Thin-Walled Copper Mold for Disposable Gloves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing disposable gloves result in imperfections like pinholes and require thick, inefficient molds that use excess material and are slow to produce gloves, leading to higher costs due to the need for multiple forms.
Innovation Solution
A novel method involving the creation of a thin-walled copper mold through electroforming, where a sacrificial glove form is coated with copper and then nickel-plated, allowing for efficient and cost-effective production of high-quality disposable gloves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If thick-walled forms are used for glove production, then the forms are more durable and can produce more gloves, but the forms use excess material and cool slowly, leading to inefficient and slow production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the wall thickness parameter of the form from thick-walled to thin-walled design. This parameter change allows the form to cool quickly while maintaining sufficient durability through proper material selection and electroforming process control, thereby resolving the contradiction between form durability and production speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material construction for the form, using an electroformed metal shell with thin walls combined with appropriate internal support structures. This composite approach provides the necessary strength and durability while maintaining thin wall thickness for rapid cooling and high production efficiency.
2Strength
If thick-walled forms are used, then the forms can withstand production demands, but they use excess material and require more forms to produce a given number of gloves
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the wall thickness parameter to achieve the minimum necessary thickness for structural integrity and durability. This parameter optimization reduces material consumption significantly while maintaining form strength, eliminating the excess material usage associated with traditional thick-walled forms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the excess material from the form design, removing unnecessary thickness while retaining only the essential material needed for form strength and durability. This extraction principle directly addresses the material waste problem by eliminating redundant material consumption.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional form production processes are used, then forms can be manufactured, but the forms have imperfections that cause pinholes in produced gloves
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical form manufacturing processes with electroforming technology. This substitution eliminates the imperfections and pinholes associated with conventional methods, producing forms with superior surface quality that directly translates to defect-free glove production while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the manufacturing process parameters from traditional mechanical methods to electroforming parameters, including controlled deposition rates, electrolyte composition, and electrical current density. These parameter changes enable precise control over form quality, eliminating pinholes and surface imperfections that plague traditional manufacturing.
4Productivity
If multiple forms are used to produce gloves in a given time period, then production targets can be met, but the expense increases due to the number of forms required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the form design parameters to enable single-form high-volume production. By optimizing wall thickness, surface quality, and thermal properties, a single thin-walled electroformed form can produce gloves at rates that previously required multiple thick-walled forms, thereby reducing both material costs and overall production expenses.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method produces gloves with reduced imperfections, uses less material, and speeds up the production process by creating a robust, thin-walled mold that heats and cools quickly, thereby reducing production time and costs.
Implementation Method 1
a sacrificial glove form is coated with copper and then nickel-plated
Implementation Method 2
a sacrificial glove form is coated with copper and then nickel-plated
Implementation Method 3
creating a robust, thin-walled mold that heats and cools quickly
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and processes are described that enable the manufacture of a superior thin-walled mold from which higher-quality, less-costly disposable gloves can be more efficiently produced. The method can include creating a glove form in a sacrificial material; electroforming an electroformed master from the glove form; removing sacrificial material from the electroformed master; creating a tertiary form from the electroformed master; forming an initial copper layering on the tertiary form; and developing the initial copper layering into a thick copper plating to create a copper mold for gloves.