Interdental Cleaning Tool Recess Geometry to Prevent Peeling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing interdental cleaning tools face issues with the flexible cleaning portion being easily peeled due to recesses left by hold pins during insert molding, leading to potential peeling and re-peeling, which can catch teeth or dental calculus.
Innovation Solution
The interdental cleaning tool features recesses on the core base portion shaped obliquely, with dimensions controlled to minimize peeling, and a distance between recesses adjusted to ensure neat cutting and minimize peeling, preventing further catching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If hold pins are used to fix the base portion during insert molding, then the flexible portion can be formed uniformly on the core base portion, but recesses are left in the flexible cleaning portion which can catch teeth or dental calculus and cause peeling
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the recesses by controlling their depth and shape. Specifically, the recesses are designed with a depth of 0.05mm or less and an oblique shape that reduces the exposed core base portion to 0.22mm or less in the longitudinal direction. This parameter optimization prevents teeth and calculus from being caught while maintaining the structural integrity provided by hold pins during molding
2Ease of manufacture
If recesses are left in the flexible cleaning portion, then the molding process is simplified, but the recesses become origins of peeling when teeth or calculus are caught
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the depth parameter of recesses to 0.05mm or less, which is shallow enough to prevent peeling propagation while still allowing the insert molding process to proceed efficiently. This parameter change maintains manufacturing simplicity while dramatically improving reliability by preventing the recesses from becoming peeling origins
Solution Approach 2:
The recesses are designed with an oblique asymmetric shape rather than symmetric circular or square forms. This asymmetric geometry reduces the exposed core base portion to 0.22mm or less in the longitudinal direction and creates a tapered profile that prevents calculus accumulation and reduces stress concentration that would initiate peeling
3Stability of the object's composition
If the flexible cleaning portion is peeled once, then the peeled portion bulges at the end part which may cause further catching and re-peeling
Solution Approach 1:
The invention takes preliminary anti-action by designing the recesses with oblique shapes and controlled depths before any peeling can occur. The oblique geometry creates a gradual transition that prevents the formation of bulging ends during peeling, and the limited exposed core base portion (0.22mm or less) ensures that even if peeling occurs, the peeled portion cannot catch teeth or calculus again
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is an interdental cleaning tool which prevents, when cleaning between teeth, a flexible cleaning portion from being easily peeled due to a tooth or dental calculus being caught by recesses that are left as marks of hold pins during insert molding, and which prevents, even if such peeling does occur, a large amount of peeling and re-peeling from an end part of a peeled portion. A flexible cleaning portion (21) includes a core covering portion (21a) that covers a core base (12), and a plurality of recesses (21c) that are formed due to hold pins during insert molding. The recesses (21c) are formed along a longitudinal direction of the core base portion (12). A core base exposed portion of each recess (21c) has a shape elongated in an oblique direction that intersects both the longitudinal direction and a lateral direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and, at a position where a dimension of the core base exposed portion in the longitudinal direction is maximum, the maximum dimension is 0.25 mm or less.