The present invention relates generally to the field of protective facemasks, and more specifically to a method and system for cutting and placing nose wires in the manufacturing process of such facemasks.
Various configurations of disposable filtering facemasks or respirators are known and may be referred to by various names, including “facemasks”, “respirators”, “filtering face respirators”, and so forth. For purposes of this disclosure, such devices are referred to generically as “facemasks.”
The ability to supply aid workers, rescue personnel, and the general populace with protective facemasks during times of natural disasters or other catastrophic events is crucial. For example, in the event of a pandemic, the use of facemasks that offer filtered breathing is a key aspect of the response and recovery to such event. For this reason, governments and other municipalities generally maintain a ready stockpile of the facemasks for immediate emergency use. However, the facemasks have a defined shelf life, and the stockpile must be continuously monitored for expiration and replenishing. This is an extremely expensive undertaking.
Recently, investigation has been initiated into whether or not it would be feasible to mass produce facemasks on an “as needed” basis during pandemics or other disasters instead of relying on stockpiles. For example, in 2013, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimated that up to 100 million facemasks would be needed during a pandemic situation in the U.S., and proposed research into whether this demand could be met by mass production of from 1.5 to 2 million facemasks per day to avoid stockpiling. This translates to about 1,500 masks/minute. Current facemask production lines are capable of producing only about 100 masks/minute due to technology and equipment restraints, which falls far short of the estimated goal. Accordingly, advancements in the manufacturing and production processes will be needed if the goal of “on demand” facemasks during a pandemic is to become a reality.
The various configurations of filtration facemasks include a flexible, malleable metal piece, known as “nose wire”, along the edge of the upper filtration panel to help conform the facemask to the user's nose and retain the facemask in place during use, as is well known. The nose wire may have a varying length and width between different sizes and mask configurations, but is generally cut from a spool in a continuous in-line process cutting and crimping process and then laid directly onto a running carrier nonwoven web (which may include a plurality of nonwoven layers) along an edge that becomes a top edge of the finished mask. The edge is subsequently sealed with a binder material, which also encapsulates and permanently holds the nose wire in place at the top edge. Transport and placement of the individual nose wires from the cutting/crimping station onto the carrier web must be precise to ensure the correct location of the nose wires in the finished face masks. For mass production of facemasks at the throughputs mentioned above, the production rates (throughput) of the individual nose wires from the cutting/crimping station and transport speed of the carrier web will necessarily be significantly higher as compared to conventional manufacturing lines. Consequently, it is believed that more precise control and placement of the nose wires from the cutting/crimping station onto the carrier web will be needed to ensure proper placement of the nose wires prior to the encapsulation process.
The present invention addresses this need and provides a method and system for high speed cutting and placement of nose wires on the running carrier web in an in-line manufacturing process of facemasks.
Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In accordance with aspects of the invention, a method is provided for cutting individual nose wires from a continuously supplied wire and placing the nose wires onto a carrier web in a facemask production line at rates significantly greater than with conventional production lines. It is believed that the present cutting and placement method will support facemask production rates in a single production line of at least a magnitude greater than conventional lines.
It should be appreciated that the present inventive method is not limited to any particular style or configuration of facemask that incorporates a nose wire, or to the downstream facemask production steps.
The method includes supplying a continuous wire from a supply source to a cutting station in the facemask production line. At the cutting station, the wire is engaged with a set of driven feed rollers and advanced by the feed rollers at a first speed to a cutting roller. At the cutting roller, the wire is cut into individual nose wires having a predetermined length. The individual nose wires emerging from the cutting roller are engaged by a set of delivery rollers, which advance and deposit the individual nose wires onto a running carrier web. In accordance with aspects of the invention, the delivery rollers are independently driven relative to the feed rollers and cutting roller such that the nose wires from the cutting roller are initially accelerated and transported away from the cutting roller at a second speed that is greater than the first speed. The individual nose wires are then decelerated by the delivery rollers and moved onto the carrier web at a third speed that is less than the first speed.
In a certain embodiment, the feed rollers are independently driven relative to the cutting roller and the delivery rollers. In addition, the cutting roller may be independently driven relative to the feed rollers and the delivery rollers. The feed rollers, the cutting roller, and the delivery rollers may have independent controllable drives that are controlled by a controller.
In a particular embodiment, the wire is supplied from a driven roll source having a drive that is independent from the feed rollers drive and is controlled by the controller to transport the wire to the feed rollers at a fourth speed that is greater than the first speed so as to form an accumulation of the wire between the roll source and the feed rollers. This accumulation prevents drag at the feed rollers and allows precise transport speed of the wire by the feed rollers to the cutting roller.
For control purposes and to achieve the speed differentials mentioned above, the method may further include sensing rotational speed of the feed rollers and the delivery rollers with sensors that are in communication with the controller.
The present invention also encompasses various system embodiments for cutting individual nose wires from a continuously supplied wire and placing the nose wires onto a carrier web in a facemask production line in accordance with the present methods, as described and supported herein.
Other features and aspects of the present invention are discussed in greater detail below.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth more particularly in the remainder of the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures in which:
Reference now will be made in detail to various embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are set forth below. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment, may be used on another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
As mentioned, the present methods relate to cutting individual nose wires from a continuously supplied wire, and placing the individual nose wires onto a carrier web in a facemask production line. The downstream facemask production steps are not limiting aspects of the invention and, thus, will not be explained in great detail herein.
Also, the present disclosure refers to or implies conveyance or transport of certain components of the facemasks through the production line. It should be readily appreciated that any manner and combination of article conveyors (e.g., rotary and linear conveyors), article placers (e.g. vacuum puck placers), and transfer devices are well known in the article conveying industry and can be used for the purposes described herein. It is not necessary for an understanding and appreciation of the present methods to provide a detailed explanation of these well-known devices and system.
Various styles and configurations of facemasks that incorporate a nose wire are well known, including flat pleated facemasks, and the present methods may have utility in the production lines for these conventional masks. For illustrative purposes only, aspects of the present method are described herein with reference to a particular type of respirator facemask often referred to in the art as a “duckbill” mask, as illustrated in
Referring to
The fourth side of the mask 11 is open and includes a top edge 24 and a bottom edge 38, which cooperate with each other to define the periphery of the mask 11 that contacts the wearer's face. The top edge 24 is arranged to receive an elongated malleable member 26 (
As shown in
Blow-by associated with normal breathing of wearer 12 is substantially eliminated by properly selecting the dimension and location of the nose wire 26 with respect to top edge of 24. The nose wire 26 is preferably positioned in the center of top edge 24 and has a length in the range of fifty percent (50%) to seventy percent (70%) of the total length of the top edge 24.
As illustrated in cross-sectional view of
The top edge 24 of the mask 11 is faced with an edge binder 36 that extends across the open end of mask 11 and covers the nose wire 26. Similarly, the bottom edge 38 is encompassed by an edge binder 40. Edge binders 36 and 40 are folded over and bonded to the respective edges 24, 30 after placement of the nose wire 26 along the top edge 24. The edge binders 36, 40 may be constructed from a spun-laced polyester material.
Referring to
After placement of the individual nose wires 102 in position on the carrier web 118, the binder web 120 is introduced to the production line along both edges of the carrier web 118 (only one binder web 120 is depicted in
From the bonding station 124, the continuous combination of carrier web 118 with nose wires 102 under the binder 36 is conveyed to further downstream processing stations 126 wherein the individual facemasks are cut, bonded, head straps are applied, and so forth.
With further reference to
At the cutting station 108, the continuous wire 101 is engaged and advanced by the driven feed rollers 110 at a first speed S1 to the cutting roller 112. The dedicated feed roller motor 111 is controlled by the controller 128 to achieve the transport speed S1. As explained, at the cutting roller 112, the wire is cut into individual nose wires 102 having a predetermined length. The dedicated cutter roller motor 113 is driven at a rotational rate determined by the controller 138 to achieve the desired length of the nose wires 102. It should thus be appreciated that different nose wire lengths can be cut by the cutting roller 112 (e.g., for different size face masks) for different runs of the production line 106 by varying the speed of the cuter roller 112 relative to the running wire 101 via the controller 128.
The individual nose wires 102 emerging from the cutting roller 112 are engaged by the delivery rollers 116, which advance and deposit the individual nose wires 102 onto the running carrier web 118. The delivery rollers 116 are independently driven by their motor 117 relative to the feed rollers 110 and cutting roller 112 such that the nose wires 102 from the cutting roller 112 are initially accelerated and transported away from the cutting roller 112 at a second speed S2 that is greater than the first speed S1. The individual nose wires 102 are then decelerated by the delivery rollers 116 and moved onto the carrier web 118 at a third speed S3 that is less than the first speed S1 By accelerating and decelerating the individual nose wires 102 in this manner, the throughput of the cutting roller 112 can be maintained, yet the individual nose wires 102 are slowed down for placement onto the carrier web 118 in a more controlled manner than if the nose wires 102 were deposited onto the carrier web 118 at the first speed S1. In other words, the nose wires 102 are not “launched” onto the carrier web hoping that they maintain a desired relative position on the web 118, but are slowed down and laid onto the carrier web 118 in a more controlled manner.
Referring particularly to
Referring to
In order to better control placement of the individual nose wires 102 onto the carrier web 118, it may be desired to control and coordinate the speed of the carrier web 118 with the depositing speed S3 of the roller pair 116 so that a minimal speed differential exists between the two. For this purpose, a web speed sensor 133 (
As mentioned, the present invention also encompasses various system embodiments for cutting and placing individual nose wires in a facemask production line in accordance with the present methods. Aspects of such systems are illustrated in the figures, and described and supported above.
The material particularly shown and described above is not meant to be limiting, but instead serves to show and teach various exemplary implementations of the present subject matter. As set forth in the attached claims, the scope of the present invention includes both combinations and sub-combinations of various features discussed herein, along with such variations and modifications as would occur to a person of skill in the art.
The present application is related by subject matter to the following concurrently filed PCT applications (all of which designate the US): a. Attorney Docket No.: 64973915PC01 (HAY-3034A-PCT); International Application No.: PCT/US2015/055858; entitled “Method and System for Splicing Nose Wire in a Facemask Manufacturing Process”. b. Attorney Docket No.: 64973915PC02 (HAY-3034B-PCT); International Application No.: PCT/US2015/055861; entitled “Method and System for Splicing Nose Wire in a Facemask Manufacturing Process”. c. Attorney Docket No.: 64973915PC03 (HAY-3034C-PCT); International Application No.: PCT/US2015/055863; entitled “Method and System for Introducing a Reserve Nose Wire in a Facemask Production Line”. d. Attorney Docket No.: 64973906PC02 (HAY-3035B-PCT); International Application No.: PCT/US2015/055867; entitled “Method and System for Placing Nose Wires in a Facemask Manufacturing Process”. e. Attorney Docket No.: 64973906PC03 (HAY-3035C-PCT); International Application No.: PCT/US2015/055871; entitled “Method and System for Placing Nose Wires in a Facemask Manufacturing Process”. f. Attorney Docket No.: 64973906PC04 (HAY-3035D-PCT); International Application No.: PCT/US2015/055872; entitled “Method and System for Placing Nose Wires in a Facemask Manufacturing Process”. g. Attorney Docket No.: 64973896PC01 (HAY-3036A-PCT); International Application No.: PCT/US2015/055876; entitled “Method and System for Wrapping and Preparing Facemasks for Packaging in a Facemask Manufacturing Line”. h. Attorney Docket No.: 64973896PC02 (HAY-3036B-PCT); International Application No.: PCT/US2015/055878; entitled “Method and System for Automated Stacking and Loading Wrapped Facemasks into a Carton in a Facemask Manufacturing Line”. i. Attorney Docket No.: 64973896PC03 (HAY-3036C-PCT); International Application No.: PCT/US2015/055882; entitled “Method and System for Automated Stacking and Loading of Wrapped Facemasks into a Carton in a Facemask Manufacturing Line”.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US2015/055865 | 10/16/2015 | WO | 00 |