The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for continuously manufacturing moisture films, especially to an apparatus and a method for continuously manufacturing moisture films that include at least one loading surface formed by at least one belt conveyor and used for supporting a lower fabric layer to produce films continuously. The lower fabric layer is moved synchronously with the loading surface and is coated with a first fixing solution layer, a gel layer, and a second fixing solution layer in turn. Thus a film is gradually formed over the lower fabric layer and a continuous manufacturing of moisture films with or without carriers is completed.
The film-forming materials of the present invention include, but not limited to alginic acid and salt compound of alginic acid (alginate). The alginic acid (so-called gel in the present invention) is a natural polymer, easy to react with salt compounds (such as the first and the second fixing solutions in the present invention, but not limited to) to form alginate film (the film in the present invention). For example, water-soluble sodium alginate (gel) reacts with divalent calcium ions in salt compound solution (fixing solution). Thus crosslinking and curing reactions occur to form insoluble calcium alginate film. During the manufacturing process, the film is produced into a long, continuous/or non-continuous strip with a certain width (but not limited to) and is treated by following processing including cutting masks with required shapes by cutting dies. The masks are applied to cosmetic moisture masks. The so-called film in the present invention is used as facial mask so that the film can also be called as masks. In the present invention, a film with larger area is produced first and then the film is cut into a plurality of masks with certain shaped by cutting dies.
Refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,080,420, U.S. Pat. No. 6,258,995, U.S. Pat. No. 6,203,845, U.S. Pat. No. 6,201,164, U.S. Pat. No. 6,372,248, U.S. Pat. No. 6,326,524, U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,016, U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,853, U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,666, U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,857, U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,957, U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,016, US2005/0287193, US2010/0227164, PCT/GB 9502284 (WO96/10106), PCT/GB 9601719 (WO97/03710), PCT/GB 9701098 (WO97/39781), PCT/DK 9700292 (WO98/02196), WO2008/072817, WO03092754, EP2111926A1 (WO2008/0090892, PCT/JP2008/050822); JP2010-189386, WO99/20378A1, these are all prior arts related to moisture films (masks). However, most of these prior arts are focused on film composition or weight percent of each component in the film.
Yet there are no technical solutions for problems such as how the moisture films are mass-produced or how the cost is reduced.
Moreover, the moisture film (mask) is divided into two types while in use-without carriers or with carriers. The moisture film without carriers includes only a film with a certain thickness such as alginate mask while the moisture film with carriers consists of a film with a certain thickness and a thin layer of the carrier such as non-woven fabric connected to each other. Generally, the thin layer of the carrier is contained in and integrated with the film so that the film and the carrier are unable or difficult to be separated.
As to the package pattern of the moisture film (mask), the moisture film with or without carriers is folded or directly stored in, but not limited to, a sealed bag with specific solution (such as saline solution for keeping the film moisture or essence/serum for face care). While in use, consumers open the sealed bag and take the moisture film out. The moisture film with or without carriers is a soft and thin membrane. For ease of movement during manufacturing/packaging and convenience in use, a protection film is attached to at least one surface of the moisture film with or without carriers at the manufacturing end. For example, a piece of pearl paper is attached to one surface of the moisture film for supporting during packaging or storage while the other surface of the moisture film is attached with a non-woven fabric layer that allows the solution in the sealed bag to pass and infiltrate into the film. In the present invention, the protection film attached is different from the thin layer of carrier in the moisture film with carriers.
Furthermore, the apparatus or the method for continuously manufacturing moisture films available now has following disadvantage:
First, the moisture film is a soft and thin gel membrane. Thus manufacturing and cutting of the membrane are not so easy. For ease of manufacturing or cutting into shapes required, the inventor proposes an idea that a flat loading surface or a lower fabric layer is used for transporting the moisture film. And the whole film-forming process has been completed during the movement.
Refer to EP2111926A1 (PCT/JP2008/050822, WO2008/0090892), the moisture films with or without carriers are unable to be produced continuously and quickly at the manufacturing end. The manufacturing of the moisture films includes at least coating process of gel (alginic acid) and related device (or working station), coating process of fixing solutions (such as salt compound) and related device (or working station), a device (or working station) in which crosslinking reaction between the gel and the fixing solutions, and/or a device (or working station) for stopping the crosslinking reaction between the fixing solutions and the gel, curing and forming soft moisture films. However, the arrangement of these devices is not efficient. For example, an impregnation coater and a gravure coater are two main workings stations and are separated from each other. Then a continuous supporting material is passed through the above two working stations by turning or traction effect of a plurality of idler wheels or rotating wheels for coating salt compound (fixing solutions) and alginic acid (gel) on the surface of the continuous supporting material. There is no continuous conveyor used to load the supporting material in the whole manufacturing apparatus. Thus each film-forming material such as alginic acid (gel) or salt compound (fixing solutions) is unable to be coated continuously and quickly to form the films. Moreover, several conveys (such as idler wheels or rotating wheels) are required to connect the separated working stations (as shown in FIGS. 2-4 EP2111926A1) at the manufacturing end so that manufacturing of the moisture films can be performed and completed. Thus the whole apparatus and the manufacturing process are more complications and a larger space is occupies. This leads to increasing cost in the apparatus and the manufacturing. And the manufacturing is not a continuous and rapid process.
The third one is that the moisture films are divided into two types-without carriers and with carriers. In prior arts, the same apparatus at the manufacturing end is unable to be used for manufacturing both types of moisture films by simple replacement or modification of devices or working stations in the apparatus. Generally, a new apparatus is designed and used to produce new type of moisture films. This causes a waste, increasing cost and ore space for the new apparatus. The competitiveness is greatly influenced.
There is room for improvement and a need to provide a new design of an apparatus and a method for manufacturing moisture films that overcome above shortcomings.