U.S. patent application number 15/024621 was filed with the patent office on 2016-12-29 for uv treated scrubbing articles and methods of making same.
The applicant listed for this patent is 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY. Invention is credited to Matthew S. Cole, Stewart H. Corn, Paul N. Daveloose, Ibrahim S. Gunes, Shridhar B. Shinde, Deval Y. Vashistha, Sheng Ye.
Application Number | 20160374531 15/024621 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 55456891 |
Filed Date | 2016-12-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160374531 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Daveloose; Paul N. ; et
al. |
December 29, 2016 |
UV TREATED SCRUBBING ARTICLES AND METHODS OF MAKING SAME
Abstract
A scrubbing article including a substrate and a UV treated
texture layer on a surface of the substrate. The substrate is
formed from a single layer of foam or sponge material having a
thickness that is conducive to handling or holding. The UV treated
texture layer is a resin-based material forming a textured abrasive
layer on the surface of the substrate.
Inventors: |
Daveloose; Paul N.;
(Maplewood, MN) ; Cole; Matthew S.; (Woodbury,
MN) ; Gunes; Ibrahim S.; (Minneapolis, MN) ;
Ye; Sheng; (Woodbury, MN) ; Corn; Stewart H.;
(St. Paul, MN) ; Vashistha; Deval Y.; (Hosur,
IN) ; Shinde; Shridhar B.; (Bhosari-Pune,
IN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY |
Saint Paul |
MN |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
55456891 |
Appl. No.: |
15/024621 |
Filed: |
February 4, 2016 |
PCT Filed: |
February 4, 2016 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US16/16617 |
371 Date: |
March 24, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62121705 |
Feb 27, 2015 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/104.93 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C08J 9/365 20130101;
A47L 13/17 20130101; C08J 2301/02 20130101; C08J 2375/04 20130101;
A47L 13/16 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47L 13/17 20060101
A47L013/17 |
Claims
1. A scrubbing article comprising: a substrate comprising one of a
foam and a sponge material; an ultraviolet (UV) crosslinked texture
layer formed on a surface of the substrate.
2. The scrubbing article of claim 1, wherein the substrate
comprises a thickness of at least 2 cm.
3. The scrubbing article of claim 1, wherein the substrate
comprises a thickness of at least 3 cm.
4. The scrubbing article of claim 1, wherein the UV crosslinked
texture layer is formed on at least two surfaces of the
substrate.
5. The scrubbing article of claim 1, wherein the texture layer
defines a pattern.
6. The scrubbing article of claim 5, wherein the pattern includes a
plurality of discrete segments.
7. The scrubbing article of claim 6, wherein the discrete segments
include at least one of series of unconnected lines, dots or
images.
8. The scrubbing article of claim 1, wherein the texture layer
extends a maximum 200 microns outwardly from the surface of the
substrate.
9. The scrubbing article of claim 1, wherein the texture layer
includes a plurality of randomly distributed texturings.
10. The scrubbing article of claim 1, further comprising: a
chemical solution absorbed into the substrate.
11. The scrubbing article of claim 1, wherein the texture layer
comprises a hardness that is at least equal to a hardness of the
substrate.
12. The scrubbing article of claim 1, wherein the texture layer
hardness is greater than the hardness of the substrate.
13. The scrubbing article of claim 1, wherein the substrate
consists of a single layer of material.
14. A method of manufacturing a scrubbing article comprising:
transferring a resin composition onto a surface of a substrate to
form a UV treatable texture layer on the surface and thereby form
an interim scrubbing article; treating the interim scrubbing
article with UV radiation to form a UV crosslinked texture layer on
the substrate surface; wherein the substrate comprises one of a
foam and a sponge material.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the UV crosslinked texture
layer has a relative hardness greater than a hardness of the
substrate.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein the UV treatable texture layer
and UV crosslinked texture layer each define a pattern.
17. The method of claim 14, further comprising: prior to the
treating step, exposing the interim scrubbing article to heat to
evaporate an amount of solvent from the UV treatable texture
layer.
18. The method of claim 14, wherein the UV treated texture layer
comprises a UV polymerized texture layer having a relative hardness
equal to or greater than a hardness of the substrate.
19. A method of manufacturing a scrubbing article comprising:
forming a UV treatable composition on a surface of a substrate to
form a UV crosslinkable texture layer; and UV treating the texture
layer by exposing the texture layer to UV radiation to form a UV
crosslinked texture layer; wherein the substrate consists
essentially of a sponge or a foam material.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present disclosure relates to scrubbing articles having
a UV cured textured surface. More particularly, the present
disclosure relates to scrubbing articles formed by a thick, single
layer substrate and a UV treated texture layer formed on at least
one surface of the substrate to provide the scrubbing article with
enhanced surface treating capabilities.
[0002] A variety of cleaning articles in the form of pads and wipes
have been developed and made commercially available for household
and industrial use. Consumers oftentimes desire to use the articles
for cleaning or surface treating tasks requiring scrubbing which in
turn may include various degrees of abrading and/or scouring. For
example, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to remove dried
food from a countertop using an inherently soft article.
Furthermore, overly flexible or drapable articles may prove
unwieldy when used to scour a surface as there is no substantive
handle for comfortable holding of the article when scrubbing or
scouring a surface. Further still, while a scouring or abrading
action is often desired, consumers likewise desire a scrubbing pad
or wipe that is not overly abrasive on relatively soft or easily
scratched surfaces. Finally, consumers often find cleaning articles
that are pre-loaded with a cleaning/disinfecting/sanitizing
chemical or chemicals to be useful and convenient.
[0003] In addition, manufacture of cleaning articles oftentimes
involves forming a texture or abrasive layer on a surface of one
substrate and subsequently bonding or laminating the textured
substrate to a secondary substrate or material, for example to
provide the desired handle thickness described above. Requiring
additional substrates involves added time and cost in the
manufacturing process. It is therefore desirable to provide a
single substrate material that has the desired handling properties
noted above such that an abrasive surface may be formed directly
onto the thick substrate.
[0004] Scrubbing articles have been developed to address some of
the above-identified desires and concerns. For example, U.S. Pat.
No. 7,829,478 to Johnson et al., describes a scrubbing wipe article
including a nonwoven substrate and a texture layer. The texture
layer is a non-crosslinked, abrasive resin-based material that is
printed onto at least one surface of the nonwoven substrate.
Johnson et al. teach that the texture layer composition is printed
onto the substrate and then caused to coalesce to bond the
composition to the substrate. Johnson et al. further describe that
the resin constituent does not crosslink as part of the coalescing
step and that coalescing represents a distinct advantage over other
scrubbing wipe article forming techniques in which a lengthy curing
period is required to achieve a sufficient hardness value. The
nonwoven scrubbing wipe article of Johnson et al. can be used "dry"
or can be loaded with a chemical solution.
[0005] U.S. Patent App. Pub. No 2006/0286884 to Thioliere et al.
describes a wiping article comprising a liquid-absorbent web
material and abrasive areas comprising cured binder material
disposed on a surface of the web. The web material may include
woven, knitted and non-woven materials. Non-woven materials may
include dry-laid, wet-laid and spun-bonded materials. Suitable
binder materials are disclosed that can be cured by heating,
cooling or ultraviolet light.
[0006] U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 2007/0212965 to Smith et al.
describes a flexible scrubbing material that combines at least two
discrete components, one being a continuous flexible substrate and
one a discontinuous abrasive layer affixed to the flexible
substrate. The abrasive layer is a set of plates formed from a
material different than the continuous flexible substrate. The
plate material is a printable material that subsequently
solidifies, such as epoxy. Smith et al. teach that the abrasive
plates can be formed from a solidified material such as ultraviolet
or thermally curable polymeric materials with or without abrasive
particles embedded inside. Smith et al. further describe a
technique for printing the plates onto the substrates such as
conventional screen-printing, UV etching and roller-printing. An
adhesive is sprayed on the fabric prior to application of the
plates. Other cleaning wipe constructions include or incorporate
mildly abrasive particles within or at a surface of the base
substrate. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,588 to Wong et al.
describes an abrasive wipe consisting of a paper towel-like base
substrate having printed thereon a mixture containing
irregularly-shaped polymeric particles.
[0007] Various materials and material compositions may be used to
form a textured surface layer of a scrubbing material. Further,
texture layers may be deposited or formed on a substrate using a
variety of methods. Some methods include printing, coating (e.g.,
roll, spray etc.), embossing, micro-replicating, or etching (e.g.,
laser, mechanical, etc.) a material or materials onto a substrate
to form a textured surface (also referred to herein as an "abrasive
surface") having various degrees of abrasion. Crosslinking of the
materials (i.e., abrasives) formed on the substrate can
significantly improve a variety of properties of the deposited or
formed abrasives, including the durability, hardness, tensile and
impact strength, high-heat properties, solvent and chemical
resistance, abrasion resistance, and environmental stress crack
resistance.
[0008] Ultraviolet light curing is a known photochemical process in
which high-intensity ultraviolet light is used to cure various
materials including coatings and adhesives. UV treatment can be
used to effect sterilization, polymerization and crosslinking of
materials. UV treatment is a rapid, clean and relatively
cost-effective method for crosslinking and/or polymerizing
materials and offers many advantages over traditional drying
methods such as increased production speed, reduced reject rates
and improved properties of the treated materials.
[0009] As described above, a scrubbing article having a thickness
that allows for comfortable handling by a user is desired.
Likewise, improvements in the properties of the scrubbing surface
(e.g., texture layer) of a scrubbing article may be beneficial and
therefore desirable. Finally, improvements to the manufacturing
processes of scrubbing articles can be advantageous. A need
therefore exists for a scrubbing article that includes the benefits
and advantages of a thick, single layer substrate having a UV
treated textured surface for scrubbing.
SUMMARY
[0010] A scrubbing article including a substrate made of a
single-layer foam or sponge material and a UV crosslinked texture
layer formed on a surface of the substrate. Substrates of the
present disclosure may be formed to have a thickness that allows
for ease of handling during a scrubbing or cleaning function. The
substrate can have a thickness of between 1 and 5 cm and may
particularly have a thickness of 3 cm. A second texture layer can
be formed on any other surface of the substrate. In some
embodiments the texture layer defines a pattern. In embodiments,
the texture layer includes a plurality of randomly distributed
texturings. The texture layer has a hardness at least equal to and
in embodiments, greater than the hardness of the substrate. In
embodiments, the texture composition includes a resin and at least
one photoinitiator and can include additional minerals, fillers,
colorants, thickeners, defoaming agents, surfactants or other
constituents. In embodiments, a chemical can be absorbed into the
substrate, formed on the substrate surface, and/or provided as part
of the texture layer composition.
[0011] Methods of manufacturing a scrubbing article according to
the disclosure include forming a UV treatable composition onto a
surface of a substrate to form a UV crosslinkable texture layer and
UV crosslinking the UV crosslinkable texture layer by exposing the
layer to UV radiation to form a UV crosslinked texture layer. In
methods according to the disclosure, the UV treatable composition
is a UV crosslinkable composition. In some embodiments, the UV
treatable composition is a UV polymerizable composition.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary scrubbing
article in accordance with the present disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 1A is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the surface
of the scrubbing article of FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 2 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of a portion of
the article of FIG. 1 along the lines 2-2 shown in FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 3 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of the article
portion of FIG. 2 being applied to a surface;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a simplified, schematic diagram of a method of
manufacture in accordance with an embodiment of the present
disclosure; and
[0017] FIGS. 5A-5B are top views of alternative embodiments of a
scrubbing article in accordance with the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a scrubbing article 10
in accordance with the present disclosure. Scrubbing article 10 may
be described as a consumer cleaning or scrubbing article 10. As
used throughout this Specification, the term "consumer" is in
reference to any household, cosmetic, industrial, hospital or food
industry applications and the like of the article 10. Further as
used throughout this Specification, the term "scrubbing" is used to
describe surface treating and may include cleaning, abrading and/or
scouring, including various levels or degrees of abrading and/or
scouring action (e.g., heavy duty, non-scratch, etc.). The article
10 comprises a substrate 12 and a texture layer 14 (referenced
generally in FIG. 1). The substrate 12 and the texture layer 14 can
comprise a variety of different materials as described further
below. Regardless, the texture layer 14 is characterized as
including an abrasive composition that is formed on the substrate
12 and is exposed to UV light (UV treated) to form a UV treated (UV
crosslinked and/or UV polymerized) texture layer 14, as will be
described more fully below. It is to be understood that where an
"UV crosslinkable or UV crosslinked" material or composition is
disclosed throughout this Specification, likewise an "UV
polymerizable or UV polymerized" material or composition may be
included (added) or substituted. In other words, the present
disclosure encompasses texture layer 14 compositions that may
include UV polymerized/polymerizable materials (e.g., monomers) or
UV crosslinked/crosslinkable materials (e.g., multifunctional
monomers, polymers), or may include both, whether or not indication
is specifically made to these alternative texture layer composition
possibilities. With additional reference to FIG. 2, the substrate
12 defines first and second opposing surfaces 16, 18. The thickness
of the substrate 12 (denoted by reference "t") and of the texture
layer 14 may be exaggerated or understated in FIGS. 2 and 4. The
texture layer 14 is formed on one or more surfaces of the substrate
(e.g., surface 16). The texture layer 14 can also penetrate the
surfaces 16, 18 to some degree. In some embodiments, the scrubbing
article 10 further includes a chemical solution (not shown) loaded
into, or absorbed by, the substrate 12 and/or provided as part of
the texture layer composition. Applicable chemical solutions are
likewise described in greater detail below. The texture layer 14
may be configured to accommodate a wide variety of chemical
solutions including those that are neutral, cationic, or anionic.
Further, the scrubbing article 10 is equally useful without a
chemical solution.
[0019] Compositions of the substrate 12 and the texture layer 14,
as well as processing thereof, are provided below. The scrubbing
article 10 may be described as providing a "scrubbiness" attribute.
The term "scrubbiness" is in reference to an ability to abrade or
remove a relatively small, undesirable item otherwise affixed to a
surface as the article is moved back and forth over the item. A
substrate can be given a scrubbiness characteristic not only by
forming a hardened scrubbing material on the substrate's surface
(i.e., harder than the substrate itself), but also and perhaps more
prominently via the extent to which the so-formed material extends
from or beyond the substrate surface in conjunction with
side-to-side spacing between individual sections of the scrubbing
material. The texture layer of the present disclosure provides and
uniquely satisfies both of these scrubbiness requirements.
[0020] By way of further explanation, the texture layer 14 defines
a plurality of discrete portions (e.g., the various dot-like
portions shown in FIG. 1 and referenced generally at 20a, 20b).
Discrete portions 20a, 20b may form a randomly textured surface or
may form a pattern on the substrate surface 16. Further, discrete
portions (e.g., 20a, 20b) may comprise varying relative sizes or
may be substantially uniform in size. For instance, and as
illustrated in FIG. 1A, dots 20a are relatively larger than dots
20b. Further, discrete portions (e.g., 20a, 20b) may extend or
project outwardly from the surface 16 at substantially uniform
distances or, alternatively, may extend or project outwardly from
the surface 16 at varying distances (i.e. the discrete portions
20a, 20b can have similar or varying heights with respect to the
surface 16). In some embodiments, discrete portions (e.g., 20a,
20b) may extend to any distance in a range of about 10 to about 200
microns outwardly from the surface 16. In other embodiments,
discrete portions (e.g., 20a, 20b) may extend to any distance in a
range of about 10 to about 20 microns outwardly from the surface
16. In still further embodiments, discrete portions (e.g., 20a,
20b) may extend to a distance of about 10 to about 15 microns
outwardly from the surface 16. Regardless, a variety of texturings
and/or patterns can be provided on the substrate 12. Alternative
exemplary embodiments of patterns useful with the present
disclosure are shown in FIGS. 5A-5B.
[0021] Regardless of the pattern design and/or extension distance
of portions (e.g., 20a, 20b) from the surface 16, during a
scrubbing application, a user (not shown) will normally hold the
article 10 by grasping the article for example along a side or edge
15. The thickness "t" of article 10 allows for easy grasping or
holding of the article 10 as described more fully below. The user
will then position the scrubbing article 10 such that the texture
layer 14 is facing the surface to be scrubbed. An example of this
orientation is provided in FIG. 3 whereby the scrubbing article 10
is positioned to clean or otherwise treat a surface 30. As should
be understood, the surface 30 to be cleaned is application
specific, and can be relatively hard (e.g., a table top or cooking
pan) or relatively soft (e.g., human skin, polymeric baking
vessels, etc.). Regardless, in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3,
the surface 30 to be scrubbed may have a mass 32 that is
undesirably affixed thereto. Again, the mass 32 will be unique to
the particular scrubbing application, but includes matters such as
dirt, dried food, dried blood, etc. The scrubbing article 10 of the
present disclosure facilitates scrubbing removal of the mass 32 as
a user repeatedly forces the texture layer 14 (or a portion or
section thereof) back and forth across the mass 32. Each section
(for example, the portions 20a, 20b) of the texture layer 14 must
be sufficiently hard to either abrade or entirely remove the mass
32 during the scrubbing motion. In addition, the texture layer 14
must extend an appreciable distance from the substrate surface 16
to ensure intimate surface interaction with the mass 32 along not
only an outer most surface 40, but along sides 42 as well. Portions
20a, 20b, while depicted as having uniform, sharp corners or edges
(at the intersection of surface 40 and sides 42), may likewise or
instead have rounded edges or corners or may be non-uniform in
cross-section. What is important is that the extension of the
texture layer is such that the desired scrubbiness is achieved.
Notably, many cleaning wipes incorporating a blown fiber
"scrubbing" or texture layer provide only a minimal thickness or
extension relative to the substrate surface, likely giving rise to
a less than desirable scrubbiness characteristic. Further, it is
preferred that the discrete portions (for example, the portions
20a, 20b) provided by the texture layer 14 of the present
disclosure be sufficiently spaced from one another to ensure
intimate contact between the mass 32 and the sidewall 42 of the
particular texture layer portion 20a, 20b during a cleaning
operation. Further still, it is desirable that the texture layer 14
has abrasion resistance such that the composition forming the
texture layer 14 remains substantially intact on the substrate 12
during and after the article 10 is used to scrub a surface 30. If
both surfaces 16, 18 have a texture layer 14, then each side can be
used in the manner described above. However, if one side is not
textured, the non-textured side may be used for milder scrubbing or
wiping functions. In this manner, the scrubbing article can be used
as a multifunctional or multipurpose cleaning article.
[0022] Importantly, the UV treated texture layer 14 of the present
disclosure may be configured to have a relative hardness at least
equal to or greater than the hardness of the substrate 12 to which
the layer is imparted, as briefly referred to above. Stated
otherwise, the local hardness of the texture layer portions (e.g.,
20a, 20b) or overall texture layer 14 is equal to or greater than
the hardness of the entire article 10, or the "global hardness".
Article 10 may thus be defined as having global flexibility, since
the substrate 12 is softer or more flexible in relation to the
harder, less flexible abrasive/texture layer 14. Hardness of a
texture composition 14 after having been formed on a substrate as
well as hardness of a substrate (for comparison) can be achieved in
a number of ways. For example, hardness of a material can be
established by determining the Rockwell indentation hardness, such
as described in ASTM E18-14a: Standard Test Methods for Rockwell
Hardness of Metallic Materials; by determining Knoop and Vickers
hardness, such as described in ASTM E384-10: Standard Test Method
for Knoop and Vickers Hardness of Materials; by determining the
durometer hardness, such as described in ASTM D2240-05: Standard
Test Method for Rubber Property-Durometer Hardness, or by
determining the Brinell hardness, such as described in ASTM E10-14:
Standard Test Method for Brinell Hardness of Metallic Materials. An
article having these characteristics is uniquely useful as a
scrubbing article in that the article 10 is sufficiently flexible
to allow a user to make contact in, on and about a variety of
objects to be scrubbed, while the hardness of the abrasive layer 14
provides the desired scrubbing performance. The above features are
readily achieved via the textured layer and UV treatments of the
present disclosure as described below.
Substrates
[0023] The substrate 12 can be formed from a variety of cloth, foam
and sponge materials and may take a variety of forms. Any cloth,
foam or sponge material or combination of materials suitable for
use as a consumer scrubbing article can be used including, without
limitation, polyurethane foams such as the polyurethane foam
commercially available under the trade designation, TEXTURED
SURFACE FOAM, POLYETHER, M-100SF from AERO TECHNOLOGIES LLC,
Newark, Del., USA, cellulose sponges such as the sponge
commercially available under the trade designation of SCOTCH-BRITE
STAY CLEAN NON-SCRATCH, cat. No. 20202-12 from 3M COMPANY, St.
Paul, Minn., USA, and biodegradable L200, N250, S100 sponge cloths
from Kalle GmbH, Wiesbaden, Germany.
[0024] As used herein, the term "foam" refers to a colloidal
dispersion made of two distinct phases formed by two dissimilar
materials. Thus, a foam may also be referred to as a solidified
colloidal dispersion. For polyurethane (PU) foams, for example, a
gas (most commonly carbon dioxide gas formed during foaming
reactions) is dispersed within the PU liquid to form a distinct
dispersed phase. This dispersion is subsequently solidified to
obtain solid PU foam. The term "sponge" as used herein is likewise
used to describe a solidified colloidal dispersion. For example, in
forming a cellulose sponge, a salt is dispersed in the cellulose
mixture (viscose) to form a distinct dispersed phase. The
dispersion is subsequently solidified and the salt is eliminated to
obtain solid cellulose sponge. Definitions of sponge and foam
materials as used herein may be consistent with those defined in,
"Foundations of Colloid Science", Vol. 1, Robert J. Hunter, Oxford
University Press, New York, 1987, incorporated by reference here in
its entirety.
[0025] The materials and forms of the substrate 12 can be selected
to provide varying ranges of desired properties, such as
extensibility, elasticity, durability, flexibility etc., that are
particularly suited to a given scrubbing task and/or are
particularly suited to forming a texture composition thereon. As
indicated, materials useful for substrate 12 may be selected to
have durability properties in a wide range. For example, the
durability of materials suitable for use in scrubbing articles is
often categorized as "disposable" (meaning that an article formed
from the material is intended to be discarded immediately after
use), "semi-disposable" (meaning that an article formed from the
material can be washed and re-used a limited number of times), or
"reusable" (meaning that an article formed from the material is
intended to be washed and re-used). Scrubbing articles 10 of the
present disclosure can be selected or formed to have any of these
durability properties. Also as indicated above, materials may be
selected based upon their flexibility.
[0026] According the present disclosure, consumers may prefer a
relatively more rigid article that still maintains some degree of
flexibility. A rigid article may be one that is formed of a
composition and into a form that substantially holds its shape both
when held by a user or when placed on an irregular surface.
Notably, a more rigid cleaning article may still have some degree
of flexibility so as to conform to contours of a surface to be
scrubbed. However, the articles contemplated by the present
disclosure may be of the type that return to an original form after
having been bent, compressed or otherwise manipulated during a
cleaning action.
[0027] The substrate 12 may be selected or formed to have a surface
(e.g., 16) that readily accepts the formation of a texture layer 14
thereon. In particular, the surface of the substrate may be formed
to have a skinned layer to obtain a "smoother", more uniform, less
porous or finer-pore surface. By smoother or more uniform is meant
that the surface (or surfaces) of the substrate has characteristics
that differ from the body 13 (FIG. 2) of the substrate 12 or from a
majority of the substrate material not comprising the surface. Even
where the surface or surfaces (16, 18) may be formed as described
above to have smoother surface characteristics, the entire
substrate remains of the same chemical composition.
[0028] The substrate 12 has a thickness "t" (FIG. 2) that
advantageously allows a user to hold the article 10 by grasping the
article along a side or edge 15. A user may, however, grasp the
article at surfaces 16, 18 as well. What is important is that the
thickness "t" of article 10 allows for easy grasping or holding of
the article 10 generally since a "handle" is created by the thick
nature of the substrate 12. The thickness "t" of the substrate 12
may be for example in a range of 2-5 cm. The thickness "t" can be
about 2 cm, about 3 cm, or about 4 cm. As a point of reference, the
term "thick" as used herein may be in relation to household
cleaning cloths or wipes or commonly available dish cloths that are
drapable or have thicknesses on the order of 0.5 cm or less. These
types of relatively thinner articles/substrates have ergonomic
disadvantages in handling and may become unwieldy to use to scour a
surface. Conversely, thicker substrates 12 as described herein,
provide a handle by virtue of their thickness. The handle allows
for more comfortable holding and ease of use during a scouring or
abrading function.
[0029] The substrate 12 as depicted in the cross-sectional view of
FIG. 2 is a single layer structure. The article 10 is configured
such that the texture layer 14 can be formed directly onto a
surface (e.g., surface formed by and indicated at side 15, surfaces
16, 18, etc.) of the single layer substrate 12 and form a useful
scrubbing article, without the need for lamination, bonding, or
otherwise joining etc. of the article 10 to another substrate
layer. In other words, the substrate 12 as well as the article 10
are non-laminate structures. The substrate 12 can, however, include
additional layers such as an adhesion promoter layer or tie layer,
for example.
[0030] Other sponges and foams are likewise contemplated and these
examples are not meant to be limiting. Regardless of the exact
construction, however, the substrate 12 is highly conducive to
handling by a user otherwise using the article 10 for scrubbing
purposes and is selected having regard to the intended use of the
scrubbing article 10.
Texture Layer Compositions
[0031] As discussed above, the texture layer 14 is an abrasive
composition that is formed on substrate 12 and subsequently UV
crosslinked or UV polymerized or both as will be described below.
The exact composition of the texture layer 14 can vary depending
upon desired end performance characteristics. To this end, a
texture layer composition is initially formulated and then formed
on the substrate 12. This composition will include a selected resin
and may include additional constituents such as mineral(s),
filler(s), colorant(s), thickener(s), defoaming agent(s),
surfactant(s) etc. Regardless of the exact composition, however,
the selected composition is UV treatable (i.e., polymerizable,
crosslinkable) and imparts the desired features (e.g.,
manufacturability, scrubbiness, durability, hardness and abrasion
resistance) to the scrubbing article 10. As a point of reference,
the texture layer composition 14 may be described as "UV
crosslinkable" or "UV polymerizable", or both, prior to UV
treatment (e.g., crosslinking, polymerization) of the texture layer
14 and as "UV crosslinked" or "UV polymerized", or both, after the
texture layer 14 has undergone UV treatment. The processes of
printing and UV treating the texture layer compositions of the
present disclosure are further discussed below. In addition, as
defined herein, an interim scrubbing article 17 is formed after the
texture layer composition 14 is formed on substrate 12 but prior to
UV treatment of the composition 14 and will likewise be discussed
in further detail below.
[0032] Various materials are suitable for forming the texture layer
14. As described above, texture layer 14 comprises a resin
composition and may comprise various polymers and/or monomers. Some
acceptable resins include those resins selected from the group
consisting of styrene-butadiene resin, acrylic resin, phenolic
resin, nitrile resin, ethylene vinyl acetate resin, polyurethane
resin, styrene-acrylic resin, vinyl acrylic resin and combinations
thereof. Other non-limiting examples of binder resins useful with
the present disclosure include amino resins, alkylated
urea-formaldehyde resins, melamine-formaldehyde resins, acrylic
resins (including acrylates and methacrylates) such as vinyl
acrylates, acrylated epoxies, acrylated urethanes, acrylated
polyesters, acrylated acrylics, acrylated polyethers, vinyl ethers,
acrylated oils, and acrylated silicones, alkyd resins such as
urethane alkyd resins, polyester resins, reactive urethane resins,
phenolic resins such as resole and nonvolac resins, phenolic/latex
resins, epoxy resins, and the like. The resins may be provided as
monomers, oligomers, polymers, or combination thereof. Monomers may
include multifunctional monomers capable of forming a crosslinked
structure, such as epoxy monomers, olefins, styrene, butadiene,
acrylic monomers, phenolic monomers, substituted phenolic monomers,
nitrile monomers, ethylene vinyl acetate monomer, isocyanates,
acrylic monomers, vinyl acrylic monomer and combinations thereof.
Other non-limiting examples of binder resins useful with the
present disclosure include amino acids, alkylated urea monomers,
melamines, acrylic monomers (including acrylates and methacrylates)
such as vinyl acrylates, acrylated epoxies, acrylated urethanes,
acrylated polyesters, acrylated acrylics, acrylated ethers, vinyl
ethers, acrylated oils, and acrylated silicones, alkyd monomers
such as urethane alkyd monomers, and esters.
[0033] Other desirable features of texture layer 14 compositions
include compositions having a molecular weight that allows for the
formed UV treatable texture layer 14 to have sufficient (e.g.,
minimum level of) adhesion to the substrate 12 to which it is
applied such that it does not readily wipe off of or shift along
the substrate surface 16 (i.e., such that the texture layer 14
formed on the substrate stays on the substrate surface 16 after
transfer of the texture layer 14 to the substrate 16 and prior
and/or subsequent to UV treatment). Specifically, materials may be
selected to have molecular weights or viscosities allowing the
texture layer 14 composition to be flowable in a manner that will
fill the holes or voids of a stencil pattern during transfer to or
forming of the composition on a substrate 12, sufficiently to
adhere to the substrate 12 and to hold the desired pattern shape
upon removal of the stencil from the substrate.
[0034] The composition of the texture layer includes a
photoinitiator and can optionally include a promoter or a retardant
as part of the formulation or composition of texture layer 14,
according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, as
described in detail in textbooks such as Ullmann's Encyclopedia of
Industrial Chemistry (section "Radiation Chemistry"). Exemplary
photoinitiators are those provided in TABLE 1A, herein below. Some
initiators and promoters that can assist UV crosslinking or UV
polymerization, or both, include alpha-hydroxy and
alpha-aminoacetophenones or phosphine oxides, commercially
available under the trade designations of Darocur 1173, Irgacure
651, Irgacure 369, Irgacure 819, Lucirin TPO, all commercially
available from BASF CORP., Florham Park, N.J., USA; those based on
aromatic ketones, such as benzophenones, thioxanthones,
methylphenylglyoxylate, and camphorquinone; co-initiators, such as
N-phenylglycine, ethyl p-dimethylaminobenzoate, and
2-mercaptobenzoxazole; onium salts, such as iodonium or sulfonium
salts, commercially available under the trade designations, such as
Irgacure 250 (from BASF CORP., Florham Park, N.J., USA), Cyracure
UVI 6976 (from DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY, Midland, Mich., USA), and
Esacure 1187 (from LEHMANN & VOSS & CO., Hamburg,
Germany).
[0035] In some embodiments, the texture layer 14 optionally further
includes a particulate additive for enhanced hardness. To this end,
and as described in greater detail below, the scrubbing article 10
of the present disclosure is useful in a wide variety of potential
applications having different scrubbing requirements. For some
applications, it is desirable that the scrubbing article 10, and in
particular the texture layer 14, be more or less abrasive than
others. While the above-described resin component of the texture
layer 14 independently imparts a scrubbiness feature to the article
10 greater than other available scrubbing articles, this
scrubbiness characteristic can be further enhanced via the addition
of a particulate component. With this in mind, a wide variety of
minerals or fillers as known in the art can be employed. Useful
minerals include Al.sub.2O.sub.3, "Minex" (available from The Cary
Co. of Addison, Ill.), SiO.sub.2, TiO.sub.2, etc. Exemplary fillers
include CaCO.sub.3, talc, etc. Where employed, the particulate
component additive comprises less than 70% by weight of the texture
layer 14, more preferably less than 50% by weight, most preferably
less than 30% by weight. Further, the particulate component may
consist of inorganic, hard, and small particles. For example, the
"Minex" mineral particulate component has a median particle size of
2 microns and a Knoop hardness of about 560. Of course, other
particle size and hardness values may also be useful. The inorganic
nature of the particulate component, in conjunction with the
non-ionic resin component, renders the resulting texture layer 14
amenable for use with any type of chemical solution.
[0036] The texture layer 14 can further include a colorant or
pigment additive to provide a desired aesthetic appeal to the
wiping article 10. Appropriate pigments are well known in the art,
and include, for example, products sold under the trade name
SUNSPERSE, available from Sun Chemical Corp. of Amelia, Ohio. Other
coloring agents as known in the art are equally acceptable and in
some embodiments comprise less than 10% of the texture layer
composition by weight.
[0037] Additionally, the texture layer composition can include a
thickening agent or agents to achieve a viscosity most desirable
for the particular printing technique employed and speed of the
manufacturing line. In this regard, appropriate thickening agents
are known in the art and include, for example, methylcellulose and
a material available under the trade name "RHEOLATE 255" from
Rheox, Inc. of Hightstown, N.J. Another acceptable thickening agent
is available from Huntsman International LLC, High Point, N.C., USA
under the trade designation of LYOPRINT PT-XN. A thickening agent
may be unnecessary depending upon the selected resin and processing
technique; however, where employed, the thickening agent preferably
comprises less than approximately 40% by weight of the texture
layer composition. In other embodiments, a salt component may be
provided in the composition to aid in causing an ionic reaction
between components of an emulsion and thereby likewise generate an
increase in the viscosity of the composition, as is known in the
art. Notwithstanding the above, the composition of texture layer 14
may be non-ionic, according to some embodiments.
[0038] As indicated above, anti-foaming agents may be included in
the composition to provide defoaming or emulsification of the
composition. As described in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial
Chemistry (section "Foams and Foam Control"), some anti-foaming
materials are carrier oils; such as water-insoluble paraffinic and
naphthenic mineral oils, vegetable oils, tall oil, castor oil,
soybean oil, peanut oil; silicone oils, such as
dimethylpolysiloxanes; hydrophobic silica; Hydrophobic fat
derivatives and waxes, such as fatty acid esters of monofunctional
and polyfunctional alcohols, fatty acid amides and sulfonamides,
paraffinic hydrocarbon waxes, ozokerite, and montan wax, phosphoric
acid mono-, di-, and triesters of short- and long-chain fatty
alcohols, short- and long-chain natural or synthetic fatty
alcohols, water-insoluble soaps of long-chain fatty acids,
including aluminum stearate, calcium stearate, and calcium
behenate, perfluorinated fatty alcohols; water-insoluble polymers,
such as low molecular mass, fatty acid modified alkyd resins, low
molecular mass novolaks, copolymers of vinyl acetate and long-chain
maleic and fumaric acid diesters, and methyl
methacrylate-vinylpyrrolidone copolymers, poly(propyleneglycols)
and high molecular mass propylene oxide adducts to glycerol,
trimethylol, propane (1,1,1-tris(hydroxymethyl)propane),
pentaerythritol, triethanolamine, dipentaerythritol, polyglycerol,
addition products of butylene oxide or long-chain a-epoxides with
polyvalent alcohols. An example anti-foaming agent is a silicone
emulsion commercially available under the trade designation of
XIAMETER AFE-1520, manufactured by Dow Corning Corporation of
Midland, Mich., USA.
[0039] In some embodiments, the composition of the texture layer 14
may include binder resins, ceramic microparticles or processing
agents as described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.
62/121,644, entitled, "Consumer Scrubbing Article with Ceramic
Microparticles and Method of Making Same" filed on Feb. 27, 2015
and incorporated by referenced herein in its entirety.
[0040] Finally, and as previously described, the scrubbing article
10 of the present disclosure can be used "dry" or can be loaded
with a chemical (solution or solid) for disinfecting, sanitizing or
cleaning (e.g., a soap). The term "loaded" is in reference to a
chemical solution being absorbed by the substrate 12 prior to being
delivered to a user. In addition or alternatively, the chemical may
be sprayed onto a surface of the cloth. In still further
embodiments, a chemical may be provided in or as part of the
texture layer composition 14. Thus, deposited (e.g., printed)
texture layer 14 may comprise printed soap scrubbing dots (e.g.,
20a, 20b, FIG. 1). With these various constructions, during use,
the chemical solution is released from the substrate 12 as the user
wipes the scrubbing article 10 across a surface. Thus, in
embodiments where the chemical is provided as part of the texture
layer 14, the texture layer (i.e., scrubbing portions 20a, 20b) may
gradually decrease in size as the chemical is consumed during a
scrubbing application. Due to the preferred non-ionic nature of the
texture layer 14, virtually any desired chemical (solution or
solid) can be used including water, soap, quaternary ammonium salt
solutions, Lauricidin.TM.-based anti-microbials, alcohol-based
anti-microbials, citrus-based cleaners, solvent-based cleaners,
cream polishes, anionic cleaners, amine oxides, etc. That is to
say, where employed, the chemical solution can be anionic,
cationic, or neutral.
Formation of the Scrubbing Article
[0041] Manufacture or formation of the scrubbing article 10 of the
present disclosure is depicted in the simplified block form of FIG.
4 and generally includes formulating the appropriate texture layer
composition, imparting the composition to the substrate 12 (e.g.,
via printing, coating, etching, embossing, molding,
micro-replication, etc.), and then UV treating the deposited or
formed composition, thereby resulting in a UV crosslinked or UV
polymerized (or both) texture layer 14. Various techniques for
actual depositing or imparting of the composition 14 to the
substrate 12 are described below. Importantly, however, and as
noted above, the texture layer composition is formulated such that
constituents may be UV crosslinked and/or UV polymerized as part of
the UV treating step.
[0042] This, along with the disclosed substrate constructions,
represents distinct advantages over other techniques used to form a
scrubbing article having a textured surface.
[0043] Prior to forming a texture layer 14 on a substrate 12,
depending upon the type of substrate, the surface 16 of the
substrate 12 may be primed or treated. Priming may involve
mechanical, chemical, physical and material application methods.
For example, some surface priming methods that may be especially
useful with the present disclosure include heating, applying
pressure, consolidating, flame treating, melting, cutting or
removing substrate material. Alternatively, priming may include
application of a chemical primer such as an adhesive. Notably,
however, in some embodiments, no primer is necessary prior to
transfer of the texture layer 14 composition onto the substrate 12
and achieve adequate adhesion.
[0044] The texture layer 14 composition can be formed on one or
more surfaces of the substrate 12 using a variety of known
techniques such as printing, (e.g., screen printing, gravure
printing, flexographic printing, etc.), coating (e.g., roll, spray,
electrostatic), etching, laser etching, injection molding,
micro-replicating, and embossing. In general terms, and with
reference to FIG. 4, texture former (of various types) 58 deposits
or imparts a UV treatable (i.e., crosslinkable and/or UV
polymerizable) texture layer 14 onto substrate 12 in any desired
pattern, such as any of the various patterns described above. The
texture former 58 can include, for example, a printer, roll coater,
spray coater, etching device, laser, embossing equipment,
microreplication machine, etc. As one specific, non-limiting
example, use of a printing method for imparting the texture layer
14 to the substrate 12 may be advantageous in that printing
techniques can provide a relatively high-definition (e.g., sharp)
printed composition 14. Some printing techniques may also afford
relative ease of manufacture and lower cost as compared to other
texture forming techniques described above. Regardless of the
texture forming technique, as previously described, the texture
layer 14 covers less than an entirety of the substrate surface to
which it is transferred (i.e., the surface 16 of FIG. 2), and is
preferably formed in a pattern including two or more discrete
sections. In this regard, a wide variety of patterns can be
provided. For example, the pattern can consist of a plurality of
dots as shown in FIG. 1. Alternatively, the lines can be connected
to one another. In yet alternative embodiments, and with additional
reference to FIGS. 5A-5B, the texture layer consists of a plurality
of discrete lines, dots, and/or images. Further, other desirable
pattern components, such as a company logo, can be formed.
Alternatively, a more random distribution of texture layer sections
can be imparted to the substrate 12. The present disclosure
contemplates that virtually any pattern can be obtained.
[0045] Once the texture layer 14 is formed on the substrate 12, but
prior to exposure to UV radiation (as discussed below), an interim
scrubbing article 17 is formed. The interim scrubbing article 17 is
characterized as having a UV treatable texture layer 14 that has
not yet undergone UV treatment (i.e., the UV light exposure step
has not yet been performed). The interim scrubbing article 17 may
thus also be referred to as an interim textured scrubbing article
17. Regardless, the interim scrubbing article 17 may next be
allowed to remain undisturbed (allowed to wait) for a period of
time or may directly or immediately proceed to an optional curing
step. The interim scrubbing article 17 may undergo an optional
curing step whereby the article 17 is exposed to heat, such as
given by an oven (60, FIG. 4) or infrared light (not shown), for a
short period of time. Oven and/or infrared light exposure times may
vary and may for example be in a range of less than 5 minutes, 3
minutes or less, or 2 minutes or less. With regard to infrared
exposure, often infrared light exposure is more cost effective than
heating via an oven. However, unless the composition of material
undergoing infrared light exposure is naturally highly absorbing of
infrared light, an additive may be required to allow absorption of
the infrared light by the composition. An example of an additive
useful for aiding in infrared absorption is carbon black.
Regardless, the optional step can facilitate a stronger or more
desirable adherence of the texture layer 14 to the substrate
surface 16 and can provide a more stable, less tacky texture layer
14. It is to be understood that subjecting the texture layer 14 to
the UV light itself can likewise be enough to complete
polymerization or crosslinking such that the heat or infrared
treatment) is unnecessary. Likewise, it is to be understood that
for some compositions of texture layer 14, no water or solvent is
present in the texture layer 14 prior to UV treatment, thus no
evaporation step may be desired or necessary. For example, in
embodiments of the present disclosure, the texture layer
composition 14 comprises a material that does not require a water
based or solvent based resin or compound to achieve material flow
sufficient to transfer to a substrate (e.g., 12) in a desired
pattern.
[0046] Next, after the texture layer 14 has been formed on the
substrate 12, and after any optional steps described above, the
interim textured scrubbing article 17 is subjected to UV radiation
to crosslink or polymerize, or both, the texture layer 14
composition provided thereon. As illustrated in FIG. 4, a UV light
62 irradiates UV treatable texture layer 14 of interim scrubbing
article 17 to thereby form a UV treated (i.e., UV crosslinked
and/or UV polymerized) texture layer 14 on substrate 12 thus
forming the resultant scrubbing article 10. Due to the stable
nature or chosen viscosity of the texture layer 14 composition, the
UV treatable texture layer 14 and the UV treated texture layer 14
will have a substantially similar or a same texture pattern i.e.,
the pattern created by the initial deposition or formation of
texture layer 14 will not substantially change, if at all, prior to
or after UV treatment of the texture layer 14.
[0047] Regardless of the exact composition and dimensions of
substrate 12 and the composition, dimensions or pattern of the
texture layer 14, the scrubbing article 10 of the present
disclosure provides a marked improvement over previous consumer
scrubbing articles in terms of cost as well as ease and flexibility
of the manufacturing processes that may be used in forming
scrubbing articles. In addition, scrubbing articles of the present
disclosure exhibit suitable abrasion resistance performance and may
beneficially include a single layer substrate or non-laminated
article that provides superior handling. Likewise, UV crosslinked
texture layers 14 of the present disclosure may have increased
durability, hardness, tensile and impact strength, high-heat
properties, solvent and chemical resistance, and environmental
stress crack resistance. Exemplary scrubbing articles 10 are
provided below. The components and/or weight percent amounts
provided by the compositions can readily be varied, yet fall within
the scope of the present disclosure.
Example A
TABLE-US-00001 [0048] TABLE 1A Texture Layer (Printing Abrasive)
Materials Item Description Acrylate Trimethylolpropane Triacrylate
with a viscosity of 106 cps at 25 C. and the glass transition
temperature of 62.degree. C., commercially available under the
trade designation SR351 from SARTOMER USA LLC, Exton, PA, USA.
Epoxy-1 An undiluted, clear, difunctional bisphenol
A/epichlorohydrin derived liquid epoxy resin, commercially
available under the trade designation of EPON Resin 828 from HEXION
SPECIALTY CHEMICALS, INC, Houston, TX, USA. Epoxy-2
3,4-Epoxycyclohexylmethyl-3,4-epoxycyclohexane carboxylate resin
with an epoxide equivalent weight of 131-143 and with a viscosity
of 350-450 cp (at 25.degree. C.), commercially available under the
trade designation of CYRACURE UVR 6110 from DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY,
Midland, MI, USA. Photoinitiator-1
2-Benzyl-2-dimethylamino-1-(4-morpholinophenyl)-butanone-1,
commercially available under the trade designation IRGACURE 369
from BASF CORP., Florham Park, NJ, USA. Photoinitiator-2 50 wt. %
Triarylsulfonium hexafluoroantimonate salt in propylene carbonate
commercially available under the trade designation CPI6976 from
ACETO Corp., Port Washington, NY, USA. Silica Untreated, amorphous,
synthetic, colloidal fumed silica with a specific surface area of
200 m.sup.2/g, commercially available under the trade designation
of CABOSIL M5 from CABOT CORPORATION, Billerica, MA, USA. Filler-1
240 grit aluminum oxide ceramic powder with a specific gravity of
3.965 at 25.degree. C. Filler-2 Natural Wollastonite mineral powder
with a specific gravity of 2.9 at 25.degree. C., commercially
available under the trade designation of NYCO from MINERA ROCA
RODANDO S. de R.L. de C.V., Hermosillo, Sonora, MEXICO. Filler-3
Ground calcium carbonate powder with a specific gravity of 2.7 at
25.degree. C., commercially available under the trade designation
of #10 WHITE from IMERYS PIGMENTS, Roswell, GA, USA Pigment Liquid
purple pigment, commercially available under the trade designation
of REACTINT VIOLET X80LT from MILLIKEN & COMPANY, Spartanburg,
SC, USA. Thickener Fully neutralized, anionic acrylic polymer
dispersion with a specific gravity of 1.1, commercially available
under the trade designation of LYOPRINT PT-XN from HUNTSMAN
INTERNATIONAL LLC, High Point, North Carolina, USA
Preparation of Texture Layer Compositions
[0049] All ingredients of TABLE 1A were weighted out to the nearest
0.1 grams in separate rigid plastic containers in desired
quantities. A mixture was prepared by placing all ingredients in a
rigid plastic container. The photoinitiator was placed last and
care was exercised not to expose the photoinitiator to excessive
ambient light. The mixture was first mixed by hand for 30 seconds
and a lid was secured on the container before starting the mixing.
The mixture was then mixed for 30 seconds in a laboratory
centrifugal mixer commercially available from FLACKTEK INC.,
Landrum, S.C., USA under the trade designation of SPEEDMIXER DAC
400.1 VAC-P. The rotation speed of the mixer was set to 2500 rpm.
After 30 seconds, the mixer was stopped, and the plastic container
which had the mixture in it was removed from the mixer and wrapped
with aluminum foil. The container was left undisturbed on a
laboratory bench for 24 hours. The list of prepared acrylate and
epoxy mixtures is presented in TABLES 2A and 3A.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2A Composition of the Prepared Acrylate
Mixture Component Weight (g) Acrylate 134.1 Filler-3 142.4 Filler-1
69.7 Photoinitiator-1 3.0 Pigment 0.7 Silica 7.1 Thickener 2.0
TOTAL 359.1
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3A Composition of the Prepared Epoxy Mixture
Component Weight (g) Epoxy-1 75.0 Epoxy-2 75.0 Silica 20.4
Photoinitiator-2 7.5 Filler-2 90.0 Filler-1 45.5 TOTAL 313.4
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4A Substrate Materials Foam Polyurethane foam
sheet with a density of 27 kg/m.sup.3, with dimensions of 20 cm
.times. 10 cm .times. 2.54 cm, and with a relatively less porous
top and bottom surfaces, commercially available under the trade
designation of TEXTURED SURFACE FOAM, POLYETHER, M-100SF from AEARO
TECHNOLOGIES LLC, Newark, DE, USA. Cellulose Cellulose sponge sheet
commercially available under the trade sponge designation of
SCOTCH-BRITE STAY CLEAN NON- SCRATCH SCRUB SPONGE, with a thickness
of 1.7 cm and with a catalog number of 20202-12 from 3M COMPANY,
ST. PAUL, MN, USA
[0050] The foam and cellulose sponge specimens were used
as-received. It is evident that any other thick non-woven substrate
would be similarly useful. An example of a commercially available
thick non-woven substrate was the non-woven bath sponge with a
thickness of 3 cm, commercially available under the trade
designation of ACTIBEL TONIFICANTE from 3M ESPANA, S.A., Madrid,
SPAIN.
Printing the Prepared Compositions onto the Prepared Substrates
[0051] For each of the prepared substrates of TABLE 4A, a metal
stencil with the texture pattern shown in FIG. 1 was placed on top
of the substrate specimen. The substrate was secured on a flat
laboratory bench by applying adhesive tape on its edges. Then, a
metal stencil with the desired printing pattern was placed on top
of the substrate specimen. Approximately 50 grams of the prepared
printing mixture was placed on the stencil with the help of a
wooden applicator. The printing mixture was then applied on the
printing pattern of the stencil with a shearing motion while
applying hand pressure downwards, with the help of a hand-held
squeegee. It was observed that the printing mixture filled the
holes of the printing pattern and was transferred onto the
substrate specimen. Then, the stencil was removed and the printed
substrate specimen was left undisturbed on a laboratory bench for
one minute.
[0052] It was observed that the relatively smooth surfaces of the
foam and cellulose sponge substrates substrate enabled more
uniformly printed (sharp) patterns.
UV Treatment of the Printed Samples
[0053] After one minute, the printed specimens were subjected to UV
radiation under a standard D-bulb (EPIQ 6000, commercially
available from Heraeus Noblelight America LLC, Gaithersburg, Md.,
USA), in a continuous line with a line speed of 9.33 m/min. The
D-bulb had a power of 600 W.
Testing Abrasive Properties of the Printed Samples
[0054] The abrasive properties of the printed specimens were tested
with a Frazier Schiefer Uniform Abrasion Tester, commercially
available from Frazier Precision Instrument Company, Inc.
Hagerstown, Md., USA. In the test, the printed specimens were first
saturated with deionized water and then used as the abradant. An
optically transparent, rigid plastic disk was used as the substrate
to be abraded. The disk was laser cut with a diameter of 10.2 cm
and with a thickness of 0.3 cm from a rigid plastic sheet
commercially available from Evonik Industries AG, Essen, Germany,
under the trade designation of ACRYLATE GP. During the test, the
abradant abraded the disk with a rotation speed of 250 rpm and the
test was terminated when total revolutions reached 1000. The weight
of the disk was measured before and after the test to the nearest
0.001 grams. The difference between the weight values was recorded
and reported as the percentage of the initial weight in TABLE 5A
(under the column of `abraded weight from the disk after 1000
revolutions`).
TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5A Evaluation of Abrasive Properties of the
Printed Samples Abraded weight from disk after Specimen 1000
revolutions (wt %) Acrylate printed on non-woven 0.47 Acrylate
printed on foam 0.31 Acrylate printed on cellulose sponge 0.61
Epoxy printed on non-woven 0.23 Epoxy printed on foam 0.14 Epoxy
printed on cellulose sponge 0.19
Results
[0055] The data presented TABLE 5A indicate that the acrylate
formulation printed on different substrates was more abrasive then
the epoxy formulation.
Example B
TABLE-US-00006 [0056] TABLE 1B Printed Article Composition Item
Description Acrylate Trimethylolpropane triacrylate, commercially
available as SR351 from Sartomer USA, Exton PA, USA. Filler 1
CaSiO3, commercially available as Wollastocoat M400 from NYCO
Minerals, Inc., Willsboro, NY, USA. Filler 2 Untreated, amorphous,
synthetic, colloidal fumed silica commercially available as CABOSIL
M5 from CABOT CORPORATION, Billerica, MA, USA. Pigment Liquid
purple pigment, commercially available as REACTINT VIOLET X80LT
from MILLIKEN & COMPANY, Spartanburg, SC, USA. Flow agent 1
Cross-linkable silicone acrylate, commercially available as Tegorad
2100 from Evonik Industries AG, Essen, Germany Flow agent 2
Polydimethylsilane with a viscosity of 1000 cPs, commercially
available as Element14* PDMS 1000 from Momentive Performance
Materials, Inc., Waterford, NY, USA. Photoinitiator-1
Phenylbis(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide, commercially
available as IRGACURE 819 from BASF CORP., Florham Park, NJ, USA.
Photoinitiator-2 Diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)-phosphinic acid
ethyl ester, commercially available as LUCERIN TPO-L from BASF
Corp, Florham Park, NJ, USA. Foam 1 Cellulose sponge cloth with a
unit weight of 100 g/m2, approximately 1 mm thick, commercially
available from Kalle GmbH, Wiesbaden, Germany Foam 2 Open cell,
polyurethane foam with an approximate density of 26 kg/m3,
approximately 18 mm thick, commercially available from NCFI
Polyurethanes, Inc., Mount Airy, NC, USA
Preparation of Texture Layer Compositions
[0057] All texture layer compositions were mixed with a DAC-400
SpeedMixer.TM. asymmetric centrifugal mixer (Flacktek Inc.,
Landrum, S.C. USA) using Flacktek plastic mixing containers. For
ink composition 1, 1.5 g of photoinitiator 1 was added to a mixing
container with 162.5 g of the acrylate and mixed for several
minutes until the photoinitiator was dissolved, then 135.0 g of
filler 1, 5.7 g of filler 2, 0.2 g of pigment, 4.7 g of flow agent
1, and 4.7 g of flow agent 2 were added to the container and mixed
for 3 minutes at 2500 rpm. For ink composition 3, 3.0 g of
photoinitiator 2 was added to a mixing container with 161.7 g of
the acrylate and mixed for several minutes until the photoinitiator
was well mixed in the acrylate, then 141.1 g of filler 1, 7.9 g of
filler 2, 0.2 g of pigment, 4.7 g of flow agent 1, and 4.7 g of
flow agent 2 were added to the container and mixed for 3 minutes at
2500 rpm. The compositions of the two inks are listed below:
TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 2B The Texture Layer (Printing Abrasive)
Compositions MATERIAL MATERIAL MATERIAL MATERIAL MATERIAL 1 (g) 1
(%) 3 (g) 3 (%) Acrylate 162.5 51.73 161.7 50.05 Photoinitiator-1
1.5 0.478 Photoinitiator-2 3.0 0.929 Filler 1 135.0 42.99 141.1
43.66 Filler 2 5.7 1.799 7.9 2.43 Pigment 0.2 0.048 0.2 0.046 Flow
agent 1 4.7 1.481 4.7 1.439 Flow agent 2 4.7 1.481 4.7 1.439 Totals
314.1 100 323.1 100
TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 3B Substrate Materials Foam 1 Cellulose sponge
cloth with a unit weight of 100 g/m2, approximately 1 mm thick,
commercially available from Kalle GmbH, Wiesbaden, Germany Foam 2
Open cell, polyurethane foam with an approximate density of 26
kg/m3, approximately 18 mm thick, commercially available from NCFI
Polyurethanes, Inc., Mount Airy, NC, USA
Substrate Preparation
[0058] The substrates were used as-received with the exception of
cutting. Foam 1 (cellulose sponge cloth) was prepared by cutting
into squares approximately 22 cm by 22 cm. Foam 2 was prepared by
cutting into squares approximately 17 cm by 17 cm.
Printing the Prepared Compositions onto the Prepared Substrates and
Dot Height
[0059] The printing composition was screen printed onto substrates
Foam 1 and Foam 2 using a metal screen with circular openings
approximately 1.8 mm in diameter; each opening was separated from
other openings by a distance of approximately 2 mm. The ink was
forced through the holes in the screen using a squeegee. The
resulting printed articles therefore had a pattern of printing
composition dots. The printing composition dots were either raised
or at the sponge surface, depending on the substrate and amount of
printing composition applied. On the cellulose sponge cloth
substrate of Foam 1, the printing composition dots were raised with
a cured printing composition dot height of approximately 0.5-1.6
mm. On the more porous polyurethane sponge of Foam 2, the printing
composition dots were at the surface of the sponge (but exposed
when the sponge was compressed). Printing composition viscosity
will have an effect on printing composition dot height. A more
viscous printing composition would result in a higher printing
composition dot height, and a less viscous printing composition
would result in a lower printing composition dot height. The
printing composition viscosity was not varied, however: both
printing compositions were on the order of 10,000 cPs (as measured
with a Brookfield Model RVTD viscometer).
Curing Conditions
[0060] Printing compositions were cured under either 395 nm LED
ultraviolet lamps (Phoseon) or a D-bulb lamp (Heraeus-Fusion),
without nitrogen purge. Curing was done at line speeds up 60 m/min
(200 ft/min). At this speed using the D-bulb, printing compositions
were cured with a measured energy as low as 223 mJ/cm2, 83 mJ/cm2,
9 mJ/cm2 and 267 mJ/cm2 for UVA, UVB, UVC, and UVV, respectively.
At this speed, for the 395 nm LED bulb, printing compositions were
cured with a measured energy as low as 42 mJ/cm2.
Results
[0061] Durability of the finished article (i.e., adhesion of the
printing composition dots) was tested using a straight line
washability tester (Gardner Laboratory, Silver Spring, Md.) similar
to that described in ASTM D-3450, with the following differences:
[0062] a. The finished articles were placed in the sponge holder
and backed with additional polyurethane (for the printed
polyurethane sponge) or cellulose sponge (for the cellulose sponge
cloth) so that the printed surfaces of the finished article were
exposed to the scrub solution. [0063] b. The scrub solution was a
0.15% by volume solution of Dawn.RTM. dishwashing liquid (Dawn.RTM.
is a registered trademark of Proctor and Gamble), in deionized
water. Enough scrubbing solution was added to keep the finished
articles wet, without excess water splashing out. The scrub
solution was completely replaced for each test. [0064] c. The
weighted sponge holder was approximately 344 g (with dry cellulose
sponge backing and dry printed sponge cloth) and 340 g (with dry
polyurethane sponge backing and printed polyurethane sponge).
[0065] d. The surface being scrubbed was a clean piece of glass,
free of scratches.
[0066] Both of the finished article with Foam 1 and the finished
article with Foam 2 exceeded 5000 cycles (over 2 hours continuous
scrubbing) without loss of printed composition dots. The finished
articles were determined to be non-scratching, as the glass
substrate remained free of scratches after the tests.
Example C
TABLE-US-00009 [0067] TABLE 1C Printed Article Composition Item
Description Acrylate 55 wt % of a mixture comprising: 70 wt % UVR
6110 UV curable epoxy acrylate available from The Dow Corning
Corporation of Midland, MI, USA. 30 wt % Trimethylolpropane
triacrylate, commercially available as SR351 from Sartomer USA,
Exton PA, USA Filler 40 wt % of a mixture comprising: 20 wt % Super
Gloss 90 calcinated clay available from 20 Microns Limited, 134/135
Hindustan Kohonoor Industrial Complex, LBS Marg, Vikhroli (W),
Mumbai-83, INDIA. 80 wt % UV Curable epoxy binder OPV9051 available
from UV Resin Private Limited, 339, Shivaji Nagar, Indore-3, Madhya
Pradesh, INDIA. Pigment 3-4 wt % PVC based printing ink - Red (SG
510) available from Seiko Advance (India) Pvt Ltd. Plot No. 442,
Pace City - II, Sector 37, Guragaon, Haryana, 122001, INDIA.
Photoinitiator-1 3 wt % CPI 6976 available from Aceto Corporation,
New York, NY, USA Photoinitiator-2 1 wt % Irgacure 819 available
from BASF CORP., Florham Park, NJ, USA Substrate Scotch Brite .RTM.
Sponge Wipe (having a moist dimension of 15 cm L .times. 18 cm W
.times. 4.975 mm D available from 3M India Ltd., 48-51, Electronic
City, Hosur Road, Bangalore 560100, INDIA.
Substrate Preparation
[0068] The substrates were used as-is except in the case where the
moisture content was high to a degree based on hand-feel. If upon
touching, the user's hand did not feel moist, it was not considered
"wet." If upon touching, a user's hand felt wet, the substrate was
placed in a HAO-L oven set at 105 degrees C. for 15 minutes (oven
available from Thermocon Instruments (P) Limited, 872, HAL,
3.sup.rd Stage, (opp BEML gate), Bangalore-75, INDIA).
Printing the Prepared Compositions onto the Prepared Substrates and
Dot Height
[0069] To prepare the printed compositions, take a 250 ml beaker
and transfer 150 grams of filled UV curable resin composition
(OPV9051 grade) and add 6 grams of SG 510 Red Ink to the beaker
(i.e. 4%) under constant stirring. Then using stirrer model IKA
Eurostar-ST PCV at 150 rpm for 15 minutes at room temperature.
Then, allow the mixture to settle at room temperature.
[0070] Mount a polyester mesh screen frame with the desired print
design to an ATMA printing machine Model No. AT-80 P available from
ATMA CHAMP ENT. CORP., No. 65, Wuquan 7.sup.th Road, WUGU Dist.,
New Paipei City 248, TAIWAN. The prepared composition, as prepared
above, was poured at the middle of the screen. The printing bar was
run left and right one time to spread the ink over the mesh screen
frame. The printing speed was set at 8 m/min. Then the substrate
was placed under the screen and printed with single/and double
pass. The printed substrate was then dried with a Fusion UV dryer
model no. P600 M available from Heraus Nobelight Fusion UV Inc.,
910 Clopper Road, Gaithersburg, Md. 20878, USA for curing and
setting of the coated composition on the substrate.
The Effect of Substrate Dimension and Feel after UV Curing
[0071] To determine the effect of UV curing on product dimension,
three wipes were prepared as generally discussed above. Each wipe
passed through the UV curing chamber a different number of times. A
"single pass" wipe was passed through the UV curing chamber one
time. A "two pass" wipe was passed through the UV curing chamber
twice and a "three pass" wipe was passed through the UV curing
chamber three times. At a UV curing chamber feed rate of 17 units,
the wipe was exposed to about 2,500 mJ/cm.sup.2 for each pass. It
was observed that the "three pass" wipes did show some dimensional
change and that the wipe felt harsh and stiff to the touch. After
leaving the wipe overnight in the oven (without heat), the wipe
regained the original dimensions and feel, thus indicating that UV
curing and drying was not irreversibly altering the dimension and
feel of the wipe.
Impact of Drying & Moistening Test
[0072] The three wipes were further tested to evaluate the impact
of drying and moistening the wipe on stability of the printed
texture layer. It was observed that after wetting the wipe and then
drying at 105 degrees C. for two hours in a TEMPO dryer model no.
TI 126D (available from TEMPO Instruments & Equipments (1) PVT.
LTD., To Syringe Comp, W.E. Highway, B/H, Samrat Hotel, Pandurang
Wadi, PO: Mira, Dist.: Thane-401 104, INDIA), no cracks were found
in the texture layer on any of the three wipes. The wipes were then
re-wetted and, again, no cracks formed in any of the printed
texture layer. The three wipes were also washed for two hours in a
Samsung WA80K8SEG/XTL washing machine (available from Samsung
India, Mumbai, Maharashtra, INDIA) at 60 degrees C. In this
experiment, a noticeable loss of the printed texture layer was
observed in each of the wipes.
[0073] The one pass wipe suffered considerable printed textured
layer loss. The two pass wipe had noticeable loss of the printed
textured layer but the printed textured layer did not crack. The
three pass wipe retained the most of the printed textured layer and
the printed texture layer only slightly wore off. The performance
of the two pass wipe and the three pass wipe were deemed
satisfactory in this regard.
Crocking Performance (Surface Abrasion) Test
[0074] In a surface abrasion or crocking test, each of the three
wipes were tested per AATCC 8 test method and the test was
continued even after 10 turns to check the performance consistency
of abrasive coating on a sponge wipe substrate. The equipment used
for testing was a MECRUB XT MAG-C0221 crock meter available from
MAG SOLVICS PRIVATE LTD, Coimatore-642109, INDIA. The wipes were
tested until a severe loss of printed texture layer occurred. A
severe loss of printed texture layer occurred in 10 cycles for the
single pass wipe, 50 cycles for the two pass wipe and 10 cycles for
the three pass wipe.
Scrubbing Performance Test
[0075] The one pass, two pass and three pass wipes were also tested
on a crayon stain to determine how many scrubbing passes would be
required to remove the stain. This test was conducted using a 57 mm
long.times.7.5 mm diameter wax crayon available from Camel Wax
Crayons, Kokuyo Camlin Ltd, 48/2, Hilton House, Central Road, MIDC,
Andheri(E), Mumbai-400093, INDIA. The Camlin Wax crayon was used to
make a stain. A circle of 3 cm in diameter was made on a granite
table top and was colored in by manually holding the crayon like a
pencil. The granite table top was a regular, non-polished surface
without any deep cracks, holes or uneven surface areas. All of the
crayon stains were made at the same time. The test wipe made moist
and pliable with water and the printed side was manually wiped over
the crayon stain in the same way used by typical consumers of such
wipes for in-home use. The test for each wipe was conducted by the
same operator at the same time to adopt generally uniform speed and
pressure throughout the test in attempts to avoid variations in the
results. The number of strokes need to clean the crayon stain
completely from the granite test surfaces was recorded. Each pass
of the wipe constituted one stroke. Post cleaning of the stain, the
granite test surface was cross-checked to ensure the stain was
completely cleaned from the test surface. As illustrated in TABLE
3C below, the one pass, two pass and three pass wipes all performed
better than many of the other scrubbing articles tested.
TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 2C Scrubbing Performance of Textured Layer
Type of Wipe Scotch Brite .RTM. Sponge wipe (NOT "One Pass" "Two
Pass" "Three Pass" printed) Wipe Wipe Wipe Number of strokes 68 65
37 40 required to clean the Crayon stain
Results
[0076] The above testing of the one, two and three pass wipes
described in Example C indicate that the printed surface of the
single pass wipe produces a very light coating that is removed
relatively easily in washing and rubbing tests. The double pass
wipe performed satisfactory in all tests described in Example C.
The three pass wipe was stiffer and, as a result, the printed
surface wore out in the crocking and washing tests.
[0077] Although the present disclosure has been described with
reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will
recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
* * * * *