Urinal and manufacturing method of urinal

Abstract

To provide a urinal capable of stably applying a decorative finish to a bowl part.SOLUTION: A urinal 1 comprises a bowl part 12 formed with a drain port 13. The bowl part 12 comprises a transparent resin main body 120 having a concave receiving surface 121 exposed forward and a rear surface 123 facing opposite to the receiving surface 121, and a decorative part 11 provided on the rear surface 123 of the main body 120. The decorative part 11 is arranged to be visible from the front through the main body 120.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to urinals and methods of manufacturing urinals. [Background technology]

[0002] Urinals made of resin are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Urinals made of resin have the advantages of being lightweight and being easier to mold. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2018-104978 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the conventional urinals described above, it is not easy to stably decorate the bowl portion. For example, if the surface of the bowl portion is decorated by printing or the like, there is a problem that the decorated portion is likely to be worn or damaged when the surface of the bowl portion is cleaned.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide a urinal that allows stable decoration of the bowl portion, and a manufacturing method thereof. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A urinal according to one aspect of the present disclosure has a bowl portion with a drain opening formed therein, the bowl portion including a main body portion made of transparent resin and a decorative portion applied to the back surface of the main body portion. The main body portion has a concave receiving surface exposed to the front and a back surface facing the opposite side to the receiving surface. The decorative portion is provided so as to be visible from the front through the main body portion.

[0007] A method for manufacturing a urinal according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing a urinal having a bowl portion with a drain outlet formed therein by blow molding using a transparent resin sheet, and includes a decorating process for decorating the back side of the portion of the resin sheet that will form the bowl portion, and a suction process for vacuum-sucking the surface of the resin sheet into a mold. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present disclosure has the effect of enabling stable decoration of the bowl portion. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a urinal according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one step of the manufacturing method of the urinal. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another step in the manufacturing method of the urinal. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a resin sheet that forms the urinal. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a mold used to form the urinal. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a molded member molded using the resin sheet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] 1. One embodiment A method for manufacturing a urinal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiment described below is merely one of various embodiments of the present disclosure, and various modifications can be made depending on the design, etc., as long as the object of the present disclosure can be achieved. Furthermore, each diagram showing the following embodiment is a schematic diagram, and the size and thickness of each component in the diagram, as well as their respective ratios, do not necessarily reflect the actual dimensional ratios.

[0011] (urinal) As shown in Figure 1, the urinal 1 of the first embodiment is a stall urinal exclusively for urination, and has a concave bowl portion 12 used to receive urine from a user. The urinal 1 is molded to be lightweight using a resin sheet 2, and has a hollow structure that is open at the rear. The up-down, left-right, and front-to-back directions used in the description of the urinal 1 are based on the state in which the urinal 1 is installed. The direction in which a user is positioned relative to the urinal 1 is the front, and the bowl portion 12 is open at the front. The up-down, left-right, and front-to-back directions are perpendicular to one another.

[0012] The structure of the urinal 1 will now be described in more detail. The bowl portion 12 of the urinal 1 includes a receiving surface 121 that is long in the vertical direction, and a bottom surface 125 that connects to the lower end of the receiving surface 121. The receiving surface 121 is configured as a concave curved surface that is recessed backward. The bottom surface 125 extends forward from the lower end of the receiving surface 121. A drain outlet 13 is formed in the bottom surface 125. Urine and flushing water that hits the receiving surface 121 and flows down is collected in the bottom surface 125 and then discharged through the drain outlet 13.

[0013] In addition to the bowl portion 12, the urinal 1 has a pair of side walls 14, a front wall 16 and a top wall 18.

[0014] The pair of side walls 14 are formed to extend rearward from both left and right ends of the receiving surface 121 of the bowl portion 12. The pair of side walls 14 are positioned at a distance from each other in the left-right direction. The pair of side walls 14 are inclined so that the distance from each other in the left-right direction increases as they become more rearward.

[0015] The front wall 16 includes a portion 161 that extends upward from the front end of the bottom surface 125 of the bowl portion 12. This portion 161 extends obliquely upward and forward from the front end of the bottom surface 125 and faces the lower part of the receiving surface 121 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0016] The upper wall 18 is formed to extend rearward from the upper end of the receiving surface 121 of the bowl portion 12.

[0017] The pair of side walls 14, the front wall 16, and the top wall 18 of the urinal 1 are formed continuously in the circumferential direction surrounding the bowl portion 12. The front wall 16 is positioned so as to connect the lower ends of the pair of side walls 14. The top wall 18 is positioned so as to connect the upper ends of the pair of side walls 14.

[0018] The urinal 1 further has an undercut portion 19. The undercut portion 19 is a portion of the bowl portion 12 that is not visible when the urinal 1 is viewed from the front. The undercut portion 19 is a portion that is surrounded by the lower portion of the bowl portion 12 and a portion 161 of the front wall 16, and is open upward.

[0019] In the urinal 1 of the first embodiment, the bowl portion 12 includes a main body portion 120 made of transparent resin, and a decorative portion 11 that decorates the main body portion 120. The front surface of the main body portion 120 forms a concave receiving surface 121, and the back surface of the main body portion 120 forms a back surface 123 (see Figure 4) of the bowl portion 12. The receiving surface 121 and the back surface 123 of the bowl portion 12 face in opposite directions.

[0020] The decorative portion 11 is applied to the back surface of the main body portion 120, in other words, to the back surface 123 of the bowl portion 12. The decorative portion 11 can be seen from the front through the transparent main body portion 120. A user can see the decorative portion 11 on the back side through the transparent main body portion 120. Therefore, to a user, it appears as if the decoration is applied to the concave receiving surface 121 exposed to the front.

[0021] In the first embodiment 1, the entire back side of the urinal 1, including the bowl portion 12, is decorated. In other words, the entire urinal 1, including the bowl portion 12, the pair of side walls 14, the front wall 16, and the top wall 18, comprises a main body portion made of transparent resin, and a decorative portion 11 applied to the back side of this. The decorative portion 11 on the back side is visible from the front through the transparent main body portion of the entire urinal 1, and to the user it appears as if the entire exposed surface of the urinal 1 is decorated.

[0022] (Urinal manufacturing method) The manufacturing method of the urinal 1 of the first embodiment is a method of manufacturing a urinal 1 having a bowl portion 12 in which a drain outlet 13 is formed by blow molding using a blow molding system 9 shown in Figure 2, etc.

[0023] The blow molding system 9 is a system for manufacturing the urinal 1 by blow molding the transparent resin sheet 2.

[0024] The blow molding system 9 includes a mold 3 , a plug mold 4 , a conveying device 5 and a lifter 6 .

[0025] (Mold) The mold 3 is used to shape the resin sheet 2 into the shape of the urinal 1. The mold 3 is formed on the upper surface 301 of the base 30 which has a rectangular plate shape.

[0026] The mold 3 has a shape that follows the outer shape of the urinal 1 that will ultimately be molded. The mold 3 protrudes upward from the upper surface 301 of the base 30. The upwardly protruding surface of the mold 3 forms the molding surface against which the resin sheet 2 is brought into close contact.

[0027] The mold 3 is formed to be long in one direction, and a recess 32 that is long in one direction is formed on the top surface of the mold 3. The recess 32 is a part for molding the bowl portion 12 of the urinal 1, and has a shape that corresponds to the bowl portion 12.

[0028] As shown in Figure 5 and other figures, recess 32 includes surface 321 that corresponds to receiving surface 121 of bowl portion 12, and surface 325 that corresponds to bottom surface 125 of bowl portion 12. Surface 321 is configured as a concave curved surface that is long in one direction. Surface 325 extends from one end of surface 321 in the longitudinal direction. A hole 33 that corresponds to drain outlet 13 is formed in surface 325.

[0029] Furthermore, the mold 3 has a pair of wall portions 34 corresponding to a pair of side walls 14 of the urinal 1, a wall portion 36 corresponding to the front wall 16 of the urinal 1, and a wall portion 38 corresponding to the top wall 18 of the urinal 1. The pair of walls 34 have a shape for forming the pair of side walls 14 of the urinal 1, and the wall 36 has a shape for forming the front wall 16 of the urinal 1. The wall 38 has a shape for forming the top wall 18 of the urinal 1. The pair of walls 34, the wall 36 and the wall 38 of the mold 3 are formed continuously in the circumferential direction surrounding the recess 32.

[0030] The mold 3 further has a portion 39 that corresponds to the undercut portion 19 of the urinal 1. This portion 39 is surrounded by one longitudinal end of the recess 32 of the mold 3 and a part of the wall portion 36.

[0031] 2 and other figures, the mold 3 is formed with a plurality of air intake holes 31. The air intake holes 31 are used to draw a vacuum into the resin sheet 2 into the mold 3. The blow molding system 9 is configured to draw a vacuum by sucking air through the air intake holes 31 using a vacuum pump or the like.

[0032] (plug type) The plug die 4 is used to bring a part of the resin sheet 2 into close contact with the mold 3. As shown in FIG. 2 and other figures, the plug die 4 is attached to the lower surface 401 of the base 40 having a rectangular plate shape.

[0033] The plug die 4 protrudes downward from the lower surface 401 of the base 40 and has an outer shape that is long in one direction. The plug die 4 is configured to press a part of the resin sheet 2 from above, thereby bringing the part of the resin sheet 2 into close contact with the recess 32 of the mold 3.

[0034] The plug mold 4 has a flat end surface 45 that constitutes one end surface in the longitudinal direction of the plug mold 4 , and a recessed portion 47 located above the end surface 45 .

[0035] End surface 45 of plug mold 4 faces horizontally and faces surface 325 of mold 3 (i.e., the portion of mold 3 that corresponds to bottom surface 125 of bowl portion 12) in the pushing process described below. Recessed portion 47 of plug mold 4 is located opposite portion 39 of mold 3 (i.e., the portion of mold 3 that corresponds to undercut portion 19 of urinal 1) in the pushing process described below.

[0036] Since the plug mold 4 has the recessed portion 47, a larger portion of the resin sheet 2 is caught in the recessed portion 47. As a result, the undercut portion 19 of the urinal 1 is prevented from being formed to be thin.

[0037] Furthermore, a positioning protrusion 48 is provided on the lower surface 401 of the base 40. The protrusion 48 is a protruding piece that protrudes downward from the lower surface 401. The plug mold 4 is positioned relative to the mold 3 by inserting the protrusion 48 into the recess 32 of the mold 3.

[0038] (Transportation device) The conveying device 5 is configured to move the mold 3 in the vertical direction. The conveying device 5 preferably includes an electric cylinder, an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, an electromagnetic solenoid, or an electric motor as a driving means.

[0039] (Lifter) The lifter 6 is configured to move the plug mold 4 in the up and down direction. The lifter 6 preferably includes an electric cylinder, an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, an electromagnetic solenoid, or an electric motor as a driving means.

[0040] The manufacturing method for the urinal 1 of the first embodiment involves the decorating step, heating step, covering step, pushing step, and suction step, which will be described below.

[0041] (Decoration process) In the decoration process, the back surface of the transparent resin sheet 2, which is the portion that will form bowl portion 12, is decorated by, for example, inkjet printing. Here, the back surface of resin sheet 2 is the portion that will form back surface 123 of bowl portion 12 after molding. The front surface of resin sheet 2 is the portion that will form receiving surface 121 of bowl portion 12 after molding.

[0042] (Heating process) The heating step is carried out following the decorating step.

[0043] In the heating step, the blow molding system 9 uses a heater (not shown) to heat the resin sheet 2. The heated resin sheet 2 softens.

[0044] (Coating process) The coating step is carried out subsequent to the heating step.

[0045] In the covering step, the resin sheet 2 heated in the heating step is placed over a mold 3 for forming the urinal 1 (see FIG. 2).

[0046] Specifically, the resin sheet 2 softened by heating is stretched and fixed between a mold 3 and a plug mold 4 positioned above it. In addition, air is blown from below to above the resin sheet 2 through an air supply path (not shown). As a result, the heated resin sheet 2 expands upward, and the resin sheet 2 is elongated.

[0047] Next, the blow molding system 9 lowers the lifter 6. When the lifter 6 descends, the plug mold 4 comes into contact with the upper surface of the resin sheet 2, and the plug mold 4 is pressed against the resin sheet 2 that has been softened by heating, thereby deforming the resin sheet 2. As a result, the surface of the plug mold 4 is covered with the resin sheet 2.

[0048] (Pushing process) The pressing step is carried out subsequent to the coating step.

[0049] In the pushing step, the conveying device 5 is raised. When the conveying device 5 is raised, the plug mold 4 is inserted into the recess 32 of the mold 3. The resin sheet 2 is sandwiched between the surface of the plug mold 4 and the inner surface of the recess 32.

[0050] At this time, the plug mold 4 is pressed against the resin sheet 2 from above, so that the resin sheet 2 is pressed against the inner surface of the recess 32. In the pressing step, the lower end surface 45 of the recess 47 of the plug mold 4 is positioned opposite the portion 39 of the mold 3.

[0051] (Suction process) The suction step is performed following the pushing step.

[0052] In the suction step, the resin sheet 2 is sucked onto the molding surface of the mold 3 by vacuuming. As a result, the molded member 1A shown in FIG.

[0053] Specifically, a vacuum pump (not shown) or the like is used to draw air through the multiple air intake holes 31 in the mold 3. As a result, the resin sheet 2 sandwiched between the recess 32 of the mold 3 and the plug mold 4 is tightly attached to the molding surface of the mold 3 by the negative pressure, and is shaped into the shape of the urinal 1.

[0054] (Removal process) The removal step is carried out following the suction step.

[0055] In the removal step, the lifter 6 is raised, and then the molded member 1A is removed from the mold 3. Then, the molded member 1A removed from the mold 3 is subjected to trimming or NC (Numerically Control) processing to remove unnecessary portions from the molded member 1A, thereby obtaining the urinal 1.

[0056] (Details of the resin sheet) The following describes the detailed structure of the resin sheet 2 used to form the urinal 1.

[0057] The resin sheet 2 is, for example, a thermoplastic resin sheet having a rectangular outer shape. As shown in Fig. 4, the resin sheet 2 has a plurality of transparent resin layers 21 and 22. The plurality of resin layers 21 and 22 are, for example, a first resin layer 21 and a second resin layer 22.

[0058] The first resin layer 21 is a transparent resin layer that constitutes the outermost layer of the resin sheet 2. The outermost layer here is the layer that forms the front surface of the molded urinal 1. The first resin layer 21 is an acrylic resin layer that constitutes the surface of the resin sheet 2.

[0059] The second resin layer 22 is a transparent resin layer provided on the back side of the first resin layer 21. The second resin layer 22 is formed of a second resin material containing, for example, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) resin. Instead of or in addition to the ABS resin, the second resin material may contain at least one of PP (polypropylene) resin, PE (polyethylene) resin, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) resin, and ASA (acrylonitrile styrene acrylic rubber) resin.

[0060] The ABS resin, PP resin, PE resin, PET resin, and ASA resin are examples of resin materials that are excellent in moldability and flame retardancy. Moldability here refers to the ability to be molded into a desired shape without cracking, and also includes the ability to be easily stretched by heating.

[0061] The urinal 1 of the first embodiment is formed from a resin sheet 2 including a first resin layer 21 and a second resin layer 22, so the outermost layer of the resin sheet 2 (i.e., the first resin layer 21) can be endowed with high stain resistance and chemical resistance. The lower layer of the resin sheet 2 (i.e., the second resin layer 22) can be endowed with high formability and flame retardancy. Therefore, the resin sheet 2 as a whole has high stain resistance and chemical resistance, as well as high formability and flame retardancy.

[0062] 4, it is preferable that the thickness d2 of the second resin layer 22 is larger than the thickness d1 of the first resin layer 21. This allows the resin sheet 2 as a whole to exhibit high moldability.

[0063] In the first embodiment, the second resin layer 22 includes a recycled layer 221 and a non-recycled layer 222. The recycled layer 221 is a layer formed from a recycled second resin material. The non-recycled layer 222 is a layer formed from a non-recycled second resin material, in other words, a virgin layer. The thickness d21 of the recycled layer 221 is preferably greater than the thickness d22 of the non-recycled layer 222. In the example of FIG. 4, the recycled layer 221 forms the lower layer of the non-recycled layer 222, but the recycled layer 221 may also form the upper layer of the non-recycled layer 222. It is also possible for the entire second resin layer 22 to be formed from the recycled layer 221 or the non-recycled layer 222.

[0064] (Action and effect) In the urinal 1 of the first embodiment, the decorative part 11, which can enhance the design of the urinal 1, is provided on the back surface 123, rather than on the receiving surface 121 of the bowl part 12. Therefore, for example, when the receiving surface 121 of the bowl part 12 is cleaned, the decorative part 11 will not be worn or damaged due to physical force or the action of detergent. Moreover, users can see the decorative part 11 on the back side through the transparent main body part 120 of the bowl part 12, and it appears as if the decoration is applied to the concave receiving surface 121. Therefore, with the urinal 1 of the first aspect, it is possible to stably decorate the bowl part 12.

[0065] 2. Variations The above embodiment is merely one of various embodiments of the present disclosure, and various modifications can be made to the above embodiment depending on the design and the like as long as the object of the present disclosure can be achieved.

[0066] Modifications of the above embodiment will be described below. In the description of the modifications, the same components as those described in the above embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description will be omitted. The various modifications listed below can be applied in appropriate combination.

[0067] In the first embodiment, the urinal 1 is manufactured by blow molding, but the manufacturing method of the urinal 1 is not limited to this, and any known molding method can be adopted as long as it is possible to mold the main body 120 made of transparent resin.

[0068] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, continuous decoration is applied to the entire back side of the urinal 1 including the bowl portion 12, but for example, the decoration applied to the back side of the bowl portion 12 and the decoration applied to the back side of the portion of the urinal 1 excluding the bowl portion 12 may be discontinuous. It is also possible that the back side of all or part of the portion of the urinal 1 excluding the bowl portion 12 is not decorated.

[0069] In the first embodiment, the back surface of the resin sheet 2 is decorated by inkjet printing, but the decoration method is not limited to this, and other appropriate methods such as coating can be adopted as long as decoration can be applied.

[0070] 3. Summary As explained based on the above embodiment and modified examples, the urinal (1) of the first aspect has a bowl portion (12) in which a drain outlet (13) is formed. The bowl portion (12) includes a main body portion (120) made of transparent resin, which has a concave receiving surface (121) exposed to the front and a back surface (123) facing away from the receiving surface (121), and a decorative portion (11) provided on the back surface (123) of the main body portion (120). The decorative portion (11) is provided so as to be visible from the front through the main body portion (120).

[0071] According to this aspect, the decorative portion (11) is provided on the back side of the bowl portion (12), so that, for example, when the receiving surface (121) of the bowl portion (12) is cleaned, the decorative portion (11) is not worn or damaged. Therefore, according to the urinal (1) of the first aspect, the bowl portion (12) can be stably decorated.

[0072] In the urinal (1) of the second aspect, in the first aspect, the bowl portion (12) has a plurality of resin layers (21, 22). The plurality of resin layers (21, 22) includes a first resin layer (21) made of acrylic and provided at the forefront of the plurality of resin layers (21, 22), and a second resin layer (22) made of ABS and provided behind the first resin layer (21).

[0073] According to this embodiment, the surface of the bowl portion (12) can be provided with high stain resistance and chemical resistance, and the bowl portion (12) as a whole can be provided with high moldability and flame retardancy.

[0074] The manufacturing method of the urinal (1) of the third aspect is a method for manufacturing a urinal (1) having a bowl portion (12) in which a drain outlet (13) is formed by blow molding using a transparent resin sheet (2), and includes a decorating step of decorating the back side of the resin sheet (2) at the portion where the bowl portion (12) is formed, and a suction step of vacuum-sucking the surface of the resin sheet (2) into a mold (3).

[0075] According to this embodiment, the backside of the bowl portion 12 of the molded urinal 1 is decorated, so that, for example, when the surface of the bowl portion 12 is cleaned, the decorated portion on the backside does not wear out or become damaged, and therefore, a urinal 1 can be obtained in which the bowl portion 12 is stably decorated.

[0076] In the fourth aspect of the method for manufacturing a urinal, in the third aspect, the resin sheet (2) has a plurality of resin layers (21, 22). The plurality of resin layers (21, 22) include a first resin layer (21) made of acrylic that forms the surface of the resin sheet (2), and a second resin layer (22) made of ABS that is provided on the back side of the first resin layer (21).

[0077] According to this embodiment, the surface of the bowl portion (12) can be provided with high stain resistance and chemical resistance by the first resin layer (21), and the bowl portion (12) as a whole can be provided with high moldability and flame retardancy by the second resin layer (22). [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1 urinal 11 Decoration section 12 Bowl section 120 Main body part 121 Receiving surface 123 Back side 13 Drain 2 Resin sheet 21 1st resin layer 22 Second resin layer

Claims

1. A urinal having a bowl portion with a drain hole formed therein, The bowl portion is a main body made of transparent resin having a concave receiving surface exposed to the front and a back surface facing the opposite side to the receiving surface; a decorative portion applied to the back surface of the main body portion, The decorative portion is provided so as to be visible from the front through the main body portion. Urinal.

2. The bowl portion has a plurality of resin layers, The plurality of resin layers are a first resin layer made of acrylic and provided at the frontmost side of the plurality of resin layers; A second resin layer made of ABS and provided on the back side of the first resin layer.

2. The urinal of claim 1.

3. A method for manufacturing a urinal having a bowl portion with a drain hole formed therein by blow molding using a transparent resin sheet, comprising: a decorating step of decorating a back side of a portion of the resin sheet where the bowl portion is formed; A suction step of vacuum-suctioning the surface of the resin sheet into a mold. How to manufacture a urinal.

4. the resin sheet has a plurality of resin layers, The plurality of resin layers are a first resin layer made of acrylic that forms the surface of the resin sheet; A second resin layer made of ABS and provided on the back side of the first resin layer. A method for manufacturing a urinal according to claim 3.

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