production method having antibacterial effects, according to claim 1 , characterized in that three dimensional copper shells are formed using blowing and plastering type formation techniques for copper plates that have been produced for standard products

3. Thinned copper plate production method having antibacterial effects, according to claim 1 , characterized in that product variety is provided having both decorative and wear resistant properties by means of cold forming, ageing, and alloy colouring (e.g. white cu alloy).

4. Thinned copper plate production having antibacterial effect, produced according to claim 1.

5. Usage of thinned copper plates having antibacterial effects, according to claim 4, characterized in that it can be applied on all surfaces.

6. Usage of thinned copper plates having antibacterial effects, according to claim 4, characterized in that it they can be applied to the related surface by the user as adhesive copper parts that have been shaped according to the contact surface of objects.

7. Usage of thinned copper plates having antibacterial effects, according to claim 4, characterized in that the products that have been shaped using techniques such as plastering, blowing etc for three dimensional products are applied to the related surfaces by means of rivets, screws, fitting, silicon and adhesives.

8. Usage of thinned copper plates having antibacterial effects, according to claim 4, characterized in that it is carried out by covering surfaces of tiles, isolation and decoration products with copper.

9. Usage of thinned copper plates having antibacterial effects, according to claim 4, characterized in that it is surface cladding of contact areas generally used for hygiene purposes and in the fields of medical, tourism and home furniture.