Segmented Carrier Design for Anchorless Toothbrush Head Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current carriers used for anchor-free methods in producing brush heads, such as toothbrush heads, are expensive and lack geometric flexibility, making them unsuitable for variable cleaning element arrangements and high-temperature resistance.
Innovation Solution
A carrier design with a main body featuring blind holes that increase in cross-sectional area towards the blind end, allowing for secure embedding of cleaning elements during over-molding with plastic material, and made from high-grade materials like steel or ceramic for temperature resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If stainless steel carriers with blind ended drill-holes are used, then cleaning elements can be securely held, but the carriers are very expensive and lack geometric flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier is divided into multiple plates stacked together, with through-holes in some plates and blind ends in others. This segmentation allows each plate to contribute to different functions: through-holes provide structural integrity and material flow paths, while blind ends provide cleaning element retention. The segmented design enables geometric flexibility without compromising holding security.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it holds cleaning elements securely, resists high molding temperatures, allows plastic material flow, and provides geometric flexibility for various cleaning element arrangements. The combination of through-holes and blind ends in different plates creates a multi-functional system that addresses all requirements.
2Reliability
If stainless steel carriers are used, then cleaning elements can be securely held, but the carriers are very expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier uses aluminum or other cost-effective materials instead of expensive stainless steel. The carrier is designed as a disposable component that is used once in the molding process and then discarded with the brush head product. This eliminates the need for expensive, reusable stainless steel carriers while maintaining holding security during the single-use process.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier is segmented into multiple plates that can be manufactured separately using cost-effective processes and then stacked together. This segmentation allows for simplified manufacturing of each individual plate, reducing overall production costs compared to manufacturing a single complex stainless steel carrier.
3Ease of manufacture
If carriers are used to cover free ends of cleaning elements during molding, then over-molding can be performed, but the carriers must resist high molding temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier is designed as a single-use component that withstands high molding temperatures for the duration of the molding process and is then discarded. This allows the use of materials like aluminum that can resist molding temperatures temporarily but would be too expensive or complex if required to be reusable, as in the case of stainless steel carriers.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C~1D
Figure 1E
AI summary
A carrier or a bar of more than one carrier may be used for providing cleaning elements, in particular bristle tufts, for the formation of brush heads, in particular toothbrush heads. Carriers can be used in particular for producing anchorless brush heads. Thereby, cleaning elements may be provided to a mold cavity and may be over-molded with a plastic material to form the brush head or a part thereof. The carriers may comprise several blind holes to provide the cleaning elements to the mold cavity.