JP5458422B2 - Ball manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a ball including, for example, a core made of a tube or the like and a plurality of skin panels provided so as to cover the core, and in particular, a ball having a structure in which the skin panel has a printed layer. It belongs to the technical field of manufacturing methods.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, a skin panel such as a soccer ball has been formed into a curved shape along the outer shape of a core portion made of a tube (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this patent document 1, after forming a skin panel into a curved shape, it is made to stick on a core part. By making the skin panel in a curved shape in advance, it is possible to reduce the amount of deformation of the skin panel when it is attached to the core, reducing the distortion and stress that partially occur on the skin panel, and bounce of the ball And ease of use is improved.

JP 2004-174256 A

  By the way, when a skin panel is formed into a curved shape as in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that it is difficult to print a pattern cleanly on the skin panel.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to form a beautiful printed layer on a skin panel that has been previously curved so that a good-looking ball can be formed. There is to get.

To achieve the above object, the present onset Ming, a core portion, and a plurality skin panels covering the outer surface of the core portion, the protective film and the leather material skin panel a plurality of sheets having translucency A method for manufacturing a ball having a printed layer formed so as to form a pattern extending across a plurality of adjacent skin panels, wherein the protective film has a curved shape along the outer shape of the core portion The protective film molded in this regular shape is reversed so that the front and back are reversed so that it is reversed so that it has a shape different from the regular shape, and printing is performed in a non-contact state. In a state in which the central portion of the back surface of the protective film held by the holding device having a portion is turned upside down and curved so as to protrude from the peripheral portion, the printed layer is formed on the back surface of the protective film. After formed The protective film on which the printed layer is formed is removed from the holding device, and is reversed so that the front and back are reversed, and the shape is adjusted so as to be a regular shape, and then the shape is adjusted so as to be a regular shape. The protective film and leather material thus obtained were heated and bonded using a mold to form a protective film, a printed layer, and a leather material, and a regular shape that was curved along the outer shape of the core part. It is characterized by obtaining a skin panel .

According to this invention, the protective film is formed into a regular shape which is curved along the outer shape of the core, protective film that is molded into the shape of the normal is inverted so that opposite the front and back The center portion of the back surface of the protective film held inside the holding device that is turned over and held in a non-contact state so as to have a shape different from the regular shape. After the printing layer is formed on the back surface of the protective film, the protective film on which the printing layer is formed is removed from the holding device and the front and back are reversed. The shape is adjusted so that it is reversed and becomes a regular shape, and then the protective film and the leather material that are shaped so as to be a regular shape are heated and bonded using a mold. Since obtaining a protection film and the printed layer and the leather material and the skin panel formed into a regular shape which is curved along the outer shape of the core portion with consists, without being affected by the curved shape, to obtain a clean pattern And a good-looking ball can be obtained. In addition, when a large pattern over a plurality of adjacent skin panels is applied to the ball, the pattern can be prevented from being deformed, so that a beautiful pattern can be obtained.

It is an external view of a ball. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which has arrange | positioned the pad of a printing apparatus above the protective film. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 in a state where a printing layer is formed on the protective film. It is sectional drawing of the protective film in which the printing layer was formed. It is a perspective view of the protective film in which the printing layer was formed. It is a figure which shows the state which set the protective film hold | maintained at the holding | maintenance apparatus to the inkjet printing apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the following description of the preferred embodiment is merely illustrative in nature, and is not intended to limit the present invention, its application, or its use.

  FIG. 1 shows a ball 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This ball 1 is used for ball games, and as shown in FIG. 2, a tube 2 as a core, a reinforcing layer 15 that reinforces the tube 2, and a plurality of skins that cover the outer peripheral surface of the tube 2 Are provided. In this embodiment, the number of the skin panels 3 is twelve. Therefore, the area of each skin panel 3 is 8% or more of the total surface area of the balls 1. The diameter of the ball 1 is set to 16 cm or more and 25 cm or less.

  The tube 2 is made of an air-impermeable elastic material such as butyl rubber or latex rubber, and has a rubber valve 4 having a known structure as shown in FIG. The valve 4 penetrates the skin panel 3 and is exposed on the outer surface of the ball 1. Compressed air is injected into the tube 2 through the valve 4. The structure of the valve 4 is not limited to the above.

  The reinforcing layer 15 is provided in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the tube 2. The reinforcing layer 15 is configured by winding a cloth or a thread. The reinforcing layer 15 may be omitted.

  The shape of the skin panel 3 is pentagonal or hexagonal, but the shape is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 2, a bent portion 3 a that is bent toward the tube 2 side is formed at the peripheral portion of the skin panel 3. Each skin panel 3 has a curved shape that follows the shape of the outer peripheral surface of the tube 2.

  Each skin panel 3 has a multi-layer structure, and is formed by laminating a protective film 10, a printing layer 11, and a leather material 12 in order from the front side to the back side. The protective film 10 is comprised with the resin material which has translucency, and thickness is set between about 5 micrometers-1500 micrometers. A bent portion 10a (shown in FIGS. 5 and 6) constituting the bent portion 3a is formed on the peripheral edge of the protective film 10. Examples of the material constituting the protective film 10 include polyurethane, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyamide, polyvinyl chloride, and the like. Moreover, the protective film 10 should just have translucency, may be colorless and may be colored.

  The printing layer 11 is an ink layer formed by pad printing. The printed layer 11 gives the ball 1 a pattern A (shown in FIG. 1). In this embodiment, the pattern A is large so as to extend over the adjacent skin panels 3 and 3. The printed layer 11 is formed on the entire surface including the bent portion 3 a of the skin panel 3. The pattern A of this embodiment is, for example, an ellipse drawn in a different color on a white background. The ellipse is drawn so as to extend over the adjacent skin panels 3 and 3. In addition, as the pattern A, there are a logo mark indicating a manufacturer and a product name, a certification mark of a sports association, characters, and the like. Further, a gradation pattern or a stripe formed over the entire ball 1 There are patterns and the like, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described form.

  Further, the leather material 12 is made of synthetic leather made of polyurethane, natural leather, or the like, in which changes in physical properties due to changes in ambient temperature are smaller than polyvinyl chloride. The leather material 12 and the protective film 10 are bonded using a hot melt adhesive or the like. The adhesive is a well-known adhesive mainly composed of a thermoplastic resin, which is fixed at room temperature and has no fluidity, but becomes a molten state when heated to 40 ° C. or higher. Further, an impact buffer material made of EPDM foam or the like may be provided on the back side of the leather material 12. As the shock absorbing material, a chemically foamed foam material or a mechanically foamed foam material can be used. The mechanical foaming means that the raw material is foamed so as to obtain a cell-like structure by introducing gas into the raw material by physical means. As a means for introducing the gas into the raw material, for example, pressurization Means and stirring means. It is possible to make the shock-absorbing material a closed cell structure by mechanical foaming. In the shock absorbing material having the closed cell structure, the bubbles in the shock absorbing material are independent and smaller than those having the open cell structure. Thus, for example, even when the shock absorbing material receives an impact by kicking and the bubble wall is broken and adjacent bubbles communicate with each other, the space can be made smaller than that of the open cell structure. As a result, the strength reduction of the shock absorbing material is suppressed. In addition, since the bubbles are small, it is possible to secure a wide bonding area, and a strong adhesive force can be obtained. As a result, the durability of the ball 1 is improved.

  In addition, since small bubbles are independently formed in the shock absorbing material, it is possible to make the hardness of the shock absorbing material close to uniform, and the specific gravity of each part also approaches uniformly, and the weight of the ball 1 Can be easily set to the specified weight. As described above, by making the hardness of the portion of the shock absorbing material close to uniform, for example, when the ball is kicked, it becomes easy to control the flying direction, distance, rotation, etc. of the ball 1 as intended. Also, the feeling that the ball 1 bites into the leg does not feel uncomfortable.

  Next, the manufacturing apparatus of the said skin panel 3 is demonstrated. This manufacturing apparatus includes a forming device (not shown) for forming the protective film 10 of the skin panel 3, a holding device 30 (shown in FIG. 3) for holding the protective film 10, and a pad printing device 40 (shown in FIG. 3). ). The molding apparatus includes an upper mold and a lower mold, and a heater for heating the upper mold and the lower mold. The upper mold comes into contact with and separates from the lower mold, and can be switched between a mold open state and a mold closed state. A lower molding surface is provided on the upper surface of the lower mold so as to bulge upward. This lower molding surface is for forming the curved shape of the skin panel 3, and is curved so that the central portion is located at the top, similarly to the degree of curvature of the outer peripheral surface of the tube 2. The peripheral edge portion of the lower molding surface extends in the up-down direction, whereby a bent portion 10 a is formed in the protective film 10. An upper molding surface is provided on the lower surface of the upper mold so as to be recessed upward. The upper molding surface is curved so that the center portion is located at the uppermost position corresponding to the lower molding surface, and the peripheral portion of the upper molding surface extends in parallel with the peripheral portion of the lower molding surface. .

  In addition, you may comprise the said shaping | molding apparatus with the type | mold which contacts / separates in the left-right direction. Further, the runner and the gate may be provided in either type. Further, the position and shape of the gate and runner can be set arbitrarily.

  The holding device 30 is for holding the protective film 10 molded by the molding device in an inverted state, and includes a holding die 31 and a vacuum introducing tube 32 as shown in FIG. . The holding die 31 has a holding surface 33 having the same shape as the lower die of the molding apparatus. The holding mold 31 is provided with a number of vacuum introduction holes 34 that open to the holding surface 33. A vacuum evacuation device (not shown) is connected to these vacuum introduction holes 34 via a vacuum introduction tube 32, and a vacuum is introduced by the evacuation device. Although not shown, a vacuum introduction hole may be provided so as to correspond to the peripheral edge of the protective film 10 and the peripheral edge of the protective film 10 may be sucked. Thereby, printing accuracy can be improved.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the pad printing apparatus 40 includes a pad 41 and an elevating mechanism 42 that moves the pad 41 in the vertical direction. Since the pad 41 is made of an elastic material such as silicone rubber, the pad 41 deforms following the curved shape of the skin panel 3. That is, the pad 41 is a printing unit that deforms following the shape of the skin panel of the present invention. The material of the pad 41 is not limited to the above, and various elastic materials can be used.

  The lower surface of the pad 41 includes a curved surface 41a that curves downward. The material of the pad 41 can be selected arbitrarily, and the shape of the pad 41 is not limited to the shape described above. The upper surface of the pad 41 is fixed to the lifting mechanism 42.

  Next, the point which manufactures the skin panel 3 using the manufacturing apparatus comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated. First, the film F constituting the protective film 10 is cut slightly larger than the shape of the skin panel 3. Further, the lower molding surface and the upper molding surface are heated by a heater of the molding apparatus. And the cut | disconnected film F is arrange | positioned between both shaping | molding surfaces, an upper type | mold is moved below and a type | mold is closed. Thereby, the protective film 10 is shape | molded. When the mold is opened, the protective film 10 that is curved and has a bent portion 10a formed at the peripheral edge portion is obtained.

  Next, after removing the protective film 10 from the molding apparatus, the protective film 10 is turned over and placed on the holding surface 33 of the holding apparatus 30. When the vacuum is introduced into the vacuum introduction hole 34 by the vacuuming device, the protective film 10 is adsorbed and held on the holding surface 33.

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to the printing process. That is, ink is poured into an intaglio plate (not shown) corresponding to the pattern A, and the curved surface 41a of the pad 41 is pressed against the intaglio plate. As a result, the ink on the intaglio plate adheres to the curved surface 41a of the pad 41, and the pattern is transferred to the curved surface 41a.

  By pressing the pad 41 to which this pattern has been transferred against the protective film 10 held by the holding device 30, the curved surface 41a of the pad 41 is deformed along the shape of the protective film 10, and the ink on the curved surface 41a. Adheres to the entirety of the protective film 10, whereby the printing layer 11 is formed on the entire protective film 10 as shown in FIG. 4.

  After the ink of the protective film 10 is dried, the protective film 10 is removed from the holding device 30, and as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the printed layer 11 is formed by adjusting the shape to a regular shape. A protective film 10 is obtained. The burr formed on the peripheral edge of the protective film 10 is removed.

  In addition, since the shape of the holding surface 33 is the same shape as the shape of the lower molding surface, the print layer 11 is formed on the back surface in a state where the protective film 10 is turned over. Eleven patterns A are hardly deformed.

  Then, although not shown in figure, the said protective film 10 and the leather material 12 are heated and adhere | attached using another type | mold. Thereby, the skin panel 3 having a multilayer structure in which the printed layer 11 is visible through the protective film 10 is obtained.

  By sticking the skin panel 3 thus obtained to the tube 2, the ball 1 is obtained. At this time, since the skin panel 3 is preliminarily curved so as to be along the outer peripheral surface of the tube 2, the deformation amount of the skin panel 3 when being attached to the tube 2 is reduced, and a distortion partially occurs in the skin panel 3. And stress is reduced. In addition, since the deformation amount of the skin panel 3 is reduced in this way, the printed layer 11 of the skin panel 3 hardly expands or contracts depending on the part.

  The skin panel 3 may be attached to the tube 2 with an adhesive. Alternatively, the skin panels 3 may be joined to each other by sewing the bent portions 3a of the adjacent skin panels 3 together.

  As described above, according to the ball 1 according to this embodiment, the printed layer 11 is formed by pad printing on the skin panel 3 that is curved so as to correspond to the shape of the tube 2. Along the curved shape of the skin panel 3. Thereby, it can suppress that the pattern A of the printing layer 11 of the skin panel 3 deform | transforms. As a result, a beautiful pattern A can be obtained, and the ball 1 having a good appearance can be obtained.

  In this embodiment, since the diameter of the ball 1 is 16 cm or more, the number of the skin panels 3 is 12, and the area of each skin panel 3 is 8% or more of the total surface area of the balls 1, The size of the skin panel 3 is large. When the skin panel 3 becomes large in this way, the degree of curvature becomes large when viewed as a whole. Even when the degree of curvature is large as described above, by forming the printing layer 11 by pad printing, the printing layer 11 can be formed along the shape, and a beautiful pattern A can be obtained.

  Further, in this embodiment, a large pattern A is formed over a plurality of skin panels 3, and in this case, deformation of the printing layer 11 of each skin panel 3 can be suppressed. Yes. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the width of the printing surface set on the skin panel 3 is wide over the entire skin panel 3, and a clean pattern A can also be obtained in this case.

  Moreover, it can also suppress that the pattern A of the printing layer 11 formed over the bending part 3a of the skin panel 3 deform | transforms, and can obtain the still more beautiful pattern A. FIG.

  Further, since the printing layer 11 is formed on the back surface of the protective film 10, the printing layer 11 can be prevented from being worn away, and the durability of the pattern can be improved.

  In the above-described embodiment, the printing layer 11 is formed on the protective film 10 of the skin panel 3 using the pad printing device 40. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. The printing layer 11 may be formed using the apparatus 50. The ink jet printing apparatus 50 includes a nozzle 51 that ejects the particles of the ink b in a non-contact state with the printed matter. That is, the nozzle 51 is a printing unit that is not in contact with the skin panel 3 of the present invention.

  When printing with the inkjet printer 50, the protective film 10 is held on the holding surface 33 of the holding device 30 in an inverted state, and then set on the inkjet printer 50. The ink particles ejected from the nozzles 51 of the ink jet printing apparatus 50 adhere to the printing surface of the skin panel 3 to form the printing layer 11. Thereby, even if the skin panel 3 has a curved shape, the printed layer 11 is formed along the shape.

  Moreover, you may make it form both the printing layer 11 by pad printing, and the printing layer 11 by inkjet printing in the sheet | seat panel 3 of 1 sheet.

  Although not shown, a printing layer may be formed on the surface of the protective film 10. Furthermore, in the case of a skin panel that does not have the protective film 10, a printed layer may be formed on the surface of the skin panel.

  Further, the print layer 11 may be formed only on a part of the skin panel 3.

  The ball 1 to which the present invention can be applied is, for example, a ball used in various ball games such as a soccer ball, handball, basketball, and volleyball. Accordingly, the shape of the skin panel is not limited to a polygonal shape. .

  Further, the diameter of the ball 1 may be larger than the above-described range. The number of the skin panels 3 may be an arbitrary number of 12 or less. The area of the skin panel may be any value as long as it is 8% or more of the total surface area of the ball.

  Further, the shape of the skin panel 3 may be, for example, a hemispherical shape or a shape in which the sphere is ¼ or ５.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the core part of this invention is comprised with the tube 2, the core part may be the thing of the solid structure which consists of sponge, gel, etc. besides the thing of a hollow structure. . Moreover, the material of the core part is not limited to the above, and various kinds of materials can be used. In addition to the spherical shape, the core portion may have a shape such as a rugby ball.

  Further, the printing device is not limited to the pad printing device 40 and the inkjet printing device 50 described above, and deforms following the shape of various printing devices having a non-contact printing portion on the skin panel 3 and the skin panel 3. A printing apparatus having a printing unit can be used.

  As described above, the ball according to the present invention is suitable for a ball game such as a soccer ball.

1 Ball 2 Tube (Core)
3 skin panel 10 protective film 11 printing layer 12 leather material 40 pad printing device 41 pad (printing section)
50 Inkjet printing device 51 Nozzle (printing section)
A pattern

Claims (1)

Comprising a core portion and a plurality skin panels covering the outer surface of the core portion, across the skin panels of a plurality within a plurality skin panels adjacent between the protective film and the leather material having a light-transmitting pattern A method of manufacturing a ball having a printed layer formed so as to form a protective film , wherein the protective film is formed into a regular shape that is a curved shape along the outer shape of the core , and the protective material is molded into this regular shape. By flipping the film so that the front and back are reversed, the film is turned over so that it has a different shape from the regular shape, and is held in a holding device that has a printing unit that performs printing in a non-contact state. In a state where the central portion of the back surface of the protective film held by the holding device is curved so that it protrudes from the peripheral portion, after the printed layer is formed on the back surface of this protective film, the protective layer on which the printed layer is formed Film It is removed from the device and reversed so that the front and back are reversed, and the shape is adjusted so that it becomes a regular shape, and then the protective film and leather material that are shaped so as to be a regular shape are molded. A ball characterized by obtaining a skin panel formed of a protective film, a printed layer, and a leather material, and having a curved shape along the outer shape of the core portion, by heating and bonding using Manufacturing method.

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