JP7634624B2 - Figures and methods of manufacturing shapes - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a shaped object and a method for manufacturing a shaped object.

Traditionally, the facial features of a figurine (eyes, eyelashes, etc.) have been extremely important in determining the value of the figurine as well as influencing the figurine's expression. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a method for manufacturing doll eyeballs, in which a contact body such as an elastic silicone resin is pressed against a coating that imitates the iris of the eyeball by printing, and the attached coating is transferred to a spherical surface that imitates the eyeball. In this way, the pattern of the iris formed by printing can be formed on the surface of the eyeball by transferring the coating, making it possible to express the iris with high precision.

JP 2012-24382 A

However, when trying to represent the eyes by printing, there is a risk that they may become misaligned with respect to the surface of the eyeball. In products such as the face of a figurine, where even the slightest misalignment of the facial expression parts creates an awkward feeling, misaligned eyeballs can diminish the value of the product.

In the case of plastic model figures that require the user to carry out some of the assembly, the eyes and face of the figure have traditionally been created with stickers. However, the process of applying the stickers by the user can take time, the stickers can be misaligned, and applying the stickers in a way that does not look strange to the user requires skill, making it difficult to create a satisfactory finished product.

The present invention provides an object that can easily create an eye representation with high accuracy.

According to one aspect of the present invention, for example, there is provided an object in which an eye part is assembled to a facial part to form a face, the eye part comprising an eye base part and an eye expression part which covers at least a portion of the eye base part and is molded integrally with the eye base part, and the facial part is formed with a hole through which a portion of the eye part is exposed when the eye part is assembled.
According to another aspect of the present invention, for example, there is provided an object in which an eye is formed by assembling an eye part to a facial part, the eye part comprising an eye representation part including an eye basic part and a covering part covering at least a portion of the eye basic part, the facial part having a hole through which a portion of the eye part is exposed when the eye part is attached, the facial part comprising a facial expression part and a skin part covering at least a portion of the facial expression part, the facial expression part being exposed from the skin part to represent at least either eyelashes or eyebrows.
According to another aspect of the present invention, for example, there is provided an object in which an eye is formed by assembling an eye part to a facial part, the eye part comprising an eye representation part including an eye basic part and a covering part that covers at least a portion of the eye basic part, and the facial part is formed with a hole through which a portion of the eye part is exposed when the eye part is assembled.

The present invention provides an object that can easily create an eye representation with high accuracy.

1A is a perspective view of the front surface of an object according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a primary molded part of the eye part, FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a secondary molded part, and FIG. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the front face part, and FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a primary molded product of the facial expression part, FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a secondary molded product, and FIG.

Below, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in each figure, the same reference numerals indicate the same elements. In each figure, the up, down, left and right directions relative to the paper surface will be used in the description in the text as the up, down, left and right directions of the device in this embodiment. Note that in the embodiment described below, the present invention will be exemplified by resin materials of different colors as molding materials, but is not limited to this, and can also be applied to molding materials of different materials (thermoplastic resins such as polystyrene, polyethylene, ABS, thermosetting resins, metals, etc.), resins of different transparencies, etc.

Figure 1 shows a figurine A according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figurine A described below is an example of a figurine that resembles a human face, but is not limited to this, and may be any figurine that has eyes, such as animals, insects, dinosaurs, fish, or other living creatures, or characters that have parts that correspond to eyes.

The face of object A is formed by assembling eye parts 10 to facial parts 20. Figure 1(A) shows the front side of object A, and Figure 1(B) shows the back side of object A. In this embodiment, the back side of object A is covered by a hair part (not shown) and is not exposed to the outside after the figure is completed. Figure 2 shows an exploded perspective view of eye part 10 and facial part 20. Eye part 10 is assembled from the back side of facial part 20, and a part of eye part 10 that constitutes eye 10a is exposed from a hole 20a formed in facial part 20.

<Eye component 10>
In this embodiment, the eye part 10 is formed by insert molding and multi-color molding using four colors of resin. The eye part 10 includes an eye basic part 11 and a plurality of eye expression parts 12, 13, and 14 that are molded integrally by covering at least a part of the eye basic part 11. Figure 3 shows molded products at each stage in the molding process until the eye part 10 is formed.

Figure 3 (A) shows an eye basic part 11 as a primary molded part E1. Figure 3 (B) shows a secondary molded part E2 in which the eye basic part 11 and a first eye representation part 12 made of one different type of resin material are molded into an integrated part by insert molding using the eye basic part 11 (insert molding with the eye basic part 11 as an insert part). Figure 3 (C) shows a tertiary molded part E3 in which the secondary molded part E2 is simultaneously multi-color molded using a second eye representation part 13 and a third eye representation part 14 made of two different types of resin materials. In this embodiment, the tertiary molded part E3 is the final molded part of the eye part 10.

In each figure, three vertical rows are used to show perspective views of each molded product seen from different directions, with the top row showing a perspective view of the molded product seen approximately from the front, the middle row showing a perspective view seen diagonally from above, and the bottom row showing a perspective view seen from below. Note that the front refers to the front of the face of figure A, the top refers to the top of figure A (e.g. the head), and the bottom refers to the view from the bottom of figure A (e.g. the chin area of the face).

Figure 3 (A) shows a primary molded product E1 including the eye base part 11 of the eye part 10. In this embodiment, the eye base part 11 is molded from a white resin material and constitutes the white part of the figure's eye 10a. The part that will be exposed to the surface in the final molded product is indicated as the first exposed part 11a.

Figure 3 (B) shows a secondary molded product E2 in which the eye basic part 11 and the first eye representation part 12, which is made of a type of resin material different from that of the eye basic part 11, are molded into one integral part. The resin material used to mold the first eye representation part 12 can be, for example, a black resin material, and represents the pupil of the eye 10a, etc.

When molding the secondary molded product E2 shown in FIG. 3(B), after molding the primary molded product E1, the primary molded product E1 is transferred to a mold different from the mold in which the primary molded product E1 was molded, or to another part of the same mold, and molded so that the first eye-representing part 12 is covered on the primary molded product E1 with the above-mentioned black resin material. Therefore, the secondary molded product E2, in which the primary molded product E1 and the first eye-representing part 12 are molded as an integrated product, is formed by insert molding (insert molding with the primary molded product E1 as an insert part) using the primary molded product E1 (eye base part 11). The part exposed on the surface of the final molded product is indicated by the second exposed part 12a.

Figure 3 (C) shows a tertiary molded product E3 (final molded product) formed by integrally molding the secondary molded product E2 with a second eye representation part 13 and a third eye representation part 14 made of two different types of resin different from the eye base part 11. An example of the resin material used to mold the second eye representation part 13 is a gray resin material, which represents the shadow of the white of the eye caused by the figure's eyelid. An example of the resin material used to mold the third eye representation part 14 is a purple resin material, which represents the iris of the figure's eye 10a.

When molding the tertiary molded product E3 shown in FIG. 3(C), after molding the secondary molded product E2, the secondary molded product E2 is transferred to a mold different from the mold in which the secondary molded product E2 was molded or to another part of the same mold, and the secondary molded product E2 is molded so that the second eye expression part 13 is covered with the above-mentioned gray resin material and the third eye expression part 14 is covered with the above-mentioned purple resin material. When molding the second eye expression part 13 and the third eye expression part 14, if the resins of the parts do not mix due to the arrangement of the parts, etc., the respective resin materials can be injection molded at the same time using a multi-color molding technique. Therefore, the tertiary molded product E3, which is an integral molded product of the secondary molded product E2, the second eye expression part 13, and the third eye expression part 14, is formed by insert molding and multi-color molding using the secondary molded product E2. The parts exposed to the surface in the final molded product are indicated by the third exposed part 13a and the fourth exposed part 14a.

As described above, the eye 10a of the eye part 10 is formed by repeated insert molding using multiple types of resin. Therefore, it is possible to easily form the expression of eyes, which was previously provided by printing or stickers, with high precision. Furthermore, even in cases where the user is required to carry out part of the assembly, as in the case of a plastic model, it is possible to eliminate the process of sticker application by the user to express the eyes, and it is possible to create a finished product that is satisfactory to the user in a way that does not feel unnatural, even without advanced skills in sticker application, painting, etc.

<Facial Parts 20>
Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the facial part 20. Fig. 4(A) shows the front side of the facial part 20, and Fig. 4(B) shows the back side of the facial part 20. The facial part 20 comprises an expression part 21 and a skin part 25 which covers at least a part of the expression part 21 and is molded integrally with the expression part 21. The facial part 20 is also formed with a hole 20a which exposes a part of the eye part 10 (eye 10a). A part of the expression part 21 may be exposed from the skin part 25 to represent at least either eyelashes or eyebrows, and may also represent the shadow of an eyelid. The skin part 25 is molded, for example, from a flesh-colored resin material, and forms the skin part of the figure's face.

In this embodiment, the facial expression part 21 is arranged on at least a part of the periphery of the hole 20a and includes an eyelash portion 22a that represents eyelashes, an eyebrow portion 23a that is arranged away from the eyelash portion, and an eyelid portion 24a that represents the shadow of the eyelid between the eyelash portion 22a and the eyebrow portion 23a. The eyelash portion 22a, the eyebrow portion 23a, and the eyelid portion 24a are molded from different resin materials.

As shown in FIG. 5, the facial expression part 21 is formed by insert molding using three colors of resin material. The facial expression part 21 comprises a primary facial expression part 22, and a secondary facial expression part 23 and a tertiary facial expression part 24 which cover at least a portion of the primary facial expression part 22 and are molded integrally with the primary facial expression part 22. FIG. 5 shows the molded product at each stage in the molding process until the facial expression part 21 is formed.

Figure 5 (A) shows the primary facial expression part 22 as the primary molded product F1. Figure 5 (B) shows the secondary molded product F2, which is an integral molded product of the primary facial expression part 22 and the secondary facial expression part 23 made of one different type of resin material by insert molding using the primary facial expression part 22 (insert molding with the primary facial expression part 22 as an insert part). Figure 5 (C) shows the tertiary molded product F3, which is an integral molded product of the secondary molded product F2 and the tertiary facial expression part 24 made of one different type of resin material by insert molding using the secondary molded product F2 (insert molding with the secondary molded product F2 as an insert part). In this embodiment, the tertiary molded product F3 is the final molded product of the facial expression part 21.

In each figure, two perspective views of each molded product are shown, one above the other, from different directions. The top view is a perspective view of the molded product seen from approximately the front (front side), and the bottom view is a perspective view from the back side. Note that the front view refers to the front of the face of object A.

Figure 5 (A) shows a primary molded product F1 including the primary facial expression part 22 of the facial expression part 21. In this embodiment, the primary facial expression part 22 is molded from a black resin material and includes a portion representing eyelashes that are placed around the periphery of the figure's eye 10a. The portion that is exposed to the surface from the skin part 25 in the final molded product is indicated as eyelash portion 22a.

The eyelash portion 22a is formed by rising from the bottom surface of the primary facial expression part 22, and the part exposed to the surface may be formed as a thin linear part or an angular part formed with a very small R. Such eyelash portion 22a may be damaged by being broken or chipped in the mold when the primary molded product F1 is removed from the mold or when it is embedded in the next mold during insert molding. To prevent such damage, the joint between the eyelash portion 22 and the bottom surface of the primary facial expression part 22 may be reinforced by forming a padded part or by providing a tapered surface from the bottom surface of the primary facial expression part 22 to the eyelash portion 22.

The primary facial expression part 22 also has holes 22b, 22c and cutouts 22d. The holes 22b, 22c and cutouts 22d are provided to increase the contact area with the core side mold and pull the primary molded product F1 toward the core side, so that the primary molded product F1 is not taken to the mold on the opposite side to the core side (the side with the ejector pin) when the mold is opened after injection molding. The holes 22b, 22c and cutouts 22d are filled with the secondary facial expression part 23 and the tertiary facial expression part 24, which will be described later.

Figure 5 (B) shows a secondary molded product F2, which is an integral molded product of the primary molded product F1 and the secondary facial expression part 23, which is made of a type of resin material different from the primary facial expression part 22. The resin material used to mold the secondary facial expression part 23 can be, for example, a brown resin material, which represents the eyebrows of the figure.

When molding the secondary molded product F2 shown in FIG. 5(B), after molding the primary molded product F1 (pre-stage molding), the primary molded product F1 is transferred to a mold different from the mold in which the primary molded product F1 was molded, or to another part of the same mold, and the secondary facial expression part 23 is molded so as to cover the primary molded product F1 with the brown resin material. Therefore, the secondary molded product F2, in which the primary molded product F1 and the secondary facial expression part 23 are molded as an integrated product, is formed by insert molding using the primary molded product F1 (insert molding with the primary molded product F1 as an insert part). The part of the final molded product that is exposed to the surface from the skin part 25 is indicated as the eyebrow part 23a.

Like the eyelashes 22a, the eyebrows 23a may have a padded portion or a tapered surface formed at their base. A portion 23b of the secondary facial expression part is embedded in the hole 22b of the primary facial expression part 22.

Figure 5 (C) shows a tertiary molded product F3 (final molded product) that is an integral molded product of the secondary molded product F2 and the tertiary facial expression part 24 made of a type of resin material different from the secondary facial expression part 23. The resin material used to mold the tertiary facial expression part 24 can be, for example, a light brown resin material, which expresses the shadow of the skin formed by the eyelids of the figure.

When molding the tertiary molded product F3 shown in FIG. 5(C), after molding the secondary molded product F2, the secondary molded product F2 is transferred to a mold different from the mold in which the secondary molded product F2 was molded, or to another part of the same mold, and molded so that the tertiary facial expression part 24 is covered on the secondary molded product F2 with the light brown resin material. Therefore, the tertiary molded product F3, which is an integrated molded product of the secondary molded product F2 and the tertiary facial expression part 24, is formed by insert molding using the secondary molded product F2 (insert molding with the secondary molded product F2 as an insert part). In this way, the facial expression part 21 is molded. The part exposed to the surface from the skin part 25 in the final molded product is indicated as the eyelid part 24a.

Like the eyelash portion 22a, the eyelid portion 24a may have a padded portion or a tapered surface formed at its base. In addition, a part 24c of the tertiary facial expression part is embedded in the hole 22c and the notch 22d of the primary facial expression part 22.

Furthermore, the facial part 21 (tertiary molded product F3) is used for insert molding (insert molding with the tertiary molded product F3 as an insert part) to mold the skin part 25 so that it is covered with a skin-colored resin material, for example, to form the facial part 20. As described above, the facial part 20 is formed by repeatedly insert molding using multiple types of resins using the primary molded product F1 of the facial part 21 (with the primary molded product F1 as an insert part), so that the facial part 21 and the skin part 25 are molded as a single molded product.

The eye parts 10 and the facial parts 20 may be molded to have different glosses. For example, the eye parts 10 may be molded from a highly transparent resin material such as polystyrene resin, and the facial parts 20 may be molded from a resin that is made by compounding rubber or the like with polystyrene resin to reduce gloss and create the texture of skin.

As explained above, in this embodiment, it is possible to easily express the eyes with high precision. Furthermore, even in products such as the face of a figurine, where even the slightest misalignment of the position of the facial expression parts can cause discomfort, the positions of the facial expression parts can be accurately positioned. Therefore, with plastic model figures, it is possible to create a finished product that is satisfactory to the user in a way that does not cause discomfort.

10 Eye parts, 20 Facial parts, 21 Facial expression parts, A Figurine

Claims (10)

A figure in which an eye part is attached to a facial part to form a face,
The eye part includes an eye representation part including an eye basic part and a covering part that covers at least a part of the eye basic part,
a hole is formed in the face part, through which a part of the eye part is exposed when the eye part is attached ;
the facial parts include facial expression parts and skin parts covering at least a part of the facial expression parts,
The facial expression parts are exposed from the skin parts to express at least one of eyelashes or eyebrows . The object according to claim 1, characterized in that the eye part is a molded product including a primary molded product including the eye base part and the covering part made of at least one type of resin different from the eye base part. The object according to claim 2, characterized in that the eye part is molded by including a plurality of the covering parts, each of which is molded using a plurality of types of resin. The facial parts are formed as a molded product including the facial parts and the skin parts by using a primary molded product of the facial parts and including a plurality of parts molded using a plurality of types of resin. The figure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the facial parts are formed as molded products including the facial expression parts formed by a preliminary molding step and the skin parts made of at least one type of resin different from the facial expression parts. The facial part is molded in the preliminary molding step by using a primary facial expression part formed by a primary molding, and including a plurality of parts molded using a plurality of types of resin. The facial expression parts are:
an eyelash portion arranged on at least a portion of the periphery of the hole and representing eyelashes;
an eyebrow portion spaced apart from the eyelash portion;
Including,
7. The object according to claim 1 , wherein the eyelashes and the eyebrows are made of different resins. The object according to claim 1, characterized in that the eye parts and the facial parts have different lustres. A method for manufacturing a sculpted object that forms a face by assembling an eye part having an eye expression part including an eye basic part and a covering part that covers at least a part of the eye basic part, to a face part having an expression part and a skin part molded integrally with the expression part,
An eye basic part molding process for molding the eye basic part; and an eye part molding process for molding the eye basic part and the covering part made of at least one type of resin different from the eye basic part and including them in the eye part.
a facial part molding process for forming the facial part as a molded product including the facial expression part and the skin part made of at least one type of resin different from the facial expression part, the facial expression part being exposed from the skin part by forming a hole through which a part of the eye part is exposed when the eye part is attached, and the facial expression part expressing at least either eyelashes or eyebrows;
A method for manufacturing a shaped object, comprising: 10. The method for manufacturing a shaped object according to claim 9 , wherein the eye part molding step includes repeating insert molding using a plurality of types of resin.

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