JP7803486B2 - Glove mold and glove manufacturing method using this mold - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a glove mold for cutting, for example, two layers of film into the shape of a hand and welding the edges, and a method for manufacturing gloves using this mold.

Conventionally, gloves made from synthetic resin films such as polyethylene are known. As shown in Patent Document 1, for example, film gloves can be manufactured by stacking two thin sheets of polyethylene film, pressing a hand-shaped mold into the film, cutting the glove's periphery, and welding the film together. Such gloves can be widely used, for example, as disposable gloves.

In recent years, development of disposable gloves of this type has progressed using a variety of functional film materials, including gloves made from carbon-neutral materials that are not derived from petroleum and are biodegradable in both soil and the ocean. However, many functional film materials are more difficult to control their molecular weight than synthetic resins such as polyethylene, and some resins have a wide molecular weight distribution. Resins with a wide molecular weight distribution are more difficult to firmly weld together than polyethylene films with a narrow molecular weight distribution. Resins with a wide molecular weight distribution tend to leave large molecules undissolved when heat-welding films, making these areas prone to welding defects. Insufficient welding of films together can result in holes appearing around the edges of the gloves, reducing quality. For this reason, when using functional films, it is necessary to devise ways to prevent welding defects at the film's sealing area.

One possible glove manufacturing device that improves the weldability of such films is one that uses a mold seal section that fuses the film to the contours of the glove, and a manufacturing device that has a cutter blade positioned along the outer periphery of the mold seal section, outside the outer periphery of the mold seal section, as shown in Patent Document 2. However, in the mold seal section described in Patent Document 2, the angle between the seal surface and the inner wall and the angle between the seal surface and the outer wall are both right angles, and these corners come into strong contact with the film, which can melt the film at these points and create holes.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 46-4998 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-3428

The present invention was made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide a glove mold capable of producing high-quality gloves, and a glove manufacturing method using this mold.

One embodiment of the glove mold of the present invention is a glove mold for manufacturing gloves by cutting two layers of film into the shape of a hand and welding the resulting periphery, the mold having a cutting/welding blade that extends continuously along the periphery of the glove excluding the insertion opening for inserting the hand, and a cross section of the cutting/welding blade taken along a plane perpendicular to the direction along the periphery of the glove has a first line inclined at a first angle from the cutting edge that contacts the periphery of the glove towards the inside of the glove, a second line inclined at a second angle that is greater than the first angle from the end of the first line opposite to the cutting edge, and a third line extending along the movement direction of the glove mold , the first angle being in the range of 5° to 25°, and the angle of the cutting edge between the first line and the third line being in the range of 65° to 85° .

In the glove manufacturing method of the present invention, the cutting edge of the cutting/welding blade of the glove mold is heated to the melting temperature of the film, the heated blade is pressed against the two layers of film, cutting along the peripheral edge of the glove, and radiant heat is applied to the two layers of film via the first inclined surface of the cutting/welding blade formed by moving the first line along the peripheral edge, welding the two layers of film inside the peripheral edge.

One aspect of the present invention provides a glove mold capable of producing high-quality gloves, and a method for manufacturing gloves using this mold.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a glove manufacturing apparatus equipped with a glove mold according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the glove mold of FIG. 1 as seen from the film side. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the glove mold of FIG. 2 taken along line F3-F3. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the glove mold of FIG. 2 taken along line F4-F4.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, a manufacturing apparatus 100 for a glove 1 includes film rolls F1 and F2, transport rollers 2 and 4, a conveyor 6, a cutter 8, and a mold 10 (glove mold).

Film rolls F1 and F2 are made by winding long biodegradable films f1 and f2 (hereinafter simply referred to as films f1 and f2) around rotating shafts R1 and R2, respectively. Films f1 and f2 are not particularly limited and examples include synthetic resin films such as ordinary polyethylene film. However, they are suitable for use with long, thin sheets of microbially produced aliphatic polyesters such as polyhydroxyalkanoates, chemically synthesized aliphatic polyesters such as polylactic acid and polycaprolactone, and natural polymers such as starch or cellulose acetate.

The film rolls F1 and F2 are rotatably mounted on a frame (not shown) of the manufacturing apparatus 100, with their rotation axes R1 and R2 spaced apart vertically and parallel to each other. The upper film roll F1 rotates counterclockwise in Figure 1, feeding film f1 to the right in the figure. The lower film roll F2 rotates clockwise in Figure 1, feeding film f2 to the right in the figure. The film f1 fed from film roll F1 overlaps the film f2 fed from film roll F2.

The transport rollers 2, 4 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the direction in which the films f1, f2 are pulled out from the film rolls F1, F2 (the direction of the arrow T in the figure; hereinafter, this direction may also be referred to as the transport direction T). The transport rollers 2, 4 rotate with the films f1, f2 wound around their outer surfaces, thereby feeding the films f1, f2 at a constant speed in the transport direction T. The transport rollers 2, 4 may also be of a type that rotates while sandwiching the two films f1, f2 from above and below. In either case, the films f1, f2 pulled out from the respective film rolls F1, F2 are transported in the direction of the arrow T by the transport rollers 2, 4 in a stacked state.

Conveyor 6 is positioned below the transport path of films f1 and f2 between transport rollers 2 and 4, and travels in the direction of arrow T with its upper surface 6a in contact with the underside of the lower of the two films f1 and f2, film f2. In other words, conveyor 6 has a structure in which an endless belt is wound around multiple rollers that extend horizontally and are perpendicular to the transport direction T, and the upper surface 6a of the belt is stretched in a predetermined position so that it can move along the horizontal plane. The belt of conveyor 6 is made of, for example, heat-resistant and elastic rubber. In the following description, the surface on which the upper surface 6a of the belt of conveyor 6 is positioned may also be referred to as the transport surface.

Cutter 8 is located downstream (right side in the illustration) of conveyor 6 along conveyance direction T. Cutter 8 has two cutting blades arranged above and below, sandwiching the conveyance path, i.e., the conveyance surface, of films f1 and f2. Each of the two cutting blades extends horizontally, perpendicular to conveyance direction T. Cutter 8 cuts films f1 and f2, which are placed on top of each other on conveyor 6's upper surface 6a and conveyed in the direction of arrow T, at a predetermined position (the wrist portion of glove 1) while still overlapping.

The mold 10 is positioned opposite the upper surface 6a of the conveyor 6, with the transport path of the films f1 and f2 sandwiched between them. The mold 10 is fastened to a flat surface 11a (the surface on the transport side) of a rectangular base plate 11 with screws (not shown). The mold 10 and base plate 11 are made, for example, of a metal that easily conducts heat.

A heater 12 is attached to the surface of the base plate 11 opposite the mold 10. The heater 12 applies heat to the base plate 11, heating the cutting edge 21 of the cutting/welding blade 20 (described below) of the mold 10 to a predetermined temperature. The base plate 11, to which the mold 10 and heater 12 are attached, is attached to a welding machine (not shown) with the surface 11a, to which the mold 10 is attached, positioned horizontally, and is movable in the direction of arrow P (up and down in Figure 1). When the mold 10 moves to its lowest point in the direction of arrow P, the cutting/welding blade 20 (described below) of the mold 10 is pressed against the upper surface 6a of the belt of the conveyor 6, sandwiching the two overlapping films f1 and f2 between them. The belt of the conveyor 6 can be slightly elastically deformed by the mold 10 pressing against it.

The manufacturing apparatus 100 having the above structure operates as follows.
In the manufacturing apparatus 100, first, the heater 12 is energized to heat the cutting edge 21 of the mold 10 to the melting temperature of the films f1 and f2. Then, the conveying rollers 2 and 4 are rotated in a predetermined direction, and the films f1 and f2 fed from the two film rolls F1 and F2 are fed in a vertically stacked state in the conveying direction T. The two stacked films f1 and f2 are conveyed while placed on the upper surface 6a of the belt of the horizontally disposed conveyor 6. At this time, the lower film f2 of the two stacked films f1 and f2 contacts the upper surface 6a of the belt of the conveyor 6. The belt of the conveyor 6 runs in the conveying direction T at the same speed as the films f1 and f2.

In this state, the manufacturing device 100 moves the welding machine's mold 10 up and down in the direction of arrow P at a predetermined timing. When the mold 10 reaches its lowest point, the cutting and welding blade 20 (Figure 2), which will be described later, of the mold 10 comes into contact with the upper film f1 of the two overlapping films f1, f2, and the two overlapping films f1, f2 are pressed against the upper surface 6a of the conveyor 6 belt for a short period of approximately 0.1 to 1 second. This period roughly corresponds to the time the belt is stopped while the mold 10 touches and releases the upper surface 6a of the belt. As a result, the two overlapping films f1, f2 are melted and cut along the shape of the mold 10's cutting edge 21, and the peripheral edges of the two cut films are welded together.

The manufacturing device 100 then operates the cutter 8 at a predetermined timing to cut the two overlapping films f1 and f2 at the wrist of the glove 1, separating the product (glove 1) from the remaining film portion f' (flash). The finished glove 1 is then boxed and shipped, and the film portion f' is disposed of or recycled.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the mold 10 as seen from the film f1, f2 side. The mold 10 is equipped with a cutting/welding blade 20 that has approximately the same shape (hand shape) as the peripheral edge of the finished glove 1. Figure 3 shows a cross section of the cutting/welding blade 20 cut along a plane perpendicular to the direction along the peripheral edge of the glove 1 (i.e., the extension direction of the cutting/welding blade 20). The cross section of the cutting/welding blade 20 has approximately the same shape at all positions along the peripheral edge of the glove 1.

The cutting/welding blade 20 has a hand-shaped cutting edge 21 (ridge) at its tip that presses against the peripheral edge of the glove 1. The cutting edge 21 is a hand-shaped curve that is positioned on an imaginary flat horizontal plane (a plane parallel to the paper surface of Figure 2) when the mold 10 is attached to a welding machine (not shown) as shown in Figure 1. The cutting edge 21 is not limited to such a curve with no width, and may have slightly rounded corners so that it contacts the film f1 at a predetermined width. In the following description, the imaginary horizontal plane on which the cutting edge 21 of the mold 10 is positioned is sometimes referred to as the cutting edge surface.

The cutting/welding blade 20 has on its surface a first inclined surface 22 that slopes from the cutting edge 21 toward the inside of the glove 1 and away from the glove 1; a second inclined surface 23 that continues from the edge 22a of the first inclined surface 22 opposite the cutting edge 21 and slopes further away from the glove 1; and a cutting surface 24 that extends from the cutting edge 21 along the movement direction P of the mold 10. The cutting edge 21 of the cutting/welding blade 20 is a continuous line that runs along the periphery of the glove 1. The first inclined surface 22, second inclined surface 23, and cutting surface 24 are each continuous surfaces that run along the periphery of the glove 1. The cutting surface 24 forms the outer peripheral surface of the mold 10.

From another perspective, as shown in Figure 3, the cross section of the cutting/welding blade 20 has a first line L1 that slopes from the cutting edge 21 that contacts the peripheral edge of the glove 1 toward the inside of the glove 1, away from the glove 1; a second line L2 that continues from the end (edge 22a) of this first line L1 opposite the cutting edge 21 and slopes further away from the glove 1; and a third line L3 that extends from the cutting edge 21 in the movement direction P of the mold 10.

The inclination angle (second angle) of the second line L2 relative to the above-mentioned imaginary horizontal plane (cutting edge surface) is greater than the inclination angle (first angle) of the first line L1 relative to the cutting edge surface. The sum of the angle α of the cutting edge 21 between the first line L1 and the third line L3 and the angle β between the first line L1 and the second line L2 is greater than 180°. In other words, the second line L2 is inclined relative to the third line L3 in a direction that widens away from the glove 1. It is also desirable that the angle α of the cutting edge 21 be an acute angle.

The first inclined surface 22 of the cutting/welding blade 20 is a surface formed by moving the first line L1 in the cross section of Figure 3 along the periphery of the mold 10. The second inclined surface 23 is a surface formed by moving the second line L2 along the periphery of the mold 10. The cutting surface 24 is a surface formed by moving the third line L3 along the periphery of the mold 10. The first line L1, second line L2, and third line L3 may be straight or slightly curved. In other words, the first inclined surface 22, second inclined surface 23, and cutting surface 24 are not limited to flat surfaces, but may also be slightly curved surfaces.

In this embodiment, the cutting surface 24 of the cutting/welding blade 20 extends in a direction perpendicular to the cutting edge surface on which the cutting edge 21 is located, and the angle α of the cutting edge 21 is set in the range of 65° to 85°, and the angle β is set in the range of 125° to 145°. In other words, in this embodiment, the inclination angle (first angle) of the first inclined surface 22 relative to the imaginary horizontal plane is set in the range of 5° to 25°, and the inclination angle (second angle) of the second inclined surface 23 relative to the imaginary horizontal plane is set to 60°.

It is desirable to reinforce film gloves 1 by making the seal width of films f1 and f2 larger in the crotch area between the fingers and the hem area near the insertion opening where the user places their hand than in other areas. When putting on gloves 1, the hem area is spread open to insert the hand into the insertion opening, so a relatively strong tensile force is applied to the hem area. Furthermore, when wearing gloves 1 on the hand, a relatively strong force is likely to be applied to the crotch area between the fingers. For this reason, the mold 10 of this embodiment is equipped with a structure to reinforce the seal areas of the crotch area between the fingers and the hem area of the glove 1.

Figure 4 shows a cross section of the mold 10 at the crotch and hem portions between the fingers. Auxiliary dies 30 are attached to the crotch and hem portions of the mold 10 to make the seal width of the films f1 and f2 wider than other portions. Each auxiliary die 30 is fastened to a predetermined position on the mold 10 using multiple screws 40. Each auxiliary die 30 has a curved shape that follows the periphery of the mold 10, and the auxiliary die 30 attached to the crotch portion between the fingers and the auxiliary die 30 attached to the hem portion have different shapes depending on their attachment positions. However, all auxiliary dies 30 have substantially the same cross-sectional shape along a plane perpendicular to the direction along the periphery of the mold 10 throughout their entire length. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, four auxiliary dies 30 are attached to the crotch portions between the fingers and two auxiliary dies 30 are attached to the hem portion.

The structure of the auxiliary mold 30 will be described below with reference to the cross-sectional view shown in FIG.
The auxiliary mold 30 integrally has a fixing portion 32 that is fastened and fixed to the mold 10, and a contact portion 34 that is placed in contact with the surface of the cutting and welding blade 20 of the mold 10. The auxiliary mold 30 that is attached to the crotch portion between the fingers of the mold 10 is fastened and fixed to the mold 10 by screws 40 at two locations on the fixing portion 32 that are spaced apart along the periphery of the mold 10. The auxiliary mold 30 that is attached to the bottom portion of the mold 10 is fastened and fixed to the mold 10 by screws 40 at three locations on the fixing portion 32 that are spaced apart along the periphery of the mold 10. The fastening direction of the auxiliary mold 30 by the screws 40 (i.e., the axial direction of the screws 40) is parallel to the moving direction P of the mold 10, and is a direction in which the contact portion 34 of the auxiliary mold 30 is pressed against the surface of the cutting and welding blade 20 of the mold 10.

The contact portion 34 has a first contact surface 36 on its surface that contacts the first inclined surface 22 of the cutting/welding blade 20 of the mold 10, and a second contact surface 37 on its surface that contacts the second inclined surface 23 of the cutting/welding blade 20. The contact portion 34 also has a tip surface 38 that faces the glove 1, and a third inclined surface 39 on its surface. The tip surface 38 is a surface that is continuous with the edge of the first contact surface 36 opposite the second contact surface 37, and the corner between the tip surface 38 and the first contact surface 36 is located more inward of the mold 10 than the cutting edge 21 of the cutting/welding blade 20 of the mold 10.

The contact portion 34 is positioned closer to the first inclined surface 22 and the second inclined surface 23 than the cutting edge surface of the cutting/welding blade 20 of the mold 10. In other words, the contact portion 34 is positioned between the cutting edge surface and the first and second inclined surfaces 22, 23. In other words, the tip surface 38 of the contact portion 34 of the auxiliary mold 30 is located closer to the mold 10 than the cutting edge surface, with a slight step d between them. The tip surface 38 may be parallel to the cutting edge surface, or may be slightly inclined in the same direction as the first inclined surface 22 of the cutting/welding blade 20.

The third inclined surface 39 is a surface that continues from the edge of the tip surface 38 away from the cutting edge 21, and is inclined relative to the cutting edge surface in a direction away from the glove 1 and toward the inside of the mold 10. The edge of the third inclined surface 39 away from the cutting edge 21 extends into the inside of the mold 10 beyond the edge 22a between the first inclined surface 22 and the second inclined surface 23 of the cutting/welding blade 20 of the mold 10. Furthermore, the third inclined surface 39 is positioned closer to the mold 10 than the cutting edge surface, and closer to the cutting edge surface than the edge 22a of the cutting/welding blade 20 of the mold 10.

It is desirable to provide a gap S or space K as shown between the fixed portion 32 of the auxiliary mold 30 and the cutting/welding blade 20 of the mold 10. By providing such a gap S or space K, when the auxiliary mold 30 is fastened and fixed to the mold 10, the first contact surface 36 of the auxiliary mold 30 can be in good contact with the first inclined surface 22 of the mold 10, and the second contact surface 37 of the auxiliary mold 30 can be in good contact with the second inclined surface 23 of the mold 10. This allows heat from the mold 10 to be efficiently transferred to the contact portion 34 of the auxiliary mold 30.

Next, the operation and effect of manufacturing the glove 1 using the mold 10 provided with the above-described plurality of auxiliary molds 30 will be described.
When the cutting and welding blade 20 ( FIG. 3 ) of the mold 10 is pressed against the two overlapping films f1 and f2 in a region where the auxiliary mold 30 is not attached, the belt of the conveyor 6 elastically deforms, causing the cutting edge 21 of the cutting and welding blade 20 to slightly dig into the upper surface 6a of the belt of the conveyor 6, sandwiching the films f1 and f2 between them. At this time, because the first inclined surface 22 of the cutting and welding blade 20 is inclined from the cutting edge 21 toward the inside of the mold 10 in a direction away from the films f1 and f2, the greatest contact pressure acts on the cutting edge 21, and the film f1 comes into weak contact with the first inclined surface 22 or is not in contact at all. In this state, the heat of the cutting and welding blade 20 is transferred to the films f1 and f2.

As a result, the cutting edge 21 of the cutting/welding blade 20, which is pressed most strongly, melts and cuts the films f1 and f2, and the portions of the films f1 and f2 that face or are in weak contact with the first inclined surface 22 of the cutting/welding blade 20 are welded by the radiant heat emitted from the cutting/welding blade 20. Because the first inclined surface 22 of the cutting/welding blade 20 is inclined gradually away from the glove 1 from the cutting edge 21 toward the inside of the glove 1, the amount of heat imparted to the films f1 and f2 via the first inclined surface 22 peaks at the cutting edge 21 and gradually decreases toward the inside of the glove 1.

In other words, applying radiant heat to films f1 and f2 via the first inclined surface 22 connected to the cutting edge 21 improves the widthwise continuity of the seal portion on the inside of the peripheral edge of the glove 1, preventing holes from forming in the seal portion. Therefore, when the mold 10 of this embodiment is used, poor welding of the seal portion on the peripheral edge of the glove 1 can be prevented, and high-quality gloves 1 can be manufactured.

Furthermore, as in this embodiment, by arranging the cutting surface 24 of the cutting/welding blade 20 in a direction perpendicular to the cutting edge surface and angling the first inclined surface 22 from the cutting edge 21 at one end of the cutting surface 24 toward the inside of the glove 1, away from the films f1, f2, the angle α of the cutting edge 21 can be made acute. By making the cutting edge 21 of the cutting/welding blade 20 acute in this way, the films f1, f2 can be reliably cut along the periphery of the glove 1, and poor cutting of the films f1, f2 can be reduced.

However, the angle α of the cutting edge 21 does not necessarily have to be an acute angle as in this embodiment; at least the first inclined surface 22 needs to be inclined with respect to an imaginary horizontal plane. If the angle α of the cutting edge 21 is to be 90° or greater, the cutting surface 24 of the cutting/welding blade 20 should be inclined from the cutting edge 21 toward the outside of the glove 1, away from the films f1 and f2.

The width of the seal portion around the periphery of the glove 1 can be adjusted by changing the inclination angle of the first inclined surface 22 of the cutting/welding blade 20. For example, increasing the inclination angle of the first inclined surface 22 relative to the cutting edge surface allows the cutting edge 21 to be sharpened, ensuring reliable cutting of films f1 and f2. Conversely, increasing the inclination angle of the first inclined surface 22 increases the distance between the first inclined surface 22 and the films f1 and f2, potentially preventing sufficient radiant heat from reaching the films f1 and f2, resulting in insufficient welding of the films f1 and f2. Specifically, even if the cutting edge 21 in contact with the films f1 and f2 can provide heat sufficient to melt the films f1 and f2, the width of the area where the first inclined surface 22 can provide sufficient radiant heat to weld the films f1 and f2 becomes narrower, resulting in a smaller seal width between the films f1 and f2.

In contrast, if the inclination angle of the first inclined surface 22 relative to the cutting edge surface is reduced, the angle α of the cutting edge 21 increases accordingly, increasing the likelihood of poor cutting of the films f1 and f2. Conversely, if the inclination angle of the first inclined surface 22 is reduced, the first inclined surface 22 can be positioned closer to the films f1 and f2, thereby expanding the width of the area in which sufficient radiant heat can be applied to the films f1 and f2 to weld them together, and increasing the seal width of the films f1 and f2.

Therefore, it is desirable to adjust the inclination angle of the first inclined surface 22 relative to the cutting edge surface to an optimal value that ensures reliable cutting of the films f1 and f2 while achieving the desired seal width in the welded portion. In this embodiment, the inclination angle of the first inclined surface 22 of the cutting/welding blade 20 relative to the cutting edge surface is set in the range of 5° to 25° to ensure good cutting of the peripheral edge of the glove 1 and prevent poor welding of the films f1 and f2.

The seal width of films f1 and f2 at the periphery of the glove 1 can also be adjusted by changing the width of the first inclined surface 22 of the cutting/welding blade 20 of the mold 10. In other words, by making the inclination angle of the first inclined surface 22 relative to the cutting edge surface sufficiently small, films f1 and f2 can be welded with a seal width approximately the same as the width of the first inclined surface 22.

In this embodiment, to reliably adjust the seal width of films f1 and f2 to the desired width, a second inclined surface 23 is provided on the inside of the first inclined surface 22 of the cutting/welding blade 20, inclined further away from the glove 1 than the first inclined surface 22. In other words, by making the inclination angle of the second inclined surface 23 relative to the cutting edge surface sufficiently larger than the inclination angle of the first inclined surface 22, the cutting/welding blade 20 can be moved away from areas where welding of films f1 and f2 is not desired, and the seal width of films f1 and f2 can be made approximately the same width as the width of the first inclined surface 22.

The glove 1 manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus 100 of this embodiment requires sealing the periphery so that the finger insertion area is a narrow pouch. Therefore, it is important to adjust the seal width around the periphery of the finger insertion area to the desired width. In other words, if the finger insertion area seal width is made too large, the space for inserting the fingers will become too narrow, making the glove difficult to use. Therefore, it is particularly important to control the seal width around the finger insertion area to the smallest possible value to prevent holes from being created. In this regard, the mold 10 of this embodiment solves this problem by providing a cutting/welding blade 20 with a first inclined surface 22 and a second inclined surface 23.

If the only purpose is to adjust the seal width of films f1 and f2 to the desired width, it is sufficient to provide a surface that is approximately parallel to the cutting surface 24 and continues from the edge 22a of the first inclined surface 22 opposite the cutting edge 21, without providing the second inclined surface 23. However, if a surface parallel to the movement direction P of the mold 10 is provided from the edge 22a of the cutting/welding blade 20, the width of the cutting/welding blade 20 will be narrowed, reducing the heat capacity of the cutting/welding blade 20 and the mechanical strength of the cutting/welding blade 20.

For this reason, in this embodiment, a second inclined surface 23 is provided that is continuous with the edge 22a of the first inclined surface 22 and inclined toward the inside of the mold 10, thereby making the width of the cutting/welding blade 20 sufficiently large. In other words, in this embodiment, by providing the second inclined surface 23, the seal width of the welded portion of the films f1, f1 can be adjusted to the desired width, and the thermal capacity of the cutting/welding blade 20 can be maximized, thereby making the mechanical strength of the cutting/welding blade 20 sufficiently high.

The second inclined surface 23 of the cutting/welding blade 20 is provided to prevent poor welding of the films f1 and f2 and improve the quality of the glove 1. If, instead of providing the second inclined surface 23, a surface parallel to the cutting surface 24 were provided continuous with the edge 22a of the first inclined surface 22, the angle at the edge 22a between this surface and the first inclined surface 22 would be smaller than if the second inclined surface 23 were provided. In this case, when the cutting edge 21 of the cutting/welding blade 20 is pressed against the films f1 and f2 and the cutting edge 21 bites into the belt of the conveyor 6, the corners of the edge 22a will come into strong contact with the films f1 and f2, which may melt the films f1 and f2 at these locations and create holes. Therefore, in this embodiment, a second inclined surface 23 is provided that is continuous with the first inclined surface 22 at the edge 22a, and the angle β at the edge 22a between the first inclined surface 22 and the second inclined surface 23 is made relatively large to prevent unwanted holes from being formed in the films f1 and f2 in this area.

In addition, in this embodiment, in order to maximize the width of the cutting/welding blade 20, the sum of the angle α of the cutting edge 21 and the angle β between the first inclined surface 22 and the second inclined surface 23 is set to 180° or greater. This causes the second inclined surface 23 to incline in a direction that expands away from the glove 1 relative to the cutting surface 24 of the cutting/welding blade 20, thereby increasing the mechanical strength of the cutting/welding blade 20 and sufficiently increasing the heat capacity of the cutting/welding blade 20, allowing the cutting edge 21 of the cutting/welding blade 20 to be heated effectively.

The first inclined surface 22 and the second inclined surface 23 of the cutting/welding blade 20 also function as heat transfer surfaces for thermally adhering the auxiliary mold 30 to the mold 10. As shown in Figure 4, when the auxiliary mold 30 is fastened to the mold 10 using screws 40, the first contact surface 36 of the auxiliary mold 30 comes into surface contact with the first inclined surface 22 of the cutting/welding blade 20 of the mold 10, and the second contact surface 37 of the auxiliary mold 30 comes into surface contact with the second inclined surface 23 of the cutting/welding blade 20. The direction in which the auxiliary mold 30 is fixed to the mold 10 by the screw 40 is parallel to the movement direction P of the mold 10, so by tightening the screw 40, the first contact surface 36 of the auxiliary mold 30 is pressed against the first inclined surface 22 of the mold 10, and the second contact surface 37 of the auxiliary mold 30 is pressed against the second inclined surface 23 of the mold 10, so that the contact portion 34 of the auxiliary mold 30 is in close contact with the cutting/welding blade 20 of the mold 10.

This allows the heat from the cutting/welding blade 20 of the mold 10 to be efficiently transferred to the contact portion 34 of the auxiliary mold 30, effectively heating the contact portion 34 of the auxiliary mold 30 to the desired temperature.

When the portion of the mold 10 to which the auxiliary mold 30 is attached is pressed against the films f1 and f2, the cutting edge 21 of the mold 10, which is positioned on the cutting edge surface, is pressed against the films f1 and f2, cutting the films f1 and f2 into the shape of the glove 1. At this time, the portion of the first inclined surface 22 that is exposed and not covered by the contact portion 34 of the auxiliary mold 30, the tip surface 38 of the contact portion 34 of the auxiliary mold 30, and the third inclined surface 39 are positioned slightly further away from the glove 1 than the cutting edge surface, and radiant heat is applied to the films f1 and f2 from the first inclined surface 22, tip surface 38, and third inclined surface 39.

As described above, the inner edge of the third inclined surface 39 of the auxiliary mold 30 extends further inward than the inner edge 22a of the first inclined surface 22 of the cutting/welding blade 20 of the mold 10, and the inner edge of the third inclined surface 39 is positioned closer to the cutting edge surface than the inner edge 22a of the first inclined surface 22. This allows the seal width of the films f1 and f2 in the area where the auxiliary mold 30 is provided to be wider than the seal width in the area where the auxiliary mold 30 is not provided. The seal width of the films f1 and f2 in the area where the auxiliary mold 30 is provided can be adjusted to the desired width by changing the width and/or inclination angle of the tip surface 38 and/or the third inclined surface 39 of the auxiliary mold 30.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications are possible within the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, a glove 1 was manufactured using biodegradable films f1 and f2, but the present invention can also be applied to a mold for manufacturing gloves using other non-biodegradable synthetic resin films.

The angle α of the cutting edge 21 of the mold 10 is not limited to an acute angle, and may be any angle that can cut the films f1 and f2 well. The auxiliary mold 30 does not need to be attached separately from the mold 10, and may be formed integrally with the mold 10.
The inventions described in the claims of the present application as originally filed are as follows:
[1]
A glove mold for manufacturing gloves by cutting two layers of film into a hand shape and welding the peripheral portions of the cut film,
a cutting/welding blade that is continuous along the peripheral edge of the glove, excluding the insertion opening for inserting the hand;
A cross section of the cutting/welding blade taken along a plane perpendicular to the direction along the peripheral edge of the glove has a first line inclined at a first angle from the cutting edge that contacts the peripheral edge of the glove towards the inside of the glove in a direction away from the glove, and a second line inclined at a second angle greater than the first angle from the end of the first line opposite to the cutting edge in a direction further away from the glove.
Mold for gloves.
[2]
the cross section of the cutting/welding blade has a third line on its outer periphery extending from the cutting edge in the direction of movement of the glove mold;
the sum of the angle of the cutting edge between the first line and the third line and the angle between the first line and the second line is greater than 180°;
[1] The glove mold according to [1].
[3]
The angle of the cutting edge is an acute angle.
[2] The glove mold according to [2].
[4]
The cutting/welding blade further includes an auxiliary mold that is in contact with a first inclined surface of the cutting/welding blade formed by moving the first line along the peripheral edge portion and is positioned on the first inclined surface side of a plane including a ridge line of a hand shape formed by moving the cutting edge along the peripheral edge portion.
[1] - [3] The mold for a glove according to any one of [1] to [3].
[5]
the auxiliary die has a first contact surface that contacts the first inclined surface, and a second contact surface that contacts the second inclined surface of the cutting/welding blade that is formed by moving the second line along the peripheral edge portion;
[4] The glove mold according to [4].
[6]
[1] Heating the cutting edge of the cutting/welding blade of the glove mold to a melting temperature of the film,
Pressing the heated blade against the two layers of film to cut along the periphery of the glove;
applying radiant heat to the two layers of film via a first inclined surface of the cutting/welding blade formed by moving the first line along the peripheral edge portion, thereby welding the two layers of film inside the peripheral edge portion;
How gloves are manufactured.

6...Conveyor, 6a...Upper surface, 10...Mold, 12...Heater, 20...Cutting/welding blade, 21...Blade tip, 22...First inclined surface, 22a...Edge portion, 23...Second inclined surface, 30...Auxiliary mold, 34...Contact portion, 36...First contact surface, 37...Second contact surface, 38...Tip surface, 39...Third inclined surface, 40...Screw, 100...Manufacturing apparatus, f1, f2...Biodegradable film, F1, F2...Film roll, L1...First wire, L2...Second wire.

Claims (5)

A glove mold for manufacturing gloves by cutting two layers of film into a hand shape and welding the peripheral portions of the cut film,
a cutting/welding blade that is continuous along the peripheral edge of the glove, excluding the insertion opening for inserting the hand;
A cross section of the cutting/welding blade taken along a plane perpendicular to the direction along the peripheral edge of the glove has a first line inclined at a first angle from the cutting edge that contacts the peripheral edge of the glove towards the inside of the glove in a direction away from the glove, a second line inclined from the end of the first line opposite the cutting edge at a second angle greater than the first angle in a direction further away from the glove, and a third line extending from the cutting edge in the direction of movement of the glove mold , the first angle being within a range of 5° to 25°, and the angle of the cutting edge between the first line and the third line being within a range of 65° to 85°.
Mold for gloves. the sum of the angle of the cutting edge and the angle between the first line and the second line is greater than 180°;
The glove mold according to claim 1. The cutting/welding blade further includes an auxiliary mold that is in contact with a first inclined surface of the cutting/welding blade formed by moving the first line along the peripheral edge portion and is positioned on the first inclined surface side of a plane including a ridge line of a hand shape formed by moving the cutting edge along the peripheral edge portion.
The glove mold according to claim 1 or 2. the auxiliary die has a first contact surface that contacts the first inclined surface, and a second contact surface that contacts the second inclined surface of the cutting/welding blade that is formed by moving the second line along the peripheral edge portion;
The glove mold according to claim 3. 2. The glove mold of claim 1, wherein the cutting edge of the cutting/welding blade is heated to a melting temperature of the film,
Pressing the heated blade against the two layers of film to cut along the periphery of the glove;
applying radiant heat to the two layers of film via a first inclined surface of the cutting/welding blade formed by moving the first line along the peripheral edge portion, thereby welding the two layers of film inside the peripheral edge portion;
How gloves are manufactured.