Method for manufacturing a cosmetic product applicator by additive manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11267198-B2
Application number	US-201916962148-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2019
Priority date	Jan 15, 2018
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a cosmetic product applicator including a gripping part and an applicator part having bristles or teeth. The method includes additive manufacturing (S1) by sintering a powder of a plastics material followed by depowdering (S2) and post-treatment for the removal of particles that have become detached from the cosmetic product applicator or are partially sintered, the post-treatment including blasting (S4) and ionizing blowing (S5). This method allows the removal of particles likely to be irritating, for example with a size greater than 500 micrometers, while being suitable for industrial production. The invention also relates to an associated production method.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Method of manufacturing a one-piece cosmetic product applicator having a grip part and an application part, the application part having bristles or teeth, said method comprising;
additive manufacturing (S 1 ) by sintering of a powder of plastic material; and
following the additive manufacturing (S 1 ):
depowdering (S 2 ); and
post-treatment that eliminates particles that are detached from said cosmetic product applicator or that are partially sintered, the post-treatment comprising:
sand-blasting (S 4 ); and
ionizing blowing (S 5 ).

2. Manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the post-treatment further comprises a final method part of washing (S 6 ).

3. Manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the post-treatment further comprises a final method part of washing (S 6 ) in a non-aqueous solvent.

4. Manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the plastic material is a polyamide.

5. Manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the plastic material is an aliphatic polyamide.

6. Manufacturing method according to claim 1 wherein:
the plastic material is an aliphatic polyamide in the form of polyamide 11 .

7. Manufacturing method according to claim 4 , further comprising, prior to the additive manufacturing (S 1 ):
processing of the polyamide powder (S 0 ) comprising:
providing new powder having only grains of which a greatest dimension is less than or equal to 150 microns;
providing so-called used powder having already served for additive manufacturing method part, and the calibration of said used powder in order for it to have only grains of which a greatest dimension is less than or equal to 150 microns; and
mixing the new powder and the calibrated used powder in a new powder/used powder ratio comprised between 70/30 and 50/50.

8. Manufacturing method according to claim 7 , wherein:
the powder/used power ratio is on the order of 60/40.

9. Manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the additive manufacturing (S 1 ) comprises powder bed fusion by laser.

10. Manufacturing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a pre-blowing method part (S 3 ) prior to the sand-blasting.

11. Manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the sand-blasting is carried out by microsphere treatment with glass spheres of a diameter comprised between 45 microns and 90 microns.

12. Manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the sand-blasting (S 4 ) is carried out in a rotary drum comprising two sand-blasting nozzles.

13. Manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the ionizing blowing (S 5 ) is carried out in a rotary drum comprising an internal ionizing bar and an external ionizing bar.

14. Manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the sand-blasting (S 4 ) and the ionizing blowing (S 5 ) are carried out in batches of 300 to 10 000 cosmetic product applicators.

15. Method of producing cosmetic product applicators comprising a manufacturing method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
at least one qualifying method part (S 7 ) comprising determining, in a batch of a predetermined number of cosmetic product applicators, a number of residual particles that are detached or partially sintered of a largest dimension greater than 500 microns, and, if said number of particles is not zero, modifying at least one parameter of a post-treatment, then performing a succession of manufacturing methods and qualifying method parts (S 7 ) until said number of particles of largest dimension greater than 500 microns is zero.

Assignees

• Chanel Parfums Beaute

Inventors

• Salciarini Christian
• Bertucchi Quentin

Classifications

• B33Y40/20

  Post-treatment, e.g. curing, coating or polishing · CPC title

• B24C1/08

  for polishing surfaces, e.g. {smoothing a surface} by making use of liquid-borne abrasives · CPC title

• B29L2031/718

  Cosmetic equipment, e.g. hair dressing, shaving equipment (brushes B29L2031/42, combs B29L2021/005) · CPC title

• B29C64/153 Primary

  using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting · CPC title

• B29C64/268

  using laser beams; using electron beams [EB] · CPC title