Interdental Cleaning Tool Core Base Recesses
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Solution Overview
Problem
Interdental cleaning tools made of synthetic resin materials face breakage issues due to high compressive and bending forces during use, particularly when cleaning between molars, and existing solutions like adding glass fibers or using super engineering plastics increase costs and reduce productivity.
Innovation Solution
The interdental cleaning tool features a core base portion with strategically formed recesses on its surface to distribute stress evenly, preventing breakage by altering the arrangement of holding pins in the molding process, which increases the cross-sectional area and reduces stress concentration points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If glass fiber is added to the synthetic resin material to prevent breakage, then strength and rigidity of the core base portion are increased, but a stronger force is required to insert the tool and bending load easily causes breakage during cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by forming recesses at specific locations on the core base portion where holding pins contact during molding. These recesses are strategically positioned to reduce stress concentration at critical points without altering the overall material composition or adding glass fibers throughout the entire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The recesses are formed in advance during the molding process by the holding pins, preparing the core base portion structure before use. This preliminary action creates stress-distributing features that prevent breakage during subsequent insertion and cleaning operations without requiring additional manufacturing steps.
2Reliability
If super engineering plastics are used for the core base portion to prevent breakage, then durability is improved, but molding requires high injection temperature and long cooling time, reducing productivity and increasing cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the structural parameters of the core base portion by forming recesses at specific locations, rather than changing the material parameters to use expensive super engineering plastics. This structural modification achieves the same durability improvement while maintaining standard molding temperatures and cycle times.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using expensive super engineering plastics that require specialized molding processes, the patent uses conventional synthetic resin materials combined with a simple structural feature (recesses) that can be formed during standard molding, effectively replacing costly materials with a cheaper structural solution.
3Manufacturing precision
If holding pins are positioned to concentrate support at specific points, then positioning precision is improved, but stress concentration occurs at pin contact points, increasing breakage risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating recesses at the holding pin contact points on the core base portion. These recesses are specifically positioned where the holding pins make contact during molding, providing localized stress relief without affecting the overall positioning precision achieved by the pin arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful stress concentration effect of holding pin contact into a beneficial feature by forming recesses at the contact points. The same holding pins that provide precise positioning also create the recesses that prevent breakage, turning a potential weakness into a strength.
Data Source
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Figure 2(a)~2(b)
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AI summary
Provided is an interdental cleaning tool which has a simple configuration and can effectively prevent an occurrence of breakage of a core base portion when inserting the interdental cleaning tool into an interdental space or during interdental cleaning without reducing productivity of the interdental cleaning tool. An interdental cleaning tool (1) includes: a base portion (10) made of a synthetic resin; and a soft portion (20) made of an elastomer, the base portion (10) having a handle base portion (11) and a core base portion (12), the soft portion (20) having at least a cleaning soft portion (21) that covers the core base portion (12), in which two or more cleaning portion recesses (14) which penetrate the cleaning soft portion (21) and form core base portion recesses in the core base portion (12) are formed on each of a first side portion and second side portion of a cleaning portion (2) at an interval in an axial direction of the cleaning portion (2), and at least one set of two cleaning portion recesses (14) out of plural sets of cleaning portion recesses (14) paired with each other between the first side portion and the second side portion are formed at an interval in the axial direction of the cleaning portion (2) so as not to overlap each other in a circumferential direction of the cleaning portion (2).