Deposition-type bead toy and manufacturing method of deposition-type bead toy

Abstract

To provide a deposition-type bead toy having a marble-tone hue and having excellent appearance, and a manufacturing method of such a deposition-type bead toy.SOLUTION: A deposition-type bead toy 30 formed by blending a pigment being a colorant, with a water-soluble resin. The deposition-type bead toy 30 contains polyvinyl alcohol as a main component and contains 3 wt.% of polypropylene in the water-soluble resin. On a surface of the deposition-type bead toy 30, a plurality of colors 30B, 30P, 30L appear mixedly in a manner of not being mixed with each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a weldable bead toy and a method for manufacturing the weldable bead toy.

Background Art

[0002] Today, there are toys called bead toys that involve welding beads such as small resin spheres or cylindrical bodies to each other to create various decorative objects. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a weldable bead toy in which beads can be welded to each other simply by spraying a liquid such as water, and bead combinations in various forms can be created.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Bead toys such as those disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 are provided with beads of various colors, and ornaments having richly colored patterns can be produced. In this type of bead toy, in order to enhance the playfulness, there may be a demand for a so-called marble-like coloration in which multiple colors are mixed and appear without mixing with each other.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a weldable bead toy having a marble-like coloration and excellent appearance, and a method for manufacturing such a weldable bead toy.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The weldable bead toy according to one aspect of the present invention is a weldable bead toy formed by blending a pigment, which is a coloring agent, into a water-soluble resin. The water-soluble resin contains polyvinyl alcohol as a main component and 3% by weight of polypropylene, and a plurality of colors are mixed on the surface in a manner that they do not mix with each other.

[0007] The manufacturing method of the weldable bead toy according to one aspect of the present invention is a manufacturing method of a weldable bead toy formed by blending a pigment, which is a coloring agent, into a water-soluble resin. The method includes a resin forming step of forming the water-soluble resin that contains polyvinyl alcohol as a main component and 3% by weight of polypropylene, a mixing step of dividing the water-soluble resin into a plurality of portions and mixing different colors of the pigment into each portion to form a plurality of types of colored pellets with different colors, and a molding step of injection molding while mixing the plurality of types of colored pellets using a mold.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a weldable bead toy having a marble-like color and excellent appearance, and a manufacturing method of such a weldable bead toy.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1(a), the weldable bead toy (hereinafter referred to as "first bead 10") according to the first aspect of the embodiment of the present invention is a spherical bead having a particle size of about 5 mm. Further, as shown in Fig. 1(b), the weldable bead toy (hereinafter referred to as "second bead 20") according to the second aspect of the embodiment of the present invention is a substantially star-shaped bead having a size of about 5 mm. Further, as shown in the photograph of Fig. 2, the weldable bead toy (hereinafter referred to as "third bead 30") according to the third aspect of the embodiment of the present invention is a spherical bead having a particle size of about 5 mm.

[0011] On the surface of each of the beads 10, 20, 30, a plurality of colors are mixed and appear in a manner that they do not mix with each other. As shown in Fig. 1(a), on the surface of the first bead 10, for example, a yellow part 10Y made of yellow, an orange part 10O made of orange, and a brown part 10B made of brown are mixed and appear. Further, as shown in Fig. 1(b), on the surface of the second bead 20, for example, a yellow part 20Y made of yellow, a yellow-green part 20YG made of yellow-green, and a green part 20G made of green are mixed and appear.

[0012] Further, as shown in the photograph of Fig. 2, on the surface of the third bead 30, for example, a light blue part 30L made of light blue, a purple part 30P made of purple, and a blue part 30B made of blue are mixed and appear. In this way, on the surface of each of the beads 10, 20, 30, three different colors of the same color system are mixed and appear in a manner that they do not mix with each other, and a so-called marble-like color is realized. Therefore, a weldable bead toy with excellent appearance can be provided.

[0013] Each of the beads 10, 20, and 30 is formed by injection molding using a mold with a synthetic resin that is colored by blending a plurality of pigments as colorants in a water-soluble resin as the raw material. This water-soluble resin contains polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the main component and 3% by weight of polypropylene (PP). As a result, sufficient welding strength is achieved for each of the beads 10, 20, and 30. In addition, "contained as the main component" as used in this specification means containing 50% by weight or more based on the total amount. That is, each of the beads 10, 20, and 30 according to this embodiment is composed of a water-soluble resin containing at least 50% by weight or more of polypropylene based on the total amount.

[0014] Next, the manufacturing method of each of the beads 10, 20, and 30 will be described. First, a water-soluble resin containing polyvinyl alcohol as the main component and 3% by weight of polypropylene based on the total weight is formed (resin formation step). In this way, since polypropylene is contained in the water-soluble resin, the fluidity decreases, so the mixing of the three types of colored pellets described later is suppressed. Furthermore, since the content of polypropylene is extremely small in this way, the welding strength is suppressed from decreasing excessively, and sufficient welding strength is maintained. Next, the formed water-soluble resin is divided into three parts, and three types of colored pellets with different colors are formed by mixing pigments of three different colors (for example, when manufacturing the first bead 10, three colors of yellow, orange, and brown) in each part (mixing step).

[0015] Next, the three types of colored pellets are injection molded while being mixed using a dedicated mold (molding process). This injection molding is performed in a temperature range of 145°C to 165°C. Specifically, by using a cooler for the molding machine, the temperature inside the molding machine is maintained within this temperature range. By performing injection molding within such a temperature range, polyvinyl alcohol, which has high hydrophilicity and is soluble in warm water, easily dissolves, while polypropylene is difficult to dissolve and remains in a hard state. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the mixing of polyvinyl alcohol and polypropylene with each other. When performing the above injection molding, by changing the blending ratio of the three types of colored pellets, it is possible to change the intensity of each color and the like in the beads after production.

[0016] Here, in the manufacturing process of the second beads 20, schematic views of the molded product 50 taken out from the mold after performing the above injection molding using a dedicated mold are shown in FIGS. 3(a) and (b). In the following, among the molded product 50, the portion corresponding to the spool of the mold is referred to as the spool portion 52S, the portions corresponding to the runners of the mold are referred to as the first runner portion 51L and the second runner portion 52L (the side closer to the spool portion 52S is the first runner portion 51L), the portion corresponding to the gate of the mold is referred to as the gate portion 52G, and the portion corresponding to each molded second bead 20 is referred to as the second bead portion 20M. Also, among the second runner portion 52L, the portion on the tip side (the side far from the first runner portion 51L) is referred to as the second runner tip portion 52L1.

[0017] The molded product 50 shown in FIGS. 3(a) and (b) is an example, but as shown in the figure, a large number of second bead portions 20M are molded in one injection molding. In the example shown in FIG. 3(a), 240 second bead portions 20M are molded in one injection molding.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 3(b), in the molded product 50, the length dimension S1 of the spool portion 52S is, for example, 40 mm, which is shorter than the length dimension (for example, 50 mm) of the spool portion of a molded product formed in the process of manufacturing a conventional weldable bead toy having no marble-like color. Thus, by using a mold such that the length dimension S1 of the spool portion 52S is shorter than that of the conventional manufacturing method, the residence time of the three types of colored pellets in the mold becomes shorter compared to the conventional manufacturing method, and thereby, the mixing of the colored pellets with each other is suppressed. In other words, the integration and uniform mixing of the colored pellets with each other are suppressed.

[0019] Also, as shown in Fig. 3(a), in the molded product 50, the diameter dimension S2 of the tip portion 52L1 of the second runner is larger than the diameter dimensions of the other portions of the second runner portion 52L and the diameter dimension of the first runner portion 51L. Thus, by using a mold such that the diameter dimension S2 of the tip portion 52L1 of the second runner is larger than the diameter dimensions of the other portions of the second runner portion 52L and the diameter dimension of the first runner portion 51L, the lack of fluidity of the water-soluble resin constituting each colored pellet is compensated at the tip portion of the runner of the mold, and the occurrence of partial flesh shortage (so-called short shot) in the second bead portion 20M is suppressed.

[0020] Also, as shown in Fig. 3(a), in the molded product 50, the diameter dimension S3 of the gate portion 52G is, for example, 1 mm, which is 20% or more of the diameter dimension (about 5 mm in this embodiment) of the second bead 20 to be manufactured. Thus, by using a mold such that the diameter dimension S3 of the gate portion 52G is 20% or more of the diameter dimension of the second bead 20 to be manufactured, the lack of fluidity of the water-soluble resin constituting each colored pellet is compensated at the entrance of the gate in the mold, and the intersection of each colored pellet is reduced.

[0021] After injection molding using the above-mentioned dedicated mold, each second bead portion 20M is cut out from the removed molded product 50 to produce a plurality of second beads 20. The second beads 20 thus produced have a marble-like color in which the three colors are mixed without mixing with each other, by suppressing the mixing of the colored pellets during injection molding. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a method for producing a weldable bead toy having a marble-like color and excellent appearance.

[0022] According to the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a weldable bead toy having the following aspect.

[0023] The weldable bead toy according to the first aspect is a weldable bead toy formed by blending a pigment, which is a coloring agent, with a water-soluble resin, and the water-soluble resin contains polyvinyl alcohol as a main component and 3% by weight of polypropylene, and a plurality of colors are mixed on the surface in a manner that does not mix with each other.

[0024] According to this configuration, the inclusion of polypropylene in the water-soluble resin reduces the fluidity of the water-soluble resin, and the colors appearing on the surface of the weldable bead toy are prevented from mixing with each other during the manufacturing process of the weldable bead toy. Furthermore, the content of polypropylene in the water-soluble resin is small, so that excessive reduction in the weld strength is prevented, and sufficient weld strength is maintained. Therefore, a weldable bead toy with a marble-like color and excellent appearance can be provided.

[0025] Furthermore, according to the embodiment of the present invention as described above, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing a weldable bead toy of the following aspect.

[0026] The manufacturing method of the weldable bead toy according to the first aspect is a manufacturing method of a weldable bead toy formed by blending a pigment, which is a colorant, into a water-soluble resin, and includes a resin forming step of forming the water-soluble resin containing polyvinyl alcohol as a main component and containing 3% by weight of polypropylene, a mixing step of dividing the water-soluble resin into a plurality of portions and mixing different colors of the pigments respectively to form a plurality of types of colored pellets having different colors, and a molding step of injection molding while mixing the plurality of types of colored pellets using a mold.

[0027] According to this manufacturing method, since a small amount of polypropylene is contained in the water-soluble resin, the fluidity of the water-soluble resin is reduced, and it is possible to suppress the mixing of a plurality of types of colored pellets with each other in the molding step. For this reason, it is possible to manufacture a weldable bead toy having a marbled color and excellent appearance.

[0028] The manufacturing method of the weldable bead toy according to the second aspect is such that, in the molding step, the mold having a length dimension of the spool portion of 40 mm or less is used.

[0029] According to this manufacturing method, since a mold is used such that the length dimension of the portion corresponding to the spool of the molded product is shorter than the length dimension (for example, 50 mm) of the portion corresponding to the spool of the molded product formed in the process of manufacturing a conventional weldable bead toy having no marbled color, the residence time of a plurality of types of colored pellets in the mold is shorter than that of the conventional manufacturing method. For this reason, it is further possible to suppress the mixing of a plurality of types of colored pellets with each other in the molding step, and it is possible to effectively manufacture a weldable bead toy having a marbled color and excellent appearance.

[0030] The manufacturing method of the weldable bead toy according to the third aspect is such that, in the molding step, the mold having a diameter dimension of the tip portion of the runner portion larger than the diameter dimension of the other portion of the runner portion is used.

[0031] According to this manufacturing method, in the molding process, at the tip of the runner of the mold, the lack of fluidity of the water-soluble resin that constitutes the plurality of types of colored pellets is compensated for. Therefore, in the welded bead toy of the molded product, the occurrence of partial undercuts is suppressed, and a welded bead toy with excellent appearance can be effectively manufactured.

[0032] The manufacturing method of the welded bead toy according to the fourth aspect uses the mold in which the diameter dimension of the gate portion is 20% or more of the diameter dimension of the welded bead toy to be manufactured in the molding process.

[0033] According to this manufacturing method, in the molding process, the lack of fluidity of the water-soluble resin that constitutes the plurality of types of colored pellets is compensated for at the entrance of the gate of the mold. Therefore, the intersection of the plurality of types of colored pellets is reduced. For this reason, a welded bead toy with excellent appearance can be effectively manufactured.

[0034] The manufacturing method of the welded bead toy according to the fifth aspect performs injection molding in a temperature range of 145°C to 165°C in the molding process.

[0035] According to this manufacturing method, in the molding process, polyvinyl alcohol is easily dissolved while polypropylene is hardly dissolved and remains in a hard state. Therefore, the mixing of polyvinyl alcohol and polypropylene with each other is suppressed, and a welded bead toy having a marble-like color and excellent appearance can be effectively manufactured.

[0036] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been explained. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in the above embodiment, the weldable bead toy and its manufacturing method in which three colors of the same color system are mixed and appear in a manner that they do not mix with each other are exemplified. However, the number of colors appearing on the surface of the weldable bead toy is not limited to three colors, and the color combination is not limited to the same color system. A weldable bead toy in which two or four or more colors appear on the surface may be used. In this case, in the mixing step, the number of colored pellets corresponding to the number of colors appearing on the surface of the weldable bead toy to be manufactured is formed.

Example

[0037] In the examples, samples in which 15 second beads 20 of three types with different contents of polypropylene in the water-soluble resin were welded were prepared respectively, and for each sample, a tensile test was performed using a measuring instrument to measure the tensile strength when it was broken, thereby verifying the difference in welding strength due to the difference in the content of polypropylene.

[0038] The first sample (hereinafter referred to as "Example 1") had a polypropylene content of 3% by weight based on the total amount of the water-soluble resin, similar to the above embodiment. The second sample (hereinafter referred to as "Comparative Example 1") had a polypropylene content of 4% by weight based on the total amount of the water-soluble resin. The third sample (hereinafter referred to as "Comparative Example 2") had a polypropylene content of 6% by weight based on the total amount of the water-soluble resin. Note that each sample contains polyvinyl alcohol as a main component in the water-soluble resin, and the content thereof is the same.

[0039] Note that those with a polypropylene content in the water-soluble resin of less than 3% by weight based on the total amount of the water-soluble resin were not included in the samples of this example because it was previously assumed that the fluidity of the water-soluble resin could not be sufficiently reduced.

[0040] Samples 20S prepared as Example 1, Comparative Example 1, and Comparative Example 2 are shown in FIG. 4. For the sample 20S, water was applied to 15 second beads 20 and they were welded to have the shape shown in FIG. 4, and a sample that was completely dried over 48 hours was prepared. In this sample 20S, an annular portion 20S1 was provided in part so that a tensile test could be easily performed.

[0041] The tensile test was performed using a measuring instrument 100 with model number AWF-100 manufactured by AI Corporation. As shown in FIG. 5, in the tensile test, for each sample 20S of Example 1, Comparative Example 1, and Comparative Example 2, one end of a string 110 was passed through the annular portion 20S1 and the other end of the string 110 was hooked on the hook portion 100a of the measuring instrument 100. Then, with the position of each sample 20S fixed, the measuring instrument 100 was pulled in the direction D1 away from each sample 20S, and the tensile strength of each sample 20S was measured by reading the scale 100b of the measuring instrument 100 when each sample 20S was damaged.

[0042] As a result of performing the tensile test on each sample 20S as described above, in Example 1, the value of the scale 100b of the measuring instrument 100 when the sample 20S was damaged was 500 g. In Comparative Example 1, the value of the scale 100b of the measuring instrument 100 when the sample 20S was damaged was 90 g. In Comparative Example 2, the value of the scale 100b of the measuring instrument 100 when the sample 20S was damaged was 40 g.

[0043] From the above test results, it was found that the second bead 20 used in Example 1 had a welding strength more than 5 times that of the second bead 20 used in Comparative Example 1, and a welding strength more than 12 times that of the second bead 20 used in Comparative Example 2. From this, it was confirmed that for a welded bead toy, by setting the content of polypropylene in the water-soluble resin forming the welded bead toy to 3% by weight based on the total amount of the water-soluble resin, sufficient welding strength can be ensured. Also, it was confirmed that by increasing the content of polypropylene in the water-soluble resin to more than 3% by weight, the welding strength of the welded bead toy decreases rapidly.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0044] 10 First bead 10B Brown part 10O Orange part 10Y Yellow part 20 Second bead 20G Green part 20M Second bead part 20S Sample 20S1 Annular part 20Y Yellow part 20YG Yellow - green part 30 Third bead 30B Blue part 30L Light blue part 30P Purple part 50 Molded product 51L First runner part 52G Gate part 52L Second runner part 52L1 Tip of the second runner 52S Spool part 100 Measuring instrument 100a Hook part 100b Scale 110 String

Claims

1. A weldable bead toy formed by mixing a pigment as a coloring agent with a water-soluble resin, The water-soluble resin contains polyvinyl alcohol as a main component and 3% by weight of polypropylene, The surface is made up of multiple colors that do not blend together. Weldable bead toys.

2. A method for producing a weldable bead toy formed by blending a pigment as a coloring agent with a water-soluble resin, comprising the steps of: a resin forming step of forming the water-soluble resin containing polyvinyl alcohol as a main component and 3% by weight of polypropylene; a mixing step of dividing the water-soluble resin into a plurality of portions and mixing the pigments of different colors into the respective portions to form a plurality of types of colored pellets of different colors; A molding step of injection-molding the plurality of types of colored pellets while mixing them using a mold. A method for manufacturing weldable bead toys.

3. The molding step uses the die having a length dimension of the spool portion of 40 mm or less. A method for producing the weldable bead toy according to claim 2.

4. The molding step uses the die in which the diameter dimension of the tip portion of the runner portion is larger than the diameter dimension of the other portion of the runner portion. A method for producing the weldable bead toy according to claim 2.

5. The molding step uses the die having a gate portion with a diameter dimension that is 20% or more of the diameter dimension of the weldable bead toy to be manufactured. A method for producing the weldable bead toy according to claim 2.

6. The molding step is performed by injection molding at a temperature range of 145°C to 165°C. A method for producing the weldable bead toy according to any one of claims 2 to 5.

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