JPH0410816Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Purpose of the invention] (Field of industrial use) The invention relates to a cotton swab used for applying medicines, artificially pollinating fruit trees, etc.

(Prior Art) A cotton swab generally has a structure in which fibers are wrapped and fixed in a lump around the tip of a shaft. In order to prevent the fibers from fraying from the surface of the fiber mass during use and making it difficult to use, conventional methods include impregnating it with an aqueous solution of a glue made of a water-soluble polymer compound, etc. The intertwined state of fibers has been fixed by applying it to the surface of the fibers.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, since cotton swabs are often impregnated with water-soluble medicines or rubbed on wet skin, the conventional structure described above does not allow the use of cotton swabs that adhere to the surface of the fibers. The water-soluble sizing agent gradually dissolves into the water and is lost, and the sizing agent's effect of preventing fibers from fraying does not last long.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a cotton swab that has good water resistance and excellent durability.

[Structure of the invention] (Means for solving the problem) In order to solve the above problem, in the cotton swab of the present invention, the fiber mass wound like cotton around the end of the shaft is thermally fused to each other. The heat-fusible composite fiber is made of a first component consisting of a fiber-forming polymer, and a fiber-forming polymer having a melting point lower than that of the first component by 20°C or more. It is characterized in that the second component is arranged in a parallel type or sheath-core type so that the second component occupies the majority of the fiber surface.

Also. Even if the entire fiber mass is not composed of heat-fusible conjugate fibers, only 10% by weight or more of the fiber mass can be composed of heat-fusible conjugate fibers, and the rest can be composed of synthetic fibers or natural fibers.

(Function) The fibers constituting the fiber mass are heat-fusible conjugate fibers, and since they are bonded to each other by heat-fusion, the bond will not come undone even if they contain moisture.

In this case, since the melting point of the second component constituting the heat-fusible conjugate fiber is set to be 20°C or more lower than that of the first component, even when the second component becomes molten due to heat-fusion, the melting point of the second component is lower than that of the first component. Since the components do not melt and maintain the fiber form, this is convenient for creating a thermally fused state.

Furthermore, by making the second component occupy the majority of the fiber surface, heat fusion between the heat-fusible fibers is efficiently performed, and interfacial peeling between the first component and the second component is prevented. is less likely to occur.

In addition, when only a part of the fiber mass is made of heat-fusible fiber, the flexibility etc. of the fiber mass can be adjusted according to the content of the heat-fusible fiber, so that it can be adjusted according to the purpose of use. Optimal characteristics can be achieved.

(Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The general structure of a cotton swab, as shown in FIG. 1, consists of a shaft 1 made of plastic, wood, paper, etc., and a cotton-like fiber mass 2 wrapped around each end of the shaft 1. If necessary, an adhesive (not shown) is applied to the end of the shaft 1 before the fiber mass 2 is wound thereon to connect the shaft 1 and the fiber mass 2.

This fiber mass 2 is composed of two types of fibers, one of which is a heat-fusible composite fiber. this is,
As shown in an enlarged cross section in Fig. 2, it has a structure in which a heat-sealing layer 4 is provided on the surface of the core 3, and the first component constituting the core 3 is made of a fiber-forming polymer. The second component constituting the heat-sealing layer 4 is made of a fiber-forming polymer having a melting point 20° C. or more lower than that of the first component. Examples of such a combination of fiber-forming polymers include polypropylene as the first component and high-density polyethylene as the second component.
For example, combinations of high density polyethylene-low density polyethylene, polypropylene-ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyester-polypropylene, high-density polyethylene-ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, etc. are possible in the same order. In short, a fiber-forming polymer having a melting point 20° C. or more lower than that of the first component may be selected as the second component. Moreover, it goes without saying that each component does not necessarily have to be composed of one type of polymer, but may be composed of two or more types of fiber-forming polymers.

The heat-fusible composite fiber 5 having such a structure uses, for example, composite nozzles arranged in a sheath-core type (concentric type), and the first component is ejected from the center nozzle while the first component is ejected from the outer nozzle. It is obtained by simultaneously discharging two components and spinning them. In addition, not only a sheath-core type nozzle but also a composite type nozzle arranged in parallel may be used to simultaneously discharge each component for spinning. In this case, the cross section is approximately circular as shown in Figure 3. The heat-fusible conjugate fiber 5 also has an eccentric shape in which a heat-fusible layer 4 (second component) having an approximately crescent-shaped cross section is integrally added to the outside of the core portion 3 (first component). It can be used in the cotton swab of the present invention. At this time, the second component is arranged so as to occupy the majority of the fiber surface. Below this range, the heat-fusibility of the heat-fusible conjugate fibers 5 to each other becomes insufficient, and interfacial peeling between the first component and the second component tends to occur. In addition, when a sheath-core type structure is used as shown in FIG. 2, the second component occupies the entire surface of the fiber. On the other hand, in the case of this embodiment, the fibers constituting the remaining portion of the fiber mass 2 are synthetic fibers such as polyester fibers that have a higher melting point than the first component, or natural fibers that do not have thermal meltability. and,
The proportion of the heat-fusible conjugate fibers 5 to the entire fiber mass 2 depends on the type of each component constituting the heat-fusible composite fiber 5, but in this example, the ratio of the heat-fusible conjugate fibers 5 to the entire fiber mass 2 is 10% of the total fiber mass 2. The most favorable results were obtained when the amount was at least % by weight. The mixing ratio of heat-fusible composite fiber 5 is
This is because if the amount is less than 10% by weight, the heat-fusible conjugate fibers 5 will not have a sufficient heat-fusion effect, and the fiber mass 2 will not be sufficiently prevented from fraying.

In order to create the cotton swab shown in FIG. 1 using the heat-fusible composite fibers 5 as described above, if the shaft 1 is made of plastic, first roughen both ends with a wire brush or the like. By flattening, the fiber mass 2 is made to be easily entangled. If the shaft 1 is made of wood or paper, a water-resistant adhesive is applied to both ends of the shaft in advance.

Thereafter, the heat-fusible composite fibers 5 and natural fibers as described above are intertwined with each other in a sliver state by a known method, and then wrapped around both ends of the shaft 1 using an appropriate winding device. Depending on the circumstances, a fiber mass 2 of a desired size is formed and given the shape of a cotton swab.

Next, the cotton swab is heated to a temperature higher than the heat melting temperature of the second component constituting the heat-fusible layer 4 of the heat-fusible conjugate fiber 5, and the first component constituting the core portion 3 of the heat-fusible conjugate fiber 5. By exposing the layer 4 to an atmosphere heated to a temperature below the thermal melting temperature for a predetermined period of time, at least the surface portion of the thermally melting layer 4 is temporarily melted. The heated atmosphere is created by a heating furnace, a blower for generating heat sealing, or the like. The heat-fusible conjugate fibers 5 constituting the fiber mass 2 are heat-fused to each other during such a heating process.

With such a structure, the heat-fusible composite fibers 5 scattered in the fiber mass 2 are bonded to each other by heat fusion, and thereby all the fibers constituting the fiber mass 2 are entangled and prevented from fraying. becomes. Therefore, even if moisture adheres to or impregnates the fiber mass 2 in this state, the fibers bonded together by heat fusion will not lose their bonding strength and come undone, and the water resistance and durability will be significantly improved.

In addition, the heating temperature and heating time of the fiber mass 2 in the heating step may be changed as appropriate depending on the types of the first component and the second component constituting the heat-fusible composite fiber 5 and the volume ratio of these two components. By doing so, the amount melted by the heat treatment of the total amount of the heat-melt layer 4 of the heat-fusible conjugate fibers 5 contained in the fiber mass 2 changes. Since the feel and hardness of the fiber mass 2 of the completed cotton swab change accordingly, such a heating process also serves as a means for adjusting the quality of the product depending on its intended use.

Further, heat-fusible composite fibers 5 constituting the fiber mass 2
By changing the mixing ratio of fibers and other natural fibers, etc., the flexibility or moisture content of the fiber mass 2 can be adjusted as desired, and the fiber mass 2 can be made entirely of a heat-fusible composite material. Of course, it is also possible to construct it using fibers 5.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a second embodiment of the present invention. The cotton swab of this embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the volume of the fiber mass 2 is considerably increased and the fiber mass 2 is attached only to one end of the shaft 1 so that it can be easily used for artificial pollination of fruit trees. They are different.

[Effects of the invention] According to the invention, heat-fusible conjugate fibers are used as the fibers constituting the fiber mass of the cotton swab, and the fibers are thermally fused to each other by the heat-fusible layer on the surface. Unlike conventional cotton swabs that have been treated with a glue to prevent fraying, they do not fray even if they are continuously used in areas that are wet with water, and their durability is significantly increased.

In addition, since the heat-fusible composite fiber is composed of a first component and a second component whose melting point is 20°C or more lower than that of the first component, the second component occupies the majority of the fiber surface. Heat fusion is performed smoothly while maintaining the fraying effect.

Furthermore, when 10% by weight or more of the fiber mass is heat-fusible conjugate fibers and the rest is synthetic fiber or natural fiber, desired properties such as flexibility and water absorption performance can be achieved by changing the mixing ratio of heat-fusible conjugate fibers. It is possible to change it to the one most suitable for the purpose of use.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the heat-fusible composite fiber.
FIG. 3 is a side view showing a modification of the heat-fusible conjugate fiber, and FIG. 4 is a side view showing a second embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a shaft, 2 is a fiber mass, 3 is a core (first component), 4 is a heat-fusible layer (second component), and 5 is a heat-fusible composite fiber.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1. A fiber mass formed by winding cotton-like fibers around the end of a shaft, in which the fibers constituting the fiber mass are thermally fused to each other. a first component comprising a fiber-forming polymer, and a second component comprising a fiber-forming polymer having a melting point lower than that of the first component by at least 20°C. A cotton swab characterized in that the second component is arranged in a parallel type or sheath-core type so that the second component occupies a majority of the fiber surface. 2. A heat-fusible composite in which 10% by weight or more of the fibers constituting the fiber mass are thermally fused to each other in a fiber mass formed by winding cotton-like fibers around the end of a shaft. fibers, the rest being synthetic fibers or natural fibers, and the heat-fusible composite fibers are combined with a first component consisting of a fiber-forming polymer and a fiber-forming material having a melting point 20° C. or more lower than that of the first component. A cotton swab characterized in that a second component made of a polymer is arranged in a parallel type or a sheath-core type so that the second component occupies a majority of the fiber surface.