JP7687051B2 - Mask manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a mask and a mask.

In recent years, disposable masks have become known that have ear straps attached to a mask body made of laminated nonwoven fabric or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2020-2483 A

One method for attaching the ear hooks to the mask body is, for example, to adhere the ear hooks to the ends of the mask body in the width direction. However, for example, when the mask body is provided with pleats or when a nose fitter is provided on the inner layer of the mask body, it is considered that the flatness of the mask body will decrease. Therefore, when attempting to adhere the ear hooks to the ends of the mask body, it is expected that the contact area between the ends of the mask body and the ear hooks will decrease. Therefore, it is considered that the peel strength of the ear hooks to the mask body will decrease.

In one aspect, the present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a technology that suppresses a decrease in the peel strength of the ear loops relative to the mask body when the ear loops are adhered to the mask body.

To solve the above problem, the present invention includes a three-stage bonding process in the mask manufacturing method.

In detail, the method for manufacturing a mask according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first bonding step of bonding layers of a laminate together, a second bonding step of bonding a first sheet-like member to the widthwise end of the outer surface of the laminate whose layers have been bonded together in the first bonding step, and a third bonding step of bonding the outer surface of the first sheet-like member bonded to the laminate in the second bonding step to an ear hook portion that can be hung on the wearer's ear.

In addition, in the mask manufacturing method according to the above aspect, in the first bonding step, the laminate may be a continuous body, and a predetermined tensile force may be applied along the continuous direction.

The method for manufacturing a mask according to the above aspect may further include a cutting step in which the laminate in which the layers are bonded to each other in the first bonding step is cut along an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the manufacturing flow direction to form the laminate in which each layer is bonded to each other and cut individually, and a transport step in which the multiple laminates formed in the cutting step are transported in multiple lanes.

In addition, in the method for manufacturing a mask according to the above aspect, the laminate has a mouth layer capable of covering the mouth of the wearer, a filter layer capable of purifying air drawn into the mouth of the wearer from outside the system, and an outer layer that takes on the appearance of the mask when worn by the wearer, and the laminate may be laminated in the order of the mouth layer, the filter layer, and the outer layer.

In the method for manufacturing a mask according to the above aspect, at least one of the mouth layer and the outer layer may be a spunbond nonwoven fabric.

In addition, in the method for manufacturing a mask according to one aspect described above, the laminate may further have a functional layer having a predetermined function, and the number of layers in the laminate may be four or more.

In the method for manufacturing a mask according to the above aspect, the functional layer may have a plastic film.

In the method for manufacturing a mask according to the above aspect, the film may have a mesh structure.

A mask according to one aspect of the present disclosure may include a laminate in which a plurality of second sheet-like members are laminated and adhered to one another, a third sheet-like member adhered to the widthwise end of the outer surface of the laminate, and an ear loop portion that can be hung on the wearer's ear and has an end adhered to the outer surface of the third sheet-like member.

According to the present invention, when the ear loops are adhered to the mask body, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the peel strength of the ear loops relative to the mask body.

FIG. 1 is an example of an external view of a mask as viewed from the non-skin facing side. FIG. 2 is an example of an external view of the mask as seen from the skin side. FIG. 3 is an example of an exploded perspective view of a mask body. FIG. 4 illustrates an outline of a flow chart of a method for manufacturing a mask. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a mask manufacturing process. FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic of the cut laminate. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a mask manufacturing process. FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic of the stack with the edge tapes welded. FIG. 9 illustrates the mask body with the ear straps welded to the welded areas.

[Embodiment]
A mask and a method for manufacturing a mask according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of these embodiments. Note that in the following description, the width direction, horizontal direction, or left-right direction is a direction that corresponds to the left-right direction of the wearer when wearing the mask. Also, the vertical direction, or up-down direction is a direction that corresponds to the up-down direction of the wearer when wearing the mask.

Figures 1 and 2 show an example of an outline of the appearance of a mask 1 according to an embodiment. Figure 1 is an example of an external perspective view of the mask 1 as viewed from the non-skin side. Figure 2 is an example of an external perspective view of the mask 1 as viewed from the skin side.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the mask 1 has a mask body 2, ear straps 3, 4 (an example of the "ear hook" of the present disclosure), edge tapes 5, 6 (an example of the "first sheet-like member" and the "third sheet-like member" of the present disclosure), and a nose fitter 7. More specifically, the mask body 2 is formed of a sheet-like breathable material and has a size that can cover the wearer's mouth and nose. The ear straps 3, 4 are formed of a string-like elastic material, and as shown in FIG. 2, the ends of the ear straps 3, 4 are heat-welded to the edge tapes 5, 6 provided at both ends in the width direction of the skin side of the mask body 2, thereby forming annular rings on both the left and right sides of the mask body 2 (details will be described later). As shown in FIG. 2, the fusion regions 15, 16 of the edge tapes 5, 6 to which the ends of the ear straps 3, 4 are heat-welded are designed to be wider than the regions of the other edge tapes 5, 6.

The string-like elastic material that constitutes the ear straps 3 and 4 is formed, for example, from a woven band of rubber thread and cotton, a woven net of resin filaments, elastic nonwoven fabric, etc. Both ends of such string-like material are heat-welded to the edge tapes 5 and 6 on both the left and right sides of the skin-facing side of the mask body 2 as shown in Figure 2, so that the ear straps 3 and 4 are formed in a loop shape on both the left and right sides of the mask body 2, with one end of the material as the starting point and the other end of the material as the ending point.

The mask body 2 is composed of various sheets such as breathable nonwoven fabrics, and is a laminate of multiple sheets. The multiple sheets are heat-welded to each other by an embossing roll at heat-welding sections (9U, 9D, 9L, 9R) near the top, bottom, left, and right edges in FIG. 2. Alternatively, ultrasonic welding may be used instead of heat welding. Alternatively, various joining techniques such as sewing with sewing thread, adhesion with hot melt adhesive, heat sealing, and the like may be applied. In the following explanation, when welding is mentioned without any disclaimer, it refers to heat welding.

The mask body 2 is folded at creases 8 extending in the width direction to form a pleated shape (see Figures 1 and 2). This pleated shape is maintained by preventing the creases 8 from unfolding with edge tapes 5, 6 at the left and right ends. Thus, when the mask 1 is not worn, the mask body 2 can be made flat and not bulky. On the other hand, when the mask 1 is worn, the creases 8 are unfolded by stretching the mask body 2 vertically. Thus, as the pleats are unfolded, the mask body 2 takes on a dome-like three-dimensional shape that bulges toward the non-skin side. This forms a space between the mask body 2 and the wearer's mouth, allowing the wearer to breathe more easily.

The nose fitter 7 is a member fixed to the mask body 2 at the top of the mask body 2 with its longitudinal direction extending in the left-right direction of the mask body 2. The nose fitter 7 is fixed to the mask body 2 in a state where it is sandwiched between the sheet-like breathable materials that make up the mask body 2 (details will be described later). Alternatively, the nose fitter 7 may be fixed to the surface of the mask body 2. The nose fitter 7 is a plastically deformable material that has enough strength to be deformed into an appropriate shape when pressed by the wearer's finger, and maintains its shape even when released from the pressure. By providing such a nose fitter 7 at the top of the mask body 2, the wearer can close the gap between the nose and the mask body 2.

3 is an example of an exploded perspective view of the mask body 2. In FIG. 3, the front side corresponds to the non-skin side. As shown in FIG. 3, the mask body 2 is laminated with an outer layer sheet 10 (an example of the "outer layer" of the present disclosure), a filter sheet 11 (an example of the "filter layer" of the present disclosure), a shape-retaining sheet 12 (an example of the "functional layer" of the present disclosure), and a skin-facing sheet 13 (an example of the "mouth layer" of the present disclosure). In this embodiment, there is only one filter sheet 11, but the number of sheets may be increased while taking breathability into consideration. In addition, the outer layer sheet 10, the filter sheet 11, the shape-retaining sheet 12, and the skin-facing sheet 13 are examples of the "multiple second sheet-like members" of the present disclosure. In addition, the mask body 2 is an example of the "laminate" of the present disclosure.

Spunbond nonwoven fabric is used for the outer layer sheet 10 and the skin-facing sheet 13. In this case, it is preferable that the fiber orientation of the long fibers does not coincide with the extending direction of the folds 8 (see FIG. 1 or FIG. 2). Note that spunbond nonwoven fabric may be used for either the outer layer sheet 10 or the skin-facing sheet 13.

Alternatively, since the skin-facing sheet 13 comes into direct contact with the skin, a nonwoven fabric that is particularly pleasant to the touch may be used. In such a case, the outer layer sheet 10 may be a sheet made of the same material as the skin-facing sheet 13, or may be a sheet of a different standard that is highly resistant to the external environment and has excellent breathability. To prevent incorrect application, the outer layer sheet 10 and the skin-facing sheet 13 may be made of different colors of material.

The filter sheet 11 is made of a material with high particle capture performance. For this reason, the filter sheet 11 may be made of a sheet made of a different material from the outer layer sheet 10 and the skin-facing sheet 13. For example, the filter sheet 11 may be made of a thermoplastic polymer material with a higher melting point than the outer layer sheet 10 and the skin-facing sheet 13.

Alternatively, pulp fibers such as tissue paper may be used for the filter sheet 11. However, this material does not melt with heat. For this reason, from the viewpoint of performing thermal welding using an embossing roll or joining by ultrasonic welding, it is desirable that the material of the filter sheet 11 also has thermoplastic properties.

The shape-retaining sheet 12 is a plastic film. The shape-retaining sheet 12 has rectangular openings 14 arranged regularly in the planar direction (an example of the "mesh structure" of the present disclosure). Such a shape-retaining sheet 12 has high bending rigidity compared to the other sheet-like members that form the mask body 2. In addition, the openings 14 in the shape-retaining sheet 12 ensure breathability.

The mask body 2, in which the outer layer sheet 10, the filter sheet 11, the shape-retaining sheet 12, and the skin-facing sheet 13 are laminated as shown in FIG. 3, is folded at the crease 8 (see FIG. 1 or FIG. 2). When the mask 1 is worn by the wearer and the crease 8 is unfolded to cover the nose and mouth, and the mask body 2 forms a three-dimensional shape, a force acts on the mask body 2 in the direction in which the pleats of the outer layer sheet 10 and the skin-facing sheet 13 are folded back due to the wearer's movements such as moving their mouth. However, the shape-retaining sheet 12, which has high bending rigidity and has the crease 8 unfolded, resists the force in the folding back direction, thereby maintaining the dome-shaped three-dimensional shape of the mask body 2. In addition, spunbond nonwoven fabric with low bending properties is used for the outer layer sheet 10 and the skin-facing sheet 13. Therefore, even with the spunbond nonwoven fabric with the crease 8 unfolded, the dome-shaped three-dimensional shape of the mask body 2 is maintained by resisting the force in the folding back direction.

Figure 4 illustrates an outline of a flowchart of a method for manufacturing mask 1.

(S1)
FIG. 5 illustrates an outline of the process of step S1. FIG. 5(A) is a front view of the process of step S1. FIG. 5(B) is a top view of the process of step S1. In step S1, as shown in FIG. 5(A), the raw rolls 101, 102, 103, and 104 of the outer layer sheet 10, the filter sheet 11, the shape-retaining sheet 12, and the skin-facing sheet 13 are sent out from the sending roller (not shown) to the take-up roller (not shown) in the MD direction (manufacturing flow direction) with a predetermined tensile force acting thereon. The predetermined tensile force is, for example, a force that does not loosen the raw rolls 101, 102, 103, and 104, and a force that does not unfold the folds 88 of the continuous laminate 20 described later. In addition, these original rolls 101, 102, 103, and 104 are sandwiched and pressed in the thickness direction by the pressing rollers 22A and 22B during transportation, and are stacked as a continuous laminate 20. As shown in FIG. 5B, the continuous laminate 20 is pleated with folds 88 formed in the stacked state. The folds 88 correspond to the folds 8 provided in the mask body 2 when the manufacturing is completed. The continuous laminate 20 is an example of the "continuous body" of the present disclosure. In addition, the original roll 103 corresponding to the shape-retaining sheet 12 is assumed to have an opening 14 processed in advance.

Then, in step S1, the original rolls 101, 102, 103, and 104 that are stacked as the continuous laminate 20 are welded together. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the continuous laminate 20 is sandwiched between the embossing roller 23A and the embossing roller 23B that are provided between the pressing roller 22A and the pressing roller 22B. At this time, protrusions are formed in a frame shape on the outer surfaces of the embossing roller 23A and the embossing roller 23B (not shown). The protrusions are also heated. Therefore, when the continuous laminate 20 passes between the embossing roller 23A and the embossing roller 23B, the original rolls 101 and 104 on both surfaces in the thickness direction of the continuous laminate 20 are heated while being pressed by the protrusions. The heat transferred to the original rolls 101 and 104 also reaches the original rolls 102 and 103 that are stacked inside. In this way, the original rolls 101, 102, 103, and 104 that make up the continuous laminate 20 are welded together. The positions of the protrusions on the outer surfaces of the embossing rollers 23A and 23B correspond to the positions of the welded parts 9U, 9D, 9L, and 9R shown in the laminate 17 in FIG. 6, which will be described later.

The nose fitter 7 provided on the mask body 2 shown in FIG. 1 is disposed as an inner layer of the continuous laminate 20 (not shown). In addition, protrusions that straddle the nose fitter 7 in the vertical direction when the continuous laminate 20 is pressed by the embossing rollers 23A and 23B are also formed on the outer surfaces of the embossing rollers 23A and 23B (not shown). When the continuous laminate 20 is pressed and heated by such protrusions, the original rolls 101, 102, 103, and 104 around the nose fitter 7 are also welded together. Note that step S1 is an example of the "first adhesion step" of this disclosure.

(S2)
In step S2, the continuous laminate 20 that has passed through the pressing roller 22B shown in FIG. 5 is cut along a direction perpendicular to the MD direction. FIG. 6 illustrates an outline of the laminate 20 (hereinafter referred to as the laminate 17) in a cut state. Each layer of the laminate 17 cut to a predetermined size in this manner corresponds to the outer layer sheet 10, the filter sheet 11, the shape-retaining sheet 12, and the skin-facing sheet 13 shown in FIG. 3. Step S2 is an example of the "cutting step" of the present disclosure. The laminate 17 is also an example of the "laminate in which each layer is bonded to each other and cut individually" of the present disclosure.

(S3)
FIG. 7 illustrates an outline of the process of step S3. In step S3, as shown in FIG. 7, the laminate 17 formed in step S2 is divided into a plurality of lanes and conveyed. More specifically, the laminate 17 is arranged in a line on the conveyor 25 and conveyed. In addition, a conveyor 26 (26A, 26B) other than the conveyor 25 is connected to the side of the conveyor 25 in the conveying direction. And, at the connection points between the conveyor 25 and the conveyors 26A, 26B, pushers 27A, 27B are provided to push the laminate 17 from the conveyor 25 toward the conveyors 26A, 26B, respectively. By controlling the operation of such pushers 27A, 27B, the plurality of laminates 17 flowing on the conveyor 25 are conveyed separately by riding on either one of the conveyors 26A and 26B. The number of conveyors 26 may be three or more. Moreover, step S3 is an example of a "transport step" in the present disclosure.

(S4)
In step S4, the edge tapes 5 and 6 are welded to both ends in the width direction of the laminate 17, which is conveyed separately by the conveyers 26A and 26B in step S3. More specifically, the edge tapes 5 and 6 are arranged so as to sandwich both ends in the width direction of the laminate 17 in the thickness direction. The edge tapes 5 and 6 thus arranged are welded to the outer layer sheet 10 and the skin-facing sheet 13 at the welded portion 19. The welded portion 19 is provided on the inside of the welded portions 9L and 9R and along the welded portions 9L and 9R. The welded edge tapes 5 and 6 are welded for each of the conveyers 26A and 26B in FIG. 7. FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a laminate in which the edge tapes 5 and 6 are welded in this way. In FIG. 8, only the welded portion 19 between the skin-facing sheet 13 and the edge tapes 5 and 6 is shown, but the outer layer sheet 10 is also welded at the same place. In this way, the mask body 2 is formed. Step S4 is an example of a "second bonding step" of the present disclosure.

(S5)
In step S5, the ear straps 3 and 4 are welded to the edge tapes 5 and 6 provided on the mask body 2 in step S4. More specifically, the ear straps 3 and 4 are welded from the skin side to the welded areas 15 and 16 located at the longitudinal ends of the edge tapes 5 and 6 welded to the skin sheet 13. FIG. 9 illustrates the mask body 2 in a state in which the ear straps 3 and 4 are welded to the welded areas 15 and 16 from the skin side. Note that the welded areas 15 and 16 to which the ear straps 3 and 4 are welded in this manner are wide as described above. The mask 1 is completed by welding the ear straps 3 and 4 to the welded areas 15 and 16 of the edge tapes 5 and 6 in this manner. Note that step S5 is an example of the "third adhesion step" of the present disclosure.

[Action and Effects]
According to the manufacturing method of the mask 1 as shown in Fig. 4, in step S1, before the continuous laminate 20 is cut (step S2), the continuous laminate 20 is prevented from expanding in the thickness direction by the pressing rollers 22A and 22B, and the four layers of the original rolls 101, 102, 103, and 104 constituting the continuous laminate 20 are welded together. In addition, a predetermined tensile force is applied to the original rolls 101, 102, 103, and 104 along the MD direction. Therefore, the folds 88 of the continuous laminate 20 are prevented from being unfolded in the vertical direction.

In addition, according to the above-described method for manufacturing the mask 1, in step S3, the laminate 17 is transported separately on multiple conveyors 26. Therefore, the processes from step S4 onwards can be processed in parallel on each of the conveyors 26A and 26B, and the processing speed from step S4 onwards can be improved. Therefore, if the processing speed of the processes from step S4 onwards is an obstacle to improving the processing speed of the entire manufacturing process, this obstacle can be eliminated.

In addition, in step S3, the laminate 17 is transferred from one conveyor 25 to multiple conveyors 26, so the transport direction of the laminate 17 changes and a load is applied to the folds 8. However, according to the manufacturing method of the mask 1 described above, in step S1, the sheets that make up the laminate 17 are welded to each other, so that the folds 8 are prevented from unfolding.

In addition, in the case of the transport process in which the laminate 17 on one conveyor 25 is distributed to multiple conveyors 26 in step S3, the transport direction of the laminate 17 changes, and the laminate 17 is intermittently distributed to conveyor 26A or 26B. Therefore, it is difficult to continuously press the pleats formed in the laminate 17 with a pressure roller or the like. However, according to the manufacturing method of the mask 1 as described above, the sheets constituting the laminate 17 are welded to each other in step S1, so that the folds 8 are prevented from unfolding even if the pleats formed in the laminate 17 are not continuously pressed with a pressure roller or the like.

According to the above-described manufacturing method of the mask 1, in step S4, the edge tapes 5 and 6 are arranged to sandwich both ends in the width direction of the laminate 17 in the thickness direction. Then, the edge tapes 5 and 6 are welded to the outer layer sheet 10 and the skin-facing sheet 13 at the welded portion 19. This reliably prevents the laminate 17 from forming a three-dimensional shape due to the fold 8 being unfolded. Furthermore, since the nose fitter 7 is arranged as an inner layer of the laminate 17, even if the mask body 2 around the nose fitter 7 expands, the edge tapes 5 and 6 are welded to sandwich the mask body 2 in the thickness direction, so that the flatness of the surfaces of the mask body 2 and the edge tapes 5 and 6 provided on the outer surface of the mask body 2 in the thickness direction is ensured.

In addition, according to the above-described manufacturing method of the mask 1, in step S5, the ends of the ear straps 3 and 4 are welded to the welded areas 15 and 16 of the edge tapes 5 and 6 of the mask body 2, whose shape is kept flat when the creases 8 are folded. This prevents the contact area between the ear straps 3 and 4 and the welded areas 15 and 16 of the edge tapes 5 and 6 from decreasing. This prevents the welding between the ear straps 3 and 4 and the edge tapes 5 and 6 from becoming insufficient. Therefore, according to the above-described manufacturing method of the mask 1, the decrease in the peel strength of the ear straps 3 and 4 against the mask body 2 is prevented from decreasing after the mask 1 is manufactured and when it is used.

In addition, according to the manufacturing method of the mask 1 as described above, in step S1, the raw rolls 101, 102, 103, 104, which are the materials for the outer layer sheet 10, the filter sheet 11, the shape-retaining sheet 12, and the skin-facing sheet 13, are welded at the welded parts 9U, 9D, 9L, 9R, and then in step S4, the laminate 17 and the edge tapes 5 and 6 are welded at the welded parts 19. Therefore, from the time of manufacturing the mask 1 to the time of use, peeling of the welded parts 9L and 9R, which are located on the sides in the width direction of the mask body 2 and are covered by the edge tapes 5 and 6, is suppressed.

In addition, according to the above-mentioned mask 1, the mask body 2 to which the ear straps 3 and 4 are welded in step S5 is made up of four layers, namely, the outer layer sheet 10, the filter sheet 11, the shape-retaining sheet 12, and the skin-facing sheet 13. Therefore, it is considered that the flatness of the outer surface of the mask body 2 is reduced compared to a laminate having a smaller number of layers. However, as described above, the welding process is carried out step by step in steps S1 and S4 to ensure the flatness of the shape of the mask body 2, and then the ear straps 3 and 4 and the edge tapes 5 and 6 are welded in step S5. Therefore, according to the above-mentioned manufacturing method of the mask 1, even if four layers of sheet-like members are stacked on the mask body 2, the decrease in the peel strength of the ear straps 3 and 4 is suppressed.

In addition, according to the mask 1 described above, the filter sheet 11 made of plastic with high bending rigidity is laminated as part of the laminate 17 in a pleated state. Therefore, it can be said that the laminate 17 is in a state where the folds 8 of the filter sheet 11 are unfolded and the laminate 17 is easily formed into a three-dimensional shape. However, as described above, the formation of a three-dimensional shape of the filter sheet 11 is suppressed by performing the welding process step by step in steps S1 and S4. Therefore, even when the pleated filter sheet 11 with high bending rigidity is layered inside, the flatness of the outer surfaces of the mask body 2 and the edge tapes 5 and 6 is ensured. Therefore, when the ear straps 3 and 4 and the edge tapes 5 and 6 are welded in step S5, the contact area between the ear straps 3 and 4 and the welded areas 15 and 16 of the edge tapes 5 and 6 is suppressed from decreasing. Therefore, the peel strength of the ear straps 3 and 4 against the mask body 2 is suppressed from decreasing.

In addition, according to the above-mentioned mask 1, the outer layer sheet 10 and the skin-facing sheet 13 are made of spunbond nonwoven fabric, which has low foldability. The outer layer sheet 10 and the skin-facing sheet 13 are laminated in a pleated state as part of the laminate 17. Therefore, in the manufacturing process of the mask 1, the folds 8 of the outer layer sheet 10 and the skin-facing sheet 13, which use spunbond nonwoven fabric, are unfolded, so that the laminate 17 is in a state in which it is easy to form a three-dimensional shape. However, as described above, the welding process is performed step by step in steps S1 and S4, so that the formation of a three-dimensional shape of the outer layer sheet 10 and the skin-facing sheet 13, which use spunbond nonwoven fabric, is suppressed. Therefore, even if the mask body 2 contains a pleated spunbond nonwoven fabric, the flatness of the outer surfaces of the mask body 2 and the edge tapes 5 and 6 is ensured. Therefore, when the ear straps 3, 4 and the edge tapes 5, 6 are welded together in step S5, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the contact area between the ear straps 3, 4 and the welded regions 15, 16 of the edge tapes 5, 6. This prevents a decrease in the peel strength of the ear straps 3, 4 relative to the mask body 2.

A possible manufacturing method for the mask 1 according to the comparative example is to place the ends of the ear straps 3 and 4 as an inner layer of the laminate 17, and to apply heat from the outer surface of the laminate 17 to weld the ends of the ear straps 3 and 4 to the mask body 2. In such a case, since the mask body 2 is made up of four laminated layers, the outer layer sheet 10, the filter sheet 11, the shape-retaining sheet 12, and the skin-contact sheet 13, there is a possibility that the heat required for welding will not reach the ends of the ear straps 3 and 4. Therefore, it may be necessary to increase the amount of heat applied from the outer surface of the laminate 17.

On the other hand, according to the manufacturing method of the mask 1 as described above, in step S1, the original rolls 101, 102, 103, and 104 forming the laminate 17 are welded together. Here, since the original rolls 101, 102, 103, and 104 are welded together to such an extent that the folds 88 of the continuous laminate 20 are not unfolded, the amount of heat applied in step S1 is significantly less than the amount of heat applied from the outer surface of the laminate 17 in the comparative example. In addition, in step S4, the laminate 17, which has a certain degree of flatness, and the edge tapes 5 and 6 are welded together. Therefore, the amount of heat applied in step S4 is significantly less than the amount of heat applied from the outer surface of the laminate 17 in the comparative example. In addition, in step S5, the ends of the ear straps 3 and 4 are welded to the welded areas 15 and 16 of the edge tapes 5 and 6 of the mask body 2, the flatness of which has been ensured in step S4. Therefore, the amount of heat applied in step S5 is significantly less than the amount of heat applied from the outer surface of the laminate 17 in the comparative example. This makes it possible to speed up the processing steps S1, S4, and S5. In addition, the total amount of heat required for welding in steps S1, S4, and S5 is less than the amount of heat applied at one time in the comparative example. This allows for reduced manufacturing costs. The same can be said when ultrasonic welding is used instead of thermal welding.

In addition, with the mask 1 as described above, the welding areas 15, 16 on the skin side of the edge tapes 5, 6 are wide. This makes it easy to weld the ends of the ear straps 3, 4 to the welding areas 15, 16. Furthermore, when the width of the ear straps 3, 4 is increased, the ends of the ear straps 3, 4 are prevented from protruding from the welding areas 15, 16. In other words, by increasing the width of the ear straps 3, 4, the contact area between the ends of the ear straps 3, 4 and the welding areas 15, 16 can be easily increased. Therefore, the peel strength of the ear straps 3, 4 can be easily increased.

In addition, adhesive may be used as an alternative to the welding means between the ear straps 3, 4 and the mask body 2. Even in such a case, the flatness of the shape of the mask body 2 at the positions where the ear straps 3, 4 are attached is ensured by the welding process in step S1 and the welding of the edge tapes 5, 6 and the laminate 17 in step S4. This allows the amount of adhesive to be reduced. Also, the energy required for the bonding process can be reduced.

<Other Modifications>
In the above embodiment, the mask body 2 is composed of four layers of sheet-like members, but the number of layers is not limited to the above example, and multiple layers may be laminated. The filter sheet 11 and the shape-retaining sheet 12 may be laminated in the reverse order. The outer layer sheet 10 and the skin-facing sheet 13 may not be made of spunbond nonwoven fabric. The shape-retaining sheet 12 is not limited to the above form, and may be in a form that improves bending rigidity. That is, the shape-retaining sheet 12 may be made of, for example, a nonwoven fabric, a part of which may be solidified by heat. For example, the shape, number, and location of the openings 14 may be changed to improve bending rigidity. The shape-retaining sheet 12 itself may not be laminated on the mask body 2. The edge tapes 5 and 6 may be attached to either one of the skin-facing side and the non-skin-facing side at both ends of the width direction of the laminate 17. In addition, the continuous laminate 20 may be cut along the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the MD direction in the manufacturing process of the mask 1, and then the sheets constituting the continuous laminate 20 may be welded to each other. Furthermore, the laminate 17 does not have to be conveyed separately onto the multiple conveyors 26A, 26B.

The embodiments and variations disclosed above can be combined with each other.

1: Mask 2: Mask body 3, 4: Ear straps 5, 6: Edge tape 7: Nose fitter 8: Folds 9U, 9D, 9L, 9R: Welded section 10: Outer layer sheet 11: Filter sheet 12: Shape retention sheet 13: Skin-facing sheet 14: Openings 15, 16: Welded area 17: Laminate 19: Welded section 20: Continuous laminate 22A, 22B: Pressing rollers 23A, 23B: Embossing roller 25: Conveyors 26A, 26B: Conveyors 27A, 27B: Pusher 88: Folds 101, 102, 103, 104: Raw material

Claims (8)

a first bonding step of bonding layers of the laminate together;
a cutting step of cutting the laminate in which the layers are bonded to each other in the first bonding step along an orthogonal direction perpendicular to a manufacturing flow direction to form the laminate in which each layer is bonded to each other and cut individually;
a conveying step of conveying the plurality of laminates formed in the cutting step to a plurality of lanes, the conveying step changing a conveying direction of the laminate when transferring the laminate to each of the plurality of lanes;
a second bonding step of bonding a first sheet-like member to an end portion in a width direction of an outer surface of the laminate in which the layers are bonded to each other in the first bonding step;
and a third bonding step of bonding an outer surface of the first sheet-like member bonded to the laminate in the second bonding step to an ear hook portion that can be hung on the wearer's ear.
A method for manufacturing a mask. In the first bonding step, the laminate is a continuous body and a predetermined tensile force is applied along a continuous direction.
A method for manufacturing the mask according to claim 1 . A plurality of folds are formed in the laminate in which the layers are bonded to each other in the first bonding step, and the laminate is in a pleated shape.
A method for manufacturing the mask according to claim 1 or 2. The laminate comprises:
A mouth layer capable of covering the mouth of the wearer;
A filter layer capable of purifying air drawn into the mouth of the wearer from outside the system;
and an outer layer that provides an appearance when the mask is placed on the wearer;
In the laminate, the mouth layer, the filter layer, and the outer layer are laminated in this order.
A method for manufacturing the mask according to claim 1 . At least one of the mouth layer and the outer layer is a spunbond nonwoven fabric.
A method for manufacturing the mask according to claim 4. The laminate further includes a functional layer having a predetermined function,
The number of layers of the laminate is 4 or more.
A method for manufacturing a mask according to claim 4 or 5. The functional layer comprises a plastic film.
The method for manufacturing the mask according to claim 6 . The film has a network structure.
A method for manufacturing the mask according to claim 7.

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