Flocking Sanding Tool and Manufacturing Method Thereof

Abstract

A sanding tool includes a backing layer an adhesive layer and an abrasive layer. The adhesive layer is provided at the backing layer for bonding the abrasive layer at the backing layer via flocking techniques.

Claims

1. A sanding tool, comprising: a backing layer; an adhesive layer; and an abrasive layer which is flocked onto the backing layer, extended through the adhesive layer, bonded at the backing layer via the adhesive layer, and retained at the backing layer, wherein the backing layer and the adhesive layer of the sanding tool are made of an adhesive compound comprising: a water-based adhesive; a leveling agent; and a solidifying agent, wherein the water-based adhesive, the leveling agent and the solidifying agent are physically mixed.

2. The sanding tool, as recited in claim 1, wherein a weight ratio for the water-based adhesive, the leveling agent and the solidifying agent is 85-103:1:1.5-2 in sequence.

3. The sanding tool, as recited in claim 2, wherein an adhesive medium of the backing layer and the adhesive layer of the sanding tool are made of the adhesive compound material.

4. A manufacturing method for making a sanding tool, comprising the steps of: (a) configuring an adhesion material; (b) configuring a backing layer by applying an adhesion medium at a web base and overlapping a backing cloth at the adhesion medium; (c) drying the backing layer at a temperature ranged from 75° C. to 95° C. for about 20-30 minutes; (d) applying the adhesion material at the backing layer at a backing cloth thereof to form an adhesive layer at the backing layer; (e) flocking an abrasive layer at the backing layer; and (f) shaping the sanding tool after being dried at a temperature ranged from 75° C. to 95° C. for about 20-30 minutes.

5. The manufacturing method, as recited in claim 4, wherein the adhesion material is a compound adhesive material comprising a water-based adhesive, a leveling agent and a solidifying agent, wherein an optimal mixture for the water-based adhesive, the leveling agent and the solidifying agent is 100-103:1:1.5-3 at a weight ratio respectively.

6. The manufacturing method, as recited in claim 4, wherein the step (a) further comprises a step of mixing a water-based adhesive, a leveling agent and a solidifying agent at a weight ratio of 100-103:1:1.5-3 respectively.

7. The manufacturing method, as recited in claim 4, wherein the adhesion medium of the backing layer and the adhesive material forming the adhesive layer is made of the adhesion material produced in the step (a).

8. The manufacturing method, as recited in claim 4, wherein abrasive particles of the abrasive layer is extended through the adhesive layer and retained at the backing cloth of said backing layer.

9. The manufacturing method, as recited in claim 8, wherein the step (e) further comprises the steps of: (e-1) extending the abrasive particles of the abrasive layer through the adhesive layer; (e-2) contacting the abrasive particles of the abrasive layer with the backing cloth of the backing layer; and (e-3) retaining the abrasive particles at the backing layer via the adhesive layer.

10. A sanding tool, comprising: a backing layer; an adhesive layer; and an abrasive layer which is flocked onto the backing layer, extended through the adhesive layer, bonded at the backing layer via the adhesive layer, and retained at the backing layer

11. The sanding tool, as recited in claim 10, wherein the backing layer further comprises a web base, an adhesion medium and a backing cloth, wherein the adhesion medium is provided between the web base and the backing cloth to couple the web base and the backing cloth together.

12. The sanding tool, as recited in claim 10, wherein said adhesive layer is made of an adhesive compound comprising a water-based adhesive, a leveling agent and a solidifying agent.

13. The sanding tool, as recited in claim 1, wherein the abrasive layer further comprises a plurality of abrasive particles outwardly protruded from the backing layer and evenly distributed at the backing layer, wherein an even storage gap is formed between each two abrasive particles.

14. The sanding tool, as recited in claim 12, wherein a weight ratio for the water-based adhesive, the leveling agent and the solidifying agent is 85-103:1:1.5-2 respectively.

15. The sanding tool, as recited in claim 11, wherein the adhesive medium of the backing layer is made of an adhesive compound comprising a water-based adhesive, a leveling agent and a solidifying agent.

16. The sanding tool, as recited in claim 15, wherein a weight ratio for said water-based adhesive, said leveling agent and said solidifying agent is 85-103:1:1.5-2 in sequence.

17. The sanding tool, as recited in claim 11, wherein the web base is made of a material selected from the group consisting of a natural fiber, an artificial fiber and a rubber.

18. The sanding tool, as recited in claim 13, wherein the adhesive layer is made of an adhesive compound comprising a water-based adhesive, a leveling agent and a solidifying agent.

19. The sanding tool, as recited in claim 18, wherein a weight ratio for the water-based adhesive, the leveling agent and the solidifying agent is 85-103:1:1.5-2 respectively.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a sandpaper of the prior art.

[0037] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a sanding tool according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a backing layer of the sanding tool according to the above first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating a manufacturing step of forming the backing layer of the sanding tool of the present invention.

[0040] FIG. 5 is a sectional view illustrating another manufacturing step of drying the backing layer of the sanding tool of the present invention.

[0041] FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating another manufacturing step of forming the adhesive layer and flocking the abrasive layer of the sanding tool of the present invention.

[0042] FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating another manufacturing step of drying and shaping the sanding tool of the sanding tool of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0043] The following description is disclosed to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the present invention. Preferred embodiments are provided in the following description only as examples and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The general principles defined in the following description would be applied to other embodiments, alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0044] Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 of the drawings, a sanding tool according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, wherein the sanding tool can be adapted in many areas, such as vehicle industry and electronic industry, for surface treatment. For example, the sanding tool can be utilized to remove material from a vehicle surface for further painting or other purposes.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 2, the sanding tool comprises a backing layer 10, an adhesive layer 20 and an abrasive layer 30, wherein the adhesive layer 20 is provided on the backing layer 10 for bonding the abrasive layer 30 thereat. That is to say, the adhesive layer 20 is a layer formed between the abrasive layer 30 and the backing layer 10 for joining them together into a multi-layer product. During use, the abrasive layer 30 is contacted with a grinding surface, such as a vehicle surface, to remove the materials of the grinding surface by the friction effect therebetween.

[0046] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the abrasive layer 30 is mounted onto the backing layer 10 via a flocking technique. Those who skilled in the art would know that the flocking is a process of depositing many small fiber particles onto a surface in a predetermined pattern. In other words, the distribution of the abrasive layer 30 practices can be predetermined in the present invention, since the abrasive layer 30 is flocked onto the backing layer 10.

[0047] In particular, the abrasive layer 30, in this preferred embodiment of the present, is evenly assembled on the backing layer 10, wherein an even storage gap 301 is formed between each two abrasive particles 300, such that during sanding process, the materials removed from the grinding surface will partially be stored within the storage gaps. Therefore, the sanding tool of the present invention has a better dust-proof ability.

[0048] Further, the distribution density of the abrasive particles 300 which are outwardly protruded from the backing can be pre-designed according to a specific need. Compared with the conventional sandpaper with high-density of abrasive particles 300, the abrasive layer 30 has a larger gap formed between each two abrasive particles 300. Therefore, the material removed from the grinding surface will not fill the intervals formed between the abrasive particles 300, so as to prevent clogging during sanding process. Furthermore, since the clogging is substantially reduced in practice, the heat dissipation is enhanced thereby accordingly.

[0049] It is important to mention that the abrasive particle of the abrasive layer 30 can be made of different materials, i.e. emery, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide and so on. Moreover, the grit size of the abrasive particle and the storage gap 301 between each two abrasive particles 300 can be selected according to a specific need, which would not be a limit in the present invention.

[0050] Further, the adhesive layer 20, in this preferred embodiment of the present invention, is made from compound adhesion material. In particular, the material of the adhesive layer 20 comprises a water-based adhesive, a leveling agent, and a solidifying agent, which are mixed together.

[0051] In other words, in this preferred embodiment of the present invention, the adhesive layer 20 is a mixture, thus the performance of the adhesive layer 20 is determined by the components comprising of the adhesive layer 20 material. In particular, the water-based adhesive, such as APU, allows the sanding tool of the present invention to has a waterproof ability while be able to withstand a relative higher temperature generated during sanding process. It worth mentioning that the water-based adhesive is a kind of health-friendly adhesive, which would not damage the health of the operator while performing sanding process.

[0052] The leveling agent, such as silicone oil and PDMS, added into the adhesive layer 20 is to improve the property of the water-based adhesive, i.e. to reduce the surface tension force thereof, so as to enhance the homogeneity of the water-based adhesive. In addition, the solidifying agent, such as DETA, PDA and MPD, added into the adhesive layer 20 is a substance to enhance the solidifying reaction at a predetermined temperature. Accordingly, in this preferred embodiment, the added solidifying agent is to increase the solidifying temperature of the adhesive layer 20 so as to enhance the heat-resisting property of the adhesive layer 20.

[0053] It is important to mention that the water-based adhesive, the leveling agent and the solidifying agent are optimally mixed at a weight ratio of 100-103:1:1.5-3 in sequence for acquiring a satisfying effect.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings, the backing layer 10, in this preferred embodiment, is a multi-layer, which comprises a web base 11, an adhesion medium 12 and a backing cloth 13. As shown in the FIG. 1, the adhesion medium 12 is disposed between the backing cloth 13 and the web base 11 for gluing the backing cloth 13 onto the web base 11 thereby. The backing cloth 13 is the uppermost layer of the backing layer 10 for supporting the abrasive layer 30. In other words, in this preferred embodiment of the invention, after the abrasive layer 30 is planted at the backing layer 10 via the adhesive layer 20 by the flocking techniques, the abrasive layer 30 is supported at the backing cloth 13 of the backing layer 10.

[0055] It worth mentioning that since the backing layer 10 of the present invention is a multi-layer, the strength of the backing layer 10 is quite increased as well as the flexibility ability thereof. More particularly, as we all known that just like the finishing net structure of the spider web structure, web structure is one of the most strengthened constructions. According, since the web base 11 (the lowermost layer of the backing layer 10) of the backing layer 10 has a web structure, the backing layer 10 is strengthened thereby for preventing the abrasive particles 300 penetrates through the backing layer 10 during sanding process. Moreover, the web structure has a good flexibility, thus, the sanding tool of the present invention is flexible enough to fit with irregular contours of a workpiece.

[0056] It is worth mentioning that the web base 11 of the backing layer 10 can be made of the material selected from the group of natural fiber, such as paper, artificial fiber, such as sponge, and rubber, which have a web structure.

[0057] In addition, the adhesive medium provided between the backing cloth 13 and the web base 11 provides a buffer function when the abrasive layer 30 acts on a grinding surface during use so as to prolong the lifespan of the sanding tool. In particular, the adhesive medium applied into the backing layer 10 can be made of the material same as that of the adhesive layer 20. That is to say that the adhesive medium of the backing layer 10 is made of compound adhesive material composing of a water-based adhesive, a leveling agent, and a solidifying agent. Likewise, the water-based adhesive and the leveling agent and the solidifying agent are optimally mixed at a weight ratio of 100-103:1:1.5-3 in sequence for acquiring a satisfying effect.

[0058] It is important to point out that since the adhesion provided at the backing layer 10 and the adhesive layer 20 is made of a same compound adhesive material, and thus, the manufacturing cost of the sanding tool of the present invention is quite decreased for the reason that you do not have to create two special adhesions for fulfilling the need of sanding tool, while the manufacturing process of the sanding tool is substantially simplified.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 4 to FIG. 7 of the drawings, a manufacturing method of the sanding tool is illustrated, wherein the manufacturing method comprises the steps of:

[0060] configuring an adhesion material;

[0061] configuring the backing layer 10 by applying the adhesion medium 12 at a web base 11 and overlapping a backing cloth 13 at the adhesion medium 12;

[0062] drying the backing layer 10 at a temperature ranged from 75° C. to 95° C. for about 20-30 minutes;

[0063] applying the adhesion material at the backing layer 10 at the backing cloth 13 thereof to form an adhesive layer 20 at the backing layer 10;

[0064] flocking an abrasive layer 30 at the backing layer 10; and

[0065] shaping the sanding tool after being dried at a temperature ranged from 75° C. to 95° C. for about 20-30 minutes.

[0066] Accordingly, in the step of configuring an adhesion material, the adhesion material is a compound adhesive material comprising a water-based adhesive, a leveling agent and a solidifying agent, wherein an optimal mixture for these three components is 100-103:1:1.5-3 at a weight ratio in sequence.

[0067] In other words, the step of configuring an adhesion material, further comprises a step of:

[0068] mixing a water-based adhesive, a leveling agent and a solidifying agent at a weight ratio of 100-103:1:1.5-3 in sequence.

[0069] It is important to mention that the adhesion medium 12 of the backing layer 10 and the adhesive material forming the adhesive layer 20 is selected from the same adhesion material produced in the steps of configuring an adhesion material.

[0070] Moreover, in the step of flocking an abrasive layer 30, the abrasive particles 300 of the abrasive layer 30 is extended through the adhesive layer 20 and retained at the backing cloth 13 of the backing layer 10.

[0071] Accordingly, the step of flocking an abrasive layer 30, further comprises the steps of:

[0072] extending the abrasive particles 300 of the abrasive layer 30 through the adhesive layer 20;

[0073] contacting the abrasive particles 300 of the abrasive layer 30 with the backing cloth 13 of the backing layer 10; and

[0074] retaining the abrasive particles 300 at the backing layer 10 via the adhesive layer 20.

[0075] One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting.

[0076] It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. The embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.