Glove Coating Fixture Using Clamping Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional processes for making plastic gloves cannot apply exterior coatings, such as antimicrobial coatings, until after the gloves are removed from the mold, necessitating secondary coating processes.
Innovation Solution
A glove-coating fixture and method that suspends the glove from a clamping assembly, allowing for coating application while the glove is mounted, preventing evertion and enabling full-circumference coating without the need for subsequent external application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If gloves are removed from the mold by eversion, then the glove can be separated from the mold, but the external surface cannot be coated until after removal necessitating secondary coating processes
Solution Approach 1:
The fixture enables preliminary coating action by suspending the glove from the mold during the coating process. The clamping member engages the cuff portion and holds the glove in a fixed position, allowing coating material to be applied to the external surface while the glove remains attached to the mold, eliminating the need for secondary coating processes after eversion.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixture acts as an intermediary device between the mold and the coating application system. It provides a suspension mechanism that holds the glove steady during coating while maintaining the glove's attachment to the mold, facilitating the coating process without requiring glove removal.
2Productivity
If secondary coating processes are used to apply coating materials to external surfaces, then coating can be applied, but production time increases and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the coating process with the glove manufacturing process by enabling coating application while the glove remains mounted on the mold. This integration eliminates the separate secondary coating step that would otherwise be required after glove removal, thereby reducing total manufacturing cycle time and improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
By performing the coating action preliminarily while the glove is still attached to the mold, the invention eliminates the need for subsequent coating operations. The fixture maintains the glove in a stable suspended position that allows complete external surface coating before the glove is eventually removed, consolidating multiple process steps into one efficient operation.
3Reliability
If the glove is suspended from the clamping member, then the glove can be coated while mounted, but the clamping assembly must engage the cuff portion securely
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping member is designed to engage the cuff portion of the glove in a self-service manner. The engagement surface is shaped to automatically secure the cuff when the clamping member is positioned against it, providing reliable suspension without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms or manual intervention to ensure proper gripping.
Data Source
AI summary
A fixture, system, and method for coating a glove with a coating material are described. A fixture includes a support member and a clamping member movable relative to the support member to a closed position. The clamping member is configured to be at least partially received in a cuff of the glove. In the closed position, the cuff is captured between the clamping member and the support member. In this configuration, a majority of an external surface of the glove is exposed for being coated. A glove-coating system can include one or more fixtures on a conveyor that move the fixture around various processing stages of the glove-coating system. In certain methods of coating a glove, coating material is applied to the glove while the glove is suspended from the fixture. The coated glove can be removed from the fixture without being everted.