Writing, drawing, painting or cosmetic device comprising a honeycomb body, and method for producing the honeycomb body or the device comprising a honeycomb body

Abstract

A writing, drawing, painting or cosmetic device having at least one honeycomb body formed from a plastic material and/or a composite material consisting of a natural material and a plastic material. The at least one honeycomb body contains a plurality of hollow longitudinal structures that are axially parallel to one another.

Claims

1. A writing, drawing, painting or cosmetic device, comprising: at least one honeycomb body, the at least one rigid honeycomb body being formed from a composite material consisting of a natural material and a plastic material, wherein the at least one honeycomb body includes a plurality of hollow longitudinal structures axially parallel to one another, wherein the hollow longitudinal structures form a tube structure; and a coloring lead, wherein the at least one honeycomb body is formed as an encasement of the coloring lead.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of hollow longitudinal structures of the honeycomb body are oriented parallel to a longitudinal axis of the device.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal structures in the honeycomb body have cross-sections that are round, elliptical, polygonal and/or star-shaped.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is a lead pencil, colored pencil or cosmetic pencil.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the composite material consisting of a natural material and a plastic material contains at least 50% by weight of natural material(s), 0 to 20% by weight of inorganic filler(s), 0 to 10% by weight of adhesion-promoting agent, 0 to 10% by weight of color pigment(s), 0 to 10% by weight of wax(es), 0 to 5% by weight of additive(s), a remainder being formed by plastic material(s) as polymeric binder.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plastic material of the composite material consisting of a natural material and a plastic material is a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyolefins, polystyrenes, styrene acrylonitriles, acrylonitrile butadiene styrenes, polycarbonates, polyvinyl chloride and/or from the group of biopolymers.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device has an outer contour that is round or polygonal.

8. A method for producing a writing, drawing, painting or cosmetic device according to claim 1, comprising the step of extruding the honeycomb body.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the lead is held non-displaceably in the encasement.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the encasement and the coloring lead are coextruded.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the natural material of the composite material consisting of a natural material and a plastic material consists of wood and/or cellulose.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the wood and/or cellulose is/are present in powder form, meal form and/or fiber form.

13. A method for producing a writing, drawing, painting or cosmetic device according to claim 9, comprising the step of coextruding the honeycomb body and the lead.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1 is a plan view of a wood-cased pencil;

(2) FIG. 2 is a plan view of another embodiment of the invention; and

(3) FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a torque measuring principle.

(4) FIGS. 1 and 2 serve to clarify the solution according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a wood-cased pencil 10, which is composed of a lead 12 and a honeycomb body/encasement 11 surrounding said lead 12 concentrically. The honeycomb structure/encasement 11 has a large number of hollow longitudinal structures 13 and in this embodiment is, or can be, referred to as a square tube structure. A detail Z has been illustrated in an enlarged manner in order to clarify the honeycomb structure.

(6) It is generally noted that the distribution/arrangement of the longitudinal structures in the honeycomb body/encasement have to be distributed preferably uniformly over the cross section so that the pencil ideally has the same strength values in all directions perpendicular to the longitudinal structures.

(7) The distribution/arrangement of the longitudinal structures in the honeycomb body can also be formed differently radially.

(8) FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of a device/pencil 10, with hollow longitudinal structures 13 in the encasement/honeycomb body 11. To clarify the honeycomb structure, a detail Z has been illustrated in an enlarged manner.

(9) It has been found that the hollow longitudinal structures do not have to be formed over the entire cross section of the encasement. An improvement in strength with improved sharpenability can also be determined/measured even with partial interspersion of the encasement/honeycomb body with longitudinal structures.

(10) Very good results have also then been measured for example when the hollow longitudinal structures are formed over the entire cross section of the honeycomb body/encasement and the size of the honeycomb/longitudinal structures corresponds to that with commercially available catalytic converter inserts. This corresponds to wall thicknesses between the hollow longitudinal structures smaller than 100 m.

(11) It is also possible however to form the wall thicknesses between the hollow structures and the cross-sectional areas of the hollow longitudinal structures so as to be larger than those of catalytic converters, since the desired effect for achieving the object can be measured in almost any embodiment, this being independent of the cross-sectional shape of the hollow longitudinal structures. It is noted that different hollow space profiles in the cross section of a body can also be combined.

(12) It has additionally been shown that longitudinal structures located in the edge region of the encasement/honeycomb body surface can also be cut to size, whereby undercut contours can also be produced depending on cross-sectional shape.

(13) Irrespective of the above-mentioned advantages of the solution according to the invention, a further advantage is that honeycomb bodies/device elements formed in this way and the devices provided therewith have a significantly lower weight and at the same time material is saved during production thereof. In the case of devices having honeycomb bodies, a material saving of up to 80% by weight can be achieved, depending on the number and cross-sectional area of the longitudinal structures and also the wall thicknesses between the structures compared to a body made of solid material.

(14) In this case, it should be noted that means for impregnation, coloring or improvement of the sharpenability can also be introduced without difficulty via the hollow longitudinal structures of the honeycomb bodies, since the hollow longitudinal structures can be formed in a capillary manner due to their dimensioning.

(15) Three examples for a possible composition of a wood substitute material will be detailed hereinafter by way of example and can be used in the production of anisotropic encasements.

EXAMPLE 1

Composite Material Consisting of a Natural Material and a Plastic Material

(16) 15-30% by weight of at least one polymeric binder,

(17) 50-80% by weight of at least one organic filler,

(18) 0-20% by weight of at least one inorganic filler,

(19) 0.5-5% by weight of at least one adhesion-promoting agent,

(20) 1-30% by weight of at least one wax,

(21) 0-10% by weight of at least one colour pigment, and

(22) 0-10% by weight of at least one additive.

EXAMPLE 2

Composite Material Consisting of a Natural Material and a Plastic Material

(23) at least 50% by weight of natural material(s),

(24) 0 to 20% by weight of inorganic filler(s),

(25) 0 to 10% by weight of adhesion-promoting agent,

(26) 0 to 10% by weight of color pigment(s),

(27) 0 to 10% by weight of wax(es),

(28) 0 to 5% by weight of additive(s),

(29) the rest being formed by plastic material(s) as polymeric binder.

EXAMPLE 3

Plastic Material

(30) at least 40% by weight of plastic material(s) as polymeric binder,

(31) 0 to 30% by weight of inorganic filler(s),

(32) 0 to 20% by weight of color pigment(s),

(33) 0 to 15% by weight of wax(es),

(34) 0 to 5% by weight of additive(s).

(35) The plastic material/polymer in the composite material consisting of a natural material and a plastic material used in the examples is a polymer from the group of polyolefins, polystyrenes, styrene acrylonitriles, acrylonitrile butadiene styrenes, polycarbonates, polyvinyl chloride and/or from the group of biopolymers.

(36) Wood, agricultural crops, bamboo, kernel meal and/or cellulose present in powder form, meal form and/or fiber form are used as organic fillers/natural materials in the composite material consisting of a natural material and a plastic material, the size of the fillers having a maximum particle size of 250 m, in particular of at most 100 m.

(37) To set the brittleness and the sliding properties when sharpening, it is advantageous if at least one inorganic filler from the group of phyllosilicates, talc, boron nitride, steatite and graphite is used.

(38) Colored and also white pigments can be used as color pigments. For example, titanium dioxide can be used to lighten the honeycomb body.

(39) It has proven to be advantageous in composite materials consisting of a natural material and a plastic material if an adhesion-promoting agent is used to bind the natural material to the plastic material. A polyethylene with grafted maleic acid anhydride or a propylene with grafted maleic acid anhydride are examples of adhesion-promoting agents.

(40) The used waxes comprise amide waxes, fatty acids, such as stearic acid and palmitic acid, montan wax, stearates, fatty acid esters and/or paraffin waxes. Additives, such as lubricants, plasticizers, surface-active substances, thermal stabilizers and/or UV stabilizers, can additionally be added to the formulations.

(41) The effect of the rise in strength with simultaneously improved sharpenability in writing, drawing, painting, marking and/or cosmetic devices, depending on the material prepared, is indeed greater than with a corresponding solid material, however the values of the degree of improvement may vary depending on the material used. The improvement by the solution according to the invention is based purely on a technical embodiment and can be referred to as material-independent.

(42) A lead pencil, colored pencil, marker pencil or cosmetic pencil that has a honeycomb body/encasement formed from a wood substitute material or plastic material, wherein, due to hollow longitudinal structures, an anisotropy is formed, can be sharpened using a commercially available hand-held sharpener with low application of force and at the same time has the sufficient strength with low weight.

(43) In order to produce a comparability with measurements for sharpenability, samples made of solid material (wood, wood substitute material) and a honeycomb body made of composite material consisting of a natural material and a plastic material with hollow longitudinal structures were produced and sharpened. Here, the use of a sample assessed as being easily sharpenable means that a pencil produced therefrom, consisting of an encasement made of wood, wood substitute material or honeycomb body made of composite material consisting of a natural material and a plastic material and lead, can likewise be sharpened with low application of force.

(44) A sample is generally deemed to be sharpenable with low application of force if, as in the test, a pencil has a sharpening torque of less than 9 Ncm during the test or during the sharpening process.

(45) The sharpening torque is determined in a test machine developed for this purpose, in which a sample in the form of a solid body made of wood, a solid body made of wood substitute material, and a honeycomb body made of composite material consisting of a natural material and a plastic material is sharpened continuously for a period 20 s long. The average torque [in Ncm] established during the sharpening process that is necessary to continuously sharpen a sample having a diameter of 7.60.2 mm at a speed of 43 rpm with a cone-shaped tip already provided, that is to say already sharpened at the desired angle, in a commercially available sharpener with new blade is referred to as the sharpening torque.

(46) The principle of a device for measuring the sharpening torque is illustrated in FIG. 3 for explanation. A sharpener 1 is secured for this purpose in a holder 3 connected to a torque-measuring device 2. A sample 5 is provided rotatably in a mount 4 and is introduced into the sharpener 1. The rotating sample 5 is advanced pneumatically in the direction of the sharpener 1 by means of a feed arrangement 6, which acts on the mount 4 of the sample 5 with a feed force of 20 N (see arrow to the right in the image). The torque measured by the torque-measuring device 2 during the sharpening process of the sample 5 is recorded and averaged over the duration of the test in order to determine the sharpening torque.

(47) The fact that the sharpenability of samples in the embodiment according to the invention is considerably improved is clear from the following table.

(48) In this case, the samples according to the prior art DE 102008034013 A1 and the honeycomb body with square tube structure according to FIG. 1 have the following composition:

(49) TABLE-US-00001 polyethylene high-density (PE-HD) 25.0% by weight wood fibres 65.0% by weight polyethylene with grafted 2.0% by weight maleic acid anhydride amide wax 3.0% by weight stearic acid 3.0% by weight titanium dioxide 2.0% by weight

(50) TABLE-US-00002 Wood substitute Honeycomb body with materials hollow structures Natural according to DE (according to wood 102008034013 A1 the invention) Sharpening 7 to 12 9 to 10 <9 torque Ncm

(51) Furthermore, a use of a honeycomb body/encasement according to the invention made of wood substitute material/composite material consisting of a natural material and a plastic material with hollow longitudinal structures for producing wood-cased pencils which have a lead made of eraser material and a sheathing for the lead is ideal, the conventional wood sheathing or the sheathing made of the wood substitute material being replaced by the honeycomb body/sheathing according to the invention.

(52) It is particularly preferable in the production of pencils with coloring leads or leads made of eraser material if the honeycomb body/sheathing according to the invention, consisting of wood substitute material/composite material consisting of a natural material and a plastic material with hollow longitudinal structures, is formed by coextrusion. Here, the lead and the sheathing are formed in situ in an extruder and are output together via a mouth piece in the respective desired geometry in the form of an endless strand, which only still has to be divided into individual pencils. The honeycomb body and lead are coextruded.

(53) Extrusion is a continuous production method and is therefore extremely suitable for cost-effective mass production of honeycomb bodies per se and of writing, drawing, painting, marking or cosmetic devices comprising a honeycomb body.

(54) Extrusion or coextrusion occur via a special honeycomb-structure tool, as is known from brick production or catalytic converter construction, for forming hollow chamber profiles with longitudinal structures.

(55) The extrusion methods provide the advantage that practically all cross-sectional geometries of pencils can be produced.

(56) Another possibility lies in sheathing a lead that is already provided, this process possibly also occurring by means of extrusion via crosshead dies, similarly to cable sheathing.

(57) Ball-point pens, fine lead pencils or fiber pens may also comprise elements that are formed as honeycomb bodies. To this end, the honeycomb-shaped semifinished products or honeycomb bodies are also produced by means of extrusion.