JP7498692B2 - Manufacturing method and manufacturing device for solid filling - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technology for manufacturing solid fillings using a wet process.

Manufacturing methods for solid cosmetics, which are a type of solid filling, can be broadly divided into dry and wet methods. In the dry method, for example, a powder and oil, which are cosmetic ingredients, are mixed, and the mixture is compression molded to obtain a solid cosmetic. In the wet method, for example, a volatile solvent such as water or alcohol is added to a cosmetic base material (filling base material) containing powder and oil to form a slurry, which is then filled into a container, and the solvent is removed to obtain a solid cosmetic. Solid cosmetics obtained by the wet method are one of the most widely used manufacturing methods because the powder and oil are uniformly dispersed through the slurry state, resulting in a fine powder texture and a moist feel when used.

Patent Document 1 describes a wet method in which cosmetic material 7, a powder cosmetic material made viscous with a solvent, is injected into the bottom of a tray 4 having an upper opening using an injection nozzle, and then the exposed portion of cosmetic material 7 from the upper opening is covered with mesh cloth 15, and the exposed portion together with mesh cloth 15 is pressed by absorbent 8, and the solvent contained in cosmetic material 7 is sucked and removed by capillary action of absorbent 8, solidifying cosmetic material 7. In the wet method, the mainstream method is to cover the exposed portion with a manufacturing auxiliary such as the mesh cloth described above, and then suck and remove the solvent from above.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-128107

However, when a solid cosmetic product is produced according to the technique described in Patent Document 1, the surface condition of the solid cosmetic product on the side facing the mesh cloth 15 may be deteriorated by the mesh cloth 15 .
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus capable of producing a solid filling, such as a solid cosmetic product, having a good appearance.

The inventors discovered that in the above-mentioned conventional wet method for producing a solid filling, a solid filling with a good appearance can be obtained by applying a predetermined tension to the pressing auxiliary device that is placed opposite the contents filled in the container.

The present invention has been made based on the above findings, and provides a method for producing a slurry containing a raw material for a solid filling and a solvent, comprising:
and a pressing step of pressing the contents of the container together with the pressing auxiliary tool with a pressing tool while the upper opening is covered with the pressing auxiliary tool.
In the pressing step, it is preferable that, while a tension of 0.01 kgf/m or more and 3 kgf/m or less is applied to the pressing auxiliary tool, the solvent in the content is sucked and removed from the content of the container through the upper opening by a suction mechanism provided in the pressing tool.

The present invention makes it possible to improve the appearance of solid fillings produced by the wet method.

FIGS. 1(a) to 1(d) are schematic diagrams showing some steps in an example of a method for producing a solid cosmetic product (a solid filling; the same applies below) by a wet method. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the apparatus for producing a solid cosmetic product of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing one step of a conventional method for producing a solid cosmetic product.

The solid filling, which is the manufacturing object of the present invention, is an article in which a filling material is filled into the storage space inside a container. The container filling material is manufactured using a slurry containing a filling material and a solvent through a process of solidifying the slurry, and is solid at room temperature and normal pressure. As long as the container filling material satisfies these conditions, it can be cosmetics, food, medicine, etc.

The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings based on a preferred embodiment of a method and apparatus for producing a solid cosmetic product. Unless otherwise specified, the following description of the method for producing a solid cosmetic product can be applied as appropriate to methods for producing solid fillings other than solid cosmetic products. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. The drawings are basically schematic, and the ratios of the dimensions may differ from the actual ones.

The present invention relates to a technology for producing solid cosmetics that is compatible with a wet process, in which a solid cosmetic is produced using a slurry (hereinafter simply referred to as "cosmetic slurry") that contains raw materials for the solid cosmetic and a solvent. The "cosmetic slurry" referred to in this specification typically contains a cosmetic base material (filling base material) that contains a powder and an oil agent, and a solvent such as water or an organic solvent that serves as a dispersion medium for the cosmetic base material, and has fluidity at room temperature and normal pressure.

1(a) to 1(d) show a part of the manufacturing process of a solid cosmetic product by a wet method using a so-called back-filling method, in which a cosmetic slurry is filled through a hole opened in the bottom of a cosmetic container. The manufacturing device used to carry out the manufacturing process shown in these figures includes a receiving jig 2 having a recess 20 for placing a container 1 on its upper surface 2a, a pressing tool 3 made of a rigid body such as metal or plastic and disposed above the recess 20, and a pressing assistant tool 4 disposed between the receiving jig 2 and the pressing tool 3. A nozzle 5 for injecting a slurry-like intermediate M into the container 1 placed in the recess 20 is disposed at the bottom of the recess 20. Note that the container 1 and the receiving jig 2 are not essential components of the manufacturing device of the present invention.
The container 1 contains an intermediate solid cosmetic product M (a cosmetic product slurry or a solidified product of the slurry) and has an upper opening 1a.
The pressing tool 3 is used to press the contents of the container 1, specifically, the slurry intermediate M or a solidified product thereof, that is, the solid intermediate M, from the upper opening 1a side.
The pressing auxiliary tool 4 is a continuous sheet in the form of a long strip extending in one direction, and is unwound from a rolled raw material 40, guided by a guide roll 41, travels between the receiving jig 2 and the pressing tool 3, and is wound up by a winding device 42. The winding device 42 functions as a travelling means for the pressing auxiliary tool 4.
The pressing tool 3 and the auxiliary pressing tool 4 are arranged so as to be movable up and down, and can be moved toward and away from the receiving jig 2 .

In the manufacturing process of a solid cosmetic product using the manufacturing device shown in Figures 1(a) to 1(d), first, as shown in Figure 1(a), a container 1 is placed in the recess 20 of the receiving jig 2, and the pressing tool 3 and the pressing aid 4 are waiting at a predetermined waiting position above the container 1. Then, as shown in Figure 1(b), the pressing aid 4 is brought into close contact with the upper surface 2a of the receiving jig 2 and the upper opening 1a of the container 1 is closed by the pressing aid 4. In this state, a slurry-like intermediate M is injected from the nozzle 5 to fill the inside of the container 1. The pressing tool 3 is equipped with a suction mechanism as a means for removing the solvent from the slurry-like intermediate M. During or after the filling of the slurry-like intermediate M, the suction mechanism is operated as shown in Figure 1(c) to suck and remove the solvent from the intermediate M from the upper opening 1a via the pressing aid 4, and a solid intermediate M is obtained (wet molding process). Thereafter, the pressing tool 3 and the pressing assistant tool 4 are moved to a predetermined standby position, and the container 1 containing the solid intermediate M is placed in the recess 20 as shown in FIG. 1(d), and the container 1 is transported to the next process, for example, a process of further pressing and molding the solid intermediate M (additional wet molding process). Here, the process of pressing the slurry intermediate M while suctioning and removing the solvent is called the first pressing process, and the additional wet molding process of pressing the solid intermediate M thereafter is also called the second pressing process. Note that, in the back-filling method of this embodiment, it is preferable to perform the second pressing process after the first pressing process, but in the so-called front filling method in which the cosmetic slurry is filled from the upper opening where the top of the cosmetic container is opened, two pressing processes are not necessarily required, and only one pressing process may be performed.

Container 1 is a shallow, dish-shaped container that has a bottom and a side wall that stands up from the periphery of the bottom, and has an upper opening 1a above the bottom, defined by the upper end of the side wall. In the present invention, the shape of container 1 is not particularly limited, provided that it has an upper opening 1a. In addition, the material of container 1 is also not particularly limited, and any material that has traditionally been used as a cosmetic container in the production of solid cosmetics by a wet method can be used without particular restriction, such as plastic or metal.

The manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment employs a back-filling method in which the slurry intermediate M is filled from the bottom of the container 1, and correspondingly, a filling hole 1b is drilled in the bottom of the container 1, into which a nozzle 5 for filling the slurry intermediate M is inserted. The nozzle 5 is connected via a tube (not shown) to a pump (not shown) that discharges the slurry intermediate M. There are no particular limitations on the supply mechanism for the slurry intermediate M to the container 1, including the nozzle 5, and any mechanism that has been conventionally used in the manufacture of solid cosmetics by a wet method can be used without particular limitations.

The pressure at the time of filling the slurry intermediate M in the filling step is preferably 0.1 MPa or more, more preferably 0.15 MPa or more, even more preferably 0.2 MPa or more, and preferably 1 MPa or less, more preferably 0.8 MPa or less, even more preferably 0.6 MPa or less, from the viewpoint of balancing between improving filling properties and reducing the load on the equipment.
From the viewpoint of balancing between improving productivity and reducing the load on the equipment, the flow rate during filling of the slurry intermediate M is preferably 30 ml/min or more, more preferably 60 ml/min or more, even more preferably 90 ml/min or more, and preferably 1000 ml/min or less, more preferably 800 ml/min or less, even more preferably 600 ml/min or less.

The receiving jig 2 has a recess 20 for placing the container 1 on its upper surface 2a, which faces the pressing auxiliary tool 4. The upper surface 2a is flat and horizontal, except for the recess 20. The shape of the recess 20 in plan view is the same as that of the container 1, and the dimensions and depth of the recess 20 in plan view (the distance between the upper surface 2a and the bottom of the recess 20) are approximately the same as the dimensions and height of the container 1 in plan view. By storing the container 1 in such a recess 20, the container 1 can be temporarily fixed in the recess 20, and the inconvenience of the container 1 moving when the intermediate product M in the container 1 stored in the recess 20 is subjected to a process such as suction or pressure is effectively prevented.

The manufacturing apparatus of the present invention may be configured to include a sliding table (e.g., a turntable that can rotate in a circumferential direction) and multiple receiving jigs 2 arranged at intervals on the upper surface of the table in the sliding direction of the table. In a manufacturing apparatus configured in this way, equipment is installed along the sliding direction of the table for carrying out each step constituting the manufacturing method of the solid cosmetic product, such as the step of filling the slurry intermediate M and suctioning and removing the solvent (wet molding step, first pressing step), the step of pressing the solid intermediate M and suctioning and removing the solvent (additional wet molding step, second pressing step), etc., and the table slides so that each receiving jig 2 is provided for each step. With a manufacturing apparatus configured in this way, solid cosmetics can be continuously manufactured.

The pressing tool 3 is provided with a suction mechanism as a means for removing the solvent from the contents of the container 1, specifically the slurry-like intermediate M. As the suction mechanism, a conventionally known mechanism can be used without any particular restrictions. In the manufacturing device of this embodiment, a plurality of suction holes 31 are provided on the pressing surface (the surface facing the object to be pressed) of the pressing tool 3, and each suction hole 31 is connected to a suction source (not shown) such as a suction pump through the internal space of the pressing tool 3. By operating the suction source to reduce the pressure of the internal space, suction through the suction holes 31 becomes possible. When the upper opening 1a of the container 1 is covered with the pressing auxiliary tool 4, and the contents of the container 1 (slurry-like intermediate M), which is the object to be pressed, are pressed with the pressing tool 3 in a suction-enabled state together with the pressing auxiliary tool 4, the solvent that seeps out from the contents due to the pressing is sucked and removed from the suction hole 31 via the pressing auxiliary tool 4.

The pressing tool 3 is arranged around the pressing surface and includes a holding member 32 that presses and holds the pressing auxiliary tool 4 toward the receiving jig 2 during solvent suction, and an elastic member 33 that supports the holding member 32. The elastic member 33 is fixed so as to be stretchable in the pressing direction, and the holding member 32 is attached to the end opposite to the fixed end. When the elastic member 33 is in its natural state, the holding member 32 is located closer to the receiving jig 2 than the pressing surface, and when the pressing tool 3 is moved (lowered) toward the receiving jig 2, the holding member 32 contacts the upper surface 2a of the receiving jig 2 before the pressing surface. Note that when the intermediate M is pressed by the pressing tool 3, the holding member 32 overlaps with the side wall of the container 1 placed in the recess 20 of the receiving jig 2 via the pressing auxiliary tool 4 (see FIG. 1(c)), that is, the container 1 is pressed toward the bottom side of the recess 20 by the pressing tool 3 without the intermediate M being interposed. This allows the container 1 to be reliably fixed in the recess 20 when pressed by the pressing tool 3. In the backfilling method of this embodiment, the position of the pressing tool 3 is fixed in the process of pressing the slurry intermediate M (wet molding process or first pressing process), and the holding member 32 presses the container 1, filling the container 1 with the cosmetic slurry, generating the pressure in the contents of the container 1.

The pressing aid 4 is generally a sheet-like material made of a breathable and liquid-permeable material. The main purpose of the pressing aid 4 is to prevent the powder from being sucked out at the same time as the solvent is sucked out through the suction hole 31 of the pressing aid 3, and to prevent the powder from adhering to the pressing surface of the pressing aid 3. In addition, the pressing aid 4 comes into contact with the intermediate M through the upper opening 1a during the process in which the slurry intermediate M, which is the content of the container 1, solidifies to become the solid intermediate M. Therefore, the surface shape of the surface of the pressing aid 4 facing the intermediate M is transferred to the surface of the solid cosmetic product, which is the product to be manufactured. In the second pressing step, the pressing aid 4 may be used to pattern the surface of the solid cosmetic product by utilizing this.

In the manufacturing device of this embodiment, the pressing aid 4 is a strip-shaped continuous sheet that is long in one direction, and as shown in FIG. 1, it is continuously unwound from a roll-shaped original sheet 40 by the winding operation of the winding device 42, and runs parallel to the recess 20 between the receiving jig 2 and the pressing tool 3. The winding device 42 is configured in the same manner as a conventionally known winding device for a continuous sheet, and typically includes a winding roll and a drive source for the winding roll.

The pressing tool 3 and the pressing auxiliary tool 4 are each individually arranged so that they can move toward and away from the receiving jig 2, and specifically, they are arranged so that they can move in the vertical direction by a moving mechanism (not shown). The pressing auxiliary tool 4, together with a running mechanism (guide roll 41, winding device 42, etc.) that runs it, can be moved toward and away from the receiving jig 2 by the moving mechanism. As the moving mechanism, conventionally known technology can be used as appropriate.

Figure 2 shows a block diagram showing the functions of one embodiment of the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention. The manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment is equipped with a control means 6 that controls the operation of each part (receiving jig 2, pressing tool 3, pressing aid 4, nozzle 5, etc.) of the manufacturing apparatus shown in Figure 1. The control means 6 is equipped with a filling control unit 61 that fills the container 1 with a slurry-like intermediate M, a pressing control unit 62 that presses the contents of the container 1 (slurry-like intermediate M, solid intermediate M) with the pressing tool 3, a solvent removal control unit 63 that removes the solvent from the contents of the container 1, and a pressing aid control unit 64 that can move (run) the pressing aid 4 to control the tension applied to the pressing aid 4.

The filling control unit 61 operates a supply mechanism for the slurry intermediate M including the nozzle 5 to fill the slurry intermediate M into the container 1 .
The pressing control unit 62 activates a moving mechanism that moves the pressing tool 3 and the pressing auxiliary tool 4 freely toward and away from the receiving jig 2, and presses the contents of the container 1 together with the pressing auxiliary tool 4 with the pressing tool 3 while covering the upper opening 1a of the container 1 with the pressing auxiliary tool 4 (see Figure 1 (c)).
The solvent removal control unit 63 operates a solvent removal means such as the suction mechanism provided in the pressing tool 3 to remove the solvent from the slurry intermediate M by suction, thereby forming a solid intermediate M.

The control means 6 is typically configured to include an arithmetic processing unit and a memory unit. The arithmetic processing unit includes a microprocessor such as a CPU or an MPU. The memory unit includes a ROM and a RAM, and the ROM and the RAM store programs and various data for causing the arithmetic processing unit to perform predetermined processing. The memory unit pre-stores each step of the manufacturing method for the solid cosmetic product of the present invention, and the arithmetic processing unit refers to the stored information in the memory unit and operates each part of the manufacturing device required to carry out each step.

The manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment carries out the manufacturing method of the present invention by operating each unit under the control of the control means 6. Specifically, under the control of the filling control unit 61, the pressing control unit 62, the solvent removal control unit 63, and the pressing aid control unit 64, as described above and shown in Figures 1(a) to 1(d), a "filling step" of filling a container 1 having an upper opening 1a with a slurry-like intermediate M, and a "pressing step (first pressing step and second pressing step)" of pressing the contents of the container 1 together with the pressing aid 4 with the pressing aid 4 by the pressing aid 3 are carried out.
In the first pressing step, in parallel with pressing by the pressing tool 3, the solvent in the contents is aspirated and removed from the contents of the container 1 through the upper opening 1a by a solvent removal means such as the suction mechanism provided in the pressing tool 3. That is, in the first pressing step, in a state in which the upper opening 1a is covered with the pressing auxiliary tool 4, the solvent in the contents is aspirated and removed from the contents through the upper opening 1a of the container 1 (specifically, the slurry-like intermediate M) together with the pressing auxiliary tool 4 by the pressing tool 3, to form a solid intermediate M (see FIG. 1(c)).

In the bag-filling method of this embodiment, the step of applying a predetermined tension to the pressing aid 4 is performed in the second pressing step. In the second pressing step, under the control of the pressing aid control unit 64, the solvent contained in the solid intermediate M, which is the content of the container 1, is sucked and removed by the suction mechanism provided in the pressing tool 3 while applying a predetermined tension to the pressing aid 4.
Usually, a tension of about 5 kgf/m is applied to prevent sagging or twisting of the pressing auxiliary tool 4 and improve the appearance of the pressing target by making the pressing target have a uniform tension. However, the present inventors have found that it is preferable to apply a tension smaller than the general tension from the viewpoint of preventing the suction hole marks of the present invention.

The effect of improving the appearance by applying a predetermined tension to the pressing aid 4 is believed to occur as follows. That is, when pressing is performed by the pressing aid 3 while applying a strong tension to the pressing aid 4 to prevent sagging or twisting, when the solvent contained in the solid intermediate M, which is the content of the container 1, is sucked out while the solid intermediate M is pressed by the pressing aid 3, the sheet-like pressing aid 4 stretches due to the pressing force and the suction force of the suction hole, and a part of the pressing aid 4 is sucked into the suction hole 31 provided in the pressing aid 3 as shown in Figure 3. Then, the tension of the pressing aid 4 at the suction hole portion becomes extremely strong, and pressing proceeds in the state shown in the figure. When the solidification of the solid intermediate M is completed and the pressing and suction are released, the pressing aid 4 that was sucked into the suction hole 31 returns to its original flat state with force. At this time, the pressing aid 4 strongly rubs the surface of the intermediate M in a solidified state, which results in the existence of parts on the surface of the intermediate M that are smoother and parts that are not rubbed by the pressing aid 4 and have less smoothness with the fine irregularities of the pressing aid 4 transferred thereto, resulting in a defect in which the uniformity of the appearance is impaired. Typically, the marks of the suction holes 31 are generated in the parts of the surface of the intermediate M that are smoother. In particular, when the amount of the lustrous pigment contained in the intermediate M is small, there is less diffuse reflection on the surface of the solid cosmetic product, making the marks of the suction holes 31 more easily visible. The marks of the suction holes 31 may appear lighter in color and whitish than other parts.

If no tension is applied to the pressing aid 4, the pressing aid 4 will sag or twist, resulting in larger irregularities and increasing the likelihood of the appearance of the solid cosmetic being deteriorated.
Until now, no effective means for preventing the marks of the suction holes 31 from being generated has been known, and the only solution has been to change various manufacturing conditions, such as the pressing conditions, the solvent suction conditions, and the type of the pressing aid 4, through a trial and error process. Under these circumstances, the present inventors have conducted extensive research into means for suppressing the generation of this defect, and have found that applying a predetermined tension to the pressing aid 4 is effective.

In this embodiment, the pressing aid 4 is made of a rollable sheet. By winding up the pressing aid 4, tension can be generated in the pressing aid 4. In detail, a predetermined braking force is applied to the roll of the original fabric 40 (for example, a frictional force that restricts free rotation is applied to the roll), and tension is applied to the pressing aid 4 by the winding device 42, which serves as the running means for the pressing aid 4, winding up the pressing aid 4 in response to a command from the pressing aid control unit 64. For this purpose, the pressing aid control unit 64 is configured to be able to control the tension generated in the pressing aid 4 by winding up the pressing aid 4 with the winding device. The tension generated in the pressing aid 4 can be monitored, for example, by a load cell (not shown) attached to the winding device 42.

From the viewpoint of improving the appearance of the solid cosmetic product, the tension applied to the pressing auxiliary tool 4 is preferably 0.01 kgf/m or more, more preferably 0.03 kgf/m or more, and even more preferably 0.05 kgf/m or more. By applying a tension of this value or more to the pressing auxiliary tool 4, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of wrinkling of the pressing auxiliary tool 4 and the deterioration of the appearance of the solid cosmetic product due to wrinkling.
The tension applied to the pressing aid 4 is preferably 3 kgf/m or less, more preferably 2.5 kgf/m or less, even more preferably 2.0 kgf/m or less, even more preferably 1.5 kgf/m or less, and particularly preferably 1.0 kgf/m or less. By applying a tension of this value or less to the pressing aid 4, it is possible to effectively prevent the formation of marks of the suction holes 31 on the surface of the solid cosmetic material.

The tension applied to the pressing aid 4 is generated along the winding direction of the pressing aid 4, but in some cases, tension may be generated in a direction perpendicular to the winding direction using a tool such as a tenter. In this case, the tension can be monitored by attaching a load cell to the tenter.

With the above-mentioned tension applied to the pressing auxiliary tool 4, the pressing force in the second pressing step of this embodiment is set to preferably 1.0 MPa or more, more preferably 1.25 MPa or more, even more preferably 1.5 MPa or more, and preferably 5.0 MPa or less, more preferably 4.5 MPa or less, and even more preferably 4.0 MPa or less. By setting the pressing force within this range, a solid cosmetic preparation that has a good appearance and feel in use and is highly impact resistant can be stably produced.
When applying pressure, it is preferable to attach a pressure detection sensor (not shown) such as a load cell to the pressing tool 3 and monitor the pressure applied by the pressing tool 3 .

The pressing time is preferably set to 0.5 seconds or more, more preferably 1 second or more, and even more preferably 1.5 seconds or more. On the other hand, the pressing time is preferably set to 20 seconds or less, more preferably 15 seconds or less, and even more preferably 10 seconds or less. By setting the pressing time within this range, a solid cosmetic product with high impact resistance can be produced with good productivity.

The pressure at which the solvent is suctioned during pressing can be set, expressed as a gauge pressure, to preferably -90 kPa or more, more preferably -80 kPa or more, and even more preferably -70 kPa or more. It can also be set to preferably -5 kPa or less, more preferably -10 kPa or less, and even more preferably -20 kPa or less. By suctioning the solvent within this range, the solvent can be successfully removed without placing an excessive load on the suction device.

In the wet method used in this embodiment, volatile hydrocarbons and low boiling alcohols are generally used as the solvent for the base material from the viewpoint of uniformly dispersing the powder and oil as the base material in the slurry and facilitating solvent removal, and in recent years, due to the increasing environmental awareness, a solvent using water has also been proposed. The material of the above-mentioned pressing aid 4 is not particularly limited as long as it does not hinder the suction removal of the solvent of the slurry-like intermediate M by the pressing aid 3 through the pressing aid 4, and is preferably a sheet having liquid permeability, and more specifically, it is preferable to use, for example, paper, cloth, and a film with holes for liquid passage, depending on the type of solvent. In the present invention, one of these may be used alone as the pressing aid 4, or a laminate of two or more of these may be used as the pressing aid 4. In particular, paper has the advantage that the surface is smoother than cloth, making it easier to obtain a solid cosmetic product with a smooth surface.
However, when water is used as the solvent, if the pressing aid 4 is paper, the pressing aid 4 may absorb the water sucked from the slurry intermediate M when the pressing aid 3 sucks the solvent, and the strength of the pressing aid 4 may decrease. Paper can be used without problems as long as it is highly water-resistant, but considering the permeability of the solvent and the resistance to the solvent, it is preferable to use cloth as the pressing aid 4. For example, woven fabric or nonwoven fabric can be used. Since cloth is less smooth than paper, the effect of the present invention is easily achieved when cloth is used as the pressing aid 4.
The material of the cloth constituting the pressing aid 4 is not particularly limited, but considering that it must be resistant even when water is used as a solvent for the intermediate M, it is preferable that the material be mainly made of a hydrophobic material such as a synthetic resin.

In particular, when considering the smoothness of the surface, it is preferable to use a nonwoven fabric made of thermoplastic resin fibers as the pressing aid 4. Examples of such nonwoven fabrics include spunbond nonwoven fabrics, meltblown nonwoven fabrics, spunlace nonwoven fabrics, needle-punched nonwoven fabrics, air-through nonwoven fabrics, and nonwoven fabrics made by laminating two or more of these nonwoven fabrics.

The thickness of the pressing aid 4 containing the nonwoven fabric is preferably 5 μm or more, more preferably 10 μm or more, and preferably 150 μm or less, more preferably 100 μm or less, from the viewpoints of powder permeability prevention, strength, solvent permeability, etc. By using a nonwoven fabric of such a thickness as the pressing aid 4, it is possible to effectively prevent unevenness from occurring on the surface of the solid cosmetic.
The thickness is measured by a constant pressure thickness gauge PJ-16J (manufactured by Techloc Co., Ltd.).

From the same viewpoint as above, the basis weight of the pressing aid 4 containing nonwoven fabric is preferably 5 g/ ^m2 or more, more preferably 10 g/ ^m2 or more, and preferably 150 g/ ^m2 or less, more preferably 100 g/ ^m2 or less.

Regarding the "cosmetic slurry" (slurry-like intermediate M) used in the present invention, the composition of the slurry is not particularly limited and can be adjusted appropriately depending on the type of solid cosmetic to be produced. There are no particular limitations on the solid cosmetic to which the present invention can be applied, and examples include foundation, eye shadow, blush, and face powder.

A cosmetic slurry typically contains at least a cosmetic base material and a solvent, and further contains, as necessary, preservatives, antioxidants, colorants, thickeners, pH adjusters, fragrances, ultraviolet absorbers, moisturizers, blood circulation promoters, cooling agents, antiperspirants, germicides, skin activators, and the like.
The cosmetic base material typically contains powders such as extender pigments, color pigments, and glittering pigments, and an oil. As the powders and oils, those that are normally used in solid cosmetics can be used without any particular restrictions. As described above, the traces of the suction holes 31 that occur on the surface of the solid cosmetic are more easily visible when the glittering pigment content is low, so the present invention is particularly effective when the glittering pigment content in the solid cosmetic is 20% by mass or less, preferably 10% by mass or less, and more preferably 5% by mass or less.
As the solvent, any solvent that has conventionally been used in the production of solid cosmetics by a wet process can be used without any particular limitation. Conventionally widely used organic solvents such as volatile hydrocarbons and low-boiling alcohols may be used, or water may be used from the viewpoint of reducing the environmental load.

The content of the solvent in the cosmetic slurry is preferably 30 parts by mass or more, and more preferably 40 parts by mass or more, per 100 parts by mass of the cosmetic base material in the slurry, from the viewpoint of improving the filling property into the container 1, etc. On the other hand, the upper limit of the content of the solvent in the cosmetic slurry is preferably 120 parts by mass or less, and more preferably 100 parts by mass or less, per 100 parts by mass of the cosmetic base material in the slurry, from the viewpoint of the removal efficiency from the slurry, etc.

The viscosity of the cosmetic slurry before it is filled into the container 1 is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of a balance between improving the stability and filling properties of the slurry, it is preferably 100 mPa·s or more, more preferably 500 mPa·s or more, even more preferably 1000 mPa·s or more, and preferably 30,000 mPa·s or less, more preferably 20,000 mPa·s or less, even more preferably 10,000 mPa·s or less.
In this specification, the "viscosity" refers to a value measured at 25°C using a B-type viscometer (TVB-10 type viscometer) manufactured by Toki Sangyo Co., Ltd.

While the present invention has been described above based on its preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, the above embodiment is a back-filling method in which the cosmetic slurry is filled from the bottom of the container 1, but the present invention can also be applied to a front-filling method in which the slurry is filled from the upper opening 1a side of the container 1.
In addition, in the above embodiment, the pressing auxiliary tool 4 moves up and down together with the pressing tool 3 and can be freely moved toward and away from the receiving jig 2. However, instead, the pressing auxiliary tool 4 may not move up and down and may always be positioned at a predetermined position, for example, at a position where it can come into contact with the upper surface 2 a of the receiving jig 2.
In the pressing step, the pressing force may be set at only one stage, or may be set at multiple stages as required.

The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Example 1]
A solid cosmetic product was produced by a wet method using a bag-filling type production apparatus having the same configuration as the production apparatus shown in Fig. 2. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 1(a) to Fig. 1(d), a dish-shaped container 1 having an upper opening 1a was placed on a recess 20 of a receiving jig 2, and in a state in which the upper opening 1a was covered with a pressing auxiliary tool 4, a filling step was carried out in which a slurry-like intermediate M (cosmetic slurry) was filled into the container 1 using a nozzle 5, and a pressing step (wet molding step) was carried out in which the intermediate M together with the pressing auxiliary tool 4 was pressed against the bottom side of the recess 20 as a first pressing step, while the solvent in the slurry-like intermediate M was aspirated and removed through the upper opening 1a using a pressing tool 3 in close contact with the pressing auxiliary tool 4, to obtain a solid intermediate M (solidified product of the cosmetic slurry). Next, as a second pressing step, the obtained solid intermediate M was further pressed and the solvent was aspirated and removed to produce the desired solid cosmetic product.

The cosmetic slurry used in the present embodiment and comparative examples was prepared by the following method. First, 13.3% by mass of oil and 1.6% by mass of surfactant were weighed out and heated to 60°C to form a uniform oil phase. Next, 0.2% by mass of preservative was added to 33.3% by mass of water heated to 60°C to form an aqueous phase, which was then added to the oil phase and mixed for 5 minutes at 6,000 rpm in a homogenizer. After that, the mixture was cooled with water while stirring with a spatula to obtain an emulsion. 51.6% by mass of powder containing a pigment was added to the obtained emulsion and kneaded for 5 minutes in a disperser mixer to prepare a cosmetic slurry. The viscosity of the obtained cosmetic slurry was 4130 mPa·s at 25°C.

Details of the production conditions for the solid cosmetic preparations of Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Example 1 are as follows.
- Material of pressure support tool: 80% rayon, 20% polypropylene polyethylene nonwoven fabric (thickness 420 μm, basis weight 40 g/m ² )
<First pressing step>
Tension applied to the pressing aid: 5 kgf/m
Pressure when filling cosmetic slurry: 0.4 MPa
Flow rate of cosmetic slurry when filling: 290 ml/min. Suction pressure of solvent in cosmetic slurry: -50 kPa.
<Second pressing step>
Tension applied to the pressing assistant: As shown in Table 1 Pressing conditions by the pressing tool 3: As shown in Table 1 Suction pressure of the solvent in the solid intermediate M: Same as in the first pressing step

〔evaluation〕
For the solid cosmetic products obtained in the Examples and Comparative Examples, the surface facing the pressing aid 4 was visually observed by five panelists, and the condition was evaluated according to the following criteria. The average score was used as a measure of the quality of the appearance of the solid cosmetic product. A higher score means a better appearance.
<Evaluation criteria>
5: No traces of suction holes are found at all 4: Traces of suction holes are found only slightly 3: Traces of suction holes are found 2: Traces of suction holes are clearly found 1: The same as in Comparative Example 1, where traces of suction holes are very clearly found

As is clear from the results shown in Table 1, the solid cosmetic products obtained in each Example exhibited a better appearance than the solid cosmetic product obtained in Comparative Example 1.

1 Container 1a Upper opening 2 Receiving jig 20 Container mounting recess 3 Pressing tool 31 Suction hole 32 Holding member 33 Elastic member 4 Pressing auxiliary tool 40 Raw material 41 Guide roll 42 Winding device (traveling means for pressing auxiliary tool)
5 Nozzle 6 Control means 61 Filling control section 62 Pressing control section 63 Solvent removal control section 64 Pressing aid control section M Intermediate solid cosmetic material

Claims (2)

A filling step of filling a container having an upper opening with a slurry containing a raw material of a solid filling material and a solvent;
A method for producing a solid filling, comprising: a pressing step of pressing the contents of the container together with the pressing auxiliary tool with a pressing tool while the upper opening is covered with the pressing auxiliary tool,
In the pressing step, a suction mechanism provided in the pressing tool is used to suction and remove the solvent from the contents of the container through the upper opening while a tension of 0.03 kgf/m or more and 1.0 kgf/m or less is applied to the pressing auxiliary tool. The method for producing a solid filling according to claim 1, wherein the pressing aid is a rollable sheet, and tension is applied to the pressing aid by rolling it up.

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