JP6823009B2 - Manufacturing method of fine hollow protrusions and fine hollow protrusions - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a fine hollow protrusion and a fine hollow protrusion.

In the medical or cosmetological field, a technique of a microneedle capable of supplying an agent without pain by puncturing a shallow layer of the skin with a minute-sized needle is known, and various viewpoints regarding a method for manufacturing the microneedle Has been examined. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a step of arranging a resin body on an elastic body having a predetermined hardness, and puncturing the elastic body by penetrating a fine needle through the resin body from the back surface side of the elastic body while heating. A method for manufacturing a fine nozzle including a step and a step of continuing heating with the fine needle punctured and then cooling to solidify the resin body is described.

Further, Patent Document 2 describes a method for manufacturing a microneedle array in which a microneedle array is formed on a flat material by using a bottom-shaped structure having a horizontal base surface and a plurality of microposts. The manufacturing method described in Patent Document 2 includes a step of heating the micro-struts and the flat material and continuing to deform the flat material until a part of the flat material comes into contact with the horizontal base surface.

Further, in Patent Document 3, a microneedle array is manufactured in which fine protrusions are formed on one surface of a base material by a thermal imprint method and then through holes are formed in the fine protrusions by a laser method to form fine hollow protrusions. The method is described.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-172833 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-501161 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-078654

In the manufacturing method described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, a base sheet made of a resin material is formed by piercing a needle-shaped convex portion or punching a needle-shaped convex portion while softening the sheet-shaped resin material by heating. A fine hollow protrusion having a fine protrusion formed on one surface is manufactured. Since the resin material has high rigidity unless it is heated to the softening point, the entire fine protrusion including the base sheet and the protrusion is a hard product. When such a fine protrusion is used as a patch to be attached to the body surface such as near the skin or joints, it is difficult to attach the fine protrusion so as to follow the skin or joints due to the high rigidity of the base sheet. Is.
It is also known that a functional material that can be formed on fine protrusions such as hyaluronic acid is used as a material for forming fine hollow protrusions. However, when such a functional material is used as a forming material, in the manufacturing methods described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, the base sheet is also formed of the functional material, so that a fine protrusion having weak strength and being easily broken is manufactured. Will be done.

Therefore, the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a fine hollow protrusion and a fine hollow protrusion that can eliminate the drawbacks of the above-mentioned prior art.

The present invention is a method for manufacturing a sheet portion and a microhollow protrusion having a hollow inside protruding from the sheet portion, wherein the first material is placed on a base sheet formed of a first material. A step of partially arranging a second material different from the material to obtain an intermediate sheet in which a laminated portion of another material in which the base material sheet and the second material are laminated is partially formed, and the intermediate sheet. The sheet portion is provided with a protrusion forming step of forming fine hollow protrusions protruding from the other surface side of the intermediate sheet by piercing the laminated portion of the other material with a convex shape having a heating means from the one surface side of the above. Is a part of the base material sheet formed of the first material, the first material or the second material is a skeleton-forming material containing a thermoplastic resin, and the skeleton-forming material The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a fine hollow protrusion tool, in which a skeleton that maintains the three-dimensional form of the fine hollow protrusion is formed.

Further, the present invention is a micro-hollow projection tool provided with a sheet portion and micro-hollow protrusions protruding from the seat portion and having a hollow inside, and the skeleton of the micro-hollow protrusions containing a thermoplastic resin for maintaining its shape. The skeleton-forming material or the coating material that covers the surface of the fine hollow protrusions is a material different from the first material that forms the sheet portion, and the fine hollow protrusions are formed. Provided are microhollow protrusions formed from a second material that is partially arranged in plan view of.

According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, a fine having a sheet portion formed from the first material and a fine hollow protrusion having a skeleton formed from the first material or the second material to maintain the three-dimensional shape of the fine hollow protrusion. Hollow protrusions can be manufactured.
Further, according to the fine hollow protrusions of the present invention, since the materials of the sheet portion and the fine hollow protrusions are different, they can be used in various applications and situations.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a first embodiment of the fine hollow protrusion tool of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a perspective view of one protrusion shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a sectional view taken along line II-II shown in FIG. 2A. FIG. 3A is an explanatory view showing a method of measuring the tip diameter of the protrusion of the hollow protrusion shown in FIG. 2B, and FIG. 3B is a case where the protrusion has a tip opening. It is explanatory drawing which shows the measuring method of the tip diameter of a protrusion. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing a fine hollow projection tool in which one fine hollow projection is formed for each other material arrangement portion in which the second material according to the present invention is arranged, and FIG. 4B is shown in FIG. ) Is a perspective view showing a fine hollow protrusion tool in which a plurality of fine hollow protrusions are formed per one other material arrangement portion. FIG. 5A is a perspective view showing a fine hollow projection tool having a plurality of other material arrangement portions in which different second materials are arranged and one fine hollow projection is formed for each other material arrangement portion. FIG. 5B is a perspective view showing a fine hollow protrusion tool in which a plurality of fine hollow protrusions are formed for one other material arrangement portion. 6 (a) to 6 (d) are cross-sectional views showing the fine hollow protrusions according to the second embodiment of the fine hollow protrusion tool of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an outline of a manufacturing apparatus used in the first embodiment of the method for manufacturing a microhollow protrusion of the present invention, which is a method for manufacturing a microhollow protrusion shown in FIG. 8 (a) to 8 (c) are views for explaining a process of manufacturing a fine hollow protrusion using the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of measuring the tip angle of the convex shape. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a step of manufacturing a fine hollow protrusion using a laminated portion of another material different from the aspect shown in FIG. 7. 11 (a) and 11 (b) are diagrams illustrating a step of manufacturing a fine hollow protrusion having a plurality of protrusions formed of a different second material by using the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 7. 12 (a) to 12 (d) are views for explaining the protrusion forming step in the second embodiment of the method for manufacturing a fine hollow protrusion of the present invention. 13 (a) to 13 (c) are views corresponding to FIG. 8 showing a process of forming a protrusion in a direction in which the convex insertion direction is different from that in FIG.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on the preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings.
First, the fine hollow projection tool of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a microneedle array 1M having a plurality of fine hollow protrusions 3 (protrusions 3), which is the first embodiment of the fine hollow protrusions of the present invention. Hereinafter, the fine hollow protrusion tool according to the first embodiment will be referred to as a “fine hollow protrusion tool 10a”. The microneedle array 1M includes a sheet portion 2 and a fine hollow projection 3 protruding from the sheet portion 2 and having a hollow inside. Hereinafter, the fine hollow protrusion 3 is also simply referred to as a protrusion 3. The number of protrusions 3, the arrangement of the protrusions 3 and the shape of the protrusions 3 are not particularly limited, but the microneedle array 1M of the present embodiment preferably has a plurality of protrusions 3 on the upper surface of the sheet-shaped sheet portion 2. The truncated cone-shaped protrusions 3 are provided in an array (matrix) shape. Specifically, the nine protrusions 3 arranged in an array (matrix) form three rows in the Y direction, which is the direction in which the base sheet 20 described later is conveyed (the vertical direction of the base sheet 20). They are arranged in three rows in the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the base sheet is to be transported and in the X direction, which is the lateral direction of the base sheet 20 to be transported. 2 (a) is a perspective view of the microneedle array 1M focusing on one of the array (matrix) -shaped protrusions 3 of the microneedle array 1M, and FIG. 2 (b) is a perspective view of the microneedle array 1M. , FIG. 2 (a) is a sectional view taken along line II-II. As shown in FIG. 2B, the protrusion 3 has a hollow inside. Specifically, the opposite side of the portion of the seat portion 2 where the protrusion 3 is arranged is open, and a hollow space V penetrates the seat portion 2 and extends to the inside of the protrusion 3. .. In the fine hollow protrusion 10a, the space V inside the protrusion 3 is formed in a conical shape corresponding to the outer shape of the protrusion 3. The protrusion 3 is conical in the fine hollow protrusion 10a, but may have a truncated cone shape, a columnar shape, a prismatic shape, a pyramidal shape, a truncated cone shape, or the like, in addition to the conical shape.

When the fine hollow protrusion 10a is used as a microneedle, the fine hollow protrusion 3 protrudes from the sheet portion 2 from the viewpoint of inserting the tip of the protrusion 3 into the stratum corneum of the skin at the shallowest point and deep into the dermis. The height H1 [see FIG. 2B] is preferably 0.01 mm or more, more preferably 0.02 mm or more, and preferably 10 mm or less, still more preferably 5 mm or less, specifically. Is preferably 0.01 mm or more and 10 mm or less, and more preferably 0.02 mm or more and 5 mm or less. The protrusion 3 has an average thickness T1 of preferably 0.005 mm or more, more preferably 0.01 mm or more, and preferably 1.0 mm or less, further preferably 0.5 mm or less. Is preferably 0.005 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less, and more preferably 0.01 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less. The thickness T2 of the sheet portion 2 is preferably 0.01 mm or more, more preferably 0.02 mm or more, and preferably 1.0 mm or less, further preferably 0.7 mm or less. Is preferably 0.01 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less, and more preferably 0.02 mm or more and 0.7 mm or less.

The tip diameter of the protrusion 3 of the fine hollow protrusion 10a is preferably 0.001 mm or more, more preferably 0.005 mm or more, from the viewpoint of making it difficult to feel pain when the protrusion 3 is inserted into the skin. , And more preferably 0.5 mm or less, still more preferably 0.3 mm or less, specifically, preferably 0.001 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less, still more preferably 0.005 mm or more and 0.3 mm. It is as follows. The tip diameter of the protrusion 3 of the fine hollow protrusion 10a is measured as follows.

[Measurement of the tip diameter of the protrusion of the fine hollow protrusion]
When the tip of the protrusion 3 is not open, the tip of the protrusion 3 of the fine hollow protrusion 10a is magnified by a predetermined magnification using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or a microscope, for example, FIG. Observe like the SEM image shown in (a).
Next, as shown in FIG. 3A, the virtual straight line ILa is extended along the straight line portion on one side side 1a of the side sides 1a and 1b, and the virtual straight line ILb is extended along the straight line portion on the other side side 1b. Extend. Then, on the tip side, a point where the one side 1a is separated from the virtual straight line ILa is obtained as the first tip point 1a1, and a point where the other side 1b is separated from the virtual straight line ILb is obtained as the second tip point 1b1. The length L of the straight line connecting the first tip point 1a1 and the second tip point 1b1 obtained in this way was measured using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or a microscope, and the length of the straight line was measured. Is the tip diameter of the fine hollow protrusion 10a. When the tip of the protrusion 3 is open, as shown in FIG. 3B, the virtual straight lines ILa and ILb are drawn on the assumption that the tip of the protrusion 3 is on the opening side, and the intersection thereof is projected. With the apex of 3, the tip diameter is measured by the method shown in FIG. 3 (a) described above.

As shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of protrusions 3 arranged in an array (matrix) on the upper surface of the sheet-shaped sheet portion 2 have a uniform distance between centers in the vertical direction (Y direction) and are arranged in the horizontal direction (horizontal direction). It is preferable that the center-to-center distance in the X direction is uniform, and the center-to-center distance in the vertical direction (Y direction) and the center-to-center distance in the horizontal direction (X direction) are preferably the same. Preferably, the distance between the centers of the protrusions 3 in the vertical direction (Y direction) is preferably 0.01 mm or more, more preferably 0.05 mm or more, and preferably 10 mm or less, still more preferably 5 mm or less. Specifically, it is preferably 0.01 mm or more and 10 mm or less, and more preferably 0.05 mm or more and 5 mm or less. The distance between the centers of the protrusions 3 in the lateral direction (X direction) is preferably 0.01 mm or more, more preferably 0.05 mm or more, and preferably 10 mm or less, further preferably 5 mm or less. Specifically, it is preferably 0.01 mm or more and 10 mm or less, and more preferably 0.05 mm or more and 5 mm or less.

The skeleton 30 that maintains the shape of the fine hollow protrusions 3 is formed of a skeleton-forming material containing a thermoplastic resin. Examples of the thermoplastic resin contained in the skeleton forming material include poly fatty acid ester, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, polyamide, polyamideimide, polyetheretherketone, polyetherimide, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalates, polyvinyl chloride, and nylon resin. , Acrylic resin and the like, or a combination thereof, and polystyrene ester is preferably used from the viewpoint of biodegradability. Specific examples of the polyfatty acid ester include polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid, and combinations thereof.

In the fine hollow protrusion 10a of the present embodiment, the skeleton forming material of the protrusion 3 is a material different from the first material for forming the sheet portion 2, and the fine hollow protrusion 10a is partially arranged in a plan view of the fine hollow protrusion. It is made of a second material. That is, the skeleton 30 of the fine hollow protrusion is formed of a second material partially arranged on the plane of the sheet portion 2, and the second material and the first material forming the sheet portion 2 are formed. Are different from each other. The skeleton 30 of the fine hollow protrusions maintains the three-dimensional formation of the fine hollow protrusions.

In the fine hollow protrusion 10a of the present embodiment, the first material is a material for forming the sheet portion 2, the second material is a skeleton forming material for the protrusion 3, and the second material is the fine hollow protrusion. It is partially arranged in the plan view of the tool. By providing such a configuration, the rigidity of the seat portion 2 and the protrusion 3 of the fine hollow protrusion 10a can be made different from each other. For example, in the fine hollow protrusion 10a of the present embodiment, when the first material forming the sheet portion 2 is a flexible material capable of forming the flexible sheet portion 2 such as a non-woven fabric, the second material is the first. Although the rigidity is higher than that of the material of No. 2, since the second material is partially arranged on the sheet portion 2, the entire sheet portion 2 has high flexibility. Since the sheet portion 2 is flexible and the sheet portion 2 can be made to follow the surface of the body or the like, the fine hollow protrusion 10a can be preferably used as a patch to be attached to the surface of the body or the like.

Examples of the flexible material capable of forming the flexible sheet portion 2 include a non-woven fabric, a resin film, a laminated body of two or more kinds of non-woven fabrics, a laminated body of a resin film and a non-woven fabric, and the like.
Examples of the non-woven fabric include non-woven fabrics produced by various known manufacturing methods, such as air-through non-woven fabrics, spunlace non-woven fabrics, spunbond non-woven fabrics, melt blown non-woven fabrics, needle punch non-woven fabrics, and heat roll non-woven fabrics. The non-woven fabric is preferably composed of synthetic fibers, and examples of the constituent resin of the synthetic fibers include polyolefins such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). ) And other polyesters, nylon and other polyamides, and the like. These constituent resins may be used alone or in combination of two or more. As a mode in which two or more kinds of resins are used in combination, two or more kinds of resins can be blended and used, or can be used in the form of composite fibers such as a core sheath type and a side-by-side type.

From the viewpoint of further improving the followability to the surface of the body and the like, the seat portion 2 is preferably a flexible material having elasticity. Examples of such a flexible material include non-woven fabrics containing elastic fibers, that is, stretchable composite non-woven fabrics and stretchable non-woven fabrics. In the stretchable composite nonwoven fabric, an inelastic fiber layer composed of substantially inelastic fibers is arranged on at least one surface of an elastic fiber layer containing elastic fibers, and in both fiber layers, the constituent fibers of the elastic fiber layer are fibers. It is a non-woven fabric that is joined by heat fusion while maintaining its shape. A stretchable non-woven fabric is a non-woven fabric in which a large number of elastic filaments arranged so as to extend in one direction without intersecting each other are bonded to a stretchable non-woven fabric over their entire length in a substantially non-stretched state.

As the elastic fiber, a fiber made from an elastic resin such as a styrene elastomer, a polyolefin elastomer, a thermoplastic elastomer such as a polyester elastomer or a polyurethane elastomer, or a rubber is used. Further, as the inelastic fiber, a fiber made of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyester (PET or PBT), polyamide or the like is used.

As the stretchable composite non-woven fabric, various known ones can be used. For example, the stretchable sheet described in JP-A-2008-179128, the stretchable sheet described in JP-A-2007-22066, and JP-A-2007- Stretchable nonwoven fabrics produced by the method for producing stretchable nonwoven fabrics described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 22066, laminated sheets described in JP-A-10-209259, and the like can also be used.

The fine hollow protrusion 10a has a portion in which the second material is arranged on the sheet portion 2 including the protrusion 3. The portion where the second material is arranged is also referred to as the other material arranging portion 25. In the other material arrangement portion 25, the entire second material may form the protrusion 3, or a part of the second material may form the protrusion 3. In the fine hollow protrusion 10a, the protrusion 3 is formed in the other material arrangement portion 25. As shown in FIG. 4A, the fine hollow protrusion 10a may have one protrusion formed on the other material arranging portion 25, and the other material arranging portion 25 may have one protrusion as shown in FIG. 4B. A plurality of protrusions may be formed. In the fine hollow protrusion 10a shown in FIG. 4A, a plurality of other material arrangement portions 25 are formed in a scattered pattern shape in a plan view, and one protrusion 3 is formed in each of the other material arrangement portions. There is. In the fine hollow protrusion 10a shown in FIG. 4B, a plurality of fine hollow protrusions 3 are formed in the other material arrangement portion 25 having a certain size in a plan view. In this case, the plurality of fine hollow protrusions 3 formed in one other material arrangement portion 25 may be arranged so that the distance between the centers in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is within the above-mentioned range in the plan view.

The other material arranging portion 25 may be formed on the entire one surface of the sheet portion 2, and is partially formed on one surface of the sheet portion 2 as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. May be.
The basis weight of the second material 3a in the other material arranging portion 25 is not particularly limited, and is appropriately set according to the dimensions and the like of the fine hollow protrusions 3.

When the fine hollow protrusion has a plurality of protrusions, the fine hollow protrusion 10a may have a plurality of fine hollow protrusions 3 of the same second material, and are shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b). As described above, the second material may have a plurality of fine hollow protrusions 3A and 3B, which are different from each other. When the second material has a plurality of fine hollow protrusions 3A and 3B different from each other, for example, as shown in FIG. 5A, one protrusion is formed for each other material arrangement portion 25A and 25B. Also, as shown in FIG. 5B, a plurality of protrusions may be formed for each of the other material arrangement portions 25A and 25B.

Next, a second embodiment of the fine hollow protrusion will be described. The present embodiment will be described mainly on points different from those of the first embodiment, and the description of the first embodiment will be appropriately applied to points not particularly described. Hereinafter, the fine hollow protrusion tool according to the second embodiment will be referred to as a “fine hollow protrusion tool 10b”.

As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D, the fine hollow projection tool 10b of the present embodiment is the first in that the projections are coated on the surface thereof, specifically, the surface of the skeleton 30 with a coating material. 1 Different from the embodiment. The coating material can form a coating layer 32 that covers the surface of the protrusion 3. Hereinafter, the protrusion whose surface is covered with the coating layer 32 is also referred to as a coating type protrusion 35.

In the fine hollow protrusions 10b of the present embodiment, the coating material that covers the surface of the protrusions is different from the first material that forms the sheet portion 2, and the fine hollow protrusions 10b are partially different from the first material that forms the sheet portion 2. It is formed from a second material that is arranged. Further, the first material for forming the sheet portion 2 in the second embodiment is a skeleton forming material for the protrusions 3. That is, the coating material is formed from a second material partially arranged on the plane of the sheet portion 2, and the first material forming the sheet portion 2 and the skeleton 30 of the protrusions with the second material. The materials are different from each other.
In the fine hollow projection tool 10b of the present embodiment, the other material arranging portion 25 is a portion in which the second material forming the coating layer 32 is laminated on the sheet portion 2.
Further, in the present embodiment, the seat portion 2 and the skeleton 30 of the protrusions are continuous.

In the fine hollow protrusion 10b of the present embodiment, the first material is the skeleton-forming material of the protrusion, the second material is the skeleton-forming material of the protrusion 3, and the second material is the first material. It is a coating material that forms a functional coating layer 32 on the skeleton 30 of the formed protrusions. In the fine hollow projection tool 10b having such a configuration, since the coating layer 32 is formed on the surface of the skeleton 30 of the protrusion having high rigidity, the coating layer 32 can be punctured inside the skin, and the function of the coating layer 32 The sex component can be effectively supplied to the inside of the skin. Therefore, it can be preferably used as a functional sheet agent to which a functional component is added.

As the coating material, a functional coating layer forming material that can form the coating layer 32 and has functionality by itself can be preferably used. Examples of the functional coating layer forming material include skin care materials having effects such as protection and healing on the skin. Examples of the skin care material include hyaluronic acid and collagen.
Further, a mixed material in which a functional component is added to a coating layer forming material such as starch or cellulose may be used as the coating material. Examples of the functional component include sensory stimulating materials that give sensory stimuli such as warmth and coldness to the skin, vaccine preparations, and the like. Examples of the sensory stimulating material include menthol and capsaicin.
Further, a mixed material obtained by adding the functional component to the above-mentioned functional coating layer forming material may be used as the coating material.
As the coating material, one or a mixture of two or more selected from each of the above-mentioned materials can be used on the premise that at least one of the functional coating layer forming material and the coating layer forming material is contained. ..

In the coating type protrusion 35, a coating layer 32 made of a coating material may be formed on the entire surface of the skeleton 30 of the protrusion as shown in FIG. 6A, or is formed on a part of the surface of the skeleton 30. May be good. From the viewpoint of easily transferring the functional component into the skin, it is preferable that the coating layer 32 is formed on the surface at least at the tip of the skeleton 30 of the protrusion as shown in FIG. 6 (b). Further, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, in the other material arranging portion 25, the entire second material may constitute the coating layer 32. Further, in the other material arranging portion 25, a part of the second material may form the coating layer 32.

As shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), the coating layer 32 may be formed by using a single material as the second material.
From the viewpoint of efficiently transferring the plurality of functional components from one protrusion to the inside of the skin, the coating layer 32 is preferably formed by using a plurality of different materials as the second material. That is, the coating layer 32 is preferably formed of two or more kinds of second materials. In this case, the coating layer 32 may be a multilayer coating layer 37 in which a plurality of different coating materials are laminated, or may have a plurality of coating portions 38A and 38B formed by different coating materials. .. As shown in FIG. 6C, the multilayer coating layer 37 may have a laminated structure of two or more layers, or may have a laminated structure of three or more layers. The covering portion 38 is arranged so as to divide the covering layer 32 into a plurality of regions in a plan view of the fine hollow protrusion 10b, and a boundary between the plurality of covering portions 38A and 38B is located at the tip of the protrusion 3. Is preferable. As shown in FIG. 6D, the coating layer 32 may have two or more covering portions 38, or may have three or more covering portions 38.

In the present embodiment, the other material arranging portion 25 is a portion in which a second material, that is, a coating material is partially arranged on the sheet portion 2.
Similar to the first embodiment, the fine hollow protrusion 10b may have one coating type protrusion 35 formed on the other material arrangement portion 25, and a plurality of coating type protrusions 35 are formed on the other material arrangement portion 25. It may have been done.

The fine hollow protrusion 10b may include a plurality of coating type protrusions 35 having the same coating material, or may include a plurality of coating type protrusions 35 having different coating materials. That is, the fine hollow protrusion 10b includes a plurality of protrusions on which the coating layer 32 is formed, and the coating materials forming the coating layer 32 may be the same or different from each other. From the viewpoint of efficiently transferring a plurality of functional components into the skin using one fine hollow protrusion 10b, the fine hollow protrusion 10b in the present embodiment has a different second material, that is, a coating material. It is preferable to have a plurality of coating type protrusions 35. In this case, for example, one protrusion may be formed for each other material arrangement portion, or a plurality of protrusions may be formed for each other material arrangement portion.

The other material arranging portion 25 may be formed on the entire one surface of the sheet portion 2, or may be partially formed on one surface of the sheet portion 2.
The basis weight of the second material 3a in the other material arranging portion 25 is not particularly limited, and is appropriately set according to the type and size of the coating type protrusion 35.

Further, the fine hollow protrusion 10b may have at least a part of the protrusions having either a single-layer coating layer, a multilayer coating layer, or a coating layer having a coating portion. For example, it may have a coating type protrusion and a protrusion having no coating layer. Specifically, a part of the plurality of protrusions arranged in an array does not have a coating layer, and the remaining protrusions are coating type protrusions.
Further, the fine hollow projection tool 10b may be a combination of two or more types of projections having a single-layer coating layer, projections having a multi-layer coating layer, and projections having a coating portion. For example, a part of the plurality of protrusions arranged in an array has a single-layer coating layer, and the remaining protrusions have a multi-layer coating layer.

Next, regarding the first embodiment of the manufacturing method which is an example of the manufacturing method of the fine hollow protrusion tool of the present invention, refer to FIG. 7 by taking the manufacturing method of the fine hollow protrusion tool 10a according to the first embodiment described above as an example. I will explain. FIG. 7 shows the overall configuration of the manufacturing apparatus 100 used for carrying out the manufacturing method of the first embodiment. As described above, the protrusion 3 in the fine hollow protrusion is very small, but for convenience of explanation, the protrusion 3 is drawn very large in FIG. 7.

In the manufacturing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the other material laminated portion forming portion for partially forming the other material laminated portion 26 in which the base material sheet 20 to be the sheet portion and the second material 3a are laminated is partially formed. 15. The base sheet 20 is provided with a protrusion forming portion 40 for forming the protrusion 3, a cooling portion 60, and a release portion 50 for extracting the convex shape 410. In the following description, the direction of transporting the base sheet 20 (longitudinal direction of the base sheet 20) is the Y direction, the direction orthogonal to the transport direction and the width direction of the base sheet 20 to be transported are the X directions. The thickness direction of the base sheet 20 will be described as the Z direction.

The other material laminated portion forming portion 15 will be described with reference to FIG. The other material laminated portion forming portion 15 is a device for partially arranging a second material 3a as a skeleton forming material for protrusions on one surface of the base sheet 20. In this embodiment, the other material laminated portion forming portion 15 is a coater 15 that coats one side of the base material sheet 20 with the second material 3a, as shown in FIG. The coater 15 includes a rotor 17 provided with a plurality of recessed portions 17a on the outer peripheral surface capable of retaining the second material 3a. The coater 15 coats one side of the base sheet 20 with the second material 3a in a molten state retained in the recess 17a by rotating the rotor 17, and the base sheet 20 and the second material 3a. And are laminated to form the other material laminated portion 26. The concave portion 17a is formed in a dot shape on the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 17, whereby the second material 3a can be coated in a dot shape. Further, the rotor 17 is provided with a heating means (not shown), and the second material 3a can be heated to be in a molten state.

The protrusion forming portion 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. As shown in FIG. 7, the protrusion forming portion 40 includes a convex portion 41 having a convex shape 410. The convex 410 has a heating means (not shown). The convex shape 410 is a portion to be pierced by the base sheet 20, and in the present embodiment, the convex shape 410 is arranged on a disk-shaped base portion in the convex shape portion 41. The convex portion 41 is not limited to this form, and may be a convex portion composed of only the convex 410, or may be a convex portion 41 in which a plurality of convex 410s are arranged on a trapezoidal support. good. The convex portion 41 in the present embodiment is arranged with the tip of each convex portion 410 facing upward, and can move up and down at least in the thickness direction (Z direction). The convex portion 41 is preferably movable up and down in the thickness direction (Z direction) by an electric actuator (not shown).
The heating means included in the convex 410 may be one that can heat above the softening temperature of the skeleton-forming material of the protrusions or above the glass transition temperature of the skeleton-forming material of the protrusions. Further, the heating means may be provided on the convex type 410 itself, may be provided on a portion other than the convex type 410 of the convex type portion 41, and may be provided as a separate device from the convex type portion. May be good. In this embodiment, the heating means is an ultrasonic vibrating device in which an oscillator that ultrasonically vibrates the convex 410 is provided on the base portion of the convex portion 41.

The base material sheet 20 is a sheet that serves as a sheet portion 2 included in the fine hollow protrusion 10a. That is, the sheet portion 2 is a part of the base sheet 20. The base sheet 20 is made of the first material. As the first material, a flexible material or the like capable of forming the sheet portion 2 can be used. The thickness of the base sheet 20 is equivalent to the thickness T2 of the sheet portion 2 of the fine hollow protrusion 10a to be manufactured.
The second material 3a forms the protrusion 3 included in the fine hollow protrusion 10a, and contains the above-mentioned thermoplastic resin.

In the first embodiment, the method for manufacturing a fine hollow protrusion using the device 100 described above includes an intermediate sheet forming step for obtaining the intermediate sheet 23 and a protrusion forming step.
In the present embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 7, the strip-shaped base sheet 20 is unwound from the original roll of the base sheet 20 and conveyed in the Y direction. Then, the base sheet 20 is subjected to the intermediate sheet forming step while being conveyed.
In the intermediate sheet forming step, the second material 3a in a molten state is partially arranged on the base sheet 20, and the other material laminated portion 26 in which the base sheet 20 and the second material 3a are laminated is formed. To do. In the present embodiment, as described above, the coater 15 is used to partially coat one side of the base sheet with the second material 3a in a molten state, whereby the second material 3a is applied onto the base sheet 20. The material is partially arranged to form the other material laminated portion 26. Hereinafter, the base material sheet on which the other material laminated portion 26 is formed is also referred to as an intermediate sheet 23.
The intermediate sheet 23 stops when it is conveyed to a predetermined position and is used in the protrusion forming step.

In the protrusion forming step, the convex 410 having the heating means is brought into contact with the laminated portion 26 of the other material from one side of the intermediate sheet 23, and the skeleton forming material (second material 3a) of the protrusion is softened by heat. However, by piercing the intermediate sheet 23 with the convex shape 410, the fine hollow protrusions 3 protruding from the other surface 22 side of the intermediate sheet 23 are formed. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the convex shape 410 is brought into contact with the one side 21 side of the intermediate sheet 23, and the second material 3a is softened by heat while being softened by the convex shape. The 410 is pierced into the intermediate sheet 23 to form a protrusion 3 protruding from the other surface 22 side of the intermediate sheet 23. In the present embodiment, one surface 21 of the intermediate sheet 23 is the surface opposite to the side on which the second material is arranged, and the other surface 22 of the intermediate sheet 23 is the surface on the side on which the second material is arranged. is there.
It is preferable that the heating means of the convex 410 is operated from immediately before the convex 410 comes into contact with the intermediate sheet 23 to immediately before the cooling step of the next step. The operation of the convex portion 41, the operation of the heating conditions performed by the heating means of the convex 410, and the like are controlled by the control means (not shown) provided in the manufacturing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment.

In the manufacturing method of the first embodiment, the second material forms a skeleton that maintains the three-dimensional shape of the fine hollow protrusions. In the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the material for forming the base material sheet 20 to be the sheet portion 2 and the material for forming the skeleton of the fine hollow protrusions are different, and the intermediate sheet forming step and the protrusion forming in which the laminated portion of other materials is partially arranged. Since the process is provided, it is possible to preferably manufacture a fine hollow protrusion having a sheet portion having the rigidity of the first material and a protrusion having the rigidity of the second material. For example, when the first material is a flexible material, that is, a low-rigidity material, and the second material is a protrusion skeleton-forming material, that is, a high-rigidity material, the fine hollow protrusions produced by the production method of the present embodiment. The tool can include a seat portion having low rigidity and a protrusion having high rigidity. That is, the manufacturing method of the present embodiment can preferably manufacture the fine hollow protrusion 10a of the first embodiment described above. In this fine hollow protrusion 10a, since the second material is partially arranged on one side of the seat portion 2 to form protrusions, the entire seat portion 2 can be made low in rigidity.
On the other hand, in the conventional method for manufacturing a fine hollow protrusion, a part of the base material sheet to be a sheet portion is formed into a protrusion to form a protrusion, so that the sheet portion and the protrusion are made of the same forming material. Therefore, it is difficult to manufacture the fine hollow protrusions having different rigidity of the seat portion and the protrusions as in the present embodiment by the conventional method for manufacturing the fine hollow protrusions.

From the viewpoint of easily forming the other material laminated portion 26 by coating the second material, it is preferable that the second material 3a in the intermediate sheet forming step has fluidity. That is, it is preferable that the second material 3a is in a molten state. From the viewpoint of coatability of the second material, the viscosity of the second material 3a in the molten state is preferably 500 mPa · s or more, more preferably 1000 mPa · s or more, and preferably 100,000 mPa · s or less, still more preferable. Is 50,000 mPa · s or less, more specifically, 500 mPa · s or more and 100,000 mPa · s or less, and more preferably 1000 mPa · s or more and 50,000 mPa · s or less. The viscosity was determined by using a B-type viscometer (TVB-10, manufactured by Toki Sangyo Co., Ltd.) to obtain rotor No. It is measured under the measurement conditions of 4, 6 rpm and 60 seconds. The measurement temperature of the viscosity is a temperature at which the second material can be maintained in a molten state.

In the protrusion forming step of the present embodiment, the convex 410 has a shape having a conical portion having a sharp tip corresponding to the outer shape of the conical protrusion 3 of the fine hollow protrusion 10a. That is, in the manufacturing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the convex portion 41 has a convex shape corresponding to the number and arrangement of the protrusions 3 of the fine hollow protrusions 10a and the substantially outer shape of each protrusion 3. It has 410. Specifically, the convex portion 41 has nine conical convex 410s corresponding to the nine truncated cone-shaped protrusions 3. In the protrusion forming step using such a convex portion 41, a plurality of (9) protrusions 3 are formed in an array.

As described above, the heating means of the convex 410 is an ultrasonic vibration device in the manufacturing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment. From the viewpoint of easily forming the protrusion 3, the frequency of ultrasonic vibration by the ultrasonic vibrating device is preferably 10 kHz or more, more preferably 15 kHz or more, and preferably 50 kHz or less, still more preferably 40 kHz or less. Specifically, it is preferably 10 kHz or more and 50 kHz or less, and more preferably 15 kHz or more and 40 kHz or less. From the same viewpoint as above, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration is preferably 1 μm above, more preferably 5 μm or more, and preferably 60 μm or less, still more preferably 50 μm or less, specifically preferably. Is 1 μm or more and 60 μm or less, and more preferably 5 μm or more and 50 μm or less.

The shape of the tip side of the convex shape 410 may be a shape corresponding to the desired outer shape of the protrusion 3. The height H2 (see FIG. 7) of the convex shape 410 of the convex shape portion 41 is formed to be the same as or slightly higher than the height H1 of the manufactured fine hollow protrusion 1, preferably 0.01 mm or more. More preferably 0.02 mm or more, and preferably 30 mm or less, further preferably 20 mm or less, specifically, preferably 0.01 mm or more and 30 mm or less, still more preferably 0.02 mm. It is 20 mm or more and 20 mm or less. The convex shape 410 of the convex shape portion 41 has a tip diameter D1 (see FIG. 9) of preferably 0.001 mm or more, more preferably 0.005 mm or more, and preferably 1 mm or less, still more preferably. It is 0.5 mm or less, specifically, preferably 0.001 mm or more and 1 mm or less, and more preferably 0.005 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less. The tip diameter D1 of the convex shape 410 of the convex shape portion 41 is measured as follows.
The convex shape 410 of the convex shape portion 41 has a root diameter D2 (see FIG. 9) of preferably 0.1 mm or more, more preferably 0.2 mm or more, and preferably 5 mm or less, still more preferably. It is 3 mm or less, specifically, preferably 0.1 mm or more and 5 mm or less, and more preferably 0.2 mm or more and 3 mm or less. The convex shape 410 of the convex shape portion 41 has a tip angle α of preferably 1 degree or more, more preferably 5 degrees or more, from the viewpoint of easily obtaining sufficient strength. The tip angle α is preferably 60 degrees or less, more preferably 45 degrees or less, and specifically preferably 1 degree or more and 60 degrees or less, from the viewpoint of obtaining a protrusion 3 having an appropriate angle. Yes, more preferably 5 degrees or more and 45 degrees or less. The tip angle α of the convex 410 is measured as follows.

[Measurement of convex tip diameter of convex part]
The tip of the convex 410 of the convex portion 41 is observed in a state of being magnified to a predetermined magnification using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or a microscope. Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the virtual straight line ILc is extended along the straight line portion on one side side 11a of the side sides 11a and 11b, and the virtual straight line ILd is extended along the straight line portion on the other side side 11b. Then, on the tip side, a point where one side 11a is separated from the virtual straight line ILc is obtained as a first tip point 11a1, and a point where the other side 11b is separated from the virtual straight line ILd is obtained as a second tip point 11b1. The length D1 of the straight line connecting the first tip point 11a1 and the second tip point 11b1 obtained in this way was measured using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or a microscope, and the length of the straight line was measured. Is the tip diameter of the convex 410.

[Measurement of convex tip angle α of convex part]
The tip of the convex 410 of the convex portion 41 is observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or a microscope in a state of being magnified at a predetermined magnification, for example, as in the SEM image shown in FIG. Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the virtual straight line ILc is extended along the straight line portion on one side side 11a of the side sides 11a and 11b, and the virtual straight line ILd is extended along the straight line portion on the other side side 11b. Then, the angle formed by the virtual straight line ILc and the virtual straight line ILd is measured using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or a microscope, and the measured angle is the tip angle α of the convex 410 of the convex portion 41. And.

The convex portion 41 is made of a high-strength material that is hard to break. Examples of the material of the convex portion 41 include steel, stainless steel, aluminum, aluminum alloy, nickel, nickel alloy, cobalt, cobalt alloy, copper, copper alloy, beryllium copper, beryllium copper alloy and other metals, ceramics and the like. ..

From the viewpoint of suppressing the bending of the intermediate sheet 23 when the convex 410 is pierced into the intermediate sheet 23, the convex 410 can be inserted in the protrusion forming step as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. It is preferable to pierce the intermediate sheet 23 with the convex shape 410 while being supported by the support members 12 and 13 having the openings 12a and 13a.
In the present embodiment, the apparatus 100 includes the support members 12 and 13 at positions corresponding to the predetermined positions where the intermediate sheet 23 is conveyed, and the second support member 13 is provided on the one side 21 side of the intermediate sheet 23 in addition to the intermediate sheet 23. The first support member 12 is arranged on the surface 22 side, respectively. These first and second support members are also collectively referred to as a support member. The support members 12 and 13 are adapted to support a region other than the region in which the convex shape 410 is inserted in the base sheet 20, in other words, a region other than the region in which the protrusion 3 is formed in the base sheet 20. ..
In the present embodiment, the support members 12 and 13 are plate-shaped members extending parallel to the transport direction (Y direction), and have a plurality of openings 12a and 13a through which the convex 410 of the convex portion 41 can be inserted. It is an opening plate to have. The first and second support members 12 and 13 support the intermediate sheet 23 in a region other than the opening 12a. Further, each opening 13a of the second support member 13 is arranged concentrically with each opening 12a of the first support member 12. Therefore, each of the openings 12a and 13a of the pair of first support member 12 and the second support member 13 that sandwich the intermediate sheet 23 has a region that overlaps in the thickness direction (Z direction).
By supporting the intermediate sheet 23 by using the support members 12 and 13 having the above configuration, it is possible to effectively suppress the bending that may occur in the intermediate sheet 23 when the convex shape 410 is pierced.

In the present embodiment, the protrusion 3 is formed by sandwiching the intermediate sheet 23, that is, supporting both sides of the intermediate sheet 23, but the intermediate sheet 23 has both surfaces of one surface 21 and the other surface 22 by the support member. Should be suppressed. When the first material is a flexible material, the intermediate sheet 23 is particularly liable to bend. From the viewpoint of further suppressing the bending of the intermediate sheet 23, it is preferable to pierce the intermediate sheet 23 with the convex shape 410 while sandwiching the intermediate sheet 23.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the first and second support members 12 and 13 are formed so that one convex 410 is inserted through one opening 12a and 13a. .. The opening diameter of such openings 12a and 13a is preferably 0.1 mm or more and 20 mm or less, and more preferably 0.2 mm or more and 10 mm or less.

In the present embodiment, the openings 12a and 13a of the two first and second support members 12 and 13 that sandwich the intermediate sheet 23 have the same opening shape, and both have a circular shape. The shapes of the openings 12a and 13a in a plan view are not particularly limited, and may be any shape such as a circle, an ellipse, and a quadrangle.
The shapes of the two first and second support members 12 and 13 are not particularly limited, but in the present embodiment, they are formed in the same shape and size as plates.
The material constituting the two first and second support members 12 and 13 may be the same material as the material of the convex portion 41, or may be formed of a synthetic resin or the like.

The first and second support members 12, 13 have an opening area larger than the cross-sectional area of the convex 410 so that a plurality of convex 410s in the convex portion 41 can be inserted into one opening 12a, 13a. May have openings 12a, 13a formed by. For example, the first and second support members 12 and 13 have openings 12a and 13a having an opening area through which the protrusions can be inserted so as to support the periphery of the protrusions 3 formed by a plurality of protrusions 3 arranged in an array. You may have one.

Each of the first and second support members 12 and 13 can move in the direction of contact with the base sheet 20 and in the direction of separation from the base sheet 20. The first and second support members 12 and 13 in this embodiment can be moved up and down in the thickness direction (Z direction) by an electric actuator (not shown).
The operation of the first and second support members 12 and 13 is controlled by a control means (not shown) provided in the manufacturing apparatus 100.

In the protrusion forming step of the present embodiment, a plurality of convex 410s are inserted into the intermediate sheet 23 sandwiched by the first and second support members 12, 13 from the one side 21 side. At that time, the second support member 13, which is the second support member, supports the intermediate sheet 23 from the one side 21 side, passes each convex 410 through each opening 13a, and contacts the one side 21 of the intermediate sheet 23. Let me. Next, the convex portion 41 is raised from the one surface 21 side (lower surface side) of the intermediate sheet 23 toward the other surface 22 side (upper surface side) while expressing the ultrasonic vibration of each convex type 410 by the ultrasonic vibration device. Then, the convex shape 410 is pierced into the intermediate sheet 23 while suppressing the bending of the intermediate sheet 23 by the first support member 12 arranged on the other surface 22 side of the intermediate sheet 23. Then, as shown in FIG. 8B, the convex 410 penetrating the intermediate sheet 23 reaches the second material, generates heat due to friction of ultrasonic vibration, and softens the second material. To rise. As a result, the convex shape 410 passes through each opening 12a of the first support member 12 and forms a protrusion 3 protruding from the other surface 22 side of the intermediate sheet 23 [see FIG. 8C].
The ultrasonic vibration of the convex 410 may be manifested when the convex 410 reaches the second material.

In this embodiment, the skeleton-forming material for the protrusions is the second material. From the viewpoint of easily forming the protrusions 3, the heating temperature of the second material 3a by the convex shape 410 is preferably equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the second material 3a used and lower than the melting temperature, and particularly above the softening temperature. It is preferably below the melting temperature. More specifically, the heating temperature is preferably 30 ° C. or higher, more preferably 40 ° C. or higher, and preferably 300 ° C. or lower, further preferably 250 ° C. or lower, specifically preferably 30 ° C. or higher. It is ℃ or more and 300 ℃ or less, and more preferably 40 ℃ or more and 250 ℃ or less. The preferable heating temperature is applied as the temperature range of the contact portion between the convex 410 and the second material 3a when the second material 3a is heated by using the ultrasonic vibration device as in the first embodiment. Will be done. On the other hand, when the second material 3a is heated by using a heating heater device instead of the ultrasonic vibration device, the heating temperature of the convex 410 may be adjusted within the above range. The glass transition temperature (Tg) is measured by the following method, and the softening temperature is measured according to JIS K-7196 "Softening temperature test method by thermomechanical analysis of thermoplastic film and sheet". ..

[Measurement method of glass transition temperature (Tg)]
The calorific value is measured using a DSC measuring device to determine the glass transition temperature. Specifically, the measuring instrument uses a differential scanning calorimetry device (Diamond DSC) manufactured by Perkin Elmer. For 10 mg of the second material, the measurement conditions are that after isothermally heating 20 ° C. for 5 minutes, the temperature is raised from 20 ° C. to 320 ° C. at a rate of 5 ° C./min to obtain DSC curves of horizontal axis temperature and vertical axis calorie. Then, the glass transition temperature Tg is obtained from this DSC curve.

The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the second material 3a, which is a material for forming the skeleton of the protrusion, means the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the constituent components of the second material, and when a plurality of types of the constituent components are present. When the glass transition temperatures (Tg) of the plurality of types are different from each other, the heating temperature of the second material by the heating means is at least the lowest glass transition temperature (Tg) among the plurality of glass transition temperatures (Tg). It is preferable that the temperature is higher than the highest glass transition temperature (Tg) among the plurality of glass transition temperatures (Tg).
Further, the softening temperature of the second material is the same as the glass transition temperature (Tg), that is, when there are a plurality of constituents of the second material and the softening temperatures of the plurality of types are different from each other, the above-mentioned The heating temperature of the second material by the heating means is preferably at least the lowest softening temperature among the plurality of softening temperatures, and more preferably equal to or higher than the highest softening temperature among the plurality of softening temperatures.
When the second material is composed of two or more components having different melting points, the heating temperature of the second material by the heating means is lower than the lowest melting point among the plurality of melting points. Is preferable.

If the insertion speed at which the convex shape 410 is pierced into the intermediate sheet 23 is too slow, the second material is excessively heated and softened, and if it is too fast, the heating and softening becomes insufficient. From the viewpoint of efficiently forming the protrusion 3, the insertion speed of the convex 410 is preferably 0.1 mm / sec or more, more preferably 1 mm / sec or more, and preferably 1000 mm / sec or less. More preferably, it is 800 mm / sec or less, specifically, it is preferably 0.1 mm / sec or more and 1000 mm / sec or less, and further preferably 1 mm / sec or more and 800 mm / sec or less. If the softening time, which is the time required to stop the rise of the convex 410 in the heated state and to perform the next step (cooling step) with the convex 410 stuck inside the protrusion 3, the softening time becomes overheating if it is too long. However, from the viewpoint of compensating for insufficient heating, it is preferably more than 0 seconds, more preferably 0.1 seconds or more, and preferably 10 seconds or less, further preferably 5 seconds or less, specifically. It is preferably more than 0 seconds and 10 seconds or less, and more preferably 0.1 seconds or more and 5 seconds or less.

From the viewpoint of efficiently forming the protrusions 3, the insertion height of the convex 410 to be inserted into the intermediate sheet 23 is preferably 0.01 mm or more, more preferably 0.02 mm or more, and preferably 10 mm or less. Yes, more preferably 5 mm or less, specifically, preferably 0.01 mm or more and 10 mm or less, still more preferably 0.02 mm or more and 5 mm or less. Here, the "insertion height" refers to the distance between the apex of the convex 410 and the other surface 22 (upper surface) of the intermediate sheet 23 in a state where the convex 410 is inserted into the intermediate sheet 23 most. means. Therefore, the insertion height in the protrusion forming step is vertical from the other surface 22 in the state where the convex 410 is inserted deepest in the protrusion forming step and the convex 410 comes out from the other surface 22 of the intermediate sheet 23. It is the distance to the apex of the convex 410 measured in the direction.

The manufacturing method of the first embodiment includes, after the protrusion forming step, a cooling step of cooling the protrusion 3 with the convex 410 pierced inside the protrusion 3. In the manufacturing apparatus 100, as shown in FIG. 7, a cooling unit 60 is installed next to the protrusion forming unit 40. The cooling unit 60 can be provided with one capable of cooling the protrusion 3 without particular limitation, and can be provided with, for example, a cold air blower. In the present embodiment, the cooling unit 60 is provided with a cold air blower, and a blower port 61 for blowing cold air is provided on the other surface 22 side (upper surface side) of the intermediate sheet 23. Cold air is blown from the air outlet 61 to cool the protrusion 3 in a state where the convex shape 410 is stuck inside. Further, in the present embodiment, the cooling step is performed with the intermediate sheet 23 sandwiched between the first support member 12 and the second support member 13.
The cooling temperature and cooling time of the cold air blower are controlled by a control means (not shown) provided in the manufacturing apparatus 100.

In the first embodiment, the air outlets arranged on the other surface 22 side (upper surface side) of the intermediate sheet 23 in a state where the convex shape 410 is pierced inside the protrusion 3 while maintaining the position of the convex shape portion 41. Cold air is blown from 61 to cool the protrusion 3 with the convex 410 pierced inside. When cooling the protrusions, the convex 410 may be heated by the heating means in a continuous state or in a stopped state, but is preferably in a stopped state.

From the viewpoint of moldability by the convex portion 41, the temperature of the cold air to be blown is preferably −50 ° C. or higher, more preferably −40 ° C. or higher, and preferably 26 ° C. or lower, further preferably 10 ° C. or lower. Specifically, it is preferably −50 ° C. or higher and 26 ° C. or lower, and more preferably −40 ° C. or higher and 10 ° C. or lower. From the viewpoint of compatibility between the moldability of the protrusion and the processing time, the cooling time for cooling by blowing cold air is preferably 0.01 seconds or more, more preferably 0.5 seconds or more, and preferably 60 seconds or less. It is more preferably 30 seconds or less, specifically, preferably 0.01 seconds or more and 60 seconds or less, and further preferably 0.5 seconds or more and 30 seconds or less.

From the viewpoint of efficiently cooling the protrusions 3, the cold air blower covers the entire other surface 22 side and one side 22 side of the intermediate sheet 23 to be conveyed in a hollow shape, and the intermediate sheet 23 conveys the inside of the cold air blower. It may be conveyed in the direction (Y direction), and for example, a blower port 61 for blowing cold air may be provided in the hollow. As a method of covering the intermediate sheet with the cold air blower, it can be covered in a tunnel shape or a box shape.

When the heating means (not shown) of the convex 410 is ultrasonic vibration as in the first embodiment, it is not always necessary to provide a cold air blower, and the vibration of the ultrasonic vibration device is cut off. , Can also be cooled. In this respect, it is preferable to use ultrasonic vibration as a heating means because the apparatus can be simplified and the fine hollow protrusion 1 can be easily manufactured at high speed. In addition, the second material 3a is less likely to transfer heat in the portion that is not in contact with the convex shape 410, and is efficiently cooled by turning off the ultrasonic vibration application, so that deformation other than the molded portion is caused. It has the advantage of being less likely to occur.

The manufacturing method of the first embodiment includes, after the cooling step, a release step of pulling out the convex 410 from the inside of the protrusion 3 to form the fine hollow protrusion 1. In the manufacturing apparatus 100, as shown in FIG. 7, a release unit 50 is installed next to the cooling unit 60. From the viewpoint of suppressing the bending of the intermediate sheet 23 when the convex shape 410 is pulled out from the inside of the protrusion 3, it is preferable to pull out the convex shape 410 by using the second support member 13 in the release step. In this case, in the release step, the second support member 13 supports a region other than the region where the convex shape 410 is pulled out in the intermediate sheet 23, in other words, a region other than the region where the protrusion 3 is formed in the intermediate sheet 23. Have been placed.

In the release step of the first embodiment, the first support member 12 is arranged on the other surface 22 side (upper surface side) of the intermediate sheet 23, and the second support member 13 is arranged on the one surface 21 side (lower surface side) of the intermediate sheet 23. Then, the convex shape 410 is pulled out with the intermediate sheet 23 sandwiched between the support members 12 and 13. Preferably, after the cooling step is performed with the intermediate sheet 23 sandwiched between the first and second support members 12 and 13, the blowing of cold air from the air outlet 61 is stopped, and the other surface 22 side of the intermediate sheet 23 is stopped. The convex 410 is lowered from (upper surface side) toward one surface 21 side (lower surface side), and the intermediate sheet 23 is bent by the second support member 13 arranged on one surface 21 side (lower surface side) of the intermediate sheet 23. The convex shape 410 is pulled out from the intermediate sheet 23 while suppressing the above. In this way, the precursor 9a of the fine hollow protrusion 10a having the hollow protrusion 3 inside is formed.

The first support member 12 arranged on the other surface 22 side (upper surface side) of the intermediate sheet 23 is raised to a position higher than the height of the protrusion 3 of the precursor 9a, and then the precursor of the fine hollow protrusion 10a. 9a is transported downstream in the transport direction (Y direction). After that, the precursor 9a is subjected to a cutting step, cut in a predetermined range, and has a sheet-like sheet portion 2 and a plurality of fine hollow protrusions 3 as shown in FIG. It is formed into a hollow protrusion 10a. By repeating the above steps, the fine hollow protrusion 10a of the first embodiment can be continuously and efficiently manufactured.

In the manufacturing method of the first embodiment described above, a plurality of other material laminated portions 26 are formed in the intermediate sheet forming step, and one convex 410 is inserted into each other material laminated portion 26 to form protrusions. Form. That is, one protrusion 3 is formed for each other material laminated portion 26.
From the viewpoint of easily forming the other material arrangement portion, it is preferable to pierce one other material laminated portion 26 with a plurality of convex shapes 410. Specifically, a plurality of convex shapes 410 are brought into contact with one other material laminated portion 26, and a plurality of convex shapes 410 are pierced into the intermediate sheet 23 to form a plurality of fine hollow protrusions 3. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a laminated portion of another material having a certain area may be formed, and a plurality of fine hollow protrusions 3 may be formed in the laminated portion of the other material. In this case, the other material laminated portion forming portion 15 arranges a second material having a certain area on the base material sheet 20. For example, by increasing the area of the recessed portion 17a of the rotor 17 described above and increasing the coating area of the second material, the second material having a certain area can be arranged.

From the viewpoint of forming the fine hollow protrusions 10a in which the skeleton forming materials of the plurality of protrusions are different from each other, it is preferable to form the plurality of fine hollow protrusions 3 with different second materials 3a. Specifically, in the intermediate sheet forming step, different second materials 3a are arranged in a scattered pattern on the base sheet 20, and after forming a plurality of other material laminated portions 26A and 26B, each of them is formed in the protrusion forming step. The convex 410 is inserted into the laminated portions 26A and 26B of other materials to form a plurality of protrusions 3A and 3B having different skeleton-forming materials [see FIG. 11A]. Further, in the intermediate sheet forming step, different second materials 3a are arranged on the base sheet 20 so as to extend in the transport direction, and after forming a plurality of other material laminated portions 26A and 26B, each of them is formed in the protrusion forming step. A convex shape 410 is inserted into the other material laminated portion 26 to form a plurality of protrusions 3A and 3B in which the second material 3a is different from each other [see FIG. 11B].

The fine hollow protrusion 10a manufactured by the manufacturing method of the first embodiment may be further formed into a predetermined shape in a subsequent step. Further, the cutting step may be performed before the protrusion forming step. That is, after cutting the intermediate sheet 23 into a desired shape, the intermediate sheet 23 may be subjected to a protrusion forming step.

Next, the production method of the present invention will be described based on the second embodiment with reference to the drawings. In the second embodiment, the points different from the first embodiment described above will be mainly described, and the same reference numerals will be given to the same points and the description thereof will be omitted. As for points not particularly mentioned, the description of the first embodiment is appropriately applied.

Similar to the first embodiment, the manufacturing method of the present embodiment includes an intermediate sheet forming step of obtaining the intermediate sheet 23 and a protrusion forming step, but the first material is a forming material for forming the base material sheet. In addition, it differs from the production method of the first embodiment in that it is a skeleton-forming material containing a thermoplastic resin having fine hollow protrusions. That is, in the manufacturing method of the first embodiment, the skeleton-forming material of the protrusions is the second material, while in the manufacturing method of the second embodiment, the skeleton-forming material of the protrusions is the first material.

In the protrusion forming step of the second embodiment, a convex 410 having a heating means is brought into contact with the laminated portion 26 of another material from one side of the intermediate sheet 23, and the skeleton forming material containing the thermoplastic resin of the protrusion 3 is used. While the first material is softened by heat, the intermediate sheet 23 is pierced with the convex shape 410 to form the protrusions 3 protruding from the other surface side of the intermediate sheet 23. The skeleton 30 of the protrusion 3 is formed of the first material like the base sheet 20, and is continuous with the base sheet 20.

In the protrusion forming step in the present embodiment, the convex 410 having the heating means is brought into contact with the other material laminated portion 26 from one side of the intermediate sheet 23, and the base sheet 20 made of the first material is heated by heat. By piercing the intermediate sheet 23 with the convex shape 410 while softening, the fine hollow protrusions 3 protruding from the other surface 22 side of the intermediate sheet 23 are formed. Specifically, the convex 410 is pierced into the intermediate sheet 23 while the first material of the contact portion with the convex 410 abutted from the one surface 21 side of the intermediate sheet 23 is softened by heat. A protrusion 3 protruding from the other surface 22 side is formed.

In the other material laminated portion 26 of the present embodiment, the first material serves as the skeleton of the protrusion 3, while the second material partially arranged on the base sheet 20 covers the skeleton surface of the protrusion 3. It becomes the layer 32. That is, the manufacturing method of the present embodiment preferably manufactures a fine hollow protrusion having a coating type protrusion, which includes a protrusion 3 having the rigidity of the first material and a coating layer having the rigidity of the second material. be able to. For example, when the first material is a skeleton-forming material for protrusions and the second material is a coating material having functionality, the fine hollow protrusions manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present embodiment have a skeleton surface of protrusions. Can be provided with a coating layer 32 containing a functional component. That is, the production method of the present embodiment can preferably produce the fine hollow protrusion 10b of the second embodiment described above. Since the fine hollow protrusion 10b has a coating layer 32 containing the functional component on the skeleton surface of the protrusion 3, the functional component can be effectively supplied to the inside of the skin.

The various coating type protrusions described above differ in the method of forming the other material laminated portion 26 in the intermediate sheet forming step. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, one type of second material is arranged in the intermediate sheet forming step to form the other material laminated portion 26 for the protrusion having a single-layer coating layer. Form. As shown in FIG. 12 (c), the protrusions having the multilayer coating layer are arranged by stacking a plurality of types of the second material in the intermediate sheet forming step to form the other material laminated portion 26. As shown in FIG. 12D, the protrusions having the plurality of covering portions form the other material laminated portion 26 by arranging a plurality of types of the second materials adjacent to each other in the intermediate sheet forming step.
Further, the range in which the coating layer 32 is formed on the surface of the protrusion 3 can be adjusted by the amount of the second material arranged on the base sheet 20 and the arrangement area (coating area) thereof. For example, as shown in FIG. 12B, by making the placement area of the second material smaller than the area of the portion where the convex shape 410 is inserted, a coating layer 32 is formed on a part of the surface of the protrusion 3. Can be formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 12A, the covering area 32 is formed on the entire surface of the protrusion 3 by making the arrangement area of the second material larger than the area of the portion where the convex shape 410 is inserted. can do.

From the viewpoint of forming a protrusion 3 having a coating layer 32 containing different functional components on one fine hollow protrusion 10b, a plurality of different coatings are used as a second material using different kinds of materials. It is preferable to form a plurality of fine hollow protrusions 3 formed of the material. For example, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, after arranging a plurality of second materials to form other material laminated portions 26A and 26B having different coating materials, the other material laminated portions 26A are formed. , 26B may be inserted into a convex type 410 to form a plurality of coating type protrusions 35A and 35B having different coating layer forming materials. Further, as shown in FIG. 12 (c), a plurality of different coating materials are used as the second material, and a plurality of different coating materials are laminated on the skeleton of each of the fine hollow protrusions. The coating layer 37 may be formed. In this case, the coating materials forming the multilayer coating layers 37A and 37B, that is, the second materials 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d may be different for each protrusion 3. Further, as shown in FIG. 12D, a coating layer 32 having a plurality of coating portions formed of different coating materials may be formed. In this case, the second materials 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d forming the individual covering portions 38A, 38B, 38C, 38D may be different for each protrusion 3.
In the production method of this embodiment, the coating layer may be formed only on the skeleton surface of some of the protrusions. In this case, the second material is not arranged in the portion where the second material is formed in the intermediate sheet forming step, and the protrusion is formed in the portion where the second material is not arranged in the next protrusion step.

From the viewpoint of easily forming the other material laminated portion 26 by coating the second material, it is preferable that the coating material in the intermediate sheet forming step, that is, the second material 3a has fluidity. From the viewpoint of coatability of the second material, the viscosity of the second material 3a is preferably 500 mPa · s or more, more preferably 1000 mPa · s or more, and preferably 100,000 mPa · s or less, further preferably 50,000 mPa · s. It is s or less, more specifically, 500 mPa · s or more and 100,000 mPa · s or less, and more preferably 1000 mPa · s or more and 50,000 mPa · s or less. The viscosity is measured by the method using the above-mentioned B-type viscometer.

The method for producing the fine hollow protrusion of the present invention has been described above based on the preferred embodiment thereof, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be appropriately modified.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the first and second support members shown in FIG. 7 have the same opening diameters of the openings 12a and 13a, but may be different. Preferably, the opening diameter of the opening 13a of the second support member 13 arranged on one surface 21 side (lower surface side) of the base sheet 20 is arranged on the other surface 22 side (upper surface side) of the base sheet 20. The support member 12 is formed to be larger than the opening diameter of the opening 12a. By providing such a configuration, it is difficult for the openings 12a and 13a to come into contact with each other when the convex 410 is pierced into the base sheet 20 in the protrusion forming step, and the convex 410 is pulled out from the base sheet 20 in the release step. At this time, the openings 12a and 13a are difficult to come into contact with each other, and the fine hollow protrusion 1 having a hollow inside can be manufactured with higher accuracy.

Further, at least one of the support members 12 and 13 used in the protrusion forming step is not initially formed with openings 12a and 13a through which the convex 410 in the convex portion 41 can be inserted, and an intermediate sheet is formed in the protrusion forming step. The openings 12a and 13a may be formed by being pressed by the convex shape 410 of the convex shape portion 41 that pierces the 23. Examples of such support members 12 and 13 include members made of silicon, elastic members such as rubber, and the like.

The support members 12 and 13 made of the elastic members and the like may be removed from the intermediate sheet 23 after the release step, but may be used as a part of the fine hollow protrusions to be formed. In such an embodiment, the thickness of the support member 12 may be thicker or thinner than the protrusion height H1 of the protrusion 3. When the thickness of the support member 12 is made thicker than the protrusion height H1, it can function as a protective member for preventing damage to the protrusion 3 before use. On the other hand, when the thickness of the support member 12 is made smaller than the protrusion height H1 of the protrusion 3, it is useful to control the amount of puncture of the protrusion 3 into the skin.

Further, in the first and second embodiments described above, the ultrasonic vibration device is used as the heating means provided in the convex 410, but a heating heater may be used instead.

Further, in the first and second embodiments described above, as shown in FIG. 7, the intermediate sheet 23 is intermittently transported, and the convex portion that can move only up and down in the thickness direction (Z direction). Although the protrusion 3 and the fine hollow protrusion 1 are formed by using 41, the box motion type protrusion forming portion 40 and the support members 12, 13 that draw an infinite trajectory by continuously transporting the intermediate sheet 23. 3 may be used to mold the protrusion 3 and the fine hollow protrusion 1.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, the second material is arranged from the surface of the intermediate sheet 23 opposite to the side on which the second material is arranged. Although the convex portion 41 having the convex shape 410 that is inserted toward the side is used, the intermediate sheet 23 is provided with the second material as shown in FIGS. 13 (a) to 13 (c). The protrusion 3 and the fine hollow protrusion 1 may be formed by using the convex portion 41 that inserts the convex shape 410 from the side toward the side opposite to the side on which the second material is arranged. .. In this case, one side 21 of the intermediate sheet 23 is the side on which the second material is arranged, and the other side 22 of the intermediate sheet 23 is the side opposite to the side on which the second material is arranged. is there.

2 Sheet 3 Fine hollow protrusions (protrusions)
10a, 10b Fine hollow protrusions 12, 13 Support member 15 Other material laminated part forming part 20 Base sheet 21 One side 22 Other side 23 Intermediate sheet 25 Other material arrangement part 26 Other material laminated part 30 Projection skeleton 32 Coating layer 35 Coating Mold protrusion 40 Protrusion forming part 50 Release part 50
60 Cooling unit 100 Manufacturing equipment

Claims (9)

It is a method for manufacturing a sheet portion and a fine hollow projection tool having a fine hollow projection protruding from the sheet portion and having a hollow inside.
A second material different from the first material is partially arranged on the base sheet formed from the first material, and the other material laminated portion in which the base sheet and the second material are laminated. In the process of obtaining an intermediate sheet in which is partially formed,
The intermediate sheet is provided with a protrusion forming step of forming fine hollow protrusions protruding from the other surface side of the intermediate sheet by piercing a convex shape having a heating means into the laminated portion of the other material from one surface side.
The sheet portion is a part of the base material sheet formed of the first material.
The first material or the second material is a skeleton-forming material containing a thermoplastic resin, and the skeleton-forming material forms a skeleton that maintains the three-dimensional shape of the micro-hollow protrusions. Production method. The method for producing a fine hollow protrusion according to claim 1, wherein the second material is coated on the base material sheet in a dot shape and the second material is partially arranged. The method for manufacturing a fine hollow protrusion according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of the convex shapes are pierced into one laminated portion of the other material. The method for manufacturing a fine hollow protrusion according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second material having higher rigidity than the first material is partially arranged. The first material is a skeleton-forming material for the fine hollow protrusions, and the second material forms a functional coating layer on the skeleton of the fine hollow protrusions formed by the first material. Is a coating material that
The method for manufacturing a fine hollow protrusion according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fine hollow protrusion having an open tip is formed. A micro-hollow protrusion tool having a seat portion and micro-hollow protrusions protruding from the seat portion and having a hollow inside.
The skeleton that maintains the shape of the fine hollow protrusion is formed of a skeleton-forming material containing a thermoplastic resin.
The skeleton-forming material is formed of a second material different from the first material that forms the sheet portion.
A plurality of arrangement portions of the second material are partially and plurally formed in a plan view of the fine hollow projection tool.
The second material is a fine hollow protrusion having a higher rigidity than the first material. A micro-hollow protrusion tool having a seat portion and micro-hollow protrusions protruding from the seat portion and having a hollow inside.
The skeleton that maintains the shape of the fine hollow protrusion is formed of a skeleton-forming material containing a thermoplastic resin.
The skeleton-forming material is a first material for forming the sheet portion.
It has a second material arrangement portion that is partially and plurally formed in the plan view of the fine hollow protrusion.
The second material is a material different from the first material.
A fine hollow protrusion tool in which the tip of the space inside the fine hollow protrusion is sharp or the tip of the fine hollow protrusion is open. A micro-hollow protrusion tool having a seat portion and micro-hollow protrusions protruding from the seat portion and having a hollow inside.
The skeleton that maintains the shape of the fine hollow protrusion is formed of a skeleton-forming material containing a thermoplastic resin.
The skeleton-forming material is a first material for forming the sheet portion.
It has a second material arrangement portion that is partially and plurally formed in the plan view of the fine hollow protrusion.
The second material is a material different from the first material.
The tip of the space inside the fine hollow protrusion is sharp,
The fine tip of the hollow protrusion is not opened, the tip is that covered by the arrangement of the second material, fine fine hollow protrusion member. The fine hollow protrusion according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the arrangement portion of the second material is formed in a scattered spot shape in a plan view of the fine hollow protrusion.

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