Integrated elastomeric article manufacturing system and process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10092047-B2
Application number	US-201514941539-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2015
Priority date	Nov 13, 2014
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

Described are systems, devices, and methods for stripping a formed thin film elastomeric article such as a latex or synthetic polymer medical or surgical glove from a mold, inverting the article, and transferring and securing the inverted article to a mandrel for further on-line processing, integrating dip forming and off-line surface treatment processes into a single, continuous on-line process. The system can include a stripping apparatus including an actuation device for peeling the article from the mold and inverting the article, and a donning device to receive the inverted article. The system may position the article about a mandrel of the donning device. The mandrel may expand or separate to engage the interior of the inverted article to securely hold the article on the mandrel. The donning device may be coupled to a continuous loop conveyor chain to carry the donning device and the mounted article through on-line secondary processing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising an online glove stripping and inverting mechanism for stripping and inverting an elastomeric article from a mold and re-donning the glove on a second mechanism for secondary online processing;
wherein the glove stripping and inverting mechanism comprises a stripping apparatus that comprises a cuff rolling device and a roll-back device; and
wherein the second mechanism comprises a glove donning device; and
wherein the glove donning device comprises at least one mandrel.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the mold is a former.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the glove stripping and inverting mechanism comprises a glove stripping device.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the glove stripping device comprises at least one mechanical arm.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the glove stripping device comprises at least two mechanical arms.

6. The system of claim 3 , wherein the glove stripping device comprises one or more gripping members.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the stripping apparatus comprises a lifting device.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the stripping apparatus comprises an actuation device.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the mandrel has at least one holding member.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the roll-back device of the system further comprises air nozzles.

11. A system comprising an online glove stripping and inverting mechanism for stripping and inverting an elastomeric article from a mold and re-donning the glove on a second mechanism for secondary online processing;
wherein the glove stripping and inverting mechanism comprises a stripping apparatus that comprises a cuff rolling device and a roll-back device.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second mechanism comprises a glove donning device.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the glove donning device comprises at least one mandrel.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the mold is a former.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the glove stripping and inverting mechanism comprises a glove stripping device.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the glove stripping device comprises at least one mechanical arm.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the glove stripping device comprises at least two mechanical arms.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the glove stripping device comprises one or more gripping members.

19. The system of claim 11 , wherein the stripping apparatus comprises a lifting device.

20. The system of claim 11 , wherein the stripping apparatus comprises an actuation device.

21. The system of claim 11 , wherein the mandrel has at least one holding member.

22. The system of claim 11 , wherein the roll-back device of the system further comprises air nozzles.

Assignees

• Allegiance Corp

Inventors

• Wong Wei Cheong
• Lim Jason
• Yeoh Tse-Liang

Classifications

• B29L2031/4864

  Gloves · CPC title

• B29K2021/00

  Use of unspecified rubbers as moulding material · CPC title

• B29C41/42

  Removing articles from moulds, cores or other substrates {(B29C33/444 and B29C37/0017 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B29C37/0017 Primary

  by stripping articles from mould cores · CPC title

• A41D19/0062

  made of one layer of material · CPC title