Manufacturing Process of TOOTHBRUSH Marco Mirabella 马可 (1156409) Course of Manufacturing-Tongji University

A toothbrush is a mental equipment used for cleaning teeth Background A toothbrush is a mental equipment used for cleaning teeth It is composed by a plastic handle and a nylon bristle attached to the brush head The total market from 1990’s has swelled 600 million $ ( 3755728544 ¥) The first toothbrush known belongs to the Egyptian period 3000BC Marco Mirabella 马可 (1156409) Course of Manufacturing-Tongji University

The Manufacturing process is composed upon 3 processes : Manufacturing phases The Manufacturing process is composed upon 3 processes : Molding the handles Filling the core with bristles Trimming the bristles Marco Mirabella 马可 (1156409) Course of Manufacturing-Tongji University

Molding the handles Plastic is mixed and shaped into pellets The Molding process is undergone by an injection molding machine, it is composed by 5 steps: Plastic is mixed and shaped into pellets The pellets are placed in an injection molding machine(IMM), which melts the plastic. A rotating screw or plunger forces the liquid into the handle mold. The mold hold form the entire handle including small holes called cores. The molds are securely clamped, and pressure is applied while plastic cools. Once the molds are cooled, the clamps are removed and small pins push the handles out Marco Mirabella 马可 (1156409) Course of Manufacturing-Tongji University

Further explanation on IMM The injection molding machine(IMM) is also is also known as injection press. It has two main part: Injection unit Clamping unit In the injection unit: Polymers are injected into the injection barrel Material is heated by heaters till the melting point to form the liquid Plastic fluid is injected into the molds where it cools off In the clamping unit: The material is carefully removed from the molds by a pin Marco Mirabella 马可 (1156409) Course of Manufacturing-Tongji University

Filling the core The filling process involves the core and the bristles: Bristles are very thin wires ,usually made by nylon The cores are small holes located in the head of the toothbrush In the filling process: Bristles are stapled into the core with tiny metal staples All the process is completely automated Marco Mirabella 马可 (1156409) Course of Manufacturing-Tongji University

Trimming the bristles The final process in the production of toothbrushes is called trimming: In this process: The toothbrush pass throughout a trimming machine that slices the bristles. The scope of this process: Have all the bristles with the same length Obtain a good design for the head of the toothbrush Marco Mirabella 马可 (1156409) Course of Manufacturing-Tongji University

Curiosity and History The first toothbrush developed by Egyptians was made by twigs and leaves Indian, Greek and Roman use frayed twigs to penetrate more effectively between teeth In the 15th century Chinese developed the first sophisticated toothbrush Until 1900’s bristle were made by Siberian hog hair In 1961 the first electric toothbrush was developed Oral-B is the most common brand for toothbrush A toothbrush should be changed once every two months Marco Mirabella 马可 (1156409) Course of Manufacturing-Tongji University

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